Q. You happy to make the cut?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Hell yeah. (Laughing).
Q. Seemed like a tough day out there, just generally with the conditions.
JUSTIN THOMAS: I can't put into words how hard that was. That was the hardest round of golf that I can remember, major, non-major, it was just insane. The wind wasn't really the direction it was supposed to be or kind of forecasted to be for kind of like half the day and that usually isn't something that happens when it's at 25, 20, 25 miles an hour. It was just hard. You don't have a bail out on half your shots out here so you have a lot of shots over water and you're like, well, I hope it's helping or I hope it's not hurting. But everybody's dealing with the same thing, but, man, it was brutal.
Q. We've heard a couple guys from both these days say I thought the wind was going to be out of this direction, then it wasn't. Maybe they don't even realize it until the ball's in the air. Is it something about the way these holes sit within the trees or is it just a weird day, weird couple days with it swirling?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I don't know, I mean any place that is super tree lined like this you're going to get some swirls. But like I said, it generally -- yesterday it wasn't blowing that hard, so you could -- it happens, it can happen when it's like that, but I haven't seen it go, and different direction and switch at that level or that much wind before. But everybody's got to deal with it, it's not like it's just me out there. But I'm sure it sucks for all of us.
Q. Does it matter to have a hard test before a major like a U.S. Open or would you rather have something that eased you into that?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, if I was playing next week, no, this would be absolutely terrible. I would be exhausted, I would be, I probably wouldn't have a lot of confidence in my game. I probably would not want to do anything the next week. So I'm very happy that I have a week off next week. But at the same time being a hard golf course, I'm two good rounds away from being right there. But, yeah, I mean today you couldn't really hold some greens that were downwind. So I'm sure it will be a little bit calmer first off in the morning.
Q. I got to ask you, you always see handshakes at the end of a round, but Rory hugged you. Was that a, "we survived" hug?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It was a mutual hug. We just looked at each other and I think we both, we were like, we need a hug. He probably realized I needed one maybe more. It was a grind. It was a different grind for him, but, yeah, we were just battling out there.
Q. Take me through that 18th hole, ball landing on Rory's mark or? How did that what whole scenario?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It's funny, it happened yesterday. My ball was directly in front of his coin yesterday. And I had to mark it and move it. And then he went first and he missed it. And then I moved it back, I went second, and I missed it to the exact same thing, my ball went right in front of his coin, mark it, had to move my coin. Then it happened today. Like it was like that, what was it, where Zalatoris a couple years ago or something, like had a ball finish on someone's coin. It was the same kind of thing. Like it just doesn't -- it will never happen again in my career. It was nuts.
Q. Rory putted first or you putted first?
JUSTIN THOMAS: He putted first.
Q. And then you got to see the line. How much did that help if at all?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Ish. I mean, the thing is there's no -- it's a pretty simple putt, like it was right center. But with the zero friction kind of on the greens and as windy as it was, like you're kind of a victim to the wind. If the wind picks up the ball's going to go where it goes and there's really no amount of skill that can make up for it.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports