Q. What would you say was the key to your round out there?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Just managing my game I'd say. I felt like I got it around well and put it in good spots and took advantage of some birdie chances that I had.
I just stayed patient. I feel like staying patient is important out here because you can make a lot of birdies, but if you maybe get a little aggressive or take on some unnecessary risks you can make bogeys pretty fast. I just kind of plotted my way around and tried to get some when I could.
Q. Did you have a best shot or a favorite moment of the day that made you happy or fired you up?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, I feel like No. 5 is kind of like a perfect example of why you just take your medicine and play smart, and you never know what's going to happen. I didn't hit that bad of a drive. Again, was just off the fairway, not a very good lie and had a tree in front of me to where I had nothing to a left pin. It was just trying to get it on the green and two-putt and move on and I hit a great gap wedge to 45 feet or so and happened to make the putt.
So those are the kind of things that if you don't try to force the issue, it's obviously not going to happen very often, but it couldn't happen if I didn't have the mental capacity to do so.
Q. Do you remember the first time you ever played in front of a crowd, like the first time people came to watch you play golf?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Definitely. I was actually playing with him. I played a practice round at the -- this is like legitimate crowd, a practice round at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in '14. Jordan and I played Rickie and Phil, and it was not even remotely close to the most people that have ever watched me play golf, on a practice round.
Q. What did you make of the atmosphere out there today?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It's good. You know what we're going to get, and you see weather like this, you definitely know what you're going to get. It starts slow and comes in waves and gets more and more. I'm sure tomorrow afternoon will be rowdy.
Q. Do you enjoy that part of this tournament, the crowd?
JUSTIN THOMAS: For sure. You embrace it. You know what you're going to get. Just as long as no one is kind of pushing the line or keeping it respectful, obviously, but we know everyone is going to be yelling, and the goal and hope is to embrace that and give them something to cheer about type of thing.
Q. You talked about playing with Teater yesterday. You would follow him as a fan. What was the genesis -- how old were you when you met him and the genesis of following him like that?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, I legitimately was probably young enough to not even remember when I met Teater. I couldn't even tell you. I knew just coming out here and had some -- my dad or maybe like Kellen Todd who I was with and I just met him through that somehow. But he always was just nice. He's such a good dude. Still is. We don't necessarily have a lot of Kentucky guys on TOUR, so I feel like we have a little bit of sticking together when we are.
Q. Kind of the contrast to that, watching him growing up and now you're playing with Luke Clanton and Nick Dunlap, is it kind of a full circle way to contrast how you were a kid then, now these kids who I guess are the same age you were at that point --
JUSTIN THOMAS: It's crazy, man. I've definitely never played on TOUR maybe ever with two people 10 years older than me in competition. It's wild. I definitely was doing a little babysitting out there.
Q. Maybe you know about this because it happened Tuesday but it was recently announced, the President met with Jay Monahan. Are you hopeful this will expedite some things with the way pro golf is now in the men's game?
JUSTIN THOMAS: For sure.
Q. Any further thoughts on the meeting or anything --
JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, I don't know how it went. If I could give you more, I would, but --
Q. It seems like a good sign, though, right?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I think so. I hope so. Yeah, I hope it does.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports