Q. Thomas, that start going out in 31, especially with the pin placements today, what was working there?
THOMAS DETRY: Yeah, I mean, I've said it multiple times already, getting off to such a good start was kind of the dream today. I felt a bit nervous on the 1st and I hit that 9-iron to two, three feet on the 1st hole. Hit many fairways, as well. I don't think I missed a shot in the first five, six holes.
That felt pretty comforting, to be honest, and suddenly I was on a roll. I was trusting my game and trusting my ball flight and kind of seeing the shots, and I've been putting well to be honest, as well, which helps.
But definitely pretty happy with the way I handled the whole day.
Q. Either way it was going to be a sizable lead going into Sunday, but that putt on 18 --
THOMAS DETRY: Yeah, I haven't even looked at the scoreboard, to be honest. But the putt on 18 -- it kind of drifted right. It wasn't a bad drive on 18 but just kind of leaked right a little bit, and I had a horrible shot with the upslope. It was sitting down a little bit, so was just trying not to make 6 really. Gave myself a great look for par and took my medicine, and it worked.
Q. You did a great job scrambling on that back nine. You got stuck behind that cactus that one time. Walk us through that shot and how you managed to get out of some trouble.
THOMAS DETRY: Yeah, it's pretty clear down there, so I was kind of -- not surprised, but I could have ended up in the cactus, to be honest, so in a way it's kind of a good break, as well.
Hole 11 and hole 13 were two good saves. Bit of a shame because 13 feels like an easy birdie out there. But the wind switched a little bit. It's kind of weird, like towards the middle of the round the wind switched a little bit and we were kind of expecting to play 13 down off the left and suddenly it kind of switched into and off the left, suddenly that tee shot becomes a little bit tougher. Obviously 14, 15, 16 were then playing easier with that wind switch, but yeah, it was good scrambling.
I think 11 was key, as well. On 11 I leaked it right again and took my medicine, great up-and-down, and it was a good par.
Q. How long has it been since you've had a five-shot lead going into the final round? Have you ever had that?
THOMAS DETRY: Maybe on the Challenge Tour. My only win as a pro was the Challenge Tour. I won by 12 on the Challenge Tour, so I think I finished like 29- or 30-under.
I can't remember what was my lead after Saturday, but probably something like that, yeah.
Q. On some courses you can protect a lead, but this seems to be one where you'll have to keep your foot down a little bit. Is that the mentality, keep playing the way you have been?
THOMAS DETRY: Yeah, you know what, I noticed today that the greens were a little bit softer, a fraction softer, so I felt like all of those pin positions were tougher. It wasn't as bouncy as what we've had the last couple of days. I actually was surprised a few times really thinking oh, this is going to bounce over the green or bounce right at the flag and I ended up like 15 feet short of where I thought my ball was going to end up being.
But yeah, there's birdies out there, especially like I did today, like I did the last couple of days. If you manage the front nine pretty well, there's plenty of opportunities on the back nine. They're all birdieable, 13, 15, 16, 17 and 18 again with a good drive. Definitely some good chances out there.
Q. I'm going to take you back a long way, six years or so. Last time you faced a somewhat massive hostile crowd as you were trying to close something out, that was at the World Cup in Australia when the Australians were charging but you played very well. I know it's a long time ago, but can you take that out there tomorrow?
THOMAS DETRY: Yeah, definitely. I remember I think we ended up winning by two or three. We birdied the last so we won by three, I think, but I still remember sitting on that 18th tee at Metropolitan and hitting one of the best drives of the whole week. It was kind of under pressure, as well, with OB left deep bunkers right, so definitely a good little boost -- good memory actually. I kind of forgot about that. But definitely didn't forget about that shot. But that was a great week with Thomas Pieters, and yeah, that was probably the last time I was heading into Sunday with such a big lead.
Q. Knowing what is possible tomorrow, what is the key for you to stay steady mentally and not think about that moment almost?
THOMAS DETRY: Yeah, I think you'll think about it no matter what. It's all about how you deal with those emotions. It's okay to think about it but then try to come back in the present. I think that will be the key for tomorrow. That's what meditation can help you with, like when your mind kind of spirals and goes into the future like that, forward thinking, and that's kind of where you need to be sharp and recognize that moment and going back into the present.
Q. I know it's been written that when you first got to America for college, you could run a little hot on the course and Mike Small helped you out. How important has an improved mental game been to allow you to get into a position like this?
THOMAS DETRY: Yeah, it's been eight years now on the PGA TOUR, on the main Tour. I played on the DP World before and this is my third year on the PGA TOUR. So I feel like the experience that I've acquired has been great, to be honest.
I feel like I still get a little bit hot-headed sometimes, especially when I'm tired and physically tired and mentally tired after a couple of weeks. But I'm sharp now. I'm better with my scheduling, as well, so I'm able to come to weeks better prepared and mentally fresher and physically fresher, as well. I think that kind of helps me, as well.
Q. What do you love about golf?
THOMAS DETRY: Just everything. It's kind of an all-around game. It teaches you everything in life. It teaches you how to deal with emotions, pressure, if someone is a cheater, if someone is not a cheater, just everything. It's a nice way of learning how to deal with life, I think.
Q. Do you have anyone from Belgium here with you this week following along?
THOMAS DETRY: I've got my wife and two kids. They're around.
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