Q. J.T., it seemed like that last hole was big to make that putt, two-shot swing. How did that feel to make that one and get it to one there?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It was huge. I felt like I played -- I played really well today, really solid. Just didn't have much to show. The course is getting very difficult, very firm and fast.
We just were very smart. It felt like kind of tried to take advantage of some scoring clubs or opportunities when we had them. This isn't a place that you can really force it, I think, when it gets in this kind of condition.
Yeah, it was nice to see an iron shot get up there pin high and roll that putt in there. It was a great read by Joe. So it's nice to finish off like that and ride that momentum into tomorrow.
Q. Eventful day for you. It starts on the 2nd hole. Can you kind of just take us through your perspective of what happened there?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I just was in a little -- looks like a bunker. It's kind of a sandy area, I guess, waste bunker. There's just a bunch of rocks and pebbles in there, so I was just moving them like all of us would do in that situation.
I guess this one I was moving, I thought was more in front of my ball. I don't know if it moved maybe something that was underneath my ball or whatever, but it looked like my ball had kind of just gone down maybe more so than rolled over because, when Robbie came, I was explaining the situation to him. To put the ball back, we couldn't really get it in a spot that moved.
It felt like -- it was a weird situation. But in an instance like that, I saw the ball move. Just sometimes it oscillates and doesn't. You've got to err on the side of caution, I feel like, in our sport when it comes to stuff like that.
Q. And then to not birdie, but a par, you're not really dropping a shot. To be able to get out of that hole without going backwards had to feel good.
JUSTIN THOMAS: For sure. 2 is a definite birdie hole, and I played the hole really well. It wasn't that bad of a tee shot, had a great 4-iron and chip and putt in there.
I was telling Joe after what Robbie said about the penalty, chip this in, this would be a nice 4. It was a bummer, but we have way too much golf left the rest of the tournament and week to let that affect the day.
Q. What was the when you're like in the water, like 11?
JUSTIN THOMAS: 11, yeah.
Q. Take me through that one.
JUSTIN THOMAS: It really was, I felt like, my only bad swing of the day. I thought I hit it so bad that it was going to be short of the water, and it just got in there.
Usually when you can see the ball like that, at least from past watching experience, it's not too difficult to get it out as long as you kind of accelerate through.
I said to Joe after the fact, I don't know if I've actually ever hit one out of the water. So I definitely wasn't going to say that before hand. I think I got a little too deep and went like right under it in the water and mud and whatnot. Just kind of pushed it out.
Joe said I smell like a wet dog after that, so it was very nice of him.
Q. The rule situation, to have that and then to still shoot 2-under and be right there, you've got to feel like maybe that's the bad round you get out of the way. To battle and to still be right in it after some of those things, it's got to feel good.
JUSTIN THOMAS: For sure. Yesterday and today both, I think those are -- when you win golf tournaments, you need to salvage under-par rounds when you don't have your best stuff.
Like I said, I played well, but it was very easily, with some chips here, some putts there, it very easily could have been a couple over. I just fought and tried to stay patient and then was able to salvage a score to where I'm right there tomorrow.
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