The Bay Golf Club 6, Atlanta Drive GC 5
Q. Can you talk a little bit about the last couple of minutes out there on the field?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, J.T. hit a great putt on the last hole to give us a chance. I think we had two matches that were really close, which is exactly probably what they wanted with the hammer change, and the new hammer rules really do change it.
There's a lot more decisions to be made out there. I think we made a lot of good ones today, hit some good shots. We had a good day, just came up a little short in that second match.
Q. J.T., you were really into the hammer today. Can you talk a little bit about what the rule changes did for your mindset with using it and when you did it and when you didn't?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I didn't know it was that obvious. But like Pat said, it changes the whole complexion of the game. I mean honestly, we lucked out, I would say, by the hammer rule change. But I think it's better.
I mean you have the opportunity to come back and in a match that short, it's tough to get outplayed enough to be as kind of lopsided as some of the early matches were, so you really have a chance at really any hole if you feel good about it or execute it to be able to make your way back in it.
Given where we were with four holes left in both matches, it would have been nice to get both points, but to win once was all right.
Q. Lucas, you had a great chip-in where you finished with a summersault. Can you talk about that?
LUCAS GLOVER: Walking up there, he said, make it, we need some mow here. So we both saw it just outside the left edge and hit a nice shot. It might have been going a little quick, but it went in. Gave us a little mow going into the break, and yeah, it was awesome. I was just doing what the ball said.
Q. I feel like we've seen just as many chip-ins as we've seen made putts. How hard is this rotating green to read, and how much harder is it than reading afternoon greens at Torrey?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It's a lot harder than reading greens at Torrey or anywhere. Especially I would say all of us are on the softer side of speed in putting, and playing break, and when you hit it at that speed you generally play the high side. A lot of putts, especially the ones you're wanting to make inside of 10 feet don't break much here. I don't want to speak on behalf of my teammates, but it's probably not as comfortable for us to go straight and firm.
But it's the same for everybody. I think it's just adjusting to not -- we're so used to seeing a lot of break because we're playing it every week. We've come to find out that inside the hole is generally a decent answer.
LUCAS GLOVER: The lighting is an adjustment might be even a little harder to see the subtleties, whereas if we're out under the actual sun, it helps you see it. That's what I noticed today when it mattered in my first match.
Q. I have a question for Justin. Does being a new dad and that kind of sleep deprivation prepare you for moments like this, to rise to the challenge under no sleep?
JUSTIN THOMAS: No, being a dad is way more challenging than anything I had to do out there. I love these guys to death, but they're not life or death like the situation I have going on at home where I'm trying to take care of an infant.
But the sleep deprivation was real for all of us, so we were happy to feed off of the crowd and use the adrenaline to get us through.
Q. Taking care of your daughter is easier than taking care of Patrick?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Next question. I don't know.
Q. Justin and Patrick, are there any other changes you'd like to see made like the hammer today for the rest of the year to make it even more exciting?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Given our first match, I'm not sure how you'd make it more exciting. It came down to the wire. There's not too many levers to pull, and I think the new hammer rule is a good one, and you saw that today with both matches, I think.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I think they were both great matches, and I feel like -- I think they've done a good job of just kind of mixing and changing the setups, of having some shorter holes, longer holes, drivable, whatever you want to call it. So like Pat said, they seemed to do it pretty solid today those first two matches.
Q. Justin, how proud are you of this group to come back the way you did? Obviously the right side the first match and fall short this time, but how proud are you of this group?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it's cool because I think all of us, like I said, we're trying to find a groove a little bit and get some kind of rhythm but just weren't really able to do so. Then you get to a point where it literally is kind of do or die.
I felt like those guys had a chance to hammer -- like I think maybe Ludvig or one of them had a putt with like three or four holes left to where I felt like if they would have hammered before your bunker shot, the match would have been over. But they didn't, fortunately, and I think it's little things like that of just like we were able to do in both matches of talking and Pat being being our voice of reason of we should do it now and give some confidence in each other like we did with Billy in the first match, and these guys had it and me in this match to throw up before the hole started and we were fortunate to come out on top on both of those.
But it's not always going to be the case, but hopefully it is for our team.
Q. All three of you yesterday were chasing Ludvig, and you're seeing him now up close and there's so much talk about his game. Talk about what you see, what's making him special.
LUCAS GLOVER: Yeah, I had to play him in singles, and I didn't really like my chances.
Yeah, no, I got paired with him last year somewhere -- Riviera, actually, a year ago. I was impressed as I've ever been watching anybody. I told him after, more for his demeanor and his composure than his game. To me, that's the most impressive about him is the way he does it the right way, humbly, and a lot like Scottie.
It's impressive to watch somebody that young with that much game and that much success already and still do it with his humility and grace.
Q. Pat or J.T., you guys have played a couple of these, and hammer talk aside for a minute, the playability, what are you guys learning? It seems like you're getting better and better at playing at, for lack of a better term, simulator golf?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, for me it's very similar to normal golf in the sense of if you see trends, you adjust to it. I was telling these guys, I have a tendency in all simulators of I like to cut the ball, and I just don't cut it on a simulator very well. I think I instinctively just want to look up and see where it's going, and because of that I swing on the inside, and I was doing it all day today, just basically pull-drawing it. I was like, I clearly am not cutting it, so I just need to then just have the little aimer move it to the right and try to hit it at that.
It's little things like that that we would make adjustments on the fly on a round that's just different kind of adjustments, obviously, for what we're dealing with in here.
But I'd say around the greens is probably the biggest adjustments, just trying to figure out how the different grain directions and chipping and how it reacts on the greens.
PATRICK CANTLAY: I agree. I think the chipping and getting used to getting up-and-down around these greens is probably the No. 1 thing, and then also leaving your golf ball in the correct spot because the green is so severe that leaving yourself on the left side or the right side of the hole is a big deal.
Q. There's been a lot of short game talk. Have you guys changed equipment at all with your wedges in order to interact with the turf or whatever it is out there?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, J.T. gave me one of his wedges, so I've got one of his K-grinds in, and I think it's a little better off the Astro Turf.
Q. Justin obviously the TOUR schedule is ramping up, TGL is going on, of course you've got family duties, dad duties. Is there any time to focus on your song writing career, and do you have any more hits under your belt that we can expect anytime soon?
JUSTIN THOMAS: (Laughing) I don't think so, at least since the first one came very out of nowhere, I'm sure if somehow there is a second one, it will be very similar circumstances of right place, right time, right person type thing. But no, I definitely don't plan on it.
Q. We'd hate for you to be classified as a one-hit wonder, but either way, we'll be waiting.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, absolutely. For sure.
Q. We've seen a lot of success so far this year on TOUR from guys that are playing in TGL, be it more reps or taking your mind off tournament golf for a little bit, do you think there's any correlation there?
JUSTIN THOMAS: No, I don't. All the guys that have won are really, really good players. I think it's more that than anything.
I don't know, I guess you could argue maybe a little bit of competition, but it's just so, so, so different than the golf we're playing that I don't think you can necessarily learn anything in that aspect, in my opinion.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports