Watch Justin Thomas’ pre-tournament press conference ahead of the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.
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Contested each May, the PGA Championship is the second major championship in golf’s annual rotation, and perennially features the strongest field in the men’s game based on the Official World Golf Rankings. Known for dramatic finishes and notable champions, the Wanamaker Trophy—which has been awarded to the winner since 1916—is inscribed with names such as Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player.
The 2024 PGA Championship is set to take place between 13-19 May at Valhalla Golf Club. The reigning champion is Brooks Koepka.
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good morning and welcome to the 106 PJ championship at bajala golf club we’re two-time PGA Champion Justin Thomas is joining us Justin welcome to your ninth PGA Championship how special is it to be competing in your hometown this week it it’s very special I’ve been um you know there’s a lot of I would say this this tournament at this golf course is is a lot of reason feel like of of my love for professional golf and and and wanting to win majors in in golf tournaments and watching tiger here in 2000 um in person but uh no I’m you know it’s it’s just crazy how fast it’s it’s gotten to this week from when it was announced to me being on tour and and being fortunate enough to win this tournament and and now actually being here so I’m I’m happy it’s here that’s great thank you we’ll open it up for questions starting with Mark on seven hey Justin uh I’m just curious what you what the challenge is for you not to put too much pressure on yourself because you want this so badly here you know in your backyard well the good news is I do I have a pretty easy time putting a lot of pressure on myself already so that shouldn’t be too much of an adjustment um but I mean I don’t know it’s that’s kind of what I’ve told everybody is that I’m not really sure exactly how I’m going to feel like I’ve just I’ve never experienced it I’ve never played a professional tournament let alone a PGA in my hometown so I’m sure it’ll be some new feelings some good feelings but um I mean just came out yesterday and and I mean enjoyed it I think just just going to take it in and try to you know use it to my advantage use the the energy the the support to uh to to try to kind of get me going and and push me along as the week goes go over to nine followed by 13 Justin last week when you got the the hometown hero Banner you were you wondered what your emotions would be like this week now that you’re on the grounds and you’re surrounded by the the people and probably a lot of people that you know what has that been like or will that really hit you maybe even on Thursday um it I mean it’s been great it’s been nothing but but great things so far I mean I know it’s only Tuesday morning but um no I mean the feelings and everything I’ve had have been all all positive and um I’m glad I came and played you know last week Sunday Monday just not only with for my own preparation standpoint but just with how the weather potentially looks today and tomorrow um but yeah I I just kind of like I said I I think some of the you can’t necessarily compare anything i’ potentially would feel on a Monday or Tuesday during a tournament round of any week let alone you know a major championship here so um just going to try to you know make the most of it do you have any unique insights or or observations knowing this course so well you having played it so many times and does that create any advantages compared to maybe some of your competition I think if we were playing Harmony Landing I’d have a little bit more of an advantage than Valhalla but uh I mean I haven’t played here that many times I’ve probably played you know 10 maybe 15 and uh I think when I played last Sunday I mean I was saying to my dad I don’t think I’d been out here in eight or 10 years I mean it been a while um it just was uh I mean it was a it was a really really big deal to play here when I was a kid and uh not to mention I had Harmony that was all of four minutes from my house so uh you know the way I looked at it I was fortunate to have a couple birthdays where my parents surprised me and I came out here and um I think maybe my first couple years as a pro when I lived at home I would uh you know they were gracious enough to let me come out a couple times a year and whether it was play or practice but um the course hasn’t changed too much from what I remembered it’s just uh it’s all very right in front of you you just hit a driver really far and really straight and hit your irons well it’s uh seems to be the theme here all right we’ll go 14 followed by 9 and 15 Justin what do you remember about 2000 and was that kind of the first time you spent so much time at a golf course during a major event yeah I I mean I obviously don’t remember a lot being seven years old but I remember just um being pro like inspired being very in awe I mean I had just I hadn’t been to anything uh that that big or just I mean the energy that week was was crazy I think I mean as you know the Kentucky Louisville sports fans are are you know they’re sports fans and um you know we don’t get golf tournaments really ever let alone major championships so when it comes here I think uh you know you see that with some other Midwest venues that they they love it and um just the energy was was was crazy that week and just hearing the Roars in person uh you know you’re on one side of the course you hear it on other side of the course you’re maybe I’m inside and I could hear it wherever it was going on and it just was I mean as a seven-year-old that’s that’s pretty pretty cool to hear in person and um you know you you think you can do anything when you’re that age but watching you know tiger and Bob May duel it out and and how it all ended and me being the fan that I that I was um you know it was a it was about as perfect of a week as I could have imagined and I just remember you know that I had a not that you know what you want to do when you’re seven years old but I had a pretty good idea that uh I I wanted to play golf Justin with your family history with the PGA with your dad your grandfather kind of take us through what this particular tournament means to you I mean it seemed like it hit you that when you won your first one and you called your grandfather and everything it means a lot I’ve been very very fortunate to to have some great experiences at at PGA championships just uh you know with my dad serving on the board of the PGA and um I mean all the all the directors everybody they were just they were always very nice and gracious to me and they didn’t necessarily need to be I mean they this is a busy week for for you know the board members and and and everybody involved in the PGA and for them to always take time out of their their day just say hi to me and whatever it was so I mean it when I was I just remember in 2017 um you know being on that that 18th green and and holding the trophy and and shaking so many of the director’s hands and like I mean I known him for so long like it just it was really cool for me and I’m and obviously it was way cooler seeing my dad when I finished and talking to my grandpa but it just was like you know I’ve there’s a part of me it’s like I’ve known these a lot of these people since I was you know for the last 158 15 years of my life and um it’s kind of a full circle moment it’s like I you know kind of watched them do what they did forever and now it’s like now I’m on the other side and and I’m the one that’s inside the ropes on the 18th green with them as opposed to me watching as a as a little kid them being on the green given whoever the champion was the trophy so um I sure like the second version better than the than the first hi Justin I appreciate you quite a lot going on this week so please forgive a quick leads United question if I may we’ve been following their recent form and going into this big playoff semi-final on Thursday yeah I’m I’m very excited about my morning tea time on Thursday that has uh worked out nicely for that three o’clock game so I could ask you what Le I don’t if you know Le have got a terrible record in the playoffs I’ve never been promoted through it you’ve got a good playoff record including at this event in a couple years ago what advice can you give generally for these big playoff matches my my advice is very different than probably anything that uh that would be useful or helpful to them but I I know I’ve really really enjoyed learning a lot more about the sport and it’s um I mean Billy Foster I think we’ve we’ve uh between him Jordan and I we’ve we’ve definitely become a lot closer over the last year and um and he’s he’s given us a lot of insight and knowledge in in terms of leads and and whatnot and sending us videos from games but um yeah I mean it’s right now I like the fact that they’re playing at Ellen Road I know that they’re a tough team to beat there so I’m I’m excited to watch all right we’ll go 1 12 11 and then N9 hey Justin I wanted to ask you over the years there have been a lot of drama and theatrics at this championship at this venue and I wonder why do you think that is what is it about this course that that brings that out I’m not sure to be honest I think it’s a good question and um I just I think that something about that there’s not a lot of different ways to play the golf course um for the most part you you know if it’s a par four or five you’re just grabbing a driver when you get to the te and you’re just hoping you hit the Fairway and then you’re probably going to hit somewhere between a five and an eight iron into the green and it’s just I think when you give all of us very similar places to play from you have the opportunity for more of bunched leaderboards or um you don’t get maybe as much of a situation like last week like obviously you can you know someone can run away from it but I mean history’s kind of proven at this tournament that they have been pretty Bunch leader boards and it’s been very close coming down the stretch and I think that’s because you don’t stand on a te and you’re like well you know a lot of people are maybe hitting four iron or fivewood but you know you have five or 10 guys that can hit driver past everything and then next thing you know you have three or four of those holes over the course of it of an entire round multiply that by four days and then it’s like you you have a chance for that separation so I think the fact that this course is is played very similarly by everybody could could have something to do with it that’s my guess thank you hey Justin we talked to your mom yesterday she said being here is kind of a full circle moment driving you around to all of these tournaments and things like that as someone who’s witnessed so many great tournaments here at this course and you know the history what’s it like being a Louisville kid and experiencing allot that being now chance to be a part of this history it’s great I uh yeah I take a lot of pride in in being from from Louisville and um I’ve I’ve enjoyed you know the the couple opportunities I’ve had to watch you know tournaments out here and uh and just yeah that you know the people seen this week whether it’s volunteers on certain teaxes or work in the clubhouse or in this in the uh the gallery whatever it may be it’s um it’s it’s enjoyable and like I said I’m I’m very happy to be you know the the one that’s on this side of the ropes or or taking part in the championship versus you know the one that’s watching uh from the other side of the ropes JT some better performances the last couple times out how would you evaluate your game now compared to maybe late last year or early this year when you’re sort of building momentum I feel like I’m playing well I feel like I haven’t necessarily gotten as much out of my golf as I feel like I’ve been playing um which can be frustrating at times but it also just reminds me that you know I I’m close and I just need to kind of stay patient I mean I feel I finally feel like I at least of this year I I I know I’ve been playing well enough to win I just it’s you know it’s a matter of doing it I think it’s uh there’s plenty of you know I don’t know how to put a number on it but I’m sure there’s kind of anywhere from 10 to 20 people each week that probably play well well enough to win it’s just there’s only one that takes advantage of the most and does all the right things and I just haven’t been that person yet this year and uh you know hopefully it happens sooner rather than later but um I just have to you know kind of keep trusting what I’m doing and and understand I’m working on all the right things and um and know that it will happen I just can’t you know force the issue or or press because that uh that usually doesn’t end well up to Mike nine Justin when you you look at the guys in in this championship and and the and the class and the talent obviously Scotty’s won the last couple times he’s teed up Rory’s won of the last couple times he’s teated up does it almost feel like you you have to play Perfect in order to to hoist that thing at the end of the end of the week um it’s I mean you I don’t I mean I I I I I I know that I’ve always had to play well TN I mean I think there’s been different stages in my career where I felt like I can maybe get it around with uh not quite as great but I mean you always need to play somewhat well to win right it’s not uh especially at a major championship and with the high quality golf a lot of a lot of top players are playing and a lot of players in general honestly it’s just it’s it’s golf is very deep right now I think that you have a lot of people that can win any week they Tee It Up and like I said earlier you know there is only one and it’s just um being that one that that’s fortunate enough to to go about everything the correct way throughout the week and getting a couple breaks here and there and and you know have a couple hot stretches and then next thing you know you’re in contention on the back nine and then that point you just got to go win it so uh yeah it’s just it’s just one of those things you got to play well no matter of who’s in the tournament or what’s going on all right we’ll wrap things up with Mike 17 followed by eight you know you you joke about putting too much pressure on yourself sometimes and you know we’ve seen you at a gust or other times show emotion when things don’t go right I guess how much is that something you know that pressure something you have to work on with yourself something you have to make strategies for for kind of how not to do that it it’s tough It’s it’s a lot harder than um than improving your wedge game it’s not like I can just you know go out and set a track man down and and work on hitting my numbers it’s it’s just one of those things like you I think at least I’ve learned that you can’t just want it to get better and it magically gets better it’s just I think I’ve um kind of realizing certain times like it’s like okay acknowledging that I’m feeling certain things or or thinking a certain way and and then doing something about it or or trying to shift how I’m thinking about it or what I’m doing and um I mean it’s just it’s it’s it’s tough right like it’s just it’s one of those things you can’t just flip the switch and I think all the greats at it or everybody you know that’s you could say arguably all the goats of their sport like that’s what they do better did better than anybody else is they stayed in the moment and the process better than anybody and they also can’t explain how they do it because it’s just it’s all they know so everybody goes in stretches of when it’s easier um than other times and you know I look at Scotty and how he plays and I think he’s he’s he does that better than anybody in the world and um not only is his golf unbelievable but that I think has a lot to do with how well he plays because he just stays in his own world and stays in his process and no matter what’s going on and um he trusts in his ability kind of thing so that’s you know what I’m continuing to work toward uh for myself you talked about staying in your own Zone with with all the noise that continues to be happening there’s this committee there’s that committee there you know this headline that headline with with regards to negotiations is it just noise at this point are you kind of removing yourself from the situation or are you trying to stay involved and updated with everything that’s going on behind closed doors I I feel like I haven’t really been too involved for a while I just am I’m just trying to play as as good a golf as I possibly can and um and try to win golf tournaments that stuff’s very important but to me it’s not as important as winning major championships and winning tournaments and um if I could choose which one I I I know which one I’d choose so that’s the thing I think I need to give attention to all right thanks for your time Justin than guys
