TSS VAULT: Justin Thomas on spring break 2K16 + Jordan Spieth’s scorekeeping (May 15, 2023)

Welcome to The Smylie Show Vault! We launched the pod in May 2023 but didn’t launch our YouTube page until several months later, so we’re going back to upload some of our favorite interviews from our first few months.

We begin with our first ever interview, Justin Thomas, on May 15, 2023. Justin and Smylie relived the glory of Spring Break 2K16, and JT told some incredible stories about Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Listen to the original episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-smylie-show/id1686899797?i=1000613104180

00:20 first junior tournament Smylie and Justin played together
02:01 the odd way JT puts his socks and shoes on
03:13 how spring break 2K16 came about
17:32 Jordan Spieth keeping a perfect scorecard
20:38 Smylie’s interaction with a rules official in Japan
26:20 playing with Tiger Woods in the Presidents Cup
32:27 JT’s range session on Saturday at the 2022 PGA Championship
41:13 JT’s champions dinner menu at the 2023 PGA
46:35 running into the Pittsburgh Penguins on spring break 2023 in Palmetto Bluff
54:37 using AimPoint for putting
58:20 the Justin Thomas Foundation

#golf #golfer #golfswing #golflife #pgatour #justinthomas #jordanspieth #rickiefowler #springbreakers #tigerwoods #pittsburghpenguins #sidneycrosby

All right Justin Thomas first podcast guest thank you for joining us how pumped are you first off to be Numero Uno of the podcast guest I’m very excited I know there’s only one first so uh I’m sure I you know the other couple people said no and I I fell in where I

Did but I’m uh I’m ecstatic well I have known you probably longer than man just of the guys that I know I feel like I’ve known you the longest of the player that I’ve played with on the PGA tour do you happen to remember the first event we

Played together uh in a junior event where we met uh was it in Mississippi it was you remember the event do you remember the name of it um gosh dang it I can picture the pool that we all hung out in too it was it was the Exxon BFI in Greenville

Mississippi yeah there we go and we putted on that putting green for hours and hours and hours and that was the first time that I met you and you were the only guy wearing pants uh talk to me about just the first off it was like 105 degrees

And you said I’m good I’m wearing pants why that kind of stemm from my grandpa he just he always wore pants um and he just I don’t know something stuck with me it just was like pros wear pants and I wanted to be a pro so I wore pants and

Looking back at it I just yeah it didn’t really make a whole lot of sense obviously because I was a junior golfer but um I mean I get more comments about that than junior golf days of like you were that guy and I was that guy I guess

I was that kid yeah well we spent so much time on that pting green and uh it’s kind of where our relationship started we played junior golf all the way through and competed against one another and uh on on topic though with the pants there was a concerning video

That I saw over the last year or two and you were in the locker room it was like one of those behind the scenes things and watching you get ready and you put on your sock first then your golf shoe then another sock then another golf shoe

Is this is this real life I’ve never done that in my entire that was the only time I’ve ever done it in my life and there’s a damn camera like right in my face and I’ve gotten more ments about you’re a freak show how you put on your

Socks and shoes and I blacked out I don’t know what happened but I think I don’t know man it was it’s probably why I didn’t win that day because I put my socks and shoes on like a psychopath I mean I saw it I’m like oh wow that’s

That’s kind of psycho Behavior it’s like putting on your shirt backwards and then putting it on after that that was interesting Behavior off topic with that so you go to Alabama and super successful there I competed against you while I was at LSU and quickly have success Once you turn

Pro and eventually I found my way out there as well and we’re kind of transitioning into the time where you send me a text and said hey do you want to go to Baker’s Bay with me Ricky fower and Jordan SM and this is before that

Master so I said uh yeah uh can you talk to me about organizing how that all was organized basically yeah I mean it is wild because it it I just remember you know talking to and Rick I think I’d been there maybe once um Jordan had never been you had

Never been and you know Rick had been a handful of times and we were talking about gone we’re like well let’s take a GU trip obviously we were all in very different places in our lives uh where we could do things like that and um and

You know we’re just like well who should we invite or what are we going to do and I was like I mean and I think like you knew Rick and Jordan but you hadn’t really like hung out with them right like any kind of quality time like that

Jordan just in junior golf but then in uh he he didn’t spend very much long of a time at Texas and and then I was still I I actually spent four years in college unlike you too so I was just a little behind y’all yeah absolutely um yeah

Thanks for for throwing that in there congrats on your degree that’s cool man but um yeah and it I don’t know how it worked out but I just remember I’m like I don’t know if I can if I can have a draft pick but I’m gonna choose that

That Carter Smiley Kaufman Guy and um yeah damn we had we had a uh we had a nice time well first off thank you for picking me but I also want to know where was I on the alternate list who was asked before me give me the

Rundown there’s a lot of names that I wanted to throw out there but I don’t want to put that on them no it was a no-brainer it was a it was I think a smiley or bust kind of situation really I heard there was a rumor I I thought I

Remember y’all asked Rory to come and maybe he didn’t didn’t want to come or maybe it was just GNA beame I mean especially yeah I I’m sure if we did ask him I’m sure he was like why on Earth would I ever want to do this with you

Guys and I’m sure we asked Willie sers and he probably had something going on or whatever it was but uh no it was uh yeah man don’t don’t sell yourself short well I always appreciate the invite but once we got there the trip was needed for all four of us do you

Remember just the timing of how just the golf and getting to Bakers Bay just how excited we were yeah it was um it was wild I don’t know if you could have I mean I guess you could have drawn it up better by one of you guys bringing a

Jacket to Bakers Bay but in terms of you know the two of you guys in the final group you and Jordan and and obviously that was a you know a huge it was a huge situation or moment for both of you but Jordan having been there you know what

He was a defending Champion wasn’t he yep and you know he had a chance year prior that was your first time freaking throwing Into The Gauntlet and in a major let alone the final round of the Masters y final group and yeah was just a with his finish and and you know with

How I’m sure it it went in your eyes too it was just like a wow I need a vacation you’re like well you don’t say it looks like we have one planned in a couple days so it um it couldn’t have been better because it was it was a little

Bit of RNR much needed for all but I know for the two of you uh a little bit more so well you mentioned you mentioned Jordan and I but you and Ricky also played the following week in Hilton Head do you you remember how yall played

There in Hilton Head did we play yes you did and I recall one of you missed the cut and one of you shot like 81 on Saturday or Sunday that was me that was me I made the yeah yeah I made the cut and uh because Jill uh I just started

Dating Jill like pretty I mean like a month or so a couple months before that and she came out and it was I shot like 8080 on the weekend I finished last by like 10 and I was like see isn’t professional golf cool isn’t it fun but

I I don’t know if people know the I’m going to put you on the spot a little bit uh the story of you and Jordan on 12 and then 13t you need to tell that story from when you guys and Jordan had his little Fiasco oh it was it was crazy uh

I mean I obviously witnessed and was had the front row seat to it all but we get to 13t and Jordan walks up and and like you said I haven’t really spent enough time with Jordan at that point we were friends but it wasn’t close enough to

Where I felt like he was going to ask me anything or talk to me after a situation like that so it was like like talk me through because what he had a five shot lead going I’m sorry Jordan if you listen to this to BR to bring all this

Up but he he doesn’t even know what a podcast is what are you talking about that’s a very good point he can’t even open his own phone um if he hasn’t lost it but uh so he had what a four five shot lead in the back nine he and do you

Remember like what you were through 12 holes like just the whole situation it was just I’m sure like a tornado kind of thing I felt like I was out of the tournament I knew that but I also felt like Jordan was going to win and after

What he made on 12 and I made birdie I was already cut from coverage so people didn’t get to see me make a two humble brag humble BR so we get to the te and I’m walking to the te I’m like all right I made up five shots there I’m starting

To do some math in my head it’s like what I make on six checking the scorecard and uh we get back on the te and he say he you are me and I was like oh and that was the first time like okay him and I are a lot alike and that was

The first time I realized we are a lot alike and then there was chaos behind us people playing a uh austa uh Country Club behind us looking for golf balls it was just chaotic um it was a it was a wild day but man JT we eventually get to

Spring Break and before we got there we actually uh I actually I get a little too excited when go on trips and we went bowling uh the night before uh talk do you remember that evening much probably a little bit better than you do um you know the funny thing about spring break

And and the whole Baker’s trip is that a lot of actually I would say the majority or everybody except for the four of us didn’t realize that the most hung over you were that entire trip was the night after we went bowling in Jupiter Florida before we even got to the

Bahamas well I mean I remember driving to the airport and I’m thinking myself a God I don’t even want to go anymore I’m I’m done I’m done Z just I’m going to book a Southwest flight go back to Birmingham and watch these guys uh go on

Their trip to Baker’s Bay but we went and you know to me Justin I’m curious what’s your opinion is social media then versus what it’s like now it almost felt like it was a honeymoon period where we were super comfortable putting just our lives and our vacation out to the public something

We wouldn’t do now I just want to hear your thoughts on that time period verse now yeah and I think um I mean obviously like we were all in different places in our lives kind of thing and obviously with with like I think Snapchat was kind of becoming a

Thing and then it was like you know you could be public on there and it was and Rick was way more um Jordan still didn’t know how to really work his phone then so nothing changed there but Rick was a lot more active on social media and I

Mean I would say he was kind of like the poster child for us in terms of like hey we want to do what Rick Ricky Fowler’s doing because arguably nobody’s branded himself better than him then and still now so we were like hey if Rick’s doing it I’m all

In I’m gonna do I’m probably gonna do it too but it was I mean when you think about it it’s like we literally like we’ve been on this vacation us four guys like best friends and like we were just acting like idiots and we just videoed

Everything like we put it all out there yeah I mean it it’s funny it’s looking back on it it probably isn’t something we would do it definitely isn’t something we would do now but it like you said it was a little bit different day and age and um I mean people

Obviously enjoyed it but uh it was uh it was a lot of fun yeah you mentioned the Snapchat I remember Ricky had so many followers on Snapchat and he was like yeah just you know post on Snapchat and I’ll tag your handles and the next thing

I knew I I was a guy probably I’d one on tour but by the end of that trip it was people recognize me from the trip and not winning a PJ Tour event I mean we still yeah we still get yelled at I mean I know especially with

You out calling golf now oh here because you’re you know if you’re calling depending on where you’re standing but you’re walking a lot closer to the ropes and we are the majority of the time and you’ll hear whether it’s walking between holes or something be like Smiley go

Spring break spring break like never ends well there was some foreshadowing on that spring break uh 2K16 we filmed all the shots like it was TV and I didn’t realize that was my first audition that I sent to actually be an OnCourse reporter so thank you for

All the material yeah absolutely the my only disappointment with then versus now is you only seem to use a microphone as a microphone now versus you know on that trip I think he used like a rake a shoe a Tequila drink a coconut like anything that was there um you used as a

Microphone I mean who was it it it was like Kurt byon was getting thrown out there oh God and I work with Kurt now and he was like dude why did you keep using my name so much and I was like Kurt I don’t know man it was it was the

First thing to pop to my head I’ve had five tequila drinks and it’s already 230 I’m sorry yeah it could be worse I mean you take it as a compliment oh so JT I’m curious about social media how has your relationship with social media since that trip uh

Changed since then uh compared to now uh I definitely look at it a lot differently now I don’t I still enjoy it but I don’t enjoy it near as much as I used to I feel like it’s gotten way more negative than it was I think when it

Started it was just an opportunity for people and it still is an opportunity for people to you know whether it’s share their stor say what’s going on kind of create this um brand for themselves or just I mean my whole thing is I want you know if I go to to dinner

And I and I sit at the bar by myself and I talk to somebody who happens to be a fan of mine like I want him to feel like he or she to know me how I am before I even talk to them you know what I’m

Saying so that’s how I’ve always viewed it but it just seems like it’s turned into a place where you can just kind of say whatever you want it doesn’t matter if it’s factual it doesn’t matter if it isn’t it it’s it doesn’t matter if you have any credibility or you’re the most

Credible it just you can say whatever you want and that part of it is is a little much to me at times so that’s probably why I’m not as active and I try to limit my time on it but um but it’s still I mean it’s it’s taken over the

World that’s for sure well and you mentioned the negativity the trolls that’s something that wasn’t around back in 2016 as much thank God the more that you’re on social media the more that negativ negativity that you can read has that affected you much to where you feel

Like you just put social media way at times when you get to tournaments I I think there’s a time and place for it I I’ve gotten in a habit and I actually got this from Jordan I mean he’s he hasn’t had social media on his phone for a long time but it

Initially started he would take it off his phone for the majors and I think that’s great because at the end of the day when yeah when I’m in a major like it’s all business I’m not I’m not there to the majority of things that are being posted during major weeks are not from

Me they’re either from my management or something that I maybe passed along and um it’s just more so that I don’t waste any time or energy on something that I don’t need to other than trying to win the golf tournament or play well and it’s just like anything and I’m sure

You’re the same way or maybe not but I just I go in spurts where I’m like all right I just need to get away from this a little bit or you know if I’m sitting on a couch on a maybe a little bit hung over rainy Sunday like yeah I’m probably

Going to do my fair share of scrolling like just because I got nothing else to do and I got to wait till 1:00 until football games come on or whatever it may be so there’s definitely a time and place for me that’s a great point and

I’m not going to talk too much about spring break uh 2017 but like The Hangover movie The Hangover 2 movie is never going to be quite as good uh but I would say the quality of our golf at Spring break 2K 17 was fantastic and do you remember how well we played at

Bakers that year uh I’m goingon to be perfectly honest Smiley I don’t at all I don’t uh and that I mean that’s that’s a long time ago man six six years ago like I don’t I I do remember that we had some electric games like some Hammer Games we

Were playing qus I think where we would yeah and I mean you can you can get it rolling out there at Bakers and I do remember that we had we we had some great games but in terms of specifics uh no I do not we I do remember playing that

Quarters game and so often I felt like y’all would flip all three of you would flip heads and I would flip tails and y’all would immediately say hammer and so the BET somehow goes from a $20 game to now before I even hit a t-shot $800

Is on the line I’m like I and I have I’m a rookie on tour it’s almost like a general hazing I’m like 800 bucks like two years ago I’m I’m still in college and now I’m playing for $800 a hole against some of the best players in the

World but oh goodness uh yeah yeah it’s it it seems to happen that way I will say I will give Jordan a hard time about anything and everything all and you’re very similar but there may be nobody on plan and earth that is better at keeping a scorecard and keeping like

Track of bets than he is I mean there was a time we went on a trip to Ohi during quarantine me Jordan Rick Duff kiz and Gary Woodland it was like we needed to get out of the house we wanted to go like play some fun games

And like you know get a little bit of competitive and one day we did a three Onre game best two balls we played 45 holes we played like a $100 one Downs that I think eventually got pressed on the last nine to a couple hundred more

We had I have a picture of it on my phone we had like 34 bets open and we broke dead even and Jordan I mean again this was a it was a fun trip I will say along with golf where a couple cocktails were had and somehow he kept his

Scorecard and kept it perfect the entire time and we broke dead even so I have to give him a little props for that no man loves keeping track of bets whether it’s AC doy whether it’s games on uh the golf course like you’re mentioning the man is

A degenerate at heart and loves the action I remember some of the stories from that a hoopy trip that I’ll I’ll choose to leave out uh that y’all mentioned to me but I’m going to get back to 2017 and I really feel like before you got going that that year you won five

Times we actually went on a chip a trip to uh Japan you and I and we did and we played LACC and do you I mean that trip in general it was one of my favorite trips I’ve ever been on yeah I I remember a lot of I mean that was we we

Went and played the Dunlop Phoenix you had uh Tony went and caddy for you and I mean Lance my agent came over Jimmy and I just remember we were like we’re gonna go out early we’re gonna go to La and it was like we’re gonna you know it’s G to

Be so much fun we’re gonna stay with a friend of a friend in Beverly Hills and we went and played LACC it’s easier to flly out of La like we’ll go in early we’ll get to Tokyo on Sunday so we can have a great dinner we can go out it’ll

Be fun and you remember we get to Tokyo and find out that everything is closed on Sundays we’re like we Ser we’ve had this plan for months and we were like staying in this badass hotel and this dinner we’re like damn like it’s pretty slow here in Tokyo and finally found

Someone that spoke English and they’re like yeah everything’s closed on Sundays but we did find a karaoke bar where every time Lance hears the song He facetimes me or sends me a text and that song isra New York New York it’s an alltime karaoke song that I feel like

When I was singing it or watching someone sing it I I was kicking my legs up in the air uh it was man do you do you care to share the story of the interaction that you had with the rules official at the Dunlop Phoenix man you’re throwing me under the

Bus on this one I actually told this story this past week to uh a rules official and talking about a wild uh ruling I got in Japan they had these large nonvenomous spiders that felt like they were the size of your face when you looked at

Them and on the 12th hole I hit in the left rough and the rough there was very long as you remember and the club uh got caught in the rough hit a hosle into the right woods and which I’ve a Shanker to of my G yeah just you say you shanked it

It’s a thought in the r you shank I was good for a every 3 months when I was playing on tour anyways that’s besides the point my ball was underneath a huge spider web massive massive spider I call for a ruling because no way I’m hitting

The shot a PJ tour official be like yeah dude drop a mile away from that and uh the rules official comes up doesn’t speak great English and he said non non-dangerous non-dangerous play and he kept like kind of rushing me into playing and eventually I got to a

Point kind of bullly all over I’m so mad I’m in the woods and I tell Tony I was like Tony tell him go away and I don’t want to hit here something like that it just was a mess and didn’t he didn’t he say something where he was like no like

It’s not dangerous like you can knock it you can like knock it down you’re like you knock it down I’m not touching the spider like I’m getting no I I asked him if I was like you play the shot and it just was a mess over those right

Trees on 12 at the dun Phoenix still one of my favorite events and and JT you end up finishing fourth that that week I believe fourth and to be honest it kind of felt like it propelled you to a big year and do you What did 2017 what are your memories of that

Winning a major and uh four other times on tour yeah I I I mean it all started in yeah in that fall when in CIMB I felt like um that just was kind of the beginning of kind of getting me a little bit of moment met I’m i’ one

In 15 was my first win and then 16 was I went back to back and it was like okay you know you can win first time but win it again and I I just felt like that I learned a little something from that and how I handled that and then going into

Kaaloa and Sony where you know arguably Sony was the best golf still to this day I think I’ve ever played um and I just I felt a little like a sense of confidence that just I do belong out here and you know I I can not only win but win

Multiple times and and it was just more of a confidence and belief than anything you know I felt like I didn’t need to be perfect or I I I could make mistakes I just had to outthink um everybody else and I felt like that’s what I learned and and it

Showed there again at the PGA and then the playoffs and um was fortunate to uh to sneak the the FedEx Cup past our our pal Jordy there well I’m going to speak upon that confidence you were talking about you said that the Sony open you said you played some of your best golf

Well you and I had breakfast that morning that Thursday and I don’t know if you remember that you were joking around having a good breakfast and you know we go out to warm up I hit balls and you were uh went to chip first and we pass each other and walking um and

I’m doing something stupid probably some dance a dab and I remember you walked like right past me and really didn’t give me much as far as just a laugh or anything I’m like oh man what got into that guy and and then I’m finishing up my round I’d

Finished on the 18th hole and I’m I’m walking past the ninth and I see that I knew you were going low that day and then you made that putt for 59 I’m like oh okay maybe he was in the zone and I didn’t realize it I mean it’s just crazy

You can get into the zone so quickly talked about how you’re able to just almost getting that that tiger Vision like on the Xbox game you used to play you can just tap into it so quickly yeah and I mean you know it’s just there’s there’s days or weeks or months years

Whatever it is that that’s easier than others and that just was one of those runs that I had are definitely one of those years where I felt like I could tap into it easier than others and it it again it just was it’s very similar the

Stuff that all of us are trying to achieve all the time it’s just making it easier you know it’s not it you’re never as far away as you think in golf and I felt like that was something that I did and and um I mean

In caloa the week prior you know I felt like I had a great lead and then I just made a terrible double on 15 Hideki made a birdie and all of a sudden I made it a tournament and then I had a strong finish to then close it out so that

Almost gave me a little bit more confidence and and having the opportunity to go back toback it just was like I didn’t feel like I I just stayed kind of in that Rhythm and in that zone and really just more trusted in my ability than anything

As opposed to like feeling like oh now I got to you know I have to live up to these expectations or I need to show everybody that I can do this or that it just was more hey I’ve been practicing really hard and I believe that I’m

Plenty good enough I just have to go play golf and and have the faith and believe that it’s plenty good enough kind of thing and you talk about you you you understood that you had the ability and the belief and confidence and that’s transitioned so well for you into the

Team events your record speaks for itself but I want to talk to you about the President’s Cup in Australia when you were playing in Melbourne with tiger and I can’t remember if you said this in an interview or this was something that was just mentioned on group text but you

Had the t-shot on 18 and tiger said something to you that if if you if you remember it was it was on 16 it was um it was yeah it was in the alternate alternate shot and I just made like a eight-footer for birdie to to stay tied

In the match we were in a really good match and 16 is like At first off Ro Melbourne one of the most unbelievable courses ever like I absolutely loved it and I was evens unfortunately so in that situation so I had 16 t-shot and it’s this brutal hole it’s this very narrow

Dog leg left and it just gradually dog legs the whole way and I like to fade the ball off the tea and there’s this damn tree that’s like right off of the tea on the left that it’s just I mean right in my window like I mean I’m

Looking up and that tree is what I see so it already asks for a draw the wind’s in and off the left and I mean it’s just it’s begging for me to just heal hayan right of the planet and it’s just like man like this a big point in the match

Like we need I need to get this ball and play I have the greatest iron player on planet Earth on my team but I can’t it’s such a long hole I can’t hit like an iron because then I mean it’s like a driver five iron kind of power four and

I never really ask tiger anything in terms of layups or whatever it is it just and that’s what makes him such a great partner is he’s just like look you go play I’ll go play I’ll let you know if I need anything so I’m up on the te

And I’m like I call Tiger over he’s like what I’m like I mean is there anything like this t- shot’s not very comfortable for me like do you care if you’re further back or and he just goes I don’t care what I have in just put me in the

In Fairway that’s what he said and I was like okay that doesn’t make it any easier but appreciate partner so I um I I just teed down a low driver and I hit like a kind of like the shot I hit on 10 at Augusta or that 16 at Saw Grass like

A little Junior draw and somehow hit the Fairway and um we won the match but it was I’ll never forget that and what did you say celebrating yelling at Tiger on 18 still one of my favorite wines yeah I said I love mea me uh that’s a a Terrell

Owens quote I showed the whole team it’s a funny video myself uh a buddy of ours Willie sers and Bud that we’ve said many times and we’ve watched this video and I showed it to the team on the bus on the way to the course that day and they

Hadn’t seen it and I said I if I make a big putt today I’m I’m saying this and uh 18 green felt like a pretty Fitting Place it was awesome it still is probably one of your best memories as far as making a clutch Putt in the time especially with tiger being

The captain watching imagine that was quite an incredible moment and then you transitioned into playing with one of our good buddies Jordan and I can tell you this Ricky and I have played a bunch of matches against you guys and you two together are very difficult to beat and

I knew that uh I think the world has found that out but why besides your friendship have yall been such a competitive do in these uh Team events I think we’re very similar I mean like our personalities um just our demeanor kind of the way we go about things is very similar our

Games are very similar I think we you know we have a lot of confidence in each other I mean it’s one of those things and Jordan has said it best in in the sense of you know if if I was to miss a green and I couldn’t choose myself to

Get it up and down I’d probably him and then he said that same thing you know if I miss a green and I have a tough up and down and I can’t choose myself I’m going to choose Justin so it’s like we have that that belief and faith in each other

And and we’re both not afraid to get the spray gun off the tea every once in a while so like we we we can hit some of those shots because we’ve been there on our own so it’s just very much a a situation of we’re comfortable we have

Belief in each other but we’re also very good at feeding off each other and we know each other’s games well enough to where where if he’s if he says you know I don’t know if it’s a seven or an eight and he’s talking about you know if I if

I hit a flight draw eight iron like I know that shot from him because I’ve seen it enough to where you know another guy I mean um you know Scotty sheffler last year like I I haven’t seen him hit that shot enough to to confidently say yeah that’s enough Club whereas Jordan

Could ask me and I’m very confident I could give him the answer to what I think would solve that shot kind of thing well it’s basically acting as a as another player caddy it’s just more information to help uh you two get around the golf course and uh y’all

Y’all two are just so difficult to beat and um hopefully and I assume Ryder Cup is definitely I’m sure youall have to send some texts to Zach Johnson letting him know that that you two will be playing together yeah we we have a um a bit of a

Track record of of group texting the current captain and letting him know our best ball scores although it really came back to bite Us in the ass at Whistling Straits because all we talk about is how good our best ball scores is are and how low we shoot and freaking strick didn’t

Even play us together in best ball so he’s like look it you can say all you want but it didn’t really work out for you because we both only played one best ball session and it wasn’t even with each other so um maybe that that theory

Has really come back to to to get us oh man I love a I love a good bit more than anything and uh all right so the first uh time I was actually on the call for um when I started this media Venture was at the PGA Championship this past

Year at Southern Hills and I feel like most people got a more in-depth look at that week uh thanks to full swing in the Netflix show and I picked up on something I didn’t even realize and I knew that you played incredible golf on Thursday Friday being in the bad wave

Which I feel like took a little wind out of your sales I feel like you had to work harder almost to play that well and then Saturday didn’t quite have anything go your way and talk to us about the range session I know you’ve seen um the

Episode but I just want to hear your thoughts on just what all was going through your head that Saturday evening yeah the the range session Saturday afternoon was arguably the most important rain session I’ve ever had in in my life I mean it just was um it was

One of those things to where I don’t know if it was bones if it was me my dad John Graham but it was it just was like I couldn’t leave the property in that frame of mind I just was so pissed off I felt like IID just completely thrown

Away an opportunity to win a major and I was in a great spot to do it um and I just I just was so mad and it was very windy it was cold I mean I was in the one of the last couple groups it was damn near dark so it just

Was I I just just needed to go down to the range and I needed to really just vent more than anything um you know I probably in in total hit a handful of putts and a handful of shots but probably just talked more than anything and I just needed

To all hell break loose and just really just let it fly and I wasn’t necessar I wasn’t mad at anybody it just was I was frustrated and and needed to get it out so that I could leave Southern Hills in a better frame of mind because it’s not healthy

To one take that home with me um but two just to to leave that course in that frame of mind because because of that and because of Bones you know and my dad and John kind of keeping me positive and and understanding that look whether it’s

To get in a better frame of mind to go shoot 68 or nine and finish in the top five or to shoot 67 and and win the golf tournament like I just we had to make the most out of the situation we were at that was the reality at that point and

Um it obviously worked out great so was uh it was pretty pretty cool so I remember in the Netflix uh full swing you said me I can’t even find anything and didn’t have a swing thought was so that was more just just not even yourself talking you really did have a

Swing talk because I’m curious if you found something physically uh in your golf swing before the following day or really just a a total reset mentally just to get you ready like you were talking about it was just a a reset mentally it was um I mean it was it was

Very windy it just was one of those days that it was like you know anything good that can happen didn’t you know it was like little things like on on 10 I hit a great t- shot down there had a really nice wedge and it just I got it was

Straight down wind I got a huge wind gust and just knocked it straight down into the front bunker you know whereas like I could go up on the green I could have a tap in birdie whatever and um you know I I made a dumb decision and tried

To go for the green on 13 I hit a good drive and my ball rolls right up against the collar of the rough and you know if that’s in the Fairway I’m hitting five wood which is arguably one of my favorite clubs in the in my bag I most

Likely hit it up around the green and make birdie is a instead I take a you know take on a risk I hit a tree I may I have to get up and down for six so it’s just there was a lot of things that just

Kind of happened in one of those days to where yeah it wasn’t like I had one thing in my swing that was happening it just was like a my mind was was uh unraveling a little bit on Sunday at what point did you feel like I have a chance to win this

Championship uh 12 green was where I totally felt it I didn’t look at leaderboards that day I just was so far back that I didn’t feel like it was really going to do me any good I mean I I was very fortunate that the I think

Six people that were ahead of me none of them had won a Tour event let alone a major so um it wasn’t necessarily a knock on them it just was the reality of like hey I I mean I’ve been there I know how hard it is to win a major I know how

Hard it is to win a golf tournament and like these guys are going to be uncomfortable tomorrow because I’m going to be uncomfortable but I’m going to be less uncomfortable than they are so I just was like I need to go out and I mean I’m not going to be stupid

And try to go shoot 61 or two like obviously that’d be great but in the end of the day it’s probably not going to need anything crazy so I’m like I just went out and played just kind of pick my spots I didn’t get off to a

Great start um made a couple birdies made a huge birdie there on nine um missed a shortish you know a 12 footer on 10 made a 60-footer on 11 and and then on 12 it kind of you know 10 goes down 11 and then 12 comes back close to

Nine green that’s about where the final group was and I made a I made probably a 18 footer 15 18 footer for birdie there and I could just tell the Roar from the crowd it was a very different Roar and it was like a I’m I’m in this tournament

Kind of Roar and I could kind of feel the crowd getting behind me and that was like a all right let’s let’s go kind of thing well you were able to keep going and and you worked yourself into a playoff and I’m curious which shot between the two major championships you won

The seven iron at Quail Hollow or the three wood you hit on 17 which one for you was a more was a better shot or more memorable I think the I think the three-wood this last year was more memorable I think the seven iron at Quil

Was a better shot I think in terms of like being able to repeat it I think that seven iron like that pin you’ve seen it is ridiculous like it is it is just right on a knob and like it it’s you know it’s 220 yards and I had no

Business nobody has any business making birdie into that pen unless it’s an accident let alone somebody with a one shot lead and like I it was one of those like my three- wited 18 at Aaron Hills like I’m probably not going to repeat that one in a hundred times whereas like

I’m pretty sure you give me 10 balls at 17 at Southern at Southern Hills from that te like I could probably hit you know a couple of them on the green but given the situation it was very memorable and was very timely well I I just remember the

Emotion you had um on 18 it you just never were able to get out of the Zone still even when you had a two putt to win on 18 I remember sitting there watching you and you took plenty of time to kind of gather yourself knowing let’s

Not get ahead of ourselves talk about that moment on 18 green yeah you know it was it was tough because I was trying to balance the two um of staying in the moment but I I also remember wishing I remembered more from 18 at quell Hollow like I remember I was

Actually telling bones last week um when we were walking up to 18 green I mean I you know I knew I had a two shot lead at at the time and I hit it up the right and hit in the rough and like I walked

Up to look at the green and I turned around and the scoreboard was there and kizen made Bogey and I a three shot lead and I was like holy [ __ ] like I’m about to win the PGA like this is I mean I just need to Jimmy can get it home for

Me in a couple like and but I just didn’t I didn’t look around and do enough and I remember trying to balance both walking up 18 I just remember I didn’t say anything to bones but I just looked around and looked at all the people and

Was like this is this is exactly why I play golf is for moments like this and like how cool that was to just see I mean that that that scene in like the amphitheater typ I mean it just was like everybody was up on that hill and I just

Remember looking I mean I have that Vision in my head of like looking up and seeing that but then also like all right dude you need to two putt this and win win the tournament so um yeah it was it was really cool well you’re the

Defending Champion now and uh do you uh want to reveal uh your menu for next week by chance uh is that something yeah I’ll get into specifics here this is yeah the first time that it’s um that it’s coming out so I’m well I want to of

Pride in this take me through so first off talk about where where it’s coming from talk about your trip up there just how it all came about so I got very fortunately asked to go to Rayos in uh New York from a buddy of mine Ben weon he’s got a a table

There and I mean I I love food I mean I’m I’m no no Francy Coffman by any means of of a foodie but but I I love me some food and I’d heard heard about Rayos I’d never had the opportunity to go naturally and and Ben just called me

He goes hey what are you doing it was like December beginning of December um he’s like I got a table at Ros like you me Eric Church and Eli Manning we GNA go to dinner I’m like this is a strange random group but yeah exactly let me

Check my pulse and I’m just like well like are you going for a weekend or what are we doing and side note to the story Drake was supposed to play at the Apollo Theater after that so we were going to go to dinner at reo’s and I was going to

Get to watch Eli Manning at a Drake concert which was going to be absolutely incredible just looking at him and some whatever button down and cashmir sweater and vest that he had on was just going to be must see action but Drake unfortunately cancelled didn’t do it but

So we’re trying to figure out like what are we doing are we going to go to Rayos and Ben’s like hell yeah like this is baller we’re literally just going to fly to New York we’re going to go to rayo’s for dinner and then we’re going to fly

Home and I’m like talking to Jill I’m like am I gonna do this and she was like why wouldn’t you like this is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of night and so we ended up going and um and Ben had an extra spot at the table so uh he’s also

Very close with Morgan Wallen so he came with us too and I’ve never felt you know like as little of a star as I Poss could in that group but it was an absolutely incredible night and one that we’re trying to make an annual trip out of with me with

Yeah exactly exactly but because of that I came up with the idea of I reached out to to Ben and I said dude do you think Rayos would have any interest in doing my Champions dinner for the PGA and that’s not something that the PGA usually does they you know it’s not

Necessarily A cater type situation it’s like a you know we have a chef here that can make whatever but I’m like you know the pga’s in New York it’s not terribly far like we could maybe there’s a chance and I know that you know some people in

The Ros family are golf golf fan so I didn’t it was worth a shot they were all in so Rayos is doing my Champions dinner and I am so pumped because it’s um I know they’re excited but I’m excited so I will I’ll share I’ll share the menu

With you SK let’s hear it so for the first course so this is all stuff straight off their menu so it’s going to be it’s going to be legit we got seafood salad baked clams and a house salad for the main course you know there’s so many

Good things that are options for main course but I wanted to try to touch it touch them all in terms of you know I as a massive chicken parm fan that you are um love a good chicken parm yeah you do you know I didn’t want to have

Three chicken dishes so I wanted to try to do it all so I’m doing a pen uh pen vodka the Rao’s meatballs of course the pork chop with the hot and sweet cherry peppers just incredible Uncle Vincent’s lemon chicken just unbelievable chef’s kiss yeah naturally some steak sauteed

Broccoli and then for dessert we have Rayos New York style cheesecake and some mixed berries so I mean it’s it’s going to be it’s going to be nice so I’m I’m I know you’ve already asked me about how I’m gonna sneak you into the dinner it’s

Going to be a little tough now that we’re talking about it on your podcast but we’ll see what do all right so that dinner sounds amazing uh I’m super jealous but so you’re now glutenfree and dairy free where does that fit in on the menu for you can you even eat any of

That uh thanks for bringing that up uh yeah we’ve already already had discussions with them we’ll just I’ll have some you know some gluten-free pasta I’ll you know have some red sauce or maybe they can make some meatballs for me without some breadcrumbs um yeah

Yeah you saw firsthand a p meta Bluff on that guy that has to get different food than everybody else I was I was curious if you know you’re preparing this great meal for everyone you can’t even eat it you’re showing up with like oh I got my my frozen pizza with me that’s

Glutenfree man that’s that is so cool and that what a memorable night that’s going to be for everyone just a a cool experience you know the the the being the defending champ with so many great storytellers in the room that’s going to be I imagine a a night that you won’t

Forget uh but how about this we had a little bit of a reunion for our spring break recently honestly it was like spring break get to bed by 9:30 except for me and you but I want I want to uh tee you up here and the the whole week was great we

Had a a blast hanging out with every but that last night you come back from going to the restroom in our room that we were in you come back and you tell us what yeah I’m uh I’m a big I’m I’m a hockey fan Pittsburgh Penguins are my

Team and um I come out of the bathroom and I’m like that is Sydney Crosby like that’s 100% Sydney Crosby and I’m like what I just I’m trying to like gather all this information as I’ve you know I’ve probably had a couple gles of

Wine at this point but I’m I I know for a fact it is and you know he’s got a bunch of people with him and I’ve met him a couple times and so you know I’m yelling at him like Sid Sid and he just thinks I’m some loser fan and he just

Doesn’t even give me the time of day but his buddies are there who you know I met a couple of them turn around say what’s up and they’re so they bring me into this room that they’re eating at and I guess it’s really cool uh Sydney Crosby

He’d organized a little golf trip with their team every year after the season’s over and unfortunately their season was over a little early but um yeah I’m all geeked up I’m talking to you know I’m talking to some of the boys on the pens and and you know you guys are probably

Thinking I’ve like fallen in the toilet or something at this point because I’ve I’ve been talking to him for 10 or 15 minutes and I come back and I think you were the first person that made eye contact eye contact with him like boys

It looks like we got a night ahead of us cuz we I just ran into some of the boys on the Penguins and I’m sure they wanted uh they want to have a couple after dinner and um do do you want me to sh share the story or would you like to about

The well we can get we can get into that story here in a minute but I want I want to talk about the bit we got into at dinner with the Penguins and they sent us a bottle of wine and we responded with what yeah they sent a you know Sid

Very nice the waiter comes in he’s got this hey Mr Crosby wanted to send this to you guys like hope you guys are having a great vacation we’re like oh that’s so nice you know it’s a nice bottle of wine and I think it probably

Was you know us four guys were I think near the end of the table and we’re like you know what what are we gonna do we you could just like see our minds churning of our immatureness of what how we were going to respond and he’s kind

Of standing there like you know do you want to send anything back and I don’t know why it just came into my mind I was like what salads do you guys have and it’s like I don’t I mean I was like what do you think about splitting there’s

Eight of them I was like what do you think about splitting a Caesar salad into eight portions and giving it to him and then the guy’s like all in he’s like oh wait he’s like yeah I could like I’ll just put like a piece of lettuce on there and

Like put a crouton and like put a you know make the whole presentation I’m like perfect that’s that’s great so we’re all geeked up like a couple little kids and I guess they go there I wish we had the picture that one of them took oh

Man the waiters all go in there and there’s just they all are served they’re like oh on behalf of you know Justin and everybody and and the guys they have uh they wanted to send you guys something and it was just a piece of I mean an alltime bit it but it

Didn’t stop either it didn’t yeah so they you know after whatever time it was they waiter comes back in with a tray full of shots that you know it’s got the the salt around the the rim and it’s got a a lime on there and it’s just they put

It down and I think we all did the same thing we just it just you know when you see something it just looks warm we’re like this is a warm tequila shot and we just feel the glass and everybody is just petrified to even like smell this

Thing let alone try it and all of us are kind of getting a little closer to it and I don’t know who it was someone at the table just goes it’s water so they had they had sent sent back uh eight water shots with salt

Around the rim and a lime on it which then we proceeded to send the final blowback and that was uh we got them all glasses of 2% milk it was one of the funnier bits back and forth actually they sent seven uh water shots and because they didn’t give

Me a a shot so I’m sitting there kind of like oh I’m going to avoid this I’m going to get lucky and then it turned out to be water was like oh thank God you know could use one of these honestly oh man but I will say so people are

Listening are probably like wow that was kind of rude they sent us a bottle wine and they sent them eighth of a Caesar salad and milk well you did leave your credit card for them to try to pay for their meal they eventually said no we declined so actually you ended up being

The good guy in this whole situation yeah I think they I think they like sent it back and they said no like you know we know you missed the cut at the master so you probably shouldn’t pay for this or something like that those hockey oh

Yeah right very witty so it’s it was good fun for sure well you can get into the story if you want on uh as the evening as as your memory precedes you yeah I mean it’s it’s I can I can see it so vividly and I wish that I could

Replay it for everybody but we we went back to the the guys you know they rented this place which so happened to be like damn near across the treat from us which was perfect um of course you know the girls go back and it’s and I

Think you know Rick maybe Rick had gone back or he came over maybe for a little bit and went back but and again like Smiley said it just our our our immature childish side takes over and and we’re having fun with them and then naturally the boys are like let’s play some flip

Cup we like all right yeah cool sounds good so setting it up and it’s like we’re picking teams it’s like captains and it’s you know we’re going back and forth and I’m like all pumped up I’m on Sydney Crosby’s Flip Cup team like this is going to be awesome freaking you know

Smiley’s Got Jake gensel on his team it’s and it’s so happens to be where I think it was what like five on five or six on six or something like that and give or take yeah give or take but it starts on the other end and then it’s me

And Sid to finish our team and I forget who I was I actually may have been against G I forget but it was another guy and you so you and Sid were facing off last our team is just an absolute it’s it’s embarrassing the potentially the worst exhibition of flip

Cup I’ve ever seen in my life so it gets to Smiley and like we’re literally on like the second or third person still so and everyone’s looking at on his team’s like Smiley go like what are you doing and he’s just hands on his knees just like looking at Sid just waiting waiting

So finally it goes goes goes to me and smiley is just like straight up just daring the captain 87 right in the eyes waiting for him to go and then finally I go I finish and Smiley’s just holding his cup looking at Sid like you ready

Just down up down Smiley just one Swig one flip done in game over just like that it was one of the most baller moves I’ve ever seen but it was so funny people were talking maybe that is where I will peak in my life I think there’s

On that that exhibition it was insane shout out to Sydney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins what a what a time that was that evening just kind of hanging out reminiscing telling stories uh a lot of fun and uh I want to get into just one aspect of your game that

I’m really excited about uh with for you this year you picked up aim Point recently talk about your experience only had one week with it but what have you felt like it’s changed for you perception wise with your putting yeah you know I’ve always been someone

That if I if I feel like something can improve I’m going to try something you know what I mean you know whether I mean that’s why I’m going through this diet right now it’s like my gut was in a bad spot and it it caused a lot of

Inflammation in my body and I’m like well it’s my own fault if I don’t at least try it or do something about it and it was kind of the same thing I felt like where my putting was getting I’m like I know and we’ve talked about this

You know whether it was at Peta Bluff or I mean we obviously text or talk quite a bit on the Ro or whatnot it’s I was putting I felt like I was rolling the ball really well and nothing was going in I was burning a lot of edges and then

Naturally that comes with some frustration and a lot of stress builds and then you can almost see that and I think we had talked about that you could see where I was almost trying to will the ball in the hole because I felt like I just couldn’t make it in reality and

That eventually spreads over your entire game but anyway yeah got with my pting coach Sean Graham and wanted to look at aimo um you know I played honestly I played a couple times with Keegan at home and I was just sick of watching him make everything

Right in my eye and I’m like look I he couldn’t talk enough about it Max hom couldn’t talk enough about it and I said you know it’s worth a try if it if I learn one thing from it then that’s one thing I didn’t know beforehand and it

Was great I mean it’s it’s something that takes the technical side totally out of it for me I mean it’s it’s I mean like today I I was out at the course and I spent 30 minutes I didn’t hit a putt literally just feeling feeling it trying

To see this is a one this is a half this is a two this is a three this is a zero and then walking around the green and standing there saying okay this feels like a little more than a two but not quite a three I’ll guess two and a half

Put it down assess it go to the next one and just doing that and it’s it’s like practicing your wedge game if you want to be good at feeling the slope you just have to practice it and I really enjoyed it at Charlotte I mean I felt like it um

Um it took a lot of like I said the technical side of my stroke I the only thing I’m focused on is hitting the speed because I have the I had enough belief that I was close enough to the right read uh based off of what I kind

Of the mixture of what I felt and looking at the slope and seeing what it was that okay this is a two all right put two up it’s going to be somewhere in this area and then from there just let my athletic ability take over and just focus on hitting my speed and

I really putted really nicely and made a lot of great putts well I’m looking forward to watching uh your putting as it goes throughout the year um I do think uh putting great last week got to give you confidence heading into the PGA Championship um here in a couple weeks

But I’m curious will you use aim point at Spring break or will the fingers be just a touch too shaky well I think we we discussed that um that was actually I think your first question you asked me is you know how is that going to work

And I think I said there’s like a sweet spot in there I think it’s like you know when you’re shaky in the morning obviously can’t use it and then there’s pum you g to pump Bob in the morning yeah I’ll do like kind of what Rick does

He just kind of does like wob Bob and he makes everything and then and then yeah once you’re aim pointing and and you’re starting to see multiple fingers that’s when you also just stop you go home put yourself to bed and stop doing aim point

So I have both of those to work off of as references I love it all right uh last uh question but really not even a question just want to hear uh an update on the Justin Thomas Foundation getting married to Jillian last November what a amazing wedding but she is uh in charge

Of the Justin Thomas Foundation but I want to know how people can get involved what uh what’s going on new just update uh the listeners on how how they can kind of stay in touch with this yeah yeah thanks no it’s uh it’s been great and I know Jill’s really really enjoyed

Being involved I mean my mom has done so much I mean my parent my dad even especially with my agga event you know that I’ve had now at the course I grew up at and the amount of money that that’s raised for the foundation um it’s

It’s unfortunate I mean I would love to to have more events I mean I’ve only had the one event what it was a fiveish years ago um we had one planned of course in 2020 and had to had to reschedule that and and we’re looking to

Do one again do an event again this fall and the hard part is is obviously with our schedule being so busy but it’s it’s wanting to make sure it’s done right you know it’s it being able to I mean my my end goal and and thought is I want to

Have some kind of building some kind of structure in Louisville um you know we’ve done so much work with the boys and girls club and and the first te to where you know maybe something that could kind of be jointed together something that could help so many of

Those children that are in need um and obviously the junior golf aspect is something I’m very passionate about but and then also being involved with military families is is something to me that is very important because I think they’re the biggest Heroes that we have um you know there’s nothing that you or

I have done on the golf course or in our life that can compare to How brave it is for the people that have served for our country I mean the things that they do so that you and I can sit here and have this podcast and and sit and talk in in

Our homes and feel safe is those are the real heroes and in our country so you know you can go on my website I mean there’s more information about the foundation um but it’s just you know we’re looking to do as much as possible just to even if it’s benefiting a couple

People you know that’s a couple people that weren’t benefited prior and then when we have the opportunity to do bigger um more kind of widespread events or things to help out I guess larger opportunities then um then it’s great well I’m proud of you for giving back

And I’m looking forward to watching to see what the Justin Thomas Foundation does as it continues to grow and the rest of your family and Jillian and how they’re pouring in their hearts into it as well and uh Justin thank you for coming on I’m looking forward to

Watching you play the rest of the year and I’m honestly more excited about catching up with your wife and asking her how that Tes Swift concert uh went the other night but we’ll save that for another day Justin Thomas thank you for joining my man absolutely I almost wore

She got a she got a sweatshirt I almost threw it on for you but I thought that might trigger you a little too much to to give I wish I’d have been right there next to her my man thanks dude all right brother I’ve actually watched a couple

Of episodes of of of y’all earlier and uh you guys have some good takes so thanks for uh thanks for what you guys do it’s cool to see what you guys are doing and uh I I know golf fans appreciate it but we we do too so please

Keep it up I think you’re doing a tremendous job and and you know I listen to this podcast it’s really cool and