American Justin Thomas ‘just happy’ to be on U.S. Ryder Cup team | Golf Central | Golf Channel

American Justin Thomas ‘just happy’ to be on U.S. Ryder Cup team | Golf Central | Golf Channel

JOINING US. PATRICK CANTLAY AND SAM BURNS. AND JT WAS THE NAME THAT KEEGAN ANNOUNCE FIRST. TWO TIME PGA CHAMP. RYDER CUP. 14. AMONG EIGHT TOP 10 FINISHES ON THE PGA TOUR. CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING THE TEAM. KEEGAN ANNOUNCE YOUR TEAM AND FIRST CALLED YOU THE HEARTBEAT OF THE TEAM. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO THAT CHARACTERIZATION? >> I WILL TAKE WHATEVER I CAN GET. IT OBVIOUSLY MEANS A LOT. HUGE GOAL FOR MYSELF AND ALL OF US AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. SO IT IS NICE TO BE ON THE SIDE OF IT. YOU KNOW? >> JUSTIN, YOU ARE PART OF THE PRESIDENTS CUP TEAM WHERE TIGER WAS THE PLAYING CAPTAIN. AND OBVIOUSLY ONE OF THE BIG DECISIONS WE HEARD TODAY WAS THAT KEEGAN WAS NOT GOING TO BE A PLAYING CAPTAIN. HOW INVOLVED HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT AND WHAT’S YOUR FEELINGS IN GENERAL ABOUT THAT DECISION? >> YEAH. IT IS A TOUGH ONE. I FEEL BAD FOR HIM. I JUST WATCHED THIS MORNING. FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE. BUT HE IS GOING TO BE ANSWERING THAT SAME PRESS QUESTION POTENTIALLY FOREVER. IT WAS A DECISION THAT REALLY ONLY HE — HE IS THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN TRULY MAKE THAT FINAL DECISION ON IF HE FELT LIKE IT WAS BEST OR NOT. IT TAKES A VERY, VERY STRONG PERSON TO KIND OF PUT PRIDE OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT A SIDE TO LEAVE HIMSELF OFF. IT WOULD BE VERY EASY TO DO. YOU KNOW? IT’S THE WAY IT WORKED OUT. LIKE HE SAID AND WILL CONTINUE TO SAY, HIS ONLY PRIORITY IS WHAT WAS BEST FOR THE TEAM. >> DO YOU FEEL OBLIGED TO TAKE ON A LEADERSHIP POSITION IN THE TEAM, AND HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FROM SUCH AN ACCOMPLISHED LINEUP TO STEP INTO THAT KIND OF ROLE? >> YEAH. I CAN’T BELIEVE I WILL PLAY IN THE MOST RYDER CUPS ON OUR TEAM. THAT IS KIND OF BIZARRE. IT IS COOL TO BE HONEST. IT IS A PRETTY UNIQUE AND SOMETHING I HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED BEFORE. I HAVE ALWAYS TOLD ANY CAPTAIN THAT I WILL BE WHATEVER ROLE, WHATEVER PERSON THAT HE NEEDS ME TO BE. WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE NOT ONLY TO HAVE AN AMAZING CAPTAIN IN KEEGAN, BUT THE VICE CAPTAINS ARE INCREDIBLE. SUMMARY GUYS WHO CAN TAKE ON A LEADERSHIP ROLE ON OUR TEAM. IT REALLY IS ALL OF US LEADING AND HELPING IN DIFFERENT WAYS. I AM GOING TO BE HERE ANYWAY I CAN. SAME AS ALWAYS, TRY TO MAKE EVERYBODY COMFORTABLE WHILE ALSO GETTING MY GAME IS READY TO GO AS POSSIBLE. >> KEEGAN GAVE CREDIT TO YOU AND PEERS LIKE YOU FOR HELPING HIM SEE PROFESSIONAL GOLF IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT. HE SAYS HE HAS CHANGED FOR THE BETTER. WHO IS THE KEEGAN BRADLEY FIRST ENCOUNTERED A DECADE AGO AND WHO IS THE KEEGAN BRADLEY OF 2025? >> WELL, HE IS STILL THE KEEGAN BRADLEY WHO CALLS ME KID. I THOUGHT IN THE BEGINNING, WHY IS THIS GUY KEEGAN BRADLEY CALLING ME “KID,” BUT NOW I UNDERSTAND THAT’S JUST WHO HE IS. I HAVE REALLY GOTTEN TO KNOW KEEGAN SO WELL. I RESPECT HOW HARD HE WORKS IN HIS GAME. YOU KNOW? AFTER ROME, I — IT WAS FUNNY. I JOKED WITH HIM NOW THAT WE ARE PAST THIS. WATCHING OUR NETFLIX EPISODE, I HONESTLY WAS PULLING FOR YOU AND NOT EVEN ME. YOU DESERVED A PICK AND I DIDN’T. AND, AFTER LAST YEAR, HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON I CALLED TO CONGRATULATE. ARE WE EVEN NOW? YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HOLD THIS AGAINST ME IF YOU HAVE TO PICK ME NEXT YEAR? I WANT YOU TO MAKE THAT TEAM. I DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO PICK YOU. I WANT YOU TO MAKE IT. I TOLD HIM AFTER THE FACT THAT EVEN WHEN HE TOLD ME I WAS ON THE TEAM THAT I WAS STILL BUMMED THAT I DIDN’T MAKE THE TEAM AUTOMATICALLY BECAUSE I WANTED TO DO THAT FOR HIM. HE IS JUST SO MOTIVATING AND FUN TO PLAY FOR. >> JUSTIN, THERE IS SOME KIND OF INEXPERIENCE ON THE U.S. RYDER CUP TEAM THIS TIME AROUND. MY BIGGEST TAKE AWAY FROM THIS MORNING, I BELIEVE, IS IT THE EUROPEANS WERE LOOKING FOR ANY CRACK IN THE U.S. ARMOR, ANY SIGN OF DISUNITY, LET’S SAY, OR ANY PROBLEMS, THIS IS A PRETTY UNIFIED TEAM GOING FORWARD TO THIS TIME WE HAVE GOT GOING FORWARD NOW AND THE ACTUAL RYDER CUP. >> YEAH. DEFINITELY. I THINK I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS SO HARD. I HOPE I AM FORTUNATE ENOUGH ONE DAY TO BE A RYDER CUP CAPTAIN AND PRESIDENTS CUP CAPTAIN. I DON’T LOOK FORWARD TO THE STRESS, THE ANXIETY PART OF IT. AND THE LUXURY THAT KEEGAN — NOT ONLY KEEGAN FOR THE U.S. SIDE BUT LUKE FOR THE EUROPEAN. SO MUCH DIFFERENT, EVEN WHEN I FIRST GOT ON TOUR. THE GOOD PART OF THE AMOUNT OF GUYS THAT CAN QUALIFY IS ALSO THE HARD PART THAT SO MANY GUYS CAN’T QUALIFY. WE ARE VERY LUCKY. BOTH US AND THE EUROPEANS THAT THERE IS SOME GREAT PLAYERS ON BOTH SIDES THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BAD TEAM. YES. YOU ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE ABLE TO SAY, WHAT COULD BE BETTER, WHAT COULD BE WORSE. BOTH THESE CAPTAINS AND ESPECIALLY KEEGAN ARE JUST PUTTING TOGETHER THE BEST TEAM POSSIBLE. I THINK ALL OF US ARE JUST EXCITED. >> THERE ARE SO MANY OBVIOUS REASONS ON PAPER, JUSTIN, WITH YOUR IN THIS TEAM. WHAT YOU THINK WAS KEEGAN’S RATIONALE? DO YOU THINK HE HAS GOT SOMEBODY ELSE IN MIND? WHERE HE IS GOING TO SAY JT IS A PERFECT MATCH FOR THAT GUY? >> WE TALKED BRIEFLY. IT IS FUNNY. WE PLAYED TOGETHER ON SATURDAY LAST WEEK. I MEAN, HE PLAYED ONE OF THE BEST ROUNDS OF GOLF. I MEAN HE EVEN SAID IT AFTER ROUND ONE. BEST ROUNDS HE PLAYED ALL YEAR. AND IT WAS KIND OF AFTER-THE- FACT, YOU KNOW, THAT HE HAD MADE THE DECISION BUT ALSO HAD TOLD GUYS ON THE TEAM THAT HE WASN’T GOING TO PLAY. JOKINGLY, WHEN I SHOOK HIS HAND ON THE 18th GREEN, I SAID, GOOD JOB. YOU ARE REALLY MAKING THIS HARD ON YOURSELF. BUT I ALSO — WHAT I’M SAYING IS I TOLD HIM IT’S THE FIRST TEAM I’VE GONE INTO WHERE I HAVEN’T FELT LIKE I HAVE HAD A — I’VE BEEN SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE UNBELIEVABLE PARTNERS AND PLAY WITH JORDAN SO MANY TIMES. I’VE PLAYED WITH RICKY SO MANY TIMES AND I PLAYED WITH TIGER IN AUSTRALIA. UNLOCKING ARMS AND WE ARE RIDING ALL WEEK. THE CAPTAINS. WHATEVER IT MAY BE. AND I AM SO PUMPED. HOWEVER I GET TO PLAY ALONGSIDE. >> JUSTIN, YOU CAN BE HARD ON YOURSELF FROM TIME TO TIME. FIVE IN THE WORLD. HOW CLOSE DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE TO PLAYING THAT 2017 LEVEL OF GOLF WHERE YOU WON FIVE TIMES IN YOUR FIRST MAJOR? >> YEAH. YOU KNOW? THE GOOD IS EVERY BIT IF NOT BETTER AS GOOD I WOULD SAY THAN SOME OF MY BEST YEARS. IT IS JUST THE CONSISTENCY. I’VE ALWAYS HARPED ON THAT. IT IS GETTING THE BACKGROUNDS BETTER. THE POOR BALL STRIKING DAYS. MENTAL DAYS. WHATEVER IT IS. NOT SHOOTING THOSE OVER-PAR ROUNDS. THAT IS WHAT GUYS LIKE SCOTTIE HAVE DONE SO WELL FOR A COUPLE YEARS NOW. I HAVE DONE SO WELL FOR A HANDFUL OF YEARS. AT LEAST FOR ME PERSONALLY, THE MISSING PIECE OF GETTING ME TO PLAY AT THE LEVEL I FEEL LIKE I CAN AND SHOULD PLAY AT. AS YOU SAID, I CAN BE A LITTLE HARD ON MYSELF SOMETIMES.

Justin Thomas shares how excited he is for the Ryder Cup, why he thinks U.S. captain Keegan Bradley is “a very, very strong person,” if he expects to have a leadership role for the Americans at Bethpage Black on Long Island and what he did this year to make the team. #GolfChannel #RyderCup #JustinThomas #KeeganBradley
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American Justin Thomas ‘just happy’ to be on U.S. Ryder Cup team | Golf Central | Golf Channel
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