Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are good friends, Masters competitors

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Close friends Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas have been chasing the same golf dreams since they were teenagers.

Spieth holds the bragging rights, but Thomas is in a quest to win a green jacket of his own at this year’s Masters Tournament.

Here’s a look at their perspectives, as outlined in pre-competition interviews at Augusta National Golf Club:

Justin Thomas

“I feel very good coming into this week,” Thomas said. “I’ve been working hard. I feel like I have a pretty good game plan in of how I prep when I’m at home, and I feel like I did so. Just got to kind of stay in the moment and stay patient and just plot my way around the course once we start on Thursday.”

Thomas famously gets advice from golf superstar Tiger Woods, who himself is returning to the Masters this year. What kind of advice is Thomas looking for?

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“I’m not necessarily asking him a lot of specifics about here,” Thomas said. “When I’m asking him stuff at home, I’m just — it’s just like I would ask Jon Rahm a question or ask Jordan a question. Any person or buddy that I respect their game and I think that they are really good and they maybe are a little bit better at something that I am not as consistently good at, like I want to learn, so I’m going to ask a question.”

He said he feels like he’s possibly underachieved in the majors but intends to change that.

“I feel like I’ve learned, but I’ve just put too much pressure on myself in the past and maybe put the tournament on too much of a pedestal and tried to, you know, just overdo things when in reality I should have faith in my game and the things that I can do on the course, with the golf ball, whatever it is,” he said. “I just need to get a little bit better at kind of getting in my own world and just going to play golf.”

Why have the greens at Augusta National confounded him so much?

“You know, it’s just so situational on where you are on the greens. I putt unbelievably -- I read the greens really well. I putt unbelievably when I come here in any other round, just fun rounds and play. I think because it’s a lot easier to get the ball where you want. It’s a lot easier to leave the ball underneath the hole because the ball doesn’t have that extra roll-out or doesn’t take that bounce that maybe goes just above the hole.”

Jordan Spieth

“I feel like my game’s in a great spot. I feel like I’m ready to contend,” Spieth said. “And with the predicted forecast and if we don’t get too much rain, the course was as firm and fast as I’ve ever seen it on a Monday, yesterday. So ideally it gets back to that, throw in some wind, and you’re going to really need to know the golf course, plot your way around really well. I really like Michael’s preparation and my own as far as being able to plot ourselves around, miss in the right spots, and take advantage when we’re supposed to take advantage.”

He said he feels “very confident” this week, even if results over the last month or so haven’t been what he was looking for.

“I’d be disappointed if I didn’t give myself a chance this weekend,” he said. “Yeah, it would be a disappointing week this week. Having said that, who knows what weather conditions are going to bring and stuff like that. But I love this place. I feel good right now about my game. Like I said, if I’m just myself on these greens, then the rest of the game is coming around really nicely.”

What’s ahead for him this week?

“I’ve come in here after missing the cut and had a chance on Sunday, and I’ve come in here playing well and had a chance,” he said. “2017, I probably hit it the best, and it was one of my worst finishes. I just kind of almost throw it all out the window and say let’s just plot the way around that we always do and not try and get too cute, wait for your chances.”

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