U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 25, 2001

Robert Hamilton

ROBERT HAMILTON: Thank you very much. Looking forward to tomorrow. It's going to be a lot of fun.

ROBERT HAMILTON: Yeah. 12, I struggled with that tee ball all week because there's not a huge landing area up there. But today I just was hitting the ball so well that I just took a good line that I knew I could hit it on. And I almost still almost got in the rough. But that was one of the better drives I hit all day and I felt like I hit a pretty good pitch into there. But it was tough because I was in the first cut. So I hit kind of a tentative first putt but I gave myself not much work coming in. So that was good. And he had caught a tough lie in that left rough. I didn't have a chance to see it. But he must have had maybe pitching wedge in. So if he couldn't get it to the green, that was a pretty tough lie obviously. 13, I hit it left again. Imagine that. But I got lucky and drew the best lie I had all week over there. After he hit it in the right rough he had another bad lie, and I just took my chances of trying to just to find that front right portion somehow. And the ball actually flew a little more than I thought it would. It ended up all right. Then I hit a pretty good putt. I had some grass behind the ball. It was kind of tough to make a smooth back stroke. But I got away with that one. 15 coming down the hill? Yeah. I hit another really good tee shot. I had a good, perfect yardage for a sand wedge. I think I had 120 to the flag a little downhill. I hit a really good shot there and he was in the rough and had to pitch out. So that gave me a good opportunity to not be super aggressive, but to still make a good smart swing with that short of a club in. And I think the green was a little bit faster up there. But I hit it a little bit hard, obviously. It took off on me. And he missed his putt. So it gave me a good opportunity to just do what I've been doing all week and hit a good putt there and got that one in there. So it was -- I think the key was hitting the tee ball and that's been the key all day, and it will be for tomorrow too.

ROBERT HAMILTON: I was very pleased. That's probably almost as good as I can hit it. I hit it a lot better today. I felt a lot more confident out there. I hit the driver well and that's the key. I can score better, I can putt a little bit better. I had a lot of opportunities early that I missed. I missed on 8 and 9. I hit a good putt on 7. I can roll it a little bit better. That's what saved me all week. If tomorrow I roll it like I did the last day, yesterday, and I hit it like I did today, it's going to be real exciting.

ROBERT HAMILTON: I don't think so, but out here it's so hard to make par if you don't hit it in the fairway. That's all there is to it. And those holes coming down the back side, once you get past the par-three 11, there's not really any give up. And if you don't hit good tee shots, you're going to pay the price. So I just tried to find the fairway, give myself my best chance at making four. And when he didn't hit his best shots and he got it in the rough, that gave me a good opportunity to play smart golf shots and win holes with pars. Which is really easy to do on the back, those last four holes, just because they are so difficult.

ROBERT HAMILTON: Yeah, there's no doubt. That's obviously a dream come true. I was just talking to my dad and he asked me how I felt and I said, It's weird. I've been so calm it's been almost eery how calm I've been all week. I think that's been what's helped me get through each round. And today I might have thought about it once or twice, but it wasn't really at pivotal times. It was weird. I thought, I told my caddy Phil, I said, I'm not going to lie to you. I feel fine and I'm thinking clearly. I said, I would tell you if things were bothering me so you could help me. But I just went out there and tried to do what I did all week. And it paid off. And now it still hasn't really hit me that I'm going to go play Augusta in April, and I'm sure it will soon. But even right now, it's still tough to understand that I could be playing in the Masters. That's obviously a dream come true and I remember writing things to my dad about being able to have him caddy for me or walk up some of the holes down there. So it will definitely sink in and I'm really excited about it.

ROBERT HAMILTON: No, it didn't. The way I was hitting the ball, I felt good about my opportunities. And I knew that my stretch of the golf course started on 7. And that's just how it's been all week. And I drew a little bit from my first match where I was 2-down early. And I also drew from a match that I played in the Western Amateur a couple weeks ago where I was 4-down with like six or seven to play. And I got it back to square and had a chance to win that match. So I know he's going to make putts and he made his putts early and I made my putts late. And that's just the ebb and flow of the game. You just have to wait and be patient and give yourself the best opportunity to perform when it needs to happen.

ROBERT HAMILTON: Kevin Heaffner.

ROBERT HAMILTON: No, I lost the match on the 20th hole. I 3-putted from 20 feet or something like that. But that was pretty solid coming down the stretch to get him back. We had a couple par-5's and I made an eagle coming down, and it gave me a lot of confidence and it gave me just -- it helps out when that time comes again.

ROBERT HAMILTON: My first match was against Andrew Swoboda and I think I was 2-down through four or something like that. But I was down early.

ROBERT HAMILTON: I didn't talk about it much, and I didn't think about it much either. I can't explain it. It's just weird. It was just really weird. It didn't really hit me. And I guess because it's such an almost unattainable goal, sometimes to think about playing in the Masters or finally getting to the Masters that it just doesn't seem like it's reality. So it's like I'm just playing my own game.

ROBERT HAMILTON: Yeah. My goal, obviously. As most of you probably know, I took a year out of school, a year off after I finished, just to work on my game and get prepared for this summer. And then to just prepare for Q-school this year and hopefully have a good summer playing all the national events. And I played pretty well this summer. I had a couple down times, and you start to doubt yourself every once in a while: Am I ready? I know I'm good enough, but am I ready? Yes, no. And so I was planning on going to Q-school if things didn't work out here. And obviously things have. So I have another full year to really get prepared for Augusta and everything else that comes along with this.

ROBERT HAMILTON: I use my caddy a lot. We talk, we tell jokes, we do whatever it takes to stay calm and to just keep our heads straight. And if I hit a bad shot or if I hit a good shot, it's just trying to stay as level as we can. And controlling those highs and lows are hard to do. When you learn to do it, there's no question that it pays off. So he's been -- without him there's no way, I don't think I would be here. Early on in the week I was struggling a little bit. And we talk all the time, we hang out all the time, and we pump each other up. We were both playing mediocre golf and things just happen sometimes, and you just have to go with it. And we have been able to work really well this week. You can see that we're talking all the time. He says the right things and he keeps me focused on the task at hand. And when I'm not ready, when I pull away, he tells me, "Hey, that's what you need to do."

ROBERT HAMILTON: My dad will come in and caddy for me?

ROBERT HAMILTON: I don't think so. He -- I think that he likes where he is in just being able to watch. And it's going to be a long day tomorrow. And it was a long day two days ago, so I think that he likes what's going on with Phil and I. And that's probably just going to stay how it is.

ROBERT HAMILTON: Obviously, very gratifying to make it this far on my first attempt. But I felt like I prepared myself really well in the last year. And but, yeah, it took me 7 tries. It's hard to miss it all the time. I remember saying to myself, you know, if you can't make it to the Amateur, what, are you really ready to go play on tour? I mean, if you can't -- and it's tough to qualify in California or anywhere. But we have so many players and so many good players that we have so few spots and they're always stacked. And that's -- I'm sure it's like that other places. I'm not saying it isn't, but it's just really tough to get out of California and luckily I was in between tournaments and I was in Michigan and my game was good and I made it through. But it's obviously a dream come true to play well. To come to this tournament and play as solid as I did. You can't ask for anything more than that.

ROBERT HAMILTON: No. I don't really know Bubba that well. We have played in a few events together this summer. I don't really know him that well. And I'm sure we will get to know each other a little tomorrow. I don't know him very well.

ROBERT HAMILTON: Well, it was close. After I transferred to Cal, things went pretty well, not quite as well as I would have liked. It took awhile to get used to I moved out of the house for the first time and I was doing everything for myself. New golf courses, new tournaments, new everything. And I had good events here and there. And I just started things started to come together and I had to start playing better and then I my coach and I talked a lot about my plan about what I wanted to do. What my plan of attack was after I graduated. And we had some good players on our team Hon Lee who won two Canadian amateurs and was one of the top players in the country. Hon Lee was one of the top players and Hon turned right after school and made it through the challenge Tour in Europe and now he's graduated and he's playing professional golf and we just felt that where I was at things would only get better and if we stayed the course and did what needed to get better work on my little flaws here and there in the short game and everything just to get everything solid. Work on my stamina. That it would be give me best chance for success. And I've been lucky to be playing out of the a new golf course just outside of Sacramento they have given me the chance to practice and play and bring my friends up and there's no question that it's the best golf course in the area. And it gives me a good chance to test my game and to have to hit a lot of shots. So I've just broadened my game. I've been able to get in better shape and this summer was a good test tore are for me playing 8 national events in 8 weeks and by being in better shape I didn't get run down as much. And that's also part of the reason that I almost was kind of contemplating turning pro now was because I wanted to be able to work out a lot while I was on the road and I wasn't able to. I was not quite just wasn't quite there. I was still tired. I did okay. I mean I played well pretty much throughout the summer. So I was really close and I for me it's just what I feel right. And it feels good to me. And getting in a little bit better shape and continuing to work on my game just seemed to be the best chance for success. And it's worked out pretty well.

ROBERT HAMILTON: Well once I graduated from school I actually moved in with one ever my good buddies who bought a house in the area and I live with him. And I was working very little. Because my pars they have been behind me from day one and without their support there's no way I would be where I am. Financially and every other way, mentally, and the love they give me. So I've worked every once in awhile but it's not any kind of an extensive thing. I help out when where I play needs help with tournaments or whatever. But they have been, I couldn't ask for anything more in parents. They have always helped me to attain the goal that I wanted to attain, which is to play professional golf and they have given me every opportunity, they, you know, they give up stuff just so that can I pursue my goals. And if there's anything better than that, I don't think it's possible. I mean it's just been an amazing thing. It's been an amazing selflessness. They give themselves at every time and they do everything that they can to make my life easier to give me the best chance to succeed.

ROBERT HAMILTON: Well, I was pretty pumped up at that time and I saw him hit it right. That gives you a little spark. A little good feeling. And I just knew that I wanted to do what I've been doing. And as I did on the last hole was trying to make par. And I knew that if I got in a position on the fairway that I would have a good opportunity and I knew where the pin was before we hit the tee shot. I knew it was back right I knew he was right in the rough I knew that he wasn't going to have a good opportunity to get at that flag. He hit a great shot. That ball could have easily landed five feet short and stayed on the green and he would have a reasonable birdie putt, but after I saw the second shot I knew what I had to do and I thankfully hit a good shot and I finally, you know, ended the match. But it was nice. It was a little glimpse of hope there.

ROBERT HAMILTON: I hit 7-iron and I had 169 to the flag.

ROBERT HAMILTON: That's tough. There's a lot out there. It's hard to pick one. They're so important. Probably the last putt. Throughout the round that's a tough position to be in. It's tough for him. But I'm the one who is in the driver's seat pretty much and if I don't do what I'm supposed to do, what I've done all week then I let him back in the match. So that was a tough putt to hit mentally, it wasn't that tough physically but mentally that was pretty tough to know that if I could just get it up there close that it's over and I move on to the finals. But I don't know if you guys know this, but I took a couple extra seconds on the green before I walked to my ball to try and execute the best that I could. To clear my mind.

ROBERT HAMILTON: No, finished second other than that I think I finished like fourth or fifth or sixth or something like that at Arizona state. But no wins at Cal.

ROBERT HAMILTON: Thank you very much. Appreciate it.