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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 13, 2014Nathan SmithJOHNS CREEK, GEORGIA PETE KOWALSKI: We have Nathan Smith who had quite a long day, probably kind of a poetic ending, had to go through a playoff to get in and now in a playoff you advance. NATHAN SMITH: It was a long day. That was a lot of fun. Yeah, I was so excited to get in match play, and playing Lee is one of the best -- played with him before. He's a great player. You know, I think it's one of those, I was so excited to be there. Kind of nothing to lose and I just got lucky. I played well and you know, he's a great player and has a tremendous future in the game. Q. The club you hit into 17? NATHAN SMITH: I hit 6-iron. I think it was about 190 and I hit 6-iron. I hit it pretty good. I hit a good 6-iron into 16, too, and it just went in the bunker. But it was a great shot and then he made that putt and I figured I really needed that putt, and so I was lucky enough to make it. Q. What did you do with all that time after the playoff? NATHAN SMITH: I went back to the hotel and laid down for a while. Yeah, a couple hours, just kind of laid in bed for a little bit. Felt good. Q. According to my research, it's been nine years since you reached the second round of match play. Just curious how this feels compared to 2005. NATHAN SMITH: Yeah, I don't know. I can't remember back that far. So yeah, probably feels like nine years. I was at Merion, I think, so yeah, it's hard to believe. I've been trying through the years. U.S. Amateur is just such a good field anymore and any time you make match play, you're playing great golf, and like I said, managed to get lucky and get past Lee today. It's exciting for me. Means a lot. Q. More satisfying to do it at 36 than when you were 27? NATHAN SMITH: Yeah, I guess so. I mean, it just seems the U.S. Amateur every year, no matter my age, just keeps getting better and better. The fields are so deep. I just think even hovering around 1- or 2-over on these courses is really low. There's just so many guys and they are all so good. Q. How tough were the shots around the green on 18 and 19? NATHAN SMITH: Well, I was surprised. Today was the first day I thought where the greens really firmed up, and I was just shocked on some of those chips and approaches how firm the greens were starting to get. That surprised me on a couple chips. I was lucky enough to kind of -- I guess on 18, I got lucky. I kind of used that to my advantage. You can just let it feed down there. Q. The last hole -- NATHAN SMITH: That was good, too. If they were soft, it probably checks up. They were rolling out. So starting to get firm and fast, at least this afternoon. Q. Refusing to call anyone in their mid 30s old, but as a veteran campaigner, does that provide any sort of advantage in a match like this where it's so close and so up-and-down? NATHAN SMITH: I don't know. I don't think so. I think that the experience thing anymore, it used to be that was ten or 15 years ago. I can remember playing with Rickie Fowler at Sunnehanna; well, he's in high school and he just blitzed the place. Today I think the younger players and college guys, it's all about good golf. Playing the best, hitting crucial shots at the times, I think that's what gets through. Experience, it's helpful, but at the same time, you've got to just play great golf. Q. You don't think you struck a blow for the middle-aged golfer among all these youngsters? NATHAN SMITH: Well, I don't know. I think it's hard because if you're older and you're staying in the match, I think they are probably saying, I should be three or four up, so maybe you could use that to your advantage a little bit. Like I should be really beating this guy. I mean, his hat's on sideways and whatever. So like I said, I got lucky and he's a great player with a great future, and I wouldn't want to play him again. Q. When I saw you at the concession cup this year, you weren't sure how the season would play out, and it's so early in the year; has this summer progressed to the point where -- NATHAN SMITH: I felt great with my game all year. I played great in the Concession Cup and we had a great team and I played great at Sunnehanna finished third and had a couple bogeys coming down the stretch. I probably should have been right there. Played great in some State stuff. So I felt, I'm swinging well, so I felt great about my game all year. I've actually played quite a bit. I just maybe didn't get to the Porter Cup or the Western or some of the other ones just being an off year. I've got to pretend to work sometimes on everything. But it was -- I felt great about my game. It's just sometimes it's tough. The fields are so deep; it's tough to get kind of out there that, hey, I'm playing really well. I knew for me, I was playing good. Q. On that same point, as someone who has a real life, how do you stay competitive and playing against guys who are immersed in guys? NATHAN SMITH: Well, I don't know if I do. At this level, it's pretty rare. Like you said, nine years. I'll hit a lot of balls. I'll hit a lot of putts. I rarely play. I don't have time, you know, to go out and play five hours. I usually do that, whether it's with clients or tournaments, but I hit a lot of balls. I practice a lot. Sometimes that doesn't translate into scoring, but I definitely practice and any time I come to these, for me, I feel like I'm ready to play. I've gotten used to that routine so it works for me. Q. That being said, the mental part of game, which doesn't really come into play when you're hitting golf balls, how do you summon that up in these events? NATHAN SMITH: As far as competing at this level -- you know, I think that's always been -- you know, I'm excited to play. I think I'm practicing so much, when I come to these events or these tournaments, when you get older, you've played so much; sometimes you can get stale. My thing is I want to be practiced, and then you come to these things, I want to be excited and be ready to play. It's there. I played a lot. As we were talking, experience, played in all these tournaments. I'm ready to go. Q. Or like Steve Stricker -- NATHAN SMITH: I wish, thanks. Maybe one-millionth of him. Q. You said, kind of a bonus getting into the match play; how does your mental approach change going into tomorrow? NATHAN SMITH: I'll be ready to play. I haven't looked at the brackets. I don't know anything. I mean, everybody is good and I'll be ready to play and try to play my best. I think it's one of those things you kind of -- I mean, I'm not going to say, you're just satisfied and you're ready to get out of here. I'm ready to keep trying to play hard and see what happens. It's exciting. Q. Is there any reason you can't win this? NATHAN SMITH: Yeah, probably a lot, but I won't give that to you. I feel I'm playing -- you never know. You never know what's going to happen in a USGA event. You can blink your eyes; just all depends who gets hot and whatever. But we'll see what happens. PETE KOWALSKI: Congratulations, thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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