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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 20, 2004

Spencer Levin

SHINNECOCK HILLS, NEW YORK

MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, joining us now, the low amateur of this year's U.S. Open, Spencer Levin.

Q. What did you think of the course today?

SPENCER LEVIN: It's about as hard as it gets. I didn't see anything like that in the practice round. It was -- it seemed like each day got harder in terms of the course, the way they set it up and the speed of the greens. The greens were -- you walk on the greens, it's about the same as -- we walked over the road on 13 and it was -- 12, sorry, almost felt like the same thing you walk on as the greens. Those greens were by far the fastest greens I've ever putted on. I've never seen greens even close to that fast. And that was a test of golf.

7 was, you know, 7 was 7. That was just unbelievable. You would have been better off in the front bunker. I was hitting 3 in a front bunker, and it was an easy shot. Overall that was as hard as it gets.

Q. Comment on how you played.

SPENCER LEVIN: I felt like I played well today. I mean a few times, like three, four, five times, my ball was a foot in the rough. I made a bogey on 5 today. I thought my drive was perfect, it ended up in the rough. Then I thought my second shot was perfect, it ended up over the green in a divot buried in the rough.

A couple of other times, on 9 I thought my drive was perfect and it was this far in the rough buried again. It happened like that a few times today.

It was the same on 13. I didn't find a way to get the ball in the fairway. Everybody is going to get that way out here. Nobody is going to get perfect bounces all the time. I didn't hole any long putts, but I made a few nice three- or four-footers.

Q. It looks like you're going to finish in the top 15, which means automatic exemption into next year's Open at Pinehurst.

SPENCER LEVIN: That would be great. I don't know if I'm going to for sure. If I do, that would be great. I made that little four-footer on the last hole, that's probably what got me in it. But that would be awesome. I look forward to that. I've never played Pinehurst, and playing with these guys again would be great.

Q. Can you explain your attitude towards golf, your mental approach to the game?

SPENCER LEVIN: That's a good question. I just go out there and play hard, you know? I try my hardest on every shot. I might get a little mad sometimes here and there, but it doesn't -- it means I'm trying even harder. I never give up. I try my hardest on every shot. I'm always working. I would probably think of it as -- I don't really think of it as my job, but I don't think of it as let's go out and have fun today. I think of it as let's go out and do something good. If I think of it as -- I try to go out and play my hardest.

Q. (Inaudible).

SPENCER LEVIN: It was great. It was awesome. It was awesome.

Q. (Inaudible).

SPENCER LEVIN: This is great. One of my best tournaments, it's crazy, but it was definitely -- probably the most fun I've had playing golf.

Q. Did you come here thinking, I'm going to do well?

SPENCER LEVIN: You know, I didn't think I was going to do bad. I didn't know how well I was going to do. This is the first time I've ever played with guys like Tiger and Ernie. I honestly felt like I'd be okay, because they talk about how high the rough is. I can usually drive it straight, that's usually the strength of my game. But this is definitely great. Top 13 is great.

Q. You finished ahead of Tiger for a tournament. What do you think of that?

SPENCER LEVIN: That's unbelievable. I was joking with my buddies, I said I'm going to go beat Tiger. I know Tiger didn't have his game this week, but still, that's pretty cool. Even though he is the best player in the world, and he's not even on his game, but he's still an awesome player. That's unbelievable. I didn't think I was going to do that.

Q. What are you most proud about this week?

SPENCER LEVIN: Most proud about this week? The way I hung in there. I bogeyed three holes in a row on the front, and any other tournament that's not good, but here that's going to happen to a lot of people, so it's like -- it's almost like you've got to hang in there. If I can take the same attitude this week, forgetting about the holes and going on and doing that in other tournaments, I think I'll play even better.

Q. What are your thoughts playing 18 --

SPENCER LEVIN: On 18, the second shot?

Q. The whole entire way.

SPENCER LEVIN: I knew after I missed that putt on 17, it was probably going to be close to top 15, I had that in the back of my mind. I could have hit driver, but 4-wood was the play. I hit a perfect 4-wood right down the middle and a full 9-iron, exactly where I aimed, about 15 feet there. And got careless on the putt, but it's hard to imagine hitting that putt any softer, and I was fortunate enough to make that. I told myself, you better make this one, and I did, on the second one.

Q. What are your future plans for golf?

SPENCER LEVIN: I don't know if I'm going to get back and play tomorrow because it's at Pebble Beach. I'm going to go back to college this fall and finish out playing amateur tournaments.

Q. Is the flight tomorrow morning?

SPENCER LEVIN: Maybe. We had a flight to Oakland, that was the original plan, but I guess that's awards ceremony for tomorrow. I'm going to stick around for that.

Q. What time is your tee time tomorrow?

SPENCER LEVIN: 1:30, so I might be able to make it.

Q. Early morning flight?

SPENCER LEVIN: Maybe. I'd like to play Pebble if I get the chance.

Q. Where were your nerves today?

SPENCER LEVIN: On No. 1, I was pretty nervous. On that second shot I just -- just after hitting putts on the practice green, the practice green was a joke, I was just kind of nervous. I wasn't thinking like I usually do. Usually I'm thinking, okay, let's go. I was kind of worried, and I usually don't play like that. After that, me and my dad talked on the next tee, and just be yourself and keep playing, you know.

I hit probably the best shot of my day on 2, the 4-iron. But after that I just kept going and just grounded. Probably the second shot on the 1st hole I was pretty nervous.

Q. Most amateurs would be intimidated warming up with Tiger Woods on the range. What was your feeling?

SPENCER LEVIN: I was watching him hit shots, just because I've never seen him up close. I was just watching him. It wasn't going to make me change what I was doing, just watching his tempo, just watching how he hits it. It was just cool just to watch a guy you idolized growing up, and watching him on TV, it's pretty cool.

Q. What did you gain most from this week?

SPENCER LEVIN: Experience, I think, experience. Probably get more confidence going into other tournaments. And just probably experience the most playing in an Open. Not a lot of people get to do that, playing on the weekend, which was awesome, which was my goal in the beginning. Probably just experience and learning that.

Q. I thought your goal was to beat Tiger.

SPENCER LEVIN: No, I was just messing around. That wasn't my goal, I was just making a joke.

End of FastScripts.

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