U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 22, 2002

Henry Liaw

CRAIG SMITH: If I remember right it was at the Junior, didn't you win your Junior with a long downhill putt.

HENRY LIAW: That was to go two up, yeah, with two to play.

CRAIG SMITH: Henry, long day. But looks like you came out your way. Great putt on that hole. What was going through your mind?

HENRY LIAW: Just a lot of things. You want to hit the right line and you also want to look up to, look at the putts. But you just got to trust your stroke. And that's, that ball broke at least, like, three cups. And before I was talking to my caddy, Nate Murphy and we were talking about two cups. And then we said, you know, we can't go for a slam dunk here we got to have to finesse the putt a little bit.

CRAIG SMITH: Did you practice that fist pump or did it just sort of come out?

HENRY LIAW: I don't know. It just kind of came out. It's usually the wave, but then this time I don't know, it meant a lot. That putt was big.

Q. Your lie in the rough after your drive, was it bad lie or no chance for the green?

HENRY LIAW: There was no chance. You saw the pitching wedge, I mean I couldn't even get it out. The rough was like seven to eight inches. So I can barely just see the Callaway logo and that was all I could see of the ball. So I wanted to take a long iron and go after it. But I know if I were to hit a top or something, it would only go, like, six yards. So I just wanted to go for the kind of like David Toms play right there, just hit it in the fairway.

Q. What kind of yardage and what club did you have in there for your third?

HENRY LIAW: Well, I've been hitting my wedges really good and I told my caddy that I wanted something that's more than 80 yards. I don't want anything under 80 because into that green it's really hard to judge the distance. I wanted something that I could spin quick. So I took the 54 degree, which is my sand wedge.

Q. So it was about 80 yards, your third shot?

HENRY LIAW: No, my third shot was playing into the wind plus the hill was playing around 108. 105.

Q. You used your 54?

HENRY LIAW: Yeah, I hit a little punch shot into the wind.

Q. What's your reaction to now being into the final eight at the US Amateur?

HENRY LIAW: It's been great. It's been such a great experience. I never made the cut before. This is actually the first time I ever made the Amateur match play. Last two years, I did it at Baltrusol and East Lake. I never made it. But every year I come out here to learn something because you got a lot of big guys, great college players that have been through this and played junior golf. So you get to learn a little bit from them and from everybody else.

Q. Are you at all surprised?

HENRY LIAW: I've been working really hard but I just said, if I can get to the quarters, I am very happy. But right now since I'm at the quarters, I can't just settle here. I got to keep playing and see what happens.

Q. When does school start for you?

HENRY LIAW: We start -- our school starts September 4th. I'm in high school right now so I got one more year of high school.

Q. It's hard for us to believe that, but, yeah?

HENRY LIAW: Because I look old. Too much stress.

(Laughter.).

Q. How often do you play against non-juniors?

HENRY LIAW: Actually, not much. I do some BUY.COM tournaments and I do the Asian tournament. But usually I play with a lot of juniors. I play the American Junior Golf Association but this year I got to play in the Public Links match play and I got to play here. So I don't usually play with a lot of adult.

Q. What have you learned this week?

HENRY LIAW: This week, just a lot of things. Just being patient with myself. In the junior I used to get frustrated. I learned a lot from the Public Links. Because I had a tough loss there. I was three up with four to play and I lost four straight holes, and that actually was in my head when I was playing the second match because I was three up with four to play with Jay and I was just like, I was getting scared. But then I managed to pull it off, so.

Q. What round was that in the APL?

HENRY LIAW: That was in the second round.

Q. You were three up with four to go?

HENRY LIAW: Three up with four to go.

Q. Who did you lose to?

HENRY LIAW: John Finnin.

Q. Would you talk a little bit about 16 and how big that was for you.

HENRY LIAW: 16, I just looked at the putt, and the chip, actually, and I didn't know whether to putt it or chip it. And I just wanted to get it close to the hole because I know Seth, you know, his chances of making the putt after the birdie on 15 was -- he now has a lot of confidence. Momentum just shifted pretty quick. So I wanted to get it close to the hole and just in case give myself a chance so that maybe I can tie the hole or just do something. But when I chipped it, I thought it was going to be short but then when it went in I was pretty excited there.

Q. What was the club and distance there?

HENRY LIAW: That was a 15-yard chip shot. It was a 9-iron.

Q. That was on 16?

HENRY LIAW: Yeah, 16.

Q. Your parents don't play golf. How did you become interested in the game?

HENRY LIAW: I had a neighbor that plays golf. We used to go bowling. I used to be a bowler. And we played tournaments in bowling. And then all of a sudden, he quit because he said that there wasn't a really good career for him and I just said, I said, okay, I'm joining you. And then he started playing golf, so I just joined him. And when I first played golf, I didn't really like it. But after awhile once you get used to it, it's pretty good. But it just takes a lot of work.

Q. How old were you?

HENRY LIAW: I did bowling since I was 7 to like 9, and then 10 I started bowling well. I started playing golf when I was 9 but then I didn't really get serious until I was like 10 years old.

Q. What did you not like about it?

HENRY LIAW: It was so slow and there wasn't any action.

Q. Kind of like soccer?

HENRY LIAW: Soccer is okay. The World Cup is fun. But then I don't know, it's just, I don't really watch much soccer. I don't even watch like the World Cup, that's what I watch.

Q. So bowling was just not your rhythm?

HENRY LIAW: I felt that if I were to go pro, I probably could go pro for bowling because I was getting really good at it. I was bowling around 190 to 210 at the age of nine years old. So I was getting really good. So I mean I was youngest person -- usually you start from low rollers and then to like high rollers so I just went straight to there and I got to play with all the 18 year old. And I went to Las Vegas to do a lot of tournaments like that.

Q. Any 300 games?

HENRY LIAW: No, I haven't. The most was 245.

Q. Did you get pretty good at golf pretty quickly? Are you a pretty quick study?

HENRY LIAW: After a year and a half I was shooting around mid 70's.

Q. So when you were about 12, you were shooting in the mid- 70s?

HENRY LIAW: Probably when I was 10 years old I was shooting in the high 70's, and then when I was 11 I started getting it to around scratch golf.

Q. What year was scratch golf?

HENRY LIAW: When I was 11. Almost 12.

Q. You had a 59; did you not?

HENRY LIAW: I had a 58 when I was 12 years old.

Q. 58?

HENRY LIAW: Yeah, I was at the Alhambra Junior Championship.

Q. Do you have high school golf team?

HENRY LIAW: Yeah, we do. We're the one in southern California not the northern one. A lot of people get mixed up with northern and southern California. Actually I'm in southern California one. We're the Conquerors. That's our mascot.

Q. Is it a good team?

HENRY LIAW: We're actually getting pretty good. The first year I was there we finished -- you have to be like the top two teams in the regionals to get to move on to finals. And the first year I was there we got 7th. And then the sophomore year we finished second to last in the tournament. I shot 67 and then the next four guys were 94, 95, 96, 98.

CRAIG SMITH: Do you think anyone is ever going to believe you when you get back to school? You played in Japan. If you were to win this, would that answer the question, what did I do on my summer vacation, would they ever believe you?

HENRY LIAW: Actually my parents are from Taiwan, not Japan.

CRAIG SMITH: But you played in Japan.

HENRY LIAW: That's right. I played in Japan that was this year. Yeah. I don't know, I'm just looking forward to tomorrow and just going to play my best, that's all I can do.

Q. Do you sit back and think, shoot, I'm 16 years old these guys are some of the best college players anywhere?

HENRY LIAW: Yeah, it's just to be a part of this tournament is a great experience. Everybody out here like I said is a champion. Even if they didn't make the cut. Even the 14 year old kid. I mean just to get to this tournament was a big challenge. And just to be here be a part of this Oakland Hills here this is just a wonderful experience for everybody.

Q. How did you feel about your game coming in to this week? You played in the APL and got into that last stage?

HENRY LIAW: Well actually I felt very good because I went to go play the Canon Cup and I was playing really good each match that I played I was averaging 7 under, 6 under par. So I was playing really good and right when I went home to do a little practice my game went a little bit down. It wasn't as confident as I was before. But then when I got here I just kept practicing and just believing in myself.

Q. And you said BUY.COM tournaments. Have you tried to qualify for or have you actually played?

HENRY LIAW: Actually I got exempt into them through the Southern California Open. But I haven't played any since because I've been having a tough, like a really tough schedule so I have to travel a lot back and forth.

Q. So you played in one BUY.COM?

HENRY LIAW: I played in that one and then the other one was like it was a small one, it was like a Golden State Tour it was at Los Arenos Country Club.

Q. Was the same true for the Asian Tour as well?

HENRY LIAW: Asian Tour I got exemption because they heard about me when I shot the 58. And when I went to Taiwan I got to meet the Taiwan president. And they felt interested in me and they wanted me to go play. So I got to, they gave me exemption right now because I was a low medalist two years ago, so they gave me, they said whenever I want to play just let them know and they will let me play.

Q. You got friends everywhere.

HENRY LIAW: I hope so.

Q. How did you do by the way on what event?

HENRY LIAW: In the Taiwan Open I was the low amateur but I finished like 35th in the tournament.

Q. And when was this?

HENRY LIAW: This was that was like 2000 or 1999. Vijay Singh won it that year.

Q. So were you 14 at the time?

HENRY LIAW: Yeah, I was 14 years old at the time.

Q. How have the crowds reacted to you? Do you sense that you're getting a little emotional support because maybe you're the underdog and people like you?

HENRY LIAW: Well I remember, I don't know if that was the head pro, but I heard somebody with a black shirt going go Seth and I was like, oh, no love for me here. And I was, I said, I need some help here. But it was just, this is fun. Just everybody's having fun, the galleries are having fun. And just go out here and just do my best. Everybody -- it doesn't really matter if they cheer for you or not it's just one big great experience. And it's, Seth is just a great player and he made me go out there and I had to work really hard for every single shot.

Q. He had an Oakland Hills caddy.

HENRY LIAW: He was what?

Q. His caddy was from Oakland Hills.

HENRY LIAW: Oh, I don't know. I thought he was a Nebraska football player. Because I saw him and said, this has to be a wide receiver or something. But, yeah, he said he was from here.

Q. How has your game evolved from when you won the Junior last year?

HENRY LIAW: Just a lot of things. Just right now you can still see I'm struggling with the driver. I don't know what's going on with the driver. A lot of constant snap hooks I'm working on my swing with my coach. My irons are really solid it's just that my driver has been really shaky. The Canon Cup I hit every fairway and in every match. But then coming out here it's like I'm going on and off. And I got to straighten that out probably later afternoon or tomorrow morning.

Q. How many matches is that? In the Canon Cup?

HENRY LIAW: Canon Cup is all about points. The first day you go best ball with a girl. And then the second day it's like alternate shots with another guy and then it's an individual match play on the last day.

Q. Play three rounds?

HENRY LIAW: We played three rounds, yeah, it's east versus west so just starting from Texas on over to the west coast that's the questions squad and then they take 10 west guys and 10 west girls and then the same with the east. And we won 35 and a half to 14 and a half.

Q. Individually in your matches you were?

HENRY LIAW: I won five and four in my match. Individually.

Q. And then the two alternate shots?

HENRY LIAW: The alternate shots, we ended up winning five and four, you probably heard of James Vargas. I don't know if you guys do. Yeah. Well it was me and Eric Olson versus James Vargas and Jessie Mudd from Kentucky.

Q. Plan on going to college and?

HENRY LIAW: Yeah, I definitely. College is a great experience. I know golf is really important and you got a lot of great players like Ty Tryon that turn pro early but I look at college as an opportunity. You never know what could happen in golf. You can one day just walk down the stairs and fall and then you break your leg and you can't play golf again. So I always feel like golf is really important, but I feel that you need an education with it. And that's a very important thing to me education.

Q. Any thoughts on where you might be going?

HENRY LIAW: Right now I'm not sure, but then it's going to east or west doesn't really matter to me. I'll go, it's I just want to go somewhere where I can have a good education and a good golf program.

CRAIG SMITH: Thank you.

HENRY LIAW: Thank you.

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