U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 21, 2002

D.J. Trahan

DJ TRAHAN: I won two, he conceded birdie. And then I lost three. He made a par. I left it in the left bunker, which short-sided myself, and I made a bogey. So we were back all square. Four, five, six, seven, I won nine to go one up with a par. He hit it in the back bunker and almost made a great up-and-down. But it was interesting because he was making some really -- they say momentum is a big thing in match play. But there wasn't any going either way for each of us. But he made a couple of great par saves where I was lagging and had either good or tap-in putts for par and he made a couple of really clutch putts. I don't know if it threw the momentum his way, but it kind of did. At certain times, I was like, well, geez, maybe I'll get a win out of this and get one up or have something good and he would drain a putt.

And then like I said, I finally got a break on nine. I made par there and won a hole there. Then he birdied 10 and 11, he was one up. I made a couple of pretty solid pars, he just made two great birdies; knocked it in there close on both holes. I came back and won 12, the par-5, with a par, actually. He caught the rough on his lay-up shot. Couldn't get it on the green and made bogey from the bunker. But 13, 14, 15, then I won 16 and 17. He missed about, I would have to say with about an 8-footer on 16 and then a six and a half footer on 17, and then just a couple of par putts that slid by the hole. And I was fortunate enough to make pars there. The rest of the way.

Q. After yesterday you said you just really grinded, you had that nine on number one and it was just a tough day. Were you like sort of saying -- sorry. But --

DJ TRAHAN: Yeah.

Q. Just sort of. I mean, mentally, I'm really tired or were you recharged after last night. And also what did you do?

DJ TRAHAN: I was very focused. We went out to dinner last night and we had my parents. And we had a discussion about the round and for me it was just great because I made the nine and I came back. That's something to build on. It was a brutal grind for 17 holes. But at the same time when you do something that I would say that good, when you're able to do something that well, it's something that actually kind of picked me up. I was tired but I was really pumped up at the same time. And then today it's just a totally different situation too. You go out there, if I make a nine today, two tears, right? Lost the hole, onto the next. And it's just a little bit different coming out today.

Q. I think this is your third straight year in match play.

DJ TRAHAN: Yeah.

Q. At the Amateur?

DJ TRAHAN: Yeah.

Q. Does the experience of having been here before now give you any advantage going forward?

DJ TRAHAN: I always say that experience can't hurt you. But when you're playing in a tournament like this, it really doesn't matter. Like for instance, I heard of Chez Reevie when he won the Public Links last year, that was his first USGA event ever. But experience is a good thing but you have to go out and get the job done. I'm glad that I have that opportunity to play a lot of the match play but at the same time that means nothing if you go play poorly, because anybody can beat you on any given day.

Q. What was are total number of matches before today, the last two years?

DJ TRAHAN: I couldn't tell you. I really couldn't. Matches played?

Q. In the Amateur.

DJ TRAHAN: Oh.

Q. Like how did you get here?

DJ TRAHAN: The best I've ever done is the second round. I got beat by Jeff Quinney last year in the second round.

Q. So only three matches then probably?

DJ TRAHAN: Yeah, I think so.

Q. You won some big holes with pars today. Is that a good plan to make sure you make pars here?

DJ TRAHAN: You think pars are going to do you a lot of good out here. You could run into somebody that makes a lot of birdies, but the chance of that happening with the greens being the way they are, it's not going to happen a lot. So if you can go out there and hit fairways and greens and make a lot of pars, I think initially -- in the long run that's going to put a lot of pressure on an opponent that you have. And like I said, I mean, if somebody makes five or six birdies on you then that's just tough for you. But I just, I really don't foresee that happening much at all, if at all, the rest of the week.

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