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U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 15, 2015Sierra BrooksPORTLAND, OREGON Q. First of all, what was it like out there playing your BFF? SIERRA BROOKS: It's so tough. You know, playing my best friend, because I really -- I'm rooting for her when I'm out there, too. I really don't want to see her struggle at all, and I know she had a bit of a tough day, so that was hard to watch. But I definitely played really solid. Yeah, it's bittersweet. Q. She said that you guys played a couple practice rounds together and you were spraying it a little bit off the tee and that you've been getting better as the week goes along. SIERRA BROOKS: Yes. Q. Have you and your dad tweaked some things? SIERRA BROOKS: Yeah, definitely I've been slowly -- every day it's been getting better and better for sure. I was spraying it a little bit in the practice round. This course is pretty narrow. But yeah, I've just been working on trying to tweak some things here and there, but I mean, it's really all just been tempo and my transitioning with the ball. I've been getting a little bit quick, and I just keep a smooth transition, I really hit some good shots. That actually clicked, I would say, two days ago, in my second match with Maddie McCrary. Yeah, my game has just been getting better and better. Q. You played O'Sullivan at Wyndham Cup a few times. What did you learn about her there? SIERRA BROOKS: She's a very solid player. Ball-striking wise she hits it dead straight almost every time, and anywhere inside 10 to 5 feet, it's going in. I've played with her in singles the last round at Wyndham Cup this year, and I almost was -- I was to the point where I was like, I'll just give her this five-footer because I know she's going to make it. Yeah, she's just a very solid player, and it'll definitely be a tough match tomorrow. Q. How does your dad keep you calm out there? SIERRA BROOKS: Well, I think one thing that I've learned from match play is I have to -- well, just for golf in general, I definitely have to get my mind off of golf in between shots. We have kind of talked about that, and when I'm out there with my dad, we talk about random things, what we're going to eat later for dinner or what we're going to do the next day. Just trying to get my mind away from the situation, away from the golf. Q. Bethany said you might go to Mt. Hood today? SIERRA BROOKS: Not today. We realized that's not going to happen. That's too far and too long of a trip, but I think we're going to try to go to the Nike store. We'll see if I can get in. We're going to go shopping and eat a good dinner and get a lot of rest tonight. Q. You were in the spotlight a little bit, on TV, and did probably a few things at the Junior Ryder Cup. How did that kind of help prepare you for a stage like tomorrow? SIERRA BROOKS: So much, really. I was the first match out at the Junior Ryder Cup last year, and I mean, I spoke at the opening ceremonies of the actual Ryder Cup. There was like 40,000 people. I've dealt with those situations, and I'm kind of used to it now. I really enjoy having all these people out watching. I think it's great, and it's awesome for the game of golf, especially women's golf, so I like it. I'm so thankful that I had that opportunity at the Junior Ryder Cup because I think it's just made me definitely a stronger player and more experienced. Q. How did you get that distinction of being the one that spoke? SIERRA BROOKS: Well, what happened was is since I live in Orlando, they asked me to be on Golf Channel for Morning Drive, to introduce the team, and ever since then they're like, oh, you can just kind of be our team spokesperson. That's kind of how it came about. I don't really think anyone else really wanted to give that speech on the stage. I was like, I guess I'll take it. Q. Was that more nerve-racking than a three-footer to win a match? SIERRA BROOKS: Oh, my gosh. Everyone on our team was like, Sierra, go look out at the look, and I look, and it's like people for miles. I was like shaking in my shoes. They played our video, like our highlight video from the Junior Ryder Cup, and like the music came on and everything as we were walking onto the stage, all my nerves left me. It was the weirdest feeling ever, but it was really cool. Q. Did the video kind of pump you up? SIERRA BROOKS: Yeah, definitely. Everyone was fist bumping and putts were going in, and the fact that we won, it was just such a special and amazing experience. Q. Did you have to write your speech or did they feed you something to say? SIERRA BROOKS: No, I wrote it. I actually woke up -- I was like so anxious, I had so much anxiety. I woke up in the morning and I wrote this whole speech. I was reading it and I was kind of tearing up reading it to Mallory Crosland. I don't know if you know her. She's media. And then someone comes over, and they're like, that speech is way too long. They don't want a speech like that. I was like, okay, so I had to rewrite the whole thing. It was probably a three-minute, two-minute speech, and I wrote it down but I memorized the whole thing. So I was a bit paranoid about that, but yeah, it was fun. Q. You're exempt into the Women's Open. Have you thought about that at all? SIERRA BROOKS: Actually I had no idea, and that's so exciting. I've tried for so many years, and this year I was one shot away, and I actually ended up being the first alternate for the U.S. Open. I was the next one to get in, and I went on-site and I waited, and that was tough. No one withdrew, and it was a great experience being there, but seeing all my friends competing, I just wanted to be there even more. But yeah, I had no idea. Q. You'll have to deal with that now. SIERRA BROOKS: That's amazing. Q. How many times have you tried to qualify? SIERRA BROOKS: Probably four, I think. So yeah, that's so cool. I'm so honored to have gotten that chance. Q. Mathilda said something yesterday I'm trying to make sure I understood. She was talking about when she came over and stayed in Orlando at the Annika Academy, she said you were there. SIERRA BROOKS: Okay, what happened was we just tried to meet up, so I drove and we stopped and got sushi and talked and had a little girls' lunch, I guess you could say. Yeah, we met up. Q. So you weren't at the academy doing anything? SIERRA BROOKS: No, I wasn't. I just wanted to visit her. She's a good friend of mine. I really don't ever get to see her, so whenever she is in Orlando, I try to stop by and say hi. Q. Was there ever any awkward moment with you and Bethany out there today where you felt like you should give her a putt because she's your friend? SIERRA BROOKS: Definitely. There was like a couple putts that I was like -- well, not a couple, maybe like two. I was like, oh, should I give it to her, I normally wouldn't. I just tried to hold back. But yeah, it was tough because I knew she didn't play like she wanted to, and she definitely struggled with her putting. It was hard to watch. I mean, yeah, because I'm rooting for her out there, also, and if either one of us were to have won today, I would have been happy. I would have been so happy for her if she did, also. It was tough, but at the end of the day, somebody had to win. Q. How many 36-hole final matches have you played in? SIERRA BROOKS: Feels like a lot, but -- okay, the Southern was one. Wyndham wasn't a 36-hole final. 36 for two days but the final was 18 -- I'm sorry, Polo, not Wyndham Cup. Yeah, so I think those were the only two that I went all the way. Q. Those are recent, though. SIERRA BROOKS: Yeah, they were recent. Yeah, I really like match play. It's really a fun format, kind of can free wheel it a little bit more and take some more risks. Yeah, it's a great opportunity, and I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. Q. What would you consider to be the best part of your game? SIERRA BROOKS: I would say that off the tee -- right now it's going straight, so off the tee I'm pretty long for what most people would expect. I would say my short game is really good. Most of the time I'm getting it up-and-down if I miss the green. I'd say that's definitely a strong part of my game, and I like to get creative around the course, hit it in the trees, I like to try to, if I can, bend a shot around to try to get to the green. I'd say that's definitely one of my strengths. Q. Who taught you that, how to shape the ball? SIERRA BROOKS: My dad. Yeah, he's my swing coach, too, so we go out on the course and we work on all different types of shots. I really think that a lot of -- I don't think a lot of girls that golf, they hit it straight all the time, and I think it's good to really know how to work the ball both ways because you're going to have those shots. Q. Where do you practice with your dad? SIERRA BROOKS: Red Tail Golf Club. We live out there, so that's where I practice, that course. Q. Talk about those pitch shots and stuff that he can hit and maybe when you play that you've seen him hit because you probably play with him quite a bit? SIERRA BROOKS: Yes, like 50-yard shots and stuff? Q. Yeah, like little things he might do around the green, more like a guy? SIERRA BROOKS: Yeah, he has a bunch of shots up his sleeve. We worked on one where I hit like a little chip like way off the tee, and it just lands so soft and doesn't even really roll out. There's little tips and secrets that he'll tell me and I'll learn. It's pretty cool. Q. Do you feel like you have more shots in your bag than some of the girls you meet at this level? SIERRA BROOKS: Definitely, yeah. I feel like I can hit a lot of different shots that I need to on the golf course, so I think that's definitely an advantage that I have. It's nice. Q. Does your little brother play? SIERRA BROOKS: He's starting to right now. His friends are getting into it, so he's kind of getting into it. I want him out there, but he's -- he likes school a lot. He's more of like -- he likes science, so he's more into that. But yeah, he's a great athlete, so I try to get him out when I can. Q. We're running on the site today for each finalist, 10 questions that we want to run in the story, so just quickly, other than Beth Ann Nichols, who's the most famous person who follows you on Twitter? SIERRA BROOKS: Yeah, you then. Nobody, really. Maybe Brad Dalke for beating Rory in an arm wrestling match. He's not as famous as you. That's it. Q. Favorite golfer? SIERRA BROOKS: Favorite golfer, hmm. Probably Lydia Ko. I just love the way she carries herself around the golf course, and it's something I really try to model. She just keeps her cool and she's really calm and collected. That's something I love to see, and her golf swing is great, too. Q. Favorite hobby off the golf course? SIERRA BROOKS: I really like to run. That's kind of -- I do surf every once in a while, but I can't get out there all the time. Running is kind of like my release. I do it a lot, every day, go for a jog. I guess if that's a hobby. Q. Favorite food? SIERRA BROOKS: Ooh, probably -- it's got to be Chipotle. Honestly, I could go -- I could there probably like three times a week. I go all the time. Q. Really? What do you get? SIERRA BROOKS: I get a burrito bowl. Q. Good choice. SIERRA BROOKS: Yeah, you can never go wrong. Q. If you could have dinner with one famous person, who would it be? SIERRA BROOKS: Probably Ben Hogan or Jack Nicklaus. Oh, man, that's tough, because I'm thinking Annika, also. Q. Why Hogan? SIERRA BROOKS: Just the way he plays the game, like he had played the game, and the way he golfed. It was just kind of unique and special, and his swing was one of the best swings ever I would say, and the way he hit the ball. I think it would be interesting to pick their brains on how they played golf and how they learned and how they work their way around the course. Q. Favorite movie? SIERRA BROOKS: Oh, geez. I'm not a big-time movie watcher. Probably "Greatest Game Ever Played." That's a good one. Q. Favorite club in your bag? SIERRA BROOKS: Ooh, I would say probably my 8-iron, because I can always trust it to go dead straight almost every time. Q. How far do you hit your 8-iron? SIERRA BROOKS: 145. Q. Favorite academic subject? SIERRA BROOKS: Let's see. Q. Was that face because there's none of them? SIERRA BROOKS: PE. No, I'm kidding. I like math. It's just kind of like solving a puzzle to me, so I enjoy that. Q. Favorite band or musical artist? SIERRA BROOKS: I would say Rascal Flatts. Q. Favorite author or writer? SIERRA BROOKS: Come on now. I don't really read. Q. Beth Ann Nichols? SIERRA BROOKS: Exactly. Can you give me a good one so I don't sound -- Q. Dr. Seuss? Did you read the Harry Potter books? SIERRA BROOKS: My teacher is a big-time writer, or she's becoming one, J.J. Howard. Just put that. And I really like her book. Q. At Lake Mary? SIERRA BROOKS: At Lake Mary Prep, uh-huh. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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