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U.S. MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPOctober 7, 2015Brad WilderVero Beach, Florida Q. Tell me about this round. It looked like you had some chances, might have had some putts to take control, but it didn't happen. BRAD WILDER: I putted so well all week, and I putted defensively today, this match, and you can't do that in match play. You've got to take advantage of opportunities when you have them. I missed a little putt on 11 and I missed a little putt on 16. I'd like to think if I make both of those, I win the match. But obviously his eagle on 17 was fantastic, so you've got to tip your hat to that. He hit a hell of a shot into 18. I'm not sure people understand how difficult that shot he had was because if he flies it on the green it's out of here. So he got really fortunate on the bounce, but he hit a hell of a shot to get it where he did. Q. Early in the round were there any points where you felt like you might have -- neither one of you really seized control early on. BRAD WILDER: Yeah. Q. Was that a little bit of fatigue setting in a little bit do you think? BRAD WILDER: I think probably in hindsight. Anytime somebody won a hole, the other person seemed to screw it up. It wasn't like the other one won the hole. The other one mucked the hole up. Yeah, I mean, sitting right here, I make an unbelievable birdie on 12 out of rough, best shot I hit all week, and I stand up here and whiffed the shit out of a 7-iron in the middle of a lake. It's a game of momentum. I think if you keep momentum when you have it, I think if I stand up and hit the shot in the middle of the green, I'd like to think maybe the match is different. Q. I know you talked all week about the people telling you, don't settle, there's more ahead for you, there's another round that you can win. BRAD WILDER: Yep. Q. And also it's a mental challenge, as well, right? There's no question. BRAD WILDER: It is. It's so hard. Your mind goes to mush when you're playing 36 holes two days in a row, and you play this golf course so much, you forget what day it is and what match you're playing and all that stuff. But I'm sure my caddie and I said probably a thousand times to each other, don't settle, walking down the fairway, don't settle, don't settle. I fought hard. I won't look back. I'll look back and think about a great week and think about beating Mike and think about all the good things and everything and beating a great player this morning. The guy -- you can tell certain guys when they hit certain shots, you're like, whoa, I can't hit that shot. He's very good. He's obviously very, very good. I'll look back at the defensive way I putted late, and that's what I'm going to learn from is that you can't -- once you get late into this event, you can't wait for guys to screw up. You've got to seize control when you have it, and I had the perfect opportunity. The guy who makes the eagle putt on 17 wins the match, right? You have the opportunity, and if you seize it, then you win. Q. You talk about your mind going to mush because it's such a long week, but you guys don't have a chance to do that. You're working jobs, you have families and all that stuff. BRAD WILDER: I know. Q. It's so hard to get that into your -- BRAD WILDER: I know. I think it's easier for us a little bit that -- I don't know how -- because I've got a college teammate on Tour. I don't know how these guys do it every week. I'm just golfed out. I'm just whipped. I can't imagine having to go get on an airplane and go fly to another city and take one day off and start all over again and do that week after week. I mean, that's a grind. That takes -- I think everything that I heard this week from all my friends was right. I mean, this comes down to who could handle the pressure and produce late, and unfortunately my putter didn't follow suit today, and that's what cost me. Q. You also in taking away from the week, that match this morning, I think from what I've seen it was the match of the week. You guys matching those birdies on the par-5, then again on 15 and 16 -- BRAD WILDER: Great 3s on 16. Q. Yeah, you've got to feel proud of that match and how you got there throughout the rest of the week and what you accomplished. I know only one guy can come through this thing -- BRAD WILDER: Yeah, absolutely. No, I'm very proud of the overall result. It stings in the moment now, right, because I think it's always better if you get beat 5 & 4 by some guy that's 6-under, right, like I'm not beating him today. But I could have won that match. I take nothing away from Sammy. He played great and hit two awesome shots under the gun the last two holes, but I think he'd tell you that if I few putts roll in, definitely the match is very different. Q. On 16 -- BRAD WILDER: That's the beauty of match play. Q. On 16 it looked like a very good chance to take control -- BRAD WILDER: It was -- what do you think, five feet, six feet? Q. I'd say between five and six. BRAD WILDER: And I mean, it was a ball out right, easiest putt in the world, back into the grain, just bang it in there and I whiffed it. I just whiffed it. Q. It's a long week. It catches up with everybody, and it's as much an endurance test -- BRAD WILDER: I'd like to think I'd make that putt on Monday. What day is it, Wednesday? I'd make the putt on Monday, I don't make it Wednesday afternoon. Q. Congratulations on a tremendous week. We know you'll be back next year with another opportunity. BRAD WILDER: That's exciting. Q. What's ahead for you in the fall just out of curiosity? BRAD WILDER: Yeah, I'm going to go out and play the Stocker Cup out in California that I've played a bunch of years out there, which is a fantastic, fantastic place. Q. After a little rest? BRAD WILDER: Yeah, two weeks off, and then I'll go out there. I've got to go do some work, make some money. And then Kevin Marsh hosts a tournament back down here at the Floridian called the Crane Cup in mid-November, and that will be my last two for the year. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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