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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 15, 2016

Robin Petersson

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Q. You got on a really hot stretch there around the turn. Tell us what got into you out there.
ROBIN PETERSSON: Yeah, so I started on No. 10, obviously, and the back nine was pretty slow, but I was able to make two birdies to make the turn in 1-under. Yeah, the first few holes on the front nine out here, I just had perfect numbers on I think a five-hole stretch. I just fired right at it, and I was close, and I was able to make the putts. It's as easy as that.

Q. You make it sound so easy. Were you feeling good coming into today?
ROBIN PETERSSON: Yeah, absolutely. I actually played pretty well lately. I just haven't had everything together. But it felt like today that everything was just running along smoothly, and I mean, the course is in great shape. You pick a line on the green and you hit it there, it's going to go in. Yeah, so that's what happened.

I'm really excited I pulled it off. Yeah, 65 is a pretty good round out here today.

Q. And you're playing in your first Amateur, first USGA event, and right now you find yourself at the top of the leaderboard. What are your feelings on that?
ROBIN PETERSSON: Well, I actually didn't know about that, but yeah, it feels great. Honestly, I know tomorrow is going to be a good test on the South Course. I was hoping to shoot a low round today so I'd give myself a little bit of cushion at least. But yeah, it feels great.

I think the U.S. Amateur is the best amateur event in the world, and where I'm at right now, I mean, it feels pretty good.

Q. I wanted to go through those birdies with you. I know you had the one on 18.
ROBIN PETERSSON: Yep.

Q. And then a stretch of five more. Were they tap-ins, long putts? Tell me about those.
ROBIN PETERSSON: So I started on 18, my ninth hole of the day. That was probably a good 20 feet. But as I said, the greens here are incredible. I had a good read, and I hit a good putt, and it went in.

I made the turn in 1-under after a pretty slow start I thought. I was a little nervous. But then on No. 1, had a good yardage. I was just in the first cut of rough, but I told myself and I told my caddie, I'm just going to go a little left of it, give myself a good look at it, and I did. I had about 12 feet, and I rolled it in. I mean, I was feeling pretty good at that point. And then on No. 2, it's a pretty tricky pin back there in the right corner. I'd hit a shot on 15 this morning, a similar shot, similar distance, and I was like, yeah, I'm going to hit that same club to this pin. Hit it up there to about five feet, roll touchdown in.

Then on No. 3, that pin is a little tricky, actually. There's a false front on that green if you're not careful. I just made sure I was a little bit left where there's a little bit more green to work with, and I had about eight feet maybe, and I was able to roll that one in.

At that point, I was like, this is -- you're doing pretty well right now, just keep it going for as long as you can. No. 4 is a pretty tough par-3 up the hill. Had a great number, hit a really good 5-iron up there, so my pitch mark was pin high. The ball had rolled out to about 10 feet, 10 or 12 feet, and I was able to roll that one in. I mean, that kind of just -- yeah, to make birdie on 4, you're going to see a lot of bogeys on that hole today. It's a really tough one. I gained a lot of strokes there.

Then on No. 5, which is a par-5, I laid up to a good number with a wedge, hit it up there to about 10 feet, and I rolled that one in. It was pretty funny, hit a great shot on 6 that was pin high. Had probably about 20 feet, and I missed it, and my playing partner was like, come on, man; he was making fun of me for not making that, and I was like, yeah, I know.

But as I said, I had a great stretch of holes there where I had a perfect number, and I mean, I just rolled the putts in. It was great.

Q. Tomorrow, South Course, things change up a little bit. Any change in tactic now that you have such a big number?
ROBIN PETERSSON: No. On the South Course compared to here, you're going to leave yourself a lot more birdie chances out here, I think. Out there it's a little bit more strategy involved. Honestly, I don't even know what the weather is going to be, but the strategy is going to be fairways and greens, honestly. Just get it in play, don't fire at any stupid pins. If you do, if the ball ends up close to the hole, take a chance, but not anything stupid. I'm not going to hit -- I played it yesterday. It was a little bit wet and a lot of long irons into those holes. It's going to be tricky, but I mean, just like you said, I did the job today. I gave myself a little bit of a cushion going into tomorrow. No, I mean, I'm super excited.

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