	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 20, 2016

Jonah Texeira

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

THE MODERATOR: We're here with Jonah Texeira, who unfortunately your road here at the U.S. Amateur came to an end today, but tell us how you feel coming out. You've still got to be incredibly proud of the way you played.

JONAH TEXEIRA: Yeah, it was a great match today. Brad was an absolute, you know -- he played so great. I was fortunate to get off to a good start. I was, I think, 2-up through 7 and thought I had it. I thought it was like, okay, just keep it going and we'll see what happens, and he came back, started making some putts for birdie, and I started kind of like didn't get up-and-down for par. He beat me fair and square, and it was a great day to remember. Congratulations to Brad.

THE MODERATOR: What is the biggest takeaway you have from this week, from your time here at Oakland Hills?

JONAH TEXEIRA: I can't explain like everything. The staff, Oakland Hills Country Club, USGA, all the volunteers, my mom was telling me that the president of the club was planning this event for five years, I guess, and I can't explain how great everyone did for their job. There was not like one thing you guys needed to work on. Wherever I was, there was always someone there asking me if I needed something, and they took care of me on the range, the rules officials. Literally this is definitely the greatest tournament that I've ever played in my whole life for sure.

Q. Jonah, you were standing on 10 tee 2-up, and then you were in the long stuff. I'm kind of curious where you think the turning point in the semifinal was. Was it when he was able to get that first hole under his belt or when the match was all square? At what point for you did the match turn?
JONAH TEXEIRA: I think the point when the match turned was definitely -- it wasn't 10 or 11. I just didn't get up -- I hit some poor shots, and he made good pars. But I think the turning point was when he hit that nice shot on, what was it, 13 to about three feet, and then I thought I hit a perfect shot. As soon as I hit it, I was walking toward it because I knew -- I thought it was going to be really good, and I guess I had a little bit of adrenaline pumping, and it flew to the very back, and I unfortunately three-putted. When he went 1-up, that was when I kind of like had a change of game plan. Like okay, now I need to catch up.

Q. You've played phenomenal all week; putting has been great. Talk about how you handled the nerves on the first tee today. Did you notice anything go wrong with the putter?
JONAH TEXEIRA: I would say I kind of -- I did think I kind of rushed today for sure as far as my practice routine. I usually like take an hour and 20 minutes, and I usually putt for 20 minutes. But I just lost track of time, and I was talking to a lot of people like Brad Faxon. I'm obviously not blaming him, but I hit a couple shots, hit like one driver, and then rushed to the short game area, and sooner or later, he's like, it's 1:59. I'm like, oh, my gosh, I haven't putted yet.

So then we went back to the putting area, and I putted for like 10 minutes. I was still kind of rushing. I wasn't taking my time. I think that kind of has something to do with my poor putting today, I guess. But yeah.

Q. The other match was -- both players in the other match were talking about how they kind of got nervous on the first tee when people started talking about what you get for winning this match. Now of course your run comes to an end; did that ever come into your mind today? Was there a point where you're thinking, I'm nine holes from Augusta, I'm eight holes from Augusta, let's try to get there?
JONAH TEXEIRA: For sure. Obviously to get in the finals and make -- knowing the prize, what you get of going to the Masters, it's always going to be in your head. So when I was 2-up, I was kind of like -- kind of thought about it a little bit, and I was like, oh, wow, nine more holes and I'm going to Augusta, you know. But I still tried like to not think about it and just stayed in the moment. Obviously it didn't turn out how I wanted it to be, but I'm very still happy and blessed to make it this far.

Q. What does this week do for your confidence going into your junior year at USC?
JONAH TEXEIRA: It does a lot. This is definitely the biggest achievement in golf I've ever had in my whole career playing golf. I'm pretty happy where I am right now. My game is good. I give credit to my coach, Adam Porzak, for helping me out. I know we're going to have a pretty good season this year. We've got two studs coming in; Cheng Jin has played in the Masters. Nobody left, so it's going to be seven, eight guys battling for the top 5, so hopefully I make that lineup.

Q. Do you think Zambri gives you a free pass for the first tournament after this week?
JONAH TEXEIRA: I hope he does. He shot me a text and said I'm very, very proud of you, and he said, we're going to do really well this year. I mean, if I still have to do qualifying, it's completely fair and square. But I hope this will give him a little bit of confidence in me coming into the first tournament.

Q. Next year, U.S. Amateur in your area. It's got to be feeling good to know you're in the field next year in your hometown?
JONAH TEXEIRA: Yeah, when they told me that making it to the elite 8 you automatically get into the U.S. Am next year, and then Pete just told me that making semifinalist you get into the next two U.S. Ams, so I was just like, whoa. Not only that, he said you get to bypass local qualifying for U.S. Open. The list just goes on, and this is amazing. I've played Riv a lot because USC gives three memberships to the players, so I go out there maybe five, six times a week, and they still have all of the shirts and the stuff they sell in the pro shop, it's like 2017 U.S. Amateur, so I was like, man, I've got to make it. I've got to make it this year.

Just knowing that I'm exempt for next year is a crazy thing.

Q. Homefield advantage is always a good thing.
JONAH TEXEIRA: Oh, yeah.

Q. I just wanted to touch on something you said earlier, that you didn't have your best putting stroke today. There were comments out there from some in the galleries that the greens didn't seem as fast as they had been at some points this week. What did you think of them and how they were, how fast they were, and did that play into how you felt you were putting?
JONAH TEXEIRA: I think it was the exact opposite. I think the greens were really -- they get quicker and quicker as the week went on. Today was definitely the fastest of them by far. I think on the first hole, I thought it was going in, and I ended up like hitting the cup pretty hard and bounced over to about three feet. That's when I knew, I was like, wow, okay, I need to get my speed down. And that's one thing that I think really helped Brad this week, because any time he hit a green, no matter where he was, like literally he lagged it up where it almost went in and he had a tap-in, so I was always giving him putts. I think that was a big key for him today that unfortunately got me.

THE MODERATOR: We're so glad to have you with us. Next year you need to give us all restaurant recommendations since you know the area.

JONAH TEXEIRA: I will.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297