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U.S. MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

September 14, 2016

Michael McDermott

Vero Beach, Florida

Q. Obviously well played to get to this point. I know it's not the result you wanted. Can you talk about the great start you had in the first three holes and what were you thinking at that point?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: Yeah. I played well. For three holes I hit all good shots, made the putts. It was sort of cruise control. I mean I knew Stewart was going to come and bring it. Unfortunately I just hit it bad today. I didn't spend a lot of time in the fairway. And he chipped away at it quickly, and I just -- just wasn't a good ball striking day, and it's tough to win against a great player when you hit it like I did today.

Q. Was it mostly off the tee, kind of missing fairways?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: Yeah. I think I only hit three fairways or so all day. And that's just not going to get it done at this point in a National Championship. I struggled with my driver sort of all week, but I was able to get it done around a challenging tee game. But this one I couldn't do it, even with the lead, it was just too much trouble for me.

Q. When you think back on this week, where does this rank amongst your accomplishments in golf?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: Yeah. Well, this is exciting. I've never stared down a couple more wins away from going to the Masters and things like that. So I mean I'll take a lot of positives from it. It's hard to compare a good showing to a win, you know, so that's always a tough thing to do, but this certainly ranks up there with a great experience, and in my hometown to do it like this is special.

Q. You've had a great summer.
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: Yeah. It has been a good summer. Philadelphia Amateur was a highlight, certainly Merion. And I was in the hunt and everything else. I didn't win the other ones, but I was in the hunt. So yeah, it was a good summer. And this one, you know, alcoholic it up to another one in the hunt. I was three up in a quarterfinal match. So that's certainly in the hunt. I just couldn't get it done.

Q. Can you take us through the birdies on the first few holes to put you in the control position that you felt?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: Yeah. I missed the fairway on 1, but I laid up and hitch a wedge to about 12 feet and made a really nice big breaking putt. And then No. 2, I hit the fairway, hit a wedge to about eight, nine feet and made that putt. It was just a rock-solid start.

Q. How far were those shots?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: The one on number 1 was 85 yards and the one on No. 2 was 135. And I felt good. And then he made an unforced error on 3, so I got to three up. But unfortunately from that point forward I just couldn't keep the ball in play. And it really cost me. And I missed a couple putts, 12, 13 stick out that -- well, 9, 12 and 13 stick out that I putted well all week and I didn't do those in prior matches. When you're not hitting it well, you gotta make all those, and I missed a couple.

Q. What was your lie like up there coming into this green, and I heard you say you might have miss-clubbed?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: Yeah. I hit exactly the shot I wanted to, and as you can see, it came up 12 to 15 yards short, so I was off a club. We thought it was a cross-wind, and I had 150 and I thought it would be a 138 to 140 shot, which is a hard pitching wedge for me. And hit it, had a good line on it. It looked like it might be sort of just under the hole, right fringe 12-footer uphill. And of course, it ends up in the fescue with having to make birdie. Unfortunately, the wrong club at the wrong time.

Q. You're 41. He's 25. Is that a factor at all?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: Well, I don't think stamina wise it does. I mean I think yesterday was the first day of 36. In our field of amateur we do it three straight days. So it wasn't a stamina issue. You know, I think he's probably a little -- when you're 25, you're fearless. I went home to kids each of the last two nights and shot baskets and put kids to bed and showered, you know. But no, I don't think so. I mean I think I had a real good chance to win this match. And you know, he executed better than me, and he should have won. I didn't deserve to win today, even though I had a lead.

Q. How many kids?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: Three. Three boys. Yeah. And they were -- yeah.

Q. How aware of they of all of this? What are their ages?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: 8, 6 and 3. And yeah, they're into it. Over the weekend we were talking, and I said, you know, there's a tournament that if you do well enough, it might be on TV. And then I never said anything else about it. And the neighbor kids that play basketball said, daddy, are you going to be on TV, are you going to be on TV. I said I don't know. If I play well, maybe. And last night I said I might be if I play well one more time, I might be. So they were excited, and my oldest knows what Augusta and Masters and all that stuff. So we had talked about that. But when I come home tonight and I tell them I lost, they're going to say, come on, let's go play basketball. So they'll forget about it quick and hopefully that'll help me do the same.

Q. Do you take a little bit of solace out of being exempt now for next year, not having to knowing that that's on your calendar already?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: Yeah. That is nice. That is nice. I mean I would have preferred ten straight years of exemptions, but yeah, that is a nice thing. And I was trying not to be content with that coming into today. I mean I had a lot of things on the line today just in general, you want to win this match. But yeah, that's certainly one nice thing, I can work one more day next year in late August.

Q. What are your thoughts about this venue as a championship course?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: So they had it setup really, really well this week I thought. I mean when they can get the greens like they were, firm and fast, and you know, compared to how I've played in the past, it was actually sort of tame because the hay was down. I mean in our Philly events at times, Joe, you probably remember, we've had it where the hay was knee high, and you can picture what it's like playing that. So it's very fair; it's firm, it was fast. It played great. ^ And I thought the USGA did a great job with the pin placements. So as a venue, I think it's a lot of fun. It's hard. And there was a bit of local knowledge for sure. I had an advantage from that. And I think it helped me through some of my, you know, way ward ball striking the first couple rounds, just sort of knowing where to go and where to miss it and stuff.

Q. Your younger brother, he played in this, didn't he?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: Yeah. I have two younger brothers. My youngest brother played in it, and it was great. We played practice rounds together, and when I finished I went out and followed him, because he made a run at the cut line, late. And when I knew I was in, you know, he was sort of on the bubble, and I went out and followed him. It was a blast. My parents watched both of us. It was a fun week for our family. Sorry it's over, but --

Q. Any other families you can think of in Philly that have brothers? You got another brother, too, don't you?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: He tried. He missed by a couple. Yeah, he was very upset at that point because, you know, if three people made it in their hometown, it would have been cool, because it was at Llanerch, which is where we all grew up.

Q. Is there any other local family with three guys who can play at this level?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: Not in this generation I can think of. I mean if you think of Heinemanns or things. But probably not brothers. No. Probably not. Yeah, it's pretty cool.

Q. Is your dad out here?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: He was following, yeah. Yeah, there he is right there.

Q. It seemed like 15 was a good opportunity to draw even. You played that pretty well throughout this tournament. Take us through that birdie look you had there.
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: Yeah. Horrible reminder. Yeah, he hit a shot that was in a spot you don't want to miss it and I was thinking it was going to be a tough 3 for him, and I hit a really solid shot right where I wanted to.

Q. What club was that?
MICHAEL McDERMOTT: It was an 8-iron. And he hit just a great chip, but still had a tough little six-footer. And my putt for those that were real close, hung on a high limp. I mean it looked like it could just turn in and it just didn't. And he made his tough little six, seven-footer, whatever it was. So credit to him. They're the turning points in matches, right, where if he misses that, who knows where we go. And you know, but he did it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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