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U.S. SENIOR AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

September 22, 2016

Matthew Sughrue

St. Louis, Missouri

Q. So, man, you're a tiger.
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: Thank you.

Q. Sorry about all those putts.
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: Yeah. No, it's disappointing. I felt like I had enough game to come back and win and it just didn't fall my way. But it's disappointing.

He's a great player and he put on a great exhibition today. But, I'll take solace in knowing that I probably shook him up a little bit with some of the shots that I had and made it a match. So I'll take that away as a good indication of where my game is in Senior Amateur golf.

Q. On the back nine, the putts that spun out, do you think you made most of those?
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: I do. I do. I certainly did on 14. I just can't believe it snapped that hard left. And, yes, the one on 16 and 17 were clearly going down. I don't generally start walking toward the hole, but I would have on those, they were center cut and I thought they were going down. But it just didn't happen. And he made a great up-and-down on 17. That's an all world. When you consider the pressure he was under, he doesn't want to go to even to 18, because I'm playing well and hitting the ball well, and that's a very demanding hole. So, but he did it. He got it up-and-down and that's a sign of a great champion.

Q. You talked early this week about regulating your emotions, staying focused. How did you do that 4-down to make that comeback?
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: I felt really confident with my game and my swing today. I felt physically great. I got a great night's sleep last night and it was a nice session on the range. I just felt like I had enough game today to come back. And this is a demanding course. If you start hitting a few loose shots, you know, I figured if I could go a few under par I might just win the thing. So I kind of looked at it as a stroke play thing, once I got 4-down I'm like, he can make all the putts he wants, but if I shoot 4-under coming in, I'm probably going to win this thing. So that's kind of what my mindset was.

Q. And then all square at 16, a whole new match really, wasn't it?
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: Yeah, it was all square and I just, that was really one of my few bad swings of the day was the third shot there. And I just had the perfect club and I just felt like it was time to knock it close and take control of the match.

Q. What iron was that?
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: It was a 9-iron. And it just, that didn't work. It didn't work out. I feel very comfortable with my short game, so, but I never thought I would pull it over there. It was just a shock to me when I looked up and it was going left. I couldn't believe it. That's golf.

Q. That birdie on 13, you pumped your fist, seemed like a lot of emotion on that particular birdie putt.
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: Yeah, I don't like to do too much, but that was just a beautiful putt on a great finish on a great hole. And I looked at that pin and I don't cut the ball very much, I kind of draw the ball a little bit or hit a straight ball. So with a right-to-left wind, that's a tough pin for me because you got to zip it right by the tree. And I didn't bat an eye, I just aimed at the pin and figured I would draw it a little bit with the wind and hit a perfect shot. And I just thought it was a cool putt. It went in and it was going in. It was going to go in.

Q. Same thing on your second shot on 12? I didn't see any hesitation. You just --
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: None. None. No hesitation. I've had a good week on that hole. I know exactly where I need to hit it down there to go for it and where to lay up. And I had the perfect club for it and.

Q. What club?
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: It was a rescue, a 2 rescue, which I think is an 18-degree club. So, I didn't catch it totally clean, but I figure if I'm in the bunker or in that grass, I can get that up-and-down and that's what I did.

Q. I think your best previous finish you said was the round of 16 in a USGA championship?
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: In the Mid-Am last year, yeah.

Q. So this has quite surpassed that one.
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: Yeah, I guess it has. It's nice to get a few exemptions. The Q-School thing is tiresome. But, yeah, I haven't really thought about that. You get close to these things, I don't know, you know, you want to win it. But I feel good about how I played today and to come back and play that well and hit that many good shots when I really had no margin for error, I feel really good about that and that will help me get better.

Q. You mentioned you have a picture of Old Warson from the Mid-Am in your office. When you get home will you look at it differently now?
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: I think I'm going to look at it totally differently. This golf course is a great golf course and it was a good one for me, because I hit it pretty long and it kind of rewarded me. And I just love the golf course. I just love the golf course. So, yeah, I'm going to look at that picture a little differently.

Q. Do you recall what hole it shows?
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: Yeah, I do. It's 14. I have good memories on that hole this week. I made 2 there from the fairway. I knocked it on the green another time and made 3 there. So I had really good memories. I'm going to like looking at that.

Q. What's next?
MATTHEW SUGHRUE: What's next? Well, I was supposed to be at the Crump, but obviously I'm not going to be there. They seem to understand, which is really nice of them. And I've been picked to a couple teams, the Virginia/Carolina matches, which is a big deal. And I'm looking forward to playing that. That's at Kinloch. And then I also got picked to the Mason Dixon team, which is this year at Five Farms, Baltimore Country Club. So those are two great places and it won't be as intense. And now what I'm really looking forward to is going away for a few days with my wife, Caroline, up to our new place on Nantucket. And that's our dream place and I can't wait to sit on the beach and with her and read a book and eat lobster. That's kind of what I'm looking forward to.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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