U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 28, 2005

Edoardo Molinari

CRAIG SMITH: Edoardo, let's start with what Roger Maltbie had asked you: The difference between the Edoardo on the first 18 holes and the second 18 holes. I've not seen a putter that hot in a long time.

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Yeah, that looked crazy to me as well, but I don't really know the difference between this morning and this afternoon. Both rounds I was very calm from the beginning, and this morning a couple of putts lipped out very badly. But I think I was hitting the putts quite well this morning, as well. So probably all of a sudden they went all in this afternoon instead of this morning, and this afternoon.

CRAIG SMITH: You are the U.S. Amateur Champion. That's what you came here for. How does it feel?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: It feels great, but I think I still have to realize it, but it feels great so far.

Q. Just in case there is a connection, what exactly did you do at lunch today? What did you eat?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: I just ate the same thing I've been eating all week long.

Q. There's a chance you could make a lot of money, you could say you concocted something and go out there and sell it.

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Nothing special, really. I went to the pro shop and they changed my shirt because it was all wet because of the rain of this morning. And I asked Scott, the guy in the pro shop, for a magic shirt and probably he gave me the right one.

Q. Was there any difference in the way the greens were rolling this afternoon compared to this morning?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: No. I think they were perfect both this morning and this afternoon. Just I've never seen greens so good.

Q. Are you aware of the history at Merion as far as the Amateur in the past and then former winners? And what does it mean to you to have your name now spoken in the same breath as Bobby Jones and some of the others?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: It means a lot to me, but as I said before, I think I still have to realize it completely.

So I'm really, really happy to have this win and to have won it here, especially.

CRAIG SMITH: Edoardo, going back, did you have any doubts when you went 3 down as to if you could come back or not?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Obviously I was not sure, but I was quite confident because I was playing well this morning. I just couldn't hole any putts. So I said to myself, if I can keep on playing so well, and then maybe the putts will start to drop in and that's what happened today.

CRAIG SMITH: I think we had 18 putts for you in the last 15 holes.

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Really? That's good then. (Laughter).

CRAIG SMITH: Yeah.

Q. I'm just curious, growing up, you may have had an idol or something like that and of course we all know the Italian pro, Constantino Rocca, was he an idol growing you up and what other ones may have been your idols?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Constantino was definitely a hero of mine, and then, I mean, what he did at the British Open, at the Ryder Cup was awesome.

And then apart from him, there was Nick Faldo and Sergio Garcia. And, well, Tiger I think is the best of them all by far.

Q. You've played golf this summer, is this the best round you've ever played, the afternoon round?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Yeah, by far, by far.

I told, Trevor, my caddie I usually play better in the afternoon than in the morning but I still didn't even think about a round like this.

Q. The best round you've ever played?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Might be.

CRAIG SMITH: Certainly given the stakes, and what you had done, I think you could probably put this one right at the top or near the top?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Yeah, I think so.

Q. Having played in the British Amateur, British Open, what's your thoughts about this course? Would you like to come back here and play in the U.S. Open?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: I definitely will. I'd like to.

Q. Could this course hold an Open?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: I think it can. I've never seen a U.S. Open course, but I think it's difficult to find a course harder than this one, and it is very fair, as well. If you hit a good shot, it's going to come up close and if you don't, you're going to pay a big price for it. So I think it can definitely host a U.S. Open.

Q. You're the U.S. Open Amateur Champion. What are you going to do now?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Just play The Masters, U.S. Open. (Laughing).

I don't know. I think I will have a lot of fun next year playing all of these very good tournaments and then I'll probably turn pro after the British Open next year.

CRAIG SMITH: This was obviously the dream when you came over to qualify, you put it on your schedule, all those kinds of things. How real did you think that dream was when you put it on your schedule?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Ten percent real, probably. I don't know. Just as I said before, I was just here to make the cut and then see what happened in match play, and it turned out very good in the end.

Q. At what point today did you know that you were going to win?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: I think a very big turning point was 7, 8 and 9 because after the seventh, I finally was 1 up in the match and I had been trailing all match long. So after 25 holes to be 1 up was very good. And then I made a very good save from the bunker on No. 8 and then on nine, I holed a monster putt. That was huge, because he was probably ten feet away and missed his putt.

So from being all square again to 2 up, that was a very big change.

CRAIG SMITH: Take us through on the back on last 18, you birdied 1, 2, parred 5, took the lead on 7. Go through the size of those putts on 1, 2 and 7.

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Well, No. 1, I think I hit a good shot on to the green just a bit long, and then when I went over here, the ball had some sand on it so I couldn't put it really. So I took a sand wedge and hit it with the blade of the wedge and went in. I'm quite comfortable with that shot because I practice it a lot, so I was very confident.

On the second hole, I holed, it must have been a 30 footer for birdie. That was a very good putt because, I mean, I just had to keep the momentum on the first few holes to try to catch up.

Then I had a very good chip on No. 3 and almost holed it. Then on No. 7, No. 7 was a big turning point because I was I think we were all square at that point, and he hit it close. I hit it just away from him and I holed my putt first and then he missed his putt, so that was a big change.

CRAIG SMITH: Just to put it down, I think we said about nine feet for and you about seven feet for Dillon.

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Yeah.

Q. What do you think the reaction is going to be back in Italy, what you've done this weekend?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: I think for sure much more people will be getting involved with golf. And then, I don't know, everyone I think is really happy back at home. I'm going to find out next week.

Q. How much more time do you have to finish school? You said you were studying engineering.

EDOARDO MOLINARI: I'm getting my degree in mid September, so just a couple of weeks and I'm done.

Q. So you're essentially finished now?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Yeah, just have to present my thesis and that's it.

Q. Did you have a plan before you came here about turning professional?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Yeah, I had to turn professional at the end of this year. I had already sent the entry form to the qualifying school.

Q. So you were going to European Tour Qualifying School?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Yeah.

Q. Was? You're not going now?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: No, no.

Q. So it will last another year, will you go next year?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: I will go next year, yeah.

CRAIG SMITH: I guess we should ask since you're Mr. Engineer on the golf course, what's your thesis subject?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: It's an analysis on business company in the area of Turin.

Q. This week you were faced with must make shots under some really pressure situations, you hit some of the best shots you've probably ever hit in your life; how were you reaching down and bringing that out in yourself?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: I think I just tried to stay as calm as possible all week long.

I think what impressed me this year was how Goosen played the first three rounds of the U.S. Open. He was just hitting shot after shot, and no matter what happens he was just going on and no reaction, so I just tried to do the same.

Q. Are you going to shave now?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Yeah, tonight probably.

Q. You say you're probably going to turn pro after the British Open, are you going to try to get some exemptions in European Tour events?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: Yeah, I hope I'll be able to get some exemptions on The European Tour after the Open Championship.

Q. What about long range plans, will you come back to America, the PGA TOUR some day maybe?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: I don't know. First of all I want to be able to play on The European Tour. I think would be European Tour mostly.

Q. Can you just comment on the emotion of having your dad here and how will you celebrate tonight?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: I have no idea how we will celebrate it tonight. We had a lot of fun this week together and I was very happy he came along with me and we had a lot of fun together.

CRAIG SMITH: I know you had a couple of phone calls here between the end of play; did you talk to your brother yet?

EDOARDO MOLINARI: No, not yet.

CRAIG SMITH: Congratulations.

End of FastScripts.