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U.S. WOMEN'S MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 16, 2017

Mary Jane Hiestand

Houston, Texas

MARY JANE HIESTAND: So, that was the difference. Nobody made a birdie. Did we?

Q. No, everything was won on pars?
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Yeah, yeah.

Q. Got down two but then looked like maybe 7, 8, and nine you had chances to cut into that lead?
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Like I said, I made nothing.

Q. And you felt like you had good speed?
MARY JANE HIESTAND: I did.

Q. One of them really?
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Oh, they were all three of them were right over the edge of the hole. 7, 8, 9, even the second putt on 10. I can't remember 11. No, he was all over the hole. The one on 13, so...

It's totally the difference and it's a putter's golf course, and that's what I said. I said you're not going to -- there is not going to be a lot birdies out here. Putt something my game. For me not to make anything is amazing, but you have those days.

Q. Yes. It happens. You've been saying all week that it's a putter's golf course and you been relying on that.
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Yeah.

Q. Did you feel like at any point in the match that it was getting away or just a little extra pressure to make something happen?
MARY JANE HIESTAND: No, no. I was doing the same thing. To tell you the truth, I wish I would've been a little more nervous. Usually you got a little bit more adrenaline. I never did check my blood pressure to see how it's going.

I didn't feel like I had to force anything. I was just trying to make the same putts I had been making all week.

Q. Yeah.
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Hey, I'm just happy to be here. What the heck.

Q. You've got to be pleased.
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Oh, I'm ecstatic. Are you kidding me? And then after Pam gets me an, exemption into the Senior Open, since the senior runner-up got one -- give me a break now, Pam.

PAM: I said they don't have rules for seniors in this tournament because you and Joan are the only two who have...

MARY JANE HIESTAND: Really?

PAM: Yeah.

MARY JANE HIESTAND: Yeah, well they need to change the rules. You need to write a letter, Pam. Good girl. If not, I'll be writing a letter.

Q. You took down a bunch of younger players. Kelsey obviously you had a nice camaraderie. She's a good player.
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Very good. Really solid. She made everything today. She did.

Kudos to her, because that's what it takes that win a championship. She's a real solid player. Nice gal. I can't say anything bad about her at all. There is nothing bad about her. She's cute, nice, her caddie was great. We had a few little conversations, and it was nice. It was really nice to play with her.

Q. Did you just meet her today?
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Yes. Never seen her before. Apparently this is her first USGA Championship, which is an amazing story in itself. So, yeah, it was great. She's spectacular.

She is a great champion.

Q. And also, all week you've played younger players who outdrive you. You're accustomed to that, but is there a cumulative effect of having the pressure of hitting first, having to make something if you get down a little?
MARY JANE HIESTAND: No. I think I said yesterday that I played a state amateur match in 1993 against a girl who was a javelin thrower, Olympic javelin thrower, and she hit it way past me.

My brother had said to me that morning, Don't worry about it. You're just going to hit it on the green first every time. Just do that.

That's the same thing I took with Meghan, Shannon, Kelsey. Kelsey wasn't as long as they are. Shannon was super long. Wow. So I took that same mantra in there. Just saying you got to get the ball on the green and rely on your putter.

Q. This has been a fabulous year. Your best performance in a USGA Championship. Anything in particular that made it that? Putting?
MARY JANE HIESTAND: I think it's a little bit of every. I think it was the putting, and the golf course is spectacular. It's amazing that after -- we had rain, but they had rain here. We didn't have anywhere near the rain they had. This golf course is -- you would never even know. It's in such good shape and they did such a great job.

I know they had six weeks or something like that to get this thing ready. They're always ready. Just like they say, they're always ready for a championship, and the golf course was fantastic.

Q. On the third hole I think it was when Kelsey made that the bomb, that long putt from about 40, 50 feet, away, whatever it was.
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Yes.

Q. It was huge because it gave her 1-up, or...
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Well, I mean, that putt, that's a putt I never should miss. I just totally decelerated. I never thought about the fact that she made, to tell you the truth. I just played my own game. I was really good at that this week, so I was really proud of myself for that part.

It didn't matter to me whether she made it or not, because that's the deal. You play your best and expect the worst. That's what happened.

Q. And you did that to a few people this week also.
MARY JANE HIESTAND: I did make a few bombs on people, especially in extra holes.

Q. What goes around comes around.
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Yeah.

Q. Obviously also a special week for you and your husband. You said the other day he's your rock. He keeps you calm, focused. You managed to do that throughout the week. There are a lot of the distractions when you're getting to a final like this, right?
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Oh, yeah, especially with social media. In fact, I can hear my phone buzzing now. I didn't go on any of the social media last night. I just let the texts come in and just said thank you to everybody basically.

Just didn't want that distraction. Yeah, it was fun. My husbands is such my rock when it comes to playing golf. I can't say enough.

Q. What's his name?
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Jeff.

Q. Congratulations on a wonderful week.
MARY JANE HIESTAND: Thank you so much.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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