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U.S. JUNIOR AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

July 18, 2018

Cole Hammer

Springfield, New Jersey

Q. You were jokingly saying the match of my life...
COLE HAMMER: Hardest match I've played ever, yeah. Yeah, so we played solid golf for the first few holes. I birdied No. 2 and got off to a quick 1-up lead. Feels like it's big in match play to get up early.

And then three-putted 4 and lost the hole and he won 7 and 8; quickly 2-down. He hadn't missed a shot to that point and he was I think 1-under or so. It was windy today so it was playing tough.

Then going to No. 9, he chipped it up there about six feet; I was in the front right bunker and hit it to like two feet, which was probably -- it was huge for my momentum and confidence because I needed it. I was about to go three-down, so I didn't get that up and down.

And then he missed the first one on No. 10 and I was lucky to hit it to like five feet and won that hole to get it to 1-down, and then...

Q. Did he concede?
COLE HAMMER: He conditioned seed it had, yeah. I putted any way. Felt good.

Then after that, on number -- both missed putts on 12 for birdie.

On 13 he circled a chip. Hit the pin and came back like 20 feet and powered it in for par. I had like 12 feet for birdie and made it. That was huge. That got me to I think even on -- for the match.

Q. What hole was that?
COLE HAMMER: 14.

Q. Yeah.
COLE HAMMER: 13, sorry. 13. Let me see here. I was 1-down still.

Q. Yeah, 13 he went up 1-up?
COLE HAMMER: 12, I birdied 12, he birdied 13. He stuck it an 13 and I was like dang. I was in in the middle of the fairway.

Then on 14 I hit a putt from like 40 feet in the middle of the hole and literally sat on the lip and didn't go in.

Same thing on the next hole. Curled all around, sat on the back side of the lip; two putts had a great chance to go in and they just didn't.

So still 1-down going into 16. He pulled it left into the -- a little bit of the hay on the left.

I hit it like eight feet.

Q. 6-iron?
COLE HAMMER: 6-iron into the wind.

Q. 171, I heard.
COLE HAMMER: 176.

Q. Okay.
COLE HAMMER: Well, it was 171 uphill; played 176. Hit a bullet 6-iron like eight feet above the hole so fast I literally had to just touch it. Luckily I had two putts for the win; made it anyway, so that was nice.

And then 17 two-putted from 70 feet from the front of the green. Made like a five-footer to stay all square with one to go. That was really big.

Then on 18 he (indiscernible) again after I hit the fairway. Hit that tree; kicked out into the rough. He hit it just short left of the green and I hit 4-iron from the front of the green, front fringe, and somehow two-putted.

Q. That was pretty good two-putt, though.
COLE HAMMER: Two days in a row. Yeah, I was really, really nervous, I'll tell that you much. It felt so good to have two and a half to win.

Man, I mean, this is really good. I'm excited for the rest of it because I feel like I can beat anybody, that's for sure, after this match. It was a dogfight and I was lucky enough to come out on top. It was anyone's match.

Q. When you consider both your rankings, certainly could have been a championship match.
COLE HAMMER: Yeah, we're probably two of the highest ranked players here, so...

It's funny. (Wind interference.) If I get him it's going to be a dogfight. (Indiscernible) That would be fun, right? We hadn't played together before so didn't really know each other's game, but what a match.

Q. You've been here before, though.
COLE HAMMER: Yeah, I have. Definitely experience paid off. I don't know how many matches I played, but fourth year in a row to play match play.

Q. You think when you went to the U.S. Open that year when you were 15, do you think you would've had the right mental strength to win this one today?
COLE HAMMER: I don't think so.

Q. Okay.
COLE HAMMER: I think -- I mean, I knew I was good then, I knew I was really good, but I just don't think I was developed enough or had as much confidence in my game as I do now.

Really felt like I could pull it out even when I was 2-down late in the match. I really think that's what pulled me through it, because if I was feeling sorry for myself or anything I had no chance. I think that match play experience, that's where that comes in.

I mean, it was huge today. I'm glad I played Jackson my last year rather than when I was 15.

Q. (Regarding first putt on the 18th.)
COLE HAMMER: What do you think, 60? 55, yeah.

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