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U.S. JUNIOR AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

July 19, 2018

Cole Hammer

Springfield, New Jersey

Q. First of all, you got to be pretty excited because you've never been to the quarterfinals before.
COLE HAMMER: This is as far as I've ever been, trust me, I knew that coming down the stretch. I was like, Man, I really don't want to lose in the round of 16 three straight years in a row.

I'm really -- I did such a great job out there just staying present and committing to every shot I hit. The way we both played coming down the stretch was pretty impressive, and I'm going to remember this for a long time, that's for sure.

Q. You're down three. You're in big trouble. On the backside, how do you win the 11th hole?
COLE HAMMER: I hit a great drive. Well, first of all I birdied 9 to get to 2-down. I was like, Sweet, get some momentum, and he hits it to a foot on 10; tap-in. Picked it up, threw it to him.

Left my putt on the lip, and that really took a lot of the wind out of my sails. I messed -- laid up with a 4-iron into the rough on 11 and he hits driver off the deck and kind of screws himself and let me back in it.

I had like a ten-footer for birdie and he missed his par putt and conceded the hole. That was big.

Q. And then the tough tee shot on 14.
COLE HAMMER: 14 was huge, because I stepped up there and ripped it. I'm not as long as Trent so I hit it as good as I could and I was right on the upslope. I mean, it's 300 yards straight uphill. (Indiscernible).

He tried to take some off of it, and I think he just missed it; incredible provisional to like 15 feet. I was like, Well... (indiscernible.)

Hit it to like five feet and luckily he missed it.

And then he gave me some gifts on the greens coming in. He hit a great bunker shot on 15. We both had about six feet for par. I made mine and he, I think, just misread his a little bit. I'm not sure which side of the lip it hit, but didn't go in.

And then he poured a putt in on 16 from 20 feet uphill. It was really a good putt. Props to him, because he had a lost a lot of momentum. Thought I was going to make mine but didn't happen. Found myself 1-down.

Q. So let's stop you there. 16, you know, if he makes that putt, you missed a shorter one, are you thinking, Man, it's not going to be my day again? Did you let any doubt creep in?
COLE HAMMER: I'll tell you what, early on I might have let some doubt creep in, but I never lost hope. I literally thought I could win the match, even after he made the putt on 16, even when he hit it close on 17.

I had about a 30, 35 yard bunker shot on 17; hit a 45 degree to like 12 feet; hit a great putt and missed it.

At that point I thought he was going to make his putt just because it was downhill.

Q. He thought he made it, too.
COLE HAMMER: It went the other way. I guess it was my match to win or lose.

Q. Still, you go to 18 and you've got like a five-and-a-half-footer to win the hole basically.
COLE HAMMER: Yeah, push it.

Q. Then and he's got like a four-footer.
COLE HAMMER: Yeah. (Indiscernible.)

Q. Right in there.
COLE HAMMER: Right in there. I hit a great shot in there. It was clutch. I thought I had a great read just outside right coming -- because I thought this mountain was going to affect it a little more because I missed a lot of putts low just because of that.

I hit a great putt. I rolled it right on my line. I was about to go pick it up out of the hole and it just hit the top lip and didn't go in. That was devastating.

I dodged two bullets in a row, 17 and 18, to push it to extras.

And then No. 1, our 19th hole, I haven't had much success with that hole yet. I've bogeyed it three times I think; par'd it twice now.

I hit a great second shot. Just came up a little bit short. That was my third time having that putt today and I left it short every time.

I knew that I needed to give it a whack. I got it up there to tap-in range.

Q. Did you think you made it?
COLE HAMMER: I thought I did. It really looked good. If it had another half a foot it was in, but I'm not complaining right now.

His chip shot was remarkable. It was into the green, sitting down, and it was on like four or five degree slope and the greens are quick.

I don't know how he did it. It was unbelievable. I was prepared to go, really prepared to go to the 20th hole. I actually had his putt earlier in the day and it just broke so much.

Hit a good putt; just didn't go in.

Q. Earlier in the week you talked about how that was the toughest match of your career. Have you reconsidered now?
COLE HAMMER: I think this is the best match of my career, but I think Jackson's was the toughest. Because Jackson, neither of us could gain an edge. Just took so long for me to win a hole.

Today Trent got ahead early, but we both made some mistakes and we both made some birdies, also.

I think this was by far the best match I've been a part of, but not necessarily the toughest.

Q. Did this prove something to you from the mental side of golf?
COLE HAMMER: Yeah. No doubt about it. It proves to me I can handle any type of pressure. I mean, that's about as tough as it gets, coming down the stretch 1-down with one to go having to win.

It's not like stroke play where you could easily flip it and win on that hole. It was just a little bit different. I'm really proud of the way I fought and believed that I could do to the entire time.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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