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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 15, 2018John AugensteinPebble Beach, California Q. Tell me if I'm right; that was a rematch from the Western, right? JOHN AUGENSTEIN: Yes, sir. Q. So do you kind of have his number? JOHN AUGENSTEIN: I got asked that earlier, too. No, I wouldn't say I have his number at all. It's just when I know -- which in this format you have to bring it no matter who you're playing or anything. But when I know I'm getting ready to play one of the best players in the world, and that's where I want to be when it's all said and done, you have to beat the best to be the best. When I know I have to hit a shot, have to win a hole or whatever it may be, I feel like I do that very well. Yeah, it just so happens that playing him again -- that's certainly not the draw I want in the round of 64, but it is what it is, and luckily I got it done. Q. He had the better of you for the first eight holes; he was 2-up. Then what happened on 9? You made birdie there. JOHN AUGENSTEIN: Yeah, I didn't play well the first eight holes. I came out as dead as could be, trying to get out to a hot start and I got out to the worst start, hitting it all over the place and missing it in bad spots, all that. I actually stood on the ninth tee, and I told Gator, my assistant coach and my caddie for this week, I said, I need to play the best 10 holes of the summer to beat him. He's like, well, let's go do it. I don't know why -- I didn't really have momentum, but for some reason that kind of -- we created momentum out of nothing, and yeah, I birdied 9 and 10 and 14 and 16. Unfortunately kind of gave him one there on 17. I missed it in a bad spot. But that's what this course will do; if you don't miss it in a good spot, you're probably not going to get up-and-down most likely. Q. Those are two impressive holes to birdie to get out of the hole, too. JOHN AUGENSTEIN: Yeah. Q. You're in a hole 2-down against a guy of Colin's stature; what was your iron in on both holes, and how far was the putt? JOHN AUGENSTEIN: Yeah, so on 9, I had an 8-iron in. I had like 172. It was kind of down right-to-left wind, was just trying to hold kind of a fade up against the wind with an 8-iron, and I hit it to about -- probably 6 feet, 7 feet, and he conceded it because he made bogey. But I like to think I would have made it. And then on 10, I had another -- I hit a good drive down there and had another 8-iron in. I really kind of hit -- not a bad shot but not my best, and I kind of missed it about 25 feet left of the flag, just barely off the green, and I made it. That was huge momentum just squaring up the match, but also seeing a putt go in. Getting it back to all square, you just kind of roll the momentum through. Q. 18, take me through that hole. You gave us a little bit of -- not real happy with yourself on the putt that you missed. JOHN AUGENSTEIN: Yeah. I didn't hit driver there in the practice round, I didn't hit it in the first round. I had done it in the Carmel Cup, hit driver, because it had been downwind. But I just -- I kind of feel like that hole is -- it baits you a little bit into hitting driver because you don't have much room on the right, you don't have much room on the left, so it's pretty tight. But after he sent one down there down the middle, I was like, I can't hit 2-iron off the tee. I've got to have a pretty good chance at birdie. He's making 4 from there every time. And so I luckily got up there and hit a really, really good drive, one of my better ones of the day to the right side of the fairway. I had a good number, kind of a hook lie, so I just kind of hit a pretty standard 4-iron, trying to draw it a little bit more than it did, but it was obviously a great shot, and hit it to about 35 feet, 30 feet. I wasn't frustrated with the putt because I hit a fabulous putt. It was tracking, had eyes -- it looked like it was going in the whole time. But I just -- I hate to leave that putt short. Just an inch or two, that's the only reason I guess I wish I would have gotten it there. But it is what it is, and I tied the hole and was able to continue. Q. Tell us how you won it. JOHN AUGENSTEIN: Yeah, we both hit good tee shots. I hit first, which in match play I think is very important to hit -- if you can hit first, that always puts a little bit of -- kind of plants a little seed in the guy you're playing with, and I hit a very good shot to about maybe eight feet just right of the hole, putted it straight up the hill, and he kind of didn't hit his best wedge shot. It landed on the front and kind of spun off, and then he putted that about six feet by. I was telling some guy, I hate -- it doesn't matter -- I'm glad I won. That's great. But I hit a really good putt that just kind of grazed the front edge, and I wish I would have hit it a little firmer and won that way, but he ended up missing that six-footer and I won, which I'll take. Q. Did you go to the players' dinner, the reception on the lawn, Saturday night? JOHN AUGENSTEIN: Yes, sir. Q. Mr. Platt asked about how many people have played Pebble Beach before. All these guys put their hands up that they had never played it before. All these guys put their hands up, and you didn't, because you played it before. Did you kind of feel like maybe I've got an advantage here? JOHN AUGENSTEIN: I don't know if I have an advantage -- I think I have an advantage in having good memories here and playing well. I have an advantage in knowing kind of tee shots and angles and stuff like that, but in the end, in match play, we could go play a new course tomorrow, and it's still going to be match play, and you're still going to have to win holes. I think maybe in stroke play I had a little bit of an advantage, but I think in match play it's all equaled out. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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