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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 21, 2004

Ryan Moore

MAMARONECK, NEW YORK

PETE KOWALSKI: Ryan, thanks for joining us. Congratulations on advancing to the final match. You're now in your fourth USGA final; right?

RYAN MOORE: Fourth, yeah.

PETE KOWALSKI: The 2000 U.S. Junior, two Public Links Championships, 2002 and 2004, and now the 2004 U.S. Amateur.

If you could first give us an assessment of your play today, according to Jeff, your putter was going better than his and that was probably the difference; if you can address that.

RYAN MOORE: Yeah, in any match-play, I always feel that the putter controls the match or the momentum. I mean, it's kind of that way in any tournament. Everybody out there hits it good. It's just a matter of getting those 10- to 12-footers to drop whether for par or birdie.

I didn't hit the ball too great in the first few holes there. I lost a couple of holes early. But I started playing real solid from about No. 5 on. I started hitting the ball really good and really rolling the putter. Kind of got, not necessarily the momentum, but I kind of early in the back side, I kind of got it going my way and I always think that's key.

Q. The first time you were up today was after the 13th hole, you rolled in the birdie putt, can you talk about that putt that gave you your first lead?

RYAN MOORE: That was just a good putt. I had been rolling it, I had been burning the edge. It just missed from about 50 feet on 11. Then 12, I hit a really good putt, burned the edge again. I felt like I was really rolling it close to the hole and waiting for one of those to go in. I hit that just exactly how I wanted it to and it went in. That was definitely a good putt. That was probably where I kind of grabbed that momentum and just really kind of took it from there and just hit solid shots coming in after that. Just kind of took care of it.

Q. Is it safe to say that you've reached a point where when you do fall down one or two holes, especially early in a match, that you're able to not panic?

RYAN MOORE: Well, if you saw me out there, I was pretty panicked. No, I'm just kidding. (Laughter.)

No, I never really worry about it too much. Like I said before, all I can control is myself out there. If he's hitting some good shots or making birdies or whatever, that happens. All I can do is just keep hitting the best shots I can. And, yeah, a couple of holes to me is not too much, definitely not insurmountable, especially early on the front side, however many holes there are left. If you think about it, if you're 2-down after five, you've got to win three out of the next, whatever it is, 13 holes or whatever to win a match. [] So it's really not that unrealistic if you just kind of take that perspective and just not panic.

I think that's what kind of happens to some people, they start panicking and they start pressing the issue, trying to force it where I just kind of keep playing.

Q. Have you always been that way, or can you remember the last time you came unraveled or unglued out there?

RYAN MOORE: I've always been pretty laid back. Never panicked too much out there, but it has happened, as recent as probably a year ago. I wasn't playing too great. I was kind of frustrated and I just wasn't enjoying myself out there. That's where I really decided last October to just go enjoy myself, just go have fun because that's how I played my best golf. Just go and enjoy the challenge of it, enjoy hitting it in the rough and try to make an incredible par and chopping it out to 70 yards and getting it up-and-down. Instead of getting mad at myself or getting down on myself, I start to enjoy that and look forward to it, and that's really been the big change in my game.

Q. Can you talk about your relationship with your caddie?

RYAN MOORE: He's my good friend. His name is Kirk Brown. He is my roommate and been a good friend for the last, I guess it would be our third year probably living together, me and one other guy besides him. But no, he's a great caddie. He caddied for me back at the Public Links and did a really good job. We just have fun out there. He keeps me loose and he's a good player himself. He can go shoot in the mid 70s pretty easily. His dad is like head pro and GM back at a course in Portland, in the Portland area of Oregon.

So he's been around golf for a really long time. He loves it, he just loves being out there. He jus loves the competition. He's a good athlete and he enjoys being there. It's fun for me, too. We have a good time.

Q. You kept saying early why the week, "I'm not going to think about Sunday until it's Sunday." What are your thoughts now on getting to Sunday?

RYAN MOORE: It's not Sunday yet. (Laughter.)

Q. Playing in the final championship match.

RYAN MOORE: I'm looking forward to it. I can't say I wasn't thinking about it early in the week, what would it be like to get there. But, you know, I try and keep that out of my mind when I'm on the course and just, you know, handle one shot at a time.

But, I'm just excited. I'm just glad to give myself a chance to win. That was going back to even late in the fall after our fall season was over. I told my coach, the next semester and kind of going into the summer, I wanted to give myself a chance to win every tournament. That's not necessarily going out and shooting really low the first couple of rounds, but I always wanted to be in contention and right there, and that's what I did this week. I gave myself that chance. Now I've just got to go take care of it tomorrow.

Q. Can you just sum up your season, and are you shocked by the success that you've had or surprised by it?

RYAN MOORE: Am I shocked or surprised? No, I wouldn't say so. You know, I've been playing really solid golf and that's what you have to do to compete.

To follow up what I said before is I told my coach, I always wanted to be in contention. I can only think of one tournament in the last, I guess it would be this entire spring and summer, there's one tournament that I didn't have a chance to win going into the final round. I didn't necessarily win them all, and I didn't necessarily take care of it the last round, but I've been right there and I've been really consistent.

In a match-play tournament like this on a tough golf course, that's all you've got to do. You've got to go out there, make a few birdies, you're not going to make a lot, though. And keep plugging away with pars and try to minimize those bogeys. That's kind of my game now.

PETE KOWALSKI: For the record, you've won everything you've entered since the NCAAs; correct?

RYAN MOORE: Yes, every tournament.

Q. Obviously judging by what we hear (heavy rain) you're going to see a completely different golf course tomorrow. How does that affect your preparation or your game plan?

RYAN MOORE: It doesn't really change. Doesn't change my mind set about what you've got to go do out there. It's still the same course. It will play a little longer if it really keeps coming down. It even rained a little yesterday afternoon; didn't do anything to the course. The greens were really firm again today.

Sounds like this is enough that it could be affecting it. Makes the greens a little bit more susceptible. You can actually hit some good shots in there and stop a mid-iron where they are really bouncing and releasing.

It was bad enough that on No. 14, I think it was, downwind I had 142 or 143 yards and I hit like a 52-degree sand wedge, because I saw his pitching wedge hit pin-high and bounce right over the green. So I just tried to fly it about 125 and just let it skip up there. So they were getting pretty firm, firm enough that you couldn't hold a wedge or sand wedge really well, especially if you got a little downwind.

You know, the course is tough either way, doesn't really matter. If it's a little softer, it's playing longer, and you hit longer irons in which don't tend to stop as much. Either way, it's tough. You have to go play.

Q. How much golf have you played with Chris and Luke before?

RYAN MOORE: I played a lot with Chris, actually. We seem to play and our teams play in about every tournament together and every time our teams play together, then I'm playing with him usually. So we've played a lot of golf in the last couple of years. We were on two Palmer Cup teams together, the Walker Cup team together. So we've played together a lot.

Luke, on the other hand, I've never played, ever, with, I don't think. I've never played with him. I probably played in some tournaments with him but I've never actually played with him. So I don't really know his game or anything.

Q. Just to go back to the season, can you talk about wanting to be there and having a chance? Are you proud of the way you've been able to close every time you've had a chance?

RYAN MOORE: Yeah, you know, lately I have been closing. That's just, I feel like if I give myself in control, like in matches, once I feel like I grab that lead and get it going my way, I feel like I really have a good chance at winning.

I guess that's confidence or that's just the fact that I know I'm playing well and I'm playing solid. Once I get that lead, it's going to be tough to take it from me because I'm hitting good golf shots and I'm giving myself good, solid pars if not good birdie opportunities practically a lot of the time out there, a lot of the holes.

So, I guess I'd say I'm confident in the fact that I've been closing the deal.

Q. To follow that up, there's probably a point in a lot of these tournaments like this week where you have had to survive one day. Is that something you've also been able to hang onto, that some days it's not all there?

RYAN MOORE: Yeah, definitely. That was my match, I guess it was a couple of days ago in the afternoon. It was just holding on. It was a battle of who could last the longest; and I lasted, all the way down to the last hole. It was tough, the course was playing tough. It's the second match, you know, you're tired and mentally you're drained. Playing a tough course like this, it kind of gets you after a while. If you start missing some shots here, you get worn down real fast.

Yeah, there seems to be always a match like that where you're battling. I can remember a couple of Public Links ago, the 2002 one that I won, it was my quarterfinal match, I think it was, except I think we are with both 7-under going into the last hole -- no. I was 7-under and he was 6-under. I was 7-under and only 1-up going into the last hole and he was making everything and I was making everything. It was just a battle of who could hold on and I was fortunate enough to pull that one off, too.

Even last Public Links, it was my first match, I was 3-down after three and just had to keep plugging along and not worry about it.

Q. You talked about your composure, is that just the way you are as a person even when you're not playing golf, like when you have a test or a plane to catch, kind of poised?

RYAN MOORE: I'm pretty rowdy and obnoxious, actually. (Laughing.) You don't see it in me, but it's there.

That's just kind of how I am. I don't really change a whole lot. I'm pretty relaxed. Just like to, I don't know -- I enjoy myself whatever I do. I try and have a good time. I guess you can see that in my golf game. I just go out there and have fun, I just stay the same the whole way around. Whether I'm 2-down or 3-down or 2-up or 3-up, I don't look any different, and that's kind of been my goal coming into this year is just to go out there and have fun.

I think having fun is the key to that. I'm still smiling when I'm 2- or 3-down. I don't know if that affects my opponents because they are like, "Why is this guy not getting frustrated; I'm beating him." (Laughter.) I don't know, that could help.

All I know is I'm out there just doing whatever I can do and I'm just having a good time. It seems to be working for me.

Q. One of these guys is obviously playing for an invitation to Augusta. Can you talk about what that meant for you the first time to get there and what the experience was like?

RYAN MOORE: It was incredible. That place is just awesome. My first time there, I went and had a great time, the way they treat the amateurs, it's a blast. It was something I was really looking forward to, giving myself another chance to do. I gave myself that chance again this year.

I'm really looking forward to this next Masters just having seen the golf course and seeing the tournament pins and where they like to put them. And just kind of having a feel for it, I think it will help me a lot this next year to actually compete and play well.

Q. Is that a big deal, is that weighing on those guys right now?

RYAN MOORE: Oh, yeah. You try not to think about it too much, but it's there and it's such a big deal. It's such an amazing experience. Just getting to stay in the Crow's Nest, something like that is so much fun. You try and keep it off your mind as much as you can.

Just thinking about back to the Pub Links, it's a little different for me, but it was the same thing there, just getting yourself that chance again. But you try not to let it affect you too much.

Q. How many Masters have you played in?

RYAN MOORE: This will be my second. One U.S. Open.

Q. Is it your strategy to deliberately not watch your opponents swing?

RYAN MOORE: That's something I started doing this year. I probably pay more attention than you think. It's not like I'm completely ignoring the guy.

But, I don't really -- actually I don't really watch anybody swing, even if I'm playing with them in stroke-play. I don't know, just something I do for some reason for another.

But especially in match-play, I just try not to get too wrapped up in what the other guy is doing. If I just go control myself and do what I can do, to give me the best chance of winning, where if you rise and fall with what the other guy is doing, you get too emotionally I guess attached to what he's doing, if he misses a putt; I just look away[] and wait for the crowd or whatever to respond. Half the time, I have no idea where his ball went. I kind of look up and I'm walking down the fairway or maybe catch it.

If I'm trying to pay attention to like the wind or something for my next shot, I'll hear him hit, look up and catch his ball flying. So I won't completely ignore where the ball is going. I just try not to get too wrapped up in what he's doing pretty much.

PETE KOWALSKI: Congratulations and good luck tomorrow. Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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