|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
U.S. MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPSeptember 25, 2018Stewart HagestadCharlotte, North Carolina Q. So solid win against a tough opponent. STEWART HAGESTAD: Jeff is really good. Like really, really good. I wouldn't say I was intimidated by him, but at the same time, like if you look at his resume and what's he's done, not like over the last year, but over the last 30 years, Jeff is a total stud. I knew that we couldn't fake it today and we were going to have to go out and play will. Especially coming off the back of a win like yesterday I feel like it's kind of easy to get complacent. I really made kind of a concentrated effort yesterday afternoon to really just let it go and refocus and try and get ready for this morning. Obviously have to do the same thing this afternoon. I feel like I did a nice job of that last night. Q. He thought a key moment, at least for him, was the 12th hole. How did you look at it? STEWART HAGESTAD: No, for sure. I mean, for his age -- again, I think I said it yesterday -- not even for his age, but he's got plenty of speed. Moving the tee up he could get there in two. He hit two really nice ones to the front. I'm just a touch longer so I was able to hit it a bit further up. I hit two great shots up there and, yeah, I mean, if he lags that thing up to two or three feet - granted it was a 70-footer - it's probably a different match. To me, like I think him getting up and down on 11 from a back bunker, me looking at him, like that would've been a pivotal moment the other way. He made a great up and down. Yeah, I hit two really nice ones up there on 12. I just can't emphasize enough. Jeff won the Senior Am last week, and surprisingly that's his first USGA win. He's a total stud. Q. Any other holes you thought were key for you? STEWART HAGESTAD: Give me a minute. Yeah, I guess when I went from 1-up to 2-up on 7 that was big. Q. Yeah. STEWART HAGESTAD: In match play, obviously 2-up is a lot more than 1-up and so on and so on. I think I was maybe able to play a little bit more free, especially with some longer holes coming up, like 8 and 9. If you get the tee back, which I was able to do, and hit a ball in the fairway, well it makes it that much tougher on his end. I was able to do that, so... Q. Later today you'll meet another 55-plus year old player in Matt Sughrue. Going to feel like you're playing in the Senior Amateur a little bit today. STEWART HAGESTAD: Good, good. No, Matt is really, really good. Kind of the same thing. We had the chance to spend some time together down at the Concession Cup. Of all people, I was the one that gave him some advice. He was 4-down at the turn and he ended up coming back and winning it. I mean, he's got plenty of firepower to be able to make some birdies. We're going to have to play well against Matt, too. You know, I don't know as much about his record versus Jeff's, but anyone that plays at a super high level like that, he's earned it. Everyone that's here in the round of 16 is there because they're a really good golfer. Q. Having played all these guys over the last two years, is that helping you as you play in these other championships down the road? STEWART HAGESTAD: I mean, I think so. It's definitely nice to be able to look back and say, Hey, I played the U.S. Open at Shinnecock, which to me, probably after the 2013 U.S. Am at the Country Club, is probably the hardest golf course I've ever played. I would say it doesn't hurt, but at the same time, match play is kind of a different animal. Played a lot of these nice, amazing places in some big time events. You're out there just playing one guy. Like that's great experience to kind of prepare and practice and have your expectations going in. But when you step on the first tee you can kind of throw that all out the window. You're playing this golf course against this opponent and so on and so on. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|