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U.S. WOMEN'S MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

September 27, 2018

Kelsey Chugg

St. Louis, Missouri

Q. First of all, your year as a champion is over, but you did everything you could to defend the championship, I think.
KELSEY CHUGG: Yeah, it was just an incredible match. I felt like I played as good as I could have. I would have loved the putt to go in on the last hole, but I really feel like I did a great job of hanging on, and she's just an incredible player. Just rock solid, and I played the best golf I could today to try and keep up.

Q. As a matter of fact, it seemed middle of the back nine, you came back from that deficit and actually took the 1-up lead, and you were finding the fairways and Shannon was kind of just missing them, and that is going to be a problem out here, right?
KELSEY CHUGG: Absolutely, yeah.

Q. The consistency was winning out there for a while.
KELSEY CHUGG: Yeah, that was really my game plan going into today was what I've been doing all week and what I do most of the time, just try and hit fairways and greens and be consistent and make pars because especially out here, pars win, but not against her. I had to grind for everything today. I think she was 2-up on me two different times.

But yeah, I thought I had an opening when she hit it in the bunker on 17, and she just made a really great par there to stay alive.

Q. And then the putt on 16, I know she was outside you. You always need to be prepared for your opponent to make, but that was -- that squared things back up, right?
KELSEY CHUGG: Oh, that was an incredible putt. She did that on 12, as well. You know, I'm sitting there thinking, good, I've got a good chance of making this, and then all of a sudden I'm like having to change my game plan up. Her making that was definitely a momentum changer. But I think -- gosh, she's just an amazing putter. Amazing putter.

Q. Also, I was talking to Meghan after your match yesterday, Meghan Stasi, and she talked about your really placid demeanor, that she couldn't tell whether you were 3-up or 3 down, that you really tried to stay very calm and not get ahead. How were you feeling during this bit of a roller coaster match?
KELSEY CHUGG: I was feeling pretty good. I definitely was amped up that middle of the back nine, like you were saying, where I saw maybe she was having a little bit of nerves coming around. But I was just still trying to stick to my game plan and stay steady and calm myself down because I can get a little amped up. Whether you can see it or not is one thing.

Q. No. 18, you've played it a few times this week, and I don't know how much success you've had, but had you reached that green in two before this?
KELSEY CHUGG: Yes, I had, and I hit my drive a little right of where I was looking, and I think it got caught up in the roll and didn't quite roll like it had been. But yeah, in the Julia Potter match I was on in two, and then I think in both rounds of stroke play I was there in two. So yeah, I was hoping I could get there in two. I had like 240 to the flag, and it was like, I'll just lay up to a good number and make it the old-fashioned way, make a birdie the old-fashioned way. But the shot she hit in there was just incredible, obviously. That was the winning shot. It was unbelievable.

Q. And 60 yards, you gave yourself a very good look at it.
KELSEY CHUGG: I did.

Q. It missed left; did it not take the break you thought it would?
KELSEY CHUGG: Yeah, I hit it a little firm. I think I did lose a little focus there, just maybe should have taken a second to just regroup. But I hit it right on the line I was looking, just a little firm.

Q. It may be a little hard right now, but I talked to you a little bit about this yesterday, but the year you've had, the U.S. Women's Open, the Women's Amateur, is there a particular moment that stands out that -- or is it a series of things from the year that you can take away from this championship?
KELSEY CHUGG: Oh, it's just been an unbelievable year, so much fun traveling, meeting so many different people. Playing in the Women's Open has always been a dream of mine, obviously, but just getting there, being around some of my idols was incredible. But really this week and having a chance to defend has been the most fun for me. It's been really cool.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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