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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 15, 2019Austin SquiresVillage of Pinehurst, North Carolina THE MODERATOR: We have Austin Squires, a 2 & 1 winner over John Pak in the third round. You advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur for two consecutive years. That's got to bring a smile to your face. AUSTIN SQUIRES: Absolutely, I'm ecstatic. Just to be in the position last year was pretty cool, but to be back here again, I mean, I know what I'm up against, and ready to get after it tomorrow. Q. As we were walking in, you said, I was 5-up and John Pak took me to 17. That shows the quality of the field I'm sure. AUSTIN SQUIRES: Oh, my gosh, John is a fantastic player. He's one of my best friends in amateur golf. I see him week in and week out, and I knew what I was up against today when I played against him. I just got in a zone early and then kind of tried to coast, but he didn't let me coast. He had a couple birdies on that back nine that really put the pressure on me for sure. Q. How are you feeling physically? AUSTIN SQUIRES: I'm tired, but I've got a lot of adrenaline running through me, so I can keep going. Q. I'm curious, as the last player to get into match play through the playoff, do you have a little bit of a chip on your shoulder, given that you were the last player, that you are No. 64 and trying to make your way through now all the way to the next round? AUSTIN SQUIRES: I'm not sure about chip on my shoulder, but I kind of feel like I'm playing with house money. I mean, I've really got nothing to lose. If I lose the next match, I go to pro golf. If I don't, I continue in amateur golf. So just kind of rolling with the punches and trying to play my best golf. Q. Anything that you learned last year in making your advancement to the quarterfinals that you were able to apply when you've been in match play so far this year? AUSTIN SQUIRES: I guess the easiest -- or I guess the thing I learned most last year was just a better way of handling the pressure, because last year was my first -- was really my first experience on a stage as big as the U.S. Amateur making it far. I had faced pressure in other scenarios but not on a stage like the U.S. Amateur. So I felt a lot of pressure this week, and I've felt a lot more comfortable in those situations than I did last year for sure. Q. Do you know anything about Cohen Trolio? AUSTIN SQUIRES: I know nothing about him. Q. These major summer events, it looks like you played the last couple years, how much does it prepare you into a big event like this? And also, you play against bigger name schools, mid major schools, but at the same time, how proud are you yourself to come through two years in a row in a big event like this? AUSTIN SQUIRES: Yeah, I mean, I'm ecstatic. I mean, I love amateur golf so much, and the last three years playing events throughout the summer and like the Western, Sunnehanna, Northeast, North and South, Players and so many others that I've been fortunate enough to play in, they've prepared me for the next level, and they've been a blast. I guess one of the things, as well, is you're kind of playing with the same guys each week, so when you get here, you kind of know most of the guys. Granted, there's a few, probably like half the field or so you don't really know because they qualified from their local qualifiers or what have you. But for the most part, you know the main guys, and you know what you're up against for sure. Q. You talked about how much you love amateur golf, and you had this absurd 27 for 3 playoff that you had to get through. There must have been an emotion at some point thinking, my amateur golf career, this may be the end of it, and all of a sudden you have this run. What was the progression of emotion? AUSTIN SQUIRES: Yeah, I mean, throughout stroke play and probably through 30 holes, I was like, all right, I'm probably going to make match play, and then the last seven holes happened and finished 5-over, and I was thinking, okay, I just -- my amateur golf career is over. And then I was fortunate enough to get in that playoff, and I kind of was just taking it as all right, I got away with one, let's put the pedal down and play the best golf I can going forward. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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