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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 16, 2019

William Holcomb

Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina

THE MODERATOR: Welcome William Holcomb V, a 4 & 3 winner over Karl Vilips to advance to the semifinals of the 119th U.S. Amateur Championship here at Pinehurst. You are a U.S. Amateur semifinalist; what does that sound like to you, and how does it make you feel?

WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: It sounds prestigious. It makes me feel grateful to be able to compete and play the game. I mean, I'm just thankful to be here.

Q. Was there a point after the delay where you felt like this one is mine to win?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: Yes. Yes.

Q. And where was that?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: On 6, I hit just a beautiful shot, like perfect shot, like two feet, and he hit a good shot, but it rolled off the green. He didn't make up-and-down. He just handed it to me.

And then so I kind of felt the momentum going. I'm 3-up through 6. I haven't been that up in any match by any means. Usually I lose 6 and 7. We halved 7, and he hits it over the green on 8, which John Daly says that's a bad spot. He made a good bogey there, and I made bogey there, too, which was kind of funny because I thought -- I was like, here we go, I'm going to be 4-up.

But then on 9, he just kind of hit a little fat wedge, and I hit like the best shot of probably the tournament, like just -- I was so locked in. I kind of got out of my rhythm on 9 because I was so locked in, I'm like, I'm going to -- felt like I was just in super control. Kind of fell out of my rhythm and got a little too comfortable, I think. But that's a good thing to learn going on. It's kind of like, I've been 2-up in a couple of matches and then given the lead off, and I kind of just tell myself that builds character.

Q. How close did you hit it on 9?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: Like 15 feet, but it was just like -- I knew that if you hit it at the pin, it rips back because you have like a pitching wedge. It's going to come off the green. And I had like 135 hole I think was what it was playing, and I hit a pitching wedge -- I hit it like 135, so I just tried to hammer it, which I knew would spin even more, and I flew it like the absolute perfect number, and it ripped back to like 10 feet right behind the hole.

Q. You seem to have a very upbeat and positive personality. Have you ever not had fun on the golf course?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: Oh, yeah, I didn't have fun at the North and South when I came here.

Q. What did you learn from that experience that's kind of led to your success here?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: You know, I learned like if things are going bad, like I have to lie to myself. I have to tell myself, I'm fine, I'm the best driver of the golf ball. When you're in competition, there's no time to like -- at the very least, just tell yourself you're the best and lie to yourself, so that way maybe you come through. I mean, if you're thinking negative, you're going to fulfill that prophecy. That's kind of what I learned from the North and South, and I haven't really had a great time on the golf course this summer, haven't had a good summer overall in my opinion, and so I've just been -- I want to have fun on the golf course, and Keith has been making that real easy, and I feel like just positivity, and doing that's the only way we're going to get through a week like this.

Q. How important has it been to have him here on your bag and kind of keeping you yourself out there?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: Honestly, I didn't think he was that big of a help in the North and South. Maybe he wasn't comfortable around me or something. But this week he's been phenomenal. Hands down today, he was just like, focus, focus, focus. I'm sure you heard it if you were watching the -- I know they have the mics on us all the time, and I'm sure you're sick of hearing it.

Q. Have you ever played golf in front of all these cameras and stuff like that?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: No. He said, Smile for the camera, if you haven't heard that, too. He says, Smile, we're on camera.

Q. How have you adapted to that, or what have you done to try to not make that a distraction?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: I've just tried to make it fun. Just trying to be me and enjoy the moment. There's been a couple times where carts are moving and camera men are moving and people are moving. It irks me because I'm like, Just please be still because I'm aiming at your head, you know. It might be 200 yards past the target, but I'm aiming at the logo on your cap or something, and they're moving. But that's like the only distraction I would say.

But you know, Keith lightening the mood saying, smile, you're on camera, is just like -- it's hilarious. I mean, I love it.

Q. What is it about golf that you love?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: The competition. I love trying to win. You know, I don't play the game because I love hitting the ball. I will say I do like hitting balls, because this morning I was like super stressed out, high, amped up, and I went to breakfast and I came straight here. I just hit balls for like an hour, and it's like mowing the lawn. It's like therapy. It just kind of mellowed me out. So I guess I like that part about golf. But that's not -- with as much golf as I play, that's not the first thing I go to whenever I'm trying to decompress a little.

Q. Two things: The first is you said you hadn't had a great summer. What gave you the self-belief that you could reach the semis of this tournament?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: I don't know, I mean, really my coach, he called me in on July 5th or 6th, I was playing a little tournament, and I sent him a video, and I hadn't been playing good. And he said, Come see me, come to Huntsville. I had already withdrawn from the Trans Miss amateur, which was in Texas this year, and I was like, All right, I'll come see you. I hadn't been playing good.

When I get there, he says, I saw that video of your swing. I was at my mom's house, and it made me depressed. Like my coach is a super positive guy. Coach Kieschnick is -- he's awesome. He's never said a negative thing. I tell him, Coach, you're not mean enough. We're not going to get better if you don't tell us why we're bad. He's just not hard enough on us.

But he told me, What you're doing with your swing makes me depressed. I don't know what you're trying to do, and I said, This is what I'm trying to do, and he said, All right, well, we can do what you're trying to do, but you need to keep your goal -- he's like, your bottom is TOUR, Doggie. He told me he thinks the foot behind and the foot in front of my ball, he's like, you have so much control and stuff. He's like, we can't give that away.

Him helping me, I could honestly like instantly saw improvement in my game where even if I'm not playing a great round, I'm still scoring okay, if that makes sense, and that's normally how I play golf. I'm the world's greatest top 10er in college golf. I mean, that's just what I do. And so with not getting like top 10s and stuff that's like gimmes, if that makes sense, even when I'm not playing good, I'm still having chances to win. That's what I expect.

And so whenever I feel like I'm playing okay and I'm not even close to the top, it's like, man, this is miserable.

Q. What was the fix?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: I don't know. My arms were like getting too high or something. I was trying to do some crazy stuff. I'm an idiot, you know. Should have just made what I had better.

Q. And secondly, most people's game goes to hell when they get married. How have you gotten better since your nuptials?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: Well, I don't just go shoot the ball at the golf course all day. I've got to get home to my wife. You know, it puts things, I guess, into perspective. I mean, these guys out here, they're living for this -- this is what they've -- they want to win more than anything. I mean, I want to win, but there's other things that I'd rather happen in this world than me win the U.S. Amateur.

Q. How did you get to be William Holcomb V?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: Well, I don't like sharing this because I get a lot of flak for it, but my uncle is the fourth, so my dad just named me after my grandfather. So yeah, I'm the fifth, but my dad is not the fourth.

Q. Where does your confidence come from?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: I don't have confidence. I mean --

Q. Before you said that, you said you're your favorite golfer.
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: I'm my favorite golfer because I just don't care about all the other guys. Tiger is different. Everybody cares about Tiger.

Q. Where does that mindset and mentality come from?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: Just like lack of care about the world, if that makes sense. About the worldly things that just come and go, people and stuff. I'm not concerned with that really. You know? I get my value from the man up above.

Q. You were at the U.S. Amateur last year at Pebble, missed the cut by a couple shots -- one shot, I'm sorry.
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: You're good. I missed it by two. The percent chance of me getting in a playoff -- making birdie on 17? I couldn't even make par on it the first time.

Q. What part of your game have you made progress on? How much better are you from a year ago?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: Well, I would say understanding my swing, I'm a lot more shallow than I was back then. I shallow the club now, I take it back on the plane, and it shallows on that plane. I like turning through the ball as hard as I can and hitting down on it, so I'm good at hitting cuts, but I used to whip it inside and come over it. But that's not why I think I'm more successful here. I think I'm more successful here because this golf course, it just fits my game better. It's Bermuda, and you have to have trash to play this golf course. You've got to have a trashy short game, and that's what I have. I grew up in east Texas hitting all kind of crazy wristy shots and stuff. So that's this golf course. You've got to be able to feel it and see it. My 62-degree is my favorite club. Not many people say that at Pinehurst, especially not Martin Kaymer.

Q. You told us the other day that you're very inexperienced at match play, but here you are in the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur. How is it going for you with that?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: I'd say it's going good. I'm just happy, having a good time. You know, I don't think the guy I played today smiled one. I even tried to crack a couple jokes.

Q. Have you ever thought about playing Augusta National?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: Yeah, I mean, I've thought about playing it, but I'm not really worried about it, you know.

Q. Will you think about it tomorrow?
WILLIAM HOLCOMB V: If I do, I'm not going to win. If I think about the result, I will not win. Neither will the guy I'm playing. So I hope he doesn't watch this interview.

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