U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 10, 2020

Aman Gupta

Bandon Trails

Quick Quotes

Q. Tell us about your start. That's a pretty incredible front.

AMAN GUPTA: Yeah, I hit it solid, nothing out of the ordinary, but definitely was rolling it good. I got a new putter on Friday, and it worked out pretty well. I think I had 11 putts on the front nine, so made it pretty easy on myself.

Q. Any long ones in there?

AMAN GUPTA: No, they were all within 15, 16 feet. None of them were really stuffed, but there were a couple eight-footers, a couple 12-, made one or two 15-footers.

Q. Any of them you were particularly proud of that had a little break to them?

AMAN GUPTA: Probably the one I had on 7. It was breaking about a foot or so, and at first I was going to play it a little straighter and decided I needed a little more break, and it was a perfect line.

Q. To make all pars on the back had to be a little different.

AMAN GUPTA: Yeah, back definitely plays a little harder, but just couldn't quite get a putt to go in. Didn't have as many chances as I would have liked, and didn't put myself in a great spot on 16 but made a nice par there. But overall nothing to complain about.

Q. Your mental state going into this, was there a sense of relief that you got into the field in the last days leading up?

AMAN GUPTA: Oh, for sure. I mean, coming out here as first alternate with the craziness going around the world right now, I thought I had a very good chance, and Friday afternoon when Robbie Z called me and told me I was in, that was a huge relief. But I still have a tournament to play, so it was just the same as normal.

Q. How about the experience of playing in the Amateur last year? I know you play in so many different tournaments, but to play in an Amateur last year, does that make you calmer going into this one?

AMAN GUPTA: Oh, for sure. The U.S. Am is head and heels about any other tournament I've played -- I feel like the way they treat you, the golf courses, the setups and the players, definitely having played in the Am last year and knowing what it was like definitely helped some, but yeah, overall I felt pretty good going into this week.

Q. Did you feel like there was any advantage going out early this morning? It didn't look like it was overly windy.

AMAN GUPTA: No, it was definitely -- anyone with a 7:30, 7:00 tee time definitely have an advantage this week because we didn't have to deal with hardly any wind until I want to say our 14th hole, so it was definitely a big advantage to go in the morning and make some birdies early before the wind started to pick up.

Q. Obviously you've been through this in a junior Am. What would you do second round? Will you still play the same way or will there be a little more conservative play?

AMAN GUPTA: No, I'm going to play the same game plan I had set up. The goal the first two days is to be the top guy, so I think I have a couple-shot lead right now, and tomorrow is just going to be the same thing. Just shoot the lowest score I can and hopefully be in match play and see what I can do there.