U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 10, 2020

Michael Thorbjornsen

Bandon Trails

Quick Quotes

Q. Tell me how you played today first.

MICHAEL THORBJORNSEN: All around, I felt pretty good about my game, hit some solid drives, didn't really miss a lot of fairways. Hit a lot of greens, as well. Felt like my course management today was probably what set me up pretty well for the whole day. I mean, having Carl on the bag is very helpful. He knows exactly what shot to hit for certain wind types. Just all around played really smart today.

Q. Tell me about that relationship because it's a little unusual considering the quality of golfer that Carl is, and everyone understands that he was injured and that's why he's not playing. Tell me about that relationship. Obviously you guys are going to play on the same college team.

MICHAEL THORBJORNSEN: Right, so I mean, I've known Carl for at least 10 years now. We've been close ever since, and he knows my game basically as well as I do, and I know his just as well. Playing together, him being on the bag, it just makes me relax, feels like it's a normal round where we're just playing out there together. Knowing how good of a player he is and what he's done and what he's capable of, just when he gives me advice, I know I can trust his advice and just trust him on the bag, knowing that he knows my game really well.

Q. Were there one or two situations today where you thought he really helped you?

MICHAEL THORBJORNSEN: I'd say on -- it's not like big things where it's the difference between a bogey and a par, but I guess on 16, I wanted to hit driver off the deck for my approach shot, and it's probably not the smartest idea, but he said, look, if you hit a 3-iron, a stinger 3-iron you're going to get just in front of the green, and personally I wasn't even thinking that before because I was thinking if I hit an iron, I'll have 80 yards uphill into a 20-mile-an-hour wind, and just knowing that he has all the numbers in his head, and whatever yardages or numbers he gives me, I know I can trust. It's just really helpful.

After hole 2 I made a pretty stupid bogey, just flared a tee shot right into the bunker and couldn't get up-and-down, and going into that par-5, you might think, okay, this is a birdie hole, and if I birdie it, I'll only get back to even, and it's kind of useless then. But he said, okay, if we birdie this hole, get back to even, it's just a reset. You just restart basically. I never really thought of it like that. I thought, okay, I've given up a really good and easy hole. It's just always positivity on the bag, and he's really helpful that way.

Q. Of the five birdies, which one did you particularly like the most or that was a key to the round?

MICHAEL THORBJORNSEN: I'd say 13. I thought that was a big momentum swing because -- I think that was my only fairway I missed off the tee, and I hit it left into the short fescue, and we had kind of a tough shot into the pin. This is where Carl gave me a pitching wedge when I was kind of thinking a 9-iron, and hit a pretty good shot from that rough to about 15 feet, 20 feet past the pin, made that putt --

Q. What was the yardage?

MICHAEL THORBJORNSEN: That was like 131, in some thick stuff. With that pitching wedge, he said just play it to the middle of the green and the wind will take it left, and I trusted him on that and ended up making the putt.

Looking at that approach shot, I wasn't really thinking birdie after leaving that hole.