U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 14, 2020

Aman Gupta

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

Quick Quotes

Q. A little different this time, this comeback, because the other day you didn't have to come back as far. But this one you had to fight your way back into it.

AMAN GUPTA: Yeah, I mean, today was a dogfight. We were missing some putts. We were both hitting it all good all day but kind of struggled on the greens. When I got it back to even on No. 12 that I did that --

Q. 14.

AMAN GUPTA: Oh, yeah, 14 was when I squared it up. That birdie on 14 was huge, and I kind of had the momentum because I had a really hard up-and-down on 13 that I got up-and-down. Then on 12 I hit over the back of the green in the water, which I thought it was a good shot but unfortunately it was just too much club. So made like a nice putt there to halve the hole. And I had won 11, as well. So the momentum was in my favor from there.

Then 16, just missed a putt. He made a nice birdie. 17 he kind of gave to me a little bit with that putt. I still had a tough two-putt. And then 18 just hit the green and putted. It was really a fight all day out there. At the end I think I really started hitting my stride in the last six or seven holes. Really when I walked in, I was like, look, you may be one or two down but you're still in this. Just gave myself a little kick, and off I went.

Q. It looked like you found your pace on the greens the last five or six holes.

AMAN GUPTA: Yeah, I started to putt better at the end. I think for the first 10, 11 holes I was really trying to make putts and force them in versus the way I've been putting all week, was just pick my line and feel it out and just stroke it. I started to -- I realized that kind of mid-back nine and I just said, hey, just stroke the putt. You've got your line, and if it goes in, it's going to go -- if it's supposed to go in it's going to go in. That switch of mentality definitely freed me up a little bit to make some more putts.

Q. Tyler tomorrow; I don't know if you guys have played much against each other at Wake?

AMAN GUPTA: Yeah, Tyler being at Georgia Tech, we actually played with them a good amount. We kind of fought it out in Hawai'i. He was in first and I was one back of him, and then in the final round both of us were up there. I played my first practice round with him this week, so I've played with him a good amount, so I know he's a heck of a player, so it's going to be a good match tomorrow.

Q. Do you feel good about the way you're playing, especially coming off the strong finish, knowing that you're kind of in it throughout?

AMAN GUPTA: Yeah, I feel great about my game still, hitting it good. Chipping was a little bit of a struggle but I kind of found my rhythm last night after the round, and then I've been putting good at week. Yeah, my game feels good, so I'm just going to go hit my game plan tomorrow and hopefully pull out a win and get me to the final.

Q. Do you sometimes have to pinch yourself again when you consider this journey that you're on when it didn't even look like you were going to be in this championship and now you're in the semifinals?

AMAN GUPTA: Not really. Mostly the fields I've played in the last four years, these are all the kids I've always played with. I played a really strong summer schedule as it is and we play a strong schedule at school, and I was pretty highly ranked as a junior golfer, as well. I'm actually pretty comfortable out here. It's just I didn't have the year I wanted to I wasn't quite ranked well enough, so that's why I was an alternate. But it's definitely a surreal feeling even regardless of any of that just making it this far, and it's a pretty big accomplishment, so I'm really just proud of the fact that I've played this well.

Q. Any particular hole maybe that Alan (Bratton) maybe gave you advice on that came to be and helped win the hole today?

AMAN GUPTA: I mean, we can go through every hole. He gave me advice on just about every hole. Yeah, he's been awesome on the bag. I don't know if I'd point to a single shot that there was, but we have great back and forth, and we're comfortable talking to each other, and he knows like if he gives me a club, he's like, hey, it's not this club, I believe him. Just in general, yeah, he's given me some great advice all week that's really paid off.