U.S JUNIOR AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

July 22, 2021

Jackson Van Paris

The Country Club of North Carolina

Quick Quotes

Q. Not the kind of finished you had hoped for. I know you hoped for the fairy-tale, to have a few thousand people here following you on Saturday afternoon, but describe your emotions for the week, how this all went down, just being able to play on your home course.

JACKSON VAN PARIS: Yeah, it was a really incredible week. Playing a U.S. Junior on a home course is something that .0001 percent of golfers get to do. I'm just really lucky that I belong to this great club and I'm able to play in such a good event.

It's not the way I wanted to go down, missing that short one on 17, but that's the way golf is.

Q. Was that a birdie putt on 17?

JACKSON VAN PARIS: Yes, it was.

Q. About how far?

JACKSON VAN PARIS: About six, eight feet.

Q. It seemed like putting was the -- I know you missed one on 9, too, you had a chance to tie the hole and left it short. I guess I heard your dad say you lipped one out on 8.

JACKSON VAN PARIS: Yeah, honestly I didn't feel like I hit that many bad putts, just nothing went in. I thought that I -- I just didn't have my best stuff this afternoon. I didn't make a bogey. I made 16 pars and one birdie, but on that golf course and playing a player as good as Luke, you're going to have to do a little better than that.

Yeah, when I had an opportunity I couldn't really -- it was really my ball-striking. I didn't give myself enough looks. I ended up having so put so much pressure on the looks I did have that I was almost suffocating myself trying to make something happen.

Luke didn't give me any breathing room until 15, and I was 3 down with four to play, so I kind of needed it.

Yeah, it was a -- I wouldn't place the blame on one particular thing, mainly just everything -- nothing was as sharp as it usually is. That's just the way golf is.

Q. I think he only won the par-5s, right? Three wins on the par-5s? That was the difference?

JACKSON VAN PARIS: Yeah, that was the difference. Just not giving myself looks on -- they were pretty gettable today, and I didn't give myself enough looks on those or didn't play them the way I was supposed to.

Q. Obviously Luke is playing with some momentum, to knock off the two players he knocked off today.

JACKSON VAN PARIS: Yeah. That's a pretty good day. He's a great player, and he's definitely a guy that you go into the match knowing you have to play good to beat. He's not going to lay over. He's not going to -- he's a great competitor. I have no doubt that he'll continue playing well and keep it going for the rest of the week.

Q. He could have your housemate next.

JACKSON VAN PARIS: Yeah, he could. That would be a fun one to go watch. Hopefully Gordon can pull through. I think he's 1-up through 16, so hopefully he can move on and keep it rolling.

Q. What's next for you? Are you going to take a few weeks off?

JACKSON VAN PARIS: I'm going to the Western Am. I'll go up there, leave I guess in a few days for that. Yeah, and then I've got a few weeks and then I go to college.

Q. Excited about that I'm sure?

JACKSON VAN PARIS: Very excited, yeah. Sad that junior golf is officially over now. Sad that it's over, but yeah, looking forward to the next step.

Q. Would you even think about playing this next year even though you're eligible?

JACKSON VAN PARIS: I would, yeah. It's a U.S. Open exemption if you win. That's a pretty good deal. But yeah, I'd definitely think about it. It's one of the best amateur -- even though it's a junior, it's one of the best amateur events in the world. Yeah, if the dates work out and everything checks out, I'd love to play next year.

Q. It's Bandon Dunes, too.

JACKSON VAN PARIS: Yeah, exactly.

Q. Did you play the Amateur there last year?

JACKSON VAN PARIS: Yes, I did.