U.S. WOMEN'S MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

September 28, 2021

Aliea Clark

Berkeley Hall Club (North Course)

Quote Quotes

ALIEA CLARK: From T99 to quarterfinals, round of 8, whatever.

Q. Yeah, you're the first 64 seed in this championship in the 34 years to reach the quarterfinals.

ALIEA CLARK: Then more people should just shoot 83 by accident on the first day. No, just kidding. That's cool. That's cool, I guess.

Q. What was working well out there for you today?

ALIEA CLARK: The first round -- so I really had some alignment issues with my driver early on, and I really did a good job of like fixing those. But I made some putts in the first round, hit some really bad wedge shots and then worked on my wedges between the two rounds and hit some good wedge shots this afternoon. It was great.

I had a little bit of a vendetta against two holes from this morning and got back at both of them and got birdies.

Q. Which holes were those?

ALIEA CLARK: What's the par-4 with the -- the short par-4 with the water on the right? The one that I bladed it over the green this morning. 12. I bogeyed 12 -- my opponent this morning hit it on 12, I had like literally 58 yards in, I'm in the fairway, and I just fully bladed it in the bunker over the green. I was like, for real? It could have gone in the water, but that's like the grandest short-side of all time, and I couldn't get it up-and-down, so we halved the hole with a bogey. That was kind of embarrassing.

So today I birdied it. And I birdied 9, which I tripled on the second day of stroke play. Birdied 9 today. That was really nice. It was good. From the same spot as where I hit it in the bunker. I hit my drive in the same place. So wins for me.

Q. How far did you put it to the pin on 9?

ALIEA CLARK: It was like 10 feet. It was like 10 feet both times today, and I made the putts. 10 feet, 8 feet, around there. It was good. I was happy.

Q. 14, looked like you had another birdie there in that second match.

ALIEA CLARK: 14, yeah, I -- it's one of my favorite pits of doom on the right, there's another one back left, so you kind of have no other option, so just hit it at the hole, so that's been working out, which is great.

Q. I like the pits of doom reference.

ALIEA CLARK: It's true. Look at that. What would you call that?

Q. Yeah, that's a pit of doom. Your first Mid-Am and you're a quarterfinalist. How does it feel?

ALIEA CLARK: Dude, I literally shot 83. I shouldn't be here. I'm just super happy. I love match play because each day is a blank slate, each round is a blank slate, so I keep reminding myself, those first two days, like life, it's a fresh start every round.

The girl I played with this afternoon was so sweet. We had the best time. I was really sad she couldn't be here, too. Everybody out here is really nice.

Ellen, my USGA rules official, used to officiate for me back in the Arizona Silver Belt tournament. She was the chair of that. It was so fun to see her again. Just like having a good time, hitting good shots, go take some Advil, go to bed.

Q. Just coming into the week, what were your expectations?

ALIEA CLARK: My expectations were not to be in a five-way playoff for 64th, but now I kind of love the 64th. People like an underdog, I guess, but I feel like I'm a cheat of an underdog because I practiced a lot.

Q. The 64 is a Cinderella.

ALIEA CLARK: The 64 is something, but I think my expectations were to play much better in stroke play than I did, so then coming to match play I truly had not -- I was playing Jen. She shot 8-under and broke a record. How can I have any expectations? Expectations clearly worked out poorly, so now we just like have none, and I truly just -- I can't even tell you what hole I did what on, I'm just trying to hit good shots.