U.S. MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

September 30, 2021

Stewart Hagestad

Sankaty Head Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. How does it feel to be back in a Mid Amateur final again?

STEWART HAGESTAD: Feels great.

Q. What's so great about it?

STEWART HAGESTAD: I mean, opportunity this afternoon and tomorrow morning to, you know, have your name go up along with a lot of the other names.

You know, it's the most prestigious championship in mid-amateur golf and one of the most in amateur golf. You know, I'm just excited for the opportunity to go and see if we can win it again.

Q. Does history matter to somebody like you?

STEWART HAGESTAD: Yes.

Q. I mean, do you study history?

STEWART HAGESTAD: It matters to me.

Q. You like to see your name up there twice?

STEWART HAGESTAD: I would like to see my name up there twice.

Q. Today you pretty much pounced on him. Up 4 after 5. Tell me what you were doing well.

STEWART HAGESTAD: I just did a great job of picking targets, and Pete did a great job of giving numbers. We worked well together this morning.

And we made a nice up and down on 3, which I thought was really helpful. I think we just thought really well and then we executed really well, too. We made him go out there and beat me.

And I think when the wind gets going that's an important thing, especially the further you go in match play. As the course is getting firmer and faster, you got to go and you just got to think right and you got to execute.

Q. When you get up like that do you change your game plan a little bit?

STEWART HAGESTAD: No.

Q. Still going --

STEWART HAGESTAD: Just make him beat you. Conservative targets. Aggressive swings. Middle of the green. Favor the pin. If he makes six birdies -- I guess I shouldn't say that, but make it so that he has to go beat you.

Q. You probably didn't get a chance to see him at his best today, but --

STEWART HAGESTAD: I heard he was 6-under yesterday.

Q. Yeah, for a 64 seed, and doesn't matter who you are, to get that far and it's never been done before to get this far, what's that say about him a little bit?

STEWART HAGESTAD: Yeah, it's super impressive. I heard he holed a wedge shot in the playoff just to get in on top of that. It's awfully impressive and a hell of a run.

Yeah, I mean, he's a great player. Ton of speed. He did some really nice things out there, and I'm sure we'll are hearing a lot from him in the future.

More than that he was a really nice guy and someone away from a tournament someone you would really want to go play golf with, which is great.

It was fun.

Q. Last topic. This is going to be a different kind of final because you're splitting the 18s. You were a part of a final where we played two different courses.

STEWART HAGESTAD: Uh-huh.

Q. How do you think that may impact how the final is played?

STEWART HAGESTAD: Yeah, it's interesting, right? We kind of said the whole week that it was something that we could comment on when we got there and now we're here. So I mean, it's interesting.

It's going to be firm and fast and windy this afternoon. I think this whole week has been a lot -- or it's been really important to be able to quickly adapt and be fluid to the situation at hand.

I think it's apt that that is the way it's turned out. You know, it's obviously different, but that's what's happens happened and we are going to go out and embrace it and try and have fun with it.

Q. Do you think could be a little bit of a mental break? Normally you eat lunch and go right back out, and now you're going to sleep on wherever it's at after 18.

STEWART HAGESTAD: I think it's harder to sleep on it personally.

Q. Yeah.

STEWART HAGESTAD: I remember back in 2016 I didn't sleep super well. To hit me going to bed that night and I think it's nice that I know what that feels like, but at the same time, you know, it's not like neither one of us are going to be nervous. It'll still be there.

At the same time, I don't know. We have a nice chance to go out and try and do something special so looking forward to that.