THE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

June 13, 2022

Matthew McClean

Quick Quotes

Q. 4-under to start your campaign here at the Amateur, you must be happy with that?

MATTHEW McCLEAN: Yeah, very happy that was sort of the idea, first round, don't put yourself out of it. See where it is at the end of the day but I'll need to play very well tomorrow to make the cut, that's the goal, anywhere in the top 64, doesn't matter if it's first or 64th, it's all the same.

Q. Talk to us about your round. There were a number of birdies out there for you, seven on the card in the end.

MATTHEW McCLEAN: Yeah, I had seven birdies, three bogeys. So played a lot of good golf and the two bogeys were okay and the third one was a bit silly. Generally didn't leave too many shots out there.

It's playing quite hard, good wind and the rough is quite thick. So you had to be pretty accurate and play a lot of good golf to have seven birdies generally.

Q. You mentioned your bogeys but we do like to focus on the highlights, so talk to us about 10. I believe there was something a bit special for you?

MATTHEW McCLEAN: Yeah, I decided to lay up, short of was short with driver but I hit 2-iron but laid up a fairway bunker which isn't best pleasing off the tee. But got there and got a decent lie, and sort of thought I would go for it and hit a lob-wedge from about 70 yards into the wind. Spun back about 30 foot to about six inches. Doesn't always happen, so it's nice when it comes off.

Q. The birdie at the last will definitely make dinner taste even better tonight. Talk to us through the last hole there.

MATTHEW McCLEAN: Yeah, it was nice, the two par 5s but long but birdied 17 as well.

Hit a nice drive down 18 and played a bit of an interesting second shot into an awkward position but thankfully the pitch sort of come out in the spot I was trying to land and it landed up the green. 10-footer on the last always makes lunch feel a wee bit more comfortable and feel a wee bit better about yourself.

Q. Talk to us about your background because in summer, I believe you're a full-time golfer, but in winter you're an optometrist?

MATTHEW McCLEAN: Yes, I qualified about five years ago maybe as an optometrist. Took a new years off to play next to full-time golf. It's pretty much full-time for me April onwards to September, and then back working over the winter to fund the summer golf.

Q. So when you're working as an optometrist, are you dreaming about being able to come and play well at big choice like The Amateur?

MATTHEW McCLEAN: Yeah, obviously The Amateur is the biggest one of the year, so that's ideally the one you want to play well at. Yeah, when you're working it gives you a bit of minds to take your mind off golf as well. Sometimes you're not thinking about golf at all when you're working over the winter. You can get too much golf at times at well.

Nice to have a break at times, and these are sort of the weeks and the months that you look forward to over the year, yeah.