U.S JUNIOR AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

July 28, 2022

Caleb Surratt

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

Quick Quotes

Q. You kind of jumped on him early today. What was going on out there?

CALEB SURRATT: I just felt like I was committing to my targets and my swing felt really good and I was just hitting some solid shots up in the wind, and sure enough, we had a couple good numbers, and it just kind of worked out.

Q. It was blowing pretty good there; how did it affect play?

CALEB SURRATT: It kind of shifts your focus into knowing that you don't have to birdie every hole. I guarantee you all the matches that happened today, nobody shot more than 3-under this afternoon. I just kind of had the mindset on that early and wasn't trying to play aggressive at all.

Q. You birdied a couple holes early; tell me about those early birdies that got you off to a good start.

CALEB SURRATT: Yeah, once again, I was disconnecting from the results. I was just picking targets, and I was just executing my shots and they worked out, and I made a couple putts.

Q. Second hole, what was your yardage in and how long was the putt?

CALEB SURRATT: Yeah, hole 2 was 228, and I just -- I was trying to start the ball at the left center of the green and I actually pushed a 4-iron, and sure enough, it worked out perfect, went to three feet. It wasn't close to being in trouble, that's why we took that line, so if I pushed it, it would still be good, and it was.

Q. You got another one at 6?

CALEB SURRATT: Yeah, coming off of 5 I had hit a really good shot on No. 5 from the same yardage as No. 6, and I ended up making bogey because I flew the pin, and we got up to No. 6 and we really thought it was the same shot, and I hit it to eight feet and made the putt.

Q. Then you really pulled away on the inward nine where you birdied 10 and 12.

CALEB SURRATT: Yeah, 10, I played really well. I hit a chip up there close. 12, it was kind of the same shot as it was this morning, and I knew what I did wrong this morning, and I just changed my target, and sure enough, it worked out and it got really close.

Q. Now you're into the quarterfinals. I know that's not the ultimate goal, but how do you feel about gaining that position to this point?

CALEB SURRATT: Yeah, it's just another day of golf as I like to say it. Golf don't define who I am, so I'm not basing myself off the results. It's just another day of golf, and I'm blessed to be out here. I'm just going to see what my good golf can do.

Q. I know you're not looking too far ahead, but what would it mean to you to win this championship?

CALEB SURRATT: It would mean a lot. It's just another golf tournament, as I like to think of it. There's going to be another one next week. As you know, this one is a big one, and it has a lot of history behind it, so it would definitely mean more just knowing all the history and players that have won it before. I would definitely use it as a good booster in my mind for the rest of my career.

Q. We haven't talked about this too much, but who did you emulate growing up to get to this point?

CALEB SURRATT: Kind of my dad. My dad used to do long drive, and I felt like I learned a lot from him and he taught me the basics and taught me how to have a good foundation over the ball, and I felt like I just learned how to gain speed with him. He's kind of the guy I looked up to, and I've kind of studied a lot of pros, nobody really in particular, but really my dad.

Q. He was in long drive contests?

CALEB SURRATT: Yeah, he was like ranked No. 1 or 2 in the world. He did all the RE/MAX stuff. He was a good role model at the time.