U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 17, 2022

Ricky Castillo

The Ridgewood Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. How scary was the end of that match?

RICKY CASTILLO: That was pretty scary. My ball on 18 was less than an inch inbounds and took advantage of it, made a good par. It's not the way you want to see it end, but it was a really well-fought match between both of us. We both played really well. It's a tough golf course, fast greens, thick rough. It was a fun match.

Q. How do you manage nerves when you're out here and you know especially when you have a reputation, you know what you're up against?

RICKY CASTILLO: It's tough, but in the end it's just golf. We're just out here playing. Everybody wants to just play well.

I think just taking it one shot at a time, just staying calm, not letting one shot get to you or a bad break or missing a putt.

Q. What does it get quiet? There's a lot of chatter in stroke play. Here there is a little bit early on. When does it kind of go quiet?

RICKY CASTILLO: I don't really know, but yeah, it kind of does go quiet. Everyone wants to play well, and just kind of everyone is focused in their own little bubble. That's why this is just such a great event, just so many good players are out here and just want to play well.

Q. Was there much decision on your second shot on 18?

RICKY CASTILLO: No, no, not really. I was kind of in jail and just wanted to give myself a chance where I could make par because I knew he was not in a great position off the tee. I knew it would have been tough for him to get on the green. I was just trying to get something back in the fairway where I could get something close and make par.

Q. How far was the third shot, and what did you use?

RICKY CASTILLO: Third shot was 74 yards, used a 58-degree. We were trying to land it around 69, 70 yards and landed it right about that and it ended up being four and a half feet from the hole.

Q. Tell us about the stretch at 14 and 15 where you fought back to take the lead.

RICKY CASTILLO: Yeah, you know, he hit a bad tee shot on 14 and I took advantage of that, just made a solid par. Hit a good tee shot on 15, set me up for a 10-footer for birdie and made it.

That's what this golf course -- you've just got to hit a lot of good tee shots and a lot of good putts and everything. The greens are really fast. The rough is really thick. You'll get penalized if you put it in the rough or put it in the wrong spot on the green.

Q. What's your philosophy in match play playing this course?

RICKY CASTILLO: I think everyone is going to have a pretty similar strategy. Just hit fairways, hit greens. That's kind of the only way you're going to play well out here. It's pretty hard to play well out of the rough just because it's so thick, greens are really firm and fast. Yeah, just first thing, just make sure you put the ball in the fairway and try to keep it below the hole just because the greens are so quick. Yeah, staying patient is definitely a big key out here.

Q. Is this one of those matches where maybe you relied a little bit on all your experience in USGA championships?

RICKY CASTILLO: Yeah, yeah. I mean, it was just a really close match all the way through. No one got more than 1-up on either side. It was a lot of fun, but yeah, it was a good match.

Q. How taxing is this week both mentally and physically with the amount of golf you're playing?

RICKY CASTILLO: Yeah, it can be pretty tiring at times, but I'm just enjoying it out here. How can you not enjoying being on a course like this, playing the competition I get to play? People would kill to be in the position I'm in, and I'm just happy that I'm here.

Q. How long was the putt at 17?

RICKY CASTILLO: 17, my putt was probably about six feet.