U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 19, 2022

Dylan Menante

The Ridgewood Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. So let's first talk about the excitement of making the semifinal round.

DYLAN MENANTE: Yeah, it's insane. This is my first time making match play in general, so really nice to make it and keep going.

I mean, my match play game is really good in Nationals and so forth, so it's cool to keep advancing and pushing forward.

Q. Why do you this it's different this time around after the first three times you weren't able to make match play?

DYLAN MENANTE: I think I decided yesterday I was like mentally more prepared this year. In college I've done that a lot the last two years, became a lot more of a person and more mentally there.

I think that's like the key with golf I was struggling with. The physical ability is there, but the mental ability to grit and persevere is not there. It's growing. Still got work to do, but it's there.

Q. I heard you talk on your Golf Channel interview of how you struggled at the start today. How did you get it corrected and get on a roll?

DYLAN MENANTE: Yeah, the start was not the best. I mean, had a good range session with my irons, but 3-wood and driver were just awful. I hit 3-wood of the first tee, and, I mean, that wasn't the best. Kind of duffed whatever that second shot and wasn't really a good start.

Did it again on three and that was really frustrating. But then I stuck to my driver. My driver is always great even though it's not great on the range. You just got to go to it and just keep hitting it. You would rather be in the rough further up than further back, so I was just thinking that from then on out.

Q. Were you missing that left?

DYLAN MENANTE: I was missing it right. Oh, the driver this morning was both ways.

Q. Looked like your putting came around, made a nice, what, 15-footer on 8.

DYLAN MENANTE: Uh-huh. My putting was decent today. I mean, in the middle of the match I just kind of needed to two-putt, put the pressure on, because I didn't want to have to putt.

Scorecard shows a lot lower than what it really was. Once I got the read out here I think that's the problem, I have trouble reading them. Once I see one and I like it, it's like I get comfortable and make it. Like I did on the last hole, too, 15.

Q. What was the first one today that you saw that you liked?

DYLAN MENANTE: Hole 2. It was like a 12-footer. He made like a 40-footer on me, so I was like, I got it make this. I can't be 2-down thorough 2.

Q. He made like a 60-footer on 11. I mean, he made some long putts.

DYLAN MENANTE: Uh-huh.

Q. But you made more.

DYLAN MENANTE: Yeah, I was just more consistent. I think he made those longer putts, but I was always in the green giving myself a chance, which is what you got to do.

Q. How were you feeling coming of Oakmont last year?

DYLAN MENANTE: Oakmont was really tough last year. The first round was ridiculous. I played so bad and just putted and chipped because the greens were so quick.

I mean, I had a really tough wave, but I mean, I just played awful. Really down last year, and going to school it's like, I got to do something because the summer didn't really end on a good note. After winning Northeast that year I was like, oh, I got a good chance.

But after that it was really mellow and kind of down on myself.

Q. Can you take us through your birdies on 5 through 8? 5 is a par-4.

DYLAN MENANTE: Uh-huh. So 5 I striped it to like eight feet, driver 6-iron, and he hit it left so I didn't have to putt. It was eight feet. It was nice.

Next hole hit a 5-iron right in the middle of the green. He hit it left again; didn't have to putt. It was like 30 feet.

Next hole actually I made it. It was like five feet -- driver 5-iron to five feet. Kind of chunked it, which is nice. Kind of rolled up. It was really cool.

And then 8, 8, yeah, I made that bomb. That was nice.

Q. How long, do you think?

DYLAN MENANTE: It was like 22 feet, 20 feet.

Q. When did your confidence blossom this year? Was it winning the Northeast Am or before that?

DYLAN MENANTE: This year? Probably in college actually winning. I mean, it was nice. The Floridian, that was super -- I kind of choked at the end, but somehow got through it.

Then I won the next week, so I was like at an all-time high, and then the next two weeks it was awful. I played terrible.

That's when I really got my confidence that I really deserve to be here, and really trying to strive and get that PGA TOUR U Top 5, so that was really important for me to grow my confidence.

Q. I didn't realize how much the golf acumen of your father and how he's played in the amateur, how much does he help you being on the bag this week?

DYLAN MENANTE: I mean, I would think he helps me a lot, but today like on a couple reads I was very mad with him because it was going the other way.

It's good to have someone with experience on the bag who knows my game, knows my swing. So I was hitting it kind of whatever bad in the beginning and he was like, use your legs more, and that's what got me going. I was really thankful for him to be on the bag.

Sometimes it doesn't look like we get along but we do, and it's great to have him there.

Q. Did he ever make match play?

DYLAN MENANTE: I don't think so.

Q. What was the lowest point of that confidence?

DYLAN MENANTE: Lowest point? I mean, honestly, it was probably conference last year. I mean, I got like 15th in a terrible field, so it was like...

Q. Last season or last year?

DYLAN MENANTE: Last year. It was awful. I had just won my last event and I'm 15th, got like fifth on my team. It was terrible.

Q. What do you do exactly to work on your mental game?

DYLAN MENANTE: I mean, just kind of getting yourself in those situations. It's hard to like really work on it, but I think the main thing is focus. Like today I tried to -- like the phrase I'm saying in my head the whole time -- and I'm not going to say it out loud, but that's what I'm thinking and trying to implement when I hit the shots, and that's what I'm trying to think about. Have one clear shot or picture in my mind.