U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 20, 2022

Derek Hitchner

The Ridgewood Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Ultimately came up just a little bit short, but what are some of your takeaways from this great week?

DEREK HITCHNER: Yeah, yeah, it was an unbelievable week. Obviously it stings quite a bit, and it's hard not to let that kind of dominate the other, I guess, five or six days I've been here. But still, it was all in all just a fantastic experience. Yeah, I'm so grateful to have gone through all this.

Q. How did the course play today compared to earlier in the week? Did it change with all that rain?

DEREK HITCHNER: A little bit. It was definitely softer, meaningfully softer, but the fairways were soft all week, so it was mainly just the greens spinning a little bit more. I don't think it was that big of an adjustment, it was maybely just playing numbers a little bit differently.

Q. Was there anything with your game today that wasn't as sharp as earlier in the week?

DEREK HITCHNER: Yeah, I just didn't make nearly enough putts today. I felt like I had a lot that were burning edges, but felt like I hit it pretty well and gave myself some chances but just couldn't convert them.

Q. Did you know Ben's story at all with his dad?

DEREK HITCHNER: Not really. I had maybe heard a little bit, but I don't know really any of the details.

Q. Were you able to catch his reaction?

DEREK HITCHNER: Yeah.

Q. Obviously you lost, it stings, it's disappointing, but what goes through your head seeing how much that meant to him?

DEREK HITCHNER: Yeah, no, I can't help but be extremely happy for him. Again, I wish I knew more about kind of what his experience has been, but just based on the emotion and based on everyone's reaction, it's obviously an incredibly special moment. It's just cool to see, as hard as it was for me.

Q. What do you come out of the week wanting to take into your fifth year at Pepperdine?

DEREK HITCHNER: Yeah, I think just the knowledge that I can contend in a tournament like this because in terms of amateur golf, this is kind of as good as it gets. Yeah, I think that's a good confidence booster for me, especially with the western last week. Just knowing I can do it and trying to sustain that moving forward.