THE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

June 22, 2023

Christo Lamprecht

Quick Quotes

Q. Great playing today through to the quarterfinals at The Amateur Championship. You must be really pleased with your efforts?

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: Yeah, I think I've been playing really good golf. So I'm very pleased with how I'm conducting myself on the golf course and then playing accordingly. Yeah, it's fun to be here.

Q. What's going well?

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: Pretty much the whole game is under control. I kind of feel like one aspect maybe I can work on this afternoon or tomorrow morning is a little putting. My putting has not been up to standard this week. Not saying that I'm putting bad. They are not dropping as they used to but I'm hitting the golf ball really phenomenally in my own opinion. Just keeping the golf ball in play and in control and feeding off of that.

Q. Obviously the highest-ranked player in the field and as we get to the end of the championship, do you feel like that gives you an edge or does it add pressure?

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: I mean, I think the nice thing of being able to play a lot of big tournaments recently, it kind of takes that big pressure off of the fact that it's a big event.

It's just another event and I think my experience helps a little bit but besides that, it's match play, you just have to go out and beat the guy next to you no matter what he's ranked or what he's done before. When you step on the tee, you guys are equal.

Q. You mentioned you've been playing in a lost big championships lately, obviously NCAAs, Arnold Palmer Cup, both match-play championships. Did you learn anything from those weeks that you brought here with you?

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: Yeah, funny enough, during those two weeks, our team went to the national finals. We lost unfortunately, but actually in the last two match-play tournaments I played, I only won one match, funny enough. I lost seven, won one. And my partner actually carried me. It was a foursomes better-ball match.

So yeah, it's funny enough. I haven't had a great match play success in the last two, three weeks but yeah, game is kind of just clicking this week and I'm not making any mistakes that I've made the last two weeks.

Q. Sometimes you learn more from your losses than your wins. Do you feel like maybe the feeling of those losses really galvanised you for this week to get the wins?

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: Definitely it's made the feeling of winning a little more hungry. Made me a little more focused on the golf course, and knowing that you can get beaten so easily, just focusing and staying in the moment and not letting the guy have chance.

Q. Match play is really all about mentality, isn't it, so I guess is that something that you've been focusing on the last few days?

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: Yeah, I think at the level we are all playing over here, The Amateur and top-level professionals, it comes down to how you mentally prepare yourself and how you mentally play the game. Everyone hits the golf ball pretty good, so how you kind of deal with your own emotions on the golf course is crucial.

Q. Obviously still a long way to go but are you feeling confident?

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: Yeah, I'm feeling really good with my game. If I can keep it up the way I'm playing, yeah, I think I can make a deep run here.

Q. What's your natural shot shape?

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: I like to see the ball drop left so draw for sure.

Q. What's your favourite yardage for your wedges?

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: I would probably say -- that's a really good question. Right now somewhere from 105 to 110 metres, just shy of 120 yards. It's a nice soft gap wedge, especially links golf, you can fly a little control spin. That's kind of my favourite number.

Q. What's your favourite club?

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: Got to be the lob-wedge. It kind of somehow gets me out of trouble whenever I short-side myself on the golf course. I hit a lovely flop shot on the golf course today, on a links golf course, funny enough. Pretty special.

Q. When we were asking the girls these questions last week, they were all putter or driver. All the boys are irons or wedges. I just think that's an interesting difference. Do you put that down to anything?

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: I guess as a kid I always did fool around on the greens and try these amazing golf shots that I've seen Tiger and them hit in big moments. As a kid fooling around a lot, it's given me creativity in my game now. I just like kind of hitting fun shots around the green with my lob-wedge.

Q. What's the biggest strengths of your game?

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: I would say obviously I've gotten a lot of length obviously off the tee. That helps on this golf course, especially a lot of bunkers I can carry. And then obviously the short game with that helps a lot. So that's kind of -- on this golf course especially, it helps a lot.

Q. And what are three or four holes out here at Hillside that you really like that suit the eye?

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: As we spoke before, 11 kind of suits my eye. I like hitting a nice little driver, draw down there.

1, I've been playing exceptionally this week. So there's a lot of holes on the front nine that suit my eye a lot, even the back nine, too. I just love the golf course from head to toe.

Q. As you mentioned 11, I would be remiss to let you go without asking about the eagle today.

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT: I hit a lovely drive up the left-hand side. Wind was helping a little bit and I had about 127 metres, 140 yards and great gap wedge to six feet and rolled it in.