THE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

June 24, 2023

Christiaan Maas

Quick Quotes

Q. You must be ecstatic?

CHRISTIAAN MAAS: Today was unbelievable. It was a long day, long week. He came from what he had to play in the match play preliminary round to get into the 64.

So it was four days of 36 holes now, so that's the longest way you can get, birdieing the 18th hole in the qualifying to get into the match play. He played unbelievable golf after the qualifier.

Q. The strategy seemed to be drive it when you could, use his length. Were you feeding into that?

CHRISTIAAN MAAS: Yeah, when we started off on Wednesday morning, you could see this golf course suits his length perfectly with drivers. A lot of holes where you can take out the bunkers and take out everything and it gets wider and he was hitting his driver unbelievable.

He was hitting his irons good, but maybe not as good as would he like. But with the way he was hitting his driver, it was just unbelievable, carrying 320 metres straight down the middle with a soft draw, having flick wedges with chip shots into the par 4. So he really crushed his opponents on that.

Q. He was very complimentary of you as a player, as well, so you obviously used a bit of your own knowledge and the ability that you have?

CHRISTIAAN MAAS: I don't hit it as far as him, but we have grown up and played pretty much the same game of hitting driver everywhere and hitting it into some terrible spots. So whenever he hit it into some spots, we kind of think alike, and the shots he has to play so that was pretty fun. I didn't really have to help him. I know how to play the shot and he knows how to play the shot. So I mean, yeah, I kind of have a feel for that, knowing like numbers and stuff and trying to help him with that.

All in all, he hit the golf shots, and I was standing on some of the tee shots, and he hits it, it's like, poor guy that's playing against him. It's unbelievable how straight he was hitting it with his bullet draw on some of the tee shots was just unbelievable.

Q. You did it last year with Aldy, obviously great win at Lytham, you come here to Hillside. What's the secret to this caddie success?

CHRISTIAAN MAAS: Being caddie, I think it's just being the calm one. A lot of players that go into caddying, they kind of want to play for the guy. I've really realised I'm not playing. He needs to make the decision and I'm only here to help where I can.

In the qualifier, I wasn't playing great at all but I was making a couple of putts. I knew my green reading on these greens were very good and I helped Christo out with that a lot.

But as for the shots, he's got the feel for it. Just give him the numbers, keep him as confident as possible over every shot, and the more confident he is the better the shot will be.

Q. So a third caddie win next year, or do you hope, like he says, to have a run at this as well?

CHRISTIAAN MAAS: Yeah, I think next year, Christo won't be here. He'll probably be pro. So that's one out of the way.

Yeah, I don't want to come back next year and be on the bag again. It would be great to get into the match play and then see how far I can get and if somehow I'm standing with the trophy that would be unbelievable and be a three-peat. Two in a row the caddie and one as a player. We'll see about that.