U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 11, 2023

Rachel Heck

Bel-Air Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Well, I guess when you woke up today you probably didn't picture you were going to win 8 and 6. Is that the best match play win that you've ever had, do you think?

RACHEL HECK: Definitely. Definitely have not had a match that smooth in my seven U.S. Amateurs.

It was nice. I was really just proud of how I was able to just play super smoothly today. Everything got shaky towards the end of yesterday, I was hitting some loose shots, but I really felt refreshed today and super confident in my game, so it was nice to feel like that.

Q. When someone is not playing their best across from you, how do you focus on what you're doing?

RACHEL HECK: Yeah, you just got to keep telling yourself like to just play your game, hit smart shots. If she's going to make a comeback it's because she's going to make a bunch of birdies, not because I'm going to give her anything.

So just stick to our strategy. Play pretty safe. You know, center of greens, two-putt. Every putt my dad would remind me, hey, just two-putt this. I'm like, thanks dad. Appreciate it.

So I'm just playing smart and playing my game. Had fun with my dad. We talked a lot. Same old honestly. Strategy doesn't change a whole lot.

Q. Is the only green you missed today on 6? I know they're a little bit longer.

RACHEL HECK: I missed 2, also. Got up and down on 2.

Q. Okay. Your confidence, obviously you're working your way back into form and everything, but when is the last time your confidence was at the level it is now?

RACHEL HECK: I would say probably winter of my sophomore year.

Q. Sophomore year?

RACHEL HECK: Right? Winter of my sophomore year. I won a couple tournaments and I was feeling really good and then I got sick, and it's been a crazy year, year and a half.

It's been a while.

Q. Do you personally feel as if you're finally over that hump, like the hump of like -- obviously seem to be 100% recovered now -- just everything? Do you feel like you're past the hump and on to playing golf?

RACHEL HECK: You know, that's what I thought when I got better after being sick my sophomore year, and then like everything got so much worse.

So I feel like I am. I've learned to just sit back and enjoy the ride because there is so much I don't have control over. Very little in life we actually control.

So I feel good, and I'm just going to take that for what it is and enjoy this week as it is and hopefully we have a lot more of these.

Q. Second time in the last three years you've been a semifinalist at the US Women's Amateur. What did you learn from couple years ago in that matchup against Jensen that you can take into tomorrow to try to punch your ticket to the championship match?

RACHEL HECK: Yeah, just having that experience is key, having to deal with that pressure. It's different. Match play is different. It's a long week. You get tired. You get stressed out.

So having been in that position before I think is going to be really helpful. I think I'll feel less nerves than when I did it couple years ago.