U.S. MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

September 14, 2023

Brett Patterson

Sleepy Hollow Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. I know it didn't end the way you wanted, and he made a few putts on you there at the end. Tell us about how you played today and the match.

BRETT PATTERSON: Tee-to-green hit it great. Didn't have my best day on the greens. Kind of gifted him a few holes three-putting several times.

But, yeah, like you said, he drained a bomb on 15 and then made a great putt on 17 to win the match there, so I just tip my cap.

But I wish I had had a better day on the greens or I think the match would've been a different story.

Q. You were 1-up late in the match.

BRETT PATTERSON: Uh-huh.

Q. What were you thinking at that point?

BRETT PATTERSON: Just keep playing solid, because I knew he had to make birdies to catch me. I three-putted 14 after hitting it to about 30 feet and missed about a four-footer to go to 2-up with four to go.

Yeah, 15 -- from 15 on in he just didn't miss a shot, didn't miss a putt, didn't seem like. He's a great player. You have to expect him to do that. Unfortunately I just came in on the wrong side of it.

Q. How would you evaluate your week? What will you take away from it?

BRETT PATTERSON: That I can play with anybody, at least at the mid-am level. I'm really encouraged about that. I didn't feel like I had near my best stuff today and still almost won the match to go to the championship match.

I feel like I'll be back again. I'm just blessed to be here again. This game, I've experienced the downs and -- sorry -- if anybody knows my story, I had full-on anxiety my last year of college. I didn't think I would ever enjoy this game again.

I think I did. I finally enjoyed it again and I think my play showed it.

Q. I think in the amateur, too, it reignited your love of the game.

BRETT PATTERSON: For sure. It has. It has, to the say the least. I've got a five week old daughter at home, so it puts it in perspective. I don't get paid for this. It doesn't matter. I don't know why I'm crying.

It just means a lot to be at this stage again.

Q. Then like most folks here at the Mid Am you got to go back to the real world.

BRETT PATTERSON: That's right. I got to go teach a class on Monday.

Q. Yeah, I was going to ask you. What are you going to teach and when do you have to go teach?

BRETT PATTERSON: So I teach on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, cost control at Ole Miss. Going to have to get my mind right to take care of 120 kids now.

Q. And then how far do you have to go to earn your doctorate?

BRETT PATTERSON: I should finish up this December or in the spring. I'm very close. I'm in the final stages of the dissertation, so it's right there.

I can't wait.

Q. And then once you complete that, what might you do?

BRETT PATTERSON: So I'll still be a professor. Hopefully at Ole Miss. We'll see how it works out. Just trying to focus on graduating with that and we'll see where it goes.