U.S. SENIOR WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

October 5, 2023

Sarah Gallagher

Troon Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Has it sunk in yet?

SARAH GALLAGHER: No.

Q. When do you think it will?

SARAH GALLAGHER: I don't know, probably when I get home, see my husband and kids, I think.

Q. Which I believe is going to be early tomorrow morning?

SARAH GALLAGHER: So we're on the red eye tonight, yeah. Early morning.

Q. You made it all the way through match play. I think according to my calculations, 103 holes of match play. You were only down three holes.

SARAH GALLAGHER: Really?

Q. Down. You were tied but I mean down.

SARAH GALLAGHER: Wow, I didn't know that.

Q. What do you attribute that consistency all week to?

SARAH GALLAGHER: I hit the ball really, really well. And I putted quite well. I think having a lot of confidence in the number that I had into the green because Erin is so good at just providing all the information, allowed me to make good club choices. So I was in the right spots. My misses were in the right spots, too, which was important.

Q. When you were 4-up on the 12th hole, what are you thinking at that point?

SARAH GALLAGHER: Well, Brenda is such an incredible competitor. I probably would have rather have been 12-up to feel like I had a safe lead. I knew she was going to start making putts and making birdies. She's so good.

I knew I had to stay patient and keep trying to hit it close and keep trying to make some putts. I fully expected that she was going to come back.

Q. You made a great birdie on 15, that short par-3.

SARAH GALLAGHER: Yeah, that was a first for the week. I've been in that right bunker every day. I hole Erin, I'm going to get that hole today, so I was pretty glad I did.

Q. 16, 17 and 18 some chipping issues popped up.

SARAH GALLAGHER: Yeah, I was pretty nervous. I don't know how I hit the shots into those two greens. Actually I didn't hit it that poorly into 16 green, but I hit it pretty poorly into 17 green. I was pretty nervous.

When you stop breathing, you can't feel your hands, and you need to feel your hands when you have a wedge in your hand.

Yeah, it happened.

Q. What club did you hit into 18?

SARAH GALLAGHER: An 8-iron, a half 8-iron.

Q. Did you just nuke it or --

SARAH GALLAGHER: No, I was in between clubs. I don't even know where it landed.

Q. The one that went past -- it went through the green. Just emotions, energy?

SARAH GALLAGHER: I was trying to hit it about 70 percent, and I guess I didn't.

Q. At that point are you starting to think, because you had a 4-up lead, now you're down one -- does that stuff creep into your head?

SARAH GALLAGHER: It does. I was really happy to be hitting first into 18. I think that ended up being a big benefit for me not to have to see -- I had a feeling she was going to hit it really close, and I think she probably would have if she would have hit first.

So I think it was a bonus that I was going first. I just hit it well, and I did have a little too much -- maybe not too much club. Erin might say I had too much club. I just was afraid I was going to hit one less into the bunker.

Q. Back pin, elevated pin, I can see why -- is that a Gators pin? Is that allowed in Georgia?

SARAH GALLAGHER: It is allowed in Georgia. It sure is. I played at Florida. Go Gators.

Q. How about that last putt; what did you see and the read and how did you feel standing over it knowing what was on the line?

SARAH GALLAGHER: I hit a lot of five-foot putts when I practice, and so I just was trying to talk to myself that this is just like every day. I spot putt, so I look for a little spot. I had one on my putt on the 19th hole yesterday, and I had one on that putt today, and I lost it when I got over the ball, which is why I backed off, so that I could find it again.

I almost didn't hit it hard enough. I think I was just -- I could hardly take the putter back. I was really glad when it went in.

Q. Brenda mentioned you guys played a practice round.

SARAH GALLAGHER: We did.

Q. I am wondering in hindsight now, what was that like playing with her that day and then meeting her again today?

SARAH GALLAGHER: I mean, it was fantastic. She and I are friends. I've gotten to know her through a couple other mutual friends. It was great fun to play the practice round with her.

She's got such a name in amateur golf, so it was a real honor to get to play against her. What a great day we had. It was so fun.

Q. She said you were hitting it really well out there to the point where she's like, wait a second. Did you feel you were doing that, too?

SARAH GALLAGHER: Yeah, I hit it pretty well all week I would say. I hit it great today up until about 16. I feel like I played quite well.

I put myself in good places.

Q. Where is that trophy going to go?

SARAH GALLAGHER: Oh, my gosh, I don't know. I'm probably going to hold it on my lap on the airplane.

Q. At home do you have a spot for it?

SARAH GALLAGHER: I'm going to place it on my kitchen table. No, I'm going to put it on the island in the kitchen. Actually, no, I can't do it. My kids will put stuff in it. I've got to put it someplace they can't fill it with who knows what.

Q. Have you talked to your family yet?

SARAH GALLAGHER: I have. I got a call -- I got a phone call from my husband, and he's got twin brothers, and I don't know if all three of them were on the phone, but I think two of them were. One of them -- I'll try not to get emotional, but one of them is battle ALS, and he's kind of my biggest fan. I think I get a text from him first after every round I've played all summer. He's the first person to text me. He caddied for me in the first USGA event I played in when I started playing again after like my 25-year break. He was my caddie at his old home course in St. Louis. It was pretty emotional when we got on the phone with him. I haven't talked to him sense.

Q. What's his name?

SARAH GALLAGHER: His name is Pete.

Q. Is this fall break for your students?

SARAH GALLAGHER: So I'm actually not a teacher anymore. I need to update that. I'm a senior lead planner. I'm a certified financial planner. It's what I did before I taught, and then I stepped away from it for a couple years. I had intentions on just being at home with my kids, but I wanted to do something, and I tried to teach but then COVID happened. I missed what I do.

Q. You've got a busy schedule next year now. Is there one particular championship you're looking forward to the most?

SARAH GALLAGHER: I don't know, I haven't played in a U.S. Am since I was like 18 or 19. I don't know, that'll be quite a challenge. It'll be fun. I'm looking forward to all of them.

Q. Your first Senior Women's Amateur, you win. Probably one of your goals, but was it realistic to think that coming in in your first appearance?

SARAH GALLAGHER: You know, I don't know. I said earlier, goals are just dreams that we hope you can achieve and you kind of do all the things day after day to make those things happen.

I've actually had it on my wall in my office for a year, the picture of Troon, and just kind of as a reminder, this is what you're working towards.

I've worked really hard, and I was fortunate enough to have Erin come with. It was so huge to have her out here with me. I don't think I would have done it if she wasn't on my bag.

Q. Was it more for the support, just being there, or for the green reading or both?

SARAH GALLAGHER: All of it. Well, one, because she's one of my best friends and just knows how to -- being calm in match play I think is so important and not getting ahead of yourself and just having a lot of patience. But secondly, she's a phenomenal player but she's also a phenomenal caddie, and just out here you have to know how you're hitting it, and the golf course plays completely different in the morning than it does in the afternoon, and so having somebody that can tell you it's different and how the number is different from where you were in the morning and that you can trust, it's huge.

Q. Did she say anything in particular to you on 18 tee, given the situation?

SARAH GALLAGHER: She did. She did. She said, you knew this was going to happen, meaning we knew Brenda was going to come back. We had talked about it. I said, yeah. She just said, just one shot at a time, and let's do this.