THE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

June 20, 2024

Marcel Fonseca

Quick Quotes

Q. Congratulations, through the quarterfinals here in the Amateur. You must be very pleased with your performance so far.

MARCEL FONSECA: Yeah, really played really, really well today. I really start making birdies and making putts. And I really play well. At the end, it goes really hard, the course, and, yeah, it was really hard to hit the shot, too getting close to the pin. But, yeah, we manage, and we really worked well.

Q. Would you say that putting has been a strength of your game?

MARCEL FONSECA: Yeah, it is. I've been putting really, really well. I've been going with Callaway these days and two balls really got it.

Q. Was there any particular putts, like long putts, that were the highlight today?

MARCEL FONSECA: Yeah, I would say in the morning, the 9th was a really long putt, like probably ten metres or something like that. I wasn't expecting to get it. But I was hoping to 2-putt because was really complicated, and I hit just a ways, and I get really, really good.

Q. Talk to us about your match this afternoon, because I think you may have been a couple holes down early in the match and you made a comeback.

MARCEL FONSECA: Yeah, probably I think my start a little sleepy because I get just to eat something and to stay calm, and just to start is really complicated, but we managed to do some birdies. And, I don't know, I really play well at the end.

Q. It's a really long week, isn't it, the Amateur?

MARCEL FONSECA: It is.

Q. There's lots of golf. You've played a lot of golf today.

MARCEL FONSECA: I'm really tired.

Q. You also had to play a little bit extra golf to get into the match play. You were in the playoff.

MARCEL FONSECA: Yeah. Obviously. I mean, the first day, I play well the first day, I hit +2, +4, but I was playing well. But it was a really, really tough course.

And the second day was really challenging. But I managed to do it with some birdies as well and then managed one that get me to the playoff. And then the playoff, I play it not really good, the playoff, to be honest. But the guy who was playing with me made triple bogey. So it managed to get me in.

Q. This is your first Amateur champion?

MARCEL FONSECA: Yeah, it is.

Q. How are you finding it, and do you like playing links golf?

MARCEL FONSECA: Honestly, I didn't thought I would like that much playing links golf. Like, you have to be so precise in every shot and concentrate every single shot. And that's why I think I'm up here.

Q. Whereabouts in Spain are you from?

MARCEL FONSECA: Barcelona.

Q. And how long have you been playing golf for?

MARCEL FONSECA: A while. Since about three years old. Yeah, I was playing with plastic irons and ping-pong balls, just hitting shots.

Q. Are your parents keen golfers?

MARCEL FONSECA: Yeah.

Q. Is that how you got into the game?

MARCEL FONSECA: My dad plays golf, and he get me into it. Now he's more into pitch and putt. But he really likes to come with me and caddie. He's not -- caddies for caddie, he's really a former caddie as well.

Q. Is Dad caddying for you this week?

MARCEL FONSECA: Yeah, he is.

Q. And is he's giving you some good advice or just carrying the bag?

MARCEL FONSECA: Yeah. No, I mean, he gets yardage book. So I didn't do nothing. He calculated, he does everything. I read the putts and stuff. But, yeah he gave me the number, and I hit the shot.

Q. Right. So he does all your yardages?

MARCEL FONSECA: Yeah.

Q. That's a good dad.

MARCEL FONSECA: Really is.

Q. So you have really a proper team this week.

MARCEL FONSECA: Yeah, really is.