U.S. SENIOR AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 28, 2024

Andrew Whitacre

The Honors Course

Quick Quotes

Q. That was one hell of a chip on 18. You looked completely out of the hole and you hole that thing.

ANDREW WHITACRE: Yeah, it had a pretty good line on it, and I hit it to give it a chance, right, and then two feet from the hole, it just made a left turn, and I was like, oh, my God, that's going in.

Q. You took the flagstick out; you did a little Phil Mickelson.

ANDREW WHITACRE: Well, I didn't have a chance. It was do-or-die, and Louis had taken the last couple of holes, and it was either that or nothing.

Q. You were about to lose your fourth straight hole there and you turned it around and won the hole.

ANDREW WHITACRE: Yeah.

Q. What happened on 19?

ANDREW WHITACRE: Almost chipped it in. Lipped it out, and then I missed my par putt, and I conceded.

Q. How far was the par putt?

ANDREW WHITACRE: Probably about four feet above the hole.

Q. So you chip in, make the impossible shot -- seems anti-climactic.

ANDREW WHITACRE: Yeah, we were talking about yesterday that better short game, the medal side, and Paul Simson talking about putting, and you need to learn to putt to win to take it to that other level. You have to stroke those eight-footers on fast greens and not be afraid to knock it three feet by and things like that. It was a learning experience.

Q. You're exempt into next year.

ANDREW WHITACRE: Yeah. This has been great. The Honors has been fantastic. They are true to their mission statement, and they'll have a worthy champion.

Q. When did you transition into real estate? Was it right after college?

ANDREW WHITACRE: In my late 20s, I guess. I was living up in Aspen, Colorado, and I got in with a development up there, and then just kind of stayed with it and did golf development. It was just great.

Q. You caddied just briefly at Pebble Beach as a kid?

ANDREW WHITACRE: Yeah, in high school and college, and I did a stint late in my 20s. I was in between some stuff and I went out and caddied, and I met Bill, and that turned out to be its own beautiful friendship, and all that came with that.

Q. Did you hear from Bill again last night?

ANDREW WHITACRE: Yeah. He's playing in the Clint up in Tehama, and I said, go get a pistol because they give them a pistolero. It's beautiful. I think he was trying to stay out of giving me any advice for too many things. I asked him how his tournament was going, and he sent me that. It's been a great week.