U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 18, 1999

Gary Vanier

GARY VANIER: I was not too happy. But I played 18 good. I hit a 2-iron off the tee; and hit another 2-iron; hit a 7-iron; a little punch 7-iron into the back part of the green, and had about a 30-footer. Looked like I was on a ski slope going straight downhill. Doesn't feel good to miss a two-footer and have to putt again, but I knocked it six inches short of the hole, and he had to chip in to win the hole, and knocked it by about 10 feet.

GARY VANIER: I won the 2nd hole. I knocked it just off the edge of the green; 2-putted for a 4 to go 1-up. And then he birdied -- he knocked it about an inch from the hole, or couple of inches from the hole, on 4 to go even. He went 1-up on 5. I put my iron in the bunker. He made a par. I left my bunker shot in the bunker. So he goes 1-up. 7, we tied. I missed about a 5-footer for a birdie there. We tied 7 -- no, I won 7. He knocked it in the back bunker, and I 2-putted for a par there. And then I won 9 to go, I guess, 1-up at the turn. We both parred 10. And probably the turning point in the match was 11. We both hit good drives in the fairway, and the wind started blowing pretty good. And I hit my iron right. I got up in the air and ballooned way right, right of the bunker. He was right in the middle of the fairway. Really, I didn't think too horrible of a shot. And he hit his iron, and went over the green up by the tee. And really -- and so I took my sand wedge, and I didn't -- I did knock it on the green, but knocked it left; so I would have an uphill chip for my third shot, because he left his chip short.

GARY VANIER: This is on 11. He's still -- the pin is on the back, and he's still in the rough and going downhill. He knocked his next chip about 20 feet by the hole. He missed the putt, and then I chipped it up about a foot and a half, two feet, and made --

GARY VANIER: No. That was that rescue; it's my 3-iron. I use the 21-degree and the 18-degree as my 2- and 3-irons. And then we both bogeyed 12. We both birdied 13. That was a good turning point for me. I was 2-up at the time, and he had knocked it about five feet from the hole, and I had about a 25-footer or 30-footer going straight downhill, and I knocked it in. I figured he was going to make his, but at least it still kept me 2 (-up). And then 14, I sort of got lucky on 14. I played it really good, I hit it in the middle of the fairway. He was having some trouble in the rough. He hit a few drives in the rough. I played, I thought, pretty smart, and hit 7-iron for a third shot out to the right. And I hit it probably -- past pin-high, and it was the only spot that has water on the green in this whole golf course; and it sucked all the way back, down the hill. I must have sucked back about 45 feet and just dead. I had to chip it over the hill. I thought I was going to win the hole, and I ended up getting a tie. And then I played good -- I hit a real good iron shot on 14, about 8, 10 feet and missed a putt. Hit a good putt. And then 16, we both hit it on the green. We 2-putted.

GARY VANIER: Let's see -- 3, I hit the short stuff there. Other than that, I think I hit almost every fairway. I can't remember. I drove it good.

GARY VANIER: Yeah, I drove it good today on the key holes, like 8 and 9, where you really want to hit good drives. Like 9, today I hit a 9-iron in. I've been hitting 2-irons most of the week.

GARY VANIER: It would have an impact on me if I was playing someone that hit it down the middle all day long and kept knocking it on the green. I thought today -- I thought they started out, I thought he was swinging -- I haven't played with him a long time, so I don't know. I thought he was swinging hard at the ball. Really trying to overpower the golf course. And I think he would probably admit that he hit the ball a little bit crookeder than he normally does.

GARY VANIER: I think it helps a little bit. It goes both ways. I've got all the experience, and I can't 2-putt from 18 on 17, so what does that say for experience? (Laughter.) But it helps. I think it helps in that I know the holes -- I know how to play the holes -- let's put it this way: I know how the holes should be played. Then it comes down to: Can I execute? And if I can execute, I seem to do all right. And if I don't execute -- but let's put it this way: I think I have an advantage that I do know how to play. I might not have the tools, but I know how to play.

GARY VANIER: I just used it on 18. It's my -- it's equivalent to my 2-iron. I took my 2-iron and 3-iron out of the bag and carry two of those rescues: A 21-degree for my 3-iron, a 18-degree for my 2-iron.

GARY VANIER: I'm wearing a different pair. No reason.

GARY VANIER: No.

GARY VANIER: This is it. This is the only match I've ever won in my life is the U.S. Amateur. This is my seventh or eighth Amateur, I think.

GARY VANIER: I've won a couple of Amateurs in the Mid-Amateur, but never in the U.S. Amateur.

GARY VANIER: This is the first time I've ever qualified.

GARY VANIER: Right. This is the first time.

GARY VANIER: I only have five more to go, right? (Laughter.) I hope some other good players got beat today.

GARY VANIER: This is one at a time. I think if you can win a couple more, for me, it gets a little easier, because I just start -- you start getting confident, and you're halfway there.

GARY VANIER: My legs are fine. No physical problems.

GARY VANIER: Is it 36 tomorrow?

GARY VANIER: I'll be all right.

GARY VANIER: Probably 75 to 100, I guess. All the State Amateurs and so forth.

GARY VANIER: I think the first year I got to match play is -- I'm assuming -- I guess it's always been match play. But I think the first year that I made match play was in 1981 or '82. In fact, it was the year that I won it,'82.

GARY VANIER: One, you're playing the U.S. Amateur. That puts it up there about 15 levels right there. The rough is -- we've had some good roughs. We've had a couple of Amateurs, after -- one week after the U.S. Open, and it played tough. But this is playing tough. It's hard to chip on the greens, to get it up-and-down.

GARY VANIER: You know, I play with some of these kids; some of them can hit it awfully long and awfully straight. I think if you have that going for you, they have a big advantage.

GARY VANIER: Yeah, it helps. Like I say, I know how it has to be played. But you watch these kids, they play the golf course good, the ones that qualified. The guys that didn't make the cut, I'm sure they did play well.

GARY VANIER: You know what's sort of funny today? I was out-driving most of the day, that was sort of surprising. That part doesn't really bother me.

GARY VANIER: Because the beauty of Pebble is some of the holes, like 8, if you can't hit it 300 yards, what good does it do you? Because if you do, you go right over the cliff. I can hit my driver right up to the edge of the cliff; they have to hit maybe a 3-wood or whatever. So there's a lot of holes out here that even if you're hitting it really hard, sometimes it doesn't put you in the best position. Like you hit it really long on 4, really straight, what happens? You're in the rough. And it looks like 6 is firming up. So I knocked it over the green today on 6 and 2.

GARY VANIER: I hit a 3-wood.

GARY VANIER: If it stays fast like this, I'm long enough that I can play the par-5s.

GARY VANIER: 18, I'm not going to knock it on 18 in 2, but I would never think about it. And I don't think too many of these guys are going to be knocking it on in 2. And if they can, more power to them.

GARY VANIER: Plus, you've got no fairway there to hit it. You've got about eight yards down the left.

GARY VANIER: I've never seen it where the rough was cut that much on the right side. We noticed they had brought in the rough to the trees. It wasn't quite as thick, but I hit 2-iron off the tee in the State. I figure it's a three-shot hole.

GARY VANIER: I've played steady all year.