U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 23, 2006

Jon McLean

CRAIG SMITH: Jon wins his first match 6 & 5, never having trailed. Was it so much what you did or did you get a little help?

JON McLEAN: A little bit of both. I played Jon Sauer; he got off to not the greatest start. He bogeyed the first three and I parred the first three and then I birdied the par 5, or the par 3 fourth hole. So I was 4 up through four. Just got off to a good start.

And I didn't make many bogeys. I doubled 8 and then bogeyed 12, but other than that, I just made three birdies and all pars.

CRAIG SMITH: Three birdies. When we were going around here in stroke play, you had 74, but birdies were hard to come by. But three is a pretty good number.

JON McLEAN: Yeah, in match play, it you can be a little more aggressive because you don't have as much to lose. I mean, you've got one hole. I played solid today.

Q. I was talking to your caddie and he says you have a tendency to hit it a little longer in competition than practice. He said No. 1 in practice you hit a 5 wood and today you hit an 8 iron?

JON McLEAN: Yesterday in stroke play I hit 8 iron. Today I hit it in the rough and had to just kind of

Q. Is that tradition for you, though, to jump out a little more?

JON McLEAN: I guess. I don't know what happens but I definitely do hit it farther in tournaments.

CRAIG SMITH: And then of course you're from a pretty good name golf family.

JON McLEAN: Yeah.

CRAIG SMITH: I'm sure you've answered some of those things a thousand times, but what's the benefit, what does dad do for you?

JON McLEAN: It's definitely nice to have my dad being a teacher. You know, he doesn't really I never get too much instruction but he's always there. I usually don't get too far off because, you know, he's always right there. I play with him a lot but never really get too many lessons. We just play.

CRAIG SMITH: It's bad for business if you don't have a good golf swing.

JON McLEAN: Yeah, he doesn't really teach me. He's teaching me a little bit and I have another one of the guys, Adam Herald, down in Florida. So sometimes it's kind of hard to listen to my dad (laughter).

Q. You don't feel a lot of pressure with him walking around watch you like today, you're just so used to it by now?

JON McLEAN: Yeah, just my dad.

Q. Can you talk about your relationship with Brian, your caddie; he's an instructor with your dad?

JON McLEAN: Yeah, he's an instructor, I guess my dad has got a new school in Texas. It's like ten minutes from where I go to college.

But last year when I was back in Florida, he was working for my dad. He was my dad's assistant, did all of the lessons with him. I played every day with him, just became pretty good friends.

Q. Is 135 legitimate or you're not even that?

JON McLEAN: Yeah, I am.

Q. Have you always been a wisp of a fella?

JON McLEAN: Yeah, I've been trying to gain wait for a while but it's not that easy for me.

Q. You came to the game late, age 14 or 15?

JON McLEAN: I played when I was young a little bit and then we lived in New York until I was eight.

Then we moved to Florida and when we first moved to Florida, I stopped playing for a couple years. Just was not the greatest place to play for a young kid. You know, long walks between greens and it's hot; it just wasn't that fun. So I stopped for a while and then around 13, picked it up again.

Q. Did you say any disappointment in your dad when you were playing or not very much?

JON McLEAN: I don't really remember. No, I always played like baseball, little league and stuff. He always loved doing that.

Q. Getting back to your round, the eighth hole, it seemed like you were playing solid and then did you just miss club it or was it the wind?

JON McLEAN: The wind started blowing really hard, about probably 20 miles an hour, just straight left to right.

I just miss hit it a little bit and I just got it in the wind and the wind took it gusting and pushed it right.

Q. What did you hit?

JON McLEAN: 6 iron.

Q. What did you feel your chances were making it to match play? Did you feel good about your chances or did you think it was a long shot?

JON McLEAN: No, I felt good about my chances. But, you know, it's never easy. You've got to play well. There are a lot of good players who don't make match play. So you just can't let up. You've got to just keep playing well.

CRAIG SMITH: You're here the second time. What did you learn the first time that helps you this time?

JON McLEAN: It's definitely not as overwhelming. I mean, it's pretty big, the whole atmosphere of it. It's about the biggest tournament I've played in. You know, just realizing that you can play with these guys and it's the same guys I've played with all summer pretty much. Just think of it, trying to think of it as any other tournament.

Q. What do you think of the big H?

JON McLEAN: Oh, it's awesome. It's awesome. I love it. It's tough. Can't really hit it in the rough. It's very penalizing. The greens were firm. They softened up quite a bit today. But yeah, I love the course.

Q. Husky golf course?

JON McLEAN: Yeah.

Q. Do you rely on your dad more for advice as a dad or a golf instructor?

JON McLEAN: I don't know, eat just for doesn't really, just because he's been a good player when he was in college and stuff, he knows what it's like. He finished fourth in stroke play in the U.S. Am, so he's been there. Just kind of advice, stuff like that. Not as much technically swing stuff.

Q. He's caddied for you a couple times?

JON McLEAN: Yeah, a couple of times this summer.

Q. And you set the rules?

JON McLEAN: Yeah, I don't really it's a little tough sometimes. I don't always want to hear what he has to say when I'm on the course.

Q. How did you decide on TCU?

JON McLEAN: I liked it. I went on my visit. A friend of mine, Tom Miles, he had committed there early, and he kind of just got me interested in it, told me about it. I didn't really it wasn't really on my radar, and then I went out there and I just loved it. I mean, the kids on the team, the coach and the school, I just thought it would be a good fit.

Q. Is your summer as a top amateur almost as busy as the college season or busier?

JON McLEAN: Well, for me it's busier. I've played a lot. I've been gone a lot. But that's what I like. I like to play a lot of tournaments.

Q. You won't take a break before school starts?

JON McLEAN: Well, school already started two days ago. So unfortunately, I've got to go right back.

Q. Do you feel like today was, I wouldn't say a break, but given the pressure of the week and the kind that it can be, you weren't too tested out there?

JON McLEAN: I mean, I just played solid. I know it's going to be tough. I mean, you can't get too secure. You've got to go back out and just, you know, know it's going to be tough every time. Just try to, if you get up, just stay up. That's when I tried to do today, try not get too relaxed.

Q. Have you ever won a significant match play tournament?

JON McLEAN: Match play, no.

Q. The Dixie is stroke play?

JON McLEAN: It's stroke play. I played in it when it was match play, but I didn't win.

Q. Do you like match play?

JON McLEAN: Yeah, I do. I don't get it's kind of don't get to play it too much but I love it when you can.

CRAIG SMITH: You probably had a better morning here than if you were at class because you won the first four holes right away. What would you have been sitting in had you been in Texas?

JON McLEAN: I haven't been to school yet.

CRAIG SMITH: Don't even know what the classes are?

JON McLEAN: I think it would have been what's today, Wednesday? I think maybe a communications class. (Laughter).

CRAIG SMITH: Tell them you passed.

Q. How far do you go on a nice, wide open par 5?

JON McLEAN: I can get it out there, I don't know. I wouldn't know what to say, it depends. I can get it out there with I mean, I don't weigh that much, but Hazeltine doesn't play that long.

Q. What is your driver?

JON McLEAN: Ping G2, the old one.

CRAIG SMITH: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.