U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 23, 2006

Jonathan Moore

PETE KOWALSKI: We have 2006 NCAA Champion Jonathan Moore with us; a victory over Skip Berkmeyer, 6 & 5. On the score board, looked like it was fairly easy work; was it? Tell us about it.

JONATHAN MOORE: Whenever you play match play, it's never easy. I have not I've lost five of my last six matches in this format playing match play. So I didn't feel that confident going out today honestly. I knew I had been playing okay, but still you just never know in match play.

Luckily just got off to a good start and just kind of the things went my way. I made some putts and he had some lip out. If it goes the other way, we're neck and neck. You just never quite know.

PETE KOWALSKI: The polite thing for a guy who is playing well is to say, luckily I got off to a good start. You made some birdies; how did you do that? Obviously good play.

JONATHAN MOORE: I did. I really haven't probably played this well on a championship course before. I played, this is my third U.S. Amateur. I got a chance to play in the U.S. Open this summer. I never really felt this free on the course. The conditions are tough and a lot of times it causes you to be a little more timid. I made birdies, which was nice. I wasn't just kind of scraping out pars. I hit ten of my first 11 greens, 11 out of 13, and I was looking at birdie putts all day.

Q. When you win the NCAA title, when you qualified for the U.S. Open, that gives you a pedigree out here that kind of carries an aura, and does that help you relax or does that put more pressure on you?

JONATHAN MOORE: No, it probably if anything puts more pressure on you. I remember as a junior, I started to kind of reach, to become one of the better junior players. You know, I really didn't handle it that well the last couple of years in junior golf. I still did well, but not as well as I would like to, just because there's more expectations that you probably put on yourself more than anything.

I'm excited I kind of have another chance to do that. You know, hopefully, I can handle it better this time and take kind of what I learned from that experience in the past.

Q. You mentioned five of six in this format. What events were those?

JONATHAN MOORE: The Western Amateur in 2005 and 2006 this year, I had first round exits in both of those. And then the match play event, the collegiate match play tournament, I was 1 3 in my matches there. I lost three of them.

Q. So there's something about the format you don't like?

JONATHAN MOORE: Well, I feel I'm starting to do better at it actually. In all of those matches, I've played pretty good. There was maybe only one of those where I didn't play well. So I feel like I'm starting to get better. I used to still I'm actually pretty thankful for a match I had against Scott Pierre at the Western Am this year. I played well. And I think you let your opponent, his play, a little bit dictate your strategy, but not your emotions, and I think I was a little too emotionally invested in kind of how his shots were turning out that, you know, it got me a little bit. So you just, that was a great experience and just trying to take care of my own ball this week and just focus.

Q. So you didn't get a chance to go at it on 14?

JONATHAN MOORE: No, the guys

Q. Pablo just did it.

JONATHAN MOORE: Doesn't surprise me.

PETE KOWALSKI: Speaking of Pablo, you guys are college roommates?

JONATHAN MOORE: Yeah.

PETE KOWALSKI: And he's an upper classman, you're a freshman. Tell us a little bit about that relationship, and maybe did you feed off him a little bit this week and his experience in these bigger events.

JONATHAN MOORE: For sure. We both came in as freshmen. And I had a very tough freshman year, I ended up redshirting and he was, if not the best player, one of the best players in the country.

You know, I just tried to really he has been, I would not be playing the golf I am today if it wasn't for being around him for a couple years. Just watching how he does things, talking to him at nights, just start talking golf and just, you know, how you think about things when you're out there, how you deal with fear and hitting shots and it's been a great friendship a great being teammates, it's been awesome.

Q. A lot of hardware in that room.

JONATHAN MOORE: Yeah, it was exciting. He kind of cleaned up at the beginning of the year, and I had a couple good events at the end of year. So it was exciting.

Q. Do you guys live together?

JONATHAN MOORE: We do, yeah.

Q. In an apartment?

JONATHAN MOORE: Yeah, they are the dorms.

Q. You'll do that again this fall?

JONATHAN MOORE: Actually this fall I'm going to be rooming with Ryan Posey, who is also here at the event, and really excited about that. He and I have probably become best friends since we've been at school. He was huge in helping me when I was really struggling my freshman year just to be there for me. It's his final year, and just you know, I wanted to get a chance to live with him at least one year.

Q. When you say "struggling," was it golf or was it everything?

JONATHAN MOORE: It was golf. Life was great. Life had never been better. The people that I was meeting when I was at school, different families, the Dawson family, the Carnes family, people from my church who I really got to know. Life actually had never been better. But I was struggling with my golf game. And I think if I didn't have those people who were around me, then it would have been a tough deal. Because when you start struggling, you don't just pull yourself up and out of a hole like that; you need people to help you.

Q. Was there a story or what was the story with the U.S. Open invitation and the role Pablo played, he kind of talked you into it; winning the NCAAs that got you into the U.S. Open?

JONATHAN MOORE: It got me into sectionals. Pablo and I were in the same sectional qualifier. I was planning on caddying for him actually, but by winning nationals, it got me a spot into the sectional qualifier. Now I wasn't caddying; I was in the field, and there was only unfortunately one spot there.

He and I each shot 70 67 and went into a playoff and I won the first playoff hole. It was really a tribute to him, though. The plan was, he came back and spent four more days with me at home, and we had a great time. I mean, we really did. Just really shows kind of the class act that he is.

The thing people might not know about Pablo is just kind of that attitude he has about, he could be doing a lot of other things and he would be really happy. I think he might enjoy surfing more, there's some things that he might enjoy more than golf. He just happens to be really good at it, so he does it.

Q. What's the name of the hall you guys live in?

JONATHAN MOORE: Young Hall.

Q. Who caddied for you at the Open?

JONATHAN MOORE: My dad. He's been with me all summer, and he does that, he does that every summer. He's just a great friend and a great supporter. He's easier on me than I am on myself. So it's a lot of fun to have him out here with me.

Q. When the brackets came out, did you look to see where Pablo was and where you were?

JONATHAN MOORE: Yeah, you always check out kind of what bracket you're in and where everyone's at. I think we're in a pretty tough one it looks like. I mean, everyone in the field is pretty good. But I think I saw Davies was in that bracket, and the kid who is playing from Sweden. It's pretty solid.

You've just got to take care of your match. Anyone you play 18 holes, I really don't think there's a favorite. If I learned anything from match play, I just don't think there is.

End of FastScripts.