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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 26, 2005

J.C. Deacon

ARDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA

CRAIG SMITH: J.C., it looks like it's a big advantage, more than just the obvious, to getting a head start in these matches. 1 up in three, 2 up in eight, 3 up at nine. That puts a lot of pressure on somebody at this stage of the game.

J.C. DEACON: Yeah, it's huge to get up in match play, just for all of the obvious reasons, but just momentum in your mind. I was actually so lucky today to be 1 up through six because I played just awful, I mean, awful golf through the first six holes.

Then just kind of got a little glare from my brother on 7 tee and he was just looking at me like, "Kid, what are you doing?" I was 1 up at that point, but I played the last I guess 11 holes 1 under, so I was happy with that.

CRAIG SMITH: Beyond what your brother may have said to you through that look, but what were you saying to yourself?

J.C. DEACON: Honestly, I stepped up on the 7th tee and I told myself, I'm not hitting a bad shot again today. I don't care what's going through my mind, I'm just not going to let myself hit a bad shot, and that just straightened me out.

This is the first time I've ever really had to deal with crowds like this, and it's nerve wracking; it is, having a lot of people around. I love it and it's exciting but it was nerve wracking. I just said forget about it, you're on a golf course just like home and just go out and play and what's what I did.

CRAIG SMITH: How was the camaraderie, knowing each other well?

J.C. DEACON: It was tough playing Mark, that's for sure. He's such a great guy. He's such a class individual, and just it was tough to play him. You know, I didn't really look at it as playing Mark Leon. I was just kind of going out and playing Merion, trying to make as many pars as I could and he was just kind of the guy standing in the way.

Q. A two part question. If you could just go over holes 13 and 14, just getting momentum there.

J.C. DEACON: 13, I hit such a pure tee shot. I couldn't understand it, like I flew that ball. The crowd has something to did with that, too, because my adrenaline was huge. I think I flew that gap wedge, 52 degree, 130 yards and I just don't do that. So it flew the green, and I was in such a tough lie, but hit a good chip and then holed the putt. Again I was just telling myself, I'm not going to let myself hit a bad shot and got through that one.

14, hit a great 3 wood, probably the best pure strike I've had all day, and then hit a good 9 iron up there. I just wanted to keep it short of the hole and made sure I had an uphill putt. Then, I mean, my caddie, Bob, has just been awesome on the reads, the last two days especially. He just got that one perfectly. I hit it right where I wanted to, ten feet from the hole, I knew it was going in.

Q. How long was the putt?

J.C. DEACON: I don't know, probably 30 feet, 35 feet. Longest putt I've made all week.

Q. Is there any extra adrenaline today knowing who you're playing and the relationship?

J.C. DEACON: It wasn't as much knowing who I was playing, but it was the crowd and the atmosphere. It's just electric out here at Merion right now. It's the coolest experience I've ever had in my life, and I was pumped up. Obviously, I've hit the ball further today than I could ever imagine. So obviously the blood was flowing, so it's kind of fun.

Q. You're kind of young to use the long putter; how did you get there and you've also putted very well this week.

J.C. DEACON: It's a funny story. I had actually missed the cut at the Ontario Amateur last summer, I guess a year ago July, and I was playing in a hockey league last summer. I was a hockey game last night after I missed the cut, and it had nothing to do with my ball striking. I think I had 36 putts both rounds and I was crying to everyone, being a baby, you know, "My putting sucks, this is brutal." They said, you know, you're pretty good at passing the puck, you should try a long putter; it's kind of the same thing.

First team I went out and tried it, I had 23 putts, so it's been in the bag ever since.

Q. As important as it was to get off to a good start, was there a point where you crossed your mind that you that your opponent had been coming from behind all the time and did that change the way you were thinking about it on maybe the back nine?

J.C. DEACON: Not really. Just because I really focused on Merion. I love Merion; it's one of the greatest golf courses I've ever played. So I'm just out there with my caddie just playing. I haven't really been thinking about my opponent all week. Obviously got to watch what he does, but I didn't even know Mark had been coming back all week. Just knowing that if I played my game and made pars and birdies down the stretch, it was going to be pretty tough to catch the 2 up lead I had.

Q. There's a fellow that won an amateur championship by the name of Gary Cowan.

J.C. DEACON: Legend.

Q. Know anything about him?

J.C. DEACON: Legend. I mean what can you say? His record speaks for itself.

Q. How accomplished a hockey player are you?

J.C. DEACON: I don't know, it's tough to say. I was very close to going to the OHL, to go play in the OHL. My parents kind of gave me the choice of either choose golf and go down to the Leadbetter Academy in Florida or go and get a billet with a family. It was such an easy decision for me; in the sun, practicing golf ten hours a day, you just can't beat that.

Q. What position?

J.C. DEACON: I was center ice.

Q. Just to get it on there, the OHL?

J.C. DEACON: Ontario Hockey League.

Q. How old were you?

J.C. DEACON: At 16, I had to make the final decision.

Q. Mark Leon said that the match was pretty much shaping out like the one in 2003 at the Canadian Amateur that he ended up winning. Did that cross your mind at all?

J.C. DEACON: Yesterday, it did, I thought about that. To be honest, it gave me a little bit of fire because, I don't know, as you guys know, when something important like that happens, it was a really emotional victory that he had. We had a lot of people watching us that day, and everyone knew we were great friends and stuff, so it was a pretty big deal. He made about a 35 foot putt on 18 to beat me 1 up, and I thought about it quite a bit last night and thought it would be a good time to get him back right now I guess at the U.S. Amateur.

Q. You don't want to look ahead too far, but

J.C. DEACON: Don't even talk about it. Don't even talk about it. I don't want to hear about it.

Q. Did you pack enough or did you have to buy that shirt just to get yourself through?

J.C. DEACON: It was funny, I won yesterday and I had my favorite pink shirt on yesterday. I'm out of shirts, actually, because I played the Canadian Amateur last week and came straight from there so I've used up all my shirts. But my mom stepped up and said, "If you win your match, I'll buy you a new shirt." So I won again today, so she's in that pro shop shopping.

Q. Have you talked at all with Ryan Moore? He's gone through this process, both two Public Links and the Amateur, just getting through two weeks like this. Have you talked to him about trying to figure out how to go about doing it?

J.C. DEACON: I haven't specifically talked to him about USGA events and match play and the long week and stuff. I mean, just watching Ryan on a daily basis and just it's funny, because I would sit back when I was hanging out with him at night and just listen to the way he talked to other people and to himself. It just taught me so much about, you've just got to believe in yourself 100%. Because, you know, Ryan taught me that it doesn't matter if no one else in the world believes in you, if you believe in yourself, you can do it. That's probably the biggest thing I learned from him is his mental toughness is unbelievable, and I've just been trying to cap up to that.

Q. How has your game evolved since you got to UNLV?

J.C. DEACON: It's funny because when I look at it now, I just didn't have the college career that I wanted. I went in to college playing great, probably had the best summer of my life when I was 18 and wept to UNLV with high expectations. It just didn't pan out for whatever reason. I had a couple of second place finishes my first two years, and couldn't get that win.

Then my last three years, I just struggled. It was funny because, I mean, Coach Knight has just been one of the biggest impacts of my entire life. He never gave me an inch. I was struggling and would be complaining and I wanted to get in the lineup, and he would put me through that qualifying and he would make me qualify. It didn't matter, he wouldn't give me a spot.

So just that toughness is paying off now. I didn't play so great in college but the lessons I learned, I think that's really what's coming out true today.

Q. How far back to you and Mark go, and how many times have you played competitively against each other?

J.C. DEACON: I think I've known Mark since I was about 14, 15. This is only our second match ever, but I've played millions of tournaments with him.

End of FastScripts.

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