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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 25, 2005

J.C. Deacon

ARDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA

PETE KOWALSKI: J.C. Deacon with a victory over George Zahringer. Congratulations on your victory. That match was probably the definition of ebb and flow in match play I guess. Give us your thoughts.

J.C. DEACON: I was 2 down early through six I think, and then I I was to down through six and then made a good birdie on 7. Then just a bad bogey on 9.

Then he made, like it had to be 40 feet for birdie on 10, and that was the biggest putt of the match for me. I made it onto stay down and he won on 11. Just kind of said to myself, "Keep grinding and things are going to turn around."

I won 12 with a bogey which was lucky. He kind of gave me one there. I felt a rush of momentum and I had been really jumpy and nervous all day and then, I don't know, I just everything slowed down. I got comfortable and won 14. A good halve on 15, made a good par putt on 16. Then probably the best putt in my entire life on 17, a 15 footer to halve the hole. He was in the hole with par. I made a 15 footer sidehill, downhill left to right and halved the hole and I won 18.

So it was a long day, and I'm just happy to be where I am.

Q. Could you talk about getting up and down on 16, 17 and 18, arguably the three strongest closing stretch in golf?

J.C. DEACON: Those holes are so hard. I was nervous. I just said to myself, "Keep grinding, keep grinding." I was a hockey player more than a golfer when I was real young, and you've got to go out and crash and bang in hockey, and that's what I was thinking today. It wasn't pretty, but pretty simple up and down on 16. Nothing simple about the one on 17 and 18, just kind of gutted it out.

PETE KOWALSKI: What's your reaction to three of your countrymen being quarterfinalists?

J.C. DEACON: Just pretty big statement for Canadian golf. The guys are so good at home who I play with on a consistent basis. I see it all the time but it's tough for the rest of the world to see it. But it's awesome that they are getting out here on this stage.

Q. Talk about your tee shots today, I can't remember you hitting a fairway after 10.

J.C. DEACON: I hit one; I hit 14. Come on give me a little credit. (Laughter). Two fairways on the back nine.

To be honest, I hit it this morning was probably the best ball striking round of my life. I couldn't miss a fairway. Then this afternoon, whether I was tired or whatever it was, my swing just didn't feel right, but I said, "Just keep sticking to it." I knew I could gut it out.

Q. What went through your head when he missed that short putt at 16?

J.C. DEACON: I don't know, I've been taught, especially by Coach Knight at UNLV, always taught me, you've got to expect your opponent to do the best. It's like everyone says it all the time, but I made my putt and I was happy to make my putt. I was going to the 17th down and I didn't even I thought there was no way in the world that he would have missed that putt. He's such a great putter. Just lucky, I guess.

Q. Then you stepped up on 17 and hit a great tee shot.

J.C. DEACON: Not exactly. Just coming out of it, I think I was tired. My legs just weren't exactly there coming down the stretch and I was just coming up and out of it. But I just I told my caddie, "I want to make sure I miss the green to the right," because you can't get up and down from the left. So I missed it to the right. And my coach calls me, Coach Knight at UNLV, calls me Mr. Bunker, so I was pretty happy when I got down there and saw my ball was in the bunker.

Q. How well do you know Mark (Leon)?

J.C. DEACON: I know Mark really well. We've been playing golf against each other since we were about 14. So he's become one of my really good friends. It's too bad we have to play each other, but like he said when I saw him after the rounds, that means one Canadian at least is in the semis so, that's pretty special.

Q. Was it difficult always hitting second with Zahringer, because he's much shorter than you?

J.C. DEACON: It was. You know, because especially when I was 3 down, I wanted to go first to be able to putt; in match play, putting the pressure on someone is huge. I never got that chance. I was always selling my caddie, I need to hit a 4 iron or a 2 iron off the tee just to get behind him so I could apply some pressure.

I just kind of stuck to my guns and played my game and it worked out the best.

Q. How did you feel about the way you were playing coming into this week? Are you surprised by this or is this what you expected?

J.C. DEACON: No, I'm not surprised. Because this summer at home, I haven't really been able to put it together in tournaments. But playing in my home course at Beacon Hall back in Canada, I was shooting,64,65,66, every single time I played and it was just a matter of time I could get my mind over the nerves and the jitters of a tournament and just go out there and let it go.

Q. How many years did you play with Ryan Moore at UNLV?

J.C. DEACON: All four. Me and Ryan were roommates freshman year. We moved in together and we just finished together in May. So great leader, great example. He's such a great player. It's been great for me to look up to.

Q. So how important is it for you to keep this championship in the UNLV family?

J.C. DEACON: That would be kind of cool. I know Coach would love it. Just got to worry about tomorrow and just take it one step at a time. Just got to get that first tee shot in the fairway because I didn't do that today.

Q. The putt on 18, if that was a miss, was it going to go five or six feet past?

J.C. DEACON: You know what, it sounds stupid, I know, and cocky or whatever, but I knew I was going to make that putt. I looked behind it and I said there's no way I was missing this putt. It was such a great opportunity for me in my life, I wasn't going to let it pass by. I wasn't even thinking about anything; just make the putt, make the putt, make the putt and it went right in the middle.

Q. Because you know your opponent so well, will your approach be a little different tomorrow, or will you see things that maybe he'll do because it's match play and maybe react differently than normal people would?

J.C. DEACON: No, because you just can't play against your opponent. That's when you get in trouble. You've just got to play the course.

I played my roommate in the first rounds of this tournament, Andrew Parr from Texas A&M. We've been traveling together for three of the last four weeks playing tournaments, you know, eating dinner together every night. So, you know, he's one of my best friends and it was a heartbreaker to draw him the first round but it taught me a lot of how to deal with that. You've just got to go out there and do your thing.

PETE KOWALSKI: J.C., thanks. Congratulations.

End of FastScripts.

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