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U.S. JUNIOR AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 22, 2006Philip FrancisRANCHO SANTA FE, CALIFORNIA PETE KOWALSKI: You've ended a pretty great run of play here by winning the U.S. Junior. Tell us what your thoughts are about that. PHILLIP FRANCIS: Yeah, I went into this event knowing well, actually I went into this with a lot of momentum coming off of the Rolex and knowing that if I won it, to win the Rolex Tournament of Champions and this, not many junior has ever done that really before. So I knew that it would be fun and pretty special. You know, so I guess it putt a little added pressure on myself to do well. But like I was telling some other guys earlier, there's a lot of pressure on all of the best players coming into this event to do well because, you know, Peter Uihlein, myself, Rickie Fowler, Bank, all of the rest of the juniors in the field kind of knew about us and expected us to do good. So, you know it's pressure that I think it makes you perform better anyways. You can use it to your own benefit. PETE KOWALSKI: You're a national champion. How do you react to that? PHILLIP FRANCIS: It's great. I think there are 3,600 applicants for this tournament and to be No. 1 out of all those. It feels awesome for sure. It's a real big accomplishment. This is definitely the most prestigious event I have won so far. Q. Do you recall Brian Harman ever having that kind of run? PHILLIP FRANCIS: He may have won the Rolex and U.S. Junior. He and myself I think are the only two juniors that have done that. I'm not positive though. Q. How about your distance control was phenomenal. Do you think that was more important? PHILLIP FRANCIS: My distance control this whole week with my short irons and even my long irons, and my ability to control what the shot was going to do on my ball flight was phenomenal. It was probably the best it's ever been. I didn't hit many shots, I didn't hit many pull shots out there at all. Knew to keep it underneath the wind and with the ocean breeze into your face that spins it a lot, just trying to keep spin off the ball. I think that's why a lot of the players may struggle on this course, because of their ability to not be able to control the ball flight. Q. Can you talk about, he was bombing it obviously, and in some cases he was hitting it so far, where he had a very difficult approach shot, do you recall one instance I think on that par 4 fourth, the second 18, you seemed to position yourself very well. Do you think that was to your advantage, the experience factor? PHILLIP FRANCIS: You know, I went into this round obviously because I know Richard, I played with him before, knowing that he's probably one of the longest juniors out there. Myself, I'm not by any means short, but he was still, you know, 20, 30 yards by me on several drives. But you know, the thing with my game, I'm a little in control of what my ball flight is doing, what my ball is doing, where it's going, putting it in the fairway and you know I've always prided myself after that, and I think that's how I've been real successful in winning. So, you know, hitting long is a benefit, but it can hurt you as much as it can help. Q. What's your height and weight? PHILLIP FRANCIS: About 145, 5'11. Q. Do you think that we saw the two year difference in you guys today, would you have been able to make those shots and control your ball as well two years ago as you did now? PHILLIP FRANCIS: I was able to hit just as many shots two years ago, but the difference now between then is I'm managing my game better. You know I think Richard will develop into doing the same thing because he's running, he's real aggressive and I was the same way. When I was 15, I lost the Boys' Invitational which is another major because I tried going for a pin on the last hole with the lead and came up short. Ended up bogeying the hole while the kid behind me birdied, and it was a two shot swing so I lost. I learned a lot. All of the mistakes from doing all that, you learn a lot from it. That's what golf is. It's just a lot of learning. Q. How did the morning round compare to the afternoon? PHILLIP FRANCIS: The morning round was real similar. I mean, you know, I was 7 under par after 11 holes, and so obviously playing real well, striking well and putting well, holing out shots. (Laughter). I mean, obviously, I wasn't complaining about my game at all. You know, I've had some real low rounds so far this year, especially the Rolex, 65 on that, which is a real good round on that course, which is real tough. Also I shot 63 in the Polo (ph) which was an AJGA, and you know, so those rounds I did the same thing. I was able to control the distance of my irons real well and my putting was on. Usually because I'm a real good ball striker and in control of my irons; when I putt well, that's when I can usually go pretty low. Q. Can you talk about holes 8 through 11, you played them well all week, just because you like to take some chances and make birdies and be aggressive? PHILLIP FRANCIS: Those holes you can definitely kind of you can leave yourself ahead of your competitor I guess. And the whole week I was between those holes, oh, man, probably 12, 13, 14, 15, 5 under par, and so like every round I had gone into that hole No. 7, 8 actually hole No. 7 starts, I made quite a few birdies on that hole, the par 3, knowing the next five holes if I'm ahead going into those next five holes, I'm probably in real good shape. Q. Was this your first match play championship? Most of your majors have been stroke play. PHILLIP FRANCIS: Most of my majors have been stroke play. I played twice in this before where I had made the Sweet 16 when I was 14 years old, and last year, I made the quarterfinals. So obviously I went into this wanting to win because I had been out there a couple times, and with some experience. And then also I've played the Polo Junior Golf Classic which is a major AJGA event but the difference is they cut it to 32 players after the cut rather than 64, but I've been to the semifinals there both times and lost. PHILLIP FRANCIS: This is my first finals. And also the Western Amateur last year, that's some of the best amateurs of all the guys in the country and I made it to the quarterfinals there. So I've always been a pretty good match play player I felt because my game is pretty consistent and I have a lot of shots and I can sometimes wear the other guy down by doing so. Q. Did you know anything about match play or did you just play well enough this week that you can't be beat? PHILLIP FRANCIS: You know, I went into this week knowing that based on what the other guy is doing in match play, that's how you play, whether you're aggressive or not aggressive or you only need a 2 putt to win, which I failed to do a couple times. But other than that, you know, it's always I guess winning is a learning thing in itself winning is something new. Q. What were you thinking during the break, the first 18, and you go 4 up through six, what are you thinking at that point? PHILLIP FRANCIS: After the morning match, we both shot 66 and I think 68, so we both played really well. And usually to have a real big lead but he played really well and I knew that I had to play well my second match to win because I knew he was going to play well. He's a competitor and he wants to win. I just had to keep up what I was doing. Q. On 7 in the afternoon, you missed a short putt, what goes through your mind at that point, missed opportunity? PHILLIP FRANCIS: Yeah, obviously that would have been I think I think I was 3 up on No. 7. Because I birdied No. 6, we tied the first five holes, birdied No. 6 and I stuck it to about a foot. No. 7, I got up and I hit it to 2 1/2, three feet above the hole and he pulled it a little left and chipped it to about a foot and a half, so I gave it to him. I figured for sure I was going to make the putt. I was putting real well and just got up there and holed it. It was one of my first putts of the week probably that would have been probably a pretty big momentum boost if I had made that but I still had the momentum from the hole before, winning it. Went into hole No. 8 and he scrambled to make birdie and. So I thought I had that hole, too, but he made birdie to tie me. You know, it was pretty equal momentum going into hole No. 9. We both were playing well. Q. When you hit the flagstick, where would that ball have gone do you think? PHILLIP FRANCIS: The one that went in? PHILLIP FRANCIS: The one in the afternoon. PHILLIP FRANCIS: The ball hitting the flagstick, both myself and my caddie thought because it was coming in, it was going to be pretty close. I think it would have been closer if it wouldn't have hit it. Q. What was your yardage and club? PHILLIP FRANCIS: I hit a 6 iron from about 175. Q. And it's pretty big that you then make a putt, you're putting first. PHILLIP FRANCIS: That was definitely in a way, I think I was three up going into that hole and when I made that, I knew that was a pretty big you know, if he misses, that's a pretty because I'm 4 up with five holes to go and so if I win one more hole, it's over. That's probably the point where I knew I kind of had him if I just kept playing well. Q. Can you tell us about the hole out on nine this morning? PHILLIP FRANCIS: Well, I struggled to hit that fairway the whole week. I only hit it once out of I don't know how many rounds, nine or ten. And so I got up there, I pulled my drive, again, and was in some pretty thick rough. But it was sitting up pretty decently and I was standing on the cart path, so I didn't want to take relief because I figured if I dropped it was going to sink to the bottom of the rough again. I hit it and I was about 110 yards I think to the hole, 109, and right when I hit it, I knew it was perfect. I thought it would be maybe a couple feet and make birdie but it dropped in. Q. It's so hard to play as the favorite, especially in match play, was there an extra sense this week that it was your week and you felt as good as you can feel? PHILLIP FRANCIS: You know, in a couple of my matches I made some real good saves for par, a couple really good birdies. That's when I kind of knew it was my week to either win it or do real well and depending if I take advantage of my opportunities, just keep playing the way that I was playing; I knew if I keep playing the way that I did, that everything would work out. Q. Here you are playing 34 holes of golf, you hardly look like you broke a sweat, you know you don't have much body fat but everybody out there was saying, it's like you just spent the day at the British Open. PHILLIP FRANCIS: I have a trainer back at home that I work out a lot, I work out usually six days a week, maybe an hour and a half a day. You know, because I get home schooled, so I'll go to school in the morning, play golf in the afternoon and work out in the evening. So physically I think I was real ready for this tournament and all of the events. That's why you see Tiger do so and Camilo and a lot of the young guys, they are so far ahead of some of the other guys on Tour physically because golf has become more of an athletic sport so you have to kind of stay on top of things physically as well. The last year, year and a half, I've gotten a lot stronger and hitting the ball farther and much more consistent from working out. Q. As well as you've played this summer, do you expect to be a factor at the U.S. Amateur? PHILLIP FRANCIS: If I take the game that I had this week and at the Rolex, really for the most part of the summer into the U.S. Am, I think I'll have a pretty good chance to do real well. Q. Were there any matches where you were not necessarily on your game but your opponent played poorly? PHILLIP FRANCIS: Yeah, actually my match with Morgan Hoffman, I didn't feel like I played that well. I wasn't striking it that wall well. I putted okay. I think that was my only match over par, was 1 or 2 over. That was the match where I think I was 3 up with four holes to play and, I don't know, I was just real tired, second match of the day, for some reason. I haven't had that feeling over the last two days. That was my second day of match play but I haven't had that feeling since then, which is a good thing. Just got tired and kind of struggled coming in. Q. Obviously you talked about how much you wanted the tournament, any time in the afternoon round where you had to refocus and not think ahead and start thinking about winning? PHILLIP FRANCIS: Not entirely. I had a lot of confidence, really, the whole afternoon match, and so there were moments where I was like, really, you need to get I was having a lot of fun out there and enjoying the moment. I was playing well. Q. Can you talk about your relationship with your caddie, he says he's known you since you were a pipsqueak? PHILLIP FRANCIS: Yeah, Scott Kleeva, he started when I moved, because I was born and raised in Las Vegas and I moved to desert mountain in Scottsdale in 1994 when I was about five years old. He was kind of my first swing coach out there. You know, someone to go hit balls with, work on my short game. That's just when I was five. I wasn't real serious or anything. He introduced me to what is now my swing coach and really everything coach, Jim Flick and I started working with Jim when I was 7. And ever since then, Jim has took me underneath his wing as a student. Q. Your parents said this might be their last junior golf event or you might play one more? PHILLIP FRANCIS: Yeah, I'm just going to play the Polo. I have one more after this. I'm pretty sure I'm just going to play amateur stuff next year and kind of take it a little bit easy before I go off to college. Especially coming off a win, Rolex and here, when you win the top junior events, it's time to move on to the amateur. It's just different levels. You win there, you're ready to go on to the pros and it's kind of like what Tiger did and a lot of the best players in the world. Q. When you were playing with Richard at home, did you ever talk about the possibility of beating him in the final? PHILLIP FRANCIS: No, we didn't. No, we didn't talk about it once actually. You know, we never really talked about it. Q. You said you guys have some fun beating some Gateway players? PHILLIP FRANCIS: Yeah, we played some good matches against the Gateway players. There are a lot of good players at gate way so it's pretty fun, little mind games, our last one, we took them down pretty good. Q. You don't want to say who, do you? PHILLIP FRANCIS: No. (Laughter). Q. Your match with Sihwan (Kim), was that probably your toughest? PHILLIP FRANCIS: Yeah, because we were both playing real well and you know, Sihwan, past champion and last year we had the same exact thing, last year I was 1 up, one hole to go and he birdied and went into extra holes and same thing as this year. It was a really fun match because we're pretty good friends and I've known him since I was 13 or 14. It was a real up and down match so it was pretty exciting to watch. Q. Have you had a chance to look at a lot of names on that trophy? PHILLIP FRANCIS: Yeah, I actually did. PHILLIP FRANCIS: You know what, I was surprised to hear was Nicklaus never won this event. He played five years and he never won. I was almost going to say, put my name up there with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger I made that mistake that the Rolex. I was like, it's nice to put my name up there with Tiger Woods and then when I'm giving my speech he didn't win, did he. I didn't want to make that mistake again. There's so many good players, Gary Koch and some others. |
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