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U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 10, 2007Amanda BlumenherstCARMEL, INDIANA RHONDA GLENN: It looked like you had the Amanda Blumenhurst fan club out there in full voice. AMANDA BLUMENHURST: Yes, I do, the Blumenhurst bosses as Jennie calls us. It was a lot of fun. They even color coordinated, my aunt and my mom. They all wore white and black. But it was a lot of fun to have all the Indiana -- a lot of family and friends who came, as well. RHONDA GLENN: How much does that help? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: It really helps, just gives me more motivation and also know that I have such a great support system behind me. And I also think it's a little tough on the competitor, just because, I mean, they're going nuts when I hit a shot, just because there's so many of them, and they're family. RHONDA GLENN: How do you feel now about this match overall? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: Well, I felt I played great. I think I had five birdies in a row. Yeah, I just hit the ball very solid, and my uncle was helping me read the greens, and we just put two and two together. RHONDA GLENN: And what will you try to do tomorrow? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: Just keep it going. I'm playing really well, and I have a lot of confidence in my game and my ability to play match play. It looks good. RHONDA GLENN: When did Jennie say to you at the conclusion of the match? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: She kind of gave it one of those, like, "You played well." She played fine, it's just that when you have five birdies, it's hard in match play against the person you're playing. RHONDA GLENN: I know you're such good friends, I thought she might have had some special -- AMANDA BLUMENHURST: No, I think she was kind of in shock. Q. How much did you guys talk out there? Did you chat out there? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: Not at all. I think we gave each other a hug in the morning, and that was it. I think I asked her if she wanted the pin in once. Q. Was that hard to do? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: Well, we've been able to catch up a lot over this tournament, so we had talked quite a bit. I also wanted to talk about her -- I felt old. I think we're the two oldest ones left in it, so I wanted to talk to her about that. But that can wait for later. Q. How many family members and friends do you think you have here? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: I think I gave the count yesterday, but I think it's around 15. Q. You said this golf course suits your game because you grew up on a course that was very similar to this. How does this golf course suit your game? I mean, the landing areas are pretty generous off the tee, you have to use a lot of strategy for your approach shots, greens are fairly tricky. AMANDA BLUMENHURST: I grew up playing in Sycamore Hills, and that is the definition of that course, as well. You still have to hit it well off the tee there, but you really have to have -- you have to be solid in your iron play. And I think that really helped me growing up. You had to pick your targets and you had to be able to hit them there. So that helped tremendously. And also I'm so familiar with this type of grass and the rough and on the greens and in the fairway. That's just given me a lot of confidence, as well. Q. Your new approach to match play, do you -- unless your opponent is in the lake or stiff, are you just not paying any attention? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: I'm not paying attention, maybe like the last hole I knew I just needed to two-putt, so I wasn't going to go try to ram it in the hole. But really, the last -- I mean, the last four matches, I've just really been playing my game, one shot, one hole at a time. Q. You just wish you would have started sooner, huh? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: Yeah, practice makes perfect. Q. How tired are you? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: Not at all. My knees were a little sore yesterday, but besides that, I mean, I feel great. We only played 14 today. Q. That helps. AMANDA BLUMENHURST: Yes, exactly. Q. Did y'all have pleasantries before the match? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: Yeah, we gave each other a hug before we set out, but that was it. Another thing that I've been doing for match play is that when I start off, I say hello, and then I really don't talk to anyone almost throughout the entire match. And then when it's over, I can socialize. Q. Was it difficult not to want to talk to her? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: Well, like I said -- I had said earlier, we had really been able to catch up throughout the entire -- this whole week, and then also we were at North-South together, so we kind of were able to talk previous to the match. Now it's just kind of getting down to business. Q. So does that mean that you used to talk a lot in match play? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: I did, and I always used to talk a lot more in stroke play, as well, when I was -- even freshman year in college. But then I really kind of quit talking last year in the spring, and it seemed to help (laughter), and then I've kind of applied that to today, as well. Q. Whose idea was it for you to stop talking? Was it your idea, your coach, your dad? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: It was me, just kind of a trial-and-error thing, saw what worked. Definitely my dad said that it's helped in match play because I was -- I think he said I was putting the other girls almost in a comfort zone because I was talking with them, where now I'm just going to stick to my game. Q. You made a bunch of birdies yesterday, too. Are you playing just about as well as you can play? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: I'm playing very solid. I'm hitting the ball great and I'm making the putts. Throughout the entire -- gosh, the last few years, my long irons and my driver has always been the strength of my game, and it's always been the putter that's given me a lot of trouble. It's not so much my stroke, it's my reading greens, and now my uncle has helped with that. So it's been very helpful. Q. What kind of golfer is he? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: He's a pro at Autumn Ridge which is in Fort Wayne, and also Cherry Hill. Q. Have you learned anything from him? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: He's helped me quite a bit, learn different ways to read -- I know if it breaks right to left, but how much. It's really given me something to learn throughout this tournament, as well. Q. Do you think you're intimidating? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: I don't think so, but maybe I could be, especially -- well, I walk quite a bit faster than the other girls, and so I think that could -- if you're always looking at the back of me, that could be a little intimidating (laughter). Q. Plus you outdrive them. AMANDA BLUMENHURST: Yes. Q. How much do you think you out drove Jennie today? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: I know somebody was keeping a tally, but I'd have to say maybe 30, 40 yards, 30 yards. Q. What's the strength of her game? Obviously you're quite intimate with it. AMANDA BLUMENHURST: Well, she doesn't get in a lot of trouble. She's going to hit it straight. I mean, that's just her strong point is not getting in trouble, in the middle of the green, on the fairway, just very solid. And she has a good little short game, too. Q. With the wide fairways here, does this golf course really play to a long hitter? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: It definitely helps, but I mean, you still have to hit it -- kind of know where you're going with the driver, especially on the back side when you start having to really cut corners. Like for me I kept driving it through the fairways like on 10 or 11 and 12 and 14. 15 even, you just can drive it straight through if you hit it well. So you have to strategize where you're going to place it. Q. Had you played this course before this week? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: No, I hadn't. I grew up two hours north of here, so I never really got down to play. Q. But you said yesterday you really like this course? AMANDA BLUMENHURST: I really do, very much, yes. It reminds me of the course I grew up on. RHONDA GLENN: Congratulations, Amanda. Good luck tomorrow. You did well. Thanks for coming in. AMANDA BLUMENHURST: No problem. End of FastScripts |
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