|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 24, 2007Jhonattan VegasSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA CRAIG SMITH: Jhonattan, another good round. As I look back on things here, I have got you that you have trailed only in your first match, but never after the 8th hole. You have gotten a quick start and you did so again today winning the first hole. JHONATTAN VEGAS: Yeah. I think that the deal with this golf course is the first five holes, they're extremely hard. And I've been really putting a lot of effort into getting into a really good start. If I can par every single one, 1 through 5, I think I'm going to be in good shape. And I have been putting in a lot of effort to play really smart on those holes. But I think that that's one of the hardest stretches on the course. CRAIG SMITH: 1 through 5, the No. 1 here we have got you as a 3. Take us there through that. If that No. 1 is meaning something to you, take us through that first hole this morning. JHONATTAN VEGAS: I got there and I knew I had to, I had to hit a good shot. I was the first one on the tee. And I felt like I need to hit a good shot I guess to get going. I hit a beautiful shot. I think the best driver I've hit or maybe the second best driver I've hit during the week. And then I hit a great 8-iron. But he was in the left trees, so I felt a little bit better. And I hit a great second shot to about two feet and made eagle. CRAIG SMITH: I think we just need to back up a little bit. The hole is 500 some yards, you hit driver, 8-iron? JHONATTAN VEGAS: I did. Yeah. I hit, like I said, I hit a great driver. It was kind of fun. Q. In terms of your confidence this week, has it continued to build with each match? I've got to assume it has obviously because you continue to play well and keep going farther. But how confident are you in your game right now? JHONATTAN VEGAS: Well I really trust my game right now. I'm not afraid to play golf. If I would be afraid to play golf I wouldn't be here. And every single guy's hard here and have the same mentality. Even Pan, he was a 15 year old, he's a great player. And he came with the mentality that he was one of the best players in the world, because he is right now. And I truly treated everyone the same way and with respect and I have to play, I have to play at my level. CRAIG SMITH: You had to be a little mentally strong there because of what he did to you right here around the clubhouse, hole 7, hole 8 he gets up-and-down from the bunker and steals a couple from you. JHONATTAN VEGAS: He did. But I just tried to keep my patience through the whole round. Even if I lose a couple holes, I don't get down or I don't get too excited. And he did that. And then I knew 9 was coming up, it was a hard hole, and I think that I just had to play good from now on. And that's what I did. But I never got too down or too excited about what happened there. CRAIG SMITH: The contrast between you and your opponent today, he's 15, he must weigh about 110 pounds, was it hard to be strong, be aggressive and treat him with respect that obviously he deserved. JHONATTAN VEGAS: Well it wasn't hard because I never thought about him being a 15 year old, 116 pounds. I thought about him like one of the best players in the world. And I had to give him the respect. And that's what I did. And I had to play my best to beat him and I, he gave me a good fight and it was great. It was, I really enjoyed playing with him. Q. How did you get interested in golf in Venezuela and then obviously it's baseball I imagine is a little bit more popular than golf. But curious your beginnings in the sport and what golf is like in Venezuela. JHONATTAN VEGAS: Well actually like I said yesterday, everything started with my dad. When he was younger he worked as a caddie in one of the country clubs in Caracas. And he had really got passionate about golf. And then he moved to Maturin, that's the city where I was born and oil is a big deal there and they have oil camps. And they have golf courses inside those oil camps. And my dad used to play a lot and I used to watch him a lot and I started to play when I was 2. But I just wanted to follow his steps. As a golfer and he was -- he kind of told me that the things that I needed to get to play it this sport. Q. Did you ever play baseball? JHONATTAN VEGAS: I did. And I think I was kind of good at it, but I think I found golf a little more interesting and a little more challenging because it's a single sport, it's you and the golf course and the ball that you're playing with. So it's a little more interesting. Q. It's another country, obviously, another nation, but South America, but what did Angel Cabrera's win, did golfers all around South America take that as a big victory or just in Argentina? JHONATTAN VEGAS: Well, I look at it that -- I feed from it. Because if he can do it, obviously he's a great player, don't get me wrong, but he come from Argentina, and I think he was a caddie also. And if he could do it, he had the desire to do it, and I feel like I have the desire too and that also I think helped me realize that I can do it too. CRAIG SMITH: You came here at age 18 and you know of your Texas legacy of some good golfers. Have any of those golfers like Justin Leonard, been in touch with you? JHONATTAN VEGAS: I think so. I've been around a lot with Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw, actually Craig Fields has made arrangements to meet with those guys. And being around them because, you know, I think that they have provided us with good information about how golf is and how professional golf is. And how hard it is. And I think that I can, that whatever they said really helped me move forward as a golfer. CRAIG SMITH: Maybe you could share, we were at breakfast this morning with, tell me a little bit of the Coach Brown story of coming up and he was thinking that you were big enough to play some football. JHONATTAN VEGAS: Well, I think that the first time I met him like we were playing in our golf course and like he really thought I was a football player. He was like, I mean, you really look like on a tight end. Do you really play golf or are you joking with me? So it was kind of fun. And he's a great guy. And he was kind of fun thinking, I mean him thinking about me as a football player, which I'm the opposite. CRAIG SMITH: Dad got you into golf, has dad been able to come to the states to watch you play golf. JHONATTAN VEGAS: The last time he came was in 2003 when he came to see me at the Shell Houston Open. But he hasn't watched me much. But he just provides the support that he should provide on giving me encouragement and keeping me on track. CRAIG SMITH: We talked a little bit about this yesterday with Julio, your younger brother, you beat him in the national Venezuelan Open or the Amateur in the final. What has it meant this week to have him on your bag? What has he done for you, how do you work together? JHONATTAN VEGAS: Oh, my God, I think that it's been, he's been the key of my success. Like he really encouraged me on every shot. He's like, you'll get this right. And just hit every shot with a lot of intention. Because we work with the same teacher and he knows how things work and he just keep me on track. He's always like, do what you need to do. And it's fun. He's a great guy and I love him and it's fun to have him on the bag this week. Q. Seems like those clothes should be saved for Sunday. Are you going to bring them back out if you make it? JHONATTAN VEGAS: Well, I just felt like today was the right day to wear it of the. I think tomorrow I'm going to wear orange. That's my second luckiest color. But I think today was a really important day. And I feel like red was going to give me a little more confidence, and it did. CRAIG SMITH: How about just in general, I think everyone here would say the same, that your smile is big, it's contagious, was there ever a time in your life when you did not have that big smile? JHONATTAN VEGAS: Oh, never. Never. I think that my parents always wanted to have fun and in everything we did. That he never, he never or they never encouraged us to do anything or, I mean, they didn't -- they actually never make us do anything. They were like, I mean you do it if you want to, but if you're going to do it, I really want you to be passionate of it. And that's how everything started. That fire grew up in me and I just have a lot of fun playing golf. And this is what I love. And every time I'm on the golf course I just have a great time. And being here, playing the U.S. Amateur, I mean it doesn't get better than this. Q. What does your dad do? What do your parents do? JHONATTAN VEGAS: My dad has like a carrying company that does like food services and stuff like that for the oil companies. Q. What city again is that? JHONATTAN VEGAS: Maturin. M A T U R I N. Q. How frequently do you get back home? JHONATTAN VEGAS: At the most if I get lucky, I'll go twice a year. But it's normally during Christmas that I go back. CRAIG SMITH: It's a big step for you, you come here at age 18, you know little or no English, and now you're pretty much on your own and you get back maybe twice a year. Are you homesick? JHONATTAN VEGAS: You know, it's hard not to go home. But I think I keep in mind that I'm going to go and do these or things that I need to do to get better as a golfer and as a person. And that keeps me really motivated. But every time I go home it's extremely hard coming back. And just leaving my mom and dad and my friends and it's just extremely hard. CRAIG SMITH: Because it's so deep inside of you, are you more driven to be successful because of all that you have to sacrifice to get where you want to go? JHONATTAN VEGAS: I'm really passionate about reaching my goals. And when I set a goal in front of me, I just try everything I have to reach it. And but, you know, there's a fire in me that says that I'm a good golfer and I could be one of the best players in the world, but I have to really work on it to get better. CRAIG SMITH: Who is the best golfer from Venezuela. JHONATTAN VEGAS: Well I think that the best golfer that has come from Venezuela is Ramon Munoz. I think he's older now. But he played I think a few Tour events here and world tournaments and he was great, but he's not well known. Q. Who is your favorite Venezuelan baseball player? JHONATTAN VEGAS: I would say Bobby Abreu is. He plays for a team that I like at home. And that's why I kind of like him the most. Q. You like his scowl as well? JHONATTAN VEGAS: He's the best short stop ever. Don't get me wrong. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|