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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 25, 2007Michael ThompsonSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA CRAIG SMITH: Michael, again, you have put the pedal to the metal. You haven't been behind, the first hole has been very, very good to you. What does that mean to get off to such a good start? MICHAEL THOMPSON: It's good to get that first hole out of the way and play solid. It's always a little nerve wracking on the first hole. And to get off to a good solid start, not necessarily striping it to begin with, but just get off with a good par or a conceded birdie is awesome. Then to play the next five holes even par or 1-over is absolutely critical. Because those are such tough holes and you got to play well on them. CRAIG SMITH: I know we have concessions in a match play format, but you were the only one to finish that front 9-under par. Kind of making a statement both against your opponent and if anybody else looks at that. Do you think you're playing as well as it shows? MICHAEL THOMPSON: Absolutely. I was hitting it absolutely perfect the first six or seven holes. I think when I 3-putted that number 7, I lost a little bit of momentum and kind of lost my head a little bit. But getting off to that great start, playing real solid, hitting fairways and greens was really important for me. Because I knew that if I got up ahead early I could maintain that. I know can I maintain that. Because it doesn't take pars and birdies out here, sometimes it takes bogeys to half holes. CRAIG SMITH: You're 3-up and you come to that wonderful 7th hole that you play and you drive it again. Only this time you're behind it. You're actually over the green on the par-4 and you make five. MICHAEL THOMPSON: I couldn't believe that. It bounced all the way over the green. Because I hit it almost in the exact same spot during the 36 hole day on Thursday. And it came all the way back down to the front. So you really have to get lucky with that bounce there. And that chip was nearly impossible. It was, I played it just about as good as I could. I didn't get it up in the fringe enough, but obviously I shouldn't have 2-putted or shouldn't have 3-putted, but I was 3-up at that point, I had a little bit of breathing room and I knew that if I kept playing solid one shot at a time then I could come out on top. CRAIG SMITH: It's hard to play one shot at a time and get it accomplished, but congratulations, you're in the U.S. Open and you probably have a likely invitation to next year's Masters. MICHAEL THOMPSON: Thank you very much. It hasn't sunk in yet and I'm absolutely thrilled that I've gotten into the U.S. Open for next year. So it's going to be fun. Q. You said yesterday that you try not to think about that, the fact that the match is the U.S. Open and it was at stake today. At what point did it sort of flash through your mind or did it at all? MICHAEL THOMPSON: On 15. When we were both pretty close there. I knew that I was sitting pretty. And if I -- I knew that if I made the putt I would win the match. And unfortunately I didn't hit it hard enough, but I had the right line and I expected him to make that, his birdie putt. In match play you always expect the player to make putts or make great shots. And told myself, okay, one more hole, that's not going to hurt us. You're still dormie. So go out, play solid, and hit the green and make par and make him, force him to make a brilliant shot. And he made par, almost made that putt, but 15 was where I started thinking about it. And that might be a reason why I missed that putt but, you know, who cares. (Laughter.) Q. Feel like you should be in the Walker Cup mix now? MICHAEL THOMPSON: Absolutely. Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind that I should, that I should -- I confused myself there. I think I should be on the Walker Cup team and Colt came up to me this morning and told me that he said, "Go get em today, you deserve to be on that team with us." So that was really nice to hear before the round. And nice to hear that those guys on the team are convinced that I'm, that I can play with them and that I deserve to be on that team. So I'm hoping I get a call some time soon. CRAIG SMITH: What's it going to take to win tomorrow? Do you like pars or do you need a little bit better. MICHAEL THOMPSON: I think a little bit better. Colt's been playing real well this whole week. And I think we have both been playing pretty similar in terms of making pars and couple birdies here and there. CRAIG SMITH: You both have been putting well. MICHAEL THOMPSON: Yeah, we really have. And so it's going to be a battle tomorrow. I think it's going to come down to the end. And it's a long day, stay patient, and I know I can beat him and I know he can beat me. So it's really whoever comes out playing the best tomorrow is going to win. I'm just going to enjoy it. I'm so thrilled to be here that I don't know. I'm just going to enjoy it. It's going to be fun. Q. How well do you know him and what's it going to be like playing a guy you know? MICHAEL THOMPSON: I've actually played with him several times this summer. So I've gotten to know him a little bit and his mannerisms on the golf course and what he likes to do. So it's going to be a little bit familiar so I know what to expect. And I think we'll have a good time. Especially that I'm looking to be on the Walker Cup team and it will be a friendly match, I think. Q. What do you think about his dilemma? With the Masters and having that spot and now he's got a spot in the U.S. Open also and? MICHAEL THOMPSON: That is a hard decision. I would not want to be in his shoes, because he's done with school and I know he wants to turn pro and start playing professionally and make a name for himself at that level. But it's just so hard to pass up the Masters and the U.S. Open. And possibly the British Open. But I know he's going to be successful in the future. So it's his decision to make and he'll make the right one for him. Q. You said you played with him a few times this summer and he's obviously won the Public Links and he's made the finals here, he's obviously very good in match play. What about his game makes him so tough to beat in match play? MICHAEL THOMPSON: I think that he's, he hits the ball well and he's very precise in everything that he does. And he's very confident in himself. He's not to the point where he's cocky and obnoxious, but he's just very confident player, very good player, a good putter. He scrambles real well. And I think I have all those qualities too. So it's going to be a pretty even match, I think. Q. As a match play player, how different are you now than you were when you lost that first match in 2004? MICHAEL THOMPSON: I'm just more experienced with dealing with the pressures. For one, I don't put as much pressure on myself any more. Being so young then I put a lot of pressure and in terms of wanting to go out and win all the time. Win every hole, almost. I didn't really know how to deal with the crowds and the media and seeing the cameras, the camera towers and stuff like that. I never really experienced that. And three years later I have. I've been in that position. I've played in front of big crowds before. So my composure on the golf course has gotten a lot better. Q. You said you think you should be on the Walker Cup team and I think when you came here you thought you should have been on the Walker Cup team. Do you think that this makes a statement or does this really matter? MICHAEL THOMPSON: Absolutely. I think that I've been reading up on all the articles and everything about Walker Cup, because it interests me. And I know that I'm right on the like the cut line, I guess, basically, the top four or five players that were being considered before the U.S. Amateur. And I knew that if I made it to match play and won a couple matches that I would get the attention of the USGA and Buddy and now that I've made it to the final, I think I made a huge statement. So this is a really big deal in terms of Walker Cup potential. Q. Other than this week how much success have you had in match play, have you had any? I know you don't play a lot. MICHAEL THOMPSON: Right, I haven't played a whole lot. I played in the Pacific Northwest Men's Amateur last summer. And won one match, I think. And lost the second match on the 18th hole. But when I was a junior I won the Arizona State Junior Match Play. So that was -- I kind of refer back to those times and remember how I was playing then and playing in the heat of Arizona was a lot different and I was really young. I played a little bit differently then. And, but I remember my thoughts from back then and how I played and what it takes to win over long period of time in match play. Q. What does it take? MICHAEL THOMPSON: A lot of patience. A lot of patience and staying focused on one shot at a time. Tournaments like this are, they're an endurance test. And the guys who think the best out on the golf course are going to make it the farthest. And I think I've done that this week and hopefully I can come out refreshed tomorrow and keep playing the way I have been. Q. Knowing what you do now about match play, and obviously it's a learning experience, you think Tiger won three in a row and is that, I mean, is that like even becoming more amazing that he did that? MICHAEL THOMPSON: Absolutely. I can't believe he was able to do that. This is such a hard tournament to just even make it past the few rounds. There's so many good players. And to be playing this many rounds of golf over a one week stretch is just a lot. And you don't see that anywhere else. And I realize now that what he did was incredible. And I don't know if I could do that, but I'm just glad to be able to experience kind of what he experienced. So. Q. What did you think stepping up to the 7th tee today, given what you did yesterday? Kind of hard to improve on that? MICHAEL THOMPSON: Yeah, I was like, man, I hope I do that again. Q. And then what, can you sort of describe in detail what happened then today there? MICHAEL THOMPSON: My game plan on that hole has been to go for it every time. The tees were moved up and I kind of actually don't like it when they're moved up like that, because I know I'm going to carry it on the green and it potentially can bounce all the way over and then it's a really hard chip. But my game plan has always been the same, because -- and Casey laid up and having that shot into that pin is really hard to keep it on that mid level. So it's -- so both -- the hole's a good hole. It's a good hole. And I into you that I was going to go for it and I actually mishit it just a tad. But it still carried on the green. I wish I would have aimed a little bit farther left, but it happened. And, whatever, the hole played out as it should. Q. It rolled through? MICHAEL THOMPSON: Yeah, it bounced all the way up past the third tier and over the green. Q. How far off? MICHAEL THOMPSON: A foot and a half or two feet. Q. And were you in the long stuff? MICHAEL THOMPSON: Yeah. Q. And that makes the chip very difficult. MICHAEL THOMPSON: Well, it made it difficult because it was all downhill. And I had to play it almost up to the fringe, there was a little microphone or whatever off the green and I had to aim almost 90 degrees from the hole. And just kind of let it trickle down. And I didn't catch enough fringe. Because the fringe was going to stop it if I got it up there. So it just rolled all the way off to the front of the green. Q. You're talking about 7 and 18 is another 300 something yards, until you came here, could you appreciate holes that weren't 500 yards long? MICHAEL THOMPSON: Absolutely. I love classic courses like this. I played in the Northeast Amateur and that's par 69, 6900 yard golf course that was one person was under par. And I love playing golf courses like that, because it's a true test of the game and those kind of courses, that's the way the great players and in the '40s, '50's and '60's played it and they're still tough today. So those are my favorite courses. I don't really appreciate the newer courses as much. Q. Where did you grow up playing? MICHAEL THOMPSON: I actually played a lot of public courses in Tucson, Arizona. We moved out my parents moved out to a country club, a little small little country club on the east side of town my freshman year in high school. And I was able to practice and play out there mostly every day. So I started out at the public courses in Tucson. Q. Your philosophy match play-wise, is it to play the course or is it to play the player/situation? MICHAEL THOMPSON: Play the course. That's the way this game is played. And you can't divert off that path playing the golf course when you're playing someone else. Just one other person. Sure, you got to be aware of how many strokes they have taken or whatnot and where they hit the ball, to kind of maybe on your approach shots you play the player a little bit more, depending upon where he is. Like on 6 he hit it really close, I knew that I had to go right at the pin, so there was no doubt in my mind that I had to go right at it. Little stuff like that. But for the most part you're just trying to play the course, get around in as few strokes as you can and I try not to stray from that a whole lot. Q. Arizona and Arizona State have great golf programs and you got the Mickelson and Rory and Annika and people like that, why didn't you stay in state? MICHAEL THOMPSON: I never even got a call from Arizona State and I never got a call from U of A coming out of high school. I talked to Rick when I transferred from Tulane, but I didn't want to go back there. But hardly any of the, actually none of the west coast schools recruited me. CRAIG SMITH: I bet they would like to do that over again. MICHAEL THOMPSON: Yeah, maybe. CRAIG SMITH: Thank you. MICHAEL THOMPSON: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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