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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 19, 1996Jeff GilchristCORNELIUS, OREGON CRAIG SMITH: Jeff, 35, 32 at Ghost, just go through some of your emotions of the achievement. You're low. JEFF GILCHRIST: I think I birdied 3. Three might be the par 3 and I had the three putt, my only bogey on the par 4, and made some good saves. I turned at 1 under, got another birdie there. Made a good birdie on 10. Real good up-and-down on 12 and then just steady the rest of the way. Didn't miss any greens. I had about a 10-footer I missed for birdie on 17. Eighteen I hit a driver wedge to make the putt. CRAIG SMITH: Do you know some of the guys you're beating? JEFF GILCHRIST: Just through reading about them, that's about it. Q. Do you go to college? Can you tell us something about your background? JEFF GILCHRIST: I do. I played golf two years at San Jose State and I caddied for my brother on the Nike Tour. I'm finishing at Sacramento State. I have two semesters to go. CRAIG SMITH: Your brother's name? JEFF GILCHRIST: Derek. Q. Are you playing at Sac State? JEFF GILCHRIST: No. My eligibility is done. Q. D-e-r-r-i-c-k? JEFF GILCHRIST: D-e-r-e-k. Q. How much have you been able to play of late with no college eligibility? JEFF GILCHRIST: A lot. We've got a great system in northern California with a lot of great tournaments. So I've been playing those full-time. I've been trying to win the Player of the Year title there. It's based on a point system. I've been doing a lot of practicing and playing in those tournaments. We just had an NCGA Am. I was defending champion. I lost first round. Q. What's the biggest win you've had? JEFF GILCHRIST: The NCGA Amateur. And I was medalist in our state amateur. And I lost second round of match play. Q. A lot of great golfers in the NCGA Am, Gary Vanier, and Randy Haag, those guys, Casey Boyns. Have you talked to those guys about playing in this event at all? JEFF GILCHRIST: No, I haven't. This is only I think my second USGA. I played in the Team Championship and in Florida last year. This is my first U.S. Am. Fourth attempt at trying to qualify. Q. Have you been up here in Portland before? JEFF GILCHRIST: No, it's my first time here. I think I might move here now. CRAIG SMITH: Jeff, when we were walking down I think you had said 67, you're low. You obviously were thrilled at that and probably thought somebody was a little lower. Are you surprised? JEFF GILCHRIST: No. Now that I think about it I'm not. I was just happy with my score. I thought I might be tied for the lead. I thought I shot 67. I forgot par was 71. When you play well, you think other guys are playing well. You think the course isn't playing that hard. So I am a little surprised. CRAIG SMITH: You're -- JEFF GILCHRIST: 24. Q. What's your mentality going through this? Trying to get in qualifying for match play, are you just trying to shoot a low number or -- JEFF GILCHRIST: Just trying to take each shot one at a time. My goal is to get into match play and see what I can do from there. Q. Does having a score like this change how you approach tomorrow? JEFF GILCHRIST: Not at all. I'll try and hit the first drive on the fairway and go from there. Q. You're not going to play any more conservatively tomorrow than you played today? JEFF GILCHRIST: I might. If I was on the bubble I might go with some different pins, but I'll probably be a little more conservative. I play conservative anyway. I don't hit the ball very far and hit it low. A lot of these greens I'm playing to the front and trying to get it on the surface. Q. Does it give you some breathing room, though, knowing that you've got a little pad? JEFF GILCHRIST: Definitely, definitely. Q. Is your brother still on the Nike Tour? JEFF GILCHRIST: No, he's playing the Canadian Tour. He was a conditional player. Q. Are you a good caddy? JEFF GILCHRIST: Am I? Q. Yes. JEFF GILCHRIST: I thought I was, but we didn't do too well out there. He was having a tough time mentally. He was getting too worked up over each individual shot. We had a hard time getting comfortable and having some good rounds. I think he's coming home today. Maybe I'll fly him in and have him caddy for me. Q. That must have given you a good look at professional golf. JEFF GILCHRIST: Definitely. Q. What a tough league that is? JEFF GILCHRIST: Definitely. Q. What was your overall impression at the end of that period of time caddying? JEFF GILCHRIST: I learned a lot about patience, and that you're going to hit so many shots throughout your career, you can't afford to get worked up or mad at them; just a lot of patience. Q. Do you consider playing pro, yourself? JEFF GILCHRIST: Yeah, I'm going to turn pro in October. Play some mini tour events in California while I finish up school. And probably go to Canada next summer if the dates work out. And I'd like to have my game together to go to tour school at the end of next year. Q. Save the three grand this year? JEFF GILCHRIST: Yeah. Although I'd like to go, the finals are at my home college course in Santa Barbara. I'm going to get my degree. And I've got some work to do on my game. CRAIG SMITH: What if you win this? JEFF GILCHRIST: I'll stay amateur, and play in The Masters, definitely (laughter.) Q. Is there anything different in terms of comfort for you playing match play or medal play? JEFF GILCHRIST: I like match play. Most of the college guys I play with hit it by me, so I can throw it on the green in front of them and keep putting pressure on them. I like the format. CRAIG SMITH: Thanks, Jeff. End of FastScripts.... 17. Eighteen I hit a driver wedge to make the putt.CRAIG SMITH: Do you know some of the guys you're beating? JEFF GILCHRIST: Just through reading about them, that's about it. � Q. Do you go to college? Can you tell us something about your background? JEFF GILCHRIST: I do. I played golf two years at San Jose State and I caddied for my brother on the Nike Tour. I'm finishing at Sacramento State. I have two semesters to go. CRAIG SMITH: Your brother's name? JEFF GILCHRIST: Derek. � Q. Are you playing at Sac State? JEFF GILCHRIST: No. My eligibility is done. � Q. D-e-r-r-i-c-k? JEFF GILCHRIST: D-e-r-e-k. � Q. How much have you been able to play of late with no college eligibility? JEFF GILCHRIST: A lot. We've got a great system in northern California with a lot of great tournaments. So I've been playing those full-time. I've been trying to win the Player of the Year title there. It's based on a point system. I've been doing a lot of practicing and playing in those tournaments. We just had an NCGA Am. I was defending champion. I lost first round. � Q. What's the biggest win you've had? JEFF GILCHRIST: The NCGA Amateur. And I was medalist in our state amateur. And I lost second round of match play. � Q. A lot of great golfers in the NCGA Am, Gary Vanier, and Randy Haag, those guys, Casey Boyns. Have you talked to those guys about playing in this event at all? JEFF GILCHRIST: No, I haven't. This is only I think my second USGA. I played in the Team Championship and in Florida last year. This is my first U.S. Am. Fourth attempt at trying to qualify. � Q. Have you been up here in Portland before? JEFF GILCHRIST: No, it's my first time here. I think I might move here now. CRAIG SMITH: Jeff, when we were walking down I think you had said 67, you're low. You obviously were thrilled at that and probably thought somebody was a little lower. Are you surprised? JEFF GILCHRIST: No. Now that I think about it I'm not. I was just happy with my score. I thought I might be tied for the lead. I thought I shot 67. I forgot par was 71. When you play well, you think other guys are playing well. You think the course isn't playing that hard. So I am a little surprised. CRAIG SMITH: You're -- JEFF GILCHRIST: 24. � Q. What's your mentality going through this? Trying to get in qualifying for match play, are you just trying to shoot a low number or -- JEFF GILCHRIST: Just trying to take each shot one at a time. My goal is to get into match play and see what I can do from there. � Q. Does having a score like this change how you approach tomorrow? JEFF GILCHRIST: Not at all. I'll try and hit the first drive on the fairway and go from there. � Q. You're not going to play any more conservatively tomorrow than you played today? JEFF GILCHRIST: I might. If I was on the bubble I might go with some different pins, but I'll probably be a little more conservative. I play conservative anyway. I don't hit the ball very far and hit it low. A lot of these greens I'm playing to the front and trying to get it on the surface. � Q. Does it give you some breathing room, though, knowing that you've got a little pad? JEFF GILCHRIST: Definitely, definitely. � Q. Is your brother still on the Nike Tour? JEFF GILCHRIST: No, he's playing the Canadian Tour. He was a conditional player. � Q. Are you a good caddy? JEFF GILCHRIST: Am I? � Q. Yes. JEFF GILCHRIST: I thought I was, but we didn't do too well out there. He was having a tough time mentally. He was getting too worked up over each individual shot. We had a hard time getting comfortable and having some good rounds. I think he's coming home today. Maybe I'll fly him in and have him caddy for me. � Q. That must have given you a good look at professional golf. JEFF GILCHRIST: Definitely. � Q. What a tough league that is? JEFF GILCHRIST: Definitely. � Q. What was your overall impression at the end of that period of time caddying? JEFF GILCHRIST: I learned a lot about patience, and that you're going to hit so many shots throughout your career, you can't afford to get worked up or mad at them; just a lot of patience. � Q. Do you consider playing pro, yourself? JEFF GILCHRIST: Yeah, I'm going to turn pro in October. Play some mini tour events in California while I finish up school. And probably go to Canada next summer if the dates work out. And I'd like to have my game together to go to tour school at the end of next year. � Q. Save the three grand this year? JEFF GILCHRIST: Yeah. Although I'd like to go, the finals are at my home college course in Santa Barbara. I'm going to get my degree. And I've got some work to do on my game. CRAIG SMITH: What if you win this? JEFF GILCHRIST: I'll stay amateur, and play in The Masters, definitely (laughter.) � Q. Is there anything different in terms of comfort for you playing match play or medal play? JEFF GILCHRIST: I like match play. Most of the college guys I play with hit it by me, so I can throw it on the green in front of them and keep putting pressure on them. I like the format. CRAIG SMITH: Thanks, Jeff. � End of FastScripts.... |
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