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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 28, 2009

Byeong-Hun An

TULSA, OKLAHOMA

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome the last of our four semifinalist of the 2009 U.S. Amateur. Byeong An from Koreas but lives in Bradenton, Florida. He is a winner in 21 holes over Steve Ziegler of Broomfield, Colorado.
Give us your emotions at this point. You've gone through a long day to get to a very satisfying goal.
BYEONG-HUN AN: Yeah, definitely. Feeling really just happy and tired. I think because of a long match and he's a really tough opponent. Even though I'm 3-up, I couldn't just let him -- I mean, lose. Kept playing tight and tight, but somehow it went to extra holes. (Indiscernible.)
THE MODERATOR: Are your emotions making you a little bit blurry about the recollection of play?
BYEONG-HUN AN: No, I mean, it was good round. I mean, but some of the holes that I'm really upset about, some shots during the match that were not just bad, they were horrible.
I mean, that's why -- yeah, of course I'm happy. I played well.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Take us through the playoff holes, how those went.
BYEONG-HUN AN: Hard to explain really. I mean, sorry, but what do you -- I mean every hole, just because this course is hard, I think most of the playoff holes, extra holes, par would win the hole, or at least tie. So all I had to do yesterday and today was try to get a par at best, but if I had a chance to go for if or get it close, I have to get it close.
But I think par is good, and bogeys -- I mean, because the course is really hard and the greens are fast and rushing it along, so I think par is good. Like the last hole, the extra holes, par was enough to win. Still...
THE MODERATOR: What he's asking you is if you could, on the last hole where the match was decided, give us a stroke-by-stroke description of what happened.
BYEONG-HUN AN: Yeah, first extra hole he tee'd off first, and then I had a good drive, so I had -- my hands were wet, of course. We both hit a good drive. I saw him hit it left of the green, and I knew it was a little bit -- it was sloped to the left, so all I had to do was hit it on the green and try to make a two-putt, like I said.
All I need to make is par that will give us an extra hole. So I putted. Went over by like nine feet right. I missed right of the green. Wasn't that close to go in. It was way right. I marked it and he chipped over about, I don't know, six feet, I guess, seven feet, six feet. I knew I had to make that putt.
He's a really good player and I knew he was gonna make it. So I put everything together to make the putt, and I made it; we both made a par on that hole.
The second one again, he tee'd off first and hit a great drive. I mean, not great, but it looked okay to me. I had a good drive a little right.
And the second shot, it went over again. I thought it was in the water. Honestly, I thought it was in the water, so I had to layup in front of it. I was in the water two days ago. I know it feels bad when we're both in the water.
Yeah, he back there, so I heard it before I hit my shot. So more like straight on the fairway trying to make a par. I left it short, and then -- I chipped the first putt. It was 25 yards away to the hole. All I wanted to do was not chunk it and just hit it on the green and give myself a par putt.
Went past about 15 feet, left about 15 feet. And then he chipped it. His went just inside of mine. Actually not by a little, it was outside of my ball. He putted and missed. Yeah, it missed.
And then I had my putt to win, which was breaking left to right and a little downhill. I read it perfect. I hit a really good putt, but it didn't break enough so it stayed up. Didn't go in.
The last hole, yeah, we both hit a good drive in the end. Hit the fairway left, and then I knew I had to put mine on the green to make a par. Every hole is the same: all I have to do is make it on the green and try and make a 2-putt.
Steve, he's a really good player, but he didn't chip that one well, I guess and left it short. Felt like all I have to do is make a 2-putt, so lag it up there and let's see.
THE MODERATOR: What was the distance on the putt, the last one?
BYEONG-HUN AN: I think it was about 20, 25 feet. It wasn't that hard. Straight uphill left to right, and then he had about 20 or 18 feet left. If he makes it, I was thinking like, Go to the next hole.

Q. Just curious, you were saying about par is so good out here.
BYEONG-HUN AN: Yeah.

Q. Well, in 21 holes you've only had six pars and only four in the first 18.
BYEONG-HUN AN: That's right. That's right. How many birdies did I have? I can't remember. It's like two, one or two, right?

Q. One. You had a few birdies in there, but there were some bogeys and doubles.
BYEONG-HUN AN: Yeah, we both played pretty bad today. I mean, like I say, the course is hard. I tried to make par, to do my best to make a par. Somehow it didn't work out this morning and this afternoon -- yeah, during this round it didn't work out.
But you had to make a par. If you look at stroke play, even par is good enough to win, so tomorrow again I have to just make pars. I mean, I will be happy with 18 pars, yeah.

Q. You keep saying par, par, par, and that's what you're happy with. Are you the kind of player when it comes to match play you like to keep it conservative? You don't want to attack it? You want to let your opponent make the mistake? Because clearly par, 18 pars tomorrow you think is gonna be good enough?
BYEONG-HUN AN: Um, I'm more like -- I like to attack the pin, like when I have a chance. It's not like possible, but to -- I mean, this course, I want to be more like safe and pars and stay in the middle of the, in the middle of the green and make two-putts.
This course is really tough. I've said that a thousand times, but the course is really tough. I mean, it's the toughest course I've played in my life. So, yeah, tomorrow is good. I'm gonna play defensively.

Q. What would you be doing if you weren't here? Would you be in high school now?
BYEONG-HUN AN: Yeah, I would be in school right now today. Started last Monday and I missed the first week already. I'm playing a tournament next week, too, starting next Thursday, so I'll miss the first two weeks of school. It's pretty bad. I don't like it. (Laughter.)
I mean, I do my homework, but, yeah, I will have a lot work to do after I go back.

Q. Have you thought about the fact that you could be the youngest player to win this, and could also be the first Asian-born player to win this?
BYEONG-HUN AN: (No microphone.)

Q. But you're not 18 yet, are you?
BYEONG-HUN AN: I've never thought about that. Because, yeah, I didn't know I could make it this far because I was playing bad before. It would be great to win, but I know there are a lot of good players out there tomorrow. Patel who I'm playing tomorrow, he is a really good player. Holland, he's a really good player. All three guys are good players.
So it would be awesome if I could win, but I'm happy like winning tomorrow's match to get in the Masters. I mean, I love playing that one.
Yeah, it will be great to win. I hope I do well tomorrow. We will see what happens.

Q. How long have you been in Bradenton, and is that as long as you've been over here in the U.S.?
BYEONG-HUN AN: Yeah, three and a half years. Yeah, yeah.

Q. And you're going into your senior year?
BYEONG-HUN AN: Yes.

Q. Have you played with Patel before?
BYEONG-HUN AN: No.

Q. In junior events?
BYEONG-HUN AN: I don't think so. I played with one of his brothers, I think. I think. There are a lot of them, four of them. But I'm not sure if I played one of them, but not him tomorrow.

Q. Do you know him pretty well, though?
BYEONG-HUN AN: No, I don't think so. I don't know the guy I'm playing tomorrow.

Q. How did you get started playing and how long have you been playing?
BYEONG-HUN AN: Golf, started playing when I was six. My dad was practicing golf that say on the range. I don't know, I guess I had nothing to do that day, so I started hitting some shots.
I think my dad liked it. He liked my swing. So I think that's how I started golf when I was six, yeah.

Q. You said that you were playing badly before. When you say that, do you mean coming into the tournament?
BYEONG-HUN AN: Yeah, coming into it. Right before I was playing really bad. Yeah, I missed the cut and my drive was going everywhere. I had to get it right in the practice rounds. This course is really narrow, so I had to keep it in the fairway, as I said.

Q. Is there something that you feel like clicked this week? Getting to the semifinal something has to be going right.
BYEONG-HUN AN: Definitely my like driver is -- I mean, sure it was going everywhere, but now I'm hitting close to the rough. But to say again, the one on No. 13, it went on the 17th fairway. Yeah, you saw it, right? Then made a bogey on the last hole.
My driver was good this week and my putting was really good and my iron shots. Everything was good today, but my putting is really good, yeah.

Q. To follow up on the age issue, was there ever a point in time this week where you felt intimidated by the good golfers here, or are you kind of used to being around good golfers all the time?
BYEONG-HUN AN: I mean, this feels really great. Rickie Fowler is the No. 1 player in the amateurs. I don't feel -- of course I see a lot of good players on the range and it's like, Oh, look, there's Rickie Fowler and Morgan Hoffman. They're playing Walker Cup. They're really good players, but I'm not really used to big tournaments and a lot of big names.
But I think -- I don't think I felt intimidated before I golf. I just played my best, yeah. I played my best to win, or play better.

Q. Never a feeling that you're a guy that's not supposed to be here because they're older and established maybe a little more?
BYEONG-HUN AN: I think not really, because there's a lot of them who have been younger who have been better than me. So it will happen to me like next few years, maybe two later, three years later. Someone who is younger than me will come up. Same thing.
I mean, I don't have to feel different than them. We're the same golfers. They're better players than me, but we all qualified for this tournament so I think we all have the same, like, golf abilities, or, yeah.

Q. Were you always the biggest kid in your class, or have you had a growth spurt in the last few years?
BYEONG-HUN AN: What do you mean biggest?

Q. Good sized youngster.
BYEONG-HUN AN: Yeah, of course, yeah, I'm the -- not the biggest, but pretty big compared to other guys. It's pretty good I think, to be big. I like that on this course.

Q. What was part of your decision-making in terms of deciding to come over here and go to Leadbetter Academy?
BYEONG-HUN AN: In Korea, you can't -- you don't get to practice in winter, or like January, February, March because it's really cold. Right now, I think they have better facilities than here, like down in Florida. They have like a lot of golf courses and you can practice anywhere.
First I went to IMG Academy. They had a good range and a lot of putting greens. It's perfect for golf. It was awesome. You could practice whenever and wherever you want. I mean, it was great. So there's better facilities right here, now, yeah, than Korea.

Q. Are you there on your own or is your family with you?
BYEONG-HUN AN: My dad is with me, and my grandma, yeah.
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations.
BYEONG-HUN AN: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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