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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 27, 2010

David Chung

UNIVERSITY PLACE, WASHINGTON

THE MODERATOR: Like to welcome our second semifinalist to the media center, Mr. David Chung, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, who is the winner in a good match against Scott Langley. That was quite a tussle. Tell us your impressions?
DAVID CHUNG: Just a great duel, battle the whole time, really. Scott's a great player, and I knew going into the match that it would be a ball-striking match. I know Scott hits the ball really well, and I had it decently well too.
But, yeah, it was just back and forth the whole day, really. Just the last few holes made a difference. Just a couple of little shots here and there.

Q. It seemed like you guys really didn't make any mistakes at all. The long putts you made seemed to be the difference really. What was your thought on the whole match? You guys both played probably a couple under par.
DAVID CHUNG: Right. I made a couple bogies on the front nine, but I felt like they were course management errors rather than basically bad shots. And I think that's going to happen to anybody on this course, really. Like, 7, I hit it up basically on the line I was trying to hit it, and it fell back down to the bottom. You know, 9, I tried to judge the wind and everything, and it kind of got caught in the wind which I couldn't feel from the upper tee and it fell short of the bunker.
Even Scott there, he hit a good shot to 9, right of the hole and had an impossible two-putt. So those are things that you can't really control. Other than a few bogies that were caused by those things, I felt like we both played really well and Scott was clutch down the stretch. So down the stretch was a really good match.

Q. You did some stretching after your match. Can you talk about what you did? Is this part of a program you do? Is this something you do all week or something you do every day?
DAVID CHUNG: The stretching? They have a good crew out here, the physical therapists and chiropractors. As much walking as we're doing and as much strain as playing a lot of golf puts on your body, it's nice to get just loosened up a little bit. It's not something I normally do, but I took advantage of it since they have a really good staff here.
THE MODERATOR: Because the matches were going on, we let David have lunch. It was a better buffer to get everybody coming in at the same time than it was to have him just wait. So we let him do that.

Q. Can you take me through your shot process through the third shot on 18? That was a pretty clutch shot there over the bunker and a tough lie?
DAVID CHUNG: Right. It was 68 yards to the pin. I had 63 to carry to the top bridge. Basically I knew I needed to carry it in between the 63 and 68 yardage somewhere just right of the hole. Long left and short would have obviously come down quite a ways.
It was tough to judge because I was on a little bit of a downhill lie, but I just pulled it off, I guess. It was a 65-yard shot up there.

Q. How much do you know about Byeong's game when it comes to Match Play?
DAVID CHUNG: Not at all. Last time I played with him was probably I remember I putted with him at Bay Hill when he was about 14. I was probably 16 or something.

Q. When you play a match with Scott, you guys are both trying to make birdies and Byeong's a very conservative player. Do you change your style tomorrow or keep to doing what you were doing all week when you have a guy that really understands how to play Match Play like Byeong?
DAVID CHUNG: He's a good Match Play player, but I feel like I'm solid myself. Basically I'm going to stick to my game plan. You know, Scott, iron off 10, iron off 12, didn't really change my thinking of how to play the hole.

Q. What is it about Match Play that you obviously enjoy because you've had success between the last two north/souths winning the western? What is it about Match Play that really gets you going?
DAVID CHUNG: I think it's just that kind of one-on-one competition. I'm pretty competitive person, and it just kind of gets my blood flowing a little more, I guess.

Q. We've seen the course be pretty dry all the time. Yesterday was a bit different though, how did you manage to get through that? How did you survive yesterday afternoon?
DAVID CHUNG: Basically, I think it was a survival test yesterday afternoon because you had gusts of 40 miles an hour. So it was definitely a survival test. I think the players that manage the course best are not necessarily the ones who hit the best shots. But just the ones who have played, hit the right spots, the right shots at the right times are the one that's got through the afternoon matches.

Q. Scott drained that long putt on 17 to win that hole to get to 18. Bombed his drive and hit a 3-wood on the green there. What were you thinking after he hit that shot knowing you had a pretty tricky little pitch there going?
DAVID CHUNG: Right. 17 was an awesome putt that he hit. Very, very clutch. What, did he make a 30-footer to keep the match alive, which was good. He had a lot of momentum going into 18. He bombs his drive straight down. Had a good angle on the green for a little draw, and he had a yardage he could get to it.
I hit a good one as well, but couldn't get there in two because I funneled off the right side of the fairway. But if anything, I just thought it was more fun. You know, I had a little drama at the end.
I knew what I had to do, just get up there and make a birdie, but I expected him to do something good there, so I wasn't really surprised that he hit the green in two.

Q. You wanted to have a little more drama?
DAVID CHUNG: I didn't want it, but it's not like I lost a lot of confidence or got negative after he dropped the bomb on 17.

Q. You're 20 and you go in and have some stretching after the round, and you use the belly putter. Do you see the irony of that situation?
DAVID CHUNG: I'm getting old. I feel like I have a 35-year-old body because I'm so tight. Yeah, I use the long putter, you're right. But I can't really say much. I guess my genes are just no good (laughing).

Q. Do you allow yourself to dare think about the prize at this point?
DAVID CHUNG: Yeah, I think you can't not think about the prize. Obviously, getting an invitation to the Masters is just that would be the ultimate goal and that would be just amazing. Something that you dream of having, getting a letter from the Masters saying you're invited. So you can't keep that out of your head.
But I think you have to stay grounded. It's nice to think about how great Sunday could be if you get there, but just stay grounded and stay in the moment. Try to at least.

End of FastScripts

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