U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 24, 2001

Brian Nosler

BRIAN NOSLER: I thought I needed to get a break from Jeff, first of all. Those last three holes were so hard that you are probably not going to be able to birdie them all. So I got the break on 16. Made a great 2-putt there from about 80 feet or something. Over a couple tiers and then 17, to win that hole and then on 17 hit a good drive out there. So did Jeff. And Jeff hit first and hit a great shot in there about 12 feet, and then I went next and hit it about six feet or so and made the putt. And just like that, it's all back to even. It's amazing how quick it can change. I wasn't feeling too good after Jeff made a great putt on 15 down the hill. I don't know, 15, 18 feet. And that hurt right there. I was really planning on winning that hole, being on the green in two. And he was back there. And he knocked it in and so I knew I was going to have to play the last few holes well. But I was sure happy to look up and see that shot going right at the hole on 18 on the green, you know. But it was a tough little putt down the hill and got it down there as probably as good as I could down there. I was shaking over that 3-footer, but it went in.

BRIAN NOSLER: Well, the momentum was going my way. It wasn't like -- when you come back from a 2-down and you're back to all even on the 18th tee, things are going your way. You've got this kind of aggressive feeling going. I didn't think twice. I pulled the club out I hit the last two days there, last two matches or whatever. And I hit a little draw in there and just how I liked it. I was warned about taking a little too long on the putt on 17. And that got me moving. And I didn't want to lose a hole for that.

BRIAN NOSLER: I kind of felt like the pressure was probably on him a little more than me. I hit it well yesterday. I thought if I played about how I did yesterday, I would have a chance. It worked out. I wasn't real nervous or anything. I'm sure tomorrow will be a little different with what's on the line. But I feel good about my game right now.

BRIAN NOSLER: I don't know. I shook my head a couple times after he made it and I still had about two and a half, three feet there to halve the hole and I knocked it in. I walked to the next tee and people told me to hang in there, you got plenty of holes. And it worked out.

BRIAN NOSLER: Junior golf I played a few more national tournaments than he did. So my junior record might have been -- it was pretty even with him. And then he got to ASU freshman year and he was in the lineup by the beginning of the spring. And he was an All-American as a freshman. And my game has been way behind him the last three years. But it's -- I have become a much better player at ASU. And that's about it.

BRIAN NOSLER: Sometimes.

BRIAN NOSLER: With a driver, I'm about 25 past him right now. And I was hitting it good today. On a day I'm not hitting it good, it's probably the same. He's never been a long hitter, really.

BRIAN NOSLER: I've been eating at Benihana's the last four nights for good luck, so I'll have to go back there tonight and eat the same stuff. Hopefully get be able to sleep some. It's probably going to be hard to sleep. I'm just excited and happy to be here. It's kind of a dream.

BRAIN NOSLER: I thought I had a pretty good chance to make the cut. I played well at the Cardinal Amateur last week and I think I shot 209 and finished sixth or something. So that was a good tournament for me. I haven't had many national top 10's, and I played pretty well at the Oregon Am, I was the runner-up. And a tournament up in Sahallee I finished like third or something. And I felt confident that I could make the cut. Somehow I stayed alive and I'm still going.

BRIAN NOSLER: I've played with him at the U.S. intercollegiate in Mexico this spring. I think we played together the first round or something. He's a really good player. It's going to be just like today, I'm going to have to come out and play my best in order to win. I think he just won the Western Am, so that's not too shabby.

BRIAN NOSLER: One more time?

BRIAN NOSLER: Yeah. I think so. Yeah. I'm trying to think about that. We're good friends, but for me to, like said before, I haven't beat him at much in the last four years. So it was really good to get this one. It means a lot to me.

BRIAN NOSLER: Beat the defending champion, I think. But he's a good friend and a great player so it just means, that means a lot.

BRIAN NOSLER: Thank you.