U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 24, 2001

Manuel Merizalde

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Well, I believe I was pretty tired coming in today. I didn't really feel my swing was that sharp this morning, that crispy. But I got away with it. I kept making pars and I made a couple of birdies, only one bogey, so I was 1-under after the 14 holes I played, which is good enough to win the match. But the thing I struggled with the most was my driver. Definitely. I just hit a few fairways. But that happens.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Well, I believe so, yeah. Because I think I have got an advantage from that if I don't hit my driver really well because I've been able to get up-and-down pretty easy. So whenever I'm in trouble, I know they're tough pins and if the other guy is in the fairway he's still going to have a tough time making birdie so I try to put myself in a position where I have a chance to make an up-and-down. And I've been successful in that.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Yeah, that's right. I don't see this really as a -- I mean I see it as a win for me in some ways, but I see it kind of like a team. We're both Colombians and we're being together for this tournament and, definitely, if I am able to win, it's going to be definitely for the country and for us, the team that we're playing for.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Yeah. We did basically everything together. All the choices I made I guess he approved them all. And he kept me really relaxed out there. He kept talking to me a lot. I think that was one of the keys, yes.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Right now I am. But I believe he is. He's had a better career than I have so far.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Yes, definitely. Last night I totally I felt tired. My legs were tired. I think it was also because of the sun and the stress. You know what I mean? When you're out there your adrenaline is going and you don't really feel it until probably an hour after you finished, after you've talked to everybody, everybody has like congratulated you and stuff and talking on the phone. I got to the hotel room after. I ate and I was just exhausted. So I went to bed like at 10:00 this morning and I woke up I still felt a little tired. I did some good stretching after I got out of the shower. And I felt much better. But I believe in my swing. I felt that there was some like stress and tiredness there.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: I'll say there's a mother and it will be probably Marisa Baena most likely. She's the one that kind of started the first one to come here to the States to go to school and the first one to be really successful at her sport. So she is the one to follow, definitely.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Never. Never, ever, ever.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: It doesn't bother me one bit. I have nothing to lose tomorrow. I'm going to give it a try and I know if I try my hardest it's going to be tough for the other guy to beat me because I'm going to leave everything out there.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Yeah. He tells me all the time just think positive things, you can do it. Whenever we saw the Japanese team was in trouble, you know, he told me hit the green, make your par, make him work for it. So definitely, I mean, all I did all today was get advice from him.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Actually, I think I'm going to go to the hotel room pretty soon and I'm going to probably be out there for a couple hours, but then I'm going to come back in the afternoon and practice on my driving. I think I'm going to try a new driver tomorrow a, Titleist driver, since my Ping hasn't been working that well. So we're going to give it a try this afternoon. Hit some wedges too. I think that all afternoon I'm going to be working on my game and then tonight I'm going to just relax really, and just go to bed and not think about anything.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: I talk to my mom. I call her and she will be joking and one thing that she says, I'm the doctor, you know, and the guys I'm playing, they're my patients and I'm taking care of them. So that's pretty funny. I like that. When I get done I call her, give her a call and she's really happy. Cheers me up and says, yeah, you can. You took care of your patients today. And that's it.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: I went in June. A cousin got married down there so I went for a couple weeks for his wedding and just to see my family.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: I don't really know. Well, I went to play the Junior World in San Diego and that is where I met my coach. I had a friend, Jose Garrido, that was going to school there. He liked it a lot. The golf team was going to be really good. Johnny Miller's kids were going to be on the team. Michael Henderson, which was a Rolex Player of the Year in 1996 was on the team. So I knew we had a chance to win the Nationals. So I just decided to go there.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: No. I don't really talk to Marisa. I talk to her sister, sometimes, Christina. I do that. We call each other and write each other some E-mails but not to Marisa. I would really like to talk to her.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: I think so, yeah. Nobody has ever made it to match play before Camilo and I. So I think being in the semi-finals it's a big thing. But I'm trying not to let that take me off my game and my match tomorrow. I know I've done well. But we still got to keep going and my goal is definitely to win. I'm not going to be happy if I lose tomorrow.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Yeah, definitely. Because my mom's not going to let me quit school and turn pro. I got to graduate first. So I'm definitely going to stay amateur. Play my last year of college. And then, yeah, we will see the options from there.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: In Colombia, I think that we don't have such a long course down there. They're a little shorter. It seems like all of the courses we have are tree lined so you have you to be pretty straight off the tee. So we have some really, really good golf courses down there.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Oh, yeah. I mean I never really thought of the U.S. Amateur. I thought of the Masters, U.S. Open and stuff like that. But the tournament that I have always thought the most and the one that I've always wanted to win is the Masters. That's my dream.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Well, I've been qualifying in Michigan for the last three years, so because I go out there for the Western Amateur. So the week before the Monday before the tournament I always try to qualify there. And it's just -- it was just basically, I don't know, it was just good for the schedule. I was going to be up there anyway so you might as well just qualify for the Amateur out there.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Well, I've been doing it for like four years now living by myself and stuff. And I've been able to get used to it. I haven't been really like homesick and all that can happen to other guys. So I think that has helped me, really. Kind of like to be independent and do things for my own self.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Oh, yeah. Definitely. I told you, I'm just thinking of doing this for my country, really. For me too, but definitely I just want to have everybody proud of a Colombian player, especially.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Yeah, definitely. And those guys used to play the South American Tour and they used to play on my golf course in Cali, you know. Actually I play one tournament, I played two days with Carlos Franco, I don't know if he remembers that or not, but I do and my dad knows Angel Cabrerra pretty well.

MANUEL MERIZALDE: Thank you.