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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP


August 26, 2000


Jeff Quinney


SPRINGFIELD, NEW JERSEY

USGA: Well, how does it feel to be poised to compete in the final match?

JEFF QUINNEY: Feel's great. But I guess the job's not done. You know, I feel -- it's amazing to make it this far but I still got work to do, and it was a tough match today and I had to play well.

Q. Give us some highlights of today.

JEFF QUINNEY: I just got off to a better start today than I had in the past couple matches. I made a bogey on 3 but then I birdied 5, 7 and 8. And I missed a couple short putts on 9, 11 and 12. I was hitting the ball really close, was putting it well early. I made some good putts that just didn't go in. I misread them a little bit. Then Mr. Eger was -- he made three birdies on the back side. So he was making a charge back at me. I had to fight him off.

Q. Do you fellas need a hole-by-hole? Any more than we've got? Nobody says yes, so we'll pass. We'll entertain questions. On 16 he hits that ridiculous chip in the hole. Are you thinking oh, God, somebody might do to me what I've done to everybody else here?

JEFF QUINNEY: Sure. But I said -- well, you've gone to yourself. Somebody else, it's capable of doing the same thing. I just got regrouped and I -- it didn't bug me too much, I don't know why. I was trying to focus on my chip and, you know, I still had a chip and I could still tie him there. I knew I had two-up lead with two holes to play and that's a good position to be in, I thought. But I just wanted to regroup and just remain calm.

Q. Is this as good as you've played all week?

JEFF QUINNEY: Probably. It's kind of gone in spurts. You know, I've played well in stretches of holes, then I didn't play the back as well as I did the first -- the two matches yesterday or the two previous matches. I didn't make as many birdies and I played the front better. But my game's getting better, like, every match. I feel better with the ball, my putting feels better, I'm starting to get a feel for the greens more and more, my wedge game was better today, too, I was hitting balls closer.

Q. Have you ever faced tomorrow's opponent?

JEFF QUINNEY: I haven't. I never played with him before. But we just competed in the same tournaments, but never were paired together.

Q. When you knocked that birdie putt in on 7, that 45-footer, was that a point where you said, "Okay, maybe I can get a good round going here?"

JEFF QUINNEY: Yeah, I mean it's one of those putts you're trying to lag up there. He hit a great bunker shot, he had already made par. You don't want to hit it 4 feet and have something coming back. It ended up getting a great lie, looked great from the start. I started walking towards the hole, it was 5, 6 feet away, I knew it was going in. Yeah, that was a big momentum swing I think.

Q. How do you feel knowing that you're going to Augusta next April?

JEFF QUINNEY: It's amazing. Win or lose I guess I'm there in April. And, you know, hopefully I get the two other ones with it by winning tomorrow. But, I mean I would have never thought of going to Augusta. This is pretty much the only way you're gonna get there at this age or you'll probably have to wait a couple years to get there. But it would be a lifetime experience.

Q. Have you surprised yourself a little bit this week?

JEFF QUINNEY: Maybe just making it this far. Not the way I'm playing. I think I'm playing within myself. Every round I've been playing great this summer. I've been shooting -- I think I've been under par every match this whole week. I don't think so. I think I belong here.

Q. Jeff, you're facing tomorrow a guy that doesn't make a whole lot of mistakes. He's pretty methodical out there. Do you enjoy that knowing it's going to fall on your shoulders?

JEFF QUINNEY: You just never know what kind of game he's going to show up with. I thought Mr. Eger was going to be steady today and he missed a couple fairways. You don't know what type of game they're going to show up with that day. If he's steady, I think I consider myself a steady player, too, so it's going to be a real grind. Maybe we won't give each other easy ones where we're going to have to make birdies, you just have to get a feel for the situation.

Q. Do you have much contact with Phil Mickelson?

JEFF QUINNEY: I played with him a couple times. He came down to campus a lot more last year than he had ever. And I played -- we played like an alumni tournament against him. Me and Paul Casey beat him and his partner in a best ball. Then I tied him, I played him individually and tied him.

Q. Who was his partner?

JEFF QUINNEY: Larry Barber. He actually -- well, me and Paul made three eagles on him. So...

Q. What did you shoot individually?

JEFF QUINNEY: I think it was about 3- or 4-under at the Karsten course there in Tempe.

Q. What was at stake in that match?

JEFF QUINNEY: Dinner. The alumni lost, so they had to buy us dinner that night.

Q. When was that?

JEFF QUINNEY: It was last year during school. I think it was in the fall or spring; I can't remember. But I mean he's been great. Like we played flag football or touch football one weekend, he and a couple of alumni were out there playing football at a high school one weekend, like eight-on-eight. He's great. He's a pretty fun guy to be around. He's really competitive, too. They actually beat us in football, though, so they got us back after the golf.

Q. I think you'd take it that way though, wouldn't you?

JEFF QUINNEY: Yeah. They weren't happy with us beating them at golf. They had a lot of good players, Todd Dempsey and all those guys were playing on the alumni and we kicked their butts.

Q. Wasn't your family in here yesterday?

JEFF QUINNEY: Yeah. My dad's over there, my caddie.

Q. There were more yesterday?

JEFF QUINNEY: I guess they're eating lunch.

Q. I guess they're tired of this. Good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts….

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