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NCAA MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

May 30, 2017

Sugar Grove, Illinois

THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by the second of our National Championship qualifying teams, the Oregon Ducks. We're joined by Head Coach Casey Martin, student-athletes Norman Xiong, Wyndham Clark and Sulman Raza. Coach, a quick statement about the second straight National Championship match for your team, and what does that mean?

CASEY MARTIN: Wow, it's an incredible feeling to be back here and to do it last year at the home course was amazing, at our home course. But then to do it here in Chicago and trying to back it up, it's hard to put into words, and I'm proud of the guys and how they've played all year, and then in particular how they battled to get here because we were way on the outs, and here we are. So it's pretty cool.

THE MODERATOR: Sulman, talk about the experience of going through this last year, that experience factor being able to draw upon that, talk a little bit about that here today.

SULMAN RAZA: Well, yeah, absolutely. I would say when I was walking down 18, it kind of popped into my mind, it was a little dÃ©jÃ -vu to me a little bit as to what happened last year and how things transpired this year, but the experience from last year definitely helped. It helped me know what I need to do when the situations get really intense and I start getting nervous, what I need to do to calm myself down. I'm just so proud of all these guys, and to do it out here in front of these crowds and on this golf course, I'm very, very happy.

THE MODERATOR: Norman, talk about for you being able to experience it, going to the National Championship match and the keys tomorrow for you to win it all.

NORMAN XIONG: Yeah, I'm pretty excited. Like Coach said, during the stroke play, we were on the outskirts of getting in, and I'm excited for tomorrow, and I'm just going to go out and play my game and do what I do best.

THE MODERATOR: Wyndham, for you, talk about this team. Looked like yesterday for part of it you might not even make match play. To be able to persevere, get here, and to be sitting here tonight at the National Championship, take us through what that meant and how hard it was.

WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, I was pretty counted out yesterday. I was so bummed that I couldn't help the team out. But at the same time, I was so excited that the guys rallied and really carried my poor play and got us into match play, and then this morning they did the same thing, Norman and I didn't play our best, and these guys rallied and won all their matches.

I'm just really, really proud of the guys, and I really look forward to tomorrow. This is what I've always dreamed off. I was in this situation four years ago or three years ago, and we came up just short, so I'm hoping we get a different outcome this year.

Q. Casey, you mentioned you guys were down and out Sunday night; what was the message to the team?
CASEY MARTIN: The message was basically that we didn't play well the first three days and that golf has a natural variance, and we're a great team and felt like we were due for a good round, and we just needed to really hunker down. I think it was more -- we talked a lot about the weather and what the opportunity that could present to us because it's hard to overcome five teams -- what was it, 15 shots or 10 shots or something when the weather is good because they're going to shoot under par, you have to shoot so low that it's difficult. But when the weather gets really tough it just creates that opportunity that if you hang in there you can really pass people, and that happened, and we did, and we had an amazing run at the end of our round, and under the pressure and under the tough weather, other teams kind of crumbled, and here we are.

But we still had to play great to do that. That was the plan, but sometimes it doesn't always work out that way, and it did, and I'm grateful it did, and here we are with one round to go.

Q. Kind of awkward with Sulman right there, but he's only played a handful of times this year. What does this performance mean to you, mean to him?
CASEY MARTIN: Incredible. Golf is a hard game. Anyone who has played this game competitively will understand what I'm saying. When it is hard, it is just the hardest thing ever, and Sulman experienced that. After making that putt last year, he had a tough stretch, and just probably expectations and worrying about trying to get better and working on your golf swing, and you can get in a funk. I mean, he was in a funk. But to Sulman's credit, he has a way of having incredible concentration, and he kind of was in the depths and he played as an individual in the Duck tournament and shot 64-67 and won the tournament, and so I remember telling John, my assistant, just going, he's still got it. And he still kind of sputtered, but it was incredible to see him when the lights came on down the stretch. I don't know if I've ever seen him hit it better than those last eight holes or seven holes I was with him today. Every shot was just on it.

So that is really encouraging, and I'm sure satisfying for him because, like I said, I've been in that funk before where things do not go well and golf is the hardest pit to crawl out, and it's no fun, and it's fun to see him crawl out of it and a big smile and hopefully tomorrow will culminate in a great championship.

SULMAN RAZA: I completely agree, especially after nationals. I wasn't hitting the ball very well, and I definitely had no confidence off the tee. I didn't know where it was going. I kind of went into the summer and partially into the fall, and I felt like I was trying too much with my golf game and not just working on the fundamentals I've worked on my whole life. Casey and John were there to support me and try to keep telling myself to keep believing in myself and keep pushing myself and not to give up, and after winning the Duck, it definitely boosted my confidence quite a bit, and then after discovering a few things that I needed to tweak in my game, it seems like everything is starting to come along well, I'm seeing myself hitting shots like I did the last few holes under that kind of pressure and having cameras and stuff, it puts a smile on my face, and definitely boosts my confidence a lot, as well.

So I'm just enjoying the moment and having a thrill out here with these guys and being able to be back in this position again.

Q. Casey, obviously Sulman wasn't in the regional lineup. Was there any sort of qualifying round that went on between then and now or was it a gut feeling that you needed to get him in there?
CASEY MARTIN: Yeah, they had a little qualifier, and Kevin Geniza, who is kind of our secret weapon this week, beat him, and it was more of a function of trying to get as much competitive rounds to get the guys as sharp as possible because you're heading into pressure, and I wanted them to have to battle just to be as sharp as they could, and Kevin has done a really good -- he's a freshman and a really good player, has done a really good job for us, and so that happened.

But John and I both spoke that if we didn't have a great regional there or whatever that we really wanted Raz, based on his experience and his career, to make it, so when we did make it, I chose Sulman to play just by virtue of his experience. As you saw today, he handled it incredibly well, and that's a lot of pressure, and to hit just tremendous shots. I feel like last year and what he went through helped.

Q. Wyndham, where was your head during the lunch period today? You hadn't played well on Monday, you lost your opening round match. Where were you mentally?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Well, these guys really helped out. I was pretty bummed. I thought Monday was my last college competitive amateur round in my career, and I was really -- my emotions changed so much in the matter of an hour or two when we then in match play, and then the same thing happened when it came down to the last -- I felt a lot of pressure to play against my old team and buddies. As much as I wanted to win and play well, my game just wasn't there this morning or yesterday. But it was there this week for some parts and has been this whole year. So I just really dug deep and knew that I could hit good shots, I just needed to see some putts fall. I didn't make any putts this week, and that was kind of the difference from a bad week to a good week. I saw some putts fall early, and then I gained confidence, and then it seemed like I didn't skip a beat or didn't play bad the last 24 hours. I started hitting it better, and I just gained a lot of confidence, so I think that just really helped me.

Q. Casey, key's to tomorrow's match against Oklahoma?
CASEY MARTIN: You know, I don't think there's anything new or different. We're going to go out there and compete, and you've got to handle the pressure and you've got to get focused, and the key for us is certainly going to be handling that pressure and not trying too much and just playing golf like we have all year long. You know, and Lord willing, it will work out.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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