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U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 13, 2017

Albane Valenzuela

San Diego, California

Q. Silver medal, heading to the Women's Open on an exemption and the Women's Amateur the next several years. Talk to us about your general experience here.
ALBANE VALENZUELA: Yeah, I mean, it's great. It's a wonderful tournament. It's just conducted like one of the majors. It's been a great week. I've really enjoyed playing on this course. Had great matches, a lot of fun. So yeah, I'm grateful for the experience. I'm really excited to get an exemption to the U.S. Open, not having to go through qualifiers. It's great, so really happy.

Q. It just seemed like your putter went a little cold today. You had so many close calls. Just talk about the greens.
ALBANE VALENZUELA: Yeah, it was one of those days where just I couldn't make the putts. I had good reads and good looks and just couldn't make them. I had really a few that really could have dropped. That's golf. It happens, and it just happened at the wrong time, but we have to just move on and keep going.

Q. It looked like they were good strokes.
ALBANE VALENZUELA: No, I mean, I was stroking -- I was feeling good about my game. I missed a couple shots here and there, but that happens when you play 36 holes, right. Yeah, I mean, didn't have a hot putter today and she made good putts, so that makes a difference.

Q. You birdied the first hole in the afternoon, and the next hole I think you missed about a 10-footer. How did that affect you going forward?
ALBANE VALENZUELA: I mean, had the great birdie on 1, and maybe if that putt on 2 and 3 would have gone in, that could have made the difference. But they were good putts, they just didn't go in. That's the way it is. It's like, it happens in golf. You ask more why did I miss a putt and how did I make it, right?

Q. She didn't make very many mistakes out there, either.
ALBANE VALENZUELA: No, she played very solid. I made some, so that makes a difference when you come into the final. I had to make those birdies, and they just didn't come. That's what makes the difference at this point.

Q. Did you have any thoughts when you stopped for lunch and you were down? What was kind of the feeling?
ALBANE VALENZUELA: You know, just keep fighting. Match play, anything can happen. I mean, there's so many stories. Anything can happen. We just have to keep believing in yourself. I kept believing. I'm really proud of myself. I never stopped fighting. I just had a good attitude and go out there and try your best, and as long as you try your best, you cannot have any regrets. You can only have regrets if you don't try your best.

Q. You don't seem particularly devastated by this.
ALBANE VALENZUELA: Yeah, I mean, it's hard. I won't deny it, it's hard to lose. I don't like losing. I think when you -- I came close twice, but I also -- I'm close to winning a big one, and I know my game is there, and eventually it will come. I don't know how many years. Maybe it's going to be next week. Maybe it's going to be next year. Who knows. I'm just going to stay patient, keep on playing, because it works, and so just keep doing the same thing.

Q. What did your dad say to you at the end?
ALBANE VALENZUELA: I mean, he's really proud of me. If someone would have told me at the beginning of the week he would have come to the final of the U.S. Amateur, it would have been already great. He's just very proud of me and the way I played the course, and he said I had a great attitude, it's just my putts didn't drop, and that's the way it is.

Q. What's next for you?
ALBANE VALENZUELA: I'll be playing the Evian in September. Really excited for that because I didn't play that great the last two years, but I feel like my game really improved over the last year, so I'm really looking forward to that event and trying to perform.

Q. It's your third Evian?
ALBANE VALENZUELA: Yeah.

Q. Will we see you at this event next year?
ALBANE VALENZUELA: Yeah, probably. Yeah, we'll see. Always depends on the schedule, if maybe I'll go and try to qualify for the British Open. Who knows. We'll see how the summer goes. But definitely this is one I want to come back.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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