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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP


August 19, 2017


Mark Lawrence, Jr.


Pacific Palisades, California

THE MODERATOR: We've got Mark Lawrence with us. Advanced to the U.S. Amateur semifinals; defeated on the last hole by Doc Redman. Probably a bitter pill to swallow. Let's go back to 17 where you make the putt and square the match and got yourself in a position to win. Tell us about that.

MARK LAWRENCE JR.: Yeah, as you saw, Doc hit a really good putt maybe a couple inches short dead center. I got a pretty good read. Just tried to focus on hitting that lie with the right speed and got it going there, so that was exciting.

Then what happened on 18, I thought I hit the right club on the second shot. A little too far with where that pin was. I was trying to make sure I got it high enough, and by doing so I hit it too hard and took the slope and kept going.

It happens. I'm excited to have gotten this far. It's been a great.

THE MODERATOR: Most of the match you're digging to try to get back into it. He's 1- or 2-up most of the way. Tell us about how you actually got it. What shot did you hit to win the hole that you got it all square?

MARK LAWRENCE JR.: Maybe the swing on 16, the par-3. Honestly, I hit the green most of the rounds, but I haven't really hit any solid shots into that green. Just something felt right standing over the ball on that one. Honestly, the rest of the swings after that all felt really good.

That swing kind of turned everything for the last two holes there.

Q. A little lower in the world ranking than some of the other players in the quarterfinals, but you played great all the way from the very first day. 64 the first day. Talk about the experience you had here.
MARK LAWRENCE JR.: It's been an experience I'll remember the rest of my life. It's taught me a lot. Showed me things I need to work on to get better. I mean, it's a real honor to have gotten this far. I can't wait to come back next year at Pebble Beach and see what happens.

Q. We asked Doug this question, but you get to the first tee, obviously a lot to focus on with the big match ahead. Then the U.S. Open trophy is sitting right there. What kind of thoughts went through your mind at that point?
MARK LAWRENCE JR.: Obviously that's in the back of my mind, but I was trying pretty hard to stay focused on what I had to hit. Obviously you want to think about all the perks of that, but you know you got to go out there and do what you got to do. I was trying really hard to stay focused on what my game plan.

Q. What's next for you? How do you approach what's next for you? You talked yesterday about what you wrote in your yardage book to keep yourself in a positive state of mind. How does what you've done here relate to what you'll do for Virginia Tech in the fall and onward?
DOC REDMAN: I hope it's going to relate really well. School starts the 28th, and the first tournament I believe is around like the 12th of September.

I'm just hoping to have a good fall. Hopefully the team plays well. Maybe get a couple wins. That would be really nice.

Q. You walk a little taller now with what you've accomplished this week?
MARK LAWRENCE JR.: I mean, obviously I feel pretty good about myself about everything that went on this week. I'm not going to try to act any differently or like present myself any differently. I'm still the same. Just stick to my game plan every time I play. Hope it works out for me.

Q. Have you been talking with people back home, friends, family, just throughout the course of this journey?
MARK LAWRENCE JR.: Yeah, it's been a little overwhelming. Every time I finish playing I got like 60 text messages on my the phone. The number of times I've responded with, Thanks, I think I could do it with my eyes closed now.

Yeah, it's been incredible. I've had a lot of support from back home, and I can't thank everyone enough for all that.

THE MODERATOR: Appreciate your time. Great week of playing.

MARK LAWRENCE JR.: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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