U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 14, 2021

Austin Greaser

Oakmont Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Everything seemed to turn on that four-hole stretch you went on there.

AUSTIN GREASER: Yeah, it did. I got some putts to fall. He maybe made a mistake or two, a swing or two, just kind of missed it, and I was able to capitalize.

But that's what you got to do out here at Oakmont. Just kind of got to plug your way along and wait until you get a couple things to fall your way, make a couple putts, and just hope it falls your way the rest of the time.

Q. It was kind of a nervy start I think for both matches, but particularly your guys. What do you think caused that? Was it because of what's on the line with this match?

AUSTIN GREASER: I think it's a lot of everything. I think I never had to maneuver through a crowd going down one fairway like I had to. I've never experienced anything like that. It was very nervy. I think he was nervous from start to finish today, most nervous I've ever been.

So definitely a couple nervous swings, but it's a new atmosphere for me and I'm trying to still learn and get comfortable with something like this. So it's okay, and I think I'll be a little bit more ready for it tomorrow. But I don't think I'm ever going to feel not nervous when it's -- you got this much on the line.

Q. Take us through the four straight holes that you won, and I think starting on 11 he took it way left and you played it down the right fairway.

AUSTIN GREASER: Yeah, I just -- I've taken it down left a couple times this week too, but I didn't like it to a back pin. Just kind of hard to control spin, kind of like you seen his ball do. So just went down the middle, hit a good a wedge shot in there, got a putt to drop finally. I think first one pretty much all day. Made a couple short ones. So that was a good one to see.

12 executed well. I think the only place you can get to that pin is from the right side, so hit a good drive, good 3-wood into that right bunker and capitalized.

13, just a good 9-iron shot middle of the green, pretty disastrous pin, so just getting on the putting surface and get your three.

And then 14, probably best drive I've hit all week. I busted that one, so was that a really good one. Every now and then you find one, and that was one for me.

Q. After that tee ball did you feel like that -- I know it wasn't over, but did you feel like that was the hammer that you put down on 14?

AUSTIN GREASER: That one probably carried 320, 330, I bet it was downwind.

And then Yes, I did feel like that. But closing holes here at Oakmont are no joke, but I really just tried to gather myself and kind of had a couple rough next couple holes, but fortunate to hit a good tee shot on 17. He got a little unfortunate there in the heather with a tough lie and then just didn't get as far.

So I definitely felt like I had the advantage, but, you know, you still got to finish.

Q. How do you balance the idea of playing Augusta National in April and Brookline in June with the fact that you got another match here tomorrow that's kind of important?

AUSTIN GREASER: Yeah, that's cool, and I think that'll be a good thing to, I guess, look forward to after tomorrow. But I just want to stay in the present the best I can. I want to focus on tomorrow, try to get, you know, maybe a couple hours tonight if I can sleep at all, and get some good food and be ready to go at No. 1.

That's cool, but the job is not done.

Q. Have you been to either course before?

AUSTIN GREASER: Never, no.

Q. What's your golf background? What course did you grow up playing on? How did you get involved in the game?

AUSTIN GREASER: I think I got involved from my dad. He took it up after college, and me and my brother were born, I think my parents were about 30. So after we were born he played a little bit and I kind of would get on the cart and ride along.

Then we kind of started getting busy with sports. We were in all kinds of stuff, golf, baseball, the whole nine yards, so he wasn't able to play as much.

But I kept to it, just kept playing. I loved chasing my ball around everywhere, different states, different places.

What was the other question?

Q. What was your home course? I know you're at Springfield now.

AUSTIN GREASER: Yeah, so I've played at a couple Dayton courses, the first one I was at for a couple years was Walnut Grove, and then NCR was the next six, seven years, and now Springfield for this is my second summer there.

So, yeah.

Q. Are those all private?

AUSTIN GREASER: Yeah, they're all private, yep.

Q. Tell us the story how you ended up with your caddie.

AUSTIN GREASER: So about four weeks ago my head coach is really good friends with the head pro's wife here. She played at UNC.

So I was fortunate enough he hooked me up with a practice round here, just one round about four weeks ago. I was able to see the golf course for the first time, and he put us with Carter.

I really liked Carter's demeanor, his personality on the golf course, like how he did he stuff. I felt like for a caddie he was very good for me, very calm kid, and kind of knows what to say at the right time.

You said, Are you busy this week, and it worked out.

Q. You had a couple times using the putter from off the green, 2 was pretty impressive. Do you do that normally or just Oakmont?

AUSTIN GREASER: I do it as much as I can. I think a bad putt is usually better than a bad chip, and especially as tight as --

Q. (Indiscernible).

AUSTIN GREASER: Yeah, exactly. As tight as the fairways are cut around the greens it almost rolls like an average course's greens. No offense to every other course, but it's really tight.

And honestly, you would to have to have some good hands to really hit a wedge shot. I just really feel like I have a good feel for putting through that bent grass. I grew up on bent grass my whole life and it's tight enough and rolls fast enough, why not?

Q. Is it hard with the pencil grip on one you really got to pop, like behind 3?

AUSTIN GREASER: Yeah, I think it's made to be harder than what it is. I think everybody thinks speed is a lot harder with that. I don't find it hard at all. You get used to it, to be honest with you. These greens are so fast. If you ever have to take it back much at all you're kind of surprised. You hardly every have to take it back. I know you said the one on 3, but you get used to. I've been doing it three, four years now.

Q. You get to play 18 tomorrow.

AUSTIN GREASER: One time at least, yeah, exactly. So we got to play once in stroke play and haven't seen it since. Thankfully. That's okay. I'm okay with that. We'll see it at least once tomorrow.

Q. Your favorite player is Dustin Johnson. Why is that?

AUSTIN GREASER: I like how he goes about his game on the golf course. I really do. His demeanor is awesome. I think he just kind of stays level the whole time, good and bad. He just stays very even keel, and I really like that. It's something I really aspire to just because there is a lot of up and downs and golf, and I think a lot of golf is played between your ears.

If you can just keep the same mentality the whole time you're out there I think it just calms you as much as possible.

I just really like watching him play.

Q. Is he where you always play a cut?

AUSTIN GREASER: I wouldn't say that. I would say I like playing a cut because I feel like I hit it straighter than a draw. Sometimes it gets a little squirrelly. I do like watching him play the cut, but I don't know if I hit it quite like he does.

Q. Have you been playing a cut all your career or...

AUSTIN GREASER: No, actually I just switched at the beginning of last summer. I was playing a draw, and I think everybody knows at this point I have a little bit of length and that's one of the weapons in my bag. I just found it a little bit harder to play a draw with driver and to time that up when I'm swinging, you know, quite high speed.

So it just made sense to go to the fade a little bit and just kind of work that in throughout my bag. I think it's moved mountains for me and kept me in the fairway more times than not.

Q. Winning the U.S. Amateur anywhere would be a big deal, but given the history of this place, is that something you thought about and what it would mean to be a champion here?

AUSTIN GREASER: Yeah, I've thought about it a little bit. But, I mean, like you said, I think I would like to be in the final group of the U.S. Am anywhere. This is a very, very special place, very historic, unbelievable golf course.

I think, like I said earlier this week, it fits my eye really, really well. I've played on golf courses like this my whole life, bent grass, fescue, heather stuff. I fared really well at Inverness I think three summers ago, 2019. Very similar style golf course. You know, deep fairway bunkers and stuff like that.

It just fits my eye. And on top of that, like you said, it's just an amazing golf course. They do a really fantastic job.

Q. Why does to fit your eye so well?

AUSTIN GREASER: I think it allows me to take advantage of my length a lot. I think if you watch today and watched all week I hit driver a lot. I think just get it down there. There is a lot of trouble on this golf course, and I would rather be in the trouble way down instead of the trouble way back.

So just hit driver, and just because? You hit driver doesn't mean you're going to miss the fairway, I don't think. So I think you just get it down there and you're going to hit the fairway sometimes and you're going to miss the fairways sometimes.

Just one shot at a time and that's just how it's been for me I think.

Q. Had you played here prior to the practice round?

AUSTIN GREASER: No, one time.

Q. You had a lot of people out there with you. How many and are anymore coming for tomorrow?

AUSTIN GREASER: A lot. I don't know the number. It's got to be around 30 or 40 friends and family, I think. I'm guessing some more are going to show up. It's really special to me. It's cool because they've supported me throughout everything and believed in me.

To have this moment on this stage to be able to share with them is really cool, and I'm really looking forward to sharing tonight and tomorrow with them.

Q. Did you bump into them in the fairway?

AUSTIN GREASER: I did a little bit. I think, I'll tell you what, I don't know if I can pick out anybody out there. I'm just trying to stay focused, trying to walk through the crowd when I can, and just trying to pick the flagstick out of everybody's shirt out there sometimes.

So it's -- I'm just glad I'm out there. I see them every now and then. I think they're probably some of the loudest ones out there, too, so you'll hear them every now and then.