U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 20, 2022

Ben Carr

The Ridgewood Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. What the heck does it mean right now to be playing for the U.S. Amateur Championship?

BEN CARR: It means a lot to be playing for the U.S. Amateur Championship. There's not any specific words that come to mind other than I just feel very lucky. I mean, I'm very lucky. That's how I feel.

Q. Think about all the tough matches you've been in this week to get to this point. What have you done to get yourself through all these matches?

BEN CARR: Yeah, it's been tough to get through all the matches. I've kind of seen it all so far. My first match, I closed him out pretty early, and then the next two, three -- no, two, went to the 18th hole or beyond. I just feel like it's given me a little bit of an advantage to be in every situation.

But I've just tried to talk very positively to myself and lean on Will, my caddie. But it's just self-motivation. I watch a lot of David Goggins' videos. The guy is a total badass. Yeah, just self-motivation and then just stuff I've learned over the years.

Q. I asked you before this week about how much Will is helping you and you just mentioned him again. What is he doing, and it may not even be picking the right club. He may be doing other things. What's he doing to help you?

BEN CARR: He's just a great friend. For him to be up here spending -- tomorrow is going to be nine days, with me in a hotel room. You should have seen how nervous I was this morning, and he didn't try to like make me feel better, he just let me go through it because I think he would tell you the same thing, he just wanted me to experience it all. He's just been such a good friend this week.

Q. When did the nerves go away?

BEN CARR: Today? I was really nervous on 1 tee. I almost missed the ball. Didn't hit it very far off the toe. I was okay on 2. After the plugged lie on 3 I was a little rattled, but the iron shot -- the drive on 4 and the iron shot into 4 calmed me down a lot, and making that putt was huge.

It kind of felt like in every match as soon as something has really gone my way or I've felt like the crowd was really pulling for me, all my friends and family, it has really settled me down and allowed me to play the rest of the way with a clear mind and not so much nerves.

Q. Take us through the back nine and how you won 11, 13 and 14 which turned the match.

BEN CARR: Yeah, I think we were all square on 11, pretty sure. I had a six-footer for par, a little bit outside left down the hill. Left drives have been something I've struggled with for a while, and I've gotten more confident with them this week. My teacher Tony Ruggiero, the "Dew Sweeper," has helped me a lot. He came up here during the practice rounds and just helped me with every aspect of my game, and yeah, I think that's the reason I made that putt is because he helped me with my setup to see the line better.

From there on out, 12, I made a great putt. 13, I hit a great wedge, and he hit a great putt that just missed. I thought he made that putt.

14, I'm never going to forget that putt. I think it was probably 50 feet or so left to right. I was on the bottom shelf. I was 50 feet -- it was probably breaking six or seven feet outside left, and it went in with perfect speed. It was the loudest I've ever heard a crowd. It's very biased.

When that putt went in, I just let it out. For the second time this week, it took me a while to calm down. Going to 15, I hit a great shot into 15. Really thought I was going to make that putt. I thought I hit a pretty good putt. I was still 3-up with three to play. I had my head down, but when I looked up his ball was passing the hole on 16. It looked like he hit a really good putt.

Derek is a great player. I've got to give him a lot of props. He made an awesome run. I hate that I had to knock him out. It was just such a fun match. I didn't want either of us to lose. But yeah, it was great.

Q. Can you just maybe sum up who all is here?

BEN CARR: Yeah, so the family I have here is my mom and brother.

Q. What's your mom's name?

BEN CARR: Leila. My brother's name is Sackett. Those are the two family members I have here. And I've got three teammates here, which are my teammates, Mason, Colin and Wilson. I've got a buddy back from school, as well, who's pretty much my roommate, or used to be kind of, his name is Will. I can't get to everybody. My coach is here, Coach Collins. He's a legend. One of my dad's best friends -- two of my dad's best friends -- three of my dad's best friends actually, Lumpy, Charlie Wittington, and TC, Tom Campbell. A lot of friends and family.

Q. The reason I say that is did you notice the rainbow?

BEN CARR: I did. My scorer in the round-of-16 match, on the playoff hole, I was walking to get a club out of my bag on 1 tee and I heard her mumble something to me. I didn't hear what she said, and I kind of kept walking but turned around. I was like, sorry, I didn't hear you, what did you say, and she said, "there's a rainbow right there." I looked at it, and I was like, "that's awesome," and then I made a putt on that hole. I did not see the rainbow on 16 today, but I saw it afterwards, and I think y'all heard about the ball marker --

Q. Can you tell us that story?

BEN CARR: Yeah, so this morning I was all packed -- this afternoon, I was on 1 tee looking for this ball marker right here. I thought it was in my pocket because I put it in the my pocket when I was warming up. I could have sworn I put it in my pocket when I was warming up. We had the delay, I came back out to the putting green, went through my whole routine, went to 1 tee, reached in my pocket, it's not there. Reached in my left pocket, there was nothing in my left pocket, nothing. I swear. I have a small pocket. There's no extra pocket there or anything. Nothing there.

So I'm pretty rattled because I have to use this other ball marker.

I'm reading my putt on 15, and I just like looked down at my left thigh and I saw an outline of the ball marker, and it's a very unique outline so I knew it was that. I didn't reach in there but I knew it was it, and I was like, what the hell, like how is that possible.

I thought about taking away the Western Amateur ball marker and remarking it with my other ball marker, but I didn't do it for some reason, and then on the next hole I marked it with that ball marker, the lucky one, and won that hole. That's the story.