THE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

June 22, 2023

TK Chantananuwat

Quick Quotes

Q. Congratulations, you're through to the quarter-finals here at the Amateur Championship. You must be very proud of how you're playing so well.

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Definitely. I'm very proud of how I handled myself out there.

Q. Talk us through the match. It was up and down, and you had to kind of have a bit of a fight back?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: It was definitely what you would call a comeback. I was already 2-down through 2. I wasn't fully in the game and then I got back fortunately but I was 1-down through 8, and then I caught a bit of a good run, then I got 2-up, 3-up, and then I held it from there.

Q. You were saying before obviously you played a match this morning and then had a break and had to go back out. You were perhaps a little unfocused at the start.

TK CHANTANANUWAT: I think most definitely, yes. That's just a lesson for tomorrow, but I think maybe I could have timed things a little bit better.

My body was ready, but I think it's just up here, I wasn't fully concentrating going into the match.

Q. What do you do to turn that around to try and focus yourself back in?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: To be fair, I don't think I've ever started off match play in the lead. It's not new ground for me. But just really be patient. I mean, this week, no matter what happens tomorrow, I've taken back a very valuable lesson, and that's patience.

Honestly, if I weren't patient, I would have already missed the cut after the very first round. I easily could have shot anywhere near 80, but it's just patience.

Q. Obviously down to the quarter-finals now and really getting into the business end of the championship. Is it hard not to start to let the mind wander as to what could be?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Definitely, definitely, but that's why I'm playing. I've got to find the right balance of thinking about it but not letting it pressure me.

Q. Are you feeling confident?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Yeah, I guess so. I thought I was going to maybe be a bit loose this morning and today, but it's not as bad as I thought. Like I said, if I'm tired, the other guy is tired. Like today, the second round of golf was definitely a different type of golf than the first round. That 19th to 36th hole was definitely different than the first 18. It's the same for everybody.

Q. Are you learning as you progress? Are you learning how to manage your time and how to manage that feeling, as you say, in the second set of matches?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Yeah, 100 percent. Yeah, I think I've been fortunate to kind of have that experience from the pro events, as well, just managing pressure. I'm definitely feeling it more because for the past couple matches -- for me, there's two types of pressure. One is just a bit of pressure where you know you have to play good, but on the second, just now, I get that pressure feeling where I feel blank inside, and that's proper pressure, and that was starting to come in, so I need to hopefully keep that out tomorrow.

Q. There's the pressure that motivates and then there's the pressure that scares?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Yeah, pretty much. I think it's just strength and tiredness, as well. I feel like my stomach is empty, my heart has dropped and everything. I feel blank when I'm setting up.

Q. You just spoke about the pro events. Obviously you're so young, but you've had so much success already. There's always so much attention on you, so many eyes and I guess expectations. How does all that extra attention affect you?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: I think it definitely puts a bit of weight on me. Say, for example, sponsors, I have lots of people supporting me, say Callaway, which definitely puts a bit of pressure on. But I don't mind it. I love talking. I love the media. I love you guys.

It's nice, but it's definitely pressure, but it's there for everyone, and I think it pushes me a little bit, as well. Gets me out of bed.

Q. You've got all these pressures but you've got dad on the bag. Is that nice and does he keep you calm?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Yeah, just as I have been learning this whole time for the past two, three years playing very competitively, my dad has done the same as a caddie, and it's really nice to see.

Q. You're a good little team?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Most of the time.

Q. Just a couple questions from our commentators. What's your natural shot shape?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: I'm going to be honest right now I don't have one because there's so much wind. But it's always been a draw, ever since I was three, four years old, always a draw.

Q. What's your favorite yardage with your wedges?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Any wedge?

Q. Like what's your favorite, if you're a certain distance out from the green, you're like, yes, I've got this.

TK CHANTANANUWAT: 96.

Q. Where is your natural miss?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: It usually would be a leak, just a small leak to the right.

Q. What's your favorite club?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Pitching wedge.

Q. What's your favorite distance for your pitching wedge?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: We're talking flat, no wind? 144 yards.

Q. What's the biggest strength of your game?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: I think just overall consistency. This tournament at least. But short game. Short game and accuracy.

Q. Short game is super important on links golf --

TK CHANTANANUWAT: 100 percent, yeah. For the past three rounds, it's just been two putts, two putts, two putts.

Q. Given links is so different to what you usually play, were you focusing on your short game coming into this tournament?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Yeah, most definitely. I was focusing more on -- see, in Asia, if you're off the green, if you're past six foot, you can almost throw away the putter. But here I've been trying to putt from everywhere and get that feeling, get used to putting on the fringe and the fairway.

Q. Is that something that you took advice to do that, or is it from watching like the Open or --

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Yeah, Thongchai Jaidee, DP legend, and Lee Westwood, I played with him. Obviously he's local, he's familiar with links. I saw him hit this 3-wood once from the side of a green. It was a desert course. It was very links, and I hit a chip, and he put it right inside of my ball.

Q. What three or four holes out on this course really suit your eye?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Good question. I need a minute. I like the 2nd tee shot because with wind right to left I can hit a small 3-wood fade, and then I've played 11 tee shot in match play really nicely. Everybody lays up, but that tee shot just suits me so perfectly, I just hit my driver down the middle all three days, and I've actually gotten a point all three rounds from that hole just because everybody else is off the green and I'm putting my second shot right on the green.

Q. When you step up -- that's the 11th?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Yeah.

Q. When you step up to the 11th you're definitely thinking this is a hole for me to win?

TK CHANTANANUWAT: Yeah, obviously depends on the other side, as well, but most likely, yes. I try to do that with every hole.