U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR FOUR-BALL

May 13, 2025

Fay Jia

Cherry Zhang

Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. So obviously going to start with that moment on 18 just now. First, how are you guys feeling? Obviously saw the emotion. Hugged your parents and everything.

FAY JIA: I'm shaking. I'm crying. I'm still in shock.

CHERRY ZHANG: It was definitely emotional because before I did my putt I told my dad that I'm so stressed because they did -- two shots back --

FAY JIA: Three holes, and it was just --

CHERRY ZHANG: It was emotional, and I was the only one on the green. It was so long. And she made her par putt from so long.

FAY JIA: It was like, how did you make that? The last hole they made that too, and then eagle putt and then it was like, we were 2-up sitting comfortably; we were going to end it on 16.

CHERRY ZHANG: Yeah.

FAY JIA: And then they just bam, bam, bam.

CHERRY ZHANG: Yeah, and my dad just said that you just, whatever is going to happen is going to happen. So I walked that putt in, which is wow.

FAY JIA: It's just wild.

Q. Did you feel like when your dad said that you feel like that freed you up a little bit?

CHERRY ZHANG: Definitely not, it got me more stressful, but as least I know my dad is here with me.

Q. Yeah. No, absolutely. How long would you say that putt was?

CHERRY ZHANG: I would say about 30 feet.

FAY JIA: Yeah.

CHERRY ZHANG: 30 feet, yeah.

Q. The par putt they made was like --

CHERRY ZHANG: 40 feet.

FAY JIA: At least 40 feet.

Q. So you just mentioned that three-hole stretch. 16, 17, what happened there?

FAY JIA: So we played good. We were doing good. We were doing pars, but they got birdie -- well, first of all, one of the girls, they had eagle.

CHERRY ZHANG: They had a short eagle putt on 16.

FAY JIA: Right, so obviously --

CHERRY ZHANG: I was a little short. I was by the greenside rough and I just chipped -- I had about 15 feet for birdie and she made it first.

So she made birdie and I just -- I kind of pulled it a little bit. It was short. I was like, we're still 1-up. It doesn't matter.

FAY JIA: Yeah, I know.

CHERRY ZHANG: What was unexpected was 17. She was like about 30 feet and then she made it. That really just --

FAY JIA: -- shocked us.

CHERRY ZHANG: Definitely shocked me and put me in a very huge pressure, I don't know, coming my way.

Q. Yeah.

CHERRY ZHANG: Yeah, it was just --

Q. Would you say that's the most pressure you've felt?

FAY JIA: For me because I play a lot of junior golf, I mean, I've like -- definitely not for me. I think it was like I believe in Cherry, I believe in myself. I know I'm a great -- I hit my driver so straight; my irons are good; putting has been okay. Like just try your best to get par, right?

Cherry's putt was totally unexpected, but I'm so proud of her for just making that.

CHERRY ZHANG: Yeah.

Q. You guys seemed like in the round of 16 it was more kind of in control for the most part until the end when I think they won two holes back-to-back.

FAY JIA: Yeah.

CHERRY ZHANG: Yeah.

FAY JIA: I mean, I don't really remember.

CHERRY ZHANG: It wasn't because they made birdie. It was because I went OB two holes in a row. It was just her. I think Fay was kind of in a little pressure.

FAY JIA: For me, like the girls we played with in the morning, we're all friends. For me, I think that put like a little bit more pressure because they're friends. I know we're on the same skill level. They didn't have their best game today because we play with each other a lot.

I mean, I was like, I gotta win. If they're playing bad, like I know I'm better than them, I gotta win.

But with these girls, me and Cherry, first two holes we were laughing, we were like no pressure. It was like --

CHERRY ZHANG: We're not going to win. They're so good.

FAY JIA: Exactly. They're 21. They're in college. They're great players.

CHERRY ZHANG: Yeah.

FAY JIA: They can stop their ball on the green unlike me. Let's just have fun. We already made it so far.

CHERRY ZHANG: Uh-huh. Fay told me, we're top 16, we're already really far. More than we ever dreamed.

FAY JIA: Right.

CHERRY ZHANG: So if we lose to them, we lose to such a good pair of players.

FAY JIA: Yeah.

CHERRY ZHANG: If we win, then we win.

FAY JIA: Exactly.

CHERRY ZHANG: Because it's golf and everything is possible.

Q. Yeah. Was your goal coming into the week at least make it to match play? Was that kind of --

CHERRY ZHANG: Yeah, our goal was to just make match play.

FAY JIA: Make the cut.

CHERRY ZHANG: Just match play.

ASIA YOUNG: I was like, we're not going to make it to the last day. When we were packing our clothes before we came we were just like, Cherry, let's bring ten outfits, and she was like, how good do you think we are?

I'm like, I think we're going to win. And then she's like, no, we're not. And then -- my dad wasn't expecting it either. Like my dad, he hurt his foot, his leg today because he's so old. He's pushing my cart. I totally wasn't expecting this. I thought we were just going to leave.

CHERRY ZHANG: We literally booked our plane tickets for tomorrow.

FAY JIA: We got to change it.

CHERRY ZHANG: We were not expecting this. Like when we made it to top 16, it was already like, wow, we already --

FAY JIA: We are so good. No, we beat top junior players. You see Berkeley commits, like really top players.

CHERRY ZHANG: Yeah.

Q. Yesterday was the Schartz sisters.

FAY JIA: Yeah, they're Nelly Korda, US Girls. They get into those tournaments. I can't get into those tournaments.

CHERRY ZHANG: This is our first USGA and I was so exhausted from our first round. Like I (indiscernible) two drives in a row on the first and second hole.

Q. I saw that.

FAY JIA: And I was like, it's okay. It's okay.

Q. What was kind of your mindset? How do you reset from those shots?

CHERRY ZHANG: It was just I kind of took it slow. Fay controlled definitely the front nine because I was so exhausted. Like I couldn't get myself into the golf mindset. I just like couldn't do it anymore.

But on the back nine I started to get some control back, and like I feel like for me is where we won 13.

Q. That was the moment?

CHERRY ZHANG: We won 13.

FAY JIA: Uh-huh.

CHERRY ZHANG: And I just felt like, wow, we're actually getting somewhere. Then I made a birdie putt on 14 which got us 2-up.

FAY JIA: It was like, we got it.

Q. How long was that putt?

CHERRY ZHANG: I would say like seven feet.

FAY JIA: Yeah, seven, eight feet.

CHERRY ZHANG: It was really nice approach shot.

Q. Yeah.

CHERRY ZHANG: I just told Fay, like I (indiscernible) two holes in a row. I said, Fay, I'm tired. Let's go home on 16.

FAY JIA: No, we were just like, 16, let's get it done and then they make birdie and we were just like flipped.

CHERRY ZHANG: And they made birdie and I said Fay I'm feeling it, let's go home after 17. They made birdie again and that got me like super stressed.

FAY JIA: Right, but you're good like under pressure. Like for me, like especially putting, I can't putt under pressure. I can swing under pressure but for you, you can putt. You can putt. Every single time -- we've never played bad in Four-Ball together.

CHERRY ZHANG: Yeah.

FAY JIA: You can putt under pressure, but for me, I'm just like consistent, like par, let's go. You got it, get the birdie.

Q. Yeah. And obviously you mentioned this being your first USGA Championship being surprised you made it this far. What's going through your head as you think about going into the final of a USGA championship your first time around?

CHERRY ZHANG: It's just a pleasure.

FAY JIA: Really, it's just like it's going to be so fun. I don't care if we lose or win.

CHERRY ZHANG: Like we made it to the last day.

FAY JIA: Exactly.

CHERRY ZHANG: We're Top 4.

FAY JIA: Exactly. That's such -- that's already an accomplishment. Like --

CHERRY ZHANG: Oh, my God, I'm going to be happy for at least a month.

FAY JIA: No, for real. Me too.

Q. I don't know if you know this by getting Top 4 you're automatically exempted into next year provided you stay together.

FAY JIA: We're not.

CHERRY ZHANG: Maybe. I don't know.

Q. That's neither here nor there.

CHERRY ZHANG: Who knows what life brings.

Q. Yesterday, Cherry, you mentioned your uncle is Haotong Li. Have you been in touch with him this week?

CHERRY ZHANG: I've been in touch with him recently. He just has been playing a lot of tournaments in Europe. I think he just finished like the Turkish Open.

Q. Okay. Okay. No, because I was going to say, maybe has he given you any advice especially as you're going into a big match like tomorrow?

CHERRY ZHANG: I have asked him for a lot of advice but all he tells me is just there is nothing that practice cannot bring.

Yeah, well, like I ask him like why is my putting not good? He's like, practice. You don't practice enough.

Q. Yeah.

CHERRY ZHANG: So, yeah, because I already played for so long, it's not really a technique problem anymore. It's like the feelings. I got to keep the feelings.

FAY JIA: Today in like the afternoon match, I didn't even take a practice swing. I just hit the ball. When they were putting I'm just laying on the ground.

CHERRY ZHANG: Yeah, Fay was laying on the ground.

FAY JIA: I was laying on the ground. Like the most important isn't like I got to practice. Like I said yesterday, like it's that you need to conserve your energy. Everybody now, they're all tired. We been playing so much.

You can't -- my dad is tired. Everyone is tired. They haven't even played. Energy is the most important.

CHERRY ZHANG: What's different from today, like the afternoon match is me and Fay has been going like 4-up every single round of match play, so it's just we have never felt stressed before.

FAY JIA: And this one was --

CHERRY ZHANG: This one was stressful because they birdied the first hole. We already know, top 16 is already going to be the best, best, best players.

Q. Yeah.

FAY JIA: I told my dad on the first hole --

CHERRY ZHANG: Oh, no, we're top eight. That was top eight.

FAY JIA: Top 8, see.

Q. Now you're Top 4?

CHERRY ZHANG: Top 4.

FAY JIA: I told my dad on the first hole, they're winning; we're not winning.

CHERRY ZHANG: My dad was like, you're so tired. Just play and then we're going to go home, back to California. I guess we're not going back to California.

Q. Do you think that feeling, that pressure that you mentioned today, kind of that overwhelming pressure, do you think that will help you tomorrow?

CHERRY ZHANG: Definitely.

Q. Definitely?

FAY JIA: I think for me, like I have played so many tournaments I think the most nervous I've ever been for a tournament was the SCGA Women's Amateur at Saticoy last year. I was playing with -- literally my dream school is like LA commit, USC commit, and them all doing worse than me.

I think I've learned so much in like the past year. I think Cherry, like she gets emotional but like she could come back from it. For me, I'm just like, I'm very calm. Like if I mess up a shot I can like ignore it, like I can go past that.

I've learned so much from all the tournaments I've played, like especially last year. I grew so much from last year, especially from that Saticoy tournament.

But I think Cherry's like -- Cherry's an emotional player and that's good and bad.

CHERRY ZHANG: I'm just good at math.

FAY JIA: Like we're not super top like in our tournaments, but we make a good combo because she's like bam and I'm just like...

Q. You balance each other out.

FAY JIA: Yeah.

CHERRY ZHANG: Yeah, because we are very compatible.

Q. No, yeah. Last question was just R&R for tomorrow. Obviously you guys had a long day today. You mentioned being tired. Everybody in the field is tired. What are you guys going to do to unwind and get your energy back for tomorrow?

FAY JIA: I'm not even going to do homework. I'm going to sleep.

CHERRY ZHANG: I'm probably going to eat first and take a break.

FAY JIA: Yeah.

Q. Did you end up getting your (indiscernible) back?

FAY JIA: No.

CHERRY ZHANG: I just found out my dad smashed it. I'm getting a new one.

FAY JIA: Yeah.

Q. You earned it after this week.

FAY JIA: Yeah, you definitely did.

CHERRY ZHANG: I don't want to say why my dad...