U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR FOUR-BALL

May 14, 2025

Fay Jia

Cherry Zhang

Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. So obviously not the result you girls wanted, but it was pretty back and forth out there. Walk me through how the match went.

FAY JIA: I think -- I mean, playing with Natalie and Asia, like obviously they're really good. They're both like super, super good. So going in we're just trying to like even it out, like maybe get up, get like 1-up a little bit.

But, what happened? I think in the beginning we did -- we are like tying it, it was good, they were making mistakes, so it was like, okay, like we can get it going.

But I think for me and Cherry, like we're so exhausted, and obviously Asia and Natalie are really tired, too, I mean, but they're like super strong, great players.

So I think me and Cherry, like we were just trying to even it out. I mean, trying to get something going, but obviously -- I mean, we had chances. Cherry had, what --

CHERRY ZHANG: I had two for birdie. I didn't make it. They were in a row. It was 15 and 16. I had like three-footers for birdie.

FAY JIA: It was not three feet.

CHERRY ZHANG: Okay, never mind.

FAY JIA: It was not three feet.

Q. Maybe like seven, eight feet?

FAY JIA: Yeah. So, seven.

CHERRY ZHANG: 15 was about ten feet.

FAY JIA: Okay.

CHERRY ZHANG: 16 was like five, yeah.

Q. Any other notable holes that you remember?

FAY JIA: I remember that -- what do you remember, Cherry?

CHERRY ZHANG: I don't remember any. I just remember we made a lot of pars and we were yawning.

FAY JIA: I was yawning. I was tired. I mean, today was -- it wasn't a bad day. I think this course is just super difficult. It's hard to get it close for me, because I hit it straight, but I can't really stop my ball. So even if I hit a good shot it like rolls out of the green and I don't have a birdie chance.

So I think we played really well. I think -- I'm like really proud. I'm still in shock about yesterday's putt.

CHERRY ZHANG: Yeah, I absolutely cannot putt today.

FAY JIA: I mean, that's just golf. Some days the hole is super big and some days it's like super small. I think we did a great job, and, yeah.

Q. Yeah. Absolutely. You guys mentioned your opponents played in this championship before. They're a little bit older than you guys. Was there anything specific you noticed about their game that my stood out to you?

CHERRY ZHANG: They're just a lot calmer than me.

FAY JIA: I played with Asia before and I watched her play, and I think like especially Natalie, her ball flight and her striking is so pure. Like it's soft. It's high. You just watch it go off and come down. It's like so graceful.

But then mine, if you watch it it's like it's straight but it like rolls out. Hers is just like -- she can control the ball, control the spin, that stuff.

I think that part is like a huge difference. Obviously she has more experience. I mean, she's committed to Texas A&M; she's 18.

Q. Yeah. Any other major takeaways from the week, from the championship, from the match?

CHERRY ZHANG: Just we didn't believe we could make it this far and we are. I'm really tired. I literally told my dad on the last hole, on the 17th, like I don't want to play anymore.

FAY JIA: No, me too. Not another 18.

CHERRY ZHANG: I am literally going to go sit. My legs were like -- I couldn't walk anymore.

FAY JIA: Yeah, I hurt my like frickin', I don't know what this is called. Calf.

Q. Hamstring a little bit?

FAY JIA: Yeah, a little bit. I think my biggest takeaway is all the top tournaments that I've played, like amateur events and U.S. Open qualifiers, like all of their greens are very hard so you can't just land it there like junior tournaments do.

You have to roll it up and you have to hit fades and draws and avoid the bunkers and stuff. So I think the more I play -- I mean, I played more than a week here and I've learned how to control that, so I think going into like the SCGA Women's Amateur and some top like tournaments, for me, I think it'll really helped me because I've learned a lot in this past week.

Q. Yeah. Both golf course management as well as kind of like physical stamina and that kind of stuff?

FAY JIA: Yeah.

CHERRY ZHANG: This is the first time in my career I had to calculate like how much a ball rolls. Because like my ball has very high spin, so I have never had a rolling ball before.

Q. Got you.

CHERRY ZHANG: So it's definitely so hard. Like the first -- like the practice round and like the first two days for me is just how to let the ball stay on the green, because I am like -- I always like to strike the pin because I -- because before at all the other courses, my ball just stays there and it backspins. Sometimes I get annoyed by my backspin.

But this course, like...

Q. There is no spin.

FAY JIA: It's crazy.

CHERRY ZHANG: How can I just let it stay on the green.

FAY JIA: Exactly.

Q. You mentioned the South California Women's Amateur. What does the rest of your summer schedule look like?

FAY JIA: I have U.S. Girls qualifying on my home course next month. I have really high hopes for that one. Well, first of all, my putting coach is caddieing for me, and then playing this week, I hit it so good. I can't remember a time I hit my driver like that.

CHERRY ZHANG: That's so true.

FAY JIA: My driver is so straight.

CHERRY ZHANG: So good.

FAY JIA: So straight. It's my home course. I go there every day, so super confident with that. I also have -- my favorite course, Saticoy, I have an AJGA there, so I'm hoping I can go win that one.

Q. Which event is it?

FAY JIA: It's a new one. AJGA Open.

Q. Got you.

FAY JIA: And I have the SCGA Women's Amateur. It's at Torrey Pines this year. Never played there.

Q. It's a qualifier or you're in?

FAY JIA: I'm in because I got top 10 last year, yeah.

Q. What about for you, Cherry?

CHERRY ZHANG: For me, I don't have those anymore because I also -- I used to have -- I don't play AJGA so I'm just going back to the Amica Tour. So I'll just keep on playing the Amica Tour until September.

Q. What's the next...

CHERRY ZHANG: The next one is -- I'm pretty sure it's -- I'm not too sure. I think it's in Illinois. It's like in June.

Q. Okay.

CHERRY ZHANG: So I'm going to take a few days off and then I'll go back.

FAY JIA: A few, like a week.

CHERRY ZHANG: I'm taking like three days off.