U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2025

June 14, 2025

Phillip Barbaree

Oakmont Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. What goes flooding through your mind?

PHILLIP BARBAREE JR: Probably a lot of pent-up emotion and stress from sleeping last night or not sleeping last night, just knowing that I pretty much had to come out and make par on one of the hardest holes on the course, and then to actually do it, that's what you practice for, that's what you care about.

To be able to pull off a shot like that when it matters, and then with her on the bag, it's special.

Q. To share the moment with your family and especially with her --

PHILLIP BARBAREE JR: Yeah, she's been caddying for about a year now on the bag, and it's been awesome. At first it just started as, will you just caddie for me just for a couple days, I don't have a caddie, and then started playing well, and then she -- I pretty much made her stick around. I forced her to stick around.

She actually enjoys it, but it's great.

Q. What's it like? How are you enjoying your role as caddie to your husband?

CHLOE BARBAREE: I love it. I always tell him I'm honored that he chooses me as his caddie because I know that's a big role to fill. But I think it just works because I'm there for moral support, whatever he needs. I'm not pushy. I don't know all the facts, so I'm really there for moral support.

Q. So the fact that you don't have a golf background maybe helps in some way?

CHLOE BARBAREE: Yeah, we think so. He thinks that I bring a different perspective since I don't have a golf background, I don't play golf, so I see things that maybe others wouldn't see and point it out to him, and it just works.

Q. What makes Chloe such a good caddie?

PHILLIP BARBAREE JR: Well, I don't like a lot of information out there. I'll start thinking way too much. I'll start talking it through with the caddie and just get out of my own head. I'll just do my own thing and for her to be there for support and for her to give me good words whenever I need it or whatever it might be or just to have her there provides some ease and comfort. Yeah, it's been really nice. A really good team.

Q. How did you deal with last night? Did you think about 18? Did you try not to think about 18?

PHILLIP BARBAREE JR: Usually she doesn't let me look at the leaderboards, and I try not to, as well. I try not to try to shoot a number because that's always really hard to do. But I saw where the cut was on an Instagram post last night, and I just told her, I know where I stand, and now it just got a lot harder, so help me deal with it. Talked it through and just kind of tried to change my perspective that we're here, and I've played great so far, and no matter what happens, it's been a great week. Fortunately it worked out this time.

Q. I wanted to ask you about playing with Devin. Did you learn anything from him?

PHILLIP BARBAREE JR: Yeah, he probably knows this course a lot better than I do, so it was nice if he would hit first and see where he would go or what he would do on his putts or whatnot. Devin is a great guy. He was awesome. I don't know where I stand, but if I played with him tomorrow, I wouldn't be mad about it.

Q. What did you think about his game?

PHILLIP BARBAREE JR: Great game. To come out here and just hit around -- the first couple holes, I think he was tied with me or beating me, and I was thinking, I've got to pick it up or else he's going to beat me.

Q. Where were you this morning on the restart?

PHILLIP BARBAREE JR: I was on 8 green.

Q. Making the cut here exempts you from the first stage of Q-school. How much does that impact your plans and looking forward to 2026?

PHILLIP BARBAREE JR: Yeah, I mean, anytime you can skip a stage -- Q-school is hard. Oakmont is hard, but Q-school as a whole might be harder. Just to be able to skip a stage, it's huge.

Playing in PGA TOUR Americas, I'm in a decent position, so to know I have that in my back pocket, I feel like that could bring me up a little bit more the Canadian swing.

Q. Chloe, what's an example of some advice you gave him out on the course, if you did?

CHLOE BARBAREE: Usually my advice that I give him is to not overthink and be confident because I know that he knows what he's doing, and when he's confident, he plays the best. So I just say, be confident in your decisions. You know you best. Just play your own game and have fun.

Q. How surreal is it to be making your first U.S. Open cut and with a guy you've been playing with your whole life (indiscernible)?

PHILLIP BARBAREE JR: Yeah, it sure does. Whenever I saw he was leading yesterday and then I made a couple birdies on the back nine, I was kind of thinking to myself, this feels different. He's playing great, and I've played great so far. It does feel like a Shreveport reunion, I guess.