U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 14, 2025

Jimmy Abdo

The Olympic Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Great start today. Obviously 36 holes, being the underdog that you are, talk about your mindset hole after hole after such a long day.

JIMMY ABDO: I feel like, you said it, being the underdog, I feel like there's way less pressure on me to perform well. I feel like I can go out there and play pretty free. That's what we did for most of the holes out there.

When we were going down the stretch, I got up to 2-up, and I told Evan -- Evan's my caddie -- if we just keep playing smart golf, go center of the fairway, center of the green, good things are going to happen and we're not really going to have to do much. That's what we stuck to. Played a bogey-free back nine with just one birdie, and that was enough to get it done. Actually, two birdies, 18, but that was enough to get it done.

Just stuck to our game plan making pars. Pars is good in match play.

Q. Obviously being from a small town, small state, for those of us that don't know in the world at large, what can you tell us about yourself and your story?

JIMMY ABDO: Never back down from anybody. Ready to play against anybody. I'm not even sure who I have tomorrow, but I'm ready to put up a fight against whoever it is.

Q. Obviously the big stage of the U.S. Amateur. Being that this is maybe your first experience in that, how do you prepare moving forward?

JIMMY ABDO: First time in a tournament this big, but I think I've just got to keep sticking to what I know best, keep staying composed. Knowing that I belong here, that I'm capable of beating anybody and I'm capable of playing really good golf.

Q. Can you kind of describe your feeling when you're watching that putt drift towards the hole and it drops in? What's going through your mind when that's happening?

JIMMY ABDO: I was kind of telling it to sit. I didn't really want to have to hit a second putt. Good thing the hole got in the way. No, I thought I had a good line. Like I said before, in my head I picked a line and said play it a little high, a little soft, and make sure I get something around the hole. It dropped in, and I didn't even have to see his putt.

It's a pretty cool feeling to make a putt like that, especially on 18, around a place like this, it's pretty cool.

Q. Walk me through your junior golf career. When did you get started?

JIMMY ABDO: Probably started hitting a golf ball when I was 3. I don't really think I started playing tournaments until I got to middle school. I was like this is fine. When I was in high school, I wasn't really anything special. Kind of started playing in some bigger events as I thought I got better.

This is my first time trying to qualify for the U.S. Am. I never felt like I was ready. Coming out of high school, I was never really recruited at all. That kind of adds into this underdog story where no one really believes I'm capable of playing good golf like this. I know I am, and I've had that confidence even when I was in high school.

I didn't play in the state tournament lineup until junior year of high school, and in high school it's not too hard to be in your top six. That just kind of proves I had to grind it out and keep working at it, and now I'm here.

Q. What specifically has changed? Did you have a green light moment where you found something, or was it just slow progress?

JIMMY ABDO: I think honestly, when we won our state tournament my junior year, I gained so much confidence from it. Even just playing team golf, like you think you're good, and then you realize there's five of your own teammates that are better than you, and you realize you've got to start putting in the extra work.

I feel like I found out, if you want to get better than people, you can't work the same as them, you've got to put in double. As soon as I started to put in double, I realized that was enough to get good, but I wanted to be better and went triple. It's just kind of part of learning a lot about yourself, and I feel like I'm learning a lot about myself this week especially.

I don't really think I'm going to ever lose confidence again after this. I know I can compete, and it's just a great feeling.

Q. Do you have a swing coach?

JIMMY ABDO: Yeah, I do. Luke Benoit out of Edina, Minnesota. It's Interlachen. That was also that shift where I really got better from my sophomore to junior year. Sophomore year I think I averaged 77 in high school, and then junior year, I averaged 70. I give a lot of credit to him for that. That was the same time that I made the switch over to him. He's honestly taken my game to another level.

I started implementing the fitness part of golf. From sophomore to junior year, I gained 60 yards off the tee. It's just kind of all those things you learn as you keep going. Keep building and grow your team and grow the people around you.

Q. I don't know if you've been paying attention to social media. Back home, your home club made T-shirts and what not. The whole Division III golf community seems to be rallying behind you. How much does that help feed your confidence and everything you've been able to put out on the course this week?

JIMMY ABDO: When you're playing golf out there, especially in a twosome, you kind of feel alone. It's just you and your playing partner. Knowing I've got hundreds of people and they're backing me, it kind of takes away that lonely feeling of golf. It's just kind of nice to know that I've got a team around me that wants to see me do well as much as I want to see me do well.

Q. Who's in the crowd for you this week?

JIMMY ABDO: I've got my parents, my brother and his girlfriend, one of our assistant coaches, and then my caddie Evan decided this was probably a good reason to come out to California with me.

Q. Childhood friend?

JIMMY ABDO: Yeah, we met probably in middle school just playing junior golf. We just kind of decided we could go out and play 18 one time. Kind of stayed friends ever since. Kept getting closer since then. He's caddied for me in a lot of big tournaments. I think he might even be able to understand a golf course better than me.

It was an easy decision to have him as my first choice. So I'm pretty thankful to have him out here too.