U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 15, 2025

Niall Shiels Donegan

The Olympic Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Still obviously buzzing off of that playoff victory. You're trailing most of the match today. How do you kind of turn the corner today on hole 17 with that birdie?

NIALL SHIELS DONEGAN: I've kind of been on the other end of this, like I wasn't up in the match at all. I had my chances to get up but just didn't quite take them. It's just one of those, you've just got to stay so patient. You can't get ahead of yourself, like, oh, I've lost a hole. Now I really have to hold on.

It's just one hole is its own event, and it's just all about staying in the present, not thinking ahead.

Q. Obviously with the big hometown crowd here, it's going to cause a lot of energy, a lot of emotion changes. Obviously you get the positive side of it, but maybe there's some nerves out there. How do you kind of manage the crowd that's here for you?

NIALL SHIELS DONEGAN: I don't know. There's probably nerves, but I feel like with this crowd, I know so many of them, like it just feels very natural to me. I know that they're not -- I'm just trying to enjoy the moment.

I was texting with Coach DiBitetto yesterday, and I was just saying this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to play U.S. Am at Olympic Club, 30 minutes from where I live, and just enjoy the moment. Who cares what happens? You made it this far already.

Q. Are you expecting more people to come tomorrow? Are we reaching our limits with the crowd?

NIALL SHIELS DONEGAN: I don't know. We've got some good organizers in that crowd. They'll definitely be on their phones tonight, e-mailing, and I know we've got a radio host in Brian Murphy out there. He was talking it up as well. Who knows?

Q. Is this the most fun you've ever had playing golf?

NIALL SHIELS DONEGAN: Easily, yeah.

Q. Are you having fun because you're playing so well, or are you playing so well because you're having fun?

NIALL SHIELS DONEGAN: I think it's the latter. I've had a mindset switch over the past couple weeks, just trying to get out of like this outcome stuff that gets me so negative, gets me so emotional. Just kind of enjoying the journey, enjoying the process. Just always keeping a smile, that's the goal.

Q. What caused that mindset shift?

NIALL SHIELS DONEGAN: The Western Am, I had a really tough final day and just had to have a conversation with me, had a conversation with my caddie and Todd, and we were just like, you know, you can't do anything -- if your brain's going like that throughout the day, just down and out of it, nothing good's going to come of it.

Q. You must have heard a lot of things from the crowd today. Is there anything or phrase in particular that stuck to you?

NIALL SHIELS DONEGAN: There was a little too much of I love you, Niall, but any form of love, I'll take it. Yeah, we had focus in the beginning. It was all positive stuff. I can't thank them enough for making the trek out here. I know it's only 30 minutes, but still they're taking their time out of the day to do this. It's amazing they're giving me so much support.