U.S. AMATEUR FOUR-BALL

May 19, 2026

Craig Long, II

William Long

Desert Mountain Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Congratulations. From alternates to a spot in the semifinals. I mean, would you have imagined what would have transpired this week when you first got in, Craig?

CRAIG LONG II: Yeah, for sure. I mean, William and I have been working hard at being good at golf since we were, you know, little kids.

We both work really hard and, you know, I feel like we earned it.

Q. Yeah. Here you are. I mean, what was the key today in the second match? What was the turning point for you guys?

CRAIG LONG, II: The second match, well, I mean, we -- we couldn't really get anything to drop which was really frustrating for a while.

William dominated the par-5s all week, but he dominated the par-5s on the front today. And, yeah, we just made the turn and we just -- I don't know, it was just the ball got -- it almost felt like a boulder rolling downhill. Just kind of like we just kept -- almost as if like as play got faster we got better.

WILLIAM LONG: Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think the more we could just kind of stay in our routines and stick to the pre-shot routine we had kind of all week, the better we were able to kind of execute and just the better we evaluated the wind.

The wind is so gusty out here.

CRAIG LONG II: Yeah, it is.

WILLIAM LONG: It's definitely the most difficulty, and there is a lot of holes out here where it's like you just kind of can't even get it close. So you have to take that, and I think that was a big key and even more tomorrow because they're just going to get more and more crusty and more and more firm.

Q. Did you birdie all four of the par-5s?

WILLIAM LONG: I did not. I birdied the first two.

CRAIG LONG II: You birdied the first two; I birdied the --

WILLIAM LONG: Second two.

CRAIG LONG, II: -- the last two.

Q. So you birdied the last two?

WILLIAM LONG: Well, this week I've been -- honestly, well, in match play I've been kind of fighting my driver a little bit. I've been just getting a little stuck and so on the back nine I started to get -- I got you know struck -- stuck and I started striping it.

Q. Okay.

WILLIAM LONG: That's what really put me in a good spot.

Q. What would you guys be doing this week had you not gotten a call like ten days ago? What was on the plans for middle of May?

WILLIAM LONG: Well, I would've been playing in my high school state championship that finished today.

Q. Okay.

WILLIAM LONG: It was a bummer to have to miss out on that, but it's kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play with my brother. We knew we had a shot to go far, and just to be able to play some good golf.

Q. What was on your docket, Craig?

CRAIG LONG II: Yeah, I mean I told you earlier in the week that I was like rotting in my bed when I got the email that we got in.

But, yeah, I mean, I would probably still be in Chicago practicing with my teammates probably.

Q. Oh, really? So you guys are still doing stuff?

CRAIG LONG II: Yeah, because I mean, a lot of boys are from Chicago.

Q. So you stay there in the summer usually?

CRAIG LONG II: Not usually. Our home course in Atlanta, they're kind of renovating it.

Q. Okay.

CRAIG LONG II: So I was going to give up a couple weeks in Atlanta for some practice in Chicago.

Q. Okay. What kind of thank you note or gift are you going to give to the two Miami Ohio guys?

PLAYER: Well, I already -- we --

Q. Text them at all?

WILLIAM LONG: Well, the NIU Huskies, we got second at MAC Conference and they got first, so I feel like they got whatever they needed. I'm not salty at all.