U.S. MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

September 29, 2026

Nate Smith

Sand Valley Resort

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, 36-hole day. Got through to the quarterfinals. Can you just talk me through both those matches today.

NATE SMITH: Well, I mean, I was pretty fired up to play Stew. Been wanting to play him for a long time. He's obviously standard in mid-amateur golf, so I was just fortunate to win that match.

And then a little bit of an emotional letdown in the afternoon. We had kind of a pillow fight out there. That's match play tournaments. It's kind of just about surviving, and I was able to get through thankfully.

So happy.

Q. How much of a grind are these 36-hole days?

NATE SMITH: Yeah, I mean, it's just the emotional toll of it all. You know, it's not as much the physical part. You're pretty jacked up out there.

But you just have so much time to think about so many things and not all of them are great. So I think more than anything, that's, you know, part of it. Just enduring some of the maybe negative thoughts that come in your head throughout 36 holes of golf.

Q. I understand you play at Tributary.

NATE SMITH: Yeah, yeah.

Q. That's where my brother plays.

NATE SMITH: Oh, no way. What's your brother's name?

Q. Dan Shefter.

NATE SMITH: Okay. Oh, I probably know Dan. Yeah.

Q. Used to work with Stew. That course is pretty bouncy.

NATE SMITH: I know Dan for sure. He lives on like the seventh hole. Yeah, seen him the other day.

Q. That course is pretty bouncy. Is that good preparation for something like this?

NATE SMITH: Yeah. I played the member pro thing out there as an amateur last week and they had the greens rolling nice. I was telling my dad, I was fortunate to go play that golf course with a lot of contours and everything, David McLay-Kidd design, and it was great preparation for here because it is not too dissimilar to here.

This is a lot firmer, but still similar.

Q. How often to you get confused with the other Nate Smith?

NATE SMITH: Oh, it's been years and years. I changed my name for him. I used to be Nathan J and he was Nathan T. The USGA would mess us up. I think my picture ended up in the Masters media guide one year actually.

Then I figured, hey, this guy, he's done quite a bit in the game. Let's just make it easy. I'll be Nate.