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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 25, 2007Jhonattan VegasSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA CRAIG SMITH: Jhonattan, well, most of the week we have had big smiles and big victories. But today you go the first couple holes and then it just couldn't get any kind of momentum to make it larger when you had the chances. JHONATTAN VEGAS: Yeah. Actually, I just didn't execute the way I should have been. Colt is a great player and if I, if I wanted to have a chance to compete against him I had to play a lot better than what I did today. I had a few opportunities to take a good lead and to get the momentum on my side, but I wasn't able to do it. The putt that I had on 8 and the putt that I had on 9 for birdie, and I just didn't do it. I just didn't do it. If one of those two putts would have gone in, I would have the momentum on my side going to the back nine. Which would be a lot better. But I just didn't execute the way that I needed to and I paid for it. CRAIG SMITH: Those putts on 8 and 9, how far and were you worried about letting it slip away? Start with the length of the putts. JHONATTAN VEGAS: Well, the one on 8, after a little help from the tree, I was like 15 to 18 feet away. It was up the hill. I saw that his putt didn't break much, but I was trying to keep it a little left of the hole and just letting it go in on the left side of the hole. But I just hit it a little too firm and it never came this way. The one on 9, after hitting a good second shot, I was like around 10 feet. And I just didn't strike it the way I planned to strike it. And obviously I didn't make it. But I think those two putts were big and I just wasn't able to do it. CRAIG SMITH: Then you had to push a little bit or press a little bit for birdies and it kind of went the other way on you down the stretch. JHONATTAN VEGAS: I think so. I think I made, I just, like I said, I didn't execute the way I wanted. Like the second shot on 10, the second shot on 11 were fairly easy shots. I had 9-iron in my hand both times and I hit the wrong way. Doing that against a great player is not going to help. So, but it was kind of, you know, fairly well, but. CRAIG SMITH: Put it in words. I know you're disappointed, but put it in words. You're happy you're a semi-finalist, but. JHONATTAN VEGAS: You know, it was great. And I'm going to take a lot from this week. I'm a little, like I said, disappointed, but I'm taking a lot from this week. This is my first time in a great championship to come really close to winning and I'm going to take a lot from it from the future, to the future, and I'm really happy inside. Because I know that I did well and I just got to keep it up now. Q. Colt obviously won the Public Links and now has made the finals here. What makes him so difficult in match play? JHONATTAN VEGAS: He's a great player, first of all. And he doesn't make many mistakes. And whenever he's in trouble he finds a way to get it up-and-down. And after awhile that gets on you. When you have chances to get up and take the match your way and you don't do it and he keeps getting up-and-down that's going to get on you at the end of the day. And that's what kind of happened to me today. I had a good putt on 6 to go I think it was like 3-up or 2-up. And then the one on the other nine that I didn't make any of those putts and that really hurt me. Q. Seemed like on 12 maybe was a good example of that too. Where you're both in the bunker and he hits that shot to two or three feet and you conceded it? JHONATTAN VEGAS: It was really close. And I hit mine okay and I wasn't able to make my putt. But it was that kind of game which I had the advantage on my side and I just wasn't able to execute when I needed to. Q. 12, 13, and 14 I mentioned that down there, but you missed shots off the tee. And that really hurts here, doesn't it? You were in the bunker and then on 14 you pulled it left and you have no shot at the green. JHONATTAN VEGAS: The one on 12 actually it wasn't that bad. I hit a good drive, and it just kind of ran up the fairway. And I had a good lie. And I just tried to keep it a little left of the flag on my second shot and I pulled it into the rough. And the one on 13 I actually hit a good shot there. It was right of the flag and I just didn't know that tree was going to come in play and it did, obviously. And it hurt me there. But -- and I think I got a little too quick on my tee shot on 14 and that's why the ball went that way. And that's something that I need to work on now. Q. It is my understanding that you've got a semester back in school, but you don't have any more eligibility to compete. Is that correct? JHONATTAN VEGAS: Yeah. I have another year to go and, unfortunately, I don't have any more -- I'm done with college golf. Q. What are your plans then golf-wise? Where do you go from here? JHONATTAN VEGAS: I got a few international tournaments coming up. Before Christmas I have like two or three. And I'm going to get ready for that, just to keep playing and keep working on my game. Next year, hopefully turn pro and start playing with the best players in the world. Q. What are the international events? JHONATTAN VEGAS: I'm going to go to one in Guatemala that I got invited to and I have one in Venezuela, which is a great tournament where a bunch of teams from the world come. CRAIG SMITH: So next year when Julio is playing here you'll caddie for him? JHONATTAN VEGAS: I will. I really wish he can make it here. And if he really makes it, I promise that I'll be here too. CRAIG SMITH: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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