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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 26, 2007

Colt Knost

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

CRAIG SMITH: I guess the place to start is with the accomplishment. APL and U.S. Amateur in the same season. You got what you came for.
COLT KNOST: Yeah, it's been an unbelievable summer, USGA-wise. This is the ultimate goal always every summer to win the U.S. Amateur. And I finally got one.
CRAIG SMITH: In terms of the match it was a three hole stretch there on the back side where you 1-putted, no putted, and 1-putted.
COLT KNOST: Yeah. Going into 13 I figured, he had 15 feet for par, I had about a 20-footer for birdie. And I kind of knew obviously if I make this I win the hole, but 2-putt might do it. So I decided to change a little something in my putting, because I've been struggling all day and I've been pulling everything. And I remember normally what I do when I pull it is I get it too far up in my stance. So I moved it back in the stance a little bit and hit a perfect putt there.
And then my caddie told me I was due for a chip in on 14. And he's been telling me that for the last few days. And I come so close all week and I finally just drained one.
And then the putt on 15 was huge. To stay 2-up with three to play.

Q. What about that? As significant as the birdie were on 13 and 14, to make that putt on 15, when it looked like he was going to take the hole.
COLT KNOST: I think that was probably more important than the other two. Because it kept the momentum in my favor. If I miss that, then he wins the hole and he's obviously got control with even though I'm 1-up with three holes to play.
And I think he knew, him and everyone else knows how bad I've been playing 16 all week. So I kind of felt things going his way. But then I buried that one.

Q. What about earlier in the match on number 8 where you nearly holed that you know one on the fly there. What did you hit in?
COLT KNOST: I hit an 8-iron. It was like 145 back uphill into the wind. From the roar I thought I was a foot. I guess it just landed so close.
But that's the same thing on 18 this morning. I thought I was a foot too with the roar. But that was pretty much the same putt I had for par this morning that I missed. And except it was just a little bit longer. And I buried that one.

Q. Your shot on 18 you ended up birdieing 18 today, to go into the second 18. Was that kind of a confidence builder considering that you hadn't played 18 all week and the first time you played it you ended up birdieing it?
COLT KNOST: Yeah. It was huge. It was more confidence builder because it put me in the lead going into lunch. Which was great. It's always nice to get spotted a hole going into around.
I just felt like that birdie really gave me momentum, especially after making the good par on 17 to win that hole as well.

Q. You seem to wear your heart on your sleeve out there you're an emotional type guy. Who you do play through that? How do you do what you can do with that?
COLT KNOST: I get fired up and I get upset at myself. But I get over it pretty quickly and go on to the next shot.
I just always tell myself, all right, that shot's over, go to the next one.
Even after I chipped in on 14 I still have to hit a good shot on 15. Which I thought I did.
I don't know, I move on from things very quickly and try not to let things stay with me too long. Whether they're good or bad.

Q. Feel like you got enough practice today on those little short kind of bump shots just through the green?
COLT KNOST: Yeah. I was scrambling that morning round, man, I was struggling. But, yeah, I'm ready to get over there and start hitting some of those.

Q. What's next for you? Do you go, are you going to turn pro? Because right now you have an invitation to the Masters and the U.S. Open.
COLT KNOST: I got Walker Cup next week. That's what I'm ready for. That would top off the best summer in my life if we go over there and win that one. And then I'll go from there. I'm not sure yet though.

Q. Has it sunk in yet what you've accomplished this year joining Ryan Moore as the only one to win the APL and U.S. Amateur?
COLT KNOST: No, not really. I know it's pretty rare feat and just to win this trophy is pretty unbelievable. And to have that other one with it, that's been, it's been an amazing last few, last month, month and a half, I guess.

Q. Have you had a chance to look at the names on there, obviously you know who's won it?
COLT KNOST: I haven't even looked at it, but I know who's on there, yeah.

Q. What was going on out there? It seemed like you did have an inordinate number of times when you were just looked like you hit a good shot, but it just didn't stay, it was squirting on you or whatever you would get those funky shots.
COLT KNOST: I just didn't get a lot of things going my way, honestly, all day. I made a few things happen, but I don't know. I couldn't get anything going out there. Michael, the shot on 2 this afternoon, I thought it was good and it rolled over the green. And we ended up halving that hole.
Like number 7, that pin was just brutal today. I thought I hit a good shot in the morning and it ended up going all the way to the front. It was just holes like that.
Then the one on 14 where I chip it in. I don't know, everything balanced itself out. It was a roller coaster out there today.
CRAIG SMITH: You had a week of making birdies, you had to wait 17 holes to make one this morning in the 18. But talk about the putter. You have used that belly putter. When did you come about that and has that been the magic wand?
COLT KNOST: Yeah, started using it in February. Not that particular one. But I went to it then. And normally it's really, really solid. This week was pretty poor putting week for me, I feel like. Obviously I made some coming down the stretch today, but overall I struggled a lot. I missed a lot of short ones out there today. But then I made them when it counted.

Q. Did you feel like you were having to keep the hands on the wheel, that you know like you said, some of the breaks just didn't seem to be going your way at times there and how difficult is it to play through something like that?
COLT KNOST: I kept telling myself it's 36 holes, just stay patient. I felt like this match, after that morning 18, I felt I could take control of the match coming out. And I didn't. And I knew I was going to be in for a long haul.
Par it was really hard when Michael was making putts all over place there too. That putt he made on 5 was just unreal. He made that one and then the up-and-down on 3. Where I thought he plugged it in the bunker on his second one or it was going to catch up in the rough and it rolls out to three feet and I 2-putt. That's just the way things were going for me today and I battled through it.

Q. How close did you come to hitting 5-iron again on 13 and from what I understand you hit that all week, so what prompted you to switch and that shot obviously got you going?
COLT KNOST: Yeah, I pretty much hit 5-iron all week except when the pin was up front. And I knew he hit 6-iron. It didn't look like he hit it very well and he went over the back. And I knew he was about a half club longer than me. I thought I would hit the six and keep it under the hole and just give myself a chance.

Q. It was more the result of his shot than the wind?
COLT KNOST: Yeah, I knew the wind was into us because the hole before I hit a pretty solid 6-iron from like 175, just tried to cut it in there and I over cut it. So I figured 6 from 190 would have been perfect.

Q. How surprised are you with the match play success you've had in APL and then this week, considering before this year you've never played match play?
COLT KNOST: I'm a little surprised, but I also know that in these USGA events that pars are good. That in my game is I make a lot of pars, I make very few mistakes. I'm a guy that doesn't shoot 62 a whole lot of times, but I very rarely shoot more than a couple over par. So therefore I know I can wear people down in match play. If we go play a golf course where you got to take it low, I'm probably not going to be that great at match play. But in USGA events I feel like it sets up well for me.

Q. Do you feel like you dictated the tone during the match?
COLT KNOST: I felt like I could have control of the match most of the day. I think he knew I wasn't playing very well and he wasn't getting very far ahead. He never got more than 1-up all day. So I knew I had control if I would just start making some putts, start swinging a little better. Which I finally kind of did. I really didn't swing it well all day. But when I got those few putts to go in, I think he knew he was in trouble.

Q. Every time he took the lead by 1-up, I think there were three separate times, the following hole you would win the hole. Is that -- now even though you're not swinging well, how do you characterize that ability that you have?
COLT KNOST: I don't know. Actually didn't even know that. But I know like apparently after 5, he won number 5 when he made that bomb, and I was not very happy after that hole. He made that. That was 60 feet, over 60 feet.
So I went to the next hole and just absolutely bombed it off the tee. And he hit a bad one. And I hit a good shot in there. But I don't know, I just have been talking to Randy all week he said, if you lose the hole it's just one hole. It's no big deal. You can get it right back on the next one. And that's what I was trying to do. Just stay in the present all week.

Q. Can you talk about that relationship with Randy and what he means to you?
COLT KNOST: He means everything. He's the reason I'm sitting here.

Q. How so and why?
COLT KNOST: He's just, he's -- he's changed me as a golfer and as a person. He means a lot to me.

Q. How did you feel when you won?
COLT KNOST: Pretty good, man. Happy it's over.

Q. You said that earlier on you thought that Michael deserved to be on the Walker Cup team. Are there other guys that you would look at that you played with during the year that you feel are that quality as well?
COLT KNOST: There's a bunch of guys that should be on that team right now. If Ricky Fowler doesn't make it, it's a shame, in my opinion. Brian Harmon is absolutely perfect for that type of play over there. As his record shows. Kyle Stanley has had the most consistent two years out of anybody in the country. So you got four guys right there. And then you got Drew Weaver who won the British Am. I don't know. I'm glad I'm not having to pick it.
CRAIG SMITH: Good follow-up, I guess Ken asked how he you would say he changed you as a person. How has Rick changed you as a person?
COLT KNOST: I don't know. He's made me such a more confident person on the golf course. I don't know. He just, he means a lot. I don't know what to say.
CRAIG SMITH: That's okay.

Q. Can you gauge the two titles this year? Does one mean more than the other? Or are they both special?
COLT KNOST: They're both really special. With the Public Links, I think that got me on to the Walker Cup team. That was a big step for me confidence-wise. Because that was my first big amateur, really big amateur win.
And then this one is the ultimate. And to cap off the summer like this, I couldn't draw it up any better.

End of FastScripts

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