Q. First of all, tell me how excited you are to be in the quarterfinals.
PRESTON STOUT: Really excited, yeah. I came here wanting to go all the way, so just a couple more matches and we'll be there. But yeah, it's been really fun so far.
Q. I know you did really well in your state championship the last couple of years. Has that helped propel you to this point?
PRESTON STOUT: For sure, yeah, especially Texas 6A golf. There's a lot of good competition. Yeah, and it's always windy in Texas and super windy out here, too, so yeah, that helps for sure.
Q. You got off to a great start today; tell me about that front nine. Not that the match was over as we found out later, but you were up seven at the turn.
PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, I was just hitting it really well and I was able to make a few putts, so I was just playing really well.
On the back nine, the putter just went cold, had two or three three-putts in a row, but I got to close it out.
Q. Was that a true eagle at the 9th hole?
PRESTON STOUT: Yes, it was.
Q. Tell me what you hit.
PRESTON STOUT: I hit driver down the right side like just in the rough, and then I caught a little flier with 5-iron, hit that to like 25 feet and made that down the hill.
Q. What was the yardage on the 5-iron?
PRESTON STOUT: 255, 260, somewhere in there. Yeah, it was downwind, though.
Q. Was there any nerves at all, even on the back when the lead started going down?
PRESTON STOUT: A little bit maybe on 16 where I knew I had to step up and hit a few shots because it got a little close. But yeah, I knew I just had to tie one hole. I was fairly comfortable. Yeah, but a little nervy there.
Q. With the wind and being from Texas, tell me how much that helps you in these conditions.
PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, a lot. You have to learn how to flight the ball and hit it low in Texas. It's a little firmer out here, so you can just hit a lot of low shots and just have them run up on the green. Yeah, it definitely helps a lot.
Q. Do you get a chance to play a lot of links style courses in Texas?
PRESTON STOUT: There's a few around Dallas, Trinity Forest is one of them. I get out there a good bit. I got out there a lot before coming here just to prep for that. There's a few others, but it's mostly more tree-lined courses. Yeah, there's a few.
Q. To this point, would you say this is the best you've played or the best result you've had in this kind of a level of championship?
PRESTON STOUT: It's definitely up there for sure, yeah. This fields all the best kids in the country. To make it to the quarterfinals, yeah, it's a good feeling for sure.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports