THE MODERATOR: William Mouw, even par. William, just a few thoughts on your first two rounds.
WILLIAM MOUW: I think overall very solid. The golf course is playing very tough. Kept the ball in front of me for the most part. Got some good breaks; got some bad breaks. But stayed in it, and put up two good rounds.
Q. What did you learn so far about Shinnecock, and what do you need to do over the weekend?
WILLIAM MOUW: I mean, you know, if you keep the ball in front of you, you know, you can put up a pretty good score, but honestly it just teaches you to stay patient and, you know, just whatever the course gives you, kind of just make the most of it. Yeah, just try to keep the ball in front of you.
Q. When something happens like on 16 where you hit the flagstick and end up making double there, what have you worked on in recent years or your career to stay -- you know, keep the emotions in check when something like that happens?
WILLIAM MOUW: Yeah, obviously that was a pretty unfortunate break, but actually a few on that hole. One got -- I hit the ball in the fairway and stayed in the fairway, but the rough was -- grabbed my club and hooked it into the lip of the bunker, could only punch it out from there. And then hit the flagstick, comes all the way back in the bunker.
Yeah, it was pretty unfortunate, but over the course of a tournament, you're going to get bad breaks. So, you know, honestly, sometimes in a major championship, double is okay.
Would have liked to save bogey, but I had a lot of great saves on the back nine. To finish with two great up-and-downs on 17 and 18 was just the way to bounce back and stay in a positive mindset, so...
Q. To look at the one on 17 to end, there was a fist pump at the end of that. You looked at your caddie. What was going through your head at that point?
WILLIAM MOUW: Yeah, sometimes that comes out. That one meant a lot to me just because of what happened on 16. It was pretty unfortunate. To see that lip in, I think that was just, you know, a tap to a positive attitude and a little bit of grittiness.
Q. Looking back at 16, the tee shot, the second shot, the third shot were all a matter of maybe inches. As you come in now, have you kind of pieced that together where maybe it's a little bit more right or doesn't hit the flag and you're at 3-under, 2-under, something like that?
WILLIAM MOUW: Yeah, for sure. I am happy. I mean, yeah, I would like to be under par, but I'm happy with two pars on the last two holes.
Golf is a game of inches, and sometimes the breaks fall your way, sometimes they don't. I've accepted that for today. I did get some good breaks today, too, so you can't just look at the bad breaks. So I just took that.
Like my putt lipping in on the last, that was awesome, and my ball staying in the first cut or rough, not in the hay, on 18. So they give and they take.
Q. William, as briefly as you can, for those who aren't familiar with your background, can you describe you were growing up in a chicken farm and the business your parents run?
WILLIAM MOUW: Yeah, just ever since I was a kid, my dad owned a chicken farm. His dad owned a chicken farm, my grandfather. So farming was in our background.
I wouldn't change it for anything. It just taught me so many key ways to live a really good life. It just taught me so many great lessons growing up there with my siblings. Yeah, it's cool.
Q. Would all of those people in your family be proud of how you bounced back after 16?
WILLIAM MOUW: Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely. I've seen it from everywhere in my family. It's just thanks to my mom, you keep a positive attitude.
Yeah, it's not easy, but it's the right thing to do.
Q. I was standing so far away, and I watched a highlight a few times. I can't figure it out. Did you hit the stick twice, or did one just miss it?
WILLIAM MOUW: I think I one-hopped it in the stick. I actually haven't seen the clip, so I don't know what quite happened. I think I one-hopped it into the pin and added a whole bunch of spin on it. But it is what it is.
Q. Beyond that, obviously you're top 20 at the U.S. Open right now. A couple of guys like yourselves who qualified in here are doing pretty well. Just how does that get you ready for having to go through qualifier to get you ready for what happens out here, the good breaks and the bad?
WILLIAM MOUW: Yeah, I think it would have been obviously nice to not have to qualify, but it gives you an opportunity to compete and gain some momentum and confidence. I put up two good scores in Canada and made two very big putts on my 36th hole and the playoff hole to get in.
It gave me a lot of confidence and carried it into this week, so yeah.
Q. There's parts of this course where, you know, there are not big U.S. Open crowds. There's actually seems like stretches of solitude. I kind of wonder what -- did those parts of the course -- does it still feel like U.S. Open -- other than the course being really hard, what is the feeling out there a little bit on your own in such a huge stage, if that kind of makes sense?
WILLIAM MOUW: Yeah. I mean, I don't mind it. I play a lot of golf by myself back home. Ultimately, it's just my caddie and I, we're in our little bubble.
Yeah, it's nice to have roars too, you feed off the energy. But just stayed in my bubble, and I'm used to it, so...
Q. You've had this kind of level of self-belief your entire career. Where does that come from? How would you describe it here at a major championship, a U.S. Open at one of the great golf courses in the world?
WILLIAM MOUW: Yeah, it comes from a lot of hard work. Confidence comes from the hours that you put in when no one is looking and just the continuous, you know, good habits on a daily basis and do the best you can on repeating those habits and let the results take care of themselves.
So if I'd have to say, the confidence comes from the consistent, solid, hard work behind the scenes.
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