May 17, 2014

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Final Round Quotes

Missouri Head Coach Mark Leroux
On Hunter Kraus...
"I was telling him (Kraus) that it was probably going to be between him and Emilio and Ryan Zech. I also said that either way he was in a no-lose situation, a win-win. He was either going to win and his teammates were going to have more confidence than they have ever had in him or one of his teammates was going to win and it would increase their confidence. So he was going to help the team either way."

On the key to consistency...
"I think it's the depth. We had what turned out to be six guys that could really play. We played six guys in the tournaments this year and maybe a couple more. What I think it came down to was adding Linus Lilliedahl at semester. It really helped us because once you have five good guys you want six. When you have four good players everyone complains that they want to be the fifth guy, but when there's five guys complacency can happen. When you have six guys, everybody has to step up, because who is going to be the guy out. I think that really helped."

Emilio Cuartero (Tournament Champion), Missouri
On his victory today...
"It's unbelievable. You couldn't ask for more. Winning the last one before heading to the National Championship, being a senior and graduating is a great feeling. It's overwhelming."

On heading to Nationals...
"I've never played there, but I know it's a tough field. We also played tough teams throughout the year, so going there we'll have to have fun, enjoy the experience and go try to win. We made it there and everyone is going there to try and win."

Hunter Kraus (T2), Missouri
On his play today...
"Being able to get out and make some pars was good. You can't make a lot of bogeys so that helped a lot."

On the day's results...
"You always want to win, but we're going to Nationals. We had a great tournament and there's nothing to be upset about. Emilio played great. I played good for a change. Some other guys stepped up today. It's just a lot of fun and I have a lot of confidence going into Nationals."

Iowa State Scott Fernandez (T6)
On his play today...
"Conditions were pretty good. I had a good game plan to stick to and the ball just went where I wanted it to. I made some good putts coming in and I'm pretty happy coach came with me and had me all sorted out to not do crazy stuff and just play the course. We were in sixth and we knew we needed to come back, but all the boys knew that if we just stick to our stuff, we would be okay."

On advancing to NCAA Finals...
"Personally, it's going to be the first time for me. I think for the team it is probably the second time in history so everyone is really excited. It's going to be really new, but we're going to do the same thing we did here and just stick to our plan. We've played Prairie Dunes, so we know what the course looks like. We're excited to get there."

Chuck Winstead, LSU Head Coach
On his team's play...
"Today we just holed putts. Obviously the first two days we had weather with a little bit of wind and rain so the golf course played tougher. The biggest difference in our finish today was that we finally got some balls to go in the hole."

On their late-season success...
"We've got a lot of talent on the team and we've worked hard all spring and it's just some momentum more than anything else. They're starting to believe in what they can do and it's showing up on the golf course."

Smylie Kauffman (T6), LSU
On his play today...
"I shot 41 on the front, which was five over. I kind of just got kicked in the face and was having an awful day. Coach met me on the 10th tee and kind of regrouped me and we eagled No. 10 and then I just got hot on the back to shoot a 29. It was a really fun experience."

On his feelings heading into NCAA Finals...
"Being a senior, it means the world to me. Last year, I played Nationals, but I didn't play anything before that so I didn't really get the feeling that I had made it to Nationals. This is a really great feeling for me as a senior going out."