Texas A&M fought off elimination on the final day of the Salem Regional, topping host Clemson in a one-hole playoff on Wednesday after theatrics to force the tie. Head coach Brian Kortan joined Friday's edition of TexAgs Radio to discuss the come-from-behind performance.
Key notes from Brian Kortan interview
- We talked Tuesday night, and we knew we could shoot 20-under. We got to 17-under, and that got us into the playoff. We dug ourselves a hole. The guys know they weren't doing what they needed to do to be successful. They chased it down, and it was great.
- I knew we were in when Sam Bennett made that putt. We kept battling. I held out hope. I thought the positive of it is I would get to see my son graduate. Man, finally, things started going our way. It kept adding up. The gap narrowed, and we had par fives to play. We played the par fives well. In the last three holes, they made the comeback.
- It was a group effort. It was a big deal. The energy was cool, and doing it with guys that have been here before, I'm proud of those guys.
- I am always surprised when guys play great golf because there’s so much going against you. I don't try to expect Bennett to shoot 65. I expect him to give great effort, and that's with all the guys. They have big hearts. It showed.
- We keep pretty even-keeled. We know what we are doing and don't blow it out of proportion. They knew what was at hand. I never have to tell them to get it together.
- The odds for those two long putts like that to end it are so low. You can't script it. I like my guys. They can take me to some spot I don't want to be in, but they can get you to the top of the hill.
- There's behind the scene things that people don't see. William Paysse got engaged, and we have guys graduating. They are great things going on in our program that you don't see. The dinners, the running, the workouts. With eyeballs on our program, it's been a good year.
- We will get back to work and rest up. We will head to Scottsdale, and the official practice round is on Thursday. Great things can happen with this bunch.
