Interview

Pato and the 2007 US Open at Oakmont: Memories of his first Major

Wegolf 08 Jul 2020

The qualifying. The first days of the tournament. Talks with Giardino, his caddie. Watching Tiger fail. “I was never comfortable at the US Open”. An unmissable IG Live with Ángel Cabrera.

You can also listen to it here:

These were his most prominent phrases:

“That US Open was something incredible. First, how I qualified. I was out, and Manuel, my manager, told me he was signing me up for the Pre-Qualy. I told him: ‘I’m not playing the Pre.’ I had to finish in the top 5 the week before to get in. I was leading on the 15th. I bogeyed the 16th and didn’t birdie 17 and 18, which are par 5s, and finished fourth. I qualified. I arrived at the US Open hitting it like a disaster...”

“Suddenly, in practice, I started hitting it more or less okay. And Giardino, my caddie, tells me: ‘If you don’t want to be here, let’s go... I’m not going to walk 18 holes with you just for... let’s leave.’ Giardino was practically playing himself. I just hit. He’d arrive and tell me: ‘How much? 150? Take the 6.’ And just like that...”

“It started happening, and I started hitting well. First day 69, second day 71, third day 76, swinging wild... That helped me because it took some pressure off and I didn’t fall behind. That day, heading to the club, I told Manuel, my manager: ‘What are you going to do if I win? Look, if I shoot 70, I win, okay?’ It just unfolded. I hit it well...”

“I was uneasy. I had been comfortable. I bogey 16 with a three-putt, I bogey 17 from 40 yards. That shows you the pressure I was under... Giardino says: ‘Hit the 5, you’ll have 100 yards left...’ I hit it 250 with the 5. I had 40 yards left. I was uneasy. And on the 18th, he says: ‘Grab the driver. See that cloud over there? Smashing it.’”

“I was never comfortable in the US Open. Although I was hitting good shots, I was just hanging on... But I wasn’t comfortable because I wasn’t hitting it well. I knew at any moment the mess was going to show up... I wanted it to end quickly.”

“At that time, Tiger could make a 2 on 17, a 2 on 18, and leave you standing there. 2007 was Tiger’s prime. Tiger could do anything back then.”

“Tiger hits the putt on 18, misses it, Manuel was there, Giardino was there, we hugged... US Open! But then when I leave there, a cop comes, takes me away, takes me over the bridge... Only then did I realize. When you see such a huge circus... Only then.”

“I have a replica of the cup. Not the jacket: the first year they let you keep it, after that it stays at Augusta.”