His eyes betrayed both exhaustion and happiness. The expression on his face was a mix of satisfaction and relief. Relief because his ambition and expectations are always high and winning the US Amateur makes up for everything. Or almost everything. Josele Ballester had the courtesy, under the diligent organisation of the USGA, to attend to several Spanish media outlets almost two hours after his great conquest at Hazeltine. There, in a video conversation, he spoke about his new mentality, the tears, the pride, the strategy, his future as a professional, the siren calls of LIV Golf and much more…
First Spanish champion of the US Amateur in 129 years of history. “What can I say. I still can’t believe it. I’m going to need at least a couple of days to realise what I’ve achieved. I haven’t fully accepted it yet. Now I’m going to enjoy the moment, but being the first Spaniard is a pride, a joy and it makes it even more special,” he says off the cuff.
Ballester is convinced that one of the keys to his victory this week lies in a change of mentality that he has been working on in recent months. “I made the decision to play more aggressively and it’s working well for me. I’m taking risks because I trust my abilities and I think it’s the way to go. I still have to improve, however, in accepting the bad things. I still have a margin there.”
The great demonstration of this new mentality has been the US Amateur he has completed. He has hit the driver every time, he has looked for the flags, he has been brave. If you have to die, let it be with your boots on, could be his new motto. It hasn’t gone badly for him, well accompanied by that mini driver that has helped him so much and that he is mounting with a shaft that Sergio García used in his victory at the Masters of Augusta in 2017.
Josele has played to win the US Amateur well before the 36th hole. He is aware, although his reaction on holes 35 and 36 to close the match has been sublime. “I didn’t expect to get on the 17th tee and not have the match already won. On the 16th I didn’t hit such a bad drive, but the tree played a bad trick on me. When I was on the 17th one up and two to play I told myself that I had to wake up: wake up golf. Let’s see if this now slips away from you. And the truth is that I played two very good last holes,” he points out.
The million-dollar question now has to do with his future. The victory in the US Amateur guarantees him to play the Masters, the US Open and the Open Championship of 2025. But to do so he needs to remain an amateur, except for the US Open which maintains the exemption even if he turns pro. It is undeniable that Ballester has already received siren calls from LIV Golf, and especially from the team captained by his good friend Sergio García. The siren calls can now be multiplied by a thousand. In any case, Josele is clear today that his goal is to finish university next May. “This victory changes little what I had in mind. Now in a while I’m going to Arizona State to start the last course. I want to finish university and after finishing I will assess the playing options available and make a decision,” he says.
What seems untouchable, unless the petrodollars say otherwise, is the Masters of Augusta. “It’s a dream come true to be able to play in Augusta. It’s what has always been in your head since you were a child. I’m really looking forward to it and I’m very excited. Also, I’ll be better prepared than for last year’s Open Championship, with that experience. I’m sure I have as many fears and I feel more comfortable playing in front of so many people,” he points out. He is counting the hours to live the Masters experience.
Finally, regarding the emotion that welled up from his eyes when he won the tournament, on the very green of the 18th, Josele pointed out that they were “tears of release, I was letting everything out. It hasn’t been a very good time for me, especially regarding my family. I feel privileged for what I do and where I am, but it hasn’t been easy months. This victory brings me enormous happiness and the first people I thought of were my mother and my father.”
