Entering 2007, Albert W. (WOODY) Austin was best
known not for his two Tour wins but as the hothead who
pounded a putter against his skull five times at the 1997 MCI
Classic, bending it. (The putter, that is.)
Then came The Dive.
When the 44-year-old fell headlong into a water hazard on the 14th hole at the Royal Montreal Golf Club during the Presidents Cup, everything changed. He joked. He caroused. He laughed it up when his teammates played Marco Polo on the bus. Team USA even presented the rookie with a framed photo sequence of his big splash, with signed comments (Lucas Glover: "Even the French judge gave you a 10"; Tiger Woods: "9.3. Wow!")
We sat down with "Aquaman" in his Wichita, Kansas home, which he shares with his wife Shannon and their two boys, ages 7 and 9. Austin, wearing a jersey from his alma mater, the University of Miami, gulped a Dr. Pepper, with a jar of candy labeled "Woody's Goodies" nearby. Woody Austin on a sugar high? This should be good.
Did you ever think that the secret to finding real fame was simply, "Just add water"?
No, obviously I didn't. I always knew I had it in me, I just didn't know the ingredient to get it out.
What exactly were you doing in that water? Couldn't you just have said to your partner, David Toms, "I'm ball in pocket. Carry me"?
Well, see, he was ball in pocket. He hit it in the water way back and then his third shot didn't even hit the green. Rory was on the (par-4 14th) green in one.
I was thinking if I could just get the ball out of the water and around the green, I could chip in for 3.
Everyone laughs at the silliness of it. Did you learn anything from the day?
I don't know if finishing birdie, birdie, birdie is silly. I was pretty serious. What it shows is that people see me react to something and think I'm lost (in anger), but I'm not. I'm quick to get my head back into it.
You've said Phil Mickelson "ripped the crap out of me" for 24 hours after you took your dive.
(Laughs) He was on me nonstop from Tuesday all the way through Sunday. What happened on Friday only made it easier for him.
Was he giving you grief before the dive?
I don't know if it was initiation, or the fact that we get along so good that he knew I could take it. The first thing that happened is he took a game off me in Ping-Pong. Well, this was my first time. I didn't realize how serious the Ping-Pong was. He kept on about it: "No competition, you aren't worth my time, blah, blah, blah." And then on Friday, he was the one who called me Aquaman.
Did you get him back at Ping-Pong?
Oh, yeah. I beat him three straight.
You've said that most of the team were serious Pongers. Who else did you beat?
Tiger never played me. He only played Phil. They have like a running tab. I think Tiger beat him. I know it was best three out of five, and it went all five. I kept wanting to play him and he said, 'No, I can't beat you so I won't play you.' We (Woods and Austin) were good partners, though. We called ourselves the Woodys.
What's the best line you heard?
Barbara Nicklaus the next morning (Saturday). She was sitting at the breakfast table and on the front of the sports page was my face in the water, and she looked up and said, "Everybody wants to know: Did you catch the salmon or not?"
Then came The Dive.
When the 44-year-old fell headlong into a water hazard on the 14th hole at the Royal Montreal Golf Club during the Presidents Cup, everything changed. He joked. He caroused. He laughed it up when his teammates played Marco Polo on the bus. Team USA even presented the rookie with a framed photo sequence of his big splash, with signed comments (Lucas Glover: "Even the French judge gave you a 10"; Tiger Woods: "9.3. Wow!")
We sat down with "Aquaman" in his Wichita, Kansas home, which he shares with his wife Shannon and their two boys, ages 7 and 9. Austin, wearing a jersey from his alma mater, the University of Miami, gulped a Dr. Pepper, with a jar of candy labeled "Woody's Goodies" nearby. Woody Austin on a sugar high? This should be good.
Did you ever think that the secret to finding real fame was simply, "Just add water"?
No, obviously I didn't. I always knew I had it in me, I just didn't know the ingredient to get it out.
What exactly were you doing in that water? Couldn't you just have said to your partner, David Toms, "I'm ball in pocket. Carry me"?
Well, see, he was ball in pocket. He hit it in the water way back and then his third shot didn't even hit the green. Rory was on the (par-4 14th) green in one.
I was thinking if I could just get the ball out of the water and around the green, I could chip in for 3.
Everyone laughs at the silliness of it. Did you learn anything from the day?
I don't know if finishing birdie, birdie, birdie is silly. I was pretty serious. What it shows is that people see me react to something and think I'm lost (in anger), but I'm not. I'm quick to get my head back into it.
You've said Phil Mickelson "ripped the crap out of me" for 24 hours after you took your dive.
(Laughs) He was on me nonstop from Tuesday all the way through Sunday. What happened on Friday only made it easier for him.
Was he giving you grief before the dive?
I don't know if it was initiation, or the fact that we get along so good that he knew I could take it. The first thing that happened is he took a game off me in Ping-Pong. Well, this was my first time. I didn't realize how serious the Ping-Pong was. He kept on about it: "No competition, you aren't worth my time, blah, blah, blah." And then on Friday, he was the one who called me Aquaman.
Did you get him back at Ping-Pong?
Oh, yeah. I beat him three straight.
You've said that most of the team were serious Pongers. Who else did you beat?
Tiger never played me. He only played Phil. They have like a running tab. I think Tiger beat him. I know it was best three out of five, and it went all five. I kept wanting to play him and he said, 'No, I can't beat you so I won't play you.' We (Woods and Austin) were good partners, though. We called ourselves the Woodys.
What's the best line you heard?
Barbara Nicklaus the next morning (Saturday). She was sitting at the breakfast table and on the front of the sports page was my face in the water, and she looked up and said, "Everybody wants to know: Did you catch the salmon or not?"
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