You seem to have settled into this new class-clown
role; is that because it's so preferable to
how you were typecast before, as the angry guy?
People who really know me, know me this way anyway. I'm only the supposed "angry guy" when I'm doing my job. Like I've always said, if you're not getting full value out of your job, you're not supposed to be happy. I've always felt like I've barely scratched the surface of what I know I'm capable of, so why should I be happy? This light-heartedness that came out at the Presidents Cup, I'm always like that away from the golf course.
You tore tendons and cartilage in your left knee during Q school in '87, an injury that sidelined you for two years. How did that affect your career?
I rehabbed it for 18 months, but it basically sidelined me for almost seven years because I had no sponsors, no backing, no nothing.
How'd you hurt it?
It was a baseball injury when I was little. I chased a foul ball and caught it and cut everything all the way down to the bone on my left knee, and all they did was butterfly (bandage) it. They just closed it up. When I reinjured it, I was told that everything on that knee was underdeveloped. So my left knee was eight to 10 times weaker than my right. That takes a lot of brunt in the golf swing.
You played in Japan in 1989 and '90, and passed Q school in '94. Was it in the early '90s that you worked as a credit-union teller and in the supplies department at Eckert Drug?
I had no money, no sponsor, no backing, so I had to work. One of the most gratifying things was after I won Q school in '94, I went back to the bank in Tampa, to all those people who didn't believe me when I told them that I played golf but I was hurt, just to see the looks on their faces when they realized I wasn't lying.
Are you worried about going too far the other way, about people forgetting how well you played in Montreal and only remembering the dive?
That's just it! Everybody is talking about the Aquaman, but I did make three birdies in a row to halve the match. That's kind of an afterthought. I made eight birdies that day.
Let's talk about the PGA Championship and finishing second to Tiger. You said you outplayed him tee-to-green Friday, when he shot 63 to your 70. How so?
I went through his round and my round, and I hit it inside him 10 times, to his 6 inside me. So who hit it closer? The thing about the media is you remember one quote as opposed to the whole speech, and the whole speech was: I was disappointed because I'd just played a great round of golf and shot even par. Everybody was like, "What are you down for? You're 2-under in a major." But I knew I'd just lost what I needed to have a chance to win my first major. The thing is, Tiger shoots 63, and the whole telecast it's, "Oh, he's just toying with everybody." All he did was putt better. He made everything. I played from tee to green better, but like always, the ultimate thing is score. That's why I was so upset that day: My score was higher than it should've been. And I see (Woods) birdie two of his first four holes that day, and he hits his drive way right on the fifth hole, a par-5, and he slams his driver down, and the commentators didn't say he was losing his mind or anything. If I'd birdied two of the first four holes and slammed my driver they'd have gone ballistic on me. "Doesn't he know that he's just birdied two of the first four holes? He's losing it already." And that's not fair.
You also said that giving Tiger a four-shot lead going into the final round of a major is too much to make up. How many shots could you spot Tiger and still have a chance of winning?
Well, I almost did. The whole thing in the media was: It's going to be a laugher, it's inevitable. Let's face it, he's the best player in the world. Until that week I'm some middle-of-the-road hanger-on and I'm supposed to run him down from four shots in a major? Anybody on Tour with a four-shot lead in a major has a great chance to win.
At what point did you think, "Hey, wait a minute, I have a chance here"?
I think after I birdied 13. The putt on 12 was great because it got the crowd involved. That's the loudest I've ever had anyone yell for me, so the chills were unbelievable.
Here's another quote of yours: "I don't think anybody plays better than I do when I'm on. I know that's crazy, but I think I can hit any shot anybody in the world can hit." If that's true, why haven't you been more of a force?
I do believe I am considered one of the best ballstrikers in the game. I've never been one to toot my own horn. But if you look at the history of the game, everybody has a weakness. Only the greats like Tiger and Nicklaus don't have a weakness. I have a weakness, and it's right here. (Points to his head.) As I've gotten older I've gotten better at controlling that. The talent is starting to overcome the limitations, but I'm getting to the point where the talent is waning. This was one of the worst ball-striking years of my career, but it's my best putting year in 13 years.
People who really know me, know me this way anyway. I'm only the supposed "angry guy" when I'm doing my job. Like I've always said, if you're not getting full value out of your job, you're not supposed to be happy. I've always felt like I've barely scratched the surface of what I know I'm capable of, so why should I be happy? This light-heartedness that came out at the Presidents Cup, I'm always like that away from the golf course.
You tore tendons and cartilage in your left knee during Q school in '87, an injury that sidelined you for two years. How did that affect your career?
I rehabbed it for 18 months, but it basically sidelined me for almost seven years because I had no sponsors, no backing, no nothing.
How'd you hurt it?
It was a baseball injury when I was little. I chased a foul ball and caught it and cut everything all the way down to the bone on my left knee, and all they did was butterfly (bandage) it. They just closed it up. When I reinjured it, I was told that everything on that knee was underdeveloped. So my left knee was eight to 10 times weaker than my right. That takes a lot of brunt in the golf swing.
You played in Japan in 1989 and '90, and passed Q school in '94. Was it in the early '90s that you worked as a credit-union teller and in the supplies department at Eckert Drug?
I had no money, no sponsor, no backing, so I had to work. One of the most gratifying things was after I won Q school in '94, I went back to the bank in Tampa, to all those people who didn't believe me when I told them that I played golf but I was hurt, just to see the looks on their faces when they realized I wasn't lying.
Are you worried about going too far the other way, about people forgetting how well you played in Montreal and only remembering the dive?
That's just it! Everybody is talking about the Aquaman, but I did make three birdies in a row to halve the match. That's kind of an afterthought. I made eight birdies that day.
Let's talk about the PGA Championship and finishing second to Tiger. You said you outplayed him tee-to-green Friday, when he shot 63 to your 70. How so?
I went through his round and my round, and I hit it inside him 10 times, to his 6 inside me. So who hit it closer? The thing about the media is you remember one quote as opposed to the whole speech, and the whole speech was: I was disappointed because I'd just played a great round of golf and shot even par. Everybody was like, "What are you down for? You're 2-under in a major." But I knew I'd just lost what I needed to have a chance to win my first major. The thing is, Tiger shoots 63, and the whole telecast it's, "Oh, he's just toying with everybody." All he did was putt better. He made everything. I played from tee to green better, but like always, the ultimate thing is score. That's why I was so upset that day: My score was higher than it should've been. And I see (Woods) birdie two of his first four holes that day, and he hits his drive way right on the fifth hole, a par-5, and he slams his driver down, and the commentators didn't say he was losing his mind or anything. If I'd birdied two of the first four holes and slammed my driver they'd have gone ballistic on me. "Doesn't he know that he's just birdied two of the first four holes? He's losing it already." And that's not fair.
You also said that giving Tiger a four-shot lead going into the final round of a major is too much to make up. How many shots could you spot Tiger and still have a chance of winning?
Well, I almost did. The whole thing in the media was: It's going to be a laugher, it's inevitable. Let's face it, he's the best player in the world. Until that week I'm some middle-of-the-road hanger-on and I'm supposed to run him down from four shots in a major? Anybody on Tour with a four-shot lead in a major has a great chance to win.
At what point did you think, "Hey, wait a minute, I have a chance here"?
I think after I birdied 13. The putt on 12 was great because it got the crowd involved. That's the loudest I've ever had anyone yell for me, so the chills were unbelievable.
Here's another quote of yours: "I don't think anybody plays better than I do when I'm on. I know that's crazy, but I think I can hit any shot anybody in the world can hit." If that's true, why haven't you been more of a force?
I do believe I am considered one of the best ballstrikers in the game. I've never been one to toot my own horn. But if you look at the history of the game, everybody has a weakness. Only the greats like Tiger and Nicklaus don't have a weakness. I have a weakness, and it's right here. (Points to his head.) As I've gotten older I've gotten better at controlling that. The talent is starting to overcome the limitations, but I'm getting to the point where the talent is waning. This was one of the worst ball-striking years of my career, but it's my best putting year in 13 years.
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