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I never heard such comments or questions, so I never responded or talked about that. But I've played in the U.S. for years and have been in the hunt at Augusta and at other majors before.
What's the best thing about being
U.S. Open champ? Do you get
better seats in restaurants?
I don't use the title to try and get better
treatment from anyone. I wait on line
with everyone else. The only thing that
matters is that I will have that victory for
the rest of my life, and my sons will be
able to say, "My dad won a major."
Roberto De Vicenzo once said of
you, He seems to make the big
mistake. He has to make what he
has inside stronger. Before
Oakmont, you had some losses
that could have been victories.
Was he right?
I never heard him say that. What do you
guys want me to do, speak ill of De
Vicenzo? I don't know what he said. This
"should have been victories" thing means
nothing. This game is win or lose. That's
all. I have my style of play and I'm not
going to ever change it. If I win, I win.
After you won at Oakmont he
called you, My hero.
Listen, I never see him. He's from a different
generation. Perhaps he said those
things, but he never said them to me.
This year's Open is at Torrey Pines,
yet you didn't play the Buick
Invitational this year. Weren't you
tempted to get a sneak preview
of the course?
No. Because the course is going to be
totally different for the U.S. Open. To me,
there's no advantage to playing in January
there. They transform the course entirely
for the Open.
Your protege and countryman
Andres Romero almost won the
British Open last summer and has
won his first Tour event, the Zurich
Classic of New Orleans. What kind
of advice have you given him?
We're friendly, but I am not big on advice.
He's a great player, and he's always going
to be in the hunt. He's figured out that success depends on him alone, on what
he does. Now he's won, and more importantly,
he knows that he can win.
What was the best advice you've
ever received about playing on
the PGA Tour?
Advice for what? When I got to the Tour,
I wasn't a teenager. I was a grown man.
Already 34. Who's going to advise me on
my game? If I want to hire a pro that's one
thing, but advice? In golf advice is not a
big thing. If you don't have the ability you
won't get anywhere no matter how much
advice you get. The only thing people can
suggest that matters is, be a good person
and treat people respectfully. But advice
on your game doesn't mean much to me.
What about in general, in golf
and in life — what's the best advice
you've ever gotten?
To be a healthy, respectable person and
treat everyone equally. I learned that
when I was young, a caddie. People told
me that at the club and I observed everyone
around me.
Let's talk about those salad days.
You quit elementary school to
caddie at Cordoba Country Club.
You did it, in your words, to put
food on the table.
I had no choice. I had to work to eat. I
couldn't even complete a basic elementary
education. [Being a caddie] was a
beautiful life. The course was a safe
haven. I made many lifelong friends. It
was my second home. I'd sleep at home
and then spend 12 hours a day hanging
out there.
Who was the worst person to
caddie for?
I remember once on the fourth hole at
the club when I was 12 or 13 I threw down
a member's bag because he mistreated
me. I told him, "Carry your own bags,
because I'm done!" and threw them
down on the grass. I had absolutely no
money at the time, but I deserved to be
treated with respect.
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