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An edge remained, of course. When viewers needled him about his accent ("Believe it or not," Strange says, "I got a letter from a guy in Texas complaining about my Southern drawl!"), Strange spent hours agonizing over annunciation.
In the booth, Strange glimpsed the flip-side of the player-press dynamic, and learned to take criticism in stride. "We're so sensitive out here," he says. "We're human. I came to realize that the guys saying and writing things are just doing their jobs."
But what really lends perspective is life itself. Since leaving ABC in 2003 after the network failed to offer him the contract he sought, Strange has spent ample time fishing and with family. He's watched his wife, Sarah, his former college sweetheart, overcome breast cancer. He's had time to relax, reflect, compete. Never one for casual rounds ("I don't play jolly golf," Strange says), he's returned as a full-timer on the Champions Tour. He hasn't won yet. "But," Haas says, "it's just a matter of time."
Strange's fire still burns, but it's more Zippo lighter than flamethrower. When a camera clicks at an inconvenient moment, Strange keeps quiet.
Would he like to take a mulligan on anything he's done? "No regrets," Strange says. "I worked hard and gave it my all every time out there. If I could change anything, I'd probably smile more, acknowledge the fans more, try to create a better image."
He pauses, chuckles. "Then again, I'm not sure I would."
Q and ... Ehh!
3 questions with the kinder, gentler Curtis
How do you interview Curtis Strange? Very carefully, as we found out in this brief exchange from our Q&A with the two-time Open champ:
Q: Who's in your dream foursome?
A: Now, you were actually doing OK until you asked me that!
Q: What drove you to succeed? Your father? Competition with your brother? What makes you tick?
A: Man, you all come up with some bulls--- questions.
Q: What's your favorite course?
A: Jeez, can't you come up with something more original?
