I always wanted to be the best I could be at whatever I did. I didn’t want to be the number one golfer in the world. I just wanted to be as good as I could be.
People in this room must have back problems, I’m sure some of us do, and it is really, really one of the worst pains and debilitating parts of your body that you can actually have because you really can’t do anything in your life when you have it.
I mean, I can actually say goodbye to the game of golf, never hit another golf shot the rest of my life and I’d be happy because I can get back in life without any rotation.
So my game is solid. So that obviously makes me feel confident, that like anybody else in this field, you name them, I feel like I’ve got the ability to win the golf tournament just as much as they have, and that’s the way I’m going to take it.
We’ve got to abide by the rules. We have to protect it. The game of golf at a professional level is so clean. We are our own judge, jury and executioner. If we don’t do what we think is right, the game might get away from us.
When you’re playing poorly, you start thinking too much. That’s when you confuse yourself.
Well, I think any national championship is an extremely important championship to play in.
I’m a very intense person. When I go after something, I want to go after it with everything I have. I want to push myself to the edge.
Know your strengths and take advantage of them...
Setting goals for your game is an art. The trick is in setting them at the right level – neither too low nor too high. A good goal should be lofty enough to inspire hard work, yet realistic enough to provide solid hope of attainment.
The game of golf doesn’t come rushing back to you. Last week I made a couple of fundamental mistakes that I probably wouldn’t have made in the heat of the battle back when I was in my heyday, and those things have got to come back.
When you see that many people with a smile on their face, then you must be doing something right.
What’s a good tournament for him? Winning it. He’s good enough.
It’s not the victories that count to me. It’s the quality of how you deliver your losses and the quality of how you deliver your victories.
I’ve always lived to seize the moment, to squeeze every drop of expectation out of myself for whatever that moment gives you.
I don’t see myself playing or adjusting my schedule for senior tournament golf.
Being away for the weekends, and me being the international player that I have been for those 30 years, I’ve spent a lot more time flying around the world, playing different golf tournaments around the world.
When I turned 50, I said to myself, well, if this is what it’s like turning 50, I can’t wait to turn 60 because I still felt very, very mentally and physically good, outside my back surgery.
Let’s do something to wake these people up.
To me I’ve just really, really found a relaxed, peaceful side of my life and I’m enjoying it.
You don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, but you want to get rid of the bathwater so the baby can swim the next couple of days and be OK.