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UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 2, 2015

John Miller

BRIAN DePASQUALE: 45th the Walker Cup Match between the teams from the United States and Great Britain & Ireland will be played on September 12 and 13 at Royal Lytham and St.Annes Golf Club in England.
Joining us today is the United States Walker Cup captain, John "Spider" Miller. Captain Miller is a two‑time USGA Champion and a member of the 1999 USA Walker Cup Team.
Captain, good morning.
CAPTAIN MILLER: Good morning.
BRIAN DePASQUALE: Before we open it up to questions, let me ask you about a couple of subjects to set the stage here.
Can you go through for everyone's benefit the team's itinerary since you first met, and briefly run through the team activities in the Pittsburgh area, what's going to be happening in New York, and what the group will be doing in England leading up to the Walker Cup Match.
CAPTAIN MILLER: Okay. I'll start with we were at the U.S. Amateur and we announced the remaining five members of the team on the final day.
And so that following Thursday, which was last Thursday, we met in Pittsburgh and we had three homes arranged at Latrobe with Arnold. Arnold over the years has bought up a number of the homes surrounding the golf course, and we stayed in three of those. And that evening, we distributed the clothing, etc., etc., etc.
Then the fun stuff began the next day. It was fabulous. We had breakfast at the club. And Doc Giffin met us at Arnold's office probably around 8:30, 9:00. He took us through an office tour. Arnold wasn't there at that time, and it was real neat. Actually as many times as I've been there, it was the first time that I have had that tour. And Doc explained each item, the trophy, the pens, the awards, the pictures.
And then from there, we went to the shed and I think all of you know of the shed and I hope some of you have been through it; and I hope all of you get to go through it. It was great. The guys were in awe. From all the sets of clubs to things like how many pair of shoes there were, I was always fascinated by how many cigarette lighters Arnold had saved over the years. And every little thing you could think of from the famous tractor to all sorts of memorabilia that Arnold had saved over the years and that Cori Britt had painstakingly arranged and put it on display.
From there, that was great but then the really good stuff started. We came back to Arnold's office and Arnold was there. He invited us into his office and there he signed a book, one of his books for each player and gave it to him. We have a picture of each one of them. Then he sat patiently and he just talked for probably an hour, he just talked to us.
And then he said, "Okay, Boys, ask me anything you want. Anything you want to talk about, let's talk about." It was something that will never happen‑‑ I don't know, it wasunreal. If I tried to plan it, it couldn't have gone better. And Arnold was so gracious, as he always is.
And he gave the kids a lot of great advice. For my age, a lot of good advice. And he talked about all sorts of things. It was great. The kids, their mouths were open and hanging on every word. He talked about things from his playing days to things they should do in their careers. He covered things such as, you know, if you're going to give an autograph, you take your time and sign it legibly, to how you play and he talked about his experiences, it could not have been better.
From there, we went to Laurel and we played. We came back, we had dinner with Arnold and Kit, and we had some fun things we did. We had a team building exercise where we selected a nickname since I told these guys, "I've gone through life with a nickname and they are going to go through a couple weeks with one, at least." And Arnold and Kit assigned a nickname to each player.
Then we had dinner and the next morning we played at Latrobe early in the morning, and Arnold came out and watched the guys play a few holes. We had lunch with him and then we were off.
So here we are today and we are leaving tomorrow to go to New York. We are going to meet in the City, go to the Links Club. We are going to have dinner once we all assemble, and I have Jimmy Dunne lined up to speak to the kids. I think all of you are aware of who Jimmy is and his experience with his firm, Sandler O'Neill.
And then the next morning, we are going to the 9/11 Memorial and we have a little lunch planned, very low key. Then we are going to the New York Stock Exchange around three o'clock, and we have it set up for the team to ring the closing bell. And I hope it's a 500‑point up day instead of a 500‑point down day.
Then from there, we are getting on the airplane at JFK and going over to Manchester. We will arrive there and go right straight to Hillside, have lunch. We'll probably get there mid morning. We are just going right to the golf course. We'll play. Then we'll go back to our hotel and check in, so they will have a good, early evening. Guys can do as they want.
Then the next morning, we are going to go to Royal Liverpool, Hoylake, and play there. We have an easy afternoon, back to the hotel, and then we will begin our practice regimen at Royal Lytham St.Annes on Monday.
I'm tired of talking. You guys do some talking.

Q. You can't let the notion of giving out nicknames to players without giving us some idea of what they are and who they are for?
CAPTAIN MILLER: You know what, I have to think about that. I tell you what, if you don't mind, I would like to hold onto that just for another day or two before I give those out.
It was a great team‑building exercise, and I will tell you at the end of the day, they have a nickname given to them by Arnold and I expect maybe one or two will stick; maybe they all will or maybe none will, but for now I'm going to hold on to them.

Q. What was the biggest piece of advice you took away from Arnold, not necessarily for you but for the kids, something that really stuck with you?
CAPTAIN MILLER: I think what really hit home with the kids was how to conduct your professional life. I believe that as‑‑ we all believe, that all of our young guys will likely turn professional at some point.
I think they learned if you treat people right, if you're polite and you always do the right thing, that your professional life can extend for so long. I don't know that any will ever extend as long as Arnold's, maybe so, but I think they all learned that this is how you act as a professional. I think this was the biggest takeaway.
And that's what I wanted them to learn. I wanted them to see how to handle themselves and that the rewards you can achieve by simply treating people will and always being respectful.

Q. Could you comment on your personal experience, if any, over the years, at Lytham, and comment on the golf course if you have seen it since your appointment as the captain and your take on how the golf course might play and how it might play for the American kids.
CAPTAIN MILLER: Well, my experience is limited. I went over last summer for a week and I played with Robert Webb and a couple of his friends. And unfortunately or fortunately, the weather was perfect. We had 70‑degree days and very little wind.
But aside from that, I know playing conditions are going to change. I can't‑‑ you know, trying to guess those conditions, you don't know. But the golf course, the surround, the setting, where it is positioned and everything about it, I really like.
As you know, the bunkers (ph) are the dangerous part. So that's part of my reasoning. I want the kids to have as many looks at the golf course as we can get. That's why I'm going there immediately on Monday when it becomes available to us, and these guy the are going to have to decide their clubbing, some of the bunkers that they will lay up short of, and some that they will hit downwind. The only player in the group that has played the course is Jordan Niebrugge.
And I asked Jordan, I said, how many when you played ‑‑ of course, all wind condition, how many drivers he hit, and he said two. So I expect that there will be a lot of position playing, and that was my take when I played there, as well. It's all about avoiding those bunkers.

Q. I'm curious, you mentioned obviously wanting to get the guys as many looks as they can at the course once you all get there. But how do you try to handle the week up to, obviously Saturday when balls are first being hit in earnest. How do you balance playing too much and getting acclimated to not playing too much and maybe overdoing it before? And have you spoken to any past captains on what advice they might give you on how to balance that?
CAPTAIN MILLER: Well, I'll answer the latter first, and yes, I've spoken to most all of the recent captains. But I also had a great conversation recently from the most gracious guy in the world, Dave Stockton, was kind enough to talk with me for about an hour, maybe more, about different philosophies and things. He couldn't have been better. He was a great help.
My challenge for me is to provide a framework and a schedule that allows all these players to be their best on Saturday morning. So I'm going to allow them time to do the routines that they normally do, and each one I expect will be different. So I'll find out what their typical routine is the day before they play, two days before they play.
It's not going to be military golf. You know, I want each one of them vested in the process, and so they know they can talk freely with me, and I listen to what they say. So that's my plan.

Q. Jordan is the one guy on the team that's played a lot of links golf this summer. How much is he going to be a factor in terms of giving information to the other guys. He qualified at Hillside, he's played Lytham and he's played St. Andrews and he is the one guy with a lot of links experience, and he also played on the team two years ago. How much are you leaning on him to help the other guys?
CAPTAIN MILLER: I think Jordan will be a great influence. I like his age. I like his experience and his demeanor. He's going to be a great teammate for all the guys and they know him well. Jordan I expect when I'm not around and when they talk among themselves, I expect that he will be a great influence.
I mean, he understands the yardages and he can talk to them. And I talked with him about it, to share his thoughts on certain holes and when you think you should lay‑up to this bunker and when you might carry one bunker and the effects of that.
Yeah, all that's good, and he'll have that‑‑ he has had and will have more opportunities to share his thoughts. I think that's very important and I couldn't be happier to have Jordan on the team.

Q. Along those same lines, I know you've had limited experience with them in the same room, but who do you anticipate will be a few of the more vocal leaders of this team?
CAPTAIN MILLER: Well, I think everyone enjoys Bryson's company. I think he will provide good leadership. I have a couple players who are kind of quiet. Jordan's quiet himself, and Lee McCoy has an outgoing personality.
You know, I think they will coalesce as teams. I'm letting them vest in the process of selecting their partner. It's not going to be me trying to match them up. I'm listening to what they think, and it's all going good.
I expect the Mid‑Amateurs will emerge as kind of a miniature playing captain, so to speak, and they have melded and interacted well with the younger guys.
I will tell you, Lee calls Mike McCoy "Uncle Mike," so it's been good. I guess I'll have to wait and see which one steps up and provides that energy. It could be any number of them.

Q. Obviously your team is a very good team but it could be so much better if three players, off the top of my head, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Rodgers and Justin Thomas had stayed and decided to play. Are you concerned that we're getting to a point in amateur golf where the good players are leaving too early, making it more difficult for the captains going forward for the US Walker Cup Teams?
CAPTAIN MILLER: You know, that's an interesting question. I guess I've talked with‑‑ all three of those guys are great guys. Their decision to move on to the professional ranks certainly was well thought of by all three.
I think as a captain, the group of players are better, younger. That class with those three and the guys that I have on this team and the same class has to be an unbelievable class of players.
I couldn't go back that far back, but my goodness, just pick the ones you named, and then Ollie Schniederjans, you had Brian Stewart, and the group that I have.
What I tell them is, I tell them, they only have one chance at getting their degree, and that may or may not be true. But in all likelihood if they don't get their degree while they are in college this time, that may not happen.
And I said, the thing you have to look back on is: One day you are going to have children and grandchildren, and you're going to want your kids to have their degree, and it's going to be a lot easier for you to dwell on that if you have your own. And I said, that's all I'm going to tell you. That's words from an old boy who has been through it, and I'll leave it at that. That's my feeling.

Q. Some of the kids can graduate in three years.
CAPTAIN MILLER: When they do, I say that's great. And if they are ready to move on, I think it's great.

Q. You've known you were going to be captain for this Walker Cup for a while now. But it's finally really coming here and you've got your team and you've got this itinerary that's about to happen. What are your emotions like right now, and how do you think things will play out for yourself going forward in the next week or so?
CAPTAIN MILLER: Well, I know I'm busy. I'm very busy and it's coming quick and I'm trying to fulfill my obligation the best I can. I do my role just like I have anything I've agreed to do or I have to do. I'm trying to do it the best I can. I've put a lot of time and energy into it. I've been to 13 events this year alone.
And I know the kids. I think the important thing really for me was to get to know them and for them to be comfortable with me, and I feel that I've done that going into the tournament.
Yeah, I'm ready. I'm ready to go. I'm all packed and we'll be leaving tomorrow. It's time. It's been a two‑year process for me, and people ask me about it and they say: How do you feel about that?
And I can give you two analogies. One was the first time I won the Mid‑Amateur and I qualified for the Masters in April. And I had five kids and a job and payments, and I'm up here in Indiana and it's freezing cold in January, February‑‑ December, January, February, March and I know in April, I have to play. Let me tell you, time goes quick when you're out there watching. Just said, just give me one day where I can go hit balls.
And the other analogy is: You take out a big loan and that first of the month comes around pretty quick (laughs) and that's kind of the same way with this. It's snowballed, now it's coming very quick and I'm happy.

Q. You mentioned a moment ago that the players were going to have input in terms of their partners and whatnot. How do you anticipate that going next week? Is it the kind of thing where you would literally sit down with each of them and talk about, how are things going and who do you feel more comfortable and how will that process of their input actually come to play, do you think?
CAPTAIN MILLER: Well, I'm going to ask them to give me their playing partners, one through five. And some will tell me they can play with anyone, and some will, and I'm going to try and match them up.
I guess what I'm not going to do is I'm not going to sit down and try and analyze each person's game, and say, okay, this guy drives it straight, this guy putts it good, this guy is a good chipper. You'd drive yourself crazy.
And part of the takeaway that I got from Dave Stockton is that you match by personalities. I'm a big believer in that, and I'm going back to my experience and that's what I intend to do.

Q. Curious in your past conversations with Jim Holtgrieve, what do you think you learned from 2011, because when you look at that team on paper, it was arguably one of the best the Americans have ever assembled, yet they still lost on foreign soil. So I'm curious what kind of takeaways you took from your conversations with him.
CAPTAIN MILLER: Well, I guess part of it was I'm conscious to have the guys all involved in everything. Jimmy didn't give me any specific thoughts other than, you know, it's important that they are all involved and that's what I've tried to do.
I don't have any outliers and personalities. All my guys have good, strong team personalities. Yeah, I don't know that I had anything to do or not to do. Jimmy has been a great help to me, some things like what I can expect, just little things, but he's been great, very gracious, and has have been all of the captains.
I spoke with all of them, and each team is different, as you know, and I expect that what may have worked for them may or may not work for me. But I have my plan and I'm very confident in my decisions to involve us and to make every effort for us to coalesce as a team. That's my emphasis.

Q. What did Jim say you could expect?
CAPTAIN MILLER: Oh, he gave me pairing thoughts, where to put players, things of that nature. Now that doesn't mean Nigel will do what he has always done, but Jimmy‑‑ now, if he reads this, I know he'll do what he wasn't planning to do. (Laughter) but I expect that anyway.
You know, I'm a believer in what you do‑‑ it's like the guy said about your ball: I only worry about my ball. I only worry about my team. I'm not worried about what he does or he doesn't do. People have asked me about his players. I say, you know, what I concentrate on our team, our ball. When I played golf, if I hit it in the fairway and somebody hit it to the right, I was only looking for my ball, and I was worried what I was going to do.
Well, I feel the same way about this team. I am concerned with what we are doing, and what he may or may not do is his decision. But I have a lot of concern and my focus is solely on what we are doing as a team.

Q. What's maybe a few things that you have learned about the team as a group in the short time you've been together?
CAPTAIN MILLER: Well, I've learned they are‑‑ I have a smart bunch. Quite frankly they are all smarter than I am. They are a diverse group. I have a physics major, I have informatics majors, sports majors. They are all individuals. They all have their own way and mannerisms and the way they set about it; from Bryson gets down and triangulates with that putter.
And I told him when I first saw him do that, I said: Bryson, if I saw a guy play with me that got down there and did all this triangulation, I'd say: "Look at that guy, he doesn't have a clue in hell what he's doing down there.
But I told him, I said, "Now that I know you and your case, I believe sincerely that you are getting something out of it because you're smart enough. If anybody else did it, I'd say, that's all a show, he doesn't have a clue what he's looking at." But Bryson, he's getting some information from that.
No, it's a great group. And we have fun. I joke with them and they joke back with me.
BRIAN DePASQUALE: We're going to thank Captain Miller for his time and wish you the best of luck over in England.
CAPTAIN MILLER: Thank you, guys. I appreciate all you do for the game.

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