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THE GREENBRIER CLASSICJuly 2, 2014Steve StrickerWHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WEST VIRGINIA JOHN BUSH: We welcome Steve Stricker to the Greenbrier Classic. He is making his second start at this event. He finished tied for 22nd two years ago. Steve, welcome back to the Greenbrier. I know this is a place you and your family love. Just comment on being back. STEVE STRICKER: Thanks, John. Yeah, we're excited to be back. Nicki's on the bag again this week, which is fun for us. One week out of the year, my kids, both kids are here along with another friend, and they're out playing and having a good time while we're out on the golf course. It's a great family spot, and great place to bring your family. So we're excited to be back, and looking forward to the start of the tournament tomorrow. JOHN BUSH: Playing your limited schedule for the second year in a row, some solid play of late starting at THE PLAYERS and then Memorial and U.S. Open. Just comment a little bit about your season so far? STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, it got off to a little bit of a slow start. I had some issues at home with my brother, and he's starting to feel better now. The weather at home, the winter wasn't so nice to us, so it was a little harder to get my game in shape. But it's starting to come around a little bit. My focus is getting a little bit better and things are starting to look up. I'm starting to play, like I said, better and looking forward to what lies ahead the rest of the year. I've got this week and then next week at the John Deere, and I'm not sure about the British yet. But still looking forward to playing four or five tournaments before the year's out, or maybe six, and see what happens from here on out. Q. (Indiscernible)? STEVE STRICKER: Last year I think she did it again. I know she did two years ago here. Not sure if she did last year or not, but we try to get one in a year. Yeah, I don't know if she did last year, to tell you the truth. Q. How many years ago was that and exactly what year it was? STEVE STRICKER: 2001 was her last full year doing it. We did it my first four years on TOUR, '94 through '97, then she did it in the year 2001. Then our kids were getting older. Our first child was getting old enough where she started to stay home to go to school and preschool and stuff like that, so that's what stopped her then. Q. Talking about the British Open, at what point do you make that decision, and are you leaning in a direction? STEVE STRICKER: I'm leaning on not going. That is my gut instinct right now. It will be a last‑minute decision, probably. See how I play this week and even next week to some extent. But, yeah, I'm leaning on not going at this time. Q. What will be the determining factor? If you play really well? STEVE STRICKER:  If I play really well, I'll go. I guess the only thing that would sway me to go is if I play really well, and I make some good Ryder Cup points and I move up that list. Right now I'm pretty far down that list. But if I do something special here this week or next week and get a lot more points, then I would probably go. Q. Steve, (Indiscernible) what else does she do? STEVE STRICKER: I don't ask her to read any putts. But it's just fun having her out there. She's my best friend, really. We've always gotten along really well on the golf course, so it's nice to do it once in a while. She said to me this week it's like she's never left. So she feels comfortable doing it. So it's a fun week for us. It's pretty casual. We don't get up tight with one another too much and she goes with the flow. She knows what to say and how to help. She's in the right spot at the right time, and that's all you can ask for. Q. (Indiscernible)? STEVE STRICKER: It just kind of worked out here. My caddie, my normal caddie Jimmy Johnson is‑‑ I threw in this tournament kind of last minute, about a week ago, and when I told my regular caddie that I'm thinking about playing Greenbrier, he said oh, shoot. I'm caddying for Chris Kirk this week. I said that's fine.  That's great. It's a good time for Nicki and I to do it again, so it all worked out. He had Chris Kirk lined up, and he's been caddying on and off for him when I'm not playing, so it just worked out well. Q. Can you talk a little bit about your involvement on the new practice facility in Illinois? STEVE STRICKER: Well, I just saw the plans early on and had some suggestions or comments along the way just from the plans. But, yeah, from what I understand they're just getting going on it. It's just getting started, and it's an exciting time for U of I golf. It's going to add a lot to that program. It's already a great program. Mike has done a great job there, and it's just another recruiting tool to put this first class facility together. They've had the indoor part of it, but now they're going to finish off the outdoor and the surrounds. The chipping and the putting greens and all of that is just getting done. So it's just going to finish off the product that's already good, and make it a first‑class place. Q. (No microphone)? STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, it's been great. I talked to him before I came here. I talked to him at the end of last week. He was disappointed that he didn't make the PGA this year. He missed out by one shot. But he's excited about his team and what he's been doing there, and he's got another good recruiting class coming in, I guess. He just keeps year after year doing great things and getting in position to win a National Championship. For a midwest school, that's pretty cool. He's got one of the best programs in the country going, I would say, right now. He's consistent year after year, and he's got a couple other players out here in Guthrie and Langley and Peters, Thomas Peters out playing on the European Tour, D.A. Points, so he's produced some good players throughout the years, and he continues to do that. Q. How does your game and the course match up? STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, it's a good course. I was talking to somebody earlier. I don't know if it favors any type of golfer here. I don't think it favors a bomber. I don't think it favors a short hitter. I think you've got to hit it straight. You've got to stay out of the rough, and you've got to hit some decent iron shots. The greens are putting well.  They're rolling true. So it kind of takes a complete game here, I think. That's what you're going to have to do to play well. That's what I'm going to have to do to play well. You'll have to give yourself opportunities out of the fairway, for sure. The rough is just thick enough where it's hard to control. If you're in the rough, you can't be as aggressive into the green. So it's playing pretty long too. The fairways are soft, but they'll dry out a little bit as we get going on. But it's going to take a well‑rounded player playing at the top of his game this week. You're not going to fake it around here at all, I don't think. It's a good course, and it's a good test. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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