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TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP BY COCA-COLASeptember 10, 2014Chris KirkATLANTA, GEORGIA THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Chris Kirk into the interview room here at the TOUR Championship by Coca‑Cola. Our leader in the FedExCup standings, Chris, a lot of other players would like to have your spot this week. If we can just get your thoughts on being in the No.1 spot. CHRIS KIRK: Yeah, obviously more than I could have ever expected or really hoped for coming into this tournament. Being an Atlanta guy, growing up in Atlanta, living in Atlanta, just being here this week is a huge accomplishment for me, and obviously being No.1 is just incredible. So hoping I can play really well this week and give it my best shot to stay there. Q. Number one, does that in your mind bring pressure? And, if so, are you the kind of person that thrives on pressure? CHRIS KIRK: I don't really think it brings that much pressure at all, to be honest with you. With the way the FedExCup Playoffs are structured, and especially here at the TOUR Championship, it really just comes down to this week for the most part. I know that most likely I'm going to have to win this week to win the FedExCup. And so it's just like any other tournament, but we're playing for 11 1/2 million instead of 1 1/2 million. So it's all kind of Monopoly money to me, I guess. Q. You have more starts this year than most of the other 28 players in this field. What is your philosophy for managing your schedule? And has it changed since you've become a TOUR winner and had more doors open to you? Has it gotten harder or easier? CHRIS KIRK: I wish I could tell you I had a philosophy. I've never really bought into that much. This was a little bit of a different year for me. And definitely somewhat of a learning curve, especially through the middle of the year. This was the first year that I was exempt for all the World Golf Championships and all four majors. So that was a little bit different schedule‑wise. I spent my first three years on the TOUR sort of in that middle tier, I guess you could say, where I was in all the invitationals and didn't have to worry about getting into tournaments and played majors here and there. So I kind of got accustomed to that schedule. And this year was definitely a big change for me. A lot of golf courses I hadn't seen before. And it was very difficult. Scheduling didn't‑‑ didn't get the chance to play some tournaments that I really love. So I'm hoping next year, with this being my 28th event of the season, I'm hoping to maybe bring that down to 26 or so, but I don't see myself ever playing too limited of a schedule. I like to play a lot and try to keep my game sharp. Q. For some of the players who have won the FedExCup, $10million might not have been pocket change but it wasn't exactly life changing. Have you allowed yourself to look ahead and think about what it would do for you? It's more than double what you've made on TOUR so far in your career. Can you comprehend what that would do for you going forward? CHRIS KIRK: It wouldn't change much, to be honest with you. I just won a million and a half a few weeks ago, and I didn't go buy anything. I'm very comfortable financially and very happy with what I have. My family's very well taken care of. I'm not a very extravagant guy. So I'll make sure I can afford my kids' college, I guess. But it obviously would be nice and it would be a pretty incredible nest egg to have to fall back on for the rest of my life. But, no, it wouldn't really change me or my lifestyle at all. Q. The question of "how much do you make" is considered a rude question in society. A lot of people don't like to say it. Is it ever strange being someone who it's public information? It's like the easiest thing possible, everybody knows what you make. CHRIS KIRK: Yeah, I guess it just goes right along with it. I mean, I don't know, it doesn't really affect me or bother me at all. No. But it was a little bit strange at first. You get some sort of distant friends or relatives that are a little bit taken aback by it and surprised to see, whatever, you're 20‑something years old and making millions of dollars. Q. You talked about needing to win this week, even in the position you are on the points list. Are you okay with that, that a season‑long race really comes down to what you do at East Lake? CHRIS KIRK: Yeah, I mean, I think it parallels most other professional sports. Obviously you have to play well throughout the regular season to get into the playoffs, and then the playoffs sort of open the unlimited possibility for unheralded teams or players to play great or for the best teams to‑‑ and they have to continue to play great to win it all. So I'm definitely proud of what I've done this year to come into the playoffs at 10th and then to move my way up to No.1. But it's still anybody's game right now. Q. You saw plenty of Rory at the Deutsche Bank Championship. You got to see him firsthand and held him off en route to the title. What did you learn about him as a person and player during that stretch of time? CHRIS KIRK: It's just a reminder that there are a lot of ways to get it done out here. You see guys like Rory or Adam Scott or Jason Day or Bubba or whoever else that have such impressive golf games and watching some of the shots they can hit is just, even for me it's amazing to watch. And there's so many shots they can hit that I can't hit. But that doesn't mean they're going to beat me every time. And you see guys like me or even more of an example I guess would be Zach or Furyk or guys like that play well week in, week out, that have become so efficient. Golf is becoming more and more of a power game every year, but it still comes down to efficiency and getting the ball in the hole and making putts. And so it's cool to see that. Even though, like I said, golf is becoming more and more of a power game all the time, you can still get it done other ways. Q. Back to the schedule. Adam Scott has made 16 starts this calendar year. Tiger in his heyday would rarely play more than 16, 17, 18, 19. Could you thrive with such a schedule, or what is it about not playing as much that you think would hurt you or make it tough? CHRIS KIRK: I don't think that my game is to that level where I would be as successful doing that as I am now. I mean, I currently feel like my game, when it's good I can compete with anyone. But it's not good quite as often as those guys. So they sort of have the luxury of being able to just play every now and then knowing they're probably going to play really well whenever they do. I have had a great year this year and obviously made a lot of cuts, but I've also only had four top 10s this season. Those weeks I've played really well, my four top 10s include two wins and a second. So, like I said, when it's good it's usually really good and I feel like I can beat anybody. But I'm not to the point in my career yet where I feel like it's going to be that good every week. So I still feel like I'm trying to progress. I'm trying to work on a lot of things. I feel like there's so many things that I can improve on and get better. And maybe five years from now I'll be comfortable playing 22 events and still think that I can get myself into a position like I am right now. Q. Your schedule going forward changed at all because of what happened in the playoffs as far as maybe playing in China or what you're going to do after this week? CHRIS KIRK: No, not really. I mean, I like playing the fall events. So I'll still play. I know I'm going to play at least three events. I know for sure I'll play the Frys tournament and McGladrey Classic and HSBC in China. I may add one more, but I'm not sure about that yet. Q. Your swing at least to me looks pretty unique. How would you describe it and is there a story about how it developed to be like a little different than your average swing? CHRIS KIRK: No, not really too much of a story, I guess. I think I've just always had that kind of naturally slow rhythm. I've had some great instruction growing up and thankfully have never encountered a teacher that really wanted to change my swing to what they wanted it to be. I've always had‑‑ from at a young age in middle school and high school I worked with a guy, Kenny Jacobs, that was local here in Atlanta. He lives in Illinois now. I see him at the John Deere every year. And he was great. Very much taught me to be a feel player and to trust my instincts and trust what my swing naturally was. And obviously refined it to get a little bit better. And then working with Davis' brother, Mark Love, for my first five years as a pro was another great example of that. He basically passed on a lot of Davis Love, Jr.'s teachings, who was one of the best teachers ever. But that was obviously before all the technology that we have now. And now as of a year ago have moved on and work with Scott Hamilton here in Cartersville, and Scott's sort of the perfect blend for me because he is kind of old school in his thoughts. But he has spent the time and he's learned how to use TrackMan properly and how to do all these things. So he has a great understanding of all the technology that's available now. But he's able to convey it to me in a way that I can understand it, because I don't know that much about it, and to break it down and make it simple and easy for me to take that technology and still be able to go play golf and not be overwhelmed with those types of thoughts. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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