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MASTERS TOURNAMENTApril 10, 2015Ben CrenshawAUGUSTA, GEORGIA MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, this is a very special moment for a very special person, Ben Crenshaw. He just completed his 44th and final Masters appearance, tying with Sam Snead for the fifth most in Masters Tournament history. Two‑time Masters champion in 1984 and 1985; and Ben also second at August twice in 1976 and 1983, and finished third twice, in 1989 and 1991. Member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, he has 19 career PGA TOUR victories during 42 years as a professional, and was a member of four Ryder Cup teams, including captain of the 1999 Americans. Mr.Crenshaw, you're on, sir. BEN CRENSHAW: Thank you very much. I feel like I've won the tournament (laughter). The people, I just will never forget that as long as I live. All of our girls here, and my wife, Julie. You know, really, though, typical of not only myself but all the champions here, people have a great affection for the people who have won here. It's palpable. You can feel it. I can remember last year when Craig Stadler went out and Fuzzy Zoeller went out the year before; those are tough decisions for all of us to step down, but my God, it was way past time for me. But this place, as you all know, has just meant the world to me, all of us. It's a place I'm most comfortable. And as I said the other day, the refamiliarization of all the people that you've met here through the years, it's hard to believe it's been 44 years, but it has. Julie and I are going to try to find the best seat in the house next year to watch. I don't know what we'll do, but it's going to be fun. This is a special time of year for all of us. I am old enough to have played in a much different era. Seen the course change dramatically. It needed to, and it's a test and I'm kind of amazed at how it stands now with my friend, Jordan. But there's a lot of golf left and anything can happen. It's scorable. It's scorable if you play really well. Really, from somebody from my era watching; I played the last two days with Bill Haas and Jason Dufner, and they play so well. They strike the ball so authoritatively. Jason didn't have any luck on the greens. Bill Haas played beautiful. I have to tell you one thing that happened today that just kind of really was neat. We were playing the 12th hole, we were going across the Hogan Bridge and there is a red‑tailed hawk on the ground right next to the green. And I have a decent putt at a birdie, which I had about four birdie putts for the whole‑‑ and Jason Dufner said, "Ben Hogan's watching. You'd better make that putt." And of course I choked, choked on it and missed it (laughter). It was just surreal. It was really a neat moment. But that's kind of the way this place is. It's got some revelations about it; that it's rich in lore and always will be. It's fun to study it. I've spent a great part of my life studying this place, and to see who the people were, not only from the beginning, Clifford Roberts and MacKenzie and of course Bob Jones, but all of the people who supported the tournament in its really tough years in its infancy. So I feel very, very proud to play a small part in this place. I don't think that I have seen y'all since we had a wonderful Champions Dinner and could not have been more special. We had Arnold Palmer who was pretty emotional that night, but his words to all of us, he basically said how proud he was of all of us in the room, very moving. And I tried to just keep things rolling. That's my job. I try to just keep things rolling and get people involved in discussion. And it was a great discussion night. Everybody chimed in. That's the way it's supposed to be, because it's a night of re‑living old times for all of us, and the old ones want to know what the young ones are doing. The young ones want to know how the old ones won the tournament, who was involved, what decisions they made. It's fascinating. Sort of bridges the generational gap. And you know, besides Arnold, had to congratulate Jack Nicklaus on the Congressional Medal of Honor. And all of the past champions said some very nice things about Bill Casper who passed away last week or not long ago; but this last week, some really wonderful things were said about Billy Casper. So, it's a night to reminisce. It was really fun. The Chairman was there. We had a ball. Q. You and I have talked about this, when at some point the Chairman asks you in the future to be a starter, are you going to say yes? BEN CRENSHAW: I'm sure I will at some point. That would be wonderful. It would be nice. I'll do anything that's asked of me here. It's an honor being here every year. In what capacity, I don't know yet, but sure, that would be an honor. Q. When you first came here in '72 and it took a while to break through and get that victory, do you remember a scene or two where you saw past champions of this club in their jackets and how badly you wanted to be part of that club? BEN CRENSHAW: Oh, you saw them right off the bat. It's a distinction that is readily apparent, and you see champions walking in those jackets; and it's something, yes, you strive for. You know, a lot of times, you think that you can really play this golf course. I did when I was young; I really played it well a lot of times. I really thought I could do better at times; but no, it slaps you down many times, as well. It can be painful. But you can also make a rush and make some good decisions and get up in there, and there's no more‑‑ there's no more excitement that you feel when you're in the hunt here. I've said many times, it's a very emotional place to play. And it is, because there's so much room to think about it. There's so much room, your thoughts just kind of run sometimes, and you have to really focus. And, you know, I studied the place; a lot of people have, but they know what's happened here. And it's in their minds. A lot of caddies and a lot of players have told other players what happened here over the years, and you're just, well, God‑‑ but it's that kind of place. Q. I'm sure you noticed the weather change when you were walking up 18, but I wanted to point out something that happened that everyone sitting around the green almost gasped. When you were coming up to the putting green and the first time we saw you walking up the hill, we heard the first clap of thunder. And then the second you hugged Carl, we felt some raindrops hit our face. The people sitting around me, everyone kind of went (gasping) at the same time. BEN CRENSHAW: Well, we were all hopeful that we could finish, because it can come on you quick. You know, I guess everybody around here says that's the Clifford Roberts bubble; it just goes on I guess (laughter). Q. It was almost poetry. BEN CRENSHAW: It's amazing, I did see‑‑ I was walking way to the left because I pull‑hooked my 3‑wood way over there left (laughter). Carl is tall enough to where I saw him way back; oh, right, he's there. So, you know, it's deep over there on the left, so I could barely see him up there. It was a great sight to see him. I apologized to your brother this week for playing the way I did. But Carl, it was a great, great sight to see you back there and wouldn't have been any other way. I'm glad you're feeling okay. I tell you what, yesterday was a really tough day to play. It was heat‑sapping. Hey, it's just fine. We're just happy that you're doing better. But it wouldn't have been any other way to end it without you being there, and you were very perfect. That was a great hug there, buddy (laughter). Q. I apologize if this has already been covered, I came in a little late here. When you did come up, and you saw Carl and you walked out on to the green, that was a pretty long hug. BEN CRENSHAW: Yeah. Q. Just wondering if you might share with us what kind of words you two exchanged, if you exchanged any words. BEN CRENSHAW: Just said, "I love you," and he said "I love you" back. Can't be anymore succinct than that. We feel each other that way; we've always been that way. We know how much each other has meant to the other one, and it's very powerful. Q. All young players who have the kind of talent you did as a youngster realistically could see themselves winning a major championship; some the Open, the U.S. Open or the PGA or the Masters. At that age, what was the major you pictured yourself winning, and what was it about that major that appealed to you the most at that time? BEN CRENSHAW: I really wanted this one. I thought this one fit me a little bit more because I was slightly wild off the tee in my career. You have to understand, I've played this golf course for 30 years anyway, and it was a broad expanse. There was cut grass everywhere. It was a totally different, perspective. Yes, it was extremely wide, but you wanted to try to play to certain places. So it was strategic, vastly strategic in nature. But it took bold play, high irons and I was strong enough to hit high irons in those days. Although, I did finish very closely in the U.S. Open and the British Open and the PGA before I won here in 1984, so the winning here was a great relief to win a major, but this one I wanted desperately. Held my emotions in check that week. It's hard to do. It's hard to do. I did feel that I was good enough to win one, but you have to have‑‑ you have to have good fortune. You know, golf would cease to be what it is without that. If you took luck out of the game, it would cease to be a game. You never know what's going to happen. You just never know in golf. And you have to somehow calm yourself down when you make mistakes where it's inevitable, and you get the best of yourself sometimes. But when I think of champions, when I think of Jack Nicklaus, it never got the best of him, ever. He was always in control. He was always‑‑ played the most common sense golf you've ever seen. He possessed plenty of power, we all know that, but he was doing things right. He had the right club in his hand all the time, thinking he was supremely confident and extremely patient. He would wait you out. You were 2‑down on the first tee. I'm convinced I've played with, if not the greatest of all time‑‑ I mean, Tiger, he played golf, obviously as well as anybody, but was a different way to play. But, man, when you played against Jack Nicklaus, you were up against it. Q. I talked to Jordan before and asked him about you, this being your last round. I'm curious how you feel about this magical run that he has; potentially, if he could do this, on this weekend where you pass the baton onto him, and your overall passion for this place at this tournament. How do you sum that up? BEN CRENSHAW: Wow, that would be something. I'm looking forward to the next two days because I think most everybody knows, Jordan is capable, entirely capable; and it's keeping his emotions in check. He's obviously in a real hot streak, very confident, very bold. He knows what he's doing. He's a great scorer. God, can he score. But if he doesn't get ahead of himself this week; and I think he's mature enough that certainly it seems to me that he won't get that way. I've got to pull for my Longhorn (laughter). Q. Can you sum up your overall passion for this tournament and what it's meant to you in a few brief thoughts? BEN CRENSHAW: It's meant a huge bit in my life. I have had not only to win here but to learn about it and to be proud of it, proud of things that are done here. It's emulated around the world in so many things that they have‑‑ innovations. It has a touch of a regal nature but at a very, not old‑fashioned, but taste, just a very admirable way of‑‑ tasteful things are done here. It's just very ‑‑ and respectful. Everybody has a respect about this place, and it goes right to Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. Things that you read about Bobby Jones, they are well worth that. Q. When you were playing the last two days, were you seeing ghosts everywhere? Were you having flashbacks on every hole? BEN CRENSHAW: Well, Julie reminded me last night, she said, "If you get a little teary, just think about things that have happened to you on each hole." You know, players that you've played with, what's happened; if I did some things well on certain holes, try to keep your train of thought that way. But basically, she just said, "Have fun and enjoy it." And I'm just so thankful. I mean, the people, I will just never forget those people today as long as we live. It was so very nice. Q. You talked about the importance of calming yourself down when you make mistakes on a course like this. Is that a quality that you see in Jordan when the chips are down for him in golf, not necessarily just here, but is that one of his qualities? BEN CRENSHAW: I tell you, what, I really do like Jordan's fire. You can see it bubble up. It bubbles up, and I like that. But he seems to keep it in check. I mean, he's obviously very young, but it will be fascinating to watch him. It was unbelievable watching him last year. He was in tight spots. He was doing really well, had great moments. Seemed to bottle it for the most part. But it did seem debilitating, so it's going to be a key for him to try to stay calm. Q. Will you play after this just for fun or is this walk today, is it, it? BEN CRENSHAW: Oh, this is it. Today is it. You know, I went to the 11th tee box back there, I said, "I don't have to come back here anymore." (Laughter). But no, I'll play here. I'm sure Julie and I will come here and we'll play, but we'll have fun playing. And it has been fun. It's been so much fun. It's wonderful. MODERATOR: Thank you all very much, and Ben, thank you (applause). FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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