	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 14, 2015

Brian Gaffney

Kohler, Wisconsin, USA

Q. Were you aware of what number you had to reach to get to the weekend?
BRIAN GAFFNEY: No. During the round it was difficult in the beginning and I kept making mistakes, the easy mistakes. That was frustrating. And it was more, I don't know what to think now, but it was more the competitor where it was a little bit frustrating that I couldn't, I couldn't get traction. And it was the easy little shots that I kept messing up.

So, for that, I really wasn't worried about the score, I was thinking more about, can I get into the red numbers, can I get to whatever the number is, 2, 3, 4-under, because I felt like I was hitting the ball well enough to do that. It's just these little things kind of kept bogging me down.

So, I wasn't too worried about what the number was, but towards the end I could tell that I was getting tighter and the putter wasn't moving as easily and I kind of was like forcing it, but it wasn't even getting to the hole.

So, I wasn't really sure what to make of that as I was coming down the stretch.

Q. 14, you almost eagle. It had to be a great spark.
BRIAN GAFFNEY: That was huge on 14 because that's the first time in two days and three practice rounds that I had a decent lie in the rough. Obviously, there's an angel sitting out there somewhere that stops the ball at the flag, but it was just nice to be able to hit a shot out of the rough that might go somewhere near the green.

So, I think it was just a huge bonus that I got it, that it hit the flag.

Q. You had seven birdies yesterday and you were able to bounce back, you actually found a bounceback somewhere today.
BRIAN GAFFNEY: As I said, on the front nine, when I bogeyed the second hole, and then bogeyed the 6th hole, both of those were just, they're just so deflating.

But I was hitting it okay, so I thought just be patient and it will happen. So, on 10, I hit a really good wedge. Safe. Where I needed to hit it. And I hit it exactly where it was the right length. And it, that calmed me down.

And then I get to 11 and didn't hit a good drive, but I got a perfect lie in the rough kind of hanging below my feet and I was only 246 to the front edge and I said, I'm going to do this, I haven't taken any risks, I'm going to do this. I can chase this 3-wood up there; I can absolutely do it. And I got in there and I cold cocked it. Can you believe it? And then oh, that was the best lie I had all week.

And then I didn't have that bad a lie in the rough, but I thought I could chase it up by the green and it shoots straight left up in the fescue, so I didn't know what I was doing. I mean, I just kept hitting shots and none of them came off very well. So that was difficult on 11.

12's a really difficult tee shot. And I did it. Like I hit a great shot, a little long but it was fine. In a really funny lie though. And I turned around and made bogey there.

So, in a situation where I think I'm going to put my foot on the gas, all of a sudden I'm scrambling and in a completely different place mentally. So, to come back and the birdie I made on 1 was out of a divot, so that was nice, obviously.

Q. We go further, we get down to 18 and see what kind of a lie you had by the bunker. Go through that for us, please.
BRIAN GAFFNEY: I knew it wasn't in the bunker, but there's sand and clumps of sand outside of the bunker and it was in kind of not a hole but next to a clump of grass. And I just, before I did anything I wanted to have someone there to say, it's okay that you can move these little stones and rocks and stuff.

But in hitting that shot, like I needed to just take everything with me to get it up on the green. So it came out pretty well.

Q. You're the last man into this championship from the club pro ranks and the only one remaining. That's a unique twist.
BRIAN GAFFNEY: Yeah, great. There's 20 of us and there's 20 great stories from the clubs, the people they touch, the kids that are going to get interested in golf because of their pro that was in the tournament. And it's amazing the ripple effect of how many people at my club, the last club, and the friends that it reaches.

Unfortunately, I'm the only one with a story this week, but there's a lot of great stories. And when I go back, I'm going to talk to those kids from the club, and tell them this is what you need to do to be better and let's dig holes together and try and figure it out.

Q. How proud are you of yourself for getting this done?
BRIAN GAFFNEY: I don't know just yet. That was a lot of pressure. It was pressure that manifested and I thought I hit a good putt and I came up three feet short. It was pressure in that one time when I took the club back, it didn't, it didn't quite get all the way there before it started going forward. And I ended up in a concession stand or something like that on 15.

But it's a fair amount of pressure, but ultimately it's still the competition, it's still golf, and it's frustrating as a golfer in a competition that it wasn't happening.

I had a really good look on 16 for birdie. A great look on 17. And a putt on 18. And missing all of those, along with those things in the beginning, the competitor in me says I feel that I should be further up the board under par, but the person in me is pretty darn happy.

Q. On the putt on 17, you put it past. Were you a little bit amped up? You were 1-under there, you had a birdie putt, you had a chance to go to 2-under.
BRIAN GAFFNEY: Well, I was thinking that for sure. But as I said, the pressure manifests itself where I don't have as much soft touch. And putts kept coming up short and I said I have to hit this to make it. So I hit it at a good pace, the right line on a good pace, but I just pushed it.

Q. Now 18 same thing, looks like it was a little bit downhill?
BRIAN GAFFNEY: Downhill and I guess, I don't know, either I read it wrong or pulled it a little bit. But I really thought I was going to make that. That would have been a nice cap for the two days.

Q. Can you put into words when you're walking up the steps and see your wife, and I'm sure it's still sinking in a little bit, but you are the last guy standing of club pros, this is your fifth go at it, you haven't really been close before. What are you thinking when you're walking off 18?
BRIAN GAFFNEY: Again, that's the competition part. I think that I'm disappointed in the competition part, but now that I'm here, gosh, I don't know, it's not the only goal, but it's something that validates the hard work that I've put in over the years. And I think somewhere deep down in there, it's going to feel great that I came through and did something that I've wanted to do for a long time.

I don't know, hopefully my kids some day down the road will see some of these articles and be proud of me.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297