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THE BARCLAYS

August 26, 2015

Jason Gore

Edison, New Jersey

ALEX URBAN: We'd like to welcome Jason Gore to the interview room.

Jason, thank to your runner-up finish last week at the Wyndham Championship in the FedExCup standings. This is the third time you've qualified for the Playoffs and the first time since 2008, and this is the sixth time you'll be playing at The Barclays.

Talk about your finish last week and making the Playoffs for the first time in a few years.

JASON GORE: Well, still actually a little surprised to be here. I'm very happy to be here. But I'm going to try to do that a little earlier this time than keep it up to the last tournament. That was a little stressful.

I don't think I've ever been so nervous in my whole entire life for an entire day. Because, you know, I'm not young anymore, even though I know that young -- I think young is the same as immature. It's just nice to be here and we'll see where we can go from here.

I feel like my game's been good for awhile. I just haven't really shown much. So we'll see what happens.

Q. After going through a summer in the major championships and all that goes with that, how hard is it to get the physical and mental energy back for you or anyone else to compete in four weeks of Playoffs?
JASON GORE: That's what we do. I mean, it's going to take -- it took a little while to get the mental energy back. The last few days have been pretty crazy. Took a lot out of me last week. But I feel great. Got a great night's sleep last night, and got to sleep in a little bit.

So I'm good. Like I said, this is the best I've felt physically for God knows how long. It may not look like it but I'm trying to get back in shape. I guess round's a shape (laughter) but I'm doing my best to try to be healthy and take this game seriously.

Q. What do you make of the fact that you are sitting here with us and Martin Kaymer ranked 20th in the world is at home? I guess the broader question is how do you explain the points standings to people who might be perplexed by that?
JASON GORE: Well, there is one saying for it but I probably can't say it in here. I guess to be politically correct, it's a shame. I mean, the guy won The PLAYERS and the U.S. Open last year and he's not a TOUR member. That's -- something's not right. I mean, there's loopholes that go the other way with medical and all that good stuff.

I don't think that's right that the guy can only play 12 events next year, and the next year he'll be able to get his exemption back, which, I don't know, ludicrous I think. I think it should be fixed. I think if you do that, and decide to not play your 15 events, it should be your right. He's earned that right to have membership. A five-year exemption isn't really a five-year exemption. It's a five-year exemption with an of the risk. I don't know, I think the policy board and the TOUR and the PAC all need to sit down and really kind of think about that.

But you know what, it's also protecting the TOUR, too. I know the TOUR wants these guys to play more events because it's great, I think we saw that last week with what Tiger did for the Wyndham. You know, Martin Kaymer helps move the needle, too. He's a great player and has been for a long, long time. He should be -- he should have an opportunity to play where he wants. But, you know, it's a double-edged sword unfortunately.

Q. You said you were more nervous than you've ever been on Sunday. How different was the pressure of playing for position than playing for a win, and does that go away this week, because obviously you need to keep playing well to move on. Does the pressure just kind of stay with you?
JASON GORE: Yeah, it is the Playoffs. You want to go as deep as you can. I mean, I've still never played Augusta. I still want to do that. I'm able to set a schedule next year for the first time in six years, seven years. So that's good. There's still a tournament in April I want to play.

The pressure's still there, but this is fun pressure. At least -- this time last week, I didn't have a job this year. I was getting ready for Web.com finals. So it's a different kind of pressure. It's more like a free-while pressure, I don't know if want to -- you can probably measure this one in PSI rather than tons.

Q. For those of us who were not in Greensboro, I know you mentioned that you tried to walk away from competitive golf. I'm curious, how did that not happen for you and what was the story?
JASON GORE: Where the hell were you last week? (Laughter).

Q. Watching on TV.
JASON GORE: Well, good.

Like I said last week, and probably just reiterate it: I got two young kids, a wife who I love to death, and the kids are sometimes suspect (laughter). They can be pretty selfish at ten and six years old -- no, I'm just kidding.

I just thought, to play the TOUR is a different thing because you can provide a better life for them. But playing that Web.com Tour at 39, 40 years old and you're not going to be independently wealthy, socially secure or whatever, to provide a better life. And no disrespect to the Web.com Tour, I wasn't going to miss my kids' lives for that tour.

Q. I know winning a $10 million prize would impact anybody but for you, what would winning the FedExCup mean?
JASON GORE: Stuff's stuff. That doesn't mean anything. It's what you do for them at home. I can't tell you how many times I stood over that putt thinking about Jackson and Olivia. Stood over any putt out there, just doing it for them. Sometimes you just have to sake your own self-greed and self-worth and all that made-up hoopla and put it on somebody else and do it for somebody else.

This game is just so selfish. We can get caught up in the cars and the houses and the planes and whatever. It doesn't matter. It's just stuff. You know, sometimes I just looked at it as doing it for something that I really do love.

Q. How disappointed were you at the time when you did not get the Pepperdine job, and can you see now that in a way it all worked out?
JASON GORE: I was more hurt. I mean, it was like -- I guess back -- I probably shouldn't say this, but I was butt-hurt. I'm the only golfer -- maybe I'm the only guy in Pepperdine University Hall of Fame who is in there twice. I'm in there as an individual and as a team member for the '97 National Championship.

So for them to just kind of turn a shoulder -- because I always -- anything they ever asked me to do like for the whole university fund-raiser: "Hey, Jason, can you come?"

"Yeah, I'll be there." And this and that; anything they ever asked me to do, I did my best to be there and I always support it.

I love the school, don't get me wrong. I was more like, felt a little stabbed in the back. But like you said, the right guy is there. The whole time I was just thinking about, oh, well, I can play in the Club Pro Championship and I can do this, and I can play in the PGA finally, just stuff like that. You know, qualify for the Open.

And my wife goes, "You're talking a lot about playing." And she's right. I don't think my passion -- it's not that my passion wasn't there. It was just my desire wasn't there, if that makes sense. I was beat up. Beat up, defeated. And out here, you always have to think that you're really, really good. If not, you're going to get run over.

It's just you don't tell everybody you think you're really good, but you have to think that deep down or you're just going to get ran over by guys who just think they are better than you, and probably at that point they are. I was just bruised. I was beaten and bruised. And I just was having a huge pity party I think at that point and thought that would be a great thing for me.

You know, the family was definitely important to me and just to see, to be there. But you know, thank God for FaceTime and Skype. I see them every day, try to, at least. I definitely hear about all the bad stuff they do at school and all the trouble they get into. So thankfully I'm on the road.

Q. Did you ever get an explanation for why you were not chosen for that job?
JASON GORE: (Laughs). You mean, besides that I wasn't the guy that furthered the Christian mission at Pepperdine University?

Q. Was that --
JASON GORE: Yeah.

Q. Wow.
JASON GORE: Which believe it or not, I'm actually very, very religious. I'm the guy that told my pastor that "I'm going to say the f-bomb. If that doesn't get me into heaven, so be it."

He kind of looked at me, kind of shook his head and he goes, "Well, you're a professional golfer, I understand."

I don't know, it's not something I like to share very much but deep down inside I try to do the right thing. But my mouth may not be great; don't judge me.

Q. You have the family values down pat.
JASON GORE: I'm super lucky. I grew up in a great household, and you know, just it means a lot to me. They have been through a ton with me, especially my wife. She's my high school sweetheart. So she's been up-and-down and around and never once has ever looked at me differently.

Q. Is you talked a little about the pressure you felt on Sunday. Do you think it will be less this week, or as you go into the Playoffs because you got through?
JASON GORE: I think it will definitely be different. I don't know if it will be less but it will be different. It won't be as life-or-death. I've played a lot recently. Would love a few weeks off just to go home for a little bit. But we've got plenty of time for that sooner or later.

But I think it will be -- this will be fun pressure. Last week just sucked. I mean, that Sunday morning, I slept fine, got plenty of sleep and woke up at like 7:00 A.M. and was just like, holy crap. I sat in bed on Sunday night and was so happy to be 24 hours older.

I tried to be as honest as I could with my caddie, and just tell him, like, hey, I'm nervous or I don't want to do this. The chipping has not always been my forte, so to speak, so I was putting it from everywhere. I missed the green and it's just -- the putter, I'm just making sure this sucker is moving forward. So I was trying to be as honest as I can. I mean, you're only lying to yourself. He can see it. We've spent enough time together. It will be a fun pressure.

Q. I wasn't at Greensboro, but I was in Pinehurst when you were at the top of the leaderboard for the Open. It seemed like you really fed off the underdog thing then; do you still feel that way?
JASON GORE: Yes and no. I mean, it's kind of always a fun thing -- it's always awesome to have people in your corner. You know, I think I'm just a normal guy. I'm not a 6-2, 180-pound gym rat robot -- not pointing fingers, but there's a few, who are just golf studs. I'm a little pudgy around the waist, sweat a little bit too much.

I'm just like everybody else and that's all I ever really wanted to be was just like everybody else. And maybe just get a few more people to want to play golf.

I mean, that's my No. 1 Pro-Am thing is -- this has nothing to do with the question but I think it does. When I play in a Pro-Am, I want the guys and girls to leave the golf course loving golf more than when they got there. I just love the game and I think that playing that underdog role is something that, I don't know, somebody's got to do it I guess.

Q. You talked about the last couple days of being crazy. Can you talk about the reaction to Sunday, like did you get a lot of text messages; did anything mean something in particular?
JASON GORE: (Smiling) 490 of them. It means -- I don't think I even know 490 people. I definitely don't like 490 (laughter) sorry.

It was awesome. There was a great outpouring of support. Nobody ever said -- well, hardly anybody ever said, I know you're disappointed. Which at that point, I didn't know what to feel. All I knew was that I was just glad that it was over and there was a happy ending sort of.

But I think Davis winning, too, was a good thing. The guy's awesome. He's been a golf stud, 51 years old. Good for him. If there's anybody to lose to, I think it would be a childhood role model of mine. The guy's awesome. He respects the game and I respect that; that he respects that I respect that (laughs).

Q. There weren't too many people that could have won that could have made you feel young; right?
JASON GORE: Actually I played in the Monday Pro-Am, and the guys I played with, Harvick and Bill Johnson and a couple other guys. And they said: "You know what, do you think the young guns are going to do well this week?"

Of course they preempt it with, "besides you, do you think any of the young guns" -- because they can't say, hey, old man, you're out.

But I told them, I said, "No, I don't think so. I don't think it's a bomb-and-gouge golf course." You have to control your golf ball. You have to move it both ways. You've got to be creative, which the game's not going in that direction obviously.

So I said, "No, I think you're going to see some geezers play well here." Gosh, that was the best call of the week.

Q. When you talked about the golf robot studs, when you're in these Pro-Ams or when you're working with the kids, do you get any sense that in some ways, that it turns some people off the game; that they feel like if this is what it takes to succeed, if I'm not a golf stud robot, there may not be a place in the game for me, and that way -- in that respect, you're showing that, you know, there are all types that can succeed in this.
JASON GORE: I think the most thing that I want to do -- not that I'm trying to do this, but I keep it fun. I want people to see that it's fun. So many people get mad on the golf course. I always say this to my buddies at home: You're not good enough to get bad. Just have fun. Nobody's good enough to get bad. Go have fun. This is a game. If you want to get mad, go take your shot off in the mirror (laughing).

I don't know, I've always loved the game and I want people to see that it's fun. I think not enough people realize that this is an unbelievable game. Like I said last week, you're on grass, you're outside, you're a human being, you're trying to hit a round ball with sometimes a round face, like you're driver, and you're trying to make it go straight. It's not going to happen.

Don't try to be perfect. Just go have fun, play the game, and smile a lot. That's why I play it. It's great. I could be sitting doing anything else, and I'm so fortunate enough to get to do this.

ALEX URBAN: Thanks, Jason, and good luck this week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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