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SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 27, 2016

Gene Sauers

Benton Harbor, Michigan

JOHN DEVER: Good afternoon. Welcome back to the 77th Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid. Like to thank Gene Sauers for spending some time with us. Gene, you're in contention, actually, you're really in contention. How much fun is this for you?

GENE SAUERS: This is a blast. Coming back from where I've been, when I got sick back in 2011, and didn't ever think I would play golf again and then coming back and playing with some of the best guys in the world, it's a pleasure to be here and I'm humbled to be able to play with all these guys again.

They were all my friends back on the Regular Tour and it's a pleasure to be here with them again.

JOHN DEVER: You started with a 63 yesterday, which is stellar in its own right. Today you started slower, on the back side and the front nine was a little slower, and then you caught and reclaimed your momentum on the third hole. Tell us about how that came about.

GENE SAUERS: On the third hole? Or on my first nine?

JOHN DEVER: The third, the real third hole.

GENE SAUERS: The real third hole. 12th hole. Okay. So, I hit 3-iron off the tee and then I hit a pitching wedge in there about six feet just below the hole and made it.

Then on the par -- made a good par on the next hole -- and then the par-5, I hit 3-wood in there probably just pin high and I can't believe it didn't come down that hill right there. But made a good 2-putt there. Made birdie.

Then on the next one, what's that, 6? I hit a 6-iron in there and hit it on top of the hill, came back and two more rolls it would have went in for a 2. So I made birdie there.

Then the next one I hit driver, pitching wedge, probably four feet. Made it. And that got me going.

Then I hit it in there good on the next hole on 8, about probably seven feet and hit a good putt, just didn't turn. Lipped it out.

Then on 9, I hit it in the left bunker up against the lip and tried to hit pitching wedge out and didn't quite make the hazard. So it went in the hazard. Then I dropped one and I had 239 I think to the front and hit 3-wood in there about 10 feet. And almost made that putt for par. Bogeyed that hole. Which was a little damper on the day, but I'm still right there and in good shape.

JOHN DEVER: Great. Questions?

Q. You just touched on it, but everybody talks about senior golf as being a second chance. Well, you really have gotten a second chance.
GENE SAUERS: Correct.

Q. How much, can you talk about the perspective and how it changes when you're looking at what you were looking at and where you are now?
GENE SAUERS: You just don't ever take things for granted. I watched my body deteriorate and then I watched it heal and so I -- and it's just a -- I just can't explain it. The Lord gave me a second chance. I'm not going to take anything for granted, today, tomorrow, riding home tonight, I'm enjoying life and living like it's my last and I'm going to keep going on plugging and doing the best I can.

Q. Easy not to get nervous now over a birdie putt, right?
GENE SAUERS: Well, yeah, yeah, a little bit. At first I always told my wife and everybody I played with, bogey doesn't matter much anymore. Which it does, but it doesn't, where I'm trying to come from. But I still get a little nervous. Yeah.

Q. Do you like this kind of atmosphere where there are just a ton of birdies out there or would you prefer the more traditional Major type of feel where it's a little more grinding, if you will?
GENE SAUERS: Yeah, I guess that I hit the ball pretty good. I'm really good with my long irons, so I probably would maybe favor a hitting longer irons into greens. I think that's probably one of my strong points.

But ever since I went left hand low three weeks ago, I've been putting a lot better, so I'm going to be right up here now with 'em.

Q. If you could expand upon that, I was wondering, you played golf for such a long time, was there a philosophy that you had that you learned to putt one way, everybody before you did it the same way, and why would I change? And what made you do it?
GENE SAUERS: What made me change? Because I was putting awful. Yeah, I wish I would have changed, 10, 20 years ago. I think that a lot of the teachers today, if they're bringing up a young kid, I think they would start them cross handed today.

But yeah, I've always putted conventional and always -- everybody was trying to get me to change and I said, man, I can't do that, I can't do that.

I got a putting green if my backyard, so I went out there one day and I was putting, putting, wasn't doing too good. And I hit a couple like, this cross handed, and I said, well, that doesn't feel too bad.

So I started working on it and here it is, I'm putting great. Yeah, just got to believe in it. I just -- that was the worst part, you just, I was just so -- the conventional way just lost all confidence and it's like, here I go, I hit it in there close, and I'm going to miss this putt again. Now it's a little different tone.

JOHN DEVER: What, in your year this year, it's actually in the last, seems to be in the last couple weeks, is there anything beyond the improved putting that's like triggered your really strong play here in the last week and a half?

GENE SAUERS: No, just all comes down to confidence, believing in your self. I was just so down in the dumps early in the year, I was -- like I say, conventional putting, and hit the ball really good, and couldn't make the putts. And it was just dragging me down.

And now it's just, I've always hit the ball good, so now I'm making 'em, it just turned things around.

JOHN DEVER: When did you start?

GENE SAUERS: Started in Houston, three weeks ago.

JOHN DEVER: So it's real fresh.

GENE SAUERS: Real fresh, yeah.

JOHN DEVER: All right, thank you, sir.

GENE SAUERS: All right. Thank you.

JOHN DEVER: Appreciate your time.

GENE SAUERS: Thanks a lot.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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