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SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 29, 2016

Rocco Mediate

Benton Harbor, Michigan

JOHN DEVER: Welcome back to the 77th Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid. We're joined by Rocco Mediate. Thank you, sir, for your time. 2016 PGA Champion. So, tell us, you really went out there and you actually won this. It didn't come to you in any way. Set a 72-hole scoring record. And you tied for the lowest round of the day. Which on a day where you go in with the lead that's a little different.

ROCCO MEDIATE: It's hard to dream that. The thing I was -- I remember telling Martin and my caddie who is awesome, anyway, and my buddy Joe, who was with me from this week, I said, you know what would be cool? The perfect scenario would be if Monty and I could get away from the field and then go. And when I saw him I was on 11 tee, I'm like, ah-ha, it's kind of him and I. There's other guys, but it's hard.

So I'm looking up going, that would be the best thing, because then don't have to worry about someone posting some number and all if sudden it happened that way kind of. Monty played like he usually plays, which is solid and good and relentless.

Then I don't know. It just turned out really cool. But yeah, I didn't know I shot 66. I didn't know what the hell I shot today. But when I add it up, I went, holy -- yeah, a lot of great things happened today and I don't believe I'm sitting here. I really don't.

I said that about eight or nine times in my career, that's about it. Every time you're like, I can't believe that I was the low score this week. My wife told me it was going to happen, but you know I don't believe everybody.

JOHN DEVER: The bunker shot on 17.

ROCCO MEDIATE: That was sick. That hole was good to me this week. I hit a couple of funny shots there -- well actually two -- and I made a par and a birdie -- but the bunker shot was, I felt like the 5-iron wasn't enough and it was you it was perfect, I just tried to hit it too hard and came out and it went to the right in the bunker, which was fine with, because I had a ton of green to work with. But Martin noticed, I think he was watching it on TV or something, he saw it, he said, the balls are just bouncing, that's why he wanted five on that hole. I was kind of wanting four, which would have probably been the wrong one, but anyway.

When I got in the bunker, they do something in the bunkers here some other courses do it, they tamp down the edges. So they're smooth. Then it kind of goes down and then it goes into the regular sand. Well, I was on the edge, but it was smooth. Little downslope, which is perfect for that shot. But I always practice off of tight smooth, I like -- I always practice off that. I kind of looked at it and stepped in behind like that, and I went, this is dead straight. If I can just get some energy on it and go straight there's a chance.

As soon as it left the club, I knew it had a chance. Obviously I didn't know it was going to make it, of course not, but I had a feeling I might. And then that kind of -- that made a big difference. It made a huge difference. Because Monty was there for three. At least three. And if I make bogey there, and it goes to one shot going to the last hole, who knows what happens. Who knows. So it was very fortunate at that time. Very fortunate.

JOHN DEVER: Who did you point toward?

ROCCO MEDIATE: Martin. I looked and said that's, I thought that was going to happen. I don't know what I said, but it probably wasn't good.

Q. Two questions: Was that vintage Rocco or is there a new standard these days for vintage Rocco?
ROCCO MEDIATE: Well, I enjoy the -- you know one thing Jess said to me to me, she goes, this is what you like, you like all the people and you like all the pressure.

And I'm like -- and I hadn't been there had in 1,700 years -- so she's like, this is what you like, you should be able to thrive in this. And I'm like, that's actually a point, I do like it. I think we all like it. But it's just hard to get there.

And once I was there, I'm like, if I go out and play a great round today I'm probably going to win. But if I play a decent round today, I'm probably going to lose, because I got Monty and Bernhard and all the other guys that are capable.

But then the golf course wasn't easy. The wind was blowing pretty good. But I think it's a little new because my short game is way better, better than it used to be and I'm way tighter, I know what I'm doing more. And I'm not afraid, I can hit pretty much any shot that I need to hit, at least try to, I guess. At least I believe I can hit it. So that's huge. But I think that's the difference.

Putting. I won with the putter this week. Simple as that. I made a bunch of par putts. That I had to make. Especially today. Especially early. Pitch it stiff on 1. Made a 10-footer on 2. 10-footer and 3 for birdie. 15-footer, 12. 15-footer for par on 4 after hitting a good shot. 4 is the worst, it's the hardest hole on earth, 4.

So, right there, I miss one or two of those, I'm 2-over par, fast. Who knows what happens. So that saved me. Big time. And that never, I never was that good with it. As good as I am now. Simple as that.

Q. Was there a point in this week you said early on your wife said you got to believe it for you to do it. Was there a point where you went from hey I'm playing better swinging freer to hey I can win this thing?
ROCCO MEDIATE: When I got up -- I knew after I played -- after I got in yesterday, and I played a pretty good round, I just didn't -- obviously I shot even par but which, around here, is not bad. So I wasn't concerned about that I shot even par and I played, actually played, hit it better yesterday than I did today.

But I knew if I went out and shot and made some birdies on the front nine and got myself still ahead with nine to go, then I could kind of say now let's see what you got. Then that's how I felt. I didn't think I was going to win the golf tournament until I hit that 5-iron out of the bunker on 18. Because weird things happen in golf. If Monty makes three and I make six, which can happen in a second on this hole, then we tie.

So, I look at it that way to where if I -- and then I drove it in the right bunker, I mean, I can't believe I hit it there. But one thing I did say that's changed too, there was no way I was hooking this ball in the left rough. It wasn't going to happen. I was going to try to drive it right down the center.

And I killed it, I just pushed it a bit and thank God the wind was blowing a little to the left or else that ball was in the lake. It flew in the bunker because it went further than it usually does, because I was a little bit past Monty and he drives past me most of the time.

But, so I just tried to stand up and make a really good golf swing and I looked up and I went, oh, my God, you got to be kidding me. Because I knew he wasn't going to mess it up. He just doesn't very often. And I was fortunate to be in the bunker. Then, especially once you hit it in the bunker, it was pretty much over, unless I -- but the 5-iron, I was just chipping a 5-iron trying to get to the front of the green, it's only 150 yards, but that wasn't, I missed that one, who knows what, I mean golf's weird. Weird things happen. But it turned out, obviously, I'm, I can't, I can't believe I'm sitting here. I really can't.

Q. Can you talk about the 15th hole, Colin has a putt to tie you but you walk off that green up by two?
ROCCO MEDIATE: Can't believe that putt missed. I know he can't either. It was such a good putt. Because I was walking, I was ready to say great putt and it just caught the edge. But I hit a terrible tee shot. I tried to kill it and I just remember saying to Martin that was fast and he goes, yeah, kind of fast. But it was fine though. If you miss, you still lay up and make a -- and then I hit a pretty decent little gap wedge in there. Held it off to the wind there.

Once he missed, I figured if I make it, I mean it's a one shot deal or two shot deal, I need to make it. And I somehow made it. And it was -- but then after hitting that hook on 15, now I got to go to 16. How am I feeling right now? I hit a ball that went completely sideways I'm like, oh, for Christ sake, and I made a beautiful, I actually made a really good swing there. It was and then the 6-iron was ridiculous that I hit. But that was huge.

17 was stupid, too. It was crazy. But that's what I guess it takes to win these big events. But I felt good out there. I wasn't like dying. I was enjoying it. I did enjoy it.

Q. What did you say in the bunker after the ball went in on 17?
ROCCO MEDIATE: I said I had a feeling. Martin had no idea what I was talking about. He was like, what? Because I didn't say anything to him. But I just looked at him and it looked, it looked good. And I worked so much on the short game this week and the short game area, which is ridiculously good here, and I did a lot of pitching, a lot of bunker shots and I just worked on it because you're going to miss out here. You're just going to miss.

If you can do that stuff, which I did all week really well, who knows. Then all of a sudden bang, I had the shot. For it to go in was ridiculous. But I felt like I was going to get it close enough to make three. Which all I was really trying to do. But then I looked and I went, oh, if I get this thing on line, it's going to roll right there and it just fell in the right edge.

Q. Did the experience of the playoff with Tiger, does that give you a, does that help you?
ROCCO MEDIATE: Absolutely. A hundred percent. Because going in there it's like I played some of the best golf I ever played in my life that day and lost. Okay. To the best player in the world at that time.

But today I'm playing against pretty much the other best player in the world of our age. Bernhard, obviously, too, but Colin, I mean, he doesn't make a whole bunch of mistakes. And he does it all the time. See and this is kind of new to me again it's been forever since I done anything -- I never done anything like this -- but had a chance to win something. So, absolutely it did. I didn't want to let this one go. If he shoots 65 and beats me, okay, I'm good with that but I had the lead, so the only way I was going to lose, unless he made three birdies in the last three holes, was if I made boo-boos. And I did, but I got out of them.

(Laughter.)

So, which it's good. Because I feel like the short game stuff is more nervy sometimes than a 4-iron. Because it's a little more -- and you know what I mean -- but when I got in that bunker I said, I feel pretty good about it, I'm going to give it some energy and see what it does and it came out perfect. Thank God.

Q. 2016 Senior PGA champion, how good does it sound? Has it sunk in or when will it?
ROCCO MEDIATE: I don't know if it ever will. I've been, as you guys have noticed, and notably noticed, I haven't done anything in like two and a half years. And but I never really gave up. I just kept working on it and then we worked, Rickie and I worked on it and Doctor Bob helped me. But Doctor Bob and I talked 15, 20 minutes one night about two weeks ago and he just reminded me of the old days. And then Rick and I worked on the golf swing and reminded me of the old days. How can I get back there.

Is it perfect? No. But a lot of good stuff happened. A lot of good stuff happened. When I needed it, it was there. Almost. Pretty much. So I don't know, it's it means a lot. It means a lot to my wife and my kids and Francesca has no idea what's going on, but it just means a lot. And the PGA of America and the PGA professionals, I mean like I said in the, I was just doing the toast in there the Champion's Toast, when I grew up, I grew up Bill Silvis was the first guy I made met as a PGA pro at Hannastown Golf Club in Greensburg. Then Mike Businech who, Mike and Gloria were like my second family, because I was at the golf course 15 hours a day when I was 16, 17, 18. They took care of us. My mom dropped me off, bang, we were there all day until dark my dad picked me up. Then Jim Ferree, PGA professional, played the PGA TOUR Champions Tour, was my first real like serious teacher. So, they molded the stuff that I started to play with.

So to win the tournament like that it's cool as hell. I mean, it's just so cool that that happened. I remember talking about it, somebody asked me these questions a few weeks ago, I don't even know where it was but I said the same thing. You remember those people and Gloria, Mike Businech died a few years back, but his wife still runs the pro shop. When I go home I go see Gloria, she's like my second mom. And it's just, they molded us. Kept us out of trouble -- of course you can't get in a lot of trouble at the golf course, I guess. But they kept us out of trouble, we were there all day, if we were doing something stupid they called dad and if you called my dad I was scared to death anyway, so, that's that means a lot. It means a whole lot.

Q. When you were in here Thursday after the 62, you mentioned that you couldn't remember the last time you broke 70. Now just a few days later you're sitting here with the 72-hole scoring record. Can you just put that in perspective?
ROCCO MEDIATE: No, no.

I can't put it in perspective. No.

I obviously, all of us know how to play golf or knew how to play golf. And then you lose it sometimes. You just don't -- you just, it doesn't work. Things don't work. But working all the stuff we have worked on the last four or five months and all that stuff, you get to put it on, I like to test it, this is the greatest test ever. The U.S. Open in 2008 was a great test. And I passed. I just lost.

This was a great test. I passed and I was fortunate to win. Really fortunate to win.

But it tells you what you have. And like I said the other day, if you don't have it, then you can at least learn from what you -- because under this gun you find out. If you're in 40th place like which I've been pretty much every single week I played, you really don't learn anything. Because it doesn't matter if you miss. It matters here when, in this situation, leading for the first three days and going out today and if I shoot 75, that hurts, I mean that may, I don't know what that would do to me, I really don't. So, it was a big day for me.

Monty's won a million tournaments and several Champions Tour Majors already in a couple years. Yeah, he wanted to win but the things he said, he just said well played, just coming from him it's huge. And he's probably going to bust me up when I when he sees me again, really, you got everything up and down and made every putt. Well, yeah, I did today and yesterday and the day before and the day before.

Everybody does it differently. Would I have loved to hit 70 greens and not made any mistakes? Yeah. But that doesn't happen. On this golf course especially. So it just feels amazing, actually.

Q. You were here in Benton Harbor about 30 years ago. What do you remember about those tournaments and how does it feel to come back?
ROCCO MEDIATE: Well the Western Am, it changed the way I felt about what I was capable of doing. I didn't start playing until I was like 15, 16 years old. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. It's like sometimes I still don't. But playing the Western Amateur, the first year I came qualified, and I missed a 16, Sweet 16 by a shot or two. A shot or two, I think. And I was like, all right, that's pretty good these are the best players, I, who in the hell, I, all the good great amateurs were here.

Then the next year I made it. I don't know if I got invited next year because I -- anyway I don't know what happened but I made it next year and then lost in the finals. But played good in the stroke play at the point and then John Inman beat me 3 & 2. But I felt like that changed my entire way I thought about myself. Did I want to be a professional then? Not really. I just wanted to be a good player. So I was at Florida Southern and the only reason I tried TOUR school was because I didn't want to say 10 years later I wonder if I could have made it. And I made it the first time. It was, I don't know how that happened.

But the Western Amateur changed my golfing life period. I can assure you of that. I said it for 30 years. I love it, I just loved it.

Q. You're here on a Nicklaus Course and you're the first wire-to-wire since Nicklaus. How fitting is that?
ROCCO MEDIATE: It's ridiculous. Yeah, I knew that. I think you said the other day. Actually, I read it. I don't read anything that's written about me until like maybe the following year. But my buddy Joe, who I was going to smack when he did, I said, don't read anything in the paper. I don't care what it says. Not yet. I'll read it Monday. Okay. But not now.

He goes, you know, Jack won in '91 wire-to-wire. You're leading, I said, really? You have to say that to me now? I hit a that. So, no, it's honored, I'm honored that that's the case. I think I've done this I've won from the first day to the last wire-to-wire twice. I think I won Frys that way in 2010 on the Regular Tour. I think I did. In fact I'm sure I did, I won Frys.

So, but this one, it's different. People can say what they want. It's a senior Major, but I tell you what, I played in a loft other ones, it felt the exact same or worse, actually, today. With Colin breathing all over me. That guy's unreal. But he's been, anyway, he was great to me and we had a great time and that.

Q. It's coming back here every other year through 2024.
ROCCO MEDIATE: That's amazing. Well I just said that in the Champion's Toast. Yeah, sorry. It's unbelievable what Whirlpool KitchenAid is doing for us and the PGA of America's doing for us. Being able to do this and having it for the next zillion years and back here the next year we're at Trump, and by the way I talked to him Friday morning, he called me on the range. I mean, I don't need this pressure.

(Laughter.)

I don't need this pressure. It was hilarious. Because, "I got to go out and speak to 26,000 in a minute. But I wanted to tell you good luck and I love it and take it easy and don't worry about anything." I'm like, okay.

So, I talked to him but yeah we're going to his place and as the other places he has, it's going it should be phenomenal. You.

Q. But will it be neat to come back here in two years.
ROCCO MEDIATE: I can't wait, yeah, absolutely. Because this is like I said, this is the biggest event I've ever won. And I like I said, I don't know what did I win six on the Regular Tour? Those were awesome, obviously. But this just, I don't know, it's different. When it says Major, I don't care where the major is, it's different. And that I've never obviously done that. So. I was close but I the second does nothing.

(Laughter.)

Q. Is there a mentality involved? The last two days it seemed like whenever you had to make a shot you made it whenever you had to make a putt, you made it.
ROCCO MEDIATE: Belief. That's all there was. I kept telling myself, just believe in your ability, don't go forward, you know, like I remember I hit a shot on a tee shot today off of 7. Just hit kind of a quick hook over in the left rough. And I'm walking up there and I'm like, just play the next shot. Don't worry, play the next shot. See if you can make four. Don't, I just kind of went boringly don't get in front of yourself. Just get out of this hole with whatever as best you can and get the hell off this hole and go to 8. That is all I was trying to do.

So I did that all week, but I also believed that even when the shots didn't come, I still believed they were going to. And over the last couple years, I didn't believe they were going to. And they didn't.

Because the golf club wasn't in the right spot. Now it's in the right spot and all I go to the do is deliver it to the ball and hopefully I do it right most of the time, but when you don't you can't, I knew my short game was as tight as it's ever been. I worked my butt off because I knew where we were coming last couple weeks. And I like tight little mown areas, I like, it's hard around here. It's hard around here around the greens and sometimes off the fairways it's so tight and kind of laying down a little bit. Sometimes it's against you, sometimes it's not. But around the greens it can get nasty. And I worked my butt off on real tight where no one else likes to chip. I chip, they putt. Because I like to pitch. And I never went away from it, except for on the last holing because I didn't need to chip that one because I had a couple shots to play with, thank God.

But, so, yeah, that's, I knew if I missed there was a pretty good chance I could save it if I missed in the right spot. And I pretty much did, I don't know how many times, but a lot of times this week. It was kind of sick.

Q. The last hole when Colin was looking over his putt, you were standing off the side of the green kind of staring over the creek. Share your thoughts.
ROCCO MEDIATE: Yeah, I just, you funny thing is, I was over it and what creeps into your mind is, when I looked over at Martin, Martin came up and I said, Colin's ball was in the air out of the out of the air in the bunker if this doesn't go in, we got three shots. I thought we had three shots, right, and he goes, yeah. And I said, yeah, I'm good now. Because I -- I mean I knew I had three, I went when the shot went in on 17 I knew I had a three shot lead. I'm, I do watch the boards. I watch them closely when I can see them.

But still, I don't, golf is weird, man, you can do weird things. You've seen it. I didn't want to be -- the fact that I mad that putt was hilarious because I wasn't even trying to make that putt I was just trying to hit it up there where I could tap it in. I mean I don't know how to explain it because it's been so long. But I just -- I was thankful for what happened today and I was proud a little bit of how I hung in there and didn't let it go. When it could have went away a few times. Big putt on 14. 13. Huge. Par putt on 14. Right. Or excuse me, 13. The par-3.

And it just kept the lead. I kept looking, oh, Colin, I got him by one now, you still got him by one. It's good. If I miss, we're even and I go, oh, boy, here we go.

So I drove it beautiful off 14 tee and I hit a -- that tee shot drives me nuts -- but I drove three days in the fairway actually shockingly and once in the left rough a little bit but water to the right wind to the right. I don't like this, I like that. I just stood up there and just tried to drive it, I drove it right down the center and I'm like, okay, we're still okay, everything's all right. I looked, um, I go, okay, I can find that one. Good. But it's easy to go and hook it in the left rough or -- even over 18 today, I wasn't trying to draw it over the bunker I was trying to hit it down the middle and I pushed it and but I was trying to hit it where I -- I didn't want to hook it in the left rough because it was easier. It's weird. I just wanted to see -- you know, it obviously worked out just fine. I hit it hard enough to where it went in that bunker. I was surprise the defendant got that far. Surprised. And happy.

(Laughter.)

Q. Now that you've got this, what does that do to your goal setting things you want to achieve going forward I know you haven't had a lot of time?
ROCCO MEDIATE: I just want to do the same, I just got to work on same stuff that I've been working on and it gives us, I don't know, I mean I get to play Baltusrol, I forgot about that they just told me and that's cool. It just what I need is these kids that's just what I need right now. Yes. Perfect. I just got confidence back now I got to go see these guys play. Yeah. So -- I don't know just confidence. That's one thing I was talking to Jess my wife for just a second, we were driving over and she goes, I don't care about anything else, but your confidence, you have to be more confident. I said, well, yeah, I'm kind of confident now.

But that, you can't like lay on that. Next week we're in Des Moines, it's a whole new event. So it's just a matter of do the same, try to do the same thing you did this week and but I just think I'm just going to play Majors now.

(Laughter.)

Just going to play Majors. No. Anyway. My point is it doesn't change. Yeah, do I have, do I know I can do something now? Yeah. Do I, did I do something? Yeah, I actually did something finally for in a long time. But next week will be no different than this week as far as preparation. We'll see what happens. I may not be really, I don't know, I don't know what's going to happen next week, but I'm just looking forward to seeing the baby.

JOHN DEVER: Well done, thank you so much for your time this week.

ROCCO MEDIATE: Thank you. Thank you very much.

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