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AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIP

July 22, 2016

Sterling Sharpe

Stateline, Nevada

THE MODERATOR: Sterling, I think this is your first trip into this interview room, isn't it?

STERLING SHARPE: Second. I had a year where I had 26 points, I think. I don't know how I had the 26 points. So it didn't -- it didn't last. But I came in here playing well, and it was just a matter of staying comfortable and not getting ahead of myself. And I was able to do that.

I mean, that's the thing, when you're comfortable, you know, you can hit the shots that you know you can hit.

And I had three that I wish -- I say I wish I had back. You know you're playing well if you go back and find some shots. I was dead center in the fairway with a wedge in my hand and made five on par-4s. So if I can clean that up and putt it the way I putted it today, drive it the way I drove it today I should be all right.

Q. Take us through your round today. What holes did you birdie, what holes did you have trouble with?
STERLING SHARPE: I had a real good look, parred 10 and 11. I had a great look on 1, had a great look on 1, and it just dove on us at at the end.

And on 3, the par-5, we had a long wait. That was 269 with a 3-wood in my hand and a 15-minute wait. I should have talked myself to laying it up to make sure I gave myself a good look at birdie.

Pin was at a good spot. So I would have been able to get at that flag. And I just waited and waited and hooked my 3-wood into the hazard and made six, made a really good six there.

Had a chip-in on 4. Had 221 on 4, had 7-iron in my hand. And we thought it would jump a little bit. We were in a little rough. We thought it would jump a little bit. It didn't. Left it short of the green, chipped it in for eagle. Kind of settled and got into the round a little bit.

And then just bad mistakes on 6 in the fairway with a wedge in my hand, 3-putting. 7, hit it into the bunker, missed a three-and-a-half footer for par.

8, I got 117, make five there. Made a great par save on 9. Two good birdie looks on 10 and 11 and just kind of -- I had a good look at 13 and it dove on us a little bit.

But four holes basically that I was dead center of the fairway and made bogey. If I can clean that up, that's -- but every guy who comes in here, every guy that's at the top of the leaderboard, they've got a similar story.

So it's just a matter of continuing to play like I'm playing. And I like where I am right now.

Q. I understand the greens are rolling real fast. Jeremy mentioned before you got in here that it's the fastest he's seen these greens in all the years he's been here. And I think he's played 24 times.
STERLING SHARPE: That's true. The golf course itself is in the best shape I've ever seen it. And I don't know how many years I've been coming, but the golf course is in great shape.

We're just not used to being under the gun like this, because we all know each other's games, and we've played a lot of golf together on the celebrity circuit, if you will. We've played a lot of golf with each other.

You pretty much know how to get it around. It's a matter of handling your nerves. That's the biggest thing everybody goes through, handling your nerves, and kind of playing the way you know you can play.

It's a little different out here, ball goes a little farther. But once you settle in and understand how far the ball travels and what clubs you need, it's just a matter of hitting that shot.

I was able to do that a lot more today than I have in the past few years.

Q. Is your game at the best it's been ever since you started playing, or --
STERLING SHARPE: Probably. I'm not as long as I was when I first started coming out here having my hip replaced. But I'm a lot better player because I understand lies better. I understand playing golf for how I play golf better.

For instance, I got 192 in on 18 in the right rough. And we just hit nine on 17 from 170 and it goes in the back bunker.

So we knew we had a chance out of the right rough it wasn't going to stop. Hit 9-iron up over the trees, pin high right, and 2-putted that for birdie. So understanding different lies, understanding where to leave it. I hit a really good 5-iron from 224 on 16, 2-putted that and made birdie.

It's just understanding basically here's my game and here's what I know what I can do and stepping over and hitting that shot.

Q. You mentioned hip replacement. What year was that?
STERLING SHARPE: Two years last week I had it done. I had it done the Thursday after the tournament two years ago, which was really the worst -- I actually played well. I think I finished tenth -- ninth, tenth, I think. But it was awful because I couldn't take any pain meds the week prior to surgery.

And it was the year we had, what, three or four rain delays. We had I think Annika played, might have been Annika's last year playing. But having it done, I needed to get it done, and my golf swing's a little different. But I think it also helped. It's a little better.

Q. Jeremy was just in here, and he was talking the other day about how he's dinged up a little bit. Football players and hockey players, you guys are in your 40s --
STERLING SHARPE: 50s.

Q. Some of them 50s now. Is it really hard to still play golf well if you're a former football or hockey player, because you guys all --
STERLING SHARPE: I didn't play -- I didn't play prior to retiring. So for me I don't know what playing golf is like without these screws in my neck. So for me you have the same -- you're stiff in the morning and you need to warm up and get the muscles going.

But doesn't hurt to play golf right now. Like I said, my body is a little -- I'm 51 years old. It's been through some things.

I had some prostate issues earlier this year and got those worked out. So how do you put it? It's pretty much the same thing, play a violent sport, you feel great when you leave the game and then the older you get it catches up with you.

Q. I think it says a lot about you guys that come out here and play in this tournament, that you wait until right after the week of the tournament's over to have surgeries. You did that, Charles did that last year.
STERLING SHARPE: You do everything -- if you get the invite to come here, you're coming. You're going to play out here, because it's a great time.

The American Century has been a great sponsor. Edgewood has been a great golf course. The people in South Lake Tahoe has treated us very well. And it's a great time. It's funny, you get a chance to play in the pro-ams and you make new friends.

You get a chance to see some old ones. And when you get to be our age, and I never looked at it this way, but when you get to be our age, you are very thankful and enjoy seeing old friends, because they're still here.

I played in a lot of golf outings, and Moses Malone was one of my best friends, and actually had him pass at a golf tournament we were at. It's just those things you kind of don't take the friendships for granted.

I probably did in my 30s, maybe some in my 40s. At 51, I definitely don't. I appreciate seeing -- Jeremy Roenick has been a good friend of mine. Jack Wagner played behind me yesterday in the pro-am. We got a chance to talk a lot.

So you look forward to the opportunities to see those old friends and definitely make new ones.

Q. With that thought, Denny Green, we lost him today.
STERLING SHARPE: I didn't know that.

Q. Dennis Green passed away this morning.
STERLING SHARPE: He was a -- loved playing against his teams when he got to be the head coach at Minnesota. Was always super nice to me. Even out of retirement. I got a chance to work with him a couple of times in TV.

Wow, that's a big loss. He was a wonderful man. He's one of those coaches I think I would have liked to have played for.

I had two good ones in Lindy Infante and Mike Holmgren, but I would have liked to have played for Denny. Fun-loving. Seemed like a very laid-back kind of guy. That's a big loss.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

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