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SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 29, 2005

Mike Reid

LIGONIER, PENNSYLVANIA

JULIUS MASON: Mike Reid, ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 66th Senior PGA Championship Mike was playing in his first Senior PGA Championship, that's the way to come out of the blocks, and Mike, did you know it's been 16 years, nine months, two days, and 295 combined TOUR events since your last win.

MIKE REID: No. I don't keep track of those kind of things.

JULIUS MASON: Some thoughts on your day today. We'll go through your card and we'll go to Q&A, please.

MIKE REID: It's just funny how things work out. You just can't ever figure in this game. I just don't know how to account for it sometimes. I don't know how many times, myself, it must be a commentary on my native intelligence, but you hear this often in sports that if you never give up, you never know what might happen. And I tried to, even though I wasn't playing good golf kind of in the middle of the last 18, I had bogeys at 5 and 8. But even then I kept thinking, you know, this is a tough golf course and there's some good shots out here and maybe if a few putts find the hole, you never know what might happen.

I had an interesting feeling or a something that happened. I made a great 2 putt on the ninth. It was like a putt you might have at Augusta National. It had about 12 feet of break and was fast and sliding downhill. And when I got that down in two it kind of gave me a lift. And I walked uphill to the 109 hole and I thought to myself, you know what, I can remember a guy named Payne Stewart shooting a 32 on the back nine and he looked dead to all the world. I had control of the tournament and by all rights I should have won. And today it was Dana Quigley and Jerry Pate, they had control of the tournament and should have won. I didn't play with Dana, but I played with Jerry, and I feel bad for him because he played great golf. Man, he hit a great shot. A couple of them. So many good shots on that second nine. And I just, you know, I look at him and would say, great shot. And he would kind of smile and I saw the look in his eye and I just thought to myself, he's just got the look of a champion.

But, again, I don't know how or why things work out the way they do but in the back of my mind I kept saying that like when I walked up that hill on nine, I said, you know what, 32 might not win, but it sure would look good on my card. And I would feel a lot better. I just hadn't made any birdies. I started on 11 technically in the third round and finally two putted 18 for the only birdie in the morning. And then I hadn't had hi birdies on the front nine. And so you might look on the outside and say, I had no reason to think I was going to shoot 32 on the back. But yet I just had that thought. I thought maybe that could happen.

Then when I get to the 18th hole and you know, honestly, I hit that 3 iron a little bit thin and pulled it. But it hit the green and tumbled forward and I had a chance to hole a putt for an eagle. And when it went in I was thinking, you know, I hope Jerry makes it. I'm tired. I don't want to go out there again. And he's played like a champion. He deserves to win this tournament.

And I can't speak for Dana, but I don't know what happened to him coming in. But I'm sure that he was feeling the same thing. Playing like a champion. Probably deserved to win.

Fate takes a hand and I can't explain it. My putt went in, Jerry's missed and I'm feeling like I stole something in the playoff. I don't deserve to be there. And I find the fairway with a tee shot and have a pretty good yardage for my 5 wood, if I can sort of cut it a little bit. And, gosh, I hit a pretty neat shot to leave it where it was. And to have a makeable, you know, putt at three, for a three, and I just it's just hard to figure. But I'm sure grateful.

JULIUS MASON: Let's talk about your clubs on the bogeys and the front and the birdie on the back. Start with number 5.

MIKE REID: 5, I had a 4 iron, I was trying to take something a little off of it and I probably should have been content to hit it in the middle of the green. But I came off of it and put it in the right bunker. And it came out with a pretty good bunker shot about 8 or 10 feet, but missed the putt.

And then I had a good chance for a birdie at 6 and I thought, at that time that if I make this birdie at 6, and it was only about a two and a half feet, three foot putt, and I thought I'm right back on par again and I'm going to get, you know, something going. But I missed that one.

Then my mind was spinning and I hit a terrible tee shot on the next hole and had a chip out. I hit a 9 iron about three feet and made that one. And that gave me a lift. And then I turned right around and bogeyed 8 with a poor 5 wood. In the bunker. A poor bunker shot. And a pretty mediocre putt.

Let's see, then we got on the back on 9 and 2 putted. Par 10 was another big lift, a lot like nine because I was on the front fringe and 3 putted to the back right pin there.

11, I hit a good drive and a 3 wood and hit a wedge 10 feet and made that for birdie.

2 putt 12. Again, a long 2 putt. I made a long second putt.

13, I hit a great 6 iron in there about five feet and missed it.

14, I hit a 7 iron, 10 feet, and made that.

15, that was pretty big because I was trying to make birdies and I tried something I probably shouldn't have and came up short on a 9 iron into the wind and put it in the front bunker and blasted out to about a foot and made that.

Two putts on 16 from the left fringe.

17, I hit a pretty good shot, I had a pretty good chance with a 4 iron to about 15 feet, just short. And kind of left to right up the hill. Sort of the putt that I like and I just dogged it. And I knew that there wasn't much oxygen in there then, you know. I thought if I could make that putt, maybe I would have a chance at 18. But I didn't give that a very good effort.

So when I hit a good drive on 18 and had about 195 and that's when I started thinking realistically with Jerry right beside me there in the fairway, thinking that he's probably going to make birdie, at worst par, maybe I can catch Dana for second place with an eagle. And I hit a 3 iron, which you know I thought would leave me about 20 feet behind the hole, if I hit it well. But I pulled it a little bit and it caught a little low on the face. The fairway, you get hanging lies there in that fairway. It wasn't a terrible shot, but it wasn't perfect, but it hit the fringe and sort of tumbled forward. I couldn't see it, but I could tell by the crowd applause that I had a putt. And when I got there it was about 20 feet. And it was about the same kind of putt at 17, except it was a little downhill. Instead of uphill. And it was left to right. And I just said, you know what, just hit it solid. You never know what might happen.

I was thinking that trying to pump myself up because I think I'm somewhere in the top 10 on eagles on the Senior, the Champions Tour. And I have been so far back that you can't hear the hounds bark, eagles on the Regular TOUR there, you know. And so it's been kind of fun this year to make a few eagles. And I thought this would be a good time for an eagle, give the crowd something to yell about. And I hit a really good putt. It just went in like a home sick gopher. And I just remember thinking, great, I tied Dana for second, this has been a great week. I was really pulling for Jerry. And I feel bad for him because, you know, I know how he feels, because I felt that way. But he's felt that way too. I know he's been there and had that sort of disappointment, but again, I don't know how, how things in life work out the way they do.

JULIUS MASON: Thank you.

Q. (By Peter Jacobsen) when you were in college you had kind of a wild crazy life style, um, do you think this being a grandpa now has slowed you down a little bit to where you're a little calmer?

MIKE REID: Yeah, I do. It's a little tougher to get pulse rate going now. Than it used to be.

Q. (By Peter Jacobsen) Congratulations Mike. I wanted to come in and con great law?

MIKE REID: Thank you, Peter.

Q. (By Peter Jacobsen) Well deserved.

MIKE REID: Thank you, Peter. That's, wow.

Q. How many kids do you have now?

MIKE REID: Six.

Q. Okay. How many grandkids?

MIKE REID: One grandchild.

Q. Oh, my God.

MIKE REID: It's going to go exponentially.

Q. You're Mormon, aren't you?

MIKE REID: Last I checked. Do you want to see my card?

Q. Okay.

(Laughter.)

JULIUS MASON: Jerry, question?

Q. Mike, what were your yardages on 18 in the playoff and were you surprised that Jerry Pate laid up?

MIKE REID: No, in the playoff I wasn't surprised, because he was in the rough. Is that what you mean? In regulation? No, I think he hit the smart shot. Because it's, as I said, it's not as easy as it looks on that fairway, and the wind is sort of quartering into you, and he hit a shot in there on Saturday's round that started right and I could tell what he was thinking, because he normally plays a draw. But I don't know if you could all understand the difficulty of this for anybody, but when you play a draw the ball's below your feet, your left foot is kind of in a hole, and the wind is quartering away that's really going to kill a draw. But, if you sort of do the human thing and what a lot of guys might do, they will come over it a little bit, then it will ride the wind and then you bring into play that horrendous bunker on the back left that one that looks like it belongs in Scotland.

I'm guessing, but I'm thinking that's what he was thinking. And so I didn't, you know, with the lead he had, figuring par or he's good enough with a wedge he's probably going to knock it in there 10 feet, spin it back by the hole. I would have done the same thing. My yardage in there was I think 195. To the front. And about 201 to the pin. And that setup pretty well for a 3 iron, but from that kind of lie, I, well, you know, I hadn't hit an iron in there all week. I hit a wood in there, a 3 wood in the earlier rounds. That's the only other time I went for it was this morning. And I hit it clear to the back of the green. But I got a 2 putt. And I really think if I would have hit the 3 iron well I would have been on the back of the green and, but I mishit it and, again, it's funny how things work out.

Q. The playoff, Mike.

MIKE REID: On the playoff, I had a little bit longer. I had about 205 to the front and somewhere around 210 to the pin. But again, that setup perfect for a 5 wood. And I normally I'm comfortable fading the 5 wood, it was a fade lie. And so for me it couldn't have worked out better, because I aimed at the left edge of the green and I said if I do my job, this ball's going to work in somewhere to the middle of the green and I really wasn't fearful it's pretty hard for me to turn one over and get it working with the wind. And I just thought, you know, don't complicate it, just kind of do the obvious, try to hit it solid. And I hit it pretty good for all things considered there.

Q. Much has been made about all the different family events you've had going on here in the last week or so, the graduations, first of all, who gets bragging rights at the table this week and what are some of the conversations that you're going to have about the different accomplishments? Where does this rank on some of the things that your kids are doing right now?

MIKE REID: Well, you know, I don't think there's any comparison. This is a great thrill and as I've said before, an honor and a privilege. But I can live without winning golf championship, but or I can live without winning golf championships, but it would be hard to fairways myself in the mirror if I was a crummy dad. But I have wonderful children and they're very supportive. And that's what I mentioned I think a little bit earlier, when they say when I know I'm going to be out for a week or sometimes two weeks by myself they travel more than they used to with me, by the way, so we're trying not to, I'm trying not to let golf own me again like it did during my Regular TOUR life. That was difficult for my, I think my three older children. But my three younger children are getting their chance now and they're looking for. And when I go to leave they say, go play, dad, but play good. We want to see you out there. And my wife tells me that one of my nephews said yesterday, that's Johnny's daddy on TV. You know. My son and his cousins are best pals, you know, and so it's a great support system to have that at home. And as far as bragging rights go, I got to give a lot of credit to my son, because he always reminds me of the obvious. And he just told me this week, just stick to the fundamentals, dad, you're doing enough right, you're doing enough well. I caddied for him Monday at the U.S. Open qualifying and when we parted ways he just, he says as only a teenager can kind of smirk at you and he said, dad, just go out and do all the things you tell me to do all the time. You know. And we have a rule when I talk to much he's got to tell me. About golf. Because sometimes I get a little wordy, going over a little bit and over coach, typical dad. So he tells me, hey, dad, just go out and do all the things you've been tell me to do when I play. So that's sort of funny.

Q. You had said that you were pulling for Jerry and that it's funny how things work out, but is the sweetness of this very major accomplishment beginning to settle in? Are you starting to feel the joy of the victory?

MIKE REID: I don't know. I may appear calm, but I'm like a duck on the water. I'm still I'm wound pretty tight right now. I can't tell you when it's going to sink in or I really no, I don't think it's nearly to that stage yet.

Q. Clearly over the years you were one of the straighter but not longer hitters, do you think it's fitting that on the playoff you wrapped things up with that exquisite fairway wood like you did?

MIKE REID: No, I you know, I just have kind of had to school myself all my life to playing the shot that I'm faced with. And that's a discipline in itself. I've learned by hard experience, although it escapes me, as it does all of us in this crazy game at times, too much opening of the oven door and the cake falls instead of rising. You know, you just can't I just don't have a luxury to get ahead of myself and I don't have the luxury of going out there one day and deciding that I think I'm going to play like R. W. Eaks today. I'm going to hit it hard someplace and putt good. You know, I just have always been that kind of hit the fairway, hit the green, hopefully drop a few putts. Just the patient plodder, like I described yesterday. In the fairway bell. I'm the turtle. There's a lot of hares out there, but if I were you, I wouldn't put any money on the turtles because they don't win most of the time. But once in a while, again, I can't account for it, but days like today, you know, that's, that was a club in my bag that I'm not saying they're the best clubs, even the best for me, but the 14 clubs in my bag are the ones I hit the best. When the wind came up I sort of thought, you know, you idiot, you ought to hit a 2 iron in there. Or a rescue club or something like that. There's a lot of clubs out there.

I hate to tell you this, but I put a middle wedge in my bag last year, and I had a senior moment, because I actually had two yardages that would have been perfect for this middle wedge and I forgot it was in my bag. I choked down on a pitching wedge and hit it in there and walked up to the green and said, you idiot, you got a middle wedge for that shot. I don't know. You know, you do the best you can with what you have been given and that for whatever reason worked out well for me today. They don't make my woods any more by the way. I'm a little we're worried. I got four woods in my bag and all of them are out of production, so.

(Laughter.) Sort of like my game.

Q. Just first off, what are the wedges?

MIKE REID: Well, now?

Q. Well, yeah, you said they're out of production?

MIKE REID: No, my woods are out of production.

Q. Sorry. What are those?

MIKE REID: Well, if you can get one for me on EBay you're going to go for it?

Q. Not necessarily?

MIKE REID: Two TaylorMades, a four and a 5 wood, they're Raylors and they're, gosh, two years old. My 3 wood is a TaylorMade 200 series that's, it was the most popular fairway wood on the TOUR five years ago and they took it out of production the next year. I've been fishing on EBay for one of those and haven't found one or haven't bid enough yet to get one and then my driver's a J, a Titleist J, which is about eight years old technology that it's a fine club. I like it. But it's sort of they don't make them any more. That should tell me something.

Q. Just one thing, you talked about yesterday being a turtle, did you think when you came out this year it's been such a long time since you've won, that did you think that your game would be suited for out here now or did you think

MIKE REID: Well, that's what everyone kept telling me. And then I think I got out here and my initial reaction was a lot of anxiety, because I hadn't played the kind of courses that gave me that many opportunities in the past. At least my last five years on the TOUR and then busting heads with those kids on the Nationwide Tour. And realistically for me I might have seven to ten chances if I hit good shots. And some of the other holes, I just didn't have the horsepower out there, I didn't feel like. And so when I got out here, I realized that there were a lot more opportunities for me to score. And I was getting anxious because I had so many opportunities. And my wife, of all people, last fall sort of noticed that the struggle that I was having and she was like, and she doesn't play golf herself, mind you, but she knows me very well and she just said, why don't you just play your game? Your game is good enough. Just play your game.

I asked her what did she see, what did she notice. I'm struggling. What did you see anything? She said, you're just not playing your game. And so I re dedicated myself to just playing my game. And I think that part of it is keeping 4 woods in the bag and two wedges. Even though it's a dinosaur collection, it might look better in a wax museum, that's my game. So I was looking forward to that opportunity of playing courses that were more suited to my game, but and that's what I found out here, basically. And I guess the best indication of that the courses are a little more accessible for me is the fact that I think I'm in the top 10 in eagle leaders this year and so that has got to tell you something about the length of these courses must be a little bit more in my range. And I feel like if I play my game, I can be competitive.

JULIUS MASON: Thanks, Mike. Very much.

End of FastScripts.

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