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U.S. SENIOR OPENJune 27, 2017Ricky ArnettPeabody, Massachusetts THE MODERATOR: It's my pleasure to welcome Ricky Arnett here in the Media Center of the U.S. Senior Open Championship. It's Ricky's first U.S. Senior Open. Qualified shooting a 69 at Deerwood Golf Club in Kingwood, Texas, which happens to be the same golf course where the golf classic, "Tin Cup," was shot in 1996. Ricky, just curious, how much of that was on your mind when you were playing out there? You saw the plaque where Kevin Costner hit five in the water; his character, Roy McAvoy. How much of that was on your mind when you were playing there? RICKY ARNETT: That particular hole is actually a par 4, but it plays about 450 or so, a little carry over water. So when we played in the qualifier, it was into the wind and the fairways were wet so I had like 210 to the hole. So I was about 20 yards in the front of the plaque. It was a pretty tough driving hole already, but I managed to get it over the water in the bunker and made bogey. That's a very difficult hole at Deerwood. So 5's not a bad score on that hole. THE MODERATOR: No. Certainly better than double digits there. And you also spent 18 years as a club pro. You're now at Great Hills Country Club in Austin. How do you balance everything, from the time you spend in the pro shop, setting up tournaments, club repairs, giving lessons. How do you find time to work on your own game and qualify for the Senior Open? RICKY ARNETT: It's tough. Actually, I've been a golf pro for 17 years at Great Hills, best club in town. But I've actually been a club pro since 1989, so 28 years. I've been getting up a little bit earlier than normal and trying to get an hour of practice each day in the morning until they track me down. Then I'm giving lessons, I'm organizing tournaments, I'm doing normal merchandising and just trying to keep the members happy. Try to get another hour of practice in in the afternoon. I've got a young family with an 11-year-old and a 10-year-old. So they're busy. My wife is kind of a single parent during the months of April and May so it's tough to have time. But I don't know if I would practice that much even if I did have a lot of time because it's over 100 degrees in Austin area right now. So, anyway, I try to juggle the best I can. THE MODERATOR: You have to get out there early certainly with those warm temperatures. RICKY ARNETT: Correct. THE MODERATOR: And the club actually pitched together and had a fund-raiser for you to get you up here as well. Is that right? RICKY ARNETT: That is correct. Three weeks ago, I didn't know my life was going to change this much. So I qualified on the 5th. Members got wind of the qualification on the next day, and within two days, they had organized 60 people to come play in a nine-hole scramble fund-raiser. It was pretty overwhelming, how much support I've got, not only for the people playing, but even the players and the members afterwards. It was pretty overwhelming, emotional for my wife and I. It feels good to feel appreciated. I love those guys. Best members in town. Hope they keep me there for a long time. THE MODERATOR: That's a pretty cool story. RICKY ARNETT: Thank you. THE MODERATOR: And I know your family isn't here this week, but you do have someone familiar as your caddie this week. Talk a little bit about him. RICKY ARNETT: My father-in-law, Johnny Fisher, is caddying. He knows my game very well. We play a little bit together during the week. His yardages are pretty close to mine. So I ask him what he would hit on a hole. That's pretty much what I'm going to hit on the hole. Good green reader. He's got some good shoes this week so he says he can handle it. So we'll see what happens. But he and I are staying together. My wife and family are in Ft. Worth at my son's TCU baseball camp. So they're not here. If I play well, I told them I'd ship them up here. So we may cut the camp short. We'll see what happens. THE MODERATOR: Very cool. Do you know, did the members at Great Hills, are they doing some sort of party watch for you when you're in action on Thursday and Friday? RICKY ARNETT: They knew the tee time before I did. So when the tee times came out, they informed me that my 7:00 a.m. on Thursday -- asked me when was the last time I teed off at 7:00 a.m.? And I told them never. Yeah, they're really excited. I've gotten 20 texts probably just yesterday alone of people I haven't seen in a couple of weeks at the club wishing me well. Just e-mails from people in Austin that I know that are not members of the club. I can't count how many "good wishes" and "play well" e-mails and texts that I've gotten. I mean, it's got to be a couple of hundred. THE MODERATOR: That's a great support system. RICKY ARNETT: Thank you. THE MODERATOR: Let me open it up to some questions. Q. Ricky, I don't want to carry the "Tin Cup" thing too far, but are there parallels to the way you play golf or things that happen in your life that we've seen in the movie? RICKY ARNETT: I probably wouldn't keep hitting it in the water. I'd probably make that drop. You know, there are some parallels. I taught at a couple of different driving ranges in the Austin area before I came into Great Hills, very similar to some of that that you see in the movie with him and Romeo, but I haven't stole any golf balls from the range to practice on them yet for sure. But there's some parallels, definitely. I actually got that nickname also about 15 years ago. Somebody started nicknaming me that. I didn't know why. I guess I just reminded them of him. Q. Rick, since you've been here, have you met any of the players that you admire the most, or was there anyone that you've never met before that you've now been acquainted with and was there any discussion at all? RICKY ARNETT: You know, I haven't met any players yet. I've seen them in the locker room and on the range, but I don't want to bother them. I mean, I've got a good buddy of mine that plays on the Champions Tour, and he and I played 12 holes this morning. So we're going to try to get in the last few holes if it's not raining. THE MODERATOR: That's Wes Short? RICKY ARNETT: That's correct. Wes Short is a good buddy of mine. His caddie actually caddied for me in the qualifier. So he did a great job. Wes was pulling for me for a practice round partner. What was the second part? Q. Now that we identified Wes, did he give you any advice at all coming into this? RICKY ARNETT: A little. He said just don't wear yourself out playing a bunch of practice rounds and beating balls morning and afternoon after the round. And that's pretty much -- I'll probably just see the back nine this afternoon and maybe nine holes tomorrow. Mainly spend a little more time around the greens, chipping area, and hitting a few more balls. That's always been his advice is just don't get too tired. You're going to be emotional and anxious enough on the first tee, and that tends to drain you pretty quick. That's pretty good advice, I think. Q. One last follow-up. When you're on the range or you're walking around in a practice round, do you feel like you're in a dream, or what's it feel like? RICKY ARNETT: Definitely a dream. Just to be out here on a place that's -- you know, you keep seeing this USGA everywhere. I've taken pictures several times and sent them to my wife. I'm gathering up all the memorabilia I can find. I'll probably put a flag in the locker room to get some signatures on it. So it is a dream. I promise you that three weeks ago, I'd have never guessed that I would be here. I've been playing okay, but I'd have never imagined. I might not ever try again. Q. How do you find yourself now trying to get used to playing in a traditional New England course, as opposed to what you're playing home in Texas? RICKY ARNETT: Well, it's definitely a lot softer, easier walking. Grass is a little different. We tend to have a little more grain around the greens. It seems like when you're hitting pitch shots and everything, I don't know, I wouldn't say it's not as difficult, but it's a little bit easier to slide the club under, little shots around the green. At home, we tend to get a little more hard pin lies around the green to where you pretty much have to run it up versus pitch it. But you know, the rough's pretty penal. Luckily, I only hit one tee shot in the rough this morning. You know, I got it out to the front edge of the green. But the fairways are pretty generous, it seems like. I hit most of them but one. We'll see. I mean, the course is -- it's got two par 5s converted into par 4s. THE MODERATOR: I believe so. RICKY ARNETT: What is that, 2 and 17? 18 has got a good hole too. But it's a premium on getting it in the fairways there. So I think I'll get used to the grasses around the green a little bit easier than I thought I would. The greens are not crazy fast, it doesn't seem like, but they roll faster than they look because I'm used to kind of looking at shiny, you know, grain and all that, and they're all a little bit dull looking, but they still got some speed when you get above the hole. THE MODERATOR: Ricky, you never played college golf. How did you get into competitive golf or get back into it after your junior days? RICKY ARNETT: I played as a walk-on at a little college in East Texas. I was going to University of Texas, and I got a part-time job at Onion Creek. And as I was working there, I figured out that's pretty much what I wanted to do. An assistant pro was leaving, and I got a chance to move in the pro shop, and that's pretty much where it started. I was always around the game kind of my junior and senior year in high school, but I tended to improve quite a bit faster once I got out of college. Had more time to practice, got a little bit of help and some instruction around the Austin area. I've tried to be a sponge when somebody's helping or trying to help me. But just felt like I kind of kept improving, more of a late bloomer than anything. But still a dream. THE MODERATOR: And what are your hopes and your expectations for this week? RICKY ARNETT: You know, I always hope to play well. You expect, if you hit a lot of fairways, you expect to play well. Probably just making sure that I hit that first fairway on the first hole. That No. 10 fairway is a little different looking. It's got the big hump on the left side. But expectations are -- I think I can shoot a decent score. It's just a matter of not getting too far ahead of myself. You know, if you get to playing well, you start minds wandering. So I'm just trying to keep from doing something that I normally don't do is getting out of my comfort zone. But I wouldn't have any idea what a score would be, a decent score on the course. I asked Wes this morning, and he said, you know, 10 under, something like that, and I went, I can't even imagine shooting 10 under right now. I mean, I think I could shoot even par, it seems like. So we'll find out. Q. I don't know if you looked at the tee times for tomorrow. You and Wes are playing with Bernhard Langer. What might be the first question you might ask him on one of the fairways? RICKY ARNETT: This is going to be pretty cool because there's been some controversy on how he putts. Sorry, Bernhard. I'll apologize to you tomorrow. But I also putt with a long putter, and I brought my backup long putter for Wes to play with. So all I did on December 31st, 2015, is I cut four inches off. So same putter, same everything. I've got two of them. And Wes putted this morning with me, and he putted great. So Bernhard might ask me a question or two, I don't know. That's going to be really cool. I had no idea. I probably shouldn't have known it until in the morning so I can get some sleep. But the questions to ask him? I'm probably just going to watch him, how he kind of maneuvers around the greens and what percentage shots that he plays. Obviously, he's the best player out here right now, as history shows. What has he won, 30 times or more? But why don't you come out with us and walk around. Maybe you can ask me some questions to ask him. THE MODERATOR: Ricky Arnett, 7:00 a.m. off the 10th tee on Thursday. Best of luck to you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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