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THE GREENBRIER CLASSIC

July 5, 2017

Larry Fitzgerald

White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

THE MODERATOR: A great friend of the Greenbrier who is here to play in the pro-am, welcome, Larry.

LARRY FITZGERALD: Thank very much.

THE MODERATOR: Start off with just tell us a little bit I know you've been here for a while this week. What all have you been doing? What's the experience been like for you?

LARRY FITZGERALD: Been here since Thursday. Had my family reunion here. It was great to be able to bring a bunch of family from Chicago and pretty much all over the country came out and really enjoyed it.

Festivities were outstanding from horseback riding to a Segway tours to fly fishing. My son caught, on his first cast, a trout in the stream over here. It was an outstanding week.

Then just getting a chance to play the wonderful golf course here has been spectacular.

THE MODERATOR: What first drew you to the Greenbrier and made you want to come back?

LARRY FITZGERALD: Well, two years ago we played in Detroit, and instead of going back to Arizona we just stayed here for a week of preparation.

I really fell if love with not only the facilities and obviously all the amenities they have, but the people. I think that's what really makes it special. Everybody cares so much about their job, from Frank at the front door to -- from the housekeepers to staff in the kitchen to the casino, everybody is so friendly and accommodating.

Just gives a warm feeling when you're here.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. (No microphone.)
LARRY FITZGERALD: Nothing good. You know, I was 0-2 against little Mountaineers, so it was always tough. Fierce competitors, you know. Coach Rodriguez used to have them already. It was a hostile environment. We went down to Morgantown and got to beat up there on Saturday night game.

I don't have many fond memories of the Mountaineers.

Q. What's it mean coming back to West Virginia after you saw what happened last year with the floods? To be a part of this year's Greenbrier Classic must be special for you guys.
LARRY FITZGERALD: You got to tip your hat first to this community to be so resilient, to be able to bounce back from such a tragic scenario, the loss the life and homes and schools and churches. So much devastation.

To see a community bond together and be able to come back and host another event like this is truly special. Shows you how strong the people are here in this community, and I'm just really happy to be here and be a part of it, to pay tribute to all the people who worked so tirelessly to put this back together.

Q. (No microphone.)
LARRY FITZGERALD: You know, he didn't really say much to me. He just brought me around a lot, so I ou got to see some great interviewers and I got to see some not-so-great interviewers. I remember my dad took me to the locker room. The Twins were playing against the Cleveland Indians, and they had a guy by the name of Albert Bell. He was notoriously, you know, kind of rough with the media.

So I got is a chance to see him and how he conducted himself. Then bring me in and I got to see Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan and other guys who are just really eloquent and really conducted themselves professionally with the media.

I got to see both sides. He never really told me what to say or how to do it, but just let me watch and observe and figure things out on my own. That's kind of how he parented.

The thing I'm most looking forward to this week is beating the Gov, though. He's been talking a lot. We got a little wager on the line. He told me if he beats me I have to caddie for him next year. If I beat him, when I beat him today, he's going to have to walk the course next year.

So there is a lot on the line here.

Q. Along those same lines, you played in some big time situations, big time games. How is that pressure going to match up to stepping on the first tee, making that first swing?
LARRY FITZGERALD: Oh, no. The golf, there is no pressure. Not for me. I'm not a tour pro. I'm not going to be here on the weekend. It doesn't matter. That's for the guys that make the cut and do this professionally.

I'm here for a great time. Just going to have a little friendly game with a couple buddies out there and enjoy the course and enjoy the company. That's what it's all about for me.

Q. Can you talk about how you got into golf, how you were introduced, and do you have a handicap?
LARRY FITZGERALD: My first introduction originally was Tiger Woods came to Minnesota for the First Tee program over at Hiawatha, the public course that my dad played all the time. Got a chance to meet Tiger Woods. He helped me on the range. This is when I was real young. That was my first experience.

My dad used to have my brother and I caddie. He would have us four ball, and my brother and I would run up and down the fairways and we would have towels and just drop towels and walk off the distances for my dad and his buddies and they would give us a couple dollars. That was kind of how we made a little money in the summertime.

But we still never played. We always were active in football and basketball and baseball, track, and other things. I really got into it when I got to Arizona. One of my teammates, Andre Roberts, who now plays for the Atlanta Falcons, Fitz, you got come out and play. I know you played when you were younger.

I finally went out there and it just like grabbed me and hasn't let me go. Now I probably play about 300 rounds a year. I just love the game.

Q. You have a handicap?
LARRY FITZGERALD: Yeah, I have a handicap. Right now it's trending in the wrong direction, but it's about a 7, 7.5 right now. Yeah.

Q. Two questions: What your brother Marcus up to? Two, you've probably crossed paths with Byron Leftwich a few times by now. Talk about that.
LARRY FITZGERALD: Yeah, my brother lives in Arizona. Been living in Arizona since 2008. He's in the pharmaceutical business; doing really well. He has a son nine years old, Jalen. (Ph.) Him and my son are in the same class in school.

My brother is doing really well. He wants me to tell all the Marshall Fans here hello for him before I came out.

Having Coach Leftwich now as our quarterback coach has been unbelievable. To see how intelligent he is and how well he relates to the players and can communicate and really get his point across has been a real blessing to have him. He's so personable and easygoing, so I know he's going to be a great addition to our staff. He helped out a lot last year, and now in an increased role I think he is going to do even bigger things for us.

Q. Steph Curry is getting a start in a web.com event. Can you see yourself trying to play on the big stage at any time?
LARRY FITZGERALD: No, no, no. That's not for me. Steph has a lot better game than me.

You know, just being around some of the guys and playing with them over the years, I mean, it's a completely different level. For them to be able to do what they do week in and week out with the consistency, it's really, I think, one of the greatest feats in sports. I think hitting a golf ball consistently is the most difficult thing to do out of any sport.

There is no chance. I started way too late. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy it and have a great time like everybody else.

Q. Have you been able to get any of your teammates playing golf at all?
LARRY FITZGERALD: Oh, yeah. We play a lot. I probably have about five or six teammates. Soon as practice is over we go running to the course and get as many in before the sun goes down.

Off-season program is usually I get up in the morning real early, I train, get back, take the kids to school, run to the course, play 36, then pick them up from school. That's like my daily routine in the off-season, and it's a lot of the fun.

Q. Lastly, what are some the things you maybe tell me people to try to get them interested?
LARRY FITZGERALD: The thing I love about golf for me is it's something I can really be competitive with and it's not really physically exerting. Like football, I mean, you saw Tom Brady stand on the podium. He's holding the trophy. That is the best. You've achieved the pinnacle of your sport. You're holding the championship trophy.

In golf, you never have that. I remember watching Jim Furyk two years ago shoot the 58, and he says in a press conference, Man, I had a great round, but if I made that putt; if I had hit my approach...

I'm like, Man, you shot a 58. Nobody in history has ever done that before, and he's still talking about what he could have done and how left shots out there. You never can grasp the game. You never can hold on to it.

You can play well for two weeks and then you come back to reality. You know, you play bad for two weeks and then you have a good round. That's the thing I love about the game. It always just keeps you on your toes.

THE MODERATOR: Any tips from Lee Trevino this week?

LARRY FITZGERALD: Yes, I did. A lot of tips. One of them was not to bet him ever, because he played nine holes with us; was 1-under over there. It's funny how he can talk right in the middle of his bag swing no problem. He's got a great insight for the game. He can really help you, especially around the greens and the putting greens he helped me tremendously, so that was one of the great honors of my life.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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