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KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIPMay 26, 2019Ken TanigawaRochester, New York JOHN DEVER: Good afternoon and welcome to the 2019 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. Pleased to be joined by the 2019 KitchenAid Senior PGA Champion, that's Ken Tanigawa. Ken, congratulations. Ken fired an even par 70 today for a four-day total of 277 to earn his second PGA TOUR Champions title but his first major. So Ken, congratulations again. You've had a pretty distinct career, full of ups and downs. And when you process that whole thing, does that make your victory here even sweeter? KEN TANIGAWA: There's no doubt about it. Really hasn't sunk in yet I don't think, what just happened. But it's unbelievable. It's hard to really describe into words. To say it's a dream come true may be an understatement to a big level. And to win at Oak Hill on such a storied venue just makes it that much more special, because you know all the great players have hit that tee shot off of 1, and then to just be able to play here and compete and to pull off a victory of this magnitude is unbelievable. It's unreal. JOHN DEVER: To get it done, you played in the second to last group with your former UCLA teammate. I'm curious if that dynamic put you at ease or made it more difficult playing with Scott? KEN TANIGAWA: It makes it easier. I mean, we play practice rounds together, and I've known Scott for a long, long time. But once we're out there, we're trying to play and compete. But, yeah, it made an uncomfortable round maybe a little bit more comfortable because you're playing with a pal. But I know he's trying to win and hit great shots, just like everybody else. But, yeah, I guess it made it easier. JOHN DEVER: I know he's happy for you. Let's have some questions. Q. Congratulations. KEN TANIGAWA: Thank you. Q. To piggyback on that last question, when Scott raised -- gave you the thumbs up after you hit that chip shot from the fairway, did you see him do that, and what did you think? You know, after you must have had butterflies or worries, you know, given where, you know, what the situation was at that time, and to see Scott give you the thumbs up? KEN TANIGAWA: I saw him do that, and that was really cool of him to do that. Under the circumstances, to hit a wedge up there just to give yourself a chance, a putt at it, because it could have gone terribly wrong. But, yeah, it was really -- we're just pals, so it was really cool of him do that. But it was a nerve wracking and anxious moment, really. But you just try to put it aside and try to do the best you can over the shot, how it presents itself and then see how it plays out. Q. On that approach at 18, were you trying to get it to where you hit it in that back part and suck it back? Because you -- two more feet, you might have stayed up in the rough there. Were you trying to play the shot that way? KEN TANIGAWA: I would love to yes. I'm going to be honest, I tugged it a hair, I mean the wind was coming out of the left and it was kind of a funny yardage, it was right in between, but if you took just the yardage it was my 50-degree wedge, it was my gap wedge. But I knew I just couldn't come up short. And the way the wind was coming, it was just a little, I mean it was a wedge, but not really a full one. And I did tug it maybe a few yards. But I hit it solid, so I knew if it got back there it would spin back and, yeah, I guess it could have gone and one-hopped in the rough, but I guess thank goodness it didn't. Q. The last five holes for you were pretty frenetic. There was a lot going on there? KEN TANIGAWA: There's a lot going on. Q. Just take us through it, the highlights, just what was going on in your head. And at the end there it looked like you were leaking oil just a bit, too, just take us through those last five. KEN TANIGAWA: I was leaking oil. Well, 14, the short par 4, you know, I hit driver, just tried to get it up there, because it was downwind. If I hit a good one, I could get it in that front bunker. So that was a play. But I didn't execute and hit it left. And hit a great shot, my second shot out of the rough really, to just get it on the green, really. Because once you hit it in the rough here, it gets really, really difficult. And I hit a good putt and made that 4-footer for par. And the next hole, boy, it's a tough shot really, under the circumstances. The water. I hit an 8-iron -- I was kind of between clubs again, hit an 8-iron, hit it really solid and just got up there and hit the shot really. Didn't want to bail on it because then it gets weird and you hit a bad one, right? And was lucky to look up and it was going where it was and hit a good putt and was really fortunate to make two there. And then the next hole really was, you know, I drove it in that right rough again and hit a really good second shot to chip it down there and have it run on the green. And that was maybe the kind of a pivotal point, kind of gave me a little bit of cushion, because I was leaving so many putts short, maybe tentative throughout the day, and maybe just trying to make a par maybe. Because I saw Jay Haas before I teed off and he's like, hey, par's going to be a good score out there. And I kind of was par's a good score. So I hit it on the green, and I wasn't trying to get too aggressive and maybe I got a little tentative and I was leaving a lot of putts short. That one fortunately was down hill, so it was a little easier to get to the hole. Luckily it went in and made the birdie. That kind of gave me a cushion, but I had no idea what Paul was doing. I didn't know he doubled a hole back there. And then I was leaking oil. I hit a bad drive on 17 and, boy, I got it to that left bunker there, had to hook it around the trees out of the rough and actually hit a really good second shot to get where I did. And then hit a decent bunker shot and hit a pretty good putt, just again a little soft and it lipped out low. So that was kind of the story of the round, really, my putting. So then I knew where I stood but I had no -- again, at that point I didn't know where I stood with what Paul was doing. Then I just hit a horrible drive on 18. I was I'll admit I was anxious and nervous and wind's coming out of left and hit it in that right bunker and not ideal. Q. You knew you had to lay up. KEN TANIGAWA: I had no choice. There's no way to get it up over that lip high enough and far enough. And where that pin was, if you had a chance you could get it in that uphill in that rough; and it's not so bad because you have the hill and you can hit it up and get it somewhat close, but if you hit it down in that flat area, that's no good. So I had to play up and take my medicine. Q. You've hit the shot on 18. You're on the green. You walk up to 18 and you've got a smile on your face, you wave to the crowd. You referenced it a little bit on NBC. You looked calm, but how were you feeling? KEN TANIGAWA: I wasn't as calm as I looked. You know, it helps when they're kind of cheering for you a little bit and you smile and it kind of helps to put you at ease a little bit, which I was doing everything I could to try to do that. So, you know, I was somewhat calm but not calm, if that makes sense. And then you've just got to refocus and reset and really pay attention to what you have to do and just try to hit a solid putt. I was just assuming I had to make it regardless for the win or the tie. Because I just thought, I was under the thought, my process was Scott was going to make it. Q. In terms of validation, you got a win, and that has to be validating to your decision to play and to be on this Tour. But what does this do in terms of where it is? KEN TANIGAWA: Oh, boy, to answer your question to validate it the first win, it means everything. I played well at Pebble, another incredible venue. Being from California and having the, being fortunate enough to win there is pretty, pretty cool. But to validate it here under the pressure of a major and all the, everything that's going on around you, all the people in the stands and they're just hard shots and hard holes. I wish I could have hit some better shots. But it worked out and just try to kind of grit it out. Boy, I couldn't be more thrilled. Q. Congratulations. Just referencing your win at Pebble, another historic golf course in terms of major championships. How much did you benefit from the experience of winning there when it did get down to the final three or four holes here today? KEN TANIGAWA: It did help because I was drawing back on it, I kept telling myself -- I remember on 18 at Pebble, you've just got to hit the shot. You can't fake it. You can't try to do something other than you just got to try to be a professional as best you can and see what you can do and hit it. And I kept telling myself that with the putt, just get up there and stay in your routine and hit a solid putt and that's all you can really do. And hopefully it stays online and hopefully it goes in, but, yeah, I was drawing on it, it was certainly a nice thing to be able to do. Q. Paul said yesterday that level par would be the score that would be there or thereabouts today for all the guys out there. Did you have a score in mind as you went out there today? KEN TANIGAWA: I really didn't. I didn't think of a score. Like I said earlier, Jay Haas told me, hey, par's your friend. So that was my thought is just try to hit as many fairways as I could and try to hit greens and try to not make silly bogeys. If you have the opportunity, birdie would be great, but not to do something silly and to make bogeys. And I knew it was going to be hard. It just was going to be. So it's an incredible golf course. Q. Just to clarify, the chip shot on 18, how far was that? You called it a half wedge. KEN TANIGAWA: Well, no, I was 123 out. It was a really long chip shot. (Laughing) It was -- yeah, it was around 123 yards to the hole. Q. And when you reflect back, I'm not sure if it's going back to when you were playing overseas or when you left professional golf after 2003, can you put into perspective -- could you have envisioned this back 16 years ago or 20 years ago, or 15, 16 years ago when you were leaving golf to start up your own business? KEN TANIGAWA: Not at all. No. You know, I left, which was fine, and it was great at the time, and you know how life moves on and you make life decisions, and I was okay with that. And to have the opportunity when I turned 50 -- actually I was 49 when I went through the school, I turned 50 at the end of December. But, yeah, it's just -- it's like, hey, the Champion's Tour is coming up, whatever, but just because you turn 50 and you say, hey, you're going to play professional golf on the Champion's Tour, that's a big chasm to connect, there's a lot that has to happen. You have to play tremendous golf. So I just didn't know. But to answer your question, no, back in the day to say, hey, I was going to win at Pebble Beach and then win a Senior major championship, no. Q. Well, you did. KEN TANIGAWA: Well, I did. But back in the day I would have said no. Q. Congrats. KEN TANIGAWA: Thank you. Q. Got to see you when you were in the scoring shack. After you came in you said you thought you had to make that putt no matter what with what Scott did, but you still had to sit there and wait and Scott was waiting with you for a little bit, but then he left and you were alone. What was going through your head and your emotion and you looked at your caddie and said, "I won." What was that walk back and kind of that moment of collecting yourself? KEN TANIGAWA: It was a bit of disbelief. I mean, it was -- it's sinking in, well, because of all this, but it was just really magical. I mean, I didn't -- I was just a bit numbed by it really. It just -- and thrilled. Tomorrow morning I'll probably wake up in hysterics, right, with what I just accomplished, because it's pretty fresh at the moment. But, yeah, it was just a "wow" moment, I guess. There's just so much emotions going through. And just a "wow" moment, really. Q. Is anybody here with you this week? KEN TANIGAWA: My wife is right behind you. Q. Her name? KEN TANIGAWA: Angela. Q. If that Q-School had not been at TPC Scottsdale, do you think you're here today? KEN TANIGAWA: Great question. Wow. That's -- you know, that really checked the box. That really made the decision kind of easier to enter. Now, if it was all the way in Florida, boy, I probably would have entered, but the decision would have been a last-minute deal. I think it would have been -- boy, because you're playing for five spots, right, and you got to shoot -- so that's a hard question to answer. I don't know. I probably would have sent it in, but it would have been kind of at the last moment. Q. We saw you up there, a lot of holy-moleys right before you're holding up the trophy. We talked to you yesterday about just being in contention, and you said it was surreal. I would have to imagine that this is even past that for you. What has this been like? KEN TANIGAWA: Yeah, it's unbelievable. Like I said, this is not an everyday occurrence. The thoughts and feelings are just -- I'm over the moon. It's hard to really put into words, to go through all that and just to grit it out and to be able to be fortunate enough to come out on top and to play with my ex-teammate and to win a major championship here at Oak Hill Country Club, it's just unbelievable. It really is just unbelievable. Q. One of the things that you've done this week and also last year with your success on the Tour was you've played with poise and calm. Tell us how your years in the business world helped you with that, the mental focus. Being in business, did that help you with what you're accomplishing now? KEN TANIGAWA: I don't know. I don't think it really correlates. I mean, the hard part about golf is you can't pass the ball, you can't have an off day. If you have a bad day at the office, you try not to, but it's okay. It's just different because you've got to keep performing. And if it's going sideways out there, you're kind of naked. Your caddie can only do so much. You have to keep executing. Not really, to answer your question. It's just a learning curve for me out here to just try to keep improving and trying to keep getting better. Q. Oak Hill obviously has a reputation as a very tough golf course, as you've stated, but what was one thing that you were surprised by that maybe you didn't expect that was tough about the course, and how did you deal with that? KEN TANIGAWA: That it was -- how it was tough or not tough? Q. What was one thing about it about how tough it was that surprised you that maybe you didn't expect? KEN TANIGAWA: Well, it met all my expectations, everything I thought it was going to be. I knew it was going to be in incredible shape. The greens maybe? I didn't know -- you know, the green complexes, you never know what they're going to be like until you get out there. There was a lot of movement out there, and they're pretty quick in some putts. I didn't know they were going to be -- I wouldn't say severe, I don't mean it in a negative way, but with such movement on some of the greens maybe, it was -- I was like, wow, you've got to really pay attention here or there, whatnot, hit it in the right spot. I guess that would be it. Tee-to-green, it's every bit of what I thought it would be. JOHN DEVER: Ken Tanigawa, our 2019 KitchenAid Senior PGA champion. Thank you. KEN TANIGAWA: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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