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U.S. SENIOR OPEN

June 26, 2019

Tony Soerries

Notre Dame, Indiana

THE MODERATOR: It is my pleasure to welcome Tony Soerries here into the media center. Tony, an amateur playing in his first U.S. Senior Open, earned one of two spots down at the Woodlands in Texas. I know you live there now. You grew up going to school right around here. When you first heard that the U.S. Senior Open was coming here to South Bend to the Warren Course, what was your reaction?

TONY SOERRIES: I was pretty excited. Actually, I owe that credit to the gentleman sitting right here, John Fineran, who's a reporter. He covered me back in high school here in South Bend, and I was actually in the parking lot of my chiropractor down in Houston -- this was two years ago -- and he called me and said, They haven't announced it yet, they're going to have the U.S. Senior Open in South Bend at Notre Dame's golf course. And I told John, Golf is really fading for me. I'm not feeling well. I'm not playing a lot of golf. And he said, I think it would be really cool if you qualified. And I said, Yeah, it would be -- and I don't know if I should go to the other part of the story.

So we started talking about family a little bit, and he knows my wife and son, and he started talking about his family, and he's a little bit estranged from his daughter who lives here in South Bend, and we made an agreement that day, and it was, okay, I'm going to qualify for the Senior Open, and, John, you've got to reconnect with your daughter.

So that was our deal that we made that day. I've held up my end of the bargain. I know he's trying on his. Hasn't quite got there yet. So I really think that's kind of the reason I'm here, is really not for golf purposes but for that.

THE MODERATOR: Now, you went to high school just up the road here. Clay High School graduate, 1987, I believe.

TONY SOERRIES: Correct.

Q. What's it like to be here less than two miles away from where you spent four of your most formative years on the eve of the U.S. Senior Open?
TONY SOERRIES: It's been a fairy-tale week already. We got here Sunday. Got a lot of friends and family. Gosh, I don't know, so many well-wishers. The city has changed a lot. I don't get back here in the summertime very often. I had to get back last summer, 4th of July, just for a couple days, and I did play the golf course. That was the first time I've played it. I've come up wintertimes for Christmas. But there's no golf going on in December in South Bend, Indiana, I can promise you that.

But it's been a fairy-tale. It really is. I work for a living, and this is really a spotlight, a throwback in time for me, and it's just been amazing.

THE MODERATOR: A lot of people here in the media center, and it seems like there will be a lot out supporting you and following you. How many people do you expect to be out watching you this week?

TONY SOERRIES: Boy, if you throw in my wife's friends, mine, high school friends, family, I've got well over 100, probably pushing 200, to be honest with you. My mother-in-law is a little crazy, and she probably won't appreciate me saying that, but they showed up at the airport with signs that said "Soerries." We had a little picnic, all the neighbors had it. It was pretty over the top. I told her just calm it down a little bit. I just want to fly under the radar and try to play golf. It's been awesome already.

Q. Who's your caddie for the week?
TONY SOERRIES: It was a guy I found on the side of the road just the other day. No, it's Andy Kern. He's sitting out there. Andy and I are high school friends. It's been about 35 years. He caddied for me a little bit in high school tournaments, or actually college tournaments, professional tournaments when I first turned pro. We've been friends. We haven't stayed in great touch, you know, it's not like we talk every week or anything.

But he keeps me relaxed. We're buddies. I think he's really gotten a lot of notoriety this week for sure. We played in a couple practice rounds, and I'll get up there, I'm like, How far do we got? He's like, I don't know, I've been over there talking to Joe Shmoe over there behind the ropes and I'm getting interviewed by The Golf Channel. I'm like, What do you mean? You need the yardage? You want your ball cleaned? Really?

So he's here. He's going to keep me loose, and it's a great relationship, and it's something I cherish.

Q. What are your expectations for this week?
TONY SOERRIES: I knew that was going to come. You know, just to give a good account of myself. I know I can play good golf. There are a lot of distractions here. I was talking yesterday to another reporter. Everything about this week is intimidating, literally from the time you walk in the locker room, and a little strange for me because I'm not somebody who puts athletes or entertainers on a pedestal. I know they're people. But I was very surprised at what I felt walking in, seeing Tom Lehman, Tom Watson's bag, all the great players, the legends literally on the driving range. It's nerve-racking. Going in to eat food, you see these guys. I've been nervous the entire time.

If I can put all that aside and just play golf and give a good account of myself, whatever that may be, what the results are, I'll be happy.

Q. It sounds like you've had a satisfying week already and this is great; so everything from here on out is gravy almost?
TONY SOERRIES: I would say so. It would be obviously 10 times if I could play well and perhaps make the cut. But it has been. This will be -- it's probably been the best week of my life already.

Q. Talk a little bit about the golf. What have you learned about this golf course? What do you like about this golf course? What are the strong points of this golf course, particularly around the greens?
TONY SOERRIES: It's a great course. My only -- well, I wouldn't say my only, but my only other professional USGA experience was the 2002 U.S. Open, and comparing this course to that one, this one is quite a bit easier. The fairways are wider. The course is right there in front of you. I feel comfortable on the golf course. It's a second-shot golf course, so the rough isn't nearly as tall as it was back at Bethpage in 2002. You've got to put it in the right spots. There are some greens that are extremely undulating, the shorter holes.

It's all about placement, but a second-shot golf course for sure.

Q. When you were growing up here and you knew what this property was, tell people what you remember about this property here.
TONY SOERRIES: Well, I don't remember a lot. That was a long time ago. I definitely remember playing the other university course over here that now is only nine holes. But again, just -- I'm almost -- I almost can't even recollect that. That's been 35 years.

Q. Can you talk about what you do for a living and how you balance playing golf with being a sales manager for a flooring services company?
TONY SOERRIES: Right, I'm in the flooring industry. I do not install floors. I'm a sales manager at a very large company, actually. Flooring Services is the name of the company. I work with a lot of great people, a great boss, a great owner. We have locations in Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Houston and now Orlando, as a matter of fact.

Balancing golf is tough. I live about an hour and 15 minutes from the office, and I go to the office every day. In the wintertime golf is not an option because it gets dark at 5:30 and I leave the office about 5:00. Summertime, I can get home at 6:30, 7:00. I do live on a golf course, so that's a nice perk, and I typically play from 7:00 until dark if I have a tournament coming up.

It's pretty limited, and that's just golf. That's not tournament golf. Tournament golf is a whole 'nother level, and then golf at this level is a whole 'nother level onto that.

It's going to be a tough week, but I'm probably the rustiest golfer that's in this field probably.

Q. If things go well this week, would you consider maybe making another run at professional golf now that you're over 50 years old?
TONY SOERRIES: Hmm, unlikely. I like my life. I like where I live. I like the job that I do. This is a grind. I just came from the therapy center. My back is giving me trouble even this week. There would only be one scenario where that would happen, and I don't foresee that happening.

Q. You mentioned seeing a lot of the guys, Tom Watson, Tom Lehman, having lunch with them. In a way it's an intimidating week but also maybe a week you can learn a little bit. What have you learned in the few days so far being around some of those guys, playing a practice round, being on the range?
TONY SOERRIES: Yeah, I played with Kenny Perry and Marco Dawson yesterday, and they were great. I will say that. Everybody has been super nice. There has not been anybody who has tried to intimidate or anything other than just their normal presence. But I guess the biggest thing I've learned is they're just people, which I knew already, but very friendly. They'll initiate the conversation. It's not like I have to.

In addition, all the volunteers, I mean, the city of South Bend should be proud. They've done a great job. I love this city. It's great to be home.

All the volunteers have all said welcome, welcome, how are you. Some people remember me, some don't, but that's okay. What a great venue for the tournament, it's awesome.

Q. You made mention yesterday, we texted back and forth about playing with Perry and Marco Dawson, and you said, one of your jobs, previous jobs when you were playing, that you caddied for Marco Dawson. Do you want to elaborate on that a little bit?
TONY SOERRIES: I did, and I mentioned that to him yesterday. I worked at a club called the Medalist. I think that's where Tiger Woods plays out of now. Back in the day, this was in the '90s, it was Greg Norman's golf course, so I worked there in the wintertime, and then I would play mini Tours in the summertime, and Marco was just there as a guest.

So he was in my group, and I caddied for him. And I mentioned it yesterday going down the first hole I played, and he said, Yeah, I don't remember that. And I said, Nor should you. So we had a good laugh out of that, but it was pretty cool. He's a great guy. Kenny Perry, awesome man, and very impressive golfer, I will say. Absolutely, it was great.

Q. I see you got The First Tee shirt on. Talk a little bit about how it was going back to Studebaker where you played some golf, I'm sure, growing up, and talking with the kids and what you told those kids the other night.
TONY SOERRIES: Fairy-tale week continues. I was asked -- I've got a couple people on the board who knew I was going to be in town playing this, and going to high school here, I was asked to go speak to The First Tee kids, and what an awesome program. You have kids from I guess 4 to about 15, if I had to guess, in age.

I just spoke a little bit about what golf meant to me, and to see their eyes light up, like, "Wow, you were from here and you're actually in a tournament of this stature?" was really cool.

I tried to start with a joke. It didn't go over so well. But once they warmed up, it was fun. It was really cool. They made a little, I guess, baseball card, for lack of a better thing, with my face on it, and they all came up and got my autograph.

But what a great program. The First Tee is awesome.

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