HILTON GRAND VACATIONS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

February 1, 2025

Jack Wagner

Lake Nona Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Excited to have Jack Wagner here, leader in the clubhouse at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. You kind of jumped up the leaderboard today. You were in striking distance obviously. Walk us through your round. Were things just falling for you in the right places? What happened out there?

JACK WAGNER: Thanks for having me here. It's good to be in the tent and doing a little after-round chat. That was a really good round for me.

I can't get it under par very often anymore. Today was nothing really exciting. Just kind of played solid. Birdied a par-5 or two. Hit one 3-wood on 11 about 240, which was really a good shot for me, and had an uphill eagle putt.

It was really the end of yesterday's round. I made a couple nice putts on 14, 15, and 16. Birdied three in a row and kind of kick started my putter a little bit.

So really happy with the round today and to be able to kind of -- moving day Saturday.

Q. Yeah. Obviously you played in tournaments like this before. Hilton Grand Vacations puts on a little bit different atmosphere, right? You're with the top golfers in the world right now. Also playing with the celebrity field. What's that like to be able to play with peers as well as the best golfers in the world?

JACK WAGNER: It's great to play with the LPGA Tour. You know, these ladies hit the ball so beautifully. They're all just so fun. They're really fun, fun people.

You know, they like to laugh and have a good time. I think the celebrities are all, athletes, entertainers, we respect the game. We're all conscious of golf etiquette. We get out of the way when it's their turn to play, make sure we're not in their line.

They do the same for us because we have our own tournament. I think we all respect their talent and their tournament. It's their Tournament of Champions and Hilton has really started something that's phenomenal here I think to start their year out with this tournament.

It's been great to be a part of it.

Q. You're sitting in the right spot going into Sunday, last round. What's your evening going to look like and your morning tomorrow?

JACK WAGNER: My evening and morning will probably look like most of the week. You know, I get pretty tired after these rounds. Five, six days, being here since Monday is a lot for me these days. I gratefully have been on a series for the Hallmark Channel. Been shooting up in Vancouver for 12 years now called When Calls the Heart. It's a great show that's family-friendly television.

So I really go six months without touching a golf club. I try to scrape my game together. To be at the top of the leaderboard and go under par and keep my week together after I didn't play well the first day, it's super exciting for me to be able to grind out a round.

Q. I know you've played in this tournament so many years. The fans really goat a chance to interact with the celebrities. Can you talk about some of the more unusual interactions from the fans that have approached you over the years?

JACK WAGNER: You know, today was a first. Aaron Hicks and Lauren, you know, we came off 8 tee and woman just shoved her dog and said, will you take a picture? I got this black golden doodle and I am like, uhh. You really take them as you walk and just do selfies, so it's fantastic to be able to do that, right?

So here I am kind of a little shocked and blindsided but here I am going no, let me have the camera. So I'm trying to get the dog and I got it, we got it. So that was a first. Get a picture with my dog and get everybody else. The fans here are terrific and the weather has been great this week.

I think it's a great combination of LPGA athletes, celebrities, and hopefully some good golf.

Q. Lauren was just in here and she kind of along the same lines said my grandmother is the biggest Jack Wagner fan and got him to do a little video. Is that fun for you? And part two of the question I asked her is is it distracting with this being their office, place of work?

JACK WAGNER: Yeah.

Q. Of course she said it's absolutely a blast and a nice break. The video for the grandmother and some comments on kind of this being a place of business for the women, having a nice break.

JACK WAGNER: Yeah, I'm glad Lauren said that. I think it's a place of fun. I know they're serious about their game, but fan participation is -- I really think the LPGA wants that. I think seeing how we operate with the fans, I think it's great.

I think they love it. It's beautiful to be able to do a video for Lauren's mother and grandmother and do something fun and funny. I do that with the fans on the ropes all the time.

I think the players don't mind it at all. I think they sort of get a kick out of it. Because I can do it quickly. I'm not interfering with their office.

At the same time, most of us -- we respect the game and have the proper etiquette out here to play with professional golfers.

Q. Maybe going for something that's not there, but any comparison or contrast between what you do for your profession and the game of golf, whether it's reading lines, reading putts, anything that you can apply from one to the other?

JACK WAGNER: Well, you know, that's a good question. I'm trying to play more of what I'm doing this week in my golf game with what I do as an actor. That's to really empty my mind. It's usually full and when I have to perform it's such -- it's about the focus.

So if I can empty my mind and be present and sort of available in my scene work, I'm finding on the golf course if I practice that -- and it's a practice. I think a lot of these touring pros will say the same thing. It's about how do I calm down into the moment.

I've been able to do that this week. I think that's what really helped me play well.