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ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARDMarch 17, 2007Vaughn TaylorORLANDO, FLORIDA JOE CHEMYCZ: We welcome Vaughn Taylor, 3-under par 67 today. Vaughn, 8-under for the tournament. Just talk a little about the day and the conditions out there and we'll turn it over to questions. VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, thanks, it was a good day. I got off to not the best start, but just kind of hung in there and played pretty solid the rest of the day. Conditions were pretty tough. It was different, different wind, greens were faster. Everything was faster, actually, fairways and greens. So, a little different. Q. You seemed especially satisfied on the last putt you made there; was that just a matter of having that one extra stroke to work with, or the fact that you're proud that you didn't drop one at the end? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Proud that I didn't drop one at the end. I knew hitting a bad tee shot there, it was going to be tough to make a par. But I tried to grind it out and just told myself I was going to make that putt. I just hit a good putt. Q. If I'm right, you haven't made a bogey on the back. Anything about the back that you particularly like? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Nothing in particular. I didn't know that. Thank for bringing that up. (Laughter). But just played solid on the back I guess. Q. Is this the kind of a course, these conditions and this course, it can be easily discouraged -- VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, it's a tough golf course. The wind was blowing. It was a little cooler today and it was a whole different kind of different deal out there. The rough is so deep, you have to drive it in the fairway. You know, it's tough. Scores showed it. Q. How would you define "grinder"? We hear that a lot, but what does that mean? VAUGHN TAYLOR: It's just being mentally tough. And you know, just battling out, fighting to the end. Q. I can't remember exactly how many strokes you were up in Reno, two or three; can you try to compare this situation with the kind of field you've got behind you to try to go wire-to-wire there and hold on to a lead? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, somewhat. Any time you win a tournament, there's things you draw from it. This will be a little different atmosphere, different tournament, different circumstances. Any time you get it done, you learn from it and you kind of draw from those experiences. Q. Is it tough mentally to know that you've got a lead and to hold on, as opposed to try to, you know, charge and make birdies? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Somewhat. I mean, it's almost -- I think it's tougher to have a big lead, because you kind of play defensive and you're just trying to make pars. You know, two-shot lead is -- no case can you be defensive and play for par. Q. What was your -- how tough was it when you dropped a few shots early and the conditions were pretty tough at the time, thinking that you had the rest of the day ahead of you, and no guarantee that it was going to get better. VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, 1, 2, and 3 and 4 -- and 5 was a little easier because it was downwind, but the first four were playing really tough. Yeah, I knew, I watched a few shots on No. 2. 1 played really long. I hit 4-iron into one and 3-iron into 2. You know, I knew just to hang in there. I knew guys were not getting off to a good start because those holes were really tough. Just try to fight it out and not let those two bogeys get me down. Q. And secondly, as you looked at a board or two, if you did, in the early going could you have imagined yourself being in this position, especially the way Paul and Rocco started? VAUGHN TAYLOR: I could not. Yeah, I think I looked at the board on 6 tee. I think Rocco was at 9 or 10 (under), and that was probably the last time I looked. I just didn't want to look and didn't want to pay attention to it. So I just tried to play after that. Q. When is the next time you looked? VAUGHN TAYLOR: After 18. Q. Seriously? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah. Q. You had no idea where you were at the time? VAUGHN TAYLOR: No. Q. What do you think? VAUGHN TAYLOR: I knew I was around the lead. You know, you hear people in the crowd, the cameras come around. You know, you know. But I wasn't for sure what was going around. You know you're not out there totally blind or anything. Q. Maybe they were just around you for your charisma, did you ever think about that; they were out there because of your personality. VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah. I doubt that. (Laughter). Q. Your final round scoring average isn't great this year, and last week obviously wasn't what you wanted; did you learn from last week and what do you try to do tomorrow to turn that around? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, things haven't been going too well this year on Sunday. I'm just kind of -- you know, I don't know what's been going on. It's kind of, just seems like things haven't gone my way. I know last year I played really well on Sundays and got it done. I'm just trying to look at it as I've got my bad Sundays out of the way already. Just got good ones left. Q. You had some important rounds in Reno-Tahoe, first round Ryder Cup, Masters, would you say tomorrow would be the most important round of your life? VAUGHN TAYLOR: I don't know. I wouldn't say so. It could be if I play well. Those Ryder Cup Matches were pretty serious, and so was the Masters last year. We'll see. Q. Speaking of the Ryder Cup, how tough was that to sit the first day? VAUGHN TAYLOR: It was really tough. You know, sitting was probably the toughest thing you could do. There's so much anxiety and nerves, you don't know what it's going to be like. It's tough to sit around and wait. I was pretty miserable. I was grumpy and anxious and nervous, scared, everything. I was almost -- I would rather just have been thrown in the mix in the first day would have been -- I think it would have been better. Because finally when I got in there, it was -- it was all right. You were back to playing golf and you didn't have to think about, you know, what it was going to be like, what was going to happen. Q. Were you disappointed? VAUGHN TAYLOR: That I sat out? Somewhat. I wanted to play. I wasn't playing that well that week, and Tom just, you know, he had to make decisions on what he was seeing. Q. Speaking of which, he was telling us some story about you Sunday night dancing. VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, I think -- Q. I need an explanation on that one, because that doesn't fit the profile as we know it. VAUGHN TAYLOR: I think everybody was dancing, having a good time. I kind of skipped out on -- they were singing fight songs one night. I wasn't around, so they were really hassling me to dance and getting onto me and wanting me to get the microphone. They were at me the whole week about it. Q. Let's hear it. VAUGHN TAYLOR: I had no choice. Q. We're a lively crew. Go ahead. VAUGHN TAYLOR: (Laughing.) Q. When you did check the board after 18, were you at all surprised Tiger wasn't on it, and did you check to see where he might be at this point? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, I definitely was surprised. I didn't -- I don't know what he shot today. I'm not even sure. But I was surprised when I looked at the board. Q. This week we kind of heard you've been described as both shy and yet also with a temper. What is it that makes you angry, and how do you control that? VAUGHN TAYLOR: I'm somewhat of a perfectionist. You know, I feel like I want to hit every shot perfect and it's kind of a flaw at the same time. But it also helps me. It pushes me to get better, and you know, I feel like I can never quit until I get it perfect. It's almost a disease somewhat. It's just something -- I've always been that way. It's aggravated me when I don't hit a perfect shot or something. It hurts me at times when I need to realize that Golf is not a game of perfect. Mediocre shots are not bad sometimes. You know, I realize that, but I just need to cool it down sometimes and not worry about it. Q. Today in particular, did that help you at all after the start that you had? Did that sort of anger kind of fuel what happened after that? VAUGHN TAYLOR: It did. I've learned from the past few weeks that you know, there was no point in getting too upset today just after a couple bogeys. I stopped, kind of said to myself, you know, everybody is going to make a couple bogeys today. Those were my two, I kind of said, and just tried to keep moving on. Q. Tom Lehman said after the Ryder Cup that he told you that he believes in you; do you remember that when that was, what that meant to you? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, he's told me quite a few times. He does make me feel really good, you know, that he has confidence in me to get it done. He put me in there for a reason and he thought I could get it done. It makes me feel pretty good. Q. Talking about being a perfectionist, does that carry over in your non-golfing life in any way? Does that trait show up anywhere else? VAUGHN TAYLOR: You know, not too much. I'm a little bit of a neat freak, but I'm not a perfectionist really in too much else. I'm pretty particular about things, but I wouldn't consider myself a perfectionist on other things. Q. What are you particular about? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Just, you know, the way things are sitting in the room. I like to be organized and clean. I like to clean the house and just stuff like that. But I don't take it to any kind of extreme. Q. So you don't need to have like the lawnmower lines and the vacuum cleaner lines parallel or anything like that? VAUGHN TAYLOR: No, not that bad. Q. I know you're going to be concentrating on your game tomorrow, but that's a chance you might wind up going against Lehman a little bit; what would that be like to be going against a guy that was a big part of your life last year? VAUGHN TAYLOR: It would be awesome. Tom is a great guy. He's a great champion and he was a great Ryder Cup captain, and I learned a lot from him, and, you know, he can compete, too. We'll be out there battling out and just trying to win the tournament. Q. Does your mother ever get on you about the way you are on a golf course and say, you know, "stop doing that," stuff like that? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Not really. They did a little bit when I was younger. Q. Realized it was hopeless. VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, they leave me alone. They are pretty good. They don't jump my case too much. They just kind of let me be. Q. You mentioned the other day that the rap music gets you in a frame of mind to get going. Do you have a particular medley of rap, like going into the lead on Sunday, as opposed to a Saturday or a Friday? VAUGHN TAYLOR: No, not really. It will be something random. There won't be any -- I won't pop in a certain CD or song or anything. Q. You're not the only guy who has got a temper out here but curious if you've ever done anything that embarrassed you or saw something on TV, a replay that embarrassed you. VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, I kind of -- I'm embarrassed every time I see myself do it. It doesn't look good. I know it doesn't look good. I try to curb it. It definitely doesn't look good. When I watch TV and see other guys do it, I have the same feeling about it. You know, I'm just a competitor and I'm trying my hardest and I'm giving it everything I've got. Sometimes I just can't control it. Q. Did you ever see Perez at Pebble Beach? VAUGHN TAYLOR: I did. I don't think I've ever been that bad. (Laughter). Q. For those of us who didn't see you on the front nine today, were there any parts of your game when your temper came out that an onlooker would have noticed you were angry or did you internalize it? VAUGHN TAYLOR: I think internalize it. I didn't let it bother me, which was the game plan. That's just what I've got to do. I've got to channel it in a positive direction and not let it get me down on the next hole. Q. You said that it had meant something for Tom to say he had confidence in you. Is confidence something that's ever been hard to come by for you? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Definitely. Q. Could you just talk about that? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Growing up and playing, I think I lacked a lot of confidence in myself. It was one thing I think that held me back. I'm definitely getting better and better and I'm getting more confident with time. It's all a process. It's all a learning process. I feel like I'm getting better in that direction, too. Q. You said you internalize the anger. Are you working with someone? Are there steps that you go through when you feel yourself -- VAUGHN TAYLOR: No. There's no one I'm working with. Q. It's just how you handle it? You just decide this is how you're going to do it? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, it's up to you. We do this every day. I know what to do. Sometimes it's just tough to make yourself do it. That's what it is, it's a matter of really talking to yourself and really making yourself, you know, go the right direction and not act crazy. Q. Growing up in Augusta, I know Arnold Palmer was past his prime, but were you a fan of his? Has he talked to you about his success in the Masters? VAUGHN TAYLOR: I am a fan of Arnold, Mr. Palmer actually. He's one of the greatest to ever play, and I used to watch him at Augusta, kind of after his prime. He's a legend and this tournament means a lot to me, and I've love to -- I've love to win his tournament. But I've never really gotten to speak to him much about Augusta. Q. Could you hit just your birdies and bogeys real quick? VAUGHN TAYLOR: 3, I hit it in the right rough. Got it just short of the green and didn't get up-and-down. Putt was probably six feet. 4, I hit it in the left rough and had to lay up. Hit a wedge to 20, 25 feet and missed that. And then 6, hit driver, 5-wood over the green and made about, I don't know, a 12-footer maybe. And then 8, I hit driver, 8-iron to about seven, eight feet maybe. Made that one. 9, I chipped in from over the green. Q. 20 feet or so? VAUGHN TAYLOR: The chip, it was probably 30, 35 feet. Q. Sorry. Didn't mean to short change you. VAUGHN TAYLOR: 12, the par 5. Q. There's only two of them. VAUGHN TAYLOR: I hit driver, 5-wood, lob-wedge, to about four feet. 15, I hit 5-wood, 8-iron to about 15 feet. JOE CHEMYCZ: Thanks, Vaughn. End of FastScripts |
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