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CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK CLASSIC PRESENTED BY WAL-MARTNovember 9, 2008Tom GaineyLAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA CHRIS REIMER: We want to welcome our runner up here at the Children's Miracle Network Classic, Tommy Gainey. Fantastic round today. 30 on the Back 9, 8-under. I guess you were one stroke short of a victory, but still some things to be proud of today, I would imagine. TOMMY GAINEY: No question. I'm real happy to have finished second because I was looking at going to Second Stage next week, and I just found out that I don't have to worry about Second Stage. I can go to Finals. And I'm in the Sony next year. And I think I'm definitely assured of a place to play next year. So I'm definitely happy about that. CHRIS REIMER: I think you said this is your sixth cut you made this year. Did you come here with nothing to lose? Was that the attitude? TOMMY GAINEY: That was the attitude this week. I had nothing to lose. Being 228, I think it was, on the Money List, I made five cuts this year, played horrible, terrible. I mean you can just keep naming it. And you know, finally I have that one week, and this was the week, and I just played well, you know, and it's always good to have a good caddy, because Double D has done a hell of a job for me. You know, a good caddy out here is just like another good player. Without a good caddy, a player can't do it by himself. He's done a hell of a job for me, and I'm glad to have him on my bag. Q. Tommy, how much did you see of Love's last hole? And what were your emotions like knowing you win, you get a TOUR card and just not having to worry about anything? TOMMY GAINEY: Well, you know, the only shot -- I seen him hit the second shot in the bunker. And you know where the pin was, I was thinking that he would have a tough shot from there, from that bunker, you know, kind of downhill bunker shot to the hole. So I was thinking I might need to go to the range and maybe loosen up a little bit, because I mean that's a tough shot. He hit that shot in the bunker, and then I decided to leave and go to the range and kind of loosen my body up again. Q. You've been waiting for this all year. Especially on the weekend this week, what was going right that you hadn't sniffed all year long? You've scored more low scores in the 60s this week than you have all year. TOMMY GAINEY: That's a good point. I'm glad you brought that up. I will say that early this week, around Tuesday, I believe it was, I went to Frys Studios and I got fitted for a putter. And come to find out the putter I was putting with, the 35-inch putter was too long. So I switched to a 34-inch putter, and it got my eyes over the ball a little better, and I was seeing the lines better, hitting the lines better. And everybody knows when you see the line and you hit the line, you make a lot of putts, and that's what happened this week. CHRIS REIMER: You finished T3 in putts. 25 putts in the Third Round, 24 putts in the Fourth Round. TOMMY GAINEY: I'm pretty happy. Any time you finish in the Top 5 in putting -- Top 5 in putting this week? I'm real happy. Q. You seemed to not realize until I guess you got done that you had a chance to avoid the Second Stage. Did you have any hope of that coming into this week or were you resigned to having to do it next week? And how depressing was the thought of having to go through all that again? TOMMY GAINEY: Well, you know what, that's a good question. The only thing I could say about Second Stage, you know, this week I was coming in with I-don't-have-anything-to- lose attitude. And you know, like I said, 228 on the Money List, I got nothing to lose and everything to gain. So a good week, a really good week this week puts me in really good shape for the next two years, with a win, or if I finish second, you know, I really didn't know exactly what that would do, but I felt like it would put me in the top 150 or around it, and I would have conditional status out here next year. Q. Tommy, how proud are you of your finish? You're going up against one of the bigger names in the games and you finished birdie birdie and you put pressure on him to get up-and-down just to survive your rush. TOMMY GAINEY: You know what, I just tried -- you know, I paid attention to where he was at the last three holes, 16, 17 and 18. I knew he was at 24, and I knew I had to get to 24. So I just got the adrenaline flowing with that second shot I hit on 16 and it just went over the green. But I just tried to do the best I could. I mean I couldn't control anybody's game but mine. There was nothing I could do about Davis's. He's Davis Love III for real. Q. What was your mindset heading into the last two holes? Was it just pin your ears back and go for it? TOMMY GAINEY: Oh, no question, you know. I just tried to hit the fairway and then tried to hit it as close to the hole as possible and then try to make the putt. Try to make birdie birdie and then see what happens. Q. You've been waiting your whole life to be in this position those last couple hours with a chance to win it. What was that like to be hitting the shots that you hit and put that kind of pressure on a guy who, being from North Carolina, I'm sure you know everything about? You gave him everything and looked like you did a pretty good job doing it. TOMMY GAINEY: I'm from South Carolina. Q. Sorry. The other Carolina. TOMMY GAINEY: Well, a lot of people say there's only one Carolina. That's North Carolina. Wrong! But you know, to answer that question -- Q. Was it all you thought it would be? TOMMY GAINEY: It's an awful feeling. I mean when you're out there and you got a chance to win in a golf tournament, and not only for the money, but for the exempt status, I mean that's what it's all about. Being exempt out here is what it's all about. Q. Did you think there could be two more distinctive people out here, certainly in golf backgrounds, than yourself and Davis, from where you came from compared to where he came from? TOMMY GAINEY: You know, it's like the other end of the spectrum. You know, you talk about opposites attract, we're totally opposite. You know, Davis is I guess you could say he was -- I don't know much about his background, but he went to North Carolina, he was an All Star, All World. You know me; hey, I graduated high school, I went to work. Q. Yeah, Tommy, were you on the range when he made that putt? TOMMY GAINEY: I was. Q. So how did you know what happened? TOMMY GAINEY: Oh, man, you could hear the crowd. I mean the crowd said it all, you know. I had, I think it was John Brendle over there with me on the range, the rules official, and I told him, I said, you know, when I found out that he hit it like two feet 11 inches or three feet on the number, something like that, I said, he's Davis Love III. He'll make that, no problem. So when I found out he got over the putt, I just took my gloves off and got ready to put them back in the bag, because I knew he was going to make that. Q. Tell me where are you going to go to Q-School next week? TOMMY GAINEY: Southern Hills. Q. Do you feel like now that you've figured out the putter, with the different length, that because you have that resolved, it'll carry you for the rest of your career, like it'll help you have a good season next year? TOMMY GAINEY: Well, you know, everybody says -- I tell you a little saying. The putter comes and goes, just like everything in golf. Your ball striking comes and goes, with every week, and hopefully this is just a first step in me getting to that next level. You know, I finished second this week, so the next level is to get that win that's alluded a lot of players. So I'm going to try to go after it next year. Q. You are going to go to Final Stage? TOMMY GAINEY: I'm going to finals. I'm going to go to finals because being -- I don't want conditional status out here. I want to be exempt. I mean conditional is just like a slap in the face. I look at it as a slap in the face, I mean conditional. I want full exempt status is what I want. CHRIS REIMER: Go through the Back 9 you had, starting on the 10th hole with your birdies. Go through those six birdies on the back and the shots you hit and the putts you hit. TOMMY GAINEY: Well, you know, No. 10, I hit a good tee shot, but ended up in the rough, and the rough out here is sketchy. It's just like everywhere else. You hit it in the rough, you don't know what you're going to get. You don't know how it's going to come out, how it's going to lie. So I had it sitting up and I hit a bad second shot, so I got it up there on the first cut, rounded the ball, hit a good chip shot, so I made that putt, real happy about that. No. 11, that hole there I've had trouble this week because I've -- you know, all the players are hitting it in one area where all the divots are, and when I was about to hit that shot, I just -- I said to myself, probably not a good thing to say it to yourself, but I said to myself, I don't want to hit in a divot, because I hit it in one earlier this week and I made double. And I just wanted to hit it out there about 260 and then take my chances to the wedge. And it just so happens that the ball wasn't in a divot, laying perfectly, wedged it up there about four feet, five feet, something like that, and made the putt. Number 12 -- oh, you want to go to 13. Number 13, the par-4, you know, that was that hole there, a lot of guys hit it long. They want to hit the driver there, but I was looking at it like this. I mean if I can't hit it on the green or at least in the green side bunker, I mean why hit driver? I'd rather just lay back to like a wedge, 4 wedge, something like that, around 120, 115, and as you saw, I hit a terrible shot. That was a shocker. So I hit it fat up there, and it was just a bad swing. And I get up there and I've got 15 feet, 20 feet maybe, something like that. Is that about right? About 20 feet? About 20 feet off the green, and we looked at it as pretty straight putt, pretty straightforward putt, so I hit it straight, and it just so happened it went in on the left lip. So 14, the par-5, you know, I could take it over the water on the right or I could take it over the bunkers. So we talked about it and we decided that taking it over the bunkers was the better play. So I took it over the bunkers, and it ended up out there in great shape, and just so happened I had -- what did we have, 240? 240 to the hole, and you know, after just making that birdie on 13, I think, 13, the adrenaline really started to pump for me. So that 240 I hit my 4-iron hybrid and just absolutely wore it out. It must have flew 250, something like that. I mean that's kind of long for a 4-iron. So got in the rough again. Like I say, you never know what you're going to get, so I got over there and it was kind of sitting down, with a little grass behind it and going against the ball, going against the grain. So I decided to take a little pitching wedge and just bump it, and I bumped it and it got to about two and a half, three feet. So I made that one. CHRIS REIMER: And 17, 18. TOMMY GAINEY: And 17, you know, I'm going to tell you, 17 is a scary driving hole. You know, Double D told me just hit it out there where you've hit it all week. Just hit it over there at that tree at the bunker, and I did. It just stayed right there. Great drive. I had 178 hole. And like I say, the adrenaline's still pumping. I'm trying to settle myself down, but not being in that position before, really you know, I was just really pumped up. So I hit it over the pin, 15 feet or so, with an eight. I just tried to choke the eight. A little choked 8-iron. Q. A little adrenaline. TOMMY GAINEY: But hit a great shot, and we looked at the putt, broke a little right-to-left, maybe two cups, something like that, and I hit the perfect speed, hit his line, and it just went in. And if you didn't see, before the ball went in the hole, I already did the fist pump. So I really would have been heart broken if that ball had turned. Q. And embarrassed. (Laughs). TOMMY GAINEY: And embarrassed. That's a better word. But I just made that one. So now I'm on 18 tee, and just like it was this past week, I mean just get up there and just hit it at the target, hit it at the scoreboard right down the middle of the fairway. I did. Had maybe a little three or four-yard fade on it, and it was right side of the fairway. I had 163. Sound right? I had 166 hole, and you know, I hit the -- hit my 9-iron right at it, and just so happened it ended up about three or four feet, and I looked at it before I hit the putt, I looked at the scoreboard. I wanted to see what Davis was doing, and I seen that he was at 25-under when I hit it to three or four feet. So I said, you know, I'm in 23. I just wanted to see at that time, at that point, I wanted to see if I was solo second or tied for second, because you know, a tie really chops up the money that much more. So you know, having that four-footer, and I said I might as well finish it off. That's where my caddy said, just finish it off. So I just took care of it, made that 4-footer, and you know, it's been a great week. Q. Tommy, I know you guys make the endorsement money and whatnot off the golf course, but you've made 65,000 on the golf course this year, which I imagine you were probably losing money, paying caddies and hotels. Probably making a profit, all things considered, but losing money in the green grass part of the process. TOMMY GAINEY: Let's just say -- I'll just say this. I wasn't making much. I'll say that. Wasn't much. It wasn't a really good year until, you know, I finished second this week. I mean that really made a big difference. But you know, I've got great sponsors. You know, my sponsors do their part. Adams Golf, they got me the best equipment out here, in my opinion. It's right up there. If it's not the best, it's right up there, and as you can see, it helped me get a second place finish this week. And you can't argue with results, and trust me, I'm all about results. You can ask my caddy about that. He'll tell you. CHRIS REIMER: Anything else, guys? Q. How much of your notoriety and how much do fans come to you because they saw you on "Big Break?" How many people have gone, oh, yeah, you're that guy? TOMMY GAINEY: I get a lot of that, but you know, it comes with the territory. Before I even got on that show, you know, I didn't know exactly what I was getting myself into, but in a way, I knew what was going to happen once I get on the show because a lot of people -- I mean you're going to be on TV, people are going to see you. They're going to recognize you when you're out drinking or trying to have a good time or whatever, or anywhere, even in grocery stores or somewhere like that. When you're out, people know who you are, and I get a lot of that, and you know what, that's not a bad thing. It's a good thing because a lot of people take it in different ways, and the way I take it I'm glad to know that there's that many people that really care about how I play this game. CHRIS REIMER: How about next year maybe start off with a second place finish, make the year a little easier on yourself. Or maybe a first even. TOMMY GAINEY: Well, you know, I don't know what to say. I did the best I could all year. It was a tough year until this week. This week made it that much sweeter. So I mean I just can't wait. I'm not going to sleep tonight, so I'm probably going to drive home tonight back to South Carolina because there's no way I'm sleeping after this. No way. CHRIS REIMER: Great week and a great finish, and we'll see you next year; right? TOMMY GAINEY: No question. CHRIS REIMER: Thank you very much. End of FastScripts |
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