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TRANSITIONS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 17, 2009

John Klauk

PALM HARBOR, FLORIDA

MARK WILLIAMS: Jeff, welcome to the media room at the Transitions Championship. Thank you for coming in. I wanted to get you in here, because you are the best-performing rookie right now, currently I think 23rd on the FedExCup points, and an impressive start to the season after a great year on the Nationwide Tour. Just talk about your experiences so far on the TOUR, and has it met your expectations, some of the things that might have happened this year so far.
JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, this year has obviously gotten off to a good start. Sony was great. I played one PGA TOUR event before, and that would be at AT&T several years ago. So that was really my first TOUR event and felt totally comfortable. The Nationwide Tour prepared me well, so I was ready to go.
MARK WILLIAMS: I heard a comment, I don't know if I saw it in front or I heard it on TV, somebody asked your dad who used to be the superintendent at TPC, why did you perform so well on TOUR this year having not been out here before, and he said, because the courses are harder.
JEFF KLAUK: For sure. I definitely play harder golf courses much better. I'm definitely looking forward to this week for sure.
Growing up on the Stadium Course there at Sawgrass, it's very difficult. It just suits my game, the harder golf courses.
MARK WILLIAMS: Why do you think that is?
JEFF KLAUK: Well, I'm a very good ball-striker and a good chipper around the greens. And with Pete Dye there at the Stadium Course, they were quite treacherous, prepared me well.

Q. What's different about growing up as the superintendent's son?
JEFF KLAUK: It's a lot different.

Q. Did it make you look at the game differently?
JEFF KLAUK: Well, it makes you go mow greens and fairways, No. 1, after you get a speeding ticket; that's what I had to do. (Laughing). No, I mean, it makes you appreciate things a lot more, I tell you that much.
Having mowed greens and fairways and all that stuff, and then coming to a tournament and you see how -- I mean, maintenance guys, how many hours they have to work to get the course in the conditions that they are in, it takes a lot of hours. Just makes me appreciate things a lot more than a lot of other people, I'm sure, because I've lived in a house, obviously, with my dad, who when the tournament is not going well or it's not in good shape, you know, it's not easy.

Q. This golf course has a history of people being successful on it who are quote, unquote, good ball-strikers. Most everybody on this tour is a good ball-striker. For a more inside view, what distinguishes average from good? What do the good ball-strikers do that we maybe do not appreciate that's so much better than another player?
JEFF KLAUK: I just hit a lot of greens, basically. You know, yeah, everybody is a good ball-striker, but we each have our own -- we all are better at different things. You know, some people are better at putting. Some people are better -- it's just one of my things that I'm good at.

Q. Did you have expectations coming in as a rookie what you wanted to achieve, obviously off to a great start, but did you imagine being this good, so early?
JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, absolutely, I expected to play well, and established a lot of goals in the off-season. Expected to get off to a good start and play well. I mean, like I say, growing up, knowing all of the people I do, I know practically everybody with the TOUR, just growing up around the TOUR, that made it so much easier, the transition. That's really helped out.
MARK WILLIAMS: Obviously spending a lot of time out on the Nationwide Tour has prepared you for that, kind of knowing what to expect and getting out here. Do you think having said you're a good ball-striker, does it get frustrating hitting a lot of greens; you putt well, but you feel like you don't make your fair share because you're hitting so many greens?
JEFF KLAUK: For sure, it just depends. Hitting greens and putting well; the putting stat gets all skewed because if you don't hit it close to the hole it's obviously hard to make the putt. You can still hit the greens.
MARK WILLIAMS: But that's got to be -- I was getting at being patient; that's got to be one of your attributes in that situation.
JEFF KLAUK: Absolutely, for sure. My putting this year has been great.
MARK WILLIAMS: Do you think that's the difference with the start that you've made?
JEFF KLAUK: No question; my putting and my chipping has been the biggest improvement from past years.

Q. What do you think about the buzz about this Ishikawa kid, and did you have your own media contingent when you were 17?
JEFF KLAUK: No. Shoot, I was just trying to shoot under par, beat my little brother. Gosh, I can't imagine being 17 and playing a TOUR event, and being as good as he is.
I remember there in, was it L.A., was that his first one? Like I've never seen so many reporters around one guy in my life.

Q. Even Tiger?
JEFF KLAUK: Well, yeah, it was just like all of these guys just following him everywhere. It was crazy.

Q. Have you seen him play? Seen any of his game?
JEFF KLAUK: No. I haven't seen it.

Q. Did you sort of have free reign at Sawgrass, or were there restrictions when you could slip on and slip off?
JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, absolutely. When I turned 16, it was a lot -- even my coach, Cody Barden, he was assistant pro there back in the day, so we used to get in trouble every now and then, me and my brother, because we used to be in places we shouldn't be.

Q. Like what?
JEFF KLAUK: Like going to the back of the range, the chipping area, when you were supposed to be with a TOUR pro or something like that. Once we became 15, 16, we could take a cart it, made things a lot easier. We used to take those kangaroo pull-carts they had before they got caddies out there.
But we really grew up playing at Oakbridge Club right next door. Once we got older, we started playing the Stadium Course all the time.

Q. Now go back to the original thing you said a few minutes ago, that mowing greens after getting a speeding ticket?
JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, that was on the way home from an AJGA event in Hilton Head. It was my brother and I. We both finished in the top five and were just cruising along. I was going 57 in a 30. I mean, it's not like I was going that fast. (Laughter).
But it was kind of one of them things where the speed limit changed and the guy was right there. I think I'll watch out this year when I go to play Verizon. I know exactly where it is.

Q. Do you remember how many hours you had to mow?
JEFF KLAUK: I remember getting home and telling my dad and, I don't remember if it was during the summer or what, but I immediately started mowing greens to pay that sucker off. And then, you know, then my brother and I both worked during the summers to pay for our golf tournaments and stuff. Our parents, they paid for us to go play, but we had to pay for the entry fees and stuff like that. So that was the only way to make money.
MARK WILLIAMS: Do you think kids have it easier now than when you did?
JEFF KLAUK: No. I just think it depends on the parents, I really do. I think it made us appreciate things a lot more, for sure, because all of my other friends didn't have to pay for much of their golf or anything. My parents could have paid for it, but just the principle of the whole thing, teaching us responsibilities.

Q. You went to school at Florida Southern; Janzen and Mediate, do you keep in touch with those guys?
JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, Rocco is kind of my mentor back in the day. He pretty much convinced me to go to Florida Southern because he used to live there in Ponte Vedra before he moved out to L.A. and Naples. Those guys played a huge role in everything. I remember Lee coming after he won the U.S. Open, coming down -- he would come to college, Florida Southern and play with us. It was just a great experience.
MARK WILLIAMS: Has it been weird for you being out here playing with them now?
JEFF KLAUK: No. Just like they are friends now just through the years. Especially Rocco, we've done so many things, countless dinners and practice. We have a lot of mutual friends.

Q. Did you always want to be a touring pro, or did you ever lean towards the superintendent aspect of it?
JEFF KLAUK: For sure I always wanted to play, but if I didn't play, yeah, I guess -- I don't know. Those hours are tough; I tell you what. But being a superintendent, I've always -- like mowing grass or something, I've always enjoyed being outside doing that type of stuff. So yeah, I definitely gave it thought.
MARK WILLIAMS: We really appreciate you coming in, Jeff. Thank you for your time, and best of luck in the tournament.

End of FastScripts

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