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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPMay 6, 2009Jeff KlaukPONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA CHRIS REIMER: A very special press conference today. We want to -- it's been a long time coming for you. We want to welcome Jeff Klauk to the media center here at THE PLAYERS Championship. Just a great season to get here and to make it into the field. Maybe some opening comments about what it's like to be here and be inside the ropes on tournament week. JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, having been in this room many a times, it's weird to be up here. This week is going to be fun. It's going to be all positives. I've always dreamed of playing this tournament, having grown up out here, mowed the fairways and greens. It's going to be awesome. CHRIS REIMER: Is there any pressure let off now that you're in the field? JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, when I found out last week I guess it was on. Monday I was second alternate or third alternate, and then guys kept withdrawing, and then I found out Tuesday I was the man on the bow, and then on Wednesday I was in. That made last week a lot easier knowing that I couldn't get really bumped out. So yeah, pressure is definitely off. I'm really looking forward to it, and just going to play the golf course the same way I always did and have fun. Q. How did you find out? Did you get a call on Wednesday? JEFF KLAUK: Well, there were some TOUR officials there. They kept getting text messages on who was withdrawing because they were trying to find out a lot what the foreign guys were doing. When they started withdrawing and they kept me posted because I was pretty much asking them all the time what was going on. I mean, this is obviously the major goal for the first part of the year was to qualify for this tournament. Now since the FedExCup is in place it actually gives guys like myself a chance to qualify, whereas in past years, being a rookie or in this category, you had no chance whatsoever. Yeah, I mean, it's pretty neat. Q. Who was the last WD that got you in, and were you here for a practice round or on the range? JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, I was sitting in player dining with Ross Berlin and the guys, and I want to say it was Jiménez or one of those guys might have been one of the last ones. Q. I think it might have been Westwood that got you in. JEFF KLAUK: Westwood, yeah. Very grateful for those guys. Q. Are you finding yourself this week having little moments of, like you said, I've been in here before but I've never seen it from this angle? Are you having that a lot this week? JEFF KLAUK: I mean, yeah. Yeah, I guess so. I've played the golf course with all the stands and stuff up around but with definitely not all the people around during a practice round, so it kind of feels the same as when I'm out there playing with my friends and stuff like that, which is the way I'm going to try to approach the week, just like I'm out there playing with my buddies and just try to play, because I play fine then. Obviously I'll be nervous, but it'll be good, a good type of nervous. Q. Do you remember the first time you played the course? JEFF KLAUK: I remember the first time I played 17 and I knocked it in the water. My brother hit it on the green and made a par, and I hit a couple balls in the water. I can't remember how many I hit in the water, but I remember my brother John made a par. Q. Is that the only thing that sticks out from the first round? JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, I mean, I can't really remember the first round. I just remember that. Q. How old were you? JEFF KLAUK: 10. Q. You worked here then, right? JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, I mean -- Q. On the maintenance staff? JEFF KLAUK: When I got a speeding ticket in high school on the way home from Hilton Head from an A.J.G.A. event, I did -- I had to tell dad I got a speeding ticket. And the next weekend or that weekend I was at work mowing greens to pay it off. And that's what all started this whole thing, and then I worked from there on out to make some money. Q. But you had to work for free that time, right? JEFF KLAUK: Well, basically. It just went back -- yeah, exactly. Q. What were some of the less fun jobs you had to do? JEFF KLAUK: Gosh, I remember I got stuck with -- some of the assistants and stuff would -- they would have us do -- normally it was just mowing fairways and greens, nothing too bad. But I remember I had to fly mow one time on like a lake bank, and I'm like, this is not going to help my golf game whatsoever, pulling this thing up and down on the lake bank, it was not much fun at all. Q. What was that? JEFF KLAUK: Fly mowing. Q. It's a hover mower? JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, a hover mower. You let it go down the hill and you pull it up on a string, and you let it go down the hill and then pull it up on a string. I was pretty sore the next day. Q. Do you think you have an advantage in terms of course knowledge or grass knowledge or anything else out here? JEFF KLAUK: From familiarity-wise, yeah, I think I definitely have an advantage, but I've never played it under these fast conditions which they're going to be. I mean, my lines off the tee, I feel very familiar with where I'm going to hit it. But you know, this golf course changes so much. Even from last week to this week -- two weeks ago when I played it's changed a lot, and it's going to change a lot from yesterday to tomorrow. An advantage, maybe a little bit, but experience-wise, no, some of the regular guys have got it. Q. Can you estimate, just throw out a number, of how many times you think you've played this course? JEFF KLAUK: I would say around 1,000 just through the years, just from -- there's days we played 36 holes. You know, it's a lot for sure. Q. What club is the most important club to have in your bag on this course under tournament conditions? JEFF KLAUK: I mean, I think it all starts with off the tee ball. You've got to hit the fairways because going into these small greens, and especially since they're going to be firm, you've got to really be in the fairway. You know, that's one of my strengths this year. I've been driving it well. You know, driver, 3-wood. You're not going to hit driver everywhere, but you've definitely got to be in the short stuff. Q. Essentially is it whatever club gets you in the fairway is an important club? JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, exactly. You're really hitting it to a spot when the greens get firm, and that's what it's -- they're so small, and the runoffs in certain areas, and if you go over a lot of the greens, you're just making bogeys. You've really got to be in the fairways so you can put some spin on it. Q. The other thing I wanted to ask you, you know, PGA TOUR players have a tendency once in a while to complain a little bit when things kind of don't go their way, and a lot of times the conditioning of a golf course and the superintendent is kind of like the object of their criticism, fair or unfair. JEFF KLAUK: Mm-hmm. Q. Usually it's unfair. Over the years, if the conditions were real tough out here and you maybe saw quotes of guys saying, the course is too hard and the rough is too high and all that, did you ever take that personally? JEFF KLAUK: I mean, there's certain instances which I remember distinctly, and I'm not going to name names, but just really -- I mean, to see my dad so upset about -- the course wasn't the way they wanted it obviously, but to see how hard they work, and obviously it wasn't the way they wanted it. And to see guys complain at times just made me upset because I know how hard he works to make it what it is. Q. And does that help you now? Do you kind of -- JEFF KLAUK: I appreciate it. Q. When you go to a tournament site and things aren't absolutely 100 percent perfect, do you have a little bit more of an understanding of what that superintendent -- JEFF KLAUK: Oh, yeah, for sure, I mean just from the fact of the little amount of work I did on the golf course, and then to see what -- growing up in a household where he's at the golf course at 4:00 in the morning and doesn't leave until it's well after dark tournament week makes you definitely appreciate things, what goes into making a golf tournament what it is, both from the golf course maintenance but also from the other stuff that goes on. Yeah, I appreciate things a lot more than -- it's just a different -- I have a different view on things than a lot of other guys. Q. How old were you when you watched your first PLAYERS Championship? And can you just tell us a little bit about that experience? Were there certain players you would follow? Were you out here with your pals? Did you play hide-and-go-seek? What was it like? JEFF KLAUK: We standard beared and did all that stuff. Then we used to ride around with dad, get up there right there to the left of 16 and watch 16 and 17 during the end of the tournament. That was a good spot. I just really remember riding around as much as possible, obviously, and just watching different guys play, local guys. I used to mow Brad Fable's yard when he lived here, so I obviously had an interest in going and watching him play, and Mark McCumber, and David Duval, I used to get lessons with his dad when David was out on TOUR or when he was playing. Yeah, I mean, a lot of local guys. Q. What was that first year that you watched it? JEFF KLAUK: I mean, it was '86 or -- I don't really remember. I guess it was probably like -- when I really started to remember stuff was when Jodie Mudd won and McCumber won and all those guys. Q. Out of your 1,000 rounds here do you have a memorable shot or a memorable hole or a memorable round, one thing stand out? JEFF KLAUK: No, I remember playing with my brother and his Texas teammates and I shot 66, and that was not too long -- that was before the tournament, I think it was, when it was getting into tournament shape, and I remember that was one of my better rounds out here. Q. You didn't press him on 18 and win like $1,000 from him or whatever? JEFF KLAUK: No. Q. Or make a 2 on 18? JEFF KLAUK: No, I'd get out and play with a lot of the local guys and we'd have a good time, but that's really about it. Q. Kind of along the same lines, do you have a favorite hole out here? JEFF KLAUK: No. 6. Q. Why? JEFF KLAUK: It's just -- you know, it's not long at all, but the tree overhanging the tee box is pretty cool and it's just tight, and it's just got character to it, and the palm trees hanging over the green a little bit. It's always been my favorite hole ever since we moved here. Q. Which one gives you the most fits? JEFF KLAUK: Hopefully none of them this week. You know, I mean, the par-3s in general you've just got to hit good iron shots. When you miss the green, especially on 3, that's one of the tougher holes, I think, because of the way the green sits and the way the runoffs are around the front and also around the back. That's probably one of the harder ones. Q. Going from Nationwide to all the success you've had so far this year, have you had a chance to step back and realize where you are or where your spot is on TOUR this year? JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, this time last year I was off to a good start. I had not won yet on the Nationwide Tour, so it was shortly after this tournament that I won and locked up my TOUR card for this year. It's just amazing how quick things can change in this game. You know, finishing third on the Money List was huge because it got me up there so I could get in a lot of tournaments on the West Coast, and I was fortunate to play well. Yeah, I mean, it's crazy how things have changed. It's always been a dream of mine to play the TOUR. Seven years on the Nationwide Tour grinding it out, a couple years had health problems and didn't play real well, the TOUR Championship got rained out my first year when I was leading in the last round, which if I would have won I could have got my TOUR card. I finally got through last year. I think it's harder to get -- it's very hard to get here. It's obviously very hard to stay here, as well, on the PGA TOUR, but guys have always told me it's probably harder to get here because there's just so many guys trying. CHRIS REIMER: You talked about just now, you said it's amazing how quick things can change, but then in the same breath you also said how long it took to get here. Were there times when it was ultra discouraging? I know you had some Q-school horror stories and like you said, you were 22nd on the Money List on the Nationwide Tour and they only gave away 20 cards. Just talk about that process a little bit. JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, when I first got out of college, the first year I played the Hooters Tour and then I got my Nationwide Tour card. The first year, like I said, I was really close and then played quite well the next couple years, finished like 30th. And then I had health problems, I had a couple seizures and never figured out why I had them, so that kind of set me back, didn't play well. Then got reacquainted with Cody Barton, my coach now, who used to be an assistant golf professional here when we were kids, and he was one of the guys that used to kick us off the areas where we weren't supposed to be. You know, it's amazing how things come around, and ever since we've been together the last three years or so, things have turned around and just helped me out a lot. Q. You kind of just addressed this, but just your comfort factor, you worked your way up the ladder, if wasn't like you were an overnight sensation, you worked your way up. You've got to feel like after all you've been through and now that you're here you kind of belong here, and especially this week. Just discuss your progression in golf. JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, the progression has been big. I've known a lot of these guys, Rocco, I guess that was more my junior year of high school, became really close friends. He's definitely my mentor. He might say he did nothing, but he's definitely helped me out a lot. He basically convinced me to go to Florida Southern and then he helped me out when I first turned pro along with a few other guys. The local guys have been real supportive. Just being around those guys and learning through the years has been huge because also when I get out here, having played with Vijay and David and Blaine McCallister, all those guys, you're not star struck, you already know these guys. It makes it just that much easier to be able to come out here and play. If you come out here and you don't know anybody, it's got to be hard. I know like all the staff basically at the TOUR, so it's been a real easy transition. CHRIS REIMER: We also have Jeff's dad Fred who's also the superintendent here at TPC Sawgrass for 25 years, and he'll be available, and Jeff will also be a part of our first timer press conference starting here in 25 minutes. Jeff, congratulations. I know everyone here at the staff are rooting for you to make the field, and we're really thrilled to have you and best of luck this week. End of FastScripts |
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