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84 LUMBER CLASSIC

September 18, 2005

Jason Gore

FARMINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA

DAVE SENKO: Well, before we turn things over to Jason, just a couple brief announcements here. He's a three time winner on the Nationwide Tour, and this year he becomes just the second player to win on both the Nationwide Tour and the PGA TOUR in the same season. Paul Stankowski did that in 1996. He's also the first sponsor exemption to win on the PGA TOUR since Adam Scott did in 2003.

So that with, Jason, congratulations, and maybe just quickly share your thoughts before we get some questions on your first victory on the PGA TOUR.

JASON GORE: That's about all I have to say about that (laughter).

I don't even know if I have any thoughts right now. It's been all so overwhelming. I don't know, it was a good hard day. It was a lot of fun, let me tell you. That's really about it. It really hasn't sunk in yet. I guess since June this hasn't sunk in yet. But it was pretty incredible.

Q. Do we get the song?

JASON GORE: Maybe later. I'm sorry, call me a liar. I'm way too nervous right now (laughing). I'm lucky I can even talk.

Q. Was your family able to be there?

JASON GORE: They're all sitting right there. There comes mom in with a small bouquet. They're sitting in the back row.

Q. Did it mean something extra special to have them be able to share this moment with you?

JASON GORE: Absolutely. All the family that came out to support, thank you so much. It means a lot. I've got a lot of deep roots here in the Pittsburgh area, so it's pretty special to be able to do this here, and it's just pretty incredible.

Q. Will you feel forever a connection to this tournament for all those reasons, first win, the family is here?

JASON GORE: Absolutely. It's the same reason why I'm going to Boise tomorrow. They gave me a sponsor's exemption just when I came out of college, and it means a lot. You try not to forget where you came from, and it just means a lot to me that they would go out on a limb like that, and for this tournament to do the same for me, it's pretty special. I'll be back here forever, I hope, until they kick me out. They may not have a choice. This is a pretty special place, and for a tournament to believe in me enough to give me one of their spots, with all the great players in the world now, that means a lot. It's just nice to know that these people, these great people, have a lot of faith in me.

Q. Under the circumstances on 18, was that the longest 90 feet you've ever seen in your life?

JASON GORE: Is that how long it was? It felt like six miles. Yeah, that was the longest 90 feet. Whatever I had for the last putt 14 inches, was the longest 14 inches I've ever seen in my life. That was pretty incredible. Sometimes you have to bear down and just say you're not going to go down like that, and I just wasn't going to go down like that, especially after the way I played 13 and 17 or 14 and 17, whatever it was. Sometimes you just have to dig a little deep, and I think the difference is this year I've been able to do that.

Hopefully I'll try to learn from this and try to still become a better player.

Q. Can you walk us through those last say from 14 on?

JASON GORE: Yeah, let's go (laughter).

Q. Start at 13 instead of 14.

JASON GORE: Was that when I made birdie? I had a perfect sand wedge distance into 13 and just hit a great shot, and I like those putts, those eight inch putts for birdie. I think I make about six out of ten of those (laughter).

And then I hit a pretty good drive on 14, and it just got right up through the second cut and right into the long rough, and it just caught the heel of the club and just slapped it over to the left. For anybody who is going to play here, I don't know if they let you play here tomorrow, but don't go over there. It's not good (laughter). Just a little word of advice.

I really didn't make a bad swing, it just kind of got caught and went dead left, and there is such a thing as a great bogey, and that was a great bogey.

Then 17 I hit a good shot. It wasn't going left, that's for sure. That's a sucker pin if there was ever one. Thought I hit a pretty good chip shot, and it just was a little bit slower than I thought, and the putt broke more. It happened on the 71st hole of the tournament, but it could happen I would have played it the same way no matter what, even if it was the 2nd hole of the tournament.

And then 18, I've taken residency up in that right hand bunker. It doesn't matter how far left I am, I still stick it right in that sucker. I fortunately got a decent lie and hit a great second shot and then hit the best putt I've ever hit in my life.

Q. What club did you hit for your second shot?

JASON GORE: 8 iron.

Q. Earlier this year you had talked about your confidence level being lower, and since the U.S. Open to now, you've turned into this classic Cinderella story. Talk about how all of that has contributed to your confidence now and where you see yourself going from here on.

JASON GORE: I think just I mean, of course it helps your confidence, but you can never be satisfied with what you do, and you just have to try to keep trying to get better. I'll probably go out and get my butt kicked by Annika tomorrow and just go straight back down in the tubes (laughter).

You know, like I said before, you just try to learn something every day and try to become a better player. I think the best players in the world have often said that, that you can never be satisfied. I mean, you can be happy with what you've done but you can't be satisfied with what you're doing, and you just have to kind of keep working hard and continue to strive to be the best, and that's really all that's hopefully you just take this as a stepping stone and coming back and, first off, defending here, and just try to become a better player today. I think that's what I'm going to try to do, put it in the pocket and keep on going.

Q. Are you going to make a habit of singing karaoke on Tuesday nights before tournaments from now on?

JASON GORE: I sing every day in the shower. But I also lied, I said that Tuesday was the most nervous I've ever been. I'd have to say on 18 today was probably the most nervous I've ever been. Yeah, we'll see, to make a short story long.

Q. Did you know what the situation was when you got to the 18th tee?

JASON GORE: Yeah. You're not supposed to, but yeah, I did. They strategically place leaderboards right wherever you're walking, and boom, there's one right there in your face. You try not to look, but you're wearing the sunglasses so you can look this way and look like you're looking over here. I knew what was going on. Carlos played a great round, and he's a great guy. It's always good to beat him (laughter). Well, first time ever probably.

Q. When those shots started going astray, did you tell yourself they're just getting away from you, or did you say, "Oh, my God, here I go again"?

JASON GORE: They were just astray. I've had three wins since that U.S. Open, so obviously I'm not I somewhat try to handle the pressure as best I can. I really didn't hit that bad of shots. The one on 17 was a pretty good shot, and that's where you had to miss it and it wasn't going to be left. If I would have hit it in the water, maybe I would have thought, "Oh, my gosh, here it goes again." If you don't hit it three feet sometimes you're looked down upon, and sometimes you can't be Superman, you just have to play smart and get the job done as best you can.

Q. Did you think when you got to 16 under, did you know what kind of lead you had there?

JASON GORE: I had a pretty good feeling, yeah.

Q. I noticed you pulled your own pin on one hole. Were you getting anxious coming into these last few holes?

JASON GORE: No, there was just no caddies around. I just wanted to it's tough to read a putt when the pin is right in your way, so I grabbed it and walked over and handed it to them. No, I wasn't getting anxious, I just wanted to get a good read.

Q. I know you have enough on your mind when you're out on the course, but do you think you kind of struck a blow for everybody that ever picked up a club and struggled with this game?

JASON GORE: What do you mean by struggled?

Q. Like every man.

JASON GORE: Inspired maybe? God, I hope not (laughter).

I hope so. This game has done so much for me, both good and bad. It's the greatest game ever. It's a large part of my life obviously, and I'm just one of those weird guys that loves to play golf. I love to do it, even when I'm home. That's why I love to come out here and compete because even when I'm home, I still go play with the boys on Friday, the normal Friday skins game, and I just love to compete. I love to play golf. Hopefully I've helped a couple people realize that this is such a great game.

Q. First of all, congratulations, way to go.

Yesterday you were talking a little bit about the sports psychologist you've been talking with. This winning streak you've been on, is it attributable to better swing or is it attributable to a better state of mind?

JASON GORE: I think both. I started working with really one of my best friends. We were on high school golf together, he played at UCLA, his name is Mike Miller, and he's one of the best friends I've got. He knows me better than anybody. He knows my golf swing better than anybody, and I think that was really important. You get somebody that you trust and somebody that knows you and not just somebody out trying to better themselves. This guy actually cares about me and cares about where it goes, and I think talking to Dr. Waddington, he just made me realize it just wasn't that important. It is just a game, and we're lucky that we get to play a game for a living. He really taught me that no one shot is more important.

I'll let you all in on a little secret. I think the first time I talked to him, he started talking to me about Fred Astaire, about how Fred Astaire would put chalk down on the sidewalk and he'd practice his moves. So once he was there, he'd practice, and then once the music started, he just danced, and that's kind of the way it is. You can go out on the range, beat balls, work on your golf swing, but once you get to the first tee, just go dance, and that's really kind of what it was. I just kind of forgot about where my right arm needs to be or where my hand needs to be, just go have a good time, hit it, chase it and find it and hit it again. That's really kind of what it came down to.

Q. You didn't look nervous on 18. What do you do to calm your nerves?

JASON GORE: It's an ancient Jedi mind trick. I could tell you but I'd have to kill you (laughter). I didn't look nervous? Cool (laughter).

Really, I think what made it a little easier is that the putt was so hard and I had to go up and down two elephants and over through the windmill, and I think really all it was was just trying to hit the putt, trying to get a good read and to make it a good effort, and it worked out luckily.

Q. You're the first one since Paul Stankowski to win on the Nationwide and the PGA TOUR in the first year, but I'm pretty sure you're the first one to win on the PGA TOUR and go back and play on the Nationwide Tour the next week. What's that going to be like to play with your buddies and serve as an inspiration to what they can all do?

JASON GORE: I'm sure Tuesday night will be a lot of fun. I don't know, I'll probably have to buy some dinners, so maybe I won't go (laughter).

That just goes to show you how good the Nationwide Tour is. You know, I think so many people overlook the fact that oh, it's a secondary Tour, but it's not. It could happen to any one of us, and somebody coming out of the Top 20 this year is going to do the same thing that I'm doing right now, and that just shows you how many good players there are on that Tour and how great that whole Tour is for golf and how much respect it actually doesn't get.

The PGA TOUR has done a great job with the Tour, but I just think that a lot of people need to make a note about that place because there's going to be a lot of great players and a lot of major champions and a lot of 84 Lumber champions that are going to come out of there. I think it's the most fun golf to watch.

You watch it on TV on The Golf Channel, and it's great stuff because everybody has got a story. Everybody is fighting for their life. It's not a bunch of millionaires out here just doing what they do. Everybody has got a story and everybody has got a heart and everybody is fighting. It's a pretty great place.

Q. Has that two year exemption sunk in yet?

JASON GORE: Oh, crap, I forgot about that. Obviously with that answer, no. Wow, I forgot about that. That's pretty awesome. What do I have to do to get into Augusta?

Q. Top 40.

What is the pressure like, back nine, PGA TOUR event in the lead the first time in your life?

JASON GORE: Great question. Put it this way, I'm really happy to be sitting in here right now. It was pretty brutal. You know, it was a lot more than I would have expected.

I won Omaha, knowing if I won Omaha I was going to get my card, and I thought it was going to be a lot like that, and it really wasn't. It was pretty grinding because your back is against the wall, and even though I had a two or three shot lead there for a while, it was still pretty nerve wracking because it's never enough. You always have to keep trying to go, especially with these tough holes coming in, 16, 17, and 11, 12, 13 really. 11 and 12, it's brutal. You just try to keep going and play it smart and never get yourself out of the moment.

Q. Where is that trophy going to go?

JASON GORE: That's another good question. It's going right on the mantle next to the three I just got. It's definitely going to be showcased, no question.

Q. Is the pressure worse than the Open?

JASON GORE: For me today it was, yeah. Before I really had nothing to lose, and now I had something, I guess. It's what you make of it, but I really had something to prove. I never really played well in a PGA TOUR event. I think my best finish was 18th, and all of a sudden I bettered that by 17 spots. It's pretty incredible now to be a PGA TOUR winner after wow, that's cool (laughter). I'm just talking about it like it's not it just kind of hit me.

It's pretty special. What was your question again?

Q. No question, just keep going.

JASON GORE: I'm like rambling. It's pretty special. I'm going to cherish this for a long, long time.

Q. What was the lowest point?

JASON GORE: Today or

Q. No, when you look back.

JASON GORE: Probably around May ish when I was going to the store and was wondering if I was going to be able to get formula for my child, wondering if I was going to be able to afford it and wondering if I was going to make a house payment, and now look. They just handed me a check for $792,000, and that thing, too. I think he'll be eating this weekend (laughter).

I think that's the most special thing is I've had everybody in that back row support me, and my wife, who's not here, through times that have been pretty rough, and to know that just five, six months ago I was thinking about hanging it up, and instead of really hanging up the clubs, I get to hang up this nice red jacket right in the closet. It's amazing what a little perseverance and grit and maybe a little ignorance can take you.

Q. Americans take a lot out of our sports heroes and we apply that perseverance and grit that you just talked about to our personal lives. What do we take from the Jason Gore story?

JASON GORE: I guess my wristband here would say it; never give up. Boy, you guys are trying to make me cry, aren't you? Anything is possible. Anything is possible with desire and ambition, and for God's sake, I even graduated college (laughter). If that doesn't prove something with a little grit and ambition, that once you put your mind to something, just stick to it and believe in yourself and believe in what you've got and surround yourself with some great people, and no matter what happens, you're always a winner.

DAVE SENKO: Thank you, Jason.

End of FastScripts.

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