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MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CHAMPIONSHIP AT HUALALAIJanuary 24, 2010Tom WatsonKA'UPULEHU-KONA, HAWAII MODERATOR: Tom, one of the most exciting Champions Tour events ever and a heck of a way to kick off the 2010 season. You and Fred go toe to toe on a smaller scale, but it was almost like you and Jack at the British Open there at Turnberry and dealing with the sun. And this time you birdied 17 and 18 to overtake him and win. Congratulations on winning your 13th Champions Tour event. And just take us through the day, some general comments, and then go through your round. TOM WATSON: Playing against Freddie was, you know, I've -- even though I've got a couple-shot lead, his length and his prowess on this golf course, he can make it really a short golf course, which he did. And I was continually 40 yards, 50 yards behind him off the tee. And I think I'm in it pretty good, but, again, I'm 60 years old. Now, the overall -- I look at the whole round, the up-and-down that I -- up-and-downs I made at both 8 and 9 were the critical holes for me. I wasn't kind of in sync real well with my golf swing at that point. And I made a couple bad swings at 8 and left it right of the green; 9, left it right of the green. Had kind of tough up-and-downs. But I hit a beautiful sand wedge shot up there real close and made both putts. Penny stroke was a lot better today. I don't know why. And the short strokes were better today, or straighter back, straighter through, compared to yesterday. And so it was a little easier day on the greens for me. I started out and I bogeyed the third hole. I hit in the left rough and then I did a no-no, I let the ball in the bunker and had a short -- had a close bunker shot out of the sand. It's hard to spin the ball, and I knocked it about 20 feet by and missed the putt. But 4 I brought it right back. I hit a really good drive. I hit a 6-iron and got a good break and then short kick right, had about a 15 -- 12-, 15-foot putt and made it for eagle. And so I got right back, got that stroke and one right back. Then I didn't really -- I blipped it up, looked at a good birdie putt at 7. And then 8 and 9, as I told you, I hit it to the right at No. 8 with a 2-hybrid and to the right at No. 9 with a 5-iron. Both bad shots. But I got the ball up-and-down both times. Both times I pitched it up within three or four feet and made both those putts for pars. Then I just -- I started -- you know, I didn't hit a particularly good drive, but I hit a really good 3-wood. Using a new 3-wood this week actually, and finally have a 3-wood I feel like I can hit. And I hit a beautiful shot there out of the summer rough there and real high and soft land on the green and ended up two-putting for birdie there. Freddie makes eagle there, so we're -- I go one behind there. And then the next hole I hit a -- hit it just in the left rough, but I hit a good shot with an 8-iron out and it got up there about 20 feet from the hole. Freddie puts it in the bunker of the right with a bad shot. I hole my putt and made a really good putt there, and then he makes about an eight-footer to save par there. So that could have been a two-shot swing right there. The next hole, the par 3, I hit a beautiful shot right at the flag. I left myself about a 15-footer, and Freddie had about a 20-footer. He drains it and I knock it in right on top of him. Q. You hit what in there? TOM WATSON: I hit an 8-iron. We both had birdie putts. We missed at the next hole, 13. And then 14 I had a really good drive, I hit through the fairway. And I played a smart second shot. Instead of trying to fly it over the bunkers uphill and land it onto the green, ensure for the ball to go over, I played it out to the right and ended up hitting on the right edge of the green, 90 feet away that I was putting. And Freddie knocked -- he had a good shot with his high shot up there, but it went over the green. Then I ended up -- I made a really good first putt from about 90 feet and knocked it about three feet from the hole, three or four feet from the hole and made that putt for birdie. And Freddie, he made it from about six feet for birdie there. 15, we both made par there, Freddie coming out of the light rough. I hit a pretty good shot in there. Just misread the putt. I tried to make it break right and it went straight. 16 I hit a beautiful second shot in there with an 8-iron. Freddie hit a good shot in there. He putted first and made it. I yelled at him, I said, "You dog," and then I hit a good putt and I didn't play enough break. Q. It lipped up. TOM WATSON: It actually just -- yeah, I was just on the left side. It just -- yeah, it hit the hole but it didn't go in. Just didn't have enough speed. And then he was one shot ahead. And then I kind of went back in history here on the 17th tee. I made a mistake there one time with Dana Quigley. I hit the wrong club. And this year I just felt, you know, I'm swinging well enough I can go right at the flag. And I took a 6-iron out from 170, -71 yards and hit it exactly pin high. I was left of the hole about eight feet. And, as I said in the ceremony, that's what I'm out here to do, hit shots when it really counts, just like that. That's what I live for, that shot right there. And -- Q. You were eyeing it down, too -- TOM WATSON: Yeah, I liked that shot. That was a good one. It started right at the hole and then it was drawing and it crossed, and then I was hoping the cross was going to hang up. It dropped a little bit left, or it would have been really close. But I'm still very satisfied with the shot. And then 18 I pushed my driver a little bit, got in the rough, got into a flyer or lie. And Freddie hit a 3-wood out there in the fairway. But I remembered how to hit flyers. I've hit a few flyers this week. And I played the shot just the way I used to play it. Hit 147 yards with a pitching wedge and knew that when it hit the green the ball was going to roll 50 feet with a wedge. I couldn't put any spin on it at all. And so I just ended up in the air and hit it right at the flag and the ball just kept on running and running and running. Kind of like my 8-iron at the British Open last year but this time it didn't run over the green. And so I waited for Freddie to putt and he missed it just left and that gave me an opportunity to win the tournament, which I did. Hit a good putt, it went in. And first time I win in -- didn't win last year, which was -- that's how I judge my year. If I win a golf tournament, that's been a success. And so I started off the year with a success. Year's been a success already. Q. We were thinking that you shot your age on the back nine the last two days. TOM WATSON: That's right. Yeah. I did. Q. You aren't looking for a playoff there, though. TOM WATSON: No, no. No playoff. My record in playoffs in the Senior Tour is not worth a damn. Q. What club did you use when you were playing Quigley? TOM WATSON: I hit a 7-iron rather than an 8-iron. Q. Too much. TOM WATSON: Yeah. It was too much club. Q. Tom, your putt at 18 was about four and a half feet? TOM WATSON: I don't know. Probably five feet. Probably five. Five, six feet. Q. You made every short putt -- TOM WATSON: I did, yeah. I did. Q. You said you know that you got to make them all, and you did. TOM WATSON: Yeah. Well, yesterday I said I can afford one three-putt, but three three-putts I couldn't afford. And I did bring it back yesterday. But, you know, again, this is a horse race. You saw what happened at the end. It's just -- it's neck and neck and neck and neck. And it was just who had the last sprint, and fortunately I had the last sprint the last two holes. Q. He said he bailed on 17 just because he figured you -- it would make you birdie -- you know, he played a little safe. TOM WATSON: Oh, I had no doubt in my mind what I had to do. Q. Right. TOM WATSON: I had to make birdie and I had to make it at 17. Q. Kind of a head-to-head duel the final two holes. TOM WATSON: It was, yes. Q. When was the last time you've had -- TOM WATSON: Young kid against the old fart. (Laughter.) Q. When is the last time you used that as motivation? I mean, you guys are fighting head to head, you go ahead, he goes ahead. TOM WATSON: Don Pooley and I had a head-to-head duel for five extra holes in the U.S. Senior Open in Caves Valley. I think that was in -- Q. '05, I think. TOM WATSON: Was it '05? Q. I think it was '05? TOM WATSON: And that was pretty good. That was a pretty good head-to-head duel right there. Q. You won that one? TOM WATSON: No, I lost that one. I lost. He birdied the -- he birdied -- he finally birdied and that was it. Q. First senior win in Hawaii finally. TOM WATSON: Well, ten years ago my dad died here. And he loved it over here and my mom loved it over here. And it -- I've always liked -- I've always loved Hawaii. You know, the first trip over, I'll never forget staying at the -- this small, two-story hotel that Jim Colbert -- I can't remember the name of the hotel, but Jim arranged for a free room for the week over there in Honolulu for the Hawaiian Open. And I just -- I mean, it was open air. I mean, I -- it was -- you had the louvres and there's no glass in the windows there actually. It was just great. And I fell in love with Hawaii right at the beginning there. And played a lot of years over there at Waialae and never won. Had a chance to win -- basically I had a chance to win my first tournament in my career at Waialae in '73, and I shot a 76 in the last round. Q. You remember that. TOM WATSON: But I -- and I -- I mean, I was hitting some flyers back then. I remember hitting the 5-iron flyer or a 6-iron flyer over the 4th green and it cost me a bogey or a double-bogey in the last round. Should have played the flyer. Q. How satisfying is it that -- I mean, this time (indiscernible) age prevails, you know? Fred's a great player in general, but he's ten years younger. How's that? TOM WATSON: Well, it is satisfying. I mean, we talked about this last -- a couple days ago that nobody over 55 won in the Senior Tour last year. So that's kind of fun having some people long in the tooth do it again. Q. You said you were going to rectify that. TOM WATSON: Well, I'm glad I did. It was a good contest. It really was. It was -- as I said, this is what -- this is what I live for in my career, is to do what I did today. And I've had a few of them in my career, and I'm glad I had it. And I don't think I'll probably have too many more, but I had this. Q. All the times that you've come close to winning here on this stage, '73 and also '05 with Dana, '06 you shoot a 63 to start the first round. What does it mean? You finally won, and what does that mean to you? TOM WATSON: Well, maybe course knowledge had something to do with it. But I finally did -- you know, I hadn't really fared very well in Bermuda, and then Florida I haven't done well, and Bermuda. But I -- maybe it's (indiscernible). Who knows. But I -- winning here is special. I mean, it's -- as I said, I've always loved Hawaii and it was something I've always wanted to do, is win here in Hawaii. I've played so many years in Hawaii, and this was about time, just about time. Q. You're due. TOM WATSON: Yeah, I was due. I mean, I played years at Waialae and never won. Q. Now you're going to take Hale's title, Mr. Hawaii. TOM WATSON: No, no, no. Nobody's going to take that. God, he's had a great record. Q. He had a great round. He finished 5th. TOM WATSON: Yeah. Q. 64-year-old. TOM WATSON: That's pretty good for a 64-year-old. Did he shoot his age at all? Not quite. Q. Does a golfer ever think about his last time? I mean, does it ever enter your mind? TOM WATSON: No. You know the old saying that old soldiers never die, they just fade away? Q. Yep. TOM WATSON: It applies to golfers too. Same thing. Q. After you accomplished a win so early in your first (indiscernible) and you've kind of reached a goal or your goal for the year, what's your next goal? TOM WATSON: Well, my next goal is playing in Dubai against the kids. Q. That will be fun. TOM WATSON: See if I can do something over there. Q. You're playing against the kids, you know, the British Open, something like this, winning at 60 years old. Do you have -- just curious -- a lot of people come up to you saying how inspirational you've been? TOM WATSON: You know, I've -- after the British Open last year they did. A lot of people did that. It was humbling how many people can say, you know, I gave up on myself. They said, And watching you do what you did, I turned the corner. There's no reason why I can't do it. You can go out and do it. And I had a lot of people seriously write me serious, heartfelt letters about that; that, you know, You give me inspiration. And I said it was -- it was unexpected for a guy finishing second place in a golf tournament. Q. What were you thinking (indiscernible)? Is there any thoughts that race through your mind? TOM WATSON: I was thinking don't make a stroke like I made on the 8-footer at Turnberry. Make a good stroke, like I thought I was going to do at Turnberry and I didn't do. I said, I can do this, I can make this. Q. What number -- No. 9 here at Waialae, the biggest course, and can you comment on the galleries? About 2,000 people (indiscernible). TOM WATSON: We had -- yeah, thanks to Freddie. Thanks to Freddie. And, honestly, Freddie brought them out. And we're grateful for people of that stature coming out and playing our tour. Q. That's a big (indiscernible). TOM WATSON: It is. Oh, yeah. Q. There's 300 every day. TOM WATSON: Yeah. Q. There were a couple thousand out there. TOM WATSON: There were definitely some people out here. More people here than there were at Maui watching the kids I bet. Q. Oh, definitely. TOM WATSON: You were there, Chris? Q. I was there. TOM WATSON: You were there? I bet there were more people here watching than watching -- Q. Yeah, definitely. No doubt. Q. A lot of them came out here to watch you. TOM WATSON: Well, they came out to watch Freddie. The galleries get a little bit younger when they watch Freddie too. (Laughter.) MODERATOR: Well, Tom, thank you very much. Good luck in Dubai. TOM WATSON: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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