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MONTREAL CHAMPIONSHIP

July 4, 2010

Larry Mize

MONTREAL, QUEBEC

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Larry Mize shoots final round 8-under par 64, wins the inaugural MontrÃ©al Championship, your 36th appearance on the Champions Tour, and it's been 16 years, ten months and 26 days since a TOUR victory, 1993 Buick Open in Michigan. A few thoughts?
LARRY MIZE: 17 years, that's awesome.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: Just a few thoughts about winning the inaugural event and we'll just get into the round a little bit.
LARRY MIZE: You know, it's hard to believe. After yesterday and dinner last night, I knew it was going to take a 65 or 64, because the course is in great shape, guys are playing good. I knew Cookie was going to be tough and with Fred Couples up there and so many people. I just tried to go out there and push myself and I just wanted to -- being a Christian, I wanted to do the best job I could for Jesus Christ, and that was my main thought today.
I was telling GOLF CHANNEL that every time I started having any kind of a complacent thought I guess you would say, I would just continue to replace it, just keep making birdies, keep making birdies. Even when I eagled 10 to take the lead momentarily, I knew that I had to keep making birdies and that that wasn't going to be enough.
That was kind of my game plan, and you know, to win here in MontrÃ©al is exciting for me. Everybody has been great this week. Fans have been phenomenal and it's nice to be here.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: Just sort of take us through the day. You start three shots back and then you get off to a quick start with birdies at 1 and 2.
LARRY MIZE: Yeah, that's the first time I birdied 1 and 2 all week. They are definitely birdieable holes when you have a wedge or short iron in your hands. That was a great way to start off the day, because 3 and 4 are pretty good holes and I was happy to make par on those.
But started off nice and once again, just told myself to keep the pedal down and after that good start, I didn't birdie 5 which would have been nice to birdie there but once again I birdied 7. Played 7 great this week, be an eagle and two birdies, so 7 was very good to me.
And then a good wedge on 9 to turn at 4-under, and then to get that 4-under on the front nine and get in there was really big. If you don't shoot good on the front nine, it's going to be hard to have to shoot 6-, 7- , 8-under on the back, which is pretty hard.
I eagled No. 10, hit a good drive and good 3-wood. My caddie and I read the putt really well and it broke right and went back left into the hole and made a nice eagle there.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: About how far?
LARRY MIZE: That was probably 40 feet. So that was a nice putt. And the putter was good to me today. Obviously I putted well.
Then No. 11, made par. 12 was my slip-up there. I tried to play left of the hole and I just dropped it a little inside and lost it right and was very happy and fortunate it didn't go in the water and hung up in the rough. I didn't make par but at least I didn't make double. So made bogey there.
A good par at 13. 13 I thought was playing pretty hard today. I guess the putt at 14 was pretty key there. I knocked it on the green in two, very hard to 2-putt, the pin was back behind me, so big tier and tough pin. It's a hard 2-putt. I had to make about a 10- or 12-footer for birdie my second putt, and knocking that putt in there really kind of got the momentum going for me.
Then I stiffed it at 15, hit an 8-iron to about three feet and made that for birdie.
I knew that I had a two-shot lead with time, even though they were behind me, I knew they could possibly -- I still thought the right play for me at that moment was to hit an iron on 16. Turned out well. Thought could I still make birdie with a wedge in my hand which I did, hit sand wedge in there probably 12 or 13 feet and made that for birdie.
Tried to birdie one of last two holes but made two pars, two good 2-putts probably close to 30 feet on both those holes. I guess I made nine birdies and a bogey -- excuse me, seven birdies, an eagle and a bogey.
You know, I couldn't be more pleased. I played really solid and you know, fortunate to sneak this one out.

Q. Just to follow-up on the crowd atmosphere, the roars all day; you've done it all in golf and played everywhere, won the Masters, how does this rank as a first-time event?
LARRY MIZE: I don't think it could have been any better. The fans were great. I think the turnout is more than we normally have. It's a great turnout here. We are teeing off saying, hey, this looks like the PGA TOUR. It was great and they just were very appreciative of good shots.
My wife was saying, you know, it's very much like the Masters and the British Open where they are applauding. You don't have to hit it two feet; when you hit it ten feet, good solid shot or 15 feet, they applaud and recognize that. So the fans were very knowledgeable I thought, and they were great. I don't think it could have been any better.

Q. And the Fourth of July --
LARRY MIZE: Yeah, I forgot all about it. Wish people a happy Fourth. I'll take it anywhere.

Q. Did some doubt creep in your mind?
LARRY MIZE: Yeah, sure, you do have the doubt and you continue to replace the doubt with belief in your ability. That's what I was doing out there today. I just said, continue to believe in yourself, you've put in the work and trust it and let it go. There's no doubt, you have to replace those doubts, they are no fun. I don't like those doubts.

Q. Was birdieing the par 3s the key this week?
LARRY MIZE: I looked at my stats and my par 3 stats are horrible, and I usually won -- one year on the regular tour, I was No. 1 for the year so I have to work on my par 3 stats. That's unusual. That's not saying much for my iron play. I have to work on that.
One thing is my par 5 play has gotten a lot better than it used to be, and that's good.

Q. Cross your mind at all --
LARRY MIZE: Yeah, it crossed my mind, turned and said to my caddie -- well, two-shot, even though it wouldn't be a two-shot lead in time, I just didn't like, you know -- occasionally I've been losing drives to the right this week, and I didn't want to be in the right-hand bunker right to the right. I would rather have wedge in my hand from the fairway and a 5-iron off the tee, sitting in the middle of the fairway, I wanted somebody to come up and beat me, so that was my thought there.

Q. (Inaudible).
LARRY MIZE: I didn't think that, not for long. I was with the GOLF CHANNEL and I did not see, which was fine with me. I just stood there and waited for them to tell me and just whatever happens, happens. I played my best and I'm not wishing John any poor will.

Q. (Inaudible).
LARRY MIZE: I was holding back some emotion and the emotion flooded through. I teared up a little bit. It's been a long time.

Q. How special is this win for you?
LARRY MIZE: It's very special. I played well out here last year and wasn't able to pull one out, and this year has been not as good as last year. It's been a little bit of a struggle at times but it's still not bad, don't get me wrong. To come up here and pull out a victory and shoot 64 on the last day is just really encouraging for me, and not having won in almost 17 years, I enjoy playing out here and this is a good way to keep playing out here. It's very special.

Q. How does the 64 rank?
LARRY MIZE: It's going to be up there. I won the Johnnie Walker with a final round 65 back in '93, I guess that was my last win ever. It was not a TOUR event, it was an off-season event, the Johnnie Walker Championship. But any time you shoot, to me, below 65, is always a lot of fun. 65s, they are fun, and 64, 63 is special and to do that to win a golf tournament will rank up there pretty good for me.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: I should mention Larry gets 270 Charles Schwab Cup points and you go to Hualalei Resort in Hawaii for two years. Congratulations.

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