|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
ENSURE CLASSIC AT ROCK BARNOctober 3, 2010Gary HallbergCONOVER, NORTH CAROLINA THE MODERATOR: Gary, congratulations. I know it's been a wait for you to win on this Tour, but before we get started, just some notes here I wanted to pass along. You become the 7th first-time winner on Tour this year and the third in the last four events. It's your first win since 2002 at Scranton on the Nationwide Tour, and your last one on the PGA TOUR came almost 18 years ago to the day. You won October 4, 1992, in Callaway. GARY HALLBERG: Yeah, that's right. THE MODERATOR: Your 61 ties the record for the lowest final round by a winner on the Champions Tour of all time with Rocky Thompson and Loren Roberts. You get a two-year exemption into Hawai'i, Hualalai. But I don't need to read any more. Congratulations. I know this is special. Obviously the first win probably is even more special, winning near where you went to college. Maybe just share your thoughts on your first win. GARY HALLBERG: Well, you know, you never think you're going to win. You know, it's kind of like -- it's so far out there. You look at the players, you know, Freddie Couples, Bernhard Langer, you look at all the guys, champions, and you think, golly, even if I play my best, I don't know if I can beat those guys. You've got to believe, you've got to have confidence. And I think for me it's a lesson in confidence. I've not been the most confident golfer my whole career, and I just really tried to be confident and work hard. And I think because of every little part of my game recently, Mike McGetrick has helped me clean it up -- when I say clean it up, be a little more precise with my swing. If you think, little things, tiny things, and he's helped me to, how do you say, believe in what I'm doing is good enough. You know what you're doing. You're hitting it as good as anybody. We tend to think we're not hitting it very good or playing very good. So yeah, it's -- you know, you probably hear this a lot, but you can't believe it happened to you, you know? I mean, I knew I could win. I've won before. I had a good college career. My pro career was okay, and I always felt like the Senior Tour, Champions Tour, was like a mulligan. I could go out now and do what I would have liked to have done. But I didn't know if I could do it. I don't know, it's really a dream come true, of course, and it's -- you know, I'm still kind of shocked, if you will, in a good way. THE MODERATOR: You want to go through your card? GARY HALLBERG: Yeah, I started out, I guess I hit about a 12-footer on the 1st hole for birdie. I think it was about 12 feet. No. 5 was about a five-foot putt, hit a 9-iron in there. Hit an 8-iron into No. 1, 9-iron on No. 5. Let's see, 7 was eagled. The first round I made two eagles on the front nine. I've never done that before. I thought, wow, this is going to be some tournament. And then I went on a dry spell for the next 27 holes. Didn't make a putt. Thought, oh, gosh. But anyway, going back to this, I had about a six-foot eagle putt there, 3-wood six feet from the hole. THE MODERATOR: How far was the distance on -- GARY HALLBERG: It was uphill into the wind about 243, so I really caught a good 3-wood. Then 8, I knocked it about four feet with a pitching wedge, made that. No. 9, 6-iron, 20-footer. That was a gift because to make a putt that long, that was very fortunate. And then 11, I got it up-and-down from the right bunker. That was the turning point there. I had a really tough bunker shot, and it was real hard sand, one you can skull over. You've had those before. I made sure I hit down and through it, and it came out nice and made par. Then the next hole I knocked it about four inches away, on 12, with a 52-degree. 8-iron on the next hole about 15 feet. Right there, there was a long delay. We had about a 20- to 25-minute delay. I thought, oh, geez, I've got all this momentum going and now I've got this delay, is this going to screw me up. You're out of your element, you're in this kind of focus, and now I've got to wait all this time. So I came back and hit a good drive and an iron in there and made the putt, so that was great. Then the next hole I missed about a six-foot birdie putt, seven-foot birdie putt, and that one hurt because that was an easy putt. And then the next hole, wedge about six feet, made birdie there. Hit a wedge on 16 about eight feet, made that one. And then 17, you guys, I mean, I'm nervous. You know, 17, I look over, I'm on the top of the leaderboard, I'm 17-under, wind is circling all over, it's 205, water everywhere, great opportunity to just choke right there, just huge. So I got -- my caddie wasn't even up to the tee, and I knew it was a perfect 5-iron, and the wind wasn't blowing much, just starting to come into me a little bit. I ran over, I grabbed the 5-iron out, I said, I'm just going to hit a 5-iron. I aimed on the left edge of the green, and I just made an aggressive swing, and it went up and started cutting at the pin and started going a little right of the pin. I thought it would be 15 feet short of the hole, but then the wind hit it and it hung, and it ended up just on the fringe on the front part of the green there. So that was a really -- to get that ball up there without laying the sod over it or skulling it in the lake or something, that was huge. And then I hit a really good putt up there about two feet, made that. I hit a 3-wood off the tee on 18, went in that bunker before two days ago and made par. So I hit a 3-wood and then a hybrid, and I got up there, and I've been working on this into-the-grain -- what's the grass called, it's the coarse stuff, kikuyu, and this stuff is really coarse. And if you're laying -- if the grain is laying with you, it's a piece of cake. If it's into you, it's the hardest shot. That's when you see people hit them fat or double-chip them. So I've been working on that all week, and Mike is saying you've got to be shallow. I said, you know what, let's just stay away from that shot. I don't like it. What happened on 18? It rolls right exactly into a lie that's dead into the kikuyu grain, the one I just did not want to have. So I kind of stabbed it and it went by about six feet there, and of course made that putt. I made that putt. I still can't -- I made that one. It's unbelievable. I hit a hybrid from about 242, third a 9-iron chip. Q. What was the difference in your game from just a few weeks ago? GARY HALLBERG: Well, big difference. I think to sum it up, I'm now in sync with my swing, where I've been either clearing my hips too fast or going too fast with my hands and thinking positions a lot and all over the place, and Mike has got a great eye to say you're a little ahead of that one or you're a little too late, and it all started coming together and I started hitting the ball great last week, better and better, and my putting, though, has been just not good. The first two rounds I putted -- I thought I putted terrible, and Nicky said, Gary, you could be winning out here if you just started putting, you've got to be a better putter, Nicky Price. And he's had trouble with his putting. Of course he's a great hitter of the ball. He says, you could be doing it. I said, well, thanks, Nick, how am I going to do it? It sounds good, but... So on the putting green he walked up to me and he gave me this little tip. He said, it looks like you're doing this, you're just moving too quick on it. So I worked on that yesterday afternoon and this morning, and I got up on the first putt today, boom, in the hole. And it just kind of -- and I was hitting it good and making the putts. I mean, 61, you guys. How many of you have shot 61? I mean, and on the last round to win by one. I mean, that's just too good to be true for me. And then I get paid money? Money. That's almost as much as you guys make. Q. Now, is this your highest -- GARY HALLBERG: This is an expensive game, and I try and make the money, and I have to make money. I'm working hard, you know, and I've got a family and trying to keep it going, and this is just so huge. Q. Is this the most you've made, even earlier in your pro career? GARY HALLBERG: Money wasn't that -- well, it was good for us, but we made a living back when I was playing mainly. At the end of the year you had nothing left and you'd start over and you'd go, and next year you'd start out a little in debt and you'd go like most people. Until like the '90s guys started making a million dollars. Now all of a sudden they can pay off stuff and now they start putting money away, which to me never really was a -- I never did that well, and so I've worked hard just to get out here. My other options, what is a guy -- a 52 year old do, really? I'm not good at -- I'm not a good electrician, masonry, I've never been good at that. I don't know how to write, so I couldn't be a journalist. Sell cars, right. Well, what can you do? It's kind of scary sometimes, but you go, it's okay, this is what it is right now, I'm going to do the best I can with it. Q. So is this the best round you've ever had, biggest paycheck? GARY HALLBERG: Biggest paycheck, best round, you know, unbelievable. Q. Is this your best round ever? GARY HALLBERG: Yeah, it's the best round, 61. I've shot 61 before, but last round? You think, geez, I'm 52, I've had a good life, I've made it this far, I've fed my family. And then it's almost like, oh, my gosh, I'm still going. It's very, very exciting. Very, very exciting. Q. Now that you've turned over a new leaf in your routine, how is that going to change from this point forward? GARY HALLBERG: Well, I have my own little -- it's kind of like I've got my own little package. I've got long game, sand game, chipping, pitching, putting. You know, you have all these areas in your routine, and you've got to make sure they're all going together. You kind of get them all together at the same time. And then once you have them there, you have to step back and go, I have them there now, let's take advantage of it. Because a lot of times you'll have them there and you don't think you do and you'll go a month and you'll destroy it. But for it to pay off, I'll take this with me and always making adjustments. You know golf, it's a constant adjustment. Tomorrow I'd love it to feel the same way, but the feels will change, and I'll have to make adjustments. Us golfers, we just -- we golf so much, we think about it all the time. I lay down to go to sleep, and what pops into my head? Unfortunately it's golf swings. It's not a pretty sight. Q. Talk a little bit more about working with Mike, because you talked about having lack of confidence. GARY HALLBERG: That's right. He says, you're hitting the ball better than anybody or as good as anybody, Gary, just believe it. He really, this week, last week, on the course he doesn't really say much. He carries a bag. He knows, though, where to be. He's ahead of me all the time. He's a good green reader. He's good talking it out, wind, okay, let's see, he'll tell me how far he thinks it's playing, so if I'm 150 into the wind uphill he'll say, I think it's a 162-yard shot. Okay, a 162-yard shot, instead of into the wind, 150. He's very, very good that way. He works with Juli Inkster and a lot of the ladies and a lot of the pros. It was awesome to have him with me. Q. How did you guys interact differently today than the rest of the week? GARY HALLBERG: Well, we've been concerned about the putting. It's like, we've got to get this putting going, and I kept saying, Mike, I'm 63rd on the Money List. I've got to be at least top 50 or else I've worn out my two-year exemptions. I'm done with that. I've got two, three -- I had to finish top 10 this week to get in Administaff in two weeks or else I'm not in that one, so I really only have one or two left, so I had to make $70,000 or $80,000 to even have a chance for top 50 next year. So in my mind I'm thinking, okay, yeah, I guess I could sell insurance. I'm looking at all my options, and I'm writing them down and kind of planning them a little bit. Mike is like, stop that; come on, man. He says, let's get through the next three or four weeks, then you can pull your pencil out and do that. So he kept focusing me, come on, stop that. But you've got a family and kids, a daughter in college, I've got all these things going on, I've got a lot of expenses. I'm thinking, God, I'm a responsible guy, I've got to make money. We've got to make money, guys, right? You hate to say it, but -- so you know, it's just amazing, you know, that this worked out like this. Q. Where does she go to school? GARY HALLBERG: In Chicago. Q. When you came in at 18-under did you think that was going to hold up or were you really preparing for a playoff? GARY HALLBERG: I'm thinking 18 -- Freddie is 14. You come in, and someone goes, Freddie birdied 14, 15 and 16. Oh, you've got to be kidding me, with a par-5 coming up. He'll eagle it I'm sure. But I was okay with it. I thought, golly, second place? That still puts me over the top. I'm in. So second, awesome. First, I don't even -- that would be great. So when Freddie missed that putt -- it was rolling towards the hole, and it was just like Morris' putt, same line, and it looked the same, and it was there. My son plays junior tournaments, and I follow him and I walk. One thing in that impression that I got from walking is the ball is rolling and it hasn't disappeared. I looked at the person, it's still there. They go, yeah, he missed the putt. Oh, I'm sorry. You know what I mean? So it's a different perspective when you're on the side. So when he hit that putt and it was still there, it was like, oh, my God. Q. I saw his pitch shot -- GARY HALLBERG: That was a hard shot. I knew that was just -- he would have to make a six-, ten-footer. Wow, you guys. It's pretty amazing to be here. I don't even own a car. My wife has got a car, my daughter has got a car. I rent when I go home. My son is like, dad, you've got to buy a car. I was like, well, I don't need a car. We can't quite afford me to get a car. You have a car, everybody has a car to get around. I'll just rent when I come home. You drive me. Q. When did Nick give you that putting tip? GARY HALLBERG: After the round yesterday. You know, a guy told me one time, an old coach, and he was serious. He coached football, a big-time football player, he says, if something works for you, don't tell anybody. Don't tell your wife, because it'll lose its power. All you need is for that person to go, oh, yeah, I tried that. It worked for like a week and it went out the window. Q. Mike said something about just lower body. GARY HALLBERG: You know, I was moving around a lot on my putts. I tried to be more quiet, more quiet. You know putting; you know, we all stay still on it, and I just tried to stay more still. Q. You talked about getting into this event -- GARY HALLBERG: Yeah, it's the hardest Tour to be on. Hard to get on. You go to the qualifying tournament, the names, you can't even believe it. There's so few of us players. So I was like first alternate or I was in, but I knew there would be four or five withdrawals so I was pretty confident I'd get in. But I wasn't sure, so I called Jim and left him a message. You hate to make this call, too: Hi, Jim, it's Gary Hallberg. Do you think if there's a chance and I need a spot, can you consider me? I'll do whatever, I'll play the pro-ams, I'll shine your shoes. I'm a good shoe shiner, too. Q. That wasn't on your list, though, of things to do as a career? GARY HALLBERG: You know, you beg, you do whatever. When you have kids and a family, you do a little more than you need to do. You beg if you need a spot, please, let me in. Without that, you're like, whatever. But I'm really happy that I did get in. And to take advantage of it is just -- I didn't play that well here the last couple years. I don't know what I finished, but I couldn't quite get it. And putting, I didn't putt real well, but wow, you know, beat Freddie Couples, last hole. Q. On his birthday. GARY HALLBERG: Was it? Q. Yeah. GARY HALLBERG: But you know, Mike kept saying to me, don't be such a nice guy all the time. I say a nice guy, but believe in yourself, get tough out there, beat these guys, you can do it. I'm like, I'll get tough. He wanted me to get tougher. You've got to be tougher. You've got to get out there, you've got to get after it. Those guys are tough. You know, when I say tough, golfers. I mean, how tough can you be, right? But I'll tell you, when you look out there and all that trouble is there and your whole future is on the line and there's water and the wind is blowing and there's white stakes and you keep peeking at them over there and your eyes are going like this and you're trying to focus on where you're going, you've got to be tough to go that way, and that's the difference between the great ones and the good ones and the guys that aren't making it. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|