|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
BOB HOPE CLASSICJanuary 18, 2011Charley HoffmanLA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA MARK STEVENS: We would like to welcome Charley Hoffman past champion of the Bob Hope. Glad to have you back. Start off -- CHARLEY HOFFMAN: These are weird chairs, aren't they. MARK STEVENS: Yeah, they are. Just make some comments about what this tournament means to you and obviously it was your first win and just kind of talk about your year last year also. CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Yeah, the Hope means a lot to me. Growing up in San Diego obviously the Farmers is probably the most important tournament to me, but besides that the Bob Hope was always the one you watched on TV. Never really made it over here. But always knew the desert was close. And obviously getting my first win, what, about five years ago now, my second year on TOUR, sort of validated me being on TOUR and what I can do out here. And then a couple more years in between wins, unfortunately, and then last year broke through with an event in the playoffs, the FedExCup, which was really good. I guess I won early and then sort of lack luster there in between, but it was nice to get another W in a big time playoff event as well. MARK STEVENS: Questions? Q. Does the end of one season hopefully mean a good start to the next season for you? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Well usually for me that does, because we start on the west coast and I'm familiar with all these golf course, grew up playing all these golf course, so usually I get out off to a halfway decent start. Last year I didn't, I was injured in the beginning of the year with a wrist injury, so I don't know that means you're going to get off to a good start, but you look at the first two winners, it sort of means that, they sort of finished the year pretty good. Mark Wilson played good at Disney, Jonathan Byrd played good at Vegas, obviously, so if you look at it this year I guess it definitely does. Q. What's are most vivid memory of that win here those three years ago, wasn't it? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Yeah, four. No, it was, this is my sixth year on TOUR, so it's been four years ago. My most, I guess, vivid memory was making the eagle putt in regulation getting, it to where I was in control. I think I was a group in front of Justin and John Rollins and making the -- I birdied 17 and eagled 18. So I wouldn't say came of nowhere real fast, but that's sort of what I remember. And obviously just withstanding all the winds out there at the Classic Club was the other memory I have here. And obviously George Lopez just being a great host for me when he was hosting the event back then, those are my memories out here in the desert. Q. Are you using one of the new Titleist balls? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I am not. Q. Using the 07 or what? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I'm actually using a 07. I use the softest ball that Titleist has. Q. The Pro V-1? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: It's a Pro V-1 07, it's a black Pro V-1 07. I'm a guy that I guess that I don't really need as much distance as the X ball or harder ball, so I enjoy the softer balls. So that's why I use the 07 golf ball. Q. (By Bubba Watson) what kind of hair products do you use? (Laughter.) CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Whatever, you know, whatever the wife buys, it usually works pretty good. Q. (By Bubba Watson) that's the same as I do, so that's perfect. CHARLEY HOFFMAN: So you're on the right page. That's the Charlie Charley Hoffman starter kit right there. Q. Can you talk about the job that Larry Thiel has done here and obviously much was made last year about the highest ranked player in the world being Mike Weir when he was 37. I think he's got three of the top-33 and now I think five of the top-50 or so. I guess can you talk about what he's done and do you think this tournament is kind of getting back to progressing, if you will? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I really don't know what he's done, but whatever he has done it's a great thing. The Bob Hope has always been one of the best events. Back to the memories of watching on TV, watching the Presidents play, watching the great golfers play, but I think that one of the reasons for that is the Hope's sort of getting back to the traditional golf courses again. We play two here at PGA West, and La Quinta is a great course, and then we got SilverRock. I've always said that I enjoy playing, like if it was up to me, we would play all four golf courses right here at PGA West, I don't think a better recipe could be than that, everybody comes to one spot and then sort of go from there. And I think you get the whole community together when you do that, and who knows, I'm not a tournament director or anything, but I think they're getting back to the old style that was the Bob Hope where all the courses in the valley were close together and easy to get to. Q. You won here, but what keeps bringing you back? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: What keeps bringing me back? I enjoy it. I don't think there's any other better place to start your year. I guess I went over to Hawaii, that's sort of a bonus to go over there for the Kapalua event, so I go over there. If it was up to me I probably wouldn't start the year there in Hawaii, I haven't played Sony since my rookie year, it didn't fit my game and fit how I wanted to start the year. You get four rounds of golf, usually in good weather, except last year, good practice facilities, I wouldn't say easy golf courses that's the wrong word, but friendly golf courses, you're going to make a lot of birdies, get some confidence going. You can get away with a few bad shots here or there. So it's sort of a place I would say to tune your game. And I think that the best place to start your year would be here in Palm Springs for sure, La Quinta, whatever. Q. We're okay with Palm Springs. (Laughter.) You would seem to have the personality that wouldn't get ruffled by the amateurs. CHARLEY HOFFMAN: No, I enjoy it. I don't know what it is, but if you look at my resume throughout the years I've played pretty good at the Hope, when Vegas was a pro-am I played pretty good there, AT&T I've played halfway decent. I enjoy it. You get to know a bunch of new guys and I sort of take it for that. Obviously the pace of play is a little slower than most weeks, but you know that going in and for some reason it hasn't bothered me and actually I've excelled during the pro-am formats. Q. Why do you think that is? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I guess because I just know what to expect going into it and I enjoy meeting new people even on Wednesday when we play pro-ams I enjoy doing it those days. And I enjoy doing it now. And I think it's a lost art out here on the TOUR, the TOUR's sort of lost all it's pro-am tournaments now days because guys, well, they I think the TOUR hears the feedback, I don't want to play the pro-am format, it's too much burden on me in the week and all that stuff. But I think a lot of guys forget that the TOUR started because of pro-am and the Bing Crosby and you got the Hope and you got all those old tournaments that that's the PGA TOUR name started there. And I think we got away from that unfortunately and hopefully we can get back. Q. Do you recycle? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I do recycle. I wouldn't say I recycle everything, unfortunately, because -- and I've said this to the TOUR before and I say it a lot, we go to a tee box they have a cooler full of bottled water, but they don't have a recycle bin, where do they expect us to put that bottle of water? So I recycle as much as I can and I try to erase my footprint as much as I can or leave it as minimal as I can and it's definitely, Waste Management, ever since I signed on with them, which was about three and a half, four years ago, it's made an impact on my life just by them opening up my eyes and what you can do for the environment by just recycling and reusing and just being a better person, being aware. It's pretty easy nowadays with all the recycling bins that they do have, but I know the PGA TOUR's getting better and everybody's getting better along with that. Q. How many tournaments are you hoping to hit this year? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I'm going to stay pretty busy. I'm going to play every tournament from here to Match Play, hopefully I'll be in Match Play, so that's about six in a row. And then I'm not going to play much in Florida. And then get ready for the Masters, play Houston before the Masters and then play the Masters and sort of reassess from there. I'm going to play a pretty heavy schedule, I've always played a pretty heavy schedule in the past, usually from 28 to, 27, 28 events. Maybe, might go up to 29 or something like that this year, because I'm in all the Majors. But I plan to play a lot and I like playing a lot. I just have a new daughter eight and a half nine weeks ago, so that might take, ask me a few months from now, it might be a little different, but my plan right now is to play a lot. Q. When you start this early in the year is there a certain goal you set for your self for the season? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: My goals in the season, early it is, this week is sort of a warm-up, hopefully get a good solid finish and then San Diego is sort of my west coast Major, I grew up there, watching golf there, going to the tournament, and that's a tournament I really want to do well in. And then sort of play good through the west coast and then get ready for Augusta and compete in all the Majors, that's what, I mean this is the first time I'll be able to plan out my Major schedule and compete for major championships, that's what your career is based off of, wins in Majors, and that's my plan this year, which is a little different from last year. Q. What's your daughter's name and can you talk about that experience and what it's been like for you? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Claire JoAnn Hoffman. It's been the best. I mean, we got lucky, born November 10th and so it's right at the right in the off season I got to spend the last couple months with her and it's the best experience ever. I mean everybody says it when it happens and everything that everybody says is true. It's awesome. It doesn't get any better. Q. First child? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: First child. Q. I guess the most rewarding thing about being a parent these last nine weeks, was that something that you have done that you didn't think you would do? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I said this, you just sort of react. You're a parent and you do whatever the daughter needs or I mean you, obviously patience, sometimes you can't do anything when they're crying, but I've just learned that it's not about me and my wife anymore it's about our daughter and what we can do for her to give her a better life and that's just sort of how we go and handle the whole situation. Q. Do you want her to play golf? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: If she wants to play golf, she can play golf. I'm not going to force her to do anything. My parents never forced me to do anything and obviously we'll instill good ethics and hopefully go to college and whatever she does after that I guess is sort of out of our control. Q. Are you changing diapers and all that stuff? CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I am changing diapers, not as many as my wife but have I changed a few. (Laughter.) 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
|