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U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 28, 2011Steve SchaffTOLEDO, OHIO Q. What were your impressions on the day? STEVE SCHAFF: Well, it was exciting. Just walking up to the first tee, knowing I was going to play with John Cook, one of my favorite swingers of the golf club, and Peter Jacobsen, one of the greatest ambassadors of golf I know, then with all my friends and family from Toledo, I really had a hard time composing myself initially. It was overwhelming. Q. Did you seem to get too excited out there at times? STEVE SCHAFF: Well, it's not too excited out there as far as performance goes. I just wasn't feeling well. I think the excitement was early and hitting too many balls in preparation. Because I don't do this. I don't play a lot of golf. I very seldom actually walk on a golf course. Typically it's hop in a cart with the guys when I get a chance to play. Walking in this kind of environment with the nature of this golf course is very, very demanding, physically and mentally. Q. You've had those health issues. How did you hold up from that aspect today? STEVE SCHAFF: Not too bad aerobically, but without going into the medical issues, I was hurting today. I do have a lower inguinal hernia, and that flared up and that was very difficult so I had some pain. But it's not an excuse. It's just something you live with. I imagine all these seniors if you ask them what are some of the nit-picky little injuries and issues that they have, they all have something that they're having to overcome to play at this level. Q. Did you get a sense the galleries knew your story or were behind you throughout the day? STEVE SCHAFF: Because they're local, they certainly did. Dave Hackenberg wrote some beautiful words on my behalf and my family's behalf. I do have deep relationships with the people here. I've worked for them. I've served them. I've been a caddie, a bag room boy, an assistant golf professional. There are a lot of people here that I really love, so there was an outpouring. I have friends from high school, class of '75. We had a class reunion last year, and I have friends who have flown up from New Mexico, Chicago, to see me play and enjoy. Even my pastor flew up today from Gainesville, Florida. This is special stuff. Q. You talked about this being your dream or at least part of it and now it's reality. STEVE SCHAFF: I'm just right in the middle of it. And it's not about what. It's not about what. It's not about the money clip, and the bag tag, and the beautiful Lexus they gave me. It's really about the who's. It's about who I get to see again, who I get to encounter. And there are people here in Toledo who I haven't yet to see, and I love. But it's about the who, not about the what. Q. I know you got some of the emotions out of the way. Is tomorrow going to be more of a golf type day? STEVE SCHAFF: I really wanted to settle in to just pure golf. But I was just a little distracted, I guess, just from not feeling really well. I was trying to muster as much momentary energy as I could for each shot and such. And let's face it, I really don't play a whole lot. So you get in these conditions with these greens, the rough, and the three bogies I made on the front nine had everything to do with the fact that I hit it in the big primary rough. And you have no chance. I mean, it's waxy and tough. I was listening to Bruce Lietzke earlier in the locker room when I showed up to the golf course, and he just said if he didn't hit it on the fairway -- and he got hurt. He told me it hurt him to try to hit it out of there. It's tough out there. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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