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RENO-TAHOE OPEN

August 3, 2011

Scott McCarron

RENO, NEVADA

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome our host this week, Scott McCarron, into the interview room here at the Reno-Tahoe Open. Scott, I know this is a busy week for you, but a fun week also.
Talk your thoughts coming into the week. You've obviously played well here in the past. Maybe a few thoughts about your game, and then we'll open it up.
SCOTT McCARRON: It's a great week for me. Last year was the first time being the official host. Um, a lot activities, very busy, but I handle it really well. I played pretty good golf all the way until about nine holes to go. Unfortunately just wasn't my week, but had a great time.
This yeah seems to be going a lot smoother. I'm having a lot of fun this week. Jana Smoley and all the volunteers and everybody that's working for her has just done a tremendous job.
The golf course itself, honestly it's in the best shape I've ever seen it. It's just amazing. It just seems like this golf tournament has so much more energy now, and it's just been gaining and gaining.
I think we've got the best field we've ever had here. We've got so many major winners, so many former PGA winners. A lot of great young players are coming to play, and I'm happy as you can be to be hosting.
THE MODERATOR: Scott, I know you've played a lot golf here at Montreux. Just thoughts on switching the nines and how you think that'll affect the tournament.
SCOTT McCARRON: We have been wanting to switch the nines for a long time. Just weren't quite sure how we were going to get the galleries logistically up to the top and walking down.
I think now coming down 18, looking at how beautiful that is with the lake and the grandstands behind there and how well it's going to show on TV.
And 17 is probably one of the hardest par-4s we'll play on TOUR all year. It's one of the toughest driving holes. And then you even have a short iron there, an 8-iron to a wedge, and it's probably one of the second shot -- hardest second shots we'll play on TOUR all year. I mean, it really is.
Then you got 18, which is a par-5 that will be reachable. You're gonna see guys making 3s and guys making 7. So you could have a guy that's four or five back with three holes to go that can win by two. Unfortunately, you'll probably see some train wrecks coming down there. Hopefully I won't be one of 'em.
But you'll see a lot lead changes and the whole bit with three holes to go. I think it's absolutely fantastic.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. What's the status of your game? How are you playing right now?
SCOTT McCARRON: Yeah, I'm actually playing pretty good. I had a good finish up in Canada. I finished 17th. I was in about 7th or 8th place with nine holes to go, so kind of in the mix.
I've been -- you know, this year has been tough. I had a little elbow injury that I was fighting through. Took three, four weeks off. Had a little PRP injection, which seemed to help quite a bit. The last month I'm feeling pretty good, and now I'm starting to get in tournaments.
Being in my category, 126-150, I've played one week, have two weeks off. It's been tough to kind of get on any roll. Lately I've been playing a lot of tournaments, but missing a few cuts by a shot. I missed a cut in Jackson; three-putted 18, but a shot. Last week Greenbrier bogeyed 17 and missed by a shot.
But I've been playing pretty good. I'm really close. I'm happy to be here at Montreux, a place I am so familiar with. I've had a lot great memories here. I've played some good golf here.
For me, it's just so much fun to play in front of friends and family. It just seems like the whole community is behind this tournament now.

Q. What prompted the change of nines? Is it something you guys...
SCOTT McCARRON: We've been talking about changing the nines for a long time. The 9th hole now, which was our old 18th, for a TOUR player is not that much of a hole: driver and a wedge. So you're not going to see many things happen there. We thought that the finishing hole at 18 is going to be a lot better.
But just coming down there, 16, 17, 18, it's just going to be absolutely fantastic. So I think the switching of the nines is really going to help this tournament and make it more exciting.
I don't know if you guys noticed, but if you're in the grandstands there with binoculars you can actually look all the way back up the 18th. It's 650 yards from that grandstand or something like that, but you can actually see the 18th tee from all the way back there. The people in the grandstands will be able to see the entire hole, which I think is fantastic.

Q. So put us in your shoes there. You're coming down the stretch on Sunday. Give me a couple scenarios. You're up by a stroke, you're down by a stroke. What are you thinking? How are you going to decide how to play? Where do you hit and what are your options?
SCOTT McCARRON: Coming down the last three holes?

Q. The last hole.
SCOTT McCARRON: The last hole. Well, you know, being a member here for ten or eleven years now, when I come out here with my buddies it's just blast driver, get it down there, and knock it on the green.
So if I'm somewhere near the lead, I'm probably going to do the same thing. If someone has a couple shot lead, I think you should probably play it as a three-shot hole. You could iron off the tee, hit another iron, and wedge it on there.
But if you've got to make eagle or something like that, guys are going to be forced to hit driver, and then they're going to be forced to get something in that narrow little landing area and land it five yards short of the green and run it on.
Jack Nicklaus did a great job when he designed the hole that you can actually play the ball 5 to 10 yards short of that green, and it's angled just perfectly and runs up on the green. But if you miss that green anywhere, especially left, very difficult up and down. And if you miss it right you're in the water. So I think it's great second shot par-5.
But most guys, almost everybody out here, as long as there is no wind into, will be able to reach that green in two after a good drive.

Q. What were some of the challenges of the course layout today?
SCOTT McCARRON: Well, the challenges here at Montreux, really the greens. I think the greens are some of the most difficult greens to read on the TOUR. If you miss one, very difficult to get up and down. We've got that thick kind of like a Kentucky Bluegrass, really thick blades, and hard to judge how it's gonna react out of there.
The greens right now are very fast and very difficult to read. I think out of all the golf courses we'll play, this is probably the hardest greens to read. It's an advantage if you've played here a lot. So I think those are the biggest challenges. We didn't have much wind today, but it can be very difficult for picking the right club.
Great question, by the way.

Q. In what ways has the game of golf changed since you turned pro?
SCOTT McCARRON: For me? Well, definitely the players now have gotten better, so I've had to try every year to try to get better. The athletes that we're getting to play golf now are bigger, stronger, faster, they've got better instruction. I think video has done a tremendous job helping guys fix their swing faults.
Everybody seems to be traveling with sports psychologists and nutritionists and workout guys. They're all in better shape.
So for me, I've had to try to elevate my game to try and keep up. 46 years old, and I'm playing against 22, 23, 24 year old kids. Every year I'm trying to figure out things to get better so I can keep up with these guys.

Q. Last year you talked about recruiting Stuart Appleby to come here. Had Justin Leonard already decided to play?
SCOTT McCARRON: He had not. He was talking about coming here, and he thought he was in the other tournament. Found out kind of last minute that he wasn't.
At that point, we kind of reached out to him to come here. I'm so happy that he came here. I mean, to have a guy of his status, a major winner, 12-time winner on the PGA Tour, really is a feather in the cap for the Reno-Tahoe Open. Really is.

Q. Anyone else new here that you talked to that's coming in?
SCOTT McCARRON: Well, we've got a lot guys that we've talked to come in here and play. Having Steve Elkington come back here, he's got a couple more years left, is fantastic. Having Ben Curtis, we've got major winners Ben Curtis; Rich Beem loves playing here; Rocco has come back here. He's missed here a couple times.
Having guys like that, it's really good for this tournament. We've got a lot of good young players here. Bryce Molder is a great player. Got a young kid who we gave a spot to, Bud Cauley, who has just been playing some tremendous golf.
It's nice to see some of these young guys, the up and comers that are going to be future stars of the PGA Tour playing here.

Q. I think every year you go out and do some recruiting, whoever the tournament director is does that. What's different this year? What made it work this year to get so many guys? Last year was not the greatest field in the world. This year, possibly the best you've ever had.
SCOTT McCARRON: It's the best field we've ever had. There's no question. I think this field rivals many TOUR events out there. It really does. I mean, you look at this field, from top to bottom there's just a lot of great players.
I think the word has just been getting around more and more of how great the golf course is, how great the area is, how much fun the players have when they come here. I think honestly, Jana has done a tremendous job. She's been going out there to tournaments, recruiting players, walking down the ranges, talking to guys.
It's very difficult to say no to Jana. She's just a go-getter, and she's done a tremendous job coming out there and recruiting. You know, hats off to her. She's made my job as the host going out there talking to guys very easy. When I go out there, she's already talked to Jana has already talked to 'em and already convinced them to play. So she's really done a tremendous job.
And to have some of my buddies come here and play really means a lot to me. And being the host of this tournament, there's really no better feeling. When you get to a point in your career to actually be able to host a PGA TOUR event is really something special.

Q. Do you think this will help this year maybe in the hunt for the title or presenting sponsor?
SCOTT McCARRON: Well, I hope so. Anybody that's out there looking to possibly sponsor a TOUR event, just look at this field, look at the weather we're gonna have this week, look at the golf course, look how it's gonna show on TV, look what you could do bringing your customers here.
I can't think of a better place for a title sponsor to come in here and really do a tremendous job. We've got everything in place. We just need that title sponsor.

Q. Talking to Lee Janzen yesterday, he mentioned that from way back he's heard guys say this should be its own week event. I heard that maybe a little bit here and there, but he said this is out on the tour. People say that all the time.
SCOTT McCARRON: It's amazing. 13 years now we've been saying it as TOUR players forever. When we see Tim Finchem and Andy Pazder, we say, You know what? This tournament can actually have its own date. It's got everything you need to support it. We need the community support. We need as many people out here giving us support. We need as many fans as possible to come out here.
I think having the Renegades, which has just been started here last year, is going to be a tremendous community support for this tournament. But as far as players are concerned, this could have its own date tomorrow.

Q. I've heard the course played a little soft. Maybe it's the long winter we had; maybe it's the rain over the weekend. Do you expect that to stick around for the next four days?
SCOTT McCARRON: Yeah, it always plays a little bit soft in the fairways. We've got a little bit of a thatch problem here; we always have. So you've got to keep it a little bit watered or you'll burn up the fairways.
I think it will get a little bit drier as the week goes on because we won't have to water quite as much. You're already starting to see the ball bounce a little bit more down the fairways.
Soft is not that big of a deal. Soft makes it play a little bit longer. Jack Nicklaus built this golf course very wide fairways. It's not like hitting it straight is premium here; hitting it far is.
So having it soft a little bit actually makes it play a little bit longer. I don't mind it being soft.

Q. Anything different about the course this year, the way they're growing the rough, the greens, anything?
SCOTT McCARRON: You know, the greens actually look better than they've ever looked. The poana has been creeping in quite a bot over the years. We've kind of been in that transition area where it's been a little spotty.
Whatever they have done, the poana is not budding up like it normally does, the kind of white flowery at the end of the day. There's some stuff you can put on the greens, and I think they have finally done that, because the greens are as smooth and as fast as I have ever seen them. They really are. They're as good as they were when they were first built.
My hats off to Doug and all the boys that take care of this golf course, because it's in great shape.

Q. I'm doing something on John Daly. He looks like he's found a happy place for him. Do guys on tour root for him?
SCOTT McCARRON: Oh, sure.

Q. Do you root for him? What are your thoughts about seeing John Daly in the top 10 again?
SCOTT McCARRON: I think it's great. The fans love John Daly. And as far as players, we love John Daly playing good golf, doing all the right things. He seems to be right on the right path right now, so great to have John Daly here.
He's a huge draw. You know, big, high ball hitter, so he certainly has a chance here. He played well up in Canada, and that was a golf course that I wouldn't think he would play well at. He played beautifully.
Very tight, a lot of rough, and John played very conservative golf and played within himself. I think he's going to have a good week this week.
THE MODERATOR: All right, Scott, thanks for your time. Oh, one more.

Q. John is known as such a long ball hitter, hits a high long one. But talk about his short game, his hands a little bit. There are some guys that think he's got the best hands out here.
SCOTT McCARRON: Well, I think he did. When he first game out on TOUR he was phenomenal around the greens with his short game, chipping, putting, wedges. I think that left him pretty big here over the last few years. That was something that was always his strength.
Seems like he's starting to get that back, which is fantastic. But he does have wonderful touch around the greens. It's good to see him starting to play some good golf. I know he's had many tough years, but he's always been real positive around the locker room, positive with the guys, and so it's great to see him back playing good golf.

Q. Last one. John likes to Tweet on a daily basis. Are you doing any of that?
SCOTT McCARRON: What what's? (Laughing.)

Q. That answers that.
SCOTT McCARRON: I do actually. We Tweet and we've got Facebook and we've got a website, ScottMcCarron.com. You can go on, and we do a blog every week, where I am, what I'm working on. We have pictures and videos, and so we're starting to get into the computer age, dabbling in it.
It's actually been a lot fun for me. My wife and my daughter are teaching me a lot about how to do that stuff.

Q. Scott McCarron Tweets. There's the headline.
SCOTT McCARRON: I'll Tweet something about you tonight.
THE MODERATOR: Anything else? Thanks, Scott.
SCOTT McCARRON: Thanks, guys.

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