U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 11, 1996

Javier Sanchez

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I am going to try. I am kind of nervous up here in front of all these people, but I guess I got to get used to it.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: Yeah. I was born and raised in Mexico. I grew up in the mountains south of Mexico City, and at the age of 17 years old my uncle had already lived in California, came and visited us and asked my parents, asked me to come to the states, great country. And we talked it over with my parents and, you know, it was a big decision because there are ten kids in my family, and it is kind of hard to break away the family, you know. We grew up together all the time and it was a tough decision to make and finally, decided to let me come to the states, and it was pretty scary. Not knowing where I am going and very little money, just enough to get across the border and not knowing a single word of English, so it was pretty scary thing for me to do, but I was eager to come to the states. So we came to Tijuana. They picked me up there and we met this guy that kind of sort of looked like me. We paid him $50 to borrow his green card and that is how I got across the border. They put me in a hotel room just across the border and they drove back to Tijuana to return the green card and they told me you stay here in this room. Don't open the windows; don't open the door. You just stay right here. Okay, there is a TV. Watch TV. All right. So I sit there and never seen a TV before in my life. Didn't know how to turn the thing on or search for a channel. I just sat there for about a day waiting for them to come back. I am sure they went back and have a few beers before they pick me up, but I was very scared. e came to Redwood City where they live right now and I was there for a couple of weeks. I finally got a job in a restaurant washing the dishes, and I worked for like a month. And then later on my aunt worked at the Holiday Inn, which she got me another job there; so I worked two jobs. I went to work at the Holiday Inn at 8 o'clock, get off at 5, went to the restaurant at 6, come home about midnight and then go to work the next day I didn't know how to take the bus home, so I walked like six or seven miles every night at one o'clock in the morning to get home. So I told my uncle I thought this was a great thing to do that you get the sweep the money on the streets, but it was good. I learned a lot, and you know, thank God that he give me the ability that I have to -- later on, you know, I got a different job, a better job, you know, a restaurant, but more pay and I was a cook. So I graduated from being a dishwasher to a cook, and it was -- I was working for the Harry's Hopbrau (ph). They have a chain of restaurants out in California. And the owner to cover the restaurant at the Palo Alto golf course, they have a kitchen there and he sent me to work there, and I was there for about two months. I was already 21 years old, so I have been in the country for, you know, five, six years. I was there for about two months working, then he came up to me one day and said, "why don't you start playing golf now that you work here on the golf course?" I said "well, I don't know anything about golf; never seen a golf course in my life before." And he said, well, you know, "there is a golf course --" I see these people out there walking and beautiful green grass out there, it looked nice, you know. I grew up in the mountains, you know, and I wanted to be out there. It was real nice. So I went in the pro shop and I asked one of the fellows working in the shop, I said "I want to learn how to play golf." He said, okay, so he put a golf bag, clubs -- I still remember there was K-28 Wilsons, very old golf clubs, a putter, a dozen balls, tees and in a big old bag. He said "here, $150." So I paid the man and I had a set of clubs that I owned and every morning before I went to work I went to the driving range, not even hitting balls, just there pretending that I was a golfer with golf bag, but not hitting any balls but just watching, watching other people swing and trying to, you know, pick up some pointers not asking anything because I was scared. I still couldn't really communicate with my English, but I learned, you know, older gentleman there, Johnny Perez, who already passed away; he spoke Spanish. And he started teaching me how to hit the ball and I start hitting the ball and hitting it up in the air. All of a sudden, I was just hooked. It was a great, great thing for me to do. And every morning, before I went to work, I hit balls. After I got home from work, I hit balls, and they were amazed that I picked it up very quick. After that, I got a job out on the golf course cutting the grass. The guys, they work on the crew, they come in for sandwiches, and I sit with them with a sandwich. And they say, "Javier, they have an opening out here in the golf course. Why don't you apply for the job?" So I did, and they hired me right away. And I started working out on the grounds crew cutting the glass, and it was a piece of cake for me because I am used to working very hard, and just sitting on a little mower was like playing out on the grounds. It was just nice. But you know, the superintendent there, he -- assistant superintendent, very nice people, they really took to like me and they teach me everything and I wanted to learn, because any time I do something, I want to learn more about it. I was going to seminars and learning about the grass and irrigation and everything, and I worked very hard and they give me the best jobs out there. Later on I went to school, college at night, to learn how to speak English, a little bit more and take some courses and to learn more about the golf courses. Later on the coach from Canada College, he hear about me that I was playing golf. Actually, before that, a teaching pro from Stanford that used to teach there, Hank Pollacks (ph), he came up to me and said I want to give you some lessons. So I went to him and gave me a few lessons and took pictures and says this is how you are supposed to swing and this is the plane and this is the follow-through. And I really didn't know anything about it; okay, okay. Didn't understand all the mention about follow-through and the plane of the club. But later on, he invited me to play there in a tournament. It was about a year, a little bit over a year from when I start playing golf and he says, "Javier, there is a golf course superintendent's association Pro Am and I'd like for you to come and play." I said, "well, I don't know anything about tournaments." He said, "you just come and play with us. We will give you an 18 handicap. " "What is handicap?" Well, you know, strokes you get according to whatever you shoot. So I didn't establish handicap; they gave me 18. But I went to the tournament and I was very nervous, you know. I was a nervous wreck, and ended up playing and winning the tournament. I shot a 77 first time. I broke 80.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: Yeah, right. (LAUGHTER) So I was happy. They had a nice dinner after and we went to the dinner and a lot of the players, you know, from the other teams, they come up to me and say, hey sand-bagger, there is the sand-bagger. I said "thank you, thank you." I thought it was a compliment, because, you know, I shot good. (LAUGHTER) Later on I said, "Hank, what does sand-bagger mean?" He says, "oh, you know, it is when somebody lies about his handicap" or, you know, something like that. I said "oh, my God. I was thanking these guys for calling me sand-bagger," but it was great. After that they give me a trophy, a $90 gift certificate. And I was just like, man, I was ecstatic. I went home and even practiced even harder after that. And like I said, the coach from Canada College, where I was taking classes at night, you know, hear about me and he came to me in 1988 or something like that and -- '87 -- I believe he came up to me and said "my name is Jerry Dribber (ph). I hear you play some pretty good golf. I'd like to invite you to try on my golf team." I said "well, you know, I am working full-time here and I don't know if I can do it." He says "I am going to talk to your boss, if we can rearrange your schedule where you can play for the team." So we did and we arranged my schedule. I went to try out golf team at Mendel (ph) Country Club which is very, you know, private club, and that is our home course. I went out and tried out. I shot a 66, and the coach was pretty impressed. He was, like, you have to play on our team. So I did, and the first year we won the state. We won the Northern California Conference, and I won the State Medals Championship, and it was a great year. I think it was the first time the college had won the tournament, the state tournament. And the second year we didn't do so hot, but we still won the Northern California Conference I think, 52 or 53 in the state. But it was a good two years of playing for me.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I think the first day when I picked up the club. Just kidding. After I played the two years on the golf team in '88, '89 I played some good golf in California. I was like -- I was ranked third as an amateur in northern California. I won the Palo Alto City Championship, the Mountain View Championship, Davis City Championship. I was runner-up, big tournament in San Francisco, qualified for two NIKE events as an amateur. I qualified for U.S. Public Links, qualified for the U.S. Mid-amateur, and my friends started to encourage me to turn pro. In 1990, amateur tournaments, you can -- all you can get is $500 gift certificate. Well, I had golf balls. I had clubs, everything that I need. All I needed was cash, so I decided to turn pro. And my first, actually, four tournaments that I played professional, there is a mini-tour out there called Golden State Golf Tour. I finished second on the first three events. I got invited to play in a tournament in Mexico, first time I played as a professional. And the Mexican PGA puts up this tournament. I finished second there. Tied for the first and lost in the playoff to Raphael Lapcont (ph). You know, I thought it was pretty good.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: Not very much. I think like 4, $5,000, but it was a lot of money for me.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: Biggest paycheck I got so far was $6,000. Few years ago I tied for the first in one of those TC Tours, events that I was playing in Florida. We tied for the first and she was caddying for me, actually. We shot 17 under par and we had a 5th hole playoff and finally I lost on the fifth hole.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: You are supposed to ask me this not on the microphone. (LAUGHTER)

JAVIER SANCHEZ: Yes. I grew up playing soccer, you know. In Mexico, that is what we play. I play basketball, and volleyball pretty much. I never played baseball. I never have, but I tried, but I miss the ball all the time. I am a U.S. citizen now, to answer your question.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: It is never easy because, as you know, there is like five or 6,000 people trying to qualify and you only have one round the first stage and you got to play golf. This year was kind of easy. I didn't expect to really qualify this year because three years in a row was, you know, pretty good and my wife is saying "Javier, what are our chances to qualify for this tournament?" I said "Well, honey, I haven't played much this year, but I am hitting the ball good. Let us just go out and see what happens." I shot 66 on the first qualifying stage. The second stage, you know, it gets even tougher because it is only 34 people for three spots and it is 36 holes in the same day. And we played the golf course where they play the NIKE Tour Championships. It is a very, very difficult golf course. I told her if I shoot 2 under, 2 under, I will be very happy. Being the great caddy that I have, she read the putts good. We shot 66 and 72 in the afternoon, which I qualified by five strokes.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: It was very emotional. Very scared, you know, didn't know what to expect out here, and I learned a lot. Everything that I had done, I really earned the hard way, and I really -- I appreciate everything that I do and a lot of my friends that I have. I appreciate, too, what I had done, what I accomplished.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: Yes, I have. I have played Cypress Point, Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill. I played just about all the golf courses over there, Stanford. Great golf courses, very difficult. I met a lot of people in the Bay area, you know, kind of sort of growing up there and learning all my golf there. I was happy to be invited to play in some of those fancy golf courses, the golf course I learned how to play on one of busiest courses in the Bay area - not in the greatest shape, but it was good. Real good, long golf course, windy. It was a test of golf and I think that is where you know, I learned how to play.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: Yes. We played 9 holes Sunday afternoon and two holes yesterday, and very good golf course. Very demanding. The rough is just thick. Fairways are very soft and so it is playing very long. The greens are very undulated. It is going to be tough. If we don't get any more rain, those greens can be pretty difficult.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: My driving, I think I drive the ball pretty straight and then I try to drive it pretty straight. I want to stay away from that rough, but you know, my short game, I think is pretty good and hopefully that will get me through this week.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: It was in 1976, March 1976.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I am 37.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: Yeah, this was junior college level. I mean, there is a lot of young kids and there is a lot of older guys, you know, like me.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: It was, you know, several days, you know, a week or something like that. I waited until almost everybody was gone; then I started doing it because you know, it is kind of embarrassing when you start tapping the ball and doing all this other crazy stuff. I went to L.A. and started doing my own thing and I used to sleep in the back nine before people made the turn coming from the front 9, I used to sleep on the back 9 and get 9 holes in before work.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: Yes, when she first started caddying for me, she knew something about golf. She played golf before, but not very much, not at the level that I was playing, and I took the chance to let her caddy for me and I hit a shot right to the green or left to the green. She goes, "why did you hit the ball over there? The flag is over there." And well, I missed a 3-footer. "You are supposed to be a professional. You can't miss that putt." I said, "okay, honey, okay," but it was -- it is like fun because she didn't know much and I had the patience to take all that and now, you know, we kind of kid each other, if she says that.

CYNTHIA SANCHEZ: Well, you really don't because it is when you have come home, it is golf. So it is not really ever separate. And being a caddy actually helps you because instead of coming home and listening to his view of what happened and how his day was, you already know, so you don't have to listen to him come home and complain about his bad round or you know, describe things that you don't know what he is talking about. Really kind of makes you feel more a part of things instead of being outsider looking in. So it really kind of helps the relationship, I think. You are on a more of an understanding level.

CYNTHIA SANCHEZ: Actually, yeah, it was unexpected but it was on a golf course. A friend of mine, her brother played on the T. C. Jordan Tour. I was out watching him play golf. He was practicing with Javier. It was actually right after the -- was it the first -- the first stage of qualifying for Baltusrol which he qualified and he actually kind of asked me to set him up with one of my friends one day, and it ended up to be me instead. We talked on the phone for a while and our first date actually was Baltusrol. I am a flight attendant and he didn't know it, but I could fly up there for a really cheap and free and as he got in as first alternate Wednesday night, he had nobody there with him. He kept calling me, "I wish you could be here," but you know how you say that to people, but you don't really expect them to pack their bags and come. So finally after the second -- no, the third day, he was like, I wish you could really be here with me. I said, "well, I really can be if you really want me to." His parents didn't speak English so they didn't understand, you know, what the U.S. Open was or anything and I kind of felt sorry that he was there alone and I went up and we kind of have been together ever since. It was weird how it happened. But your question about the Opens and how you approach them differently? The first year without a practice round was really hard for him, the speed of the greens was the hardest thing. Oakmont, the second year when we made it all the way it was kind of overwhelming because you get here at the beginning of the week and everything is perfect and everything is on a grand scale and if you don't have PGA TOUR experience and you come from playing mini-tours where there is no one out there watching you play, it is kind of overwhelming and he plays well in front of an audience, but the whole scope of the thing was just kind of there. Last year we fully expected to make the cut. We were there prepared. Problem was we didn't go 'til Monday afternoon. By the time we got out to Long Island and get settle in and then it rained and we just weren't comfortable at the golf course. It kind of ate us up in the rough. And this year, you know, we feel comfortable. We feel more like we belong as the years go by and you are here every year you see the same people, and it is a much more comfort, comfort zone and I think that will help us a lot this year.

CYNTHIA SANCHEZ: For the most part, yeah, he is pretty level. He appreciates a lot of things; maybe that is because he comes from Mexico and he looks at the trees and grass himself - things that I don't even notice, and you know, the last year and a half, he hasn't played so well. It has been frustrating, different personal reasons, frustrating financial reasons frustrating. It kind of finally boils over on the golf course, but he is a pretty level player by himself. He really doesn't need me, you know, to help him with that.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: At the Harbor Club, Greensboro, Georgia.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I am member of the NIKE Tour. I have a NIKE Tour card this year conditional status, and I haven't played much because my knee was getting a little trouble at the end of the year and it is okay now, so we are going to start playing now.