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CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK HOSPITALS CLASSICNovember 7, 2012Gary ChristianLAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA GARY CHRISTIAN: It's kind of nice to get to at that stage now where you have to perform. This is it. You've got one more chance, and do good or you go home. So it's kind of ‑‑ it's nice. I feel relaxed. I had a really good week last week, played a lot of just fun golf, trying to get back to the enjoyment into the game and made a lot of birdies and played good. So there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to do that again this week and I just gotta bring that attitude into this week's play. Q. (Inaudible)? GARY CHRISTIAN: I'm sure there is if you've been on TOUR for ten years. I've been on the da coat as tour for six years of my life and the Web.com for the other six years. If all goes horribly wrong and I get five starts next year, I've got five starts to make a million dollars each week. It's one of those things that I can understand if you've been used to making seven figures every year and you're on the outside looking in or on the inside hoping to hang in there. I've really got nothing to lose, and you know, if it all goes wrong, I assure you my wife still loves me and the kids still love me. And it just allows me to go and play with hopefully a lighter heart and go play great. I think it makes a man of you if I come through this and get into that top 125, then I think going forward you use that as something very positive to fall on where you have one opportunity to perform and you did. So I try and frame things as positively as possible, and I think that's probably the best way to look at it (inaudible). GARY CHRISTIAN: It's going to be two. One was probably Tom Watson that had the great ride. That was just, I said to some people that it's very rare that you get to meet a hero of yours growing up. It's even rarer that you get to do the thing that made him a hero to you. I played golf on the PGA TOUR. So it was an incredible day. It was a Tuesday practice round. My ball went next to his, so we played against K.J. Choi and Danny Lee and we got lunch paid for. So that was good. Obviously the same as playing with Tiger. If I never play another competitive round of golf on the PGA TOUR, I can say I played with the greatest player arguably that's ever played the game in a Top 10 of a FedExCup trying to win a golf tournament. Not playing in a charity hidden gig or not playing in a practice round and trying to win a tournament, me as much as him. And it was a shame. My score didn't really reflect how well I played that day and how in control of my emotions I was. He was great. I can't say enough about him how impressive he was as a person and obviously as a player. And we don't always see that side of him. But I can assure you there's a very warm blokes out there. Q. (Inaudible)? GARY CHRISTIAN: Worst moment? Probably having to sit here with you. Who knows. As I said, there's been some low lights where you've missed a few cuts in a row and got down on myself, but fortunately they haven't lasted too long. I'm a pretty upbeat character. And probably watching a little struggle likely in the English leagues and probably is about the low light of the year so far. So hopefully great minds think alike. No. You play on the PGA TOUR you can't have too many low lights. How hard is it to stay positive doing that? Q. (Inaudible)? GARY CHRISTIAN: Well, I would imagine there's a lot of guys who are 2‑under on the Money List who are playing probably a lot more relaxed than a lot of people in the top 100 in the money list are probably playing relaxed. But it's all the attitude you play. You can make it a matter of life and death. And if it all goes wrong, it's probably going to affect more than if you don't treat it as a matter of life and death. So it's just one of those things you just gotta handle and maybe certain personalities need to treat differently to other personalities and my permits probably led themselves to take advantage of that. We'll see. Someone else might want to feel like they've gotta hit balls until dark and worry for the whole week and I'm going to try not to do that. So we'll see. As I said, but my family is coming in tonight, so I'll have other things on my mind that will take a little bit of the stress away. Q. (Inaudible)? GARY CHRISTIAN: Well, to be honest, the only other time I've been in this situation is Q‑School one year when I was inside the number by maybe two and missed out by a shot. Nine. But I went and then carried that ball to qualifying school. So I ‑‑ it was ‑‑ I was nervous, I'll admit. I had a poor start, but after two or three holes it was great. And it was just unfortunate that I missed out by a shot. I played clearly good enough to make it. So that's a good experience. I didn't come through with it. At least I felt like I'm two, three years further along in my career. So I've hopefully learned a thing or two, and it's just ‑‑ it's all clichés now. It's all the good stuff. And you know, I could probably write a four‑page golf psychology book that encompasses everything you need to know. Q. (Inaudible)? GARY CHRISTIAN: You don't really know because I hate to ‑‑ it's too hard for me. I really can't put it down. I just got in a good rhythm. That's the way it was. I think a lot of it you don't worry about reshuffles. You know you're in every tournament that you want to play in. And you know, it's now five weeks, and I've had a chance to have four Top 10s in five weeks. So obviously the game is there. It's not like I ‑‑ it's not like I'm some poor farmer that's never played golf before. I know what I'm doing, and I know I'm good enough to compete out here on a regular basis, and it's just a matter of probably mentally being a little bit more relaxed, mentally being more confident. And you know, that's just up to me to work on that part of my personality. As I said, I know ‑‑ every logical thought in my brain tells me that I can comfortably be a top ‑‑ consistently a top 100 player on this tour and then probably better than that. So you've gotta find a way of making it happen. And I'll be trying to work out what that is and hopefully with a good week this week we'll get another full opportunity next year. Q. (Inaudible)? GARY CHRISTIAN: No. No. I've always been good about when the last putt's in, there's nothing you can do. It was disappointing. It was a long journey home. But a lot of the time it tells you you're not ready. You're not ready to be on the TOUR. If you weren't ready in qualifying school, maybe there's that little bit of improvement you need to make. So I worked diligently in the off season and had a great start to the next season, yet struggled in the rest of the season. And then obviously the next year played great. So you just gotta learn from everything and try and work, be very honest with yourself. I'm a pretty honest bloke, and I'm honest with myself. That's the most important thing. Q. (Inaudible)? GARY CHRISTIAN: I think there's a few telltale signs. I just got a lot of hope, I guess, so helps my faith. But you know, I really don't interact much. I want to get my work done, get back to the room, put my feet up, watch a little TV, try and imagine myself playing great golf. And that'll do it. So I'm sure there's a lot of people going to be probably a few in that situation. Hopefully I'm not one of them. Q. (Inaudible)? GARY CHRISTIAN: I really don't. You know, I'm there to do my work and get out there. So you know, I'm not going to go down the range and talk to everyone and yack it up with everyone. Q. (Inaudible)? GARY CHRISTIAN: To be honest, I think I might be the hundred luckiest golfer who's ever played because every year something like that happens with me. I remember one year I lost in a playoff the second stage of qualifying school. The next year there was no playoffs. Another year you're an alternate if you lose in the playoff. I wasn't an alternate that year which would have got me safe. So I played the next year and play good tomorrow, play good this week, play good next year, you'll never have to worry about it again. So it's the broader ‑‑ I think great rolls. As I've always said, I've heard players moaning and whining about the system changing. The fact of the matter is if you play good, it doesn't matter what system you're in. If you play mediocre or poorly, it doesn't matter what system you're in. So that's probably the easiest way to look at it. Q. (Inaudible)? GARY CHRISTIAN: I mean I got a soft spot for (name inaudible) having played a bit on the Web.com with him. Same thing. I mean I really haven't paid that much ‑‑ I guess he would be one of the candidates. I don't know how many other rookies have had such good seasons. Nice thing, going forward, if what I see in Jonas has the full package of a person that I can see be being a top 50 player in the world at some stage in his career. It wasn't a surprise at all to me that he played as good as he did. I'm just surprised he hasn't won on Web.com at this point. So he'll definitely get my vote. Q. (Inaudible)? GARY CHRISTIAN: That would have been a ‑‑ that would have been quite nice. I don't know what it was. But it had four wheels and a steering wheel. So I was well happy about that. No, there's been some nice ones. As I said earlier on, it's a dream come true. If I hit anyone whining about anything on the TOUR, they need to get their head examined. So it's terrific. Q. (Inaudible)? GARY CHRISTIAN: Never. Never. No. I get to a tournament every week and I've got a car waiting for me.  I'm mazed that people are nice to me. I'm mazed that people give up their time to volunteer to do what they do. I'm mazed the courses, the conditions, the paycheck. People in the pro am. Everything. I'm still ‑‑ and I think in ten years time I still will be. I think when you're 41 and a rookie, I think you have a bit of perspective on life that you know how fortunate you are to be doing what you're doing, and you know how hard it is to make $500. It can take a week to make $500 and make three times that playing in the Monday pro am. So it's ‑‑ I think more people probably need a slight vote of reality to realize how lucky we truly are out here. Q. (Inaudible). GARY CHRISTIAN: One complaint I think the fact that there's too much temptation at the buffet bar. I'm very good. I'm down in the count at the start of the year but it's taken an awful lot of control. So you can be a right pig out here if you want to be. THE MODERATOR: We had players in the media guide, bios, things they want in their media guide. Can you talk about your mid‑life crisis? THE WITNESS: I think you all know about that. It was no Harley‑Davidson. It was a pair of tight white trousers. That's my only mid‑life crisis, I'm happy to say. Quite well adjusted. THE MODERATOR: All right. Gary, we appreciate your time as always. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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