THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 24, 1999

Mark O'Meara

MARK O'MEARA: What do you want to know? I have got all the answers, trust me.

MARK O'MEARA: Life is pretty darn good. Coming off of last year, it was very special year for me. And some of the accomplishments that were lacking in my career to break through, then of those, last year was just tremendous. And this year I am trying to do the best I can. I have gotten off to a reasonable start. I don't feel like I have played as well as I can play yet, but I wasn't playing that great going into Augusta last year. This week I am hitting the ball a little bit better. The golf course is in immaculate shape out there. It is going to be interesting to see what the scoring is going to be like. The greens are pretty firm and they are running pretty quick, so, there is a little bit of rough out there to go alongside that, you know. It has been kind of feast or famine for me. There has been years that I have played well here and years that I haven't played very well. I'd like to get out there this week and get off to a good start and see what happens.

MARK O'MEARA: Yeah, I think it is -- it is pretty deep. There is enough trouble out there. If it was my call, I probably wouldn't have it quite that deep. But you know, the greens are not really accessible out of the rough on this golf course. The golf course was designed to be played hard and fast, and there is a lot of over-seed out there now, so it has changed. A lot of stuff has been cleared out, cleaned out. I personally kind of liked it back in the olden days. That is not my call.

MARK O'MEARA: You don't. I am not going to sit up here and lie to you. Last year was a special year. And if things don't go as well this year, so -- so what. I think I have had a pretty solid career, pretty consistently good career, and I want to play well because I play for my pride, let alone everything else that goes on. But I should try to enjoy the moment too. I needed to enjoy what happened to me last year and pretty much what has happened to me throughout my life. When I miss a cut -- for example, last week at Bay Hill, I didn't play that great. I hit it in the water a lot. I was disappointed, but I am not going to eat myself up over it. I am 42 years of age. There is no need to do that. I will try to play well for me and for my family and friends. But whether I can move on to the next level and then maybe possibly play well at the U.S. Open and have a chance to win that or the PGA Championship, that would definitely complete an unbelievable run. But I feel like I have been improving. I didn't necessarily strike it last year as good as I have in other years, but I did the right things at the right time and hit the right shots and made the right putts under crucial moments. So that was very rewarding for last year, and this year just try to forget about last year and try to do well this year.

MARK O'MEARA: I think the golf course requires some local knowledge. There is a lot of course management you have to have out there. It is a demanding golf course. It is a position golf course. And that usually takes time to get to know those things. So that is probably a reason why. Plus it is a pretty big tournament when you look at the power-house players. Probably one of the most elite fields all year long. That in itself makes it difficult for a first-time player, some of the rookies to win.

MARK O'MEARA: I think it is right there.

MARK O'MEARA: I don't think there is much of a gap, to be honest with you. The majors, as everyone knows holds a pretty special place in everyone's heart; the media's heart; the recognizable aspect of ones career to have a major championship go along with that. But THE PLAYERS Championship, when you really look at the course, the difficulty of the course, and you look at the quality of the field, the players know what is going on. They know how special this tournament is to win. And when you can win this one, I mean, you have beaten the best players in the world and you have done it on a very demanding golf course. My feeling is it is right there with the major championships. If you can win this tournament, whether I can or whoever wins it, I mean, it is kind of a step above all the other tournaments. No question about it.

MARK O'MEARA: Goes kind of hand-and-hand with the kind of pressure a major has. This has the same type of pressure trying to win on Sunday. Once or twice, couple of times when I have played on Sunday, when Nick Price won, I had a chance. Price won. It was the year Sandy Lyle or somebody jumped in the lake during that playoff year, so whatever. But yeah, I think you have got to look at a guy that has had success here, past success. And some -- you will see some new names up on the board early in the week. But come the weekend, definitely helps to have some knowledge about the way the course plays and how to play it at certain conditions; especially if the wind comes up out of the southeast.

MARK O'MEARA: I think it is. I mean, I think you have got a handful of very young, talented players out there that have proven themselves and week-in and week-out are pretty good. You can't expect a guy to stay on top day in, day out. But when you look at the young players, Duval and Mickelson or Woods, Ernie Els, Davis Love, you know, Justin Leonard, you can go on down. I mean, Lee Westwood, too, is right there; Colin Montgomerie. So, there is -- definitely it is going to be difficult to just have two people that you are going to focus your attention on. Because if they draw all the attention that third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth guy are going to go right by them.

MARK O'MEARA: Well, I think my key has always been that if I drive the ball reasonably well, I will do well. This golf course I like a lot because I think you got to create a lot of different shots out there. And there is -- really, the patience standpoint is a key thing here at this golf tournament, hanging in there, trying to eliminate a big score. That is usually someone who has a little bit of maturity hopefully can understand that and deal with that better. So for me, I will try to use those assets of my game or mental preparation when I am out there playing and, you know, try to -- because also the thing that is difficult about a TPC or Pete Dye course is drive the ball in the fairway, you know, your angle of attack to the pin, sometimes you don't want to short-side yourself because it is going to be a very difficult up-and-down. Even ones you reach the greens here, even though these greens are in the best condition I have ever seen them, you have a lot of double-, triple-break putts. So it is kind of like Augusta, but here you have got a lot more trouble than you have at Augusta.

MARK O'MEARA: No, I think that David will play well this week. David is a fine player. We all know that. His knowledge of the golf course is good. He is a powerful player. This course is set up for a powerful player because the holes -- they have added tees over the years. And it is kind of longer. It is a lot longer than what it used to be when I first came here. I wouldn't be surprised to see David play well this week.

MARK O'MEARA: I didn't look at a newspaper today. But you know, when this golf course was first built, it was built through the kind of the swamp, through the trees and through the palmetto bushes and everything. Over the years now it is just cleaned out. I remember first coming here playing the first hole, and it was kind of hard and fast, had some sawgrass bushes over in the right in the bunkers. You couldn't see the second fairway. Now almost every hole you can see through everything, and I personally would rather see it kind of play without rough. That is just my feeling, but I am not the one setting up the course. Anytime you over-seed a golf course and you put a lot of over-seed out there, you got to put some water on it, soften the course up. The fairways, in time, I think will firm up a little bit. It is just so penal just off the edge, you know, but it is like a major championship so that is what -- somewhat they are testing. They are testing a player's ability to put the ball in the fairway off the tee. They are testing a player's ability to manage himself with his iron shots into the green and the severity of the greens with the slope and the speed that they are, you know, you have got to putt well, too. If you want to find the best player all around, you set it up like that.

MARK O'MEARA: I know you all would like that, and the fans I think would like that. Yeah, I imagine that will happen in time. Whether it is Tiger and David or Ernie and David or Davis and Tiger, you can match them up all you want. But these guys are good. There is no question about it. They have got a lot of talent. They are very, very solid players. I imagine it will happen probably -- "when" is hard to tell.

MARK O'MEARA: Well, they are good. Tiger Woods is really good, trust me. When I was on the range last week with him at home, just messing around, he pulls out my 1-iron and he hits it, about 15 balls well inside this little seating circle (pointing to audience). And I got my binocular thing out and flashed it at 255. And I have never seen anyone hit the golf ball like that. Never seen anybody hit shots like he can hit them at times. I am kind of in awe of it. It is pretty cool. And I have played with some pretty good players. I played with Jack Nicklaus, maybe not when Jack was absolutely perfectly in his prime. But I have played with him when he was a pretty darn good player. I have seen, what, videos of Arnold -- all the great players that have played the game. Some of these young guys, it is just incredible what they can do.

MARK O'MEARA: (laughs) Yeah, well, you know, it happens. You get old, and it is part of life. You try to do the best you can. But as you get older, you are not as strong and you are not as quite as flexible. But you still have the wisdom aspect of it, which is invaluable when it comes to understanding your emotions and dealing with those out there on the golf course. So you can -- you look at players - a lot of times golf is nowadays -- it was that -- 34 to about 40 was the age group that seemed when players were really playing well. Now it has gone down to where there is a young group of young players that are playing extremely well and then there are some of the old fossils like myself and Nick Price and John Cook and some of these other guys that are in that 41 to 43 year range that have played pretty well. So it just goes to show you that once again, I mean, if -- you know, you have to find some way to get the job done out there. That is the whole secret.

MARK O'MEARA: I have been -- you know, just my goal in my game plan is to try to improve in some different areas of my game; driving being one of them, just working on a little few things in my backswing and a few thoughts on my downswing to try to get a better flight on my driver; get the ball up a little more so when it lands it is not quite so low and going into the rough. There are times I have been doing a little better earlier in the year; driving it a little bit better. Last week, mediocre. Today I hit some pretty good shots out there. It is getting closer. It is always a constant little battle but I think that you fidget this way; then you have gone too far; got to come back. It is like that thing that sits on the piano, what is that called?

MARK O'MEARA: You are kind of here and you get a little too much here; now you have got to come back here; then too much that way; now you come back that way. So it is always a little to and fro-ing out there for sure. ^^.

MARK O'MEARA: Well, you know, I don't feel like -- the responsibility that I have is to hopefully conduct myself in a professional manner when I am out there playing. If that sets an example for some of the younger players then that is a goal and something that I need to do. But I try to treat my peers young and old, with tremendous amount of respect and it is well commented in my relationship with Tiger. I enjoy being around Tiger. I enjoy watching his ability and what he has done in the game and what he is going to do in the game in the future. If I can help him, you know, learn a little bit more about himself, whether it is on or off the golf course, and help him along, I am more than happy to do that.

MARK O'MEARA: Well I that I Tiger understands that he has made some mistakes, I mean I think he knows when he slams his driver in the grounds that he is on national TV. He doesn't know that right away but I think he realizes he made a mistake. But I imagine all of you sitting out there have never made any mistakes at 22 or 23, you know, I mean if he walked off the tee with a smile on his face, and then you better start worrying a little bit. Yeah dose after little bit of a temper to absolutely but he won't become the players he is today if he didn't. But I think he knows more so now that he has a responsibilites to watch his waiver a little bit closer and I think he is trying to do that. I mean, Davis Love hit the sprinkler head on 17 I don't see you guys ripping him. So it is unfortunate that because Tiger is in the position he is, that the issue with his caddied enough and him was brought out like unbelievable national attention news. I understand it is news. But you know, it wasn't that big a news with Ernie Els when he let his caddie go and he won two U.S. Opens or whatever he did with Rick key. He is under the microscope a little bit more there is no question about it. But I think he has handled it pretty well considering he is 23 years old. He has been out here for three years and he is going to make a couple of mistakes, hopefully he will learn from those mistakes, but there is a lot more pressure applied on him constantly day in day on on the course and off the course. Whether for example other night we walk today a movie, with my wife and I and Tiger the 3 of us and going into a McDonald's or we stopped she got the tickets then we go in plaque make some girl behind the counter spotted him he was standing behind me and she just let out the biggest yell you have ever heard absolutely scared the living day out out of me. She just freaked out. She Tiger Woods is standing there. Since she is screaming now the whole mall knows that Tiger is standing there now I mean it is -- it -- you don't know until it happens to you to understand what sit very uncomfortable but that is the Price that Tiger what to pay he is going to continue to pay for the fame that he has. I think that he is going to get better. He will learn from those mistakes and he will get better with his behavior.

MARK O'MEARA: No no, by I'd fold her why do you scream so loud for him I wax in guy every time we play. (Laughter).

MARK O'MEARA: I that I players who never played on Ryder Cup team have tremendous amount of anxiety about trying to make that team. I imagine it has already started or where even players who want to play on the team pretty badly that aren't on the team, you know, it started last year and definitely is peak right now that guys realize how important it is to make points O. As for myself I am not going to actually tell what you that that is one of my goals. I mean it is pretty well documented on how I feel about the Ryder Cup.

MARK O'MEARA: There is more fans coming to the golf course now than what there were ten years ago so the fans are that are coming are young, middle-aged older people, all down the line all different spectrums because you have got a pretty wide spectrums of players that can compete. There is no question that it has gotten more off outside the ropes activity going on. For example, such as there is a lot more hospitality tent out there now than what there was ten years ago because that helps gross the game, gross the game of golf. Because of that, there is people moving pouring drinks, you know this, is a lot of stuff going on out there, outside the ropes. It is difficult for anyone probably to stay focused and have oh gosh I am going to watch golf totally because some people come to just watch the golf some people come to watch the people that are watching the golf and some people come to just kind of have a party. The cellar phones some of of the picture taking is distracting to the players. More than likely that happens by people that really aren't golf awareness of watching a tournament or understanding the game of golf that well. Hopefully with some of the announcement the Tour has made and the awareness that is trying to be placed out there that people will understand and respect the players and the ability and the right of the players to try to play in a nice arena.

MARK O'MEARA: I think so. I think just the more awareness that is written bit people read it in the paper gosh maybe I need to leave my cell phone off, so, that would definitely an big help.

MARK O'MEARA: I told David when I won the award I went over shook his hands I told him I said look I know for one that you deserve this just as much if not more than I did, you know, I think David's performance on the golf course in the last two years has been phenomenal. The guy is a very, very talented player and he is even proven it more so at the start of this year by what he has accomplished. It really hasn't shocked me in any way. I know that-- told him this too, I said even though I might have got it this year there won't be too manys that is going to have to go by for you to win player of the year. I truly believe that that is going to happen of the I think David has just grown as a player and as a person and I think he is enjoying what he is doing and what he has accomplished.

MARK O'MEARA: Probably. I think I had more skills. I think from the standpoint of not just maybe better swinging, but I think being able to produce better shots under major pressure aspect situations to where when you might have really needed to hit a good shot could you pull it off or not. Mostly now at 41041 than actually 31.

MARK O'MEARA: Probably more has been experience than anything elxe.

MARK O'MEARA: I wish we could. It is like you know, it is like some parent asking me watch my young maybe hit balls do you think he is going to be good or not. I can sometimes you see guys that hit the ball incredibly great /OPBTSD /RAEUG and they have hard time on the course. So a lot of it is mental. And I think once you get to a point where you start struggling and you don't see any turnaround, you know, you start to taper and go the other way.

MARK O'MEARA:

MARK O'MEARA: I think I can competitive for a couple more years. That is what I am hoping for. I'd like to play pretty hard this year and next year and then I will probably taper off. I will be 43, 44, and I feel like after 21, 22 years of playing pretty much a lot of golf around the world, there is no reason why I shouldn't try to enjoy some of the things that I have accomplished and you know, take some time off. And spend lease time maybe grinding on the rain or playing in all the tournaments spend more time were my family and do some things where I am away from the game for a while then get ready for the season Tour if that is the case.

MARK O'MEARA: Probably not. Probably not. I think that Tiger because of playing with Tiger and you know, seeing him win The Masters an in the fashion he did, and knowing that when I am playing with him that he has got oddles mortality than I have got and that kind ever fun. It is kind of challenging. I think that challenge that he has kind of roundabout way not directly or indirectly has set forward has been something that has helped push me and elevate me a little bit. It is like what I have always said you go out and play tennis if I go hit tennis balls with my wife as opposed to going hit tennis balls with Todd wood bridge not that he is hitting them like he would in a tournament all of a sudden my ground strokes get better. I have got a little more heat on the ball when I play with Tiger he is bombing it by me and I got to figure some way to kind of how I got to go about trying to bring my game up a couple notch chest. I think that he has that pretty big impact (had (.

MARK O'MEARA: I think it probably helped dramatically. I think it helped from the standpoint that his burning desire to want to win tournaments, his desire to try to win major champs champs, kind of maybe told me hey, man, I am running out of time here, and but then I also look at the aspect that I maybe might have thought hey I am 41 maybe I will never win a major championship so there is no sense of really worrying about it anymore I have had a good career. I think last couple of years reason why I have played well is because of I have took a step back just a little bit said to myself, look, I mean, I have been very consistent, I have had my ups and downs in my career, haven't been that bad I have been pretty consistently steadily getting a little bit better. And you know, what no matter what happens I mean, I have done better man I would have ever dreamed off when I started playing professional golf in fall of 1980. Just to win one time on the PGA TOUR I would have thought I would have been successful. Now I have won 16 times you know, two major championships. So, if I don't play well in the future, what am I'd a failure? You just can't -- I don't look at it that way. I looks at it as a process in life. You have your ups and downs. Every person does it whether it is golf or your personal life, or anything else or business life, and golf is very similar, so, that little rejuvenation that I got from the fact that Tiger Woods moved into my development, and you know, I used to try to say away from that because the attention and stuff has never been something that I have seeked out, but being around him, obviously he gets a lot of attention, I mean they may not be looking at me but just being around him gave me a new perspective of the standpoint what somebody must have to go through to be a superstar.

MARK O'MEARA: I did see them. I went. I played there two weeks ago today or Tuesday, so it is two weeks ago yesterday. I think the changes are I think they are nice, do I think it is going to have an impact? Yeah I believe it is going to have an impact? Do I think they tried to Tiger proof it or do these other things, no not really. I think they have constantly have made changes over the years at Augusta National. I remember walking around with Ken Venturi he was showing where they used to play from in the older days here is where the tee was on 8 and 11, so steadily but surely over all these years over the evolution of the Masters championship there has been changes that have been made. The biggest changes would be No. 2, No. 15 and 17. No. 2 has been lengthened about 40 yards, now most of the guys will just hit it right at the bunker you won't have as many guys knocking it on on two on No. 2 as maybe what you had last year or years past. No. 15, from the standpoint the hole is not any longer, but the hills side on the right have been removed between 15 and 17. There has been a lot of trees that have been planted over there that are between 30 and 40 feet tall and it is not going that easy just to sling one off that hillside over there. Sit going to make you require to think a little bit more about your tee shot, but if you hate relatively decent drive you are still going to knock it on two on 15. 17 will probably have the biggest impact. By that I mean that, you know, most of the time on 17 everybody stood up and kind of just hit it over the top of Eisenhower tree if you hit one solid up in the air most of these guys all flu it over the top of the free and the fairway was (tree (80 yards wide out there. Now the tee has been putt back about 25 yards, slightly to the left, you know, most of the players average players most of the players won't be able to take it over the top the tree they are going to have to try to fit it in up the right side and with all the these that have been planted on 15, those all come into play too. So, it is going to require little bit better thought process on your tee shot on 17. Little bit better placement and I that I is all they are trying to do. With the secondary cult that they have out there, when I saw it wasn't that bad. I don't know what they are talking about an inch and 3/8, I believe or something like that. I mean that will have impact on some holes and it might help you on a couple homes might hurt you on a couple holes. Might keep your ball from running into the pines on the first hole on the left, but it might slow it down going down the fairway on No. 9 on the left side. Hang it up a little bit as opposed to the ball rolling all the way down. So those are the changes that I saw that would probably -- sit going to make the course play a shot tougher or two shots tougher? I don't know. Just going to have to wait and see.

MARK O'MEARA: Greens been made bigger. There is pin placements back there to the left, if you hit on the green left even if you hit kind of somewhat decent shot on the green left if it's little load with a little bit of draw it could possibly run off the green. Front of 12 ball will roll into the creek (^ CHECK (I think the green is bigger which appears to make it better receiving target yet it could be more challenge because they have got added pin placements there now.

MARK O'MEARA: Well, I think it is still pretty civil game from the player's standpoint. But there is no question that the gallery and the excitement, the galleries tends to be more vocal now than ever before. So, from that aspect it is not that the gallery is uncivil out there, but there is times where they can get a little bit out of control and excitement kind of breeds that /THAPBDZ is a little difficult. They read the press and then they see that. Maybe I will yell out there maybe I will scream or something, but we would hope is that they would respect the players playing ability and also the really the ethics of the game of golf.

MARK O'MEARA: I got my radio going on at home times I have been practicing. I have never really had a difficult situation out there on the golf course me personally. People they don't bother me. I would hope that they won't scream at me or yell at me. It is not much fun when I hit a bad one they tell me hey I can hit it like that. Well, if you can hit it like that then come out here to get on the bag you play I will come out an watch. Sit no big deal.

MARK O'MEARA: Well, the game has changed tremendously let us face it. I'd have no problem playing for my country. I have no problem playing for free, but in a roundabout way I am a professional golfer. I mean I turned pro they have a Walker Cup they play for free in that. They are amateurs, I mean my only feeling was what if I got hurt couple weeks after the Ryder Cup and it is big business now let's face it you guys flow that as the media. I know that as a player. The Ryder Cup is big business, The Presidents Cup is big business, my only feeling was that I felt like you know, if I play well at the Ryder Cup, it is almost like hey, you guys should play well you guys are good players. If I go and play in the Ryder Cup such as at Valderrama and I played reasonably well myself personally I'd played reasonably well and when I come home and I get somewhat criticized in the media that I am a spoiled millionaire, you know, hey, I say to myself what why should I go over there play for free, conduct myself there a professional manner, and come home and get crucified. So what? Where is the fun? Explain to me how that is fun. I don't see that. So it is fun competing and trying to win golf tournaments. The Ryder Cup is a special tournament I am not denying that. But I can't putt that at my top of my list when it comes to something I think is absolutely great. I know you guys all think it is great. You know, everybody has got a difference of opinion my only feeling would be do I that I the players should all be financially paid? I just say say look if there is a lot of money being paid than why not. What is the problem? Do I think that I am going to play less hard? No I played hard out here and I get paid if I play well. If I don't play well, I am down the road.

MARK O'MEARA: With The Presidents Cup involved I mean every year an American player if he is a top player is going to be required somewhat to play. I mean years ago tomorrow wise could have was on the ride cup team he didn't play he went hunting. Do you this I if I told you guys I am not going to lied Brookline this year because I don't agree with some of their policy I am going to spend the time with my family and go fishing how am I going to do how am I going to be looking not too good am I. So you kind of trapped to be honest with you. It is kind of a responsibility that a player has and better he plays then the tends to have more responsibilites. I think Crenshaw is going to do excellent job this year at Brookline. But I think that it is putts more of a we are and fear on the American players.