U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 13, 2000

Javier Sanchez

JAVIER SANCHEZ: Just chasing that one ball and shooting low numbers. It's hard. It's hard to get into the local, the section qualifier. I was very fortunate to be playing good at the time. And it seems like when the summer comes around, my game gets a little bit better.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: That's correct.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: That's correct. That's a great feeling to get into the championship and make the cut and be here for the weekend. The previous three Opens I played, it was just -- I felt like the fourth, I felt more comfortable. I played good. It was a thrill to be here for the weekend and play in front of all those people.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: My aspirations is just to keep playing. And hopefully to be playing on the PGA TOUR, BUY.COM TOUR, SENIOR TOUR. I'm 41 years old and feeling pretty good, so that's my aspiration, to keep playing.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I came to the States at 17; didn't speak English. Just like a lot of my friends, came here and looked for a job. I was very fortunate to have an uncle that lived in the States. And they brought me over, and I started working very hard a couple of jobs, sending my money back to Mexico, for my parents, because we lived on a farm up in the mountains with no running water, no electricity. And it was very hard to make a good living there. After I got to the States, I started working hard and somehow I got a job at the golf course working in the restaurant, dishwashing. And they moved me up to the kitchen. And I know they told me something about Tom Watson and the U.S. Open shooting 62. I play a lot of golf courses. In '87, '88, I think I played on the college golf team. I started winning a lot of amateur golf tournaments. In 1990, I believe I made a decision to turn professional, and a lot of my friends said, "You haven't got what it takes, it's going to be hard." I went with my gut instincts and playing professional golf, and I've been doing that since then. I've been out playing, and it's just tough to make a living. But so far, it's been good to me, and as long as I can support my family, that's what I'm going to end up doing, and hopefully some day get to the PGA.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I didn't know anything about golf. So I had no idea until in 1982 when Tom Watson was there at Pebble Beach, golf on TV, and a lot of people asked me, "Do you know Lee Trevino or Jack Nicklaus"? And I had no idea who those guys were. And that's why this Open is special to me, to come down here, a lot of friends around the area, and definitely I was trying very hard to get here.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I've been playing the T.C. Jordan Tour. I've been qualifying for some tournaments. I've been playing pretty good the last couple of months. I won a tournament at the end of the year, had two second-place finishes and I've been in the top-10 quite a few times. I feel good about my game. This is a very hard golf course. And as long as I keep it in the short grass, I think I'll be okay.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: Yes. There was a couple of times I was working in Palo Alto, and a lot of the immigration came and chased us around the place, and we snuck out in the rooms until they left. It was a lot of close calls.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: In the restaurant?

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I can remember it was like $2.50, $3, something like that.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: When I first started, I was 21. When I decided to turn pro, I believe I was 31.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: Oh, yes. I know a lot of the players, from being here four times. Also from playing the Nike, a lot of people from there. A lot of guys congratulated me from getting here, and I know a lot of guys. I feel pretty comfortable.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: My parents live about an hour and a half from here. I have my wife, my mother, my father-in-law, and my brother-in-law is coming tomorrow. A lot of friends that are around here. But my wife is here, and this is very special.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: There's only a few, Raphael Alarcon, Esteban Toledo from Mexico, they're really good friends of mine. There's just a few guys that they play on the Tour or they're pretty good golfers.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I wish I knew. I think -- I really can't pinpoint anything, because I hit the ball pretty straight. I really don't know. I wish I knew. I'll keep looking for a answer.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I came with my uncle in Tijuana. We borrowed a green card from another guy; paid him $50. He got me across the border, ran me to Redwood City, and that's where I got started.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: Right. It was at night. I was very nervous. I was sitting on the passenger seat in the car and my uncle said, "Don't say anything, I'll take care of it." So I told him I couldn't say anything, because I didn't speak any English.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: You know, working, for me, wasn't hard at all, because I'm used to working very hard in Mexico. Working on the golf course, after I got done from work, going out and practice. It was a piece of cake. I spent a lot of hours in the dark. I used to putt with the lights on the parking lot, they'd shine on the putting green. I used to play there until 9:00, 10:00. And I put in a lot of hard work. Like I said, working hard for me is not a problem. I saw the opportunity to play the game of golf, which I love, and I've been giving it 100%, and that's what got me here.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I grew up playing soccer; so I went fast. So coming across the ball, I wasn't scared, because I had to run from Immigration. So it was no problem. I always liked sports. Whatever I take, I used to like to get good at it. Golf seemed to really take everything away for me, and put everything to golf. It was just like a game that I really liked.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I started -- I bought some used clubs, after they told me: "You should go play golf; you work here." I saw the people out here, and I had no idea what they were doing. But I was very interested in finding out. So I got some golf clubs, a bag, and I used to go to the driving range and not even hit a ball but just watch people swing. And later on when everybody kind of would leave, I kind of started imitating. And then I started hitting the ball up in the air and fell in love with the game. Later on Hank Polex teaching at Palo Alto Community gave me some instructions, and I went from there.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: How far do I hit it? Well, 350 -- let's see -- no. I probably hit about 260, 265, somewhere around there.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I don't know. I just try to make as less putts as I can, and that's about it.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I've been putting pretty good right now. So hopefully 1-putt every green out here.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: My first job was a dishwasher in a Mexican restaurant. My second job was working at the Holiday Inn in Palo Alto. My third job was a restaurant, also, which was the Harry's Hoffbrau, and they bought the restaurant at the golf course, and that's how I ended up at the golf course. And then from there I got a job on the grounds crew at the golf course.

JAVIER SANCHEZ: I hope so. I'd like to be here.