PGA TOUR MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 5, 1999

Stuart Appleby

STUART APPLEBY: For me, last year, I was in a very similar position. Probably a little bit more intense than this year. I had quite a deal -- not quite a deal, but I had a pretty tough task ahead of me, and I made a choice to stay over here. I had two tournaments in Europe I was scheduled to play; pulled out of those for the reason to make my Top-30 run a bit stronger. I was 30th, but I was going to slip down each week I didn't play. I really had to try to get my rear end into gear and push it higher and higher. It's pretty important, especially when you're close, because when you're close, you like to make it a priority, because, you know, it's an achievement. It's a pat on the back. Top-30, you're into a limited field event. The guys get pretty pumped about that. It's certainly, to use this term, it's the icing on the cake for any guy to get into the Top-30.

STUART APPLEBY: That's a good question. The TOUR Championship was always the last event of the year. It was the last event, and there was only 30 guys playing golf that week. Now, you've got a tournament running opposite the TOUR Championship, and then you have Valderrama the following week. I think it's gotten a little bit more complicated that period, those two weeks of the year, because logistically, I mean really, I could have been in the scenario of missing the Top-30, say 31st, not played the TOUR Championship, played the one opposite, then gone to Valderrama and won Valderrama, and then finished 15th, 10th on the money list, which would have been very weird for a guy who never played the TOUR Championship. So what you say, yeah, it's different, but it's still very intense because you've got to use the TOUR Championship as a running -- stepping stone to Valderrama. I think to play at that level, that competition, and to be all juiced up for the next week at Valderrama, it's still pretty important. It's just not the last event anymore.

STUART APPLEBY: I don't think they will.

STUART APPLEBY: Should they? Probably not. They don't have to. I suppose if you don't have to do something, and it can be run just as well the way it is, or fine-tuned, there's no real reason to run out of the country. I think the American players don't want to go that far because they don't have to. You become accustomed to what you have to do, and they don't have to go. Whereas, the European TOUR has to branch out to areas where there is large amounts of money to be played for, and they have joined those events around the world, Australia, and Asia to their TOUR. I think it's geographically too far for them to be doing that. I don't think it's really necessary, at least to that extent, to be calling an Australia event part of the European TOUR. Because it's more of a World TOUR, definitely Europe is more of a World TOUR than here. I don't think we don't have to. I don't think it's necessary. Hopefully, with all of these extra events, like you're saying, around the world, hopefully players will become slightly more advanced in playing around the world, and that counts on the U.S. money List. But I don't think we have to go start chasing around six or seven tournaments around the world.

STUART APPLEBY: We do have events like that now running, the Heineken in Perth, some tournaments like that. You know, it's great because we get an influx of money because you've got big names playing. The conditions are that if you do play well as an Australian, the only thing is you've got to pay a large entry fee to get into the European TOUR, and then you're not guaranteed of getting many starts. Yeah, it's got a catch to it. Yeah, you've got to play well, make some money, finish high and potentially get your card in Europe. But you've got to pay a high entry fee. They have to protect themselves from guys coming out of nowhere, for on event, in their home country, to get a card 5,000 miles away. You've got to protect the players that represent their TOUR constantly and not have too much of an influx. It would be great, but you've got to remember, 10,000 miles away, to get the Top 50 players in the world over there, outside of an event of like what Spain is, it's got to be pretty tough.

STUART APPLEBY: I would say based on experience, I've been a viewer of Ryder Cups and a participant in one Presidents. They are not even the same animal. Being a player and a television watcher is totally different. Yes, it's a very big part of the tournament, but there's a lot of other stuff that goes on, a massive amount of other stuff. I would have to say that I thought the Presidents Cup was well-run. I'll never know what a Ryder Cup is like. You'd probably best ask that one to an American. I loved the Presidents Cup in Melbourne. I thought it was run well. I thought everything was great. You know, it was fantastic. Really, that's a toughy. I can't compare. Certainly, TV is different to the real thing.

STUART APPLEBY: I don't think what you mean by LEVEL. Are you talking about competition level or the way it's run?

STUART APPLEBY: The intensity level? I don't think -- I don't think I don't know. I think the Ryder Cup has got a bit fired up this year because of all the happenings. I don't think the Presidents Cup is lacking at all. It's it's own identity itself. I think it's pretty big. I think it's grown quicker than the Ryder Cup, definitely.

STUART APPLEBY: Houston, actually, that's going to be nice. We're playing the same course again where we did -- where I was last there, when it was last there, too. And that will be nice. It will be nice to get back to Houston for obvious reasons, being this year's victorious place. I liked the course we played at. It was tough. A good fight for the end of the year. I will it will be a good representation of Valderrama, being a very tight golf course. Yeah, quietly pleased that I know that I can book myself a flight there now.

STUART APPLEBY: Someone asked me that last week, and I really, my answer was: I don't know. It's a little bit like asking me how did they build the Pyramids. How did they do it? I can sit there and give you ideas, but there's no real rules. There's no time period. It's not like school, and, you know, you're there for 12 years or whatever it is and that's it. Far from normal. I don't know when -- I don't know when that -- if you want to use it, the feeling, that feeling of normality comes. I think every day that goes by, it's a stepping stone or building block towards that. I'm certainly far from having contentment in my life like I had before.

STUART APPLEBY: I think it will. When? Don't know. That will be something internal that will be switched on one day, whether it be -- I don't know. I really couldn't say. You know, you'd have to talk to so-called experts on what the belief or resumption of someone's life in all matters when that happens. I've never had this happen; so, I've really got no idea. I've never read anything yet that states -- they just say: It's at your own speed. There's no time frame except what is comfortable, and I'll have to work on that one.

STUART APPLEBY: I don't think anyone really tiptoed. I would never say I sensed that from anybody. Especially my friends, I never felt that. No, I don't believe so. No, I don't feel like I felt like anyone was really different towards me. Maybe I've had my friends paying more attention to me, friends of the family, but maybe more concerned, maybe worried. Just the obvious things that your loved ones, you know, really do care about you, and that's what happens. As much as I would be for them.

STUART APPLEBY: Somehow, you manage, and that's just the thing. Somehow you manage, whether that's an inner strength or something else, I don't know. Other times you don't. Other times flat out: "Listen, I can't do this. It's just too much for me right now," and you just don't, and you take weeks off. Sometimes you can't -- it just takes a long time to learn how to understand what it is and understand what it's all about, and to learn from it. So yes, there's times I can concentrate well and other times I can't. It's tough. It is just hard. It really is. At it's worst, it's really, really tough.

STUART APPLEBY: Someone asked that question to me, about a month ago: Who was the first guy that made a $1 million out of TOUR school? I thought: Gee, who would that be? I had no idea. I didn't really think about it. I knew it was me, but it didn't really pop up. He said, "It was you, you idiot." Oh, it was me, sorry. So to answer your question, how did I do that? I think I used some experience of the previous year to my great advantage. I learned that, you know, I knew I had better game than what I presented the year before. I knew I had a better game than at the TOUR school this year. I got out there, and I suppose there's definitely an adjustment period of getting used to the TOUR. For some guys, two years, three years. And some guys, you have this confidence, this confidence in yourself, and your belief is what gets you through. Talent is there, but from what I've seen and other players have seen, lots of players have that talent, but if they don't have a belief system about that, then it's useless. It's absolutely useless. I've always thought I was a smart thinker on a golf course. I didn't make rash decisions at any time. So I used certain conditions. Being windy, it was my first win at Honda. I loved the wind playing in Australia. I had some confidence coming into the year. Felt good, and off I went. You know and I tell you what, it only takes a month, maybe one tournament a month, and you're off on a roll, and that's really what golf is all good, starting rolls. That's where I got started, and I'm not looking back. I'm only looking forward.

STUART APPLEBY: I'd like to, but I'm running out of -- I'm running out of racetrack to use. We're running out of time here. I'd like to think we can take this roll right through to Valderrama. That's ultimately the tournament I want to perform very well in and win that tournament; so, I'd like to use this as a little kick-start. I had not played previous to the Buick last week; so sort of been playing very hot and cold. Very narrow balance in my game, and I think I need some time off and the time off made a massive difference. Yeah, I'd like to get into Kingsmill here and get myself the TOUR Championship and Valderrama and say '99 -- finish '99 off as a good, great golf year.

STUART APPLEBY: Yes, I'm pretty much looking at this week. Not sure whether I'll be playing Disney. And then TOUR Championship, which is -- obviously, an iffy one only a week ago, I didn't know what I was doing there, and now I'm off for those two -- playing those two weeks and playing in Australia.

STUART APPLEBY: No. No. I only say that on TV.

STUART APPLEBY: I look forward to being there.

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