INGERSOLL-RAND SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 7, 1999

Gary McCord

PHIL STAMBAUGH: 13-under for your last 36 holes and a clutch putt on 17.

GARY McCORD: I thought the one on 18.

GARY McCORD: Couldn't believe I did that.

GARY McCORD: Thanks. Thanks.

GARY McCORD: I think it's -- this has been a bizarre week, from the pure fact that I'm telling you, when I got here, I probably never hit the ball as good as I've ever hit it playing a practice round. When I was playing Bob Duval and the wind was up and I shot 65 or something. Never made a bogey. Made seven birdies; "Wow I got it." And I go out to the Pro-Am the next day and I shoot 78; I haven't got it. And the opening round 71, just barely hanging on, but just mirrors. Next round, 74 was just awful. And then I just went out on the range and I hit balls, I hit balls, I hit balls and tried to figure out what it is. Usually, if you don't have it, you can get it next week if you work hard. And we had two more rounds, and I had to get -- I've got to get past 24th on the money list because I can't play two Pro-Ams; so that was a huge goal. I had to get buy some guys so I don't have to play both Pro-Ams. My life would be so much easier if I just flew in on Wednesday and played Thursday, rather than what I'm doing and coming in on Tuesday. So I couldn't let it go. I just kept hitting balls and hitting balls. I was watching Valderrama, I told you this. I was watching Tiger da, da, da, and he's got a saying that's called: "Wide, tight and rip it." So I kind of tried to do that on my golf swing, and I did it. I don't know if I was doing it but I tried to. It got me steady. On Saturday, I went out and I made a couple of hoopers, just these long putts, early. Okay, putter's on fire, and I started hitting decent. And then it started just churning, going from: Can't hit at all, cannot hit at all on Friday, to absolutely -- today was really good. I mean, really good. No mistakes, no missed fairways, no stupid things. Made the putts when I had to. Really didn't get a heartbeat. Finished it off. If you told me I was going to do that on Thursday or Friday, I'm going to call every one of you a liar. And that's how this game is. You just attack it, don't give up and you never know when it's going to go boing, right in front of you, and that's basely what it did, is it opened up right in front of me. I hung on there and rode the short wave, which was the weekend. That's it. I'm thirsty. Cocktails?

GARY McCORD: First birdie I had was No. 4. I hit a 5-iron in there about 15 feet, second shot, and laid it down there. 2-putted for birdie. 6, I trying to remember 6. 6, made a birdie on 6. I have no idea where that birdie was. Made about a -- I hit an 8-iron in there about 12 feet past the hole. Perfect right up the hill, just went in. Started feeling pretty good then because I had two birdies. And those were the hard holes, getting through those first three or four pretty good. You've got water, all sort of things. And I got my rudder in and I started going pretty good. The next one was the par 5, 8. I hit a 3-iron just pin-high to the left. Second shot, just off the fringe, and chipped it. Not a very good chip, but I made about a 6-footer. 3-under. Going along pretty good. 10 was stupid. 10, you know, it's the only hole I choke on. That one and 13, because I get free lip; so it's like bonus points if you hit it out there. I can't hit the fairway. It's 100 yards wide; if you put it in the fairway, you get to lean it, bonus points, and I hit it in the right rough way up in front off a little knoll; so I can't shoot at it. So I put it in the back of the green and made it from 45 feet, just unbelievable. I could have just, it, was a pretty easy 2-putt because it was going up the hill and it went in. I made two of those the day before; so you can't explain those things. They happen and you try not to get in your own way. You just -- "All right, you've got something going. Just get it in the fairway, get it on the green and let luck take over." That's what it gets down to. Then the next three holes were crucial. The next three holes, I was driving the ball -- I killed it on 12 -- or 11. 11 is the par 4. I hit 8-iron in there in the back fringe and gunned it by the hole 8, 10 feet and made it, side-hill for 2-putt. Next hole, par 3, I came up a little short. I hit the wrong club. And had a bad lie in the rough, and I chipped it by, 8, 10 feet again; drained that one. "Oh, man I've got to get it on the green and start making some 2-putts." Next hole, I got it on the green and got it on the wrong side of the hole, and it went about six feet by the hole and made that, coming back. And that gets you focused. That will really focus you, because now I've had tough pars. I haven't looked at the board yesterday. I'm just going to try and make some birdies and don't put any pressure on myself. Then next hole, solid wedge into 14. 15 is the par 5. I hit it down there, hit it on the green, no problem. But my ball was in Bermuda rough. It was just off the fringe of the fairway. It was sitting down; so I had 7-iron just short of the bunker short of the green. I don't know how far I hit that 7-iron. Chipped it up there about six, eight feet and made that one, which was a really easy one. Then I got wondering, next hole same thing, up on the fringe I putted past the hole up the hill, and make this just -- and I make this downhill thing, just a nasty, nasty-looking putt. And when I made that, then I looked at the board and I said, "What do I got to do? I've got two holes left." And I look on the board and I was one back. The 17th hole, the pin is over there to the right, but you've got to hit it over the trees. You have to hit a little slider in there like that. So I just -- you've got to make a good swing here. He's got to make a birdie; on the 18th hole, you don't make too many birdies. I hit probably the best shot I hit all day. I hit it too good, just a little 6-iron, threw it up in the air, put a bunch of spin on it and came down on the back of the green. I had a good putt from 18, 20 feet, just kind of linked in the side green. And I figured okay, tied now. Tied. I've got to put the pressure on him. I've got to make him look at the board and I've got to make him think he's got to make a birdie to win. The last couple of holes the pins were on nasty, nasty inclines. They were on decleaters (ph). So 18, you know, it's all the drive. And I just tried to do all the stuff I was doing. Just rounded it down there. Had a 9-iron left and just made another good swing right on top of it. Then it got funny. I'm sitting there going -- I look at the board; now I've got a one-shot lead. "Whoa." But you always want it finish it out with birdie, you know. Don't do anything stupid. I hit it thing. I wanted to leave it like six inches short that was my goal. What did I hit it, three and a half feet by the hole? Unbelievable. You've got no control over yourself at that point. Amazing my bowels didn't just open up. So I'm just trying to lag it and it goes by the hole. Then I get over it. I'm going around trying to calm myself and I'm going: "This is really going to look stupid if you 3-putt this in front of everybody. 6-footer, then now you've got a 3-footer coming back." So you start playing these games with your brain. You start taking to yourself. So I'm having a conversation with myself: "All right, okay, forget about that one, let's get the line, get the line. Focus on the line. Keep it smooth going back. Keep your head down. Don't move anything. Don't let -- thinking about missing it coming to play." You've got to really focus all that stuff out. And I was -- it would have been embarrassing basically. That was it. And then they told me Flash had bogeyed -- he had bogeyed 16. I saw that. And then they told me he bogeyed 17. I saw Larry up there at 11; I knew I couldn't miss that putt. That was kind of it.

GARY McCORD: I did. I went to get it because Jose was over here to the left. And his was dead straight; mine was about a foot in front with too much speed, and I couldn't see going that way because it was against the ocean. I wasn't trying to hit it -- I was trying to roll it down there like a bowling ball.

GARY McCORD: You know, I had two goals. Actually I had three goals when I started off. I wanted to win this year. I've never won on this TOUR before. That's a pretty good goal for yourself. Somebody said I had to have a goal; so that was it. And then, I got that goal. First time I played, I win. Was it that easy? Maybe that's all I had to do. And then I said: "Okay, I want to minute a $1 million this year playing in only 15 tournaments." So I went, I played and this is my 17th. But in the back of my mind, it was always, if I could get to a million that would be a great story for 15, 16 events, to not play that much and win $1 million. It kept sticking in the back of my mind. First thing I asked was, "Did I do it? I know I'm close." I'm told I was $7,000. If we could just pass a hat around? I'll throw in some. (Laughter.) That kills me. I can't believe that. Anyway, it's nice. It's very nice for me to win anywhere over $50 in this game is amazing.

GARY McCORD: I can't do that with my schedule. No. I'd be brain dead. I can't concentrate that long. I have a difficult time concentrating more than like a nanosecond. So playing every week, every day, I would get back in the same way that I was on the regular TOUR. I have a lot of other stuff going on that's a lot of fun that I want to pursue. A year like this is unbelievable. I can't believe it.

GARY McCORD: Oh, I go next week. It's going to be interesting. I've got to do that Greg Norman tournament. And Greg told me if I won this year, I would get in a tournament; he'd get me in. Call Greg up, would you? So it will be -- the boys -- it will be a full attack, full assault.

GARY McCORD: To play a minimum amount of tournaments, 15, basically. I thought I could play 15. I thought that would be a rush to get to 15. And I played a couple other tournaments in there that gave me spots last year. I've got to work better at managing what I've got right now to get a little -- so I've got some enthusiasm to play. The last couple weeks, I haven't been real enthused to play, and I don't like that. But I've got nowhere to go. I guess I'm in the tournament next week, but I can't play because I've got to do CBS. I'll hammer them on that one.

GARY McCORD: I was too much on the golf ball. I'll give you guys a little lesson of what I was doing. You could tell the trajectory when you hit a golf ball if there's too much spin. If there's too much spin on my golf ball, I'm adding loft. Good players take away the loft; bad players add the loft on. I was adding loft. That means I was sticking on the ball as I was going on back, and as I was coming down on the ball, I was backing up on it. And if you notice like Tiger, when he gets over it, he gets wide with his arms, and when you get wide with your arms. You get off your left side and get back here, okay. Tight to him means you doesn't move the left knee hardly at all and tries to rotate his shoulder 120. 130 degrees, which I can't do. I don't think anybody here can do that. I'm still flexible for my advanced age. What that did, it got me here, and then I could get wide through it. If I got wide through it, I get to my left side. If I get to my left side, my hands are ahead of the club at impact; therefore the ball goes down and it gets a little better trajectory. That's what I needed to do, and that's why I was watching him. And I said, "I'm not getting back on my right side at all; I'm sticking there." What happens is you start playing bad; it's primal. You just try not to move in addition and try to make contact. Most of you play that way. All my buddies do. They don't move anything because it's primal; that's all you want to do is hit the ball. I got going so bad, I couldn't do the things I was trying to go, get my some width, some movement. It will be fun to go look at tapes. I thought I was doing it but I probably wasn't.

GARY McCORD: I think that the whole week has been such a Dow Jones ride. I've been like this the whole week. I didn't know what to expect. I went out every day, hitting balls and it just wasn't there; it was there; it wasn't there. And then the last 36, I don't know if I can play any better than that. That was 9 -- 14 birdies and a bogey on this golf course. Under those conditions when you're choking your guts out, I will take and stand very proud of that.

GARY McCORD: What was my total?

GARY McCORD: I've done it a couple times.

GARY McCORD: No. I can safely say that, not to win (Laughter.) That was pretty good.

GARY McCORD: Nothing beats this. I have been blessed with a lot of success. And for a guy that never really had any success, you know, that's -- it gets to be where it's overpowering, you know. The books are doing unbelievable. The movie was fun. I got to meet some nice people doing that. There's other two things I've got going are fun. But this is: You do it. There's nobody else. You're out there. You're going it. You're trying to stay focused. You're trying not to throw up all over your Footjoys, just go about your business. It's always nice to hear they enjoyed the movie, but this is your own little -- this is your own little canvas right here and you go ahead and put it on the canvas and say: "Oh, how is that? Oh, I like it." Nothing beats this. This is at the at that point of the pyramid and everything else goes below it.

GARY McCORD: At this point right now, the next focus, I've got to work TV next week, and then I've got -- the next focus is my grandkids. I'm picking them up after next week and taking them home because I haven't seen them in a while for Thanksgiving. And then this whole time, I'm working on a tournament that we do in Scottdale, Andrew McGee and I are the two organizes and it's called the Santa Claus classic. We run it ourselves. That's a lot of work. A lot of work for Andrew and I and the wives and we get the guys on the committees but everybody is going all over the place. It's hard to get all these guys into a room. It's fun to tell Mickelson, "Phil, can you go down know to the thing and get some signs done?" "What? What?" So basically, they try, but we get in there and we're the guts of it. That takes a long time.

GARY McCORD: We have 25 guys. We've raised over $1 million in five years, we make about 250,000 for needy kids for Christmas toys and stuff in the Scottdale-Phoenix area.

GARY McCORD: The Hollywood stuff, in fact, Foster just called. He's the producer. We're in the third rewrite of a movie about Titanic Thompson. There's no working title yet. Ron is going to -- he flew out. Spent some time with me. We went over some stuff. And he's doing a movie right now it's coming out January the 14th. I think he's going to have a showing of the movie, for the players, which no one ever does, for the TOUR players next week. It's called "Play to the Bone." As soon as that's done, he's working on the Titanic script, fussing with the front, fussing with the rear end, and we'll get it right and take it back to Disney. And at that point, ones we get it where we like it, the four guys like it, then you take it to Disney. If they don't like it, then we'll go somewhere else. They want to do the movie. One of those things that I could sit there for 20 years you never know. But Disney we've already talked to. They have already bought it. They might go, "Looks good, budget let's go." Once you do that, then the chaos starts. Now we've got to go to actors budget, scene sites. We've got to see where we're going to shoot this thing and do all this stuff. That's 3 1/2 months for the shooting and the preparatory stuff is going to be a lot. Luckily, I've got these guys that are doing it and I'm really -- I'm not going to be there a whole lot.

GARY McCORD: I'll be in it some and it's about gambling and I can do all the card stuff. And then the sitcom, I don't know. The people that should have it have got it and we're right now just (inaudible) they have it and they want to do. They want to get their writers to do it. I'll be the creator and if that thing pops --.

GARY McCORD: The sitcom is about a double-wide mobile home that sits on a golf course called Tired Tree Muni. And the double-wide is where the golf shop is, where the starter is, where the snack shop is in the back. There's five main characters in and a bunch of local denizens of the place and it will just focus on that shop. Golf will be there, but it's going to be mostly on people coming in and out of the pro shop and these total derelicts that kind of hang at this place.

GARY McCORD: Basically. But I added some interesting characters that are all friends of mine. If this hits, if this goes, Seinfeld, they will be looking for these guys during this thing, because there are some interesting guys in this thing that are real.

GARY McCORD: Yeah. We're going to go to -- the way they do this is -- and the way that we talked about when we had our meeting the other day is the guy that wrote Something About Mary, that's the guy that's doing it; so we need a character, a big character. He did Becker. No one wanted Becker until Ted Danson stepped up, and all of the sudden they went: "Perfect we'll put it in." That's what we've got to do with this. We have to go get somebody. I've got some guys I know, good friends of mine that I know that are in the business. I'm going to go talk to them and see if they want to do this. A lost guys want to do this. A lot of them want to do golf. Full of mental problems.

GARY McCORD: To this day, O'Grady told me this -- in the people out there want to understand what's going on, we should wear -- we should wear heart monitors. You can wear them, and there are no wires or anything. They are stuck on a microwave. You can bounce the signals off and you just put a netting, you put the things there over your heart and then have a card. I don't mean just sit up there and read your heartbeat. You know, somebody -- get the defibrillator, he's going. It goes 4 million miles an hour. That's why I like it because there's that's the only thing that does it for me, probably for most of these guys out here. That's the only thing that really gets you going. I kept it down the whole day because I was focusing. But when I made the putt on 17, it went up. Calm -- calm, I was really calm over the putt from about six feet, until I tried to lag it, and all of the sudden this thing is hauling, and wait a minute, I hit it a lot easier than that. It goes by and I got (stutters) like that, but then you've got to walk around it and do all the stuff you do. But that would be interesting. Some guys their heartbeat goes up when they get to the tee shot. They don't like the way the tee shot sets up or over an iron or bunker shot or whatever. It would be really interesting to plot our species and to see -- to see exactly what effects us, our heart beats.

GARY McCORD: Probably the putt on 18 down the hill. I wanted to make it really bad to cap the last two, and I thought I made it. That was it. The little one that wasn't bad. I got into that one so I didn't let my mind go berserk.