|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AMFebruary 14, 2016Vaughn TaylorPebble Beach, California JOHN BUSH: We would like to welcome our winner, Vaughn Taylor, to the interview room here at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Vaughn, 7-under par 65, you had to sweat it out there the last 15 or 20 minutes, but you've really been sweating it out now for 11 years. Just get some comments on the win. VAUGHN TAYLOR: Just absolutely amazing. I can't believe I'm actually sitting here right now. Didn't know if it would ever happen again, to be honest. Just lost a lot of confidence, lost a good bit of my game. I just kept working, kept grinding, and kept at it. And I can't believe it actually happened today. JOHN BUSH: A 1 shot win over Phil Mickelson makes it even sweeter for you probably. VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, that's pretty cool. He's definitely one of the greats of the game and one of the best of all time. So just very fortunate to come out on top. JOHN BUSH: Questions, please? Q. What was your goal going into today? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Just wanted to finish top-10. Just wanted a place to play next week. I was going to drive up to Monday qualify. So I just wanted to take my time and finish top-10 and not have to worry about the qualifier. Q. So presumably you'll get a bigger bag now? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah. (Laughter.) I have one at home. I just went down to the Panama and Bogota, and I know that there's a 50 pound weight limit when you travel to Panama, so I tried to take the small one and not get charged the baggage fee. (Laughter.) Q. This has been 11 years since your last win. How does it feel to finally win one after this long period of time? VAUGHN TAYLOR: It feels absolutely amazing, awesome. Reno was really good to me for a couple years there and it's still a smaller event as well, and I had always dreamed of winning -- I wanted to win a Regular TOUR event. And it's happened. It's pretty special. Q. What did keep you going in your darkest moments and how close did you come to saying, I got to find another job? VAUGHN TAYLOR: That beautiful lady right there (Indicating) she's been my rock. She's the one that keeps me going, and we're lucky enough to have that little guy with us, too. It's all for them. They deserve it just as much as I do, and she's -- ever since I met her I knew there was something special about her, and she always has my back. In thick or thin or good or bad, she just is so positive, and she never let's me get down and if I do, she gives me a pat on the back and gets me going again. Q. Are you going to L.A.? VAUGHN TAYLOR: I am. Q. I'm just curious how much, if you've given some thought and into what this does for you now and wonder if you can speak specifically to Augusta and all the things you haven't been able to do for the last few four years? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, this opens so many doors for me. And playing in the Masters is obviously my Super Bowl and living there, I mean, I didn't know if I would ever get back, and I can't believe I'm going to be there in a couple of months. It's surreal. It hasn't hit me yet. It's just unbelievable. Q. You touched on something a minute ago. Even though you got those two wins, was there something about it that felt like you still hadn't proven anything? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, I mean, I watched guys win every week, and I'm a big fan of the game and Reno's a great tournament, but it was always opposite of some tournament. And these events like this, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, I mean, it's -- all the people are watching on TV and it's pretty cool to win one of these. Q. Does it make a difference to you knowing that it's a full field Mickelson, Spieth, Day, Bubba? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, it's hard to believe. I can't believe it. It's a dream come true. It's just a blessing. Q. You had a great streak of birdies from 13 through 16. What was really clicking for you throughout those four holes? VAUGHN TAYLOR: 13, everything's a little bit of a blur. I was doing a little bit of everything well. I was swinging it well, hitting it well, and I was putting, my putting has been great all week. I really struggled the first round with my putting, and I just kind of keyed in on something, and I made a lot of putts the last three days and definitely, the putter was keeping me in the game. Q. On 16, did you feel like today's the day, and on 18 did that feeling kind of go away a little bit? VAUGHN TAYLOR: It did. 16, I mean, I've had that putt before. I probably 3-putted a couple times. It was a tough putt and just the way it worked out, I had kind of a gust of wind came up and it just kind of told me, just give it a good firm roll. And as soon as I hit it, I was like, man, that's so good. And then when it went in, I really felt like something was going on. And 18, I was trying to keep my emotions under check and that putt not going in, I kind of felt like, oh, you know, this might not be enough. So, but, I wasn't watching the boards much, so I didn't know where everybody stood. And, but, I knew Mickelson was behind me and the guy's unbelievable, so can't ever count him out. Q. Of all the obstacles that you've had to overcome, can you take us through the boating accident of a couple years ago and sort of, I guess, just everything that happened and what was kind of going through your mind at that point. VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, that was a life changing moment. I made a lot of mistakes that day and it was unfortunate that it happened. But looking back on it, it was a life changer and it really made me appreciate what I have in family and my wife and my son. And I realized that life wasn't really about me, it's about them. They need me. And I need to make better decisions and better choices. Q. I'm curious, a couple of thoughts on Riviera coming up. How many times you played there in the past and why not go for back to back? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, I've played Riviera quite a few times. I'm not sure how many times, but it's a good course, I like it. It's a good, tough, high scores, I'm having trouble just even thinking about next week right now, but I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be fun. Q. This tournament generated a lot of buzz this year, six of the top nine, Phil and all those names and here is someone that hasn't won in 11 years. What does that have to say about A, your perseverance and B, the state of golf that someone can come sort of out of nowhere like you did? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, there's so many good players nowadays. The TOUR's deeper and deeper every year. More guys coming from all over the world. It showed this week. There was a lot of guys from all over the globe. So, but there's a lot of good players. Every one of us has a chance to win before the week starts. I'm just lucky enough to be the one this week. Q. Where were you when Phil had that putt on 18 and what's going through your head? VAUGHN TAYLOR: I was standing by the scoring trailer, and I thought he was going to make it. I was trying to mentally prepare myself to go to a playoff. You can tell by the crowd's reaction, I knew it was like if he makes it, it's going to be a big roar, and if he misses, it's going to be a lot of ooh's and ahh's. And I heard it and everybody looked at me, and I was just like, there's no way he just missed that putt. His short game is ridiculous, so. Just very fortunate for him to not make that putt or make birdie there. Q. To clarify, you played in Panama, you were in Bogota. Did you actually -- you withdrew. Did you get sick there and not enter the tournament or how did that work? VAUGHN TAYLOR: I did. Thursday, we had a rain delay, and I ate lunch during the rain delay, and then couple hours later, stomach started to feel funny. And then that night I was vomiting and had diarrhea for hours. I just was laying in bed, I felt so bad, I was just praying to God to make it stop. And I didn't sleep that night. And then I had to play 31 holes the next day. So I went to the course and tried to get some medical attention, and they had a little small ambulance there and I got an IV, and that instantly made me feel better. I thought I was going to be good. But, so I tried to play. I didn't even hit balls or anything, just went to the course, and I had nothing. I mean, I was so tired. I felt so bad. And I played, I think I played four or five holes, and I just knew that I had nothing. I had no energy. So, I said, you know what, I'll just pull out and go to Pebble early. Q. And win a golf tournament? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Laugh. Yeah. Q. When you've played at Augusta and been to Kapalua and the PGA and all the -- and been in the Ryder Cup, what's it like, how hard is it when you're on the WEB.COM? VAUGHN TAYLOR: It's very, very difficult. I think it's better to not have a taste of the good life out here. It almost makes it harder because you know how good it is out here. And we get treated so well. It's, I mean, it's an absolute, it's almost too much sometimes. But I think that helped me. I always had the desire to get back. I never thought it was over. And I just kept the dream alive, just working hard, practicing, trying to figure out what was wrong and be smart about it as well and just kept at it. Q. Did you think that you took it for granted at some point being out here? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, for sure. I think that we all kind of do in a way. You get out here, and you have success, and you expect to have it all the time. And that's not really the way it works. The best players in the game don't play good every week and in my case, I didn't play well for quite a few years. And looking back on it, I wish I could have done it a little differently and appreciated it a little bit more and enjoyed the ride. I definitely did enjoy the ride, but maybe not as much as I should have. But I'll enjoy this, though. Q. In talking to your wife, did you find out you were in this event before you left Bogota? VAUGHN TAYLOR: No, I didn't. I was first alternate. Q. So when you got off the plane here, did you know at that point, that Carl had withdrawn? VAUGHN TAYLOR: I didn't know until Monday morning. Q. Okay. And the other thing she said was is that it was cheaper for you to fly here than it was to fly back to Augusta; is that correct? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah. We kind of -- I was thinking about going back to Florida or go back to Augusta first, and then -- this is such a long week with all the courses and the rounds, length of the rounds. And I was kind of thinking I might need to go home for a day or two and start to feel better and then come out. But in our situation, we try to save money, and we're like, it's cheaper to fly to Pebble, so I'll just fly here first. And it worked out great. I got some good rest Saturday night and practiced Sunday. So, it was good. I wouldn't change a thing. Q. And that being said, obviously, we always talk about winning the trophy and all that stuff, but in your particular case, is the money a big part of what happened here this week? VAUGHN TAYLOR: It's hard to talk about money, but I'm trying to raise a family, and I want to give my kids the best opportunity they can have. So, it helps things along, so. Q. You're a pretty composed guy out there today, but you got a little excited on 16. Talk about that putt and did you know it put you in the lead at 17-under? VAUGHN TAYLOR: I, walking to 16 tee, someone said, tied for the lead. Tied for the lead. And so I knew I was tied for the lead. The putt going in, that was just out of just shear joy of the game. That wasn't because I was in the lead, that was just -- I had that putt before and the situation and just the game in general. I just hit it, I hit a really good putt there, that was the best putt I hit all week. And the little things about it make -- got me that excited. Q. What was your mindset in August at the Wyndham when you finished 151. And could you -- what did it take to kind of get over that? VAUGHN TAYLOR: That was a tough year to swallow, last year. I played really well, and I put myself in position a lot of times to get my card, and I didn't get it done, over and over. And it was driving me crazy. Then at Wyndham, I knew I had to play really well to get top 125 and worst case I wanted to get top 150. And Sunday, I had, I think I was 4-under through 12 or 13, 14 holes. And I finished bogey, bogey, bogey, par to miss by less than a point for a conditional status. Which is big out here. Any kind of status you get is big. So, it was tough. I tried not to let it bother me and I tried not to let it affect my family and my life, so I probably hid it pretty well, but it really started to bother me. And the last couple weeks, the way they were going, I was thinking that what, what's going on, this is, I don't have anything at this moment. I was really worried about my career. And now look at it. I don't know. It's unbelievable. Q. To follow-up on the question about the accident from earlier. Were you fearing for your life at that point and how has that sort of changed your perspective? VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, I was, for a few minutes. The water was, it was in the low 50s, so it was pretty cold. Luckily, it was a hot summer day, so -- but once you're in the water, in current, without a life jacket, you think it's easy to swim or that, but it really changes when the water's up to your nose and you don't know what's happening. It was pretty scary. I really thought for a minute that this could be it. Once the panic kind of wore off and I realized, okay, let's get your self together, then I kind of calmed down and I knew I was going to be okay. Q. Did it take you awhile to get over that and get past it? Do you still think about it? VAUGHN TAYLOR: I think about it. I went to the next tournament the next week and I finished fifth, just purely off of like, thank God, I'm alive. I'm really lucky to be alive. And who cares what I finish this week. It was a crazy time. Q. I just got had a nice visit with Scott and talked with him about the RoboGolfPro. How much has that product kind of helped you get your confidence back to where you are now based on everything you've been through? VAUGHN TAYLOR: It's helped me a ton. It's a great training aid. And a few years ago I was first alternate here and I didn't get in the tournament, and just kind of found myself down on the end of the range all the time, and my curiosity got to me and I had to go check it out. And Scott's been so good to me since and he's really helped me and he's been a great guy. The robot has helped me a ton and I appreciate everything he's done for me. It's a great product. I recommend it for everyone of the all ages and sizes and that. It's an awesome training aid. JOHN BUSH: Vaughn, we couldn't be happier for you, congratulations. VAUGHN TAYLOR: Thank you, John. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|