THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY SOUTHERN COMPANY

October 27, 1999

Notah Begay III

NOTAH BEGAY III: Thank you.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I have always been one to just kind of climb the ladder, basically, just start with one thing at a time. And I guess the first and foremost thing on my mind heading into this year was just to keep my card. (Laughs). I think it is extremely hard for a rookie to come out. You don't know the golf courses and you have trouble getting around. I mean, to a certain extent, I had to ask two or three people just to find the locker rooms sometimes. You're just trying to get acclimated to new surroundings. It was hard. I just wanted to keep my card. It wasn't looking too good about two-thirds way through the year.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Winning. (Laughs).

NOTAH BEGAY III: It was just perseverance and always believing in yourself. The simple fact of the matter was I was not afraid to go back to Q-School just -- I know that is not something that you want to be thinking about or something that you want to have hanging out over your head, but I wasn't afraid. I have played on the Minis before and things like that and I just -- I felt that if I deserved to keep retain my status and I had the ability, then so be it. But if not, go back to square one and start over.

NOTAH BEGAY III: No. I think it was just putting four rounds together because I was about halfway through the year when I started playing a lot better. And it was three good rounds, one bad round, and that one bad round would be the difference between finishing, say, in the 20s and 30s to a Top-10 or a Top-20 finish. You pile three or four good, Top-20 finishes, that is quite a bit of money, and it is just a numbers game. You are shooting for a number, and I knew it was going to be between 300 and 350 this year. And so was that right?

NOTAH BEGAY III: That is just what I was trying to just kind of suddenly chip away at.

NOTAH BEGAY III: The one moment that sticks out in my mind is after I won my first event. He played in Vancouver; I played in Vancouver, and he walked up to me and said, "Congratulations." And for someone to -- who has accomplished so much and was the reigning U.S. Open Champion, who I, in fact, played -- that was my first Open I have played in; was my first major I have played in. And to have him come up and show me the respect and to congratulate me on my win was just a testament to the kind of guy he was. He was a professional and was a good person, and it meant a lot to me. That is one thing that I will always remember about Payne.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Oh, definitely. We try to keep in touch as much as possible. But as you all know, his schedule -- you guys can hardly get to see him. I have trouble getting to see him as well he is so busy. When we do see each other, he is very encouraging and supportive, and he knows how hard it is to win. And it has taken him a long time to get where he is at, and he just basically encourages me to just to keep plugging. And it is great because for someone to have that ability and to have that much success. He believes in my ability; gives me confidence.

NOTAH BEGAY III: It was just, I think, more from a management standpoint. I think the natural physical abilities are there with a lot of players coming from the Nike Tour, but you just have to become a lot more efficient in your -- in the management of your strokes, and make fewer mistakes on a per-round basis. You just try and minimize errors, don't take as many chances, play the percentages. And you really understand the game because you are playing against guys who have been doing that for ten years. And you go out and you see someone who you think that you have more ability than, but after 72 holes, they will beat you by five shots. You really start to question where those strokes are coming from. And I really try to evaluate hard and look at the numbers. And I think that was the major difference between the way I am playing golf this year and the way I played last year.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Exactly. Just a better mental preparation; a sounder understanding of strategy, and implementing that strategy in certain situations where, you know, you could take a risk. But why take a risk when you can do this, because in the long run, the safer play will usually come out better than something risky.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I haven't. If you talk to that guy tell him to call me. (Laughter).

NOTAH BEGAY III: I called him -- I have called him three times and he still refuses to call me back. I am just delighted for him. I have seen one of the, I guess, the biggest images that sticks out in my head was I knew he had a leg problem when we first got to school and we were at our first road trip and he and I roomed together. We were winding down the day after a long day, and he was going to hop in the shower and he took his stocking off. And you hear about it and you see how bad a condition his leg was in. This was in 1990. Since then, it's gotten worse. From that point on, I had such a high respect for him and his struggle because just for him -- he has not gotten one good night's sleep probably since then, or even before then, because his leg is just -- is in such extreme amounts of pain that he relies upon some painkillers and stuff just so he can complete his rounds and things like that. I am just -- I know he has always the ability to be out here. That has never been in question by anyone that has ever come into contact with him. But for him to realize that dream and to have the opportunity to come out and play for however long he is going to be able to play is -- I find a lot of happiness in that, just from my standpoint. But, darn, he sure made it close.

NOTAH BEGAY III: When I talk to him, I am going to tell him he scared me to death. I was shaking the TV going: "What are you doing, come on." (Laughs).

NOTAH BEGAY III: Oh, definitely. Except you just -- it is maybe you are more aggressive because there is no cut, and I guess you are guaranteed to make a check this week; so I just want to go out and enjoy it.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I love this golf course. It is a true -- it is a course that has withstood the test of time. Not much has changed out here since I played in 1993, six years ago, and it is still just as hard as it was back then. Except I maybe hit it a little bit better now.

NOTAH BEGAY III: We always knew Tiger was going to make it. I think I was next on the list as far as how guys on the team felt and the way the coach felt. But then beyond that, we just -- I didn't know how things were going to pan out. But I was always positive and hopeful that Casey would eventually make it. We got one more guy from that team, Will Yanagishawa. I think within a couple of years he might sneak his way out here. That would be great.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I get to talk to you guys more. You actually listen and write down what I said. Before, you didn't give a damn. (Laughter). Just kidding.

NOTAH BEGAY III: No, it is the majors. I always talk to my dad because sometimes I get so frustrated with the game that I can be doing things a lot less stressful than this that provide more stability in my life, than waking up in the middle of the night not knowing where you are at and getting on a plane when you are dead tired. But I think the one biggest thing is being able to compete against golf's best players on the best courses that are in the hardest conditions. And this is going to be my first year to do that, and that is the one thing that I have always tried to do, and I have always wanted to test myself against the best. Weeks like this are just great because I look forward to it and I try and prepare myself as best as possible for these conditions.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Actually two. The Masters and the British Open.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Well, that was always -- that was one of my goals at the beginning of the year. But with Carlos having a very good year as well, and I am not sure how it is decided. I think they are just going to put our names in a hat and draw one out. I am hoping then my chances might be a little better then. (Laughs). But, yes, that is definitely on my mind.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Not really. I have learned that you can't do that because then there is, what, 28 other -- 27 other guys that you got to keep your eye on; so, I am better just focusing on what I am doing.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I found it is a lot easier to schedule weeks off than it is to schedule when I am going to get to play. So next year is just a matter of scheduling weeks off because I can play in every event. So you just kind of go well: "I will play these three, take that week off," just to make sure you are amply rested and hopefully as strong the first third as you are the last third.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Well, see, what Nike pays me is what the interest off Tiger's still is; so it is not as much. You know, if he can help me -- no, I don't think he can. He has got his team set up, and they are looking out for his interests and trying to make -- present the best possible scenarios for him. Then I have my guys working for me, and so they are basically two separate deals. I think Nike just saw -- and I am thankful that they saw -- some potential in me, and I am glad that they took the chance to support me because I appreciate it.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I have never set up a foundation. This is the first year where I am working through a philanthropic organization in Albuquerque, and we are putting on a fund-raiser in about three weeks. We are going to just try and provide some scholarships and emergency funding for students that come across problems and need money to get home or need money for books and things like that. But even from high school, when people have asked me to participate in an event or do a talk to kids, I mean, I remember I think one of the best things -- the most fun things I have ever did was three years ago I went and read to a group of kindergartners. That was fun. They had no idea who I was. But they just appreciated someone taking the time out to come and read to them, read a story, and I got a lot out of that. I also do public speaking when I can to high school groups. It doesn't necessarily have to always be Native-American related. I just try and positively influence whoever is willing to listen. That is basically my stance on things, because growing up, the people that had some of the biggest influences on my life weren't Native Americans. They were Caucasians and African Americans and Hispanic Americans; so I just like to give back, just for the sake of giving back, and not try and, I guess, point out a certain group to isolate.

NOTAH BEGAY III: No, not at all. That is an honor because he is going to be -- he has already had such a dramatic impact on the game and how people perceive golf. He has taken golf main-stream. Every single player who is at this tournament and plays on the TOUR should be thankful for that because that is the reason a huge reason why golf has gotten so popular in this country and around the world is because of the Tiger Woods' influence. To be referred to as his teammate is great because it means I was pretty good to make the team; so it is better than a schoolmate, because that just means we went to the same school. Anyone can say that. But we were teammates. There were only five guys. It means I had a little bit of game to make the team. But a lot of people ask me that, and it doesn't bother me. That is just the way -- I mean, he broke out on -- if I had broken out on the scene before him, then maybe he would be my teammate. It is just the way things happen.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Can you see the bags under my eyes? This is my fifth week in a row. This is what happens when you don't take a week off. It is important because it wears on you. It is kind of like -- it is hard if you have never done it. Most people think golfers are just woosies. So you get to a point to where you are thinking four to six hours a day -- six, like maybe four, five days a week for three or four weeks in a row, and if you don't let your mind get away from it, you just start suddenly losing energy and your motivation to be there and really concentrate for the amount of time that it takes to concentrate for.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Exactly. Because you get lazy; you fall into bad habits. You start subconsciously making changes in your swing because you are tired; your back gets hunched; you start slouching or start doing certain things, and it just leads to -- you just become unproductive.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Yes.

NOTAH BEGAY III: It was a Senate subcommittee on Indian youth affairs and they are basically -- they received some federal grants, to not only look into the state of the Indian youth in this country, but to set up some programs to address the issues that they felt need to be addressed to motivate the Indian kids, because right now there is a huge problem with drug and alcohol abuse, a high rate of dropouts in high school and colleges. And they brought me in as someone who has had some success. They wanted to basically hear me speak on those issues, and basically just give and a testimony, not necessarily why I feel I succeeded, but just the course of events that led up to my success. And maybe somewhere in there, they could find something to maybe give them an idea to start a program that would influence maybe a golf or sports program that works in conjunction with some sort of educational program that could hopefully keep kids interested enough in sports that they want to stay in high school so that they can compete on their teams or pursue their sport well enough to a certain level so that they might receive a scholarship to college. But when they get to college, they have the educational background to stay in school.

NOTAH BEGAY III: No, there wasn't an event because I have always -- ever since I was a little kid, I just -- I always wanted -- if I had 75 cents in my pocket and there was a friend of mine going with me, we went to 7-11. I wasn't going to buy something for myself that was 70 cents and he couldn't get anything. I'd basically try and get something for the both of us. Not because I had to or because he was my friend or anything, but simply because that is just -- I just have a generous streak in me to want to help. And in a sense, not that I don't think people are helpless, but especially those unable to reach heights that they might not necessarily reach on their own, and if I could just give them a push in the right direction, that would be great.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I am playing very well. I have played really well last week. The only thing I am concerned about is I didn't grow up on Bermuda; so I have trouble reading the greens. So that is something that I really need to pay close attention to this week because the greens have such a dramatic influence on the speed and the break that it can drive you crazy, because I hit the ball great last week, but I shot 6-under, which is nothing to write home about. I am just hoping that I can get lucky, read some putts right, and at least I know I will be around on Sunday (laughs).

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