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WORLD GOLF HALL-OF-FAME INDUCTION

November 15, 2004

Isao Aoki

ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, everybody, for coming. Thank you, Mr. Aoki, for coming this afternoon. If you want to take a couple minutes and reflect on how you feel about the excitement of today, then we'll open up the floor for questions.

I think everybody knows Mr. Aoki was elected on the international ballot, the second Japanese member of the Hall of Fame, Chako Higuchi was inducted last year.

ISAO AOKI: I'm very, very happy to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, as the induction ceremony approaches, I'm excited and a little nervous. I hope I feel the same way that I'm feeling now on the podium at the ceremony. Perhaps you could ask me after the ceremony is over, and perhaps I can express myself a little better.

I'm not sure what I'm saying right now. It's not like after the tournament press conference when I won the tournament, so it's not really clear to me as of yet.

Q. 60 years ago, given where our two countries were at that time in the world, this was almost unimaginable. When you came to the United States, did you feel you were more than just an ambassador for golf, but an ambassador for your country?

ISAO AOKI: 60 years ago, I was just kind of born, so I don't remember the atmosphere at that time. However, I was watching TV, and Arnold Palmer was playing at an event. He was my idol. Therefore, it was sort of like a challenge to come to the States and then to be on the tour. That was mainly for golf reason.

Everything went really fast, and then it was just for the golf.

Q. How did you develop your unique style, putter in the air, the swing?

ISAO AOKI: When I became the professional golfer, I used a small kind of like thick regular putter. However, I was invited to play at Camp Zama in Kanagawa prefecture. At that time they had this putter called Silent Pawn by First Flight. It was 36 inches long. It was too long for me. Therefore, I tried to put it like far away from myself, my body. Therefore, that's how I developed that putting style. Perhaps it was 30 years ago, so.

I developed another type of putter mullet head and so far. However, I couldn't change my putting style, and therefore I kept my style, kept the putter.

Q. The Hawaiian Open, 1983. Take us back there.

ISAO AOKI: At the time, when I came to the PGA TOUR, I wasn't hitting straight, and usually I was in the woods or wherever. I always had to hit 120, 130 yards by pitching wedge. I was practicing a lot of that kind of shot.

At that particular 18th hole, at Hawaiian Open, Jack was already 19 under, so I had to do something. I wanted to put it in front of the pin and not directly aim at the flag. Therefore, I thought I could have hit 9 iron to put it on, however, I wanted to put it in front of the green.