home

jobs

	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 17, 2006

Vaughn Taylor

HOYLAKE, ENGLAND

BERNIE McGUIRE: Firstly, thanks so much for coming in. Your first visit to Britain, your first Open Championship. Give us your thoughts about the course.

VAUGHN TAYLOR: The course is great. It's obviously drying up a lot. The wind is not really blowing a whole lot, so it's tough to get a good feel for it when the wind is not blowing. I'm sure it could change drastically over the next few days or if the wind picks up. But I like it. It's a good golf course and a lot of fun to play.

Q. Were you surprised, a lot of questioning at the European Open there a couple of weeks ago, with Tom Lehman, I don't know if you saw the line of questioning that he had, about the "five unknowns" on the U.S. Team. And you, of course, being one of them. He said he'd go anywhere into battle with Vaughn Taylor. Is that a fair summary of you, you're a guy who's come up the hard way?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: I'd say so. I just came from a middle class family and just basically I felt like I worked pretty hard to get where I am. I wasn't a world beater at the start. I felt like I've gotten better each year, and just worked my way up. Tom said it kind of reminded him of his own career and himself. So those are kind words from him.

Q. Were you surprised to hear yourself being described as an unknown?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: Not really. I've never really received a whole lot of attention, which is fine. I always tend to kind of fly under the radar. I can see I mean, every weekend in the U.S. people don't even know who I am. So it doesn't bother me.

Q. Not even after winning?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: I'm used to it.

Q. But you've had a fantastic season.

VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, I played well. I got off to a good start and just played much more consistent this year than I did last year and the year before. It's been going well.

Q. How big is the Ryder Cup on your horizon?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: It's obviously a big goal. I'm trying to just take it week by week and not get ahead of myself. I just feel like if I go through my routine and just take it week to week that everything will kind of take care of itself.

Q. Are you aware how big the Ryder Cup is going to be in Ireland and how big it is generally for the Europeans?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: Tom's talked to us a few times about how big it is there. And I know they're very passionate golf fans and the Ryder Cup is huge in Ireland and Europe, as well. I probably won't quite understand the extent of it until if I get there, and kind of it will hit me there. But I know how big a deal it is, and it's a great competition and I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Are you planning to go to the K Club for a practice round?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: I don't have any plans, no.

Q. We're talking about The Open, now.

How is this golf course for you? Have you ever seen anything like this golf course?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: No, I never really have. I've never seen a course as burnt out and dry as it is. We play a few courses each year that end up being really dry and firm, but it's definitely a different style of golf. Hopefully by Thursday I can be adjusted.

But it's definitely different. It's fun, though, you hit a lot of different shots. It's a good test, I think. Around the greens you've got to have all kinds of different shots, lies, and you hit them in the wrong spots in the bunkers it could get interesting. It's fun.

Q. The guys growing up to play links golf, to them that's a thing of beauty. What did you think when you first saw it? What was your first thought?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: At home we get a little spoiled with the condition of golf courses. And it's definitely it's in great shape, but it doesn't look like it is, but actually when you start getting some lies in the fairways, they're perfect lies, they're really good. It's just in appearance, it doesn't look like it's in good shape, but it is. It's good.

Q. Can you guys learn how to play a course like that in two or three or four days before a championship? How difficult is it?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: It's difficult. Today I got on a few spots on the back nine around the greens, and I hadn't had shots like that before. I even had to hit some chips with my 5 wood and try those kind of shots. It's going to be tough to get comfortable with those type of shots before Thursday but hopefully just keep playing the course and try different shots, different places on each green and hopefully do the best I can.

Q. Is it all you heard about links golf?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: What's that, again?

Q. Is it all you heard? Obviously you heard about links golf, you really are in the nitty gritty?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, I've watched The British Open every year on TV, and it definitely it looked like what I've seen.

Q. This is it.

VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah.

Q. This is your first time playing a links course?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yes, it is. I played Newport Country Club in Rhode Island, which is probably the closest in the States. That was where Tiger won the U.S. Am, in I don't know what year that was, but it was pretty burnt out and dry, as well. I played there a few times. We used to play a college tournament there. It was usually in the winter, so it was pretty soft. This is my first real taste of links golf, though.

Q. What goals have you set for yourself this week?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: I haven't really made any. I didn't know what to expect coming over. I still really don't know what to expect, with the weather changing. I don't know if it's going to change or not. It could stay this way.

But I didn't want to set too high expectations. I found in the past when I expect too much out of myself I tend not to play well. So I tend to play better if I just kind of go with the flow and just see what happens.

Q. When did you fly in?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: I came over, got here Thursday morning, and we were over in Southport for a few days. My caddie has caddied in the Solheim Cup and a few women's events there. And he made friends in Southport. We came over and stayed with them, and they were members at Birkdale. We played Hillside and Birkdale for a couple of days and came over here on Saturday.

Q. This is even more burnt out than Birkdale?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: Birkdale was drying up, but it's a very good golf course. It was good to get a taste of links golf over there.

Q. Had you never been tempted to come over this side to play or was your schedule too busy?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: Just kind of really haven't I don't know, just kind of get stuck at home and kind of doing your thing. I haven't ever really thought about it.

Q. There was a suggestion at the Ryder Cup press conference at the K Club a few weeks ago that you guys don't have any passports. Was there any truth in that?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: I just got mine last year. So there could be a few guys that don't have them. I got one last year just in case I needed one. I wasn't planning on coming over or anything, but got one just in case.

Q. Have you used it yet?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: Just once.

Q. This week?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: Yeah, this week, the first time.

Q. What kind of shots outside of the 5 iron, what kind of shots did you practice that you had never practiced before out here?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: Just get some different lies around the greens in the rough. The rough has really dried up, so visually you don't think that the ball is going to come out, but it really does come out fairly easy. There's a few spots around the greens, around some sprinklers where the grass is thick and heavy, so just basically today I went all the way from 5 wood to 5 iron chipping, just to try mostly bump and runs, but back home if you miss the green you're usually in deep rough. So there's a lot of bump and runs that I'm not used to.

Q. Did you use the putter much off the green, and how far away do you think you used the putter?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: I did use the putter a little bit. I don't think much more than 10, 15 feet. It seems it's a little too slow for a putter. But depending on where the pin is and how steep the hill is and things like that depends on whether you putt it or not. They tend to be a little too slow from any further, from 15 feet or so.

Q. For the benefit of us that don't know you very well, tell us some of the stuff that won't be in the Tour guide and bits and pieces about you in general.

VAUGHN TAYLOR: I grew up in Augusta, Georgia. Kind of grew up on the south side of town, just playing just a public golf course and started golfing when I was about ten years old. I kind of got a little serious about it when I was 13. And I just really enjoyed it.

I was a pretty good junior player, decent college player and turned pro after college and just played mini Tours. I just tried to work my way up and finally got on Tour a few years ago. I feel like I'm a simple guy, just down to earth, not very flashy, not much going on, really.

Q. Did you watch the last Ryder Cup?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: I did.

Q. How did you feel watching it?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: It's tough to watch sometimes. You feel like after the past few years it just seems like the United States just wasn't making any putts. It's tough to watch because you're rooting them on so much, guys that were my childhood heroes, a lot of guys that I watched growing up, and it was tough to watch them really struggling. I probably didn't watch as much of it as I usually do.

Q. Is this a hard time or good time to be coming into a Ryder Cup team?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: I don't know. It's probably a good time because I feel like there's a lot of younger, good players coming up. It's kind of somewhat of a new wave of players. We might end up having a few rookies on the team, so we'll all be kind of in the same boat together and share the experience and help each other through it.

Q. Did you ever feel like you were the second golfer out of Augusta, with Charles Howell being so much more prominent or well known?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: Definitely. Charles has been a good player for a long time. He's always been the headliner in Augusta. He deserved it. He's made his way on Tour at a young age and is a good player. So definitely, I think I've kind of been second in line a little bit. Charles is a great player and he deserved to be first.

Q. What's the course in Augusta that you used to play?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: It's called Goshen Plantation.

Q. Had you played any match play golf in college or apart from World Match Plays?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: No, I've never played match play.

Q. Ever?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: Ever.

Q. Tom Lehman was talking about the other week he said about the fact that you grew up on a public course rather than private courses, probably toughened you up. Was it a harder route coming that way?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: It could be. My parents haven't had a whole lot of money their whole lives and they couldn't really send me off to teachers and playing all over the country. So I kind of had to just put a lot of hard work in and the courses weren't always in the greatest shape. You just do with what you have.

I feel like I just worked hard. I'm proud of the course I grew up on. I think it's a good golf course and I like it.

Q. I'm sorry, I didn't catch the name of the course.

VAUGHN TAYLOR: It's called Goshen Plantation, G o s h e n.

BERNIE McGUIRE: Let's go over your round times.

VAUGHN TAYLOR: I don't believe I've ever played that late, 3:48. Back home they go at one early time and one late time. Those are both kind of late.

BERNIE McGUIRE: How about your teammates?

VAUGHN TAYLOR: I don't know either one.

End of FastScripts.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297