AMERICAN CENTURY CELEBRITY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

July 16, 2006

Jack Wagner

DAN QUINN: Well, the champion is in here, we'll let him in here, but Peter, way to go, boy.

BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: Peter we need to work on your celebration, my man.

DAN QUINN: Don't let your actor dad do all that crap on the green; you get in there.

BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: Jack, well done.

JACK WAGNER: Thanks, appreciate it. I don't know what they said. I don't want to know.

PHIL WEIDINGER: 2006 Champion, Jack Wagner. Jack, how does it feel?

JACK WAGNER: I'm starting to breathe again, which is kind of nice.

You know, I'm glad the last putt was downhill because I was pretty nervous over that. I knew it moved a little bit left, Peter helped me read that one actually, we looked at it. So I just kind of played a little bit right edge, inside right and just kind of fell and had enough speed and you know, went in. It went dark. That's what matters.

Q. What was it like playing with your son?

JACK WAGNER: Caddying you mean? We played a lot of golf together. We played a lot together in what probably the last six eight weeks.

PETER WAGNER: Yeah, been playing a lot.

JACK WAGNER: That's really what I've been doing is playing. Peter has been watching my game, been watching his game, so he made me feel very comfortable out there before the tournament, he's like, "You can do this, dad. You're much better than you were last year, so let's go." He was a big help for me out there. What do you think?

PETER WAGNER: It's just that simple. We just had the attitude and we went out rockin'.

Q. You said it on TV today, in the past, you choked. What got you through today?

JACK WAGNER: I really took my time on my putts. You know, before I felt as though I would rush if I hit a bad putt, I would rush and I would miss a lot of little putts in this tournament.

And so I really focused on my putts coming in, and made sure that I gave myself enough time, and that's I think that helped me in the long run.

BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: Jack, I just got off the phone, my wife just called me, and I want to thank you for her telling me, "You suck, quit the game. Thanks, man." I'm feeling the love at home. She's behind me all the way. (Laughter.)

JACK WAGNER: Support system, Billy Joe, support system.

BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: Good playing.

JACK WAGNER: Thanks.

Q. The situation on 18, how long did you have to wait and then you called family over, seemed to relax you a little bit did that help?

JACK WAGNER: Yeah. You know, my intention of calling the family over was to relax me, and hit a little draw, as opposed to a the reason I called him over was, main reason is Peter has been on TV all week and Harrison has been in summer school, so I knew that he would be a little blue if he didn't get on the tube. So I thought that was a chance to get him on the tube. And secondly, I you know was just kind of relaxing and the way I relax on the golf course is to talk to the gallery or that type of thing.

I was pretty serious yesterday, and today I was a lot looser. But you know, I kind of got settled in and wanted to hit a nice, hard straight ball, a little draw and wound up hitting a 30 yard slice. So I don't know what it is on that hole, but it just always seem to wind up over there in the right and today it seemed to work out.

Q. And you're the first nonprofessional athlete now to win.

JACK WAGNER: Yeah, I'm so happy about that. I am happy for all of the entertainers and everybody that's not either a hockey, football, basketball, whatever the athlete is. I'm just glad I could represent not only Hollywood but the entertainment world in terms of golf.

Q. When Dan stuck his second shot on that last hole and kind of laid back on the drive and stuck his second shot 20 feet below the hole, did this change your thought process at all? Did you even pay attention?

JACK WAGNER: I didn't see it. I was over talking to people about me. (Laughter).

Thanks goodness I hit it over to the right, the gallery was over there and there was a woman in the wheelchair who says she's driven up every year from Reno, so I was able to loosen up with her.

By the time I got to my third shot I looked on the green and I saw that one of either Billy Joe or Dan had hit it pretty close and I saw Danny with his putter in his hand. So I figured he would probably make that, because he was due; he didn't make anything all day.

Billy had a pretty easy chip so I figured he was going to make birdie. You know, my first goal in my approach shot on my third shot was to get it over the water so we did that, and I was able to keep it on the green there. I was a little nervous.

Q. You kind of hit it low in there?

JACK WAGNER: It was just a pitching wedge. It was a very easy L wedge for me but I went with a sand wedge instead, choked it up because I didn't want to take that big of a swing, I wanted to keep it low, I wanted to skip it in there, and those L wedge shots from that distance, the last thing you want to do is lay the sod over and hit it fat. So I just choked up on a sand wedge and just pumped it in there. That was a suggestion by my caddie. (Winking.)

PHIL WEIDINGER: What other suggestions did your caddie have for you today?

JACK WAGNER: Let it go.

PETER WAGNER: And commit to the shot.

JACK WAGNER: Commit to the shot.

PETER WAGNER: Trust it, and just be ready.

JACK WAGNER: Be ready. You know we started off bad. It wasn't Peter's fault but I really, really was nervous today and I 3 putted three times in the front nine. I was 3 over after four holes, but birdied two reachable par 5s, 3 putted 2.

You know, we were going in a bad direction, and I made a really great birdie on 5. For me I knocked in about a 15 footer right in the heart of the cup and I should have birdied 6, birdied 7 from about 25 feet and we were off to the races. 3 putted 8.

You know, it never is easy. I never birdie, birdie, par, birdie. It never goes that way (phone rings in room) hang on. Tiger? Take a message. Thanks. (Laughter).

Q. Dan and Billy Joe were talking about the math you do, playing the Stableford, do you think about that, are there any difference playing in a stroke play and Stableford?

JACK WAGNER: It's a big difference. It really is a big difference. You know, you've got to manage your bogeys. If you've got about, say, a 6 or 8 footer downhill for par, you know, you're going to get it just past the hole.

You're not going to really try to ram it because if you've got a 4 or 5 footer for bogey left, you make a double, you've got to make bogey you know, when you're lacking at maybe making kind of a par putt. You've got to nurse it in there sometimes, and when you've got a birdie chance, I've really played today to have uphill putts and I made a couple of really terrific putts today, especially on 14. I hit a sand wedge in there, backed it up about 30 feet. I thought I made it. Hit past the hole and sucked back.

You know, I really knew I had to birdie that hole and I hit a great putt up that hill and it just fell right in. That gave me some confidence. I made a great par on 15. I hit a shot deep into the woods left. I had to hook an 8 iron about 180 yards and I hit it on the fringe and chipped it over this mound and left myself with about ten feet back up the hill and made the putt.

So it was one of those, wherever I was going to have a wreck or tried to choke a little bit, at least I put myself in position to make par.

Q. Does the traditional ten percent goes to the caddie or have you discussed that ahead of time?

JACK WAGNER: I just suggested he pay for his private school this year. (Laughter) We'll discuss that, I'm sure.

Q. You've been Club Champion a couple times in your home turf and played some good golf, does this just vault over all that stuff?

JACK WAGNER: I won the AT&T with John Cook in 1991 and my father passed in 1990. So I think this would compare to that.

Club Championships are certainly fun. I've won six times at Bel Aire and those are great. But to have Peter on the bag here is just like winning the AT&T after my father passed. It's family and it's really what it's all about, to share something that's important to me and that I work for that he's part of too, and his brother and his mother; it's just hard to put into words. You know, how you could story write something that's happened today, all week, actually. Thanks for asking and bringing up those Club Championships. I'd like to get that in there, too. (Laughing)

Q. Peter, what are your goals for golf? Do you want to go low and make something of it and just keep getting better? Follow your dad's footsteps?

PETER WAGNER: Golf is my favorite sport and I just want to keep playing and definitely just want to keep getting better. This summer, I tried to play a lot and stuff. I got basketball, too, so I'm doing that, and just want to play as much as I can. I want to get good.

Q. Do you have a prediction on when you're going to beat your dad?

PETER WAGNER: No. Soon I hope.

Q. What's your handicap?

PETER WAGNER: Like a 13, 14.

Q. You'll get there.

JACK WAGNER: He will get there. He's moving too quickly. He had a 37 on the front nine at Bel Aire from the blue tees last week, so that's something to nurse off.

Q. What so do you to now, what do you do tonight?

JACK WAGNER: Tonight, I put this week aside as a little treat for myself. I've chartered a plane, so I'm going to take my time, go back and pack, and do whatever I want for two or three hours and not have to rush and dash and take my family back, you know, on a plane, nice, easy plane ride back L.A. And that was my treat for myself this week because Peter and I have been working really hard at the game and caddying. So we're going to really spoil ourselves and do that tonight. That's real a gift to be able to do that. That's what it's going to be. We're just going to kick back. And as kids are kids, his 11 year old brother right now, as soon as we're finished, he's carrying the check, he goes, "Can I go putt now?"

Yeah. So he's out on the green putting right now and I'm sure his brother once he eats, he'll be out there having a putting contest with him. Peter beat Charles Barkley out on the putting green, putting for two hours I'll have you know. So he and Charles have a putting contest every year, so that's continuing.

Q. How much were you encouraged early on seeing Billy Joe not getting pars, and then also Dan missing a lot of putts, Dan left a lot of putts out there this week.

JACK WAGNER: I can't really say I was encouraged. All that told me was that everybody was pretty nervous today. You know, it was going to be whoever could make a few putts coming in. I think everybody knew that, and not necessarily par putts. You had to make some birdies and those guys will be the first to tell you, they didn't. And I didn't either. I made one on actually I did. I made a long putt on 11, about 20 feet and I made about a 25 footer on 15, and I had an easy birdie opportunity on 16 and I didn't get up and down, I should have hit the green.

On 17, I really thought I could win the tournament there. I had about a 15 footer downhill about a three foot break, but I really thought I read it right and I had great speed on the putt. I just rolled over the edge and thought I could win the tournament there and hoped to.

Q. That was a pretty huge advantage going into 18 with a one pot lead, if Billy Joe would have birdied 17, you know, going down two, going into the last hole because if you birdie, which he did, that closed them out.

JACK WAGNER: Yeah, I didn't know how I was going to birdie 18. I knew I had to get it done. I talked to Roger Maltbie afterwards, and hitting right actually turned out to be an advantage for me because I really didn't have to try to go for the green. It sort of took the water out of play. You know, I had to make birdie, a special way, and I knew these guys were going to make birdie.

So once I got over that, I got over that hole, I've got to hit a draw. I don't hit draws off the tee. I hit it left to right, so 18 is a very hard driving hole for me. Every other hole on this course sets up perfectly for me so I got up there and committed to the draw and hit it. The flat stick can save a lot of people. Anybody out on the PGA TOUR can tell you that. So if you can get the wand going a little bit, you can hang in there.

Q. You've got $100,000 coming your way, do you know what you're going to do with it yet?

JACK WAGNER: (Turning to Peter.) Smile for me. We have a little dental bill coming. Okay. That's just about finished. He got his wisdom teeth taken out just a week ago so he's been like in pain, but he sucked it up and grinded through it.

So I would imagine it's probably going to go to college. We'll drop a big chunk right in there and maybe not have to worry about that for a while. Thank you.

End of FastScripts.