Curtis Strange press conference

JULIUS MASON: Curtis Strange, ladies and gentlemen, joining us this afternoon at Valhalla Golf Club for the 82nd PGA Championship.

Curtis, if you wouldn't mind, we will throw it to you on a couple of comments on the golf course, the Championship, and then we will turn it over for questions.

CURTIS STRANGE: Couple of things, Julius. I liked this golf course a lot back in 1996; it hasn't changed at all, still a good golf course. If you all get out there and walk, and hopefully you will, every hole is a beautiful golf hole. Every hole sets up kind of differently than the hole before. It is a nice golf course.

There is a couple of funky greens, you have heard that, and everybody knows that, but that is part of the characteristics of this golf course. It is also part of Jack's older golf courses; they give you some room off the tee. It is not completely generous off the tee, but there is some room off the tee. Then the severity is around some of the greens, but you know as a player where to go and where not to go. That is part of the fun.

This is a second-shot golf course. It's a doggone good golf course. I enjoy it. It's got some different holes. Back side is beautiful with the trees. Championship basically, the fourth major of the year, everybody is excited. I think I heard earlier this is the best field of any PGA Championship; correct?

JULIUS MASON: That is correct.

CURTIS STRANGE: That goes to show in itself everybody comes from all over the world to play; so it is a big deal. It is a big deal to all of us, and somebody is going to like it Sunday afternoon, obviously.

Before I get into question and answer I'd just like to say one other thing. I think you all know the reason why I am here; that is basically as Ryder Cup Captain.

I haven't talked to most of you over the course of the last six months since the announcement, and I would just like to reiterate that it is truly a tremendous, tremendous honor to be selected to -- to be given the responsibility to organize and the responsibility of just to lead this team over to The Belfry in England and hopefully come back and bring back the Cup.

Now, obviously, that is our end goal is to win, but the responsibility of being a Captain started six months ago, the day after the announcement.

So, it has been fun. It has been enlightening. It has been time consuming at times, but that is all part of the fun is that there -- I have a third job now, and it has been fun so far and I expect it to be nothing but. I just wanted -- again, I haven't talked to any of you guys, so -- it's tremendous. I can't tell you -- sometimes you can't put into words what it is, and that is the way it has been and that is the way I expect it to be through The Belfry, as long as my guys play well, (smiles).

Q. In your second job as a television guy, there are concerns starting to come out from people in the business that they are concerned that with Tiger dominating the game the way he is, that that is going to have an possibly have adverse effect; that people say if this keeps going, they will get bored with it. Do you see any of that? Does that strike you at all?

CURTIS STRANGE: You know, I can see the argument. I don't think it is going to happen. Let's back up for a minute just talk about we all know or we all felt as players that somebody was going to eventually come along who ran faster, jumped higher and threw it farther than anybody else. I actually always thought that the fellow would be 6'8", 300 pounds, ran the 44 in 2:00 or something; it turns out that he is 6'2", lean and mean.

I can see the argument for being bored with the Tour if he wins all the time, but I just don't think it is going to happen. He didn't win last week at the Buick. He didn't win at the Western. Here I am naming events he didn't win instead of the events he did win. But, you know, look at -- then you have to look at the facts that TV, he actually doubles the ratings that when he is winning, or near the lead, the ratings are actually doubled. So, is that boredom? No. That shows people are really interested.

Then when you look on the big picture of young talent coming along some of the guys we have seen just recently, Charles Howell. God, it's amazing, how mature this kid is at 20 and how good he is. Adam Scott, the Australian, just turned 20 years old, you know, we don't remember what we were doing at 20 years old. They are trying to be as good as Tiger Woods. They are long, strong mature. Not only as young men, but golfers. Then you have you know, two or three others the names -- Baddeley.

Anyway, you know -- there is three, four or five guys that I don't think it is going to be foregone conclusion that Tiger wins all of the tournaments.

Q. If I may, we all know what a tremendous competitor you had been and always will be. In preparing yourself for the Ryder Cup, I know you are already studying players and habits, and you know a lot of them from having seen them on television, but will you also talk to some of the other Ryder Cup captains and get some thoughts as to what they did and how they thought about pairing people?

CURTIS STRANGE: Yes. I have already talked to a number of the guys that I am close to. I have played -- well, I played with Tom Kite the last two days. Obviously, we discussed it once or twice. Ben and I are good friends. I am going to talk to -- I am going to talk to those guys a little bit about their strategies and things like that. But, it is also the way I go about playing the game and the way -- the way want to seat Ryder Cup performed at the end of the year. It is my personality that is going to come out, I think, just as it did with all the other teams. I will talk to a few players, but I think there is a point of no return. I think you can do too much. I haven't done too much, as you mentioned; that I have done a lot. I haven't. I haven't talked to too many people yet. Other than Ben and Tom, and Lanny a little bit. But it is still too early. It is still -- we are still a little over a year away, and the points double next year and so it is -- so much is going to change. They don't even start points over there 'til January 1. So, it is really a little too early to do that type of stuff. Sarah and I have been busy doing other things, organization and preparing for it. But the team itself is going to take care of itself, basically.

Q. Talk about the field. You mentioned how strong this field is and just some of the other guys, besides Tiger that you will be watching this week.

CURTIS STRANGE: Well, since I am playing, not doing TV, I really don't care about anybody else, but I will go through a couple of the guys.

Obviously Tiger. You go right down this -- Julius gave me the Ryder Cup list. Phil Mickelson has been playing wonderful golf every week. Hal Sutton played well last week. Davis Love has been struggling, I haven't seen him in a while, but I don't know why he is struggling. When I say it, I say Davis is struggling, it's from the same eyes that you do.

I haven't talked to David, so I look at the paper and see what he is shooting, things like that. That is something I do that I didn't do before, just because of the Ryder Cup and TV.

Ernie Els has been playing fantastic golf. Lee Westwood has been playing wonderful golf over on that side of the ocean. Just to name a few, they are the ones that you expect to be up there this week.

Q. Back to the Ryder Cup, what was your feeling about the Europeans criticism of what happened in Brookline? They complained a lot about the fans and so forth, and do you expect a more hostile reaction from the European fans when you go over there, and what can you do to kind of defuse that whole thing?

CURTIS STRANGE: You know, I just want to tell you, I won my bet after few minutes ago. My bet was that question would come in the third question or shorter, okay. So --

Q. The other guy paid me.

CURTIS STRANGE: The criticism first was a first part of the question. Well, the criticism is basically through Mark's book, I guess, and I think everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Again, I wasn't there, so I can't make a lot of comment on it. I saw the same thing you saw on television, unless you were there.

So, I thought we did, as we said at the time we crossed the line a little bit, but how do you hold the reins back on spontaneous emotion; it is a wonderful thing. Everybody wants to see the U.S. team come together like, and that when we did cross the line, I mean -- and we apologized, and let's go on.

But, Mark is entitled to his own opinion. I will say this about Mark James: I have always liked him and do like him and I think he did a wonderful job of the Ryder Cup. You have to remember they were 4 points up on us, and we had the best team we could ever put together. They were 4 points up on us.

So, he did a great job and unfortunately in the process of what happened after that, it has been lost in the shuffle, as how well the U.S. team played on Sunday. And they played -- all I saw were balls right in the hole like rabbits.

things, and we are on the same page. I think it all starts with the captaincy, and we have been friends for many, many years we are on the same page as far as respect for your competitor. I think etiquette on the golf course -- and if it feeds down from the captains, it will go to the players, the players to the close parties and to the parties and the fans.

So, it starts with us. I think hopefully we will be in contact with each other a great deal over the next year. And do I expect -- I can't believe I remember this whole question. Do I expect them to retaliate? No. Absolutely not.

Q. With the fact that Tiger has broadened the golf fan base, where is the future of the game headed?

CURTIS STRANGE: Well, I don't know. That is a pretty broad question. It is getting bigger and bigger, I can tell you that.

Hopefully, more and more kids, from all over. He certainly is doing that as well as everybody is doing that. He has his foundation, but every player on Tour works with junior players and does their clinics in their town and things like that, as well as throughout the Tour and the clinics on Tour every week.

It is getting bigger, getting broader; that is nothing but good. With that, comes a responsibility of educating the youngsters and new players. I don't care how old they are on the etiquette of the game and things that I grew up with and things that you grew up with, and things that I am teaching my kids.

Q. I will let you win the second part of the bet. Have you read Mark James's book?

CURTIS STRANGE: I have.

Q. What did you think?

CURTIS STRANGE: (Laughs). He is entitled to his own opinion. I don't know how else to -- I don't know how else to answer that. I did read it. I felt I didn't want to, basically, but I did, because I felt like I should. Because he was assistant Captain at the time for the next, Ryder Cup but he is entitled to his own opinion.

Q. He didn't send you copy? You had to go out and buy one, did you, or did the PGA give you one?

CURTIS STRANGE: No, I ... (Laughs).

Q. You mentioned you and Sam have been good friends for years. Have you played him in Ryder Cup matches?

CURTIS STRANGE: I have.

Q. What else can you tell about his personality and how that might filter into the team?

CURTIS STRANGE: Sam and I, I don't know if you heard, we had played each other in one or two Ryder Cup matches. Actually, I think it is two because I think somebody said we are 1 and 1. What was the second part?

Q. What about his personality, as you know it, do you think might filter into the team?

CURTIS STRANGE: I said just a minute ago that we both were all on the same page as far as what we want to do and how we want the teams to act and react and things like that. And you know, the Ryder Cup such a huge event now, so widely watched and so much fun to watch because these things are so close.

With that comes, I guess, some growing pains and so much enthusiasm, and when you come from 4 points behind and the excitement builds all day long, and so everybody gets sometimes too excited. So with that, you maybe sometimes have to step back and look at it and say: "This was a wonderful event, but we can do better in this area or that area."

So, that is basically what Sam and I are doing just like every Captain has done. What Sam is a very, very good competitor, and, you know, I think that will be great. He will have his players ready. He will want to win as badly as anybody else ever did as Captain of the team. I expect a hard-fought match on his side.

What does that mean? I don't know. But I expect him to be thorough in everything he does.

Q. Curtis, if I may, your first Ryder Cup was in 1983, and that is when Europe came in, and I have always felt that is somehow when like the momentum for Ryder Cup really, really picked up, you know, because the crowds and Jack was there. I know you guys had some great team meetings, and also there was a lot of enthusiasm from Jack and possibly some pep talks. Do you look at yourself as that kind of a Captain that you will be giving him inspiration will talks and things like that? I just wondered.

CURTIS STRANGE: Yeah, probably that and more. Maybe once in a while, something they don't want to hear. That was the turning point at Ryder Cup history as far as the competition being so close, and you mentioned the meetings. We have always had meetings, very close-knit meetings every Ryder Cup I have been on, Friday and Saturday night. This past year with Crenshaw's team was no different. That is part of the uniqueness and that is part of the special atmosphere of the Ryder

Cup. It is playing golf, yes. It is playing for your country, yes. Representing your family, your Tour PGA, everybody, but to get close and involved in those meetings is something special something you don't ever have anywhere else.

As far as me, you know, this is my first time so I am not sure how I am going to react to certain situations yet. I am going to prepare as well as I can but if you know me sometimes it doesn't go according to plan. But I feel like I am the leader of the team so I kind of feel like a basketball coach, you know, I always wonder about these coaches on the sidelines when they want their players to be calm, cool and collected and the coach is going batty on the sidelines. So hopefully I will be calm, cool and collected for my players.

Q. Of the two Ryder Cups you played in at The Belfry specifically can you talk about your memories of those two events and based on the way the course is set up, how will you prepare the guys for holes like No. 10 and 18 where not only are they Match Play holes, but the atmosphere is pretty special?

CURTIS STRANGE: You named two of the special holes of the golf course. 10 is a drivable over water par 4; actually most of the guys can get there probably with a 3-wood, tremendous Match Play hole. Too bad it is probably not -- couldn't be 17 on the golf course. 17 is a good par 5 and 18 is the hole that we lost -- basically lost the match on the 18th hole back in 1989. Well I think in 1985 my first match at The Belfry, we didn't do well on the 18th hole either. My memories of at The Belfry, the first time were, one, there were good memories because it was a good week but it also was a tough week because we lost at The Belfry and they won pretty handily, I feel like. In 1989 we have the match but in the 18 -- the 18th hole is a special hole. You better not have just a golf game, you better have plenty of guts to play the 18th hole with the match on the line, it is a tough hole.

JULIUS MASON: Curtis Strange, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much.

Email this page to a friend