Press conference - Jack Nicklaus

JULIUS MASON: Jack Nicklaus, here at the 82nd PGA Championship.

Jack, some opening thoughts on your round and then we will have a Q&A.

JACK NICKLAUS: My round wasn't obviously very much or anything to even talk about.

First time I have had the opportunity to play with Tiger in competition. He shot the easiest 66 today, and he missed -- made some puts, but he missed half a dozen opportunities, it looked like, that were in the hole. Phenomenal control, phenomenal concentration; that was a real treat to watch today.

My own game was -- I didn't get very focused. The start of the round, I hit some bad iron shorts and continued to hit bad iron shots, and I just sort -- probably lucky to scratch out what I did, which was 77.

JULIUS MASON: Questions, ladies and gentlemen.

Q. Jack, Tiger said previously when the two of you have played rounds together that you don't talk about golf. He says he feels presumptuous to ask you questions about golf and he'd rather wait for you to impart some knowledge or whatever on him. Did you talk about golf today, or what did you talk about, and why is it that you don't talk about golf?

JACK NICKLAUS: I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Let's see.

We didn't talk about much of anything. Talked a little bit about golf, but not much. I never really talk much about golf when I am playing.

What did we talk about? Talked about a variety of things. Talked about golf clubs a little bit. Talked about, you know, when you are playing a tournament round you don't walk to talk too much about golf because you don't want to be sitting there talking to a guy who has just hit it 290 yards and -- or in his case, 350 yards, down the middle, and you are sitting there trying to figure out why and how he did that. You don't sit there and ask a guy how he did that. He doesn't sit there and ask me why I hit it 230 yards in the rough. (Laughter).

Those are not questions you ask. I don't know how to answer your question.

Jack Nicklaus plays into the 1st. Allsport.

Q. You said you had trouble getting focused. Obviously, with what has happened recently, the range of emotions that you were going through had to make it difficult to be out there today. Can you talk a little bit about that and how you got yourself into the round, or even if you were able to?

JACK NICKLAUS: Well, I got the word yesterday on the 4th hole. And I finished up the front nine yesterday, just sort of going through the motions of doing that, just because I was with -- I was with Glen Day and I didn't want to leave him alone. I knew had -- as soon as I finished the round yesterday, went back, got on the telephone talking with my sister, trying to make arrangements and things that you do.

And making the decision whether to play or not to play. My wife and my sister both felt like my mother had always worried about the last couple of years, every time I would be -- she said, "Gee, I hope I don't pass away this week; it is just a big week. I don't want to mess up your week. I want you to play." That is what she wanted me to do. I went through that; obviously through both of those emotions.

I had no desire to be here, I promise you. But I felt like that that is what she would have wanted me to do. I think it was probably the right thing to do. I think that there is not much I can do for her at this point. And that I think that the PGA of America, Valhalla, the tournament, the pairing that I had, were all things that I think that were probably important in many ways, and that is what she would have wanted me to do; so that is what I did.

I started out today; hit nicely at the 1st hole. Pulled my second shot. I got a really nice break, hit it on the fringe, bounced about 30 yards left into the rough and I tried to play some shot that I couldn't play, and made double-bogey; real nice start. That gets -- hit about -- I hit about four probably four, five iron shots similar to the one I hit at the first hole during the round, and, of course, they all cost me.

But I didn't really play that terrible. I just put it in places that I couldn't play from. I wasn't sharp and I was like -- what was I, 4-over par, 5 -- 4-over par, I guess, after five holes. And from then, I didn't play too badly. Hit some good shots, but still some sloppy ones. But I just wasn't sharp, and I understand why I wasn't.

I wish I had played better. I sure tried as hard as I could try. It just -- of course, you are playing with a man who is shooting 66 and looks like he is shooting 60. He is unlucky to shoot 66. You are out there struggling for 75. It makes you look like you are shooting 95.

I said earlier in the week that Tiger and Vijay were going to get their Pro Am this week whether they wanted it or not (laughter). The only trouble was I didn't get enough strokes.

Q. You talked about Tiger's focus. What was -- seeing it for the first time, what was most impressive about the way that he locks in on a golf course to you?

JACK NICKLAUS: Well, that he -- I thought it was very -- didn't see anything wild. He hit a couple of off-line shots, you know, upsetting for two seconds and then he focus on what he was going to do to get back in play.

Reminds me a little bit of what I used to do used, to hit the shot, get upset with myself, get it over with and get with the business at hand. He does that very well.

Phenomenal putter. And his putting stroke and the steadiness and the -- his fundamentals are so sound with every club in the bag that it is hard to find a flaw of how he could lose his concentration or have a problem. It is just -- it was -- he just played very much -- well, within himself. Didn't try to do anything that he couldn't do.

That is -- I like that a lot. I thought that was -- that is the way you play golf. That is a great lesson for me, or for any golfer, or the average golfers, to play within yourself. He played well within himself.

Q. Condolences from everyone with the death of your mother. I think we all know the importance your dad played in the development of your career. Would you talk little bit about your mom, what she brought to your life, how she shaped your character?

JACK NICKLAUS: My mother, as mothers do, you know, in many cases -- are in the background. They are in the background, but the forefront, too. Mothers are always there to do for you, what you need, and you know, they are always there for when you got problems.

And my mother was no different. My dad was in the forefront, but my dad passed away 30 years ago, so, my mother always said -- ever since my father passed away that she wanted to go to -- and my doctor the last five years has always said your mother just doesn't want to live, but she doesn't -- she wants to die, but just not right now. And that is sort of the way she lived the last few years.

She was a tough old girl, and she hung in there and I talked to her a lot and she never missed watching golf on television, and she was always a great supporter. But never in the forefront; she was always in the background. She just she had a lot of stability behind her.

Q. How do you think your design here at Valhalla is holding up over the years?

JACK NICKLAUS: I think it is holding up fine. I think -- I think you are playing Valhalla at the time of year where it is going to play its easiest. Any time you are going to play in August, you are going to play when it is going to be the softest, going to be very little wind, and the guys are going to have a better chance of making good scores, simply because the weather conditions -- I think Valhalla, the golf course, couldn't be in better condition. Fairways are good. Rough is plenty tough enough. Fairways fairly good to drive the ball in; also if you miss the fairway, you are going to be penalized.

I am very proud of the golf course. I think the golf course is doing very. Very well.

Q. 8th hole, it seemed like you hit --Tiger hit first; then you hit on and hit his ball. Do you remember what club you hit and what he hit?

JACK NICKLAUS: Yeah, he hit 9-iron; I hit 6-iron, and we were trying to figure out -- I kept turning mine upside-down. I said, "turn yours upside-down so it looks like we are playing the same club," He hit some long irons. Gosh, he hits the ball a long way.

He impressed me with what he did on that hole. He took a club and played a club that would leave him short of the little hallows that is in the green. And rather than taking an 8-iron, just putting in there, taking the chance getting it back. He aimed it over the bunker, carried the bunker, but played it short. I thought that was a very intelligent shot. I never would have thought you'd do it with a 9-iron. I played the same shot, but it was with a 6-iron.

Q. Could you talk about that great up-and-down you made at 17, and what you and Tiger were kind of laughing about afterward and talking about?

JACK NICKLAUS: Well, I had a perfect shot tee shot at 17. I hit another horrible iron shot. When I did the golf course, put that little left -- that little ledge over there. I never dreamed anybody could hit the ball over there. I hit it left of it. I was in the high grass. Took a big old long flowing swing. Actually had a fairly decent lie underneath there. I could get the club underneath the ball, was why I tried the shot I tried. It came off.

Of course, Tiger hit it off in the rough. He hit short of the green. Hit not a very good chip shot, for him, then, of course, he drained the putt. I made the putt and we both looked at each other. We just said: It is par 4. So we both made 4 and walked off. Just sort of kidding about it, both made a nice recovery.

Q. If you were designing or anybody designing a golf course, setting it up to harness Tiger's skills, is there such a thing on a hole out of the majors you played, what championship setup do you think would have presented the greatest problem to him?

JACK NICKLAUS: Well, the thing that everybody keeps doing, and they have done it here at Valhalla, too, is added more yardage to the golf course; which just plays into his hands. The more yardage you put on the golf course, the more dominant he is going to be.

I think that -- then you look at St. Andrews, they added a couple of yardages on a couple holes, but they weren't significant. But St. Andrews, he hit the ball passed all the trouble. I don't think there was a bunker in that golf course that was really in play for him, and he took -- the distance he hits it, he just puts it out of play. So maybe you say make it a short golf course, limit what you can play off the tee. Well, he knocks it past everything. Maybe put some trouble where you narrow down the driving areas, you know, in other words, what I am really trying to say is I don't believe you can -- when you got a player who is as good as he is; you try to harness him, not much the same you try do at Muirfield in 1966 with me, I mean, rough off the edge the fairway was like this. And I only hit 17 drivers in the whole tournament, but I was so proud of that that it was a good course that I wasn't supposed to win wasn't set up for me but I was obviously good enough player at that time and intelligent enough to be able to play it. He does the same thing he plays a golf course with his head nothing enough intelligence got the power doesn't have the power if he doesn't want to use it doesn't have to use it if he doesn't want to. How you harness him you are not going to harness the best player in the world. The only thing you are going to do is make the other guys play better. I don't know that is only way I can answer.

JULIUS MASON: Ladies and gentlemen two more questions. Before Mr. Nicklaus needs we have two distinguished guest was us that will make a presentation to Mr. Nicklaus.

Q. When you laid out this course, did you have a major championship, PGA Championship, that sort of thing in mind?

JACK NICKLAUS: When I came here Dwight Gham said -- he says, "Jack, I want you to do a golf course that will be able to host the PGA Championship." That is what I tried to do. Tried to create some gallery situations for him and tried to create some unusual situations around the green. I think I maybe got carried away with a couple of them, but I found my own traps today and it caused me enough problems, but I think it is a golf course that suits a championship very well.

Q. Jack, of all the things that are said and asked of Tiger Woods, it would seem like you could share a unique perspective in that the player of the century is asked -- was asked those questions many times and spoken about like that many times. What is it like to have the shoe on the other foot to play with a guy like Tiger Woods?

JACK NICKLAUS: I think that it was -- I was really very happy with the pairing this week. I was absolutely delighted. I've never played with Tiger in competition before I finished playing golf. I wanted to play with him in a major championship. I certainly didn't ask to be paired the PGA did that. I remember I played with Gene Sarazen. Only time I played with Gene was in 1971 at the PGA Championship. First two rounds, I think Gene was 66, 67 years old, something like that at that time.

I enjoyed that very much. It was a real privilege for me to play with him. And it was fun. I am sure that he had the opportunity to get to watch me in the prime of my career at the same time. And I am getting the opportunity to watch Tiger in the prime of his career in competition; it was something I have wanted to do.

People ask me the question about him constantly, and it is very difficult to answer the question when you haven't seen him play and right besides him firsthand. On television, practice rounds - it has been a couple years since we played a practice round, and you know, I don't mind the shoe being on the other foot. It has been on the other foot long enough, and so it was fun, I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Hopefully I can shoot a little bit better score tomorrow and I think he will be out there trying to do the same thing he did today. But it was good fun and if it is my last major championship or isn't my last major championship, doesn't make any difference. I have had a unique experience and I have enjoyed it very much.

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