ROUND 3 INTERVIEW May 16, 2021
DICKY PRIDE ( -11)
Q. We've got to ask you a question. With the lack of leaderboards out there, you stood on the 15th hole with a four-shot lead, did you know you had that amount of lead?
DICKY PRIDE: No, I did not. I actually saw the leaderboard right before my bunker shot on 16 and saw I had a three-shot lead and it got a little easier.
Q. You Monday qualified. That's over with now for you.
DICKY PRIDE: Yes.
Q. You get your first win on the PGA Tour Champions. What does this win do for Dicky Pride?
DICKY PRIDE: Oh, it's huge. I've now won on all three tours, which is something I always wanted to do and I always wanted to say. I put in a lot of hard work. I really am appreciative of all of people that have helped me. Warren Stephens and Stephens Incorporated, Terry Pollock and Curtis Jeffries over there. First and foremost, my wife, Kim, and our kids, Isabelle and Fletcher. Danny Snyder, the list goes on and on. John O'Leary, Brian Corn, Wayne Flint, Bob Rotella. So many people that helped me.
It's a huge deal and I think this gets me through first stage of U.S. Open qualifying, so I don't have to go qualify Wednesday.
Q. Spoken like a true player.
DICKY PRIDE: Spoken like a true player. So I'm ready to go see my family.
Q. Dicky, first of all, how does it feel to win this week?
DICKY PRIDE: I am just thrilled, I am so excited. Last week was really disappointing with a horrible final round in Birmingham, my home state. I really put a lot of pressure on myself to play well and really didn't. So I came this week, was able to qualify and played really flawless over there. Then to put three rounds together. I played the first day with Stephen Ames and Paul Goydos and I shot 1 under and I felt like I was playing terrible. They're like no, you're tied for 12th. So I really played well all week and just kept focused on trying to get more birdies.
Q. In the scrapbook of your career, I don't know where you put this one. Like you say,
1 Tee-Scripts.com you've won on all three tours now.
DICKY PRIDE: This one is -- this one -- the thing about this one that was so difficult, when I won on Tour, I was a 24-year-old rookie that didn't have a clue and I'm way more scarred now, especially after starting the Champions Tour. I mean, I played in the Senior British in 2019 and came home and had to have thumb surgery. So I was out for a year, I didn't play for a year. It was really frustrating.
I got a couple exemptions into Bridgestone and then South Dakota and it kind of got me started. I made a couple Monday qualifiers. Pebble Beach I put myself -- I was in second place going into the final day and played awful like I did in Birmingham.
So this one means a lot because it was a lot harder, it was a lot harder for me. When I won Memphis in '94, I was young, naive, and ignorance is bliss. It really ranks up there, means something, a lot to me.
Q. The demonstration at the end, the big yell and the "come on" and "yeah," where did that come from?
DICKY PRIDE: I'm from Alabama, that's just kind of how it goes, man. Really, honestly, I did everything that I could to keep my composure and not get excited and not start thinking about winning. You know, keep my mind focused on the shot I had. It builds up, and when I finally was able to let loose, I enjoyed it.
Q. The point of this round where you think it really turned for you, I don't know if it was -- nobody except two guys birdied 8 and I don't know if that's --
DICKY PRIDE: Yeah, that was a huge putt. That was probably the big -- that put me either in the lead or tied for the lead. Again, I wasn't trying to focus on it, but it's kind of hard to miss. The birdie on 10 was huge. I hit a good putt on 11 and a good putt on 12 and they just missed. Birdieing 13, 14 helped a lot. 15 I just made an awful swing. I got the kiss of death from Goydos, he said "good shot" as it was in the air. It spun all the way back. That, when I looked on 16 and saw that I had a three-shot lead when I was in the bunker, the bunker shot got a lot easier and I hit a really, really good bunker shot. That was huge.
Q. So you had no idea of the cushion you had?
DICKY PRIDE: No, I did not. I knew Doug Barron was playing well. I saw he was playing well by the last scoreboard I saw. Then I put a couple of birdies on him, played 13 really well and made a really good putt on 14.
Q. A couple last things. You show up for qualifying early in the week. What is the expectations of a qualifier when you get here knowing how hard it is to get to this point?
2 Tee-Scripts.com DICKY PRIDE: They're just tough. There are a lot of really good players and you've just got to go out and really play well, and you might need a break or two. I played, I went to the qualifier in Tucson and in Naples and shot 3 under in both of them and missed, so missed by one and missed by two. You can play good golf and not get through. That might have been my best round this week because I played really good to shoot 4 under in that.
Q. And your belt, does it have every championship on it? Is it up to date?
DICKY PRIDE: It's not up to date. I actually think now I can get a new one.
Q. You can afford to get a new belt?
DICKY PRIDE: I'm hoping I can afford to get a new Alabama belt. I started this about 15 years ago actually in Memphis playing Sunday with Chris DiMarco. Chris and I have been friends since junior golf. I wore an Alabama belt, walked on the range and he said, "That's the ugliest belt I've ever seen," and I have worn one in competition every day since. And I only wear them in competition. I might retire this one.
Q. How old is it? What's the last championship on this?
DICKY PRIDE: I think -- I don't know, '50, looks like '50.
Q. Oh, it's way out of date.
DICKY PRIDE: Yeah, I'm way out of date. I've got to invest in a new belt. There is a size matter. I might have an Alabama belt that doesn't fit.
Q. Well, that's good for me. I know you're in a hurry to get a drink. What's your drink of choice?
DICKY PRIDE: My drink of choice, it's something called -- I don't know what at this point, but --
Q. Well, enjoy it.
DICKY PRIDE: Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
Q. After the win, who did you call?
DICKY PRIDE: I called my wife. My wife and our children, Isabelle and Fletcher are all together. They both just finished school, so they were together, so I Facetimed. Actually, my daughter and my wife were out last week and then my son finished exams on Friday. So they got to get together and it was too much to get here, but hopefully I'll see them soon.
Q. What was the emotion like there on the call?
3 Tee-Scripts.com
DICKY PRIDE: Yeah, I tried not to cry. I mean, the family, we all see what we do and they see the sacrifice we make and then make so many sacrifices for us to be able to do what we do. I wouldn't be here without my wife, Kim. She just is the total rock in my life.
4 Tee-Scripts.com
5 Tee-Scripts.com