PGA Championship Wednesday, May 19, 2021 Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Dave Stockton Press Conference

But it was a thrill -- the biggest thrill for Kathy and I to be THE MODERATOR: Welcome back to the 2021 PGA able to represent the United States and to be a Championship here at the Ocean Course and Kiawah captain. It was stressful times, obviously, for us because it Island, South Carolina. We're really happy to be joined by had been six or eight years since the Cup had been back. two-time PGA champion and also a winning Ryder Cup captain from 1991, Mr. Dave Stockton. In fact, the one memory that really sticks in my mind was I enjoyed them flying over and circling the court with the Welcome back to Kiawah Island. I don't know how often Concorde, bringing the Cup back to where I thought it through the years you've been back here. I don't know if belonged. We got to keep it here, which made it this is the first time in a long time, but what's it like for you memorable for us for sure. to come here and walk these grounds and see the sights? Does it all come flooding back to you. Q. I've heard other people say it, but that Ryder Cup in 1991 really kind of launched what is maybe the modern DAVE STOCKTON: Oh, yeah, absolutely. I've been back Ryder Cup. Do you agree with that notion and that it probably 10 times, so maybe even more. Done quite a few has -- there's so many chapters, 40 plus chapters of corporate stuff. My highlights obviously were being the this event, but that one had a little bit more meaning captain here in '91, and also coaching Rory with his short than some of the others? game when he won in 2012. We won't talk about my playing about the PGA Championship in 2007. I don't DAVE STOCKTON: I think for quite a few reasons. remember much about that. Number one, when I was selected as the captain, I followed , obviously. I almost got it the No, it brings back a lot of memories. I mean, I can year, and I would have had to be the captain overseas, remember -- obviously none of this was here when we which I'd much prefer to be here on home soil. played in '91. Kathy and I came out and rode around with dye in January prior to it, and there wasn't a blade of grass Theoretically it was easier until Nicklaus got beat in '87 four on the place, and I'm thinking -- I mean, the odds of us years ahead of us at his own golf course and I thought, my having a successful tournament, I mean, I don't see how gosh, this is going to be harder than I thought. they can do it. But it just to me launched the thing, and that's instead of I mean, we had our double-wide trailers down here me being the captain at PGA West, they realized it was somewhere near where these buildings are, but nothing going to be televised and they had a three-hour time else was here. Very different. change, they had to go to somewhere on the East Coast. So they got about as far east as we could possibly go and But the golf course itself was a masterpiece from the start. said okay we'll put the golf course down here and dye was For him to design it the way he did where none of the water the man for the job. goes back into the marshes or nothing goes to the ocean, I can't conceive of it. The hard part for the players now is For us it was a big challenge. I thought it favored the the golf course goes basically one direction, and the wind Europeans, but the Europeans never came in and played a changed every single day during the Ryder Cup. practice round, which I couldn't understand, because I just think this is such a difficult golf course with the winds and If it's going to help you one direction it'll kill you the other the way the golf course is built because you can't hit all the half. No matter which way the wind blows you're going to greens. You're going to be running off all the time. I think have to have nine holes of some kind of hardship one way we prepared better than they did. or the other.

107555-1-1003 2021-05-19 19:41:00 GMT Page 1 of 6 Q. You were saying about the Europeans; do you think it was arrogance? Do you think they took it for DAVE STOCKTON: No, I'm not into that. My fault was granted that they couldn't beat the American team? that I liked to hunt, so I was going to get some camouflage hats. In fact, I went down today and they did have a DAVE STOCKTON: Well, I don't blame them. They've camouflage hat in the tent, so I got a camouflage hat from done a pretty good job of it. But no, I don't think arrogance this year just for my son and for Ronny and I. I don't know entered into it. I was disappointed that we actually had to what Junior is going to pick out. invite them to play. I thought they would come, and literally here I am in January, no grass. The thing I did not like was the term "War By the Shore" because we're all friends. This is a world Tour now. When By the time we played the Masters, it was playable. But I we got here, I called Gallagher, their captain. The only thought some of them would come from Hilton Head or night that was free that we didn't have some obligation to some of them would come from the Masters. Nobody our separate PGAs was on Tuesday night, and I called him came. It kind of reminds me of us flying over to France and I said, "I'd like to have a Lowcountry cookout, and if three years ago now, and I think five of our 12 players had you want to come, to have you invite your team and their played the golf course, and all I heard in France was that it immediate family, no PGA officials, no officials. I want to was a tight golf course. have just our two teams get together." And we did. That's how we started the week. Well, I thought it would be tree-lined. Somebody tells me tight, little do I know you could put 5,000 sheep on there We ended the week, which they were much more gracious and they could have been there for years and not cut all in defeat than I think we would have been. They were that grass down and there weren't that many trees, and unbelievable. In those days we had a finishing dinner, you just had to hit it dead straight and none of our guys which we don't have now, but two buses were there for us had played the thing, and they had played the French to get in. I guess one team and the other. Open there for 40 years. Well, by the time I come down the one bus is like eight Now we come up to Whistling Straits shortly and the seats shy of getting filled with only three seats are going to European players have played it just as much as we have be left over, and Woosie turns to me and he says, "Stocky, so we're going to have our hands full. I'm hoping in two not to worry, Pavin is so small I'll carry him on." He picked years' time in Rome that a bunch of our guys play the Pavin up and carried him right on the bus, and we rode in Italian Open that's going to be played at that golf course so one bus. we don't walk in and get shellshocked. Yeah, you can call it War By the Shore. I never went to the Q. So for the fact that you had a new course in 1991 tent over there because I didn't have time. Oh, my God, I and you were saying France was changed for the had two assistants, both my boys. I'm so proud -- we have Ryder Cup, and the fact that you can build something six American assistants this year, and you need it, because new, and Rome is going to be that way, it makes you you've got to be making pairings, you're only playing two able to set the course for your team in a way? thirds of your field, so four people you need to monitor how they're playing. All these different things going on. DAVE STOCKTON: Sure, absolutely. You can set -- Pete Dye was very disappointed with me that I wouldn't let him It was a whirlwind for me, all the preparation and planning. use the back tee on 14 here, which I didn't see how you could play that hole from 200 yards. He was not happy. The long answer to your question, I can see why this was He would be very -- he's smiling if they play that -- they the start, because the PGA was smart enough to do the won't play with this with wind, I'll guarantee, either 14 or 17, television on it, and it was much watched TV from the but if it changes and comes out of the other side, they'll get-go. It was fun to be a part of it. play it back, and heaven help them. And I was assistant to Azinger in 2008, and in fact on my Even some of the guys that I know that are out there, resume if I had one would be I'm one of the few Americans they're not too enthusiastic about a couple of those holes to have been to four Ryder Cups and never lost one. out there. Unfortunately there's not many Americans that can say that now. Q. Can you talk a little bit about the tension in '91 and kind of the feistiness, I know from both sides. Talking Q. You're obviously so influential in the world of about people like Seve. putting, helping players improve. I'm curious what in

107555-1-1003 2021-05-19 19:41:00 GMT Page 2 of 6 sort of layman's terms would you say are the essential Q. When I putt I do, yeah. qualities that separate a good putter from a putter like me? DAVE STOCKTON: Obviously you do that to get feel, right? So when you're shooting billiards, do you step up DAVE STOCKTON: Well, I'm going to tell you it's simple beside the cue ball a foot and practice to get your feel? but a lot of people don't believe that. But generally the first Uh-huh. You don't. Now, you put the cue stick behind it, lesson, I do a two-hour lesson and I generally could stop correct? after about 20 minutes. The person will generally get it. Q. Yes. My sons and I have opened a PGA seminar down there in Orlando, and when you open it up for questions after DAVE STOCKTON: : Now, do you just hold it there, not talking for about a half an hour, and they're all PGA move it? No. You move it back and forth. So I've been professionals, 90 percent of the questions you get are taught to never let the putter basically sit still. I put it in mechanical. I don't understand that. How many things can front of the ball, bring it over the ball, one last look at the you think about if you're throwing a dart at a dart board? I hole and I let it go. It's amazing, it goes in all the time. don't think very many. It doesn't help you to try. The first word I'd tell you if you're I mean, but you take a typical putter who plays putting with putting, don't try. You want to putt with feel. his left brain instead of his creative right side, and he's standing there -- of course they'll put the line on the ball The guys have to this week with this much wind. They're because they see the pros do it. Then he has four or five going to have to play more break than they're comfortable practice strokes, all these things. I just get up and roll it. playing because they can't ram it because if they ram it, it's It's either going to go in or not go in. not going to be a good result. Okay?

For a first lesson, if you were going to have a lesson from Q. Along those lines, when you look at great putters me, the first thing I would have you do is sign your through the years, what part of it is work and what part signature. It'll take you three or four seconds and you'll do of it is innate? it. Right below it I want you to take 20 seconds and I want you to duplicate your first signature exactly. You will not be DAVE STOCKTON: The really good ones it's just able to do the first letter in your name. something they're born with. You can learn it. There are certain people that are very, very mechanical. But those And the reason why, if it's something that should be in your are the ones I try to just everything I can, I'll tell them, okay, subconscious and you are trying really hard to get this, I want you to putt it before I count to four, if they're taking that's why you can't putt. 12 seconds to putt.

So the key is to have someone look out -- it's like throwing The second major, second PGA I won at Congressional, I a dart. That hole is our bull's-eye, and the ball is here. All had a 15-footer, and if I miss it I'm going to be in a playoff it's going to do is go in there. So your focus has to be, as with January and Floyd. you set your feet, I want it to come in at 5:00, 4:00, 8:00, whatever the break is, and then come back. The total time from when my coin hit the ground behind the ball, the ball was gone in 14 seconds. At that time, it was In my case I was taught by my dad to putt an inch ahead of the longest putt to win the PGA, and it went dead center. I the ball, pick a spot, and the back of my left hand which I'm mean, you just -- it's really not as hard as people think and not going to break down, it's going to go right through. All it make it. has to do is go an inch. He wanted me to give him one inch with no recoil and no coming up, and you're going to To me, I believe personally that I putt with my left hand, like see a lot of that this week, especially with so much wind. Tiger and I would have fights because he likes to putt with his right. Although his right goes through and he's got a Putting is feel. Have you ever shot pool? wonderful putting stroke. Most people take a right-handed putting stroke and they're closing it. They're not doing Q. Just a bit, yeah. what Tiger does.

DAVE STOCKTON: Do you take practice strokes when I've been taught that my -- I don't do anything with my left you putt? hand, but the back of my left hand gives me that inch to go through, goes right over my imaginary spot. The ball is

107555-1-1003 2021-05-19 19:41:00 GMT Page 3 of 6 gone, and I'm really good from an inch. I don't miss much from an inch. DAVE STOCKTON: I think the difference is one team didn't know Kiawah very well, and I think everybody knows Q. I was going to ask you, you had great insight into Whistling Straits. So from that point of view, we're pretty the building of this course. As you look at it, what do on even-keel this year. It's interesting, and I'm going to be you see as the biggest challenge? interested to see how they do.

DAVE STOCKTON: The easiest part is the driving, and I was talking to Padraig yesterday, he only is still using past that, good luck. I think the par-3s are extremely three captains' picks, which confuses me a bit because difficult. This wind you can't get to 14 and 17 hardly, okay, since Azinger in 2008 -- I had two picks here, I would have but with the same wind you didn't stop it on No. 8, and the to have loved like Azinger in 2008 to have had four picks, other end out there, you get the sideways wind from this but Stricker has got six. I haven't even got into with wind, you're not comfortable on any of it. COVID. I have no idea. I've been away from everything.

Then you finally get a short hole if you start on 2, if you're But I don't understand that -- I guess Padraig could have lucky enough to start par-par or whatever you've got, had anything he wanted all he wanted was three. I'm like, you've got a hole you can drive it right underneath the well, that's fine. You could still take the next three, or green, but good luck hitting the green. Stricker could. But to have the luxury in a year that not everybody has played the full schedule, I think that favors The toughest thing and the best thing that's going to win the United States to a certain extent. this tournament, and Rory did it in 2012, is you have to be brilliant around the greens. Not necessarily the putting, but Q. I think you visited the site before it was built back you have to be really good with the chip shots and stuff in -- because there's a lot of waste areas you roll into. DAVE STOCKTON: Yes. Q. I'm curious, what do you think about green books then? Q. Can you talk about your impressions then, and then when you came back and saw the finished DAVE STOCKTON: The books are fine. I mean, I think product? that basically AimPoint -- anything that helps some of them, anything that'll speed them up. It drives me nuts to DAVE STOCKTON: Well, I was just literally amazed. see them take a book out, and they're studying this green Kathy and I drove around with Pete in January, and it was and of course they've got the lines and everything on it. I being worked on. That's all I can tell you. never had to use that. I mean, they were constructing as best they could, creating The ball is very small and the hole is quite large. I never the mounds and putting sea oats on it and stuff, very had to -- it's not about perfect. Obviously that's the whole uniquely, but I won't get into that. Sea oats are coming game entirely. That's why a lot of guys don't play good from somewhere, and sea oats ended up out here on the anymore and become announcers because they sit up in golf course. And Dye, just you cannot hand it to the man. I the booth and they realize, hey, these guys don't hit it mean, I'm glad nobody else was given this job. It was a perfect. We chase our foul balls. We've got to. To me, I fair golf course to be share, but extremely difficult. think -- I'm more hands on. I'm more visual. Like anything else. I'm playing darts out there. I mentioned before I was never so happy to stand behind the first tee, and "you go get 'em, guys," and I didn't have To me a golf course is like a chess match. I don't play to hit a single shot. I had no desire to go out there and get chess, but I know how to plod my way around things killed. because I've always been an extremely short hitter but yet I won on some really long golf courses. You just have to fit Q. I was going to ask about your two PGA to whatever you've got, and they will have their hands full Championship victories. In 1987 you beat Arnold this week. Oh, my God, there will be some tired puppies Palmer by a couple shots. That must have changed by the time they get out of here. your life to become a major championship. What was that moment like for you? Q. Ryder Cup, 30 years later, would you compare 1991 to 2021 now, what would be the main difference from DAVE STOCKTON: Well, it was, obviously. I thought I the players' point of view? had a pretty good career. It took me three years, but I won

107555-1-1003 2021-05-19 19:41:00 GMT Page 4 of 6 Colonial and then I won the Hagen Haig with Laurie playing never broke 80, but they had this exemption. Hammer at La Costa. So my brilliant strategy, I now have a 10-year exemption, And then while Kathy was pregnant I won Cleveland, flew go to '76 and I end up winning again, and I'm at the PGA, I back home to see what we were going to have, we didn't said, "Well, can I add 10 onto 10 so I get 20?" know boy or girl. The doctor said it wasn't coming, so I flew out to Milwaukee and won Milwaukee by four, beating And they said, "No, you get six." , which times change. It was a $200,000 tournament, first ever on the PGA TOUR, and I got So I won two PGAs and got 16 years. But it sets you up. $40,000 and he got $24,000, which was his biggest check When you're just going town to town on everything like ever on the TOUR, for finishing second. that, I was very fortunate, but at Congressional the second one was totally, totally different picture. We spent all day And so when I came the following year to Southern Hills, I Monday at the White House and I had no clue that I was had finished reading the book Psycho-Cybernetics that my going to win this, and I shouldn't have. But we spent -- with dad had my read, which I hated. It was like reading sand. President Ford at the White House all day that Monday, But I finally underlined it and realized I took two things out and it was the Bicentennial. So we were -- it was fantastic. of the book. I show up on Sunday, I'm in the top 12 or so, and I play the One is that you have to be aggressive when you play, first three holes, and -- the first five holes and I'm 3-over which as short as I hit it, is kind of ridiculous. But the other and they rained the entire round out. It wasn't like you're side of the coin was you had to picture what you want to going to have to come back to where you finish, you've got accomplish before I even accomplished it. to start over. I'm 2-under the same five on Monday. Five-shot swing. Then I win by one. I played my practice round at Southern Hills on Monday picturing that I'm the winner, I've won this tournament, and My thought was a lot of things. One, I the first PGA wasn't I came up to 18 and there wasn't anybody up there. But I a fluke, so I've got the second. The other one is I bet visualized on Sunday there's going to be 20,000 people. they'll make me a Ryder Cup captain or I've got a hell of a Little did I know, my wife who was stuck in the clubhouse shot at it because my good friends and because she was going to be Ronny 30 days later -- I'm Geiberger didn't get picked and they were PGA playing with Arnold, if Arnold wins he wins the Grand Slam. Champions. If I win, I win a major. There had only been two guys until '91 that had ever not So I started out with a three-shot lead, my best supporter won the PGA and been a Ryder Cup captain, and that's stuck in the clubhouse, and it was -- I mean, I played Casper and Palmer. So I knew I had a chance to go into phenomenally. I three-putted 5 and, a guy in the gallery quite a deal. typically yelled, "You got him now, Arnold." My last thought was there have got to be 20 guys shooting And I went birdie 2 on the par-3, eagle 2 on par-4 double themselves tonight because they should have won it. bogey 5 on this par-3 which as long as they make them it There's no way in heck I should have won it. But it goes played like 230 in those days I don't know what it'll play this that way sometimes. time. I hit it in the fairway bunker on 9 and put it right through an oak tree a foot from the hole for a birdie. Q. If we asked you for your single most vivid snapshot from 1991 here, what would it be? So I go two birdies on eagle and a double, and I've got a seven-shot lead. And I played safe on 18 to make 5, win DAVE STOCKTON: Probably Langer missing the putt, by two. If I needed to, I could have gone for the green but obviously. I had my head down the whole time. I knew he it as found out in the Open in '77 that doesn't was going to make it, and I felt bad because we hadn't lost, really pay off too well. And so to me, I won it. but unfortunately we hadn't won. There's no way I was going to root against him not to make. I was basically mad The second one in '76 was totally different. I had basically at Gallagher to put somebody whose stress is their putting once I won the PGA it changed my life because now I have to put him in the last spot-check check. I had Wadkins and a 10-year -- that's another story, but 10-year exemption. A Irwin. I can't conceive of somebody winning three U.S. month prior to the PGA, I led the revolt that it was stupid Opens. So I figured I'll put Irwin there. He can't choke these guys got a lifetime exemption for winning the PGA. under pressure, and if he does, it will be less than So certain guys and others wouldn't quit somebody else.

107555-1-1003 2021-05-19 19:41:00 GMT Page 5 of 6 the PGA of America, the Ryder Cup and your PGA But to put that pressure on Langer and to have him miss it, Championship wins. I mean, it made for a thrilling finish, but I was really disappointed. I was happy as anybody when he went over DAVE STOCKTON: Look forward to seeing you guys at and won the German BMW the following week. It was bad my first win next year at Southern Hills. timing. FastScripts by ASAP Sports If he had been next to last or something -- we all know now on the Champions Tour how great a player he was and is as an individual. That was the one thing I remembered. The other thing was the Concord bringing the trophy back for us to play for. I thought that was really cool.

I mean, the place has really changed, but it's good school. It's circled twice.

Q. Is there a special kinship amongst that group on the American side, the '91 team, that when you see each other, is there a special feeling of belonging amongst the 13 of you and any vice captains?

DAVE STOCKTON: Yeah, I think so. Yeah. I had a really strong group. Between and , I was talking to Julius there after lunch that there were four of us -- whenever we met, all we did was talk about the Ryder Cup and how -- what we would do as captains. It was Azinger and myself and Payne Stewart and Lanny Wadkins, and Wadkins if you remember got beat because he picked , which I felt bad for him because I passed on Curtis, and I told Curtis he had a spot on my team, but he was playing so badly that we just talked, and I said, "I told you I will pick you."

He said, "No, Captain, I'm not playing good enough." So he got passed and Lanny took him and he ended up losing all his points.

But small things are going to win out. Of course Payne gets killed and he would have had the Ryder Cup overseas when layman took his place. But Azinger and I are good friends. Azinger when he went through cancer stayed at our house. Since we're on Tour, it's easy to leave your house. So he moved into our house for six months when he went into treatment for cancer out in California.

So he and I have a bond, and it was fun to be an assistant on his, which I think in my mind the 2008 team is the best team, best prepared team ever in Ryder Cup.

What I take away from my team, and we are close, is that nobody could tell us which one of our players carried us because nobody carried us. It was a team effort.

THE MODERATOR: Dave Stockton, thanks for coming by and reminiscing about two things that are near and dear to

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