How did you get into golf growing up in Minnesota?
My dad played. He was actually a professional football player for a few years, but he played golf, and he got me going to the course to shag balls or caddy as a kid. It really gave me the bug to want to play. It was fun for me, and that’s so important for kids. If it’s not fun, kids aren’t going to stick with it.
Is it true that the University of Minnesota recruited you a few days before school started?
Yes, I was enrolled to play at a Division III school. I happened to play golf with the captain of the Minnesota team. Two weeks before school started, the captain called the coach, and said you should call this kid. The next day, they called me and that’s how it happened.
You’ve been player of the year on The Hogan Tour, the PGA and now the Champions Tour, but early in your career, you had some struggles on the tour. Did you ever feel like it might not happen for you?
There’s always that moment when you struggle. We all want to be a Tour player. I actually got my Tour card right out of college, but I wasn’t ready for it. My game wasn’t sound enough, and I was lacking in the belief in myself to play on the Tour. I could’ve used a stepping stone tour to go back and build up my confidence. They didn’t have one in 1982. but they did in 1990. I took advantage of the opportunity to learn to trust in my game and myself and from that point on, I was able to play well.
There are some athletes in other sports reading this who harbor a secret fantasy to play pro golf on the Champions Tour. Can you give them an idea of how difficult that is?
Well, there are other pros who have been trying to get a card for a number of years. But a player who has been kicking their butt since he was 25, isn’t going to stop doing it when you’re both 50. He’s still working hard to improve his game as well. If you weren’t beating him when you were 20, 30, or 40. I’m not sure if you’re going to do it at 50. That being said, it’s not impossible. I wish them luck. They certainly have a better chance of doing that than I do of throwing a football or playing another sport. It’s just the way our sport is.
How has the Champions Tour experience been for you?
It’s amazing. It’s a great place to play. I still love to compete. I still love to prepare. I look forward to the next big event, week after week. I’m grateful for the opportunity. I still also have some time to play on the PGA Tour, to meet some of the younger guys. And then on this tour, I’m playing against some guys that I’ve been competing against since I was 15 years old.
It must be nice to have such a strong competitive place to play. I think most athletes miss that when they leave their sport.
The whole process of what you go through to be an athlete is what you miss. It’s the whole process of the preparation, as much as you hate it when you’re doing it, you miss all of that preparing and playing, more preparation, more playing. To be able to still compete in your 50s, It’s still a rush on Sunday, when you get to that 18th green having the chance to win. You never lose that.
What do you appreciate most about golf?
It’s given me a platform to use my influence to make a difference. I’ve always believed in mentoring. Kids at risk need to have an adult in their life to walk with them. I got involved in an organization called Elevate Phoenix,. It’s an offshoot of a group called Colorado Uplift. They reach into schools from second grade through high school. I’m continually blown away by how kids respond to that steadying influence in their lives. It’s been a blessing to have success, and I want golf to be a platform to try to make an impact on my community. I’m thankful to God for the position I find myself in.
