What are your proudest moments on the golf course?
My first tournament win and my three US Open victories top the list. I still remember the feeling I had when I was on the brink of that first victory in November 1971 at the Sea Pines Heritage Classic in Hilton Head. The immediacy of the moment, sinking that last putt, brought me back to my childhood in Baxter Springs, Kansas—not far from Commerce, OK, which is Mickey Mantle’s hometown. I recall thinking just before that winning moment to how it felt to play my local daily-fee nine-hole sandy course. It was the same feeling of sinking a putt when I was was nine that I had winning that tournament.
What’s your favorite aspect of playing professional golf?
I've had many moments of glory and I’m lucky enough to have a beautiful trophy case at home. But what it honestly comes down to for me is the people. Those I have been lucky enough to interact with along the way. I've met three presidents, heads of state around the world and the best athletes of my sport. I'm just a common guy who found I could play this game. I'm honored and privileged to have had this chance throughout my athletic life.
Who do you consider to be your main rival on the golf course?
I don't really consider anyone in particular to be a true rival. I've always been more focused on treating my colleagues on the tour as people I could learn from. I was lucky enough to be around guys like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. I was always asking myself: "What are they doing out there that I could do better?" They were all marvelous mentors in their own ways. I treated every tournament as a potential learning experience. Those three men really knew how to compete and they've all been tremendous ambassadors for the game.
You played football at the University of Colorado where you were a star defensive back. What did you take from that which helped you as a golfer?
I learned discipline and dedication. Football helped my mental strength. I didn't mind getting hitting and getting hit but the gridiron experience did convince me golf would be a much better—and safer—fit for the rest of my athletic life.
You recently achieved a hole-in-one for the first time on the Champions Tour. What did that feel like?
I must have finally hit the perfect golf shot! It was magical moment. And it surely was even harder to accomplish at this stage of my career because I have found the hardest element of my game as I've gotten older is maintaining mental intensity. Keeping that sharpness going hole-by-hole is tough. Tunnel vision was easier when I was younger. That hole-in-one is obviously special but I've actually never had a double-eagle. Accomplishing that really would be incredible.
Giving back through golf—what is the essence of your philosophy?
I always want to help youngsters see what I saw as I kid in the game of golf – the challenge, the will to succeed, the idea that everyone can learn to play and excel with dedication and patience. That's why I've been helping “The First Tee” (firsttee.org) efforts in Phoenix. Golf has meant everything to me and I seek to share that with kids. Teaching them the game and how their love of the golf can last a lifetime. Golf is a sport youngsters may not play until later in life. I do hope at that time they'll think back to lessons learned through The First Tee.
How do you define your legacy?
Again, it's the great players I was lucky enough to play alongside. Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and Tony Jacklin. It's an amazing list. I feel touched and blessed to have had an opportunity to be part of an era when players truly knew and talked to each other every chance we had. Obviously, it is different today amid a world of Facebook and Twitter. Today’s young players are immersed in their own cocoons. I get the sense there isn't the interaction and camaraderie across the board today that my generation experienced. Hopefully I contributed to the entertainment quotient of my era to a high degree. I hope viewers at home felt that watching me play.
What's the best aspect to life on the Champions Tour?
It's great. What other sport allows a rebirth at 50?
