It’s over 40 years since you won the Open at Royal St George’s. What memory sticks out when you look back?
“It was 44 years ago. It feels like another lifetime ago. But on the heels of watching Rory McIlroy winning the Masters, I remember the feeling of winning a major. Exhilaration and relief. You play all the holes right on the edge and, when it’s over, this freedom comes over you. That’s what I experienced in ‘81 at Royal St George’s.”
Was winning the Open, ahead of a player like Bernhard Langer, the defining moment in your career?
“Growing up I never aspired to win a major, be it the Open or any of them. I was a slow learner. But as I evolved into a player and gradually enjoyed success, the ambition to win a big one came to me. It changed the trajectory of my life. But I’m more than just an Open champion.”
Did you believe you could win the Open that year going into the event?
“I never liked to say that I was going to win a particular event. Tiger Woods often proclaimed he was there to win ahead of major week. I never had that mindset. I took the game as it came to me.
The success came when I was free and went along with the momentum. A month earlier I finished second at the US Open at Merrion.
My game was in great shape so it was no surprise to me that I succeeded at the Open. I didn’t have any mistakes. No crooked shots or foul balls. My intensity was the key factor. I was in my own bubble.”
Can you remember how you celebrated the Open victory?
“I remember I had a 10-foot par putt. I made it. I hadn’t pre-determined how I would celebrate. But I picked the ball up out of the hole and threw it into the stands.
That was my relief showing in that moment. Afterwards, my agent and I went to London and had a nice dinner with champagne. When I returned to my hometown, we had a huge celebration.”
Did you lose motivation after winning the Open… Was burnout why you retired from main tour golf several years later?
“I enjoyed the moment of becoming an Open champion. But there were a lot of factors to my downward spiral. I was indeed burned out. I lost the kid like feel of playing the game and enjoying it.
I chased the almighty dollar all over the world. I had commitments anywhere and everywhere. I lost the desire to compete at the top level. When I left the tour in the 1988/89 season, I didn’t miss it at all.”
Do you regret not winning more tournaments?
“I did win more tournaments. I won four more times after the Open. I enjoyed the Ryder Cup matches at Walton Heath. I’m grateful for the career I had. I had my big moment and I’m satisfied with that.”
What was it like winning the World Matchplay at Wentworth?
“A big highlight in my career. I was invited, with help through Mark McCormack at IMG, who ran the event. I was an unheralded player in the field. I was a surprise winner.
Winning it was special. I loved Wentworth and match play golf. It’s ironic but I’m sitting here now looking at a photo of me and my wife hoisting the trophy.”
What was it like facing off against Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson at the 1983 US Open?
“Amazing, even though I didn’t win. I had a chance to win. Me and Tom were tied going into the last round. I led through nine holes that day. Ultimately the best player won. It would have been special to win the US Open against those two players.”
Who was the best player you faced on tour?
“I got to touch and feel all of them, playing in the era that I did. From Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan. I got meet them. Sam Snead was still competing. I played with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
But Tom Watson sticks out because when I was playing well in the late 70s and early 80s, he was there as well. He did away with me several times. I fell to him many times. He was a special player. An unbelievable talent.”
Which player do you follow on tour now?
“It’s a different game now but I like Scottie Scheffler. Not only his golf game but how he is an ambassador for the game. Who he is as a person, a father and a husband. The other one I really like is Shane Lowry.
I love the way he plays. He makes it look so easy and gifted. He’s intense but he has maybe the best hands in golf.”
What would you have been if you weren’t a golfer?
“I was brought up in a golf family and around country clubs. I would have been involved in the golf world in some capacity. I had a foot in the door as a designer when I was young.
I had a friend as an architect who could have got me started. But it would’ve involved too much travelling.”
What was your father like? Did he get into you golf?
“He was a big golf fan and played a lot. I used to watch him and my brother play. Then I picked up a club and never looked back. My father was so competitive, being in the Air Force, so maybe that’s where I got my passion for competition.”
How do you fill your spare time these days?
“I have a little ranch that I look after. I love going down to Australia. I spend time outdoors a lot with my family. My faith is very meaningful to me. God has given me a good life.”
What’s the best thing about being form Texas?
“It’s a country in its own. Everyone should live here. It has diverse climate. There’re loads of restaurants. All the steaks and barbecues come big.”
What’s your most favourite course and why?
“If I had one round of golf left to play it would probably be at Pebble Beach. I have fond memories of playing the 1982 US Open there. It’s an historical place. It’s one of the most beautiful settings in the world.”
Are the game’s historical courses like Pebble Beach being stretched with the modern golf ball’s distance?
“It’s a different game to what we played, that’s for sure. It was bound to happen. It’s the nature of technology improvement.
But people like the long ball. It creates a lot of interest to the golf fan. So, I wouldn’t roll it back. I would probably leave everything alone. Often the conditions affffect the scoring. Wind, rain, or the greens.”
Is there anything you would change about the world of golf?
“I would say I have a fear that the game is being tampered with too much. There’re too many changes with rules and other things. I played in a traditional era so with this LIV and PGA Tour dispute, you can imagine where I stand. We could lose the pureness of the game.
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