You haven’t waited long between wins on the Champions Tour, given that you’ve notched four victories in five seasons. How does the Champions experience differ from the PGA Tour?
It’s a bit more relaxed, so you get to know the guys better, you get to know their families more. But that doesn’t mean you don’t want to kick their ass every time you tee it up against them. Friday morning comes, everybody’s back to being a tour pro again. We don’t know anything else.
How else is the experience similar to the PGA Tour days?
A lot of people think we play courses that are 6,800 yards long, with greens running at 10 on the Stimpmeter and flags placed in the middle of the greens. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Our courses are 7,100 or 7,200 yards long, and the greens run between 12 and 13 [on the Stimpmeter] every week. When we play at Firestone, the golf course is set up just like it was in 2004 when I won the WGC there. And if you’re not shooting 14, 15, or 16 under par [for the tournament], you’re not going to win. The guys out there can still play.
The inaugural World Champions Cup in 2023 added the opportunity to compete in a team event. What was it like being the playing captain for Team Europe?
It’s all the thrills we’ve had from Ryder Cups. But [with three teams—USA, Europe, and International] you’re playing against two people in one match, so the scoring was brand-new for everybody. But even with all the points we played for, it still came down to the final hole last year, which was incredible. This year, I expect no different. —shaun tolson
