You’ve said you don’t have a strong desire to use this stage as a platform to prove a point to the public, your peers or even yourself. But surely being ‘low CBS announcer’ (over fellow commentators and Champions Tour players Bobby Clampett and Gary McCord) has to be a driving motivation...
[Laughing] We have a lot of fun in the booth and play together as much as we can. There are a lot guys who are still good players commentating, Nick Faldo still plays well, Gary McCord has won on the Champions Tour, Roger Maltbie, Gary Koch, Peter Oosterhuis...
How’s your game?
Not too bad but I made the choice a long time ago not to be an athlete, whereas the likes of a Peter Senior, for example, continued to play on through their 40s, kept fit and kept their games sharp. Guys like Kenny Perry, who was winning on the PGA Tour right up to turning 50, are so hard to beat. Bernhard Langer, Freddie Couples showed this year how good he continues to be. To compete with the young guys and the best of the seniors these days, you have to drive the ball long and straight whereas my game has always been about placement. That’s not to say that occasionally I can’t play well and compete though. I still love the game and love playing but I’m just not willing to stop doing everything else I’ve been doing for the last decade or more to pretend to be an athlete again. So I have no great expectations or a desire to have to prove myself.
When do you plan to debut?
I’m thinking I’ll play the Toshiba Classic in March and then I might have a look at some events on the European Senior Tour if the timing is OK . After that, I work for CBS virtually from the Masters in April through to September so there will be little chance of me playing again until October. I’ll come back to play the Aussie Senior Open too at the end of the year.
It’s a bit lonely for Aussies on the Champions Tour, just Pete Senior and you. Steve Elkington isn’t far away and Greg Norman always seems to be busy with other things. Are you sending a few of the other blokes – the likes of Mike Harwood, Peter Fowler and Wayne Grady – texts to tell them to get practicing?
[Laughing] Yeah, Pete is our main guy now and I fully expect to see him win this year after such as good year in 2010. What he did at the end of the year at the Australian PGA [Senior won in a playoff from Geoff Ogilvy] was outstanding. The likes of Harwood, "Chook" Fowler and Mike Clayton play full-time on the European Tour. I’m not sure of the schedule there but it would be good to play a few events over there. It seems to be a bit more of a relaxed tour, like the old days.
Who do you think will be an emerging or breakthrough player in 2011 on Tour?
I love Ricky Fowler, the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. I like the look of Rory McIllroy who I think will continue to do big things in 2011. I’d like to see Lee Westwood win a major to solidify his position as the number one in the world. Graeme McDowell is another, although I see he’s changing equipment from Callaway to Srixon so I hope that works out well for him. He had such a great year and it was great to see the two European players, Martin Kaymer and he, win majors last year.
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