An Interview With Peter Jacobsen

Last year at Bellerive Country Club, Peter Jacobsen became the seventh first-time winner in his first Senior Open. Jacobsen, just a couple months removed from hip surgery, grinded his way through 36 holes on the final day to win by a stroke over Hale Irwin. He sat down with the USGA Web Editor Ken Klavon.

You've always been prideful of playing in USGA championships. Why?

Jacobsen: For me to have won the USGA championship at the Senior Open last year was a great accomplishment for me personally. I have been a huge fan of the USGA ever since I played in my first U.S. Junior in 1970. I think it was '70 or '71. So I've been playing a lot of USGA championships. And I've always felt the USGA – they're the governing body of golf. I've always felt there is something special about playing in a USGA championship and getting that money clip and having your name on a locker. And just having the opportunity to compete at the highest level is something that is very, very important.

A year has passed since you won the Senior Open. Have you had a chance to reflect on the win, on how unlikely it was coming off hip surgery?

Jacobsen: It was interesting. After my hip surgery I had to pull out of the Players' Championship, I had to pull out of the Senior British, and I came to St. Louis not even thinking I could play. But I wanted to keep working on my rehabilitation to get back. And I teed off on Thursday and I felt pretty good. My swing had been good. When I had played, I had played well. But it was simply walking from one to 18, which is what was a problem. When I got through the first round, I felt pretty confident I could finish the [championship]. I was so focused on just getting through the [championship] that I really didn't have a chance to let the victory sink in. As I said earlier, winning a USGA championship is very, very special. It's something I will never forget.

Going back, you were in the hunt all four rounds. Rain washed out Friday's second round, subsequently making you play 36 holes on Sunday. It was hot, humid. What was your impression of the decision at the time?

Jacobsen: I was hoping we were going to play 18 Sunday and 18 Monday because I thought there was no way I could go 36 holes. But the thing that I did on Sunday, which really helped me, is that after the [third] round Tom Kite shot 69 or 67, he jumped into the lead. I knew I had 18 more holes to play. I went in and took a cold shower. I was hot, I was sweaty. It was ungodly hot. And I went in, took a cold shower and changed my clothes and I came out and I was refreshed and ready to go.

The key to my round that last day was birdieing the first two holes. That really jump-started my day. Even though I three-putted No. 4 for a par, I still knew that I was hanging in there. I birdied seven, birdied 10 and 11 and I knew I had a really good chance to win.

Coming down the stretch, you also had a great par-save for about 12-14 feet that kept you alive.

Jacobsen: Sixteen! Sixteen was clearly the hardest hole on the golf course at Bellerive. It was a par three of about 235 yards long. Much like the hole, No. 15, we're going to play at NCR. I had hit a 3-iron onto the green about 45 feet [from the hole]. I had a huge break from left to right. And I played the right break but I didn't hit it hard enough, so it didn't get down the hill. So I had about a 12-foot, downhill breaking putt for par that I knew if I hit it too hard that ball could run 6, 7 feet by and I might miss that one coming back. I didn't want to four-putt at that time. When that putt went in, I distinctly remember saying to myself, ‘I can win this thing.' Because if putts like that are going to fall in, you know it's your day.

And when getting to No. 18, you didn't know what was happening to Tom Kite?

Jacobsen: I did not know what was going on with Tom Kite. I almost birdied 17 and when I got to 18 – that was a sucker tee shot. A lot of guys got suckered into hitting driver over that bunker. I see a lot of similarities with NCR, after driving the course, with what the 18^th at Bellerive is.

I wanted to hit a 3-wood and put the ball in play. I knew that I needed a birdie to win the [championship], I had thought. So rather than be aggressive with driver and try to hit into a small neck, I said let's be safe and smart and put it in the fairway, which is what I did. And I was only left with a 7-iron. By the time I got to my ball, there were a lot of people saying, ‘Kite's making a bogey, Kite's making a bogey.' And it turned out it was a double bogey. So I thought, ‘All I need to do now is make a par, because Hale Irwin is in with his score and if I make par, I'm going to beat him by one shot.' So really all I was focusing on was the second shot.

I felt really bad for Tom because I had heard later on what he had done. He hit the fairway bunker, had a terrible lie and he tried to play an aggressive shot, which I think was the right shot at the time. He wanted to try to put it on the green, because he said that he didn't think I'd make anything but par. So I just went ahead, very wisely, played to the middle of the green and ended up two-putting for par. A great sense of relief.

Since that time have you and Tom spoken about it?

Jacobsen: I haven't had a chance to talk to Tom much about it at all. In fact, a lot of times in tournaments like that, when someone messes up you don't really want to refer back to it. You just want to let it go. And I know that Tom does not want to talk about making a double on the 72^nd hole at the Senior Open. And I wouldn't want to either.

How's the hip doing now?

Jacobsen: The hip is pretty good. Other than the usual aches and pains from arthritis that I have in my hip, I'm doing pretty well. I'm very happy with everything that's been going on with my body, with my game. Obviously at 51 years old I pay more attention to my health and my fitness more than I ever have. I have to keep my weight down, I have to keep my flexibility up. I have to continue to get on the treadmill and walk off pounds, and just keep as healthy as possible.

My doctor told me I can't hit as many balls as I used to because of my repaired hip. I'm spending more time chipping and putting around the green. I make sure when I hit my 30 or 40 balls after the round I use them wisely.

Your feelings about the season thus far?

Jacobsen: Good. I've actually gotten off to a pretty good start this year. I had a setback in February; I had to have knee surgery. My hip surgery of May last year, and I was obviously on crutches. I think I wore out my right knee, so I had that redone in February. And I'm just coming back to the point now where I'm pretty close to being 100 percent.

What surgical procedure was done to the knee?

Jacobsen: I had an arthroscopic repair; I had a cyst in there and I had a torn ligament.

What rehab was involved?

Jacobsen: Any time you do surgery you have to do rehab. You've got to do all the things the doctor tells you to do, and if you don't, it could take longer to get back.

Is there a sense of frustration with the surgical procedures?

Jacobsen: Clearly, clearly frustrated but there's nothing you can do about it. It's been really frustrating for me having won at Hartford in 2003 and having '04 and '05 be interrupted by injuries. As I was transitioning from the regular tour to the Champions Tour I wish I was in better health and not have to battle these injuries. I've learned to be very versatile, very flexible from playing the tour all these years, but that's the way I've had to be in my daily life.

A clichéd question, but do you feel any added pressure coming in as the champion this year?

Jacobsen: Not at all, not at all. To me, it's a different venue. It's going to be a whole different set of circumstances. You've got newer players on the tour. You've got Greg Norman, Curtis Strange, and Jay Haas is playing again. Then you have the regular cast of characters: Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Fuzzy Zoeller, [Bruce] Lietzke, Wayne Levi, D.A. Weibring – these are all very good players who have a chance to win. I do know this: standing on the first tee, before we tee off, we're all tied for the lead.

Going back to last year when you became eligible to play on the Champions Tour, do you remember having any butterflies while making the transition?

Jacobsen: My first Champions Tour event I played at Valencia at the SBC Classic. I was nervous because I was making that transition. But once I hit my first tee shot and had a couple of holes under my belt, it was just golf. Golf as normal. But I do know Greg Norman will be a great addition, not only to the Champions Tour but to the Senior Open. And so will Curtis Strange. Because both are great champions, major championship winners. Both have been away from the game for a little bit. Greg has suffered from injuries. He just had back surgery, and Curtis has been doing television. He's now played a few tournaments, so Curtis will be in fighting shape by the time the tournament comes around.

Each year as fresh faces join the Champions Tour, there always seems to be someone who is chosen as the anointed one, the guy who will transcend the tour. We've seen it with Ben Crenshaw, Craig Stadler and Fuzzy Zoeller, to name a few. Did you feel any of that in your first year last year?

Jacobsen: No. I don't believe there is any one guy who can take the Champions Tour to the next level unless that's Tiger Woods. Woods has done that with the PGA Tour, much like Arnold [Palmer] did when he came on the PGA Tour. I've always believed, and to this day believe, that the Champions Tour is going to be the tour we want it to be because of a collection of great players, great personalities and fun people. And we've got that. With Curtis now coming on tour now, Curtis and Greg are great champions. And you've got great personalities like Fuzzy Zoeller and guys like Wayne Levi and Bruce Leitzke and D.A. Weibring, Lee Trevino. You've got some players out there who have won with great pedigrees, who fully understand what it takes to be a champion. Not only on the golf course, but off the golf course.

I've said many, many times that the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour hasn't changed inside the ropes. But everything outside of the ropes has absolutely exploded. We have hospitality suites, corporate tent villages and there's much more media exposure. Not only on the PGA Tour events but the Champions Tour events too. And the players understand that. That's the large part of the change on the tour landscape.

You drove around NCR in May, getting a look at the course. How do you know whether a course fits your game?

Jacobsen: You don't know. You never know. You can never tell whether a golf course is going to fit your game. You'd like to think every golf course fits your game. But this is definitely a golf course where accuracy is important off the tee, which is good because I usually drive the ball pretty straight. The short game is going to be extremely important. The bunkers are deep here, so you have to avoid hitting the ball in the bunkers. Getting up and down is going to be tough. And another thing to my advantage, I think, is the Poa annua greens. I grew up in the Northwest with Poa annua greens so I'm very familiar with these types of putting surfaces.

You're a rare bird on any tour. Where did you get the sense of humor?

Jacobsen: I don't know. I just love doing this. I loved playing on the PGA Tour, loved playing championship golf and I've been involved in tournament operations. And I know how much the average guy loves playing golf.

Basically the landscape of what goes on in golf is pretty much determined by what happens on the PGA Tour, the Champions Tour and the LPGA Tour.

Your ‘Plugged In Show,' how did that get started?

Jacobsen: I went to the Golf Channel to see if they'd do a show with me. …. We actually created two shows out of my idea. I had an idea to do a talk show/fun/variety type of show, which became ‘Plugged In' and ‘Peter And Friends.' I talk with players about issues in the game, likes and dislikes. ‘Plugged In' became just fun things that we do.

How much time do you devote to the show?

Jacobsen: No time at all. A camera crew will come out to where I am on tour. I couldn't do it any other way. I will have them come out on site and we will develop a theme for the show, whether it's the U.S. Senior Open, Las Vegas or baseball …. But they come to me, which is great.

In terms of your game, where would you say it is right now?

Jacobsen: I really don't think I have any strengths, nor do I have any weaknesses. I'm a pretty accurate driver, good iron player, my short game is pretty solid. I don't think I have one glaring error and one shining example. In golf you try to make all your weak parts your strongest, so when you play a tournament and have one bad chipping week you go work on your chipping the next week. If you have bad driving, you go work on your driving. It fluctuates back and forth.

Now that you've won a major title, how do you approach the game? How do you keep the drive alive to do well?

Jacobsen: Yeah, oh gosh, I feel like I have more desire to play golf now than I ever have. My kids are all out of the house. My wife and I are traveling to new cities, meeting new people and playing golf with a lot of old friends. It's fun. It's a lot of fun.