Monday, December 17, 2007

Golf Quotes of the Year for 2007

Here are some of the best golf quotes of the year:

"I wanted to be his child. If I was a child I wouldn't play golf anymore, I'd be sitting in a boat somewhere spending all dad's money. I've been trying to get him to adopt me for the last five years, but he wouldn't do it." -- John Daly, when asked his thoughts on Tiger becoming a father.

"I think when I made the turn on the front nine I thought it had to be pretty close to setting a record somewhere. The only time I've been 9 under through nine has been playing Tiger Woods on Play Station.” -- Brandt Snedeker, after his blistering opening nine holes at the Buick Invitational.

"I left J.J. a message - I said, 'The good news is you’re in and the bad news is you got Tiger!'” -- Brett Quigley, who was originally scheduled to play Tiger Woods in the first round before Charl Schwartzel withdrew, giving J.J. Henry the 64th seed and a match up with the No. 1-seeded Woods.

"When your caddie is rattling in the pocket to see if he's got a provisional (ball) when you're standing over the drive, you know you've got some sort of a problem." -- Henrik Stenson, describing the sorry state of his game six years ago when he almost gave up golf.

“Even I've never heard of me!" -- Zach Johnson, parodying himself during the Top-10 segment on the Late Show with David Letterman.

“I said, 'You better talk to your wife.'" -- Billy Heim, caddy for Rich Beem, after the Beemer offered him the car he had won at the Nissan Open after making a hole-in-one.

"I laid my head on the pillow last night and had four alarm clocks set, and I had somebody call from my office. I was scared to death. I had this vision of running down No. 3 going 'I'm here, I'm here' and missing that 7:30 tee time." -- Skipper Beck, car dealer, recalling his emotions on the eve of playing in a pro-am alongside Tiger and Jordan.

"The life that I live at home doesn't stop just because there's a tournament in town. It just adds. Luckily my wife understands that and tries to take on as much as she possibly can, but she's only one person. I need to have like three or four wives maybe this week." -- Stewart Cink, a Duluth, Ga., resident on what it’s like playing a PGA TOUR event in his hometown.

"She must know I'm a pretty good tennis player,” -- Adam Scott, joking with reporters on tennis beauty Maria Sharapova listing the 26-year-old Aussie -- who noted that he has a girlfriend -- among her top 10 desired mixed doubles partners. On her Web site, Sharapova had Scott listed at No. 6, with a comment in parenthesis "night match, please?"

"We all know with her playing in the men's events that she is not going to get anywhere, so I'm not really sure what she is trying to achieve," -- Retief Goosen, telling reporters at the Wales Open that he doesn't feel Wie should be given any more exemptions into PGA TOUR events, like the one she just received to compete in July's John Deere Classic for the third straight year.

"You’ve got to figure out what works best for you. That’s the hard part. I know I can’t play as stoic as Hogan, and I can’t talk as much as Trevino; you have to be your own person.” -- Tiger Woods, on how to handle one’s self in major championships.

"It’s the only hole I know where they can have a long drive contest and a closest to the pin.” -- Kirk Triplett, describing the monsterous 288-yard par-3 8th.

"I've learned a few bad words in a lot of different languages so I can yell at my ball no matter what country I'm in.” -- Notah Begay, on what he has learned while playing mostly this season on the European Tour.

"If anybody laughs when I hit it, they're dead -- we've got Secret Service here.” -- Former President Bush, joking with the gallery at the opening ceremony of the AT&T National.

"Every year, more and more cute young amateur girls with ribbons in their hair are coming up. It's terrific.” -- Cristie Kerr, newly minted U.S. Women's Open champion, on the outlook of American golf on the LPGA Tour.

"Yeah. I kind of put my foot in my mouth there, didn't I? But I didn't know. If you don't know, you don't know. I hated what I said, especially with him just saying what he said a couple days before, that he don't get no respect. And then I say something like that. It's like wham! Here's a slap to your head.” -- Boo Weekley, on the story of how he asked 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie the question, 'How'd you get in? You qualify?'

"Who gives a (expletive). Jeez!” -- Ernie Els, the normally laid back South African, after being asked one to many questions in a press conference.

"I woke my wife and said: 'I'm the Open champion. I can't believe I've done it.' She said: 'I can believe it, there's the trophy, now can you go back to sleep?'” -- Padraig Harrington, on what was said in his hotel room on the Monday morning following his victory at Carnoustie.

"There was odds with all the caddies and players this week who would fall first, me or my caddie?” -- John Daly, jokingly referring to whether or not his body could handle the tough conditions in Tulsa.

"I don't normally four-putt from that close.” -- Vijay Singh, sarcastically describing his opening hole at the Deutsche Bank, a four-putt from just 15 feet.

“Marco. Polo.” -- The Canadian gallery, alternating the chants of those two words to Woody as he strode down the fairways.

"The only thing that I would do differently, I wouldn't have played this year. It's as simple as that.” -- MIchelle Wie, on her only regret in 2007.

"You look at that and say, 'Wow!” -- Hayes again, who was paired with a Zak Russell, a 19-year-old from Toronto who was born two months premature with a bad connection between the trachea and esophagus. Russell has gone through 14 surgeries.

"The complexity in those three holes ... has set a different benchmark in the golfing industry." -- Abdulla Al Gurg, the project director for The Tiger Woods Dubai course.

“Hell of a host.” -- Jim Furyk, tongue-in-cheek, referring to Tiger Woods' success at his own tournament, the Target World Challenge.

I found these on The Golf Channel's website. Find all of the quotes for each week here.