the mix because we have four majors in about six weeks. It becomes very difficult. Royal Liverpool is probably my least favorite course in the rotation. So if there ever was a year to take that time off to rest and regroup, this was the year.
You have made it clear how much the Ryder Cup means to you. Does it bother you to see all of the recent consternation about the event? Yes, and on a number of different levels. I could talk for a long time on that topic. There is a media portion of it, there’s a cultural portion, there’s individual players and their perspectives and priorities. I know that Europeans look at it like your career is not complete unless you are on a team that wins the Ryder Cup. I don’t know if we have that same philosophy. I think the philosophy is that if you’re part of a Ryder Cup team, it means you’re one of the top players and that’s it. That’s a cultural thing, not a personal thing. After this last one, it’s gotten pretty ugly with people taking sides and pointing fingers. We need to get beyond all of that and get back to the basis of why you’re playing the game.
You have been named to the Ryder Cup task force. What is the main thing that needs to be addressed? I was told it was an open slate to make any suggestion you want to get this thing back on the right track. What needs to come out of it is a group that is like a Ryder Cup committee that gives continuity to the process from one Ryder Cup to the next. I see my role as pushing an agenda to give this group the tools they need to get on a path like the Europeans are on. The European Tour owns half of the Ryder Cup and that’s a big advantage. The PGA Tour has no ownership in the event.
One of your Ryder Cup teammates and friends was Payne Stewart, and 2014 marks the 15th anniversary of his death. What did it mean to you to receive the Payne Stewart Award in 2010? It’s a huge honor. When you think about Payne and what the award represents, there’s a respect that the Tour has for people they deem to be in that mold. It’s very, very humbling to think that they would consider me to be in that same category, especially when you look at (Jack) Nicklaus and (Arnold) Palmer
24 | AZ GOLF Insider | ANNUAL 2014
Schwab Cup at Desert Mountain. Three times I have been able to hold up a trophy on the home course and it’s always great to be able to do that in front of family and friends.
Tom Lehman and his wife Melissa live in Scottsdale. One of Lehman’s biggest wins was the 1996 British Open Championship.
You came so close to winning several other majors. Is there any one of those that is still hard to swallow? The U.S. Open that Steve Jones won (in 1996 by 1 shot at Oakland Hills), I don’t know that I could have played any better. I hit so many great shots and putts that didn’t turn out to be enough. That’s not too hard to accept because I couldn’t do much more. At Congressional (where Ernie Els won in 1997), I learned the lesson that being too aggressive in a U.S. Open will bite you in the backside. I played extremely well that week, too, but went after a back-right pin on the 16th hole and made a bogey, which taught me a great lesson. At Shinnecock, where Corey Pavin won (in 1995), I really wish I could replay that last round. After playing very well, I made a double bogey at 16 and that’s one
and (Gary) Player and (Byron) Nelson and some of the others who’ve won it.
Which of your accomplishments mean the most? Being ranked No. 1 is right there at the top. Winning Player of the Year on all three tours is something I am extremely proud of. Being a Ryder Cup captain is a huge honor. As far as on the golf course, winning the British Open is a big deal and being part of the Ryder Cup team that won at Brookline in ’99 was incredible. I would say of all my experiences playing golf, being part of that team that Sunday was the top of the top. There’s nothing that has been more exciting than being part of that.
One of your PGA Tour titles came at TPC Scottsdale. How special was that? It’s always great to win your hometown event. I have been very fortunate to win three times at home – the Phoenix Open, the Williams World Challenge at Grayhawk and the
hole I would love to play over again.
Your Christian faith has always been a high priority. How much has that factored into your success? It factors into all the successes and the failures. Faith provides people with a lot of things and one of the most important is perspective, and that helps you deal with a lack of success and keeping balance in life and defining what’s most important. And for that reason, I’ve always been able to give my very best and then let go of the results quickly, whether they be good or bad. It’s also been important in my perception of what’s expected of those who have much. In my professional life and personal life, we as a family are very involved with the community and the reason is the belief that those who have much are expected to give much. Success doesn’t define who you are and failure doesn’t define who you are. The desire to give back to people in need says a lot about who you are. n
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COURTESY LEHMAN FAMILY
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