Payne Stewart

“Tiger is the greatest thing that's happened to the tour in a long time. He has brought incredible attention to golf at a time of year when football and the World Series always take precedence. Everything I've heard about him seems to be true.”

“If somebody asks for my opinion, I tell them my opinion, whether it's what they want to hear or not.”

“That's why I'm very proud of being American. I'm proud to pay taxes. I pay a lot of taxes, but it sure beats the alternative.”

“I went over before the British Open and played Valderrama thinking that I might make the team, might be a captain's pick. I made the effort to go over there.”

“I don't think it's healthy to take yourself too seriously.”

“For sure I would be a very emotional captain. A very hands-on captain.”

“I don't read magazines much, and I have an awful time with books.”

“People who have never had an addiction don't understand how hard it can be.”

“The two-piece ball I switched to spun too much. One shot would go the distance I thought it should, then the next one would fall short, and then the next one would go long.”

“Then I would have an occasional cigarette and then I started back dipping. I started dipping last year. My family has asked me again to stop, and I'm trying my best to do that.”

“Not that money is a driving force. It's an honor to play for your country.”

“This thing is for the game of golf, yeah, but trust me, the Europeans don't have that mentality.”

“The cast clubs were a big part of it, too. I found I wasn't getting that instant feedback I was used to with a forged blade. The sweet spot is a shade bigger, and when I didn't hit the ball dead center, I didn't know it, because it still felt great.”

“I sometimes got distracted easily and allowed my mind to wander when I needed to be focused. It's quite subtle, really, and just being aware of it helps.”

“Invariably something happens at a U.S. Open where the golf course gets out of control one day, they have one pin that's out of control. It always seems to happen. But they've gotten better about the height of the rough.”

“But I'll tell you something: We had a big family discussion about it recently, my two sisters and I, and I pointed out that we all have the same genes as our mother and we're all susceptible to becoming alcoholics.”

“I didn't hesitate to kiss my father in public. And that's how I tried to raise my children. We're physical.”

“For example, I wouldn't hesitate to sit somebody down if he wasn't performing, even if he was the No. 1 player in the world. I've been sat down before.”

“For a while, I think in 1994, it got to where I didn't want to practice.”

“I'm 42 now, what I would consider prime time.”