HI KARRIE. IT'S KEL. HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD NIGHT TONIGHT. I'M VERY PROUD OF YOU, NOT ONLY TO BE YOUR COACH, BUT BEING ONE OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS. UM, ALL THE BEST, HAVE A GOOD TIME.
PETER KESSLER
HAS HE BECOME LIKE A SECOND DAD TO YOU IN A WAY?
KARRIE WEBB
YEAH, HE HAS. UM, YOU KNOW UH, I'VE KNOWN KEL PRETTY MUCH ALL MY LIFE. UM, HE WAS UH, WELL, STILL IS FRIENDS OF MOM AND DAD. AND THAT'S HOW HE BECAME MY COACH BECAUSE WE NEVER HAD UM, A CLUB PROFESSIONAL UM AT THE AYR GOLF CLUB AT THE TIME.
AND YOU KNOW, HE WAS A - A GOOD AMATEUR. AND UM, MOM AND DAD ASKED HIM IF, YOU KNOW, HE COULD JUST KEEP AN EYE ON ME UH TO MAKE SURE I DIDN'T GET INTO ANY BAD HABITS AND - AND THAT'S HOW HE STARTED COACHING ME.
PETER KESSLER
IT'S AMAZING. YOU WERE HIS FIRST STUDENT. HE IS YOUR FIRST AND ONLY TEACHER. YET HE DOESN'T GET THE KIND OF CREDIT THAT BUTCH AND DAVID LEADBETTER AND JIM MCCLEAN GET. BUT HE'S ENTITLED TO IT, ISN'T HE?
KARRIE WEBB
HE IS. UM, AND UH, YOU KNOW, HE DOESN'T UM, NECESSARILY UM, ISN'T WORLD RENOWNED. BUT UM, I THINK I LIKE IT THAT WAY A LITTLE BIT. UM, YOU KNOW, HE'S COACHING A LOT MORE NOW THAN HE EVER HAS,
WHICH I THINK IS GREAT. AND UH, BUT UM, THE FACT THAT UM, WHEN I GO BACK TO AYR, YOU KNOW, I HAVE HIM ALL TO MYSELF AND I LOVE THAT. UM, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S HOW HE WAS GROWING UP. UM, YOU KNOW, HE WOULD SIT THERE AND WATCH ME HIT BALLS FOR TWO OR THREE HOURS.
AND UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHEN YOU HAVE THAT MUCH TIME WITH A COACH UM, IT'S - IT'S SO MUCH MORE BENEFICIAL. BECAUSE YOU CAN HAVE A LESSON FOR AN HOUR WITH A COACH AND THEN HE LEAVES YOU TO WORK ON IT BY YOURSELF.
AND YOU REALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO. I MEAN, WITH KEL (CHUCKLE) . UM, YOU KNOW, HE - HE WOULD SIT THERE UNTIL I GOT IT. AND UM, AND I THINK I WAS JUST VERY FORTUNATE THAT HE HAD THE TIME TO GIVE ME.
PETER KESSLER
WELL, YOU DO HAVE IT. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR GOLF SWING FIRST. WE'LL TAKE LOOK AT YOUR PRE-SHOT ROUTINE AND A FEW SWINGS. TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON THAT WE CAN'T SEE IN TERMS OF THE THOUGHT PROCESS,
AND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO TO GET READY TO HIT THE SHOT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO. LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A LOOK.
KARRIE WEBB
OKAY.
OKAY UM, IN MY NORMAL PRE-SHOT ROUTINE UM, AND - AND KEL TAUGHT ME AT - AT A FAIRLY A YOUNG AGE THAT, YOU KNOW, I NEEDED TO REPEAT UM, THAT - AS - AS MANY THINGS OVER AND OVER AGAIN. UM, I THINK THAT UH - AND HE SAID,
'THE MORE TIMES THAT YOU REPEAT IT, THE EASIER IT IS TO REPEAT THE ACTUAL GOLF SWING.' UM, SO I ALWAYS HAVE A - A SWING BEHIND THE BALL. UM, I PICK A SPOT JUST IN FRONT OF THE BALL AND WALK INTO THE BALL AND SET MY ALIGNMENT UP TO THAT SPOT AND UH,
DO THE WAGGLE. AND SOON AS I PUT THE CLUB BACK DOWN, I PRETTY MUCH GO.
PETER KESSLER
HOW CONSCIOUSLY DURING THAT WAGGLE ARE YOU WAGGLING TO THE PLACE THAT YOU REALLY WANT TO PREVIEW FOR YOUR REAL SWING?
KARRIE WEBB
(CHUCKLE) UH, PROBABLY NOT AS MUCH AS KEL WOULD LIKE. (BOTH LAUGH)
UM, SOMETIMES BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A HABIT TO ME NOW THAT IT SORT OF - IT CAN WING ANYWHERE IT WANTS TO, JUST AS LONG AS I DO IT SOMETIMES. UH,
BUT UH, THERE ARE TIMES THAT I KNOW THAT MY TAKEAWAY IS BAD AND THEN I REALLY DO CONCENTRATE ON IT. AND UM, I - I PROBABLY DON'T CONCENTRATE ON IT, LIKE I SAID, AS MUCH AS KEL WOULD LIKE. BUT UM, IT'S GETTING THERE.
PETER KESSLER
DO YOU HAVE ANY CONSCIOUS THOUGHTS ON THE GOLF COURSE OR JUST WHEN YOU PRACTICE WITH REGARD TO YOUR POSITION AT THE TOP? YOU SEEM TO SET THE CLUB SO BEAUTIFULLY EVERY TIME SO THAT YOUR DOWNSWING LOOKS - REFLECTS IT.
HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT AND WORK ON IT?
KARRIE WEBB
UM, NOT A - NOT A WHOLE LOT. UH, YOU KNOW, I TRY AND UH, NOT GET MY SWING PAST PARALLEL. UM, I DO TEND - GET THE TENDENCY TO DO THAT EVERY NOW AND THEN.
BUT UH, YOU KNOW, I - I FEEL LIKE IF I GET MY TAKEAWAY IN THE RIGHT SLOT, THE REST IS - IS . FEELS SIMPLE BECAUSE IT JUST GOES BACK TO WHERE I WANT IT TO. AS LONG AS I DON'T GET IT PAST PARALLEL UM, THINGS GO PRETTY SMOOTHLY FROM THERE.
PETER KESSLER
NOW AS WE WATCH ONE MORE SHOT .
NOW THE PART OF YOUR GAME THAT HADN'T QUITE CAUGHT UP UNTIL PROBABLY A YEAR OR SO AGO WAS YOUR PUTTING. TELL ME HOW THAT EVOLVED SO THAT IT CAUGHT UP BEFORE WE GO AHEAD AND TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
KARRIE WEBB
UM, WELL UH, I NEVER FELT LIKE I WAS A BAD PUTTER UM, AND THIS IS LEADING UP TO THE END OF '98, UM, END OF MY THIRD YEAR ON TOUR. UH, I NEVER FELT LIKE I WAS A BAD PUTTER. BUT, YOU KNOW, I HIT SO MANY GREENS THAT I - AND HIT THEM CLOSE, HIT - HIT IT CLOSE TO THE PIN THAT
I FELT LIKE I WAS LEAVING A FEW OUT THERE AND I - AND I COULD GIVE MYSELF MORE CHANCE, YOU KNOW, REALISTICALLY, MAKE A FEW MORE PUTTS.
UM, AT THE END OF '98, I WENT AND UM, I WAS OUT AT - UH, IN CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, UM AT THE TITLEIST TEST CENTER AND - AND ALSO UH VISITING SCOTTY CAMERON WHO UM, UH, AS MOST PEOPLE KNOW, MAKE TITLEIST PUTTERS.
SO UM, HE HAS ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING FACILITIES AND - AND JUST, YOU KNOW, WE WERE JUST DOING A NUMBER OF TESTS. AND ON ONE OF THE TESTS WITHOUT TELLING HIM, I PUTTED CROSS-HANDED.
AND UM, HE GOES, 'THAT WAS MUCH BETTER.' AND UH, I SAID, 'WELL, I PUTTED CROSS-HANDED.' SO WE DID ALL THE TESTS AGAIN CROSS-HANDED AND THEY ALL TURNED OUT TO - TO JUST GIVE ME A MUCH BETTER, MORE CONSISTENT ROLL ON THE BALL.
SO, YOU KNOW UM . YOU KNOW, REALIZING THAT I ONLY AM REALLY YOUNG INTO MY CAREER, I DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TO LOSE, AND I THOUGHT I'D GIVE IT A GOOD SIX MONTHS LAST YEAR TO SEE HOW IT WORKED.
AND FROM THE FIRST TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR UH, THE PUTTS STARTED GOING IN AND I FELT VERY COMFORTABLE WITH - WITH IT STRAIGHTAWAY. SO UM, YOU KNOW, I HAVEN'T LOOKED BACK SINCE.
PETER KESSLER
LET'S TAKE A LOOK. LET'S - LET'S LOOK BACK JUST FOR A MOMENT AT SOME OF THOSE SUCCESSFUL STROKES. I NOTICE THAT YOU DON'T TAKE A PRACTICE STROKE WHEN YOU GET OVER THE PUTT BUT JUST BEFORE. HOW DID THAT EVOLVE?
KARRIE WEBB
UM, WELL AS MOST PEOPLE KNOW, FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, I HAD UM EVAN, MY CADDIE, LINING ME UP ON MY PUTTS. AND UH, IT JUST EVOLVED BECAUSE UM ONCE I HAD A PRACTICE STROKE AT THE BALL,
I COULDN'T FIND THE SPOT THAT I WANTED TO HIT MY PUTT OVER. SO I HAD MY PRACTICE PUTTS BEHIND THE BALL AND THEN, BEFORE I WALKED IN, FOUND THE SPOT AND LOOKED AT THAT UNTIL I, YOU KNOW, ALIGNED MYSELF UP OVER THE BALL.
AND YOU KNOW, SINCE UH, YOU KNOW, FOR THE LAST EIGHTEEN MONTHS, EVAN HASN'T LINED ME UP. AND I REALLY FELT THAT . NOW, THAT I DON'T THINK I'D EVER HAVE HIM LINE ME UP AGAIN BECAUSE I - I REALLY FEEL LIKE IT TOOK A LOT OF FEEL OUT OF MY PUTTING.
UM, IT WAS TOO MECHANICAL AND UM, YOU KNOW, WE WERE TOO SET ON ONE SPOT. AND YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES I'D GET OVER THE BALL WHEN HE WAS LINING ME UP AND NOT REALLY FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE I SHOULD AIM A LITTLE BIT MORE BUT,
YOU KNOW, WE WERE ALREADY SET ON ONE SPOT. SO I - I REALLY FEEL LIKE PUTTING CROSS-HANDED AND HAVING HIM NOT DO THAT HAS REALLY CREATED A LOT MORE FEEL FOR ME.
PETER KESSLER
HAS IT CHANGED THE WAY THAT YOU HIT THE PUTT TOO? I MEAN, SOMETIMES WHEN WE HOPE THAT THEY GO IN, AS OPPOSED TO KNOWING THAT THEY WILL, THE BALL SORT OF TRICKLES UP TO THE HOLE. BUT YOUR BALLS ARE DIVING INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE HOLE NOW.
KARRIE WEBB
YEAH, I'VE - I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A PRETTY AGGRESSIVE PUTTER. UM, AND YOU KNOW, I JUST DON'T BELIEVE THAT UM, LEAVING A PUTT SHORT - I MEAN, I'LL LEAVE PUTTS SHORT EVERY NOW AND THEN, BUT UM,
YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO GET THEM TO THE HOLE. I'D RATHER HAVE A 4-FOOTER PAST THE HOLE THAN A 3-FOOTER SHORT, UM, JUST BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOU'VE GIVEN IT A CHANCE.
PETER KESSLER
AND YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S GONNA DO 'CAUSE YOU'VE JUST SEEN IT BREAK.
KARRIE WEBB
RIGHT.
PETER KESSLER
WE'RE GONNA TAKE SHORT BREAK. AND AS WE GO, WE'VE GOT A - A GRAPHIC OF YOU AND TIGER, WHO STARTED AT VERY CLOSE TO THE SAME TIME, A SORT OF AN UP-TO-DATE STUDY,
104 EVENTS FOR YOU AND 4 MISSED CUTS VERSUS 78 AND 1 FOR HIM, 20 WINS, 18, 2 MAJORS. LOOK AT YOUR TOP-3'S, 48 VERSUS 32. AND TIGER SAID THAT HE WOULD SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR 4.9 AND HIS 14.7 AND SEND YOU A CHECK.
(GRAPHIC SHOWN:
KARRIE VS. TIGER
PRO CAREER STATS (LPGA & PGA TOUR)
KARRIE TIGER
EVENTS/MC 104/4 78/1
WINS 20 (19%) 18 (23%)
MAJORS 2 2
TOP-3'S 48 32
EARNINGS $4.90M $14.73M )
KARRIE WEBB
WELL, THAT'S PRETTY GENEROUS OF HIM. (CHUCKLE)
PETER KESSLER
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
NEXT SEGMENT