Everyone, thanks for sending in your questions. Very appreciated.
We actually received more than expected and after sifting through the emails this week, we've come up with the following for our
Ten Questions with Double P.
Pat is currently home in Scottsdale this week resting up after six straight weeks on the road. He is headed to Miami on Monday for the Ford Championship at Doral and he's extremely excited for the Florida swing as he has played well at both the Honda Classic
(4th in '05) and Bay Hill Invitational
(9th in '02, 10th in '03) in past years.
PatPerezGolf.com caught up with P.P. this week and he was home, relaxing and in a fun-loving mood - ready to answer some of your questions. Here goes nothing...
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Bryan W. (Dallas, TX) - "Why is Double P so passionate about
The Cult? Don't get me wrong - they are one of my all time favorite bands. I just can't picture too many guys on the Tour rocking out to 'She Sells Sanctuary.' Very cool to see a personality like Pat's on the Tour."
Double P: I've dug The Cult since as long as I can remember. Almost 15 years now.
"Love" came out in 1985 and I got into them a few years after that. They're playing in San Diego this coming weekend while I'm at Doral and they're in Tempe the following week. I can't tell you how many epic shows I've missed being on Tour the past few years.
We incorporated The Cult into the site because I just think their music fits my personality and what my guys were doing here with the image and logo. I'll listen to music like The Cult, System of a Down, Metallica, Iron Maiden - right down to random hip hop as well. Whether I'm working out, driving to the course or just hanging out - I always have music on. I bought a 1959 Les Paul last summer and even though I can't play it, I just love looking at the thing.
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Bob W. (La Jolla, CA) - "Why don't PGA players try to get sick before tournaments? It seems to bring them good luck. Wasn't P.P. fighting the flu this year before shooting that round of 60 in the desert? Last year as well, if I recall he finished
4th at the Honda at Mirasol and was battling the flu. In all seriousness, does being sick lower inhibitions or put less pressure on you to play well? The mindset that since you're sick - you're almost expected or excused if you play a bad round, but if you do well everyone is pleasantly surprised?
Double P: A little more has been made out of my being sick
(at the Bob Hope) than was really the case. I didn't have the flu when I shot that 60. Maybe it'd have made a better sports story if I did, but I actually felt pretty good when I was on the course. I ate something bad the night before, kept me up a bit but by morning I was OK.
As for expectations, being sick might keep you from 'expecting' as much - but I don't really know if that's a good or bad thing. I mean, two weeks ago Tiger had the flu
(at the Nissan) and he ended up withdrawing after making the cut. Obviously there was nothing good about that for him.
I guess it comes down to that if things are going well, you'll more likely grin and bear it - but if things are going south, you just want to get off the course and crawl into bed. I'm sure it's different for everybody.
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Mark C. (Los Angeles, CA) - "Hey Pat, when you tee it up on tournament day - do you have a number in your mind prior to teeing it up or do you just let your game play the course and go from there?"
Double P: It's a little of both. I mean, you don't necessarily want to get stuck on a number because then you're limiting yourself. If I told myself a few weeks back at the Hope that 65 would be a good first round score, you get to -7 and then that whole day maybe winds up differently.
If you're in contention on Sunday, you might know you have to shoot something to win and you'll aim to do it. It might be in your mind, but you more or less just do what you have to do to shoot a good round.
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Tim M. (Flint, MI) - "Bro, after four full seasons on Tour and a few weeks into the 2006 season - what is your coolest PGA Tour memory? Doesn't even have to be golf related. Just curious what you've seen, done or come across since your rookie season of 2002?"
Double P: Good question. There have been a lot of things which really jumped out at me the past four seasons. Obviously the
Masters was amazing - as was playing the
British Open at St. Andrews. You grow up watching those legendary tournaments as a kid and now I'm walking inside the ropes. That was pretty humbling and incredible.
I also dig playing the Hootie & the Blowfish
Monday After the Masters tourney. My first time was in 2003 and I've been back every year since. Getting to go there, hang with those guys, play in the tourney, help Junior Golf and hang out - it's just a great weekend with a lot of cool people there.
Same with the VH1 Fairway to Heaven Tourney, which I've played a few times. Being so into movies and music, it's still a trip to be hanging with the
Hootie guys, Joe Pesci, playing a ProAm with
Samuel L. Jackson, kicking back with
Tommy Lee and what not.
A few years back we were on
Daly's bus after the VH1 Tourney and an acoustic guitar was being passed around.
Bret Michaels sang and played "Something To Believe" in, the guys from
Queensryche did "Silent Lucidity" and
Darius sang a few cover tunes.
Hanging out with people you've always looked up to and now they actually know who are because you're on the Tour and they have such a love for the game of golf. That's pretty sweet.
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Robbie C. (Mesa, AZ) - "Pat, I read somewhere that you have an ASU motorcycle and that it's a
Pat Tillman bike, or something. You were at
Arizona State around the same time as #42. Did you ever meet him? Also, what motivated you to buy that bike - and can PPGolf.com post a picture of it on the site?"
Double P: A company called
Saxon made the bike a few years ago and donated it to Arizona State to help raise money for the
Tillman family. My neighbor actually bought the bike, but being a family guy with a few kids - he eventually had to get rid of it and I gladly took it off his hands.
It's not necessarily a Pat Tillman bike - more of an ASU bike, but made in Pat's honor. One of a kind and the serial number is
000042, to represent his college jersey number. It's a chopper style bike with a Sparky on each side of the gas tank, an Ostrich leather seat
(with an embroidered Sparky) and an AS on the tail. I'll have my web guys get a picture of it on the site as soon as we can.
As for Pat Tillman, I met him a few times when we were both athletes and Sun Devils. Didn't know him well, but paths occasionally crossed in the athletic department. Following his story and what he did after his career at Arizona State, what can you say? He was a stand up guy who loved his country and followed his heart. He was a passionate guy and he is missed. Knowing that the money from the bike went to his family is pretty cool and it's definitely something I think about every time I ride the bike during an off week.
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Will T. (Hilton Head, SC) - "Based on some of the posts on your blog, it seems you're a movie buff. Saw some stuff about
GlenGarry Glen Ross on there,
Trading Places and The Breakfast Club, as well as other stuff. If you had to name your top five moves, regardless of genre, what are they?"
Double P: I don't think I can limit it to five favorite movies of the week - let alone all time. Right now I find myself watching 'Sideways' everytime it's on cable. I love that movie. Paul Giamatti steals the show. I loved him in 'Private Parts' as well.
Obviously, 'GlenGarry Glen Ross' is a top that list. I can quote half that movie.
There's obvious stuff like 'Office Space,' 'EuroTrip,' the 'Vacation' movies, 'Fletch' and 'Caddyshack.' Then there's the more 'out there' stuff like 'American History X,' 'Made' or
'The Best of Times' - a football movie with Robin Williams and Kurt Russell which I think only three people have ever seen.
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Matt F. (Stillwater, OK) - "I recently read an article online where a reporter asked you about your temper. I am an up and coming golfer and have a hard time keeping my emotions in check, partly because I don't want to. I am afraid that if I don't wear it on my sleeve, I will lose that competitive edge. My coach has told me to channel that anger
(after hitting a bad shot) and let it fuel my fire. Unfortunately, it's all theory right now. I can't do it. How have you chilled out in 2006 as compared to years passed? What is the key to keeping that competitive fire, not compromising your style - yet also keeping your cool in times where you might've blown up in the past?"
Double P: You never want to compromise your personality or style, but you do have to keep the temper under control - turning negatives into positives on the course.
The key is to recover from it as quickly as possible, which is something I've worked harder on the past few years. Don't let your anger carry over to the next shot, starting a chain reaction. The worst you want is bogey. Don't get mad and turn that into a double or triple.
It hit me that letting that stuff get to you eventually costs you strokes on the course, which also means dollars in your pocket. I've learned to just accept what happens. When the ball leaves the club, it's over. Let it go. Don't let it effect your next shot.
Having fire and being a passionate player is a good thing. To get upset now and then? I guess that's part of it - but you have to keep it in check. In the past I let it impact my scoring and saw that I was hurting myself out there. It's a fine line, but you definitely want to keep a healthy balance.
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Jake S. (Little Rock, AR) - "I saw that you recently dropped the Ping Doc putter in favor of the
Scotty Cameron 34" Del Mar. What makes Tour guys change putters so often. Is it like a good luck charm? I'm sure y'all can get hot with a putter for a few weeks, it goes cold and you try another. Just curious the though process. You rolled that killer 60 a few weeks back with the Ping and now heading into the Florida swing, you have the Scotty in your bag. What's the difference between the two?"
Double P: The Doc worked great in the desert. Places like Scottsdale and out at the Hope. I don't think it's that great off the Bermuda Greens and the stuff I'll see in Florida. It doesn't work in bumpier greens. The Scotty is smaller - a 'feel' putter - which is what you need on the Florida courses. The Doc is 'face balanced' and it's harder to get feeling in your putting.
It was obviously good for what it was (
rolling a 60 with it) but as a whole, I didn't play all that well with it so it was time for change.
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Ken B. (Las Vegas, NV) - "I was at the Buick this year and heard some folks talking about how you went to high school with your caddy, have been working with the same coach since you were a teenager and have a long time buddy helping with the website and stuff. Who are the 'behind the scenes' guy for Double P? Thanks, man and will see you at the LVI this year!"
Double P: My coach is Michael Owen, my caddy is Mike Hartford and my web/marketing guy is Chris Bello.
I worked with Carl Welty in my Arizona State days, but reconnected with Owen after returning to San Diego. I've know O since I was 13 and he was in his early twenties. He used to sell balls in the shack (Torrey Pines) and I was working the range. He was an aspiring golfer - playing the mini tours, teaching and all that. When I started playing those tourneys after college, we really started working together. He was on the bag for me at Q-School in 2001 when I was Medalist and after that, we made the relationship official and we got him on board.
My caddy Mike Hartford and I met the first day of high school. He played as well and would drive me to the tourneys, practice and all that. We even talked back then that when I made it on Tour, did he want to caddy for me? I left for ASU and he went to UCSD, graduating with an economics degree. After Q-School, it was all good timing. We talked about him coming aboard and he was all for it.
Having these guys on the road is like having family out there. I've known them both more than half my life. They're like brothers. No one is along for the ride or the paycheck. They truly want to see me succeed. H is my right hand man. We've been up, down and sideways together. It's a long process, grinding it out all year long. You need a special bond if you're out there with someone for that long. He knows what I'm thinking before I says it and we have a pretty good feel for each other. We're a good mix as we are night and day with our personalities. It'd be a lot tougher if we were two in the same.
My other guy is Chris Bello. We met 1997 through his brother Kevin, who I knew from high school and at ASU. Chris and I were roommates in San Diego just under four years and have been bros since. He helped create my logo, the website, is working on the clothing line and runs the site for me on the side.
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Javier D. (Lemon Grove, CA) - "Alright man, I was sold on your first blog when you put a picture of a carne asada burrito online and recall an article years ago where you mentioned your
affinity for Mexican food. Two questions - how do you handle not being on the west coast and away from all the Mexican food during the east coast swing and part two, you're starving on the east coast and can have some Mexican food dry iced and sent FedEx - what are you ordering?"
Double P: There are Mexican joints on the east coast, but it's not the same as California or Arizona. Not even close. Still, when you've been back east for a few weeks at a time, it'll make due.
A few years back, Owen came to Connecticut for the tourney and he brought four carne asadas on the plane with him. He handwrapped them in tin foil on the way to the airport and carried on. Seven hours later, I was eating west coast Mexican food back east. Nice.
As for the perfect meal, or what I want to eat the night of my first win - give me a carne asada burrito, meat and cheese only... three rolled tacos, no guac... large side of rice and for dessert, a few chicken tacos.
Thanks for all the questions. See everyone on the east coast swing.
Double P played a practice round at Doral today with Todd Fischer, Tommy Armour III and Dean Wilson.
Check out 
Double P shot a solid round of -3 in the opening round of the 
