MAsters Fans... An Interview with Chairman Hootie Johnson from the Masters Website...
BILLY PAYNE: Well, good morning, and welcome once again, ladies and gentlemen, for the 2002 Masters Golf Tournament. I'm delighted this morning to be joined by Mr. Will Nicholson, chairman of our competition committee, and by the Chairman of Augusta National, Mr. Hootie Johnson.
Hootie?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Thank you, Billy. We are pleased to have you here this morning, and for what I hope will be an exciting tournament. I look forward to answering the questions that you may have, and Billy we'll take the first one.
BILLY PAYNE: Questions, please.
Q. Last year you surprised us all with the answer to this question, so let me ask it the same way. Is this course today exactly the way you want it to be?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, I think I'd answer that like Mr. Roberts responded to the lady that told him that he had a perfect tournament. He said, "Thank you very much, but we really never get it right." And that may be true with the golf course.
Q. When did these changes and this revision, whatever you wish to call it, become an absolute act to be done? When was the decision made?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, you know, we do -- it takes us a while to make a decision down here, but the rapid pace of change has kind of speeded up our decision-making process. Last year, before the tournament, we did have the intention of -- we recognized that we had to make some changes to some of the par 4s; we needed to strengthen them. And then during the tournament, we felt like what we were seeing that if we had other opportunities, that we needed to take advantage of those, also, to try to keep pace with the change that was going on in the game, like at 8 and 13.
Q. As I recall, sometime during the tournament last year, you had Tom Fazio, and you mentioned his name.
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, he and I were down on 11, and Phil Mickelson, we saw his drive come down there. We thought somebody had chipped out of the woods. (Laughter.)
After he made his shot, I went down and went under the rope, and he was 94 yards from the green. I told Tom, I said, "Heck, man, no question about what we are about, and we should be more aggressive with what we are doing."
Q. How many of those 285 yards do you figure you'll use this week? Are you going to play them all the way back or what?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, Will can make a final decision on that based on the wind.
I expect on every hole that we changed, we'll use all of it; maybe not all on the same day.
Q. With all of the rain we had last night, the course, obviously is playing much differently today. Do you anticipate that you will be able to get the course back to the sort of speed and firmness of the greens by the weekend? What's the outlook for that?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: We hope so. We would like to have -- we had it like we wanted it Sunday and Monday. That would be what we would hope to achieve.
Q. Which is what?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Whatever it was on Sunday and Monday. (Laughter.)
Q. Were you more concerned with the scores these guys were shooting in relation to par, or more concerned with the fact that they kept reaching for a wedge every time?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: We were not concerned with the scores. We never really gave that a lot of consideration. Of course, the short club, I guess leads to the score. We just hated that time after time, pulling out sand wedge or pitching wedge to par 4s.
Q. This is a question outside of competition. You have overseen more changes here than perhaps any other previous chairman. One of the things here is the exclusivity of the merchandise. Why is it that it is exclusively just sold on-course and do you ever foresee it being sold on the Internet, catalogs, things like that?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, we think a piece of clothing or souvenir here is kind of special to the people that have been here, and while our merchandise sales are important to us, we don't feel the need to go on the Internet and trivialize the merchandise.
Q. Along the same lines, can you talk about the whole aura, the lack of commercialism, no cell phones on the course, what are you trying to create down here and how hard is it to keep that going?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, we just work at it real hard. I don't know how to -- I really don't know how to answer that.
Q. What's the idea behind it all?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, I think that what we do, I think that Mr. Roberts and Bobby Jones set a pace for excellence and for courtesy and doing the right thing. We just try to continue that.
Q. How do you feel about the changes, particularly on the 18th hole, was there a feeling that that hole had become not as dynamic a finishing hole?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: I feel real good about the 18th hole. (Laughter.) And that's no tongue-in-cheek. I feel good about the 18th hole.
Q. Was there a feeling that the hole was not as dynamic a finishing hole for this kind of course?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Yes. Yes. A 3-wood and a pitching wedge won't do for a finishing hole. I think most everyone agrees that the hole was weak for a finishing hole in a championship, of a major.
Some folks coming in there, if they are leading by 1, they are going to be damn glad to get a par, and that's okay. (Laughter.)
Q. There's all this emphasis on change this year, but what are some things about the Masters that you think are important that never change? What are some facets of the tournament that should be enduring?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, I think the spirit of Bobby Jones, decency, honesty, straightforwardness, courtesy. Those are the things that I think are important to us.
Q. Have the players who have spoken to you only been complimentary about the changes or have you had any adverse comments?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Are you asking about the response from the players?
Q. About the changes.
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Yes, ma'am. I think almost universally, the players have accepted the changes or received them with excitement and with pleasure. We hear a lot about the length, and it favors the long hitter.
Rocco Mediate and Paul Azinger were down here a few days ago, I guess last week. They were -- could not be more pleased. I think they are considered medium hitters, but they could not be more pleased with the changes. They thought that the changes gave them a better chance to win. They felt like -- they liked the idea of having their 8-iron or their 6-iron versus a long hitter's 8-iron, as opposed to their 8-iron versus the long player's pitching wedge.
I don't know how you all react to that, but they must know what they are talking about because they are professionals. Anyway, that's just two examples. A shorter hitter, Billy Andrade, has been very high on the changes.
I disagree with Jack. I think Jack Nicklaus, the headlines in the paper this morning said that Jack said the changes are going to eliminate half the field. Well, I don't believe that. I don't think there will be any more separation in the field, than there has been in the past.
Q. Some of the older past champions were asked not to play this week. Do you see such more of such requests next year and do you have any thoughts of establishing criteria for past champions eligibility?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: The decisions we made this year on the champions and those that we asked to step aside, we made those decisions based on what we thought was in the best interests of the tournament.
We do not have a formal policy on that, but we planned and we will have one by next year, a formal policy. There will be no misunderstanding. We felt that the actions that we took were in keeping with the philosophy of what Mr. Roberts had laid out.
There was some ambiguity there, and we intend to make it clear. We don't know what that will be right now, but we will do something about it.
Q. When you took over as chairman, did you realize just how much needed to be done over the first few years of your chairmanship, and is there something additionally that you think will be done in the future, changes to the course?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: To answer your first part, I probably would not have accepted if I thought we needed to do all this work. (Laughter.) I'm kidding.
We are going to always have changes here. We've had them since 1934 and we are going to keep on having them. I think, I mentioned to Cliffton Brown a month ago, as a for instance, and I'm not going into a lot of detail, but as a for instance, we have got to do something with No. 5, no question about it. It will probably involve moving the bunkers. We don't plan to move 4 green. It's been rumored that we are going to move 4 green so we could move 5 tee back. We are not going to do that. But we are going to address the weakness of the fifth hole.
Q. Do you have any regrets about the way the situation was handled with the past champions? Some have expressed they didn't like getting a letter in that format, and do you have a comment on Gay Brewer not attending the Champions Dinner last night?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Yeah, I have a comment. We regret that someone, anyone, is not comfortable here. And if they are not comfortable and they are not here, we regret that.
Q. Do you have any regrets about the way that you decided to handle that situation in hindsight?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: I don't look back.
Q. This is Ken Venturi's last year as an analyst for the tournament. Can you talk about what he's meant as a player and an analyst?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Ken's been part of our family for a long, long time. I think we, well, there's a lot of young folks in here, but we remember back when he had that tough time leading by, I believe, eight strokes and lost the tournament to Jackie Burke. That was a very sad time for him, but he's always had a love for this place. He's always been a very important part as a player, and as an announcer, and we'll certainly miss him, but we hope he will always keep coming back.
Q. The first nine is going to be televised extensively for the first time this year, for the viewing public, are there any holes that you think are going to be interesting, exciting, for them to watch, many for the first time?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: I think they will all be exciting, I hope. Well, I think everybody agrees that No. 1 is the, the butterflies are fluttering, the wind is blowing, and it's always a challenge. I think it will be exciting to see the champions, the leaders tee off on the first hole.
Q. Is there any discussion about expanding the club beyond its current borders, and if so, what affect would that have on some of the adjacent neighborhoods here?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, we are always thinking about the growth of the club, and we have acquired some lands beyond the boundaries of Washington Road and Berckman Road that would be available to us for tournament support.
Q. Have you had discussions with the homeowners in that area or is it vacant land?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: I have not had discussions with any homeowners.
Q. I have a question concerning equipment. Greg Norman was here yesterday, and as I recall, he thought it would be a good idea to have a golf ball for your tournament or tournament played, period. I wonder if you have any more thoughts on equipment and what might be a change here at some time.
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, I guess first, we hope that the R&A and the USGA can get together on equipment. We are concerned about how far the golf ball goes today, as far as the Masters tournament is concerned.
I think that a general statement would be that we are concerned about the golf game, as well, not just the Masters Tournament.
Do you have a follow-up on that? That's my response to what I think your question was.
Q. I think right now that that's a good answer for me.
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Thank you. (Laughter.)
Q. What was the feeling as far as expanding the TV coverage through the years, and the annual question, will there be more expansion down in the next year or so, especially on Thursday and Friday when people are always clamoring to see more of the coverage?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Can you capsule that for me?
Q. What was the thought behind expanding the TV coverage this year, after so many years of people asking for it, and is there any plans for further expansion?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: That just shows you that persistence pays off. (Laughter.)
We knew that there was a great demand for it, and we just decided that we ought to satisfy that demand.
Q. Are you looking at any further expansion or is this going to be it for a while?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: That's going to be it for a while.
Q. Has there been any consideration for a woman member at Augusta National?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: We have no exclusionary policies as far as our membership is concerned.
Q. What does that mean?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: That means we have no exclusionary policies. (Laughter.)
Q. You all have always had the opportunity to give a special exemption to a foreign-born player. Is there any consideration to maybe giving that to a domestic player in the future?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Had not thought about that. I don't know what Mr. Roberts would think about that. I would have to give that some research.
Q. Did you watch THE PLAYERS Championship either in person or on TV, and if you did, were you thinking in part, "Boy, if this guy, Craig Perks can hold on and win this thing, he's going to play his way into our Invitational"?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Did that cross my mind? Yeah, that was exciting.
Q. Where were you watching, sir?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: At home.
Q. And were you thinking that that this would be a nice addition to the field?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Sure. I thought anybody that could make those shots he made on the last few holes, he ought to be here. (Laughter.)
Q. What do you predict he will do this week?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, I don't know. He might win. If he could win that great championship, he could win here.
Q. I think the invitation for Greg (Norman) was the first foreign since we went to the World Ranking. Do you think this might be the only invitation he receives unless he qualifies by other means?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: I could not speculate on that, the future. We are sure glad he's here this year, though.
Q. Are there any specific changes that are already on the drawing board for future years, changes for the golf course?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: No specific changes. A lot of things under consideration, but nothing in concrete.
Q. Has there been any talk about having another honorary starter to join Sam Snead?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, no. We may have thought about some things but we have had no discussions. But Sam seems to be holding up pretty well.
Q. You made a decision a few years ago not to automatically invite every winner of a PGA TOUR event, and players thought it would be a nice carrot for them to get in; is there any consideration to revisiting that?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: We have no plans to revisit that. We are very pleased with our present qualifications. We think the World Golf Ranking is a great way for someone to earn their way into the Masters tournament, and the other Top-40 money winners and other qualifications. We are very comfortable with our qualifications. But we do look at them every year. I would have to say that we have -- and I would say that we are not giving any consideration to going back to an invitation to somebody who wins a PGA TOUR tournament.
Q. You're talking about formulating a policy for past champions who do not shoot the scores they used to; is part of the philosophy of that creating more space in the field for more deserving players?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: That's not a consideration.
Q. Will your policy next year on the older former champions be based on their recent performances as far as whether you're going to invite them into the field?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: We'll have to see what that is next year, what our policy is. I don't have an answer for that right now.
Q. Jack said yesterday that there's a brass plate saying "Downtown" on the 18th tee. Will that be there during the tournament and is there one there?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: No. I had one made for him, though.
Q. But it's not there now?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: No. He said we'd be teeing off downtown next year, some time in the future, so I took him over there and I said, "Jack, downtown is here." (Laughter.)
Q. It was just a gag that day, that was it?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Yeah.
Q. I know that you had a lot of people monitoring play last year in terms of how long drives were, things of that nature. Will you continue to do that this year and in the future to assess the situation?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: We sure are going to do it this year.
Q. Just curious if you've played the championship tees?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: No. I haven't played the championship tees in 25 years. (Laughter.)
Q. Wait a minute, you told me 21.
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, you caught me. (Laughter.)
Q. Clifford Roberts was always worried about getting patrons to the tournament to the club to make some money. What would you think of getting some past champions together on Wednesday morning for a competition?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: I would not think of it at all.
Q. And why would that be?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: I don't have to give you a reason. (Laughter.) Mr. Roberts wouldn't give you a reason.
Q. But don't you think it might be fun to find some way to include them in some sort of competition?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: We'll take that under consideration. Thank you.
Q. When Jack Nicklaus repeated as champion, I think he present the green jacket to himself, and when Nick Faldo did it, Hord Hardin presented it to him. Should Tiger end up repeating this week, what contingency do you all have to give him the green jacket?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: It's not a contingency. I'm going to put it on him.
Q. Regarding the idea of a tournament golf ball, what kind of feedback did you get on that notion, and has there been a lot of it?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Well, I think that we've had considerable reaction that people were glad that we were heightening the debate on the concern for the game and the way it was going.
Q. During all of this silence, Will, I'll ask you a question. How are the new changes going to affect your pin setting?
WILL NICHOLSON: We are going to basically use the traditional positions we have. The one change we have is we are going to go back right on 18 on the new position on the back right of 18. The rest of them, you're not going to see anything dramatically different than what we have had before.
Q. Will these changes potentially create any room considerations that you might not have had?
WILL NICHOLSON: There are a couple places we are watching closely this year. There are some magnolia trees and pine trees on the left of 18, and the most unforgiving tree in the world is a magnolia tree. If you try to hit a golf ball through it there might be something down there. But other than that, I don't think anything out of the ordinary.
Q. In your list of prohibited items here, you have periscopes. Why are we not allowed periscopes?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Mr. Roberts outlawed periscopes a long time ago. I guess that's the only reason. I guess they just take away from the beauty of the place.
Q. Well, if you had nice green ones with a discrete Masters logo -- (Laughter.)
HOOTIE JOHNSON: We'll give that some thought. (Laughter.)
Q. How tall are you?
HOOTIE JOHNSON: Six feet.
Q. And when was the last time you walked around without your green jacket outside the ropes or sent one of your shorter members incognito, because there's a lot of places where it's difficult for your patrons to see and a periscope would be very useful.
HOOTIE JOHNSON: I'll give that to the Tournament Improvements Committee. (Laughs).
Q. That pin placement on 18 you mentioned, will that be for Sunday?
WILL NICHOLSON: We have not made that decision. It depends on the weather.
BILLY PAYNE: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
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