Larry Mize - Part 2 (PGA Wins and the 1987 Masters)

Mike Gonzalez 0:15

Welcome to another edition of For the Good of the Game and Bruce Devlin. I've just got a couple of hints for our listeners as to who our guest is today. I couldn't find a purple Aria shirt to wear, so I came as close as I could. And also, I'll just mention one name from the past that maybe our guest would certainly know, George Cadle.

Bruce Devlin 0:39

That's right. He would know that. And this particular guest we have today is a multiple winner on the PGA tour. And for those who love to watch the Masters, who and who could forget what happened with Larry Mys and uh winning the 87 Masters Championship. And boy, it is great to have you with us, Larry. Welcome.

Larry Mize 1:03

Thanks, Bruce. It's uh great to be with you and Mike. Thank you.

Mike Gonzalez 1:07

Nice to have you, Larry. And and my reference to uh George Cadle obviously was uh the reference to the fact that at least uh during that master's win back in 1987, you were a power built guy.

Larry Mize 1:20

Yes, yeah, you could uh it was easy to find that orange bag on the golf course if my wife was looking for me to find that bright orange bag. No way to hide.

Mike Gonzalez 1:29

Uh and I remember, you know, when I was a young man back in the 70s going to the Western Open, uh might have been into the 80s, I don't know, going to the Western Open, and one of the guys that stood out for us because of that big orange bag was George Cadle. So I know he played PowerBelt, I know Fuzzy did for a while. Frank Beard, Bobby Nichols, Gabe Brewer. There were a lot of guys playing PowerBelt, weren't there?

Larry Mize 1:48

Yeah, Bill Kratzert. Uh it was a good group, and uh we we it was great. And I tell you, we had uh we had one of the best reps uh ever, and Phil Armbrooster was just a great guy, was our rep with PowerBelt. So it was uh a lot of fun times with with that with PowerBelt.

Mike Gonzalez 2:03

Well, I'll give a quick shout out to Jim Little, who was my buddy. He worked for Hillrick and Bradsby, which was the company that had the PowerBelt brand. Uh he was on the baseball side, so uh uh but uh and he was the reason that I followed George Cadle as a PowerBuild guy back in the day. But anyway, uh nice to have you. We've got some time constraints today, and and as a result, uh rather than telling your early story, which hopefully we can get back together with you and do, uh, we're gonna jump right into the meat of your career so that we're we make sure we cover uh all the good stuff while we've got you. We're just gonna jump right into you turning professional. You I think this was at about age 22 in 1980. Uh take us through that process a little bit, if you would.

Larry Mize 2:47

Yeah, you know, as long as I could remember, my dream was to play the PGA Tour, to get out there with uh, you know, Bruce Devlin and all the other great players that were out there. And uh I just uh, you know, was a little too anxious. I uh I left Georgia Tech a little early uh and uh decided to turn pro and uh went to tour school and uh found out uh that I wasn't as good as I thought I was at the first stage. Found out I needed a lot more work, so uh I wasn't very good. The the second time I went to tour school, I uh I came close, but I I blew it at the finals. Uh my anger got the best of me. I was a big learning lesson to control my anger. And then finally on my third try in the uh in the fall of 81, I I got my tour card. So uh, you know, as a kid growing up in Augusta, Georgia, a dream come true to get to go out there on the PGA tour. So I uh I started the tour in January of 82, and uh, you know, it was really uh timing was great for me because 82 was the last year of the Rabbits. I still had to do the Monday qualifying. The all-exempt tour was starting the next year. And the great thing about that was is it really matured me as a player to have to go through that process, to have to go through the grind of traveling, getting in there Saturday and practice around Sunday, qualifying Monday. And, you know, it just it was a great experience for me. Obviously, it was it was tough because you know you had to make top 125, which was a higher goal than the previous Rabbits had to make. I can't remember, but they only had to make a certain amount of money. But it was a uh I think it helped bring me along as a player because I was pretty green. I had not played in a lot of the big amateur tournaments like a lot of the guys. I was no all-American coming out of college, no great amateur player. I was just a kid stubborn enough to be able to do that.

Bruce Devlin 4:37

I wanted to play.

Larry Mize 4:38

I just, you know, I was a dreamer, and I was stubborn enough to think I could do it. And uh, you know, so I I got out there in '82 and went through the process of money qualifying and uh started getting better. And um, a lot of players from Chi Chi Rodriguez, Butch Baird, Gary Player, to name a few, were very encouraging to me. And uh it was it was great.

Mike Gonzalez 5:01

Yeah, Bruce, it was uh top 60 back then before uh that system went away, wasn't it? And uh that was a tough grind. We've heard that from a lot of our guests. Uh everybody's had different experiences. Some guys had some good fortune right out of the bat, really didn't have to do that much, and others had to go week to week for a while.

Bruce Devlin 5:18

That's right. It's come a long way when you when you think back earlier than that, even before Larry was around. Uh I can remember playing in Hartford where uh a player who's won 18 major championships uh made the cut along with me, and uh he and another guy, uh two other guys tied for 30th place after making the cut because that was where the money stopped. And Nicholas made$33.34. He got the extra penny. So uh yeah, so you could make the cut back in those days and still not make a penny. So uh, you know, things have really improved, and uh we're we're glad that it's better for everybody today.

Larry Mize 6:00

Yeah, no doubt. And it was it was better in my day, but I when I first got on, I can still remember the last few guys would not make a check for the first year or two. Uh but it was it was even worse back then. Only 30 guys made the money. Now it's about uh 60 or 70, but if you finished above that, you didn't make a check. But it's uh it's got a lot better, no doubt.

Mike Gonzalez 6:22

But if you made the cut, at least you were in the next tournament, weren't you?

Larry Mize 6:25

Well, exactly. I mean, the way they did it back then, if you made the cut, you were in the next tournament. If you finished in the top 25 in a tournament, you were in that tournament the next year. So there was, you know, there were a lot of things about the old system that I liked, actually. Um I think some of my friends got bumped out of the top 125. And, you know, there was a you know, a little a little turmoil, I guess you'd say, when it first got started. Some people liked it, some people didn't, but uh there were a lot of positives on on the old system. But you know, new system's working really well. Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 6:57

Just uh quickly for our listeners, a little recap on your professional career. Uh, 10 professional wins, including four PGA tour victories. You had three wins on the Japanese golf tour, which we want to hear a little bit about, as well as uh a senior PGA tour win. Highest world ranking was 10th. Uh of course, this was back in the day when the rankings were probably transitioning from the old Mark McCumber, Mark McCormick system to uh to the more current system that most of our listeners are familiar with. Uh but uh something that uh uh that you sustained for a long time. You maintained top 25 stat 125 status for 20 consecutive seasons from 1982 to 2001. Uh that's that's uh that sustained good golf.

Larry Mize 7:46

Well, I appreciate that. I mean, I I loved what I did, and uh I've got a great wife, Bonnie, who was uh behind me all the way and uh enabled me to keep doing it even when we had kids, and she was uh a great support for me. So it was uh it was great. I mean, uh, you know, you get to play golf and they pay you. Nice way to make a living. So it was a uh it was it's it's it's been really fun. I've really enjoyed it, and who would who would think I'm still playing uh playing competitive golf now at 63? Yeah, that's great.

Mike Gonzalez 8:15

The highlight, of course, was the 1987 Masters win, which we'll talk about in a bit, but uh it didn't take long. You you mentioned uh uh coming out of tour school, I guess, in 81, starting in 82. Uh uh didn't take that long to get that first victory at the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic in 1983. This was at Colonial Country Club by one over Chipbeck, Sammy Rachels, and Fuzzy Zeller. What do you remember about that?

Larry Mize 8:42

Well, it's it's you know, golf is a funny game. Um two weeks prior to that tournament, I played at uh the Kemper Open there at Congressional, and I think I shot, I may have shot 85 on Friday. I mean, I just played horrible. And then I tried to do the U.S. Open qualifying uh on that Monday after Kemper and shot a pair of 77s and was just playing terrible. So I decided uh one of the few times I withdrew from Westchester because I said I need a break. I mean, I second year on tour, I played every week and I was I was ready for the rubber room. My mind was mush. I was just but I needed a break. So I withdrew from Westchester, the U.S. Open was the next week, so I had two weeks off. And I remember I went to Bonnie and I went to Virginia Beach to stay with Steve and Debbie Liebler and spent some time with them. We were good friends back then. And uh, you know, I I worked on my game and came to uh Memphis two weeks later just refreshed and ready to go. And, you know, I shot 70 the first day and I get out there the next day and I see they're shooting lights out. And uh I said, well, I better play good, and I shoot 65 the second day, I believe, and then uh got me in the last group with Fuzzy and Chip. And I shot 69 or 70 on Saturday to keep me in the last group. And uh, you know, I was just I was loving this, and I'll never forget on Sunday Fuzzy got off to a good start, and you know, I put me behind a little bit, and I just told myself, just hey, keep playing hard, make a good finish, just keep keep working at it. And sure enough, uh Fuzzy made a couple of bogeys. I made some birdies, and I think I uh took the lead after birdie in uh 15 and 16, and uh promptly bogey 17 to give it back tied for the lead. And you know, I'll never forget came to the last hole tied for the lead, and uh we all laid it up on this par five. It's a great par five water all down the left, and uh I wedged it in there about 25 feet, and Fuzzy hit it in there about six feet, and Chip knocked it over and got up now for par. So I got this 25-footer, and you know, I'm just trying to hit a good putt, and sure enough, I knock it in the hole and go crazy and uh waiting for Fuzzy, and I really thought, you know, Fuzzy's gonna make this putting, and he uh he missed it. And you know, here I am 24 years old. I'm a winner on the PGA tour. And I know uh one of my friends back home, Bill Plager, was saying, well, Larry's he's too it's too early for him to win. It's it hadn't been out too long enough. Really, the the win came really pretty early for me. I mean, I I came out, like I said, with not a lot of experience and to uh my first real chance to win a golf tournament, and sure enough, I uh I pulled it off. So it was a uh it was tremendous for me. And you know, being from Augusta, Georgia, you can imagine one of the first things I thought about after winning it was I get to play in a masters next year. So uh it was uh tremendous for me, and uh Memphis will always be very special. You know, your first win is uh always very special. The people at Memphis were great, and Danny Thomas was the host, and uh very uh very special win.

Mike Gonzalez 11:37

It changes a few things for you, doesn't it? Getting that win.

Larry Mize 11:41

It really does. I'll never forget. I I think it was the next week or two at the Western Open. Uh Peter Jacobson said, Well, Larry, welcome to the PGA tour. You're in all the pro ams now. Welcome to the tour. So got me in all the pro ams and uh, you know, got me got me exempt, tournament of champions, and uh, you know, got me in some of the invitationals. So it uh opened some doors, and uh, you know, you you do kind of have that feeling that you know you belong out there. You know, now that you're able to, you're a winner out there, you feel like you belong.

Bruce Devlin 12:10

You know, Mike mentioned something earlier about you staying uh exempt for 20 years. Uh if you look at your record, it's interesting. Uh if you take the Masters tournament out, your next victory on the PGA tour was 10 years later at the Northern Telecom. So you you played very, very steady for those years uh without actually winning another golf tournament. So it just shows you how uh you know you gotta just hang in there. And uh boy, did you hang in the exempt all those years?

Larry Mize 12:41

That was great. Well, thanks, Bruce. And it was, I I had some chances to win, and I I blew some of them. We all do. Yeah, you know, that was tough. But uh, you know, I was uh, you know, I just I I love to play and yeah, I I I stayed consistent and played solid, but uh I'd love to have had a few more wins, but I'm you know very thankful of the ones that I did get because as you know, it's it's hard to win out there. I mean, everybody out there is really good, and uh I don't care whether it was then or now, it was still hard to win. Yes, uh, you're absolutely correct.

Mike Gonzalez 13:15

Well, as Bruce mentioned, you you fast forward to the 1993 Northern Telecom. Of course, by then you're masters champion, which again we'll talk about, but uh this was at TPC at Star Pass, and I think played at Tucson National Golf Club uh back then. Uh two shots over Jeff Maggart.

Larry Mize 13:33

Yeah, that was a uh that was you know, it was it was a really special win once again. Um I hadn't won on tour since the 87 Masters. I'd I'd won three times in Japan, but uh I kind of had the monkey on my back, you know, can Larry win again? And uh, you know, that's always uh that's always tough. So, you know, going in there, uh I felt good and got off to some good starts. And I tell you, I'd I started working with uh Dick Coop, uh the sports psychologist the previous year, and uh Dick was uh a big help to me to help me get out of my own way. And uh so I stayed real patient and uh just uh had a chance and I teed off the last day. I I'll never forget teeing off at Tucson National on Sunday. I kind of said for the first time I felt like a uh an older veteran because I was uh 34 at the time, and I'm playing with Phil Mickelson and Dudley Hart, and they're both about 22. I felt like the old man I said. Um but uh they got off to a rough start, and I got off to a good start, and I just said, okay, you gotta stay focused and not let their struggle affect you. And so I I played really solid and uh you know made some birdies on the on the on the back nine to take the lead. And uh then I came to the 18th hole with a one-shot lead, and uh I don't know about I don't know about you, Bruce, but when I get nervous, I actually get a little little shakes. Um some I know Paul Eisinger said he got nauseous, and the 18th hole, it's a wide fairway, but it's kind of a hogback and falls off the left, falls off the right, and there's water on both sides, so it's just uh not a tight fairway, but it's a it's a tough shot. So I was nervous and I I got the ball in the fairway, and I'll I'll never forget I went to get a cup of water with one of those little cone Dixie cups. I'm trying to drink water like this. I can't flash it all over you're gonna put the water down. So uh but I I got it in the fairway, which was great, and I had a four-on into the green, and uh I must say it it's one of my best pressure shots I've ever hit. I hit a four-aron in there about three feet and uh was able to shake the putt in the hole for Birdie. I'll never forget um Phil putted before me, and I guess I blanked out for a minute. I went to my caddy, I went, did he miss that putt on the high or the low side? What happened? I'm trying to get an idea. Because that 18th green slopes a lot from back to front. So it was a three-footer, but it, you know, it broke a pretty good bit right to left, and I was able to ease it in the hole and win by two. And uh uh a fun thing too, Bonnie and my two boys that we had at the time, Patrick and uh David, uh Robert was uh Robert was she was pregnant with Robert. They ran out on the green because they surprised me there, so it was fun to have them come uh grab my leg and uh share the victory with them. But uh it was a it was very special to win a to win again after the Masters win. You know, they'd go six years later, finally get another win. Yeah, that's great.

Mike Gonzalez 16:16

We mentioned your Japan tour experience a couple times, and and uh why don't you just talk us a little bit about that? Is was that a was that a one-off? Did you go back there repeatedly? Uh tell us a little bit about that experience.

Larry Mize 16:27

Yeah, you know, Japan was uh was very good to me. I would uh I started going over to Japan in 19 uh 83. I went over for one tournament, played the Casio World Open, and I went over every fall through '97. They uh once our tour ended in October, um, they had some big tournaments, they had three big tournaments the Tejo Masters, the Dunlop Phoenix, and the Casio World Open. And, you know, they would, you know, pay you enough money to cover your expenses, so you went over there for free, and everything you made was gravy. So uh went over there and I took the family with me every time, the boys and Bonnie. And uh, you know, I finally I won in uh let's see in 88 I won the Casio World Open, which was a fun, a fun win there. Um and then 89 I won Dunlop Phoenix and 90 I won Dunlop Phoenix. I won it back to back, which was uh, you know, I've never done before, which was a lot of fun. But I don't know what it was. I enjoyed it over there. Um maybe I felt less pressure. I I don't know, but uh, you know, I was struggling to win on the PGA tour, playing solid uh after Augusta, but couldn't get that other win until 93. But I went over to Japan and you know just played really well. And uh it was fun. I'll never forget I they didn't have a lot of scoreboards over there. And one of the years I won Dunlop Phoenix, it was a scoreboard on the ninth hole, and you know, I'm not sure how I'm doing. I knew I was leading, but I wasn't sure. And I walked up to the ninth green, I had a seven-shot lead, and I went, oh my gosh. Well, I proceeded. What do I do now? Yeah, I proceeded to throw a few shots away on the back now, but I was still able to come in and win by a few shots. But uh I just uh I really enjoyed it over there. I uh the people are great. I mean, they're they're golf crazy, and uh we just uh you know it was fun. We were the foreigners over there, so we were kind of we had our little game room and we'd get together, we'd watch sumo wrestling together, and it was uh it was a fun time of camaraderie for the players, and uh I just uh I really just have great memories of going to Japan.

Mike Gonzalez 18:25

Yeah, yeah. Well, let's come back to 1993 because uh after the Northern Telecom you were able to win the Buick Open at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club by one over again, Fuzzy Seller. You were getting into his pocket a little bit there.

Larry Mize 18:39

Yeah, Fuzzy, I I don't know. I think uh Fuzzy's uh, you know, his relaxed nature and everything was good for me, I guess. And uh we had a good time playing together. Um, and so I, you know, I had the lead early, shooting 64 the first day, and then I came back with a couple, I can't remember what the other rounds were, but he was leading going to the last day, and uh, you know, I got off to a good start, and we had a nice battle. I'll never forget I I birded 16 to take a two-shot lead, and uh 17th is a great par three um over the water, and I hit a really good five-iron in there right in the center of the green, one of those shots you just came off just like you wanted it. You know, you don't do anything fancy, you just put it in the center of the green, and fuzzy is just off the green to the right, about 60 feet, and just drains it totally off your surprise. So I two putted, I've got a one-shot lead, and uh then he hits it in the left rough on 18 and hits it left of the green, and I I hit a seven-iron right in the middle of the green, doing just what you're supposed to do, you know, playing smart. And uh Fuzzy knocks it up there, makes for uh makes a par, so all I gotta do is two-put. And uh I don't know how Bruce feels about this way, but sometimes to two-putt to win from about 25 feet is not as easy as you think it is.

Bruce Devlin 19:52

And so everybody thinks it's easy, but it's not.

Larry Mize 19:55

Yeah, you know, because you're always trying to make, and so I I, you know, I said, okay, I I thought the putt was a little downhill and I misjudged it, and I left it about four feet short. I'm thinking, oh my gosh, not what you wanted. And I didn't think I hit a very good putt the next one. I kind of limped it down the left side, but somehow it went in the left edge, and I'd won again. So I was uh very thankful that putt went in because I would have I would have hated to have blown that tournament. But it was uh special. And uh once again, uh Bonnie and the boys, this time all three of them, met me in the score intent. So they were able to share the victory. And we drove down from up in uh Flint, Michigan, down to uh Toledo, Ohio for the PGA together. And uh it was a fun drive down there, very, very thankful for uh you know being able to win again and uh great for them to be with me to share it with me. Absolutely.

Mike Gonzalez 20:43

Well, continuing with your win here winning ways back in 1993, uh tell us about how you got into the Johnny Walker uh tournament down in Jamaica. What were the circumstances uh behind that?

Larry Mize 20:55

Yeah, it was a uh you know an off-season tournament uh just before uh the just before Christmas, and it was a 30-man field, just an invitation, and I wasn't in it, and uh I got the call uh the pre week before the tournament, and Greg Norman had withdrawn and they decided to give me his spot. So I called Bonnie and said, you know, hey, it's a it's a nice payday, it's a big big field, everybody makes a nice check. I said, What do you think? And we agreed uh, yeah, you ought to go. So I went down there by myself, me and my caddy Chuck Moore, and uh, you know, just was thankful to be there and uh was playing well, got off to a good start, and uh I'm not gonna remember all the scores, but I remember I had a three-shot lead going into the last day. So uh, you know, it was a you know big tournament, big payday, and I was you know about to have uh uh my first Christmas with uh Robert, my our third son, and I was just very thankful and blessed. And uh, you know, I think that perspective really helped me realizing I'm gonna have a great Christmas with him and uh just go out there and do the best you can and don't uh don't overthink it. And uh I uh I got off. To a good start and increased my lead, and uh probably one of my best final rounds ever. I shot 65 and uh I won by 10 shots, and that was uh that was a lot of fun. Walking up the 18th hole with a 10 shot lead is a is a feeling uh I wish everybody could have. It's it's a lot of fun. So pretty nice. That was that was very special. It was kind of funny too. They uh after it was over, they took me to the beach, and you know, that you're take your shoes off, you're standing in the water holding the trophy, and it was tape delayed. So my wife uh called the press room to find out what had happened, and sure enough they said uh, oh well he won, but uh because she was wondering what happened because she wasn't gonna be able to later. So uh it was a uh it was a very uh fun week and uh was uh yeah, just a blast.

Mike Gonzalez 22:45

You won the MCI Heritage Golf Classic, did you not?

Larry Mize 22:48

No, I would have I've lost in a playoff there. I would have loved to won there. That was one of my favorite events. I think it was it's one of my favorite golf courses. I think Harbor Count is a great golf course. And I uh I lost in a three-man playoff to Payne's Payne Stewart, Steve Jones, and I were in a playoff in 90, and I lost. So never won there.

Mike Gonzalez 23:07

And that's why I had made note of it. I I I I noted that you had a playoff record uh uh which included uh one win. You won the one you won the most important one. Uh right. But you had the close call at MCI. I think you had a close call at at uh at the Heritage as well, then or rather at Hartford against uh Olin Brown and Stuart Sink, I think.

Larry Mize 23:29

Yeah, I lost in the playoff there, and then uh Norman beat me in a playoff at Kemper. So uh that was uh in 86. You got even with him the next year, though. Yeah, you know, if I had to choose between the one I I won the correct one, no doubt. But we we had a good playoff. It was a uh a six-hole playoff, and uh I thought I had him I thought I had him on the first hole. He made about a 10 or 12 footer for par, just one of those he jammed the back of the cup, jumped up and went in because he knew he had to make it, and uh, you know, five holes later he beat me. But uh, you know, it was some good experience for me, and I think it did uh prepare me for you know the playoff that was coming the next year. So it wasn't the first time I've been in the playoffs with Greg. And we just unfortunately we added another great player in Sevy to that playoff.

Bruce Devlin 24:12

Yeah, isn't that the trip?

Mike Gonzalez 24:15

You also had a tough second place finish to Mahaffey at the 1986 uh players' championship at TPC Saugrass.

Larry Mize 24:22

Yeah, that was a tough one. That was a uh I made a just uh way too many mistakes um that I, you know, later it helped me win some tournaments later. I had a four-shot lead. I'd played really well. I was 16 under through three days, and and I was doing fine. I had a three-shot lead with four holes to play, but I continued to play too aggressive instead of like I said at the Buick shooting in the middle of the green. I was still shooting at the pins. And I started short-shot, I short-sided myself on 14, short-sided myself on 15, made bogeys on both of those, and I should have just put it in the center of the green and uh made some mistakes, and my hat's off to John. We we uh we we're good friends, and he played great and took advantage of my mistakes. And uh I bogeied the last hole and he won by one, and that was uh that was a tough one to swallow. I mean, that's our a tremendous championship, and to blow that one was tough.

Mike Gonzalez 25:15

Well, Bruce, we get a chance in a few days to talk to John Mahaffey as well, and perhaps that one will come up. But uh what Larry alluded to, and I've heard you commented on this whole PGA tour experience for you guys, it is just a series of accumulated learnings, isn't it? I mean, everything builds on itself in terms of the experiences that you can draw on in future tournaments.

Bruce Devlin 25:39

Absolutely. Yeah, it's uh it is a it's a big learning experience too. And as Larry said, you know, it's it's it's not easy to win out there. It wasn't in the 60s and 70s, and it isn't in the 2020s. It's uh it's a it's a tough road to hoe. You make a lot of money without winning, but everybody likes to win.

Larry Mize 26:01

Yeah, I agree. I mean, and you know, when winning is great, but you don't learn near as much when you win as when you lose. You know, when you lose, you learn a lot of things and you just you don't want it to make you bitter or anything. You want to take that learning and uh put it to good use and uh help you in the future. And that's uh that that's what it's all about, learning from the learning from your experiences and getting better.

Mike Gonzalez 26:24

Well, speaking of learning, let's talk about the major championships in particular the masters, because that comes the first of the year. So you mentioned uh the feeling you had coming off that 18th green at the Danny Thomas, thinking about the opportunity now to walk down the hill and through the fence from uh Augusta Country Club to the big course and uh and play in uh a tournament that uh was a uh I'm sure a childhood favorite for yours. Uh did 1987 feel any different to you as as that week started?

Larry Mize 26:56

Well, I came in playing really well. Um, you know, I the players' championship I'd played a couple of weeks earlier, and I would have loved to have won to correct uh the previous uh thing I messed up the previous year, but I but I played well. I finished 13th, had a nice solid week, played really good. So I came into the tournament playing really well. And but you know, I didn't expect to win. Uh I don't know how it was with Bruce, but whenever I put my expectations too high, I never played very well. Uh whenever my expectations were correct level, confidence was high, expectations were at a good level. Uh that's when I did well. And I came in with that uh that that level of confidence was high, expectations were at a good spot. And you know, the golf course was playing hard and fast, which is very good for me because I'm not a long hitter. So the ball was running in the fairways and uh was playing shorter. So I like that. I I like hard golf courses. I think that suits my game better than not that I can't play easier golf courses, but I really like the hard ones. So uh came into that week feeling really good and you know, shot 70 the first day, playing with John Cook. He shot 69, and you know, he was first and I was tied for second. And so back in those days we only played two sims and then you repaired every day. So Friday we are uh teed off on the last last group on Friday, which was a lot of fun, and uh it was uh got off to a great start that week.

Bruce Devlin 28:20

Yeah, it's interesting too that that you mentioned about how hard it is. I I've always found the golf courses that are a little bouncy become a lot harder than they are when the ball doesn't bounce around as much. And and that's certainly true at Augusta with all those contours that you have to deal with.

Larry Mize 28:38

Well, it really is, and you know, they had the green so hard and fast. I'll never forget John and I stand on the fourth T, which is elevated above the third green there on Friday, and they are hand watering the green with little buckets like you would water flowers with, and they're hand watering it, and the water is beating up like the green, like the you just waxed your car, and the water is beating up on those greens and running off. So some was soaking in, but not a whole lot, and they kind of had that bluish tint, you know, Bruce, that they'll get when they go really hard. And you know, it was just so hard and fast, but uh you know like I said, I I kind of like that because it's uh everybody's struggling, and you know, my short game is is one of my strengths, so it it brought that into play a lot. So uh I liked it. So I uh was good you know, enjoying that week. And so after two days, I was you know still in contention, but uh was a little farther back, but still in in good shape. So I I was feeling good and I played uh actually Saturday was a really key day for me. Um I was a couple over going into 12 for the day, and I hit it in the water on 12, the par three there. And I dropped it and hit the wedge up there about 10 feet and made that putt for bogey. So I was three over, but making that putt for bogey, some bogeys are good, some bogeys are bad. That bogey was really good, and it was actually a little bit of a momentum to make that putt and not make double because I was already trying to shoot my way out of the tournament. But after making that putt, I uh proceeded to Birdie uh, I believe it was 13, 15, and 18 coming in to get it back to even par and get back in contention because I'd uh I'd shot 70, 72 the second day, 72 the third, so I'm two under par, and still in contention, four unders leading. So I I kind of liked where I was going into the last day, a little bit under the radar. A lot of great players up there. Rod Roger Maltby and Crenshaw are leading. Norman's there, Sevy's there, Langer's there, Curtis Strange is there, so I was in a uh a good spot to just kind of play my game and see what can happen.

Mike Gonzalez 30:39

Yeah, so you were you were two back uh after the third round with, as you mentioned, I think Crenshaw and Maltby were in the lead. Uh Curtis uh had the lead after 36. Curtis, I think, really had a uh Jekyll and Hyde sort of tournament. Uh, you know, some really, really good moments, some really, really tough moments. But uh you were playing with Curtis uh in the final round, weren't you?

Larry Mize 31:03

I was. You know, Curtis and I are good friends, and uh he was a great partner for me, and uh we we played together and uh you know we both uh you know we're just grinding best we could, and I'll never forget I I played pretty good the front nine. I can't remember what I shot, but I'll never forget walking off the 10th T and that big leaderboard, you know, you're going down 10 and 18's coming back to your right, and you got that big leaderboard to the right of the 10th hole, and I see my name up there, you know, either tied one back or something, and uh those nerves kicked in again, and I promptly bogeyed the 10th hole. So um so then I go to 11 and uh you know I had about a 20, 18 or 20-footer for par coming from the right, and uh sure enough I made that putt for par, which was huge because you know, whenever you whenever you win or you play well, that putter's got to work. And Augusta is no exception. So I made a nice par-saving putt there, and then uh proceeded to Bertie 12 and 13 to take the lead. And uh, but then I proceeded to bogey 14 and 15 to give it back, and 15 was tough. Uh 14 was too, but 15 I've got a four-iron in there, and you know, once again, a little inexperience, you know, when the pin's on the left side, and to me that's a pin, you don't hardly even shoot with that pin with a wedge in your hands, much less a four-iron. And I pulled a little bit, and uh, you know, when you pull a golf shot, it goes a little farther. And I air mailed the green, hit the down slope, and I actually hit it in the pond on 16. It was funny when I was watching this year's Masters, uh, I missed the cut, and I was watching it uh back at home and I saw Matsuyama Hadeki knocked it into water on 16. I said, Oh my gosh, that's what I did when I won. And uh I did the same, you know, we did about the same thing. It's a brutal chip shot from back there up the hill to that green, and I pitched it up there short, and then I got it up and down there for bogey and looked at the leaderboard, and you know, I was still only one shot back. So I said, That's okay, forget that. Let's go. And hard 16, 17 came it come to eight came to 18 having to make birdie, and uh very, very satisfying to get in there and hit a good T-shot, good iron in there, six-footer for Birdie and make it. And you know, everybody's gonna remember the chip shot, but that birdie to 18 when I needed to make it was uh great memory for me in the 72nd hole to give me a chance to win, and now I've just got to go in and wait and uh see what happens.

Mike Gonzalez 33:30

What did you hit into 18 there?

Larry Mize 33:32

Well, it's interesting. I I had driver out, and like I said, the course is playing fast, and Curtis hit three wood, and we were hitting pretty similar distances. So I my caddy Scott Steele and I decided let's go back to three wood, put it beside the bunker, and hit a nine-iron in there, and uh really hit on the green, bounced up the hill. Thank goodness it didn't all get all the way to the top, and it rolled back down to about six feet, and I I made the putt for uh for Bertie and was really excited because I knew I had a chance, but now I've got to go wait because I've got Sevy in the group behind me, and then Norman in the group behind him, and then Roger and uh Crenshaw in the last group. So they took me over to the to the Jones cabin right there off the 10th T to wait. And Sevy gets up and down for bunker on 18, and they bring Sevy in the Jones cabin to wait. And Norman, you know, knocks it on the green, hits this great putt, just melts the map. I don't know how it doesn't go in. And Sevi, my wife reminded me, Sevi turned to me and said, Hey Larry, you can breathe now. It's okay. You can breathe now. So uh we just had to wait for Roger and uh Crenshaw to come in, and they they didn't eagle the hole, so they had the birdie to tie, so they we went out to the putting green to get ready, and uh they both made par, so it was uh me and Sevi and Greg uh gonna go off the tenth hole in the playoff.

Mike Gonzalez 34:49

So you draw numbers out of the hat and you pull number three.

Larry Mize 34:54

Yeah, so that you know that they both hit good drives, and they're both longer than me. Um but the way that 10th hole is the fairway goes out and then it drops down, and I happen to hit my drive on the down slope, and it just springboarded that ball, so it was funny. I'm 20 yards ahead of these guys on the 10th hole. They're back there hitting five irons, and I'm up there hitting a seven iron. So that was a uh a nice start and uh to to the to the hole. So it was kind of funny. And Sevy hits his just off the right fringe, and Greg hits it just off the back edge, and I hit a seven iron in there about 10 feet underneath the hole, perfect place. And uh, you know, Sevy knocks it by about three or four feet, and Greg, you know, knocks it close and taps in. I've got this putt to win. And I, you know, if I hit it a little harder, I make it or play a little more break, it just kind of dies right in front of the hole and misses on the low side, and I'm kind of double over thinking, oh man, I just missed a great opportunity to win this golf tournament. And to all of our surprise, Sevy misses his putt. And uh so now it's just me and Greg going to the 11th hole.

Mike Gonzalez 35:56

Well, as a professional, your thought process is going to be different than a typical amateur over that putt you had. But to be honest, what percentage of your thinking was, all right, I got at least two putt this, and what percentage was I'm I'm knocking this baby in the hole?

Larry Mize 36:12

Well, that that's a great question. I I think the the looking back on the negative side of it, I probably wasn't aggressive enough with the putt. I said, okay, let's hit a good putt and knock it in the hole. Let's don't do, let's don't do be too eager and knock it by. Best I can remember. It's not real clear what I was thinking, but I'm I'm guessing that's what I was thinking. Make sure you don't just jam this by because the greens were really hard. And last thing I wanted was a three-footer coming downhill uh to to try and stay in the playoffs. So I probably was a little tentative on that putt.

Mike Gonzalez 36:41

Yeah, so Sevy uh, of course, misses his. It appeared to me it was probably closer to four or five feet, but he misses his on the high side, makes that lonely walk back, and the you know, the camera, you're not seeing it, but you guys are off to 11 T and they're following Sevi and Vicente, his brother, and and and uh one of those uh one of those uh uh I forget the name of the company that did the security there, but uh one of the Pinkertons.

Larry Mize 37:08

Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 37:08

It used to be Pinkerton, that's right. And then that's right. That's the three of them walking down the fairway back up the clubhouse.

Larry Mize 37:14

Uh and Sevy was great. I know he was really disappointed, but he came over to me and wished me luck. I was very that that I'll never forget that. That meant a lot for him to uh wish me luck because Sevy and I uh we always got along real well. And and Greg and I get along well too. Uh people sometimes people think Greg and I don't like each other, and you know, that's there's nothing personal in golf. Whether whether I'm playing against my best friend or somebody else, I'm they're trying to beat me, I'm trying to beat them. There's nothing personal. So uh but I was uh it was really nice of Sevi to come and wish me luck.

Mike Gonzalez 37:43

So you get off the the 11th T in pretty fine form, both of you guys.

Larry Mize 37:47

Yeah, I hit a good drive, but it's back to normal. He's about 20 yards in front of me, so back to where the way it should be, I guess. And I've got this five iron, and you know, the pin's over on the left, about middle left near the pond, on their left in the green, and I'm trying to hit my draw in there, and I just kind of get a little ahead of it, you know, and I just flare it out to the right and miss it about you know 50 feet right of the green. And uh then uh Greg's got an eight-iron in there, I believe, and he hits it on the uh on the right fringe. And I will say when he did that, um I felt like, wow, okay, let me gave me some put it close to the hole, put a little pressure back on him. I felt better than if he'd hit in there about 20 feet. So uh I uh just went over to the shot and uh surveyed what I needed to do. And the the best thing about the shot was in my opinion, there was only one shot you could play. I had to play a a chip and run with my sandwich. All I carried was a 56-degree sandwich back then, and uh, you know, the you just I couldn't land it on the green. There's no way I could stop it. Greens were so hard and fast. And I if I used anything with less loft, I was I think it was gonna be too hot going across the green. So there was no indecision, and that's uh, you know, as as Bruce knows, that's the worst thing you can do in a golf shot is be indecisive. You've got to be committed to the shot. So I was really committed to it. I knew the shot I had to hit, and you know, it's uh it's do or die. So I could not be tentative. I had to be aggressive and put uh put it around the hole. And uh, you know, I hit the spot that I wanted to and landed short. And it's a shot we practiced at Augusta because you can't, that sticky Bermuda, a lot of times you can't get underneath it, so you practice that little bump and run, and it came off just like I wanted to, and I knew the I knew the break, and uh I just was frozen until it uh wants to go in, and then it when it went in, I threw my club up. I have no idea where it went, and I just run around like a crazy man because I I couldn't believe it, you know. Uh to uh to make that shot under those conditions was uh it was really incredible. Fantastic.

Mike Gonzalez 39:50

Well, and the and you know the duration from the time you struck the the shot to the time it actually found the hole. I'm I don't know, maybe you've timed it before. It was a long time, and and it probably seemed like the world was going in slow motion that whole time for you.

Larry Mize 40:05

Yeah, you know, that's a good point. I don't know how long it was, but I I was frozen. If you watch me, I didn't I didn't move. I'm I always wish I could have seen my face from the other, because my eyeballs probably got about that big, you know, watching that shot. So uh, but it was uh yeah, it was it took a while, but I was uh sure glad it went in. And so now I've got to wait for Greg. And you know, what you've got to do in golf is you always have to expect your opponent to make it. You know, you've got to expect the worst, and you've got to be prepared for that. So I was getting prepared to walk to the 12th T and saying Greg's gonna make it, he's gonna make it. And you know, he hit the putt and you know missed it low and walked over and congratulated me. And uh Greg was always very gracious, and uh, you know, now I'm the winner, and I just uh I couldn't believe it. My my wife and David, our newborn, he was one week shy of a year. We rode back up to the uh to the butler cabin, and I just was I couldn't put it into words. To to to play in the tournament was a dream come true, and to win it was incredible. And then on to the butler cabin.

Mike Gonzalez 41:05

Yeah, well, I'll I'll never forget Ken Venturi's call because as I said, there were such a long time our listeners will remember for waiting for that ball to to travel that distance to the hole. And and as it's rolling in, uh Ken Venturi says, How's that look? And then at some point it must have been him on the microphone, but you heard somebody yell, whoa, and I mean screamed it, and then and then boom. And I think Frank Shirkanian was probably in the trailer talking to everybody in their microphone. Bruce, you'd know this saying any don't anybody say a word.

Bruce Devlin 41:39

That's right. Be quiet.

Mike Gonzalez 41:42

And just let the scene play out. And of course, it cut to you and your excitement. And what was going through your mind?

Larry Mize 41:49

Oh, I I good question. I just was I was after the shot, I was just trying to calm down to get ready to go to the 12th T. And after he missed it, I was I was exhausted. I'll never forget Ken Venturi came over and congratulated me, and I shook his hand and my head went down on his shoulder. I was just, I was spent. I mean, you know, the the energy that you use to get around that golf course when you're trying to win it, uh, it just uh, you know, you only have one battery that you're working off of. So that does the physical and the mental. And so, you know, physically is it, you know, to walk around a golf course is not that hard physically, but because you're using so much of your mental capacity to maneuver around that golf course, you're just exhausted when you're done. And uh so I uh, you know, it was uh totally lation and exhaustion combined.

Mike Gonzalez 42:36

Yeah, you couldn't have been much closer to your home club down there on that 11th screen, either.

Larry Mize 42:41

You're right. Right across the fence was Augusta Country Club where I grew up playing, and I used to drool over the fence looking at Augusta National when I played that ninth hole over there. So uh it was uh yeah, I never really thought that much about it. That's true. I chipped in real close to where I grew up playing. That's true.

Mike Gonzalez 42:56

Yeah, so 1987, of course, everybody knows you had a very anybody, Augusta National in particular, had a very tough act to follow with what happened in 1986 there.

Larry Mize 43:07

You're right. I mean, that was one of the greatest victories of all time. To have Jack win his six masters and have his son uh Jack Jr. on the bag was uh unbelievable. I'll never forget watching it. And he was, you know, Jack was my favorite growing up, and uh I just was so special. And the great thing for me is since he won it the year before, my favorite golfer put the jacket on me the next year. So Nicholas put the jacket on me and congratulate me in the butler cabin was really, really something very something very special. Yeah. Yeah, wonderful. Yeah, the picture of Jack uh shaking my hand and in my office and everything, and give me the jacket. It's uh pretty cool. I mean, Jack's a great champion and gentleman, and uh it was fun to get the jacket from him.

Mike Gonzalez 43:51

So, Larry Mys, what a great experience. Uh, an Augusta hometown boy living his lifelong dream to not only play in the Masters, but win the Masters. Can you believe you'll be celebrating your thirty-five year anniversary of that victory this year?

Larry Mize 44:08

Uh I I I really can't believe it. It's just uh you know, I know it's been a long time, but it just doesn't seem like that long.

Bruce Devlin 44:17

Well, you know, you mentioned uh at the top of the show about uh always wanting to play on the PGA tour, and uh next time we chat we want to go back and talk about how you started in the game, who the players that influence you the most, and we appreciate you being with us today, Larry, and we look forward to chatting with you again. Thanks a lot.

Larry Mize 44:39

Well, thanks, Bruce. It's great to see you and Mike, and uh nice to be with you all. Thanks.

Mike Gonzalez 44:43

Then it started to hook just out of the world. And please, wherever you listen to your podcast on Apple and Spotify, if you like what you hear, please subscribe, spread the word, and tell your friends until we tee it up again for the good of the game. So long, everybody.

Intro Music 45:05

Whack down the fairway. It went smack down the fairway, and it started to slice just smidge off line. It headed for two, but it bounced off nine. My caddy says long as you're still in the state, you're okay.