ASM: What are your thoughts on the media and how they've treated you these past four years? Many are quick to harp on your Pebble Beach tourney in 2002 and the temper displayed on the 72nd hole. Seems to be a double standard. Other certain notable golfers are 'determined' when they show emotion or have an outburst — yet when you've been frustrated, it's been painted as something negative.
Perez: It is what it is. Once the media sees you a certain way, you're pretty much labeled until you do something to change their perception. They have to see a change — a good act. Start getting some wins and things will smooth themselves out, for the most part. They'll shift their focus off the negative and on to the good stuff. At the end of the day, they are looking for a story — good or bad. They'll help craft a nice storyline if you're winning — I mean look at how they fell in love with Gore last year. Either way, you can't go out of your way to please them, but you also obviously don't want to get on their bad side. It's all about balance. Think about how you handle the media and what you let them see, but don't overthink it.
ASM: Tell us a little bit about your new Web site, as well as your new logo and merchandise line that you are launching this year.
Perez: The Web site is PatPerezgolf.com and it's launching this month. It's going to be pretty interactive — not a boring, static site with just stats and info. I'm really involved with this project and I'm pretty fired up about it. As you know, we're doing the online weekly blog and all the Q&A stuff from golf fans and those with questions pertaining to their game. I'll have notes from the road, instructional videos, some behind the scenes stuff regarding life on the road and the downtime at home. Regarding the merchandise, we finally got my new logo wrapped up — the golf ball with the flames — and we're going to put that on T-shirts, shot glasses, beanies, koozies and stuff. It's cool because there's really nothing out there like it for the X-Game type guys, rock and roll fans and edgier people who play the game. We'll eventually have it up on PatPerezGolf.com and we're also looking to strike a deal with Daly so we can get on his merchandise trailer he sets up on or near the course. He's out there selling his stuff at about twenty or so tourneys a year, so I might head out there to hang with him. Hopefully get people fired up about my stuff, sell some gear, meet the fans, hang out, talk shop, you know.
ASM: David Duval is proof of how a golfer can go from top to bottom almost overnight. Unlike team sports, if you have an off year there is nobody to help pick up the slack for you. How do you handle that pressure of maintaining your Tour card year in and year out and what are your goal this season?
Perez: You really have to take advantage of a hot streak or when things are going well. You're only going to make those big checks four or five times a year. When you're on and when you're doing well, you have to capitalize on the momentum. Ride it out. Keep playing. At the same time, when you hit a slump you have to quickly figure out what's going wrong and correct it before you start spiraling downward.
ASM: Unlike your second year on Tour, last season you started off well and didn't have to fight to keep your Tour card at the end of the year. How important is getting off to a good start?
Perez: Personally, I think getting off to a good start is more important than finishing strong. The confidence boost of a good start is immeasurable and usually sets the course for a strong West Coast and Florida swing. You want to get a big check or two early on. The last thing you want is to start playing bad and then it snowballs. You start to question your off-season and if you did all you could. The next thing you know its June and now the pressure is really on. Half the season is over and you're trying to figure out where the confidence — and the paychecks — are going to come from. Before you know it, it's September and you're doing the math to figure out how much you need to make — checking the leaderboard hoping guys ahead of you start falling off. Makes it hard to concentrate on aspects of your game when you're stressing making a check and keeping your Card.
ASM: With so many professional athletes living in Scottsdale, as well as the PGA and MLB off-seasons overlapping with each other, I know that you've developed friendships with a few guys like Mark Mulder and Pat Burrell. Can these baseball guys hit a golf ball — and out of all these guys you play with, who has the worst game?
Perez: Eric Chavez is pretty good and getting better. He's shooting 85-90. Mark Mulder, Pat Burrell, Jermaine Dye, Nick Punto, Mark Grace, Seth Joyner — all those guys — we get after it in the off-season. I recently got back from Cabo San Lucas. I went in early December with a bunch of those guys; it was two dozen Major League Baseball guys — 12 on each team. I was a captain and so was Woody Austin. The tourney ended up a tie. Woody and I just coached. We didn't play. We just drove in a cart and made sure that no one killed each other. As for their game, they're all great guys but they better stick to their day jobs. I don't want to say too much or I might get a Louisville Slugger upside the head when I least expect it.
For more on Pat Perez, be sure to check out his official Web site — www.PatPerezGolf.com
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