Top 10 of 2007: Best quotes  PGATOUR.com Coordinating Producer Other '07 Best-ofs: Finishes | Greatest Moments | Videos So here's what makes a great quote for me. You're sitting in your favorite easy chair, halfway paying attention and halfway wondering if you should finish that bag of potato chips next to you. Suddenly, someone -- be it a player, politician or witness to a crime -- says something so outrageous that it jolts you back into full attention, kind of like when your literature teacher called your name in the middle of a daydream in seventh grade. Wait, that might have been just me. Anyhow, it could happen anytime, whether you're watching a presidential debate, a sporting event, Jerry Springer or even surfing on YouTube (remember the woman who saw an injured man on the street and thought "they was givin' the man UPS"? Good times.) It may even happen when you're watching the PGA TOUR. Speaking of which, here are our top 10 quotes from the 2007 TOUR: 10. "I'm Zach Johnson and I'm from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. That's about it. I'm a normal guy." -- Zach Johnson at The Masters Truer words were never spoken. It's exactly the thing that struck most casual golf fans when they saw Johnson humbly and somewhat quietly beat Tiger Woods on that stunning Sunday at Augusta. And when they saw him on Live with Regis and Kelly. And when they saw him on The Late Show with David Letterman. And when they checked him out on Oprah, Cold Pizza, The Dan Patrick Show, The Jim Rome Show, CNN Headline News and CNN International. 9. "Yeah, I made the rookie mistake of the century by giving my room number away on the Golf Channel. " -- Will MacKenzie at the Mercedes-Benz Championship Excuse me, what? In case you're wondering, yes, he really did. Asked if he was sleeping in the Ritz-Carlton or his van this week at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, MacKenzie said he was at the Ritz -- then gave his room number. We probably shouldn't have been surprised. After all, here's a guy who quit golf after high school, spent five years sleeping in the back of his van and once went a month without a shower. And he still has limited feeling in toes from frostbite. Not exactly the common career path for a PGA TOUR star, but definitely the path to some great quotes. Keep it going, Spicoli. We're waiting for more. 8. "Well, I don't think I look any worse than I always do. (Laughter) Scotty says I smell different, but I think, you know, everything else, I think I look just as ugly as I always do." -- Woody Austin at The Presidents Cup This is one of those times where the clip is actually much better than the quote. It looked like one of those things that you see on America's Funniest Home Videos with an annoying cartoon voice under it. OK, I've got my pants up to my knees. Ooooh, this water is chilly. Well, I won't be in here long. Now, stay down, relaxed swing, OOOOOOOOH. (cue exaggerated splash). You have to admire the way Austin handled it, going so far as to wear a diver's mask on Sunday when approaching the same 14th hole. Not many of today's professional athletes -- in any sport -- would have done much more besides run away from an incident like that. Austin's ability to laugh at himself should be a lesson to pro sports stars that humility can win you fans. 7. "I'll make plenty of money in my career. I want the crystal. " -- Sean O'Hair after the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship. After Sean O'Hair hit the water (twice) on 17 at TPC Sawgrass on that fateful Sunday during THE PLAYERS Championship, some mathematician figured that the difference between finishing second -- where O'Hair probably would have finished without the plunge -- and finishing 11th -- where he did finish -- was $750,000. For most of us, that's enough to send us scurrying to a psychiatrist's office, O'Hair confidently spewed the quote above. Like Woody Austin's reaction to his chilly dip at the Presidents Cup, O'Hair reacted to that incident with class, staying in the media center for as long as the reporters needed him to. He didn't run, nor did he blame it on his caddie, the wind or the guy eating popcorn in the bleachers. He did it. He didn't apologize for it. In the end, he probably gained fans as a result. 6. "If Sergio parred the last and I did lose, I think I would have struggled to come back out and be a competitive golfer. It meant that much to me." -- Padraig Harrington after winning The Open Championship. All of Ireland -- heck, all of Europe -- rejoiced when Padraig Harrington broke Europe's eight-year major championship drought and became the first Irishman to claim the Claret Jug since 1947. How it happened was quite a story. With a one-shot lead on Sergio Garcia at 9 under par starting the final hole, Harrington deposited his ball in the dreaded Barry Burn -- a creek that crosses the fairway and the front of the green on No. 18 -- with his tee shot and his approach, leading to a double-bogey 6. Garcia then bogeyed 18, forcing the four-hole playoff won by Harrington after, of all things, a 3-foot bogey putt. "I never let it sink into me that I had just thrown away the Open Championship," he said. Good thing. 5. "I think there ought to be a special plaque there to commemorate the birth of Aquaman." -- Phil Mickelson at The Presidents Cup Mickelson was Austin's partner on that fateful Saturday in Montreal. The shame of all this -- if there is shame to be had -- is that Austin's 2007 season will be defined by "The Dive." Did you even know that he made eight birdies the day before to get the U.S. a crucial half-point on what was an awful Friday for them in Montreal? Do you remember his Sunday 62 to win the Stanford St. Jude Championship? What about his runner-up finish at the PGA Championship? Didn't think so. Austin was spectacular -- not just spectacularly funny -- in 2007. 4. "It's different eating here than it is at the house. Ain't got no sweet tea, and ain't got no fried chicken." -- Boo Weekley on the food in Scotland during The Open Championship. Is there anyone in the world that is not a Boo Weekley fan? He's almost like the real Happy Gilmore, isn't he? Would you be a bit surprised if his coach back home was named Chubbs? Double negative notwithstanding, this is just one of several gems that Weekley graced us with in 2007. Here are some others: "You ever had ringworm?" One thing is clear. Boo is not scared. 3. "Well, there are some players that have psychologists, sportologists; I smoke." -- Angel Cabrera after winning the U.S. Open We're still trying to figure out what a sportologist is, but anyway ... Was there a more unintentionally funny moment all season than seeing Cabrera smoking on the course while putting together a round that would win the U.S. Open? It's possible that the true comedy comes if you're someone that works in sports. In other words, you know that there were P.R. and marketing people -- either at the event or in some office building somewhere -- just cringing at the sight of seeing someone lighting up while winning one of the biggest trophies in sports. Still, every once in a while, there comes a moment that transcends all the political correctness, a moment that's real and a moment that shows us that even with their spectacular talent, pro athletes get nervous just like we all do when we're standing over a 4-footer to win a bet. 2. "I think he's more beatable than ever." -- Rory Sabbatini speaking about Tiger Woods at THE PLAYERS Championship At the time, the thing that was amazing about this quote was that a week earlier, Sabbatini had called out Woods on Saturday at the Wachovia Championship before he and Woods were the final pairing on Sunday. Woods won the tournament while Sabbatini shot a 74 and finished tied for third. But there was Rory a few days later, poking Tiger again. Sabbatini had a fantastic '07, to be sure. What's more, you have to admire his ability to get right back up on the verbal horse. Also, it's oddly refreshing to see someone try to take it to Tiger and force a rivalry. As we all know, rivalries are what make all sports great -- and watchable. Need proof? There's a reason that every time the Red Sox and the Yankees play each other, it's a major event. 1. "Well, if I remember the quote correctly, he said he likes the new Tiger. I figure I've won 9 out of 12 and I've won three times this year, the same amount he's won in his career. So I like the new Tiger, as well." -- Tiger Woods at THE PLAYERS Championship This was Tiger's response to Rory Sabbatini's comments the day before (the quote just above). You have to admire Woods here. He's by far the greatest player of his generation, arguably the greatest ever. He could have easily just let Sabbatini's comments roll right off his back and not even comment on them. After all, what's he got to prove? No one would have thought anything of it. But Tiger is such a competitor on every level that he just couldn't deal with it. Research all of the greatest athletes of all time and they all had the same quality. The whole exchange sort of reminds you of when you were a kid and you're out in the schoolyard trading insults and someone throws out the mack-daddy insult that ends the game and sends everyone scurrying inside. In this case, game over. |
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