SAY WHAT? with Chip Beck Editor's Note: Chip Beck debuted on the Champions Tour late last season after turning 50 in September 2006. He only played in five events, but Beck had an impressive four top 10s, including a tie for second at the SAS Championship, a solo second at the AT&T Championship and a third at the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn. He recently shared his thoughts with TOUR media official Phil Stambaugh on Chicago, college basketball and shooting that 59 in this latest version of Say What? 1. You played a few events late last year on the Champions Tour. What are your early impressions? ![]()
It's a very competitive Tour and everyone's in the game which makes it a really fun Tour. It was like going back home. I knew everyone out there when I debuted. It was nice not to be outdriven by 100 yards by everybody in the field. 2. Do you have any goals for 2007? The goals are almost preset for you. Obviously, Player of the Year honors and the Charles Schwab Cup are things you hope to be in contention for near the end of the year. My main goal is to play my very best and to be emotionally and physically ready to play each day of each tournament. If I do that, I think some good things will come my way. 3. Words you live by? Anything can happen if you let it and if you shoot for heaven, stars are thrown in. 4. What's the one thing that sticks out about the 59 you shot on the PGA TOUR? How many people remember it and remind me about it. It's been a nice positive experience since 1991. 5. How did a native of North Carolina who went to the University of Georgia end up living in Chicago? I've lived there for 18 years now. My wife is from The Windy City. She's a huge Bears, Cubs and Bulls fan. I can't get her to leave. Chicagoans love their city. It's a great place, clean and vibrant. I've always said that if Chicago had good weather for most of the year it would be the biggest city in the world. 6. Have you gotten to be friends with any athletes or celebrities in Chicago? Mike McCaskey, the owner of the Bears, invites me to the football games. 7. Last movie or show you saw? Mary Poppins on Broadway in New York this past winter. 8. How many TVs in your house? Three. 9. Do you watch golf on television when you're home? I do watch quite a bit of golf. I enjoy GOLF CHANNEL and wish they had more golf events and less infomercials. It's getting better every year.
10. What television show did you most enjoy as a youth? I didn't watch much television when I was younger other than the weekend coverage of the golf tournaments. From the time I was 10 until my freshman year in college, I didn't miss more than three days of golf. That was the thing I couldn't miss. I wasn't worried about TV. 11. Approximate number of golf clubs in your home? Somewhere near 100. I have the 4-wood I used when I shot the 59. I've given quite a few clubs away. It's a shame to have golf clubs collecting dust. They are supposed to be used. 12. Which is better? College football bowl season or the NCAA basketball tournament. Those are my two favorite things. I enjoy The Final Four better. When I was growing up in North Carolina, basketball was THE sport. 13. Did you grow up a fan of a particular school? The North Carolina Tar Heels. My dad went to school there and Dean Smith was the king. 14. Who was your idol as a kid? Raymond Floyd was my childhood idol. I met him and Jack Nicklaus when I was 10. They came to my hometown and it was then that I knew I wanted to be a professional golfer. 15. Favorite golf course? It's hard to beat Harbour Town Golf Links or Pebble Beach Golf Links. 16. Your worst habit? I worry too much. 17. One thing you'd like to do before you die? I would like to win some events on the Champions Tour and accomplish some things I wasn't able to do on the PGA TOUR. Perhaps I can do something extraordinary in golf. |