SAY WHAT? with Scott Hoch
 
Jun. 14, 2007

Editor's Note: Scott Hoch, an 11-time PGA TOUR winner, earned his first Champions Tour victory at the FedEx Kinko's Classic in early May. Media Official Phil Stambaugh sat down with Hoch at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf right before he became a Champions Tour winner. Check out what Hoch had to say in this latest edition of Say What.

PGATOUR.com: What's your favorite PGA TOUR golf memory?

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SCOTT HOCH: Probably two different things. One would just be playing. Something that will always stand out will be playing in my first Masters as a amateur and being paired with Arnold Palmer in my first round. I remember being nervous with anticipation rather than "shaky" nervous but after four holes, I was seven up on him. The other would have to be winning. My most memorable, satisfying and gratifying moment was winning the playoff at the 1989 Las Vegas Invitational after giving away The Masters Tournament three weeks earlier.

PGATOUR.com: Last non-golf sporting event you went to?

SCOTT HOCH: I've got Orlando Magic season tickets so it would be an NBA basketball game. I've been a big supporter of them since Day One.

PGATOUR.com: Do you watch much televised golf?

SCOTT HOCH: Very little unless a good friend of mine is in contention or there's absolutely nothing else on TV. While I was injured, I didn't keep up with the PGA TOUR or Champions Tour much because it just made it that much tougher not being able to play. I couldn't watch, knowing I could beat some of these guys but I physically wasn't able.

PGATOUR.com: Have you ever toured The White House?

SCOTT HOCH: Yes, I've been twice during The Presidents Cup week in Washington and I think one other time. I just remember all of the artwork. It's where it is and what it is that makes it impressive. Also, the exclusivity of getting there. Just being able to see some of the stuff that the general public can't see is pretty special.

PGATOUR.com: Aren't you involved in a chain of restaurants?

SCOTT HOCH: I've been involved for about 3 ½ years. I actually got lucky. One of the investors had to back out for some reason and I was able to get involved at the last minute. I vaguely knew the guy who was in charge of it but I knew some of the other investors who were involved and believed in him. One of the restaurants I went to quite a bit before I got involved as an investor. The name of our company is E-Brands. We have five different theme restaurants but the main ones are: The Samba Room, Timpano Italian Chophouse and Aquaknox. We have three restaurants in Orlando and have three different restaurants just in The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. They are all doing really well. I'm just an investor but I probably eat at one of the restaurants three or four times a week when I'm home. We're scheduled to open four more restaurants in the next six to eight months in different parts of the country.

PGATOUR.com: What's the approximate number of golf clubs you have in your garage?

SCOTT HOCH: I've got a bunch. I've got probably 40 or 50 sets of clubs and quite a few individuals. I've still got the MacGregor Eye-O-Matic woods I played with in high school and college. I've given individual clubs away but none of the sets are broken up. I really haven't used that many different sets in my career. I play one set of clubs for a long time.

PGATOUR.com: What's better the NCAA Basketball Tournament or college football bowl season?

SCOTT HOCH: They are equal, it just depends on the time of year. Both rank very high on my list. I'll watch basketball game in the tournament that I can, especially when it gets to the Sweet 16. I'll also watch all of the top bowl games.

PGATOUR.com: If you played Shaquille O'Neal in a game of one-on-one to 20, would you score?

SCOTT HOCH: Yes, definitely. I'm a good shot. As a matter of fact, several years ago when I was getting in shape and had a trainer, the same guy worked with Dennis Scott who played guard for the Orlando Magic. I know I'm faster than those guys. We used to play full court, two-on-two, for conditioning. He would back me down but I could shoot from the outside.

PGATOUR.com: Did you have pets as a kid?

SCOTT HOCH: I've always had dogs and a few snakes at one time. My mom didn't care for the snakes, but I kept them on the porch in a pen. Now I've got three dogs, two Yorkies and a Golden Retriever. Snoop and Cody are the Yorkies and the Golden is named Maggie.

PGATOUR.com: What are your initial impressions of the Champions Tour?

SCOTT HOCH: These guys can still play. They might not hit it as well, but they can still get it in the hole. Also, we play some of these courses at a pretty good distance and there's rough as well. That's what's surprised me.