Out of "purgatory," Price eager to embrace Champions Tour  PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents The last few years have been, in his own words, "purgatory, to be honest," for Nick Price. The man who won 18 times on the PGA TOUR and another 24 events worldwide wasn't used to missing cuts. Yet, that's what happened 10 times in the 16 tournaments Price played in 2006.  Nick Price has been soliciting advice on how to succeed on the Champions Tour. (WireImage)
The World Golf Hall of Famer who once shot 63 at Augusta National and has three 62s to his credit only broke 70 seven times in 43 rounds last year. Price wasn't used to mediocrity, and he struggled with his mind as well as the matter of his game. "Honestly, I had some terrible times last year," Price admitted. "I tried to keep a brave face on, but it was awful. It was a very hard period in my life." The worse he played, the less inclined Price was to practice. By the end of the year, the affable South African found himself simply showing up, going through the motions and heading home. "Too many short weeks," he said, sadly. Price's mindset is decidedly different this week, though, as he contemplates his debut on the Champions Tour at the Allianz Championship. The two-time PGA champ, who turned 50 on Jan. 28, is anxious to see if he can get in the hunt again. "I've been a competitor most of my life, and to have had that taken away from me the last two years, it wasn't much of an experience that I want to go through again," Price said. "I can assure you that if I have to start going through that experience again, I will hang up my clubs. "The only reason I didn't ... the last few years is because I knew the Champions Tour was around the corner and I wanted to keep my game in shape. I'm taking it step by step out here because there are a lot of guys who are still very competitive and who can shoot some really low numbers, and I've got to catch up. "I feel deep down inside of me that I can do it and get out here and compete, but I've got to pick my game up a notch because it hasn't been competitive. But I hope it is. If it does get back, then I'll get really excited about playing golf again." The last time Price felt he had a chance to win a golf tournament was at the 2005 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, where four rounds in the 60s left him tied for sixth. That was one of just four top-10s he posted over the last three years, though. One of the game's premier shotmakers, Price has been outspoken about how length has taken over the game. He feels his decline was exacerbated when he started trying to hit the ball hard to a few extra yards. He feels the way the Champions Tour sets up courses might be more to his liking. "I'm just hoping that it's kind of like riding a bicycle; that once I get back into having a chance to win that I'll remember how it goes because it has been a while," said Price, who rates the current state of his game as 6 on a scale of 1 to 10. Price's current plans call for him to play 15 or 16 events on the Champions Tour, leaving the summer months for what is annually extended vacation with his wife and three children, aged 15, 13 and 10. His family is fully supportive of his plans. "But (the kids) want their spring break, their summer vacations, and I don't blame them," Price said. "We dragged them around the world when they were younger following me playing golf, and ... a week in a hotel at the British Open in the middle of the summer is not a summer vacation for them. "It's sort of like a payback time for them as far as I'm concerned." Price, meanwhile, has been soliciting advice from friends already playing the Champions Tour about where to stay and which courses might best suit his game. Playing in two pro-ams each week will help him get accustomed to the new layouts. "I do feel a little bit of pressure on me in that a lot of my friends and people who I know and play golf with, they said, 'Well, you're going to go out there and clean up,' I said, 'Well, it's not going to be that easy.'" Price said. "You're playing against guys who play hard, play a lot. Dana Quigley, Tom Kite, those guys work harder than probably I did when I was 35. "So it's one of these things that I've really got to build up a bit of confidence and then get going. But I think it's an exciting year for the Champions Tour." Price is the first of a standout group of players who will make their Champions Tour debuts in 2007. Mark O'Meara plays his first event next week, the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, and he'll be followed by Seve Ballesteros, Jeff Sluman and Berhard Langer, to name a few. With the exception of the swashbuckling Spaniard, all of those players, like Price, have continued to play regularly on the PGA TOUR to keep their game in shape. He hopes to have a seamless transition, as a result. "I certainly didn't have a whole lot of fun the last two years, but I persevered, and I'm happy to be out here," Price said. "I think like everyone else, I play golf to be competitive and to enjoy it, and I'm hoping that both of those things will happen for me this year." Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |
