Lehman on his win, future plans and that chest bump

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Tom Lehman (left) and Bernhard Langer celebrate after Langer sank a 45-foot putt on the first playoff hole.

Tom Lehman became the 13th player in Champions Tour history to win his first event when he and Bernhard Langer captured the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf title. He spoke to PGATOUR.COM about his post-victory thoughts, the players he ran into for the first time in years and the comments he's gotten after attempting a celebratory chest bump with Langer.

My first week on the Champions Tour was obviously quite a success. I didn't get much time to celebrate my win with Bernhard Langer, because his family had a plane to catch and so did I. Immediately after the win, I hopped in the car, drove to Jacksonville, Fla., then sat in an airplane for five hours before reaching my destination around midnight.

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Lehman turned 50 on March 7, 2009, and made his debut in Savannah, Ga.

I had a hard time sleeping on Sunday night, but that's often the case. Whenever I play well in an event, whether I win or lose, I tend to lay up all night thinking about each shot. Every stroke -- good or bad -- ran through my mind over and over again, so I didn't get much sleep at all.

That was a great week to debut on the Champions Tour, especially in such a fun format. For one week, it was less about your individual performance and more about your team. Plus, I saw several players that I hadn't seen in years, like Mark O'Meara, Nick Price and Fuzzy Zoeller.

All of the players were quick to say thank you for coming out to the Champions Tour. Guys that are closer to my age and still playing regularly, they are obviously very competitive. But, for anyone who joins the Tour, they try to make sure that you know that you are welcome and appreciated. The more players who support the Champions Tour, the more players who throw their efforts behind it, the better it is for everyone. That they take time to welcome you personally makes you feel good.

Not many of the players gave me much flak for being a rookie, but I did take some ribbing from Dan Forsman. He's about my age and won't turn 51 until later this year, but he was giving me all kinds of grief, saying "rookie this", "rookie that". So I said, "Hey, until you turn 51, you can't give me any crap because you are still one yourself." It was a brief encounter and we were yelling out at each other in passing, but everyone got a real kick out of that. And that's my new rule -- until you turn 51, you are still a rookie, too.

The unique thing about the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf event was that some of the players who are a little older than me, like Bob Toski and Bob Goalby, were there. It's always nice to bump into those guys. They are very cordial, complimentary and still very aware and clued into golf. Guys from that age group and my generation all made me feel welcomed and feel good that I was there.

Now that I've won on the Champions Tour, I'll have to think about my schedule for the rest of the year. On the PGA TOUR, there are many benefits of playing well. We have several milestones out there -- top 30 gets you into THE TOUR Championship, top 50 gets you into the World Golf Championships events, the top 125 keep their card. I always was aware of that and still am for the PGA TOUR. Now that I've started playing the Champions Tour, I don't know the impact of winning or the benefits of being in certain positions on the Charles Schwab Cup points list or the money list, but I do know that it matters to get into certain events. It gives me a reason to play well. With that being said, I will probably play seven to eight events on the Champions Tour and possibly up to 10, but if it really benefits me to play more, then I probably will.

Splitting time between two Tours doesn't leave me a lot of free time, but when I do take weeks off, I want to be with my family. Even though I love fishing and hunting, I've never been the kind of person who plays tournaments for three weeks then goes fishing for five days. I try to do what they want to do. If my family would like to go skiing, that's what we do in our down time. I try to put my influence in to persuade them to go fishing, of course, but with two high school-aged daughters and a wife, sometimes that's a hard sell.

One thing that many people have not forgotten yet from my win is the chest bump that Langer and I attempted. I got all kinds teasing about that and probably can't repeat a lot of it. People have asked "What was that?" or "You'll have to work on that one" or "Chest bumps been outlawed forever in all future Champions Tour events". I've gotten a number of comments. But stuff like that is good for golf. Whether you think it looks stupid or cool, whether its semi appropriate or not, it gives flair and emotion to a game that can be lacking in that. When people that I know are all talking about it, it's interesting and gives them something to talk about. That puts golfers in a new light, where at least it's not just tipping your cap, nodding, saying thank you.

See you at my next event on the Champions Tour, which will be the Senior PGA Championship.