Q&A with Jerry West: Talking golf, hoops, Tiger, Phil & more

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Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

As executive director of the Northern Trust Open, Jerry West promotes golf in all sorts of places.

Jerry West is a bona fide legend. His nickname is "Mr. Clutch" and the NBA modeled its logo after the Hall of Famer. West was a 14-time NBA All-Star as a player and later was the architect of seven NBA championships as the general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now 72 years old but as spry as ever, West hopes to take that same level of success to the Northern Trust Open, where he's served as the executive director since 2009. He recently fielded a few questions from PGATOUR.COM, discussing his passion for golf, what he thinks of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and more.

Q: How did you get involved with the tournament? What sparked your interest?

JERRY WEST: I've always had a great admiration for golf. But I tell everyone the game was invented by the devil. By that I mean I know how hard it is. You can't blame anything on your teammates, the crowd, or the coach. You have to look into the mirror and face up to who you are. When Tiger Woods is playing his best, he had something about him, a look in his eye, and he approached every tournament like "I'm going to win." Going back to when I was competing as a player in the NBA, that's how I felt. That's one of the things I've always admired about him is his steely resolve.

Q: Speaking of Tiger, how much would you have liked to have him in the field? What kind of relationship do you have with him?

WEST: No one in their right mind wouldn't want him to play, but he has a lot of demands on his time. Believe me, no one understands that more than me. But we have a great field; he would've just been more icing on the cake. Living his life is tough. He can't play in every tournament and I certainly understand that. I've known Tiger since he was 16 years old and have talked to him on a couple of occasions, but I would never say I'm close to him. I gave him his first opportunity to play here and visited with him at the Chevron World Challenge. He's got a lot going on, though, and I know he is working hard on his game and it's not where he wants it to be I'm sure.

Q: You gave a sponsor exemption to Joseph Bramlett. He has a lot of parallels with Tiger in terms of his upbringing. What do you know about him?

WEST: This has been my first chance to interact with him, but I know he's a tremendous player. More importantly, he's tremendous person. The lifeblood to any sport is new talent. Tiger and Phil (Mickelson) can't go on forever, so the life blood is the new talent you bring in. Everyone I talk to says he's a terrific ball-striker and playing out here will benefit him greatly. I'm excited to have him and wish him nothing but the best.

Q: What's your assessment of Phil Mickelson? He's had a good year and says he's on the cusp of some really big things.

WEST: Three weeks ago I was in San Diego and Phil and Charley Hoffman were hitting balls and Phil was hitting it just beautifully. To watch the shots he hits -- it's a sign of greatness and genius. The last couple of tournaments he's been right there. He's been playing beautifully and been driving it so much straighter. He loves playing here and has won here a couple of times and just really resonates with the people.

Q: What is it about Phil that resonates? A lot of people say he's sort of like Arnold Palmer that way and Tiger is more like Jack Nicklaus.

WEST: That's probably a pretty good comparison. Everyone is not blessed with the same personality, but Tiger has a great personality as well and he just approaches the game like a football player might approach a game, where Phil is more easygoing and has the smile. They have two different fan bases but that's what makes sports so interesting. They're both incredibly great golfers and will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame soon enough.

Q: Tournaments do so much for the community. What's been the impact of this event since you've become involved?

WEST: That's exactly why I got involved. I'm at an age where I examine myself and what's important to me and it's important to give back and the TOUR is about giving. Last year we gave away $1.5 million to local charity. But that's also much too low for L.A.; I want to raise more. We're trying to make this event a family affair and there's nothing you shouldn't try to do to make this an event a place you want to come. It can't just be about the west side of Los Angeles either -- it has to be a Southern California event. We've got all the elements we need to continue to grow this tournament and make it special.

Q: How much golf do you watch or play these days?

WEST: I'm kind of a creature of habit. Since I've been with this tournament, I watch the Golf Channel all the time. The other day there were some NBA games on, but I was watching the tournament in Dubai. Everyone thinks I'm addicted to the NBA, but I just love watching (golf). I don't play as much as I used to. I said before that the devil invented this game, well I'm a 3-handicap who plays like an 8 and that frustrates me, so I probably watch a lot more than I play these days.

Q: What have you taken from basketball and applied to golf, whether playing or as the executive director?

WEST: Basketball is a real mental game and each year I felt I got better as a player. I followed my instincts very closely. There's an incredible book, "Blink," that when I read that book I wished I read it earlier because it really resonated with me about how I feel about the game of basketball. There's no carryover effect, though. Golf is just the cruelest game. You can't blame the green [if you hit a bad shot] you can only blame yourself. When I first started playing, I was just terrible. I found out this is not a game you can master. I remember one day I made 10 birdies and I was so mad because I didn't make about five more. Some days you can play so well and hit 17 or 18 greens and you shoot even par. Some days you hit it all over the place but you knock down every flag and make everything. It tests every faculty you have.

Q: I can't let you out of here without a basketball question. What's your assessment of the Lakers? You had some critical comments a few weeks ago.

WEST: To me the season is like a marathon and the playoffs are like a 100-yard dash and this team is equipped to play in the playoffs. They've got three guys inside who are all very gifted and they've got the ultimate closer. One thing that hurts players is age, though, and when they turn the ball over and take quick shots, teams are smart -- they're going to run out against them. But it would not surprise me at all if they won it all again.

Q: One more basketball question. Who are your top 5 players of all time?

WEST: That would be impossible. One of the things I've always felt is it's a player's all-around ability that makes him great. I'm a very harsh judge of talent. I know what's great and what's not. You see a lot of people who can score a lot of points, but they don't do the intangibles. But I've always said that the greatest player ever was Michael Jordan. He was the best offensive player and played tremendous defense.