PGA Tour golfer Scott Stallings discusses his game and playing at the famous Riviera Country Club.
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[Music] hey this is Scott Stallings I play golf on the PGA tour and you’re watching the American [Music] athlete you can only really be good at three things in your life and of those three things you can only do one of them at a time you know that’s a hard lesson to learn for a lot of people but the reality of it you do anything at the highest level you’re going to figure it out started at a young age I played all kinds of sports you know baseball basketball soccer and golf was kind of something I’d always done and kind of like the interim like in between Seasons there was never any like official golf season and then introduction to the game especially around my age was evolution of tiger and you know just his effect of you know how you change golf forever and the 1997 Masters kind of changed my sports trajectory and as far as what I wanted to do and you know golf was very low on the list of things that I was interested in like I played but it wasn’t like the priority and that immediately changed sort of on a golf High I made a my first hole in one uh right before that and sort of changed everything for forever my dad was in seminary in North Carolina and they had a nine-hole golf course like on the on the campus I played like 54 holes in one day at this nine Hole Golf Course number four remember downhill like a bladed nine iron two bounce hit the flag goes in it’s like I mean like wasn’t a very good shot but it went in so it counts I’m still learning today I’m figuring out and trying to improve upon stuff that you know I just had the best year in my career and uh still trying and find things to you know little spots here and there to constantly improve on the understanding especially at a at a young age is just because you can doesn’t mean you should and you know the hero shot and just kind of discipline as far as what that looks like and I mean it’s something that we battle as uh PGA Tour players too like we have a capability of do things that no one else in the world can and understanding like the if when scenario and you know when can you and when should you and you know vice versa and kind of the happy balance of that my goal for this year was to deal with problems I create not inherit I don’t necessarily try to micromanage my life or certain situations but things that I have direct control over I try to do that and then other things that I try to be as flexible as I possibly can and understand that I have a very unique life and uh my travel schedule and all the stuff that kind of comes along with it um you know some travel delays weather delays uh things out of nowhere um they kind of come up like you kind of have to adapt and overcome and kind of be ready for anything and the little things that we do have a chance of control on like I do that I don’t necessarily have a a go-to uh here and there but for the most part I try to do the same thing each and every time well see unique tournament in the fact that it it is it’s our second elevated event ever the Tiger’s playing for the first time in a long time all the attention that comes into you know being at an event like this there’s a lot of focus and a lot of things in the media just as far as what the event Ina and you know it’s it’ be a on anyone’s Bucket List as player career to have an opportunity to have their name on that wall in that locker room as a champion and probably my favorite course if not one of my favorite courses on tour so it’s always a joy to come back and see yourself around cuz the golf course is right in front of you like there’s not a whole lot of tricks but there are a lot of tricks if that makes sense so you know managing your expectations and and kind of knowing where you need to be and kind of how to go about your time out there is you know is something that we’re all going to battle over the next few days the least favorite thing about the sport is the misconceptions and the experts that have never stood on the other side of the ball and I just cannot stand that like it’s one thing if you stood behind the ball and understand everything that comes along with you know trying to do something at the highest level but like sitting behind a desk and and you know creating this fairy tale of the PGA Tour and a professional golfer is just like that’s tough I’m not one to like you know get in the media or anything like that but as someone’s like man that dude has never stood in where he’s talking about where I’m standing but I do love the opportunity I mean the the game is presented me more things and more opportunities than I would ever have in my life and I’m incredibly grateful for that and you know feel like a sense of Pride and honor to try to leave the game better than I found it and utilize the opportunities that I have that it gives me to take care of my community uh have other people to learn and grow from the game that you know has taught me and given me more than I ever deserve [Music]
