This is the second and final part of my interview with PGA Tour player Pat Perez, who returns to action this week at the Verizon Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, S.C. Pat answered my questions during his recent break in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Armchair Golf: You and John Daly have the same coach. How did that come about?
Pat Perez: JD’s been a bud since my rookie year and I’ve been working with my coach since high school. They got to know each other over the years and in the off-season he decided to bring O aboard this season to work on some things.
Armchair Golf: What’s it like hanging with JD?
Pat Perez: A lot of work.
Armchair Golf: With multiple top tens, you’ve played well in the majors. Do you think your game is particularly well suited for the majors? Do you do any special prep for them?
Pat Perez: You just have to be ready for hard conditions and you have to be much more patient in majors. A lot of times par is a good score. I get more frustrated in events like the Hope because something like 35 under wins and I’m somewhere around 2 under. I don’t get why everyone else is getting it done and I’m not.
I like it when 10 under wins instead of 30 under.
Armchair Golf: There are a bunch of new young guns on Tour. Who have you played with lately that looks like a rising star?
Pat Perez: Camilo (Villegas). I haven’t really played with many others. He has a good knowledge about the game and how to play, even though he went to Florida.
Armchair Golf: How do you like living in Scottsdale?
Pat Perez: I love it. The weather is great. Lots of young people around here. A great social setting. Great riding town (motorcycle).
Armchair Golf: Talk about your motorcycle. Been riding lately?
Pat Perez: Yeah. That’s pretty much what I do if I’m at home a few weeks. Especially when the weather is perfect. Once a week we get a small group out here and we roll out to Cave Creek, the Hideaway, Harold’s, the Road House, Dirty Dog. Take off around 3 p.m., and bar hop. Thing is you don’t even really drink, you just hang out front, chew the fat and check out everyone else’s bikes.
It’s fun to be on something going 60 mph and feeling free as a bird. A good way to unwind, decompress and think about nothing. Just take it all in.
Armchair Golf: What’s the hot item at the Double P online store?
Pat Perez: Right now we’re just selling shirts. We have them in black or white. Up front is my ball/flames/clubs logo and on the back, “PatPerezGolf.com.” They’ve been selling pretty well this past year. Part golf and part bikes with the fire and whatnot. There’s enough golf stuff out there. I wanted to do something different.
We’re going to roll out some other stuff in the coming year. I just really want to focus on playing right now. Once I get that first win, we’ll worry more about stuff like this.
Double P’s Faves
Favorite Tour stops: San Diego. It’s always great to go back home. I also love Dallas. Vegas is fun, but that’s a tough place to stay focused.
Favorite course: Bay Hill is up there. Hilton Head is fun and I also love the Players at Sawgrass.
Favorite bands: The Cult. Iron Maiden. Godsmack. Metallica. Cinderella. Madonna.
Favorite food: Carne Asada burrito. Throw in three rolled with cheese and a gross of hot sauce and we’re in business.
(Special thanks to Chris Bello at Pat Perez Golf for coordinating this interview.)
The Armchair Golfer
More Double P here:
Pat Perez Golf
Pat Perez Blog
Pat Perez Online Store
Pat Perez at MySpace
(Photo: Sportsline.com)