Thirty-one years ago at Troon, Tom Weiskopf won his only major. Then he lost his desire. He drank too much, squandered his talent... and became a happy man
Why did you decide to quit the PGA Tour at 40?
I had at least five more good years left. There were only a few guys who won more tournaments than I did in my time: Jack, Arnold, Casper, Trevino, Miller, Player and Watson. I had just eliminated the flawed position of my club at the top when I quit. I shouldn't have quit.
But I'm glad I did. I couldn't stand the frustration of leaving on Sunday knowing I'd finished 30th when the course was right there for me to finish in the top five. I couldn't deal with my mediocrity, which is part of the self-control issue. I was easily distracted.
And how big a problem was your drinking?
I hit the ball so good from the age of 35 to 40. But my nerves were not good because of the drinking. Then I got on guilt trips about what I didn't accomplish and that got very emotional. I didn't quit drinking until the year 2000. I didn't drink every day. I could go months without drinking, but when I did it, Peter, there wasn't enough to drink. I felt so bad the next day. I was just punishing myself. Every really stupid decision I made can be attributed to drinking. I was on the edge, self-destructive, out of control. I got very melancholy—like my dad.
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Tom Weiskopf produces sound bites by the bucket. A few extras from his talk with Peter Kessler:
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"Sure, I wanted to win The Masters, but not as much as I wanted to win a U.S. Open."
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"When I see drunks, I wonder if that's how I looked."
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"I played eight rounds with Ben Hogan, and even when we shot the same score I felt like a child in his presence."
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"Billy Casper wouldn't hole out on the last green if he was shooting a big number—to protect his standing in the Vardon Trophy race. He'd say, 'I hurt my back raking that bunker.' "
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"Jack Nicklaus was a bad short-iron player because MacGregor made bad short irons in those days."
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"Johnny Miller got the yips and he didn't even drink! He's been tougher on players lately—maybe old age is creeping in."
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"I consider Tiger's feat a Grand Slam. I don't buy into Arnie and Jack's saying it doesn't count because he didn't win them all in one calendar year. He had all four at one time. That's a slam."
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"If they keep changing Augusta National, in a few years it'll be up for Best New Course."
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What can other people learn from your experience with alcohol?
If you think you have a problem, you do. If drinking affects your efficiency and your desire and motivation, then you have a problem. Drinking affected my career and it affected my life. It took me 20 years to quit. I'm a better person now; I like myself when I don't drink.
What was bothering you?
I was frustrated. I needed to do something else. I asked myself, "Do I still want to wake up on January 2, start practicing, working real hard, trying to beat the young guys coming out, maintain that motivation all the time?" When I joined the Senior Tour I had one goal—to win the U.S. Senior Open. When I won it in 1995 with the best ball striking of my career, I got out.
Did you know how you wanted to spend your time after you left the Tour?
I always wanted to pursue golf course design. Design is my passion. I am still as interested in everything about it as I was 20 years ago.
You're an expert on many things related to Augusta National. What did you think of Phil Mickelson's win?
My career has been defined by The Masters. I was never the same after I lost to Nicklaus in 1975. That was the end of me, but this could be the beginning of Phil. This was the greatest Masters I have ever seen, bar none. It was like a murder mystery. There were so many subplots: This guy is going to do it. No, it's this guy. Ah, this guy will do it for sure. There was so much misdirection, as though it were all plotted out in advance. You want my take on Phil's final birdie putt on 18?
Yes, please.
It looked like the ball had to break more than it did. But Phil's a left- handed putter—his stroke is different. His inside-out stroke hooked the ball into the slope. The spin he put on the ball kept it from breaking as much as it would have for a right-handed player.
Why did Mickelson seem different this time?
He was a different guy, totally in control. He was on a mission. Everybody says, "I'd like to be in the last group because I'd know what I have to do." That's tough. I never disliked being in that position, but it is tough. It's like a heavyweight championship fight as the players feel each other out. Phil was ready for the fight.
Why was losing to Nicklaus at the '75 Masters impossible to set aside?
Scars don't heal. They didn't heal for Arnold after he lost a big lead and the U.S. Open to Billy Casper at Olympic in '66. They didn't heal for Tony Jacklin after Trevino chipped in or holed bunker shots five times the last two rounds of the '72 Open Championship at Muirfield.
There is something that stops you. It's so hard to swallow and the thoughts never leave you. I still think about that '75 Masters today. It just killed me.
It never happened to Nicklaus.
And that's why he's the greatest of all time.
How will you be remembered?
I was one of the best players of my time. When I was on, when I set my mind to it, I could play as well as anybody can play this game. But I won't be disappointed if, when I'm long gone, I'm considered a better designer than I was a player.
Wised Up 
