One week after the winner of the 14th annual Fulton Open was crowned, Shench.com sat down with the winner -- Spencer Koch Jr. -- to discuss the tournament, his place in history, and life after the Fulton Open.
Shench.com: Another year, another dramatic Fulton Open. Take us through the back nine of that final round in your own thoughts.Koch Jr.: Just a total grind. Tee to green, I had my 'C' game. You're sitting there trying to make up five shots with nine holes to play and you have no idea where the ball is going -- it's tough. But all I could do was hang in and try to stay close to Fulton. When he came back to the field on 15, all of the sudden I had the lead. But it didn't change my mentality on 16 and 17. I still had to gut out pars. Then I got to 18...
Shench.com: You came to the 18th up three shots, and chose to hit 3 wood off the tee. How much did last year's debacle [hitting driver into the water on the final hole] influence that shot?Koch Jr.: Well I didn't hit driver on 18 all week, so honestly I don't see where you get off asking that kind of bush league question. I was up three with one to play -- I had the luxury of being defensive. How was I supposed to know that son of a bitch was going to make a four and force a playoff?
Shench.com: What were your thoughts going into the playoff? You had just blown a lead on the final hole for the second straight year, and the playoff started on number one -- a hole you had not played well at all during the tournament. Koch Jr.: Honestly, what the hell is your problem? I won the damn tournament didn't I? You're making me sound like a total rube out there. Yes, I did have troubles on the first hole during the week. But I figured if I missed my drive to the right, at the very least I'd have a chance at getting the ball close in two -- and that's exactly what I did. Once I got my tee shot in play, I figured I had a good chance to win the thing.
Shench.com: Your win pulled you alongside Koch Sr. with four career majors. And yet, you two have won in completely different ways. While most of his wins have been runaways, yours have all been very tight. In fact, with the exception of your first win in '99, all of your wins have been down-to-the-wire struggles. Do you feel like that diminishes any of your victories? Like you're not capable of pulling away and lapping the field?Koch Jr.: [Throws mic into nearby lake] This interview is over.