Caught up to Calgary’s Graham DeLaet while he was in town for the Jane Rogers Championship (Canadian Tour event held at Greystone in Milton).
Graham is having a breakout season on the Canadian Tour as well as other global events including a tie for 46th at this year’s Canadian Open — a showing he believes could have been better.
You’ve won in South Africa, are leading the Canadian Tour order of merit, and put together a T46 at the Canadian Open this year — can you attribute your success this season to any one thing or moment?
I’d say it was the win last year in Montreal (Desjardins Montreal Open 2008). Ever since then every time I tee it up, I expect to win. I realize that it’s not going to happen every time. But if you think you can, you tend to play a whole lot better and that’s been my mindset going in. Bottom line, I am just playing with a lot of confidence.
This year at Glen Abbey, we know you played well, but did you play up to your expectations?
You know, I played one good round really. The second I shot 5 under 66 and the other days weren’t great. They weren’t terrible but I just sort of got it around about even par. It was a great experience and I know that if I was playing well I could have been right in the mix of things and those guys get treated so well — It really makes you want to work that much harder to get out there.
Any excess pressure when stepping up onto the PGA stage? Did you do anything different at all?
There is obviously a lot more hype around a PGA Tour event and all that kind of stuff but as far as preparation and everything goes, it shouldn’t matter what the event is.
You didn’t press at all — feel like you needed to prove your game?
You know, I sort of did that in 2007 (my first Canadian Open) and you really have to play your own game . It’s part of maturing as a player and knowing that if you play well you’ll be in the hunt. You’re not out to prove anything to anyone, you’re just trying to hit every shot the best you can and that’s how you score. That’s how you win. And that’s how you make lots of money on the PGA Tour.
Onto equipment. Noticed you use the long putter which IS not something we see many younger guys doing?
Yeah, I have been using it for almost a year and half now. Kind of messed around with it a little in College but the reason I first started using it was that I had hurt my back (hockey injury) and couldn’t put in long practise sessions with the standard putter. Then for the first year and half as a pro I was not putting very well so I went back to it and sometimes it is more mental than anything else. When I putt well with it I feel really good and my bad days don’t seem as bad. It’s more mental than anything else.
The Titleist D4 Driver. A piece of equipment not available to the general public. Reason or advantage?
I think it wasn’t available because it was built for very high swing speeds and there probably wasn’t enough of a demand for it. For me it was simply the driver with the best results at the test facility. And you can’t really argue with the numbers.
(note: the folks at Titleist Canada informed us that the D4 was actually the prototype to what eventually became the D3, available today)
Schedule wise, what does the rest of the year look like?
I’ll play in the last three events out here (Canadian Tour). Then I’m not sure whether I’ll go down to Mexico for the re-scheduled events or not as it will sort of depend on where I sit on the money list. I’m also going to go down to South Africa between now and the end of the year to make sure that I make the minimum requirements for their tour. I have played 4 events down there so I have to play one more in order to meet their minimum.
And I don’t really know whether I’ll get through to the second stage of Q-School so I don’t really know exactly at this point. After the Canadian Tour Championship, I’ll sit down and make a schedule.
If you could tee it up in a group of choice?
(quickly) It would be Wayne Gretzky, Mike Weir, and Tiger Woods.
Coach? Anyone in particular working with your swing?
No. I don’t have a coach and never really … If I’m struggling with my swing I’ll go down and visit my College coach from Boise State. But I have never had a coach my entire life. They didn’t have a golf pro at the course that I grew up on so I just learned through my Dad and watching television.
And when things start to go awry I just sort of work my way through it as I am a feel player and I try not to get too technical or mechanical. I just sort of work through it on my own.
