Oklahoma football: Bob Stoops talks Pebble Beach

Bob Stoops teamed with former OU golfer Hunter Haas in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. They finished fourth in the pro-am portion of the tournament, which matches a member of the PGA Tour with a celebrity.

Stoops on Monday was on The Sports Animal with my radio partners Al Eschbach and Jim Traber.

“Not usually I’m real fired about being fourth, but I’ll take it,” Stoops said. “I had a heck of a time. It was a lot of fun.”

You can hear the entire interview here. Here is what Stoops had to say.

How was the experience?

Stoops: “Two days in a row, Hunter and I didn’t finish well, 17, 18, we didn’t play as well. It’s kind of where it got us. And I didn’t help us early. I played really poorly the first day. Which is my first round of golf since July. Hard to get in any kind of rhythm. So we fought back. Had a huge day on Saturday.”

So, are you ready for the Seniors tour?

Stoops: “I’m a long way from that. But I’ll keep the job I’ve got, if that’s all right.”

We hear you almost had an ace on 17?

Stoops: “It was funny. I was just thinking, stay behind the ball, follow through. I don’t hit my 7-metal very well. Had to carry it about 185, the breeze was coming off the water. Just going through those thoughts. I hit it perfect, right down the middle of the green. That’s just where I was told to hit it. There’s a bank there, and it shoots it left, right to the pin. Now I hear all the people at the green going crazy. I’m just thanking the people at the tee box. Now my caddy starts yelling at me, ‘Hey, it’s going in, it’s going on.’ We look, and that ball’s going dead at it. It stops about six, eight inches right at the hole. Not too nervous tapping in a birdie, anyway.”

What was it like playing at Pebble Beach?

Stoops: “It was awesome. I really enjoyed it. I’ve never been in a tournament or a pro-am. All the people were fantastic. The pros were all great. The different celebrities were awesome. Everybody was there, maybe it’s more relaxed. I know the pros, you could tell Saturday and Sunday, they’re focused when they had to be. The accommodations were incredible. I’d never been to Pebble Beach. The course was absolute phenomenal.”

How tough is Spyglass, one of the three courses used in the tournament?

Stoops: “Really tough. We played that the first day. That’s why we didn’t get off to a great start. When everybody else had to play it, they fell back too. Spyglass was really tough. But I thought Pebble was just awesome. Monterrey Peninsula Country Club, on the water, was equally. It’s a links course. Really beautiful with the scenery and the water involved so much.”

How did you get in the tournament?

Stoops: “I’ve been asked for a few years to go. I declined, just because of time away. You kind of pick and choose what you’re going to do. This year, I thought, ‘I need to do this.’ There’s good people there. The CEO for AT&T, Randall Stephenson, is an Oklahoma guy. I thought, ‘Hey, good chance to visit with him and some of the other people there.’ I was glad I did. I planned on coming home Sunday, that’s what my flight was set for, but I had to change it. Just really had a great time with it.”

Was it cool to have CBS’ Peter Kostis break down your swing?

Stoops: “I got a big kick out of that. I started laughing. ‘Really, we’re going to look at my swing?’ When I have bad shots, I get wristy. As soon as I saw it, how ugly does that look, when I lift that club up, or cock that wrist? I know better. When I have good shots through the day, you don’t do that. I look right at my caddy, I got wristy, didn’t I? It was pretty fun to see it, though.”

Does this mean you’ll get in more golf?

Stoops: “No, no, no. Not at all. It was a one weekend thing. It was fun to be with Hunter Haas. What a neat guy he is. He’s done well on the tour. I think he earned over a $1 million on the tour a year ago. Really a bright, sharp young guy. An Oklahoma guy. It was fun to play with him.”

Bill Belichick played, too. He made out like he hadn’t played, but he spent two days in Arizona working on his swing.

Stoops: “But you can’t honestly say just two days (makes a difference). He’s only had two days. You know it takes more than a couple of days. I’ve been going to the … university course. (OU coach) Ryan Hybl’s been helping me a little bit, just for a few days, to hit balls for 20 minutes, just to get some semblance of a swing. When you haven’t played for so long, it’s just hard to do.”