Quotes from Hale Irwin

I never underestimate my opponent, but I never underestimate my talents.

My dad was a good athlete. My mom had longevity. There were some athletic genes that certainly got passed down.

Do I want to tackle a 230-pound guy who's running like a deer? Heavens no, no one in their right mind would. But there is something that drives me and compels me to stick my head in there and give it my best shot.

People, in whatever walk of life, would be surprised if they just gave themselves a chance by believing in what they are.

Let your emotions come out. If your behavior is flat, your game will be flat, too.

I still have the desire to succeed, and I've always felt success is measured by what you've done in the win column, not top 10s.

The positions I played in football, being a quarterback and a defensive back, you had to kind of have a little independent thinking.

Yes, I applied a lot of what I did in football to golf.

The best quick tip in golf is to focus on your rhythm and balance.

I've felt that if you dwell too much on your errors, you're dealing in the negativity of things. I don't like that. I'd rather work on the positive reinforcement, the things I did well.

I can forgive the body breaking down. It's a little tougher to forgive that mental lapse.

I just never subscribed to the theory that at age 55, you fall off the face of the earth on the Tour. I always felt that was too young of an age for that.

On the PGA Tour, guys finish in the top 10, make a ton of money and think they're great players. In my era, you had to win. We didn't settle for anything else.

I don't sleep well. I rehash everything in bed. The mind's still working.

Feeling tired should almost never be an excuse, because your body has huge reserves of energy. But if you eat badly, stay out late, drink too much, and so on, you'll pay a price on the course.

You can talk about strategy all you want, but what really matters is resiliency.

It's a long, hard, difficult process to make it to a national championship.

If you're not just a little bit nervous before a match, you probably don't have the expectations of yourself that you should have.

My dad was a good athlete. My mom had longevity. There were some athletic genes that certainly got passed down.

I've felt that if you dwell too much on your errors, you're dealing in the negativity of things. I don't like that. I'd rather work on the positive reinforcement, the things I did well.

Early in my career, my 3-, 5- and 9-irons performed differently than my other irons. But I adapted and made them work.