Q&A with 1987 winner Scott Simpson

Scott Simpson: I tell this story to my team at least once a year. I get to Olympic and I’d become a Christian a few years before that and I ran into our Bible study leader. He goes, “So, how you doing, Scott?” I said, “Not very good.” He’s like, “What?” and I said, “No, I’m frustrated, this is my fifth tournament in a row. I played lousy last week.” I’m complaining about this and that and he goes, “Wow, lucky for you our Bible study is on contentment this week.”

It was on contentment and it just changed my mindset, like you know what? Instead of this course is hard, this rough is thick, the greens are diabolical, I went out and said, “I get to play the U.S. Open. This is a beautiful course. Olympic Club, I get to play here? This is great.”

So, I went out with the mindset of if I miss the cut, if I win, that’s not what’s most important. If I have a good attitude – kind of that attitude-gratitude thing – if I go out there the right way, enjoy it, be the person I should be, that’s what’s important. That was a good lesson for me. You’re going to play your best when you can get rid of the expectations and the pressure and just go play.

Looking back on it, it freed me up to just go play. I remember when I got done – I birdied 14, 15, 16 – and all the reporters were everywhere, and they go, “Scott, you chased down Tom Watson, but you’re smiling and you looked so relaxed out there.  How did you do that?” I said, “Well, our Bible study this week was on contentment.” Half the writers were like, “Oh, great, all these Jesus freak guys.” But they asked, you know? I had to tell the truth.