Paul Goydos had a sneak peek at Bear Mountain Golf Resort鈥檚 Mountain course at a media day back in late June for this week鈥檚 PGA Tour Champions Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship and the Long Beach, California, native liked what he saw.
鈥淚 got that chance to come up and have that look and it鈥檚 a really nice place. I鈥檓 looking forward to playing here,鈥� said Goydos, 52, who is the defending champion of the event, but that was 2014 in Hawaii. The 2015 event was cancelled due to an explosion in China.
鈥淭hat was a really nice place, too. It鈥檚 been a long defence,鈥� he said, referring to his 2014 victory.
鈥淲hat I saw here earlier this summer was a beautiful place. I saw the back nine. Everyone is going to go up to the 14th tee, when you can play that hole and take a look down; I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 probably a better setting in sa国际传媒 for beauty,鈥� Goydos said of the signature par-3 at the top of the course that overlooks the city of Victoria and the Juan de Fuca Strait.
鈥淚 got to see that. Obviously, [hole] 13 is a little bit uphill, but the rest of the golf course looked very manageable.鈥�
So there are no concerns for the 52-year-old in walking the mountainous layout, although players are allowed to cart, if that鈥檚 what they choose.
鈥淚 like to walk. Really, the hard part is not the walking, it鈥檚 carrying the bag, so the caddy has the hard part,鈥� said Goydos. 鈥淭ake away the 13th hole and the back nine isn鈥檛 that hilly. Look at 15, 16, 17 and 18 鈥� they are all downhill.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 see the front nine so I can鈥檛 speak for that. But once you get to through 13 you鈥檙e probably in a pretty good mood once you get to that green,鈥� he added of the spectacular view coming off that putting surface and leading to the 14th.
Goydos鈥� view on the Charles Schwab Cup standings is one of looking slightly up. The Long Beach State University product is 15th on the money list having earned $774,391 US this season in 20 events.
That鈥檚 $1,658,268 behind leader Bernhard Langer, who is also here in Victoria this week and obviously having another incredible campaign. Langer has four victories in 2016 (including two majors) and an amazing $2,432,659 in earnings 鈥� $1,094,997 more than his nearest competitor, Joe Durant.
Goydos admits 2016 has been a struggle at times.
鈥淪ometimes you can鈥檛 control everything. Look at Bernhard every week; if you beat Bernhard you鈥檙e probably in rarefied air,鈥� said Goydos.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 been playing well so I鈥檓 just going to keep doing my work, keep trying to get better. I鈥檓 trying to keep things simple. Obviously winning is the goal, but to get there you have a lot of work to do. You need good things to happen as well.鈥�
And he鈥檚 hoping they occur right here at Bear Mountain, which he believes will be popular with his peers.
鈥淚 think so. It鈥檚 new. To be honest with you, you鈥檙e in a corner of the Earth that is a long way from everywhere, but the fact that we were at Pebble Beach last week made it easier and next week is a week off so you have time,鈥� said Goydos.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 one of those places that when people come here once, the next time will be even better and it鈥檚 nice to be in the same time zone as my house,鈥� added the Southern California resident, who has played in sa国际传媒 numerous times on the PGA and PGA Tour Champions.
Goydos won the 1996 Bay Hill Invitational and 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii on the PGA Tour and added victories at the 2014 Pacific Links Hawaii Championship, 2015 Allianz Championship and 2016 Dick鈥檚 Sporting Goods Open on PGA Tour Champions.
CHIP SHOTS: Five players got through Tuesday qualifying on the Valley course, including Steve Schneiter (69), Mark Mielke (69), Bob Friend (70), Stuart Hendley (70) and Murray Poje of Delta, who shot 72 and won a two-man playoff with a birdie on the first hole. Poje runs the Maple Leaf Junior tour for sa国际传媒 on the mainland. . . . All three rounds on the weekend will be televised live on the Golf Channel.
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