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I was maybe only 13 or 14 when I started to play junior tournaments.

You have to remember that I played longer than anybody else on the main tour; I played until I was 40, and then played another six years or so on the seniors tour.

I had 12 years under my belt of baseball at the amateur level before I got to the big leagues.

I felt I could play in maybe a dozen tournaments a year as an amateur.

It just meant a lot because it's something I've always wanted to do. I've always wanted to be a Senior National Champ. I was Junior National Champ in 2002, so now to be the senior champ is great.

I was very hungry to compete internationally when I was 10 years old, and I was good enough to compete, so that part never made me afraid or worried at all. When I was at my peak, around 12 and 13, I won my junior national and senior national titles back to back.

I got into pro ball at 18 and played until I was almost 39, non-stop.

It wasn't until '79 I won my first amateur championship, and then, by '81, I was 14, and I won my first world championship, which was amazing to me, and in a very real sense, that was the first real victory I had.

I played Little League in junior high and high school.