This is a week of nostalgia for the seasoned Josh Teater as he tees off on familiar turf in Nicholasville, Kentucky, for a start on the PGA Tour in a while. Excerpts:
We would like to welcome kind of a local legend here, Josh Teater, to the Barbasol Championship. You’re making your fifth start in Barbasol and coming off top-15 finishes in both your last starts. So kind of teeing you up for an easy one, but just some thoughts on how it feels to be back here.
Josh: Yeah, it’s great being here at home. We’ve lived back here in Lexington for
a year now and it’s good to be back. Last year, we had only been here for about a month or
two. Yeah, great to be back on some turf I’m familiar with.
Have you had a chance to get out and play anything? Just your thoughts on the course, conditions?
Josh: Right now it’s pretty dry. We hadn’t had rain in a month or so, but I know the forecast has something in it, but the fairways are running. And they’re having to keep some water on the greens so far earlier this week, but I think the course is playing pretty good.
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Coming off a top-11 in Wichita a couple weeks ago on Korn Ferry Tour, just some thoughts how you’re feeling with your game coming into the week?
Josh: Yeah, I feel like the last month or so I’ve had some nice finishes out there,
but also mixed in with not as good as I want, not as consistent as I want to be. But the
weather’s very similar to what it was in Wichita and I’m looking forward to getting out here, something I’m used to, the hot and humid weather. Hopefully, some longer drives and shorter clubs into holes.
Josh, you’ve played here before, what have fans told you about just how cool it is for them to see you being a local guy and how exciting is that for you to perform in front of the people that you grew up around?
Josh: Yeah, I’ve had a lot of friends and even friends’ kids that are getting into
golf that have really enjoyed coming out and watching not only me but other players. I was
with a friend of mine last night whose son is becoming a pretty good golfer. I guess he got to know JT Poston through a clinic or something a year or two ago, and obviously excited to see him win last week. Was hoping he’d come back, but obviously he got a ticket punched to The Open Championship so he’s not here. Yeah, just to see stuff like that in younger kids that are going to be able to come out and make some memories.
Related: Composed Poston relied on past to pull it off at John Deere Classic
You brought up the British Open. You kind of made a run last year at this tournament. What does that mean to have that out there for the winner?
Josh: That’s a great carrot to have out there in front of you. Obviously, all of us here would like to go play St. Andrews especially. I’ve played in one of those at Muirfield, but I think St. Andrews would be even more special. But you’ve just got to attack it like you do any other week and be ready to go on Monday, or on Thursday when you hit that first tee shot.
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We’ve got a nice young gentleman back here in the back, Samuel, who would like to ask a question. Sam, go ahead with your question.
What led you to become golfing?
Josh: A golfer? That’s a good question, Samuel. Growing up here in Lexington, I
always wanted to be a basketball player, but I didn’t make the high school team, so that was out. Then I played baseball all the way through high school, that was kind of my
sport until about junior year when I kind of finally got in the lineup on my team at Henry Clay. Kind of at the end of high school, I thought hey, there’s maybe a longer path with golf. Whether I play professionally or it leads me to some sort of job down the road, I’m just going to meet more people through golf than I probably would baseball. I probably could have played in college and maybe a couple years after, but it would have abruptly ended, instead of golf, you kind of play your whole life. And it’s been a great decision. This is the 20th year as a pro and, you know, hopefully we’ve got 10 or 20 more.
