PGA Show: Jesper Parnevik interview

Golfmagic's Andy Roberts speaks to the Cobra Puma staff player in Orlando

Andy Roberts

28 Jan 2014

Jesper, it's obviously been a tough ride for you off the course with injury in recent years, how's the health right now?

It's pretty good. I would say it's the best I've been in five, six years. It's never going to be as good as it once was obviously, but I'm actually, put it this say, I don't have to warm up for four hours before my round!

How many starts are you expecting to gain this season?

That I don't know. It will be a mix between the PGA Tour and European Tour. It will be more of a week-to-week basis and see where we can play really. I'm in the past champion category. Looking to gain a few starts and get warm in preparation for the Champions Tour when I turn 50 next year.

How excited are you by Champions Tour golf in 2015?

Yeah, very excited. I told myself when I was 30, that if I ever played Champions Tour someone could shoot me! But you never say never and when I speak to the guys on the Tour like Price and Couples, they absolutely love it. Everyone says they are not going to play it, and then when they do, they love it. So yeah, I can't wait.

How are you finding life with Puma having been with the brand a few years now?

Well as you know I was with J.Lindeberg before. I love my bold fashion sense and bright, flashy colours. So when it was time to move on, it was only ever going to be Puma. It was just a perfect fit and I am loving my time with the brand. I really like the new SportLux Collection that I'm sporting this year.

What Cobra bats have you got in the bag this season?

Everything is new. I have the new Trusty Rusty wedges, Bio Cell driver, woods and irons. I played the new Bio Cell driver and 3-wood at Humana on the PGA Tour last week and I found the driver is much hotter and comes out with much less spin. I spin the ball a lot with the driver, so it's a perfect combination for me. I would say I've gained about 15 yards off the tee already this year.

Are there any particular goals this season?

Stay healthy and to keep the rhythm going. Need to keep playing regularly to get my Tour card, and obviously I want to have my game in shape for the Champions Tour next year.

Was there any reason for the flipped up cap back in the day?

That was just a stupid reason! Back then I played on the European Tour, used to practice over here in Florida in the winter time. I was from Sweden and I was pale, so I flipped it up to try and get some sun on my face. I actually began to putt much better with the cap flipped up because I didn't see the brim of the cap. I first used it at the 1992 Open de Baleares where I lost in a six-hole playoff to Seve, but the crowd loved it and so it pretty much stuck ever since then.

Best moment of your career?

There have been many but three Ryder Cups were probably the most fun I've had in my career. I had a great partnership with Sergio [Garcia] in '99 and also with Ignacio [Garrido] in '97. The Ryder Cup is always just so much fun, there's so much energy and the atmosphere is electric. It's not a normal golf event, it's like World Cup soccer.

If you could hit one shot again and not repeat it?

[Pauses]. Probably when Nick Price stole my Open at Turnberry in 1994. I went for the pin at 18 and made bogey, and Price made eagle at 17 to turn it all around. I ended up losing by one. So maybe if I'd played safe at 18, who knows, I may have won it? But I have no real regrets out there. Aggressive golf was how I played and that attitude won me a lot of golf tournaments.

Funniest moment on Tour?

There have been a lot of them but the funniest was when my caddie Lance got hit in the ass by a full driver once. He was acting as forecaddie on a hole but one of the players in my group completely toed his tee shot and made a big imprint of a Titleist logo on his ass which was nice!

How much fun was your Gangnam Style video?

It was for a friend of ours who was celebrating a 40th birthday. We didn't know what to do, so just had some fun, got some pros in the area to take part.