Q. We're excited to have Mark Mulder here in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions media center. Mark, you were just talking about A Lim. Referenced her as queen and stud. Talk about playing a round of golf with her.
MARK MULDER: I know she made a bogey here or there, but didn't really make any mistakes. Even her suspect shots were still good.
You are going to miss putts here and there. All of us are trying to be patient. All of us are trying to just roll something in. None of us amateurs are really that good, so we're just trying not to screw it up. She was fun to watch. She was fun to be paired with and we had a great time.
Q. You talked about her round. Walk us through yours. You got off fast.
MARK MULDER: Yeah, I went birdie, birdie to start. Made a couple 20-footers on the first two holes and didn't make anything the rest of the day. Yesterday I made a few par putts and bogey putts on the back nine to keep my round there.
But that's kind of how it is. You know, it's just I was -- I felt like I was kind of hanging on all day long just trying not to screw it up as opposed to being aggressive and trying to make something, get something going.
It was just a feeling. It's not how was it but it was a feeling of don't screw this up. Come on. Just get it to Saturday and, well, we're done. So I'm excited for Saturday. Let's put it that way.
Q. You're no stranger to this tournament. You won it a few years ago. It's a little bit kind of different today than it was when you won it.
MARK MULDER: Sure.
Q. Talk about the differences between the two.
MARK MULDER: Yeah, with the scoring, unless you're making eagles, for us celebs it's kind of a stroke play event. You know, it's just don't bogey is zero and bogey is one. So it's a stroke play event.
So if you get too far behind somebody, which I've done in the past, handful of the past years, I'm a slow starter, so it was nice to not get off to a slow start yesterday.
So I'm fine where I'm at. You know, I just -- come Sunday I want to be in the final group so we can look eye to eye and best man wins.
Q. It's a very unique tournament with what Hilton Grand Vacations does. What do you enjoy the most besides playing with the best golfers in the world?
MARK MULDER: Yeah.
Q. What else do you enjoy about this week?
MARK MULDER: It's just with the competition. As ex athletes we don't get to do this very much. My career ended a long time ago. Getting to compete, and no matter what sport it is, for me to compete against other guys, I just love it.
I miss it. To be fair. People ask me, oh, do you miss the game? No. I don't miss baseball. I just miss competing. So golf kind of gives me a little bit of that outlet, whether it's the American Sentry, here. No matter what it is, I just want to compete in something.
That was taken from me a long time ago, so to be able to do this I just feel very fortunate.
Q. What have you learned over the years about being patient in golf?
MARK MULDER: Well, you know, it's similar it pitching because I can give a homer in the second inning and you -- my oldest son plays golf. He is a junior in high school. He's getting recruited. He's really good.
But when I give up a homer in the second inning, what am I supposed to do, throw my glove to the ground? No. Give me another ball and make another pitch.
I talk to my son all the time. Until you look at that ball that's hitting the trees as a opportunity to hit a good shot, your next shot be a good one, you have to be patient.
I think pitching is very similar to golf. Nothing can really happen until you do it. Granted, I can make a really bad pitch and we can hit a one-hopper to the short stop or line drive to the centerfielder or somebody rob a homer, but it's similar.
But when it comes to golf, I personally don't have a problem being patient. More than anything, sometimes I have a problem kind of getting into it because we need to make some birdies. I need to make some putts. Too many times I get a little lackadaisical on the course because I'm like, oh, it'll happen.
Before you know it you got a handful of holes left and you're like, it's not happening. Come on. Here we go. That's more or less my problem sometimes.
Q. When did your son first beat you?
MARK MULDER: Oh, three, four years ago. I mean, I've started putting -- when I do beat him I put it in my phone with the date and the score. I'm well aware the final time of me winning is almost over. Our games are going in the opposite directions, trust me.
So I'm very well aware. But I wouldn't want it any other way. I love it.
Q. What's it like being a golf parent and what advice would you give to other golf parents?
MARK MULDER: So my oldest is 17; plays golf. I have a girl in the middle and my youngest is 12 and he plays baseball. I helped coach that 12 year old team, so trust me, it is very different.
Because I've had, whatever you want it call a little bit of success in the golf world, what I call success, it's difficult. I want my son to -- everybody wants their kid to find success in something. My son has a passion for the game of golf, so it's really hard for me to find that mix of getting on him a little bit but yet encouraging him.
So it's difficult at times. I kind of lost it on him last weekend before I left because he -- gosh, this will get my in trouble. He's a little more like my wife personality-wise. He's a little lackadaisical at times. My wife can walk into a room of knowing nobody and she has 15 dinner dates. I can walk in knowing nobody and I'll know nobody when I leave the room.
He gets on the putting green and he's like, hey, buddy. There is that level of focus that's like, no, you're there to beat these kids. You're not there to hit and giggle.
So I have a little bit of a battle with him at times. I just want him to love it. I want him to love something. I think every parent does. And because I've had a little whatever you want to call it, might be success in golf, there is a fine line for me.
So I have to be careful. I have to be a little careful of how much I get on him. But he's also friends with 15 TOUR players because I live in Scottsdale. He knows plenty of TOUR guys. They've all helped him and talked to him.
I'm like okay, Jon Rahm helps you for two days, hitting 50s and 54s from 50 to 90 yards, and your first day next weekend you hit nothing but 60s. Good job, buddy. You have one the best in the world trying to help you and you ignored everything he said. That's kind of how it goes with my 12 year old when I give pitching advice. What do you know, dad? Whatever, these how it is.
Q. You talk about obviously wanting to compete in these tournaments. Have you actually made any connections or any good friendships with only the other players because of the charity golf tournaments?
MARK MULDER: Sure. I got to play with Brooke Henderson. Got to play with Lexi, Nelly. I played with most of them. Most of the best of the best. You know, a lot of these girls are going to come to Phoenix. I live in Scottsdale but I just found out yesterday they're going down to Whirlwind, a long ways from my house. They're going to be down there.
You know, when it was at Superstition Mountain a couple years ago, me and a bunch of baseball guys played in the pro-am. We had Lexi Thompson for nine holes and -- now I'm spacing. Either way.
Listen, I love the LPGA Tour. I cheer for these girls. I got to know a lot of them. Like I said, I've been paired with them all. I thoroughly enjoy and I enjoy watching them all. Love competing against them.
I don't I know beat them but I love playing with them because just like today, Queen, I was trying to beat her. I didn't but I was 2-under through 2 so I thought was, and then she made a lot of the birdies and pars and I made bogeys.
That's the way it goes.
Q. Last question: Two points behind the gentlemen sitting behind me. What's your take on playing with him over the next couple days?
MARK MULDER: Well, he was probably, I don't know, point or two behind me today. We're amateurs for a reason. I'm going to go out and try to make a bunch of putts tomorrow. You know, I made those first two bodes and I started draining some putts and I faltered a little bit. That's the way it goes.
We're only halfway through this event. There is a lot of guys behind Joe and I that can still be in the mix of this thing. We're well aware of that.
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