Henrico, Va. - Woody Austin admits he isn't taking golf as seriously as some of his competitors.
"If you look at Scott (McCarron) and you look at Bernhard (Langer), they still take it real seriously."
Austin has a different view of life on the PGA Champions Tour.
"I may take it seriously when I'm teeing it up and I'm playing, but after that I'm not taking this game very seriously anymore."
It's an attitude that seems to be working for him. The 55 year old Austin is the defending champion of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic and was back in Richmond to take a look at the River Course at the Country Club of Virginia and promote next month's 2019 tournament.
Austin has not yet won this year, but is still 12th on the Champions Tour money list and believes he is playing better overall this year than before he won last year's event.
"Last year I hadn't played as well" Austin said. "This year, I've played consistent throughout the year. I'm looking forward to coming back because I feel my game's in a better position this year."
Austin was the PGA Tour rookie of the year in 1995 and won four times on that tour. He has already won 4 times on the Champions Tour in just under four seasons of play, including last year's 1 stroke victory over Langer here in Richmond. He played three holes with select members of the media and had immediate flashbacks of what he did to win last year.
"Just playing the last three holes, I remember exactly where I hit it on Sunday" Austin said. "I made 4 on 18 to win last year and I just made 4 again. Maybe I can keep that in mind."
Austin finished 8th on 2018's money list with just over $1.2 million earned. He's already topped the $1 million mark in 2019 with the Schwab Cup Playoffs still a month away. Plus, he returns to the site of his lone 2018 victory at CCV.
"The weather has been perfect each of the three years we've been here" Austin said. "You can play a really good round if you're hitting it well (At CCV James River). If not, you're not going to score low, but you can still keep it around par."
His success aside, Austin praises the accessibility of the Champions Tour for both players and fans alike, something that makes events more fun for everyone who attends.
"You can interact with people while the tournament is going on" Austin explained. "You might be able to say 'Hi' to a football player before a game and get an autograph from a baseball player, but during the actual competition (on the Champions Tour), you can pull someone aside and say 'Hi'".
"It's really good. It's very enjoyable."
Tickets for the 2019 Dominion Energy Charity Classic can be purchased here.
