Cory Schneider fully expects to be nervous at Bethpage Black. Why wouldn’t he be? Every other week of the year, Schneider is a PGA professional and the director of instruction at The Pointe Golf Club, on the Outer Banks in Powells Point, N.C. But on Thursday morning, Schneider will be one of the 20 PGA pros teeing off at one of America’s most notoriously difficult tracks — and in his first PGA Championship, to boot. But the low-key Schneider explains that he doesn’t fear getting nervous. “The worst thing that could happen is that I don’t hit a good golf shot,” he said.
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LYING FOUR: What’s been the reaction at your club since you qualified?
CORY SCHNEIDER: Very overwhelming. It’s been awesome, the support — people texting, calling, showing up, wanting autographs. It’s been very humbling and awesome. Very exciting.
LYING FOUR: Is it one of those things where you kind of have to pretend that it’s really not that big a deal, or have you just let yourself geek out about it?
CORY SCHNEIDER: A little bit of both. One nice thing is that I’ve played Tour events before, so I know how awesome it’s gonna be, but it’s only gonna be on a grander scale. But there are a lot of my members who are even more amped up than I am. I’m just ready to get inside the ropes and start playing golf more than anything. The other day, somebody showed me Tiger Woods playing a practice round. The difference for me is that I’m working every day until I leave. Some people call me and ask, “What’re you doing for practice?” I’m like, “I don’t. Can’t practice. I’m working until I leave.” We’ll figure it out when we get to Bethpage.
Cory Schneider (far right) and several fellow PGA pros (including Rod Perry, second from right) during the Tuesday practice round of the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black.
LYING FOUR: When you were coming down the stretch at Belfair, did you know where you were in relation to the top 20?
CORY SCHNEIDER: I didn’t, but going into the week, I told a couple of my buddies down there, “I’d put my hat at even par and let it sit there.” Well, the way the wind direction was, and with all the pressure, I knew the last five holes you really had to hang on, and I just wanted to execute golf shots. For me, the scoreboard-watching — I don’t care, because I’ve gotta handle my business. Whether you’re ahead by five or behind by five, it doesn’t matter. The task at hand doesn’t change. I was able to par 14 and 15, and then the birdie on 16 was big. Then I bogeyed 17. I kinda knew that I just needed a good finish, and when I hit the fairway and was going into my second shot at 18, my caddie said, “Par goes a long ways.” I had a feeling that par would probably get it done. And I didn’t hit a great second shot coming in, but I pulled off a great pitch and knocked in the putt. When I walked off, a couple of my buddies who’d played and missed the cut still hung out to watch — I asked them, “How’s that set?” And one of them said, “Stay warm.” But when I saw the scoreboard, I had a feeling that I’d sneak in because of how difficult the last couple of holes were coming in.
LYING FOUR: When did you learn that you’d made it?
CORY SCHNEIDER: Looking at the scoreboard online, a lot of my members were like, “You’re in, you’re in!” But I’ve been around golf long enough to know that sometimes the online scoring isn’t perfect. I said, “When some of the PGA guys come up to me and say, ‘Hey Cory, come get your packet,’ then I’ll know I’m in.” You never want to relax; you want to stay in the moment, in case something weird happens. I stayed ready for battle, just in case, but it ended up working out in my favor.
LYING FOUR: What was your reaction when you found out that you had in fact qualified?
CORY SCHNEIDER: I’m a pretty low-key guy for the most part. I was excited. I think my members were more excited. For me, down the stretch it came down to, “Hey, if this guy doesn’t chip in, you’re in. Do you want to go watch?” And I said no, because I don’t ever want to root against anyone in any situation. I’d rather just let my score be good enough or not good enough and go from there. But after that, just some smiles and hugs and high-fives. I didn’t get my phone until after I’d done interviews with Golf Channel and taken pictures and all that, and then I turned my phone on, and I had 110 texts and 30 voicemails. That was pretty overwhelming and exciting to have that happen.
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LYING FOUR: Have you ever played at Bethpage before?
CORY SCHNEIDER: I’ve not. Never played in New York. It’s a different world to me. I’m just a country boy that doesn’t like traffic much, so it’s gonna be a different planet for me. I think the most relaxing part for me will be when I’m inside the ropes, because golf is golf. You’ve gotta hit good shots, and bad shots aren’t rewarded. I know it’ll be a little bit more difficult at Bethpage, but I like hard golf courses. I’m just ready for the challenge.
LYING FOUR: Have you given any thought for how your game sets up against that golf course?
CORY SCHNEIDER: Sure. Each golf course, depending on weather and conditions, you never know how it’s playing until you get on the ground. I’m not the longest hitter out there by any means. Bethpage is a long golf course, so people might think it wouldn’t be conducive to me, but the way my mindset is, I think it’s perfect for me. I think the harder it plays, the better I think I’m gonna do, because I’m more of a grinder with short game and putting. If the rough is really long, then hey, let’s get to the green, and then it’s a wedge-fest and I feel like I have a chance. I’m going into the week — and to be honest, I haven’t had a chance to play or practice or do much. I know my responsibilities are different than some of them. I’m a working golf professional. I’m just gonna freewheel it. My mindset is that I’ve got nothing to lose. There’s nothing expected of me. I’m just gonna go out and try to execute each golf shot as good as I can. And wherever it works out at the end, it’ll be great, but I’ll be smiling and strutting no matter what.
LYING FOUR: When you’re playing an event of this magnitude for the first time, and it’s at a place that’s as well known as Bethpage Black, is that more intimidating? Or is it less intimidating because you know the course from seeing it on TV?
CORY SCHNEIDER: You know what? For me, I look at it as, there’s two ways. When you get there and play your practice rounds, you kinda get your feet wet a little bit. And obviously it’s gonna be a little bit of a shock to any of the 20 golf pros who don’t do this from week to week. It’s gonna be a little bit different. But I’ve always been one to — even though my golf game doesn’t feel real great right now, I had the same feeling going down the Belfair. It doesn’t mean we can’t have a good week. When there’s a bunch of TV cameras, there’s two ways to look at it. You can think, “Oh darn, if I hit a bad shot then it’s gonna be on TV and I’ll look bad.” But I look at it as an opportunity to show off: “Hey, if I actually hit a good shot here, it’s gonna be on camera and on Sportscenter or whatever.” I’ve always been on the more positive side of things. Am I gonna be nervous? Absolutely I’m gonna be nervous. You’re always nervous, but you learn to deal with it the more you’re out there. We’ll see once you get in the — I call it the oven. Once you get in the oven, you react differently each time, but I really don’t think the moment’s gonna be too big for me. I’m normally pretty confident in those situations.
LYING FOUR: When you’re in that moment and you feel the nerves turn on, how do you handle that? Do you try to suppress it, or do you acknowledge it?
CORY SCHNEIDER: With all my students that I teach, I tell them to be honest with themselves. You can acknowledge, “Yeah, I’m nervous, but how do I react traditionally when I’m nervous? Do I maybe hit a certain golf shot? Do I block it? Do I pull it?” With controlled breathing and certain things to lower your heart rate, that can help. But being able to acknowledge it is a good thing. You just say, “Hey, I can feel myself getting a little nervous, so now this might happen. What do I do? Do I walk a little bit slower, do I breathe a little bit slower?” Being able to acknowledge it can help you address it, instead of just saying, “Oh no oh no, I’m good.” Well, a lot of times, people aren’t. Am I gonna be nervous? Absolutely. But I’m gonna look at it as that the worst thing that could happen is that I don’t hit a good golf shot. I made it, I earned it, I qualified. No matter what happens, I made it, and I’m gonna enjoy the walk.
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All photos: credit PGA of America