Justin Leonard, Champion's Address, 21 July 1997, Troon
"I made a few notes. [Laughter]
"It's been a great week. It hasn't hit me yet, so if it hits me during the speech, I'll go ahead and apologize.
"There are a few people I'd like to thank from the championship committee: Peter Greenhough, Ian Valentine, Billy McLachlan, the superintendent. I thought the course was just fabulous this week. I think all of the players would agree with that. I don't know if you have control of the weather, but if you do, nice job. [Laughter]
"Mr. Bonallack, thank you for all your preparations and for allowing me to come over here and get a chance to play. I came over the last two years to qualify, was fortunate enough to qualify for the championship. Hopefully I won't have to again, but if I do, I'll come. [Laughter]
"I'd also like to thank my playing partners all week long, especially the last two days. Darren Clarke on Saturday. Darren and I actually met during the qualifying for the championship at St. Andrews. He's a great guy. He's a great player and he had a great week. It was nice. We had a nice, relaxing round.
"Today I felt real fortunate to be paired with Fred Couples. You know, I call him a friend of mine. He's just great. We laughed our way around. He's always very relaxed. And he's really one of my favorite players. So, it was a real honor to play with him and to be able to play well. [Applause]
"I'd like to congratulate [low amateur] Barclay Howard. I had opposite tee times with you Thursday and Friday, so I got to watch quite a bit of your play. Outstanding. I think the American side in the upcoming Walker Cup Matches is going to have a tough time with you. [Applause]
"I'd also like to congratulate Jesper [Parnevik] and Darren. They're both wonderful players. They both deserve to win this tournament. I think it just happened to be my week. But I'm sure that both these players will win many more tournaments and many more majors. I just feel fortunate to be able to do what I did against two great players. [Applause]
"I just want you to know that I'm here alone this week. Just myself and my caddie, Bob Reifke. [Applause as Leonard sniffles and holds back tears] "Moment, please. [Applause/cheers]
"I think it just hit me. [Laughter]
"But to everybody: my family, all my friends in Dallas, Randy Smith my instructor, I know they're kicking themselves, but this isn't some place you can just, you know, catch a 5 o'clock flight.
"I'm looking forward to getting home. I know they're having a really fun time right now. [Laughter] So, I'll make sure I get some Advil on the way through the airport for them. It's a shame they couldn't be here, but at the same time, maybe that helped me focus a little bit. So, anyway, I know they're here with me in spirit, and that's really all that matters. Thank you." [Applause]
Source: Golf Digest.