Franklin Templeton Shootout: Say what you will about Hoch

The 47-year-old isn't exactly Mr. Popular.

You won't see fans lining the fairways this week at the Franklin Templeton Shootout just to get a sneak peek at the often-outspoken and always- misquoted Hoch.

You won't see commercials with kids saying, "I am Scott Hoch."

And that's OK with him, too.

Earlier this year, Hoch even was even "booed" at Ford Championship in Miami. Even though he said it was just a dozen inebriated college students -- he still was jeered for halting a playoff at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa because of darkness.

And that was OK with him, too.

Hoch decided to get a good night's sleep and some breakfast before knocking in an 8-foot putt, that he said broke left the night before and actually went right, on the second playoff hole. He went on to defeat Jim Furyk on the third playoff hole.

And that was OK with him, too.

"Some guys were upset because they were probably going home from spring break but they had been drinking awhile but most of the other people didn't have a problem," Hoch said Friday after teaming with Kenny Perry for a 6-under 66.

Hoch said he had more players come up to him complimenting, saying things like "Man, I love what you did, Waiting until the next day, that took guts," than complaining.

And if they would've complained, that would have been OK with him, too.

Even though he fills a tape recorder like J-Lo fills a pair of jeans, Hoch has always taken a beating from the media.

And that's OK with him, too.

When you say things like St.

Andrews was the "worst piece of mess" he had ever seen or described Magnolia Lane at Augusta National as a "bunch of old trees with a white house at the end," you're just asking for trouble.

When you call the Ryder Cup "overrated" and say, "I thought it was the most overblown thing I'd ever been a part of," you're really just brutally honest or unconscious.

Former Ryder Cup captain Curtis Strange once said, "Scott Hoch's a guy you want on your team -- with a muzzle once in a while."

And that was OK with him, too.

"You get what you see with me," said Hoch, accented by his trademark North Carolina twang. "Like someone once said, 'If you don't want to know the truth, then don't ask me.' If that bothers you, so what? I just say it like it is. I'm sorry but I'm not one to sugar-coat things. I never wanted to go into politics."

Even though Hoch has finished 40th or higher on the PGA Tour money list every year but one in the last 20, he'll always be remember for missing a 21/2-foot putt at the 1990 Masters. The miss earned him a nasty nickname that rhymes with his last name.

But that was OK with him, too.

So say what you will about the 11-time winner because his actions on the golf course will always speak louder than his blunt words.

The last thing he wants is a gallery full of appreciative fans.

"The more they root against me, the more I like it," Hoch once said. "I'd feel odd if they were showing me too much affection. If they really want to get me off my game, they'll cheer me."