Why did you choose to write a book about Francis Ouimet?

Well I have been a golfer all my life, and I knew about him. He was always mentioned at the front of the timeline of how golf developed in America, but I never found any details out about him. In 1999 the Ryder Cup was played at this country club in Brooklyn, and the decisive putt came on the 17th green when Justin Leonard made this incredible putt to win. And they mentioned that is was the same green where Francis Ouimet made his putt years before. And then they showed a shot of his house, which was right across the street looking now just like it did back then. And I thought, "Wow, I think there's a story here." It just kind of clicked like a switch went on. Six months later I had the material to write a book.

At the beginning of the film, there is a shot of a crucifix and a rosary on the wall in Francis' house. Was Francis' Catholic faith a large part of his life, any part of his life?

Well, I think so. His father was a French Canadian and his mother was Irish. Both were Catholic so as near as I can tell he was a church-going guy through most of his life. And I think faith obviously played a part in believing in himself and winning this great victory and changing his life, so I would say yes, it was a big factor.

He comes from humble beginnings and does great things, but other people have done that as well. What makes him unique, what makes him interesting?

Well, he had to overcome so many obstacles. His parent's objections, the social class at the time was social structure, which really wasn't going to allow him to move up in the world. But I think the thing that makes him unique is what a great human being he was. In a day and age when we talk about athletes as role models all the time, almost nobody lives up to that and Francis doesn't live up to it, he exceeds it. I never found a single person who had a single bad word to say about him. And later in life he started a scholarship fund for caddies because he never got a chance to go to college. And they've now been going for 55 years and they've sent 4,200 kids to school and given away a million dollars in aid, so I think that says a lot.

Why do you think he never went on to become a professional?

Well, two reasons. One, it was a hard life to be a pro golfer back then. There was no PGA tour. There was really no way to make a living except to be a pro in a golf shop, and that was a working class existence. He wanted to be a businessman, so he never turned pro. He won the US Amateur twice and was probably the second best amateur for the next 15 years after a guy named Bobby Jones who came along, who was pretty darn good and he kind of eclipsed Francis a little bit as a player. But that was the main reason. He didn't want to stay in the working class, and he would have if he turned pro.

Do you think that this story would have the same impact if it took place today?

No. I think money would really change the way it played out in a big way. There's just too much temptation to turn pro and make a living - make a killing, not just a living.

He didn't make a nickel in the US Open. Can you imagine today a kid winning the US Open and not making any money? I mean now he'd have 27 endorsement deals before he'd get home at night. It was a simpler time that he was dealing with and in many ways a kinder, gentler world...

Both the main characters, Harry Vardon and Francis Ouimet, are such good people. They are role models, and yet they are competing against each other.

That's one of the great things about the sport of golf, it's a game played with honor. You respect your opponent and your opponent expects you to play your best and to try to beat his brains out, but to do it within the rules and as a gentleman. And it's the only game where you are expected to call the rules and infractions on yourself. And people do it all the time. I don't care what anybody says, those are the things that build character and that's something we could use more of.

What do you think young people specifically can learn from Francis Ouimet and Harry Vardon?

Well, I think you can learn some of the things that they exemplified - perseverance and if you believe in yourself and you follow your dreams and you have talent and energy and a little bit of luck then great things can happen for you. I know that when I was a kid those were the dreams I had and I always wanted to work in this business that I do now. So I see some parallels to my own life in Francis'. I really wanted to succeed in this world. You just have to keep trying. The key phrase in the book for me is one that Vardon adopted himself as he went through terrible times. He always said, "Never despair. Don't give in to self-pity and keep trying." I think those are words to live by.

How did Francis's success change golf?

It overnight became a sport that the masses wanted to play and the numbers increased. There were only about 50,000 people who played and within a couple of years it was 500,000. It was a gigantic shift, and really all because of this.

After that point, did they start allowing the lower class to play?

Well they didn't let pros into club houses until the early 1920's so it took awhile, but the war interrupted things for a couple of years. Yeah it slowly started to change.

Now that this film is completed, what will you be working on in the future?

I'm writing a novel about World War II. And I'm probably going to write a sequel to Fantastic Four, which is a movie I wrote earlier this year. Also, I'll do another golf book.

Sounds great. Thank you for spending this time with us.

Photos Jonathan Wenk / Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.