No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 202: Eddie Pepperell

Episode Date: March 20, 2019

Eddie Pepperell joins the podcast for the second time to discuss how much his career has changed since his last appearance, winning two European Tour events, swing thoughts, golf on television, his perspective on money... The post NLU Podcast, Episode 202: Eddie Pepperell appeared first on No Laying Up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm going to be the right club today. Yeah. That's better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most. Expect anything different. All right guys.

Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.

Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Better than most. All right, guys, welcome back to the podcast. Going to get to Eddie Peperal here shortly. Just wanted to note, this was recorded on Thursday night of players championship week. Eddie's run towards the championship title had not happened yet, which would become pretty obvious here pretty shortly, but just wanted to note that we did not get a chance to talk to him after the tournament. But yes, enjoy the interview. Eddie is an incredible guest.

We're very thankful we could have him on and appreciate his time as always, and thank you for tuning in. All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the No-Langout podcast. Second visit. First time in person, Mr. Eddie Pepperel, you're in a lot different position. I would imagine in life, but definitely in the world of golf, then you were the last time you were on. Yeah, I was reminded on the way here of when we spoke two years ago, I was in Denmark, and

what came to my mind was that week. I had to play Commando, because I've forgotten to pack any boxes, right, which is the first time it's ever happened. And the other reason I just thought of it, I don't know why I thought of it, it's because I went to the Golf Club one day and Richard Bland said to me, I just need to be careful because the hotel was like a U-shape and you could see across the hotel and he said, man, just be careful because I saw you walking to the bathroom yesterday. I caught a sea with you. It was a naked ass.

Close your curtains. Yeah. So, yeah. I was naked out. Close your curtains. Yeah. So, yeah, I've come on like this. It's like the standard hotel in New York. It sits above the high line. It kind of straddles the high line. And, you know, people, like, there's no tint on the windows. So people have been caught doing things there,

but then it's also very voyeuristic, too. There's all sorts of people that book those hotel rooms. Oh, right. Film stuff on the other side. Yeah. I think this is a great opportunity to call in Dick Bland, not Richard Bland, which should be, should go by. I don't think he saw, well, he would have needed some form of device to see it, but we've got the European Max Homo on. Yes. This is it. Is that accurate? Well, you've gotten kind of a reputation on Twitter, even more so on Twitter since you were last on. What's that been like and kind of have you enjoyed

kind of the higher Twitter profile and social media? I don't mind it. I don't dislike it. I mean, wrong. I feel like I've certainly off late in terms of the last few months. I haven't really tweeted very much. Talked really. I respond a lot more now. I'm certainly of late in terms of the last few months. I haven't you know really tweeted very much talk really I respond a lot more now I'm replying to a lot of tweets But I you know I'm is what it is. Yeah, I don't really try to do it for effect

You know I offer there's something sometimes in my mind I'll tweet and other times I just leave it But you had some quotes about it this week. I think at the first time I was press conference here at the players Yeah, I can't remember why I said two days ago. But, yeah, when I come here or wherever I go, people seem to talk of one of two or three things. It was historically either my blog or Twitter. People, the blogs never gets mentioned anymore, nor does my golf, my golf never got mentioned, which is not surprising. Which is an indictment of US media. Well, I see an indictment of how bad I am. It's an indictment of a few things, but I think the fact that I am kind of known from

my Twitter and that type of stuff and the various sound bites that may have come across the interviews isn't, I don't know, I don't know if it's a much a reflection of me as it is the rest of the world, all the rest of the media, all the rest of the lack of willingness. Nobody else says anything exactly. It's so bland that you mentioned being hung over at the British Open and everyone just ran and went nuts with it. It's not that big of a deal. You're definitely not the first person to do that.

You're just maybe one of the few people that would say it. And it's not the best found out ever, Shaah hung over either. Which is, that sounds like there's a story there. Yeah, I can't remember. I'm sure, I think I've shot that it. I'm sure I'll show that. Think of a shot about one. I have Kingsman's shot, 6 under. I played the Daniel Links with Kevin Peterson,

he's a famous cricketer. And second day at Carnousti, I was part in Terrible. I snapped my part on the third green. I had to play 15 holes at Carnousti. Is this here? This was two or three years ago. This would have been 15, I think.

And I, all 16, and I was 12 over through 10, part of the lob wedge from the third onwards, and I honestly thought I wasn't gonna break 90. And I think I shot a 10 or 11 over, and I buried the last I hit driver, three wood, and I tapped him from four feet with a two iron, and I was waving to the crowd.

It was the best I ever made. Yeah, I had a few trick that night. then played King's Monster next day and shot six under Where'd you go? Was it the Dunviggan? No, I think I was on my own. Oh, I was on my own. I had a friend called Sheffy A big big Sheffy and I mean him just I had a fair bit of drink from memory and yeah, I mean I Could you see did you make the 54 or card? No, no, I was born. I was no, I couldn't see it. Did you make the 54-oh-cut? No, no. I was, I was, I was, I needed to have shot. Um, there's 59, something like, PE log, could have done, but no. So, filling in a bit of details for what we entered

at the top of the show, you've won twice since in, in 2018, as it is. I want to kind of go back and revisit Qatar and winning there and kind of, and you wrote about on your blog. I know you, you think it's not being read anymore, but I still read. And you wrote about on your blog, I know you think it's not being read anymore, but I still read it and you wrote about kind of the perspective that came for you

didn't hit any drivers the week before in Oman. I think you wrote. Yeah, no, I think it was going on there. Just you were feeling a little blockaded with the driver. I was struggling. Which I tend to do in the months of January to March. I think I've had one top five in my career from January to April. So, is that just because you're so tied into home base being England and you really put

like put away the clubs from November to December? Maybe. I kind of you truly have enough season. I really switch off and then I come back and I'm definitely heavier and a bit bigger and then my swing seems to be terrible for a few months and I figure it out but no I was struggling in a man I think I remember tweeting something the week before a man saying I'd figured it out and by figuring out it was setting the ball up on the heel of the golf club so I'd have to re-root the club somewhat so that my arms would come closer to my body at impact to hit, you know, a great impact position. And this was a great idea. I had to figure it out, and in practice it was okay. And then my first T-shirt with a driver in

the tournament was the Par 5-12th in Oman, and it's sealed up the left, there's loads of rocks, and the wind was quite hard off the left so first true test and I snap hooked it straight into the rocks. It actually pinged off the rocks back into the fairway and I made an easy for in the end but I didn't pull my driver out once after that for the rest of the week and yeah that particular swing field didn't last very long so I wasn't in a good spot with my driver but then I worked with a new coach the next week and he gave me some doable I would say would be the feelings I had but I still hit driver very few times in Qatar. So what flipped then from from Armando Qatar? Well, I stopped setting up off the heel and the new coach basically we just worked

on my legwork and my hips and I had a feeling where I was just basically trying to from the top of the back so we can get my left hip to kind of just go straight behind me. So it was a nice feeling actually. I had never had that before. It was always very, with my swing feels, we're always quite static. That one wasn't, and I drove people back for it. Because it was quite a route, and I know we talked about this a couple years ago on the podcast, but a route to, or a kind of up and down route to getting to where you are now, because you were progressing, you were inside the top 100 in the world, and you lost your

game, and ended up losing your card. And then you found it shortly. You might be the best example of the no-ling-up podcast bump ever. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I climbed over 300 world-ragging spots in the time, but kind of your perspective on when you were struggling was always what was I found really interesting. And I remember the story. You've thrown a club up in a tree and stuff like that. With all you've been through, you know,

the ups and downs in your career, how much has your recent success really fulfilled you on a personal level? I don't know, that's hard to answer. I mean, I definitely, my mood definitely swings with my golf, which wasn't something I have, well, it wasn't something I wanted to happen or expect it to happen, but it definitely did. And when I lost my golf, which wasn't something I wanted to happen or expected to happen, but it definitely did. When I lost my card, I had some times where it was a bit difficult,

and then the good times, hey, I mean, it's... The good thing with me is I don't ever get too low or too up. I'm fairly consistent, I I would say and I'm pretty level headed in many ways emotionally certainly but um you know it definitely swings somewhat but to say I'm fulfilled by the good golf I don't know I mean I only ever feel satisfied if things have gone well you know I do have a feeling now and again I've you know real satisfaction um you know a couple of events mind, the US Open in 2017 was a big one. That was like, I'm 16th, Aaron Hills and that was a huge result at the time for me. Maybe, you know, probably one of my best performances ever, to be honest, relative to where I was at in my career.

So, you know, it's been various times where I felt hugely satisfied and I get some fulfillment from that. But, in that context, how does the win at the British Masters stack up to Qatar? Yeah, I mean And and do you only win tournaments that are named the Masters? I'll find out soon That would be a shock Yeah, it would uh, well, did that feel like a validation of sorts that that you felt you needed or was it just

like a validation of sorts that you felt you needed or was it just a bone really? I mean, I remember the Scottish Open last show came second, but I was leading at one point and Brandon Stone shot a great fine around to beat me and I kind of felt like I did everything pretty much well enough to win that tournament. I was very comfortable being in that position leading and I expected to win and okay, I didn't win, but you know, it felt as good as really. British Masters, as soon as I was playing really bad on the Wednesday, and then as soon as I shot 500 on the Thursday and got into a couple of swing fields,

I kind of thought, well, knowing what historically happened with swing fields in progression in tournament, I just could only see kind of good things for us that week, and I just thought I was going to win tournament straight from the Thursday, and I expected myself to lead all the way through which I did. So I mean there was definitely and my mentality had definitely come on somewhat from guitar and obviously years gone by.

And as a follow up to that like very very radically different courses and conditions. Yes. British masters was I think was pissing sideways the whole Sunday was terrible. Well, the weird things, I didn't, I didn't feel like I played amazing at the British masters, you know, Qatar, I hit the ball to eat green really well. So statistically, I actually lost on the greens that week, relatively average per on the field and I still won British masters. I didn't hit the ball as well, but it had a little better.

So it didn't, but, but I still expected, there was just something about the course and the way I was playing, that there was a definite serenity and a calmness to it, you know, and I kind of felt like, yeah, I was pretty much in control. But that was satisfied, I mean, for sure, you know, it's, but I don't really give much, haven't historically given any credence or much to any event I've ever played in. So it's like this week, someone said to me, you know, what is it, there's just a fifth major, and I said, well, of course it's not, I mean, not in my opinion, I would put went with the head of this event because for me, I've only really known, went with as being in my mind, a bigger event,

because I've been part of it, and that's so, I just, because I haven't got that kind of, whatever you want to call it, historical context or sense of tradition, you know, I struggle to kind of place them. So it just feels like if I'm playing a golf well, you know, I want to, I can contend it if not, and it doesn't, yeah, it doesn't really. Those two tournaments are always in the same conversation as the, you know, the potential fifth major, whatever that means. How would you compare them having played in both? I would say I'm going to give the players lounge to Wentworth.

Players lounge to Wentworth. Just roast dinner every day if you want it. Great service. They don't have meat roast roast dinner. The roast dinner. That's like well. Meat vegetables, potatoes, Yorkshire pudding. I mean versus what do they have here?

Well, actually, my girlfriend made me a lovely salad today. It's tuna. What's tuna that's kind of raw? It's sashimi? Yes, sashimi. Ah, he is. That's probably something like that. I think it's wrong.

It's good here, obviously. The thing is, the ancillary stuff to an event which doesn't really bother me, like obviously this week, you can give them cars and the service is incredible, but you know, I really like the feel of Wentworth. The golf courses are quite different, but both very testing. I mean, I've always thought when was a great course, but I've always felt quite uncomfortable on it. You know, this is obviously a great course. I'd be tough to compare them but the thing is any event in America always kind of feels bigger. I mean just because there's more people and then there's more you know generally drunk people shouting things out. Well I think kind of what we're alluding to there too is on the European tour,

Wentworth is a elevated event in every sense. Like every event on the PGA tour has a certain you know kind of floor to it and the players is event on the PGA tour has a certain kind of floor to it, and the players is slightly above that, but European tour has such a wide variety. I mean, the fields you'll get in Portugal and Sicily don't really represent the cream of the crop for Europe. So it is like a very big, and maybe I think that probably was what the players used to be like. It probably was a way bigger deal than some of the small tournaments in the 70s and whatnot. But now, every tournament's just got so much money behind it.

It's hard to really get super jacked up for this event. Yeah, that's a good point. And I would agree with you know, that's part, I mean, I think we're over consumed in every aspect of the world, you know, in terms of not just golf, but any TV show or any kind of TV show or any kind of TV show, but how much do you have to get rid of to make the players championship attractive? How much do you have to get rid of to make the majors attractive? Do you know what I mean? I think you have to get rid of a lot and that isn't going to happen. I always argue that I make with the sex six nations as the rugby. The

six nations is a big deal and it's actually happening at the moment. And I think it's a big deal because it's five of five matches a year. Like people get up for that and that's what sport used to be and I think we've lost that. And that's just, you know, to steal a phrase that is mine as a problem of progress really because it's just a sign of the time, a sign of success. But the round advocate, there's the unintended consequences of that. unfortunately, I think is overconsumption and therefore lack of general interest. Eddie, how have you changed your approach or your schedule since you've gotten in the top 15 of the world?

Like has there been a bigger impetus to play here in the US just because there's just more money at stake or how have you changed your schedule? I've just got nothing to do with the money. It might schedule pretty much as written itself this year because being top 50 at the end of the year, you know gave me all the well pretty much all the majors the WGCs and then Access to four potentially P.D. H. Orvance if I want them and you're gonna play three So I looked it in it was just amazing because I could play in the desert and then come to Mexico and play all the way through in America, apart from the British masters all the way through to Ireland.

So obviously missing Qatar was, you know, it was a thing. I mean, I didn't want to have to do that, but when I'm playing in definitely Mexico and definitely the players, the schedule would have been a nightmare to get to Qatar for last week and back here and I said, this is the only way I would do that. It would obviously take you being paid a lot of money to be, or be paid to money to be there, but when I know that the European tour are in charge of that, there's no way I'm taking money from the European tour.

If some super rich guy wants to pay me some money to go somewhere, I'd definitely consider it, but when it's coming out of the European tour's pockets then I couldn't bring myself to do that. So that pretty much was the definite no for me in that sense. And then the fact that I could play the Arnold Palmer was, I wouldn't you. Do you want to play the US tour full time?

Is that a goal of yours? No, no, no, no, no. It's not. I mean, if literally if someone said to me, now you could have the schedule for another decade, then I would absolutely take it. Is it an amazing schedule I've got this year? I mean, I love playing in Europe. And I've never historically traveled too well.

I mean, I think I've traveled better in America than I have certainly in Asia and Africa. A number of reasons, but what's your favorite part of the Euro tour schedule? Well, I always like the links, I mean, this year, the Irish, the Scottish, and the American can't wait to obviously do those, but also the end of the year.

I mean, I've always tended to play better in September and October, but this year, what've got done, he'll links, went with Portugal falls around that time which is event I enjoy practically holiday. Yeah that's nice time of year to be playing golf and Italy as well might be a bit later so yeah I'm a royal ex-ex-ex- I've just pretty much given the Rx's. But there are things like KLM, which is an Amsterdam. I always play that. I always go to check and play that one. I mean, that's 1 million euros.

You know, that's some less than what we're going to pick up last week. But doesn't really bother me. I've always had a good time going there. It's cool that the BMW PGA is late. Yes. It's late in the years. Yeah, it's going to be unbelievable, I think.

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putt better, you could come at me on Twitter. It's NGSU NLU. Now let's get back to this week's pod with Captain Sally Salenberger and his so tree, Maritone. I want to circle back to Qatar actually a little bit. There was two things I wanted to ask about that. Even though, you know, I was watching the highlights getting ready for this and even the broadcasters comment on you dealing with the nerves and how you looked nervous out there. What was going on internally for you trying to win your first event?

I wasn't that nervous. I mean, I usually had it because I knew I had this new swing feeling. I've only ever really struggled under pressure because of a swing feel. I've got a theory that the reasons Act Johnson is more tournament wins than say Henry Stenson is because of what it has to achieve and what it has to feel to achieve a good shot under pressure. I mean, things change. So depending on what you have to feel to produce a shot, I think has a huge impact on whether you do or don't produce it.

All of a sudden, I had a feeling where I could rotate as hard and fast as I want and it would generally produce a good result. Well I was excited for that because I've never had that. So I wasn't very nervous at all, you know, and the only, the thing I've also found historically when you're in contention is the only thing that can sit, the only thing that can make you nervous is a setback or something that happens that's unusual. So the thing happened on the Saturday where I hit the rock and I fired it three times. I mean that's an unusual thing to happen and it can really throw you or it can just throw you. And I had a bit of that on the Sunday where I hit it right on 15. I

had to pitch out and all of a sudden you know things aren't there isn't the there isn't the momentum of the round, you know, the rhythm has been upset. Sometimes that can, I think, have an effect. But... And on that particular moment, the broadcast was talking about the effect your Cady had in talking you into making that layup shot on 15, and you wrote on your blog as well

about how big of an impact your Cady had on that. What in what specific way did your Cady like steer you home to that way? He definitely got the club right on the last. I mean, I wanted to hit where. He had me in nine and that was a great shout. It was obviously a good decision chipping out of 50. I mean, the shot could have come off, but it would have been a crazy shot in hindsight with a five iron. I mean, it was a wouldn't have been a pleasant one to have to take on. No, laying up. No, laying up. That was a thing. Yeah.

Yeah, part of the thing with having to chip out was that I kind of knew at the same time I've still got a six iron in. It's not like you got a nine iron in. I mean, it's kind of tough to get up and down with a six iron. I nearly did, but at that point in the round actually, I was a fair few ahead.

I mean, Oli had a great finish to kind of put pressure on me, but that time I think it was probably three ahead. So I felt like chipping out. Obviously it made a lot more sense. I want to ask you to unpack the Henrik Stenson ZJ thing a little bit. I don't, the Zach swing more repeatable than Henrik. Is that why he's able to, no, I just, I just, I think under pressure,

things move differently, things feel differently, things move at different speeds whether it's your arms or your body. And when I watch Zack swing, I just have a feeling that he just rotates hard. I mean, he's got fairly strong club face throughout, fairly strong grip. So he can probably just get to the top and think of rotating. Whereas if you're on arm swing, I think Henrik probably is in terms of his feels, I mean, I would say it's not to say that you can't achieve great performances, of course, under pressure, but it's to say that on the long run, you know, it can be, yeah, a worse of things can happen, I think, when you're having to think about your arms, when your body

wants to move fast, because that's just what happens under pressure. So, you know, that was, that's my theory. I could well be wrong. I get me in my head now. Well, I'm an arm swing. There's more variables. That's what I was going to say is how technical are you with your swing and how did I always picture tour players like, you know, did they grow up and they were just so much more technical about their swings than I was because I didn't ever think of anything like that. And I'm like, maybe that's where, maybe that's where it went wrong. It's almost like a schism. Like you're either arms or body. Well, no, I'm just curious how technical you are. And if you're not, when it came into play, basically, I mean, yeah, I never used to think about these things,

but I think this is the thing, isn't it? If you want to get really, really good at something, it's hard to get there without having to, especially game like golf, because I believe it's a game of skill, and so therefore you're a great technique. So how do you improve your technique? You either need to be guided down the right path, or you have to do it kind of yourself. I tried just, I tried just never practicing, and it just didn't work out. Yeah, well, I kind of see what you're saying. Yeah, I kind of see what you're saying. So yeah, I mean, you know, it's, I know I have a few, I have, I have probably played golf with two or three different swing fields and I have done for the best part

of two years. So when, when, actually working with two coaches now, but you're the coach that worked with lots of them. I'm afraid to ask what the swing fields are. Well, no, so, so with the, I have a driver swing feel and then I have a separate swing for wood a three wood And I have a separate one with with my hands. It sounds like I'm starting to like club road guy here pretty Yeah, so with my driver I only ever have one swing feeling and I basically can't draw my driver What is the swing feel hits with rotation with my hips? I set the ball on the toe and I tried to rotate my hips

You're not gonna turn your hands over. No, and the reason I set it on the toes, because I have a tendency to swing a little flat with my driver and then as my hips fire, my kind of arms come further out in front of me on the downswing, so I basically middle it. So I know that's going to happen, but it allows me to keep rotating and it's a very anti-left feel. So I like that. The three would, as a re-root feel, that's why I have a super flat three wood.

So basically the heel never digs in so the club face never turns over. So if I hit my three wood left, I have to put a terrible, terrible swing on it, which I very rarely do. My bailout with three wood tends to be right. And my iron feels, I sometimes feel re-root, like I did at the British masters, but on the Sunday I hit a lot of poor iron shots, particularly mid and short iron, because I know without swing feel my body can outrace my arms a bit so I like to feel that my arms come down a bit more against my back and my chest with my hands but that requires a bit of back swing so what I'm always kind of working on well with me my iron

play needs to be great if I'm gonna win or come close to winning a golf tournament because my statistics show that every tournament I've ever done well in, I'm playing has been great and I've never ever done well in a golf tournament where my eyes haven't been really good relative to the field. What do you struggle most with? What's the one shot or the one thought? Well I don't, I basically can't draw my driver. I'm not very good at soft chips around the green with a log wedge where you've got a lofted up. I can see my own way. So, you know, but it really depends.

I mean, like my short game, I never practiced my short game. But statistically, last year, I was one of the better guys on tour with my short game. And that's because my short game correlates real close with my irons. So it's basically the same thing for me. So when my irons are good, my short game's good. And when my irons aren't good, my short game's kind of bad. That was the whole tiger release patterns thing, right? Whatever was looking for it. Exactly. He never looked. He never looked. No, I'm between release patterns. Like no, come on, it's chipping. It's

different. It's also on the iron on the iron parting front, how much of that is psychological? To where you're basically playing offense, like you're putting for birdie, you're on the offensive instead of, instead of, you know, scramble to make pars. And well, there's some of that with the partying. I've always felt like, yeah, I've probably held more par pots than birdie pots

from particularly say six foot. That's probably true. And there's definitely some psychology in that probably. The stats show the professional golfers make a six foot par putt and more than a six foot birdie putt. Yeah that does and it doesn't surprise me. That makes me feel better and worse at the same time. Yeah, but the whole tiger thing was fascinating, you know, because I had a period a few years ago where I literally had I get the yips around the greens for like two weeks. And then it went.

And I was like, I've always been a good chipper. And it was purely technical. And it literally is. You know, Tiger Woods doesn't just get the yips. I mean, the problem with the yips is people only see it when it's happening. And then they think that's a psychological problem. Which at that point it is, how does it start?

It never starts as a cycle. I've got your cycle. It's a big leader. It starts as a technical problem. And then it's like a monster. You know, everyone's got potential monsters in their pockets or on their shoulders, I could just cycle. It's a big leader. It starts as a technical problem, and then it's like a monster. Everyone's got potential monsters in their pockets or on their shoulders, but it's small. And you have to keep them small.

The best goal from the planet is the guy with the smallest monsters. It's not the guy that doesn't have any. Every fucker's got monsters. It's just dusting, probably has a great handle on all of his little gremlins words. That's the guy's dusting, isn't it? It's crazy that you say that like that,

because I feel like the last two or three years watching Jordan's speed, he's made absolutely everything but like his, the grips crazy and he's cross-handed and all that. And like he's making everything and he looks super comfortable with it. But I can tell there's a monster on his shoulder.

Yeah, it does look like he's been on the monster on his shoulder now. He's just like, he's playing on the monster on his shoulder now. He's just trying to fight off that monster for as long as possible. And now he's finally dealing with that monster. And he's going to be good when he gets the other side of the monster. Yeah, I mean, yeah. So what's your biggest monster? Well, historically, it was my driver.

So, you know, and I'm gradually, the thing is also the hardest thing with golf is that monster can grow so fast So big so fast and trying to shrink him. I mean, it's just it's a fucking shit show When you know it probably gets bigger when you're trying to shrink it possibly I mean possibly or what probably happens is it actually doesn't but other monsters get bigger because you're not focusing on them And then aren't you like this is like life like I then... Aren't you, like, this is like life. Like, I know we're talking about golf, but this is real life. Golf is life. Yeah.

Golf is life. For sure. I mean, you're front-rooming, there's just flags, every at golf is life. We can change some of these words, and we can be having a self-help... A self-help podcast on a different topic. Absolutely. You can do that if you want.

You can do that if you want. You can do that if you want. You can do that if you want. You can do that if you want. You can do that if you want. You can do that if you want. You can do that if you want. You do me anxiety, you know. Trance monsters are growing as you're sleeping right now. But that, yeah, anxiety for a funny thing. You know, that only ever correlated with bad technique for me, you know, I would struggle to sleep when I was in my driver off the planet.

You know, I never, ever go to bed worrying about, let's say this takes all grass, I will never go to bed worrying about the third hole. It's a mid-iron. I'm good, I'm generally very good in my mid-iron. I will never go to bed worrying about the third hole. It's a mid-iron. I'm generally very good at my mid-iron. I will never worry about that, but if you say, would I potentially be worried about the 18th T-shirt, if it's hard into off the left,

well, I mean, yeah, potentially. 16-bit, like I'm sure 16 this week is exceptionally tough for you because you don't draw your driver, you're hitting freewood and you're laying back a little bit and I hit three with a yesterday over 300 yards You know, I went over the three iron so the three would I've got a super strong so that's why I've got a super strong Three would so don't get me wrong it gives me holes elsewhere in the bag It doesn't really matter because I'm I'm filling up the holes in the area of the game where I feel like it gives me most comfort.

Just because I think people are way into the equipment stuff. Can you talk through your bag setup and how you picked? That's really interesting is I have a really strong throughput because basically you want to hit it both ways up to T. This way you're kind of... Yeah, so... I mean, my people... You go from driver 3 to 2? Driver 3, driver 3 to 3 iron.

I always play with four wedges, so I'm always lacking a five word or two iron or something like this, which you know, I've noticed the last couple weeks, it definitely would have been beneficial to have a five wood. It's a big, have you found it's a bigger deal on this side of the pond so far because it's softer because it's more target golf. Yeah, I mean, five wood would have come in probably a couple times today. I'm just into the bar fives. My ping drive, I mean, the reason I've got it in play

and the reason I keep going back to it is because it's got a lot more spin on it. It's super safe. I mean, it's the amateur's version. It's not even the lower. It's not even the LSTG 400. It's like what you'd buy off the shelf, but I'm kind of happy with that.

I mean, I hear a generally speaking, it very few bad ones with it and it's very safe club. My three was the complete opposite. I want my three would to go as fast with as little spin as possible. It's a different swing feel. I've got a different history. So they're two completely different clubs and my eyes are, you know, somewhere in between. I'm curious kind of now that you're at this elevated, you know, level of golf and you're playing in these events with all these huge names, do you find yourself looking around a little more, looking down the range that people you're playing with, and being amazed, or do you feel like you truly

belong here? No, my problem isn't looking at other people on the range. My problem is what happened to down the 18th grade, and I've got a 20-foot pat to read, and there's a big TV screen. Thanks to the green chair and the golf, and I'm just there watching the golf So that's my problem. I watched the golf, you know, and I kind of enjoyed doing that. So I couldn't give a monkey's like, you know, I've never seen Baba hit a ball. I don't even think, I don't think I've seen Tiger hit a ball. I walked past Rory and Mexico hit a driver who was carrying it three night and he thought, fuck this. I don't really care

about the other guys, you know, I don't really care about the other guys, you know. What drives you and what drove you? What motivated you? Is it an inward perfection or, because I think a lot of guys would, you know, they watched on a golf and, you know, they see Tiger and, you know, are chasing certain guys.

Randy still talk about life, by the way. I know, I guess we can couch this in cold terms if you want. But no, no, I always feel bad about answering this question this way. And I think it's, I just don't, I'm going to say I just don't want to be poor. And that's, and I'll say that not because being poor is about thing, right?

I'm not trying to make that statement. But what I'm saying is when I've having felt what I felt now, having had some of the success I've had and certainly ever learnt some of the money I've earned, and I know what it's afforded me in terms of many things in my life, I kind of, I kind of want to keep that, you know, I don't want to go back to what I once was. And so, you know, honestly, I've only been, I've only ever felt most driven of my worst failures or my worst feelings, you know, whether it was my accountant calling me up after QSchool and I just to improve to say I was in debt and I needed to find some money or whether it's really struggling enough for, say, for two months and not being able

to hit a drug. You know, these kind of things will lose in my card. That's when I tend to get my motivation. And the problem with that is that it isn't sustainable in many ways. And when I'm at a position like now, where I've had some good success for a while, you know, how motivated can I be. But the one good thing that did happen that I will say last year is once I started reaching higher levels and higher standards, I kind of kept motivating myself. Actually, I kind of, I was finding some motivation within myself to... What was the new motivation? Just to stay at that level, to keep being at that level. Did you pick specific stuff?

For like, what specifically... It was specifically probably with my iron play, and the ability to say hit a seven iron or a six iron, exactly the way I wanted it, dead straight. And that wasn't statistically based, that was just feel based, it was you versus yourself. Yeah, I mean, I know what the ability to do that gives me in terms of the stats and the results. So I know it's important for me, and so that's partly what drives that.

But yeah, once I realized, once I got, in 2017, I got so good with my ions and I, it was so effective and to agree last year at similar weeks as well, I know that's my DNA, so that's given me motivation, all of a sudden, that's one thing that the stats have helped me with actually, it's just able to have some form of identity, you know, I sound like I should be part of the LGBTQT society, but I do. I said sorry, I said to your high watermark, T's as I have. I have a do- I do so. That's your high water mark. Yeah, you know where you're.

I've gotten my density. Finally, I finally have a home. I've got home. Six times. So you say you, I mean, you obviously really enjoy watching golf, right? Yeah. On the 18th green today, you know, I'll just watch golf. But I'm fascinated.

Do you watch golf for the players or do you watch golf for the game itself? And I kind of I know that might not be the best question. It reminds me of I've been around some basketball coaches in the watch film and the watch games and they are truly just watching the game. Like it doesn't even they just recognize the players by numbers. It doesn't even really matter who the players are necessarily that they're watching the game for the sake of the game. And I'm curious if that's, I'm just fascinated, you know, a huge golf fan, you watch that golf and then when you get out there, it's like, I've never seen Bother Tiger as, you know,

it doesn't really. Yeah, I mean, well, that's a fair point actually. I mean, I wouldn't stop by, you know, I certainly wouldn't stop by to watch these guys at Bulls on the Range. So I guess that kind of answers your question to a degree. But I kind of, I guess what I like when I watch golf is, well, iconic holes or particular shots

or a particular swing. It could be anybody that's got a great move. It would be the move, you know, and I guess I would relate that to the basketball point in terms of the pattern, the historic pattern. If I see someone move somewhat remotely like Ben Hogan, I'm going to tune in, Cameron Champ, I'm going to tune in because it's like there's an incredible action happening here, and I kind of want to be part of that. So obviously it comes back to the individual, but it also I guess relates somewhat to a pattern or a move or

something, you know, the historic in a way if that makes any sense. Do you think professional golf over the last five to ten to twenty years has gotten homogenized then in that regard? And you see less of those unique swings or less of those things that make you want to tune in? Possibly, however, you could probably watch all the golf swings of, say, the 70s, and not only did they wear great trousers, but all the left feet generally come up off the ground, and they stand back down with their left knee, and there's a lot more lag, there's a lot more, you know, whatever, and it looks different, but they probably all kind of done that back then.

So it's like, it's easy to say, well while the modern era is whatever it is what it is all the same but actually maybe the 70s was all the same I mean maybe the 40s was all the same. Yeah. You know sometimes you have to have that wider perspective and and that's probably true because I think I would think that way of many not just golf of many many things you know that happen life life. Who's the favorite player in the world? Sergio. Yeah. Yeah. Why was that? Shot-making.

You know, yeah, pure shot-making. You mentioned Michelin Routewach and Golf on the 18th green, but you also had, you tweeted something a couple of weeks ago about watching golf here in the US. So for people that don't know the difference between kind of how golf is presented on TV in the US Actually, we have to take a break in the hotel. Sorry, that's a great question. Tron, Tron, tell them. Tell them Tron.

You guys, I'm gonna walk into the room. Tell us about what you're experiencing. Is this your first time watching golf on TV in the US? No, I have watched it before. It wasn't just watching, I mean, it wasn't just the golf, you know, that's why I didn't specifically refer to the golf, I actually said TV in America. And I was watching a film, I think it was the accountant, which I love, I've seen it once, but now, because I've been in America three weeks, I've actually seen the accountant, I think, on five different occasions now, and I've only seen

the film twice. Is that all Ben Affleck? Yeah, I think I've watched it in three hotel rooms. One, I watched it in the fairmont in Austin and, I mean, it was a break every fucking eight minutes or something. You know, I'm just like, well, how are you supposed to watch this film? Leave Sid's careful. And then that's really seen. And then obviously you get to the golf

and it's like, I did tune in and there was literally two shots shown between commercials. And I just kind of thought, it's just bad. It's just bad. If you want to watch the golf, I mean, it is. What's it like in the UK? It's not as bad as that. I mean, people were saying, oh, it's just, no, it's not the same.

I mean, it's not the same. At least in the UK, they go back to the studio, they're filling it with some form of analysis, but you know. So, in the UK, you're getting the same feed. I think you are. I think we get the same feed, but you just have less commercials. It's a feeling of something. Exactly.

It depends. So the bigger events, you'll have a separate feed that they'll have a, that their own crew on site. There's like an international feed on. Yes. And then for the, the smaller events, you'll get a feed that is just straight, like, like sometimes I would, you watch this for three years. That's why when I lived in Holland, I would like for the masters,

the announcers would be in Dutch like all the local like announcers were there in Dutch and I imagine the same in the UK, but the smaller events, it was just I would hear Jim Nance pipe straight into my team. That's a good point actually. And the hardest offence to watch the UK are the smaller PGA tour events. And I guarantee the players championship in the UK will be great coverage. You know, the own team, probably they're on cameras possibly, but the biggest events like you just said,

they're great to watch in the UK. So you have like, you have Brownie radar. Ken doesn't work for Beamer. Yeah, it'd be right on and Beamer. And those guys. But the European events, so like when it sticks out so much because when they go to commercial in the States, like the international feed will come on

and they will go to the opposite side of the golf course and you will see Kevin Tway hitting his- Something that's completely out of the field. It has no context at all. It's not like a crazy good shot. It's not like a noteworthy moment in the event, but it's like they're just showing you golf instead of commercial and it's like,

yeah, coming back to here and seeing that. So really, I just wanted somebody other than our voice on this podcast talking about this, that it's said, do we like those bigger PGA purses? Or can help if these are maybe related? Of course, it's the thing, isn't it? But at some point, it's not sustainable. And that's exactly how it feels to me.

There's just a feeling I have, and I don't know this stuff, because I'm not clever enough, but the feeling I have is that how is this sustainable? Like, you know, actually there can't be, I mean people say TV drives money but I can't believe there's enough people watching to actually drive that anymore. So what's driving it is the it's the illusion that TV sort of or whatever it's probably possibly more than that. It's called it's also called Tiger coming back healthy and putting a bandaid on the broken leg.

Right. And then at some point, they're squeezing the life out of something that, and the core audience is dying. Well, so the future is surely some form of streaming service or all the way TV's gone and all these new Netflix, whatever. I mean, that's surely the future or a sort of future. But to my mind is so bad for golf. And this is why if we can talk about golf moving forward for a

bit because I have times where I'm kind of optimistic because we have an aging population and that's great for golf. But I also have times where I think we'll hang on the average baby boomers now beginning to retire. They still have all the money. You know, golf is specifically the PGA tours entirely. The next three to five years still. I think we're okay, but when there's a wealth distribution or when there's a redistribution

of the wealth, what does that look like? I cannot believe from in it that there's enough people in my generation who are remotely interested in golf. So the economic future of golf, I kind of think, is dire on a number of fronts. But then I'm kind of thinking, well, there's maybe reasons to be so optimistic. So, I was talking about it today, actually, with somebody. And the fact that the future is the streaming services and all that. And it's a very, it's kind of leaning into that niche audience, but serving, serving

a very enthusiast audience, the people that are die hard golfers, and then the PGA towards marketing efforts and social media efforts and digital efforts have gone the complete opposite direction. To where... That's what I was going to say. I think the hardest part for this, and I know I'm with you. I'm like, I don't know. I'm sure there's 50 million moving pieces that I have no idea, you know, are in place. But to me, it's like, okay, golf seems like the most expensive sport to televised. It seems like the sport that would be the hardest, most complicated thing. And now,

it also seems like it needs to be propped up by this audience that is getting smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller. And these core people who are going to sit and watch, you know, sit and watch these 45 events throughout the season. Because, you know, sit and watch these 45 events throughout the season. Because, you know, the masters isn't gonna struggle for ratings, the masters could go full streaming tomorrow and it would be awesome. Could, you know, the FedEx St. Jude Classic

go all streaming tomorrow? Probably not, that would probably be a horrible thing. Horrible thing. If you bleed out those core fans, like cool, who's gonna be watching those other 30-term scenes. And that's where I'm looking at it. Yeah, the sum of all the parts is kind of what makes everything go.

I don't know. So it's starting to think about it from a larger perspective. What other trends do you see? Not only in the... I mean, really, I think it's instructive because our audience is largely US based. What trends do you see in the UK? What do you see internationally? I mean, to my mind, the one good thing that golf's managed to do by keeping the Europeans

on the Pugeotale is it's avoided the whole merger and acquisition craze that has happened in the last 10 years, like across all businesses, you know, and all things, and that don't get me wrong. It's great for guys like me at the top, but I am also very much aware that at some point it's not. And this was the big thing that I had against the fill in the tiger match. It's that, to me, it's not that that's right or wrong. It's just that it's not kind of wise. It's just not kind of wise to have a guy a $9 million in four hours. Because do they not realize the level of resentment that that cause and creates is that creates among the wider population and you know there's

a good book and it without me getting too poccaliptic it's called the great leveler and it's written by a historian I think and I haven't read it all but I know the gist of it and basically there are only ever four outcomes when in a quality gets so bad and we're not there yet. But not one of them is in any way desirable. I mean, they're all terrible, terrible things. And they affect everybody. Oh, and they affect everybody.

In fact, no, the worse than that, they affect the rich the most. I mean, that's why it's not wise to be gloting about the fact you've earned 9 million four hours and not that filled it or not the tiger did, or I haven't got anything against either of the individuals. I think they break. We're going to a macro level. But on the perception of it, I just don't think it's great. And so I kind of can't detach myself from that feeling that I have.

And that's the feeling I have. From everything I've read or what I've learned, and I could be wrong. I hope I am. But I'm aware that I'm also profiting and benefiting from the way things are. And things could get even better for me, you know, in the next five, 10 years. But I don't know, I kind of feel like. So how do you separate those things? I was going to say you wrote about that last year, actually, after you know, you came into a lot of money after when the guitar masters and you're

you're runner-up finished in the Scottish Open was actually your biggest paycheck last year. Yeah. It was braised to do the early Rolex, here's a very real thing. You kind of wrote about kind of going out and buying, there it is right there. You wrote about going out and buying, spending 10 pounds on some chocolates and feeling kind of ridiculous about that or kind of struggling with the balance of,

I'm very well off now, I've earned this, but have I earned this kind of, can you, I was wondering if you could have explained that? I mean, it kind of, once that cripples me, but it, you know, it definitely is something that crosses my mind quite regularly, you know, for sure. I could switch off from it, and you could just say it's the way it is, but I can't, you know, I don't like that either, really. I mean, there is an element of that of sure, but I don't know. I just...

How does it square up with how you're raised? Like, were you raised and... Like, what was your upbringing and... I think generally speaking, and in fact, this is a great... The UK and Europe is, I would say, definitely more egalitarian than over here, right? And it's not right wrong, this is just philosophical differences, especially around money between the two continents, when I tweeted the thing

that I tweeted about the Tiger and the Film Match and I called it pathetic, which I'm the only word I regretted in that tweet, I tweeted it at a time because I was in the Maldives and everyone thanks to Rolex. I was enjoying myself in the mall days. And you wanted those little rooms on stills. Yeah, literally. Yeah, we're in the sea. It was pretty nice actually. I mean, I paid for it. I didn't get a free trip.

Thanks for the Saudis. But I was like, yeah, I tweeted that. And everyone in the UK was asleep. And everyone in the US was up. So everyone in the UK was asleep. Everyone knew us up. And I got so much heat immediately. And I was like, oh my god, am I like well off on this opinion? Like I'm conscious of my light made. And then once everyone's up waking up in Europe and the UK almost unanimously, everyone agreed to me. And it was

a, it just highlighted to me the massive and the enormous cultural differences between the US and the UK and Europe, particularly surrounding money. And, yeah, I think naturally I'm going to be that way, my own client. It's not so bloody communist because I'm not, but it's to say that I don't know. Something just doesn't quite feel right when there's this much disparate. Well, I think that speaks to the difference between PGA Tourgolf and European Tourgolf, though, and it being a true entertainment product here, it is so commoditized, is that the word?

What's kinda a tiger effect too? It's so commercialized, and it is squeezed out to the absolute max, and European Tour just has so much, I don't wanna say luxury, but the ability to be so flexible and where they go, and it's just a wider range of possibilities, and over here it is so commercialized, it's so sponsored, it is so heavily influenced

by the people that make the sign that checks. Now we have this conversation all the time, it's like I don't know what we're watching. Like I wanna watch like really pure golf, but it's the same time like I just wanna see somebody hit it in the water four times on 17, like it's just entertainment. Yeah, I agree, someone asked me the other day at the first time as press conference,

whether I had any advice for the US open and sent the course up. And I said, well, listen, let me tell you last year, I've never had so much fun watching all the pros have a nightmare at Shinacos. You were speaking to a very friendly audience. So I was like, I'm not going to sit here now as someone who's going to play this event and tell you they should set up because Eddie Pepperel was a fun. And how poor it was. How poor it was Sunday?

When they put all the pins in the middle of the greens. Exactly. Exactly. Saturday was by far the most fun day to watch the US Open last year when everyone was losing this shit. Right. We get paid well enough money to have to experience that five times a year.

Especially when it's not their organization putting that on. And I was just kind of thought to myself, that question, well, you know, no, I mean, they can set up however they want, however they want, and actually terms of an entertainment product, it was great. I mean, people like to see people suffer, you know, I mean, my one of my favorite quotes is everyone is waiting for the end of the, somewhere deep in their hearts, everyone is waiting for the end of the world to come. I mean, it's a nice saying, it's from the big short, which is another apocalyptic film.

I like which is second actually. Radio's radar lock. Oh, right. Yeah. Can I? Couple of things. One, I need to point out the irony that we're talking to Eddie from England, lamenting how much more egalitarian, you know, the UK is right now than the US, which I love.

Oh, we're gonna have some terrible things. I only point because, oh no, it was definitely, I was including you. I'm not putting you back in you down. Yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure. I just want to point that out, but I do think there's something to, I think, you know, European tour golf, British golf, you know, we went to Scotland is so much more egalitarian than the American. It's like watching PBS versus watching network TV.

Like it feels like you're going to learn something and you're going to be entertained a little bit and you're going to see 56 minutes of programming per hour versus 20. Yeah. Yeah. But I also, the point you kind of touched on there, and I think, you know, if the tour is going to set itself up as an entertainment product, then I as a fan, I'm going to treat it as an entertainment product. And so one of my big things is I kind of get on Ricky Fowler, and it's nothing against

him personally. But it's almost this storyline that I've created and it makes golf more fun for me. Well, that's my whole thing. And if it's gonna be an entertainment only product, it needs to get a buck ton for entertaining, basically. Right now they're there, and they wanna have it this way,

but yet they produce it and everything about it is this way. Yeah, and it's like, you know, you can't have it both ways. Yeah. No, that reminded me of my Twitter and talking of creating storylines. I saw I did with anal beads, which was made, makes Twitter more fun for me. No, no, it's true. Well, I want to hear about the content committee. Oh, yeah. Well, I definitely can't say what I said. I just can't. In fact, the only, I mean, I did a thing with Henny

on Golf TV last week and she asked me to tell her a joke. And I said, well, I mean, it's gonna have to all be bleeped down. And again, I can't tell this joke because it's even to a US audience. We can one of it. No, you might know who it is. And it just, I mean, yeah.

Yeah, I mean, the content for me was a lot fun, though. We'll put that behind the paywall. Yeah. How did that come together? And you like write a script for that? Did you have any takes did it really take script was written? Okay. I just knew that I had one piece where I could say what I wanted And it was gonna be bleeped out and gibbo is basically doing the production Gibbo Tom Tom Grayson and one or two others. I mean, so you know, you've obviously met them Fucking great people and a lot of fun. So, um, yeah, it was good.

It was, I think they're going to extend a couple of the storylines, like keeping up with that. I mean, I'm not saying definitely that one, but you know, those ideas that were on the board, there was, they definitely didn't put a couple of things into the original scene. I think actually, I don't remember thinking why haven haven't they put the end, because that was funny. I think they're doing that to keep it back for what potentially could lead off. So I think, but so.

Round about question sort of related to that, but how would you sum up how the demands on your, how are the demands on your time when you're at a tournament? And where I'm getting at with that is, I think everybody likes to say, oh, the European tour gets these guys because, you know, they're blah, blah, blah, they're paying them appearance fees are doing this.

The PJ tour, all these guys would say no to these kinds of videos, they just don't have time, blah, blah, blah. So I'm curious how the demands on your time are broken up during a tournament. Before you answer out, are you, it's the opposite? Oh, like the reality is the opposite. The European guys don't get paid. No, like you may get an appearance or like the US guys going over there getting appearance fee.

No, no, no, I'm saying like the US players at Bay Hill are not getting an appearance fee. So when they go up there, they'll have a bunch of bullshit. But when they go up and say, say, Justin Thomas, we need you to come do this ask. He's like, dude, I'm trying to win a golf tournament. Like I, and the perception is Eddie or Justin Rose or whatever, we're paying you six figures to be here. So you're kind of at our disposal. But there's a trust level with the Euro tour guys too.

And Gibbo asks you to do something. You're more predisposed to do this. There's a strong relationship. I would say Gibbo has a good relationship with lots of the certainly older guys themselves. So there's that. Yeah, I mean, I think most of the European guys now are pretty, a pretty on board. And I mean, there's been a lot of stuff done now. I think we kind of know all the tour ones.

Because of some route. Yeah. Yeah. And don't get me wrong. There are definitely some players who aren't like keen on it. And there are some, ah, you know, I think the tour have been quite good at identifying who and who isn't and using them in different ways. But I mean, you know, the demands of my time have gone up a little bit, I think the tour have been quite good at identifying who and who isn't and using them in different ways, but

I mean, you know the demands of my time have gone up a little bit, but not not terribly. You have a real pressure to say. I don't get paid six figures to be the only demands I have is the odd bit of chocolate in the room. Can you wrap it fire European tour thing? Like how do you feel about the shot clock masters? I didn't like it. You didn't like it. No. I remember I remember feel like the shot clock masters. I didn't like it. You didn't like it. No. I remember I remember seeing that on Twitter and thinking, God, I look, you know, Eddie, we disagree on something finally. I just golf, I mean, for golf to take to an hour, my big thing with the issue with slow play is if people have a big issue, if people think golf can take three hours to enough, if they think they can play, well, there's going to have to be a completely different kind of game. And I actually don't think, I mean, if people think golf can take three hours to enough, if they think they can play, well, this can have to be a completely different kind of game. And I actually don't think, I mean,

if you want golf to change great, change it the way cricket changed, maybe it'd be good for the game. I don't know. I don't know if it would. I think you'd dilute it somewhat. So what you're going to do by changing, I mean, you're going to, around is going to go from being four and a half hours to four hours or four hours is a long time. But so on some level though, I feel like you guys four hours or four hours is the long time. But so on some level though, I feel like you guys are, we're speaking relatively, because the rounds on the European tour are far, like I would venture to say far quicker than that.

They feel faster. Yeah, they feel faster and they're like, you know. But they're still not, they're still four hours. They're still not four hours, but they're not 4.45 or five hours. I, I, I, Oh, but sometimes they are. I mean, I played around at them.

I was five hours and we, it wasn't because, I mean, it just, it depends on the course, the conditions. I was going to say, what's the cause? What's the root cause of that? Just the condition, of course, and the conditions. Yeah. And then, and then to piggyback on that, how do you guys deal with, like, is there a different mechanism for dealing with slow play on the European tour versus the PGA tour that you've noticed?

I mean we are probably Some guys in Europe are probably more ready to call out a few players for it Um, there really aren't many slow players in in the Europe in my opinion Um, and is that just because there's more period I think there's there's been more pressure put on them um By not only by the guys, but also by the tour. I mean, you know, there's more peers? I think there's been more pressure put on them By not only by the guys, but also by the tour I mean, you know, there's something been fine quite heavily and they're not necessarily earning loads of money So you know, it's um, yeah, there's definitely a push from the tour. I hear you saying that I was out at the players this morning and watching and was paying It's specific attention to this and was kind of like okay, how slow are these guys playing blah blah blah and it's like

Man the caddies are the caddies are hauling ass. They're going to the next tea these guys are and was kind of like, okay, how slow are these guys playing? Well, well, and it's like, man, the caddies are the caddies are hauling and asked, they're going to the next tea. These guys are, they're kind of like none of these guys feel like they're playing slow at all. And I'm like, maybe it's just hard to televised because it just it's not takes for it. It's not like we're just I'm probably the slowest walker on tour. Like I have a very slow walk. But I mean, yeah, around a minute, I can't know the last time I walked around

the golf course thinking, now, yeah, around a guy, you know, I caught on the last time I walked around the golf course, thinking, oh, this is just a nice little straw. And we do, you know, people generally do, yeah. Well, that's a thing too, is with, you know, everything that's happening in golf is making it slower, like building T's, you know, a hundred yards further back means a little further walk back to the T, and you got to retrace those same steps to get to the next ball.

And you do that on repeat for however many times that's not time that you're going to get back. And it's, I don't know, I'm kind of with you on the slow play thing. I think it, you know, it's an issue and I think it's mostly guys that are not ready to play when it's their turn and don't act quickly is the issue. But like, it's just hard when it gets windy and greens get crispy, like the four footers are way different and people have to grind over them

and you miss them and you got another comebacker and it's like, yeah, I mean, what would this narrative have played out the same way if the coverage was different? Or there were more cameras on the course. You know, if you could just show six guys on a Thursday, I don't know if the narrative would be the same or if the pe...

If there were more cameras show more, you could flick. And so I just think it's the narrative that's been played out and it's trendy and it doesn't mean that it's true necessarily or the number one problem facing golf. How would you react if you were like, you know, I do want to single the guy out, but I feel bad doing, I don't want to put you in a shitty spot, but like JB Holmes, like if you were in the final group with him and he's taken close to two and a half minutes to hit an approach shot, like how would you handle that from a psychological perspective on your own side

and then be after the fact? I'd just be able to, I don't know, later on with a bottle of wine and Twitter. To save my trunk? Yes, everybody handles it. A couple quickly before we got to head to dinner here shortly. But I wonder what you think of the new rules. Have they had any effect on you?

Do you think they're dumb? Do you think they're worthwhile? I've had a sore back for a while anyway. So the amount of drops I took in one round in Saudi Arabia didn't help. How was Saudi Arabia? All the worst thing that happened in Saudi that week, there was it. How was Saudi Arabia? I wouldn't go. I didn't love it.

Yeah. I didn't love it. No, I didn't. Why not? It was boring, you know. A big part of my enjoyment at Gulf tournaments honestly comes down to the hotel, the food, and the social side of it. That's the big thing, obviously, that's different in Europe. I always like to socialize at night, glass of wine, whatever. That adds so much to the experience of being a golfer on tour, than going in your hotel, having your car, going in your hotel

room. I mean, it's just, I couldn't lift like that. So, it wasn't under that. It was like a place lounge or weekend, whatever. But I was on the rules. The rules. I mean, like anything, I think they're all putting with good intentions. I can't believe for any moment that anyone thought that they were bad ideas is just as with everything. Any policy to get to put in place, something happens that you don't foresee, and it makes the whole look of the lore, whatever, look foolish, and that's clearly what's happened, but I know I tweeted about them being contancers

of men that play the game, but I just, because I didn't want to do anything about women. Please don't stop tweeting. I know you seem a little frustrated by it, but it is a breath of fresh air, doesn't it? What, which are the new rules most frustrating to you? Which one do you think needs to be changed? Well, I mean, the whole, how tongue-on-and-the-danny McCarthy thing was just so blatantly not enhancing his, given him any advantage, that the penalizing was just stupid. I mean, it's obviously stupid, so probably that one comes to mind, yeah.

I think for me, it gets back to, when you see that happen and cool, like the USGA and the RNA want to make things more intent based. And then you see a guy anchoring his putter on his chest. Well, yeah, I mean, I only anchored it three or four times today. So, only that one, Sean. All right, we got to run. Thanks, Eddie, for coming by. It's great to have you back on and congrats on all the success and best of luck the rest of the week. I say, only that one, Sean. All right, we got to run. Thanks, Eddie, for coming by.

It's great to have you back on and congrats on all the success and best of luck the rest of the week. I've thanks. Appreciate it. Yeah. Just going to make a joke about, go having my boxes this week. I mean, I want to always talk to that, see you this time.

You can make whatever content committee joke with. You had, and we'll just play it out. We'll play the outro music right over top of it. Yeah. I can't. Bye bye. Give it a big thumbs up. Peter Wright Club today. Yes.

That is better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most. Better than most.