No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 4: Part 2 - Kyle Porter

Episode Date: June 20, 2014

In the second part of this week’s podcast, Soly chops it up with Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS). Kyle writes the Eye on Golf blog for CBSSports.com. Kyle discusses Martin Kaymer’s US Open victory and what it... The post NLU Podcast: Episode 4, Part 2 appeared first on No Laying Up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That's better than most. How about in? That is better than most. Better than most. Better than most. Welcome back to the No Layin Up podcast. We have another great guest for you. We have from CBS Sports.com. Golf writer, blogger extraordinaire, Kyle Porter. Kyle, what's going on, man? Not much, I appreciate you having me, man. I've been wanting to do this for a while, and yeah, I'm excited. Yeah, thank you very much for coming on. We've been trying to figure out technological aspects of the podcast, and I've been looking forward to having a bunch of you guys

on, and I appreciate everyone for sending questions in and for tuning in, downloading. and appreciate everyone for sending questions in and for tuning in, downloading. So as a dom now you can follow Kyle on Twitter at KylePorterCBS. I don't know why you wouldn't be doing that already if you are following up. But we're going to talk about a few things. Obviously it's about the US Open. We're going to try to talk about the British Open, Ryder Cup. I know I just recorded a podcast with Shane Bacon a little bit ago. Probably going to have some overlap there. Kyle didn't hear it, hasn't heard what we said. So we'll just warn everyone about that. But all right, let's start with the

obvious easy one, Flarting Timer, 8 Shot Wind, the US Open. I haven't really seen anything along these likes for anyone not named Tiger or Rory really in my lifetime. It's kind of a snooze fest, according to a lot of people, I don't know about you. You've seen a big blowout like that. I think it's, I for some a golf nut like me tuning into a big blowout, it's just as interesting as watching a closed tournament, but what were your big takeaways in the weekend? Well, it's funny because I feel like on Saturday morning I was rooting for him to triple-doke every hole and then by some day after noon. I mean, the only thing I was rooting for on the B9 was for him to get to 10 under and for nobody else to be under par just because you know like when we go back in

in eight years and look at that leaderboard which I know we both do I think it's cool to see you know nobody under par and then Kym or just you know I 10 or whatever he was going to get to end it up at nine under it's different you know I got to just an awful rating, which I feel bad for NBC about, but I kind of like you. Like, and not even in the not even in the sense of like just watching guys struggle, but just watching how good he was. It was, it was a lot of fun. And, and, you know, I feel bad for him and, and, and for just kind of the entire tournament just because nobody cared. I mean, I mean, and Rick Spinson said it on Sunday, he was like, you know, Kymre killed the tournament in the first few days that he really did. And, you know, you saw that by the rating and

by what people were saying on Twitter and whatever, but I thought it was tremendous. And I thought, you know, I wish there was kind of more like F.U.D. a carmer, you know, like I wish he would have like clubs bliss, rifties, and he didn't. And I don't know if he has that in him, but he's a great golfer and I think he would be a great kind of villain type guy for the U.S. guys to kind of face down with every next couple years. Yeah, the problem with that is he's such a nice and classy guy like he's not in polter he's not going to

ruffle anyone's feathers i mean i i wrote about this after the players the first thing he said in his interview after the players he talked at length about jordan speed and about how good of competitive he was and he was almost talking to the american fan saying like you guys have a great guy to root for for several years, he's a tremendous person, tremendous competitor. And he did almost the same thing after the round.

The first thing he started talking about was Ricky Fowler and how, you know, almost the same exact thing, how classy Ricky was and how great it was to play with Ricky. And it's like, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, It's like, time is really, really hard to root against. I agree is not the most exciting story and most exciting name. I mean, if Rory had won this thing by age, we would be going nuts. So it's true. People were complaining about, if this was Tiger winning by 8, everybody would be losing their minds, and it's true. You know who he kind of reminds me of, and maybe this is just because of the last two guys

to win the US Open, but Justin wrote, he's kind of like, just in terms of his demeanor, his body type. I don't know, I feel like they're very similar. Yeah, I mean, they're both just supremely talented and I mean, I know we'll talk about it later, but the writer cup is just going to be, I mean, he's going to be bloody. It's going to be awful. Oh, God. You know, I haven't thought about this comparison so just now and he's obviously got a ways to go before to fulfill the resume, but I can kind of see him being this generation's

Nick Fowdo as far as kind of the quiet foreign guy and Gran Fowdo one six majors, Kymru's got two, I'm probably getting two far ahead of myself, but foreign guy, you kind of what do the wilderness there for a little bit with some swing changes, style to us, some very well-documented swing changes. I know Kymar's save does not play well at Augusta, but I feel like he kind of can take over that kind of person. I think we see a lot more Justin Rose on the US tour and we don't really know Kymar that well. I think I guess probably going to change.

I'd like to see him play more in the state. I feel like he just play more in the state but he just plays more on in europe and i'd like to just a row dot yeah well the swing-tang did you did you see on the what you have to do is interview like on the course right afterwards and he was talking about how he needs to tweak and swing for for aa and everybody's like, no, no. No. But no, I think the photo comparison is actually a pretty decent one. I did a piece today and looked it up.

The only three guys to ever win double digit times on the European tour and have more majors than Kimer. So have three or more, excuse me, the only Europeans to do that are Fowdo, Padre Carrington and Sadi. That's it. Those are the only Europeans that have one double digit times the european tour and one three or more major so i mean timer is really like at twenty nine and i mean if he does anything in his thirty she's looking at a

you know i've been one of the top fifteen ten five european offers of all time oh absolutely that's what i mean he uh... fifty twenty nine i mean mean, he, uh, he was in age 29. I mean, you know, he was, you know, he was, you know, he was, he was nesting number one in the world. He was what, 26 or 25 at the time. And he was 25.

Yeah. And, and you don't get to number one by being a fluke. I don't, I don't buy any of the people that were, you know, call him a fluke number one or, you know, yeah, it was a downtime where no one really established themselves as number one, like during, like, once Tiger had, had downtime where no one really established himself as number one, like during, once Tiger had fallen off, but you cannot get to number one in the world, I'll be in a fluke. And to see him come back like this, I don't want to say I written them off, I just didn't see this in them. I thought it was kind of like, you know, you had your run,

I didn't see him as a guy that's going to come back, but there are no weaknesses in that game. I mean, people want to talk it's chipping and scrambling you know whatever hundred seventy s whatever it is on tour but that swing is automatic and he can roll in the ten footers as well that i have had for not a year from camera well he kind of made the uh... i mean he was a guy i feel like i'm a number one list that it did you look at it i think there have been i don't know seventeen eighteen guys and he was a guy that you're like wait

what like he was the one but i i feel like with his with his win you know that the players in the u.s. he's kind of made i don't know maybe we've done that guy uh... maybe maybe westwood i don't know i i have to look at that i can't there are probably maybe even lose them i think he was number one for a while yeah i mean i'm i'm all in on camera i think heum. I think he was number one for a while. Yeah. So I mean, I'm all in on camera.

I think he's just, I think he's santa. I mean, he didn't even need to chip. I mean, he just putt. So I can't even use his legends from around the green. So I think he's great. I think he's awesome. Yeah, I think, again, I've kind of developed a man crush on him just because he's almost, he's almost

helped me pay a month of rent i mean i picked them before the players and i i was riding with them after thursday read i didn't take a look for the term for the week but i bet on a matter of Thursday and after friday uh... what what what what what what what what what what is on after such a after thursday was for the one i got a four to one and then yeah after well i mean a three shot lead with 3-1, 54 holds to play.

It doesn't really mean anything you know. I mean he could, he could easily, the rain on Thursday night helped him a ton and he went out and you know posted another 65 before a lot of the guys had either teed off and then he was, I think it was minus 150 after at one one point, right after, and I think before the rest of the guy finished. But there were, there were some times on Saturday, especially, where it was in doubt. I mean, in birding 18 on Saturday, I thought kind of seal the tournament for him. And he was only a foreshadowing when he lined up when he teed off on 18 on Saturday.

But it's easy to forget that now after he just went and blew everyone away on Sunday. Yeah, it was on the number four that he had in the plane. And then he gets away with Bogey and you're like, what just happened? He was looking at like double or triple and then he just, you know, he Bogey's. And then he comes back and he goes to this and it's like, wow, this is going to be a long weekend I guess. Yeah, I mean, I think he doesn't make that equal. And then, you know, that's a two shot lead then on 18.

So I mean, it's, yeah, it was a masterful performance from the absolute get-go. And it's not a lot of guys that have that gear. You know, we talked a little bit on podcast last week about, you know, when Rory hits this top gear, no one really can touch him in the same age, but I think Rory top gear gets a absolute run for his money from Kimer at this point. I mean, I mean, Rory in his top gear doesn't shoot better than nine under par this week. agree uh... we were in in what said that again rory and what year rory in his top gear like his uh...

uh... it's right there man i mean there's there's what five guys in the world four guys three i mean i i don't i don't know how many guys there are they they could have done it you know it doesn't johnson said something interesting on sunday after his round he said something like it was almost like he wasn't impressed by what kind of date. Like, he was like, yeah, that's cool. It was kind of out there. And I'm like, what are you talking about?

Like, it was out there. Nobody else has even like three under. You know, I don't, yeah, I don't know. I feel I still put Rory up there. Rory's kind of a guy that you know And maybe that's just my man crush on him speaking, but I just feel like he's his Best game. I don't know. Maybe Kymers is right there The line that I ended with

My my peach today was you know maybe you know is's time for the guy that we all kind of want for our thought Rory was gonna be. And not that I'm writing Rory off, but just saying, it's a great question. I mean, he's been up and down the last 18 months and he has a lot of PGA school and almost 18 in our 19 months or whatever it is. So, you know, it is interesting.

Like, I kind of spend lights out this year. Yeah. I just, at one point, for what we've been at dawn through at this point of this year, and the results, we have a hell of a lot of excitement. The whole year, let's just call it, what it is. At some point, two of these guys are going to run into it at the same week, right? I guess Colonial was really our only time where we got two guys going head to head. And I mean, that was awesome. I mean, you can't really draw up a much better playoff in tournament than Colonial finish. But for the most part, we can't get two guys making a run at each other in a major.

Like, Bubba and Spieth, the front nine was interesting, but once they made the turn, there was very little doubt. But we just can't and it's even more the lpga seems to be in the jackpot every weekend we can't seem to but we can't buy a story line pgator no it's been i mean i'm not afraid to say it's been bad it i mean it hasn't been it just hasn't been that fun you know like you keep thinking that you're

gonna like you said you're gonna get a week where where you get to guys that are that are just lights out and and trading punches on a bag nine and there's just nothing better like I don't know you know I was actually thinking about that today with the British hope and you know do we see it that way that the week where we get a you know like a like a foul or I, I don't know if I can't get the burn show, but you know, you guys that are, that are really good players that are, that are trained blows that, you know, it needs to happen at some point because it's been a, it's been a really lackluster year.

Right. I mean, the golf show's playing right now, the 2013 British Open. It was only a year ago. You look at the leaderboard they had that Sunday. That, it does not get any better than that. I mean, obviously Phil won. Westwood was winning. Mayhem was there.

Tiger, Stinson, Adam Scott, Polter, made a run on Sunday. I mean, it can't happen. You know, you forget how it seems like it's been for ever since you've had a great tournament. But at minimum, at least the last at the 6 or 7, we off top of my head, going back, major winners we've had have all been really noteworthy and worthy of winning. We haven't had the fluke, the fluke guy come up and win a major at least, but I feel like

we're destined for that kind of the way this season has gone. We've gotten, gotten fortunate with the guys that have won the majors this year, but I guess transitioning to the British what first of all Khoi Lake as far as I know that the only time they ever played that was in 2006 right? That was the first time they played there with Tiger 1 I think so. I'm pretty sure it was yeah, and the from what I've seen the pictures are Completely different than when you won in those six because the six because it Oh six remember it was completely dried out perfectly brown Donald Trump that's gonna want to turn his eyes away from this event from that event I mean it was it was it was hilarious I don't think

Tiger get a driver the whole week he just hit stingers the whole time but the pictures of it this year it's perfectly green it's like Trump bought it in between the two majors. I mean, it's going to be absolutely lush and a completely different golf course as far as I can tell. So I don't know enough about that course to really say, who is favors? But I feel like, first of all, do we think Tiger's going to be back for it?

And who do we feel like? I feel like I'd rather discuss who we're think is prime to win a major rather than who that course really suits. Yeah, the tiger thing, I don't know. I mean, I've kind of set all along. Is that the major to come back for up your back surgery? I mean, just the tournament to come by. I feel like it's going to be bridged down.

I really do. I don't, I mean, just a tournament to come back. I feel like it's gonna be bridged down. I really do. And I don't know, you know, there was, I know there was a report today he's hitting three quarter shots or whatever. I mean, I don't care. Like, he'll come back when he comes back. But, you know, in terms of like breaking through,

you know the guy that's really interesting that like Especially an America flies under the radar and and he probably deserves to because he's not that accomplished but And I'm in a butcher's name the victor victor to the devison Do we solve do we sound? He's awesome, and I don't know you know, I like the guys that play a lot in Europe. I just, the whole Peter Ewan, Peter Ewan, Brooks Kepsketh, thing, I like the guys that test themselves and they try different courses.

And they're not playing colonial every week, or the John Deere. You know, whatever. They're all the same course, right? Right. Yeah. It's not it. You don't build your creativity and You don't you don't nurture that and so I don't know I I tend to favor the guys I feel like that the play a lot of European survey. I say that and of course still goes out in one five I feel like it's the coil lot of European survey. I say that and of course, still goes out in one five.

Even though he just wanted to scout a show for this one, which by the way, that's a pretty good dub. That's a pretty good back-to-back. Oh, yeah, a little bit. I mean, is that, what do we compare that? I mean, I don't even know if there's a good comparison on the PGHR. That's a strong two-week stretch.

Yeah, I mean that's what's interesting I said that before is Between the Masters and the US open it's our longest gap between majors obviously other than between season and They jam pack a lot of great events between the Masters in the US open almost doesn't let up I mean you got near feel in there. I'm big fan of colonial, well hollow, a lot of great courses, players, and players. And there are players. Yeah. I feel like this stretch between the US Open and the British Open is kind of a

decent time to maybe plan a family vacation, maybe get in some rounds of golf, you know, on your own. You know, get the travelers this week and the quick and long national, like a congressional, green briar than a John Vier classic. I kind of look at the events like, it's a filler tiger events, kind of, you know, they worthy of those two guys and other than when they sneak money into their bank accounts and the green briar, those guys aren't playing any of those. You know, so it's kind of a weird wall in between before the British, but the British comes quick. It's right around the corner. Yeah, one thing, and I don't know how you felt about this, but I wish that they would

and I don't know the best way to do this, but I wish that they would spread the majors out better just in terms of like, I mean, we've got like 200 and how many days between the TGA and the masters. You got the, you got the, you got the big break between the masters in the US and then it's like, you know, British and then, British and then PGA, like in like, whoa, and you're like, what, like it's over, like, that's it. And I don't know. I suggest that maybe moving the TGA if February, I don't know if that makes sense. I don't even know what you could do.

But it feels like they need to spread it out better. Well, so they have to play in August to avoid football season. I mean, I would think that's the reason. Right? I mean, you can't. That's the reason I made the FedEx couples have at least something competing with football season, but if you put the PGA up again, you know, even a week, three Sunday and a fell match up, you're getting killed in the ratings, right?

I mean, that's got to be a thought process. I mean, the FedEx is even, it's true. It's a lesson. I mean, it's contrived, made for money. Yeah. That's fine. You know, it's contrived, made for money. Yeah. That's fine. It's better than what it was.

I mean, and I'm a big fan of the wraparound schedule, too. The more meaningful golf tournaments you have, I'm going to watch the big golf fans are going to watch. But obviously, you're not going to draw in the casual fans away from football no matter what. But I was interested in how the major championships go from, I think my favorite to my second favorite to my third favorite to my least favorite. You know, and a lot of people put the British open above the US open, but I just think it is interesting

how the prestige of them, I feel like declines one by one as you go along and then when you're finished, you kind of wait eight more months for the masters to come around. I mean, I agree I don't have a solution to it though, you know, unless you played when you're finished you can't wait eight more months for the masters to come around. I mean, I agree. I don't have a solution to it though, unless you played it. I don't know if you moved the PGA to February if that really does anything. I think that the West Coast swing and the Florida swing are both great stretches of tour events. So I always wanted to kind of sit down and do a column, do a piece on how I'd be arranged to schedule and what courses I would go to, but I guess too much for me to bite off and actually do.

Yeah, I think I did one where they, like, if you had a world tour and you combined, I think I did that. I need to dig that out. I'll send that over to you, but yeah, because you could do. I added to where you were like like i think i did have p g a february which i thought it like i i i wrote it and i'm like i don't know that kind of feels weird like it it wouldn't he would almost be lots of a big deal that it is now and it's not a big deal now you know i mean compared to the other majors maybe the do like a uh...

you know like a hundred-hole players PGA combination, like for the fourth major or something. Well, listen, what do you think of our idea of what they could do with the match play? And we're up for ideas on how to think through. We have it. It's not perfect. But here's our basic idea. Is you see to everyone one through 64, right? And if you're, once you're number one, you're number one, you pick where you go in the bracket, all right?

So number one, the ranking, you put Tuesday night, all right? You don't get to prepare for your opponent. Tuesday night has telepied, and you put drinks in front of all the players, okay? And you're in a room at whatever hotel. I'm in, I'm in, you don I'm in you don't even tell me okay So let's say Patrick Reed let's say let's say he was white hot then I don't remember what he was cranked the world. Let's say he was 15 you can't tell me that

That's some the 30th ranked play basically you could call guys out you get the call guys out that you want So when he puts his name up there, he's at risk to get matched up by anyone. So, the 20th Marine player may want him in the first round and they may slap it right up. I tell me that wouldn't be incredibly dramatic. You get drinks from these guys, booze and all, televised live.

Some of them make that event infinitely more exciting. Oh, wait, so, let me get this straight. So, if I'm just stuck number one in the world, like he goes up there, does he pick, like if he call out like, Juicy, just like, does he get to, like, just say, no, so I would think, well, all right, here's what I'm thinking. Okay, we don't have this all worked out.

This is still very much work in progress. So we'll take it the idea. But let's say, I was not can pass, right? You can, you can not put his name up. You can go to the next guy. You can decide to put his name up or not. Let's say it finally falls down and patch read puts his name up and Adam Scott wants him round one. to like future at five and he's like okay I'm putting my name up there and then so you go back to Scott He said now I don't want to put future and then and then all the way to I mean that would take like 10 hours Wouldn't it? Oh, yeah, the house with the heat up

You have to make it like they do like the NFL draft so you have to make it like a three day event or something Yeah, well all right, so he's played or gets like a buzzer and yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. You don't have to go around the room and it's like say Adam, do you want to put your name up? No, I'll pass the get now. If you're if you have a higher priority than a guy, you can ring a buzzer and you get to go right out there and put it up there. Like, let's say you've got to have it up there within 20 seconds or else it passes you or something like that. The funniest part about that would be, you know, would be all the guys up there and then like, like, Steini's up there. Like, he's just been Steini up there. Like, you know, yeah, I want Patrick.

No, you've been Ted Scott up there and thennded blinch of what he's the bad pat chef. That's amazing. I mean, I haven't heard a better idea from Ashley. What's thinking of Ashley? Have they just signed it on a course for next year, you? No, I was talking to, I'm going to butcher his name. I don't pronounce it. Steve DeMeglio, USA Today, I was talking to him at the range. Yeah, yeah.

At Memorial. They don't have a sponsor and they don't have a course yet. He thinks they're going to take a two-year gap in playing match play. It's not going to come back until 2017, I think. Wow. I don't know if he had inside sources on that, but that's my source on that. I'm not going to do it, which I mean, it makes sense. Although I'd say I hate the event every year, and the first few days are actually really awesome.

It's just one of those few tournaments that gets worse as it goes along. You know, you have two matches out there. We're lucky. Actually, we were lucky this year. I was extremely exciting that final round. But for the most part, it's not. It's very rarely an exciting event towards the end. Yeah, it's kind of awkward to televised because you've got, like, you know, with the writer cup, you've got, I don't know, it's more focused and there's more guys out there. It just gets awkward at the end, like what's the chemise and stuff, and there's a lot of downtime, and I don't know, it's just a... I think they should, whoever, you know, whatever they decide to do, whoever has the rights,

I guess it was NBC had it, they should just televised that draft thing and just free it the golf, like, dumb even, and they don't even telepise the golf. So we actually, we can't figure out how to materialize this yet, but we actually also have an idea. One of our contributors, Kyle Bailey, is written a piece on how you remember like the battle at Big Horn back in like the early 2000s, or like the showdown at Sherwood, those made for TV. Yeah, at night, they had them at night. Yeah, so we're going to bring that back in a sort of, it's part big, it's part like golf channels, big break, part survivor,

part battle at Big Horn, part hunger games, and part keeping up with the Kardashians style televised television show event. We're still trying to piece together some of the rules and whatnot, but it's basically guys that are having either, basically almost lost status with the tour or have nothing else to lose. And if they win this event, they get like a two-year exemption on tour. But it's going to be like kind of humiliating. Like some of the stuff they have to do, like John Van DeVel have to go back to his spot

at Carnus and try to play it out of the water. So is it like, is this like starring Anthony Kim and season one or what? Let's see some of the names you threw out like Christa Marco rich beam Michael Campbell and if he keeps it up Pod Patrick Errington's gonna be right there in the mix Christa Marco would be tremendous. He would be whatever it is. He would be awesome. That would be awesome That would be great. Yeah, so we're, yeah, again, we're, that's a good, a conceptual idea we have that we haven't been able to put, put, put, put yet, put on paper yet, but that's kind of been our theme lately, so. But if we're going to talk about it, we might, I guess we might as well get

it over with, Ryder Cup. It is, it's ugly. It's ugly, and I, can you try to explain to me? All right, usually when you see, I see a line or odd that look absolutely ridiculous, it's ugly. It's ugly. And I, can you try to explain to me, usually when you see, I see a line or odd that look absolutely ridiculous, it turns me off from wine to bed. But please, I remember, I read your piece today, but I think you advise betting your mortgage on the Europe team at minus 110.

What, how would they minus 110? I don't know what you're saying. I mean, is Vegas scared of Kevin Noth? Like, well, I don't know. I mean, is Vegas scared of Kevin Nah? Like, well, I don't understand what the... I mean, the guy... And seriously, Tom Watson has to be like, you know, trying to get the open and the PCA from like, banning Brendan Todd and Chris Kirk and Kevin Nah from playing in it, because they're all the border of stealing the last couple of spots from like, I can't remember who I think Patrick Rees 9, Nicholson's up there.

I mean, you're going to have to waste a captain's stick on like, back and Nicholson, I mean, it's going to be so bad. We love to joke. I mean, I wish I didn't say love because it's a complete horror show But we like to joke about the 2006 writer cup whenever But I could say if you ever think you can't do something in life Just remember that JJ Henrik Brett wetter and Vaughn Taylor played on the U.S. United States writer cup He's anything possible in your life

The Vaughn Taylor one, I mean all of them, but the Von Taylor one, I'm just like, what, how does that happen? Did he qualify on points? That's with nuts. I know, well, they all, I'm sure they all did. They weren't captain's tanks, were they? You're right. No, the captain's tanks were Stuart Sink and Scott Verplank.

I've almost got this memorized. I've referred to this so often. It's hilarious to me. They lost 18 and a half, nine and a half, and they should be commended for that. I mean, what that team did they want over there was. That Johnson was a rookie on that team at age 30. But yeah, I feel like we're heading that way. A lot more than we're heading to a close encounter. I think you talked about a team in your column, but as of now,

Europe has duplies on, born, stenson, donaldson, lorry, kimer, sigio, donald, and rose. Then they get to choose from polter, Miguel on Hellman as Lee Westwood and Graham McDowell for three more spots. Like, yeah, it can't go wrong. I mean, who's the, I mean, like Bjorn and donaldson, I guess, are your weak spots? I mean, I don't know. Actually, the interesting part about that is, the orange was injured for the US health. I don't know if that's a lingering.

I think it wasn't that big of a deal, but he doesn't really miss majors. So I don't know if that'll be, you you know keep him out for an extended period or whatever but I just yeah I mean who does the the the most interesting part about all that is in Tudor's McGinley takes her for Europe like I mean you believe you leave less with off the team that's I don't know. It can get worse for the U.S. actually. If high-end or polter or macro-roy passes, I'd say, do we sound beyond endolumpton,

which could happen if it passed them on a European point list, then that's going to make either polter, MNAs, or Gallagher eligible via the world point list. And that, right, I don't, if we've been able to have a captain's choice, I don't think Bjorn Donaldson's gonna be song, maybe to be song, but I don't think they're really to pop up his list. If you can eliminate some of the decisions he has to make,

that team is going to be absolutely unclogical. And then we're talking about a US team that still has Patrick Reed in the 9th spot. I don't think he holds that. I mean, I don't think there's anything anyone else reallyU that still has Patrick Reed in the 9 spot. I don't think he holds that. I mean, I don't think there's anything anyone else really thinks that other than Patrick Reed probably thinks he's gonna be in the number one spot. But he's going out like, you think he's the anchor on some to ask? He's worried.

He wonders why he's not captain even if he's pretty sure that's what I'm saying. Sorry, that's never gonna get old for me. I've never caught Joe because he's about to say, that's never going to get old for me. I will never cut jokes about that. That's how bad this season is. Our best running jokes we have are about bubble essence, caddy and Patrick Reed's post-ground comments. That's always had to work with this year. Well, I know. You just try to think of more subtle ways to say it. Because the top five thing is, everybody has that joke. How do you say it more subtle ways to say it. Because the top five thing is like, OK, everybody has that joke. But how do you say it more subtle is in that?

That it's still funny to everybody who knows what you're talking about. That's what we're working with, right? I mean, you're right. I guess it's been that bad. But I mean, what is, I mean, seriously, what is Brendan Todd and Kevin Naal qualify for this team? What I mean, I mean, I think that's two very separate questions.

After Todd won, I wrote, I think, in the recap. Look, I don't think we're looking at the next big US star. They had a great week. I don't mean to take it away from them. But he's actually impressing me more since his win than he did with the win. I mean, he finished tie for fifth at Colonial, time for eighth at Memorial, time for 17th at the U.S. Open last week with a third round, 79. I mean, I think I may have missed something with this guy.

I didn't see him coming. I think I'm not afraid to put in Brandt Island rider, Captain LaSera right now. It's not my number one option. Kevin, I'm not interested at all for a whole myriad of other reasons. Tim, and a US writer, a team of four-hundreds soil. You know, that might be some of the material that we're looking for, so maybe I am rooting for that as well. Because that could be an absolute freak show. I mean, right? Him and Bob appeared during forces, or the plain alternate shift i tell off that would be

oh my god it would be just high comedy you know what's interesting is you're looking at you know and i don't know how it'll turn out but um i mean almost half of the you well i guess like a third of the u.s. team could be Georgia gas i mean you got bubba and then the Harris English, Chris Kirk and Todd are all right there. I don't know. I can't remember if there's another him leaves up there. I think. Well, and Kutra is Georgia tech guy too.

And it's interesting. And interesting dynamic. And Patrick Green probably tries to try to claim Georgia, even though you know, I've got to say it or what. Well, you can't rule out what he did though in college. You know, he's a couple times champion there on the college level. You know what, you know what pisses me off is that I went to Oakville State. And he was on the team, he was only a guest to state team that be the Oakville and the state team that hadN. Morgan Hoffman, Kevin Toy, and there was somebody else on our team that's on I think Web.com or something, but he just smoked U.N. I mean,

I just smoked him. And it was in still, I mean, it was a carpet increase in still water, and it was just, it was a car to increase in so water and it was just it was not good. I yeah I've not been a Patrick Green fan for quite a while now. I guess I'm from a group in Ohio, I'm not really that familiar with the college golf scene. So when you were at Oklahoma State, was that a big deal? Like how the golf team was doing at Oklahoma State? I didn't really thought of it like that. I feel like it's kind of a niche sport that golf stands pay attention to, but do it like a lot of a lot of Oklahoma State,

I guess students and fans pay that much attention to the golf team. Not really. You know, it was interesting in Oklahoma State because obviously, so far, basketball, you're, are your top? Sure. Yeah. Pretty much wherever.

But probably the third, like, biggest sport in terms of student interaction and involvement was wrestling. Wow. Yeah. I mean, it's a, you know, it's a local home thing, it's a Midwest type thing. But, you know, say it's your question, I really wasn't that big. I mean, I

can't get attention to it because I like all of this, but it wasn't a big deal amongst you. I mean, nobody, I don't think anybody could have other than maybe Fowler. I don't think anybody really knew who the golf guys were. Okay, that's right. Well, I guess I don't really know your story. What's your golf background? Are you like a player back in the day or how did you end up you know where you are now with the D.F. Yeah that's a good question. I actually grew up playing baseball. I went to high school in Houston.

I played baseball in my freshman year at a division three school called Trinity University in San Antonio. And then I transferred to Oklahoma State, walked on there, got cut after that. And then I started writing a little bit for our school newspaper, not a ton. After I graduated, my wife and I moved to Dallas. I actually got my MBA there. We moved to Dallas, got a job in insurance, and started my own, I was bored out of my mind.

So I started my own Oklahoma State football basketball ball that I still run actually. And from there, you know, I wrote about golf a little bit for that just because Oklahoma State obviously had a lot of guys on tour. And you know, my golf background growing up, I didn't, I never played competitively. I played a lot, you know, My grandfather was really into it. My mom actually played on some mini tours when she was coming up. So she was kind of the golfer of the family, I guess. And my grandfather always, you know, my interaction with it was that my grandfather had gotten a master's badge. It's back in 91 or 92. And so we got to go every year.

And so that was really, you know, that was awesome. Like that was a really special thing. And really just kind of hooked me into loving golf. And, but I had never, you know, like I said, I'd written about it a little bit from I've called a sandball, but not extensively. And the guys at PBS just kind of, you know, I knew what was going on enough, but it was really hot of on the job-orning.

It's about the nuance, it's about the specific stuff. But it's sort of blast, you know, they took a chance with it, and I've tried to have fun with it, and I feel like it's kind of pretty well-certain. Yeah, I feel like you kind of embrace some of the things, same things that we do as far as, a lot of people on the beat, I don't mean to criticize golf writers or golf writing in general,

but I feel like a lot of it sounds the same. And we're not kind of in the game to really report quotes or whatnot. We're here to share our takes on it and kind of take a fresh approach to covering the game. We're not traveling weeks or weeks from tournament to tournament. We don't know these guys very well, but it's a very interesting sport. A million people get to have a million different views at it.

We love reading your stuff and seeing how you view the game along with several other people that we've kind of met through this whole process. It's gotten like that kind of like bogging subculture of golf. I mean like you said, it's been really interesting to like get to know like you guys and bacon and Adam Sarsson and just like there's different guys. I feel like kind of appreciate like the little stuff, you know? I mean, like I enjoy reading AP stories about golf.

Just still like, find a little nugget that I want to blog about it, that I want to talk about. I don't know, it's just, it's a really interesting sport. And I think that a lot of the guys on tour are guys that you can relate to. And not in terms of obviously they're all wealthier and they fly in private to whatever. But they all look up to the scholarship ball. It's just that I do that are really talented at this thing that we all wish we were really talented at. Exactly.

It's a lot of fun. It's a cool sports in power. Yeah, I love your piece on talking about how you played in the program with Ricky Fowler. I think I don't know how much experience you have, a lot with tour guides and what not. But I felt like that was kind of eye opening to you. And I felt like you kind of think of one of the things that I've picked up

on the last couple of years in that I have a buddy that plays on tour, and I always thought playing on the BJ tour was the most glamorous, awesome life you could ever have. You just get paid all this money, you go from town to town, and you show up in your clothes or press in your locker or laid out for you and your clubs are waiting there. You just kind of forget, and you don't really appreciate the nuances of, you know, getting to a course at 8 a.m. on a Tuesday, leaving at 9, meeting with your sports ecologist,

you know, meeting with your trainer, working out, you know, getting timing on the range, putting green, playing, you know, it's placing holes in a practice round. And it's almost every week, and the, you know, I just sort of pictured it as, you know, they show up, they're cludder sitting there, and I picked up my buddy's airport, and you know, he had like five bags on him.

He was on the road for five weeks in a row. He's carrying his own club, he's got all this luggage. And that's kind of thing you don't really think about when you think about a tour guy's life. And I feel like, everyone's always wanting something from you, you know, asking you for autographs with this and that. And I oh, everyone's always wanting something from you. You know, asking you for autographs with this and that and I mean, how much, how much did you see that just in the one round you played with Ricky?

How so many people wanted something from him? You know, like that's got a wear off, you know, you think? Well, the thing that really struck me is that I, you know, I was trying, when I was trying to get into blogging and writing full time, I was trying to get away from this desk job where somebody told me where to be every day. And I was like, oh, well golf is the ultimate because the person, I mean, and I kind of did that. Like I kind of made my own schedule.

I worked from home and whatever. I was like, oh, well golfers do that too. I mean, somebody told him where to be every minute of that day. And, and, and Gray and his like, part of that was point off, so that's cool. But he doesn't really have this free time to do whatever he wants with. I mean, it's very, and it's like, I don't want to say the desk job, but it's very much a corporate job, and that you have your days very structured and planned out.

And so I think that people don't see that part of it. I think that they see the features that PJ Trouder condes have gone to people's big houses and shit, you know, and I'm like, well, I do that too. That's not, you know, those are that abnormal, but they don't show the faller being at a program at 7.30 in the morning and then doing an hour and a half for the interviews afterwards and then being at a dinner that night. And I mean, that's a long day, you know, and none of it really has to do with him doing the thing that he does every week, which is playing competitive golf.

Right. So, yeah, it's different than I think a lot of people think. And just sports in general, I think it's different than a lot of people think it is. Yep. No, I think, especially at sports like golf, or other than your endorsement money, nothing's thick. If you're not practicing, that could be hurting your game. If you want to go on a fishing trip with a buddy, you're playing well at the time, you could have be hurting your game. You know, if you want to go on a fishing trip with a buddy, like that, you could, and you're playing well at the time,

you could have completely killed your momentum. You make them back in that op-hate and fall as well as you were. You're so dependent on your own ability to focus and play weeks a week. It's not like other sports, you have guaranteed contracts. Like you look at, you know, something, something that's a pot on the 18th green that has the difference

in 100 or $200,000. You're like, Jay, these guys play for so much money, but compared to other professional athletes, golfers don't really make that much money. Yeah, sure that some of the top guys do, but it's not guaranteed, first of all, and it's not that much compared to a middle-of-the-road NFL or NBA player, you know?

Yeah, it's not. I got a question. Would you rather be the guy that was flying every week on the web.com, like maybe a Blaine barber or somebody like that, or would you want to be a guy that got his tour card that couldn't really get into that many events because they were full. Like, what fun do you think would be more difficult or hardy to do. I feel like the fun.com tour is extremely competitive. Like, there's so many, I'd say this to be like, so I'm like a two-handy cap, right? And whenever I play with a stranger or someone I don't know, that's a 25, 30-handy cap, inevitably asked, well, why didn't you were trying to play on tour It's like you know how many good golfers there are out there between a two Andy cap and the pros you see on TV It's it's impossible to describe it. I mean there's hundreds of thousands of golfers in between a two Andy cap and that and

There's to get to the web talk come to or is extremely hard like I thought the guy in high school He was our number one. He played in Northwestern and he never even made it on the web.com tour is extremely hard. I thought the guy in high school he was our number one. He played it in Northwestern and he never even made it on the web.com tour. He played the Hooters tour and other small tours. It's insane how competitive it is. Those guys are just wired so differently. I don't think I would want to be grinding on the web.com tour because I feel like it's the way that it's set up now. It's once you're on the tour, it's easy to stay out there for the most part, but it is really hard to set up now, it's once you're on the tour, it's easy to stay out there, it's for the most part, but it is really hard to get there now, especially with the new qualifying system,

which they'll get me started on how horrible the qualifying system is. But I mean, I don't know, it's such a competitive environment up there that I, you know, obviously I wish I had that much talent, but to be honest, it's not a lifestyle, I'm really jealous of. Unless you're one of the top 150 at minimum players in the world

I don't think it's that rewarding of a lifestyle or career. Yeah it's really not I mean I was even reading the oh David is it David Gossett what was the guy in the what's the Texas and I mean man like making I mean I just don't know I mean some of these guys like The amount of money they make I'm like, do you do something in the office like how do you how do you say like red? You know I just it's a it's a different deal and and people like think of Tiger and Phil when they think of all, you know, making $45, $55 million a year. And that's not very realistic. My eyes kind of got open a little bit with, you know, Shane, making your first guy that she had on.

We played together about a month ago. And I think he's a plus two handicap and he's's I mean he's legit like he's he's really good And he's trying to qualify for the US Open the last few years and he just you know, he can't even get past the local qualifying I'm like Like if you can't get past local qualifying for me. I mean how good are the guys that are, it's just amazing to me. And I know a lot of that is mental. It's a different ballgame when you have confidence and when you're mentally locked in, but it's pretty crazy. Yeah, I mean, I should retreat a little bit on what I said.

I mean, if I could get paid to play golf or living, I would love it a lot more than, you know, what I do as my full time job. But at the same time, I don't think I'd love golf if I was grinding it out, you know, trying to make a living off of it and was adding money writing on it. You know, I love playing golf now,

because it's like my getaway. But I mean, at some point, I feel like your love for the game kind of has to diminish a little bit. But, yeah, I mean, I'm not gonna sit here and act like I wouldn't rather be on the PJ tour right now. I've been writing on a blog about it for absolutely no money. You know, I'm just, yeah.

So, well, all right, man, we've kept you for 45 plus minutes and appreciate the time, appreciate all you've done for us and coming on. And yeah, we'll have to definitely do it again. And I told you I'm going to be in Dallas in about a month and we got to see it up. So. Yeah, for sure. Let's do it again.

Let's do it. Maybe after the, maybe you, I don't know, after the next couple of major, should we do it before or after the writer cut? I'm scared of like, I'm scared of if everything was going to happen to wrap up. I'm down to do it whenever, man. We can check in once that wants to bother so or we can kind of figure it out on the fly. So yeah, I love doing stuff like this. So any time you want to do it, let's say it. Let's head it up and get it down.

Cool. Alright, everyone, thanks for tuning in. Thank you for everyone to send questions in. Thank you, Kyle that sent questions in, thank you Kyle Porter from CBS, again you can follow him on Twitter at Kyle Porter CBS. And just remember no laying up. Be the right club, be the right club today. Yes! That is better than most. How about in? That is better than most. Better than most.

Expect anything different.