No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 51: Ollie Schniederjans

Episode Date: August 15, 2016

With a tour card locked up for 2017, and the Web.com Tour Finals ahead, I caught up with Ollie Schniederjans to talk about his experience so far on the PGA Tour, the Web.com Tour, sponsor... The post NLU Podcast, Episode 51: Ollie Schniederjans 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. Yes! That is better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the No-Lang Up Podcast. I'm Chris Solomon, joined today by NowwhatIsNowWeb.com tour player, next year will be a PGA tour player. He's made several appearances on the PGA tour thus far.

It was formerly the number one ranked Amateur in the world, Six-Time NCAA winner, ACC player of of the year is a junior and a senior. I can keep going man But your name is long enough as it is. I think I should just go with that. Oli Schneider, John's welcome to the pod What's going on man? What's up? Thanks for having me. Appreciate it. First question is I got to know how how annoying is it to have to repeatedly Spell out your name when you ever you call like a or airline or anything, and have to give your account information? Yeah, it's brutal. Actually, I did it this morning.

I left some belts in my hotel last week and had to call a hotel to have them ship it and it's every time they think I'm done when I put the R at the end of Schneider, then I say J and S and I think it's another totally confused. It gets old, but it's funny. I'm sure you're at least somewhat used to it at this point. But usually I would start with the background, but I also usually do some kind of a recap of a major event the Monday after it. The Olympics was close enough to a major event and I saw you set a couple things on Twitter

about it So I figured we'd debrief briefly on the on the Olympics But I saw you tweet last night you said Olympic golf on the wish list for me And I hope anyone else who gets the chance in the future to rep their country on the world stage So I think it's safe to say the Olympic competition registered for you did it did it hit you harder than you thought it would or What was the motivation behind saying that last night? Yeah, definitely think I hit me a little harder than I thought it would just got to watch it yesterday and to watch two superstar, you know, big time players coming down to the

end, have a chance to win gold. You could just see how much it mattered to them. And also, Cooters Run was pretty inspirational. And it was, I thought, an amazing, it felt different than watching anything else. Because you know they're not playing for money. They're playing for pride in their country. Anytime you can represent your country, it's an incredible feeling.

And especially on the world stage and the Olympics, I mean, it just felt like, it felt like nothing else, you could just watching it felt like something, you couldn't compare to a major or a Ryder Cup, and it was in its own category. I think it's such a special opportunity that you can't pass up on if you get the chance, but it was really neat watching,

getting to watch Stinson and Rose ballot out get the chance, but it was really neat watching getting to watch Stinson and Rose ballot out at the end, and it was a very worthy winner in Justin Rose. I think there's been too much focus on the guys that weren't there. Even throughout the week, they were mentioning it. I don't want to dwell on it too much, but I think it's interesting to ask a player like you to ask. Do you at least understand why the guys that passed on the event did or do you are you looking at kind of like wow It's pretty shocking if they did that

I definitely do understand why they didn't I think They probably regret it now because the players you know Said so much about it being you know one of their great experiences ever and you watch it on TV And you can see how much it mattered to them and it seemed like a bit they had an incredible week or even the guys who didn't play their best felt like they had one of the best experiences I've ever had and I think they probably regret it now but I think before you know that would be a tough decision for a lot of those guys because of the safety concerns and because of where it is just being in Rio Rio. If it were anywhere else, I think it would have made a big difference.

But I understand, but I bet they regret it now. So you think it's going to be full participation in Tokyo in 2020? I would hope so, and I would think so, yes. I think that would be on everyone's wish list now after this year, you know, the reviews from the players and from watching it. Yeah.

Okay, so I know you, just, it's only been one instance of it, but I want to ask, you know, as a player, where would you rank it? Let's say you could pick an event that you were going to win, and I want to run through a few events, and I want you to say whether or not you'd rather win that event or the Olympic gold. So if we came down to it, if the Masters or the Olympic gold, which would you prefer? That's definitely the Masters.

OK. They're going to go in kind of order here. So I want to see what the line is here. That's the ultimate. The Masters is the ultimate. OK. I figured that was a safe one to start with. But US Open. US U.S. Open.

Open Championship. Open Championship. PGA Championship. PGA Championship. So any of the majors I think are going to be top of the list still. I figured it all out. Yeah, I would say that would be the case for most players I would think, just because of the history there. This one's a little trickier because it's team event, but being on a winning Ryder Cup team.

Probably a winning Ryder Cup team would probably trump the Olympics still. I don't know, it's hard to compare. Like Henrik's sense of it saying it after it's hard to really compare it to the others. I think both are incredible, but just all the history of the Ryder Cup and how that's been a dream for so long. I think in getting to play on the junior Ryder Cup team and witness a Ryder Cup firsthand, getting to watch it when I was 16, I think just because of all those factors, I would pick the Ryder Cup. Okay. Players championship. up. Okay. Players championship. Probably would still pick the players championship. Memorial. This is probably where it starts to get close because the players isn't on the other league, but then it comes down to Big PGA Tour event or the Olympics. I think the Olympics is only once

every four years in such a unique thing. I think it's going to be a big deal. So I probably got the Olympic Gold over Memorial. That's where it would be the cutoff right there. All right, I'm from Dublin Ohio, so that hurts a little bit. I do understand it. It'd be close though. Very, very close. What about WGC? WGC is in the player's championship category. I picked that. Okay, interesting. All right. I think we can see where the line is drawn there.

Regarding the format of the Olympics, what was your reaction when you find out what the format was? Do you think it's a good one? Or would you rather see them change up the format for 2020? Both as a professional player and as a golf fan. You know, I think it's a, I think it worked out to be a pretty good format, but it definitely takes, you know, that means on Sunday there's really only it's going to be a handful of players that matter at all.

And then it kind of, it's kind of a weird thing that you can finish fourth place and it just doesn't do anything for you. So I can see them maybe making it more team and having it be, you know, a more of a USA as a group getting a medal or great Britain as a group getting a medal rather than an individual, but I don't know. I don't know. I think I kind of like how it worked out, but I'm not sure how they would do it with a team. I think it's definitely something they should consider though. How much of the event did you actually get to watch?

I watched the whole thing on Sunday. What did you think of the course from what you could tell on TV? It looked really cool. I thought it looked like it was in a macular shape. I thought the greens were good seemed like to be a great speed in firmness and there was you know some good test off the tee and it looked like it you had to have some big time shots and The scores I thought were perfect winning scores being you know just you know Double only three players got to double digits. I thought that was really good. So I thought they did a great job with the course. It looked like. It's hard to believe that they spent that much time building that course for scratch. I know it becomes a public course in Rio now, but it doesn't seem to me

worth it. Four days, I mean, the women are going to play it as well, but then it just becomes this course that doesn't get regular play as a former professional standpoint. It seems like a lot of effort for the Olympics, but I do understand why they had to do it, obviously. Yeah. Okay, well that's enough on the Olympics. I think I'm more interested in hearing about your background and what you think of tour life so far.

So just give us, I mentioned you earlier, I know a lot of the answers to a lot of these questions, but some listeners may not know. But you played four years at Georgia Tech. You came out in term professional last summer, am I saying that after the Open Shaper Chip, correct? Right. Where do you live full-time now? I live in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Just north of Atlanta. So if you're not on tour, are you 100% of the time home? Like, I travel enough. I don't yeah yeah I would say almost 100% just because it's so crazy how much golf you know we're playing this time of year but still only my first year and I'm kind of figuring that out and I'm sure there'll be reasons for me to go other places on off-leaks too for stuff I know I'm going to New York for a couple days after my next tournament just a little stuff like that but I definitely want to be home as much as possible. I also have a place in Jupiter

Florida so I kind of call that home to in the winter time December January. I go down there a lot. So you are third currently on the web tour money list you have you've essentially wrapped up your tour card for next year. What are your plans for the fall playoff events? I guess at this point you only have to play for priority in the basically my order in the shuffle and priority. So, and if you, if I were to be, if I were to win the playoffs, the four web.com playoff events, I were to be the highest earner in those, you know, then you, then you lock up everything. You don't have to worry about priority here in the players, championship, and everything

side WGC major so that's definitely the goal right now is to get geared up and ready for those playoffs bigger money as well than regular season and then I plan on playing Napa and Vegas and Mississippi Mexico and McLadry in the fall so full schedule. Wow getting right after it not any time. I like that. So you won the Air Capital Classic back in June and you lost in a playoff at the Serven Triga Championship. Did I say that right? Yes, that's right.

Did you in losing in that playoff in that Apologies, I don't even know how you lost it whether or not you lost to a birdie or not But was there anything that you've learned? In losing in that playoff and that's apologies. I don't even know how you lost it. Whether or not you lost to a birdie or not. But was there anything that you've learned? I guess in that playoff that helped you the second time around. Were you less nervous the second time around in a playoff? It was really pretty cool to get into the playoff. I actually, I birdied the last toll in regulation.

And he was in the group, last group behind me, and he had to birdie yet to get to the playoff. So when I made about a five footer for birdie on the last hole and I thought I might have just done it. So he clutched up and made a birdie and forced to playoff. And then on the playoff hole, I hit it through the fairway and kind of struggled from there. And he hit two great shots and knocked on the green and it was over before we even got to the green.

So that was a great experience getting to play on Sunday. I think I was in first or second place the entire round that day. I was right there all day and just to play a full Sunday right there in the mix was a good experience and I felt like I handled it really well and had a chance to win. And then I did not want to lose another playoff that I was for sure. So when I got into that next playoff, I felt the first playoff I was maybe a little a little bit nonchalant where it was almost like I was okay with whatever happened and I was gonna, you know, it was a good week and it was secured me, you know, a lot of things getting to, just getting to the playoff gave me a nice start to the year.

So I felt, I felt a little more relaxed in that first playoff and I think it might have costed me because I wasn't as careful on the T-shot. So in the playoff in which a tie I was like, I wanted to win that really bad. And it was cool to make that birdie bud and it felt amazing. Did it feel was the tension in the nerves? Was it very different than what you experienced in NCAA tournaments? I know you won several NCAA tournaments, you've played high level golf for basically your entire life, was the feeling that much different coming in both those playoffs compared to any

previous eventually ever played in? I would say probably a little different. I think it is not any easier than it was in college playing in NCWS, but a totally different thing. You're definitely playing for your team. You feel like you're there for your team also as an individual and your coach when it comes to college golf But I also feel like I'm playing for my team now the people who are helping me Helping me get where I am today in professional golf. So it's kind of you just want to you just want to make them make them proud and give it your best but There's it definitely feels a lot

more individual out here and everyone's on their own and nobody's really pulling for you as much as it is when it's in college golf. It feels a lot more. You have a lot more people you know living and dying on your shot when it comes to NCAA. It's a different but both extremely important to me so I have had a lot of experience with that so that helped for sure. Okay so I'm most curious I think in hearing about what your thoughts are on the qualification

system for the PGA tour. Basically, the rules changed, I think, three or four years ago in how you become exempt for the tour. Q-school basically went away and you can't go straight to the PGA tour through Q-school, you have to go to web.com. You attempted to go the route, basically in the last two years, both of the last two years, right, of earning enough non-member FedEx cup points to earn your card that way.

You had some success immediately when you turned pro last year, you had a couple top 25s in your first two starts. You were devastatingly close to making it into the web.com finals last year, missing out by a shot. I know you've said somewhere in an interview where you said that you were really surprised how much you learned on the year on the web.com tour. So what is your initial thoughts on the system and now that you've done a year on the web tour, what do you think any differently have it? As far as the system goes, I've always thought and supported the idea of having to go

through web.com first because I just don't think that you should be able to earn your PGA to a card by making it to just through Q-School because it's just such a kind of a crapshoot Q-School. I mean it's just like a couple tournaments and then you can just earn your PJ tour card. So I don't really like that you could do that before just get to the PJ tour through a couple of little Q school events that you might get lucky with. So I think it makes a lot more sense to have to prove yourself throughout a year of golf on the web.com tour. As far as for me getting the opportunity to have those sponsor exemptions was really cool and I love that

they do that for top players coming out of college and give them a chance to to go straight to the tour like John Rom has and he's played an incredible golf and earned it. I did not play very good golf. I played a couple good tournaments when I turned pro right away, but I made some cuts, but I never really finished inside the top 30 this year in my seven-starth. So I had a lot of improvement. I needed to gain because I was okay, but I definitely had a lot of room to grow. I played some good golf in college, but I had a lot of, a lot of room for improvement, for sure. You know, what John Romes doing is amazing, and he's completely earned his card through really good performances right out of college with his exemptions.

He's taking advantage of it, but I've had this year on the web.com tour to that has benefited me so much, just the travel and the 72 alternatives that we play more golf our first year of professional golf than I mean probably four times more golf than we ever have. Maybe three or four times more than we ever have in college or in junior golf. So just doing that for a living, playing golf for a living and having no school and figuring out how you go about your business is a lot. So having this year on the web to do that, I think just helps me go into my rookie year Much better version of myself than I would have been if I went straight from college So does it like does it shock you when something some but I mean maybe not speak is the best example

But guys like speak that are able to qualify with their seven starts and what brawm is doing is it now that you've gone through it Do you look at them kind of like what what they're doing out there is really special, is you have that much more respect for it now that you've tried it yourself? Yeah, you know, it is very impressive. But they were probably in a lot better place with their golf game than I was heading into that time. You know, I didn't really have a great senior year.

I had a great junior year. I had a pretty mediocre senior year. I was able to sneak into first-team American, but I wasn't sniffing player of the year. Like those guys were coming out playing their best golf. So I was not playing my best golf at the time. So it was definitely more challenging for me. I had a lot of things I needed to work on, but it doesn't surprise me that John Rahm or Speast or those guys have done what they've done because they've come out playing their, you know, they're playing their basketball from Bryson, you know, he was playing, playing some of the basketball for his life coming right out too. So I definitely was not in the

place with my game that they were, but it's still very impressive that they've maintained and gotten better that quick and been able to compete. But I know that Good Golf is good golf, and those guys playing Good Golf in college right before, and went straight out there and kept it going. I was not playing my best heading in. So are you, I was always curious, what is the actual process for applying for sponsor exemptions? Do you have to or your agent or your team have to physically apply for them

or what does that like for a player like a top player like you come to college? It's just emailing the tournament directors and giving them hopefully they know who you are and they know you resume, but you let them know that you're interested and would love the opportunity to get a sponsor invite. They get maybe a few every tournament. The tournament director gets to pick a couple of sponsor exemptions and you hope that what you've accomplished and the name you've created for yourself gives you a chance to be in that lineup of options for them and it definitely helps when you have a great agent as well who has some pull and Mark Steinberg certainly helped me get some amazing starts this year

getting a play you know Honda Classic and Wells Fargo and Tori Pines. I mean, I don't think I would have. I like to think I had a good resume, but I think that that didn't hurt as well to have Piger's agent help me out. Did you have any trouble getting exemptions to any events in particular that you really wanted to play in? Um, a couple, but I was so thrilled with what I was able to get. I mean, I was able to, I think I've played 12 tournaments on sponsor exemptions. That's just amazing for a kid coming out of college to get. I basically got every start I needed after I turned pro before the playoffs, which gave me the chance to make the web.com playoffs.

I was really close and then I got seven amazing starts this year. I mean to get, I think I had played, I think I had gotten in more tournaments than a lot of guys who had their card just on sponsor exemptions. So that was really fortunate and an amazing opportunity and experience and I've gained a lot from that. So would you say your, I guess if you evaluate your, let's look at it separately, your PGA Tour season and your web season this year, you had seven starts on the PGA Tour season. Did you play differently on those two separate tours or how would you evaluate your success on the P would you evaluate your success on the

PGA tour versus your success on the web tour this year? Well I played about five terms on the PGA tour before the web season started and I was had a long way to go. I had a lot of things to get organized in my game and I was working on things and trying to get better and learning but I really didn't find my stride I would say until I played, I kind of changed some things I was doing at the week of Tori Pines which was my fifth sponsor exemption and that was before the first web season event even had started so I was kind of going through my process a lot early and I kind of found my stride when I got to, I made my first cut on, I missed the first two cuts I played on

the web and then the third event I started to kind of get in a little bit of a rhythm with what I was doing felt good about my game and that's kind of where I hit my first draw where I was making cuts and then contending I think maybe three or four times I contended in five tournaments and then that's kind of where I got going and the PGA Tour season was over at that point for me. I think I had the Honda Classic in Wells Fargo when I was starting to play good, I got to play those and I ended up missing the cut at both of those by one shot. I felt like I was playing pretty good but I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself and didn't play bad.

You know it's easy to miss the cuts out there on those courses so I didn't play bad and I'm missing the cut by one at both of those, but I was trending in the right direction I felt like about that time and then I've played two stretches on the web.com that have put me at where I had about two five tournament stretches separately that have put me to number three on the money list and obviously the two playoff events were big too. Did it help you to basically kind of have your PGA tour season wrapped up from a distraction standpoint that help you focus on what you're doing on the web tour? Yeah, I would say definitely because you look at some of the guys that have tried to balance it.

And I just don't think that that's a good recipe. As much as you want to play on the PGA Tour, it's kind of, I mean, it's this hard because you know one special week can change everything, but guys like Jonathan Bird and there's a couple others that have kind of tried to balance web.com and PGA2 and a lot of them are right on the edge of both tours and that's just a hard place to be in. I think it helped me to be able to put the PGA2 or behind me say, okay, the goal is to make it next year. So let's go take care of business on the web.com tour.

And I think I just kind of bought into that process for me and just try to get better every day, every week, and I have, and I accomplished that goal of locking up my cards for next year. Well, if we can super nerd out for a minute, I want to pick on something you just said there. You mentioned that you went for changing some stuff for around Tory Pines. What's an example of something you were changing that week?

And you said it pretty fully. You said you went through, you started going through my process. So it sounds like you had a particular process in place for when you do want to make a change. I'm curious to hear about that. Just my process as far as how I go about practice and my training.

So I started training in the gym a lot harder and hitting less golf balls I knew I had a good idea of what I wanted to do with With my swing and how I wanted my body to work So I spent a lot more time in the gym a lot less time on the range and more time on my short game and putting and wedges and really just pretty much restructured how I go about my practice and my training in the gym. And it's been working for me since I've gotten a lot stronger and my swing's gotten better without having hit balls.

In my short game and putting have gotten better from having more time on those, so it's a, I basically changed this structure about how, what I do in the gym and with my practice, and I've, I've kind of evolved with that since then. It's gotten to, where it is now, and it kind of always is fine tuning that, but that was kind of where it started. You're driving Johnny Miller crazy with these comments right now, by the way. Was that something that you reacted to from what you saw out on the tour? Did you just see players that were at a different fitness level than you were? What triggered that change?

I think just for me personally, I think everybody's different. There's plenty of players out there that don't touch a weight and do just fine. But I think for, if you look at all the most athletic players that have big swings that hit a far that require a lot of good body mechanics and strength and flexibility. You look at Jason Day and Rory and some of these and Dustin Johnson, some of these guys who I would compare myself to athletic wise and speed of swing and just how important it is to have the strengths in the right areas and basically the balance and all the things you need to swing your best. And I just felt like I was hitting too many balls on the range.

And I felt like if I got in the gym and spent more time getting that better, I would try to be less perfect on the range and just let my trust in my athleticism a little more. And also, when I'm in the gym, I'm not just throwing weight around. The main thing I'm doing is working on my technique. So when I'm in the gym, I'm working on technique. I'm not doing golf swing type exercises. I'm doing basic fundamental strength training. But I'm focused on my shoulders down, back, my chin, and place, my core activated, clueless fired, all that technique stuff.

And that way when I hit balls, I do it every day in the gym, so I got all the right, everything firing right away, and good posture and that helps my go swimming. Was there you've played with top players you basically you know your whole amateur career was there anything different in your starts on the PGA tour guys you played with or things you saw out there that you were like oh that guy does this really differently than me and I don't have that or I need to get that or was there anything out there that just kind of stood out to you like wow I've never seen that in person until just now. Yeah I mean there's certain players that

you watch that are that I've played with that I'm like man you know that they hit that shot a lot closer than I do so I mean I've played with I've played with some really good players on tour and the biggest thing I noticed was how good they were with their. I felt like in college I stood out big time with my short game and then on the PGA tour I saw that I was pretty average if that with my short game. And then with my wedges I thought I was a good wedge player and now I realize that's my weakness compared to these guys on the VGA 2 or who are shooting in the 60s every day because they wedged it to 5 feet at almost all the time.

So that was a part of the game that I thought I stood out in college and then I got there and then I was all all the way at the bottom. So that I've learned from watching guys and tried to ask them, you know, how they work on it, what their systems are, with their wedge games. And that's been a big room for improvement area for me this year. How, it sounds like you do look into it. And how much do you look at stats, analytics, strokes,

games, any of that? How does that work within your team? Do the two people prepare that information for you? It's impossible to get, I mean, it wouldn't be impossible, but it would take a lot of effort to get that stuff organized through web.com. Yeah. But I definitely pay attention to the PGA tour stats. So next year will be really nice to have those done for me.

And I think with all my play on the PGA Tour and my strokes gained, taking into consideration where my game was at the time, I was definitely at the bottom of the pack when it came to proximate to the whole with wedges, and I was shocked. I was shocked at that because I thought that was an area I didn't really have to worry about. I thought I was okay there and I was losing more shots because of errant t-shots But really I wasn't really giving away many shots off the tee. I was about You know maybe zero strokes gained off the tee and I thought it would be I would be hurting myself a little more there because I felt I was Errant, but I was actually losing more shots from my wedges

So I definitely pay attention to to the strokes gained and all those little stats and also helps you have Reality is to how close you should be hitting it So yeah after seeing how you stacked up and I know you said you didn't think you played great in your PGA tour starts. Do you feel like, let's say, today from a year ago, yesterday, a year ago today, do you feel that you are equipped from a physical standpoint and skill standpoint to be a consistent contender out there? Or are you like, look, these are still the major holes in my game that I still need to approve on or and I mean obviously you are you know you'll be a rookie on the

tour next year so it's not yeah nothing's guaranteed but is there is there something not there where you're like man I'm still still have this big hole yeah I think there's definitely a lot of room for improvement with me still I've gotten a lot more organized with my wedge game and I think I still have a lot of room for improvement with my wedges and just consistent c with my ball striking as well I think I think when I'm playing good golf for me that I can compete no doubt content on the PJ tour but it's a matter of for me to do it weekend, week out. I still have I still have some fine tuning to do there for sure. I'm still have some things I can get better at, but

I know at this point to the level I've I've been able to get to. I know that if I'm playing good golf for me, I'll definitely have chances to win next year on the PGA tour. No doubt. for me, I'll definitely have chances to win next year on the PCA Tour. No doubt. When you, so you being the McCormick medal winner, you got into both of the opens last year's enameter, you finished tie for 12th at the Open Championship last year. What kind of very broad questions, I don't really know how else to ask other than like, what did that feel like? I mean, for a major championship, you had to finish the top 15, a shot out of the top 10. Did you feel like were you kind of surprised by that or you're like, no, this is the player I am, this is what it's going to be like? Yeah, that was really cool. I definitely always envisioned myself having chances to win

majors and I definitely, it's in my goal and belief that I'll definitely win half chances to win majors many times in my career. But it was surprising, you know, to happen that early, to look at the leaderboard on that, as I was making the turn on Sunday, and I know I was off much earlier than the leaders. But I was in, I think, fourth place on the leaderboard when I made the turn on Sunday at the open. And I knew that, wow, if I have a I had a special special front of him but if I have a special back nine then I could have a chance who knows so that was

pretty wild I would say in my second major to feel like I'm playing the back now on Sunday with a legitimate chance to make something, make some noise. So that was pretty special for sure. And just being at St Andrews, it was just real, really. As an amateur, to finish my amateur career, I've seen Andrews with a chance, like that on Sunday, was pretty surreal. But at the same time, I never really surprised myself. I always

feel like I have that capability. Well, it didn't help. You got shown up by two other amateurs, though, right? I forget that you ended up beating or did Dunn finish ahead of you. I know his Sunday didn't go alone. Dunn struggled, I think the last day, but Jordan Nibirgi had a great tournament and he finished six plays. Yeah that's incredible incredible. I think Saint Andrews and Lynx Golf gave that more of a possibility maybe just being the nature of that game but pretty special week for the amateurs. How much how much experience do you have playing Link's Golf? I got to play Royal Melbourne in Australia, which is kind of lengthy, but I also played in the Scottish Open twice on the European

Tour. I got some exemptions to play that. So I played the week before, and I played the year before I played my first true Lynx golf, Scotch Lynx golf was a year prior at Royal Melk or Royal Aberdeen. And then we played, I played the Scotch open the week before. So I'd played probably four or five times on Lynx golf tournaments on Lynx golf and I had played other times just while I was out there so I had a pretty good amount of experience with Ling's golf and I loved it and it suited me at the time because I was hitting it. Hitting it very low at that time and I felt like I got really good at playing in the win. Well I was I was very inexperienced with Ling's golf and I got to play St. Andrews like about a week after you guys did and I was just inexperienced with Lynx Golf, and I got to play St. Andrews about a week after you guys did.

And I was just in complete shock at how much I had to change my game to get around that golf course. How are you guys, for you guys, is that much of a change in approach, like when you go over there to play? For me, I had trouble compressing the ball against the ground. The ball just reacts differently off the club

because the fairways are a little tighter and I ended up not wanting to leave myself 60 yards wedge shots because I couldn't you know nip it that way. How much do you have to change your game for that kind of style of play? You have to change your strategy a bit and you have to definitely, there's some shots that you have to practice that you don't normally ever hit in the States. You have to keep the ball especially low, and also know how it's going to react when it

lands. You have to, yeah, the wedges off the tight lies inside of 100 yards are a little different. You have to really clip those and shallow those out so you're not hitting the ground too hard and bouncing, getting the club to not hitting the ground too hard and bouncing. Getting the club to bounce off the ground for a sudden power boost. There's like a few finesse things like that in skills you have to have to play that kind of off the best way and you do have to adjust a little bit to that. Did you had you played or did you have experience with the old course before the open?

No, not before the open. I played it. I went over early and played it a few times, I was it. Did you, because I mean, I think that there's a famous quote from Bobby Jones or something that said, like if you play the old course 10 times and you love it, you're lying or something like that. Like it takes time to really appreciate the layout and the strategy that goes with it.

I can totally see that. Really? Okay. So, your initial reaction to it, were you not as much of a fan of it? Or how did your relationship with your old course go? Yeah, my initial reaction to it is, I have no idea where to go. Yeah. Because you really don't have any idea where to hit it. The thing I went back because I played in the Don Hill on the European tour I played in

the Don Hill links championship about I think it was a year later and that was without any of the grandstands. The thing about the open is they have so many TV towers and grandstands everywhere that in the Yard's book is so well done with pictures that you get your targets and your target lines off the tee through the Yard's book pictures of TV towers in grandstands. And so when you're playing in the in the you know, you know, okay, right edge of the bunker that you have no idea where it is normally, is the right edge of that TV tower.

So you kinda know, all right, I gotta stay right at the right edge of the TV tower and you have a general idea, but you still don't know because you don't know what's gonna happen when it lands. It could kick left right or soft or hard. So it's bizarre, but playing it with the grandstands is a hundred times better because at least you have an idea where the hell you're

going. But when you're playing it without the grandstands, yeah I would say it's kind of hard to feel like you can really like it. Really like the course. Well I'll say when I got to play it the grandstands were still up and I did have that yardage book you're talking about. It didn't help. It did not help me. But it just to me it's like it's only 7200 yard course. I thought you guys would light it up and the scores were low but I just had so much more respect for it after playing it. Being like now I see where this strategy comes in. Like you don't want to just reach for driver and leave yourself this ADR shot that you can't stop over the bunker and it totally depends on the pins.

Yeah, because when you play in the open and that it's like not even it's like just a joke. The pins are just to completely change the hole. So when I play the Prague Stround with pins in the middle of the greens it was like a chip and part three course. It was, I mean, 59 watch every time. But then you played in the open and for some reason it just happens to be crazy when it's open. And the pins are crazy and then all of a sudden, you know, even pars like a brilliant round. Are there guys you seek out to play practice rounds with when you're on the PGA Tour in particular? I mean, anytime I get to play with a veteran or someone

I've looked up to how they go about their business, I'd love to. So I got to play with Phil at St. Andrews in practice round. I love to play with Justin Rose and he chance I can get. He's an amazing player and he's been really nice to me and helped me. Phil is really nice and helped me navigate St. Andrews in practice round. That was really cool. So, I mean, there's a lot of players I'd like to get to play with.

I play a lot with Jordan when I got to play the open and the US open. I played practice rounds with him at both of those and that was pretty cool because he was having one of the best years in golf history. So I got to play practice rounds with him at two of those majors. Yeah, anybody I can learn from out there I like to play. I play with Couture, couple practice rounds. Yeah, it's been really cool. If you thought that you were gonna be able to mention playing a practice round with Phil

and I was just gonna scoot right by it, you're wrong. So what were the stakes then? I mean, I'm assuming there had to be some kind of game. Right, so there was my last week as an amateur so we didn't you know we didn't play for anything because I didn't have any money yet. I would I would have had to ask my mom for a $100 bill so I couldn't do that. You could do an IOU or something I mean the money was coming next week. I maybe could have done an IOU but I just I didn I just, I didn't happen.

We played 18 halls actually, we played with Hunter Mayhan as well. It was me feeling honoured. It was a complete blast and I think because it was a major getting ready to play that open, I think. It was a lot more focus on the course. We weren't really playing many games, but it was really cool. And maybe next time we play, we'll probably throw up some cash. I don't have fill cash yet, but we'll play for something. Yeah, be careful with that one, because... Yeah. So how long after you turn pro, does the sponsorship money hit the bank account? Like, what's the waiting period for that? Is it there by the time you landed back in the States? I don't even know how quick it got.

It was in there, but I think, you know, as soon as you turn pro, you sign your deal and it's gonna be coming in at some point. So I think it, you know, pretty quick. What, how much money do you bypass or give up by not wearing a hat? Well, I don't know if I should answer that. I don't know if I should answer that. I'll just say I'm doing perfectly fine without the hat. And Callaway has been extremely supportive.

Gotcha. And if I do wear a hat, it has to be a Callaway hat. Got you. OK. But Callaway has been very supportive, and I'm doing pretty good. So do you or Robert Rock, no pun intended, rock the hatless look better? Who wears the better lettuce?

I'll let the people decide how hard. All right, we'll do a point. I think we both do pretty good with it. Okay, I don't disagree. That's what, so I've heard you say before that the brim of a hat is a bit of a distraction, but I refuse to believe it's not just because you got the flowing loss going on. I think it's a combo. Okay, at least you admit that. I'll admit that it's a

commit might there might be a slight combo there. Okay. I'll let that go. That that works. But I mean, so I mean like in team events like the you played the Paul Mark couple times, right? As well. You have to you have to wear hats for that. Does it honestly? I mean, I know that it may sound ridiculous to some people like that a hat could be distracting or so, but there's certain things for golfers that just are minor distractions or minor things you can't that just fit better. Like I can't swim in a club without a glove. Like I just absolutely can't. So some things just bother different guys. Is it is it really truly a difference maker for you? Or is this kind of like a you know what I

don't really it really is. When I was 12 when I quit baseball I actually never wanted to wear a hat when I played baseball. It wasn't because of how I feel like I look good in the hat. It's not about that. It's about whenever I could see the bill and I always like to wear the hat low whenever I wear it off the course all the time. But when I play, I couldn't stand seeing the bill. I'm kind of the same way with sunglasses. People are like, you should wear sunglasses, you know, protect your eyes, but I can't do that either. Anytime I wear sunglasses, it just doesn't.

Everything doesn't look right to me. And I can't, I'm sure if I made, if I made an effort, if I made a big effort, I could certainly figure out how to wear a hat, but I haven't really wanted to change how I, how I am and how I look out there and how I feel so Definitely not my first year. I didn't want to Have it having that distraction I have a couple times at home put on a hat and tried to play and it's just

It's not comfortable. It doesn't work. Okay. That makes sense. I could hurt that could affect your future writer cup chances I'm just saying do they do they make you wear a hat in the writer cup? I don't know. Maybe the neighbor will make an exception. I saw a couple guys in the Olympics. Now we're at. That's true. That's true. I saw Sergio. He need so he should have been wearing a hat, I think, but it wasn't the best look for him. But I got a couple more questions. I'll let you go. No, man. I don't like asking players about other players, but I there's two guys I do want to ask you about because maybe not a lot of people have got to see play yet and you've been around a lot on the web tour. But the first one's Wesley Bryan, who just won his third web.com tour event and you had

pretty funny sweet the other day saying, like congratulations, now get the hell out of here, like get off the tour. Like, did you know going into this season that he had that kind of game or I mean what he's done is is insane to me What's the what's the conversation like on on the web tour amongst other guys about what he's doing? Yeah, no, I don't think he knew we had the So nobody knew nobody really knows until they do it that day What they're I guess you know he had he had what they're, I guess, you know, he had going into Q-school, I guess he even admitted he didn't expect this year to happen. But I've got to play with him a good bit. He's a very free-up player. He plays very freely and fast and he knows what he's doing, he's organized with how he practices and he

puts a lot of work in and he's an amazing putter and also hits great wedges and keeps it in play. I mean he just does all the fundamentals so well and that's not surprising that he can put up the scores he does. I mean he knows exactly how far he's hitting every shot. He's got he knows what he's doing, he's it's a lot what he's doing, it's a lot of wedges close and he makes a lot of putts so he does all the basic things you need really well. Yeah I actually heard some friend of mine that's a little maybe a little too close to the situation who I think you may know, actually I had to talk him out of him putting him on the Ryder Cup team as a this point, that's how hot he's been.

I thought he was joking at first, but I don't think he was, but I mean. I mean, he's playing amazing. Yeah, it's hard to argue that point. I think that Ryder Cup might be a bit of a stress. Yes, there's a lot of good players out there. Right, exactly. Got to prove in themselves.

Second guy is a guy I've got a man crush on that is emerging, I would say, this season. much this brand didn't hege move it in person I mean is it is it is it is yeah, I'm really good friends with Brandon he's a he checks he just gets it. And he hits it so far. Yeah, he's just got one of those swings too, where it's just, it's technically sound, and he takes it back. He's got a long backswing, but it always stays on plane, and he just uncoils with tons of speed. So he definitely moves it further than I do, I think.

So he's one of the longest players I've played with. OK, well, that makes me feel justified. I know Kyle Porter and I both have, like, we talk about him every time we do a podcast, because we think he's a future star. So I'm glad you helped me. Yeah, I'll take that. I think that's a safe bet.

OK, I may have to have him on the podcast as well before he gets to, before other people start claiming him as a figure out. So what is, I meant to ask this when we were talking about Euro, Euro, a couple of events you played on the Euro Tour. Did you ever consider going the route of like the Brooks Capca route of playing Euro Tour events to qualify for the Tour, where you pretty much... It sounded like you're a strong supporter of the Web Tour, what was your thought process there? I got to play a few European tour events. I got to play an Abu Dhabi and

Scotch opened a couple times that the Dunhell probably played maybe five or six European tour events. And they were great, but I really like America. So I wanted to do it here. And I felt like that would be a pretty, you know, as really impressive with Brooks and Peter and some of those guys are done going over there. And Brooks is played incredible. I think he was gonna make it no matter what he did. But I wanted to, yeah, I wanted to do it over here.

I like being in the States. There's something to be said about being home, you know, all the time. So living abroad, I can definitely relate to that. So I do understand that. But, all right, what is your go-to snack on the golf course? Like, when you get hungry on the course, what do you go to? Tromex, all kinds of different tromexes, normally with almonds and dried fruit. with almonds and dried fruit. Gotcha. So you did, do you, I remember when I was about your age, I started to see the effects of the college diet,

and it started to change my body a little bit. Have you become more health conscious now that you're playing professionally? Have you always been very health conscious? I would say I've got through state, I've gone to stages where I am really health conscious. I would say I've had I go through state I've gone through stages where I am really health conscious and then I had my years in college where I was totally not health conscious really and I would say I'm probably pretty balanced. Now I definitely eat a lot of healthy healthy stuff but I definitely am not

afraid to eat pizza and have a few beers. Yeah. And yeah, splurge sometimes. Well, this is going to sound ridiculous me saying this to a professional athlete, but keep good care of your body in the young ages. Just let me tell you that. Even at 30, like your body just starts breaking down a little bit. So keep going. I don't take notes. Kid, please take notes. I'm sure you've got a pen and paper here ready for my suggestions so please keep that up. But, hey, Oli, thank you for the time, man. I've been almost an hour your time, so I'll let you go.

But, I really enjoy talking to you about what life is like as an up-and-coming player, and I have no doubt that a lot of future successes are in store for you. So, I'm glad I was able to get you before you got too big on us and best of luck with the remaining season and we'll definitely have to keep in touch Appreciate it. Thanks for having me. That was fun. You got it man. Take care Be the right club today That's better than most That is better than most. That is better than most. Better than most.