No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 526: Collin Morikawa

Episode Date: March 5, 2022

Collin Morikawa returns to the pod for the first time since the pandemic began to recap the last two years which have seen him claim his first two major championships. We get into his wins, improvements in putting, equipment, learning from Tiger, recent developments on tour and a ton more. 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. That is better than most. Better than most. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the No-Lingup podcast. Sully here, we had a great conversation just a few minutes ago with Colin Moore, Kawa. It's been almost exactly two years. We had him on players week, two years ago. Life's changed a lot since then.

We get into all that. But great, great conversation with him on how his life has changed, the swing thoughts, putting all the stuff going on with PGA tour. This was a really, really good hour if I may say so. Today's episode is brought to you by our friends at Woop, the personalized digital fitness and health coach and official fitness wearable of the PGA and LPGA tours. Listen, if you're not tracking your recovery,

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to save 15% at checkout. Here's Colin Moore-Calla. We're recording this the day after the 2021 PIP is announced. Is this the start of the 2022 campaign? Is that why you're here today? Oh, man, maybe it is. I mean, it's been going on since January 1st.

I mean, we know it's real now, right? We know that that money's coming out, it's being paid. No, I mean, look, the PIP stuff is, it's whether I approve of it or not, and whether I think there's a lot of improvements that can be made from it. It still is something that you want to be a part of. And I think at the end of the day, it's really just getting to know people, getting to know

fans, and that's what it is. Engagement, right? And, you know, there's no one better than Tiger Woods when he says one sentence or post a three-second clip or like whatever it is. Like, he's got everyone's attention. But I think the sentiment I get on Twitter, and maybe I just spend too much time on Twitter, is that people think it's a social media contest or a Twitter contest.

Would you say you have or that players have an understanding of how it's all measured and how it's all put together and that maybe it's a little bit more than maybe just the echo chambers in social media? Yeah, I think there's, I mean, there's what? I think there's five different categories or indexes that were measured off of.

So, some like, Twitter and Instagram are gonna help. You know, one of them I think is based on, you know, like people knowing who you are and your awareness around the world are in the country. And, you know, that's tough, you know, especially for the younger guys that have just turned pro, you know, like myself or Victor, like, people didn't know who we were a year and a half ago if the rating was taken at the beginning of the year, you know, and then still, like, you know, like myself or Victor, like, people didn't know who we were a year and a half

and a half ago if the rating was taken at the beginning of the year, you know. And then still, like, you know, when I looked at it, I think yesterday, like, Bubba was pretty well known, like, people know who Bubba Watson is. You know, he's been out there for a long time, so props to that and props to him using that stuff. And, you know, people think I'm a lot angrier than what I actually am. Like, yeah, I'm bitter, but, you know, at the end of the day, no one's bragging about being seventh place, you know.

You're either winning it or you're not. So, you know, I just love kind of poking the bear, you know, being 11. Oh well. It is a little harsh. The 10th gets three and 11 gets zero. I feel like it should be a little like, that's not how, you know, the bottom of the made cut,

you know, list goes. I don't know. It just seems seems a little harsh to me. I think what you know, Bubba's won two majors. So what you what I think you need to do is get out there and maybe win a couple majors and then you'll be wrecking. Got it. I'll try out my world. So we last talked two years ago. I think it was this exact week right before the world changed a whole heck of a lot. How has life changed for you in the last two years? The world has changed and your career has changed a lot. What's life like for you now compared to two years ago? It's crazy.

I feel like we literally did this right before COVID, right? I did every day before. Everything just stopped. We just pretty much stopped the world. It's been amazing. Obviously, the golf has been there, but outside of that and everything else, I've loved every part of what I do now. And that's part of enjoying golf

and being a professional athlete. And this is everything we've jumped about doing. So in a sense, it's been just a lot of excitement, a lot of just a lot of highs, obviously, so far. And hopefully we keep that going. But it's everything I've asked for. And I think that's the biggest things that I'm really embracing what I'm doing.

And instead of just letting things go by. It's a fun relic that conversation because one of my biggest takeaways was just like, how your confidence, it wasn't cocky, but it was a confidence in what you were doing. And that's prior to you winning two majors. But what happened from, I know you want Barakuda, the July of 2019. But what happened from, I know you want Barakuda,

the July of 2019, but what happened from your time out there to March 2020 when we talked to say, that validated that confidence, that gave you that reason to know, I mean, there had to have been at least a shred of doubt coming out as to how you would succeed at the highest level. You know, what happened in that time period

to kind of get rid of even that little shredded doubt? You know, there wasn't, I wouldn't call it doubt because doubts like saying I was never going to be able to win and never going to be able to get into the tour. It was the unknown, right, of when I was going to get there, right? Was I going to earn my card in that first summer? Was I going to get status? Was I going to make it to the playoffs?

When was I going to win? Those questions go through your head, But at the same time when you show up to these events, like when I showed up to Barat Kudah, like I showed up thinking, oh man, I'm a guy. I'm here to win. And it's the weirdest feeling when you know, you're five, six tournaments in. But at that point, I had already secured my card. So there's kind of like, okay, like I'm here to win. Like I just earned my card in five starts. Like, you know, let's be cocky in a sense of like, let's be cocky within myself and not, you know, go out and talk and blabber.

But I felt very confident. And that's how you have to show up. And that's how the best players that I've noticed show up to these events that like they're here to win. You know, we're not here to say hi and just, you know, enjoy it with the guys. Like we're here to beat everyone else and I think that's the biggest thing.

So it's not a doubt thing. It was just more of a factor of like, how do I switch that mindset of, okay, let's try and win every single time we tee it up. Your schedule's been a little light to start 2022. Is that a reflection of the craziness that was last year? Is that how are you picking and choosing events now? Yeah, it was kind of planned.

I played two in the fall, I played century, went over to play a couple on the DP World Tour in Dubai, and then I played Riviera. And that was kind of, the fall was kind of planned out that way. I felt like we had a really, really busy 2021. But things will start to pick up. Once we start playing players, I'm in players. I'm going to play Valspar, I'll play Matchplay, obviously you have the Master's. So there's a lot, you know, there's a lot more events out there, but I feel like

the breaks I've given myself so far, like I've been really relaxed and I'm itching to get back out there again. And that's what's exciting, is that like you just want that itch sometimes, you know, you have that itch when you go and take a month off in December, then you go back to Hawaii. And I've just been able to kind of creep these little breaks in. And then, you know, let's just go full pedal to the metal and see how well we can do in this next little stretch of golf. So I'm excited, you know, I see these guys play

a lot more than me and I wanna be out there. You just gotta take the the right schedule and thankfully, I think I've done a good job of that so far. It's got to be hard to be patient. I would think Bay Hill would be a pretty good golf course for you, but when you look at what's coming down the road just over the next month, month and a half, it's like you got to pick probably one of the decently big events

to just skip. I guess is that something you've learned or is that something that's pretty easy for you to do to be patient and say, like, look, I know how important rest is. You know, I think I've been lucky since I've turned pro of not getting in this, I'm gonna call this corn-thru mindset,

is trying to play 10 events in a row. You know, I think the most I've ever played is four. And that was the first summer I turned pro, and it was just leading through the playoffs because I ended up winning Baracuda. So it just I had to play four but I haven't done that since I've turned pro. So I've been really lucky in being able to pick my schedule, kind of spread it out and give myself these breaks because I think rest is so important and it's so underrated. Like we do travel, you know, the 20 to 30 to 35 weeks a year, which is just crazy to think about.

But it's like, it's just so nice to be home for not one week, but for two weeks. Like it is, like the past two weeks after a year, it has been just amazing to get the body and everything just, just ready to go and play again. I say this, I think I'm still recovering from a trip to Abu Dhabi like four years ago. Cause like that wrecked me. And I came back from that.

I was like, how the hell do these guys go to the Middle East and like play the next week? Like there's no freaking way. A lot of coffee, a lot of coffee. So you're like, you're like 25 years older, whatever you are, you don't know what it's like to get old yet. But so tell me, I've just personally, I can never handicap you.

The weeks I pick you, you don't play well, the weeks I don't, you play great. What is a, what's a call on Moorakawa golf course? If you are designing, you know, kind of the characteristics of it, the grass types, the climates, what is, what makes you feel like your best set up to thrive? You've thrived in a lot of different environments.

That's why I can't figure it out. Yeah, well, that's good. It's good I can't figure it out. Yeah. Well, that's good. That's good. But don't bet on me if you're doing that. I've done, you know, I, I think some of my favorite golf courses I've ever played have like really good, Poe,

like Poe Greens, when it's really good. And I'm not talking about when it gets chewed up. And you got, we have a hundred and 50 guys playing. I'm talking about, you know, like if there's 20 people playing, and it's just perfect Po, it's just so hard to beat.

I mean, I would pick bent fairways because it's so nice and it's just so cut. You just wake up and you're just like, wow, I want my ball to be in the middle of the fairway. But I would say design wise, I think for me, just being able to shape the ball and really be creative with the ball, and that's how I play, I would want a wise, I think for me, just being able to shape the ball and really be creative with the ball, that's how I play.

I would want a lot of dog legs. I would want it to, you have to play it, you have to play it to this part of the fairway. If there is risk, it's an actual risk shot. You're not just ball and the driver, you're getting away with it and the trees. I think I saw some stat about Riviera's at like, we don't hit as many fairways,

but the rough isn't also as penalizing. So I would want it penalizing in a sense of like, if you do take the risk, you can get away with it. But you know, if you can also really make it tough on yourself. So, you know, kind of a position type golf course, he's kind of what I would say would be like, what I would wanna see, but I haven't showed him to a golf course and been like what I would want to see, but I haven't showed up to a golf course

and been like, I have no chance. And if I do, that means I need to add something in my golf game, but thankfully I haven't had that course yet. But when I do, then I gotta find something new. Would you say, Riv is, you mentioned how the rough, not as penalizing, is that a course though that maybe more so than other courses that the side of the fairway that you miss on has a more drastic effect on your ability to score on that whole?

Huge. Huge, especially when the greens get a little bouncy. I mean, when we showed up on Tuesday and you were playing a practice round, like, I mean, they could have, if they'd really wanted to dry out those greens, it could have been like glass. Like, it could have been like concrete, bald bounce and everywhere.. But you know, it's kind of the same for a lot of courses. You know, you have to think about where you're going to miss it. Because that's what we do. We just play our misses and our misses are just better than everyone else's.

You mentioned, you know, talking about bent fairways there and I'm relating this back to your first trip across the pond, your first time playing links Golf. Take us to the first week. You're playing the Scottish Open. Not, it's Link's adjacent, it's not Link's links, but I'm glad to hear some of your quotes of this because every time I go over there, I'm like, dude, this is different. And every Pearl I ask, like, hey, how do you adjust your game for Link's Golf?

They're like, ah, no, you don't, I don't know. You just, you're just adjusting, you're fine. I'm like, you, you changed some of your equipment in between weeks before winning the Open Championship. Tell me about what you learned in week one that helped you in week two. Yeah. So let's see. I'm going to go back even before that. It was like two weeks before we're playing at the US Open, Tory Pines, Po, Kakuya, and I'm striping. Like I'm hitting my driver in my irons fantastic. And I'm like, okay, game feels amazing. Head over Scottish

and I'm in the middle the fairway a bunch of times with a nine iron and I start hitting it to 45 feet and I'm like looking at my caddy I'm like I'm like trying to think we go to the range and I start blaming my clubs like everyone else right and you know I'm sure my caddy has heard this a million times from other players and the tailor made reps are like okay whatever like whatever, like sure, like let's blame the clubs. Like, and I just felt like my swing was so where I wanted it to be that all I could do was blame it on the clubs. Like, it was weird, right? Like, and you never want to blame it on your clubs, you never want to blame it on your equipment, but it just didn't feel right. It didn't, my arms,

my, my short arms, my blades weren't feeling right through the turf. And Monday morning we get to the open. And I was like, okay, let me just try the P7MCs, which I had in my five, my six and five iron, which I felt like I was hitting it okay, but I just didn't have that many shots with that at the Scottish and put it in, started hitting center of the face and was like, okay, we're good to go. And it was like, so it was the equipment. Yeah, I mean, it was the equipment. There's something to it with how it digs in the turf, which people, you have to be able to create speed

and compress the ball, but it was just so funny because I could just tell the face, I could look at my caddy's face that week of the Scottish while I was blaming my golf clubs. You're just like, sure, sure. You know, I've seen you, you know, not hit it well. Like, you know, let's keep your foot down. Let's stay a little more down on it.

You know, I could tell like he was just buying in my, you know, BS about what I was trying to say. Dude, that makes total total sense to me. That's what I think I really do. Right, but it is such a different style of golf. And I'm always amazed at how fast people flip the switch and And switch to that style of golf because like PGA tour golf is almost all airboard I mean this is very obvious

But you got to get it up in the air the more you carry it the better Whereas like the first time you stand on a tee with a crosswind that you need to get the ball out of the air as fast as possible and running It's just a different test and I know you guys are the best players in the world for a reason, but it just seems like it would identify different players than it. But it seems like we see the same players rise up when we see that style play. Yeah, I mean, you know, it's not like the clubs immediately helped me hit the ball lower and hit it exactly where I wanted. But now I can feel, but now exactly. Now I could feel the center of the face and then I could work both from there.

So it was like, it was such a big thing about spining center of the face And I think you know, we do that every year with changing drivers, right? Like I love the stealth driver that I'm using this year like it is it is so good It was an easy transition But even then like I still had to learn how to hit the center of the face because it's just it's just different and Everywhere you go, you know turf like you just have to find the center of the face. Cause it's just, it's just different. And everywhere you go, you know, turf, like you just have to find the center of the face again and again and again. And that's just like, it's a learning thing.

And I don't like to blame my clubs because I feel like it's always on me. But this was like the one time where I was like sold on, I have to change irons. Like if I didn't change irons, I would have gone crazy for those two weeks. A quick break here to check in with our friends at CashApp. CashApp is the easiest way to send, spend, and save your money. You can send a request money directly from friends and family when they owe you money for dinner, when they owe you for golf bets, whatever it is. You can invest in any stock straight from the app.

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on course. Basically, the more people that using the code, no laying up, not only are you getting a $15 bonus into your account, you're also helping support junior golf. Let's get those sign ups up there. Let's get a big total in there that we can give to youth on course by the end of this year. I've had such a blast with Cash App.

It's really fun to track different companies that I've started investing in. Listen, it's not a great time in the market, of course. But it's great. It's super interactive. It's easy for people that, you know, if you're not that familiar with how to put your money in some places where it might grow, it's super easy.

So I can't recommend this enough. Again, code no laying up on cash app. Let's get back to Colin Moore, Cal. Going back and watching highlights from it, you know, I, you know, even it was less than a year ago, but the history books will forever, you know, show you winning. That's what I remember. I remember dominance. I honestly didn't remember the start on Saturday.

Take us to the start on Saturday. What you got out of that, some interaction. Maybe you had with JJ during that time period. I found that super interesting. Look back, I feel like that's gonna get lost to history. Yeah, no, it definitely will and that's to this day that's the matter. I've ever been a JJ and you know people look at me as like, you know, this really calm guy and I am like I love being in the situations. I think I bogey, so I was one over through four. I ended up being one over through four. I get to five T, feel like I was striping my shots.

Hit really good iron shots, T shots even, just not scoring. And I hit this perfect five with off the T or what we thought was perfect. Mid-air Jage is like, good shot. And I'm like, I'm just watching it. I feel the wind pick up, blows it right, lands in the fairway, kicks, ends up right on the lip

of the bunker. I ended up hitting that shot almost OB, barely had a stance. It a great shot, make bogey. After that tee shot or after that hole, I looked at him and I was like, I don't want you calling any other shot in there, again, like ever.

And like, I could tell that like he was, he was a little pissed off at me too by saying that, but I think I needed to get that off my shoulders. So we go and play, we go and play the six full. He looks at me and he's like, I'm trying my best, like I'm trying, I'm like, I know, I know, like I just had to say something like it was, it was a weird, you know, it's something that you just had to get off your chest. And then we both had to get over it and we did. And then we just started going and we kept ourselves in, you know, within the lead and, um, thankfully save that round. And like, it's, it's weird. Like that's the maddest I've ever gotten at him. But like, it was just, you had to get it off. Or else I would have been angry at myself or at him.

And I just, it's like holding something into someone that you are so close with, that it just, why not just tell them, you know, like we're both going to get over it. That's it. There's something about somebody making a comment that is super, super innocent that just rubs you the wrong way. Like I get I'm right there with you like it's not his fault. I played yesterday. I'm like it's just like a guy saying great putt when it's like 10 feet out and it lifts

out and you're like, shut up. And you don't say anything. Do not say anything. And you know, normally it's fine. Normally it's really innocent and you get away with it. But this one I just wear bounced and landed in the fairway and it just was on the lip of the bunker. Like just everything went wrong with that kind of five seconds in there. So, you know, you're coming off a not great performance at the Scottish open. everything went wrong with that kind of five seconds there.

So, you know, you're coming off a not great performance at the Scottish Open. Now you're changing some equipment going into St. George's. Are you, you know, after you've seen that golf course, are you already convincing yourself that you're talking yourself into that you can win this tournament? Are your expectations a little lower going into as your first open championship? And obviously you end up winning it, but like,

what was that process like of getting into the competitive mode of like, hey, this is, this is my tournament now. You know, I'm telling, it goes back to what I said about like showing up to these golf courses, feeling like I can win. Is that like I didn't show up and be like, oh man, links style calls, you know, I don't know how to play. I have no chance of winning. I showed up to the course and did my due diligence with him, with JJ and myself, to learn the course Monday through Wednesday, and feel as prep by Thursday

to think I can win the tournament. And that's what I do every single week. And I feel like the prep we put into the weeks of learning the golf course really helps. And that's what I'm interested to see about like St. Andrews later this year, is that it's a course I've never been to, I've never played. I could not tell you holes other than one 17, 18, but like it's a little more lengthy, right? So I'm going to have to learn that course even a lot

more because there's just so many hidden features to it. And I like knowing every in and out of a golf course. But that's the thing is like I showed up to the Royal Saint George is feeling great. Learning the golf course showed up to the first hole and thought I could win and like that's that's what you have to do. I think you have to do that. And if you don't think you can win by first on Thursday when you teed up, I mean, you're just praying for luck. I cannot wait for the old course. It is it's so it's so freaking interesting and it there's just so many layers to it. I hope you get some wind that you need a little bit of wind because there's bunkers out there that are like, well, why is that there? And then like the next day, you're, oh my god, I don't even know if I can cover that bunker.

Like it's just a, it's a, it's a magical chess match going on with the dual fairways yet, you know, the closer you play to like the, you're talking about risk shots, like you can bail left all day, but you have to play close to the right side to get any kind of angle around the mounds that are gonna be, you know, if there's any firmness, I mean, when it's soft, you know, this you can just land it wherever you want, but if there's any firmness, you gotta have the right angles on that course

and that angle's kinda get dumbed down a little bit in pro golf, you know, I think, you know, most of the time, but that's one place where it can come alive. So, for sure. when you get tough conditions, it just, it makes an easy course. Like you make them firm, you angle some holes, like that's just good golf, right?

And that's what you want. But you gotta want that. That's what you want, I guess. Yeah. 100%. I mean, I heard like, if there's no win, there's a lot of holes in guys can just pop them out there and you're almost driving the green. You're almost close to the hole. So yeah, I want the win. I want to be able

to control the ball and take a lot of the guys out of the field just by knowing that you've got to have full control of your awful. What are your swing thoughts with iron? I'm super curious. You've come out and you've done so many great things with iron play. Your numbers have been incredible. But how do you keep a strength of strength? And what are you thinking about when you stand over an Iron Child in the golf course? How to hold it? No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding.

All right, now you're getting punchable, man. I joke with people now like I did this shoot, you know, week ago and this I had a great shot from 116 and a rolled by and this guy didn't really know golf. He was just filming. I was like, oh, just don't worry. Like tell me next time when you want me to hold it and I'll hold it for you. No, you know, for me, it's a lot about where I'm going to finish. Like I feel like my body takes care of a lot. And I think a lot of people can get through the ball, but they worry about so much on how to get to the ball that they forget about the other half of the swing of getting through it. So I always think about finish, you know, whether it's high for a cut kind of mid

on my ear level for a straight shot or low for a draw, I feel like my body can take care of that of getting it to that spot. So that's been kind of one of my simple swing thoughts, especially when I'm playing really well of just like, okay, if I'm going to cut it, I'm going to start it here, I'm going to finish high, and I'm going to see a cut right to the hole. That's's, that's kind of a simple

sling thought that I've always had. Maybe this is just kind of self selecting with, you know, when you're playing your best, that's when you're on TV the most. And it feels like when you're playing your best, even if it's a left pin, you're fine, saying, I'll aim this over the left bunker. And I'm fading it at this pin. What is your philosophy on how you're going to shape shots? Because I feel like that sticks out to me watching on TV that I don't see. I see you taking shot shapes that are maybe different

than some other guys are taking on certain holes. Yeah, I mean, I've definitely learned to work in a straight ball or a slight draw now, just because I've definitely been hurt by trying to aim over the water and the left and bringing it back on a part three drivers. Like, I'll still do that because I know I can overcut it and be okay with it, but irons, you know know it's just smarter to play it out right sometimes but when I'm playing

well I mean my cut is just it's my go-to shot and it's just something I feel like if there is water and I'm playing well I can aim over the water I don't know what's going to happen you know I just know it's going to cut back and what I've learned and what I've learned most about like playing Augusta is that, you know, when I showed up to Augusta and you hear everyone, oh man, you've got to play a draw, you've got to play a draw, you've got to play a draw. And what happened my first couple of years is that like I show up and all I was working on the week

before was trying to hit a draw. And I might need it for maybe four T shots, three T shots. And everything else I can play in my normal shot. And that's what happens. Is that like you start playing to strengths or you start hearing what people say that like you need to do this, you need to do that, but like there's way to play golf. There's ways to play golf courses many different ways. Like there's just not there's not one way.

And that's the thing and that's the biggest thing is that like for me, if I know I can play a cut, I'm going to go and play a cut as many times as I can because that's my strength. And I think if that's what more guys need to do is like play the strength, like play that shot and that's for me, it's a cut, even if it is a left end. Two, 13 and is it nine? The T-Shots where you where you have to draw it or is it, can you, can you kind of get away with it? Two, you don't even need to draw it.

Really? Two, I can hit a very straight shot and that's fine. Like I don't need to draw the ball. Ten you got to draw the ball. 13 I think it's hook. I'm going to call 10 to 13 a hook. Like you legitimately need a hook to golf ball. And there's a couple others that like, yeah, like you need a straight now.

So, so I mean really two t-shots out there that you have to draw it. But other ones like I can play my shot. And I think that's what I've learned over the past couple of years is like, all right, stick to my strengths. Like that, that's what I do best, right? That's interesting. What the couple numbers so far and you're, you know, I know we're working in a, in a small sample size for your stat so far for the year.

I wondered if this is small sample size or if there's been any changes on your front, your top 10 right now in stroke scheme off the tee on the PGA tour Is that a result of a little more distance just a little more accuracy so far in the vents you've played Is that something you're you're actively tracking or what's the story there? You know, I felt like when I actually switched the stealth driver actually gained a little distance like just not doing anything I just gained some ball speed and I think that's a slow progression of the guys I've been working out with in LA and ball speed. And I think that's a slow progression of the guys I've been working out with in LA. These guys called Urban Golf Performance. We've been working on just slow improvements. Like I haven't tried the Bryson route of like let's go into month like to bulk up and gain.

Like I want that one mile per hour in that six, seven month span. Because I just you know for me it's longevity and I feel like where I'm at is fine. But I think when I switch that drive I really gain some speed, I gain some distance, which is great. I actually don't feel like I'm as accurate as I have been in the past. That's just something of just figuring out knowing where to aim down the fairways and being a little more precise about what I'm doing. But it's great.

I don't know when I finished last year. I want to say I was still top 50 maybe off the tee. So like, I feel like, you know, even though I'm not the longest driver, I still try and keep it in the fairway. And that's the biggest thing for me is that like, I just need to play out the fairways. That's like, that's, that's what I need to stick to for the strengths. I got you 36 last year, 0.281 off the tee. Do you track the stats pretty closely?

Is that something you're looking at on a week to week, month to month or? Not, not a ton. Like I know kind of where I stand and you know what's been improving, what's not been improving, but I couldn't tell you what my exact numbers are. I was a little I was a little agitated with how I finished the season with my ball striking last year with my approach shots because I know I was up there quite a bit. I still finished I think think, first. But I was like, I had a really big gap. Like a really big gap. And I just hit the fan and just had some pretty poor finishing stretches, obviously, for the playoffs.

You're looking at the numbers too much that if you knew you had that big gap, every bad one, you hit your pride. Damn, that's cutting it. That's cutting it point one. No, but I mean, you're gaining, at one point, you're gaining two shots per tournament over the next guy with your iron play.

I know people look at a 1.5 stroke-skating approach and look at the next guy at one and think that's not a lot, but tell us how much like tenths of a shot, quarter of a shot, half shots, matter at that level. It's huge, and you're exactly right. You're adding it for every round. Like this isn't a per tournament type thing. This is per round and approach shots. I think you know we've seen it is kind of that biggest you can separate yourself that much because you're going to give yourself that many more

chances. If you're hitting it that much closer and you're giving yourself that many more puts from 15 feet in you're you're that much closer and you're giving yourself that many more puts from 15 feet in You're increasing your odds and making the putt now you stop to make the putt That's what I've learned is that You can hit it really close and that's next on the list. It means nothing But you're still giving yourself a lot better Retanced to make birdie, you know if you're hitting it well, you know There's many other ways to do it like I'm not saying there's one way to only play golf.

But, you know, that's been my strength and I want to keep it a strength. Absolutely. That's what I've just, you know, the more and more I do this, the more I learn. It's like just however close you are to the hole in regulation is going to dictate your score way more than anything else. If you're, you know, you can survive a round or two, scraping it around, getting up and down, but there's, it's no way to play. It's not sustainable.

It's not a sustainable way to play golf. And there's almost, moving on to that, your second and strokes getting and putting so far this year. Is that small sample size? Is that small sample size? Because that's quite an improvement for last year. Man, I don't even want to look at the numbers.

And you're going to leave it on you for myself, to remind myself, I'm not want to look at the numbers. And you're going to, I'm going to leave it on you for myself to remind myself, I'm not going to start looking at all the little points, whatever numbers for the rest of the year. I might look at where I stand, you know, because it's a good radar on how much you're getting better, getting worse. Yes, it is a small sample size, but I feel like I am getting in a groove now of learning how to put a little more consistent consistently. And you know, the on weeks when I'm on, I feel like it's great. And I think that's what's awesome.

Is that like I've seen sample sizes of previous events where I've potted well. And I've won tournaments are finished top five or whatever, but I just want to keep seeing that more consistently. Right. top five or whatever, but I just want to keep seeing that more consistently, right? That's what I want to become. Like I want to become a consistent putter. And I think it's just thinking similar in a sense of how I hit my golf shots. I've got to bring that same mindset to putting. And you know, I'm in such a routine on golf shots as that I know what to do when I'm not hitting it.

Well, I know what to do when things are a little off. And that's what I'm trying to figure out with putting, is that like when it's an off day, what are my go-to's to get back and realign and get everything situated? Because it's funny to me to just hear, I dig in, you know, anyone that ever talks about putting, I love to hear their philosophies. And it seems to me that even at the highest level,

maybe even especially at the highest level, people, some pros are more apt to consider putting to be a different part of the game than golf, right? Ball striking and putting are two different things. It's, instead of just like playing golf, you view them as two separate things. Have you gone through that at all? Is that something that's evolved?

Yeah, I think I'd say before last fall, that's how I viewed it. And I give a lot of credit. So everyone on the Ryder Cup, especially all the captains and assistant captains, because I like, I asked, I was literally sitting on the putting green and I remember straight coming up to me. And I had like Jim Fierre, exact Johnson. And I think Freddie watching me hit this like 10 foot putt. And he looks at me and he's like, you good?

And I was just grinding. Like I was like asking these guys like how they're putt, like how they read these pods. And I could tell like he was almost like a little worried that I was not ready to go play golf like couple days before. And you know, I think before the fall last year, I viewed it as two separate things. But I think I, you know, my iron game is such a strength

that I need to take things out of my iron game and it doesn't have to be the exact same things. But just how I view iron shots and try it with putting. And that's what I've done is that I've taken pieces of what I think are the fundamentals of how I view and how I go through the process into my putting. And I think it's helped and hopefully it continues to just evolve and I remember every single process

because like I say, when I'm hitting a shot bad, I know what's going wrong. Like I have my steps and boxes that I can check off to get back to standard. That putting, I just didn't have because I looked at it so differently and I tried so many different things that like if I had one bad putting week,

it was like, okay, like this thought is out of the bag. And that's the problem is that like, if I had one bad putting week, it was like, okay, this thought is out of the bag. And that's the problem, is that like, when hitting, when I do, when I hit shots, I don't do that. Like, if I hit it bad, I know what I did. And I go back to what I know it works. And, you know, thankfully with putting, I'm slowly starting to figure this out. And it's just, it's a learning process.

I mean, some people are amazing putters and some art, and I've definitely asked a lot of players out there. And you just get, you know, you just get your little tidbits and kind of merge it all together and hopefully it comes up with a good formula. Because I can't imagine that the good putting weeks come from really, really technical thoughts out on the golf course.

Is that fair to say? No, it's just all, it's all luck. I mean, it's all luck. No, it's, yeah, it's just all it's all luck I mean it's all luck no it's yeah it's nothing's technical and when anyone is playing well out there it just isn't technical like when you're over that shot you just know you're gonna hit a good shot or you're gonna make a puck and that's every any person that wins any given week is gonna say the same thing because if you're thinking something super technical there's no way you're thinking something super technical, there's no way you're going to be able to sustain that for four days

throughout a tournament. I think. Well, and it's even what, you know, looking at your numbers last year that were overall not good, you still had excellent, excellent putting weeks. Like your variability was huge. I felt like it just coming off, looking on TV, it's like he gets that look in his eye and that ball is going in, right? But is that something you're trying to learn it to as well? It's just like how confidence relates to putting, right? I heard you talk about,

I mean, you talk about your iron play, you kind of joked about trying to hold it, but there's definitely something to thinking target and how that can get you into the right process. Is that fair to say for the same for putting? Yeah, I think back to like when I was a junior golfer and a college golfer that you watched Jordan Speed and the dudes holding putts from everywhere, right?

He was striping the ball amazing, but he would step up and just pull it and just putt after putt after putt. And that's how I want to get. Like you want to just be able to step up and have a confidence that you're going to make a putt and you know it helps when you see results not just in tournament but even in practice when you're just making putts right you're hitting good shots you're making putts it helps helps in tournaments to see that but I think it's it's building that

confidence and I think it's just time for me just to stick with one routine, one way to look at things and just see a lot bigger of a sample size. I don't I don't think I've given myself enough credit because I have seen those weeks where it's like, oh, come on, it's not going to be that good every single time, but can you just keep it a lot more consistent? I'm smiling as you say this because I'm like, because this is exactly how I think. If you're going through that, that actually does make me feel a little bit better. How have you not met somebody at work day and talked them into sponsoring, like, tour events all over the country? How has that not come to fruition yet? Yeah, I think I'm, I'm, I'm two and a half a couple years. You are.

When they pop up a tournament, you win it. The more real sponsor that worked out this year, I'm just saying, like, I've gotten to know their CEO, Neil. I would think so. Yeah, yeah. I've made my calls to him. I don't, I don't know calls to him. I don't know.

I just don't know. I mean, it's like they've been, the Niels have been amazing. He's been an awesome CEO to reach out. And we've got some ties back to the barrier, which is really cool. So I'm, you know, it's a good friendship that I like to call my friend now

because I have called him on two occasions right after golf tournaments. But no, I mean, shoot. I think that was a running joke for a lot of people to see a workday event and have me on top. I would love to keep that going, I'll be honest. So, all right, if we're looking, you've made, I think it's eight major starts, it's a professional, you've won two of them. Does that change your career expectations at all? All right, so any person that's ever said expectations

to me, I throw it out the window, because that's all media talk. That's all what you guys put on me or what you guys want me to do. I ask you for your expectations. So that's why there's no expectations. For me, it's all goals. My standards are much higher, right?

And I've got to make sure that I put my standard to a very absolute high. But I've got to understand that with that, I've got to be able to relax and still go out and play golf. Like I can't get mad for hitting an A9 to 25 feet when I thought I should have hit it to 10 feet. Like I can't get mad at that because like on average, like we're still hitting it to, you know, so far,

like we're not gonna hit every shot good. So my standards have gone up, absolutely. But for me, my goals, like they stay the same, I just keep adding more, I keep pushing the limit to just see how far I can go. And like for me, I just feel like I'm just starting to just, you know, break the ice to just keep getting better and then I learning more shots, putting them together, chipping them together.

I'm just learning so much that like, and I feel like I have so much still to learn, because like when you talk to some of these guys that have been out there, like they know so much about golf, like like wedges and putting and bounce and I'm like holy shit like I got a lot to learn like I've got a lot to learn and it's fun and it's so fun to learn that stuff because you're not a golf Not his history wise right and it sounds like I'm surprised that you're that you're amazed at their knowledge of golf with the level you play at obviously Yeah, I mean, I'm not talking about golf history I just I'm talking about like just equip it and like learning to get better and learning these little things like it's it's so fun to pick their brains. So like for me, going back to that expectation question, you know, yeah,

you know, I've played really well in the majors and I feel like for me, my second major is the PGA championship, right? And it was the weirdest thing because we had no fans and I showed up to a course that I had played 10 times throughout college. So I knew the course pretty well. I knew the course well enough, but you could just tell everyone was just breathing different. Like the air was just different because it was a major.

Like even though there's no fans, it was just different. And I showed up and I'm like, man, like, people feel tense. Like, and it is. It's a major. And I don't take them for granted. I don't take them lightly.

I don't, like, I'm not putting down a major at all. I think majors are life-changing, career-changing, events to win, tournaments to win. But for me, what I've learned, because I hear Brooks, right, he might prep a little differently. And I think a lot of guys prep a lot differently from majors. For me, like I said, I do my prep the same way Monday through Wednesday. I feel like I am ready by Thursday.

And it's worked. You know, I feel like by Thursday, I feel like I'm ready to go win. And I have to do that. I have to keep sticking to the same routine because that's what I feel like is putting me, my putting my best with forward to show up and win a tournament. I'm going to read a podric Harrington quote that we use on almost a monthly basis. I think it's super, I think it's super interesting and I want your reaction to it. He said, unfortunately, as you gain experience, you lose innocence.

There is a sweet spot on the way up when you're gaining a bit of experience and yet you still have that innocence. What's your reaction to that? Yeah, I mean, it makes sense. Like I understand that. Let me see. I'm trying to think because he's pretty much saying like the younger you are, the like the more innocent you are, right? You have less to like, less scar tissue, right? But like my first year of Riviera, I 5 putted.

No one knows it. Like I don't think people realize I 5 putted. Okay, I'm not going to say what hole you can go look all fine. Yeah, I know you're going to find it. Okay. But like that's that's it was so devastating because I think I was like four under through five. Final day, I knew I needed just a solid round to make the WGC the week after in Mexico. And that kind of would have solidified my top 50 position, my top 50 ranking I would have gone in all majors. And that was the most stressful round I've ever had. And I understand it all builds up and it builds up.

And you know, you play, you know, and look, I'm only in season four on the PGA tour, this is my, I'm not even in three years as a professional yet. So I understand the innocence part. But I mean, you've got to be like Dory, right? And I, like the fish, right? I can find Dory, right? And the fish, right? I can find Dory, find Nemo.

Like you've got to be able to forget. And I think even the bad times, I think for me, like even when I have that scar tissue, it motivates me so much more to just learn and just like, let's just make this so much better. Like I played bad here last year, let's go play great. Like I played great here, let's go play great again. Let's let's go do this. Like it just drives me.

Like competition for me to just show up at a place that maybe I've struggled before, maybe I haven't played well. Just be like, man, like how did I not like like what do I need to do better to figure out the golf course? And it's for me, it's. Like, I understand there's a lot of scar tissue that builds and builds and builds, but like, you look at the best athletes. Like, and for us especially, you look at the best athletes around sports. Like, they might have,

they probably have a winning record. All the best athletes have a winning record. Golfers have a losing record for sure. Like, I think we're the only athletes to have a losing record. So we really have to learn how to get over it. Other athletes, you know, you might lose, maybe you win a Super Bowl and you lose twice

in a season or you lose one. So you go through your entire college career and never lose in a game. We lose every single week. Like every single day, you're probably losing someone unless you go, why are you? But you have to get over it. And I think that's just something of golf.

So I understand what he's saying, but I also think the best of the best players just don't care. They just get over it, because you just want to be better. And all the scar tissue that builds up, it's just thrown in the trash, or it's not thrown in the trash. That's not what the way I should say it. It's just thrown in the trash or it's not thrown in the trash. That's not right. That's not what the way I should say it

It's it's just a warning experience and that's how I think that's yeah, it's teaching them. Yeah No, I tend to I've just I love that quote and I wanted to ask somebody that's on the way up because I've heard Rory Reference that I asked Rory that too and he kind of nodded a little long along in his 30s of like yeah I kind of missed my days in my 20s when I fired it every pin and did it a little differently. And maybe I'll give you a different answer in like five years. I'll mark. I'll put that in the calendar for five years now to follow up on that. But you mentioned talking about learning little technique things or different things from

different people. I understand you, did you learn this directly from the goat, the draw chip? JT told me about this like four years ago, like trying, putting draw action on your chips. I read that in golf digest article. No, that's not the question. Sorry, I should not, I should not yes. Okay. Is that not a thing?

No, it is, it is a thing. And for me, like, man, the Taylormate photoshoot days when Tiger wasn't here this year, but the past couple of years when he has been there, like, my ears and eyes would just glued to him, because he just like, he just kind of spills a little knowledge. And I know he didn't do this when he was younger, because he was just beating everyone else and didn't want to get a little tidbit. But like, there's so, like, I did a little, like, not a clinic. I did a little video with tailor-made with me and him hitting iron shots, and it was like, I did a little, like, not a clinic. I did a little video with Taylormate with me and him hitting iron shots.

And it was like, I was just my jaw was to the floor. Like, I was, that was the first time, like, when I met Tiger, you know, I will always remember where I met, but that little 10 minute stretch of us hitting iron, I was just like, oh man, like, all right, maybe I am doing something good. Like, he's doing this, like, I like this. But yeah, like, chipping wise, I've learned how to chip a lot more efficiently, a lot better,

especially in grainy wise. The way this draw chip works is that you're pretty much just shallowing it out, right? Especially in grain, you just don't want to have the leading edge go in. Mark O'Mirror has helped me a lot on putting and Paul Azinger, I got like a 15-20-minute lesson before I won the WGC at concession last year. He gave me a chipping lesson and I still use it to this day. So I mean those two guys, I owe so much credit to. On to the Ryder Cup, Wistling Straits.

How did the DJ pairing come about? And how did pairings come about? Did you guys give recommendations to captains? Did they look at formulas and say, you guys would go great? Where does that start for you? Starts really early. When I think a lot of guys that were in consideration,

we filled out these forms. And I filled mine out really early, almost like, COVID, like pre-COVID time, because the Ryder Cup might have happened in 2020, right? So, and I forget who I put. BMW playoffs last year, I'm on the range, I think, like, on my second round, third round, I'm already playing awful, and I get a call from the captain. So, I, you know, Strait calls me, and he doesn't realize he comes in off in like 30 minutes, but I'm like, oh, cabs, answer it, like, you know, know, well, and he's like, what do you think about playing with DJ?

I'm like, sure, like why not? And that was the first time I had ever heard of that pairing. I didn't really think about it. And I was like, yeah, like I love playing with him. I think we get along. Like we talk all the time. And I got on text him, but like, you know, we're out have a good time. And we've had great times with the Taylor Rade shoots and our Dita shoots even. So I thought it was an awesome pairing. And we're kind of in a similar sense of like, we just kind of go home, we get our business done and call it a day. And it was like, it was so good. I loved every moment of being with DJ.

I love it now. Every single time I see him, we've created this bond now, especially after the ride, it's unexminedably really. I mean, yeah, that one jumped off the page. It's like, all right, we'll send that to that duo out until they lose basically. Yeah. Did it get scientific at all with how you guys did like, for sums with you with the odd holes, him with the even holes with how the iron play was going to shake out and how you, how did you guys figure that stuff out?

You have to, you know, we were every team, whether it's our team or the, you know, European team or, you know, even in president's cup international team, like any team is going to hire guys to do the stats. The problem is like the stats only goes so far until you just like, say, screw it. Like, we're just going to beat these guys. And the stats will tell you, you know, you should tee off this, you should tee off this. And, you know, just say I had a different partner and like maybe I'd tee off this whole. Some guys are very depending on the course, like it was just called a whistling straight. Some guys would be very odd holes or very even bold.

And some guys could mix match, depending on their games, like who they're, you know, matched up with. But for DJ and I, you know, our stats guys said do this, and we thought about it and made sense. And we were just like, okay, it works, right? Like, we're gonna hit these shots, we're gonna hit these shots. And we both played Taylor May Balls. He used a little harder of a ball that didn't spin as much, but off the tee, like if I was gonna use his ball

for him to hit an iron shot, it was perfect. Like, he would go almost, and I'll probably actually go a little farther, what I was hitting my ball, and I was like, oh, ball for him to hit an iron shot, it was perfect. Like, he would go almost, and I'll probably actually go a little forward with what I was hitting my ball. And I was like, oh, maybe I need to make a switch, but I haven't. I haven't yet. Did you guys all switch balls around based on the hole though? Because honestly, who else can do that?

Yeah. Yeah, you can change, you can't change in the middle of the hole, but like between holes you can. And so we would just do like, if he was in the iron shot on that hole, I would want him to have his ball. So I would hit his, I would hit his ball off the tee. And you know, there's so many good balls out there, but it was nice that like, it was a TP5 act.

He was using TP5 act because I was using a TP5. There were balls that I've used before. So it wasn't that like crazy difficult. When does the focus turn to Italy? I know this is not a Ryder Cup year, but you know, you guys were asked about it in the press conference right after winning. Jordan kind of went out of his way to be like,

no, no, like we do, we have some unfinished business here. You haven't been a part of the losing team. So I don't know how close you feel to the unfinished business, but do you get the sense from the team that, you know, the next one is the one that you really need to win? 100% like whenever you're on their soil, right? And I've really never played like all my team events. I've played only a couple team events as an amateur. I played one Palmer Cup in France, but it was, you know, it's boys and girls. And then I played a world team Ammon Ireland,

but that's a little different. So I've never really had like a walker, I never had a walker cup over there. My walker cup was in LA. I mean, hard to beat that too, that there's unfinished business. But for me, for my mindset, like, I can't even think about the president's cup right now. Like I am so focused on the players next week, and I'm so focused on every week at that moment. And I think when I do get ahead of myself, like I'm going to blank, the players, and like if I start thinking about the presence cup right now, I'm gonna go through this entire next two months stretch and just be like, man, like, why did I go play golf?

Like, I should have just been sitting home. It's so, for me, it just does me no good to think about that stuff. Like, I just wanna go win tournaments. And if I win tournaments, then we'll make the team. And I don't have to worry about that. So, I wanna make those teams, because I know how much fun they are now.

It was amazing. Like the best thing you could ever ask for, but I just can't get ahead of myself. Well, I'm honestly probably a little sick of talking about all the Saudi developments. I'm sure you're sick of being asked about it. You've made your stance clear. We don't need to reletigate that.

But I'm curious with what's happened in the last couple of, you know, with the fallout, you know, recently Bryson, DJ declaring their allegiance Phil obviously stepping away from the game. What's your reaction to how all of that has played out? Yeah, it was weird. You know, I had my press conference on that Tuesday, you know, I'd people ask me so I said and then it just kind of like just everyone, it was like a freaking like bull run, and everyone was coming along. And like, you know, Tiger said it early on, Rory said it, you know, made their statements very early on. But I think people need to take a stance. Like, you need to see something, right? You need something to happen.

And for the Saudi League to not have announced anything, we're just going to keep talking about it, talking about the unknowns. Like, why are we talking about something that's so mythical that if we don't know anything, we're just going to keep talking about it, talking about the unknowns. Like, why are we talking about something that's so mythical that if we don't know anything, how can we know that actually something's actually going to happen? You know, it's just, it's just, it's funny to me because we've put so much emphasis on this and I think everyone is just so drained about talking about these, you know, hypothetical things, right? Like, oh, this guy might go, you know, this guy maybe is understood, but we have no clue. Like even the guys, you know,

when the Saudi tournament happened earlier in the, you know, a month ago or whatever, and guys were saying they signed an NDA, like, we still don't know what's included in that. So it's just so funny that we're talking about something so much when we don't know anything concrete. Like why? And is that how players feel, you know, as media, it's very hypothetical and we're trying to piece all this information, but it's super hard to gather it because everyone I talk to is just like, I don't know, I've heard this, I've heard, well, he's out. No, no, I heard he's in. Like, is that how you guys feel internally? Yes.

I don't have a list in my back pocket that I can show you and be like, here, this is every guy that's officially in. Like, what you know is exactly what I, and what everyone else knows, right? It's impossible. And, you know, every, you know, past couple of things, obviously,

with what's happened to Phil. You know, it's tough, you know, a fill has been super kind of me and look, I've been in a position when I've since I've turned pro that a lot of pros have been really kind to me and I know that not everyone gets that treatment and some guys come out, you know, you look at, you know, you're like, oh, here's this new kid or whatever, you know, I've been very lucky, you know, I'm very thankful for that like Like these guys are awesome. I know they're trying to be me and I'm trying to beat them, but like aside from that, there's been just really nice guys out there and we're just great, we're normal people. We're not doing anything crazy, right? We're just good at golf, but they've been really kind and feel really has and it's tough to see what everything has gone through. But, you know, sometimes you get your words kind of mixed up and sometimes you say something that maybe you don't really mean or maybe you just need to get off your chest and maybe he can even though everything is gone against him. Hopefully he can take a deep breath and then recoup and regather his thoughts and come

back out stronger than ever. It's tough to see, but to see the group of guys that we're building to that have committed to the PGA tour. Like, I've, like I said, from the, from the first minute of this conversation, I have loved doing what I do. And, you know, so far that's been playing on the PGA tour and it has been amazing. And I'm so thankful for what we do, right? And it's hopefully only going to keep getting better. And that's what we've seen. Like, you know, we've pulled out $60 million over the past year. And hopefully it just keeps getting better and better.

Yeah, so what is that? What in your opinion can improve on the PGA tour, right? Because I, we've talked about this a ton, and I, it seems to me that there's at least a sentiment out on tour, whether it be a small group, people are a big group of people that the tour is maybe hoarding money that there's money sitting around that they're not paying out. I it seemed like there's a disconnect at some level between

community like the information the tour is sharing and the sentiment among the players. Do you have any insight on any of that? Oh, let's see. I'm not on the pack. So I'm not on the committee. So I don't see, you know, as depth or, you know, as in depth as some other players, you know, like I said, I've only done this for a short period of time. So when people ask me like, what do you improve? I'm like, I don't know.

I kind of enjoy what I do right now. I'm not complaining. But it is surprising to me that you can pull out, you, I'm gonna call it 50 million for PIP and then This like for me. I'm gonna keep saying it's a stupid thing of giving us $50,000 for every for every every member that plays 15 tournaments whether you make or miss a cut. I think you got $50,000. I Don't understand that. I mean you do the math. It's like $10 million to the entire membership. Just I don't get it. There are so many other ways to put together $10 million, $60 million total, even other places

are putting money. Yeah, I don't know the answer. And I said this in my press for last week, a rift. I don't know the answer and I said this in my presser last week, a RID, like I don't know the answer to what we should do, but you know, I've been thinking and you know, I just haven't come up with a great idea to share with people yet and I think that's the biggest thing is that like, I mean, $10 million for, you know, here's $50,000 check. I mean, I think over a hundred, I mean, everyone that made the FedEx Cup playoffs last year made over a million dollars, right?

So $50,000, I know is very helpful in its life, you know, life changing for a lot of people, but if the last guy's making over a million dollars, I don't know what $50,000 is doing for every number. Like, yeah, was that was that was not their way to save us? Yeah, just keep us on tour. Like that wasn't my deciding factor of like, right? Well, let me, I don't know this,

but let's say hypothetically, like, all right, the tour is making initiatives, right? We're gonna give the top 10 guys, we're doing all this pip money, we're throwing money in the FedEx, we're increasing purses, their obligation is also to a 200 member plus organization, right?

And this, how I viewed that 50K per person is like, this is covering, I don't know what percent, but some of your expenses for the year, I know it's expensive to travel the tour, hotels, all that. Like, here's also our initiative to say, look, we're giving a lot more money to the top guys right now, but also for the whole tour, like here, let's cover this. And I don't know that. Yeah, but, but if they wanted to do that, why not like, you know, what we did during COVID,

right? They chartered planes. And I know they were losing money on that. I mean, it's not cheap to charter planes. But like, it would take care of so many things about guys like on the corn ferry or the corn ferry tour category guys, right? That like, don't have to worry about, okay, let me go book this middle seat economy. I mean, that's how I thought. And like, that's how, you know, I still like to look at what I'm paying. Like I'm not just freely spending my money just because I've played well and made money.

Like I still think about what I'm doing. But like if you just, I'm not saying they should, but you're right. Like if you're thinking of it as a $50,000 expense credit, $10 million, I'm pretty sure they can charge their planes for under $10 million throughout the year. And just it would get everyone there. You leave Sunday night, you leave Monday morning,

you would get everyone to the tournament, you're there, you're baggage is there, you don't have to worry about any of this. Like it would take care of a lot. So, you know, look, the PGH was the top of the top. And we are a big professional athlete, you know, platform around the world. And, you know, yes, we're based in the U.S. But like, people know what the PGA Tour is. People want to go play on the PGA Tour. It's just like the NBA. People want to go play in the NBA. People want to

go play in the MLB. I don't even know if they want to play that MLB right now. Yeah, they can't. But you know what I mean? Yeah. We're big. You know, we're not the scale of what they are, but we are still the top four. And it's just how do you make things like that just even more enjoyable for us to be out there? Yeah, it's certainly, certainly an interesting time. I think it, I think things are improving on your guys in and we'll continue. But the new TV deal, that's the thing too is it's an escalating deal and it's you know

I think it's gonna get correlated pretty strongly with well that you know this threat from the outside league is what's driven all these you know Revenue increases which at least part of that I think was gonna be coming Regardless of of the outside threat, but it's it's forced a little bit more communication I'd say or upfront You know Monahan getting in front of the players and saying a lot of these things I think is a really good step. No and I think that's the right thing and I remember earlier I think it was last year you know I talked about growing the game and you know I didn't I had to make I hadn't made my full statement at that point you know I think this was in the Bahamas and and this you know I get it this is and people you

know I see all the complaints about growing the game, you know, growing the game for this map. Like they're two separate things, right? And like what the MLB is doing now, like they're trying to make more money for the players, right? The players association. And like that's the same thing as what we've seen with this. But at the same time, we still do want to open this game to more outlets, right?

And I don't think we see that enough, but you're slowly starting to see hopefully more opportunities for people out there. And that's what we want to do, right? And that's the end goals to just help more people play golf. Like that's the enjoyment I get out at least sometimes when you see people that's like, now when I see like a little Asian American or an Asian kid come out and watch me play and like they say like I'm their favorite golfer, it means so much to me and I never thought I'd have this impact. It's crazy. I've never thought I'd have this impact at 25.

And it really humbles me and it puts me in a spot where I'm like, okay, I need to go out and be the best person I can. It's, yeah, I think the Saudi stuff has definitely helped us players make what we feel like we should be making when, you know, like I said, I don't know the exact financials of everything that some guys do, but that's what everyone's saying is that like, you know, yeah, we deserve to make this much if the tour is making this much.

Yeah, I think it's interesting from where I'm sitting. We've been hit with grow the game so, and it almost always comes from a very corporate place of, like, somebody will say, Grow the Game to you, but really, they mean I want to make more money off of this game, Grow the Game. So that's 100%. And that's where I want to make that split, right? And like, when I, if I ever say Grow the Game,

and I know now, like, when I do say Grow the Game, like, I'm not going to tie money to it. Like, I have, from my perspective, what I've learned even over the past, let's call it five months, growing the game has nothing to do with the money we're making. If I make more money, I can grow the game.

I can go out and do what like, Cam and Cam was doing a Riviera, you know, in the hood and helping out, you know, lowering income kids and growing the game that way with money that I've made. But that has nothing to do with money I'm making from finishing in the top 10 on a tournament. Like it's separate things, right? So yeah, I think that's what we need to separate it is that, you know, I think that's what I'm learning from watching like this, you know, MLB stuff is that, like none of them are saying,

oh, we need to grow the game for the kids, like, or for the young kids that want to come out and play in MLB, like, they're just fighting for what they feel like they should earn. And I think that's what we're doing as well, and that's what we're seeing, and that's what we're comparing to the Saudi stuff, is like, guys that really understand the financials

are saying this is what we should fight for. And then we've seen improvements. 100% both dog foods going off, that means I've kept you for an hour. So I'll get you out of here on this one, which is, again, I mentioned earlier, I've not been good at predicting this, but man, sawgrass seems like a great fit for you.

Does it not? I think what's funny is that people just, you know, Sawgrass seems like a great fit for you, does it not? Well, it's funny, people just, you know, they'll say, oh, this course fits you. And I'm like, okay, I don't know what course fits me. Like I don't know. You can't overpower it. Like it's premium on iron plate. Okay.

Yeah. Let's go to the stats, guys. Let's go to the stats, guys. Look, I love, I love TVC Sawgrass. It's definitely one of my favorites. You know every time I show up and it's it's got the best field out there. The conditions are always amazing. It's a course I feel like fits my shot shape. I mean, I've been I've been prepping the past couple weeks to see, you know, what shots I need to hit out there. I've been practicing on the range just

kind of visualize certain holes. I mean, I don't know what to tell you. Like, yeah, this course fits me, or I know what you want to say is all the courses fit me. I know you want to, but you know, you're gonna get spacked. I'm not gonna say that. But, I mean, it's, yeah, it's a course I like. I mean, I'm gonna say that with any course.

So you don't place your bet. I'll add everyone else to do there. And we're good to get up. Sounds good. Well, I'm looking forward to players like me. It's gonna be a great one looking forward to seeing the best players in the world come to our doorstep here in Jack. So we'll see you next week. Thanks a lot for spending an hour with us and best of luck with the rest season. We'll be checking in with you. Awesome. Appreciate it being back. best of luck with the rest season we'll be checking in with you. Awesome. Appreciate it for being back on the bat.

Get a right club. Be the right club today. That is better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most. Expect anything different? Better than most.