No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 58: Jordan Spieth

Episode Date: November 30, 2016

The 2015 Masters and U.S. Open Champion dropped by the podcast today to talk about the reaction to his 2016 season, what’s changed in his life in recent years, what it’s like to be paired... The post NLU Podcast, Episode 58: Jordan Spieth 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! Jordan's speed. Jordan, yeah, the week off last week, how did you celebrate the win? It happened to be Thanksgiving week as well. How did you deal with the week off? Yeah, we stayed a couple extra days in Australia.

Came back Tuesday. Got to spend Thanksgiving at home, see family, friends. The last couple of years, the Aussie Open was actually on Thanksgiving, so it's kind of nice being home, eating some good food, watching football day. The last couple of years the Aussie Open was actually on Thanksgiving so it's kind of nice being home Eating Eating some good food watching football day. I kind of rested didn't do a whole lot Then sort of the gear up on the weekend heading into here and in the ball this week

What happens to the golf clubs after this week and it's not too far away from capollua But do they get put up for a couple for a few days or what happens? Yeah, they'll be put up. I took a break after the rider cup this year and did some celebrating I guess and hung the club's up for a few weeks, which is as long as I've ever done. This time I'll probably take a week or so off and then just kind of that's one of a lot of the guys that we back in town whether they're PGA tour guys or web guys or even guys trying to make it Through Q-school Latino America all that we get a good group back in Dallas and so I'll probably hang them up for a week

But then everyone will start playing some games So we'll just I'll play a lot of golf not do as much practicing until we get closer to why Because you recently just put some new equipment in the bag and new irons. Did you, it seemed like an obviously very easy transition for you. You just won with them. How long or does that testing process work? Or if you're staying with the same equipment company, is it really easy to just change out a set of irons? Not necessarily. It has been for me going back away from the start of the AP2s. I had trouble switching to the 716s to start. I was having a lot of success with the ones I was playing and then I found a set that kind of dug a little

weird into the ground so I was just, you know, I was kind of stubborn about changing and then my coach Cameron really wanted me to try out the Project deck 6.5 instead of 6.0 so a little stiffer shaft in the irons and with that we were also testing out the C-B's and the AP-2's and trying to find a shaft iron combination. It took probably a couple full days of track man and sessions at his place and trying to hit different shots just seeing how they compared the gamers I had and we found out that they were the same, maybe even a little bit better in crosswinds. I'm just hitting it a little bit straighter in the crosswinds.

There's not as much movement to the ball. So I just decided, hey, you know, good time to try him out in Australia and then here at Tiger's event. They work, I mean, they work fine there. Coming in here, play maybe a little bit more in the wind. So we'll kind of see how they perform here. But yeah, I put those in the bag other than that. I actually switched to the new ball, too. I switched to the 2000 and what I guess it'll be the 17 Pro V1 X. Haven't found much of a difference from the 15 other than just a little better in Crosswind. Same thing as the Iron. So with the same equipment, I've really it's actually been a lot easier transitioning than maybe other guys have. But I've played

titles my whole life. I just, you know, when you trust something, it makes it a lot easier. Haven't put the new driver in yet, but hopefully pretty soon. I know you don't have a ton of time, I want to get into 2016 vs 2015 yet at the same time I know that's kind of a narrative that's been beaten to death. If I'm looking at stats, looking at Stroke's game, Crunching numbers, the only real significant dip in your play overall, I would say was your, was your irons, your approach to green Stroke's game stat. So you care about those stats, do you look into those stats as you game plan for a new year,

or is that something that you can already kind of feel or what's your approach towards the numbers? Yes, we use Stroke's game we have for three, four years now, Mark Brody sends stuff over to Cameron I don't dive into it too deep I kind of ask Cameron and kind of tread on what kind of the depth that he wants me to be at so I don't you know kind of go Overthink it, but we found out from 60 to 150 yards really scoring Scoring approach yardage is where I fell off a little bit

and so we've really tried to try to nail stuff down in that range and that's really just the wedges wedges into nine maybe eight iron. It's a short iron play that I fell a little bit off of 2015 but like you said everything else helped pretty solid a man certainly can improve a bit more off the tee, not necessarily distance, but more playing the right shots to be a little more accurate. But the scoring distances are where most of the improvement needs to come.

But we do dive into that. That's very important. We look at that normally in October. We look at it again in December. And then we kind of pick a plan for the year. It kind of a practice plan when I'm at tournaments in that home to figure out how to tighten that gap. And along the same vein of I think you you and I both have the same in agreement that you took way too much heat for your 2016 season. You've viewed the season as a success as do I. You could kind of you went

from being the next best thing on the tour to literally being the best thing to being the number one ranked in tour. When you're the next best thing, everybody loves you. When you're number one, people like to have an opinion on it. So, not necessarily in golf, how would you say your life was most impacted from your monster 2015 season? It's being recognized, kind of honestly getting your butt kissed by everybody. In a way, I mean, it really is the case.

People laugh at everything you say, even when you're not that funny. I just did it. I mean, legitimately, it's, you go from, things just change. You just, I mean, I certainly have the people that have been with me since day one, which I'm lucky that that's our team,

but also, you know, my friends back home since high school, you know, those are my best friends to this day. So, at home, everything's the same. You know, 15 kind of just took it on to, you know, a worldly, you know, I mean, all around the world. Now, we're off gone, getting recognized whether it's at a golf tournament or at a just a random, you stopped in to have a beer somewhere. It's bizarre. I mean, obviously, it makes things a bit different. You got to kind of watch yourself. You can't necessarily let loose the way you used to unless you find, you know, find the right locations too. So, you know, I mean

certainly has tremendous advantages. I'm not trying to make it out to see anything about it all. It's, you know, accomplishing my lifelong goals. it's a lot of fun. But there are certainly responsibilities to come with it. Sixteen is where you see the kind of what anybody that's in that spotlight has to deal with. I mean, you can't keep kind of a record breaking year up every single year. Nobody does yet at the same time. How can you convince yourself that if you're more of a perfectionist. So it's been kind of the internal struggle in 2016 and that's something that I learned a lot this year. There's going to be negativity. I had a heartbreak at the masters. It was just kind

of tough to let go for a lot. I knew it would be but probably won't fully be over that unless I Or until I get another chance at a major championship and and And then you know capitalize on it until then that'll that'll be something that's sticking with me It's just you know, that's what it is what it is, but at the same time Well Jack had what 19 second place finishes and majors and he had plenty of it You could probably correct me on the numbers there I think you're right Yeah, but he I mean so it's just of that. You could probably correct me on the numbers there. But I think you're right. Yeah, but he, I mean, so it's just, if you look at it from a 25 year career,

I started to look at big picture things more. And it settles me down a bit. Not trying to be so focused on here now, but looking at it, hey, you know, if we had this, what I like to say now, whenever I'm asked about comparing 15 and why I didn't have the same success as 15, you know, if I did, by the end of my career, I'd have 120 wins. What is it that 50 majors? So, I mean, how exactly can you do that? You can't. So, it was a lot of fun. I'm telling you what,

this year was a lot of fun too. I had a great time doing it. Two different kind of learning processes though. Yeah, you're almost better off, I think, from a media perspective, spacing out when you win your majors rather than winning two such a young age. But Rory even kind of predicted before the season started that you were going to be treated differently kind of the same way you mentioned Especially within the media. Did you feel that like throughout the season? I sense some frustration with you from you with just the kind of questions that you got So did you kind of feel the I don't want to say the wrath of the media But did you feel like the the questions changed and the attention you got was much different from them?

you know just feel like the questions changed and the attention you got was much different from them. You know, just after the Masters and then after that kind of war on for little it was the Olympics. Both I obviously regret decisions I made in both. So, all in all, you know, I did and I think it was a little bit of a little bit of immaturity on my part not recognizing that that that that was going to keep coming. You know like I said, I mean in 15 everybody's kissing your ass. I mean every question is good, all is good in the world of golf and then you know that just can't stay that way all the time and I think I just didn't quite want to, didn't

want to recognize that, believe that. And it kind of set me off guard and got me a little short tempered a couple times. But at the same time, I like things. I don't like to necessarily tell them everything that's going on, because then they're going to take it and run with it, and you're going to keep on having to talk about it. So trying to find a balance there with the media was something that I wish I'd done a little bit better and a little earlier on. Just to settle down and say, like I mentioned, I didn't realize this whole look at the big

picture thing until a little late. But I feel great right now. I mean honestly, I feel great right now. Honestly, I feel great right now. I had a lot of time off, got really healthy and been stronger and mentally really looked at a lot of things this past year and how to improve because it was a great year that if I look at it as a down year and it is a down year, then man, that's one hell of a down year. So I'm really, really confident when I look at it that way It last last one on this topic will move on to something more fun. I promise but I don't want to say a

January one is a bad example because you won in capillouab Let's say if you could go back to like January 10 of last year until that version of Jordan speed something. What would you tell him? It's not gonna be as easy as it was in Hawaii. Do that week. Be patient. I mean just a little bit more patients. Again I would just say to think about the longevity of not only around a golf but of a career. I don't regret any any of the decisions I made on course. I mean, the way I play is always an aggressive nature. I think you of all people could probably appreciate that.

I think, you know, gonna go for broke and it's gonna lead to heartbreaking. It's gonna lead to extreme triumph too. I mean, you've got to play to win. So I don't regret any kind of decisions. I would just tell myself to be patient and to not quite give out as much detail when it's not necessary. So I mean, just, but at the same time, I'm happy that I went through the process of learning that throughout a year.

Very good. All right. On to a topic I know you like to talk about the Ryder Cup a lot to celebrate this year in that regard. I find the dynamic really fascinating because when, from an accomplishment standpoint, you're a two-time major champion. Patrick Reed, while still a top 10 player in the game, just is not is the alpha male in the pairing between the two. You've even referred to how you defer to him to concede, whether or not you can see puts and whatnot. What is that dynamic like for you to be kind of in the passenger seat, whereas you are

the fifth ranked player in the world at this point, two-time major champion yet, you're kind of deferring to a guy that doesn't even have the same track record as you. It's just a lot of fun. I know you guys, I know everybody, whether you're an American or European, had fun watching Patrick Reed, even the last two Ryder Cups, I mean imagine being right by side, listening to the things he was saying, as we walk down the fairways, I mean, being right by my side listening to the things he was saying as we walked down the fairways I mean it's exactly what you probably expect to you Sam and it makes it even better Yeah, it was an interesting position to be in as kind of a type A personality To you know just just be like all right. Let's All right calm down all right get pumped up

You know, I mean you know the guy the mean, the guy just wants to be in a position where he feels like his back's against the wall. It's where he plays his best, it's where he brings out his best. It's where he shows the best emotion. I mean, I thought I broke my thumb when I stood on the 17th. I remember this year, Patrick hold it, hold that went to number six, the par five.

When we were playing, I think it was best ball Might have been up to it. I'm not sure but He hold he hold that wedge and I start I threw my tutter up in the air I started running back to him and he thought we were going for the chest bump and I instead went for their normal high-five I mean he took my hand off. I mean I get on the tee on seven and I instead went for their normal high five. I mean he took my hand off. I mean I get on the tee on seven and I grip the club and I bring Michael over like I normally do just to use the towel to wipe my hands and grip

and I was like Mike this isn't for the towel dude. I literally can't see on my right hand right now. He's like, I'm just gonna swing on it. I hope this thing's so far into the water left. Patrick that's your fault you got this one too It was man. It just the fire he brings just the Just it just he's Captain America man in that in that tournament. I love being his teammate. I love being a part of it

It's he In the president's cup last year He, in the President's Cup last year, that partner with Dustin Johnson for a couple rounds in Patrick was so pissed off that we're partnering. And so finally, we're playing in the last evening, Saturday evening, I guess, in Best Ball. We got put back together. And we have an egg did and shot something ridiculous because he was trying to beat me so bad he wanted to want to he

didn't give a crap he was so pissed at me that we were going to DJ he reminded me every time I saw him even turning that match and then he just went out and made like 67 birdies in the round and we closed him out in the dark it was I mean there's team events are one of a kind. It's where you build kind of relationships with these guys where when you're at a tournament like this with 18 players, everybody's going to be hanging out with everyone the whole week

because you've already had those experiences together. I mean, it's amazing for a few years ago. It was four years ago, I was getting ready for my last finals last finals and now these guys are the people I looked up to so much And out peers. I mean it's it really is amazing and those team events. Oh, it really brings it out on and off the course mean Instead of instead of sitting there and saying I Brands Attacres got this 20 footer to beat you in this tournament You've never I mean you obviously want to him to be able to make and you to make it on top. But in these events to watch these guys that you kind of are playing against and actually root form and ride them on with them, it's special.

You got to, you can't say, like, you can't reference all the things that Reed says walking down the fairway and not give us like one example of just something crazy that he said at the rider cup this year. That's suitable. That's repeatable. I don't know what kind of words are acceptable here, but everything's acceptable on here. Everything's acceptable on here. Let's see, let me try and give you an example here. It's just like the common Patrick look. These guys are in trouble. I walk over because he wants to hit it to a foot every time and then just kind of pump

his chest. I remember the first time I really recognized him in the Ryder Cup was when we played our first match ever in the Ryder Cup and we played against Ian Polter and Stephen Gallagher in Scotland at Glen Eagles. And we're on, I think it was the fifth hole of par four and we're playing alternate, no we're playing bestball against them. And we're already one up I think early and they are both in big treble gallears and treble off the tee, Pulters now hit in the water I'm a second. And I hit it kind of less side of the grain about 30-40 feet.

Patrick's last hit and I go Patrick, he's like, what do you like here? And I'm like, 25 feet left, we win the hole. And he's like, none of them know. I'm going right at the stick. He goes, he goes, I don't want to beat him by one, I want to sump him on the floor. You get the same thing, you get one up on the hole and you move to the next, all of a sudden you're two off. And true now, if he goes at the pan, I think he comes up short a little in the hazard. I've got like a five-foot slider to tie the hole. I'm like, why are you doing this to me, man? And then the next time he hits it to a foot, so you know, it makes like a, he made like a 22 foot or something on the six. So I mean, it's just, it's stuff like that where he's just, it's about, it's about sticking, sticking the knife in instead of just, you know,

playing the match for the match. And I think it's just so great. It It just it brings out the best in him. He loves it and when he's on me, he saw it this year. I mean, he's single-handedly took down Stinson Rose on that back nine. It was really kind of one of the more amazing performances I've ever seen and fortunate to watch it's right in front of me. I was trying to help him out. Made a few parts but jeez. I what was I gonna do? I mean the guy just wanted to stay out of his way. You did start the Patrick Reed Chan on 16 as he was coming up for putty for eagle so don't say you didn't contribute to that one. I was certainly contributing to it. I was still probably 30 yards away from him but I mean that guy he loves himself a club tour. If he could I mean, that guy, he loves himself a club twirl. I love it.

If he could, I mean, right after he strikes out, I mean, I think it was like a three iron or a hybrid or something into that hole. He struck in, he's twirling and doing the walk. And I'm standing with Tiger. I was kinda looking at Tiger. Are you watching this? No.

He's just smirking. I mean, he didn't really know what to say. It was funny. We had a good moment with Tiger. We had a good moment. It was a funny story. We were playing number six actually. And it might have been the actual same maps where he hold the shot, the West shot. We hit a T ball out there and Tiger were walking with Tiger up to the ball. And Tiger said something like, I said something like, Man Tiger, you've never been able to play this good.

Yeah, I was just joking with him. Saying like, we're playing alternate shot actually. This is a different match. And we've not missed a shot yet. I think Patrick just chipped in the hole before, and we're like three up on Sergio and Rafa and I'm like tiger you've never played this good in alternate shot in your life He says something like

something something something smart back and and I want to say I can't I wish I wish I could recall exactly how it went right now But something where Tiger goes Patrick said something back to Tiger Tiger goes, don't worry Patrick, you only need 79 more wins and 14 more majors. And then I go, Patrick, you can't talk to him because you can't even talk to me, you need two more papers like Four more wins. It's a me. I don't it was something and then of course, you know, he steps up and It's that kind of talk that gets him going and he I mean it's just going off there right afterwards But it was just kind of it was a funny moment with Tiger talking because you don't really hear Tiger talk about everything he's Drop, you know to go back on Patrick and he used it there because he was like,

you know, screw this guy, I'm using this right now. Who is this guy? That is fantastic. So for the record, we've coined what he did on 16 with that twirl. We call it the Reed coil. There you go. I like that. There you go. The Reed coil. So how much say did Reed really have in you guys going back out for that final match because the What's been reported is that he were the refuse to be sat? What were you guys really gonna be sat and he's like, were you a did you want to sit? No, okay? No, no, no from the get go we were Tiger

Tiger was What he called our you called our team leader and he had told us ahead of time he goes, you guys get off and run and I'll turn a shot, you're playing again. And then we just kind of took care of that. I mean we ended up blowing that lead to them. It just stings me still now that we blew that lead to the Spaniard. But at the time we were four or5 up during the middle of that match. I mean, Tiger came on. I want to say 12 T-Box.

He told us you guys are going back out in the afternoon. I don't know what happened after that. We kind of... It's a battle a little right after that. But we knew we were going back out. It's a battle a little right after that. But we knew we were going back out. We love the best ball format. We just knew that between us two, whenever we talked to each other, we knew that we could

play our way into playing five matches. And that's, you know, it wasn't about trying to, trying to, you know, with our words tell anybody, it was, we can play our way into five matches. I think Patrick, in his own talks with Davis or Tiger may have said, you know, I'm definitely playing. You won't be playing, but I couldn't tell you for sure what was said. Is Greller still nearby you? You mentioned he might be playing. Yeah, he's right by me here. We're playing on speaker. He's trying to run away. He's really scared. Well, the question's for you anyways, but. So everyone's listening.

So we are, obviously, we are a proponents of the Pray for Ted Scott hashtag, which is obviously referencing Baba getting on Ted Scott. And at times this year, it seemed like you were giving Greller a bit of grief on the golf course and a a hashtag pray for Greller did emerge at a certain point so I'm wondering how that whether or not there was ever any post around discussion on anything like that or is this just something that happens

on the course that just you shake off. That's the first we heard of this. Michael put his hands up as if he was pumped about that. And I'll tell you, Mike's got a rough life, man. And he lives a tough one. I feel bad for the guy. But he got to say about that. Oh, the ocean. I guess he doesn't want to partake. He's shy.

No, man, it's just, it gets intense out there, man. We talk constantly to each other, feel very involved with each other during all the shots, during all the decision making. We're trying to get a bit quicker. One thing I'd like to do is, um, is certainly speed up my play. I've gotten a little bit of a reputation for, um, taking a bit of time. Actually, a few of my bad times, actually, three of them came on number 11 of Augusta this year.

We're swirling winds in a four iron into that green, you know, good luck committing to a shot. But, um, uh, but yeah, I mean, we, you know, we talk all the time. We're, we're very, we're very into it. Mike's very even keeled, he's very, which is funny because when he's playing himself, it's one of the worst mental games you've ever seen in your entire life. But as a caddy, it's like, you would think the guy was, I mean,

it never played golf in his life before. You know, like, he's almost like, it's almost like, I don't know how to describe it, but I mean, he's so knowledgeable, but at the same time, so relaxed and almost just assuming of what's going to come on either side and knows what to say on either side. So, he's always very fortunate to have Mike, and he's not saying, I mean, that's why I'm saying this. You'd never let him hear that in person. Of course, but man, yeah, I mean, we went in together.

We lose together. And we both have accepted that we take the triumph together, and we both take the blame together. So hopefully it comes off that way. It's obviously certain things. Certain times to get emotional. I'll never say mudball on a part three though. I'll never say mudball on a part three though. Trust me. It's okay. Bubba hears that. We give him crap for all of this.

I don't think Bubba is a fan of the No Leg Up podcast. Just gonna throw that out there, but it's never too late. Yeah. That's interesting. You brought that up about your pace of play. I thought, yeah, during the Masters there was a lot to that. And I kind of, I defended you on it in the sense that with everything that was going on, I felt like you weren't that confident in the way you were striking the ball. You had a lot of really great shots that week,

but you had some really shaky ones and you were just taking extra time to have absolute confidence over it. And then it came down to, I think you've even referenced the shot, you hit on 12 that you felt like you rushed yourself a little bit. So how do you still took two minutes to set a rush on? But it was one of those shots where every time you get on it, you want to just step up and hit, you know, just let kind of your instincts take over, let your hand out coordination take over, it doesn't matter how it looks, whatever, just got a little ahead of it. But, yeah, I mean, it's something camera and iron working on because it's not because I necessarily care what other people think to change the way I play golf, because that's

not the case at all I used to be a really fast player and over the past year or two years is when it's kind of changed. I mean and it's just and and the reason we want to shift it back is actually for my own execution. I Actually Like my practice now with Cameron. He'll put a few balls out and he'll say you get one look then take it back and in the middle of your backswing I'm gonna call high-fade, high draw, low-fade, low draw whatever and you have to create the shot then. So it's creating kind of an instinctive awareness of trying to take the ball, take the club back quicker, you don't know what shot

you're gonna play yet and then just create it after he says it on the way down. So it's kind of good training. We've been quicker in committing to quicker and committing to shots being a little more relaxed about it to the smallest detail And it helped me out. I mean Australia was a lot better I started to do it a little the second half of the year this year But yeah, something that we're certainly working on Again Not because I felt like anybody's opinion really got to me. It's more the year this year. But yeah, something that we're certainly working on. Again, not because

I felt like anybody's opinion really got to me. It's more, you know, hey, that's not a great reputation to have. If people are like, I'll shoot on playing with Jordan and Marley play slow. You know, that's not cool. So that and I feel like it'll actually help me. There you go. You got time for a couple more questions. I know you got to run. So don't go. No worries. If I ask you, like, I don't mean like a power rankings or who's ranked number one right now or who's the hottest but if I ask you who's the best golfer in the world who's the first person you just thought of. I thought of Rory.

I mean outside I believe in myself I think right now, Roy's capabilities are as high as anybody. I thought it was a mate. I mean, I thought it was just what I looked at myself this year and the way that everyone was thinking of my year. And then I thought of the way people were writing off Roy McRoy. I was like, you guys have no idea what you're doing. This guy is unbelievably talented. And think this whole, a lot of it

comes down to the confidence in putting, to close out. He's got that confidence in fucking back whether it's utter or just a new look, or the ability to be able to not be forced to play something that kind of thing. You've got to watch out for this guy. I mean, he's going to be back to number one in the world at some point. I think pretty soon. I certainly hope that we can battle it out with him and get back ourselves. I think he's, he DJ J.D. I mean, the kind of is so talented.

Does Ball Striker, Hendrick Stenson, if I'm sitting on the range watching somebody hit balls? There's nobody else that really watched in 100% strike as irons. I mean it's an absolute joke, the thing's on a string. But yeah, I mean that was a very very long answer that could have been more worth. But see myself and then Rory. Well you answer the next question anyway, the next one is going to be who do you like to stop and watch hit balls on the range. So if you could swap out one of your skills for the same skill of another player, like if you wouldn't be your putting, but if you wanted to trade your putting for somebody

else, what skill would you swap out and who would you choose? I would have Dustin Johnson hit drives for me. He's, it's just, it's, it's somewhat tough playing with him because you really need to get the T first. So you don't try and do too much. I've watched him at the table. Do you ever just not just look away when he does T off so you're not, you don't even try to match it? No, because it's, no, because it's still so cool to watch. At the same time. The sound probably just echoes in your ear anyways, whether or not you were watching it.

Do you have, so let's say there's a day where you've got no commitments, nothing planned for the day. I'm guessing there aren't too many of those that you have. How badly do you want to jump in the car and go to the golf course still? How much do you still love golf? If you don't need to be practicing on a day, how much do you want to be going out and playing?

You know, there's not not many days where I am away from the golf course. I mean, I love it. I really, now I really appreciate when you get a few good players that are in town for a game, you know, to get in and have that kind of competition while still kind of giving each other crap. Just the stuff you can't necessarily do in a tournament that you used to do growing up, that I used to do growing up all the time. I love playing golf. I was never really a range rat.

I love getting down the course and creating shots and different lies, different wins. So I'd say very likely that I'd still go to the course, try and find a group to play with. But at the same time, you know, you go on a three or four weeks stint of, you know, maybe you took a day off here there in that, but you're in contention a few weeks in a row. It takes a lot out of you mentally, you know, when you're playing for, you know, when you're playing for whether it's world ranking points or whatever, maybe a major.

So there are definitely times where I get back. I don't even want to look at my golf club down, even want to know where they are right now. That's changed from junior golf just because of the kind of level of commitment that we have now where, you know, I'm not in school for from 8 till 3 and then just trying to squeak out, you know, some few range balls in nine holes after school. You know, this is now, I'm at the course from eight till three. You know, so it's, it's, it's changed a bit. I never wanted to go back to school when I was doing that eight to three. So sometimes it's, uh, um, it's like that, but I love the game. I love playing if you can get a group to play. If you and I, so I'm a rusty three-handy cap that doesn't play much anymore, if you and

I play a game, how many strokes do you have to give me for it to be even remotely interesting? Normally, if we're doing a one more play with, and we've got friends that are anywhere from zero to a 15 that we'll play with. Normally, we put ourselves, say, I'm in town, Ryan Palmer's in town. We'll stay where plus five's. So I would stay four aside. Yeah, that's not happening. I'm going to be, I'm going to be more than that.

That's in a wolf game where you team up. I really haven't played many kind of straight on me, but you know, like a lot of guys play MJ in Florida there. The, you know, Ricky O'Plegans, MJ or Justin. I mean, they get, I think they play off plus six or seven in order to play him just a straight up game. But normally we like playing a Wolf game or quarters or left and right, something like that.

And we'll just give strokes accordingly. How true is MJ's handicap? I feel like that's one of those celebrity athlete handicaps that gets over inflated. You know, I've never played golf with him. So I don't even know what any of these can be honest with you, but better of MJ more than he does of them. But I'm sure he probably enjoys his wins more, because I don't know what any of this could be, but better of MJ more than he does of them. But I'm sure he probably enjoys his wins more, because I don't think he really cares much about the money he poses.

I think he's good on that front, so. I'll let you get out of here. I know I'm taking up more time than you have available, but I found this really interesting that Yukon from, like in 2013, being a guy that was using sponsors exemption to trying to get your card to now being one of the biggest brand stewards in the game. Like did this transition feel really quick to you like to to where you are today? Did you expect to be here four years ago?

Not necessarily, no, no, no, I to be totally honest with you, four years ago? Not necessarily. No, no, no. I, to be totally honest with you, four years ago, four years ago, I was, I went through second-stage at Q-school and I missed it and I hit 65 to 72 greens in regulation and I hit 30 of them inside at 15 feet and I didn't, I didn't make it through. I was so off in my putting low, I was so mental. I was I mean I was literally it was I mean it was bad And I was watching tournaments. I was watching Hawaii I think I was watching Sony and Russell Henley and Scott Langley I think we're battling it out. I knew these guys. I was on the Walker Cup team with them and And I knew I could play with those guys and I'm watching them go head-to-head and make call these puss

I'm like how am I gonna do and make call these pusses. I'm like, how am I going to do that? I was literally that. I had that little confidence in my putting an ability for that to help carry me. So no, back then there was no chance I could have seen what happened. Just kind of ducked through it with work. I found a way to get over, I had short putting loads, found a way to get over that, and then just practice working on my speed stroke, and then try to improve the rest of the game in a process. But through 2013, that was a whirlwind year. That one went by really fast with a lot of different changes

from, I'm not sure if or where I'm going to be able to play this year. So OK, we got web.com status to two weeks later. okay, we have PJ Tour status just in a four week stretch. So, um, and that was, uh, that was where, but when I look back, it's, I feel like it's all happened really fast or slow. I mean, it really depends on how I look at it. Because, um, some days I feel like it was yesterday. I was in high school some days. I feel like it was 20 years ago.

I mean, there's a lot that's happened. I feel like I've lived a career for some people, yet a few years in and hopefully 20 plus to go. So it's just weird. It's weird. It just depends on how you look at it. But I certainly feel very fortunate the way things have worked out. I mean, you got to create your own luck and in the process hopefully get some good break. She did or didn't deserve and like hitting a flag stick on a bunker shot that PGA Tour status. You know what I mean? But that comes with believing that it can come. you know what I mean, but that comes with with believing that it can come, you know, I mean you believe that you believe it's against you, there's no chance you're making that part, but you believe that it can lip in, you got that entire hole to make it, the thing will thing goes in, it just it just does. It's um, it's crazy how how much goes on in the head and how it

controls the outcome. You caught that bunker shot then didn't you? I caught it, I caught it closer to the ball than I wanted. It was one of those where you're trying to kind of carry a halfway and run it out. And it was one of those that had a little spin. I think you would have held in on the friends on the other side. That's what I tell everybody.

Brandt's not giving me a really hard time about that. He's like, there's no doubt that I was one hopping into the water. I'm just like, brandt. The thing was spinning. He's like, there's no doubt that was one hopping into the water. I'm just like, brand, the thing was spinning. He's like, no chance. So, I'm still going to live by, I wasn't going to win the tournament, but I wasn't going to make double. I was going to have a long par putt, but it's certainly a game changing break for me. What is a tournament week? What does it look like socially for you? I mean, I imagine everywhere you go,

there's somebody you know that wants to have dinner, whatnot, like pre-practice rounds. Are you doing stuff socially? And then once the week starts, do you shut everything down at 10 o'clock? Or what's a normal tour week look like socially for you? It depends on the week, it depends on where you are, you know, like the 18th year pebble with everyone that's there that week, you typically are meeting up, having more dinners, having a little more fun, because you're just in a cool position with some,

some really cool people to be around whether they're athletes or actors, singers, songwriters, whatever it may be, kind of picking their brain, learning a lot, I mean you just don't really get that chance and then you get other weeks where you're in places where you just kind of go back to the hotel or you go to the gym or whatever it may be. I would say for the most part before the tournament starts, a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, socially, normally going out to dinner with, you know, other guys, a couple of those nights, during the tournament, it kind of depends on what everyones T times are, but you normally try, I mean, the last couple years,

now that, you know, I've got a lot of friends out here the first year to i was the youngest by five ricky was probably second youngest on tour two three years ago many he's you know four or five years older than me so i didn't really have many people to hang out with now i've got a lot of my friends i've grown up with out on tour and it's a lot of fun sharing that experience. So we certainly love to go out. We go to dinner but yeah, I mean we're not, you know, sometimes unfortunately, sometimes fortunately we're not out like the guys in the 70s till 2 a.m. charity rolling in trying to get up at 7 a.m. for us T time at 750. he's told me some of those stories, but normally normally in bed,

or at least getting ready to be back by 10 during an internment week and then Sunday night we'll kind of have a few beers. That's kind of it. It's a lot of fun because we go to cool places, we do a lot of fun things. At the same time, you know, I mean, if you really want to have a chance to succeed that week, you got to be disciplined. Yeah. Stop boring. I guess for what you guys were looking for. No, no, no, I figured that was that was that was that was the case. I mean, getting carried away

and it catches up with you now and the way the game's changed. Not everybody's doing that. Yeah, no, I think that's more the modern day. There's not too many guys that are doing the old John Daly or Faraday Rowling in that late. But I don't know how much you've gotten to look at it or gotten to play Aaron Hills. I know you've played Quail Hollow. I would assume you have. How do you think the major venue set up for you this year? I played, let's see, I feel obviously very confident about the first one and then we go to uh, Aaron Hill is a play the US amateur there, played it well, lost in the quarter finals.

A track that's gonna um, you know if you're comparing like the US opens of the Shenakok, the Oak Montpyrite, this is going to be more of the Chambers Bay variety, a little bit different. More of a link style. So I feel good about our history there. And then, Kweilhollow, the Berkdale, I haven't played. I played the Junior Open at Heskith, which is a club right next to Berkdale. And we went and actually watched the first round of Berkdale that year, the last time it was there. I think Patrick Harrington wanted and we watched him a bit that first round. And then Quill Hollow, I played in 2013.

I think it's awesome golf course. Great finishing holes. It's going to be a really exciting tournament to finish. I think you know Burkdale is gonna be the toughest of the venues in my opinion That of course is just it's just mean But the rest I mean it's gonna be a fun year for the majors. I mean this year was a great year for major venues I mean a great year 2015 was a was you know, I was the one who came out liking Chamberspace

It was a phenomenal play. Vendee was there too. So all in all, that's what we're hearing up for. That's what it's all about. Sweet. All right, Jordan Speed, thank you so much for your time, man. I'll finally let you get out of here. Best of luck this week in the Bahamas, the new season.

I'm picking you to win the Masters. So I'm confident what's in store for 2017. and thank you for taking the time with me today. Of course man, you got it, no worries. We'll catch up soon man, thank you. Alright, so it's gonna be a good day, keep doing your thing, I love it. Alright, appreciate it man, take care. Be the right club, be the right club today. That is better than most.

That is better than most. Better than most. you