No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 580: Thursday Open Championship Recap

Episode Date: July 15, 2022

Mike Tirico and Shane Bacon join us to recap Thursday at the Open Championship at St. Andrews. We discuss Rory's fantastic start, Tiger's disappointment, how the Old Course held up, setup, Cameron Young, best things we saw today, and a ton more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm going to be the right club today. Yeah! That's better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most. Expect anything different. Ladies and gentlemen,

I'm going to be the right club today. Better than most. Solly, you're looking a lot better than you this afternoon. I was a little tired this afternoon. We peaked a little bit early. DJ Pi is here calling in from his new home in Milwaukee. Hello, DJ Pi. Hello, guys. Many people asking if this is a bit similar to the Randy moving bit, not a bit. I got some proof of life spotted cow just to prove that I am in Wisconsin

and thrilled to be with you guys. In the creative studio, look at that old school wood in the background. Oh, my God, a lot we can do with that. A lot to be done. Want the creative studio look at that that old school would in the background oh my god lot we can do with that lot lots of be done want to give a shout out we got our guest is actually a little early he's waiting in the in the waiting room here in the green room and we're gonna bring him in here shortly i want you to but before we do want you try to guess who the guest would be i like this people comments pop the comments poppins to see who you can i get

i'm guessing you will not get this right but i want to give a shout to of course our friends at yeti for sponsoring this show. Tell us, give us an ice update here. Well, we've got the Trident True Studio cooler, but it's a backup this week. Rory Block Party's, it's gonna be a banger, so we had to bring in the big rig. We brought in the Rody 48 wheeled cooler.

The wheels are kind of crucial. Thing rolls like a carry on suitcase. I even read the directions this week. I packed it up tight. We're doing double latches this week. Air is the enemy, all right, and we're fighting it off. So what do you think, Dej? Rory wins a major or this ice melts first. What do you think happens first? You know what? I've gone with, gosh, I'm gonna stick with Rory. You know, I didn't, I know I didn't pick him this week. I know you, you kind of said I wasn't invited to the block party, but I'm gonna stick with Rory. You know, I didn't pick him this week. I know you kind of said I wasn't invited to the block party,

but I'm hoping maybe you'll after today, you'll find in your heart to like save me a hot dog. Well, take it under consideration. Head to Yeti.com and you can grab a new Rody 48 today, highly recommended, Sally, back to you. Why don't we go ahead and bring him right in, right from the top here. You might have heard him calling the action today

on USA Network, Mr. Mike Tureko.co welcome back to the show it's been five years that you've been on i believe my friend and i had to sit through any commercial uh... you're early no one's ever early mic nobody how the tables have turned and the dr. merts yeah yeah

it's nine forty here i know it it's the end of the night but i'll go good's gonna be with you. Well, it's 940 here. I know. It's the end of the night, but all good. Good to be with you guys. How you doing everybody, right? Listen, we did not budget for six plus hour rounds today. I don't know. I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, 10-11. The inner section's not working anymore. They need to figure out a roundabout solution. Something that I'll tell you what, usually it tightens up towards the back end of the day, but to get 555 for Tiger and that group, that late in the last quarter of the field, that's

a long time. And this is, I think, guys, the worst, the toughest late early in the majors, because it's still late because it's a one T-star for everybody and then you turn back around. I mean if you can off the golf course now it's 9.40 here. Like you're not you're not truly you know getting food and you know whatever you need to do after the round. It's like 11 o'clock and you're starting at 9.30 or 10 tomorrow morning which means you're over here you know know, 7 38 o'clock whatever. It's a it's a tighter. I think it's the toughest one. So I think laterally here

is the hardest before, especially if you're tiger trying to get, you know, rehab and all his warmups and everything. I mean, he's going to have to get three in the morning. Go down. It's exactly right. A little surprise they gave tiger this this draw. Now, was it the golf course really get that much more difficult as this day went along? Because the wind kind of died down there on the back half of the back nine and you seem like the guys, if I'm looking at the waves, right, the afternoon group on the front nine really struggled. That's where the big difference was. The back nine actually played easier for them, but the big gap there was that front nine. What did you see about the lead to that? So if you take the field, it's 52 games, right?

52 groups. So if you break them in quarters, which is what I like to do here, 13, 13, 13, 13, the first 13 was like 70.9, the second 13 scoring average was 71.9. I didn't do the final math on the third group, the 13, but they were higher. There's no doubt about it. And this last group is going to be higher. They were pretty close to the third group, the 13, but they were higher. There's no doubt about it. And this last group is going to be higher. It was pretty close to the third quarter of the wave. The wind picked up.

I was out here. The first tee is just a short walk. I walked over, got coffee at 6.50 in local time, went over to watch the first tee shots at 6.35 and Paul Lorry played. It was perfect. It was dead calm. And when they got done, it was still

pretty calm. And they got done it four hours and 25 minutes. So you take the length of the round, the wind, it got heavy. The air got heavier as the day went on. So yeah, it was tougher. And remember, all that wind with no rain is just taking a place that's really dry. It made it even drier. So I think trying to be precise, trying to figure out how far it was going to run out, where it was going to run out, even on the chips too. I thought everything around the green, guys weren't as dialed in as they should have been for three days

of practice. I think it's because things just started getting a little firmer and a little more dried out because there's been no rain. It is other than a sprinkle, yes, it has not rained since I got here on Sunday morning at seven o'clock. So it's been pretty dry. What in your mind? What's the what's the biggest takeaway? Biggest story of the day? I'd say not eight under and not eight under by a good player either. I don't want to say Tiger like part of me does because maybe I fooled myself into thinking that he could come out here and shoot 70 or something like that.

I think because he was all in like he couldn't get away from the golf course. He loved it. He loved being here. He was practicing. I watched him before that champions challenge on Monday. He saved his practice putting for before that. And he was on the green for an hour. And every time a group would start, he'd stop and he watched those guys swing. And he was out practicing again yesterday a little bit longer than I think we thought it was going to be. So I think he thought he was going to play well. And I think I got convinced in that and then that first hole was just like a total buzzkill right away, right? Of course, it's a divot

Of course, it's tiger and if there's one guy who you thought was gonna blow it back to where Rory did on one and take the burn out of play It's tiger because he knows where not to make the mistakes here and that just started the spiral So I wanted to say that a little maybe it's JT not playing as well as I thought he would. That would be probably one of the biggest ones. But the takeaway was what I started to say before, overarching early late. Early late is going to get the advantage here because I think it's supposed to rain a little bit tomorrow morning and be showery. The wind is going to turn around a little bit. I think the afternoon guys are going to have light winds and a different direction. So I think early lakes are going to wind the deal and that that just happens at the open. It usually determines who wins or who doesn't.

Mike, we talked so much about Rory on the show all the time and he's been well documented on, you know, how he's been at the majors the last five years and I think kind of after that Sunday Augusta, I think we've all kind of been of the contention, like something has clicked, something's been different these last three majors. I know he talked about it a little bit today. I'm curious from your perspective, if you're seeing anything different from him,

if this feels different, sustainable, or if it kind of feels like the same continuation of the same story. A bunch of things, continuation of the same story. Great start again, that's three majors in a row, right? Like 65, 67, 66, whatever the numbers in the math are. Three terrific starts in a row. I think all the taking the lead in the anti-live conversation

has helped him play better golf. And I think that tells you how good he is, because most guys who get involved in some emotional issue not related to your actual athletic performance, but as everybody talking about it, usually those guys don't play as well perform as well. I think it's just made him more determined and focused to play better. I could be very wrong on that, but I think he, look, when we went to Port Rush, it was like, oh my gosh, this is the one where he's got to win, right? This feels like all of that. It really does. I think he feels that too, but I bumped into him a couple of days ago,

after a practice, on the way to the golf course before practice round, bumped into his parents, the folks on his team, quote unquote, and they all felt like he was in as great a place as he's been going into this. And then, you know, you watch him hit a 50 feet pass the flag at one, you're like, you know, what's gonna happen here? And when he makes the plug, okay, he's gonna win. That's it.

I don't know, did you guys send off full alerts? Oh, yeah, for sure. Oh, yeah. And LU Network. Oh, yeah. We got a block party on Rory app this weekend. I like if you want to fly in, you're welcome to come. But but it just I look at sometimes it feels like it's a guys week. And it's Thursday and a locket happen when we see Rory be right in position and have a bad day at these majors. But this one has had that feel for me for a couple of days. And from that first hole, it's like, okay, maybe it is.

I feel like in my head in some order, Tiger or Speed or Rory winning would be the most fun and most entertaining at least for us. And I've, I've, I've, I've talked, before the week started talking myself out of a fairy tale. Like I just don't, I, I don't think we're going to get a fairy tale this week. And I'm, you know, maybe my, I believe it may be 3% now that we will get a fairy tale. Like I just don't, I don't think we're gonna get a fairy tale this week. And I'm, you know, maybe I believe it may be 3% now that we will get a fairy tale. And if we're gonna get one, that first round had to happen from one of those guys and Roy presented himself. We haven't had a fairy tale in St. Andrews for, you know, no offense to Louis or Zach Johnson, but, you know, it's time.

It's time. Tiger, Tiger came here in 005 with a chance of making unique golf history career grand slam first time and then joining Jack is the second lap of the career grand slam in old five and he did it both times. So you're you're right about that with 10 and 15 without disrespecting those guys, but I I just think that watching Rory handle all of this has given him an inner confidence. Nothing, he didn't have it. But it's just taken to maybe another level of confidence.

And, you know, becoming a member of the RNA, an honorary member of the RNA, you know, at home, it may not mean a lot to everyone for a kid from Northern Ireland who's in the prime of his career to be handed that distinction with an open champ from Scotland and Paul Laurie who won it 23 years ago and candidly around most of the world is remembering as the guy who won the open the John Van De Bell lost and to get it at the same time is Laurie and Tiger. That's pretty cool especially in the prime of your career. So I think I think he's in a different air and a different confidence than maybe he was before. I don't know.

That's not something I'll sit down and ask a guy because sometimes you'll get great answers, but I think if he wins in a reflective moment, he might give you that honest answer. He's more honest as an interview than maybe anybody in any sport that I come across. He's really unique like that. And I look, you don't root for people, but you like to see the good people do well. And there's some karma to it. And I think Roy's a lot about that. Speak for yourself.

Speak yourself. We root for people. No, I think you nailed it though, right? That's a big reason why I root for him is because I feel like he's authentic. And he does give you answers. And he does kind of answers and and he does kind of and more recently he has planted this flag and told you exactly how he feels which then you know makes me want to root form.

And nearly a late two times tomorrow too. We might have time for a little plate of uh you know mince pie or something. There we go. There we go. There you go. What what did you guys think of the way tiger? I said on the golf central on Monday. Excuse me, Tuesday. Tiger's been the face of the PGA tour

since he did Hello World in Milwaukee in 96. I thought Tiger and his press conference on Tuesday with how he said it. He went after Greg Norman directly, when asked. But for the other parts, but he didn't go after the lift tour players. He was a great player. He was a great player. He was a great player. He was a great player.

He was a great player. He was a great player. He was a great player. He was a great player. He was a great player. He was a great player. He was a great player. He was a great player. was also the voice of the players who are pro-PGH-2R. I thought that was kind of cool.

I thought that was a big for me, takeaway from this week that Tiger joined Rory and JT and some of the other guys who were like, though, we need to speak up and speak up now. Which I think is interesting too, because it's, you know, we've talked about this in the past as well, but Tiger's in such a weird position in that regard,

because he doesn't have a lot to gain from putting his neck out and really saying much. He could, I think, just as easily no comment, all this stuff and nobody would really think less of him or bad and I, whereas, you know, Rory is kind of in the prime of his career. And I think he's got a lot more to protect. So I think that was kind of our thing was like, man, it's the tours in a very weird spot If Tiger doesn't stand up and and say something because his voice just carries so much weight So it was cool to cool to see him do that this week. Well situations like that. I'm sorry. Sometimes situations like that guys will use their voice But behind the scenes and I think the fact that it was calculated at this time at this place You know at the home of golf

I think made it resonate as much as it possibly could have since he wasn't there at the US Open. This thing has really gone from a two alarm to a three alarm situation on both sides of the story in the last 30 days. And for me, I was 14 years old when 2000 happened and I was highly impressionable, like extremely impressionable at that age. And Tigers forerocious competitiveness is like a big reason why I'm sitting here right now, while a lot of us work in golf, like do work in golf because we were influenced by that guy.

And I'm just glad to have that sanity check this week of like him talking about wanting to compete and what drives him and what has always motivated him. I was like, yes, that's like what I was interested in. Like individually, can I understand people making these career moves and sure? Like sure, was like, yes, that's like what I was interested in. Like individually, can I understand people making these career moves and sure? Like sure, but how does that, how does that, you know, work for a fan base?

And then like, you know, we're gonna have like a lost generation of fans, you know, it's a result of this whole thing. But yeah, that's, it's interesting that, you know, I hate to start the show with live stuff as well, but it happened this week. It happened this week, so it's a news story. And I'll tell you, it's still being talked about.

Yeah, I know. I thought the US open, it was every single little three person conversation was, hey, how you doing? What do you think about live? I think now it's, hey, how you doing? What's going on? What do you think of St. Andrews? Is it great to be here?

What are you hearing about live? I think it's out here. And now that people have seen it twice, seen it in the US, and know that it's coming again in a few weeks with their next event and then Chicago after that, I think there is a reality. And now you see the players who are here who played in those first couple of live events

really on the same stage, and we're wondering, all right, what's going to happen? What will we see the players from the live tour, if they don't have exemptions into these majors, with any way to get in other than going to qualify? Are we going to see, I'd have to go through the exemption to the guys who are exempt or not, so we're going to see Paul Casey, let's say. Sergio. Sergio. Or, yeah Or there's a million.

Are we going to see them go through 36 whole qualifying for the US and the open and not have a way into the PGA and what's going to happen with the masters. Those are real conversations that are down the line and like you guys are alluding to, we should leave them for down the line and enjoy this week, this week because we're not guaranteed weeks like this Depending what happens over the next five or six months with the majors the governing bodies the world golf rankings and all that stuff And not to put you in a weird spot But it has to put you in a weird spot right when you're you're kind of

Trying to reflect what the biggest stories of the week are and I mean if that's on everybody's mind It has to be a bit a bit strange for you guys in the booth and kind of how you talk about it versus not talk about it. It's, I know that's kind of inside baseball, but it's interesting to me as a golf player. No, it is interesting too. And like, here's how I've kind of reconciled that just for me personally, I'm just in the booth for three hours,

Thursday, three hours, Friday, and then hosting over the weekend, when Dustin Johnson's over a putt, is it the putt, is it the hole, or is it Dustin Johnson who's third amongst the 25 lift players in the field right now? I mean, that doesn't, at the end of the day, that doesn't matter, right? It doesn't matter who's the highest ranked player from, from live, the live golf series in the open. You're trying to win the Clare at Junk. Can you, can you work in a team leader board update this week for the four aces or teams that can you do that?

The nibblicks, then come on. Is he a counting store or not? I'm not sure. Hang on a minute. Let me find out the rest of the nibblicks in the shotgun starting. I got a guy on five here. He's got a big team lead, standby.

No, we're playing for the Clare Jump for goodness' sake. It is something that pops into your mind, standby. No, we're playing for the Claret jobs, we're good in the stakes. It is something that pops into your mind, but for me, I've gone to the side of this about the open. It's 150 years of this thing. I've been here for 25 years. The open's got a track record of centuries. This thing is a track record of weeks. I'll fall on the side of centuries for the moment.

And if somebody from the live golf series, one of those players becomes a big part of the story, I think it does become part of this, the bigger picture in golf, but it's only worth a minute or so. It's for great conversation here, on live from on golf central, on golf channel. It's for all the shoulder programming and all the stuff that talks about golf But it's not for the midst of the broadcast to get into because the golf is what matters especially here To me and I would say to like I'm I'm very anti-live as anyone that watches in listen to this show knows But like these guys qualified for this tournament and I I I honestly feel no ill will towards any of them that pop up on the screen like they deserve every right to be there they're competing in this

tournament and I'm not necessarily rooting against any of them maybe you know I like to laugh at Bryson every now and then of course but yeah you want to ask them saying yeah well I was I was wondering Mike I wasn't on the preview pod this week with these guys but they were talking a lot about distance in the game and how San Andrew is going to hold up scoring wise. What did you see today and do you feel like this scores are going to be super low this week based on, you know, day one? All right. Let's start with what we see today. I think in part of what we just said at the top, a five hour 55 minute ground for three ball is a lot. Even with double greens, and we've got to hold up,

and part of that is, guys are driving a whole, a lot of guys are driving a lot of greens. There's always that drivable couple of holes here because of the wind, if you've got the wind that you're back, but there were more holes than there have been. And that was so case in 2015, but I think it's modified now in 2022, at least it felt like it while we're on the air today.

So that's one of the real reasons. And so there are two defenses, wind, which the RNA can't control, or hole locations. And on 13, there was one that was almost impossible to get to. And there are places and spots that you can put the full where it's gonna be really hard to get to, which means it's gonna be a lot of 50 foot pots

that become significant in figuring out who wins a major. And we don't really know what when people do in their picks or however they wanna do, whether it's betting odds, pick for pick a winner, you don't think about lag putting all the time, right? But that's really what it's going to come down to if this all stays the same. So that's a detailed answer, I think, to the question of, yeah, you're out of options distance-wise here to go back much farther.

There are a ton of places to put new holes or new teas. You already get off a green and walk backwards about 25 yards to get to most of the teas here. They've lengthened it about as much as possible. So the defense is the wind, and if the wind isn't coming up, it's that. Now the other part is the course is running so fast. It's as fast and firm as any of the 24 opens

that I've been a part of, that includes liver pool and O6, which was the fastest one that I've seen in person. So that's going to just magnify this distance deal. And where the distance thing at home changes the calculus is, okay, I'll whack it 340, 345, and I'll have a wedge, you know, it's my 56 or 60 degree, I'll whack it 340, 345 and I'll have a wedge, and I'll take my 56 or 60 degree, and I'll get it out of thick rough and be okay, and I'll get to 10 feet or 12 feet. Here, because the wedges are not as easy

to throw up in the air and land, you've got to judge how far they're going to run out on the greens, it changes it a little bit. So the distance part doesn't get super magnified around the greens with these short, short second shots if you miss the green. But long putting can make it look, can make it look easy. I'm worried about the distance here, but in general, you put the holes in tough spots behind bunkers.

Guys have to play away from them and you're going to get the same square. And here's Gary Player said something interesting during the champions challenge on Monday. He said, if somebody shoots 24-25 under par and they're the best golfer, they win. There doesn't seem to be that obsession with par at this championship that there is at the US Open. And really you think that the US Open is the only major we talk about that. Do you get uptight if it's 12 under a Augusta or 11 under? No, because you like the worse on Saturday and Sunday, especially when things bunch on Saturday

and you get the usually eagles on Sunday, although we didn't this year. The PGA is always course dependent. The US Open just has that feel of people being miserable and trying to make pies and a birdie is like a celebration. Here, I don't ever remember sitting in the booth going, man, it's 17, 18, under is going to win this. I don't have that care as a golf fan.

I so when Gary Player said that it resonated with me, don't be obsessed with the score under par is, just go out and play the best for four days. And I think that'll, that'll be the person who's identified here for sure. go out and play the best for four days. I think that'll be the person's identified here, for sure. Mike, I know you've been coming here a long time. I'm here and you as, you know, on TV, you always have to kind of get in and out in 15 seconds and can't really tell any kind of lengthy stories.

But I'm curious, you're favorite St Andrew's story if you have one that pops to mind or something kind of illustrative of going there for as long as you have. My favorite is probably the mental image of turning around what usually our back is to the golf course, the window behind us looks back at the old course, the Swilkin Bridge, the RNA clubhouse,

depending on the year and where it is, but it was turning around in my chair in 2000 when Tiger crossed the Swilkin Bridge to look out. And I just do remember seeing people freaking everywhere, like every window, every balcony, you're looking down the street. They're like 10 deep, like everywhere you looked, they just wanted to see history. They wanted to see this guy who's the best player of his generation. It was ticketed to be the next great one and turned out to be that. When at the home of golf and complete the career grand slam, which had only happened four times before, that memory will stick with me forever. I love that. And there are so many fun ones. This is

such a great town. You don't have to get a car to drive to the golf course, you walk through town. When I tell you guys, there are too many Americans here this week. There are so many Americans here. Like, sometimes ask me last night, and walking back after dinner, he was asking me about what I do. I think the Red Sox and Blue Jays can catch the rankings. Like, dude, I don't care right now. Okay. We're at the open.

There are so many American golf fans, whether it's the delay a year, 150th, inability to travel for a couple of years, and people just make this a bucket list trip, and it has the most neighborhood comfortable feel of a significant sporting event that I've ever been to. And I just relish that. I love being here.

It's our fifth time here. I'd sent a text on our group chat to all the people I worked with in our last one for ABC and ESPN 2015, our producer Mike McQuade, but Scott Van Pell, Sean McDonough, Andy North, Donnie Pepper, Billy Cratser, all of us were in the booth together for that event.

And I just remember 2015, all being here, and it was too windy to play the open. And we just had like 10 hour delays and finished on Monday. And it was just a really memorable, fun day and all those memories have come back this week too. So I think for not just the players, but the people who come here as fans, media people, like San Andreas makes memories. And there are a whole series of, but nothing tops the tire walking across the swill of bridge and through the people in 2000 to complete the career grant slant,

which hasn't happened since. Well, on that note, what's your favorite restaurant? Where are you going for dinner tonight, Mike? Dinner's done, man. Good point. Yeah, well, so, so what should go to in San Andreas? I got up at 6.35 to watch Paul Laurie I'm not sure if you're going to be dinner's done, man. Good point. Yeah. Well, so, so what you go to in St. Andrews. I got up at 6.35 to watch Paul Laurie at the first T shot. I like as I got out there with my coffee. Well, like, do I think he's really going to miss the fairway?

One of my owners see, you know, but it was a little bit by the way. Yeah, which and he and Patrick Reed with the two guys who got boot When they when they teed off on number one. There's a bunch of good Italian places in towns a pretty short walk Maybe five or six blocks So any one of those places. I'm not picky. I'm not like oh, we need to go to this place that night There's a bunch of good food here. This is not necessarily a food week. It is a golf week and Get coffee, grab a pint, see everybody. The whole golf industry feels like it was here on Monday Tuesday Wednesday So it's just been like bumping into people and catching up on

Conversations that are two two and a half years delayed. So on conversations that are two, two and a half years delayed. So, Neil's got a whole on the wall, the Dunviggin. Totally off the beaten path. You wouldn't find it like a wall wall wall wall wall wall wall wall wall wall do you think if I had a place that was a great place? I would share it here. No, that's good wise Well, I'm gonna be on the lookout next time to see if I anything out there's got your picture on the wall I love like there's an Indian place had a bunch of guys on the wall. It's great stuff There is I am on the wall at the Dunvegan, but that's like saying that you were on an airplane. There are like a thousand people with an picture.

They're on the ceiling. Yeah. Yeah, I got a good spot for whatever reason Jack and she and the owners there have me in a good spot. And it's funny. I'll have friends who come over for a golf trip and they'll send me pictures. I only know that because they'll walk in there like, hey, your pictures on the wall. I'm like, yeah, it's over a thousand other people.

Yeah. Don't worry about it. But it is a cool spot. And it's all seriousness. If anybody watching really loves golf and you ever have the resources, even if it's not to play, it's worth coming here because if you got that whole feel for the game and the DNA of the game is part of who you are, but you don't experience it anywhere else like you. Not even close. Well, the FOMO is very real right now, but we will let you get out of here and we really appreciate you sticking with this past schedule.

Past the schedule, it's a lot of time that we had you. So best of luck, the rest of the week can't wait to watch and thanks for spending some time with us. So, okay, extended coverage, we can be flexible. That's what we do. Keep it up. Don't beat me up too much this week, guys. Okay?

No, you know, it varies very sincerely. Whenever you're there, Mike, it feels like a bigger event. I agree. It's it's really love having you there and I know they're long days. So so keep it up. Can't wait to watch. No problem. And you can trash me out soon as I hang up.

No, don't. Thanks. Thanks guys. Good to talk to you. Thanks Mike. Thanks Mike. We'll see you for the rest of the week. Thank you. Bye.

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Pro precision pro, maybe sponsor in a, maybe sponsor in a trip that we're going on. Oh, I know. And I was gonna say we got some good custom designs coming for that trip. I think some provocative stuff that TC and I put together. We are going to have another guest here later on, but we do have a couple things we got to get to. I was dying to a chomp into the bed to get to talk about the Howe St. Andrews play

today. So, one, give it a great, what's your reaction to with the golf that we watch on St. Andrews today? I mean, can you beat the late afternoon light? It was early evening light, just the way it looked. It just makes you feel some things on TV. So shout out to feeling things. I thought it was really interesting to see that no one on the leaderboard is from the late wave. And I actually got a lot out of what Mike was saying about the pin placements. And like, yeah, if they want to protect the score,

there's places to put the pin. I think him calling out 13 was a perfect example of that. But now they can like, man, I don't really want to put the pins there. Like I don't, I'm with him. Like I'm cool if it's 20 under and we get to see some awesome golf shots instead of guys playing to 40, 50 feet away.

Here's what I thought the setup was fantastic today and here's why. There was challenging adjacent pins on most of the short holes. They were not easy. Look at where nine was tucked in that far left corner. Three was up on the ridge on the right side. Two was in a pretty tough spot, but you could do it. That was executable, right?

And you get to 13 and that was just like, hey, this is like the hardest possible pin week and you can't get close to it. If you're going to make birdie, you're going to make a bomb from somewhere. But here's the test. Can you hit this weird fairway? Probably not. Can you hit it in the rough and then control your distance enough to be in the center of the green and then two putt from 100 feet. Can you do that? Like, that's the question being asked. And I love that mixed in with like all these par of 3.75s they have everywhere. Like the golf course is a lot of gas pedal. It really is and that's I like having some of these restrictor plates on 13 was really

good. 15 and 16. I didn't feel like guys were turning over there like ready to make birdie. It was like gut check time. 17 didn't even play that that hard compared to how it usually does. I think it was just that stretch 13 15 16 played really challenging on top of like the holes that are supposed to play easy played pretty easy, but they just were not gimme birdies. I just really enjoyed watching guys play nine, 14, 12 all day long, 18. It's still fun.

It's like super unique to just have a hole that's like, dude, like we're not, it's like right here in front of you, like go get your birdie. And if you don't get one, you're kind of losing a little bit. So I thought it worked out great. I thought it was fantastic. I agree with everything you guys have said. I think St. Andrews and I think maybe Lynx Golf in general has a bit of a, if you're watching it passively, it's very different than watching the masters, right? Like I think when you watch the masters and guys are making eagle putts and they're, you know, dropping wedges within a foot and they're doing all of those things.

It's like very easy to watch kind of, you know, dropping wedges within a foot and they're doing all of those things. It's like very easy to watch kind of, you know, passively. And I think you can, if you're not up for the fight a little bit, I think you can, you can kind of like fade into a little bit of a fugue state, right? But I think once you go that next layer down and you start thinking about like, I heard, I think it was on the shotgun start. I heard Andy and Brennan talking about that tiger quote where he you know he was saying you basically need to control your flight in order to control your run out at St Andrews when you really start thinking about that like as a ball hits the ground it can a guy hold a fairway or can they not hold a fairway when

you really start getting to that kind of second level of appreciation for the golf shots it's there's no better place in the entire world to watch golf. I think I kind of faded in and out of that throughout the day, the early morning, sometimes you go through little rough patches, right? After Rory comes out the golf course, Tiger's playing shitty, you tune in and out. When you're locked in, it's the most fun there is. When the question's not, hey, hit this ferry between these bunkers and it's going to stop right in its place.

Like that gets really boring. But when it's like, hey, he needs to hit this in the left rough, like to have a change. Like that's exactly where you should hit it. That's where it gets really fun. But I also really enjoyed watching, even though with these guys with wedge in their hand, they're like flummixed coming into 15 and 16, you know, trying to, it's almost like it always does the opposite of what they want. Either jumps, they jump forward or when they wanted to jump forward, it settles down in the, in the gully or in the valley.

So, I, well, I think we can bring someone in. I don't know if he has much experience around St Andrews or if he got to watch much of the golf today or if he's talked about St Andrews much in the past, but we do have a guest that's on the line that I think, me, we may have to explain a couple things to him about the golf today or if he's talked about St. Andrews much in the past, but we do have a guest that's on the line that I think me. We may have to explain a couple things to him about the golf course, but the prodigal caddy has returned. Mr. Shane Bacon, welcome to the show.

It's been a little while, buddy. How is your day? I know. DJ first of all, are you in like an RV? What is going on in the background? No, I wish you guys could see his hot. Someone said it looks like a boat turned upside down like a capsized boat. No, somebody said it looks like you stay in the,

the ACEs Airbnb that DJ is probably in Scotland somewhere and someone's static. Yeah, maybe I am. Can you see out the window? Maybe I am in Scotland. I guess it stays light out here, really late. How are you boys? How are we doing?

That was good. Sometimes, and then we had the tiger experience, my goodness, that put on one was like, just in the heart, right away. You missed it, you're just kind of like, oh gosh, you know, I mean, eat it in the burn, it was a bad break, whatever. But that put on one when we missed it,

I was not hopeful after the double there. I said this today, possibly gonna live up to the expectations that people like me put on today, you know, like the open 150th anniversary back at the old course, Tigers back. He's playing with Max. Like, what did we expect? They were going to both go out and shoot 64. You know, my big, my big takeaway, two big takeaways from the group that I followed because I followed the feature group today with Tiger and Max and Fitzpatrick was one with tigers, just speed. He potted like a guy that hadn't played a lot of tournament golf.

That's what it felt like to me. And the speed was really, really bad. He left everything short all day, even the save pots were short. And then for Max, like Max might shoot 700 tomorrow. He had it so freaking good today and made absolutely nothing So 73 the birdie at the last and the bogie savoured 17 was huge I think Max goes out there and fire something dirty tomorrow and then for tiger, you know like solid I'll throw this your way

When you don't play tournament golf a lot Tournament golf feels weirder and we all think Tiger just is immune to that feeling. And he's not immune to that feeling. Like tournament golf is going to feel different even for Tiger Woods at 46 years old. And the guys played what six competitive rounds in a year and a half, basically. So it just felt like it felt like a guy, really you and I play an tournament and we hadn't played a tournament in seven months. This makes way more sense than him making the first two cuts, right? Like this, this is like what it throw the others out.

Like that was what gave me a little bit of hope was like, well, this dude defies the odds at all times. But yeah, of course it was like, how are you ever going to get sharp in time for major championships? That was the question going in. So that's what made the masters, especially so stunning and even making the cut it Southern hills, which shouldn't make any sense. So it was kind of like, all right, you turn over to this golf course, this level of firmness, you don't need to carry the ball to 95

and cut it around corners and draw it around corners and do whatever you can be creative. It did make a lot of sense, but at the same time, this is a field test. Is this not a mid-iron test? How many mid-irones do these guys hit today? Tiger's an incredible, incredible iron player and he doesn't get to use a lot of that and it's really just like a lag

putting and chipping test that is such and that feel is different under tournament conditions even for the best to ever do it. Then it is out playing with your buddies and going around a bunch of times with JT before you go out. So yeah, you said the thing. It's been you said the thing. I was talking to, I think it was rich and notableeworthy in the truck like before I got going. We were talking about St. Andrews in particular and DJ, what is the thing everybody always says about great tournaments like you get every club dirty, you know, I got every club dirty today. That's a great golf course.

I was thinking how many clubs get dirty in these guys bags around when the winds aren't up and a bit of a three club challenge out there. Yeah, I feel like it a bit. And I mean, you know, this is my favorite golf course in the world. But I was thinking how many times are these guys pulling six iron out? Or seven iron out? What a bit of good, a good hypothetical is if anybody would have shot a lower score with three clubs.

Yeah. I mean, it's like how well can you control your wet? That's a truck. You only had three clubs. You better, better than any one. Is that going to be better? But are we going to get to, but I don't like. We got to get to a point at some point where Bryson or somebody's got a driver in 13

wedges or 12 wedges or something where, you know, I mean, it really is. It's all around the green solid at your point. It's all pitching around the greens and it's converting those puts and it's the greens don't allow people to start puts on the line and they go in. And that's what you see on the PGA tour and you see in most major championships, if you get the ball online, it's going to go in. That's not the case. It opens definitely not the case of St Andrews. It, but it's so weird too, because there are definitely some things about St Andrews that are like the opposite of what I would like I would describe it like, you know, like

like you said, if you're not using a lot of clubs in your bag, that's probably not a very good golf course, right? Or, you know, there's not that much discrepancy between birdie and bogey. Like the lines between birdie and bogey are really close. Not really that much in the case at St. Andrews. I mean, yes, they are with balls bouncing and bunkers and stuff, but like, it's pretty much like birdie or par for a lot of the holes, right?

Yeah, it just works, man. It just works. And it is such a, it's still a test of your long game, meaning that like, can you hit your driver in the right spots is a lot of the question. And I like that as opposed to, can you hit your driver as far as possible? Like anyone that wanted to get to 12 today could get there, right? But you got to fit it between the gorse and this bunker. Like that's your task.

You got to control your distance. You can't just hit it as hard as you want because it's gonna roll 140 yards over the green as TC said in the preview pockets. You went 80 yards over the green when we played number 12 if I remember right, Bacon. But it still just works for me, man. It's, I just love watching these dudes try to figure this out and it's gonna be

a different task in test tomorrow because they're gonna move the pins. The wind's gonna be different. It's just the whole thing I'll be on display all over again. Hey, let me ask you this. So as this place kinda, you know, you always like to see a major kind of ratchet up throughout the week and, you know,

everybody has kinda talked about like, oh, by Saturday, Sunday, it's just gonna be holding on. What's gonna get tougher? Cause it seemed like a ton of tough pins today. Are there that many different hole locations that they can talk or is it going to get that much firmer? What do you think it will change throughout the week? Yeah, I don't think it's going to get too much firmer.

I don't think it can be. Honestly, I mean, it is crazy how thuddy it is on Monday. Monday, Tuesday hearing, I mean, people talk about thud noise a lot. I don't always think that you actually hear something. I mean, you would be walking by a fairway and hear a drive land, you know, on Monday. Like, you would literally hear the ball lamb on 18th, fairway if there weren't a lot of people around. So I don't think it's going to be firmness. I think it's simply the whole location, like 13 today, you, you just couldn't hit it close on 13, like you, you physically could not

hit it close. I mean, we had, we had fits, we had Fitzpatrick and Homa hit it up over all the bunkers, right? I mean, they hit it up on that hill that you never even take on unless you're, you know, Max Homan, Matt Fitzpatrick. And Fitzpatrick had no idea what to do. He was 40 yards from the green. Like he went through two different clubs over and over again, literally no clue. They were laughing. They were laughing to each other. Billy and Fitzpatrick are literally laughing to each other because they were trying to come up with some feasible way to get the ball of 50 feet. And they still didn't do it. I mean, that's the defense.

The defense is whole location. It's like, I've got that this is like super journal. I've got the whole location sheet right here. And you're looking at numbers like six off, four off, six off, seven off. Like they're all tucked on the biggest screens in the world. So it's just about that. It's putting stuff by false fronts and around bunkers and basically taking five feet out of their hands. I mean, I think that's really the defense here is you take, you take stone wedges out of their hands and you make people make 20

footers. And that's what I said this in the preview, too, is like what I didn't want was hard for the sake of hard, meaning like a good shot and a very average shot both ended up like same-ish spot and you're gonna to put no matter what. Like on the easier holes to be honest, but honestly like really hard pins on like the harder holes is great. It's like all right, we're gonna make this one hard. Figure it out.

And actually it was texted with JT afterwards and I was like dude, I actually really loved the pin on 13. I thought that was really cool. He's like I totally agree. Which kind of surprised me. I thought he'd been like, that's not even fair, but like that's the test. Like hey, figure it out man. Like that just figure that part out. And I just think with which kind of surprised me. I thought he'd been like, that's not even fair, but like that's the test. Like, hey, figure it out, man.

Like that, just figure that part out. And I just think with this style of play, it really does work. Neil, I have a question for you. What's hit me, I'm ready. So you're watching this open, you're watching the old course. You've heard all of the words in the talk about this golf course, not being able to hold up to the day's standards.

Do you think that this event would be better if you missed the fairway and it was just brutal rough, like you would have lost balls, you'd have to pitch outside ways. Do you think that would make an open around here better than the kind of wispy stuff you're seeing now that guys can still play out of? Absolutely not. Hell yeah. And I'll tell you why, especially coming down the back stretch, there is, you can't miss right at OB. So just, you know, that's not an option. But you

can bail left. And there's also just a pause on that real quick, because we might not get back to it. I loved Bob McIntyre's quotes about that. Just underscoring how different it is for righties and lefties. Like that is something is shout out to bacon, but that's something that I like hadn't really considered before. It's just like, wow, he has a totally different challenge this weekend. There's not that many lefties up there. Anyways, continue.

So you can miss, you can miss left. And I like it when it's penal, but you're gonna find your ball and it's up to chance. So if you want to ensure that you have a good, good lie, you know, hit the hard shot now off the tee, but you can blow it over there and you can take your chances. And I think that that's a really fun way to play. And I also like that there's no stance.

Sorry to the spectators, the patrons, but the fact that there's no stance in the middle of the course means there's no TIO relief. There's no way that you're going to get some. Only on 12. Only on 12. Yeah, because they were dropping a green. But like there's no TIO relief. There's no way that you're gonna get only on 12. Only on 12, because they were dropping a green. But like, there's no sketchy drop or anything like that. So you're gonna take your chances.

And you saw it like, what cat did on 16? I mean, he hit it like over on the left side I was at three fairway or two fairway. That was sweet. And he was intending to do that. He was hunting the angles. And I was like, and then they showed the overhead view of where his ball fits Patrick and Max were and it was like,

God, that's awesome. Like, he was trying to do that. He was hunting for it. Then he hit a horrible shot. But so no, I, not for this tournament. I think for the US open, I think that's a different golf tournament, a different test. But I like this is the kind of golf I like to watch and the kind of golf I like to play. Here's what I'm going to say. I think on that note too, I think on that note too, I mean, just to underscore some of what we've already talked about is like, when you're talking about the golf course being that firm, the greens being that firm, like that little bit of variable, right? Are you going to stay in the fairway? Are you going to catch the wispy stuff? Are you going to be able to spin it? Are you not going to be able to spin it? Is it gonna jump?

Is it gonna knock jump? Is the wind gonna hit it? Is it not? I mean, that's the whole test, right? And so that all comes from that setup, too. Here's what really worked. A good test is when the guys I'm rooting for and watching them when their ball rolled into the rough,

my reaction was like, ah, damn it. Like, that means it has an effect, right? The golf tournaments where it doesn't really matter where the ball ends up, I think can get really, really boring. And then it. Like, because that means it has an effect, right? The golf tournaments where it doesn't really matter where the ball ends up, I think, can get really, really boring. And then it was like, anyone that played left or bailed left on any of those holes coming down the stretch on that back then, I was like,

oh, dude, if you hit, literally if you hit it on the green, this is an excellent, excellent shot. And even if you have wedge in, you might not get this on the green. And that's, I mean, that's just genius course design to be honest. It's like a half penalty. Like I remember, like some course we played, like

on Toros sauce diamond springs was this way up in Grand Rapids where you're going to find it over there, but it's 50-50 if you're going to have a lie or if you, you got a punchout or if you can go for the green. Same thing like Piner's number two, like you're going to find it in the waste area, but it's probably, it's truly a 50-50 if it's going to be good or bad. So the more you push your luck and you bail out the, you know, but it's probably, it's truly a 50-50 if it's going to be good or bad. So the more you push your luck and you bail out the, you know, the better chance that you're going to get screwed at some point. The old course was designed after Diamond Springs, actually.

Well, I know I'm saying that I, my point there was, I do like that. I wish more courses were like that is where I'm going with that. Bacon, before you got on, we got, actually, we haven't done the full get Rory Hypes thing yet. That's like we will. We get it. We'll be in the bullpen. We're up. Yeah, we're timbre.

Wait, wait. Get me fired up. 66. Somebody responded to your tweet, I think, Solid and said he shot 80 in his scoring average is still in the 60s and five rounds at the open. Like that is unbelievable that he's played this well outside of that second around in 10. His second worst round.

He's ever played at the old course in the open. He shot 69. Like he's never shot in the 70s in the open at the old course. Nice. You know what? This is I, I almost sent a message to a text chat. We're all in. I almost sent a message a couple of months ago and said, I'm never taken Rory again. And then I took Rory here this week, of course.

Hell yeah. I know, I know, I know you're in the same vote all the time. But it just felt like he's played really well this year in the majors. I know he plays well in a lot of majors, but he's felt like he's played better in the majors. And by that, I mean, it's not as much. I mean, I know he did it the masters, but it felt like he might have a chance to win. It hasn't felt as much late in the week. He's played well I feel like he's played well early in the week as well and I don't know I just This is a guy that like athletes don't care about history You know, I think we think athletes care about history and there are certain athletes that do I think Rory

Really cares about it and knows about it and I know he was up. And I think going out there and shooting this round, I mean, I can only imagine what he's feeling right now. He's got to be so jazzed and amped up for this. I can only imagine what it's going to feel like going out tomorrow. But I'm like on it. I'm sitting next to you, Sali. I'm letting you drive the train. No, no, Sali, he's, he got this.

I'm trying to get the block party. He's out. Listen, I want to make my stance clear. That's bullshit. I'm going to be around on Twitter party. He's out. Listen, I want to make my stance clear. That's bullshit. He was back. He always shows up late. He doesn't bring anything to the party.

He just shows up and drinks our beer. Listen, doesn't latch the cooler. It's bullshit. I said when he wins the major, like I'm not going to predict it. I'm going to miss it. I'm done predicting when it's going to come. Okay, I'm not. I'm not going to put any skin in the game.

No, of course not. Bacon, I'm on that train with you brother. Okay, I'm declared. I put eight years worth of scabs, but so much epidermis in the game already. Okay, I don't have any more epidermis to give. 87% of Sully's tweets for the first like seven years in Nohla and up were all Rory.

That's fair. He's put the work in. I off the train this point. We've been sitting the back. He could be by the drink truck, you know, but I'm I'm I feel like again. It would have for whatever reason it kind of felt like a Rory week. I'm sure it'll break our hearts. It's really hard to win this stuff. But, you know, I mean, he goes out there and does the thing on Thursday.

Now we got to wait till Friday. Nobody stresses me out more watching golf than Roy McRoy, which is so weird to say because he's so good. And I'm sure I'll be like stress watching for the next three days. But I think two, two, two, oh, sorry, good. I was just going to say, but back to what we're talking about with what this test is, right? It's about off the tee. It's really long game, right?

Hitting really shots from really far away into the right spots and then feeling your way around it. And he was so freaking good around the greens today. Like, Jim chipped his titties off. Doesn't have his nipples or your arm. They're out. Oh, I never seen anything like it. Just bleeding out all over the place.

Maybe a little unsustainable, but at the same time, like, dude, like, who do I feel better about like putting from off the green tomorrow, like Rory or Tiger that we just watched? Like, there's something to being really dialed with your speed and your feel, and feel like you can hit it hard, and know when it's gonna stop. And like, if you can do those two things,

like, what, like, yeah, you might miss a couple of five footers here and there, but like, you're gonna shoot like 68 doing that a lot around this golf course. Dej, what are you gonna say? I think there's three things. I was gonna say two things, but now three things. I'm adding one.

One, I think, look at who wins here. Like, we say this at every single major, but I think St. Andrews is the epitome and it ramps up to a million of just, who is going to stay the most patient, right? Zach Johnson is a very patient golfer. Louis Hayson is a very patient golfer. John Daley, things of that nature.

No, Tiger, who is the, like, the most patient golfer in the history of golf. And I think that's obviously been Royce thing, right? He gets it going for a couple rounds and then has the blow up, makes a big, big mistake, you know. So hopefully he stays patient is one, two, something clearly has changed. And he talked about this after his round. We said this kind of, I know it's, it's low hanging fruits, easy to read into that Sunday round at Augusta, but I think everybody kind of said like that felt different, feels like something is clicked. He talked about this a lot today

where he was kind of like, hey, I'm just not like, I know all my golf stuff is in such a good spot that I'm not showing up at these majors, like hoping to find it, right? And putting too much pressure on it. He's like, I'm just like going out there and I'm taking more control at these majors, like, hoping to find it, right? And putting too much pressure on it. He's like, I'm just like going out there and I'm taking more control of everything with Sali,

I got a question for you on that front after this. But I think it's just, you know, he's clearly finding it so much easier to play like that. And he even had the quote today, not to read too much into it, but like, that's three majors in a row where I felt like that, which is really nice considering how I felt in the past.

He's like, yo, unpack that for me, man. How the fuck have you been feeling? Like that's the whole thing. Is you're putting so much pressure on this stuff. You're just searching, you're reading all these different books. You've got all these people in your ear. That has to be incredibly difficult. And it truly, I think that's what I was talking to Jamie.

We're about it too. I think that's like what has looked and felt different even if we couldn't put our finger on it. It's like, man, this guy feels autonomous. Like that feels like a different guy, and I know it's easy to say like, oh, well, yeah, then he pointed it away on Sunday. It's like, this is different, and I continue to say that.

I echo all that. Three, I think the biggest test, he also said this is like tomorrow's the deal. Like I've been able to do it for one round, and like, can I go do it back to back 36, like, keep the foot on the gas pedal. And so what I was going to ask you, I know we've talked about this offline, but the whole like, you know, I'm just, I love being in in my yardage book. I love kind of being in control of things.

I feel like that's something we've heard in the past, right? And I don't know if, if you had any context on that, but like, I feel like that's something we've heard in the past, right? And I don't know if you had any context on that, but I feel like he's such a cyclical golfer and it feels like we've done this life cycle before and maybe that's just kind of the way it needs to go. I was just going to say to your point there also, I think I've said this in the past too, where it's like, we showed up at majors

and the word always comes to mind is hopeful. I feel like I hope it's there. Hope it's there. Hope it's there. Hope it's there without taking the bull by the horns and going and getting it. But then he also is like, but if it's not, it's fine. It's not great life.

It's the same time he tricked me at Southern Hills because I said the same thing. It's like, oh, it feels like he's taking it. We don't know. I feel pretty good about that. But I would say, yeah, about five years ago when he put Harry on the bag, he's like, this is good.

It's putting me right back into, I'm stepping off my own yard and just now, it's got me more engaged in the shot. And I think I think I have some misaligned to pod two. I said, it feels like before you go into a gust every year, you kind of change up how you do it. Like, well, that didn't work this year, so we're doing this. Up didn't work that way, so we're doing it this way. And it does seem like he has the most control over everything right now. Yet at the same time, his life feels it's about as hectic and busy and just may him all over the place all around him. So dude, if he's able to channel everything else that's going on, all the shit that I know

this seems like ridiculous, but just like constantly have to talk about, like, dude, like, privately are super annoyed to continue to talk about. They know why they have to, but it's really wearing them out. Like, I got super worn out before I went on vacation. Like, I was like, operating about 2% of just dealing with shit all day, every day about golf, and I, you know, it wouldn't surprise me also if, after 72 holes, or after 72 holes or after three more days that he's exhausted after everything it's gone on the last several months.

I think on that note, I thought Azinger said something that was like, it kind of just was a right cross to my face because it was weirdly zen. What he was talking about, David DuVall, did you guys hear him talking about that? And like there's the famous DuVall story got to number one in the world

and was kind of looking around in a little bit of a, is this it kind of kind of feel? And I think everybody knows that part of it. And Azinger put it a really, really good way where he was basically like, if you don't accept that, or if you don't accept that challenge, and you don't really just like come to terms

and come to peace with the fact that you are the number one and player in the world and lean into that identity. Like, yeah, it's gonna eat you alive. And I was like, man, I never really thought about it in that way. And I think the rory stuff is kind of similar, right? Like, I'm with you, Solid, and that like everything seems so hectic for him right now. But at the same time, all of his quotes are like, no, like I feel super calm. And like, I wonder if he just is kind of finally leaning into like I am the fucking dude and I am going to be the face of this stuff. I'm gonna say what I think and my golf is in a great spot and like

What you know what's the worst is gonna happen kind of a feel almost is is how I'm feeling about it and he was that dude today like I don't want to downplay what he did today like Ram didn't do that shit today Sheffler didn't do that shit today. Yeah. Just go ahead and name him. Shephler almost. Shephler almost did. A little bit, but not six under a little bit of it. I mean, every time I have a, I have a rory thought on, because I, Sully, I think you've been making this point a lot and I think it's a great point about. It's felt like it's been very hectic and stressful for Rory having to be in front of every microphone answering every question about

live being the voice in theory of the PGA tour, right? And I wonder if for the first time in a long time in Rory's life, the golf course is the safe place, you know, because typically for Rory, his life was perfect, right? I mean, he had a great life, his family life's great, even before he got married, you know, he's got a great, you know, we hear about how awesome everything is. He's a really smart guy. He's a normal guy. Everybody loves Roy McAroy, right?

And then he got to the golf course and he had to answer questions about his golf and he had to answer questions about majors and wins the last time you won a major and why have you not won at the Masters? The golf course sets up well for you. Blah blah blah blah blah. And this for the first time in 2022, he's having to answer all this shit all the time about everything else. And he gets to go out on the golf course And not have to talk about any of it

So I wonder if there's almost been a flip in the peace in his life at times can be out on the golf course doing Would he was so good at a few years ago? I I think that's very well said You guys all have said the same words that I wrote down which is to me he looks comfortable He looks confident. He looks calm wrote down, which is to me, he looks comfortable, he looks confident, he looks calm. Shane, I think you just nailed it with that of like golf might be a refuge now for him.

I think too there's a bit of a, like he's declared that he cares, right? For years and years, it was like, ah man, like everything's great off the course. Like I don't, you know, I don't need golf. And now it's like, you know what? No, this matters, like the PGA tour matters to me. And so sometimes when people have to like declare their intention, it almost clears out like, you know what, no, this matters. Like the PGA tour matters to me. And so sometimes when people have to like declare their intention,

it almost clears out like, okay, now I'm gonna go show you, you know, what I think. I also wanna call out, he looked crispy today. And that's like, God, such a classy. Where am I, my pale yellow? Like shout out to Nike, you know, they throw some bad shit up sometimes, but that was good. And I would like to see a pattern shirt at some point.

Yeah, like Friday or Saturday, I'd like to get some weird pattern shirt in, or maybe even Sunday, because we know that usually bodes well for Roy's chances, but I loved his fit today. So what if he had birds on his shoulder on a Nike shirt on Sunday? Like what if he had just the birds from, uh, from congressional, just on the top of the shirt, different brand, you know, bring it all away. I love that they have an answer. He's a big bell, but a answer to get four pounds before the final round.

He goes and does a deal with Jumara just right before, before the round night before, throws the hat on Nike, gives him the okay. Just looking dumpy. I, I will say he got a bad balance on five, hitting the, the markstone in the middle of the frickin' fairway, which was sick, by the way. But we haven't had the ball, I mean, it's only, you know, we're 25% of the way through the tournament. Haven't had that ball roll up against the lip yet, right?

And how, you know, when that happens, can you get away with a bogey and not make a triple? I think is like a huge looming question for the... But he showed me some stuff. Well, you said he didn't get it done at Southern Hills or Brooklyn and technically no, he didn't. But when those moments happened, he kind of rose to the occasion in a way that he hasn't in the past eight years. So I feel like there's a little bit of precedent here of like when the bad stuff happens, he doesn't get mopey.

He still got his bounce going and he's, you know, come back from it. So I'm fucking amped. This for this. The leaderboard's awesome. It is. It's heavy. It's hitters only Thursday leaderboard, including my guy, Kitty Yama. Just, you know, might be the best player in the world right now. Unbelievable. That guy's charging, which we should, I think in an hour and we should probably mention Cameron Young at this point. Yeah, yeah. No, we've had some. By the way, I'm following Cam Young tomorrow. Are you? Are you?

Okay, I'll get 18, 18 holes of the guy from the Bronx. Forget about it. Forget about it. If you missed it, he was asked a question by, I assume somebody from the New York Post is just what's going on in my head of, you know, coming from the streets of New York to being here. Is that a pretty ridiculous right? He's like, yeah, I grew up like sleepy hollow, man. Like a sweat, westchester. Come on. I thought we shout out to him for just the correction because you could have just

let it go and done whatever and got out of media. I really respect when people call themselves out in pressures. So a couple of couple came young things, new caddy on the bag this week, which I think is very interesting from a pure, he's been, you know, playing as ass off this year. So I think that's the the double hand Garth Brooks, you know, gift and curse situation is sure maybe that's what's kind of a captain from getting over the hill and some of these tournaments where he's knocked on

the door, but also may, you know, is he a little anxious? Is he looking for answers? But I think it's Chad Reynolds, a guy that's caddy for very long time for a number of people. So that's interesting, especially at the old course where I feel like a caddy is an extremely, extremely important part of what you're doing.

Bacon, thanks for all you do for the game. I appreciate that. I knew we were gonna bring that my way. Thank you. So I think, thanks for all you do for the game. I appreciate that. I know you're gonna read that in my way, thank you. So I think, I don't know, I thought that's interesting. And again, I don't know what you guys think as far as, you know, how he'll hang around, if he'll hang around, will he hang around, will he win? This is the second presumably, you know,

unless he lights himself on fire, this would be the second time he's made a cut in a major. Does he go hang on, wired wire at the, what was the word, brewery used like figley or something like that? It wasn't finicky. It was some other, some other word like that to describe the old course. Anyways, does he hang on wired wire at the weirdest test at golf? You know, I don't know. He's eight to one to win right now. There's a long, long, golf, you know, I don't know. It, it's, it's eight to one to win right now. Um, there's a long, long, long, long, long. It's better than I thought it'd be so.

Yeah. Yeah. Dude, he's really freaking good. He is not staying in that. I know. I know. I agree. And listen, I tweeted this out like a month ago. It's like, dude, look at Cameron Young's odds for next year's like PGA and masters right now. You can get him like 80 to one, 65 to one.

I'm like, we might be looking at a dude on like a Sheffler like rice. Like, might be. Obviously that's hyperbolic. It might seem hyperbolic by now, but I could easily see him being like in the 20 to one category by the beginning and next year. Based on what he's done this year, he hasn't won. So he doesn't get that like artificial bump of, you know, that familiarity bump that comes from betting or whatnot.

And I was kind of sleeping on them for this tournament. And who knows, he may very well, you know, do the full, he may go full-roary tomorrow and go 6480. But it, it, it, it, don't, don't say that. This feels different than like, I don't know, whoever Robert Dinwitty, who's five under right now, if he shot 64 to have, be like, oh, this will be fun, because he's gonna shoot a million. That, by the way, that's two shots.

It's Scottie Shepher since I've joined the line. Straight. Oh, it's shot. What is? Two chefs. How was that a shot? That shot number one, he said he didn't play. He didn't do it, Rory.

Did the guy goes out there and just calmly, cool, he would issue four. Four. Yeah. But he didn't shoot six bucks. He shoots four every round of every Yes, and you're like maybe he'll go on a Scotty chef or like run who's finished what is he finished like in the top 14 like 19 straight majors something I've got. I'm going to do that. I shot at Scotty. That's a

Tricky shots left and right at number one in the world. I this respect The first off, Deed, we're called it Fidley, the course Fidley. I saw that. That's the word he signed. PGA Torga.com. What does that mean, DJ? I don't know. I don't know. It's kind of an onomatopoeia.

It kind of sounds like what it is, I think. Yes, exactly. And two, I was testing out a workshop, a new nickname for Shephler. We call Ram the Buie or the butcher, depending on the day. Many people call him the Buie, not just me. I think that Shephler's like the condor. He's like a long-range bird, like a flight, just, he's just gliding above it all.

You're like, yeah, he's got to come down to some point, right? He's like, no, man, he's just riding the thermals, just, you know, keeping it a float everywhere he goes. He's just kind of, he's just there. He's just circling, just hanging out up there. So. And if it has a big drop. It could be the Concord also. Yeah. Absolutely. I got I was doing stuff. Nobody'd ever heard of.

Shout out to the Concord. I wish it existed now that I live in the Northeast, be like three and a half hours to one. If you if he wins in the UK, he might need to be the the Concord. I like that. I like see that's what that's a good workshop right there. No, I'll coast on Condor for now. I like that. Okay. Would your clubs have made it on the Concord, Bacon? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if Steph would have picked them up or not.

I don't know if they would have done it. I believe it. I believe it. Here's the, you know what the worst part is, this is, this is sad to admit. I played with Wilson regular shaft rentals at North Barrett and played relatively solid. I played with Reynolds and no free ads, man. Sorry, sorry, I played with a brand of golf clubs that is not Calaway on at North Barrett.

Then I played with a set of regular rentals at Krail, and I made seven freaking birdies with, then I had my clubs yesterday and played like an absolute dog. That makes all the sense to me. What does that make sense in the world? It's the honeymoon phase. I actually want to try out, I want to go back to Tiger for just a second

because I have a feeling like it was, the expectations were way too high, which I've had, I've had so many times playing golf where everything was perfect on that first tee. I mean, he had the mock neck on with the sweater vest. I mean, he had the full neck on with the sweater vest.

I mean, he had the full look. He was like smiling, contentfully smiling on the first tee, like looking up and out at the top. So you could just see that even the cat was taking it all in. It was just, it was too perfect. And then he goes out and hits in a divot and makes double on the first hole.

I was like, man, I have felt that. So I think what's happening with this comeback with Tiger is the masters was on the first 12. I was like, man, I have felt that. So I think what's happening with this come back with Tiger is, the masters was like the honeymoon phase. Like, oh my God, I can't, he's just gonna come right back and do crazy stuff like he always had. And I feel like this is the, we've entered the phase of the relatable cat. Like that was the most,

I've ever related to Tiger in my entire life of watching him hit it out of that divot and being totally flummoxed by how it came up short and just and then missing a three footer down the hill to start with double bogey after he's been waiting months to play that round to play that whole and that's what happens like dude. I have been there brother. I got you. So I think it's the related it's the age of the relatable cat. It's it's five months into the marriage. You're at home. You're living together. Never lived together before. You're significant.

Either leaves the laundry in the in the in the wash for three days. You hadn't said anything about it for a couple of months. You finally got to bring it up. They never put the stuff in the dishwasher the right way. You're like, can we just do this right one time? Leave in dishes in the sink, hate that. And you're like, godly, remember with the Singapore, it was sick and now you can't even dry the fucking clothes. Come on. Shane, everything okay at home, man? Everything. I'm listening, those are things I do.

I was gonna say that sound like, I'm, that's my life. No, but I think there's a, I'm the laundry in the dishwasher. Even with like your golf itself, like if you take a, for me at least, you take like three to six months off of golf or like, it's called two months.

And you come back and play, you hit the shit out of it. And you're like, oh my God. And then you just like, man, I can't wait to get better. I'm gonna practice. I'm gonna grind. And then you just, you just get worse. And I feel like that's what's happened to the cat. Like he's been playing all week.

He's been grinding. And then he just shows up and. I think we're being do it. We're being too hard on the cat. Like I said, the divot probably cost him five shots and the draw cost him about eight. Like, for sure. Otherwise, he's right there.

So, I don't know why everyone's freaking out about it. I think what's hard about that, Neal, I totally agree with you. What I would not want to see is the cat putting up the fence even higher. And it's just like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, like I am going to figure this out and I'm still going to be competitive and blah, blah, blah, blah. What I would love to see and what would make me so freaking happy would be the cat lower

in the fences and just leaning into the relatability. Yes. You guys see that shot on one talk? Man, what was I doing? I know. I never seen that guy and I think that would be so fun. That would be such a fun way to like finish out the career What if you started doing it? What if he started posted on his own Twitter like what do people like me?

Yeah, you see that round up play exactly Break out there in one fairway huh? Oh good. How about that rub of the green and that what they call it? All right, bacon. We're gonna get you out of you got to make a pick who's gonna win who's gonna be I mean I said I know it's right I'll stick with worry about it. So best luck tomorrow Thank you, but I love you. I got to say I ordered that hat. I love it It's like yells my favorite noley and up hat you guys have ever I love it. Thank you for the support Yeah, boys love you like love hats cheers, bud

Let's play a little cash app game and we got a lot to talk about still here But Cody if you if you'll if you'll take take care of us. Cash app is, of course, the easiest way to send, spend, and save your money. You can send or request money from friends and family when they owe you money for dinner. You can invest in any stock or buy a Bitcoin with just one dollar. Comes with a debit card, a laser print it, mail it to you, comes with free discounts on places you love, called boost. You can use referral code. No laying up gives you a free $15 and also cash apps

that's a side $10 for each sign up that goes to youth on course, more people we get using code no laying up when registering not only you're getting a free $15 you're helping to support junior golf. So get signed up now, or because we're gonna be giving cash away the rest of the week. So we've done this for each of the first few majors of the year.

You gotta put your cash tag in the comments, gotta be in there and give us your summary of the day in three words. We're gonna keep chatting as you do this, but please go nuts, because Cody's ready to flash. You got three words? I do, very simple one, we've kind of discussed it, but I'm gonna say another rory step.

I like that. He keeps, he's taking a couple half steps backwards, but he's mostly taken steps forward. Today was maybe, you know, other, other, other than that one, add Augusta on Sunday, I think this might have been the, might have been the biggest one we've seen. It was just, you know, saw you touch on this a while ago, but I mean, it was just kind of a paint by numbers round for how you play the old course, right? It wasn't crazy flashy. It wasn't, you know, even some of the people who... Can I say what I said? It was hyperbolic, but it looked like the Thursday round

of 2000. That would be unrelatable cat. The Thursday round of 2000 tiger. If you go back and watch that round, I remember watching that round. That's what it looked like. It was just like all the things that should have happened happened in that round. Sorry, I continued.

No, it was just funny reading more cow's quotes after, because he played with him on Sunday to Gus than he played with him today. And he was like, oh, yeah, Sunday to Gus. I mean, that was like perfect, like dream flawless golf. And today was like, yeah, I guess, I guess it was good. He just didn't really make any mistakes. And it was very, like, that's almost the big, you know, like the best compliment you can have, right? It was just, no, he was just playing chess,

just moving his piece from one shot to the next. And the question as we've belabored at this point is just can he do it two days in a row? My three words were met the hype. It did. The old course did. It stood up. It, you look at that scoring man. Again, with how many freaking holes are drivable and reachable

fives to only have how many guys shot better than only two guys. I'm sorry. Yeah, two guys shot better than five under and only four guys shot better than four under and you know, three under because you get your T 13 right now. I'm like, that stood up pretty freaking well for him. Not that much wind. The majority of the fields over par well for him not that much wind.

The majority of the fields over par. Yes. That's incredible. Yeah. That's great. And that's a tribute to the firmness and the conditioning of this course. They've just done an unbelievable, unbelievable job with it. When they show highlights of 2015 throughout the rest of this week, just remember it can,

and that's weather, influence of course. But, you know, it's a very, very different test in the last time we saw it in the open. I like this one. Which Cameron wins from hunting? Yeah, because I would like to talk about the Mangy Dog. We have a first. But let's talk about that.

Which Cameron are you taking right now? Heads up that. I think the Mangy Dog came in. Yes, Smith. I kind of came off of him the last couple of months. He's not been playing great, but Scott has shown up and had a good finish. And it seems like, I mean, yeah, that was not a, got it. I mean, he's my least favorite phrase. You couldn't fake it around out there today.

Neil, did you see what Cam was doing for the rest of the afternoon? No, I know you're, I know you're already a cam fan. I wrote this specifically in my notes because I knew I'll hype it. It was going to get you. He said, quote, he was going to go watch five or six episodes of Peaky Blinders. Oh God, that's so good.

I couldn't get in the new season. I haven't started it yet. I got a wait till Carson goes out of town because that's one I'm going to watch. I don't see if we forgot about what happened in the past. All right, my three words, golf Schrodinger's cat. I think that the cat might be both simultaneously alive and dead. And I think he should consider not playing tomorrow so that we don't have to open up that box and find out which one

it is. Because right now, we don't know, right? He's he could it could be both like I just don't really want to know the answer at this moment. I I want everyone to be as prepared as possible. Because when tiger crosses the spoken bridge tomorrow, it might be very good chance, very good chance, I would say that's the last time we see him compete at the Oak. And that's why I don't want him to play tomorrow, because that would be opening the box

and knowing that it's over, right? And so he is golf strutting his cat. Like imagining him walking on this leg five years from now and being able to actually compete, it seems more likely than not that tomorrow is his final round of competitive golf on the old course. It seems possible. I'll take respectfully the other side. I think that Hill, I think this is with a serious chance to win to it up. You know, I agree with that, but I think

the place means, I don't know, maybe I'm just agree with that, but I think the place means, I don't know, maybe I'm just being surppy, but I think the place means so much to him. It like has such a history that I could see him doing a like, okay, I'm 50, I'm 60, like this is the last time and going out and truly just like let his hair down, you know, and kind of going out and and playing a very like ceremonial final time. But maybe that's just me being romantic, I don't know. I don't want to, I don't want tomorrow to be like. I also say in the solid earlier, just take it in.

That's all I'm saying. It might be. Yeah, no, it could be. It could be. I'd like to see, give him another, another year of, like if he wants to rehabbing, actually really rehabbing his leg, leg like can it get strengthened? Can we cycle some more blood? Can we do some things to strengthen that leg?

Like does that get better over time or is this you know, is he gonna have the you know the limp? Right like and does he want to I guess that's the real question because I mean otherwise he looks like he's in really You know pretty good shape other than just the limp well, and that's kind of where I'm coming from is I don't think he's, it's ever going to get to a point where he's good enough that he's going to get over the hump that you and Bacon were talking about, right? Like he's never going to come in and say, like, all right, I played the deer and the Scottish and now my speed is dialed and I'm ready to go for a major championship. Like that's not going to happen, but it seems conceivably like he'll be able to walk

for a while and he'll be able to play 36 holes of a ceremonial kind of send off. But we'll see. St. Andrews might be underwater too. You got to think about that. You do have to think about that. I thought to go to camp Smith for a second. I think this is, I'm very interested to watch him play the next few days because it goes back to our conversation about him at, I think it was Southern Hills. He's so aggressive. Like yeah, everyone's like, oh, man, firm and

fast. This is great for Cam Smith, but also like he's so hard charging that like I can't imagine like him not getting caught on a lip, you know, or one of these pop bunkers. Like he's just never going to let off the gas. And's it that could be the reason that he doesn't win. I really want him to win. I will be rooting for him if he's in the mix against anyone other than Rory, basically. I mean, I would love to see it, but I will not be able to get a couple of things out of my head, the Memphis shot that he hit on 18 and then clank off the tree out of bounds, the punch out at the players that went into the water. Like there's two or three other ones too that are just like, whoa, man, what the hell? Yeah.

Types of decisions in very crucial moments, which seems like our sweet, which are sweet, but it seems like we spent an hour talking about how like you have to make the right leg of the decision tree so many times at the old course that I'm a little worried that we're going to have a bit of an implosion or just a very head scratchy decision from Cam because we've kind of seen a lot of them so far. But if I made my gut instinct on this is the old course does reward aggression, right? There are certain shots that are just like, dude, you have to take this bunker on no matter

what. You all got to do it, right? So, you know, if he's not, you know, I think sometimes he gets himself in trouble trying to hit the, he being the in trouble trying to hit the, he being the only one trying to hit a specific shot. Like everyone on 12's got to try to hit that shot straight through that shoot. And so in that regard, I feel like some of the decision-making

is almost taken out of his hands in terms of, should I be aggressive here or not? Because it just, it encourages you to be aggressive. And it's so firm that the possibility of stopping some shots near some of these pins is zero. So he's smart enough to know not to take that on, right? Like he gets aggressive when he can stop the ball on a dime near pins and you can't do that out here.

So he's not gonna try to do that. If he does, he's an idiot and I don't think he's an idiot. So I don't know, I feel like this kind of really sets up very well for him in that regard. Yeah. I don't know. I don't forget about Augusta too. In that that final day at Augusta, there was a lot of just bad mistakes. I don't know. Maybe he's learning from a lot of these moments, but I'm not so that was a really good counterpoint though. If everyone like to shot on 12, I was thinking that specifically with, I think it was JT and then Havlin was playing with him, I think, and maybe more Kawa and they both,

they all three hit the same shot and one of them, you know, it was like a roll of dice. Havlin and more Kawa put it right in the bunker, yeah. And and Havlin got boned and he had to take it on playable and, you know, I think he ended up making five, but like it just seems like there's a lot of that Waiting and the more you tempt it and a guy like cam's gonna tempt it a lot You know, but my point is everyone's gonna everybody but you're but that's a good counterpoint like everyone has to hit like no one is not gonna Hit you know try to drive the green on 13 or on 12, so you know, but if on 13 he starts doing, you know, try to drive it up the hill and like, you can get in all kinds of trouble there. Like, I feel like he might make that decision

and be like, hell, what are you doing? That's what would be interesting if we get a few more pins that are like, here it is. If you want to come and get it, but if you miss it, you're making bogey. Because like I said, 13 was not a temptation at all. It was truly like those guys were like flustered because they're trying to figure out how do I get the spot to stop on the guy. I mean, but all Cam is a known, you know, no titty guy. Like he chips it so good. Chips is titties off. No nipples. Like, you know, it's perennial, no nipple man. So you're playing free bird too many times here, dude. I had to get one more. Cody, what do you got for us? I had to get one more. Cody, what do you got for us? We're done. Enough names for the cash app games. Sorry. Come back tomorrow. Everybody will be running it all weekend, but I don't

know what's up with your boys. A lot of nipple talk today. That's on me. I'm sorry. You know, but some guys are chipping their titties off. I don't know what else to say. Couple of things we got to get to. Speed, I get very different emotions watching spieth over an eight footer now versus Rory and in ways that I would not have predicted. It's what we kind of turned into a drinking game. So, Sully was gonna fall asleep on the couch and then he started playing the spieth drinking game

and here he is fired up for the live show. I was like, it'd be like a five foot pub back. Will it hit the hole? I'll drink if he hits the hole and most of them do not hit the hole. It's kind of bad. Speed is unfortunately, I'm feeling a little bit of the rory camp that we just came out of. He's kind of how I feel about speed right now, which is unfortunate.

You know, like watching him as much or more than anybody else, but it's a little bit of like a, just, he's not quite there yet. Wake me up like when we're feeling like we're there. So I know, we don't have TC here tonight. So we'll be going down the leaderboard tomorrow night, but I have a question of like, going down the leaderboard, everybody pick one guy. Another guy from off the first page that you think is,

impressed by what you saw, or you think's gonna make some noise tomorrow slash this weekend. Uh, uh, a lot of that was a lot of things, but I'll just just say, uh, Tom Kim, do you young Kim? Like, uh, I'm really impressive performance in the sky to show up in and he hit the show out today. Actually potted really poorly and he shot three under.

Uh, I'm super intrigued to see if this, if he can keep it up. He's 20 or 21 years old. He's one of 39 in the world. He's 20 or 21 years old. He's over 39 in the world. He's 20 years old. Look, and there's some manipulation noise in that number, but like this guy's playing some golf and his nickname is literally Tom because he's like built like Thomas the Train,

which is one of the great wrinkles I've ever heard of somebody's name and it seems like a fun guy to root for. I'm gonna say that, you know, you can you can't go back to the Tareko stuff. It's hard to let the live stuff kind of hang over any of the open stuff, but very hard to ignore the fact that Westwood DJ and Taylor Goutre, all T five, uh, playing very, very good golf. And especially as, as Mike was kind of going through a lot of that,

like everybody's going to hit it to 50 feet. It's basically a lag putting contest. I'm like, like, why did I not pick Dustin Johnson? Like, that was kind of the most, yeah. Everything becomes clear to me after the fact type of moment. The lag putting thing was one of the best takes I've wish I'd thought of, which how could you possibly see that? Yeah. Who knew these greens were so big. There's just no way to predict that. I'm on the same page with a lot of our people in the comments, Fagala.

I was really impressed with a three under in the afternoon wave. I think he probably played one of the best rounds late in the day and just looked like he was hitting a very reliable cut off the tee, hit an unreal tee shot on 17 and just felt like he was, you know, I don't know. I just, I find myself rooting for that guy. So I'm excited to see, you know, this is his first open.

So great start. I hope he can keep it rolling. Got to give a shout out to our guy, Barclay Brown from Stanford. Yeah. You know, we can't stop shouting out a team Stanford over here to unbelievable round from the amateur. And I'll, I just didn't see, I guess the difference in the ways was 1.42 shots. Like that, it just didn't look like it.

Maybe there were, honestly, maybe there were just more shitty golfers in the afternoon wave or just that it's brought the average down or got that much firm, more firm. I don't know. That was kind of a, I don't know. That was kind of a I don't know Man, the scores just look crazy good this morning and then it was just like man everyone's struggling You know like just looking around the course like max fits Patrick that whole group had just bad juju and then rom was was You know, it was all in the front nine specifically number four played like three tens of a shot harder and just it just every every Look every hole just played just a little bit harder on that front nine, but which is

is why you know I noticed had a tough kind of six week stretch, but you get ton of credit to Taylor Gouche. That's an unbelievable round in the afternoon. That's 68 birdie on 17 birdie on 18. That was come on. It's a very strong round of gold. Big heads not worried about the drama. JT's fit. Lot of conversation around JT's fit today. What's the, uh, what, what, what's the take care? I thought Tron summed it up perfectly. I have no issues with the joggers, but those shoes with those pants are awful. I mean, I, I'm on the record for saying that like all black shoes, they just make like dudes look slow

and they just look bad. Like you gotta have a little bit, I just think. What was the phrase that what I'd be like I said, is a cone. Like you just go right by him. You go right, no that's what my buddy Brian would say, like if they saw like a white dude on the team wearing all black shoes, blow by him, blow by him.

They would just that pregame, they just be yelling that. That's like blow by this guy. Look, that's a bad outfit period. Bad hoodie bad shoe jogger combo. I'm good with the joggers. I'm good with the joggers too. No issue with the joggers, but like overall shoes. Overall, with the black, with the ankle showing

that she doesn't look good. I'm gonna, I'm gonna save anything Camo for Cody and, you know, our men in uniform. I don't need, I don't need any Camo for Cody and our men in uniform. I don't need any Camo from anyone ever. That's, you can take all that away. And this is not a, you're at the old course, respect the traditions of the game take at all. It just didn't look great.

I thought the Wallace hoodie was dope. Yes. I said the same thing that solid. That thing looks so comfy. That looked like it fit the setting very, very well. I thought the cats fit was all time vintage cat. I thought we've talked about Rory's fit. Anybody else you guys would like to call out?

Phil was looking to especially, you know, just dapper in a t-shirt underneath his quarter zip. I was joking to Neil earlier. It just looks like a guy that saw like an infomercial for a tactical t-shirt. Tactical glasses, just one of those like you can get hit by a fucking train if you wear this shirt. That kind of seems like the season of life that that fills in right now. I was a big fan of Phil just getting testy with some some of the journals after the fact as he was continually asked if he was sad about missing

the 150th anniversary champions dinner. I don't know what would possibly be, you know, self reflective about being asked not to show up to that. I'm sure he has no feelings about that, but he says he's, quote, never been happier. I'm sure we've got to take him at his word for that one. But yeah, I thought that was good. I really liked, you know, not really a fashion thing, but just no offense to my guy. I'm a big Ernie L's fan, but just the monster-queef-y yellow ball into the hotel was good stuff. No, it was great too.

They had a martial up there and he was given the safe sign. But I got, you know, at least. No, no, we don't have baseball, though. Yeah, yeah, I don't, they're like, no, that's not safe. Tom Abbott came to the clutch there. He was like, yeah, we don't do baseball signs over here. Like that's out. Just I was thinking how hard it would be to decipher

which one was Ernie's from all the yellow balls that are over there by the, by the hotel, that had to be tough. Last thing I think I had kind of in my notebook, random stuff, Max, the head high iron off number one, intentional or unintentional? Absolutely, freaking not, not even close. Yeah, I don't know, that was...

You don't think it was? No, he acted like it was, which is cool. That, which I respect, I respect that a lot. At least I sold it, it was like he was framing a pitch. We'll have to get an answer from him on that. I'd like to hear directly from the source if that was, if that was caught clean or not. So, I don't know.

Cody, we got, best thing you saw today? He's nodding. There we go. Yes. All right, Sal, you're up first. Best thing you saw today. You go first. I haven't thought about it enough yet. I've been thinking a lot about what the old course reminds me of. And there was a game I played as a young lad. A certain marble maze labyrinth game. And my father, I was visiting my in-laws over the weekend. This is incredible.

My father-in-law loves this game as well. So I was like, oh my god. So I was playing this game. He just got one as like a joke gift for somebody. For somebody who can't see the screen, describe what the wasn't game is. It's a box. It's a box with two knobs. And you basically try to get a marble through a labyrinth. And there's like 28 or like 30 holes. And it's like impossible. And it's endlessly both frustrating and. This is one of the greatest takes I've ever heard. And incredible.

And it reminds me so much of the old course because you've seen this game since you were a kid. Like just like you've seen this course for years and years. From above, you can be like, oh yeah, there's just bunkers everywhere. But then once you get into it, it's like you just can this course for years and years. From above, you can be like, oh yeah, there's just bunkers everywhere, but then once you get into it, it's like you just can't seem to control the ball around these certain corners.

And, but then it's endlessly satisfying when you make it, like, when you solve the puzzle, one part only to then just get got later on by like, you know, you solve the shell bunker, but then you get got by the hell bunker. And so this is just like, in my mind, I was playing this game a little too long last weekend, and I was just like, man, this is how I feel playing

when I played the old course in April. So that's my best thing I thought of, not really salt today. Best thing I saw today was this take, because this is the greatest take I've ever seen. I'd like to salute you. Cheers. Did you guys play this game as a kid? I played this game. I think it's called like the labyrinth game. I'd like to salute you. Cheers. Did you guys play this game as a kid? I played this game. I think it's called the labyrinth game.

I don't even know the name of it, but it's something that I had as a kid and it's probably still at my parents house, but I saw it again for the first time like 15 years. It's almost like immediately like nobody bothered me. How'd you play? I find the image of this. Did you take a picture of this?

I just searched like box labyrinth game, but like it didn't really give me like a name or a anybody that makes it. So I might have to look up some history on this game. I think it's one of the cheapest thrills in our, of our time. I cannot believe that this take is what really made this sink in for me, but just looking at that picture, I'm like, man, hard to win over 72 holes. Yeah, exactly, too.

At some point, keeping that marvel out of the hole is very difficult, no matter how focused you are. But you have to be this game gets me so patient with that game. Second time. You go a little faster though. You do. I know how to do this a little bit more. But then you also like then you also started to be like, well, I've already gotten the whole

number 14, you know, on 14 on the labyrinth game. So then you start rushing, you make mistakes early in the round. Like you can't rush the process. That I think we should just get a drone shot of this game and be like, wow, incredible shot of the old course here. I was going to say we should make one for the shot. That's shaped like the old course. That's a good one.

Oh God, that's also like, that's an epic idea. Nobody's still had idea. Pat and pending. Neil, that's shaped like the old course. That's a good one. Oh God, that's also like, that's an epic idea. Nobody's still had an idea, patent pending. Neil, that's unbelievable. The, the, I don't have anything that comes nearly as close, just a very fun tweet I saw late, late in the day. I think it was from Anthony DeFelice. It was basically just stuffing the big guy in a body bag. I know we haven't talked about Shephard very much.

But you'll see here, I believe it's Scotty Shephard giving a nougie flash headlock to Randy. It says, is vision covered in the company healthcare plan for eye tests as Scotty Shephard continues to pass the eye test for everybody except for the big guy. The condor just circling Randy's corpse right now. Randy did not pass the eye test tonight because I don't know if he caught much of the golf today. But what time do you guys wake up today?

And what's your strategy for tomorrow? I had said that it was tough week to lose an hour as you guys know. So I'm already in an hour behind the eight ball. So I tried to get up at 3.45. It's closer to about 4.30. But got up, made some coffee, and caught up on DVR. It's actually an awesome morning. It's great to throw the phone on the couch.

That was very similar. That's a representation you can see on the screen of kind of how I felt this morning, re-creating my time on the COVID bench there, I say an Andrews. But yeah, it's kind of fun. You DVR the first two, three hours and kind of key up to when Rory starts and put the phone away,

not check him Twitter or any spoilers, just really soaking it in. It was great. I'll probably do the same thing tomorrow. And since we had two NBC guests on tonight, I do want to give them the least shout out to NBC that it was not commercial abuse today. It was, no, I thought it was great.

It was a low bar to clear after the US open, but I just want to make it clear. I had sky up on my computer and NBC up and it was not egregious. It was more commercials on NBC, but it was not the egregiousness that I was expecting. Listen, flipping over to the cock. The premium cock plus commercials, but we knew that the cock app died twice on us downstairs. Like that's tough. I mean, let's get our tech straight. That was in the models though. I know, but it just,

that will never make sense to me that it's premium and like, and you're gonna hit me with ads like, fuck man. Where the mark? I know, I know. What, what I, outside of the commercial talk, what I would give NBC or the RNA or whoever it is that's behind this immense credit for was so many of the, I don't know if they're crane shots or what they

are, but there's so many like, that's the open, that's the, that give the open credit for that. But those, yes, so many shots that rail cams for 60 years of golf on TV has looked like, you know, it's the player behind, down the line, and maybe you can see the flag stick in the distance. And for a place like this, there's so many of these, like, little nippy flip wedges that even like, I feel, I forget which hole it was. Maybe JT, it was JT, I'm one, I think. And with how close he drove it to the burn, because I think he took a three wood or whatever he plays, like a hybrid kind of thing and drove it up there a little further.

Like just being able to see the full perspective of how close he was to the whole, where the burn was, where the flag was, like, it was just such better context. And they had so many good, low camera angles to show how big the slopes were. It just, I feel like I, like, got a feel for the golf course better than almost any golf course I've seen on TV before. So that was great. So that's great. That high cam behind 17T. I'm actually out on the 18 T cam that's over zoom. I can't see where any of the balls are going. Yeah. It's a great shot. It is. It's a great

shot for like a film, but it's not quite. The other thing is the cadence of they do they've done a good job of golf shot and then hitting us with an aerial, like not even an aerial of the golf shot, but more of just like a sense of place of like, okay, now I know where I am on the golf course and I can see the humps and bumps, that's good stuff. What they did on 17 of like a tracer from the tee and then a tracer of it landing on the other side. I know, I was wondering how they pulled that off.

I mean, that was a, that's pretty impressive. So also there's no other course in the world where that ugly of a hotel would be celebrated for cutting off the golf all. I mean, that's just really... It's an upgrade from what you call it. I know, but like, man, that thing is a monstrosity and they're like, oh, you know, it's still a course though.

Like, you know, that's the only place that it would be considered like classic and classy. So, yeah, JT also had a top off 18T, which they didn't show, so we can't really talk about, but you almost hit the spoken bridge like with hybrid or whatever that was. Can you imagine if you hit the spoken bridge and kick out a bounce?

All right, well, hey, good one tonight, man, we got kind of thrown right into the cauldron with some guests, that kind of, heavy hitter. Heavy hitter, it kind of threw us back on our agenda, but I think we covered pretty much everything. Thursday is always easy, man. We're always ramp it up and ready to roll.

So thank you everyone for tuning in, both in the live stream or anyone watching on YouTube or anyone listening on the podcast feed, and if you're a listen on the podcast feed, go check out the video. That's a little color to it as well. So, and the double downloads, definitely don't hurt. Cheers, thank you.

Oh, cheers. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back rest of the week tomorrow, around don't hurt. Cheers, that guy. Oh, cheers. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back rest of the week tomorrow, round the same time. Cheers. That is better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most.