No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 613: Ryder Cup Check-In with Jamie Weir and Kyle Porter

Episode Date: October 19, 2022

With less than a year to go until the 2023 Ryder Cup we welcome Jamie Weir and Kyle Porter for a check-in on all things related to the upcoming matches in Rome. We examine the lessons learned in Whist...ling Straits, the course setup at Marco Simone, potential roster construction for both teams as well as captains picks - including the possibility of including LIV players, and a ton more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 I'm going to be the right club today. Yes! That is better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the No-Lang Up Podcast, Sully here. We recorded this episode last week before we left for Korea, myself, TC, Kyle Porter from CBS Sports, and Jamie Weir from Sky Sports, two American fans, two European fans, having it out, talking
Starting point is 00:00:45 about a year out from the Ryder Cup. A lot of people ask some questions, why are you doing this now? We've always done a year out episode for the Ryder Cup. I think every year on this podcast, when it's come time to do, look ahead from one year. It's fun to look at the teams now, talk about what made change, you know, rehash the last year. This was a blast of an episode. We want to thank our friends at Roeback for sponsoring this episode. You know Roeback, theseash the last year. This was a blast of an episode. We want to thank our friends at Robac for sponsoring this episode.
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Starting point is 00:02:04 just drop some joggers as well. Code NL.u rowback dot com thank you so much for their support and let's get to the show alright we teased it uh... on last uh... i guess now almost a week and a half ago sunday potta said port are we got to do a writer cup something and uh... we're doing this we're recording this week before it comes out here but it's time to take a temperature check uh... one year out almost on the twenty twenty twenty three writer cup welcoming in Kyle Porter from CBS. Hello, Mr. Porter. Hello, Mr.
Starting point is 00:02:29 Salie. I'm, I'm, you gave me a few days to see how many points I could get the U.S. team and I'm ready to, ready to have some debate here. And just to make sure we don't get too far out over our skis, just to make sure we have a little temperature check here. We invited two of our European friends. Well, European fans, I should say, from Sky Sports, Jamie Weir, we come a very good friend of the pod lately. Welcome back, Jamie. Hello, everyone. Thanks for having me. Hello from very cold Britain. It's winter here already, but yeah, very excited. Still 12 months out. I'm still very
Starting point is 00:03:02 excited about the Ryder Cup. And everyone's favorite fake European, uh, he's long, long been for this European fan. We have our very own Tron Carter. Hello, Mr. TC. Listen, I'm a European fan. I'm not a fake European, though. You're the fake European after your answer to Amsterdam. I'm like, you're the fan. That's, that's, that's very fair. That's very fair. I'll take that. Tron, is there a team that you would not root for against the US? Like if Russia put a team together, would you be out on that? I don't just root against the US. Like I normally root for the US.
Starting point is 00:03:34 The rider cup is kind of the exception to that. So... Oh, the president's cup too, though. Yeah, the president's cup as well. I just, you know, like, so every team of it. No, just, you know, men... And, yeah, I would say, I'm a sole-h's cup as well. I just, you know, but like so, so every team of it. No, just, just, you know, men and, yeah, I would say it is a lot of cup as well. I just don't like a lot of the guys on the, on the US team, although it's getting better. I was going to say this started the exact Johnson era.
Starting point is 00:03:59 Like it started a long time ago with, you know, you're kind of take on, you know, just not liking these players. And the whole team has almost turned over to this point. So I'm wondering if your stance on any of that has changed. It started a long time ago with, you know, you're kind of take on, you know, just not liking these players. And the whole team has almost turned over to this point. So I'm wondering if your stance on any of that has changed. Well, I mean, the captain is, I know. That's Republican. I mean, number one, right? It is.
Starting point is 00:04:16 It's, yeah, it's kind of tough. Who do you remember in like Walker cups and Curtis cups? Walker cups. I go case by case. Like, I really, I'm a big barclay brown guy. So I was rooting for, I was rooting for the Brits last time. The bucket. That's a good. Curtis cup could go, you know, total toss up depending on who the players are. This time I root for the US because I, you know, I really like rows in the gang.
Starting point is 00:04:38 Solid, do you have anything to say as far as the president's cup? You know, apologize for the margin of victory or anything there. T.C., just because you were on different duties during president's cup week, doesn't mean we didn't have about eight episodes that addressed pretty much literally all of my thoughts on the president's cup.
Starting point is 00:04:55 So as it relates to the writer cup, I'm happy to have that conversation in that I'm probably coming in with just a bit more, a little bit of cold water poured on. If it had been a, you know, a 22 to 8 stomping, I think it would have been really hard to check myself in terms of the excitement for Rome. I at least got a little bit of that,
Starting point is 00:05:16 I call it the dread, that feeling of hopelessness. It hit me for like a second at the Presidents Cup, that feeling of like, little enough things going right. How can this possibly be happening? The feeling I get every time the US tees it up in Europe, it hits you like halfway through that second session or whatever that might be. I got like a snippet of that enough to be reminded
Starting point is 00:05:36 of what can go wrong. Because everything was teed up really, really, really well for the US to smash them and they were smashing them. But the saving grace there I think is like, they probably took their foot off the gas a little bit. They've just love even admitted it as much.
Starting point is 00:05:48 I think with some of the pairings you sent out in the afternoon, four balls on Saturday, but it's not really an excuse for not playing that great in singles and like a lot of those dudes not taking care of business in an event they should be up for a lot. So I am not as I'm not coming in with any idea that the US cannot lose this writer cup. It is extremely, extremely possible. I'm going to put the onus on the European side of this as well a little bit though. I've never, ever, ever seen so much cockiness and confidence from a team coming off a 19 to nine loss.
Starting point is 00:06:21 I, there are a lot of stuff has not been explained about what happened. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What? You've got to back that up. What cockiness? What cockiness have you seen?'ve got an incredibly strong US side, which perhaps more importantly has nice susto the team spirit thing which was missing for so long. And I think you've got a European side with a core of seven players who are all world class. And then you're going to have, it's really exciting from a European point of view. You've got this young blood coming into the team. It's the end of an era. That's been put to one side. It's a transitional period, but you've got young guys who are going to be so up for it. They're going to be pumping their
Starting point is 00:07:11 chests. I can't wait for it. But anytime I say that Europe are going to win, it's just to primarily wind up you and Portrait and it works the treat. Because I know exactly how to press all your buttons when it comes to the rider cup. Well, it's so funny how I guess, yeah, I mean, it's a hell of a sacrifice you're really to make, to make yourself look that silly just a while. Rile us up a little bit. I'd appreciate that. Very brave. Jamie, who are these six core members real quick? Just seven. Seven. Seven, yeah. The seven core members are Rory, John Ram, Victor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Laurie, Tyrell Hatton, Tommy
Starting point is 00:07:49 Fleetwood. Those seven, I think, are going to be on the team, whatever happens, even if, well, one of them obviously isn't going to qualify at least automatically, because Luke's got six picks next year. But I think whatever happens, all seven of those will be in the team. Then I think you've got sort of maybe you can split into the young guys who are just emerging, like Rasmus Hoygard, Bob McIntagweed and Miliotsi, Sep Stracker, and then guys who have experienced writer cuts before like Thomas Peters, Justin Rose, Alex Noren, Francesca Molinaria, if he has a little Renee Sons. Danny Willett.
Starting point is 00:08:25 Danny Willett. He's on my outsiders at the moment, but he's on that list. Yeah, there's lots to choose from. It's not going to be the walk in the park that Kyle Porter was predicting a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, I mean, maybe. We'll see. I think the...
Starting point is 00:08:40 I guess my question is, what has changed from Whistling Strait? Now, I know you can say the golf course, the setting, the country, you know, all that stuff, but fundamentally, I don't know that the US team is going to be that different from the Whistling Straits team. And I mean, you know, Polter and Westwood, I think, both won their singles matches on Sunday at Wisteling Straits. And they're the ones that are getting replaced, right? Like those guys are gonna be out, and I don't know that, I don't know if what Europe is bringing in
Starting point is 00:09:14 is gonna be materially like ready to rock and roll at a right or cup. Now, the proof that like the rebuttal to that is Thomas Peters at Hazelteon, right? Where he was just lights out for three straight days so It could that happen. Yeah, I I just think I just think Europe falls off in a big way after that kind of six seven spot in a way that the US does not
Starting point is 00:09:38 I think I can address this for you Jamie if you want me to because I'm gonna put a little cold water on Porter Just put this in general. I thought Wistling Strait was a beautifully executed strategy from striker in the US team. They stretched that golf course out and they said, we are going to make this a long iron contest and hey, dog should venue you got to. Yeah, the golf national is really the the pre-mo of what we should be the play professor of all that. But tests every aspect of your game, the, proper. Of course, it's like basically two aspects of your game. But anyways, what they said was, all right, let's beat Patrick Cantlay with four irons on the par three stretch the par three is
Starting point is 00:10:14 out beat him beat Colin more kawa in a long iron contest. Like good luck with that. Like you're just they're going to wear you down with depth. And I think what Europe is going to do in Italy and what they did in France was make it a 120 yard to 160 yard test. It is, let's get the crowd riled up, we are going to be trying to, like basically you can close the talent gap by having those shots, being the key shots on the course much more than you can shots from further away. And I think it minimizing the driving ability of the Americans and making that test be about
Starting point is 00:10:45 that aspect of it shrinks the gap automatically from the start. So that's where it's like, that takes route off the table, I think, for the most part, because it's just not, they're not going to give the Americans the chance to stretch out like they, like the bigger golf courses allow. That's what I think. That's, that's like a reason to be apprehensive, Jamie. Yeah. I mean, I'd like to come back to sort of core set up in a bit because I think it's obviously a pretty important part of Ryder cups these days. But just first of all to address
Starting point is 00:11:14 Porter's comment about Polter and Westwood. Yes, they both won their singles matches at Whistling Straits. It was kind of after the cup was done. It was after the Lord Mayor's show. So I wouldn't read too much into that. The first two days, when it was four sons and four balls, those two guys were real anchors for the rest of the team. And I think what's changed since Whistling Straits was Whistling Straits was just the perfect storm. It was a European side that arrived there with so many players out of form.
Starting point is 00:11:38 It was a US side which arrived there with so many players just hitting top, top form. It was, you know, post-COVID. There was like 1 percent of the fans there were European fans. It was a course that set the, that set to the US. I think Podrick Harrington rushed a few pairings and got a few things wrong in that regard.
Starting point is 00:11:55 And I think just everything that could have gone right at Wistling Strait went right for Stricker and everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for Podrick. So what's happened since then is I think, you know, you look at some of those players in that team, Shane Laurie is a better goal for than he was then. Matt Fitzpatrick is a far better goal for than he was then. Victor Hovund has improved
Starting point is 00:12:11 as a golfer. I think there's still obviously aspects of his game that are concerning. Rory's playing better than he was then. Then you just, and then you talk about these young guys, the guys that are then going to replace that old guard. I mean, Bob McIntyre, Guida Miliotse, they've just come off wins like recently in the last month. Bob McIntyre, Guida Miliotse, they've just come off wins like recently in the last month. Bob McIntyre, around Marko Simone. So the guys that are replacing the old boys are going to be so up for it. And they've also got the bit between their teeth because they have been written off by so many people. Just as was the case after the absolute shellacking that the US gave the internationals at the 2017 presidents
Starting point is 00:12:43 cup, when everyone was saying, oh, well, a 2018 Ryder Cup is just going to be such a blowout for the US. And that really pissed off Tomas Bjorn and a lot of the European players. And we're seeing history repeat itself again. Everyone is already saying, ah, it's going to be a complete right for the US. It's going to be the strongest European, US team ever. And the Europeans don't have a chance. And that gets under player skins. And so I think there's a lot of determination from the European boys I speak to to actually shove it back down some people's throats. I'll just to add onto that.
Starting point is 00:13:13 Like also the 2021 COVID situation for the European players, like the year they had between traveling and what they had to put up with was very different than what the Americans had to put up with. So I'm an agreement with you as well that it was a perfect storm for the points I want. TC, anything to add on or build onto that? No, I mean, pointed it's all about when we get down
Starting point is 00:13:32 to kind of who the other candidates are. I think next place I would want to go is just talking about the course before to kind of set the stage with the venue. And then we can talk about all the different iterations the teams could look like. And I think that kind of informs what makes sense, right? Because I was talking about putting the par threes and setting up shots from like 120 to 160 and I mean that's the distance I think of when I think about where Rory really just
Starting point is 00:13:59 thrives is like the 120 yard shots. So I hope they do do that. I mean, you get to do it too. He did it. He's been the 120 yard shot. So I hope they do do that. I mean, we get to try it too. He did it. He's the world out at the moment. I know. He's been better recently. I had to get that in there though.
Starting point is 00:14:10 I did a Rory dig from Porter. Unbelievable. It's the rider cup. You know, the gloves are off, Tron. Tell us about the golf course. The J.B. I know we've watched the Mattel, you know, opens there, but it's kind of hard to pick up what the, well, it's hard to identify what they're going to
Starting point is 00:14:28 actually do with it, because from what I've seen on TV, I don't think it's going to look like it has for the Italian open, because it looks wide, it looks hilly, it looks funky, you can't do anything about hilly, but I don't imagine that it's going to be as driver friendly as it's played for the Italian opens, that fair? Yeah, I think that's probably fair. It's extremely unilating. I as it's played to the Italian opens up fair? Yeah, I think that's probably fair. Um, it's extremely unilating. I think it's going to be very difficult for any players to play all five sessions just because of how hilly it is and how demanding physically the course is. It has, it's similar to LaGolf National in certain respects in that, certainly from a spectator standpoint where these sort of big hills and these natural
Starting point is 00:15:02 amphitheaters, it's going to an incredible venue from that point of view. I think the device captains and Luke Donald still have a lot of work to do in terms of setting up of the course. It will not be as penal as Paris. It just can't be. It's not that nature of course, but I think they will narrow the fairways a bit.
Starting point is 00:15:19 But I think it's, you know, look, there are many better courses than Marcus Amune. However, you know, look, there are many better courses than Marcus Amune. However, you know, major championships are, are the reason for great courses is that's where you take major championships. For rider cups, it's course that are great match play courses and it will be a great match play course. The back nine in particular, you've got drivable par fours, you've got water everywhere, 16, 17, 18 is a great finish finish. 16 a drivable par four, but it's got water on it as well. 17 a long challenging par three and then 18 a par five again with water to the left side of
Starting point is 00:15:52 the green. So if matches get that far 1617 and 18 is going to provide a great climax, but I think there are aspects that are similar to Paris, but it's not going to be nearly as penal as Lagoff National was. Yeah, it just doesn't look like they have the opportunity or the, you know, it's good. Like you said, it's gonna be very different and it's not like they can trick it up from a width standpoint. I say that. I mean, I'm sure they want to probably bring the fairways in some and grow the rough up.
Starting point is 00:16:19 But the rough was pretty up for the Italian Open a few weeks ago. It was proper thick rough if you were offline at all. But I mean, you say trick up. The golf national wasn't really tricked up that much by Thomas Bjorn, I mean, that is just the nature of the course. Yes, he narrowed the fairways a bit. And you know, the grass was moved back on the rough towards the tee book.
Starting point is 00:16:35 So you're always playing against the grass. That's tricking. Yeah. That's not tricked up. That's just cool. Like, I got the most of the grass in a certain's just cool. I got the most aggressive way. The rough was like shin deep. It was not like that for French open.
Starting point is 00:16:50 It was a huge, huge, huge inhibitor. It was smart. But like don't say it wasn't tricked up. I mean, come on. But here's the thing. Here's the thing. You know, what I find interesting is, you know, people talk about the fact that, oh, are we getting to the stage in a rider cup where we need like an independent body
Starting point is 00:17:05 to set up these courses because home advantage is becoming so important. And I kind of think, are there two fundamentally different ways of playing golf? Do Europeans and Americans play two completely different styles of the game? I don't think they do. I think maybe 20 or 30 years ago,
Starting point is 00:17:20 that was the case when perhaps as a general rule, European golfers had lower ball flights, they didn't hit the ball as far. Whereas nowadays, I mean, the backbone of the European team all play weekend week out in the US. They are PGA to your players. So I think the margins are so narrow these days that, and I, you know, the, the, the, the conversation
Starting point is 00:17:39 that is the last four home rider cups have all been complete blowouts for, for the home team. But I don't think there is inherently a European style of playing on an American style of playing. Jamie, that's what I was going to say. I think there's definitely like, you know, with, you know, especially as we get into some of the captain's picks as well, like the Hoigard twins are vintage definition of bomb and gouge, right? The, uh, and I don't need to put the plane. Like the American players and captains own have to own not being ready to play that golf course, right? That's, I don't want to, I'm not saying that
Starting point is 00:18:10 it flipped everything. That, that team was clearly not ready to play that golf course. And you have to be party for that. Like that's part of the deal here is that you are going into an opposing setup. That's not me, me bitching about that golf course. I just didn't like it and then they go as very fun and entertaining, but that they, you still need to be prepared to play exactly that. You need to be ready for what's in front of you. I think Paris was a bit of a normal anomaly in the sense that, A, you're right. I think there was a certain degree of arrogance in the American team that we can just go and overpower this golf course and bludgeon driver of every team will be fine.
Starting point is 00:18:43 I don't think it's a coincidence that the only member of the US team who made an effort to come over and experience that course in tournament golf early in the year, Justin Thomas was the best player statistically in the US team in 2018. And I think it just also happened to be a European team that was packed with Supreme Ball strikers, where you know, a put an emphasis in accuracy, a put an emphasis in ball striking, you had a European team of Francesco Molinari, Tommy Fleetwood, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, Alex Noran, Sergio Garcia. I haven't even mentioned Rory McElroy and John Ram yet. Just all extreme iron players, and that's what that course tested. So I just think Thomas
Starting point is 00:19:18 Bjorn had the perfect team to execute his game plan on that course. And Jim Furek made a couple of dodgy decisions with his picks, came in under prepared. There was a certain degree of arrogance where we can just smash this ball everywhere and be fine because that's what we do. We can. We got in the PJ tour and they came on stuck. I think running Phil and Bryson out as a pair is the height of arrogance. More subs. I don't know how you can get more air again than that.
Starting point is 00:19:45 It's right. He career literally ended on a Z-Box. He just, he had a ball in the water on, I think it was 16 and he shook hands there. That was the end of his rider cup career. That was, that was sick. He turned around and he turned around to shook hands with Francesco Molinarri, whilst his bowl was still in the air.
Starting point is 00:19:59 Yeah, it was sick. I, you know, I think it's kind of hard to explain then if if you guys and I think I'm in agreement about how the setup it because everybody sort of like playing the PGA true now, it doesn't maybe matter as my or it doesn't favor one team as much, but almost the whole team is one of what every Ryder Cup since 2004 except for Medina? Yeah, the Europeans won in 04, but correct. Since two months. Yeah, all the ones after that.
Starting point is 00:20:31 And I don't really know, I mean, obviously being at home is a big emotional advantage, but it just seems like one of those, and maybe Medina is just like the one in there that was gonna go differently. I don't want it to, I guess what I'm saying is, I don't want it to turn into this, we know the home team's gonna win. And maybe Madinah is just like the one in there that was going to go differently. I don't want it to, I guess what I'm saying is I don't want it to turn into this just, we know the home team's going to win. We know the home team's going to win.
Starting point is 00:20:51 We know the home team's going to win. And I don't know if having a third party set up the course changes that necessarily. I would be interested to see if it affected it at all. I think it's kind of a misnomer though, when I think at least when they have the event on like mainland, like your continental European soil versus when it's say in the British Isles, you know, or the UK, like it's Guido, Miggly, Ozzy's gonna be at home, but other than that, like how much time does John Rom spend in Italy or Rory's spending Italy?
Starting point is 00:21:25 You know, it's kind of here for you though, is that I think what is, you know, you're coming into a well. I think it's the fans that make the biggest difference. And you know, we saw Hazel team, the effect that had on a lot of European team, Danny Willett in particular. You know, that when you've got the crowd suddenly turning, you can just, some players, it brings out the best of them, and some players just disappear into their shell, and I think that's what happened to a lot of that team at Hazel team. I will say too, Glenn Eagles was not a ridiculous setup
Starting point is 00:21:54 by any means. If anything, that should have been a helpful setup for the Americans. If I remember right, I mean, it was not thick rough, it wasn't, you know, I mean, do I not remember that right? It didn't feel like the rough was pretty thick, but... They didn't feel moody. Like, it didn't, you know, I mean, do I not remember that right? It didn't feel like the, it was pretty, the rough was pretty thick, but they didn't feel neutered. Like it didn't feel like, I'm watching Vory hit Irons off par five's last year, like,
Starting point is 00:22:14 not like Link's golf, like, I'm worried about this running into a bunker. Like, I, this fairway is so narrow, I have to hit Irons the greatest driver in the world. That was where it was kind of like, ah, this is a little different here than like just, hey, let's tee it up and let it fly. So I think Hazel teen was a bit on the extreme side, no rough middle of the, you know, set up like a pro-am, I believe was Justin Rosen.
Starting point is 00:22:34 I think that, like exactly, that was like what kicked this off to say, like, all right, 28 teams, like all right, here's what we're gonna do. And I think also, I got flaw in the US in 2018 was they didn't make a team for that golf course, right? And I still go back to they were kind of screwed by their own success leading up into it. Like their captains picks were Bryson, Finau, Tiger and Phil. And Phil was and they were kind of fear it kind of had no choice but to pick those four guys. I kind of felt from in that regard.
Starting point is 00:23:05 Well, bullied his way onto the team. And like at that time, that was decently reasonable. He was coming off a good Hazel team run, Bryce in one two playoff events. That year, the cat had just won the, at the Torch Championship the week before. And Finau had at least one runner up in certain comment there in the playoffs as well. He was coming in playing great. And he actually played really well. And those guys destroyed them. They played so bad, except for Fina,
Starting point is 00:23:28 the other guys were absolutely horrible. And I just want to note, the guys that the US has lost to live from 2018 were 415 and 1 in 2018. This is not your grandfather's Ryder Cup team. And Tiger was 0 and 4. I haven't feel like he's not going to be on the team next year. So all that to say, it's going to be a very, very, very different team coming across this time. Now, look, I think you go back 27 years or whatever it is to 1993. I
Starting point is 00:23:54 came and do the math on that 29 years. It will be 30 years next year. That's actually very easy math. Yeah. There's a lot to say about that. Like, there's something to that. That's the really, really, really long trend that, you know, is it's very much a proof of it to me, situation in the US. I don't think, I really don't think there's going to be that many fans, American fans that are walking in like overly confident in this one. I think the thing that's changed, and I touched upon it earlier on, the thing that's changed in that time is that, and this is worrying from the European point of view, that the US have finally figured
Starting point is 00:24:28 out now the team spirit, and it's not a team of 12 individuals anymore where they're pulling in 12 separate directions, but these are guys who have all grown up together. They have these natural friendships. You've got these pairings like shofully and cantley, or spieth and Thomas, or Burns and Sheffler, who just, they just fit each other like a glove, and they all enjoy each other's company. That's such a united team. There's this real bond between all the players, and that worries me from the European point of view,
Starting point is 00:24:54 because that was always our strength over the US. On paper, they were always the strongest side, but we had that sort of spirit that they didn't seem to have. Yeah, I think the two other things, as it relates to that, is they've, I don't know if this is a task force thing or what, but they finally brought in statistical help. And for years, they thought, oh, we'll just roll out Tiger and Phil and see what happens.
Starting point is 00:25:20 And it was just like not smart. Like it's a little bit of the thing where, you know, everybody says, oh, it's so easy to coach the Lakers with Shaq and Kobe or the Bulls with Scotty and Michael. You still have to actually put stuff together, right? Well, you can't just roll people out there and like hope that they win.
Starting point is 00:25:39 And then the other thing, I've been big on this theory and it might be one of my Dumber theories or one of my better theories, but I think Tiger and Philce were just black holes as teammates, as team members, they sucked up all the attention and energy. And you guys know, part of the writer cup is this idea of kind of like peacocking and preening.
Starting point is 00:26:01 You're like, I'm the man, you know? And like, nobody ever had the opportunity to do that because Tiger and Phil were just, and not even, I don't even think it was their own fault, they were just sucking everything out of the room. And with them gone with Tiger sort of like doing his, you know, call of duty thing with the earpiece and all that stuff, like there's just an opportunity
Starting point is 00:26:21 to fill that void with guys that are more on the same plane, like on the same, all on the same level. And I think, maybe that's not meaningful at all. But to me, just even watching Whistling Straight slash here, that, that to me meant something. And you can see JT and speed kind of leading that, but their stars are not so big that they kind of overshadow everybody else. Yeah, I think you're absolutely spot on. You hit the nail in the head. I think for, you know, the last 30 years, as long as I can remember, with the European team, it's always been
Starting point is 00:26:55 leave your egos at the door, even if you are a superstar, like, you know, Fildo, 30 years ago, Seve, Rory, Nye, they were never the center of attention in the same way that Tiger and Phil would have been for all those unsuccessful US teams. And I think whilst JT probably is the closest thing to an alpha on that team and the sort of almost self-appointed leader of the team, there still seems to be this, put your egos at the door, leave your world rankings in your status and your majors at the door. We are 12 players. We're all in this together. We're a united team playing for one flight, playing for your country, playing for your teammates. And they've really cracked down. I think, you know, a lot of that has to, you know,
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Starting point is 00:28:49 to provide kids an opportunity to learn lessons that can only be taught on a golf course. So head to precisionprogolf.com to find the right product for you or find out more on how they are working with youth on course to help give kids a chance to get on the golf course and learn the game. Swing with confidence, hit more with precision pro golf. Let's get back to the pod. John, what are you going to do if JT gets to the first T and Rome and just start slapping the T box like like like Wojahowski used to do in Cameron Endor? It's tough. It's tough to call JT the leader of the team when he's got these prescripted, like, awful, awful celebrations and stuff. That's just, I love JT in non-writer cup settings,
Starting point is 00:29:30 but I'm very much good on JT, on Zach Johnson, on, you know, like, quite literally, like, the U.S. team is corneous fuck, especially going into Italy. I mean, it's, it's concerning. Who are the assistant captains? Finaus, Finaus Swaggy is hell. You can't deny that. All right. All right. Who are the ass captains though? I don't know if we know that yet.
Starting point is 00:29:55 We know that yet. The ass captains. I don't, it's, I mean, they, they'll be like, they'll be like, they'll be like, they'll be like, seven guys. There's only seven guys that it could be. I'm guessing you're like record Michael Jordan. You're a striker. Yeah. Davis loved. Drew Love.
Starting point is 00:30:12 I don't know what to think of ZJ yet. And I say that, and I'm hesitant even way in, because I was wrong, hand up on striker. Like I think we saw the first press conference, the first media appearance that Podrig and striker did. And it was kind of like the consensus at least among the media, which was, we all kind of got fooled, at least a little bit
Starting point is 00:30:29 in terms of being really good with media doesn't necessarily mean you're a really good captain and or vice versa, right? I mean, Podrig could just talk in circles around Stricker and Stricker just played everything really close to the chest and it didn't make for the most interesting content yet when it became game time, like if you know, rewinding a year, if you would have told me, they would have taken the exact six players that I, like the data nerd wanted them to
Starting point is 00:30:54 take. I would have been shocked. I would have been totally shocked. Scotty Schuffler looks very obvious as of now. But it, it was an era, a long era of US writer cups where they wouldn't take a guy, a rookie that hadn't won on the PGA tour. Like some of that stuff used to matter a lot more than just like, hey, this dude just whooped a bunch of people's ass over the course of an entire year. I don't care that he hasn't played in one of these yet. He's the 12th guy on the team.
Starting point is 00:31:18 Let's pick him for these exact sessions right here and let's go with that. For the first time, it was like, holy shit. The US might have licked it. Instead of going with the safe veteran, brand-snettaker, Matt Koocher pick, they went in an opposite direction. And that felt like a turning point for me, at least in terms of how the US views this era
Starting point is 00:31:37 and who's gonna play on these teams. And I think the US has a depth advantage as we stand here over Europe, but I am a teeny tiny bit worried about the US depth. And I think we saw that a depth advantage as we stand here over Europe, but I am a teeny tiny bit worried about the US depth. And I think we saw that with the Zalator's going down to injury and then kind of exposing. Basically, they got 11 really good guys, which I know is that's a luxury. That's a lot of good guys.
Starting point is 00:31:58 But when they went down, it was like Horseshoe and Kisner, adding them as 11 and 12 on to the president's cup team was not great. And I do like sitting here today, I cannot even venture a guess who the 12th guy is going to be on the team next year. It's in Billy Horseshal, like world number 16 or something at the moment. It seems a bit sort of, you want to do, we got to know if you should work off rankings. Well, the world ranking turned out to be out of the good day. Guys, honestly, can we just can, can Horsesal play for the Europeans at this point? I mean, he's a massive, massive ambassador for the DP world tour.
Starting point is 00:32:30 He's an uncle of, he's an adult to Brit these days. I, I think I, I was like, okay with, and looking maybe on a, a less length, emphasized golf course, Horsesal might fit in, right? But part of what I thought Horsesal was going to bring to the table was energy, rambunctiousness and this whole demeanor. And he admitted he was the most nervous he'd ever been. Like he was so nervous he couldn't even spit out there, TC. He couldn't even believe it.
Starting point is 00:32:52 And that was a weird, yeah. To shut a water kind of thing. If the president's cup is gonna have that much effect on you on a home one, I'm not like rushing you onto a road rider cup team. I just, yeah, unless he has a complete attitude change towards it in terms of, I mean, I don't want to say attitude change. You're not in control of what your emotions kind of force on you the minute before it. I respect how much he cared about the president's cup to get that nervous about it, but that
Starting point is 00:33:18 was alarm bells. You rarely see somebody get that rattle by an atmosphere and admit it basically. Solid, who among the 11 that you've mentioned, like, who among those guys concerns you the most to? Like, Cam Young after the, after the president's cup. Wow. I don't think he concerns me. I think we're going to see some evolution with him with the putter over the next year. I mean, as somebody who bet a lot on him over this past year, watching him try to make
Starting point is 00:33:43 putts down the stretch was really, really, really frustrating. And in the president's cup, that was really frustrating. But I have nothing to base it on, but I feel like he's going to improve that part of his game. He's been so freaking good tea to green. And he wasn't a disaster at the president's cup. He just was like not quite breakout material. So who am I most worried about?
Starting point is 00:34:03 I don't know. You got one, Jamie? Yeah, my, my bold prediction for the member of that president's cup team that it would be inconceivable to think wouldn't be part of the next writer cup team. But for some reason, I just have a hunch is Columore a cow. Wow. Yeah. Wow. I don't know why. Look, he has another grace of 2022's. Let's see if he bounces back next year, but I could just very easily see you know, you look at that presence cup team and it's so easy to say, take a horse and kiss into one side, those 10 will definitely be in the rider cup team next year. You can make a case for them all being there. I think there'll be one surprise player who
Starting point is 00:34:39 just slightly falls off and it could be more a coward. And you know, then you'll see maybe a Davis Riley or a side side, the side of the somebody like that, have a stellar, they've already had pretty good 2022s, but have another great year next year. And they might step up into issues. I wouldn't be too worried about a strength and that thing from a US point of view, because the next cow off the rank is another absolute baller. And then are you, are you slotting Zalator's? Yeah, I'm putting Zalator's back in? I'm putting Zalator back in. I will say to Moore Cowell though, like his four season has really his three PGA
Starting point is 00:35:10 tour seasons. If you look at this, the strokes gain plus 1.57, 1.41, 1.42, almost the same exact player in 22 as he was in 21. He just didn't like that. That's where you, not you, we all tend to overrate majors and I I don't I just mean that in terms of like how a player is playing golf. I don't think we overrate majors in terms of what they actually mean to the game of golf. And that's when you want to play your best golf. And it does matter. But if you're looking at his, you know, he has not been the best PGA tour performer. He really has not. I think the harder it gets, the better
Starting point is 00:35:41 he has performed, he has good major finishes outside of his wins and majors. I think the harder it gets, the better he has performed. He has good major finishes outside of his wins and majors. I think that does mean something, but he just didn't have the big major championship runs this past year. And I think that is kind of causes to view his 2022 season maybe as it, as it being worse than it actually was. But he went through things, some swing things this year though as well. He also remember that, you know, burger and Berger and Harris English who were on that the 20 whatever year that was 2021 team were hurt for the president's cup last year so you can throw them back
Starting point is 00:36:12 into the mix as well with a group of young I do I said this on the on the I don't know we can have to go on the on the podcast with solid but I get a little concerned when, and again, maybe this is just comparing to previous American teams, because I don't know if it's a problem if you compare it to the European side, which we'll get to, but you look at 13 through 20 or 14 through 20 on the US side and it's full of like Tom Hogi and Brian Harman. And just a bunch of guys that you're like, is that who I want, you know, playing ForSums and Rome? Not really, you know, and so I, one through 10, one through 11, one through 12,
Starting point is 00:36:54 do I have a lot of concern, no? But what if some of those guys get hurt? What if some of them leave for live? What if, you know, or what if somebody makes a team that's not expected to make a team? Yeah, exactly. Like, it's like Aaron Wise is a guy that I could see going, going fucking nuts. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:37:08 And just he's, you know, he should be on the radar for the 12 spot in hindsight. I think he should have been on the president's cup team. He's actually quietly really had a really good run and throw file, a coil hollow, a lot. But he is and he could have that Harris English type 2021 year where he wins twice and, you know, doesn't do it. I mean, Harris English didn't do a ton of else, right? During during that 2021 season, but he wins, travelers, he won, I think tournament champions
Starting point is 00:37:32 or something like that early in the year and gets on the team. So that is somebody that you could throw in at the end. DB could start vibing again, too. Correct. I think they're safe with the six automatic qualifiers, six captains picks. Like I just don't, I think I could safe with the six automatic qualifiers six captains picks. I just don't I think I could see with you. If you had eight or nine auto qualifiers, somebody getting off hot and falling and falling into the eight or nine slot and you have to take them, I think they're protected pretty
Starting point is 00:37:53 well and same with your ZJ has EJ already confirmed that it's going to be six and six for the US again. I pulled up the rider cup dot com slash ranking site and that's exactly what it says. It says. I was not aware of the rate. I was assuming that has that would once qualifications started, how would imagine they would be not want to be shifting stuff around like that, but they did add players for COVID.
Starting point is 00:38:16 I don't know if that, I mean, that was a special circumstance. I hope they keep that. Can we go back to ZJ for a minute? For sure. Please. We were all there last year. We watch him on the first tee with his antics and his like just his trionics and theatrics and it looks like I told poor at this one.
Starting point is 00:38:33 It looks like somebody who both like somehow simultaneously loves having the camera on him and it's the first time he's ever been on camera before. But he doesn't know how to act. And I just watch him and I'm like, I don't know if I can trust this guy. Now, who cares if I can trust him, right? It's about whether the guy's in the team room can trust him. But there's just a lot going on there
Starting point is 00:39:01 that I feel like Stryker and Davis love have this sort of, I think if you don't believe in them, it's because they're too quiet or they're too reserved or whatever, but man, those dudes trust them a ton. Like they go to them, they talk to them, they bring things to them. I don't know if that's ZJ, I don't know of ZJs like that. And I'm curious to see how that goes for him
Starting point is 00:39:26 with a lot of big personalities and big egos in the room. I, you know what, I will stick up for ZJ here. I think, you know, as much as I hate all of his antics and I think he's just the cornyest, cheesiest, you know, just, just, like I think he's a loser. I think, I think that- I will stick up for ZJ.
Starting point is 00:39:49 I think he's a loser. However, however, however. I will say that you look at a guy that squeezed the absolute most out of his talent and the arc of his career and through, you know, being analytical and being disciplined and being focused on the right stuff. I mean, shit, he won the Masters without going for a single par five and two, right?
Starting point is 00:40:15 That takes some fortitude. And I think that he's demonstrated that. I think he's a pretty cerebral guy underneath the surface of all that extraneous bullshit. I do think I trust the system, Kyle. I think that whatever they've got going seems to kind of divest, that's probably not the right word, kind of spread out the power amongst the other captains.
Starting point is 00:40:38 And it's kind of like, dude, like run the striker playbook. Like you don't need to reinvent anything that we, from the last ride or cup. You don't need to change anything. Like same stats guys are probably going to come in and say, here's who's playing the best. Here's what's worked for us. Here's overlaying their spray charts over these fairways in this golf course. And if we pair these two guys together, like I don't think he's going to have to, you know, he's going to make, you
Starting point is 00:40:58 know, be deciding between a couple hot hands here and there. But for the most part, I think a lot of the decision making is kind of probably reduced on the captains these days. And I don't think he doesn't strike me as a kind of person who would reinvent the wheel either. He was there in 2018 when he saw the mistakes that Furek made. He was there this time last year when he saw all the right decisions that Strick had got. He was an assistant captain for the occasions. So he has that experience. He's cut us teeth as an assistant captain twice. And he just doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that would let ego get in the way and just think,
Starting point is 00:41:29 well, I'm gonna do something completely outlandish here, like Hal Sutton did in 2004 and stick Tiger and Phil together. He's not gonna do something, he's not gonna think of the box like that. He's gonna do something that's tried and tested because he's seen it already. Not just last year at the Ryder Cup and Wasting
Starting point is 00:41:45 Straits, but literally two weeks ago at the Presidents Cup of Quail Hollow as well. Plus, I think going back to Kyle, you're point about the addition by subtraction, like some of the guys that have come off the team since then, tell you were talking about it earlier, but not only that, it's like the guys that you've lost, setting aside the golf skills, there's no shitheads in the locker room anymore. Yeah. Like you don't have Bryson, you don't have Patrick Reed, you don't have Brooks, you don't
Starting point is 00:42:13 have Michelson, like it's, it's, it's very much like, hey, man, like everybody's here for the, for the same reasons. Yeah, I know you guys aren't, I know you guys aren't really familiar with rugby, but the old blacks, the New Zealand team have got us sort of ethos that with their team, which is basically no dickheads, no dickheads in the team. Even if you're an unbelievable player, you don't get into the team if you're a dickhead because the team as a whole is the most important thing. And I think the US and I at that point where there's no dickheads in the team room anymore. Troll might disagree. Yeah, yeah, last year they were like the Patriots. They could absorb the Antonio Brown.
Starting point is 00:42:48 They could absorb the Capcom because they had so many like not dickheads that they could bring them in. But yeah, you're right. Like, they don't necessarily have to be as concerned about that anymore because those guys aren't going to be there. Now, am I concerned like is it is and turningander turning into too much of a hard Oh, possibly. Like I thought this like, you know, maybe is can't lay off the stars. Can't lay is not my cup of tea.
Starting point is 00:43:13 I think he's kind of a low key dickhead in some cases, but, you know, but, but it seems like he's thoughtful and cognizant and socially or do you know, the thing, the thinking man's dickhead. Exactly. He's, he has been a role player in these right Like there's not been a peep from him of any dissent of anything which is amazing considering how much dissent He seems to have amongst players and meetings and things like that on the actual inner workings of the pga tour He goes and plays with zander and the no like they almost forget they almost kind of forget about Xander and
Starting point is 00:43:45 can't lay on these teams because of how quietly they go about their business and they got off to a decent start at Enroll Melbourne, but since then, man, they've been a really, really, really good team and it's just yeah, you set the clock to it and put run those guys out there. That's what you were saying in the beginning, Jamie. It's like, dude, you talk about that first session. Like we have, if we go to speech, JT, Zander, Cantlay, like to me, that reads back a lot, like if I go back to 2018 and I look at like Rose Stenson and I see or, you know, I'm maybe I'm thinking about even 2014, but I remember there's like the, the Rory, Polter and then Rose Stenson and I was just like, how the hell are we?
Starting point is 00:44:22 That's two points right there. Like now, what do you do? Glen Eagles 2014, that was the first time Rose and Stenson had played together. And actually a lot of people sort of questioned and began to be like, really Rose and Stenson together and they just, you know, they were a perfect match for each other. But then yeah, you're right, fast forward, four years to Paris
Starting point is 00:44:40 and it's hard to take those two down. You know, that opening session in Paris as well, the US one three one, you got to remember that. And so, you know, the opening session is important, but it's not the bill on the end all. They got to figure out for some, they got to figure, the US has got to figure out for some, they've gotten absolutely sick. Well, they're the last two times to go around. They've figured it out in the president's copy in the president's cup. It seems to be their area of strength. If you look at. And at home in the US, at home in the writer company, it's been really good at four sums. It's literally on the road in four sums. They have socks, but it also like looking back at it, it was DJ and Ricky Fowler. Have a feeling that they will not
Starting point is 00:45:16 pair up in next time around. And web were a partnership in four sums at LaGolf national. Probably won't see that. Uh, Michelson and in the first one. Doubt we see that one. And then this is where the chemistry comes in the play. Keith and Jen also things like they didn't even, we're in the stories with it from that team that they didn't even practice with each other's balls on any of the practice stays either. I mean, not just smacks of arrogance and complacency. Shockingly Bubba and Web won their second four subs match. And they split the second four subs session,
Starting point is 00:45:48 but yeah, it was ugly. It was over by then. Real quick. So, home was back on the team. Absolutely. I mean, I would love for him to be back on the team, but I'm saying I'm posing the question to you. Is Max back on 100% regardless of what happens
Starting point is 00:46:03 in the next six months? I would not say regardless of what happens in the next six months. I would not say regardless of what happens the next six months. Honestly, I would say that with pretty much anyone, I mean, maybe aside from speed JT, Xander and Cantlay, and probably Shephler as well, if it was game tanks, there's a conversation to be had there, right? And the same goes for five to six guys on the team as well. Max played incredible golf and seems to be still improving. So as we're standing right now, he's in very dark pencil on my team. He's about to get a big dose of perspiration. That's very true. He was lives too. You'd never know,
Starting point is 00:46:37 never know. Well, you named like half the team. That's a lock. What's I got? Burns is again, like we even really said the name Sam Burns and he was the best US player on the US Presidents Cup team this this past go around. The record does not really get didn't even get two and a half points. So it was robbery. It was total robbery. Right. It's also funny because that's like you look at his his stuff like the last you know four or five months of the season, ever since he won Colonial, he didn't do really shit after that, but yet he was in great form,
Starting point is 00:47:12 come, Quail Hollow, and it's like, this shit is so tough to predict, it's so tough to predict. You never know. Who's on the upswing, who's on the downswing, who's burned out, yeah. That brings me onto another point that I was gonna make, which is, you know,
Starting point is 00:47:23 the things that make these so difficult to predict that I was going to make, which is, you know, the things that make these so difficult to predict is you just can't predict who's just going to have a really hot week, which is why you know I hear people talk about oh who's going to make the team oh he's very consistent. Do you want to consistent play in the team? Do you want to play in that team who's finishing 30th every single week? Or do you want something like for one of a better example, Sep Stracer, who goes and wins the Honda, then misses it by 10 cuts in row, then suddenly almost wins the FedEx and Jude, then what finishes like T6 or something at the Tour of Championship, almost wins in a playoff a couple of weeks ago as well. Players who just have these really hot streaks and you can't predict when they're going to have those hot streaks, that's a difficult part.
Starting point is 00:48:01 But players who can be wildly awful one week, but then wildly brilliant the next week, they're almost the guys that you want in your team and you just hope that they have that brilliant week when it's when it's the ride or cup, as we saw with Thomas Peters and Hazel Tink. I guess the only thing I'd push back there is it feels like like having a guy that is going to put like if you have an anchor, there's just nowhere to hide him, right? There is a am I sitting you until singles and like if your game not anchor, there's just nowhere to hide them, right? There is a, am I sitting you until singles?
Starting point is 00:48:26 And like, is your game not there this week? Do I have to sit you till singles? And I'm sacrificing that point. That's tough. That could be one of your studs as well. You know, that could be, you look what happened with, with Cory Conor's for Trevor a couple of weeks ago. You know, he goes into the team as a player that,
Starting point is 00:48:40 Emelmond would have been thinking, right, Cory, you're my guy. You're one of the guys I'm leaning on here. Rory. Lasty. Rory, I was listening straight. So you're ago right, Corey, you're my guy. You're one of the guys I'm leaning on here. Rory. Lasty. Rory, I was listening straight to you. You know, you finally got it together against Zander in the singles,
Starting point is 00:48:50 but you just didn't have it at all on the Friday and the Saturday. And that can happen. So that's what makes these things wildly unpredictable. And somebody will just surprise you. Somebody will do what Jamie Donaldson did at Glen Eagles and play the best golf of his life. What Thomas Peters did at Hazeltein. what Francesca Molinari did at Paris.
Starting point is 00:49:08 You know, somebody will have just play the best. It'll bring about the very best in them. They'll, you know, it'll be like water off a duck's back, the atmosphere. They'll just rise to the occasion and they'll be the star, the standout star of the right or cup. I think there's also a sense of picking guys that are emotionally and mentally ready for that. It's not just talent because you can get a talented guy and roll, I mean, this is what kind of what we were talking about with Horshaw earlier. You can get a talent to get through the roll them out there and it's like, man, I can't feel my hands for
Starting point is 00:49:36 four straight hours. That's that ain't the guy you want out there. I'm not saying that about Horshaw necessarily, but that's sort of the direction where you're going. You want the, you want the, and I don't know how you sort of doing like psychological tests, which I think maybe they do, but you want the guy like Peter's like, give me the ball with 40,000 people watching and I'm gonna, I'm gonna go in a match, you know, and whether they're, whether his strokes, not to, you know, don't dump all over data.
Starting point is 00:50:05 Oh, I'll say that. Whether his strokes game number is better than Danny Willitzer, not like you want that kind of guy out there. And the US, I think thankfully for them right now, has a bunch of those guys. And Europe has some. I just don't know if they've identified the ones that haven't played in writer cups yet.
Starting point is 00:50:25 Is the only guy that the US is sad to have lost at this point? That's DJ. That's a decent sized loss. It's hard though, because it's like, he sucked it in Paris, right? Like, you dogged him so hard for it, and I said, trust me on this one. Sorry, trust me on this one. I, we didn't really. I got a good film about this. That's all I'm going to say.
Starting point is 00:50:50 I, we didn't really need him that bad at Whistler's Straits. We needed him a lot more in, in Paris. And yeah, so it's like, I don't know. So like, even the guys that are really good in the Ryder Cup don't, uh, don't not put up stinkers. I don't have no better way to stay with that. Like you have years. Roy's been a great Ryder Cupper and he put, he's put up aers. I don't have a better way to stay with that. Like you do that years. Roy has been a great rider-coupper
Starting point is 00:51:06 and he's put up a stinker kind of in the last two if we're being honest. Like losing, any time Roy has a losing record in the rider-coupper, I would call that a stinker and he had a losing record in Paris. So yeah, you don't know. And that's just where depth rules out, right? It's just like you just can't count on,
Starting point is 00:51:22 you know, if you have four really strong guys, you just can't count on all four of them going balls out because it just almost never works out that way. That's what I was going to say. Like in terms of, you know, I was hoping to go this entire podcast without mentioning the 54 tour, but it's inevitable we have to. Pretty good. We did pretty good.
Starting point is 00:51:38 We got, we got like about 45 minutes in, but you know, I see a lot on Twitter, you know, are the Ryder Cuts being completely devalued by not having the best players in it? And I'm like, well, actually, if you were to pick the 12 Europeans now and the 12 best Americans now, DJ's probably the only one that's getting into the 24. So you're going to have 23 of the best 24 Europeans
Starting point is 00:52:02 in Americans next year. So yeah. I personally don't think at the moment he would get into that European team. I know that he, you know, has got credit in the bank in terms of what he's done at Ryder Cops and, you know, last year at Wisting Strait. You know, people ridiculed Paul Drake picking him for Wisting Strait and it literally did with John Ram. But, you know, I personally wouldn't see, you know, you can make a baby case for Paul
Starting point is 00:52:24 Casey for Eugenio Chicara, but I don't think any of those European players on live at the moment are getting into the current European Ryder Cup team personally. I actually think there's a case to be made for Bryson also. I mean, you have to, you have to put him in the right position to succeed. They didn't in 18. They did more so in 2021, but I mean, he only does exhibitions now anyway, so the writer cuff would be perfect for him, but he thrived last year. Like when he was going crazy on,
Starting point is 00:52:56 when he got up and down from like 365 to start Sunday against Sergio, I mean, they started engraving the trophy right then. He was kind of in his element. And maybe that would not, it wasn't the case in Paris. Maybe it wouldn't be in Rome because he would be on the road. But that's one guy, more so than Brooks for me that I'm kind of with, he's not a star on the US team,
Starting point is 00:53:20 but he could be a really, really good role player on this team. See, I disagree there because I feel like he's... I feel like he makes you have to make sacrifices in other areas to accommodate for him, right? And then if things aren't going well, then how's he gonna act? Is he even more of a liability than because you not only have to worry about the guy not playing well, but you have to worry about him being a fucking sour post all the time too.
Starting point is 00:53:45 And this takes back to the earlier point they're making that actually, are you looking for the 12 best golfers or are you looking for the best team? And is Bryson going to be a disruptive influence in that team, a device of influence in that team? I think Sergio would be currently with the European team. I know that John Ram's going to back for him recently.
Starting point is 00:54:03 And I think Matt Fitzpatrick has been quite open and saying he thinks Sergio should be in European team. I know that John Ram's going to bat for him recently. And I think Matt Fitzpatrick has been quite open and saying he thinks Sergio should be in that team, but I know there's quite a lot of other guys there. They don't want any of the live guys anywhere near that team. They don't want them as assistant captains. They certainly don't want them playing in the team. There's still a lot of really raw feeling from a lot of the prominent players on that European team.
Starting point is 00:54:21 So I think by putting any of them into either team, you're creating a riff that you don't need to create. Let's let's visit that though for a second. Rules wise, do you think live players should be able to be selected by captain's picks? I'll start with TC. And the answer might be different for for each team, but TC, what do you think? I would say rules wise. Yeah. Put them on the table. Now it's up to the captain. If I'm the captain, am I picking him? No, but I think even DJ, like DJ seems to me to be the most pickable as far as fitting in the team room.
Starting point is 00:54:54 General, like I don't take really anything personally vibe and doesn't seem to be like, he's not, he's not anyone suing the PGA tour. I don't sense a lot of ill will from like the JT's and whatnot towards DJ. I, that's the only one that I think really. That's tough. I don't think there is a right answer, right? I think, uh, I mean, DJ is one of my favorite players of all time.
Starting point is 00:55:15 Like, of course, I'd love to see him, but, you know, but at the end of the day, yeah, I just, I don't know, I struggle with that too, because it's, it's, you know, like who knows what his lead up is going to be to that? Who knows what, what form his game is in truly, you know? And it's worth just for people that aren't familiar. The PGA of America, not the PGA tour, runs the US side of the equation here in the European tour, runs the European side. So, you know, it's been interesting really because live players have been able
Starting point is 00:55:45 to play DP World Tour events, you know, since then. So, I mean, what is your belief, either what captains can or should do, Jamie, and what is like, I don't want to say legal, but, you know, rules wise. I think it's trickier from a European point of view, because as you said, you know, the European Tour, the DP World Tour is the rider cup as well. So these guys that have gone to live, they're damaging the European tour, they're making the DP World Tour weaker. And not only that, but they've made a lot of noise in the way of the door as well and you know, said some been pretty open in their criticism of Keith Pele. And we don't need to go back to search you in the locker room and Munich, but you know, they've been really open about
Starting point is 00:56:26 whether European tours headed. So if you're playing a part in destroying that tour, do you honestly expect to be part of their rider cup team? I'd find it incredible to believe that they would even want to be there. Legally should they be probably, but you know, they're only going to be captain's picks. They're not going to qualify and I keep arriving back at that point that, you know, they're only going to be captain's picks. They're not going to qualify. And I keep arriving back at that point that, you know, by even by picking them, I think Luke Donald is creating a problem that he doesn't need to have. So look, we'll see, yep, they can still play and earn ranking points up until February, at least, which is when we'll have this court hearing.
Starting point is 00:57:01 But I think it's trickier from the European point of view, because whereas you have that separation between the PGA turn the PGA of America, it's all one big ball from a European point of view and anybody's gone to live. You know, that's why you're getting paid, exorbitant money to go to live, because you're weighing up that, okay, by doing this, I'm probably burning any chances I have of being a writer, cop player, and that's why they're earning an awful lot of money
Starting point is 00:57:26 by making that decision. Yeah, I think they should be on the table for Captain's picks. Now, on the US side, it does give the captains because of the makeup of who's going to live. It gives them such an out to not have to remember. I mean, remember all the lead up to 2018, 2021 with, oh, should Patrick Creed be on this team? He was captain. And it's, and, and you get an out. You don't have, you don't, like, you can, you can just not even talk about it, right? You can not talk about Brooks, who just, I mean, he did that GQ thing last year, which was so weird and ended up not mattering, but it was just the, he, I don't feel like is beloved on the team necessarily,
Starting point is 00:58:10 and then Bryson as well. So DJ, for me, on the US side is the only one. I don't, I'm with Jamie. I don't even know how many on the Euro side. I think people think of Westwood and Sergio and guys like that, Polter are still being like 37 years old when they're really like 10 years older than that. And that was always my thing with the Euros,
Starting point is 00:58:30 is they're gonna get caught between generations and they finally did at Whistling Straits. And now this is the turn over year. So I don't even know if they were still, if they were not at live, if they would even be considered. But I do kind of think they should be, but I don't necessarily feel strongly about it one way or the other. On the flip side, if you're like, you know, let's say
Starting point is 00:58:52 you're Seth law, and you know, Seth by all accounts seems to just be very much like, hey, let's have everybody get along and it doesn't want to pour gasoline on this thing, but as an entertainment product, like what would be more entertaining than having, you know, kind of all eyes on, it's just another couple of storylines, right? Of holy shit, this is the only event every 24 months that everybody in the Gulf world gets together for outside of the majors. Speaking as a European, I would absolutely love that US team to have Brooks Kepp, Patrick Reid, Bryce and Deschambonet.
Starting point is 00:59:29 Because going back to my earlier point, I just think there's such a united team night and just throw a few disruptors into the mix, and that could be the one thing that makes them unravel. Yeah, I think it's a DJ question on the US side. And I think again, we're talking about this all a year out. Guarantee there'll be very funny stuff to listen back to a year from now, just because there's always things that happen.
Starting point is 00:59:49 There's always more turnover than it looks like. And there could be more guys leaving for all we know. I mean, those offers are still going up. And so does that change the conversation? I think this is like, it's just worth noting. This is, in my view, a lot like the major championships, where, you know, if you've earned exemptions into those and you play for live, like you should be able to play them,
Starting point is 01:00:09 in my opinion, like that's, that they met the criteria. I say a Thomas voice, like, I got no problem with that, really. This is not a PGA tour event. Again, that's where it's kind of weird with a European tour. It is a European tour event, but then the separate question is it worth it is, you know, also worthy of discussion. And if you have, I'm sitting there from the US side.
Starting point is 01:00:29 DJ is the only one I'd even consider. And it's got to be like, you guys cool with this. Like, do you want this as our 12th guy? And God, if they have that, that is a really freaking good team. Let's, we kind of diverted there a little bit and didn't really, I haven't really had a chance to break down European team. We've mentioned the top seven guys. If you had to take guys as of now,
Starting point is 01:00:49 if you had to fill out your roster, Jamie now with the bottom five guys. And listen, we're gonna give you a lot of leeway here in that this is a subject to change and can change month to month and it likely will, but if you're sitting here now, what's jumping off the page at you? I'll give you my other five right now.
Starting point is 01:01:06 And let's see how her ridiculously wildly wrong I am 12 months from now. So I've said my seven, my seven McElroy Ram, Hovland Fitzpatrick, Laurie, Hatten Fleetwood, I can't see any scenario unless one of them is injured or just falls off the face of the earth. My other five to fill out the team are Thomas Peters, Justin Rose, Rasm Peters, Justin Rose, Rasmus Hoigard, oh hang on actually. Wow.
Starting point is 01:01:30 I just picked a team of 13. No, my other five are Sep Stracker, Guido Miliotzi, Bob McIntyre, Rasmus Hoigard, and Thomas Peters. I'm leaving Rosie out. I like that. You got to move on. Yeah, it's time to move on. There's not much of a future. I kind of hope he does. I kind of would like him to make the team.
Starting point is 01:01:51 And I think Luke Donald will be very tempted to pick him if he has a half decent year. But he's had his problems with injury this year. I don't know. We'll see. And I'd love somebody like Francesco Molnar, he'd have a great 2023 in playing a home rider cup. That'll be incredible. But look, I've got some outsiders as well.
Starting point is 01:02:07 The likes of Victor Perez, Nikolai Hoigard. I think Nikolai's probably got a higher ceiling than Rosmos, but I think Rosmos is the more complete player at the moment. Adrian Moronk, James Parr, you know, even somebody like you and Ferguson or Jordan Smith could have a stellar 2023, but I think they need to do something pretty special. Alex Noren. Alex Noren came and get a... Alex Noren's on my maybe list as well. Jordan Smith could have a stellar 2023, but I think they need to do something pretty special.
Starting point is 01:02:25 Alex Noren. Alex Noren came in and get a. Alex Noren's on my maybe list as well. If Alex Noren could have held a few five foot parts a couple of weeks ago, it's an Andrews, he'd have won the downhill. So he's knocking on the door as well and he's got the game that would really suit that course. So look, he's on the list as well, but it's a long list at the moment.
Starting point is 01:02:43 I don't think the team, the European team, picks itself to the same extent. The American one does the moment. You got to explain this Gido Migglyos, he think for me right now because this is the numbers are really not checking out on that one. I know he just won in France. I saw your tweets. Get him on the team. I know he is Italian and it would be the home game model.
Starting point is 01:03:02 He's not a stud. I want to be an absolute baller. I look, I don't know. Look, that's maybe one that he's picked more in emotion than then then following the data golf starts. I think he's got obviously a real determination, a real bit between his teeth to make that team for obvious reasons. He has shown that, you know, that that's
Starting point is 01:03:25 shot that he hit into the 72nd hole in Paris a few weeks ago that he's got the stones when when it's all in the line to take shots on. Maybe it's slightly heart-ruling ahead on that one. Maybe, you know, it's probably set if you're going to have an Italian on the team, the Francesca Mullenari vs the 2018 version of Francesca Mullenari is the Italian that you want to have there, but Guita is probably more likely and current form to make it. Do you see anything to add or comment on there? Yeah, well, I struggle with as much as I like Francesco. He's a jewel of a guy.
Starting point is 01:03:56 It feels like he'd be a pretty big liability just from a, you know, a type of game scenario. Like, they're just the way that he, you know, just kind of dinks it out there and, you know, it's, he's not gonna put the pedal down on anybody, right? It's like he's kind of got the, just that steady, consistent, you know, floor and ceiling. And five and no in Paris. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:04:22 Well, yeah, but we're also talking about a very, very, very different golf course. Yeah. Well, yeah, but we're also talking about a very, very, very different golf course. Like that's very different. I think it's got differences, but I think it's got a few similar traits as well. But it's like, if you were going to have a golf course that was tailored made for him,
Starting point is 01:04:37 it would be something like Paris for a rather... I think him and Eduardo will end up in just askabtons and kind of be like getting the you know, riling up the Italian contingent that way instead probably. That is what I would say about, you know, both Francesco and Justin Roses, they will be part of the team when it's as an assistant captain or as a player. We got a great question there from N8D32 and N5 really good questions. But one of his was just about emphasizing at Wardo Mollinari's statistical focus
Starting point is 01:05:08 as an ass captain and the impact that potentially may have on the European teams construction. Yeah, he got all sorts of looks for a captaincy, right? I mean, as they were trying to figure it out. Couple more live perfection. He might have had it. He was on way. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:05:23 I think he almost inevitably will be one to whether it's, you know, at a derailleur in 2027 or something like that, because basically our next five captains are of all been ruled out. Not sexy. And I know people roll their eyes at the data golf and the, like the analytics and the numbers matter a lot. The Europeans made that work for them in 2018 big time and how they can get their pairings for four sums and how they, you know, attack that golf course.
Starting point is 01:05:50 Like it is a big deal. You should see how many guys are out there collecting all this data and reporting it back. And like we said at the top of the US, it's at least on the way to figuring that out. If not already figured that out. And it does have a big impact. It's basically, you just don't want somebody up there winging it, and that's basically like all
Starting point is 01:06:07 of these teams, international team inside include on the president's cup. No one's winging it anymore. So Thomas completely bought it into that in 2018 and leaned so heavily on the numbers and they had a plan in place that they barely strayed from all week and they were vindicated in that. So this is nothing new, having somebody who weighs
Starting point is 01:06:25 so heavily on the data. The only thing that's new is that the person doing the data this time just so happens to be an assistant captain as well. A couple of other things I had to just from a, kind of a preparation standpoint and everything. I mean, it would be cool to have twin brothers on the team, both of them, you know, that, but also like, if one of them doesn't react, all that
Starting point is 01:06:45 well or gets nervous, kind of makes you nervous about the other one as well. So how do you, you know, how do you, how do you kind of attribute for that? Jamie, are we, are we completely, I know he's a lock and a shoe in or we completely 100% sold on hat and like is his game trending back to a, to a, to a good place. I know he's played well this fall and everything. Yeah, I mean, of those seven, I think Tyrell is maybe the most likely to drop out, but I just think he's got that experience. He's a gritty match player. Like, you know, even when most of the team played badly at Whistling Strait's last year, Tyrell is one of the better ones. You know, if there's somebody standing over a seven foot pot in the 18th green, Tyrell Hattman would be one of the better ones. You know, if there's somebody standing over a seventh in the 18th green, Tyrell Hatman would be one of the first players
Starting point is 01:07:26 I'd want standing over that. And I don't know what it is, whether it's about, you know, the tides or whether Moon is or, you know, whatever, but Tyrell Hatman seems to play really well this time of year. Like the amount of time, the amount of like, when he's got in the autumn,
Starting point is 01:07:41 the fall is extraordinary. I don't know why he plays so well in September and on October, but for that reason alone, I think I'd probably have him on the team. September brings out his best golf. And then I feel like we got to talk about he's one of my favorite players in the world, but Tommy. Tommy's had a lot going on. Well, I'm sure, Sully will be the first to tell you that Tommy's numbers are probably a lot better than his results this year. You're looking confused, Soli. I thought you were going to insult me some way, but I, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, me insult you.
Starting point is 01:08:15 Would I ever do that? No, I'm just saying that, you know, Tommy maybe hasn't had the wins this year. Well, he hasn't had a win this year and he hasn't had the results he would have hoped for. But I think his numbers are still showing these playing pretty good golf. They do. Correct. That is he's bounce back from a 2021 being probably his worst year since he's turned since he became a really elite player. He's had a solid half shot bounce back, which is a lot.
Starting point is 01:08:38 That's a very big jump. I just wanted to get that on the record from solid to ride for Tommy a little bit. I feel like that's been a long time coming. You have, like, you go so over the top of Tommy that me being like centered on this makes me look like I'm on the other end of the political spectrum on this. It's like, I'm very, why do you hate Tommy so much? So why do you hate Tommy so much? Exactly. What's he ever done to you? T.C. is the queue on the inside of this where I'm just like right down the middle
Starting point is 01:09:05 and he thinks I'm Elizabeth Warren. There's some guys that they kind of concern me a little bit. All right, Pocahontas. There's some guys that kind of concern me here. Matthew Pavan, Ants von Rosner, Callum Schinkewin, like guys that could kind of get hot and earn their way on. I'd love to see Noren on. I think, you know, I think Noren's kind of earned it and I think he'd be a good fit and I think he'd be great
Starting point is 01:09:30 in the team room. He's a pretty slow-simmer guy. The other guy, I'm going to say it, guys. I'm going to say it. Ludwig, I think the future starts now. I'm not joking. I'm dead serious. Ludwig Abergus who is referring to is the number one amateur in the world currently. Still amateur. He's still amateur with the two months to go to the right.
Starting point is 01:09:54 Number two. Well, I don't know if I do. Anyways, he's number one on that. So, um, and so you think he'll be is he turning pro at the end of this golf season? Does he need to be a pro to play in the right or cup? That's a great question. Yeah, but you know, he's just, you know, we're better than it's scouting, which I mean, like, Sep Strak is only actually an affiliate member at the moment. So shame is par becomes a full member of the European
Starting point is 01:10:20 two next year. Sep Strak is still going to be an affiliate member. So he's kind of relying on invites to European tour events and obviously he then needs to play four of them to be eligible. But I think Strak is obviously deaf in the radar. What a bad look that would be if Seb Strak couldn't play on the European rider cup team because of some bullshit. Well, look, the balls in his court, if he wants to be in the team, come and play four times.
Starting point is 01:10:42 You know, he's only played, he's only ever played, if you're talking about regular European tour events, he's only ever played in Austria, he's never played elsewhere, but look, he's got 10 months to come and play, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, wherever, just to get those four events, it's pretty easily done, just hop and flight
Starting point is 01:10:59 and fill up your quota. On that front, I wonder if an early season runner-up finish, getting ahead in the FedEx cup points makes it easier for him to do the, you know, the Middle East swing to start the year on the, on the Euro tour. That'd be interesting. Although maybe, maybe he identifies more as American
Starting point is 01:11:15 because he grew up in Valdosta. He's also very young. You know, so he wants nothing to do with Europe. Maybe you could play on the American side. Exactly. Two other guys I had were, you mentioned them briefly, Shamest Power. We'd be very remiss. All the Irish would be all over us if we didn't mention him as a possibility. And then another guy that's playing really good golf
Starting point is 01:11:36 right now and has been for a bit, Thomas Dietri. I've got them in my long shot list. Yeah. Europe's, Hunchy. Europe's got like a lot of irons in the fire. If I'm Europe right now, I'm looking and there's optimism on the forefront, like I'm a little concerned about the depth, but there's enough of noise going on there that you can kind of pick hot hands, right? And if you look at, I mean, look how decimated, you know, the international presence cup team God and how far down the depth list they had to go and how punchy a lot of those guys were a lot of those captains picks like Munoz you know Bisei no one one one C. Wilkin went three and one like there you know you can experiment a little bit when you get when you when you don't have like that expectation of here's who you should pick you can experiment you can
Starting point is 01:12:19 go further down the board and get a really good course fit or something like that where you know it's kind of a weirdly fun, experimental phase for Europe. Now that you've cleared out the polters and the westwoods and the casies. Yeah, there's a definite lack of immediate depth, but a ton of punchy tertiary depth. Yeah, and also all of these guys, and Porter touched up on Arlie,
Starting point is 01:12:42 you don't know how they're going to react when they're in that cold river ride or cop. But so many of them will be desperate to make that team as well. That brings out something in you as well. I mean, going further down, I've got Adrian Moronk. I mentioned you in Ferguson, I think, Matthew Schmid, who leads to still very young, let's see what's the year he has next year. Aaron Rye, who's just sort of next year will be a second season on the PGA term maybe he finds his feet a bit more. Torbjörn Olison won earlier this year in the European
Starting point is 01:13:08 tour so could we he come back to the sort of player he was four years ago. Matt Wallace you know he's the kind of guy who'd have the mentality for a rider cup team and then basically anybody who's got a PGA tour card you're one surprise win away from suddenly rocketing up the standings. So you've got to be looking at people like Vincent Norman or Calum Taren, people like that. They could just do something out of the ordinary, like Stracco did with the Honda, just win this PGA Tour event from nowhere. And suddenly, you know, their names on everyone's lips. I'd love to see Marcel Seam get involved after, you know, running the four with Dirk in the,
Starting point is 01:13:46 in the Olympics, just get him involved in the right of the suite. The only way to ask if you, Jamie, is that we cannot do it all year long, that if somebody wins a tournament, they make the team. We can't do it all year long. All right, I'm just not going to allow that to happen. Okay, but you know, you only take 12 guys. Okay, no, we all get excited, but we're just going to put that out there right now. I'm just going to say it to Ludwig plays a lot of match play.
Starting point is 01:14:12 Right? Yeah, that's right. He plays a lot of match play. He hasn't played particularly great in it. He got matched up against some, you know, went up against some buzz saws here there, but he's, he would be a tough out. I hear you. Do you know the place?
Starting point is 01:14:27 Do you know the place really well in match play as well? Kevin Kisner. You should really consider him for the next. I heard that. I heard that. I don't know if it's ever been mentioned, do you have a happy, tudder asked, will Kevin Kisner be on the roster?
Starting point is 01:14:38 No. Well, I don't think so. I think we've done that. I think we're ready to move on from that. I think it was an internet created thing that, you know, look, I think it's probably a better course fit. You know, I still don't really have the answer to like, does distance play at Marco Simone, but I just don't, I just think that there's people with equal skills, iron play and wedges
Starting point is 01:15:01 and putting to him that hit it further. So I don't know why you would do that. And I know he's got that dog in him. I know that he's going to let that dog out. George Bulldog and did not. And he talked a big game about partying and he was the first one to leave the party. I heard he was leaving. No, really? Yeah, he left going a hunting trip.
Starting point is 01:15:18 It's a tough one. Yeah. So I think that I'm think we're ready to move on from that era. Do you know the other thing that started. It's a tough one. So I think that, I think we're ready to move on from that era. Do you know what the other thing, I was just gonna, sorry, one other thing I was just gonna mention as well, is I know we're sort of glossed over this, but you know, both teams are pretty strong, one, two, eight.
Starting point is 01:15:35 And then it's the nine, it's invariably it is always the nine to 12 that decide the rider cup or decide any of these competitions, right? And I actually think next year's rider cup is the Ryder Cup where nine to 12 might be the most important ever, because that course is so, helly, so on, relating so physically demanding that I don't think you can just
Starting point is 01:15:54 ride your top eight guys all four sessions on Friday and Saturday, because they'll just be spent comes Sunday. So I think, you know, next year, even the likes of Rory or, you know, will Thomas and space play all five sessions, I find it hard to believe because unless you're winning your matches on the 14th and getting a bit of arrest, you're just going to be whacked come Sunday if you're, if you're playing, if you're going all the way up 18, four times on Friday and Saturday, you're going to be fucked come Sunday. Interesting.
Starting point is 01:16:22 Jamie, a couple of questions for you. Hey, are you bullish on Thomas Peters? Because he seems like a key linchpin. And I feel better about this team now than I did when I was trying to blow smoke up everybody's asses six to 12 months ago. Thomas obviously won earlier this year in Abu Dhabi and we thought right here we're gonna see
Starting point is 01:16:39 the Thomas Peters of 2016 again suddenly, bounce back and it hasn't quite happened. At Lagov National a few weeks ago, he was in a great position through 54 holes and kind of just didn't do much in the Sunday, which was concerning. But he sort of fits into that bracket. I was talking about earlier of these players who can just inexplicably get really hot. And Thomas Peters makes so many birdies and that is really important in match play. He'll go out there and he'll
Starting point is 01:17:05 make nine birdies and a run he might throw in a few triple boogies as well, but in match play that doesn't really matter. If you have these absolute horror shows on one particular hole, you've only lost one hole. If you're going and making absolute ton of birdies and a run as well, then you're a hard man to beat. I would almost throw him in that top, like add him to the top seven. I mean, he he's he's kind of eight to my list Yeah, he was so good not only was he so good in 2016 But he's had at least statistically his best like his career best year this year If he's playing anywhere close to our how he's playing right now
Starting point is 01:17:36 I think he has to be on the team and you just need him to be good that one week, right? And you know, you can have a great, you know, that's the thing about this, like you said, and it's, that's where the Europeans have a, what I mean by punchy is like, you can have a dude that has six miserable months, has a decent three month run up to it and finds the form for the rider cup. I got that's, that's, that opportunity is not going to present itself on the US side because of the depth, but Europe has a chance to ride a really hot hand coming into it. The other thing about Thomas Peters is as well, not that I think you're particularly getting me worried about who to pair Rory McLeary with because Rory can play with
Starting point is 01:18:10 probably anybody, but in the absence of Polter and Sergio who have always been Rory's two go-to partners, Thomas Peters is just, I mean, as we saw in Hazeltein, they just headed off and Rory even said at Hazeltein, I think I find my partner for the next decade and he didn't make the next two teams. Rory and Thomas, Peter's are such a good team. So you've solved that problem. Who on earth do we put Rory McElroy with? Put him with Thomas, Peter's. And then Jamie, second question I had was,
Starting point is 01:18:40 how do you think that the euros plan to use this hero cup in Abu Dhabi, you know, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, all this controversy about it, but do you think that's an actual asset here? I think it's supposed to be in January, right? That's right. It's just before Abu Dhabi. I think it'll be an asset for Luke Donald to experience match play golf and for guys like Bob McIntyre or the Hoi Gards or Guido to experience being part of a team, I think it's far more important
Starting point is 01:19:13 from getting to know each other team bonding point of view than it is from the golf itself. And look, it would be great if you got any of those top seven, the likes of Rory Shane, Fitz, John Ram, Victor Hovelyn and Volper, realistic, I don't think any of those big, big guns are going to be there. But for that next tier of players, those players who have never been thrown into the Coltern before, I think it'll be beneficial from that point of view in terms of just experience a bit of match play, getting to know people, I think it'll be really important, really big for Luke Donald as well. And you know, speaking to Thomas Bjorn, I know that the Eurasia Cup in 2018 was important from him.
Starting point is 01:19:49 There weren't that many people involved in that team that went on to be in Paris later that year, but just from his point of view, to experience putting players with each other and, you know, him getting to know him and the laughs they had over the week in that team room, I think helped massively down the road. Solid, we don't have to tell you how important the race course. I'm a big erasure. Cut. I will say to just worth noting, listen, we know this is a different player going in next year, but it is worth noting.
Starting point is 01:20:12 Oh, and six in the rider cup. He's got a lot to prove when it comes to the rider cup. And hovelin being penciled into your top seven. And I'm good with that as well went. Oh, three and two at Wilson straights. And I don't necessarily think that projects out, but it's just worth noting a couple of these guys that are in that top seven have a little bit
Starting point is 01:20:27 to prove on the Ryder Cup side. To push back with you on that one, I think Victor Hovland was in a similar boat to San Burns at the Presence Cup in that he played better than 0-3 and 2 at Wistling Straits last year. And Fitz A, he's a completely different player at the player he was 12 months ago. But also he was a, I mean, he was a pop. He was 21 years old at Hazelteen in 2016. He was just completely
Starting point is 01:20:50 not ready for that occasion. This time last year, he was again, he was coming in not in great form, playing a course that just did not suit him at all. He's not a major champion. He's added 20 yards into his game. Nothing seems to phase him. He almost won at Marcus Amune three weeks ago. So I've got absolutely no concerns about FETS. In fact, I think he can be maybe... That's what I said. I just said he has some to prove. That's what I said.
Starting point is 01:21:16 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know you did. I know you did. It's come done, come done. We do need to wrap here somewhat shortly. So I think it's time we do this. I think we should go around the horn. And I think we should do a predicting score as of right now. I know, there's no good can come of this,
Starting point is 01:21:29 no good can come of this. But I think it is a worthwhile thing to do it. This point, I'm willing to go in the record of what I think will happen. I can go first if you guys would like. Where I'm gonna get, I'm gonna get where's Alan shipnuked, aren't I? He probably will.
Starting point is 01:21:44 You probably will You probably will I am most certainly aware and I cannot disclaim this enough It is not a gonna be a cakewalk for the US. I don't necessarily think it's gonna be a cakewalk for the US I'm aware that the US That's big of you. I'm a woman. This every every year this gets twisted, right? So I'm just want to put that out there stated I think the US will win 15 and a half to 12 and a half. That is my prediction as we stand here right
Starting point is 01:22:09 now. TC, I'm going to go to you next. I'm going to give Kyle a chance to see how bold he wants to get. You know, a lot of different ways I could go here. Even, you know, Bjorn picking Adrian Dumont, they chassart or Rasmus Nearguard Peterson or Mateo Fernandez Day. Olivia, any of those guys are on the table here. I think it is. I think you're into Captain now. I'm talking. Oh, yeah.
Starting point is 01:22:33 Yeah. Look, Donald, uh, and obviously Ludwig's on the team. It could be like a miracle on ice, reversed kind of situation where it's a bunch of college kids going up against, you know, the likes of this dominant U.S. team I'm gonna go to the tie. It's gonna be a tie. The U.S. retains the cup, but it's a tie. Jamie Well, let's start of this podcast an hour and a half ago Saying that I think it's gonna be the closest writer cups since Medina and I'm gonna stick with that 14 and a half 13 and a half to Europe Mr. Kyle Porter, the floor is cleared.
Starting point is 01:23:09 Do you do your get into double figures? I may have gotten out over my skis during the president's cup. I was hyped up. You guys, if you've, Thomas Peters's honestly like, bring some gravity to my situation because if you use your ape guy, that's pretty freaking good, right? That's not nothing. And 9 through 12 is a problem,
Starting point is 01:23:35 and maybe even beyond that, but I'm gonna... It's also not that easy. It could be a, do you think would, would we go in from Lubbock to Rome? Is that a culture shock or now? Is that going to be easier?
Starting point is 01:23:49 He's number one. He's number one in the PGA tour University rankings presented by Velocity Global. He's playing in Abu Dhabi this year. I texted with him earlier today. Actually, he is in a great head space. Okay.
Starting point is 01:24:02 I just give it to score call. Mental coach. I'm gonna walk it back a little bit. Not a ton. I'm gonna say, I'm gonna say, I'm gonna say 15 to 13. Also, I'm boldest. So brave for Jesus. 15 and a half 12 and a half is very close by the way.
Starting point is 01:24:21 If anyone hears that and think that's like, that's probably like, legitimately aware of the bookmaker line is the US was minus 190, I think to win the last I looked, like I'm guessing that means about a three point spread. So if that sounds bold, that is a tempered, tempered expectation.
Starting point is 01:24:35 It just could be like eight shots, right? I mean, it could be, yeah. It rarely comes down to being 14 and a half. Third, you know what I mean? It just rarely ends up being that close. So that's the only reason why I'm not picking something even closer. So Captain Donald, let's invest in our future.
Starting point is 01:24:53 Ludwig hasn't played, even played well the last three to six months. And he's still been relatively dominant. Just wait. That is, I think that's our cue. Whenever TC was, you know, I think I'm immediately read, ride for Ludwig 14 and a half, 13 and a half happens more often than you think.
Starting point is 01:25:17 So Medina, Celtic Manor 2010, Brookline 99, Valderam 97, they were all 14 and a half to 13 and a half. So just it comes to a shot here or there, it comes to a pot here or there. I hope we get a Celtic Manor typewriter cup. We've, I mean, as much fun as they finish. Well, not that, but as much fun as the, as the writer cup is no matter what the score is, to have that tension, we haven't had tension over the last two hours of the event since, since Medina, right? And that's 10 years.
Starting point is 01:25:41 I wouldn't even cover in the sport then. And so I just, I do hope we get that as much as I would, you know, would love to see the US win and halfway doing a bit there. But I there's nothing better in golf than what makes guys handshake. And to see guys handshake and coming down the stretch at a rider cup would be pretty special. Amen to that. Gentlemen, we could be in a week if you wanted to. I mean, we could be in a week. Let's do that.
Starting point is 01:26:09 It's my cut preview every single week. I'll weekly on my big check-in. It is. I can get a lot of big to call in if you can do that. This was an absolute. It is gonna be awesome. It is gonna be an awesome writer cup. I can't wait for it.
Starting point is 01:26:21 And the venue, it's not the greatest course in the world, but it's gonna be exciting. You're just outside Rome, which is an incredible city with some incredible sides, just that's that Johnson. I think he's the go-to tourist guide for Rome. He knows every, he knows every inch of that city. So I can tick-talk. It's bad. It's bad. We got all year that shit. The dress. The dressing gone tick-talk. That's what we about that. We got to, we got to all year that shit. The dress, the dress, the dressing gone take talk. That's what we got to do the f- Skard me.
Starting point is 01:26:47 We got to do the fun chats so we don't have to, you know, just survive off of the, the shitty content that's come out of that stuff. So, Janssen's a blast. It was very balanced, very fair. If I may say so. We appreciate everyone's participation here and appreciate everyone tuning into this.
Starting point is 01:27:01 We have plenty of Ryder Cup stuff over the next year. And thank you off for tuning in. Cheers. Be the right club today. That is better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most.
Starting point is 01:27:22 That is better than most. Better than most.

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