No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 690: Ryder Cup Check In with Jamie Weir and Kyle Porter

Episode Date: May 31, 2023

Time for another check-in on the upcoming Ryder Cup as Jamie Weir of Sky Sports and Kyle Porter from CBS Sports join TC and Soly to take the temperature of both teams headed into the summer months. We theorize about the setup at Marco Simone, who could be trending as a captain's pick, the depth of both squads, inclusion of LIV players, listener questions and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm going to be the right club today. Yes! That is better than most. That is better than most. Better than most. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the No-Lang Up Podcast, Sully here. I am thrilled to be reheating a Ryder Cup check-in thanks to our friends at BMW, a worldwide partner of the 2023 Ryder Cup BMW will be electrifying the Ryder Cup with a fully electric fleet of vehicles for players and officials this September. I will be riding in one of those out in Rome and we are

here with the same force, and you heard I believe it was October. I caught a swan that was three months ago. We did this guys, but we are back with another episode welcoming in on the American side, waving his flag, Mr. Kyle Porter. Hello KPL. How are you? Great. I've been sitting here for a while, just scrolling the NCAA leaderboard looking for Ludwig. And it's taken me, I mean, we've been, been scrolling for a while. So I've been, it's, it's taken me a while to find him. But it's interesting. It's great to be here. It's interesting. It's great to be here. They're, they're, they're in match play. They, they, I was looking for the results from the golf course, which, you know, what may, may carry forward to do the

brighter cup. I was, I was, what does him both? Well, I could believe we got in the first minute when we got straight to Ludwig. T.C. didn't even bring it up. And the point I wanted to make about the bad golf course already brought in the voice you just heard is, of course,

drawing Carter representing the European side and also representing the European side. So calledcalled journalist, but biggest homer I know. Jamie Weir from Sky Sports, Ella, Jamie. Journalist and inverted commas is high, often get referred to in Twitter these days, so thanks for that. Calls himself a journalist. How many guys are on your European Router Cup team now at this point? I think you got more guys on your team than Kyle Porter has kids, I think. You know, it's just, it's a long list of the moment which needs to be thin, don't it?

We've got so many options. It's just hard to narrow it down to 12. That's the problem. Okay, here we go. Well, we do have a little bit of breaking news here. We have new, no laying up rangefinder designs and a premium carrying case available now on PrecisionProGolf.com slash NLU from now until June 20th, you can get $30 off all range finders with their Father's Day sale and you can get the new NLU designs today. We've been using the NX10 for about a year now. This rangefinder has been everything we've needed and more. It locks onto the target quickly.

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Guys, we're American homers sometimes on this podcast, TC keeps us honest, keeps us honest as much as possible. You guys gave a review of the previous episode, said surprisingly wasn't too homerish. And I'm gonna start it with the European team. We're gonna go to Europe. I'm gonna leave it up to you, either TC or Jamie, who wants to lead with kind of how this European team

is shaking out what you think the key elements are to look for in the coming weeks and months, what you've seen recently from guys that has you either excited or worried, I'll leave it to you guys to where you want to. First of all, we want the ball. We're gonna score. Jamie, where should we start? I don't think it much has changed particularly from October in the sense that I think the sort of the top eight in the European team are pretty strong and we'll give any Americans

around for their money. And then it's nine to twelve where the right a cup will probably be one and lost and that obviously is an area of strength for the US ahead of Europe at the moment. I'm being realistic there. I'm not going to give it the bravado and, you know, big up the fact that we've got 12 world-class golfers. Well, we do. But, you know, obviously it's the bottom end of the team

where Europe, at the moment, you're sort of scratching your head to think who's going to be number 11 and 12 on the team. But in terms of the top eight, I think they're all looking pretty solid. Can we go through those real quick? I'll list them off if my top eight matches your top eight, which of course, John Rom, Rory McElroy. Victor Perez is sitting in the third slot currently on European teams pointless. There's a lot of time left in that.

So I'm assuming he's not in your top eight as locks because I think filling these out will be Victor Hovlin, Tyrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Shane Lowry would be the eight that I think a lot of people are considering to be the locks. You're nodding your head in agreement. Correct, Sully. Those are the eights. And then there's sort of, there's probable at the moment or possible, whatever you want to call them, the likes of Alex Nuran who hasn't been in great form. Victor Ferris. That is actually the Swedish pronunciation. I'm sure Tron will agree with me on that one. Listen, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I got, I do that. If you ever watch, I mean, just to go for a slight tangent, because that's what we do in these podcasts. If you ever watch a program called The Bridge,

which is a drama set between Denmark and Sweden, I would highly recommend it to anybody. It's got subtitles, so it might not be for an American audience. It's quite high-bride. But, um, is that like, because we can't read or what? Well, just, you know, it requires a certain level of intelligence and sophistication but um but it's uh the the lead character is called Saga Noren and she's her she's NURE with an accent anyway. There's no accent we go up with the little accent on on Alex's so could

that could you share? Okay well let's just call Alex Noren for now And he's on the possible list along with Victor Perez Adrian Moronk and Sheamus par for me. That's running off my 12th at the moment But obviously there's a lot of moving parts there. Oh Shots fired some dissension within the European team room already Look there are a lot of options at the moment. Nothing's finalized on the 30th of May. Take the floor, Tron. I mean, yeah, I'm my light just went out. I'm a gas. Hold on one sec.

They're, they're trying to deflect with talking about Swedish pronunciations. And I mean, it's already just their names of their team. I don't know if there's much to worry about for the Americans. There's so much misdirection going on already. We need to build for the future. All right. We've got, all right. So of the names, I don't feel like Moronk, like, I don't know.

I just, I say it. He doesn't fit Marco Simone. Say it. I don't know if Moronk, like, I don't know. I just, I didn't say it. He doesn't fit Marco Simone, say it. I don't know if he's a good boy. He won the Italian Open, right? Yeah, I know that. Um, you know, Victor Perez, I think Victor Perez should be on the team, whether he qualifies on points or not. I think he's proven it at Austin golf club for the WGC match play.

I think, you know, he's just, he's been a pretty steady contributor year after year after year here, not quite breaking through, but I feel like his, his results have been a little bit higher ceiling this year. I just feel like you got to, like Ludwig and the Hoigards, you got to have at least one of those guys on the team. And I feel like Ludwig is, you know, you can, if he doesn't pan out, you can still hide him a little bit. You can send him out there, he's gonna hit fairways. He's not gonna embarrass himself.

He's the floor is high. He's shown that he can, like, let's invest in the future. How crazy would it have been a few years ago, solid like when, you know, we were saying, oh my gosh, like they let's, let's invest in the future. How crazy would it have been a few years ago, Solid like, when, you know, we were saying, oh my gosh, like they need to put, we need some new blood on the US team. We need, you know, like, and then Mac shows up on the, on the US team during the Presidents Cup

and completely balls out, you know? Look at Scottie Schaeffler in 2021. He was the 12th man on that team and is now the number one player in the world. And it was maybe it's slightly early in a lot of people's minds to put Schuffler on that team. But rarely does it. But I think Scotty, Scotty, the Scotty Schuffler of 2021 was in a slightly different position to the Ludwig Aber in the 2020. He'd been knocking on the door in the PGA tour.

He shot a 59 in during the FedEx Cup playoffs. Look, Tron, I'm all about the young blood and the changing of the guard. And I'm sure he's going to be a staple of Ryder Cup teams going forward. I just worry that three months after turning professional might be a bit soon to play Ryder. I would have put him on the earth. I don't think 35 years old is going to be right. So I'll get that one in there. I don't know if the course fit works necessarily for the for the hoi guards. I know Nikolai finished T5 at Marco Simone. Nikolai won. They tied you an open there previously. Yeah, it seems like. Yeah, it seems like it would it would favor.

So look on the course. I got a little info. I contacted our friends of course at Data Golf. I went and saw the golf course itself. I freaked out. I plan to freak out on this podcast about the golf course because it kind of melted my mind. I asked the guys kind of put something together for, hey, how does it, what, what is it? What is get emphasized here at Marcosomone?

What is, what will it be? What's it shown to be in the Italian open? What kind of players does it support or kind of favor? They said it was pretty unique in that it out of 79 European tour courses, it's 23rd in favoring driving distance and 24th in favoring accuracy, which is different than LaGolf National, which was LaGolf National skewed much, much higher in the accuracy category, than Marcos Simone does. So basically, if I'm reading it right, it's like good drivers of the golf ball period,

not mindless bombing it, and not like Kevin Kisner accuracy, is what is going to be favorite in our show. It's not important to hit it with distance or accuracy here. No, it is important for both. It's not important to hit it with with distance or accuracy here. No, it is important for both. It is important to have both skill, right? It's it's driving distance will be rewarded here. Yet it's not like winged foot where it's just only driving distance and accuracy is not rewarded at all.

And it's not like the golf national where distance gives you almost nothing and only accuracy is involved. Which is what he's one of the best drivers of the golf ball on the planet. Right? So that's why I think like prior to asking them that, I would have been like, Hey, I don't know if that's a great course fit, but like they, they were emphatic and that it's different, a different test than the golf national. I also said, Hey, I don't know. I know they have one year of data on how they set it up for this year, which was blew

my freaking mind, how much waste high rough there was on this golf course, like eight yards off the fairway, not like hack it out, like I'm talking lost ball potential, very close to these fairways. Yet it's just long enough that it's not like you can just hit irons off the tee

and leave yourself to maybe in some of these holes. The only thing I would say to that is you saw in early May where the grass is gonna be very lush. You're not gonna have a very dry summer in Italy where the grass is gonna basically turn to straw and thinnoyed and then you're playing right a cup at the tail end of September, by which stage that grass might not have fully recovered.

I don't think the course is gonna be in the same condition in late September than the course you saw it in. I think that's possible, but I'd also heard that they had bigger plans for the rough as of this fall than what they saw. I agree that the characteristics will change in terms of spring versus fall, but I don't think they're planning on a big dry and wispy and do whatever you want out of it, that's for sure.

So, which like, I don't know what, as the European teams characteristics have changed, I think the profile of the team has changed a lot in five years. I don't know how much it favors, like the Golf National was a genius play by them. They played it to perfection. They ran circles around the US team in terms of team construction, how they came out with their pairings. It was just a master class in all of that. And I don't know if like they have that same ability and capability with this kind

of golf course. Well, I mean, that's the thing that I see a lot. And I think we're maybe going to come on to this later in the podcast. So apologies for bringing it up. No, I but, that's the thing that I see a lot and I think we're maybe going to come on to this later in the podcast So apologies for bringing it up now, but you know a lot of the people saying is it time we have an independent party Setting up these right-of-cup courses because it's becoming too skewed to the Americans when it's on US So I'm too skewed to Europeans when it's on European so and I still I'm like well, is there a European style of golf? You look at our team. No, John Ramroy, Macroy, Victor Hoveland, Tittle Hatton, they're all playing their golf in the US. Like, it's not like they play golf

a fundamentally different way to Jordan, Speed, Justin, Thomas, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So I don't really understand, like, that was maybe a thing back in the 90s, but then again, the Ryder Cup seemed to be closer back then. So I don't really understand like five years ago in Paris was different. There were some players in that team who like Francesco Molonari, Torbillon Oleson, Tommy Fleetwood, who obviously, I served you, Garcia, Henrik Stenson, I could go on just extreme ball strikers and that's what what Thomas Bjorn was trying to do and they leaned heavily on their date and the analytics for that Ryder Cup.

I look at how this European team's shaping out now and I don't think, oh, they're all just players who dink it about and are extremely world-class ball strikers. They play a style of golfer that is similar to the 12 we're going to see from America as well, right? I agree with that. I just want to point out for 2018 how again, for the captain's picks that were made on the European side, Paul Casey went one, one and one, Henry Stenson went three and O. Yeah, Henry Stenson on basically one in the rider cup on top of what Moanari and Fleetwood did, obviously. And Sergio went three and one and then Polter went two and two, including taking down DJ and singles, right? So the US team added Tony Fienault who went three and one and then Polter went two and two, including taking down DJ and singles, right?

So the US team added Tony Fienaou, who went two and one, shout out to the big toe. Tiger went o and four. Bryson went o and three and Phil went o and two and considered his last match on a T box. I think before his ball even landed in the water on the 16th. So they brought a team that was just not a great. I mean, that's their total. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. Well, it is. But again, I want to reset the scene for Bryson one two playoff. Yeah. Here are the other choice. Here are the other two.

Right. Tiger literally just won the tour championship the week before. What are you going to do? Not take Tiger fucking woods after he won a golf tournament. And he granted like him rolling over coming on the that tournament was the week before the Ryder Cup that week him rolling over. He did not seem to he lost something on that flight, whatever that was and was not nearly the same guy. Phil should not have been on the team. We know that. He knew that from one round in. I think he said this. I'll sit out until singles. It went, but that didn't end up deciding the Ryder Cup. They had some stuff just kind of work in the wrong direction for him. Ricky Fowler going one and three and DJ going one and four sank that team.

They really sank that team. So I don't know if they need to up in the apple cart for going over and playing a European rider cup, but they got to be this team. Hopefully is going to be better prepared for what's at hand than that team was. I have Jamie. Let's talk. All right. So who are the three that you mentioned? You said, Shamus power or sorry, the team was. Jamie, let's talk. All right. So who were the three that you mentioned? You said, Shamus power or the, sorry, the four that you

mentioned, Shamus power. Adrian Moronk. I just think in recent weeks, winning in Italy has helped obviously, but you know, he's, he kind of didn't do too badly at the PJ championship either. I just think he's, he's not just a proper golfer, Adrian Moronk. Victor Pavan Frank, European over the last six months. Yeah. I think, I think, I think, and I think people, people look at Adrian Moronk and they see the sort of physical size of them and they think he's just going to be somebody who smashes it everywhere and his way would off the tee or whatever, but he's obviously shown by winning a Ryan Marcus Amune that there's a bit, he's not a one-dimensional golfer.

Victor Perez, I agree, I think he's done enough, now, and he kind of holds his own whenever he goes over and plays in the world stage that he's in the mix as well. And I've got Alex Noren as well, who has not, his record is pretty abysmal this season. A lot of miscuts, but I just think he's somebody who's been there seeing it done,

I've got the t-shirt, has been part of a winning Ryder Cup team brings experience and look there's so many names then that just are you know you can make a case for Seb Stracke you can make a case for Thomas Debtree, Yannick Paul is sort of on the fringes as well at the moment and the Hoi Guard boys Bob McIntyre seems to have slightly fallen off a cliff in terms of his form but there's a lot of players in the fringes and it's gonna be about who looked on riding a hot hand when it comes to September, but who's playing good golf at the time?

Is Adrian Otagois? Is he completely out of the mix because he had that dalliance with live and... I would say European tour number. He's not playing DP World Tour golf again. Oh, I know, I mean, yeah, but is he like kind of unaffitioned blackboard because of that. I don't think so. He's paid his fine, which is more than some people have done from the same country. I think Adrienne Otegi is a different, a difficult one to judge because he seems to have now been taken back into the inner sanctum of the European tour. You know, one round, very impressively won't run Valderama towards the tail end of last

season, which I think is a course that probably has similar attributes to Marcus Simone in terms of the accuracy required. So yeah, I mean, he's that, and he always seems to be a name that's there, there are buds and leaderboards. So, you know, he's kind of feast or famine. Like he's like he finished solo second last week in the Netherlands, finished second at the at the Dunhill. So, I mean, you know, wide variety of golf courses, but yeah, but also, you know, finish this kind of outside the mix or at least has has this year plenty as well.

So, is Sep Strak a legitimate consideration? I mean, you say Agent Oteg, he's feast of thumb and I see Sepstrak is kind of a thing. He'll sort of go, you can work. He'll go like throw in the top five finish and then just have six missed cuts in a row and then challenge it a major championship. It's just, he's a really difficult one to work, guys. He's obviously never played. It's just, he's a really difficult one to work on. He's obviously never played. He's never really so much interested in even being part of the European tour until this season,

but he obviously has played nine, he played in the hero cup at the start of the year. He's taken up his DP World Tour membership. So he's obviously wanting to be part of the rider cup team. I just find him a very difficult person to judge in terms of what are strengths. And, you know, he obviously gets in these ridiculous haters. And if he gets in the heat here for one week

at the tail end of September, great. But he's also liable to turn up and absolutely think the joint doesn't be impossible to pair. And, you know, so it's... That's where I'm at with Seppas. Like, even if he wins the week before, I don't know what I'm getting when he shows up the next week, right?

And if I'm you guys where I'm sitting for the European side, I think you're sitting in both a good and bad spot. Like I think the last four are really unclear right now, but I don't think that's a problem in late May as well. Exactly. I think there's so much time to figure that out. I would be sitting back waiting for the hot hand. I think like, I don't get super-amped about Shama's power.

His game has really trended poorly the last three months. He had a great... If you look at his long-term run over the last two years, he's been a solid player. He's getting worse over the last 12 months, worse over the last six months, worse over the last three months. That's not the kind of guy.

I know you can throw all the strokes gain stuff out, but you want to be setting some context for what guys are doing. And I think people contend a lot of the conversation can be, contend to gravitate towards guys highest weeks to be like, oh, that guy should be on the seat. I want to see. Yeah. Yeah. You got to, you got to play good golf. Like, you got to be a golfer that's just tough to, tough to knock out. And I think there's totally room for somebody to get freakishly hot and have some upside between the Hoi guards and Ludwig

as much as we give TC shit. Like I'd rather, if I'm the European team, I'd rather go with high upside like that because you're gonna be under dogs. There's nothing that's gonna change between now and the end of the year. And we've known how much we don't need to remind people the success Europe's had on its home soil.

Like you're gonna be under dogs and you gotta be looking for high upside. If I'm an American fan, go ahead and sign up Adrian O'Tagway and Pablo Lair Thaible. Like, I mean, we're gonna talk about Pablo. That's not gonna be- I mean, I felt like part of the thing

that really hurt me at Wistling Strait. So it was like, there were guys on the European team that straight up couldn't hit the same shots on some of the par threes as the Americans. You know, like they just couldn't, they just couldn't hit that like 235, 240 yard long iron in there, you know, the same way. And you know, the, the Whisperer or, you know, the, it just, it was just not a fair fight as far as skill level.

Whereas I feel like if you bring in the Ludwig and you bring in a Nikolai Hoigard, and like those guys can't hit those shots. But that's where setup changes, TC, right? Like I don't, I think Europe would not be setting up their team very well again for like the best way to display the gap in talent. That's what the US did at the Hazel team, which is like, let's stretch out these par threes to the back boxes. Wishing straight gave them tons of flexibility. It's a really long golf course with a ton of teas that they can

stretch out as much as they want. But like, let's say, let's have you try to beat Colin Morakawa and Patrick Cantley and Zander Shoffley hitting five and four irons. And like over the course of three days, that's going to wear you down. Whereas I wouldn't be surprised if, I mean, 17th tea at the Rattacup is like, you know, that can be pretty long. I'd be stunned if they played it all the way back. Like, if you're Europe, make that 160, 170 yard shot, give your guys a chance to get the crowd into it, make it more of a pun in contest, shrink down what the competition is going to be.

Like, that's 100% going to be their playbook. I have to think because the more you stretch this out, the more you make it about that talent gap, the more you're going to you're open yourself up. I'm going to welcome myself back to the podcast. What's interesting about what Tron said is something Ben Coley pointed this out during the 2021 Ryder Cup. Remember when Soroiri sits on Saturday and he's like, yeah, Roiri has sucked. He doesn't deserve to play.

But Europe's only chance of winning is if is a Ferrari plays. And I wonder if the same thing is true of like, when you're talking about the eight through 12 spots of Ludwig and the the Hoigards of like, yeah, that's not gonna make Europe the favorite, but in the and the four becomes like pretty low because you don't know how that's going to go. You kind of know what you're getting from Alex Noren,

right? But it might be, I don't know that this is true, but they might look at it and say, but that's our path to winning this. It's like no non-vans. Like, hey, like we need, like, we need to roll the dice a little bit and get a guy that, like, and listen, I'm not sure. I think you would probably, you would take, I think, Nikolai over, over Rasmus. Rasmus? Yeah. You know, based upon just tendencies and record and all that.

But, you know, I just, I feel like if you had two young guys on the team, I think that if one of them pans out and one of them doesn't, you can always hide a guy, right? They've had to hide Fitzpatrick in past years, or they've had to hide certain guys. I think Fitzpatrick's gonna be an asset this time around. Yeah, yeah. He's a different player from the last two.

Yeah, I think that's he's playing. Well, if I can, one takeaway though I had to see of being out there in a immediate takeaway was this golf course is going to make it hard to hide guys because this is not a place. You're going to send a lot of guys out to play five matches. It's not. It is, it is that up and down. It is that dramatic. It is exhausting.

I mean, I know they're going to be walking in the fairway and not in the rough like we were walking and we were riding in a cart. By the end of that round, I was beat. I was totally beat going up and down a lot of the slopes of that golf course in a golf cart. And I know I'm not a professional athlete and these guys are, but in the heat of competition, the actual like that change of elevation, you're on the side of a mountain on that golf course. And it's screened like, man, it is just gonna be that much harder to hide guys and send guys out to the whole match. I just, I just like, all right,

like who are gonna trot out Sammy Volomaki? Like, come on, like, let's, I've never felt more sure about anything than I feel about Ludwig needing to be in the mix for this. I just, it's a fucking no brainer. Jamie, are you concerned at all that four of the no brainers, so Hatton, Havland, Fits and Lowry are a combined 3, 14 and two or 3, 14 and three at Ryder Cups in the past? No, because I think Matt Fits, Patrick, the two Ryder Cups he's played in in the past? No, because I think Matt Fitzpatrick, the two Ryder Cup sees played in the past, where on two courses that were

absolutely not, courses for him. Hazelteen 2016, he was 21 years old, he by his own admission was not ready for that Ryder Cup. He was just completely out of his depth, rabbit in the headlights. And also it wasn't a course that set up to his strengths. Whistling straights, again, that was a big old bomber's course at a time when Matt Fitzpatrick hadn't yet worked on the speed sticks

and added this length to his game. He's now a major champion. He's a different player these days. So I think he's gonna be one of the key members of the European team. Shane was part of the, he's only played in one ride a cup and it was again Whistling straights

when it was the perfect storm. Everything that could have gone wrong for Europe, went wrong for Europe. And even then Shane was one of Europe's best players at Whistling Straits. Hoveland likewise, you know, he didn't do too badly in the rider cup at Whistling Straits, but he kind of wasn't helped out by some of the partners he'd had. I think he's also a different player to the player that he was two years ago. And Tyrell, I think was alongside Casey was one of the stars in Paris five years ago. And I think he's, again, a better golfer now than he was a couple of years ago.

So I think a lot of those stats are sort of skewed by the, by whistling straights, which didn't go well for Europe at all. Matt Fitzpatrick was probably dragged down by not having the best partners there either. So no, I'm not concerned about that because I don't think I don't read too much into records of years gone by, you know, Francesco Molinarri had a terrible writer-cut record when he arrived in Paris and then he went five and oh. So, you know, things happen at writer-cups that are kind of inexplicable. There's not necessarily, I wouldn't lean too heavily into what people's right or cut records are, unless, obviously, you're somebody

like the Column on Gomorrah, who just always brings out his best on that stage. I want to disagree with you, but I can't. That's right. I'm just not a fan of that place at all. Like, it's just lead bare, cool. Like, we're playing one style of golf here and certain people just straight up.

Like, this isn't their thing, right? At least Whistling's wide, right? It kind of promotes some interesting kind of golf. It's not like my favorite course. I don't think it's an amazing test. I think it's not a good writer cup venue. I think writer cup venues should be set up. Totally different.

It should be a fan experience, right? And like as far as I think Whistling straightits is a way better golf course than the golf national way. I'm sorry, both the golf national and Marcos Simone, but like Marcos Simone will be a way better environment than Wistwick Straits was. Yeah. That was a miss. I thought Wistwick Straits looked great on TV. But what, seven of the holes, Hug Lake Michigan, which means he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't Lake Michigan, which means he can't you can't you can't find up one side of the hole Or and I think you know having find fans lining both sides of the hole

Amphitheaters around the greens is what makes a rider cup brings that atmosphere to life that cold and like atmosphere and Marcus Ammonia is not a good golf course But it will have that it will have those natural amphitheaters Part of the Roman You know pun and it will you know bring pun. And it will, you know, bring funds into the event more than Whistling Straits did. Is it true that they're setting

up the first T inside the Coliseum, Jamie? Is she going to play it out of the night? The confirmed or deny that? Are the opening ceremonies going to be there? That was floated like four

years ago and they announced this was going to be the site, but I couldn't find anything to confirm that it was. I feel like I don't think it's kind of necessary. I can't handle but I couldn't find anything to confirm that it was. I feel like, I don't think that that's my thing. I can't handle Zach Johnson doing the Russell Crowe scene from God at that camera.

It's my hope they're not. So quick, it is. Like, because that's my thing is like, I, like, whistling straights as a spectator was so uninspiring for me that like, it almost, like that's the only rider cup I've been to and it poured cold water on like like I'm going to the soul I chose I would rather go to the soul I'm coming to the soul I'm coming to the soul I'm coming 2021 it was awesome so I'm like I can't wait to get back to that I'm like you go the rider cuff I'm gonna go the soul I'm coming here but like that's that's very clearly you guys have been to many more than I have that's very clearly outlier like it's a That was the worst one I've been to I've been to Medina. I went to did not go to Glen Eagles But been to Hazelteen went to the golf national went to Whistling

It was like a stunner in terms of couldn't have been more polar like hey Hazelteen Porter you were there like I mean how much to that so we used to do with the fact that in 2021 rider cop European fans still couldn't travel so the crowd was like 99% American didn't have that at slowly to do with the fact that 2021 Ryder Cup, European fans still couldn't travel, so the crowd was like 99% American. Do you think that had anything to do with it? I thought it was the fact that it was up against the lake, and you couldn't, you just couldn't create, I mean, it's all about the noise around a place like that,

and you couldn't create it. It just felt like so half-assed. And even the first tee, the first tee was so bad. The first day and a half. It was embarrassing. I mean, it was very strange. The actual team was the best sporting of it I've ever been to. Like, it was, I mean, tears on my neck were standing up in terms of the noise and the atmosphere and Rory doing, it was just, I mean, it didn't end up being that close, but like the US needed like step on a throat for first time in a long time and they did it. And it was just an incredible sporting event.

And like that's like Hazeltein is low key like a sneaky, awesome Ryder Cup venue. I don't even like the golf course, but again, it's more about the venue as it comes to me in terms of the overall experience. I think some of the fandom also felt more lighthearted in a pre-2016 or 2017 world. Well, I was going to say that was right before the election. And that's where things were starting to bubble just a little bit in my mind. I was like, I'd been out of the country and I came back. I was like, huh, Okay. Yeah. A little different here. I don't think speaking to the European players who I've spoken to that were involved in that rider cup. I don't think it was particularly friendly. It was not light, light-hearted, joshing from the, from the crowd at Hazeltina. I thought

it actually turned pretty nasty. Hazeltina was almost. Yeah, now that's almost brick blind. Ask. Yeah, that's fair. Oh, we got to bring up brick one. Oh, every, every conversation that I love no matter what happens at the right or cup. If the Americans lose the Americans, who do they blame? The Americans, they fight with each other. They punch each other in the locker room. When the European lose, who do we blame? The Americans, it's always the Americans fault.

No matter what happens, just blame the Americans and you can never go wrong. I love that. I think that goes for life generally not just go. I mean, if Luke Donald doesn't, doesn't pick Ludwig, I'm going to blame him. He's a bona fide American at this point too, right? In the Americans for eight of us in Chicago. Let me ask you this. What's the worst case scenario as far as the point stuff goes. Like if somebody sneaks his way into the top three, either in the world list or the European list. To just run down it really quick before Jamie answers at how it works is the top three players in the European tour points list, which is incentivizing for guys to play DP World Tour events.

The top three of that list are the first three on the team. That's where it's ROM, Rory, Victor Perez right now. And then the next three automatic qualifiers are from the world list, which is not include whoever's holding the top three slots on the European on the DP World Tour list. And it goes by a world ranking basically. And the next, you know, the next three guys are filled out from that list. So the question TTS is asking is the risk of somebody kind of sneaking through playing the DP World Tour winning a bunch there that maybe wouldn't be the best team fit as is the question Well, because Lucas has given himself six picks this time I

See whatever happens We've got two major championships to go. We've got a couple of other big tournaments to go between 9 September I think those top six will be six of the eight guys that we mentioned right at the at the top of the show I think there will be a way that eventually those become the six. No, in terms of a writ and then Luke will obviously be able to then sort of compliment his team and whatever way he sees fit. No, if somebody does sort of sneak in and make it into the automatic six, I don't necessarily see that as, you know, solely came at me on Sunday when I mentioned

that Pablo de la Rathaba was not a dark horse. It's a tradition. Every time somebody wins, you put, so he came at me on Sunday when I mentioned that Pablo de la Rathaba was not a dark horse. It's a tradition. Every time somebody wins, you put them on the team. No, it's amazing. He's a dark horse because he has shot up in the, he's won twice in the European tour in the last month. And, you know, they're against weaker fields in the PJ tour. I get that, but he's playing the best golf of his life. John Rahm has been banging the drum for him. Luke Donald's been in touch with him. And I think he, there's a chance he might qualify. I'm not saying he's likely to get a pick,

I'm not sure he's a great course fit because he's a bit, he's brazen a bit off the tee, but I do think there's a wider point here, and this isn't necessarily a dig at you guys, but there is a kind of sneering, condescending attitude from American golf media, American golf fans, American golfers to a lesser extent, towards players who solely play in your game. And that has been the case for as long as I can remember,

going back as long as I can remember. In 2018, it was Torbjorn Olison, I'm Alex Norton in 2014, it was Jamie Donaldson and Stephen Gallerher in 2012. It was Paul Laurie and Nicholas Cullsortz in 2010. It was the Mollinary brothers and Ross Fischer. I could go back and I could go back and I could go back but I won't. And even generally speaking outside of Ryder Cups, there's that kind of snobbery as well. The Column and Gomri got it throughout his career. Oh, you never did in the state. Solidist, solidist, solidist. Max Pachis was getting it up until winning the USO papers. the column on Gomory got it through I just career. Oh, you never did in the state. It's all it's all like. Max is getting it up until winning the

EU. It's open. And that was the stick to beat Matt Fitzpatrick bit with it. He won six times in the European tour, but Tom, Tom is getting it right now. Tom, he fleet with Tom, he's getting it right now. And look, that's fine. All that does is give the Europeans a chip in the shoulder and a siege mentality. So we're absolutely fine. TC and I are fine with you guys. You seem fine with that. You seem to be. That's the last time you want to ride a cup on European soil. You were all still in short shorts.

So you carry on talking to us and looking down your nose at European golf. That suits us just fine. And there you go. There you go. Well, here's the thing. No, it's not wrong, move. Is it? I'll get there. You go first, Kyle. Yeah, so I think what you're saying is a little bit true. And but it's also a little bit justified in when you look at the coming together of

global players happens right now at major championships, right? And for the most part, major championships are set up to benefit players that play PGA to a golf, right? Like we've seen that over and over again, whether you agree with that or not, you get Alex Noren coming over and Torell hadn't coming over and playing majors and they don't succeed because they haven't been playing that type of golf. Now, where what you're saying, I think, is justified, is the Ryder Cup, especially in Europe,

doesn't necessarily play that kind of golf. And I think you get the Molenaris, you get the Noren's that can find success, a lot of success at these European Ryder Cups to where it makes people they kind of sneered at them or looked down their nose at them, look a little bit foolish in retrospect. I would push back in that certainly, Porter, and I would say that we've been speaking, I mean, we literally spoke about it last week in the sense that in the fact that actually

major venues now are becoming diametrically opposite to what we see weekend, we got in the PGA tour. PGA tour is a race to 25 under par, whereas these majors are actually testing every aspect of your game and are sorting out who are the very best golfers. So I actually think that major golf and PGA tour golf are now too completely separate entities. I don't think majors do set up to reward PGA tour golfers necessarily. I think they set up to test the very best golfers and I don't think majors do set up to reward PGA to our golfers necessarily. I think they set up to to test the very best golfers And I don't think Ryder cups do that either because Ryder cups aren't played in the best golf courses They're played in the most fun friendly golf courses But do you think it benefits you more to prepare for I agree with you about majors?

Do you think it benefits you more to prepare for majors playing PGA tour golf or playing European tour golf? I'm not on the Kyle, well, I mean, the fact is the fact of the matter is the best players in the world play in the PJ Tur. So I'm not sure it's whether it's whatever style of course that you're playing gives you the best preparation for the majors, just the fact that, you know, the very best golfers, the best European golfers, John Ram, Roy Macquarie, Victor Houghland are playing in the States. So they're all the same to be the ones that do better.

I think it's kind of a misnomer label hat andatton, as like doesn't play PGA Tour Golf. He's played 119 PGA Tour events and like, he's played at least, I mean, he plays between 15 and 20 a year. Same with, I mean, Noren's played over the last five or six years. Noren's played 18 to 25 PGA tour events a year. And they're tour members, they're PGA tour members. They're two members. But I think what Kyle's sort of saying is that before,

you know, before Paris, before Paris, there was there was an element, there was an element of condescension towards Alex Norentel happened because Americans hadn't really seen him up to that point, whereas now they're obviously PGA tours filled with. I think there's, there's, I think Norent was on the PGA tour at 2018.

That was this that was his first year 2017 2018 was kind of 2016, but he won like six times. I was when I went to the still people like hard and feather as a manipulator and all that stuff. How many times he went on the PGA tour? What was it? I lost I was I lost track of that. I I miss with that one. Oh, okay. Or was I. Oh, so exactly right. I miss what that one was.

Okay. Or was I, oh, so it's exactly right on that one. Okay. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world.

He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world.

He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. He's still 63rd in the world. Like, like everything that was underpinning the European tour has been stripped away. And now they're just left to their own devices and they're, they're going to whither on the vine. It's disgusting. Interesting use of underpinning there considering literally the PGA tour underpins, the DP World Tour purses there.

And the, you just don't like that the OJPGR got corrected for the the prop up that was at all times. I'm not going to do this live on the spot, Jamie, but I'll I'll challenge you a little bit on look at the DP World Tour only guys records in Rader Cups in the last 10 years. I would I'd be curious to look at that. I'd be surprised if it was above 500, right? Because again, my slides to if I'm sliding DP World Tour players only, it's because like, Hey, guys, like, you got to, you're going to go up against like Patrick Cantley and Xander Shoffley in the, in the, in the Ryder Cup, right? And so the dudes that compete against those guys regularly

and beat them quite regularly, John Rom, Victor Hovlin and Roy McElroy. I'm going to view that through a very different lens than say somebody like, I don't know, again, public health bubble or, or Adrian O'ogue, as we're talking about it because that's just not who they're used to beating and playing. It's just a different question. But I think that that kind of old gets thrown out when it comes to Ryder Cup because the best two American golfers of the last quarter of a century, their records are probably pretty close to 500 if not below it, right?

You want to hear a shocker. What's, what do you guys guess? What, I've probably seen this because we both have data golf as our homepage. What do you think Roy McElroy's record is in the Ryder Cup? Probably, right at 500. I would say. I think it's like 18 and 15 or something.

12, 12 and four. He is right at 500 in the Ryder Cup, which, which prize me. It's hard, there are very few guys. I put rosinous category. I would certainly put Sergio in this category. Yeah. I've like, there's very few guys that have near flawless right or cups where you didn't lay an egg in any of them that you showed up and you played. McDonald's. Looked on. I can look that up here.

I think he might have the best right or one. You're exactly right. G-Mac 852. I can look that up here. I think he might have the best rider. And 4-1, you're exactly right. GMAC 85 and 2, Polter 15, 8 and 2, but he threw it late. He's, I mean, he played in so many rider cups. At certain point, it was time for him to lay an egg on some of this. But I want to at least discuss this. It's, I find the live conversation on the DP world to a tourside pretty distracting

and not that relevant. John Rom had some comments today speaking. He said, I'm going to miss him when speaking of Sergio Garcia. We had a great partnership at Wishing Strait. So I'm going to mention history again one more time. A Spanish duo in the Ryder Cup, I think to me is embedded into the roots of the Ryder Cup.

Look at Sevi and Oli, we're able to do that. Do throughout their partnership. So it's a little sad to me that politics have gotten in the way of such a beautiful event. Again, it's the best Europeans against the best Americans period was ROMs quote today. Jamie, what's your reaction to that? I mean, I feel as if we've had this conversation a hundred times and I'm getting pretty bored with it, but you know, it's, it's, they're two very different conversations when you're talking about should American golfers live golfers be involved in the US team, should European, live golfers be involved in the European team.

They're very different because the European team is literally the DP World Tour. So those guys that have gone to live have joined a tour that has its, as one of its purposes, destroying the European tour. So you're in a very awkward position if you're going to pick those guys. It's not the same in the US side of things. The PGA of America and the PGA tour are two super entities, despite what a lot of people in Twitter seem to think. So that conversation is, it's not as easy on the European side of things. No, the other thing I would say is, I think Brooks Kepp, you should be on the US team and I think he will be on the US team, right?

I think there is an element of how you've handled yourself since you've gone, since you've made the jump. Brooks Kepp goes going about it the right way, Dustin Johnson's going about it the right way. There are even a few Europeans who, you know, Henrik Stenson, despite the fact that he was captain at the time that he made the jump, has kind of kept his powder pretty dry since the jump. That's awesome. Martin Kimer, Graham McDial, having initially started off trying to, you know, justify it, has kind of been quiet ever since. There's obviously three European golfers who have not

remained silent since, and they have burned all their bridges, not from a right-of-cut point of view. And, you know, so, so, Sergio Garcia literally said, this tour is shit, you guys are all fucked. Like, that's a Sergio Garcia quotes, right? So, so, like, John is conveniently leaving out a lot of facts. And I get his sentiment, like, to Sergio give the European team a better chance to win, I'd say so, but like, hey, this is a unique situation. Do you think he does? I mean, 25, 13 and seven. And yeah, but, you know,

multi-integrate rider cup record as well. I'm not I'm not banging the drum for him. Do you pick for this rider cup? People have their shelf life and I think Sergio Garcia's time is coming gone. And, you know, I've seen him. He was quite a wh seen. He was really good at whistling and he was really complimented. He was really good at whistling. Do you know his partner was for all of the pairing sessions, the best goal for in the planet?

Right. That's John's point here. Just to represent John's point fairly here is like, hey, we were a good team. And like, honestly, I don't fear Sergio, but I, Sergio, like, I watch a lot of Sergio and Ram as a team. I talked to John about this on the pile. I was like, you guys, you're one, two, and four sums was super interesting to watch because Sergio sucked at putting that whole rider cup. But man, watching those two hit the ball, they just won matches through their ball striking. And the holes that that Ram got to put, they whooped ass and they just held serve on all

the holes that Sergio was putting. And I'm like, dude, I think he would help that team for sure. I think he would play a specific role in it. But again, it's that's the only name that jumps off to. But here's my point. Here's my point where I miss goes for every sport, not just golf. A team is not necessarily the 12 best players. Sure.

A team is a unit that is the most cohesive, that can pull together for that one week the best. And I can promise you that having Sergio Garcia in that team room would be a toxic influence that would drag down the rest of the team. There are enough players in that team now that have lost all respect for Sergio Garcia. And when the fact that he's turned on the tour, the fact that he came up with those comments, as you mentioned, this time a year ago in Germany, there's enough bad blood now that I think Sergio Garcia's burned all his bridges with the European tour and with ever being involved in the European team again. And that breaks my heart because I love Sergio as a Ryder Cup player. I don't think his record will ever get beaten, but

his time has come and gone. And I keep seeing this thing on Twitter from usually the accounts that are bang the drum for you new witch tour, saying, oh, the Ryder Cup is completely devalued if it's not gonna be the best players against the best players. Two things I'd say to that. First of all, the Ryder Cup has never been about

the best players against the best players. That's the reason for Captain's picks. It's, the captains want to sort of mix match their teams and get the right blend against the best players. That's the reason for captain's picks. The captains want to sort of mix and match their teams and get the right blend of 12 players. So it's never about the 12 best European golfers against the 12 best American golfers. It's about whichever golfers the captain's see fit to give you the best team in the best chance of winning. And secondly, they're then so contradictory because they'll say, oh, it needs to be the best players against the best players. It's a ridiculous that Westwood, Porter and Garcia aren't getting picked.

And then you'll reply to that saying, well, hang on, but they're not among the 12 best European goal for us at the moment. And they'll reply to that saying, well, fine, then. Good luck with age, your Moroccan victor pair is. I was like, so what's your point? Do you want the 12 best players? Or do you not want the 12 best players? You can't have it both ways.

Of course, Sergio Garcia brings you experience and he brings you that no-hi and he's been there, he's been on so many winning teams, but he is not one of the 12-blast European golfers at the moment and he's not made a lot of enemies on the European tour. So for those two reasons, I just can't see how you can possibly be in room. A lot of people who say things like that, they don't understand the business model of the European tour, right? Like the, you would be completely undermining your business. Really what the European tour is doing here is they're using the only leverage they really have

for the future, which is participation in the Ryder Cup. And they're saying, hey, we're gonna give away that Sergio year. What Sergio will be on the team this year, probably, and would he be helpful in a vacuum, yes. But we're gonna kick away that year so that we can leverage Ryder Cup participation for the future, for guys like Ludwig,

for guys like the Hoigards, to keep them on the European tour. And there's just people, first of all, people who talk about those things have no, they probably don't even understand what the European tour, like what their business model is, but I don't think it's necessarily

like a bad long-term play if you're looking at it from the Euro tourist perspective. It's a teeny part of the enormous chess puzzle piece, whatever you want to call it, right? Of what's sitting inside of the fireballs and all that sort of thing. The guy that I feel like they're missing the most is like a Thomas Peters. Someone who's just super like going back to your point. Jamie about like a team is kind of greater than the sum of its parts and he glue guys.

He's a guy that you compare with a lot of different players. And he is the one European live golfer who I think would improve the European team and I think who has handled himself in a way that he would be a popular member of that European team as well. But it still brings us back to that point that Porter just alluded to there, where they've joined a tour that isn't direct opposition to the DP World Tour, which is what makes it difficult for Luke Donalds to pick Thomas Peters. But as I understand that he's still allowed to pick him. And I know that Matt Fitzpatrick Patrick Roy, Michael Roy, Shane Laurie, those guys who will be on

the European team don't have an issue with Thomas Peters. It's the three veterans who've bitched him on the way out the door that they have an issue with. A couple of things. I think I assume you have to still be a DP World Tour member to get his pick, right? So in these no longer DP World Tour member, right? He has resigned his membership. Peter's is still a DP world tour member. He's getting the only the only four that have have not given up their membership are Westwood, Poulter, Garcia and Richard Blender. So is Peter's getting fine then? So Peters is getting fine every week that he plays on the well, that still remains to be seen, but that will probably be the outcome. Yeah.

So those guys that some tea time some stage need to make a decision on, do I want to maintain my membership and just pay a hundred grand fine every time or which, you know, the side is my pay for me, who knows? Or, um, I just want to be done with it, which is obviously the decision that Westwood, Paul, Terence, Garcia have made. But I just want to emphasize with Peters, we're literally, we're talking about a golfer who has been literally zero point zero strokes gained for the last six months and zero point zero of the last three months like he's literally dead flat average professional golfer over the last six and three months like are we we're not we're not talking about some of his beaten down the door to be on this team with his play that counts all play live golf and and and four round golf. And so it's it's it's it's it's it's just is a obviously polter westwood all these guys McDowell have been parts of so many teams, but like it was past their time anyways. If they were still DP World Tour members, I don't know if they would make sense for this team at all. And so it's kind of more distracting than it is actually

applicable. Again, I think it's about Sergio only. And yeah, if he didn't behave like such a tremendous, tremendous asshole in all of this, then maybe it would be. Sergio is the only one of the European guys on the list who's even in the top 20 of their standing. Sergio's 14th, and like that's, that's ass. That's unadulterated ass.

I mean, I thought Blandy's been crushing the Blandy's 41st in the live standings this year. All right, I don't know when we're going to transition. So I got to get another ad read that's supposed to get this in a 25 minutes and we're 50 minutes in here. You guys all know rowback. These guys just understand quality is only one way to describe rowback. It is best fit, best feel, just like we're trying to find the best fit for the rider cup.

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Summer is calling. Make sure to check them out now. All right, you guys won't shut up about Europe. Can we finally start talking about the U.S. Real quick. Real quick. Two things. Just looking at some of, look at some of DTries stats. I'm not sure he's a fit. Jamie, I've been high on him. I'm not sure he's a fit from a, from a driving perspective. Yeah. No, I would agree with you now. And then Luke's playing with him this week at the memorial. And then read into that, what you will. He's also playing with Stefan Yeager, who is knowledgeable for the team. Are you buying or selling on Big Shot Bob, McIntyre? I think I'm selling at the moment just because we all hope that he would kick on this year

and he hasn't done it yet. I mean, he's had some decent finishes in the lesser European tour events, had to withdraw defending his title in Italy, which was unfortunate. I think he missed the cut by a lot of the PGH Championship. Thank you, that's too much. You know, I think he is in a similar category to Sheamus Par where they started this year and that was their sole focus and I think it may be it's having an impact on their golf

that they're just putting themselves under too much pressure to make that team. So look, I hope Bob turns the corner because he's won around that course and he'd be a great person to have in the team room, but at the moment he's just not going to be there. And I just, I do want to address Ludwig's performance at NCAAs.

It wasn't what we were looking for. I'll read the question that we got, which I think is important here is from at Roger as area 91 will TC apologize for letting me know. I'm not going to apologize. He was one of the kind of he made it through to the fourth round as an individual. I'm told he had a drive like 360 yards right down the middle of the fairway on the 18th hole and it bounced into a lake because it was so firm and just a really, really poorly designed golf course, which just tough luck. Just bad luck. Lovevig is going to luckily mark over the next four to eight weeks. That's the nice thing. We don't have to make this decision. Now Ludwig has three months to kind of show his medal.

And I hope Luke gets a chance to look at him up close. Like the hype is very real. Guys on the European tour are talking about it. He is a legitimate candidate for a captain's pick. I'm gonna be, I'll be, yeah, I think that's true. I'll be shocked if they don't take him. I'm gonna be a Paul if they don't take him. I can confirm was that the PGA two weeks ago

and many people, Tron, many people, not with tears in their eyes, but many people were talking about, about what they being on the, from the Euro's day. You see a DP world tour member? I'm trying to I'm working with guys at PGA tour HQ to kind of lean on the global strategic alliance here and grease the skids a little bit. Make sure that if he, you know, if he's not eligible, let's somehow figure out how to make him

eligible. Little, little buddy, Gary, kind of thing. I mean, if, if, are making eligible. Well, a little buddy, Gary, kind of thing. I mean, if, if, if, voodoo is, I mean, a set strike, it can get deep, I mean, like, he can figure something out. I just want to point out over the last six months, the, the, the Abe in parentheses don't let it distract you from the fact that Ludwig has been the seventh or eighth, I can't quite tell, seventh or eighth best European golfer on the planet, including all European golf, and then all live everything.

He's been almost a full shot gained, which is like just a different kind of category. And over the last three months as well, he would be in the top 12 of top year. In every single time that he's gotten one of these sponsor exemptions, seemingly, he stepped up. The moment isn't too big for him. Like, it's not like he, you know, putter can come and go, but like the guy just doesn't miss the golf ball. Yeah, I'm just curious if he's going to, you know, if he wins the mid-end this year, is that get him in the right-up splash? All right, let's talk about the shitty US team.

Just, because we spent 57 minutes talking about Europe, I'm conscious of that, but just to finally close the chapter in Europe, on your list there, Sully, Europe, data, high-far down is Yannick Paul, for the last, what time period would you like? I don't know, nine months. Over the last, I can do 12 or six.

So we're gonna go for the last six. He is plus 0.17, which is pretty darn close to just straight flat average golfer, right? So he is the 131st best golfer in the world per day to golf. But he is fifth on the Ryder Cup Europe list right now, is I think while you're asking. Well, just because I think he actually could be a sneaky dark horse, and I think he'd be a good course fit,

because he is a strategic golfer, rather than something he just smashes it all over the place. So yeah, just he's my one little sort of dark horse. Anyway, let's talk America. I'd be obligated. I got to point out. The data golf Ryder Cup page is ill-blow your freaking mind. It's incredible. They've got you name it, except for nineder Cup page is, it'll blow your freaking mind. It's incredible. They've got, you name it, except for nine months,

of course, nine month data, but they've got literally trends of every single potential candidate, how they're playing. You can sort it by their data golf ranking, their OWGR. You can sort it by the Ryder Cup Europe list. You can sort it by Ryder Cup world list. You can go and see like they're forecast for how they think things are gonna go.

The history of all the, and the records of everyone, including the captain's picks and everything over the recent years, it's really, really freaking good. You can look at Europe and US combined to see kind of where the value actually is and where the top players are. And there's a lot of interesting stuff in that. I'm just going to point out a couple things that I found going through that. Over the last six months, the top 10 and strokes gained five Americans and five Europeans. It is split very evenly

amongst amongst those top 10 players. But the next 10 after that are all American, including 16 of the next 17 guys in the world. So basically of of 11 through 27 in the world, all 16 of those 17 are Americans and only one is European over the last six months. Guys, you guys are peaking early and speaking too early. It speaks to the top, the strength of the top for Europe is very much there, but the finalizing those last few spots is probably going to come from some pretty big wild cards, which

supports a lot of what we will be just talked about. I will ask the right to cut his and play them paper. Correct. This doesn't really matter. This doesn't matter at all. When balls go in the air, we know that. But it, uh, give me the most talented guys and, uh, see what kind of way you can come up with. But over the last three months, the top four are all Americans, but the next four are all Europeans, then five more Americans. So again, it doesn't really matter. Over the last four months, the top four are American.

Over the last three months, the top four players are all American. Yes. John Ram is in one of the top. Over the last four months, the top four are all American. Over the last three months, the top four players are all American. Yes. John Ram is in one of the top players over the last three months. Let me verify that. Now it goes. Adi Schaeffler, Brooks Keppka, Zander

Schoffley, Patrick Cantley, and then Ram is fifth. I mean, I hate to see that. I mean, yeah. Okay. Let's do the US story. So Pete, this is, people to act like strokes gained is some advanced analytics or something like that.

It's literally just counting your strokes. Like that's all it is. I get it. It's all it is. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. How I'm gonna start this with you. What's your reaction to Brooks Capca's second

on the points list right now? He looks, I kind of conceded that he would be on the team. I got a little challenge on that, but some commenters in terms of that he would qualify on points. I do think in looking at a little more closely, he still has to play well over the last two majors. Based on what we've seen so far, I would not bet against that, but what's your kind of reaction to the likelihood of Brooks Keppga being involved on the U.S. Redicup team? Well, I think you compare him with Michael Bloc in the in the four ball. But other than that,

now, listen, like, I think the, I think the only reason people get really wound up about the live stuff with kept myself included at times. But when it comes to the writer cup, the again, the business model of this matter. So the PJ of America has nothing to do with PJ tour and part of their energy tour. So I wouldn't say they have nothing to do with it, but just, I know that that probably blurries things more than helps, but just want to get that on the record. Yes, but for the purpose, there's not a true incentive to keep Brooks kept

off the team because of his live affiliation. Brooks is a PGA of America member. And they've quit. And I think if you're gonna keep Brooks off the team, you do it because of some of the reasons that we talked about before with Wistling Straits, just even care about the writer cup. He's even wanna be on the team.

Different things like that. Now, his talent is so overwhelming and I think they figured out the sort of formula for for that generation of guys in terms of the way their writer cup week is laid out at Whistling Straits in a way that worked that it maybe some of that stuff doesn't matter anymore. But I just think if there's a reason to not have Brooks kept you on the team, it has nothing to do with the live. That's just kind of where I'm at right now. I would tend to agree with that. I think I said this on Sunday's pod, but I think like, all right, the rhetoric up being two months after the last major and majors are basically

the only time we see Capca Peak or try to peak has me at least throwing the question out of like how motivated and how prepared his Brooks going to be. I'm sure if he answered, he would answer that question and saying he can dial it up any week that he really wants to. There is a live event the week before the writer cup, which I don't think is going to affect Brooks's status on the team. It may affect how they go about filling in their captain's picks and DJ's going to have to play a lot better golf between now and the end of the year to make the team. I think I don't think DJ's gonna get excluded because of live either, but I think he's got to play a lot better golf.

And I do wonder like if you're in it comes onto a captain's pick of you know dealing with guys that are flying over from the US the week before if that is a factor. I don't think that's nothing. I really don't. And I know there's been years where there's been events played on the PGA tour the week before the Ryder Cup, but I feel like that's kind of an unnecessary variable because it's not, it's a jet lag is real no matter how great of an athlete you are. And I imagine that US teams going to come over earlier than just arriving that Monday. You've already touched upon having you 2018. Tiger was just walked from the week before when he came over to Paris. And that's not an excuse because there were European guys, European team members that were at that at uh, uh, tour championship as well that didn't come over.

The thing is with works though, you know, is he overqualified to just be a team member? Could he also be an assistant, a playing assistant captain where he's worried about franchise values and he's on all these calls. Does he have equity in the US team. He's so qualified. He can be consulting uniforms, all this stuff. Think about the possibilities. I was going to say like the, uh, it's not as fun to talk about the US team as it is Europe right now. I think things are a little dull on the US side right now.

I don't think there's a lot of drama going on. We have sheffler and more ways than one. Two. Yeah, you made your mind up like 10 years ago that you were bored with the US team and then the team completely turned over. Oh, man, let me tell you. He's got the kids. He's got the kids.

Let me get excited about those guys. I think, I think the interesting question on the US side of things at the moment is, guys who you would have considered absolute locks for the team, namely Justin Thomas, Colomara Cawa, Sam Burns to Nick Stent, are you concerned at all that they're not in the greatest performance moment? JT is again with three months. I know. I hear you, JT is 16.5 and 2 in US team play so far. I think you'd have to fall really far off to not even to not totally consider enough credit in the bank for sure. And I think it is also worth

acknowledging like the, you know, the stroke play numbers are just stroke play, right? Match plays a different piece. We've seen it for some is a different beast. For ball is a different beast, even playing singles and match plays is different than stroke play. That's why we've been able to see guys that don't have the best stroke play records and over the course of a year, just absolutely turn up and just roast people in match play and become extremely fear, fear, fear full, fear, some fearsome, that's the word. Like Ian Polter's have in there. And I would put JT in that category. He's an instigator. He, I think he drives a little bit of fear in the European guys, just as record kind of speaks for himself at this point,

and no matter how good his form is, which has not been great. Over the last three months, Ludwig and JT have the exact same Strokes game number, 1.15, correct, which is pretty interesting. Yeah, I mean, you could throw a homo in there too, as guys said, of, this is so hard because we're taking such, and you almost have to do this with the Ryder Cup. You're taking such tiny windows, such small sample sizes. And if you look at JT's last 12 months or Max's last six months, those numbers look really

good, right? JT's dad said this on full swing. Like his bad is still really good. And I don't know, like there's nothing, what could he even do to play himself off of that team? I don't know that, I mean, like miss every cut from now until October with injury, injury, with, I think it have to be injury. Yes, yes. Yeah. So is it concerning? No, because it's still May, but is it something that you're kind of like, oh, this is interesting

when it comes to the top eight on each side? Yeah, I think that's a little bit interesting. Yeah. I mean, I don't see any scenario that Justin Thomas isn't on that team for all the reasons that you've just mentioned. And I am really sort of, you know, picking holes here because there's basically 20 extremely strong American golfers who you can all make a case for being on that team. But you know, you're a bar and don't have the same strength and depth or luxury that you at the US have.

So I'm just saying, you know, there are some players on that US team who perform so well at Quail Hollow that you would have thought Rebel, they're definitely going to be in Romani years time. And I'm not sure that is the case anymore. And when we did this in October, I did say that Colin Morocawa was the one player who I could see being a surprise to not make the right or cup team. And I still stand by that.

I think I'd be quite concerned if if they were relying on J T to be the one of the top like two players on the team, right, which I think that you know, if he would, if he needed to be the Rory, if he needed to be the ROM like George Bearer, I'd be concerned. But like honestly, if like worst case scenario, you can like hide J T in like the seven, the seven slot. I mean, there's still the, the can't lay Xander duo is still somehow underrated. I think by a lot of people like they're playing style is not, you know, exciting. But what those two at Ryder cups and Presidents cups have been machines, absolute machine Xander went three and one is three and one in his Ryder Cup, you know, his Ryder Cup record Cantlay

301 in the Ryder Cup. That's a combined, you know, six one and one. That's just a, that team you can pencil in and you can pencil in JT and speed to go out there. And then who do you, like Scotty, you can do pretty much anything with, right? Like if you put Scotty and Sam Burns together, all of a sudden Burns is not great form doesn't concern me nearly as much. And then you got more a Cowan Cameron Young probably as a team, I would would think like that's a really, really, really good four teams to throw out in any kind of format. And so that doesn't worry me as much as like, oh, dude, I need JT. I need you to go out and go with 301. So I, yeah, I would add to that this, this kind of hit me at Wistling straights that the point of having depth is not so that you can play everybody two matches, right?

The point of having depth, or the point of having like a lot of really good players is to find a hot hand for a week and just ride that team or that guy or whatever. And the US has done a terrible job of actually like playing that out, right? With sitting, speef, and read, and in a Glyn Eagles. And there's a bunch of different things they've done over the years that they've not taken advantage of that. But I do think that like the depth of the team comes into play where, yeah, like if JT is not feeling it,

then maybe Tony Fienau is or whoever. And you can ride a guy for four matches in a way that's extremely beneficial. That is a completely agree. And I would say like, yeah, you basically just touched upon the advantage of having strength and depth and having 9, 10, 11, 12 in your team as really strong players is that if one, two, three, and four

for whatever reason aren't performing that week, then you can, there's somewhere else you can go to. And to give a recent example of where that hasn't worked is the president's cup last year, where on the international side of things Corey Conner's would have been a player that Trevor Mellon was relying on to bring in points. He did not have a good week and then you know there weren't the guys to fill in that blank. So that is the advantage of the US team will have over Europe and the dog. But if we have if one of our top players doesn't perform

it's also valuable too because it gives you the opportunity to tailor the team. And when you've got 8, 10, 12 strong candidates for two to four spots, you can tailor the team around skill set and really, really plug a hole here or there versus just, hey, we need to bring the overall talent level on a team up to par. It's not like who were the, the, the locks. I mean, is it Sheffler. Max. I'm gonna say,

and her can't lay. Sheffler. Sheffler, um, Zander can't lay. Speed JT, more Kawa, I feel all very extremely confident and Brooks. I feel very confident in sitting here. Um, again, he just doesn't have the same qualifying opportunities. So if the last two majors do go poorly for him and he drops out of the top six, all of a sudden we have an interesting question of, you know, basically I don't think it comes down

as much as Zach Johnson as it does. Like, hey, do you like JT and Jordan and Scotty and those guys in Max and all of them? Do they want Brooks on the team? I think the answer's probably yes to that. I think that the answer is, I think that's a different question. If Bryson wins the last two majors of the year

or plays well in the last two majors and doesn't make it on points, I think it's a very different question. If Reed beats down the door to make the team and they would need to pick him to make the team, I don't think they're gonna go that route. And I think Liv is a part of that, right? I think in Halbave handled everything.

I would not, I think it's a different decision. CJ's had some weird quotes though. Like if it does come down to the decision, like, it's just not, you know, it's like very, very, we weren't about ZJ, Kyle. Yes. Yes. Yeah. I'm worried for you guys. I'm glad he's on my caps. I like

the. Yeah. He got he talked about that at the PGA, Tron, where he basically said like this was before Brooks won the PGA, but he said, hey, the masters is just one tournament. Masters is just one tournament. And you're like, yeah, it's true, but it's also like, you know, Brooks's history of majors pretends that he's going to play well at all of them, you know, throughout the year. So he, I would say he landed heavier on the side of like, yeah, I don't really want to talk about that. Think about it. Maybe not pick him.

Then like, hey, if he's there, I'll take him. Yeah, it's just worth considering to like, Keppka went over to, again, this can mean anything, but he went over to France in the late an egg. I mean, he went one, two, and one when he was, I think the number one player in the world, and he won, US Open MPGA that year. Like, if you win two majors in a year, doesn't mean you're going to go cross the pond and be a world leader in the rider cup, but just doesn't, doesn't mean you, you know, it doesn't mean you're going to go cross the pond and be a world-beater in the Ryder Cup. It just doesn't. It doesn't mean anything either way. That's necessarily like you can play very well in major.

You could miss the cotton for majors in total. No, no, in the Ryder Cup. Again, we're just talking about small little sample sizes in this and that you know, you can win the Masters and be totally out of form by the time the Ryder Cup rolls around as well. So I think, you know, that was Shephard's story last year. One of the masters didn't point. I mean, he was not great at the president's. Yeah. Sam Burns is interesting. He's kind of been a little up and down. He, you know, would kind of rank up there still

as the top one of the top Americans. And he, despite what his record showed at the president's cup last year, he was awesome. He played really, really good golf and like the stats off the offline stats would confirm that as well from what I've gathered. So that seems to make a lot of sense. I think you end up with 11 guys pretty easily on the, on the US side, which would go Scotty, Brooks, Zander, Cantlay, Jordan, Cam Young, Finau, Moira, Kawah, Burns, JT and who am I missing?

Oh, oh, it does not say max. Okay. And max on that. I was just going off. Noah Burns, JT and who am I missing? Homa, it's not say max, okay, and max on that. I was just going off. That was, that was how many? So then for your 12th, for your 12th, you're looking at either at the moment, Kagan Bradley, Ricky Fawler, Sire Thigala. That's up there.

I mean, go ahead. Harris English, Wyndham Clark, DJ, Russell Henley. I think you got to go big, big, big, big. Of course, 50. I don't know what I do right now. I mean, honestly, if it was this week, I think Russell, sneaky, Russell Henley's been playing some of the best golf, you know, of any American over the last,

like, you know, not any American. He's fifth in Stroke's game over the last, like, you know, not any American. He's fifth and strokes game over the last month or three months. I'm a, I know he actually would be the sensible course pick, I think as well. I kind of think so too. I don't know. My mind's in a pretzel. And I work here. Well, me too.

And I think at the end of it, you have to say, like, okay, we haven't won in Europe in 30 years, right? And I need somebody who wants the ball on Saturday afternoon, Sunday afternoon. And it's home, maybe. Is that is that Russell Henley? I don't know. Is it DJ? Does DJ care about having the ball, whether he has it or not? It's going to be like that 12 spot is going to be super interesting because there's so many different ways you could go with it. I think it'll be the real test of Zach Johnson as a captain where obviously the sexy thing to do is to pick Dustin Johnson a Ricky Filer when actually the most sensible thing to do might be picking a Russell Henley and just, you know, can you ignore the clamor for one of those big

names and actually go for the most logical option. I'm not sure if it's not Johnson Wood. I think it kind of similar to you guys having four slots that you can kind of, you don't want to even say a name at this point because you got to see how the next few months shake out. That's how I feel about the 12 spot for the US. I think a 12th name is likely to materialize in that time frame and kind of stand out.

Sohith is the one that jumps off the page of like, dude, he's not like that long or accurate off the tee. And I don't, I think it could honestly be a pretty bad course fit just from what I've gathered for him, but I'm excited about the possibility of him beating down the door to be on that team as well. But he kind of has that X factor, doesn't he? And you can sort of see much play golf bringing

out the best in them. And you can see him pumping his chest and chug know, chugging a beer in the first team. Do we have ask captain? I announced yet. I know Jim Furek's been announced. I'm not sure who else makes up the rest of the ass captains. I just assume Fred couples. As captain for the life. I mean, it's it's always the same.

They ever deviate from the from the group. Strick. Can I assume? Are they unadulterated? Asked it. Steve Stricter, Davis, love a jib furek. The last three and Fred couples are the four ass captives of the US side. So, uh, there's a lot of experience in that room.

So let me ask you of your 11 there. I know you're not just saying they're all locks, but of those 11 that seem logical at the moment, who might be the one that you see dropping out and maybe, you know, a sa'hith or a keegan Bradley knocking a might? I mean, Burns has kind of regulated his play. I've probably been a little harder on him to this point than maybe I should have. He had a really tough stretch there early, early part of the year, but has played a lot better since then. But he's not been on a radical team before. And so I think he's still got to maintain really good play.

To, you know, if he falls off, I don't think it has the same kind of weight carrying as like a JT falling off in terms of week to week play. He's still got to play some good golf through the finish line. Max being on Presence Cup team last year and playing so well and getting the four wins, I think even a little dip in his play can kind of help support and make a lot more sense for him to make the team. I know I said Sam was awesome in the presence cup and he truly was. I just don't know if it carries the same cloud as somebody like Max, who's won some BDEs here.

Cam Young. Cam Young. I don't see him falling off that far. I mean, he's still been a really freaking amazingly good player. I think it's a great fit for the many different formats of the Ryder Cup. He drives it long, really long. And that makes a lot of sense for this course. I think, again, if we're looking at good drivers, the golf ball, that's Cam Young. And I've not seen a nearly enough dip in play from him to even consider that. He's what seventh best American over the last three months, probably the seventh best American over the last six months, you know, 12 month play really supports

that. And he seems to fit in very much in the future of American golf. So I'd be shocked if he was on team. He's an automatic qualifier right now, along with Max's third in, but in writer co-ponsent. Two through six they tie in there and points. A lot can change in that, as we know them. Especially with two majors, the end of the Ryder Cup points list, 10, 11, 12, 13 is more Kawa, somebody we haven't talked about, Kirk Kiyama is 11th, Will's Outourists who won't be there as 12th, and then Wyndham Clark, Big Tone and Chris Kirk. Big tone lock. Cause I think we're we're heading into to mule skinner season.

Uh, the three, um, you know, Detroit things in that nature. What's your favorite great for the DP World tour? Right? He's good. Those mule towns about ready. His sistax going like this. It's going straight up through the summer, man. this stocks going like this, going straight up through the summer, man.

Solid right now. Would you rather have DJ or Ricky as the twelfth man? Before we started the podcast, I would have said Ricky. And I don't know why since then I'm kind of like, nah, it's, it's DJ. I know he is not played good enough golf, but like I, I don't get excited about Ricky. I don't three and seven Ryder Cup record. I feel like I've seen that play before. DJ went five and oh, it was saying again, I know he hasn't played nearly as good a golf, but like I go on across overseas.

I still think Ricky's Ryder Cup record is buoyed by him coming back to have that match in singles at Belfer or at Celtic Manor 13 years ago. And it's right. I've got breakfast 24 not actually good. So I think I'd take DJ and kind of throw out the stroke skein and how he's played to this point because I DJ is a G DJ. If we're looking at Harris as kind of a guide post. With you know, a little bit different golf course, a little bit, you know, kind of a guide post with, you know, a little bit different golf course, a little bit, you know, kind of a weird mixing it up a little bit.

Like, yeah, DJ got, you know, lost a pullter and singles even got boat raced and, you know, yeah, I think there's a, I mean, I can't get what him and more of Cala did at Wistlin straights out of my head. They were so good. And there's almost a sense, and this is probably fabricated by me and other people don't care about it, but that felt like the most of the team that was gonna go to Europe and get it done, right?

And that doesn't mean that you have to take everybody that was on that team because Bryson was on it and Harris English isn't, or hasn't been healthy and whatever, but there was a sense of like, okay, we're going to run it back in two years and these are going to be the guys that go do it. And I don't know, just for that for those reasons, it does feel like DJ a little bit. The other thing I feel about DJ as well as if you are one of those other 11 guys,

and Dustin fucking Johnson walks into the team room. You instantly feel more buildup proof, don't you? You're like, here's a two time major champion. It should probably be five majors. You know, one of the best golfers of his generation went five and no in the last rider cup. Like, totally. You know, who's going to inspire you more looking over into the corner of the room, Dustin Johnson or Russell Henley? I agree. I agree. It's just still also worth pointing out like over the last several months, like Ricky has

consistently and severely outplayed DJ. It's really not been good. DJ had a good opening round the PGA and he put his ass off and its sustainability model set as nankin' happened and it didn't happen. Like his ball striking is just not the same as it once was and he got his fat paycheck and it to me doesn't appear as hungry, which like you can't say that about Baruch's obviously because he shows is shown up at the majors extremely hungry to this point. So and he's been playing team Goful here. True.

Jamie, I think going back to the European team real quick guy that I'm just poking around on a little bit. Hold on. Sure. Is is is Torbjorn. That was a good 20 minutes. Yeah. Yeah.

Let's go back to Europe because it's always let's talk about the US for for an hour and a half and then we'll give you some, some little crumbs of like 15 minutes here there for Europe. So, uh, Torbjorn. Was he hurt there for a while? Cause he kind of went on that like nice, like he had a nice run there. He won in Thailand. He played played really well a couple of weeks ago in Belgium. But like, he had like a 10 or 12 week gap there. Yeah. Look, I've got him in my sort of outsiders at the moment because he knows how to win. He's been on a winning right a cup team,

took down, he did take down, spieth in Paris. He did. You know, so I think he's got a game that suits Marcus Amune as well. But yeah, he just hasn't done it in recent months. I don't know. Well, he played well.

He won or he had T4 at the Ross Al-Qaimal championship, not to be confused with the championship, not the open. OK. Then played well at T6 at the hero, Indian O. No, no, no. And then a third of the suit all open here recently.

But he had like a 10 week gap there where he didn't play it from India All the way till the Italian open just he 40 to tie an open but How concerned would you be if you're a European true player and you're not on Jamie's outside of us? Troms list longer than mine I We're just keeping our options open. It's not like we've picked 11 of our team already and we're not for changing like you guys. A couple of questions here.

We got a wrap here at some point, but we teased it earlier about, you know, as home field advantage, kind of trending in the wrong direction. This is a point I've made for literally probably a decade now as we've gotten to exacerbated home setups and haven't had a close rider cup. This will be 11 years since our last close rider cup. Jamie, you seem to not be as much on the side of the things that are trending a bit too far. You still complain about the US setups. No, I mean, I agree with you actually made a really good point earlier, which was actually there.

Don't say actually. Don't be like surprised. Whistling Straits was a long golf course, right? And you know, you touched upon the par threes were all like 200 yards. And that is gonna, the best golfers are probably gonna win over the course of three days when a course is long like that.

I get that. And obviously, you know, as 12 golfers, the US team is going to be a better team than the European team. I get that completely. And, you know, recent Ryder cups, the scorelines do seem to suggest that home advantage is becoming a bigger thing. What I still don't understand is, no one can really explain to me, is there a European way of playing?

Because the best guys in the European team play in the States every bloody week. You know, Rory Ram, Victor Ovelin, Tyrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Laurie, they are predominantly PGA tour players. So I don't understand how you can set up a course to suit those guys. And you're not going to also benefit the guys that they're playing with weekend. We go in the States. benefit the guys that they're playing with weekend, we go in the States. I think as I walked off Marcos Simone in shock and just, you know, kind of discussed. You were, you were on tilt.

It was, it's that shocking. It is. It really was. I was amazed. I was amazed what we had just seen. It triggered me. I couldn't believe I, I couldn't believe I upset. Do you got to put it?

I mean, it honestly, this is a statement I'm prepared to make. Like it's barely even golf. Like that's, that's the reaction I had to. Like I don't even really even know what we're doing here. It was so tricked up that it becomes like just throwing the golfers in a blender and see what comes out the other end, which I think benefits Europe more than it does US, not necessarily that it's the playing style that benefits them, but it benefits them to throw extreme variables in there and make sure like everyone's playing from ankle deep rough that you can't really get out of.

Yeah, that's right. And not make it be about, you know, US team's ability to hit, you know, really good iron stuff. So that's it. So you're setting up the course in reality to benefit numbers nine to 12 in the team, aren't you? Is what you're getting up. Yeah. If any, I mean, I think if anything, if you can, if on a tricked up, weird ass setup players are just more likely to get jumbled and they'd lesser skilled players, more likely

to beat a higher skill player, then if it was set up with an emphasis on long iron approach game and mid iron approach game. Even, you know, like I don't think there's a huge advantage between the US like you throw a team of, you know, Rory and Hovlin out against Sander and Cantlay. I don't think it, you know, the setup really matters that much. But if you throw in a, you know, insert whoever you want to insert in there in one of those teams, like all of that says all of a sudden that player is competing on a flatter playing. I disagree.

I feel like it matters more for some of those elite players where like it's going to constrain their skills even more and make it so that Rory can't play a certain style of golf or as Andrew can't play a certain style of golf, you know. I agree. I just think that you're constraining more American guys. You're, you're, you're, you're going to constrain like, Rom and, and Roy were both hamstrung at, uh, LaGolf National. They were not their normal selves, right? It was one by Fleetwood and Moanari, the dudes that drove it extremely accurately, uh, and Stenson, who came off, you know,

and played ForSums perfectly and won his singles match. And if you can, but if you can just throw a whole bunch of other shit in the mix to neutralize a team that has a talent advantage. Like, it's smart for Europe to do. I think it just, again, comes back to like, dude, is this setting us up for like the most exciting championship in tournament and exhibition?

I don't know if it is. Maybe if it makes it closer, it will, and we get there, but like the path to getting there is going to be tough. I think. You said right at the top that it's like 24th or 23rd or something in terms of accuracy. And that's how the entire thing really seemed. That doesn't really seem as extreme as you're kind of making on it. Yeah, it could be the, it is extreme. I don't know. I can't equate how it has. But just there, there are 22 other courses that are more extreme. No, I just, I can't

equate how it has rewarded certain players. They tell you an open verse, like the extreme thing that I just saw, like just trust me on this. It's extreme. There's a couple holes that I don't believe my and bogglingly bat. Like there's holes where you. Nero's boring the data. He's just telling what was that? What is that? It narrows to like 12 yards in certain spots and you got to hit T shots that both. Like you got to hit the drive on like the 12th hole has got to be you got to hit it between two 90. I'm just throwing out numbers between two 95 and 315 with the right shot shape to get it in this fairway. And then if you hit it in the fairway,

there's a tree in your way between the fairway and the green. Like that's the kind of, then there's some that narrow down to like eight yards wide on the 15th hole. The third hole is beyond bizarre. It's like a blind tee shot that dog legs to the right. And as it dog legs, the fairway narrows down to again, about eight yards. And it's candid from right to left as it dog legs right. You can't hit the fairway in that part. And it is, it's just like a blender is a total blender. And I don't know if it's going to be.

Solly said he would rather give, given 10 rounds, he would rather play the Belfry 10 times. Yes. 10 over 10 zero. That's not true. It is. So it's really not solid. The bell free is the worst golf course. Not good. It's 10 0 still. It's 10 0. Like you guys aren't understanding. No, I think it should not maybe not count this year. That was what I said to you guys.

But you're not TC immediately went to go ripping Hazel team. I was like, you're not understanding what I'm saying. If you're saying the two courses in the same sentence right now, where are you gonna say, Kyle? Well, it sounds a little bit like, remember the Rashid Wallace rep Hamilton pistons, how they would just like ugly it up. That's exactly right. They would face these like beautiful teams

in like the seven seconds or less sons and the Lakers and they would be like, we're just going to, we're just going to, like, we're just going to bang you and like, you know, like, we're just going to make it as ugly as possible. Is that, is that what we're getting at here? Very much so. Okay. And there's like a, sounds probably, it's going to be, 16's going to be cool. It's a drive before where none of that rough bullshit, like, gets in the way.

And you can 16, 17, 18 is a great finish, right? It's a solid finish. 18 still like two narrow like the it's a par five finisher down the hill to with a banking with a green that banks around upon to the left. It'd be better if it was wider and like just introduced more opportunities for guys to go for that green. There's still going to be chop out shots shortly off the fairway. Like it's just comically narrow in a lot of these places that I just don't think it's like, I just don't think it's going to be fun to watch dudes play that style. I think like my again, my take it right of course is don't have to be genius set up. The architecture doesn't matter that much, but at least provide a good stage for exciting

and fun golf and chances for the crowd, the cheer and all that. And I think this set up in this course, like, diminishes that. I really do think that could be very wrong. I could be totally wrong about it. Wrong about a lot of Ryder Cup stuff. But man, it was like, it was jarring. It really was. Just loud and on camera. We interviewed him and said, yeah, can I ask about the golf course? What do you think? He's like, can I be honest? It's shit. Like that was the on camera response to it. And like privately, private answers were even better. I'm just rolling through our chart. He was looking in a mirror when you were chatting to him as well. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.

Me, me disguises go loud and said it's shit. It's a fucking travesty and I came here with an open mind. I did go with an open mind. I mean, just, just a, just a pod, a pod. You guys are not listening. Yeah. You guys are not listening. You were not listening at all. No, but the, I really was listening. But the point that I kept trying to make T was, it doesn't matter for a rider cup. You're like, old 24 guys are playing the same course. So that's where the part you're not listening. Then you might as well put the pin in the hay fields, right? That if that's the case, right?

Who cares about the setup at all? Like it matters. It does matter. Well, speaking of pins, will they let team Rose decide the pin positions after after the pro am at. It was that was more disgusting than that. Hazel teens, Hazel, like I get I have, I have trusting them. Hazelteens, Hazelteens, like I'm a good, I have, I have even gotten, I think Hazelteens a good example of like whatever course that's set up for like, like, like, what was the

par five there on the back? 16. That's real seventh, that's next. The way that everything was set up was, was fantastic. It's not like you wouldn't you know name Hazel Tennis like the most amazing course in the world, but the set up was was great. I thought. Team Rose is kind of a it's kind of an underrated like we haven't really talked about them, but like the resurgence of Team Rose has kind of gone like completely unchallenged of like,

yeah, I think you should absolutely be on the team. I think he, you know, can't stand him, but like, you know, bring him on. Yeah, that's that's yeah, you're exactly right. It's been a four, four-god conclusion. You see us doing the Justin Rose fist bump at the can. That's your boy. That's your team. T.C., that's this is this the guy on your team. I know, I know you're not a fan of the individual, but the other thing I would say about Justin Rose as well is he would have had the option of doing what Paul Casey and Wes were the importer did last year. And he didn't do it because he wants to be part of the right of Cup team. So, something that actually desperately wants to be there and is happy to turn down

a bajillion-sidey reels because he wants to be there. It goes up in my head. Or they just didn't mean his number. How are we? What's the, I, I, I has to to make predictions on here because it can really get to still down very quickly. Like my prediction is still like I expect the US to win, but in very, very well aware that it is not a foregone conclusion and that Europe can win this. Does anyone want to venture out on any more bully

than I am willing to? Yeah, you're just gonna win straight up, pay a point of blank, as long as Ludwig makes the team. What are the odds of that happening right now, Tron, of Ludwig making the team? Personally, and I think after Ludwig finishes top five and like one of his first three tour starts,

like I think it rockets up to like 80%. The unknown factor and I'm embarrassed I don't know the answer to it is whether he is a DP world-tremember. I don't think he is, right? But can he be in this time period? But he can go, I mean, you have to play like three events, right? Four events. So you would need to play four events between nine September, which is easily done. He's already played one this year.

Two, you played in Dubai. If they can't figure out how to make him a member by September, then they don't they don't deserve to have him on the team. Isn't that what the strategic alliance is for the PJ tour, a in the year, two in the right. Real quick, just on this, the current odds are US minus 170, Europe plus 190, draw plus 1300. And if you just straight lift the trophy, US minus 190, Europe plus 170. And data golf's got a 61.5% chance of the US winning

Europe 31.1% chance as of right now. Porter, what's your prediction? Well, I've come off my like 23 to five number. I think I actually have been more measured even personally over the last few months. I think more measured even personally over the last few months. I think the US team is kind of JT's not playing great. Max is struggling. Speeth's heard. I'm going to say 14 and a half to 13 and a half. I think it's going to be close. I think the US is going to win. I think this is the team to do it. I thought that at Whistling Strait, I still think they're loaded and they don't, I've said this a million times,

I'll say it a million more, they don't have this tiger fill stink. Black hole just like sucking up everything at the event. And I think that that sounds stupid because they're two of the 12 best players ever. But I think it matters. And I think it's going to matter. And I think the US is gonna win for the first time in 30 years in Europe. Jamie, final prediction.

My prediction back in October was 14 and a half, 13 and a half to Europe. And I'm nothing. It's going to strain me from that. I don't, I don't put a number on it, but I'll go 15 and a half, 12 and a half. And I think like it, the deciding factor for me is US is going to have an advantage in singles almost certainly. I still think anything can happen in the team play, but even if they're down going into Sunday singles, a lot of those matches are going to line up really, really well for them. I have a feeling almost certainly math wise and, you know, I'm a big math guy. And I think like as much as Europe can hide spots nine through 12 through two days is going

to get shined out eventually right and I think that's what what the data would say is probably likely to what my plan presupposes is that we don't have to hide those guys we turn it into a strength get a lot bigger on the team win and call Yonic Paul strength and then yeah then that's what you're playing is TC I'm not sneering cone to the non- or being go for the good to do it. I had to do it. My, my, I think I said this last time, but my hope is just that it's,

that it's close that Sunday afternoon. I mean, the last couple of times it's, there's been dramatic moments. Obviously you had brawl and beat Tiger and, and Paris. You had Rory crying. It was something there's things that always happen that are fascinating, but I want something that's like in the balance and it's like 12-12 late, and J.T. and Rom are playing each other,

or Spieth and Rory are playing each other, and there's like a real moment where you don't know how it's gonna go, because the Ryder Cup happens so rarely that you almost never get those moments. And I hope we get a couple of those at Marko Simone. No, just seeing Shane Lowry in the cauldron. Like, I think, I think he's an undervalued asset right now for the European team. So. And he'd absolutely, you know, he was in his element of whistling straights, even though that without when does badly as it could have for Europe, I remember speaking to him afterwards

and he was just like, they were practically tears streaming down his face. He was like, I don't know how I'm going to go back to playing just for myself again, because this has been the best week of my life. He absolutely loved it and he cannot wait to get back in that team room again. You know, it's funny, Jamie, that I've been accused of so much of the condescension that I still feel like European fans are condescending about what happened in France. And I'm trying to come to terms with like what it would have been like. Let's say the US that year would have lost 19 to nine in France and our top player cried.

I'm wondering how long Europe would have floated on that class. I wondered how long that would have lasted. Like a magic of JT walked off 18 green and cried after losing 19 to nine. How much? I'm a fecal. I think he's a different thing. You know, you know, don't don't say anyone's grave like that. That's not a European thing. Yeah, you're not still dancing on molda moldaare, Mola Nare. I still hear that shit in my dreams, man. Anyways, this has been a fantastic, fantastic catch up.

I could do this weekly if you guys would not get sick of it, but I have a feeling people might. But Jamie, T.C. Kyle greatly appreciate the insights. As always, look forward to doing it. We got to do at least one more before picks and all that stuff happens. But we do want to post the open sometime in August, something like that. That sounds ideal. I cannot wait. We could do several more of these before the Ryder Cup tips off. I can't wait. Despite my disdain for Marco Simone, I'm really excited for the Ryder Cup. I'm all European golfers.

And all European golfers, of course, that is fake. That's not a real good way with it He's that's just squeezed that in at the end knowing he wouldn't fight crooked Jamie over there And the European's listening to this poll got solely doesn't rate you. Thank you very much We're gonna mute them out. I'll take it out like The right thing Luke. Be the right club today. Yeah. That's better than most. How about in?

That is better than most. Better than most. Expect anything different. I Expect anything different