No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 745: Ryder Cup Preview with Shane Ryan

Episode Date: September 26, 2023

With our resident Euro supporters in transit home from the Solheim Cup we call up Shane Ryan for a thoroughly biased American preview of the 2023 Ryder Cup which (finally) begins this week in Rome. We take a final look at the course and some recent setup changes, the American's approach to the event, our picks for MVP and LVP plus some other predictions and a few listener questions as well. 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. I'm not in. That is better than most. Better than most. Ladies and gentlemen, the week is finally here. The first of many preview podcasts and Natalie that will come out this week are 18th preview podcast of the 2023 Ryder Cup. I'm sure Sally here joining me from the no laying upside.

Mr. DJ pie. Hello, pie man. Hello, Sally. Happy to be with you, my man. Happy. I know how much of the Ryder Cup means to you. It's just a buzz. I can't wait to get over there. I can't wait to be happy to be back on the pod. It's been a minute. I didn't. It hasn't been a while. I feel like I've been the one on paternity leave. I just been playing golf hanging out. Just, it's been great over here on this side. Me, T.C. Jamie Weir and Kyle Porter have been kind of hogging the ball a little bit on the, on the Ryder Cup preview front. But the rest of the, the Soulheim gang is in transit today.

So there will be no TC pro European takes here. So we brought in another resident American to make sure we can make this as biased as we possibly can from golf digest and an author. And for many other things, Mr. Shane Ryan, Ryder Cup of Fish and Nato, if I may say, the only person I could think of that matches like the outsized appreciation for this event compared to the rest of golf like I have. But Shane, how are you? Thanks for joining us.

I'm great, man. When I signed it on StreamYard, it said Shane parentheses American. So that's, I don't know why it defaulted to that, but I am so ready to go. Yeah, this is, I'm very excited in Italy on, you know, boots on the ground for you guys. So completely ready for this. We're recording this on Monday of Ryder Cup week, DJ and I are flying out tomorrow. So we are not there yet.

Again, I think we did this backwards. DJ, I think we arrived too early to Wisconsin and way too late to Italy. I think we could have probably flipped that if we could have done that over again. But listen, I think it's going to be a very quality week. I can't, I got to say Cody has completely unceded me as the King of transitions on this. But if you may just like the quality week we're about to have, you guys know rowback. They understand quality. Only one way to describe them. Best fit, best feel just like the American writer cupbers are going for the best fit for the golf course, which may have flipped a little bit today with some news that we had come in.

That's the whole other thing to talk about. We did get to that, but their performance polos, they just hit different. Again, this is rowback, not the United States performance follows, whether it's USA theme designs, just in time for the Ryder Cup classic stars and stripes models. They got four way stretch moisture wicking fabric. They will get you through a warm summer day on the course. The performance hoodies. I was hoping to be more hoodie weather out there. Shane, you could probably weigh on this. I'm guessing it's a little warm, a little toasty as we're seeing in the forecast here.

But they are the stretchiest softest hoodies and golf. I am wearing them daily like I have been all year round, even though it is still very much summer here in Florida. Lastly, the Q-Zips. I think we're going to be able to get away with these at night from what I can see over in Rome. Nothing beats rocking a rowback Q-Zip for a night on the town or an early round of golf cannot go anywhere without spying the subtle dog logo or the Two-stripe ridge on the back. You can use code NLU at rowback.com for a generous 20% off your first order through the end of this week. That's r-h-o-b-a-c-k dot com 20% off polo's QZIP's hoodies and more with code and LU also worth mentioning real quick. A lot of road back stuff in the shop as well in the NLU shop. So please go check that store.no.langup.com. Shane, did you go to the golf course today over in Rome?

Have you been out there yet? I did. Yes. I went to the golf course. I took a picture of the driving range and described it on Twitter as the first hole and said that the euros were sticking yardage signs out to confuse the Americans. About 20% of my Twitter followers got what I was doing. But yeah, I was there.

It looks nice. You know, it was a really, really quick trip today, but it was, it was fun. You know, it's, I don't want to say that the, the people who have only seen pictures of Marcos Amoni online, who have now seen it in person. I don't think they're effusive necessarily about the course, but, but yeah but people are like,

I think it's gonna make a good Ryder Cup venue. And the second nine, I think is getting better reviews than the first nine. There's gonna be, if nothing else, some really good match play holes coming down the stretch. I think of all the golf courses out there, it is definitely one of them. It is, right?

You can't put it all back. Yeah, anybody who sees it will go, this is a golf course. One, two things't think of that. Yeah. Anybody who sees it will go. This is a golf course. One two things in relation to that. Shane, I think you are, you are the only one doing Twitter, right? Like you're the only one that the only way to do it now is just like BS sarcastic as possible and just laugh when people don't get it. I, I hate how serious I take myself on it.

I'm envious of the way you approach it. One, and two, this little flip that I referred to was some pictures we received today, some maybe a little bit of reports from on the ground seems like the waist high stuff that I spent an inordinate amount of my time, my visit there in May, stumbling around in like still recovering from the rashes on my legs. May or may not have been shaved down. It looks like it certainly has been on at least a couple of the holes, which you know, that was if I may say just one of my beef with the golf course, I think, you know, we strip out this waste high rough. Now you just, now

we can just focus on how bad the layout is. But at least, at least we've seemed to progress from potential loss ball. I know there's spotters out there, but potential loss, loss balls, five yards off the fairway. And I'm, I'm wondering if this is a bit of a rope adope from Team Europe. Like, US has showed up with their team. There's no adjusting this team. And I'm wondering how much this was built into the models. I'm guessing it was. I'm wondering if this is a bit of a rope adope from Team Europe. Like, US has showed up with their team. There's no adjusting this team. And I'm wondering how much this was built into the models. I'm guessing it was. I'm guessing this isn't that much of a surprise, but I'm at least a little surprised. I do love the idea of them shaving down the rough and going, oh no, they're talking about

the golf course. Grow the rough back home. Grow the rough quickly. No, yeah, I think, you know, it was funny because Zach Johnson was asked today. They're like, you know, who do you think the, you know, the rough is going to be high? Who do you think that benefits? And he had this very naked moment of going, I don't know. And it goes back to that thing of like, you know, okay, yes, they have like the,

their data analytics, people are very smart. And they drill these things down to like, you know, by the meter, right? By the foot, by the inch. And so obviously they're doing something that they know, but you're like, well, you know, at the same time, all of these golfers can hit the ball straight, right? There's, you're going on tendencies that are so granular and so fine that you're like, in the course of a three day event, oh, well, we, you know, we decided on this part of the fairway, we deneried it by five feet.

Does that actually make a difference or does it not? And we always go back to the standard of Paris where America came in, the task force had done a good job, they kicked ass at Hazeltein, and a lot of people thought like they're going to come in and kick by the Paris and they got absolutely demolished. And the big story was like the course, right? The course is a big part of this. And whatever, you know, there's all these things about like Thomas Bjorn,

you know, even move the gallery back because he knew exactly where the Americans were going to hit it in the rough and he didn't want the gallery to be there because they would have trampled the grass down and instead he moved them back five feet and that meant they were hitting from really thick grass. Let's see like, wow, that's genius. It's unbelievable genius. And part of me, I do like the core setup stuff. So I kind of am a sucker for it.

It's like, I kind of go in on that. But I think maybe this week I'm coming around to, I don't know if it's rope a dope. I don't know what it is, but I think there is a little bit of over analysis we can do about the course setup and how much advantage it gives the home team, particularly, and I keep coming back to this, particularly when the fact that you have 50,000 per day, screaming people rooting on your team is the ultimate in home field advantage in any sport, but particularly in a game where people are not used to this, where most games are not partisan, there are no home games.

Like the advantage of having a home crowd is so unbelievable that I think it almost leads us to somehow underrate it and go like, oh my, the genius of the Europeans on whole 15, they cut the rough back by three feet, but grew it to 10 feet, within five to seven feet of the fairway, you can go too far in that stuff. So I don't think it's rope it up. I don't think the Americans are thinking about it that much. It's the same thing with parings, right? There's a story where a couple of weeks ago, not it went worth, but whatever tournament was before that on the European tour, there's a question of like, oh, does this practice group in the way you set the European parents? Does that mean something that, you know, they might play together at the Ryder Cup and Luke Donald was like, yeah, maybe,

and apparently there was some European tour staffers going like, like, don't ask that question, but who cares if you know the parings, right? Like, who cares? If you broadcast your four parings to the other team, but didn't tell them the order, that doesn pairings, right? Like who cares if you broadcast your four pairings to the other team, but didn't tell them the order, that doesn't matter, right? Like the Europeans probably right now, right now, who the first four pairings that the Americans are gonna be, but they don't know the order,

and it's just this whole system of things where, again, I'm one of the classic overanalyzers, but I think a lot of the stuff doesn't matter. And I think a lot of the stuff, okay, maybe it doesn't matter as a touch too far, we can really go too far with overstating how much it matters. And I think maybe that's what we're seeing with the course stuff today. God, you just gave me so much to react to there. I love it. I love it. I love it. Like some, you know, T.C. shows up for these things. It's like, I don't know, man, Europe's going

to kick ass. So I'm like, no, I want to talk about this shit right here. So if you look at the profile for 2023 Europe and 2023 US teams, they're very similar in terms of how far they hit the ball and their accuracy rates, right? If you're just blending them all, and now you could kind of, I'm guessing they're going to wait that a little bit differently. Nikolai Hoigard raises the driving distance and lowers the driving accuracy rating for Europe. But if he plays one team match or two team matches,

then that gets weighted a little bit differently. But the profiles are very similar. And 2018 was not the case. The same way that Marco Simone is different profile than LaGolf National, which was, LaGolf National was driving accuracy premium. And this is not necessarily forecasted to be the same premium. Even with narrow fairways, that doesn't mean the premium on accuracy is,

you know, if there is still a emphasis on driving distance, which there was almost none of at LaGolf National, there's a blend of those things, and it kind of, it makes more sense why the rough would be shaved down some based on the fact that like, hey, it's not like Europe has an enormous accuracy advantage with this particular team that they set out.

And so it doesn't really make sense to have, I mean, Henry Stenson went out to hit these particular t-shots in ForSums at LaGolf National and they played the U.S. like a fiddle. I mean, they sent out Phil Nicholson and Bryson to go hit the same exact t-shots and they just totally worked them. And I don't know either of which was called this week. I don't think you need to do that. This go around, right? And so again, it doesn't make sense.

I will say like the actual rough that's just off the fairway still is so incredibly lush and thick. I'm guessing even in September, the ball just finds the bottom of it and DJ. I hope and you can help me attest to this. I've been saying this for a few months. It's like not golf grass, like the blades of grass are really wide. It's like somebody hit it in my yard in the saying Augustine grass and it's really, really hard to hit golf shots out of still two. Perched up greens elevated with run offs on all sides. I still just can't really in my own head figure out how that's going to play and how much that the driving accuracy thing is going to be of emphasis.

So I think that that speaks to where I think I'm at with the course setup stuff because Shane, I totally agree with you in that I think it's really freaking fun to talk about. And it's really fun to analyze. And it's kind of especially in a contest, it's only played every two years. Like, you know, that's all we've talked about. And it's I regret nothing. It's very fun. But I think the there's just so many like weird holdover 1980s cliches

about, you know, oh, these Europeans, man, they just drive it so straight and these big dumb ugly Americans come out and just walk it all over the place. It's like, well, I mean, if you watch Rory and then John Rom and Victor Hovelin and Tommy Fleetwood and all these guys, they play pretty similar golf to Patrick Cantley and Sandra Shoffley and Scotty Sheffler. All the Europeans are five foot six men named Thorsten. Exactly. But what I think it does do, and I don't, you know, I get so quickly out of my depth with all the stat stuff and analytics and pairing stacking and all that stuff.

But, I mean, I think it just, in, like, kind of invokes this, this randomness, right? Where when you do pinch him in, it just means more people are gonna miss more fairways, which I think just invokes more randomness to what you're saying, Sally, right? Like, if you're gonna miss a fairway, there's a chance where the ball's gonna settle down

to the bottom, and now all of a sudden, Scotty Sheffler and his talent advantage kind of like is slightly diminished somewhat, right? Where it's like, if everybody's missing more fairways, I think that's good for the team that's statistically less strong, right? And I think it just brings everything together. And so that's kind of where my head is

is with it is like it's not necessarily because Rory and Rom and you know all these guys are going to hit so many more fairways. It's more just because it's like it's going to probably protect you know Bob McIntyre, Niklai Hoigard and some of the you know where Europe kind of runs out of depth towards the bottom of their lineup. I totally agree. I think it puts, it puts, if you are an underdog, it puts the, the favorite in a bit of a blender with you. It puts you back in a little bit of a dog fight, right? Whereas Wisting Straits was the US one to stretch that thing out. They wanted to make it a long iron,

to mid-iron contest. And there was just nowhere to hide on a lot of those par threes for, for that European team compared to when you got Xander, when you got Kante, when you got Mora Cowell, when you got the DJ and the team that they had, like they just was no chance in that one. Whereas this kind of format gives you at least a chance. Shane, you are one of, if not the only person out there, I think

other than I, if I may say myself that has spent any time kind of digging into how the process has changed on the US side in terms of how they put together a team, how they put together a cohesive approach to the event, how they come up with strategies, how they analyze scenarios. I'm wondering what you've kind of learned in that process, you've written a great piece

that I'm gonna be referencing a lot of in a piece of the thing that's probably gonna come out by the time this podcast is posted, but what you've kind of learned at how the US process has evolved over the years and why I believe potentially that this go around is going to be different for the US team. It's a little bit of everything, right? So there's, first of all, I think it's interesting to talk about the psychological part of it where if we go back all the way to 2008 where

Paul Azinger invents the pod system. The? The boys club. The boys club. Yeah, the boys club. They had never been done up to that point. 2008, they said, what have we have all the boys we like in the same club? The blue people's minds is really something. No, but you. All right, I got a stop. Yes, so 2008, Paul Azinger invents the pod system,

where his big revelation is that, you know, it's from watching a Navy SEALS documentary where the SEALS training groups of six and they become really sort of, you know, really tied into each other in loyalty and they trust each other and everything. And his whole thing that was weird for him as a Ryder Cup player was, okay,

we're in this individual sport. And then every two years you ask us to come together as 12 people and have this Kumbaya sort of, we're all brothers thing. And nobody believes it, it's kind of ridiculous. But he was like, okay, wait a minute. What if we do the Navy SEALs approach? And instead of having 12 people get together, we can have four people together.

And on my team, I can put the four red necks together and put the four California guys together. And the four other people together, right? Like, I can make the four red necks together and put the four California guys together and the four other people together, right? Like, I can make them sort of, and he actually literally gave them personality tests so he could separate them. And he said, don't worry about the whole team. Just worry about like being with these guys, getting a certain amount of trust together. You know you're going to play with them in the pair of sessions.

You'll play next to them in the single sessions and it works really, really well. And that was a funny thing because it almost sounds cynical, because the European approach would be, even if we don't like each other, we have this juggernaut America that every single time we are so desperate and intent on beating, that we can come together and we can have the passion of our, first of our country later of our continent, right? And we're going to come beat them, and we're going to have

these hype videos, and it's just going to be this tradition. And we're going to go on this we're gonna have these hype videos and it's just gonna be this tradition. And we're gonna go on this thing and A's here was kinda like, that's just not how it works in America. And so you can follow that line to a question I asked Zach Johnson today at his press conference. Which is incredible.

Which was like, well, you're gonna think I'm gonna do the Roman Empire thing, but I'm not. Exactly, I'm not talking about that, but it's actually the fun. way, you speaking of the way Shane works on Twitter, I saw somebody else post that. I was like, is this like Shane performance art of like a fake Shane question that somebody else is posting on Twitter?

And that I literally had to go look at the transcript. I was like, no, he actually asked. He actually, he actually asked that. Which we're working to get there. Cause I do want to read that question in its entire podcast. It seemed like a little bit normal until I asked that Johnson, if he was gonna be wearing like bare rugs or whatever.

Yeah, I'm thinking was, can I just read this right now? I don't know what we're gonna get back to it. Please, yes. This is an actual question from your, your intrepid journalist, Shane Ryan. Quote. So because we're in Rome, obviously, this is the site of a famous historical empire that never lost at home until some serious internal divisions weaken them.

And then the barbarians were at the gates and they took over. This may be a jet lag question, semi-colon. I desperately need sleep. But Luke, do you worry that you're something like the last Roman emperor? Exactly. Do you ever think of yourself as a visgoth dressed and ready bare-fers and ready to attack? And I thought the whole guy's humor, the question quite well. They did, yeah. It was actually well. The first question I asked Zach Johnson was actually more serious, but you know, we saw on Whistling Straight, Steve Stricker was like, first of all, doesn't like to talk, which is such a funny quote from him.

He's like, I really, like, what, you know, tell us about yourself, Steve, like, I don't like to talk. That's his main thing, right? So he was not going to give our all-round speeches. He was not into big hype videos from his time playing. He didn't like when you did these, you know, gala dinners where you had to be signing 800 autographs at night and, and COVID gave him a big assist with that, right? They didn't have to have all the dinners and stuff. But his whole thing was like,

we're gonna try to make the players as comfortable as possible. You know, like Brooks Capgar, Sky Shelf, and if you take a nap at 1 PM each day or if you live weights at 10 AM each day, we want you to still be able to do that in the week leading up. We want it to be completely normal. And we're not gonna bother you with motivational stuff because we're gonna trust that the motivation comes from inside, right?

And so that was his whole approach and I asked Zach Johnson, is that still your approach? And he was said absolutely 100% I think was his quote. And that I think again traces from that asinger line of like, let's forget this idea of trying to be a passionate team together and have this like camaraderie and this kumbaya feeling, let's just make things normal. And the advantage that modern US teams have, which I think is so crucial, and you see it in like Justin Thomas how much he wants to make the team, these guys grew up watching Europe kick the crap out of the US and the Ryder Cup. 15 years ago, 20 years ago, you didn't have that with the contemporary players at the time. So what that means is the passion

is gonna come from these guys. They really wanna win this. You don't need to tell them, you don't need to have somebody make a video with old captains being like, this is the biggest day of your life. Like, five captains in a row saying that, like Sam Torrance doesn't need to be in there, right?

Like, you don't need that stuff. These guys just need to, everything to be kind of normal for them and to be able to play as best they can and to be comfortable. And the pod system plays into that. And so very long answer to your question, Saulie, is like, that's the psychological aspect of it. Now, if we get on the practical and strategic side of it,

sure, they learn things like more captain's picks are better. We need to set the course in ways using people who are smart, like scouts, you know, consulting, analytics people. We need to, you course in ways using people who are smart, like scouts, you know, consulting, analytics people. We need to, you know, make the course in a way that's conducive to us. We need to, you know, it goes down to every little possible granular thing you can think of. We need to make sure food's available in a right way. That the team meetings are convenient. Like, all this stuff that is nuts. I remember after Whistling Straits, I talked to Davis Love,

and he was like, you know, we're already talking, I talked to Davis Love, and he was like, we're already talking about things we can do better. And I was like, Davis, you just won 19 to 11. This is like the biggest r I do not cheat them out of the 10 point. I was so sorry, yes, 19 to 9. They did not get to 10 points. And I said,

what could you possibly do differently? And he was like, well, some of the food delivery was a little off. And you're like, your mind is almost blown because you grew up hearing stories of America just blowing it in every possible massive way. And here's Davis love going, well, I noticed this detail and we're going to discuss it. And we're going to make sure it works right next time because, you know, food delivery

on Friday morning wasn't as perfect as it could have been. So they just become a more efficient organized system. You guys see like they're running the same captains back all the time, right? It's become like almost like they're a executive board rather than a one and done type thing. They all have the same philosophy. Zach Johnson is following in the philosophy of striker who followed in the philosophy of Furek and Davis love and on and on and on. And they're just really, really good at all the organizational principles. I think they really love doing it.

And yeah, they have the philosophy, right? Of like, this is what makes us different from Europe. And this is what's going to help our guys thrive when, you know, when the rubber meets the road. I think what's so fun about that chain is, is how romantic the Ra Ra Sam Torrance videos are, and how romantic that idea of like, man, if you, if you just want it a little bit more, you're going to play that much better and you're going to be a different version of yourself,

a better version of yourself. All that stuff is so fucking fun to like get behind and to watch the Europeans do and to watch them sing and dance. They're just so fun to watch. And it just completely makes sense when you look back at, you know, SolidU and KVV were doing all these, the podcasts about, you know, the previous, uh, Ryder cups on European soil. And it's like, man, what was the biggest problem? Is like Tiger, Phil, and Jim Furek turned into three completely different

people when you put them into this system, right? And it's, it, it just all speaks and like, it's almost like this. Really obvious light bulb when you put it that way. It's like, Hey, what if we just treated this week like every other week and just trusted the fact that we have way better players? And we just allow them to kind of like do their normal thing rather than trying to put them into this,

like you said, galas and hype speeches and all that stuff. It's just, it's really interesting to think about. Well, and they just like every time they tried to reboot it or change the way they would do it, it would still be with the same core group of guys. Like Tiger and Phil have been on every team together dating back to 1997 with the exception of 2014. Tiger was not on that team.

Furek was on every one of those teams until 2018 when he was the captain of that team, which also lost. Like there just was not a chance to change the atmosphere, the mojo, the entire setup without like getting some of those guys out of the room. And this is the part of the podcast where we say the three words that like we don't say very often, only when we're mocking other people on Twitter, but Phil was right. Like Phil gets a lot of credit for this reboot for what he said in 2014 after Tom Watson

did what he did. And for suggesting that they would go get some stats guys to help them out and, and, and to totally reboot the way they've done things. And look, they've had a great run since the capital T capital F task force was, was rolled out at great mockery. And the only like the whole in that is like, yeah, you didn't win the one that counts. You didn't win 2018 Ryder Cup.

And honestly, if you don't win this one, like they still won't get any credit. And I'm not sure they should. Like it's still as like the thing of winning the home ones is not hard. Winning the president's cup is not hard. Winning the Ryder Cup in Europe is obviously very, very hard. Will it actually change this time? I, I, this

might be the part of the clown putting on makeup meme where it's like, yeah, I've convinced myself every time they go over that this is the year, but it's a new group of guys. And it's a new process. It really is different this time around. And if they lose for the seven straight time, they'll be doing it in a new creative way. You can hang the banner like the colds did for the AFC finalists of runner up in the rider cup in Europe. If they do have to lose it in a seventh creative way, which is what I think makes it so fun, right? Is like Shane, I'm so bought into everything you've you've just said the last five minutes until they go and like, you know,

get blown out this time and it's like, Oh, man, like now, what do you do? Like now what? And that's I think that's the single most interesting thing of of the week, right? It's definitely the most interesting thing because it's all theoretical until you win in Europe. It's all theoretical until you win in Europe. And and the thing is like, I'm with Sully, we're like, okay, if they get blown out, then we probably have to have a discussion about, let's have a neutral person design. The course is, you know, it's stuff like that because there's been too many home blowouts in a row and we're in an era of, you know,

we're gonna be 15 years since the last close rider cup and Medina by the time we get to the next one. But if they lose closely, I'm gonna be like, see, they're on the right path. Exactly. And nobody else will be like, that's loser talk. But I think there is something to it where you are literally dealing with one of the hardest things in sports, which is to win a Ryder Cup on European soil. It hasn't been done.

We all know, we all know the numbers. It hasn't been done since 1993. It's hard for a million different reasons. But this American team is more equipped to do it than any American team since that year. And I, you know, I'm going to write a prediction piece at some point this week, and almost 100 percent I'm going to write that the Americans are going to win, and it's going to be really close. And that is kind of the thing I'm sticking by. I think they've done what they need to do, and they've kind of worked the system to the point where they are fully capable of doing it, but we also have to admit to ourselves

that we are looking for overarching patterns in an event that is fundamentally three days long and that has a million different outcomes, right? Like I played in my friends' Ryder Cup, which has been close to two years. I played in it last weekend and my team won 18 to two with everything was in and say I can't tell you how it's delivered. It was just incredible. I can't tell you

how even things were on paper and when we were up eight nothing after the first day, we were like couldn't even enjoy it anymore. We're like what the fuck happened? Like so that you know I'm saying like Like in a small sample size, that range of things is possible. Now, that being said, I think it's, yes. The overarching narrative of this is that the US has been phenomenal since the task force came about. It's easy to laugh at a name like task force. I was laughing at it at the time. They've been great in presidents cups,

they've been great in writer cups. They got severely unlucky in my opinion in Paris, as for reasons you guys talked about. I think they are on the ascendancy, but until you win in Europe, you just can't, you just can't like, just stamp on that paper, right? You can't like, you can't put the rubber stamp on it,

and so that's all there is to it, like they have to go out and win this thing, and if they don't, it won't matter if they go, you know, they're gonna win like 20 to eight in, in Beth Page, we know that, right? They're not gonna lose in Beth Page, but if they don't, it won't matter if they go, they're going to win like 20 to 8 in Beth Page. We know that, right? They're not going to lose in Beth Page. But if they don't go win this thing tomorrow,

we're still dealing with that same narrative that's going to happen again and again and again. But the one thing I will say to your point is before the task force, it had been an awfully long time before America had won two in a row at home, even. That's how bad things were. So if you want to measure progress in the Ryder Cup, there is that, but that is kind of like thin gruel, right? When it comes to

the bigger thing of like winning in Europe. Yeah, I mean, I'm back and forth. I had a day to golf. If I go to the website now for the first time, their forecast is under 50% for the US to win. They have it 49.8 and Europe at 42%, which leaves about 8% for the tie and the, just like a presidential election, we're panicking, right? They're scanking like the week before. And I need to go talk to some doors here in Wisconsin and get a great deal of. I'm going to call Europeans on the phone there.

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and deposit restrictions apply back to 1993. No. Well done. What is, Dij wins if the guys who leave the United States are the same guys that show up in Europe, right? Like that's, that's been the entire thing is if we get there and Patrick Cantlay suddenly is the guy that we've seen Thursdays and Fridays at major championships, that's not going to be great. If him and Zander are the same guys, we think they're going to be like they're, they're probably going to roll. If JT and speed to the same guys, we think they're going to be like they're, they're probably going to roll. If JT and speed to the same guys, we think

they're going to be, they're probably going to roll. If Scott, I mean, Scotty plays well, if Max plays well, if like, if a lot of these guys that, you know, basically if it's played on paper, they're, they're going to win is the super obvious way of, of saying what I'm trying to make sound not quite so obvious. But that's, that's been the problem. And I think that's where that's what is the most interesting thing to me is whether you want to look at this as glass half full glass half empty, you know, this is kind of like the most fun Rorschach test, right? Is eight of these guys have never played a Ryder Cup in Europe before. And is that a positive? Is that a negative? I truly don't know.

And I just think it's so fun that like Scotty Sheffler, who feels like he's been the number one player in the world for 10 years at this point now, has never played a rider cup in Europe. Xander never has, can't lay never has, more cow, I never has. I mean, I just, I think it's like seeing how those guys answer the bell, and if they, if they are their normal selves, or if they are all of a sudden, oh my god, why is everybody screaming at me, uh, is the most interesting thing to me. So I just, I cannot wait to see what happens. Shane, what's the path to victory for the United States?

I'll say this. If they come out the first session going, why is everyone screaming at us? It's a very bad sign for the US. Someone should prepare them for that. Plus, the path for the US is, first of all, I think they definitely need to get out to a big lead. I'm laughing because the US Soulheim Cup 1-4-0 in their first session. No, but I really do think what we saw in Whistling Straits

was probably, Poverty Kerenin had a great plan of playing all those players the first day and having a bounce thing and then the US punch them in the mouth and they were distraught and sort of chaotic ever since that point. It's really big because everybody comes into the plan. The plan now would be everybody's going to play the first day. I'm sure both teams are going to do that.

The US plan I'm sure is that nobody should play all five sessions if they can help it. There's all these little things that are kind of smart and that have historically proven over time to be good thing, keep your players rested for Sunday singles, but it all hinges on having a lead. And so, you know, Luke Donald did something which surprised me. There's always been this thing where Europe has done for sums, alternate shots, second, when they host. And the US has always done it first.

And it's funny because I've asked Jason the keynote of Scouts Consulting, like, just tell me why this is done. Like, what is the reason for this? And he's like, well, either there's a reason there's not to the point that I do the point that I don't know if there's an actual reason. And I asked Paul McGinley, he reached them, like, you know, have the formats, but analysis that they haven't been announced yet. But I'd be surprised if we go away from what's worked in Europe for decades. And I was like, yeah, of course, they're going to do for some second. But Luke Donald has done them first. And his philosophy, which he just said today very plainly is, I think we have really good for some matchups.

We trust our analytics has the most influence on for some. And so we're going to do the thing first because we want to get a lead first. Getting a lead early is really, really big, notwithstanding what we saw at the Soul Heimcup. And yeah, I think if the US has got the better team, I think they have a really interesting thing right now where they're being framed as underdogs, which is something that Europe has tried to avoid, like the plague for so long. You may remember McGinley at Glen Eagles, like me like, well, Tom Watson, a legend of the game. I don't know what hope we have. I mean, like, these big Americans, these big Americans, these big mighty Americans, how can we possibly compete? But it's kind of going the other way now, right? And not just

not just with like, analytic stuff, but people are going, oh, God, look how good they all did at their, you know, last European tour event against whatever minor leaders there. Can you believe that the best 12 players in Europe finished in the top 25 in a tournament with only Europeans? Like, this is insane. And Billy Horsesho. And Tom. I apologize to Billy Horsesho and all family. But no, that's the kind of thing. There is this momentum for Europe in terms of the PR that I actually think is really good for the US. So all they have to do is play their game, but to come back to James Point,

like you do have to fight with thousands of people screaming at you. That's not nothing. And in my opinion, that's the biggest thing. And so if they can handle that and having eight people who have never done that before in the situation, if they can handle it and go out to a first day lead, I think they have all the confidence they need and I think they have a leadership and the experience they need to go out and win this thing. I'm betting on them to win this thing and yet I don't think there's any world in which it's going to be a blowout.

So they're going to have to be tough from beginning to end right it's going to be even if they're-6, Europe is going to make a run on Sunday. There's going to be some crazy things that happen. So the path to victory, I would say, is don't get punched in the mouth in the first session in the first day. Stick to it and just kind of let your talent come through. And I think they talent experience strategy. I think they have what it takes. I think there's something really interesting about that for some switch up to. The idea of going out first thing and just knowing, you know,

oh my God, Ryder Cup in Europe, Ryder Cup in Europe, Ryder Cup in Europe, everybody's telling me how intense this is going to be. And then having to go out and only playing half the shots, being a little bit back footed on like a weird format with all that stuff in your mind. Like it does kind of, it does make sense to me, you know, again, I don't know the numbers and how they make that decision. But as a player, like, oh my God, I can tell you, you know, again, I don't know the numbers and how they make that decision, but as a player like oh my god I can tell you you know

Hypothetically as if I had been chosen for the writer cup I can tell you which one I would absolutely not want to play It's like you're not playing your own ball. You're only you're waiting to you know play with the other guys a format You don't play that much like I think it's it makes sense to me. It's all the way you said well And it's also like the level at which this is being broken down on the analytics and strategic front is like the downstream effect of certain pairings and like looking historically at what the US has done

with their teams and who they sent out in the first session and what Europe typically does. And like I think Europe roped-oaked, Furek at in 2018 is like, all right, they always roll out their top eight guys, whatever it is for four balls. And this is what they'll do. We're going to semi punt on this first session. We're going to send like what a typical thing is like to send your your strongest guys out first. And then the afternoon is like, all right, we're going

to rotate the rookies in then. But you're up like rope adope them. And like when you asked rolled out DJ and Ricky, who didn't make it to the 17th hole, Bubba and Webb in alternate shot, Mikkelsen and Bryson, like all those teams got wiped off the map in that afternoon and the Ryder Cup was over. Like it was toast at that point. The singing had started and it was all over.

And to your point, Shane, it's taken me like longer to fully fully recognize it. I've always known this, but to your point chain, it's taken me like longer to fully, fully recognize it. I've always known this, but to fully recognize like match play is such a different beast. And like, we don't have anything else to judge people on other than their stroke play records, but match play is these the stroke play golf is all about limiting risk. It's all about hitting center of greens. It's about aiming 10 feet towards the right of the left of a pin to be a, you know, to be on the fat side of the green and all that. And match play is dictated a lot by what your opponent does. And every 10 foot put, you know, an eight footer that is either to win or tie the whole or lose or tie the

whole is different than like, Hey, over 72 holes, I'm going to make half these eight footers and I'm going to miss half these eight footers, whatever. And match play just doesn't work like that. And it is the same reason why like Ian Polter can turn into a god in these things and Tiger can turn into a little boy. And just like the better player is almost disadvantaged sometimes because there's just this thing that works on top of you of how am I one down to Robert McIntyre right now that do just miss the cut at the French open and before you know it, you're two down and you're pressing yourself. And that is how how this has happened so frequently for them. And I don't know why I've considered, you know, I've concluded that it's going to be different this time, but

there's always that feeling every time the old shit feeling, every time they go to Europe where you throw out all the numbers and you just forget like what it's like for once those chants really start and they're common man. The chants are common. Chants are definitely coming. I have this funny memory all the time and I always hesitate to say to look. I don't think it's representative completely, but it was Rory versus Ian Polter in Austin. I want to say it was three years ago, but it might have been four years ago.

And as you can imagine, Rory was like 50 yards ahead of him on the tee all the time. But that meant Polter got to hit his approach first. And Polter was sticking every iron. And he ended up beating Rory. And it was just the kind of thing where you're like, this wouldn't play in stroke play, right? Like they wouldn't, they wouldn't be head-to-head, first of all, Rory wouldn't give a shit.

Like what Polter was doing on his approaches. But in this like particular form of singles match play, what Polter was doing was absolutely driving Rory crazy. And he ended up beating him. And yeah, it just shows like there's just a small example, right? It's not representative on the whole, probably being 50 yards further off the tee is a good thing, even in match play. But yeah, the chance are coming.

It's going to be tough. It's going to be the cauldron. It's why we get into the idea of like the JT debate, which I think is possibly the dumbest debate anyone's ever had, like in golf in the last two decades, of whether JT should be on that team. The only reason you could say no is if you have absolutely no concept of what match play is, no sense of history, right, or any of that stuff. Like, like, having Justin Thomas out there is such a big weapon, because of these same things we're talking about, being able to step up in that arena and do the thing that you have to do, and he did it in Paris, even while the US was, you know, getting

decimated. So it's unpredictable in a lot of ways, but the teams that have always done better in the Ryder Cup are the teams that have adhered to a close system that have worked on a template of success, and that have the guys who can step up in the big moments. And I think what's so intriguing and what has me, you know, I won't sleep probably on Thursday night because both teams have that this year, right? There's no bad captain. It's not asing your versus Faldo where you're like, oh, I don't want to guide. Not Watson versus McKinley. Yeah, it's not Watson versus McKinley. Exactly. Like there's nothing where you're like, well, yeah, hindsight, you know, that's that that was over before it started.

You have like you have one team that's slightly better, two really good captains, two really good systems and a home crowd on the opposite side of the team that's better. Like there is there is every chance and I hope it happens. There's every chance that we see a rider cup. Finally, first one since Medina, that on, you know, let's say on Sunday at 4 p.m. Italian time is still really hanging in the balance. I go back to this a lot, Shane. This is after the 2021 Ryder Cup at

Whistings Trades, the US one 19 to 9, the captain of the European side, Patrick Harrington said, everything Europe has done over the last 20 years to innovate to get an edge. They have just copied us. They're doing the exact same thing as us. It's just hard to find that edge. And I go back and listen to your deep dive into the 2014 Ryder Cup very more frequently than I possibly should because just to be reminded of what it means to be completely outclassed from a cap-and-seer perspective. I think, again, we can talk about this for another 40 minutes like we have to start this podcast. But a lot of people think it just means kumbaya and well-produced media productions that go

out to your Twitter account and chance and support in the team room. And a lot more of it is about planning for scenarios, about putting guys in position to succeed in comfortable situations and not telling like, hey, Hunter Mayhan, go play with Jim Furek and ForSums. I'm just now deciding that this is a good idea. Like the US has come so, so, so far from that scenario that again, it's like why I can, I'm convincing myself that there's reason to hope.

There's a story I love from Whistling Straits. You go into this idea that, you know, planning is, is the biggest thing. And Steve Stricker's whole mantra, the entire, his entire captaincy was, I'm going to outplan these guys. And so we get to Wednesday or Tuesday or whatever. And it was the first captain's press conference. And Steve Stricker's up there. And in the opening ceremonies, at some point, he accidentally said that he was a bear's fan and got everyone to boo him. And like, his captain's press conferences are like, you know, horrible. He's like, well, I'm just not a guy who likes to talk, you know,

like, Patrick's school them at all those opportunities. I mean, worry about the TV. And Patrick goes up in his hilarious and Patrick goes up in his hilarious and all this stuff. And you remember, like, he had all his guys where he's heads out to the first T one day, right? We're going to win all the Wisconsin crowd. Yeah, just, yeah, complete genius. But there was a, they're, their press conference ended. And this, this English reporter who I didn't know,

but he caught my eye and he looks at me and goes, one meal to the Europeans. I was like, I just thought, even at the time, I was like, how stupid can you, I mean, how important is this stuff, right? Like it's so important. And of course, I had an inside look into, you know, you know, within reason I had an inside look

into the kind of stuff Strictor was doing. And I knew he was gonna be a good captain, but it was so funny. And then I saw Paul McGinley, you know, on Thursday night, and I was like, what do you think? And I mean, in nicer words, he all but told me, like, this is not going well. You're gonna get nine points for those press conferences.

It wouldn't have been enough to win it with. Exactly. It's not, so the people who know, know, right? You know what the important thing is. And actually McGinley has a quote, I think he borrowed it from Bill Bellachack, which is make the important thing the important thing. And that's a really big deal.

And for Stricker, right, it was like, he's not gonna give the best speech. There's no way possible. But the important thing for him was just out preparing on all the small logistical ways you know what what Harrington had didn't he did and we saw it look I don't know what Harrington could have done to reverse that writer cup but certainly not knowing what balls your guys are playing on Tuesday of the writer cup is a bad sign right certainly like taking fewer captain's picks is a bad sign you just there's little things like that and that you know It just kind of shows you the quality of the

captain and how obsessed they are. And I think, I think, I mentioned that in a funny quote afterward, which is, you know, actually, I think he said to me, you know, the way Paul McGinley handled his captaincy, said it really high and potentially unfair bar for the rest of us because because McGinley was, this is, he treated it as his job for two years years and he thought of every last detail and all that. But now that's the Americans are doing, right? So if you don't do that and all indications are that Luke Donald is doing that and so is that Johnson. But if you don't do that, you're kind of screwed in the stand edge. I cite the data a lot, the analytics a lot to the to the eyebrow of many listeners and viewer I'm sure and present company maybe even included in that. But that's all to like, European, Europe has schooled

us on that front for many years. Like that's what Europe has done, right? And it's just been, yeah, every little advantage you can get from analytics is a small percentage point. But when you span it out over 28 matches, like the comparison I've made, it's like, it's like playing blackjack with a really good strategy versus playing one with a really bad one, like a really bad one, you're gonna win 40% of your hands and if you play perfect, you might win 49.5% of your hands, right? But to punt that advantage to Europe every single year, like it, you're starting at a huge disadvantage

just odds-wise, right? And to, by all accounts, it seems they've at least somewhat leveled the field on that regard and made it more about you know the golf plan maybe to the maybe they do it too much maybe they're too analytical maybe they you know make some mistakes I there's plenty of decisions that will likely be questioned if things go poorly and even if they don't people are going to question things people are already questioning why Bryson's not on the team which I don't know if we want to get into some of those comments that came out today but or yesterday I guess if you't mind, if you'll let me read them, please, yeah, definitely. I'm

playing better than wing foot. He said, if you look at it, it would have been at least nice to have got a call. There's numerous people that I think Zach should have called out here and we didn't get that. I understand I get it, but we're nothing different. We're still competing. We're still working super hard to be the best we possibly can be. It all is, as it always has been just reeks of the arrest development, magicians alliance, we demand to be taken seriously. And yeah, I just, I don't know, man, maybe the cell phone service at the party hole last week wasn't very good, but I think it's, I don't know, I think to borrow another Bill Bill Belichet quote, like we're on the Cincinnati here, Bryson, thank you.

Thank you. How do you think that phone call would have gone, right? I mean, you want to play this out? You want to be Bryson? I'll be ZJ. I'll give you a call. Ring ring ring. Yeah.

Yeah. Hello, which way? Which one am I? You're Bryson. Oh, uh, I, it was like in Chris's scenario, Bryson was calling Zach. Yeah, I don't have a lot. I don't have a lot prepped, but I would say I, Zach, you got to make this quick. I can't talk right now. I'm currently retrofitting my house with, you know, something that's going to help me live until 165. Yeah, that's, that's

perfect. Bryson. Listen, nobody likes you. Like none of these guys like you. None of these guys want you to be on this team. If you thought you'd even be considered for this team after you literally middle finger these guys and sued them, like left for live and just totally out of spite sued the PGA tour, which is 11 of these players. And you thought you'd even be considered for this Ryder cup team is such a gross misunderstanding of the entire process that will in that we've spent 45 minutes. The no way up guys have spent 45 great minutes of their podcasts, just now discussing. If you thought for one fucking second, we were going to

ever consider you for this team shows, is every single reason we would have ever needed to have not taken you on this team. But a bus of luck to the crushers in the remaining part of the season. Yeah, I mean, I agree to disagree. Just, you know, just one of those things, you know, we're going to keep working hard. We're trying to avoid relegation, you know, things like that. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's, I think that's about right, Tali. Also thank you for the O and three performance in France. You were a really big addition the last time the, the, we went across the pond to play

Europe. Thank you for that. You know what? The only Bryson, you know, maybe this is the Wisconsin coming out of me, but man, I don't think I've watched another highlight from the 21 writer cup more than I have the him raising his potter after driving the first degree. It was like straight. So it was the scales. We got to add that into the record as well. I just say like I'm not always the biggest Bryson supporter, but I think he handled himself really professionally in that call. And I think Zach Johnson a little aggressive cruel.

I just as a neutral body. I just want to be a terrorist. I was arrested. I was. I was. No, he's blocking on Twitter. I don't know how he behaves. So that's the like of all the positives in the column for the US. So I think they might win definitely a negative is that they're, they're, they're captain has rabbit ears. It is blocked me for, despite never tweeting at him. Oh, wait, Zach Johnson. Oh, yeah, I thought you were saying bracing. Oh, no, bracing has not. He has downplayed a lot of my reporting as it relates to, you know, the news related

him over the last. Yeah, that's what I didn't think about. If you, you know, if Bryson's going to be on the team or not on the team, you're going to hear first from his team. I don't believe anything. Zach Johnson says, you're going to hear that from me and my team first. Oh, man. All right. What, what's burning next? We have a lot of stuff to get to, but what's's what should we prioritize here? Let's do some hypotheticals. So I'm going to throw out some superlatives, some segments, things like that. Shane, let's just let's quit fucking around here. Should we let's just go right to it enough is enough. Enough is enough. Ryder Cup MVP. Who's it going to be? Oh, man. Oh, man. Great call. Um, I'm trying to think what would make the most

people upset. It's a weird way my brain. The game's all over. I game my BD MVP blocky. Michael block. Gonna come commentate and nail. He's like Tony Romo, nail every single match. No, I think, you know, MVP, I think MVP. Oh man, I wanted to give a good answer. I want to say Justin Thomas, the troll in me wants to say Justin Thomas, but I think, here's what I think, Wyndham Clark is gonna surprise people.

Oh, wow. He's gonna get more starts than people. He's gonna get four, he's gonna get four starts, he's gonna go three, oh and one, and he's gonna get more starts than people. He's get four. He's get four starts. He's gonna go three, oh, and one. And he's gonna be a sneaky MVP because he's gonna do something special on Saturday morning, right? Before there's gonna be a moment where you go.

Windom Clark, who knew? Everybody wrote them off. Windom Clark is the guy. I did not see that coming. I'm gonna say the X-man. I'm gonna say. I don't stand by it. I'm gonna go Xander. I think that if he

in can't lay really get out and run, I could see that potentially being the only team on the US side that goes for team matches. I don't know if that's going to happen or not, but I think again, this is the part that is starting to really interest me about this competition is like, the US, I would imagine their strategy would be to try to get their best teams up against, like the Xander Cantley and the Sheffler Bernstein, which I think we're gonna see, try to get them, try to line them up against the middle to the bottom part of the European team.

When they do that, counting on the fact that the US is middle to bottom depth, has more capability to beat Europe's top teams to really run up the point total, right? So like if you think back to the singles matches and how they worked out at Wiston Strait, like they wanted their 12th man Scotty to have John Rom and to be favored in all the other matches

and that's exactly how it worked out in singles. And I know we're talking team stuff, but I think if they can figure out a way to do that and I know there's a shitload of scenario planning that goes into all that which I don't know how all that works when it comes to like Well, they know we're doing that now. So now do we change the order of when we do things and all that is such a cat and mouse game that we know that they know that they know But does it certain point becomes this like screw them screw what they know zander Patrick first, right? It becomes like we're not going to play the double triple think game or we might or we might know, but really, right? I assume you just got to throw you guys out there and say we think they're going to be

anyone. Yeah. And that's where I think like I think back to 2014 and I remember looking at some of the pairings and I forget which of the window I can pull it up here. But I remember looking at like, like the afternoon pairing on ForSums was like, all right, Rose and Stenson and Rory Garcia are a team. It's like, I don't think you're beating either of those teams

if you're the US. And I think the US has a couple of those anchors now that if you can get them in the right matchups to just put like the two points on the board session by session, that's just going to add up by the end of it. I think Europe does have a depth problem. We've seen, I thought they had a depth problem in 2018 and they did not end up having that. It turns out the Fleetwood, Moanari thing was enough to carry the day on that, but I

wouldn't be surprised if Bob McIntyre sat out one of the days. Like if they only played him in one of the team matches, if I had to nominate someone for me their side, that would be the case. But also, I can think of no one better prime for like the, yeah, this dude has no business cheating me. He has no business beating me by any statistical measure. But how is he four up through five on me? And he's chipped in twice and he's made a 45 footer. Like I can totally see that happening as well.

So this is many to start. I've twisted my self in every possible direction. It's Tuesday. It's Tuesday at 12 o'clock. We're so screwed. There's so much time between now and the first shot. I kind of have a feeling it's one of those years where you know, the US like the MVP comes from the European team and the US wins, you know, like what like Victor Hauve and Michael like 401, but the US like still wins is kind of the way I would maybe take that question otherwise like very boringly I'll say Scotty I think having a little help a little help on the greens and you know, maybe he Something clicks and he's had a little time off to rest and I don't know, you know shocking

Please, you know, you can print this in the newspaper, but please most credit DJ pie I think I think Scotty's gonna drive it and iron it well when we get there. I mean, if you, if you look at, if I can take your next question, which I'm guessing is going to be LVP, if you're going to go that way, I, I, if I'm Europe, again, I'm just a little worried about the Lowry Rose Mac and Tire Stroka, like that, for, like those four play to practice around together, I think when they were at, um, Marcollo, a week or two ago. And if I was a fan, I would be concerned if both Lowry and Rose do not play well. Like if one of them has a stinker, I think they might that's might be where they're in a little bit of trouble.

Yeah. I had that circle as well. It also, Lowry's only played one of these, right? Like that's that's the whole other thing. He seems like he's been on five teams, right? And he just hasn't... They treated like a 10 rider cup veteran. Yeah, the risk horse is like, well, this guy's been there over and over. It's totally... He went one and two the one time he played.

Yeah, and he lost. Yeah. I will add to that. I thought Lowry was the name I was going to come up with, but I can just picture a scenario with which Matt Fitzpatrick goes like, Oh, and four and just kind of looks like he doesn't care. And everybody is just infuriated with him. As much as I like Fitzpatrick, I just think that like his right or cup record has been abysmal so far and he hasn't shown the sort of gumption to, to want to play with any fire. So he would be my early pick for LVP with the full knowledge that that's like, you know, freezing cold takes. Well, I'll say the the insert Jamie Weir plug in here would be one. He's not got to play

his own ball in any team format so far. And he's a different golfer than he was in the previous two versions with with how far he hits the ball. Now it's it, but we'll see. It's a total question mark. I think that's a question mark until you can put that, definitely can't put them in pen yet. Can I say that the media guy has, uh, fits listed at 155 pounds. I'm not buying it. I think he's more than that. Yeah.

I think he's bulked up. Yeah, I would think so. That might have been his original way in back in 2016. And he was like, you know, storyline to watch. I guess just keep that keep that in mind. I mean, I'm going to try to get him on a scale this week. For you guys guys, what is Ludwig going to do? Oh my God, I don't know. I don't know. I think every bone in my body wants to believe the hype and wants to be like, Oh my God, this is the this is the savior. This is the guy that's going to hit every fairway and

wedge it close. And you know, if he makes half the putt, he's gonna be in every single match. But it's kind of hard to get the rose-zang taste out of my mouth from the Soul Hump Cup, right? Where it's like, it's easy to paint these people as kind of like the next big thing before it really happens, right? And Rose looked, she looked a little, from what I didn't watch every session of the

Soul Heimcup or from what I did. I mean, putter letter down. It wasn't one of those like the camp Miss kid is going to rise to the occasion. It just looked a little a little lost out there. And so I don't know. That's a classic fence. It, but I guess my gut would be I think it'll probably, you know, go one one and one or something like that. Like I think it'll be it'll be fine. I don't know that it'll be totally spectacular, but we'll see. There's a lot riding on it. Shane and I were talking about

this before we went on that like Shane, I think, oh, is it a heartfelt apology to to Tron for to everyone being on the team? Apologies for loving being on the team. He's more about me about you being wrong about that That he is you so don't worry about that. I did a tweet after it was all over where I was like well Tron didn't pick up on it for a while, but I just want to say I was pretty head of the curve on Like all of your other Like I was pretty head of the curve and I got it and tried My wording was off and Tron DM me like, what do you mean I just got on it? I was a little on it.

No, but Tron was like, I really do have to give him credit. Tron was on that and I think the funniest tweet in hindsight of the whole soul I'm cupped was when he had the balls after 4-0 to be like, I still don't see a path to America. Tron is my daddy right, and I fully accept that. On the topic of A-Burg, however, I will say that the funniest thing you can say to a European fan right now is like, man, he kind of gagged it. Went worth didn't. He didn't really look good under pressure.

But no, I think, you know, it's funny, DJ, to your point, and what we're saying, there's a couple guys where so much is going to be read into how they play the first time they go out there And probably for a lot of them will be Friday morning, Justin Thomas is one and Aberg is another where it's like That's it's confusing to me like win and they kind of both have to win right? I mean, they both they're both risky picks I Again, I'm on record thinking they're both really good picks. And the ABERG I think makes the whole Ryder Cup more exciting. But if either one of them just like, just, you know, is awful or just stinks,

that's going to be a referendum, not just on the captain and not just on them, but in as much as this matters, which it might not, but in as much as this matters, it's going to be sort of a massive PR thing for everybody watching going, ah, they failed. They failed making that pick. Like, like when Tom Watson, what Web Simpson, Texas, we on the team, and then he went to the first tee and hit the first shot of the rider. So it's like, and it like 90 yards straight up in the air.

And like, oh, they're done. They're not going to win this rider. That's it. Like, just go home. And you won't even have to get yelled at by Phil Mickelson later. Like, just go home. That's one thing I hope CJ doesn't do is the Watson thing that always bothered me about web is like he's my captain's pick that texted me the day of the picks to I put

him on the team. I'm putting him out to hit the first shot and it's going to be symbolic. I hope he doesn't do that with JT. Like I don't he was right. He was right. It was. Absolutely. You don't need to risk it all on that pick. I think JT could be a valuable team member. I don't think you need to play. If it doesn't go well, I don't think he plays more than two team matches. Like I don't think you have to flex him into a huge role of this team. I think it's a deep enough team that if it's not clearly not there, then don't go with it. But I, you know, playing well at the Fortinet and playing well every time there's been a match played team event makes me think that like he will be a positive contributor to this

team. So just because we haven't talked about him yet, you know, I want to, I just want to get on record. If we're trying to get on record here, Shane, I think Brian Harman is going to have an awesome week. I think he, I hope I think he's built for it. I think he's going to be able to hit driver in a bunch of spots to you know where like a lot of guys can't hit driver. I think he's going to be short of a lot of a lot of the trouble. I think to your e impolter example hitting first into a lot of greens. I think he's I think he's I don't know man. I think he's built to be kind of a dude. I'm not saying he's going to go out there and go 4-0 or something like that, but I don't think that was like some, oh god, bad luck. He won the open now. We have to take him on

the team. I think that's going to end up being a positive and I just feel free to throw that on my face later. No, I think you're right. I think he is. I like Brian Harmon too. And the really interesting thing about Brian Harmon is he has the profile of like, you know, the American conservative deer hunter that should have driven the European media nuts at the open. And they did go after it like crazy. But they all liked him. That was the thing. They couldn't help.

They all were amused by him. Like something about his personality. You just kind of like the guy. And he's sincere. And he's tough. And that's the other thing is he's tough. And he's been good at match play in certain limited way. I can call it.

All these things that probably don't matter now. But he's had good moments in match play. I was love elicit the things that I was also good at in college that may or may not be transpurable now. Dude, beer die. Oh my god. I would smoke yours. Yeah, but if you roll that team out right now, like, I don't know if you're, you know, best in the country right right now. Yeah, you know, you know, you know, some ketchup to do. But no, I mean, I think, yeah, I think Carmen's gonna have a good rider kept to I think it's funny to think of the role you would play for him. To me, right now, he seems like a guy you play Friday morning in ForSums, and if he does well, you play him against Saturday in ForSums, and then, and then singles,

like maybe he's just a three, a three session guy, but, but that's what the US is now, right? It's like, it's like the Sheffler formula from Whistling Straits. These guys can play super, super important limited roles and there's almost a philosophy on the American team that everybody's a role player now. JT might only play three sets. You know, all these guys have to do is deliver when they're called upon to deliver.

And what's also great about Harmon is that he has no ego, right? He's not going to demand. There's nobody on that team, but Harmon, especially, who's going to demand to play all five sessions because he won the Open Championship. So yeah, I'm with you, DJ. I feel like in limited action, this guy is going to be raring to go.

And you can just see him hitting big shot after big shot after big shot and frustrating and annoying and just being all around kind of a very good kind of pesky guy for the US. I have absolutely nothing to go off with this. So this is this is any pairings I'm talking or completely out of my ass with no inside information. I'm purposefully avoiding all inside information with any of this stuff. But in my head, in the way I think of it, which again, when I've run these by some of the stats guys that think analytically, they just clown on me for the way I think about pairings a

lot. But again, I'm not looking at nearly the information that they are. But in my head, Harmon is a four ball player. Like I want to see him play his own ball because the thinking there is he's not a particularly long driver. Yes, he's accurate. He's not a particularly good iron player, but a totally fine iron player. He's just better than the sum of his parts. He doesn't have a super translatable skills, a really good putter, but like, yeah, man, I just struggled to game plan around that, right? Because getting to the green is just as important in the Ryder Cup as, you know, I don't

know. I think Brian Harman could make a lot of birdies, is a long way of saying like, I always say this and people laugh at me when I say this again, it could be dead wrong, but I feel like your guys that you're less certain about their form, you play in four sums more than you do football like because four ball, you have to be really good. You have to make birdies like you have to attack. You have to be on the offensive. And if not, you have anchored your opponent to like put all the pressure on to play amazing

on his own ball. And if you're just not hitting bad shots in four sums, bars usually aren't hurting you too bad in four sums, right? And I just think it's like I've seen enough rider cups to see when there's a four ball partner that is not doing anything for your team. How much that can weigh you down versus a four ball team that puts two balls in the green, 225 foot, 25 looks at it, wears down the other team throughout the course of time. And I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Harmon in a four ball with a totally off the wall pairing versus I wouldn't be surprised

we played with Scotty. I wouldn't be surprised to be played with either Zander or Cantlay or something like that where you know, it's a totally different strategy and finding your formal partner. You're trying to find guys that play certain holes better, you know, you don't want your guys covering up birdies as the thing you're trying to play in around, which is really hard, but I don't know. That's where my mind goes with Harmon. I would be very, I would be surprised to see him play for some to not be surprised to see him play both four ball sessions. To your point about, you know, the off the ball kind of parings, there's always something we don't expect.

So as much as we analyze whoever's playing together in the practice rounds and who we think we know, and yeah, we obviously were going to see speed and Thomas probably and Kentley and, um, but that's what interests, right? It's like, it does seem like there's enough assumptions in there, right? There's a ton of assumptions, but like in Whistling Straits, you saw Keppka and Speedplank, right? JT a ton of assumptions, but like in Whistling Straits, you saw a kept getting

spieth plan, right? JT and Cantley played and Xander and JT and Kelly. Yeah, there's always these things that are like, usually it's something that Captain was like, you know, I just have this feeling and ran it by the stats guys and they're like, all major green light, major green light for these guys. And yeah, they throw it out on, you know, a Saturday afternoon when somebody else needs to rest or something. That, yeah, solid to your point. I can totally see it and they'll be ready for it. But yeah, there's going to be something that people were a little too comfortable in what we know.

And the stats element, just and how close they are, means that we really don't know all we think we know. And there's no way for us to know because they're not going to tell us these secrets. And so it ends up, what's cool cool about it is it ends up in these pairings where you're like, where on earth did that come from? Like, we're all sitting here going, oh, here's here's going to be the line of, you know, we're doing our little fantasy things. And we're like, oh, kept the speed. What? Like, no, none of us could possibly predict that. And I love that. I love Harmon Sheffler. Yeah, why not? Like that, that absolutely could happen. And it's one of those things where after we'll go,

that made total sense, but nobody could possibly have thought of that. Except you know, and well, and this is the, where the scenario planning is again, a very different thing from 2014, where Tom Watson, I get, I get, you can tell the story enough of Tom Watson says, we're going to base the afternoon pairings off who plays well.

And when Spieth and Reed were six up, he benched them for the afternoon, and then couldn't relay like he panicked and guys who played a little too well. Let this be a lesson to you. The team game guys. You're making a team. I could put him out there again, but that's just what they'd be expecting. So he sends a 44 year old Phil and Keegan back out for the afternoon and then panicked when they played bad and didn't send them out for the next morning for ball and then

didn't want to send them out for the next morning for some sort of end up sending all day Saturday. There was no like downstream planning for past the first session, maybe not even planning for the first session because he didn't even want to put speed and read together, but that was a stricker pairing. But it goes to like, there's, there's a way different approach the US at least has now for planning out how the different ways of, hey, if this goes well for these two guys in the morning, we may send them back out in the afternoon. And if it doesn't,

here's the other plan. And here's how that's going to trickle down into Saturday as well, versus just panic decision making. Ricky and Jimmy Walker playing all four matches for some reason and winning none of them in Glenniegals in 2014. Like again, it's just so, so different. And I'm excited to see how it all plays out. What do you guys, you guys worry about speed at all? What do you think we're gonna see for speed? Perennially, you bet.

Always worried about speed. I get this question every week. And the last, always worried. Decade, I've never not been worried about speed. I have, always worried about speed. I get this question every week. And the last, always work decade, I've never not been worried about speed. I have no idea what to expect, which is thrilling. But that's the great thing about speed is that it's, he's at his best when you're sort of mystified. Yeah. Totally. If you expect something, if you expect something, the opposite will probably happen. But this is, this is the sweet spot right now for speed, where where we're actually we have no idea. And so I wouldn't

be surprised to see him like like him with some straights against the cliff, like making birdie with his back turn to the hole or something like playing it off like a reverse wind current. No, I don't know. I did. It's the ultimate. It actually is a huge question, right? Can you see him being paired with Thomas and everyone's eyes are on Thomas and they lose a match because speed just can't bring it at all. And it's just like one of those things that is like absolutely in the cards. And this total home rhythm with me, I've seen it enough.

One plus one equals three with JT and speed. There is a true team chemistry, a true enjoyment of playing together where they're just freed up and they totally let it fly and they have so much fun together. I had, I think, again, as much as a total exhibition, watching them in the match run circles around Rory and Tiger, just like, like putting on display, what team chemistry looks like. Well, the other two put on display, what it doesn't look like. Any, any match play team you guys have ever played on in any handy-capped event, like, there's certain dudes. It doesn't matter your skill. It's just a certain

dudes that like, you totally vibe with and you feel comfortable, you talk about putt the same way, you talk about shots the same way, you have a certain faith in them. They have put that on display enough to say like, do that. I think JT is put on this team to play with Jordan and I think it makes the team better.

I don't, I can even think about breaking them up for a four-some sessions at least. I know they tried to break them up in four ball with mixed success, but I think there's some kind of magic there and call me a, whatever you want to call me for that, I, that's one of those like flu fee things that I actually believe in when it comes to the Ryder Cup. Who, uh, who you put now first, if you're the US team in for some, do they know that we know that they know, they know that we know that,

that they know that we know. I, I have an answer if you want to, if you want to think through it, I think, I'm looking, so I'm looking at Whistling Straits right now. And obviously, you know, Thomson's speech were first out and they got the best team from Europe. I would still keep, can't leave Shoffley in that anchor thing in that anchor spot, say, you know, come, come out and get us. And so I would almost run it back. I mean, I would think like, but then I also don't hate putting Thomas Spieth out

in second or third. That's a little pressure off them. Yeah. And say somebody like, I don't know, Homa and who's like, who do we think Homa's care would be? Like, Homa's perfect pair. I think Colle, I think you know,

I'm just going to call it. Yeah. A Homa more Collop pair, they're like, you know, they're going to be tough as hell. And it's like, yeah, we trust you guys so much that we think you can go out and get that first point for us. I kind of like something like that. And then, yeah, Thomas, Steve, like, we know you guys are going to win.

Go out in second and play some, play like some scrubs from like East Pole under something whoever you're going to pull through. Oh, my God. That's not true. I know that's not reality, but you know what I mean? I think something to be to think through. Just talking to Max a little bit about, you know,

the practice rounds and going over there. I'm pretty sure that first he is a pretty natural three wood. For most of these guys, just with the way that bunker pinches in. And I wonder if there is something to be said for like not putting a rookie out first to hit a three wood. Like my mind goes to Scotty and San Burns in that in that first match. But if it's Max and and more Cal I think more Cal it hits the first shot based on how things played out. No, you don't see it that way. I don't think so, but maybe my sources. Well, if that's the case, like the the better iron player is going to hit more approach,

like player A is going to hit more approach shots. Like whoever hits the first T shot is going to hit more approach shots and player B will have like more birdie puts. If Jamie Kennedy's stats that I retweeted today, like pan out that way. So yeah, I got a question for you guys and this this may just be something weird in my head, but I have a weird fear around Scotty Sheffler in this event and I it's not just his putting it's a little bit what happened at the president's cup, but there's something about him that I'm like and and and if I reassurance, I go back to Whistling Straits when he actually did really well,

but I just can't shake it when I think of him. I'm like, I just don't think he's gonna do well. Somehow, I just think he's not gonna do well. It doesn't really make any sense, but I'd be curious if this phobia is shared or if I'm just in a weird space. I feel like his floor is just so fucking high, right? That it's like, even his worst golf is so much better than most of the players that are

even there, right? And that's maybe that's a way too dramatic a way to say it. But I just, I feel like he's raised his floor so much that he's going to be an average player at worst. But I don't know. I kind of see where he's coming from. It's still, you know, I still always trust it. And then we get to, you know, 4 p.m. on Sunday of a major. It's like, oh, it's got his what? Two back. Oh, yeah. That kind of makes sense.

I, if there's anything that I feel like the US team is owed, like I use that term loosely in quotes of, in terms of something flipping is a season long trend, like totally flipping at the Ryder Cup. How many fucking times does that happen with Europe of like, dude, Sergio hasn't made a putt all year long and he cannot miss at the Ryder Cup. Or it just seems like if something is, is looking to flip a weird event where maybe Scotty's putter gets hot, like I could see that happening. I really could.

And his demeanor, man, just I just don't see the moment being too big at any point or I don't see it. I don't know. I guess I'm really not stressed about Scotty. And I think him, you know, he was very bad at Quail Hollow. San Burns was awesome at Quail Hollow. His record does not reflect it, but I'm guessing we see that pairing in ForSums

and I expect to see some success from that team. Equal Hollow is record does not reflect it, but I'm guessing we see that pairing in foursums. And I expect to see some success from that team. I think a morning foursums for the US, I would guess, SpeedJT, Xander Calais, Burns Sheffler, and Max and Marcala. That would be my guess for that morning session. I don't know where to guess on Europe. I feel like they're playing it really close to the chest. I think it's going to be really interesting to see what they do with Rory.

I mean, I know that's obvious. It's always interesting to see what they do with Rory. I mean, I know that's obvious. It's always interesting to see what they do with Rory, but I think Rory's kind of in shame you probably have, you know, more insight on this too, but I think they've always kind of tried to have Rory be that rookie babysitter, right? And like, we're going to put you with the young guy and we're going to you put them under your wing. And I don't know if that, you know, I was talking to kind of some people, some European people in the know, and they were kind of reading into that a little bit about like, yeah, every time they've done that, like, then Rory's

not Rory. And what you really fucking need is Rory to be Rory. And so I almost wonder if they give him less of the web sims and babysitting duty and put him out with, you know, someone that's a little bit more like a Hatton or Lowry or someone like Lowry has been there, been there, done this, he's played 10 of these things. I wonder if they maybe just put him with a less babysitter and more just go fucking step on some throats and beat some people. I would agree, except that I think the Roy Ludwig thing could really easily happen. I feel like he's an exception. I would agree, except that I think the Roy Ludwig thing could really easily happen. I got it.

I feel like he's an exception. I do too. I always think of Rory Peters from 2016, which is like the classic exception to the rule, right? Where you have a guy who, you know, wasn't a Ryder Cup stalwart or anything like that. And in theory, put Rory in that similar position of like, oh, you've got to be his uncle. You know, you've got to be his babysitter. And they went out and they were unbelievable.

I mean, they were just one of the all-time parrots for those last three matches, beating like Keppka, being Dustin Johnson. Like, they were so, so good. It is interesting, you know, Paul McGinley almost called Rory out on the golf channel the other day, basically saying, you have not found, he has not found his form in the Ryder Cup.

And his record shows it. He's not one of the great European Ryder Cup players and he probably should be. He's pretty close to five hundred. He's exactly five hundred. Yeah. And so it's solving that riddle is a huge thing because you're like, oh, you're not going to put them with ROM obviously. You're not going to do something that drastic and then you're like, oh, should you be hesitant to put him with Aberg? Is it a personality thing? But what is it that makes him feel secure and lets him go out and be himself?

And again, looking back to history, he's played with Sergio Garcia. He's been good. He's been played with Polter a bunch. He's not really been that good with Polter. He played with Peters. He was great with Peters. What is it about, is? Because Peters was so skilled,

at least in that time and place, and could Abert bring the same set of skills to the table? Is there even though Abert is young and a rookie, is there a security blanket element to that pairing? I don't have the answer to that. It's got to be one of Luke Donald's biggest puzzles, and it's the kind of puzzle where, if you don't solve it, you're probably going to lose rider cup right it's just going to be so tight that all your

little marty can't afford to have Rory play bad. Just like Whistling Straits like Rory and Romm had to be you know absolute perfection for them even to have a shot and Rory was terrible and you got blown out. It's the same thing here even with Homefield Advantage and again like if you if we all did a podcast where when you guys do your podcast Monday, I feel like that's going to be a big thing you're talking about. Either they did or they didn't solve the Rory Kananjo. As an American fan, I, you throw Rory Ludwig and Hovelin Fleetwood out as two pairings. I'm, I'm a little worried about that. Like that's, that's, that's, that's, that's looking really good. And then you're, I think any combo,

any combo of those four is fun. Yeah. To me. You know what I mean? I think I think a hovelin and Ludwig is really cool. I think Fleetwood and Yad Ludwig is really cool. I think I love those combos. I just Roy and Hatten is in my head for some reason, but I don't know. I don't know why. Can we get to a couple quite I always send a request for questions and we always get chatty, chatty, chatty, and and don't get to a lot of them. Can we get to a few? This is from Friend of the Program, Jim Hartzel, favorite for the Nicholas Jacqueline Award. Ooh. This is the Nicholas Jacqueline Award.

I've received a million emails about it. It's like the best sportsmanship. Drunkest player, that's what DJ got. Yeah. It was great. No, my favorite would be like Victor Haublin, you know, what a what a gentleman. Victor Haublin is always I did an interview with him and Colin Moore, Kawha and, oh man, this is late night in Italy. What's the guy?

Wolf Wolf Matthew Wolf at the players championship the year before COVID when they're all rookies. And it was funny comparing the different personalities like Wolf was the one they all called immature. And you know, like you can kind of look at what's happened since. And he's like, I kind of make, that trajectory makes sense. More Kawa was the very serious one. But like Victor Hotham was the one with total charisma. And I just think everybody loves him who watches him. And I think he just kind of gives off this aura

of that just makes you feel good. So I'll give it to him. You just have to be good. You're thinking this way too seriously. Right. There's nobody knows. Yeah. But it's the word is, right? They gave it to Dustin Frickin Johnson last time around. So his interview, I actually have 10 more minutes on that. You know, I was hoping you would ask me this. That's not where he's at. Uh, I just want to get this one in at NR underscore eight. How do they decide which ball they play with in four sums when players play different

brands? I don't think people are aware of this. And I was not really aware of this until relatively recently. Maybe even the last rider cup, you can choose whatever ball you want on each hole to put into play, right? So on the team. So you don't have to alternate holes. You don't have to stick with one ball.

What you'll see is guys will play the ball that whoever's going to be hitting the approach shot is likely the ball they're going to choose on the tee because guys are fine to kind of drive with whatever, but they want to know their distance control with their own golf ball. And I don't see that really in the modern day rider cup as being a hindrance to many pairings or that much thought going into it. For the record, it's kind of new and I don't have the date on it, but it wasn't always the case. Yes. Like it used to be that you had to choose a ball for the whole match, but I don't know when that changed. I think you could like, I remember 91. There's the

big kerfuffle with Jose Maria all that. But you had to alternate it, right? You had to, if you if you teed off with a 90 compression ball off one, they had to go off all the odd holes. If you did a hundred compression, they had to go off all the even holes. And but now it's, you can put whatever ball you want on the tee. Obviously, you can't change it out during the course of a hole, but that's just noting. Robert Wyndon says, is it really too hilly for guys to go five sessions or is this game in ship by Captain Donald? I think someone on Europe's going to have to go five. I think so too. I thought Whistling was too much for guys to go five sessions or is this game in ship by Captain Donald? I think someone on Europe is going to have to go five. I think so too. I thought Whistling was too much for guys to go five and a couple guys did it.

I don't know if anybody on the American side will, but I think someone on one or two guys from Europe will kind of have to. This goes back to taking the early lead because we remember, you know, the guys who had to go five for Europe did not fare well. Yeah, remember everybody was like, oh, Ram's going to kill Shephler. It's like, always not. There's a long history of people having to carry the load and then just dying in singles. Yeah. That's where I think like, I think back to the depth of the 2021 US rider cup team is where they just, I think they were always going to win that, but where they annihilated them was the depth. And what, what, what, what I think a lot of people think of

and they think of depth is just the bottom guy's winning matches. When in reality, it's getting your top guys' rest is one thing and taking so much pressure off your top guys. Like, dude, it is gotta be such a mountain for some of these top guys on teams that don't have depth to like think,

like, dude, if I don't go like 401, we might be in trouble, that is a amount of pressure that almost, I mean, the team with depth wins this thing almost every time. I mean, that's 2018 US or, you know, European radical team was freaking deep. Like they got contributions down the board from everyone. And I think that's where like, you know, if Europe's going to win this thing, it's got to be really, really good from the rose, Lowry, Mac and Tyre, Nikolai Hoigard group, which we haven't really even talked about yet.

So. Can I ask you guys a question? We've had a lot of very reasonable takes on this podcast. Just give me some eye tests, give me some gut romantic stuff here. You know, let's say it's tie game, going into singles, you wanted all to come down to the last match,

who you put out last for each team. Well, DJ, pushing my nerd glasses up, as we saw in the soul, I'm cup and as we've seen over and over, I don't give you the last match, never matter. You should put in the last match. If you, if you asked me the decisive match, no, I take your point. Here's who I want in the decisive match. I want, if I am the US, let's see.

I'm just looking at the team here. I just want to make sure I have an informed opinion. I think I want, man, I'm going to go back on what I just said. I think I want Patrick Cantley. I don't know. It's almost painful to say this, but I watched him at Whistling Straits,

not only play really well with Xander, of course, but playing against Shane Lowry, and they came after, at the turn, Padre Carrington and Mastanda, you guys remember this area that overlooks everything where you make the turn. And first of all, Cantley came just marching, looking like he wanted to murder somebody.

And Shane Lowry came after him. And I think it was only one or two down at the time and just looks at Harrington and goes, I'm sorry. Like he was just so thoroughly beat by this guy. And it was just one of those things. I think I think in terms of like, you know, he's your biggest psychopath. And I mean, that is a compliment. Like, can't leave as a guy.

I call him Patty Ice Shane. I'm calling him Patty Ice. I a little bit am. Like, I mean, you could say, Shaffler, you could say all that stuff. But in terms of a guy who's like, has the crazy mentality, you know, I like him. Like, if he was a pairs match, I would say Justin Thomas, but I think I'm going to say, Pat can't leave for him

for them. And I think, you know, John Rom is the obvious choice. No need to think about that one for the Euros. I'm going to, I'm going to do this as like a predictor thing in terms of it's going to depend on the momentum of the week, right? Like you're going to, if we're trying to put a spirit of the question, I'm going to get there. I'm getting there. I'm saying, I think Max Homa has a really good week and plays himself into that role, right? Like as we're sitting right here, I don't know if that's the case, but like, I think that

he has a chance to be that guy that just total FU guy that is riding away the momentum and to play that role. I mean, for now with the president's cup, like drain the putt that needed to on the 18th green. Like I think he's made for shit like this. And I hate that corny stuff. I know he's our friend, but like that's, that's how I feel. I love that. That's exciting. Man, you're kind of talking me into that one. I think Ricky, Ricky gets a look just purely from a like temperament standpoint. I feel

like he's a guy lack of thuggish jingo is in this go around. He's not shaved USA and side of his head. He's, you know, we've left him. Sam Burnt. Sam Burnt. Sam Burnt might be your guy. Uh, I think they are under play in San Burnt. So I'll say that part too. Yeah. I think, uh, you know, it kind of snuck up on all of us that pick. But again, I think back to how good he was, um, at, at Quail Hollow. And I think he is again, kind of really fits the form out of this event.

I mean, he won the WGC, right? Like that's not nothing. I mean, the guy literally won the singles match play. You want this guy. Shane wants Kisner on the team now. I can see this kind of from my way. I put together. I still I still regret that from 2021.

I still have bad dreams about that, Tane. I put together a very small stats quiz. Should we should we wrap up with that? Because we still got to do a whole other show on Thursday night. And Shane's going to get some sleep at some point. So I think we can kind of wrap up that. Let me hit you guys with this one, just because I know how much you guys like the rider cup. I'll try to make these as are you directing them at the group or individually at us? These are at the group. You guys got to work together. Okay. Okay.

So this is this is the best ball. That's exactly right. Just fire at the pin. We're going to start really easy. Most overall matches played for both sides. They both have played 47 matches. Your answers please. Phil and Sergio.

Half right. Yeah, it's got to be fill most overall matches played for the euros Is it Faldo it's Lee Westwood? Oh Did not realize that that that was that was a surprise to me Let's do most overall matches one on either side Lanny Watkins. That's a good question. Sergio is the correct answer for Europe. He's 125 matches, 25 individual matches. That's so many wins. That does not like, obviously, it doesn't include halves. I mean,

that's that's so many tons of wins. And the other one is not. It's not Lany Watkins. It's not Lany Wat watch. He's one. 22 matches. Lady watch. 22. Um, This is where it gets into embarrassing because I'm like, I absolutely know this because I've looked at this Wikipedia page over and over. You've probably been on this Wikipedia page.

His nephew Ryan Palmer plays on the PJ tour. Oh, yeah. Okay. Arnie. Yeah. Okay. I'll take it. That's the whole error. That's not the right cup era. Come on. Of course. Sure. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. It doesn't count. All right. He was just beating. Yeah. Now, let's do most overall matches lost. 22 on the United States side. Phil. Big. Yeah. That's a layup for you guys. I know that. Yeah. I'm just going to give you these in the in the spirit of time here. Neil Coles and Christy O'Connor have each lost 21 times. On the year. Chris O'Connor was an underrated terrible player. He made one of the biggest shots in Ryder Cup history

to actually win a Ryder Cup for his team, but it was like one in nine or something to that point. They're O and nine before he hit the I think he has lost in singles like he's got beaten singles 10 times. Yeah. I wanted to make a special. So hard to make that many teams and get beat that many times. And just, but if you Google them, it'll be like, here's the amazing time, because you'll Connor won the rider cup for Europe, because he did it once when, yeah, that's exactly right. So put it just to put that 10 losses into perspective, we're going to do most singles wins. So it's an eight way tie for from each side. Four people on each side have have one single six times. Just to reiterate, Cristiocounter got beat 10 times.

Monty for sure. Monty is one. I'm still going with Cristiocounter on this one. Oh, it is not no. He I feel like I feel like Polter has to be tied. Polter is to Sergio. Sergio is not on the list. The other two Europeans, both are CBS affiliates. In big.

Saldos. Um, Faldos one. Another guy who was on CBS for a long time, but he's no longer. Is that Lany Watkins? This is for the year. Just in yours. God, I'm trying to, I'm trying to shoehorn landing walkins into this really hard Peter Osterhouse. Yeah, wouldn't have gotten there Oh, I'll just give you that one

for US Americans Old guys Tiger only Tiger only one four so it can't be tiger So it's more than it's gotta be more like Arnie. I go late Arnie's one Like Ben Hogan maybe like not on there. Yeah. Lichorino, Billy Casper and Sam Sneed.

Sneed. All right. Uh, uh, just largest. Kill it. We're killing it. You guys are, you guys are, yeah. I don't, I don't recognize the, the GBNI era.

I, I, the writer cup started when Shane Ryan's podcast start, which is in the late 70s. That's sort of neat. That's right. Uh, largest singles margin of victory. So I, I'm not going to have you guess this one. The Ryder Cup started when Shane Ryan's podcast star, which is in the late 70s. That's right. That's right. Uh, largest singles margin of victory. So I'm not going to have you guess this one. This is more just for trivia. The US has had two singles matches that they've won eight and seven.

The Europeans have never won a singles match more than five and four. They've done that eleven times. I don't know. Just something to keep under the hat. I think you can get this one. Players to go five, oh and 0. You know this one? Go ahead. So you got Lanny Watkins first. Nope. Then Larry Nelson. Larry Nelson. Larry Nelson. Of course, you have DJ. Of course. Uh, Molenari and okay, in the current format, I think there's four on the US. And there's one on the year day. And this is going back on the day. Monari, the only person to ever do it from Europe.

Monari, the only one. In the modern era, in the only area we recognize, solid, it's only, it's only Larry Nelson. And that's right. And in the, before the modern area, in 1967, both Gardner Dickinson and Arnold Palmer went 50. Oh, just a fun note, Gardner Dickinson and Larry Nelson, both rookies when they went 50. So watch out for that. And then the last one I got on here is oldest rookie. I just thought you'd get a kick out of this one. It was the American or European? Well, I got both. Ted Ray is kind of a technicality 1927.

I guess everybody was never lucky, but he was 50 years old. Is it's not close? Fred Funk. Fred Funk. That's exactly right. He's very, very nice. He was 48 years old. That's all I got. I was perusing the media guy for a while. That's good stuff. That's fun. I think that's pretty close to to the end I mean I could do an hour and a half of this every single day this week if you guys wanted to but we got to go travel Tomorrow and meet up with Shane and have some wine and some pasta and enjoy the best week of the year It's I I'm so excited. It's just now heading me that we're gonna be at a writer cup in Rome and I hope it's I hope it's close. I really hope it's close. I think we're going to be at a writer cup in Rome. And I hope it's close. I really hope it's close. I think it is destined to be a close writer cup. It has to be.

Are we doing predictions yet? Are we still? I'm staying with mine 15 and a half 12 and a half United States, which is closer than I think people think it sounds. That is close. I'll just go extra close 14 and a half, 13 and a half US. I'll split the difference between you, fellas, 15, 13, US. All my American exceptionalism. No, no, like some hard thought goes into this, right? We're brave. That's right. We're brave people. Hell yeah. Ask me how I feel halfway through the first session too, because there's always that wave

and it's like, oh shit, I forgot about the chance. Guy to say, I have so much respect for how Europe can have a writer cup every four years, and it's in a different country. And the organization of all of the cheering and chanting and just like a total approach, the US fan approach is just to yell at the other team and harass them and give them as a lower and would say the dog's abuse.

And Europe has a way of actually cheering on their team that I have so much respect for and cannot fathom how it all comes together. It really is remarkable. I think it honestly makes a difference in the competition. I think they're all in a big group text. It must be. I hope to decide what they're going to say.

To boys club. It's a huge boys club. Exactly. Yeah. So all right, that's a wrap for this Shane. Thank you so much for joining us. It's almost 1 a.m. in Italy as you are calling in. Can't wait to get over there.

Can't wait to see you and watch our favorite sporting event. Get a right club, right? Be the right club today. Yes! That is better than most. I'm not in. That is better than most. Better than most. Better than most.