No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 750: Max Homa on the 2023 Ryder Cup

Episode Date: October 4, 2023

Fresh off his debut Ryder Cup appearance we welcome The Pro, Max Homa, back to the pod for the first of undoubtedly several postmortem episodes recapping the events at Marco Simone. Max takes us through the emotions of the week and during the American rally on Sunday, his partnership with Brian Harman, the mood in the team room after Friday and Saturday, his reaction to the narrative around Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, and the path forward for the US Ryder Cup team in Bethpage and beyond. 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. All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the no laying up podcast first of 48 post mortems on the 2023 Ryder Cup joined by my guy DJ pie. Hello, pie man. Ciao, ciao, Sally back in Milwaukee.

Haven't thought about anything else. I've only been thinking about the Ryder Cup for some reason. I cannot wait to find a couple uh, haven't thought about anything else. If we'll only been thinking about the rider cup for some reason, uh, I cannot wait to find a couple of people who want to talk about it as much as I do. Welcome to my world. I'm in. I enjoy seeing you getting engulfed in this. I've already had four phone calls today. Let's try to guys from for 2027.

Uh, uh, this, this guy counts as well. I believe he's, he's going to be a part of 2027. Mr. Max Holma, welcome to the show. Pal, uh, excited to talk some rider cup with you. Max Holma, welcome to the show, pal. Excited to talk to him, Ryder, cup with you. Well, man, thank you guys for having me. I, I too am excited to, to chat about this is consuming my mind. It is a crazy week. DJ and I usually have basically a semi weekly. We're solving all of the world's problems. So it'll be nice to do this publicly today for the first time. We're killing it by the way. As you can tell, things are going great.

Everything's going really good. I bet that's perfect. This episode is brought to you by our friends at Titleist and the new T-Series. Irons, Max, I believe I saw you put a T-1503 iron in the bag for the rider cup. I know you've had some success adding T-Series models for your four in five irons. I'm myself a T150 guy all the way through the bag. Why have you gone to those models at the long end of your set? Yeah. So I have a, I've been blending from six.

I have some of a blade, but then I start to blend five four. I typically play a seven wheel, but I always have a three iron that I travel with just in case. and wood, but I always have a three iron that I travel with just in case. And at Olympia Fields, it started to feel funny just more the shaft. And so I knew at Marcos Simone, we're going to need to hit the ball straight. So had JJ making me a bunch of different ones with different shafts and found this one I loved. And it was really useful out there, especially in that news when the ball got running, you could really use it off the tee. So they're just easier to hit. I feel like they're very versatile and I hadn't really hit many three irons off the ground.

It's usually just been off the tee, but one of my favorite shots of the week was the three are not the off the fairway on a par five that flew just like a four or five hour and do. And it was really fun to have that versatility. So, you know, that whole T100, T150 series has been a big advantage. I feel like I've had in my bag. Yeah, I remember those guys were talking about you are

one of the, one of the late ones in transitioning to a mixed combo set on one of the, enjoyed some success in doing so. So what are, we're recording this Tuesday afternoon, fresh off the rider cup, little jet lag mixed in. I came home with probably whatever was running through the US theme room. It sounds like it feels like it's just a humble brag. I knew those people were going to be out there. Oh, the US team sick.

Yeah, no, I've been feeling sick too. I probably caught something from him, I think, because we're just, we're talking so much. So, you know, I just have probably picked it up. What are your emotions like coming off a, if I may say a successful personal first rider cup, but a loss as a team, I'm sure it's a lot both though. Where did your mind go when I asked that? Oh, I mean, it, that I do not mean this in, uh,

in Jess is a true bummer. I'm very proud of myself, but I'm not happy with the week. I had so many happy moments and fun moments. We had galvanizing moments and all these great things, but at the end of the day, we had 20 minutes of hope there that Sunday, and it was about as fun as it got. And then when we were getting news, like kind of getting thrown at us. That course, by the way, amazing job with the screens

because we could watch the golf full time. It was very easy to tell what was going on, but as you're kind of running back, we ran back to go see Justin play 17, 18, and then as we're basically coming on 18, Colin or I think was the one who told me that I think Rick could hit it in the water and we had lost.

So it just, it was hard. You know, it's fun. Obviously for myself, I had a great week personally as far on the golf course, but it's difficult because I'm there to make as many scores as many points as I can as everyone is, but I'm there to celebrate with my team on Sunday when we win. And it was, it was weird for me because it just was a, if you had told me at the beginning of the week, you're going to go three one and one.

I would have not believed you that I would have played five. I wouldn't have, I wouldn't have believed I could have gone three one and one, but I would have been over the moon. And then if you would have told me we would gone three one and one, but I would have been over the moon. And then if you would have told me we would have lost it all that, then I would have just traded it for something else. So it was, it was a, it was a bummer of a week, a lot of really amazing moments that I'm going to take with me forever. You know, I told the guy Saturday night. When we were leaving the course, I said, all you guys who have played on these before and and some of them played many I said please just do me one favor do not take this for granted. I know we're getting absolutely fucking rocked

But this has been the most fun I've ever had so please just never take it for granted because even as we were getting killed it was it was Amazing it was just an amazing, amazing week. I just wish we would have finished that comeback because like I said for 20 minutes, I was like, holy shit, we're gonna do it. I really, I told everybody that block of red I saw I was doing the math when I was on 10. And Joe and I were talking about it.

He's like, holy cow man, like this can happen. Like this can happen. And then, I don't know, it's like that hope is man, like this can happen. Like this can happen. And then I don't know, it's like that, that hope is the worst thing you can have. And we got it. Hope to kill you. Yeah, the hope kills you. But it was, it was so much fun. But fun and feeling like the week went right are obviously very different.

I could still have fun and be incredibly bummed out. And that's just kind of how I felt the last day and a half or so. I feel like we can either kind of start at the beginning or start at the end and work our way backwards. I don't know if there's a right way to do it, but the thing that's in my mind is the 6-7 footer on 18 during the singles match. And for anybody who didn't see it, you, you, it's a long, you know, or kind of shortage part five, you hit your second shot down in the,

the eyelash of the bunker down there on 18. And then basically just take, take me through kind of from there until the time that the putt hit the hit the bottom of the cup. Well, it's actually funny. You started the end because I was convinced the first T would be the most nervous I've ever, ever, ever been. And I was so wrong. I had the first tee to that moment. I thought I got better as we went on about like controlling my nerves and just like it was laughable how nervous I was on the first tee. I felt so calm until right when I stepped into the tee shot, my left leg went nuts.

And I told Joe, it's like when you're doing a wall sit and you do it a little too long. Now he's like, he's like, oh, I couldn't see it. And he'd always joke because it's so funny what you feel because he goes, you look so like poised and calm. And I'm like, dude, I just lost control of my body. But I hit the fairway.

So I was like, I'm gonna take that with me. Fast forward that to the last, I would say the last three holes, but that last, that last hole is such a blur to me when we got home. I nerded out and I totally said, I have to watch the last hole like in real time, because I was like, I don't remember a lot of it. Like I remember what I felt like. I don't remember, it just a lot of it was so blurry.

I remember little remember little things, Matt made me put a 12 inch put on, I was probably longer than that, but 18 inch put on 17, and I was nervous, but I was never missing it. I remember walking off the green security, I'm giving you a very long answer for this one putt. But, I had nothing to do. I had nothing to do.

I got nothing left for you, bags. But security had done a very poor job all week. I thought the volunteers were whatever. When we would walk off the greens, once the euros were first, like everyone would follow after them. And it got pretty old. It happened the first day on one hole

where we were getting killed after nine holes to Victor and Ludwig. And I feel bad. I shoved a man out of my way. Like it was just like absurd. How many media people were there that were clearly just fans of, like they weren't media people you could tell.

So we were all kind of fed, or maybe I'm not gonna speak for everybody. I was fed up with it. And when we were walking off 17, I was pretty pissed off that I was still on the golf course because I thought I should have won by then. And I was pissed that I had to put a very short putt after giving Matt a longer one. And then while we were walking off, Matt had obviously was already off the green and was up the

hill to 18 and all of a sudden it's just getting filled with people. And four of those people were the Euro team players. One of them was Rory and I'm like walking behind him and he like had stopped. And I shoved out of the way. And no, it was close. I will tell Rory if he didn't say sorry, I think I was going for him. So he said, he's had your face. Is that what happened? I think he had his hat off by then.

His his protests began right as the event ended. So, but I said excuse me and I was like very annoyed that they were all there, but he obviously it's Roy. He said sorry and like moved out of the way, but I was just like so tilted by that, which was kind of helpful because it like moved my nerves to kind of like back to that kind of my nerves to kind of like back to that kind of FU attitude. And then the last soldier's a blur and I was so nervous and tired and all of those things that I got. I thought of one thing that was stuck out when I had that fight is that on Friday afternoon,

I missed, I had a very, very good fight with Justin, against Justin Rose when I played with Windum and I Wyndham deserved to win that match. He played tremendous the the back nine. He hold putt after putt and was just rock solid and I had you know 12 feet or whatever on that that whole I had to putt Missed in Rosie makes it right in the middle and I mean he played unbelievable it, but I felt awful. And in college, I missed a putt, I three putt my last hole in my collegiate career to lose the Thomas Peters to lose in match play of the team event.

And I was so like despondent for like 40 hours. And I remember flying to the US Open Qualifier. And I remember being on the plane saying, I don't know if it will be tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, or 10 years from now, I want that putt again. Like, please let me have that putt again. I do not want to end my golfing career

without getting an opportunity to show that I can do that. Like, I know I can do that. And just so happen that the next day, I had seven feet to get into a playoff, or to keep a playoff going, to get to the US open and I made it and I remember being over that putt saying, Bubba, you asked for this. Like you could be nervous but you asked for this exactly. So you better at least relish the opportunity and I remember I met Miss and I had seven feet and I remember saying you asked you

wanted this. So like flip the nerves, you're nervous, but you're not scared. Like you asked for this exact moment and you're getting in the biggest way, but it was just crazy. I was basically telling everybody, you dream your whole life as every single golfer ever has of making a putt to win the rider cup or making a putt to win the masters of the US opener, whatever. I have never jumped at making a putt to not lose the rider cup. That was a very different feeling.

And I had such a good week personally on the golf course that I knew I would be labeled the choker and that it just didn't feel like a fair thing. But I remember I really turned my brain on. You wanted this is a very cool opportunity, but I lost full control of my body. I can't believe watching it, that you can't see my legs shaking.

I couldn't feel anything. Like my legs were full blown vibrating. Like my I that you can't see my legs shaking. I couldn't feel anything like my legs were bit like Full blown vibrating like my I had 50 phones tied to my legs and everyone was calling me. It was a wild and I I I watched it like I said last night I just don't know how I made it and that motherfucker was right in the goddamn middle Like it was the best but ever and I just don't know. It was crazy. And then it was funny because I turned to Scotty and Colin. And I was ice cream so loud, so loud.

And Scotty kind of got amped up and Colin was kind of clapping. And they didn't know I took it on playable. They thought I got a regular drop. So they thought I had two putt. So Scotty said when I hit it, he said slow down, like slow down. And I came up to them after and I was like going crazy. And they were like, you know, Scotty, Scotty said he decided whatever I did, he was going to match my energy. So he was up. But everybody didn't seem quite as like up as I was. Well, nobody knew standing next to the green. Nobody. It was just you know,'s not like there's an announcer out there.

So everybody just assumed the ball was a bedding or something. Yeah. No, nobody quite knew like the rider comes literally on the line for that. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So I didn't know why they were booing. I didn't understand anything that was going on. And then we got it back to 17 and Scotty goes, I had no idea.

The ball was like, so it's the craziest moment. but I'm so thankful that I got to have it. And obviously I'm extremely grateful that it went in. But yeah, it was, I don't know, it was, I had so many experiences that week and then to get to kind of finish my personal performance on the golf course with that was really cool. I wouldn't call it a dream come true because none of the actual end of it didn't. It wasn't like some dream story, but I was convinced this week that I would take some things from here and go forward, use it to go forward in my career. Brooks had something really interesting in the press conference that everybody saw when they asked,

who wants the ball, like who truly wants it, who wants the putt, and he said very few. And I thought about it all week, because I was like, man, you know, to him and to everybody in golf, like the people who want the ball are major champions, and I have been absolutely tremendously bad in them. For what I think I'm capable of, and I like, I bet you he, like, I'm not on his short list of people who want the ball. And if I had to ask myself deep down in the, I think it's like in your core, like you have to go through, you have to dig.

I think everybody would say I want that putt. I was like, man, maybe if I dug deep down, maybe I don't want that. And it felt, I thought about it all week. So I was like, I want to be that guy. I want to be, I want, I respect so much of what Brooks does in those majors and obviously Tiger and like my favorite athlete ever, Kobe, like they clearly, like that's in their DNA. They want that. Winter lose and there, you know, you could be in the worst fiber. And all of a sudden, I had a moment where I was like, I said, it wasn't to win it, it was to not lose it, which I think is way scarier.

And I was just convinced that like, I'm going to, at some point prove that, like, that is who I am. And I think even if I missed it, the way I approached it I was proud of, but I was very happy that it went in, because I want to be one of those people he's talking about. The way I approached it, I was proud of, but I was very happy that it went. Because I want to be one of those people he's talking about and I have not proven that yet. So it was nice to at least add that to my, at least my role index in my head of things.

I can harken back on, you know, and hopefully a year's time at one of the four big ones. I'm laughing because my image for that putt. So I'm walking around at this point. It's like, all right, if we keep all the US flags red right now, the last two matches, you got all you got to is flip those from one down and all of a sudden, this is, this is leaning towards the US. So I'm on 13 green and the reception was really bad. So I'm like on the earpiece and they cut the scoreboard off because there was a match coming through there. So I'm like angling my head in all these different

ways to get good reception and I'm standing up blocking people's views and everyone's like, get down, get down. I'm like, no, Max is putting in this water cup. And it went in. Yeah, nobody had agreed that. I did the idea with the the rider cup. It's in the balance at that moment. Well, talk to me before before we move on from that real quick, just talking about the, the unplayable because like, I mean, that's going to be one of the most like crushing feelings ever to get up there and realize you, you know, like you said, that that match, it felt like it should have been over a few holes ago. And, you know, not to dredge anything up, but the, the one against Justin, you know, the on Friday kind of was a similar kind of slow bleed, right?

That kind of slipped away from you guys. And so to get up there and see that, I mean, was that what was going through your head or what talked to me about the conversation with Joe? I talked to him a little bit afterwards. It sounded like you guys had a similar situation on three that you were kind of pulling from. Yeah, so he brought up the point on three.

We blocked it or I blocked it way, way right on three. And of course, it felt like a bit of a theme of the week, but the US team seemed to be on the wrong side of the foot. That mattered, you know, like my ball is one foot into the stuff. And it was just a foot left, whatever. And I'm frustrated. Hey, man, that's what I was trying to say at our video too. I ate it 40 hours right.

You know, you said. And I wanted to hack it out. And he goes, we have a good lie. If you can drop it in this little down grain on three, and he goes, let's take it on playable and just get a put at it. And one of our goals for the week between myself and Joe is to beat in every hole as much as we could.

Something I'm trying to teach myself is that if I am as complete of a player as I as I believe that I am and I am as good of a putter as I've been this year, then I need to keep giving myself at least a putt to force the other players hand. So we did a good job there and he talked me into it and then we got to 18 and it was weird. I didn't I didn't feel like much about taking that playable. It seemed like the only plausible option. I really was not sure I was going to be able to move that golf while there was zero chance I could go anywhere at the green because I'd have to stand in the bunker. And at that point,

there was no chance that grass was probably right where I was was probably like a foot long. I was I was very I mean I know I gave him kudos. I need to give him kudos again. My head was I was was probably like a foot long. I was I was very I mean I know I gave him kudos I need to give him kudos again. My head was I was really frustrated because I had a good drive and I hit a very good second shot as far as like how flush it was. I I we we always like label shots like he will say like how did you hit it like you know one to ten and for distance and I told him I said I hit that ten out of ten I pushed it a little bit but I was trying to start it maybe eight yards left of that if not less and then draw it and just take the water out but like kind of get it hooking towards the hole and the only part of it that I didn't do is it didn't draw but when I hit it I was like okay

that's great I hit it far enough it's gonna be right in the bunker which is like ideal and I start seeing somebody looking for my golf ball. I'm like, come on, like this cannot happen. It gonna happen to me on five the first day, like one foot left of a bunker. And I'm like, what is like, what is my biggest design flaw of these damn golf courses these days? Is like the massive rough right around the edge of a bunker

because it just, it was a fine shot. And it's no worse than, it would have been much worse. If I'm 25 yards right of that, I have a better chance than where I was. So, and then Matt hit this like, skeezy, like, healy shot at, he's where you would want to be. And I just, I don't know,

my head was just spinning. I was frustrated. I said, this is not, this isn't fair. I know golf's not fair, life's not fair, but I think this is BS, dude. Like this is, this is not how this is supposed to be and joke calm me down and was like we're gonna take it on playable we're gonna chip it to 10 feet you can use the whole right side of the grain you have 10 feet and you're gonna make it. I was okay and

then once I kind of got calm down I was like that is the only option we have because the other one is just to aim kind of just right of where Matt was and swing as hard as I can and hope it goes in the fairway, which seemed ridiculous. It could go zero feet. I mean, if you go anywhere. So the only part of it that got bad was you get a circle now to drop in when you take it and play well, you don't have to be dead in line with the pin anymore. Shout out Tiger Augusta. You can like be, you have a little more wiggle room.

So the ruleistrian told me that. So then I was able to kind of look for where I wanted to drop and get the lie and I dropped it and a ball kicked dead for it and got stuck in like the one place where it's into the grain. And I was like, oh boy, but then I put my club down. There was like a little bit of air under it. So I was like, I think I can slide my club here. I mean, I was also like, you're super nervous and like, this is gonna be hard, but Joe

want to be to aim right and like every golfer does. Joe's like, just right, right side of the green, use the hill, bring it down. And he's saying it. I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, like I'm hitting this right at the hole. And it's, you know, I'm not doing that. I'm just, I'm gonna aim a little right, but I'm hitting it, I'm just gonna chip it at the hole. But I didn't, like obviously he was right, but I was just at that point, I was like, I'm hitting the golf shot. And that was one of the cool ones that, like, right when I hit it came off, like, the video's funny, because I remember it differently,

but the moment it felt like it hit the club face, I started to walk in, because I knew it was very, very good. And then I thought I made it for a second. I was like, this is the craziest way to end a match with all time. And it rolled by the hole and we had actually been practicing the putt and that had a bunch on the practice round days because we found that his putt was really straight even though it looked like it broke a lot. So I almost in my soul knew he was going to miss it right. I'd seen, I'd hit that putt Joe's like hit this putt and basically it was like you won't believe how little it turns. So he misses it right when it came off his blade. I'm like, all right,

you know, it's right and we're going to have a putt at this and it was just basically the rest of it was just convincing myself that like this is what I want to do and I'm going to do it. And so it was just it was eerie but all of it makes want to do and I'm going to do it. And so it was just, it was eerie, but all of it makes sense now, but like I'm getting booed for dropping, which I thought they should be cheering. I'm now chipping for birdie, you know, like it was very, the whole thing was very odd and eerie, but it was, yeah, it was one of those things where it all went so fast and so, it was so blurry that I truly can't believe that I even had that

opportunity and then that it went the way that it did. Booming on the on the 18th degree of the Ryder Cup. You just don't do that. You just don't do that. But how did the how did the pairing go back to pairings team wise? How did the pairing with you and Brian Harman come about for ForSums? Was that something that was when did you guys know that was going to be the case? And you know, well, you guys take us take us there. Is that something that came from the stats guys?

That's something you guys requested. How does that all come about? I think it comes from, it's, what, it came from the stats guys. I guess our ForSums team modeled really, really well. I think we were like one of the best two teams as far as the, how the games worked out. I was very happy to put with Harmon. We have really hit it off in the last like six to ten months. We have zero things in common in our lives. To the point where we play the exact same sport and he does it completely opposite as how I do it. He is a lefty and I am already. We are as opposite of people as you can ever imagine except for that way we think about golf in the way that we approach golf.

We are so similar on the golf course. We are intense and we vibe very, very, very nice. So I was really happy when they said we were going to get to play. I think it was Monday. We got called in and how I had heard it is we were almost assuredly going to play twice together. And yeah, it was fun. It was a bummer. He woke up that Friday. And I did not know this, but he was under the weather. He had that congestion thing that I think four or five of the guys got.

And I know people say congestion. It was more than that. Everyone woke up like in mega fogs and just did not feel well. But the best way we could have labored was some kind of like hay fever type thing. And I didn't know that. And he didn't, he didn't tell me.

And we went out and we played two guys who were just playing awesome and on fire in our first hole of the Ryder Cup. Victor Halvin chips in from absolutely nowhere and it just It was it just went bad from there. I thought we played fine. It's just everything they hit the pin like three of the first four holes It was just like one of those one of those rounds and I was pretty bummed because I was really excited to play with them and I thought that we were gonna Kind of show out and two rookies and I really believed in our team and it was a shame so uh but I'll say man playing with home was so fun and and Friday Friday afternoon we get the nod to uh that came up to me Friday afternoon said are you going to be okay to play five

which we heard nobody was going to do on our team? And obviously we knew that there would be ebbs and flows of this. And as we were losing so badly, I figured they're going to have to just start changing things as fast as they can and take whoever feels good or feels energized or whatever it may be. Because like I said, I wasn't sick. So these guys were just shuffling people in and out.

And I said, yeah, I'm absolutely ready to play five. And they said, okay, you're going to go to harm again in the morning. I said yeah I'm absolutely ready to play five and they said okay you're gonna go to harm again in the morning. I said okay and I texted harm I was like hey you know I know it didn't go basically the way we wanted to this morning but like be ready I would never I don't want to put anybody else in this force and like I'm ready to rock here and he matched my energy and I just think that's why we made a really good team. He was up with me and basically like I true. He was I think he said something like I truly cannot wait to do this again.

Like, you know, I cannot wait for tomorrow morning. And we came out and from the moment we teed off, he was in a different mode. And he was in that Brian Harman, you know, Sunday. It's open mind set. And he did some of the coolest shit. I get a lot of the credit for that 16th hole, the chip in when we that morning Saturday morning when we beat a sep and shame, but off the tee, I don't know if it, I don't know if anybody caught it on TV, but off the tee, I think he made a sick part,

yeah, we made a sweet par on 15. He made a great 12 footer, and then on 16, he teased off first, and it's his three wood, and it never left the flag. Like it took off and it never left the flag, and it's about a hundred yards from him, and he looks at me and goes, he goes, I didn't happen to see that, did you see that?

Where's that going? I'm like, I think in the hole, Brian. I think it's going right in the hole. So he got that cocky swag going and I mean, he hit it so good. He hit three would over the green. So he just we had so many cool moments and right after we won that match, Stu, I think Stuart Singh came up to him or someone said, said hey You guys are gonna play again in the afternoon and Brian looked at him Like basically dumbfounded saying yeah, I know we are Doing this again, so it was it was just fun. I felt like I

felt like we really hit it off and I got lucky I got to play with him and wind him and wind him and I had the same thing in the afternoon on Friday That's why I felt so bad that we lost that one because I felt like we were we had the same kind of gel going and it was cool. But something about me and Brian that Saturday was just if it was very special. It felt like a very special pairing. And like I said, a lot of the for sums for me is in my opinion is how you buy with the people. Obviously the stats have to work out that you should fit as a team. But a lot of it, I really do believe it's just like he gave me the freedom he told me Saturday after that round, he goes, I want you to go be yourself, he goes, you want to see off first,

you have first, you want to see off second, he goes, I just want you to go play and I was like, all right, cool. And I just felt like that dynamic worked really well for me. I never felt like either of us would ever blame each other or anything, same with Dub, like we just kind of were get to go play golf and no one's feelings. We're gonna get hurt. We're just gonna kind of do what we're supposed to do and we were fortunate to get a couple of points that Saturday. Did you watch the replay of your chip in on 16?

I would have to be blind to have not seen that at this point it is I'm exhausted of seeing it. It really started to the edit of the of the famous tiger the fake. Yeah, I'm sure hamshake that was that was pretty close to that. I play I planned I mean I knew the only thing I think I told set this to Sunday night is the only thing I wish to what happened is Seth hit a beautiful eagle plant I wish this shot would have gone in because I wanted to make it on top of him so badly But the moment I told Joe right before I'd shift. I said say good night and I chipped in the moment the ball hit the green. I looked at harm and I said say good night harm and then I didn't even know the ball went in

Because they don't really cheer that way I didn't know the ball went in until I turned around. I almost forgot to get the ball to the hole. Yeah, it was just one of those funny things. I had it all, you know, sometimes you plan and script these things in your head and that thing right when I hit the ground, like, well, we won onto the next one. It was a very nice feel. You get real cocky out there. It was fun to get cocky for a little bit. I was trying to wrap my head around this when we were, you know, each night when we got back to do the podcast, but when you're thinking back on all these shots, there's not that many balls in play, right?

There's only, you know, in four sums, there's eight balls in play. Four balls, there's, you know, 16 balls in play, even in singles. There's not that many balls in play. And statistically, you're just seeing so many fucking golf shots that should not go in. And I'm thinking about your your your chip in on 16 the The bunker shot you hold on 15 in four balls when you guys were we're hitting it all all over the map and oh wasn't the bunker It looked like the bunker from where I was but that one you hold the ones that the one rom hold on 18 in the in the Four ball match Friday afternoon the one one Victor hold against you guys,

like there's just all these pots in the shots. It makes no sense. Is there anything that can help make, help make sense of it in your mind? Was it, of course, pre-represented to that? Was it guys just hyper focused? Like what the fuck? It almost felt to me like the shot that you hit at Fortinet

when you just had to have it. It just feels like you constantly are just hitting these half to have it shots. I, that's clearly it's a matchaway thing. The answer is it's the hyper focus of it. I also believe that's why Tigers just chipped in so many times and he's able to get himself in that state. But I'm now joking with somebody when we were walking around watching golf Sunday after

my match was done. I was like, I chipped in, I don't know, eight times this season, and I chipped in twice this week and like made insane part after like, it just all of it happens, but you're so it match, but you're able to get into more. I'm going to make this and then whatever happens after that goes away a lot more often. But yeah, I don't know, it's so weird. I think about that all the time. I every year, I watch the Radar cover of the present couple. I'm like, well, how is everyone making chips? You know, I how't know. It's so weird. I think about that all the time. I watch the radar cover, the present cover, how is everyone making chips? How do you hold out this often? And I struggle the whole out ever. And it's just weird how many shots you see going to the whole. I think ROM chipped in like four times the first day.

Made crazy put after crazy put. It just was like, it's very odd. I just saw this morning that the top 10 shots from the week. And like the 10th one is like the sickest shot ever. You know like there's nine more of these. So it is odd but I just I do think part of it's the hyper focus of it. This rough is brutal to chip out of it and the the pins were tricky and you just see ball go in on so many different occasions. It makes no sense. Victor's chipped it on the very first hole of the whole Ryder Cup was bananas. And it just went right in dead center.

And you're like, OK, I guess this is what we're doing today. It's very odd. We're having way too much fun here. What was the vibe Friday night after O and 4 in ForSums and then kind of letting a couple slip away in the afternoon. Yeah. Um, that, I think that was the other bummer in my match is I did feel like if we

won that, we would have gone to sleep. Like, I'm not going to say happy. Obviously, we, it's not like we would have cut the lead to something where you're like, Oh, this is so manageable. But it felt like for the better part of 30 hours, everything went wrong. I truly don't believe we played that horrible. It really felt like everything was going right for them. They played tremendous. I mean, they're obviously everyone at this event. All 24 people are amazing golfers, but it just felt like if you needed a putt to miss, they made it.

And and it we were all joking Saturday to kind of explain why how Friday felt Saturday. I think calling might have been the one to say a corner, Justin, somebody in their group missed like a 15 footer on like the fifth hole. And I don't know if it was who they were playing, but somebody missed a putt and they're like, that's allowed. Because it really felt like when we were watching somebody else putt a 15 footer, it was like, oh my god, dead center.

And that's what Friday afternoon felt like. It was like Justin played so freaking good. Like I think he count on 15 of the holes. He was, he hit it incredible and he made it all week, but he made everything that Friday afternoon and we get up to that 18th hole. I just felt like when he made that putt, it just flipped this thing where we went to bed bummed.

I spent a lot of time that night in the training room with Scotty. It was interesting because I'm going to harp on this and I know people don't give a shit or maybe don't believe me if your name's Tron but the our team was super everybody. It was the vibes every night were very good as far as good as they could be I think it would have been a lot harder if you're by yourself because you're just like eating away but we were all really good with each other and like everyone's really together on like man you know like this one this way and this way nobody was playing any blame game or pointing fingers at anything really but everyone's just kind of on that feeling that like god like we all get to the 18th hole and it's just like we can't seem to make the birdie pie and they chip in or they make a 15 footer they whatever and

so me missing that put on Friday just felt like man we could have gone into the night with something and that's why Saturday night was so fun because when we were walking down I was walking down 18 with Colin or Justin Colin and Justin and I said honestly I said I know we're getting killed but I just want to go into the night one time happy like one time where we're like yes because we just felt like we kept getting flipped and flipped and flipped and flipped and flipped and You have to flip back at some point in these team events to Create buzz and I mean at the presence cup last year That's kind of what happened. We were kicking the shit out of the internationals and then Tom Kim and Cam Davis flipped the last two matches and we went in so bummed out and we all had to like turn around it we're winning this thing like we're up a lot but it felt like like the mood changes so quick so everyone was frustrated and bummed but I did feel like everybody was ready to go I mean we kept

saying hey there's 20 more points out somebody wrote it on our board like you know 20 of 28 points are available we need 13. That's very reasonable. So everyone was very clear headed on that. But I will say, like looking back, the difference between how much more optimistic it felt even after Saturday, even though we only had one day left and needed a miracle versus Friday, it was significant just because of how everyone's match seemed to end. As some of that's followed, I know you've followed the team for a long time,

even before you're a part of it, but there just always seems to be despite any, you know, excitement level going into it. There's that oh shit moment when the US team plays in Europe of like, ah, I forget this happens every time. I had convinced myself it would be different. I would off the jump. It was hoveling, shipping in on the very first screen. It was like, Oh, shit. Here we go again. Somehow for the seventh time in the row in a row. Did you sense any of that?

I go, what, what's the explanation? You guys tied day two, you tied day three. You got your asses handed to you on day one. How do you explain it? Like, what, if you, if you're doing like a debrief of everything that went down, what went wrong on day one? And how does how would you have possibly prevented the US team not getting off the bus the way that you guys did? I'm not really sure like a perfect answer. One one thing that I mean, I can only really speak from my matches, but I mean, going out there, I mean, me and Haran speak from my matches, but I mean going out there, I mean me a harms first time ever. We were nerve, I don't know how he felt. I was nervous and it just

felt like every single match was there was blue on the board immediately. Like we lost the first hole so many times to birdies, to to par, but with so many times they just seem to birdie the first hole and you're just you just are stuck in mud and you know, like I said, I'm shaking like leaf. I imagine Brian's feeling pretty similar and nice stripe a drive down one. He flags a six iron and Victor striped his drive down one and Ludwig skank this little like it was a kind of like a shady little like eight iron or something seven iron and it was nice to see some like oh he's nervous too like we're all nervous here and then Victor holds this in possible shot where I think I might I might have two puts to win and now it's just like I'm begging on a 30 footer and it just felt like every morning we would get there and I would see off second or third and we'd be down in one or two matches already and I just think Seen that blue early. I don't know there's no way to explain it. I don't think anybody was coming in flat like not like anybody Wasn't whatever but there's just something about that first and second hole that just seemed like we lost them a lot and It was it was just I'm not gonna say we're sitting there to moralize, but when you're behind already, or if you're myself and I think Brian,

and our first match, it's just like, immediately we get a mega roar on the first one. So everyone's itching to go crazy to crowd. And here's an excuse to 10 minutes into starting. And then they were up immediately in three in a row or something like that and It felt like we were climbing out of that immediately, which is a ridiculous thing You know Jordan and Justin gave us a lot of great advice that like hey, we were two down through two to polter and rory and

Paris when we won five and four He's like don't get ahead of yourself like these things are not over early, but I guess looking back, if I had to answer that, it just wasn't really getting off the bus. It's just that like everybody, nobody was birding the first whole much. And in our afternoon match, I got out out there and the four ball would dub and I birdied one, but Bob birdied one too. And it just kept feeling like, where is like we have no red? And I remember walking off the tee Saturday afternoon off one team me and Brian went second, I think. See them morning afternoon, but we went second and. We walked up the tee and Zach came up to us and goes there's red on the board Sam and column birdie one and it was weird how you're like.

Yes like. You know it was just like we just didn't see, they just owned that first hole and it was not an easy hole. So it just was, I don't know if it was anything more than that. I don't think that we have, I mean, we have some kind of force and thing, but I don't, none of it makes sense to me. Like, we tried it all and I don't, maybe there's deeper analytics that I just don't know, but it didn't make, I've watched it a million times on TV and you might have your ideas of what should have what it could have. But like I've done that too.

And I'm sitting here now as having been part of the team and I don't really know the answer to that. We just got beat that first day. I will say I did talk to one of the players on our team the first day who told me he goes, dude, I was telling him how like data golf had a, you know, the best they can do with stats. It's obviously very flawed, but I did tell him like I was a gift here curious, you know, there are stats. And he said that he looked at them and he thought that he had putt pretty awesome. The first day and he had gained one stroke puttingt. And he's like, that's usually like a two or three type day.

And that just kind of showed how well all the euros had putt that if he thought he had a great puttingt day and gained one whole stroke, like that was like, come on. We just, it just felt like they just played better than us that first day. And then you're digging the rest of the week. I don't know. It's not a real answer, but I, it doesn't, it truly doesn't make my sense to me. I feel like the Europeans are always fairly transparent about the things that they're doing

in the team room and kind of almost like the motivational tactics. I mean, Luke Donald talked about, you know, basically getting videos from everybody's family talking about this moment and they're notorious, of course, for publishing their hype videos and all of these things that they're playing in the team room and they tend to really like go that direction. I think just from a, like, I don't know, I'm just fascinated by kind of the coaching and captaincy and personality management of the whole thing. And that, you know, I never know if the American team is going to take a like, Tom Watson, go get out there and kick their ass.

Otherwise, you're softies. Routes, or if they're going to take the, oh my god, you're the best player to ever live. Routes, go out and do it. What's the, what did you guys settle on? What was kind of the the team room vibe? you're the best player to ever live, route, go out and do it. What's the, what did you guys settle on? What was kind of the the team room vibe or the kind of motivational tactics that are in there? Yeah, I guess we don't do, we don't go like the video route.

I am always impressed by the guys, both on this presence cup team last year and then especially this writer cup though of the players, kind of like motivating us, you know, Justin is so, Justin and Jordan are so good at it. But I thought everybody who's been on the team was really good about our Brooks, was great about it.

I feel like everybody was, especially when you showed up at the course, everyone was really amped up. And like music playing, everyone's kind of dancing around the gym, doing their thing, but like everyone was very amped, you know, trying to build that like mentality of we're gonna go out there and and and kick some ass and I felt like that was kind of our motivational tactic we you know, I heard

The heroes did something with like the videos and stuff from people. We didn't do that, but you know Zach was very Forward and basically what we could do and reminding us how great we have been and and things we've done in our careers and and this and that and I thought that the rest of the team did a great job of them like juicing it past that up to like a man-to-man thing of hey like I believe in you like you're better than him. You do this, like go whatever. It almost was like, as you got to the course, you got even more pumped to go do it. That's why again, it didn't make sense that we went out there that first day and lost for zero

unless I really do believe they just were better. Like, I mean, at some point there are times when they just play great. And I thought that they all played great from everything I heard it and what I saw in my match. It's hard, it's like I have nothing to really compare it to. So I was motivated, I was very hyped to go play golf. I was incredibly excited for the opportunity, I felt like everybody was. And it's, but it's impossible to not feel a little deflated when it's 4-0 again in the first session.

I didn't even, I was joking with some other guys. I was like, what do you guys think the 17 hole looks like? It's like none of us made it there, you know? It was very odd. So I don't know for us, at least in this scenario, what we could have done a whole lot differently, other than just play better. But yeah, I felt excited and ready to go play and I felt motivated, but they clearly have their thing they do over there, and at least in this one, ours is a bit different. But like I said, we're lucky we have these guys who played on multiple teams and they are really good at being vocal leaders to ask questions to to get advice and then also just to that mean you only have to ask them to come up and say right to your face basically like some kind of motivational something or other.

I'm going to balance a bunch of stuff off you Max just because I sat in the press conference afterward and that you know heard the questions about I sat in the press conference afterward and that, you know, heard the questions about Forson's what, not heard Justin and Jordan say, like, yeah, they just made more puts than us and chipped in more than us. And as a viewer, it felt bigger than that, right? It didn't feel like just, I feel like it can kind of get to still down to, I don't want to call it luck. I mean, that's not necessarily luck when you make more puts and make more chip ends, but

it felt a teeny tiny bit like denial to me, not even teeny tiny bit. It felt a little bit like denial. Like the last, I'm not asking you to speak to other teams, but I think the opening sessions in four sums, the US is like one and 11 now or something like that of the last three opening sessions in four sums. And from the overwhelming feeling, I think a lot of us had was even in defeat, Europe doesn't seem to, their energy kind of maintains, right? I mean, they got absolutely smoked at Wistling Straits,

but I was kind of stunned at how great their moods were, how great their team support was, and it felt like I was seeing a puppy dog face this around, and the energy was just zapped immediately. And to a viewer from the outside, it can feel like there's just something missing on the team front. I'm hearing what you're saying,

or what's going on the team room. I'm hearing what you're saying on the support, but I think a lot of fans watching it don't feel that permeate the same way it does in Europe. And I'm not saying, hey, you got to do things exactly like Europe. There's cultural differences. There's a lot there, but I've been,

I feel like most of my career, I'm trying to spend figuring out how that translates to better play, right? Like if you're on the first tee cheering on a teammate when you're not playing, that doesn't mean they're going to play. but I've been, I feel like most of my career, I'm trying to spend figuring out how that translates to better play, right? Like if you're on the first tee cheering on a teammate when you're not playing, that doesn't mean they're gonna play better necessarily,

but that seems to permeate, that that that that that theme permeates so much through Europe that it's a that's a big takeaway a lot of people have. What's the reality of that? What's a reaction to all the things I'm kind of throwing out to that on that note? Yeah, I can only speak to obviously this year's team

But I call bullshit on all of it on all of that. I mean, I Thought that everyone's mood was really good We did have to have a couple guys go back early If they weren't playing afternoon because they weren't feeling good and we needed to get sleep like Brian I asked him what he did that afternoon and you know because, because like if there was somebody, obviously I wanted to roll with me through the matches it would have been him at that point since we played in the morning. I'm talking more of her Friday afternoon,

but I mean, he was sick and, but he's like, he obviously grinded the whole thing on TV, but he needed to get rest and honestly, there's one thing about this week that's brutal is you just don't get to sleep. They have so much stuff going on at nights and he needed to go catch up. So I get that a little bit. If you're just from the outside looking in, but I can absolutely

100% promise you that the energy of the team was awesome. Everyone was very invested in the next one's matches. I know Brooks Brooks is either one day or both days didn't have a morning match, but I know Friday morning, he didn't play the morning session and me and Brian come off nine and we're three down and a little bit bumming and there's somebody waiting for us as we make the turn towards 10 and it's Brooks, both hands out, being like, come on boys, there's things that not over yet,

like giving us high fives and getting us going. So after the match, as I said, we get the rides home, we ate at the course and everyone was like kind of telling stories about just like the shit the euros were doing to us. But everybody was again, very adamant that that was eight points. Like it's eight points have gone by. We have a ton left. So I thought that the mood for us was really good. And I don't mean good. Like, oh, it doesn't matter. I matter I mean good like we are still fine we are still United States American team we have some freaking dogs on this team everybody is as talented as as the next guy and

we just need to go play a bit better I understand the denial that like we they made the shots and we didn't there we, we had to do a better job, we did a better job at night of being like, hey, we have to stop thinking about how many shots they made and we didn't or where they hit it and they didn't. It was hard not to notice a little bit and I'm not using, I'm not, I'm absolutely 100% not saying, luck, I'm just saying just the amount of shots

that went into the hole from nowhere's bill like that was a bit jarring and it felt like anytime you needed something to go one way It just felt like it went just a little bit the other way and you know even even in our match that first Thursday morning or Friday morning We forcefully won the whole but like Victor chips it on one We lose two and we get the three and they miss the green harm hit a great shot and we have 40 feet and harm, Victor's got this tough chip and he kind of got it skinny and it's going to go 12 to 15 feet by and it smokes the pan and goes to an inch. And I fortunately made the pie and then they chip, then they hit the pin again on their

chip on the next hole and you're kind of just like, man, this is, that's three times and four holes. And then we make the turn at three down and Ludwig teed off on 10 and hit this necky little thing up the right into the hazard and we get up there and it's not in the hazard. It's actually a pretty good lie and Victor hits the green and two and you're just kind of like, stretch a good shot. What, when does this end? Because when we hit it in the rough, you can't advance the ball we got I I mean not me personally sorry Got a little bit too caught up in the fact that just felt like all those things were happening and we couldn't seem to make it go that way But as far as the energy and the vibe it was not anything Even remotely down it like I said it would have been really hard to do all that if it was like a if it was a single stroke

Play that because I would have just been stewing and frustrated or whatever. The guys were really good about it, but I and it's maybe it's an aisle, but I really thought at least that Friday morning they just kicked the shit out of us. They played really freaking good. I didn't think Brian and I played terrible Friday. We definitely let a couple slip, but so much of it just felt like we're on the wrong side of the yard. And it just was really hard to beat a team that's also playing really well at the same time. What was it like inside the team when the Kantele report came out?

So that's a big, I know your boys with with this guy Jamie, but that was the biggest bullshit I can remember That may be ever and I did say what was Fun that Saturday night was really fucking fine because how's telling Zander is the first time ever like as someone who's far too online as myself It was really fun to be on the inside of something reading just a bunch of BS like from everyone So I was on 16. Yeah, my match had ended. So we ran back to watch the other ones and now we're on the last match was obviously PC and dub against Rory and Matt and we're on 16. The coolest whole I have ever been on in my freaking life. Like the sickest thing ever. We're sitting behind the green all of us and we just need a flip.

Like I said, all we need is a flip. And it didn't look good. They're one down with three to play. And they're walking down the fairway. And absolutely everybody, 10, 20,000 people have their hat off waving it. And we just think they're fucking with Pat because he's not wearing a hat.

That's all we thought. And so they're doing it and Pat's doing it back. Pat is being the most sarcastic, laughing at everybody. Every time we'd see him, we'd do like the hat fake hat thing. I mean, it was hilarious. Well, laughing like this is so fun. This is what the rider cups about, you know, like Pat's embracing it.

And then Pat goes Pat, man, he made 10 foot or 9 foot or 35 foot or it was nuts. I going back to what Brooke said, Pat wants the damn ball. Like, Terry, no denying that. He is unbelievable. And he, he did the coolest thing I've seen and golf and I can't remember. Those three puts and those three holes was tremendous.

Also, it, within that, Rory's chip on 17 was the sixth thing I've ever watched my whole life. Like, that was jarring. But then Pat steps up and buries out on right in his face and then makes another one. Then we have the Joe Lekov and Mori and Jane and Ari. It was the most fun out. We were dilaphing. So then we find out that we go do like a press conference

and they send in like the six of us who had won the match that day. And we get in and again, we know absolutely nothing. And the first, I would say, you guys might have been in there. The first 15 to 18 questions were about Pat's hat. And we were, that's the first time we all found out, same with Pat, that that was why everyone was doing it. It was because he was somehow protesting the United States team

because he didn't get paid to play, which is all bullshit. And it was the weirdest thing ever. Like we couldn't get people to stop asking about the hat. I remember at one point, they said they finally asked a question that wasn't about the hat. David already interjecting and like, you guys are asking too much about this hat. Like it's not, it's not a real thing. And then I said something about like that. And then the very next question is about the hat. And you're like, this is so, so weird. And one tweet, man, one tweet set all of Rome a blaze on that golf course where,

and I'll say this, like we were frustrated and I could tell how it's frustrated that like, like this isn't, it's not journalism. Like you can't just say, I have sources that say the team room's fracture, they said that they had a different dressing room than we did, which was hilarious. They said that they had a different dressing room than we did which was hilarious They said that they don't eat with us. They said that they don't do x, y and z him and him and zander and it was just like funny

Because it's like our team room didn't even have doors on anything so we all were in the same room Yeah, we had to take separate cars back to the course every day because that's how the thing worked out Everyone was eating at different times because depending upon when you finished, how fast you got home is like when you could eat, you know, like you're going to bed at here. Sorry, you're getting back to the hotel at nine, doing physio, ice bath, workout, whatever. And then you're trying to go to bed as fast as you can because you have to be up at four. Like everyone was separated in those times. And when we're at the golf course, everyone was together. We love Patton's Ender. They're clearly like they're on two peas in a pod, but That's doesn't make me any less of a friend to Patton Xander than I already was there was no division

So it was it was very weird to find out all that news and deal with all that but it made it fun because I don't know the right that that's that or anything was some of them funniest shit the pictures the videos the Everybody man. It was it was it was funny and and I don't know everybody saying like that's what we needed to galvanize That's not what we needed it. It just was fucking hilarious It was it just made the week more fun. It's not what we used as motivation It just was like what is going on here? I actually personally probably needed it because I've been working with Julie, my sports psychologist on this

and she's been pretty adamant that I am allowed to use Twitter and any social media, even though it's like really horrible cesspool of hate and whatever, it's okay to use it as long as I can look at it and be like, this is dumb, laugh at it. This was the first time where I finally hit me. I'm like, this is the dumbest thing. I can, like everything I've read was like, that's the dumbest thing I've ever read. Nope,

that's the dumbest thing I've ever read. Because it was just all made up stuff. And it was just, it got to the point where I was like, okay, finally, like I get it. Like, yeah, none of these people know, people just say stuff. You can tweet whatever you want. And a lot of people are like, yeah, I know I get that. Pat is only cares about the money, he doesn't care about the rider cup. Like, he was going to skip it. It's just like, none of it was accurate. So it was, like I said, it just made Saturday fun because we were all just dying.

And we were getting rocked in the event. So it gave us just a reason for everybody to go to bed happy and laughing and being like, yeah, we flipped that match and everybody's doing the hat thing and everyone was excited to do it the next day. We had a chat about like, are we all going to just go no hat because like that was a discussion and then Harmon goes, I'll, you know, basically be, be hatless with you and spirit, but in reality, I'm incredibly bald and I'm going to wear a hat. I said the same thing. I said, I have a bald spot for me. I will not play well if I'm gonna wear a hat. I said the same thing, I said I have a bald spot for me, I will not play well if I don't have a hat on, but I said I'll wave the hat on the first tee

and do the whole thing all day. So that was kind of what we did, but it was just, I don't know dude, it was just hilarious. And like I said, finally I got through my thick skull that the internet is just, it's a weird, weird place man. Well my assessment of things, it's like okay, there was a lot of noise within that that was kind of easy to refute. Like, I truly don't think the hat thing was a protest in terms of players getting paid, but there's been several reports of, can't lay among others, maybe potentially Xander

and Xander's dad and all that, talking about getting paid to play the Ryder Cup. Was that any discussion in the team room at all? Was that any distraction at any point? What's kind of your window into that? I know that to me, that seems pretty darn distracting. And it seemed like there is a story there. I'm wondering if you guys felt that at all during the week as a team.

Yeah, no, I will agree with you that that would be distracting if that ever fucking happened, but it didn't. So like zero times, did we talk about that? Zero. Literal zero. Pat was not protesting, but by not wearing a hat. And we talked about getting paid zero whole times. The only time I heard the money thing come up is that Luke Donald answered a question of do you think the players should be paid? And a couple of us were talking about how his answer was very good. It was essentially of the X amount of weeks we play, it's nice to have one week where it's not about the money. And everyone was like, yeah, that's a really good point. I think that I think that you could argue just this money thing and we could like have a discussion and it I don't think

it needs to make somebody a villain or not, but it wasn't like some topic that we had throughout the week. I again, we talked about it that one time just because we thought Luke's answer was quite good. It was just a, I thought, well thought out. And a good point, if you're just going to, these days, I mean, in anything, I guess you talk something about the money. We talk about it with the commercial load on the TV, like clearly trying to get more money, like things like that, but like it would be that much energy put into it, just a flipping. Oh, that was a good answer, you know, that was nice of a good answer with Luke. The only the only thing I saw of controversy, I guess yesterday was the Xander not signing or whatever may be getting, I don't know, not let on the team or something. There was a report that that Stefan, his dad had,

it's solid correct me if I'm wrong, but it said that, you know, as part of the release, you guys sign to be part of the Ryder Cup, which I think is put together by the P.J. of America. There's all these things that you have to agree to. And one of them in there was in the original draft, I think. It sounded like there was going to be access for the Netflix cameras inside of inside of the team room. And so yeah, Zander had pushed back on that and wasn't going to sign it. And according to this report in the times, there was, you know, Zander's lawyers had been going back and forth and couldn't get an answer from the

PJ of America. And Stephens claim was that they didn't know if they were going to kick them off the team. If he didn't sign it, yada, yada, yada, all of which, sorry, I'm with you, adds up to like a very big distraction if that's something going on because the takeaway from that from Stefan was like, we didn't know as recently as a couple of weeks ago if Zander was even on the team, which could be. Yeah. Again, that would be very distracting if any of that was ever talked about. Like zero times did that brought up.

The only thing that I would say the only thing that would have been a distraction is the Netflix thing, which we all said, no, thank you. When we had the option like two or three weeks ago, nobody wanted them in the team room. I like what they do for golf and whatnot, but I do Nobody wanted them in the team room. I like what they do for golf and whatnot, but I do not like it in the team room. I don't think anybody wanted them in the team room. It's like the one time you get to be just with, you know, the team, honestly.

And it's just like nice to just sit down. We do a million things that week that it just felt like we haven't won this damn thing in 30 years overseas. So should we add cameras inside or not? It felt like a very, like, do you guys want us to win or not? So like this is simple. It was talked about that time and then never again. So all these things used as distraction.

None of them actually came up in the week. I mean, I can't speak to like, if any of this is factual, but as far as distracting me, distracting sky, distracting, zander, distracting, I Never was brought up one time and Zander says that about his death. He is dad is Not Zander Zander's a grown adult as well. So like I again would like More, I guess onus to be on asking Zander what he thinks and asking Pat what he thinks. You know, they are the people I would ask these questions too. And I guess I got frustrated and honestly very frustrated and like the team fractured thing the most.

And I think that's why we've been leaning into it. Even though everyone's a gold doesn't matter if your team's close. You guys still got killed. The reason why we kept bringing it up is because that's what we keep reading. Tron, and you don't know. You have no idea because we're, it's like one of those weird things these days in like any kind of journalism or something

that it says, we have a source, as Jamie said, inside that says the team room is fractured. And I get your point, Saul, you could take a lot of these things and maybe one's true, maybe one's not, but if one's not, it makes the whole thing seem wrong and I get that, but that line was so frustrating because everyone ran with it.

And it was so weird because it's like, okay, then someone would ask us in the media session, are you guys fractured, are you guys closed? And everyone's like, this is the closest team ever. Strictor tweets at Tron, I think, or at Jamie, this is bullshit. It's, this is the strong, like the most bonded team like we've ever had.

And then Tron responds to him and says, oh, that's BS, like you want a company line. It's like, I don't know who else you need to ask, but I wouldn't ask Jamie Weir if the team is a bonded. You know, it just, it seemed weird. You're asking all of us and we are all telling you, it wasn't a company line. We all had a blast together.

I got said, I thought that the vibes were so good even while we were getting killed, everyone was really motivated each other and believed in each other. We just didn't win. So that's why I think that tilted all of us the most. If I had better hair and I could play sweating down my forehead, I would have not worn a hat on Sunday,

but it just got really like icky again. And that's where I guess for the first time I was on the inside of one of these types of stories where it just was weird, because I just can't tell you how wrong so much of what I was reading, again, on the internet, but how wrong and dumb it was. was reading again on the internet, but how wrong and dumb it was. So that's what made Saturday so fun is reading all this stuff and

just laughing and being like, you guys just don't know and you can't just keep, I guess you can, but it's just frustrating to hear people make things up like, oh, they keep saying they're close, that must mean they're not very close. It's like, I, we're saying it because you guys keep telling us that we're not and we're trying to give you an accurate, accurate representation of what this team is about. If you're trying to figure out what is wrong with us playing four sums or us playing overseas, we're trying to say, here's a variable you did not have to worry about this week. We're good here. We might need to look somewhere else to be better. If we, if we, if and when we do win, um, or sorry, if and when, if and when we do win. Sorry, if we want when we do play another one on that side of the pond. What was so you've played the presence cup at home now and you've played the rider cup

away. And you know, I've mentioned that shot on 15 where you hold that chip and you turn around, you know, screaming at some poor guy in the crowd, just absolutely dreading him down, pointing at people. What was that? You just do that. Yeah, you just don't do that. What was your overall assessment of playing in front of a foreign hostile crowd?

It was honestly amazing. The fans are really great. And it was perfect. They give it to you and then they kind of take it if you do some cool. That guy in particular was a bit out of line, but it really was like as amazing as I can imagine, they're so coordinated and together, even the hat thing. I don't know how they all got the same tweet and decided to do the same thing. It was really impressive. The chance to... I'm guessing.

Yeah, probably. The chance to are amazing. Everything was really... It was just very coordinated and together. I think their songs are just catchy. I was singing them the whole week. We couldn't get a lay-o-lay in my favorite song of all time as the Tommy Fleetwood song. I mean, like, they're just so good at that stuff.

And it really was incredible. It's fun. It was fun learning what a cheer for the US sounded like and what one that was a ball went in the bunker for us sounded like. You got you saw that. I thought that they were they were really amazing fans. I was really impressed. They are they are nasty and they're this maybe a bit more proper, but they say the same dumb shit that we say over here, but I felt like the grand scheme of the coordination of all of it. If you ever ever heard once a USA chant, it would immediately be followed by a Europe chant, much, much louder. They were really good about it. And I thought that they were, they were respectful

when they needed to be. The only reason I yelled at 15 because he was just an asshole. But we have plenty of those over here as well. So I don't know. I thought that it was good. They, they were, I I was weird. I mean, what, what was it like like playing against, like in front of people who are reading against you? Yeah. I mean, it's different. You hit balls and they scream, getting the water and things of that nature. But I thought they were good while we were overshot a lot more. But yeah, it was weird because like you do things that are really cool. And it's like the crowd noise is really subdued.

Like I could hear myself yelling a lot more. And usually if you do that, it's so loud, you can't even hear yourself think. So that was different. But we all we all had the kind of the same tagline all the players this week that we're just going to fall in love with the silence. And like that's what we're going to adore of this week is just how quiet we can make this place. So it's different. It was weird, but I think you got used to it so quickly and it was really, it was really fun. I hope to play on one in the states to be able to

compare the two, but I think playing over there and if you ever could win over there, it just was tremendous. So what are what are your takeaways, I guess, from the week, monks, you're either from yourself or from your teammates as a team as a whole, all of the captains? What are you taking away from this to say, all right, not only for 2025, but also 2027, what's the path forward to getting this ship turned around? I mean, the U.S. has had great success at home and I would expect that to continue at Beth Page. But at this point, I'm not going to fall for it. I'm not going to pick the U.S. has had great success at home, and I would expect that to continue at Beth Page. But at this point, I'm not gonna fall for it.

I'm not gonna pick the U.S. in Europe until it's ground. So what did you guys learn? What's the learning part of this to say, here's what we're gonna change, go ahead forward to make sure this doesn't happen again? I think that there's some things we're gonna take, little things, and keep tweaking. I did think Roy said it really properly, that one of the hardest things to do in golf is winning one of these overseas. I think it's very funny to think that we got drum this week and

every, you know, we're assessing everything that the US doesn't care as much and this that or whatever. Whereas the last one in America, we rinsed them. So it's not one of those types of things. I think it's maybe a little bit more of like the logistics and like little avenues. If I had my brothers, I wish we would have gone maybe a little bit earlier. So it didn't feel like we were rushing around quite as much. But that's again, that's up to a lot of other factors. I don't know if the course is open. I don't know what we are allowed to do and what not. There's just going to be little things. I think we pick away. I guess I left this thinking that there's there's not one outstanding reason why we haven't done it over there. There's probably just a lot of little things, but it's not for a lack of effort. What I'm amazed by, even more so than I was at

the presence cup, is I'm amazed by how much these guys really do care and how hard everybody worked each day to be ready. I've never seen Scottie get emotional and he was like this pumping and he made on 17 on Friday afternoon was sick and he just gave it to the crowd. I just, you don't see that out of these guys. We can leak out myself included.

So it was just really cool to see how much all of us cared and how much everybody, how hard everyone was trying. And I don't know. Again, there's not one glaringly obvious thing. But I was pretty amazed that every one of the players and how much thought and effort went into making sure we were as ready as we could be to win this thing. And when each session ended kind of like a quick think and talk and okay, we're going to get back out there and do it again. There was really no give up in this team. And like I said for 20, 30 minutes, I thought we, I thought we did the damn thing.

So I don't know it's, it's again, I don't know what's possible and what could be changed. But I don't think it's anything major. I just think it's little, little things here and there that hopefully can, can flip this thing around a little bit. Can I, can I just follow to that? Here's how I feel about this, even going all the way back as a narrative around Tiger, narrative around film and all that, you know, in their Ryder cups that they didn't care about it. And I never bought into that. I, if you, Jim Furek has dedicated how much of his life into just turning this rider cup thing around. I've never once believed that people don't care. My kind of general, again, from my 10,000-foot

view, my takeaway is that the way Europe cares about it inspires them to play better golf. And the way that the US tends to care about it, there's zero doubt in my mind that you guys care a ton about winning this, but the way you guys do it can tend to lead to more pressure put on yourself more than inspiration. That is my view. If I look at the Strokes game numbers for the week,

and I see some American players in the negative for the week, I just can't explain that other than like something got to you this week. Something was not right in some way, some way in the negative for the week that does I just can't I can't explain that other than like something got to you this week something was not right in some way some way in the process that's what I was curious to you know I feel like you guys are a little bit on the defense in terms of like we do really care with me sitting here I don't doubt that one single bit but have you learned anything to say like here's the best way to channel that energy going forward and to play our best goals. No, my experience is just so different because I was dealing with just like immense nerves kind of going into like all the whole lead up, the build up to each day, getting closer to Friday. Like, that's what was on my mind.

I just wanna make sure I was as ready, like emotionally as possible. The guys who have been on teams before probably had more pressure because they kind of knew what it, sorry, they were more focused on what it was for. Again, I do think that it helps that the euros, just like the most basic thing ever, that most of them were already over here

and like jet lag was in a thing. Like the first three, sorry, the first two nights, like I didn't sleep very much, and you're not going to sleep much Thursday before you go play. So it's just, you're definitely like a little bit worn down. When they come to the America to play in the Ryder Cup, which again, just a friendly amount of, we won by like 10 points last time we did this. So the most, like a lot of them live here, you know, I know Rory and Shane were at the Rugby, the Ireland Rugby match for their World Cup. So they were already over here. I do

think that's like a benefit. Because jet lag is a real thing. You waste two kind of nights of sleep, not sleeping. So little things like that, I think, we'll go a long way. I don't think it's an energy of the team. I really thought that this team was like the difference between the presence cup and the rider cup. What I noticed was how much more hyper focused all the players were on doing great. You could tell the president's cup. I think because we've won it so many times, there was this air of like, yeah, we're going to go win it again. And it wasn't maybe as heightened. So I don't know if that's a good or bad thing

that that's different, but I was impressed by how serious everyone was taking this. Like very, very serious. And so I don't think it's like an energy in that. There's obviously when you have a stigma that you can't do something, which is what we've had. I think that must just stick out in people's minds and I really do believe in manifestation and we stink it for some's usually especially overseas and we

don't win overseas. Like those are the three things that I would say stick out about the United States just record since I've been alive. And we go out there Friday morning and we are all down in the first 10 minutes of each person's match. It's almost like you're like oozing it in a way. So if I was going to change energy, I wish I would have maybe been more on the offense mentally, just immediately. But that's a lot to ask for myself, because I was just trying not to shit my pants for the first like hour of the day. So I don't know again I think the more experienced guys would have a better idea but I

don't I really just don't think it was for lack of energy or lack of something like I know that you know the term you've used like we just didn't get off the bus but like it felt like everyone was like, did. It felt like everyone was bouncing around. They're excited to get going. And I'm just not, I'm not, I'm really not sure. I, I can buy into that the Europeans do seem to have something of like the, that it feels bigger for them. And maybe for us, it's more like we just really want to win it.

I don't know if that makes sense, but like maybe. But again, I've been on one of these and I thought that everyone was frickin' dialed, like into doing the best that they could for the guy next to him and just did not work this year. I think that yeah, on that note, I'm working on writing something now that I guess is trying to put these

thoughts into words. But hearing Justin Rose and Rory and ROM and those guys talk about it in the press conference, I think it was one of my favorite parts of the week when Rose kind of spelled out, like, hey, the reason that I think KVV asked him, what does it mean to be a European writer cupper? And he said, well, it means like basically, like writing the next chapter of this story. And to me, it feels like they are all, they've all been like reading the same book for 40 years, right? And they show up and they're like, holy shit, I can't believe I get to write a chapter of this book

because I know all the past pages, I know all the players, I know all the moments, I know all of these things. And I can't believe I get to be one of those people. And in my head, and I'm not assigning this, you know, like putting this on you, but in my head, I'm like, man, that's just not how the US team seems to feel, right? Like I don't hear anybody ever talking about their favorite Ray Floyd memories or Trevino memories or oh my god, did you see what Jim Furek did at the Bell Free? Did you see, and it's just very, very different to me to where it feels to me like. Yeah, but we haven't won over here in 30 years. So like, what am I gonna pull? Totally.

To me, it almost feels like it needs to jumpstart a brand new culture. Like, it needs to, the identity needs to be like, the way that those guys talk about those teams of 30 years ago, teams 30 years from now, we're going to fucking talk about us. We're the ones that are going to do it and we're going to start right now planning

for the next four years of how we're going to do it. And like, we're not going to carry this kind of fog with us over there of just like trying to not lose. Rather, it's almost like what's the goal? Let's start working on it right now for the next four years. No, I like that. I do think that something I got wrong, but I think that goes to your point

that we'll get right for the next one is, what I got wrong is that none of these guys minus I think three or four of them have really been a part of the troubles overseas. So I thought, oh, we're gonna have this clarity. However, the problem with that was is because we, a lot of us have never played in it over there. Scotty, our best player has not played in one over there. So I will say that I am optimistic that this young crop of guys call in Sam Scotty. body, you know, all those boys are like, now they have, they have a template for what they think could be better as we go over there. Like it, I do think that this will jump

start that. I guess I just had it wrong that, oh, just because we don't know what it feels like to lose, we don't feel that burden, which I don't think that we really felt the burden. We have felt the opportunity to be the team that burst in this bubble. But yeah, I just think that maybe now that that has, that we have all felt this, I am freaking 32. I've been talking about this. I'm 32. I'll be 36 if I, by the next time this thing comes back over here, I'm going to do my

absolute damnedest to make sure my body can back over here, I'm going to do my absolute damnedest to make sure my body can keep up whatever I've been trying to do golf wise so that I have an opportunity to play on that team because I think for guys, you know, like Scotty and Colin and then like they'll be on that team regardless. They're so good and they're so young. I think hopefully having enough of these guys who were on this one but separate from the ones we've been so kind of that are in our minds of the failures. I think that that will carry them forward. I like your idea of making the culture be like we're going to be the guys who change how this works. But I do think that it's a learning curve. We all went over here,

not all, but most of us went over here without a clue of what it was going to be like. And we got a taste and I thought that we built upon that as the week went on. So I'm hoping that just that experience alone, as much as Rory was, you know, excited and bang on table up, they're going to win at Beth Fade. I think we all have that feeling too, but we want to win both of them. And I think everyone's pretty hyper focused on doing this in four years, oddly enough. And they'll get, you know, everyone will be ready for Beth Page. But I just do feel like it's starting to get to the thing that everybody starting to see how cool it would be to win away. And I think that's what like the Scotty's and the Sands and the Collins of the world

will have the country will start to like, that'll be their rallying cry in a way. Man, I'm weirdly more fired up for it than when we left. Yeah, I don't know what it is. I got to tell everybody, it's no special week. I really, it is. So, Fouche came up to me, I don't know if I told you guys this after the presence got, but Fouche came up to me when he was cutting for Billy and we were playing like Friday or Saturday or whatever it was.

Fouche came up to me, we're on 10th hole and he goes, how is it? Like how's your experience? He's been on a million of these teams. I'm like dude, Fouche is the coolest damn thing I've ever done in my life. And he goes, all right, he goes, well, you know, the next time you're hot in Arizona or you're tired or you're sore or whatever, he goes, hot in Arizona or you're tired or you're sore or whatever, he goes, I want you to remember this, go practice because the rider cuts 10 times better. It's bigger, it's crazier, it's more intense, the history is different, like it's just on steroids. So I play Rosie on the first day and on the second match and he comes up to me on like the eight hole or something like that and he goes, he goes, all right, Max, how do I do? How, how, how was my little chat with you? And I said, food you undersold it. I said, the first tier loan was nothing I have ever thought was real or possible. And the Ryder Cup, if you could ever go to one, I, you should go, it is insane, man.

The intensity of it alone is, it's crazy. The, the first tee is, like I said, the, just the amount of people was, was wild, but how everyone's so into it and so coordinated and, all the chance, I mean, lakes who show me videos, all these chance, I never even got to like see her here. I mean, it's just the most special thing you could ever imagine doing.

And it was truly like the most grateful, I've ever been just to have like these memories, winter loose. I told Brian, we got our asses handed to us Friday morning and I still was like dude, I was fucking so fun It was just so much fun the few moments we did have were just exponentially better than any moment I've had by myself playing around a golf so it was

It lived up to every ounce of the hype that I've heard about it. I Was walking I think watching your match on Friday afternoon maybe and looked over and saw Lacey talking to Novak Jokovic. Yeah. Like, oh, that's, that doesn't happen at a lot of events. Like that's, oh, it's easier. Like that's this. Looked big deal. Novak's buddy, I guess, was like, Lacey doesn't know anything about tennis and she knew that he was obviously like some important tennis player, which he didn't get it. And this guy's, sorry, Novak's friend was like dumbfounded.

Like, you have not heard of Novak? Because not really, man, she's like, I watch real housewives, like, is he ever been on? It was so great. I was like dumbfounded. Everybody is. But, you know, she, I mean, she's asked Christian Yellow, if he's ever hit a home run before. They're always my favorite conversations.

I'm just like, you want to get humbled really fast, talk to one of our wives. That's a good, that's a good reminder here, guys. First pitch is in about an hour. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's got ahead. I'm a Bruce van until the Dodgers have to play. I'm that's what they've been. I think the, uh, the overwhelming, like reaction from the rest of the guys that hadn't been to a rider cup at Wistwick Straits walking off, which is kind of, I mean, solid. You kind of talked to this event up a lot. And that was just kind of okay.

And I feel like DJ, like you turned at this point. Yeah. Okay. Big time. No, it was, venue was great. The crowds were awesome. Uh, even just getting maxi reference it, but even just getting that like 20, 30 minutes of like Oh shit it might happen.

Was it enough? Was it enough? I can't imagine being at one where that it's like close from the beginning. Yeah, it would that that is I guess one thing That makes you crave like the because as close as it fell on Sunday, it probably like, statistically wasn't like, you forget how fast a match can go from one down to one up the other way or to one up. But it's crazy how the singles, it will always deliver some kind of hype because I was on the 12th hole. I had never really pieced together that my match could be the one that like loses it, you know? Like I was excited about early and we had like everybody just like

threw out, the euros just threw out their horses like immediately. So it was one of those like, okay, if we can get off to a good start, like we will have a chance. And then I started to realize, oh shit, like my match could be like the 14 and a half point match. And so I look up at 12 and I start to realize that you started doing the math. I'm like, OK, well, that one just finished. That one looks like we're going to lose it, but we're going to win this one. And you start doing the math and you're like, OK, if it comes down to mine and I can stay one up, they'll have 14 points. And then there's just a block of red. And it was the most arousing thing I've watched because I'm like, holy fuck, Joe and I were talking about, without talking about our match, which we never really brought up with, like, we needed to win. We were just like, we could fucking do this

because it's gonna, it could come down to dub and Ricky and I was like, you just had to flip to, like one or two of those matches and it wasn't unreasonable. But you start to, right after my match ended, you know, find out like, you know, I think Jordan Lossel or Ricky Lossel or somebody Lossel and I was just like, what, like how are, and you're like, okay, well, they're one of, of course, like, that's the easiest.

But you just saw a seat, finally, we saw a sea of red. I'm like, we're gonna do this. We're gonna, we're gonna pull off the coolest damn thing that we could ever dream of. And so that that was where it did get, at least it got really fun as far as the contest goes. But yeah, it would be pretty intensive. You're in that like the whole time

where every match felt like it came down to the half point because that's what was crazy about the end of that Sunday was we needed every one of those to stay full red. But that's where it, as much as we got killed, when you score wise, when you look at it, Victor made a crazy 20 footer on 18 that if it was one inch shorter, does not go in. And ROM, if it was one inch harder, does not go in,

that thing's still rolling towards our team room. You have moments like that that those two flip to a full point, sorry, a half point where we got a full point, Rosie makes very on mind when mine ripped out. That's another full point. Like it's a lot closer than you think when you add them up at the end, but they just did, they just played so well that like, we had to keep, we basically felt like we had to keep winning the 18th

poll to keep momentum, where they were just kind of always felt like they were in front. And that's what it really came down to. They played so well that we needed to be so, it felt like perfect at the end of each match. And they just seemed to always, they owned the hole in the 18th hole just felt like that the whole weekend. And that was, that was, that was tough. But it is crazy when you look at all of them, there's a lot of parts that you at the end of the round where you're like, damn. Yeah.

At the, if, if the Friday four ball doesn't flip like it does, it's 9-7 at the end. And that was like, that would have been, yeah, it looked like the percentage chance at one point Sunday got to with 8.3% that you could come all the way back and try and retain, which was looking, I mean, before that, it was down to 1%. Like, it was really, really rare. Really few. Like, it was a pretty decent, I know that probably doesn't sound like a whole lot of people, but that's like Not for a guy I wasn't happy about Medina Like it was below 1% at Medina and it somehow happened so it's forever hope But that singles makes it fun because you can you can see how it works I mean you have obviously they have 12 of the best players on the planet and we did two

So at any point any of those that's what we kept saying like all of us could win a match against anybody So you just got to go do it. And everybody was doing it for a little while. It felt very real. But yeah, at least we had that. That's why I kind of took with myself or we took with us, I think, is how's it at least we made him sweat for a little bit because it makes their celebration better for them. And I feel like it, it, the hope we had, I mean, it was a fun 30, it was a fun 30 minutes. I, I promised on Friday night, I would never pick the US to win in Europe again.

I made it all a bit of Monday and I'm like, I see the path. I totally start printing the t-shirts. So I would, I hope to be a part of it because I think it would be the cool stamp thing. You could do as a golfer in your lifetime. Now,'ve been to one I think went and over over there winning it all It's got to be amazing, but there was something about being over there and I Finding true hatred for their fans while respecting the hell out of them I finally get that now. There's a true division in my heart every one of you European fans over there I respect you so

much and I absolutely fucking hate you and want to see you guys feel how sad I felt that Sunday night. Welcome to my life bags. Alright dude well I think it's either now or a half episode or an eight hour one and I think we're gonna choose the first one because I we keep here forever, but we really appreciate the, it's the only way we could, we had to have you back immediately for the reaction man and appreciate you on some jet lag. So thanks so much.

We'll maybe do another one here in a couple of months if you've had some more time to reflect on. Cause it seems like there's a whole lot more there, but we appreciate your time. Yeah, thank you guys very much for having me tell your family's high. And DJ, root on the brewers, appreciate your time. Yeah, thank you guys very much for having me. Tell your family's high. And DJ, root on the Brewers, root on my boy, Yeli, for me.

But just let them know the daughters are coming for them. Yeah, I will let them know. I'll pass along your message. I'll pass the note down this great, doubt the state that dug out. Here, pass it on. I'll appreciate yours. Give it a big club. Be the right club today.

That's better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most. Expect anything different. Better than most.