OverDrive - Applebaum on the Canadian contingent at THE PLAYERS, the RBC Canadian Open look ahead and McIlroy in the spotlight

Episode Date: March 12, 2025

Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the PGA Tour, the Canadian contingent at THE PLAYERS Tournament, the RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, Rory McIlroy headlining the field and more.

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Bell, getting a new phone just got better. He is the CEO of Golf Canada. He is Lawrence Applebaum. Lawrence, I need you to do this. I need you to be tracking time of play on Canadian golf courses throughout the country. Can you promise me you'll look into that? Well, we slapped a tracker on you, Hazy. I don't know if you know this,

but we followed you for all of 2024. We had a little GPS tracker. Your time was 4.06. That was your annual time. All your rounds together, so you were pretty good. I can't see Jamie there, but Jamie had a more robust number, because Jamie takes a couple more strokes, and I got no data on Dave, no data.

Sorry, Dave. Are you a quick golfer, Dave? I'm very fast, I'm the fastest golfer on the planet. Well, you and O would get along well, because O's absurd. O's like two and a half hours. Yeah, if it's anything more than that, it's annoying for him.

You know who might be the fastest golfer I ever probably played with Outside of oh would probably be and this a horrific name drop, but Sydney Crosby Put the peg in the ground by the time the pegs in the ground the balls in the air It's I see it's it's it's peg air walking and it's really it's really quite something brilliant Yeah, I could see that out of said all business all the time competitive, but nice, right? it's peg, air, walking. And it's really quite something. Brilliant. Yeah, I could see that out of Sid. All business, all the time, competitive, but nice, right? Canadian, very nice.

But also like, let's get playing here. Let's get moving. The best, the best. I like that idea. Yeah, well, how are we feeling down there? I mean, this is obviously a big one. We've got the players, the fifth major, and the course looks great.

Everything, every year you get down there and they say it's in better shape than it's ever been in. You've been to this tournament many, many times. Can you, would you concede that? Do you think the course is ready to rock this week? Yeah, a big TSN contingent down here. We're looking forward to seeing it all weekend. But just to paint a picture for you is

it's the kind of day that we kind of dream in Canada all sort of winter for. It's like the snow is going to melt but it was 22. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. This place is so lush and green. It just is a tremendous golf course. It is really nice to see, spend a lot of time with our Canadian players out there. And one of the things that makes us all sort of really smile is that they play their practice rounds together, they have fun, they're sort of rubbing off on each other in terms of the competitive set because they're all playing pretty good. But it's just a perfect day. And it reminds us that spring is coming and we're not that far away.

So Lawrence, there's a lot of talk at the players. There's always a press conference with the PGA Tour Commissioner, Jay Monahan, and we've been talking about this ad nauseam about when is the merger coming, when is golf gonna be united. I mean, what's the buzz you're hearing? I know you rub elbows with a lot of high brow golf people

Are you getting any insight into what might be coming down the pipe? Well, I had so many thoughts, you know, I saw Jeff O'Neill down here not I didn't see him He wouldn't wouldn't surprise any of us if he was You know what in all seriousness, it's a really good question is I think that momentum is moving towards that reunification of the game that everybody wants to see in all these incredible positive stories we're having about golf. You know, the growth, we've had this, you know, incredible growth in the game around the world, but particularly in Canada.

And this is the one area that people sort of have been focusing is they want to see best on best. They want to see the best players together. I think the PJ Tour players are pretty unified in their voice, particularly Rory in saying like, we want them together. It's coming. And I know we've all been hearing that for a while,

but I feel energy from Jay. I feel energy from his team. I love the fact that some of these new names and new faces in the competitive tension that still exists on the PGA Tour is what's driving the sport. And we've got new talents and new guys like Ludwig Auberg, obviously Russell Henrle played very well over the weekend. But I really like the health of the game and I'm in particularly obviously looking really forward to seeing all these stars come up to the RBC Canadian Open and play a track that they are so curious about guys.

Every sort of the Canadian players asking lots of questions, most of them have played it, but their colleagues are really trying to get some insight, information about what TPC Toronto will play like and this great location that we're having the RBC Canadian Open in early June. You just mentioned Rory. That wasn't you heckling him and he took your phone, obviously, because what do you make of that? I mean it's just such a weird moment and I don't know if it's been turned into a joke because we saw the video of it online but has anything else come out of it? I would be disappointed if we were at your event Lawrence and somebody started heckling

the guys. It's just so unbecoming. I don't like it. at your event, Lawrence, and somebody started heckling the guys. It's so unbecoming. I don't like it. Wow. I wanted to joke. I've got this phone. Rory handed me this phone on 18th.

It's so weird. You know what, Noodles? That feeling and fan involvement that we so much love, We just don't want it to cross the line. You know, when we had our rink hole or you see what's going on, like this year at 16 at Waste Management, it's like, we want people to be boisterous. We want them to have fun.

I just caught a snippet of the video. It was a bit odd, but you know, we've had a real nice chance to get to know Rory in his, you know, his two time wins real nice chance to get to know Rory in his, you know, his two-time wins and his time with us up in Canada. And he's honestly as good as he seems to be. He's candid and direct and thoughtful and fun. And to see him hit the ball is like a sight. And so, you know, they're having a little more fun at the players and we like that. You know, our event is modeled in many ways after that. It's about a great

golf course. It's about food, fun, a little music, a few drinks and, you know, everything from families being very comfortable to having all your friends and couples and boys and girls coming out. So we like that mix and I think it reflects what people wanna see. You guys were talking about it a little bit at the beginning of the show about this, they had this creator classic going on today. And I was standing on number 10 and there literally was,

they were 10 deep down number 10 and you know, maybe think about, you know, maybe we have an overdrive creator classic. You know, maybe we get some teams together. I like that idea. I see, I see Noodles captaining a team. I see Hazy captaining a team. Dave will probably pick, there's this guy, Oscar Faschuk, who can stripe a ball. He'll probably pick his own guy. But you know this creator, this creator overdrive classic, maybe it's got some legs, Haji.

I like this idea. I like this idea because, and we need, I mean the handicaps would have to be locked in. That's my concern, Lawrence, is that O shows up and he's always like, well, I'll play off a three, you know, like nonchalant. I'm like, here we go, this guy's gonna shoot 68. He's claiming he's a three and he complains that everyone else is a sandbagger. Right. But I need O's cap dialed in. You mentioned Oscar, your boy Dave,

like his cap will be dialed. So if he were to be a part of it, we would, how many strokes would I be getting off your kid? At least 10, 12, 14 strokes minimum, I would think. But I think there's some legs there because you're right, like it's been really nice in Toronto the last couple of days today, it got cold. But before you know it, TPC Toronto, man, it's go time, Lawrence. And Rory will be up there, the Canadians will be up there,

Corey Connors, how good was he last week at the Arnie Palmer? And do you have a read on any of the Canadians this week? Because I'm gonna make my picks here in a moment can you give me maybe one or two in particular that you think are gonna really match up well with Sawgrass at TPC yeah I think I I I foreshadowed this question coming I thought you were gonna do your picks before my I'm waiting for you taking such an unfair advantage over the old dog they It was him not being there.

That's his problem, not mine. New phone, who dis? It's an honest mistake. So I talked to our national team coach, Derek Ingram, and he does some great work with our team. He works with Corey and Taylor Pendreth really closely, But the two guys probably are playing really great would be Corey coming off a third, a really solid place, third place at Arnold Palmer he talked about and he really, all the guys collectively say he's a top 10 ball striker in the in the planet and this place values straight driving, long

driving and it's going to be pretty fast. It's been sunny and warm out here, so it's going to roll pretty good. So I would say Cory is probably our lead dog, but the guy who has played just sensational golf all year and was striping it in the practice rounds was, was your guy, Nick Taylor. Yes. And he, I laugh because, laugh because he always asks about you. He wants to make sure that the lefty putting,

the righty swing is going okay. But I think Nick is, he won earlier this year at the Sony Open and he has been, you know, played phenomenal today. So if you get the bird's eye choice, I take those first two guys. Okay, those will be exactly who I plan on taking. It's gonna be a great week.

We're getting close to major season. We're getting close to the RBC Canadian Open, again up at TPC Toronto. We can't wait for that. And maybe we have the overdrive classic. We have some sort of connection because we're gonna be up there like we are every single year.

And we gotta cross some T's here and dot some I's Lawrence we've got to put some things together but before you know it it's go time we can't wait for it well I'll tell you this this wrinkle that will be on number 14 at the newly renovated TPC Toronto North course it's going to be electric I know Noodles is planning his outfits already. You guys make it such a... It always does. It always does.

Black on black on black. But so many people talk about how exciting it's been on the rink and what you guys bring to the table. So big shout out to the whole crew there for executing on that. Looking forward to it and thanks guys. Looking to some some good weather coming soon. Absolutely enjoy it down there we'll chat soon. Thank you Lawrence. Thanks Lawrence. Got you. There he is Lawrence Applebaum the CEO of Golf Canada. ready girl let's go put some meet him interview him an iHeartRadio experience you'll never forget with flights hotel and $500 included

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