OverDrive - Sands on McIlroy's Masters triumph, the green jacket win and achieving the career grand slam

Episode Date: April 14, 2025

Golf Channel Commentator Steve Sands joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the Masters Tournament, Rory McIlroy's incredible victory, the performance in the playoff, the significant iron shots leading to the win, capturing the green jacket in his career, the rankings among the golf world and more.

Hey, who invited climate action to the party? We did! Hey, I'm Shannon Burns. And I'm Sarah Christie. Together, we host the Earth Day Party Podcast. Where the guest list is full of climate experts sharing their advice on how we can protect our planet. Everything from avoiding microplastics to sustainable fashion to getting a prescription to spend time in nature. Plus, we hear from David Suzuki.

This is a party where everyone is invited. The Earth Day Party Podcast on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. We're joined now by a good friend, Steve Sands from the Gulf Channel and NBC. Sansy, I guess we'll start there. If you look back in the last 25, 30 years, where does this Masters in 2025 rank for you?

Oh man, it was a good one. You know, if you look at 75 with Nicholas Watson and Weisskopf, they consider that the best Masters ever. 97 clearly was great when Tiger won his first by 12, 86 Jack at 46 years of age, 2019 maybe. Tiger winning his fifth after a 14 year absence from winning at Augusta. But that one's gotta be right there with him.

I mean, a career Grand Slam fellas doesn't happen often. It's only the second time in 59 years that's ever happened. It's only the second time it's ever happened at Augusta. And the last time was Gene Sarra's in in 1935. So it was a historic day, not the greatest golf at times, but not the worst either. And it was a drama filled and it was phenomenal theater. Which of these three moments did you say Rory will not win the green jacket, Sanze? Was it the double on one?

Was it the chunk on 13 or was it the flare and regulation on 18 word or did you do it all three times where you just said this guy's just can't do this he can't win this tournament now I was I was thinking after the double at one there's a lot of golf left he had a two-shot lead so there's nothing tragic he was tied for the lead on the second tee instead of being two up I thought there was a lot of golf left there. Made his way around, started getting hot, and played 13 the way he's supposed to play it.

Hit a four shot lead, a five shot lead for a second there, but a four shot lead mainly. And then he chunked that wedge and I was like, ay, yi, yi, that was terrible. But I was like, wow, he looked like us out there. He looked like you guys spilling a pepsi computer that uh... did that was a crazy wedge sands he like he was eighty six yards all my care a lot

terribly played a little bit twenty any given a terrible and i mean you know i see what they play in his head sport that he had one of the greatest shots in the history of professional golf uh... on fifteen around the tree uh... doesn the Eagle putt, makes the birdie gathers himself. Nice shot on 16 for par makes two, two puts for par. And then 17 hits a stone cold wedge again, taps in for birdie and he's got a one shot lead. And then he, oh man, that wedge on 18 regulation shoves it into the bunker. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, when he stood over the pot at 18 in regulation,

I thought he's not making this. It's going to be a playoff, but I never thought he was going to lose. I just thought he's not going to make this as going to be a playoff. And then once he got to the playoff and he hit that driver, I thought he was in pretty good shape. And then he money that wedge to a few feet made the pot. And now we were talking about it being master champion. I never really lost confidence that he was in pretty good shape and they money that wedge to a few feet made the putt and now we were talking about Being master champion. I never really lost confidence that he was going to win

But it certainly wavered a few times throughout the day Yeah, it absolutely did and and I think the fact that Bryson played the way he played where he just he never really showed up He parred one he birdied two and then the wheels completely fell off Yeah It was over at that point after he bogeyed three, bogeyed four, McElroy birdied both of those holes. And it was billed really ever since the 18th hole on Saturday, okay, this is Rory versus Bryson.

These are the two powerhouses. This is the exact pairing you want, going out last on Sunday. That just never materialized and it turned into Rory versus Rory in retrospect was that did that make for better theater theater watching McElroy try to overcome this basically by himself as opposed to going blow for blow with Bryson how do you look back on that now well I think it would have been amazing if it would have been both of them going toe

to toe I think people remember last year's U S open fellows, but they don't remember that they didn't play in the same group. Bryson was behind Rory. We already played in front of Bryson last year. So now that they were head to head, I think it would have been more fun if they went head to head and Bryson didn't say, but Bryson faded pretty quickly. And that wasn't really a huge surprise. And here's why great player, world-class player, but he was not playing well. His iron play all week was no good.

He was putting out of his mind. He was chipping and pitching out of his mind. Um, and it was kind of smoke and mirrors for three days. And in this sport in golf, usually you can't do that over four days. That's why one of the biggest differences between the PGA tour and live is 72 holes is professional golf at the highest level, not 54. You've got to finish the job. You know you can't just win a Stanley Cup in the second period. You've got to go all three periods. Sometimes you need to go into overtime just like yesterday with McElroy. So it would have been cool if it

was head-to-head. You know they don't get along so great. You know not that they hate each other but there's a little bit of sports rub there, some gamesmanship on both sides, and they go about their business in opposite ways. It would have been really cool if they would have been going blow to blow, but didn't turn out that way, but somebody pushed Rory. Rory had to push himself a few times, and it was an exciting Masters for sure. It was ups and downs, the ebbs and flows. It was as exciting a day at the Masters, not the best golf in the world all the time, but as exciting a day at the Masters as we've seen it quite some time, from start to finish. So Sansi, what do you make of Bryson coming out and saying Rory didn't say a word to him

all day? I mean, was that weird? Is that Bryson kind of being a little bit of a suck for lack of better words or is that Rory being sportsmanship or sport gaming like you said or what do you make of that? I love that. You know, look, Bryson goes about his business not just differently than Rory but everybody else. He does, however, stand up at the podium and answer the writers' questions honestly. And Rory stonedoned him Rory had no interest in

Playing kumbaya. Rory's one of the nicest kids you'll ever meet in your life He's one of the easiest guys to play with well yesterday. He decided to buckle down. No chatter. No talk. No looking around No fist bumps. No high fives, and he just went about it with blinders on and he just went about it with blinders on. Bryson likes to give high fives walking from green to T, likes to tip the cap, likes to put his hand behind his ear, get the crowd roaring. And I think that that is not why Bryson didn't win. But I do think that it was a bit of an odd dynamic

for Bryson because he wasn't expecting that because Rory's never been like that. But he decided to take a different approach and it certainly worked. I don't think Bryson was being a baby. I don't think he was being soft. I just think he was answering a question. And to be honest, I think he was answering a question and he couldn't believe that Rory went four and a half, five hours and not saying a word to him. Sanzy, where does this put Rory? I mean, is he a top 10 player of all time? It seems incredible

that he's got the grand slam Took him a bit, but where do you think it ranks him? Oh? I think he's on the cusp of the top ten. He's only 35. He's got a long way to go Oh, yeah, if this if this greatness continues he might end up being in the top five I think right now he's between two and fifteen and he's getting closer and closer to that top 10 if not already in it by now. But I mean my gosh, he's doing, Phil Mickelson, okay, is the top 10 player in the world. Now his body of work is complete. Rory's is not.

Rory has five majors, Phil has six, but Rory has the career grand slam. Phil didn't get that. He only won three of the four. Phil never was number one in the world. McElroy has spent plenty of time as number one in the world. Phil never won a FedEx Cup. He won one players. Rory won two and he's also won three FedEx Cups and Phil never won one. So if Phil's in the top 10, I think McElroy probably is right there or right on the cusp of it, right on the outside of it. But I

think by the end of the day, when his body of work is complete, like Phil's basically is, I think McElroy's gonna be somewhere between four and nine over the course of his lifetime. He's just amazing. I mean, six times, six players have won the career grand slam, guys.

I was doing the math yesterday morning before our show. More men and women have won the career grand slam in tennis. The women's grand slam and golf has changed over the years from four events to five events. It's kind of convoluted. So if you count the men's game with the four majors against the only thing that's comparable, which is tennis and the men and women who have played tennis, there are more players on the women's side and the men's side individually who have won the Cray Grand Slam. So you can make a strong case, guys, that what Rory did yesterday is literally the single

most difficult achievement in all of sports. So that alone has to put him in a category in the top 10 in the history of the sport since only six guys have done it. Sanzy, I think now because he's freed up, I mean me and another member of this panel have had many conversations saying this guy's never going to win another major again because of all the setbacks. Now that he's got this under his belt and he can almost freewheel it where it's like I got nothing to worry about anymore because for years it was like can this guy win again,

win a major, win the big one? He could win the FedEx Cup or he can win at Pebble Beach, but I think he might circle around the track again on this. Like he might double up on the Grand Slam because I think he just doesn't care anymore. Or he won't, not that he won't care, but he's just going to be freed up. And the way he's playing right now, it might be the best he's ever played. Best he's ever played, best he's ever played coming into the Masters, and he looked a little shaky at times, but he closed the deal.

That's the most important thing. And the next major championship, fellas, when we chat again in four weeks at Charlotte at Quail Hollow, he's won there twice. He loves that golf course. And now that he has the burden lifted, and now that he has that heavy weight off of his shoulders This could be a lookout moment. He's only 35 It's not like this is like a 42 43 year old just getting that last one on his mantle He's gonna have a lot of opportunities. He could very well go on a big-time run

I'm not saying he's going to but he very well could because of exactly what you said He has a freedom now that he did not have prior to this past week with Steve Sands yeah it does feel like a fork in the road like it was an unbelievable accomplishment yesterday he almost threw it away 15 times and then five minutes afterwards it's he's gonna get the slam this year because he loves Quell Hollow and it's going to Port Rush and it's in Northern Ireland and we're going to Oakmont I think it is and that's a Bombers Paradise and it's amazing how him making that three-foot putt in the playoff, the three-foot putt he missed that Pinehurst a year ago twice, all of a sudden has spiraled us into this

conversation where it's like this guy's never gonna lose and I I do think there could that could spin both ways I think you might you might be right oh it may be so freeing this guy goes watch out watch me play or it could be I'm done now I did it like it's cuz Shane Lowry said right after he won the Masters yesterday right right after Rory came off the green he said all this guys talked about for ten years is I need a green jacket and then I can retire happy. There is a chance it goes the other way like I'm not rooting

for that, but you do have to open the door to the fact that maybe he accomplished all he was trying to accomplish and that's it. And if it is it's still an all-time great career, but he went 11 years in between majors and now we're handing four five six seven more out because he closed at Augusta I think that might be pushing it a little bit Sansi I agree I totally agree I think you can go one way or the other two things can be true at once I think this either frees him up and he goes and wins a bunch more or he just says you know

what I've done all I can do and thank you very much but he's only 35 he's uber competitive beyond belief competitiveness and competitive and I think he wants to be all-time great and I know that this puts him in a category of being all-time great but you know five is not enough. Bill one six already one seven, Tom Watson won eight, you know, Gary player one nine. I think, I think Rory desperately wants to get into that category. Only a few guys have won 10 or more. He's only won five and he hasn't won one from the age of 30,

24 to 34. Now he's 35. won one from the age of 30, 24 to 34. Now he's 35. So if he did not do great in his real prime in those ages, perhaps there's a second prime for Rory. We'll have to wait and see, but I don't think the motivation is going to go away anytime soon whatsoever. I think Rory has a desire, a burning desire to be all time great. And I think now he has a little bit of freedom. Whether that comes with more major championships we'll have to wait and see but he certainly is not going to work any less. He's not going to

work out any fewer times. He's not going to work on his game and his mind any less than he has leading up to this point so I think the freedom to be able to just go play I think is going to be able to just go play, I think is going to be really, really magical for Macalryde. Sanzi, quickly before we wrap up here, are you concerned about your caps going into the playoffs? Bit of a rocky road right now, thoughts?

Oh, stop. Oh, stop yourself. What's a matter with you? Sanzi. The number ones, like the number ones, but the number one Steve a couple things I'm glad you brought this up the number they're the number one seed They are not the president's trophy winner. Thank God And I can't stand winning a president's trophy and the number one seed they've lost a couple of games in a row to Columbus That's because of think about what just took place they sewed up the number one seed.

Sanzi, it doesn't matter man. It's ugly. They're leaking oil. I've got a stat for Sanzi. Okay what do you have? I believe I mean watching that game last night I thought I saw that they said they've given up three goals or more in 11 straight games. Wow Sanzi.

Not good. Anyway we got a goal we're out of time now. I still have beliefs, Sanzy. You're not ending this on that. Come on, I'm your guest. You don't have to treat guests that way. Listen, here's the deal, fellas. 1967. You had to go there, okay. Uncalled for. Take it easy on the chops you're busting here. Come on. Ovechkin and the Caps are going to go into the playoffs, perhaps not as sharp as they were, but I think they're gearing up towards this weekend whenever game one is on Saturday and Sunday. And I've been to Caps, whether they make a deep run or not,

who knows, but you got to have some puck luck, but they'll be ready. They'll be okay. They'll be ready. It's been a ready a weird weird it's been a weird month for that you got to admit that I'm all kidding aside absolutely get this record and trying to get it in tune it's been a strange month for the caps and I think they're gonna be just fine yeah I think you're right they're gonna be in the driver's seat that is for sure and you mentioned 67 the McElroy of the NHL is the Maple Leafs. Everyone knows it and when you consider what Rory just did, I think a lot of people are starting to connect the dots

up here. So enjoy yourself the next few weeks, Sanzy. Enjoy the first round for the Caps. We'll catch up before we get to Quail Hollow and the PGA and great stuff is always live from down at Augusta. Thank you for doing this. My pleasure fellas. Love you guys. And by the way, let's see who's playing in four weeks. If the Maple Leafs or the Caps are playing. Bring it! We'll call you then, Sanze. We'll call you then. Please do. Let's make a deep run, fellas. Both of us. Let's get to the champion. Let's get to the Eastern Conference Championship and let's get going here. Come on! I love it. And you know what the cup final be right around the RBC Canadian Open

We'll all get together and we'll watch and maybe it's the Cavs. Maybe it's the Leafs Maybe it'll be the conference final at that point Leafs versus Cavs worlds are colliding. It's gonna be brilliant Thank You, Sansy. Appreciate it From your lips to the hockey gods ears. Take care fellas Yeah, that would be quite the scene up at TPC. You get Leafs caps in a conference final, but yeah, he's a big Washington sports fan. Hey, who invited climate action to the party?

We did. Hey, I'm Shannon Burns. And I'm Sarah Christie. Together we host the Earth Day Party Podcast. Where the guest list is full of climate experts sharing their advice on how we can protect our planet. Everything from avoiding microplastics to sustainable fashion to getting you a prescription

to spend time in nature. Plus, we hear from David Suzuki. This is a party where everyone is invited. The Earth Day Party Podcast on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.