Subpar - J.J. Spaun breaks down his incredible U.S. Open victory, expectations for the Ryder Cup

Episode Date: July 8, 2025

On this week's episode of GOLF's Subpar, Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by 2-time PGA Tour winner J.J. Spaun for an exclusive, in-studio interview. The 2025 U.S. Open Champion talks the amazing finish he had Sunday at Oakmont, the gift he received from Tony Hawk following his win and what Rory McIlroy said to him before he went to a playoff at the Masters Par 3 Contest. --Download the Fanatics Sportsbook today and use code SUBPAR and you will get $200 in Bonus Bets when you sign up and bet $20 or more. https://joinfanatics.com/subpar Must be 21+. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Connecticut residents call [phone],  Massachusetts residents call (800)-327-5050, New York residents call (877) 8-HOPENY, Maryland residents visit mdgamblinghelp.org.--Performance is in your hands with Golf Pride, the #1 grip in golf worldwide. Get 20% off a full set (up to 13 swing grips + 1 putter grip) with code SUBPAR20 at GolfPride.com — now through August 31. --Carlisle, headquartered right here in Phoenix, is the professional contractor’s choice for innovative building materials for more energy efficient homes and commercial buildings. Learn more at Carlisle.com--The road to opportunity is often the road overlooked. That’s why Enterprise Mobility offers new roads to help drive your business forward. With mobility solutions like fleet management, flexible truck rental, and an unmatched global network, they can help your business find the right solutions. Their mobility experts find smarter ways to scale your business, so you’re not just growing bigger—you’re getting better. Find your road at enterprisemobility.com--Choose your style, pick your favorite Birdie Juice logo and shop from a line-up of top tier brands at shop.golf.com today!

All right, here we go. Welcome back to another episode of Golf Subpar with Colt Nost and Drew Stoltz. And as always, it's brought to you by Fanatic Sportsbook. And it's the final major of the season and Fanatic Sportsbook is your place to bet on all things golf. You can now parlay multiple players like combining the overall winner with top five, 10, and 20 finishes, or whole scores, and making the cut. For the next two weeks only, opt in and bet a $20 or more, three leg or more, same game parlay on the final major of the season and get a 50% SGP profit boost. token for golf. Plus, we're still dropping our weekly subpar picks in the Fanatic Sportsbook app where you can ride along with us. So much great golf, so many

ways to bet, and all in the Fanatic Sportsbook app. Join America's fastest growing sports book and start earning today. Not available in all states. Terms apply. See Fanatic Sportsbook app. Gambling problem, call 1-800-Gambler. Connecticut residents call 888-78-7-77. Massachusetts residents call

800-3-27-50. New York residents call 8778 Hope NY. Maryland residents visit MD gambling help.org. All right, so ladies, one of my favorite events of the year is in the books. The John Deere Classic, Brian Campbell is your winner over Emiliano Grillo in a playoff. I'm sure everyone out there had Brian Campbell picking up his second win of the PGA Tour season. I knew it. I had it.

Him versus Emiliano in a playoff, actually. truth be told i did not have that cold but damn tip of the cap to brian campbell i mean i don't think anybody saw this year coming from him he kind of joins you know like ben griffin i think andrew novac on like surprise breakout years this year um how about this first win at arguably the biggest bombers paradise on the pjure down in mexico and then this one doing it a little bit different but you know his distance colt gets a lot of talk i went up and uh just checked exactly where he stands on the PJ tour in terms of driving distance, 174 out of 174. That's not good.

276, 277 yards per pop off the tee. That's crazy. That's crazy impressive. I mean, Cole, you know, like you were out there for a long time. That's around the world where you lived right there. It's hard to make cuts. It's hard to do everything when you're behind these guys. And now he's done it two times on the year, beating everybody.

Yeah, you got to give him a lot of credit. I mean, to go out there and give up 40, 50 yards on so many. holes out there and be able to win multiple times. It's incredibly impressive. I don't think he saw it coming, judging by his interviews. I don't think any of us saw it coming. He's got two top 30s on the year and they're both wins. So he's missed a number of cuts. But when he gets in contention, he seems to be able to get it done. And I know this tournament means so much to him. This was his first ever start on the PGA tour back when he was in college at Illinois. He had a lot of support out there. Good to see him get the win. And I just want to give some love to John Deere as well. You know,

that's a tournament that's had some tough times over the years with not the best field in the world. They had a really good field this year. They're such a loyal sponsor and they put on such a great tournament. I mean, the fact that they get Dirk's Bentley, Zach Brown Band to come play concerts there on Saturday and Sunday, the place was packed on a 4th of July weekend. It was awesome to see, man.

I just love that tournament. You know how I feel about Duck City, Chef Jeremy and all the folks there that took good care of us all week. We shut the place down most evenings, but it's just always a special week, man. And I just want this tournament to get to love at dessert. years. Yeah, also I love how well they take care of like the top amateurs. You know, Jackson Coyven this week, we finished 11th. The Amnir played his way into another start. Preston, Summerhays. Michael, Asusa, like, they've historically done that. And then these guys, you know, they get some loyalty. Chris Godderup, you know, coming back this week. Brian Campbell, as we mentioned, you know, he's back. This was his first start as an amateur. They do a great job with that too. So cool spot, cool stop. Obviously, Duck City in the house. And yeah, props to Brian Campbell. I mean, pretty, like, awesome story Colt in the world where, like, superstars are coming out and just, you know, be taking over the world right away.

He was a rookie in, what, 2016, 17, fell, lost his card, then spent seven years trying to get back, close to being done with golf. Now, two-time winner, 55th in the world, and doing it from, like we said, way further back from where a lot of these guys are playing. So props to Brian Campbell, two-time winner. like we all had pegs start of the year. Absolutely, and it was also good to see Max Homa get back in contention. He finished tied for fifth. First top 10 on the PGA tour in almost 15 months. I walked with him out there Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

At one point early in the round on Sunday, had a two-shot lead when he birdied two, three, and four. You know, struggled a little bit coming in, but for the most part, hit the golf ball fantastic all week long. Putter went a little cold on Sunday. He went into this week with a little bit of a different approach. He played Zach Johnson's event on Monday. Monday said his goal this week at the John Deere is just to go out and have fun.

He's like, I got a cool job. I got a great family. I need to start enjoying this a little more. He's like, I'm tired of sitting in my hotel room being pissed off and beat my head against the wall. I'm going to go out, have some fun, have some nice dinners, have maybe a beer or two at night, and see what happens. And he went out there with that relaxed mindset, came to Duck City every single night,

had dinner, went home, woke up the next day, smiled his way around the golf course, and it led to his best finish in a very long time, man. So I'm pumped. Good to see him back playing well. I think he's on the right path. I told you this on our Sirius XM show. Like, I just think golf is better when Max Homa is playing well.

He's one of those popular guys out there. He had so many people on his side in the gallery. And good to see him out there, having fun, smiling, and hitting great golf shots. Yeah, I know he's probably disappointed, not getting the job done. But that's his first time in that spot, then a long time.

And after he came out the way he did Colt, I was like, this is it, dude. He's going to keep going. This is going to be Max's day. didn't work out that way. But I think the positive, like, he's been saying, you know, for a little while now, like, I think I found something. I'm getting close.

I'm getting close. He hit the ball plenty of good enough to win that golf tournament. And if I was going to lose one, I'd rather be on the back of my putter, you know, not making puts than just not being able to hit it where I'm looking. And he hit it where he was looking over and over. So hopefully this is kind of the, you know, turning the corner for Max. Also cool, like, coincidence or not, when he tries to, like, when he lights up on himself a little bit, tries to have a little more fun, goes out, or how it's,

few pops also mentioned, you know, gave the interview earlier in the week about getting off Twitter and stop paying attention to that and all the energy and time and just how toxic it is and stuff like that. Yeah, he's made a serious, you know, change here and it's working out for the better right now. But yeah, really good to see Max back in the mix there. Hopefully that keeps going for a while. Yeah. So obviously spent a lot of time with him last week and we talked about a lot of this and the social media thing where, you know, he used to have so much fun with it. and he became very popular because of it, more so that than the way he played golf at the time, where he would have fun roasting people's swings.

Like people would send them, they would ask. It was never mean or anything like that. It was just fun little jokes that people asked for. Well, it's turned into now where Twitter X, whatever you want to call it, is just such a toxic place. People will say whatever they want. The good news is, though, Sleas, Max Homa looks like he's back to playing some good golf. Hopefully, it has a strong finish to the season and gets this thing turned around. But, man, it was an awesome week at the John Deere.

we got some big events upcoming. We got Tahoe, which I'm very sad we're not at this year. The American Century Championship, where all the celebrities are out teamed up, including our man Charles Barkley, whose finished position has moved, because they're starting to get a little impressed by this, man. It used to be top 70, now up to top 65 for Chuck this week in Tahoe.

That should be a layup. Coming off the top 60 last year, by the way. 58th for the Chuckster. Back-to-back ain't cheating. And so I'll, this is a good, this is a fun little tournament to bet, too, by the way. I'll be, I'll be putting a little something on Chuckie, 65 or under. Well, you know, I always go against him. I have to.

Yeah, that's what I do. As you should. That's what I do. And I'm two and one, the last three years. So I hope he plays well. I hope he's right around it to make it a little fun to watch. But I also do enjoy putting his cash in my pocket. And it's time to put some cash in y'all's pocket, which at least I finally picked a winner last week.

The streak is over. You did it, buddy. I think I'd miss like six in a row. You did it easily too. Denny McCarthy. With room to spare. Denny McCarthy, my man, top 20, got the people paid out there. So let's keep this thing rolling.

Let's make sure you go over and download the Fanatic Sportsbook app. Follow along with us. We're going to give you same game parlay this week, as well as our favorite bet of the week. And Slees, it's the Scottish Open. It is always interesting to see what the weather's going to be like that. Some little preparation before you head over to the Open Championship. and with my favorite bet of the week. I'm going to stick with my top 20 play.

And I've gotten to know this guy a little bit over this season, and I just think he's fantastic. I love him. I want to have him on subpar, because he's just a dude. And he's going off at plus 250 for a top 20. And he's won twice this year. Ryan Fox, my favorite Kiwi.

Come on down. Let's keep this thing rolling. I love that pick. I actually had the same pick. I'm going to audible out, because last time we've had the same. pick you audibled out didn't win by the way it was luke clinton i believe a few weeks back but i got another one that i love should be noted michael philbjohnson t 21 yeah or 21 solo i think with a

double on 17 although he did shoot like eight under in the fun around he was kind of out of it but i was like i was like dude oh my god he's going to do it he's going to do it and then dub on 17 which is most guys were making bird on that thing but i'm going down the list it's not quite the plus two-fifty you got but a guy that's playing some damn good golf right now sam burns i'm gonna stick in the top twenty two i need to pick one off here he's going at plus 180 colt he's had five straight top 20s top 20 and seven of his last eight starts as you know in contention right till the very end at the u.s open lost in the playoff in canada and making a push for that rider cup team right now just on the outside looking in needs a few good weeks give me sam burns top 20 plus 180 i actually feel

pretty good about this one okay all right which is scary well we're gonna get you a same game parlay this week. So if you follow along, you bet $20 or more, and it's a three-team same-game parlay or more, you can get in on some of the action here with us. And for me, at the Scottish Open, I'm going to go all three to finish in the top 20. This thing is juicy, sleaze. I had no idea it was going to be this much, so dear God, I hope it wins. I can get back in the plus column here. But I'm going Colin Morcawa with a new caddy, Billy Foster on the bag, Aaron Rye, who is extremely consistent, and my man, Daniel burger all the top 20 plus 32 50 my man plus 32 50 let's go for that that is a juicy juicy burger right

there got come on daniel burger i'm rooting hard for him for the rider cup uh let's make a little push there that'd be a nice one to hit right there i'm also doing all top 20 bets here uh you got you got to crawl before you can walk here so give me the following Tommy fleetwood top 20 Roy McElroy, top 20, and the man I was going to take in the indie bet, Ryan Fox Top 20, that bad boy plays out at plus 12-hundo. Okay. Just do your job. Everybody do your job.

Everybody gets paid. Everybody comes away happy. Got a little extra coin going into Open Championship Week. All right. Go download the Fanatic Sportsbook app and follow along with us. And if you're out there playing some golf and you're struggling with your putter a little bit, I highly recommend switching your grip, Slee's. and if you haven't tried Golf Pride's reverse taper putter grip yet,

you're seriously missing out. The slightly larger lower hand helps quiet your wrist and keep the putter face square through impact. So your stroke stays stable and consistent, no matter your grip style. It comes in three different shapes, and now they've added a smaller size, so there's really something for everyone.

Right here, this bad boy in my hand, you can get 20% off a full set, up to three swing, 13 swing grips, and one putter grip at golfpride.com with code subpar 20, now through August 31st. Sleeve put this on there, start hooping. Buckets.

Buckets for days. All right. Well, our man that's on the show this week, he made a few buckets at the U.S. Open at Oakmont just a couple of weeks ago. He brought the trophy in studio. Here he is, JJ Spahn, the U.S. Open champion on Golf Subpar. All right, here we go. The champ has arrived, and he brought some hardware with him, too.

Man, this thing's only been around for a few. weeks for you. It's already seen some wars, but we have the 2025 United States Open Champion JJ Spawn. Good to have you, buddy. Jar Jar. What up, boys. Good to see you guys. How about it? That's a nice looking trophy. It smells a little bit, though. Yeah. I've had some fun with it. Yeah, I tried to disinfect it, sanitize it after the last couple weekends, but, you know, it's still shiny. It's got its glitz to it still, and, you know, there's still more fun to be had out of it. When did it all hit you that, hey, I'm a major champion? I don't think it really has, honestly.

You know, I think it's cool. I think actually when it first hit me was when I teed it back up at the travelers and they announced me as the U.S. Open champion. I teed off first in front of Scotty. And it was just a cool, like, standing ovation, cool moment to, like, actually hear it. And, you know, be on the course to hear the support and all the cheering. And then everyone's called me champ all week long and all this stuff. So, yeah, that's kind of when it's.

set. But I still wake up every day and see this trophy and I still like have to pinch myself. I thought it'd be when you turned us down to come on our serious XM show when you absolutely big-timed us for all these other shows. Oh, Enriquefe. And good morning America took priority. You did four play. By the way, thank you for bearing Frankie. That was great.

I had to. I mean, if I'm going to let them go ahead of you guys, I got to at least throw some shade. But dude, my morning was 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and they had it all laid out. I had like one 10 minute break to take a leak and eat some breakfast. And that was about it. So I would have fit you in. But, you know, it wasn't my choice. That's a big day.

That's a big day. Our first episode with him, you know, he's calling him begging us to have him on. Yeah. What are you having on? It was after Valero. We thought that was cool, by the way.

I'm like, finally I got out. I had to do something good. Things change. What's been the, like, biggest pinch me moment? Like, have you heard from someone or maybe it was during the New York deal? Yeah, the New York deal was still kind of like, I slept three hours the night before. I was just still kind of riding the high and the adrenaline. But just getting like tons of letters and mail.

Like I got a signed skateboard from Tony Austin. Yeah, that was, you did? Like I was not expecting that at all. Are you friends with him or how did that come about? No kidding. I mean, obviously, you know, grew up playing his video games and idolizing his skating and stuff. So like that and, you know, Jack Nicholas wrote me a letter. and it's just really cool to kind of get all that stuff.

And that's kind of when it sinks in. And, you know, those are the interesting moments so far for me. I would have loved to have had a video when you open the box of the skateboard. Because he probably would be like, what the hell is this? Yeah. Did it say from Tony Hawk on the, like, label on the label? Yeah, the shipping label is like Tony Hawk like enterprises or something. I was like, what?

And I thought maybe it was just like a deck, but then he like signed it like, congrats. That's so cool. I didn't even know he followed golf, like at all. I haven't seen him. or maybe someone just told him like, hey, a kid that idolized you growing up, just won the U.S. Open or something. It might have been his son, Riley Hawk, because he, like, DM'd me, and, you know, he's been getting super into golf, and I've never met him or anything, but I know who he is, and I know it's his son. And so, I don't know, maybe he facilitated it, but, yeah, it was a pretty sick surprise to get that in the mail.

That's sweet. That's awesome. I don't know if you know this, but you're flying up to Oakmont with some good friends of ours. Riggs was on there. Todd Martin from Peter Millard. Did he tell you that the text exchange back and forth? No, no. I haven't seen him since.

This is great. So the week before is Canadian Open Sunday. Todd watches all the golf. He's texting me during the playoff of the Canadian Open. And he's like, on a bird with JJ Riggs and JJ's family. I was like, bird. I was like, I know JJ's cheap ass didn't pay to fly private up there. And he's like, oh, no, American Airlines.

And then you go out and you win the fucking tournament. Southwest, Southwest. That's unbelievable. C-32. Yeah, no, it was cool. Yeah. It's just, yeah. You never know who you're going to sit next to or see on these planes,

especially coming out of Phoenix. But, yeah, it was cool. It was, you know, kind of running into a lot of people and saw Todd and Riggs. And they're just like, have a good week. Yeah, I would love to have a good week. Thanks, guys. Yeah, I also heard your confidence was riding really high at the gym the week before. You said you were just hoping to break 80.

Yeah, Carson was like, oh, this course should be pretty good for you. And even my coach, Shribs was just saying, like, do this course be good for you? Like, blah, blah, blah. I was sending him swinging videos, and I'm like, what do you think? And he's like, I see the U.S. Open champ right there. And this is like the week before. It was pretty cool. But, yeah, I was telling Carson, I'm like, dude, I'm hitting like shit.

I'm trying to, like, figure out my back swing. I'm probably just going to miss the cut, like, whatever. It's the U.S. Open, like, you know, exposes everyone. But, yeah, didn't miss the cut. No, you definitely didn't. Yeah, we played right before you left or whatever. I know, you were, I wouldn't say you were optimistic going in. You're like, dude, I don't know, Oakmont, such a beast.

And then I think there was a test. text sent Monday, like, how's the course where, like, I don't think I made a par today? That was on Monday. Yeah. For your practice round. Yeah, I was, I still hadn't made a par. I don't think I hit a green. But it's just like, fuck, you get, you can kind of get in your head with any sort of U.S. open venue and, you know, seeing all the videos of people freaking out, like, oh, the fucking rough is 12 inches long and it's 20 on the stump.

And people are like, oh, you're going to go out before? And I said, fuck that. I don't want to go before and like start losing confidence and freaking out before. I'm going to just go there and see it when I see it. But yeah, I mean, that place is a beast. And, you know, it's one of those places where, you know, no matter what condition it is in, it's going to be tough. Yeah, it is going to be tough. And I mean, with the rough the way it was, you actually did have to hit fairways that weekend.

I mean, that's what you do. But, I mean, just looking back on your career, your best finish in a major before was tied for 20 thirds. Like, you didn't have a ton of success. And you mentioned you didn't feel great about your swing leading in. At what point in the week did you be like, okay, we're on to something here? I think like Tuesday and Wednesday, I got some good work in Monday with Shriver and did a lot of short game and putting. And, you know, I was hitting a lot of good tea shots, finding my lines were,

my lines were really good off the tea and just trying to like narrow in in the practice where you can practice times you can kind of just spray it, whatever, you're just trying to see the course. But I really wanted to like tighten it up, try to hit my start lines and finish lines. And I started doing that. I was like, okay, maybe, maybe, you know, I'm not, you know, as, as off as I feel like I am. But, yeah, we just got some good work in and kind of, you know, got the swing to where it needed to be where I didn't have to think about much on the course. It was more of just like a small feel. And it's always reassuring having just something simple out there to lean on when you're playing.

And you started working with Gregory, with Josh Gregory that week. And, like, you had a few days of work. And then you went out and chipped it really, really well on a golf course that's, I think, like, percentage-wise, one of the hardest to chip on the PJ tour. What did you guys do in, like, a few days that, like, made that difference? Yeah, so Josh reached out the week of Colonial and Memorial. I was just thinking, you know, I might need some eyes. Like, I don't know how to practice my chipping. I don't know, you know, how to get better in that area.

I mean, I've had hot and cold seasons where my scrambling's been well. and I just need some more consistency. So we plan to get together Monday of the U.S. Open. And we just did a lot of, you know, some minor technical stuff, shortening up my back swing on my chips because I kind of would get long and desal and that kind of messes with contact and sort of the prediction of like how far you're going to hit it,

obviously. De-selling is not great. But, yeah, it was funny. The first round, first whole of the tournament, I start on number 10 and the pin's front right and I'm in the middle of fairway, perfect. The last place to miss it is right of this pin because this green is sloped front to back, right to left.

And of course I miss it right in the rough, not in the bunker which would have been way worse but the pin was probably four paces off the right and sitting in the rough and fucking chipped it in. And it was just kind of like a nice start and then Karen's my head. He was like, nice shot Josh. because of Josh Gregory.

But yeah, it was a good week to, he's really good at teaching you how to read lies in the rough and grain or whatever. So, you know, my thinking on how to attack chips out of the rough were just pretty basic, but it wasn't really the right way. And he kind of taught me the secret on, you know, how to approach those chips to have them come out more predictable. And it worked all week long.

It said you told him, you're hired after the celebration. I'm sorry. So good for him. He got the job. Yeah, exactly. He's like, I think I'm hired, right? I'm like, yeah, you're good. We're good.

I got everything I need from you. Yeah, you're good. Yeah, there's a trial week anyway. Yeah, we're good. Before we get back to JJ Spahn, this portion of the podcast is supported by Carlisle companies, a leading supplier of innovative building envelope systems. With buildings responsible for nearly 40% of total energy use

and energy demand on the rise, Carlisle is meeting the challenge head on. Carlisle's advanced energy efficient and labor-saving solutions help reduce strain on the grid while reducing labor for contractors. We have a lot of great events in our area, but hands down, one of the coolest events in the Phoenix area is the Carlisle, Arizona Women's Golf Classic. This Epsen Tour golf event, which is a feeder tour for the LPGA, has the largest purse on the Epson Tour and attracts some of the best talent in women's golf. The Carlisle-Arizona Women's Golf Classic at TPC Scottsdale every spring reflects Carlyle's commitment to the support and advancement of women in business and athletics. Now back to JJ Spawn. Well, you go out there around one, you shoot 66, bogey free, got the lead. You go out, second day, shoot 72. Now you're one back, but in the

final pairing on Saturday. What were the nerves like Friday night leading into Saturday, knowing that, hey, you're in contention for a major championship for the first time in your career. Yeah, I was pretty nervous, but I felt really comfortable leading into Saturday. I knew, you know, to, I could have easily backed up that 66 with like a 70, or even like an 86, honestly. Like, you know what I mean? Like you're out there

and you're thinking to yourself, you could literally, like the spread for a round out there is so wide. And, you know, it's nice. I had my family there, my girls and my wife, and there's such a good distraction

to have off the course. So, you know, you're not sitting in a room all by yourself, like letting the wheels spin and thinking about what ifs and watching coverage

instead of we're watching freaking bluey or some shit, you know? Like, just kind of keeping your mind off golf. So, yeah, that kept me pretty calm going into Saturday. And, you know, once that first T shot, once you get that off, it's pretty easy to kind of go from there, especially if you had a good one. You looked comfortable. I'm sure you're freaking out on the inside like anybody had a major

championship. But going back to like your success this year, are you been in contention a bunch of times? Could have done it at Sony, obviously the players. Without those experiences, do you think you're you can close the way you did this past week? No. I mean, I used to, when I used to get in contention, I used to be afraid of failing. And I think the theme that we've gone on with this year was like giving myself permission to fail as long as I commit to everything that I'm doing. And as long as I'm playing, committed golf, making right decisions, I wasn't worried about the outcome, you know, especially after the results I've had.

And I started that with Sony. You know, I struggled last first half of last year and kind of fought back really well to end the season. but going into SOTI, I had the league going into Sunday, and I was pretty nervous because I hadn't been in that position in a while. So, you know, I didn't win, but I still had a chance there going into 18. And, you know, I kind of just build off that and, you know, all the close calls that I had and just really tried to lean on that experience. And also allowing myself to fail.

Like, you know, don't be afraid to win. Don't be afraid to fail. But as long as you, you know, give yourself the chance and commit to everything, that's all you can ask for. Well, you go out there Sunday and obviously you have a chance to win next to last group. And I mean, for someone to hit it as well as you did to be five over par through the first six holes, I mean, it had to be a little shocking like, holy shit. Maybe it's just not my time. I don't know.

But how did you bounce back after that start? Because really, you didn't really hit too many bad shots in those first six holes. Yeah, I mean, the first hole is a pretty tough hole, probably one of the tougher ones on the course. And I made a pretty good bogey. I mean, I drove it in the rough, pitched out in the rough. and then, you know, made bogey and then hit the flag on two and then hit a couple like shaky drives to kind of, you know, give myself chances for a part but still making bogeys.

And, you know, for a while there, I was just thinking, am I ever going to make a par? You know, like I was like, I'm probably going to bogey every hole at least. But for a while, I just, I tried to just dig deep and just think, you know, like there's still playing a golf left. And obviously the rain delay hit. And that was kind of a pivotal moment in the top. tournament for me to where I can just go back inside, regroup, just, you know, reset.

Because the same thing happened to me at the players on Sunday where I was kind of, you know, letting the fields come back or I was giving up shots to the field on Sunday on the front nine. And then we had a four-hour rain delay and I came back and just charged it. So I had that fresh in my mind thinking, you know, I've had an instance where, you know, I had a big delay where I wasn't playing well. And I came back and fought back. So I was like, why can't I do it again?

And, you know, fortunately turned the round around. Did you change clothes at the players as well during the delay? I did not. That's the problem. That's why I didn't win. You learned. That's right. So, yeah, next time Sunday, brain delay, I'm in contention.

Just brings her outfits every day. Yeah, well, you know, shit. She's got me dialed. She'll have you, whatever you need. Yeah, why did you have an extra? You should just change at the turn every tournament anyways. I had, I had, she sends me practice round outfits, tournament round outfits. And Monday, my, my shipment of clothes.

didn't get there. So I had one extra shirt and that I didn't need because I already wore something that I brought. And so, yeah, I was all wet and shit. And I even, I had pants too. So I was like, I'm going to change everything. And just wanted to feel like completely fresh. And that was not really like ever in my strategy to like have an extra pair of clothes. But it was just there. I was like, maybe we should do this. Yeah, just wipe the slate clean. Shout out Shiv Howard. Yeah. Shib Howard. You're getting that done. Go back to the start again. Because you mentioned the break on two, which that's a two shot swing. That ball is going to bounce past. Come back. you're going to kick that thing in.

And then three, it was three, right, with the drive where you ended up having the brutal stance and all that stuff. At that point, like, you hear so many people when they win a golf tournament say, I got a good break here. You need a little bit of luck to win these things. After those two early ones, we're like, damn, dude, maybe this is an omen. Maybe it's just not my day. Yeah, especially after two, I didn't really know what happened. Like, from that second shot, that approach to that green, that back left, you can see, well, me, I'm 5-7, maybe 5-8. but you can see like the top two thirds of the flag.

So you can't really tell where it's landing or how close it's landing. And just from the sound of the gallery, I knew it like had to have done something like unpredicted, you know, like hit the flag. And of course, I see it coming all the way back. There's no way that shot was spinning, you know, more than three feet with the flight and all that. So, yeah, I was fixing my pitchmark and everyone's like,

oh, that hit the, that had the pin. You got fucked. And I was. Thanks. I see it rolling back. And it took 32 seconds to roll back, by the way. Yeah. And then, but it was funny, I thought to myself, you know, where the ball ended up,

I was like, ah, it could be worse. I could be in one of these, one of these 60 divots that are right here with the collection area. So I tried to do the mental coach positive thinking side of that and end up hitting a pretty good shot there. Have you watched the replay because they were like panning to the ball and then your face and then the ball and then your face. Have you seen that yet? It was like, I mean, it felt like it took an eternity. I saw one. It was like on Instagram and people were like, I thought it was.

just like a constant replay of like him going back, but it was the ball rolling 60 yards down the front of the green. That was nasty. Speaking, you couldn't see the green. I don't know if you saw Jim McLean on Twitter, the longtime golf instructor, hollow fame golf instructor. But there he goes,

the last two major champions have been 5-7 and 5-5, talking about Rory McElroy and you. And I was like, Jesus. Who's 5-5? He was talking about James. He's dunk on Rory, dude. He's dunk on Rory's head. I was like, damn, Jim.

Give him 5-8. He just said 5-75. I'm sure he said something else along with it to talk about golf, but I was like, God damn, he's called JJ. Four is more than five, five, come on, man. Come on, Jim. Come on, Jim. Yeah, forget all these athletes.

We got to talk about 17 and 18, obviously. I mean, the T-shot, I heard in a lot of your interviews afterwards because you did so many of them before you did ours. You talked about the drive and the practice round on 17. It was pretty much the same one you hit on Sunday when you needed it the most. Yeah, I was playing with Tony and Jacob Bridgman, someone else. and yeah, I just, I kind of was thinking, you know, it was the first time I saw that hole in the practice round and it kind of fit like my shape, like a little cut up the hill, the green kind of goes,

you know, diagonally left to right. And I hit a really sick tee shot in the practice round to literally like 20 feet. And, you know, I just kind of always had that, that shot, that image in my head all week long during the tournament. And I think I hit pretty good T shots there every single day. but yeah, on Sunday, that kind of came through my mind one more time, and it was the perfect wind and just, yeah, nutted it and just ended up, you know, you can't, another hole where it's blind, you can't see anything but the top of the flag stick, but you could hear the crowd just like building and building. And right when I hit it, it was going to be pretty good, and it was going right at it.

And all you hear is like, oh, and then you hear like, oh, you know, like the building. And I was just thinking, I'm about to make a hole in one here, but, You know, I thought it was pretty good, but not that good. It's such a sick hole, too, to have the second to the last, especially with the jammed up leaderboard like that. Like, cool stuff. Like, Tyrol kind of got fucked. He kind of lost it there.

You end up doing that and ended up winning it. It's a love having that drivable part four, like, where it was in the round. Late in the game. Yeah, it was sweet. It was nice. Obviously, your put on 18 gets all the attention, but I want to know about the one on 12 because that, is that the fastest put you've ever had in your life?

Yes, and considering it rained an inch for, you know, two hours prior to that, it was slower than it would have been. But I literally tapped it like as if it was a one foot putt. And it just kept... 36 feet or something like that? Yeah, it was, yeah, something like that, close to 40 feet. And it just, it was a pretty, pretty easy putt to read. It was just about getting it started on the right spot.

And me and Cairns, we just kind of picked. I think we played it like inside right. Like it was just one of those right down the fall line because I was right on top of the ridge. And I just said, this is downhill. right, he's like, are you kidding me? You're kidding me? This is down at a firm left edge. I'm going to ask stupid questions when I'm like trying to zone in.

But yeah, I just literally down at double black diamond. And it was just creeping and creeping. I couldn't tell if it was going to be short. I couldn't tell if it was going to gain speed and go eight feet by. Like it was just one of those puts that, you know, luckily I hit the perfect line with the perfect speed. And it just caught in, you know, on that right side and went in. When you hit it, I was like, what the hell is he doing? He just left this 12 feet.

short. Yeah, you can't tell the TV. And they just kept going and going and going. And I'm like, oh my God, that putt took 45 seconds to get there. Yeah, that's the crazy thing that the TV doesn't do justice with a lot of those grains out there, like number one, number 10. 18, it didn't even on your winning pot. I mean, come on.

Just missing the Mickey Mouse clown. There was one dude that filmed it with like a phone or something that has a green. And you can see the ball, like it disappears and it shows just how it. Because from the other one, it just looks like it breaks left to right. Yeah, like if you're reading the put, like crouching behind it, it's pretty gnarly. Like, there's, there's a swale in front and then a ridge. And then literally, if I block weak-sided this putt, like, it could have caught the ridge and gone literally maybe off the green. Like, that's how gnarly it is. I wish they would have done a better job

of that because like every time, not that it matters for you because you fucking won the golf tournament. But every, for the viewers at home, like every time someone's putting, it's from the up high camera above. And so the slopes, you can't tell. You got to be ground level. The one he's talking about on 18 was a journalist and you could see like how big that slope was and then your ball disappeared and then all of a sudden boom it came back up again. I wish they would have shown like the ninth green. I was like you can't even tell me how nasty that green is. When you shoot it from above it just takes away all the undulation. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, the journalist video is a cool one. Like we talked about earlier, sometimes you need good breaks. You finally got one on 18 with

Victor's putt coming a foot or whatever, two feet away from yours. Watching him put, and he had a great fucking putt, by the way, but watching him putt, did it change? did you change anything from the way you were originally planning on plane it? No. Either break or speed. I was more paying attention to his speed. Like how hard it sounded like the contact that he made was huge. Just because it's just really started pouring too.

So the greens are starting to get a little slower. But yeah, I mean, I don't know if I had 60 feet all day. So it was hard to really judge, you know, how hard to hit it. But, yeah, fortunately for me too, like not only was I lucky to get a reach. from him, but for him to also hit a really good putt too was huge. Because how many times you get someone on your line and they like hit a shitty ass put and you're like, really, dude, thanks. So for him to hit it, you know, five, six feet by, I was like a good little, you know,

image for me to see. And honestly, I don't even know if I started it where I wanted to. I don't even know if I hit it the speed I wanted to. It just like was such a blur. And I just remember creeping up to the high line, you know, as the putt was rolling. And it's probably 12 feet. I'm like, okay, like, that's good. It's going to be pretty good.

That's good. That's really good. And then it just fucking disappeared. And you black out. Blacked out. Yeah, freak out. Cairns with his umbrella, Mary Poppins out there jumping around. And yeah, it was, it was pretty surreal and a cool way to, you know, end the tournament.

Have you seen the video of Kiz and Dan Hicks in the booth? I just saw it today. That's cool. Me too. I saw it, but it got 20 feet out and Kiz gives it a thumbs up. Like, he knows the speeds money. And then obviously it goes in. Before we get back to,

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Now, back to the champ. Take us through because I loved Asmasked home with this at the Rider Cup when he had the putt to extend the Rider Cup, to keep from losing it. He's like, it felt like there was a million cell phones strapped to my leg and they were all vibrating at the same time. Like, what did your body feel like when you were getting ready to hit that put and knowing you had two putts to win a major championship?

Yeah, I was super nervous. I just remember kind of trying to breathe. like it felt hard to breathe. And I just tried to take some deep breaths, tried to almost psych myself out that this is, this is just another 60 footer, like not only for the US one, but it's just another 60 footer. And that's, you know, I mean, you hear about athletes

and, you know, them, the repetitions they put in, all the shots they've taken that, you know, whether it's to win the World Series or, you know, NBA finals or the U.S. Open, it's just, you got to dumb it down to being just another put. And as hard as it is to do that, I did a really good job, you know, kind of trying to put myself in the moment and not letting the moment take, you know, too much of an advantage on me, you know, as far as pressure goes. And it's cool because I'm not even joking. I thought this right before I stepped into the putt.

Like when I play my practice rounds, whether it's my buddies or just me and Karen's, we, we like to go to like the longest part of the green during a practice round and do $100 makes. So like 40, 50, 60 footers. If you make it, you get 100 bucks from everyone and, you know, so on. And I literally stepped in the put thinking like $100 putt, $100 putt. Yeah. But really like $4.5. Yeah, $4.3 million. So, yeah, it was, it was, you know, one little thing that I think just, you know, I don't work with any mental coaches or anything.

I just think from having these close calls and these really pressure-packed, you know, rounds that I've had to play that I'm just learning myself more and how to approach these high-intense situations. and that's what I did. I just tried to just make it so routine as possible. That was the fact that that went, like that's probably a put. What do you say? 30% three putt? It's got to be a 1% make,

but like how often are you people three putting that putt? Not to mention 70% to win a major championship. I'm talking like Thursday through, you know, any day of the week. That's got to be a 30% or something like that. Yeah, easily. I mean, it's just one of those puts. You're really just trying to get it within five feet, honestly, in two-pod.

Yeah. Not have the five or six-footer to win me. I didn't have like a one-footer or something. To hit that thing dead even is super small. I'll tell you was that moment was sick. I don't know if you got to see this. You may have seen it since.

It was really cool after that because Bobby McIntyre was in there signing his card watching it. And Tiro Hatten was given a press conference. Have you seen Tiro? I did. Dude, it was so good. He was like, he was happy.

Then he was pissed off at some question he got. Then you hold. He's like, oh, he's holding. He's held it. It's amazing. It was such a cool. By the way, he and Bobby, I thought, like, classy the way they handled it. Because, I mean, that was close.

Adam Scott. That was cool, too. Yeah, that's probably Terrell's video is probably my favorite. Not because of his reaction. But, yeah, the way he talks and like, but the cool thing about that video is that interview spot or whatever you want to call it was probably 100 yards from the green. And it, that roar is so fucking loud. Like, you can really tell, like, how loud it was in that video.

You don't even have to see it. You're like, that's a make. Yeah, that's like, you know, walk off home. run shit. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty cool. But yeah, they're good sports. You know, I was, you know, cutting it up with Bobby Mac in the trailer before.

And, you know, we were calling it Pittsburg because he's from Eden Berr. You know, it's spelled like Berg. But the way they pronounce it, it's like weird. So I just kept calling it pits bad to him. He loved it. He loved it. So he's a good dude. What was the celebration?

Like, obviously, you have the trophy ceremony. Your man, Mark Caron's already had a beer in his hand. He got the on the green. got the caddy trog. I was like, really, Mark, couldn't wait maybe five minutes. On national TV, pounding an IPA, getting his caddy plaque. Yeah. It was fun.

No, we, you know, I had to do some, the formality, some interviews and sign a bunch of stuff. But USAGA could put us up in the top of the locker room in our own little room. And just me and my coaches, my kids were already in bed because by the time it was, you know, 10, 11 o'clock at night. And we just sat up there and drank and just enjoyed the moment and looked at the trophy and just enjoy. enjoyed, you know, being together. And, you know, it's a team effort. And we were all just kind of enjoying the fruits of our labor. And, you know, we didn't, we shut down Oakmont at like one o'clock. You know, we were there until one in the morning and, uh, had an early day next week, or the next day in New York City. So I was like, all right, it's time to go to bed. So I didn't

even go to bed till probably 3.30 and then woke up at 630, like ready to go again. Like, it was weird. Got to do some shirt shopping for the media tour. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, to go get something. Where'd you pick up that bad boy? Where can we get one of those? Where'd I go? North... I think it was weird. There was like a Tommy Bahama clearance rack. Yeah.

It was Nordstrom rack in Manhattan or something. Brack. Yeah, the rack. But everything was... Four point three million. You couldn't go to the real one? There's nothing. They're the highest in retail of the world.

Give me that Nordstrom rack. All the nice places were like closed at seven o'clock. True. You know, we went to dinner and I was like, oh, there's like a Gucci store. Maybe I can get a shirt there. And I was like, yeah. Gucci would have been a nice look for you. Yeah, like, oh, okay.

But it was closed. And, um. You know, but the latest thing, the latest things open were like a target and a Nordstrom rack. So I was like, yeah, let's just go in the one you went with. Yeah. I thought you looked good. I thought you looked good for what it's worth. I got that shirt for you though.

Yeah, let me get that one time. We joked on radio. You've seen forgetting Sarah Marshall. Yes. When the guy's at the bell and Milakunas comes walking over, he goes, God, I wish I wouldn't run this fucking shirt. Yeah, I was like, is this good? Try wearing this.

And I was just like, fuck it. Let's go. Yeah, you pulled it off. All right. Big boy question here. I mean, all you got to do is rewind a year. Last June, and you were like, I need to play good to keep my job, keep my trick. Now you fast forward, major champ.

You're going to be on the Ryder Cup. If you had to point to one thing and say, this is what led to the change and the boost in play. What would it be? I think kind of like my perspective, my mental approach. I was kind of, I was freaking out a little bit early in the year last year when I wasn't playing well. And I think I made me like three or four cuts. until like literally this year, this time last year. And I was just like, you know, I've had a pretty good run.

I went on tour, you know, played eight years. If this ends up being how I'm going to go out, then I might as well just like just give it everything I got, you know. And I think just kind of pushing through and committing to more of my structure, my regimen and just playing more fearless golf, honestly. Like, it was easy to kind of think, okay, I just need to make a cut. I need to make a cut. but I just shifted to like

I need to fucking win like because honestly making cuts and ain't gonna do it either so I started trying to win more because I needed to you know if you try to win you end up top 10 like those add up and that's kind of what I did

you know I played great at the Rocket Classic last year and that kind of just you know sprung board me or springboarded me to to better more momentum and then bigger confidence and that just kind of like

creeped into this year and it's just, I've been running with it. Yes, you have, and you're going to be running up to Bethpage Black for the Rider Cup later in September. I mean, when you hear that, because you just talked about a year ago, you're like, I don't know how this is going to end. Now you're going to be playing one of the biggest sporting events in the world in the Ryder Cup, wearing the Red, White, and Blue represent your country. What does that mean to you? It means a lot.

I mean, I would have never dreamed of, well, I've dreamed of being on the Ryder Cup, but I never thought I would actually be on it. but it's just it's just been a crazy ride this last year where you know I've been working so hard and and also like getting the reinforcement from not just like my team but like other players and even kegan you know and kisner like they've all and sneds too sneds last year told me he's like dude you're so fucking good like like what do you like i was like dude i got nervous like what are you nervous for just fucking go out there and keep doing what you're doing because i had played with them a few times last year when i kind of turned it around and started playing well

and I think it was just more getting this self-belief that I can do it. But, you know, to be a part of these Ryder Cup dinners as, you know, prospective members, it's just really inspiring. And it was actually cool. Kegan put like a printed out picture of the U.S. Ryder Cup bag with my name on it. And he did it to all the other guys that were, you know, you know, potentially can make the team at the, at Oakmont.

And it, he put like, Bring Your Ego. and like signed like just put KB, he didn't give me an autograph, but stuck it in my locker. And it was just something I, every time I open my locker, I saw it there. I just,

every day, open the locker, see it there. And it was just one of those things that just kind of kept kind of being, you know, pinged into my brain

that you're just like, all right, like, Ryder Cup, let's go. Like bring your ego. And, you know, I mean, I'm not an egotistical person,

but I think that more tapped into like my self belief in myself. I heard an interview with him recently talking about that, how I believe we got that from Bill Belich. And he was like, every great athlete has an ego. And the fact that people say check it at the door is totally wrong. Like, you know, you bring it.

And together, we're going to put it all together and we're going to be successful. That was cool. I'd never heard that before. Yeah. And it was cool for him to do that, like, at the U.S. Open. Like, he's still wanting to beat us. But he's trying to make us play the best that we can and, you know, tap into our max potential. And, you know, I think that shows what a great captain.

He's going to be. Okay. Let me ask you this. We'll put you on the spot here right now. because you're going to be one of these top six guys. And it's going to come to six captain selections. And he's the captain. And he's going to come to you all and ask,

what do you think? The man's playing some great golf right now. Is he going to be teeing it up at Beth Page? I think he deserves to be. I think it's just going to boil down to what type of responsibility he's going to want to have. Because it's already a lot. He says he thinks about the Ryder Cup 24-7, like, you know, let alone be.

being a dad, trying to, you know, play for himself on tour. To be a captain, too, is a huge responsibility. So personally, I think if he doesn't qualify, he should give himself the nod. You know, how do you give yourself the nod? Look in the mirror and nod, I guess. Bring your ego. Bring your ego. I mean, dude, and he's got all the experience.

He's playing great. It's just going to boil down, I guess, to how much of the captaincy responsibility that he's going to want. But I think as a player, he's earned it. If you look at the list, like you just said, hey, Sleez, you're the captain. That could happen. You got 12 people going. He's going to be one of those guys.

There's no doubt. I almost think like whether people vote from or not, I think every guy that's in top sick and say, we want you cap, barring some crazy, just dry stretch of play where he plays, if he plays terrible for the next couple months, right? But it's almost like, all right, you're the captain. One A job of the captain is put the best team you can get on the field, right? I don't know anyone out there that would argue, like he's not one of the top 12. Americans and then we'd be better off without him playing.

Whether that means defer your duties to someone else and just tap out and be a player or try to do both at the same time, which may be a lot to ask. But playing wise, it'd be hard to argue against him right now. Yeah, that's a good point. I mean,

I think even if he was like top 12, it'd be kind of hard for him to not take a pick. But if he's going to linger around seven, eight. Yeah. Like if he has another good week and, yeah. He might even qualify. He could. He easily can qualify.

Yeah, I mean, you got the open championship and the playoffs? Playoffs, I mean, shit. So, yeah, it's going to be a tough decision. And he's already got a lot on his plate. So it'll be tough. I mean, he's going to be an unbelievable captain. Like, I know how much he cares, and he's putting everything he's got into it. And I'm sure he's going to do everything you can to make sure you are successful.

But it's going to be awesome to see you up there at Bethpage, man. That's going to be fun. I can't wait to hear about his nerves. You're going to be in that bitch no matter what. I know. I kids already texted me. And I was like, yeah, I'm pretty fucking nervous. He's like, dude, we're going to tell you all about all the stories,

how we were all nervous, how guys are switching up, you know, walking to the first tee, switching him because they don't even want to hit the first tee shot. He's like, dude, and he's like, I have the best speech for you right before you tee off. And so I can't wait. It'll be fun. And I think that's the cool thing. And that's what Keegan was saying how, you know, the past vice captains have been guys that are a couple generations older.

and no one that we've really played with, you know, like Freddie and no discredit to them and who picked them. But it's like him picking kids, Webb, SND's. Like, we've all been around long enough to where we've developed relationships and connections with these guys to where we actually can like, you know, get along with them and, you know, connect with them. So that was a good play on his behalf. Yeah, there was guys on the Ryder Cup last time in Rome that had never met some of the vice captain. You know what I mean? And I like what they're doing, like getting youthful and stuff. I mean, Kegan, when they announced him, like, shit, dude, he could have played the last one.

You know, you wouldn't have been captain if he would have made the Rome team. Right. And now, here we are. Have you ever been to one? Nope. Get ready, my man. It's going to be so good. The first T Friday is one of the coolest things, whether you're playing or not.

I mean, you got to be out there for that opening T-shot. It is so fucking cool, dude. I'm just glad we're on home soil. You have more of the support. You're going to have more support in New York. Maybe too much support. Yeah, my favorite Beth page story. actually is I played there at the PGA.

First round, I was like 6.45 tea time, the PGA at Bethpage. The range where they had set it up or whatever was probably like a 300-yard walk to the tea. And I'm like a pretty notoriously, like, late person. Like, I don't like getting to the tea with, like, five minutes. I like getting there with, like, two minutes max so I can just get my scorecard and just go. Like, I don't like sitting there, like, oh, thinking, yeah. Thinking, like, I just want to go.

So we're walking up there. And then all you hear is like these, you know, there's a big grandstand built up on the first tee at the PGA. And everyone's counting down 20, 19, 18. And I guess I was like almost going to miss my tea time. But the whole fucking crowd was like counting down. And I made it there with like 12 seconds. I started running. Got my scorecard.

I loved that. I wasn't the first one to hit. But like I literally almost missed my tea time. Damn. Nice. Someone will be there to remind you for the Ryder Cup. I'm pretty sure. They like to hear themselves up there.

And the good news is if y'all do happen to go play bad and lose, they're very understanding. Oh, gosh. They're reasonable people. Right, I'm on the other side of the country. There'll be a lot of Philly people there. They're notoriously forgiving. Good news about Bethpage's first hole as a driver.

Yes. The last thing I'd ever want in the world would be like a three wood. Yeah. Who is it web that popped up at... Or like an iron or something. Yeah, Webb's talked about it. Like the pop fly he hit the one year with the three wood over in Europe. Just see that bitch high.

Just swing up. Oh, dude. I just wanted to give me the diesel. the double i get a new driver that's bigger dude my first phoenix open actually on 16 my first time playing 16 i teed this eight iron like that high just so i was like just please hit the ball first like just swing up on it just sending up on the eight arm yeah that's the fun swing thoughts like just get it anywhere out there and give me the fuck off just get it airborne yeah yeah all right well let's get to the nine and we're gonna have some fun with this one and this is not a shot at billy andre this

is more having fun with your caddy mark carrons because look you're major champions now And if anybody that's played golf with Mark knows, it's a little dramatic out there. And now you've got other professional golfers now trying to swing like Mark Caron's after your performance at the US Open. Check this out. I mean, just hopefully that's okay.

But is that not your guy? That is my guy. That is identical. That might be better than my guy. And by the way, the shot kind of does exactly what Carrey does well. Yeah, Karen's, he'll do that shit. It ends up 15 feet somehow.

He did it at the players a few years back. I mean, like you posted or somebody post it. It literally looks identical to that on the closest to the pan of the caddy deal. And he hit it like a good shot. Yeah. Yeah. He hit it to about like 12 feet this year. Yeah.

Looks like he's getting shot in the back. I did see that shit all day at the pro scratch at Whisper Rock. Oh, yeah. Yeah. It's like, all right, drama queen. You can stop the act. But it's. Hey, Billy, I hope you're okay, but you swing just like Mark cares.

Yeah. He's the only guy comes up with grass stains after a round of golf. Sliding into third base. It's physical. And he plays a physical. game. All right, which one I want to start with here? I'll give you just a little easy, little funsy here.

Better put to win a national open. Yours or Nick Taylor. Well, hold on. Tell him the text you sent to Nick Taylor after he congratulated you. I saw the video he sent. Yeah, he congratulated me, said congrats. And I said, thanks, bro. And I said, my putt was cooler.

I didn't say my putt was better. I think I got taken out of context. I put like a wink face, blah, blah. But, you know, it was pretty cool. Like, I actually thought of him, not. not as I made the put, but looking back that, you know, watching him make that putt was really special and really cool to win his national open and then to do something pretty similar to when the U.S. Open was pretty sick,

but definitely it was a little flashback to his put. Yeah, you guys will always share that. You can argue over which one was better. All you needed was a friend that could get body bagged by security. Yeah, exactly. That would have been nice. Yeah, or Karen's get body bagged. That would have been sick.

Yeah. Get this guy out of here. All right. Next one. My was going to be, I wanted to hear about the Nick Taylor text because he told me, about it and I thought that was great of him. Both of y'all's puts were unbelievable.

I was there for the Nick Taylor. They both be on the montage for forever. I mean, just insane to do it in that arena. I mean, they changed the logo to him because of that point. That's sick. He's the logo. That's sick. All right. I don't know if you've played in the game at Whisper Rocks

since you've won a major championship, but are you okay with being a plus eight now? Yeah. No. But really, the question doesn't matter. You are a plus eight. The commissioner, Dr. Stoitz, would like you to know, that you are a plus eight going forward. Dr. Stowe.

He's always, yeah, he's going to find a way to get in these pockets. But, you know, it's fine. When we played the right before you left, we flipped teas and ended up being me and JJ. And Chess was wanting shots from JJ. I was like, what has the world come to? There was a time where Chess was like the hardest dude to be at this golf course. And I was like, you still play on tour. There ain't no shots going on here.

They were like adamant about it. He's taking shots. He thunders like, it's fair. It's fine. It's fair. Of course, dude. Well, welcome to the plus eight club. Yep, you got to play real nice.

Right, no pressure. Rom strokes on 5 and 14 of the lower, just so you know. Yeah, Ram only gets one for you probably, though, for being fair. Man, he'll ask for one. That's a pretty straight-up game, more or less. All right, this involves one of our frequent partners up at the Rock. How much of your U.S. Open win do you owe to Wyndham Clark for inspiring you to switch to the lab putter, as he noted, in his presser? I did see that quote.

I didn't know that he inspired me, but maybe he did. Maybe he inspired me to try it just from watching him putt or something, you know, with a non-lab. I don't know. With not using the lab, you inspired you to use it? Like maybe I should use it, but I did see that. That was strange. Maybe there's some sarcasm there, but, you know, Dubs. He's Dubs.

I've seen him putt with the lab, like on the, I've never seen using a real tournament. And then all of a sudden you win, like, hey, was you inspired? I saw you switch putters. inspired by your boy JJ Spawn. Actually, I inspired him. I read it, I was dying laughing. That's like such a Ron Burgundy, like, freaking. I mean, like, it was a good pub, but like, honestly,

he watched me first, and so then he probably just copied me. He's never used it until Detroit. I know. He's used a hundred putters. He has tried a lot, many things. If he has used it, it was for, like, a round. At home, I'm just, like, try this. And he'll, like, look at it.

He was, like, it was pretty nice, but it was never the other way around. Right. Maybe I don't remember that. He didn't put it in your hands. Not that I recall. All right. So, zero percent. Is that what we're going with?

Yeah. Zero. Okay. While we're on that subject, because, you know, winning the U.S. Open at Oakmont, you become a member of Oakmont. Is it true, you're having Wyndham Clark as your member guest partner the next time you'll tee it up at Oakmont. Yeah. Yeah.

You don't have to change the shoes in the locker in the parking lot. Yeah. We have to make some calls, make it happen. Maybe in 10 years or something. Oh, man. Dubs taking shots right. No, we love you, Dubb. We love you, Doug.

You'll get in that member guest. All right. Here's an easy one for you. Rider Cup, we're just talking about. Comes along, you're up in New York. The Yankees call you and say, we would love to honor your U.S. Open win by having you throw out the first pitch at our stadium. But you have to wear a Yankees jersey when you do it. Would you accept?

As a diehard Dodger fan. Yeah. I mean, after everything they went through last World Series, that fifth inning, I could give them a little bit and wear the jersey. Put it on just for a moment. Yeah, just to, you know, let them have their moment. wouldn't be the worst thing. We can make it work somehow. But, you know, they gave us the World Series

by that fifth inning. Are you going to get a nod, do you think, for Dodgers' first pitch? They know your love for them and your friends with some of them, yeah? Yeah, yeah. We should get that. Yeah, no, we actually are trying to plan something for that.

So that would be sick. How do you? Can you throw? Yeah, I was actually practicing up at the rock the other day. Because Bobby was watching me hit balls, and he asked me the same thing. I said, yeah, we're trying to figure out

like a day or a game to come out. And I put a fucking alignment rock. like 30 yards away is like 60 feet right and I was like chucking a ball and I was like see I can do it I was like missing by like 10 feet but I was like no well the ball is like you know bigger heavier it'll be easier to control like I'm whiffing it with the golf ball but tell that to Joe Burrow I don't know if you saw him throwing a baseball recently that that's kind of brutal but yeah kind of not a crazy different motion but I don't know Tom Brady threw him before him and he looked like he played in the fucking big so you got it figured out go yeah yeah I'll I'll

definitely get some practice in. Joe Bro's got enough good things going on for him. He'll be right. He gets paid to throw. He throws very well. Yeah, he does a good job. Yeah, it doesn't matter. It'll be just fine.

It'll be just fine. I look forward to seeing that. All right, next one, we know you love your cars. Yeah. I don't know if you still have. You have some green need for speed-looking thing. Green? Didn't you have a green one?

No. That's the green one at Whisk, Brock. That's Timmy McAdam? Oh, God. I always thought it was yours. No. I told everyone would that be with me. I was like, that's fucking Jay-J-J Spons.

Look at that ridiculous thing right there. I don't need that much attention. No, yeah, I do. We have the same car, GT3RS, and that was actually my incentive for my first win, and it only took two years to get it. So, yeah, that's been my baby. All right, so what do you got your eyes on next?

I mean, US Open champ, got to have something fancy. I'm actually, yeah, I'd like to get more of a dadmobile as, like, my daily driver. And, you know, something more cruiser, more comfortable, like an escalate or something, would be sick. Like a Maybach. Maybach? What am I, Rick Ross?

Get a driver. Something subtle, like a Maybaw. A phantom. You can hire Harrington to be your driver. Yeah, Harrington's got nothing going on. Lamborghini SUV is a good kidmobile. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, Harrington's got not a lot going on.

He can drive me around. He can drive me around. He lives four doors down. He can just walk over and drive my Maybach. Yeah, I got to go to the, I got to go to Target. Yeah, take me to a safeway real quick. I got to buy diapers. Pick me up in five.

Yeah, that'd be great. Then your Porsche almost gets smashed by like an enormous mirror or something in your garage. Yes. And like the grace of God saved it. Yeah. So it's, yeah, we came back from Hilton Head. And we bought this house about a year ago. And there was these big like two 12 foot tall mirrors mounted on the third car garage side where I park my Porsche.

To buy it from Diddy? I don't know if Diddy was around here. A lot of mirrors. I don't know. Apparently, people owned it were weird from the neighbors that have told me. So we haven't found anything weird yet. We got it. It's fresh.

But yeah, I came back and, you know, a couple. I don't drive that car every day. So it's kind of on that side of the garage. The entrance to the house is on the other side. And I was taking my daughter to school. And she noticed, like, the wall looked different. And so there's these two mirrors side by side glued on there. And all you see is, like, the glue residue just on the wall.

And apparently, you know, I look over there and it's just one mirror and the other mirror is missing. And I'm like, I freak out and I run over there and this huge mirror is just laying on the side of my car. And it didn't shatter. It probably weighed 200 pounds. I try to like pull it off. But then I was freaked out that like the mirror was going to snap and just slice my fingers off. I need those.

And so of course I, you know, called over the neighborhood. Yeah, helper. No, Scott was busy probably losing money to you and stow. James Hahn, who lives a few doors down, he came over and we pulled it off. And there was a scratch like this big on it somehow. Like this 200-pound mirror fell, didn't hit the car that hard, left a minor scratch. But I think having these, I had my old staff bags kind of lined up on the wall and that kind of softened it. But it's just my year, dude.

You can't. Yeah. Guys catching all the brakes. Yeah. Could have been disastrous. It could have been completely totaled. And Harrington came over and I. for the mirror.

You're in that mirror. Yeah. You need to use that anymore? What are you doing that mirror? Okay. It's my last one here. Have you ever received any words of wisdom from Rory McElroy before the start of a playoff?

You fucking. Well, I just curious, dude. I be like, I don't know. I have. Oh, you have. I have. What did he tell you? Where was this?

So it was a playoff for the. part three contest at the Masters. It wasn't, obviously, it wasn't anything crazy, but I wanted to win a crystal. I wanted to mark Mr. Tony Robbins, Mark Carrens was like, you gotta be, I was like, dude, we got to, I don't want to win this. Like, he's like, you want to be a fucking champion?

A champion's a champion. Like at the part three contest, right? He's like, I don't give a fuck. You'd be the first one to break this curse. Like, who cares? I agree with that, by the way. I like that. Yeah.

That's good. I don't really had a playoff for that thing. Oh, yeah. So luckily the playoff was like 30 minutes after I finished. So it wasn't like I was waiting there all day. And I'm walking back to the par three course. And Rory's like leaving the range.

We're kind of crossing paths. And he was like, are you doing a playoff for the par three contest? I was like, yeah, I guess. He's like, better get the club right this time. Oh. And I was just like. Wow. Yeah.

Too soon, Roars. And that hurt. That hit me deep. And Shane Lauer's like, fucking hell, Rory. Like even that like yeah Granted is just like a little rinky dink par three Like doesn't matter but it was still a little too soon to hear that

Yeah but the players matters Yeah that wound is open It was it was not healed yet Good story. Did you win the playoffs? No Oh fuck Nico right? Nico won yeah

Nico won but Well I'm O for two in playoffs That's okay next year You got this bad boy right here sitting next to you man Congratulations 2025 US Open champ Thanks for joining us here today Thanks boys I appreciate

Love it. Thank you for going, brother. Thanks for see you in New York. It's 2026. Yeah, that's right. I don't want to celebrate yet, but next year's mine. All right, that was the U.S. Open champ J.J. Spawn, live and in studio with the trophy. So cool to see.

Slees, I know you drank a few out of it a few nights ago at his party here. But, man, I'm so pumped for this guy. And you hear from all the guys out there that play. When JJ Spawn won the U.S. Open, not many were surprised because all the guys that play alongside him, like, he is so good. Like he is one of the best players in the world. He just doesn't realize it yet. Now, winning this first major title,

I think we're going to see a different JJ spawn. I mean, hell, he's going to be putting the red, white, and blue on up at Bethpage here in a couple of weeks. Yeah, I mean, rewind a year ago when he was thinking about maybe he might be done. Now look how quickly stuff's changed. I meant to bring this up to him just to show like what his fellow players think. But there was a time early this year, cold.

It was like January. We were just getting going in the year. We'd played at the Rock. J.J. wasn't there. but there was like three or four tour players in our normal group, right? We're all sitting around a table at the end. And one of the guys asked to the PGA tour players, who's the best player that nobody knows about or the most like underrated player on the PGA tour?

And like almost in unison, one after a J.J. Spawn. Like no doubt, no hesitation, no nothing. So like the guys that have been around him, the guys that see him, week in, week out, have known this was coming. I don't know if JJ necessarily knew it was coming. But everyone around him believed it was. And they were right. I mean, dude, he has fractions of.

way. He is a very Macquaroy lip in a way from being a major champion and a players champion this year. I mean, this stuff that he's doing, it might be, you know, out of left field for some people, but this is not by accident. It's over and over. And I think this is, man, just so, I think for the first time now, JJ Spahn believes that he's one of the best players in the world, which is a big hurdle to get over, I feel like. Yeah. And so much cool stuff comes with winning a major. I thought that Tony Hawks sent him the personalized autographs skateboard was awesome. Like, that's just cool Tony to do that. Also getting to go on the whole media tour up in New York City, other than that shirt he

had on, everything went really well. Yeah. I hope he got a penicillin shot after taking the trophy to the rooster because any disease that you can get from drinking out of his same cup, he's got it. And I think we all got it there. But that was a cool moment to, Colt, bringing that thing in there. It's not a huge golf crowd, but everybody in the place wanted to come over and then talk to JJ, get a picture with JJ.

And it's like, man, this guy's not like a, I guess. that soaks up the spotlight or is looking for the spotlight, but it was kind of cool to see him, like, have that, you know, and then all his hard work coming together, going from Canadian tour, making $830 for an entire season to now major champion rider cuffer. It's pretty sweet. Yeah, I love it. And he's making so much money right now. I think he should go get some birdie juice gear. He would look good in it. Way better than that shirt he wore on Good Morning America, but custom gear just hits differently. I recently made some birdie juice teas, and the whole process was quick, easy, and the results were legit.

You can create your own, too. Custom polos, hats, hoodies, and more from top golf brands, all with your favorite logos. Skip the generic stuff. Head to shop.golf.com and make something that's actually yours. All right, Sleaze, a lot of fun. Sent down with JJ. Heck of an episode.

Shout out to you being up there in Flagstaff and enjoying the nice, cool weather. It's hotter than hell here in Scottsdale. I got two weeks off, dude. I'm so pumped. That's nice. Try to enjoy yourself a little bit. Get outside. Go hit a couple balls this afternoon.

Yeah, I got to get dialed. In Scottsdale. It's a good time to grind. You have the range to yourself. All right, my man. Well, that was a lot of fun. Hope everyone enjoyed it. We'll talk to you on next week's subpar.