Subpar - U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Zach Johnson talks his process for making captain’s picks and the keys to victory in Rome

Episode Date: August 17, 2023

On this week's episode of GOLF's Subpar, U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Zach Johnson joins former PGA Tour pro Colt Knost and jicky jack legend Drew Stoltz for an exclusive interview from the Ralph Lauren store in Chicago. The leader of Team USA reveals the RLX uniforms they will be donning in Rome, the most difficult decisions he's facing with his captain's picks and his most memorable moments at the Ryder Cup. -- Thanks to Ralph Lauren, the Official Outfitter of the United States Ryder Cup team and of GOLF's Subpar.  The RLX Golf collection is available in select Ralph Lauren stores, exclusive private clubs, and resorts, and online at RalphLauren.com. https://www.ralphlauren.com/brands-golf?&utm_source=OtherPartners&utm_medium=GolfSubparPodcastRLSponsorship_GolfSubpar_PodcastPlacement_2023_GolfSubparPodcastRLSponsorship -- Thanks as always to our official sponsor FanDuel.   If you’ve been thinking about joining FanDuel, there’s no better time to get in on the action. The app is so easy to use. They’re always giving you great odds. And when you win, you can get paid INSTANTLY! So step up to the tee and take a swing at betting the PGA TOUR. Go to FanDuel.com/Subpar and sign up to receive a NO SWEAT FIRST BET up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS!

Hello world, welcome back to golf subpar with Colt Nost and Drew Stoltz. We know we're a day late, but there's a very good reason because if you're just listening, there's an empty seat right here in the middle. We'll be joined shortly by the one, the only, the captain of Team USA, Zach Johnson for this year's Rider Cup. And he's going to be all geared up just like we are right now. Getting the first look at the uniforms. I've never been more ready, bud. I mean, you look incredible.

I've never been more ready. He put me in tomorrow. I'll run through a brick wall for him. Well, tell us about it. And he's making a huge announcement. We'll spill the beans. We got captain's picks. Congratulations. That's why we're wearing this. On the squad. Okay, perfect. That's actually not the announcement. Europe just became a massive favorite, if that's the case. That's what we want them to think.

That's what we want them to think. But we are here. Michigan Ave, the Ralph Lauren store. Huge shout out to RLX for putting this together. We're going to be a great interview with Zach Johnson. Ralph Lauren is proud to continue its partnership with the PJ of America as the official outfitter of the 2023 United States Rider Cup team. Combining the rich heritage of the greatest team event in golf with innovative performance fabrics, Ralph Lauren will continue to provide the U.S. team with apparel to be worn during the tournament play at the 44th Rider Cup, which will be contested at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy from September 29th through August 1st. Ralph Lauren will also outfit all caddies, spouses, and partners of the U.S. team, including

Ralph Lauren Golf Ambassadors, U.S. team captain Zach Johnson, and vice captain Davis Love the 3rd. The RLX Golf Collection is available in select Ralph Lauren stores, of private clubs and resorts and online at ralphloran.com. Shout out to them. You look spectacular. Serious question. I mean, this is the gear right here. This is what Team USA is going to be rocking.

We take this over to Rome. We're going to be there. We just walk on the range. Start hitting a few. You think we get pulled away? They don't bat an eye. They just brought in a couple of ringers. They've got a couple of secret weapons.

They've been keeping tucked on the member gas circuit. We might as well try. But cannot wait to sit down with Captain Zach Johnson here in just a little bit. But first, we've got to talk about a guy. that's making a very strong case to be a part of that team USA. Lucas Glover just went back to back. Back to back ain't cheating. Wow.

That's what I've been told. This guy, he went from outside the top 180 in the FedEx Cup before Memorial to now third. Obviously, a lock for Eastlake, a chance to win the entire FedEx Cup, and maybe be wearing the red, white, and blue over in Rome for the first time on the Ryder Cup. I mean, this is what happens. We've been speculating about the Ryder Cup for months and months. It feels like who's in, who's out. We think you have a pretty good idea.

All of a sudden, a couple weeks before the playoffs, boom, somebody comes in that wasn't even on the radar. Not only is he on the radar, he is squarely in the middle of that radar right now. Zach, who we're going to be talking to in a little bit, he got some, there's no bad decisions. There's no bad choices. You're picking against world-class golfer or this world-class golfer. But, I mean, the whole point of these captain picks, when we changed it to six captain's picks, right? It's like, Billy Horshaw. He won the Eastlake, and, like, he wasn't on the team.

He was like, man, if we could make these picks now, he'd for sure be on the team. He's got the hottest hand. I'm hard pressed to find a way that given what he's done since he's switched to that long putter that he won't be a part of this team. But there's still, there's more important golf left to be played. So who knows what can happen. Look, I've been adamant that I believe Justin Thomas is going to be one of those captain's picks, even though he didn't make the playoffs. Currently sits 14th on the points list. You know, Lucas is one of the most loved guys out there on the PGA tour.

Justin Thomas is not rooting against him, but I'd have to think he's probably sitting home being like, okay, Lucas, maybe just pump the brakes a little bit. How about a 12th? How about a Rory win, or a RON, followed by a RON win? Or Scotty, one of these guys that's one through nine, basically, that we're pretty sure going to be on that team. The worst thing that could have been to him is a guy from out of nowhere, basically, coming and getting hot, and that's exactly what happened. And now, you know, throw another name into the mix.

There's probably, I would say, you know, three spots maybe up for grabs, and there's five names maybe you're throwing around for those. Like, it's going to get, it's going to get. He's going to have, no, matter what happens, who he picks, it's going to be a great pick. You're going to have some tough phone calls. You're very tough phone calls. you're exactly right.

I'm interested to see what happens, but you just look at what Lucas Glover did there on the back nine. We always talk about how we want good putters on the Ryder Cup team. Didn't really ever think Lucas Glover would be in that conversation, but you go back to hole 13 on Sunday, makes the 20-footer for par after the horrible lie in the rough, soaps it on 14, makes a 30-footer for boge. Shocking.

Huge up and down at 17, and then clutches up and does what we need to do on 18 to win in a playoff over Patrick Cantley, man. It's just so impressive to see what he's doing. And, I mean, why stop now? He's on an absolute heater. If you're going to stop, it would have been like, wow, I wanted to get into the playoffs. He damn near had to win at the wind him just to make it into the playoffs.

He went and did that. Now he's just running, and I thought, like, winning back to back is incredibly hard on the PGA tour, right? But to do it the way he did it. We've seen Lucas Glover win before. We've seen him win major championships before. US Open, perfect example. Great ball striker, Tita Green, boom, just don't melt on the greens. Try to be average, and he's going to give himself a chance.

That back nine was just a totally different Lucas Club. Didn't have his ball striking. He hit in the water on the part three. I was like, that is the last place on the planet. I expected him to hit it. T-ball on 17. Tough T-shot. Quick lefty, right? Lays it up to 57 yards, gets that up and down. He was doing it with a short game with putter. Could it easily lay down after the ball in the water and just like, damn, came close, let one get away from me, but he didn't, came back and won it. He's winning in different ways, and dude, he just looks like a different

human being with that putter. Imagine all the pressure that's off his ball striking because he actually feels like he might hold some 10-12 footers. I have a feeling they sold a few of those putters since this little run he's been on. The marketing. Crazy. It's been a clinic. You can tell. I mean, we had him on our serious XM show, Gravy and the Slees, and he's like, I'm no longer scared of putting.

Like, I am actually looking forward to getting on the green, walking up to the green with that putter in hand, because he knows it's a weapon now. It's an asset for the first time in his career. He talked about, like, chipping. I would miss the green if I'd hit in a bunker. If I didn't hit it to a literal foot, I would be worried. He's like, the tap-in scared him more than anything. The two, three-footers, the ones that most guys just take for granted,

go in and brush it in. Those are the ones that gave him the most issue. now it's like, dude, if I just give myself a chance, this thing's going in, and the putts that he's missing, the ones that aren't going in, and they look like they're going in. The put on 18, like, just left it short. The thing was looking good, you know, it's just the role. It's a completely different guy, and it's crazy to see at 43. Probably wish you switched to that bad boy about five years ago, maybe.

I think things are working out just fine. We'll see if he can make it three wins in a row here this week at the BMW championship in Chicago, Olympia Fields. Unbelievable golf course. It is going to be one hell of a test. and the playoffs are here and there is no better place to get in on the golf action than Fandul. America's number one sports book. Right now, new customers can get a no-sweat bet up to $1,000 back in bonus bets. You can go head-to-head matchups, top 20s, top 10s, top fives, whatever you want, we got it at Fandle.

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Only 50 guys to choose from. One of us. We've got a good chance of getting some winners here. I'm going with a favorite. No surprise here. One of the favorites. Had a bad week in Memphis last week. You don't see him play bad two weeks in a row very often.

I'm going with the leader in the FedEx Cup standings. Give me John Rum on a golf course where I think, you know, He won in 2020 in that awesome playoff with Dustin Johnson, where he made the crazy put in the playoff. But I just don't see him playing bad two weeks in a row. And this is a big-time golf course. You can't fake it. I think it sets up perfect for him.

What do I always say? An angry Spaniard? It's a dangerous Spaniard. And you don't play bad two weeks in a row too often. All right. This is kind of bad for him, I guess, since we're here to interview the U.S. Rider Cup captain, you got a European guy. I'm going with a European guy.

I'm going with a guy that's not the worst record in the world to have, but he is now the highest earner in history of the PJ Tour without a win. on that tour. Then his name is Tommy Fleetwood. And speaking of driving and irons and all this stuff, you said, doing it pretty good. He's going to be over there in Europe as well, but I just feel like, God, how many times going to get close without peeling one of these things off? Been in great form for a long time. I'll take Fleetwood. All right. I like it. He was very high on my board last week. Thought he was going to get it done. As far as my dark horse, I'm going to go with one of your guys. I think this is a ball strikers golf course. Not many hit it

better than him. Coming off a final round 65 in Memphis. No Americans for me. This week. I'm going Corey Connors. Me neither, dude. This is a horrible planning. Horrible planning by us. That's awesome. All right, Scotty Schaeffler at George Speed. Maybe if you would have made us vice captains, we would have picked some of your squad.

Sorry, yeah, we're for sale. Corey Connors, need I say anything, love it. All right, bud. I'm going to go two for two here. I'm going with another European rider cover on the way. I know. In hindsight, this is bad form. Luckily, Zach's not here yet.

He shot a little 61 last week. had it going pretty nicely big yard for him u.s open champ as well i'm taking justin rose all right by the way the only thing that scares me is he was playing with your boys in the proam yeah he was my boys to play in the front little liquor up by the way we found him they missed their t-box actually on the way i was like that happens back here to no one he should he should be very loose uh very stress free after playing with those boys but man that's three out of four on the euro side tough look tough tough look all right make sure you go to fandul dot com slash subp and sign up today. And also check out the live betting profit boost token. Through the IMG

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1-800 gambler.net in West Virginia. The time has come. Let's get to it. Ryder Cup captain for 2023 Team USA, Zach Johnson. All right. Ladies and gentlemen, we have got the bell of the ball here today. five-time U.S. Rider Cup team member.

Stepping into a leadership role now, taking his talents to Rome, the United States Rider Cup captain. Zach Johnson, good to be with you, buddy. Drew, it's my pleasure and honor. It's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Well, yeah, it does. Cap.

Caputin's always kind of a cool thing. Yeah, you know, it's one of those things when it's gone. I'll probably miss it a lot. So, yeah, I'm enjoying every moment. of it. We'll still call you that. Thank you. My name's Colt. In case you forgot. Thank you for having me.

This is great to be here at the polo Ralph Lawrence Door in Chicago with you. We're actually showing off the team uniforms. We are. You all great. Be honest. How much did you have to do with this? Well, they obviously noticed that my fashion sense is that of, well, I don't know, but non-existent. There you go. Very well-adressed man.

I was going to go with maybe Woody Austin. Oh, boy. Tabasco. Yeah, I'm going to leave this kind of stuff to the pros, and clearly Ralph Lauren Polo knows what they're doing. And I'm not to get in it too much, but I appreciate it because they've done it now for so many odd years with Team USA. Guys love it.

They keep it and they wear it. More than that, it's part of our equipment. You know what I mean? And given the fact that we don't know what the weather's going to hold, we got everything. And the beauty of what Polo has. is everything. So we'll be good. Well, they do the best of the best. There's no doubt about it. You're going to look fantastic. I will say you're already won up on Steve Stricker in the opening ceremony suit game. Strong, huh? Yeah, came out correct. Very strong. Linen. Yeah, it wasn't.

Clean, simple, magnificent, it make us look good. Very excited about that. I did have a little bit of say. I should say that. I did. There was the more formal wear that we all wear. I had some options there. Thank God they gave me. It was like a menu. thank goodness because I wouldn't know where to start and I think we're going to look great I mean I'm all I'm a pretty simple-minded guy everybody knows that but I love classy and uh certainly that's what they specialize in Colton I wanted to tell you we just slid these bad boys on about 15 minutes ago I walked out I said I'm ready to run through a brick wall right now I'm ready to go on a European terror America right now nothing nothing feels better so if you get in a pinch just keep that in your

back pocket I got it yeah we're available I hear you're a killer no and member guests oh dude the words out, is it? Here and there. Anywhere. The only problem is he finishes runner up a lot, and you don't want to do that in Rome. No. There's no top five finishes here. Big time. Big time top two guys. Let's go back, because, I mean, you've played on five teams. You're a two-time major champion, but I think growing up, not many people are like, oh, I want to be a Ryder Cup captain one day.

Take us through when you got that phone call. Did you have any idea that was coming? No. I mean, within reason, no. Yeah, I mean, I never, the first part of the question, I never dreamt. I never dreamt of playing on one. I mean, no, I'd be lying to you if I said I did. You know, I always had dreams of playing professional sports, specifically on the PGA tour and golf, but no, my dreams never got this far. So that moment is one of those moments you'll never forget, right?

I did serve on the Router Cup committee, which is kind of a cool, which is a very cool group of guys. You know, there's essentially three. players, peers of mine that sit on it with some of the executives of the PG of America. So I remember I got an email and then I got a phone call saying, hey, we will love to get on a Zoom call with you at this date. I'm skiing with my family out in Colorado. Shout out.

And our favorite week of the year. And, you know, that's fine. I mean, I'm thinking it's a Rider Cup committee call where we're going to, you know, start hashing out some things, which is, you know, just the basic architecture of Team USA. But I also knew I was coming off that. My tenure was done. And so lo and behold, I get on the Zoom and, you know, you've got the president, the vice president, Seth Waugh, and a couple other individuals there and some of my peers, right? And basically they were like, hey, we're just going to cut right to the chase and ask you to be the next Riter Cup captain.

And, yeah, I mean, it's one of those surreal moments that you have, you know? and I've had a few, and I'm very fortunate to have those because they're special. But that was one that, I mean, I never envisioned coming. I mean, I guess when I got on the Rider Cup committee, I'm like, well, I guess there's always that chance, but I don't know what things are going to, you know, I've got a lot of peers my age that hadn't done it, right? You're talking the Tiger Woods and individuals that are around my generation that hadn't done it yet. So I'm thinking if it happens, you know, it's going to be something's got to happen. I don't know. I didn't know how that process went, but I'm fortunate that I'm in this role.

I did not say yes immediately. Sleep on it? I mean, I think it's responsible to. I mean, more than anything. You know, there's more to it, obviously, than myself. But more than that, like, it's a situation that carries, I mean, a responsibility with Team USA. And so once my peers said, hey, it's your turn, you should do it, we want you to do it, then it became an easy yes. I'm glad you mentioned that because the main event, still yet to come.

There's still some very big decisions you have left to make. But give us, like, leading up to the Ryder Cup, the behind the scenes. I think most people see the captain like, oh, he makes the captain's picks. He sets the pairings, boom, they go out and play. What's the behind the scenes, like responsibilities? What all does it entail? Well, there's a lot. Yeah, that's a great question.

And those responsibilities can kind of take different shapes, depending if it's here or there. You know, I mean, Luke's is different than mine this year because he has a lot of opportunity at Marco Simone in Rome to kind of make the golf course of what he wants, so to speak. There's limitations, but he has some say. And then there's other things that are different based on, again, if it's in the States or broad. But on the surface, you're talking about some response.

A lot of it's media-driven. A lot of it's, you know, actually getting the hype going. And, you know, I got the ask in February of 22. You know, so we're only at that point, what, four or five months removed from Wisconsin. So there's still a lot of time between that ask and the actual cup. And so as of late, yes, everything is starting to amp up, whether it's Zoom calls, dinners, decision-making on what's going to take place at the hotel,

catering here, catering there, the team room, what's that look like, a gym, what do you want at the golf course? Where's the physios, where the locker rooms, how do they look, all of that. And I have a lot of say in that, but my wife probably has more say on those items. My responsibilities are really starting to come, and that's formulating 12, and then obviously the week of the tournament trying to figure out how we navigate Monday through Thursday, and then seriously the serious ones of who plays Friday, Saturday, and what's that look like? Well, it's coming.

It's coming. I can talk about it? Oh, yeah. Well, I mean, we can talk about it. I can give you some little nuggets, but I mean, it depends on where you go, guys. I mean, there's certain things that are very obvious and there's others that are not. Yeah, and obviously, I mean, the points stop this week after the BMW. That's right. Top six will automatically be on there. And then, I mean, you've got the very tough job. It's a great job to make six captains picks because you got about 22 guys that are really, really, really good at golf. argue more. Yes, 100%. So you got a nice group of players to pick from, but how much, like, are you looking forward to making those selections and also at the same time dreading having to call these guys and tell them they didn't make the team? You're talking the absolute reality of my position,

and I know that's going to be the very difficult side of things, but I've also, I mean, I know that's what I signed up for. I mean, that's part of it. The onus goes on me, and so I'm going to, make a lot of guys happy, appease a lot of guys, and I'm going to make something very upset. I have been on both ends of that phone call. And, you know, fortunate I've had opportunity to be on the good end. I've also had the opportunity to really, you know, let it sink in and be a little distraught and frustrated when I got the bad call. Now, the bad call is also motivating, too.

So, you know, I don't know how, I don't know who I'm calling yet, number one. And number two, I don't know what it's going to look like. But I am so appreciative of the communication that these guys have had with me, the transparency that they've had. I would hope they say the same coming from myself and certainly our leadership. But it's going to be hard. Going back to what you just said, I mean, there's an ample, stable of American studs that we can pick from. And I firmly believe that we could take a number of different tandums and scenarios over with us

and have a great outcome. So it's really what is, you know, someone told me this. It's like, I don't need to take the 12 best American players because that's hard to really pinpoint. You can look at metrics. You can look at data. You can look at lists and all that. But how do you, I need to take the 12 best players that make the best team.

And so that's what goes on me. Well, one guy that's going to be on that list, whether you call him to ask him to be on the team or not, was on our serious XM show earlier day, Colin Morcawa. Oh, yeah. And he said you're by far the most handsome captain they've ever had in Team USA. And also, he is not opposed to bribing you. He's not opposed to what? Bribing you.

Bribing you. I'm not opposed to accepting bribes. Not opposed to accepting bards. Nobody bit. Nobody bit. Yeah. Colin's great. I remember in the previous cup, 2020, 21, he was a rookie rider cup with two majors under his belt.

Yeah. How about that? That's not normal. And played incredible. and playing everyone. Everyone played great. Yeah, they really did. Colin really played great.

The decisions, yeah, there's no wrong decision, right? Like you said, you got a stable full of great players, right? So whoever you picked, some will be happy, some will be disappointed. But when it comes to making those final decisions, you're the guy, you're the captain, it's your call. How much input are you getting from the six auto qualifiers from your vice captains? Like, what's the protocol? How much are you taking in? You're saying it.

I mean, it's all of that, right? My vice captains, a lot of wisdom there, a lot of experience, a lot of knowledge. a lot of experience in my seat. Heavily rely on them, right? And the beauty of it, those guys, for the most part, even though they're not necessarily playing with this week-in, week out, Stewart is, they know these young guys because they've been around them and they want to be around them.

There's a reason why those guys are going to go over there to roam with me. So, yeah, heavily rely on them. I would say, I don't know if I say more so, but the impact, the perceptions, the opinions, and the feelings of the six guys that actually make this team is imperative. It's crucial and essential. So this is their team, and they need to have direct ownership in it. And so I've said it. I mean, if we win this, if the United States wins this, it's the 12 guys that won it.

You know, I could argue that if we lose it, it could be thrown on me, and that's fine. I signed up for it, but if we win it, I ain't winning it. So I need their impact. I need their opinions, and I need them to voice how they see it coming together in Rome as a team. And, you know, I don't know the top six are. I know two of them, Scotty Schuffler and Wyndham Clark. And I've already communicated with them a fair amount, and more will come. But they're bought in, they're invested, they want it, and they're hungry.

So, you know, that's a start. Well, here's the deal, no matter what. if y'all do go over there and win, I mean, you are going to be the captain of the team that broke the 30-year streak of winning across the pot. Don't think about that. Yeah, no. And, yeah, thank you. I'm at peace with whatever it comes. I mean, I say that.

I mean, it's easy to say that. It's a hard thing to really execute that. But I really am at peace. Like, I know if the so-called drought does end, it's, I'm not hitting a shot. Not hitting one shot. That's a player. That's a player. That's those 12 guys ending that drought.

And one thing. always love talking to people that play the rider cup is just you know how the nerves are so ramped up like i mean here you are you're you won the masters gustin national you went the open championship at st andrews like for you five times you teed up teed up for the red white and blue in the rider cup how different are the nerves there versus say sunday first tea at augusta i will say if it wasn't for my rider cups i'm not so sure i would have the resume i have really if that makes sense i mean my first i got a thing about this my first my first Rider Cup at the time, I think I had one victory on the PGA tour, which was my rookie year.

I did win early, but there was a drought there. Still played okay. It's hard to win. I go over to Ireland and represent the USA in the Ryder Cup for the first time, and we got thrashed. It was not a great outcome. But, I mean, I remember moments in my game that was like, oh, my gosh, I can actually do this. And those moments, those executing of shots and that. situation only makes you better.

And so the next year, I'm not suggesting that's why I won, but it's one of the reasons why I felt very comfortable in the arena at Augusta National being in contention. I mean, if you can execute and kind of like, well, basically not succumb to the weight of it, you're going to be okay. And again, easier said than done. That's cool that you say that's part of the reason. Oh, no question. That's awesome to hear that.

You're going to have some rooks on this team. And you're also going to have some guys that are rookie. in Europe, playing in Europe for the first time. Sure. And everybody that's there are going to be hyped beyond belief and they're chomping at the bit to get on that golf course. Is there anything in play? Because you've been in that same situation. 100%. To like wind them down. Right. How do you

calm guys down? Even though you want them excited, you want them excited to a certain extent, I would think. I think the excitement is, I don't have to really get them amped up. That's, it's palpable. It's tangible. It's tangible. Right. Yeah, exactly. How do you bring it back to like the simplicity of it all? Right. And, you know, my wife actually is, shocker, right, to leave it to a woman to actually have some stage advice.

But my first match in the Router Cup in 2006 was on Friday. Obviously, I didn't play in the morning, which was four ball. So I'm playing an alternate shot in the afternoon with Chad Campbell. Great guy, right? And ball striker, thank God. And so Captain Lehman's like, hey, just be ready. I don't care how you're ready. Just be ready.

You don't need to go out to the first tee. Just be ready when it's your turn to go. And so I did. I went through my normal routine, slept in. My wife went to the first tea. And she comes back and goes, oh, my gosh. You're not going to believe. It is, you know, going back to what you're questioning, it is so loud and it is deafening and all of this, right?

But then she goes, right immediately after she said, I'm getting chill's thinking about it. She goes, but the guy just grabbed his driver, grabbed a tea, grabbed a ball. There was a tea marker there. He put it on the tee, and he hit it, and he hit it, and he hit it again. and there was a hole. And she goes, it's still just golf. I mean, that's extremely simple, but that's what I'm going to try to get across.

Managing emotions is a big part of it. Some guys play with it and harness it. Some guys like to kind of stay in that emotional side spectrum, which is me. And there's other little nuggets, and I would say, you know, nuggets of experience that I can pass on down to these guys when it comes to the actual magnitude of the situation. You know, these guys know what they're doing.

I mean, I think experience is always good. At the same time, it's probably not as important as I, you know, at one point it was. Meaning, call him or Carla, again, right? The guy was a rookie, the last Ryder Cup, with two majors. I mean, the guy knows how to execute in the most difficult circumstances. So, you know, I don't know how valuable it is, but inside the team room, experience is great. I got, I mean, obviously, I know you can't give us too much, but one of the guys that, you know, is the one who's debated about the most, being on this team, being a captain selection, had a tough year this year. But he's an absolute stud every time he puts on the red, white, and blue, and that's Justin Thomas.

I believe 16, 5 and 3 between Rider Cup and President's Cup. What have your conversations been with like them? I know it, like, it hurts him more than anyone that he didn't get it done and automatically qualify. No question. I mean, good friend of yours, very good friend of mine as well. And, you know, when you have somebody of that talent and obviously that high up character, you don't want to see him struggle. I mean, that's what I don't.

I mean, forget about the cup. I just want him to play a good golf. And, you know, when J.T. plays good, it's good for everybody, too. You know, I mean, he's, he is one of our, you know, certainly assets on the PGA tour. So, yeah, we've been communicating. I've kept, I would hope that he understands, and he does. you know, that open lines. You know, we're going to keep the honesty train going.

We're going to leave it all out there. And I told him, I'm like, I don't know what's in store, but obviously he's still in consideration. Of course. He's been a part of Team USA since 2017. Guys want to be around him. He's great in the locker room. And obviously what he's done inside the ropes and these cups has been well documented.

So his resume speaks for itself. you know but at the same time i've also got to you know look at all the other factors involved right whether you're talking about the golf course horses for courses and that kind of thing we're still kind of getting into that with the stats and all that data crunching and then you've got to look at form too so um a lot of nuance a lot of a lot of uh heavy weighted topics uh but he knows that he can call me anytime and we can have an open line of communication. So he's been fantastic. So is everybody else.

And, you know, the guys that are kind of on the outside looking in, meaning not really in the top six, have been spectacular. And I think it speaks to the volumes of the class and character. These guys are like, we know Zach has a hard job. And they get that. And I'm grateful for that. You know, right after they say they're like, but I want to play on that team, and I want to play for him,

fully knowing that, you know what, I'll probably be on my couch cheering him on if they're not. And I've said the same thing back in the day. If you've been a part of one Router Cup to any capacity, you're a part of Team USA Router Cup. So I would love to take about 30 guys with me. Unfortunately, I'm only taking 12. Is there any situation where a guy who doesn't make the team as a player

would accompany the team for call them what you want, vice captain, you know, all that, Just for locker room stuff? And we've kind of had that in the past with certain. I would love to open that up. I don't know if that's entirely under my control. Given the captain's agreement that is now established, I'm limited on roles, official roles within Router Cup USA.

Whether you're talking about vice captain, I mean, I can only have five vice captains. And then there's other, again, nuances within that that limits, you know, who and what I can bring over. So I don't know. There's maybe ways to construct something that fits in that construct. I haven't really gotten into it too much. I'm more concerned about let's get this top six situated and then we'll try to figure out how we form the best 12th.

You mentioned the golf course, and obviously they set it up a lot different over there than we do over here. We got a bunch of bombers on our team that absolutely smash it, make a ton of birdies. last time we went over there in Paris. It was tough. It was narrow. Rough was brutal. What are you expecting from the golf course this year? I expect a lot of that. That's been kind of the common theme. Now, the canvas that Luke has there is a little bit different than Paris.

Paris, for the most part, was rolling hills. Pretty flat, right? There wasn't a whole lot of, there were some shots that played five, six yards down or up, but on a rare occasion. Marco Simony will have shots that are on the, you know, I mean, there's five, six yards. up and down all the way upwards of 15 to 20 yards. Oh, wow.

Up and down. It is all of Augusta National meets Castle Pines. It's that hilly. Whoa. So, really, the struggle will be probably on the caddies, right? Yeah. But, you know, logically speaking, practically speaking, I mean, do I want to have guys play five sessions? You know, that's an element that, I mean, if you can limit them to four or three or four,

it might be better, I should say it. If you can limit them to two or three on Friday, Saturday, it only helps their Sunday be that much more efficient. So that's one element in the golf course. But I expect the rough to be up right off the fairway. I expect the greens to be maybe a little slower than we're anticipating, right? Because what we do over here is we try to widen the fairways. We'll bring the rough down, especially in the landing zones. Then they know this. And then around the greens, the rough is usually not that substantial. And the greens are pretty perfect fast, right? Over there, they're a little slower, usually a little saturated, it seems like. Fairways are a little

narrower and the rough comes up. The fairways, I don't know if he can narrow the fairways, Luke, because of the grass types. The fairways are past Palom, which is kind of interesting. And then the rough is kind of a Kentucky fescue blue, Kentucky blue fescue. So he's got some limitations there, but you know what, it's going to be trying. It's going to be hard. They're going to have to get their drivers straight, especially in the landing zones. The golf course isn't exceptionally long. It becomes long because of some of the uphill shots, but it's, it's a lot. It's It's going to be a test. And, you know, it's a Fasio group redesigned.

So every green has quadrants, and the pin placements will be pretty obvious, I think, for the most part. But there could be some tricks in there. And, you know, there's some other things he can do. The host captain has the ability to do speed and height, okay, and width. I should say that. And with. T-box, T-boxes, T-markers, and pin placements, he has no say. That's a committee.

That's not Luke or I. So those are the specifics behind it. But that's also the beauty of it. Because when it comes back here, we have that luxury, too. Staying on kind of the course set up topics, the Europeans have done a great job. I believe it was in Paris where they used analytics. And basically, I said, Molinarie and Fleetwood, this is our optimal, that's their optimal pairing. And that team went out and was a wrecking ball, right?

How much are you guys, how much does the US use analytics now in terms of like, all right, Zander and Cantley have been a great team together? But does the analytics agree with that or does that matter? how much is like your opinion versus what the numbers say? We use them quite extensively and quite often. Our group is called scouts, and they're great. They've been with Team USA since 15, and it's kind of evolved since 15. I mean, that was the first year.

So I guess you'd say 16 was the first. I don't think we used them in Korea, but that's when they come into 15 to on the Hazeltine Router Cup. And so these guys are great. I mean, they fully get into the numbers. they fully get into the data crunching and, you know, trying to look at things from different angles. They're, as they call them, they're the nerd herd. I like that.

I like that, too. And they are really, really intelligent individuals. So they deal definitely with the objective-based data. But then they also can deal with the subjectivity of it all. The human element, the personality, the team room and all the chemistry. They have modalities that we can incorporate and actually kind of incorporate both. the subjective with the objective if I'm going to get specific, which is pretty special. So we will rely on them. I mean, we've relied on them for a number of years now.

And there's been times we've gone against what they say and we've been burned. And there's been times when we've gone against the say and we've flourished. So, you know, it's there's a lot. At the bottom line is it's still just golf. There's still pros. There's still a sport. It's still an athletic endeavor. So, you know, you can hash all that out and chewing all that up.

But there's some truth in it. One example is this. I remember Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson were pair together in Paris in foursums. And there was a certain shot at Paris that he hated, T-shot, hated. And so they flipped it. The stats showed if they were to go in one way, they would have had a great chance of winning an alternate shot. And so they flipped it and they lost. Well, we put it back out there the next day in that same format and they flipped it and they destroyed that next team.

So the point is, that's one example of where we, you know, we need to pay attention to what these guys are saying. They're getting into the golf course, the attributes of the course, the characteristics of the course that, you know, call it horses for courses. So I use them a lot. Does it give you that probability to win? Like when you put these, like these two guys versus these guys, if you do it this way, then you have X percent chance of winning? Is that detailed? It's, yes. Wow.

There's simulations. Cool. I put it that way. And fully knowing that the simulations are a computer chip, or an algorithm, right? I mean, there's way more to it than that. But yes, you have to pay attention to all of those elements. But it's not the only thing we look at either. So, you know, there's a lot of wisdom in that leadership group I have.

I hate having to ask this, but I'm going to. No, you don't. No, you don't. No, you don't. No, you don't. I really do. Oh, I hate having to. No, you don't.

But, you know, obviously, there's a lot going on in the game of golf right now. Between PGA Tour, Live and everything. What's the communication been like with the live players? Obviously, it looks like Brooks is going to make it on points, which is incredible, considering how few events he's had to earn points. But you got guys like Bryson who's been playing really well over there. Dustin Johnson went 5 and 0 whistling straights. How much talk have you had with them?

And what's that been like? Yeah, I mean, I've only get to see them essentially, you know, in the major championship scene. There hasn't been much communication on, I mean, I'm going to be fully transparent. But it's hard because, I mean, I'm not able to witness what they're doing and see their form with the exception of essentially three or four weeks a year. You said it.

What Brooks has done this year is, well, I mean, no one's surprised, but is remarkable. I think he played okay last year in a couple of the majors, which actually counted in points too. So I'm just glad he's healthy. There was a time where he was really concerned about his tenure and time. in golf. So he's a stud. He's, he's, he's, he's, when it, and when it comes to, he, you guys can get in the numbers, I really don't know them all, but when it comes to the highest gravity situations in the game of golf, he seems to be at his best, uh, both from a posture standpoint and an execution standpoint. And that is a rare, rare breed. And it's, it's,

it's awesome to hear you say that, but you also hear that from the other players. They're like, What he does in the major championships, I mean, the highest one, it's just ridiculous. Yeah, it's almost like he uses other events regardless of where they are as opportunities to kind of see where his game is, not really caring what the scoreboard says. And then, oh, yeah, that's right, the PJ championships in a couple weeks. I better get going. I mean, unbelievable. It's so simple, it feels like.

Other people, major championships, let's do this. You can, like, overthink it, right? Kind of, like, similar being a writer cup. How much data, how much of this stuff is actually useful? At the end of the day, it's just golf. And I feel like Brooks understands that better than anyone. I think that's the great observation. He keeps it extremely.

He doesn't play slow. His fast, quick decisions is not over things. He's like, dude, I do this every day. Right. But it's not like jittery quick. It's just like it's rhythmic fast. That's how he goes. And that's how he goes.

And then when you're around him, he's not fast. He's just kind of strutting and sitting and chilling. I mean, he's nothing but on the golf course, it's the speed and the rhythm which he plays. is extremely attractive, and I would always argue calculated. And it brings the best out of it. It's like he just thinks this is another tournament, and everyone else is like this is the biggest deal in the world. I mean, he's won five majors.

How many times? He had a couple of opportunities there. That's my point. I mean, he was close. I almost picked off the masters again. How many PG-T tournaments he won? I have no idea. He's won more majors than he has.

He's won four PGA Tourments and five majors. Yeah. And now he doesn't play in the PGA Tour. Good ratio. Important question here, because you touched on it earlier. Team Room. I need to know what it looks like. I need to know everything.

What's art on the walls? What kind of games we're playing? All this stuff. Yeah. This is my wife's domain, if you will. But it's red, white, and blue. And I mean, that sounds, well, duh. But it is extremely red.

Breaking news, clip that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It is extremely red. And we use a company that's actually based out of Europe to help design these rooms. We have, you have a space, and then you just kind of create what you want to create. So we have an awesome lounge area. Obviously, food will be. everywhere. Caddy room as well, but it's like open doors to everything. We're all keeping it

team. There's a there's a captain's room, like a table and with all my captains and we can bring guys in and out of there and talk. So that's kind of a private room. There is a massive gym that we are constructing just for these guys, just for that one week. And then the team floor, it's much the same. There's partitions that are in these scaffolding kind of things that are red that just with pictures of all the guys or former, former cups, former teams. It's,

it is awesome. It actually, it actually looks a lot like what we're wearing, if I'm going to be honest with you. So beautiful. It's gorgeous, bold and, but comfortable,

too, functional. And they have everything. And then you get to the golf course, and it's much of the same. Locker room area, physio area, gym, captain's room,

food, come on off the walls. And it's Italy, right? Food's pretty good there, as we know. Carbload. You got a carbload. Oh, baby. Come on. Remember that. And it's a pretty awesome endeavor. My wife's done a great job. It's been fun to do it with her. Well, it's going to be awesome. Can't wait to get over there and watch you boys.

But right now, it's time to get to our E-9, which is some fun questions. Maybe learn a little more about Captain. I'm ready. Should we just skip the first one? He doesn't want to be anybody else. He's the captain of the writer company. Ask him who wants to play. Who would you have play you in a movie about your life? We'll do a little throwback there. That would be more interesting, probably. Who would I have Play Me?

Yeah, a movie made about your life. Who do you want to play you? I mean, I get the, gosh, what's his name? Walking Phoenix. That's the only answer, by the way. And a phenomenal actor, right? Pretty versatile, I'm like myself. So I guess we got to go with him?

I think there's not another answer, I think, is the answer to that. I just want to make sure you were aware of that. I didn't know if you were going to pick Mark Wahlberg or something. I get called two things, Joaquin and Dustin all the time. All the time. Dustin? Still. Dustin?

Just because it's Johnson? Johnson? Where is the... Just because the last name? Oh, just because the last name. I was about... The same time. Yeah, you have the same.

I love my boy DJ, but that's about the only thing we haven't come in. No, that's an easy mistake to make. That's an easy mistake to make. It's an easy mistake. Yeah. But Joaquin all the time. You took the same classes at Drake as he took at Coastal Carolina? Next question.

Okay. All right. Next one. On a scale of 1 to 10, how offended were you when I decided to skip the master's effort winning the U.S. Amateur Championship? Probably about a negative three. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, I said if Tiger would have been defending champion, I probably would a state amateur. Right. Sorry. That's okay. I forgive you. We would have. I think I'd put with Cantway. Did he?

I don't know. It's not near as fun. Who did you beat in the finals? Michael Thompson? No, these two. I didn't play with slick. You beat Michael Thompson in the finals. Can you believe that upset?

Dagum. That's amazing. Where was it? Forgive me. Olympic? Olympic. That course is hilly. You know what?

It's a lot like that. Really? Yes. That dramatic? More or more. Wow. That's cool to here. Yeah.

It really is. The 18th hole in particular, I don't know what it is, 615. And with the predominant wind that we should get off the right and down, these guys will be hitting iron in there. No kidding. It's kind of Maui-ish. Interesting. That fair way ain't that big. Yeah.

Not even close, but it's that downhill. Wow. Yeah. I'm glad I don't have to walk it. Okay. Yeah, we do. Yeah, you're right. Yeah. Well said. I got a cart. Yeah, we'll happen in that. First question for me, easy one. Who are the captain's picks? Americans. Americans? Six Americans. Six Americans? They're born in the United States. My real first question. And probably on the PGA tour. But not necessarily. There's a couple little nuggets. Connect the dots, everyone.

My real first question is, A, congratulations, and B, how did you cure your practice wing yips? Because you got over that nicely. I don't think I fully have. I've seen one in a while. Okay, how many do you think there have been? They're documented. I can name three off my head, which leads me to believe there's more. The Masters went on 13. Twice.

Did you ever think after one being like, maybe I should just track swing two inches further away from the ball? You'd think. Yeah, you're smart. You're smart. The analytics. I mean this sincerely. It does not bother me, obviously, because it's not that big of a deal.

It is part of me. I think it really bothers my wife. That's what you're going to be known for. I'm like, no, it's not. I also won two majors. I'm a Ryder Cup captain. Well, I mean, yeah, my point is it's, the funny part about Augusta was it happened on Friday, and it was shown. And there was a camera's right there.

And I did it Sunday, that's when Tiger won in 19. And then Sunday, I teed off the back. That's when there was a weather delay. I was right at the split. So I went off pretty early off the back. And I did it again on the same hole. and I went back to the camera, I said that's twice. And they didn't even have the camera on.

So it wasn't even documented. Oh, okay. Then I go down to Hilton Head the next week and Boog, Daniel Berger, right, being the bug that he is, goes, see, you did it again? And I'm like, how did you see it? Because it wasn't on there. He's like, what do you mean? How did I see it? It was on camera.

And I'm like, yeah, I know. But the second one was. And he goes, oh, then you've done it three times because you did it with me in Boston on the fifth hole. And I'm like, oh, my half. Have you ever caught one, like, flush enough that you almost look to your academy, like, just tossed me another ball? I don't want to go chase that one down. Well, I hit a guy on the thigh on 18 at TPC. Sawgrass, right?

Yeah, that one came off. Yeah, that was, that one had some heat on it. That's incredible. Thank you. All right, next one. Congrats on getting over it, though. Thank you. Thank you, Doug.

You have an incredible charity event back home in Cedar Rapids that I've been lucky to get part of quite a few times. Zach Johnson Foundation. I tell everybody, it's the most well-run charity event I've ever been a part of, and I have so much fun there. I don't know if you knew that. He is. We both have a lot of fun right now.

I definitely know you have fun there. Yes. But I need to know what was a more stressful moment. Losing your wallet at that event or forgetting your suit. The wallet. For sure. I was there for the wallet. Yes, you were on my phone.

I was calling you because of the wallet. It had to be at least 45 minutes to an hour, right? Yeah, and then tell the people where it was. It was on the bus about a row from you in my backpack. Yeah. That's embarrassing. Yeah. You know what?

I'm not justifying it. It's not an excuse. But it's one of those, it's those two days that I look forward to and absolutely savor the most. But, man, it's a lot. And it's fantastic. It's going home. It's where it all started. They're my people.

My board absolutely kills it. The fans come out. Transamerica kills it. Our program's killing it. But it's just, it's a lot. And then you thought Jody Cobb could just make you a new suit in like 10 minutes. And she more or less can. Yeah, that's right.

Shout out, Jody. You're the best. Shout out, Johnny. Congrats on. Side question to that. Sorry and I go back and forth about who's the honorary mayor of Cedar Rapids, him or I. Smiley, Kaufman? Yeah. I love my boy, Smiley.

He thinks he's a big deal around Cedar Rapids. Colt. Oh, come on now. Your vice mayor. Assistant. True or false? I want to answer your question with the question. This is our show, not yours.

True or false. And it's two forms. Are you the MC of the actual clinic? This is true. Okay, second, did you bring a speaker to the after party on Sunday night? Somebody's got to get the vibe. That's my point. Yes, okay, good point.

You are. You are, I don't even know. You may not be a mayor. You might have the key to the city, buddy. I do love Cedar Rapids. Yeah, it smells great, but I love that. The highest I've ever been drafted in my life. It's not even close.

You are, you're always in the top two or three. I know. I'm not even drafted because they, I'm like off the board, but yeah, you're probably one or two. Oh, it's so much fun. It's awesome. They did a great job. All right, next one for me. Yeah, that's good.

You're big sports fans. Huge. You put on your thinking cap here. You're going to have to run some numbers. Do a little of that analytics. Higher expected points total for this year. U.S. Rider Cup team or Iowa Hawkeyes football average points per game.

Go. That's a tough one. That is a nail-biter. Dude, it's snug. I did some research on this. I did agree to this, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You got to put, I mean, it's a good question.

Well, I'm a polo-roft. I hope it's close. let's just put it that way. They're around 17, the game. Yeah, and they need to get to that 25 plus number. So if we can get in the 20s, oh my gosh, that's a bulls. I'm not going to say that. It's going to be really hard.

But, hey, I've got trust in my Iowa Hawkeye offense, and I've got a lot of trust in Team USA golf. So I'm going to take both. 17 to 17. Boom. Take that, won't we? You're going to need a couple of scooping scores or pick six or kickoff. You need special teams to get seven.

We'll take it. However they can muscle some points. They're defences. They're fun to watch. They're really fun to watch. They're great. They're great. I love everything.

I love everything about that football team. Up and down the field. All right. Next one. You're known as one of the best putters ever. You could roll the rock. That's a farce. I mean, I'm not even just trying to be humble.

That's a farce. Okay. Well, would you say you're better with the putter or the clarinet? The putter. Next question. Hold on. Back up a second. Are you a clarinet guy?

I've got words right now that I can't utter. I I I well it was it was required that you had to be yeah everyone as a kid and I qualified by going and getting situated and they said you're going to play the trombone and I'm like okay so I go home and I said mom I'm playing the trombone she goes no you're not you're playing this here clarinet nothing pulls chicks more in high school than a clarinet I've always said a Ralph Lauren's great moisture wiki material because you're sweating right now that's that is legitimate you couldn't talk her into like the trumpet or something I cannot believe

you found that can you still can you still strum that thing i i wouldn't even know how to turn it on hold it correct okay you still played it though that for a year hey that's a confident man it is yes i respect that about it takes a real man to i did quit the piano that was that was dumb clarinet piano's sick thanks colt's beautiful i'm gonna give you a little easy lay i this is actual real question here okay and it's not nothing embarrassing of all the rider cups you played in give me your favorite moment in a match. Number one highlight of matches I've played in. No vice captain's team.

Well, I go straight to team, so I go, I mean, I've got some highlights. I can only give you one? Yeah, feed us. Okay, there's two that stand out. There's a lot, but number one right off the bat is we won in Hazeltine. That was the only one I won in playing, and I won my match on the 18, 17, 16th hole. I played Fitz. He was a rookie that year.

What a great kid. Won my match on 15, almost won it on 14. And right before I made, I don't know what it was, four to eight footer for Bertie, Ryan Moore made the putt on 18 to secure it. So it was a massive wave of emotions. We had won it. I knew before I had putted that that we had won.

And so, I mean, I remember letting out, I lost my voice in a matter of eight seconds. So that stands out. Winning some matches with some of my buddies stands out. I won with Jimmy Walker that week a couple of times, if I'm not mistaken. He played great. My first match ever with Chad Campbell stands out significantly. And I don't need to get in the weeds of it, but we were down two with three to go,

and we have the match in alternate shot against Padraig and Paul McGinley. So that one stands out. Another one that stands out kind of the sour end, but also kind of a moment that I'll never forget, if that makes sense, is my singles match, my rookie Router Cup. I remember when the drawing came out, and I'm like, you know, you're seeing who you're going to be paired up against, and I'm playing Darren Clark in Ireland,

and his wife just passed away four or five weeks prior to that. That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to undertake. I say that. I can only imagine. I can't imagine what he was going through. And I was, I don't know where I was. was in the fold there, maybe in the middle of the pack, maybe towards the back, I don't remember, it doesn't matter, but I got to 16. The Ryder Cup's over. They demolished us, right? And he's got

a downhill left to right slider from maybe four to five feet. And I'm like, to win the match in Ireland. Match, rudder cup's over. I just said, dude, you got to pick that one up. So that, that stands out because I didn't think it was that big of a deal, but looking back on it, I'm like, oh, thank God. that actually occurred to me. And he and I will never forget that. That's a classy moment. And everybody loves Darren. He's the best.

Awesome. A 10. I love that guy. Do you ever wish, since your captain, I mean, you have some saying this. Like, Slees and I love the way the President's Cup does it, where we throw out a team or play that and then you rebuttal. Yeah. Do you wish they would do that at the Riter Cup or do you like the Blind Draw? I'll just say this.

I'm not going to answer that question. I want to say that. I like that the President's Cup does that because it's different. I just think if there's any like. I know. Happened to be animosity. Dude. Yeah, you get the Tiger versus the Rory's.

100%. And the history and the tradition of the cup is probably what trumps everything. And so you keep it. Yeah. You keep it the way it is. But I will say that that snake, if you will, with the Presidents Cup is pretty special.

Great TV, too. Great, great TV. A little chess game. I remember I was a vice captain for Tiger in Australia. Yeah. And just the way things were laying out that week, obviously, he's competing. He's playing captain, right? And so he and I went in for the singles. We already had him pretty much kind of drawn out how we wanted. We're going in there just he and I because the other guys were helping the guys do other stuff. It was just chaos. And so he's like, you've got to go with me. We're going in here. And on two occasions, I'm like, I had to like grab him because he's about ready to say another name when it wasn't our turn. So, you know, you get caught up in it. Like, okay. We don't tip your hand. Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth or whatever it makes. Maybe, yeah, don't tip your hand, exactly. So a lot of fun. They're both fun.

I mean, you know, I also, I love the snake of the President's Cup, but I really love at the opening ceremonies when they put on the board for the first time. And the guy stand up who's playing who in the tandem's on Friday morning. That gets you. That gets you going. That and the national anthem gets you jacked. You come in play the clarinet for the star-spangled band this year. It's a wrap.

The thing's on ice. They never come back from it. deafening in a bad way we're going to get a clarinet over there we'll smuggle one into rome all right last one for me at your at your charity event also we made a little news last year when you and i took a picture with the rider cup that you had there and kind of just playfully announced that i was going to be a vice captain well i was told by the pj of america i had to take it down there were some articles did they really yeah i don't remember that oh yeah and i'm just wondering if at all you thought about maybe you know this could possibly work i mean i did

drive your card at the president's government did a hell of a job you did a hell of a job uh you're an excellent driver i'm just going to leave it with that yeah i'm going to say that my vice captainship's leadership group is full i know that hurts so many spots he said but i only have so many spots davis has done a million of these he's yes yeah what has he has done of me yeah what's he done and he's served on the board for 80 years as well yeah the guys he's unbelievable uh I remember asking him. He's like, dude, I should be done. I'm like, well, you should be, but you're not.

I need you. All right, I'll wait until next. Freddie's lifetime. Maybe next time. Maybe New York City. Freddie just needs to be in the room for the effect. If there's been a common denominator as far as what these guys have said to me, as far as, hey, who are you going to put it with you?

And when are you going to ask Fred? Oh, my gosh. Every one of them wants Fred. And who doesn't? He's the cool. He was my captain at least twice, maybe three times in Presidents of presents cups. And he's outstanding. Remember we were saying how do we keep them calm down?

how do we wind him down before the first rest? Just bring Freddy in and talking about, guys, dude, you're all sick at golf. Yeah, dude, like just go be you. Yeah, no question. And he'll be like, yeah, that's right, he's right. He's a lot more cerebral than probably people give him credit. At the same time, the attraction to Fred is that he takes everything in stride. Very, very calculated, very cerebral, but you can't tell.

He's amazing, and his wife's even better, so. Cool hand, Luke. All right, my last one. This one's not as much of a layup, but. sports guy put your hat on which of the following is not the name of an actual sports franchise okay this could get cut actually

now that I say it but all right you got it here which is not a sports franchise I'm pretty good at this unless if we're going to get in the ambiguity of it all maybe not but I think you'll be able to just process of elimination this thing one the yard goats

okay two the mighty muscles that sounds made up or three the stiff shafts Do any of those ring of bells? Professional sports organization. I'm going to go with option C. Why is that? Where that comes from?

Unless if they have, they have not been franchised. We had a trademark over that, and I should be getting some sort of royalty involved here. What sport was this? This was the Drake University golf team intermereal basketball team. Champions, by the way. Champions. Hit me on that. It was amazing.

We were just these little runs out there that could just shoot it. And that was really about it. We had one big guy that just got beat up and we just chucked it. That is awesome, man. The stiff shafts. They won it, the stiff shafts. Live might become knocking for that. It feels like a team golf name right there.

You know what I mean? Yeah, save that. You should have trademarked that joke. Trademark it right now. This doesn't release until a few hours. Your guys' dig of research is impressive. For professionals. Yeah, this is very serious.

It's not a hobby. It's not a hobby. Captain. There ain't no hobby. You know what I mean? Thanks, kids. All right, that's all for me. We really appreciate. Congratulations on being named Captain. Thanks to Polo Ralph Lauren here in

Chicago for hosting us and the uniforms look incredible. Best of luck over in Rome. Go getting, buddy. Thanks, Drew. Appreciate you guys. Love you too. All right, that was Captain Zach Johnson, joining us on subpar. Such a treat to sit down with him. One of the nicest, most respected guys

in the game of golf. It's crazy to think his career. I mean, a guy not the longest off the T, two-time major winner, Augustine National and the Open Championship at St. Andrews. Now he's a Rider Cup captain. I mean, who would have thought coming out of Drake University? Yeah, like the number two guy, by the way, at Drake. Wasn't even their ace.

Man, it's been a hell of a run for Zach. Props to him. Thank you so much for sitting down with us. Putting on this gear, honestly, I'm going to get nerd out here for a minute. Putting it on, talking about it, getting my juices going heavy. I cannot wait to be in Rome. See that thing. The European crowd, the chanting, all the stuff.

I think this thing is going to be a war. I know the Americans are favorite. it. I don't know. I think this is tight. I do not think we see even close to what we saw at Whistling Straits, but I am very much looking forward to it. Yeah, it's not going to be like Whistling Straits. This thing is not going to be a blowout. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch. We're going to be there. Cannot wait. Thanks to Polo Ralph Lauren here in Chicago. This has been incredible. This store is beautiful. Come check it out if you're in town, and we'll talk to you on next week's subpar.