The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Go Low - Hunter Mahan stops by, Masters week, Picking winners

Episode Date: April 10, 2024

It's Master week and John takes a deep dives into some of his best bets at Augusta. He talks about who he thinks is going to win The Masters, who we should keep an eye on, and is this the tournament where Rory turns his game around. Later, John is joined by 6-time PGA Tour winner, Hunter Mahan to talk about the pressures of playing at The Masters, what makes the course so difficult, what it was like playing with Tiger in his prime, and who of the top guys he thinks can break through and win this weekend. 5:34 - Difficulty in betting golf 11:10 - Picking a winner 16:38 - Guys to watch for 27:30 - Hunter Mahan Interview 28:38 - What Masters week is like 32:05 - What makes the course so hard 40:02 - Tiger in his prime 1:04:24 Favorite holes to play at Augusta 1:07:24 - Hunter's pick to win Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

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Here is the plan for today. I will give my picks, who I am wagering on, and my excitement level to start the podcast. Then we will have on six-time PGA Tour winner and a man who's played in the Masters 10 times. finished in the top 10, three, pride of Oklahoma State, Hunter Mayhan,

will join the show and just discuss his experiences at the Masters playing around Tiger and Phil in their primes and who he likes this weekend. He's now coaching golf at a school outside of Dallas where the football coach

at that high school is Jason Witten. So that's... My high school football coach I don't even know if he played high school football. And my high school golf coach couldn't break 90 if you paid him. So it sounds like that school is a little cooler than mine. But this is a great week. It really is.

I'm super excited. There's nothing quite like Thursday and Friday when everyone's on the course and you wake up, you're streaming it on the master's app and following it on social media. This is, if you like big events, if you like things that matter. And if you like golf, obviously it gets. everyone back together for the first time and forever. So very, very exciting. And yeah, you guys know that Drew,

if you listen on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to Three and Out. That's Go Lo's also on there as well. All of this is on YouTube, so go check out the YouTube channel. Appreciate everyone for checking that out. But before we dive into some master's thoughts, got to tell you about my close personal friends, go to your smartphone, download a little app, the official ticketing app of this podcast, Game Time.

You want to go to a game? You want to go to a playoff game, NBA, NHL, you want to go to a baseball game. Get out, get some son. Grab yourself a brusky. Take a friend, take your wife, take your brother, take your dad. Go enjoy yourself. Do it on us. Go to game time.

Your first pair of tickets, you can buy price point, sight lines, easy to search any venue you want to go to. promo code John, J-O-H-N, J-O-H-H-N, save $20 at checkout. It doesn't get any easier in that. promo code John save $20 to checkout little promo code no big deal game time download that app right now I've been gambling pretty heavily on golf now the last three or four years one thing and I've talked a lot about is being aggressive picking guys to win is a pretty crazy strategy it is very very difficult because most weeks you're betting on you know if you pick five guys to win the tournament you're betting against 150 160 guys this tournament is unique they're only 8,000.

89 guys playing in it. And if you win the Masters, you can play in it the rest of your life. So there are guys, Larry Mize, Freddie couples. A lot of guys that play in this turn, a lot of guys. But there are 20 plus players in this tournament that have no shot to win the tournament, let alone to probably compete to make the cut.

And Kepka's been saying this for years, if you look at any major, but specifically this one, much smaller field. So when you're betting top tens and bet in top 20s, the ratio based on the rest of the field is not as big. Because you're not competing against 150 guys. You're only competing against 90. And you can wipe probably 20 of them before you even hit the T shot on Thursday. So you're really competing to finish top 10 out of 70 to 65 guys.

So it is a much easier tournament that way from a strategic standpoint. It's why my favorite bets of the week, by a country mire, are Zander Shafley and Hadeki Matsiyama to top 10. You get Zander plus 140. You can get Hadeki plus 180. Course history, course knowledge matters a lot. When Hadeki won it, Zander was playing with him in the last round. Zander has had a lot of success here. He is a very good major player. Now, as we saw at the players, you don't feel very comfortable. with him to win the tournament. So taking him 16, 18, 20 to 1 to win one of these things, though I think it will inevitably

happen is a pretty risky bet. But to me, a top 10 feels about as big of a lock as you can have. I am very, very confident that Zander Shaflae come the weekend is going to be near the top of the leaderboard. Same thing with Hadeki, who has been playing awesome this year. One at RIV, which you could argue beside the play. is the hardest tournament to win in terms of the difficulty of the course non-major of the year. He has won this tournament before.

I fucking love Hedekke. I mean, I can't like him anymore. I feel very, very confident. I'm going to put large four-figure wagers on those two guys. Shane Lowry is a player that a lot of people in the golfing community, course history, he's played really well here. I think three of the last four years. He is a guy who has an excellent short game.

The weather of the first couple days, it could rain. Now, unlike last year, when it was frigid conditions, it was freezing cold. Anyone like, I'm a warm weather golfer. Twice in probably the last month, it has rained and been cold. I did not make it past hold 12. Tapped out. This ain't for me. Can't do that in professional golf.

Playing for real money. Real stakes. the Masters. This is a guy, Irishman, who likes playing in the conditions. He won the Open Championship once upon a time

in very difficult conditions and he blitzed the field. Shane Lowry is a very, very popular pick. Now you can get him at like plus 360 to top 10. To me it's probably a safer bet. I think it's plus 130 to top 20.

But Shane Lowry is another player that I'm going to have some exposure to. I think the key here is to get a guy who is in form and has success at this course before. It's why you see a guy like Phil Mickelson, who's 52, 53 years old, after his win at Kiowa goes to live, looks like shit. I mean, listen, I don't watch much live. I do keep tabs on the leaderboard,

and he is consistently down near the bottom. He is no longer anywhere near the, I don't know, one of the greatest five, six, seven players of all time that he once was. Even the guy that we saw at Kiowa, long gone. But last year, at this course, and Tiger said it today in his press conference, only course in the rotation of all the majors that we play every single year. US Open, new course every year. PJ Championship, all sorts of courses.

Even the Open Championship, while they consistently play St. Andrews, a bunch of other courses mixed in there. Every single year, you know you're getting the Masters. Now, the master is because they have like an unlimited amount of money, changes it every single year. They add trees. They had slopes of the green. They add different hills. It's one thing to add a tree.

Like I put some phycuses in my backyard. It's going to take them a year to grow to 15 feet or whatever. There's like, yeah, we just added 50 foot trees. They literally just move a fully grown tree and put it in a spot. And anyone that knows that has played golf before, a fully grown tree is a big deal. And they can manipulate the course better than any place because of the unlimited amount of money they have. So to me, guys with course history are most equipped to change that. Or I mean to handle and adapt to that on the fly.

Now, when you're going to pick a winner, look at the last couple winners, John Rom, who at the time he had, I think won three or four times, leading up to the Masters, it was clear he was, if not the best player in the world, number two best player in the world. He had won the U.S. Open the previous year. He was on a trajectory like a fucking rocket chip, a lot like Scottie Sheffler. Then he leaves to live. And I talked to Hunter Mayhan about this. He had some quotes this week.

They're like, yeah, kind of, I wish Liv would go to 72 holes. Iron sharpens iron. And John Rom, to me, is more of a throwback grinder of a guy that likes to work, likes to prepare it is used to a routine. He's a lot like a football player. Likes his routine. Liv's weird. It really is.

There have been some clips on Liv of him like screaming at guys to calm down. It's like, John, that's the vibe out here as anything goes. But I think it's been difficult for him. It wasn't difficult taking the $300 million or whatever. Eventually that made him crack. But he of all the guys, I would put Kepka next on that list. We're just like, I don't really want to do this, but I can't really turn down the money.

And unlike Kepka, who is unfazed, can you show up to majors? Like, if you're telling me you have money on Kepka or think Kepka's going to win this week, I can't disagree with you. I really can't. Because we're at the point now when a major happens, you don't just expect. You are shocked when Kepka is not in the mix. To me, John Roms, a little bit of a wild card.

The pressure of the defending champ, clearly not being as sharp, given the crew that he's playing with, his own mindset of only playing the 54 holes. My expectations for him are lower. I'm not going to be, have no exposure to John Robb. Scotty Sheffler, if he can putt, he's winning this tournament. But as we just saw a couple weeks ago,

a putt descended into extra holes from five feet after he fucking pipes a drive, knocks it 180, five and a half feet, he misses the put. And anyone that plays golf, you watch the highlight of that putt had never had a chance. So I will not be shocked if Scottie Sheffler hoist his second green jacket in three years. But to me, and people are going to think I'm nuts because he needs to win this to complete the career grand slam. He's a guy that last year with all the hype missed the cut. And if you miss the cut at this major, it's a lot different than missing the cut at other majors because like we talked about the smaller fields, I actually think this is a perfect spot for Rory.

A couple weeks ago, he got with Butch Harmon, who used to work with Greg Norman, then transitioned to a guy named Tiger Woods, who has worked with the Ricky Fowler's, the Dustin Johnsons, the Brooks Kepka's, his son, Claude Harmon now is basically their coach,

who to me is more than just a golf coach, he's a mental coach. And last week, for the first time all year, Rory started looking like Rory again. And listening to No Laying Up podcast, thought they hit the nail on the head. The reason Rory has not won this, tournament, even when he's played well, he's one of the greatest drivers of the ball we've

ever seen. He's played on this course long enough to know how to put. His approach shots have been awful. And unlike Tiger and Phil, he's not very artistic as a ball striker with a seven iron, an eight iron, right? Those guys are working the ball every way. When I think Rory, I think high draws. And on this course, historically, drawing in theory is something that translates well. But his approach game last year was hideous. And so far, coming up until last week has not been great. And then he gets with Butch Harmon and all of a sudden, statistically, he's dramatically better. And beside two guys, Danny McCarthy and Akshay, who won his first tournament, congrats to him, who ran away with the tournament, Roy beat everybody else. So, listen,

I'm taking Rory. Feels like in a weird way flying under the radar a little bit. He's a 11 to 1. He's like 10 to 1, 11 to 1. Draft Kings, he's changed. He was 10 to 1, I think, to start the week. I just looked right before I hopped on. He was 11 to 1. So you can get him right in that range. Not only is he winning a master's, I think he's going to win a couple more majors. Hell, two years ago, he finished top 5 in all the majors. He easily could have won the U.S. Open and the Open Championship. And it's not like one of those, well, he just doesn't know how to win. Like Zander, I can't place a winning ticket on Zander in these big tournaments. Not because I don't think he will inevitably do it,

but until he does it, I'm not doing it. I'm just not going to do it. Rory has done it. Now, you can say it's a long, long time ago, and that's true. Hasn't won a major in forever. And if you watch full swing, one thing that sucked is when Kepka won the PJ championship last year, he passed him in majors.

Rory had four, now Kepka has five. And he's the big swing, and you know what, in the golfing world, because of all the current players, I'm not counting Tiger Woods and Phil, he has the most of his era, of the spice, of the Rory's. You know, a couple guys have two, but Rom has two, obviously. I just think this is Rory's time. Call it a gut feeling.

Call it just being overly excited from last week. Even Tiger Woods said this morning in his press conference, it's a matter of when. It will happen. And I don't think Tiger's just blowing smoke saying that to be nice. I think he truly believes it. And I'm taking Rory to win this tournament. A couple other guys that a little bit more of longer flyers,

when I won a big bet at RIV, I placed a live bet on Zalotoros, and I won a couple grand, and I cashed out double my money, and I still had like $500 on there. I placed, I think it was like $35 to 1 on Zalotaurus. Now, I probably wouldn't do that sitting here right now because of the way he's looked,

but he's your classic guy, historically, in these majors, he can not look great and he comes to these and he's a factor. Now health, the back has been a problem. He had back surgery last year. But you got to look at these guys and Kepka definitely falls under this. Majors come around and let's face it, guys crumble. You see it in football. There was this, you'd be in OTAs and you have this fifth rounder.

Like, holy shit, did we just find our starting safety? And then the pads would come on and they'd take a step back. And then the season would start. they'd crumble. The pressure just amplifies in golf. And unlike football, where there's a gradual buildup in golf, you just plan one week and then all of a sudden it's the major. It's like, buckle up, you're at Augusta. Everyone's watching. Crowds are massive, different, and the course is very difficult. And Zalotoris has proven to be comfortable in these environments. You know, other guys like Jason Day, who's had a lot of course success here,

now he hasn't played as well this year, but he's another guy that I dabbled on. And then there's just the group. And this is the hard part about, you know, picking these guys is Speath has mainly looked really shitty this year until last week. He's a guy that's very, very comfortable here. Justin Thomas, who historically profiles very well here, does not play that well. And then just broke up with, I don't know, one of the best caddies of all time in Bones. Phil's former caddy.

So not feeling that great there. I mentioned this to Hunter is. on Saturday, and I see, I've seen Tony a lot out there over the last month, but at TPC, I teed off, I think we tee off around nine, and Tony went to the back of the Grange, where all the pros go, and he went right to the putting green. When I got to hole eight about two hours later, he was still on the putting green. When I finished, he was still on the back of the range, and then I saw on Instagram that he was playing until the sun went down.

Now, every guy on the PGA tour at this level practice is really hard, but he is a player that if the putter does get hot, he's proven that he can be a factor here. If you've seen that clip going around on the Tiger Woods, historic 2019 come from behind when, he was in that group with Tiger and Francisco Molinari. So to me, he's always a huge wild card, but maybe I'm just blindly rooting for this in a weird,

way. I root for him anyway, just because I enjoy watching him play golf. But I kind of just feel like he's been so close. Not necessarily in this tournament, though. A couple years ago, he backdoored. I think he finished like second or third, but he never had a chance to win the tournament. I kind of think it's Rory's time, man. I really do. And everyone's going to be on Scotty Sheffler, rightfully so, would not stun me. He wins this tournament. He might win three of the four majors this year and have one of the great seasons we see of all time. But he could still have one of the great seasons we see of all time and, you know, finish third here, which probably feels statistically, historically, more likely.

But I'm going Zander Hodecki, hammering them to top 10. Shane Lowry, I might split top 10 and top 20. Fagala is a guy. Great short game. Just kind of an artist. much more in this modern day game of like kind of robots. And listen, I say robots. I would call Wyndham Clark probably more of a robotic player.

And it works. He won a major last year. To me, Thigala is an old school. You could put him in the 70s and 80s with that shitty equipment. And he would have been a good player. Because he's not as dependent. Obviously he benefits like all of us do from the newer equipment. But he's got it all in the bag.

and I think his short game is an area that can really, if he's playing well and he's shown signs this year, to be a factor. A lot of people are taking Ludwig, who is just, has a chance to be in all-time talents. I mean, he's a guy that most believe will be the number one player in the world one day, should compete and win majors. I do think it can be difficult. This isn't just his first master's. This is his first ever major. Now, the only guy to win a master's on his first ever master's was Fuzzy Zeller in 1979. That's not normal, right?

I mean, usually guys with a lot of experience tend to be, I don't want to say older players because Tiger won it really young, but guys that have been through the ringer a little bit, you know, when you think of Phil Mickelson's first time, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson a couple years, Hadecki was a 10-year pro, even Scotty Sheffler was younger, but he had been on the tour then for several years and played in majors. Ludwig would probably be one guy. I don't want to say I fade him because it won't shock me. Like I expect him to make the cut.

But I think a lot of people picking him to compete to win. I would be a little stunned. And hopefully I'm wrong. I'm a big fan of his game. It does translate pretty well. Great driver of the ball. High draws. I do think this tournament can be a different animal.

Now his caddy, Joe Scarverow is Fowler's former caddy worked with Tom Kim for a little bit. He knows this course well. So obviously that matters. But last year, J.T. had bones. He missed the cut. So a caddy, this is not football.

The caddy can only do so much. I can't wait, man. I really can. It's just, this is just an incredible viewing experience. Even if you're listening to this, you don't love golf, totally understand. It's not for everybody. I don't expect it's a niche sport.

I understand that. This is one of those, if not the event. I mean, it is the most popular golf event of the year. We say this all the time. Why did women's college basketball just have 20 million people watching? It felt big. Why is football in college football now so massive? Their games feel big.

They feel like an event. They feel like something you can't miss. For a shitty is the live experience has been in terms of taking all these sweet players, the villains of golf away from us, and it sucks. For those of us that like to watch golf on a weekly basis, when just a couple million people are watching, that has hurt us.

That has hurt the sport. That has hurt the viewing experience. Everyone getting back together makes these even that much bigger. You don't get to see DJ and Kepka and Kam Smith and Bryson together with Scotty Sheffler, Rory, and Spieth, and all these guys anymore. We get it four times a year. and I know these guys have been talking, we got to hurry up and get a merger.

Who knows? We could be years away from all these guys. I don't know if we're ever going to get a weekly experience again, but just 10 plus times a year all playing together. That feels years away, years away. So when this happens, we just, us golf fans, us fans of big sporting events, have to enjoy it.

And as Tiger said today, it's a major season, baby. You see me once a month playing in all the majors. It's like, Tiger, I thought you meant once a month in other events as well as the majors. Might have lied. His body might not been right. And let's face it, I don't, my expectations for this guy aren't much. Like most people my age that were born in the mid-80s that grew up in the 90s, Tiger and Michael were the biggest athletes of our life.

And I'd argue two of the biggest, I mean, I don't know if it gets much bigger in Michael Jordan. I would say Tiger Woods is not far behind them, just in terms of universal notoriety and universal. Like, you just tap someone on the shoulders and point at, do you know who that is? And they can say, yes, that's Tiger Woods. His days, I know he said today, if it all breaks right,

I can compete to win. I'm not sure I'm buying that, but I don't even care. If he just can play four rounds, which, let's face it, based on the last couple years, would be an accomplishment, would be an upset given that he's withdrawing and not finishing any of these tournaments, I'm in.

I really am. I think it would be cool if somehow on the weekend, even if they're like 30th, Tiger and Phil are playing together. That would be cool to see kind of their vibes toward each other. Obviously, one's team PGA tour, the other team live.

It feels like the stars would really have to align, but hell, we just got a solar eclipse. So maybe it's the time. I can't wait, man. I really can't. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations,

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network

on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fans, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics

from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Tontons and Wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith the rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bo Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Honored on Master Week to have a six-time PJ Tour winner and a guy that played at

Augusta professionally. Well, I think the first time maybe as an amateur, but 10 times finished in the top 10, three of them had a couple other top 15 finishes. Hunter Mayhan, now currently his office is right down the hall from Jason Witten. They're just taking Liberty Christian. The whole new levels as a golf coach and a football coach. Hunter, what's going on, man? Not much, man. Thanks for having me.

Do you ever get to do some free squats with Jason? Yeah, we work on his technique. It's a little flawed since he stopped playing. But he's still a strong dude. And he's a coach at heart, man. It's kind of funny. I've talked to him a couple times. he's just a coach and he loves it and he's passionate about it and he turned this program around

pretty quickly. So it's inspiring to see and he's a great guy to kind of talk to and he's open to that to figure out how to make these kids just a little bit better. Talk to me about this week. Like in 03, you were in Am, did you qualify because you finished in the top two of the USAM? Is that how you got in? Correct. Yeah. Run it up in the USAM that year. Yeah. So, you know, as a kid, obviously you were a highly talented. how did amateur player played at a high level in college, but to get to go to Augusta in 2003.

Before you became professionally, it became normal. Yeah. What was that like driving down Magnolia Lane? You go with your parents, you go with it. You go with. Yeah, so I remember winning my semi-final match, and that got me into Augusta. Like, I knew that.

And that was the first thing I thought of when I won. It wasn't even, you know, because I actually won the U.S. Junior, and I had a chance to do something only Tiger has done. which is when the U.S. Junior and the U.S. Amateur. So I was on the precipice of that. But as soon as I won my match, I knew, like, oh, I'm in Augusta. Like, it was wild.

It was a wild, just a moment. And then we went and played, as soon as you get that invite or as soon as you know you're in the tournament, you're allowed to play kind of as much as you want. You just have to play with a member. So you can go call the club and say, hey, I'd like to go. And they'll help you out and they set you up. And so, yeah, driving down for the first time. with no fans, no one there, just like I don't even know what day was.

It might have been a Monday or something like that. And it's just eerily quiet. It's just you see, you're feeling everything that you've seen on TV. Now you're experiencing it, and it's something they had the old range. It was wild. It was just such a, I mean, it was truly like a dream come true because everything that was fake is not real. And you're seeing it and experiencing it. And then you get to see the golf course and in 3D, right?

You're not seeing it from a 1D just from a flat perspective. You actually get to see the slopes and feel the slopes and see how the course is actually and how you're going to have to play it. It was really. And as an amateur there, I think that's so special. It is so unique. And that is a real honor because you really, you didn't qualify. You really had it like, I don't say you're not qualifying for it, but you're really earning your opportunity to play that. And there's only like 89 guys this year.

And sometimes they've had like low 80s. And so it's really, really hard to get into this event. And so it was awesome. And I felt very proud to be there as an amateur and play there as long as I did. That that you played the practice round with the member, did you approach to just like a normal round of golf or was like a practice? Do you remember what you shot? No, I don't remember.

I mean, I just was like, I mean, I was just getting a feel for everything. And so like the whole course is just slipped. Like every shot, you're going to have every kind of lie. You're going to have uphill, downhill, side hill. I mean, you're just taking it all in that first time. And you've got to figure out, you're just figuring out angles. The course is so angular and how you need to attack certain pins and everything. So, I mean, I was hitting.

I was kind of like, can I hit it on their ball here? And they're super nice, the staff, everybody. And I was getting tips from the caddies who were there because they've seen that place for a really long time. And that was fun. The caddies have amazing stories. And you can get a lot of information from them. So I just was taking it all in that kind of that first round and experiencing and everything that I could that could maybe help me in the tournament,

even though the course changes drastically, even from Monday of the week to the day, just to feel it and to understand what's actually going to happen when you start on Thursday. Why is the course so hard? It requires your attention on every single shot, right? Like the greens are real slow, but you have to really put yourself in position. if you get out of position, it's really, really challenging just to get up and down. And big numbers can happen really fast there.

And that's one of the things that you have to do there is just not three-putt and not big, big numbers. If you do that, you're going to have your opportunities for birdies and even Eagles. But you just have to be, you just can't take a hole off. You have to be engaged on every single shot. And you can't get frustrated with the golf course because the wind swirls. It does, you do want. you do want experience when you're sort of playing this golf course. Did you get nervous as you became a pro?

I mean, 09, T10, 10, T8, 12, T12. Are you nervous in the mix or does it just become like a normal tournament as a professional after a while? I think you're nervous the first time, but I think the more you play it, the more comfortable you get, it doesn't change a lot. The weather, obviously, is a little, you know, we've seen like Zach Johnson play there,

and it was freezing cold, right? And it changed the course drastically. But it is such a, it's such a comforting feeling for a pro to play there because they only allow one person per player on the range. Like if you want your swing instructor, then he can come up. If you want your psychology,

well, then they have to switch out. If you want your physio, they have to switch out. So it's a very calm, it's strange, but it's a very calm place. Is that not normal at even a U.S. Open or British,

you can put you at, my gosh. On the U.S., like, it's your family, your cousins, your friends, your teachers, their teachers, swing, putting, chipping guy, they're all in the range. There's a thousand people in the range. And there's a thousand manufacturers in media. And it's like, the great thing about Gus, it's so, like, defined and everyone's so respectful of everything. But it's just such a, it really does feel like it's all about the players and the player experience. And so everything you're doing that week is sort of wrapped around that. And it's just, Like I said, it's eerily calm.

And it just feels like it's all about the golf. And you're just, that's what you're there for. And I don't know. I just always, it just was such a relaxing place. Even though you know you're at the mattress, it felt therapeutic in a way because it just felt like you didn't have to deal with a lot of stuff other than just playing and handling yourself. Did you get nervous more there than you did at other places?

Or at least like off the first tee on Thursday? I don't know I don't think so I just was so happy I just enjoyed the experience it was so cool to be at Augusta and playing the masters these signature holes those signature moments I don't know I just felt like I just enjoyed it so much you know everything the par three contest the specters the people you didn't have to worry about anything there was not going to be any nonsense out there's not going to fans yelling or it's like everything was just controlled and it just it felt easy in a way that all you have to do is just try to play your best and play a really good golf is it harder because i was looking at some of the scores besides if you take the fall masters out it's it's kind of hovered

between 10 to 13 under which in this modern golf i don't want to say it's u.s open but it's not these guys aren't shooting 24 under par what makes it so difficult like is just the slopes is it your approach shots, which clearly is a big deal at Augusta. Is there a flat lie out there? There's not many. There's not many flat lies. I think what they do well there is they adjust year to year,

right? And they have a lot of control over that golf course. Like, they have all the control of the golf course you'd ever want. So they're able to adjust it, add some length here, move this back. You know, they have a great sense and great feel of it because they host

the same course, the same place over and over and over again. So that helps a ton. If you're going to a different golf course like the USDA does, PGA, there's no rhythm and there's no feel to what's happening and how the weather is going to play into the golf course. So they can hit the gas on the greens when they want, which is obviously really challenging, right? Like you don't see great putters seem to win at a guess.

Even though putting is so important, you just have to not three puttie. You just have to not be a disaster around the greens. The course is all about bowl striking. And now it's becoming much more of a bomber's golf course where you really got to hit high and far to carry. There's a bunch of carries there over these little mounds on a lot of these par fours where if you do carry it, and then it's going to bounce on a flat surface other than bouncing into a hill, which then equates to 25, 30 yards. And so, like I said, they can still hit the gas on these greens into where if you hit you can, where you hit your second. shots is, I mean, we're talking about two to three yard gaps. Like this is, I've got to land

it in this area or it's going to hit a hill roll down and not want to be struggling for poor. But if I hit it on top of there and it rolls over, I've got a great look for Bertie. So it's just the difference between where you hit your approach on a lot of these holes is a difference between a five foot put and a 30 foot or open over a four foot mount. Would the average like five to 10 handicap have any freaking shot on those greens? Because they always say they're like the hardest greens in America. No, they would have no, like, I mean, I'm coaching high school here and the kids three put all the time.

Like, that's like five, ten handicappers are going to three put a lot. And they're going to four and five foot a lot. Is it because they're like concrete? They're just super fast or they're undulated. Is the combination of it all? A combination of it all. They're super fast, which is one thing. But the greens, like the course sits like on a hill.

Like from the first T8, you know, first T18 green, it just goes like this down to 12th. Like it's steep, steep, steep. And that's how the whole golf course, it's oddly in a bowl and everything goes down to 12. And so even when you think you have a flat putt, it's still going to break a lot, right? And so amateurs just aren't used to playing three, four, five feet of break and having the ball and just thinking that I've got a 12 footer and I just need to two putty. I just need to get it around there and give it a chance, but not be super aggressive. There's not many aggressive puts you have. there's not really many flat greens. 12, ironically, it's about the flattest green you're going to have there.

But it's, you know, you can get at it at certain times and certainly give you that opportunity, I guess, which is so great. There's a stretch on that back nine on Sunday, right, where you can get to that golf course and you have to make, hey, when you have that opportunity. Did you ever have a chance on these, on your top tens to, like, legitimately win on the weekend? Yeah, I think, I mean, I think I had it. teeing off on Sunday, I had a chance to win. I needed to play really well, and I just didn't get it done. But I felt like I was there, and you have those opportunities on the back on Sunday, and you've got to take advantage of those.

I mean, the best – I remember playing with Freddie one year, and that was my favorite time with Freddie Sunday at the Masters. It was just so cool, and so he's the best guy to play with in a stressful environment, because he's sort of just like this, you know, in your read, calm, confident coach on the sideline just doing his thing. And Freddie has just this way about him that nothing seems too big. You know, you played in the era before we dive into some of the favorites and just what we're thinking this weekend in peak Tiger. I mean, when you first got on tour in the 2000s, and obviously once Phil got over the hump and became an all-time great,

starting with Tiger, I mean, you see him the day, he's smiley. He's definitely a different person in his late 40s than the guy you saw. I remember, texting with you years ago when it was like COVID shut down, just watching all these YouTube's, I mean, how much better was he than everyone else? Like, what's your, when you, when I, when you close your eyes and think like your Tiger story being around and playing with him in his heyday, what stands out to you about Tiger Woods? It's crazy to think that he was the best at everything. Like, there was like, um, he was winning tournaments playing okay.

and that's the guy's whole dream and their life was to win a PJ tour event. And it wasn't like he was toying with anybody. He just was like he was just on a different planet of work ethic and desire and what he was willing to do to win. But like his, like he was the best driver of the golf ball. He was the best putter and his short game was ridiculous. And what you have to do is hit your long irons well. And we'd never seen anybody be able to hit three irons as far and as high.

as he could. And so when you go to Augusta and you go to these major type places, and he's just playing a different type of golf when he's hitting these five and long iron straight up in the air and just landing it perfectly soft on the green with incredible distance control.

But when you take that and you take that to really tough golf courses, the advantage is just, you know, what we've learned is that ball striking an iron play is what's going to separate you from being a really, very great player. And it takes you from course to course country to country.

really matter. And the way he was able to do those things and hit those irons. And the way the sound it made, the lack of, it just looked and felt and the way he can shape it just slightly. It was something like anything we'd ever seen before. Guys would struggle to just get up and to win events. And it was just like he was, he was such an arrhythm and just toying with everybody else a lot of the time.

You know, the thing I've always said about him, and listen, obviously he's had a crazy life. I mean, an insane life. But he said it today. Like, I just love golf. Yes. To be as rich as he is, to be as injured as he is, it's like to still want to some grind. It's, I just think 99% of people in his shoes with his resume, his money, his now family, I just don't think would continue to do it. and I just admire his drive, which, like you said, was on the forefront for 20 years for guys like you just watching. It was unprecedented. I don't know if we'll ever quite see anything like it again.

No, it's a, like you said, it's a pure joy to the simplest things. I think he loves just the feeling, you know, of a pure strike, the high draw, the manipulation that hit it left and. right, the field of hitting a perfect wedge from like 60 yards and watching it spin and the control that he has. He loves the simplicity of the things. It's sort of like Brady. You can't like Thursdays and Saturdays and Sundays. You got to like hitting balls at home like 7 a.m. And just feeling the way the ball rolls off the putter. Like he loves all those things. It's his passion. It's his drive. It's his work ethic. He just loves all those things. And I don't think people even

understand what what he has to do now just to play around a golf. I mean, it's hours of warm up and work, and then it's post work. And he's willing to do it, which is crazy. He's almost 50, and he's been doing it. And, I mean, the last, what do you want in 2019? So, like, the last five years of his, has been such a struggle for him just to get on a golf course and play four rounds. And it doesn't phase him. He's just like, well, this is what I have to do.

I have to add this hour of stretching and ankle mobility work. That's what I'm going to do. Do I have to wake him a four? Okay, three, whatever. It doesn't matter because I want to be on that first D competing because that's what he loves. I know you're Titan for a long time with the Mickelson who, you know, following his scores that live these last couple years hasn't been the prettiest thing. But last year at the Masters, I mean, shit, the guy made a run.

He finished seconds. So why we know Tiger's success here, but Phil's not far behind him as a guy who's very comfortable. Is it just his touch? Obviously, he's one of the most talented players at all time. Is this just one of those courses when you have the course knowledge, like those two guys, it's such a big advantage? Yeah, for sure, for sure. And Phil loves, he's like a very visual person and he's an artist, right?

Tiger is way more of a technician, right? Once he got a lead of a major or a tournament, he just wear you down. There's going to be no mistakes. There's going to be irons and three with. Phil's like, you know, do you think I could skip this across the water and then get up on the green and then a roll, right? I think I can do that, right? And like, Bones is historically like, no, we don't need to skip the ball off the water. We can just lay up because you're a great wedge player, right?

Phil's always seeing the challenge and the fun in the game. And Augusta provides that. It's a, you know, you're going to hit so many shots that week. And Phil loves that. He loves the artistry of what he can do and what he needs to do. And that course gives you everything. I mean, you want to add high, low, fade, draw, whatever. And so he loves that there.

And it's a great, like I said, he's bombing it now and that's of course that lends you to give you that opportunity a lot and kill those part fives and he knows he knows those screens better than anybody in history um so when he's there he's he's thinking to himself i'm ahead of these guys because i know what everything's going to do i've played here in every condition and he's always believing that if i can just get a rhythm with my swing because he always feels rhythmic like it can't it's not really a technician but if it gets in that rhythm, watch out. Because he's going to go at every flag because he feels that confident and he's going to be really, really comfortable around the grades. Okay, let's go through some of the top guys this week. I mean, Rory, he needs

this to complete the career grand slam. Last year, obviously was devastating. He missed the cut. He had not been playing well, and then he goes and sees Butch. And last week, I don't know if you saw some of his stats, his proximity to the hole from like 125 to 200 was dramatically better with every club. So now I'm thinking,

I don't know. I'm going to throw a little cash on Rory. It feels like he's bound to win it, the confidence. You've been around, Butch, just the mental positivity he can throw into your head. It feels like Rory's a big psychological. If he's in the right space, watch out. What are your thoughts on Rory McElroy? And do you think it's inevitable?

Because for some guys, this isn't inevitable. No, I don't think it's inevitable. I think what Butch will do is give him a little bit of, a structure, right? And he'll say, okay, these are the few things that you're going to need. Butch has a few ideals that he really likes and he believes in the golfs. So I think he's going to help him with those things and give him a, like, give him just like play in this area, right? And just like structure, structure, structure to a swing. And that should give him some confidence. I do like him this week because he did play last week. So I think Rory kind of is going to feed off of

that a lot. And I don't think he's going to be talked about much. I think it's going to be a lot of Schuffler. It's going to be a lot of like Fienau. You know, Zander people like. I love Zander this week. There's going to be a lot of thing, Willie Z. There's going to be a lot of players, a lot of people talking. And I think Rory, especially after like the live stuff and him, you know, having a press conference every single week, I think he can slide underneath that radar a little bit and just kind of play and not have to worry about much. And so I think that's going to be. benefit him a lot. I do expect him. I think he's going to play actually really, really good this week, and it might come down to just, you know, putting for him. You know, I think I, like you,

I think he's going to hit it great and he's going to play really, really well, really, really well. Is he going to find that touch around the greens with the putter? You know, we'll have to wait and see. Is it fair to say that the draw players have an advantage at this course? Well, like, Ron won last year, and so he's a big cutter. DJ's won before. Yeah, I don't, because I think these guys can hit it so high now. They can take a lot of stuff out of play. You can hit a three wood. That's going to be much easier to draw.

So I don't think so. Like a guy like Victor, to me, Holland is a guy I really like this week. His iron play. I mean, he can just beat, like I think he'll, if he gets in a good rhythm on Thursday,

I think he's just going to slowly climb up the leaderboard. And I think he'll end up being there on Sunday and have a really good chance to win. I think he's, this golf course is all about your irons and control. And he can do that as good as anybody. buddy. It's funny, you know, we talk a lot about like Scotty Sheffler's now getting the Tiger treatment with odds. Let's face it in like 2002. People weren't talking about like gambling on golf like they do now,

but we all just assume Tiger was going to win. It is pretty crazy that he's like two, three, four to one. I mean, Hunter, he's four to one this week. And it doesn't even seem that crazy. He's like, yeah, he puts well, he's probably going to win by four. You're a Dallas guy. He's a Dallas guy. If you know him at all, what your thoughts on just watched him play. as a pro, it seems kind of crazy because the guy is freaking incredible. He's, you know, we talked about him a couple years ago when we were like, is he going to hang around, right? Like, is this sort of, but it's, the reality is he's the best iron player in the world.

And even though he had, you know, struggles with this putter, he was finishing top fives and he was still the best part in the world during those weeks. So he's got the confidence in the putter now. and he's very just he does a great job i think of resetting himself like week after week right and he's always sort of tinkering and trying to make his swing better um he doesn't seem to get caught up in in the tiger hysteria trying to be anything other than scottie shephler and there's a simplicity to that that really works in his favor it would be you know four to when it's high. It's hard to put money on him to think that he's going to win because he's been

such a heater. Can you really just continue that over and over again? I wouldn't think so. You think he's just going to miss a few putts, have one bad day of irons. But, man, he is, he is so good. And he said, he's just good at everything. There's just not really a weakness to his game. He has great touch, great feel. He's got a great caddy. He's already won here before, right? So I wouldn't, I wouldn't put it past him to win. But boy, I mean, are we really entering that category where he's going to be just top 10 every single major for the next 10 years? I mean, I don't know about that.

If he were to win this one, it'd be safe to say he might win two or three majors this year because he'd be out the gates. But we thought that about John Rom last year once he won this tournament. And he's a guy, I don't know if you saw the quote. He's like, yeah, I wish, you know, live, maybe we should go to 72 holes. Because I would imagine, you know, he's an old school. Rinder, competitor. Yeah.

Probably doesn't feel as sharp coming into this. He feels kind of like the anti-Kepka who took everything seriously. Kepka only took these four tournaments seriously. And I'm kind of off him just because that comment to me told me a lot of like, I wonder if he feels as great as he did last year when he was winning tournaments, playing in normal four-round events, and he doesn't feel quite as sharp coming to this bad boy. It's a great point. I saw that quote too, and I was like, and I mean,

I mean, I talk to the guys that live about broadcasting, and 15 more holes is not, like, that is their plan. Like, that is not something movable. They don't feel like that as anything. No. Like, that's not an option. So a guy's weekend trip. Yeah. So that's really weird for me that he actually was like made that public and said that.

A little surprising to say the least. I don't disagree. Like, these guys want to, they want that rhythm. There's a cadence of playing professional golf, four rounds, a cut, and all those things. So maybe he does feel a little bit like honeymoon's over, and now we're grinding and now we're playing week after weekend. He's like, golly, it's just three days. I got to get ready for a major or four days.

I wonder if he's thinking about that. And it's running through a sound a little bit more than he might have thought that it would have impacted him getting him to win a major because now it's entering his time and his season. And there's a lot of golf that he's going to be playing at a high level. and maybe he doesn't feel like he's getting that competitive spirit out there. I'm not sure. Only he can answer that. How can Kepka not really give a shit about tournaments

and then just flip the switch and win majors and compete in majors? Is that the craziest thing you've ever seen? Yes. I don't think we've never seen a career like this. I don't know how to like, you know, I was looking at like major winners of his caliber, meaning like the guys who have won five plus. They've all won a ratio of about five to one. meaning five tournaments, five normal tournaments to like one major.

Like it's a big gap, right? Phil's got like six majors and like 40 plus wins, right? He's like eight to one. Tigers got like, you know, there's at least a five to like a 10 to one gap. He's like like two to one. Like it's just weird. It's like, how do you win that many majors when you have like nine or ten tournaments one?

It's just weird. It's very unique and very strange. There's really no, I don't understand it either because he's. He's so good that you would think at least one 20 times, more of like a Dustin Johnson-type career, more of a Rory. But he actually just hasn't played that. He spent a lot of time on the European tour kind of grinding out there and figuring out kind of who he was. But he does not seem to be deterred by anything. His majors last year were incredible.

It was such a stud in the Masters and the PGA. So it doesn't make any sense to me that he can just flip a switch from like Durow playing. terrible for two days and then come here and be sharp that doesn't that doesn't make sense to me it did feel like last year he was playing well he was winning live events his confidence was like he's like i'm feeling like brooks again health is great so i do i think he's going to flip the switch i wouldn't i wouldn't think so because last year he he did like last year it was like oh he's back and this year we haven't heard from him in like months right so not really sure he's not someone that i'm thinking about today to win the masters, you know?

Yeah, from a gambling standpoint, it's hard not to sprinkle a little on them because you always just get, you'll be pissed at yourself Saturday, you look up, but also a couple years ago he missed the cut, he was battling injuries. Two guys, I know my two favorites this week, not necessarily to win, but that I just think auto top 10 bets and auto guys to be in the mix are Hadeki and Zander. I mean, they are playing fantastic. They're comfortable here. Zander's, you know, Hadeki's won a major before.

or Zander feels like he has a million top fives in majors. And a little like Rory, I don't necessarily know, the Masters. Inevitably, he's going to win a big tournament. If you're in the mix this often, right? What are your thoughts on Zander? You ever overlap with him? He's a little younger, but. Yeah, we played a matured a few years ago.

I love him. I think his game is, I mean, he hits these just high, beautiful draws. And his swing, like, what I like about players is when, their swing sort of matched the ball flight. And whenever I watch Zander play, it's just like, it's poetry because it's just so, it should do exactly what his swing says. And he does it so consistently. And I mean, it's so high.

And when you play majors, to hit it high and have control where you really control where that ball's landing and where it's going to hit and, you know, like I said, ball striking really, really matters. He's finished top five in these majors and runner ups because of his ball striking. and he just doesn't put himself in danger. And so I, like you, I love him this week. I don't see him not playing well because it just, to me, and it's an assumption, but I believe it should be true.

And he walks on that golf course and is really comfortable. Like he can just see all his shots and how he wants the ball to come down. He's plenty long enough. To me, it's just he's going to get out there. It's just going to be those critical moments. That's all it comes down. It's winning a major in these things. It's just a put or two here.

He's been there. He's lived it. I think he's going to be as motivated and as jacked as anybody to have this sort of opportunity. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You got any good Hodecki stories? I'm fascinated by that guy. The one arm finishes and balls 320. He won at Riv. He's like, yeah, I didn't even think I played that well. He shot like 62.

You know, you're just like, this guy's a trip, man. He's just a big time talent. Yeah, he lives in Orlando. and I've been there a few times on the range with him working like Sean Foley and stuff and he just he's got his crew with him from Japan

and he just he goes out to the range and just bangs balls and bangs balls and bangs balls and hit some more balls and just he's just a machine right it's that Japanese culture of just grinding over and over and over again I don't I you know I don't know much about

nobody really does It's just, you know, a cultural thing. But he's a machine out there. And, you know, it's a fascinating lifestyle that he has because he's such a superstar over there. And I think it's a reprieve for him to come over here and live in this, you know, live in Orlando, this little tiny golf course and just play. I think it's very relaxing for him. So he is a, you know, it always feels like he's on the verge of superstard.

Right. Like I'm thinking, like, this could be the year where he develops into a top five player for the next five years. but then he sort of kind of goes away. And so there's an inconsistency there with him that's actually sort of exciting because he can jump up and win any major in any tournament. He has that skill set. His putting is a little,

is putting always feels like a hold him back because it's just not fluid. It's not pretty. It's very, looks analytical and techniquey, and it's like that's just not how you're going to be consistent over a long run. But man, his physical tools are absurd. And him stepping on the golf course to win is no joke.

You mentioned Fee now. One thing, when I play out of TPC, sometimes I will be on the range, about to go play, and I'll see a guy, Max, or Tony, or one of those guys at the back of the range. And I'll always kind of keep track when you turn around 8-9 and you can see them up there putting. Tony on Saturday, I play, I teed off at like 8.30. When I teed off, he was back there putting. When I came up on 8, he was still back there putting. And when I finished, he was just going to play. Now, obviously, as pro golfers, you guys work really hard. But, He's a guy that's had success here, and the putting has just been an absolute disaster. From a ball striking standpoint, I mean, how many guys can hang with that dude? Yeah, I saw this morning. He's like, you know, seventh overall in ball striking strokes gained. Solid, not even where he could really be at his best, but as putting is like 160 something, right? And that's, it's a draining aspect of your game, right, when you're hitting it so good and something's letting you down consistently. And it's something that's not, it's not in your face putting, right?

It's not obvious. It's just, it's artistic, right? All the great putters, a lot of great putters are terrible ball strikers, you know, put it bluntly, you know, because it's different. It's like a different part of your brain. So you have to see it different. And so it's hard for guys who are very technique driven in the ball strike, which you need to be, because you're not going to get lucky and be flowing ball striking to then take that and not, use the technique for putting because it doesn't work that way.

You have to be way more artistic and especially at Augusta, where you really have to see this ball coming in from different angles and different, you know, speed variations to see where it's going to go in. And it's not easy. And so I'm sure they're working on, you know, touch and feel and like, how's the ball going to roll into the hole and what are things that we're going to need to focus on that week to make putts? because they know, you know, it's hard to know the problem,

but it's a hard fix. It really, really is because you can do, you can feel great. And then that tournament rolls around and those green speeds go up to like 13, 14. And the ball gets a little bouncy and all of a sudden your confidence is wavering, right? And you don't want it to waver on the back night. I guess that it's going to be tough to overcome. But, you know, he's also a player who's due to have a great week. Well, let's face it, would you agree that putting is probably the one,

whether you're a 10 handicap, a five handicap, a pro golfer, you three put that first green all of a sudden now you're really rattled. I don't care who you are. It can throw you off because you could hit a bad drive. The next hole hit a good one. But putting all of a sudden, you started freaking out over a five footer. We all have the same nerves standing over a put. Some of the best shots you've ever hit come after some of your worst, right?

It's like, that's all right. I want to get us like, no, I got something I can see and I hit it up there. And, you know, so, yeah. especially there putting can really you know it can wear everything else down it can be an anchor and it's a real challenge for all the players out there because they're not all bad putters by any means but we're talking about a razor thin margin of air here in a winning a major and they know that once you get close there and you get inside about 10 feet you've got to make your puts you got to make the ones that really really matter and and they count and so you know all the players

know that. They know they got to do that and they got to figure it out. So Tony's a guy that just a little bit of confidence and a little bit of rhythm and a little bit of touch there, it could go a long way for him. We talk a lot about 12, 13, obviously 15, 16. For me, 9 and 18. I mean, 9 hitting it down that tree line, then getting down there and then going uphill is always really cool. And 18,

for us that will probably never play there, that shot looks like insanely intimidating. Like 99% of decent golfers are hitting a freaking entry. For you, what, beside the super famous holes, is just a hole. They're like, God, I love that hole at Augusta. Oh, man. There's so many.

I think the roars at Augusta are what exciting. Like 16 is such a cool hole because there's that, because it's funny how, you know, you know what's coming there. There's no really surprises there. You know, you know where the pin's going to be on Sundays. You know, it's going to be that back left plan. And so that was a fun hole. because pulling ones are just,

it feels like they're going to happen that day. You know, there's going to be a couple of them. And the fans are all lining up. And I always liked that transition. I was like my favorite spot on that golf course was middle fairway on 15 because I got 17 to the right. I can see all the way,

all way down to 13 and 14. I can see what's happening on the green on 15. And I can see 16. And you can even kind of, and you can kind of hear all these things happening around you and you're at this kind of peak point on the golf course. Looking down at that green, the water, you know, the water and the way the green is shaped. And, you know, gosh, if I hit this little long, it's going to hit that downslope.

And then I could go in the water on 60. And it's just, to me, that was always my favorite, one of my favorite plates there. And then the T on 13, where you're playing in this massive tournament. There's no one on the green on 11. There's no one on the green on 12. And there's no one on the T on 13. and you're just by yourself and your players and your caddies. You guys can just talk into being such a huge, huge moment and a huge situation,

and there's no one around you is really trippy. And it's not like golf. And it's not like really sports, right? There's no yelling. There's no people. There's no, you know, you the man or get in the hole. There's none of that there. And so it's this oddly peaceful therapeutic place where you're just at the pinnacle of your career in a way.

in the pinnacle of golf. And you're just, like I said, the term, the always feels like it's about the players and that event. And those kind of moments, I always can feel that at those times. Do roars echo out there? Like, can you feel it?

Oh, my gosh. On Sunday, it's crazy. It's crazy. Like I said, it's just, because you know what's kind of coming back on Sunday, what's going to happen, where the pins are going to be. the opportunities for guys, guys ahead of you that are making a charge, guys behind you that are

maybe missing a putt. It's like everything that echoes around there. It's really, really cool. And it's just, like I said, it's all about the players in the field that week. And you can feel it. And it's so exciting because not many majors were just eagles and things are changing on the board so quickly and so fast. And so you can, you have such like that another instinct there and you can kind of hear everything and kind of feel what's happening around you. which is really, really neat because the course isn't that huge. It's not that big. You know, holes are kind of stacked up with one another, and that's sort of the charm of it.

And it's so, that's what makes it so fun is that you can feel everything around you. You don't really have to even look at the leaderboard because you kind of know. Whose Hunter Man thinks Sunday afternoon getting the green jacket? I would say, you know, I think Patrick Cantley, I would watch him. I'm going to go with Hawland, though. I'm going to go with Victor Holman, I think, is going to have the week this week. But, you know, I'm going to hedge and other guys as well. But I'm going to go with Victor.

I think he's due. I think he's due. Okay, we'll end on this. Tiger said he's feeling good. Some report yesterday, striping the ball. Obviously, he can break that cut streak. It would be his 24th, I think, straight. Yeah.

23rd. Tiger top 20? I mean, it's just it's because the weather is supposed to be a little rainy, but it's hot rain, like the southern hot rain, not freezing cold like last year. Does Tiger still have one in him? You know, he's talking it up.

I always want to believe, but I got to be realistic. Not to win, but just, how cool would that be? Just if he was just playing decent. To compete, to compete and to be there on Sunday.

The weather looks great. Like you said, Thursday, maybe a little bit of rain. If he's on the right side of that. Doesn't that help him a little? I don't know. I don't know with his ankle and everything.

That course is so, To uphill, it's downhill. I mean, your shins are fried after that week. I mean, it's not a long course and it's, and it's pretty efficient in a lot of areas. There's some walks back, but it's not, you're not, it's not a tough, it's not a tough walk. But it's like a, you don't tired, but your, your body just aches a little bit and your shins and everything because you're going uphill so much than down though. So I don't, you know, he can make you believe, I mean, anything. He's got one more charge in him.

I do think he's putting everything he has into this week. It's just, you know, he's been through so much. His body has just physically been through so much. It's hard to imagine that he can play well for four days. That he can actually stand in there and play well for four days. I mean, it's been five years since he won. And you could see it on Thursday. I was watching him going, he's really comfortable.

He's striping it. This is going to be interesting. You don't, you just haven't seen him play. in a really long time for decent rounds of golf. It's just his body is just so broken down. But if anyone can put something together and make the cut, I do think he can do that. And I do think he will.

I would say he's going to make the cut. And you might have an unbelievable nine holes on Saturday or something like that to peak in the top 20. Okay, we'll end it on this night. You're coach now. We've got a lot of people that listen, handicaps, probably a lot of well-over-tens. one piece of advice could be something general to just improve your game, improve your scoring,

to just make golf a little easier that you see a lot of amateur golfers not do well. Well, one, they can't putt. So if you can not three putt, like if you want to make your scores better and you want to go from 85 to 78, number one thing is stop three putting. So that's no fun and people won't do that. So whatever. How do you even do that? Do you practice putting?

Is that a thing? Of course. You just practice putting. You practice putting. Match your stroke up with the putter. You can even go, you know, go left arm high, Lily Z or whatever, get that thing up. Whatever you can do consistently, but have good touch, right? If you just have good feel and good touch, hit a lot of long putts, different, the

length puts. But I think on the swing, most people I've seen, especially watching these kids play, like they, they stand up through the shot. So if you can stay in your posture and make a big turn, more, and you stay in your posture, it'll help you rotate through the shot and be more consistent. Almost everybody pops out of it.

And as soon as you pop out, it's over. It's like there's right and there's left and they're both in plain out. You can stay in your posture. You feel like all the best players. They do a great job of staying in their posture, lower bodies. You know, it's just, there's an angle there with your legs and your back and you stay in and it helps you rotate and you fire through, right? Look at Dustin Johnson swing or Rory's or whatever.

But if you can just do that, because rotation is a huge part of the swing, and most amateurs can't rotate for nothing. Some of them are just physically not capable. But that's something that almost everyone does. They just pop out of it, and all of a sudden their arms are flinging at the ball. Be an athlete.

Try. Just try. Golf is an athletic sport. Okay, Hunter. I really appreciate it. Enjoy the Masters. And thanks for coming on, man. Enjoy Scottsdale. Thanks, man. I will. Talk to you soon. Tell Jason, we say hi. Of course.

The volume. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast. The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

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