The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Go Low - LIV Analyst; Jerry Foltz joins the show, PGA Championship week

Episode Date: May 15, 2024

John previews the upcoming PGA Championship by talking about who is hot right now and has a shot of winning this weekend and who you shouldn't bet on heading into Valhalla. Later, John is joined by the longtime Golf Channel Analyst and current LIV Tour analyst Jerry Foltz to preview the PGA Championship. 6:00 - PGA Championship Preview 21:19 - Jerry Foltz 22:42 - Living the LIV dream 29:42 - Will the PGA and LIV merge 36:00 - Who from LIV has a shot this weekend 43:00 - How impress is Ludvig 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.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel 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.

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Void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.combe.combe For eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms and responsible gaming resources. What is going on, everybody, John Middilkoff, Go Low Podcast? getting ready for the PGA Championship. We will be joined by a former member of the Golf Channel and a broadcaster who went to Live, Jerry Fultz. Good guy, good broadcaster, he's been with Liv for a couple years, talking about Valhalla, talking about the Live guys,

get his take on some stuff. And the beginning of the podcast, I just want to talk about the gambling because I don't think this tournament is that complicated. I think you just got to hammer the top guys because it's pretty clear that some rando ain't winning this thing. And the thoroughbred, Scotty Sheffler, Rory, Kepka, Bryson, Romm, Max Homa, it's coming from a big boy. So I'm going to give my Ludwig.

So I want to dive into who I'm betting on, my thoughts on just the group, and just listen, I'm excited. I mean, anytime you get a major, we only get four of these when everyone gets together and fireworks. Tiger gets to play.

Tiger gets to talk at a press conference. We get a little live talk and we're off and running. So I've watched a lot of videos on the internet for this course. A little bluegrass, Kentucky home state of Justin Thomas, who I do not like this week.

But it's exciting. So we got to enjoy it. The Masters. was a lot of fun, at least to the last four or five holes. Hopefully we get a legendary tournament. The last time it was here in 14, Rory won, and it was kind of a pretty legendary finish, like in the dark, Phil, Ricky, a lot of big names.

So I think this tournament is a big name winner, and I think we can make a lot of money betting top tens, and even top 20s. So let's ride the big names, and let's dive into that coming up. But first, I got to tell you about my friends, my partners, and the official ticketing app of this podcast. And if you want to go to an event, like the PJ Championship,

if you want to go to an NBA playoff game, if you want to go to an NFL playoff game, you want to go to anything. NFL playoffs are a little while away. But we're going to know the schedule here very soon. If you want to go to any of these events, concerts, comedy shows, I was just at the gym listening to a Theo Vaughn podcast

was Zach Brown, the lead singer for the Zach Brown band. And it was funny, he was telling good stories. I was like, I've seen that guy. I saw him open up for Kenny Chesney back when I lived in Philadelphia. He was excellent. If you want to go to a concert like that, just go to GameTime. Very, very easy to use promo code John. Like I said, take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime.

Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use the code John, J-O-H-N, for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply again, create an account and redeem the code, J-O-H-N for $20 off. Download the GameTime app today. Last-minute, tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. It doesn't get much more fun than this. And really, this is a product of live golf that some of the best players in the world are long gone. And we don't get to see all these guys play together. It's really four times a year that John comes back now.

Obviously, Bryson, Cam Smith. You know, I don't expect my... If you told me DJ misses the cut by 10, I'd believe you. But, I mean, he just doesn't try anymore. There's no disputing in his hey days. of the great players of his generation, but we miss those guys. And that to me has added intrigue to obviously the majors, which have always been a big deal. But to me, now they're a bigger deal, because the best of the best are all playing with each other. And I mean, I don't want to dive

too much into this, but I watched some of the Tigers press conference, and let's face it, doesn't feel like they're that close. And I don't blame Tiger for doing this because he's very protective of the PGA tour and let's face it, what he, he didn't build it because it already existed before he got there, but he elevated it to a whole other level. And I don't blame him for nostalgic's probably the wrong word,

but, you know, being on team PGA tour and not liking Piff and live and kind of trying to attempt to out-negotiate them. It's impossible. So let's just figure out a way to get together the sooner, the better. And they always like,

what's best for the players? Let's just do what's best for the fans and then you guys will get paid out But I'm kind of tired of talking about that topic At least for the time being But regardless, watching this course It's fucking long It's really, really long

I mean, they got multiple par threes They could play between 235 and 250 yards They have several par fours That are pushing 500 yards And even Tiger talked about it In all his years coming here The T's are. There's a long golf course

Well, it's supposed to rain over the course of the week. Well, what does rain do to a golf course? It sure softens it up, meaning the ball ain't running on the fairway, and when you hit shots, they immediately stop, so that's really benefiting the long hitters.

And let's face it, when you look at the top of the board, it's all long hitters. Now, big picture, Scottie, you know, he's 40 to 1 to win the Grand Slam. He, I don't say it was controversial. It wasn't controversial at all. even though a month ago when everyone's like,

would he leave the Masters? My girlfriend kept saying like, why do they keep talking about this? She's not even close. I'm like, well, he kind of said it. And then everyone, clearly he was never going to leave the Masters because she was still a month away. Well, the baby's out. I didn't see, I don't think he talked today.

It happened sometime over the last, let's just guess, five, six days. How much he slept, how much he's practiced. I'd say would be a pretty big deal. But we saw him win the Masters, fly home to see his pregnant wife get back in a, now it's a private jet, but still, fly back to RBC and win that thing.

So I wouldn't put anything past him. If you told me you want to bet on Scotty Sheffler, I don't blame you. The problem is, is the only positive odds you get after winning is he's plus 105 to top five. He's minus 190 to top 10. I mean, that is absurd.

But he's earned those odds. To me, he's a stayaway, not because I don't believe him and not because I don't think he can win. He's just bound, history would say, even in golf, if you're an all-time great player, if you win like a 20% clip, you're like one of the greatest players to ever touch a golf club. So I'm just betting against the odds of the baby, little off, going to have an off tournament. That still could be seventh. I don't expect him to miss the cut.

But I'm betting, like I like him much more at Pinehurst where I think he's probably going to win. I think this week someone else wins. Now, I put $1,000 on Rory to win the Masters at like, it was either 9 or 10 to 1. Maybe it was 11 to 1. And what's weird is I didn't even feel that great about it. I just thought, you know, maybe this is a ton. And I remember like six holes in, he's playing with Scotty Schaeffler and Zander.

I'm like, I should have just burned that money in my front yard. Thank God for Zander, who top 10 didn't ultimately essentially broke even. But it's hard not, and I watched, I would say up until about hole 15 when it was clearly over, he turned up a level that looked like Tiger in his prime or what Scotty looks like. It was just, holy shit. Now, he's won at Quail Hollow a bunch,

but that level of golf that he played on Sunday against Zander, and you can say, well, Zander never wins. Yeah, I mean, I understand that. But he still, he didn't barely beat him. I mean, he was like eight under in a nine-hole stretch. It was insane. he's hitting the ball 350 yards. His wedges were fantastic.

He was making putt after putt. He hit in a sand shot that he chipped it in for Eagle. If you want to put some money on Rory, I think, listen, he won here the last time they played the PGA. It's even longer this time. I would say him or Bryson are the longest guy's playing. He's plus 750. It would not shock me. I think it's a borderline lock that one of the.

these two guys are within the last three groups on Sunday. And it wouldn't shock me if both of them are within a couple group range. Here's the group I like the most. I would not mess around with random guys in this tournament. I'm not even thinking about random guys. If you're not in the top like 12 of odds, I'm not giving you a shot. Because I feel very, very confident that not just the winner, but the majority of the leaderboard is coming from that group.

Zander Schofley. Now listen, everyone in golf media was making fun of him for last week, which my counter would be, I get he didn't play that well, but no one was beating that version of Rory. Would you have liked him to make a couple more birdies and make it a little closer? Like, he doesn't win that often, but he does exactly what he did. He finished second and made almost $3 million. So to me, Zander, it might be.

be one of the easiest bets of this. I would feel very, very good taking him in the top 10. Is he going to win? Should he have the third best odds? No, but his odds have to reflect that he'll probably finish fourth. We'll finish seventh. And everyone will be like, see, Zander didn't do, I don't know, he just made another $1 million.

He's not Arnold Palmer. He's not Nick Faldo. He's not Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson. But he's pretty freaking good. And it's one thing, if he would have lost to some random guy like that, I get it. He lost to Roy McElroy. who going into 18 was 8 under on the day, of course that was annihilating everybody.

He was also getting a divorce, so maybe he, which he filed. To me, I don't even know what to make a John Rom. I really don't. I don't have a take. I'm going to not have any money on him,

but I just don't even know what to make him. I really don't. And that's sad. And I think a guy like him, who was in such a groove, let's face it, is just a little thrown off. My theory is just, not comfortable with the ebb and flow of everything.

He said today in his press conference that I still view myself as a PJ tour member. Bro, you got paid hundreds of millions of dollars to leave because he really liked the PJ tour. Like he loved playing at Rift. He said he got sad when he drove by TBC Scottsdale. You know, it meant a lot to him. These tournaments, Memorial, where he should have won that one time, but he tested positive and they booted him.

So I think he's kind of in a weird space I think if he had to do it over again I don't think he turns down the money I got to such a high number but I don't think he's having a fun time golf wise at all I mean he knows it's Mickey Mouse that's why he said a couple weeks ago

that he wanted 72 holes but you just can't turn down that type of money a couple weeks ago probably within the maybe it was after the Masters I had a little extra coin in the after the tournament ended and I just immediately live bet Ludwig to win. I have two outright winners. Ludwig and Max Homa.

I guess the only concern with the old Vig is the knee, which he pulled out last week, but I don't see how you don't love him on a course where you got to hit it straight and you got to hit it for. Ludwig hits at about 3.30 right down the pipe. Great long iron player. A leap, just iron player in general. Stryky putter, but if he's just on greens, other guys are not on, I'm going to like his chances. and he's proven Ryder Cup, he'd never even played in a major, was fine,

and then goes to the master's first time, finish his second. So I like Levig a lot. Another guy, and every podcast I've listened to everyone likes this guy, I don't see how you don't.

I mean, here's the thing with Bryson. He's pretty straight now off the tee, and he basically hits it farther than everybody. This is also a course where you're going to have to hit, you know, for these guys, six, five, four iron.

well, who's one of the best players hitting those irons going? Scottie Sheffler and this guy. So I just like my chances with Bryson with a long iron in his hand. Because if he has a five iron in his hand, that probably means you have a five wood, maybe even a three wood, right? His four irons going, what, 245 yards? So it's a big, big advantage for Bryson. I love, and I mean I love Bryson for top 10.

bets this week. I don't know if he wins, but I definitely see him in the mix. I mean, you can get him plus 260 right now on draft Kings. There's a little parley, top 20 parlay. You can get him and Max Homa. You can get Homa plus 130 and Bryson plus 125 to top 20. I think both those guys are going to be really good. That's about where I stop. I mean, this is the group. Scotty, Rory, Zander, Rom, Kepka as well. Everyone's on Kepka, rightfully so. He's the defending champ. He's won this tournament three different times.

I don't discount him. I'm going to have a little exposure to him. But this is a thing with the live guys. The one thing with Bryson is I feel he's much better. Just like, once he gets in a good place as he was in the Masters, like he had not played well there. And it's kind of figured something out. He's got these new irons.

They're like 3D printed. I don't even know what the hell that means. but it clearly works for him. You know, Brooks apologized after the Masters, that he, like, let his team down, that he wasn't quite prepared. Then he goes and he wins at Singapore. I heard someone say it's actually a longer course over there.

I had money on him in the Masters, and I was immediately disappointed. I'm probably going to do it again just because I feel like you're obligated, but I feel much more confidence for whatever reason in Bryson and Max Homa. Because I think Max is another guy, one, his PJ Tour tournament wins,

have been, I remember when he won in Washington, D.C. a couple years ago when the Wells Fargo was there, it was freezing cold, it was pouring rain. He wins in tough conditions. He won at Riv, one at Tori. This is a guy that's just comfortable in tough, long golf courses. And now that he's got the monkey off his back a little bit that he can play well at majors, honestly, you could argue of the entire group, he has the longest odds. You could argue he has the best. I mean, he's a couple more good major finishes from not being in this like 30, 35 to range and he's closer to like 20 to 22 range. Like, you could argue Max Homa,

if he finishes well here and maybe another major this season, he won't be hovering in this 30 to one range anymore when it comes to major. So I already dabbled on him in Ludwig to win a month ago and those are the only guys that I'm going to ride. I'm not going to add any outrights. But to me, there's a small handful of guys, guys I see winning it. Like I said, the top guys, Kepka, Ludwig, Bryson, Homa. I just have a hard time.

You know, Cam Young can't putt. Tommy Fleetwood never won anything. The Gala can't drive it straight. Jason Day can be a little smoke and mirrors. He's just a great putter. A decky, shit, it feels like I haven't seen that guy in three years. Where the hell has he been? Zalotaurus, the back could go at any moment. Tony Fienow, no chance. Dustin Johnson, I don't think, tries. So I think the top of the board is so freaking strong. Wyndham Clark has not been playing well. Moracow was the one guy who definitely showed life at Augusta, but you don't have to hit it as far there.

And that's a course where he got to play over and over. Like I don't love him as much there. But if he's striping his irons, then he would have a chance to just top 10. But to me, he's a stay away. If you want to put Joaquin Neiman's kind of interesting, I have a hard time even really having a take. on him. That's the hard part of that live. I get to watch

Ludwig and Homa. Bryson's a little unique because I feel like I've been watching him for so long. Even Kepka, you just know he shows up with the majors. You're just kind of betting on that. But I don't know. If Scotty wins this, I think he's in, that 40 to 1 odds to win the Grand Slam quickly shifts to about 15, 18 to 1. Okay, let's dive into the interview with Jerry. 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-Hart 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 you're 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 Clifford 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because.

of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Okay, as we get ready for the second major of the year, very happy to be joined by longtime Golf Channel analyst and current Live Golf broadcaster analyst. Jerry Fultz, how you do it, Jerry? I'm good, John. Nice to meet you. I'm looking forward to this. Thanks for the invite. How's life? What's been going on? Life, I'm still trying to adjust to jet lag coming back from

Singapore for about a week. I just got back a week ago yesterday and I think for the first week I was up at 3 a.m. every day, which as it turns out, leads to a very productive day, but a very boring early evening. But yeah, life's good. Life's good. One thing you guys have done and you took the plunge back in 2022, you were there for the first event, correct? Correct. Yeah, I was actually the first one that they came to, came to an agreement with. Yeah, obviously, you know, you guys have had a lot of tournaments domestically, but one thing they've made a point is to go international. You've covered golf for a long time. You played professionally. What's it been like? I mean, I saw clips of the Australia event. You guys have done that a couple years in a

I mean, it looks remarkable. Obviously, the travel is pretty jarring because most of these guys, is safe to say all live, even the international guys now live in Florida by you. What's that experience been like for you? You know, it seems like a lot traveling literally around the globe, which we did traveling when we went to Hong Kong and what was before Hong Kong, wherever it was before Hong Kong, we literally circled the globe. I traveled east to get to, can't even think of the tournament before Hong Kong. But anyway, and then we went to Hong Kong from there and then traveled. So circle the globe. So that's, it's kind of difficult, but most of those long halls are back-to-back weeks.

So we had, you know, two events, and then we had three or four weeks off, and then we had two events overseas again a long ways away. We only travel 14 weeks a year, and seven of those are here domestically in the United States. So it's not that tough. It's tough when you're on. I had an 18-and-a-half-hour flight from Singapore to Newark a week ago. That's a long-ass flight no matter how you look at it. Literally, you sleep a whole night, you wake up and you have 10 hours left. And it's too early in your head to drink and go back to sleep, but you don't want to take a pill.

be a piece of shit when you get to Newark at the crack of dawn. So yeah, that takes a little getting used to. But overall, we travel nicely. We go to nice places. We stay in nice places. They look after us really, really well. It's a small price to pay. I work 42 damn days a year. So I'm not going to sit here and complain that my work days are longer that travels a bitch. Before we dive into this upcoming week, you have a fascinating story because, you know, I talk a lot of NFL. And I think, you know, you know, talking heads when they're critical of those players can kind of get to a back and forth. To me in golf, you know, Johnny Miller was famously, could be critical of a player on an individual shot, but it would blow over pretty quick after the tournament, right?

You know, when you made the plunge, I knew who you were because I watched Golf Channel forever. I remember seeing a lot of negativity. And my take always was simply like, if I had been offered the money, I would go as well. And the level of players that were constantly going. was that a different experience for you? Just the blowback, and I would imagine a lot of your former colleagues, did you know what you're getting into when you accepted or was it a pretty eye-opening initial experience? No, I think I engaged it pretty well. the part that I wasn't expecting was when there was a reporter at the U.S. Women's Open at Pinehurst, where I was on my way to go working when we finally, when the Golf Channel called me and said,

we've decided if this is what you want to do, you've earned the right to do it, we're releasing you from your contract because they didn't have to do that. So I was up there hanging out with my girlfriend who still works for them. And a reporter up there broke the story. And people who do what we do shouldn't be the news. We report on the news. And I was really upset about that. But then the messages that came in through social media and everything was like, good for him.

He's deserved this for a long time. Underrated, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It felt like going to your own funeral. So I wasn't prepared for that. That was really nice. The hard part was a week later when we launched on Friday night of London, when I ill-advised, ill-advisedly looked at social media. I became the worst person in the world overnight. But there was an organized, orchestrated anti-I don't know.

propaganda campaign waged against us for reasons that I completely understand. A monopoly losing power and losing market share doesn't happen, doesn't go quietly. And that's exactly what happened. That was to be expected. But the amount of vitriol that came with it was a little surprising because quite literally I just took a job. I took a job working with some great people who most of them I didn't know at the time. One, I did. And he's my producer and my best friend. And I always wanted to get back together working with him. And believe it or not, I didn't sign for a shit ton of money. I have a better job than I had before, but it's less work. It's a way more fun, but it is not a ton of money. I didn't, I couldn't retire off what they, what they offered me.

Put it that way. You know, I think we have a pretty good understanding, right? Phil and Bryson on these guys from a broadcasting standpoint, Farity was making the jump too. What's the connection? How did that play out? When's the first time you got to, was it an impromptu phone call that you just picked up or was it talks ongoing? How did that kind of materialize back in 2022 for you? Well, they had hired their producer. The first guy they hired was a director. And with his input, they hired the best producer in the business. A guy named Keith Herschel. He's my friend. He's probably my best friend in the world. He's also the most talented at what he does. And when that happened, you know, I really wasn't thinking about it because I had bought into this is bad all bad everything about it's bad bad bad bad bad

and without even thinking about it the one night after a couple of beers I'm sitting there kind of just thinking about the future knowing what the blueprint on the wall is with with American golf coverage and incessantly reducing budgets because of losing market share and losing viewership and ad dollars and having to pay a shit ton and rights fees to the pGA tour which basically closed the golf channel and I just I talked about to Karen, I'm like, you think I should at least listen? And she said, you'd be really stupid not to listen to what they have to say. So I called Keith that night. The next day, James Watson, Will Stager are on the phone with me asking what it would take. And I threw out what it would, you know, they educated me about the, what they knew at the time for the product to be and the league to be. And they asked, you know, and I started getting excited about it. But then it was my son, who's now 27. He was 25, 24 at the time, who, who, cast the final vote. He's a golf nut. He knew what the business model was. He's a lot smarter than I am, and he thought it was genius. He's a big F1 fan, obviously, and he watches soccer as well, and there's a lot

of similarities there from a business model standpoint. And then when I asked him about it, and he educated me on it, I go, what would you think if your dad were a part of it? And he was like ballistic. He goes, are you kidding me? You have a chance to do this? And his exact words were, Dad, you don't have that many years left. You don't want to spend them regretting, not having the balls to take a chance for once in your life. So that put me over the edge. Are you shocked to see the pushback as we sit here right now on May 14th?

You know, there have been the announcement last year on June 6th. Clearly can't lay in some of these guys now that Rory's off the board with Tiger of just unwillingness to do a deal where, let's face it, we all kind of know the inevitable, not necessarily what the first. future is going to look like, but that everyone, the golf is not football in basketball. And even those sports could not handle if I plucked four or five of the top 10 players, right? You've been around this game your whole life. Are you stunned by that or not really because egos, money and just pride of what used to be,

even though the way the world works is I think we need to look forward? Yeah, I don't know if the aforementioned players feel like guardians. of the game, guardians of their league, of their tour. I really don't know why when the smart business people are telling them, this needs to get done. And the longer we delay, the weaker our bargaining position is going to be. And that's what they're saying to a T. Jimmy Dunn, who was the architect of the deal with Ed Hurley.

He just stepped down from the board yesterday last night. Saw that. Yeah, that's shocking to me. So, you know, it was a guy who's been a huge critic, an enormous critic of Live Golf League on, on Golf Channel who said the clowns are running the circus. Now, I don't know anybody who's going to call Tiger Woods and Jordan Speath and Patrick can't lay a clown, but allowing your emotions to take precedent over business savvy,

I think is a mistake. And I think like I said, I think when the smart business people tell you by not coming to the table and getting a deal done soon that you're weakening your bargaining position, I don't, I think it's inevitable. I don't know if it's completely inevitable, but I think it's inevitable that a deal will get done and both leagues will coexist with a little intermingling of the players, and it makes a lot of sense.

I know Liv isn't going away. I know that for a fact, and they know that now, and that's got to be a little unsettling. So maybe, you know, they've had control of the game for a long, long time. They've had control of the professional game. The PGA Tour has expanded its reach and its dominance over the world

golf scene gradually and gradually forever and now obviously basically in control of the OWGR and every time there's a rules change with the OWGR, it only benefits one tour and that's the PGA tour. You can't qualify for majors and qualify for elevated events, get into the so-called OWGR rankings without being a PGA tour member now. It's nearly impossible, if not impossible. So that's a monopoly that just doesn't want to give up the power. And in order for a deal to get done, they're going to have to give up a significant amount of power. Let's talk about some of your guys. I was,

ROM's first tournament, I think, was Myakoba. And I remember flipping it on. He was right in the mix until the end. That was a fantastic, actually, a little playoff between Sergio and Joaquin Neiman. It's interesting, right? Because last year, early on in the season, he kind of looked like Scottie Sheffler looks right now. And, you know, the Masters did not go as planned. Though most people, you know, when you're the champion, it's safe to say most people don't go back to back.

You've seen them now the last couple events. What are your expectations for them? Because we keep talking. I mean, honestly, we're talking about a lot of other live guys with Scotty and Rory, like Bryson and Brooks this week and not necessarily John Rom. Are your expectations for him this upcoming week much higher? Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

He feels like a long dry spell for Rob. And I think he has a little bit of an extra grind. He knew what he was signing up for. he got into live much later than everybody else. So most other guys had already taken the arrows, but he was still going to get his share of him. I think he wants to feel vindicated in making that decision by proving he can still go win majors,

and I think that adds pressure to him. I certainly know that had to be a factor at Augusta. It's unfortunate that he feels that way because it doesn't have anything to prove. Two-time major champion, one of the top three or four best players in the world, and he's going to be that way for a long, long time. but I think that added pressure to him is something that might, you know, might make the reaction to bad breaks or bad shots a little more extreme than is healthy in the heat of the battle.

But yeah, he's top 10 to every single live event. It's not a matter of if he's going to win. It's a matter of when he's going to win and how often he's going to win. But keep in mind, we have 54 players. We have, I'd say, 30 legitimate superstars of the game, if not more. and you're only playing against them 13 times in individual competition per year. So your odds are pretty tough

when you've got the likes of the names you've mentioned, a Kepka, a DJ, a Bryson, Cam Smith, obviously John Rom, and the list goes on and on and on. It's not easy, and they know that because these are some of the greatest players in the game, all major champions of the names I listed. And then some others that aren't major champions, as you mentioned,

Joaquin Neiman, who's as good as anybody at his age in the game. Yeah, it's tough. It's tough, but I think his expectations are higher than mine are for him and certainly anybody else's. 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 where you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver 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 what you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. We pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, a lot of hype for your guys coming into this upcoming week. I think, did Brooks win last year right before the PGA as well? But he had played well. He won before the Masters. And then he went in, obviously, John Rom beat him the last few holes of the Masters. He won a week before the Masters.

Yeah, so he had had momentum. And obviously, this year for him, the Masters didn't go well. And I think he's publicly said, I told my team, like, it's just, it's on me. I wasn't as ready. So I, safe to say, there's a lot more momentum for him coming into this. And Bryson is a guy that I think had to eat a little humble pie at Augusta. He definitely did. And he got a new equipment change.

And he looked fantastic less than a month ago. and you know this course at Valhalla, to me, even more than Kepka, because you're just playing the odds. Like, is this guy really going to be a seven, eight-time champion? And maybe he will be. But Bryson, I like him a lot this week. And that club change that he made right before Augusta, what's your take on the big guy?

I haven't even seen the clubs yet. But evidently, they have some role from heel to toe, which I've never seen, nobody's ever seen in iron, these 3D printed clubs that are like 10 grand if you wanted to go buy them. I like Bryson a lot. I like his passion for the game. I like his energy for life. I like his honesty, which he gets criticized for all the time.

But I mean, my God, doing our jobs when you interview people and interview players, interview superstars, you get so many canned answers. There's so many guys who I interviewed on the PGA tour at majors or Rider Cups or wherever else, where I could tell you what their answer is going to be before I asked a question, regardless of how good a question was. You always knew they were going to. But I love how honest he is. His talents through the roof.

He is two literally duffed chip shots away from probably either winning or getting close to a playoff at the Masters. They cost him four shots. And he looked like a 30 handicapper on those two shots. One of them on 15, I believe, was on Saturday. And he just chunked a little pitch and run. So, yeah, I think Valhalla suits his game really well. He loves that driver he's hitting. Crank is the manufacturer.

and it's known for being the long drive specialist driver, but it's actually quite cool the way it's engineered so different from the other drivers. And he has belief that it's 26% straighter than any other driver he's ever hit. Now, only Bryson would figure out a number for that. I would just say, hey, it goes straighter to me. But he loves, and they've made him some fairway woods that he absolutely loves. Bryson's, I think, going to be a factor. I mean, you can't, if you're looking to handicap the field, which I know you do,

and you do a lot of research in it. Right now it's three guys, though, that are the favorites. And that's Brooks, Rory, and Scotty. And Scotty's kind of a wildcard unknown. How many clubs has he touched in the last two weeks? You know, I think Kepka had that comment. I forget how many years ago when describing a major championship. And I think it fits this one perfectly, right?

Because you have so many PGA professionals added to that you're really facing. You cut the field in half immediately. Then you get another half of those guys not playing well. And then a couple of the guys, the pressure is going to get. I'm really competing if I'm playing well against probably less than 15 guys. And I think we kind of- Well, the Masters, that's certainly the case. The Masters is definitely the case. And this course, given that it's, I think, going to be set up more U.S. Open style, especially with the length, it's going to be one of the longest courses of the year.

It does feel like the number of guys, which are all kind of at the top of the betting board. Obviously, there would be a few guys, you know, farther down the list. But like you said, those three guys, I would throw Bryson and Homa in there as well. You know, Zander doesn't win, but he plays really well in these big events. You've been around golf for a long, long time. Obviously, these guys, you know, are playing at a really high level. Is there anything like, and we've been hearing this forever, and I played junior golf and still play golf,

but the pressure of Saturday and Sunday at one of these tournaments, the crowds, you know what's at stake. I mean, the advantage for these former major champions, like the top guys, Rory, Scotty, and Brooks, when you're facing a Ludwig. You know, even Bryson won a major. Now it was a COVID major, but still, he's, Bryson's been winning for 15 years at every level. So he knows how to win. There's a big gap between guys that know how to win and guys that are still trying to figure it out, no matter how good they are. How would you describe the pressure, you know, you've walked the grounds at these tournaments? Does it feel different on the weekend than it does just, you know, on Thursday? Well, there's no question about it.

You can sense it. Most of my commentary time has been as an on-course commentator, and you can sense it. I mean, the pressure coming down the VAC 9 on Sunday of a major is very akin to what the players will say they feel on the first tee of a Ryder Cup or a Solheim Cup. I was just listening to Max Holme. You mentioned his name. He was his interview from Valhalla today, his press conference. And he said, you know, no matter how many people are around you and tell you, you can do it. and believe in you and know you have the talent to do it,

and experts who believe you absolutely have the talent to win, win a major or even a PGA tour event, he goes, he said, you don't really know that in your own mind until you've done it, you know, and he's crossed that threshold with PGA tour wins. And they, you know, they probably feel a little easier with each passing one after you've got over that hurdle the first time, and he's desperate to get over that hurdle again because he had a really, really good chance,

albeit for a bad break on number 12, in the final round at Augusta to maybe peel off his first major championship there. So he's got the game. He's obviously got the game. He's got the length. He's got everything he needs to do it. You can't count them out. But I will say if Rory McElroy and Scotty Sheffler play the kind of golf this next week

and Brooks Kepka that they have played leading into this, I don't think there's going to be anybody else holding that trophy. I think the cool part about golf is it's a little like the NFL in the sense that sometimes you get the elite guy coming out of college, and he's just awesome immediately. Some, you know, just blue chip talent, Spieth, Rory. And then you get Max or Kepka is a good example.

It takes them a little bit longer, and they figure it out a little bit later. They either start on the PJ tour, get knocked off, and then you see a guy, an international player. Now, Rom, I would consider a blue chip, but Ludwig goes to Texas Tech, and all of a sudden you see him for the first time, even early on in his PG career, you're like, what the hell is this?

You've been around, you did the nationwide tour for a long time, just watching that swing, that body type, and how good he, I mean, honestly, he's a shot in the drink at the master's away from being right there as well. Is that one of the most remarkable things in your career around golf to have the first major of your career and being toe to toe with everybody? I mean, that was, I like him and I gamble on him a lot. I was still shocked by how good he was in that tournament. Yeah. The talk of his peers is what sells those of us who haven't seen him play a whole lot on his ability, because they have said it since the moment they first heard him hit a golf ball, not even watched him hit a golf ball, that this kid's the real deal, that he has all the tools. He proved that at Augusta. He's already proven it with a PGA tour win. He played really well at the Ryder Cup. Can you imagine playing a Ryder Cup before you've competed in your first ever major championship? It's absolutely nuts. It's absolutely nuts.

So yeah, I think it's pretty cool. And to get to your reference, kind of a weak attempt to relate to the reference with this being football, right now on TV they have Michael Block being interviewed in what he did last year. Yeah. I mean, a middle-aged club pro golfer, club golfer or club pro actually contending for a few days at a major. That just doesn't happen in other sports. And I think that's one of the beauties of the golf. I think it's one of the beauties of the PGA who boasts the best field in golf every single. single year. And now with the depletion of the of the field at the players championship, it legitimately,

even with 20 club pros, is the best field in golf every year moving forward until there's some sort of deal between Live and PGA tour. And then you can have the 20 club pros and a guy like that show up and just kind of capture the imagination of everyone. It was, it was so cool. So you guys, the PGA championship, then you guys have a Houston event in a couple weeks leading into the U.S. Open. Right. And then you guys go a little international before the British Open, which I see Spain is on the schedule, which I said this forever. If I had grown up internationally and then I was a great golfer and come here to play,

if I ever got the chance to go back, I didn't choose America. It just chose me because of the industry. It's why Cam Smith's interest. You guys go to Australia. I didn't even realize until I was getting ready for this. You guys going to Spain makes a lot of sense for John Rom. Right. When would he get that opportunity?

it's just a human element of, yeah, I'd like to play in front of my home crowd. I've been here because of college and my profession, but I had to come here because that's where the money was originally, right? Right, right. And Sergio as well. We played there last year. And Sergio is a great example. It's phenomenal.

Valderama obviously is known as one of the great courses in the world and has its place firmly entrenched in history of the DP World Tour and also the World Golf Championships they used to play down at Val de Rom. It's awesome. But I tell you, well, I had never been to Spain before last year. And by the time I got off the plane, I was in the car ride to the hotel about an hour and I called my, I call her my wife. I'm like, how have I never been here and can we move here now? I just absolutely loved it down there. It was gorgeous. So I think it'll be the crowds because of Rom and Sergio, but because of Rom, they're going to be absolutely enormous and very vocal. And if he manages to not win before then, look out there.

I want to end on this. There's a little bit of a look ahead. I've never been to Pinehurst. Obviously, I've seen it a million times on YouTube or TV, but from a U.S. Open standpoint, just a little bit of a look ahead. What's it take? I think we had a lot of hype on LACC. I got a chance to play it a couple years ago, but there's no rough out there. And if the weather, you know, it feels like Pinehurst is going to be a much more difficult and historically, a lot like Olympic club. It's not an easy place to play. What translates out there, especially from a gambling standpoint, like you don't need to bomb it, right? Accuracy is a much bigger deal.

So it's going to bring in the Brian Harmon, let's say, tight players. And obviously short game, so the Cam Smith, the Scotty Shefflers, I mean, they're in the mix no matter what. But that's going to be emphasized. Is that fair to say? because the greens are elevated? Elevated, sort of, but not like Val Hall, not like Nicholas elevated greens. What separates, I think separates that U.S. Open at Pinehurst

compared to most other U.S. opens is it's much more akin to, I'll still call it a British Open, an open championship. Valholla this week, you have to control your golf ball in the air, not so much on the ground. At an open championship, you have to control it more on the ground than you do in the air. and you don't really have much control over what's happening on the ground.

So it takes creativity, imagination, experience, touch. And that's what you see at Heinhurst as well. You really have to control that ball on the ground, whether it's trying to keep it in those relatively flat fairways with minor contouring from running into the trouble or around the greens trying to figure out a way to get it up and down the way Martin Kimer did so brilliantly was it 10 years ago, using putter most of the time.

there's really, there's really a lot of creativity on and around the Greens at Pinehurst compared to other U.S. Open venues. And it becomes a lot more, I think, of a short game and a tacticians type tournament than it does, a bomb and gouge, which we're going to see this week. But there is quite a bit of rough. So even Homo, when I was listening to his interview, he said, he said the PGA has kind of taken on the identity of the old U.S. Open with long, tight holes, with smaller fairways, and penal russ. He goes, the creativity scale is low, but it tests the skill level monumentally. You have to hit it long. You have to hit it straight. You have to be accurate.

You have to get greens. Well, obviously got to make putts. But it's not going to be a putting contest at Valhalla. So it's safe to say for a look ahead to Pinehurst of your crew, Camp Smith would be a name that would kind of jump out. Absolutely. First name that came to mine. Yeah. First name that came to mine.

He's a name that I definitely already have circled. So that's going to be a fun one. And Jerry, enjoy the international travel, enjoy the PJ Championship, and have a great week watching golf. All right. Keep up the good work. And by the way, you are very, very well researched and knowledgeable. So it's a pleasure to talk to you. I appreciate you, Jerry.

Take it easy. You got a man. Take it easy. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you. you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, 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. 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, 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, 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 taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.