The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Go Low - The State of Golf, Full Swing recap, The Masters look ahead

Episode Date: March 28, 2024

John dives into the comments made by Peter Malnati on the state of golf and how the sport needs to find a way to get the PGA-LIV situation solved so that we have more tournaments with all the top golfers playing, he later recaps Full Swing on Netflix and discusses one guy he wishes they would've profiled more, and lastly, John gives you his early best bets for The Master.  6:01 - Peter Malnati on the state of golf 27:48 - Full Swing recap 36:40 - Masters look ahead 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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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 Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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21 and over, age varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.com slash B-Ball for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms and responsible gaming resources. What is going on, everybody? John Middlokov, Go Low podcast. Wanted to get a little golf in this week, literally on the course.

I think I'm planning on going to the range sometime later this week. But we pushed back Go Low because of the owner's meetings and some of the stories flying out of there about Christmas games and changing the kickoff rule that I wasn't able to do it until today. but I'm glad I did because Dylan DeShare, who covers golf, I think for golf.com, tweeted out something today of Peter Malnotti, who just won last week and who's on the players board with Tiger and Can't Lay and all those guys. And I thought he gave the best answer I've heard for anyone discussing the current state of golf

with Liv and the contracts and everything that's going on. So I'll play that and we'll react to that. And then just I watched full swing. a couple thoughts when it comes to full swing that jumped out to me. Where have all the American Star Power gone, leaving Scotty Sheffler on an island, and then a couple just quick Masters plays in terms of the favorites and guys I like a couple weeks out. Because if you're listening to this on Thursday, we're two weeks away from round one at Augusta National. So it's hard to beat that.

And I love the Masters. So I wanted to dive into some things that I've been stirring on in my little brain about golf. If you like this, subscribe to the podcast. If you listen on Collins feed, the three and out, go low is all on one feed. Spotify as well, Apple, Spotify. All this is on YouTube also. So if you just type in my name or go low or three and out, we have a YouTube page. All of our content goes up there.

But I got to tell you about my friends at game time. If you want to go to an event, you can't go to the Masters, but if you want to go to another, well, you could if you get into the lottery, you want to go to any other PJ Tour event, if one of the majors is coming, if you live in the South, you know, Atlanta, the Carolinas, the U.S. Open is coming to Pinehurst. That's going to be badass. Here's what you do.

You download the GameTime app, the official ticketing app of this podcast, and use the promo code, Go Low, G-O-L-W, save $20 on your first pair of tickets. basketball games, baseball games. Major League Baseball is opening day this week, I think. I don't know. Manfred's not the greatest marketer. But baseball's back. We're off and running.

And if you want to go to a game, go to Wrigley Field, go to Fenway, go to Yankee Stadium, go watch Otani. Not bet on games, but play baseball. He's hitting this year. I don't think he's pitching because of the Tommy John. But you want to go check that out. Do it on us. Down to the game time app, promo code, go low.

G-O-L-W. Save yourself $20. Can't recommend them enough. I didn't pull the trigger, but I texted a buddy. I'm like, hey, live betting right now, and he was one behind at the time, Cameron Young was basically seven to one. Now, he's a rider capper. He's an elite talent, but he's never won on the PGA tour. I was like, this is pretty good value.

Do I trust Keith Mitchell or Malnati or some of these other guys that were right up at Brendan Todd? I was like, this is Cameron Young's time. I didn't pull the trigger. but sometimes when you don't make a bet, then you watch it even closer when the events going on. It's like, God, I wish I would have. And I thought Cam Young was going to win. And then Peter Malnotti, who I'd be honest, I wouldn't be able. And I would say I'm a pretty high-end golf consumer.

I couldn't have picked out of a lineup before two months ago. And the only reason started two months ago, he's on the player advisory board. So I've seen him give some talks and interviewed over the last several months about all this. merger talk, but he won. And he won for the first time in nine years. And any time you kind of get a random guy win, especially when, I mean, he wasn't in the same group, but going head to head with Cam Young, who's viewed as easily one of the better, more talented, younger American players, it was a really big deal for him.

And the vowsport, clearly a pretty tough course. I mean, I don't know if you watched any of that last weekend. Viewership says not many people did, but it's fucking tight. You can't spray it all over. It's a high-level golf tournament. I mean, 12 under won it, and there were only one other guy at double digit under. So a lot of single digits, which is very rare now on the PGA tour. But he became very, very emotional.

He just started crying. He had his kids and his wife were standing right there. It was powerful. I mean, if you're human, it was hard not to get choked up if you watched it live. Or even if you saw the replay, the PGA tour and everything tweeted about. It's a cool moment. It's what the PGA tour has still that live just cannot play. provide. You just would never get that. It's not even possible. And he gave some comments because

he's playing this week about the current state. And I thought it really resonated with me. And I wanted to play that before I give some thoughts on what he said. I think at the end of the day, you remember, like, we can all, we can all probably remember when we were kids and we were all kids at different times. But the things that moved us that we watched that, like, I remember watching Jordan and the 97 Bowls. I remember watching Tiger and the 2000 Masters. I didn't care one iota what Jordan's contract was. I didn't care one iota what the winners check at that U.S. Open was. And I think people are sick of that. I think people are just sick of the narrative in golf being about you know contracts on live, purses on the tour, guaranteed comp on the tour. What are we like,

I think people are so sick of that. They want to see sport. They want to see people who are the best in the world at what they do, do it at a high level, and celebrate that, celebrate the athleticism, celebrate the achievement. And, you know, obviously this is a business. And, you know, to the top players who drive a lot of the value in this business, we've got to, we've got to. got to compensate them fairly. We've got to make that happen. But I think we're doing that and above and beyond. And the narrative, the storylines, the conversation needs to come back to the product on the course and what we do. And I think, you know, for me, that was like,

I just, I just feel like no kid dreamed when they're watching Jordan. dreamed of having his salary. They didn't care about that. They dreamed of being in that moment hitting that shot. And I think that's what our fans care about too. And that's what they want to see. So I hope, you know, those those tears that I was crying on, on, uh, that ain't a thing green had nothing to do with, you know, the my share that, what was in an $8.4 million purse last week. My tears had nothing to do with my share that. I'm going to enjoy it. We're going to use it to do a lot of good in this world. But I had nothing to do with that. And, and I don't think our fans care about that.

either. So I hope that connected with some people and I hope that that can be. I do think everyone out here who plays and competes would agree with me on that. I just hope that can be, you know, the story that we tell can come back to the best athletes in the world, competing on the biggest stage in the world and doing it, you know, to show off this amazing skill that we have that can be so entertaining for people. I want that to be our story. I think one thing he hit on, it is works, let's use football as an example. Every young guy right now who is, you know, they say at about eight years old you become,

that's when your sports fandom is kind of crystallized and the teams that you like around eight, nine years old are usually the teams you like the rest of your life. And when I was a kid, right, in the mid-90s, in elementary school, you'd go to recess and you would play either, you know, wiffle ball or flag football, everyone was emulating Ken Griffey Jr.

Barry Bonds trying to beat Jerry Rice or Brett Farr. And you never discussed like, you know, Brett Favs making $5, $10 million a year or Barry Bond signed a seven-year $50 million contract. You knew professional athletes make a lot of money,

but you wanted to be cool like them as a player. Like in Little League, I tried to bat like Jay Buehner. Right? Every kid growing up in the peak of his powers, tried to be like Brett Farb. Why? He was cool. Anyone who started playing golf at a younger age went to the putting green and said,

whether it was a putting contest with your buddy, with your dad, or by yourself, this is to win the Masters. This is to win the U.S. Open. And when you're saying that as a kid, it's never about, this is to win $4 million. Right? if I make the NFL, I'm going to become a millionaire.

It doesn't process in your brain like that. Now, as you get older, you start thinking about those elements. But the reason you fall in love with sports, every kid over the last decade who has shot long three-pointers because of Steph Curry in the gym, in fifth grade basketball, in eighth grade basketball, hell in high school basketball, is not talking about hitting that three and then going, I want to be worth $400 million. like Steph Curry. You just want to hit the three like him and emulate him because it's incredible. It's awesome. It's like it's really cool. And I think the one thing with football, even when you watch Patrick Mahomes, and I'm 39, I'm a businessman, I talk about money all the time. You never think when you're watching Patrick Mahomes go, God, he's making $450 million. That was the contract he signed. Hell, I've seen Patrick talk numerous times, and I think he's actually one of the best.

I've never really seen him. I've seen him talk about the contract one time, and it wasn't uncomfortable at all. He's actually very natural at being relatable about talking about something that 99.99% of people can never relate to. He's making on and off the field probably $75 to $100 million. I mean, you're talking like Apple CEO money. I mean, people that don't own a business that make that level money, it's a very, very small percentage of rich people on an annual basis, W-2s and 1099s.

I mean, that's just, that's a fact. And I think that really resonates with people, even as NFL free agency just happened, once we get to fall in the games, it's more like, this guy's good enough or this guy's not good enough. Now, we integrate, like, oh, this contract was a little much, but like when you're playing well, no one talks about the money.

And golf's unique, right? One thing that really separates just, it's a niche sport. I guess I was saying niche before and people were like, it's niche, it's niche, niche sport. But, like unlike football, which is in its own stratosphere, but even compared to baseball and basketball, more people watch those sports, even though obviously the other television ratings are way down from what they once were. but their fan base is bigger, right? Because more people are just going to play baseball or basketball growing up than golf. Though, over the last four or five years,

more people are actually playing golf than ever. And unlike any of these other sports, I can't play and I never will be able to play and neither will you flag football at Lambeau Field. You will never be able to play Beer League softball at Wrigley Field. You're never playing a pickup basketball game at Madison Square Garden. It's not happening. Yet in golf, I can go play at Torrey Pines next week if I want it. Hell, I joined and I've played here for the last two years at TPC Scottsdale.

Play there as the sun comes out two or three times a week. Go out there and practice. I mean, you could do that too. You can go out there and play next week if you're. you want. Now it's expensive. Same with sawgrass, but Tori's not that expensive. And they play, obviously they do play country clubs, but think about the U.S. Open. Anyone can go play Pinehurst throughout the year. Anyone can go play whistling straits. Again, I'm not saying that everyone has the means to do that, but it is possible. You can shoot 190 on the same

course that this is where Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open. This is where Payne Stewart had his famous moment. I play TBC all the time. I think like, God, this is, in stories whenever I play, like, you know, this is, Hadecki goes driver 9 iron here. I'm going driver 5 iron.

And that's something that the other sports do not have. The other thing golf has is by far, it's not even close, is their audience has the highest household income. It's why that they can sell to a smaller audience at higher price points.

Why? The people watching have more money. If the NFL, their fan base, now it's impossible because they have so many people that it's such a diverse group, but had 30% higher of a household income, the NFL would be even dramatically richer. The problem is with golf, the conversation, and part of this is the business was fucked up, the model was not working and Liv came in, was, it's all become about the money.

And anyone that's turned on full swing the last two years, but specifically this year, you saw a DJ, who has awesome house, and you saw Ricky and J.T. who didn't go to live and didn't get $150 million like DJ.

All their houses kind of look the same. They're fucking badass. All of their homes are eight-figure homes between $10 and $15 million on the water in Jupor. All these guys, are rich. So we're just talking about rich guys getting richer. And I really think the turnoff of clearly on the most basic level, the competition is not the same. You cannot take five to 10 guys who are elite players and some of them are villains and remove them and have the same level of

competition. That's impossible. But I do think the rhetoric around everything that's going on is just kind of exhausting. It's like, hey, Tiger played golf with Yasser. Okay, cool. Like, the deal get done? Like, anything happening? I know when the NFL owners go to the NFL owners meeting, something's going to happen. Every single year it does. Sometimes more dramatic than others, but things get done fast. Now, granted, everyone's on the same page. Here's the problem. Nobody's on the same page. Nobody. And I think that is clearly hurting just the overall product. Nobody's. Nobody. Nobody. watches live and the ratings for the PGA tour are dramatically down. And I think there's just a fatigue.

They're never going to get 10 million people to watch non-Augusta. That's not going to happen. But when you see an audience of 3.5 million, go to 2.5 million, some of these people are like, I don't even give a shit that did not think that a couple years ago. And I think it's easy to go, yeah, I don't really give a shit. Because it's exhausting. It really is. Can we just figure it out?

and the people that are making these decisions from Tiger to all the elite guys because ultimately they're going to give the thumbs up or the thumbs down how can they relate to us the consumer all I want to watch all I care about is watching the best guys tee off together right that's cool part about full swing it kind of rehashes the majors I'm like god this is sweet

but that's four weeks a year the majority of the year is the Valspar and live Hong Kong and live Saudi Arabia and you know the John Deer and Myrtle Beach it's just random tournaments and I think that golf

I don't want to say lost its way but all these factors in have really turned a lot of people off and anytime you turn a lot of people off it's hard to get them to come back the NBA is dealing with this right now they had a perception that was reality.

Guys didn't play. It's sports. People get hurt. Totally understand. If you roll an ankle and you're injured, can't play. Even if I buy a ticket,

I get it. But I can't show up to a game and just be like, oh yeah, he needs some rest. Well, I mean, this is the product. This is the business.

I turned on the Lakers last night. Like, is LeBron hurt? Or is he just, and I get he's old. I get he's played two decades. But like, primetime TNT, Kippa versus the bucks, and there he is in a sweatshirt.

Like, it's just not good business. It's just not. And the business model is based on these games. So, like in football, I know when I turn on week one, week 10, if a guy can play, he's playing. And that's another thing with goal. Forever they dealt with like, you didn't know who was going to play when, and beside the majors, some tournaments were better than others.

And I get it. It's a whole problem. But right now, they are in the process of fixing the problem. and the people fixing the problem don't know how we think. How could they? I love Tiger Woods. I mean, it's one of my favorite athletes of all time watching him in his prime. I still randomly, when I'm bored, we'll type in YouTube Tiger Woods. But to think that he knows what us on the couch want besides watching him in his prime, how could he? He can't. But then you watch some of these other guys talk, they can't either. Like there's a,

in fairness, like, they're too into the weeds. Justin Thomas and Jordan Speed these guys talking about. We don't want these guys. They need to jump through hoops to come back. We don't care about any of that, man. That's your fucking problem. If you want to keep this gravy train rolling, because it is not adding up.

As your viewership goes down and your purses go up, something's going to blow up. And now you get Arthur Blank and these NFL and NBA owners involved. like, they're very, it's very binary with them. It's like, you make it money or you're not? Are you growing or you're dying? And right now, the PGA tour over the last 12 months feels like it's dying, literally because guys are defecting to a league that you couldn't pay me to watch.

Now, I fall and live a little bit like I'll type it into the leaderboard, but I, I've watched under nine holes total in like two years. And I'm a diehard golf guy. So I just think that the PGA tour is, is really headed down a slippery slope right now. And I don't know how it gets fixed. I'm not that bullish. Majors are badass.

Cannot wait. Doesn't get any better. But they've always been sweet. They've always been the highest rated. The problem for this kind of thing to operate, you do need some of these other things to matter. And right now it just feels like they don't matter. I think Peter Malnadi much more relatable than most of these guys.

Why? He's not that rich relative to golf terms. I looked at his career earnings. He made $9 million. He's been on the PGA tour for a decade. He's only played in three majors. I text a buddy that's close to the golf world. I'm like, how's that even statistically possible?

You have a 10-year career, yet you've only played in three majors total? Now he's in more because he wins an event. He's getting to play in the Masters for the first time. But like, he's really more relatable. It's why Steve Kirk can relate to every guy on his roster. Why? He's been the last guy on the roster. He's been a bench player.

He's played with Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan and David Robinson. Like, he kind of knows it all. Tiger Woods knows one thing. Making a shitload of money being as famous as like, Jesus. I mean, all Justin Thomas and Jordan Speed know is cash winning success. It's like, yeah, they've had bad years, but they've never, ever struggled financially since they went pro. And I'm not holding that against them. But when you've never struggled financially, like, you don't, hell, even the rich guy watching on his couch in a $10 million home that owns a business has probably gone through some rough times.

Financially. So I think that we're just in a sad state of affairs. It honestly makes me sad because I've now. Now, I'm all in, like football, pays the bills around here. But the only other sport that I truly, truly follow hardcore and watch all the time is golf. I don't watch baseball and basketball like that anymore. I don't have time. Seeing the ratings, neither does America.

Now, I understand neither does America with golf, but it used to be more popular. And more people are playing than ever. Like, more people are not playing beer league softball than ever. Pick up basketball, which I played all through, you know, my church. 20s, like, I'm not playing pickup basketball. I can't afford to tearing Achilles or tearing an ACL. I don't want to be on crutches. Stop playing like five years ago.

And I used to love playing basketball. Get a good sweat. Great workout. You really find out good a shape you on. I think a lot of people can relate to that. Like, you kind of, if you play pickup basketball when you're younger, you kind of stop playing as you get older. At Achilles pops, like, I'm not Dre Greenlaw. I don't have the 49ers training staff. I don't want to drive to get

physical rehab three times a week. So it just, it sucks. And I props to Peter Malnadi for really articulating that better than anyone I've heard so far. And I think it gets back to who he is in his profession, which, you know, I've heard people, I don't know much about him. He's kind of cheesy or whatever. But I thought that was one of the best statements I've heard on the current state of golf. I do think when you watch full swing, two things really jumped out to me.

And this goes back to the lip. 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 you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert 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 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 Jett. 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 all day, but just so y'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. The houses these dudes live in, I mean, Justin Thomas, which I think he bought a new $13 million house within the last year, is pretty dope. It really is.

And Rickies is on a whole other level. Ricky's backyard, that Florida Keys, West Palm Beach, Jupiter, here's what I know. I'm a West Coast guy. So I couldn't live in the Bay Area anymore. I'm like, I want to live somewhere nicer. I was going to leave California, so I wasn't going to move to like Newport, San Diego. So I came to Scottsdale, and it's fucking awesome. It still keeps my West Coast vibes.

If I wasn't bound to this coast, easier for me to get home. Mother's a little older. See my family. I would live in two places. One would be Nashville, and the other would be the South Florida area. And it's not like I could afford to live on these guys' street. But I've never seen a picture of Jupiter. where all these dudes live and go

that is badass you got no state to income taxes no one no mandates or anything ever you can do whatever the fuck you want and that's how you live I know you got some hurricanes I know you got some rain I know it's humidity shit I live in it's 115 degrees for a month straight in July

so that that place I get it I really do and then they kind of I don't want to say profile DJ they kind of did I wish they would just have an episode on one individual, but they kind of bounced back between guys.

I'll never forget at the, it was either 2018 or 2019, I forget the exact year. But when the U.S. Open was at Pebble Beach and Gary Woodland won it. I went. I think I went on Friday. And I followed DJ for a couple holes. I remember standing close to him. And I've been on the field pregame for 50 NFL games. I swear to God, my first takeaway was like,

this guy's built like an NFL quarterback meets an NFL tight-in. He was just massive. His arms and lower body was big. I mean, that is like a legit athlete. And not shocking that he was one of the best players over a 15-year span and won a couple majors. Honestly, probably underachieved. He easily could have five or six majors. He's just an all-time golf talent.

And he's with this like sports royalty in Paulina Gretzky, who's just a smoke show. And he just feels like a celebrity. His wife clearly is. And his wife's dad is, you know, probably one of the most famous athletes in the history of my life. Right. And he even played, it's not like he played one of the main sports in America. He played hockey. And there's no one my age or older, if you just say Wayne Gretzky that doesn't immediately go,

yeah, it's the best hockey player of all time. And you just look at those two and you go, God, this guy is just, he feels honestly more like an NFL player or an NBA player than he does a good. golfer. And I wish we would have got more DJ. I really do. And as someone who's gamble on him a lot over the years, I miss him. I really do.

And I hope he plays well. But his pad's badass too. I mean, all these guys have these sweet modern homes with these pools that go. The one thing I've always wondered about West Palm Beach and Florida, just the Florida Keys or whatever, can you just walk to the water? Are there saltwater crocks or gaiters or you don't worry about anything?

Can you just walk down? there and like your dogs can swim or you know because in the lakes in the golf in Florida there are gators floating around are you able to do that if you live on the water like if you live in the Tahoe Keys you know back in my neck of the woods you just I mean it's cold but you just jump in the water that there's nothing in there besides some fish are you can you do that in Florida because I never would whenever I see these people wakeboarding down south I'm like uh don't you guys have snakes and gators like yeah we might not run into them it's like you couldn't pay me to get in that water.

The lake I grew up going to Beriasa had nothing in there. Hell, fish weren't even in there. So I just, the full swing overall, some of the Zach Johnson stuff was pretty cringe. That was a tough watch. And I really think, and listen, Justin Thomas has been one of the most incredible starts

to a pro career of the non, like all-time great guys we've ever seen. He's got whatever, 12, 13 wins, a couple of majors. I mean, he made a cut when he was 16 years old. He's clearly a star. He was so terrible last year. He really was. He shot 81 in the U.S. Open.

81. And Kegan Bradley won multiple times. I really think Kegan got royally screwed. And you watch that. He wanted it bad. It's one thing. We all want certain things bad. And no one's guaranteed anything in life.

You don't deserve shit. I do think he earned his way on that team. And for Zach Johnson to just go, the other thing is this like buddy, buddy crowd. And I get it. They're all friends. We all roll with certain people. Justin and Ricky and Speeith.

I mean, Ricky won last year. Like, Ricky was good. Right? Spieth obviously was much better than Justin Thompson. I understand those guys getting on. But to not. bring Keegan Bradley just because all these guys were buddies, that was a tough watch. It really was.

After the fact, not that Keegan Bradley would have helped them win or not lose by as much, but still, like, what's the point of this whole thing? Right? What is? Play well, get on the team. It was clear he never had a shot. He would have had to win like three more times to even be considered. So I thought that was pretty embarrassing.

And I was thinking one issue I think this season has had is Scotty Sheffler, who knows? By the time you listen to this, he could be up at his tournament. He was under a three to one favorite to win this week. There are 150 guys in the tournament. That is insane. To me, if you are under 10 to 1 in a golf tournament, you are playing at an elite level. If I can give you 8, 9 to 1 odds, and it's like, yeah, it's still probably, not crazy to take them.

Right? Like when Rom's on, when Scotty's on, you know, Tiger back in the day, what Rory or Speeth would have been in their peaks, that just, that really is rare. It doesn't happen that often. But he's carrying his weight.

Like, he's doing everything he can. One of the issues is some of the guys that ultimately turned down the money, like Zander and Cantley turned down money. They're not that famous to casual fans. They don't do that much when they're on TV. Zander's an awesome player,

but he's not, he means nothing to the overall scope of television ratings. Ricky Fowler, Jordan Speeith, and I'd even throw Justin Thomas in there. Kind of matter, right, to this current iteration of the PGA tour. And they're just nowhere to be found. Like, nowhere to be found. I mean, Justin Thomas,

it sucks because I'm, I love his game, but he's just not very good. Right now. Relative to what they would need him to be, they don't need him to be Scotty. But Wyndham Clark, who I saw today, I was in the car, I think he hurt his back, which is not ideal, right, with the majors coming up.

But he's laughed those guys. He really has. And if the PJ Tour had one of those three guys playing at his level, especially if it was Jordan. or Ricky. Like, that would help. That would. But when it's just Scotty,

taking on a bunch of randos, it's one thing if it's Tiger. And even Tiger was taken on, like, some legendary players. Like, Ernie Ells is one of the greatest players of all time. Google VJ Singh's record. Like, where are these guys currently? And Phil, I mean,

he's probably like a top five or six player of all time. I just, the hard part about golf, there's nothing you can do when guys aren't playing well, but the PGA Tour cannot afford for like Jake Knapp and some of these guys to just be immediately better than like the core four or five guys.

Now, Zander is playing well, and he's world ranking wise, money wise, like he's an elite player. But I just think that little crew, you know, the spring break crew, kind of being irrelevant early on this season, is just not ideal. And then I wanted to look at,

look ahead really quick at the master, speaking of, like, you know, the, uh, the odds, clearly the, the betting favorite is going to be Scotty Sheffler. It's hard to quantify ROM. Uh, I was in the car yesterday. I was listening to Colt Nost on PJ Tour radio and he played with him out here at Whisper Rock and he said he shot like the easiest 64 you'll ever see. I mean, he's just, he, he, he, he obviously is really good. But like, we don't have any context. Is he just going to show up at Augusta, he's the defending champion, and just look just like Scotty, and they'll just be equals, or is there going to be some rust? Like, I know just on a random day he can go out and he beat anyone in the world easily, and that

includes Scotty Sheffler, if they just picked up at a random course, played a one-on-one, like he could beat him by several shots. But does that translate to competition? And, you know, for the first time, like, the other guys, Phil, DJ, Kepka, like, they dealt with everyone watching them. Bryson, these last couple years. when they defected for the last, whatever, six majors. But Rom hasn't.

And he's coming back as a defending champion. One of the big conversations is going to be just about that, right? When he does his press conference. I hope everything's normal, but I don't know. I just, I would be nervous to bet on John Rom. Not because he's not a great player, but just because there's going to be a lot of things flying left and right when it comes to that week for him.

And thinking of another live guy that you go, I actually like Kepka more in Augusta, just because he doesn't have any of that. One, he doesn't give a shit. He's always said, I only play for the majors. And he proved last year, like, when he's healthy, the majors, do not bet against him. Do not bet against Brooks Kepka.

I would not be shocked at all if we see Brooks win another major this year. which again like rom it's hard to quantify like if he finished 10th or third or 50th what does that even mean on live i don't care about him that does not mean anything to me his status on live because i know when those tournaments show up and his back or his knees right he's a major factor that's where dj like i don't know i i feel the most confident this major season even more than ron brooks because now by the time we get to the second or third man Major, maybe Rom understands the hoopla that comes with being a live guy now. Like, is he going to wear the live hat?

That's, you know, Brooks doesn't. Brooks just wears the Nike stuff. You have the rest of the guys wearing, like, their seven aces and smart water, whatever the fuck their team's names are, that Brooks doesn't give a shit. Brooks doesn't even in the majors, like, talk positively about Liv. He just, he truly talks, independent contractor. I'm here for me. I'm here for my leg.

I'm here to be a legend. I'm here to win more of these things. None of that other stuff matters. I never liked regular golf to begin with. I only play for these things. And I've proven that I can play these things better than basically everybody. I think his major record, like literally,

I saw a stat, which was going around last year. He was like 80 under par, the last like five years of majors, and the only guy remotely close was like 10 under par. Like, I mean, he has boat race. when you factor in all four majors over the last five or six years whenever he first started Winnow.

And I just, I'm going to have money on him. I think you would just be crazy not to. And then there's, you know, you would say Wyndham Clark, but I got to see it. I'm talking to Gusta, especially now that his back is injured. Spee's always hard because he always plays well there. But, you know, I, it's, you watch him. plays all over the place.

So I feel, now, I already have a bet on Will Zalotoros. There are other guys that have had success there before, right? Zanders played there well a bunch. Tony Fienaus played well. Obviously, there are other guys that are going to be very interesting in terms of like top fives and top tens and top 20s. But when it just comes to winning it, it feels like only a handful of guys, right? Scotty, if Ron plays well, definitely him.

Obviously, Kepka. I mean, Zalotoris has proven when he's healthy. he's a major, major factor in these tournaments. He's got a little Kepka to him. He really does because he's played well earlier this year at really multiple tournaments. Was it Bay Hill, and he played well at Rive. So I've already, I got Zalotaurus at like 50 to 1. I think he's already down to like 25 or 30 to 1.

But if he's healthy, like I expect him to be right in the mix. And the other thing, you watch full swing. Like last year's weather was so terrible. So hopefully this year we get good weather. But there's nothing better. I mean, football is pretty special, obviously. I put Augusta non- like NFL playoff Super Bowl. To me, Augusta is the second best event of the year.

It's definitely the best event post-football. It's way better in March Madness. I mean, there's not an NBA game that I would even compare to it. I still like October baseball, but that doesn't hold a candle. A guest is a pretty special time. 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 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 IHeart 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, 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 Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve

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