The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Keegan Bradley and the Ryder Cup, Tommy Fleetwood chokes, Brian Rolapp new PGA Tour CEO

Episode Date: June 25, 2025

John Middlekauff reacts to Keegan Bradley winning the Travelers and how Keegan's play will impact his role as Captain of the Ryder Cup team and if he'll ultimately name himself as a player. With a great win, comes a hard loss, and John dives into Tommy Fleetwood losing the Travelers after having a three stroke lead heading down the stretch. Next, John talks about Brian Rolapp's role as the new PGA Tour CEO and what he would like to see Rolapp change when it comes to the PGA and LIV relationship. Finally, John answers your questions in this episode's mailbag segment. 6:09 - Should Keegan name himself to the Ryder Cup team 14:56 - Tommy Fleetwood comes in second 30:22 - Brian Rolapp new PGA CEO 36:39 - LIV Update 44:11 - Mailbag 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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The volume. What is happening, everybody? John Middlekoff. A little go-low podcast today recording from my hotel room in the corner, as you can see. And very, very excited because we got a big show today. We did a football podcast yesterday, and I did want to do a golf podcast. this week because there's a lot going on. Huge television ratings last week.

Obviously a big moment with Keegan Bradley, the Ryder Cup captain, defeating Tommy Fleetwood on the 18th hole of essentially his home course, his home area. The local kid gets it done for the second time in three years. So we will talk about Keegan Bradley, cutting through the noise and should he just name himself as a member of the team that he's also the captain of. Can he be the playing captain?

Obviously, he can be the playing captain? Obviously, he can be the playing captain. The first one says Arnold Palmer, but shouldn't he just be at this point? Tommy Fleetwood, on the opposite end of, you know, with the thrill of victory, comes the agony of defeat. And Tommy Fleetwood is a little bit of a throwback. You know, I mean, you don't see as many meltdowns as you used to, I feel like. Maybe it's the equipment. Maybe it's these courses are too easy for these guys.

But it's rare to witness what we just did. I mean, a top player who just looked like he was going to cruise to a victory, and then all of a sudden you're walking off 18, and it looks like the guy's in tears. Brian Rollap, the new PGA Tour CEO, CEO, CEO, also commissioner. He's the boss. I have three things that I think he should immediately implement moving forward, just to kind of help to get this ball rolling and things that can, I think, make the transition a little bit easier. We have Liv Dallas this week, also known as a Bryson D. Shambow home game. So we'll see if Bryson, who is the betting favorite going into the weekend,

can get his first win, actually, on American soil since joining Liv. Obviously, he has one more major this year to see if he can win another major. And knock off, I guess he's won two, but they've both been a U.S. Open. So can he win the Open, which tournament that would give Bryson a little trouble, given that there are a lot of variables there, and he can't scientific his way, you know, through pars and buries. But before we dive in to some golf talk,

I do need to tell you about my friends, my partners, and the official ticketing app of this podcast. You know, I've spent the last couple days in the Fox Studios, and it's obviously pretty cool. But you walk down some of these hallways, and you look to your right, and you'll see, like, Edelman jumping in in Brady's arms after they came back from 28 to 3.

And then you'll look in another, and you'll see Brett Farver, Aaron Rod. And then you'll look and you'll see Derek Jeter and you just realize this network has broadcast some of the most important sports moments of mine in your lives. And it's really kind of cool to be there. And then you realize like a lot of people were at these games. There were a lot of people that witnessed this Super Bowl or this NFC championship or this playoff game or this historic regular season game, Caitlin Clark tournament game, you can go to these games. So if you want to go to a game this summer, any sport, obviously this fall football season is not very far away.

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I'd have to be at that game. Because that thing, I mean, what a way to kick off the season. So any event you want to go to concert, comedy show as well, they got you covered. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with game time. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use the code John for $20 off your first purchase. Terms of Play again, create an account and redeem the code, John for $20 off. Download the GameTime app, last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed.

You know, I think sometimes we just spend too much time talking about stuff that ultimately doesn't matter. And sometimes you've got to cut through the noise and just call a spade a spade a spade. And one thing being around Colin and the show this week, like he's really good at that. He can just kind of cut through, find an angle, something he's fired up on and just attack it. And I think sometimes the golf media is different than a lot of other different medias. And I'm pretty close, you know, in the football circle. And there's not that much fluff to football, right? Like if something bad happens, people attack it.

Fans, media, the shows. Like, if you have a bad time out call, if you make a bad play call, if a player does something stupid, if anything happens, there is every different angle attacked. And I think sometimes with golf, it almost feels like the media all reiterates the same thing sometimes. Like, the fans don't care about the ball rollback. The players don't want it. Who wants it? The media is the one pushing that.

And I think sometimes with Keegan Bradley, it's like, well, he can't play and be the captain. Why not? He's clearly one of our best players. It's not even debatable. this point in time. And it's not one of those situations where our team is so deep with star power. It's like, well, it's an easy one for Kagan, just be the captain and become a legendary captain, maybe do it for the next four rider cups. It's like he's still in the prime of his career. He is clearly one of the best Americans. He just won a tournament for the second time in three years.

He's played really well over the course of the last month, finished top 10 at the Memorial and at the PGA championship, and obviously had an incredible come back. back on Sunday against Tommy Fleetwood. And here's the other thing. In some events, right, like a playoff game, whether it's basketball, whether it's baseball, whether it's hockey, any situation in an industry you're in, if you have a big meeting, we've all been there, especially younger people or someone who doesn't have that much experience. You can feel overwhelmed.

You're like, I wasn't quite ready for the moment. I hadn't prepared for this moment. Hell, I didn't even want to be in this moment. Kegan Bradley has campaigned for over a decade that he never unpacked his bags from the last Ryder Cup he was a part of. Because it hurt him so bad, one, to lose, and two, he would do anything in his power to get back. Like he has openly talked about his passion for the Ryder Cup, for America, for the team, how it means everything.

Honestly, when you say the Ryder Cup, even before Keegan Bradley became, the team captain, when you just think American Rider Cup, like Keegan Bradley's passion for it is right up there. Obviously like Spieth and Justin Thomas, that combo. You think Tiger and Phil, but they've been very hit or miss players. Obviously there are some historic players like Sevi Ballesteros or some of the Europeans that have had huge moments. But when I think Keegan Bradley, I think about a guy that two years ago was kind of screwed,

who got, I don't want to say overlooked, but got bite. passed for Justin Thomas, who at the time, this year it's a no-brainer to take him, but at the time it was a little controversial. And they showed it on Netflix. He was clearly pretty devastated. And now you're looking back two years later. He's asked to be the captain. And he even talked about it last week, or I guess after he won, that all he thinks about now, since he's been named the captain when he's not playing golf is how to be the Ryder Cup captain and what to do as a Rider Cup captain. It consumes his life. And the only time that he can relax a little bit and just play golf is when he's inside the ropes. And you see him when he's inside the ropes now, he's been fucking

awesome. So like this notion that the captain of one of these teams is like the difference between hiring Freddie Kitchens or Bill Belichick or, you know, Steve Kerr and Mark Jackson, that's just not the case, right? I mean, most of these pairings are player-driven. The Ryder Cup, especially when it comes to the Americans is much closer to like the NBA, the players pick and choose everything. If Scottie Sheffler doesn't want to play with you, guess what? He ain't playing with you. If Justin Thomas wants to play with somebody, he's going to play with that guy. That's the way it works. So obviously there are things that behind the scenes that matter. And there is a chemistry element. But when I hear people like, what about the leadership? The leadership, you're either

going to make a 10 foot putt or you're not. You really are. And this event being in America, especially in the Northeast, an area where he's comfortable with, it's been well documented. He went to St. John's, the Ryder Cups in New York. I think at this point in time, Kegan Bradley should just officially name himself on the team and then just figure it out from there. Because if we're serious about winning this, which whether he's on the team or off the team, it is going to be very difficult. I think they are better than us.

The only advantage we have is typically the home team wins. But when it comes to, like, Kegan Bradley shouldn't do this, put the team first, for who? Andrew Novak, Ben Griffin, again, I like these players. They've had awesome seasons. But for a guy who's played in this event before, who's won a major, who's won big-time events lately, and let's face it, who's kind of wired for it. And this is a huge point, sticking point, why they took Justin Thomas a couple years ago. Obviously, he has a really good record in the Ryder Cup.

But you go, you know what JT is? He's kind of a war daddy. You want him in the trenches with you. You say the same thing for Speed. And I do feel that way with Keegan Bradley. And some of these other names, and maybe they would turn out to be that way, like, if you put them on the team. They would, like, I think Max Homa has proven to be like, okay, he can handle the moment. And he gets into it.

And it feels like it's a big, Tom Kim. Like, it doesn't always play that well on the PGA tour. But in some of these team events, you're like, fuck, Tom, Tom Kim is kind of a, you're you know, a little shit store, kind of like him around. And Team Europe historically has been full of those type guys. And I think we lack some of that. And that's what J.T. brings. Like, ultimately, Scott Schaeffler's not bringing that to the table.

Colin Morcao is not bringing that to the table. J.T. is speed will a little bit. Kagan Bradley definitely will. And I remember a couple years ago, it's different. You know, we have a bigger advantage in the President's Cup. When the famous meme that they've kind of, you know, messed with the production when Tiger Woods is, playing Abe Ancer, and he walks in the put from like 50 feet, even though he didn't start

walking it until it literally fell in. But last time I checked, wasn't he a playing captain? And it worked out okay. And I think Tiger, like Keegan, similar, very serious guys, like, these aren't screw around guys. This guy's, Keegan Bradley's not having, like, three extra beers. Like, he'll do whatever it takes to get it dialed in. I just think he's the choice, right?

in terms of the way he's playing, he's got to be on the team. And I got no problem if he's also going to be the captain. I don't think he needs to recuse himself. Like, okay, I got to be a vice captain now. Give it to someone else. You've come this far. You be the captain. You be the playing captain.

And let's roll. And congrats to him, who I saw there were some incredible stats this weekend about the ratings of this tournament. that Sunday drew 3.5 million people. It was up 35% from last year when Scottie Shelford won it. It was the third highest non-major of the year behind the players, which obviously Rory won, and the Heritage, which Justin Thomas won. Even golf channels Thursday through Friday coverage,

average almost 600,000 viewers, up 40%. So it peaked at like 5.5 million people watching. It's a good tournament to watch. I don't know if it's the fireworks. I don't know if it just looks really like the green looks so plush. Like the course is always just in great shape. It really pops on television. You know, not shocking to see the players.

Of all the non-majors, the players really pops. Pebble, if the weather's good, always pops. RBC Heritage, because of the water, kind of always pops. I think the travelers is just an elite PGA tournament. You know, it's had some great winners lately. Keegens won in dramatic fashion. Scottie Sheffler last year won in dramatic fashion. It's just a really, really fun tournament.

But with a winner comes a loser. And, you know, I think Tony Fienow said this a couple years ago when he was really struggling to win tournaments and he was clearly one of the better players, definitely one of the better American players. I think he summed it up like, you know, a winner is just a loser that never gave up. And I think what makes golf a lot different than these other sports is like, you know, finishing third is really impressive.

You're finishing in a tournament of 150 people, you're beating 147, right? Hell, you can finish second, and if you lose an extra holes, no one beat you through the course of the 72 holes. Where in basketball, like, everyone was better than the Utah Jazz, right? The Colorado Rockies suck. but if you finish like 20th in back-to-back tournaments, like you're playing pretty good golf. So a winning percentage on the PGA tour, if you have like a 3% winning percentage,

you're a Hall of Famer, right? If you win a couple percent of the tournaments you enter over the course of your career, incredible accomplishment, right? I saw, I think Jordan Spee spent in 300 tournaments in his career. I'm pretty sure he's won like 15 or 16 tournaments, so think about his winning percentage. You're talking about a couple percent, three, four percent.

And my math could be a little off there. I guess if you win, if you've won 15 tournaments, it'd be like 5 percent. And that probably is only going to continue to go down if he keeps playing and he doesn't win tournaments. But objectively, Tommy Fleetwood's a really, really good player. I mean, there is no disputing. He is an incredible ball striker, a very consistent player. I looked at his winning percentage. Now, he's played less tournaments

than guys like Spieth and Justin Thomas. But when you just factor in cuts made, he's played in 159 PGA tournaments. He's made 135 cuts. So he's made 85% of his cuts. To put that in perspective, again, these guys have played more PGA tournaments. Obviously, Tommy plays a lot in Europe.

Spee's cut percentage is 81%. Thomas's cut percentage is 82%. So just to put into perspective, like you're in the mid-80s, you are, you're a big-time player. He has 28 top-five finishes. He has 42 top-10 finishes. He's finished runner-up six times. He's been an awesome player in majors.

Like, his resume speaks for itself. He's made well over, like, close to $35 million. He is objectively a high-end player, one of the best players in the world, one of the best European players, a guy that is going to be a lock, a lock for the Ryder Cup four years to come. That is not going to change. Yet he can't win.

And, you know, a guy like him, I think it's easy to go, he's going to win, it's inevitable. And then you watch Sunday and you kind of struck with, are you sure? Are we sure? Because I'm watching that.

He's up three on the 14th hole. And I know Keegan after he says, listen, obviously you're not in a great position there, but I go, hey, these last four holes, anything can happen. You can have birdies, eagles, doubles, and that's what happened. Kind of. I mean, Tommy Fleetwood was in the middle of the fairway with a one-shot lead on 18, with a should have been a nine iron in his hand, and he hit a bitching wedge, and didn't win.

And you just watch these moments, and this is what makes golf. I feel like it used to happen more. Maybe it's just old age. maybe it's just nostalgia, maybe it's actually not true. But I feel like we used to have a lot of meltdowns. And I do think when I was definitely before this equipment boom, the club, you know, there would be much more, there'd be a greater dispersive shots, right?

When you watch some old highlights of Tiger and Phil in the late 90s, early 2000s, both those guys were all over the fucking map off the tee. I mean all over the map off the T, consistently. It's why Tiger implemented those little stingers and hit three irons into fairways all the time. It wasn't just he's like a conservative player. It was also because he could hit a 320-yard drive into the homes at any moment. Same with Phil.

These guys now, I do think it's shocking. And I mean shocking when someone down the stretch of a tournament just hits a ball 50 yards into the trees. It does not happen like it used to, which is understandable because anyone, who's decent listening to this at golf, if you have a newer club, your misses do not disperse as crazy as they did 10, 15, 20 years ago. And I've just somehow, I've gotten down a Seve Ballesteros rabbit hole on YouTube recently. And the one theme that keeps coming up and Johnny Miller keeps talking about this, some of the greatest players, or the most popular players in the history of the sport,

sprayed the ball. And it's almost like they become close. with the fans because they're around them all the time. You know who notoriously did not hit the ball straight? Arnold Palmer, Sevi Balceros, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Speeth. These guys have blown it all over the map. They're all over the place. And that's what made them so great is they hit these spectacular shots.

Well, Tommy Fleetwood, like, his shots, he's like peppering the fairway. And to me to watch him implode like he did on 18, like there's no other way to say it. then he kind of choked. Because if you were in that situation and you just had two putts to win the tournament and you three putted, like that is whether you're playing Kegan Bradley to win the travelers

or whether you're playing your buddy for $100, that is 100% a choke job. And then I think when you factor in, like the pressure on him to do it, is this guy a winning talent? There's no disputing that. His consistency speaks for itself. But when you watch that situation,

you have to go, I don't know. Like, I do think there might be some sort of mental hurdle, and this only makes it worse, makes you question yourself. Now you look earlier this season is a good example. J.J. Spont, gets to extra holes with Roy McElroy, and then just kind of implodes. Not all his fault. The ball just flies on him on 17 and losing the playoffs by, I don't know,

what was it, four or five shots. And then he used that to his benefit later in the season to help him win the U.S. Open. The difference, though, is J.J. has less of this conversation around him. JJ hasn't been a guy finishing 42 times in the top 10. He doesn't have 28 top fives. It doesn't have a career of contending in majors. So once you start getting that conversation around you, it only grows.

We see it in the other sports all the time. We've been talking about it all week. Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen. Who can win a Super Bowl? Who can get it done in the playoffs? who's going to get over the hump who's going to beat Patrick Mahomes we see it in basketball

it's like when can James Harden never get it done it turns out he just never got it done just never was able to get it done and the difference in some of these team sports and these individual sports like you could always blame well a coach called shitty plays well my defense sucked well I'm the second best player on my team

tore his ACL in the second round so we didn't have the depth in golf there's no one to blame by yourself just you and your caddy and it's on you to win it And it's what makes it's so fascinating to watch. It's essentially a one-on-one sport. Sometimes there are three or four guys in the mix,

but you're just out there on an island. You're like a cornerback. They're throwing deep, and it's just you and the wide receiver. And you can screw up and you can point, but we all just are watching you. And in golf, middle of the fairway, hole 18, Tommy Fleetwood. You're going to hit a 9- or are you going to hit a pitching wedge?

You're going to knock it in stiff, or you're going to leave it way short to the left and give yourself a very hard up and down? Because you know what Keegan Bradley did? And he mentioned this. I saw the shot and I hit that exact same shot 100,000 times.

He called it like a 10 to 10 which was basically ear to ear and he stuck it 5, 6 feet and he was a guy that got over that and you know what he acted like? I've been here before. I expect to hit this shot. And when you look to Tommy Fleetwood,

who again, I'm pro Tommy Fleetwood. I was rooting for Tommy Fleetwood. wanted to see him win. He had no clue what to do. Felt lost. Hell, we've all been there. Sometimes you get over a shot, you're like, I don't know what to do. You can't be like that on the PGA tour.

Not on hole 72 of a big-time event against another big-time player and expect to win. So obviously there, you could say Tommy can learn from it, but Tommy's been in this position a ton. Now, truly leading like this with a couple holes to go, maybe not as much, but it does make you question like sometimes you know a guy can go on to make a bunch of money have all these accolades have a bunch of success and honestly he could be a guy that wouldn't shock me if like i don't know never wins a pGA tour event which is which is crazy to say but you know the odds it's really really difficult to do now you could say you put yourself in enough situations it's eventually going to flip your

way. And I would have said 100% before Sunday, but after watching Sunday, you go, I don't know, man. I don't know. Pro golfers drive for show and puffer dough. The easiest shot for you to make some dough betting on this week's tournament at Drafking Sportsbook. From the opening round to live on Sunday, Draft King Sportsbook has you cover with live betting and player props. I'll give you something. We've got the Rocket Mortgage Classic this weekend up in Detroit. And Colin Morcow is currently the betting favorite. But how about Cam Young? You get it plus $2,800. That's about $100 to win $2,800.

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huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it.

Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notes.

Notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel.

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself.

I'm Renee Stubbs. And on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jen should win. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now.

And I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Okay, Brian Rollap, the new commissioner for the PGA tour, CEO, boss, new Goodell, I'll call him New Goodell. I think there are three things he can do to just kind of set up a little runway to get us off and running here. And I think he's been handed a tough situation, lots going on, the splitting golf, some of the stuff that Jay Monahan screwed up, the suspension.

just a lot of moving parts that he had nothing to do with. So I don't put any of the blame and these decisions are not easy to reverse, right? But this is what he's been tasked with. To figure out how to reverse these decisions and get this operation

just, it's going in the right direction, but take it to the next level and not have what happened over the last couple years ever happened again. I think the number one thing he can do, immediately tomorrow tear up all the suspensions because every guy that went to live

was immediately suspended from the PGA tour and these guys have talked about it like John Rom goes you know sometimes when I'm driving down Frank Lloyd and I look over there and I see TPC and I see the stadium I miss it do you know what I would say hey John if you're in town next year and you want to play

in the waste management you have a spot you're no longer suspended. Bryson, you want to play in one of these Texas events sometime that Scottie Sheffler and some of the boys are playing in? If you're open, if you don't have a live event, you're in. Wesley Bryan, the live golfer. That's where Jay Monaghan really lost me, but any of these guys, from Joaquin Neiman to

Phil to DJ to do you guys want to play the floor to swing? Do you guys want to come to the Arnold Palmer? You're in. So I think that's the number. number one thing he should do is just disband all the suspensions. And then obviously as they work to get fully some sort of integration as we move forward the next couple years, they can figure that out. But on a short-term basis, if Brooks Keppgo wants to play in the Arnold Palmer, if John

Rom wants to play at Torrey Pines, doors are wide open. Number two, there needs to be injury reports. Brian comes from the NFL, where an injury report. doesn't tell you, you know, unless they say the guy is out. You don't know the questionable can turn into a probable really quick. But at least you have some idea throughout the week. You go, hey, you know what? Josh Allen didn't practice Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I can't be stunned if he does not play on Sunday in the game. But if a guy plays Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in practice and then doesn't play in the game, you're like, what's going on here?

And to me, that's the PGA tour. They're in really deep with gambling, and rightfully so, it is an incredible product to gamble. It really is. But this notion of guys withdrawing on a Thursday or Friday, it's like, yeah, my wrist has been feeling weird since Monday. We got to know. And you can't be in business and try to do this above board without some sort of injury reports. And the players, these guys love pushing back against anything you ask them to do, whether it's media, whether there's injury reports, this needs to become mandated.

Again, it doesn't have to be that in depth. It can just be Colin Moracawa, wrist. It doesn't even need to be probable questionable. Like, he's playing, right? But it just, so at least you know. Jordan Speath tweaked his back this week. And then by, I think, was it Friday, withdrew from the tournament.

It's been nice to know that something was up with his back. and I think the PGA Tour has done a really, really poor job of that and it doesn't feel like Jay Monaghan even put any effort in doing that. Last but not least, one thing the NFL is very serious about is their relationship with their broadcast partners. Because the lifeblood of the sport is the games. Is Fox, CBS, is NBC broadcasting the games? And Brian was in charge of that.

He was in charge of the media rights deal and the power that those broadcasts mean for the business of the NFL. And the health of the sport, the cash flow of the sport, golf is a complicated sport. It's easy to broadcast a football game in the sense that you're never going to go to commercial

when they're playing the game. Golf, you have guys hitting shots at all different times. So it's not an apples-to-apples comparable, right? Same with basketball and baseball, the action's on, it's pretty obvious. When there's a break in the action, you could say, well, Scotty's walking right now, what's Rory doing? Well, Rory and Scottie are walking right now, what's Bryson doing?

It's not easy. They have to make a better job and a more assertive effort to figure this out. Because it does feel sometimes that, besides like a Sunday of a major or Sunday of a big tournament, that it kind of becomes like a highlight reel. And any time it's like, oh, let's go to John. on hole 14. Well, if you haven't seen John in two hours, you're like, I bet he's going to make this long-ass putt.

And then, oh, John from 50 feet for Eagle. I just think that they've kind of lost the plot. And it's the one thing I do agree with the vast majority of the Gulf media about is the TV product has been pretty shitty and would not have been accepted in the NFL. It would have been a major problem. And I think there's just too much money on the line, too. you guys are spending too much if you're CBS and NBC

to not try to figure this out and make it a better product. And I actually think that that's where Rollap comes in and he might be the right guy. So number one, suspension's done. Number two, injury reports. Number three, we got to fix the broadcast. Okay, we got a little, the U.S. leg of the live golf season is in full swing.

And for the next couple days, 27, 28th, and 29th, Bryson Deschambeau. I mean, I'm sure you saw him on social media. He was all over town. He was born and raised in the Central Valley in California, but he went to SMU. He's lived in Dallas forever. This is his home event. And I think, you know, Bryson, more than anyone else, has done a lot for golf in the last couple years.

He's kind of transcended. I mean, it's really remarkable what he's accomplished. in terms of becoming like as big of a golf influencer. And if you're listening to this, you know, the power of Bob, of Horvatt, of the Brian Bros, of the four-play guys, like, it's a big deal on YouTube. Golf, you know, you could argue is as big on YouTube as it is anywhere. And Bryson entered that space and he immediately became a rock star. And he changed the game.

I mean, we talked about it a couple weeks ago. When has one of the favorites before a major ever just done like a whole-by-hole tutorial of what he plans on doing? It's pretty awesome. And I've said forever, I use some of his videos before the tournaments to scout him. You can't take much away from the break 50 when they're playing the red T's. But when it comes to watching Bryson, he'll just go to a random course, typically in the Texas area, Dallas area where he lives, and just try to break the course record.

I haven't watched his most recent one. I think he just broke a course record. I've watched him get kind of close, and you're just like, this guy is so fucking good at golf. I mean, his advantage, that's where sometimes in a major, you're watching him at live,

because he's playing the other guys, you know, it doesn't quite put into perspective how much he's dominating, but when it's just him out there in some random course, and he's just splitting these fairways, 340 yards playing by himself playing 18 holes in like you know two hours it's a remarkable sight to see and he's the betting favorite this week i would imagine there's going to be a big big turnout for him and uh i i think sometimes it's cool to watch a guy kind of turn around his career

because i would say two plus years ago his approval rating was pretty low people were kind of down on them. And I would say now, just universally with sports fans, if you just say Bryce and DeCambeau, you're like, doing what? We're going to watch him. Like, he's, he's a needle mover. And, you know, speaking of the Ryder Cup, he's a lock to be on that team. And he's another guy that I think's going to take a lot of pride and be a fucking awesome Ryder Cup player for us. Like, I'm really excited to watch, you know, Bryson the Ryder Cup. Hell, he should have made it a couple years ago. But, you know, if you want to attend this event, if you're living in Texas, kids under 12 get in free. Obviously, you can follow every shot on Fox Sports.

Excited to watch. So watch Bryson D. Chambot tee it up in his hometown event. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra. special. So how did we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys?

I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it and... Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a

very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, Jonas, and offered it up was a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions,

the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself.

I'm Renee Stubbs. And on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jen she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the first. French, me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Leonard Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface.

Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Okay, let's do a little mailback. At Golopod. At Golopod is the Instagram. fire in those DMs, get your questions answered here on the show. Very, very easy to do.

We got a bunch here. We'll start with Vince. What up, John? Was watching the travelers, and with four holes to go, and Fleetwood in the lead, I decided to put my last three dollars in my drafting account. I love that. When you just have like $5. I put $1 each on Bradley, Henley, and Day, who were in second, third, and fourth. At the time, I placed a bet that was minus 600 on Fleetwood. I had a gut feeling he would choke again. Do you think he ever breaks through? Would love to hear your answer on the pod.

$1.00 paid out $46. Before the Travelers, I would have said 100%. I really would. And then you watch that and you go, maybe he's just destined to have an all-time top-five, top-10 career and make a bunch of money and just never win one of these tournaments. Because that was a tournament,

you just don't blow that tournament if you're him. Because he was playing well, too. It'd be one thing it's like the guy was falling apart. Like he was playing well. He was in the controlling lead. And even on 18, right in the middle of the fairway. To be a great iron player and to really question what club you hit. And I know Keegan said he kind of got gusted, but that ball wasn't even close.

And then Keegan got up there with zero hesitation. I feel like most guys the last couple years on that hole, I mean, at worst hit at the middle of the green. but you can't have a three-putt boge. It just can't happen. So one thing that makes me nervous about Tommy is he's not a great putter. Honestly, he's the type putter that in a big spot feels like I'm like this just as a casual golfer. We all play with different people that you have no faith that they're going to make a put. And on the PJ tour, like, did anyone think on 18 that Kagan was going to miss it?

not a soul not one and honestly when Tommy got over some of those putts down the stretch you just didn't have that much faith and again I'm pro Tommy Fleetwood but you watch him putt you go he's just not gonna make it not sure if you watch the Brian Bros but if you know about Wesley's suspension I was wondering what your thoughts are about it

do you think a fine would have been more reasonable than a suspension after all he went there for content creation not to participate in a live tournament. People's careers shouldn't be in the balance of the rules that are still so vague. This is what I'm talking about with Brian Rollap. I think I saw Wesley tweet out today. And for those that aren't super deep, Wesley's like a fringe, you know, top 100,

top 125, top 150, level PJ tour talent. Him and his brother, George, have a YouTube channel. They do a lot of stuff with Grant Horvatt. They are, I mean, Wesley's a pretty fucking good player. George, I think, was like an all-American in college as well. They're big-time players. I mean, Wesley's a legit PJ tour player. And was supposed to play in an event this year,

but did the duel's creation with Live, and Jay suspended him. And this is where, and I think it rattled Wesley. Like, I think Wesley is not trying to be controversial. Like, he's in the business world. Like, we're all in the business world. You know, is this a little more difficult for me to do a podcast sitting in a hotel room?

of course, but I had to make a business decision. It's like, I'm going to do this with Colin for a couple days, right? Did it impact the podcast or at least the ease in which I do it?

Of course. Like, we all have to make tough business decisions or just business decisions in general sometimes. And I don't fault Wesley for making that decision. And to think that then

he would get slammed when Jay's in the position, I think the problem that doesn't make any sense with Wesley Bryant's suspension is How is Jay in a position feels like, you know, we see these lame duck politicians or presidents or whatever? It feels like Jay's been a lame duck for years.

How is he in position to, to like render this verdict against a guy? It'd be one thing if it was a bigger name, like, what are we talking? What are we doing? How can this happen? And then I see the mental gymnastics where they invite Horvatt to play in the barracuda. up in Lake Tahoe. It's like, well, he's not actually a member. It's like, well, why does any of this fucking stuff matter?

So I thought it was just embarrassing that Wesley got. Honestly, that happened to him. I really do. And I think that's a reflection. If I was Rollap, I would text Tiger and be like, can we just give Jay his golden parachute now and get him out of here? We'll give him the jet use for another five years. We'll give him a couple more memberships.

and can we just get his office cleared out? Like I think Jay, and a lot of people have talked about this, you get, you know, peacetime generals, wartime generals, everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. I'm not sure about Jay Monaghan because the shit really hit the fan the last couple of years and it felt like he was completely, I don't know, over his skis. And listen, this wasn't an easy situation,

but you get Rollap who's at a front row seat for Goodell for decades. It's like the NFL gets crazy situations all the time. And you know what your task with doing? Handling them. Figuring them out for what's best for you, the players, the business of the operation. So one thing I think the PJ Tour needs to do a better job of, I haven't had a chance to watch the newest duels.

But the way that, you know, the creator classic that was at the PJ Championship looked kind of cool. It was cool. it. I watched a little bit of the first duels. This second version, like the stuff they're doing with Grant, with Wesley, with Fat Perez, with Mason Nut and Bob and those guys commentating on it, it's kind of genius. Like, these guys have huge fucking audiences, you know, and there's a reason some of these players go on part of my takes audience or podcast. You know, seven million, millions of people are listening.

I was going to say seven figures, not seven million people. Seven million people are listening. That's pretty big. But you know what I mean. I don't know if you do the mailbag for golf podcast, but my question is this. We have all these popular golfers, J.T., speed, and others. People have historically great track record of winning majors in various competitions and being in contensions in the majors. Yet, when the majors come around or whatever tournament is being played that week,

they are nowhere to be seen. in the top 20 leaderboard. It seems to me like there are a lot of randoms like Austin Eckroat, Jake Knapp, and Sam Burns leading the pack on day four. I like the variety, but gambling-wise, I'm struggling. Well, there are individual courses that suit individuals better.

So there are certain guys who are going to play better at certain courses. I also think there's a randomness, like if you're a PGA tour golfer and you play in 20 events, and let's say you have an awesome season. You make 19 of 20 cuts. you had a fantastic season.

If you top 10 in those 19 events that you made the cut in, I would say in seven of them. If you top 10 in seven of those 19 events, you've been awesome. And if you did, that means more than likely you top five did in a couple of them, potentially even one. That's an elite season.

But that means potentially of those 19 cuts you made, how many would that be? 12 of those other finishes are going to be somewhere between 25 and 50. So you're just not really in the mix. And that's what makes golf. Like it's not just a winner and a loser. Like you're going to have some tournaments where you have a bad four-hole stretch and all of a sudden you finish 38th and you're like,

I didn't even play that bad. It's what makes the sport kind of unique. It's why Tiger was so big on Cubs. and it's why there was so much pushback on the signature events and, you know, the live set up sometimes with, you know, being only three rounds, and now the signature events, the no cuts, the smaller fields. It's like the purity of golf to me is four rounds, 150 people. Cut half the field.

And with that comes, especially in tougher tournaments, like you're going to have some guys that just get fucking rocket shipped out of there. And you're also going to have some random guys that play well. Now, typically those guys come back to the pack. You know, look who was in the final group on Sunday at the Travelers. Tommy Fleetwood, Russell Henley, and Keegan Bradley, all top, what, 15, 20 players in the world? So, I think for the most part over the course of the season at the bigger tournaments, the cream usually rises. Can you touch on the Brian Roll-up hiring and the Jay Monaghan stepping down?

As a guy who has a lot of NFL experience with the product being the best of the best, What changes do you expect to see the PGA Tour moving forward to grow viewership? Anything particular you're hoping for with the transition, with the typical live PGA deal getting done? I mentioned this. I do think they've got to figure out to get some sort of uniformity with the partners. Like, we're all on business together, and the tour has less leverage than the NFL.

Like, the networks need the NFL. the networks can't function without the NFL. These networks can function without the PGA tour. Though CBS, they use them for a lot of inventory. I would say CBS is pretty dependent on the PGA tour. But their product is the better one of the NBC. But I still think we can work to figure out different ways to just make the broadcast better.

And find a way to show more golf. While still, like, I'm pro ads. If you listen to my show, we got ads. We got to pay the bills. We're not doing this for free. This isn't a charity. This is a business. No different in the PGA Tour, no different than CBS.

But I feel like the highlight nature of the broadcast is pretty out of whack. I really do. And I think one thing he could do immediately, and I mentioned this earlier, it's so easy, rip up suspensions. Rip them up. It might piss some people off originally, but we're eventually going to start playing together. kind of do with the majors anyway. Hey John, you want to play at Torrey Pines? Hey, Brooks.

Do you want to play at the Arnold Palmer? Hey, Bryson. Do you want to play at the Colonial? I think you live here. Do you guys want to be part of some of our... If not, no biggie. But hey, it's open to you if you're interested. If you tell me that, like, hey,

you know Bryson and John Rom are playing at Tori Pines this weekend? Might make it a little more interesting. I think those are two things he could immediately do to just kind of get the ball rolling. And, you know, I think Jay, sometimes, let's face it, when you make a decision and you stick your feet in the ground and you don't want to budge, it's hard to pivot. Because whether you're too stubborn, you don't want to look like you're wrong,

whether you don't want it to blow up in your face, you don't want to say, well, why didn't you do this to begin with? And I feel like Jay was like that two years ago. or if you're a roll app, you're not tied to anything. These weren't your ideas. You didn't force this upon anyone else, so you can do whatever the hell you want to do. Why do you think Justin Thomas is not more of a factor in majors?

This guy should have been thriving at a place like Oakmont. Can work the ball both ways with his irons and is lethal with a three wood? I just don't get why he isn't more of a factor to win big events. Your thoughts? He can get squirley. with the driver. He can get really scurly with the driver. And I think putting sometimes a little hit or miss.

But I do think when you look at Justin Thomas's major career in a weird way for a great player and for a guy that's won multiple majors, I do think it's a little underwhelming. Like if you just bring up

his major record, the open championship. Let me find this. He has won, his best finish is 11th and then he has a lot of like T53's cuts Cuts T-31 T-53

For a guy that's like an all-time shot maker he should be unreal across the pond The Masters, he's never really played that great T-39, T-22 T-17 Actually let me take that back He's gotten better

In 2020 I guess do we count that one He finished 8 in 22 But he's missed to cut the last couple years. He finished 36 this year. He has not had a good major season this year, for sure. Honestly,

his last, he hasn't played well in majors the last three years. Of three, six, nine, eleven. In his last 11 majors,

he's been cut one, two, three, four, five, six, seven times. Seven miscuts in his last 11 majors. It's pretty nuts. So it's like he's talked about it, but there is a little track record there.

I would say this right now with Justin Thomas. I just wouldn't put any money on him in these majors. Based on his, for whatever reason. I don't know if he's pressing. I don't know. He's had an awesome season. For a guy that's had an awesome season, who's a lock rider cup, to miss two cuts?

I mean, the PJ Championship in the U.S. Open, and he was not very good at the Masters either. I don't know. I honestly don't know what to tell you there. My fellow bald brother. Do you like Fleetwood, Finao, and Fowler? Do you think that those guys will ever win a major? Stars of the game, but can't get it done?

And do you think some players who won majors the last couple years will ever win one again? Clark, Harmon, Spawn, Zander? Feels like Zander will, but the other guys are probably just a one major player. Last one for you. Do you think Charlie Woods will be? be one of the greats in, say, 10 years. He seems like a kid who has the best shot out of the superstar kids.

I think it's to even take a guess on Charlie Woods is impossible. That one's tough. The pressure on him, let's just assume this. He's going to be an excellent high school golfer and play college. And if I had to bet, he either stays in the SEC and just plays like Florida, you know, like in his dad's backyard, one of the sweet SEC schools or plays at Stanford. the pressure on him will be unlike anything we've ever seen. I mean, there was pressure on Tiger,

but he wasn't trying to live up the tiger. There had never been a tiger. To be Tiger Woods's son is, we've seen it recently with Bronny, with, you know, we're going to see it with Arch, and he's not even Peyton or Eli's son. So I,

it feels unfair to Charlie. I would say, I mean, Zander's not been good this year, but he got hurt. I would say, Wyndham Clark, no chance. Brian Harmon,

extremely unlikely. J.J. Spawn. Be pretty crazy, but shit, he looked pretty good. I would say probably not on those guys you listed. Ricky Fowler's never going to win a major. Tony Fienow, I would say, has a chance.

If you told me Tommy Fleetwood has one win, like his career ends with one win. I know he's won on the European, it wouldn't shock me if his one win was like oh the the british open or you're like Tommy Fleetwood won the US Open like I could see his one win being a major just being in a position where he just kind of wins it you know he's had some of these he's had like incredible rounds on a Sunday when he's kind of out of it I bet on him a couple times to top 10 and top 20 it's like this is never going to happen all of a sudden Tommy Fleetwood shoots four under on

Sunday so if he can do that where he's like two behind in a US open he's shoots five under, all of a sudden he wins. And he kind of gets to fly under the radar a little bit. I think he's less likely to win it if he's in the last group. I think he's more likely to win if he's like two back and he's in like the third or fourth group. So I got Tommy Fleetwood's in the house. He posted a number. Then the other guy fucks up. It's like Tommy Fleetwood's the 2020s, uh, the 2007 US Open champion. Hey, it's us to Jonas brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it.

We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it.

Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas,

and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 Letter help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happens.

That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer-beaters to controversial calls, we break it down,

give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs. And on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris.

every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jenshin won. I mean, she went down at three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck.

Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Okay, last question. I've been thinking about Tiger and Scotty. I like where your heads are. Seems to me like Tiger was less surgical than Scotty.

Scotty is almost boring to watch. No risk, no crazy highlights. Tiger was always making the most insane shots after making subpar shots. Like the famous Chip on 16 in 2005. What was he doing left to the green to begin with? I don't think it can be overstated. Equipment in 2025. And really equipment for the last decade.

The equipment Tiger used and Phil used early on in their career and guys, you know, from Jack to Arnold to Greg Norman, the variance on those clubs. I started playing golf in the 90s. Golf was so hard. One reason I was never, I'm a better player now than I've ever been, but even in high school in like 2000, 2001, 2002, we had some really good players in my area, like Nick Watney, Spencer Levine,

Ricky Barnes was from a little closer like Stockton, but all those guys were a little older than me, but like guys that went on to the PJ tour. But for the most part, like if you were shooting mid-high-70s, you were like a top two or three guy on a golf team in high school. If you look at the high school scores now, It is stupid how good all these teams are. Because it's never been easier to play golf.

It doesn't mean that you don't have to be good to play golf. But like this equipment, I think I heard, I don't know if it was on No Laying Up or someone said that earlier this year, that Scotty Sheffler last year in 2024 hit like 15% more fairways in 24 than he did in 23. And obviously he's swinging hard and hitting the ball really far. he's hitting the ball really straight. Tiger did not hit the ball straight. But also part of the reason he didn't hit the ball straight

because Tiger swang hard, like all these guys now. Tiger was swinging in terms of ball speed, clubhead speed, like with velocity. But equipment in 97 or 2000, like, if you miss hit it a little bit, it's like you could be way off. And I just think that part of what made golf, I mean, the three most famous golfers of all time are Arnold Palmer, well, probably Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicholas, Tiger Woods.

But, like, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods, if you go back and just watch highlights of Arnold Palmer, he did a lot of shit from the trees. Like, what made Phil and Tiger so spectacular was, like, the crazy shots from out of nowhere. Scott, he's like, oh, yeah, he just hit an eight iron from 170 yards, middle of the fairway to six feet, tapped it in for Bertie. Tiger was like, yeah, Tiger, you know, he took a five iron from 210 yards,

he roped it around a tree, bounced on the top of the bunker, and ended up rolling 17 feet. And then he rolled it in for the most incredible eagle I've ever seen. That's not really what Scottie Shepler does. But I think it gets back to the equipment. When you watch Tiger in 2019, it was much more when he won the Masters. and even when he started playing well. Remember when he was the playing captain of 2019 President's Cup? He was playing more boring golf

because with this equipment, there's no point to not be boring. You're just kind of like hitting it out there 3010 yards, you're just moving the ball forward. If you're a good wedge player and good short iron player, you're going to knock some balls tight, you're going to make a bunch of birdies. That's not how Tiger and Phil played in their heyday. Because that's not really the equipment

if you're swinging as hard as those guys are swinging, a fucking seven iron could land way left. You know, it wasn't because Tiger was trying to do it. I think the equipment is, the ball, the equipment is a big reason. It's harder for these guys. Everything is so optimized. Like everything. Swing speed, ball control, like perfectly to a T.

The trackman exists for Tiger 20 years ago? I mean, I'm sure there were elements of which. which it existed, but nothing to the extent of now. Even Tiger talks about now, like, I feel, I'm a feel guy. They're like, what do you mean? You don't measure? He's like, no, I can just, I can tell. 67 yards.

I'm just used to looking at it. The way these guys talk, it's feel, feel, feel. We don't have feel players anymore. I mean, Scotty is, he's the closest thing to a modern-day field player, but it's also very optimized with the numbers. And Bryson's the most extreme, right? All the numbers. Can you imagine Bryson if he tried to play the way he's playing in 1998 or some of his drives would end up?

He would hit drives on a whole into a different city swinging that hard. I mean, it would go, look at John Daly who bombed it. He struggled. The balls would fly all over the map, which made golf pretty entertaining. It made anyone that tried playing golf 20, 30 years ago, it's like a lot of people just quit. You're like, this is not fun at all. Now it's like you hit a couple shots. Like, hey, hit this oversized Calloway.

You're like, fuck. Did I just hit this 7 iron, 180 yards? You're like, yeah, blast it again. That would never have happened in 1996. Like, I quit. I'm not playing with these Mizuno blades. So I think a huge element is just the equipment and the balls and just the, yeah. I mean, I also think that you watch some Tiger, Phil,

highlights, even stuff from like the 90s with Greg Norman, some of the 80s stuff. A lot more variance, a lot more variables. There are just less variables now. It's, I was not rooting for Tommy Fleetwood to crumble like he did. But it can't really be argued that it was kind of entertaining. Because we just don't see that as much. It used to happen all the time. Because at any moment in professional golf, a guy could get like a double bogey.

It just feels, especially in a non-major, feels kind of rare now. It's like rare to watch a guy get a, boge at a big spot. Because you're like, I'm just going to hit it 320 yards, then he'll knock it up around the green

and more than likely get up and down. That was not the case back in the day. So appreciate everyone listening. And I'll see in a couple days back from Scottsdale.

See you. The volume. Hey guys, it's us the Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what?

We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick.

Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 Mike.

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Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, and on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be? I call on my Gen X squad from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. Unfiltered Conversations from Night Sweats to Football, to scheduling sex. Wait, what sex? Is it just me or does every woman my age want to look at Pinterest instead of having sex sometimes?

They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Tiana Maria Riva on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments.

If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball.

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