The Press Box - Ep 151: 'ShackHouse' British Open Recap

Episode Date: July 18, 2016

Geoff Shackelford and Joe House break down Henrik Stenson's win over Phil Mickelson at “The Open,” Billy Horschel’s backward cap, and Trump phoning Shackelford directly! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey guys, this is Jeff Shackleford and Joe House. We're from Shackhouse, and today we're running a small excerpt on today's show. To hear the full episode, please subscribe, please subscribe to Shackhouse on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcast. Today on Shackhouse, an open championship for the ages, as Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson contested a duel that even Jack Nicholas says was the best he's ever seen. Plus, Rue MacDonald, who will talk Scottish golf travel with us. But first, from Scotland.

House, I greet you from beautiful Glasgow. How are you doing? It's your last day in Scotland. It's got to be a sad day, right, Jeff? It is a sad day. In fact, it's very, very sad house. But I will say I am looking forward to being reunited with the sun, Mexican food, and something for breakfast other than scrambled eggs, beans, and tomato.

But other than that, It's been a wonderful trip here, as always. It's such a beautiful place. Great people. They love the game of golf. You never have to be ashamed to love golf here. And then, oh yeah, by the way, we just had one of the greatest majors of all time, I think. I'm not sure.

I mean, it's early in the week, house. But I feel like this is one we're going to have to kind of sit on and ponder. But what those two guys just did at Royal Trune was just really, really special. Yeah, I feel like if Jack has. already weighed in. Jack Nicholas has already weighed in, and his view is that yesterday's competition between the two players, because it was just a two-man competition, surpassed what he and Tom Watson did in 77. That's good enough for me. I'm pretty sure the 18 major winner can have the final say on that matter. Yeah, how about that? He just took to Twitter and

threw that out there. He said, what was his line? He said, oh, mentioning Turnberry in 1977, I thought we played great and had a wonderful match. On that day, Tom got me 65-66. Our final round was really good, but theirs was even better. What a great match today. I don't know why he's calling it a match, but whatever Jack says, he's allowed to say. Because that's accurate. It was a match yesterday, and what they had gone was a match also, don't you think? Yeah, although Phil really downplayed that on Saturday and even after going through all that, he still kind of downplayed it. Not to be rude to Henrik. It's just that I think he gets so locked into a mindset that it's stroke play and

that there were a few holes out there where anything could go wrong. And so he just didn't want to play against the person he was playing against. He wanted to play against the golf course, which is very hard to do when it's just the two of you. So either way, it was spectacular. Yeah, I don't begrudge him his point of view that's necessarily. for his proper mindset and preparation in the way that he wants to tackle it. But for all of us consuming the thing, it was just match play.

And the moment that Henrik rolled in, that unbelievable 60-footer, 70-footer, I don't know what the actual yardage was from on 15, I, you know, put it in the book. That's it. The match is over. Yeah, but then 16, I was behind the green, and you know, it was just, you couldn't believe when that went in. And then Phil had a really hard putt there. So he did a nice job just a two putt. The pin was on a really weird little spot.

I doubt you could see it on TV. But, you know, 16, then he made it interesting, hitting it over, Henrik did, over in the left rough. And I got to see the lie. And it was not horrible, but it was one where it needed a little bit of care. And he hit a great shot. And then, but Phil's pot on 16 house for Eagle, it just went bumpety bump at the start. And then, again, like the putt for 63 that he had earlier in the week, it was just astounding that that putt did not go in. I mean, Bones didn't fall over this time, but he, he did, you know, pretty much show and let everybody know that that was just an absolutely painful miss.

And Phil muttered a bunch of stuff walking over to hand the putter to him. And, I mean, if that had gone in, I mean, the match was, the duel was just incredible, but that took it, that would have taken it to even another level. So, but. Yeah, because the, the pressure on Henrik to match with that very, it looked very scary, a little downhiller. It was. You know, that, that, that, the, does he have the same competent stroke?

Does he have the same ability to take a couple deep, breasts and you know he made it look very easy it's very i don't want to use the word nonchalant but it was there's nothing extraordinary about his approach to that that little knee knocker there um but boy oh boy if fills could have just you know tippled in toppled in that would have been something else i want to interrupt before we keep going because you really had one hell of a forest gump tournament this week Jeff Shackleford. We have documented photographic evidence of you behind Phil on 18 on Thursday at his, you know, record tying opener.

We have you documented photographic evidence of you with a shirtless Henrik Stenson yesterday as he's approaching the T-box on 17. And we are on the cusp, the road. Republican National Convention has just commenced, you tell me, not less than a half hour before we get on to this podcast, that you've been getting direct communication from the presumptive nominee, the Donald himself, in relation to your thoughts on Turnberry. Let's hear a little bit about your week, my friend. That was a surreal phone call.

Well, we'll do the Donald first. So I was, Phil shoots his 63. and I got to see the end of it, as you mentioned. I was walking the last, I don't know, six, seven holes there, six holes. And he hit that kind of questionable tee shot. And so I went up the left side and got to stand behind it. And then the putt was just incredible. And the moment was incredible.

And Phil's reaction to be so down about it was incredible because you understood. I mean, most golfers would say, why would somebody shoot 63 and be so depressed or saw him? number. And that's because Phil knows history. Phil knows that he had it. He finally was the person. He was going to break this barrier to shoot 62 in a major that 27 other people had shot 63. And so I'm sitting there and I'm writing for Golf Digest this and the phone goes off and it says unknown number. And I just I just said, well, I thought of one person it might be that is a friend of Phil's calling to take credit for something and I went well I don't want to deal with that it's unknown and so I keep banging out my text and then I look and there's a long message and I hit

I go all fine let's see what it is and I hit play and uh and it was it was mr. Trump will call him since he is the nominee now I think the Donald would be disrespectful since it's going to be one of two people and yeah he saw some tweets about turnberry and he wanted to talk a little turnberry yeah so we'll let you you go ahead and delve into that a bit more when we're in the speed round, because I know you want to give some of some thoughts on Turnberry. You got to do the pitch and put there, and I think you got to play a full 18 there last week, right? I did. Almost. We got a little wet at the end, but we had a great time. Yeah, it's sensational. So we'll talk about that. But let's get back to Stenson,

because that moment, forget me, it was just surreal. So he makes the birdie on 16. And I want to get to this thought of the zone here in a moment. But he makes a put, everybody, the whole entourage marches up to the 17th T, and Henrik looks very locked in and just so calm. And Phil, too. They both were just so calm under the circumstances. And it was just a surreal scene already because the grandstand's house had been empty all week. And so now we actually have a beautiful weather day. The grandstands are full. It looks fake. It looks like a painting when you're on 16 and you see these layered grandstands completely filled and people clapping almost like a recording. Just a beautiful, beautiful scene. So he marches up to the 17th tee and I'm standing next to Mark

Canisaro, the New York Post, right by the scoreboard and that way we can't block any people. And yeah, we're like 30 yards away. And literally the moment he's on the tea, he just turns around and he starts walking at us. And I thought, oh, he must have to go to the bass. It's kind of a weird time, but whatever. And then he just literally keeps walking right at Mark and I, and then he starts taking off his golf shirt. And then he shows a little bit of his stomach, and he still keeps walking at us.

He goes, shield me. And he's just looking right at us, and we kind of laugh, and I don't even know what to say. And then he just goes right behind us. And there's a day glow-clad policeman. And he gets behind him, and we of course said, sure, we'll shield you and we'll act like nothing's unusual here. There's only millions of people watching and you're just roping in front of them.

And he goes, I'm a little hot today. And he said it in that just the way he delivers the dry lines. Like it was a reference to the golf. It was a reference to the temperature. But I found it surreal house. I don't know what television showed, but that here was somebody who was so locked in. And then he just had this moment on the tea where I, I'm throwing a perfect game, and I've decided to take off my undershirt.

And golfers are usually very superstitious. I guess Henrik isn't. I thought he was. And then he went about, and then he stuck at about seven feet. And the crowd gave kind of a weird reaction. And it may have been his fault because he was, and this is where I want to get to the zone conversation with you. He was so locked in that he started to, at the end of the round, he would just hit these shots. He'd see that it was on the flight, and he knew he hit it so perfect.

And he just went and put the club in the bag, and that was it. And I think it threw the crowd off. But he was just, he was in another place. He did not give on television any kind of facial expression. And I know that that's part of what we've all come to expect with him. He's very stoic in expression. And when he gets those glasses going and you don't really see his eyes at all, you know, It feels like he's a little robotic out there just, you know, mowing down birdies.

That wasn't the case yesterday for whatever reason. I didn't feel like he was a robot. And the curious thing about this in the zone observation you're making, it was absolutely the case. It is true. So was Phil. Yeah, he was too. You know, that's why yesterday was so incredible.

Both guys where you don't know whether or not they're feeding off of one another or if they're just each in such a great space themselves. I mean, Phil on one. I had a conversation overnight Saturday into Sunday with somebody wondering if Phil could hang in there through all four rounds or whether, you know, 46 years old across the pond. All that kind of stuff would catch up to him a little bit, like physically. And I said, well, let's watch his swing on the first two holes and see what he does.

And on number one, you know, off the tee perfectly, you know, placed for a small wedge in and he sticks it. It's like, well, I like the way Phil's looking right here. And Henrik had a small wobble. But as the day went on, both of them were taking driver or three wood in places where, you know, there's a little trepidation. 10, 11, 12, you start getting nervous. Please don't pound one of these off, you know, into the high shrubbery or over the railroad tracks. and they were right down the middle each and every time.

It was just an incredible display, right? Yeah, because Phil's tendency has been to go a little bit wayward, and then Hendrick's tendency has been to just putt horribly. And so, yeah, when they got to 10 and 11, and those holes are so scary, the 11th is literally an island fairway surrounded by Gorse, and the slightest miss hit, and you are toast. And so they just went right through those.

me, Henrik's D. Shot on 11, went a little off of where he had wanted to put it, but just, it showed just being just barely. And so you just kept waiting for that moment when one of the two would kind of give in, and then it looked like Phil on 12 might, and then he made another miraculous par two days in a row on that hole. And it was just, they're both of them, their rhythm was so good. And it was cold early in the round. It was really, really cold. And then it, it, warmed up as a day when and that was always sort of what i worried about with with phil was was just knowing that he's got some some arthritis issues if that if that cold would bother him and it didn't at all he just looked great he's so happy here he so loves uh link's golf and he just he the people love him

they love him even more today believe it or not i mean that's all they they almost talked about him as much as the people i ran into um but he is uh just so at ease here and with lynx golf and and Henrik too. And it's so funny, though, house I watched them last Saturday at the Scottish. They played together. And they were like different people a week ago. Henrik's putting was just awful at Castle Stewart.

Phil's speed was awful. And we talked about that on the show, and it worried me in betting about them. But then when I saw Phil on Monday in the practice round, how loose and happy he was after that great Sunday, I just felt better. But to think that those two were where they were, a week before, and then at that point, playing some of the greatest golf that anybody has ever

seen in a major just tells you what a nutty, nutty game it is. Yeah, I was thrilled by the entire tournament, two guys going back and forth, and neither one, you know, lost ground by way of bad play. It was the superior play of the other that ended up carrying the day. And I absolutely loved. You know, it's the reason that sports, you know, is such a premium rights package these days, why networks are all willing to pay such exorbitant prices for sports. It's because you can't anticipate, you can't forecast when a great competition is going to break out between two competitors

and you're going to see, you know, something that you haven't seen before. And we had four days of the possibility of seeing something we hadn't seen before. Scotland was totally up to the task. They gave us three and a half seasons. The way it's supposed to, it's supposed to be cold. We got cold. We got warm. We got wind.

We got rain. The only thing that was missing was snow. So the place was up to it. The crowds were up to it. I saw very good reviews of the live outdoor facility that they set up for patrons to come in and enjoy and stay on the ground. through the tournament. What was the reaction to that facility? Oh, it's a great vibe.

Yeah, I did a little piece for our website at Golf Digest and then also for Golf Channel. And it's just what you'd hope for at the open. It's dignified, but it's more relaxed and they don't quite take themselves as seriously. You know, you have corporate sponsors around and they have their tents and some are better than others. HSBC has all this great interactive stuff.

you can hit the drive on the road hole, and you've got all these great food options. There's a falconer who will share his birds with you, but he's also there to kind of keep the gulls away. I mean, just kind of an oddball thing like that. The merchandise is a little sterile. They need to work on that. But it took a setback this year. It had very little stuff that said Truon and some branding person got a hold of it. But the overall vibe that kind of sets is just wonderful, and they're the best fans.

And the only thing that was a little strange was the first few days you'd probably notice and when Phil had his 63 putt. For some reason, the people stayed down by the Spectator Village and then they gravitated, interestingly, towards the far end of the course where the postage stamp is and really where the most dramatic holes are to watch. And so there were a lot of people up around the clubhouse holes. And if people wonder why it was so empty when Phil was putting, that was kind of why. For whatever reason, I think it was a little trickier to get up there.

But the atmosphere at the open house is really special. It's, again, it's serious, it's dignified, but it's also relaxed, and the people, and there are also just so many kids that come to the open. It's free for under a certain age, and that just adds another element of kind of joy to the whole thing. And it's, Truon's not the most beautiful venue, but it's obviously, I don't know how it came off on television, but it obviously is just a great test of golf. And it was set up beautifully and in good enough shape to kind of let these two put on a performance that it's just for the ages. So speaking of the one for the ages, you had reached out to me a little earlier saying, where do I think the second place finish for Phil kind of falls?

Is it his most devastating? Before I give you my point of view on that, what's your take? Yeah, my view is that it is the most devastating one, which is kind of, I know, an odd take, but here's why. I look at the ones where he made a mistake, like at Wingfoot or Marion, that as he sits back and thinks about his 11th second place finishes in his unbelievable career, which I think is also, by the way, we're discussing this downer part of Phil's career, but, like Arnold Palmer, who had 10 second place finishes in majors, and Jack Nichols at 19,

in an odd way, these runner-ups and these heartbreakers and these amazing performances and then doing it in an old age actually solidifies their places as legends in the game. I mean, because he's there so many times and does it in such a certain way only Phil can do it. But I feel like for him, seeing how he was. reacted to this and how he was so dejected and so heartbroken, really, because he has been putting so much into his game. He's been working like crazy. It's been three years since he won. He did everything right. He shoots 62 and a half, essentially. He shoots 65 the last round with no bogeys. He plays just an amazing tournament. If he was the only player there, he wins by a

and that is the largest winning margin since 1870. He wins 141 of 145 Open Championships with that score. I mean, you just can go on and on. And so I think that in a weird way, that is really almost more painful that you did every single thing right, and you still didn't win. What do you think?

Stretch? Yeah, on the brink of history in so many different ways with so many different angles, he would have been the oldest open winners. right? Since old Tom Morris. Right, right. For me, I

in a galaxy far, far away. I don't think anything could ever surpass Wingfoot in terms of a devastating second place. That was a doozy. Because this instance was one where

he played his very, very, very best and it just happened to not be good enough here at Trune, Wingfoot was a meltdown of catastrophic, unprecedented, never-to-be-repeated proportions, largely because of the mental failures. And, you know, I don't think he's leading the U.S. open and makes two unbelievable mental errors. That to me is the thing that I think would have to be gnawing at him for a lifetime. And it seems like he's confessed as much as he's sort of put that in context and in his rearview mirror over the years. But Wingfoot for me remains the one that

has got to be the toughest one to, you know, process in a lifetime. Well, let me here. Let me throw another reason at you why I think this one hurts. He doesn't really care about playing for regular tour titles anymore. He's all about the history. That's why the 63 lip out was so painful because he's such a lover of history, especially when he gets to the open, and he's thinking about that. He knows he doesn't have many opportunities left. The golf gods, who he now believes in after that putt, tend to be very harsh on people as they get into their late 40s. Now, he could be an exception, which he also knows because he's got such great flexibility, and his health seems to be so good, and he knows how to pace himself,

and he has paced himself very well a lot better than several other players. So I think when you add in the sort of extra pressure he feels because of his sense of history and his sense of, I don't want to say desperation, but his desire to take advantage of these last few key years, that that's what makes it so painful for him that he did every single thing right. His swing changes are working, and then I guess the only thing that doesn't make it more devastating

is that he really likes Henrik. Other than when Henrik plays very slow, I think Phil absolutely loves playing with him. So that is, I want to talk about one other things. Yeah, it was pretty apparent from their interaction, really starting on Saturday when they played together all day Saturday. And, you know, they, in all of the interviews, the two of them did, they talked about, you know, very generously how much they like each other. And I wonder how much of that played into Henrik's ability to get himself into the flow, into the moment, in a groove,

and into the zone, as we say. In the same way that we observed with Danny Willett, the comfort that he had playing with Lee Westwood at the Masters, in a way, Henrik had the benefit of playing with such a comfortable competitor that that was not part of the sort of mental, let's say, booyabays, right? The big soup that's in his head as he's trying to pick out ingredients and just pull together the best possible performance. he didn't have to worry about the guy that was standing across from him in terms of any

intimidation factor or unfamiliarity or anything like that. The mental bouleabase. That is one. That is a keeper. If we had show titles for this show, I think that would have to be the show title house. To your point, though, yes, here's the other thing I wanted to point out before we get to our interview with Rue McDonald to talk Scottish golf and before we get to the speed round,

which will cover some more about the Open Championship. Henrik was playing, I won't say fast at the open, but he was playing at a very nice, normal pace. And so to your point about the comfort level, you know, he played with Phil up at Castle Stewart, and then he clearly had found something that was on a level that was just like few golfers have ever found on the final day, or really over four days, but especially on the final day of a major. and house he was he was just playing very uh at a very nice clip i usually don't enjoy watching him play because he's so slow um he mean at okman he was and he was battling a little injury and he was battling the course and i think his putting was bothering him and he was he was really really

grinding and he played with phil there by the way as well and so i think that was just so telling yesterday and I know TV kind of masks that, although TV showed those guys so much. So it was, I think you kind of detected that he was just at a level of comfort there. And players, for whatever reason, house, they like to downplay the importance of a good pairing. But it's nonsense. It absolutely makes all the difference in the world. Yeah. All right.

That's it for this preview of Shackhouse on Channel 33. Make sure to subscribe to our podcast to hear the full show now. Jack who!