WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.100 --> 00:00:15.520 [upbeat music] Wanna welcome in Marcus L. to the podcast, the general manager of Scoreboard by Clipped. Marcus, always great to see you. We got a lot of college golf to talk about. Yeah. I appreciate you having me on. 2 00:00:15.560 --> 00:00:24.930 I'm, I'm currently at Omni La Costa. We got the women's final match going off in right about an hour, or an hour 12 minutes if, if, if we wanna be e- exact. So, you know, we got 3 00:00:26.240 --> 00:00:33.640 number one versus number two, Stanford and USC, what everybody wanted to see. So it's, it's gonna be an exciting afternoon. It's, it's been a great women's championship so far. 4 00:00:34.440 --> 00:00:47.629 What, what's it, what's it like just on the grounds during this week? It's weird. Like, because, 'cause every, you know... In every other sport, it's like a crescendo to the finals. 5 00:00:48.860 --> 00:00:55.900 And it definitely is a crescendo to the finals as far as, like, the teams getting better and, like, the stakes are higher and obviously like that. 6 00:00:55.920 --> 00:01:07.960 But, like, on site there's less teams, and college golf is kind of a mom and dad fan kind of thing, so that typically means less people, right? So your, your quarterfinals matches are pretty packed. 7 00:01:08.140 --> 00:01:12.220 You know, your stroke d- play days are, are pretty, pretty good, especially, like, on that Monday Memorial Day. 8 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:20.530 But then when you get to the final match, it's just, like, there's only five tee times and, like, there's just not a whole lot of people here sometimes. You know, the parking lot's not as full. Yeah. 9 00:01:20.540 --> 00:01:28.900 You know, you know, that kind of deal. So it, it does feel kind of weird a little bit, 'cause it's just not as, just not as many people, not as much fanfare. But, like, the golf is as good as it gets, you know? Yeah. 10 00:01:29.320 --> 00:01:40.920 I guess match play has that kind of cadence to it anyways, right? Even if you think about, like, you go to a US Am and- Yeah... the first two days are packed, and then you slowly, the range is quieter. Right. 11 00:01:41.020 --> 00:01:47.520 Uh, it just gets a little bit, a little bit less. Obviously the crowds might get a little bit bigger and you- Right... uh, down in La Costa. 12 00:01:48.540 --> 00:01:56.030 You're probably not gonna attract a lot of kind of just people who wanna come watch a finals because it's on a resort and it's- Yeah. Not, not on a We-... it's a different dynamic... 13 00:01:56.080 --> 00:02:04.460 not on a W- not on a Wednesday at 2:30. [laughs] Let me put it that way. Yeah, yeah. That, that probably has a lot to do with it, too. Not on, not on a Wednesday at 2:30. But you'll start to see... 14 00:02:04.760 --> 00:02:09.720 'Cause, like, a lot of the men's teams are starting to come in now. So, you know- Yep... start seeing each of the men's teams, the coaches, players, you know, their mom and dads. 15 00:02:09.940 --> 00:02:18.410 You know, you've got, you know, for example, Arkansas played in a semifinal yesterday. So, like, all the Arkansas men were out following. So you'll start to see- Yeah... kind of crossing of, of those teams. 16 00:02:18.440 --> 00:02:25.250 Stanford's probably gonna come out and watch. I think USC on the men's side, uh, it, it will, is in the field obviously as well. So they'll, they'll probably come out and watch the final match just at- Yeah... 17 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:25.940 some capacity, too. 18 00:02:26.020 --> 00:02:35.460 So once they kinda, especially as you get to 18, if you have some matches kind of get into that loop of, like, 15, 16, 17, 18, which is right by the clubhouse, it'll start to get pretty congested there as we get to the end. 19 00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:45.760 But to start it's not always, it's not al- as always big as, as, as you may think it may be. It's cool that there's a bunch of men's teams who have- Yeah... women's, you know, compatriots- Sure... competing as well. 20 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:54.180 That's... So the schedule, that's kind of one of the things that I was, wanted to pick your brain about, mainly because of Eastern Michigan [laughs] winning yesterday. 21 00:02:54.240 --> 00:03:04.950 And I guess let's start with them and then, like, just the day they had yesterday. Like, they were 226th in the wor- in the world, in the country- [laughs]... two years ago. You could say the world. 22 00:03:04.950 --> 00:03:15.920 I looked up who's 226 right now. East Texas A&M, and Clipped is ranked 226. Like- Unfortunately, I, I don't think they have $14.5 million coming tomorrow either. Okay. Yeah. 23 00:03:15.980 --> 00:03:25.780 So I, I read a little bit, but it sounds like they got a big infusion of cash. They got a, a former Georgia coach. Still, like, you gotta put the ball in the hole and- Right... and beat some of these... 24 00:03:25.940 --> 00:03:29.720 I mean, they beat Texas. They got- Yeah... through regionals. And, and then there they were. 25 00:03:30.880 --> 00:03:40.000 [laughs] They beat Texas in the quarterfinals, and then they have to, like, turn around an hour later and literally go play Stanford. [laughs] Yes. Where it's like- Yes. Yeah... congratulations, you slayed the dragon. 26 00:03:40.640 --> 00:03:47.080 Here comes Goliath- Right... around the corner. Um- We have three dragons now. Yeah, yeah. [laughs] Uh, it's, it's such an... You know, 27 00:03:48.040 --> 00:03:58.560 you can, you can break it down just kinda, like, on the micro level of what did Eastern Michigan do, and the money infused, and the coach they got, and the way he recruited, right? Bringing players from Georgia. 28 00:03:58.600 --> 00:04:06.580 You know, recruiting a little bit differently. You know, I think many have heard the story of the, of the two sisters that may or may not be spending most of their time in California, not on campus. I cannot... 29 00:04:06.620 --> 00:04:15.480 Like, honestly, I cannot confi- I've heard, I've heard both sides. I really don't know. Yeah, yeah. Um, like you, you can, you can look at it, like, in that micro sense of this is what Eastern Michigan did. 30 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:25.240 But you can also just look at it in the macro, right? Like, that's just kinda what college athletics is starting to, to become. So, like, it's, it's weird. From what we're used to at least it's weird. 31 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:33.090 But that doesn't mean it's not gonna become, I, I hate to say more normal, 'cause, like, we just talked about the number 200, 2016. I think you said it was East Texas A&M or something like that. Yeah. 32 00:04:33.100 --> 00:04:35.420 It's not gonna happen again tomorrow. I'm sorry. No. Like, it's just not gonna happen. 33 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:44.800 So this isn't just gonna be like everybody's got a donor that's gonna shell out $15 million to woo some coaches from other programs or build a new practice facility. 34 00:04:44.840 --> 00:04:47.740 Like, that's just not, that's not gonna pop up everywhere. It's still gonna be Power Four dominated. 35 00:04:47.780 --> 00:04:55.120 It's still gonna be maybe some, some kind of programs that have, have a historically good golf program still getting some money in there. You're not gonna get a bunch of Eastern Michigans. 36 00:04:55.200 --> 00:05:03.420 I will also say, too, like, like you said, you can throw as much money as you want at it, they still had to go beat Texas. You know what I mean? Yeah. [laughs] They'll... 37 00:05:03.500 --> 00:05:13.390 Which, that, like, their ranking, even their ranking, which is, again, a culmination of their, of their results throughout the year, still would not suggest that they should be in the Final Four. Right. 38 00:05:13.440 --> 00:05:19.240 So I don't care how they got there, it's still miraculous that they were even in that position to compete. 39 00:05:19.260 --> 00:05:26.800 And they, I mean, day one after, I think after their stroke play around, it was like, "All right, are they gonna hang around?" And then they kept hanging around, and they kept hanging around. 40 00:05:26.840 --> 00:05:35.250 And they were really never in jeopardy of missing the top eight, you know? Yeah. So, like, they, they, they balled out all week, you know? So it was s- s- suits... You know, kudos to them. 41 00:05:35.280 --> 00:05:43.320 But I, I think it, I think it speaks more to the macro of, of what's going on in college athletics across the board more than it does, "Oh my gosh, look what, what happened to Eastern Michigan," you know? Yeah, yeah. 42 00:05:43.780 --> 00:05:57.110 I wonder if we'll see it... I mean, you're an Indiana guy, right? Like, we saw it in football a little bit. It's different, but, like, this team that has been, you know, historically terrible- Bad. 43 00:05:57.160 --> 00:06:06.146 Indiana has, is ba- Like, I'm from Indiana. I think, I was talking to Lance Ringler the other, the other day. They were the losingest-... football program in the Amer- you know, in college football until this year. Yeah. 44 00:06:06.156 --> 00:06:13.276 And now it's- Yeah... Northwestern. So, you know, so, like, it's... That's what Indiana does, is lose football games until now. [laughs] Until now. Yeah. You know? Like, that's what they do, you know? Yeah. 45 00:06:14.156 --> 00:06:26.416 But I think, I think we'll probably see maybe more of those that just... I think March Madness has always created those dynamics, and maybe they're just gonna pop up more in, in s- different sports. 46 00:06:26.496 --> 00:06:34.576 And- I would, I would-... the people who pay attention to the niche sports will see them more than- Yeah... you know. I mean, not many people know about Eastern Michigan and what, what just happened, but you're right. 47 00:06:34.636 --> 00:06:42.446 Like, on the macro level, there's someone looking around like, "Oh, they did this at Eastern Michigan. How could we do this in volleyball? How could we do this- Right... in some other sport?- Right... 48 00:06:42.476 --> 00:06:51.026 not necessarily golf?" Right. And it... And, and you got... I mean, and you, you gotta say too, right, like, because of this performance, that investment has probably paid off already, right? 49 00:06:51.036 --> 00:06:54.716 Because everybody's talking about it. At least in the golf world, everybody's talking about it. 50 00:06:54.756 --> 00:07:05.036 Now you got E- Eastern Michigan as something that's being spoken amongst these circles, you know, now becomes some, you know, a place that other players may want to go to, knowing that there's probably some NIL money on the table, right? 51 00:07:05.396 --> 00:07:16.106 So, so, so far, investment well spent, you know? Yeah. It really... Investment well spent. Yeah. There's a quote that's like, "College sports, college sports are the school's front porch." It's like the- Right, right... 52 00:07:16.236 --> 00:07:22.896 I think that's the phrase, or front yard or something. Yeah. Like, it just gets people looking at your house, and then- Yeah... suddenly they're interested. Yeah. Uh, all right. 53 00:07:22.936 --> 00:07:31.226 So and then Stanford goes on and beats them 5-0. They're in the final, like you said, against- Yeah... USC. That's gonna go on. So, like, by the time this is out, that'll be done. Yeah. 54 00:07:31.236 --> 00:07:40.756 It could be an e- epic match, but we have no idea yet, and I hope it is. Um, so let's talk about the men- Yep... a little bit. The men are getting ready. I had... 55 00:07:40.796 --> 00:07:51.456 So there's a, there's a Massachusetts kid on the Vanderbilt team. I had him- Okay... on last week, and it came out this week, talking about the Vanderbilt team. So that's a team I've kinda been tracking all year. 56 00:07:51.516 --> 00:07:59.136 But to be honest, like, haven't watched or followed as closely as I used to when, when I was with amateur golf. And but just looking through some of the... 57 00:07:59.156 --> 00:08:08.336 There were some surprising teams that just did not make it through this year, I think more, maybe more so than in the past. I'm looking at Texas Tech and Illinois specifically. 58 00:08:08.356 --> 00:08:17.036 But for you, were there any other teams that k- were... Felt like they should be there, or are sitting home right now thinking, like, "Man, we really [laughs] should be in La Costa"? 59 00:08:18.116 --> 00:08:25.256 I think you, you can go about it a bunch of different ways, right? You can obviously look at the number next to the team and say, "Okay, lowest ranked team here. Why are they not there?" 60 00:08:25.376 --> 00:08:32.386 Which is gonna be Texas Tech, right? Yep. Seventh. I, I would- Seventh in the country. Right. Seventh ranked team in the country. Yeah. Right? And, and obviously that, that is a shocker. 61 00:08:33.076 --> 00:08:44.576 I, I would also say, too, right, like, as we just talk about thinking about leaderboards and who won what tournaments, I don't know if Texas Tech's name is, came up a lot for me, so that is why it doesn't necessarily shock me. 62 00:08:44.836 --> 00:08:55.516 I, I, I, I lean more towards the Illinois route just because they go every year, you know? Like, a, a national championship without Mike Small there is, is different, you know? So, like, that was more the shock for me. 63 00:08:56.656 --> 00:09:02.676 You could also go one more. Charlotte had a really good year. I think they were maybe 19th in the country, and they didn't make it. 64 00:09:03.316 --> 00:09:11.275 And I say that to say not necessarily that I'm surprised they didn't make it, but the windows, I think, are so much smaller for a program like Charlotte than they are for an Illinois or Texas Tech. 65 00:09:11.856 --> 00:09:18.416 Illinois and Texas Tech are probably gonna be top 15 teams again next year, and the year after that, and the year after that, and the year after that, right? Programs like a Charlotte, 66 00:09:19.856 --> 00:09:26.116 it takes four years to get to number 19. [laughs] Yeah. I mean, it may take 10 years to get to number 19, 'cause you're building and building and building and building. 67 00:09:26.416 --> 00:09:33.636 So, like, if this was their window, and, like, this was their peak, and they didn't make it to a national championship... And again, I, I have no clue. I don't know how many people they got coming back. 68 00:09:33.676 --> 00:09:40.996 I really have no clue. I'm just speculating here. But, like, if this was kind of their peak of what they were building for the last four or five years, that would be a shock, disappointment. 69 00:09:41.016 --> 00:09:50.866 It's like, okay, now we gotta go through this all over again and try to build for f- another four or five years to get another team that good, and then hopefully make it again. You know, it's... Mike Small will- Yeah. 70 00:09:50.896 --> 00:09:58.676 He's gonna reload next year, you know? Yeah. Sands is gonna reload next year at Texas Tech. They'll be fine. So I, I, I got, I got to thinking about Charlotte as well, just of, uh... Yeah. 71 00:09:58.736 --> 00:10:06.216 What, what, what will, what will it look like for them moving forward if, if this was kind of their chance? 'Cause they had a real- they had a really, really good year. Yeah. And yeah, and you mentioned Sands and Small. 72 00:10:06.276 --> 00:10:13.476 Like, I think it's also just a surprise for two teams that are, that were at least ranked that high. [laughs] Yeah. With coaches who are... 73 00:10:14.456 --> 00:10:21.916 You know, if you're, if you ask someone who are the five best coaches in college golf, like, those two guys are gonna come up in- They're gonna be in the conversation... most conversations. 74 00:10:22.995 --> 00:10:32.496 Long Beach State was another one that I jotted down. Which, to be honest, like, not a team I had paid any attention to. I know, like, Ian Gilligan was there and left a- Yeah... few years ago. [laughs] And think that's... 75 00:10:32.536 --> 00:10:40.746 So that was a team that just surprised me, that they were, I think, in... I kind of, I did what you said you shouldn't do. I went and looked at the numbers and, like, figured, all right, if you're in the- [laughs]... 76 00:10:40.756 --> 00:10:49.316 like, if you're around 30, maybe you're on the cusp and- Yeah... you had a bad week. Yeah. But if you're inside, like, that 20 window- Yeah... and you don't make it. What, how would you... 77 00:10:49.496 --> 00:10:59.056 What round of, like, March Madness basketball is equivalent to just making the nationals? Is that, like s- is that, like, the expectation of a Sweet 16? 78 00:10:59.396 --> 00:11:05.536 And so you get teams who are like, "Holy crap, we made it to Sweet 16," [laughs] and other teams are like, "We did. We were supposed to be here." 79 00:11:05.576 --> 00:11:11.506 And then you get that window of teams that are like, "We blew it the first weekend." I think that's absolutely it. I think- Yeah... 80 00:11:11.536 --> 00:11:22.256 regionals is, like, your 64, you know, round, and we're like, there's a lot of teams that know they're not gonna make it, but they're having a great time. [laughs] You know what I mean? [laughs] Yep. 81 00:11:22.296 --> 00:11:28.916 And, and, and there's more, you know, and there's more pressure on the Illinois of like, all right, if we don't make it out, like, we're gonna look bad. 82 00:11:28.956 --> 00:11:34.906 Like, we don't wanna be the two versus 15 upset, you know, in that first round. You know? That, like that's kinda Illino- you know. There, there, there's a- Yeah... 83 00:11:34.916 --> 00:11:43.176 there's a, there's a, a thought among coaches and in the college golf world that, like, regionals is more stressful than nationals, because, like, it's about just getting to nationals. 84 00:11:43.196 --> 00:11:50.056 And I, I, and I feel like Sweet 16 is probably like that too. You know, maybe a Tom Izzo's like, "Yo, there, it's... We just gotta get to the Sweet 16," is the pressure part. 85 00:11:50.136 --> 00:11:55.316 Then we g- just gotta win a couple more games, right? All the best teams- Yeah... are, whatever. I would say that's a really good comparison. 86 00:11:55.356 --> 00:12:01.596 I would also say, too, because, like, you'll have some teams here that, I mean, again, similar to regionals, but not in the same sense. 87 00:12:01.616 --> 00:12:12.080 They obviously de- deserve to be here-But they're, you know, they are Cinderellas, they are George Mason, right? Where it's like, all right, we're in the Sweet 16 now. We can do anything. If we lose- Yeah... cool. 88 00:12:12.300 --> 00:12:20.040 But if we win, cool. [laughs] You know? That, that's just kind of what it is. Y- you know what I mean? Like, th- th- there's, they're, they're playing with house money at this point. Yeah. 89 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:26.940 They've already made their AD happy. They've already gotten- Yeah... enough buzz in a recruiting standpoint. Like, they, they've, they've already, they've already succeeded. 90 00:12:27.040 --> 00:12:34.040 So like, you know, if they come out and play well and have four good, or three good days even, that, that was a successful trip for them, you know? Yeah, yeah. 91 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:44.700 Ryan Downes even said, talking about Vanderbilt had a horrendous SEC season. Mm-hmm. And he said, "We just like, just reset, took a couple days off." And he said, "We were s- super anxious going into regionals 92 00:12:45.760 --> 00:12:52.560 just for that reason." Like we- Yeah... had two bad weeks in a row and you're not- Yeah... you're not heading to California. So yeah, [laughs] he kind of said the same thing. 93 00:12:52.600 --> 00:13:02.460 Like they were nervous and, or at least there's just an anxiety around it. Yeah. How about teams, you mentioned kind of that idea of Cinderella teams that maybe wouldn't make a Sweet 16. 94 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:13.160 Who are some teams for you that maybe surprise you that also maybe could make a little bit of noise this week? So, so there's two that surprise, there's one that could make noise. So the, the, the two surprises... 95 00:13:13.540 --> 00:13:21.320 The, the one big surprise for me is Memphis. And this is not an active- Yeah... but like I don't think any of us, especially from just like a golf program standpoint, expected Memphis to make it out of the regional. 96 00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:29.100 They also played at Columbus, which if you go by scores and just by anybody that's played that golf course, that is the hardest golf course that i- at, that like a regional will be hosted at. 97 00:13:29.420 --> 00:13:36.380 I think Florida won by like 20 something at even- [laughs] They did, yeah... at like even par or something like that, right? Like they didn't, you know what I mean? It's not like they shot 12 under or anything. 98 00:13:36.460 --> 00:13:43.560 Like they- Yes. Yeah... it's a tough golf course. I think Memphis made it through at plus 25, and they were like third in the regional or something like that, right? 99 00:13:43.640 --> 00:13:49.760 Like, it's a really tough golf course, really tough regional, but you know, Blake Smart and Isaiah Jackson have done a really good job there. 100 00:13:49.880 --> 00:13:58.300 So to see them get through, I think the progression for them too, I was kinda looking at their rankings. You know, I think it's what? High s- high 60s, maybe low 70s, sometimes it's kind of that bubble number. 101 00:13:58.340 --> 00:14:07.780 They were outside, or they were right at 70, I think, before they played their conference championship. Finished second, so they didn't get an automatic bid, but that pushed them right into being a little bit more safe. 102 00:14:08.180 --> 00:14:14.720 Yeah. Right? And then they go place third in the regional, now they're, you know, ranked 55 or 60 or something like that, right? So it's like- Yeah... they barely got in. 103 00:14:14.740 --> 00:14:23.200 They were barely in a regional to start with, to then finish third at what I would consider the toughest from a golf source, golf course standpoint, um, out of that regional. That was super impressive. 104 00:14:23.520 --> 00:14:31.320 I think the other one is Chattanooga. I, I think those am- amongst that have seen them play and have seen their team and that know Blaine aren't surprised. 105 00:14:31.480 --> 00:14:37.760 But from a ranking standpoint, I understand where the surprise come from. But like I've seen them a couple years in a row, and I've seen what Blaine's built. 106 00:14:37.800 --> 00:14:47.280 Like I, I go to the w- the Western Intercollegiate at Pasta Tempo just about every year, and they're a team that gets in there because, not because, but you know, Pepperdine's in, he's a former assistant at Pepperdine, so there's a relationship there. 107 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:53.640 That's how these things work. Uh, so they're in the tournament, and I've seen them play and I'm like, man, he, they're, they're good. Like they, they're scrappy and they compete. 108 00:14:54.160 --> 00:15:04.240 You, you go look at their tournament list of like, you know, you could say, oh, they finished 8 out of 15 here and 9 out of whatever here, but it's some of the best tournaments in college golf. 109 00:15:04.280 --> 00:15:09.540 Like they have a really tough schedule. So they're not afraid of playing against the big dogs either 'cause they've seen it all year, you know? 110 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:15.800 So I, I think that's, that's something to be said when they get into a regional or whatever, it's like, yeah, we, we've played with all these teams before. 111 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:23.820 You know, like they're, they're not really shocked or, you know, intimidated by playing with a, an LSU or something like that, you know? 112 00:15:23.830 --> 00:15:29.240 I, I, so I'm, I'm not shocked, but from a numbers wise, obviously they weren't necessarily supposed to make it that far. Yeah. 113 00:15:29.280 --> 00:15:38.129 Are they a team that you kind of, you said there's, there, those were your two, and you said one could possibly- That would be the one... maybe make a little noise is Chattanooga. Yeah. That would be the one. 114 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:51.940 I mean, it would be, it would be super Cinderella if it were them. If, if, if we were going to say like a team outside of, let's call it the top 10, top 15, that has a chance to make match play- Yeah... 115 00:15:52.040 --> 00:15:58.159 I think it would be USC. I, I got a lot of faith in what Mark Hankins is building there, and Colton Locke as assis- assistant coach. 116 00:15:58.400 --> 00:16:06.760 I, I texted Hankins the other day 'cause he, he was at, uh, I think Missouri at one point, Nebraska at one point, Iowa at one point, and kinda all rebuilds. And I was like- Yeah... 117 00:16:06.790 --> 00:16:13.400 "Man, you just cannot stay away from a rebuild, can you?" He's like, "Buddy, I can't." [laughs] So he's, you know, so that's what he's doing at USC. 118 00:16:13.700 --> 00:16:20.480 They kinda had a low period where they were trying to figure out the direction of the program. And I think in year, what is, whatever this is, two or three, I mean, he's got them to a top 25 program. 119 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:28.560 I think they're right at 23 or something like that right now. Uh, but that, that's a team that like, they, they got some guys and they can play. You know, I think they had the Big 10 Player of the Year this year. 120 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:39.060 So they, they've, they've got some guys that I wouldn't be surprised if, if they, uh, if they have a really good, really strong performance this week. That bastion of Big Ten golf. [laughs] Yeah. So. Yeah. [laughs] Yeah. 121 00:16:39.300 --> 00:16:47.220 Long time Big Ten, uh- The cradle of Big Ten. I still can't, like my brain- Yeah... does not compute it yet. But, but listen, I, yeah. 122 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:54.019 W- every time I see their like uniforms now and it's got the patch on there, the Big Ten patch, and I'm like, eh, it just doesn't look right. [laughs] Yeah. 123 00:16:54.100 --> 00:17:04.100 I was doing something about Micah Thorburn, and I think I, I just like off the cuff said Pac-10. Yeah. And then I was like, oh my, it, I mean, that's long gone. And it's, and someone was like, "It's the Pac-12." 124 00:17:04.140 --> 00:17:12.520 I was like, it used to be the Pac-10. It's been so many things. [laughs] Just- Yeah, exactly. Yeah... I'm old. I'm old. Yeah. And now they're trying to come back, so now we gotta do it all over again. Yeah. 125 00:17:14.020 --> 00:17:23.510 How about just La Costa in general as, as a venue? This is our th- Third... and I'm, I'm more thinking about like this is the third year. Grayhawk was three years. Mm-hmm. 126 00:17:23.510 --> 00:17:30.200 And I remember, I can't remember the name of the, the W- the Wake Forest women's coach. They won the last year at La Costa. Yeah. 127 00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:41.500 And she was talking about like how much data and how much information they were actually just kinda gathered over the first two years. That third year, they were really good, and they won. Uh, 128 00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:44.840 are, is there, maybe you saw with the women 129 00:17:46.320 --> 00:17:57.260 this time around, but like the third year, is there, has there been anything that shows like some teams a little bit more comfortable or teams with seniors or players who have been there for two or three years competing there? 130 00:17:57.540 --> 00:18:09.220 Does it, has it made any difference, or is this like, is there any even anecdotal evidence? [laughs] Right. Yeah. I, I think this is gonna be more subjective than data-driven, but- That's what we do here. Yes. 131 00:18:09.520 --> 00:18:17.616 [laughs]I, I don't... I think the experience piece of it is overrated from a golf course standpoint, especially in stroke play. 132 00:18:17.716 --> 00:18:28.616 Like, you, you, you look at just about any, any year, any golf course, even, even when we were at Grayhawk, you're typically gonna get the best teams finishing in order after four rounds of stroke play, right? 133 00:18:28.896 --> 00:18:35.916 It doesn't... I don't care if you're a freshman, sophomore, junior, first time here, whatever. The, the guys hit- and, and girls, hit the golf shots, right? 134 00:18:36.036 --> 00:18:41.996 They know, "I'm supposed to hit it here, so I'm gonna hit it there," right? I- this isn't, this isn't a golf course that's tricky. It's hard. 135 00:18:42.316 --> 00:18:49.636 It definitely asks you to hit some tough shots, like 15 is one of the coolest holes I've ever seen, and the pin locations that they use there are awesome. 16 is a tough hole. 136 00:18:49.676 --> 00:18:55.716 It's gotten better because the greens are more resp- re- uh, receptive. It's definitely grown in since year one, and I think that has changed how the golf course plays. 137 00:18:56.116 --> 00:19:06.116 But, like, as far as just being here multiple years, I really don't think there's an advantage necessarily in stroke play. I would understand it for match play, just because you're used to the cadence and the routine. 138 00:19:06.156 --> 00:19:15.356 So a team like an Auburn is not unfamiliar with that schedule of, "Okay, we've played four rounds. Now we gotta do this draw party. We're gonna get something to eat. 139 00:19:15.396 --> 00:19:21.226 Okay, I gotta recover because the first tee time's 6:50. I don't exactly know what time I'm teeing off yet because Golf Channel's deciding what time I tee off. 140 00:19:21.676 --> 00:19:24.296 Then I gotta get the break in b- in the middle, and then we're gonna have this after..." You know what I mean? 141 00:19:24.356 --> 00:19:30.686 Just kind of all of those things, as opposed to, like, in Eastern Michigan, where they're kind of deer in headlights. "Okay, what's next, Coach? Where do we go now?" You know what I mean? 142 00:19:30.736 --> 00:19:39.656 Like, that part I think is a little bit different once you get to, to match play. But as far as stroke play, I, I honestly think just the best teams end up playing well. Like, it's not really an experience. 143 00:19:39.736 --> 00:19:42.896 You either got it that week or you don't. Yeah. You know? And, and the best teams end up playing. 144 00:19:42.916 --> 00:19:48.216 And I think we saw it on the women's side, like even from a stroke play standpoint, it wasn't necessarily one, two, three, four, five from a rankings order. 145 00:19:48.696 --> 00:19:56.516 But the two best teams in the field clearly played better than everybody else. Yeah. And it, you know, and it's not because they've been here before. It's 'cause they're better than you guys. Like, it's that simple. 146 00:19:56.536 --> 00:20:05.696 [laughs] Yeah, yeah. They're better, they're better than everybody else. Yeah. And, you know, and I, I imagine we'll see something similar on the men's side. Yeah. Individuals, just men's individual. Yeah. 147 00:20:06.656 --> 00:20:14.656 Any, like, general thoughts about this group of players, the top end of it? I think very similar to the women's side. When there's 156 players in the field, 148 00:20:15.616 --> 00:20:23.876 and, and maybe more so on the men's side because y- I, I think many people would agree with this, just it's... The men's side is deeper. It's much more compact as far as, like, talent level, right? 149 00:20:23.956 --> 00:20:32.886 Like, you, you know, on the women's side there's, there's a big difference between Fara, O'Keefe, and the fourth player on, I'm gonna call out a random school, I'm sorry, but let's say Texas Tech, right? 150 00:20:32.916 --> 00:20:36.996 Like, that's, there's a big difference between that, right? Yeah. 151 00:20:37.096 --> 00:20:46.596 Sure, there's a gap between Jackson Koivinen and the fifth player on whoever, but, like, you know, there's players on Vanderbilt that at, at any given moment are better than Jackson Koivinen, right? 152 00:20:46.636 --> 00:20:54.716 There's players on LSU at any given moment, any given four-round stretch, that are just as good if not better than Jackson Koivinen, right? And, and that's just how it works on the men's side. 153 00:20:54.756 --> 00:20:57.416 It's a little bit deeper player to player, team to team, right? 154 00:20:57.536 --> 00:21:07.246 So I think all you really ask for in a, in a 156-player field is that those names do end up at the top, 'cause we, we want to root for those legacy-type building things. And this goes for all levels of golf, right? 155 00:21:07.396 --> 00:21:14.226 We, we do the same thing with, at US Opens and PGA Tour events, right? We want to see Scottie Scheffler contending for a Grand Slam at the US... You know what I mean? We want that. Yeah. 156 00:21:14.236 --> 00:21:23.236 So I, I think that's all we want here is, like, sure, if it's, you know, we want to see a Jackson Koivinen and a Preston Stout, or, you know, I think a lot of people are claiming for Ben James, 'cause he hasn't kind of knocked off a big one yet. 157 00:21:23.276 --> 00:21:31.136 I mean, we'd love to see- Yeah... Koivinen and Ben James battle down the stretch. You know, or even, you know, my sleeper is, is the kid from BYU, Akina. Like, and- Yeah... 'cause he's had a really good year. 158 00:21:31.176 --> 00:21:41.406 Like, if he pops up on the leaderboard, like, that's what we want to see. Not to say we wouldn't love a whoever from whatever, but... [laughs] Wells Williams or, yeah, someone- Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. 159 00:21:41.436 --> 00:21:45.636 But, you know, but you know what I mean. Like, we, it's not that we wouldn't love that, and, and that it would mean they didn't play well or whatever. 160 00:21:45.656 --> 00:21:53.966 But I think, I think from a legacy standpoint, we, we, like, we want to see the big names up there. We want to see it mean something for their careers, if that makes sense. Yeah. I mean, it's wild to think 161 00:21:54.916 --> 00:22:05.676 whatever, three or four years later, Gordon Sargent and Chikara were... And who was the third guy in that? There was a three-man playoff that year that Sargent won as a freshman. It's not Ludwig, was it? 162 00:22:05.756 --> 00:22:13.436 I don't think it was Ludwig. I, I remember walking down the fairway. And w- and that may have been for, like, a team something. But I remember walking down the fairway scoring one, and Ludwig Åberg was in there. 163 00:22:13.456 --> 00:22:20.046 And I was like, "Oh, this is pretty cool." Yeah. [laughs] I mean, I watched him play at Yale- Yeah. [laughs]... his junior year. Yeah. Just, like, went, drove down there- 100%... 164 00:22:20.046 --> 00:22:29.076 and it was him and the, like, UNC Austin Greaser team. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Just, like, wandering around following Ludwig play Yale. Yeah. [laughs] It's insane. 165 00:22:29.096 --> 00:22:35.036 Like, I don't think people realize, just go to amateur tournaments. [laughs] Oh, yeah. You don't know who you're gonna run into. Exactly. You don't know who you're gonna watch. Ex- exactly. Exactly. 166 00:22:35.046 --> 00:22:43.766 Um, but that would be super cool if we ended up with, with, uh... And obviously, like, the Masters invite is- I always forget about that part, too, yeah. Yeah. 167 00:22:43.796 --> 00:22:56.336 And if Koivinen or James or Stout get it, I mean, if they win, I don't even know if... They're not gonna be amateurs next year. No. But if Akina wins it- Right... that's awesome. Yeah. 168 00:22:56.696 --> 00:23:07.046 Sophomore from BYU going to- Yeah... going to the Masters, uh, would be super, would be super cool, yeah. So that, it feels to me like there is a big three. It's James, Stout, Koivinen. 169 00:23:07.096 --> 00:23:17.116 And then, like, that next group is very good, but those are the three guys for me that- Yeah, yeah... feel like are- Yeah... the cream of the crop. Yeah. And all you ask for, again, is that, just that their... 170 00:23:17.616 --> 00:23:27.236 You, you hope that their names are up there in contention as we're watching Golf Channel coverage on Monday. That's all you ask for, you know? Yeah. Yeah. That's all you ask. You mentioned Golf Channel driving tee times. 171 00:23:27.316 --> 00:23:33.706 Yeah. Can you expl- can you explain that? So it used to be, and boy, I hope I'm not wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong. 172 00:23:33.706 --> 00:23:41.356 [laughs] It used to be, so, like, we, you know, from a, from a tournament admin standpoint, you know, you got the NCAA committee. They've got their participant manual, right? 173 00:23:41.426 --> 00:23:48.176 And it tells you, you know, "Here's the tee times. Seeds one, two, three, four, five, six, seven go off in this order off the front. And then the other seeds go off of this. 174 00:23:48.196 --> 00:23:59.536 And then on day two it does this, and we flip, and da, da, da. Says where everybody's supposed to tee off." For the match play days, it is, it used to say that it was, like, one V eight and four V five. 175 00:24:00.136 --> 00:24:08.626 And then in the second wave it was then what? You're two, seven, and- Three, six... three, six. Yeah. Right? Now it just says, like, match one, match two, match three, match four. 176 00:24:09.756 --> 00:24:20.090 And essentially what happens is after that stroke play day on Monday's done, they get together with Golf Channel and kind of say, "Who do we want-In our coverage window. Yeah. So they, so they- Okay... 177 00:24:20.120 --> 00:24:26.960 somewhat determine who goes where depending on who they want to be, kinda, in that, you know, in that progression of what's in the coverage window. 178 00:24:27.030 --> 00:24:33.900 So it used to be kinda straightforward, but like when I'm doing the draw party now, I'm like, I can't do any of my pre-work 'cause I'm waiting for, you know, which is not a bad thing. 179 00:24:33.940 --> 00:24:43.150 But Golf- you know, Golf Channel's kinda dictating who's, who's teeing off when, you know? [laughs] I did, I didn't realize that. That's- Yeah. That's kinda crazy. Yes. So a- after, after, what was it? 180 00:24:43.320 --> 00:24:44.110 I think it was after, 181 00:24:45.220 --> 00:24:53.440 yeah, after we de- uh, determined the eight during the women's, J- Justin Silverstein of USC is sitting with his team and they're eating their, their, uh, their dinner on the, on the practice putting green. 182 00:24:53.460 --> 00:24:59.020 He's like, "Hey, do you, you know what time we tee off?" I was like, "Ah, honestly, I don't know." I was like, "You should be..." And he's like, "Well, remember Golf Channel does it now." 183 00:24:59.060 --> 00:25:11.680 And I was like, "Yeah, that's right. I did forget that." Yeah, that Golf Channel kinda determines where everybody goes, so. That's it. I mean, to be the, like, does it really matter? For them it does. 184 00:25:13.040 --> 00:25:24.710 But like to the ratings, I just, I'd be, I c- people, sickos are gonna just turn the... I don't know how many people are like, "Oh, I gotta tune in to watch- Right. And I, and I-... Ben James and Jackson Koywon." 185 00:25:24.780 --> 00:25:29.460 I don't think they're, like, moving the n- maybe I'm wrong. Right. But it just feels like the golf should just be on. 186 00:25:29.720 --> 00:25:39.320 I think from a match play standpoint too, right, like you, you have to wonder, like, what is their definition of moving the needle, right? 187 00:25:39.360 --> 00:25:50.660 So like is it because this is a good match up or is it because it's a brand that everybody loves, right? So for example, like, I think Stanford was the later match playing Pepperdine, 188 00:25:52.080 --> 00:26:00.500 which I think they waxed them, right, like 5-0, right? Yeah. That was your later window, and it's like that's not ratings, but everybody wants to watch Stanford. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? 189 00:26:00.560 --> 00:26:10.480 But the better match really was the early one, which J- that's why Justin thought he was gonna go off late, was USC and Duke. Like, that was a dog fight. Yeah. Ram Maleksi beat Jasmine Ku. I watched the first nine holes. 190 00:26:10.520 --> 00:26:19.520 Ram Maleksi was eight under through 14. You know what I mean? Like, it, it was a- Yeah... phenomenal match. I think they, I think USC won 3-2, but like they went back and forth and it came down to the final match. 191 00:26:19.580 --> 00:26:27.840 Like, to me, that would've been ratings, but like it just depends on what is driving the ratings, you know? So that- Yeah... those are the kind of things they go through. Yeah, yeah. 192 00:26:27.940 --> 00:26:34.900 All right, let's get to, uh, let's get to some picks. Let's do it. Um. I had to write 'em down. I did too. [laughs] Let's get it. 193 00:26:35.580 --> 00:26:44.810 [laughs] I mean, it's so, it, yeah, I, why don't you, if you can read a team or you can read your eight and anything that matches, I'll match, and then we can talk about anything- Okay... 194 00:26:44.940 --> 00:26:49.040 anything different or, like, storylines that we think might pop up from some of these. Okay. 195 00:26:49.220 --> 00:26:57.350 I think, I think your locks for match play, and I'm, I'm gonna do 'em by the, the way, or like I'm gonna give you the seeding as well, that they're seeded in like the- Oh... NCAA manual, right? Okay. 196 00:26:57.350 --> 00:27:09.960 Because they have, like, a tournament seeding based on rankings, regional finish, whatever. So I think your locks are gonna be your top four seeds, which are Auburn is one. Yep. Lourdes two, Texas three, Virginia four. 197 00:27:10.120 --> 00:27:14.300 I think they're locks. Yeah. I agree with you. It's hard for any of them to not be in the top eight. 198 00:27:14.520 --> 00:27:25.420 I think after that, I think number five, Oklahoma State has a decent showing as defending champions and still makes it in the top eight. I'm going to go LSU as well. Okay. They're seven. 199 00:27:25.780 --> 00:27:33.340 North Carolina, because I'm extremely biased. Uh, they are the ninth seed. [laughs] I li- I live too close to there. I like their, I like their coaches. I li- I like their program. Go Tar Heels. 200 00:27:33.380 --> 00:27:44.440 And then I think the Oklahoma one's gonna happen, the 15th seed. I think Hibbard's last ride is gonna be something this week. Hi- Hibbard, you're familiar with this, correct? I, I, I am. 201 00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:52.420 I, but you're gonna say something that I think is gonna su- surprise me, 'cause I, he's still coaching. Yes. He's not, he didn't just leave. No. 202 00:27:52.860 --> 00:27:59.740 So he's finishing out this season, and then he's [laughs] going to Ge- Georgia Tech. Correct. And I think that works for a guy like Hibbard. I don't think that works for a lot of people. 203 00:28:00.110 --> 00:28:06.640 I- I, that's why I assumed he was just gone. Yeah. I don't think that works for a lot of people. Hi- Hib- Hibbard's a special dude. Like, he, he's a rally the troops type of dude. 204 00:28:06.680 --> 00:28:15.560 He's a run through a brick wall type of coach. You know what I mean? I, I, I imagine as soon as that news broke, he had a very honest conversation with his pr- players, was like, "Hey." 205 00:28:15.570 --> 00:28:23.220 'Cause what it, from what it seems like, I know there's a bunch of reports flying around, but like, "It's time to move back with family, and all my family's in Georgia." So he wants to go back. 206 00:28:23.320 --> 00:28:28.709 Georgia didn't offer him the job. Georgia didn't call about the job. So he wants, so he's like, "Georgia Tech's open. I'm gonna go do that," right? 207 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:33.060 Doesn't seem like OU slighted him or didn't wanna pay him or anything like that. Doesn't seem like it's bl- bad blood. 208 00:28:33.399 --> 00:28:41.640 They've got the associate head coach who's gonna do a great job as well, and, uh, Jonathan Moore I think his name is. So I, I bet he's looking at his guys like, "Yo, I'm not leaving you guys as, like, I'm just ditching. 209 00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:48.820 Let's, let's go ride this thing out one last time and see how far we can get, and then, and then let's move on." So I, I imagine that's gonna be a big rallying cry for their program. 210 00:28:49.480 --> 00:28:58.660 And he, you know, it's hard to count Hibbard out too. Like, the, hi- his teams are always scrappy, so I wouldn't be surprised if they at least get to the eight. Yeah. Guys, there were them. I, I scratched them out. 211 00:28:58.700 --> 00:29:08.510 I had them written down, and I scratched them out. I have all the first five that you mentioned I have as well. LSU, North Carolina, and Oklahoma I do not have. Okay. I had Ole Miss. 212 00:29:08.700 --> 00:29:18.240 I was thinking about- I'm, like, secretly kind of rooting for Ole Miss with the whole Michael Isasi, like, just I would love for them to have a really good week. [laughs] Yep. Yep. Yep. Um. No, that would be great. 213 00:29:18.460 --> 00:29:24.360 And who else did I have? I've got Pepperdine and Vanderbilt as two kind of, like, little flyers. 214 00:29:24.420 --> 00:29:33.030 I'm gonna, I'm gonna root for Vanderbilt because it's got the only Bay State connection really in the, in the whole thing, and Pepperdine is just, like, a little sneaky team that- Yeah... 215 00:29:33.080 --> 00:29:36.610 has some, you know- They're good... good players. Yeah. They're good. They're good. And they're- They're good... 216 00:29:36.610 --> 00:29:46.920 they've kind of got, like, a little bit of a, you know, they've won recently, so they've got some, a little bit of that juice. I don't know what's on the team from, uh, from that, from that win. But those are my three. 217 00:29:47.120 --> 00:29:59.490 Make the case for LSU. I, like, I know they had a really strong kinda start to the year, and then it just feels like they, they kinda slipped. I think they're a year early, and I think that- Okay... 218 00:29:59.520 --> 00:30:08.580 has been a theme the last couple years. I think the year that Auburn won, they were a year early. I think the year Oklahoma State won last year, I think they were a year early. 219 00:30:09.400 --> 00:30:16.920 I think LSU might be a year early, where they're- Okay, I like that. Yeah. They've still got Arnie there, which has been great, and he's, he's a world-class player. Yeah. 220 00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:20.900 Uh, Jake Amos has done a great job recruiting and, and, and their program's really good. They're really deep too. 221 00:30:20.980 --> 00:30:27.896 I think they've got all five players inside the top 150 or so from a ranking standpoint.So I think, I think they could make a run at least to match play. 222 00:30:28.156 --> 00:30:34.016 Uh, uh, you know, you hate to call the seventh a sleeper pick, but, like, I think they have a legit shot at, at, at winning the national championship. 223 00:30:34.076 --> 00:30:41.466 I think Lance always says too, like, the best team never wins match play. It's always teams ranked somewhere between, like, five and eight. Somewhere around there is kind of the sweet spot. Yeah. 224 00:30:41.476 --> 00:30:50.096 And they will be right in the sweet spot, so that's kinda where I'm, where I'm slotting it right now. But I, I, you know, I could, I could be completely wrong by Sunday, but I, I, I like, I like my chances. Yeah. 225 00:30:50.126 --> 00:30:57.106 I do like your Ole Miss one too, though, because I'm, I'm... I teetered on that one. I, I couldn't decide, 'cause Chris Malloy's a phenomenal coach, and I couldn't decide if it was 226 00:30:58.016 --> 00:31:06.626 a, you know, kinda like they were at SEC where it was like, "We can do this without LaSasso," or if it was a, "Hey, we kinda need La- LaSasso right now." Yeah. I didn't know which one it was gonna be, you know? 227 00:31:06.656 --> 00:31:13.276 So, but I, I, I'm with you, though. I could see them making a deep run as well. Yeah, I'd love to see them. And like you said, Oklahoma State's defending champ, very strong. 228 00:31:13.436 --> 00:31:23.126 And you got Auburn, who's the champ two years ago. So those are the two LaCosta winners. Yeah. And Auburn is obviously super deep. Uh, who, who do you have, who do you have winning it all? I think Florida. 229 00:31:23.976 --> 00:31:33.406 You think Florida? Dude, I, I think, I think they've c- they're peaking at the right time. The talk is all Virginia and Auburn, has been all year- Yeah... as number one and number two. Yeah. 230 00:31:33.436 --> 00:31:39.796 I think Virginia has tailed off just a little bit as a team, and I think it's because of depth. I don't... I- they've got guns at the top, for sure. Yeah. Right? 231 00:31:40.816 --> 00:31:49.396 But there's five points on the board in match play, and I think, and I, I know for a fact Florida has all five of their players, if not six, inside the top 100 from a ranking standpoint. 232 00:31:49.766 --> 00:31:57.036 They don't, they don't have a Ben James or a Jackson Koivun, but they got five points they can go get at any given moment. And then obviously a coach that's been there before and won at Gray Hawk in J.C. Deacon. 233 00:31:57.056 --> 00:32:05.596 They got Dudley Hart as an assistant, who's been invaluable for both the men's and women's program. That's... They, they are starting to become a well o- well-oiled machine from a program standpoint. 234 00:32:05.636 --> 00:32:11.926 To, so to see them reload as quickly as they have and to get to the number two team in the country, like, I, I think they got a really legit shot this year. 235 00:32:12.716 --> 00:32:18.286 You saying all that just made me think of your, your point about Charlotte at the beginning- Yeah... 236 00:32:18.286 --> 00:32:28.906 where, like, they do all this building, but then they kind of, in F- in Florida's case, they won with, like, Ricky Castillo and- Ricky and Biondi... Biondi and, like, that group of seniors- Yeah... together won. 237 00:32:29.196 --> 00:32:38.556 But then those guys left, and they had to, like, like you said, they had to rebuild again. And now here they are again, [laughs] like- Right... four, what? Three or four years later, and... And they're good. 238 00:32:38.596 --> 00:32:44.646 I mean- Yeah... they got Luke Poulter, and then they got- Kress... I think, I think Kress is still there for, like, years. Yeah. [laughs] He was a freshman on that team, right? 239 00:32:44.676 --> 00:32:51.265 Yeah, I was gonna say, he's been there forever. [laughs] What do you say? He's like, uh, one of those college basketball guys. You're like, "He's still on the team?" Yeah. 240 00:32:51.265 --> 00:32:59.216 [laughs] He's, he's been suing the NCAA for three years now. Yeah, yeah. For eligibility. And who do you like individual? Oh. Do you have a pick on the individual side? 241 00:32:59.236 --> 00:33:08.876 This is, this is the hardest one, 'cause it- Oh, I mean, you, right, you said, it's a crap shoot. I feel like I've picked Ben James, like, the last three years, and it hasn't happened. [laughs] I, I'll put it this way. 242 00:33:09.076 --> 00:33:16.656 I don't think it'll be Koivun. I, I can almost guarantee you that. Okay. There's just too many players in the field. Yeah. You know? It's just, it's just hard. Like, it's... 243 00:33:17.336 --> 00:33:23.765 But again, he's proved me wrong every week as far as, like, you can't win every week. And he's like, "No, Marcus, I can." I'm gonna stick with Ben James again this year. I, I, you know- Yeah... 244 00:33:23.816 --> 00:33:32.236 I think the only, the only, the only hole in his resume for me is that he doesn't win enough. I think he's won twice this year, and one of them was his home event. 245 00:33:32.416 --> 00:33:40.686 I think he won, I can't remember if it was Ben Hogan that he won, but either way, like, when you look especially at the Haskins race, right, I think Koivun's got, like, six or seven wins, right? Yeah. 246 00:33:40.686 --> 00:33:45.806 Stout's got four, and then Ben James doesn't have anything outside of, like, top seven- I know... or something. But he's only got two wins. And one, it... 247 00:33:46.096 --> 00:33:55.556 And for me, like, unless your home event is just, like, the strongest event ever, I don't, I rarely ever look at the home win as, as a win. You, you know what I mean? Like, you're kinda supposed to go get that one. 248 00:33:55.636 --> 00:34:01.666 So- Yeah... I think this will be a good cap for him if, if he can go out with a win. And, and, and, um, and I also saw him in the gym this morning, so I think that's a good omen. 249 00:34:03.096 --> 00:34:09.796 He's a, he's, he is a fascinating character. He's a Connecticut kid. Yeah. And so kind of been tracking him a little bit too. 250 00:34:09.836 --> 00:34:20.006 He had a really tough, like, uh, he just, sometimes when the lights get bright, it just gets a little... And I, I, like, I don't, you don't watch... I watched him at the... I got to go to the Walker Cup- Okay... 251 00:34:20.016 --> 00:34:28.336 at Slivers, which was crazy, and I followed him- Yeah... for a little bit. And, like, he looked, he played probably the worst out of that US team. Okay. And that was kinda jarring. 252 00:34:29.216 --> 00:34:40.746 Yeah, it's just, it's ki- like, doesn't, he doesn't pop up on, at PGA Tour stuff when he gets exemptions. He's just... But he's all, he is super steady. Granted, he's gonna have his PGA Tour card, like- Right. He is. 253 00:34:40.816 --> 00:34:51.486 So he's kinda playing with house money this week, too, so maybe that, uh, loosens him up. For sure. Um.. Who, who, who's your team and individual pick? I'm taking Auburn. Ah, boo. [laughs] So trust me, man. 254 00:34:52.016 --> 00:34:58.256 And I think Stout, I think Stout wins individual. Okay. Okay. That dude's awesome. I wa- That would, that would mean a lot to me if he... I followed him- Yeah, that would mean a lot. 255 00:34:58.626 --> 00:35:10.316 I followed him and Miles Russell at the Northeast Am last year, and like, God, he was good. And so was Miles Russell, but Stout was awesome. Yeah. The second to last day, I s- I watched him play. 256 00:35:10.976 --> 00:35:20.036 Yeah, so those are my picks. That's, it's gonna be fun. Again, I, I think it's, it's, it's gonna be wild from a standpoint of, like, we could go O for eight here pretty easily. I don't think we will. 257 00:35:20.156 --> 00:35:28.686 [laughs] But, like, just, there's just so many good teams here. There's so many good players. Like, it's- Yeah... I mean, all, all these teams are, are good enough to make it to the eight, to be quite honest. You know? 258 00:35:28.686 --> 00:35:39.096 Yeah. If, if, you know, it just takes a, takes a couple putts to drop. Yeah. All right. Well, our Zoom is telling us we're literally down to seconds, so- Okay... thank you for joining. You are the best. 259 00:35:39.416 --> 00:35:43.876 Enjoy the last, your next weekend, uh, in California. Appreciate it. Thanks for having me, man. Thanks, man. 260 00:35:46.156 --> 00:36:04.336 [outro music]