[upbeat music] Welcome to the Basic Take Golf Podcast. I am Sean Mealy. I've got Paul Burke on the other line because it is New England Am Week. [laughs] It's the Open Championship.
Well, hey, listen, Meals, I mean, we might have thrown people for a loop by doing the Mass Am Podcast, but, uh, you know, one can argue which is the bigger event.
But yeah, I think we're here to talk about some, uh, British Open, Open Championship, whatever you wanna call it. I ca- I still call it the British. The fourth opportunity to win a major. Glory's last shot.
Uh- The fourth opportunity for glory that's not quite anyone's last shot at glory in golf. But yeah, hey, we're here across the pond. Forged by nature. I picked, uh- Yeah, it is, uh- I picked a glass that has...
I don't know if you can see this. Probably not. I can't. You can see the fox. I've picked the most British golf course glass that I have. Myopia. Uh- The Myopia one. Yep.
So that's, that's my, that's my weapon is, is myopia. Um, which reminds me of the link style golf. It can get a little burnt out there, too. But yeah, we're here. Deep bunkers. Deep bunkers. Uh, yeah. Fescue.
Deep bunkers there in myopia. And then [laughs] wicked fescue. So it is Open Championship week, and you, what we hopped on, and you also just threw something in the agenda, and I'm gonna... We're gonna start here.
You said you had some, which blew my mind here, you had some soccer, World Cup, major golf, kind of like some sort of casserole, uh, takes. [laughs] So I have no idea what they are, and, um, I'm just gonna step aside.
I'm stoked to listen to you talk about soccer as someone who has poo-pooed the beautiful game for most of our friendship. [laughs] Well, can you believe that red card got revoked? No, I'm just [laughs]...
I don't even know if that's the right word for it. No, I'm not going there. Um, so I, I, I don't even know what I'm about to say. I also wanna pose it as a question to you. Um, and so,
like, so to it, we're recording this Tuesday and this morning. Usually what happens is when we set aside a time to record, I start thinking about it, like, a day or two in advance.
And this morning I was thinking about it, and one of the questions that you always ask me is like, like, "What's your level of excitement for this tournament?" And I was like- Yeah...
this morning I was thinking about it and I was like, geez, it's really just not there 'cause I didn't really realize that it was coming. And so, uh, you know, like what...
A- and by the way, all of this stuff, like, all of these tournaments are always terrific. The British is always an awesome watch. It's, like, one of the best watches of the year.
You can roll out of bed on Thursday or Friday. If you work from home, you're probably not working 'cause you got it on. Um, it's, it's a very unique watch.
And so, you know, before I, 'cause I've been thinking about this, like, I wanna know, like, what do you think, and this is, this has a World Cup tie-in too, but, like, what do you think makes a great sporting event?
Like, what are the elements? And take a... Put aside the actual golf play. Like, like, put aside the actual tournament play. Like, what do you think makes a great event? And this can be even more than golf or just golf.
Oh, man. So you're gonna put me on the spot while you were th- while you, uh, had this whole day to think about it. As far as, like, a full event, I mean- Like, what gets your juices going?
There's obviously, like, the, the... Um, I mean, for me, a little bit of, like, history. What are...
Like, who stands to earn a little bit of a legacy from winning a th- winning a thing, whether it's Wimbledon, which was on this past week. Like, you watched Djokovic, like, kind of just punching back at Father Time.
Um, you get Sinner and, uh, s- uh, Medve- not Medvedev. I can't remember his, um- Serrini. He didn't play in this one... the guy he beat.
And, like, Serena Williams playing this year, which was, like, a little bit w- whatever. Yeah. That seemed a little bit nonsensical, but... So, like, there's the history piece.
There's, like, just the grand scope of an event now at this point. Like, how long has it been around? Um, who is... Also, I think this is maybe more recent, but, like, who else is excited about it?
Um, like, how, how many people does it bring into the tent for- Yep... uh, what- if, if it's four days like the Open, or if it's a month like the World Cup, or two weeks like Wimbledon. Like, just who, who is involved?
And that, that's not to say that I need Kevin Hart showing up every time, but, like, just who, who, who's, who's talking about it? Who's text...
Do, do you get random texts from people who you don't hear from about a specific sport that you're, that you're interested in? You're like, oh man, okay.
Like, I've been texting back and forth with two buddies who, you know, aren't really soccer fans, and suddenly, like, World Cup games are on and I'm being told not to text them stuff because they're trying to get home to watch or they're 30 minutes behind or, um...
And the US doing okay or whatever, getting to the point they got, like, helped that.
But so those are things for me, like, the scope of who's involved or who's kind of, who cares about it outside of, like, the general sickos, the history, and then, like, the people who are involved in the storylines about whether it's someone chasing a bit of history or the old guy kinda trying to get one last win or some no-name, uh, coming out of the blue and competing or winning.
So for me, those are, that's kinda what I've got. So I love everything that you said, and, uh, agree. I'm gonna bring this more back to golf. Um, and then I'll, I'll do the, you know, ring around to the World Cup.
Have you seen a commercial for the British Open? I don't, I don't think so.
So o- one of the, the things that I think elevates the Masters to a level is every March Madness basketball tournament there is, they, they pummel you with Masters commercials. Yeah.
And without fail, even i- and, like, I think you said, like, the casuals, I'll get a text like, "Man, just saw my first Masters commercial." And we're talking weeks in advance. Week, if not a month. Yeah.
Maybe it's even they- Yeah... might even start it earlier than that. And so, uh- There's some, there's some p- NFL playoff, like CBS, sometimes it'll- So, so, so-...
it'll pop up, like the 15-second commercial just with the, with the jingle and, like, the clubhouse. [laughs] And it, it really, it gets, it gets you going and it gets you thinking about it.
And so, a- and you know, you'll get the texts and you'll get the, "Oh man, Masters is only, you know, six weeks away," all, all this stuff.
And so with golf, and why I think the PGA has ruined these other tournaments, is it's condensed them to the point where you can't even advertise. And I think this is why advertising is such a huge...
Advertise hype is such a huge thing. And this is why the World Cup, I think, was huge, 'cause you have all these villages.
You have e- like everybody who was anyone, myself included, who is not a soccer fan, knows that the World Cup was coming and was here.
And so I think the Masters being first and having that huge lead-up, like literally the lead-up to the Mas- You're gonna have people on Monday be like, "280 days to the Masters," or, or whatever it is. [chuckles] Yeah.
Yeah. Um, and so I, I, I think that is something that golf and the majors, if they wanna elevate the other tournaments, should try to figure out.
Because even with the PGA and US Open, like the lead-up is so important to generating the hype for people that aren't you and I and the others that are listening to this podcast that, you know, live and breathe these things.
And it's... Now, maybe by Sunday, if there's a, if there's a good story, you'll get people coming into it. But I didn't get one text about Aaron Rai winning the PGA from someone that wasn't, wasn't a golfer. Yeah. Right.
That wouldn't have texted you about someone else winning, just like the PGA. Correct. And so- I think-... uh, that's sort of the notion that I was kicking about.
It's like the hype and the lead-up is really, really important, and it's gotta cross over, um, an audience. Yeah. I mean, uh, as you were talking, I was thinking about, so you know, I live in Boston.
People showing up in kilts in the middle of June, putting k- like the whole Scottish thing was crazy. And it got...
My sister, who is not a sports fan at all, like she worked at I- University of Iowa for a little bit, and like was completely blown away by the whole Saturday.
Like the campus just gets really cr- like f- they love football out there. Like no clue, just like big whatever. So that... She's a theater person.
And, um, she texted me and was like, "Hey, I wanna come into the city for the last, the Scotland-Morocco game. Like, can we just go somewhere to watch it? Just to...
I just wanna be like, I just wanna be around the thing that's going on in the city because it just looks like it's so much fun." Um, so yeah. I mean, it has that effect.
I, and, and obviously once every four years and like getting a c- a fun group of people.
I do think the World Cup with England playing tomorrow, possibly winning to go to the final, and then this tournament being in England and the final being on Sunday and the final round being on Sunday, like all you have to do is throw in one English person in the top- Justin, Justin Rose...
like the last four groups on Sunday, and it would, like it, Rose, Fitz, um, Fleetwood, who's from there. Like there's so many cool things if England wins- I mean, Rose with his-... tomorrow...
his, his first moment being at Birkdale. The 28 years ago, yeah, as a, as a kid holing out and finishing fourth and all that stuff. So yeah, that's, that's the other thing.
And the PGA has given none of this time to breathe. I think tennis having like a ni- tennis' majors are nine months apart. Yeah, they s- And the French and Wimbledon are like- Australian is in January, right?
Like- Australian's January... February maybe. US Open's in, in August. Yeah. And then the French and Wimbledon are like very close together.
I think that's just because of the nature of those two countries geographically being close together and they're, they're gonna be in Europe, so they do it that way.
But like there's, there is, there feels like there's buildup. I, I've been, I've been thinking a little bit about just the cadence. I think we need to just... Everyone's talking about a fifth major.
I'm done with four majors. I want a Triple Crown. I want, like the PGA in my mind at this point is like, "You're, you're out. You've screwed up everything.
[chuckles] Either go back to August or you're not a major anymore." I just... Make, let's do a US, like a ra- horse racing. Give me the US Open, the Open Championship, the Masters, Triple Crown, no more Grand Slam.
I, the, the PGA has just kind of just is so far the fourth major right now that it's being talked about as like could the players replace it? So let's just get rid of, let's not have a fifth major.
Let's just have three majors and have those be March, June, July. They're, they feel a little bit, there's room to breathe in May, and we have, we have our like major season.
And if PGA wants to be a major, you gotta go back to August. Sorry. And the Olympics coming up in '28 could change the... I'm interested to see how that changes the rhythm because that's August 3rd to 6th in '28.
Like the Open Championship is gonna get pushed into August in '28. Maybe that's the thing that ends up being normalized is like, let's just have the Open.
It's hot anyw- like the weather's incredible over there right now. It's so dry- It's awesome... as far as just for golf. Um, so that's another thing. Like what if we just push the Open back and we're gonna do it in '28?
Maybe that becomes a thing that they look at and realize, "Oh, we could actually just spread it out a little bit more." So.
And, and the, the Olympics, it's, it's an interesting point, and we should not be beholden to the Olympics. Like we shouldn't have the major that time. But in reality, not that many people play the Olympics.
More, more people- I know... more people play the Travelers and the Scottish Open than the Olympics. Yes. Especially the top players. Like only four Americans can play. Um, now granted, it's gonna be your top players.
Yeah. But- And I don't know what it's gonna look like with the men's and women's. It, it still- Oh, yeah. They're playing two events... won't be that many, but they're- Yeah, yeah...
they're playing- But, 'cause I think only- So they're only playing more golf. They're playing more golf, yeah. But I think so two of the guys... Or actually, I, I don't even wanna speak. I think it's two of the guys.
I don't know what the rules are. Yeah. Um, but the, the- Yeah... you actually did say something that I totally agree with. The PGA, even though in spite of what I said about Aaron Rai, I thought Aranimac was great.
I thought that was a good tournament in Aaron Rai. Like if, if anyone else on that leaderboard won that wasn't Aaron Rai, there'd be very different conversations about that tournament.
But it's gotta get out of the time slot. Like it just, it... Get the heck out of there. Doesn't work. It was better as Glory's Last Shot, 100%. Um, you know, I, I don't know. Yeah. It's just not...
The, the players genuinely is, there's more hype around the players, right? Because like you get the lead-up. Yeah. And, and you can play up the venue because everyone- Yeah... knows the venue.
I mean, the lead-up is like, let's just show the island green Um, and some flyovers of like '16, '17, '18. It's familiar enough that people- Totally... can kind of latch onto that.
And the Masters has that same kind of, kind of feel too.
The other thing the Masters does really well, thinking about like before he was talking about the NFL and scarcity and how the NFL's very good at dripping stuff out.
The Masters even just has their, has their ticket stuff. Yeah. Has their lottery. It, it, it starts- And the deadline to sign up for the lottery, and then the, and then the day everyone finds out.
It's like this little bit of the summer- That's a good point...
where people are just talking about the Masters in a way that's like, "I wanna go to this thing so bad that I entered a lottery, and I didn't get it, and I'm upset I didn't get it.
And I have to wait now another year while also watching another Masters knowing I can't go." Um- The, yeah, the only thing that's really- So the Masters has done a very good job...
the only thing that's diminished is, uh, you know, wearing that logo around. [chuckles] What do you mean? Just as far as- It's not-... the amount of people who have Masters stuff?
It's not an exclusive, it's not an exclusive logo. Yeah. Like, like that's- Yeah... that's- Which is why I think the ANGC logo has now like- Correct...
become a thing because that's like, I didn't just go to the Masters, I got to play the golf course, or I got to go into the pro shop that's actually the pro shop and buy Augusta National gear, not, not your Masters stuff that you won in a lottery- And then this is-...
or someone just bought it for you 'cause they went. This is... Oh, don't, don't ever ask. [laughs] I'm not, I'm not, I'm not...
If anyone, if anyone's looking for Masters merch, just, uh, I'll give you, I'll put Burke's number in the show- Well, first of all-... show notes... I, I mean, yeah, yeah. I, uh, what, what I, I wasn't gonna say that.
I was gonna say, don't ever ask, like you shouldn't want something from a place that you haven't been unless there's like significance there. Yeah. Like, if you don't play- Yeah... the golf course, there's...
Or, or if you weren't a guest there or went to a tournament there, don't wear something that's [laughs] that's from there. Like, I don't, I don't wear, um, you know, I don't wear St. Sebastian's gear, [laughs] you know?
Right. [laughs] Like- Right. Walking around in Groton- Yeah. [laughs]... Groton stuff. Like, I- Yeah... I'm, I'm not gonna wear a Belmont Hill gear. St. Mark's. Like, I'm just, I'm, I'm not. Like, I've...
[laughs] It's just a bizarre- What a funny comparison... it, it's, it's just a bizarre thing to do. I don't know. I don't- Yeah... it's- Yep... I get like when you...
And by the way, I, I buy the taste of the Masters every single year. I've got literally 150 cups for the Masters- [laughs]... Emily's making me throw out now. I have all, I have a, a ton,
not a ton of Masters gear, but like a ton of Masters labeled stuff. Um, but yeah, yeah, there's, there's no reason to have it if you haven't been there. Yeah. It'll make it more special when you go.
Um, all right, I wanna get to... Yeah, I mean, my, uh, I have a rule. I was actually just texting a couple buddies about this because a friend got some new wedges.
He snapped a picture, and he had like a little Tervis with a golf logo on it. We got to talking, and I was like, "I have two golf courses.
I have a Yeti from Pine Valley, and I have a little, a Tervis from Cypress Point." I have not played both those golf courses. I've been to them. Oh, you were there. I was fortunate enough. I, but I was there.
But it was, I would never wear a lo- I would never put it on, get a shirt to be asked like, "Oh, have you played Pine Valley?"
To explain to them, no, I just got to go and watch other people play it for this tournament called the Crump Cup, or I went to the Walker Cup. Um- I mean, the Walker Cup's got- That's my personal rule.
You can have any rule you want. That, so that's a good point too. You can have any rule that you want. Um, I remember- Yeah...
my, my buddy, um, [lips smack] bought me a Walker Cup hat back in 2019 'cause we'd just had a son and then we named him Walker and he, and like that's a hat that I was like, "Oh, that has- Yeah...
uh, some significance to it." Yeah, yeah. Uh, let's get to the open. Birkdale. Birkdale. And I, I, I wanna, I, I actually just wanna start with something we talked about for the Mass, for the Mass Am.
You asked me if I hate star anybody [laughs] on, uh, during, during Mass golf stuff. Do you have any hate star people for the Open Championship? Is there anyone, do you do this for professional golf as well?
Um, so I am in a very small pool that you have to pick the player that comes in last. So every single week I do hate star that person. Um- You do this every week? You have to finish...
Do you have to pick the DFL every week? Every week, yeah, every week. Do they have to make the cut and then finish DFL? No, it's only the person that finishes last. Just the Friday? Yeah, Friday.
So like Friday afternoon. Yeah, yeah. So it's like the opposite of my cut line pool is like the DF- It's, it's called the DFL pool. Uh, my buddy Onfria runs it. It's hilarious. Uh- [laughs]... and so
from that respect, yes, I do hate star, um, a couple people. But I, I also always am kind of perusing the bottom of the leaderboard in general.
Um, I think for, for, for professional golf it's much less so 'cause I just don't, don't know these guys personally. Yeah. And like I just don't- [laughs] That's a good way to put, that's a funny way to put it. Yeah.
Just don't care. I don't personally dislike them. Yeah. Yeah. Like, I mean, I always look at what Bryson's doing, but I, I don't, I don't- Yeah... really care. I mean, his odds are preposterous this week r- by the way.
Um- I don't think we've ever talked about the bottom of the leaderboard perusal. I do the same thing. Oh, I, I'm always there. Is it just like a weird fa- I don't even look at the names.
I'm just curious like what did the guys at the bottom shoot 'cause that's probably where I would be if I was playing in this. Like what would I have to shoot to- Wait, you think-... to just- Hold on, wait, hold on.
Wait, wait, a second. You think that you'd probably be at the bottom of the British Open leaderboard? No, I'm talking about, I'm talking about, um, am stuff. Oh, oh, [laughs] I was like- Like when I'm checking-...
that's a hot take, yeah... not, not professionally. You'd probably be. [laughs] I would, I would be DFL in the Open Championship. That's not what I was talking about.
I was just talking about for like qualifiers or just- I'm always-... championship proper stuff... if, if I- Like it's a weird-... if I open up- It's weird, right? Is that a affliction that we have? Maybe.
It's been, it's been that way for me forever. Um, if, if I open up a leaderboard, I'm, I'm going through the whole thing and I'm probably like skimming the middle, but like- Yeah... scouring the end. The, the end. Right.
But I, I also think- Yeah, I don't even look for... I don't I also think that it just goes to show you how crazy the game is. Like, you see some... A- and it, I think it helps.
It's more, it, it's, it's not as much of, like, a, "Oh, this guy played shitty." It's like, "Oh, this guy's actually a really good player. I know him, and he had a day like that."
And so it's, like, a little bit of a self-confidence thing where you... Like, a lot of people focus on, like, the, the five people that did incredibly.
And even in the PGA Tour, like, I, I don't know if, how plugged in you are, but, like, Akshay Bhatia was at, like, literally DFL close at the start of this season. Like, he was- Yeah...
near the bottom, and then he's just, like, battled his way up. Like, and he's, like, get- and, like, so- Yeah... like, watching these guys and being in different pools that aren't just, like, a win pool.
You know, you're looking at people that make the cut or finish DFL. You actually get plugged into more the ebbs and flows of these guys.
And, like, how Scottie missing a cut is a big story last week, but it's like, dude, it's preposterous that he never misses a cut. [chuckles] Like, like- I know. I know... these guys all miss cut.
Bryson's missed three cuts this year in majors. And so I do think, like, to comp- if you really wanna get, like, honed in on golf, even at an am, at a professional level, like, watching these guys.
Like, looking at the guy that barely made the cut and then finished top 20. Like, that's a cool thing to watch- Yeah... because that guy, like, found something or, like, got the bad end of the draw, barely made the cut.
Like, those are the things that I think if you key in on, like, you could sort of find some trends that, um, are interesting. Yeah. I...
Someone posted, this might've been after the Masters, like, the top five finishers of the Masters and their four scores, and then highlighted, like, the low and the high, and they were all...
Like, the low and the high were eight to 10 shots difference, right? Like s- Yeah... you shoot a 65 and then you sh- but you also shoot a 74 within the four day, at the same golf course.
[chuckles] And the whole thing was like, "And you wanna be more consistent?" [chuckles] Like, this is what the best golfers in the world do over the course of four rounds.
So, like, if you're shooting 15 strokes difference between two days, like, that's actually not crazy. Um, so I, I, I like that too. I think, I think about that post a lot, [chuckles] just as far as- No, it makes sense...
a lot of these guys at every level. And th- those- Whether it's really high-end am or professionally...
that's, that's the Masters, so you're literally talking about the greatest golfers in the world, and the difference between them and the guys that are on the Korn Ferry Tour skill-wise is really not that high, and those gaps are g- those, like, the score difference is gonna be even wider.
Yeah. Yeah. Um, well, you mentioned Scottie. What would be more surprising at the... Like, if you could go back in time and think about the Masters preview pod we did.
Scottie not winning a major this year, if I told you that, or Bryson wouldn't make a single cut potentially. Like, let's say this. Which one would be a, [chuckles] more of a surprise to you? It's, it's just a...
I mean, Scottie not winning- I, I don't think it's-... when it just felt like he was gonna win. I, it... Majors are hard to win. Yeah. I don't know. I don't think that's that hard of a question.
Um, Bryson just has more volatility, and Scottie had four chances to beat 140 guys in each field. Um, so I mean, the re- the, the answer is, like, s- more surprising is Bryson missing all four cuts. Yeah.
If he, if he ends up mi- missing this cut, which this is probably the one that least suits him, so he's probably gonna be in contention on Sunday.
[laughs] Um, they're playing together too, which is, which is kinda great. I think they kinda honed Scottie. It's, uh, Scottie with Hatton and Bryson. Yeah.
[chuckles] I think he got a very funny draw as a defending champ. Um- The defending champ. Like, I... They must not have t- And so not only two LIV guys, but two guys- Yeah... that are, like, psychopaths.
It's, it's not like he got both Rahm- [laughs]... and Cam Smith that, like, he can just, you know, you're gonna go out there and do your own thing. Yeah. Yeah. Like- Yeah... these guys have the histrionics of...
I don't, I don't even know. Yeah. They're, they both bring a little bit of a circus to the, to the first tee, which is...
I also am surprised that he's not paired with, I don't know, like, the amateur champion, and they have... Like, the R&A doesn't have some sort of set- Yeah... like the US, right?
I, the US Open winner plays with the US Am winner, and maybe, like, I ass- maybe the USC or someone else who is, like, a USGA champion.
So it doesn't, they don't have to, but I guess I, like, R&A feels like they're a little bit even more- I think there's something there... likely to do something like that. I, I, I think there's something there.
Like, you can't look at that and be a little miffed, and can't not be a little miffed at Scottie being with those two guys. Yeah. Yeah. [chuckles] It's, it's a very interesting- Now, may- maybe that-... team dynamic...
but maybe that, like, you know, triggers something in him, um, in a good way. Yeah. Yep. Another thing I was thinking about here, Birkdale, obviously 2017, Spieth wins,
which maybe we'll talk about Spieth, but Matt Kuchar was the, the guy he was dueling with down, down the stretch. And I thought, just, I just decided to look. Kuchar was...
I mean, he'd been a pro at that point for, like, 20 years almost. I think he turned pro in '98. Um, '97, '98. Like, I just remember him playing with Tiger in the, in the, uh, Masters. Maybe that was '98 as the Am champ.
I think it was. No majors for Kuchar. Never ended up winning a major, just, like, a professional golfer who won a bunch but just couldn't break through. He was 39 in 2017.
I just went back, I just went through and was trying to figure out, like, who, who fits, who fits that mold of, like, no majors, maybe mid to late 30s. I could only really find three guys, four guys. Rickie, who's 37.
Horschel, who's 39, who might... I, he's coming off an injury or, like, he hasn't been playing great. Cantlay's 34. Tommy Fleetwood is 35. Those, for me, felt like the only guys who were anywhere close to
maybe, you know, an older veteran golfer. Everyone else has kind of won a major who's in that age bracket or a little older when I was trying to figure out who else- How old's, how old's Russell Henley?
Isn't Russell Henley in his 30s? Yeah. I think he's 36. He's another good one. Actually, he's a, he's a, he's a very good one. I... He never... Again, the airport rule. He just doesn't pop up.
Would you put him as the, as the main guy? He's been, he's been popping up all over the place. He popped up at the Masters this year. I, well, I know. I know. And- Like, what do you mean he doesn't pop up- In my mind...
oh, oh, put up signs. In my mind. In my mind. Like, I was like, I feel like in the last two years- He's had a good year. Yeah, he's won and is, he's had a good year.
And for, for him, for- He very li- he should've won the Masters. Like, if we're gonna really talk about a guy who should've won the Masters. And, and there is not a golf... Like, I, I... He should not win a Masters.
Like, he absolutely should not win. Yeah. But he was right there. Um, like, he feels like a Open, British Open or, um, US Open winner. Like, I feel...
So he, he's one that to me, and maybe Koocher was this at his age, at 34, 35, where you're like, I feel like he's probably gonna win one. And, like, Henley's probably not, like, past his prime.
He, maybe he, he's getting into his prime. But he feels like he's gonna win one, 'cause, like, he's around and, like, has been in contention.
Um, I mean, he is gonna be one of my picks, so I already had him on my mind, unless you- Okay... get ahead of me, which you can. That's fine. Um- Giving up your draft board early.
It's not like you- Well, I mean, it's Russell Henley. It's not like I'm giving up, uh, some state secrets. I mean, the, the odds of these things are fascinating.
Um, I was looking at them earlier, and they still, they just never cease to amaze me. Um, Alex Fitzpatrick has preposterous odds at this thing. Alex Fitzpatrick has better odds to win than Jordan Spieth.
And at Dekhi Methi, um- Well, I mean, it's... Yeah, that's, that might be a little bit off. But Jordan Spieth, maybe not so much. Although he, he says he's close.
He says he's very, he's, he'll be back to- But like, it's, it's not so much-... to kind of golf we love... it's not so much a comment on their odds as that Alex Fitzpatrick has [laughs]... Yeah.
The guy that you said- The guy's not here... should have been, should have been, like, sent o- sent away. I didn't say he should be sent away.
I just said he should not have gotten a PGA Tour exemption and signature events after winning an event with his brother, who's a top three player in the world. And you are, and by the way- But he has proven me wrong...
you, I, I, I actually don't think he proved you wrong. I think he has proved... He has not proven you wrong. So I'll say this.
He's not proven you wrong, but he has proven that he has the talent to belong and belongs there. Yeah. But, like- Yeah... your concepts weren't wrong. Yeah.
It's just he, he should be earning it through the DP World Tour. I do, I think- He'd be playing this week either way. He would.
And I do think it just brings up a better point about, and, uh, I know a lot of the podcasts have been talking about this recently, of the closed system that the PGA Tour is proposing. Like, Alex Fitzpatrick now is...
Like, he, he might even be in the Tour Championship in, in a month. Um- Yeah. Yeah. And so- After not starting on tour...
when you close those ranks, you don't get the Alex Fit- Alex Fitzpatricks of the world that can do that, and he's a great example. Like, you kinda want that amorphous,
um, ability to just get up there, 'cause golf, you can get on heaters. Yeah. I know. I know. And I think speaking of, like, Jordan Spieth, I think Jordan Spieth, his heater was from, like, age 15 to, to what, 23, right?
Like, he won two US Juniors, w- like, got his tour card super young, won three majors, and, like, people might look back and just realize, oh man, he was a really good teenage golfer, early 20s golfer, and then he just earned a living playing golf for until he was 45, 50 years old.
Well, he was charismatic. Like, he was, you know, the next big thing. Yeah. Um, you know- Yeah... he's one of my favorite golfers to watch. Uh, but the thing that tells me that he's never coming back is
he's never even in contention. I know. Like, a first-round lead, by the way, is not contention. Yes. Yeah. Like- He's never around Saturday night, Sunday morning. Yes. He can go- Sunday afternoon. Yeah...
he can go out and shoot 64, like, uh, on Thursday- Yeah... even Friday, but that's very different from contention.
Yeah, and, and so, and so Birkdale in general, Spieth, Spieth's win in '17, um, I was looking just at the, the winners at Birkdale. It is a very interesting list. It is.
And th- one thing that popped out to me as I read through these names is every one of these guys, aside from one of them, was in, like, the midst of winning majors. Like, smack in the middle of a heater, if you will.
Spieth obviously in '17, it was the end of his heater, but, like, he won two in 15, could've won three, all four that year, um, wins in '17.
Harrington wins the Open in '07, defends in '08 at Birkdale, like, Carnoustie, Birkdale, and then a month later wins at Oakland Hills. Yep. That's the end of his run, little heater.
Mark O'Meara in '98 had won the Masters, and then he won the Open same year. He won two majors in a year, which still, like- And the '98 Masters-... blows my mind as an older guy...
is between, I- is, is one worth going back to, to watch, 'cause it's an amazing tournament. He was never even leading. Was it him and Duval? Him, Duval, Freddie. Who was- Tiger was there.
Jack Nicklaus came in 10th, I think. Um- Yeah, yeah... preposterous major. Yeah. Uh, Ian Baker-Finch is the only one.
He only won one major, but he was, he was a ver- at that point, he was a very, very good golfer, and then he just- He went to number one in the world at some point... got the yips.
I think probably after winning this, he was in there, and then he just fell off the face of the earth. Hit it out of bounds- Tom Watson... on the first hole at St. Andrews. Uh, left.
Gonna be, I think that's the important part. [laughs] Left. Um, '83, Tom Watson wins. Obviously Watson won a bo- load of majors, but he won his majors basically in '80, '81, two in '82, and then the '83 Open.
So he was in the midst of, like, a little run. Johnny Miller won in '76. Trevino won in '71, and then he won the '72 Open as well. Peter Thompson won, like, every Open championship in the, in the '60s it feels like.
He won in '65. Palmer wins in '61, and, like, if Palmer wins a major, you can just point to the run of majors he was on, 'cause he won seven in four years, and so '61 was the middle of it.
And that was an important- Then Thompson won in '64... that was, so the, the Palmer major here was very important because he sort of shepherded this into being, like, a real major.
Um- Yeah, 'cause he went over there and played... 'cause really it was, he went over and played, and this was not Um, necessarily considered.
It was considered a major, but it did not have the gravitas until Arnie really went over there and won. Even though Hogan had done- And, and Tommy Armour. Tommy Armour. Geez.
Um, so, like, that's your run of major winners at Birkdale. So I... Like, if you're... Maybe for people out there who are listening or trying to figure out, like, who might win, you, you might be...
It might be a good bet to look at guys who have won or, or who might contend, who have won majors in the last, I don't know, like eight to 10 majors. This could be Aaron Rai's year. Uh, it c- But, right.
But, like, that's a, that's the crazy thing is Birkdale seems like it rewards guys who are just playing very good golf, which is a ridiculous thing to say, but that's not always the case.
So looking at that list, that's, that's one. So right, like Xander could be one, you know, when people are looking back in 10 years. But, but- Like, all right, he won two m- he won two majors in '24.
Oh, but what about Birkdale? Then he wins, like, in '26. Uh, you're putting Xander on this list? What do you mean? Xander hasn't done anything.
I'm putting Xander, I'm putting Xander on the list of, like, if, if we look back, I'm saying in 10 years' time, if we're still doing this podcast and they're at Birkdale, and we look back and, and it's like, oh, he won in X- Xander won in '26.
He also won two majors in '24, and that was kind of like, oh, that was his little run of majors. Eh, it's a stretch. I'm just c- I'm just listing the guys who have won majors in the last 10 majors, Burke.
That's all I'm doing. And I think he's obviously on that list. I know, but X- Xander is an off the face of the planet. Like, he is not- Yes. I, I agree with you. I'm just telling you. I'm just...
If you go through the guys who have won the last 10, it's Scotty, it's Rory, it's Xander, it's Rai, it's, um- Wendy [laughs] Wyndham Clark, who's, who knows. I don't, I don't think he's- JJ Spaun... got the game.
JJ Spaun, like, you know, that's not the short list of guys who are going to win, but just a, a thing that stood out to me was those guys who just are playing good golf in the majors. All right.
So I know who you're picking. Oh, maybe.
I mean, there might be some guys in that list, but there's also a lot of guys who I think might fall into the Koocher category, who don't run into a Jordan Spieth going birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie, and getting a crazy drop on the 13th hole and winning.
Like, it was a crazy stretch of golf where people were... I think there were people who were starting to reali- starting to kind of like contend with, like, "Oh, Matt Koocher's gonna win this major.
He's gonna beat Jordan Spieth." I know. 'Cause Spieth was l- l- very loose up until that little stretch.
Um- But it's also, it's also, uh, just another great reminder of there is just nothing that is guaranteed in this game.
And like Tiger and Rory, I'm not even gonna say Scotty yet 'cause he hasn't done it for a decade, but, like, Tiger and Rory, just their consistency of excellence- Yeah. It's stunning... is, is, is ama- it's amazing.
And Spieth- Yeah... at that point, if you had asked anybody, "Do you think Spieth's gonna win the Grand Slam?" And by the way, the PGA is, like, the most just PGA Tour event.
95% of the people would've said yes, and the other five- Right... were just the pure contrarians. Um, and he hasn't even been close to winning a major since then. Maybe one Masters. Yeah. Uh, but it, like- Yeah...
it, it, it, you just never know. You never know what's gonna happen in this game. And personal life- Yeah... obviously has a big impact. Like, he's had three kids since then. Like, that's a big deal. Um- Yep...
so anyway. Low Englishman in '17 was Paul Casey. Uh, the top 10 is just Spieth, Koocher, Haotong, Haotong Li. Haotong Li. Rafael Cabrera. Haotong's playing kinda good right now. He's playing kind of well.
He's, uh- Uh, Rafa- Rafael Cabrera Bello was T4 with McIlroy. Brandon Grace. Koepka finished T6. Marc Leishman, kind of a, a, it's a, it's a mix of guy. Um, Alex Noren.
This was- Matthew Southgate, who I've never heard of. Oh, Matthew Southgate was low, low Englishman. My apologies, Matthew. Um- This was, um, when- It's a very interesting group...
when Grace, Grace set the course record. Or the, sorry, the major record, right? Like, this was his 62 I think. Grace shot 62 on Saturday. On Saturday. Yeah. So- Yeah...
import- important to note, so, like, there was a six- Didn't break 70 any other round. Yeah, the only player to ever, what, like, shoot, like, uh, didn't break- Three rounds in the 70s and a 62...
didn't break par or in the finish like top four or, like, top five or whatever. There's some weird stat about, about his score. But so the fact that he shot 62, that could be out there.
Like, that could be Saturday or it could be Sunday where you go shoot a 62- Yeah... and then the wind starts blowing a little bit. You don't know. Yeah. Like, that golf course can... It's on there.
Like, it's been proven. And they haven't really lengthened it. I know they've made- No, not really... some big changes to it, but it's the same, it's the same length, um, golf course.
So that's another, another thing to, to think about. Thursday morning, you mentioned just the, the uniqueness of the Open. This is why it's my favorite major, is you wake up and there's golf on, and it's already been on.
You know, we live on the East Coast, and they're teeing off at, they're teeing off at 1:00, 2:00 in the morning. Yeah. Um, East Coast time, like 6:30 tee time in, in England.
Are there any guys that just looking, maybe you've looked at the tee times, that you are, you already know, like, I'm gonna, I just wanna check what these, these guys shot 'cause they're either gonna be just about done with their round or kinda closing out their round as, uh, as the day gets started here on the East Coast.
Um, I have not checked. I'm bringing it up right now. Um- I'll give you Thorbjorn Olesen as my- Well, 'cause he was last in. He was-... A-number-one guy. Last in. He's teeing off at 8:47 AM London, English time.
So- Oh, so you're, you're up... he'll be just about- I mean, you're up at- I'm up. I'm, uh, yeah, like, like 3:30, coffee in hand, ready to watch Thor, uh, start his Open Championship march to victory.
Yeah, I mean- But he's definitely one I'm checking. I'm probably not checking anyone, to be honest with you. It's like, uh, who am I, who do I get to watch is more the, the better thing.
Like, I, I don't- Oh, I get, I get such a kick out of turning it on and seeing, like, the, the top six and there's some random amateur- Oh my God, Matt-... in there. Chris, you know, Christo Lamprecht...
so guy who you said Baldwin is teeing off at 1:35 Eastern Time. That's the first tee time. Oh my God. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, and look, and James Nicholas- Thomas Detry...
James Nicholas gets the first tee time at the US Open and the British Open. That's pretty cool. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I, I, I like him a lot. Uh-huh. Um, I think...
I follow him on social media, and he's- Yeah, he's a good Instagram follow for people who are interested in, like, what this stuff costs to play- Yeah... out in, uh, in the, in the Korn Ferry world. I'd...
Like the- Yeah, I don't know. I mean, the-... obviously the group- You got Ryan Fox... Scheffler, Hatton- I love Ryan Fox... and Bryson are going off at 5:00 in the morning our time.
So we'll be, you know, if you're waking up at 7:00- That's a perfect, like, a Thursday... they'll be making the turn. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Russell Henley's teeing off at 9:36. So those are the...
That, that group, that Speith, that, that Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie, Hatton group is definitely one when I wake up, it's like, "Well, how are these guys doing?" Speith is teeing off right after them.
That's a Speith, Fleetwood, Rahm, Hatton, Scheffler, DeChambeau as, like, back to back threesomes is, uh, is pretty, pretty great. Robbie, Robbie McIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Pit- Fitzpatrick at 2:19 AM.
That's a pretty good one. Do you have, do you have the East, East Coast times? Yeah. So I do wanna give a quick shout out to... I watched this wonderful, really good interview with, um, Irishman David Howard. Mm.
Who has cystic fibrosis. Who qualified through- How did that happen? Just qualifying. Uh, he's an amateur. He's from Cork.
Just a great interview listening to him talk about, like, he takes tr- 30 pills a day, has to do a bunch of exercises to clear his lungs, um, and he's playing in the Open Championship.
You know, kinda sounds like he had a really hard time during COVID. Like, cystic fibrosis, if you get any sort of illness, infection, um, virus, like, it becomes... It, it's pretty, it's pretty bad.
So he's a g- he's a ki-... If you're looking for just, like, a good story, someone to, to, to, uh, love star, not hate star, but you can give a little love star, David Howard.
He tees off at 10:42 AM, but a really cool piece on... He j- he was on the set of Live From, and, uh, and talked with McGinley and Lerner and, and, uh, and Brandel. So that was, that was kinda cool. Very cool.
Kev, did you watch any of Live From last night and the stuff about fan behavior? Um, I caught- It was-... some things on social. Um- What do you think? I felt like I was sitting in a meeting when I was a teacher.
[laughs] And we were, and we were, like, trying to figure out how to get a certain grade to behave better or whatever. I mean, they... The, the amount of times they said they have to, you have to name and shame people.
Like talking about crowds. Like fans. Like outing people in the crowds and publicly making it known that they have been, like, kicked out of...
It was, it was a wild conversation [laughs] that it did not make any of those guys look very good in my, in my mind. Like, I know the f- crowd stuff has been very much front and center.
I mean, I was at that Mass AM last week, Burke, and I posted a, a video every shot from one of the semifinals. Yeah. Great stuff. 14th hole, little par three. Like a relatively big crowd.
There was probably, like, 30 people up there. This guy yells, "Get in the hole" after Aiden Emerick hits his tee shot, and people looked around at him like, "What... Where do you think you are?" Like, this stuff is...
It's odd that it's creeping into [laughs] like an- The fact that at the Mass AM... a state amateur tournament in a semifinal [laughs] of a match.
Actually, no, he mu- he must, he must have known that you were filming 'cause he wanted to be famous and look back on it and say, "Ah, that was me that said- Of course. Of course... mashed potatas" and, uh...
[laughs] But it was... It just... The, the conversation that they had was, was, um, very interesting.
I mean, I, I don't think that- And I know there's- I don't think that, like, get in the hole after your shot is like... I don't even think that's terribly new. I think that's been going on for- No, it's just annoying...
like, like a Tiger thing. I think what they're trying to get out of the game is, like, the, the, the personal heckling and, like, they're rooting- Yes...
against the Wyndham Clarks of the world, and, like, that's, uh, the, the get in- Oh, for sure... the get in the hole is, like, that's kinda harmless. Like, it's, it's, it's...
I mean, if I was sitting next to you and you said something like that, I'd be like, "We've had a good run, Mills. We're done."
[laughs] Um, but, and, like, same thing with the mashed potatoes type thing, but I don't- Yeah. Baba Boo... I don't think that's, I don't think that's what they're going at. And, like, if you say something- 100% no...
if you say something- That's what I would-... after the ball is struck and it's not personal, then, like, I, I don't know. Like, it's not that big of a deal. Like, you wanna be a sport.
Like, these guys, you go to a [laughs] Red Sox game, a Red Sox Yankees game or a- I know... like, any game, and th- that's like, doesn't even reach the level of a, a, an usher being like giving you a dirty look.
I, I don't know. Yeah. It... There, there's a we- it's a weird state that the game is at. Um, I don't know.
The other thing about golf that's different than, you know, I sit in the second to last row of TD Garden, and there's nights where I come home and I don't have a voice 'cause I'm hoping that someone hears something.
I'm just yelling. Um, never, never [laughs] like harmful or hateful, just like I'm just yelling- Eh... nonsense. Sometimes it's a, it can be. If you're, if you're a Knicks fan- Yeah. [laughs]...
you know, you might hear it from me. Um- But it's part of the fun, right? But, but, like- Like, it's, it's fun... it is part of the fun.
But in golf, like my balcony seat, the money I pay for that balcony seat puts me in the balcony. You get to a golf course and you could get in for a pretty good, uh, like a...
You can get in for relatively cheap, a balcony price, and you can be sitting, you can be standing rope side and feel like you can just yell whatever, whatever you want.
And it's, it's like, like- No, and you, and you could seriously impact...
Like, like, so as a golfer, and anyone that's still listening knows this, but, like, if somebody yells in your backswing and, like, you're not expecting it, it's a big deal.
If somebody yells in the middle of a jump shot at TD Garden, it's not a... It- Right. Right It has no impact whatsoever, no matter how close they are, 'cause the players are yelling in your, the middle of your jump shot.
And so, um- Yeah... it definitely has an impact if somebody is 15 feet away from you and yells something in your backswing, whatever it is. Yeah. Yeah. Well, we'll see what happens.
I'm sure we'll know if, uh, people have been kicked out. It, it never feels, it never really feels like the Open Championship is the place where this, uh- I would lo-... behavior kind of- I mean-...
starts to run rampant. It's the last of the- No. Uh, and, and I also think they're doing this to, like, sort of be a little holier than thou after what happened at Bethpage.
Like, we hold our fans to a higher standard and like, uh- Yeah. And Shinnecock... Uh, a- and Shinnecock, right. Like, well, I mean, that was US on US- Yeah... crime, which is like just [laughs] I know. [laughs] I know.
I know. It was very weird. [laughs]Well, yeah. A- a- again, there's... We could do probably another hour on this stuff. I, I think that it, the sport is a little bit at a crossroads with, um, that type of stuff. Yeah.
A- and, like, not to sound like the old, the old fart, but I even just notice it. You... When you're at a golf course and you're now playing golf, you even just... If you, if you're like, you don't have to tune into it.
There's usually just...
It's, there's, it's more rambunctious than it used to be on a golf course, where it's like four buddies, and, like, they hit a good shot or they make a putt, and, like, you can he- you can hear people from across the golf course who are, like, stoked that something cool happened or something fun happened in their round to a buddy or to them.
Um, and I think, like, that part has... That's the other...
You just, like, the game has changed a little bit and the, and the, the people who are playing it or the energy around it or what people are seeing on, like, YouTube golf or whatever has definitely, like, just changed the dynamic of what it's like to be on a golf course.
And I think then it's also changed the dynamic of, like, what it's like to be a fan on a golf course. 100%. I don't know.
And, you know, I, I've, I've been playing a couple club tournaments in the last month or so, and even, like, the music. Mm-hmm.
Like, like, nobody asks if you can play music, and nobody knows that, like, that music should be your music. [laughs] Yes. Like- Yeah, right... like, not somebody else's music. Yeah. No one else should hear it.
Um, and, like, that stuff is just like, oh, whoa, you, like, you don't like fun? Like, no, but I just don't wanna hear gangster rap when I'm about to hit, like, a fricking flop shot.
[laughs] I missed another green, and I'm just trying to save par here. Yeah. I don't, I don't... [laughs] Yeah, yeah. The music stuff.
I don't mind music on the golf course, but I also don't need to hear it from, like, two fairways away, or, like, you're pulling up to your tee box and I'm, I'm at another green or vice versa. But- You're...
The, the only thing was, like, your music should be your music. Like, that's- Yeah. Yep. Yeah. Shouldn't be anyone else's. All right. Before we get to our picks, what, um, what's a best case
and a worst case for this week at Birkdale? Oh, boy. I mean, I, I don't know. Like, I, I just like, like, I liked the Aaron Rai PGA. I thought that was a good tournament. I thought the golf course was good.
I thought the leaderboard was good. I thought it was exciting down the stretch, and I thought the best player won that week. And so, like, that- And it was hard...
and it was hard, and, like, it w- like, that to me, if you're a true golf fan, like, you, you, you show yourself to me as not a true golf fan if you say you hated that tournament because Aaron Rai won, and he shot 31 on the backside.
And if that was Scotty, it would've been, like, hailed as, like, the g- or Rory or Rahm even- Yeah... um, or Ludig. Yeah. Um, like, it, it, it would've been hailed as, like, this amazing win.
And so I thought that was a great tournament. Um, and so, like, I don't know. There's been no hype for this tournament, so I think best case is probably Jordan Spieth, um, from a hype- Yeah.
I mean, that's, that's a good answer... from a hype perspective. Yeah. Like, I, I, like, that's pro- In the US. Yeah... that's probably best case, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose.
Um, I think that, I mean, Rory obviously is a, would be a massive, massive win. Nobody can win the Career Grand Slam, so, um, I don't know. Those, those two. Yeah. It's, like, the only major left.
It's the only major of the four that doesn't have that on the, uh- I don't think Scotty would be best case... on the agenda. No, I think Scotty would just be, uh, oh, okay, he won a major.
This, he, he did kind of what we- Yeah... hoped he would do this year, and he's collecting more. He's ti- He's g- he's gonna die. At that point he would have five. He's gonna die is the point. Him and Rory.
Was that Shane? That... No, it was Rory. Was that Shane Ryan asking the, uh- Um, I th-... that question? I, I couldn't tell it was.
I, I just saw a couple clips 'cause I, I was, I was in, in my office today, so I didn't, wasn't, like, listening to all of it.
But, like, I mean, last year's thing was, I thought was very thoughtful and everything, but, like, we're all just gonna die. And then Rory being like, "I don't care about my legacy. I'm gonna die."
I'm like, what are we talking about here? I know. It was crazy. You guys very clearly care about your legacy. You do. You have more money than you could ever hope for.
If you wanna just compete, go play Tony Romo at the, you know, the Dallas club and compete. Yeah. It was a very odd- Your, your legacy is tied to how good you are.
And, and you, you both have hundreds of millions of dollars in the... I don't know. I just... That stuff. Like, this, that was the one Scotty th- like, I actually really do like Scotty.
That, but those, that was just like, come on, like, stop it. Yep. Yep. I mean, I think best case is England winning tomorrow, getting into the World Cup final, and having- Yeah...
some English player, and, like, the energy at the tournament would be incredible. And it would be a very interesting- Would they need to show up at the tournament, though? Well, that's...
Okay, so this is, that was my next thought is, is I don't, I think the World Cup is supposed to... They might move the tee times up to get the golf done before kickoff.
Um, but this is a v- like, this is one of those should golf avoid the NFL? No. Yeah. We have the World C- we have the World Cup final. That's much bigger than any NFL game.
And, like, how does that im- will it impact how many people watch the golf? I, I, I know it's a little different- If England's in it, yes... in E- yes, in England, but unless it kicks off and they, they...
But I just, it's a, it'll- No, but I, I actually think- I'm interested to see the dynamic of, of how it all goes down...
regardless, if England is in the final, if England's in the final and it's on the same day, I think it impacts it. On the grounds? 100, or, or on, in viewership, in whatever. Yeah.
But it's definitely gonna impact it 'cause people are gonna wanna, like, go to the pubs and then stay after and then celebrate or not celebrate or drown their sorrows. Like, all those things. Like, it, it will impact.
Yeah. Yeah. It'll be, I, it's a, it'll be a good storyline if they win tomorrow. It feels, it's feeling very Nixie to me as far as what's going on with this England team right now. Um,
those two teams are very, very closely tied in their histories, I think, as far as disappointments and, and heartbreak. Let's get to our picks. Let's do it. We've rambled long enough. Um, man, we did...
I think we should just apologize to everybody for our picks from the US Open. [laughs] I got messages when I posted of like, "That's an weird set of players." In defense, I think it was a weird tournament.
Um, and we were... I think we kind of foresaw, uh, it being an odd tournament, and it was. And, and, uh, and windy- And by the way, we have never claimed- And windy won... to be any good at this. [laughs] I know. I know.
We did leave some guys on the table, I think, last time. We... I, especially me, I picked some, I picked some funny ones. But I'm gonna let you go first. Um, my winner is Chris Gotterup.
Oh, you're going back to the Gotterup train. I know. I know. Isn't that crazy? Um, uh, but, like, this seems to be... And, and I do think there is something that, something to be said about, like, seasonal peaking. Yes.
And clearly last year he did that and almost won the British. And he almo- After winning the Scottish. After winning the Scottish. [laughs] Yeah. And he won the Deere two weeks ago.
And, [laughs] like, I don't know, man, like, he's just... You brought up being on a heater. Like, he seems like this is kind of his heater, and he should, uh, seems... I, I, I love listening to him talk.
Um, he's- Let's go follow him on Twitter... very quickly becoming one of my favorite players. Like, I, I, I just- Yeah... like the guy. And so- Yeah... I don't know.
I feel like th- this could be one of those, like, yeah, of course, Chris Gotterup won this. I mean, he was... He's on fire. Like, he's playing very well. To circle back to our P- Plus 29 under, by the way.
To circle back to our PGA Championship discussion around April, May, June, July, there's... It also, having a major in August changes the guys who, I think, like you said, play well late, like, later in the year.
Yeah, totally. And it would, uh, could, uh... Like, Chris Gotterup, who knows? Maybe he, y- like, [laughs] August rolls around, he's playing his best golf of the year. It's like, "Well, I got no...
Oh, cool, I won the FedEx Cup," which ultimately doesn't mean that much. Um- It's, like, $30 million, but, you know. Yeah. It's a, it's a lot of money, but it's...
You know, no one's counting that in your real- But he also did win Sony this year... in your, in your legacy chat. Like, I, I, I don't know.
Like, he's- He, he, like, played well, and then he kind of fell off, and now he's- Yeah... playing well again. Now he's back. I think, and there's, there's- Back playing well. Yeah.
There's guys who are, like, great during California, and then they get to Florida, and whatever it is about the, the grass or the time of year or just sustaining it or traveling different or not being at home or being at home, [laughs] whatever.
I was just so- Whatever it is. I was super impressed the fact that he followed up a Scottish win last year with contending at the British.
And then I was super impressed, like, the whole notion with him was, well, he likes the wide open, like, concepts, and then went and won at Sony, which is, like, the l- it's, like, that and Harbour Town are the closed off golf courses.
And so- Yeah... um, I, I think this kid- He hits shots... is really freaking good. Yeah, he hits shots. I think, I picked him to win- He's kind of an old school...
I think almost probably every major this year, but- You liked him a lot going into the PGA. I did. I loved him at the PGA. Yeah. Yeah. Um, yeah, he's, he's a good watch. He's, he just feels like an o- he could...
You could plop him in, like, the 1980s, and he's running around with, like, Stadler and, [laughs] um, Calcavecchia. Yeah. Just that kind of build and just the way he plays.
I'm taking, I'm taking- I think it, I think it would be cool... Sorry. I, I just think it would be cool if he, like, elevated to the next level of, of player. Like, I, I think it, it would be very good for the game.
Yeah. And it would be good for American golf. Yeah. I think. Just- And the fact that he was left off the Ryder Cup last year is just kind of preposterous. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I'm taking Fitz first. Yeah. Good pick. Matty.
[laughs] Yeah. Have to just clarify. I'm taking Matt Fitzpatrick. I, I watched... They did a little piece on every English player on Live From, and he is very intimately... He has got a lot of knowledge of Birkdale.
He has played there a bunch. Um, apparently he is friends with the president or the club president or club captain. Um, and so she has had him up a bunch, and he's played a bunch of golf there.
So, like, as a guy who's kind of a technician anyways, this golf course requires that, and he has a bunch of knowledge of the golf course. I think he's gonna have a good week.
And another guy who's playing- He's playing well. It w- w-... Right. He's playing well. He's won a bunch of times.
Um, also, I think we just picked two guys who are very much in the player of the year conversation between Gotterup and Fitz too, which lines up with just...
The winner here, I think, is going to be someone who has been playing well in the last 24 to 18 months. I know that's a big window of time, but, um, and these two guys are playing the best golf maybe of...
You could argue they're... I think they are the both, two of the top five players in the world right now. I think Gotterup's is, is up there. I know Fitz is third, but... So that's my first one. Yes.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna... My next one is a guy, maybe we can have this conversation 'cause it was kind of on my mind, and we didn't get to it. I'm taking Rory. I think Rory's gonna have a good week.
And the thing I wanted to ask you about, because you have always harped on his- Yep... his preparation, and you haven't recently. And I'm wondering if that's because we've just seen- He's honed in on it...
things become more consistent. He's... Yes. Yes. I- Yeah. It, it, and, like, it's fascinating to me- That's not to... I'm, uh, yeah, I'm not picking a fight. I just... It's- Oh, no.
I, I actually hear- He settled, he settled into a routine for these tournaments. No, I actually hear you're giving me a compliment because I've been saying this for- Yeah... like- Since we started this thing... years.
Yeah. That he doesn't pick a routine, and he's finally settled into one. Yep. Which allows you the best opportunity to win majors. And yeah, [laughs] Ro- Ro-
um, it's crazy that no one brings this up, that he was changing his routine every... And he was talking about it too. Like, he was very vocal about it. Yeah.
And the w- and, and he would always be like, "Well, I just wanna, like, you know, reach Tiger status." And yet what Tiger did better than anyone was he had the exact same routine [laughs] going into every single major.
Did he win every- Yeah... single one of them? Obviously not, but he knew, like, that he was best prepared to win. With a Perkins waitress outside. With, with a Perky waitress, yeah. Yeah. Of course.
I mean, that might have been part of his routine. He He, he has, like, after he won, like, he was searching every single time for the formula to win the Masters. Like, that was the only thing he was searching for.
And then since he won it, which by the way was, like, kind of luck because he tried a million different things, he's just like, "Well, I must just do this now because [laughs] this is now...
I'm gonna, I'm gonna do it," which just I think the consistency really helps. So, um- Yeah... yeah, I, I love him. I actually really do like him this week as well. Yeah. Yeah. I would. It would be...
He's still chasing, I think he's just still chasing that st- you know, double career Grand Slam, and he's got two very good chances these next two years between here and St. Andrews in, um, in 27.
So wouldn't be surprised if he gets one of the next two. Who's, uh, who's your second and third pick in our little snake draft here? Um, so my second pick, um, is a guy from across the pond as well. Um, little bit of a,
wouldn't call him the happiest of boys. He's tends to, like, sh- uh, uh, he, he's one of the, like, he's kind of in the Shane Lowry mode right now, where, you know, he just kinda, like, he's been around a lot.
He's won some tournaments. Like, he knows how to win. Um, and I'm going Bobby Mack. Oh, okay. That was not where I thought you were going. Yeah.
I, I'm going, I w- you thought I was pr- probably going Hadden, but, um- Yeah... I, I think Bobby Mack is young enough in his career and has been putting himself in good spots.
Um, lost by a shot to JJ Spaun at the US Open last year. Like, has b- been playing well here. He's, he, like, he's never gonna be on anyone's, like, top 10 sexiest golfers list. I mean, 'cause- No...
he looks like, you know, me or you out there. Uh, but I, like, I, I could see him just, like, grinding one out, kind of like Lowry did. Not in Scotland, obviously, um, which Lowry had the benefit of being in Ireland.
Um, but- Well, Northern Ireland. He's a- Nor- Nor- He's an Irishman. Yeah, I mean, yeah. We're close. I know. They were- It's just kinda the same. Close- Well, uh- Close borders here...
close borders, but y- they were giving him the home game there. Um- Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, I, I don't know. I, like, I, I just would not be... Bobby Mack is just one of those, like, a, that I think is going...
And it might not even be a British Open that he picks off, but he's a player to me that, like, will pick off a major. Yeah. And we've talked about it before, just are you in contention? Are you around?
Y- and he's, he's been there. And, like, that is a skill, and he's, he just manages to, to be around. And, like, in a bunch of different tou...
He, he, I can't pin him down as for what, like, where he plays well, 'cause he tends to- He doesn't play well at Palmer's Paradise... pop up. Like, that's his, like, he- Well, yeah...
doesn't- I mean, but he still kind of managed to almost get into a playoff at Oakmont. Yeah, I don't think- You know?... Oakmont was a bomber's paradise, though. I mean, that's Sunday. I guess I- JJ Spaun, JJ Spaun won.
Yeah, that's fair. Um, all right. So Bobby Mack. Who's your, who's your third pick? Russell Henley. It's Russ, it's Russ Bus. Okay. I'm going got her up. Bob Mack, Russ Henley.
Um, yeah, so, so Russell, like, a little older. I think that he's, you know, got the iron game, the patience. Um, I, I just feel like he, I can't, like, I think he's gonna pick one off one of these times.
And I'm not going, like- He's-... the Scott. Like, he's, he's... And he's playing well. Like, he hasn't had, like, the greatest year, but he's playing well enough. Are you worried about the putter with him? Totally.
But the, these are slower greens- Yeah... so it could almost neutralize- It might... like, having to do that. And, like, these greens are...
So typically, I would say that PGA Tour greens are about, like, a 13 is what they like to run at. Yeah. And British Open, they're like 10s, like, 10 and a halfs, and that's a huge difference. Agreed.
I, uh, he's just the... I just keep going back to the Masters Sunday and his putt at the Ryder Cup [laughs]. Like, is he... I don't, just- Wow... if he wins, he's gotta win.
He's gotta have a two-shot lead coming down 18, 'cause it just- Well, so he-...
feels like- He either needs a two-shot lead or do what he did at the Masters, but not do it quick enough, because he, like, was way out of it, and then he was, like, in the lead on the 12th hole or 13th hole, whatever hole.
I know. But, like, and it was like- It was crazy... it came out of nowhere... and he hit so many good shots- Yes. [laughs]... and just could not make, could not make a putt.
I, we're gonna, we're gonna leave Scottie on the table, Berky. I'm not taking Scottie. I- I don't think it's a S- I don't, it doesn't feel like a, a Scottie Scheffler week, which means he's absolutely gonna win.
Um- Yeah. But yeah, just I- Which I would not, would not be surprised by, by the way...
I'm looking at my list and, like, he's on it, but I just, he, his appro- his just, his, I, there's something going on with his iron play. Who knows what it is?
But it is just his, uh, his proximity to the hole stuff, which was otherworldly last year, is just not as good, and he's not winning. Um- I just, I- He hasn't had a 54-hole lead this year, I think Brandel said.
I'll tell ya, I think he's just, Scottie's a different cat, or maybe he's, like, different from other PGA Tour players. I, I don't know. The fact that he had his second kid the second... So, oh God, how do I say this?
Like, the first kid, and this is entirely a personal experience, so this has nothing to do with him. I'm just, like, literally transposing, which people do all the time. So like, the first kid, it's just all the woman.
Like, like, like, the girl, like, they take him, and, like, that's their entire job. But then when it becomes, like, man-on-man, like, he's gotta do more for the second kid than he has to do for the first kid.
And so his- Right... like, time, because Meredith can't do everything for two kids, and, like, he probably feels bad about that, and my guess is his practice time has gone down.
And, like, that's not, like, I'm not, like, this isn't a thing on parenthood or, like, how much money he makes or how much help he has. Like, my guess is his practice time, because he's had his second kid, has gone down.
Yeah. And, like- Bandwidth changes... it's like the margins of these guys are so slim that that, you know, five hours a week that he's giving up Yeah... makes a humongous difference. Yeah, it's all the margins.
Yeah, I mean, any- if you're, if anyone out... I have no kids, but I have friends who have one kid.
I have friends who had one kid and then had a second kid, and, like, they have the first kid, and you kind of still see them, or they'll, they'll, like, bring the first kid with them to stuff.
Then they have a second kid, and it gets harder for, to have, like, to hang out with that one person 'cause they feel guilty leave. Like, I'm gonna leave my wife with the two kids now- Yes...
for an afternoon, whether it's playing golf or just getting beers or getting dinner. Um, and they don't go out as much 'cause they've got two kids with them, and they gotta... So the whole dynamic does change.
If you have anyone out there in your life who has two kids or if you have two kids, you know. I mean, it just, it shifts the entire thing. And S- and, and Swede- That's a, that's a good point...
has just had his third kid. Yeah. And Rob's got- Very recently... got four. Four. But, like- Yeah... I, I just... And, and I think that there's this... I, I, I don't know.
I don't wanna get into this, like, broader conversation, but, like, when, like, Jack Nicklaus credits Barbara so much for his success because she took everything.
And, and by the way, like, Jack had to work to literally support their family back then. Like, he wasn't making that much money. Yeah. Right Whereas, like, these guys have hundreds of millions in the bank.
Like, they actually don't have to work as hard because- Right... they already are set up for, you know, their grandkids. Like, they're already set up. They don't have to start- Yeah... like, a design company business.
And so, like, again, those margins are so small. And so I, I think there's something there.
Like, I, I, again, you don't know that these guys personally, but, um, I, I have thought a lot about that, in that, like, it's, it, it pulls on you in a way that didn't last year when- Yeah... when four had some.
Yeah, when he won twice and- Yeah... yeah. And had an incredible year. So, well, after all that parenting, that's, that's, that's some good parenting stuff there. That's a, that's, that's interesting insight.
Um, so I'm not taking Scotty for all those reasons you just said, and for the way he's just kind of been playing golf. Man, I'm gonna take, I'm gonna take Kol Morikawa. Excellent.
I don't, I don't lo- I don't love the pick, but it's a... I think it's a type of golf course. Doesn't seem like it's gonna be super windy.
Um, maybe, maybe this first part of the year wasn't fool's gold, but just, like, his back has never gotten- It has, no, it hasn't recovered. Like-... returned to what it is...
I, I actually think his performance, his performance since his back, like, serious back injury has said that the first part of the year was not fool's gold 'cause he's actually still competed. He's been...
I mean, it's pretty, it's pretty incredible how well he has- 100%... acquitted himself. He was on my list. So I'm gonna take him. He's won one of these before. He won it in an environment that was, like, very calm.
I know there were no fans there. We've t- I, I've, I've litigated that myself. It didn't count as a major. [laughs] Uh, Kol Morikawa's the only golfer who has a half of a major with actually two majors. Two majors.
Um, but I just, I, there's... I don't love the pick, but I, I'm looking at my list, and I've got, I've got Xander on my list. I've got Tommy. I've got Justin Rose. I had Brian Harman on my list.
Like, there's guys that just trying to pick out the dudes who hit their irons well. Tom Kim. Not a lot of drivers are gonna get hit. Yeah, Tom Kim, who...
So Tom Kim is one of those ones we might look back and think, like, oh, we just talked about all these people who are playing well. Tommy. Yeah. And Kim has been playing great golf. Awesome.
And he could, he, maybe he wins. But I just don't, I don't really feel like being in the Tom Kim camp while he's trying to win at Birkdale. No, it's been... I don't think it's- Not my, not a place I wanna be. No.
[laughs] Um, who's your dark horse? I've got a pretty dark dark horse. Um- Like Jackson Kovin kind of dark horse? No, not quite. I mean, I, that wasn't the worst dark horse. I mean, he's- No, he made the cut. Yeah.
Um, I'm going, uh, David Puig. I looked at him. Um, he's had a pretty solid- I like that... year on LIV. I like that pick. I think he's a, I think he's a good player.
These guys have had more exposure to different types of golf courses. He's from the continent. Um, and by the way, dark horse plus 17,500.
So if you put 100 bucks on him and he wins, you win, like, you know, a, a down payment to a very nice golf course. Um... [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] If you can get off the wait list. If you can get off the wait list.
See, I, I don't know. Like, I've always liked him as a player. I, I think that he is one of the more interesting LIV players in that I don't...
I, I think that this might have, um, accelerated his development a little bit more than others because, like, some of the... I, I, I don't know. Like, I, I don't necessarily disagree.
If, if he got, like, $5 million to go to LIV, which I don't know whether he did, um, I, I don't think it's hurt him. Yeah.
I think there is at some point going to be, like, what- And LIV probably should've done some of this stuff.
Like, they should've gone after more of the, the Thorbjorns, the David Pu- like, like, that's probably should've been more their business model than the Lee Westwoods of the world. I, I know. I know. Well, I, and
I, that's a good point in that, like, if you look at Caleb Surratt is another one- Yeah... that they went and got. Chikara- Chikara. Yeah, he's, he's playing... is now playing, like, very good golf.
But there, there is something to be said about the guys who are young who just said, like, "Here's a place to go play, and- Yeah... you're gonna get reps that's gonna feel more like college golf than pro golf.
Like, you're making a jump, but the pressure is a little bit different. You're part, you have a, you're part of a team still. Um- And you're guaranteed money.
Like, you're guaranteed $150,000 or whatever it is every time you teed up. Yeah. And so, like, maybe it's not worth the- Lasasso might be one that is regretting it, but I think, I think it is, I think- Why?
He's playing terrible golf, but he's getting a lot of money. Like, I actually- Yeah.
I, well, I mean, just as far as maybe some development stuff, but I, I, I actually, I never really liked him as a, as a, as a prospect anyways. But he's getting guaranteed starts- Yes...
and guaranteed money, whereas if he went to- Yes. I just don't think he's that good... So that actually makes the argument even better for him. Yeah.
Well, I was, what I was gonna say was in, I think in five years' time, there will be some sort of retrospective, and there are going to be guys like Puig and Chikara and Surratt maybe who They'll look back and- Tom- and Tom McKibbin...
and people... And maybe Tom McKibbin as well, and p- and people realize, oh, they, they benefited from that experience, and it helped them kind of sharpen their game.
They, they had to grind a little bit to get into the majors. Yeah. So they had still, like, a little thing to... A carrot, but...
Yeah, Lee Westwood and- But if you- if you're not, if you're not Jackson Kovin, Thorbjorn Olesen, Preston Stout, like, if you're in the 10 to 20 range on PGA Tour U- Yeah...
and you're getting guaranteed starts against major winners, and, like, you can see their preparation, and you're getting all this money, and eventually they're just gonna let you back in. Yep.
I mean, look at Dunlap and Clanton right now. Totally. They're just... They can't make... They can barely make cuts. They can... They're not really making any money. So.
I mean, they, they, they really should- And Clanton's running out of time... they should have thrown the D- I think Dunlap's run- running out of time too. Um, they should have thrown the...
They should throw the bag at, like, a Miles Russell. Um- Yep. Blaze Brown. Blaze Brown. Yeah, like, those are the guys they should be going after. Yeah. Yeah. Now, I think Blaze Brown's pretty set, but... Yeah.
And, and he kind of turned pro out of nowhere. I don't think he was... Not out of nowhere, but he was 17, I think, like what Akshay did. Um, my... We already talked about this guy as a dark horse. Mm-hmm.
Guy who spent a little bit of time up in the trees in 13 at Augusta National, could be pointed as the Scottie stopper [laughs] in that tournament. Haotong Li- Yes... give me his dark horse. He's my dark horse this week.
[laughs] He's playing good golf. I love it. He's got good history here. I love it. I- I'm taking Haotong. I...
Th- he was, like, on my list of three dark horses, and I looked at his odds and I was like, "That's preposterous." Some of these odds are- He's 21,000. I, I- Plus 21,000.
He's a little bit- This field is so big, guys don't know what to do. He... I know. He's, he's a little better than, um... He, he's a little better than my dark horse. But I think- Yeah...
it's, it's one of those things that you could... And this is the weird world of gambling. You could, like, actually bet him and then get a cash out price of, like, double your bet early on.
If he has a good Thursday, Friday. Yeah. Yeah. [laughs] And then you're just like, "Yeah, I'll take it," 'cause he's not gonna win. I mean, he's plus 1,000 to just finish top 10. Right? It's 10 to one.
But I'm t- But you're, you're- That doesn't even... Actually, that doesn't even feel like that good of- But you're b-... that good of an odds. That's a... That doesn't feel like that. Yeah.
But your better bet- It doesn't feel like that good... is to bet, is it to bet him to win and hope he gets out to, like, an early lead or something, and then just cash out. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, if, if...
You just hope you get the Haotong Li who spent four hours on Saturday evening hitting golf balls at the range with the lead whatever year that was. Um, was that the PGA c- like, three or four years ago?
No, he, he came back to the course. He finished early and then, like, came back at night to hit, hit golf balls. To hit balls. That's when you cash out. [laughs] Cash out. Yeah. Um, all right.
So- But the golf world is better with Haotong Li in- It's great... the game. He's great. So we let, we left, um, we left Scottie on the, the table. Tommy Fleetwood- We left Tommy...
is the four- the fourth favorite, which seems a little preposterous to me. Yeah. DraftKings has Scheffler, then McIlroy. Scheffler's plus 6- 680, which is basically seven to one. McIlroy's basically eight to one.
Fitzy is 17 and a half to one. Fleetwood's 19 to one. Rahm is 19 and a half to one. And then it drops a little bit. You got Schauffele, Godderup, Cam Young.
Ludwig, I think I'm just- Godderup, 20 n- No, Lu- Ludwig I'm out on right now. Ludwig, Hovland. There's a, there's a bunch of guys. Wyndham is plus f- is, like, 40 to one.
So it gets- I mean, Wyndham's, Wyndham's playing well though. He is playing- Yeah. I just don't know if this is the kind of place he's gonna really enjoy playing golf. We'll see. We'll know on...
We'll know Thursday, Friday. So let's just round out who you picked. You have Godderup. Godderup. Bobby Mac. Henley. Russell Henley. And then David Puig as your dark horse.
I've got Matty Fitzpatrick, Rory McIlroy, and Kol Morikawa. And that's what we're doing. With Haotong Li. With Haotong Li as my dark horse. Oh, God, I, I'm so happy you picked him.
I think I'll probably root more for him than anyone. So Hadden's another kind of old, no major- Yeah... grinder who could have a good week when you're sucking rocks as- And he's always there. He's, he's always there...
he's 34, 35. And then another dark horse I had written down was Adam Scott, and I just, I couldn't- Ah... bring myself to pick him. But Ha- I mean, Ha- Hadden's not a dark horse. Just another, another old guy.
No, he's not a dark horse. I was just... When you were talking about Bobby Mac and you got to Ha- Yeah... and I thought you were gonna talk about Hadden, I was like, "Oh, Hadden's in his mid-30s. He's been-" Yeah.
He's kind of in that Koocher, Koocher mold. So I, I do think he is in that Koocher mold, and I do think that he has put himself in a spot that enough where he wouldn't... But he's just never, he's never been in the lead.
Like, I, I don't ever remember him holding a lead. Like, I remember- No... him being there. Like, Oakmont, I remember that drive on 16 or 17, 17. He got stuck in the bunker, yeah.
Got stuck in the bunker, and he was, like, one back, and then, like, made a bogey or double or whatever it was. Um, but yeah. Yep. We left Rahm, left Rahm on the table.
I think I'm, I think I'm finished with Rahm until he actually shows me something beyond- I'm certainly finished-... like a PGA Championship content play.
I'm certainly finished with Rahm being, like, a top five odds person right now. Like, if you're- Yeah. You can't...
Again, like, in the kids thing, people probably wanna p- poo-poo it, but, like, he's had four kids in three years, or, like, three and a half years. Yeah, pretty short. Yeah.
And, like, I, I don't know how much he's practicing. He's not winning on Liv, which would seem to be, like, a pretty decent precursor to... I don't know. And Bryson's odds.
Do you know who Bryson has lo- Bryson has longer odds than Si Woo Kim, Justin Thomas, Tom Kim, and a lot of other people. Yeah. Yeah. He's just not, he's just not there. Not there. Not there. All right, Berkey.
All right. Hope everyone enjoys the, uh, golf Thursday morning, and the World Cup on Sunday. Should be a great sporting day, whatever happens, um, in England. So that's all I got. We'll see you- Enjoy...
we'll see you for the Masters in whatever, 255 days, Berkey. Isn't, like, the US Senior Women's Open gonna come up soon that we should probably- It is. We can do one for that. We got Sue Curtin in there. Yeah. Good.
Yeah. Congrats to her. Congrats to Sue. Great woman. Yeah. Um, all right. Thanks, Berkey. See ya.
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