Speaker 1: It's the Son of a Butch podcast. You guys know
Speaker 1: the drill. We come to you every Wednesday. This week
Speaker 1: Morgan Pressel, she was a standout on the LPGA Tour,
Speaker 1: won a major in her late teens, and is now
Speaker 1: on NBC Golf Channel, so if you're watching women's golf
Speaker 1: you will see her. She's doing an amazing job. I
Speaker 1: think she brings a tremendous amount of insight to the
Speaker 1: broadcast and really really excited to get to talk to her.
Speaker 1: This is a good one. I mean, this is this
Speaker 1: is a woman that you know, qualified for a major
Speaker 1: championship when she was twelve years old, and she's got
Speaker 1: a tremendous amount of knowledge. Talks about the women's game,
Speaker 1: talks about some of the great players in the women's
Speaker 1: game right now. She's also an assistant captain in the
Speaker 1: US Solheim Cup set up, which will be happening later
Speaker 1: this year. So sit back and enjoy a really good
Speaker 1: interview with Morgan Pressel. Morgan, the LPGA Tour just kind
Speaker 1: of getting underway, coming off what I think last year
Speaker 1: was a really really good year for the LPGA. What
Speaker 1: are you looking forward to in twenty twenty three? Well,
Speaker 1: I think there are a ton of big storylines. I
Speaker 1: do agree that last year was pretty unreal on the
Speaker 1: LPGA Tour and it's going to be tough to top.
Speaker 1: But I think one of the big storylines this year
Speaker 1: is all of the big events that we have coming
Speaker 1: up on the LPGA Tour. I mean we have two
Speaker 1: team events of course, Solheim Cup, International Crown. I think
Speaker 1: the biggest one is probably the US Women's Open at
Speaker 1: Pebble Beach and KPMG Women's PGA at Baltic's Rawl. Venues
Speaker 1: are just so important and to have those events really
Speaker 1: elevated to a different level being on those historic venues,
Speaker 1: I think it's going to be really neat. And then
Speaker 1: of course you have I mean, I think the way
Speaker 1: the LPGA Tours season has already started, Jin Yunko proving
Speaker 1: that no injury is going to hold her back. Certainly
Speaker 1: Nellie Kordak coming off of her injury last year coming
Speaker 1: back almost better than ever. Lydia Coo doesn't seem to
Speaker 1: have any end insight to her talent and ability. Oh
Speaker 1: my gosh, I feel like I'm just rambling. But then
Speaker 1: you have the rookie class too. I mean last year's
Speaker 1: rookie class is probably maybe the strongest rookie class we've
Speaker 1: ever seen, but this one's pretty darn strong as well.
Speaker 1: Maybe not quite to the proven level of last year's class,
Speaker 1: but you know, Lucy Lee and Alexa Pano, a couple
Speaker 1: of names that I think a lot of golf fans
Speaker 1: would know, some incredibly diverse international talent, proven winners on
Speaker 1: other tours like the Japanese Tour and things like that.
Speaker 1: So just some new faces, some really talented proven players
Speaker 1: over the last few years, and some exciting places to play.
Speaker 1: You mentioned two of the big golf courses that will
Speaker 1: be on the LPJ for the Majors, Pebble Beach in
Speaker 1: Balta Stroll Morgan. What do you think that going to
Speaker 1: those events? I mean, obviously the history that the men's um,
Speaker 1: you know that the men have at those events. Do
Speaker 1: you think that's why it's important to put the ladies
Speaker 1: on that stage and add to that history of those
Speaker 1: great courses. Yeah, I do, and I think it was
Speaker 1: really special last year. I was out um during the
Speaker 1: pro am event out at Pebble Beach last February and
Speaker 1: just kind of standing on the seventeenth hole, eighteenth hole
Speaker 1: out there and thinking, you know, in about a year
Speaker 1: and a half time, next summer, the LPGA players, the
Speaker 1: best women in the game are going to be playing
Speaker 1: on this same on these same historic holes where you know,
Speaker 1: we can all remember some of the greatest shots that
Speaker 1: have that have ever been hit. And that's why I
Speaker 1: think venues are so important. I think venues make the
Speaker 1: casual golf fan tune in because they've heard of Pebble Beach,
Speaker 1: they've heard of Baltus for all, they know the history.
Speaker 1: And I think back you know, playing of course, playing
Speaker 1: Saint Andrews and the AIGU Women's Open as well as
Speaker 1: I mean playing Royal trun was really special as well.
Speaker 1: And one of those venues that is a household name
Speaker 1: for a lot of golf fans and gets people to
Speaker 1: tune in. And what did they see when they tune in?
Speaker 1: They see some truly incredible golf. And I think it's
Speaker 1: going to be fun to see history being made. And
Speaker 1: you know, this isn't only one women's Open at Pebble Beach.
Speaker 1: They've committed to four US Women's Opens at Pebble Beach,
Speaker 1: so really they are so committed along with the USGA
Speaker 1: two creating women's history at such a historic venue. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I was talking to Marina Alex I work with, and
Speaker 1: Marina was saying that she needed to go up there
Speaker 1: and play a practice The guys play Pebble Beach, I
Speaker 1: mean pretty much the majority of the guys on the
Speaker 1: PGA Tour have played that tournament. They played that golf course.
Speaker 1: Some of them have played it in majors, but it's
Speaker 1: on the schedule every year you can play. There will
Speaker 1: be a lot of the girls on the LPGA Tour
Speaker 1: that that need to go up there and play practice
Speaker 1: rounds because they maybe haven't played that golf course, certainly
Speaker 1: nearly as much as the guys have. Yeah, I mean
Speaker 1: I was always I mean, the US Open in general
Speaker 1: is a venue that you don't typically play other than
Speaker 1: maybe once every ten years and maybe even less. So
Speaker 1: it was always for me a way that I carved
Speaker 1: out my schedule to make sure that I had an
Speaker 1: advanced practice round on the US Open venue because it
Speaker 1: was that important to me. It was something that I
Speaker 1: really wanted to know going in. It's a long week,
Speaker 1: it's a stressful week. If you can take away a
Speaker 1: little bit of that early stress or without having to
Speaker 1: feel like you have to really cram to learn a
Speaker 1: golf course within those three advanced days. I think that
Speaker 1: takes a lot of pressure off players. And I think
Speaker 1: we'll see, I mean what the Women's opens in July,
Speaker 1: so I think maybe coming off of Wilsher, the LA
Speaker 1: event or International PROWN, I think you'll see some players
Speaker 1: definitely take a stop up to Pebble Beach to learn
Speaker 1: because it's so nuanced. As we've seen on TV, the
Speaker 1: greens are so tiny, it's such it's all about placement
Speaker 1: the short game. I think the more reps you can
Speaker 1: get on a golf course like Pebble Beach, the better
Speaker 1: off you're going to play. And I think we will
Speaker 1: see who watch the social media stories of some of
Speaker 1: these players, because I would have no doubt they are
Speaker 1: going to make advanced visits. So given the fact that
Speaker 1: you've played the golf course, you've seen the golf course
Speaker 1: a lot a US Open venue at Pebble Beach, which
Speaker 1: of the players on the LPJ do you feel like
Speaker 1: that type of golf course sets up for well. I
Speaker 1: have had the opportunity to play Pebble a little bit
Speaker 1: and certainly have watched on television many times. I mean
Speaker 1: the story is how small the greens are, right, I
Speaker 1: mean they are so tiny and so that just in
Speaker 1: my head, we have poanna greens which can give a
Speaker 1: lot of players fits. You have really tiny greens that
Speaker 1: are quite undulating, so short game being one of the
Speaker 1: most important parts of your game. Of course, course management.
Speaker 1: I mean I the one player that comes back to
Speaker 1: my mind she checks every single one of those boxes
Speaker 1: is Lydia. Co had had such success at Lake mer Said,
Speaker 1: which is a similar climate, similar style golf course, and
Speaker 1: of course is proven on big stages. So that's really
Speaker 1: the name that keeps coming up in my mind when
Speaker 1: I think of if there's a player that is perfectly
Speaker 1: suited for Pebble Beach, I think it's Lydia's game. And
Speaker 1: you know, the way she's been playing lately, it's it's
Speaker 1: hard to doubt that how much of the way Lydia's
Speaker 1: playing right now is her golf. But also she recently
Speaker 1: got married, She's in a great place in her life.
Speaker 1: You know, you've you've done the same thing. I think
Speaker 1: it's it's hard sometimes for the fans to realize that
Speaker 1: having a personal life away from the golf course it's
Speaker 1: so it's it's a huge part of playing well on
Speaker 1: the golf course. And you know, I mean, I'm not
Speaker 1: surprised that Lydia is on this run because she just
Speaker 1: seems like it's not that the stars are aligning, but
Speaker 1: it almost seems like, Okay, her golf swing looks as
Speaker 1: good as I've seen it. Look, she's winning again, she
Speaker 1: gets married. She just seems like this is kind of
Speaker 1: a going to be a really good spot for her,
Speaker 1: both on the golf course and off the golf course.
Speaker 1: Do you think that that's important and was that something
Speaker 1: that you felt as well when you were playing? Yeah,
Speaker 1: I think balance is really important. I think that's kind
Speaker 1: of what you were gearing towards there. It is balance
Speaker 1: and harmony within on and off the golf course. Golf
Speaker 1: is such a tough sport and as golfers, we beat
Speaker 1: ourselves up. I know that I certainly did. And you know,
Speaker 1: it's really easy to take golf home you and I
Speaker 1: think it's just so important to have that team around
Speaker 1: you that doesn't allow golf to be or everything because
Speaker 1: it feels like that. It feels like that for us
Speaker 1: as public figures, people who only see us as golfers,
Speaker 1: and there is so much more to every single player
Speaker 1: out there, but sometimes it's just so hard not to
Speaker 1: take it home with you. And I would say I
Speaker 1: am very guilty of that. And I think what's really
Speaker 1: impressive with Lydia specifically is, if you want to call
Speaker 1: it a slump, she was still playing some pretty darned
Speaker 1: impressive golf. But to have been at the top of
Speaker 1: the game and fallen down a little bit, especially to
Speaker 1: her standards to mentally. I mean, we all see the
Speaker 1: physical changes, but I think and I think you would
Speaker 1: agree the mental side to watch her mentally and is
Speaker 1: that a case of hard work she's done on the
Speaker 1: mental side of her game. Is that the extra balance
Speaker 1: and happiness off the golf course. Is it a combination
Speaker 1: of all of that. I mean, she looks so much
Speaker 1: in control and she truly has nothing to lose, nothing
Speaker 1: to prove to anybody, And I think for any athlete,
Speaker 1: that's a great place to be. You want a major championship,
Speaker 1: you know, before you were twenty years old, what do
Speaker 1: you feel like is the biggest part of doing that,
Speaker 1: because like you said, majors are different, They're long weeks there,
Speaker 1: and when you win them. I've always said this, I've
Speaker 1: been lucky enough to be around players and work with
Speaker 1: them when they won major championships. There's something different about
Speaker 1: them that week. I can't kind of put my finger
Speaker 1: on it, but there's always something a little bit different.
Speaker 1: So the test to win one of those, what do
Speaker 1: you feel like is paramount that you have to do
Speaker 1: those weeks? Well, I would say that I would look
Speaker 1: back on my career and think about every major that
Speaker 1: I played and how I felt Sunday when it was
Speaker 1: all over compared to any regular season event, and the answers.
Speaker 1: I was exhausted, I was more mentally fatigued than I
Speaker 1: was physically fatigued, And it just Majors just make you
Speaker 1: think in a different way. It's the biggest stage, bigger pressure,
Speaker 1: bigger moments, especially when you're in contention on Sunday, and
Speaker 1: there's just, I think, such a different thought process that
Speaker 1: goes into major championship golf course. They are traditionally more challenging,
Speaker 1: traditionally longer, rough, faster greens, all of those things that
Speaker 1: you think about when you think about a major. And
Speaker 1: I think it really is the mental aspect, and I
Speaker 1: think we see the very best players in the world
Speaker 1: have that intangible the thing that you can't see, the
Speaker 1: thing that you can't record on a stat sheet or
Speaker 1: you know whatever, whatever it is, something that you really like,
Speaker 1: you said, you can't put your finger on it because
Speaker 1: you can't see it. And I think that's really what
Speaker 1: truly separates the best players, the ones who time and
Speaker 1: time out can can perform under that immense pressure and
Speaker 1: under those challenges in the spotlight of Sunday major championship pressure.
Speaker 1: While we all know that they're mentally fatigued even coming
Speaker 1: down to that point, they have another gear where they're
Speaker 1: able to stay focused, not allow those distractions to cloud
Speaker 1: their thought process and their routines, and they're able to
Speaker 1: get it done. You played in you qualified for the
Speaker 1: US Open when you were twelve years old. Did you
Speaker 1: immediately like that situation or where you're like, Wow, this
Speaker 1: is really because I mean, to make the jump from
Speaker 1: playing AGGA and junior golf to then play in women's
Speaker 1: US Open, I mean that is a massive, massive jump
Speaker 1: and you're twelve years old. I mean, are you even
Speaker 1: aware that of what pressure is at that age? I
Speaker 1: had no idea, to be honest with you, and I
Speaker 1: played in the Women's Open before I played in an
Speaker 1: ajj event because a j g A at that time
Speaker 1: had an age limit of thirteen, so I hadn't even
Speaker 1: played in an aj g A event yet. So I
Speaker 1: remember playing in the qualifier, like my grandfather signed me
Speaker 1: up for the qualifier, and I was like, oh, why
Speaker 1: are we, you know, us open qualifying? What are we doing?
Speaker 1: Basically He's like, oh, just for practice, and yeah. I
Speaker 1: was like okay, you know, And I remember vividly I
Speaker 1: was four under with two holes to play and I
Speaker 1: had actually never broken seventy and I bogie the last
Speaker 1: two holes. I was more upset than I did break
Speaker 1: seventy and the qualifier. But I really had no idea
Speaker 1: at that time when I left that qualifier that day
Speaker 1: what that would mean for me, for my life, for
Speaker 1: my career. But getting to Pine Needles, um, I remember
Speaker 1: I didn't even want to leave the locker room. I
Speaker 1: didn't want to leave the dining room area. We had
Speaker 1: some rain delays, and I just wanted to sit there
Speaker 1: because I wanted to soak up this this atmosphere of
Speaker 1: being in the same room as people who I had
Speaker 1: looked up to for years, and that was really the
Speaker 1: moment for me when I said, Okay, this is what
Speaker 1: I want to do. I want to play golf. I
Speaker 1: want to compete in these events for my life. And
Speaker 1: that was I went home and really, I mean I
Speaker 1: was certainly a serious golfer at that point, but that
Speaker 1: was when I put that goal on that vision board.
Speaker 1: I mean, when you get thrown into that situation, you're
Speaker 1: either going to sync or you're you're going to swim.
Speaker 1: You getting into competitive you know, women's golf at the
Speaker 1: highest level as a twelve year old. Um, did you
Speaker 1: feel like you were too young and around adults or
Speaker 1: did it all just feel kind of normal? Because from
Speaker 1: then on it just kind of became what your life was, right,
Speaker 1: I mean, you just basically were that type of player.
Speaker 1: You were always going to do the things, you know.
Speaker 1: I mean, you had a really stand out junior career.
Speaker 1: And do you feel like getting into a situation like
Speaker 1: qualifying for US Open early early on in your career
Speaker 1: maybe gave you an advantage throughout the junior stuff that
Speaker 1: you played. I think it gave me a lot of confidence.
Speaker 1: I think twofold one, it gave me a goal, something
Speaker 1: to work towards and to. You know, it did give
Speaker 1: me confidence, and I think in my longtime coach Martin Hall,
Speaker 1: I think, you know, he said qualifying was a very
Speaker 1: impressive thing to do. But really I shot two rounds
Speaker 1: of seventy seven. So you know, as a twelve thirteen
Speaker 1: year old, I just turned thirteen, you know, to break
Speaker 1: eighty on a US Open golf course at twice, I mean,
Speaker 1: you know, we think about breaking eighties. But it was
Speaker 1: a tough US Open golf course. I mean that year,
Speaker 1: I believe carry Webb ran away with it and was
Speaker 1: one of the only players under par. It played really,
Speaker 1: really tough, and I think he was I think that
Speaker 1: was the moment where he was like, Okay, you know,
Speaker 1: she's got some game and can play it. And of
Speaker 1: course I wanted to do better. I wanted to make
Speaker 1: the cut, and I had all these ideas going in.
Speaker 1: But truly it was for me a wonderful learning experience.
Speaker 1: I had a ton of media attention being the youngest
Speaker 1: to qualify. I think I don't think that I was
Speaker 1: quite prepared for that. That's what I got there. But
Speaker 1: I would say I embraced it. I'd say that I
Speaker 1: enjoyed it. I enjoyed it enough to know that that
Speaker 1: was what I wanted to do with the rest of
Speaker 1: my life. Have you been a mentor to do you
Speaker 1: feel like over your career when you see a young
Speaker 1: a really really young girl get out on the on
Speaker 1: the LPGA tour um, you know, under twenty, do you
Speaker 1: feel like you want to play a practice round with
Speaker 1: her and sit with her, you know, in the dining
Speaker 1: and say, listen if you ever need help. I went
Speaker 1: through this at a very young age, and you know,
Speaker 1: and do you feel like that's something that you can
Speaker 1: do and part of your obligation now having gone through it? Definitely?
Speaker 1: You know, I had players who were exceptionally helpful to
Speaker 1: me when I was a rookie on tour and starting out.
Speaker 1: And you know, I mean, the LPG has a wonderful program.
Speaker 1: It used to be the like Little Sister, Big Sister.
Speaker 1: Now it's the pod system, a little bit different, but
Speaker 1: the same idea of matching up veteran players with rookies
Speaker 1: to kind of get them off to a good start,
Speaker 1: introduce them to somebody right off the bat. I mean,
Speaker 1: how lucky was I My big sister was Julie Inkster,
Speaker 1: and I know and truly one of my best friends
Speaker 1: in life. So what a mentor I had growing up.
Speaker 1: And you know, it's still very close with Mike Mallen,
Speaker 1: bath Daniel, some of these players that you know, I
Speaker 1: really felt like I could go to whenever I really
Speaker 1: needed anything, and I have. I'm definitely in that position now,
Speaker 1: which makes me certainly feel a little bit old, but
Speaker 1: it's it's fun. I mean, I just actually got my
Speaker 1: email the other day from my rookie pod and one
Speaker 1: of them is Alexa Pano. We mentioned her earlier, you know,
Speaker 1: talk about a standout star who had a ton of
Speaker 1: media attention very early in her career and has a
Speaker 1: lot of pressure on her. So I'm excited to I
Speaker 1: know her a little bit. I'm excited to get to
Speaker 1: know her more, to see how she does this season.
Speaker 1: But to have that, you know, Jessica Kardo was one
Speaker 1: of my little sisters. I'm trying to think back to
Speaker 1: some of the different players, but it is it's it
Speaker 1: isn't an obligation. I don't know if an obligation, but
Speaker 1: you know, the right thing to do to really help
Speaker 1: the next generation, because you know, I was one of
Speaker 1: those bright eyed not really knowing what I'm doing. Just
Speaker 1: I knew golf, but I didn't know much more than that.
Speaker 1: There's so much more that goes into being a professional
Speaker 1: to playing on the professional tours. One of the toughest
Speaker 1: ones is, I think caddies, you know, hiring caddies, firing caddies,
Speaker 1: finding the right match there, travel, how do you manage
Speaker 1: demands from the media, How do you manage demands from
Speaker 1: your sponsor? How do you how does that? And obviously
Speaker 1: the right agent can certainly help, But you know, somebody
Speaker 1: who really has no experience there, to have a player,
Speaker 1: you know, whether that's me or not, any other veteran
Speaker 1: player on tour, I think is very helpful just to
Speaker 1: have a sounding board, somebody, you know, to talk to.
Speaker 1: I mean, Jennifer Kupcho, another one of my little sisters,
Speaker 1: you know, when she first came out on tour, and
Speaker 1: you know, I remember playing practice rounds with her and
Speaker 1: just getting to know her better. And it just gives
Speaker 1: a little bit of a comfort level, certainly to the rookies.
Speaker 1: And I'm excited to see the rookies fee off this
Speaker 1: week for the first time in Arizona. The Augusta Women's
Speaker 1: Amateur just around the corner. How big of an impact
Speaker 1: do you feel, like the powers that be at Augusta
Speaker 1: National having that as part of you know, the run
Speaker 1: up to Augusta the Masters, but a showcase for you know,
Speaker 1: girls junior golf. How important do you think that is
Speaker 1: in the landscape of women's golf. Yeah, I mean, I
Speaker 1: have always loved covering women's amateur events, and I've had
Speaker 1: the opportunity of the last couple of years to cover
Speaker 1: the US Women's am where you really get to see
Speaker 1: the bright future stars of the future, and for those
Speaker 1: ladies to be playing on Augusta National here coming up
Speaker 1: very soon. I'm excited to be part of the broadcast
Speaker 1: to watch it. We've seen I mean, I just mentioned
Speaker 1: Jennifer Kupcho, think about the duel that she had with
Speaker 1: Maria Fosse coming down the stretch. We talk about venues.
Speaker 1: Venues are so important and it's just iconic, and I'm
Speaker 1: excited to be part of it this year to see
Speaker 1: what unfolds. I got to know Anna Davis after her
Speaker 1: big victory last year, coming out of almost nowhere. Nobody
Speaker 1: had ever heard of Anna, and she has continued to
Speaker 1: play really impressive golf, just one the Stage Valley Junior Invitational,
Speaker 1: which I think bodes well for her heading into Augusta
Speaker 1: National Women's Ameter, which is similar in golf course certainly
Speaker 1: in location, and so I think she's going to have
Speaker 1: a lot of pressure heading into august National Women's Ameter
Speaker 1: on her. But it goes back to the venues. Venues
Speaker 1: are so important, and I think too, I think you
Speaker 1: see with drive Chip and Pott, we're starting to see
Speaker 1: it in our in our bios that we get week
Speaker 1: in week out with these younger players, oh, you know,
Speaker 1: Drive Chip and put Champion, you know, at this age.
Speaker 1: And I think that also is showing what kind of
Speaker 1: an impact that has had, especially on youngsters, encouraging them
Speaker 1: to get involved in the game. And I love I
Speaker 1: love the junior golf is cool, Like I feel like
Speaker 1: it is for youngsters to play golf where it really
Speaker 1: wasn't when I was growing up. And I think golf
Speaker 1: courses are much more receptive of junior's being out there
Speaker 1: and learning the game. And I really love to see that.
Speaker 1: You mentioned Danna Davis her win last year at the
Speaker 1: Augusta Women's Amateur. It was it was incredible to watch her.
Speaker 1: I mean it just the way that she went about it. Obviously,
Speaker 1: she probably didn't go in there with a tremendous amount
Speaker 1: of hype or buzz. She's one of the stars, so
Speaker 1: she can somewhat fly onto the radar. But if you
Speaker 1: look at you know, some of the superstars of in
Speaker 1: women's amateur golf, we're on that leaderboard on Sunday, and
Speaker 1: you saw them make mistakes, and you saw Anna with
Speaker 1: the pigtails and the hat and the jacket. I mean,
Speaker 1: she looked like she was just cruising and look like
Speaker 1: nothing bothered her. Can she keep that attitude and keep
Speaker 1: that mentality now coming back into a year where she's
Speaker 1: defending champion, she's going to be one of the favorites.
Speaker 1: How do you deal with that? I think it's hard,
Speaker 1: and I think that's one of the things that you
Speaker 1: learn as as a player if you are going to
Speaker 1: be on the top of the game, is to handle
Speaker 1: that pressure. And she will definitely have a tremendous amount
Speaker 1: more pressure on her this year. But you know, just
Speaker 1: the way she just played at Sage Valley, I think
Speaker 1: that shows that she is embracing the position that she's
Speaker 1: then of being truly a standout amateur and Junior star,
Speaker 1: and I think it'll be really fun to watch. I
Speaker 1: think that that's one of the things about Augusta National right,
Speaker 1: is it can be mentally draining, maybe more than any
Speaker 1: other golf course. And you know, making those three footers
Speaker 1: when they break, you know, a cup down down hill
Speaker 1: side the hill, when all of the pressures on, and
Speaker 1: you know, she was so cool, common collected last night.
Speaker 1: I think that's a little bit just of her personality.
Speaker 1: She really does. In getting to know her, that is
Speaker 1: kind of her southern California kind of vibe. And I mean,
Speaker 1: I think it's so interesting you think about she'd never
Speaker 1: really even watched the Masters, she had never even really
Speaker 1: seen the golf course, so she was very, very green,
Speaker 1: very naive to everything going on that week, and maybe
Speaker 1: not even really understanding the stage that she was on.
Speaker 1: I think she understands it now and will that California
Speaker 1: cool attitude still prevail. I feel like I feel like
Speaker 1: it will serve her well. You mentioned the fact that
Speaker 1: she hadn't really seen the golf course. I mean, certainly
Speaker 1: on the men's side, for the guys, they always say
Speaker 1: that you need a lot of reps around Augusta. You've
Speaker 1: got to learn the golf course the way Phil Mickelson did,
Speaker 1: you know, go out and chart all the greens um
Speaker 1: you know, so rarely do you see someone you know,
Speaker 1: we've seen it in the past, you know at the Masters,
Speaker 1: players that have never really had a history there. But
Speaker 1: it tends to be people that have put themselves in
Speaker 1: position before they understand it. So I guess Morgan is
Speaker 1: a player. How could how could you try and access
Speaker 1: the Anna Davis mindset more often to where you say, Okay,
Speaker 1: I'm not going to be overawed by the stage. I
Speaker 1: haven't really seen the golf course. So it's because because
Speaker 1: I always say that to players, right, Hey, it's golf, right.
Speaker 1: The stage is just bigger when you get onto the
Speaker 1: PGA Tour or the LPGA Tour or wherever you play
Speaker 1: that you make that jump from junior golf to college
Speaker 1: golf to amateur golf to the professional of the stage
Speaker 1: just gets bigger. The venue just gets bear. There's more people,
Speaker 1: but the golf doesn't change. It's still getting the ball
Speaker 1: in the whole in the least amount of strokes. How
Speaker 1: can how can you access that more often? I mean,
Speaker 1: that's that intangible, right, that's the mental strength, the ability
Speaker 1: to separate each and every shot and focus on each
Speaker 1: and every shot and think about your goal for that
Speaker 1: specific shot, not your goal for the day, not your
Speaker 1: goal for the year, or not any of those things,
Speaker 1: but in that moment, really be able to nail down
Speaker 1: your focus and not let any of those distractions bother you.
Speaker 1: And some people are able to do that a lot
Speaker 1: better than others. And you know, I think every player
Speaker 1: has those moments where maybe it gets the better of them.
Speaker 1: I think throughout a career you're going to have that.
Speaker 1: But you know, of course, you look at somebody like Tiger,
Speaker 1: you think the least bothered in that situation of anybody ever.
Speaker 1: And that's just what ends up being really neat to
Speaker 1: watch the best players in the world pull off those
Speaker 1: most incredible shots when pressure is the highest, and that
Speaker 1: takes just real, real mental focus and the ability to
Speaker 1: block out any and all kinds of distractions. And I
Speaker 1: think a little bit of the nonchalant attitude that Anna
Speaker 1: Davis has, and I think certainly that's what's so much
Speaker 1: fun about watching amateurs compete, is that, for the most part,
Speaker 1: youthful naivete that comes with their age more than anything.
Speaker 1: But it gets it gets a little bit harder when
Speaker 1: you get to the next level and you get to
Speaker 1: the professional level and you get to major championships. But
Speaker 1: if those that can embrace that youthfulness and that's a
Speaker 1: little bit more carefree attitude, I think are the ones
Speaker 1: who really do the best. We talked about Lydia Coo earlier.
Speaker 1: Nellie Korda, Um, you mentioned this a huge year for
Speaker 1: her for a lot of reasons. I mean, obviously, I
Speaker 1: think you know, she's got one of the best golf
Speaker 1: swings in the game of golf, regardless of gender. She
Speaker 1: got paid this year, big new contract from Nike, switched
Speaker 1: clubs from Taylor made. How good do you think Nellie
Speaker 1: can be? I mean, how good do you think Nellie
Speaker 1: Korda can be? And can she be one of these
Speaker 1: players Morgan that you know starts cleaning up in the
Speaker 1: majors and starts to be a prolific winner on all levels,
Speaker 1: both regular tournaments and major championships. I mean absolutely, it's
Speaker 1: hard hard to bet against that. I mean Nellie, like
Speaker 1: you said, I mean, between the two of them, Jessica
Speaker 1: and Nellie Corda have two of the most gorgeous golf
Speaker 1: swings I think we've ever seen in golf. And you know, Nellie,
Speaker 1: just the way that she drives the ball when she
Speaker 1: is on is just she puts herself in perfect position
Speaker 1: on every hole. She's a wonderful boss striker. She has
Speaker 1: a ton of opportunities for Birdie and you know, and
Speaker 1: I always say, it usually comes down to putting. Who
Speaker 1: makes the most putts at the end of the week.
Speaker 1: And you know, the times when I think she puts
Speaker 1: really well on fast screens because I think the way
Speaker 1: that her style of putting, she likes to kind of
Speaker 1: just drip the ball in the front edge. So watch
Speaker 1: out for her on really fast major championship greens. I
Speaker 1: think that kind of feeds into her strengths. And talk
Speaker 1: about it, at least at least from the outside, talk
Speaker 1: about a care free attitude. You know, she definitely looks
Speaker 1: like she has that kind of nonchalant the way that
Speaker 1: she walks, the way that she carries herself on the
Speaker 1: golf course, definitely has that mental toughness and that tenacity
Speaker 1: I'm sure learned from her father. And you know, she
Speaker 1: she just doesn't really show her emotions on the golf
Speaker 1: course doesn't seem to let too much bother her, is
Speaker 1: able to kind of bounce back when she when she
Speaker 1: does make mistakes, and I mean, I think that's why
Speaker 1: we see her close to the top of the leaderboard
Speaker 1: so often, and I think that will only continue. She
Speaker 1: will definitely be a part of the Solheim Cup team.
Speaker 1: You're an assistant captain, Stacy, those the team competitions, you
Speaker 1: were a part of them as a player. How has
Speaker 1: it been different as a player and now as you're
Speaker 1: in the backroom staff as one of the assistant captains. Well,
Speaker 1: Solheim Cup, I had the opportunity to put on six
Speaker 1: teams and they were the best six weeks of my career.
Speaker 1: So much fun to represent your country, to play on
Speaker 1: that kind of a stage. I love match play, I
Speaker 1: love the team competition. I'm very passionate about it. So
Speaker 1: to now let's see it from the other side to
Speaker 1: you know, Stacy has been absolutely meticulous in her in
Speaker 1: her captaincy so far, wants every detail to be perfect
Speaker 1: for the players. Certainly has taken notes from the different
Speaker 1: Solheim Cups that she's been a part of. Things that
Speaker 1: you like, things that she maybe would do differently and
Speaker 1: I'm taking notes from her because it's been very impressive
Speaker 1: to watch, and she just really is dialed in. We're
Speaker 1: dialed in with the stats, she's dialed in with all
Speaker 1: the players, wanting to make sure that they feel comfortable,
Speaker 1: they know what to expect, especially some of the newer
Speaker 1: players going over there. You know, it's in Spain this year,
Speaker 1: first time the Soilhem Cup has been held in Spain,
Speaker 1: and I think it'll be the warmest Silheim Cup we've
Speaker 1: ever played in Europe because typically it's quite cold, but
Speaker 1: it's it's just really neat to see. Having been on
Speaker 1: so many teams myself and knowing but never truly understanding
Speaker 1: how much work goes on behind the scenes by the captains,
Speaker 1: by the staff at the tour to make sure I
Speaker 1: mean from the clothing to the gifts, to the travel
Speaker 1: to the I mean, how do we incorporate our past captains.
Speaker 1: I know that's been a big part for Stacy, wanting
Speaker 1: to include them. Just so many different moving parts and
Speaker 1: how to keep it all straight. And then you know,
Speaker 1: we have twenty twenty four coming up, not very long
Speaker 1: after having to go back to back, so there's just
Speaker 1: a lot going on right now in the Solhem Cup
Speaker 1: world and it's been really fun to be part of it.
Speaker 1: I'm honored to be one of Stacy's assistant captains and
Speaker 1: it's been just a wonderful experience. Europe. Four out of
Speaker 1: the last six they've won. How important, Just like it was,
Speaker 1: you know, the the guys went through this on the
Speaker 1: Ryder Cup side, the US team, they kept getting beat.
Speaker 1: How important is a US victory and how important is
Speaker 1: the US victory to do it in Europe? Well, like
Speaker 1: you said, it's we actually don't have many players on
Speaker 1: the potential team that have been on a winning Solhem
Speaker 1: Cup team, which is kind of wild. And we're also
Speaker 1: up against a really potentially tough European squad, you know,
Speaker 1: Susanne Patterson of course their captain, and we just I
Speaker 1: think about the young players that Europe has coming up.
Speaker 1: They have, of course two stalwarts and Maya Stark and
Speaker 1: Lynn Grant, who I think we're just starting to see
Speaker 1: their potential, and of course some proven veterans on Solheim Cups,
Speaker 1: on winning team. They know how to win, they've been
Speaker 1: part of it. And you know, differently on our side,
Speaker 1: I think we have some really impressive young potential rookies.
Speaker 1: I think you have Lily Avoo winning her first event
Speaker 1: just a couple of weeks ago in Thailand. I don't
Speaker 1: think that's surprising to anybody. Andrea Lee, of course, Alison
Speaker 1: Corpoos also is playing some tremendous golf, so maybe some
Speaker 1: new faces that we could potentially see in Spain. And
Speaker 1: and of course you have Lexie Nelly hopefully Jess as
Speaker 1: healthy of Danielle. So many players who just I think
Speaker 1: International Crown two leading into Solheim Cup that's a little
Speaker 1: bit earlier in May. I think that'll be a good
Speaker 1: kind of just a testing ground in terms of pairings
Speaker 1: and see how things shake out. Only four players from
Speaker 1: the US team will qualify for International Crown, so a
Speaker 1: smaller crowd. But I think it's just a very exciting
Speaker 1: year from that perspective. And I think it's been fun
Speaker 1: to be in conversations with Stacy and Angela and Natalie
Speaker 1: and and our Solheim Cup crew and just talk about
Speaker 1: how you know our players are doing following the stats
Speaker 1: following I mean I have a front row seat to
Speaker 1: watching it almost every week, you know, with Golf Channel
Speaker 1: and NBC, so it's just I think It's gonna be
Speaker 1: really interesting to see how both teams shake out, because
Speaker 1: I think there's a lot of fun new talents, and
Speaker 1: I just Solheim Cup seems to talk about performing on
Speaker 1: the biggest stage and pulling out big moments on big stages.
Speaker 1: It always seems to happen, which is a lot of fun.
Speaker 1: You mentioned Golf Channel in NBC. We see you on
Speaker 1: TV a lot more. Now, how are you enjoying that
Speaker 1: is it? Does it make you want to play? Does
Speaker 1: it make you not want to play? How is that
Speaker 1: balance of when you have to sit there, you know,
Speaker 1: five six hours a day watch all these golf shots.
Speaker 1: Does it make you go, Okay, I could do that better,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna get out there in practice. Or does it
Speaker 1: make you say I'm glad I'm up here and I
Speaker 1: don't have to do that. I you know, Fortunately for me,
Speaker 1: it was my decision and it was time for me
Speaker 1: to step away. I did not have any I was
Speaker 1: not forced out via injury or anything like that. I
Speaker 1: just knew that it was the right time for me
Speaker 1: to do something different. And I am very fortunate for
Speaker 1: the opportunity with Golf Channel and NBC Sports, and I've
Speaker 1: really enjoyed working with the team. We have a wonderful
Speaker 1: crew weeknd week out. Just it really is a team
Speaker 1: and we're are there to bring the great stories and
Speaker 1: the great golf to our viewers, and I really enjoyed
Speaker 1: being part of it. No, it does not make me
Speaker 1: want to go practice. No, it does not. I'd say
Speaker 1: that's probably the question I get asked the most. Do
Speaker 1: you miss it? No, I'd say. It was funny because
Speaker 1: Justin Leonard a couple of years ago, when Justin started
Speaker 1: doing you know, TV for NBC, I said to him,
Speaker 1: I said, does just make you want to play? And
Speaker 1: do you miss playing? He said, I hate golf. I
Speaker 1: don't miss playing. I don't like it at all. Now
Speaker 1: he's quit NBC and he's on the Champs Tour because
Speaker 1: watching golf all the time made him want to get
Speaker 1: back out there. I wasn't going to be that aggressive
Speaker 1: and say I hate golf and I but I have
Speaker 1: a bit of a grumpy golfer. So it was it
Speaker 1: was time for me. And No, it's you know, I
Speaker 1: really enjoy showcasing, having an opportunity to showcase the best
Speaker 1: talents in the world, and you know, for me to
Speaker 1: be part of the broadcast Crewe. I have really enjoyed.
Speaker 1: It's been quite a learning experience. You know, I played
Speaker 1: golf my entire life. I trained since I was eight
Speaker 1: years old to see it up in the US Open
Speaker 1: or you know, Soulhan Cup or whatever it is. And
Speaker 1: I did not train at all to be in the
Speaker 1: broadcast booth. So it's been quite the learning experience. And
Speaker 1: but you know, the team has been really supportive around
Speaker 1: me and I it's just been a lot of fun.
Speaker 1: It's been quite quite the roller coaster, but a lot
Speaker 1: of fun. Yeah. A little insider secret for everyone listening.
Speaker 1: The way you you you stay on TV is they
Speaker 1: throw you on TV with not a lot of practice
Speaker 1: and if you don't mess up, they just keep asking
Speaker 1: you back because literally they don't really prepare you. I've
Speaker 1: done some TV in the past for Sky and for
Speaker 1: Sports in the UK, and there's no training. If you
Speaker 1: show up on time and you don't mess up, they
Speaker 1: keep asking you back. Um off there that I'm telling you.
Speaker 1: You're doing a job with it, but there's no training you.
Speaker 1: If you do a good job and you're good on TV,
Speaker 1: it's it's almost like it's it's a happy accident because
Speaker 1: they don't really they throw you into the deep end
Speaker 1: and the red light goes on and you're like, okay, yeah.
Speaker 1: I remember one of the things and is like, there's
Speaker 1: so much TV lingo, like the way that the producer
Speaker 1: would talk to you, or I remember my very first
Speaker 1: week I was in the booth. I was like, Oh
Speaker 1: my gosh, what do I do? And it was like
Speaker 1: a ten am show. I was so nervous and we
Speaker 1: were kind of in the middle of the show. It
Speaker 1: kind of gets your footing after maybe the first hour,
Speaker 1: and I remember I was talking and saying something. I
Speaker 1: don't even remember what it's about, but the producers in
Speaker 1: my ear and said rap and I literally just stopped talking.
Speaker 1: I had no idea what that meant. I hadn't like
Speaker 1: literally stopped talking mid sentence. I mean that kind of
Speaker 1: means wrap up your thought, we want to move somewhere else.
Speaker 1: But I was like, oh my gosh, what does that mean.
Speaker 1: I have no idea, and I just like froze. But
Speaker 1: it's those kinds of learning experience how the flow of
Speaker 1: the broadcast works, When to talk, when to not talk,
Speaker 1: and sometimes when not to talk is sometimes more important.
Speaker 1: Even then when to talk and when how to prepare.
Speaker 1: I think has been a big learning experience. And you know,
Speaker 1: I mean, I've of course seen you out. I remember
Speaker 1: seeing you out at Pine Needles, asking grilling you on
Speaker 1: what your players are working with and trying but kind
Speaker 1: of behind the scenes things that a lot of players
Speaker 1: are people at home don't know that goes on the research,
Speaker 1: behind the scenes of trying to get those little bits
Speaker 1: of information that could be really interesting or valuable or
Speaker 1: just really round out the picture of what we're seeing
Speaker 1: on television for the viewers at home. Lastly, Morgan, you
Speaker 1: had such a standout junior golf career. A lot of
Speaker 1: people that listen to the podcast, you know, have kids
Speaker 1: that are trying to play. Piece of advice for junior
Speaker 1: golfers that you think could help them, and a piece
Speaker 1: of advice for junior golf pair that could help them.
Speaker 1: Because let's help the junior golf parents. Please, let's help them, Please,
Speaker 1: let's help them. Oh gosh, I know, right, Um, I'm
Speaker 1: sure that you have seen plenty in your day as
Speaker 1: as I mean, I had a pretty tough junior golf grandparents.
Speaker 1: So but you know, let's let your kid enjoy the game,
Speaker 1: because if you don't and you live so vicariously through
Speaker 1: your children and through their performances, they're going to grow
Speaker 1: to hate the game. And that's sad to say, and
Speaker 1: that's that's what we really don't want, right You want
Speaker 1: to see your children thrive. And the truth is, very,
Speaker 1: very very few percent of junior golfers are ever going
Speaker 1: to have the opportunity, the opportunity even to make it
Speaker 1: to a professional level. I think, especially for young women.
Speaker 1: If you have a young girl at home, get a
Speaker 1: golf club in her hand, because it's the best thing
Speaker 1: that you could probably do for her life, for her business. Obviously,
Speaker 1: Title nine, the number of scholarships that are available to
Speaker 1: young women through golf, it is tremendous. Then, not to
Speaker 1: mention how many companies would love to have a female
Speaker 1: who plays golf within their office and the opportunities that
Speaker 1: a female would get being probably one of the only
Speaker 1: people in your office who plays golf. I think in networking,
Speaker 1: and I think of everything that golf has brought to me,
Speaker 1: besides the professional level, just the tremendous people that you
Speaker 1: have the opportunity to meet through the game of golf.
Speaker 1: And it really is a game for life. There's nothing.
Speaker 1: And I'm sure you hear this as well from maybe
Speaker 1: some of the older people that you work with. I
Speaker 1: wish i'd started younger. I have not heard a single
Speaker 1: person who has not said I wish I started younger.
Speaker 1: And even if your young child takes a break, even
Speaker 1: if you know, maybe they get a golf club in
Speaker 1: their hand at five, six, seven years old and they
Speaker 1: decide they want to do something else a little bit later,
Speaker 1: when they want to pick it up at twenty five,
Speaker 1: thirty five, whatever it is, it's going to be so
Speaker 1: much easier for them, and they're going to be happy
Speaker 1: that they have that foundation, because I do see that
Speaker 1: it's very difficult for people to start playing in their
Speaker 1: forties and their fifties. It's just you don't have that
Speaker 1: same natural kind of move Your bodies are have developed
Speaker 1: in a different way than if you had golf as
Speaker 1: a young background. So I mean, just for junior golf parents,
Speaker 1: let your kids have fun introduced. I mean there's so
Speaker 1: many organizations now, whether it's the first t LPJUSGA girls
Speaker 1: golf players, where where they can find other friends that
Speaker 1: play golf. Let them go play with their friends, let
Speaker 1: them enjoy it, because the last thing you want to
Speaker 1: do is really have them not enjoy the game because
Speaker 1: they are feeling so much pressure. And I think that's
Speaker 1: that's one of the most important keys for junior golf parents.
Speaker 1: Well wise words there, Um, I couldn't have said that better. Um. Listen,
Speaker 1: you're doing a great job on Golf Channel in NBC.
Speaker 1: We'll look forward to seeing you on our screens. And uh,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna try and get out to the Women's US
Speaker 1: Open this summer and hopefully we will catch up. I
Speaker 1: will definitely see you at Prebble Beads. All Right, thanks
Speaker 1: for talking to us. So that was Morgan Pressel. I'm
Speaker 1: glad she took time to talk to us. Some really
Speaker 1: good stuff to unpack in there, and I love what
Speaker 1: she said about junior golf parents because they are tough ones.
Speaker 1: Quick comment about the USGA and the RNA talking about
Speaker 1: rolling the ball back. I mean, I gotta be honest
Speaker 1: with you that that makes absolutely no sense to me.
Speaker 1: It really doesn't. And I get the argument that, yeah,
Speaker 1: we want to make sure you know, a lot of
Speaker 1: these courses aren't obsolete and major tournaments can still go
Speaker 1: to these courses. Listen, You could take a professtional golf
Speaker 1: tournament to any golf course tomorrow. But where you're gonna
Speaker 1: put the fans, but more importantly for the USGA and
Speaker 1: the RNA, where are you going to be able to
Speaker 1: put the corporate hospitality tents so that the USGA and
Speaker 1: the RNA can make that cash. I just don't see it.
Speaker 1: I think golf's in a great place. And the one
Speaker 1: thing I will say about the equipment, for all the
Speaker 1: people that think the ball goes too far, the drivers
Speaker 1: go too far, just something to think about, right, So
Speaker 1: Dustin Johnson, brooks Kepco they kind of cruise with their
Speaker 1: drivers speeds right around you know, one hundred and eighteen hundred,
Speaker 1: nineteen hundred and twenty miles per hour ball speeds kind
Speaker 1: of in that high one seventies, one eighties. They can
Speaker 1: go get one eighty five to one ninety ball speed.
Speaker 1: They can get more clubhead speed. So just a little
Speaker 1: food for thought. If it was just the equipment, right,
Speaker 1: if it was just the golf ball and it was
Speaker 1: just the driver, then I should be able to pick
Speaker 1: up Dustin Johnson's driver, brooks Kepka's driver, Roy mcelroys driver
Speaker 1: use the exact same driver that they use, use their driver,
Speaker 1: use their golf ball, and carry the golf ball three fifteen,
Speaker 1: three twenty in the air. I can't do that. I
Speaker 1: can't get into max Verstaffen's Formula one race car and
Speaker 1: drive it as fast as he can around the track.
Speaker 1: I'd probably crash because I don't know how to drive.
Speaker 1: So the thing that irks me the most about what
Speaker 1: the USGA and the RNA with this role in the
Speaker 1: ball back is they just they make the fact that
Speaker 1: the guys can carry the golf ball along way like, eh,
Speaker 1: that's not really a skill. Yeah, it's too easy. If
Speaker 1: it was that easy, everybody, if it was that easy,
Speaker 1: if it was just equipment, the men, the women, the
Speaker 1: Champs Tour, everybody would hit the golf ball the same
Speaker 1: distance if it was just about the equipment. So something
Speaker 1: to think about. I'm around the best players in the world,
Speaker 1: have been I've been lucky enough to do that for
Speaker 1: the last twenty years of my life. And the fact
Speaker 1: that you have governing bodies just acting like what these
Speaker 1: great players do doesn't take skill, doesn't take talent. I
Speaker 1: just don't see it because if it was just equipment,
Speaker 1: everybody would carry it three thirty in the air, and
Speaker 1: I give golf lessons. When I'm not on the road
Speaker 1: at tour events, I give golf lessons. I gave a
Speaker 1: golf lessons before I did this podcast this morning to
Speaker 1: one of our members here at the Floridian gentleman in
Speaker 1: his early seventies. The equipment is not helping him. It's
Speaker 1: not helping him hit the golf ball. Further, it's not
Speaker 1: helping him hit the golf ball straighter. So if you
Speaker 1: think that it's just equipment, I think there's a lot
Speaker 1: more that goes into it than just the golf ball
Speaker 1: and the driver, for the reasons why player hitting the
Speaker 1: golf ball. Further, I want to thank everybody for listening.
Speaker 1: We've got some great podcasts in the bank. If you
Speaker 1: haven't listened, go back and check them out, rate review,
Speaker 1: subscribe to wherever you get your podcast. Son of a
Speaker 1: Buch comes to you every Wednesday. We will see you
Speaker 1: next week.