WEBVTT - The Picks Are In! 0:00:06.280 --> 0:00:08.079 It's the Son of a Butch podcast. We come to 0:00:08.080 --> 0:00:14.320 you every Wednesday. This week, Sack Johnson, US Wrighter Cup 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:20.400 captain makes his captain's picks Sam Burns, Ricky Fowler, Brooks Koepka, 0:00:20.560 --> 0:00:26.640 Colin Morrikawa, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Thomas. Can't say I'm 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:32.000 really surprised by any of those picks. Am I surprised 0:00:32.000 --> 0:00:36.479 that Brooks Kepka is on the team. Absolutely not. I 0:00:36.479 --> 0:00:41.440 think won the PGA Championship, finished second. The Masters played 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:45.840 very limited in PGA Tour events because he's at liv 0:00:46.920 --> 0:00:49.159 what I've been surprised if they left him off. No, 0:00:50.000 --> 0:00:52.519 I definitely could have seen that. But he played a 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:54.440 practice round. I talked about this on the pod after 0:00:54.480 --> 0:00:58.160 the Open Championship. Brooks played a practice round with Zack 0:00:58.240 --> 0:01:01.120 Johnson at the Open champion not by design, it was 0:01:01.200 --> 0:01:05.319 just Zach joined up. Brooks was playing nine holes with 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:10.080 Cam Smith and Adam Scott and Zach showed up. Uh. 0:01:10.240 --> 0:01:12.639 They partnered against the two of them in a match. 0:01:13.319 --> 0:01:17.280 But Zach was pretty open about him wanting to take 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:20.840 the best players too to Italy for the US Ryder 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:23.160 Cup team. And I think it's important to remember that 0:01:23.440 --> 0:01:28.759 US Writer Cup team is run by the PGA of America, 0:01:28.840 --> 0:01:32.880 not by the PGA Tour. The European Writer Cup team 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:37.679 is run by the European Tour, so very very different agendas, 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:41.000 very different politics there. So I think in in having 0:01:41.040 --> 0:01:46.640 somebody like Brooks who's won three PGA championships, that's the 0:01:46.640 --> 0:01:51.800 PGA of America's tournament. He's the winner this year. Now 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:57.360 do I think that? I think the players Brooks's boys 0:01:57.400 --> 0:02:00.400 with pretty much everybody on that team, so I don't 0:02:00.400 --> 0:02:02.800 think there's any issues there. I mean, obviously there's the 0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:08.000 live issue. I think there is a segment of people 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:13.079 involved with the PGA Tour and people involved with golf 0:02:13.080 --> 0:02:16.239 in general that wished Brooks didn't win a major and 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:18.040 they didn't have to pick him because he's a live guide. 0:02:18.080 --> 0:02:23.240 But he got picked, So I think that argument's over. 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:26.160 I don't think there's any issues with the guys that 0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:30.639 are on the team with Brooks. So I wasn't surprised 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:32.560 that he was on the team. I wouldn't have been 0:02:32.560 --> 0:02:35.239 surprised that they left him off the team. I told 0:02:35.280 --> 0:02:39.519 everybody that was listening there was absolutely no way Justin 0:02:39.560 --> 0:02:42.880 Thomas wasn't going to be on this team. He's been 0:02:42.919 --> 0:02:46.680 on two Ryder Cups before twenty eighteen, twenty twenty one, 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:50.960 six two and one, two and two in the foursomes, 0:02:51.600 --> 0:02:53.680 two zero to one in the four ball, and then 0:02:54.040 --> 0:02:57.160 undefeated in the singles. But Justin Thomas is part of 0:02:57.200 --> 0:03:00.919 the fabric of American golf in twenty twenty three. He's 0:03:01.000 --> 0:03:04.120 part of the team concept as well. He's part of all, Yeah, 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:07.920 you're not gonna have a Writer Cup without Justin Thomas. 0:03:07.960 --> 0:03:10.640 When you've got Justin Thomas playing in President's Cups with 0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:15.280 Tiger Woods, He's part of a group of people. Listen, 0:03:15.520 --> 0:03:19.480 every single Writer Cup there is an element of popularity 0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:23.200 to it. There are cool kids and there are not 0:03:23.320 --> 0:03:26.160 cool kids. And listen, the Europeans have been doing this 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:30.400 for years. The Euros have with a tremendous amount of success, 0:03:31.040 --> 0:03:35.960 picked players based off of their popularity in Europe, their 0:03:36.000 --> 0:03:40.080 popularity on the European Tour, and their popularity within the 0:03:40.160 --> 0:03:44.160 European Writer Cup side. So this is not news, This 0:03:44.240 --> 0:03:46.800 is not groundbreaking, This is not anything that should be 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:49.520 surprising to anybody. You know, there's been a lot of 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:52.600 people saying there's a good old boy network. There has 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:56.600 been both on the American team and the European team 0:03:57.080 --> 0:04:02.760 for years. It's not news. So Justin Thomas's boys with 0:04:03.000 --> 0:04:07.040 Jordan Speith and he's boys with Ricky Fowler. That goes 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:10.840 a lot these in these team competitions, you want to 0:04:10.880 --> 0:04:12.960 be around people that you're comfortable with. You want to 0:04:12.960 --> 0:04:15.200 be around people that you know you want to be 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:20.480 playing in, you know, four balls and foursomes with players 0:04:20.520 --> 0:04:23.279 you've played with before, that you're comfortable with, that you 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:27.479 have history. So I fully euspect Justin Thomas, regardless of 0:04:27.520 --> 0:04:32.080 how he's played this year. I fully expect Justin Thomas 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:34.680 to be a big, big part of this. I think 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:37.960 they're going to play him a lot. I expect him 0:04:37.960 --> 0:04:40.240 to play on the first day. I expect him to 0:04:40.240 --> 0:04:43.000 play in the afternoon, even if he were to be 0:04:43.080 --> 0:04:44.760 a part of a team that got beat in the morning. 0:04:45.000 --> 0:04:47.599 I just think that that if you look at the 0:04:47.680 --> 0:04:50.359 captain and Zach Johnson, if you look at the vice captains, 0:04:51.760 --> 0:04:54.000 Justin Thomas is one of their boat boys, and rightly so. 0:04:54.040 --> 0:04:57.280 He's a two time major champion. He's been on winning 0:04:58.560 --> 0:05:02.640 Ryder Cups, President's Cup. He's a hell of a player. 0:05:03.000 --> 0:05:05.560 He's not playing the way he wants to play right now. 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:08.000 I think he admits that. I think everybody knows that. 0:05:08.520 --> 0:05:10.599 But I just there was no way he wasn't going 0:05:10.680 --> 0:05:13.320 to be on that team. It's just his dad's a 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:19.000 PGA pro. He's been a part of every part of 0:05:20.120 --> 0:05:24.160 golf in America. He was part of the a JGA, 0:05:24.760 --> 0:05:30.320 he was Walker Cup, he was a national champion at Bama. 0:05:30.839 --> 0:05:33.599 He is part of the fabric of golf professional golf 0:05:33.600 --> 0:05:37.599 in twenty twenty three. So I just didn't see him 0:05:37.640 --> 0:05:40.640 not being on the team. And I think it's it's 0:05:42.000 --> 0:05:46.000 it's going to be an interesting pick. Can the team 0:05:46.040 --> 0:05:51.680 competition give JT the the comfort and the confidence that 0:05:53.680 --> 0:05:57.320 will help him play his best because he, like I said, 0:05:57.400 --> 0:05:59.919 he's a two time major winner. He won the PGA 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:06.520 last year. Now JT is getting picked off of winning 0:06:06.520 --> 0:06:11.320 a major at Southern Hills, He's getting picked off of 0:06:11.880 --> 0:06:14.960 past performances. There is an argument that you could make 0:06:15.000 --> 0:06:17.960 for Dustin Johnson for the exact same thing, two time 0:06:18.040 --> 0:06:22.000 major champion, whether you like it or not. Where DJ 0:06:22.120 --> 0:06:27.000 played last year, he played on live from June onwards 0:06:27.080 --> 0:06:29.520 and one once had a chance to win a lot 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:31.600 of tournaments and played some of the best golf I've 0:06:31.600 --> 0:06:36.000 seen him play so and he also went five to 0:06:36.040 --> 0:06:37.880 oh in the last Ryder Cup at Whistling Straights for 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:40.240 the US team. So you could make an argument that 0:06:40.279 --> 0:06:43.800 you were picking Dustin Johnson off of the same criteria 0:06:43.839 --> 0:06:48.960 that you're picking Justin Thomas. But there was only going 0:06:49.000 --> 0:06:50.480 to be one guy from Live that they were going 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:53.000 to pick. They weren't going to pick Taylor Gooch, they 0:06:53.040 --> 0:06:55.599 weren't going to pick Bryce and d Chambeau. The only 0:06:55.640 --> 0:06:58.479 person they were going to pick from Live was someone 0:06:58.520 --> 0:07:02.640 that kind of forced their hand to pick him. And 0:07:02.760 --> 0:07:07.600 I think brooks Kepka is kind of seen as you know, 0:07:07.640 --> 0:07:11.080 a major champion is a five time major champion, So 0:07:11.560 --> 0:07:13.240 you know what you're getting with Brooks. You know that 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:16.480 you're going to get a very tough competitor. You're going 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:18.560 to get someone that likes competition. You're going to get 0:07:18.560 --> 0:07:22.440 someone that isn't afraid when the pressure gets the most. 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:26.800 Do not be surprised if you see a brooks Kepka 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:31.800 and Wyndom Clerk pairing in any format. I think you could. 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:37.320 Wyndom Clark's a rookie, and I think Brooks is a veteran. 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:40.680 But they are very similar type players, right, They are 0:07:40.800 --> 0:07:44.640 very similar type people. They both play with tremendous amount 0:07:44.680 --> 0:07:47.880 of confidence, a tremendous amount of self belief, a tremendous 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:51.280 amount of arrogance, which I'm here for. Every great player 0:07:51.320 --> 0:07:53.400 has a little bit of that, but I think wyndom 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:56.120 And and Brooks wear that a little bit more outwardly. 0:07:56.200 --> 0:07:59.840 Wyndom Clerk is a major champion this year. Brooks Kepka 0:07:59.920 --> 0:08:04.520 is a major champion this year. Brian Harmon is a 0:08:04.600 --> 0:08:07.640 major champion this year. So three of the four major 0:08:07.720 --> 0:08:11.800 champions in twenty twenty three are going to be on 0:08:11.840 --> 0:08:13.960 the US team. John Rahm won the Masters, He's going 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:17.200 to play on the European team. But I could see 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:21.160 a pairing of Brooks Kepka Wyndom Clerk, Like I said, 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:28.920 similar type personalities, similar type personas, tremendous self belief, very 0:08:29.200 --> 0:08:33.240 very similar games. They both hit the golf ball miles. 0:08:33.640 --> 0:08:36.480 They play on confidence, and if you look at the 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:39.720 way Wyndham Clerk played at the US Open, if you 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:43.760 were Zach Johnson, you are hoping you get that Wyndom Clerk. 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:48.840 I think the Ryder Cup has always been an anomaly. 0:08:50.160 --> 0:08:55.520 It's been an anomaly really in the last thirty five years. 0:08:55.559 --> 0:08:59.080 I mean, the last time the US won outside the 0:08:59.160 --> 0:09:04.199 United States on foreign soil was thirty years ago at 0:09:04.240 --> 0:09:07.240 the Belfry nineteen ninety three. I was there. My dad 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:09.280 was working with the vice with Davis Love as a 0:09:09.360 --> 0:09:15.320 vice captain this year, and it's difficult to do. On 0:09:15.360 --> 0:09:18.800 that Sunday, it definitely looked like the Europeans were going 0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:23.480 to win. They were getting points from all their superstars. 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:27.840 Nick Faldo in nineteen ninety three was at the height 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:30.240 of the game, made a hole in one on Sunday, 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:33.920 one of the loudest roars I've ever heard at a 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:38.520 golf tournament, jacking hegman, rookie. They got points from him. 0:09:38.640 --> 0:09:42.559 Peter Baker, rookie, they got points fromim. Peter Baker putted 0:09:42.640 --> 0:09:46.920 so good in nineteen ninety three that Jim Lampley, the 0:09:46.960 --> 0:09:49.560 old sportscaster, did a lot of boxing, but he was 0:09:49.600 --> 0:09:52.440 doing golf back in the day for NBC, And in 0:09:52.520 --> 0:09:55.600 nineteen ninety three, I think it was on Sunday, Peter 0:09:55.720 --> 0:09:59.600 Baker again making every putty looks at. Didn't go on 0:09:59.720 --> 0:10:02.000 to have the career that I think a lot of 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:04.200 people thought the Ryder Cup was going to springboard into 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:07.480 but Jim Lampley live on air said he was going 0:10:07.520 --> 0:10:09.760 to go out a limb and said that Peter Baker 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:11.760 was such a good putter and had putted good for 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:14.319 so good for three days the Ryder Cup at the 0:10:14.320 --> 0:10:16.719 Belfrey in nineteen ninety three. He said he will not 0:10:16.800 --> 0:10:23.320 only win one Masters championship, he will win multiple Masters championships. 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:25.920 That's how good he putted that week. I want to 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:30.080 thank our partners at Rapsodo and share more about their exciting, 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:34.480 award winning combine that is launching this month. I'm partnering 0:10:35.120 --> 0:10:38.719 with them to give away two virtual golf lessons. 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Again, that's code CH three at rapsodo 0:11:46.559 --> 0:11:50.000 dot com for seventy dollars off. And don't forget about 0:11:50.040 --> 0:11:55.360 their award winning combines. So the Euros have always tended 0:11:55.400 --> 0:12:00.320 to get points from maybe some players in that are 0:12:00.360 --> 0:12:03.640 a little bit lesser known, and maybe the US hasn't 0:12:03.640 --> 0:12:05.320 been able to do that, but I do think that 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:07.360 the Euros have always been able to get points from 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:10.200 all of their superstars, and in the last thirty years 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:13.920 they've definitely been enne able to do that. Overseas. They 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:17.360 did that in Paris. They got a bunch of points 0:12:17.360 --> 0:12:20.880 from a bunch of their superstars, and the US didn't 0:12:20.920 --> 0:12:28.160 get historically points from their superstars Tiger Woods, Phil Ncholson 0:12:28.280 --> 0:12:31.120 and some of the other superstars. So I think it's 0:12:31.120 --> 0:12:34.080 always been for me. I've been going to Ryder Cups 0:12:34.640 --> 0:12:39.240 really since for the last thirty years, and I think 0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:43.520 the team chemistry the Euros have tended to gel over 0:12:43.600 --> 0:12:45.400 the last thirty years. I think they've tended to gel 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:50.040 better now. I do think. I was at Whistling Straits 0:12:51.280 --> 0:12:53.120 there was a lot of team camaraderie on the US 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:56.280 team for that and to me, that reminded me a 0:12:56.280 --> 0:12:59.440 little bit more of the camaraderie that they had for 0:12:59.480 --> 0:13:02.240 all those teams where the US was getting beat by 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:06.320 the Euros. And like I said earlier, there is a 0:13:06.440 --> 0:13:11.200 history of picking players basically just for this event, and 0:13:11.559 --> 0:13:14.600 the Euros have road that. So I'm not surprised by 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:18.480 these picks. Sam Burns rookie, he wins the match play 0:13:18.520 --> 0:13:21.880 this year. I think Sam Burns the hell of a player, 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:26.240 and I think his relationship is junior golf relationship with 0:13:26.760 --> 0:13:29.160 Scottie Scheffler. I think you're going to see those two 0:13:29.200 --> 0:13:31.840 pair together. I think you could see those two pair 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:36.400 together a lot. There's a comfort there, there's a history 0:13:36.440 --> 0:13:42.200 there and listen Scotti Scheffler is in my opinion, he's 0:13:42.240 --> 0:13:44.840 playing some of the best golf I've seen anyone play 0:13:45.320 --> 0:13:50.319 in the last year to two years. His ball striking 0:13:50.360 --> 0:13:53.560 has been second to none. He has not putted the 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:56.560 way that he wants to put the way that the 0:13:56.600 --> 0:13:59.680 rest of his game I think is putting. Given his 0:13:59.720 --> 0:14:02.520 balls striking, for him to only win the amount of 0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:04.280 times that he's won this year, you would have thought 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:07.600 he could have had a Tiger Woods VJ. Singh Tig 0:14:07.920 --> 0:14:10.839 year where he's winning seven, eight, nine times. That's how 0:14:10.880 --> 0:14:13.480 good his ball striking it. He hasn't putted the way 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:19.880 that he wants to putt, and I think having a 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:23.120 partner in someone like Sam Burns will be a massive, 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:26.520 massive strength. So not surprised to see Sam Burns on 0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:32.120 the team. Ricky Fowler UH ten twenty fourteen, twenty sixteen, 0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:37.280 twenty eighteen hasn't had the winning record three seven and five, 0:14:39.320 --> 0:14:41.680 one three and two in the foursomes, one two and 0:14:41.760 --> 0:14:45.200 two in the four ball, one two one in the singles, 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:47.680 so not a dominant performance. But I think the way 0:14:47.720 --> 0:14:51.080 Ricky's played this year, the comeback that he's made, the 0:14:51.120 --> 0:14:57.080 way he gets along. There isn't anybody on any tour 0:14:57.240 --> 0:14:59.480 anywhere in the world that doesn't like Ricky Fowler. The 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:03.080 Euros like him, the Americans all like him. All the 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:05.680 captains for the US team and the vice captains like him. 0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:08.800 All the captains for the Euros and the vice captains 0:15:08.800 --> 0:15:11.400 all like Ricky. Is one of the most popular players 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:14.760 in the game. He's a fan favorite. He's popular. He's 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:17.280 playing good again. I think if you'd have told people 0:15:17.280 --> 0:15:19.160 two years ago that Ricky was going to make this team, 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:21.960 given the play that he had and how he had 0:15:21.960 --> 0:15:24.440 been playing, I think everybody would have not believed you. 0:15:24.520 --> 0:15:27.400 But big turnaround. I think the move back to my dad, 0:15:27.400 --> 0:15:31.160 butch Armon getting back in the winner circle, had a 0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:35.560 chance to win the US Open, and Ricky's one of 0:15:35.600 --> 0:15:39.720 the US boys. He's part of that club. And again, 0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:42.200 I don't have a problem with there being a club. 0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:45.040 There is a club. Everybody knows it. It's not news, 0:15:45.200 --> 0:15:47.680 it's not a surprise. So if you don't make the 0:15:47.760 --> 0:15:51.640 Ryder Cup team, you're hoping for a pick. Colin Morikawa, 0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:56.360 two time Major champion, only played one Ryder Cup twenty 0:15:56.400 --> 0:16:00.160 twenty one at whistling straits three zero to one, so 0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:04.120 pretty good record, two and oh in the foursomes, one 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:07.000 to oh in the four balls tied as singles match, 0:16:07.120 --> 0:16:12.680 so elite elite ball striker can be streaky with the putter. 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:15.840 So which Colin Morcow is going to show up? And 0:16:15.880 --> 0:16:19.200 then lastly for the for the picks, Jordan Speith four 0:16:19.240 --> 0:16:24.080 times twenty fourteen, sixteen, eighteen, twenty one, eight seven and 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:28.400 three h three two two in the foursomes, five and 0:16:28.440 --> 0:16:32.240 two in the four ball, oh, three and one in singles, 0:16:32.240 --> 0:16:35.800 so no points in singles. But again he is one 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:38.720 of in twenty twenty three, he's one of the boys 0:16:38.760 --> 0:16:43.400 on the US team where if he's playing halfway decent, 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:45.720 I think if he's got a heartbeat, they're gonna pick it. 0:16:46.600 --> 0:16:49.840 I think, as I said earlier, Justin Thomas Jordan Speed, 0:16:50.320 --> 0:16:55.200 great pairing, Jordan Speith, Ricky Fowler, great pairing, Justin Thomas 0:16:55.640 --> 0:16:59.200 Slick rick great pairing. So I think you're going to 0:16:59.240 --> 0:17:02.880 see a little bit of kind of the boys that 0:17:02.920 --> 0:17:05.439 are comfortable with each other. And I think that's something 0:17:05.480 --> 0:17:08.119 that is important. I think that's where there's been a 0:17:08.320 --> 0:17:11.640 shift in kind of the thinking of the US Tour 0:17:11.760 --> 0:17:16.800 after the Task Force at Glenn Eagles. Everybody knows Tom 0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:21.000 Watson was the captain. Everybody knows Phil Mickelson's comments directly 0:17:21.040 --> 0:17:27.400 after listen there were some changes made it after that, rightly, wrongly, 0:17:27.480 --> 0:17:30.080 whatever side of that you're on. The players, I think 0:17:30.200 --> 0:17:31.800 wanted to feel like they had a little bit more. 0:17:31.840 --> 0:17:34.080 Say Ricky was one of the guys they put on 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:39.080 the task force, if memory serves me, so. Not surprised 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:43.119 that you're going to take guys that are major champions. 0:17:43.560 --> 0:17:47.040 Not surprised you're going to take guys that can get 0:17:47.080 --> 0:17:50.120 I mean, Colin Morcow could play with anybody. He could 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:52.360 play with a long hitter, he could play with someone 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:54.320 that hits at the length he does. He could he 0:17:54.320 --> 0:17:57.480 could play in any of the formats if his ball 0:17:57.520 --> 0:18:01.560 strikings on. He's to me one of the best ball 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:07.840 strikers in the game. But surprising that Jordan Spiece singles records. 0:18:08.119 --> 0:18:11.760 You know, three losses and only one you know one half. 0:18:12.040 --> 0:18:15.240 But you would think that that would change. And you 0:18:15.400 --> 0:18:18.280 think that if you get Jordan with players that he's 0:18:18.359 --> 0:18:22.960 comfortable with, do I think he will play well? I 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:26.720 think he likes the format Justin Thomas likes the format. 0:18:27.040 --> 0:18:29.920 A lot of guys like the Ryder Cup format. Now, 0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:32.679 just because you like it doesn't necessarily mean that you 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:36.000 play well in it. But I do think that this 0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:39.600 is a very very strong American side. I do think 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:45.240 that the American team is learning about what makes their 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:50.440 players play their best. I noticed a big change at 0:18:50.440 --> 0:18:53.879 Whistling Straits. It seemed to me to where there was 0:18:53.960 --> 0:18:58.520 a lot more It seemed to me like there was 0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:03.720 a lot more asking the players what they wanted to do, 0:19:04.200 --> 0:19:06.639 kind of what they wanted needed, how they wanted to 0:19:06.680 --> 0:19:11.360 practice and listen. The Euros have been doing that forever. 0:19:12.200 --> 0:19:16.879 The Euros have been asking their players what they want, 0:19:17.320 --> 0:19:19.760 what they don't want, and how they can get their 0:19:19.920 --> 0:19:23.600 best out of the euro players. So I think you 0:19:23.640 --> 0:19:26.520 are going to see a little bit of the same 0:19:26.800 --> 0:19:28.960 kind of playbook that we saw. Zach Johnson was one 0:19:29.000 --> 0:19:33.560 of the vice captains. Davis Love was part of that team. 0:19:33.680 --> 0:19:35.640 I think it's learning, I think it's evolving. I think 0:19:35.680 --> 0:19:39.439 it's less about the captain trying to put their stamp 0:19:39.480 --> 0:19:42.200 and say listen, you know to me, that's in my opinion, 0:19:42.200 --> 0:19:43.880 that's what a lot of the US captains have done. 0:19:44.240 --> 0:19:46.400 They've come in, they tried to put their stamp on it. 0:19:46.760 --> 0:19:48.359 They've tried to say, listen, this is going to be 0:19:48.359 --> 0:19:51.359 my captaincy. I'm going to kind of tell everybody what 0:19:51.400 --> 0:19:55.600 we're doing, what we're not doing. I noticed in at 0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:58.880 Whistling Straits that that wasn't the case that the captains. 0:19:58.880 --> 0:20:01.760 The vice captains were asked the players a lot more 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:03.879 of what they wanted to do in practice, how they 0:20:03.920 --> 0:20:05.840 wanted to practice, how many holes they wanted to play 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:10.800 in practice, and listen, if you think that that's wrong, 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:14.720 If you don't like that, that's fine, that you're allowed 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:17.600 your opinion. But I do think that the Americans looked 0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:20.480 why they were getting beat and said, listen, we're going 0:20:20.520 --> 0:20:22.760 to try and make the weeks the easiest for the 0:20:22.800 --> 0:20:25.240 players and make it about them. There were a lot 0:20:25.280 --> 0:20:28.199 of people that think the US team is stacked and 0:20:28.240 --> 0:20:30.199 they are that they are going to walk through this. 0:20:31.240 --> 0:20:32.679 I am not one of them. I think that this 0:20:32.840 --> 0:20:36.320 is as always. I think the Ryder Cup and I 0:20:36.440 --> 0:20:39.840 was asked at the last Ryder Cup what I thought, 0:20:39.920 --> 0:20:42.119 and I thought it was going to be close. It wasn't. 0:20:42.160 --> 0:20:45.160 But I've been around enough of these over the last 0:20:45.160 --> 0:20:48.760 thirty years to know that these are always much closer 0:20:48.760 --> 0:20:51.960 than you think. They don't get played on paper. And 0:20:52.240 --> 0:20:54.840 if you've got a European side that has Roy McElroy, 0:20:54.960 --> 0:21:02.000 John Rahm and Victor Hovlin on, it's it's legit. I 0:21:02.000 --> 0:21:09.680 think Terroll Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sepstraca, they're all winning, 0:21:10.560 --> 0:21:16.200 they're all great players. And you've got, arguably right now 0:21:16.320 --> 0:21:18.320 the hottest player in the game in Victor Hovlin, who 0:21:18.400 --> 0:21:21.040 is to me one of the top five players in 0:21:21.080 --> 0:21:26.600 the world. John Rahm, Rory McElroy. So I think you 0:21:26.640 --> 0:21:33.200 were going to see that kind of threesome be the 0:21:33.359 --> 0:21:36.440 kind of catalyst for a lot of them. Yeah, they're 0:21:36.440 --> 0:21:38.640 gonna have some rookies, right, They're gonna have some players 0:21:38.640 --> 0:21:45.040 that maybe aren't household names, Bob McIntyre, Yanni, Paul, Adrian 0:21:45.119 --> 0:21:49.879 moronk you know, does Shane Lowry get a pick? Do 0:21:49.960 --> 0:21:51.919 they go back to the well and pick someone like 0:21:52.920 --> 0:21:57.159 Justin Rose as someone who's played on these before. So 0:21:58.240 --> 0:22:00.840 I do think Luke Donald has some decisions to make, 0:22:01.480 --> 0:22:03.960 certainly from a pairing standpoint, And I do think that 0:22:04.240 --> 0:22:06.200 you know, the Euros are up against it. It seems 0:22:06.280 --> 0:22:10.119 right now like the US is making there's a turn 0:22:10.240 --> 0:22:12.720 going and these things kind of come and ebbs and flows. 0:22:13.200 --> 0:22:15.439 The US, you know, dominated the Ryder Cup for a 0:22:15.560 --> 0:22:21.040 very very long time and then the Euro's always on paper, 0:22:22.840 --> 0:22:25.520 given the strength and the power of the US team, 0:22:25.920 --> 0:22:29.840 didn't look like they were necessarily the favorites. But they've 0:22:29.840 --> 0:22:31.840 always had a bunch of major champions on their team, 0:22:32.000 --> 0:22:37.760 and you've got in if you're looking at major champions, 0:22:37.800 --> 0:22:41.840 you've got Rory McElroy, You've got John Rahm, You've got 0:22:41.840 --> 0:22:45.320 Matt Fitzpatrick. You've got guys like Shane Lowry who won 0:22:45.800 --> 0:22:48.840 a major before. You've got Justin Rose who's won a 0:22:48.880 --> 0:22:52.520 major before. So I do think that trying to figure 0:22:52.560 --> 0:22:55.680 out who's going to match with who is Luke's trying 0:22:55.720 --> 0:22:57.600 to do the same thing that Zach Johnson's doing, right, 0:22:57.600 --> 0:22:59.920 He's trying to figure out, Okay, who the best choice 0:23:00.119 --> 0:23:02.480 that I can make, Who can I put with everybody. 0:23:02.480 --> 0:23:06.760 I've had Paul McGinley on the pod before. He's to 0:23:06.840 --> 0:23:09.600 me one of the best captains the Euros have had 0:23:09.600 --> 0:23:11.840 from the way that he did it. And you can 0:23:11.880 --> 0:23:14.199 go back and take a listen, the Euros have not 0:23:14.200 --> 0:23:17.840 always gotten along better than everybody that everybody thinks. You know, 0:23:17.880 --> 0:23:19.960 there's always been this thing that everybody thinks the Euros 0:23:20.000 --> 0:23:22.440 get along, everybody in the team room likes each other, 0:23:22.520 --> 0:23:26.440 everybody's best friends, everybody's boys mate. That is not the case. 0:23:27.040 --> 0:23:28.840 What I do think Europe has been able to do 0:23:29.000 --> 0:23:30.960 over the last thirty years has come together as a 0:23:31.000 --> 0:23:33.800 group and come together as a team and use that 0:23:33.880 --> 0:23:37.919 kind of underdog mentality. But when you've got John Rahm, 0:23:38.160 --> 0:23:40.479 when you've got Roy McRoy and you've got Victor Hoblin 0:23:40.520 --> 0:23:43.480 on a Ryder Cup team, I mean stacked, as a 0:23:43.480 --> 0:23:46.400 lot of people think the US team is. If you've 0:23:46.400 --> 0:23:49.199 got those three guys on your team, I don't know 0:23:49.200 --> 0:23:51.600 how you're thinking you're an underdog because you got three 0:23:51.600 --> 0:23:54.880 of the best players in the world and you've got 0:23:55.240 --> 0:23:57.440 three players right now. I think the way that Victor 0:23:57.480 --> 0:23:59.720 Hoblin played in the FedEx, the way that his game 0:23:59.800 --> 0:24:03.000 is change, the way that his short game has changed, 0:24:03.320 --> 0:24:05.600 and I think the way that he's one of those 0:24:05.600 --> 0:24:09.480 guys that's basically in the hunt to win major championships 0:24:09.520 --> 0:24:12.359 all the time. We expect Victor to win majors. But 0:24:12.440 --> 0:24:15.080 if you've got that three Rory, John, Rahm and Vick 0:24:16.880 --> 0:24:19.119 and then you've got Matt Fitzpatrick who's won a major, 0:24:20.680 --> 0:24:25.080