WEBVTT - A Conversation with Ryan Gerard 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:02.480 I miss a green, for example, I'm already upset. 0:00:02.600 --> 0:00:04.880 When I find my ball in the bunker, I'm really upset. 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:06.320 And when I find my ball. 0:00:06.080 --> 0:00:08.920 In a brid Egg Frida Egg, the dreaded Frida Egg, 0:00:09.000 --> 0:00:12.040 Frida Egg, Frida Egg, Brian Egg, Frida Egg, Bride Egg Lie. 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:14.480 I'm about ready to run off the gump course game. 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:40.840 Welcome back to another edition of the Frida Egg Podcast. 0:00:40.920 --> 0:00:44.159 I am your host, Andy Johnson. Today I'm excited to 0:00:44.240 --> 0:00:47.240 be joined by one of the breakout players of twenty 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:51.960 twenty six, Ryan Gerard. He is fresh off a top 0:00:52.040 --> 0:00:55.520 ten at the Open Championship, his second top ten in 0:00:55.560 --> 0:00:59.440 his major career. He's had three runner up finishes on 0:00:59.480 --> 0:01:02.800 the PGA this year. He ranks now inside the top 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:07.480 twenty five in the official World Golf rankings. Former North 0:01:07.480 --> 0:01:10.640 Carolina star has kind of broke out and he's one 0:01:10.680 --> 0:01:14.039 of the most promising young players on tour. So was 0:01:14.240 --> 0:01:16.840 really fun to chat with Ryan, kind of pick his 0:01:16.840 --> 0:01:20.600 brain about his assent and pro golf and his life 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:24.199 on tour. So before we get to that, a quick 0:01:24.800 --> 0:01:29.640 moment to talk about ourselves. Here we have volume two 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:35.560 of our book, Friday Golf Book. Volume two is up 0:01:35.600 --> 0:01:39.160 for pre order. This really helps us with understanding how 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:41.759 many books we need to order. They will be delivered 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:46.080 before the holidays. It is the second collection of golf 0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:50.040 course Profiles, which gives a sense of what we prioritize 0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:55.320 in our golf course coverage. It features full photography, original illustrations, 0:01:55.400 --> 0:01:58.480 and in depth writing from our team. In this edition, 0:01:58.520 --> 0:02:01.920 we hit some top one hundred golf courses everybody knows Oakmont, 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:06.400 North Barrick, Fisher's Island, Royal, Saint George's Piners number two, 0:02:06.760 --> 0:02:10.600 but we also have some hidden gems like wild Horse, 0:02:10.639 --> 0:02:13.440 Saint Andrew's Beach to the best golf courses you can 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:16.120 play anywhere for under one hundred dollars. One of my 0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:21.359 favorites is Garrett Profiles North Haven, a little nine holer 0:02:21.560 --> 0:02:24.520 on an island off the coast of Maine. So this 0:02:24.680 --> 0:02:26.800 is not just you know, your top golf course in 0:02:26.840 --> 0:02:30.040 the world. There's a real eclectic mix in this book. 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:33.640 So we have pre orders open now through September fourth, 0:02:34.639 --> 0:02:39.000 and they'll begin shipping October seventh. These are great gifts. 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:42.160 They are great things to have in your book collection, 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:45.960 great coffee table book, and you can grab yours at 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:50.280 proshop dot thefried egg dot com thanks to everybody who 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:53.600 supported us with book one. If you go check it out, 0:02:53.680 --> 0:02:57.160 there are a lot of deals, whether you bundle volumes 0:02:57.200 --> 0:03:01.200 one and two, or you can buy those volumes one 0:03:01.280 --> 0:03:05.320 and two and a Friday Golf membership. Those are kind 0:03:05.320 --> 0:03:07.960 of the things that can really support what we do here. 0:03:08.440 --> 0:03:18.360 All right, let's get to Ryan Gerard. All right, Ryan 0:03:18.919 --> 0:03:21.560 h you had a video the PGA Tour came to 0:03:21.560 --> 0:03:23.960 your house or I don't know if it's a house 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:28.800 or apartment in South Florida, and it went viral and 0:03:28.840 --> 0:03:31.600 it was mainly for the things that aren't in it, 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:37.240 like like a table. I'd say it was spartan on 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:42.680 cooking utensils. It was heavy on TVs and golf stuff. 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:48.160 I'm curious if the house was on fire and you 0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:50.720 could only grab one thing, not your your golf clubs 0:03:50.720 --> 0:03:53.240 don't count. Your golf clubs do not count. You can't 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:56.640 grab your golf clubs. What's the thing that you're saving 0:03:56.760 --> 0:03:57.520 from that house. 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:03.560 That's a really good question. I probably gotta go Samurai sword. 0:04:04.840 --> 0:04:07.960 Probably gotta go Samurai sword that I I smuggled back 0:04:07.960 --> 0:04:12.600 in the country from Japan. Uh I think I think 0:04:12.640 --> 0:04:14.600 that one, you know, because that's a twofold because if 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:17.240 you're standing on the street when your house is on fire, 0:04:17.279 --> 0:04:19.560 you at least have something to protect yourself with, just 0:04:19.600 --> 0:04:25.880 a case someone rolls up. So no, I think a house, 0:04:26.040 --> 0:04:29.320 a house for twenty six year old dude doesn't really 0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:35.640 need a lot of decorations, just you know, strictly utilitarian 0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:38.640 and maybe some fun stuff sprinkled in there. So that's 0:04:38.760 --> 0:04:40.280 that's kind of the vibe that we were going for. 0:04:40.360 --> 0:04:43.600 And I'm sure in the future that will change, uh, 0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:46.600 But you know, while while we're young, we might as 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:49.680 well have some fun with it and throwing some golf stuff, 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:53.200 have some have some cool, cool memorabilia kind of put 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:55.760 around the place, and yeah, we're just enjoying it. 0:04:56.480 --> 0:04:59.000 When I wrote this question down, I was hoping that 0:04:59.040 --> 0:05:03.599 the sword was going to be the answer. You have, 0:05:03.760 --> 0:05:06.680 like you just like trading games out out in the 0:05:06.720 --> 0:05:10.280 living room. Is there anything about the house set up 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:13.040 that you think has helped you improve as a golfer? 0:05:14.200 --> 0:05:19.599 No, Like, maybe just the fact that I'm there and 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:22.440 there's putting greens on the ground and putting mats everywhere, 0:05:22.440 --> 0:05:24.640 and we got training aids and stuff. So like you're 0:05:24.680 --> 0:05:27.720 almost like thinking about it, kind of like you're going 0:05:27.760 --> 0:05:29.920 to bed and you're hitting putts before bed, or you 0:05:29.960 --> 0:05:31.960 wake over in the morning and it's raining and you 0:05:31.960 --> 0:05:33.280 don't want to go to the course because the rainings 0:05:33.279 --> 0:05:36.040 you're hitting puts inside. But I don't think there's anything 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:39.839 like in particular that's been like, yeah, like I'm crediting 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:43.400 like two shots this year to this specific training aid. 0:05:43.760 --> 0:05:45.919 I think for the most part, it's just been like, 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:49.839 you know, it kind of just kind of keeps the 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:52.640 vibe light. One of my roommates plays on the corn 0:05:52.680 --> 0:05:56.520 Ferry Tour, so we kind of have a good you know, 0:05:57.240 --> 0:06:01.040 watch watch the NBA game or the the football game 0:06:01.400 --> 0:06:05.200 late at night kind of on one TV, still hitting putts, 0:06:05.279 --> 0:06:09.760 kind of testing things out, looking talking shop. So I 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:12.200 think that's kind of more more the vibe that we're 0:06:12.200 --> 0:06:16.240 going for is if you're constantly thinking about golf, which 0:06:16.800 --> 0:06:19.960 I am. I'm sure most people are, you end up 0:06:20.000 --> 0:06:23.160 just like getting mental reps in and then it translates 0:06:23.200 --> 0:06:25.320 to good play. Hopefully that's that's what we're going for. 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:30.080 At least, I feel like the South Florida, you know, 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:35.040 pro golfer roommate situation is pretty common. I would say 0:06:35.040 --> 0:06:39.679 most listeners probably aren't aware necessarily of this or lived 0:06:39.680 --> 0:06:44.080 in a situation where like you and someone else are 0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:47.680 are literally trying to, you know, crack the top you 0:06:47.680 --> 0:06:50.320 know fifty, you've already cracked the top twenty five of 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:54.839 the world, And what are your conversations mostly about when 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:57.080 you guys are actually there at the same time. 0:06:59.040 --> 0:07:02.719 A lot of it's like just stupid shit, Like it's 0:07:02.720 --> 0:07:07.280 not we're not talking like legitimate strategy. But you know, 0:07:07.520 --> 0:07:10.640 if you if you have someone like Austin Hitlers with me, 0:07:10.680 --> 0:07:12.960 he's on the Cornferry Tour. He's been playing solid this year, 0:07:14.240 --> 0:07:18.680 but like, do you have someone that you could talk about, like, hey, man, 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:23.280 like what do you think about this very specific shot 0:07:23.440 --> 0:07:26.680 at this point in time in the tournament? Like you know, 0:07:26.800 --> 0:07:30.440 downhill lie slightly kind of sketchy, Like I think it's 0:07:30.440 --> 0:07:33.200 going to come out lower because you know, there's not 0:07:33.280 --> 0:07:36.360 a lot of friction between the ball and the and 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:39.160 the turf and slightly downhill, so it's gonna come out 0:07:39.160 --> 0:07:41.640 with less spin. And I'm trying to take on this 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:43.880 front pin, like do you go hard at an eight 0:07:44.040 --> 0:07:46.000 or do you kind of trying two fingers of seven 0:07:46.040 --> 0:07:51.840 in there with a little cut like just like super nerdy, 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:56.480 like into the into the weeds. Details that I'm lucky 0:07:56.600 --> 0:07:58.560 enough to have someone that I can like just bounce 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:01.360 ideas off and say way vice versas. So I'd say 0:08:01.560 --> 0:08:03.920 from that that standpoint, it helps. But like, I don't know, 0:08:03.960 --> 0:08:05.440 we hang out all the time, we play golf all 0:08:05.440 --> 0:08:09.000 the time. Uh, when we're both in town, we're eating dinner. 0:08:09.080 --> 0:08:11.840 It's just it's kind of feeling like golf can be 0:08:11.880 --> 0:08:14.920 a lonely game sometimes when it's just you and your 0:08:14.960 --> 0:08:16.520 team out there, but it kind of feels like you 0:08:16.560 --> 0:08:19.840 have someone almost like a teammate at times to just 0:08:19.920 --> 0:08:23.840 kind of roll with you, kind of go through the 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:27.440 the monotony and the grind a little bit and try 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:30.320 and kind of push each other to become the best 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:32.640 that you can be at your craft. Well you know, 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:33.760 still trying to beat each other. 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:37.720 So, uh, something about you that caught my attention this 0:08:37.800 --> 0:08:41.720 year was you you were talking about the scott the 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:46.920 shot that you got obsessed with after playing with Scottie Scheffler. 0:08:48.200 --> 0:08:52.240 Could you describe the shot that that he had, this 0:08:52.320 --> 0:08:56.000 weapon that he has that then you you know, kind 0:08:56.000 --> 0:09:00.480 of maniacally pursued for the next month and went in 0:09:00.920 --> 0:09:03.280 the moment of like, hey, I can actually hit this. 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:07.160 Yeah, I mean I'd say I'll go even further back 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:09.480 for some of the some of the real kind of 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:14.640 super super golf junkies. I played a college event with 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:20.960 Matt Wolf in twenty nineteen and he hit this bunker 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:24.360 shot where he got his hands so low and kind 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:26.480 of just like kept speed up that the ball went 0:09:26.520 --> 0:09:29.440 straight in the air. And like, I spent probably the 0:09:29.440 --> 0:09:31.200 better part of three weeks trying to figure out how 0:09:31.240 --> 0:09:33.599 to get a ball to land that soft for the 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:36.040 bunker shot. And obviously the way that he delivers the 0:09:36.080 --> 0:09:40.439 club into the ball allowed him to do that better 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:43.760 than I could just with my swing path. But it 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.400 kind of taught me that, you know, do you see 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:49.240 someone do something, it may not necessarily be for you, 0:09:49.520 --> 0:09:53.760 but there's a reason and why learning how to do 0:09:53.800 --> 0:09:56.720 that or being able to replicate something similar is important. 0:09:56.760 --> 0:09:59.559 So I was playing with Scottie the final round in 0:09:59.640 --> 0:10:02.360 Houston last year, and I think he shot like sixty 0:10:02.400 --> 0:10:04.440 two and I know, up finishing second, just you know, 0:10:04.880 --> 0:10:10.000 very average for him apparently, but he's hitting some shots 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:13.880 that you know, if I hit a nine iron and 0:10:13.960 --> 0:10:16.240 he might be hitting seven iron, and I'm like, well, 0:10:17.000 --> 0:10:19.960 I just know that that's he's not too clubs shorter 0:10:20.040 --> 0:10:24.520 than me. But just the way in which that he 0:10:24.880 --> 0:10:29.160 went about hitting some of these off speed shots, they 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:32.040 almost seem to go just as high, if not a 0:10:32.040 --> 0:10:34.840 little higher than like a stock one, and the way 0:10:34.840 --> 0:10:37.280 they land is like super soft. But he can control 0:10:37.800 --> 0:10:42.040 distance with those like incredibly well, which is is very 0:10:42.120 --> 0:10:44.960 rare because when you normally hit an off speed shot 0:10:45.040 --> 0:10:46.920 or the way that I was taught, you know, you 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:49.640 choke down or you kind of like finish low through it, 0:10:49.679 --> 0:10:51.400 and it's almost more of a punch than it is 0:10:51.840 --> 0:10:54.960 like just like a smooth full swing. And whenever you 0:10:55.000 --> 0:10:56.920 take speed off, it's it's really hard to get the 0:10:56.920 --> 0:10:59.839 ball in the air. And the reason why that becomes 0:10:59.880 --> 0:11:01.280 a up and for him is when you go play 0:11:01.440 --> 0:11:05.040 a US Open or Players or somewhere where the greens 0:11:05.040 --> 0:11:08.720 are really firm and pins are tucked really tight, all 0:11:08.760 --> 0:11:11.439 of a sudden, when you have an in between shot, 0:11:11.960 --> 0:11:15.480 he has a much larger area that he can land 0:11:15.480 --> 0:11:18.199 that golf ball in and have it stay kind of 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:22.280 where he's looking than someone who's landing a lower trajectory 0:11:22.360 --> 0:11:26.760 flighted shot into a green. Not to say Scotty can't 0:11:26.800 --> 0:11:29.240 hit the lower shot, like I think he's probably better 0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:32.760 at hitting the lower shots than those guys. Not everyone is, 0:11:32.840 --> 0:11:37.679 But I went about trying to figure out how I 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:42.640 could seemingly replicate kind of that shot, and for me, 0:11:42.920 --> 0:11:46.960 it was a feel that I found where it's a 0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:49.400 slight choke down, slight ball for it in the stance 0:11:49.400 --> 0:11:51.960 and you kind of feel like you're really smooth like 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:54.200 into the ball and then I'm speeding up like right 0:11:54.240 --> 0:11:56.360 when I get to impact, and just like keeping the 0:11:56.400 --> 0:12:01.400 hands high through it. And it it worked for a 0:12:01.520 --> 0:12:03.880 bit for me. I don't think it's been as consistent 0:12:03.920 --> 0:12:07.120 as I want it to be, and I'm sure it's 0:12:07.160 --> 0:12:09.280 something that I need to work at more, but kind 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:12.120 of when you get into the season and there's so 0:12:12.240 --> 0:12:15.160 much going on that I'm not really working on individual shots. 0:12:15.160 --> 0:12:17.640 I'm more just trying to encapsulate the game as a 0:12:17.640 --> 0:12:20.080 whole and make sure things are as sharp as possible 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:23.000 on a week week basis that it's kind of felt 0:12:23.040 --> 0:12:25.600 with the cracks, but I think that's one of a 0:12:25.640 --> 0:12:27.040 couple of things that I'm to be looking at this 0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:30.160 offseason of how to kind of incorporate that into my 0:12:31.120 --> 0:12:35.199 repertoire a little bit more consistently, because when you want 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:37.200 to hit a six iron one hundred and thirty feet 0:12:37.200 --> 0:12:40.720 in the air, you know, it's it's a really really 0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:45.600 hard task unless factors are lining up perfectly, and just 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:47.840 to have that on a moment's notice when you need it, 0:12:47.880 --> 0:12:50.559 when it pins tucked or you know, green skit firm, 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:52.800 or things are running away from you, it gets super 0:12:52.840 --> 0:12:54.520 down winding. You got to just twice one up there. 0:12:55.600 --> 0:12:57.160 It can make It can make all the difference in 0:12:57.160 --> 0:12:57.880 the world. 0:12:58.440 --> 0:13:01.319 I found it fascinating, you know obviously, like I think 0:13:01.400 --> 0:13:05.680 so many times you hear players of your ilk talk about, oh, 0:13:05.760 --> 0:13:07.600 like you know, it's just a day, I got a 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:10.400 lot of bad numbers, and you know, it's like kind 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:13.160 of what you were talking about, where you're in between 0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:15.040 a lot of clubs and it's hard to get up 0:13:15.080 --> 0:13:17.080 pins because the ball's coming in a little bit flatter 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:19.240 because you might be taking speed off or you're trying 0:13:19.280 --> 0:13:22.840 to muscle something. And like the idea of Scottie, you know, 0:13:23.679 --> 0:13:26.320 being you know at the top or near the top 0:13:26.360 --> 0:13:29.880 of every year an iron player, and it makes it 0:13:29.880 --> 0:13:31.800 It's like, oh, that's how he gets at all these 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:34.520 pins because he could still hit these irons at a 0:13:34.559 --> 0:13:37.880 high level, you know, launch them high landhom sooft even 0:13:37.880 --> 0:13:42.120 if he's in between clubs. You seem like you're kind 0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:46.560 of a very astute spectator while you're inside the ropes. 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:51.520 Is there if I said, you know, what's one thing 0:13:51.600 --> 0:13:54.760 that one guy on tour does that you're just always 0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:58.119 amazed about? Is there something that comes to mind? 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:05.959 I mean, jason days chipping is unfathomably good. I mean 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:08.839 I could say the same about Danny McCarthy's putting. I've 0:14:08.840 --> 0:14:11.800 watched Denny put the eyes out of it, and then 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:15.200 I've also listened to him talk at a clinic about 0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:17.480 how he putts, and for the life of me, I 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:20.840 don't understand a single word that he's saying, but he 0:14:20.960 --> 0:14:23.440 just rolls the crap out of it. But I played 0:14:23.440 --> 0:14:29.640 with Jason a bunch this year, and he is probably 0:14:29.680 --> 0:14:33.920 the most creative player when it comes to chipping, pitching, 0:14:34.000 --> 0:14:37.160 bunker shots, stuff like that. And it's and it's because 0:14:37.200 --> 0:14:40.040 he feels so confident and where he's going to land 0:14:40.080 --> 0:14:42.000 the ball, Like he feels like he's got his landing 0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:46.400 spot so good that he's not afraid to try and 0:14:46.920 --> 0:14:48.680 flop one over a bunker and land it in a 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:52.520 strip of fringe that's eighteen inches wide to kill it, 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:55.920 Like he knows he's going to hit it there. So 0:14:56.000 --> 0:14:58.160 you see him hit all these shots that are really 0:14:58.160 --> 0:15:01.000 cool or have different spins, different trajets and stuff like that. 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:04.080 And I mean I played with him at bay Hill 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:07.400 this year. We were both shooting a billion on Thursday, 0:15:07.840 --> 0:15:11.160 and he was hitting it all over the lot and 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:13.520 he was getting up and down. I mean he got 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:17.360 up and down from like there's a bunker on fourteen 0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:20.720 at Bayhill, which is like not even in play, and 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:23.040 he's not in the bunker. He's like in the left 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:25.000 side of the bunker where there's a palm tree growing 0:15:25.000 --> 0:15:28.000 out of it. And he hits this perfect little shot 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:30.360 and he hits it so good that he lands it 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:33.680 like in a sprinkler head and it rolls out like 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:36.040 ten feet further than it should have, and he had 0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:42.240 eight feet and it was like, dude, how so he 0:15:42.520 --> 0:15:44.440 If you ever just get a chance to go to 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.320 a practice round, or if you ever had a master's 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:50.120 practice round and you get a chance to watch Jason 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:54.160 Day just get creative around the greens. It's it's special, man, 0:15:54.560 --> 0:15:55.600 It's really really cool. 0:15:56.840 --> 0:16:00.000 Yeah. I remember years ago, you know, when he was 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:02.840 like number one player in the world, hearing stories of 0:16:02.960 --> 0:16:06.440 him in Palm Desert where you know, he would just 0:16:06.480 --> 0:16:10.440 spend like eight hours at a chipping green just hitting 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:14.800 shots all you know, all different types of spins. Like 0:16:14.800 --> 0:16:18.040 like I watched a social video once of him talking 0:16:18.040 --> 0:16:20.720 about hitting like a like a cut lob, and I 0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:23.680 remember like at that point I was I was more 0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:27.160 in ner vein of like I was single, uh, and 0:16:27.200 --> 0:16:29.920 I like I was living in Chicago, and I remember 0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:33.280 I literally got in my car and like drove forty 0:16:33.320 --> 0:16:36.160 minutes to go practice chipping because like it was like, 0:16:36.560 --> 0:16:38.920 you know, I'm watching this video, I'm like, God, like 0:16:39.000 --> 0:16:41.360 I've got this all wrong. You know how it hit 0:16:41.520 --> 0:16:45.280 like certain shots he is it's amazing. Like I it's 0:16:45.320 --> 0:16:47.920 always going to be what if, like with the injuries 0:16:47.960 --> 0:16:50.640 and the vertigo and everything that he's kind of had 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:52.960 to deal with because the short game in the putting 0:16:53.160 --> 0:16:56.200 was just so incredible and in its age so well. 0:16:57.000 --> 0:17:00.200 I read an article that I think you wrote. It 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:06.080 was a golf digest my shot, and you were talking 0:17:06.119 --> 0:17:09.560 about like an early career and being down. You were 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:12.200 in Panama and you were down to ten thousand dollars 0:17:12.200 --> 0:17:14.840 in your bank account. You didn't really have many sponsors, 0:17:16.280 --> 0:17:19.000 and you said, I knew something good had to happen 0:17:19.119 --> 0:17:24.399 and soon. I wanted to understand as a player, what's 0:17:24.680 --> 0:17:27.480 the feeling like when you know you're running out of 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:29.040 money as a pro golfer. 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:33.840 Yeah, and I think I would clarify for everyone. Ten 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:36.280 thousand dollars there was a lot of money. But when 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:40.200 you're spending twenty five hundred to three thousand a week 0:17:40.240 --> 0:17:43.040 on the corn Ferry tour just to like survive and 0:17:43.160 --> 0:17:47.919 do it kind of as mid level of as a 0:17:48.400 --> 0:17:50.480 cost as you can while still giving yourself a chance 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:56.439 to succeed, it does. It does go quickly. There's something 0:17:56.480 --> 0:17:58.520 that kind of like beats at you a little bit 0:17:58.920 --> 0:18:04.920 when you know that your back's up against the wall, 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:07.639 and it kind of triggers a little bit of a 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:10.280 fight or flight, But it also kind of like brings 0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:13.720 out that that dog in you a little bit, and 0:18:13.800 --> 0:18:16.240 you have to have it if you're going to be 0:18:16.520 --> 0:18:21.120 super successful in anything, but especially the competitive sport. In 0:18:21.119 --> 0:18:24.840 my opinion, because you know, when you get in it, 0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:26.840 you get a chance down the stretch to win a 0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:28.760 golf tournament. You get a chance to close something out, 0:18:28.800 --> 0:18:32.760 like you kind of have to eventually find a way 0:18:32.800 --> 0:18:35.239 to step on someone's throat and just do it and 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:40.439 get it done. And I just remember being in I 0:18:40.480 --> 0:18:43.480 was sharing a hotel room with Andrew Cosin and Panama, 0:18:44.200 --> 0:18:46.399 and We're sitting there like, well, I got to go 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:48.119 to Colombia next week and then I got to go 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:53.159 to Argentina and Chile the weeks after, and those are 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:56.840 aren't cheap flights, and I'm living in my parents guest room, 0:18:56.920 --> 0:19:01.880 and it was like one of those were all right, man, Well, 0:19:02.800 --> 0:19:06.360 I've worked my entire life twenty two twenty three years 0:19:06.400 --> 0:19:08.680 up until that point to like get into a moment 0:19:08.680 --> 0:19:11.760 where like, you're playing golf at the most competitive level 0:19:11.760 --> 0:19:15.920 that I could, which was Cornferry Tour, which is third 0:19:15.960 --> 0:19:18.600 best tour in the world. So I felt like I 0:19:18.680 --> 0:19:21.280 was in the right spot, doing the right things. It 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:24.760 was just, hey, you got to take advantage of your 0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:27.359 opportunities when you get them. And I remember I went 0:19:27.400 --> 0:19:29.160 out and shot like sixty four in the first round. 0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:31.640 I was leading and I ended up making the cut. 0:19:31.680 --> 0:19:34.520 Didn't play great on Sunday, but got got enough confidence, 0:19:34.520 --> 0:19:37.160 got enough points and some cash to go the next 0:19:37.160 --> 0:19:40.360 week in Colombia and I don't finishing like third and 0:19:40.440 --> 0:19:43.119 it was kind of just I felt freed up for 0:19:43.119 --> 0:19:45.720 the rest of the year. But remember sitting in that 0:19:45.800 --> 0:19:50.000 hotel like split a hotel room that's ninety five dollars 0:19:50.040 --> 0:19:55.119 a night with another dude in a country where you 0:19:55.160 --> 0:19:57.920 know you're trying to find a buffalo wild wings down 0:19:57.960 --> 0:20:01.960 the road to get a decent meal that isn't crazy 0:20:02.000 --> 0:20:08.200 expensive or completely weird to me, And it kind of 0:20:08.640 --> 0:20:11.520 there's something romantic about, you know, going through a struggle 0:20:11.560 --> 0:20:14.399 to appreciate the things that you have, But at the 0:20:14.400 --> 0:20:16.879 same time, it really makes you want it even more 0:20:17.240 --> 0:20:20.040 because you're so close to that next level, which is 0:20:20.040 --> 0:20:22.119 the PGA Tour, but at the same time, you're so 0:20:22.280 --> 0:20:26.199 far away from being the top dog, and it just 0:20:26.280 --> 0:20:28.840 kind of eats at you to keep working and keep 0:20:28.880 --> 0:20:32.080 pushing and just make sure that when you have that 0:20:32.200 --> 0:20:35.200 chance to kind of give yourself that next step, that 0:20:35.520 --> 0:20:37.240 you're going to do everything in your power to take it. 0:20:38.320 --> 0:20:40.840 Do you feel like that experience sticks with you now 0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:42.760 you're top twenty five player in the world. 0:20:43.840 --> 0:20:46.080 Yeah, definitely. I think you have to remember where you 0:20:46.119 --> 0:20:49.280 came from. You have to appreciate how you got there. 0:20:49.320 --> 0:20:53.320 And I'm super lucky that you know, things worked out 0:20:53.320 --> 0:20:56.960 for me at certain points, like I don't know, like 0:20:57.480 --> 0:20:59.320 the most important shot I ever hit in my career 0:20:59.400 --> 0:21:03.520 was probably a nothing gap wedge into a par five 0:21:03.680 --> 0:21:06.080 and the final hold of a PGA Tour Canada Q 0:21:06.280 --> 0:21:10.720 school like four years ago, so like that, I still 0:21:10.760 --> 0:21:14.679 remember that more than I remember shots at I don't know, 0:21:15.440 --> 0:21:19.439 US Open two years ago. But when you get to 0:21:20.359 --> 0:21:23.399 you know, the next level, then it's like, well, how 0:21:23.400 --> 0:21:25.120 do I get even further? And how and even further? 0:21:25.200 --> 0:21:26.959 And I'm sure even when you get to number one 0:21:26.960 --> 0:21:29.840 in the world there's still something that eats at those guys. 0:21:29.840 --> 0:21:31.359 It's like, well, how do I get better? How do 0:21:31.359 --> 0:21:34.000 I get better? I think that's something that's really cool 0:21:34.040 --> 0:21:36.399 about golf is there's no such thing as perfect. Like 0:21:36.440 --> 0:21:39.879 you can shoot fifty nine and still feel like Michael 0:21:39.960 --> 0:21:41.600 Kem probably still feels like he left a shot or 0:21:41.600 --> 0:21:45.520 two out there last week, and you just know that 0:21:46.040 --> 0:21:48.040 you want to get better, you want to push yourself, 0:21:48.640 --> 0:21:50.840 and just when you think you got to figure it out, 0:21:50.880 --> 0:21:53.280 I'll come kick you in the freaking face and you'll 0:21:53.320 --> 0:21:56.040 just have no chance, and you'll shoot seventy five and 0:21:56.400 --> 0:21:58.200 make no birdies in the final round of a major 0:21:58.240 --> 0:21:59.760 like I did two weeks ago, and all of a 0:21:59.800 --> 0:22:01.360 sudd and you're sitting there like, oh man, I thought 0:22:01.400 --> 0:22:05.240 I had it, but back to the drawing board. And 0:22:05.520 --> 0:22:09.879 I think that's what's humbling about this game, but also 0:22:10.880 --> 0:22:16.680 just really really awesome because everyone that goes through it 0:22:16.840 --> 0:22:19.600 on every different level feels the same way in one 0:22:19.600 --> 0:22:22.520 way or another. I mean, a ten handicap goes out 0:22:22.520 --> 0:22:25.680 there and stripes a seven iron, so you probably thinking 0:22:25.680 --> 0:22:28.760 about that for a week. I hit a really sick 0:22:28.840 --> 0:22:31.280 chip shot, I'm thinking about that same shot like two 0:22:31.359 --> 0:22:34.159 weeks from now. So we're all in the same boat. 0:22:34.800 --> 0:22:36.280 I'm just lucky enough that I have a bunch of 0:22:36.320 --> 0:22:38.600 time and resources I might dispose of to kind of 0:22:38.920 --> 0:22:42.240