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Speaker 1: It's the Son of a Butcher podcast. We come to

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Speaker 1: you every Wednesday. I am your host, Claude Harmon, and

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Speaker 1: uh yeah, I don't even know where to start. We

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Speaker 1: recorded J C. Deacon for the pod today. He's been

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Speaker 1: on before. He's the men's golf coach at the University

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Speaker 1: of Florida. They just won a national championship. It's a

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Speaker 1: fantastic interview and I'm really really excited for everyone to

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Speaker 1: hear it. But obviously the news of Live partnering with

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Speaker 1: the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour partnering with Live, lots

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Speaker 1: to unpack. We are going to get to it. I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna release a bonus episode of the pod for later

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Speaker 1: this week because I am still trying to unpack what's

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Speaker 1: happened my mind. Honestly, my mind has been blown. I

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Speaker 1: didn't see this coming. I don't think anybody saw this coming.

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna take a couple of days to try and

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Speaker 1: figure this out, but we will be dropping a bonus

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Speaker 1: epsiod to the pod for Friday. Lots to unpack and

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Speaker 1: lots to try and figure out. But Jac Deacon friend

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Speaker 1: mentor and I am just a huge, huge fan. He

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Speaker 1: had a player win the individual championship for Division one

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Speaker 1: college golf and coaches a team that won the team championship.

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Speaker 1: It's been a hell of a run for him. I'm excited.

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Speaker 1: We talk about some really cool stuff, some great stories,

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Speaker 1: and I think it's a great pod. So sit back

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Speaker 1: and enjoy listening to coach J C. Deacon. All Right, coach,

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Speaker 1: we had you on the podcast last year. This year,

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty three, see to a Division one individual champion

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Speaker 1: in Fred Beyondi and the Gators win the national championship.

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Speaker 1: You said, I saw an interview you said you if

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Speaker 1: you could write story, nobody believe it. What a run

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Speaker 1: you guys went on And I love the quote that

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Speaker 1: you said, you know in the postseason, the guys just

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Speaker 1: never flinched.

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Speaker 2: What was that experience like, Well, I think what you

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Speaker 2: said about not being able to script it is bang on.

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Speaker 2: Just the whole way it all went down. There was

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Speaker 2: there was a lot of ups and downs and kept

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Speaker 2: us on the edge of the seat. But every time

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Speaker 2: the guys were called upon to hit a big shot

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Speaker 2: to win a match, to play a big round, I

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Speaker 2: mean we were stepping back of the number at Regionals

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Speaker 2: with one round to go, just to make it to

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Speaker 2: the national championship and you should win shoot sixty six,

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Speaker 2: you know, on a really windy day to get even

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Speaker 2: get us there and give us a chance. So just

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Speaker 2: everyone contributed. They're all so tough. I'm so proud of

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Speaker 2: how much growth we've had, and to go through that

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Speaker 2: and be alongside them, was it was literally a dream

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Speaker 2: come true.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, we talked at Augusta. We were on the driving range.

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Speaker 1: I was asking how the team was going, and you

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Speaker 1: were like, Man, you know, I think we're close. You know,

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Speaker 1: we just need some of these guys to step up.

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Speaker 1: I'm always interested. Obviously, everything that you do as a

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Speaker 1: college golf coach is, especially if you're at a program

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Speaker 1: like Florida, everything is about trying to win a national championship.

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Speaker 1: So having just done it, how different was that experience

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Speaker 1: for you? Because I mean, I remember I was always

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Speaker 1: wanting to work with players that have won majors. Brooks

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Speaker 1: just won the eighth major I've been a part of,

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Speaker 1: and every one of them are different, but you always

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Speaker 1: have this idea of what it's going to be like

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Speaker 1: and what that experience is going to be. Was it

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Speaker 1: different in person and in real life than what you

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Speaker 1: imagined winning one would look like.

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Speaker 2: Right, Well, first off, congratulations brother. Whatever you guys discussed

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Speaker 2: after the Masters came in Clutch on Sunday at the PGA.

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Speaker 2: That was awesome.

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Speaker 1: But well, the good thing is, you know, Brooks, I

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Speaker 1: didn't have to say anything after the Masters. I told

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Speaker 1: the guys on my staff, and I think I told

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Speaker 1: my wife after I flew home from Augusta that night,

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Speaker 1: and I said, Brooks will win the PGA. I mean,

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Speaker 1: you can bet it. I told all my guys on

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Speaker 1: my staff, I said, you can one hundred percent bet

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Speaker 1: the house on it, because it's it's a one hundred.

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Speaker 1: I couldn't say it, but you just it's you know,

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Speaker 1: when players are playing good, you go through this all

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Speaker 1: the time. You see it, even if they have a

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Speaker 1: little no. I mean, it's no surprise. We just saw

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Speaker 1: Victor Hovlin win, right yeah. I mean, coming off you're

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Speaker 1: having a chance to win his first major and you

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Speaker 1: can see this snowball. You guys win. You guys get

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Speaker 1: through it, you win the sec you get through regionals.

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Speaker 1: Did you feel like you could see things peaking at

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Speaker 1: the right time, because that's what we talked about, right,

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Speaker 1: We talked about it, Augusta that you're like, Hey, you know,

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Speaker 1: I've got a great team. I've put a good squad together.

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Speaker 1: They just need to step up in the big moments.

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Speaker 1: And you couldn't have any coach. You couldn't have any

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Speaker 1: bigger moments that these guys needed to step up for

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Speaker 1: And every time you needed them to do it as

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Speaker 1: a coach, they they delivered.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, I'll tell you a good story that probably

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Speaker 2: paints a good picture. We put the lineups together against

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Speaker 2: Vanderbilt at the SEC Championship, and I remember staring at

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Speaker 2: it the night before we had to play them in

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Speaker 2: the final. They're the number one team in the country.

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Speaker 2: Great coaches, great program, great kids, Gordon Sargent, you know, kids,

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Speaker 2: the whole deal. Yeah, And I remember looking at that

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Speaker 2: lineup card and saying, how are we going to get

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Speaker 2: one point? Let alone three? And our guys just went

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Speaker 2: out there the next morning and they just acted like

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Speaker 2: they've been there, and they were comfortable and they hit

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Speaker 2: the shots. And John Dubas made you know, I'd been

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Speaker 2: in the around the biggest tournaments like you have, but

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Speaker 2: in my life I've seen a lot of them, and

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Speaker 2: he made the best twenty footer that these eyes have

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Speaker 2: ever seen to win the national chair or the SEC

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Speaker 2: championship on the eighteenth hole in front of everyone. And

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Speaker 2: then you know, we get to Regionals and we play

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Speaker 2: that big final round, and then you get to Nationals

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Speaker 2: and we didn't have a great first day, but then

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Speaker 2: they come back with an unbelievable second day, another unbelievable

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Speaker 2: third day, and then just kept on answering the call

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Speaker 2: every time it came. And then we got to match

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Speaker 2: play and it was the same thing. You know, you're

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Speaker 2: trying to stand in a moment. I think that's the key.

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Speaker 2: We were trying to keep them in the moment, not

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Speaker 2: letting them think about the final when we're in the

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Speaker 2: quarterfinal or get past the match that we were in,

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Speaker 2: and I was trying to do that as a coach.

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Speaker 2: So it was just kind of one step at a time.

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Speaker 2: And then all of a sudden, Okay, we're in the semifinals,

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Speaker 2: but we're down two points, tied in two matches, down

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Speaker 2: in the third match, two down with three to go,

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Speaker 2: like okay, now it's we're done. Where finally it's all over,

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Speaker 2: our lucks run out, and then sure enough, these guys

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Speaker 2: pull it off. And Ricky wins two out of the

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Speaker 2: last three to go to extras and then wins them.

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Speaker 1: I mean how long I mean I watched the putt

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Speaker 1: that Ricky hold out. I mean twenty first hole had

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Speaker 1: to go to a playoff. You guys were playing again

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Speaker 1: and again. You can't script this, right, you guys in

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Speaker 1: the semi finals against Florida State, Right, yeah? I mean,

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Speaker 1: it doesn't get any bigger of a rival for Florida

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Speaker 1: as a university, right, I mean, that is a grudge match.

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Speaker 1: It was a grudge match and football back in the day.

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Speaker 1: It's a grudge match in every sport. You guys want

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Speaker 1: to beat Florida State every time you play them. You're

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Speaker 1: in the semis of the National Championship and your boy, Ricky,

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Speaker 1: I mean, was that thirty feet?

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Speaker 2: It was probably probably twenty five feet, a solid.

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Speaker 1: Twenty five feet. Did you think he was going to

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Speaker 1: make it?

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Speaker 2: Well? The key was I knew Florida State was in

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Speaker 2: trouble if they didn't make their putt because Brett Roberts,

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Speaker 2: who he was playing, was on the direct same line

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Speaker 2: and he Ricky had to move his coin to to

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Speaker 2: the left and when Brett I saw as soon as

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Speaker 2: he hit it, it kind of bounced early and got

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Speaker 2: low and missed. I asked Ricky, I said, hey, dude,

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Speaker 2: you got it. He said yes to me so fast. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: I got it and got in there and hit this

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Speaker 2: putt within fifteen second. I mean he knew, Claude, he

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Speaker 2: knew he was making that putt and it went. I

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Speaker 2: had a perfect angle up behind it. It went so

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Speaker 2: dead center with such perfect speed, and yeah, you know,

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Speaker 2: beating Florida State is a really big deal in Gainesville,

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Speaker 2: and I think as many people that are pumped that

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Speaker 2: we won the national championship, I think there's just as

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Speaker 2: many happy we took Florida State out there the way

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Speaker 2: we did.

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Speaker 1: Were you out with Ricky for his final match? Were

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Speaker 1: you walking around with him?

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Speaker 2: I didn't walk. I was actually with I walked all

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Speaker 2: three matches with our freshman Matthew Kress, who's this a

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Speaker 2: big moment for him. He just started playing competitive golf

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Speaker 2: four years ago, so this is all new to him,

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Speaker 2: and so I was with him trying to help. He's

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Speaker 2: never really played on greens that firm, and of course

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Speaker 2: this difficult, so there was a lot of coaching and

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Speaker 2: stuff there. But I always Ricky's the one I always

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Speaker 2: get with them in those those really big moments like that.

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Speaker 2: We've known each other for eleven years now, and he

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Speaker 2: just likes to bounce the idea off me. You know, hey,

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Speaker 2: what do you think about this? In ninety nine percent

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Speaker 2: of the time the answers yes, go for it, commit

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Speaker 2: to it. What he's doing his golf, I ques through

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Speaker 2: the roof, and so I picked him up on sixteen,

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Speaker 2: and I'm glad I went because he was pissed and

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Speaker 2: his mind was in the past. You know, I've blown this.

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Speaker 2: I'm blowing this. This is my fault. I said, dude,

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Speaker 2: you just need him to make one mistake, and happy

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Speaker 2: he happened to do it right there. The Brett blew

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Speaker 2: at chip by probably twenty feet, and Ricky had a

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Speaker 2: great bunker shot one sixteen and then literally hit one

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Speaker 2: of the best three woods I've ever seen in my

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Speaker 2: life to fifteen feet per eagle on the next hole,

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Speaker 2: and then you know, the rest is history.

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Speaker 1: So when I mean, I know what it's like when

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Speaker 1: I'm watching that you're up. You know, I'm not inside

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Speaker 1: the ropes, but you know I'm watching Brooks come down

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Speaker 1: the stretch. You're looking for that mistake, right, You're looking

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Speaker 1: for the mistake from the opponent. He's in the final

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Speaker 1: round with Vic. You don't want to root against Vic,

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Speaker 1: but you're hoping that As a coach, you're hoping that

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Speaker 1: your player does something, and you're hoping that if a

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Speaker 1: mistake is made the player, especially in your in your case,

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Speaker 1: your guy, you're hoping they rise to the moment yo,

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Speaker 1: that that happened for Brooks. When you're out there, how

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Speaker 1: nervous because I know how nervous I am, right, I

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Speaker 1: mean I start walking around, I get really really nervous,

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Speaker 1: and you know, it's not a lot of fun to

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Speaker 1: be around. And when you're out there as the coach,

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Speaker 1: how nervous are you? And how do you kind of

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Speaker 1: because you've got to be nervous inside, but you can't

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Speaker 1: show that to your guys.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, at that SEC Championship, we were tied, tied

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Speaker 2: in two matches, tied in four. Well, we had two points,

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Speaker 2: did one point. We were tied in the other match

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Speaker 2: and John Dubois pard seventeen and they missed and I

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Speaker 2: remember we were all square with them walking from seventeen

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Speaker 2: Greed at Sea Island Seaside course UPD eighteen t. It's

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Speaker 2: a I don't know, a forty yard walk, and I

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Speaker 2: literally remember having to remind myself one foot in front

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Speaker 2: of the other. I thought I was going to I

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Speaker 2: had never felt like that my life. I've played golf

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Speaker 2: and competed my whole life. I've never felt like that,

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Speaker 2: Like I could barely walk. I was so uncomfortably nervous.

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Speaker 2: I didn't feel like that at the National Championship. For

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Speaker 2: some reason, it wasn't as bad as the secs. I

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Speaker 2: think it was just getting over the hump and finally

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Speaker 2: beating Bandy that I wanted so bad. But I did

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Speaker 2: a better job myself of just staying in the moment

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Speaker 2: and trying. Like you said, I've got to have an

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Speaker 2: unbelievable poker face whether we're up by five or down

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Speaker 2: by five. My players just got to know, hey, we're

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Speaker 2: in the moment. You got to hit a golf shot

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Speaker 2: right now, and you know, I try to do that

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Speaker 2: my best. But I'll tell you a quick good story

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Speaker 2: because I totally failed here. But so we're we have

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Speaker 2: two points and this is in the finals against Georgia Tech.

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Speaker 2: We got two points and we need one more and

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Speaker 2: Fred Biondi and Ricky Castillio are both leading their match

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Speaker 2: one up, and I'm with Ricky back on the eighteenth

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Speaker 2: t and Ricky's literally in his range watching Fred in

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Speaker 2: the fairway hit the shots, and we knew that Georgia

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Speaker 2: tech hit had plugged it in the bunker. So literally,

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Speaker 2: if Fred can hit this pitching wedge on the green,

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Speaker 2: it's probably over. So Ricky's looking, hey, coach, he took

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Speaker 2: it back. Looked like a good swing, holding this finish.

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Speaker 2: I can see the ball balls on the green. I

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Speaker 2: think he's twenty feet. We're set, and then Ricky Pounds

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Speaker 2: is three w down the middle. We're walking down the

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Speaker 2: fairway and I go, dude, since you were eleven years

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Speaker 2: old when I met you, I knew something like this

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Speaker 2: moment was going to happen. And we both look at

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Speaker 2: each other and we started crying like babies. With he

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Speaker 2: still had a shot at Fred three putts. We still

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Speaker 2: got to hit a shot. I'm like, dude, we got

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Speaker 2: to tighten it up. I got so far out of

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Speaker 2: the moment. But you know, you spend so much time

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Speaker 2: with these kids, and you do it. You pour so

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Speaker 2: much into your players. We talk about it all the time,

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Speaker 2: and you know, to watch their dreams come true right

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Speaker 2: in front of me. It was, Man, it was just

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Speaker 2: a lifetime moment. I'll never forget.

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Speaker 1: I wanted to take a moment and think our partners

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Speaker 1: at Rapsodo. If you've been listening to the pod, you

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Speaker 1: know that I'm a big fan of their launch monitors,

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Speaker 1: and I really like the MLM. It utilizes Doppler radar,

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Speaker 1: so you can use it with your iPhone or your iPad.

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Speaker 1: And the thing I like about this it's under three

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Speaker 1: hundred dollars right, so a lot of the launch monitor

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Speaker 1: technology out there a little bit more expensive. And I

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Speaker 1: think launch monor technology is getting cheaper and cheaper because

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Speaker 1: different companies like Rhapisoda are saying, Okay, how can we

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Speaker 1: help the regular golfers. Yes, if you've got thousands upon

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Speaker 1: thousands of dollars, there are different models you can buy.

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Speaker 1: You see them on tour. But for the everyday golfer

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Speaker 1: that's just trying to get better, you're going to get

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Speaker 1: remarkable accuracy. You can use this indoor or outdoor. It's portable.

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Speaker 1: And the cool thing is so the shot tracer that

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Speaker 1: we're used to seeing on TV behind all the players

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Speaker 1: shows you the shape of the shot. The MLM has

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Speaker 1: that has performance combines, and again, as I mentioned earlier,

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Speaker 1: under three hundred dollars, I just think if you're trying

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Speaker 1: to get better at your golf, having this type of

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Speaker 1: technology for this price allows you to look at a

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Speaker 1: lot of the same numbers that the best players in

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Speaker 1: the world are looking at. So obviously I work with

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Speaker 1: players that are winning majors, winning tournaments, play all over

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Speaker 1: the world, but when I'm not on tour, I work

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Speaker 1: with regular everyday golfers and I'm always trying to figure

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Speaker 1: out ways that they can get better. And I think

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Speaker 1: for under three hundred dollars, you can use it with

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Speaker 1: your iPhone. It doesn't really take that much to set up.

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Speaker 1: It's simple to use, and you're gonna get really really

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Speaker 1: good feedback and you're gonna understand your numbers better. They've

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Speaker 1: reacted my promo code just for listeners. Use promo code

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Speaker 1: CCH three for fifty dollars off the MLM plus the

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Speaker 1: Premiere Membership bundle. The membership unlocks combines as well as

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Speaker 1: session insights, slow motion replay, and video storage up to

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Speaker 1: ten thousand videos. So again, the promo code is ch

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Speaker 1: three for fifty dollars off the MLM Launch Monitor plus

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Speaker 1: the premium membership bundle. Rapsodo Is make fantastic products. I'm

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Speaker 1: a huge fan. Check him out. They can help you

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Speaker 1: with your game. Obviously it's a team competition. But again

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Speaker 1: in the say that you couldn't write this story, Fred

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Speaker 1: BEYONDI wins the individual national championship before you guys start

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Speaker 1: the rest of it. I mean, it's and then he

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Speaker 1: holds the winning pot, he's on the final green and everything.

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Speaker 1: I mean, what a player this kid is. He made

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Speaker 1: the decision today to turn pro. I know, obviously with

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Speaker 1: the new system the PGA Tour, you I think that's helping.

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Speaker 1: I think that's a huge thing that the PGA Tour

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Speaker 1: has done. It's something that they should have done. I

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Speaker 1: think you'd agree with me. They should have done this

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Speaker 1: ten years ago. Yeah, they should have given the best

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Speaker 1: college players in America a step or put them halfway

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Speaker 1: up the ladder and give them, you know, a springboard

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Speaker 1: to succeed. Fred made the choice to turn pro. Was

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Speaker 1: it a difficult decision for him having just won the

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Speaker 1: individual title of having been on an ashal or was

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Speaker 1: this what you said, hey, you've done what you needed

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Speaker 1: to do. You're ready.

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Speaker 2: Well, I think what made it difficult was winning that

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Speaker 2: tournament got him an exemption into the US Open and

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Speaker 2: the Master's.

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Speaker 1: Next and the Masters next year.

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Speaker 2: Ye and I think the Masters invite next April was

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Speaker 2: the hardest part for Fred to kind of look past.

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Speaker 2: But look, he got a finance degree at Florida, he graduated,

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Speaker 2: He gave us four years. He did have another year

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Speaker 2: that he could have used, but he's done everything you

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Speaker 2: could ever ask at the college level, and it was

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Speaker 2: just time. He's got a great agent, Tommy really he's

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Speaker 2: working with and they had a great plan. He's going

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Speaker 2: to get to play in twelve of the next thirteen

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Speaker 2: corn Firy Tour events. You know, he's all set to

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Speaker 2: go and chase his dreams as a pro. And he's

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Speaker 2: got some great people behind him supporting them. And it

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Speaker 2: was just it was it was done, and there was

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Speaker 2: no other decision to make. He's he doesn't need any

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Speaker 2: more development. He's a smart kid, he's calm, he's got

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Speaker 2: all the shots and I'm so pumped to watch him

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Speaker 2: from Afar. And you read what he wrote on Instagram.

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Speaker 2: I mean, he's just what a family, what a young man,

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Speaker 2: What a dream it was for me to coach him

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Speaker 2: for this long.

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Speaker 1: I read that he promised you when he came to

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Speaker 1: Florida that he'd work hard and he'd do everything his

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Speaker 1: power to get you a couple of national championships, and

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Speaker 1: he got you one. When you recruited Fred, what did

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Speaker 1: you see? And watching him win a national championship as

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Speaker 1: an individual, but then being on the team was what

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Speaker 1: you saw when you recruited him. What he became.

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Speaker 2: I guess you always hope it's going to become this,

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Speaker 2: but it certainly didn't start out like that. I liked Fred.

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Speaker 2: Fred works with a really up and coming great coach

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Speaker 2: named Matt Dejon who's up in near your area there, Yes, Stuart, Matt.

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Speaker 2: Matt's doing a great job. And I always liked Fred's technique.

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Speaker 2: I thought he had really good control to face. But

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Speaker 2: I was actually recruiting another player who happened to be

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Speaker 2: paired with Fred that day as as a junior golfer,

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Speaker 2: and he just striped it. I think Fred hit like

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Speaker 2: twelve fairways and seventeen greens that day that I was

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Speaker 2: watching him, like, man, he's small, and you know he

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Speaker 2: didn't hit that far, but holy smokes, he can hit

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Speaker 2: it straight and control his ball and flight it up

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Speaker 2: and down. So I like that. And then I got

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Speaker 2: to know him, got to know his coaches. I knew

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Speaker 2: he was getting great information, and Fred wanted to be

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Speaker 2: at Florida, so it's just a good mix. He wasn't

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Speaker 2: a big scholarship guy to start, and to be honest,

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Speaker 2: he's Fred's funny. He's got literally knows everyone in the

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Speaker 2: athletic department. He's a good looking kid. He had a

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Speaker 2: lot of fun his first two years at Florida, and

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Speaker 2: probably a little bit too much, and so we had

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Speaker 2: a little discussion about that. After his sophomore year he

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Speaker 2: had you know, he'd shot a sixty five here, sixty

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Speaker 2: six there. You'd seen some glimpses of it, but he'd

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Speaker 2: never put anything together. And then he really decided he

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Speaker 2: want to be a great player his third year. In

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Speaker 2: the last two years, he's been a first team All

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Speaker 2: American and now national champion, an individual as a team

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Speaker 2: SEC champion, as a team, he's he won five times.

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Speaker 2: One of the one of the greatest players in the

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Speaker 2: history of the University of Florida. That's that's a pretty

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Speaker 2: big deal.

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Speaker 1: I mean, given everybody that's going to the University of Florida,

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Speaker 1: you know, that's playing on tour, that's a hell of

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Speaker 1: a statement. Ricky Castillio and I really like this kid.

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Speaker 1: I mean I think I saw him hit some balls.

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Speaker 1: Did he qualify for the covid Us Open that he

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Speaker 1: did win? Brice And I watched him. You know, he

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Speaker 1: was young, he's got you know, he's got the tight necklace,

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Speaker 1: he's got a lot of swag, walks around like he's

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Speaker 1: like he's a baller, which I kind of like. I

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Speaker 1: watched him hit some balls, and you know, he's really impressive.

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Speaker 1: He seems to be the type of kid that likes

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Speaker 1: the big moment and likes to rise to those occasions.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Ricky's the ultimate competitor. That that's been the difficulty

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Speaker 2: these past four years is trying to harness that and

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Speaker 2: for him to understand how to use that energy. I

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Speaker 2: think a lot of time he struggled in his sophomore

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Speaker 2: in junior year, and a lot of that was just

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Speaker 2: him trying to figure out how to control all these

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Speaker 2: insane emotions he has. And he's still got some work

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Speaker 2: to do, but he's getting better at it. But Ricky's

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Speaker 2: the mid one eighties ball speed. He can hit it

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Speaker 2: as high as Rory McElroy. He can move it both ways.

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Speaker 2: He can chip and putt at a world class level.

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Speaker 2: You see him out there in the platelet. Another story

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Speaker 2: with Ricky walking in that playoff against Florida State. I

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Speaker 2: mean he's looking at me saying, is there anyone else

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Speaker 2: in the world you'd rather have in you know, the

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Speaker 2: program's hands than me? You know, he wants the big moment.

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Speaker 2: He's the big the alpha dog, and he ain't shy.

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Speaker 2: He went four and oh at the Walker Cup a

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Speaker 2: couple of years ago, and I just he's not going

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Speaker 2: to be denied. If you know, Claude, if it's ping

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Speaker 2: pong or how high you can jump, he wants to

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Speaker 2: crush you in everything he does. The kid just wants

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Speaker 2: to win stuff, whatever it is, and golf is what

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Speaker 2: he's great at. And it's going to be exciting watching

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Speaker 2: him him figure it all out too.

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Speaker 1: It's amazing how opportunity, you know, how sometimes you can

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Speaker 1: miss out on opportunities. Tom McKibben, who just won the

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Speaker 1: on the DP World Tour as a twenty year old

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Speaker 1: he had committed to come to Florida. Yeah, I know

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Speaker 1: you thought his ceiling was really, really high. I know

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Speaker 1: you're incredibly proud that he's you know, even though he

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Speaker 1: didn't come to Florida, he's going on to win a

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Speaker 1: DP World event. But as a coach, when you have

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Speaker 1: that situation happened, you've got a player that's going to come,

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Speaker 1: you've got to scramble. And I remember you and I

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Speaker 1: talking about this, because I know Tom quite well, when

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Speaker 1: we were talking about this, and you said, listen, I

431
00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:32,639
Speaker 1: think there's this kid named Yushen Lynn that we can

432
00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,760
Speaker 1: get and I think he can be a real stud.

433
00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:38,080
Speaker 1: It's it's amazing you had an opportunity to get a

434
00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:40,520
Speaker 1: kid like Tom McKibben, who we all thought and I

435
00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:43,520
Speaker 1: think a lot of people including Rory McElroy and all

436
00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:47,119
Speaker 1: the Irish kids, they think he's going to be a superstar.

437
00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:49,880
Speaker 1: If you're winning DP World events as a twenty year old,

438
00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:52,119
Speaker 1: and you're probably got a good chance for that. But

439
00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:56,359
Speaker 1: that door closed. You're scrambling and you find Ushan who

440
00:21:56,440 --> 00:22:00,880
Speaker 1: then plays his way into the team, into the lineup

441
00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:02,960
Speaker 1: and then as part of the group that wins. You

442
00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:06,040
Speaker 1: guys in National Championship. I mean, that's an amazing story.

443
00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:11,600
Speaker 2: Yeah, I remember. Honestly, Claude was probably probably one of

444
00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,480
Speaker 2: the lowest moments I've ever had as a coach when

445
00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:17,280
Speaker 2: when I got that call from Robin and Sarah mckibbon.

446
00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:20,760
Speaker 2: I'll never forget it. I wasn't expecting it. It was

447
00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:23,600
Speaker 2: really close to the signing day. I had really developed

448
00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:27,720
Speaker 2: a really close relationship with Tom. We actually really bonded

449
00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:30,800
Speaker 2: over the peloton and Tom and I would have a

450
00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:33,280
Speaker 2: lot of peloton races against each other because he's over

451
00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:35,639
Speaker 2: there and I was over here, so it wasn't as

452
00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:37,720
Speaker 2: easy to talk, but you can. You can kind of

453
00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:41,679
Speaker 2: FaceTime while you're peloton's. It was so fun. And Robin

454
00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:43,960
Speaker 2: got on the phone and said, man to Tom couldn't

455
00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:46,480
Speaker 2: even get himself on the phone to talk to tell

456
00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:48,800
Speaker 2: you that he's not coming because his heart's so broken,

457
00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:51,960
Speaker 2: and it was tough. I was so excited to coach

458
00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:54,440
Speaker 2: him the first I'll never forget it. He was playing

459
00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,359
Speaker 2: in the dual Junior saw him hit a seven iron

460
00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:00,600
Speaker 2: on whatever hole was. The first shot saw him hit.

461
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,520
Speaker 2: I heard the sound and I remember talking to his

462
00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:06,560
Speaker 2: dad saying, what do you guys need this is done.

463
00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:10,919
Speaker 2: Deal like Tom was just a no brainer, and I'm

464
00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:13,119
Speaker 2: really happy for him because sometimes you've seen it. You know,

465
00:23:13,119 --> 00:23:15,680
Speaker 2: there's been a lot of players justin Rose that turned

466
00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:18,000
Speaker 2: pro super early and it doesn't work out this way.

467
00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:20,800
Speaker 2: But Tom, you know, it's taken a little while, but

468
00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:24,119
Speaker 2: Tom's obviously on his way when in this week, I

469
00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:27,400
Speaker 2: was so happy to see that. And the families, they're

470
00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:31,000
Speaker 2: they're great people, and you know, I'm happy for him.

471
00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,720
Speaker 2: But you know, I look back in my life and

472
00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:35,760
Speaker 2: I think a lot of the times where you're lowest

473
00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:38,160
Speaker 2: and you think it's all over and you think it's crumbling,

474
00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:42,080
Speaker 2: you know. You shud Lynn came on our radar maybe

475
00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:44,960
Speaker 2: a month and a half after that, and obviously we

476
00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:47,800
Speaker 2: had a full scholarship because Tom had given that up,

477
00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:50,879
Speaker 2: and we're able to recruit Hind to transfer from USC

478
00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:53,640
Speaker 2: and he's come in here and be a three, three

479
00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:56,879
Speaker 2: time All American for the Gators and you know, just

480
00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:59,960
Speaker 2: been probably the most consistent player we had this year,

481
00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:03,000
Speaker 2: even when the team and some of the guys were struggling,

482
00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:06,160
Speaker 2: you should played well. I think he was top eleven

483
00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:09,480
Speaker 2: and maybe eleven of his fourteen events this year. So

484
00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:13,840
Speaker 2: just incredible consistency and just to you know, someone who

485
00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:16,160
Speaker 2: expects to win and expects to be great. He won

486
00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:18,400
Speaker 2: the Southern Highlands Collegiate this year, which is the best

487
00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:20,919
Speaker 2: regular season tournament we play all year. He'll be playing

488
00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:23,720
Speaker 2: in the Shriners this fall. That earned him an exemption

489
00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:26,280
Speaker 2: for that. So it's funny how life works. You know,

490
00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:28,240
Speaker 2: you think it's the worst thing that could ever happen

491
00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:30,280
Speaker 2: to you, and it ends up putting the kid on

492
00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:32,920
Speaker 2: your team that we certainly don't win the championship without.

493
00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:33,600
Speaker 2: Last week.

494
00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:36,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, we talked about this when you're on the pod before.

495
00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:42,119
Speaker 1: You're trying to assess talent based off of data points.

496
00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:45,640
Speaker 1: But I don't think people realize what a gamble college

497
00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:49,200
Speaker 1: sports is because as a coach, you're recruiting young men

498
00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:52,040
Speaker 1: who are very very young. They don't have a lot

499
00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:55,840
Speaker 1: of experience, even if they've played Walker Cups or been

500
00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,480
Speaker 1: great US Juniors or anything like that. In an early

501
00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:03,000
Speaker 1: early eight you never know, coach, what's going to happen.

502
00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,400
Speaker 1: And we talked about this, I mean, I know you,

503
00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:08,080
Speaker 1: I talk about this with all the college coaches. We

504
00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:11,040
Speaker 1: see so many kids that are better when they're sixteen,

505
00:25:11,119 --> 00:25:14,320
Speaker 1: seventeen and eighteen than they are when they're nineteen, twenty

506
00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:17,359
Speaker 1: and twenty one. We talked, you know, we've talked so

507
00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:19,719
Speaker 1: much over the last couple of years about you know,

508
00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:23,200
Speaker 1: talent and pressure and how to handle it. So when

509
00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:26,720
Speaker 1: you recruited this group, JC, I mean obviously you think, yeah,

510
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:28,800
Speaker 1: I'm recruiting them because I think they can be good players,

511
00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:30,560
Speaker 1: and I think they can help the university and the

512
00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:33,280
Speaker 1: program and stuff. But sometimes you have to be honest

513
00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:36,600
Speaker 1: with yourself. Not everybody is going to be a national champion.

514
00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:39,199
Speaker 1: Not every team and group of players that you have

515
00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:42,119
Speaker 1: are going to be national champions. But we talked, and

516
00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:44,200
Speaker 1: you kept saying to me over the last couple of years,

517
00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:47,840
Speaker 1: I feel like we've got a good group. I feel

518
00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,600
Speaker 1: like we've got the players that have the talent to

519
00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:55,360
Speaker 1: do that. So it's that talent and then potential and

520
00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:57,840
Speaker 1: how all of that works. But did you really think

521
00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:02,040
Speaker 1: this year that this crew could win you a national championship?

522
00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:05,840
Speaker 2: Well? Absolutely not. In the fall when we laid an egg.

523
00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:09,280
Speaker 2: We didn't play very well in the fall at all.

524
00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:13,399
Speaker 2: I think we finished like eleventh at Colonial. We had

525
00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:17,440
Speaker 2: a bad tournament at the SEC match, play. We honestly

526
00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:21,560
Speaker 2: had times played some really uninspiring golf. But in saying that,

527
00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:24,600
Speaker 2: I think the last two years before this, there were

528
00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:26,960
Speaker 2: signs there of us being an elite team. We played

529
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:29,760
Speaker 2: some rounds that I don't think very many teams could

530
00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:32,840
Speaker 2: compete with. And we just had to grow up. And

531
00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:35,200
Speaker 2: these guys there was a lot of poor me at

532
00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:39,240
Speaker 2: times with our team, a lot of not understanding bad golf,

533
00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:42,560
Speaker 2: not being okay with bad golf, not reacting and responding well,

534
00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:46,760
Speaker 2: not being good teammates. And these guys really made the decision.

535
00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:50,200
Speaker 2: We challenged them big time in November. And I'll tell

536
00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:52,679
Speaker 2: you what. Jeremy Foley, who the ad who hired me

537
00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:55,600
Speaker 2: here at Florida, he came in in February. We had

538
00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:59,040
Speaker 2: a team meeting in February with Jeremy and he lit

539
00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:03,959
Speaker 2: them up and he said, it's a choice words. It's

540
00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:07,320
Speaker 2: an ef and joke that a group that it's as

541
00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:09,800
Speaker 2: talented as y'all are, and you guys are going to

542
00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:12,399
Speaker 2: leave this school with no rings. He goes, I'm not

543
00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:15,040
Speaker 2: sure I've ever seen anything like it. And if that happens,

544
00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:18,119
Speaker 2: you guys will never forgive yourselves for the rest of

545
00:27:18,119 --> 00:27:21,159
Speaker 2: your life. So as of this moment, what are you

546
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:23,000
Speaker 2: going to sacrifice, What are you going to put on

547
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,600
Speaker 2: the line, What are you going to ask from yourself

548
00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:27,640
Speaker 2: that you haven't done in the past to make sure

549
00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:30,680
Speaker 2: that that doesn't happen? And I think that defined it perfectly.

550
00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:35,040
Speaker 2: Ricky had to grow up and control his emotions, you

551
00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:36,960
Speaker 2: shouldn had to work a little bit harder at home

552
00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:39,679
Speaker 2: and dial in his practice. You know, Fred had to

553
00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:41,959
Speaker 2: stay calm when things weren't going well. There was all

554
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,680
Speaker 2: these little things. And you know, John Dubois best best

555
00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:48,000
Speaker 2: fourth man in the country. He gets none of the

556
00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:52,600
Speaker 2: accolades and wins all the trophies. He's just such a

557
00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:56,520
Speaker 2: special kid. And then we got Matthew Kress, who was

558
00:27:56,560 --> 00:27:59,160
Speaker 2: a part of that twenty twenty one class that we

559
00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:02,880
Speaker 2: ended up getting when Tom left and Matthew didn't start

560
00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:05,480
Speaker 2: really competing in golf till he was fourteen years old.

561
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:07,840
Speaker 2: As of a year and a half ago, probably didn't

562
00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:09,920
Speaker 2: even think he was going to play college golf. And

563
00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:12,480
Speaker 2: he talked me into it. He's a good salesman and

564
00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:14,320
Speaker 2: told me he's going to be the hardest worker I've

565
00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:17,399
Speaker 2: ever had, and he's lived up to it. And forced

566
00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:21,000
Speaker 2: his way into his lineup, into the lineup in April

567
00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:25,119
Speaker 2: this year, and then he honestly, he brought something to

568
00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:27,639
Speaker 2: our team and to our culture that we didn't have before,

569
00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:30,000
Speaker 2: and that was someone who was just happy to be

570
00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:33,320
Speaker 2: there and didn't feel entitled to a spot or feel

571
00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:35,920
Speaker 2: entitled to good golf. He just woke up every day

572
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:38,600
Speaker 2: trying to get good and not lose his job. And

573
00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:40,920
Speaker 2: that attitude rubbed off and the rest of the guys.

574
00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:44,160
Speaker 2: And I really don't think we win this without Matthew.

575
00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:47,200
Speaker 2: And I'm so proud of him. He's such an amazing

576
00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:49,760
Speaker 2: young man and we have him for another three years.

577
00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:50,880
Speaker 2: So boy, are we lucky.

578
00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:52,920
Speaker 1: Does that happen?

579
00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:53,440
Speaker 2: Coach?

580
00:28:53,480 --> 00:28:55,560
Speaker 1: Does that happen often? Do you do that by design?

581
00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:59,040
Speaker 1: To bring it? I mean, for everyone listening from not

582
00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:00,600
Speaker 1: in the United States, I mean, if you go to

583
00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:03,360
Speaker 1: college and you're you're in an athletic you know, part

584
00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:06,520
Speaker 1: of any sport there is an athletic director, so he

585
00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:11,160
Speaker 1: kind of runs all of the sports. Does he come

586
00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:14,080
Speaker 1: into golf? I mean, obviously, if you're at the University

587
00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:17,040
Speaker 1: of Florida, the athletic director is pretty locked up with

588
00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:20,400
Speaker 1: football and basketball and all the other sports that are,

589
00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:24,640
Speaker 1: you know, more high profile than men's and women's golf.

590
00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:29,880
Speaker 1: But was that by design to bring That's basically like

591
00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:36,080
Speaker 1: Jerry Jones from you know, the Dallas Cowboys, he basically

592
00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:38,600
Speaker 1: is running he runs the show for the Dallas Cowboy

593
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,200
Speaker 1: that's him coming in and lighten up the team. Yeah,

594
00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:43,320
Speaker 1: And if the ad at Florida is coming in and

595
00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:47,280
Speaker 1: lighten you up, that's probably not a good thing. And

596
00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:49,200
Speaker 1: did you know he was going to do it? Did

597
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:51,320
Speaker 1: you want him to do that? Did you feel like

598
00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:53,440
Speaker 1: that's something that the team needed.

599
00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:58,760
Speaker 2: Well, Jeremy's he's Scott Strickland's our current AD. So Jeremy's

600
00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:02,160
Speaker 2: in an admeritis role right now, so he's still a

601
00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:04,320
Speaker 2: massive part of the athletic department, but he's not in

602
00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:07,000
Speaker 2: the full time role. But he hired me and we've

603
00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:09,800
Speaker 2: stayed in very very close touch. He's always helped me

604
00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:13,440
Speaker 2: really accountable to a high standard and he's become a

605
00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:17,240
Speaker 2: great friend and mentor. But he's never spoken my team

606
00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:20,479
Speaker 2: before and we've been waiting for this for the right moment,

607
00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:23,800
Speaker 2: and he kind of told he told me he was

608
00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:26,080
Speaker 2: going to speak to the team. He didn't ask, and

609
00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:28,120
Speaker 2: he said you find the right time, and I'm coming

610
00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:31,600
Speaker 2: to speak to your boys. And I had one meeting

611
00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:34,360
Speaker 2: like that myself with Jeremy and it was not very fun.

612
00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:38,040
Speaker 2: I'll never forget it. His secretary said, mister Foley needs

613
00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:40,080
Speaker 2: to meet with you, and I said, oh boy, I'm

614
00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:43,720
Speaker 2: in trouble. And the meeting lasted about two minutes and

615
00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:45,480
Speaker 2: he told me I had screwed up, and he made

616
00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:47,680
Speaker 2: his point real clear, and there was not a lot

617
00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:50,280
Speaker 2: of back and forth. It was a one way conversation.

618
00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:52,920
Speaker 2: So I had an idea of what he was coming

619
00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:54,479
Speaker 2: in to say. I didn't know how he was going

620
00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:57,720
Speaker 2: to deliver a message, but you know, I feel your

621
00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:00,480
Speaker 2: dad probably has this. But you know, when he walks

622
00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,920
Speaker 2: into a room, everyone's like this and they stand up

623
00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:06,760
Speaker 2: straight and they're listening and waiting for the message. And

624
00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:10,480
Speaker 2: Jeremy came in, you know, guns blazing, and it was perfect.

625
00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:13,440
Speaker 2: The timing was perfect, and I think it just kind

626
00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:16,120
Speaker 2: of gave everyone a wake up call of Wow, if

627
00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:19,040
Speaker 2: I don't really focus and really give it my all

628
00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:22,680
Speaker 2: and put everything I have into it, I actually could

629
00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:25,280
Speaker 2: regret this for the rest of my life. And you know,

630
00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:27,240
Speaker 2: we never really looked back. It was pretty cool.

631
00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:38,880
Speaker 1: How much of what you do with your players on

632
00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:44,040
Speaker 1: the course is because I think everybody thinks it. The

633
00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:48,600
Speaker 1: way that you fix things and the way tournament rounds go,

634
00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:51,160
Speaker 1: it's a lot of technique, a lot of technique as

635
00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:53,480
Speaker 1: a coach. Basically, as a college golf coach, you can

636
00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:55,840
Speaker 1: go out and walk with the players, so effectively you

637
00:31:55,960 --> 00:32:00,480
Speaker 1: become a tour caddie. Yeah, right, that's effect its people

638
00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:03,680
Speaker 1: think it's a coaching role. It's basically the exact same

639
00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:07,080
Speaker 1: thing that you know Austin Johnson does for DJ. Right,

640
00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:10,280
Speaker 1: you're with him on the bag, you're talking him through that.

641
00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:14,320
Speaker 1: How much of that for everyone listening, how much would

642
00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:20,080
Speaker 1: you say is psychology? How much of it is, Hey,

643
00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:23,240
Speaker 1: maybe do this in your golf swing. And then my

644
00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:25,760
Speaker 1: dad always says the art of coaching is what you

645
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:30,040
Speaker 1: don't say, and he always says, listen. Great coaches know

646
00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:33,320
Speaker 1: what to say at the right time, but they also

647
00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:37,120
Speaker 1: know when not to say something. So that balance when

648
00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,280
Speaker 1: you're dealing with guys. Because a lot of I think

649
00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:42,920
Speaker 1: a lot of it is some of these kids they're young.

650
00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:46,120
Speaker 1: We expect them to be more mature than they are,

651
00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:51,400
Speaker 1: but unfortunately the environment that they're in and the environment

652
00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:53,640
Speaker 1: that they say they want to get to to be

653
00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:57,440
Speaker 1: a professional golfer. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter how old you are,

654
00:32:57,520 --> 00:33:00,880
Speaker 1: it doesn't matter if it takes what it takes. So

655
00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:04,760
Speaker 1: that balance of being good cop and bad cop, how

656
00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:08,959
Speaker 1: much would you say you are writing that kind of

657
00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:11,040
Speaker 1: line of knowing when to go, hey, you need to

658
00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:12,560
Speaker 1: pull your head out of your ass and get going,

659
00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:17,000
Speaker 1: versus no tough love and versus hey, come in, You're

660
00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:18,720
Speaker 1: gonna be fine. It's all gonna work.

661
00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:21,760
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think the art of it that I've learned

662
00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:24,400
Speaker 2: from from trying to study all the great coaches is

663
00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:30,920
Speaker 2: it's very individual. So the way I've coached Ricky is very,

664
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:34,680
Speaker 2: very different than the way I've coached Fred. And when

665
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:37,200
Speaker 2: it comes to the golf side of things, a lot

666
00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:40,200
Speaker 2: of them have their own swing coaches. You know, We've

667
00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:41,920
Speaker 2: had a ton of our players that have worked with

668
00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:45,160
Speaker 2: you over the years. Quentin de Bove Still you two

669
00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:49,840
Speaker 2: are still going strong. And I got when I was eighteen,

670
00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:52,640
Speaker 2: I was one of the better better junior players maybe

671
00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:56,280
Speaker 2: in the world, especially in Canada, and I ran into

672
00:33:56,320 --> 00:33:59,120
Speaker 2: a swing instructor that tore my swing down and told

673
00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:01,640
Speaker 2: me I was no good long and laid off like DJ,

674
00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:05,360
Speaker 2: and it ruined me, and it took me probably ten

675
00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:07,959
Speaker 2: years to be able to come back and play the

676
00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:10,799
Speaker 2: golf that I wanted to. So I've always taken that

677
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:14,640
Speaker 2: lesson in my coaching more of a less technique and

678
00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:18,520
Speaker 2: more of a motivational and teach you how to play

679
00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:21,600
Speaker 2: the game. I'm doing my best at all times to

680
00:34:21,640 --> 00:34:24,320
Speaker 2: try and get our guys to think less about their technique.

681
00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:28,000
Speaker 2: But I mean, I've battled with Fred big time. Ricky's

682
00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:29,919
Speaker 2: on the other end of the spectrum where he never

683
00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:32,720
Speaker 2: thinks about his technique, and probably he works with Chris Mason,

684
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:35,640
Speaker 2: who I know you well. Yeah, Ricky probably needs to

685
00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:37,880
Speaker 2: focus a little bit more on his technique at times.

686
00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,080
Speaker 2: But the problem is we spend so much time with

687
00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:45,640
Speaker 2: these guys. It's almost twenty four to seven when they're

688
00:34:45,640 --> 00:34:48,440
Speaker 2: on campus, which is kind of mid August till end

689
00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:51,839
Speaker 2: of May. So you've become like an older brother. So

690
00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:54,719
Speaker 2: I think at times they're like, God, I don't want

691
00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:58,359
Speaker 2: to hear from this guy anymore. And I've obviously tried

692
00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:00,239
Speaker 2: to pick your brain as much as I can about

693
00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:04,480
Speaker 2: your dad, and I've always really admired him because he

694
00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:06,319
Speaker 2: did never get in the way. And I think that's

695
00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:09,239
Speaker 2: why he was so good, because you know that at

696
00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:12,120
Speaker 2: some point a change in the golf swing ain't gonna

697
00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:14,600
Speaker 2: do it. And you know, sometimes it can be a

698
00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:17,799
Speaker 2: little tweak with your alignment here or some posture there,

699
00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:21,040
Speaker 2: but if you're overhauling a golf swing at you know,

700
00:35:21,239 --> 00:35:24,239
Speaker 2: let's say at regionals and the National Championship, that just

701
00:35:24,239 --> 00:35:27,000
Speaker 2: ain't gonna do it. And you got to have a

702
00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:29,760
Speaker 2: process and a method where when the whole world's watching

703
00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:31,920
Speaker 2: and you're on the golf channel or whatever it is,

704
00:35:32,239 --> 00:35:34,360
Speaker 2: that you can go hit that shot and thinking about

705
00:35:34,360 --> 00:35:36,399
Speaker 2: your technique. I think you and I both know ain't

706
00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:37,200
Speaker 2: ain't the ticket.

707
00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:41,160
Speaker 1: So and I know, I mean, yeah, I mean I've

708
00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:43,799
Speaker 1: said this a couple of times, but Brooks is warm

709
00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:47,359
Speaker 1: up in the PGA versus on Sunday versus the warm

710
00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:49,480
Speaker 1: up that he had for the final round at Augusta.

711
00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:51,759
Speaker 1: I mean, if I had to rate him on a

712
00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:53,760
Speaker 1: scale of one to ten, the warm up at Augusta

713
00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:56,920
Speaker 1: was a fifteen. He never missed a shot, he was

714
00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:01,560
Speaker 1: in total control, he was completely called. There was no panic,

715
00:36:01,719 --> 00:36:06,080
Speaker 1: there was no doubt, and even Saturday and Sunday. I mean,

716
00:36:06,120 --> 00:36:08,400
Speaker 1: I remember on Sunday we were on the range and

717
00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:09,960
Speaker 1: he hit a bad drive and he said, man, I

718
00:36:10,040 --> 00:36:12,200
Speaker 1: just don't feel like I'm playing that good this week.

719
00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:14,319
Speaker 1: I just feel like I'm swinging that good that week.

720
00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:16,319
Speaker 1: And I know Pete Cowen had to talk with him

721
00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:21,799
Speaker 1: and said, hey, your swing is fined. Just you're trying

722
00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:23,640
Speaker 1: to be perfect and you don't need to be perfect.

723
00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:25,920
Speaker 1: So the warm up when he doesn't win a major

724
00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:28,279
Speaker 1: was one of the best warm ups I've ever seen

725
00:36:28,360 --> 00:36:30,440
Speaker 1: him have, and one of the best warm ups from

726
00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:33,640
Speaker 1: a technique standpoint that I've ever seen any player I've had,

727
00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:37,080
Speaker 1: you know, have for a warm up before a big tournament.

728
00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:40,480
Speaker 1: And then even on Saturday and Sunday. The warm up

729
00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:43,439
Speaker 1: really for Brooks wasn't really that great. But I said

730
00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:45,399
Speaker 1: to him on the putting green right before the only

731
00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:47,040
Speaker 1: thing I said to him on the putting green before

732
00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:49,040
Speaker 1: he went out and played the final round on Sunday

733
00:36:49,160 --> 00:36:51,960
Speaker 1: was go do your job, and your job is to

734
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:56,560
Speaker 1: go play good golf. And I feel like that's a

735
00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:59,480
Speaker 1: lot of what you and the rest of the guys

736
00:36:59,520 --> 00:37:02,080
Speaker 1: in college, a lot of it is what they call

737
00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:06,359
Speaker 1: in the UK man management. You're managing the player. Sir

738
00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:09,359
Speaker 1: Alex Ferguson, one of the greatest football managers of all

739
00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:12,520
Speaker 1: time Manchester United. I've talked to people that were in

740
00:37:12,520 --> 00:37:15,840
Speaker 1: that organization. I said he really didn't do much technically.

741
00:37:15,880 --> 00:37:18,880
Speaker 1: He had other people managing the team. What he was

742
00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:21,520
Speaker 1: the guy that would come in and bench David Beckham

743
00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:23,520
Speaker 1: when David Beckham's one of the most famous people in

744
00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:26,560
Speaker 1: the world. Because he thinks David Beckham's getting bigger than

745
00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:28,960
Speaker 1: the club and there isn't anybody in the world that

746
00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:31,680
Speaker 1: would do that, right, There isn't any coach in the world.

747
00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:34,400
Speaker 1: And he didn't start him, sat him on the bench

748
00:37:34,719 --> 00:37:37,839
Speaker 1: and said the club is more important than you. How

749
00:37:37,880 --> 00:37:41,759
Speaker 1: do you instill You've got all of these individuals on

750
00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:45,440
Speaker 1: your team, but they're playing for the University of Florida

751
00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:48,520
Speaker 1: and they're playing for you and your assistant Dudley Hart,

752
00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:50,479
Speaker 1: who I can't wait to talk to you about because

753
00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:53,640
Speaker 1: I know you think he's been an invaluable member. But

754
00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:57,799
Speaker 1: how do you get these guys to buy into the

755
00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:02,120
Speaker 1: University of Florida golf program and also coach to buy

756
00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:06,400
Speaker 1: into the way that we do things. I'm your coach,

757
00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:09,920
Speaker 1: so We're going to do things the way that I'm

758
00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:12,040
Speaker 1: going to tell you, guys, this is the way we

759
00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:15,520
Speaker 1: do things, and it's as much the University of Florida's

760
00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:18,960
Speaker 1: golf program, but this is also my program, and this

761
00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:19,920
Speaker 1: is what I expect.

762
00:38:20,719 --> 00:38:23,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm so glad you asked this because I think

763
00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:26,799
Speaker 2: this was probably the biggest battle with this team. You know,

764
00:38:27,239 --> 00:38:31,959
Speaker 2: whether you wanted to call ego or entitlement, what we've had,

765
00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:35,600
Speaker 2: we've had a lot of it, and it just that

766
00:38:35,719 --> 00:38:39,640
Speaker 2: it takes away from everyone's experience. And I mean, I

767
00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:42,160
Speaker 2: won't go into detail, but we had a lot of

768
00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:45,680
Speaker 2: very very tough meetings. We've had some players missing tournaments,

769
00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:50,319
Speaker 2: and it was when this team finally decided, you know what,

770
00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:54,280
Speaker 2: my guys, my brothers us doing this together, the University

771
00:38:54,280 --> 00:38:58,320
Speaker 2: of Florida US winning that that would be really really

772
00:38:58,360 --> 00:39:01,560
Speaker 2: cool and special. And I come from a hockey background,

773
00:39:01,640 --> 00:39:05,359
Speaker 2: that sports my first love, and almost quit golf when

774
00:39:05,360 --> 00:39:08,759
Speaker 2: I was sixteen to chase that. And so I've been

775
00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:11,400
Speaker 2: in a locker room and there's nothing in the world

776
00:39:11,520 --> 00:39:13,759
Speaker 2: more important to a hockey player than the locker room.

777
00:39:14,080 --> 00:39:16,600
Speaker 2: And it's just an unwritten rule in that sport. You

778
00:39:16,719 --> 00:39:18,719
Speaker 2: learn it growing up and it's part of the deal.

779
00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:22,280
Speaker 2: And no one talks about themself. You watch any hockey

780
00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:25,200
Speaker 2: interview after the game, it's always about the boys. Hey,

781
00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:27,680
Speaker 2: the boys did this, the boys did that. And it's

782
00:39:27,719 --> 00:39:29,880
Speaker 2: just a culture. And I love that and I believe

783
00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:32,279
Speaker 2: in that, and that's what I'm trying to pass on

784
00:39:32,320 --> 00:39:35,000
Speaker 2: to these guys because I think they can take that

785
00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:38,000
Speaker 2: from here to a job or to their family or

786
00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:40,000
Speaker 2: whatever it is. It makes life better when you have

787
00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:42,479
Speaker 2: other people to share it with. It's just a core

788
00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:46,080
Speaker 2: belief of mine. The problem is with golf is their

789
00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:49,399
Speaker 2: whole life until eighteen years old, it's about them. Mom

790
00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:52,279
Speaker 2: and dad talks about them, their swing coach talks about them,

791
00:39:52,360 --> 00:39:56,000
Speaker 2: the equipment companies talk about them, and their conditioned to

792
00:39:56,080 --> 00:39:59,360
Speaker 2: think about themselves. So it's a four year process of

793
00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:02,399
Speaker 2: teaching them, dude, this ain't about you. And I don't

794
00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:04,719
Speaker 2: care if you don't like Chipotle. You're going to Chipotle

795
00:40:04,760 --> 00:40:06,880
Speaker 2: tonight and you're gonna think that's the best restaurant in

796
00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:09,879
Speaker 2: the whole world because those five guys want it and

797
00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:12,640
Speaker 2: it doesn't matter what you think. And so it's a

798
00:40:12,719 --> 00:40:16,640
Speaker 2: learning curve. And I think Dudley and I, you know,

799
00:40:16,719 --> 00:40:18,880
Speaker 2: and hopefully we get a chance to talk about him

800
00:40:18,920 --> 00:40:21,480
Speaker 2: here because he's literally the greatest, greatest thing that's ever

801
00:40:21,480 --> 00:40:24,760
Speaker 2: happened to me professionally. But our big goal this summer

802
00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:28,359
Speaker 2: is to re establish what our values are and to

803
00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:30,600
Speaker 2: make sure that this team next year doesn't have to

804
00:40:30,640 --> 00:40:33,359
Speaker 2: have the learning curve that the one we just did have.

805
00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:36,000
Speaker 2: You know, we thank god those guys won that SEC

806
00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:38,520
Speaker 2: and national championship because that was their last strike at

807
00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:41,680
Speaker 2: kick at the cans. So we got to instill those

808
00:40:41,760 --> 00:40:43,920
Speaker 2: values a little bit quicker with this next group and

809
00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:46,840
Speaker 2: this next team, and we've learned a lot of lessons

810
00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:48,880
Speaker 2: and that's the exciting part. I think. I think if

811
00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:51,080
Speaker 2: we can do that, we can be even better going forward.

812
00:40:51,680 --> 00:40:53,879
Speaker 1: You mentioned Dudley Hard who used to play the PGA Tour.

813
00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:55,840
Speaker 1: He won on the PGA Tour. It was it's so

814
00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:59,640
Speaker 1: funny that we're talking about him. My uncle was the

815
00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:02,799
Speaker 1: head Okill Country Club for forty two years, where they

816
00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:06,400
Speaker 1: just said the PGA, But in nineteen eighty nine they

817
00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:08,239
Speaker 1: had the US Open that Curtis Strange won, and he

818
00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:10,359
Speaker 1: won back to back US Opens. He'd won in eighty

819
00:41:10,400 --> 00:41:14,880
Speaker 1: eight the year before and Dudley's sister Kathy. Ye, my

820
00:41:15,040 --> 00:41:19,480
Speaker 1: uncle Craig was the last host pro I think at

821
00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:22,640
Speaker 1: the from a USGA standpoint, to own the shop so

822
00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:25,239
Speaker 1: he could own all the merchandise. And he had like

823
00:41:25,280 --> 00:41:27,759
Speaker 1: a year to own all the US Open merchandise in

824
00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:30,279
Speaker 1: the late eighties. He made a fortune. So when the

825
00:41:30,360 --> 00:41:34,360
Speaker 1: US Open happened at o'kill in eighty nine, every single

826
00:41:34,520 --> 00:41:38,520
Speaker 1: Harmon family member and assistant and anybody that had ever

827
00:41:38,640 --> 00:41:40,680
Speaker 1: worked for any of the boys or anything like that,

828
00:41:41,080 --> 00:41:44,640
Speaker 1: everybody worked the merchandise and so Kathy hard she worked.

829
00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:47,400
Speaker 1: There was another girl named Abigail, and we all worked

830
00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:51,919
Speaker 1: in the merchandise tent. You mentioned that having Dudley come

831
00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:55,400
Speaker 1: in kind of as a game changer for you. I

832
00:41:55,440 --> 00:41:59,400
Speaker 1: mean he went to the University of Florida. What was

833
00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:02,160
Speaker 1: that pross like and what do you think he brought

834
00:42:02,280 --> 00:42:03,040
Speaker 1: that was missing?

835
00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:06,920
Speaker 2: So I remember I first got the job back in

836
00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:10,640
Speaker 2: June twenty fourteen, and I got this text from this

837
00:42:10,800 --> 00:42:14,440
Speaker 2: seven to one six number and it said, Hey, I'm

838
00:42:14,480 --> 00:42:18,480
Speaker 2: Dudley Hart, former Gator, played on the team back whenever

839
00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:22,560
Speaker 2: it was and I'm passionate about the Gators and I

840
00:42:22,600 --> 00:42:24,200
Speaker 2: just want to see us get back to the top.

841
00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:26,400
Speaker 2: So if there's anything I can do to help you,

842
00:42:26,480 --> 00:42:29,880
Speaker 2: reach out. And it's cool for me because I was

843
00:42:29,920 --> 00:42:32,799
Speaker 2: a fourteen year old in nineteen ninety six out at

844
00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:36,239
Speaker 2: Glenn Abbey watching Dudley Hart win his first PGA Tour event.

845
00:42:36,280 --> 00:42:38,959
Speaker 2: That was my hometown I grew up and open, yeah,

846
00:42:39,239 --> 00:42:41,799
Speaker 2: grew up twenty minutes from there, and I was like that,

847
00:42:41,800 --> 00:42:44,400
Speaker 2: that's the guy with the weird name. Why is he

848
00:42:44,440 --> 00:42:48,040
Speaker 2: winning our home home championship? But so I watched him

849
00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:50,400
Speaker 2: from a bar, so I thought that text was really cool.

850
00:42:50,440 --> 00:42:53,560
Speaker 2: So I wrote him back and we began chatting. Sure enough,

851
00:42:53,560 --> 00:42:56,120
Speaker 2: he's a huge Buffalo Sabers fan that has a they

852
00:42:56,239 --> 00:42:58,520
Speaker 2: got a big rivalry with Toronto. Who's my team? So

853
00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:02,160
Speaker 2: we bonded over hockey, and then Dudley invited our team

854
00:43:02,239 --> 00:43:05,080
Speaker 2: down I think maybe two years later to Calluci Pines,

855
00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:08,399
Speaker 2: which you know is incredible. Took the whole team down

856
00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:10,799
Speaker 2: there and put us up in some cabins and you know,

857
00:43:10,920 --> 00:43:12,960
Speaker 2: spent a lot of money on the team and had

858
00:43:12,960 --> 00:43:16,000
Speaker 2: a really nice trip just making our program better, and

859
00:43:16,120 --> 00:43:18,360
Speaker 2: we spoke that week. He wanted to get more involved,

860
00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:22,359
Speaker 2: so we hired Dudley as our volunteer assistant coach, and

861
00:43:22,480 --> 00:43:24,960
Speaker 2: he came on for the next three years and just

862
00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:27,640
Speaker 2: gave so much time, so much energy, helped the guys

863
00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:30,880
Speaker 2: with their short game. Just having his presence around was amazing.

864
00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:34,919
Speaker 2: And then I guess two years ago, Mark Leon, who

865
00:43:34,960 --> 00:43:38,040
Speaker 2: was my assistant at the time, got hired as the

866
00:43:38,040 --> 00:43:41,440
Speaker 2: head coach at FAU, and so I asked Duds to

867
00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:44,239
Speaker 2: come up and help in the meantime, you know, just

868
00:43:44,280 --> 00:43:46,200
Speaker 2: to fill the void while Mark was gone. I didn't

869
00:43:46,239 --> 00:43:50,320
Speaker 2: have an assistant at all. So I had a candidate

870
00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:54,279
Speaker 2: for the job in town and Dudley walked in my

871
00:43:54,320 --> 00:43:56,760
Speaker 2: office and he closed the door. Well he's never ever

872
00:43:56,840 --> 00:44:00,719
Speaker 2: done this before. And I'm like, well, that's weird. Goes hey, man.

873
00:44:00,960 --> 00:44:03,960
Speaker 2: I didn't really know how to go about this, but

874
00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:06,759
Speaker 2: I just wouldn't have forgiven myself if I didn't ask.

875
00:44:06,800 --> 00:44:10,760
Speaker 2: But I want the job, And I said, dud dude,

876
00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:14,080
Speaker 2: you don't want this job. Like it's long, hot days

877
00:44:14,080 --> 00:44:17,520
Speaker 2: in the summer, it's recruiting, it's talking to parents. There's

878
00:44:17,560 --> 00:44:19,759
Speaker 2: a lot of ugly stuff that happens in college golf.

879
00:44:19,800 --> 00:44:23,160
Speaker 2: It's not you know, there's bad grades, there's guys missing appointment,

880
00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:25,799
Speaker 2: you know, it's it's not just going down to the range.

881
00:44:25,920 --> 00:44:27,640
Speaker 1: A lot of it, A lot of it's babysitting.

882
00:44:27,840 --> 00:44:30,200
Speaker 2: It's it and it's not just being on the range

883
00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:33,040
Speaker 2: and helping the guys get better and traveling tournaments like

884
00:44:33,160 --> 00:44:36,520
Speaker 2: there's there's a lot of development in tough times. And

885
00:44:36,560 --> 00:44:39,160
Speaker 2: he said, I know, I've thought about it, but I

886
00:44:39,239 --> 00:44:42,360
Speaker 2: want it. And I'm like, if you want this, I'll

887
00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:44,640
Speaker 2: literally tell the whole world now because I think it

888
00:44:44,640 --> 00:44:47,200
Speaker 2: would be the biggest home run in the world. I mean, Duds,

889
00:44:47,239 --> 00:44:51,000
Speaker 2: You're amazing, best personality, has so much fun, but at

890
00:44:51,040 --> 00:44:53,640
Speaker 2: the same time knows when to draw the line to

891
00:44:53,719 --> 00:44:58,520
Speaker 2: work hard and literally since he started and signed that contract, Claude,

892
00:44:58,560 --> 00:45:01,480
Speaker 2: he shows up to our facility at five point fifty

893
00:45:01,640 --> 00:45:04,480
Speaker 2: every morning and none of our players beat him there.

894
00:45:05,040 --> 00:45:08,440
Speaker 2: It's hard to leave after him. He still works on

895
00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:10,799
Speaker 2: his own game, he still works on his body. He

896
00:45:10,920 --> 00:45:14,200
Speaker 2: has a wonderful personality. He gets along with everyone. He

897
00:45:14,200 --> 00:45:17,080
Speaker 2: can be a hard ass when he needs to. Literally,

898
00:45:17,640 --> 00:45:20,640
Speaker 2: we went from a good program to a great one

899
00:45:20,719 --> 00:45:23,280
Speaker 2: the day he showed up. And I do not believe

900
00:45:23,280 --> 00:45:27,239
Speaker 2: that that's a cop coincidence. He's just he was made

901
00:45:27,280 --> 00:45:30,439
Speaker 2: to do this. You know. Thankfully he had a great

902
00:45:30,480 --> 00:45:32,640
Speaker 2: PGA to her career and won twice and has that

903
00:45:33,360 --> 00:45:36,279
Speaker 2: pension coming to him. So the salary wasn't a game

904
00:45:36,360 --> 00:45:40,040
Speaker 2: changer because we're not paying him enough. But he's become

905
00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:42,920
Speaker 2: my best friend. We have so many good times and

906
00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:46,440
Speaker 2: laughs together and God, these kids would run through a

907
00:45:46,480 --> 00:45:49,120
Speaker 2: wall for him. So's he's just been a home run

908
00:45:49,200 --> 00:45:50,320
Speaker 2: for the University of Florida.

909
00:45:50,480 --> 00:45:54,040
Speaker 1: Is it frustrating, coach? I mean, obviously you were a

910
00:45:54,040 --> 00:45:56,840
Speaker 1: really good player, and would you win the Florida Florida

911
00:45:56,840 --> 00:45:58,279
Speaker 1: Oh did you win the Florida Open a couple of

912
00:45:58,320 --> 00:45:58,719
Speaker 1: years ago?

913
00:45:58,920 --> 00:46:00,000
Speaker 2: Twice?

914
00:46:00,160 --> 00:46:03,040
Speaker 1: So, I mean the joke that we always have when

915
00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:05,600
Speaker 1: when kids say they don't want to stay in Florida

916
00:46:05,600 --> 00:46:07,840
Speaker 1: anymore and they're gonna turn pro and they're gonna leave early.

917
00:46:08,200 --> 00:46:10,000
Speaker 1: You and I joke and you're like, well, if I'm

918
00:46:10,040 --> 00:46:12,719
Speaker 1: beating you, we think Roy McElroy is gonna do right.

919
00:46:13,239 --> 00:46:15,960
Speaker 1: And I'm sure it's frustrating for you because you still

920
00:46:16,200 --> 00:46:18,080
Speaker 1: I mean, you still play, You play a lot with

921
00:46:18,120 --> 00:46:21,680
Speaker 1: your team, You beat your guys as much as they

922
00:46:21,680 --> 00:46:24,080
Speaker 1: beat you. Then you bring in a guy like Dudley Hart,

923
00:46:24,120 --> 00:46:26,239
Speaker 1: who's one on tour, and we talk about this all

924
00:46:26,280 --> 00:46:28,520
Speaker 1: the time when we do see each other. It's like,

925
00:46:29,080 --> 00:46:31,600
Speaker 1: sometimes you just want to beat these kids up against

926
00:46:31,680 --> 00:46:34,080
Speaker 1: their heads up against the wall and say, why won't

927
00:46:34,120 --> 00:46:37,840
Speaker 1: you listen. We're trying everything we can do as a

928
00:46:37,880 --> 00:46:40,640
Speaker 1: coach to help you, but we're trying to give you

929
00:46:40,680 --> 00:46:44,320
Speaker 1: our experience, and a guy like Dudley, who's one on tour,

930
00:46:44,880 --> 00:46:48,680
Speaker 1: who played the tour, you're a great player. It's gotta

931
00:46:48,719 --> 00:46:50,640
Speaker 1: be at times frustrating when you have to have these

932
00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:54,040
Speaker 1: conversations where you're like, guys, if you just listen to us,

933
00:46:55,200 --> 00:46:57,920
Speaker 1: we know what we're doing and we know what makes

934
00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:01,040
Speaker 1: players get to the level you're at. I think that's

935
00:47:01,080 --> 00:47:04,600
Speaker 1: one of the things I find the hardest about the

936
00:47:04,719 --> 00:47:08,080
Speaker 1: job that we both have is you get these kids

937
00:47:08,080 --> 00:47:11,120
Speaker 1: that are young and they just think, you know, I'm sixteen, seventeen,

938
00:47:11,160 --> 00:47:14,000
Speaker 1: I'm eighteen now, I'm just gonna do everything my own way.

939
00:47:14,440 --> 00:47:18,200
Speaker 1: No one's going to help me, and I will I

940
00:47:18,239 --> 00:47:20,239
Speaker 1: will make it doing this, And you're like, you're not

941
00:47:20,360 --> 00:47:22,520
Speaker 1: going to get to the top of Mount Everest doing that.

942
00:47:22,719 --> 00:47:27,920
Speaker 2: You're just not Yeah, it's you know, that's something I've

943
00:47:27,960 --> 00:47:30,440
Speaker 2: taken upon myself that I need to get better out

944
00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:34,920
Speaker 2: as my delivery. I think I was very challenging and

945
00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:38,440
Speaker 2: confrontational when I first started this job, and I've realized

946
00:47:38,480 --> 00:47:43,200
Speaker 2: that doesn't usually end well with kids that are sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen,

947
00:47:43,239 --> 00:47:47,480
Speaker 2: in insecure. You can't come at them. There's got to

948
00:47:47,520 --> 00:47:50,400
Speaker 2: be a better way to do it. And I think, honestly,

949
00:47:50,480 --> 00:47:53,600
Speaker 2: we don't agree on everything, Dud's and I, but ninety

950
00:47:53,640 --> 00:47:56,040
Speaker 2: percent of the information that we talk about we're given

951
00:47:56,040 --> 00:47:59,560
Speaker 2: to the guys we wholeheartedly agree on. And when they

952
00:47:59,640 --> 00:48:03,480
Speaker 2: started hearing from him the same messages that I'd been

953
00:48:03,520 --> 00:48:07,520
Speaker 2: giving them for so long, they're like, oh, like PGA

954
00:48:07,600 --> 00:48:10,120
Speaker 2: tour player, guy who's been out there for thirty years

955
00:48:10,160 --> 00:48:13,880
Speaker 2: and won twice, same things. We got to start listening

956
00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:16,759
Speaker 2: and that was the biggest thing. Even when Duds got here,

957
00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:20,120
Speaker 2: he was amazed at the pushback he got and Claude

958
00:48:20,200 --> 00:48:21,839
Speaker 2: he'd get it from parents like.

959
00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:24,600
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, no, they all, let me tell you, they

960
00:48:24,640 --> 00:48:25,880
Speaker 1: all think they know better than you.

961
00:48:26,239 --> 00:48:28,719
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're like, hey, that's not how we do it.

962
00:48:29,200 --> 00:48:30,759
Speaker 2: You know, I know you played on the tour for

963
00:48:30,800 --> 00:48:33,080
Speaker 2: thirty years, but this is the way to do it.

964
00:48:33,239 --> 00:48:36,839
Speaker 2: He's like what Like, I've literally been around the best

965
00:48:36,840 --> 00:48:39,239
Speaker 2: players in the world for my whole life. I think

966
00:48:39,280 --> 00:48:42,200
Speaker 2: I know what I'm talking about. I think finally when

967
00:48:42,239 --> 00:48:44,919
Speaker 2: we started to get some people to relax and trust him,

968
00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:48,879
Speaker 2: trust us, trust the problem, that's when this thing really

969
00:48:48,920 --> 00:48:51,160
Speaker 2: all started coming together. And honestly, I got to give

970
00:48:51,160 --> 00:48:53,759
Speaker 2: the credit to the kids because they did buy in

971
00:48:53,920 --> 00:48:56,359
Speaker 2: differently the last year and a half than we've ever

972
00:48:56,400 --> 00:48:59,120
Speaker 2: had it before. We really didn't have a lot of

973
00:48:59,120 --> 00:49:02,480
Speaker 2: pushback this year. You know. We put together a very

974
00:49:02,560 --> 00:49:05,759
Speaker 2: rigorous schedule, whether that's in the gym and at the

975
00:49:05,760 --> 00:49:08,560
Speaker 2: golf course, with their academics, and I didn't hear much

976
00:49:08,600 --> 00:49:11,000
Speaker 2: complaining this year. They just went out and like you

977
00:49:11,040 --> 00:49:13,239
Speaker 2: said about Brooks, they went and did their job.

978
00:49:17,480 --> 00:49:20,800
Speaker 1: It's the fifth national championship for the golf program at Florida,

979
00:49:20,840 --> 00:49:23,560
Speaker 1: first one since two thousand and one. What does it

980
00:49:23,640 --> 00:49:26,920
Speaker 1: mean in the context of other sports now? I mean,

981
00:49:27,560 --> 00:49:29,880
Speaker 1: please tell me the football coach, the basketball coach and

982
00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:33,120
Speaker 1: everybody called you and has made the team feel like

983
00:49:33,640 --> 00:49:35,640
Speaker 1: they're as big as anybody else on campus.

984
00:49:36,120 --> 00:49:39,360
Speaker 2: Well, I'm lucky because the new basketball coach here, he

985
00:49:39,480 --> 00:49:43,239
Speaker 2: just got done his first year. Todd Golden. Literally, I

986
00:49:43,280 --> 00:49:46,440
Speaker 2: want to introduce you to because you guys will be boys.

987
00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:49,239
Speaker 2: He's one of the most dynamic personalities that I've met

988
00:49:49,239 --> 00:49:52,399
Speaker 2: in a long time. First time I met him, I left,

989
00:49:52,440 --> 00:49:55,040
Speaker 2: I'm like, oh my god, I love that guy, like immediately.

990
00:49:55,080 --> 00:49:58,360
Speaker 2: He's just the best. And he flew out to Arizona

991
00:49:58,920 --> 00:50:02,240
Speaker 2: and watched this play a few rounds in between recruiting,

992
00:50:02,440 --> 00:50:05,719
Speaker 2: and for our guys to see, hey, coach, was that

993
00:50:05,760 --> 00:50:08,479
Speaker 2: Todd Golden watching us today? That was a big deal

994
00:50:08,520 --> 00:50:10,560
Speaker 2: for our guys that they were getting some love from

995
00:50:10,600 --> 00:50:14,680
Speaker 2: from coach. And Billy Napier, our football coach. Now, he

996
00:50:14,840 --> 00:50:18,120
Speaker 2: was following every match. His son's kind of getting into golf,

997
00:50:18,120 --> 00:50:20,880
Speaker 2: and Billy likes golf himself, so he was texting me,

998
00:50:20,960 --> 00:50:23,719
Speaker 2: what'd you think about this? I saw the match. You know,

999
00:50:24,000 --> 00:50:26,880
Speaker 2: it was funny because the before the finals, you know,

1000
00:50:26,960 --> 00:50:29,640
Speaker 2: he was coaching me up on rest and what to

1001
00:50:29,640 --> 00:50:33,560
Speaker 2: do the next day. Everyone just cared so much. And

1002
00:50:33,640 --> 00:50:35,840
Speaker 2: that's the cool thing about winning in a college town.

1003
00:50:36,480 --> 00:50:39,280
Speaker 2: The Florida Gators in Gainesville are the only show in town.

1004
00:50:39,360 --> 00:50:42,440
Speaker 2: We're the biggest deal here. So coming home and having

1005
00:50:42,480 --> 00:50:45,239
Speaker 2: that huge reception and all the coaches we you know

1006
00:50:45,360 --> 00:50:47,960
Speaker 2: Tim Wall and our softball coach Mary Wise and volleyball

1007
00:50:48,040 --> 00:50:51,799
Speaker 2: Roland Thornquist, our women's tennis coach, has four national championships.

1008
00:50:51,800 --> 00:50:54,920
Speaker 2: They're also accomplished here, and they poured a lot into me.

1009
00:50:55,239 --> 00:50:58,200
Speaker 2: So when they finally saw us breakthrough, it was it

1010
00:50:58,239 --> 00:51:01,200
Speaker 2: was a pretty big win for everyone, and they've certainly

1011
00:51:01,239 --> 00:51:02,520
Speaker 2: made me feel really special.

1012
00:51:03,520 --> 00:51:06,919
Speaker 1: Obviously, it doesn't matter what you did yesterday. It only

1013
00:51:06,960 --> 00:51:11,120
Speaker 1: matters what you do today, tomorrow and the future. So

1014
00:51:11,160 --> 00:51:13,160
Speaker 1: how do you pick the team back up? You're gonna

1015
00:51:13,160 --> 00:51:17,680
Speaker 1: lose fred but a big group of the players that

1016
00:51:17,800 --> 00:51:20,000
Speaker 1: we're part of this national championship team are going to

1017
00:51:20,040 --> 00:51:20,440
Speaker 1: be back.

1018
00:51:20,760 --> 00:51:24,520
Speaker 2: No, we're not. We're losing fred Ricky and yushen all

1019
00:51:24,520 --> 00:51:27,360
Speaker 2: in the thing. I'll leave it all three.

1020
00:51:28,080 --> 00:51:29,480
Speaker 1: We're gonna see how good of a coach you are.

1021
00:51:31,440 --> 00:51:35,840
Speaker 2: Yeah, We're to be honest, a weird part of me.

1022
00:51:35,880 --> 00:51:39,240
Speaker 2: He's really excited to be able to hit the reset button.

1023
00:51:39,960 --> 00:51:44,960
Speaker 2: We've got absolutely money twenty twenty three recruiting class that's

1024
00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:48,040
Speaker 2: starting here in August, and I'm telling all of them,

1025
00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:50,880
Speaker 2: we've just been talking about it lately. Y'all have an

1026
00:51:50,880 --> 00:51:54,640
Speaker 2: opportunity of a lifetime, because it's never going to be

1027
00:51:54,760 --> 00:51:57,480
Speaker 2: easier to get in this lineup than it is right now.

1028
00:51:57,520 --> 00:52:00,239
Speaker 2: Your guy Quintin to Bow, he's coming back for a

1029
00:52:00,280 --> 00:52:02,800
Speaker 2: fifth year. He's got a big chance to make an impact.

1030
00:52:03,440 --> 00:52:06,359
Speaker 2: We're lucky to have John du Blois, who's going from

1031
00:52:06,400 --> 00:52:08,239
Speaker 2: the best fourth man in the country, and we need

1032
00:52:08,320 --> 00:52:09,799
Speaker 2: him to be the best one or two man in

1033
00:52:09,840 --> 00:52:12,680
Speaker 2: the country next year. But I'm excited to kind of

1034
00:52:12,800 --> 00:52:15,680
Speaker 2: hit a reset button. We're going to have to establish

1035
00:52:15,719 --> 00:52:18,279
Speaker 2: who we are, who we want to be, what they

1036
00:52:18,320 --> 00:52:20,040
Speaker 2: want this team to look like, what they're going to

1037
00:52:20,120 --> 00:52:22,640
Speaker 2: believe in, what they're going to be proud of, And

1038
00:52:23,360 --> 00:52:26,160
Speaker 2: I just think that's exciting. Dudley and I got a big,

1039
00:52:26,960 --> 00:52:29,960
Speaker 2: big summer of recruiting. He's ridiculous, by the way. We

1040
00:52:30,520 --> 00:52:35,040
Speaker 2: just won this thing last Wednesday. We celebrate a little

1041
00:52:35,040 --> 00:52:38,399
Speaker 2: bit Thursday when we come home. He calls me Friday night,

1042
00:52:38,520 --> 00:52:40,440
Speaker 2: he goes, dude, you're going to kill me. But I

1043
00:52:40,480 --> 00:52:42,680
Speaker 2: got to go to Indianapolis and recruit. There's a couple

1044
00:52:42,719 --> 00:52:47,120
Speaker 2: of people playing in the Junior Invitational, the Pete de Junior,

1045
00:52:47,160 --> 00:52:49,040
Speaker 2: and I got to go see him, and we got

1046
00:52:49,040 --> 00:52:51,080
Speaker 2: to keep getting better and It's like, dude, this is

1047
00:52:51,080 --> 00:52:53,960
Speaker 2: why we're good because you're wanting to do stuff like this.

1048
00:52:54,080 --> 00:52:58,040
Speaker 2: He can't, can't shut it off, and so we're excited.

1049
00:52:58,400 --> 00:53:01,000
Speaker 2: It's a different challenge, but ready to get after it

1050
00:53:01,040 --> 00:53:01,880
Speaker 2: with this new squad.

1051
00:53:02,960 --> 00:53:06,160
Speaker 1: So you guys win the national championship as a team,

1052
00:53:06,280 --> 00:53:09,960
Speaker 1: Fred wins the individual championship, and your boy, Kurt Kidayama

1053
00:53:10,640 --> 00:53:13,719
Speaker 1: wins bay Hill. You started working he played for you

1054
00:53:13,760 --> 00:53:16,239
Speaker 1: when you were an assistant at UNLV. You're still a

1055
00:53:16,280 --> 00:53:18,520
Speaker 1: swing coach. That's where we're lucky enough to get to

1056
00:53:18,520 --> 00:53:22,640
Speaker 1: spend time together. You must be so proud of him,

1057
00:53:23,520 --> 00:53:25,839
Speaker 1: and this is full circle for you, right. I mean,

1058
00:53:25,880 --> 00:53:28,600
Speaker 1: this is a kid that you were an assistant, You

1059
00:53:28,680 --> 00:53:30,360
Speaker 1: watched him as a as a as a as a

1060
00:53:30,400 --> 00:53:33,480
Speaker 1: college player, then you've continued to still work with him.

1061
00:53:33,520 --> 00:53:37,920
Speaker 1: He's had success. But then to win Arnold Palmer's tournament

1062
00:53:38,000 --> 00:53:42,919
Speaker 1: bay Hill three year exemption that that had to be

1063
00:53:44,360 --> 00:53:48,239
Speaker 1: an amazing moment for you because you're working with him

1064
00:53:48,400 --> 00:53:50,680
Speaker 1: while he was in college and then to see him

1065
00:53:51,239 --> 00:53:54,400
Speaker 1: win his first PGA Tour event, that's a huge feather

1066
00:53:54,440 --> 00:53:56,719
Speaker 1: in your cap. How good do you think Kurt can be?

1067
00:53:58,000 --> 00:54:00,600
Speaker 2: Well? I got to give a lot of credit to

1068
00:54:00,680 --> 00:54:04,640
Speaker 2: Kirk because he has absolutely shaped me as a college

1069
00:54:04,680 --> 00:54:08,840
Speaker 2: coach watching his progression. When I say that he was

1070
00:54:09,000 --> 00:54:11,680
Speaker 2: bad when he got to UNLB as a freshman as

1071
00:54:11,719 --> 00:54:15,719
Speaker 2: an understatement, he could barely break seventy five. And Kurt

1072
00:54:15,760 --> 00:54:19,640
Speaker 2: earned the name of the project because he's stunk and

1073
00:54:19,680 --> 00:54:21,520
Speaker 2: it was going to be a project to make him better.

1074
00:54:21,719 --> 00:54:24,480
Speaker 2: But everyone loved him and everyone wanted to pour into

1075
00:54:24,520 --> 00:54:27,000
Speaker 2: him because he was humble, hard working kid. He'd do

1076
00:54:27,080 --> 00:54:29,600
Speaker 2: what ever he asked, and he just kept getting better

1077
00:54:29,640 --> 00:54:32,600
Speaker 2: in college and stumbled a little bit when he first

1078
00:54:32,680 --> 00:54:35,160
Speaker 2: turned pro, and that's when he came to me. I

1079
00:54:35,160 --> 00:54:38,680
Speaker 2: think back in twenty seventeen or twenty eighteen, like, coach,

1080
00:54:38,719 --> 00:54:40,520
Speaker 2: what's going on? Can you help me? Because I'm not

1081
00:54:40,880 --> 00:54:43,200
Speaker 2: playing like I used to. And it's funny because our

1082
00:54:43,239 --> 00:54:46,040
Speaker 2: relationship started as just battling on the course. I was

1083
00:54:46,040 --> 00:54:49,480
Speaker 2: the twenty seven year old assistant coach. We played golf

1084
00:54:49,560 --> 00:54:51,360
Speaker 2: like three times a week. Just I was trying to

1085
00:54:51,440 --> 00:54:53,480
Speaker 2: kick his ass and he's trying to kick mine. So

1086
00:54:53,560 --> 00:54:57,360
Speaker 2: it was a very competitive start. But what Kurt has

1087
00:54:58,320 --> 00:55:01,920
Speaker 2: is sure if I can fully put my finger on it,

1088
00:55:01,960 --> 00:55:04,560
Speaker 2: but he's the toughest kid that I've probably ever met

1089
00:55:04,560 --> 00:55:08,320
Speaker 2: who plays golf, rises to the occasion in the big moments.

1090
00:55:08,320 --> 00:55:10,759
Speaker 2: He's never scared of a thing. He's not scared of

1091
00:55:10,800 --> 00:55:14,120
Speaker 2: hard work, sacrifice, doing the extra things that are needed.

1092
00:55:14,560 --> 00:55:17,440
Speaker 2: And to watch him win that tournament, I mean he

1093
00:55:17,520 --> 00:55:20,880
Speaker 2: was coming down the back nine, Rory Patton, there was

1094
00:55:21,040 --> 00:55:24,400
Speaker 2: everyone in there. It was a packed leaderboard, Kepka, he

1095
00:55:24,520 --> 00:55:28,120
Speaker 2: was not kept obviously, but he was playing with Victor Hoblin,

1096
00:55:28,760 --> 00:55:31,719
Speaker 2: Jordan Speet was on the leaderboard. It was all loaded

1097
00:55:32,280 --> 00:55:35,440
Speaker 2: and for him to come through was like perfect for him.

1098
00:55:35,520 --> 00:55:37,240
Speaker 2: He had to make that two putt on the final

1099
00:55:37,239 --> 00:55:40,399
Speaker 2: green at bay Hill and almost almost made it, hung

1100
00:55:40,440 --> 00:55:43,399
Speaker 2: it on the lip. But he's just that tough son

1101
00:55:43,440 --> 00:55:46,440
Speaker 2: of a gun. And uh yeah, watching him get this good.

1102
00:55:46,440 --> 00:55:48,560
Speaker 2: He played great at the PGA, you know Brooks one,

1103
00:55:48,680 --> 00:55:51,319
Speaker 2: but Kitty had. He finished in the top five there

1104
00:55:51,360 --> 00:55:55,239
Speaker 2: and he just continues to impress and get better. And

1105
00:55:55,719 --> 00:55:57,799
Speaker 2: there's not many guys that are going to outwork him

1106
00:55:58,280 --> 00:56:00,880
Speaker 2: and want to be better than he does. So watching

1107
00:56:00,960 --> 00:56:03,680
Speaker 2: that happen and being able to pass that on to

1108
00:56:03,760 --> 00:56:05,560
Speaker 2: my guys, Look, you don't have to be good right

1109
00:56:05,640 --> 00:56:08,920
Speaker 2: now when you're eighteen nineteen. Kurt was terrible, but you

1110
00:56:09,040 --> 00:56:11,080
Speaker 2: got to do what he did, and that's get in

1111
00:56:11,080 --> 00:56:14,560
Speaker 2: the gym, that's get good grades, that's treat people with respect.

1112
00:56:14,719 --> 00:56:18,120
Speaker 2: That's doing everything right that he's done, and that's how

1113
00:56:18,200 --> 00:56:20,399
Speaker 2: you've become a great twenty seven year old or thirty

1114
00:56:20,440 --> 00:56:23,040
Speaker 2: year old like he is. So couldn't be more proud.

1115
00:56:23,760 --> 00:56:26,799
Speaker 1: How important for Kurt was getting Tim Tucker on the

1116
00:56:26,840 --> 00:56:30,080
Speaker 1: back Tim Tucker who caddied, he was on Bryson d

1117
00:56:30,200 --> 00:56:34,080
Speaker 1: Schambeau's bag when he won his major championship, the US Open.

1118
00:56:34,840 --> 00:56:38,240
Speaker 1: If you can caddy for Bryson, you can literally caddy

1119
00:56:38,239 --> 00:56:41,360
Speaker 1: for any anything after Caddying for Bryson is literally like

1120
00:56:41,400 --> 00:56:45,359
Speaker 1: a vacation. But how important do you think for a

1121
00:56:45,400 --> 00:56:47,920
Speaker 1: young player like that to get a guy like Timmy

1122
00:56:47,960 --> 00:56:52,840
Speaker 1: t who's had amazing success with Bryson, they won majors,

1123
00:56:52,880 --> 00:56:55,279
Speaker 1: they were on Ryder Cups. Do you think that has

1124
00:56:55,320 --> 00:56:59,040
Speaker 1: been a huge, huge piece of the puzzle that has

1125
00:56:59,040 --> 00:57:00,840
Speaker 1: helped him get to this this point?

1126
00:57:01,360 --> 00:57:04,879
Speaker 2: Yeah. There, he just doesn't doesn't win bay Hill without Tuck,

1127
00:57:04,960 --> 00:57:08,400
Speaker 2: There's no doubt. And it's a great story because it

1128
00:57:08,440 --> 00:57:12,080
Speaker 2: was really, really difficult for Kurt he Uh. He called

1129
00:57:12,120 --> 00:57:15,040
Speaker 2: me pretty much in tears after Pebble Beach this week

1130
00:57:15,560 --> 00:57:17,320
Speaker 2: because he said, I need to make a change with

1131
00:57:17,920 --> 00:57:21,760
Speaker 2: caddy and Brian Martin, who's one of Kurt's best friends

1132
00:57:21,760 --> 00:57:24,000
Speaker 2: in the whole world and an awesome guy and an

1133
00:57:24,040 --> 00:57:27,280
Speaker 2: awesome caddy, he had to let him go. And I

1134
00:57:27,320 --> 00:57:30,040
Speaker 2: think Kurt just had had matured to a point where

1135
00:57:30,040 --> 00:57:32,720
Speaker 2: he realized him and Brian were too close, too good

1136
00:57:32,720 --> 00:57:35,960
Speaker 2: at friends, and it became just too much of a

1137
00:57:35,960 --> 00:57:39,160
Speaker 2: personal thing on the golf course instead of business. And

1138
00:57:40,640 --> 00:57:43,400
Speaker 2: Tuck had had been interested in caddying for Kirk for

1139
00:57:43,400 --> 00:57:46,520
Speaker 2: a while and he's just brought a level of professionalism

1140
00:57:47,040 --> 00:57:50,400
Speaker 2: and he knows how to draw the line. A great

1141
00:57:50,440 --> 00:57:56,080
Speaker 2: story of accountability and and uh. And with Kurt, they're

1142
00:57:56,120 --> 00:58:00,320
Speaker 2: at Bay Hill and it was on number thirty team

1143
00:58:00,400 --> 00:58:05,120
Speaker 2: that twelve thirteen. That's short part four. The water on

1144
00:58:05,120 --> 00:58:06,320
Speaker 2: the right, yeah exactly.

1145
00:58:06,400 --> 00:58:08,479
Speaker 1: He either had to hit an iron or three wood

1146
00:58:08,480 --> 00:58:09,480
Speaker 1: if you want to push it down there.

1147
00:58:09,520 --> 00:58:11,200
Speaker 2: Yeah, and then you got a wedge in right. So

1148
00:58:12,560 --> 00:58:15,200
Speaker 2: Kurt pull pull, draws this wedge and hits it to

1149
00:58:15,280 --> 00:58:18,640
Speaker 2: like forty feet and he's like that that wasn't the

1150
00:58:18,680 --> 00:58:21,400
Speaker 2: right wind. And He kind of chirped at Tucker like that,

1151
00:58:21,480 --> 00:58:24,760
Speaker 2: you got the wind wrong, and Tim goes, I didn't

1152
00:58:24,800 --> 00:58:26,840
Speaker 2: know you're going to hit a twenty yard pull hook

1153
00:58:26,960 --> 00:58:29,960
Speaker 2: with a with a fifty two degree wedge, dude. And

1154
00:58:30,240 --> 00:58:32,680
Speaker 2: it was that moment where he drew the line in

1155
00:58:32,680 --> 00:58:35,920
Speaker 2: the sand of I'm not taking your crap. This is

1156
00:58:35,960 --> 00:58:38,320
Speaker 2: a business deal. I'm gonna make you a better player,

1157
00:58:38,600 --> 00:58:40,480
Speaker 2: but don't come at me when you hit a shot

1158
00:58:40,520 --> 00:58:43,000
Speaker 2: like that. That ain't on me. And I think that

1159
00:58:43,120 --> 00:58:46,600
Speaker 2: really helped Kurt obviously right there. You know, I remember

1160
00:58:46,640 --> 00:58:48,680
Speaker 2: hearing some stories from the two of them coming down

1161
00:58:48,680 --> 00:58:50,960
Speaker 2: the stretch. I asked him what he said to him

1162
00:58:51,360 --> 00:58:53,520
Speaker 2: after he made that triple bogie in the final round

1163
00:58:53,560 --> 00:58:56,480
Speaker 2: on number nine, and Tim said, man, I didn't say anything.

1164
00:58:56,520 --> 00:58:58,640
Speaker 2: He goes, He came up to me and said, I'm fine.

1165
00:58:58,720 --> 00:59:01,600
Speaker 2: I'm playing so good. I just towed it and it

1166
00:59:01,680 --> 00:59:04,280
Speaker 2: went out of balance by an inch. I'm good, dude,

1167
00:59:04,600 --> 00:59:07,880
Speaker 2: And it was, you know, Tim just given him confidence

1168
00:59:08,320 --> 00:59:10,960
Speaker 2: and obviously he's been been in those big moments. I

1169
00:59:10,960 --> 00:59:14,160
Speaker 2: remember he told them on eighteen at Bayhill that he

1170
00:59:14,320 --> 00:59:17,600
Speaker 2: needed to slow down and that the TV wasn't going

1171
00:59:17,680 --> 00:59:20,160
Speaker 2: to go anywhere without them and just you know, kind

1172
00:59:20,160 --> 00:59:22,680
Speaker 2: of made him laugh in the moment. So he's been

1173
00:59:23,120 --> 00:59:26,200
Speaker 2: incredible and he's really helped me. Tuck's an awesome guy.

1174
00:59:26,240 --> 00:59:29,920
Speaker 2: He loves golf and he's really really smart about the

1175
00:59:29,960 --> 00:59:32,280
Speaker 2: process of making a player better, and he's taught me

1176
00:59:32,360 --> 00:59:34,960
Speaker 2: a lot, just you know, about air density and how

1177
00:59:35,000 --> 00:59:37,640
Speaker 2: far the ball goes. I you know, we figured it

1178
00:59:37,680 --> 00:59:40,480
Speaker 2: out so much faster this year in Arizona with it

1179
00:59:40,560 --> 00:59:43,440
Speaker 2: being one hundred degree heat in that twenty five hundred elevation.

1180
00:59:44,360 --> 00:59:47,400
Speaker 2: The process that Tim gave me to figure out those

1181
00:59:47,480 --> 00:59:52,000
Speaker 2: numbers and make the calculations. I absolutely don't think there's

1182
00:59:52,040 --> 00:59:54,640
Speaker 2: a coincidence there with our team, you know, playing so

1183
00:59:54,760 --> 00:59:55,480
Speaker 2: well all week.

1184
00:59:56,720 --> 01:00:00,920
Speaker 1: Lastly, it's one of the cliches in sports. But the

1185
01:00:00,960 --> 01:00:03,280
Speaker 1: ten thousand hours of the ten year rule, I mean,

1186
01:00:04,160 --> 01:00:07,080
Speaker 1: I believe in it because I started working with Trevor

1187
01:00:07,080 --> 01:00:09,919
Speaker 1: Immann on the European Tour in two thousand and two

1188
01:00:10,760 --> 01:00:15,840
Speaker 1: and didn't win a major with a player until Ernie

1189
01:00:15,880 --> 01:00:19,080
Speaker 1: Els in twenty and twelve. I'm bad at math, but

1190
01:00:19,120 --> 01:00:21,400
Speaker 1: I think that's ten years. You said you started at

1191
01:00:21,440 --> 01:00:26,000
Speaker 1: Florida in fourteen, it's now twenty three so it's nine years.

1192
01:00:27,040 --> 01:00:29,400
Speaker 1: What are your thoughts on that, everything that you've been through,

1193
01:00:29,400 --> 01:00:32,560
Speaker 1: what have you learned? And how are you better today

1194
01:00:33,160 --> 01:00:37,480
Speaker 1: than you were when you were just starting in fourteen.

1195
01:00:37,520 --> 01:00:40,120
Speaker 1: And if you could go back and talk to yourself

1196
01:00:40,160 --> 01:00:43,640
Speaker 1: in fourteen, having known what you know now, what would

1197
01:00:43,680 --> 01:00:45,600
Speaker 1: be the number one thing that you would say?

1198
01:00:46,440 --> 01:00:49,040
Speaker 2: Well, it's such a good question. I was thirty one

1199
01:00:49,120 --> 01:00:52,240
Speaker 2: years old, I had already been only been an assistant

1200
01:00:52,240 --> 01:00:55,600
Speaker 2: for three and a half years, and I just finished

1201
01:00:55,680 --> 01:00:58,040
Speaker 2: sending a lot of text messages that are reflective of

1202
01:00:58,080 --> 01:01:01,360
Speaker 2: this the last few days. But Landed and Chip Howard

1203
01:01:01,360 --> 01:01:03,760
Speaker 2: and Jeremy Foley the room at Florida who believed in

1204
01:01:03,840 --> 01:01:07,200
Speaker 2: me that means everything to me, And this tournament, in

1205
01:01:07,240 --> 01:01:09,720
Speaker 2: this title was for them because they saw something in

1206
01:01:09,800 --> 01:01:11,960
Speaker 2: me as a thirty one year old that I probably

1207
01:01:11,960 --> 01:01:15,360
Speaker 2: didn't see in myself. But they hired me, and I

1208
01:01:15,400 --> 01:01:17,360
Speaker 2: think one of the greatest things that ever happened to

1209
01:01:17,400 --> 01:01:20,600
Speaker 2: me was it gave me access to the coaching room

1210
01:01:20,640 --> 01:01:23,040
Speaker 2: at Florida. And I mentioned them earlier, but Tim Walton,

1211
01:01:23,120 --> 01:01:27,080
Speaker 2: Mary Wise, Mouse Holloway, Brian Shelton, all these Hall of

1212
01:01:27,080 --> 01:01:29,640
Speaker 2: Fame coaches that are here at Florida coaching their own sport.

1213
01:01:30,160 --> 01:01:32,320
Speaker 2: I got to learn and listen of how they deal

1214
01:01:32,360 --> 01:01:36,240
Speaker 2: with different circumstances. And that's what this job is is

1215
01:01:36,280 --> 01:01:38,880
Speaker 2: it's getting these guys to unite and come together and

1216
01:01:38,920 --> 01:01:41,680
Speaker 2: be a team and play at the highest level at

1217
01:01:41,680 --> 01:01:44,640
Speaker 2: the right times. And I learned all these tricks and

1218
01:01:44,920 --> 01:01:48,960
Speaker 2: it it accelerated my learning curve by so far. And

1219
01:01:49,000 --> 01:01:52,120
Speaker 2: there's no way we become the program we have without

1220
01:01:52,240 --> 01:01:55,080
Speaker 2: me being able to be around those great coaches. And

1221
01:01:55,680 --> 01:01:57,680
Speaker 2: it was, you know, a game changer to be in

1222
01:01:57,680 --> 01:02:00,280
Speaker 2: that room. And I think if I could go back

1223
01:02:00,360 --> 01:02:04,280
Speaker 2: and give myself one piece of advice, it would probably

1224
01:02:05,280 --> 01:02:09,040
Speaker 2: be I don't know, it's such a great question. I've

1225
01:02:09,120 --> 01:02:11,960
Speaker 2: just changed so much. I'm not even remotely the same person.

1226
01:02:12,040 --> 01:02:15,320
Speaker 2: But so I got my wife scrambling because I got

1227
01:02:15,360 --> 01:02:17,560
Speaker 2: my little boy crying here. I didn't have three kids

1228
01:02:17,600 --> 01:02:21,440
Speaker 2: either when I started doing this. But I think just

1229
01:02:21,560 --> 01:02:24,400
Speaker 2: the patient's part of it, and how important the process is.

1230
01:02:24,840 --> 01:02:27,480
Speaker 2: I think that's the biggest thing. I've always been a

1231
01:02:27,480 --> 01:02:31,640
Speaker 2: competitor and wanted success now, and unfortunately, as you know

1232
01:02:31,720 --> 01:02:35,080
Speaker 2: in golf, it success usually doesn't come on our time,

1233
01:02:35,280 --> 01:02:37,280
Speaker 2: and it doesn't come when we think it's going to come.

1234
01:02:37,720 --> 01:02:41,240
Speaker 2: So just being patient and doing the right things every day.

1235
01:02:41,440 --> 01:02:43,880
Speaker 2: And I love what you said about ten thousand hours.

1236
01:02:44,240 --> 01:02:47,160
Speaker 2: I'm the biggest believer in that, and those junior golfers

1237
01:02:47,200 --> 01:02:50,000
Speaker 2: out there that are listening, there is nothing that you

1238
01:02:50,040 --> 01:02:53,440
Speaker 2: can do that were places hard work and the only

1239
01:02:53,520 --> 01:02:55,320
Speaker 2: hours out on the range or out on the chipping

1240
01:02:55,680 --> 01:02:58,720
Speaker 2: chipping green or putting green where you're by yourself, putting

1241
01:02:58,720 --> 01:03:01,240
Speaker 2: in that time and learning those little things about yourself.

1242
01:03:01,520 --> 01:03:05,120
Speaker 2: That's how you're going to become good. And you know,

1243
01:03:05,160 --> 01:03:08,120
Speaker 2: I just I'm not the smartest guy, but I know

1244
01:03:08,160 --> 01:03:10,400
Speaker 2: how to work hard. And my dad instilled that me.

1245
01:03:11,480 --> 01:03:13,200
Speaker 2: He he always told me you don't have to be

1246
01:03:13,240 --> 01:03:15,400
Speaker 2: the smartest guy in the room, but if you know

1247
01:03:15,520 --> 01:03:18,120
Speaker 2: you're not, you better outwork that guy who's smarter than you.

1248
01:03:18,160 --> 01:03:20,160
Speaker 2: And he taught me that at a young age and

1249
01:03:20,200 --> 01:03:22,360
Speaker 2: it served me really well in this in this gig.

1250
01:03:23,160 --> 01:03:25,080
Speaker 1: Well, I can't tell you how proud I am of you.

1251
01:03:25,200 --> 01:03:29,360
Speaker 1: And it's such an enormous feather in your cap to

1252
01:03:29,520 --> 01:03:32,360
Speaker 1: be a national champion and to to coach young men

1253
01:03:32,400 --> 01:03:34,920
Speaker 1: and help them achieve their dreams.

1254
01:03:36,040 --> 01:03:42,320
Speaker 2: Good job, man, Wow, I've really, really appreciated our friendship.

1255
01:03:42,840 --> 01:03:45,200
Speaker 2: You've been a wonderful mentor to me. I you know,

1256
01:03:45,280 --> 01:03:47,880
Speaker 2: you took me and Quinton in when when I started early,

1257
01:03:47,960 --> 01:03:50,440
Speaker 2: and I don't even know why you wanted to help me,

1258
01:03:50,520 --> 01:03:53,360
Speaker 2: but you've You've told some great stories and given me

1259
01:03:53,400 --> 01:03:55,360
Speaker 2: a kick in the ass at times when I needed

1260
01:03:55,400 --> 01:03:57,880
Speaker 2: it and q needed it. But you're a You're a

1261
01:03:57,920 --> 01:04:00,200
Speaker 2: hell of a coach, and I admire you and I've

1262
01:04:00,280 --> 01:04:02,720
Speaker 2: I've learned a lot watching how you do it and

1263
01:04:02,760 --> 01:04:05,760
Speaker 2: how you bring other sports into coaching golf and uh,

1264
01:04:05,960 --> 01:04:08,880
Speaker 2: no surprise, your boys are kicking ass at the highest level.

1265
01:04:09,360 --> 01:04:11,840
Speaker 1: Well, thank you, And and uh, not a hard job

1266
01:04:11,920 --> 01:04:14,960
Speaker 1: to be recruiting golfers that want to go to the

1267
01:04:15,040 --> 01:04:16,840
Speaker 1: University of Florida right now. I mean it's not you

1268
01:04:16,840 --> 01:04:17,840
Speaker 1: don't have to sell now.

1269
01:04:19,520 --> 01:04:22,760
Speaker 2: Well that and uh we we probably got a little

1270
01:04:22,880 --> 01:04:25,800
Speaker 2: little project that's coming to Gainesville here pretty soon that's

1271
01:04:25,840 --> 01:04:27,480
Speaker 2: going to make this place pretty special.

1272
01:04:27,960 --> 01:04:30,680
Speaker 1: Well I can't wait to see it. Congrats, and uh,

1273
01:04:30,920 --> 01:04:32,240
Speaker 1: great job, thanks brother.

1274
01:04:36,760 --> 01:04:37,480
Speaker 2: So that was j C.

1275
01:04:37,640 --> 01:04:41,520
Speaker 1: Deacon And yeah, how can you not be a fan

1276
01:04:41,560 --> 01:04:43,480
Speaker 1: of that guy? I mean, I just I love the

1277
01:04:43,520 --> 01:04:48,080
Speaker 1: way that that he thinks and approaches his craft. We

1278
01:04:48,120 --> 01:04:52,920
Speaker 1: bounce ideas off of each other all the time, and

1279
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Speaker 1: he says he's learned a lot from me, and I've

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01:04:54,720 --> 01:04:58,080
Speaker 1: learned an enormous amount for him, and we're kind of

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01:04:58,080 --> 01:05:01,800
Speaker 1: in the same industry. And to watch, which if you're

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Speaker 1: a college golf coach, win a major is winning a

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01:05:05,280 --> 01:05:07,640
Speaker 1: national championship and for him to get that done the

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01:05:07,680 --> 01:05:09,840
Speaker 1: fifth one at the University of Florida. They have such

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01:05:09,840 --> 01:05:13,880
Speaker 1: an amazing, amazing history. So many players playing on the

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01:05:13,880 --> 01:05:16,360
Speaker 1: PGA Tour have come out of that program, and I

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01:05:16,400 --> 01:05:19,040
Speaker 1: think you're going to see these kids that just won

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01:05:19,080 --> 01:05:22,920
Speaker 1: this national championship that are turning pro. I'm definitely going

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01:05:22,960 --> 01:05:25,080
Speaker 1: to follow him on the corn Ferry and I definitely

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01:05:25,120 --> 01:05:27,640
Speaker 1: think we will see them playing on the PGA Tour

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Speaker 1: very very soon. So congrats to j. C. Deacon and

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Speaker 1: to the assistant Dudley Hart, because they got it done.

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Speaker 1: And that's got to be one of the best programs

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Speaker 1: in the country.

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Speaker 2: Now.

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01:05:38,760 --> 01:05:41,080
Speaker 1: If you're a college golfer and you're looking for a

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01:05:41,120 --> 01:05:45,880
Speaker 1: place to go and you want to get better, you

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01:05:45,920 --> 01:05:49,920
Speaker 1: get in touch with coach Deacon and he'll make you better.

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Speaker 1: Son of Butch comes to you every Wednesday. Thank everyone

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01:05:53,600 --> 01:05:57,560
Speaker 1: for listening, rate, review, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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Speaker 1: We will see everyone next week.