WEBVTT - Charlie Danielson 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.760 Welcome back to another edition of the Frida Egg Podcast. 0:00:04.480 --> 0:00:09.120 Today's episode is powered by td Ameritrade. Every stroke counts 0:00:09.200 --> 0:00:11.720 on the scorecard and every penny counts in the market. 0:00:11.880 --> 0:00:15.040 That's why tedamor Trade is committed to straightforward pricing with 0:00:15.160 --> 0:00:19.040 no surprises, so you're free to swing with confidence. Visit 0:00:19.079 --> 0:00:26.120 tedomritrade dot com slash Fried Egg member SIPC. Today's guest 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:30.000 is Charlie Danielson. Charlie competed in last week's US Opened, 0:00:30.040 --> 0:00:33.479 making the cut and finishing T fifty eighth. Charlie was 0:00:33.520 --> 0:00:36.200 a four time All American at the University of Illinois 0:00:36.280 --> 0:00:40.680 in turn professional midway through twenty sixteen. Shortly after he 0:00:40.760 --> 0:00:44.440 turned pro, a knee injury from his youth flared up 0:00:44.479 --> 0:00:47.279 and he had to get a big surgery to repair it, 0:00:47.720 --> 0:00:51.840 so he is on the end. He's actually eleven months 0:00:51.920 --> 0:00:55.560 through the twelve month recovery process, so it looks like 0:00:55.640 --> 0:00:58.880 he's going to be back in top form shortly, as 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:03.840 evidenced by his per formance getting out of locals and Sectionals, 0:01:03.920 --> 0:01:06.479 qualifying for the US Open, then also making the cut 0:01:06.480 --> 0:01:10.320 this weekend. So without further ado, here's Charlie Danielson. 0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:13.280 I miss the green. For example, I'm already upset. When 0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:15.400 I find my ball in the bunker, I'm really upset. 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:17.400 And when I find my ball in a brid egg 0:01:17.680 --> 0:01:20.520 Friday egg, the dreaded Frida, egg Frida, egg Frida, egg 0:01:20.600 --> 0:01:23.039 Brian egg Frida, egg bride egg Lie, I'm about ready 0:01:23.120 --> 0:01:24.160 to run off of the hump. 0:01:24.280 --> 0:01:51.120 Course, you probably didn't have the highest expectations to when 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:53.280 he when he signed up for the local. 0:01:54.120 --> 0:01:57.440 No, I didn't. I mean I had been doing like 0:01:57.480 --> 0:02:01.320 a couple of little mini tours and and I spent 0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:06.160 my winters down in Arizona, and so I felt like 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:08.440 my game was trending in the right way, but I 0:02:08.880 --> 0:02:12.360 was maybe eighty percent and just kind of bunting it 0:02:12.400 --> 0:02:16.080 down the fairway. And then just week after week I 0:02:16.120 --> 0:02:18.519 started getting a little more confidence in my game and 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:23.799 in my knee. And then I went back moved back 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:27.280 up north to Wisconsin, and I felt like, you know, 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:31.320 I could if I just kind of stayed patient in 0:02:31.360 --> 0:02:34.720 the locals, I could I could probably squeeze through. And 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:38.200 I was fortunate enough to I think a birdie my 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:43.960 last three to be a medallist. And then sectionals was 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:48.520 definitely a place where my expectations were low, just because 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:52.400 I was at a pro site where with a ton 0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:55.880 of good players, and really I had nothing to lose. 0:02:57.040 --> 0:03:00.800 It's funny how I hadn't played golf in like a 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:04.360 month until yesterday. So I mean I was on the 0:03:04.400 --> 0:03:06.640 first teape just like hoping to make contact. 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:11.480 That's how it goes. I mean when I when I 0:03:11.639 --> 0:03:17.000 was uh, I probably went six almost six six months 0:03:17.000 --> 0:03:19.840 without touching the club just because on the couch and 0:03:19.880 --> 0:03:23.480 then rehab and when I first started making some swings, 0:03:23.520 --> 0:03:26.480 it was just like I was the same way, just 0:03:26.560 --> 0:03:29.520 hoping to you just kind of like hope that your 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:32.799 game comes back, because you know, sometimes people just they 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:37.320 lose it for good. And uh, you know, fortunately and 0:03:37.360 --> 0:03:39.360 I'm still kind of trending the right direction. 0:03:40.080 --> 0:03:42.200 So when you were when you were hurt, what were 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:44.960 you what were you doing to keep yourself busy other 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:46.040 than rehabbing. 0:03:46.960 --> 0:03:51.160 Yeah, well for the first probably I couldn't even start 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:55.920 physical therapy for the first four weeks because my knee 0:03:56.720 --> 0:04:01.000 just needed rest. Like the only time I would get 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:04.720 up was with crutches to go to the bathroom, and 0:04:04.800 --> 0:04:08.200 so I don't think I made it up the stairs 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:14.280 to my bed for like fourteen days. And so the 0:04:14.400 --> 0:04:17.880 first month was just like survival. I mean, you know, 0:04:18.160 --> 0:04:23.480 taking pills, having my mom feed me. And then once 0:04:23.520 --> 0:04:27.320 I kind of started being able to get on the 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:31.720 crutches and get off the couch. So probably from month 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:37.080 one to three, I could at least, you know, start 0:04:37.440 --> 0:04:42.719 getting into a car and going to rehab. And that 0:04:42.920 --> 0:04:45.640 was when things got a little better, because you start 0:04:45.680 --> 0:04:47.640 to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:53.719 And I loved rehab because that was just like it 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:55.760 was the only thing I could do to make me 0:04:55.839 --> 0:04:59.520 feel productive, to make me feel like, you know, I'm 0:04:59.560 --> 0:05:03.680 getting I'm getting back as soon as possible. And uh, 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:05.520 and then I would say, you know, I just did 0:05:06.000 --> 0:05:11.599 some reading obviously, just crushed a ton of Netflix shows 0:05:11.960 --> 0:05:15.960 and uh, and I had my my parents were around 0:05:16.000 --> 0:05:18.520 most of the time, and then hung out with my dog. 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:23.360 Just it's just really silly stuff. But and then obviously 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:27.240 a ton of reflecting, like you just you just sit 0:05:27.320 --> 0:05:30.040 there on the couch and you think, you know, you 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:33.839 think about how you can get better, You think about 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:36.800 you know the weaknesses of your game, you know what 0:05:36.839 --> 0:05:40.440 you're doing well before you got hurt, and so yeah, 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:42.039 it was a lot of reflection as well. 0:05:43.120 --> 0:05:47.080 Yeah, I think I think it's unique. And most players 0:05:47.080 --> 0:05:50.480 that have the injuries happen like you know, when they're 0:05:50.600 --> 0:05:53.560 thirty five or you know, as they get older. When 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:55.599 they have you know, they've had a long career and 0:05:55.640 --> 0:05:58.760 then they have this time to reflect on, you know, 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:01.560 what they've done to date. But it's you know, having 0:06:01.720 --> 0:06:06.440 just turned pro, you know, eighteen months or so before, like, 0:06:07.040 --> 0:06:09.640 you know, what was it really you know, what were 0:06:09.640 --> 0:06:13.919 you kind of reflecting on it? You know, and what 0:06:14.000 --> 0:06:15.159 do you think about most? 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:19.560 Would you say, well, yeah, so, I mean I continue 0:06:19.600 --> 0:06:22.760 to get better throughout college and so you know, I 0:06:22.800 --> 0:06:27.120 had high hopes coming out, played decent in some exemptions. 0:06:27.440 --> 0:06:31.320 My first year. You know, I played all around the world. 0:06:31.320 --> 0:06:35.320 I played some in Europe, PGA Tour, Web, couple of 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:40.000 Latin and then I played a season up in Canada 0:06:40.560 --> 0:06:44.560 and I played seven events and so half the year 0:06:44.720 --> 0:06:47.400 and finished twenty first on the money list. So I 0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:51.000 was one spot out of getting into second stage and 0:06:51.040 --> 0:06:54.279 then end up going to first stage and missing. I 0:06:54.360 --> 0:06:57.520 shot like I can't remember, maybe like twelve under and 0:06:57.560 --> 0:07:02.400 didn't get through, and so then that was a huge bummer. 0:07:02.440 --> 0:07:06.039 And then a month or two later, just when I 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:08.240 feel like, all right, now I have a full season 0:07:08.279 --> 0:07:12.000 in Canada next year, and then you know, and then 0:07:12.000 --> 0:07:14.440 you start to think, and then the web, and then 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:16.720 you know, hopefully the PGA tour of the year after that, 0:07:17.280 --> 0:07:21.080 and then my knee starts to hurt, and you know, 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:25.160 shortly after Q school and so then I just you know, 0:07:25.280 --> 0:07:29.040 start to panic a little bit and go meet with 0:07:29.080 --> 0:07:32.400 the same surgeon I went to in middle school, and 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:35.800 he's like, look, we can try all these shots, we 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:40.120 can try physical therapy, and we can see if you 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:43.480 can get this thing back to where you can play golf. 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:48.640 And so I took the chance and did all of 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:53.200 that for six months and nothing worked, nothing at all. 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:57.560 So our last resort of surgery, which was a bummer 0:07:57.600 --> 0:08:01.440 because I had just delayed everything six more months, and 0:08:01.480 --> 0:08:05.360 now I'm looking at a twelve month recovery. And so, 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:09.800 you know, while I'm reflecting, I'm thinking about, you know, 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:15.280 all the unfortunate things that have gone my way. I 0:08:15.400 --> 0:08:20.360 felt like, you know, my talent and my work ethic, 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:24.280 you know, everything was good enough to at least be 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:26.360 on the web, and you know, I'm seeing all of 0:08:26.800 --> 0:08:29.280 the guy all my buddies, all the guys I went 0:08:29.320 --> 0:08:33.400 to school with and competed against, and you know, they're 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:37.160 all having success. And that's that's really tough. And it 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:41.240 kind of gives you the option to either feel sorry 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:45.719 for yourself and think of everything that that has that 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:49.480 haven't gone your way, or you can or you can 0:08:49.640 --> 0:08:54.760 just you know, continue to believe and work hard and 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:59.000 you know, and then that was kind of when rehab started, 0:08:59.040 --> 0:09:01.080 and I just wanted to work as hard as I 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:03.400 could to get back as soon as I could. And 0:09:04.200 --> 0:09:07.040 you know, when you sit out that long, you come 0:09:07.080 --> 0:09:11.679 back and you're hungry, you're refreshed, and you're kind of 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:14.280 just grateful to be on the course again. And I 0:09:14.320 --> 0:09:18.040 think that's that's a new perspective. I think I learned 0:09:18.040 --> 0:09:21.360 that when I was in middle school, big basketball player, 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:25.600 you know, focused on that. And then I have that 0:09:25.720 --> 0:09:27.960 time off and then I start to miss golf and 0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:31.040 I come back and that's kind of when I started 0:09:31.120 --> 0:09:35.640 to to really enjoy it and kind of the same 0:09:35.679 --> 0:09:38.600 thing here. You know, now I'm just fortunate to be back. 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:43.040 I've been through a year and a half of professional golf. 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:46.319 I know, I know it's a grind, but I also 0:09:46.480 --> 0:09:51.560 know that that I belong out there, and so yeah, 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:54.960 I mean that's just kind of a little summary of 0:09:55.600 --> 0:09:59.040 what went through my mind, what happened, and you know, 0:09:59.160 --> 0:10:00.640 everything that I was thinking about. 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:04.680 Yeah, I imagine it's kind of odd good, I think. 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:10.880 You know, nowadays, especially with specialization, how you know, most 0:10:11.200 --> 0:10:13.880 high school kids play one sport. It's it's like you 0:10:13.960 --> 0:10:18.240 got the you've got a rare year plus break off 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:20.880 of golf, Like nobody gets that anymore. That's trying to 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:23.559 play pro. You know, you're going pedal to the metal 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:26.880 from when you're fourteen or thirteen years old all the 0:10:26.880 --> 0:10:31.160 way through. You know how you know your professional career, 0:10:31.200 --> 0:10:32.480 you never get any time off. 0:10:34.120 --> 0:10:38.360 Yeah, I mean that's that's very true. And uh, you know, 0:10:38.520 --> 0:10:41.880 now people just you know want to play a year 0:10:41.960 --> 0:10:44.840 round golf. And that was the interesting interesting thing for 0:10:44.960 --> 0:10:48.319 me is is when I was growing up in Wisconsin, 0:10:48.679 --> 0:10:52.480 you know, I had a six month season and then 0:10:52.520 --> 0:10:56.000 I would kind of go to other sports and and 0:10:56.040 --> 0:10:58.760 then I decided to stay Midwest and go to college 0:10:58.800 --> 0:11:02.080 and and coach my as was huge on that, Like 0:11:02.440 --> 0:11:07.000 you've you've been used to a break and you've been 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:10.760 used to having that time off in the winter to 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:13.840 you know, reevaluate, figure out what you need to work on, 0:11:13.960 --> 0:11:16.960 but also get away from it. And uh, and he 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:20.000 was he was kind of viewed that as a positive thing. 0:11:20.400 --> 0:11:23.760 And I think that most people now just think that 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:26.680 they need to work, you know, twelve months out of 0:11:26.679 --> 0:11:29.800 the year, you know, grind on their game. And I 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:32.320 think that says a lot. And so that I do 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:35.040 think that, you know, it is maybe a little blessing 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:37.480 in disguise that I had all that time off. Well, 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:42.120 obviously I'm I'm impatient and just you know, wanting to 0:11:42.120 --> 0:11:45.560 get out there so bad. But you know, you got 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:47.960 to think that everything happens for a reason. And I 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:51.200 learned a lot throughout that process. 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:55.720 Yeah, I think I agree. I've got a buddy from 0:11:55.800 --> 0:11:59.599 Chicago who plays on the web and he, after a 0:11:59.679 --> 0:12:02.520 number years of living in Florida, started to just said, 0:12:02.600 --> 0:12:04.720 you know, I'm going to live in Chicago and and 0:12:04.800 --> 0:12:07.280 you know, just you know, when we're off or off 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:10.560 and I'm in Chicago even if it's winter, And you know, 0:12:11.040 --> 0:12:14.360 he seems to have liked it much more. It's it's 0:12:14.600 --> 0:12:19.280 a fascinating concept. So, you know, thinking about Illinois and 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:22.320 Coach small so obviously you went to Illinois, you were 0:12:22.400 --> 0:12:25.800 four time All American, you progressed, and and there you 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:29.600 have school. When you when you graduate and you start 0:12:29.720 --> 0:12:31.640 playing golf for a living, what would you say is 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:34.480 the most difficult aspect of that transition? 0:12:35.880 --> 0:12:38.880 Well, I would say, you know, in college, you get 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:42.000 used to, you know, the team aspect, You get used 0:12:42.040 --> 0:12:46.679 to everyone doing your travel for you and you they 0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:50.080 kind of make a schedule for you and you know everything. 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:53.120 And then you turn pro and you're completely out on 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:56.640 your own. You know, you have your family to support you, 0:12:56.640 --> 0:13:01.480 you have your agents to kind of get you into tournaments, 0:13:01.559 --> 0:13:06.680 but it's a lonely world, and especially when you don't 0:13:06.800 --> 0:13:12.120 quite have the results that you're expecting, it gets it 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:14.679 gets tough, and that's when doubt starts to creep in. 0:13:15.360 --> 0:13:18.240 That's when you start to realize, like, you know, am 0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:23.320 I made out to be a professional golfer, And it's 0:13:23.320 --> 0:13:26.200 not easy. And there are so many guys that come 0:13:26.240 --> 0:13:30.160 out of college and make that transition look so easy, 0:13:30.480 --> 0:13:33.960 and that's really impressive because you know, most of the time, 0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:37.079 it is a it is a big transition, and it's 0:13:37.120 --> 0:13:42.120 a tough transition, and and it was for me. I mean, yeah, 0:13:42.640 --> 0:13:46.760 I made some cuts out on the PGA Tour, you know, 0:13:48.080 --> 0:13:51.640 played played pretty well in some web events, you know, 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:55.040 played solid and half a season in Canada, but it 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:57.320 didn't get me anywhere. You know. It came down to 0:13:57.400 --> 0:14:01.880 Q school for two years, missed miss both years, and 0:14:01.920 --> 0:14:03.800 then you're just kind of looking at, Wow, I have 0:14:03.920 --> 0:14:06.640 to start over for the year. And so I think 0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:10.320 a lot of it's just you know, learning and progressing 0:14:10.679 --> 0:14:15.560 and you know, getting used to every experience and you know, 0:14:15.679 --> 0:14:18.640 learning from other players. I think that all goes in 0:14:18.679 --> 0:14:24.360 to to continue to become, you know, a better professional golfer. 0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:27.480 And and I think that you know, I've already learned 0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:30.520 so much through the two or three years that I've 0:14:30.520 --> 0:14:30.880 been out. 0:14:32.120 --> 0:14:35.920 Yeah, it's definitely something that's changed in the last i'd 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:37.320 say decade, is you. 0:14:37.280 --> 0:14:39.239 Know, the the. 0:14:39.040 --> 0:14:42.320 Success that young players has had. You know, it just 0:14:42.360 --> 0:14:45.280 seems like now it's younger and younger and more and 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:48.760 more people have success and and when you and a 0:14:48.800 --> 0:14:51.280 lot of it comes down to in some cases, a 0:14:51.320 --> 0:14:53.800 good break here or a good break there. And you know, 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:57.640 for you the first stage of you know, missing out 0:14:57.680 --> 0:15:00.480 on second stage of Q School by you know, one 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:03.400 spot on the Canadian Tour and then shooting twelve under. 0:15:03.440 --> 0:15:06.200 It's just like kind of just a matter of circumstance, 0:15:06.280 --> 0:15:09.320 and it's just so it's interesting because like you think 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:12.720 about Jordan Spieth, like he had you know, he missed out, 0:15:12.840 --> 0:15:16.000 he missed second stage, or he missed going to final 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:18.800 stage and then you know he gets on an exemption 0:15:18.920 --> 0:15:21.720 and he wins and you know, he hits the pin 0:15:21.800 --> 0:15:24.920 on that bunker shot. It was kind of a great 0:15:24.960 --> 0:15:27.000 break and a lot of times it comes down to 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:28.800 a good break here, a good break there. 0:15:29.800 --> 0:15:33.000 Yeah, I totally agree, and it just comes down to 0:15:33.040 --> 0:15:36.280 playing well at the right time because you know, even 0:15:36.600 --> 0:15:40.280 even if you get to final stage, if you don't 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:44.520 play four solid rounds, I mean good chances, you don't 0:15:44.560 --> 0:15:48.280 have you know, full web status that next year. And 0:15:48.360 --> 0:15:52.240 so you know, you just you hope to get a break. 0:15:52.280 --> 0:15:54.520 You hope to get you know, either Monday qualify and 0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:58.280 have a great week throughout the year. You know, just 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:00.760 a ton of things. You know, I've talked uh with 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:04.240 Nick Hardy about this all the time because we we 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:07.200 both you know, aren't on the Web and feel like, 0:16:07.600 --> 0:16:09.800 you know, we should be, and we really want to 0:16:09.840 --> 0:16:13.280 be But it's just it's just a matter of you know, 0:16:13.400 --> 0:16:16.680 believing that you keep working hard, you keep doing the 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:20.560 right things, you keep believing that some way or another, 0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:22.800 you're going to get You're going to get out there. 0:16:22.920 --> 0:16:26.840 And so I would say, you know, belief, belief, and 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:29.960 playing well at the right time, It's all going to happen. 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:32.400 It's just a matter of staying patient. 0:16:32.560 --> 0:16:34.560 Ye had you made the cut at the US Open, 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:36.640 had a really good week, you know, with a with 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:39.160 the exception of a whole here, a hole there, you 0:16:39.200 --> 0:16:41.720 would have been, you know, up in the top twenty 0:16:41.720 --> 0:16:44.080 five or so. What what are the plans for the 0:16:44.560 --> 0:16:46.000 rest of the summer. 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:50.200 Yeah, so, uh that was uh, that was quite the week. 0:16:50.280 --> 0:16:52.320 And we can talk about that in a little bit, 0:16:52.440 --> 0:16:56.160 but uh, the rest of the summer, I would say, 0:16:56.600 --> 0:17:00.800 you know, I'm in the I'm in the Barracude Championship 0:17:00.880 --> 0:17:05.159 that you know, I've played two years already, and so 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:09.359 I have that in late July, maybe waiting on you know, 0:17:09.400 --> 0:17:13.720 another exemption here and here or there, but you know, 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:17.959 focus up in Canada and uh, just do everything I 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:20.840 can to to continue to play well and just kind 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:23.760 of trust the process. But you know, it's all kind 0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:27.800 of just building momentum throughout the year by the time 0:17:27.840 --> 0:17:30.119 I get to Q school and I and honestly, I 0:17:30.280 --> 0:17:33.359 still have to get healthier. I'm I'm not at the 0:17:33.400 --> 0:17:37.560 point now where I can just quit rehabbing and I'm 0:17:37.600 --> 0:17:40.160 good to go. You know, I don't have my speedback. 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:45.560 Awkward lies and bunker shots still give me problems with 0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:49.440 my knee, and so that's also that's also something that's 0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:53.080 you know, pretty comforting, is I've I've already accomplished a 0:17:53.080 --> 0:17:57.840 little bit coming after the surgery, and I still I 0:17:57.960 --> 0:18:03.240 still have to get healthier and you know, looking forward 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:07.159 to to continuing to get my leg stronger and getting 0:18:07.160 --> 0:18:08.119 back to one hundred percent. 0:18:08.359 --> 0:18:10.400 We see it with a lot of guys when they 0:18:10.480 --> 0:18:13.639 when they have an injury and then you know, did 0:18:13.760 --> 0:18:15.520 having the injury and then you know you had this 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:18.359 period of time where you couldn't full swing. But I'm 0:18:18.400 --> 0:18:20.719 guessing you went and you could start to putt and 0:18:20.760 --> 0:18:23.800 then you started to ship to have you noticed that 0:18:24.280 --> 0:18:26.879 you know that's helped your short game and putting a 0:18:26.920 --> 0:18:29.440 lot that dedicated focus. 0:18:29.720 --> 0:18:33.800 Yeah, definitely. I Mean when when I was in college, 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:37.520 I mean that was basically all Coach Wall preached was 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:42.000 you know, work on that short game. And we sat 0:18:42.040 --> 0:18:44.159 down with Bob Rotella a couple of times and it 0:18:44.240 --> 0:18:46.560 was work on one hundred and twenty yards and end. 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:51.440 You know, that's it's so important. And I think people see, 0:18:51.920 --> 0:18:54.280 you know, the top players in the world right now, 0:18:54.320 --> 0:18:57.520 and they're just they're just great ball strikers who hit 0:18:57.600 --> 0:19:01.359 it far, but they're also so good from one hundred 0:19:01.400 --> 0:19:04.960 and twenty yards and end, and so yeah, I think 0:19:05.040 --> 0:19:08.200 that's that's something that has kind of It's always been 0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:11.200 my mo It's what I've always loved to work on. 0:19:11.920 --> 0:19:16.760 And I think that was pretty nice having that extra 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:20.240 time to to start to work on my short game 0:19:20.480 --> 0:19:23.200 so that when you know, when I was healthy enough 0:19:23.200 --> 0:19:26.080 to swing, that my short game was already good to go. 0:19:26.160 --> 0:19:28.000 I just you know, needed to group the swing. 0:19:28.560 --> 0:19:31.800 So Coach Small's had a ton of success. You were 0:19:31.840 --> 0:19:36.240 on some of some just unbelievable teams at Illinois when 0:19:36.320 --> 0:19:38.600 Thomas Feeder was there, and then you know, you guys 0:19:38.600 --> 0:19:42.000 had Thomas Dietree and Brian Campbell and Nick Hardy and 0:19:42.080 --> 0:19:44.879 Dylan Meyer, and you know a lot of times he 0:19:45.000 --> 0:19:49.199 takes you know, the thing that is most impressive as 0:19:49.280 --> 0:19:52.240 the player development. How everybody that seems to go there 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:56.640 becomes such a better player. What is it about Coach 0:19:56.680 --> 0:20:00.199 Small and his approach that you know really helped you 0:20:00.240 --> 0:20:02.280 guys and consistently improve. 0:20:03.240 --> 0:20:07.560 Yeah, and the player development was that's why I chose 0:20:07.600 --> 0:20:11.679 to get to go to Illinois because you watch you know, 0:20:11.880 --> 0:20:15.320 the Luke Guthries, the Scott Langleys just get better and 0:20:15.359 --> 0:20:17.879 better and you know, become one of the top players 0:20:17.880 --> 0:20:21.840 in the country. And uh and my dad was was 0:20:21.920 --> 0:20:24.440 huge on that with helping me with the recruiting process 0:20:24.520 --> 0:20:26.840 and and I think that's kind of what sealed the 0:20:26.880 --> 0:20:30.040 deal was watching how if these guys buy in to 0:20:30.840 --> 0:20:36.640 the culture at Illinois, they're continuing to to grow as 0:20:36.720 --> 0:20:42.239 players and you know, be able to compete individually, and 0:20:42.280 --> 0:20:44.640 that leads to the team being you know, top five 0:20:44.720 --> 0:20:48.320 in the nation. And so that was really intriguing. But 0:20:48.400 --> 0:20:53.400 once I got to Illinois, I obviously was surrounded by 0:20:53.520 --> 0:20:58.000 some unbelievable teammates. You know, they're they're great golfers, but 0:20:58.480 --> 0:21:01.680 they are great guys who who fit the culture, who 0:21:01.720 --> 0:21:06.520 love to work hard and and so you know, yeah, 0:21:06.560 --> 0:21:09.639 I got thrown in my freshman year with an incredible 0:21:09.680 --> 0:21:13.680 team and you know, learn a lot. And I would 0:21:13.680 --> 0:21:17.399 say the biggest thing that coach Mall will teach you 0:21:17.520 --> 0:21:20.520 is is one is to do everything the right way. 0:21:20.600 --> 0:21:23.520 You know, show up on time, look professional, and so 0:21:23.680 --> 0:21:26.720 you kind of grow as a man, you mature and 0:21:26.920 --> 0:21:31.000 and that's also a huge part in becoming a better golfer, 0:21:31.040 --> 0:21:34.639 I would say. And then he was he was just 0:21:34.800 --> 0:21:39.159 big on mental toughness and short game, you know that 0:21:39.320 --> 0:21:43.760 stuff that he would he would talk to us about 0:21:43.760 --> 0:21:46.880 all the time we'd practice. And you know, when you're 0:21:46.960 --> 0:21:49.680 listening to a guy who's played on the PGA Tour, 0:21:50.440 --> 0:21:54.679 who's taught you know, some top players in the country, 0:21:55.160 --> 0:21:59.480 who's played in at least twelve majors, won some club pros, 0:22:00.119 --> 0:22:02.359 you know you're gonna listen to this guy because he's 0:22:02.400 --> 0:22:05.440 been there. He knows what it takes. He's seen golf 0:22:05.480 --> 0:22:09.360 at the highest level. And uh so, yeah, I mean 0:22:09.520 --> 0:22:12.400 the moment I got there, I bought in. I loved it. 0:22:12.480 --> 0:22:15.760 And Coach Small isn't you know, just this nice guy. 0:22:15.840 --> 0:22:19.960 He's gonna he's gonna be honest with you, and sometimes 0:22:20.000 --> 0:22:21.679 you know you're you're not going to hear what you 0:22:21.720 --> 0:22:24.680 want to hear. But that's the great thing about him. 0:22:25.320 --> 0:22:30.200 Yeah, yeah, definitely, I mean critical, you know, but fairs 0:22:30.359 --> 0:22:33.120 is the best way to have some you know, get 0:22:33.160 --> 0:22:38.600 better with uh with small and and kind of there's 0:22:38.720 --> 0:22:41.840 like a crazy stat with him. I mean it's the 0:22:41.880 --> 0:22:44.560 most amazing thing is like in the mid two thousands, 0:22:45.440 --> 0:22:48.440 nobody had a better made cut streak on the PGA 0:22:48.480 --> 0:22:51.920 Tour except for Tiger Woods, like for like a long 0:22:52.000 --> 0:22:54.600 stretch of time, which is it's just nuts given the 0:22:54.640 --> 0:22:58.160 guy like only plays a couple months of a year. 0:22:59.000 --> 0:23:04.560 Yeah, I mean he he doesn't practice all that much, 0:23:04.720 --> 0:23:09.920 but he is so good that you know, I think 0:23:10.000 --> 0:23:13.080 last year he had three top tens in a row 0:23:13.320 --> 0:23:16.120 or you know, three out of four in a row 0:23:16.160 --> 0:23:19.600 on the Champions Tour. And he doesn't practice very much. 0:23:19.680 --> 0:23:22.440 You know, he's a busy man, and so that just 0:23:23.119 --> 0:23:26.400 that just shows how much talent he has and how 0:23:26.480 --> 0:23:29.720 much you know, mental toughness and confidence he has in himself. 0:23:29.920 --> 0:23:32.720 Yeah, it's amazing. I mean it shows he also like 0:23:32.840 --> 0:23:35.440 loves what he does, because it's very clear he could 0:23:35.480 --> 0:23:38.760 be making a lot of money playing golf himself. 0:23:39.680 --> 0:23:44.440 Oh yeah, I mean he he loves you know, coaching us. 0:23:44.480 --> 0:23:47.640 He loves being tough on us. He loves seeing us 0:23:48.000 --> 0:23:51.919 have success. He loves you know, every part about it. 0:23:51.960 --> 0:23:56.040 And there are so many highs and lows in college golf, 0:23:56.359 --> 0:24:00.959 and he he loves, you know, every part of it. 0:24:01.000 --> 0:24:03.879 He loves the adversity. He loves the struggle because he 0:24:04.000 --> 0:24:07.840 knows that it'll make the team tougher. And and you know, 0:24:07.920 --> 0:24:12.280 he's really good at making the schedule because he'll purposely, 0:24:12.840 --> 0:24:15.200