WEBVTT - Fire Drill 025: Opening Salvos At The Open 0:00:04.320 --> 0:00:06.360 You have to earn the respect of the writers, for sure. 0:00:06.400 --> 0:00:08.680 I mean that was That's part of the whole thing. 0:00:08.760 --> 0:00:10.200 You know, If you just keep showing up and you 0:00:10.280 --> 0:00:12.360 keep putting yourself on leaterboards and you keep getting asked 0:00:12.360 --> 0:00:16.080 in the tent, eventually they start like asking serious questions 0:00:16.079 --> 0:00:17.439 and they care what you say, you know, And I 0:00:17.440 --> 0:00:20.400 think that's the same with the fans. I think it's 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:23.600 unfortunate that people don't know some of these guys. But 0:00:23.800 --> 0:00:25.919 no one knows unless you're Tiger Woods and you have 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:29.080 an ESPN sort of junior career, Like nobody knows who 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:30.560 these kids are, so that you have to earn the 0:00:30.640 --> 0:00:32.280 respect of the writers. And then if you earn the 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:34.080 affect of the writers and the TV, then you were 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:36.839 in the respect of the fans and then off you go. 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:39.760 You know, it's it's the ruthless world, but I guess 0:00:39.760 --> 0:00:42.960 it's the meritocracy with the sport that we play with. 0:00:47.400 --> 0:00:55.160 Put another log on the fire what are here? Give 0:00:55.240 --> 0:01:04.039 it time? Hello, and welcome back to another Fire Drill podcast. 0:01:04.240 --> 0:01:07.000 It is deep into the first round here at the 0:01:07.040 --> 0:01:09.880 US Open. Sitting to my left is Michael Bamberger. To 0:01:09.959 --> 0:01:13.240 my right is Ryan French across the ocean is Jeff 0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:18.160 Ogilvie and quite an interesting first day. The late great 0:01:18.280 --> 0:01:21.360 Dan Jenkins used the word lurkers a lot. We're talking 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:24.000 about first round leaderboard. There's certainly some unexpected names. We've 0:01:24.040 --> 0:01:27.959 got Rory Jt. We have Matt fitz Patrick, another world 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:30.959 class player. Jeff, tell us what you think of this 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:35.240 leaderboard and just first impressions of the first round. Well, yeah, 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:36.880 I mean, lakas is a pretty good word. I mean, 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:40.480 I guess the first round of the US Open, you 0:01:40.600 --> 0:01:42.319 never work out who's gonna win, but you probably work 0:01:42.319 --> 0:01:45.560 out who isn't gonna win. Um, so you lose a 0:01:45.560 --> 0:01:48.240 few people that you may have thought that were a chance. Um, 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:50.720 But most of the players that we expected played pretty well. Um. 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:52.520 It's nice to say Rory have a good first round 0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:55.400 in a major. Um. He's obviously up and about. He's 0:01:55.400 --> 0:01:57.720 sort of pretty motivated at the moment. At same he's 0:01:57.760 --> 0:02:00.760 sort of as Johnty is he ever been and sort 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:02.800 of seems pretty motivated and fired up to play well. 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:04.560 So it's pretty cool to see him player first good 0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:06.840 first round because his first round scoring average and majors 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:09.600 has been awful. The last quite a long time, so 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:12.120 good to see and he's dangerous when he's up there 0:02:12.120 --> 0:02:14.000 at the front. J T looks like he's playing really 0:02:14.040 --> 0:02:17.600 really well. Um Fitzpatrick's back there again in the major 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:21.440 so yeah, I mean, um interesting cours looks brutal. I mean, 0:02:21.440 --> 0:02:23.040 there's a lot, there's quite a few guys under par 0:02:23.160 --> 0:02:25.040 but it does have that sort of they're not getting 0:02:25.120 --> 0:02:26.720 very far under power, and it does look like that 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:28.520 sort of thing that they're just going to start gradually 0:02:28.560 --> 0:02:30.480 every day you're gonna have slightly less under power. And 0:02:30.800 --> 0:02:33.400 can anyone be there at the end of the week. Yeah, Bryan, 0:02:33.520 --> 0:02:36.240 you were out there tracking your guys and this is 0:02:36.240 --> 0:02:39.639 actually your dream leaderboard. Mr Monday q info. I mean 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:42.160 the casual fan wants the stars. I know you love 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:44.959 the unknown, so you must be enjoying this. Yeah. I enjoy. 0:02:45.480 --> 0:02:48.960 Not only do I enjoy the leaderboard, I enjoy all 0:02:49.040 --> 0:02:51.079 the report like this is my first time in the 0:02:51.160 --> 0:02:54.400 media center, and I enjoyed the disdain of all the 0:02:54.880 --> 0:02:57.120 all of all the things there. I have to tell 0:02:57.160 --> 0:03:03.240 a quick story, so uh, the reporter shell remain nameless. 0:03:03.560 --> 0:03:07.040 But behind me Eric Barnes, who's had a lot of 0:03:07.080 --> 0:03:10.560 publicity based off of a tweet and story I wrote. 0:03:11.040 --> 0:03:14.560 Um chipped in for Eagle, and a reporter behind me goes, 0:03:14.560 --> 0:03:16.959 I don't even know who that is, and the guys 0:03:17.120 --> 0:03:19.200 wrapped up his tour card on the corn Ferry tour 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:21.960 like I mean, let's be better than that, You know 0:03:22.000 --> 0:03:24.360 what I mean. But this board is a perfect and 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:27.200 I love that everyone else hates it. Well, I think 0:03:27.240 --> 0:03:30.639 you've diagnosed it accurately, which is a lot of reporters, 0:03:30.720 --> 0:03:32.280 just like a lot of fans, are a little bit lazy, 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:33.920 and they don't want to have to make the effort 0:03:33.880 --> 0:03:37.120 they just wanted. They know the big names, and they 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:40.600 know the their storylines and their struggles, and it requires 0:03:40.600 --> 0:03:42.200 investing a lot of time and effort into a bunch 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:43.560 of these other people, and they don't want to make 0:03:43.600 --> 0:03:45.760 that effort. So I think your critique is accurate. It's 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:48.920 really it's it's disdained because they have to work harder. 0:03:49.160 --> 0:03:55.440 Here is this is a semi serious, uh take? Is 0:03:56.000 --> 0:04:00.160 Hayden Buckley is a tour player, very good, had a 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:03.840 good college career, played well. Today they bring him to 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:07.360 the media center. It was me and Kevin Price, Okay, 0:04:07.560 --> 0:04:11.280 two people like they don't even I mean, I understand 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:14.160 all of you guys have been through that nine percent 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:15.880 of the time. Haydn Buckley is not gonna win the 0:04:15.960 --> 0:04:19.280 US Open, but I mean it's twenty ft away. So 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:21.560 I ask the kid and like learned about his story. 0:04:21.600 --> 0:04:23.839 So on Sunday, if he does win, you already know it. 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:27.400 I would chip in there and say it's it's Alan 0:04:27.480 --> 0:04:30.040 and Michael's fault. And there peers because they tell us 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:31.880 that the only people worth watching they've been telling his 0:04:31.960 --> 0:04:33.800 fee is the only people worth watching in the top ten, 0:04:33.839 --> 0:04:36.840 top fifty in the world. That's I think what you're saying, 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:40.320 the live tour is Alan and Michael's and everybody else's 0:04:40.360 --> 0:04:42.440 fault because they're saying, hey, we just need to have 0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:45.400 forty eight players and that's it. We can hear you. 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:47.920 Guys were part of this podcast. You know that, right, 0:04:48.080 --> 0:04:51.080 I can hear you. Uh Well, my rebuttal to that was, 0:04:51.520 --> 0:04:53.800 let's see how Haydon Buckley does on Friday. Now, if 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:56.960 you're still there, then name the bet then we'll see. 0:04:57.160 --> 0:04:59.479 Um we will name it after this podcast. Yeah, let 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:02.560 me think of that. Michael. Well, welcome to the podcast, Michael. Yeah, 0:05:02.600 --> 0:05:06.120 until one quick a music something about that. Jeff, Jeffy 0:05:06.480 --> 0:05:09.719 wait too young for this. But my friend Mike Donald, Uh, 0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:13.279 he shot at first round. I think I've got it wrong. 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:15.200 I'm gonna say sixty four, but that can't be wrong 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:18.039 at wingfoot and eighty four and Arnold was playing, and 0:05:18.120 --> 0:05:20.840 Big Jack and Tom Watson everybody, and he you know, 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:24.599 he came in at six pm and the only person 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:27.000 write him up was Tim Roseford and he wrote the 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:30.839 hell out of it. Uh. And Tim Roosefort known for 0:05:30.920 --> 0:05:34.000 his hustle and his his curiosity. So kudos to Tim 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:38.800 rosa four and you know, well, Jeff was tough. Yeah. 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:41.599 Were you ever in this position? Where were you ever 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:44.120 the guy? Uh? At some point in your career when 0:05:44.160 --> 0:05:46.200 you're starting out where like nobody was expecting you to 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:49.599 have a maybe an Australian Opener or a major. Uh, 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:51.440 well it wouldn't happen to Australia, I don't think. But 0:05:51.480 --> 0:05:53.760 you had a Thursday round that nobody was expecting and 0:05:53.800 --> 0:05:56.160 suddenly all eyes are on you. Were you in that 0:05:56.200 --> 0:06:01.760 position yourself? Every um future I lead I've shot sixty 0:06:01.800 --> 0:06:03.719 three or four in the first round at Callaway Gardens, 0:06:05.480 --> 0:06:08.640 the Old Southern Open, two thousand and one, UM, and 0:06:08.680 --> 0:06:10.200 that was my first year out there, but I've had 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:12.400 a few good tournaments. It wasn't a surprise. That's the thing. 0:06:12.680 --> 0:06:16.280 You definitely feel when you're one of these guys, the 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:20.960 the disrespect, I think from the general feeling of like, 0:06:21.240 --> 0:06:22.599 we have to talk to this guy, he's not going 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:24.039 to be there at the end. You can feel that 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:25.760 energy when you come in there when you're that guy, 0:06:25.960 --> 0:06:28.880 like it's I understand it, Like I completely understand it. 0:06:28.880 --> 0:06:30.240 Because you're all going to write stuff and you read 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:31.640 it is gonna go who's this guy? You're not gonna 0:06:31.640 --> 0:06:35.919 write about him? Like I understand that, um thing. And 0:06:35.920 --> 0:06:37.720 you've stood up and probably listened to twenty five of 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:40.240 the great the prima donnas get up there and pontificate 0:06:40.279 --> 0:06:43.000 about their things. So you're just done with those guys. 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:45.600 But you definitely have that feeling when you're not one 0:06:45.640 --> 0:06:47.400 of those guys when you come in the media center 0:06:47.440 --> 0:06:49.800 that no one's really interested and they're just standing there 0:06:49.839 --> 0:06:53.240 because they're supposed to. You know, Um, you have to 0:06:53.240 --> 0:06:55.240 earn the respect of the writers for sure. I mean 0:06:55.279 --> 0:07:00.359 that was um, that's part of the whole you know, 0:07:00.400 --> 0:07:02.080 if you just keep showing up, and you keep putting 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:03.840 yourself on later boards and you keep getting asked in 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:07.560 the tent. Eventually they start like asking serious questions and 0:07:07.560 --> 0:07:09.080 they care what you say, you know, And I think 0:07:09.240 --> 0:07:12.480 that's the same with the fans. I think it's unfortunate 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:15.360 that people don't know some of these guys. But no 0:07:15.400 --> 0:07:17.440 one knows unless you're Tiger Woods and you have an 0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:20.680 ESPN sort of junior career, Like nobody knows who these 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:22.400 kids are, so that you have to earn the respect 0:07:22.400 --> 0:07:24.120 of the riders. And then if you earned affect of 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:25.680 the riders and the TV, then you were in the 0:07:25.760 --> 0:07:28.640 respect of the fans and then off you go. You know, 0:07:28.800 --> 0:07:31.640 it's it's the ruthless world. But I guess it's the 0:07:31.760 --> 0:07:36.640 meritocracy with the sport that we play with. Interesting. Yeah, 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:39.200 this whole this whole podcast is gonna change my entire 0:07:39.200 --> 0:07:41.520 professional career. I'm going to those press conference. I'm gonna 0:07:41.520 --> 0:07:43.840 start writing these kids up. I feel bad like you 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:47.240 guys have shamed you've shamed me. I mean, two people 0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:50.160 were there and there's no two bigger kaufnors in the 0:07:50.200 --> 0:07:53.600 world than Kevin Brice and myself, and but you must 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:55.280 have been so happy because I'm sure your guys are 0:07:55.280 --> 0:07:56.880 familiar faces like that must have been a great sense 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:58.600 of comfort that you were The two dews were a 0:07:58.680 --> 0:08:02.240 quick side note, Kevin using Kevin used the microphone to 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:05.040 ask a question. It was my favorite part of the 0:08:05.200 --> 0:08:08.160 entire press conference is that there was only two people 0:08:08.160 --> 0:08:10.240 in the room and he used the microphone. Jeff, how's this? 0:08:10.360 --> 0:08:15.000 How's this golf course showing up on TV? It looks great. 0:08:15.240 --> 0:08:17.720 It looks like a very old school, traditional US Open? 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:21.160 Done it? I mean, um, we had I don't know 0:08:21.200 --> 0:08:23.400 in the last decade, We've had a few different ones, 0:08:23.600 --> 0:08:27.080 you know. Um, but this looks yeah, old school US Open, 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:29.760 as I said, the leaderboard, not necessarily the names, I 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:33.680 mean the names, it looks pretty normal. Is normally, um, 0:08:33.720 --> 0:08:35.600 a few big names and a few that you haven't 0:08:35.640 --> 0:08:37.280 heard of an US Open, right, that's the nature of 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:41.280 the field. Um it. Yeah, it looks kind of normal. 0:08:41.360 --> 0:08:42.920 Looks like it's going to be one of those ones 0:08:42.920 --> 0:08:45.120 that everyone sort of gradually drifts back and it's who 0:08:45.200 --> 0:08:47.360 hangs on, you know. It's got that feel about It 0:08:47.400 --> 0:08:49.280 looks like a grind. It looks like there's birdies out there, 0:08:49.280 --> 0:08:51.560 which they're usually or they can often be in that 0:08:51.600 --> 0:08:55.800 traditional US Open Thursday. I'm sure it'll get tougher every day, 0:08:56.280 --> 0:08:58.160 doesn't I don't think there's any rain in the forecast, 0:08:58.200 --> 0:08:59.600 so it's going to get as firm as they wanted 0:08:59.640 --> 0:09:03.440 to get. It's um hopefully stays within the realm of 0:09:03.920 --> 0:09:06.280 like sensible, you know, but it looks great right now. 0:09:06.280 --> 0:09:08.200 It's kind of it looks like a perfect US Open 0:09:08.240 --> 0:09:10.560 from afar watching it on to you day at this point. Well, 0:09:10.600 --> 0:09:13.480 and today was overcast and almost a little cool, and 0:09:13.640 --> 0:09:15.480 that obviously is going to keep some moisture in the course. 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:17.440 But tomorrow high eighties and it's going to be by 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:20.400 far the hottest day of the week. People. You know, 0:09:20.400 --> 0:09:22.960 the players talk about how a course can change from 0:09:23.040 --> 0:09:25.280 day to day, but I think the casual fan has 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:28.000 trouble really understanding that. Jeff, can you talk about how 0:09:28.120 --> 0:09:30.520 much of course can evolve in just twenty four hours 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:33.120 and if you have an extreme example of that? Oh yeah, 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:36.520 I mean, um, firstly, the grains, I mean the grains 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:39.600 are so stressed. Well well, well, I mean firstly, the weather, 0:09:39.640 --> 0:09:42.360 like you say, overcast, not much wind, it's a very 0:09:42.400 --> 0:09:45.320 it's a nice temperature. It's a great sort of environment 0:09:45.320 --> 0:09:47.280 to play golf, and sun comes out, a little bit 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:49.320 of wind looked like it looks what happens this afternoon. 0:09:49.960 --> 0:09:54.040 It's just there's another element to the thing, to the 0:09:54.040 --> 0:09:56.080 the ball flight changes a little bit when the temperature 0:09:56.080 --> 0:09:58.400 warms up. The wind obviously adds sort of an element 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:02.760 of difficulty. Um greens gradually generally firm up during the 0:10:02.840 --> 0:10:06.520 day because the irrigation, if they are putting any water 0:10:06.600 --> 0:10:08.920 on the greens at night, it doesn't go on after 0:10:08.960 --> 0:10:11.679 the first group or from after about five in the morning, 0:10:11.760 --> 0:10:15.960 so naturally it's just sort of evaporates and dries out 0:10:16.040 --> 0:10:18.640 during the day, so they're at their firmness at the 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:20.680 end of the day, so you can see it change 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:24.120 in front of you. And a normal PGA two, of course, 0:10:25.440 --> 0:10:28.520 is a relatively docile set up, I would say, compared 0:10:28.520 --> 0:10:30.520 to these things. It's not pushing the course to its 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:34.479 absolute limit. But when you push green, especially greens and fairways, 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:37.040 you're cutting them really short and you're pushing them to 0:10:37.080 --> 0:10:40.360 their limit. They are right on the edge. So they die. 0:10:40.400 --> 0:10:42.320 They're they're on the edge of dying really quickly. I mean, 0:10:42.320 --> 0:10:44.280 they're not dying but they feel like that because it's 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:46.719 just a lack of water there and the leaf sort 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:51.079 of dries out and it's um. It can really change 0:10:51.080 --> 0:10:53.079 from morning group to afternoon group, and then day to 0:10:53.200 --> 0:10:55.760 day even it's even more so. You know, it's like 0:10:56.040 --> 0:10:58.240 it feels like Thursday, it takes still after lunch for 0:10:58.280 --> 0:11:00.720 it to start getting sort of unchy and hard, and 0:11:00.720 --> 0:11:03.880 then Friday it's eleven o'clock and Thursday it's a little 0:11:03.880 --> 0:11:05.480 bit earlier. It seems to happen a little bit earlier 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:07.440 every day in these u s opens and then Sunday 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:09.360 it's just like brutal from the first group, you know, 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:11.719 which is how they like it. And I think that's 0:11:11.720 --> 0:11:14.440 how these Great Championship should be. I think you're trying 0:11:14.440 --> 0:11:16.200 to sort the week from the chaff, and you're trying 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:19.080 to get the creamed to rise to the top. And 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:22.560 I think that the firmer and more sort of krusty 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:24.839 golf course gets towards the end. You do that, you know. 0:11:26.160 --> 0:11:30.319 The most extreme thing, I think Pebble Beach when um 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:37.760 Gary Woodland one when was at ten nineteen no the 0:11:37.800 --> 0:11:43.960 one before that, then umah Dald two, thous Gray mcdowal 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:49.360 the Graam mcdowe was incredible. I mean, the pebbles always 0:11:49.400 --> 0:11:51.280 sort of cloudy in the morning and carmel as you 0:11:51.320 --> 0:11:53.240 know Alan, and then at some point every day that 0:11:53.280 --> 0:11:55.679 week the sun would come out and they have those 0:11:55.720 --> 0:11:59.960 power greens out there, and there's apparently there's multiple varieties 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:02.360 of that grass in those greens which you can't tell 0:12:02.400 --> 0:12:04.160 when the sun was out, and they were perfect in 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:05.680 the morning, but as soon as the sun came out, 0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:08.800 there was one particular variety of that grass. It just 0:12:08.880 --> 0:12:11.280 laid down and went brown, and so you had all 0:12:11.320 --> 0:12:14.439 these like low bits and high bits, and all of 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:16.840 a sudden, just like ten minutes after the sun came out, 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:19.439 the greens completely changed and they were almost unpossible, and 0:12:19.440 --> 0:12:21.680 then the morning they were fantastic until the sun came out. 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:26.040 So um, that one was the most extreme change absolutely. 0:12:26.320 --> 0:12:28.199 But I mean when fort the wing Foot, the year 0:12:28.240 --> 0:12:30.520 i won the morning group to the afternoon group, putting 0:12:30.520 --> 0:12:33.480 on the greens was incredibly My afternoon round on Thursday 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:35.760 was just outrageously difficult to put on, and then morning 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:39.679 on Friday they were like Christine and perfect. So when 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:44.280 you get these stressed out on the edge greens, they 0:12:44.320 --> 0:12:47.080 just take footprints harder, they just take where harder, and 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:49.800 they just get sort of the moisture goes out and 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:51.000 by the end of the day and they get that 0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:53.320 sort of shiny look where people are stepping and stuff, 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:55.960 and they can deteriorate in front of your eyes. Actually, 0:12:55.960 --> 0:12:58.520 and I'm not trying to say that's a bad thing, 0:12:58.520 --> 0:13:00.840 as I said, I think that's a really good thing, um, 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:02.640 because you're trying to sort out the men from the boys, 0:13:02.640 --> 0:13:04.120 and usually the good part of the whole parts in 0:13:04.160 --> 0:13:08.920 those situations stuff. But yeah, it does incredible the difference 0:13:08.960 --> 0:13:11.360 from Thursday morning the Sunday afternoon and the US Open 0:13:11.440 --> 0:13:14.000 and a normal, traditional good weather US Open. It's amazing 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:16.880 the difference. And to your point about about Pebble being, 0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:18.960 you know, its own micro clemate as they always say 0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:21.280 they're in ninety two, the same thing happened when Tom 0:13:21.400 --> 0:13:24.280 Kite one and people are congratulating Calm Montgomery and winning, 0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:28.000 and I don't recall what it was, but a monsoon 0:13:28.040 --> 0:13:29.760 of wind came in, if there is such a phrase, 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:33.160 it was it was a totally different golf course and 0:13:33.280 --> 0:13:35.640 was hanging on for dear life, for for for everybody. 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:38.040 And that's part of the greatness of the Open Championship. 0:13:38.120 --> 0:13:40.160 But you know, the day is so long, everybody's playing 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:42.800 off the first tea, and you know, as it's it's 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:44.559 said every year, you know where you are in the 0:13:44.640 --> 0:13:47.840 drawshet Thursday Friday will often affect where you are Sunday afternoon. 0:13:48.040 --> 0:13:51.000 If you're even playing by Sunday afternoon. Well, you say, 0:13:51.040 --> 0:13:55.000 that's the greatness that watching this about the Open chev 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:58.240 If you're a player that's sort of you get very 0:13:58.320 --> 0:14:00.120 unlucky in the Open Championsip. It turns you know, as 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:03.240 you are, you get a little jaded. If you get 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:04.920 a couple of bad opens in a row, would you 0:14:04.920 --> 0:14:07.200 have a two? Would you have? You're right? But if 0:14:07.400 --> 0:14:08.840 you run the RNA, would you have a two tea 0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:14.120 start for for the Open Championship? You know what I 0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:18.000 mean now that I'm ah, I don't know. I mean 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:20.880 I think, look, great players when they open, generally the 0:14:20.960 --> 0:14:22.880 right player wins and the right players are up there. 0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:24.840 It works out in the long run, right, And if 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:26.480 you get a couple of randoms, you get a cup 0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:28.320 of randoms. I mean, Louis, you had the dreamy drawer 0:14:29.960 --> 0:14:32.000 the old course in OH five, was I mean, you 0:14:32.080 --> 0:14:34.680 just had an incredible draw, but like history has proven 0:14:34.720 --> 0:14:37.920 that he was the right winner, you know. So, I mean, 0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:41.280 it sucks when you get the bad draw, but it's 0:14:41.800 --> 0:14:43.920 it's just part of that tournament. It's just it's it's 0:14:44.000 --> 0:14:46.400 part of what gives it that tournament. It's quirk if 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:49.600 you like. But it would be so different think about 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:52.360 the links courses like like maybe like Troon where all 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:54.000 the holes go in one direction on the front and 0:14:54.160 --> 0:14:56.160 a different direction on the back. If you started on ten, 0:14:56.560 --> 0:15:01.040 it's such a different rhythm and a different experience you're 0:15:01.240 --> 0:15:03.480 preaching to the converter. I would never want to change 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:06.000 anything about the Open, you know. And it's so interesting 0:15:06.040 --> 0:15:08.680 how different the philosophies are. And you know, Jeff, as 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:10.440 you've gotten to know U. S J people over there 0:15:10.480 --> 0:15:12.320 and wondering if you can speak to this by once 0:15:12.320 --> 0:15:15.960 heard Mike Davis say in an unguarded moment, I can 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:21.160 have any winning score I want. And I'm just wondering, Joe, 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:24.240 how do they feel about two eighty Do they have 0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:26.440 some special relationship with that number of the U s 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:30.360 J people. Do you have a sense of that. They 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:36.240 certainly seem to have a preoccupation with par like what 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:38.960 is part? They want to make part a very valuable thing, 0:15:39.040 --> 0:15:41.120 make it very difficult to shoot even part for the week. 0:15:41.800 --> 0:15:44.480 They don't seem to like us making birdies too much. 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:49.280 Um yeah, I like and I think that's great at 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:51.440 most courses, at a course at the country club, obviously 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:53.360 you can set it up sensibly and have that sort 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:55.760 of score shot. Sometimes you go to places that you 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:57.440 have to get really a bit out of control to 0:15:57.480 --> 0:15:59.880 get people to shoot that score. And I think that's 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:03.480 ellier then when I think when good when really really 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:06.600 good shots are getting punished and making bogs and doubles, 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:08.720 I don't like it, you know, I just don't think 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:12.320 that's right. But generally, and I'm not out there this week, 0:16:12.360 --> 0:16:13.640 and I'm sure a couple of the boys who have 0:16:13.640 --> 0:16:16.160 had some high numbers might disagree, but it looks like 0:16:16.200 --> 0:16:18.960 if you play well, you'll have a reasonable score. And 0:16:19.040 --> 0:16:21.320 I think I don't think any player can have a 0:16:21.360 --> 0:16:23.760 real fair complaint that if you're hitting good shots, they're 0:16:23.760 --> 0:16:25.720 getting kind of rewarded. You a really good shots that 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:28.280 should be really good shots. Um. But if you get 0:16:28.280 --> 0:16:30.040 good shots all week, you should get rewarded. If you're 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:32.080 good shots and get punished, which happens. It's happened a 0:16:32.120 --> 0:16:34.800 few times. We've seen that that's a bit over the top. 0:16:35.800 --> 0:16:39.320 Um So I think they're a little probably too preoccupied 0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:41.720 with the score we shoot. But for the most part, 0:16:41.760 --> 0:16:44.440 they do a reasonable job at it. I think just 0:16:44.560 --> 0:16:47.640 sometimes you go to these historic golf clubs that have 0:16:47.760 --> 0:16:51.920 these reputations, and I feel sometimes the club has such 0:16:51.960 --> 0:16:55.880 a such a sort of an ego issue with anyone 0:16:55.960 --> 0:16:58.400 shooting underpar. That has to be hard. Oak mots hard, 0:16:58.400 --> 0:16:59.800 so we have to make it harder than it's ever 0:16:59.840 --> 0:17:02.160 been before, and jocks hard, so it's gonna be harder 0:17:02.200 --> 0:17:04.080 than it's ever been before. I think when you go 0:17:04.119 --> 0:17:06.800 to these new venues that don't have that history, I 0:17:06.840 --> 0:17:09.280 think the us j I end up getting to set 0:17:09.280 --> 0:17:10.960 it up kind of how they want. But I think 0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:13.000 when you go to these traditional venues, I think sometimes 0:17:13.040 --> 0:17:14.800 there's some kick back from the club to make sure 0:17:14.880 --> 0:17:17.960 that it's actually hard enough. Yeah, the commentary and when 0:17:17.960 --> 0:17:20.880 Bryson won at Wingfoot was hilarious, like on Twitter, Oh, 0:17:20.960 --> 0:17:23.480 say your prayer for the Wingfoot members, you know, because 0:17:23.520 --> 0:17:25.280 the scores were low and he was kind of taking 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:27.679 apart the golf course. But um, anyway that that's an 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:29.800 interesting discussion. Just you want to add, but just you know, 0:17:30.119 --> 0:17:32.919 it's so nice to come here and see just a 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:35.399 proper golf course. And just to your point, Jeff, I 0:17:35.400 --> 0:17:38.879 remember two US Opens, particularly um Pinehurst the year that 0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:42.200 Michael Campbell won and Marrying the Earth that justin Rose one. 0:17:42.800 --> 0:17:44.880 The moment you arrived and looked at the golf course, 0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:47.360 it's like, this is not what the golf you were both, 0:17:47.359 --> 0:17:52.000 weren't you, Jeff, Just to my eye, having been there 0:17:52.040 --> 0:17:54.800 under normal conditions a lot over the years, the golf 0:17:54.800 --> 0:17:56.600 course didn't look like it's supposed to look like like 0:17:57.640 --> 0:17:59.200 I don't know, I don't know how else to word. 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:01.159 It just didn't look the golf course. It looked like 0:18:01.200 --> 0:18:04.800 they had manipulated the golf course to make two eighty 0:18:05.560 --> 0:18:07.600 or something right around there the winning score. And I 0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:10.400 don't think that's I think it's a shame. Really, we've 0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:14.639 evolved as golfers. I mean it's we're using metal woods 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:16.840 and better balls and better equipment and everything is better. 0:18:16.880 --> 0:18:18.920 And it's like you go play Marian where there really 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:22.280 isn't much room to make it much bigger Um, we're 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:24.800 going to shoot lower. We just are. That's just just 0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:28.080 the nature of sport. I mean, like we wouldn't watch 0:18:28.119 --> 0:18:29.840 the hundred meters of the Olympics if they weren't getting 0:18:29.840 --> 0:18:32.879 faster every time, you know. Like, I know it's a 0:18:32.920 --> 0:18:36.600 little different in Gulf, but um, when you have to 0:18:36.640 --> 0:18:39.000 manipulate a course to force a score, you're right. I mean, 0:18:39.080 --> 0:18:41.639 Marian just got a bit narrow. I thought it was 0:18:41.640 --> 0:18:43.640 a fantastic open, but I just got a bit narrow 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:45.200 because it was just they were a bit scared because 0:18:45.200 --> 0:18:49.680 it felt a bit small. You know. Um that year 0:18:49.720 --> 0:18:52.040 with Michael Campbell's was way too narrow, and I mean 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:55.440 just like little alleyways. It just didn't look really like 0:18:55.119 --> 0:18:57.480