WEBVTT - 2026 Masters Preview with Brad Faxon 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:02.800 I miss a green, for example, I'm already upset. When 0:00:02.800 --> 0:00:04.920 I find my ball in the bunker, I'm really upset. 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:05.880 And when I find my. 0:00:05.840 --> 0:00:08.920 Ball in a bright egg Friday Egg, the dreaded Frida Egg, 0:00:09.039 --> 0:00:12.360 Frida Egg Egg, Frida Egg Bride Egg Lie, I'm about 0:00:12.360 --> 0:00:13.640 ready to run off of the hump. 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:41.840 Welcome back to another edition of the Friday Golf Podcast. 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:44.159 We have made it the uh. 0:00:44.400 --> 0:00:46.760 I guess this is kind of the kickoff to the 0:00:46.800 --> 0:00:50.640 big golf season for everybody in the country. It is 0:00:50.920 --> 0:00:55.360 Master's Week, UH, and we're super excited about the tournament. 0:00:55.840 --> 0:01:00.560 It should be an amazing, amazing event. UH. The so bummer. 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:04.640 Obviously, it's been the first time since nineteen ninety four 0:01:05.080 --> 0:01:07.960 that a Masters will not have Tiger Woods or Phil 0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:10.000 Mickelson in its field. 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:11.760 It's kind of a. 0:01:11.200 --> 0:01:14.640 Turning of page moment, I think for the sport. We 0:01:14.800 --> 0:01:18.959 will be on site at the Masters all week. There 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:23.520 are just storylines galore and we have covered We've dove 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:26.880 into a ton of stuff already at the Frida Egg 0:01:26.920 --> 0:01:30.640 dot com and you'll have on site reporting from Anuel 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:34.440 with Meg and then we obviously have done a ton 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:36.600 of prep work for the Masters. 0:01:37.000 --> 0:01:39.720 Go over to the website. It is filled with stuff. 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:45.080 Kevin van Volkenberg just published a giant piece on Scottie Scheffler. 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:48.800 We have little blurbs on every player in the field. 0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:55.760 We have a interactive every Whole at Augustin National kind 0:01:55.800 --> 0:02:01.080 of feature, custom website layout where with analysis, strategy, history, 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:05.600 quotes about each hole as well as the most memorable 0:02:05.600 --> 0:02:10.000 shots at each hole. It is something that Garrett kind 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:13.320 of took the lead on. Garrett also has an amazing 0:02:13.360 --> 0:02:17.400 podcast about the original Augusta National with Josh Pettitt, who's 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:20.040 been a guest on this podcast, the founder of the 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:24.000 Alistra McKenzie Institute, as well as Brian Schneider. So that's 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:27.520 well worth a listening over on the Designing Golf podcast. 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:31.720 We will be doing daily podcasts on the Shotgun Start 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:35.080 live from Augusta National. Will be me and Brenda Porath, 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:37.079 along with the rest of our team that will be 0:02:37.200 --> 0:02:42.040 on site, PJ Clark, Kevin van Valkenberg and Joseph Lamanna, 0:02:42.320 --> 0:02:45.440 so we have a big team on site. We're really 0:02:45.480 --> 0:02:50.320 excited about this year's Masters and cannot wait to get 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:53.960 down to Augusta. For this preview episode, we are joined 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:59.919 by Brad Faxton obviously great player, played in twelve mass 0:03:00.360 --> 0:03:03.720 on his own. He is also a one of the 0:03:03.800 --> 0:03:07.079 lead analysts for Golf Channel on an NBC on their 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:10.399 coverage weekend week out on the PGA Tour. He will 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:14.120 be participating in Live from He'll be a contributor of 0:03:15.160 --> 0:03:18.200 Live from this week at the Masters during the day 0:03:18.200 --> 0:03:21.800 on Golf Channel. And obviously he is he's the coach. 0:03:21.800 --> 0:03:24.880 He's a putting coach of Rory McElroy. On top of 0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:27.239 all of that, I think it's putting coaches. I don't 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:30.399 know what his official title is there in the McElroy camp. 0:03:30.440 --> 0:03:32.280 So it was great to get insights to Brad who 0:03:32.360 --> 0:03:35.640 just came back from a trip to Augusta. And this 0:03:35.680 --> 0:03:38.880 is our preview of the twenty twenty six Masters. We'll 0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:42.480 have a on site preview on Tuesday night that will 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:45.480 be live on the Shotgun Start. Me and Brendan will 0:03:45.600 --> 0:03:46.000 kind of. 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:49.240 Chop it up, so this is your early preview. 0:03:49.440 --> 0:03:51.600 That one will be a little bit, you know, more 0:03:52.040 --> 0:03:55.320 in depth with with notes from the ground and then 0:03:55.400 --> 0:03:58.400 of course after the Masters, we will be joined by 0:03:58.440 --> 0:04:02.320 Trevor Immulman to break down this year's Masters. So that's 0:04:02.360 --> 0:04:06.160 what's ahead. Can't wait for the twenty twenty six Masters. 0:04:06.440 --> 0:04:10.560 And before we get to the Masters, I wanted to 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:15.520 say a quick word about our partner, Mercedes Benz. 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Visit MBUSA dot 0:04:56.839 --> 0:05:00.760 com Slash the dash masters for more m b u 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:05.000 s A dot com Slash the dash masters for more 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:09.880 real side note, big thanks to Mercedes Benz for for 0:05:10.200 --> 0:05:13.559 another year of supporting our our programming here. 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:14.360 Uh. 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:17.680 They they make awesome cars, so go check them out. 0:05:18.160 --> 0:05:21.040 I was I rode in a one of their GLB 0:05:21.960 --> 0:05:25.680 SUVs recently in an Uber that uh, you know, you 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:27.520 get the Uber lottery when you get. 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:28.039 A nice Uber. 0:05:29.000 --> 0:05:32.080 I was astonished it had a third row, which I 0:05:32.560 --> 0:05:36.279 thought was crazy. They had the capabilities. But the GLB 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:39.400 was an awesome little uh. It was one of the 0:05:39.440 --> 0:05:44.840 smaller SUVs. But then I've also wrote in a GLS 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:48.760 that that thing is the flagship, you know, Monster Space 0:05:49.400 --> 0:05:54.120 just awesome all time comfort mobile there. So check out 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:58.000 Mercedes Benz. They make awesome cars and big thanks to 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:00.520 them for their support this week. All right, let's get 0:06:00.520 --> 0:06:10.880 to Brad Faxon. All right, we welcome in Brad Faxon, 0:06:11.600 --> 0:06:15.279 obviously a legend of the game, great player as well 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:19.760 as a broadcaster we hear as contributions on NBC and 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:23.480 Golf Channel nearly every week, as well as a coach. 0:06:23.839 --> 0:06:26.120 It's some of the best players of the world. Brad, 0:06:26.880 --> 0:06:30.640 you played in twelve Masters, You've attended so many as 0:06:30.680 --> 0:06:33.520 a you know, with your with with the Golf Channel, 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:37.040 I'm curious, what's your favorite thing about the Masters. 0:06:39.160 --> 0:06:44.039 That it's at Augusta National, that it's in April, that 0:06:44.520 --> 0:06:48.400 it's the most anticipated event of the year by the players, 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:51.960 it was the most fun event to be at, not 0:06:52.000 --> 0:06:55.159 only as a player, but as a spectator, as a member, 0:06:55.279 --> 0:06:59.800 as a member of the media, that the expectations that 0:06:59.839 --> 0:07:02.120 you go there are always so high and there you 0:07:02.839 --> 0:07:07.359 just can't believe that they keep surpassing expectations when you 0:07:07.400 --> 0:07:10.280 go there just to play. I was lucky enough to 0:07:10.320 --> 0:07:13.000 play the last couple of days with some member friends 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:17.800 and the intention to detail is this truly unlike any 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:18.360 place else. 0:07:20.120 --> 0:07:22.320 I always find when you go back to a great place, 0:07:22.400 --> 0:07:26.920 like you find yourself just marveling at something about it. 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:29.240 Just with your last with your last trip up there, 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:32.160 did you find yourself struck by a hole or a 0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:34.880 specific green that you hadn't really thought of that as 0:07:35.000 --> 0:07:38.440 that much that you just found yourself like thinking about 0:07:38.440 --> 0:07:39.160 while you're playing. 0:07:40.360 --> 0:07:42.360 Yeah, can I we talked about a few different things. 0:07:42.920 --> 0:07:46.080 Yeah, this is a podcast. We can talk about whatever 0:07:46.120 --> 0:07:46.440 you want. 0:07:46.920 --> 0:07:49.040 Okay, So before we get to holes, but remind me 0:07:49.040 --> 0:07:51.120 to go back there because I'll go tangentile here. 0:07:52.560 --> 0:07:54.240 When you when you arrive on. 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:58.560 The campus and you come into Magnolia Lane, and obviously 0:07:58.640 --> 0:08:02.560 the members will have one of the staff pick them 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:04.640 up and you drive down to magneal O Lane and 0:08:04.680 --> 0:08:08.400 they stop before you do the drive and say Does 0:08:08.400 --> 0:08:11.040 anybody want to take a picture? Does anybody want a video? 0:08:11.600 --> 0:08:14.640 As you drive down towards that clubhouse, and you know, 0:08:14.680 --> 0:08:17.640 your heart's kind of beating, Even now at my age 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:19.680 and as many times as I've been lucky enough to 0:08:19.720 --> 0:08:23.240 go there, there's something about it when you're going, yeah, 0:08:23.280 --> 0:08:29.360 you're looking around always. That was incredible. You know, the 0:08:29.640 --> 0:08:32.760 big storm from a couple of years ago that knocked 0:08:32.800 --> 0:08:35.920 down so many trees has had a significant impact on 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:38.839 the golf course. When you stand on the tenth t 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:41.280 now you can look down the hill and you can 0:08:41.320 --> 0:08:44.440 see far away Augusta Country Club through the pines that 0:08:44.480 --> 0:08:45.920 are missing, and you never. 0:08:45.800 --> 0:08:47.960 Got to see it. But actually it's a cooler look. 0:08:48.000 --> 0:08:51.600 You see a little bit of Donald Ross's Augusta Country Club, 0:08:51.640 --> 0:08:54.160 some of the bunkering there, and it doesn't bother you, 0:08:54.280 --> 0:08:58.800 or it certainly doesn't bother me. But every blade of 0:08:58.840 --> 0:09:01.680 grass it looks like it's exactly the same color and 0:09:01.720 --> 0:09:03.520 the same height everywhere. 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:06.240 That was remarkable. 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:10.120 I saw something yesterday that I had never seen before. 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:13.840 And the team that puts down the gallery ropes for 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:16.000 the entire golf course, because we played the first day 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:18.560 without any gallery ropes, so all of a sudden, there's 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:22.360 a fence around the practice putting green, the fence around 0:09:22.520 --> 0:09:24.920 the area where the members sit by the tree with 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:27.839 the tables starting to go up. The scoreboard all of 0:09:27.840 --> 0:09:30.479 a sudden went from being green to having all the contestants' 0:09:30.559 --> 0:09:33.240 names on it. When you first walk in under the 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:37.040 first hole where the creek used to be. And then 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:41.320 we saw that the golf carts that have spools behind 0:09:41.360 --> 0:09:45.719 them where they drive down, and there's probably six or 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:48.440 seven people at each golf cart on each side of 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:52.400 the fairway where the rope was released, and they geo 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:56.760 fence or geo map where every single gallery state goes 0:09:56.840 --> 0:09:59.840 throughout the golf course, and they would have enough detail 0:10:00.720 --> 0:10:04.880 from the previous year or years to know exactly where 0:10:05.600 --> 0:10:08.000 they go or where they need to change if it 0:10:08.080 --> 0:10:10.720 got a little too close or a little too far away. 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:19.120 I've never seen anything like that. The detail of where 0:10:19.160 --> 0:10:25.040 they put the galleries in the stands to the right 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:29.200 of fifteen. It looks like it's moved slightly back into 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:32.000 the right from what I've noticed, so that the people 0:10:32.040 --> 0:10:35.160 get a better angle of the shots coming down from 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:38.840 the fairway into fifteen. They get a better angle to 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:42.440 the players hitting their shots on sixteen and now because 0:10:42.480 --> 0:10:44.199 of some of the loss of the treets, you actually 0:10:44.200 --> 0:10:49.360 can see up into sixty. So that's an incredible spot 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.240 to sit right there in that area. And you know, 0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:54.760 trying to find a place at any golf course where 0:10:54.760 --> 0:10:57.160 you can see multiple shots into multiple holes. 0:10:58.360 --> 0:10:59.160 That's the dream. 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:02.920 It's you know, I was having a conversation with somebody 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:06.120 yesterday and they were we were talking about a subject 0:11:06.120 --> 0:11:10.480 and they're like, you know, if someone took the Augusta 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:14.480 national approach to things, and it was you know, the 0:11:14.880 --> 0:11:18.960 thesis is what they do is they bring in whether 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:21.600 whatever they want to do, whether it's Berkman's or whatever, 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:23.880 they bring in the best people in the in the 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:27.640 said industry, if it's food and hospitality, they pick their brain, 0:11:27.720 --> 0:11:30.440 they get their advice, and they implement it. But then 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:34.080 they continue to optimize it every year, and like here 0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:40.200 the gallery ropes being effectively like lasered and studied year 0:11:40.240 --> 0:11:40.720 over year. 0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:41.920 You know. 0:11:42.200 --> 0:11:45.040 Is it's just amazing because it's kind of the huge 0:11:45.080 --> 0:11:48.640 advantage that they have of it's only once a year 0:11:50.320 --> 0:11:53.000 that they get to, you know, spend so much time 0:11:53.040 --> 0:11:57.080 and energy evaluating for once a year, right, and it's 0:11:57.600 --> 0:11:59.719 it's so easy to look at this and be like, oh, 0:12:00.200 --> 0:12:02.840 what Augusta does. The PGA Tour should do that, But 0:12:02.880 --> 0:12:06.840 the PGA Tour is traveling circus around and it's just 0:12:07.280 --> 0:12:11.280 I mean, it's it's amazing. It is the uh I 0:12:11.280 --> 0:12:11.839 think it's the. 0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:16.320 Gold standard in all of sports for you know, in terms. 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:21.840 Of like the the professionalism and administration of a of 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:25.800 a big championship or sporting event. You know, it is, 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:28.240 it is an absolute spectacle. And every year I go 0:12:28.400 --> 0:12:32.240 back there, I'm just marvel at it almost more every 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:35.640 time i'm there, Like I can't believe, you know, the complexity. 0:12:35.679 --> 0:12:39.200 I mean, even down to like them releasing was it 0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:42.160 last week that the vault where you can go back 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:45.480 and watch basically any shot of the last. 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:49.680 You know, seven years on there. It's it's amazing. 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:53.720 Yeah, anybody can. Yeah, it is amazing. 0:12:53.760 --> 0:12:57.600 And you know, the detail doesn't just start with the 0:12:57.600 --> 0:13:01.200 golf course and the players. It's the things you might 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:04.520 not think of as a big deal, but when you're 0:13:04.960 --> 0:13:07.920 a patron walking in at any of the gates, when 0:13:07.920 --> 0:13:10.080 you're walking in through these gates, now it's not like 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:15.559 it's a dirt road and you're walking through scrabble, you 0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:20.160 feel like, oh man, this looks really nice. The entry 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:22.400 in here looks like you're going into a super Bowl. 0:13:22.440 --> 0:13:25.920 It looks like you're going into a World Series stadium 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:30.280 from all different vantage points, even the parking areas, just 0:13:30.320 --> 0:13:34.000 being able to see the preparation when we were driving around, 0:13:35.320 --> 0:13:37.680 getting a little bit of a tour just to see 0:13:37.679 --> 0:13:42.400 what's going on, and them paving, not paving, but smoothing 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:44.360 out the areas where the cars are going to park, 0:13:44.480 --> 0:13:47.720 or the media center is that arrival area, And to 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:50.959 realize that they when they want to make a change 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:56.840 inside the property, Andy, they have to do that within 0:13:56.880 --> 0:13:59.200 four or five months. So it's not like they just 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:01.920 decide in late May, hey we're going to build a 0:14:02.000 --> 0:14:05.880 seventy thousand square foot player services building. You know, they've 0:14:05.920 --> 0:14:09.840 been studying for I don't know how long, and I 0:14:09.840 --> 0:14:13.480 don't know if it's Hoodie's vision, Billy Payne's vision, Fred 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:17.280 Ridley's vision, all the three past chairmen that must have 0:14:18.040 --> 0:14:20.880 come up with these ideas and how do we implement 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:23.240 them and how do we do it so that there's 0:14:24.240 --> 0:14:28.200 no inconvenience to the members. And it seems like they 0:14:28.240 --> 0:14:31.720 snap the fingers. They've got an idream a genie here 0:14:32.120 --> 0:14:36.240 that can do all this stuff at once. And we 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:39.760 got a tour of the player services building. The players 0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:41.520 are going to be able to arrive and go down 0:14:41.800 --> 0:14:44.520 into the parking garage which is underground now for one 0:14:44.560 --> 0:14:47.440 hundred and fifty cars. They're going to be able to 0:14:47.520 --> 0:14:50.640 drive in in their workout gear so that they're not 0:14:50.880 --> 0:14:54.600 seen walking in looking like they're not golfers. So they 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:57.920 can eat in there. Their families can go in there, 0:14:58.000 --> 0:15:03.200 their trainers, physio those can come in there, Equipment managers 0:15:03.240 --> 0:15:03.760 can come in that. 0:15:03.840 --> 0:15:07.200 They can eat. There's a locker room there. There's two 0:15:07.280 --> 0:15:08.200 or three levels. 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:12.920 There's recovery with I think I saw three different temperature 0:15:13.200 --> 0:15:18.080 cold plunges, a huge room to work out in. They 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:23.560 had fifteen tables for the trainers, the therapists that work 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:27.560 on the players pre and post playing, and they have 0:15:27.640 --> 0:15:33.040 a room for coffee, food, television, Wi Fi. That's literally 0:15:33.080 --> 0:15:37.080 one hundred steps to the practice range, maybe less so 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:39.600 the tournament practice here, so they can go out there. 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:42.240 I thought it was funny that the. 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:44.280 Agents can't come in there, so the agents kind of 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:48.480 get pushed to meet somewhere else, which is funny. But 0:15:48.800 --> 0:15:53.160 then they can valley their car underground and then when 0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:55.320 they leave there's an exit ramp that's a different way. 0:15:55.480 --> 0:15:58.480 And I think that, you know, the players want to 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:00.480 get down to business when they get there. Most of 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:03.320 them show up three hours at least before their tea time. 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:06.480 And well that's early in the morning. That's an early start. 0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:09.120 And they don't have to run from the locker room 0:16:10.440 --> 0:16:13.280 in the clubhouse out to the range and then to practice, 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:16.280 which was in a different area to warm up. They 0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:18.600 think of everything, and it's nobody thinks like they do. 0:16:19.560 --> 0:16:25.160 Yeah, I mean, my experience there every year is exceptional. 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:27.920 I'd like any sterbott The press center is as good 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:31.560 as it's like. I mean, it's it's incredible. You come 0:16:31.560 --> 0:16:34.520 out after a week of a week at Augusta, it's 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:38.240 you're living right. What about the holes, Let's get to 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:41.760 the golf a little bit. Okay, you know, the amenities, 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:45.800 the amenities are great. What about what was there a 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:48.080 whole or two that stuck out to you just, you know, 0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:49.680 with it fresh in your mind. 0:16:50.800 --> 0:16:52.920 Yeah, and I you know, look, I'm sixty four years 0:16:52.960 --> 0:16:55.920 old now I would love to say I played the 0:16:56.480 --> 0:16:59.080 master's tease, but I didn't. I played the members teas, 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:04.280 which are maybe eight nine hundred yards, moved up, but 0:17:04.760 --> 0:17:07.440 I walked back to every back tee. I looked at 0:17:08.920 --> 0:17:12.200 the t shots and what's incredible to me is, ay, 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:13.720 like the first hole. We know that can be one 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:18.520 of the most difficult holes in the championship. And it's 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:22.119 a fairly wide driving area up until you get to 0:17:22.160 --> 0:17:25.960 the bunker, so the longer hitter has to be more accurate. 0:17:26.320 --> 0:17:28.040 As they get up to the top of the hill, 0:17:28.359 --> 0:17:30.520 the left side tree line moves into the left. It's 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:33.360 a big carry to carry all the way to the right, 0:17:33.400 --> 0:17:37.159 about three hundred and twenty five yards. And that green 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:40.280 is diabolical and when the pins left it, which it'll 0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:42.639 be left a couple of times, it makes the scoring 0:17:42.680 --> 0:17:46.119 average go up maybe half a quarter of a stroke 0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:49.760 anyway versus the right sides of the green. And you 0:17:49.760 --> 0:17:54.200 know you have nerves that that hole. And I think 0:17:54.280 --> 0:17:56.479 later in the day that hole gets harder and harder 0:17:56.520 --> 0:17:59.879 as the wind picks up, as it dries out. As 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:04.080 you know, there's a scoreboard everywhere. You can see people 0:18:04.119 --> 0:18:06.640 love to sit there. That first hole is just out 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:07.440 of the gate. 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:09.440 Is. 0:18:10.680 --> 0:18:12.080 I think it's one of the best holes on the 0:18:12.080 --> 0:18:16.480 golf course. And you know, we don't see or think 0:18:16.520 --> 0:18:20.120 about the front nine like we think about the back nine, 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:25.280 but that hole, to me is incredible. The other one 0:18:25.760 --> 0:18:30.520 that is so much different now to me, and it's 0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:34.679 so hard as number seven. The back tee now is 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:37.320 out of a shoot. It's one hundred and twenty yards 0:18:37.359 --> 0:18:40.480 farther back than the members tee. And you know, when 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:41.919 we used to play it would have been a three 0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:45.280 wood and an eighty yard sandwich, and now it's four 0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:47.560 hundred and fifty yards. It's the hardest fairway on the 0:18:47.560 --> 0:18:50.800 course to hit. We saw the miracle shot Rory hit 0:18:50.880 --> 0:18:53.040 last year out of the left rough through this gap 0:18:53.080 --> 0:18:57.439 that was this big and it's a shallow green. So 0:18:57.680 --> 0:18:59.920 now when you're hitting a shot from one hundred and 0:19:00.119 --> 0:19:04.000 fifty sixty seventy yards, you have to be so precise. 0:19:04.600 --> 0:19:06.360 So I mean when those two par four us, when 0:19:06.359 --> 0:19:11.600 you see those one and seven, they had an opposite directions, 0:19:11.960 --> 0:19:17.280 They're completely different with contours with the greens. You better 0:19:17.440 --> 0:19:19.320 know what you're doing on those two holes. 0:19:19.600 --> 0:19:22.680 I feel like seven is the one where like, until 0:19:22.720 --> 0:19:25.600 you're there, you don't realize how pitched that fairway is 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:28.479 from left to right to It's like if you hit 0:19:28.520 --> 0:19:32.440 a fade, I mean, the functional width of the fairway 0:19:32.520 --> 0:19:34.399 is like ten yards. Like if you don't hit that 0:19:34.800 --> 0:19:37.760 fade on the left side of the fairway, that ball 0:19:37.840 --> 0:19:40.960 is just going to rocket into the right rough and 0:19:41.640 --> 0:19:45.600 you know, I think one. You know, it does such 0:19:45.600 --> 0:19:49.720 a nice job of being a table setter for the 0:19:50.920 --> 0:19:54.639 kind of feel of the golf course where if you 0:19:54.720 --> 0:19:57.960 hit a good drive on one, you all of a 0:19:57.960 --> 0:20:00.879 sudden are like, okay, like maybe I can maybe I 0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:05.200 can make a three. But if you get out of position, 0:20:05.600 --> 0:20:09.640 and we've seen this so many times, you're just looking 0:20:09.640 --> 0:20:12.320 at a disaster. You saw it with Rory's final round, 0:20:12.520 --> 0:20:16.040 you know, you know Rory Saturday versus Sunday, Saturday carries 0:20:16.080 --> 0:20:19.080 the bunker, makes a three and it's like hello, and 0:20:19.119 --> 0:20:21.639 then Sunday, you know, he hits in the bunker and 0:20:21.800 --> 0:20:23.639 next thing you know, he's walking off with a double. 0:20:24.080 --> 0:20:28.120 And it's just like that hole kind of presents that 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:31.880 Augustine National feel where like, yeah, you could go make 0:20:31.920 --> 0:20:36.040 a birdie every hole and it's it's not like outlandishly 0:20:36.400 --> 0:20:41.440 challenging necessarily to make birdies there, but it is outlandishly 0:20:41.560 --> 0:20:44.600 challenging to not make bogies in doubles. 0:20:45.920 --> 0:20:48.480 I would tell you I forgot to mention when I 0:20:48.480 --> 0:20:50.879 was talking about the first that the bunker there, the 0:20:50.920 --> 0:20:53.520 lone bunker on the right side of the fairway. I 0:20:54.119 --> 0:20:56.320 got in there just to kind of take a look, 0:20:56.359 --> 0:20:58.200 like if you could hit a nice drive like Rory 0:20:58.200 --> 0:21:01.320 did on Sunday and it goes in that and you're 0:21:01.320 --> 0:21:03.639 not far off from a perfect shot, whether it's you 0:21:03.640 --> 0:21:05.240 didn't reach or you just hit it a little too 0:21:05.320 --> 0:21:09.040 far right. I got in there. I'm six'. ONE i 0:21:09.160 --> 0:21:12.879 couldn't see the, flag not the flag. STICK i couldn't 0:21:12.880 --> 0:21:15.480 see any of. It it's so, deep AND i was 0:21:15.520 --> 0:21:19.119 in the, middle not up against the. Face so you 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:22.480 could have a drive that you missed by three or four, 0:21:22.560 --> 0:21:25.960 yards and now you're hitting a blind. Shot those are 0:21:26.240 --> 0:21:32.600 very steep face, bunkers. Intimidating second, shot sand that's the 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:34.400 ball kind of gets down there so that a lot 0:21:34.400 --> 0:21:36.080 of the ball is not sitting above the, sand so 0:21:36.640 --> 0:21:40.760 short iron you can easily mishit that. Shot and like you, 0:21:40.760 --> 0:21:42.680 said if you hit it in the left roof those, 0:21:42.720 --> 0:21:43.240 trees come. 0:21:43.280 --> 0:21:44.920 In now you're in the. 0:21:45.040 --> 0:21:48.000 Rough it's harder to draw. It there's a front left. 0:21:48.000 --> 0:21:50.919 Bunker so if you carry, that can you stop? It 0:21:51.560 --> 0:21:53.520 do you want to draw it? Around AND i don't. 0:21:53.520 --> 0:21:55.439 KNOW i think it takes a lot of energy on 0:21:55.480 --> 0:21:58.240 that first shot into the first shot into a green 0:21:58.280 --> 0:22:00.960 on one if you've driven it in the fairway and 0:22:01.000 --> 0:22:03.560 the flag sticks on the left side and that shelf 0:22:03.880 --> 0:22:06.879 either front side or, backside if you're going at, that 0:22:07.480 --> 0:22:09.679 you don't have a lot of room to spare left or. 0:22:09.800 --> 0:22:13.320 Right and if you miss it left to that left, flag, 0:22:13.880 --> 0:22:15.840 yeah it's easy To it's easy to make a five or. 0:22:15.840 --> 0:22:19.800 WORSE i mean what you just said about energy IS 0:22:19.880 --> 0:22:22.680 i think something that is maybe a little bit under 0:22:22.720 --> 0:22:25.600 talked about with the golf course is the sheer amount 0:22:25.680 --> 0:22:30.000 of mental energy that it takes from, you shot after 0:22:30.040 --> 0:22:33.520 shot after. Shot LIKE i don't, KNOW i mean to, 0:22:33.640 --> 0:22:35.080 you you've played it so many. 0:22:35.119 --> 0:22:37.840 Times is there a moment in the round where. 0:22:37.680 --> 0:22:40.919 You feel like you you kind of can relax a 0:22:40.920 --> 0:22:41.520 little bit. 0:22:45.080 --> 0:22:48.560 Only when you walk off the eighteenth. GRADE i don't 0:22:48.600 --> 0:22:54.560 know what makes What mackenzie And jones did and the 0:22:54.600 --> 0:22:57.880 golf course so, good is you can hit a nice 0:22:57.920 --> 0:23:00.159 drive on. One you can have a short eye and 0:23:00.200 --> 0:23:02.760 a wedge to that whole. Location you can hit a 0:23:02.800 --> 0:23:05.440 really good shot that ends up four or five feet 0:23:05.600 --> 0:23:08.200 right and just trickles. Down and now you have a 0:23:08.240 --> 0:23:10.720 putt that's from a low area up a, hill and 0:23:10.760 --> 0:23:14.320