WEBVTT - Luke Donald 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:03.040 Welcome back to another edition of the Friday Egg Podcast. 0:00:03.279 --> 0:00:07.200 Today we are joined by PGA tour star Luke Donald. 0:00:07.240 --> 0:00:10.960 Like to thank Luke for his gracious time. He stayed 0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:14.840 with us for about an hour and hope you guys 0:00:15.000 --> 0:00:18.800 enjoy this podcast with the former number one ranked player 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:19.280 in the world. 0:00:19.480 --> 0:00:23.040 The fried egg requires a different technique. What you need 0:00:23.079 --> 0:00:26.200 to do is actually square the face so they'll dig 0:00:26.239 --> 0:00:29.880 down underneath that bad lie and propel that ball right 0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:30.600 out onto the green. 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:33.680 Here's the thing. Playing out of a buried lion of 0:00:33.720 --> 0:00:36.320 bunker is completely different than playing out of a nice 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:38.120 and clean lion of green side bunker. 0:00:39.080 --> 0:00:41.320 You need to be aggressive on any show, weather it's 0:00:41.360 --> 0:00:43.520 sitting cleanly or it's Frida egg. 0:00:44.040 --> 0:00:46.520 Well, we've all faced it, the dreaded Frida egg. 0:00:47.440 --> 0:00:48.360 Not to be cleared though. 0:00:48.400 --> 0:00:50.040 It's actually a pretty easy shot to hit. 0:01:00.560 --> 0:01:03.000 You played a lot of golf in in Chicago. What 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:04.480 are what are your favorite courses? 0:01:05.240 --> 0:01:08.520 Wow, lots of lots of good ones in Chicago. I 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:10.760 think it's a little bit of a hidden gem of 0:01:10.840 --> 0:01:15.360 a place for for golf courses. Some of my favorites 0:01:16.959 --> 0:01:20.199 Chicago Golf Club obviously very fortunate to have played there 0:01:20.720 --> 0:01:25.119 shore acres. You know, I practice and play when I'm 0:01:25.200 --> 0:01:28.440 up there in the summers at Conway Farms. I got 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:32.480 a north Shore country club. I love Skokie. It's a 0:01:32.480 --> 0:01:37.280 great course. Well, I'm trying to think of some other ones. 0:01:37.319 --> 0:01:40.080 But we were very fortunate when I was at college, 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:43.280 you know, to play a rotation of golf courses and 0:01:43.440 --> 0:01:45.240 you know, some really good ones to some of those 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:50.400 on that list. Nolwood's another good one. Yeah, a lot 0:01:50.440 --> 0:01:51.040 of good ones. 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:55.240 What was the Northwestern is an interesting school because it's 0:01:55.320 --> 0:01:59.560 you're very urban. I mean, you're pretty much like essentially 0:01:59.600 --> 0:02:01.720 like in a extension of Chicago. What was it like 0:02:01.960 --> 0:02:05.400 when you know, coming to America and going to school 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:08.560 in Chicago and just like that transition? 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:09.040 Was it? 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:09.560 Well? 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:12.200 I actually think I was very fortunate to kind of 0:02:12.280 --> 0:02:15.560 land my feet in at Northwestern. I'd never heard of 0:02:15.600 --> 0:02:20.560 Northwestern growing up in England. You know, I think America 0:02:20.639 --> 0:02:24.560 is like a very different country to England in terms 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:26.680 of you know, you're just not that aware of all 0:02:26.720 --> 0:02:30.600 the different colleges and college golf and college sports is 0:02:30.720 --> 0:02:33.440 just totally different to what it is in the UK. 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:38.880 You know, I'd heard of Harvard and Stamford and Yale 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:41.200 and kind of those big kind of places you hear 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:44.919 through TV and stuff. But I was recruited by Stamford. 0:02:45.800 --> 0:02:48.000 Tiger at the time was still on the team, and 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:52.399 I thought, well, Tiger's great player. You know, I've heard 0:02:52.400 --> 0:02:55.200 of Stamford. This seems like a perfect fit. But ended 0:02:55.280 --> 0:03:00.000 up not getting there. And the coach there, Wally good 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:03.120 when was a former Northwestern coach, so he said, you know, 0:03:03.160 --> 0:03:06.360 I feel bad you didn't get in the school. I 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:08.920 think you should go visit Northwestern. You know, a good 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:12.280 friend of mine, Pat Gas, has just become coach, and 0:03:12.760 --> 0:03:15.800 I think you'd really like it. So I didn't have 0:03:15.840 --> 0:03:17.920 many options at this point, so so I went for 0:03:17.960 --> 0:03:22.120 a visit. I had some options, but place I'd never 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:25.800 really heard of. But you know, having got the recommendation, 0:03:25.960 --> 0:03:28.040 I thought, yeah, let's go have us have a look. 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:32.400 And I just absolutely loved the place. I fell in 0:03:32.400 --> 0:03:34.720 love with it straight away, you know, the golf courses. 0:03:34.760 --> 0:03:37.640 Pat took me around just for my official visit. But 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:39.560 I think I was very fortunate that I ended up 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:42.640 in a big northern city like that, you know, instead 0:03:42.680 --> 0:03:46.600 of possibly ending up in a southern place like Clemson. 0:03:46.760 --> 0:03:50.040 Or Georgia Tech or Oklahoma State, you know, somewhere that 0:03:50.200 --> 0:03:52.960 where the culture very different to where I grew up 0:03:52.960 --> 0:03:56.960 in England. You know, I think Northwestern being right close 0:03:57.000 --> 0:04:03.080 to Chicago, you know, the city didn't seem very different 0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:05.520 to where I grew up just outside of London. So 0:04:06.040 --> 0:04:09.360 I think in that way, for me, culturally, it wasn't 0:04:09.360 --> 0:04:11.400 too much of a big of a shock. I didn't 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:17.200 really feel homesick. I just got straight into the the 0:04:17.600 --> 0:04:20.479 way of life over a Northwestern straight away. I really 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:21.040 enjoyed it. 0:04:22.360 --> 0:04:26.080 How was it? And you've spent a lot of, you know, 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:29.400 time in Chicago after playing, Like, do you do you 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:32.640 think there's benefit with time away from the game, like 0:04:32.720 --> 0:04:33.320 with the winter? 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:37.200 I think so. I think even you know, even just 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:39.920 seeing in college, you know a lot of people say, well, 0:04:40.120 --> 0:04:42.359 how did you practice? How did you get better? You know, 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:45.440 it's the courses of shut five months of the year 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:48.920 pretty much up there in Chicago. Like, how were you 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:51.160 still able to compete? And we were? It was compete. 0:04:51.200 --> 0:04:53.440 We were top twenty team in the nation when I 0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:56.400 was in college. We finished third at NC double A's 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:59.000 one year, seventh another year. So we we were very 0:04:59.040 --> 0:05:03.080 competitive and strong. I think actually having that time where 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:05.680 you're literally I mean we would practice in the indoor 0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:10.440 the American football like indoor astra to area, you know, 0:05:10.520 --> 0:05:13.520 their practice area, so we could we could see shots 0:05:13.560 --> 0:05:15.839 go for about sixty yards, but then they're hit the net. 0:05:16.000 --> 0:05:19.640 So again I think just sometimes having that practice in 0:05:19.720 --> 0:05:23.400 that time where you're just thinking about fundamentals and you 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:26.560 don't care where the ball's going, that has value, you know. 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:31.719 I think sometimes, you know, when you're practicing, it's important 0:05:31.760 --> 0:05:33.680 to do both of those. You know, if you have 0:05:33.800 --> 0:05:38.039 the ability to practice outside, at times when you're working 0:05:38.080 --> 0:05:40.560 on things, you shouldn't really worry about what the ball is, 0:05:40.600 --> 0:05:44.400 how the strike is. You're just trying to feel new 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:47.479 movements and correct some fundamentals, and that's what you should 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:50.479 be constrained on. Then you should switch your focus and 0:05:50.520 --> 0:05:55.360 obviously switch it, you know, shot making and not thinking 0:05:55.400 --> 0:05:58.719 about fundamentals. But I think the time we had in Chicago, 0:05:58.880 --> 0:06:04.000 especially when I was in college, was important because I 0:06:04.040 --> 0:06:06.440 could really spend some time on some fundamentals that I 0:06:06.520 --> 0:06:09.760 wanted to work on, and I also forced you to 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:11.960 kind of rest a little bit more, you know. I 0:06:11.960 --> 0:06:17.160 think even in my best years on tour in twenty eleven, 0:06:17.200 --> 0:06:20.880 twenty twelve. Leading up to those years, I would have 0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:23.839 not touched a club for six weeks, seven, eight weeks 0:06:23.839 --> 0:06:26.920 possibly and then had a month to practice with more 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:30.919 of an offseason then, and having that time off was 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:31.760 really valuable. 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:35.159 Yeah, it kind of recharged mentally. 0:06:35.200 --> 0:06:37.800 I mean, more other sport plays all year round. I mean, 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:40.760 I can't even think of one another than golf. 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:45.680 It's fascinating too, because what you see with teams that 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:48.880 often go deep in the playoffs as they struggle the 0:06:48.920 --> 0:06:51.840 next year because of all those added games, like, there's 0:06:51.839 --> 0:06:54.200 a definitely a compiling effect. 0:06:54.480 --> 0:06:59.480 It's Tom Brady, right, Yeah, I agree with you though. Yes, 0:07:00.279 --> 0:07:06.279 I think rest recovery is really really important and it's 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:07.960 hard to do that on the PGA tour now. I 0:07:08.000 --> 0:07:10.720 think you're seeing probably more injuries because of it. 0:07:11.640 --> 0:07:15.240 That's Brady was talking. I heard somebody talking about how 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:19.280 Brady's like arm strength, he focuses so much on technique 0:07:19.880 --> 0:07:23.080 that his arm strength is still you know, the same 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:26.160 at forty two as it was when he was thirty, 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:28.720 And it's because he's focused so much on the technique 0:07:28.760 --> 0:07:30.640 of throwing a football, which. 0:07:30.400 --> 0:07:35.240 Is Yeah, it's this interesting. You know, he obviously has 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:38.960 his methods. Everyone's quite aware of them. You know, tries 0:07:39.000 --> 0:07:42.520 to be pliable or something, you know, the TB twelve method. 0:07:42.600 --> 0:07:45.360 But I don't know. Whatever he's doing, it's working. 0:07:45.720 --> 0:07:49.480 Yeah, that's scary think about how many might end up with. 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:56.679 So at Northwestern you were an art and theory major, and. 0:07:56.960 --> 0:07:59.880 Your theory and practice art theory of practice. 0:07:59.640 --> 0:08:03.440 So you also in your downtime like to like to, 0:08:04.040 --> 0:08:07.560 you know, paint and different art stuff. 0:08:07.640 --> 0:08:10.200 I haven't done it for quite a few years now, 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:12.880 I think, since since kids came on the scene, it's 0:08:13.400 --> 0:08:16.800 kind of taken a back burner. But I certainly, you know, 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:20.360 I practiced it. The last time I did anything art 0:08:20.400 --> 0:08:23.680 wise really was twenty twelve for the Ryder Cup when 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:27.440 it was at Medina here in Chicago. Obviously they were 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:30.679 they were remember at one point they did the painted 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:33.120 cows and they put them all around the city. So 0:08:33.200 --> 0:08:35.000 for the Ryder Cup, they decided to do these big 0:08:35.040 --> 0:08:37.880 painted golf balls, and I did one for the Ryder 0:08:37.920 --> 0:08:41.600 Cup and auctioned it off. I think. So that was 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:44.440 the last time I did any kind of form of art. 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:46.719 Now I just kind of watched my daughter's scribble and 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:51.319 color and paint things. So yeah, I don't do too 0:08:51.360 --> 0:08:52.000 much of that now. 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:58.200 So an age long debate with golf is like is 0:08:58.240 --> 0:09:01.199 it art or is it science? And I know you're 0:09:01.240 --> 0:09:05.760 you're also very pretty analytical with with the game. Where 0:09:05.760 --> 0:09:07.640 do where do you kind of fall with with the 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:08.760 art artistry? 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:13.200 And yeah, it's it's a good question. I think there 0:09:13.240 --> 0:09:16.000 has to be a mix of both. Really. I mean, 0:09:17.160 --> 0:09:20.199 you know, sometimes I hear you know, commentators or I 0:09:20.320 --> 0:09:22.760 see someone hit a great shot and they'll say, well, 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:25.640 that that guy, what great feel he has, you know, 0:09:25.760 --> 0:09:28.960 that's he just you just can't teach that. And I'm like, 0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:31.760 I don't agree with that, you know, I don't agree 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:35.160 at all with that. You know. I feel like having 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:37.920 the understanding of, you know, what makes me a great 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:40.880 short game players. I understand the fundamentals very well, and 0:09:40.920 --> 0:09:43.800 I practice them and I and I've got them very 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:48.000 very well. So I'm able to control my strike, my spin, 0:09:49.280 --> 0:09:53.199 I'm able to control my trajectory, you know, and through that, 0:09:53.480 --> 0:09:55.920 I'm able to create great feel. I'm able to hit 0:09:55.960 --> 0:09:59.080 great shots. And some people might call that, you know, 0:09:59.520 --> 0:10:01.920 oh he has great feel, But that's a lot of work. 0:10:01.960 --> 0:10:06.840 Over time. So that's a mixture of you know, that's 0:10:06.880 --> 0:10:09.640 a lot of science in a way. You know, we 0:10:09.640 --> 0:10:16.280 we've we hear Bryson talking about this pro pro pro 0:10:16.320 --> 0:10:19.880 creation or no pro. I can't remember the word now, 0:10:19.920 --> 0:10:23.280 but you know it's it's understanding where everything is in 0:10:23.360 --> 0:10:25.040 space pretty much pro. 0:10:26.679 --> 0:10:28.800 And I know what you're talking about. 0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:35.720 I can't run during the word. But you know that 0:10:35.720 --> 0:10:38.680 that has worked over through lots and lots of work 0:10:38.720 --> 0:10:41.760 and practice. For someone who doesn't have the right fundamentals 0:10:41.800 --> 0:10:44.319 and has you know, hits one off the toe on, 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:47.360 one off the heel, thins one one fat one, you know, 0:10:47.760 --> 0:10:51.559 obviously it's very hard for them to create consistency and 0:10:52.120 --> 0:10:55.160 get that feel. But once you have those great fundamentals, 0:10:55.240 --> 0:10:57.800 then you can work on a little bit more of 0:10:57.800 --> 0:11:02.600 the the art side, the visualizing, the not thinking about 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:05.680 the technique so much, you know, I think that's when 0:11:05.720 --> 0:11:09.520 it becomes more artistic. But you have to build that 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:13.880 that that feel and base of fundamentals before you can 0:11:13.960 --> 0:11:14.520 kind of do that. 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:21.160 So being one of the you know, best players around 0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:24.840 the greens and on the greens for decades, how do 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:28.720 you go about building the way you practice? 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:33.040 Yeah, I think first and foremost is you know, perfecting 0:11:33.080 --> 0:11:36.120 those fundamentals. You know, really understanding them, what what you 0:11:36.240 --> 0:11:39.440 think is correct fundamentals and really working hard on them 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:41.600 and getting them to a point where you don't have 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:44.920 to think about them. And once you can do that, 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:47.760 then you can come up with great ways to practice, 0:11:49.240 --> 0:11:54.440 you know, great drills. You know, occasionally I'm I'm I'm 0:11:54.520 --> 0:11:57.560 hitting balls from the same spot and I'm repeating, you know, 0:11:57.640 --> 0:12:00.440 doing lots of reps, and that's the time I'm kind 0:12:00.440 --> 0:12:02.600 of working on my fundamentals. I'm just trying to groove 0:12:02.640 --> 0:12:06.800 something in. But that has to be only a small 0:12:06.840 --> 0:12:09.160 part of your practice, I think, especially with a short game. 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:14.240 Then you have to start incorporating what golf looks like 0:12:14.280 --> 0:12:16.600 on the golf course, and that's you know, every show 0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:21.480 is different. So creating variability in your practice, creating a 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:24.800 little bit of pressure in your practice, coming up with 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:30.839 cool kind of drills to you know, bring about variability 0:12:30.920 --> 0:12:35.040 and pressure, I think is really important. And once you 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:38.800 put that together with solid fundamentals, and that's that's only 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:42.920 going to pay off and lead to good results. 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:48.000 A lot of Americans have, you know, some disdain for 0:12:48.080 --> 0:12:54.079 your exemplary match play record, you know, in terms of 0:12:55.880 --> 0:13:00.199 match play and stroke play, and you've had great success 0:13:00.200 --> 0:13:02.480 and both getting a number one in the world, and 0:13:02.880 --> 0:13:06.800 you know, in a stroke play heavy schedule, you obviously 0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:10.080 can play both both stroke play and match play. But 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:15.280 what would you say, you know, why you have had 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:18.320 such success in match play? Is there something about the 0:13:18.360 --> 0:13:19.160 format that. 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:25.600 Well? I think we as as someone who grew up 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:28.520 in England, we we kind of grow up around match play. 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:32.120 You know, played a lot of it as a junior, 0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:36.560 as a kid county golf, you know, playing for my 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:43.520 country England, playing in Walker Cups, you know, playing Eisenhower's 0:13:43.880 --> 0:13:48.000 I mean Eisenhower's more stroke play. But you know, we're 0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:54.120 we're we're very yeah, exposed to it at a pretty 0:13:54.280 --> 0:13:57.120 early age, so we get used to kind of the 0:13:57.120 --> 0:13:59.360 the feel of match play because it is quite different. 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:05.080 And I think I've always loved the team aspect as well. 0:14:05.280 --> 0:14:09.679 You know, I think golf is tough sometimes when it 0:14:09.720 --> 0:14:13.600 comes to just being an individual sport. You and your 0:14:13.640 --> 0:14:16.319 caddy pretty much most of the time, and you're kind 0:14:16.320 --> 0:14:18.360 of out there on your own, very much like tennis. 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:22.400 You know, I think once you get into that team 0:14:22.440 --> 0:14:27.400 atmosphere that becomes kind of fun. You're playing for something 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:30.440 a little bit more than yourself. You know. Obviously there's 0:14:30.440 --> 0:14:33.960 a sort of intricacies to match play, you know, when 0:14:34.000 --> 0:14:37.040 to give parts when not to, know when to attack 0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:40.360 when not to you know, but ultimately I still felt 0:14:40.400 --> 0:14:45.280 like my success in match play came from just being 0:14:47.840 --> 0:14:51.040 not forcing issues in a way, you know, making my 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:55.560 opponent win holes, you know, not giving away holes. You know, 0:14:55.640 --> 0:14:58.320 that consistency kind of I had in my game. I'd 0:14:58.400 --> 0:15:01.120 hit a lot of fair ways, I hit a lot 0:15:01.120 --> 0:15:03.240 of greens, you know, just kind of be there or 0:15:03.280 --> 0:15:05.320 thereabouts the whole time, and I'd just kind of wear 0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:09.880 my opponents down through consistency, just not letting them up mentally, 0:15:09.920 --> 0:15:12.520 almost like thinking, oh, hey, I got him on this hole, 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:16.000 you know, coupled with some good short game, you know, 0:15:16.080 --> 0:15:18.600 making pots when you need to, I think is important 0:15:18.600 --> 0:15:22.440 in match play too. You know, I'm guessing all of 0:15:22.440 --> 0:15:26.200 those led to, Yeah, a pretty decent record in match play. 0:15:27.560 --> 0:15:30.360 It's it's fascinating match play. I think about like the 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:35.120 different player styles where you have guys that you know, 0:15:35.400 --> 0:15:39.280 are artists around the greens, or you have your guys 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:41.120 that are kind of good at everything. And then you 0:15:41.160 --> 0:15:43.760 have the power guys that you know, if you're a 0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:46.360 middle of the road, shorter hitter, you're looking at the 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:48.680 far up the fairway sixty yards at them, and you're 0:15:48.720 --> 0:15:51.360 hitting your second shot and they're Everybody puts pressure on 0:15:51.440 --> 0:15:55.000 each other in different ways and different points of the match. 0:15:55.360 --> 0:16:00.440 You know, on holes, was there specific or type of 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:04.160 player that you you know, in a singles style that 0:16:04.200 --> 0:16:06.600 you disliked playing against more than another. 0:16:11.160 --> 0:16:15.800 I never really thought about it that way, you know. 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:19.800 I suppose players that matched up well to me, you know, 0:16:19.840 --> 0:16:21.800 that were similar to me. You know, I never really 0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:24.480 was too concerned with players that bombed it past me, 0:16:24.520 --> 0:16:27.960 although I did lose a couple singles matches to Hank 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:32.000 Keeney in the Palmer Cup when I was younger, and 0:16:32.120 --> 0:16:34.640 that guy would hit at seventy yards past me at 0:16:34.640 --> 0:16:38.640 that point, I mean, it was just the matches were close. 0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:40.280 But you know, I think when you hit it that 0:16:40.400 --> 0:16:44.680 far by someone, it's that the it does favor in 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:49.600 the longer hited player hands. But I suppose just playing, 0:16:49.640 --> 0:16:53.120 you know, you know, I remember twenty ten Ryder Cup. 0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:55.960 I was at Celtic Manor. I got paired up against 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:58.720 Jim Furick in the singles, and you know, that's that 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:00.360 I thought was going to be a tricky one, just 0:17:00.360 --> 0:17:02.520 because we're such similar games. You know, we're always in 0:17:02.560 --> 0:17:05.560 the hole, we're grinders, We're going to get up and down. 0:17:05.600 --> 0:17:07.600 You never really think, oh, he's not going to get 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:09.399 this one up and down, or he's not going to 0:17:09.440 --> 0:17:12.320 make this pop. You know, those are the kind of 0:17:13.280 --> 0:17:16.520 matches that I probably step up and thought that this 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:17.760 was going to be a top match. 0:17:18.800 --> 0:17:22.480 Yeah, it's it's I think that's one of the fascinating 0:17:22.520 --> 0:17:25.480 things about match plays. It makes it more like the NBA, 0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:28.639 where you have like Michael Jordan, you know, a shooting guard, 0:17:28.880 --> 0:17:30.879 and you know, then you have like your power player. 0:17:30.920 --> 0:17:33.800 It might be like a a Karl Malone. You know. 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:37.600 It brings to forefront more of the guy's skills and 0:17:37.640 --> 0:17:40.560 shows the contrasts of how they get it done. It's 0:17:40.680 --> 0:17:44.199 like you know, watching something I always think about is 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:47.399 like Kevin nah has actually a really good record in 0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:50.159 like the WGC match play, and I think it's because 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:53.399 he just plays a little different than everybody gets, you know, 0:17:53.560 --> 0:17:56.040 and the way he gets around the golf courses, and. 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:58.960 I think mentally, especially in today's you know power game 0:17:59.560 --> 0:18:02.480 that it is that we that we have, you know, 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:06.639 over eighteen holes, you just feel like anybody's got a chance, 0:18:06.720 --> 0:18:10.760 you know, against anybody. So it's not it's not really 0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:13.920 like some of the other sports where just the favorites 0:18:13.960 --> 0:18:16.520 have a chance. You know, in tennis, the top four 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:20.159 seeds usually meet in the in the semi finals. In golf, 0:18:21.440 --> 0:18:24.960 you know, our eighteen holes, anyone can beat anyone. I mean, 0:18:25.000 --> 0:18:29.280 and I think mentally for someone like a Kevin Nah 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:32.480 or someone that that's that's encouraging. Yeah. 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:38.359 So you've you've been playing professional golf over the last 0:18:38.640 --> 0:18:41.920 you know, two decades now, how do you think the 0:18:42.800 --> 0:18:46.399 game on tours has changed in that time? 0:18:47.640 --> 0:18:50.480 Well, I think it's changed a lot. I think we 0:18:50.560 --> 0:18:54.520 can look at all kinds of different aspects of the game, fitness, 0:18:56.080 --> 0:19:05.920 golf equipment, golf course is you know, it really has 0:19:06.160 --> 0:19:11.639 changed a lot. I think we're obviously seeing golf has 0:19:11.720 --> 0:19:13.439 hit the ball a lot further now than when I 0:19:13.480 --> 0:19:16.600 started in two thousand and two. You know, it feels 0:19:16.640 --> 0:19:21.000 like when I started, course management was somewhat important. It's 0:19:21.040 --> 0:19:23.240 a little bit thrown out the window these days. You know. 0:19:23.280 --> 0:19:25.639 I think that the aim on most holes is to 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:28.159 get it as close as to the hole as you 0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:30.600 can off the tee and go from there. You know, 0:19:31.440 --> 0:19:35.960 with people using sixty four degree wedges, it doesn't. We 0:19:36.000 --> 0:19:39.520 have so much loft now and the knowledge as well 0:19:39.600 --> 0:19:44.040 of how to hit the ball. Further that, the game 0:19:44.080 --> 0:19:48.880 has really changed a lot, and it's become a little 0:19:48.920 --> 0:19:55.360 bit tougher for guys like me, but there's still ways. 0:19:54.440 --> 0:19:58.480 Being a shorter hitter. What courses on tour do you 0:19:58.560 --> 0:20:00.960 feel like, you know, and you tee it up at 0:20:01.000 --> 0:20:04.240 this course, I've got like a great chance this week. 0:20:04.280 --> 0:20:06.560 And are there courses where you're like, I got to 0:20:06.600 --> 0:20:08.840 play absolutely perfect to have a chance. 0:20:10.760 --> 0:20:15.960 Well, yeah, there are definitely courses that I like to 0:20:16.040 --> 0:20:19.600 pick and choose, you know. I mean, Hilton Head would 0:20:19.600 --> 0:20:22.240 probably be a great example, which was Hilton Edge Actually 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:24.600 is a funny one because I when I first played 0:20:24.600 --> 0:20:26.240 there on tour, I didn't play very well there, I 0:20:26.280 --> 0:20:29.040 don't know, for whatever reason, missed a bunch of cuts, 0:20:30.040 --> 0:20:33.160 maybe finished top fifty once or twice, And after about 0:20:33.160 --> 0:20:36.119 four or five years, I thought I'm gonna not bother 0:20:36.200 --> 0:20:38.040 going back here for a few years at least, so 0:20:38.280 --> 0:20:40.800 I gave it a break and then suddenly I came 0:20:40.840 --> 0:20:43.639 back and you know, for a course that should have 0:20:43.680 --> 0:20:47.840 sued me, I'd done terribly around it. So I came 0:20:47.880 --> 0:20:51.600 back and then started to perform form better because you know, 0:20:51.640 --> 0:20:53.879 it's the kuype of course which takes driver out of 0:20:53.920 --> 0:20:57.159 a lot of the longer hitters' hands. It's so narrow, 0:20:57.600 --> 0:21:01.440 a lot of dog legs, you know, very small greens. 0:21:03.640 --> 0:21:07.520 You know, reasonably flat surfaces, but you know tiny greens 0:21:07.560 --> 0:21:10.960 that you know, if you're reasonably proficient around the greens, 0:21:11.000 --> 0:21:12.800 I think you have a good opportunity to get the 0:21:12.800 --> 0:21:14.880 ball up and down and you're going to be left 0:21:14.880 --> 0:21:17.080 with a lot of those tricky six seven footers for 0:21:17.200 --> 0:21:21.119 pars at times. And it's a frustrating course too. You 0:21:21.119 --> 0:21:23.720 can hit great shots and be blocked out and you know, 0:21:25.240 --> 0:21:27.560 I think you have a good shot into a green. 0:21:27.600 --> 0:21:30.200 It catches a tree limb and kicks thirty yards right, 0:21:30.280 --> 0:21:34.880 So it demands a lot of patients. It doesn't need 0:21:34.960 --> 0:21:37.199 too much length, and you need to be pretty good 0:21:37.240 --> 0:21:39.960 around the greens. It's kind of one of those frustrating courses. 0:21:40.000 --> 0:21:43.000 So you know, that's a kind of course I tend 0:21:43.080 --> 0:21:46.880 to be drawn towards there's less and less of them 0:21:46.880 --> 0:21:51.600 on tour these days. But yeah, I think I certainly 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:53.840 have to be wise with the courses I choose. 0:21:54.720 --> 0:21:57.480 What do you think changed from when you took a 0:21:57.520 --> 0:22:00.160 break and came back and all of a sudden, I've 0:22:00.160 --> 0:22:03.800 had unbelievable success. I think you got was it four 0:22:03.880 --> 0:22:05.240 or five runner ups? 0:22:05.280 --> 0:22:12.320 There? I've had five runners up and three thirds, eight 0:22:12.400 --> 0:22:18.040 top threes without a win. Unfortunately, I seemed to get 0:22:18.080 --> 0:22:21.639 picked by someone charging through the field on Sunday a 0:22:21.640 --> 0:22:29.040 few times. But what has changed? I just think, yeah, 0:22:29.080 --> 0:22:31.520 I needed that break away from it for a while. 0:22:31.560 --> 0:22:34.959 You know, for some reason it wasn't it wasn't working. 0:22:35.000 --> 0:22:40.080 I couldn't visually see the shots, and some reason something 0:22:40.160 --> 0:22:44.680 switched and I was able to manage my way around 0:22:44.760 --> 0:22:47.600 That course is a little bit better. I think my 0:22:48.280 --> 0:22:51.480 short game putting did improve, which helps because it is 0:22:52.240 --> 0:22:56.600 of course you're not going to hit as many greens 0:22:56.960 --> 0:22:59.920 as usual. So you know, I was a good short 0:23:00.080 --> 0:23:02.800 game player and a good putter through two thousand and six, 0:23:03.080 --> 0:23:05.240 but I got a lot better from two thousand and 0:23:05.600 --> 0:23:08.639 nine onwards. You know, after I had that, I had 0:23:08.680 --> 0:23:10.440 a wrist surgery in two thousand and eight. I really 0:23:10.440 --> 0:23:13.719 spent a lot of time practicing one hundred yards in 0:23:13.920 --> 0:23:15.600 and that was you know, that was a lot of 0:23:15.640 --> 0:23:17.960 the key to me getting to number one in the world. 0:23:18.119 --> 0:23:20.280 So I think that that improved too. 0:23:21.480 --> 0:23:25.160 So so the injury and the time not being able 0:23:25.200 --> 0:23:29.199 to safe go full boor at it was like a 0:23:29.600 --> 0:23:33.720 huge had a huge impact on your career. The time away. 0:23:33.800 --> 0:23:36.240 Yeah, It's funny how sometimes you know, what you think 0:23:36.280 --> 0:23:37.600 at the time is going to be one of the 0:23:37.600 --> 0:23:41.400 biggest negatives turns out to be one of the biggest positives. 0:23:41.440 --> 0:23:44.639 You know, when obviously you have an injury like that, 0:23:44.760 --> 0:23:49.359 an injury that had to be surgically repaired. You know, 0:23:49.400 --> 0:23:51.320 there's all kinds of things that go through your mind. 0:23:51.359 --> 0:23:52.960 You know, is this the end? Am I going to 0:23:52.960 --> 0:23:55.280 be able to hit pause again? Am I ever going 0:23:55.320 --> 0:23:58.600 to be the same? But it kind of allowed me, 0:23:59.000 --> 0:24:03.240 you know, the way the rehabir was, I had to 0:24:03.320 --> 0:24:06.879 really start with putting for a couple of weeks. Then 0:24:06.920 --> 0:24:08.840 I could hit some very light chips, but at the 0:24:08.880 --> 0:24:11.000 same time I was still putting, you know, I was 0:24:11.040 --> 0:24:13.720 putting two three hours a day, and then I went 0:24:13.880 --> 0:24:17.960 and now did some small pitches, small chips to you know, 0:24:18.600 --> 0:24:21.440 getting up to wedges. It was a very slow process, 0:24:21.520 --> 0:24:24.000 but it gave me about a two month window where 0:24:24.040 --> 0:24:29.920 I was really focused on putting, especially and short game, 0:24:30.200 --> 0:24:33.720 and I think it allowed me, like going back to 0:24:33.760 --> 0:24:36.360 that time, it allowed me some time to really work 0:24:36.400 --> 0:24:40.320 on fundamentals, to get in the great reps and build 0:24:40.400 --> 0:24:45.520 up confidence in that area. And yeah, I mean for 0:24:46.920 --> 0:24:49.040 four or five years, I don't think anyone was better 0:24:49.040 --> 0:24:51.960 than me from one hundred and twenty yards and in Yeah, 0:24:52.240 --> 0:24:53.040 it's a good spot. 0:24:53.119 --> 0:24:55.080 That's a good spot to be really good at. 0:24:55.520 --> 0:24:58.000 You know, you've got to pick your battles, you know. 0:24:58.040 --> 0:25:03.639 And I think the Risks breakdown was you know, me 0:25:04.160 --> 0:25:06.040 trying to keep up with some of the guys, you know, 0:25:06.080 --> 0:25:08.439 trying to find some extra lanes, trying to hit it harder. 0:25:08.480 --> 0:25:11.520 I've already always had a little bit of a risty swing. 0:25:11.560 --> 0:25:17.239 I never really use my body to turn, so you know, 0:25:17.840 --> 0:25:20.479 when that happened, it was just a good reminder, like, 0:25:21.080 --> 0:25:23.560 let's just play what you're good at. You know, you're 0:25:23.560 --> 0:25:27.120 not gonna it's pointless trying to chase too much distance. 0:25:27.160 --> 0:25:30.159 You're just going to injure yourself again, So concentrate on 0:25:30.200 --> 0:25:33.440 what you can control and and be good at that. 0:25:34.280 --> 0:25:37.800 Yeah, that was a thing that a lot of players 0:25:38.000 --> 0:25:41.080 went through with with you know, kind of the rise 0:25:41.119 --> 0:25:43.879 of Tiger, the lengthening of the courses. You know, Martin 0:25:43.920 --> 0:25:47.720 Kaimer famously was trying to learn to draw the ball 0:25:48.040 --> 0:25:50.640 for Augusta and then you know when he went back 0:25:50.720 --> 0:25:52.919 to hitting the fade, he all of a sudden won 0:25:53.000 --> 0:25:56.480 a bunch more again. And it's it's a fascinating thing 0:25:57.119 --> 0:26:00.280 with you coming back from a back. You know, you're 0:26:00.320 --> 0:26:04.560 dealing with a back injury. Now, is it different because 0:26:04.560 --> 0:26:06.720 of the back? Is it harder to do like long 0:26:07.040 --> 0:26:09.360 sessions putting and stuff like that. 0:26:10.640 --> 0:26:14.160 Well, yeah, I'm obviously a little bit older than I 0:26:14.200 --> 0:26:17.240 was when I when I injured my wrist, which is 0:26:17.240 --> 0:26:20.199 two thousand and eight. But so I've got time is 0:26:20.359 --> 0:26:23.480 going against me a little bit. But we're fortunate in 0:26:23.520 --> 0:26:25.560 this game. You know, I can play too on sixty 0:26:25.600 --> 0:26:27.920 really on the Champions Store if I want to. What's 0:26:28.040 --> 0:26:30.960 been Langer? He might be sixty now already and still 0:26:31.000 --> 0:26:35.920 crushing out there. But you know, I'm trying to see 0:26:35.960 --> 0:26:38.840 this back injury as you know, something similar to the 0:26:38.880 --> 0:26:41.560 wrist injury. You know, it doesn't feel very good at 0:26:41.560 --> 0:26:44.280 the time, you know, and you're being out and it's frustrating, 0:26:45.640 --> 0:26:48.119 but hopefully it's a positive. Again. It's given me some 0:26:48.240 --> 0:26:50.560 time to look at you know, why did this happen? 0:26:50.640 --> 0:26:52.679 You know, there's obviously some things going on in my 0:26:52.760 --> 0:26:57.840 swing that we're causing a little bit of this inflammation 0:26:57.960 --> 0:27:00.760 in my back, and so, you know, I think I'm 0:27:00.840 --> 0:27:05.560 improving not only my setup, my fundamentals in my golf swing, 0:27:05.600 --> 0:27:08.320 but hopefully this will lead to more consistency in my 0:27:08.359 --> 0:27:12.240 long game. And I mean I've got to be a 0:27:12.280 --> 0:27:15.520 little bit careful in terms of reps and smashing balls, 0:27:15.560 --> 0:27:17.800 but I've been that way for quite a few years 0:27:17.880 --> 0:27:20.600 now since having kids. I'm more efficient with my practice. 0:27:20.920 --> 0:27:24.199 Still practice hard, but I practice smart and I'm not 0:27:24.320 --> 0:27:27.800 out there, you know, eight hours a day every day. 0:27:27.920 --> 0:27:30.480 You know, I can do a good session in four 0:27:30.480 --> 0:27:34.080 hours and feel like I have done enough work to 0:27:34.640 --> 0:27:37.960 be to be one of the best players out there. 0:27:38.040 --> 0:27:43.119 So it's again trying to turn a positive into a 0:27:43.200 --> 0:27:44.480 negative into a positive. 0:27:44.720 --> 0:27:47.440 No, that's I think that I think it gives you. 0:27:47.560 --> 0:27:50.840 I feel like when you're in the hole and you're 0:27:50.880 --> 0:27:53.440 you're looking at the same problem day in, day out, 0:27:53.640 --> 0:27:55.960 every day and you're going and you know, grinding. Like 0:27:56.040 --> 0:27:59.000 for me, I'm always like you know, in there thinking 0:27:59.000 --> 0:28:02.479 about golf and writing and thinking about other stuff. Is 0:28:02.520 --> 0:28:06.560 like when you take days off or like even just 0:28:06.640 --> 0:28:09.360 a day off is so valuable because you come back 0:28:09.400 --> 0:28:13.719 with a completely refreshed perspective. But then you know, I remember, 0:28:13.760 --> 0:28:16.680 I went on our honeymoon and I came back after 0:28:16.960 --> 0:28:19.280 like a you know, ten day break, and like, I 0:28:19.480 --> 0:28:22.119 was so refreshed, and I had a whole new perspective 0:28:22.160 --> 0:28:23.880 on so many of the same problems I was looking 0:28:23.920 --> 0:28:26.600 at every day and day out. Like you, it allows 0:28:26.640 --> 0:28:32.000 you time away to to really think and wash away 0:28:32.119 --> 0:28:35.320 like the conclusions you have in your head from looking 0:28:35.320 --> 0:28:36.560 at it through the same lens. 0:28:36.920 --> 0:28:39.880 I totally agree. I think that's why weekends are so 0:28:39.920 --> 0:28:42.680 important for the guy that works, you know, Monday to Friday. 0:28:42.720 --> 0:28:46.160 You know, they need that break, that break, that refresh 0:28:46.960 --> 0:28:49.840 feeling so they can tackle the week in front of them. 0:28:49.840 --> 0:28:53.160 But I've even actually, in some of my off off 0:28:53.240 --> 0:28:56.360 time been doing some puzzles, and again I think it's 0:28:56.360 --> 0:28:58.960 good for the brain, and you know, a thousand piece 0:28:59.000 --> 0:29:01.640 puzzles and I'll work on them but if I'm over 0:29:01.720 --> 0:29:04.440 it for like an hour looking at it something you 0:29:04.520 --> 0:29:07.840 just can't see anything. You step away for an hour, 0:29:08.000 --> 0:29:10.040 come back and you're like, oh, that was why didn't 0:29:10.080 --> 0:29:11.560 I see that piece of that piece of that piece, 0:29:11.600 --> 0:29:14.600 that piece goes there. It's amazing how you can become 0:29:14.720 --> 0:29:18.840 stale by you know, just being in doing something over 0:29:18.880 --> 0:29:21.080 and over again without that that kind of break. 0:29:21.240 --> 0:29:23.600 Yeah, because you're just you're doing the same thing. It's 0:29:23.640 --> 0:29:26.400 like you're becoming more of a robot instead of a 0:29:26.880 --> 0:29:29.000 you know, what makes humans so special. It's like the 0:29:29.040 --> 0:29:32.360 ability to you know, think and adapt and you know 0:29:32.560 --> 0:29:35.320 that's it's a fascinating. 0:29:34.800 --> 0:29:36.600 Remember you only got to get a little bit better 0:29:36.640 --> 0:29:39.800 every day, so you know, you're not trying to, you know, 0:29:41.000 --> 0:29:44.360 take major steps. I think some people, you know again, 0:29:44.960 --> 0:29:48.040 if you can just get tiny little bit better every day, 0:29:48.200 --> 0:29:50.880 then that over time, that's going to lead to something great. 0:29:51.640 --> 0:29:54.680 It's somebody said to me once I was when I 0:29:54.680 --> 0:29:58.600 was a high school golfer, like, you know, they're these 0:29:58.640 --> 0:30:01.960 great players in the area. It's like, yeah, they said 0:30:02.000 --> 0:30:03.840 to me, And it didn't make any sense then, but 0:30:03.960 --> 0:30:07.080 it's like, well, like the hard thing for him is 0:30:07.240 --> 0:30:09.400 going to be how does he get better you know 0:30:09.560 --> 0:30:12.440 now that he's here, because like once you're really great, 0:30:13.040 --> 0:30:15.080 a really great golfer. I think this is what the 0:30:15.760 --> 0:30:19.080 you know, a lot of you know, fifteen handicaps. Going 0:30:19.080 --> 0:30:22.080 from fifteen to ten is tough, but going from you know, 0:30:23.240 --> 0:30:26.640 I imagine seventieth in the world to twenty fifth is 0:30:26.680 --> 0:30:30.840 even harder. You know, like trying to pick up those small, 0:30:30.840 --> 0:30:33.280 little percentage points that make the biggest difference. 0:30:34.680 --> 0:30:36.560 Yeah, but I think you have to think about it 0:30:36.600 --> 0:30:41.400 that way if you if you start, you know, you 0:30:41.000 --> 0:30:46.280 you've got to break break things down into little goals 0:30:46.280 --> 0:30:48.720 that you feel like can be accomplished. You know, if 0:30:48.720 --> 0:30:52.240 something seems too big, then just break it down into 0:30:52.280 --> 0:30:57.160 little things. And I think of a time you accomplish 0:30:57.200 --> 0:30:59.280 those little things and that will lead to that bigger thing. 0:30:59.320 --> 0:31:01.960 It's just it's all about you know, we hear the 0:31:01.960 --> 0:31:04.760 word process and stuff like that. I think it's easy 0:31:04.760 --> 0:31:07.040 to get ahead of ourselves, but if you do it 0:31:07.080 --> 0:31:09.000 that way, I think it becomes a lot easier. 0:31:10.800 --> 0:31:14.560 So with you know, you have regular events the weekend 0:31:14.640 --> 0:31:17.520 week out, PGA tour, grind, and then everybody does a 0:31:17.560 --> 0:31:21.760 little bit different. For majors, how would you say your 0:31:21.800 --> 0:31:25.240 preparation over your career for majors has been different. Does 0:31:25.280 --> 0:31:28.479 it differ for different venues, Does it differ for different 0:31:28.480 --> 0:31:30.560 majors or is it just the same. 0:31:33.080 --> 0:31:35.160 I think at times it differed. You know, I tried 0:31:35.200 --> 0:31:39.520 lots of different scenarios. Obviously it was never successful up 0:31:39.600 --> 0:31:42.400 until this point to get the right scenario. Been up 0:31:42.400 --> 0:31:44.480 there quite a few times and had some good chances. 0:31:44.520 --> 0:31:48.440 But you know, I think Augusta was always the one 0:31:48.760 --> 0:31:52.080 that you tried, could prepare a little bit easier, you know, 0:31:52.080 --> 0:31:55.680 I'd go up there quite a bit before and practice 0:31:55.680 --> 0:32:00.680 and play, and even though that course wasn't specific, sued 0:32:00.720 --> 0:32:03.200 towards my game, you know, since some of the changes 0:32:03.240 --> 0:32:06.760 in two thousand and four or five, that was the 0:32:06.800 --> 0:32:11.120 course I probably spent the most time playing before the 0:32:11.160 --> 0:32:14.960 actual tournament. I think one because it was special and 0:32:15.120 --> 0:32:18.960 it's very cool, and you never know how many times 0:32:18.960 --> 0:32:21.320 you're going to have that opportunity to go practice if 0:32:21.320 --> 0:32:30.200 you're eligible to be in that field. But the other majors, yeah, 0:32:30.800 --> 0:32:34.480 I tried playing before the week before, I tried taking 0:32:34.560 --> 0:32:40.600 weeks off before. I just think sometimes it's you're going 0:32:40.680 --> 0:32:43.000 to be your time, and you just find that grooving 0:32:43.120 --> 0:32:48.240 golf and sometimes it's it's not going to work out. 0:32:48.320 --> 0:32:51.320 But I never found like the quine of kind of 0:32:51.320 --> 0:32:58.239 the right, yeah, the right what I needed to do 0:32:58.360 --> 0:33:01.440 to be peaking at that major those majors. I came 0:33:01.520 --> 0:33:05.720 close a few times, but that was tough. Yeah, what 0:33:05.880 --> 0:33:06.040 was it? 0:33:06.200 --> 0:33:09.760 What was your favorite major venue that you've played in 0:33:09.800 --> 0:33:10.200 to date? 0:33:15.920 --> 0:33:19.640 I would probably go back to There's a few of them. Obviously, 0:33:19.720 --> 0:33:22.240 I had a pretty good chance at Marion at the 0:33:22.360 --> 0:33:26.560 US Open, played with Justin Rose in the final group 0:33:26.640 --> 0:33:31.200 there when he went on to win. You I enjoyed 0:33:31.200 --> 0:33:36.960 that kind of cool, quirky course. I love the Open Championship, obviously, 0:33:37.000 --> 0:33:40.880 being being from England. Again, I go back to ones 0:33:40.920 --> 0:33:44.080 I've had chances. I suppose Turnbree had a good chance 0:33:44.120 --> 0:33:48.440 for years. Stuart sinq One absolutely love that golf course. 0:33:49.160 --> 0:33:52.320 I always loved playing at Saint Andrews, you know, just 0:33:52.360 --> 0:33:55.760 because of the feel, the history and what St Andrews is. 0:33:55.960 --> 0:33:58.360 That was That was the course I never really enjoyed 0:33:58.360 --> 0:34:00.480 the first few times I played, I just didn't quite 0:34:00.520 --> 0:34:04.920 understand it. I can open open field with bumps and humps, 0:34:04.960 --> 0:34:08.800 and then the more I played it, the more, the 0:34:08.840 --> 0:34:12.680 conditions changed minutely and it just changed the course completely. 0:34:13.120 --> 0:34:15.920 And you know how important angles were to some of 0:34:15.920 --> 0:34:19.640 the pins, and you know all all those kind of 0:34:20.040 --> 0:34:26.839 cool architectural features that Saint Andrew's you know, just kind 0:34:26.840 --> 0:34:30.920 of had that that was always a special place for 0:34:30.960 --> 0:34:31.440 me to play. 0:34:32.440 --> 0:34:34.719 Yeah, that's I mean, you hear it with so many 0:34:34.760 --> 0:34:37.200 people as like the first time around, they just don't 0:34:37.239 --> 0:34:38.799 even have a clue what's going on. 0:34:38.960 --> 0:34:40.879 And then do you do you. 0:34:40.880 --> 0:34:42.840 Have like a light bulb moment of like when you 0:34:42.880 --> 0:34:45.359 were like, oh, oh this is this is it? 0:34:46.560 --> 0:34:49.719 Well, just certain holes, you know, even you think of 0:34:50.040 --> 0:34:53.560 for me, especially like that that fourth hole. You know, 0:34:53.920 --> 0:34:56.160 I wasn't if the wind was anywhere in my face, 0:34:56.160 --> 0:34:58.799 I couldn't carry that mound, you know, which was that's 0:34:58.800 --> 0:35:01.120 the easy way to go, just go down the left 0:35:01.160 --> 0:35:03.880 hand side. But you know, if that pin is tucked 0:35:03.880 --> 0:35:06.520 over on the left hand side, you've got no angle 0:35:06.560 --> 0:35:09.400 to hit it towards those pins. So you have to 0:35:09.440 --> 0:35:12.040 take it down that right hand side, that narrow little place. 0:35:12.360 --> 0:35:15.560 It's a couple of bunkers waiting for you to give 0:35:15.600 --> 0:35:18.439 yourself the great angle. And you know, I think it's 0:35:18.480 --> 0:35:22.000 easy to kind of just blow it to the wide 0:35:22.040 --> 0:35:24.520 part of the hair fair way. But you know, having 0:35:24.760 --> 0:35:27.759 creating that perfect angle to to some of those left 0:35:27.800 --> 0:35:31.239 pins is it's pretty cool, you know, And you have 0:35:31.520 --> 0:35:33.440 that's that's when you have to step up and hit 0:35:33.480 --> 0:35:36.120 great shots around s and Andrews. 0:35:36.400 --> 0:35:39.720 I know, I know you have some interest in golf 0:35:39.760 --> 0:35:44.399 course architecture. Is that something that you're looking to get 0:35:44.400 --> 0:35:47.560 into more as as you you know, as. 0:35:47.400 --> 0:35:49.480 You Yeah, I would, I would, I would love to. 0:35:50.480 --> 0:35:54.600 I've done well. I've done a little bit of work 0:35:54.640 --> 0:35:59.040 with Dave's Incolan who worked, you know a long time 0:35:59.120 --> 0:36:02.319 with Corn Crane Ure. He was their lead shaper for 0:36:02.360 --> 0:36:05.359 I think fourteen years, and he's doing some work on 0:36:05.400 --> 0:36:08.160 his own and we're we're looking at some projects to 0:36:08.600 --> 0:36:14.080 do down the road. Even you know, you know, we've 0:36:14.120 --> 0:36:17.719 even talked to Canal Shaws, the little place in Chicago 0:36:17.760 --> 0:36:20.240 about maybe doing something there. So that would be fun. 0:36:21.520 --> 0:36:24.239 But yeah, I love I love I love architecture. I've 0:36:24.360 --> 0:36:26.160 you know, I've read some of the books. I love 0:36:27.320 --> 0:36:31.560 Corn Crenchaw, I love the dope stuff. Yeah, golf course 0:36:31.640 --> 0:36:37.160 for me is you know, isn't necessarily about score two, 0:36:37.280 --> 0:36:41.520 which I think some architects kind of they're very score related, 0:36:41.560 --> 0:36:44.239 which you know, obviously is great if you're designing a 0:36:44.280 --> 0:36:46.719 tour course, I guess. But you know what about their 0:36:46.760 --> 0:36:49.880 the ninety eight percent of the golfers that are playing, 0:36:49.920 --> 0:36:52.680 you know, it's just going to be a tough challenge 0:36:52.719 --> 0:36:57.600 for them. But yeah, for me, you know, using the land, 0:37:00.120 --> 0:37:04.720 you know, good aesthetics, good good fun, interest in greens, 0:37:04.760 --> 0:37:07.760 you know, those kind of things, kind of the types 0:37:07.800 --> 0:37:09.200 of architecture that I enjoy. 0:37:09.800 --> 0:37:15.120 It's it's fascinating. I think about the core Crunch Shaw stuff, 0:37:15.160 --> 0:37:19.240 and obviously, like Trinity Forrest was the first time outside 0:37:19.280 --> 0:37:25.000 of Capellua where like core Crunch Shaw Dope have really 0:37:25.040 --> 0:37:28.400 had a course that the world's best have played on. 0:37:28.600 --> 0:37:33.359 The modern best architects, you know, golf courses, I guess 0:37:33.440 --> 0:37:39.640 Gil Hansen Rio was another example. But from your perspective, 0:37:39.719 --> 0:37:44.360 when you go play one of these types of golf courses, yeah, 0:37:44.920 --> 0:37:47.240 is it is it necessarily easier? 0:37:47.280 --> 0:37:47.759 It might be? 0:37:47.920 --> 0:37:50.680 Is it easier to score or is it you know 0:37:50.920 --> 0:37:54.840 it does it present different challenges than your standard TPC course. 0:37:56.040 --> 0:37:59.560 I haven't played Trinity Forest, but certainly played some good 0:37:59.600 --> 0:38:02.439 core Crunch or course is one of my favorite would 0:38:02.480 --> 0:38:06.680 be you know, Friar's heead Long Island. You know, when 0:38:06.719 --> 0:38:08.560 I played that, I was just blown away how how 0:38:08.640 --> 0:38:10.359 much fun it was to play. You know, a lot 0:38:10.600 --> 0:38:13.160 a lot of people I always get the question, what courses? 0:38:13.239 --> 0:38:15.400 What's your favorite course to play? And a lot of 0:38:15.440 --> 0:38:18.319 them really aren't tour courses. You know. Tour courses are 0:38:19.280 --> 0:38:22.640 courses you might play well and shoot sixty six round. 0:38:23.760 --> 0:38:26.360 If you struggle, you're going to shoot seventy six. You know, 0:38:26.880 --> 0:38:31.400 it's a little bit more score related, whereas you know 0:38:31.480 --> 0:38:35.000 courses I love to play. Yeah, it's quite easy to 0:38:35.000 --> 0:38:38.279 shoot sixty two now and again I think score isn't 0:38:38.320 --> 0:38:41.360 really important though, But I could also walk off shooting 0:38:41.400 --> 0:38:43.920 seventy two and not played well and thought I love 0:38:44.000 --> 0:38:47.440 this course. Yeah you know this. I just had so 0:38:47.560 --> 0:38:54.000 much fun playing it, you know, fun green complexes, you 0:38:54.040 --> 0:38:56.840 know again, strategy off the team making you think, you know, 0:38:56.880 --> 0:39:00.560 even most of these places now I have quite wie fairlies, 0:39:00.640 --> 0:39:03.000 but there's an art to it. You know, you really 0:39:03.000 --> 0:39:05.439 have to step up on the tea and where's the pin? 0:39:05.760 --> 0:39:09.920 Where am I going to hit this? You know, whereas 0:39:10.800 --> 0:39:13.440 tour courses have a little bit less of that these days. 0:39:14.440 --> 0:39:18.960 So I'm curious is if you took par like the 0:39:19.040 --> 0:39:23.840 concept of you know, seventy two being par and he 0:39:23.960 --> 0:39:27.800 went somewhere like you know where you describe where it's 0:39:28.360 --> 0:39:31.200 say it was, just if you threw par out the window, 0:39:32.239 --> 0:39:34.040 how do you think the you know, if you played 0:39:34.040 --> 0:39:37.279 a professional tournament at one of these courses, would there 0:39:37.360 --> 0:39:40.719 be would it be much different in terms of like 0:39:41.280 --> 0:39:46.000 you know, the leaderboard, like would you see more varied 0:39:47.160 --> 0:39:49.040 styles and such? 0:39:51.280 --> 0:39:55.439 Well, I think that the type of course still has 0:39:55.520 --> 0:39:58.120 that overriding fact of you know, who's who's going to 0:39:58.160 --> 0:40:00.520 do well, who's not going to do well? But certainly, mentally, 0:40:00.560 --> 0:40:03.200 if you take par out the equation, I think it 0:40:03.360 --> 0:40:05.799 just does change it. We talked about this a little 0:40:05.800 --> 0:40:09.239 bit earlier about how Pebble Beach that one year they 0:40:09.800 --> 0:40:12.680 turned the second hole from a part five to a 0:40:12.680 --> 0:40:14.719 part four, and when it was a part four, the 0:40:14.760 --> 0:40:20.759 scoring averages was higher. So mentally, I think without any 0:40:20.840 --> 0:40:26.160 relevance to par, yeah, would that be easier probably? 0:40:27.040 --> 0:40:30.319 I guess yeah. And if they just weren't concerned with 0:40:30.440 --> 0:40:34.520 guys shooting sixty two's or fifty eight or and they 0:40:34.600 --> 0:40:38.120 just went to courses that were different, you know, because 0:40:38.440 --> 0:40:41.960 that's I guess from me being I watched a ton 0:40:42.000 --> 0:40:44.520 of tour golf, but I also have interest in architecture. 0:40:44.640 --> 0:40:47.719 Is like, I think there's like there isn't a ton 0:40:47.760 --> 0:40:51.120 of stylistic difference between a lot of the golf courses 0:40:51.160 --> 0:40:54.000 on tour, and I think like Harbortown's a perfect example 0:40:54.040 --> 0:40:58.600 that is stylistically very different than almost every other course. 0:40:59.000 --> 0:41:02.440 I think Trinity four would be another one that's stylistically different, 0:41:02.480 --> 0:41:06.279 But then you know it's sandwiched and you know a 0:41:06.320 --> 0:41:08.359 lot of courses that are very similar. Do you think 0:41:08.480 --> 0:41:16.160 like if you scored apart, is you know it restrains 0:41:16.800 --> 0:41:19.200 the options of tournament venues? 0:41:22.520 --> 0:41:27.279 Yeah, I think you're right. Yeah, I haven't really thought 0:41:27.280 --> 0:41:29.520 about this and the best way to answer that, but 0:41:33.080 --> 0:41:36.000 certainly have a variability is nice. 0:41:37.000 --> 0:41:37.160 You know. 0:41:37.200 --> 0:41:41.359 I think even Riviera would probably be on that list too. 0:41:41.400 --> 0:41:45.359 It's like it's of course you play and you think 0:41:45.400 --> 0:41:47.520 this is a little different to most weeks we play, 0:41:48.360 --> 0:41:53.239 just has some classic features, some quirkiness, and you know 0:41:53.280 --> 0:41:56.480 it certainly if people asking me what one of my 0:41:56.560 --> 0:41:59.480 favorite courses on tour, that would be one of them. 0:41:59.520 --> 0:42:00.440 At the top of them. 0:42:00.640 --> 0:42:04.840 What's fascinating about Riviera is that I think Charles Howell 0:42:05.960 --> 0:42:10.000 is the only player and I have this written down somewhere, 0:42:10.640 --> 0:42:12.400 I looked it up, but he was the only player 0:42:12.480 --> 0:42:14.680 younger than twenty eight to win there. In the like 0:42:14.719 --> 0:42:18.279 the last like sixteen years, all the winners have been 0:42:18.360 --> 0:42:22.319 twenty eight or over, which is to me utterly fascinating. 0:42:23.239 --> 0:42:26.680 Yeah. I think again it's one of those classic courses 0:42:26.760 --> 0:42:29.759 that's gonna wear on you. I think with some patience, 0:42:31.280 --> 0:42:35.800 real understanding of where to miss it, where not to again, 0:42:36.120 --> 0:42:38.360 it brings in a little bit more strategy and thought. 0:42:40.400 --> 0:42:42.520 There's so many cool features. The bunker in the middle 0:42:42.520 --> 0:42:45.000 of the green on the sick, the split fairway on 0:42:45.080 --> 0:42:48.560 a you know, obviously not very long path. He's the 0:42:48.640 --> 0:42:51.560 tenth or it's obviously talked about as one of the 0:42:51.600 --> 0:42:57.360 greatest risk of all path fours in the world. So yeah, 0:42:57.400 --> 0:43:02.480 there's a lot strategy that course. And I think when 0:43:02.560 --> 0:43:04.960 you when you add a little bit of strategy, guys 0:43:04.960 --> 0:43:11.960 who've had experience, guys who understand that sometimes backing off 0:43:12.480 --> 0:43:16.080 is more valuable than just going full tilt, and I 0:43:16.120 --> 0:43:18.960 think over four rounds, you're going to give them the advantage, 0:43:18.960 --> 0:43:23.920 and that's probably why older guys, uh more experienced guys 0:43:23.960 --> 0:43:25.120 tend to do well Riviera. 0:43:25.760 --> 0:43:29.680 Yeah, because Riviera, that seems that's a course we're positioning 0:43:30.440 --> 0:43:33.120 in being you know, with the with the way the 0:43:33.120 --> 0:43:36.719 greens are and the deep bunkers being fifty yards away, 0:43:36.840 --> 0:43:39.960 Is it always advantageous versus you know, being one hundred 0:43:39.960 --> 0:43:41.560 and twenty in the right spot? 0:43:41.680 --> 0:43:45.480 Right? I think so a little bit to do with 0:43:45.520 --> 0:43:47.680 the grass. The cuku is not a grass you can 0:43:47.719 --> 0:43:55.480 really run up, you know, you know, a fifty yard shot, 0:43:55.520 --> 0:44:00.400 those that the Polana greens you know, have quite a 0:44:00.440 --> 0:44:03.440 firm first bounce usually unless it's rained a lot. So 0:44:03.520 --> 0:44:05.959 that fifty yard shot with a like four or five 0:44:06.040 --> 0:44:09.919 yard you know, on the green with not much green 0:44:09.960 --> 0:44:12.600 to work, but it's impossible to run it through that cocuya. 0:44:14.160 --> 0:44:16.000 So you have to be very precise. So you know, 0:44:16.280 --> 0:44:19.520 those kind of things. Yeah, Like you know, just getting 0:44:19.520 --> 0:44:21.960 it close to a part five and too, it's maybe 0:44:22.000 --> 0:44:24.760 not always advantageous. Maybe laying back having that one hundred 0:44:24.840 --> 0:44:28.319 yard shot, the fuller shot creates some spin. Maybe that's 0:44:28.360 --> 0:44:31.120 a little bit of an easier and a better way 0:44:31.160 --> 0:44:31.920 to play that place. 0:44:34.800 --> 0:44:40.120 With growing up in in England, you obviously were exposed 0:44:40.160 --> 0:44:43.680 to a lot of great golf early at a young age. Like, what, 0:44:43.680 --> 0:44:45.560 what were your favorite places over there? 0:44:47.080 --> 0:44:50.320 Yeah, I grew up near London, so got to play 0:44:50.760 --> 0:44:53.440 quite a few of the Heathland courses, you know, Sunningdale, 0:44:54.239 --> 0:45:03.440 the Parkshire. I've never played the Swindley far but you know, 0:45:03.800 --> 0:45:07.480 we've obviously played some also some golf up kind of 0:45:09.239 --> 0:45:12.359 you know, the we would play. I've played Hillside, I've 0:45:12.400 --> 0:45:18.440 played more Town, I've played I'm trying to think of 0:45:18.520 --> 0:45:20.600 some of the other great ones. Obviously I played a 0:45:20.640 --> 0:45:23.239 lot in Scotland and Ireland, but I'm trying to think 0:45:23.280 --> 0:45:25.520 of good ones in England. You know, obviously live them 0:45:25.600 --> 0:45:30.919 and there was a bunch of those great ones around 0:45:30.960 --> 0:45:33.799 that Liverpool area that that I got to play, but 0:45:35.160 --> 0:45:39.040 a lot of really good ones in in London too. Yeah. 0:45:39.520 --> 0:45:43.279 What what players growing up did you kind of idolize 0:45:43.320 --> 0:45:47.840 the most? From like a you know, professional standpoint. 0:45:49.080 --> 0:45:54.080 You grew up loving Fouder and Sevy were my two idols, 0:45:54.120 --> 0:45:56.360 probably for very different reasons. You know, I think I 0:45:56.440 --> 0:46:00.160 was in awe Fouder and his work ethic and how 0:46:00.239 --> 0:46:03.520 meticulous he was and just the small details he'd went to. 0:46:03.680 --> 0:46:06.840 You just felt like the guy was on the range, 0:46:06.960 --> 0:46:12.080 you know, from morning till dusk. You know Sev obviously 0:46:12.200 --> 0:46:17.200 for his short game, his his flare, his ability to 0:46:17.239 --> 0:46:19.239 get the ball up and down from anywhere. I think 0:46:19.280 --> 0:46:25.040 that influenced me certainly. Very two different, very different personalities, 0:46:25.080 --> 0:46:28.840 but those were the two guys that for very different reasons. 0:46:29.320 --> 0:46:31.040 What kind of idols in my eyes? 0:46:31.719 --> 0:46:34.480 Your your bunker player. Could you know you could go 0:46:34.640 --> 0:46:37.319 toe to toe with Seva? That would be would be 0:46:37.320 --> 0:46:39.879 a fun like I always wonder why golf doesn't have 0:46:39.920 --> 0:46:41.280 like a skills challenge. 0:46:41.360 --> 0:46:43.560 I'd still give it to Sev. I mean, he never 0:46:43.640 --> 0:46:45.680 even had a sixty degree where he didn't even know 0:46:45.719 --> 0:46:49.759 what that was, so he could work magic with I 0:46:49.840 --> 0:46:53.080 think his highest wage was probably fifty six maybe degrees. 0:46:53.200 --> 0:46:55.640 So what do you think would happen if they took 0:46:55.680 --> 0:47:01.480 away wedges above fifty six degrees? This just popped into 0:47:01.480 --> 0:47:01.920 my head. 0:47:02.200 --> 0:47:06.719 Yeah, I think you would have to understand fundamentals a 0:47:06.760 --> 0:47:10.440 little bit better. You know, the huge amount of bounce 0:47:10.560 --> 0:47:15.359 sometimes now we have on wedges that help us, you know, 0:47:15.440 --> 0:47:19.840 around the greens try to minimize some of it, and 0:47:19.920 --> 0:47:24.399 they were the grooves and on the like. But they 0:47:24.480 --> 0:47:27.640 certainly haven't ever thought about minimizing loft. But that might 0:47:27.680 --> 0:47:31.840 be an interesting one, I mean learning, you know, suddenly 0:47:33.200 --> 0:47:36.120 it feels like nowadays you can pretty much get to 0:47:36.200 --> 0:47:40.120 any pin unless the greens are quite undulating. But most 0:47:40.160 --> 0:47:45.239 greens we still play on tour, you know, modest and 0:47:45.280 --> 0:47:52.319 somewhat flat. Green speeds are faster take it. But you 0:47:52.360 --> 0:47:55.640 know that that again, the amount of people who have 0:47:55.719 --> 0:47:58.200 sixty degree and sixty four degree with wedges, you know, 0:47:58.360 --> 0:48:00.719 pretty much you short side yourself, you can still give 0:48:00.760 --> 0:48:02.799 yourself a good chance of getting the ball up and down. 0:48:03.400 --> 0:48:06.240 Imagine if you only had a fifty six, that's becomes 0:48:06.239 --> 0:48:08.880 a little bit more difficult. You have to really learn 0:48:08.960 --> 0:48:14.240 how to use that wedge well to create the correct 0:48:14.280 --> 0:48:17.000 spin to get one of those short side shots close. 0:48:17.480 --> 0:48:21.760 It'd be interesting. I always, you know, I know that'll 0:48:21.800 --> 0:48:25.279 never probably happen. I've always wanted to see, like, you know, 0:48:25.400 --> 0:48:29.680 like a seven or four or five club event. You know, 0:48:30.440 --> 0:48:33.239 you know, if you be so fascinating to see the 0:48:33.280 --> 0:48:36.239 shot making, I think that's that's one of the things 0:48:36.719 --> 0:48:40.480 I wish, is like seeing all the creativity and all 0:48:40.520 --> 0:48:43.040 the shots that you know, you guys can hit would 0:48:43.040 --> 0:48:47.200 be the most fascinating aspect of it. But with the 0:48:47.239 --> 0:48:49.640 modern equipment, it doesn't seem you don't have to hit 0:48:49.680 --> 0:48:50.880 all the shots all the time. 0:48:52.120 --> 0:48:54.960 No again, strategy, I believe you know, it is so 0:48:55.040 --> 0:48:56.920 much less than it was when I first came out 0:48:56.960 --> 0:49:02.359 and tour. You know, course managements, it's not really there's 0:49:02.400 --> 0:49:06.200 not too much of it these days. But yeah, five 0:49:06.239 --> 0:49:11.399 club Challenge tournament, that could be interesting. I think people 0:49:11.400 --> 0:49:14.120 would still put the driver in. I think, yeah, I 0:49:14.360 --> 0:49:14.680 got it. 0:49:16.080 --> 0:49:19.400 So let's kind of wrap some stuff up here and 0:49:19.840 --> 0:49:24.279 a few quick quick hits, you know. So, like, what's 0:49:24.360 --> 0:49:27.680 been the most memorable moment, Like, what's the moment you 0:49:27.719 --> 0:49:34.000 think about most going back to your career at this point. 0:49:35.320 --> 0:49:38.000 It probably have to be my my playoff win over 0:49:38.080 --> 0:49:40.480 Lee West when it went worth, just because it got 0:49:40.480 --> 0:49:43.400 me to number one. It was at the place just 0:49:43.440 --> 0:49:44.920 down the road from where I grew up. I had 0:49:44.960 --> 0:49:47.320 lots of family and friends there. I think it was 0:49:47.360 --> 0:49:51.600 a fun night of celebrations. That was That was quite 0:49:51.880 --> 0:49:53.960 I've knocked on the door for a couple of months 0:49:54.040 --> 0:49:56.520 leading up to that, having good chances to get to 0:49:56.640 --> 0:49:59.000 number one, and couldn't quite quite do it, and so 0:50:00.239 --> 0:50:03.080 it was obviously meant to be to to wait to 0:50:03.200 --> 0:50:06.920 wait my time until a place like Wentworth where very 0:50:06.920 --> 0:50:07.839 close to where I grew up. 0:50:07.960 --> 0:50:10.160 Yeah, I saw it like Harvardtown. You lost in the 0:50:10.200 --> 0:50:13.680 playoff to snedd o certain number one. Then if you'd 0:50:13.719 --> 0:50:16.520 got it's it's a yeah, that's it. 0:50:16.640 --> 0:50:17.160 I remember. 0:50:17.239 --> 0:50:20.440 I actually remember that you hit a wedge real close on. 0:50:20.719 --> 0:50:23.960 Yeah, playoff Hall hitting pretty close and west west he 0:50:24.280 --> 0:50:26.640 hit one and got a lot of spin and just 0:50:26.640 --> 0:50:31.160 just crept into the water there. But yeah, thankful for 0:50:31.239 --> 0:50:31.920 that victory. 0:50:32.160 --> 0:50:36.919 Who's who's the player that like, best player to hang 0:50:36.960 --> 0:50:38.640 out have like a pint worth. 0:50:40.719 --> 0:50:49.120 Mm hmm key one that. Yeah, lots of funny guys. 0:50:49.160 --> 0:50:54.360 Obviously made lots of good friends during Ryder Cups. You know, 0:50:54.480 --> 0:50:57.080 we had a we had a group group WhatsApp chat 0:50:57.719 --> 0:51:00.719 going for the Ryder Cup, which was kind of fun. 0:51:00.760 --> 0:51:03.520 And you get to even just through that experience, you know, 0:51:03.960 --> 0:51:09.000 different personalities. Tommy Fleetwood has a great sense of humor. Yeah, 0:51:09.040 --> 0:51:11.600 I've obviously been good friends with Sergio. He's not much 0:51:11.600 --> 0:51:17.640 of a drinker, so I wouldn't choose him. I don't 0:51:17.680 --> 0:51:23.680 know it's a good one. I don't know. I had 0:51:23.719 --> 0:51:26.319 a few good times over the years though, but I 0:51:26.320 --> 0:51:27.759 don't think of anyone specific. 0:51:28.480 --> 0:51:31.200 What was the best Ryder Cup memory. 0:51:32.920 --> 0:51:34.920 Best shot I ever hit? Probably the Rider Cup was 0:51:34.960 --> 0:51:39.120 my seven aa madina against Tiger and Stricker in the 0:51:39.200 --> 0:51:43.360 four Walls. You know, just at the time we were 0:51:43.719 --> 0:51:46.759 we were we were getting beaten pretty handily. I mean 0:51:46.760 --> 0:51:48.479 we were down ten to four, I think at the time, 0:51:48.520 --> 0:51:52.960 and you know, obviously I think what what it meant 0:51:53.000 --> 0:51:55.279 in the grand scheme of things, and obviously we had 0:51:55.320 --> 0:51:58.000 the big comeback on Sunday, but winning that point and 0:51:58.040 --> 0:52:00.719 then Poulter and Macroori winning their point to get to 0:52:00.800 --> 0:52:04.040 ten six to even give us a sniff I think, 0:52:04.320 --> 0:52:07.520 And obviously against one of the greatest players of all time, 0:52:07.760 --> 0:52:11.320 he just stuffed it into five feet and seventeen. He 0:52:11.560 --> 0:52:14.600 just burdied the hole before sixteen. And the pressure was 0:52:14.640 --> 0:52:17.160 all on us. We were only worn up, having been 0:52:17.200 --> 0:52:18.759 four up at the turn. You know, it was all 0:52:18.800 --> 0:52:22.400 going away. It looked like here goes, We're gonna maybe 0:52:22.440 --> 0:52:24.920 lose his point and maybe get it half. And then 0:52:24.960 --> 0:52:27.160 suddenly I was able to come up with with the 0:52:27.200 --> 0:52:30.319 goods hit it inside him. We matched birdies and then 0:52:30.360 --> 0:52:32.960 half the last hole to win the points. So that 0:52:33.000 --> 0:52:34.360 would probably be my best shot. 0:52:35.320 --> 0:52:40.000 What's the one where the tournament that you didn't get 0:52:40.000 --> 0:52:43.360 it done or you know, that sticks with you the most? 0:52:48.440 --> 0:52:54.759 Mm Probably that US Open with justin you know, I 0:52:54.800 --> 0:53:01.000 think it's funny that was that was a positive time 0:53:01.200 --> 0:53:04.200 that probably turned into a negative. And I'll explain it 0:53:04.239 --> 0:53:06.680 because you know, obviously positive because I had a great 0:53:06.760 --> 0:53:10.719 chance to win that US Open. I walked off Sunday 0:53:10.880 --> 0:53:14.319 having watched Rose do his thing, you know, pure it 0:53:14.440 --> 0:53:16.560 the whole way around. I mean we saw that four 0:53:16.600 --> 0:53:18.600 iron on the last and nearly went in the hole. 0:53:18.680 --> 0:53:24.040 I mean every shot was just down the middle. And 0:53:24.080 --> 0:53:27.920 I walked away thinking, man, my game doesn't feel like that, 0:53:28.400 --> 0:53:34.319 especially off the tee, and I tried to I tried 0:53:34.320 --> 0:53:36.480 to change a few things. I actually went away from 0:53:36.560 --> 0:53:39.399 Pat Oss. I went to a different coach for a year, 0:53:39.560 --> 0:53:43.640 went to Chuck Cook, and you know, obviously I haven't 0:53:43.680 --> 0:53:48.319 really been as good since that time. I think, you know, 0:53:48.360 --> 0:53:51.719 obviously went back to Pat. But it took some unraveling 0:53:51.760 --> 0:53:54.040 to you know, the swing that I tried to go 0:53:54.120 --> 0:53:57.200 to wasn't really working. I'm not taking anything from Chuck 0:53:57.239 --> 0:53:59.560 and what he does, but it wasn't right for me, 0:54:00.560 --> 0:54:04.240 And you know, looking back, I wish I'd just stuck 0:54:04.280 --> 0:54:05.960 to what I knew I was good at. It was funny. 0:54:05.960 --> 0:54:07.640 It was a time where I had a great chance 0:54:07.680 --> 0:54:09.360 to win a major and I walked away thinking I 0:54:09.400 --> 0:54:12.640 needed to change things. And it's just it's a crazy 0:54:12.760 --> 0:54:15.879 the way we think. Yeah, but you know, obviously led 0:54:15.920 --> 0:54:20.120 to some kind of poor golf, and yeah, I wish 0:54:20.160 --> 0:54:24.040 I'd had that back. You know, I wish I'd either 0:54:24.880 --> 0:54:28.000 played a bit better or even played really worse. I 0:54:28.000 --> 0:54:32.160 don't know, but yeah, maybe even not having been paired 0:54:32.200 --> 0:54:34.520 with with Rosie would have changed, you know, the next 0:54:34.560 --> 0:54:36.799 few years of my life. Who knows. But it's hard 0:54:36.800 --> 0:54:40.160 to have hindsight with that because it's, well, it was fascinating. 0:54:40.320 --> 0:54:43.799 Is that if you flipped the situation and you win, 0:54:45.280 --> 0:54:48.920 Rose probably would have gone God, I got. 0:54:48.760 --> 0:54:51.239 It, and I would have been playing like he has lost. 0:54:51.040 --> 0:54:56.000 Years in the crazy. The crazy stuff about it is 0:54:56.040 --> 0:54:59.840 like as a golfer, I feel like you're always envious 0:55:00.080 --> 0:55:04.560 of what someone else has, and they're always looking at 0:55:04.600 --> 0:55:05.680 you and are enviously. 0:55:05.840 --> 0:55:07.560 You never realize that part though, do you. 0:55:08.000 --> 0:55:10.279 And that's the hardest thing to think about, and I 0:55:10.640 --> 0:55:12.760 never really thought about it until what you just said. 0:55:12.960 --> 0:55:17.600 Yeah, yeah, you always want something that somebody else has 0:55:17.800 --> 0:55:21.520 and when really you should be just concentrating. I think 0:55:21.560 --> 0:55:25.080 that when I got to number one, that was what 0:55:25.200 --> 0:55:28.600 my biggest skill was. I knew what I was good at, 0:55:28.640 --> 0:55:31.160 and I just concentrate on that. I didn't care that 0:55:31.200 --> 0:55:34.240 I didn't hit it as far as everyone or whatever. 0:55:34.560 --> 0:55:36.879 I knew that if I could do this as well 0:55:36.920 --> 0:55:40.160 as I needed to be, then I could be as 0:55:40.239 --> 0:55:44.040 good as I wanted to be, really, you know. And yeah, 0:55:44.280 --> 0:55:48.880 even though there was strokes gained. I think that year 0:55:48.920 --> 0:55:51.640 twenty eleven, I was around even strokes gained off the tea. 0:55:51.680 --> 0:55:56.319 But I knew that I needed to gain practically two 0:55:56.400 --> 0:55:59.240 strokes around on average to be number one in the world, 0:55:59.360 --> 0:56:03.360 and I had to do it through my strengths. 0:56:03.920 --> 0:56:07.319 So that that time you were just all, you know, 0:56:07.640 --> 0:56:11.000 focused on how do I control? 0:56:11.160 --> 0:56:13.920 Yeah, yeah, not worrying what other people were good at, 0:56:15.120 --> 0:56:18.479 worrying what I was good at my skill set. 0:56:18.760 --> 0:56:21.440 Yeah, that's a yeah, that's a good point. It's like 0:56:21.480 --> 0:56:23.919 you get wrapped up you're always looking at what other 0:56:23.960 --> 0:56:26.359 people are doing in any industry. You know, if you're 0:56:26.760 --> 0:56:29.440 if you're a sales guy, you know you're looking at 0:56:29.440 --> 0:56:32.200 what the guy down the down the road is doing. 0:56:32.719 --> 0:56:35.719 That's you know, maybe beat you two months in a 0:56:35.840 --> 0:56:37.719 row is and you're like, oh, maybe I'll try and 0:56:37.760 --> 0:56:40.680 do that. But I think with like sales, for example, 0:56:40.760 --> 0:56:43.560 like what makes you unique as you? You know, and 0:56:43.600 --> 0:56:45.080 you can't try and be somebody else? 0:56:46.239 --> 0:56:49.560 Why be ever anyone else? Everyone else is taken. Someone 0:56:49.600 --> 0:56:52.200 told me just be you. It's a good quote. 0:56:52.520 --> 0:56:57.120 So uh, that's it. That's what I got. I really 0:56:57.200 --> 0:57:01.200 appreciate you coming on, I think sure and taking the 0:57:01.239 --> 0:57:03.080 time and given more than well. 0:57:03.200 --> 0:57:06.600 Enjoyed your podcasts and everything you're doing. So good luck 0:57:06.640 --> 0:57:06.880 with it. 0:57:07.239 --> 0:57:10.920 Yeah, when are the fans going to see your next. 0:57:10.880 --> 0:57:15.480 I'll be out soon either Honda or Tampa hopefully. So 0:57:15.880 --> 0:57:20.280 making some good progress, building some great resiliency in my back, 0:57:20.360 --> 0:57:22.919 you know, just being taking it quite easy. I want 0:57:22.920 --> 0:57:26.000 to make sure I get it right. But looking forward 0:57:26.040 --> 0:57:29.800 to a busy summer hopefully. Yeah, Harbortown, there we go. 0:57:29.920 --> 0:57:30.680 Let's get that win. 0:57:30.960 --> 0:57:31.240 I know 0:57:33.160 --> 0:57:37.040 Exactly