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Speaker 1: You cannot make this ship up this Keystone cops. And

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Speaker 1: when when I when I first texted Norman, it wasn't

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Speaker 1: like a gotcha. I really hadn't seen the video. I

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Speaker 1: had no idea he was even there. And and then

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Speaker 1: right when we were looking at the video, that's when

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Speaker 1: he texted me back and said, I had no idea.

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Speaker 1: It's like so absurd. There was there was dozens and

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Speaker 1: dozens of people there, like who saw him standing there?

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Speaker 1: I didn't because he was behind me, like lurking in

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Speaker 1: the shadows like a snake. But everyone else saw it,

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Speaker 1: Like it's just so ridiculous. Another log on the fire

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Speaker 1: hears give it time. Welcome back to the fire Pit.

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Speaker 1: I met Janella and on this episode of the fire Drill,

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Speaker 1: which is quite hot, we hear from Alan Schipnuk on

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Speaker 1: being live at the inaugural Live event in London, joining

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Speaker 1: us is Ryan French and Michael Bamber, before we get

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Speaker 1: to the specifics of a day in which Alan was

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Speaker 1: ultimately escorted out of Phil Nicholson's press conference. A quick

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Speaker 1: appreciation for the sponsors who make all of this possible.

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Speaker 1: We want to thank Dormy Workshop for making the next

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Speaker 1: set of merchandise will be dropping on Firepit Collective dot com.

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Speaker 1: Bishop Famili's handmade leather goods such as head covers, stash bags,

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Speaker 1: And thanks to Part Points, our friends Brandon Ebert and

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Speaker 1: Kevin Quinley have created an app that changes the way

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Speaker 1: you can score the game, which is especially good for beginners, kids,

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Speaker 1: families and buddies trips. Looking for an alternate format, download

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Speaker 1: the Today and go make part and now is Joe

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Speaker 1: Horowitz likes to sing settle down and settle in. This

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Speaker 1: story is about to begin, Alan Shipnuk. First of all,

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Speaker 1: are you are you okay? Yeah? I mean, it's the

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Speaker 1: whole thing has been so nutty. I mean I was

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Speaker 1: literally just standing in the back of Phil's press conference.

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Speaker 1: You know, I wasn't so when I got when You're

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Speaker 1: just getting credential has been a journey. They finally credential

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Speaker 1: to me today after it already bought tickets. I was

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Speaker 1: just just gonna just go as a fan basically, they

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Speaker 1: came through their credential that late this morning when I

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Speaker 1: was already in London, and and but one of one

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Speaker 1: of the very nice women working in the media center,

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Speaker 1: she came out to meet me and she's like, Phil

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Speaker 1: doesn't want you to talk to him. I was like, well, okay,

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Speaker 1: let's just see how it plays out. I mean, I

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Speaker 1: flew across the ocean to be here, Like he's the

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Speaker 1: most important person in this tournament. I'm not going to

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Speaker 1: commit to not asking him a question. But we just

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Speaker 1: kind of let it go and I was just gonna

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Speaker 1: feel it out. And so he was doing his scrum

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Speaker 1: and I just kind of stood in the back and

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Speaker 1: I hadn't even really decided how was it going to play.

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Speaker 1: I just wanted to see what his energy was like

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Speaker 1: and what the whole, the whole vibe was and and

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Speaker 1: then the goods like descended on me and things just

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Speaker 1: got really weird. So what's really weird? What's what? What's

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Speaker 1: really weird? Me? Um? Well, they I mean the guy

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Speaker 1: that grabbed my arm and was pulling me away and

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Speaker 1: I just said, don't touch me, and he said you

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Speaker 1: need to come with me. I said, no, I'm actually

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Speaker 1: gonna watch this press conference. He's like, you need to

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Speaker 1: come with me. I said why, He said, because we

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Speaker 1: need to scan your bads. I said, I just got

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Speaker 1: scanned five seconds ago. And so then he grabbed me again.

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Speaker 1: I said, don't fucking touch me. And by now there

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Speaker 1: was like some energy, you know, in in the little

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Speaker 1: His other reporters are right there, and so his other

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Speaker 1: buddy was like, kind of they were, they hadn't like

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Speaker 1: boxed in. He was kind of nudging me. So I

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Speaker 1: started walking and then my old high school basketball coach,

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Speaker 1: Joe chap Will be so proud. It was like going

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Speaker 1: for an offensive rebound. I kind of gave the swim move.

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Speaker 1: I did little spin that I was back to where

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Speaker 1: I was. I went around both of them. It's one

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Speaker 1: of the greatest moments of my life. Unfortunately that no

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Speaker 1: one got that on camera. Um. But then then there

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Speaker 1: was a third dude. So now, like I didn't want

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Speaker 1: us to be a whole side show, and it was

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Speaker 1: already too, I mean, Phils already up there talking. I

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Speaker 1: was like, okay, I'm just gonna like just walk away

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Speaker 1: because this is not gonna end well for anybody. So

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Speaker 1: so then we walked twenty feet. So there's like there's

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Speaker 1: this little where the pen is to get into the

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Speaker 1: the flash interview area and they scanted my badge, it

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Speaker 1: comes up green. I said, see all good, and he's like, well, uh,

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Speaker 1: we need to reassess your badge, you know. And this

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Speaker 1: whole time like if I even, like, you know, change

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Speaker 1: the weight of my foot, he was like, he's like

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Speaker 1: shadow boxing. It was so ridiculous. But I'm standing out

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Speaker 1: there and it's just a thing, Like there's all these

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Speaker 1: security people. So if I could see an n wandered

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Speaker 1: over the New York Times and everyone everyone's getting all

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Speaker 1: fired up, and I was just like, I'm just gonna

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Speaker 1: go very zen here, and I was, I was just

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Speaker 1: on deep freeze. They kept changing their story why and

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Speaker 1: then finally the guy said, well, um, I said, you know,

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Speaker 1: my computers in the press room. I'd like to go

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Speaker 1: do my work now. And he's like, wow, you can't

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Speaker 1: go in there because there's somebody in there. He doesn't

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Speaker 1: want you in there, which I guess it could have

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Speaker 1: been Norman actually, but I'm assumed maybe it was Phil

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Speaker 1: doing some postcrum interviews. I don't know. Um. And then

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Speaker 1: and then finally one of the people who runs the

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Speaker 1: pressroom came and got involved, and then they I think

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Speaker 1: at that point, whether it was Norman or whether it

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Speaker 1: was Phil, they exited the tent. So then everyone just

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Speaker 1: kind of melled out. I just went back to my

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Speaker 1: computer and started typing, which ironically I'm writing like a

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Speaker 1: whole story, which I'm still gonna write and we'll still

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Speaker 1: post on practical Collective dot com about like I thought,

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Speaker 1: it was a super interesting day at and a big

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Speaker 1: moment for the sport, and I was, you know, um,

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Speaker 1: I'm not here. I came here with no agenda or

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Speaker 1: no vendetta, Like I just was a curious observer house

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Speaker 1: was going to play out. So it's just kind of

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Speaker 1: my dispassionate. Um, you know, dispatch on on the first

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Speaker 1: round at the live event. Um, you know, I guess

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Speaker 1: I'm trying to help them out by by being here

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Speaker 1: and writing about it in a serious manner. But it

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Speaker 1: took a turn for the absurd to say the least,

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Speaker 1: Wasn't it Isn't it also a little bit about the

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Speaker 1: fact that the kind of the golden rule of journalism

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Speaker 1: is is if you write something about somebody day, you

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Speaker 1: show up the next day and face the music. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I mean for sure, like you know, this is this

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Speaker 1: is why I'm here because Phil's here. You know, I

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Speaker 1: hadn't really planned to cover the event. Um, but he's

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Speaker 1: returning to public life obviously have been chronicling his whole journey.

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Speaker 1: I've been part of it in some way. Um, and

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Speaker 1: so yeah, I feel like I needed to be here.

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Speaker 1: I would love to have a conversation with Phil, you know,

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Speaker 1: whether he's out by the dais or we can have

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Speaker 1: a private moment, like if he's got things what he

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Speaker 1: wants to say to me. You know, I'm here to listen.

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Speaker 1: And um, you know, I'm definitely not like avoiding the

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Speaker 1: guy or Greg Norton for that matter, who I've had

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Speaker 1: my own issues with lately. Um. So yeah, I mean yeah,

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Speaker 1: came into the lions Den here and uh, I was

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Speaker 1: just here to try and do some serious work and

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Speaker 1: um it's turned into fucking clown show. But I'm still

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Speaker 1: here to do work and that's my My goal has

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Speaker 1: and changed from what you've heard of stil In in

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Speaker 1: his indoor press Scotts the other day, and as we've

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Speaker 1: observed over the years, these guys can sometimes be very

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Speaker 1: different indoors and outdoors. Um, was he still automaton Phil

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Speaker 1: the r E. Fleischer you know, stamp of approve of

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Speaker 1: Phil like the other day, or was over there shades

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Speaker 1: of like we're actually going to see the real film

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Speaker 1: mikls him again. Yeah, he he loosened up a little bit. Um,

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Speaker 1: I could see that. I think, Um, he was definitely

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Speaker 1: over coached and that that first press conference and overrehearsed,

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Speaker 1: and there was a stiffness and an awkwardness there and Um,

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Speaker 1: but you know, I get it. It's there was a

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Speaker 1: there was a lot of build up. There was a

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Speaker 1: lot of things that he wanted to say, some things

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Speaker 1: he couldn't say, some things he had to say. So

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Speaker 1: that was kind of a fraud return to public life,

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Speaker 1: and you know there's a challenging scenario for him or

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Speaker 1: for anybody, and putting putting that position. Um, there was

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Speaker 1: a little more levity this evening. I mean even when

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Speaker 1: when they kind of went me out of this area,

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Speaker 1: I could still hear Phil that you know, they amplified

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Speaker 1: by speaker, so I got a little taste of his

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Speaker 1: comments anyway, and he did he I think just getting

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Speaker 1: back between the ropes and feeling the love from the crowd.

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Speaker 1: You know, got a big ovation on the first hole

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Speaker 1: and people were were cheering for him all the way through.

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Speaker 1: You know, he had a couple of recovery shots from

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Speaker 1: the wrong side of the ropes and he's knuckle bumping

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Speaker 1: folks and they're definitely it's definitely a pro Phil crowd. Um.

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Speaker 1: Some of that made just because you know, he's validated

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Speaker 1: this tournament and this this new enterprise. I think people

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Speaker 1: are also just they like cheering, fulfill they like watching

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Speaker 1: him play, and they're happy to see him back. So

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Speaker 1: there was a lot of good energy out there for him.

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Speaker 1: And as you're saying, Michael, I think I think he's

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Speaker 1: kind of peeling back some of the artifice and I

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Speaker 1: think he's gonna be a little more real. And you know,

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Speaker 1: the US Open week next week is gonna be fascinating.

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Speaker 1: Um uh. You know, he's already got his press conference

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Speaker 1: set for Monday, and um, the British, the British boys

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Speaker 1: are are are different. I mean they came strong this week.

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Speaker 1: I mean they don't mess around in these press conferences,

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Speaker 1: but a lot of them are aren't really on the

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Speaker 1: golf beat. They're more generalists and they're just they're just

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Speaker 1: here because it's a big tournament. You know, next next

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Speaker 1: week will be the actual golf press and people feels

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Speaker 1: known for a long time and has has a lot

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Speaker 1: of relationships with UM, so I think there'll be a

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Speaker 1: different level of intimacy and maybe emotion and how he

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Speaker 1: handles that is going to be quite fascinating. So just

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Speaker 1: take take us through it for a second here. So

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Speaker 1: you you flew red eye landed this morning and and

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Speaker 1: went directly to to the to the golf course. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: pretty much. When I came to the hotel, took a

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Speaker 1: shower and change clothes. But yeah, then just got still,

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Speaker 1: you know, because of my daughter's high school graduation and

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Speaker 1: other reasons. I mean, that was part of why I

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Speaker 1: wasn't gonna be here, but ultimately I just felt like

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Speaker 1: I had to be, so um. I probably it would

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Speaker 1: have been great to be here even a day or

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Speaker 1: two earlier, but this is like the earliest I could

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Speaker 1: have I could have made it. So yeah, I'm going

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Speaker 1: on about forty five minutes of sleep since I left

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Speaker 1: California two days ago. But I've got some adrenaline, for sure,

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Speaker 1: I mean, um, but yeah, so I mean it was

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Speaker 1: a good day out there, like it was. My takeaway

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Speaker 1: from this whole thing is it just felt like a

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Speaker 1: golf tournament. You know. There was some of the pageantry

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Speaker 1: with the beefeaters and the flyover and the trumpets and

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Speaker 1: the black London taxis, but once they put they put

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Speaker 1: a peg in the ground. I mean it was just

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Speaker 1: really good golfers trying to shoot a low score. And um,

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Speaker 1: it's not it's not a exceptionally artful course, but it's

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Speaker 1: a tough test. I mean it's a narrow fairways and

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Speaker 1: very fiddley and a lot of moving on the greens,

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Speaker 1: and so guys were it was. It was a really

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Speaker 1: good test. I mean you had to you had to,

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Speaker 1: as Michael Bamber says, you had to golf your ball.

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Speaker 1: So it was fun to watch. I think, Um, there

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Speaker 1: was a cool energy. I mean it was the first

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Speaker 1: few holes, it was it was total a key like

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Speaker 1: hundreds of people were just ducking under the ropes like

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Speaker 1: it was you know, Francis we met Um Brookline kind

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Speaker 1: of thing, and he definitely they got things slightly more

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Speaker 1: under control as it as a day we're on and

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Speaker 1: people kind of chilled out. But the first few holes.

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Speaker 1: I mean, it was just it was like it was

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Speaker 1: kind of this cool energy, like uh, you know, football style,

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Speaker 1: and I enjoyed it. It It was fun to be out there.

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Speaker 1: Did did Dustin Johnson looked like his normal self or

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Speaker 1: did he look different? Yeah, he looked like the same

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Speaker 1: Dustin Johnson, which is to say, mildly disinterested. Um, but

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Speaker 1: you know, he kuy knows how to play golf. I

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Speaker 1: mean he he hit one of the worst drives I've

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Speaker 1: ever seeing him, you know, slice ad ob when you

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Speaker 1: have all the room in the world down the left

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Speaker 1: side of that hole. But he fought back. He had

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Speaker 1: a lot of great iron shots. And I think, you know,

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Speaker 1: for Dustin, for Phil, those two guys, especially that this

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Speaker 1: is kind of a new energy. It's a new start.

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Speaker 1: It's it's not that they have anything to prove, per se,

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Speaker 1: but I think they're more fired up for this event

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Speaker 1: than they would just be the Canadian Open. You know

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Speaker 1: that that's kind of old hat, but they're a little

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Speaker 1: bit there's obviously a big spotlight on them. There's a

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Speaker 1: certain amount of scrutiny, especially Phil. You know, he put

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Speaker 1: his neck on the chopping block for this whole thing

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Speaker 1: that might be the wrong metaphor um, given the geopolitical

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Speaker 1: underlying currents here. But the you know, I think I

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Speaker 1: think there's there's a certain amount of there's a certain

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Speaker 1: amount of like I gotta prove myself here, you know. Uh,

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Speaker 1: which that one thinks that there's just gonna be a

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Speaker 1: lark for them and they're not gonna try hard because

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Speaker 1: they already got their money and it's just an exhibition,

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Speaker 1: but that it may evolve into that. But I think this,

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Speaker 1: especially this week and maybe the first few, like Phil

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Speaker 1: was grinding hard. I mean he was working really hard

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Speaker 1: out there because his driver he hit some loose drives

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Speaker 1: and he didn't look comfortable as part of pretty much

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Speaker 1: the whole round, he fought really hard for a very

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Speaker 1: good score. You know, shooting sixty nine puts them in

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Speaker 1: the top ten. So um, I mean, nothing could be

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Speaker 1: more film Nikles than if he just goes out and

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Speaker 1: wins this thing. I mean, that would just be almost

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Speaker 1: it's almost a feeling of inevitability, right like it's just

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Speaker 1: the only thing to be even that would make more

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Speaker 1: senses for him to go in next week at the

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Speaker 1: US Open. But um, so yeah, I detected some energy

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Speaker 1: out of both those guys. They weren't punching the clock.

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Speaker 1: I mean, they were here to work, and uh, that

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Speaker 1: was that was kind of a fun thing to watch too.

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Speaker 1: What were there any signs of Saudi Royals in the

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Speaker 1: gallery or elsewhere in the clubhouse. Yeah, yeah, a couple

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Speaker 1: of guys. I don't know their names, but I've seen

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Speaker 1: them in photos and I know they're very involved in

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Speaker 1: the Public Investment Fund and um, I don't know if

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Speaker 1: the royals, but they're definitely ruling class and they were

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Speaker 1: they looked elated. They were hugging everybody like I think

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Speaker 1: this was a big moment war for all the people

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Speaker 1: in Saudi Arabia who have you know, kind of gone

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Speaker 1: to the wall on this one. For Norman, who has

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Speaker 1: made plenty of mistakes, but he has built this thing. Um,

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Speaker 1: there was I mean, Norman was giddy out there on

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Speaker 1: the first tea and it was just like, man, we did.

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Speaker 1: It's it's not easy to build something from scratch, and

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Speaker 1: there's they've taken a lot of shrapnel, there's been setbacks,

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Speaker 1: but it's just to get this thing off the ground

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Speaker 1: is a huge accomplishment. And you know, we now know

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Speaker 1: that they're not here. This week. But we know Patrick

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Speaker 1: Reed and Bryson de Shamber coming. I mean all of

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Speaker 1: a sudden they have accumulated critical mass of major championship winners,

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Speaker 1: future Hall of famers. Um. But but needle movers right,

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Speaker 1: like surgery. Garcia is not really a a factor. We

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Speaker 1: can we got on the PGA Tour, but he moves

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Speaker 1: in the needle. He's a very polarizing Patrick Read, superpolarizing

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Speaker 1: Bryson de Shambo, incredibly polarizing Ian Poulter, you know, very

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Speaker 1: much love hate kind of personality. So they're not They're

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Speaker 1: not the best golfers in the world anymore. But I

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Speaker 1: mean you can say Patrick Reed might be, but um,

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Speaker 1: they are. They are huge personalities. And then you throw

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Speaker 1: pill into that mix. Um, you know, Dustin I don't

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Speaker 1: think I think people mostly love Dustin. But if they

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Speaker 1: get Ricky Fowler, I mean that's a lot of star

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Speaker 1: power that that's a lot of personality the average fan

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Speaker 1: connects with. I mean, like John Rom Colin Marikawa. They're

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Speaker 1: better golfers anyone that's in this live field. But they

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Speaker 1: don't don't they don't inspire any emotion, right, I mean,

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Speaker 1: they're fun to watch play golf, but nobody really cares

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Speaker 1: about them, even the way they do about Patrick Reid

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Speaker 1: or Sergio Garcia or Bryson or any of these dudes.

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Speaker 1: So it's it's interesting, well, I mean, Live is sort

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Speaker 1: of O l I V. They've sort of corned the

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Speaker 1: market on on the bad boys and and the contrarians

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Speaker 1: and um, the people that get that really get social

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Speaker 1: media fired up. So it's it's worth king. I think

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Speaker 1: that's the bottom line that's working. I just think from

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Speaker 1: I mean, obviously the longevity of it and is that

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Speaker 1: but from a TV watching perspective, obviously on YouTube and

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Speaker 1: on my computer. But I mean it was really good.

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Speaker 1: It was really good. The shotguns start works. My wife,

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Speaker 1: who never watches golf, is like, holy kaw, we just saw,

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Speaker 1: you know, fifteen drives in a row. Like at the

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Speaker 1: beginning of the event. It was like boom boom boom

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Speaker 1: boom booh boomp. And you know, obviously some of that

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Speaker 1: is because it's a new product and whatever, but like,

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Speaker 1: I mean, I kind of explained it. I was just

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Speaker 1: talking to Mark. It's like it's like starting a race

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Speaker 1: and the cars are already going around right like it's

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Speaker 1: it was like back to back to back every if

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Speaker 1: they got bigger names and it was like, you know, Phil,

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Speaker 1: I don't tell you it's not there, but like Phil

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Speaker 1: Tiger Rory. If they got bigger names and that's how

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Speaker 1: you opened a golf show. I think it was awesome.

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Speaker 1: The leaderboard on the side was awesome. Uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: the constant action. Obviously they don't have any answers, so

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Speaker 1: it's easy to give constant shots. But I think just

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Speaker 1: from a TV watching perspective, I was really really impressed.

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Speaker 1: I was. My expectations were, let's hope the cameras on

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Speaker 1: and the MIC's work, and they were like pretty seasoned. Uh.

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Speaker 1: In my opinion, yeah, they brought they brought in pros.

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Speaker 1: I mean, they know what they're doing. It's also cool.

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Speaker 1: It's an underrated thing is they've all played basically the

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Speaker 1: same number of holes, So the leader board has a

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Speaker 1: lot of meaning. You know, on a Thursday, one guy's

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Speaker 1: in the clubhouse at minus three, someone Birdie's first two holes.

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Speaker 1: But you can't compare those scores. There's so much such

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Speaker 1: a disparity and how many how deep into their round

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Speaker 1: they are. But pretty much you look at the board,

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Speaker 1: you know everyone's played the same number of holes plus

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Speaker 1: or minus one and so um, to me, the leaderboard

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Speaker 1: takes on even more value. And but I agree, Ryan,

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Speaker 1: I mean it was it was. It was neat to

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Speaker 1: when you know you're on you're walking around out there

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Speaker 1: and just there's golf everywhere. And you know, if you

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Speaker 1: go out early on a Thursday morning at a tour event,

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Speaker 1: or on a Friday morning or Saturday or Sunday for

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Speaker 1: that matters lonely, you know, it takes a while to

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Speaker 1: fill up the golf course. But it was just it

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Speaker 1: was it was fans everywhere because they you know, some

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Speaker 1: some people wanted to watch Phil, someone to watch the

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Speaker 1: English lads. There was a South African contingent of fans

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Speaker 1: out there are pretty boisterous and there's a there's a

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Speaker 1: bunch of South Africans here. Um, so the crowd was

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Speaker 1: was pretty big, pretty loud, and nicely spread out. I mean,

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Speaker 1: they're the Phil Dustin group definitely had the biggest gallery.

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Speaker 1: But I was impressed, you know, it was it was

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Speaker 1: a pretty good coverage throughout the whole course. But right away,

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Speaker 1: like you're saying, like you just you went from zero

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Speaker 1: to a hundred really quickly, from from kind of the

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Speaker 1: fan experience from the beginning to the end and again

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Speaker 1: like everybody's finishing at the same time was really cool

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Speaker 1: in my opinion. You know, like no one's ever watched

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Speaker 1: eight straight hours of TV of golf, Like it's compacted.

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Speaker 1: So if you know, like you know you're gonna watch

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Speaker 1: the last two hours, you're gonna see everybody. I thought

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Speaker 1: it was. I thought it was. I was very skeptical

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Speaker 1: a that they could pull anything off that. I mean,

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Speaker 1: they've had a lot of stumbles leading up to this.

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Speaker 1: I was like, I didn't think they had a chance

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Speaker 1: to pull off a good product, and I mean it

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Speaker 1: was simple things like that a drone shot and I know, Ellen,

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Speaker 1: you were on site, so you might not have saw it,

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Speaker 1: but there was a drone shot of Phil and Dustin

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Speaker 1: and Scott Vincent walking up the uh fairway when they

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Speaker 1: had little bubbles over their head with their face and

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Speaker 1: their score and like you know, pointing to who it

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Speaker 1: is is very minor, but it was like b roll

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Speaker 1: waiting for the next shot to start. And it was

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Speaker 1: an added thing you know that the PGA Tour doesn't

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Speaker 1: do or p J recoverage doesn't do. It kind of

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Speaker 1: felt like XFL. Remember when XFL came out and they

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Speaker 1: ran for the ball in the middle of the field

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Speaker 1: and they had this sky cam over that the you know, like,

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Speaker 1: there's there's some aspects to what's going on here at

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Speaker 1: I think the traditional tour can I really learn from

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Speaker 1: the way. I mean, if this wasn't four billion dollars

399
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Speaker 1: worth of Saudi Arabian money, I think they're everybody on

400
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Speaker 1: this call would be rooting for this, this kind of

401
00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:21,960
Speaker 1: disruption and change to the old, stuffy, you know, presentation

402
00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:27,399
Speaker 1: of what is golf that a big chunk of Twitter

403
00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:31,840
Speaker 1: verse just rails on on a regular, regular basis. I mean,

404
00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:36,159
Speaker 1: in so many ways, this answers so many issues and

405
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Speaker 1: questions about how we can truly advance this old fuddy duddy,

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Speaker 1: you know way of things. And yet it's run by

407
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Speaker 1: Saudi Arabia at backed by Saudi Arabian, run by Greg Norman.

408
00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:52,240
Speaker 1: We could just get Saudi Arabian Greg Norman out of

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Speaker 1: the picture. This could be something really worth rooting for. Well.

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Speaker 1: I mean it kind of makes me think about you

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Speaker 1: know what we talk about the Firepit collective. It's like, Okay,

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Speaker 1: we and our long careers, all of us watched all

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Speaker 1: the mistakes that are that our bosses and our companies made,

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Speaker 1: and we've learned from those and we've tried to have

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Speaker 1: a much leaner, more efficient, more extremeline model. And you

416
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Speaker 1: know that's what these guys have that benefit. You know,

417
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Speaker 1: they've all I got to do is is follow Twitter

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Speaker 1: on Saturday or Sunday. And you know what everyone hates

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Speaker 1: about the current TV covered, So there's there's a blueprint

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00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:26,840
Speaker 1: out there if you're paying attention, Like I think you're right.

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Speaker 1: I mean, they've they have a chance, and I mean,

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Speaker 1: I can't remember where I said this, but I like

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Speaker 1: the idea of different formats and they should just keep going,

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Speaker 1: like keep pushing it. And someone, um someone tweeter are

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Speaker 1: they gonna introduce like Mulligan gimmes? I was like, why not?

426
00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:48,199
Speaker 1: I mean, just keep going, like if you want to.

427
00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,080
Speaker 1: We we know what traditional golf looks like that next

428
00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:53,480
Speaker 1: week at the US Open. That's old school golf and

429
00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:55,359
Speaker 1: that's great and we all love it and venerate it.

430
00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:59,400
Speaker 1: They're not that so I mean a breakfast breakfast ball

431
00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:03,000
Speaker 1: off the breakfast ball off the first would be amazing,

432
00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:05,399
Speaker 1: wouldn't it. Just Like I don't want a lot of

433
00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:07,320
Speaker 1: places in the UK doesn't have a driving range, so

434
00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:10,120
Speaker 1: we are, you know, pretty standard rules, no driving range,

435
00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:12,640
Speaker 1: breakfast ball didn't get Oh you're showing up a little late,

436
00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:16,879
Speaker 1: all right, we'll give you a breakfast ball. Yeah. What

437
00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:19,119
Speaker 1: was it like to say, some of the establishment people,

438
00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:22,080
Speaker 1: they're like a Johns Hopkins or a slug or White.

439
00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:25,240
Speaker 1: If you happen seeing either those guys or or anybody

440
00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:27,359
Speaker 1: else and they look like fish out of water, what

441
00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:31,320
Speaker 1: was it like just to see him? No, that that added, Yeah,

442
00:23:31,359 --> 00:23:33,399
Speaker 1: that's a good question. Like that added to my sense

443
00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:36,560
Speaker 1: of it felt like kind of a mid level tour

444
00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:39,600
Speaker 1: event on a Thursday, where you have some stars, you

445
00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:41,959
Speaker 1: have some people you never heard of, and you have

446
00:23:42,359 --> 00:23:44,360
Speaker 1: some holes have a lot of fans, some holes only

447
00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:48,439
Speaker 1: have a half dozen. And um, I was struck more

448
00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:51,640
Speaker 1: than anything by the normalcy. You know, once they really

449
00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:54,640
Speaker 1: just started playing golf, it was just golf. And that's

450
00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:57,600
Speaker 1: a compliment. I mean, that's a huge accomplishment for live.

451
00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:02,080
Speaker 1: You know, basically, in one year they've from scratch built

452
00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:05,280
Speaker 1: what felt like a very legitimate, pretty big time professional

453
00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:09,560
Speaker 1: golf tournament with some major championship winners and a good leaderboard,

454
00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:13,399
Speaker 1: and you know, I kind of like the course. I've

455
00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:15,240
Speaker 1: really never heard of it until a few months ago.

456
00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:20,200
Speaker 1: But beautiful setting, rolling countryside outside of London, and narrow

457
00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:22,840
Speaker 1: fairways and and kind of funky greens like this kind

458
00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,040
Speaker 1: of course I would love playing. It doesn't strike me

459
00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:28,560
Speaker 1: as a traditional venue form for a professional tournament. I

460
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:33,320
Speaker 1: mean it's really tight in some spots. Um, but that's great.

461
00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:35,600
Speaker 1: I mean we know what Wingfold look looks like. You

462
00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:38,040
Speaker 1: know what the country club looks like. I mean again,

463
00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:39,679
Speaker 1: if they're if they're gonna, if they want to be

464
00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:43,680
Speaker 1: different than then go to different places. And um, so

465
00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:46,000
Speaker 1: I thought it was I thought it was a pretty

466
00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:48,719
Speaker 1: good test. Did you have the sense more people were

467
00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:51,320
Speaker 1: was the bulk of the gallery following Phil in DJ

468
00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:53,560
Speaker 1: or did you have a sense that you know there

469
00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:59,600
Speaker 1: was other people following other groups? Yeah, Polter had a

470
00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:01,520
Speaker 1: good cry out. You know, West would had a good crowd.

471
00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:04,800
Speaker 1: Obviously we're in England, so you know those guys, especially

472
00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:06,560
Speaker 1: especially Polter, I mean even based in the US, they

473
00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:09,360
Speaker 1: just they don't play at home that much. And um,

474
00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:11,880
Speaker 1: you know I asked Poulter about that afterwards. He said, yeah,

475
00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:13,800
Speaker 1: it was it was a delight to play in front

476
00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:16,280
Speaker 1: of the home fans, and um, you know they had

477
00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:19,840
Speaker 1: that had meaning for them. So um, definitely Phil. You know,

478
00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:23,399
Speaker 1: I'd say Phil and DJ probably siphoned off half of

479
00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:28,000
Speaker 1: the total gallery at least in the beginning. Um, but um,

480
00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:31,040
Speaker 1: it's an interesting it's an interesting like nine doesn't come

481
00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:33,640
Speaker 1: back to the clubhouse. In fact, nine is as far

482
00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:36,200
Speaker 1: away as you can get really, So I think there's

483
00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:37,800
Speaker 1: a nice three whole loop, and I think after the

484
00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:39,760
Speaker 1: first three wholes some fans like I don't want to

485
00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:41,639
Speaker 1: keep you know, marching out into the middle of nowhere.

486
00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:43,720
Speaker 1: And so it felt felt like things got a little

487
00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:46,960
Speaker 1: more dispersed to people's found some vantage points and um,

488
00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:51,720
Speaker 1: but yeah, it was you know, Dustin and fills a

489
00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:53,960
Speaker 1: lot of star power. If they're paired together any any

490
00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:56,960
Speaker 1: tournament on tour, they would probably have the biggest gallery

491
00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:00,640
Speaker 1: if Tigers not playing. So that that felt oprit and

492
00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:03,200
Speaker 1: it just felt kind of normal. Um, you know, you've

493
00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,560
Speaker 1: been following this so closely for so long and everything

494
00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,320
Speaker 1: has seemed kind of unreal. Was there a moment today

495
00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:12,199
Speaker 1: like Okay, we know where the PGA tour sins, we

496
00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:14,879
Speaker 1: know these guys are gonna sue they're actually playing golf

497
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:18,560
Speaker 1: where people there are faces here I actually recognize. Was

498
00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:21,000
Speaker 1: there ever, like, oh my god, they don't believe it

499
00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:22,439
Speaker 1: for you, was there a moment of oh my god,

500
00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,320
Speaker 1: I don't believe that this thing is actually happening, prior

501
00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:28,679
Speaker 1: prior to being dragged out, prior to being how we

502
00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:33,439
Speaker 1: know that it's unreal? No, it was when so all that,

503
00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:35,800
Speaker 1: you know, I was walking out there with other other reporters,

504
00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:37,359
Speaker 1: and I mean there's a there's a decent number of

505
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:40,080
Speaker 1: American reporters. I was walking with Sean Zac, you know,

506
00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:42,400
Speaker 1: our old colleague Michael, and we were just chatting about

507
00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:45,160
Speaker 1: this and that, and um, you know all the UK

508
00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:48,200
Speaker 1: guys were friendly with, you know, Bob Harrigs here, Kevin

509
00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:51,320
Speaker 1: van Waukeenberg. I mean, it's a pretty good turnout of

510
00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:54,159
Speaker 1: you know, the golf beat. So yeah, that added to

511
00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:56,199
Speaker 1: the normalcy of it all. But yeah, when when the

512
00:26:56,280 --> 00:27:00,119
Speaker 1: email got leaked about all the players are suspended it,

513
00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:03,240
Speaker 1: that was surreal because we all knew it, but the

514
00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:06,200
Speaker 1: guys between the ropes did not. I mean, they're playing golf.

515
00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:08,560
Speaker 1: No one's on their phone, they're not messing around, and

516
00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:11,840
Speaker 1: so it was like like holy cow. Like it was

517
00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:15,879
Speaker 1: kind of like, okay, the plot just thickened yet again.

518
00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:18,960
Speaker 1: I kind of knew that that Monahan had to do something,

519
00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:22,399
Speaker 1: but he came out hard right and um. And so

520
00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:24,080
Speaker 1: then it kind of set up the surreal thing where

521
00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:27,399
Speaker 1: everyone in the gallery knew that these guys were suspended.

522
00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:30,080
Speaker 1: Their lines had just changed, their careers had just changed.

523
00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:32,040
Speaker 1: They didn't know they're outher, you know, grinding or four

524
00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:34,560
Speaker 1: footers and uh. And so then I'll come off the

525
00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:36,600
Speaker 1: course at the same time, it's like bang bang bang

526
00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:42,439
Speaker 1: and just um, um, you know, like the standard response

527
00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:43,919
Speaker 1: as well, I need to think about it. Let me

528
00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:47,240
Speaker 1: digest this. But then like Poulter talked about it, um,

529
00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:50,600
Speaker 1: Schwartzel talked about it. You know, it wasn't a shock

530
00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:52,879
Speaker 1: to them, but it was a little awkward that that

531
00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:55,200
Speaker 1: was a surreal moment to answer your question, like, Wow,

532
00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:57,960
Speaker 1: the whole future of the sport just changed, and these

533
00:27:57,960 --> 00:27:59,720
Speaker 1: guys don't even know it while we're watching them play.

534
00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,480
Speaker 1: That is weird. Did you get a chance to talk

535
00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:06,920
Speaker 1: to any players? Yes, I mean so I was, I asked,

536
00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:10,320
Speaker 1: I asked Poulter question and I asked schwarts little question. Um,

537
00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:12,239
Speaker 1: I didn't get to I mean, I think that the

538
00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:15,800
Speaker 1: filth thing never happened. Um, but that that's one of

539
00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:18,000
Speaker 1: the that's honestly one of the challenges of the Shotgun

540
00:28:18,359 --> 00:28:20,440
Speaker 1: is all the players are done all at once, and

541
00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:23,080
Speaker 1: they're coming from a million different places, and it's hard

542
00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:26,600
Speaker 1: to corral them. And um, professionally, it's much better whenever

543
00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:29,080
Speaker 1: they come every twelve minutes. You can you can hit

544
00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:32,120
Speaker 1: one guy after another, like you know, Michael and Ryan

545
00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:33,560
Speaker 1: e too, Matt. I mean, you know how that goes.

546
00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:36,480
Speaker 1: But all of a sudden, it's just a mad scramble.

547
00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:38,920
Speaker 1: So and then I was dealing with all this other stuff,

548
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,040
Speaker 1: so I I really didn't get to do that kind

549
00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:42,640
Speaker 1: of reporting. I would have liked to because I was

550
00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:46,080
Speaker 1: to circle back to our original conversation to anybody, did

551
00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:49,680
Speaker 1: you see anyone lost on what t they were supposed

552
00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:52,960
Speaker 1: to start? Yeah, I mean I was hanging out by

553
00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:55,680
Speaker 1: number one because that's where that's where Phil and Dustin were,

554
00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:57,960
Speaker 1: and that was it was. I put a video up.

555
00:28:58,000 --> 00:28:59,920
Speaker 1: I mean, it was a great crowd around the first

556
00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:02,680
Speaker 1: he have hundreds of people and a lot of energy.

557
00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:05,160
Speaker 1: But Schwartzel told the funny story he was on number

558
00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:07,760
Speaker 1: three and he got there and there was no other

559
00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:10,640
Speaker 1: players and he had like ten minutes he's all alone.

560
00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:15,760
Speaker 1: Yeah you called it. It's like grahammar are you man?

561
00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:19,240
Speaker 1: Like we gotta pag you? So your prediction was was

562
00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:22,720
Speaker 1: bang on Ryan? Was there actually a shotgun that went off? Like?

563
00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:25,240
Speaker 1: I mean, what so that was? I mean, it's actually

564
00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:27,720
Speaker 1: it's hokey, but it was fun. They had um you know,

565
00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:29,720
Speaker 1: they had like buglers like you know when you start

566
00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:32,200
Speaker 1: a fox hunt, you know, the English countryside. So I

567
00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:34,360
Speaker 1: was like, do do? Do? Do do do? And uh

568
00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:36,440
Speaker 1: that's how that's how you knew. And uh, you know,

569
00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:38,840
Speaker 1: I thought that was a nice touch. The black calves

570
00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:41,920
Speaker 1: was kind of a cute touch. And that they did

571
00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:44,680
Speaker 1: this flyover and you know we've all seen flyovers in

572
00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:47,400
Speaker 1: the US. It's like the B fifty two stealth bomb

573
00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:50,760
Speaker 1: or and like you go deaf when they roar over.

574
00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:53,720
Speaker 1: These were like old They looked like World War two

575
00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:56,880
Speaker 1: like dog fighting, like propeller planes, and there was the

576
00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:59,400
Speaker 1: whole squadron like it was just there was kind of

577
00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:03,920
Speaker 1: an of stealiness slash refinement that kind of made it fun.

578
00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,440
Speaker 1: I mean, it's been easy to to roll our eyes

579
00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:08,160
Speaker 1: and all this stuff. But they kind of got some

580
00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:09,920
Speaker 1: of the details right and it kind of added to

581
00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:15,440
Speaker 1: the whole celebratory feeling. What was the press tent food quality? Like,

582
00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:20,640
Speaker 1: you know, that's a very important question, as you know, Michael, Um,

583
00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:25,200
Speaker 1: I would say lunch was was a solid D minus.

584
00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:28,200
Speaker 1: But then um, they actually had they brought in dinner,

585
00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:30,960
Speaker 1: which doesn't always happened, and that was really good. So

586
00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:34,800
Speaker 1: um that kind of redeemed the whole thing. So yeah,

587
00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:38,360
Speaker 1: And if you like even the details of the press tent,

588
00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:40,640
Speaker 1: I mean, if you if I blindfold you, Mike and

589
00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:42,000
Speaker 1: I took you there, you you might think you're in

590
00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:44,080
Speaker 1: an open championship, But just how's that look? You know,

591
00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:48,160
Speaker 1: it might even be the same vendor, and uh so,

592
00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:54,120
Speaker 1: um yeah, I mean it's it's funny they can't get

593
00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:57,160
Speaker 1: ot their own way. I mean, part of the whole,

594
00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:00,320
Speaker 1: the whole live. And I will say, like a very

595
00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:03,040
Speaker 1: they're super liberal about what you can and can't do

596
00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:05,040
Speaker 1: as a reporter. So I'm out there studing videos posting

597
00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,640
Speaker 1: them to social media. Great, they like that because they

598
00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:10,200
Speaker 1: get it. They want us to promote their product. And

599
00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:12,120
Speaker 1: as you guys on this call and a lot of

600
00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:14,560
Speaker 1: our listeners know the tours not that way, and we've

601
00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,160
Speaker 1: had our battles. So that was liberating and fun, like, oh,

602
00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:19,240
Speaker 1: I can just here's filling the trees. Let me just

603
00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:21,840
Speaker 1: shoot like a cool little thirty second video and bang,

604
00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:25,560
Speaker 1: like wow, that was that felt great And so that

605
00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:28,480
Speaker 1: that's a that's a great leap forward for the fans

606
00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:32,920
Speaker 1: because you know, you can't it's a two acre playing field,

607
00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:35,200
Speaker 1: you can. They also don't have a network partnership, right,

608
00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:38,080
Speaker 1: so they don't you know, they're not that in theory.

609
00:31:37,360 --> 00:31:40,320
Speaker 1: They need everything they can get at this. Yeah. Yeah,

610
00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:43,560
Speaker 1: so all that stuff is great, but then it's like

611
00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:47,760
Speaker 1: to have to have Norman come and like personally tossed

612
00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:50,680
Speaker 1: me out of this this press commerce and turn into

613
00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:55,200
Speaker 1: this whole like ridiculous side show. Like they just they

614
00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:57,720
Speaker 1: take two steps forwards and they take like they take

615
00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:01,360
Speaker 1: like a step and a half backwards. A um, there's

616
00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:03,719
Speaker 1: a there's a level of sophistication there, and they do

617
00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:07,200
Speaker 1: get a lot of the details, right, But I mean, Norman,

618
00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:09,520
Speaker 1: this would be probably hard on for you to gauge.

619
00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:12,920
Speaker 1: But I'm sorry, yeah, no, no, I'm just saying, when

620
00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:15,640
Speaker 1: when if you make a list of like the cock

621
00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:18,040
Speaker 1: ups and the things that go sideways. He was like

622
00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:22,240
Speaker 1: Norman's always involved, But go ahead, Michael. But the tickets

623
00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:24,760
Speaker 1: were so expensive and the Brits are not a customed

624
00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:27,360
Speaker 1: paying a lot of money to watch golf. Um, do

625
00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:29,600
Speaker 1: you think these are actually paying fans? Could you? Did

626
00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:31,720
Speaker 1: you get a sense of it one way or the other? Yeah?

627
00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:36,440
Speaker 1: So they they did. Um, they had discounts that are

628
00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:39,800
Speaker 1: floating around the players put out. It was very easy

629
00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:44,080
Speaker 1: to find off discount code and for a while you could,

630
00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:46,000
Speaker 1: I think for a short period of time, and they

631
00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:48,120
Speaker 1: were you could get them for free. I kind of

632
00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:50,680
Speaker 1: missed the boat on that, Like I actually bought tickets.

633
00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:53,840
Speaker 1: I paid you know, my fire Pit credit card because

634
00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:59,400
Speaker 1: they did not initially credential me. Um. How much it

635
00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:02,160
Speaker 1: was was like I think about a hundred pounds. I

636
00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:04,640
Speaker 1: used the not twent discount. I went with him because

637
00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:06,400
Speaker 1: the fewest number of letters. It's a lot easier than

638
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:10,440
Speaker 1: spelling Nicholson and and so. Um. That was just for

639
00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:12,400
Speaker 1: Thursday and Friday. They were showing on the website that

640
00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:17,480
Speaker 1: Saturday was sold out. Um now sold out is is

641
00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:19,160
Speaker 1: kind of a funny term because they were given to

642
00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:22,680
Speaker 1: they were literally giving them away for free. But um,

643
00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:25,320
Speaker 1: I mean there was definitely some super golfy dudes, like

644
00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:28,560
Speaker 1: you know, you could tell from eaves dropping on the conversations,

645
00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:31,400
Speaker 1: from the logos they were wearing, like these guys looked

646
00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:34,480
Speaker 1: like serious golf fans. It was also definitely some folks

647
00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:37,719
Speaker 1: who've probably never been a golf term before. And um,

648
00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:39,840
Speaker 1: they were kind of wandering around a little lost, and

649
00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:42,840
Speaker 1: um that was cute. I mean that that's actually fun energy.

650
00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:44,360
Speaker 1: I always like when there's new fans. I saw that

651
00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:47,560
Speaker 1: at um Southern Hills, you know, like that's okay, we

652
00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:51,080
Speaker 1: we want those people to come and have a good time. Um.

653
00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:54,840
Speaker 1: But um, I don't have a sense of who paid what,

654
00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:57,440
Speaker 1: but um, I would say it was it was a

655
00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:01,360
Speaker 1: pretty overall pretty golfy crowd. So I think they got

656
00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:04,400
Speaker 1: the demographic they wanted. And you know, in the parking

657
00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:06,120
Speaker 1: lot there was a lot of nice cars. There's a

658
00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:08,640
Speaker 1: lot of range Rovers and there was Bentley's and all

659
00:34:08,680 --> 00:34:11,400
Speaker 1: that stuff. So I mean, I think they kind of

660
00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:16,120
Speaker 1: penetrated the the upper crust London sports fan and that

661
00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:20,080
Speaker 1: obviously it was a goal of theirs. It is it,

662
00:34:21,200 --> 00:34:26,279
Speaker 1: I mean, is live golf literally buying professional golf. I

663
00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:30,640
Speaker 1: mean with four hundred billion dollars and in the tour

664
00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:33,919
Speaker 1: with eight hundred million to try to like go up again.

665
00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:38,239
Speaker 1: I mean other than major championships. What's stopping them from

666
00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:42,080
Speaker 1: literally just buying one player at a time. That's their

667
00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,680
Speaker 1: business model. Nothing stopping them is working. I mean they've

668
00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:50,640
Speaker 1: now amassed enough good slash great players or notable players

669
00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:55,279
Speaker 1: they can't be ignored. Like you know, Monaghan had said

670
00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:57,120
Speaker 1: he was gonna suspend guys, so we had to follow

671
00:34:57,280 --> 00:34:59,279
Speaker 1: through on the threat. Or he looked like he's even

672
00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:02,719
Speaker 1: more lost at seed than he already is. But that's

673
00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:04,640
Speaker 1: just an opening gambit. I mean, this is all going

674
00:35:04,680 --> 00:35:08,239
Speaker 1: to get litigated and or negotiated, and I'm not I

675
00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:13,000
Speaker 1: think those suspensions may not hold. I mean, um, I

676
00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:16,520
Speaker 1: feel like the tour at this point they don't want

677
00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:19,000
Speaker 1: to get they don't want to concede defeat. But they

678
00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:21,560
Speaker 1: might just have to hold their nose and and make

679
00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:24,840
Speaker 1: another strategic alliance and just bring the Saudis into the fold,

680
00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:28,960
Speaker 1: because the European PGA tour is getting killed, you know,

681
00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:32,439
Speaker 1: all at all these top Europeans and South Africans, they're

682
00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:34,600
Speaker 1: just gonna bandon the European Tour to play the Saudis,

683
00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:38,720
Speaker 1: and the tour is already kind of floating. The PATO

684
00:35:38,760 --> 00:35:41,879
Speaker 1: is already floating the European Tour. So the European Tour

685
00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:44,839
Speaker 1: is taking the biggest hit in all of this um

686
00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:48,000
Speaker 1: and the tour, the PGA Tour is now bound together

687
00:35:48,040 --> 00:35:53,240
Speaker 1: with them. So to me, it doesn't serve the interests

688
00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:55,799
Speaker 1: of the tour or its fans or its sponsors to

689
00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:59,839
Speaker 1: ban very popular golfers who have you know who are

690
00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:03,080
Speaker 1: and be in the Hall of Fame, like Dustin feels

691
00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:07,920
Speaker 1: already there guys like Ricky who we all kind of

692
00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:10,720
Speaker 1: roll our eyes, but Ricky Poyler is still very popular golfer.

693
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:14,440
Speaker 1: Um Like, how do how does it serve the interests

694
00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:16,640
Speaker 1: of those tournaments if if those guys never play on

695
00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:20,040
Speaker 1: the PGA Tour again, it just doesn't. And well, the

696
00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:22,960
Speaker 1: other thing is like if we are we silly to

697
00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:25,080
Speaker 1: think that brooks kept is not right behind him at

698
00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:27,520
Speaker 1: some point, I mean, his brothers playing all of his

699
00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:30,000
Speaker 1: buddy I mean, I just I don't think there's any

700
00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:32,320
Speaker 1: way that Brooke doesn't go as well at some point

701
00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:36,480
Speaker 1: and and and at some point these pg we saw

702
00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:39,640
Speaker 1: a T and T got you know, undermined by the

703
00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:44,040
Speaker 1: guys going and playing the actual Saudi event, and that

704
00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:47,240
Speaker 1: couldn't have felt good for a T and T polling

705
00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:49,279
Speaker 1: up all this money and then you know, having all

706
00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:52,319
Speaker 1: these guys just go, At what point do all the

707
00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:55,440
Speaker 1: big money sponsors who are paying all this money to

708
00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:59,880
Speaker 1: get this, you know, this field of notables and needle

709
00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:03,000
Speaker 1: movers push back on the tour and say whoa, whoa,

710
00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:05,719
Speaker 1: whoa and how at what point do the do the

711
00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:11,000
Speaker 1: broadcast partners say, uh, our ratings are dropping because the

712
00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:15,600
Speaker 1: needle movers aren't showing up, and like, at some point

713
00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:18,040
Speaker 1: this is gonna be there's gonna be more of a

714
00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:21,440
Speaker 1: push to the tour than just the Patrick Reid's and

715
00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:24,080
Speaker 1: the Bryson Deshambo's. I mean, this is going to keep

716
00:37:24,120 --> 00:37:27,319
Speaker 1: going in a direction that doesn't bode well for for

717
00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:30,120
Speaker 1: j and the PGA tour. Well. I mean, look at

718
00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:32,880
Speaker 1: look at the top five at the Canadian Opening has

719
00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:36,800
Speaker 1: been played this week. Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick, Doug Gim,

720
00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:42,799
Speaker 1: Harold Varner, Patrick Rodgers Like um, I like the leaderboard

721
00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:45,640
Speaker 1: at the live event a lot better. Uh, you know,

722
00:37:45,680 --> 00:37:47,560
Speaker 1: you have three guys who won Masters at the top

723
00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:50,560
Speaker 1: of the board with with Micholson and Dustin and and

724
00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:54,759
Speaker 1: and schwartzell Um, you know Rory's lurking in Canada. I

725
00:37:54,760 --> 00:37:59,720
Speaker 1: mean he's obviously a star, but Um Lee Hodges, Carlos Ortiz,

726
00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:07,239
Speaker 1: Jim Canos, like, um, Mark Hubbard, Alex Smalley, like, that's

727
00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:12,879
Speaker 1: the leaderboard in in Canada. So I mean, I'm on

728
00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:17,759
Speaker 1: this call. Let's not disparage the lesser known players. I mean,

729
00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:22,960
Speaker 1: they're great human beings, They're fantastic. Jim Jim's one of

730
00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:26,040
Speaker 1: the best guys. I know. I love Jimmy hard Kay.

731
00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:30,919
Speaker 1: I'm just saying the executive RBC sit around and talk

732
00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:34,120
Speaker 1: about the return on their investment for the tens of

733
00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:36,759
Speaker 1: millions of dollars they're plowing into this event. They're not

734
00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:40,319
Speaker 1: thinking about don gim like come on, so um so yeah,

735
00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:44,800
Speaker 1: I mean, I mean, honestly, and this brings up a

736
00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:47,840
Speaker 1: conversation that Mark and I had today is you know,

737
00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:50,960
Speaker 1: every a lot of people are saying that some of

738
00:38:51,040 --> 00:38:54,840
Speaker 1: these people leave and it creates more opportunities for players

739
00:38:54,960 --> 00:38:57,480
Speaker 1: like Mark and Marcus. Like I think eventually, in the

740
00:38:57,560 --> 00:39:01,080
Speaker 1: long run, it's going to create less opportunities because they're

741
00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:03,160
Speaker 1: gonna look at that model and go like, that's what

742
00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:05,400
Speaker 1: we need to go to, right, And it's gonna be

743
00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:08,080
Speaker 1: like who has the most stars packed on the board?

744
00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:11,440
Speaker 1: You know? And and I don't I don't think it's

745
00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:15,160
Speaker 1: out of the question. If Live succeeds that that one day,

746
00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:19,319
Speaker 1: a lot of tournaments on the PGA Tour are back

747
00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:22,040
Speaker 1: to you know, w G C s or whatever you

748
00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:24,360
Speaker 1: want to call him marks Like I think in the

749
00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:27,960
Speaker 1: long run, short term, obviously it's creating more opportunities for

750
00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:30,399
Speaker 1: players like myself. But in the long run, I can

751
00:39:30,440 --> 00:39:33,840
Speaker 1: see this being the corn Ferry is gonna replace the

752
00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:37,759
Speaker 1: ten bottom players on you know, the PGA Tour, and

753
00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:41,320
Speaker 1: that's it. And every because the PGA Tour is notoriously

754
00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:44,319
Speaker 1: not cared about that vacuum that is constantly filled, right,

755
00:39:44,520 --> 00:39:47,680
Speaker 1: They just want the top players to be at the board. Yeah. Well,

756
00:39:47,760 --> 00:39:49,920
Speaker 1: if you know, if remember Joe Ogilvie, the tour player

757
00:39:50,040 --> 00:39:52,239
Speaker 1: went to Duke. Now he's like a money manager. He

758
00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:54,440
Speaker 1: probably should be the next commissioner the PGA Tour. He's

759
00:39:54,440 --> 00:39:56,279
Speaker 1: such a smart guy. He did a little Twitter threat

760
00:39:56,320 --> 00:40:00,160
Speaker 1: he was making that point Ryan that um the is

761
00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:02,040
Speaker 1: already so bloated, and when you peel off some of

762
00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:04,239
Speaker 1: the stars, they're gonna have to trim the fat. And

763
00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:06,200
Speaker 1: he said, you know, instead of Hunt Top Hunter twenty

764
00:40:06,239 --> 00:40:07,719
Speaker 1: five keeping their card and might go down to eighty

765
00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:10,000
Speaker 1: or ninety, like, just you have to shrink the whole

766
00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:13,200
Speaker 1: model so it gets less expensive for the sponsors and

767
00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:16,920
Speaker 1: less overhead for the tour itself. And um, you know,

768
00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:20,640
Speaker 1: fewer tournaments, smaller fields, like fewer exempt players, like yeah,

769
00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:22,800
Speaker 1: I think that that could be that that could be

770
00:40:22,840 --> 00:40:26,080
Speaker 1: the future of the PG threat met That's that's why

771
00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:30,400
Speaker 1: Jay Monahan like, it's more than just a short term thing,

772
00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:33,759
Speaker 1: like this is an existential threat too to the PG

773
00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:37,040
Speaker 1: eight tours. It serves you know, it's gonna survive, but

774
00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:40,600
Speaker 1: is it going to prosper Like that's really the question.

775
00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:42,920
Speaker 1: And we talked about this previously, but you know, the

776
00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:46,080
Speaker 1: Saudis are very cleverly going after these young amateurs and

777
00:40:46,120 --> 00:40:49,520
Speaker 1: trying to take the next generation of players away as well. So, um,

778
00:40:50,360 --> 00:40:54,800
Speaker 1: it was all you you guys haven't seen it obviously

779
00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:58,480
Speaker 1: unless you saw my tweet, but of all days, of

780
00:40:58,640 --> 00:41:03,120
Speaker 1: all days, to release Q school registration and increase it

781
00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:08,480
Speaker 1: for the tenth consecutive year they picked this day. You

782
00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:11,279
Speaker 1: can't get to the PGA Tour and Q school now

783
00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:16,239
Speaker 1: costs sixty five dollars it is in two thousand and

784
00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:18,400
Speaker 1: twelve it was three thousand dollars and you can get

785
00:41:18,440 --> 00:41:21,680
Speaker 1: to the PGA Tour. And Mark had a great tweet.

786
00:41:21,719 --> 00:41:25,359
Speaker 1: He highlighted uh Jay's letter to all the players and said,

787
00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:28,400
Speaker 1: it's all about money, money, money with the Saudis, and

788
00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:32,280
Speaker 1: here's here's the p G a tour taking from people

789
00:41:32,320 --> 00:41:34,600
Speaker 1: who have no money. You know, for the most part,

790
00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:37,680
Speaker 1: obviously there's plenty of players that have money to charge

791
00:41:37,719 --> 00:41:43,480
Speaker 1: six to Q School, you know, like it. It's look

792
00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:45,520
Speaker 1: in the mirror at some point of part of this

793
00:41:48,760 --> 00:41:51,359
Speaker 1: that that is a great That is a great point. Ryan, Um,

794
00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:55,760
Speaker 1: do you have any sense to Ryan's point earlier about,

795
00:41:55,960 --> 00:41:58,200
Speaker 1: you know, would there be more world golf events? And

796
00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:01,279
Speaker 1: my own sense is at the majors if this thing

797
00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:04,080
Speaker 1: takes off, which it would definitely appear that that it

798
00:42:04,160 --> 00:42:07,319
Speaker 1: will that over time the majors have become only more

799
00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:11,759
Speaker 1: important because to be fewer times that we're really an

800
00:42:11,920 --> 00:42:14,800
Speaker 1: old timey courses with big trophies and you know, the

801
00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:18,560
Speaker 1: world's best players. But that only works if you actually

802
00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:20,720
Speaker 1: have the best players in the world playing in the majors,

803
00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:23,439
Speaker 1: and you need world ranking points for that to happen,

804
00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:25,719
Speaker 1: among many other ways of getting in. Do you have

805
00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:28,160
Speaker 1: any further sense of what might happen in terms of

806
00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:31,399
Speaker 1: getting world ranking points by playing these livaments? I mean

807
00:42:31,520 --> 00:42:35,160
Speaker 1: it has to happen. How can you not give out

808
00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:38,320
Speaker 1: were ranking points to this event, which is better? You

809
00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:40,440
Speaker 1: know they give it to Hero which is twenty guys

810
00:42:40,480 --> 00:42:44,040
Speaker 1: with no cut um. And if you're gonna, you're gonna

811
00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:49,120
Speaker 1: have situations where the live field is clearly superior to

812
00:42:49,160 --> 00:42:51,359
Speaker 1: the PGA Tour. It makes a mockery of the world

813
00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:55,040
Speaker 1: rankings if they don't assign points. Now, Peter Dawson is

814
00:42:55,680 --> 00:42:58,520
Speaker 1: is the chair of the you know, the independent body

815
00:42:58,600 --> 00:43:00,840
Speaker 1: that oversees the world ranking. We know he's died in

816
00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:07,600
Speaker 1: the woold traditionalists, but um it, it's really gonna the

817
00:43:07,719 --> 00:43:09,960
Speaker 1: change will come from from the majors. I mean there,

818
00:43:10,719 --> 00:43:14,160
Speaker 1: and people say, oh, there, they're gonna. The majors are gonna,

819
00:43:14,280 --> 00:43:17,520
Speaker 1: especially Augusta there. They don't want to live rebellion. They're

820
00:43:17,520 --> 00:43:20,239
Speaker 1: they're they're they're gonna freeze out the players that makes

821
00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:22,840
Speaker 1: no sense to me. I mean Augusta National, like the

822
00:43:22,880 --> 00:43:24,800
Speaker 1: PG of America, like the U s g A, like

823
00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:28,160
Speaker 1: the RNA. They want the best possible tournament. They get

824
00:43:28,200 --> 00:43:29,759
Speaker 1: to do it once a year. They want all the

825
00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:32,120
Speaker 1: stars there, they want all the contenders, They want the

826
00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:34,959
Speaker 1: deepest field. Like why do they care about some turf

827
00:43:35,000 --> 00:43:37,600
Speaker 1: war between the PG Tour and Live Golf? That's it's

828
00:43:37,640 --> 00:43:42,000
Speaker 1: not their fight. They care about having an incredible showcase.

829
00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:43,800
Speaker 1: They get to do it one week every year. So

830
00:43:44,640 --> 00:43:47,080
Speaker 1: like does the Master's. They don't want Phil Mickelson and

831
00:43:47,160 --> 00:43:49,359
Speaker 1: Dustin Johnson to their most popular champions. I mean, give

832
00:43:49,360 --> 00:43:51,759
Speaker 1: me a break, why why would why would they ban

833
00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:54,640
Speaker 1: them just because Jay Monahan's batted his job? Like, it

834
00:43:54,760 --> 00:43:57,080
Speaker 1: makes no sense, And they don't want and to your

835
00:43:57,120 --> 00:43:59,359
Speaker 1: point in the last podcast, they don't want a bunch

836
00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:02,360
Speaker 1: of research done on how many members at Augusta National

837
00:44:02,480 --> 00:44:06,919
Speaker 1: have business in Saudi Arabia. I mean, I truly think

838
00:44:07,160 --> 00:44:09,960
Speaker 1: that I was thinking about this at a T and

839
00:44:10,080 --> 00:44:12,959
Speaker 1: T when the guys went and played that Saudi event.

840
00:44:13,840 --> 00:44:17,320
Speaker 1: At that point, why wouldn't Is this going to become

841
00:44:17,600 --> 00:44:23,120
Speaker 1: a bunch of invitationals where a company puts up x

842
00:44:23,160 --> 00:44:27,000
Speaker 1: amount of dollars and invites the players they want to invite,

843
00:44:27,120 --> 00:44:30,000
Speaker 1: and has the people there that want to be there, Like,

844
00:44:30,239 --> 00:44:32,719
Speaker 1: is this just because like, does the West Coast Swing

845
00:44:32,880 --> 00:44:35,920
Speaker 1: become like its own little mini tour? And does the

846
00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:39,680
Speaker 1: Florida like Swing become its own mini tour in which

847
00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:44,279
Speaker 1: players play that chunk of of courses in preparation for

848
00:44:44,480 --> 00:44:48,200
Speaker 1: something a little more meaningful. I mean, this could literally

849
00:44:48,400 --> 00:44:55,799
Speaker 1: potentially be a series of smaller breakaway leagues formed by

850
00:44:56,280 --> 00:44:59,080
Speaker 1: you know again, follow the dollar. The money is what matters.

851
00:44:59,280 --> 00:45:01,560
Speaker 1: They are playing for money, with the exception of the

852
00:45:01,640 --> 00:45:05,560
Speaker 1: big major championships. Why doesn't this just become a bunch

853
00:45:05,640 --> 00:45:12,000
Speaker 1: of Live like tours. I mean, there's the whole I can't.

854
00:45:12,239 --> 00:45:15,080
Speaker 1: I'm not sure how quickly Live abandons the whole team

855
00:45:15,120 --> 00:45:19,759
Speaker 1: concept because that just seems like pretty ridiculous. I mean,

856
00:45:19,840 --> 00:45:23,560
Speaker 1: the problem, well, just about the team thing. First, this

857
00:45:23,760 --> 00:45:25,440
Speaker 1: is such a transitional year and they're trying to get

858
00:45:25,440 --> 00:45:27,680
Speaker 1: players and they're trying to sort it out. So the

859
00:45:27,760 --> 00:45:30,520
Speaker 1: team things kind of a turkey because they're gonna have

860
00:45:30,800 --> 00:45:35,440
Speaker 1: different teams every event. It's not carried through. It potentially

861
00:45:35,480 --> 00:45:37,640
Speaker 1: gets more interesting when you have the same team together

862
00:45:37,719 --> 00:45:39,840
Speaker 1: for the whole year, and then you can't have a

863
00:45:39,920 --> 00:45:42,480
Speaker 1: rooting interest and more commonly embetting interest, and then you

864
00:45:42,560 --> 00:45:45,200
Speaker 1: start caring more. You could do trades in the middle

865
00:45:45,200 --> 00:45:47,880
Speaker 1: of the season. That would be super interesting. Well, if

866
00:45:47,920 --> 00:45:49,360
Speaker 1: you could have a roster, if you can have a

867
00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:51,839
Speaker 1: deeper roster, if you could have a starting four at

868
00:45:51,920 --> 00:45:55,799
Speaker 1: a at a four people on the bench. Yeah, if

869
00:45:55,880 --> 00:45:59,040
Speaker 1: it was if it was like Graham mcdowald being traded

870
00:45:59,080 --> 00:46:01,200
Speaker 1: for Kevin nah in the middle of the season and

871
00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:03,319
Speaker 1: that meant that team was in the tour change. I mean,

872
00:46:03,440 --> 00:46:06,000
Speaker 1: it's just it's different, and I know it's fun, like

873
00:46:06,840 --> 00:46:10,560
Speaker 1: old old crowd of casual golf fans, but that's like

874
00:46:10,719 --> 00:46:14,040
Speaker 1: try something, we bitch and bitch and bitch that golf

875
00:46:14,120 --> 00:46:17,279
Speaker 1: doesn't do anything new, and then when we try something new,

876
00:46:17,400 --> 00:46:20,319
Speaker 1: we all bitched that it sucks. I think I think

877
00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:22,440
Speaker 1: it can well, like you, I mean, I think it's

878
00:46:22,480 --> 00:46:25,239
Speaker 1: just this is a compromise, Like, Okay, we're gonna do

879
00:46:25,360 --> 00:46:27,279
Speaker 1: have some team element because we promised it. We just

880
00:46:27,320 --> 00:46:29,880
Speaker 1: gotta get through this season and then we'll have firmer

881
00:46:29,960 --> 00:46:32,840
Speaker 1: commitments and and they'll lock it in next year and

882
00:46:32,880 --> 00:46:36,080
Speaker 1: it'll be more fun. But the players like the team element.

883
00:46:36,160 --> 00:46:38,560
Speaker 1: Like Schwartzel was saying he had a five foot or

884
00:46:38,640 --> 00:46:41,120
Speaker 1: for bogey and he was thinking, like all he was

885
00:46:41,160 --> 00:46:43,440
Speaker 1: thinking about was his He knew his ball was going

886
00:46:43,520 --> 00:46:45,640
Speaker 1: to count because whatever going on was his teammates and

887
00:46:45,719 --> 00:46:47,719
Speaker 1: he's like, I gotta make this put. These guys are

888
00:46:47,719 --> 00:46:49,560
Speaker 1: gonna really piste off at me, and this guy has

889
00:46:49,560 --> 00:46:51,040
Speaker 1: a chance to win the tournament. And he said, I

890
00:46:51,080 --> 00:46:53,680
Speaker 1: honestly cared more about coming through for the team than

891
00:46:53,719 --> 00:46:55,800
Speaker 1: what it meant from my own score and the individual,

892
00:46:55,880 --> 00:46:59,120
Speaker 1: which is saying something because four million dollars to the winner,

893
00:46:59,200 --> 00:47:02,280
Speaker 1: but you know, Poulter talked about that because he played

894
00:47:02,320 --> 00:47:04,560
Speaker 1: poorly and he's like, oh, man, I left the team

895
00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:07,719
Speaker 1: down and I'm I'm so you know, so we're not

896
00:47:07,840 --> 00:47:10,279
Speaker 1: focused on it, but they are. And oh, by the way,

897
00:47:10,320 --> 00:47:12,839
Speaker 1: it's like real money. The winning team gets three million

898
00:47:12,920 --> 00:47:16,320
Speaker 1: dollars split four ways like that on top of the

899
00:47:16,400 --> 00:47:20,880
Speaker 1: individual and and then they carry it out throughout the

900
00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:23,680
Speaker 1: year and there's more bonuses coming. So like, these guys

901
00:47:23,760 --> 00:47:26,120
Speaker 1: care about the team event way more than than any

902
00:47:26,120 --> 00:47:29,080
Speaker 1: of us could imagine, for interpersonal reasons but also for

903
00:47:29,280 --> 00:47:32,000
Speaker 1: financial So I think it has a tance to be fun.

904
00:47:32,160 --> 00:47:34,239
Speaker 1: But it's a little it's a little wonky this year.

905
00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:37,720
Speaker 1: Did they did they use golf genius? Was their long drive?

906
00:47:37,840 --> 00:47:40,400
Speaker 1: Who got the closest the pins? And who won the skins?

907
00:47:41,200 --> 00:47:46,120
Speaker 1: I know? Right? I mean literally, like they shouldn't incorporate

908
00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:50,319
Speaker 1: some of that stuff, like, um, like why not? Why

909
00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:52,879
Speaker 1: not have have some closest de pens on the part three,

910
00:47:52,880 --> 00:47:56,279
Speaker 1: He's like, just go for it. Okay, I'm I'm through

911
00:47:56,320 --> 00:47:58,680
Speaker 1: over the day. I'm not playing great. There's here's a

912
00:47:58,760 --> 00:48:00,560
Speaker 1: tough flag. Normally I hit them all the green. But

913
00:48:00,719 --> 00:48:02,839
Speaker 1: you know what, music, I can win half a million

914
00:48:02,880 --> 00:48:05,560
Speaker 1: dollars in one swing. Like That's what I'm saying, Like

915
00:48:05,840 --> 00:48:09,520
Speaker 1: they live should instead of trying to be you know,

916
00:48:09,640 --> 00:48:13,240
Speaker 1: traditional respectable golf, they should lean into all this stuff

917
00:48:13,280 --> 00:48:16,440
Speaker 1: and just make it super fun music. People can ride

918
00:48:16,440 --> 00:48:19,200
Speaker 1: around with speakers, you know, speakers, you know, play a

919
00:48:19,280 --> 00:48:23,080
Speaker 1: little What are you saying, Michael, did you send any

920
00:48:23,680 --> 00:48:28,399
Speaker 1: encorese scambling on the on the players amongst the fans? Um?

921
00:48:29,239 --> 00:48:31,800
Speaker 1: I did not. That's a good question. I mean you

922
00:48:31,880 --> 00:48:34,880
Speaker 1: do hear that more and more now here to tour event, Uh,

923
00:48:35,239 --> 00:48:38,560
Speaker 1: you know, come on, come on, kept I got you

924
00:48:38,640 --> 00:48:41,360
Speaker 1: on my in my parlay or whatever it is. You

925
00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:44,960
Speaker 1: know people, it gets verbalized more and more. But I

926
00:48:45,040 --> 00:48:49,680
Speaker 1: didn't pick that up British open so yeah, yeah, for sure, Um,

927
00:48:50,920 --> 00:48:52,719
Speaker 1: I really didn't. But I'll try and tune into that

928
00:48:52,760 --> 00:48:56,200
Speaker 1: a little bit more tomorrow. Well let's let's let's let's

929
00:48:56,280 --> 00:48:59,160
Speaker 1: let you get to actually writing the story that I

930
00:48:59,280 --> 00:49:02,759
Speaker 1: can't wait to read. I will end with this, this,

931
00:49:03,239 --> 00:49:06,440
Speaker 1: this exchange, I mean, coming back all good narratives, come

932
00:49:06,480 --> 00:49:10,360
Speaker 1: back to the beginning. So you're escorted out. Um, we

933
00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:15,040
Speaker 1: get h Alex from CNN, who Alex Thomas from CNN,

934
00:49:15,080 --> 00:49:18,960
Speaker 1: who shares the video of you. Uh, you send a

935
00:49:19,120 --> 00:49:22,640
Speaker 1: text message to Greg Norman, tell us tell us more

936
00:49:22,680 --> 00:49:25,439
Speaker 1: about sort of what what you ultimately tweeted out after

937
00:49:25,600 --> 00:49:31,520
Speaker 1: this the scuffle. It's so ridiculous. So I I I

938
00:49:31,680 --> 00:49:36,160
Speaker 1: texted Norman sort of shortly after this whole confrontation because

939
00:49:36,200 --> 00:49:39,919
Speaker 1: I'm like, are they gonna are they gonna keep sucking

940
00:49:39,960 --> 00:49:42,400
Speaker 1: with me this whole week? Like they didn't get me

941
00:49:42,400 --> 00:49:44,920
Speaker 1: inside the Ropes lanyard, which is not that big deal.

942
00:49:44,960 --> 00:49:47,560
Speaker 1: The crowds aren't that big. I mean I was inside

943
00:49:47,600 --> 00:49:50,160
Speaker 1: the ropes for a few holes anyway because everybody's inside

944
00:49:50,200 --> 00:49:53,160
Speaker 1: the ropes. But then, um, you know, every other reporter

945
00:49:53,200 --> 00:49:54,799
Speaker 1: has an inside the ropes land heard there. I mean,

946
00:49:54,840 --> 00:49:56,480
Speaker 1: I guess they don't want me to make eye contact

947
00:49:56,560 --> 00:49:59,440
Speaker 1: with Phil on the golf course. Like okay, whatever, I

948
00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:02,239
Speaker 1: don't that's not a big deal. But like after this,

949
00:50:02,440 --> 00:50:04,800
Speaker 1: like I came a long way, like I wanted to

950
00:50:04,880 --> 00:50:07,080
Speaker 1: be able to do my job, so I wanted to

951
00:50:07,120 --> 00:50:10,080
Speaker 1: have a conversation with Norman, like what the fuck? And

952
00:50:10,239 --> 00:50:14,239
Speaker 1: so I texted him right away and he didn't respond. Um,

953
00:50:14,640 --> 00:50:16,920
Speaker 1: and then we got ahold of this tape. And the

954
00:50:16,960 --> 00:50:18,520
Speaker 1: first time I watched the tape, I didn't even noticed

955
00:50:18,560 --> 00:50:20,400
Speaker 1: Norman in the background. It was you, Matt, who was like,

956
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:22,560
Speaker 1: look at Norman. I was like, oh my god, there

957
00:50:22,719 --> 00:50:26,399
Speaker 1: is so while I was like looking at this state,

958
00:50:26,719 --> 00:50:29,640
Speaker 1: Norman texts me and I gotta get the wording because

959
00:50:30,120 --> 00:50:32,840
Speaker 1: it's so funny, like I wrote to him, let me

960
00:50:32,920 --> 00:50:35,759
Speaker 1: call this up. I got it. Yeah, oh yeah, okay, yeah,

961
00:50:35,760 --> 00:50:40,320
Speaker 1: I'll read it. Yeah. So yourman, Yeah, your your text

962
00:50:40,360 --> 00:50:43,160
Speaker 1: to Norman. Are you aware that I just got muscled

963
00:50:43,200 --> 00:50:45,960
Speaker 1: out of Phil's press conference by a couple of your goons?

964
00:50:46,200 --> 00:50:49,600
Speaker 1: Question Mark Luckily for you guys. I kept my cool

965
00:50:50,080 --> 00:50:54,120
Speaker 1: and de de escalated the situation. Please call me to

966
00:50:54,360 --> 00:50:59,520
Speaker 1: discuss uh Norman's respect happens by rightn't half yet? I

967
00:50:59,520 --> 00:51:02,759
Speaker 1: don't have was by did not hear. Thanks for letting

968
00:51:02,840 --> 00:51:09,440
Speaker 1: me know you responded back. That's funny because Colin and

969
00:51:09,600 --> 00:51:12,520
Speaker 1: you screenshot a picture of you talking to goon one

970
00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:17,080
Speaker 1: and Norman is right off your shoulder, staring right at

971
00:51:17,160 --> 00:51:22,600
Speaker 1: you had this situation. You cannot make this ship up

972
00:51:23,080 --> 00:51:26,399
Speaker 1: his keystone cops. And when when I when I first

973
00:51:26,480 --> 00:51:29,080
Speaker 1: texted Norman, it wasn't like a gotcha. I really hadn't

974
00:51:29,080 --> 00:51:31,359
Speaker 1: seen the video. I had no idea he was even there.

975
00:51:31,880 --> 00:51:34,839
Speaker 1: And and then right when we were looking at the video,

976
00:51:35,080 --> 00:51:37,080
Speaker 1: that's when he texted me back and said, I had

977
00:51:37,120 --> 00:51:41,040
Speaker 1: no idea. It's like so absurd, like there was there

978
00:51:41,120 --> 00:51:44,439
Speaker 1: was dozens and dozens of people there, Like who saw

979
00:51:44,560 --> 00:51:46,719
Speaker 1: him standing there? I didn't because he was behind me

980
00:51:46,840 --> 00:51:50,160
Speaker 1: like lurking in the shadows like a snake, but everyone

981
00:51:50,239 --> 00:51:55,560
Speaker 1: else saw it. Like it's just so ridiculous, Like Greg

982
00:51:55,719 --> 00:51:58,600
Speaker 1: Norman has got to go. Greg Norman has got to go,

983
00:51:58,840 --> 00:52:03,440
Speaker 1: Like I mean, uh, Saudi's not going anywhere. Saudi Arabia

984
00:52:03,520 --> 00:52:06,040
Speaker 1: is they're they're here to stay. But what is do

985
00:52:06,200 --> 00:52:10,000
Speaker 1: they see in Greg Norman? They say, this is our guy. Well,

986
00:52:10,080 --> 00:52:14,160
Speaker 1: I mean, yes, he's made he's made some colossal, you know,

987
00:52:14,280 --> 00:52:17,240
Speaker 1: foot and mouth mistakes. But I don't think the Saudi's

988
00:52:17,280 --> 00:52:19,600
Speaker 1: care about that. He's delivered. He got the players, like

989
00:52:19,719 --> 00:52:23,719
Speaker 1: it was not easy and it was messy, and but

990
00:52:23,920 --> 00:52:27,359
Speaker 1: he delivered like he's you. You gotta give him his due,

991
00:52:27,560 --> 00:52:32,399
Speaker 1: like um, Now, maybe maybe people signed in spite of him,

992
00:52:33,080 --> 00:52:36,360
Speaker 1: but not because of him. But the fact is, it's like,

993
00:52:36,640 --> 00:52:38,640
Speaker 1: you know, you knew the coach and the team's winning,

994
00:52:38,680 --> 00:52:40,440
Speaker 1: you're a great coach, and when they lose and you're

995
00:52:40,440 --> 00:52:44,000
Speaker 1: a bad coach. But he got the players here. They

996
00:52:44,719 --> 00:52:47,480
Speaker 1: they're playing, their playing a live tournament. So I think

997
00:52:47,520 --> 00:52:52,080
Speaker 1: the Saudis they're clearly not worried about public relations based

998
00:52:52,120 --> 00:52:55,360
Speaker 1: on what they do, uh as you know, So I

999
00:52:55,440 --> 00:52:58,040
Speaker 1: think that stuff is just noise to them. The fact is,

1000
00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:01,160
Speaker 1: you know, they're top guys from the public investment funder.

1001
00:53:01,400 --> 00:53:03,799
Speaker 1: They played the program with Phil, they had a great

1002
00:53:03,800 --> 00:53:08,400
Speaker 1: old time. They you know, they're out there hugging people,

1003
00:53:08,520 --> 00:53:10,320
Speaker 1: are they're living large on the first team. This is

1004
00:53:10,360 --> 00:53:12,120
Speaker 1: a great day for them. It's a great moment for them.

1005
00:53:12,280 --> 00:53:17,440
Speaker 1: Sports Washing totally totally agree with that, Alan because everything

1006
00:53:17,520 --> 00:53:21,440
Speaker 1: that Greg Norman represents he got now. With all due respect,

1007
00:53:21,840 --> 00:53:24,400
Speaker 1: Norman is the key key player here. They're not getting

1008
00:53:24,440 --> 00:53:28,800
Speaker 1: rid Enrman. Norman's charisman outside personality and the wine drinking

1009
00:53:29,239 --> 00:53:31,799
Speaker 1: and the dating life and the and the swashbut thing

1010
00:53:31,960 --> 00:53:35,680
Speaker 1: is everything that that repressed Saudi regime is not. So

1011
00:53:36,360 --> 00:53:39,239
Speaker 1: they love Norman, There's no question. I don't think there's

1012
00:53:39,239 --> 00:53:41,520
Speaker 1: any question about that. I've seen it with my with

1013
00:53:41,680 --> 00:53:45,279
Speaker 1: my own eyes. He's got this thing. Can I ask

1014
00:53:45,280 --> 00:53:48,920
Speaker 1: you a quick business question? I believe that. Tell me

1015
00:53:48,920 --> 00:53:52,120
Speaker 1: if I have this wrong. I think Callaway temporarily at

1016
00:53:52,200 --> 00:53:56,520
Speaker 1: least dropped Nicholson. And yet I thought I saw Nicholson

1017
00:53:56,600 --> 00:53:59,480
Speaker 1: wearing Callaway, Ryan, you seem to know the answer you

1018
00:53:59,560 --> 00:54:02,840
Speaker 1: already They put it on pause. So, okay, is he

1019
00:54:03,080 --> 00:54:04,800
Speaker 1: is he off the bus already or was he not

1020
00:54:04,880 --> 00:54:10,360
Speaker 1: wearing He hasn't, yeah, I mean, he hasn't wanted to

1021
00:54:10,400 --> 00:54:12,560
Speaker 1: talk about any of those questions. He hasn't wanted to

1022
00:54:12,560 --> 00:54:15,239
Speaker 1: answer them. But it was interesting. He was wearing an

1023
00:54:15,280 --> 00:54:18,960
Speaker 1: Augusta national vest, but it looked like he'd sharpeat it

1024
00:54:19,000 --> 00:54:21,600
Speaker 1: out because it was very monochromatic, which I've never seen

1025
00:54:21,680 --> 00:54:23,759
Speaker 1: from them. It was like kind of black on black,

1026
00:54:23,840 --> 00:54:26,640
Speaker 1: like I get Sharpie's and I sometimes do that on

1027
00:54:26,920 --> 00:54:31,800
Speaker 1: on labels, and so it had that look. Um. But

1028
00:54:32,800 --> 00:54:36,120
Speaker 1: his clothing he didn't have any Callaway as His hat

1029
00:54:36,280 --> 00:54:38,080
Speaker 1: was just his own personal logo and the rest of

1030
00:54:38,160 --> 00:54:41,280
Speaker 1: his clothes was pretty clean. But he's still using Callaway

1031
00:54:41,320 --> 00:54:44,160
Speaker 1: golf clubs. And and then his golf bag was that

1032
00:54:44,280 --> 00:54:47,200
Speaker 1: just a plain bag or you know, I didn't notice

1033
00:54:47,239 --> 00:54:50,640
Speaker 1: the bag that it was big. It was his own

1034
00:54:50,680 --> 00:54:53,879
Speaker 1: logo bag. Yeah, hat was on logo. He was playing

1035
00:54:53,920 --> 00:54:58,560
Speaker 1: Callawe Orange ten guys under par McDowell four over Westwood,

1036
00:54:58,640 --> 00:55:03,879
Speaker 1: five over Poulter, five of over Wisberger seven over. Uh.

1037
00:55:04,960 --> 00:55:07,720
Speaker 1: It's a I mean, I guess he got the players.

1038
00:55:08,719 --> 00:55:14,280
Speaker 1: He got just enough, like he got the bare minimum

1039
00:55:14,880 --> 00:55:20,000
Speaker 1: to make this thing work. And and I think, Okay,

1040
00:55:20,080 --> 00:55:22,920
Speaker 1: so you know, they's they've had to answer some uncomfortable

1041
00:55:23,040 --> 00:55:28,040
Speaker 1: questions this week from but that'll wear off. I mean,

1042
00:55:29,320 --> 00:55:31,319
Speaker 1: I don't think they're gonna get asked those questions week

1043
00:55:31,400 --> 00:55:34,840
Speaker 1: after week. I just it becomes tedious for the reporters.

1044
00:55:35,440 --> 00:55:37,319
Speaker 1: And the fans. I mean that that's that's the sad

1045
00:55:37,360 --> 00:55:39,799
Speaker 1: thing about sports watching is it works because we get

1046
00:55:39,880 --> 00:55:42,200
Speaker 1: tired of repeating ourselves and people just tune it out.

1047
00:55:42,239 --> 00:55:43,640
Speaker 1: I mean it just it just that's how it is.

1048
00:55:43,760 --> 00:55:47,600
Speaker 1: And so, um, I think they're gonna get more players.

1049
00:55:47,680 --> 00:55:51,439
Speaker 1: I really do, like, um, they've seen Wow, that looks

1050
00:55:51,480 --> 00:55:53,880
Speaker 1: like kind of like fun. There's not that much blowback.

1051
00:55:54,600 --> 00:55:56,960
Speaker 1: You know, most of these guys are still wearing their logos,

1052
00:55:57,000 --> 00:55:59,080
Speaker 1: like you know Ups obviously that that was a high

1053
00:55:59,120 --> 00:56:02,320
Speaker 1: profile thing that they draw up, Um Westwood, but everyone

1054
00:56:02,360 --> 00:56:05,480
Speaker 1: else's logoed out here. I mean there they look normal.

1055
00:56:05,640 --> 00:56:08,560
Speaker 1: So how that gets Maybe maybe they have to get

1056
00:56:08,560 --> 00:56:10,040
Speaker 1: to the end of the year and things will start

1057
00:56:10,120 --> 00:56:12,719
Speaker 1: dropping off next year, who knows. But at the same time,

1058
00:56:13,200 --> 00:56:15,200
Speaker 1: you know, if you're you're at Callaway, you want to

1059
00:56:15,239 --> 00:56:17,480
Speaker 1: sell clubs in England, you want to sell clubs in

1060
00:56:17,760 --> 00:56:21,080
Speaker 1: Thailand where this this circuit is going, you want to

1061
00:56:21,080 --> 00:56:23,800
Speaker 1: sell them in the Middle East. So equipment companies, I

1062
00:56:23,800 --> 00:56:26,160
Speaker 1: don't think they're that bothered, you know, they're I think

1063
00:56:26,200 --> 00:56:30,839
Speaker 1: they'll they'll stay that. Um, some publicly traded companies there

1064
00:56:30,880 --> 00:56:34,480
Speaker 1: may be some pressure, but you know, as discussed. The

1065
00:56:35,239 --> 00:56:37,320
Speaker 1: Public Investment Fund is a shareholder in a lot of

1066
00:56:37,360 --> 00:56:40,400
Speaker 1: companies already. People have been doing business over there for

1067
00:56:40,719 --> 00:56:42,759
Speaker 1: you know, seventy years. Many fortunes in this country have

1068
00:56:42,840 --> 00:56:47,680
Speaker 1: been made through Saudi Arabia, So um it. I think

1069
00:56:47,760 --> 00:56:49,440
Speaker 1: that I think that a lot of these corporations. I

1070
00:56:49,520 --> 00:56:51,200
Speaker 1: can stick by the players because it's just a big

1071
00:56:51,280 --> 00:56:53,319
Speaker 1: platform and they're playing a lot in the US, They're

1072
00:56:53,320 --> 00:56:55,760
Speaker 1: playing all around the world. Like it might be attracted

1073
00:56:55,800 --> 00:56:59,240
Speaker 1: to some people, So watching the logos will be interesting

1074
00:56:59,360 --> 00:57:03,280
Speaker 1: a little from this year to next. And on June

1075
00:57:04,000 --> 00:57:14,480
Speaker 1: nine through eleven, backed by Saudi Money, Live Golf is underway. Yeah,

1076
00:57:14,560 --> 00:57:18,680
Speaker 1: it's happening. It's it's undeniable. I mean, there's been a

1077
00:57:18,720 --> 00:57:20,480
Speaker 1: few people on social media be like, oh, you're over

1078
00:57:20,560 --> 00:57:23,120
Speaker 1: there glorifying it. It's like it's aid. It's a bona

1079
00:57:23,200 --> 00:57:25,880
Speaker 1: fide news event. It's a big deal for the sport.

1080
00:57:26,920 --> 00:57:30,520
Speaker 1: We've all registered our our disdain and our our our

1081
00:57:30,840 --> 00:57:34,000
Speaker 1: our outrage, and we've we've asked the hard questions and

1082
00:57:34,040 --> 00:57:36,520
Speaker 1: now it's like the playing golf tournament. I'm here, I'm

1083
00:57:36,520 --> 00:57:38,280
Speaker 1: gonna write about the golf tournament, and I'm gonna write

1084
00:57:38,280 --> 00:57:41,120
Speaker 1: about the players, and um, you know, I don't think

1085
00:57:41,160 --> 00:57:43,240
Speaker 1: it's cheerleading to just give an honest account of what

1086
00:57:43,320 --> 00:57:47,160
Speaker 1: it felt like on the grounds, and so, um, it's not.

1087
00:57:48,160 --> 00:57:51,040
Speaker 1: It's not that we're not by being here myself and

1088
00:57:51,120 --> 00:57:53,120
Speaker 1: the whole collective, we're not all of a sudden pro

1089
00:57:53,200 --> 00:57:54,920
Speaker 1: Saudi Arabia. We're just saying, this is a big moment

1090
00:57:55,000 --> 00:57:57,600
Speaker 1: for the sport and it demands to be taken seriously.

1091
00:57:57,720 --> 00:58:00,480
Speaker 1: So that's why I'm here. Your game story and more

1092
00:58:00,640 --> 00:58:05,440
Speaker 1: fire drills to come, Ryan, any final comments. I mean, wow,

1093
00:58:05,640 --> 00:58:09,280
Speaker 1: just what a what a cool time to be in

1094
00:58:09,360 --> 00:58:12,080
Speaker 1: golf media. I mean, what a what a crazy time

1095
00:58:12,120 --> 00:58:15,360
Speaker 1: to be in golf media. It is uh a wild,

1096
00:58:15,640 --> 00:58:19,240
Speaker 1: wild time. I would have guess obviously I've only been

1097
00:58:19,280 --> 00:58:22,760
Speaker 1: in a little bit, but Michael and Alan and Matt,

1098
00:58:23,120 --> 00:58:26,320
Speaker 1: for you guys to think about what is happening over

1099
00:58:26,400 --> 00:58:29,320
Speaker 1: the last two weeks, let alone just today, you would

1100
00:58:29,360 --> 00:58:32,400
Speaker 1: have I would assume, I guess I'm asking, would never

1101
00:58:32,520 --> 00:58:36,640
Speaker 1: would have ever thought to see any of this, right, Yeah,

1102
00:58:36,960 --> 00:58:39,280
Speaker 1: Remember Michael, when it was you know, the Ryder Cup

1103
00:58:39,360 --> 00:58:41,560
Speaker 1: team really wanted to get paid to play in the

1104
00:58:41,680 --> 00:58:47,720
Speaker 1: Ryder Cup. That was a big deal. Michael final comments, Well,

1105
00:58:47,800 --> 00:58:50,720
Speaker 1: if Alan wouldn't mind, if this might be two persons

1106
00:58:50,760 --> 00:58:52,600
Speaker 1: more than Alan once, this might be more than what

1107
00:58:52,720 --> 00:58:55,120
Speaker 1: Alan wants to give away. But to borrow from that's

1108
00:58:55,160 --> 00:58:57,840
Speaker 1: question the other day, if you had a chance to

1109
00:58:57,960 --> 00:59:00,160
Speaker 1: ask Philip question, what would you want to ask from

1110
00:59:00,200 --> 00:59:05,640
Speaker 1: at this point? Like good stuff? I know I know

1111
00:59:05,800 --> 00:59:07,720
Speaker 1: that one stuff because but it's us the other day

1112
00:59:07,760 --> 00:59:09,680
Speaker 1: of the stuff, I mean, well this point, I say,

1113
00:59:09,920 --> 00:59:11,680
Speaker 1: what are you afraid of? I mean, I sent you

1114
00:59:11,760 --> 00:59:13,760
Speaker 1: the book a month ago. I'm presuming you've at least

1115
00:59:13,800 --> 00:59:16,600
Speaker 1: flipped through it like it's all out there, like, what

1116
00:59:16,680 --> 00:59:19,760
Speaker 1: are you afraid of? I'm I'm not, I'm not. I

1117
00:59:19,840 --> 00:59:22,480
Speaker 1: wasn't gonna ask him some gotcha question. I mean really,

1118
00:59:22,600 --> 00:59:24,280
Speaker 1: you know what I wanted to ask him was did

1119
00:59:24,320 --> 00:59:26,040
Speaker 1: you have fun out there? Like did you feel like

1120
00:59:26,080 --> 00:59:28,080
Speaker 1: a rookie again? Like that was gonna be my question

1121
00:59:28,240 --> 00:59:31,880
Speaker 1: is not exactly chin music, you know, like I'm I'm

1122
00:59:31,920 --> 00:59:35,240
Speaker 1: fucking tired of being the story Like I'm really no

1123
00:59:35,280 --> 00:59:37,360
Speaker 1: one is more tired of Alan ship like that. I

1124
00:59:37,480 --> 00:59:41,560
Speaker 1: am like this fucking guy off the stage. But um,

1125
00:59:42,640 --> 00:59:44,520
Speaker 1: you know, like I just don't want what are He's

1126
00:59:44,520 --> 00:59:48,160
Speaker 1: so paranoid about that he's gonna be whispering in Greg's

1127
00:59:48,240 --> 00:59:51,240
Speaker 1: year to have these goons like prevent me from asking

1128
00:59:51,360 --> 00:59:55,880
Speaker 1: some just boring golf question, Like I would think that, um,

1129
00:59:56,280 --> 00:59:59,080
Speaker 1: it would be healthy for Phil an you want I was,

1130
00:59:59,320 --> 01:00:01,240
Speaker 1: I wasn't sure if was gonna be his press conference

1131
01:00:01,800 --> 01:00:03,200
Speaker 1: at the US Open. I'm gonna go and sit in

1132
01:00:03,200 --> 01:00:05,920
Speaker 1: the front row. At this point, like this is like

1133
01:00:06,000 --> 01:00:09,640
Speaker 1: that become ridiculous, Like, um, I mean, what are you

1134
01:00:09,720 --> 01:00:12,280
Speaker 1: afraid of? Phil Is? I think he's gonna be very

1135
01:00:12,400 --> 01:00:15,840
Speaker 1: popular in Boston because I mean, we all know Boston

1136
01:00:15,920 --> 01:00:20,320
Speaker 1: sportsman's they're like stick it to the man. Oh yeah,

1137
01:00:20,840 --> 01:00:24,400
Speaker 1: I mean the same the same Bostonians who stood for

1138
01:00:24,520 --> 01:00:27,240
Speaker 1: New York City after nine eleven and and and all

1139
01:00:27,320 --> 01:00:30,000
Speaker 1: that took place for going now rah rah rad For Phil.

1140
01:00:31,720 --> 01:00:35,600
Speaker 1: Sports fans are compartmentalized. I mean I think they're just like, um,

1141
01:00:36,920 --> 01:00:39,320
Speaker 1: I think I think you're right, Mike. I mean, there

1142
01:00:39,640 --> 01:00:43,000
Speaker 1: will be a few hecklers. But Phil did his time.

1143
01:00:43,080 --> 01:00:44,560
Speaker 1: You know, he was out of the game for four months.

1144
01:00:44,800 --> 01:00:48,320
Speaker 1: He he's come back, and even even though his comments

1145
01:00:48,480 --> 01:00:52,200
Speaker 1: were a little, um, we're a little coached, I mean,

1146
01:00:52,880 --> 01:00:55,000
Speaker 1: it was a big deal. For him to admit he

1147
01:00:55,040 --> 01:00:57,320
Speaker 1: has a gambling addiction. He's never gone that far. We

1148
01:00:57,440 --> 01:00:59,520
Speaker 1: we you know, there was a lot of anecdotal evidence

1149
01:00:59,600 --> 01:01:01,320
Speaker 1: in my can elsewhere, like we kind of knew he

1150
01:01:01,360 --> 01:01:03,320
Speaker 1: had a problem. But to actually use the word addiction,

1151
01:01:04,160 --> 01:01:06,280
Speaker 1: say he's done hundreds of hours of therapies, you have

1152
01:01:06,320 --> 01:01:08,320
Speaker 1: to battle this the rest of his life, Like that's

1153
01:01:08,480 --> 01:01:11,600
Speaker 1: very humanizing and that that takes a level of humility

1154
01:01:11,680 --> 01:01:13,960
Speaker 1: and even courage to like put it out there like that.

1155
01:01:14,080 --> 01:01:16,680
Speaker 1: And I think, you know, if he's just real like that,

1156
01:01:17,040 --> 01:01:20,760
Speaker 1: it makes me even more attractive and so um, you know,

1157
01:01:20,880 --> 01:01:23,440
Speaker 1: I think I think you're right. I think people are

1158
01:01:23,440 --> 01:01:27,000
Speaker 1: gonna be pulling for him. Just a very sorry man.

1159
01:01:27,040 --> 01:01:28,640
Speaker 1: If I could just make a very quick point about that,

1160
01:01:29,320 --> 01:01:32,800
Speaker 1: he has a very clever I think Ari Fleischer uh

1161
01:01:33,000 --> 01:01:35,760
Speaker 1: coached policy of if it relates to the PJ two

1162
01:01:35,800 --> 01:01:37,680
Speaker 1: ur he's not going to talk about it. This is

1163
01:01:37,880 --> 01:01:40,800
Speaker 1: totally speculation. I want to make that really clear. But

1164
01:01:41,360 --> 01:01:44,000
Speaker 1: if he gambled on himself, if if, if, if he

1165
01:01:44,080 --> 01:01:45,959
Speaker 1: gambled on himself in a p J two or event,

1166
01:01:46,360 --> 01:01:49,760
Speaker 1: and if others know about that, that would be a

1167
01:01:49,840 --> 01:01:53,600
Speaker 1: big deal, and that would be costly, and that would

1168
01:01:53,680 --> 01:01:56,840
Speaker 1: explain why, since he's already public about the gamble, he

1169
01:01:56,920 --> 01:01:58,960
Speaker 1: doesn't want to do about anything related to the pj T.

1170
01:01:59,440 --> 01:02:02,040
Speaker 1: Does that make any sense? O? Yeah, yeah, No. I

1171
01:02:02,520 --> 01:02:05,400
Speaker 1: kind of feel like all this public talk about the

1172
01:02:05,400 --> 01:02:09,200
Speaker 1: gambling is a preemptive strike against Billy Walter's book, not mine.

1173
01:02:09,440 --> 01:02:14,080
Speaker 1: That like that's already out there. And um, I mean

1174
01:02:14,280 --> 01:02:15,920
Speaker 1: I've just told some things off the record they're not

1175
01:02:15,960 --> 01:02:17,920
Speaker 1: in the book, and I'm just gonna leave it at that.

1176
01:02:18,120 --> 01:02:21,040
Speaker 1: But I think, you know, Billy Walters may have some

1177
01:02:21,120 --> 01:02:24,520
Speaker 1: stories to tell on the gambling front that it's useful

1178
01:02:24,640 --> 01:02:27,880
Speaker 1: for Phil to get out in front of. And I

1179
01:02:28,000 --> 01:02:31,040
Speaker 1: think that you know, we all know people who have

1180
01:02:31,160 --> 01:02:35,280
Speaker 1: addiction and and gambling addiction is a real thing. I mean,

1181
01:02:35,360 --> 01:02:38,280
Speaker 1: many lives have been destroyed, and so when you couch

1182
01:02:38,360 --> 01:02:42,080
Speaker 1: it like that, uh it, you become more sympathetic. And

1183
01:02:42,240 --> 01:02:44,200
Speaker 1: it really was something that took over his life and

1184
01:02:44,520 --> 01:02:48,200
Speaker 1: was out of control. And so, um, I think it's genuine,

1185
01:02:48,280 --> 01:02:51,720
Speaker 1: but I think it's also strategic. Well, Alan, you showed

1186
01:02:51,760 --> 01:02:54,040
Speaker 1: great courage to get on a plane, get out there,

1187
01:02:54,160 --> 01:02:57,160
Speaker 1: do what you do. I'm proud to call you a colleague.

1188
01:02:58,240 --> 01:03:01,320
Speaker 1: I appreciate your pre st the effort and energy, and

1189
01:03:01,480 --> 01:03:03,360
Speaker 1: I can't wait, you can't wait to read the story

1190
01:03:03,360 --> 01:03:07,280
Speaker 1: of my friends. Yeah, well, let's not overstate it. I mean,

1191
01:03:07,400 --> 01:03:09,480
Speaker 1: this is not a national signal, I guess. I mean

1192
01:03:10,280 --> 01:03:12,280
Speaker 1: it starts to bleed into it a little bit. It's

1193
01:03:12,320 --> 01:03:16,840
Speaker 1: just golf, it is, it's it's just golf. It's not

1194
01:03:16,960 --> 01:03:19,960
Speaker 1: that important, none of this is. But it's fascinating and

1195
01:03:20,000 --> 01:03:38,600
Speaker 1: it's goodding. It's getting moreesting by the day. Put another

1196
01:03:38,800 --> 01:03:45,840
Speaker 1: log on the fire? Are we here? Is? Get the

1197
01:03:45,960 --> 01:03:46,240
Speaker 1: time