WEBVTT - Episode 47: Austin Eckroat 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:02.400 The guys from paying They've kind of showed me how 0:00:02.480 --> 0:00:05.120 much the equipment matters. I just love that I can 0:00:05.200 --> 0:00:05.800 hit any shot. 0:00:05.920 --> 0:00:07.520 I kind of want. We're gonna be able to tell 0:00:07.560 --> 0:00:09.560 some fun stories about what goes on here to help 0:00:09.600 --> 0:00:10.640 golfers play better golf. 0:00:11.600 --> 0:00:14.480 Welcome back to the Ping Proving Grounds Podcast. I'm Shane Bacon. 0:00:14.640 --> 0:00:16.560 That is Marty Jerts and Marty, you got an exciting 0:00:16.560 --> 0:00:17.080 guest today. 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:19.479 Yeah, Austin is awesome to have you, have you on 0:00:19.480 --> 0:00:21.759 the pod, get to know you a little bit, and 0:00:22.120 --> 0:00:25.239 all of our listeners kind of want to hear hear 0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:26.480 your story here what you're up to. 0:00:26.600 --> 0:00:27.639 All right, Well, thanks for having me on. 0:00:27.800 --> 0:00:30.560 Yeah, well let's start with Cognizant because obviously getting a 0:00:30.600 --> 0:00:32.160 win this season on the PJ tourre I was reading 0:00:32.159 --> 0:00:33.760 a little bit about you know what you said after 0:00:33.840 --> 0:00:35.479 and you said, I've been dreaming about this moment my 0:00:35.520 --> 0:00:38.840 whole life. Kind of a weird finish, if you will, 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:40.920 just the way it ended up, obviously being on a 0:00:40.920 --> 0:00:42.479 Monday finish. But can you kind of walk us through 0:00:42.479 --> 0:00:43.720 the week, walk us through that final round. 0:00:43.960 --> 0:00:46.559 Yeah, I mean obviously it was from the start, you know, 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:48.360 the game wasn't a good spot. And that's always a 0:00:48.560 --> 0:00:50.400 promising sign, but you never know until you te it up. 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:52.839 And you know, I played well the first day and 0:00:52.960 --> 0:00:54.880 just you know, continue throughout the whole time. But then 0:00:55.120 --> 0:00:57.080 to have the rain delays and the you know, I 0:00:57.120 --> 0:01:01.360 played seven hole Sunday evening than the raindelais happened, and 0:01:01.400 --> 0:01:03.400 I was I was happy I finished out on the 0:01:03.440 --> 0:01:05.360 seventh hole, even though it was a you know, long 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:07.800 putt in the dark. But to come back and have 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:09.720 a t ball, you know, make it feel as real 0:01:09.800 --> 0:01:11.920 and normal as I could. And I had you know, 0:01:11.959 --> 0:01:14.800 eleven holes the next morning, and uh, you know, and 0:01:14.840 --> 0:01:16.640 it could have helped me. You know, the fact that 0:01:16.880 --> 0:01:19.280 with the raindelais so it just it was really fun week. 0:01:19.319 --> 0:01:21.400 And I'll take a Monday finish every time if it 0:01:21.640 --> 0:01:22.320 ends up that way. 0:01:22.400 --> 0:01:24.600 When you wake up on Monday, because you've kind of 0:01:24.640 --> 0:01:26.760 gone through it's Saturday night, right Saturday night, and the 0:01:26.800 --> 0:01:29.200 Sunday you're thinking about it, You're trying to get your rest, 0:01:29.200 --> 0:01:32.120 trying to go to sleep. Is it almost easier Sunday 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:34.720 into Monday, considering you'd already kind of gone through those emotions, 0:01:34.800 --> 0:01:36.520 or is it tougher because you're like, I got to 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:38.120 go through this whole thing. I just went through again. 0:01:38.319 --> 0:01:40.120 I think it was a little tougher just because I 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:41.960 had to do it was the same thing. It wasn't like, 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:44.480 you know, it wasn't like it was just another tournament. 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:46.720 It was the exact same experience, you know, but this 0:01:46.800 --> 0:01:49.600 time I actually had the lead versus where the night 0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:51.640 before I was tied for the lead, so I had 0:01:51.720 --> 0:01:53.800 kind of separated myself. So it was, you know, I 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:55.440 guess a little bit more comforting in that way. 0:01:56.360 --> 0:02:00.040 That golf course, I mean we put together for on 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:05.640 the fitting side is some like strokes gained driving scores, 0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:08.560 and we used Kapalu as the easiest driving course on 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:11.880 tour and that and PJ National is the hardest driving 0:02:11.919 --> 0:02:14.480 course on tour. How did you know in your ball 0:02:14.560 --> 0:02:18.480 striking stats are quite impressive tea to green. What was 0:02:18.520 --> 0:02:23.520 your confidence level going into that course and did things 0:02:23.560 --> 0:02:25.640 really match up with you, you know, the way you 0:02:25.720 --> 0:02:27.560 drive the golf ball off the tea that week. 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:30.000 Yeah, for sure that you know, the golf course suits 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:31.840 my really well. I mean I feel like, for the 0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:33.960 most part, it's a drawing golf course off the tea, 0:02:34.480 --> 0:02:37.280 but I actually made an equipment change on Tuesday evening 0:02:37.600 --> 0:02:40.079 through in a different shaft in my driver, and it 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:41.880 was ended up being the right one. 0:02:41.960 --> 0:02:44.560 What initiated that change? What were you looking for? 0:02:44.639 --> 0:02:46.800 Yeah, so it was funny. I was actually driving it fine, 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:50.640 is the funny part too. And I was finished up 0:02:50.680 --> 0:02:55.760 my practice around Tuesday, and uh, Sam Stevens, another staffer, 0:02:55.880 --> 0:02:57.919 was on the tent tee and I walked over there 0:02:57.960 --> 0:02:59.960 and I just grabbed his driver. I was like, man, 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:01.440 this feel pretty good. Didn't hit a ball with it 0:03:01.520 --> 0:03:02.760 or anything. I was just like, it looks good. It 0:03:02.760 --> 0:03:04.480 feels good. And I was like, hey, can can you 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:07.160 make me Sam's driver? And He's like, yeah, you're gonna 0:03:07.160 --> 0:03:08.679 want a little bit more a loft, but yeah, I'll 0:03:08.680 --> 0:03:10.880 make it for you. And then I didn't hit it 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:14.400 until the Wednesday pro am and hit it great, played 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:15.920 the tournament and drove it probably the best I've ever 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:18.320 drove it. So it was funny. Still in my bag now. 0:03:18.480 --> 0:03:22.600 Very amazing, Marty. I'm always I'm always impressed, shot surprised 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:25.359 that tour players will tinker as much as they tinker, 0:03:25.440 --> 0:03:27.440 but then we'll be confident enough to throw some in 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:29.520 the bag and be successful with it, go out there 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:31.959 and win it. It's just the you know, I think 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:36.240 regular golfers, amateur players, high handicapped players, they're more fearful 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:38.160 of changing stuff in their bag. And I think when 0:03:38.160 --> 0:03:39.960 you hear from the tour players, it's like, no, man, 0:03:39.960 --> 0:03:41.960 I like, if you're missing it left, you're missing right. Like, 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:44.200 lean on the equipment if you can for sure. 0:03:44.280 --> 0:03:46.440 I mean a lot of time, it's funny you'll be 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:49.920 hitting drivers on the driving engine, you know, testing stuff, 0:03:49.920 --> 0:03:51.560 and you know you have a left miss with the 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:53.000 shaft and then all of a suddenly thrown a different 0:03:53.000 --> 0:03:55.680 shaft and that miss goes away. It really is incredible 0:03:55.760 --> 0:03:56.680 what equipment can do. 0:03:56.840 --> 0:03:58.520 I think it's pretty Yeah, the shaft side of thing 0:03:58.680 --> 0:04:01.080 is really amazing because it all you need is just 0:04:01.120 --> 0:04:04.200 this tiny little tweak to the face to path right, 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:06.520 Like you can just change that face to path delivery 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:09.080 like two tenths of a degree and that's all it's 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:10.920 gonna take. So you know, was it was it a 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:12.320 shaft field transition thing? 0:04:12.840 --> 0:04:14.680 No? I mean it and what I've heard it's a 0:04:14.720 --> 0:04:17.320 similar shaft the one I played before. Yeah, it had 0:04:17.320 --> 0:04:19.799 a similar feel, similar you know, kickpoint and all that stuff. 0:04:19.839 --> 0:04:22.040 But yeah, it was just it was different and I 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:24.960 needed that. And uh, but I think on the tinkering side, 0:04:25.360 --> 0:04:27.680 we were joking, like a lot of times with Dylan, 0:04:27.680 --> 0:04:30.000 I'll grab a different putter just to mess around with 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:32.240 and end up throwing in my normal putter just because 0:04:32.240 --> 0:04:34.120 I need a different look for three days, you know, 0:04:34.240 --> 0:04:34.920 or whatever. 0:04:34.960 --> 0:04:37.280 Just just to remind the other putter. Way, there is 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:39.880 other ones out there they should be fearful of in golf. 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:42.400 I mean outside of really the Caddy, there's not really 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:44.680 teams you stick with throughout your career. You think about 0:04:44.720 --> 0:04:46.719 somebody like Steph Curry, you know, playing with the Warriors 0:04:46.720 --> 0:04:49.240 throughout their career. You're somebody that's been with ping since 0:04:49.240 --> 0:04:52.120 you were very very young. How did that relationship start? 0:04:52.360 --> 0:04:54.599 Yeah, So I was playing in the It was a 0:04:54.640 --> 0:04:58.920 junior All starvant in Norman, Oklahoma, and Jeff Brown came 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:00.360 out and watched me. We had no I did who 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:03.440 he was, and he watched all all my rounds and 0:05:03.720 --> 0:05:05.000 by the end of it might I was like, hey, 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:08.400 like I'm Steve, Like who the hell are you are 0:05:08.400 --> 0:05:11.120 you watching my son? And he was like, well, you know, 0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:13.800 introduced himself, and then after that I started working with 0:05:14.040 --> 0:05:17.039 h through that Ping junior program and I've been what 0:05:17.160 --> 0:05:19.160 is that now, thirteen years with Pinning and I'm twenty 0:05:19.200 --> 0:05:20.400 five years old. That's pretty cool. 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:22.680 What were some of like the irons and woods you 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:23.760 played at the very beginning? 0:05:23.800 --> 0:05:26.960 So the first driver I got was the answer, yeah, driver? 0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:30.080 And three would. 0:05:28.880 --> 0:05:31.120 Did you do you remember? Wasn't that the one that 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:33.800 they you kind of you could color in really custom? 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:34.520 It would you do to your? 0:05:34.720 --> 0:05:35.440 Mine? Was all orange? 0:05:35.480 --> 0:05:35.960 Okay? 0:05:36.920 --> 0:05:37.880 Even the grooves of orange? 0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:38.360 Yeah? 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:41.200 Yeah? And then uh, I think it was S fifty 0:05:41.240 --> 0:05:43.560 six is maybe irons or maybe fifty five, I can't 0:05:43.560 --> 0:05:47.919 remember what that and then Glide two point zeros and 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:49.480 then the redwood putter I still using. 0:05:49.320 --> 0:05:53.160 That the D sixty six still in the bag, Yeah, exactly, yep. 0:05:54.360 --> 0:05:57.599 And then uh, likewise, I think your your your dad, 0:05:57.680 --> 0:05:59.400 he's still he's been your golf code. Is he a 0:05:59.400 --> 0:06:03.600 golf pro or? And what what is that relationship like 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:06.320 from a mechanics and coaching standpoint? 0:06:06.440 --> 0:06:09.360 Yeah, So my dad played professionally for a little bit. 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:13.000 He played college golf, and he's only my swing coach. 0:06:13.000 --> 0:06:15.279 That's his thing. He doesn't want to catch anybody else's 0:06:15.600 --> 0:06:18.240 touch me. So he uh, it's more kind of I 0:06:18.320 --> 0:06:20.400 bounce ideas off of him. And that's how we like 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:23.080 to do it, more so than you know, dissecting the 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:24.880 golf swing. He'd make sure the alignment's good and the 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:27.000 ball position's good, and then you know, if I want 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:28.560 to swing key or a swing feel, I'm like, hey, 0:06:28.560 --> 0:06:30.520 what do you think about this feeling? And he's like, 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:32.520 I hate it or I like it, you know, So 0:06:32.600 --> 0:06:33.880 that's kind of how we do it. 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:37.000 I love that. I always talk about steps with players. 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:38.800 I mean you kind of like take these steps in 0:06:38.880 --> 0:06:41.560 junior golf into collegiate golf, and something happens. You win 0:06:41.600 --> 0:06:43.800 a golf tournament, you play well against somebody that maybe 0:06:43.800 --> 0:06:46.960 you're intimidated by, and your confidence grows. The way you 0:06:47.000 --> 0:06:48.800 played at the US Open last year, I mean, you 0:06:48.920 --> 0:06:50.760 had a great nine hole stretch, you know, tied the 0:06:51.000 --> 0:06:53.080 low score. I think. Ever at the US Open you 0:06:53.080 --> 0:06:54.640 shot twenty nine, right, Is that what you did at 0:06:54.680 --> 0:06:57.279 l ACC What did that do for you the rest 0:06:57.279 --> 0:06:59.200 of the season into this year? Yeah? 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:01.600 I mean I think that week, especially just because I 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:03.520 didn't feel like I had a great game that week 0:07:03.640 --> 0:07:06.120 and I was able to compete and still finish top ten. 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:08.080 You know, I was struggling with the golf game most 0:07:08.160 --> 0:07:11.040 of last season, especially the ball striking inside of it, 0:07:11.560 --> 0:07:14.080 and you know, I was able to find little keys 0:07:14.080 --> 0:07:16.160 here and there, and you know, and I was still 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:18.560 able to compete. So that was confident, you know, confidence 0:07:18.560 --> 0:07:20.560 booster for me just knowing that, you know, without my 0:07:20.600 --> 0:07:23.000 best stuff last year, I was still able to, you know, 0:07:23.040 --> 0:07:25.440 almost win a golf tournament and then finish top ten 0:07:25.880 --> 0:07:28.160 in a major and then you know, stuff like that, 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:30.560 even when I write out of my best stuff was encouraging. 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:32.760 You hear from players a lot. I mean we as 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:35.440 golf fans. Typically if you're not watching PJ Tour live 0:07:35.520 --> 0:07:37.720 or you see and plus coverage, you're watching the players 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:39.240 that are playing the best each and every week, and 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:41.000 they're typically dialed. I mean, they're not missing a lot 0:07:41.040 --> 0:07:43.560 of fairways, not missing a lot of iron shots. Pro 0:07:43.600 --> 0:07:46.080 golfers miss fairways, they missed iron shots, they hit bad 0:07:46.120 --> 0:07:49.840 golf shots. There is something to seeing your maybe your 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:53.160 B game be competitive against the best of the world. 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:55.760 And when you say, oh, my B game is successful, here, 0:07:56.360 --> 0:07:58.160 imagine what happens when I have my a game. 0:07:58.080 --> 0:08:02.120 Right exactly, And that's good point you We'll miss a lot. 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:03.880 I mean, it happens all the time. And I think 0:08:03.880 --> 0:08:05.840 it's kind of funny. We were talking about like last 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:08.520 week in the signature events where we have you know, 0:08:08.520 --> 0:08:11.400 I played terrible after the first two rounds, It's like, well, shoot, 0:08:11.400 --> 0:08:12.800 I still got to go play two more, right, Right, 0:08:14.120 --> 0:08:16.120 Sometimes it's nice to go home and go figure some 0:08:16.200 --> 0:08:19.440 things out. But yeah, obviously it's great having those you know, 0:08:19.560 --> 0:08:22.560 no cut events and stuff, but it's, uh, it's funny sometimes. 0:08:22.640 --> 0:08:24.960 So if you're at an event like that in the 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:28.240 signature events without cuts, right when you aren't playing well 0:08:28.240 --> 0:08:29.720 and let's say you're down towards the bottom of the 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:31.760 leader board, what do you do in terms of a 0:08:31.760 --> 0:08:34.040 Saturday and Sunday to either work on your game or 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:36.400 try to find something headed into another big week? All right? 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:38.800 Yeah, the mentality changes, for sure. It's not so much 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:40.760 obviously you want to play well and finished well in 0:08:40.760 --> 0:08:43.400 that event, but you're more looking into the future, especially 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:46.079 like last week coming into a major, I was just 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:47.679 trying to find something, you know, trying to find the 0:08:47.760 --> 0:08:50.680 right swing key, trying to find the right feels and did. 0:08:50.520 --> 0:08:53.080 You find anything I did, Yeah, definitely what you find. 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:55.559 Just figure out how to get the golf pull straight. 0:08:55.600 --> 0:09:01.080 That was the key, and I was really strong. I 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:03.000 had tweaked my wrist early in last week, so I 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:06.520 didn't get to practice before the event, and the chipping 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:08.320 really kind of struggled because of that. That's the first 0:09:08.400 --> 0:09:10.680 thing to go. And you know, I was just trying 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:12.600 to get the feeling back in that area and it 0:09:12.600 --> 0:09:13.600 seems to be back. 0:09:15.240 --> 0:09:19.079 Growing up in Oklahoma. What were some of your favorite memories, 0:09:19.160 --> 0:09:21.800 you know, in terms of, you know, speaking to majors 0:09:21.920 --> 0:09:25.040 and the major the Major's head to Southern Hills. They've 0:09:25.120 --> 0:09:28.800 headed to Southern Hills a few times in your childhood. 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:32.560 Do you have any any memories from from when the 0:09:32.640 --> 0:09:34.360 PGA was there at Southern Hills. 0:09:34.480 --> 0:09:36.120 Yeah, some Me and my dad actually went out to 0:09:36.160 --> 0:09:40.520 that and to I remember vividly. I was I was young. 0:09:40.600 --> 0:09:43.280 I was like seven years old and Tiger Woods was 0:09:43.320 --> 0:09:46.559 walking up the walkway off of Eighteenth Green and I 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:48.800 can't remember if you high five me. I definitely told 0:09:48.800 --> 0:09:50.800 people he high five, you know, but it was just 0:09:50.840 --> 0:09:52.680 a cool experience and like I remember him being like 0:09:53.080 --> 0:09:55.640 way bigger than I. Imagined and you know, all that stuff, 0:09:55.679 --> 0:09:58.920 and it was just a cool experience. And then they 0:09:58.920 --> 0:10:01.360 had it back in twenty was it twenty was it 0:10:01.400 --> 0:10:01.839 last year? 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:03.840 A couple of years, two years ago, Yeah, two. 0:10:03.760 --> 0:10:05.240 Years I wasn't I was on the corn Ferry Tour 0:10:05.240 --> 0:10:07.520 and I wasn't able to play. But we had the 0:10:07.640 --> 0:10:10.120 US or the Senior PGA at oak Tree National, where 0:10:10.120 --> 0:10:12.480 I play now. I think that was in twenty fourteen, 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:14.400 and went out there and watched some of the legends. 0:10:14.480 --> 0:10:17.280 It was, you know, a lot of good golf in Oklahoma, Austin. 0:10:17.320 --> 0:10:20.200 What is it like thinking back to being a kid 0:10:20.520 --> 0:10:22.600 seeing Tiger was you know him may or may not 0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:24.400 high five in years? Fist pumping your own I'm not sure. 0:10:24.400 --> 0:10:25.120 I still can't remember. 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:29.160 Listen, we all go fishing. That fish grows every time 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:31.440 I tell that story. What is it like playing a 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:33.199 major championship now that Tiger's in the field. 0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:35.280 That was cool this morning I was hitting I was 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:37.360 hitting range balls and he was two spots down, and 0:10:37.640 --> 0:10:40.200 it's just cool. I mean peaking. Oh yeah, no, yeah. 0:10:40.400 --> 0:10:42.959 I remember in twenty nineteen and I was a sophomore 0:10:43.040 --> 0:10:45.880 in college and I qualified for the US Open at 0:10:45.920 --> 0:10:48.520 Pebble Beach and I was on the putting green, the 0:10:48.559 --> 0:10:50.240 one by the first t it's you know, by itself. 0:10:50.240 --> 0:10:52.480 Nothing else is around. And I walk out there and 0:10:52.520 --> 0:10:54.640 the putting green is just packed that you can't see 0:10:54.640 --> 0:10:56.960 it when I'm walking up, and Tiger is the only 0:10:57.000 --> 0:10:58.480 guy on the green. So it's just me and Tiger 0:10:58.520 --> 0:11:01.560 on the funning green and I I had my coach 0:11:01.600 --> 0:11:03.520 in college guttying for me. I was like, is it 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:05.840 bad if I take a picture right now? And he's like, yeah, 0:11:05.880 --> 0:11:07.640 I'll take plenty of pictures. You just go put so 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:09.320 if you're well. 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:10.719 You know, he has the yardage book out and he 0:11:10.800 --> 0:11:12.680 hit one hand and maybe you had the phone out. 0:11:12.520 --> 0:11:15.800 Of here exactly. Yeah, I mean so he definitely took 0:11:15.800 --> 0:11:16.959 a bunch of pictures, So that was cool. 0:11:17.200 --> 0:11:18.920 Was he who you looked up to? I mean there's 0:11:19.000 --> 0:11:20.760 so many great players that went through Oklahoma State of 0:11:20.800 --> 0:11:22.880 imagine you're looking up some of those players. Just the 0:11:22.880 --> 0:11:23.640 guy you looked up to? 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:26.120 Oh yeah, I mean whenever I was a kid, I 0:11:26.200 --> 0:11:29.760 remember and uh that US opening at Tory Pines when 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:31.320 he had that put on eighteen, I had my head 0:11:31.360 --> 0:11:33.760 tucked in the couch cushion, like I couldn't watch the pot. 0:11:33.800 --> 0:11:35.400 You know, he was he was the guy. He was 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:35.679 the guy. 0:11:35.840 --> 0:11:38.680 Yeah, Austin, Uh, let's talk a little bit about your iron. 0:11:38.679 --> 0:11:41.640 So you played Blueprint teas, right, and then Blueprint ass 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:45.440 in the three iron right on tour, we have we 0:11:45.480 --> 0:11:47.760 have players in i two thirties, we have players playing 0:11:47.760 --> 0:11:50.960 mostly Blueprint asses and then a lot of mixed sets. 0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:53.840 You know, you you play the Blueprint t down to 0:11:54.080 --> 0:11:58.240 the three iron right, the Blueprint te or Blueprint ass 0:11:58.240 --> 0:12:01.720 three iron? Tell us what attracts you to that Blueprint 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:05.960 t iron with characteristics and and yeah, why you like it? 0:12:06.040 --> 0:12:08.160 Yeah? I remember, and when I was in college, the 0:12:08.200 --> 0:12:10.680 Blueprint came out and it was the coolest thing ever, 0:12:10.760 --> 0:12:12.320 you know, and it was I was just drawn to 0:12:12.360 --> 0:12:16.000 the forge blade look, you know, and I tinkered with 0:12:16.000 --> 0:12:18.720 some stuff last season before the tea's came out, and 0:12:19.480 --> 0:12:21.720 you know, once those came out, they're so clean looking 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:23.840 on the back. And that's part of the game too, 0:12:23.920 --> 0:12:25.960 is you have to like what you look. So the 0:12:26.080 --> 0:12:27.679 look is a huge thing to do with it. And 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:30.120 they just kind of matched my game well, you know, 0:12:30.360 --> 0:12:32.800 I think contact wise, I catched the ball pretty clean, 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:36.160 most of the time, and obviously I could probably use 0:12:36.160 --> 0:12:37.920 a little forgiveness every once in a while and go 0:12:37.960 --> 0:12:41.320 for the more game improvement. But I love them and 0:12:41.360 --> 0:12:43.920 they're they're clean looking, and they do what I wanted 0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:44.720 to do most of the time. 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:48.280 Growing up in Oklahoma, obviously going to college in Oklahoma, 0:12:48.320 --> 0:12:50.120 there's so many and you still live in Oklahoma. There's 0:12:50.160 --> 0:12:52.360 so many great players that live out there and play 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:55.120 and practice. Who in that world did you look up to? 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:56.679 Who in that world did you kind of pick their brain? 0:12:56.720 --> 0:12:58.560 And then when you started to have success, right, kind 0:12:58.600 --> 0:13:00.440 of like wrought off the jump and call it, who 0:13:00.520 --> 0:13:03.319 did you talk to about navigating that world, not just collegiately, 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:05.240 but what you're going to do post Oklahoma State. 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:06.800 I thought it was pretty cool. The area I grew 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:10.480 up in Oak Tree was a kind of a There 0:13:10.520 --> 0:13:12.240 was a bunch of us golfer, yeah, and it was 0:13:12.280 --> 0:13:15.640 like a pro golf it was. And I remember there 0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:19.240 was like three three guys older than me. There were 0:13:19.280 --> 0:13:21.680 seniors when I was a freshman, so whatever, it's difference 0:13:21.720 --> 0:13:24.440 that is three years. And whenever I was like ten 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:25.760 years old, I wanted to be like them, you know. 0:13:25.760 --> 0:13:27.560 It was like Nick Haye and Hayden Wood like I 0:13:27.600 --> 0:13:29.800 wanted to be like them, and then Kevin Tway and 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:32.120 Robert Strubb were five years older than them, they wanted 0:13:32.120 --> 0:13:34.000 to be like them. And then there's a group of age, 0:13:34.160 --> 0:13:36.000 you know, a little bit below me that probably wants 0:13:36.040 --> 0:13:38.520 to be like me. And it's I think that's what 0:13:38.600 --> 0:13:40.760 makes that area so good at golf. It's just that 0:13:40.760 --> 0:13:42.840 that area. And obviously Ricky Faller when I was in 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:45.600 school was kind of he was always close. He came 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:47.280 back all the time and wanted to help out the 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:48.120 team as much as he could. 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:50.880 So it feels like there's like a fraternity there. I mean, 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:54.080 for sure, such a great system. It's such a great 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:56.640 you know college, it's such a great university. It's produced 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:59.040 so many great players, and it feels like you guys 0:13:59.040 --> 0:14:01.079 aren't just close when you're there. It feels like when 0:14:01.080 --> 0:14:03.560 you get out on tour, you stay relatively close, you 0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:05.720 play practice rounds together. You talked to them and we 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:08.040 were talking before we got going. Scotford planks out there 0:14:08.080 --> 0:14:10.920 kind of helping you during the Masters, your first Masters 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:13.080 there as well. I mean, that has to feel so 0:14:13.240 --> 0:14:16.000 cool because not every college, not every university has which 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:16.480 you guys have. 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:18.520 Yeah, it's incredible to think about how many guys we 0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:21.600 have out on you know, PJ Tour and other tours. 0:14:21.680 --> 0:14:24.600 It's it's incredible. And when I first came out here, 0:14:24.760 --> 0:14:26.840 especially on the sponsor exemptions, you do, you know, you 0:14:26.840 --> 0:14:29.640 don't really have any friends out here, and you know, 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:32.880 guys like Ricky, guys like Victor, you know, they were 0:14:32.920 --> 0:14:34.800 really nice to people. I played practice rounds with them, 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:38.640 and then now I got teammates of mine with Victor obviously, 0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:42.560 but then Sam Stevens as well, another guy, and you know, 0:14:42.760 --> 0:14:44.560 it's just fun, you know, have someone that you have 0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:47.640 that shared experience with and guys that shared the similar 0:14:47.640 --> 0:14:48.480 experience a couple of. 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:50.520 Years before you we ever move away from Oklahoma. 0:14:50.640 --> 0:14:53.080 Nope, No, I mean I plan on doing stuff in 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:56.240 Arizona in the future, but it will never be full time. 0:14:56.280 --> 0:14:57.160 I love Oklahoma. 0:14:57.640 --> 0:14:59.400 Heah, yeah, all right, We'll see you in Arizona. 0:14:59.480 --> 0:15:00.960 Yeah, winter time. 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:06.320 In the winter time, winter the driver, if you're exactly Yeah, 0:15:06.360 --> 0:15:08.320 but I will scrape up a lot more wedges in 0:15:08.360 --> 0:15:09.200 the in the desert. 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:12.840 Austin, tell us a little bit about how you like 0:15:12.920 --> 0:15:15.680 approach a week, Like what is your what does your Monday, Tuesday, 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:18.040 Wednesday look like? How you kind of ramp, you know, 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:20.520 get yourself ready for tournament week. I think it's there's 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:24.160 kind of two different tournament preps. There's the you know, 0:15:24.400 --> 0:15:26.560 a week off coming into a tournament, and then you 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:28.920 fly in Sunday night and then you have a full 0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:31.720 week versus where you're coming from a different event, and 0:15:31.920 --> 0:15:34.160 that Monday is kind of more of a rest and 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:35.120 recovery kind of day. 0:15:36.200 --> 0:15:39.280 Typically, I like to just play nine hol days. When 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:40.880 I first got out here, I played a little bit more. 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:43.280 I played eighteen on Tuesday, but I wasn't in the 0:15:43.280 --> 0:15:46.280 programs on Wednesday. So it's you know, now that I'm 0:15:46.280 --> 0:15:48.600 in the prorams on Wednesday, it makes it really easy. 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:50.320 I just played nine on Tuesday, nine on Wednesday, and 0:15:50.680 --> 0:15:53.840 I go out. Typically I'm spending a little bit of 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:55.320 time on the range, just trying to make sure I 0:15:55.320 --> 0:15:57.760 find the right swing keys, right feels for the week, 0:15:57.960 --> 0:15:59.960 and you know, I'd just like to keep it simp. 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:03.440 I mean, just make sure my the main areas that 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:06.760