WEBVTT - Fire Drill 059: A Discursive 2023 Season Preview 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:08.600 Welcome back to Fire Drill UH, the first one of 0:00:08.680 --> 0:00:11.480 two thousand twenty three. I hope you all had a 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:14.680 good new year. I hope you're back into your podcast 0:00:14.840 --> 0:00:17.599 listening days. I know everybody's probably catching up at work, 0:00:17.640 --> 0:00:20.560 but find time for the Fire Drill real quickly. I 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:23.640 get a lot of questions about what the song that 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:28.040 you just heard prior to right now is and UH, 0:00:28.320 --> 0:00:32.479 our producer Jake Muldowney said told me that UH, and 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:34.520 I always make him answer it on Twitter because people 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:37.919 ask me. I always forget it's by Griffin House and 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:40.239 then in the name of the thing, the name of 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:42.600 the song is trying not to think. And Jake has 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:44.360 just told me that he's a huge golfer and if 0:00:44.360 --> 0:00:46.839 he comes into town, shoot him a d M or 0:00:46.840 --> 0:00:49.680 shoot him a UH message on Instagram. He might play 0:00:49.720 --> 0:00:52.760 golf with you. UH. But everybody loves the song. I 0:00:52.800 --> 0:00:55.360 get tons of messages about it. So thanks to him 0:00:55.480 --> 0:00:58.880 for being our opening song. UM first one of two 0:00:58.880 --> 0:01:02.240 thousand twenty three. Our plan was to do a preview 0:01:02.280 --> 0:01:05.440 of the major's and we did, but we also, as 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:08.880 all fire Drills do, got totally off the rails. There's 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:12.440 a Natalie Goldbis story forgot Natalie goldbas what was the 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:16.720 thing I didn't know that it was that she dated 0:01:16.760 --> 0:01:19.480 Dustin Johnson. Didn't know that allan ship Nick may or 0:01:19.560 --> 0:01:22.440 may not have had something to do with them breaking up. 0:01:23.280 --> 0:01:27.679 Uh great story. Why I love this podcast, so stay 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:31.040 tuned for that. We talked about Tiger possibly not being 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:33.280 at some of the places that did the Masters and 0:01:33.280 --> 0:01:36.679 how important it is we think for live guys to 0:01:37.040 --> 0:01:39.839 play well early and kind of legitimize everything that they're 0:01:39.840 --> 0:01:43.959 doing over there, um if they don't play well. We 0:01:44.000 --> 0:01:46.880 talked about Capeloo, talked about the elevated events, what we're 0:01:46.920 --> 0:01:50.880 excited about leading into this ear up until the Masters, 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:53.760 when Corey Connors wins the Masters. Just my take on that. 0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:57.240 Uh So that's it. This is the Fire Drill, first 0:01:57.240 --> 0:02:00.960 one of the year. Uh I haven't had sleep in 0:02:01.000 --> 0:02:04.160 like two days. Pretty tired, but it was a great podcast. 0:02:04.200 --> 0:02:07.400 There's a like Michael just tells a little anecdotal story 0:02:07.520 --> 0:02:10.160 joke at the end. I mean, it's just what the 0:02:10.160 --> 0:02:13.280 fire Drill is. Uh So, everybody, thanks for the support. 0:02:13.280 --> 0:02:16.720 In twenty two, we hope to have more and all 0:02:16.760 --> 0:02:18.920 of you back from the people who listen in twenty 0:02:18.960 --> 0:02:21.840 two and twenty three. Before we get into it, I 0:02:21.840 --> 0:02:27.600 want to thank uh our two sponsors, part points Go 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:30.919 make Park great scoring app. Go check it out. Download 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:32.880 it a new way to score e golf. It is 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:35.560 really awesome. I know that's a hard concept to grasp, 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:37.320 but I promise you will love it when you do it. 0:02:37.960 --> 0:02:42.280 And then U Dormy Workshop Artisanal. Now people, a guy 0:02:42.320 --> 0:02:46.800 from Ireland sent me an ad about cheese over the 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:50.320 New Year. And the guy used artisanal in his cheese 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:51.960 and he sent it to me via d M and 0:02:51.960 --> 0:02:55.239 they said, hey, you have some influence. So the words artisanal, 0:02:56.120 --> 0:03:00.000 UH club covers putter covers awesome support of us, Dormy Workshop, 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:04.120 go check them out. Uh, go subscribe to our YouTube channel. 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:09.200 Like comment, I'm so sick of saying that, please do it. 0:03:09.280 --> 0:03:11.640 Can we just get to like one million subscribers? So 0:03:12.040 --> 0:03:14.240 if we get to one million subscribers, I promise I'll 0:03:14.280 --> 0:03:16.959 stop saying that. Okay, so please go do that. Thank 0:03:17.000 --> 0:03:18.800 you for all the support and all seriousness. We love 0:03:18.840 --> 0:03:23.000 you guys and girls. UH and UH thanks for everything. 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:26.760 Without further ado, here's the three of us talking golf. 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:34.000 I got got in my head, can't get jan nothing 0:03:34.560 --> 0:03:42.000 what I'm thinking about. Can't get them out nothing, think 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:52.960 what I'm thinking about. Well, guys, it's two thousand and 0:03:53.200 --> 0:03:55.760 twenty three, but looking at your faces, it feels like 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:58.960 two thousand and twenty two. Deja vu. We've thought a 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:02.480 lot of podcasting it. Um, it's a new year, it's 0:04:02.520 --> 0:04:05.240 a new US. Let's uh, let's talk about the two 0:04:05.240 --> 0:04:07.920 thousand and twenty three golf season. How excited are we? 0:04:08.440 --> 0:04:11.840 Anyone didn't the season? Just has? It? Was there an 0:04:11.880 --> 0:04:16.840 off season? It's like twenty minutes. I mean, the bigger 0:04:16.880 --> 0:04:21.400 conversation is this golf needed a off season? The answer 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:25.599 is obviously yes. Uh, but it's hard to be excited. 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:28.279 I mean, yes, I love golf, so I'm as excited 0:04:28.279 --> 0:04:30.920 as I would be for normal But golf season has 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:34.600 been going the entire year. So uh no, is anyone 0:04:34.640 --> 0:04:39.279 really excited about the Tournament of Champions ever? Uh I'm not? Uh? 0:04:39.320 --> 0:04:44.400 Well I am. Why are you excited? Michael? Yeah? I 0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:46.120 mean I I do think it starts the year. I 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:48.400 for myself, I feel like I did have a break 0:04:48.440 --> 0:04:50.920 from golf this year. I don't know particularly why. Um, 0:04:51.040 --> 0:04:53.839 I didn't play a lot in December and Uh, we 0:04:53.920 --> 0:04:56.600 had some really cold, uh nasty weather here and think 0:04:56.640 --> 0:04:58.520 it played once. I did play yesterday in January one, 0:04:59.240 --> 0:05:03.440 and uh, I love that start of the season thing. Um. 0:05:03.600 --> 0:05:07.240 I love watching Capelo I always have. I just think 0:05:07.240 --> 0:05:10.359 it's a great event. Actually, well yeah, I mean it's 0:05:10.400 --> 0:05:12.320 to me, it's one of the most fun courses of 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:15.360 the year. It's just it's all about geometry and and 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:20.760 angles and um obviously the scenic backdrops. But it's a 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:28.159 live event with less players. Well lived by about thirty 0:05:28.240 --> 0:05:32.520 or forty years, I understand, but now it's now it's 0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:35.799 twenty million for thirty nine guys. So basically everyone's getting 0:05:35.920 --> 0:05:39.800 you know, I don't know what last places and uh 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:41.960 and you know, I mean, no one's really into the 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:44.280 season because a lot of the guys aren't playing Sony. 0:05:44.400 --> 0:05:46.919 They're like kind of ramping up for Tory, you know. 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:50.760 But I don't. You know, Ron, you are old enough 0:05:50.760 --> 0:05:53.600 to remember when the All Star Game was meaningful in baseball, 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:57.800 especially since you are in proximity of both Detroit and Chicago. 0:05:57.880 --> 0:06:00.680 You had both, you had teams on both sides of that. 0:06:00.680 --> 0:06:05.120 That's Capelu, It's it's it's our our. If I may 0:06:05.240 --> 0:06:08.360 use the phrase, it's it's our all star game. Alan 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:09.920 has been going for a long time. I've gone a 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:12.919 number of times. Um. Is that the course Alan that 0:06:12.960 --> 0:06:16.240 put Crenshaw on the Crenshaun core on the map. Yeah, 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:20.599 that was their first design? Wow? Not first Yeah, And 0:06:20.720 --> 0:06:22.719 they built such an interesting golf course on the side 0:06:22.720 --> 0:06:24.960 of a mountain and it's not easy to do. But 0:06:25.000 --> 0:06:27.159 I mean, more to your point, Ryan, this is the 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:30.400 start of the new world order for the PGA Tour. 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:34.280 I mean, in recent years, the term and champions that 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:36.840 had been pretty sleepy because, as as you note, a 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:38.400 lot of guys had skipped it. They just didn't want 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:40.479 to make the trip in Florida or they they just 0:06:40.520 --> 0:06:42.400 they just weren't that motivated. They wanted to have a 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:44.960 longer offseason. They wanted to, you know, get crunk on 0:06:45.080 --> 0:06:47.960 a New Year's at home, whatever it was. But now 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:50.880 all the top PGA Tour guys are going to be there. Now, 0:06:50.960 --> 0:06:53.520 clearly we're missing some of the lived players, but you know, 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:58.000 you're gonna have what's that and Rory he's a game 0:06:58.080 --> 0:07:01.360 Well yeah, I know, but you're still gonna have You're 0:07:01.400 --> 0:07:05.320 still gonna have a tremendous field. Um, that's a lot 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:07.520 of guys who hadn't hadn't played Caplu in a long time. 0:07:07.600 --> 0:07:10.600 So I think it's going to be a m I 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:13.880 think it's gonna be a good show. You know. I'll 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:17.520 be curious what the tour does as far as hoop la. 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:19.160 You know, I know Monahans are gonna be there. He's 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:22.680 gonna meet the press. Um at some point, I'll be 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:28.920 I've been trying to get a one on one with 0:07:29.000 --> 0:07:31.640 Monahan for a very long time for my my live book, 0:07:31.880 --> 0:07:34.480 and he keeps dodging me, even though he looked me 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:36.120 in the eyes and shook my hand and said, yes, 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:38.600 you know, we'll sit down and talk now, you know, 0:07:38.680 --> 0:07:44.000 citing the lawyer's concerns like wanking motion. But I'm so 0:07:44.320 --> 0:07:46.280 my only chance talked to me at these press conferences, 0:07:46.320 --> 0:07:48.000 So I'm you know, I'm that's I got to hit 0:07:48.040 --> 0:07:52.120 him with the questions there. It'll be interesting. But um, 0:07:52.240 --> 0:07:53.840 I think it's a big deal for the tour. I 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:56.200 expect that they will they will do some things to 0:07:56.200 --> 0:07:59.280 blow it out and maybe some more announcements. You know, 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:02.000 that's kind of a tricktional time they did the torch action. 0:08:02.120 --> 0:08:04.000 This year, but often they've they've made some sort of 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:07.680 structural announcements At Kapalua, I won't be surprised if Live, 0:08:08.120 --> 0:08:09.680 just because they love to be the skunk in the 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:12.120 garden party will announce the signing. You know, that would 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:15.440 be so typical on the Thursday morning of the Tournament Champions, 0:08:15.440 --> 0:08:18.880 they're gonna announce the side player x So not Xander Shoffley. 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:20.000 I didn't mean that. I know he's got an ext 0:08:20.000 --> 0:08:22.520 in his name, but no, just a player we don't know. 0:08:22.680 --> 0:08:26.840 And so do you do you feel like you've been 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:30.160 there a lot? Do you feel like there's any like 0:08:30.200 --> 0:08:32.600 I'd never pay attention to the Tournament of Champions, so 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:36.800 I don't really feel any difference. But do you think 0:08:36.840 --> 0:08:39.280 that there's any more like build up? Do you feel 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:42.520 anything social media wise or anything that you normally don't 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:45.679 because of like it's an elevated event. Obviously more of 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:48.560 the stars, you know, all of the PGA Tour stars 0:08:48.600 --> 0:08:51.319 besides Rory will be there. Do you feel like it's 0:08:51.880 --> 0:08:55.520 different or maybe back to what it was, you know, 0:08:55.760 --> 0:09:00.040 back in the nineties, Not yet, I think today's and 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:04.520 it will start obviously it's um it's the start of 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:07.240 the work week for some people on today, on on Monday, 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:10.440 and I'm gonna I'll be I'm clear if you know 0:09:10.480 --> 0:09:12.440 the backdrops. I'm here at home in Carmel. I'll be 0:09:12.480 --> 0:09:15.320 in Maui by tonight and um, you know, once I'm 0:09:15.360 --> 0:09:17.560 on the ground really tomorrow on Tuesday, I'll have a 0:09:17.600 --> 0:09:20.480 better feel for if the energy is different. But I mean, 0:09:20.559 --> 0:09:22.760 it's always been a very sleepy feeling when you're at 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:25.880 the event. Michael knows that. I mean, it's it's very intimate. 0:09:25.920 --> 0:09:28.800 Everyone stays at that same hotel. It's kind of That's 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:31.360 another why it's a fun week. The observational reporting is 0:09:31.400 --> 0:09:33.959 fantastic because you bump into the players and their significant 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:37.240 others all over in the gym and the elevator, at 0:09:37.240 --> 0:09:39.800 the restaurants, and so it's fun to be there. For reporters. 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:40.959 You get to see a lot and you get to 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:43.719 have a lot of quiet conversations in the hallway. I 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:46.400 think I've told this story. I was staying next to 0:09:46.520 --> 0:09:48.520 yes for Parnavic one year. That tells me how long 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:51.760 ago this was. And every night that they would leave 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:53.720 a gift for the for the players in the field 0:09:54.360 --> 0:09:57.840 and outside the door and needless to say, the reporters 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:01.160 were treated very well, but there were no gifts. And um, 0:10:01.200 --> 0:10:03.480 so one time there was this incredible array of like 0:10:03.760 --> 0:10:06.440 cookies and sweets, and it was there when I went 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:08.400 to dinner and I'm walking back to my room. Is 0:10:08.440 --> 0:10:10.800 still there? I figured, yes, there is probably already asleep. 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:13.240 And we know at that point he was a real 0:10:13.280 --> 0:10:16.480 health food financial volcanic sand at that point. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 0:10:16.480 --> 0:10:19.040 thats exactly. So to help, yes, for out, I liberated 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:21.680 this this goody basket and it caught me through the 0:10:21.800 --> 0:10:24.800 entire week and I have no regrets. It was delicious. So, um, 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:27.440 have you ever told yesper of that part of that story. 0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:31.440 I don't think I have. I think you just I 0:10:31.520 --> 0:10:33.760 told me his wife, so he probably heard about it. 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:37.360 This is years later my guilty conscience statue of limitations, 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:41.400 and rightly I researched with the Hawaii statue limitations was 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:44.880 for grand theft, but it was probably the same about 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:49.720 the hotel right on the Honolulu course, uh the Hi 0:10:50.440 --> 0:10:53.000 Hilt And I think, yeah, yeah, right yeah, right there 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:56.080 where they play the Sony open Um. I think that's right. 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:58.080 I can picture. I don't know the name anymore. But 0:10:58.679 --> 0:11:00.400 it has it has an old time me name. And 0:11:00.400 --> 0:11:03.760 I once saw I was dating breakfast next Yes, for there, 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:07.480 I'm wearing, you know, just regular reporter clothes. He came 0:11:07.520 --> 0:11:14.320 to breakfast in a robe. That would be so great 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:17.760 if it was just his his biker hat and his rope, 0:11:17.920 --> 0:11:22.280 it would be amazing. Well, I mean Cafalua is particularly 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:24.280 intimate because I would say, there at the Ritz Carlton, 0:11:24.440 --> 0:11:26.240 and they usually give us a decent media rate. So 0:11:26.280 --> 0:11:30.360 I've stayed there too, and um, the things you see, 0:11:30.400 --> 0:11:33.600 I mean I've had a run there in like the 0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:37.319 the mid two thousands where I broke the Adam Scott 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:41.880 Um Kate Hudson um story. They were frolicking on the 0:11:41.880 --> 0:11:46.120 beach that and then the next year it was Um 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:48.440 Dustin and Natalie Gulbis, and the year after that it 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:51.880 was Dustin and Paulina. Like I was like TMZ because 0:11:51.880 --> 0:11:55.600 you just you can't hide people there. It's um, it's 0:11:55.640 --> 0:11:57.960 really funny, like you just you just you're down at 0:11:57.960 --> 0:12:01.000 the pool like it's it's a eight. It's a great 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:03.760 Michael and I especially the kind of reporting me like 0:12:03.760 --> 0:12:04.920 to do, or you're just kind of hanging out and 0:12:04.960 --> 0:12:08.560 observing in the shadows. It's fantastic. And that was in 0:12:08.559 --> 0:12:11.840 the aftermath of your Chad Campbell Mrs Chad Campbell reporting, 0:12:13.160 --> 0:12:16.240 Oh yeah, that's that's that was a classic golfs story. 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:18.200 I mean, I've told this before. Do you want to 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:20.800 hear my the full Dustin Nalie Goulds story, because it 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:25.120 is quite funny, I know bits of course. Yeah, here here, 0:12:25.160 --> 0:12:26.960 here's the whole thing. I don't think I do think, 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:30.040 with fair warning, we should probably tell the current Mrs 0:12:30.080 --> 0:12:36.480 Dustin Johnson ump had about three minutes. I think maybe four. Um, well, 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:39.880 we'll try and keep it tidy. But so whatever this 0:12:40.040 --> 0:12:42.480 there's like probably two thousand and twelve ish. You know, 0:12:42.559 --> 0:12:44.240 Dustin was clearly one of the best players in the 0:12:44.240 --> 0:12:48.120 world but had not reached his potential yet and and 0:12:48.160 --> 0:12:49.520 so I went out to hang out with him in 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:54.400 South Carolina. This was like probably October, and he had 0:12:54.440 --> 0:12:56.520 to live in girlfriend and we went to some meals 0:12:56.520 --> 0:12:58.800 and we played with the dog, and he seemed very 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:00.880 settled and very happy, and you know, that was part 0:13:00.920 --> 0:13:03.240 of the story, like, oh, hey, Dustin's growing up and uh, 0:13:03.880 --> 0:13:07.319 little did we know? And so um. Now the story 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:09.720 was conceived as as like a master's preview. But that 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:11.360 was that was when Dustin I could get some time 0:13:11.360 --> 0:13:13.600 with Dustin was in the the off season, as it were. 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:16.040 And so so now fast forward to Cappelua and I'm 0:13:16.080 --> 0:13:17.520 just standing out there in front of Clouds and Nalie 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:20.880 Goulds walks by. And I've known Natalie for years and 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:24.760 I'm like, hey, what are you doing? Um, because it's 0:13:24.800 --> 0:13:27.120 a long way to be on you know, Thursday or 0:13:27.160 --> 0:13:31.360 Friday of of the tournament week. And she's like, well, 0:13:31.880 --> 0:13:33.640 I'm kind of hanging out with Dustin and she was 0:13:33.679 --> 0:13:36.840 all giggly about It's like, oh really, um and she 0:13:36.880 --> 0:13:40.000 said yeah, yeah, you know, we're kind of I don't 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:43.000 know what to call it. And um, I said, oh, 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:45.080 you know, obviously this is like this is this is 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:47.560 this is peak Nalie Gouldvis right, this is like this 0:13:47.600 --> 0:13:50.360 is a big deal. And I said, well can can 0:13:50.400 --> 0:13:52.760 I you want to? I would like to write about this. 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.480 She's like, well, all that dust and handle our PR, 0:13:55.720 --> 0:13:57.400 which tells you how little she knew about Dustin because 0:13:57.440 --> 0:14:00.960 Dustin doesn't do PR right, So any I. Um, So 0:14:01.000 --> 0:14:03.080 then she goes out and she walks, she she walks 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:06.440 the eighteen holes watching and play golf, and Golf Channel 0:14:06.480 --> 0:14:09.440 had her on camera, but they didn't show it. That 0:14:09.440 --> 0:14:11.280 that was like the sensibilities of the Golf Channel, like 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:13.520 they didn't want they didn't know what. Oh this is 0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:16.040 too this is too sexy. So no Natalie appeared, so 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:18.800 it's still a secret. So I go down to catch 0:14:18.880 --> 0:14:22.000 Dustin as he comes off of eighteen and you've never 0:14:22.000 --> 0:14:24.920 seen anyone signed their scorecard and bolt up a hundred 0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:27.720 yard hill like Dustin did because they hadn't seen each other. 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:29.800 So now he's back at the hotel room. Dustin is 0:14:29.840 --> 0:14:32.200 like in a hurry to go see her, right like ship. 0:14:32.960 --> 0:14:34.800 That was my chance to confirm it with Dustin, and 0:14:34.840 --> 0:14:37.800 he's literally like ran up the hill like Carl Lewis 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:40.920 in his prime. It's like damn. So but of course 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:42.760 everyone's staying at the hotel. I know where Dustin is 0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:45.800 staying and kind of figured Dustin might not have an 0:14:45.800 --> 0:14:47.160 assumed name. You know a lot of people, a lot 0:14:47.200 --> 0:14:50.400 of the players check it under different names protect their privacy. 0:14:50.480 --> 0:14:52.560 So I called the operator how they were Dustin Johnson 0:14:52.640 --> 0:14:55.120 Lee after waiting like, you know, half an hour, and 0:14:55.200 --> 0:14:56.720 so they oh, yeah, sure, let me connect you. So 0:14:57.080 --> 0:14:59.480 it's ringing and ringing and like, god damn it. And 0:14:59.480 --> 0:15:03.360 then Dustin answers the phone. He's like hello. I'm like, 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:05.960 oh hey, Dustin, it's Alan Schifnuk. I want to ask 0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:08.240 you a couple of questions. I can't talk right now. 0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:11.360 Coming back in our click, I'm like, oh God damn it. 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:14.760 So so now I'm I've got this this problem because 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:16.800 you can't hide as discussed, you can't hide n Allie 0:15:16.840 --> 0:15:19.000 Golds at this hotel where all the reporters are, the 0:15:19.000 --> 0:15:21.480 whole golf world like it's all going to get out. 0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:24.600 And so um I call him back in an hour, 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:28.600 no answer. Uh, I'm like, well, someone's gonna break this story. 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:32.000 So you know, I sort of had Natalie's confirmation. I 0:15:32.040 --> 0:15:34.800 did some more snooping around talk to other people. So anyway, 0:15:35.640 --> 0:15:37.280 this story goes up on golf dot com, and of 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:40.080 course it goes crazy across the golf world, you know, 0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:42.920 because this is like a very you know, appealing power 0:15:42.960 --> 0:15:45.560 couple in golf. Yea, Natalie was a big I mean 0:15:45.600 --> 0:15:48.600 like you know he was painting, yeah, yeah, I mean 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:50.600 she was for better for worse. She was the biggest 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:53.200 star on the LPGA back then along with Attica, even 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:57.280 though On had about seventy more victories. And um so, 0:15:57.320 --> 0:16:00.800 now fast forward, Dustin is defending champ at Pebble Beach 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:02.240 and they fly him in for this media day in 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:04.200 like February, and I haven't seen him since all this 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:08.120 stuff happened. And meanwhile, Natalie has called me. Her agents 0:16:08.160 --> 0:16:12.360 called me because things ended with Dustin abruptly. I don't 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:14.640 I don't know I had to do with my story 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:18.000 or not. But and like Natalie's people wanted me to 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:21.600 to send out a a tweet saying, well, Natalie's shown 0:16:21.720 --> 0:16:24.200 so much, you know, class to all of this, unlike Dustin, 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:26.200 Like I'm not gonna get the middle of this. This 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:28.440 lover's quarrel. Like she has her own Twitter, she can 0:16:28.520 --> 0:16:31.960 do it, like I'm not no, and so so I 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:35.160 know there's some energy around there. So I get Dustin 0:16:35.240 --> 0:16:37.800 after the press conference. I'm like, hey man, I'm sorry. 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:39.240 I didn't mean to blow up your spot. You know, 0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:41.960 it was just I ran in Natalie like it's it's CAPITALUA. 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:44.040 Everyone saw her, like someone had to write it. And 0:16:44.080 --> 0:16:45.960 he's like, oh man, that's cool. Whatever, I don't care. 0:16:46.360 --> 0:16:48.800 And um so then if you recall, after Dustin was 0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:51.880 blowing major championships at a furious pace, everyone's like he 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:55.280 hasn't he nothing bothers him? Like I was like, well, 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:58.040 that's the proof, Like I may have cost him his 0:16:58.160 --> 0:17:01.800 romance with Natalie Gulbez, the old girlfriend back in South Carolina. 0:17:02.160 --> 0:17:04.680 And he was like, whatever, man, it's no big deal. 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:07.560 So that's always been some important insight to me into 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:10.560 the Dustin Johnson Psyche. I'll tell a really quick follow 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:14.399 up on on the Natalie go upside of things. Alan 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:17.000 has heard the serve before. Ryan probably has not playing 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:19.359 golf with Trump. We're walking down a ferraway. He's always 0:17:19.400 --> 0:17:22.800 got his phone out and Trump calls Natalie Gulbson says, 0:17:22.920 --> 0:17:27.080 uh a wroten page six that h that Ben Roethelsberger. 0:17:27.600 --> 0:17:31.960 Is that pronunciation correct? Run? Yeah? Sure for Trump, Yeah, 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:36.800 that Ben roethels That's funny that Ben Roethlisberger broke up 0:17:36.800 --> 0:17:38.399 with you. I want you to call page six and 0:17:38.480 --> 0:17:41.920 to him, that's wrong. You broke up with Ben Roethelisberger. 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:46.600 No one breaks up with you, You break up with them. Yeah, 0:17:46.720 --> 0:17:49.760 it's all been well, that's another thing. So then I 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:52.359 was doing a story on Natalie. And we were in 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:56.240 an elevator, um from the hotel or whatever, and I 0:17:56.600 --> 0:17:59.280 this there's been some some buzz about her and Ben Rothsberger, 0:17:59.359 --> 0:18:01.960 So I asked her. She's like, no, no, no, there's 0:18:02.000 --> 0:18:04.240 nothing there. And we're in the elevator and I see 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:06.720 her phone. She pulls out her phone and she's like 0:18:06.800 --> 0:18:08.600 right in front of me, like not snooping, she just 0:18:08.640 --> 0:18:11.760 did it, and there's like miscall, misscall, miss all from 0:18:11.800 --> 0:18:15.120 Ben and then she like seven texts of like oka, yeah, yeah, 0:18:15.160 --> 0:18:18.280 nothing's going on there now, Lizer Alan, have you ever 0:18:18.359 --> 0:18:24.320 done a psychological comparison and biographical comparison between Natalie's father 0:18:24.400 --> 0:18:30.760 and Dustin Johnson's father? Um? Yeah, Now, he's father was 0:18:30.760 --> 0:18:32.639 a trip. I mean he looked like like a heartly 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:35.119 maybe like a member of the Hell's Angels, right, and 0:18:35.640 --> 0:18:38.199 he followed every hole, which I don't blame him. He 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:40.280 was sort of like low key security and he was 0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:45.240 very watchful and very stand officers reporters, but a smart 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:49.080 guy and certainly helped create this this brand that, Um, 0:18:49.080 --> 0:18:53.760 where is Natalie Gulbins? Does she do TV? A little bit? 0:18:53.840 --> 0:18:55.879 Didn't he do one of the matches? Or something. She 0:18:56.119 --> 0:18:58.239 um yeah, I mean she had a lot, she had 0:18:58.280 --> 0:19:00.399 back injuries and she just was just to hanging on 0:19:00.600 --> 0:19:05.119 and she stopped playing. But she yeah, g graphic. I 0:19:05.119 --> 0:19:06.399 think she's in Las Vegas. I see her on the 0:19:06.440 --> 0:19:08.320 social every now and then. But she kind of paved 0:19:08.359 --> 0:19:11.960 the way for Alexi Thompson with that very tall, very 0:19:12.000 --> 0:19:17.280 athletic slug. I don't mean that in the pejorative way. 0:19:17.320 --> 0:19:18.760 It sounds like it, but I mean that's kind of 0:19:18.800 --> 0:19:21.200 what they both did. They just slugged it well. We 0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:25.960 both had i mean really funky moves like yeah, but 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:29.160 somehow you know, hit the ball pretty well. Um yeah. 0:19:29.240 --> 0:19:33.480 And you know, Dustin Johnson's dad has always been out 0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:36.400 of the spotlight, right, you know, he's never he's never 0:19:36.400 --> 0:19:39.480 in the galleries. As the story goes, after the parents 0:19:39.520 --> 0:19:41.439 split up, it was it was, it was not a 0:19:41.480 --> 0:19:45.760 pleasant divorce, and Dustin and and Austin kind of became 0:19:46.200 --> 0:19:48.879 distant from their dad. So he has not I mean, 0:19:48.920 --> 0:19:52.800 he's super tall and he comes from a family of 0:19:52.800 --> 0:19:54.960 of of athletes. I believe Dustin's dad is in the 0:19:55.000 --> 0:19:58.000 South Carolina Hall of Fame as a basketball player. He 0:19:58.040 --> 0:20:00.640 was like six seven and so clear the dad gave 0:20:00.720 --> 0:20:03.080 him a lot of athletic tools, but I don't know 0:20:03.119 --> 0:20:05.159 how much of a factor he is in in his 0:20:05.240 --> 0:20:08.879 life anymore. So it's interesting though, I mean the um, 0:20:10.000 --> 0:20:12.000 you know, the dads are often the key to to 0:20:12.080 --> 0:20:15.119 these golfers and what on the PGA Tour or the 0:20:15.200 --> 0:20:18.680 LPG Tour. But um, yeah, Dustin's dad is a little 0:20:18.720 --> 0:20:22.680 a little bit of an enigma. All right. Well, so yes, 0:20:22.720 --> 0:20:24.920 the Terman champions is gonna be interesting. I'm gonna be there. 0:20:24.920 --> 0:20:27.359 I'll be writing a lot for fire Pick Collectors dot com, 0:20:27.400 --> 0:20:31.000 doing social stuff. Um, maybe some podcasts. Who knows. So 0:20:31.040 --> 0:20:32.919 that that's gonna be Interesting's gonna be different that you 0:20:33.000 --> 0:20:37.199 have a media credential. Can we talk about that on 0:20:37.240 --> 0:20:40.720 this podcast or not? We're gonna I mean, this is 0:20:40.720 --> 0:20:46.000 a full disclosure podcast. Um. This is also funny when 0:20:46.000 --> 0:20:48.000 people have accused, you know, us at there are times 0:20:48.000 --> 0:20:50.080 of being shields for the PGA Tour. What they don't 0:20:50.119 --> 0:20:53.240