WEBVTT - Fire Drill 077: A Memorable Masters 0:00:03.920 --> 0:00:07.600 For those people who believe in jinxing other players, people 0:00:07.600 --> 0:00:11.440 and whatever it may be. Thursday morning, when I was 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:13.360 on my golf getting on the golf cart to get 0:00:13.400 --> 0:00:15.440 to this putting green ten minutes before my tea time, 0:00:15.480 --> 0:00:17.079 I saw a text from a good friend of mine, 0:00:18.000 --> 0:00:20.040 and I'm going to nameMan because he is a Super 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:26.200 Bowl winning champion, Zach ertz Um. He said the text, 0:00:27.480 --> 0:00:30.360 I'm gonna I'm gonna paraphrase here, but he said that 0:00:30.560 --> 0:00:32.839 first green looking like a walk in the park or 0:00:32.920 --> 0:00:35.360 something like that right now, ten minutes before I four 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:44.800 potted to study the tournament. So thank you, Zach. Don't 0:00:44.840 --> 0:00:49.600 ever do that again, please. I got thoughts in my head. 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:56.520 Can't get him John nothing. What I'm thinking about in 0:00:56.720 --> 0:01:09.640 my head, can't get him out. I'm thinking about, Hello, 0:01:09.760 --> 0:01:12.040 this is alan ship, look back for another fire drill. 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:16.039 The Masters just ended seconds ago. Michael Bamberger and I 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:19.880 are in the Augusta National Press Building. Jeff Ogilvie, Guys, 0:01:20.040 --> 0:01:22.040 what a day. I mean, people flying up and down 0:01:22.040 --> 0:01:24.680 the leaderboard. But in the end it was all about 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:30.360 John Ram's just relentless excellence. What a champ, what a performance? Jeff, 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:33.160 what did you see that particularly impressed you at a 0:01:33.240 --> 0:01:35.560 rom today, I don't know. I mean that back nine 0:01:35.640 --> 0:01:37.200 he played, it was pretty flawless. I mean that was 0:01:37.200 --> 0:01:39.680 a Jack Nicholas Taggerwoods level back nine on a major 0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:43.920 Bury the pap fives. Everybody hit, he had tap insapa. 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:48.480 Most of the time. It was just class. He just 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:50.080 looked at and as sort of Brooks looked a bit 0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:51.480 shaky there at the end of the front nine. He 0:01:51.520 --> 0:01:53.440 just looked like he got his second winds, like, right, 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:55.240 we're on here, let's go. I'm gonna win. The masters 0:01:55.400 --> 0:01:59.080 catch me. You know, that was incredible. I mean Phil's 0:01:59.080 --> 0:02:01.200 finish was pretty zing, and they got it. It's scary 0:02:01.240 --> 0:02:03.600 there for a minute, because I mean those two guys 0:02:03.600 --> 0:02:06.280 were so far in front. To imagine that that sort 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:08.040 of thing would happened, you wouldn't have ever imagined it. 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:10.480 But now it was fun to watch, and Ram looked 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:15.080 every bit the best player in the world today. Jeff, Jeff, 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:18.000 how does the guy do that? Really? You know, they 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:20.640 played thirty holes together. They were with each other the 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:25.639 entire day. Really neither played a great third round. Of course, 0:02:25.880 --> 0:02:28.400 very trying conditions for the first six sols, But how 0:02:28.400 --> 0:02:30.320 do you think ram was sort of able to turn 0:02:30.360 --> 0:02:33.960 it around and go from what he did early on 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:38.040 Saturday early on Sunday to what he did late on Sunday. Yeah, 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:40.760 I mean, I don't know. I've never done that, so 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:46.760 I'm not sure. But I mean, look, clearly, he's been 0:02:47.480 --> 0:02:49.720 pretty He's been playing really well for a lot of 0:02:49.720 --> 0:02:52.160 months here. I mean, he hasn't had played very well 0:02:52.200 --> 0:02:54.680 for the last month, but it's never that far away. 0:02:54.720 --> 0:02:56.600 If you're playing the level he was, It's not like 0:02:56.639 --> 0:03:02.280 it disappears very much. And sometimes it takes maybe the 0:03:02.360 --> 0:03:04.519 last sort of eight in holes of the masters to 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:08.679 see that, um, hey, look I can win this too. 0:03:08.680 --> 0:03:13.519 I mean, Brooks's maybe the most intimidating golfer out there, 0:03:13.639 --> 0:03:16.240 and he looked intimidating, and he probably looked really hard 0:03:16.280 --> 0:03:17.960 to beat playing with him for the first little bit. 0:03:18.000 --> 0:03:19.760 But as soon as Brooks looked a little bit vulnerable, 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:21.080 of a sudden, He's like, hang on a minute, I'm 0:03:21.120 --> 0:03:23.800 John Rahm, Like, what do you mean he's looking he's 0:03:23.800 --> 0:03:28.519 scared of me. You know, it doesn't take very much sometimes, 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:30.720 especially if your game is really good. One swing, Oh 0:03:30.800 --> 0:03:32.799 that felt oh I remember that. That's what it was. 0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:34.880 That's that's what I was doing, and let's go. You know, 0:03:35.040 --> 0:03:40.440 so I don't know, just his best player in the 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:41.920 world finds a way, you know. I mean we've seen 0:03:41.960 --> 0:03:43.360 it with all the best players in the world. When 0:03:43.360 --> 0:03:45.040 they're struggling a little bit, they find a way to 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:48.000 turn it around. I like what you said about the 0:03:48.120 --> 0:03:52.600 Nicholas Woods bit. It wasn't spectacular. It was workman Lake. 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:54.880 He just did what he had to do if he 0:03:55.040 --> 0:03:57.280 never really felt like he was out of position, and 0:03:57.480 --> 0:04:00.920 he put a lot of pressure on Brooks. You know, 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:04.200 as good as Brooks played the first two rounds, he 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:06.400 hasn't been in the situation a long time. He has 0:04:06.440 --> 0:04:08.560 a new knee, he's been through a lot of strife. 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:10.520 Like it. Just as you said, Jeff, it just looked 0:04:10.520 --> 0:04:14.720 like Brooks didn't quite have the belief that that you 0:04:14.840 --> 0:04:18.720 need and that crucible. So all credit to rom and 0:04:19.560 --> 0:04:21.600 you know, he has been a prolific winner around the 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:25.640 world for years now, but only um it was felt 0:04:25.680 --> 0:04:27.400 like he needed to add another major if he was 0:04:27.480 --> 0:04:30.040 going to put a stranglehold on on number one. And 0:04:30.440 --> 0:04:33.240 it's been this ongoing debate. Is it is it Scheffler, 0:04:33.440 --> 0:04:37.360 is it rom is it is it cam Smith, you know, 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:41.520 but I think this definitely solifies rom standing as the 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:43.720 best player in the world, subject to change. We saw 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:45.240 have a lot of golf this season in front of us, 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:48.320 but that this was a statement and at exactly the 0:04:48.440 --> 0:04:54.200 right moment. I think, can you imagine that on some 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:57.640 level for both Jeff and Allen that they're thinking at 0:04:57.760 --> 0:05:00.320 all about pha to ur versus slip Tour or do 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:02.919 you think the Masters is so big that maybe they 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:06.000 could just put that aside for a day. I don't 0:05:06.120 --> 0:05:10.960 think Brooks is thinking about that at all, or I 0:05:11.040 --> 0:05:13.839 mean I think Phil maybe. I mean, he looked incredibly 0:05:13.880 --> 0:05:17.600 satisfied when you hold that put in the last, like 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:19.360 it was a little bit of like there you Guss, 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:20.880 I'll show you guys, you know. I mean, I did 0:05:20.920 --> 0:05:24.640 the right thing, you know, which is fair enough because 0:05:24.680 --> 0:05:26.520 it's kind of the consolation prize, I mean, because he 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:28.440 probably knew he realistically he wasn't going to win. But 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:29.960 I mean, what a round to play. And you've heard 0:05:30.000 --> 0:05:31.560 of the last two holes, got on top of Jordan, 0:05:31.600 --> 0:05:36.240 who was playing an unbelievable round. I don't think many 0:05:36.320 --> 0:05:38.279 of them Patrick, I don't think thinks that way. Either 0:05:38.279 --> 0:05:39.600 of the guys who are up there. I don't think 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:41.160 Patrick read or Brooks of the sort of guy who 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:42.600 care about that sort of thing. They're just trying to 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:44.279 win the golf toun and they're playing in and Phil 0:05:44.360 --> 0:05:46.320 traditionally was that guy too, but I think I don't know, 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:49.080 he looked a little bit that way. Maybe we'll get 0:05:49.120 --> 0:05:50.760 to fill in a minute, but I will say this, 0:05:51.800 --> 0:05:55.839 you know, three live guys basically in the top four 0:05:56.279 --> 0:06:00.680 plus ties, and maybe we can retire. What I've felt 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:03.680 all along was kind of a silly talking point that 0:06:04.240 --> 0:06:07.000 going to live they were something and become bad golfers. 0:06:07.040 --> 0:06:09.240 They weren't going to care, their skills were going to 0:06:09.279 --> 0:06:12.960 deteriorate because there wasn't any tournament pressure or any meaning. 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:16.480 I mean, in every professional sport except for golf, basically 0:06:16.880 --> 0:06:19.600 the athletes have guaranteed money, and the best players have 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:22.080 the most money, whether it's Steph Curry or Lebron or 0:06:22.160 --> 0:06:24.840 Mike Trout or Tom Brady gone down the list. But 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:28.320 those guys continually push themselves to get better and their 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:31.960 life is organized around winning like the money doesn't corrupt them. 0:06:32.560 --> 0:06:34.480 And so to think that all of a sudden, everyone 0:06:34.480 --> 0:06:36.240 who want to live is gonna stop caring because they 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:39.160 have some guaranteed money. I always thought that was ridiculous. 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:41.800 And the fact that so many live guys played really 0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:44.160 well this week, including Nieman. He was up there for 0:06:44.200 --> 0:06:48.479 a while and he fell back slightly. But maybe maybe 0:06:48.960 --> 0:06:50.800 the fact that Brooks didn't win will still give people 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:52.720 some amo like oh, he ran out of gas because 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:54.800 he's only used to play in three rounds instead of four. 0:06:55.000 --> 0:06:58.800 But I think it was a statement that argument because 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:01.960 Phil shot sixty five and last round so exactly exactly 0:07:02.040 --> 0:07:04.520 and read played great today as well. So I just 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:09.000 think this was an important development so we can take 0:07:09.240 --> 0:07:10.960 we can we can speak about this stuff a little 0:07:11.000 --> 0:07:14.679 more seriously and and you know, it's been an open question, 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:16.800 like what does it mean to win a live golf tournament? 0:07:17.280 --> 0:07:19.320 You know, Brooks prepared for this event by winning two 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:22.360 of them, and that's what sort of catapulted into Augusta 0:07:22.400 --> 0:07:27.680 with this momentum. So, um, you know, how we assess 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:30.080 Live going forward, Maybe you can be done with a 0:07:30.120 --> 0:07:33.480 little more sobriety and just a little less smirk, because 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:36.080 clearly these guys can still play and they're still dangerous. 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:39.800 Well said, but I would still say that for the 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:42.600 casual fan that's just turning in tuning into the Masters 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:44.440 and doesn't watch a lot of other golf that they 0:07:44.480 --> 0:07:46.520 would never watch on this level. But for the three 0:07:46.560 --> 0:07:49.840 of us and many of our listeners, you can't help 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:53.520 but think I couldn't have lived versus the PHA tour 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:58.320 when you're watching that leaderboard unfold and knowing especially what 0:07:58.400 --> 0:08:02.120 it would be to film, it just adds another level 0:08:02.160 --> 0:08:05.320 of complexity. We saw it. We saw it at the 0:08:05.360 --> 0:08:08.000 British Open last year at the Old Course Kim Smith 0:08:08.080 --> 0:08:10.560 and uh, well, excuse me, no, I misspoke because we 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:12.560 did not know Kim Smith. This is really the first 0:08:12.560 --> 0:08:14.120 time it would have really seen it in a major 0:08:14.480 --> 0:08:16.960 a level of complexity of my tour versus your tour. 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:21.440 Just think it adds a little bit of combativeness to 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:25.800 the tournament. I think it's it's a fascinating subplot in 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:27.800 all of this, And I'm not diminishing that. I'm just 0:08:27.880 --> 0:08:30.640 talking about the idea that these live guys are not 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:32.640 going to be forces in the game. I mean, healthy 0:08:32.679 --> 0:08:38.440 Brooks cap is still obviously dangerous. So yeah, I agree, 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:40.520 it was. It was a It was a great subplot 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:42.320 and added a lot of juice to this whole thing. 0:08:42.640 --> 0:08:45.040 And if one of them guys hadn't been able to 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:47.599 you know, if books and pulled through, it would have 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:49.079 turned up the volume on all this. It would have 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:52.640 been fantastic. So of course I was rooting for that 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:56.120 to happen, just because I always root for chaos. But um, 0:08:56.640 --> 0:08:59.880 that would have ensued. But all right, let's talk about film, 0:09:00.040 --> 0:09:02.959 because as you said, Jeff, he shot sixty five. It 0:09:03.080 --> 0:09:06.199 was a late start round. He had his old giantiness, 0:09:06.280 --> 0:09:10.520 his old swagger. Jeff, what did you see from Phil's 0:09:10.600 --> 0:09:13.160 round today that it makes you think that maybe he's 0:09:13.160 --> 0:09:17.080 going to remain a factor in these big tournaments? Well? 0:09:17.200 --> 0:09:19.240 Did they didn't show that much? I mean, because I 0:09:19.320 --> 0:09:21.240 was watching the broadcast. I mean we saw the last 0:09:21.720 --> 0:09:24.160 four holes, probably once they both sort of got on 0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:26.080 there in the last four I mean four holes. Maybe 0:09:26.600 --> 0:09:30.520 those last two holes were pretty impressive. I mean, if 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:33.240 I've learned anything about Phil one, he's an unbelievable iron player, 0:09:34.679 --> 0:09:36.320 and those two iron shots in the last two holes 0:09:36.360 --> 0:09:41.719 are pretty stellar shots. But he is the most he 0:09:41.880 --> 0:09:44.640 has some of the most highest level of self belief 0:09:45.000 --> 0:09:47.280 in that situation of anyone you've ever met, and he's 0:09:47.320 --> 0:09:53.040 the most incredible competitor. He just doesn't like losing, and 0:09:53.200 --> 0:09:57.480 he has that that sort of attitude of conviction. He 0:09:57.640 --> 0:10:00.160 just knows he's making the right decision, you know, whether 0:10:00.200 --> 0:10:02.480 it is or not, he knows he's doing the right thing. 0:10:02.720 --> 0:10:04.320 And that's kind of how you have to beat Augusta. 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:09.520 And it's sort of it's why It's partly why, like 0:10:09.679 --> 0:10:15.400 Patrick read, Phil Freddie always plays well there. There's there's 0:10:15.440 --> 0:10:18.720 that type of golfer and mentality that's just always going 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:21.720 to work at the Master's and Phil just epitomize that today. 0:10:21.760 --> 0:10:23.680 I mean, he just loves that environment and he loves 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:26.959 that golf course. But he looked anything but fifty two 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:28.480 coming out of those last two holes. I mean that 0:10:28.600 --> 0:10:32.040 was that was actually that's almost better than he would 0:10:32.040 --> 0:10:34.200 have ever finished a major, like, I mean, he never looked. 0:10:34.280 --> 0:10:38.079 That looked really impressive what he did those last few holes. So, um, 0:10:39.559 --> 0:10:44.400 never never not surprised by Phil. You know how much 0:10:44.440 --> 0:10:47.319 fun is it to have Phil nikeas on the leaderboard again, Well, 0:10:47.440 --> 0:10:51.600 it's it's amazing and it shows you the powers of drive, 0:10:51.720 --> 0:10:54.160 among other things, because he has a lot to prove 0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:56.240 and Allan, You and I have talked about this a 0:10:56.320 --> 0:10:58.360 little bit, and anybody who follows golf knows this to 0:10:58.440 --> 0:11:02.280 be true. Phil is absolutely world class issue things playing 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:05.240 golf and talking about golf and talking about Golf's kind 0:11:05.280 --> 0:11:08.640 of got taken away from him because Gussie went down 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:11.400 this road and got himself in trouble. So that kind 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:13.040 of left playing golf and he had n't been playing 0:11:13.080 --> 0:11:16.679 golf well. Now he played golf well again and that 0:11:16.679 --> 0:11:19.319 allows him to talk about golf again in a public forum. 0:11:19.360 --> 0:11:21.400 We just saw him doing it with his high flyer's 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:24.320 hat on indoors at Augustin National, which you almost never see. 0:11:25.679 --> 0:11:28.440 So I think there's so much going on here were Phil. 0:11:28.480 --> 0:11:32.160 But one of the things that's going on is the will, 0:11:32.280 --> 0:11:36.240 the will of the man to stay relevant, and I 0:11:36.320 --> 0:11:39.319 think Nicholas had it. He was pissed off an annoyed 0:11:39.320 --> 0:11:41.760 at age forty six when people were writing him off. 0:11:42.200 --> 0:11:48.920 Fred is Fred, you know. But it's astonishing, just you know, 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:52.400 if you have physical gifts like Phil has, and then 0:11:52.480 --> 0:11:56.480 you have a mind that is so driven to do 0:11:56.800 --> 0:11:59.920 one narrow thing at an expert level, it's just an 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:02.360 amazing what a person can achieve. You know whether you 0:12:02.520 --> 0:12:04.439 like Phil or don't like Phil. I don't know how 0:12:04.480 --> 0:12:08.000 you could possibly say that that is not true. And 0:12:08.040 --> 0:12:10.880 then just one of the quick note about about Phil 0:12:11.000 --> 0:12:14.640 is that I think because he's left handed, there's never 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:17.600 really been enough respect for the quality of his golf swing. 0:12:18.000 --> 0:12:20.400 But anybody who can't really see it left he is 0:12:20.400 --> 0:12:22.400 a right handed person for whatever reason. Just watch it 0:12:22.440 --> 0:12:24.960 in a mirror. You're seeing one of the great swings. 0:12:25.040 --> 0:12:27.640 In my opinion, Jeff could tell us much more about 0:12:27.679 --> 0:12:29.719 on technical level than I ever could one of the 0:12:29.800 --> 0:12:33.440 great swings of all time. For rhythm, for it's almost 0:12:33.480 --> 0:12:36.640 sevy like, and how it builds strength through a long, 0:12:37.040 --> 0:12:40.400 powerful swing with a big, high finish. And at fifty 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:42.880 two he basically swings better than he did at thirty two, 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:47.880 So it's textbook, really, Jeff, is that off on close 0:12:48.000 --> 0:12:51.600 you tell me? I mean it's he has an outrighteous 0:12:51.640 --> 0:12:57.200 talent level. I think he's swing is coming and out 0:12:57.240 --> 0:13:01.080 of He's had to work for it a lot. There's 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:02.600 there was periods of middle of his career he had 0:13:02.640 --> 0:13:05.920 to work to try to strike the ball, hit the 0:13:05.960 --> 0:13:08.280 ball straight, you know, But he's so gifted and he's 0:13:08.280 --> 0:13:10.640 got he's much bigger than most people thing. I mean 0:13:10.679 --> 0:13:13.000 when you get up near he's got very big, strong arms. 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:15.319 Remember he was trying to he was warming up his 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:17.520 pitching arm and the parking lot there for a while 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:19.000 there on tour, trying when he was throwing it like 0:13:19.080 --> 0:13:21.400 ninety miles an hour in the parking lot. He's a 0:13:21.480 --> 0:13:24.840 strong guy, and he's so talented, and like you said, 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:26.640 I think it's the drive. It's just that will to 0:13:26.800 --> 0:13:30.439 he's just competing. He's a he's like a dog chasing 0:13:30.480 --> 0:13:32.640 a ball, you know. He just he only got eyes 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:34.599 for what he's going to do, you know, and he 0:13:34.640 --> 0:13:37.600 has such a belief in what he's doing. But yeah, 0:13:37.640 --> 0:13:39.800 that is surrounded. You're right if you do he is. 0:13:40.760 --> 0:13:42.679 We all look at left handed swings and we just think, 0:13:42.840 --> 0:13:44.320 I can't I don't know really what I'm looking at, 0:13:44.360 --> 0:13:46.800 so we don't really try to even sort of judge it. 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:49.240 But it's when you play with him, especially as I said, 0:13:49.280 --> 0:13:52.240 his iron play that sort of between one hundred and 0:13:52.320 --> 0:13:54.679 thirty and two hundred, he's just unbelievable. The amount of 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:56.719 shots when you're just being loose and you're playing a 0:13:56.800 --> 0:13:58.840 lot on tour that he nearly holds from one hundred 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:03.640 and eighty yards is incredible. I mean I've seen a 0:14:03.760 --> 0:14:05.559 lot of those sort of shots that he hit on seventeen. 0:14:05.600 --> 0:14:07.439 I mean, he know call it. He's so sort of 0:14:07.520 --> 0:14:09.520 cocky when he's out there plying that he's as soon 0:14:09.559 --> 0:14:11.640 as he makes contact, he's calling the bolder guck class 0:14:11.679 --> 0:14:13.520 to the hall, or he's calling at the end, or 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:15.079 I hey, god, did you say that I lost it 0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:16.760 in the sun? You know, And as guys are next 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:20.440 to the hall, he's fantastic to play with like that. 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:23.240 But the man of shot iron shots he it's close 0:14:23.280 --> 0:14:26.640 to the hall is incredible, and his short game is 0:14:26.680 --> 0:14:29.360 clearly what it is. I think the driver and the 0:14:29.400 --> 0:14:30.720 pot of the two ends of the bag of being 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:32.200 the bits that have come and gone. But I think 0:14:32.240 --> 0:14:34.560 that middle area of the bag he's always been incredible. 0:14:35.000 --> 0:14:36.680 This is kind of nothing to say, but when you 0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:38.880 think about a US Open in La there's some US 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:42.040 Open courses that would not be suited to Phil Michelson, 0:14:42.120 --> 0:14:44.400 but that La Country Cup course, I think it's very 0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:48.000 similar in ways. Sue Augusta National and then this might 0:14:48.080 --> 0:14:50.120 not be the last time we hear from Phil. Phil 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:52.120 this year. I mean last year, they took in my 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:54.400 opinion from what I've heard, they took the Masters away 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:57.760 from him. Phil's handlers took his US Open press conference 0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:00.400 away from him, something that he would normally enjoy. He 0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:03.640 obviously did. And this year to see Phil both on 0:15:03.720 --> 0:15:07.720 the golf course and in the president being Phil, it's 0:15:07.760 --> 0:15:10.000 sort of like welcome back to golf. Phil. He was 0:15:10.200 --> 0:15:14.160 very emotional in his you know, they brought him too 0:15:14.160 --> 0:15:15.360 the big room, as you said, but he did a 0:15:15.400 --> 0:15:17.480 flash interview kind of right off the golf course, right 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:20.520 out of the scoring area, and there was some emotion 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:22.680 in his voice, and his eyes looked a little watery. 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:25.480 I mean, I think, you know, Phil's been through a lot, 0:15:25.880 --> 0:15:29.160 we know that in the last year plus, and I 0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:31.480 think he feels like he's Phil Mickelson. And you could 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:34.000 even see it earlier in the week. He obviously Augusta 0:15:34.080 --> 0:15:37.760 lights him up. You know, Amy Michelson this year, his wife, 0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:40.520 and I don't think he's been in a tournament since 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:43.480 the two thousand and twenty one US Open. She had 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:45.400 just sort of stepped back from a lot of the 0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:50.080 the energy around Phil and the controversy, and he cleared, 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:51.920 you know, they were holding hands that I caught in 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:54.440 this little, very intimate moment upstairs in the clubhouse. I 0:15:54.520 --> 0:15:56.200 just wanted to need to go up there on that 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:58.440 balcony and watch the last the players come up the 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:01.280 last hole. And they were sitting at this table right 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:06.120 outside the champions locker room, holding hands, and their faces 0:16:06.160 --> 0:16:08.240 were maybe a foot apart from each other, talking and 0:16:08.320 --> 0:16:11.239 whispering and giggling, and they did look like college sweethearts. 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:14.400 And I think, you know, there's been Phil's missed, that 0:16:14.480 --> 0:16:16.120 he's been on the road by himself a lot, and 0:16:16.360 --> 0:16:20.080 I think being Augusta, having Amy's support, just the whole 0:16:20.200 --> 0:16:24.400 energy of the crowd, and I think it was it 0:16:24.520 --> 0:16:26.400 was a little muted, you know. I watched I watched 0:16:26.400 --> 0:16:28.160 Phil on Thursday a little bit, and I think people 0:16:28.200 --> 0:16:29.920 were not sure do we cheer for him? Do we not? 0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:33.320 You know, he missed last year, There's all this stuff. 0:16:34.040 --> 0:16:35.520 But as the week went on, I think the cheers 0:16:35.600 --> 0:16:38.200 got louder, and today they were quite lusty. And I 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:40.600 think people just are happy to have Phill back between 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:43.400 the ropes. And I think this week meant more to 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:44.960 him than we could possibly know. And it was just 0:16:45.040 --> 0:16:48.040 reflected a little bit in those remarks after. It wasn't 0:16:48.040 --> 0:16:49.960 even what he said, it was how he was he was. 0:16:50.200 --> 0:16:51.840 You could see him his fighting back, the emotion. So 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:54.120 that was that was cool. I mean golf was a 0:16:54.160 --> 0:16:56.280 lot more fun, a lot more interesting when Phil Nicholson 0:16:56.360 --> 0:16:58.000 is on the leaderboard. Whether you love him or hate him, 0:16:58.000 --> 0:17:01.480 I don't think anyone would disagree with that. If you 0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:04.720 know my name. I was just about John. Um do 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:08.040 you see John Ram in Greater Phoenix? Have you have 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:11.920 you played casual golf with them? And what made you 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:16.040 know about him that the public doesn't? Oh, I think 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:19.200 not that much. I mean he lives I had. Look, 0:17:19.200 --> 0:17:22.840 I haven't been here for the sort of for a while, um, 0:17:23.119 --> 0:17:24.479 so I haven't been around that much. I mean I've 0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:27.760 seen him a little bit. Um. He's remember at Wisprock, 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:29.880 but he tends to practice at silver Leaf mostly because 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:32.119 he lives there, um and he can drive his own 0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:33.680 cars to the golf course and stuff. So I don't 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:34.879 go there as much. I mean I don't see him 0:17:34.880 --> 0:17:36.280 at much. But I've said played with him a little 0:17:36.280 --> 0:17:40.920 bit here. I mean he's um like all of these guys, 0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:42.560 I mean, like everyone on two. If you go when 0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:44.760 you go see him play at home, everyone gets a 0:17:44.800 --> 0:17:48.000 little bit better because they're a looser, you know, um, 0:17:48.200 --> 0:17:50.040 and the level is quite high and makest too players 0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:51.360 when they get home. And when it's guys like John 0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:53.360 rams it's incredible the stuff that they do when they're 0:17:53.359 --> 0:17:59.920 showing off, hard worker, wants it, passionate, he's he's everything 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:02.119 you say. Yeah, I't thin. John ramahadds very much from anybody. 0:18:02.119 --> 0:18:05.560 I think if you watch enough golf on TV, you've 0:18:05.560 --> 0:18:07.159 got a pretty good sense of if John romy is. 0:18:09.800 --> 0:18:12.240 I finally have the definitive answer, by the way to 0:18:12.560 --> 0:18:14.760 a question in which I know we get a lot. 0:18:14.920 --> 0:18:17.520 If someone is new to the game, men, women or 0:18:17.760 --> 0:18:21.880 children and they want to look into buying a set 0:18:22.040 --> 0:18:28.000 of clubs, the answer now is Robin Golf Robin Goolf 0:18:28.119 --> 0:18:31.160 dot com. These people, it's a family owned business. They 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:36.600 make these really sleek, cool looking sets of clubs for 0:18:37.160 --> 0:18:41.800 kids and beginners, men and women. This is a bit 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:45.160 of a gateway solution from like no, you know clubs 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:48.000 to an actual set of clubs before you maybe get 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:51.119 fit for a set of clubs. Go now to Robin 0:18:51.200 --> 0:18:53.320 Goolf dot com. We got Mother's Day coming up, but 0:18:53.480 --> 0:18:55.640 Father's Day coming up, kids are getting out of school soon. 0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:59.480 Fire Pit fifteen gets you fifteen percent off promo code 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:02.560 fire Pit fifteen Robin Golf guys excaded to have him 0:19:02.600 --> 0:19:06.480 be a part of what we're doing, and their sets 0:19:06.480 --> 0:19:10.560 are on the way from my son and daughter and wife, 0:19:10.760 --> 0:19:18.400 and I look forward to breaking him in. So it's funny, 0:19:18.680 --> 0:19:21.720 it's we've gone this Deepness podcast. We haven't mentioned Tiger Woods. 0:19:21.720 --> 0:19:24.840 I mean, he Withdrew Sunday morning, which wasn't a shock. 0:19:24.840 --> 0:19:26.840 I mean, everone could see how much he was struggling 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:30.320 on the golf course in the cold, wet conditions Saturday afternoon, 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:34.119 and uh, you know, he cited that the plantar fasciitis, 0:19:34.240 --> 0:19:36.800 which would make sense because his limp was so pronounced 0:19:36.960 --> 0:19:39.680 late in the day. I mean, more than we've seen. 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:42.359 It looked not somewhat like fatigue, like actual pain. And 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:44.399 of course if you've had plantar, which I have, it 0:19:44.440 --> 0:19:46.359 does feel like a stab at the bottom of your foot. 0:19:46.480 --> 0:19:49.159 So maybe that's the good news that that that is 0:19:49.280 --> 0:19:52.879 that can go away. It's not a debilitating thing. But 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:59.800 bigger picture, you know, seeing Tiger struggled, he was basically 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:03.960 at last when he Withdrew and seeing the physical toil 0:20:04.240 --> 0:20:07.040 and just how much it takes out of him. I mean, 0:20:08.080 --> 0:20:09.680 are we going to look back on this is the 0:20:09.720 --> 0:20:12.720 week when Tiger kind of realized that maybe it's just 0:20:12.800 --> 0:20:17.119