WEBVTT - Ep. 126 - Masters preview with Scott Van Pelt 0:00:06.840 --> 0:00:10.240 Welcome to the Clubhouse with Shane Bacon. I am your host, 0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:14.320 Shane Bacon, and it looks like we've made it. Everybody. 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:17.759 It is Master's Week, one of the best weeks of 0:00:17.800 --> 0:00:21.360 the year on the golf calendar. It's surely feels like it. 0:00:21.640 --> 0:00:25.400 I don't know many sporting events when you sit three, 0:00:25.480 --> 0:00:28.960 four or five days out and people are sending photos 0:00:28.960 --> 0:00:31.520 of when they went and stories of the time they went. No. 0:00:31.680 --> 0:00:36.800 Five and oh seven and eighty six. And I had 0:00:36.800 --> 0:00:38.840 a threat a week and a half ago on Twitter 0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:42.200 about their best stories of times people visited Augusta National 0:00:42.280 --> 0:00:44.840 for the first time, and I had hundreds of responses, 0:00:44.920 --> 0:00:48.000 people just pouring in story after story. If you're going 0:00:48.040 --> 0:00:51.839 out this week, my goodness, enjoy it. Soak up every moment, 0:00:52.280 --> 0:00:56.560 have every sandwich, enjoy the drinks, sit down, just breathe 0:00:56.600 --> 0:00:59.000 it in. Because you know, if you're lucky to go 0:00:59.120 --> 0:01:00.959 a couple of times, if you're really lucky, you might 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:03.040 go more than that. And uh and if you can 0:01:03.080 --> 0:01:06.040 go once, that's all you really need. And I am 0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:08.040 I'm pumped to be out there. I had that way 0:01:08.080 --> 0:01:11.000 on Monday. So by the time you're listening to this, 0:01:11.200 --> 0:01:15.360 I will be gone. We have Scott Van Pelt on 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:17.119 the podcast. This has become a little bit of our 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:19.679 own tradition unlike any other. We have s v p 0:01:20.280 --> 0:01:22.200 right before the Masters. Of course, he's a big part 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:26.000 of the ESPN coverage early in the week at Augusta 0:01:26.080 --> 0:01:28.280 National for the Part three and Thursday and Friday. He 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:30.680 does an unbelievable job. You know, Scott Van Pelt is 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:32.280 a guy that started in golf. I mean he talks 0:01:32.280 --> 0:01:34.760 about it a little bit in our conversation, but you know, 0:01:34.840 --> 0:01:37.000 he was at Golf Channel before Golf Channel was what 0:01:37.040 --> 0:01:39.479 it is now and he was talking golf and golf 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:41.919 only and now he has you know, he has carved 0:01:41.920 --> 0:01:44.080 out what I think is one of the more important 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:46.720 positions and all of journalism, what he does at night 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:50.600 on Sports Center, and his ability to weave in stories 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:53.880 that we need to see, in stories that we should see, 0:01:53.920 --> 0:01:56.240 in stories we didn't know we needed to see. I 0:01:56.240 --> 0:01:59.080 think s VP does just an unbelievable job. One of 0:01:59.080 --> 0:02:02.160 the better guys you will ever meet knowledge journalism and 0:02:02.240 --> 0:02:04.000 uh and a guy I'm lucky to call a buddy now. 0:02:04.040 --> 0:02:07.240 And we chatted about the current landscape of the PGA 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:09.760 tour and favorites and players to win. We got some 0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:12.400 of your questions that you sent in. They were great. 0:02:12.760 --> 0:02:15.120 He loved them, and he even gave a pick at 0:02:15.160 --> 0:02:16.640 the end of the podcast. I'm gonna give my pick 0:02:16.720 --> 0:02:19.320 on Wednesday on Twitter, as I do always, uh not like, 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:21.880 I don't think you really care who I pick, but 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:25.040 I'm gonna crunch the numbers and see exactly who I 0:02:25.120 --> 0:02:27.440 think is is the betting favorite. I'm gonna give you 0:02:27.480 --> 0:02:30.280 a little hint though, I think it's going to be 0:02:30.280 --> 0:02:33.080 an international player. That's at least who I'm leaning towards. Now. 0:02:33.560 --> 0:02:38.040 We will see on Wednesday. Of course, this Clubhouse Podcasts 0:02:38.040 --> 0:02:40.359 and all of the Clubhouse podcasts you listen to. It 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:43.840 brought to you by Titlist and the Vokey Design SM 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:47.000 seven wedges. They're designed by master craftsman and another one 0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:50.600 of the great great men and golf, Bob Vokey, to 0:02:50.680 --> 0:02:54.560 improve your wedge play. SM seven innovations provide the best 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:59.080 performance and distance control, shot versatility and maximum spin. That's 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:01.679 a good thing. The best way to experience s M 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:04.960 seven wedgings is to hit each gride side by side 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:07.440 during a wedge fitting. You can find the nearest fitting 0:03:07.480 --> 0:03:10.760 location on vokey dot com. That's v o k e 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:14.040 y dot com. Or you can use the online wedge 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:16.160 select Or tool to find the right laft, bounce and 0:03:16.240 --> 0:03:19.519 grind for your wedges. I am now a converted four 0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:22.000 wedge guy. I've got four vokes in the bag, four 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:24.720 s M seven's. I took the pitching wedge out of 0:03:24.760 --> 0:03:27.920 the original set and I have gone full vokes and 0:03:27.960 --> 0:03:31.120 I love it. I was a little nervous early on 0:03:31.280 --> 0:03:34.000 that maybe the Vokey wedge wouldn't go as far as 0:03:34.000 --> 0:03:36.160 the wedge that you get with your traditional set of irons. 0:03:36.440 --> 0:03:39.000 That's not the case, and I'll tell you, I feel 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:43.480 like it's forced me to hit softer wedge shots that 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:46.080 that makes sense, not always to go full bore with 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:47.760 three wedges. I mean, you can play with three edges, 0:03:47.800 --> 0:03:50.840 of course, but personally I went to four edges. I 0:03:50.920 --> 0:03:53.560 love him. The Vokes are great. He's a great guy. 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:55.760 Make sure you check all the grinds out. Just like 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:57.640 I said, go to vokey dot com or go to 0:03:57.680 --> 0:04:00.360 a wedge fitting. It is absolutely worth it. I feel 0:04:00.440 --> 0:04:03.880 like wedges are the clubs. We don't change enough. We 0:04:03.920 --> 0:04:05.880 should change more a friend of mine, one of my 0:04:05.960 --> 0:04:08.400 best friends, texting me over the weekend said he's had 0:04:08.400 --> 0:04:10.560 his wedges for three years and he plays a lot 0:04:10.560 --> 0:04:12.680 of golf. I was like, dude, go get some fokes. 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:14.800 You'll be a lot happier. Those shot you hit in 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:16.880 the green will check a little bit quicker. Plus around 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:19.400 the greens you can hit little different shots that maybe 0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:21.960 you can't with wedges that have been beat to death 0:04:22.000 --> 0:04:24.120 after three years of golf. So check fokey dot com 0:04:24.160 --> 0:04:27.440 out and all the great stuff at title list. As 0:04:27.480 --> 0:04:29.279 you can hear, I'm excited. I will be out at 0:04:29.279 --> 0:04:31.919 Augusta National. I'll be walking around the grounds. I'll be 0:04:31.960 --> 0:04:34.479 out and about during the evening time. If you see me, 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:37.039 I promise you this, I will have a couple of 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:39.360 clubhouse couzies in my back pocket. If you see me, 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:41.440 come up and introduce yourself. I'd love to meet you 0:04:41.520 --> 0:04:43.440 first of all. And if you want a couzy to 0:04:43.480 --> 0:04:45.640 walk around at the club with or just to have 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:47.720 in your golf bag, asked me for it. And if 0:04:47.720 --> 0:04:49.120 I don't have one on it, you know what I'll do. 0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:51.320 I will take your address down and I will send 0:04:51.320 --> 0:04:54.440 you one when I am back home. That's a guarantee. 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:58.279 That's a clubhouse podcast guarantee. How much better can it get? 0:04:58.560 --> 0:05:02.080 All right? Masters? We our tradition here on the podcast 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:04.080 is Scott Van Pelt and he has coming up right 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:08.000 now and we welcome back into the clubhouse, something we 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:10.600 try to do every year around Master's time. Scott Van 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:12.200 Pelt joins, is of course will be a big part 0:05:12.240 --> 0:05:15.320 of the coverage early in the week for ESPN And uh, Scott, 0:05:15.360 --> 0:05:17.240 I know it's one of your favorite weeks of the year. 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:20.600 We're recording this the weekend before, so if Jordan's speech 0:05:20.640 --> 0:05:22.400 goes out and does something silly in San Antonio, we 0:05:22.440 --> 0:05:24.640 won't know it. But you know what I mean. As 0:05:24.680 --> 0:05:27.760 you prep and get closer to as you call it 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:30.360 your favorite week of the year, you have in the show, 0:05:30.400 --> 0:05:32.600 you have to do week nights, and you've got to 0:05:32.640 --> 0:05:35.520 cover NFL playoffs in college football, and then you get 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:38.680 into the basketball season, March madness, all this stuff. When 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:42.000 does your focus start turning towards golfer? Do you always 0:05:42.080 --> 0:05:43.719 kind of keep a side eye on the PGA tour 0:05:43.800 --> 0:05:47.400 knowing what's going on. It's it's always there, just because 0:05:47.440 --> 0:05:52.280 it's always been my professional sort of job to keep 0:05:52.279 --> 0:05:54.440 an eye on it, you know. I mean obviously, starting 0:05:54.440 --> 0:05:56.920 with the Golf Channel, that was all I did. And 0:05:56.920 --> 0:06:00.479 and because of the relationships with people, either it's the 0:06:00.520 --> 0:06:03.680 players or the caddies or the club folks. I mean, 0:06:03.760 --> 0:06:05.840 you know, you know the game, you're part of it. 0:06:06.279 --> 0:06:08.919 You have you have people that you're always pulling for. 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:12.080 Might be a caddy, right might it might be Um, 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:14.880 might be a player or whatever. But the stories are 0:06:14.920 --> 0:06:17.400 always interesting because these are people that you know. So 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:21.240 it's always something I keep tabs on, even if it's 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:26.560 not something that is a an a block story on 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:30.520 my show nightly. Um, I'm always watching always, you know, 0:06:30.560 --> 0:06:33.279 always have the Golf channel on at home during the 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:36.279 afternoon when I'm getting ready to go in any week. 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:38.279 And then there's certain weeks like the players obviously, like 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:40.599 that's what that's a great event to keep caps on 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:42.920 for a million reasons. And that was one that I 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:46.039 probably watched more of start to finish than any um. 0:06:46.520 --> 0:06:49.120 But you know, it's it's always there on my radar. 0:06:50.120 --> 0:06:52.680 When you get to Augusta, you'll get there, you know, 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:55.359 next early next week, and you'll get preparing for the 0:06:55.400 --> 0:06:57.960 week as you do every single year. You know, we've 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:00.480 heard Jim nance will walk down to him in corner. 0:07:00.560 --> 0:07:02.000 Right when he gets there is he kind of starts 0:07:02.040 --> 0:07:03.680 to get preps and starts to get the feeling. Do 0:07:03.680 --> 0:07:05.760 you have traditions you do or there are things that 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:07.640 you make yourself do every year when you get to 0:07:07.640 --> 0:07:10.560 August to Nashville for the first time, just to remind yourself, 0:07:10.800 --> 0:07:12.560 Holy crap, I'm doing this and this is part of 0:07:12.560 --> 0:07:16.840 my job. Yep, yep, and I do. I think we 0:07:17.240 --> 0:07:19.880 might have talked about this. If we haven't, I've shared 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:22.760 this with people who have asked me about things I 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:25.760 do or you know, habits, traditions and whatever you wanna 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:28.280 call it. There's there's a T on the par three 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:32.680 course that is the eighth T. And um, what if 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:35.280 you walk from the television compound over to the course 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:40.800 through the back um uh past nine on the part 0:07:40.880 --> 0:07:43.840 three Uh of course that the eighth T is right there. 0:07:44.360 --> 0:07:46.000 And I go over and I stand, and I just 0:07:46.680 --> 0:07:50.320 stand and I just look about and it's you want 0:07:50.320 --> 0:07:52.800 to call it prayer, you want to call it meditation, 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:55.000 you want to just call it a moment of silent spot, 0:07:55.160 --> 0:07:59.640 It's that and I do it at some point every 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:02.480 single day. It's not like a reintroduction on the Sunday 0:08:02.560 --> 0:08:06.120 or on Monday. Rather, and that's it. It's an everyday 0:08:06.200 --> 0:08:10.320 thing because it's it's this place in the world we're 0:08:10.360 --> 0:08:12.800 I'm thankful to be and it's a it's a it's 0:08:12.800 --> 0:08:16.160 a really good spot to to take a moment to 0:08:16.320 --> 0:08:19.400 just because it's quiet and it's beautiful and it's one 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:23.440 of my favorite places. So I do that every year. Uh. 0:08:23.440 --> 0:08:25.640 And then I walk over the course behind the you know, 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:28.600 behind the clubhouse there on the oak tree and say 0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:31.840 hello to you know the people I see in many 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:34.959 cases shange just that just under that tree, just this week, 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:37.360 all of whom are looking over my shoulder to see 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:39.400 if somebody more important walking by so they can say 0:08:39.440 --> 0:08:41.920 hello too. And that's fine because they're all most of 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:44.400 the people are. And I'm probably guilty of doing the 0:08:44.440 --> 0:08:48.240 same thing. Um. It's an incredible people watching places. It's 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:52.360 an incredible um, you know, just just a landmark to 0:08:52.440 --> 0:08:54.240 tell people how I meet you the oak tree. And 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:57.000 you know, if even if you're late, there's a good 0:08:57.080 --> 0:08:59.000 chance that the person you're supposed to be still they're 0:08:59.080 --> 0:09:01.960 visiting with somebody or etching up. So that's all of 0:09:01.960 --> 0:09:04.840 those things are part of pretty much the daily risual 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:08.040 of being there. You you bring up a great point, 0:09:08.120 --> 0:09:10.000 I'll meet you at the Oak Tree, and you're gonna 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:12.040 hear media people talk about it all week long, and 0:09:12.280 --> 0:09:14.920 they'll talk about this being really kind of the mecca 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:18.679 of the golf world. There's agents and players and celebrities 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:21.880 and basically every walk of life that it isn't around 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:24.800 the game of golf will be under there at some point. 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:27.720 And one of the unique things about the Masters, and 0:09:27.760 --> 0:09:30.400 I know people know this and maybe some don't, is 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:32.320 the fact that you can't have your cell phone. I mean, 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:34.760 I think you may be able to because you know, 0:09:34.800 --> 0:09:37.000 if you have somebody textion go, we need you back 0:09:37.240 --> 0:09:39.520 in studio in four minutes. And that's probably an important 0:09:39.520 --> 0:09:42.200 thing to be told. But when you say I'll be 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:43.800 there at three o'clock, you've got to be there at 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:46.040 three o'clock. And I got to bring my sister out 0:09:46.080 --> 0:09:48.960 to the Masters a couple of years ago, and she 0:09:49.040 --> 0:09:52.240 drove down from Charleston, and the timing and the meeting, 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:54.720 it reminds it brings you back. I mean, it takes 0:09:54.760 --> 0:09:57.000 you back to a time where you couldn't just text 0:09:57.040 --> 0:09:59.280 and say I'm stuck in traffic when you weren't stuck 0:09:59.280 --> 0:10:01.839 in traffic. And it's, uh, it's it's one of the 0:10:02.080 --> 0:10:04.760 unique parts of the Masters that I feel like people 0:10:04.800 --> 0:10:08.400 don't discuss a lot. No, and it does remind, it 0:10:08.440 --> 0:10:11.920 does reacquaint us with the idea that three o'clock meant 0:10:11.960 --> 0:10:15.760 three o'clock and how we ever did anything without the 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:18.319 ability to have the cell phone in our in our 0:10:18.360 --> 0:10:21.120 back pocket? Is is? You know, try to explain that too. 0:10:21.679 --> 0:10:23.720 I started to say, your kids, I try to remember 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:26.400 it myself and it's hard to remember, but it is. 0:10:26.480 --> 0:10:30.800 It is, and but honestly, it's so much of life 0:10:30.880 --> 0:10:34.200 is missed because our noses are in screens and we're 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:37.760 absent mindedly thumbing from one screen to another as we 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:40.400 walk and we bump into people or you look over 0:10:40.400 --> 0:10:42.800 and you see someone next to you driving doing that 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:44.320 and you just want to just hunt your horn and go, 0:10:44.440 --> 0:10:47.480 what in the hell are you doing? And it's nice 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:51.600 that when you're there, your eyes are up and you're 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:53.920 taking inventory of the place, because if there's a place 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:56.559 not to be missed, it that so it's it's it's 0:10:56.600 --> 0:11:01.240 good that people are, they're saved from themselves else as 0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:05.200 they're not kind of tethered to the technology for that week. Yeah, 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:08.079 this is an off master's topic to ask you. But 0:11:08.800 --> 0:11:11.880 you're you're connected in the world because you have to be. 0:11:12.000 --> 0:11:14.240 I mean, you have to be on social media, paying 0:11:14.280 --> 0:11:16.720 attention to sports, because you're prepping for the night show. 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:19.600 You have to be around this all the time. I 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:21.800 get that same anxiety a lot because I feel like 0:11:21.800 --> 0:11:24.360 there's times where I just don't want to be around 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:27.760 the phone. Do you have protocol you follow daily, weekly, 0:11:28.000 --> 0:11:29.880 where you go, I'm not going to use the phone 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:32.760 on said day, said moment, and you just take a 0:11:32.760 --> 0:11:34.760 moment to get away from it. No, I don't have that. 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:36.920 I don't have that kind of discipline. Um I wish 0:11:36.920 --> 0:11:39.720 I did. And I was waiting for something really amazing 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:42.679 but from you, and then there you go, well, man, 0:11:42.720 --> 0:11:46.520 I'm just I just don't mean I'm guilty of it. 0:11:46.840 --> 0:11:50.199 And even as I I recognize these behaviors and other 0:11:50.240 --> 0:11:54.240 people that I find detestable, and then I realized, hey, 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:56.960 I'm looking in the mirror. But I mean, there's a 0:11:56.960 --> 0:11:58.520 fascinating story I want if it was in the New 0:11:58.559 --> 0:12:00.520 York Times. It was about like breaking up with your 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:02.960 cell phone. It was this whole deal, all these layered 0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:07.000 explanations of things to do, and if you recognize these behaviors, 0:12:07.000 --> 0:12:11.480 it's sort of indicative of of a toxic relationship with it. 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:14.320 And I'm thinking every one of them was me, Um, 0:12:14.400 --> 0:12:17.800 so long answer to a short question. No, but but 0:12:17.880 --> 0:12:21.880 when I'm there, I mean when i'm there, I I 0:12:21.920 --> 0:12:23.200 need to be where I need to be, and I 0:12:23.240 --> 0:12:24.720 make sure i'm there when I need to be there. 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:27.200 And you know, short of that, I'm pretty busy. So 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:32.040 it's it's not like I'm um, I'm sort of flipping 0:12:32.120 --> 0:12:35.320 through Twitter or whatever else. I mean, what, Matt, as 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:36.920 long as I know my kids, my wife are good 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:38.920 at home and I check in with them, you know, 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:41.520 Other than that, I basically just need to know who's 0:12:41.640 --> 0:12:43.560 leading and what times our first hit, you know what 0:12:43.559 --> 0:12:46.200 I mean, absolutely, I mean it's and and that's and 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:47.600 that's where you are at that time. That's the time 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:48.920 when you're not looking at the phone, when you gotta 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:51.160 be on camp. Last year, I was listening to our 0:12:51.200 --> 0:12:54.760 podcast last year, and of course it was a completely 0:12:54.800 --> 0:12:57.800 different approach to the Masters. We had this Uh, we 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:00.800 had this defined character that was undefined Tiger Woods. I mean, 0:13:00.800 --> 0:13:03.200 he was a guy coming in that had played some 0:13:03.240 --> 0:13:05.920 golf and we've seen some good stuff from him. We 0:13:05.920 --> 0:13:09.000 didn't exactly know what to expect that a major championship 0:13:09.240 --> 0:13:12.400 at Augusta Nashville. That's completely different this year. He's coming 0:13:12.400 --> 0:13:14.480 in playing good. I wouldn't say he's playing great. I 0:13:14.480 --> 0:13:18.800 wouldn't say he's playing bad. He's been solid. I've been 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:21.920 looking back over the career of Tiger at Augusta and 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:24.079 he you know, it's crazy to think the last win 0:13:24.200 --> 0:13:26.800 was in two thousand and five. Does this golf course 0:13:26.840 --> 0:13:29.600 still fit Tiger Woods? Do you feel like in its 0:13:29.600 --> 0:13:33.559 iteration today ads and forcing guys to continue to beat 0:13:33.640 --> 0:13:40.320 driver around this golf course? Um? Maybe? And And the 0:13:40.360 --> 0:13:42.080 reason I don't have a yes or no is because 0:13:42.080 --> 0:13:47.240 I don't know. And it's to say no, what feels 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:50.920 dumb to me? Because he's still figured it out four times? Right? 0:13:51.520 --> 0:13:55.600 And and was it the same then? Obviously not. But 0:13:55.840 --> 0:14:00.000 the things that that the question that you ask really 0:14:00.000 --> 0:14:02.480 would apply to any golf course that that he's on, 0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:05.480 and that's can you drive it well enough to to compete? 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:08.160 Because it's the second shot golf course, which means your 0:14:08.160 --> 0:14:10.240 first shot needs to be somewhere where you have a 0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:13.880 reasonable second shot. So you know, you look at someone 0:14:13.920 --> 0:14:16.000 who and I'm sure we'll get to the topic of Rory, 0:14:16.240 --> 0:14:17.800 you look at a guy like that who pulls the 0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:21.920 pulls the driver out and has absolute confidence in it 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:25.600 for good reason, and he's gonna hammer it all day long. 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:29.000 And with Tiger, you know, like if there's a prop 0:14:29.080 --> 0:14:31.200 bet to hit the fairway in the first I'm betting 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:34.040 everything I have that he doesn't, right, because you never 0:14:34.680 --> 0:14:36.640 never what he won. He never did what he won. 0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:41.160 But but but but to say shame like that, it 0:14:41.280 --> 0:14:44.160 doesn't that it doesn't fit him because it's been so long, 0:14:45.040 --> 0:14:49.120 I think would be it just feels ridiculous because of 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:52.960 who we're talking about. But it also if there were 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:55.760 anyone else, fourteen years after the fact, it would feel 0:14:55.840 --> 0:14:58.880 ridiculous that we would say it's ridiculous Or did you 0:14:58.920 --> 0:15:02.760 know what I'm saying? Like I last year to me 0:15:03.000 --> 0:15:05.160 and you're right, you know, you're go. We didn't know this, 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:07.800 even though I had been told by those that had played, 0:15:08.000 --> 0:15:10.040 you know, rounding him. Look, he can do it. He's 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:12.440 gonna win and it was like wow, really, and then 0:15:12.440 --> 0:15:14.880 as it turned out, you know, he he did, and 0:15:15.240 --> 0:15:16.920 he had a lead on the back nine of the 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:21.520 the open um and he was right there. And in St. 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:23.480 Louis at bell Reeve, I mean, you're talking about back 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:25.520 to back majors where he was in the mix and 0:15:25.760 --> 0:15:29.760 very solidly in the mix. So that was more than 0:15:29.880 --> 0:15:33.200 I would have believed. And to think that he couldn't 0:15:33.240 --> 0:15:36.200 be very solidly in the mix of Augusta, I'm not. 0:15:36.600 --> 0:15:39.600 I wouldn't say that. It's just been a long time 0:15:39.640 --> 0:15:43.480 since he's won there, and so it's hard to remind 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:45.880 yourself of what it feels like when he's in the lead. 0:15:46.000 --> 0:15:49.400 There were in contention there because bell Reeve, Carnousti, cool, 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:53.280 Augusta totally different things, absolutely, and and it brings up, 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:55.520 you know, to me, the Ernie Els quotes this year 0:15:55.560 --> 0:15:58.560 about the Masters and how he kind of just poured 0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:00.520 everything out about the golf or so, and this is 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:04.560 a guy that nearly won multiple Masters. I do wonder 0:16:05.280 --> 0:16:08.040 if this golf course, I wonder if more than any 0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:10.400 golf course in the world, it's right out in front 0:16:10.440 --> 0:16:12.720 of you. There's not out of bounds, really anywhere on 0:16:12.760 --> 0:16:15.480 the property there's water, you see it. There's not a 0:16:15.520 --> 0:16:18.160 lot of tricks. I wonder if the longer you go 0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:21.480 here to these types of players, Tiger of course being 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:24.040 in a different category, but an Ernie Els who thinks, 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:26.840 how can I not dominate this place? How do I 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:28.960 not win? I wonder if a little bit of that 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:31.600 bleeds in the Tigers when he thinks back, I was 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:34.360 looking in two thousand five, I was a junior in college. 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:36.760 I mean, that's a long time ago, Scott. You know, 0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:39.600 like that's crazy to think of how long ago it 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:42.320 was when he won at the Masters. Yet when we 0:16:42.440 --> 0:16:44.480 get here wherever, you you think, well, he knows this 0:16:44.520 --> 0:16:46.600 golf course, he knows every bump on on the grounds. 0:16:46.920 --> 0:16:48.960 He does. But see, that's the thing about this that 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:53.280 I love. The reason, one of the many reasons let 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:55.880 me let me start that again that I love this 0:16:55.920 --> 0:16:58.800 event is because there's so many people who show up 0:17:00.280 --> 0:17:03.000 with It's like your Gusta National is the most beautiful 0:17:03.120 --> 0:17:06.240 woman in the world because everyone is in love with her. 0:17:06.640 --> 0:17:09.480 Everyone's in love and everyone thinks they know her best. Right. 0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:12.960 Phil Michelson feels the exact same way, the exact same 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:15.840 way he has the same level of love, the same passion, 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:19.320 the same understanding, the same knowledge, and with good reason. 0:17:19.359 --> 0:17:22.280 He's figured it out two on on on three different occasions. 0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:25.679 Tiger has done it one more. But you know, you 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:28.000 think Justin Rose doesn't feel the same way. You know 0:17:28.080 --> 0:17:30.720 you think Rory McElroy doesn't feel the same way. You think. 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:33.120 I mean, I could keep going. There's so many players 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:36.439 who Rory's got five straight top tens. You know, Justin's 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:38.639 only finishes in the top ten, or so it feels 0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:40.159 last year he was just on the outside, but he's 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:43.160 been running up twice. So the list of players who 0:17:43.240 --> 0:17:46.280 show up believing that they know how to, that they 0:17:46.359 --> 0:17:49.440 know it, that they love it, and that some part 0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:52.400 of him isn't owed it, but it's almost like their 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:56.040 cosmic fate to do it. And Ernie's the perfect example. 0:17:56.320 --> 0:17:58.800 He's on the list with Greg Morman and Tom wise 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:03.640 Cough And we could keep going, David Duval of players 0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:06.080 who when they were in their prime, who were absolutely 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:09.600 certain would win the Masters, and they never did. So 0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:13.000 it's that's what to me, is that how many how 0:18:13.040 --> 0:18:15.840 long the list is of people who if they did, 0:18:16.320 --> 0:18:20.640 you'd think it's entirely appropriate. And yet if they don't 0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:24.040 when their chances there, maybe a guy like Danny Willis 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:27.080 who only gets one chance grabs it, or Charles Schwitzel, 0:18:27.119 --> 0:18:30.320 who gets one chance grabs it. That's what makes the masters. 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:35.760 To me um that that element is just so intoxicating, 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:39.000 is that every great player thinks he can. Most of 0:18:39.000 --> 0:18:41.719 them have a reason to to to validate that feeling, 0:18:41.800 --> 0:18:45.560 and yet it doesn't always happen. And why, well, I 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:48.320 don't know, man. Sometimes maybe a guy makes a putt, 0:18:48.400 --> 0:18:50.480 or maybe you miss one, or you fan one or 0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:53.440 whatever it's it's and yet you come back next year. 0:18:53.520 --> 0:18:55.400 Every bit is in love that you know, you don't 0:18:55.400 --> 0:18:58.720 ever feel scorned like Ernie's just his heart was broken. 0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:02.000 They're broken, but he never fell out of love, you 0:19:02.000 --> 0:19:04.720 know what I mean? Absolutely. I mean I was rewatching. 0:19:04.760 --> 0:19:06.960 This is a dorky admission. I'm just gonna let you 0:19:06.960 --> 0:19:09.440 know this. I was rewatching two thousand sixteen a couple 0:19:09.480 --> 0:19:12.919 of nights ago. And you know, we all remember the 0:19:12.960 --> 0:19:17.440 speed shot at twelve. I'd completely forgot that Danny will 0:19:17.480 --> 0:19:19.639 It hit a t shot on twelve that could have 0:19:19.720 --> 0:19:21.920 easily taken a bounce right and gone in the water. 0:19:22.040 --> 0:19:25.800 I mean, I I I vaguely remember the birdies that 0:19:25.880 --> 0:19:27.600 Danny will It made that round. I know he had 0:19:27.600 --> 0:19:29.879 a great shot on sixteen. I know he had that 0:19:29.960 --> 0:19:33.720 great crazy birdie at one, but that shot was afoot, 0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:36.639