WEBVTT - Fire Drill 014: Rory, Tiger and Trump, oh my! 0:00:03.880 --> 0:00:07.000 We all know Roy respects Tiger, and Roy's at the 0:00:07.720 --> 0:00:10.280 peak of his life. Physically, Tiger's broken down. It's not 0:00:10.320 --> 0:00:13.480 a fair fight, but you know Rory loved playing well 0:00:13.520 --> 0:00:21.079 in front of Tiger. Put another log on the fire. 0:00:24.360 --> 0:00:34.000 Nobody hears. Give the time. Hello, This is Alan schipknuck 0:00:34.120 --> 0:00:36.879 back for another Fire Drill podcast. I am joined by 0:00:36.960 --> 0:00:40.839 my my wingman for life, Michael Bamberger, And here we 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:45.199 are in front of a fire. It's a little outside. 0:00:45.680 --> 0:00:47.839 It's a word on brand, as they say, I think 0:00:47.840 --> 0:00:51.120 we all know that phrase. Possibly two on brand, Like 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:53.840 we've got some flops wet going already. I think you're 0:00:54.000 --> 0:00:59.920 fit sing. Yes, that's a question for you. When was 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:04.080 it hot or oh seven for a PGA championship in 0:01:04.160 --> 0:01:10.920 August or today? Oh it was way hotter in oh 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:14.720 seven to today was uncomfortably warm. That was like being 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:17.800 in literal hell. It was. I mean, I did think 0:01:17.880 --> 0:01:21.360 human beings could could survive temperatures like that. So this 0:01:21.480 --> 0:01:23.080 day was warm out there and it was a little 0:01:23.200 --> 0:01:25.600 kind of there's no it wasn't the breeze, the anticipated 0:01:25.640 --> 0:01:27.080 and there's no cloud cover. I mean, it was a 0:01:27.080 --> 0:01:29.399 hot day, but it was survivable. It was it was 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:32.120 like a hot summer day. How did the course play? 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:34.760 How is it different from the from August to May. 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:36.679 I mean, this is a big thing, big bet that 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:39.000 the PHA made. Let's take an August or to make 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:40.679 it a mad tournament, and one of the things they 0:01:40.680 --> 0:01:44.160 were looking for was course conditions. How is that different today? Yeah, 0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:45.640 I mean in August it had to be a little 0:01:45.680 --> 0:01:48.080 softer to keep them keep it alive and those temperatures, 0:01:48.160 --> 0:01:49.320 so they just had to put a lot of water 0:01:49.400 --> 0:01:51.880 on the greens. And I think you know, the p 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:54.040 g A is always conscious not to be the U. 0:01:54.120 --> 0:01:55.520 S g A, and they're always going to air on 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:58.200 the side of making the course a little playable and 0:01:58.240 --> 0:02:00.880 maybe a little softer. So the green means they put 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:02.640 They definitely put some water on the course last night, 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:04.320 and the greens were a little soft in the morning, 0:02:04.320 --> 0:02:07.720 and you saw some some really good scores. Obviously Rory 0:02:07.760 --> 0:02:09.960 went crazy there for a while. But as the day 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:12.920 went on, it pleasingly it began to firm up and 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:15.079 there was more bounced on the greens. It was more rollout. 0:02:15.560 --> 0:02:18.640 Some balls were getting ejected, and so I think that 0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:21.760 they'll they'll continue to dial up that difficulty and that's 0:02:21.760 --> 0:02:24.480 what we want. I mean, this course could be a monster. 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:28.960 It's it's not that long and there's a little with 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:32.080 out there, so I think it's okay to really put 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:33.799 the you want them all the way on the edge, 0:02:33.840 --> 0:02:35.840 but they can tiptoe in that direction and really make 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:38.680 this a firmer, more fiery tests. To the point, was 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:41.040 it a big advantage to play early today rather than 0:02:41.840 --> 0:02:45.639 it helps? For sure? Um today, We'll see what tomorrow brings. 0:02:45.720 --> 0:02:48.639 But um, and definitely the and it was not unlike 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:50.919 you know sometimes it happens at the Open Championship like that. 0:02:51.560 --> 0:02:53.040 You go out in the morning and then the ball 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:54.600 will hold a little bit, but as the day goes 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:56.680 on it just releases. And so we saw that today 0:02:56.720 --> 0:02:59.200 for sure. Well the opening is crazy that way because 0:02:59.360 --> 0:03:02.280 to some agree, the winner gets decided about the Thursday, 0:03:02.440 --> 0:03:04.560 or often can't be decided by the Thursday Friday joke, 0:03:04.560 --> 0:03:06.359 because these days there so long, you have so many 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:09.200 different weather systems coming through. You don't have that here's 0:03:10.000 --> 0:03:12.680 here here nearly as much. Yeah, I mean it can 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:16.120 be volatile. There's been some wind forecast for the coming days, 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:18.840 and I mean if if it's breezy, and it's hot 0:03:18.960 --> 0:03:21.359 and it's dry. It's gonna be really fun to watch. 0:03:21.520 --> 0:03:23.680 It seems like one of the joys about a true 0:03:23.720 --> 0:03:27.800 classic course like this is Southern Hillsberg Mexical course, is 0:03:27.840 --> 0:03:29.959 that there's so many different ways to play. What'd you 0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:32.200 say in that regard today? Well, I mean you saw 0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:34.560 it really in the Marquee group and Tiger was playing 0:03:34.600 --> 0:03:36.840 old man golf. I mean he was dinking it off 0:03:36.920 --> 0:03:39.360 the tea. He finished I think a hundred and thirty 0:03:39.480 --> 0:03:42.480 six in driving distance. And there's twenty club pros in 0:03:42.560 --> 0:03:45.160 this in this field, and and some old guys too, 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:48.080 like John Daly and whomever. And it was a very 0:03:48.120 --> 0:03:50.160 conservative game plan and he left himself a lot of 0:03:50.200 --> 0:03:53.200 club coming into the greens. Maybe the greatest long iron 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:54.800 player of all time, he can handle it. And he 0:03:54.880 --> 0:03:57.120 did that at Away Lake and some other tests just 0:03:57.200 --> 0:03:59.440 and he did was fine, but he didn't. He wasn't 0:03:59.440 --> 0:04:01.880 on his game that today, and clearly his body was 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:05.240 bothering him. But the same group, Rory was just swinging 0:04:05.240 --> 0:04:07.240 with the band and he was hitting driver everywhere, he 0:04:07.280 --> 0:04:10.160 was cutting dog legs and he was seventy five hundred 0:04:10.200 --> 0:04:12.520 yards in front of Tiger at times. I mean Rory 0:04:12.560 --> 0:04:15.240 average three thirty off the tea. He had two drives 0:04:15.240 --> 0:04:18.000 that went almost three eighty. And I mean in the 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:20.800 it's hot and there's some elevated tease, but he was 0:04:21.200 --> 0:04:25.840 just in full attack mode and Tiger was playing more defensive, 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:28.320 kind of quintessential Major championship golf. But I don't think 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:31.560 I don't think Tiger anticipated was gonna be a little soft. 0:04:31.560 --> 0:04:33.679 They had the eight eleven tea time is nice and early, 0:04:33.720 --> 0:04:36.800 and Rory he just he felt it early and he 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:40.040 just kept going. What was the intra round conversation like 0:04:40.120 --> 0:04:42.960 with the players and the caddies today, Yeah, there was. 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:46.080 It was you know, Tiger was really struggling. He got 0:04:46.080 --> 0:04:48.840 off to a nice little start, but it looked a 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:51.520 little bit quickly. It started to look like Sunday Augusta, 0:04:51.520 --> 0:04:54.599 where the limb was getting more pronounced and he was 0:04:55.279 --> 0:04:58.320 walking very gingerly on the down slopes, and it was 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:01.360 just he just you could just tell he was struggling. 0:05:01.400 --> 0:05:04.080 And I mean he hit some foul balls, like on 0:05:04.080 --> 0:05:07.480 on fifteen that was Hazzle adjacent. I mean, it wasn't 0:05:07.480 --> 0:05:09.719 a cold shank, but it was not that far away. 0:05:10.279 --> 0:05:12.280 And he he had a couple of other irons off 0:05:12.320 --> 0:05:15.280 the tea, you know, the balls on a t perfect stance, 0:05:15.320 --> 0:05:17.960 and he had a way right like he just he 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:20.560 couldn't push off on that leg. He couldn't get through 0:05:20.560 --> 0:05:23.359 the ball. And it was a bummer. You know. I 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:25.840 think there's still some magic in Tiger's hands, and he 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:29.880 still has that brain and that heart, but there's the 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:32.120 body just want't work. You could see that, and by 0:05:32.120 --> 0:05:33.440 the end of the round, I mean, it was a 0:05:33.520 --> 0:05:37.360 it was a substantial limp, and it's just a bummer. 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:40.200 I think it's hard to imagine he's ever gonna have 0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:42.320 four days in a row where he feels great, where 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:45.240 even feels good. Maybe he'll get better, but you know, 0:05:45.240 --> 0:05:47.400 he talked about it's had a months in Sugusta and 0:05:47.400 --> 0:05:50.320 he's been working hard, he's gotten stronger, but it really 0:05:50.320 --> 0:05:53.279 didn't show. So it was a reality check, you know, 0:05:53.360 --> 0:05:56.080 I think because as Jeff Ogilvy was talking about so 0:05:56.120 --> 0:05:58.200 beautifully a few days ago with us, you know, this 0:05:58.240 --> 0:06:01.039 is the kind of test that that peak Tiger would 0:06:01.040 --> 0:06:03.200 have loved, where you have to really shape the ball 0:06:03.240 --> 0:06:05.080 coming into the greens, and you have to be easy 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:09.800 imagination and play those real high talent shots, but his 0:06:09.800 --> 0:06:12.279 body just let him do it. Today, I don't think 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:15.920 this is really quote an important tournament for a Tiger 0:06:16.320 --> 0:06:18.840 in the sense that there really are no important tournaments 0:06:18.880 --> 0:06:21.440 left for him. He has climbed the mountaintop. He has 0:06:21.440 --> 0:06:23.880 said he's climbing the mountaintop. He said he's not really 0:06:23.880 --> 0:06:26.599 ready to do what he did once to get where 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:30.599 he was for the nineteen Masters. But with that preamble, 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:33.320 it will be very interesting to see what he does 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:36.160 tomorrow because a trademark of Tiger and we sow it 0:06:36.200 --> 0:06:39.280 after he made that twelve that augusta, um, what was that? 0:06:39.360 --> 0:06:42.560 Just you know? And then came back when on that 0:06:42.800 --> 0:06:45.919 what do he played the last six sols? And I 0:06:45.960 --> 0:06:49.720 think not mistaken. It will be very interesting to see 0:06:49.720 --> 0:06:52.000 what he does tomorrow because part of what he part 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:54.280 of what he's done all his life, has got it out. 0:06:54.320 --> 0:06:55.960 And I think part of the example he's trying to 0:06:56.000 --> 0:06:58.760 show his son in the world and himself. But I 0:06:58.760 --> 0:07:01.320 think maybe particularly his son, is that there is no 0:07:01.440 --> 0:07:03.560 quit in him and he has every reason too if 0:07:03.560 --> 0:07:05.440 he wants to. I don't think he will, but what 0:07:05.720 --> 0:07:08.160 do you expect we'll do do you find that, Yeah, 0:07:08.240 --> 0:07:11.440 he's planning to make the cut, but so so more 0:07:11.520 --> 0:07:14.080 than that, isn't it. Yeah, at this point, it's more 0:07:14.160 --> 0:07:18.520 about persistence than performance. It's just showing up and it's 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:21.240 just going to work. And that's that's part of who 0:07:21.240 --> 0:07:23.480 Tiger has been. But we were it was obscured by 0:07:23.640 --> 0:07:26.600 how dazzling his golf was, and now you take away 0:07:26.640 --> 0:07:30.280 some of that that that that beauty in his game 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:32.680 and it's more about just the grit and the grind. 0:07:32.840 --> 0:07:36.200 And I guess the issue is maybe he can't make 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:38.679 it worse. It's just metal on metal and he's it's okay, 0:07:38.840 --> 0:07:42.520 But I do worry, like you know, when I've sprained 0:07:42.520 --> 0:07:44.360 an ankle and then you're limping and then the other 0:07:44.360 --> 0:07:46.520 ankle gets hurt because you're putting so much weight on it, Like, 0:07:46.800 --> 0:07:49.880 can he do any damage? I guess the assessment is not, really, 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:51.600 it's just metal on metal and he's gonna be fine. 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:53.280 But I know in my own life, and I've been 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:55.400 dinged up on a knee or an ankle and then 0:07:55.400 --> 0:07:58.160 I'm kind of limping around the other near ankle starts hurting, 0:07:58.200 --> 0:08:00.400 and um, you know, Tiger is a big there's a 0:08:00.400 --> 0:08:02.080 lot of weight on his joints as part of how 0:08:02.080 --> 0:08:04.320 we got here in the first place. And so I 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:06.840 guess he's not worried about that. But you would think 0:08:06.840 --> 0:08:09.160 that the Old Course is where he's most dangerous in 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:11.920 this whole run of majors, because not only has he 0:08:12.040 --> 0:08:15.520 won there and and it's that kind of ballpark, but 0:08:15.800 --> 0:08:18.040 it's the easiest walk by far, and brook Line is 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:21.720 a tough walk too. So you know, I just hope 0:08:21.760 --> 0:08:23.840 he doesn't push himself so hard out of his sheer 0:08:23.920 --> 0:08:27.280 stubbornness that he developed some other issue and his his 0:08:27.400 --> 0:08:30.320 very fragile body. It's hard to mention that he wouldn't 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:32.560 for all the reasons you said. If if it's not 0:08:32.600 --> 0:08:34.440 one thing, it's another, and the body has a weird 0:08:34.480 --> 0:08:37.200 way of overcome sitting and then it's just like your 0:08:37.200 --> 0:08:38.760 golf game. You know, work so hard and you're putting 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:41.800 and then you're chipping goes, something's gonna go. This sounds 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:47.400 self referential. And what about Rory uh free a free swing? 0:08:47.440 --> 0:08:49.640 Rory McElroy is a joy to watch. You've got a 0:08:49.679 --> 0:08:52.600 lot of dog leg holes here. He can look at 0:08:52.600 --> 0:08:55.040 those holes in ways the ordinary person cannot. What was 0:08:55.080 --> 0:08:58.560 that like to watch today. Yeah, it was neat. I 0:08:58.559 --> 0:09:02.440 would submit that when Rory McElroy is just letting the 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:05.920 club go and he's having fun, He's got that bouncy 0:09:05.960 --> 0:09:08.960 little strut. No one makes a game not only look easier, 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:12.160 but like more fun. It's just like there's an off 0:09:12.280 --> 0:09:16.800 factor watching the lines he takes that are so hyper aggressive, 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:19.400 and it's just that it's there's a shot we all 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:21.800 dream of, that high draw that just stays in the 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:26.840 air forever. And he was having a great time, and 0:09:26.920 --> 0:09:30.720 we all know Roy respects Tiger, and Roy's in the 0:09:30.720 --> 0:09:33.320 peak of his life. Physically, Tiger's broken down. It's not 0:09:33.360 --> 0:09:36.520 a fair fight. But you know, Rory loved playing well 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:40.040 in front of Tiger, and because it's gone the other 0:09:40.080 --> 0:09:42.520 way plenty of times, and so there was a little 0:09:42.559 --> 0:09:47.520 something extra there where I think Rory, it's not there 0:09:47.559 --> 0:09:50.640 has anything to prove. Tiger knows he's a great player. 0:09:50.679 --> 0:09:53.880 But when when Roy's played his best golf, Tiger hasn't 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:55.480 really been in the mix, like he's never really beat 0:09:55.600 --> 0:09:58.720 him at these majors when it mattered. Yes, do you 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:01.360 know that when Rory mcil when when Tiger won the 0:10:01.400 --> 0:10:04.280 Masters in two thousand nineteen, and it was his what 0:10:04.400 --> 0:10:08.920 fifteen major championship. It was the first major when Tiger 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:11.679 one that Rory had even attended. I mean, that's how 0:10:11.760 --> 0:10:14.199 really they don't that's how much they don't overlap. I 0:10:14.280 --> 0:10:18.400 found that. That's interesting. Yeah, And that's funny because in 0:10:18.440 --> 0:10:22.040 two thousand nineteen, as as that round was unfolding and 0:10:22.280 --> 0:10:23.880 it was clear like Tiger was going to be there 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:26.319 until the bitter end, I just camped out in the 0:10:26.320 --> 0:10:28.480 Augusta National locker room because I wanted to tell the 0:10:28.520 --> 0:10:30.880 story through the eyes of all the other players, and 0:10:31.000 --> 0:10:33.400 guys were coming and going, this is unbelievable and what 0:10:33.440 --> 0:10:35.120 did I missed? And like fill me in? And they were. 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:38.320 They were into it, and you know, Rory, we all 0:10:38.360 --> 0:10:40.680 know it's very accommodating, gracious guy. When Up was like Rory, 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:42.199 what do you about this, He's like, I don't want 0:10:42.200 --> 0:10:44.280 to talk about He like stomped off. It was almost 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:48.480 like like he's like, God, damn it, like this should 0:10:48.480 --> 0:10:51.240 be my time. And now now Tiger's back and getting 0:10:51.280 --> 0:10:53.480 all his love and I still can't win the Masters. 0:10:53.520 --> 0:10:56.040 I can't win a major like it was. It revealed 0:10:56.120 --> 0:10:58.880 something in that moment to me, and that's why I 0:10:58.920 --> 0:11:01.360 think he brought a little extra to this pairing AND's 0:11:01.360 --> 0:11:04.440 theed that you saw that extra bounce in his step, 0:11:04.520 --> 0:11:09.000 because golf will beat you down, and it has sort 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:11.160 of beaten him down. Even though he's one picked off 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:14.520 tournaments here and there, it's not the same as contending 0:11:14.600 --> 0:11:18.360 late on Sundays at majors and winning occasionally. Now it's 0:11:18.360 --> 0:11:21.079 been years for Rory McIlroy, so if we just see that, 0:11:21.120 --> 0:11:23.920 it says something very positive about his his inner life 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:26.520 really especially gives just you know, that breakdown when we 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:29.120 saw at the Ryder Cup just last year. I know, 0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:32.320 I mean since his last major, I think Rory's won 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:36.240 eleven tour events, including a Players Champions He's won a 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:39.840 FedEx Cup, He's won the Race to Dubai twice. Like 0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:42.600 he's done. He's had an incredible career in those eight years. 0:11:43.120 --> 0:11:46.280 But we know the majors are the are the measuring stick, 0:11:46.320 --> 0:11:49.320 and it's really been such a mystery, or maybe it's not. 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:51.080 It's just been like it's trying too hard, He's getting 0:11:51.120 --> 0:11:53.440 his own way. There's an element of stage fright when 0:11:53.440 --> 0:11:56.600 you look at his Thursday numbers versus Friday through Saturday 0:11:56.600 --> 0:11:58.240 and he kind of blows himself out and then he 0:11:58.320 --> 0:12:02.120 just he freewheels it. But he's now the last two 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:05.280 rounds in the Majors at Augusta National and at Southern 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:07.719 Hills has taking a hundred twenty nine strokes. I think 0:12:07.800 --> 0:12:11.400 that's incredible golf. But you know, it's interesting when you say, 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:13.920 you know, parroed with Tiger and Tigers thinking about the 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:18.200 tea and you know, and Rory and full but Tiger 0:12:18.320 --> 0:12:22.520 was always sort of moving towards Sunday through these majors, 0:12:22.520 --> 0:12:24.880 and it was exciting to see. And he got more 0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:27.160 aggressive as he got more confident about where he was 0:12:27.200 --> 0:12:30.559 on the leaderboard, and he never spent it on Thursday. 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:33.839 So I mean, he had some really good Thursday in 0:12:33.960 --> 0:12:36.720 majors and he won. You know, he won some of 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:39.400 his majors by by being the Thursday leader, but more 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:43.640 often he was sort of getting himself in gear. I 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:46.000 think that's right, although of course he did shoot sixty 0:12:46.040 --> 0:12:48.200 three at Southern Hills and oh seven, that's probably the 0:12:48.200 --> 0:12:50.160 great round he ever played in the Majors. And as 0:12:50.200 --> 0:12:52.640 Jeff Ogilvy was saying, and as Steve Williams has said 0:12:52.920 --> 0:12:55.840 that maybe Tiger and full even though two thousand morning 0:12:55.880 --> 0:12:58.360 by fifteen and blah blah blah, but that was seven 0:12:58.360 --> 0:13:00.880 Perry was external but finished that thought. Sorry, yeah, yeah, no, 0:13:01.480 --> 0:13:03.440 it would be no. I like when you interrupt me, Michael, 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:05.440 You're always so deferential and these things like you need 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:07.480 to interrupt. The more people want to hear you more 0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:09.719 than anybody else. I want you to you know, feel that. 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:13.760 But um no, just the similar Hawkins to Night. We 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:18.000 haven't heard squad from him. Hawk man, you got anything 0:13:18.200 --> 0:13:21.560 where you at? Where you at? I know, I know 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:23.120 it's just the two of us as so intimate, but 0:13:23.480 --> 0:13:27.920 um yeah, the symmetry if Rory could win this one, 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:31.680 you know, Tiger is essentially the defending champ at Southern Hills, 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:36.760 and it would be pretty cool because Rory Mockael Roy 0:13:36.800 --> 0:13:39.600 could retire tomorrow. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer. 0:13:40.040 --> 0:13:43.280 And not only that, he's been a great ambassador. And 0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:46.560 Rory has become the conscience of the sport. And we 0:13:46.679 --> 0:13:50.000 saw it most evidently, and and how he refuses to 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:51.960 even entertain the idea of taking the blood money from 0:13:51.960 --> 0:13:55.840 Saudi Arabia, and if that whole thing goes away, his 0:13:56.800 --> 0:14:00.640 very strong advocacy in the very beginning for the PGA Tour, 0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:02.719 and his loyalty to the tour is going to be 0:14:02.760 --> 0:14:06.679 an important factor. So he's he's elevated himself in so 0:14:06.720 --> 0:14:09.160 many ways, and he's so gracious, he's so well spoken, 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:11.480 Like I've never met anyone in the world who doesn't 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:14.480 like Roy McElroy. You know, I think you know, in 0:14:14.520 --> 0:14:19.640 many ways, he represents the immigrant spirit in the United States, 0:14:19.800 --> 0:14:24.560 which is he's a first generation American. Uh, he moved here, 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:28.640 and uh, of course he's extremely wealthy and he's extremely American. 0:14:28.800 --> 0:14:30.880 He's got the big cars and all the rest. But 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:35.400 there is still among first generation Americans often a sense 0:14:35.440 --> 0:14:38.480 of gratitude. Look what this country has given me. Look 0:14:38.520 --> 0:14:40.560 with this PGA tour has given me in Rory's case, 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:44.880 and uh, you don't see that universally. That's well said, 0:14:44.920 --> 0:14:46.760 and it's it's one of my favorite things in the 0:14:46.760 --> 0:14:50.000 whole golf world is that Rory's dad, who's this very 0:14:50.040 --> 0:14:53.480 blue collar bartender, is now a member at Seminole, you know, 0:14:54.160 --> 0:14:58.080 one of these citadels of American private golf. And it's 0:14:58.120 --> 0:15:00.640 because he's just a fun dude to year round. He's 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:05.040 a keen golfer, and it's almost like it's the it's 0:15:05.040 --> 0:15:08.120 the immigrant story in reverse where the child has a 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:11.160 success and he shares it with the the parents and 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:13.720 he Now Jerry's hanging on at seven all with all 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:15.840 these captains of industry, Like how cool is that? You know? 0:15:16.200 --> 0:15:18.360 Do you think Tiger has any of that first generation 0:15:18.400 --> 0:15:22.640 American attitude with his mother being born in Thailand? Yeah, 0:15:22.680 --> 0:15:25.760 that's interesting. I mean to me, he's kind of the 0:15:25.800 --> 0:15:31.440 quintessential Orange County kid, you know, he's I mean, Tiger 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:34.480 could have had any band in the world play his wedding, 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:37.560 and he choose. He chose Hooting the Blowfish. It does 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:40.760 not get any more white bread than that. Like I 0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:43.240 would have brought in Bob Dylan, you know, I don't 0:15:43.280 --> 0:15:44.600 know what I would It would have been hooting in 0:15:44.600 --> 0:15:46.760 the Blowfish. I mean, I would have brought in like 0:15:47.680 --> 0:15:51.280 hip hop supergroup whatever it is, and like that. That 0:15:51.440 --> 0:15:53.640 to me, so I don't know. I think he doesn't 0:15:53.680 --> 0:15:57.880 get any more blandly Americana than that. So um, I 0:15:57.880 --> 0:16:03.040 don't know. Gratitude and in concepts and it's it's in 0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:04.840 northern California. It's a huge where I live. It's a 0:16:04.920 --> 0:16:07.040 huge buzzword. You know, it's all about gratitude. I don't 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:09.560 know if it's appropriate. Yeah, I don't know where that's 0:16:09.600 --> 0:16:12.880 really more important for Rory. I I fully agree. I don't. 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:14.640 I don't know if I feel that with Tiger. I mean, 0:16:14.680 --> 0:16:16.920 he wears his fame and his wealth as such a 0:16:16.960 --> 0:16:21.200 burden that it doesn't exude gratitude. He does, he does, 0:16:21.880 --> 0:16:25.440 And yet since two thousands seventeen or what you're did 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:28.520 he have the roadside rust two thousand and seventeen. Uh, 0:16:28.720 --> 0:16:31.280 he's used the word a lot in his in his interviews, 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:35.560 and uh, you know, it's such a cliche, but it is. 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:38.280 It is a path towards, you know, figuring out who 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:40.000 you are in this world. But it's it's interesting to 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:41.840 see those two of them together because I think they're 0:16:41.840 --> 0:16:45.120 both I think they're both serious, intelligent people, and I 0:16:45.120 --> 0:16:47.840 could I could see them, haven't. You know? Tiger seems 0:16:47.880 --> 0:16:49.880 have a nice friendship with Justin Thomas, but it's it's 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:53.040 always with the needle out. Rory isn't. He's not built 0:16:53.080 --> 0:16:55.520 for that, and I'm sure Tiger knows that he's not. 0:16:56.280 --> 0:17:01.200 And uh, I could see those two actually being having 0:17:01.200 --> 0:17:04.920 a meaningful friendship. Really Yeah, that's interesting, I know, yeah, yeah, 0:17:04.960 --> 0:17:07.600 justin Thomas seems like a little more shallow personality compared 0:17:07.640 --> 0:17:09.720 to Rory. And also the third guy in that group, 0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:11.600 George Speith, who didn't you know he was he was 0:17:11.640 --> 0:17:14.200 plus two. He didn't really have it today. But that's 0:17:14.240 --> 0:17:18.040 another quality human being who has some depth and some 0:17:18.160 --> 0:17:22.320 soul and so it you know, maybe on the concept 0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:24.719 of grat you, maybe that's why Tiger is here. This 0:17:24.760 --> 0:17:26.560 is his way of saying thank you to the fans, 0:17:26.640 --> 0:17:30.480 like he you know, he he stayed on script in 0:17:30.520 --> 0:17:32.640 the pre tournament press, Carment said, yeah, I'm here to win, 0:17:32.720 --> 0:17:36.440 you know I It's like, well, realistically it's probably not 0:17:36.480 --> 0:17:39.000 gonna happen, but if you can just give four rounds 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:40.840 and people can come out and cheer for him, and 0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:43.199 obviously Tiger gets to feel that love too. It's it's 0:17:43.080 --> 0:17:46.200 it's symbiotic. But maybe this is a low key way 0:17:46.359 --> 0:17:48.439 of showing that gratitude. Like, you guys have given me 0:17:48.480 --> 0:17:50.520 so much through the years. All I can pay you 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:53.359 back is my effort in my presence, and you know, 0:17:53.600 --> 0:17:55.159 there's not big time golf in this part of the 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:58.080 world that often. You know, this is unless you will 0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:00.000 get an airplane. This might be the last time these 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:02.560 fans ever see Tiger Woods play golf. And so to 0:18:02.600 --> 0:18:04.880 your to your earlier point, he's gonna try and play 0:18:04.880 --> 0:18:08.600 four rounds, like even if it if it means potentially, 0:18:08.680 --> 0:18:10.560 you know, grinding his gears a little bit. I think 0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:13.560 that he wants to give something to the fans, and 0:18:13.920 --> 0:18:17.000 that's kind of a cool turn about where I think 0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:19.560 Tiger most of his career he felt like all I 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:22.159 all I can do is give my golf. That's all 0:18:22.160 --> 0:18:23.520 I owe you. I'm gonna go out there and play 0:18:23.520 --> 0:18:25.399 my best golf, and I don't have to look you 0:18:25.400 --> 0:18:26.920 in the eye. I don't have to acknowledge it years, 0:18:26.960 --> 0:18:29.880 I don't have to sign any autographs. Like my performances 0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:31.359 enough and in a lot of ways it was. It 0:18:31.440 --> 0:18:33.520 was so transcendent and we were lucky to see that. 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:36.960 But now there's he's warm member the fans. He's there's 0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:39.359 more of a connection, and it does feel like he 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:42.040 needs them a little bit more. You know, he's such 0:18:42.119 --> 0:18:44.479 a he's such a golf neer, and he knows what 0:18:44.520 --> 0:18:47.000 he's done where he's done it. I wonder what it's 0:18:47.040 --> 0:18:48.720 like for him. You know, when you think about what 0:18:48.800 --> 0:18:52.000 does Steve Williams and Jeff Vogilvy and others have said about, 0:18:52.040 --> 0:18:54.240 you know, Tiger in that oh, seven oh six period, 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:57.000 I wonder what it's actually like for him to walk 0:18:57.040 --> 0:19:00.320 this golf course. He knows where he is right now, 0:19:00.320 --> 0:19:02.359 but do you think his mind wanders to to where 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:04.480 he was the last time he was here. He seems 0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:09.960 like such an unsentimental person. It's hard to know. Yeah, sure, 0:19:09.960 --> 0:19:13.919 And I mean I remember that one of his children 0:19:13.920 --> 0:19:16.439 had just been born and there was this scene on. 0:19:16.960 --> 0:19:19.080 I mean, it must have been Sam. It must have 0:19:19.080 --> 0:19:22.480 been Sam, because well Oakmont. She was born right after 0:19:23.040 --> 0:19:26.120 Huncle Brera won the US Open at Oakmont, so that's 0:19:26.160 --> 0:19:29.600 a little later. Yeah, right, Remember he went home and 0:19:29.680 --> 0:19:33.320 she she was born a few days after that. Maybe 0:19:33.320 --> 0:19:36.600 I'm misremembering. I have to look this up. I just 0:19:36.640 --> 0:19:38.840