Harold Varner III

I can't really tell you why. I don't like the one with Wesley Snips. I like the one with What's what's his name? Oh yeah, I didn't like. Yeah. Hey, we're back in the studio. Cut to its. Steve Man, how's it going, Bro's going good? You know, it's going real good. I'm I'm excited um for the day because we got a really cool guest. But then also, you know, just how the stars A line man was out playing golf the other day, right, So we're playing golf, and I'm I'm pretty I wouldn't go on the tour and

say I'm a pretty good golfer because I'm not. Um but I can if I hit the bar, if I get moving, yeah, if I if I get if I get my coat, if I get my driver on it and go, I can hit about two range. I just smack it, but I gotta slice. I'm trying to get rid of so bang. I hit that thing about it goes about to fifty. Of course I'm playing that. The eighteen and nine is real narrow. So they're they're playing right next to each other. Boom, So I veer right.

I gotta slice veers right. So I'm probably a huney yards from the green. I'm just on the other hole. I'm on the ninth hole. I'll tell you when that happens. So I got a honey yards to the green, ninth on the ninth hole, on the right next to him. So I played with um. I don't like playing with the standard white ball because I struggle tom to find it this early morning. I don't care if his afternoon.

I'm on the struggle bus. So I played. I played with a lot of different color balls, and so I played with a red one, which is red as my favorite color. So I'm playing it. Hit it so it's on the other one and playing with my boy Joe, and so I'm like, Joe said, I got you all right, So I'm going over park. I'm going over, and there as a gentleman on the ninth hole as well, but I'm on eight team, so I'm interfairing to his game. So I take my time and I make sure I

can go after he hits. I'm looking for this red ball on this green, green fairway so it's not hard to miss, and I'm like, where's my ball? So I go over and then this guy's looking at me very in my mind, I'm going, damn, he's gonna want to go do this whole like yeah. So I've had guys approached me. Hey man, you sign my golf ball whatever, right, So I'm going on there and I'm like oh and he so he as he's going, he goes, hey, did you hit a red ball? Yeah? Did you hit the

red ball? Oh? No? No, So I'm like, okay. He was like, oh, is this your ball? Yeah? So he found it. No, he didn't find my ball. This song Ago takes my ball. Oh he stole it. He stolen He picked my ball up. He said, red ball. He looked up said no. He said, Lord, thank you for this red callaway ball. You're giving me that I have not hit that that I did not purchase, but I'll take it right, takes the ball, puts it in his bag. So when I approach him, I said, yeah, bro, you

got my ball. He is now looking at me as if I'm going to beat him up, and I'm still probably about thirty yards away from So we're like having this loud talking this in conversation. He put his ball in his bag and he's staring at me pulling my ball out of his bag. So he's caught. He's caught still in my ball, red handed with the red ball. Yes, and so he goes, hey, did you hit the red ball? So my reply to it, what did you did you not play with the red ball? Well, here's what makes

it even classier. Day and't half later, take my boys to play golf. They want to hit the driving range. Dad, you played without this the other day. Can you all right? Let's go pull up? So I got deuced six years old, I got Boston years old. Pull up, We part. I get out of my car. Guess who is putting his bag into his trump red ball thief? Yes, he looks at me, singers sticky fingers and I just giggle. He goes, hey, how you doing? I said, take any balls like me?

He looked at me, got in his car and Doocey goes, is that the guy who took your balls? I said, yep, that is him. He goes, he better drive off. Soho, who's our guest? We've got Harold Varner. He's a p G A tour member since two thousand and sixteen. He's a native of Gaston in North Carolina. He went to college at East Carolina University and he's a member of Brand Jordan's Are you about to take a partner? Get ice up segments? So there are random questions. Of course,

you have no idea what's coming up? Not one may or may not be follow ups, right, and so Smithie go ahead and give him the first one. All right, So let's start one off with an easy one. Um, longest flight you've ever taken? Fourteen hours through Australia. How was it? I slept for twelve hours, slept through all my food, everything? Okay, coach business, first class. I don't know what I was on. What is one item you refuse to share? Oh? My putter? I don't like anyone

touching my gamer putter. That's my thing, Like, because I think people put bad omens and stuff. Let me superstitious. I'm not superstitious. I just if it's the one I'm putting with. Like, let me how many putters do you have? Probably? Like, but everyone comes and takes them, but they don't mess with them one playing with I'm pretty about Okay, we'll talk about that later. Now, So here's a good one. Now you ready listening. I'm loud and cleary. Would you

rather be a hobbit or an elf for two hours? Why? Because of the movie Elfie. I would love to run around the mall and be a freaking elf, especially a black health what's going on? That's a great answer. I like that, all right? What is what was in your high school locker? I don't know. I didn't my senior year. I didn't go to it. I'm about the year before. I mean you were in I forgot my uh my key, my little code combination. Yeah, so they can't and cut it off and I didn't get it on hold from

any homework things. No, No, lockers in high school don't have chained locks like their generally attached to the locker war. So it's not a locker you're talking about. Well, I know you went to school in Gastonia, so that changes. You had to buy a five dollar lock and you had to code to it and you had to buy from Yeah, generally there are it's like combination, the little handle to lift it up. Yeah, no, I had like a no, but they had to use the cutters get

them off. I just forgot my combination. I just I didn't I leave my books in my car. I didn't. School wasn't my thing. We'll just say because the easy answer you donna say easy to you. I hear it coming. He didn't had nothing books. I made it though, you did? You passed with a sixty two. Hey, I got that pass. That's all. Yeah, alright, so hey, appreciate you coming on to the show. Um, let's let's let's just get into it and really, you know, just tell us who Harold

Larnery is. You know, what's your what was your upbringing? Like? Yeah? So I um, I was born in Akron, Ohio. I lived there for six years, moved to gaston in North Carolina, and I just grew up there and then went to East Carolina. Obviously I had had an awesome upbringing. I had too awesome parents. Um I grew up playing at a local municipal course that it's still around. I think a couple of my friends are going to go play there today. So it's uh, just super well rounded, you know,

just playing I couldn't play any other sports. I wasn't tall enough, it wasn't big enough. So golf became, you know, a place for me where I just I could get better and I knew I could play in college, so it was just kind of a no brainer in that aspect. And then I just obviously when you get to college and you start getting better, you're like, you're looking at the big picture. I want to play against the best in the world as many times as I can. So yeah,

that's just a fast version. Um. I had a guy named Bruce Sutter gave me lessons when I turned sixteen, so that was my first real lesson. Um So he taught me, taught me how to be a professional at a early age, but also taught me how to swing the golf club. How do how does Harold operate when it comes to hitting the golf ball? Um So he's a great mentor to me. And then when I went to school. I had a coach named prest Fall who's now at NC State. Um, just awesome, guy. Let's go

back though, you're talking about sixteen. You know, when you're sixteen years old, you see all that stuff. But you you were introduced to golf. Yeah what age? Because you're twenty nine years old. So born in n Gastonia is roughly about twenty three twenty three minutes, so roughly I think it's about twenty something miles from the city of Charlotte.

Was Charlotte. A lot of people think Charlotte is the capital of North Carolina, but Raleigh is, which is about two and a half three hours to and on how fast you're driving all that stuff. Charlotte is not a booming city in nineteen ninety. They don't even have a professional football team. They don't have a professional baseball team. It had to be pretty much a unique situation to see a young black man walking on a public golf course hungry to learn how to play golf. Yeah, for sure.

So my dad when we lived in Ohio, he um, he got me the Fisher Price clubs is like a blue, little plastic two thing and had the yellow clubs that went in and so start off of that when I was two, and then when I turned five, I got one real golf club. It was a six iron. It

was cut down. Um, super cool, you know. I just I guess I don't really remember it, but I've seen pictures of just like always had a golf club, always just hitting in my grandparents yard they had They lived on about sixteen acres, so, um, I was always hitting balls over the garden, messing around. And then when we moved to Gastonia, Um, they had this local golf course

called Guests Room and this one. And then my dad always played golf, so like I would either hang out with my dad go play with him after he played with his friends called the Parbusters who are in Charlotte, but they play, they play all around. Um, so that's how I really, you know, my dad just just tag along with my dad. So when I turned seven, they had this, Uh, I mean it was the coolest thing.

This is how this is why all sports need to go towards is from June one until September one, Monday through Friday, for a hundred bucks, I could go to Guests Room and this one whenever as long as we were walking. Yeah, and they had a grill in there. So these old men that my dad played with would like leave me lunch money, or like my dad would give me lunch money, you know. So I just hung

out of the golf course the whole time. And then when I turned turned nine, I played my first tournament they had, you know, I just played in a a group and I was like, yeah, you know whatever. So I got a full set of clubs, and so I got addicted to it without like my parents pushing me, you know. It was just like and there were other kids out there, so you had a place where you could always like, oh, man,

I know him from there, you know. And then you grow up though, because like some of the kids go on vacation and stuff, and I would like just go play golf, and these old men would I'd be on the punt green, but you want to play. I'm like, yeah, hell yeah, I want to play. You know, let's go. So they would let me tag along, and so I just I was very spoiled and didn't even know it. Like any time that a man, grown man will take a kid for that long, for four hours, you're gonna

learn something, You're gonna pick up something. And I didn't even know I was receiving that information, you know. So it's uh, I was super fortunate. Golf's not that accessible right now. I don't think any sport is, to be honest with you, UM, So that's that's sort of the difference I think is accessibility and anything in life. If you want to do something, you need to be around the person that's either doing that or be able to go do it on your own time. And right now

we don't. I mean, especially during COVID, we don't have We don't have that. That's really cool. Yeah, So I mean we're struggling with that. Since you bring up the race thing, I think we're struggling with that just having parents in their lives, you know, or just someone in their lives that cares, you know. Um. The most recent thing I've seen is, um, I'm guessing everyone's seen The Last Dance, you know. Yeah, unbelievable. The coolest part for me wasn't I think it was episode eight where Gusts

comes in there. You know, his dad had died, he's won five times, and m J is still looking for a mental still looking for someone to be in their lives. So I just kinda That's what stuck out to me is that if I was if I won five times, I would be that male fi, I'd be the male figure, I'd be the guy. But no, he's still searching, still wanting to be better, and still wanting to learn something from someone who's been through the you know, been through it, And uh, I think that's so cool. Like I still

ask my dad questions. You know, there's there's that, there's that with m J. There was that whole but I won't even go back. You mentioned the Parbusters. Tell us a little bit more about that. I mean you not only did you have your dad, but you got this group of men and what were they African American as well, So you got this group with the they probably probably having them little nickel bets, a little dollar bets, brainies,

all that stuff. What memories do you have of those, not even just from a golf perspective, but what are some of the things maybe some of those intangibles or some of those things they they instilled in you. Um, once again, they gave me play. They would go play, so like obviously I get a little bit older, I

get a little bit better. They would carry me to wherever they were playing, so I I'd play for the Carbusters, you know, like in these team events, and I would be on their team and we play, and you know, they would they would get all lit up. And when I got old enough, when I got my permit, I drive him back home, you know, like where they've be in Greenville, South Carolina. You know, they drive me down. They'd be so early, i'd be sleep but on the way back, I would drive back, you know. And I

didn't really think about it. But ten years later, I'm playing the Mini Tours. I'm driving ten hours to play a Monday qualifier or something. It was nothing. It was like, dude, I've done this, like you got You got taught by the old school folks. So with teaching you, yeah, you want to play this game, but you got to grind it through. You know, write day, I want the championship, but not this stuff, the little stuff. But to play in the regular season, no rest me. They don't want

to play. And they were teaching you to get to the playoffs and to get to the championship, to get the winning parade. You gotta grind it through the regular season. You gotta play the good teams and the easy teams, but they're preparing you for that getting up early. Right. It was awesome, right, yeah, it was. So they're still rounds. They still the guys that that took that I hung

out with. They're real old out so it kind of it's unfortunate sometimes when I like see them because they're like they're playing from so far up, you know, they're getting old. Like I mean, I know I'm getting old too, but like it's weird when like they used to play the same teas as me. You know, it's like now it's like we're gonna play two teas up. You know, the same thing with my dad, you know, he's like moving up tea boxes. So it's just, uh it's good.

So I don't get to play with them much. But something I do every uh every year around Christmas, I take all my pro friends are like really good friends that play really good golf, and I get the Parbusters and one of my friends will play with the Parbusters and we do it every year and then we have like a little cook out at my parents house afterwards. It's just super appreciative of them. But like they the best part that like I see like real good athletes,

like real sports like basketball and football. They don't want anything in return, you know, they never hey can you do this? Can you no? Like perfect example, when I come back for the Wells Farga, I don't. They don't ever ask for tickets. They're coming you and uh. I just hope that every kid has that opportunity to have someone that genuinely cares about their well being, you know.

Um So, yeah, you were talking about my upbringing that I was When I mean spoiled, I mean it in a way that I was full because they always gave me an opportunity act just to be able to do what I wanted to play golf, Oh you want to play down here? Just roll with us, you know whatever that might be. Um So, yeah, the Powerbusters are still around and and the coolest thing is like if you were playing and some white guy wanted to play with us, no, come on, like everyone was welcome. You know. It's like

that's just how I was brought. I used to hate it as a kid when my dad did it, but we'd go play and I just wanted to fly around there and he if if there were two people on the pudding green, my dad would inviute him every time he still does it to this day. And I when I he first started doing as a kid, I was like, damn, let's just play man, come on, and he's like no, So I'd meet the people and I still you know one guy that I met at the city, he's on we called the city or the Muni, but it's called

the Top of Creek now, but we are. He's now on my board and my foundation. Yeah, and he's just a really good, really good friend. So it's, uh, it's crazy how it comes full circle when you get older. Yeah, That's that's that's really who I am. That's like, I've been around older people a lot of my life and I just either ask questions or they put me in position to learn my own lesson. We have to take a break and the morning anything, we gotta pay some bills.

You get check. I love cut to It and I love it even more when you download us and subscribe, and you can follow us on social media to Smithie where where at at? Cut to It? On Instagram, what about Twitter at cut to It? Facebook, cut to It feature in Steve Smith sing your what about online and you can follow us that cut to It podcast dot com where you can buy Merchant and you can subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts. I got all

my answers questions. Um, yeah, I got all my questions answered. That's what I'm here for. A brother, cut to a podcast dot com. Let's talk ball, the ball that you play, the sports as you play. My first question, Bro, I now, I see I was watching and I see all these guys with this big old black book in their back pocket and I and I believe that's the score card. And I play golf. I'm not very good, you know, But how did God do guys ever cheat on that

score card? Because when nobody I mean, I know you're on camera, but they cut off to your lot? Right Man? Do people really cheat? And I'm not saying don't want to. I don't tell them anybody, But I'm just talking about when I played golf with some of my folks right at all there's some gray areas. It's just no, that was a five, Bro, I counted seven. I drove there was a five. I think growing up there there was

things like that. I think, like in the high school golf for people they just want to play so good, they wanted they're trying to get college scholarships. You know, it's just this number real quick. I just I'm gonna go ahead and tell you though, I never really pay attention to anyone else, So you're not looking at anybody else and keeping score on score card. No, that's what. But some people correct, I think that. I think your job if you're playing with someone is to protect the field.

I protect myself. I'm focused on my never protected to field. On the PGA tour, I'm gonna go with a hard no. Okay, yeah, but like growing up, whatever it took, type things like your sheet. No, no, you know correct, you're gonna be coming back. Are there any unwritten rules that you have broken? Yeah, before I turned pro um, I'm name dropping. Only cares

for the US Open in Rockville, Maryland. And behind every hole there's a three ft Like say, I'm putting this way towards you, but three ft behind the hole, you're not supposed to walk behind it. You're not supposed to walk in the line. No. No, Like if I'm putting towards you and the whole, this is the hole where you're standing in, there's three feet where you're not supposed to come in, Like I'm not supposed to come behind, which is stupid, Like if you make the putt, why

you're worried about being behind it. So I didn't know anything about this, and I get pretty fired up, like just in general, because like you know, I'm firing under gas. We're about to get into the US open as an am. We don't ever worry about that. You're walking home long as you're not walking in his line straight. Yeah, so you thought, yeah, so Frank, like lider, I walked through.

I just walked through, not even thinking about it, and I kinda I go down to read my putt and he's like, he's like, don't ever walk there again, looked at me. I was like, instead of being nice, I should have just said, yes, sir, I understand that. No. I don't know that guy that North Carolina. Come on, look at me. What what you say? So I looked. I was been down reading my putt, and I was like, you stopped, turned around, looked him in his eye, and

then you said I just looking. I was like, oh yeah, yeah, my bad. You want to say you take that somewhere else? Like because the only reason he said something because I was beating him. It's thirty six holes that day only had nine more holes left. Like you know, if I par in I get in the US Open, no, no question to him. Yeah I was on one. How old are you an? I'm twenty years old, right, yeah, and

so then I make the putts. So if we pause, look at him again, huh did you say I did something wrong on the next home That's why, this is why I did not. That's why they don't let us play because see how you act, That's that's how you should respond. I don't care what color you are, and that's how you should respond. Because if I if I'm not disappointed that you were beating me, you you're not good enough. You you didn't excel your game to beat me. So I was. I was mad and I should have

just made I made the putt. In golf, we don't there's no confrontation. It's very little. If it's conversation, it's like big news. So like golfers, So golfers like being married. A lot of passive aggressive stuff. Yeah, they would rather do this. They're mad at you, Hey man, you know, why did you do that? But they'll do this right here, they'll turn around. Yeah, that's how they operate. That's how it works. I'm telling me it's weird. I don't know,

but it's it is what it is. So the next old instead of just being a normal golfer and just playing my game, or you have to do it right next to the tea box, like right where he could see me. I don't play that you don't want Yeah, I don't disrespect me like I didn't. If I would have known, if I had known the rule, then we got. Then we got like you've got a reason to be mad. But I didn't know. Man, I'm a kid. I'm I'm just trying to beat you, same thing he's trying to

do to me. So talking about right now gets me fired up, just because whenever I get his age, I hope I have more respect for human than he had for me at that time, because that's gonna show like, hey, I don't think you'll you're a friend, gonna be friends? O ya. If y'all know, that's that's when you're doing the lowest of the low. You're gonna do everything in your power to make sure we're gonna be friends. I

see him all the time. No, I ain't scared to talk to anybody, Like, if you got a problem, just tell me that he ain't gonna have a problem get your but you kind of you kind of alluded to it though we you know, somebody played football. What is the really what is the what is the locker room, if you will, of golf? You kind of told us kind of what some of those situations how they play out. But what what is like the locker room feel of

golf amongst amongst the PGA tour athletes. Can I ask the question absolutely what is your thought on the locker room? And I have no idea. That's literally what we ask. Oh, it's just like it ain't like y'all locker room at all. It's like, all right, I played golf today, I'm I'm either shower, I stay out of the locker room. It ain't my it ain't my thing. Man. You don't go

in there and like hang out. So you've been walking on the course for X amount of hours, so you just stank after that, you just go go home, go to my hotel and shower. I don't need to shower with anybody. I'm not saying shower. I'm just saying scrubbing yourself. Like I've walked the course, you smell like. But that's what worse. So I got to answer the locker room, yes, I'll try to bring you back, like I know. So it's very just like since COVID, whoever is in there

has tested. So they came in there and they took all the caddies, all the caddies tables, you got it. They had to eat outside. They tried to do it to the players. So what they did is they made a little table next to all our lockers, and that's where you had to eat. You couldn't eat in the open. It was like something out of a movie. It was like, all right, man, can't get some food. You just go

to your locker and you eat. So the locker room is very uh so you say professional, you said, you're just going to Your interactions with other golfers are mainly just surface level on the locker room to talk to anybody, all right, Like it ain't cool like that. It ain't. I don't think it is. I don't because I don't talk, and no one talks, like no one really talks because they're all and then their own thing. It's like having a hundred fifty teams every every week, a hundred fifty

lllc's basically they're all independent contractor correct. So like they're going there and they're just like, hey man, how's it going alright? Good? How did you play? All right? Change his shoes? Guy watches him, he puts them there overnight, You come and get him the next day. It's it's it's weird, stuffy, it's weird. If you grew up in a place where you say hello to everyone, you socialize, how's your how's your life doing? Like, how are your kids?

What are you about? But I will say the PGA Tour is a family whenever thing hits the fan, like camilovi Jak has just lost his uh, his daughter from brain cancer. So it's just kind of that's when it hits home, like it's uh, those guys will do perfect example VJ when Tucker when this guy's son, who's instructor, when his son almost died. VJ called him. He said, I'll get the plane wherever he is. I go get him where's it, wherever he needs to go. So like

in that aspect, the PGA tours unbelievable. They would. I mean, just to think of out there, calm like, hey man, I'll take care of it, don't worry about it. That's I think that's really cool. But when you're on a good day, you just go in there. Your stuff is in there, like your golf balls, so you and your shoes.

You know, that's about it. You talked about you have to drive yourself when the when when the Carbusters would you pick their pick you up early and when you got older you would drop them off or drive them. How this transportation transportation? Um, you know, living in living situations, you know, hotel, Airbnb, insures like all of those things. Yeah, alright, so, um, I'll probably spend thirty dollars and flying I don't I don't fly private that much. I might fly here, and

they're just not there in my life yet. But we have an unbelievable retirement program. If you're you're fully invested after five years on tour, If you years within ten years, you're fully invested. So it's uh so my fully investment invested tournament was last week. So I got the email super you know, so you're talking about my story. So when I got on tour, I knew nothing about I knew about retirement, but how it really works, you know, like obviously you're gonna correct. So I and I also

wanted to know how does a tour run? So I ended up signing up for the Player Advisory Council. I want to know what these board members talk about, because I knew down the road one day I was gonna have a foundation and what what is my board going to be about? Who's gonna be on my board and how I want to aligne that. So I got on there and I saw some of the questions. You know that we're on there, and it's there. My new there's this year I was on there. I wish I was

not on there this year. Um. I really wish Jay Monahan would have taken a more dictatorship because there weren't that many options with the COVID. It was like, hey, this is what needs to happen, we need to play, but they kept us on there. We probably had five calls during COVID. I mean they were all like hour and a half to two hours, and you know, I

learned a lot. So I'm on this thing and then we start learning like why it is important to be fully invested, you know, like if you're not fully invested, you don't get you don't get the money, like because you see the money adding up, like you, but I didn't know you. You don't get it if you don't play five years. So like it's very uh, it's very eye opening. But it's uh, what's eye opening that you

don't get the money? If I mean there's there's cases where players have needed one more event and didn't get you know, it's, uh, it's good and bad. I think it's a I think if you're good at golf, you're gonna play your five years period, you know, as simple as that. So it's not like you didn't have the chance to and they give you a window of Hey, if you lose your card after three years and then you come back in two years and play for three months, what's already in there? So it's a was a tough

sport it is. It's just it can be lonely. I don't mind it. I was gonna ask you. You mentioned how almost transaction it was. Where do you find your camaraderie there? I just about two years ago, I just really looked myself in the mirror and I was like, what what do I want to do? Because like the goal has always been to get to the PGA Tour, you know, like you know we're talking before this thing.

I almost lost my job, Like I finished like one and the FedEx And it was just a huge wake up call because the year before my rookie year, I just came out there fine. You know, I had four top tens. It was easy. It was like I'm gonna be here forever. Then the next year, almost lost my card, you know, and you you would understand when life really starts happening. My soon to be wife, she lost her brother that year. It was just kind of like a it was a weird year. I had my only professional

win that year. Then I she lost her brother. You know, like you got you gotta keep playing, you gotta you gotta find the way. So like it was, the world continues to rotate even though like you're going through. So it taught me a lot to like, it's a business. This is if you want to make it a business and you want to be good, you got to choose that like that that requires sacrifices. Like, man, I love having a good time. That's that's important to me, having

a good time. But playing well will give you the opportunity to have a good time, like and finding that direction. So I just looked myself in the mirror and I was like, what what do I want to do? And I have two really good friends who I really just asked these questions to, like what do you think? And then it got to the point where I started dictating. You know, I could tell the different tone and how I Hey, this is what I want to do. Correct

And I think you have to in golf. You can play good golf and get away with not choosing that, not deciding what you want. But it sounds like you can't because if you are not tightened up, and you don't because you you you said you came in as a rookie, I'll play here forever, but you're you're shooting be wife, fiance, your girl lost her brother. However, you still committed to getting up and putting on the golf shoes and putting the bag over your shoulder and practices it.

But yet between everything that transpired and you actually going out there and putting it together, there was something obviously missing. There was a gap. Did you figure out what that gap is? Because I understand you can get distracted, but almost losing your card that means you didn't just lose one or two, you know, opportunities you I mean, what what's the whole season? Where you just kind of were like out of it. You're like, so, but you guys,

what's the whole season? How many golf tournaments or how many matches golf tournaments? How many of the on the whole year? But so you know whether you're there's some that are on the same week, Like they'll have a w g C and then they'll have an opposite field event with less FedEx cut points, so like a major and a less major. Yeah, basically so they So I'm gonna play anywhere from twenty five to thirty two events. So so five to thirty two events, forty eight count

towards your card. No, only the ones you play count. Yeah, but I'm saying opportunities and then you might not be qualified for some of them, so that takes some away. But I'm I'm gonna play five to thirty two events. I know this, Maybe it sound harsh. So you shipped the bed about thirty two matches? Yeah, no, not thirty two because I won that year in Australia, but it didn't go towards How many beds did you ship enough

enough to wear? I didn't. I couldn't on the last well, The reason I'm asking is because the I see it now that I'm done. You hear the Monday Morning Couch Potatoes talking about quarterback, you know, Monday Morning running back, the Monday Morning Linemen right talking about calling the local radio leaving comments and talking about everybody. And I imagine that you have the same avid fanatics fans doing the exact same thing watching Good Morning Golf for the Golf

channel like I do. And sometimes and and I sit there and I go, I I love to play around the golf as the last guy on the tour, like if I played as bad as the last guy on the tour. But you know, I mean, people, how much money I'll take that bad shot? A tiger's awful day. I would give my left arm to have his birthday, to have his worst day ever. Pretty much. Yes. And because I'm just imagining all of what you exce, you know,

you experience. It has to have it has to be a mental breakdown or a mental thing that you go through every single day. You got forty nine opportunities and pretty much twenty nine seven them you struggle through correct to keep your focus daily reminder of focus. Um, I took on a lot as well, like I wanted in Australia that December, so it gave me European Tour status, which was really good. Why is that important European stylish?

So you could you could you could run the tables and make your world ranking go up if you play some of the European events and play over there to have hold on the pool. So you kind of like, yeah, hey, I want to go play in the UK. Cool, all right? The world ranking is way better over there that way than it is in America. So I tried to I just tried to do it all. I'm damn I can do it, you know, That's what I'm thinking in my head.

But like life comes at you fast, just when you think you can do anything, you gotta be you gotta stay true to the fundamentals and where you want to go, but you gotta make a choice. You got so all right that happened. And then once I started playing well, I was like, I'm gonna find a way to where I can do this all the time, Like I can I can manage to be like I'm gonna I'm coming here to win the tournament. Sometimes you just go through the motions. You're just like man I'm here this week,

I'm playing. Okay, let's hope something good happened. You think Tiger goes up to a turn and I hope something good happens. I don't. I don't think so. But I'm not perfect, so you don't. But y'all perfect example, you gotta go past just being on the PGA Tour, Like, no, man, we were on the tour because that's where I wanted

to go. But now you gotta shoot a little bit higher, you know, like, how do we how do we get on the schedule where like, oh, we're gonna play twenty events this year, we're gonna play all the majors, all the w g c's, and we're gonna have a chance to win them. And I started like, every about two or three months, I get in contention. I played in the last group of the p g A and I didn't play well, you know, like just just kept getting

closer having chances to win. And then I will say, though, there is no greater feeling than having a chance to win a tournament. I unbelievable. What's that feeling when you're locked in? How does that feel when you're locked in? Is unbelievable? But doing it when everyone's watching, everyone's cheering. It's like, I just man that it's so much fun. I've caught passes in front of seventy thousand. You go to a golf tournament, somebody flicks a picture and the

shutters working. I've seen golfers go bowl listed great question, it's terrible. How are you guys unable to focus to hit that ball? When I get you gotta catch it from the seventy thousand people know? How about you gotta you gotta catch it? And you know, Luke kick Ley, it's about all you got. All you gotta worry about is a squirrel thinking your ball? Is it not? Yeah, y'all can't get it? How y'all just can't perform? I

will say. The only thing that gets me is when people walk behind the pen, like if I'm like a hundred and fifty yards out, sometimes the volunteer will be put the hands. As long as you ain't for me, as long as you are not in front of the golf ball, that's a great yeah, because I mean the alternative you get bothered as long as you you're not where I think you might get hurt. I'm hitting, so

I do think it's uh. Sometimes it's embarrassing because like pros will be like, oh, yeah, we play a sport, and I'm like, no, man, we play golf, like if we play the real sport, and I don't think it's a sport, not to the degree where like you have to be you gotta be mentally tough in a way where like, oh man, I can play eighteen holes, but it may come on, man, you gotta walk and you only got to be ready for to be thirty seconds

and then you just walked in the next one. So how is your how do you believe your focus is on this? I just believe I'm better and everyone. So like when I get out there, I just like do what I do, Like I I legit. You almost like let go, like you all when I first got there, Oh I want to hold on. I want to have my card for no, I just let go, Like just do what you do, like be be Harold, Be the best Harald you can be, because if I'm doing that,

it gives me the best chance to perform. And then once you start getting in contention, as you let go, you don't ever try to hold on it. So you have a lot of nerves starting off before you turn I first got in contention. Yeah, because you just want to do so freaking good. Especially when you start getting there, You're like, I can do this. I can play good even without my best stuff. So like you, you just

work your way into it. You're like, by if I just can just keep working, get a little closer, and then by Sunday you're like this game on. You know, like last week there were no fans, but I felt I felt it on Sunday, just like, hey man, you gotta chance to do something that you haven't done before, and whatever that is, we're gonna We're gonna go for it instead of worry about like if I do this, this will happen. No, let's worry about the right now.

Right now, I need to hit this fair away. So like having that discussion with you know, my two closest friends and myself, it made it easier to let go. Hey man, take a deep breath. You're here for a reason. I think it's about that time. Just take a little breather. Good, do it good, getting down to do it good. Hey Gerard, why did you get that T shirt? Oh? Yes, I got it from cut to a podcast dot com where we have exclusive merchandise. Shout out to our guys at

seven or four shot. But yeah, you can go on, buy you a T shirt, subscribe to us whereever you listen to podcasts. Tell us about your first interaction with Tiger Woods. Yeah, so the first one was pretty funny. I was in l A and alright, so my locker points this way, my locker points this way. So this is alphabetic, this is audio podcast. They can't see you. Oh well, are you looking at me? So I'm just I'm just trying to visually show you. I'm just saying,

that's that easy. Anyway. I didn't know man he was recording. I thought it was it's still photography. So we're Uh. So I'm sitting at my locker and we I had heard that, you know, something about like hey, you know, I would loved it, you know, try to get you wearing Nike, you know, and obviously i'd wear something in the T up collection. And you know, I didn't didn't hear much of it after that, and I was already

in Jordan gears. So we come. He's coming right towards me and my caddy and coming right and he could have been going to his locker no, he was going to because his lockers behind me, but my agent and my caddy just leave. I'm like, all right, So I wanted to. I wanted to play with him sometime that year because my first two years he was hurt, like he wasn't you know, I wasn't playing at all. So he comes and he's like, he's like, how long is that Jordan deal? You know, like just to ask me.

I'm like, all right, man, So I just told him, you know whatever. So whatever. A couple of days go by and I see him again as locker and he's like he's just super chill now. But like that's that was my first interaction, and it was I mean, I didn't know what to say. I'm like, damn thog Hey, how you doing? You know, guics to meet you? So it was it was very interesting. But um, we've developed an awesome relationship since then. He I've practiced with him

down and uh in Jupiter. You know, he's been so good to me. But the funny part when I asked him to play. We're at the Wales Fargo and he's coming by and I'm like, man, I'm tired of asking you. We're gonna play, But like, let's do this. So when you play with Tiger, you're on his schedule, like when he wants it up, you're going when he's gonna you ain't gonna be like, hey man, let's just go a little bit earlier. So you're saying you don't have that kind of pool. Just I got with the girl at two,

so can we either go after that or before? So he uh, he's walking by and him like, let's play and he's like, all right, I'll send you a text and tomorrow night. I'm like, a dude, what I mean, it ain't that hard to because on the tour, like when there's no pro ams, because there's no problem at TVC. He's like, you know, you go whever. You know, it's not like you gotta playing out what you're gonna do.

So he texted me, he's like, we're gonna play it this time on tim We're gonna play it this time on one on Wednesday, and I was like, all right, I'll be here. So we show up and man, I just started picking his brain. I couldn't stop, Like that's that's like, that's why I wanted to get with him. But I also just he's the reason why I watched golf, Like, no, I don't. I didn't watch any golf after I've done playing the other day. I just he's changed the game. He made it to where it was, Oh, I want

to watch golf because Tigers playing. So what is as a as a African American golfer? What was it about Tiger that made it interesting? I mean, you were part of you knew about golf, you were introduced at golf by your pops at two years old. However that it had to be something more than just or was it just for black guys playing golf? Okay? For me, it was just how good he was, Like, dude, when so I remember watching him in the two thousands when he won in nine seven, Like I never knew like Augusta

didn't have any black members. I never knew anything about color, Like damn dog, damn the color. He He's hitting the best shots when it matters the most, He's beating people by fifteen and I'm watching it. I'm like, I mean, what is he going to do next? Type think it was his dominance, Yeah, dude, he I mean he's won

eighty two times, you know, so it's just incredible. That was my thing but when I started talking to him and just getting to know him, that guy just wants he wants to be normal and he never will be able to get that. I mean, I don't think so. So it's just I've been super thankful that he lets me pick his brain. Like if I text him, he gets back to me. It's, uh, give us one thing

that this is perfect. So like growing up, like I never played in front of a lot of people, like hardly ever, even on the corn Ferry tour like our our developmental tour to get to the PGA tour, you don't really play in front of a lot of people. So when you play with Tiger, I mean, this is zoo. It's I mean, there might be twenty people in your group and you're round a practice round. He told me that. I said, man, how do you focus with all these people?

Because like when people show up watching me, Man, I'm looking at everything, I'm checking out, I'm screening it. I'm like, who is it? What is it? Who? I don't know him? You know all the other stuff too. I said, how do you focus? And he said, it's like it's like reading a book with the TV on. Do you ever notice when you read with the TV on, like you can you can keep reading, but you kind of know what's happening with the TV. And I was like, yeah, he's like it's the same thing. So he all he

just told me, he's like, just read your book. It was a great analogy because, like it showed, it makes me aware that he sees everything just because he ain't zoning in, he can hear it, he can see it. So it made me free up even more. Like I was like, all right, damn, I can look at whatever I want, but I know if I just relax and read my book, I'm gonna be back and where I need to be. How did that relationship with Michael Jordan come about? Yes, so guy named Fred Whitfield, who I'm

sure everyone knows awesome. Yeah, he he's pretty I guess he's bored right now because he's been texting me every round, like you know, he usually texts every Sunday like good tournament, hanging there, your head up, you know, just so so encouraging. But he, I guess, I mean talked to m J and they wanted to start a golf line, and it just, uh, you know, I was fortunate enough to be the guy

so it's pretty Uh, it's really awesome. Um So how do you get the notification that you were Jordan or the introduction order or just like what was your what was your interaction? What was your interaction? All right? Uh so, uh played in Greensboro, Fred. It came out and watched and it was the same year almost no I've played,

and so this is how I met Fred. I played in the Hoopie Foundation event and he uh, I was a pro then, and he he didn't let any more pros play after that because we won with Rip Hamilton's and we didn't. I didn't play another one, but I came back and I spoke to the kids, you know, just you know, just helped him out whenever I could. But after that tournament, he uh he texted me. He said, Hey, the Boss is gonna text you tomorrow. I was like,

all right, cool that stay. I get off the plane and the text shows up and he's like, hey man, good playing. Uh I'd love to get you in the brand. And I was like, so you get a personal text from him, Jay? Correct? So continue after you got off your coach See that was in my coach at that was very classes coach. My show like I fly coach as much as I can. I'm not me brother, No, I mean I don't want to talk to you. COVID now you can. You can't see listeners, but his nose

is way up in the air, super so freaking. I don't know, I have to. I didn't text him back because I went to because you didn't. So Michael Jordan texts you, congratulations, we want to go. We want you to go with Jordan Brand And your reply is, oh, I I went, I replied, just not right. Then, I replied, as soon as I got off the golf course, which was how many hours it had to be at least eight hours, So you left Michael Jordan's on rid so

that is not high win. Then when I got to the golf course, and this is your story, but you're telling us coming out of this is exactly what happened. I got off the plane, I got to text, I got my bags, I went straight to the court. You didn't get the text. You looked at the text, You look at the text, put the phone back. This is all true. So this is audio. But I'm you're gonna hear my phone hitting. He's gonna yeah, I get back to that dude, when I see it, it is not

something like that. Went more saw the text. This guy's coming at me. He's like, hey, when you want to get your curse, And I'm like, yeah, I need my cursey call. I just did. Man, I looked at your phone from that text until at the end of golf. I looked at it, but I didn't have time to reply. You didn't have went on for the go and when I'm on the golf course, you had other people to talk to more important, No, I had business to take

care of my job. I was lost. You didn't hear that part of I'm out lost my tour play If you don't finish in the top one, you lose your card. So I finished one twenty three, and I was like, well, damn man, I'm gonna keep going because in the playoffs they stacked the points up to where you can just you can just keep going. You can just roll your way all the way to east like, so I get I just get in the mode to wear if I play well this week, I'm gonna be able to go

next week. So and what happened is I flew on Tuesday. For some reason, I flew on Tuesday and then on Wednesday, we weren't allowed to practice, so you had a lot of phone time. Oh that, I replied, when I got done, I got my eighteen holes in because I've never seen the golf course. What was his response when you finally yeah, I don't know if he's pissed, but I just said, hey, m J, you know, man, that'd be awesome. I'd love to work that out. Um. And then about two days

later it was done. And one thing I learned and whatever MJ wants and Jay gets, and I've been super fortunate to be one of the people that you know, benefit from. All right, Well, Harold, this next segment that we have is called the Deep Three, and basically, these are three questions that will ask you that just goes beyond your Jay's those nice Jordan clothes you have on, but really analyzes your life and gives a perspective of

you outside of being a golfer. So, yes, that ask the first one, does Harold want to be known for an excellent black golfer or just to be known as a great golfer, great golfer without a doubt, that's what's going to give me the best chance to help the most people. Because if I go through life and the only thing I can say is I help black people,

I mean, how sad does that sound? That means I limited my reach and I just don't want to ever be on that Peggy backing off that a little bit, what's it like when you go into a real room, whether it's that boardroom you talked about, or you go into that locker room and you're you're often the only person of color and you have to almost explain your blackness? What what is that like? Almost always having to explain and be and be that source of of blackness in

a room. Um, it is. It's been difficult lately, but before I never thought about it. I go in that room, as Harold Varner, I have a chance to If you want to know about where I come from, I'm gonna tell you. You know, whether that's race or whatever. Is like when you ask me why I grew up, I'm gonna tell you, Like, that's just how it is. Um. But right now it's important too. It's important to America, but it's also important to black people to listen. You know,

there's people that do want to help. I think there's more good than bad, and we're in a position right now to where we only focus on the bad. So when I do go on these rooms, yeah, I get to I get to tell my story because I'm black, But I also have an opportunity to get at a person of another nationality to be able to help us.

You know, It's just just the way I grew up perspective, Yeah, because I think there's people that want to give opportunity I and I just don't know if I hand out just because we see something that is evil is the best way. Um, I don't. I don't think George Floyd is a way that we should just all today, we're gonna help somebody. If I choose to help someone just because I saw a videotape of evilness, that's then I

wouldn't help anybody in the first place. Um. And I don't know too many people that can look at that video and be like, oh man, that was that that that wasn't that bad? I mean, you lost your mind. I wouldn't want to associate with that person. So when I go in there, I have an opportunity to honestoly share my story, but I have an opportunity to use these people as ways to get closer to where there's not a bridge. We don't need a bridge. Man, We're

we're humans that want we want good. I don't know. I don't associate myself with too many people that want to see bad things happen. And now it's turned into a political battle. So we're fighting a lot of battles. But there's enough good in this world to make it. We're gonna make it. We're gonna be all right. We're gonna see it through. As a golfer and as a man. Do you know your own blind spots? Yeah. I like

showing off. I like being the man. I like talking smack, but those things don't always get me closer to being getting that win on the PGA tour. You know that that is my thing? Like who doesn't like being? Like you said earlier, everyone wants to be the best, but they don't want to do the little stuff. But I've been doing the little stuff so I can talk smack and say, hey man, it's more work, you know, especially when I'm tasting it. I'm getting to getting more of it.

I uh, I enjoy it. Once again, it's my journey. And I had a conversation with however one the other day, who you know he's won everything. You know, he's won thirty some times on the Champions Stories, won a couple of majors. Um He said, Harold, do you look yourself in the mirror? And I was like, yeah, but lotional brush my teeth. See if I got a ZiT once or twice? You know, nothing crazy. He said, Tomorrow when you wake up, shower, do what you do. Said look

yourself in the mirror and just looking right now. And I thought that was so eye opening because if you can look yourself and know that Harold can keep Harold accountable because when you're growing up, you have as a kid, you have humans that keep your accountable. You have a coach, you have something. But like when you get to where I am in life, it's only up to Harold. Like what does Harold want to do? Like you know, like

what is that? And you don't know that if you're just bouncing around all the time, every once in a a while, you need to sit down and look yourself and like have a conversation with yourself. You know it might sound crazy, but it's been really good for me. Yeah. I love

what you said. You gotta run your journey. I mean, each individual doesn't matter what color the skin you are, each individual person must run their journey um and then their journey they're gonna go through some ups and downs um, good and bad peaks and valleys, but no one can get you out of and no one is gonna save you. And just talking to him was really awesome because we got to shoot, shoot the breeze, chit chat tall, laugh, joke around. But also I got educated on some things.

Him as the person, him is the golfer, Him is the man, him to be assumed a husband, and then him as a son, and what his what his father is still with him? And then those the par barbusters, the par busters, what they instilled in him, and understanding. I don't care how much technology uh is advanced. The old community. It takes a village or community to raise your child still here today. COVID no, COVID doesn't matter.

And he was raised by village and that just gets to reap the benefit the fruit, not fruits, the fruit of that labor. It's Harold Varner, a pretty dang fantastic golfer and a pretty cool man that happens to where the Jordan's and playing and playing golf, so it's cool. Herold. We appreciate you. We appreciate um you guys tuning in to Cut to It and just know we all run our journey. We all run our journey. Cut to It

with Steve Smith Senior. That Is Me is a production of Cut to It, LLC, Ball Tool Creative Media, The Black Effect, and I Heart Radio. For more podcast from I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio Apple Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows from Cut to It Executive producer Steve Smith, SINGR co host Gerard little John, talent in booking manager Joe Fusci, social media

manager Peyton Smith from Balto Creative Media. Cut to It is produced by Brian Baltaschevic and Meredith Carter, with production assistance by Alex Lebrek, Production manager Sarah Pollock. Theme music by Alex Johnson, lyrics and vocals by Anthony Hamilton. You ain't heard them about it, then we're about to let you know. It's all