Colt Knost

But it is terrifying being out there every single week because you don't know who's miked up and who's not, so you gotta be very careful with what you say. I made a comment to Max Olma's caddie Joe Grinder on day and he just starts laughing, and I go, you're miked up right now, aren't you.

Yep. I'm like, damn it.

Guys like delete that I looked up for the guys, but it's so fun. I'm Colt Knows from CBS Sports, otherwise known as Big Gravy, and I am so excited to be on Off the Beat.

Hello everybody, and welcome to Off the Beat with Me your host Brian Boncartner. Now, guys, you aren't going to believe this, but my guest today is someone I play golf with. Yes. Now, I know that a lot of my guests lately have also been my golf friends. But here's the thing. I am very very lucky to get to play golf with some really interesting people. In fact, this is one of my favorite things about the game of golf, is that I get to spend four or

How we doing, Brian? Thanks for having me on?

Well, thank you. I mean I can see you're a professional podcaster. You have a light shining right directly behind you, right into the thing. I mean, that's perfect. You've done it. You've set yourself up perfectly.

It took me a while, but I kind of figured it out a little bit. We do a few of these, I know.

You certainly do. We're gonna talk about that in a minute. Well, first off, how are you are you good? Are you taking some time off these days? Well?

I thought I was. You know, we just did nineteen to twenty one weeks to end the season for CBS, starting back at AUGUSTA, so I thought I was gonna have some time off. But you know, things come up here and there, so I guess I'm for a fact, I don't sit still very well. So I've been all over the place, heading over to Roam here shortly for the Ryder Cup, which I'm really pumped about. But yeah, man, life's good. It's good to be wanted occasionally.

I guess CBS has the Ryder Cup this year.

No, they don't, NBC does. I'm actually working it for Sirius XM. We have a show over there three days a week and I'm going to be one of their analysts over in Rome. I've never been to a Ryder Cup across the pond, so I'm very excited.

Oh that's awesome, Well, congratulations on that. Is the Ryder Cup the best golf event.

You know, it's it's my favorite to watch, just because it's so different than anything. You know, it's actually team golf. And going to my first Ryder Cup two years ago at Whistling Straights. You know the scene on the first t Friday morning. I mean, the people start getting there at five am and they are going, you know, they got the chance, the songs, everything, I mean, you get I'm not even playing it. I was getting goosebumps, and

Well, you know, I want to talk about you, but you bring up something that I feel like I need to talk about, which is, you know, we've got We've got the Live Tour, which essentially has well I don't know if it's staked its claim on this, but you know, obviously one of the huge components for them was team play. I had a conversation with Charlie Hoffman about this. Do you feel like team play is coming for the PGA Tour or no? I do not.

You know, I'm all for, like I said, the Ryder Cup, and it's every other year, the President's Cup all that like that's different. I mean, that's representing your country, the team part. Like I think the PGA Tour professional golf, it's always been an individual sport, and I think that's what makes it great. You know, you look at tennis, like the ratings and singles are much higher than the ratings and doubles, Like no one really cares about the

Okay, I mean it's curious to me. I mean I tend to agree with you, but you know, I think the Righter Cup thing and Charlie said a similar version of what you said, which is, if you're playing for your country and as a spectator, you can get behind that. Either you know, the Europeans or international teams or whatever versus the United States wanting to beat the United States. The United States wanting to you know, to dominate singularly. So you feel like that is the thing that makes

Yeah, Like for me, like I played the Walker Cup, which is the Amber version of the Ryder Cup, and I mean, you put on the red, white and blue, you hear your national anthem at the opening ceremonies, Like I mean, it brings a lot of guys to tears. You just in golf, you're never a part of the team.

The other point you made that that I have to address with you or at least ask your opinion about what makes the Masters the greatest golf tournament.

I think because it's at one golf course throughout the history of time. And so if even if you're not a golf fan like you can probably you probably know what Amen Corner is. You can recognize those holes because we see it every year and it's just one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Everybody knows about the Green Jacket, the history. I think that's what makes it so special? I mean, it's by far the most watched golf tournament every single year, and the place is just so special.

Yeah, you know, it's funny. I've talked to some people about this, the sort of the age old like what's the what's the greatest golf course? Or people asking me like what's my favorite golf course or whatever, And a lot of times people will bring up Cyprus right up there on the Monterey Peninsula, and you know, talk about that versus pebble and people saying, oh, Cypress is so much better. See for me, it can't compare to pebble.

One hundred percent. And just going back to the Masters, like my first ever trip there, I believe it was three years ago to cover the Masters, and it was twenty twenty one, it was still very limited patrons and all that. So Monday, I get there and I go out and I walk all eighteen holes by myself, and you're exactly right, like I'm going up every hole and I'm like, oh, so and so did this there, you know, And I knew exactly what hole was coming every time.

I'm a shot, right right, all right. I could talk golf forever, but let's talk about you something equally as interesting. That's interesting. You were born in Ohio and then fairly quickly moved to Pilot Point, Texas. What was the move? Was this some family move? Yeah?

My mom moved down there when I was very young. So like, I consider myself from Texas and I have some family in Ohio, but I don't remember any of Ohio, and my voice definitely doesn't sound like I'm from Ohio. I quickly adopted the Texas twang. But yeah, mom moved down there, and you know, it was a blessing, obviously a much better weather throughout the year in Ohio and introduced me to the game of golf.

How did you start playing golf? Did you start playing really early? Are you like a four year old out there little gravy swinging or are you are you is this later? No?

So I joke around about this, but I'm actually seriously like I was a sports freak growing up. I mean, football, baseball, basketball, hockey. I loved it all. I watched it all. Golf was later for me, and it's honestly because I realized, like, I'm not going to be built for much else, Like I'm not going to be six ' three in the you know, the super fit guy and super athletic, Like that's probably not just me.

So I started.

I had some buddies that played golf. I picked it up, and I absolutely fell in love immediately, and I pretty much quit every other sport and focused on just golf. I was like, if I want to do anything in professional sports, I think this is the route I have to go. So I was all in on golf immediately, and it's honestly because of the way.

I was built. How old are you at this point?

I was twelve or thirteen when I picked up I think I was twelve years old because Tiger was the big influence when he won the ninety seven Masters.

Okay, so you're twelve or thirteen years old by the way, Like I decided at a really early age, I was going to be the first basement for the Atlanta Brave. So for me it was early as well. It didn't happen for me quite that way, but for you was it like, oh, I'm picking this up and this is what I'm gonna do. Is it that early?

It was pretty early on, But I still didn't know throughout my career because growing up in Pilot Point, Texas by the way, as a town of five thousand people, it's like horse country. There's not a golf course. My former stepdad was a horse trainer and we had a fifty five acre range. So basically I had my own driving range at the house. I just had to go pick them up and shag balls, okay, And I I was very natural, like I didn't take a lot of lessons.

The Western Athletic Conference, the WHACK conference that SMU was in at the time, two thousand and four Freshmen of the Year. So yeah, I mean you started out quickly. The seventy seven must have turned into six is pretty quickly. How SMU has always had or typically has a great golf team. Rice and Deshambeau among others, went there. And how was SMU when you were there? Were you competing nationally?

Yeah, we made it to nationals two out of my four years. You know, you got to go through conference regionals and then get to Nationals. Probably our best team we ever had was my junior year and we just missed out, which was a tough one. But yeah, we have a great history there between you know, the late Payne Stewart of course, an SMU mustang, Hank Keeney. We went on a run where we won four USMS in sixteen years at a school like SMU, which is kind

So was Randy your official coach?

He was my swing coach, not my college coach. I worked with a guy. Our college coach was Jay Laurd SMU, but Randy Smith was the longtime swing instructor Justin Leonard, he's now a Scotti Scheffler. He's at Scotti Sheffler In's he was six years old. He was my swing coach. So when I wasn't practicing with the team, I was out working with Randy.

Right, you decide to turn pro when you leave school. You have had a ton of success in college. What was behind the decision for you to make that jump and decide that you're now going to grind and turn pro?

Yeah, so it was, you know, whinning the US Amateur got me an invite to the Masters the next April.

Which you didn't you didn't take.

Yeah, So I mean, that's obviously one that gets a lot of criticism, and you know, looking back at I'm.

Not criticizing, but that's partly why I'm asking, Like you're sort of dialed into this path and you decide to turn pro. Yeah.

The biggest thing for me was, you know, I mean, and now going professional it's a business now. And the way I looked at it and my team looked at it was like my stock was never going to be any higher. Like I was the number one am in the world. I had just done something that only two other people in the game of golf had done, an amateur golf like and there was a financial opportunity there for me. And as a twenty two year old kid,

Right. Do you regret it? No, I don't regret it at all.

I don't regret anything I've done in my career, just because I think it's led me to a place that I'm really supposed to be, which I'm sure we'll get to. But no, I mean, it's hard to look back. Like like I said, I would have loved to have played in the Masters. I joke if I would have played in the two thousand and eight Masters when in the USAM champ plays with the defending champion, which would have

You don't stay now? Is it buy dot Com? At the time? Still?

Oh god, I think it was web dot com.

Web dot Yeah, the current Corn Ferry Tour. You miss out getting your PGA Tour card, but just for one year, and the second year you win two tournaments. Are you feeling like your trajectory is You're gonna be the best in the world.

Everything is going the way it's supposed to. Honestly, Like, I mean doing what I did No. Seven, going over to two thousand and eight on the now Korn Ferry Tour and winning twice. Honestly, had a couple of chances to win even.

More, Oh you did.

Oh yeah, I had a few chances. I mean I was in the final group in Omaha, I remember to get a battlefield promotion, had a good chance at the Tour Championship as well. But honestly, that was probably one of the worst things that happened to me, is because I felt like golf was easy. I literally had not played bad in two years, and so I'm like, I'm gonna go out on the PGA Tour. I'm gonna win once or twice a year out there, make millions of dollars, have a great career, and then right off into the

There for a while.

There's a lot of distraction out on the PGA Tour that are a lot of fun, and I, you know, that's the one thing I probably do regret is not working as hard early on in my PGA Tour career as I did.

You know in college and amateur golf. So once you got your tour card, you feel like you worked not as hard.

Yeah, I just I thought, like, honestly, it was just everything was easy. I'd won something like if you went back between college and my first year on the corn free I had won like eight times in two years. Like it was just it was, seriously, golf felt easy. And I went out there and wasn't working the way I was. Had a horrible rookie year. Had to go back and those first few seasons I was back and forth between the corn Fairy and the PGA Tour, just trying to find my footing. And it took me a

I talked to Charlie about that a little bit as well, that the only equivalent kind of right is going between Major League Baseball and the miners. How was that for you? I don't know mentally emotionally, was was that difficult free you, you know, being relegated or I guess soccer too right, I'm watching Wreckham right now being relegated back? Was that tough for you?

I think it's tough on everybody, you know, starting out when you're twenty two, like, you're hungry, you'll play anywhere. That competition is great. You're playing professional golf for a living at the second highest level basically, so things are great. But then you get a taste of the PGA Tour and you have to go back and it's a slap in the face. You go from courtesy cars, nice hotels,

Do you feel like you did that in twenty fifteen?

Yeah, Eventually, you know, I finally got comfortable. I had a good year in twelve, I believe twenty twelve, struggled in thirteen, and then fifteen and sixteen I really started playing well, had a few chances to win. I think I had like eight top tens in two years, something like that. And then I hurt my left hand and had some struggle with that. But I finally felt like things were heading in the right direction right before I got hurt.

Yeah, you and I spent a little bit of time together during that time when you hurt your hand. Now what exactly happened? Again? What was it? So?

I was really struggling with a lot of pain in my left thumb in twenty sixteen. Had it looked at many at times kept telling me there was really wasn't anything wrong with my thumb, and I was playing. So I went all of twenty sixteen where my doctor let me warm up for twenty minutes before the round and then no practice afterwards. And I had the best year of my career. But it got to the point where my clubhead speed kept going down and down and down. And I can't afford that. I mean, I don't hit

Jeez, So when.

Of those things happened? But you know, the way I look at it is like that injury led me to what I'm doing now, and it might be the best thing that ever happened.

Right, do you think if you had I mean, hindsight is twenty twenty, But if someone had told you what the real issue was earlier, that you could have gotten it corrected earlier and come back stronger. Yeah.

Maybe. Obviously being out, being out for a lengthy amount of time is brutal, just I mean, not being in competition is tough.

Well, you lose your status too, right, Well, you can.

Come back and play on a major medical which is what I was. So I was on a medical exemption. So I still gotten all the PGA Tour events. I just didn't play as well as I needed to keep my car. But yeah, the way I was playing in fifteen and sixteen, I was very confident I could come back and do it again. But also, the game of golf's changed a ton in the last decade. You don't see many guys that play the way I did out

Yeah. Zach Johnson, who you mentioned before.

Yeah, he's done right. We had a guy calling to our radio show the other day and say that Zach Johnson was a mediocre PGA Tour player. I was, like, he's fourteenth all time in career money, and he hasn't had the greatest last three or four years when the purses have gone up, and he's a two time major championship at d two most historic golf courses in the world.

Hall of Famer.

Oh I'll take I'll take that mediocrity please.

You did compete in one hundred and ninety nine. Wow. When I saw that number, I felt, I was, that's unfortunate. One hundred and ninety Is it two hundred if you count the Byron Nelson that you withdrew from or does that is that part of the one ninety nine. I don't know.

I'd have to look back. I think it's one ninety nine, though it's a it's an interesting number. People people ask me if I'm going to go back and try one more, just.

What just what you can get it now? You can get an exception probably in play play one more over thirteen seasons. What do you consider to be the highlight of your professional golfing career? Oh?

Professional, there wasn't many highlights.

You know, well do it? First off, let me say this because I mean you've hinted at it, but but let me get the stat right. In two thousand and seven you won three us GA tournaments, only the third player to ever do that after j segual Great and Bobby freaking Jones. I mean that is uh, I mean, that is a huge accomplishment. And you know, as I indicated before, like you were on a trajectory you know, to be to be one of the top five players in the world. Probably, Yeah, that was kind of my thought.

Maucks, as they say in Varsity Bluz, you know, highly of the professional career. I would probably say the Players Championship the year I finished third, shooting sixty three on Friday there with a bogie on the last. By the way, your man, Charlie Hoffman, no one had ever been ten under part through seventeen holes at any point at tpcsaw Grass. I'm ten under through seventeen. I three put eighteen to

Who meant, oh you did?

Oh yeah, Perc. I'm a golf nut. I know all the all the numbers. But the first text I got after shooting sixty three on Friday was from the Seagull, Charlie Hoffin saying, nice three puts. I mean, just it's just so typical he is. He is one of my favorite people. Nobody has a more fitting nickname than the Seagull. We were in Atlanta a few weeks ago. CBS was covering the Tour Championship for the first time, and I'm on the range and they showed me on the range

He is special. You know. My researchers, by the way, told me about you finally making it to the Masters. I mean that I don't think they were They were making fun as much as just pointing that out to me. Oh my god, he is a butte. He is something. Yeah, he is a butte. Yeah. Third at the play that's a big deal. Do you are you still tied for the course record?

No, Unfortunately, Tom Hogy shot sixty two last year and now he holds it alone right now.

I got nothing seconds. Not bad. Well, you still won three USGA events in two thousand and seven. Let me ask you this, do you think, well you brought up Tiger, I mean that he's like the obvious go to guy. Do you believe or do you know, because you've obviously spoken to him quite a bit, do you think he has those things in his head? Probably not.

I mean he's so ridiculous. I mean, he's not even human. I mean, the things he's done, I mean it's crazy looking at you know, like historical records and like crazy streaks and everything, and every single one of them's Tiger. I mean, he was just so much better than everyone else. I don't now. I know he is a golf nerd, and he knows who has the course record here, low a score of all time here, So yeah, he definitely

Right, Well, I wonder. I mean people say, and look, I fully admit that I'm a mental midget, but people say, when you're when you're playing, just concentrate on the shot ahead totally right, like leave everything behind. But people are like they don't, don't think about your score. That's I don't. I mean, who's not doing that?

But right I know, I know what everybody in my group is at, of course, like I know everything that's going on, of course, So I don't. Really I think that's impossible. Like I know exactly how many underpar or how many overpar I am every single time I've teed the golf ball up my entire life, So that's pretty much impossible. When someone gets done and be like, oh, what I shoot today, I'm like, dude, you know, damn well when you shot today.

You know what? I just thought of something. I just thought of something. My best round ever. I actually lost track. I didn't lose track, but I forgot where I was because I was on this day, on this weird day, I had gone under on the front and the idea of a minus on one side didn't compute to me, and I lost track and had and the course was a part seventy one, and so I had about a five footer for seventy one really and and didn't make it. How long was you put for seventy two? But I

I just think pro golfers in general, I mean, they're really really good, and so they're normally under part.

They know exactly where they stand, yeah, at all times. Yeah. In twenty twenty, after what I have heard you say, is one of your favorite tournaments, the Waste Management Phoenix Open you decide to retire? Is that about your injury? Couldn't do it anymore.

So that was the end of my major medical and so that's kind of going back to what I said about going back and forth between corn Ferry and PGA Tour. So I had two decisions, either I do something else in my life or I go back to the corn Ferry Tour. And I was thirty five years old, and I think I'd been out on the PGA Tour for six seven straight years something like that, and I was like, I don't think I can go back and do it, Like I have the opportunity with Serious XM do a

Yeah? All right, Well, before we talk about that, I got to ask you, do you miss playing competitively?

I think you'll always Anybody that does it for a long time will always miss it. Like I miss tuesdays, trash talking in money games with the guys out there, that feeling of like you're gonna throw up over every shot when you're in contention on Sunday, Like you can't ever replicate that in everyday life, so you'll always miss that.

How often do you play now?

It depends during the season, Like I hate traveling with my clubs because they're paying lugging around. No, it's the worst, you know, So I don't play a lot. But now that we're finished, like I normally play three days a week and only Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

So you play three days walking of course.

Off from my cart to my ball.

Yes, in the season, and if it's cart path only, you don't. You don't.

Plus see here in Arizona we oversee in October and so it's carts on path only until like January one, and it is the worst. I mean, you might as well just walk. Yeah, they keep the carts on the path for a long time around her, just because it's so busy January through May. They want their golf courses really green and pretty. So that's my least favorite time

Sucks. Yeah, I hear you. You have been described by me as the Charles Barkley of golf. Why do you think And first I want to talk about your role with CBS lead on course analyst.

That's Dottie. That's Dottie. She's got the lead term.

I'm just on course analyst.

Yeah, on course would be fair, on course yeah, on course reporter analyst.

On course Yeah. But I feel like they're doing some really fun new stuff with you that is ultimate great for the game of golf. I'll bring up you at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on the sixteenth hole there and the work that you've done the last couple of years from there, Why do you think that this work suits you?

That's a great question. You know, I never had any plans of getting into this. I recently learned in the last couple of years, my mom told me that I would sit when I was a young kid and act like a broadcaster during all the sporting sports. That was interesting to hear. That's something I never knew. You know, I'm a student of the game. I obviously played at a very high level for a long time. I know the guys so well. Like I mean, I'm just recently retired.

I'm not right. You know.

When I got that call from CBS, I'll never forget. I had a cast on my hand. I was probably with you. I was laid in my hotel room, and I wasn't with you in my hotel room. I was in Vegas at the same time as you, but I was laying there in bed when I got the call from CBS, the like would you ever consider doing TV?

That's exactly right. And here's what here's what I think. I mean I already gave you a compliment, but I'm gonna I'm gonna explain what I mean, you know. I mean, you bring up the fact that you're recently retired, and you know a lot of the guys, well, that could

Yeah, like you said, it's like I have no control over what happens on the golf course out there, Like my job is to inform the viewer, and if I can have some fun along the way, like that's what I want to do. Like I pay attention to everything that's going on in the world up to date on curt events, I know where I'm at, Like I love taking shots at other football teams around the world if we're in there city and stuff like that and bringing them in and then getting Twitter all riled up. It's

You know.

I use the example just to make fun of myself. Like we're at sixteen at Mirefield Village up in Columbus Jack Nicholas's tournament and they had this pin tucked over water. It was an impossible pin. And I said, this whole location looks about as inviting as one of those gem signs, and people just they think about it in a second, They're like, oh, I get it, Like you don't want any part of that. And I'm like, exactly, like you just ignore this whole location, shoot out to the right

There's no doubt.

I mean, the old adage I turn on the golf to take a nap. As a broadcaster, that's very insulting. I don't want you think an I just want to scream wake up out there every once in a.

While, right right, right, No, I know it's fair, it's very funny. This is I don't know if I've ever said these words before, but you know, we I hear a lot. Not to make this about me, but about the office and the number of people that say I put it on every night to go to bed. Thanks oh. In a second Full Swing documentary that Netflix did about the PGA Tour, you a fan. I thought it was.

Great for the game of golf. They did a great job with it for me. You know, I compare to Drive to Survive, which was the first one of those that was a massive hit. Like, I knew nothing about F one, so when I watched it, I was fascinated golf, Like I knew all this. I didn't need to know how to make a cut for you know, how many people play the weekend. What a birdie, what a par Is and all that. But I don't think that was made for me, the guy who lives and dies with

Like I find that part fast. Yes, well, you know I talked to Charlie about this as well. Figala though. I mean that story, that episode there, I mean, it has to have given him thousands, if not millions, of more fans. It was such an engaging story and you know, he just won. And I mean, look, it's great when you have a young player come out, play amazing and win a tournament. And if we know about those players, or we want to know about those players, that's what makes it especially special.

It was huge for him. I thought it was huge. I mean, look what Joel Damon like Joel Damon became all of a sudden this fan favorite because of his personality. His caddy, Gina was all over the episode that he's out there signing freaking autographs. What are we doing? But it shows you. I mean, that kind of exposure when you get on Netflix is awesome. I can't Season two, I think will be even better because they are learned a lot from season one. They're like, Okay, we can

Yep. I'm like, damn it.

Guys like delete that looked for the guys.

Yeah, yeah, I think it's great, and I mean it's I mean, it shows what a nerd you are, because yeah, I just gave the stats out forty two percent people are watching more golf and thirty seven percent people are following and searching et cetera players and golf on social media sites. I think it's done a lot to grow the game as well as the little thing called COVID that happened. You know, it got more people playing and so they're too four with more people following the best

Or no, it's been a disruptor obviously, and I think it's that I think it brought I mean, like you mentioned COVID, Like the only thing I think good that came out of COVID was golf. I mean, the numbers went nuts because we're all going stir crazy and wanted to get out on the golf course, and so it brought a lot of new people to the game live. It's been a topic of conversation on every outlook right, whether it's CNN, Fox News, Good Morning America, I mean,

Right, there's a lot of political issues that have to be and should be resolved. Will the merger happen? Do you believe.

It needs to? I think for the PGA Tour, as we've learned, you know, they can't compete dollar for dollar with the PIF. I mean, there's just there's no nobody can. So if you want to do that, if you want to try to compete with them, you're gonna lose. So I hope there's an agreement. Like all I want is the best players in the world to play against each other as often as possible.

That's I mean, that's all.

I care about. Like you, you know, out on the PGA Tour, what events have juice and what events don't. Like you get excited when ten on the top fifteen in the world are there. The majors are special. I always want those guys to be there in the majors, but I would like to see them more often. I miss Dustin Johnson, I miss bryceon de Shambo, even Patrick Reed. He's a disruptor, like I mean, he's he's the villain. Brooks Koepka is just a monster. Like those guys are

Yeah, and obviously not all of them. But as I was talking to Charlie about this as well, like and especially for you and your job, it's about the stories, right, and it does feel like not all of them. And I'm not endorsing this position. It's but a lot of the villains left, yes, and that I think all sports fans appreciate and want that. If the Yankees were gone, it wouldn't be as much fun to be the Mariners

Yeah, I use Brooks Skepka, and he's not I mean, you can consider him a villain if you want, whatever it is. But like when he shows up at major championships, you know, he's the baddest man on the planet, right, Like it is just I remember at Beth Page. He goes out there and shoots sixty three on Thursday at the PGA Championship, and every single person that field goes we're screwed because brooks Kepka just went out and took the lead. And he's one of those guys. He's a

Talking about world rankings. Who's the best golfer on the planet right now?

That is such a tough question, but I think you've still got to go Scotti Sheffler. His ball striking numbers are just insane. I know he's number one in the world statistically, but like, nobody hits the golf ball the way Scotty Scheffler does. If he puts it all like, he wins by one hundred and there was two turns. He went back tournaments this year at Colonial Memorial where he missed out on a playoff by a shot and

It, right, that's your answer.

Yeah, My favorite to watch, like just like one part is Roy McElroy drive the golf ball. It's like golden d just spin it back and spin it forward and it goes three thirty down the middle every time.

Yeah, it's fun. It's an interesting time to be a golf fan. You're right in the middle of it. What's your favorite event to cover now, Masters?

Yeah, definitely, you know, I haven't been on the main coverage of the Masters. I'm hoping that comes this year in twenty twenty four. Definitely going there every year. That is so special. But at home here, I mean it was my last event, the WM Phoenix Open. That atmosphere is just so cool. And when they put us down there on sixteen on Saturday, that is just so much fun getting involved with the crowd and it's just it's so unique. You don't other tournaments try to replicate that

You have a show on Sirius XM. Gravy and the Sleeves. Yep, your nickname, Big Gravy? How did you get your nickname? Where to come from?

So that all happened from Steve Elkington, per former professional golfer major champion. One day on Twitter, people are going back and forth and this guy's giving me a hard time and elk just chimes in. He's like, lay off, my man, Big Gravy, And I'm like.

Where the hell did that come from?

He's like, he's like, I'm a bourbon guy. He's like, there's a there's a really nice bourbon called Big Gravy. I love and I just feel like it kind of suits you, and it was one of the ones it just literally just took off out of nobody. So yeah, I got to give Elkington all the credit. It's just one of those nicknames that went. It wasn't the most flattering thing I would say, but it's still yeah, and I kind of like it now Now I just don't it.

I like it. You you enjoy doing the show still. I mean you're like the busiest man in golf too. I mean you talk about not wanting to grind and hit balls anymore, tried to work on the corn Ferry tour. But I mean, you've got your amazing podcast that is about to have a very special guest, very special golf's subpar with Drew Stolt, You've got gravy in the sleeves. So this is this is the same show that you were offered for Serious when you retired, right.

Yeah, So I got offered this Serious xim at La. I was doing TV, just my first ever TV event, and Scott Greenstein from Serious XM Game called and said, would you want to show? And I'm like, I mean, gods, Slees and I had been talking about doing a show together for years, just never knew how to get one, and then Yeah. We started out it one day a week for an hour, quickly went to three, three days a week for two hours. They want us to go to five, but I don't have time for that. But man,

It's insane. It's great. You're amazing to listen to. You offer so many insights. Again, I know to people who don't know golf well, but even those who do are constantly listening to what you have to say. It should be mentioned this year you made your first trip to beautiful my favorite place on the planet, the American Century Golf Championship in beautiful Lake Tahoe.

Do you want to see something amazing?

What?

So? I was literally getting ready for this show and I was on a trip to South Carolina yes day. So I was pulling my backpack or stuff out of my backpack and I find this ship from Harras. I can't make this up, Harris Tahoe one hundred dollars.

That is a one dollar from Harra's in Lake Tahoe.

Wow, hilarious. That means I have to go back next year so I can cash this out.

You have to cash it, you have to catch it out. Did you enjoy being.

There the greatest week of the year. Honestly, I'd heard stories I was going up there. We flew up there on Tuesday or Wednesday, Sleaz and I did a deal for Corbell and the Long Drive. Yes, on sixteen there. And then my good buddy Alex Klorn, who was making his first appearance two times Stanley Cup champion, He's like, would you want to Caddy? But I'm like God, it's one hundred and forty degrees in Scott's Still I'm like, sure,

Where would you put it ranking wise as a as a I understand it's not a PGA Tour event. I'm well aware they let me play, but what but what where would you.

Rank it as far as just fun? I don't know if you can beat it, Like you can't beat it. I mean with all you guys, I mean some the names that play in this tournament. You Charles Parkley, Aaron Rodgers. I mean, the list goes on and on. Steph Curry justin Timberlake's played in the past. Like to see those guys up close and personal. Then you see him in the casino afterwards. Travis Kelsey, by the way, who's probably MVP every year, puts on an absolute show.

He put a show.

You can't you can't make it up, like it's fantasy lamp like. Yeah, I'm making sure my CBS schedule does not conflict with whatever American Century at Lake Tahoe, Like, I gotta be there every year.

Yeah, it's it's a great time. Well, it's always the same week, just so you know, so.

I believe it's opposite Scottish Open. It's the week before the British Open, the British Op. Yeah, so it's opposite the Scottish Open, which just so happens. We have eighteen events next year for CBS. I get seventeen of them, and I happen to have the Scottish Open off, So.

So I'll see in Lake Tahoe. Oh baby, shoot, wait, you know what's interesting to me and no one else the Americans said, I've never talked about this before. I don't, probably because nobody would be interested by that. Tournament in a way was built because NBC did not have the British Open, so it was counter programming to the British. It was the same weekend on NBC versus your employer Cbah.

Well, it was a rather good idea whoever came up.

With it, because John Miller, my friend, my.

God, I mean, that is a show. I mean, between the golf, everything going on at night, can't beat. It's the best week of the year. It takes ten years off your life, but it's a lot of fun.

You haven't aged a bit. Colt, thank you so much for coming on. Check out Colt's podcast Golf Subpar, as well as Gravy and the Sleeves on Serious XM. And of course you can hear my good friend doing the best work in professional golf on CBS, not the lead commentator, but an on course correspondent for CBS. Check him out at least if they have the tournament and not NBC. Cold, thanks a lot, my friend.

You got it, ma man anytime. Thank you so much for having me.

Cold. Thank you, my friend, thanks for joining me, and thank you for bringing some personality and incredible knowledge to those who like to watch the game of golf. Unfortunately, I have to report that since we recorded this conversation, Team USA did not win the Wryter Cup. But hey, cold got to go to Italy, so it's not all bad. And Resid assured we will see the Europeans back on American soil in two years. Guess what, you don't have to wait two years for me. I'll be back next week,