Ep. 144 - The Bachelor's Chris Harrison

a Bachelor watcher. I watched The Bachelor every single week with my wife. We wait till seven thirty. That's the rule because you get thirty minutes of DVR fast forwarding, and then we watched The Bachelor, and that's what we do. And I think it's my favorite show. I watch you every week and I am a guy that isn't scared to admit that. So I loved having Chris. I hope you guys enjoyed that the season is rolling and uh, it's it's an exciting time him as everything kind of

comes to continental us after Hawaii. I've got some exciting news in February that I can't share with you yet, but I'm going to share with you at some point. It involves media, it involves myself, it involves possibly somebody from the PG Tour, And so keep your eyes out to follow on Twitter at Shane Bacon, on Instagram at Shane Bacon. Just follow along and the news will come out here in the next few weeks, and I think it'll be something you'll be excited about and interested in.

But other than that, I don't have a lot. The conversation with Chris was somewhere in the forty minute range, so I don't want to take too much of your time on the front end of that and want to get right to it. Hope you guys are having a great new year, a great two thousand twenty. We've already had a couple of unbelievable tournaments in our books this season alone, this year alone, and uh and on we roll into the Desert Classic and beyond. So hope you guys get out and play a little bit of golf

if you're not in a cold weather place. And let's get to our guest, and we welcome into the clubhouse for the time, Chris Harrison. You know, Chris hosted the Bachelor. He does so many things. This the twenty four season of the Bachelor, Is that right? Eighteen years twenty four seasons of Bachelor. I think fifteen bachelorettes. We've done Bachelor in Paradise and Bachelor pat So yeah, there's a lot of them over eighteen years. And uh, as we're just

getting into a new season. What's what's the last couple of weeks been? Like? Not very stressful for you, pretty a lot of downtime. You know what's funny is I'm not shooting, so it's actually not stressful as far as production because we actually wrap things up. But you know what's funny is, even after eighteen years, what's stressful for me is it's still having to take the field and

see if you're winning. And you know, after all these years, it's still not promised to hear that people are actually gonna watch. You think, you know, we take it for granted, but I still don't. I wake up on Tuesday morning, uh in cold sweats, going, man, I hope somebody watched our show last night. Are you a review reader? Do you read reviews and read and listen to the podcast out there that talk about Bachelor? I don't not. I really don't read any reviews or listen to anything only

because you know, I already know everything. But what I am a student of is numbers. I get up every day and I check out the ratings even when my show is not on, just so I know what else is out there, what the trends are, what a good number is. I've done that every day since I started this job. Mike Flies, the creator of the show, got me into the numbers and and really kind of taught me the trends, and um so I'm I'm psycho about the numbers and the stats and and all of that.

And I just I don't think people at home totally understand how psycho. Everybody on TV is like, you are awesome at your job, You've done it forever. Yet we all still have this panic that one day we're gonna get fired or people are gonna hate us. Why is that what's going on with us? You know, I'm not sure I think it's a good way to live. If I've often thought what would be better or easier? Would you like to have a job where you're just kind of cruising along for twenty or thirty years and um

or having this feeling like you're an athlete. I think of just knowing not only that you could be fired, but that you will be fired no matter what movie, what television show, even the Bachelor. You know, someday we'll have a shelf lie and you know that you're going to be let go. You know, I did Millionaire for four years and it's come and gone. I've done other shows, so you know, I kind of like that walking the tight rope, so to speak, and and knowing it could

all go away. It's been, um, it's been an interesting way to live my adult life. I don't know if you feel the same way, but I think it just gives you that hunger, in that drive that you're always I guess a little unsatisfied, and so you're always fighting for what's next. Well, there's always somebody younger, there's always somebody that is great on TV, and they should do your job. Well, that's that's the scary thing, is your

is as I was. I was talking to somebody the other day and I went, you know, I'm thirty six years old, but I'm gonna snap my fingers and be forty and I'm gonna be forty five and all of a sudden, you aren't the young guy doing this anymore, and you have to be good or they're going to drop you. That's how things work. Yeah, I mean I

started this job. I had just turned thirty years old, and you know, I have snapped my fingers and now I am, you know, forty eight and moving into you know, almost our third decade of this show, which is an absolute anomaly in a blessing. If you know television at all, it just doesn't happen like that. You know, this is beyond a home run. But it has gone quick. And and what I realized early on is when you are jealous or when you are envious of other people, you

got to realize there's there's room for everybody. There's room for other talent. If you're not getting work, or if you're not getting the brakes, that's not on somebody else, that's on you, or that's on the situation that you're in. There's room for other people to succeed as well. And uh, you know, I learned a long time ago that I I kind of relish when other reality shows or when other talk shows work, or when hosts succeed, because that

means other hosts will get jobs. Um, you know, there's this scary kind of trend going on in Hollywood with hostless shows and talk shows and uh the award shows, and I'm like, man, that's not a good trend for us. It's like when they have multiple you know that the NBA does this thing on on certain nights where they have players only broadcast, and I'm like, I don't like that broadcast. Right, This is like a job I one

day want to have. I don't want just two players up there doing what you've been around, you know, almost as much as I have. Uh I clearly I'm a little older than you. But you know, there's always these things are cyclical and and the pendulum swings and and it always goes back and forth. You know. He goes from old school the way things are now, and then it's like, oh, let's trying no broadcasters and just go

nat sound up on a football game. And then you realize, no, you know, it's it's really good when you have you know, Joe and Troy and those guys in the boost that you you up there calling the action. It does make a difference. And so it's it it all just kind of ebbs and flows and you just have to go with it and wait, wait, you know, for things to come back. Well, I want to go back to your career and where you started, because you've had you had

a broadcasting career. I mean you were doing local news and you did some random sporting events. But you're a sports guy. I mean, I'm not sure people know how obsessed you are with sports, how obsessed you are with golf. Can you take us through, kind of weave us through how you got to The Bachelor and beyond. Yeah, well, I mean I started back. You know, it really started

in college. I was a soccer player in college, and I grew up playing club ball in Dallas and had no inkling of what I wanted to do in life other than play some soccer. And I was lucky enough to get to college and play on a scholarship at Oklahoma City University and it was great. And that's where I found sportscasting. And it was really brought to me by the sports information director who needed a a student to call the basketball games and be a play by

play guy. And that's really how I fell into it. And as soon as I did it as a student, I absolutely fell in love with it and realized for the first time, Wow, I don't really care much about soccer anymore or as much. I really want to do this for my my life. And it was a quick passion of mine that I fell in love with. And from there I got into sportscasting and I worked at the CBS affiliate a in Oklahoma City and kind of rose through the ranks, you know, the part time guy,

then the weekend you know reporter. Then I became the weekend anchor and um so it kind of moved through the ranks there in Oklahoma City, and it was a great place to cut my teeth. You know. Again, when people ask me, how should I come up in the business, I don't know if it's right for everybody, But I love the fact that I came up in local news where I had to write, edit, produced, I was in the field. I I did it all. I learned how to shoot, I knew everybody's job because you had to

do it all. It was, you know, a high level market, but small enough that you could make mistakes, and you know, really learned the business and learn the craft as a as a true journalist before moving on to do everything else. And you mentioned you played soccer. I know you're an avid golfer. You're obsessed. I mean you're a part of the Tiger Jam in Vegas, and I know you've played

in the Pebble Beach Pro Am. I know you play about as much golf as you're able to play at this point with kids in the job that that takes you all over the world. How did you get into golf? When did that start? Well? I always I always enjoyed the game of going up and loved it growing up. But I honestly, it was a rich kids sport and we were not rich and growing up in Dallas, and I didn't I wasn't really exposed to it. And when I but I always loved it and I always watched it,

and you know, wanted to play more. And when I got to college, played a little bit. And when I graduated and became a sportscaster, as you know, when especially

in these local markets, there's coaches tournaments. You know, I covered a lot of Oklahoma football, Oklahoma State football, and the coaches would have their tournaments and were some other serity events that as a sportscaster I was expected to play in, and quite frankly, I sucked and I was so bad, and I was an athlete total, you know, having that mindset of Okay, I can't be bad at this,

I gotta figure it out. So I I just honestly wanted to get good enough to where I could go to these tournaments and not make a complete school of myself. And when you start going down that rabbit hole, as you know, because you love the game as much as I do, all of a sudden you're you're an addict and you're like, okay, I'm in And so then it

became beyond the passion. And while I was a sportscast, the great thing as you get to play some awesome, you know, awesome courses there in Oklahoma and started covering major events because the I was there in ninety four when the PGA Championship came through UH Southern Hills and Tulsa, the Tour Championship was there, so we in you know, the Oak Tree Boys. I grew up and was sportscasting during the time of Bob Toy, David Edwards, Scott Verplank, Dr.

Gil Morgan was kind of wrapping up his career. So I got to cover all these guys and they were hugely successful in the tours. It was a fun time to be around Oklahoma. Yeah, I mean those guys had a run in collegiate an amateur golf that I mean, they would be up next to just about any good college team. I mean I could only imagine that in

that state doing that. It was probably like having on a lighter level that USC team with Leonert and Reggie because I'm sure everybody focused on everything they did and wanted to see what their results were. Yeah. And and at the time too, you know you mentioned the college golf, We were covering a lot of Oklahoma state. Uh, there was the time they were actually just finishing up their course Carston Creek. At the time, I was there when they finished it. Um and Oklahoma you know, had a

great golf program. So it was fun to be around again. It just more exposure to the game. Played a bunch and uh, you know, never dream as as a kid, even as a sportscaster. I never thought I would end up in Hollywood and and heaven forbid, end up playing in the A T and s here or any of these other pigs, you know, being on the stage hosting you know, Tiger Jam with Tiger are getting to know

him those things. You know, it never ceases to amaze me, and it never it never doesn't give me goose bumps when I walk off that first team and I still have that feeling why am I here? Like why are they allowing me? I'm I'm a forty eight year old man. I still have a feeling like I'm eight years old and I just stole a candy bar. Well, you know that there's a debate that happens consistently, a heated debate,

if you will, about the best president golf forever. You know you've heard JFK and you know Obama wasn't great, and Trump, i've heard, is a lot better than you'd expect him to be. But here's the debate. I want to ask you who is the best bachelor or bachelorette for that matter, golf forever? Which which person came into

that role that had the most game. Well, I'm gonna say I'm and I'm gonna I'm gonna kind of bring this in so it's not just contestants ever, because we've had some actually I think pro golfers, you know, people that played on the tour that were a part of like the group you know, say the one of twenty five or the one of thirty, but actual v bats or v bats are at um as of late. God, probably I think probably Ben Higgins, off the top of

my head, is probably the best. Andrew Firestone is pretty good. Um. I I just took Pete out. We actually just took him down to Callaway and got him set up with clubs and all that. But I also saw his swing. He's not great, but he's starting to love the game and getting into it. But Ben Higgins is kind of getting into it. He played in Tahoe in that celebrity event. I think he's at the Diamond Resorts event this week. So he's really kind of a die hard golfer and

his game's getting better. So right now i'd probably say Ben Higgins, hey, you gotta push all of these people to have more golf dates. I feel like that's the one thing miss you. Now. I know you have dedicated Bachelor in Paradise to a little bit of a tip of the cap to golf, but I feel like it it's starts like no putt putt. I mean, I know I've probably my wife and I have watched Bachelor and it's I mean up on episode one in the driveway,

you know, because he was hitting through the wind. That's right, That's right. Okay, so there you go. I just I feel like a Top Golf date or something like that. You know, the one bone I ever have the pick with the Bachelor, and I know you're probably not the person to present this too, is just once. I mean, now, mind you, you have the budget for this, and anybody on the show wants to do the craziest date ever, but just once, I'm like, go to Top Golf for

three hours and let's see how the interaction is. You know, it's not going to make the best TV minds you, but I feel like that would be a regular first date is to go and you have to sit face to face and talk over nachos and a beer, and you know that that's that would be a very interesting thing to see two people that have never met have to do. And then you get to see a couple

of golf swings. Yeah. People have always said, why don't you guys do regular things for dates like we do, like just go to dinner and go see a movie. And I'm like, this this is television. You realize, right, Yeah, that that's like our sad life. That's our regular sad life. That's you know, sitting home watching TV by yourself on a Wednesday night. Like that's that's what we're trying to avoid on the show. Um. But we've had a few golf dates over the years, and we've had some spectacular

golf courses. And the funny thing is, you know, the the actual playing of golf never really translates that. I forget, what's the course La Costa. We were down to La Costa and we took over the entire course, that championship course, and I was down there and they ended up they were on the range. We shut down the entire course and so I just went out and played. I had the place to myself. I ended up playing like thirty six that day because they never made it to the course.

They just goofed around on the range and we're doing all that stuff because golfs not exactly the most interactive as far as date material on TV. So it was really funny with a one time we did try to do it and we took over a course. I was the only one that got to play. Yeah, unless you're having a situation where where where there's uh, like somebody's getting hit with a golf ball or something. It's probably

not gonna make for unbelievable TV now. As much as much push as you have in the Bachelor world, and I know you travel a lot, my friend, are you ever like, hey, Scotland would be a pretty cool spot to go for you know, maybe three or four days this year for this season. Well, we did Northern Ireland, we did do Scotland, and you know, we have hit some pretty spectacular golf areas even you know, the cool thing for me is we've been over in Asia. It's

going to some of these random places. Um, even even in Iowa. I remember playing we were like Golf Club of Iowa, just stumbling upon some of these local courses. Whether I'm in Vietnam, Thailand, uh, you name it, um, where are they playing? I forget up? Uh uh nimicolon. We were nimical. And and and that's say they used to play the Lumber eighty Former Classic or whatever. Yeah, I

think John Dailey won that event once exactly. And so places like that we've stumbled upon and they have a golf course and and you know, again I'm usually the only one that can go out and play because they're working. But it's been pretty cool to stumble upon somebody's local,

local tracks. All right, here's a question that I'm gonna you're gonna have to really press the brain on which professional golfer currently current professional golfer and you can throw in in the back end a historical figure, but which pro golfer on the tour right now? Do you think would make the best bachelor? Allah Jesse Palmer oh man Um. First of all, we gotta figure out someone who's single. Well, and that's and listen, I'm nobody's gonna fall if you

say something that's got a girlfriend. I understand it's not easy to keep up with the personal lives of everybody on tour. Yeah, Like I was trying to think, like who's who's single? You know, who would be good because he's a little bit crazy and controversial with the good

TV is to shampoo, he would be awesome. He would be good TVs uh because you know he's a little bit of a of a Hannah type where you're gonna get it all a good guy you know, clearly has the skills, but he's gonna be a he's gonna be a mess. He's going to be the guy that's crime for sure, and you know he's gonna have these conversations like the first night with about twelve women that are gonna be it's gonna be the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard. It's gonna be words that have never been

spoken in Batchelor history. And he might not know what he's talking about. They're not gonna know what they're talking about, and you're just gonna be watching glue to the television. I think it would be pretty good. I was t anything who else would be good TV because that's the thing. You know, Well, he's married. Yeah, Sergio would have been good in the day too. I think you would have been great to obviously marry. What do you have the answer?

I think Bryson's the answer. This is this is actually something I might pushed for. By the way, at some point during the US Open broadcast this year, I'm gonna go, you know, this guy at times has been compared to Hannah the Bachelor Nation, and just see if my producer notices it. Yeah, as as controversial as as Hannah is sometimes, but as at times you love them and at times you're like trying to figure them out and understand what

they're saying. Yeah, there's a lot of similarities there. So the Bachelor has you know you you talked to start about how you know, you wake up on Tuesdays and you hope it's going well. Well, you know it's going well. People are obsessed with it. It does great. It's it's must viewing for just about anybody. What I think is the most unique thing about the show, at least over the last five, six, seven years, is this sports crossover

that's happening. You know, sports websites, the Ringer and you know, go on down the line or writing about it all the time. Podcasts are talking about it. Sports podcast are talking about it as well. When did that happen? And why do you feel like it happened? Great question. Yeah, you know, I don't know if there was a tipping point or a lightbulb moment, but at first the show

was you know, kind of quietly appreciated. You know, I would go to sporting events and the football players that pulled me aside and say, hey, you know what, you know, I watched the show with my girlfriend or hey, and then it's kind of a good show. But you know, no one would want to say it out in daylight and admit it. But then I think the people like Jimmy Kimmel, Howard stern Um more and more celebrities really

started embracing it. And then I think it just became cool and it became okay to appreciate and to admit that you love it. Um. You know, I would go, I'm I'm a big Dallas Cowboys guy because I grew up in Dallas. And luckily you've gotten to know some of those guys and you know, the Tony Romo and a lot of those guys back in the day would text me during the show and ask me questions, and you know, they were watching, and so more and more, it was kind of just this groundswell of now it's

okay to admit and now it's it's amazing. As you said, you know, I'll go on ESPN, or I'll go on the Ring, or I'll go on you know, it's a It's it's incredible. The athletes that come up and talk about the show, and I love it because you know, I love athletes. But if I go to a PGA event and I'm playing in a pro am, we're typically

talking about The Bachelor, and these guys know everything. They're they're asking you questions for the first five holes and You're like, no, no no, no, no, I want to ask you about the Masters? Can I ask you about winning

the mast? I mean, that's how honestly, that's how I got to be so close with Jason Day was his wife, Ellie is a huge fan of the show, and I met her at the A T and T, you know, several years ago, and you know she and she actually introduced me to Jason and we talked about the show. And that's honestly the common threat that that brought us all together and now we're great friends. But it was

the show initially that started it. And and again to this day, I'll get text messages or whatever from these guys that you know they're watching the show and how crazy it is. Who's the most famous person that has either come up to you or reached out to you and said, I watch your show the most wild And I've had some wild ones, But to me in the air I grew up in, it was Clint Eastwood, um and and it was just the way he did it

that kind of blew me away. I mean, obviously, Oprah and I think you know even I think Obama made a reference about it one time, and so obviously to have a sitting president make a batchel of reference is

pretty insane. Um. But to me, I was in I was in this bar uh where there were there was the showcase going on, this Hollywood thing um, and Clint Eastwood was there and Dina, then his wife, introduced me, and you know, I was in awe because he was standing there and it really was like Clint Eastwood white T shirt holding a Budweiser. I mean, it was like if you could paint a Clint Eastwood poster. This was

the moment. And he looked at me in his voice which I won't try to emulate that you know, I watch your show from time to time, and I just I was speechless. I didn't even know what to say. I was actually a little bit disappointed because I kind of just wanted him to punch me in the face. But it was amazing to me that Clint Eastwood, you know, for some reason, watches the show from time to time.

That's what you need to do it at some point, maybe in about five seasons from now, you need to have like Opening Night, just a little go pro set up and the famous people that are watching homes I'd love to hear the Clint Eastwood reaction, you know, when somebody comes out of the woodwork and you go, that's what we're getting. This is what Clint thinks. Then I know, you know. Obviously, Charley Scarren mentioned that she has she watches the show. She puts her kids down early too,

so she can catch it. Um. I know, Jennifer Aniston has viewing parties, and David State and Jimmy Kimmel and I know all these people get together and they all watched the show, and um, you know, I was. I was on the Red carpet. This is back when I was doing TV Guide and um, Keith and Nicole Kidman

were on the Red carpet. And Nicole Kidman stops me in the middle of my interview and says, this is just so weird because usually you're in our bedroom when we're watching the show, and again it always just gets me. I'm like, oh, I guess. I guess people do love a show and it really does touch people, which is kind of awesome. Does Tiger watch He has watched, He knows about it. Uh, he's not a die hard, you know. Oddly, We've never really gotten into it, so I don't think

he's a such fan. But obviously he knows what it is, um because you know we've mentioned it. He'll know. He'll know kind of the pop culture version of what's going on. If if something is a big story, he will definitely mention, you know, tell me about what's really going on. Well, I know Pebble Beach is a place that you love. I think you you're going on a guy's trip there every year? Is that something you do annually? I? You know,

I used to. I I Now that I play in the A T and T, that's has kind of replaced it as the the guys trip. And now all my buddies come up and we all pile in a couple of hotel rooms and we stay for the week and they come out and watch, and you know, while I'm playing, they'll usually go off and play some other other course. But yeah, we used to go up there all my guys from our country club and playing this really cool

thing for for junior golf called the Coffee Cup. And now it's kind of like a month away from Pebble, so we are from the A T and T. But yeah, it's it's a to me, it's one of the most magical places in the world. It's just the place is just it's a special, special piece of land. Well, and like the pro am is is such a unique event. It's it's something that's really really close in weeks that you know, people circle all the time in hopes of either playing or going back to it. How is it

for you? Is it one of your favorite weeks of the year. And who have you played with over the years in the pro am and moments that have kind of stood out well? Growing up, I grew up in Texas, and again, we didn't have a whole lot of money,

so we didn't travel much. I'd never been to California, and so I would watch, like everybody else, the old clam Bake and I would watch, you know, you know, the stars Clint Eastwood and all these other huge movie stars on TV, and and the sights and the sounds of Carmel all on the ocean, and I just thought, where is this place? You know, this is Shane roulad Is.

You know, I couldn't even imagine a place like that really existed except for my you know, garbage television that had four channels and to step on those grounds just to play personally, but to be in the actual tournament. It just is something that you know, my my eight year old self just can't believe every time I'm there,

and so it really is a special week. I circled the calendar every year and hope I get the invite, and luckily the last three years I've been on the list, and the first year, I don't think I'll ever top the first year because Jason Day was my partner. Um, he was really on a roll then and was in

the mix. So we made the cut. And so we're playing on Sunday and the second to last group on Sunday, which again makes no sense that I'm playing with Jason Day, Steve Stricker, and Troy Merritt in the second to last

group at Tebble Beach. Are you trying so hard to just beat just to get out of the way at that point, because I can I can imagine that on Thursday, Friday, even probably into Saturday, everybody's having a good time and it's almost like a match play around where at the front nine, you know, you're kind of chatting and and yucking it up and your buddies and then once it gets down to it. You know, everybody's kind of going about their business. What's it like on Sunday when you

make the cut and your player is in contention? What was your approach to that? Was it any different than the rest of the week. Well, what's what's really interesting, and you have to understand is when they when you make the cut for Sunday, you're not necessarily with another amateur. They pair the tournament according to who's winning and who might win, obviously for network TV, and so there might not be another amateur in your group. And that was

the situation with me. So I was the only amateur with Jason, who was my partner because we're still in the mix for our team thing. But then Troy Merritt and Steve Stricker didn't have amateurs, so it was three obviously stellar PGA pros and me. It was as if you walked over your moon to your muni on a Saturday and said, hey, can you slide me in? I'm just a single, I'm walking and like, oh, yeah, you

know what, we have a ten twenty tea time. Go go join those guys over there, And it turns out it's it's Steve Stricker Jason Day and Troy Merritt and they're at a t D. It was. It was an insane moment. And I walked up to Steve and Troy. Obviously, Jason and I have been together all weekend and all week and so I walked up to Steve and Troy and said, hey, guys, look, I'm here to to just

have a great walk with you today. If there's anything I can do, if you want me to pick up you want me to get out of your way, you know, but I can roll a put in front of you. So if you want me to roll put, let me know. Um, and and I you know, I just want this to be a good day for you guys. But the real interesting thing for me that I learned that day was really the juxtaposition of these guys of of Steve Stricker Hall of Famer. It's not that he didn't care, but

there was no pressure on Steve Stricker. And then there's Jason Day, who just wants to win. This guy wants to get in the Hall of Fame and just wants to win tournaments and that's all that matters. And then there's Troy Merritt, who had never made the cut, needed to finish in the top ten so he could then qualify for the Genesis at Rivieria the next week. So the spectrum these guys were on and their mentality that day was completely different, and it was really fascinating to watch.

It's it's always I've made this point a few times about you know, Tiger Phil to your point, kind of Hall of Fame type players and the pressure to win, I'm sure is always there. But if Tiger is in the final group against a rookie who is trying to establish himself, make money, you know, arn wins, get two more years on tour, it is an absolutely different feeling for those two guys on the first tee and you're

sitting there watching it. And that's something that I think is so cool about golf in particular, is you get to see at times two people paired together playing for the same goal with completely different mindsets about that goal. Well, Troy Merritt was, you know, in no offense to him.

He was trying not to lose exactly. Jason Day was taking driver off the deck at eighteen because all he cared about was putting pressure on Ted Potter who was behind us, and he knew he was two strokes back, and he knew Eagle was going to be a game changer. And you know, Jason Day didn't care about anything else. He didn't care if he fell out of the top ten. He wanted to win. He wants to just get WS and make it into the Hall of Fame and win majors.

And and he has that freewheeling mentality because you know, in all you know, defense to a guy like Troy Merritt, Jason Day has the bank. You know, he has that cushion to fall back on. It doesn't matter whereas Troy Merritt was coming down eighteen going, oh, dear God, you know, I need to make it in the top ten because this is a big check for me and it's a

game changer for these guys. And so I don't know if people, you know, a regular fan watching on Sunday fully appreciates when you guys so eloquently kind of try to articulate, Hey, you know, it's hard to win, and it's hard to learn how to close out a tournament. It's hard to you know, when to just be a freewheeling guy when so much is on the line for these young men. Um and it is a big It's a big difference when you're a top ten player and you already have your you know, invite to the Masters,

you already have. You know, there's so much on the line for these guys when they haven't won before. So how is your game right now? Are you played? You get to play it all right now because you're so busy. You've got to do press, you gotta do stuff like this. Are you getting a chance to get out at all? Or or are you pretty much locked in the A T and T. I to be honest, I played twenty

seven yesterday. But this time of year is actually really good for me because, um, you know, we try to shut down around the holidays and things are pretty slow leading up to Pebble Beach. So this tournament is actually really well situated for my life before I get back into the Battelorette and things really explode. Um, it's it's in the spring into summer, you know, for example, the Masters.

I if I haven't been in the United States for the Masters, and I don't know, fifteen years, maybe eighteen years. I'm always on the road watching the Masters at four am or god knows when. You know, in South Africa or Asia or whatever, and I have my devices and I'm trying to, you know, figure it out. And you know, I was on a plane when Tiger won and this last one, and I had I was streaming, So I had my iPad up. It's the middle of night. Do you know how they turn out the lights on the plane.

Everybody's sleeping. I had like three devices hooked up, and I had Master's radio and that was streaming good. So I left my radio on um through my phone. Then I had my iPad in front of me, and I had something else in my computer up and I was trying to stream everything so at least one of them would capture the moment. And so I'm up like a lunatic, the only guy with his lights on in the middle of the night on this plane with tears and eyes

as Tiger is winning the Masters. It was unbelievable. Yeah, it was. I actually changed the flight I was at Augusta. I had an obligation on Saturday night. I was going to fly home real early on Sunday to get home in time, and they moved the tea times because of the weather, and so I had to change my flight. I was like, well, I'm not leaving Augusta if this guy actually has a chance of winning a major, because I was I'll say this, I've said it a lot. I was at the front of the line on this guy.

I'll never win again. And I am wrong, and I was happy to be wrong, and I will continue to be happy that I was wrong about that whole take. And uh, and I had to stay. I stayed there. And to see, by the way, it's not an indictment on Tiger or even doubt it. It It was just I mean, you and I had seen him, and I don't know if people really fully understand it's a miracle he could walk.

I mean I saw him at times when he couldn't stand up straight, he couldn't sit in a chair, and the pain in agony this guy was in not as a golfer, but as a human being. Just I is worry he wasn't going to live a normal life. The fact that he went and run in Atlanta and run at Augusta. I don't think it's crazy to call it a miracle, and and to to have been around him a few times. He understands that now too. He gets the the fact that what happened and the things that

had to come into play for him to win. It really was, you know, up there being a miracle and will he ever win again and be on this I don't know, and I honestly don't even care to have had those moments. Was just, you know, it's what sports is all about. You can't script that again, you know, to take a bachelor line like, you can't script that

kind of stuff. And that's why we love sports. But you know, you weren't you weren't you know, a bad guy to think, hey, this guy is not gonna win again, because man, I mean the guy couldn't even stand up well, I mean I was. I was on a flight and I've told this story a couple of times. I was on a flight to go to Northern California when he was making that return and napp uh and he pulled out. I believe he was supposed to play with Steph Curry and that was the big return and Fox sent me

up there to write a story about it. In midflight, I was on the internet, you know, checking some stuff, and comes out the Tigers not playing again, and that was the time I kind of wrote, you know, this is it. I mean, if he can't play, doesn't feel comfortable play in a NAPA. He's probably not gonna feel comfortable playing in any big stage at this point, and obviously is not healthy enough. And you know what, I was wrong, and being wrong, it's totally okay anytime you are,

especially for moments like that. I want to ask you a couple more things and I'll let you go. One is just you said you played twenty seven. What's the handicap currently? Um I am Pebble usually has me at at a ten. I think it's honestly, it's interesting that

this new handicap system. And I had not talked to the tournament committee up there and the and the folks, you know how what they're going to do as far as the handicaps, because obviously the U. S G A and the system has changed, and most of our handicaps have gone up. I don't know if yours has, but mine went up a couple of strokes, so I don't know if all of a sudden I'm going to be uh an eleven or a twelve out there, but usually they have me at about a ten, and that's about right.

That's that's about you know, I'm about a ten or eleven, depending on the day I've seen you hit it. I think I think I think twelve. Would you'd be a very uh, you'd be a much looked after partner if you were playing I would there would you need that cushioned? I mean, uh, you know, it's one thing when you and I are out. You and I had the pleasure of playing right before the US Open. And how's your game? What are you? A plus three plus four? Oh? You know,

I you know what. I keep shooting somewhere in the seventy three seventy four range, and for some reason, my handicap doesn't move. I don't really understand why I'm still a plus two, but I'm hoping that at some point it will adjust a little bit because I'd love to be a zero. Would be amazing not to give shots back. But uh yeah, that's that's kind of that's kind of the purgatory world I'm living in currently. In the handicap you mentioned, Pebill, I want to has has your handicap

changed all? You know? It's it kind of it kind of stayed the same. I could do in some scores. I had cards. I went to Bannon Dunes with a couple of buddies late last year and forgot to plug the scores, and so I plug those in and there are a couple of high winds in there in the windy days around Pacific. I was hoping that would do something. It didn't, and then i've I've I've shot. You know, I shot seventy four a couple of days ago and it didn't adjusted either. But I feel like the new

system is supposed to adjust quicker. So hopefully if anything keeps going north of where I'm supposed to be, my number will get closer and closer to Z or that is at least what I'm what I'm what, I'm thank you. I just want to tell everybody when I'm a fifteen up at Pebble next month. Not my fault. It's just people are gonna be righting the columns about here, and you go out there and win the whole thing. I'm gonna pull it, Larry Fitzgerald. I'm gonna win this thing

by thirty strokes. So last question is is there a place you haven't gone golf wise that you want to go? Is there a course you haven't played, or or a destination that you want to take Some friends that you've never seen before. H two places I know all at three, but um, tart Over in New Zealand. Um, and I've had an opportunity to go, I just haven't been able to make it. But tar Eat in New Zealand is now number two in the world outside the United States.

I think number four in the world overall including the US, and from what I've heard from friends, it is just spectacular and an incredible experience. And so I want to get over to New Zealand in two tar ETI. Um, but I've never done the Old Course. I've never done St. Andrews and my friends all just went from the club and did a big trip. And again another place where I've been invited and I've had opportunities, I just haven't

had the chance to actually pull it off. But um, clearly, you know, I know you've probably played it a dozen times, but I've never been over to the Old Course. Of all the places that I've i've played and I've had I've had the unbelievable honor of playing Augusta uh in you know, Pine Valley and Sage and some of these other places in the United States. But um, yeah, I've never never been over the old course, and that's obviously on the bucket list. I mean, Chris, you're you're famous man,

You're you're a famous guy. I gotta say it. You could get into the Alpha Dunhill. Just you gotta send the note to somebody. I mean, I could write, if I could write the draft for you. The Dunhill is right in the middle, and I believe it's October, uh, and it's right in the middle of Bachelor shooting. And I'm always again, it's kind of like going to the Masters.

I've actually had the incredible honor of playing Augusta, but I've never been to the Masters because I'm always on the road and I get invited and I have amazing, you know, opportunities to go have Berkman's passes and have a house and all of this stuff, and I always have to decline. And it's just I'm sitting there somewhere at four in the morning in my pajamas, seething and knowing all my friends there and I'm not there. Um. But then again, you have to think, well, I'm pretty

blessed because I have a damn good job. That's exactly right. All right, last question, since you just said it, This was gonna be my first question, but we got into some other stuff. What's the worst part of your job? What's the part of your job? Job, and and and you know what, I'm not going to give you this easy out. Travel. You can't say you can't stay on

the road. Well, because I was gonna say, well, the problem is, I was gonna say, the greatest thing about my job is also probably the worst because of being a dad and having to be away and the travel and just being on the road. Is is and it wasn't. It didn't used to be like that, But I'll admit the older I get the it's a bit of a beating, as you know, being constantly on planes and traveling around the world. But at the same time it is an absolute blessing because I did not travel much when I

was when I was a young man. But um, if I can't have travel, man, probably the hours now of you when we shoot, we shoot into some ungodly hours. I don't know if you watched the entire first episode, but you might. Yeah, you might notice the sun is up now when we do that final rose ceremony, and that not that didn't used to be the case. He used to be. We had this you know, idea of continuity,

and we started night, We're gonna end at night. Now we're just somehow we broke into you know, dawn, and then we thought, well, if we're already shooting with the sun coming up, screw it. Why not just keep going until you know, eight o'clock in the morning. So it's a little depressing when you come home and your kids are going to school and you're just laying down to take a quick nap before you got to go back to work. But the hours are a lot tougher than

they used to be. I'll admit, I'm assuming you're getting touched up at about four and five am whenever, whenever you got the back when I was twenty nine dirty, thirty one years old, and you know, we would shoot all night and I was up all night and I, you know, let's go, and I was all fired up and had the adrenaline going. Now, I will admit that somewhere in the night I go take a quick nap and there's some poor intern that has to wake me up, and like Mr Harrison, we you know, we gotta go,

we gotta be ony. So yeah, there's there's definitely some touching up going on at five thirty six o'clock in the morning, is you got to get back on camera, Abs Louie, I, I uh. When we had the US Open at Oakmont, there was a weather delay and it was kind of throughout the week, so the schedule screwed up, you know, and so that we were having guys had to come out and finish the rounds early in the

mornings and then there would be a big gap. And at that US Open, I was doing the interviews, and so Sunday morning, which obviously is Championship Sunday, you know, this is gonna be the day we're finding the champion. I'm gonna be talking to people that either one or

lost the US Open. You know. I had to be there at about six am because I think Dustin was finishing his round and a couple of the other guys that were in the hunt, Shane Lowry and I did those interviews that you know, say A thirty or nine, and I actually went into the sauna at Oakmont, which had been converted into basically a storage shed. It took like a two and a half hour nap, and I said, nobody, nobody at Oakmont A membership will ever know that that's on.

It was a place for sleep for a little bit, Isn't it funny? Though? There are places like that I always laugh about, like places I have taken naps or had to just sleep, you know, closets or the back that you know, and I always just laugh and you know it, or you know you're you're with crew members or whatever when we're all just trying to grab a moment to shut things down, because you know, we do

work our butts off all around the world. You're tired and hot and dehydrate or whatever, and you just laugh. You look around like if if people can only see us now, you know, sleeping in the back of a truck or sleeping in this closet or in a sauna at Oak Mine, Like this is what we do. It's

this is the glamorous life. Yeah, this is the beauty that so my my my wife's parents came to the Women's am in San Diego and you know, for people that don't know what a TV compound looks like for a sporting event, it's just trailer after trailer after trailer, truck after truck after truck, and it's basically finding, you know, any land that can hold all of this stuff. So it's usually somewhere around the around the golf course. But it's definitely not glamorous. That would be the term you

would not use to describe what it looks like. And uh and and and my wife's mom had a common accent. I thought it. I thought it might be a little a little nicer than that. Yeah, I mean, truck's nice and the production rooms nice, but you know, it's kind of a dirt area where all the trailers apart. As I always tell people, everything in front of the camera is beautiful, everything behind it not so much. Well, Chris,

I appreciate the time. Last year you were hosting Real Golf Talk with Johnny Miller, a podcast that was great, a great listen. Are you guys gonna keep that going in two thousand twenty. Well, I'm actually oddly uh you mentioned because I've been talking to Callaway. They want to do it. Uh, It's it's probably not gonna be with Johnny. It's we're debating on, you know, kind of rotating it through the kind of Callaway list of stars and have different golfers each week. But I want to do it,

and they still want to do it. We just have to figure out, um, you know, how Callowe wants to approach it. But I loved it. Uh you know, as you know, I could sit here and talk golf all day. It's uh my passion. I'm doing it anyway, and it's it's fun to actually just do a passion project like that. So hopefully So okay, we'll keep our eye out for it and uh and when it comes up whoever it comes up with, we'll we'll send it out on our channels as well. That's Chris Harrison. Watch The Bachelor, it's

great TV. And watch the A T and T Pebble Beach Pro am. He might win this year if he's a fourteen handicap. Windham Clark, keep an eye on Windham Clark. That's that's my parts this year, Windham Clark and Chris Harrison. I feel like that sounds like a champion. You get your name right there by the first team. If you ever win it, that would be an accomplishment, right could you imagine that? Well? Windom and Windom and I were

in the same group last year and became friends. He played with Joe Don Rooney and Jodan had to move on and play with Kevin Chapple. So Dub and I have teamed up, and uh, he's he's a tough, tough beat there at Pebble. He loves that track. That'll be fun. I'm excited to watch. Thanks again, I appreciate the time. Alright, Shane, take care, Bud. It looks like I'm arect A big thanks to Chris Harrison for jumping on and chatting. I really enjoyed the conversation. Thought it was a lot of fun.

Hope you enjoy as well. If you're a fan of the podcast, to us a favor, go on iTunes, write a review, give us five stars. You can give us four stars if you want. Four stars is great. To me. Four stars is an a if I had as all the way through my life, I'd probab to be doing something way more advanced than something like a golf podcast, but maybe not nearly as much fun. Thanks so much for always listening and for hanging in there with us.

We will be back soon with a new guest. Have a great week, get out and play a little bit of golf, and we'll check in with you soon.