You have to earn the respect of the writers, for sure. I mean that was That's part of the whole thing. You know, If you just keep showing up and you keep putting yourself on leaterboards and you keep getting asked in the tent, eventually they start like asking serious questions and they care what you say, you know, And I think that's the same with the fans. I think it's
unfortunate that people don't know some of these guys. But no one knows unless you're Tiger Woods and you have an ESPN sort of junior career, Like nobody knows who these kids are, so that you have to earn the respect of the writers. And then if you earn the affect of the writers and the TV, then you were in the respect of the fans and then off you go. You know, it's it's the ruthless world, but I guess it's the meritocracy with the sport that we play with.
Put another log on the fire what are here? Give it time? Hello, and welcome back to another Fire Drill podcast. It is deep into the first round here at the US Open. Sitting to my left is Michael Bamberger. To my right is Ryan French across the ocean is Jeff Ogilvie and quite an interesting first day. The late great Dan Jenkins used the word lurkers a lot. We're talking about first round leaderboard. There's certainly some unexpected names. We've
got Rory Jt. We have Matt fitz Patrick, another world class player. Jeff, tell us what you think of this leaderboard and just first impressions of the first round. Well, yeah, I mean, lakas is a pretty good word. I mean, I guess the first round of the US Open, you never work out who's gonna win, but you probably work out who isn't gonna win. Um, so you lose a few people that you may have thought that were a chance. Um,
But most of the players that we expected played pretty well. Um. It's nice to say Rory have a good first round in a major. Um. He's obviously up and about. He's sort of pretty motivated at the moment. At same he's sort of as Johnty is he ever been and sort of seems pretty motivated and fired up to play well. So it's pretty cool to see him player first good first round because his first round scoring average and majors
has been awful. The last quite a long time, so good to see and he's dangerous when he's up there at the front. J T looks like he's playing really really well. Um Fitzpatrick's back there again in the major so yeah, I mean, um interesting cours looks brutal. I mean, there's a lot, there's quite a few guys under par but it does have that sort of they're not getting very far under power, and it does look like that sort of thing that they're just going to start gradually
every day you're gonna have slightly less under power. And can anyone be there at the end of the week. Yeah, Bryan, you were out there tracking your guys and this is actually your dream leaderboard. Mr Monday q info. I mean the casual fan wants the stars. I know you love the unknown, so you must be enjoying this. Yeah. I enjoy. Not only do I enjoy the leaderboard, I enjoy all the report like this is my first time in the media center, and I enjoyed the disdain of all the
all of all the things there. I have to tell a quick story, so uh, the reporter shell remain nameless. But behind me Eric Barnes, who's had a lot of publicity based off of a tweet and story I wrote. Um chipped in for Eagle, and a reporter behind me goes, I don't even know who that is, and the guys wrapped up his tour card on the corn Ferry tour like I mean, let's be better than that, You know what I mean. But this board is a perfect and
I love that everyone else hates it. Well, I think you've diagnosed it accurately, which is a lot of reporters, just like a lot of fans, are a little bit lazy, and they don't want to have to make the effort they just wanted. They know the big names, and they know the their storylines and their struggles, and it requires investing a lot of time and effort into a bunch of these other people, and they don't want to make
that effort. So I think your critique is accurate. It's really it's it's disdained because they have to work harder. Here is this is a semi serious, uh take? Is Hayden Buckley is a tour player, very good, had a good college career, played well. Today they bring him to the media center. It was me and Kevin Price, Okay, two people like they don't even I mean, I understand all of you guys have been through that nine percent of the time. Haydn Buckley is not gonna win the
US Open, but I mean it's twenty ft away. So I ask the kid and like learned about his story. So on Sunday, if he does win, you already know it. I would chip in there and say it's it's Alan and Michael's fault. And there peers because they tell us that the only people worth watching they've been telling his fee is the only people worth watching in the top ten,
top fifty in the world. That's I think what you're saying, the live tour is Alan and Michael's and everybody else's fault because they're saying, hey, we just need to have forty eight players and that's it. We can hear you. Guys were part of this podcast. You know that, right, I can hear you. Uh Well, my rebuttal to that was, let's see how Haydon Buckley does on Friday. Now, if you're still there, then name the bet then we'll see. Um we will name it after this podcast. Yeah, let
me think of that. Michael. Well, welcome to the podcast, Michael. Yeah, until one quick a music something about that. Jeff, Jeffy wait too young for this. But my friend Mike Donald, Uh, he shot at first round. I think I've got it wrong. I'm gonna say sixty four, but that can't be wrong at wingfoot and eighty four and Arnold was playing, and Big Jack and Tom Watson everybody, and he you know, he came in at six pm and the only person write him up was Tim Roseford and he wrote the
hell out of it. Uh. And Tim Roosefort known for his hustle and his his curiosity. So kudos to Tim rosa four and you know, well, Jeff was tough. Yeah. Were you ever in this position? Where were you ever the guy? Uh? At some point in your career when you're starting out where like nobody was expecting you to have a maybe an Australian Opener or a major. Uh, well it wouldn't happen to Australia, I don't think. But you had a Thursday round that nobody was expecting and
suddenly all eyes are on you. Were you in that position yourself? Every um future I lead I've shot sixty three or four in the first round at Callaway Gardens, the Old Southern Open, two thousand and one, UM, and that was my first year out there, but I've had a few good tournaments. It wasn't a surprise. That's the thing. You definitely feel when you're one of these guys, the the disrespect, I think from the general feeling of like, we have to talk to this guy, he's not going
to be there at the end. You can feel that energy when you come in there when you're that guy, like it's I understand it, Like I completely understand it. Because you're all going to write stuff and you read it is gonna go who's this guy? You're not gonna write about him? Like I understand that, um thing. And you've stood up and probably listened to twenty five of the great the prima donnas get up there and pontificate about their things. So you're just done with those guys.
But you definitely have that feeling when you're not one of those guys when you come in the media center that no one's really interested and they're just standing there because they're supposed to. You know, Um, you have to earn the respect of the writers for sure. I mean that was um, that's part of the whole you know, if you just keep showing up, and you keep putting yourself on later boards and you keep getting asked in
the tent. Eventually they start like asking serious questions and they care what you say, you know, And I think that's the same with the fans. I think it's unfortunate that people don't know some of these guys. But no one knows unless you're Tiger Woods and you have an ESPN sort of junior career, Like nobody knows who these kids are, so that you have to earn the respect of the riders. And then if you earned affect of the riders and the TV, then you were in the
respect of the fans and then off you go. You know, it's it's the ruthless world. But I guess it's the meritocracy with the sport that we play with. Interesting. Yeah, this whole this whole podcast is gonna change my entire professional career. I'm going to those press conference. I'm gonna start writing these kids up. I feel bad like you
guys have shamed you've shamed me. I mean, two people were there and there's no two bigger kaufnors in the world than Kevin Brice and myself, and but you must have been so happy because I'm sure your guys are familiar faces like that must have been a great sense of comfort that you were The two dews were a quick side note, Kevin using Kevin used the microphone to ask a question. It was my favorite part of the entire press conference is that there was only two people
in the room and he used the microphone. Jeff, how's this? How's this golf course showing up on TV? It looks great. It looks like a very old school, traditional US Open? Done it? I mean, um, we had I don't know in the last decade, We've had a few different ones, you know. Um, but this looks yeah, old school US Open, as I said, the leaderboard, not necessarily the names, I
mean the names, it looks pretty normal. Is normally, um, a few big names and a few that you haven't heard of an US Open, right, that's the nature of the field. Um it. Yeah, it looks kind of normal. Looks like it's going to be one of those ones that everyone sort of gradually drifts back and it's who hangs on, you know. It's got that feel about It looks like a grind. It looks like there's birdies out there, which they're usually or they can often be in that
traditional US Open Thursday. I'm sure it'll get tougher every day, doesn't I don't think there's any rain in the forecast, so it's going to get as firm as they wanted to get. It's um hopefully stays within the realm of like sensible, you know, but it looks great right now. It's kind of it looks like a perfect US Open from afar watching it on to you day at this point. Well, and today was overcast and almost a little cool, and that obviously is going to keep some moisture in the course.
But tomorrow high eighties and it's going to be by far the hottest day of the week. People. You know, the players talk about how a course can change from day to day, but I think the casual fan has trouble really understanding that. Jeff, can you talk about how much of course can evolve in just twenty four hours and if you have an extreme example of that? Oh yeah, I mean, um, firstly, the grains, I mean the grains
are so stressed. Well well, well, I mean firstly, the weather, like you say, overcast, not much wind, it's a very it's a nice temperature. It's a great sort of environment to play golf, and sun comes out, a little bit of wind looked like it looks what happens this afternoon. It's just there's another element to the thing, to the the ball flight changes a little bit when the temperature warms up. The wind obviously adds sort of an element
of difficulty. Um greens gradually generally firm up during the day because the irrigation, if they are putting any water on the greens at night, it doesn't go on after the first group or from after about five in the morning, so naturally it's just sort of evaporates and dries out during the day, so they're at their firmness at the end of the day, so you can see it change in front of you. And a normal PGA two, of course, is a relatively docile set up, I would say, compared
to these things. It's not pushing the course to its absolute limit. But when you push green, especially greens and fairways, you're cutting them really short and you're pushing them to their limit. They are right on the edge. So they die. They're they're on the edge of dying really quickly. I mean, they're not dying but they feel like that because it's just a lack of water there and the leaf sort
of dries out and it's um. It can really change from morning group to afternoon group, and then day to day even it's even more so. You know, it's like it feels like Thursday, it takes still after lunch for it to start getting sort of unchy and hard, and then Friday it's eleven o'clock and Thursday it's a little bit earlier. It seems to happen a little bit earlier every day in these u s opens and then Sunday it's just like brutal from the first group, you know,
which is how they like it. And I think that's how these Great Championship should be. I think you're trying to sort the week from the chaff, and you're trying to get the creamed to rise to the top. And I think that the firmer and more sort of krusty golf course gets towards the end. You do that, you know. The most extreme thing, I think Pebble Beach when um Gary Woodland one when was at ten nineteen no the one before that, then umah Dald two, thous Gray mcdowal
the Graam mcdowe was incredible. I mean, the pebbles always sort of cloudy in the morning and carmel as you know Alan, and then at some point every day that week the sun would come out and they have those power greens out there, and there's apparently there's multiple varieties of that grass in those greens which you can't tell when the sun was out, and they were perfect in the morning, but as soon as the sun came out,
there was one particular variety of that grass. It just laid down and went brown, and so you had all these like low bits and high bits, and all of a sudden, just like ten minutes after the sun came out, the greens completely changed and they were almost unpossible, and then the morning they were fantastic until the sun came out. So um, that one was the most extreme change absolutely.
But I mean when fort the wing Foot, the year i won the morning group to the afternoon group, putting on the greens was incredibly My afternoon round on Thursday was just outrageously difficult to put on, and then morning
on Friday they were like Christine and perfect. So when you get these stressed out on the edge greens, they just take footprints harder, they just take where harder, and they just get sort of the moisture goes out and by the end of the day and they get that sort of shiny look where people are stepping and stuff,
and they can deteriorate in front of your eyes. Actually, and I'm not trying to say that's a bad thing, as I said, I think that's a really good thing, um, because you're trying to sort out the men from the boys, and usually the good part of the whole parts in those situations stuff. But yeah, it does incredible the difference from Thursday morning the Sunday afternoon and the US Open and a normal, traditional good weather US Open. It's amazing
the difference. And to your point about about Pebble being, you know, its own micro clemate as they always say they're in ninety two, the same thing happened when Tom Kite one and people are congratulating Calm Montgomery and winning, and I don't recall what it was, but a monsoon of wind came in, if there is such a phrase, it was it was a totally different golf course and was hanging on for dear life, for for for everybody. And that's part of the greatness of the Open Championship.
But you know, the day is so long, everybody's playing off the first tea, and you know, as it's it's said every year, you know where you are in the drawshet Thursday Friday will often affect where you are Sunday afternoon. If you're even playing by Sunday afternoon. Well, you say, that's the greatness that watching this about the Open chev If you're a player that's sort of you get very unlucky in the Open Championsip. It turns you know, as
you are, you get a little jaded. If you get a couple of bad opens in a row, would you have a two? Would you have? You're right? But if you run the RNA, would you have a two tea start for for the Open Championship? You know what I mean now that I'm ah, I don't know. I mean I think, look, great players when they open, generally the right player wins and the right players are up there. It works out in the long run, right, And if you get a couple of randoms, you get a cup
of randoms. I mean, Louis, you had the dreamy drawer the old course in OH five, was I mean, you just had an incredible draw, but like history has proven that he was the right winner, you know. So, I mean, it sucks when you get the bad draw, but it's it's just part of that tournament. It's just it's it's part of what gives it that tournament. It's quirk if
you like. But it would be so different think about the links courses like like maybe like Troon where all the holes go in one direction on the front and a different direction on the back. If you started on ten, it's such a different rhythm and a different experience you're preaching to the converter. I would never want to change anything about the Open, you know. And it's so interesting
how different the philosophies are. And you know, Jeff, as you've gotten to know U. S J people over there and wondering if you can speak to this by once heard Mike Davis say in an unguarded moment, I can have any winning score I want. And I'm just wondering, Joe, how do they feel about two eighty Do they have some special relationship with that number of the U s J people. Do you have a sense of that. They certainly seem to have a preoccupation with par like what
is part? They want to make part a very valuable thing, make it very difficult to shoot even part for the week. They don't seem to like us making birdies too much. Um yeah, I like and I think that's great at most courses, at a course at the country club, obviously you can set it up sensibly and have that sort of score shot. Sometimes you go to places that you have to get really a bit out of control to
get people to shoot that score. And I think that's ellier then when I think when good when really really good shots are getting punished and making bogs and doubles, I don't like it, you know, I just don't think that's right. But generally, and I'm not out there this week, and I'm sure a couple of the boys who have had some high numbers might disagree, but it looks like
if you play well, you'll have a reasonable score. And I think I don't think any player can have a real fair complaint that if you're hitting good shots, they're getting kind of rewarded. You a really good shots that should be really good shots. Um. But if you get good shots all week, you should get rewarded. If you're good shots and get punished, which happens. It's happened a few times. We've seen that that's a bit over the top. Um So I think they're a little probably too preoccupied
with the score we shoot. But for the most part, they do a reasonable job at it. I think just sometimes you go to these historic golf clubs that have these reputations, and I feel sometimes the club has such a such a sort of an ego issue with anyone shooting underpar. That has to be hard. Oak mots hard, so we have to make it harder than it's ever been before, and jocks hard, so it's gonna be harder
than it's ever been before. I think when you go to these new venues that don't have that history, I think the us j I end up getting to set it up kind of how they want. But I think when you go to these traditional venues, I think sometimes there's some kick back from the club to make sure
that it's actually hard enough. Yeah, the commentary and when Bryson won at Wingfoot was hilarious, like on Twitter, Oh, say your prayer for the Wingfoot members, you know, because the scores were low and he was kind of taking apart the golf course. But um, anyway that that's an interesting discussion. Just you want to add, but just you know, it's so nice to come here and see just a
proper golf course. And just to your point, Jeff, I remember two US Opens, particularly um Pinehurst the year that Michael Campbell won and Marrying the Earth that justin Rose one. The moment you arrived and looked at the golf course, it's like, this is not what the golf you were both, weren't you, Jeff, Just to my eye, having been there under normal conditions a lot over the years, the golf course didn't look like it's supposed to look like like I don't know, I don't know how else to word.
It just didn't look the golf course. It looked like they had manipulated the golf course to make two eighty or something right around there the winning score. And I don't think that's I think it's a shame. Really, we've evolved as golfers. I mean it's we're using metal woods and better balls and better equipment and everything is better. And it's like you go play Marian where there really isn't much room to make it much bigger Um, we're going to shoot lower. We just are. That's just just
the nature of sport. I mean, like we wouldn't watch the hundred meters of the Olympics if they weren't getting faster every time, you know. Like, I know it's a little different in Gulf, but um, when you have to manipulate a course to force a score, you're right. I mean, Marian just got a bit narrow. I thought it was a fantastic open, but I just got a bit narrow because it was just they were a bit scared because
it felt a bit small. You know. Um that year with Michael Campbell's was way too narrow, and I mean just like little alleyways. It just didn't look really like a like like like a proper golf course. Do you do you think, Jeff, the extra old factors influences how the us j would set up of course. For instance, I think the last thing the usg would need right now, with everything going on in the political landscape of golf, is for their setup of their course to become the story.
Do you think they would go out of the way to make sure that doesn't happen. No, I don't know. They generally seem to go out of their way to make sure that does happen. Um, so that would be against tradition. Um, I don't know. Obviously, they want to really really good positive like, wow, how good is the US Open? How good is the U s g A. Look at this, The traditions of the game are great. I mean, it's coincidental or ironic or really handy that it's maybe the oldest golf club that we play golf
tournaments out. It's one of the most historic venues. It's like, um, one of the founding clubs of the U s g A at this sort of time when golf sort of doing what it's doing. So, um, it's good timing for the U. S g A. And it looks like they've
nailed it, I mean, got three days to go. But um, yeah, I think they would have been conscious about let's just let's fingers cross, we can make this just a great attractive US Open, that it just gets everyone excited about the traditions of golf and how good the US Open is right well, And I mean the class example is they screw up Shinnikock and oh for the club almost
never wants to come back. They finally get to go back in in eighteen to prove they can do it right, and they have another controversy there and there's some pin you know, places positions were on the edge, and like, well it was warmer and windier than we thought. You're right by the ocean. It's always windy in the afternoon. Like it was so absurd. But so Ryan, let me get your take on just the feeling on the grounds out there. You know, first round, there's uh, did you
what did you see? What did you hear? And what was kind of just the feeling for and what's it like to be at a US open for you Yeah, when it really counts now, Yeah, I mean it was. It's awesome. It is awesome. But I was, I mean it's pretty subdued out there today. I mean part of that is, I think it's not a rate spectator course, so a lot of you know, there's not a lot of big, huge grandstands. There's when people are standing around the green, it's six or seven deep, so they're they're
not seeing the shots. But so I was, I mean, considering, I know, it will get more rowdy as we go and people start to separate themselves and everybody starts to take divisions and all those, but I was a little disappointed with the atmosphere if I mean, obviously I'm following people were, you know, out of the the main part of the draw, but there was not like a lot of roars. There wasn't a lot of yelling out. It was it's kind of subdued in my opinion. I totally agree.
And I was following Rory on his back nine. Who as you come from the Irish Island, you're playing in Boston, you're you're already gonna have fans and he's Rory Mocroy. Everyone loves him and he was leading the tournament and it was actually a little quiet. I mean, the grandstands are small and some of them were only half full. There's because as other are like Culton, other were men
of the people, were not coastal elites. We didn't go inside the ropes and we were just walking with the fans and it's messy, like there are a lot of choke points were used to be inside the ropes, so we got stranded a half dozen times in the wrong plays. And hats off to the golf fans because it is a really challenging course and if you get on the wrong side of the green or a fairway. You can't see anything, and it's hard to get here. It's hard, well,
it's really hard to get here. Like as you know, Pebble Beach is not easy. Pine, It's not easy, but this one seems particularly difficult. And I mean I don't go. You know, I've gone to a lot of PGA Tour events in my over my life, but it's been a like I go to offense with none. There's a lot of dead ends. Like somehow I get up to the thing and I'm like, oh, I just want to go to the green. No I had inside the ropes. Humble bragging again, but uh, like there's a lot of dead ends.
I was walking with uh Luke Annon's wife today and where and she had outside, you know, just a regular thing and like you'd walk up in this so they didn't have to cross over. I mean again, credit to people who actually really try to follow people instead of just sit at a green and wait for people to come to them. Yeah, it's it's a tough here, but there is hope because my warriors are going to beat the Celtics to night. There's gonna be a lot of
grouchy Bostonians tomorrow. I think they'll bring a different edge to the spectating tomorrow. But Ryan, to your point, I'd like to ask this of Jeff. I have never thought of the US Open as an I don't really think of any professional golf is as entertainment at all. I think of him athletic endeavors. But of all the majors, and of all tournament golf, this one is the least entertaining. It's not meant to be entertaining. It's you know, it's been said a million times. It is a war of attrition.
It is a you know, a test of mental strength, and a lot of other things. And so to your right, trying to your to your point, like, I kind of like that. I mean, there's sort of something slow and boring and methodical about a US Open. I've always enjoyed that at U s Opens, even though it's not entertaining. But I don't know, Jeff, you have a feeling about what we're trying to talk about her, Yeah, I get it.
I mean, Um, I can't really speak. I've never been to US Open, not playing, so I can only speak from inside. Um. And they all vary, they're all different, you know about a humble bread. I think I think he's just standing the facts. Like I got to use opens to playing them masters. I asked, Jeff, if you've ever gone over and played, you know, Palmetto. He's like, no, Termine, we I just play Augusta. Nashvill's like, oh yeah, yeah, right, my bad. I'm sorry, And that's a good course. But
Palmetto is good too, anyway, continued Jeff Um. I think generally, I think sometimes in new as opens, the the fans and the spectators aren't really sure what to make of what's going on out there. I think it's really difficult to have a sense because to to probably the average fan who's not really in tune with PJ tour events and doesn't go to a lot of them, from the side of the fairway, it probably looks the same as
every other thing. They think what we what pros do is miraculous anyway, the way they play, so they're just happy to see it. They're probably I think sometimes in the US Open it takes the spectators a while to work out what a good shot actually is, um and what a good score actually is, because it's so different from what they say or these guys are making bogies and hitting at the forty two putting like it's not really like you're in the desert or at a normal
PJ Tour event. Right. So, I think as the week goes on, generally, the respect for so those great up and downs and the respect for the the fore iron that goes to thirty ft, it's there because it's been earned during the week. But I think it takes a while for the fan to get educated about what good golf is out of the U S Open, because it's so different. That is a very good point. Today I was following lukein and there were some people, uh, just
around the green that he was. He shortsighted himself. He was in the back of the bunker. Was I mean impossible. Given a hundred balls, he couldn't have kept it within seven feet and he kept it in seven ft within seven feet. I mean even he like laughed when he got you know, the kind of shot when you get out of the bunk and you're like, Okay, that was ridiculous, never do again. And the guys behind them go, now,
I know why he's in the last group. Yeah, And I'm like, oh, that was probably Tiger Woods would have been excited about that show. Yeah. To Jeff's point, I mean, if if you you know you've got a crumby line the first cut, and you chase a hooded six iron right up the middle and run some of the green, you got forty ft two put that's great golf. But it's not entertaining. But if you know something about golf, like, yeah, that's good. It's fun. It's not fun fun, but it's
interesting fun. And it's true because when I was out there playing in a parallel fairway to Rory was a guy I didn't recognize him by sight. I mean, I qualifier, he's probably hasn't made his way in the world of golf yet, and he kind of fooled one out of the rough, didn't go very far, and you get the fans like, oh yeah, it was almost a sense of embarrassment, like this guy is not a very good golfer. But in reality, that's just the US Open. He had a
horrendous lie. He did the best he could. But there's definitely as a golf fan, you see shots you're not gonna see any other time all year long, where guys just getting kicked in the teeth, and but it does, it does subdue them, like oh damn, yes, yeah, and so I get it. Um, all from when you watched
on TV today, you probably saw someone Rory. He seems tighter than he used to be, like like the bad shots, frustrated more than they used to just in terms of how he physically responds to them and the good shots. He seems like, well, you know, that's what I'm supposed to do. It just looks a little different than he used to do. You ever thought about that, man, Yeah, he's trying to save the PGA tour. It's a lot of heavy burden, heavy burden. Yeah, I like it. I
thought it was great. I thought it was great. I thought Rory looks like he actually really wants to win. Um, he sometimes looks, well, I don't know, every everybody has different looks, right, And he's had a career of just being jaunty and happy and taking it all in his stride. But um, he really really really wants to win this. You can tell, like you beat the bunker up a little bit there on that one hole, and Um, to your point, he looked different. It was more tiger like.
I mean, you know, um, just he is into this more than we've seen him into it for a while. I mean, last week, you've got a feeling that was one of his favorite wins. Obviously he just loved that. It was like a bit of a stamp. I look, I'm actually the best player, come on, guys, Like, what are you guys talking about? Um? And it seems like he's got a real sort of fire and his belly at the moment. And I think that's a good sign for Rory. I think a lot of players, I mean,
Doctor Teller and all that. They all might tell me I'm wrong, but there's a lot of players that seem to be better when they're just on edge a little bit, you know, like there's just sort of a bit of a fire and as long as you can control it and it doesn't affect your next shot. I kind of enjoyed saying that from Rory. I think he'd be better to be a little bit more into it more often, you know, Jeff, You know, of course that Augusta they have that Tuose night dinner and they all talk about
their former Masters wins. Have you ever had a conversation with Rory, with Tiger, with any former US Open winner where like you could see, Oh, there's we're on the same wavelength here. There's something that we both understand in about what how are you when a US Open and what it means when are you US Open that you would have been privy to that you know another golfer might not have been there. Certainly is an understanding or
a feeling. I mean in nineteen last time we were at Pebble, we had the reunion again where everyone was there everyone, I think a except a couple, um, the alive US Open champions. We have a dinner and take a photo and it was a fantastic It's a fantastic occasion. We all played a lot of US played Cyprus that week,
so again another humble brag, but um, you do. There is sort of a I don't think it's necessarily just exclusive to US Open champions, but those who have sort of won those big tournaments, there is sort of this not unsaid, but this feeling of respect for the people that you're talking to about the game, and when maybe in the locker room sometimes when everyone starts talking, you might tune out a little bit, but you don't tune
out when you're listening to guys like that. I mean even like Scott Simpson and Andy North starts talking and these guys you just listen to strange. You just you just listen, and there is this sort of feeling of just deep respect for these guys that they've done that and they've been through. They went through that what I went through, and they came through. And that's um, I think, you know, because you know how hard it is that you give the ultimate respect to those who do it.
I'm sure the green jacket, the green coat, whinners, it's the masters are the same, you know, they have the same sort of thing amongst themselves. Um, but yeah, there is a level of respect for guys who have won this tournament. That's ah. Yeah, I don't know what do you call it the brocade or something, but it's yeah, it's nice. It's nicety, humble brag about that day at
Surper's Point. Happen to be there as a as a spectator, and Lee Trevino showed up without clubs, looking tired and said, Mr Trevino, can I get you a cup of coffee? He said that would be great, and I got a cup of coffee and he was happy. I love it. I mean, it's Also, it warms my heart that you're mentioning, mentioning Andy Bean, like I haven't heard that name a long time. But the the the respect that Jeff has for someone who's been in the arena like that, that's
just cool. And being Randy North, well, he said Andy North, but I have an Andy Bean story, so he said Andy North. He's you know, you know, I was checking the scores out my phone. Apolo, do you know you know what Jeff? We mentioned Andy North in this context because he wants to us open this. Yeah, I do know, Andy North. My apologies got across and thing was Bermuda grass greens. We all know that Andy Bean. I was
like nine years old. I don't remember this story, but my dad tells it a lot until he can't remember anything anymore. But we're at the eighty six. Uh, I think it was eighty six Oakland Hills and Andy Bean,
Uh eighty five, Okay, I was eight years old. Andy Bean hits a shot into the green and it like slowly trickles off the false front all the way down to the bottom, and uh, he gives the finger to the green and my dad yells at him, there's kids out here, and Andy Bean turned around and says, fuck you wow that I mean, So, that's the beauty of the US Open right there. That would have happened at the Bob Hope Classic. Right like that. You want to push the players to the breaking point. That's the whole
that's the whole purpose of this tournament. So that is a glaring example, Um, any anyone else on the leaderboard that we should discuss. Don't you have a like? You're the only person on the planet with like an A plus David Lingmouth story, Mark Baldwin, I'm kidding from Mark Baldwin. We're the first alternative at a corn Fairy event in
Vegas and Matt Every withdress. Thank you Matt Every and uh, we get in a group with Eric Compton, who is very slow, and David Lingmerth, who is as slow, and so we're on the clock most of the day and Mark is not very slowly. It's methodical, but not slow. And between every hole a different player would walk with us. So when we were walking with Compton, he would say, God, David Lingmerth is so fucking slow. He's terrible. I can't
believe it. I can't play like this. And then the next hole we'd be walking with Lingmerth, and Lingmerth would say that comptony is terribly slow. I can't believe it. And they got into a somewhat heated uh discussion in the in the scoring area, and uh, that's my David lingmer story. I like it. That's a good one. UM. A couple of names we this, This came up in our in our thread, so I'll do this just some
mark coach doesn't yell at us the UM. The US amateur amateur champ UM James Piatt, who has turned professional and taken the live money, is playing here as a US amateur, which is awkward scenario for the U s J is probably the worst night where that he were to win. UM. And then you have Stuart Haggisted, who is you know, cocktail circuit legend. He was on the board for a long time. And actually someone poses the question who would the U SG rather have win the tournament?
I would say Haggisted, even though by his question, by his lofty standards, you know, he only plays the nicest courses and the most exclusive clothes, Like this is borderline if he was even going to show up, because it's probably not quite nice enough for him. But yes, but percent of the of the I mean, the PGA tour tweeted out today that he works the job full time. Socent of the world doesn't know that. Stewart just kind of plays golf for a living, right, so in Stewart,
Who's who's your opinion about the amateur? If the amateur getting the getting to continue to play, even though, of course, why don't you explain now, Augusta, that doesn't happen. I don't know about the other tournament, the Opens taken that away as well. I have mixed feelings. I mean, you you you want the US Amateur. It was a great achievement to win it, as the reward is playing in
the US Open. Whether your life and your material needs and your career demands that there's some change in your status, you still won the US Amateur. I'm kind of okay with it. It's just particularly awkward right now because he took to live money and all that. But um, what
do you think about that, Jeff? Do you have any feelings on whether he should be able to play now that he's a pro but he's still the US Amateur champ Oh, I think to your point, I think if you win the US Amita, you've hurt your way into the US Opening period. I don't, I think, um, I think you go way back the traditions of the game. I'm sure a really important or they are important and
they're really interesting. But back when those sort of rules came along, that sort of amateur professional divide was bigger. There really was a difference between an amateur golfer and a professional golfer. I mean, they had jobs, real jobs where they actually went to them and had careers, and they turned up and they played the summer amunate tournaments every year and then they went back to their jobs like that was a difference. They're not like that anymore.
These kids a little professional. They're professional amateurs. It's an asterisk next to their name only. I mean, if the in tennis, if you qualify for the US Open, regardless of your status, if you play the first round, you get paid. You know, I'm not saying we should pay amates, but I just think it's a different world now, and I think these kids are professionals from when their kids almost you know, they're playing a j g A with gallery ropes and leaderboards like from when their little kids.
It's just it's a it's just a little asterisk next to the name only. So um, I think the amateur pro divide is narrower than it's ever been. So I don't think something like turning pro should stop you playing the US Open ever really, And uh, the live thing, that's that that we don't have to dive into. That that's up to the U s G. I they let everybody in who was exempt, who's playing to live, So I don't know why you have to let you have to if you let one any let all in, right,
Oh yeah I would. Yeah, I was just suggesting. It just adds. It's one thing to turn pro and get money. It's not the thing for, you know, to turn pro and take the live money, which for some people brings baggage. But yeah, I agree, you gotta treat all all the pros the same. Anyway, Jeff, we know you have a hard stop here because you have to get the kids
to school. So um. One last thought, Michael, Well, just along the lines of I had I posed this question to Sandy Tatum years ago, and he said by he expected that a transgender golfer would would qualify for the for the U S Open. But along those same lines. I can almost guess your answer jump, But how would you feel about it has happened when women trying to uh qualify for for u S opens through up and qualifying And do you think do you think we're moving
closer to that day that will happen? You'll just see a woman in the field of of a u S open Um, like I hope that day would come. Um, it's uh. I love what they did in Europe last week. Um. I think it's cool when they've sort of had they've had a couple of mixed tournaments down here. Um, I think anybody open is open that just because um, you shouldn't be anyone should be at a play. It should be the best golfer in America, you know, around the
same test. Absolutely, I don't. I think it's a big test. I think it's going to take a sort of a sort of a big strong Lexi Thompson, like someone who can really hit the ball a long way and it's like really amazingly strong because it's not really the length I think you can get some there's some plenty of the female golfers are hitting it far and probably these dis but it's that power out of the raft I think would be difficult. Um, but yeah, have at it.
I don't say why not, just how there's a fifty seven year old qualifier that you know, it's there's no that's what makes it the US Open. It's just the most democratic tournament there is, along with with the Open Championship. And um, I think that would I think that'd be amazing. And a lot of these thirty six so qualifiers like a century and old oaks, I think, Ryan, we're you talking about that the other day to yard or shorter courses.
Maybe you know, there's a lot of women who can get get around that and you know one thirty six for a day now, they might come here and shoot one fifty six, but they could play their win a lot of guys when you shoote. So no shame absolutely, Um. Alright, anything you want to say before we go, run, No, it's good. Another good podcast. All right, Well thanks for being here. So before we go, we're gonna thank our our sponsors, the door Mey Workshop, who make all kinds
of beautiful leather goods. You can see that. You can see them at fire Pick collected dot com. And it's very much a throwback vibe like you could imagine Francis we met having a dormy workshop head cover. Was that? Was that too much? I take it too far and have been a special note to Jeff's kids waiting patiently to be taking wherever they're going to next. I know they didn't barge in, they didn't demand you know you, you make them toasts like that's a plus to Ogilvie children.
So I don't know about you guys, but I don't think anyone's kids baked to go to school. That's right, Like, dad, make this the longest podcast of your life. We're fine with that. So all right, Well, this has been another fire drill from the country club and from Melbourne, Australia. We'll be doing this again throughout the week. So thanks to everyone for tuning in and um, Michael Ryan saln Nic we're out of here. That's a wrap. Thank you. Put another log on the fire nobody he ears get the time. M