It's kind of a weird, weird problem to have. But when you've made all the money you're gonna need for the rest of your life, unless your grandchildren's life, then what are you really left playing for? In other words, the money is a great motivator, But if you've made all the money, then all you really have left are these titles. And of the titles, the only ones that really matter to you are the majors. So then you
have all this outsized emotion attached to the majors. And of course it's a killer.
I got dats in my head. Can't get join not the thing what I'm thinking about. He can't get them out join not the thing well I'm thinking about.
Hello, this is Alan Schipnaka. Welcome back to another Fire Drill podcast. It is Sunday evening here at Los Angeles Country Club. The one hundred and twenty third US Open is in the books Michael Bamberger and I are straight from the eighteenth Green watching a Star be born. That is that proper English, a star was born. We have a new star in Wyndham Clark. I mean what just ballsy performance? He played great all week, all week and
especially today. I mean so many middle of the round, it looked like he was gonna lose it completely, and he got up and down for you know, bogie after making an absolute hash of the par five eighth hole, a couple other great saves, and then hit the shot of the week on the par five fourteenth, threaded that three food in between those bunkers. That's about an eight yard gap. You ran it up there for the two putt birdie that ultimately gave him the cushion that got
him home. So, I mean, we were talking about this the other day. Has definitely one of my favorite swings in golf. He's only twenty eight, clearly ascendant. What do you like about this kid?
A strong as an ox, He's unpretentious, he's sea ball, hit ball. Get better at golf from the little I picked up on on YouTube. His swing has improved over the years. I know he's a good college player, but he's way better now. And this is definitely you know, I realize he's not a household name to people follow golf casually, but he is not a one and done by any means. This is not Jack Fleck.
No, And I mean he's only a second tour win. But the last one was on a big league ballpark too. Quail Hollow was a Major Championships sure, so, I mean not a household name, but he's he's edging that direction. You know.
There's always that moment kind of maybe I don't really feel it right now, where oh, wouldn't have been so great if Rory could win he you know, win a Major, wouldn't have been especially so great, if Ricky Fowler could have finally, you know, but Ricky Fowler is coming back.
Rory is Rory.
Uh uh, you know, Scotti Scheffer or Scotti Shaffer. He can play bad in top five. Uh So you'd really have to say that golf is in a very good place. But I think the most significant thing for the casual fan is to not be at any way dismissive of this Wyndom Clark. You know, I guess he sort of comes out of the Steve Jones tradition, who is a really fine player, not flashy, not charismatic, but a really fine player. And we would have heard more from from
Steve Jones. Was not for injury. Just looking at this guy's physic and only goes about his business. There's no you can never predict injury. But he doesn't look like somebody is going to go south anytime soon.
That that's all very well said. I mean, I think he's he just seems like a sort of a self contained, compact player, you know, it doesn't have huge entourage, and and there's that throwback feel, like you said, he keeps it simple. The golf swing is simple, his approach is simple. And those it's like Scotti Seffler, honestly like those are
the guys they pretty much just keep going. And I mean anytime he went and open, anytime a major, especially as a youngest player, like your life is going to change. But I can see Clark just being one of those guys who's like instead of getting lost in the sauce and distracted, like you can be a star just by what you do on the golf course. You can make generational wealth just by what you do on the golf course. You don't have to chase all the other things. You
don't have to try and be somebody or not. As far as I know, he has no social media presence. I've never come across it anyway, And he just seems like like a focused dude who is going to maximize his considerable talent. So that's kind of fun.
Yeah, you know, it's something about majors. We spend so much time, and now more than ever in the build up talking about people that we already know a lot about. We never wo Ben Curtis, who possibly would have been talking about Ben Curtis, or Steve Jones or Scott Simpson or Larry Nelson. I mean, when Larry Nelson went his first one. After that, Larry Nelson was Larry Nelson. But
that's the nature of majors for anybody. I guess it's a little bit of talk to anybody who feels sort of quote let down by this major, by this championship, don't because that's sort of the beauty of nature's you know. I mean, as you know, Mike Donald was a great friend of mine. Now Mike was playing great going in the US, but nobody expected Mike to be eat tied with Hiler I went at the end of seven Q holes.
But that's what happens in major championship playing. It's part of the greatness of the game.
Actually, I mean, that's beautifully said. And you know, the bottom line is Wyndam Clark got it done. He made the putts he had to make. He hit the shots he had to hit. He got himself out of trouble. Like you know, Ricky Fowler, it always felt like it was going to be too soon for him. I mean, this is he's a work in progress still and to tiptoe back from the abyss it felt like it wasn't going to be his time. But you know, Ricky Folllers shot seventy five today and made a bunch of bogies.
Yeah, and just pointed one in the last Yeah, he's got a I mean, this is such a cliche, but from where he was, you know, is Mentionella noted earlier today, you know, not even in the field last year's US Open, but still game enough to show up there and see if Cougie had in waiting on the range all day. I mean, that's the kind of grit it takes, and that we didn't always know that, We didn't always know that Rory had does It looked like, excuse me, Ricky Hacks.
It looked like things came so easily to him. But he does have it, and he's shown it. And you can't in mid career make the significant changes he made. Parting with the Caddy that you're really close to going back to Butch Harmon saying, you know, whatever they said, but basically I should have never left in the first place, and so he's got to feel he really should feel great.
Yeah, I mean for him, this is a building block that you'd have to say this week as a success without a doubt. To everyone else on the board other than Wyndam Clarket, it's hard to feel that great about I mean, Harris English, he hadn't sniffed too many majors, so okay, maybe he can build on this. Yeah, you know, I don't know him, you know, I mean twenty nine yesterday, he's finished his eighth. But I mean, you go down
the board. We got to talk about Rory because, weirdly, even though he was only one shot back at various times throughout this round, it never felt like he was going to do it. It just never felt like he was going to do it. No, even though he was playing on some level perfect you best open golf. I mean, he made what eleven pars in a row in the middle of his round after birding the first like that is off. That's how you he seems fall into your lap. It often feels like he gets the absolute least out
of his rounds. I mean it was just two putt after two putt after two put They got him a birdie on the first hole. Okay, did what he had to do. But after that he didn't nothing. He never made another birdie and it was just it felt defensive. And you know what happened on the fourteenth hole. Did you get to see that in person when you're out there walking? No? I actually couldn't see it from where I was because he was on the other side of fifteen.
This is kind of Rory's last decade in a nutshell, it's a he's one of the greatest drivers of the golf ball in the history of the sport. He's in the thick of the United States Open. He nukes his drive into the rough like way left miss is a faerry by fifteen yards on TV. You know John Wood, who's a former caddy and various stute observers, so I think he could go for it with this lie. Rory elected to lay up. Okay, fine, he's got a wedge in.
He dumps it in the bunker like from the middle of the ferry, from a perfect lie, from a perfect distance, and it's just the worst swing of the day by any contender. And then it embeds, so they give him a free drop, which is the break of the tournament. Now he's got a nice lie in the bunker, he's got a chance to hold it. He's certainly gonna make par. But he hits a mediocre shot and then he misses
like a nine footer makes a six. I mean it, it's so exasperating, Like it's exasperating for you Alan imagine when it's like for Rory.
But really, I mean Saint Andrew's Canadian Open, US Open. Those are three of the biggest titles in this game. You know, people forget what a big title is. People, if you're Roy Mountroy, if you're Tiger Woods, if you're anybody in the game, you'd like to have a Canadian Open And to not get it done three times the name of the game. To be a superstar, you really, really really want to be a superstar. You got to
get it done. And he actually is not. And I mean shocking to think, what is it now in twenty fourteen, since he's won a major.
It's a long time, whole decade. Yeah, it was interesting because you know, I understand Rory's emotional fatigue. I mean, his buddy Jimmy Dunn and Jaymon Ant like tore open his chest cavity, ripped out his heart, stamped it on the floor, Like what this turnabout with with the live public investment fud Merger like that, that's a body blow. And I understand why he ran out of gas in Canada, and he was very dude. He was very flat this week. And you know, the last couple of days he didn't
talk to the media on Thursday at all. He may not have been drug tested, which is you know, that'd be bad luck whatever. But the last two days, five questions and four questions, that's all he did. It was like short answers, answers, no emotion. It was kind of like old school Tiger, like give you nothing other than I have to show up. I'll fulfill my obligations. And I get it, like he's been battered and scarred emotionally
through all of this, and he's talked so much. He's put himself on the line, Like I understand why he's gunshi, But at the same time, by retreating into that shell, he's going against his fundamental nature, which is to be gregarious, to be open, to be giving, and I don't think it serves Rory well to try and turn into Ben Hogan, right,
Like that's just not who he is. And hopefully this is just a little phase he's going through because it's been such a rollercoaster emotionally, but this is he could be seriously damaged by the way this has played out and disillusions and add that decade long streak of all these near misses and all these heartbreaks. Like I'm not suggesting Rory's going to retire tonight, but it just feels like he's at a real crossroads here, and uh, it
was painful to see. And then even after all those cock ups, it's like Clark makes back to back bogies, Rory actually guts a really important, say six footer on sixteen. So now he's one back and he goes to seventeenth hole, which is a long toughel and he hooks his drive like fifty yards left into the wrong fairway.
You know, I'm curious about that. I was, I was on the golf course. I actually was right on the chae. I thought he was good. That did that? Willfully?
Did they say on TV?
It was a mistaken.
I don't think so, because the way that green is cantied, he has no worry. You got to get drawshot in there, and you can't get it no angle, there's no cutch. He right the flag beautles, and of course it ran over the green because it was no angle. Yeah, it would make no sense strategically.
I don't know. He looked totally contempt to pick it up that tea, So I really couldn't tell but two. But I would like to know the answer to that, or does.
I didn't Well, I didn't. I didn't you know you and I ran in here to pod so I haven't heard his comments. If he says he meant to do, I don't believe it, because it could have gotten caught up in the trees and on a firm green, there was needing a birdie at some point, probably to catch Clark. It's not the right play.
You would actually have a better chance of making a three from the front bunker than you would from holding it in where he was.
You played it on the right side of the correct fairway. You can sling a draw in there and feed the ball back to that flag. Strategically would make no sense.
So yeah, you could hit a cut shot from the right side of that fairwe with that hook wind, hit a cut shot into it, hold it and maybe have a chance. It's just like that was a curious play. I'd like to know what was going on there. But literally the bounce in his step is gone. Yeah, that was like that was his trademark. And I remember Jeff Olily commenting on that when he was a rookie. He's like, yeah, that that bouncing that step is a real thing. People pick up on it, and he picks up on it,
and it can be a halp. You know, it's no way to calculate it, but you could call it a half shot over the course of four days whatever whatever it is.
So yeah, like a being right, it was just something. There was a joy to it. And I get it, like he's been kicked around so much by not by the game, just by the majors. Even he's still winning tons of tournaments, He's winning FedEx Cups and Race to Dubai's and like it's like he can't finished or he can't produce. It's just he can't do it when it matters most here And like the last writer cut up
and it's just like it. It's there's a there's a there's a fragility there, and we just see it when the stakes go this high.
There's it's kind of a weird, weird problem to have. But when you've made all the money you're gonna need for the rest of your life, unless your grandchildren's life, then what are you really left playing for? In others, the money is a great motivator, you know, for us, for anybody in life, for plumber. But if you've made all the money, then all you really have left are these titles. And of the titles, the only ones that
really matter to you are the majors. So then you have all this outsized emotion attached to the majors, And of course it's a killer unless you're Tiger, you know, and you've got just the mentality of all mentalities. So he's got to be you know, he's a big reader. He's a teleguy, working with Brad on the putting free up, free up this, that Jimmy Dunn hang out, hang out, place them and oh blah blah blah. But I don't know what it's really adding up to in terms of
the most important thing in his professional life. Now, if he's lucky. He seems lucky. He's got a great wife and a great young daughter and you know, and is happy and contented. But of course professional golf means so much to him. It's it's it's perplexing. We can see it weighing on him. Yeah, you know, Mac Barnhard's made this point. No one's ever played better after pouring their heart and soul into poor politics than they did before.
Maybe it's happened to get him, not not often. And uh, you know, at some level this is weird to say. And you tell me what you think. When the players allowed themselves to become political people in their own profession, it can be dehumanizing because at the end of the day, they have a very singular talent, but it doesn't really translate to understanding the world at large. I think that
it does, but it really doesn't. Like an agent told me this week, if they were really smart, they would just turn it over to Ed Hurley, just at Hurley multist done. Yeah, it's not their mentality, it's not anybody's mentality to do that. But somebody be said for it.
I mean, who's the biggest OAF in professional golf? It's Grayson Murray. We all know that poor Rory here has been fighting for the tour for a year. He's at this player meeting Kada and Grayson Murray tells Rory fuck off. It does not get more thankless than that.
Yeah, but I didn't really believe that story because I don't think Worry would be rude enough to say that. Was this where Rory said, play better?
Yeah?
Is that songing Rory macrdy.
Well that's the whole point. I mean, Rory's had a little bit of an edge in some of these meetings because he also said, and this is I'm stealing tough on my book now, Like in one of these board meetings, no one pays money to watch Peter mal Naughty play golf. You know Peter mal Naughty is is now a board member and he's won once in his whole career. And I think there's an exasperation now. I think Rory's clearly frustrated.
That was that was why he would lash out. Also, Grayson was like talking a lot and being a total idiot in this meeting, and Roy had had enough and he actually was defending Jay Monahan. But the point is, like Rory doesn't need that he does not need Grayson Murray of all people like drop an f bombs on him, and that that's a position to put himself in, and it's gotta be so disillusioning.
And I don't know, you know, there's ative strength in the Peter Palm Peecher mal Nazis. And this is really the whole point of live golf versus the PGA Tour or what used to be the PJ Tour. We don't know what it'll be next year. That collectively, Tiger's got to beat all those guys, worries got to be all this John John Rahman and by the way, prior to this week,
Wyndam Clark was one of those guys, you know. But it's really the collective strength of all these good players and then beating the collective straint that makes you a start in the first place. Otherwise you just really do have a glorified all star tour, which to me is what what live golf is. But as you point out many times, the PJ Tour is now following the model. I got to ask you a question about this live
tour because I've asked various people this. I asked Walter Driver this question today, I've asked agents this question wise, old golf people, what are the Saudis investing in?
Well, they are, They're not investing in live golf. They are Live golf is going to remain this parallel entity for as long as y'all all over my and wants it to. But they are investing in this new company that's going to try and find new opportunities. And you know, Monahan talked about sports betting, talked about the TPC network and real estate, talked about the proprietary data, and so the whole point is to try and find new revenue streams.
I mean, they're also investing in the tournament and therefore getting access to all of these blue chip sponsors. You know, there's always been certain number of companies that wouldn't do business with the saudiast or felt squeamish about it. Now they have the official stamp of approval. They bought the
approval of the PGA Tour and therefore Corporate America. So now if you're the CEO at you know, pick a tour title sponsor and there's there's now Yaser and his people have access to this guy and vice versa, and so they're they're investing in new industries, They're investing in new new initiatives we can't even imagine yet. They're also you know, they also get the goodwill and the name recognition of being a tour sponsor and being very visible.
And you're probably going to see a lot of guys on the Peachytort wearing Golf Saudi logos, and you're going to see public investments fund signage at tournaments and it just becomes this normalizing thing that person has been paying close attention to this. It's like, oh, okay, so how
do you guys are cool? I mean, look, they're sponsored my favorite tournament and the beer prices went from six dollars to three dollars, and you know, my favorite players were wearing their logo, so that I like those guys. That so what they're investing in, I mean, part of its public relations. But you know, Yaser said in that in that interview i'd see in with Monahan, it's his only public statements. He's like, we don't we don't do charity.
I'm paraphrasing. He said, we want things to be self sustaining and profitable, and we see a path to profitability here. I mean, the Public Investment Fund is now worth over seven hundred million dollars. The goal is to get to a trillion by twenty twenty five. Yasser's boss, who's very exact being and demanding, he wants the fund to be at three billion, at three trillion in twenty and thirty
three trillion dollars. And so you don't you don't get that by doing expensive pr campaigns like they they have a they have a mandate here to make money, and they see opportunities, so you know you can. It obviously becomes a vehicle for I mean, why does AT and T sponsor the Pebble Beach Tournament so they can create all these relationships, they can host all their VIPs, they can The business that comes out of that week is worth the twelve million dollars they put into the purse.
And it's not about having their name. It's about the relationships and the access and all that. And so that's part of what the PIFF is paying for. And now they have access to the entire PGA, to a roster of it.
Could that PIFF money actually wind up in t or purses.
Or yeah it could, Oh yeah, definitely, I mean that's going to have to, because that's the whole reason that's happened is Monahan wrote a bunch of checks he can't cast. You know, he promised the player's twenty million dollar elevated evans, He promised him player impacts money and the tours, and he was asking, he was squeezing the sponsors for more and more money, and they're like, we're out. It doesn't even it doesn't even pencil out for us at nine
million dollars. Now you wants to pay twenty and so it's a win for the sponsors. They can just pay the old rate. The public Investment Fund can bridge the gap, the players can get paid. Monahan's not gonna have a rebellion on his hands. So it's a great deal from the tour and that the only thing that costs was Monahan's soul. That's it. They they secured hundreds of millions of dollars of free money and the only thing that it costs was Monahan's reputation. It was a good deal for the tour.
Do you think this would be a significant thing if they wanted to develop a a golf tourist industry? Oh yeah, And now, but now you're literally going to put the PJ tourist stamp with you know, Payne Stewart's swing or whoever swing that is in follow through, and then that's going to create the message to the world that.
Yes, I mean I get into all this in the book, I mean one of the thirteen and we're getting we're going we'll get back to us open. Don't worry. But the you know NBS has staked his whole reign on this vision twenty thirty. There's thirteen pillars, thirteen sectors that they want to grow, and tourism is one of them. In sports is one of them, and golf combines both and so yeah, you're gonna have TPC read and that becomes a way to draw golf tourists and right.
They're going crazy football.
Yeah, and you want to get you want to you want to get Marriott to come in to build all the resorts and invest in it. You want to get you want to get Hurts, you want to get four seasons like the you know, Windom, like all these these companies, these in the tourism sector that have long relationships with the tour Now the Saudi's have them too, So that's a big part of what they're paying.
For as Wyndam Clark traded off his given name in any way.
I'm sure by tonight the deal get signed. But when we go back to this US Open leaderboard, I mean we got to talk about Scotti Scheffler, like he just he falls out of bed and finish his third. Now it's incredible level he's playing at. I don't know how many six and eight footers he missed this week, but it.
Was He's actually got to be kicking himself.
Oh yeah, only three backs, Yeah, I mean, seventy was the worst he could have shot today. But it's interesting because his putting is now becoming a thing, and now it's now he's gonna have to talk about it and answer questions about it. You know, it's not just a week or two now, he's now he's turned into a bad putter, and so anything holding him back from winning majors. So yeah, gets in your head and people talk about it,
and the fans there's energy. Every time he misses a six footer, there's that whistling and buzzing like, oh not again. And now all the brad Faxtes of the world and be up in his business trying to give him tips and that's no place you want to be. I mean that that was Sergio Garcia. There's a lot of great players who couldn't putt and it it's it's a total mind fuck.
Well yeah, no, he hits it great, but with a funky move. So those two things in combination. But from from what I've heard of the guy, when I've been around the guy, he doesn't seem like someone is going to be put off to it. You know, if they're dissing his putting on Golf channel, do you think Scotti Scheffer is going to care?
Not really. He definitely has a lot of dustin in him, which is a compliment, you know, that ability to just let it all go and just focus on what matters, which is the next shot. But I mean he knows internally he's putting bad and he's missing I don't know, so you know it's a thing.
Yeah, Well, let me ask you this if I may, what'd you think the La Country Club North Course?
I think I would love to go play it tomorrow and every day after I played tonight. You know, we got about an hour and a half a daylight. Michael, I meant, I wouldn't want to be a member of the club. Like I hate clubs like this that are so up uptight and stuffy, but I would love to be a permanent guest. But I think it's incredibly fun golf course. We saw so many cool shots and there's no question the USJA was timid on the setup the
first two days. And you know, Wyndam Clark was one under on the weekend, Rory was one under on the weekend, Scheffler was two under. You know, those are your top three guys. Like it played really exactly how you want to US Open to play on the weekend. The first two days it was it was a little soft and vulnerable and the scores went really low. But you know, look at look at Xander. I mean he was five over the last three rounds. Ricky was three over the
last three rounds. So it's it was a great test. I understand, you know, they never had an event here. I understand why the usg was a little cautious, but that definitely affected perception, like it was too wide in spot. So you and I were when we're walking back into this podcast, we still on the tenth tee. I mean you said it looks like sheep rand I mean it's the widest fairway in the world. Guys are driving at three eighty and just having a wedge in, Like, where's
the challenge there? I mean, they put the pin in some tough spots, but when the greens weren't super firm like today, it was accessible and there was a lot of holes like that. So yeah, wide fairways can be
cool and provide a lot of different strategic elements. But this is the US Open, and we want part to be an absolute premium And I'm not obsessed with part, but I think it's kind of fun and this one week where guys are pushed to the limits and to the breaking point, and that there's danger on every swing that you know, if you hook your drive ten yards and you're in the rough, you're probably gonna make a bogie.
Like that's the tension starts before you even put the tea in the ground, and then if you do hit it into the rough, then it us a battle all the way through here. You could spray the ball in a lot of the holes and you were still fine. And so it just it just didn't have that oppressiveness that you want.
It really makes no sense to set up a golf course this way for US Open, because this is an organization that's desperate to dial back the ball. The single most effective way for right now to dial back the ball at this level of play. You used to take driver out of the hands, so then we can drive out of the hands. Has given a really narrow fairway. So for eighteen, for anybody today with the breeze in your face, to be able to step up there and
hit a hard slice into the wind. You know, I understand I didn't see it, but I said where to finished Whendam Clark's shot on eighteen everyone was bad, Well, it was fine by the time it settled. You know. It must have been that second shot a little bit came up short. But the point is, you know, my friend Mike Donald made this point eighteen and we saw out a wingfoot. We've seen it almost every US Open. Eighteen. You should be sweating bullets trying to drive from the fairway.
Just try to find a place. And there's really no challenge in inning eighteen, ten, eight, numerous other fairways. You know, the fifteenth it was cute, not really, you know, it's not pebble. You know, I don't know when I just have one hundred and forty yard part three, but it was a little too much. I don't I don't mind experimenting and trying stuff, and I love the you know, the risk ward part for short part fours that's neat. But just yeah, when you say too timid, I think
that's exactly the right word. It's like the USGA is kind of afraid to really take the reins here. And even with the ball. We heard it in the USJA press conference. I said, do you know we're going to rain back this ball? Well, really, even what you're saying, if you could get it, is not really raining back.
The ball five nothing, It's a nothing.
It's actually it's close to nothing. So I don't know. It didn't feel I think between rivi Era and La Country Club North, I mean v is rev it's great. If I could only play one of the two courses, I'd rather play here now, as you say, change your shoes in the car park and go to the first day. That'd be fine. By the way I have played it once.
Have you ever put it? It was a fantastic experience at it Frida egg sandwich at the Turn years ago with avocado, very thin, soft, like one of the best sandwiches certainly the best sandwich you ever had to turn them up.
I mean it's really everything I do.
They do well here. It's not you know, your style or my style, but Riviera. It seems to me like a US Open course. I'd be shocked if there's not a another US Open Riviera before.
To know.
I mean, they're already committed to coming back here and uh, you know, sixteen years what here's it? Twenty nine thirty nine? Why? I just hope?
Why are you making these crazy long term commitments? I mean my philosphe in life now is commit to as little as you possibly can. Well, we're going out of the way to commit to things they don't have to commit to.
I know it's true. The listener should know that. Michael often just books a one way flight and I'll say, how are you when you when you fly out, He's like, I don't know. This is like on the day after the tournament and he just wings it. So yeah, you're you're you're true to your words.
Well, why why is usual doing this? Do they think they're going to start selling tickets for Mary twenty fifty one now or twenty fifty whenever it is?
I think I think think it's just a negotiation. L A. C. C. Said, Well, if we're gonna go through all this trouble, we want to US opens, not just one. We don't want to be a one off. And so like, okay, fine, we'll give you, We'll give you this one, and we'll just put one way out there. We'd have to think about
for a while. It'll be interesting, I'm sure that. I mean, it's one of my favorite subplots is the pride of the members is always damaged when when at the open and in the part of memberships at Shinna Kock, membership at Shinnecock kills be like, we don't know about this. Yeah, that's a long time to recover. And and so I'm sure there's there's a lot of bitter, you know, white shoe lawyers running around the clubhouse, raging against the USGA.
I would be curious what kind of philosophy's changed for the next setup if if everyone's having buyers remorse and because this was not a the winning score does a matter. It was just a sense it didn't feel like a US Open. And part of that was the crowds. It's been talked about a lot. We don't have to go deep on it, but it just it just didn't didn't have the electricity you want. It was a nice crowd there on eighteen, but that was only because of the buildout down the first fairway.
And I wonder if it might be sellers for remorse. I wonder if I wonder if the Country Club was going to be, like you say, buyer's remorse. Did you mean the USGA.
I kind of meant they're both. They're they're essentially both buyers and sellers in this transaction. And yeah, I kind of meant both.
You're right, but I could imagine I mean, I don't know the membership. I really don't know this club at all, but I could imagine the club saying it was nice, but we don't need it again. You know, you're giving up a lot, you're giving up your south course that speed up parking and all the rest. It's kind of it's not like Marion where it's so much part. It should the tradition have these USJA competitions, and especially us opens like they can have other competitions here that aren't so demanding.
And it's all subject to reevaluation. And I agree twenty and thirty nine could wind up at Chambers Bay or Aaron Eils.
You see, Chambers Bay could be much improved. Reason why I couldn't cool. But it's a beautiful piece of land.
Yeah, yeah, it's probably in some ways Wyndham Clark was the right winner for it just kind of fits like like a good but not a great winner. A from the popular perception. Did he earned it? He played lights out all credits Wyndham Clark. But the casual fans are going to kind of be like, I wish we had Rory, I wish we had Ricky, and it just I guess it seems sort of fitting somehow, like he was the
right man at the right time. And I don't I don't mean that disparagingly, Like he hit the shots, he won the tournament, but it's not going to be remembered as a transcend it open. You know, if Rory had won this and then went on to win six more like this would have been in the timeline of his career and e golf. It would have been deeply impactful. And if Ricky had won, it would have it would have been larger than life. The would have been thirty guys on the green to mob him, you know, and.
So did you feel what a wait, what was your impression of that moment? We were watching Ricky just standing on that putting grun standing on that agent green waiting.
Yeah, that was that was cool. I don't know if the cameras caught this. So Clark taps in winds the open, celebrates lustily as he should, lots of hugs, lots of kisses, and Rory just throw on the back of the green it still as a statue, just the picture of dignity. And if you say, did you said Rory or Ricky? Oh I met Ricky and I say, or I'm not sure, but Ricky it was Ricky. My yeah, if I said Rory, I met Ricky And and it was just neat. It was just it was like it was the right thing
to do. He wasn't pouting, he wasn't moping. I mean, he just played a mediocre around and lost the US Open, and and he was totally cool about it, and and we had a great look at it. It was just it felt right in the moment.
And what does feel right? And so much doesn't kind of feel right in golf right now. It was just nice to see do you feel, you know, as a golf fan, do you feel any lived PGA Tour divide when you're looking at a board as so you're rooting for who he might be rooting Forcus. Unlike the Masters, which was very very much live versus sture, and the PGA Championship to a slightly lesser degree but still was,
this one didn't have that feel at all. Now, part of it so why the board shook out, but part of it is just the news of last week.
Yeah, I totally agree, that's completely mellowed out. I mean, you know Cameron Smith, well you have he had the low round of the day among the guys he went out late. There was a couple early sixty five, you know, for like John Rahm, the ultimate back door top ten, but Cameron Smith was the hottest guy on the course when it really mattered. But he ran out of holes. But he looked great. You know he's gonna wind up.
This is fourth and Dustin. Every time they showed Dustin, he was hitting it to six feet missing the putt. Like I'd like to see his putting stats this week because you know, he finished tied for tenth and I it's gonna be one of the worst punt performances of his career from what I saw, So they were there, they're in the mix. But yeah, I feel like that that subplot has has completely mellowed out, even though it remains very unsettled what next year is going to look
like in golf. There's been a lot of speculation lation Jimmy Dunn has fueled it. You know that jay Monhan is going to shut down Live Golf, Like, I don't believe that for a second. I don't think he has that power. It's going to be Yoaster's decision. But because of the anti trust reasons, because of the contracts that all the commitments they've made, I feel very certain they'll be Live Golf in twenty twenty four. After that, they'll
reassess it. But so you know, yeah, there still will be a divide in the game, whether whether they can make peace and get and the live guys can take sponsors exemptions and play certain number of events on the tour. Like how that's going to shake out. I mean, I think there will be some cross pollination, but there will still be a separation, but it won't be as bitchy. And we kind of know that there'll be a reapproachment
at some point. So it feels like this just gonna be a transitional year and then we'll see how it all plays out. So yeah, I didn't feel the energy at all.
Yeah, yeah, uh you remember what a big fuss it was. Well at the Masters, absolutely for sure, the whole quote golf establishment was praying that John Rahm will get to the house and and Brooks Kopka would not and fill they're completely dismissive of At the PGA, you know, Kopka was so powerful, he's a powerful presence. He's hard to dismiss. But there was still the whole thing when Seth Watt didn't shake his hand. And Seth can say what he wanted to say, and he did, but the fact is
he didn't shake his hand. You know what I'm talking about.
I know you're talking about. I mean supposedly that was not their first go around on the photo then, and I think what I heard with Seth and are taking a photo with him? He got what You're right, but that just became a story whether it was one or not. And but you know the difference also is Phil we know has been such a muckraker and Patrick Reed, who was also in contention at the Masters, Like those are worst case scenarios. Brooks is always throughout this whole thing,
is displayed very little interest in mixing it up. And he wasn't part of the lawsuits. He hasn't He hasn't been, you know, part of the sniping on social media, so he's hive been dust in a state above the fray and Cam Smith too.
Did you make any eye contact with Phil Mickelson this week?
I did not.
Do you kind of try to avoid it so you don't feel like you're maybe getting in his face where he may not want it, or what's your attitude about that?
Yeah? I ever since that thing happened in London where I got bounced out as Prescote, I'm trying to give him a wide berth because I don't want people to think that I'm like trying to insert myself into his business or trying to make it myself the story I did. I didn't try and ask him a few questions and live Mexico at the start of this year because I really needed to fact check something with him for the book, and he somewhat brusquely declined.
And that's in a group setting or when I got him.
Walking off the driving range, just him and I.
What a weird one of the weirdest years in golf when you think about where he was a year ago, with that odd press conference before the tournament and then some really pretty mediocre play and then a stunning round of golf Sunday at the Masters, and then I truly now I'm wrong. Often I truly thought he'd come here and content. I really really did. Knows the course well, knows the grasses, been around here, a lot a.
Lot of short game action on this course. Yeah, I think he did play horribly. He missed the cut by one, but it was just and yeah, it was disappointing. I mean, I I don't know. The Masters is the most predictable tournament of the year. Probably going to play well, you still got to do it. But Phil is dangerous there in perpetuity. But getting his game to travel it just hasn't happened since Kiowa. So I remember, we're now going on two years since he really made a run anywhere other than Augusta.
That's that wasn't a run. That was freakishly making four birdies at.
The end of the day. Yeah, I don't know. It's it's the mystery of golf. Why do people play well when they do and they don't? I mean, how many people on planet Earth picked Wyndam Clark this year. You know, I'm staying you met my aunt Harriet. I'm staying with her and her boyfriend, Myron, who loves golf, and every night he's asking who do you think's going to win? And he's he's got a bookie, he's placing bets and he's doing all this stuff. And no one mentioned Wyndam Clark.
I didn't. He didn't, You didn't nobody, But shout out to Michael Bamber, who did predict the winning score of ten under at the start of the week.
I did predict the winning score of ten under. I did not even consider Wyndom Clark. By Saturday night. I did think. I thought it would be Wyndam Clark and Scottie Shuffer necking it out, neck and neck.
The most impressive part of his whole package as a golfer is the grit. He is so gritty. I mean, some of those saves, that that bogie he saved, you know on the par five on the front nine, number number eight, like that was that was a US Open bogie. It looked like he was going to make a triple. He sneaked out of there with a six and that that was probably the key moment of the final round and some superb up and downs. I mean when he leaves that, when he leaves that approach on eighteen so short,
that amphitheater let The crowds were down eighteenth fairly. There's a lot of energy, there's a lot of commotion. It's like you and I both thought he's gonna have to make a five foot or to win the US Open, and he knocked up their stone dead like just gritty, gritty performance.
I wonder with that super heavy long grip that he's got on the putter, I wonder what that's like to I have just I don't know. I mean, I've never used one. I kind of tried one. I just think it's hard to hit it hard enough when when you're nervous. It's just hard to hit it hard enough when you're nervous. So yeah, I did expect I thought that would come up five feet short.
I mean, it was great, but it was a great But then he didn't waste any time knocking the wead the game winner, like, which is smart. Its probably the right thing to do. But like it was, people have missed two foot putts before and it was it was cool. I mean, I really I do feel like a star was born. We started we said that at the top of the telecast the podcast we getting We're got heckled by KVVS.
I don't really feel like a star was born. I feel like, you know, we've identified a super talent and I don't think he doesn't. His personality doesn't. Yeah, it doesn't seem like he wants to be a star.
Just same question. I mean, can you become a startist by winning a lot of golf turns?
Or is there some other I mean, Scottie Shuffer a superstar of any sort? You know, do you think he goes into a mall? If guys say I don't, he'll say, hia talent plus charisma, Yeah, yeah, you know. I mean. Now Ricky is the other side of the thing. He has charisma. Now, the resume is sort of a superstar, and he was in all those ads, but he doesn't have the you know he's got. Now this Wyndham Clark's got one more major than he does. What about what
about John Rahm. Like John Ram, I think has has has presence.
He has presidence. I don't know if he has charisma. Yeah, but he's got GRAVI tos, He's got gravitarres. You know a word I'm sure he uses all the time. One of the agents told me today. One of the Spanish agents told me this week that his English is better than his Spanish. I mean that is really hard to do.
English a hard language to pick up the idiomatic nature of beautiful.
He speaks beautifully.
He's got a huge president.
Yeah. Yeah, I mean Cam Smith not a star, incredible golfer, not a star, Roy McElroy star, but he flawed golfer. He's just flawed. Yep.
Uh, Sander Schoffley no, Dustin Johnson yes, Harris English no, Rickyes, Fleetwood yes, but he needs to do something.
I don't know. I mean everyone loves Fleetwood and I mean, you shoot sixty three today to finish fifth. It's vintage Tommy. You know what was lost? I think Tommy hasn't won in three years anywhere in the world. Can you believe that? No?
I really can't with his iron play, I really can't go hits it whole high.
That's what's so fascinating about tournament golf as theater? Like all these guys look at on the rains, most of them looking on the practice putting green. But can you do it on Sunday with the world watching? That's the ultimate question. And today Wyndam Clark did and no one else.
See a Ricky Fowler top fiving here. That doesn't he didn't play his way into the Masters. That's a shame for him. In other words, had he gotten up and down on eighteen to play his way into the Mastery.
Hell, I mean he'll be he was already what forty fourth coming Oh world ranking, he's good. Say he's got, he's got. He gets the Tour Championship. Like, there's a lot of ways to do it, but you're right, that would have been an easy one, just check the box. So yeah, those are the little games in the game. It also makes it all the more impressive for him that he stuck around like that because there was a number of disappointments.
And uh, you know, Butcher's uh had an incredible impact on so many golfers tried to there was a vote to get him in the Hall of Fame this year. I think he missed by one vote from what I've heard, and uh, it would have been sort of I think made a no brainer. Had he had he taken Ricky Vallor from the depths of where he was and helped get helped him make make him a US Open winner, that would have been a path. Who knows if it's meaningful to Butcher not if I've heard that it's quite
meaningful to him. Uh, to the Hall of Fame. So anyway, as you say, there's always there's so many things, and that's the pleasure being a reporter in this game. There's so many layers and layers and layers of things going on that we don't know.
I never knew.
I did ever know anything about Wyndam Clark's mother passing away years ago and the heartache of that. I did not know that story at all until this week.
Yeah, yeah, it's it's that I had picked up on it. I guess around when when he went at Charlotte And but yeah, he's and you know it's Father's Day, Like how sweet is that? I'm sure it's it's always any holiday when you've lost someone is emotional. I'm sure that adds an extra layer for that family. And good for them, like you got to be happy for them. So well, it was not it was not a transcendent US Open, but it was a very interesting one. I'm glad we got to share it. Michael, Yeah, I am too. And
it's always it's always fun to talk about this. Sing Sunday night, all you folks out there, thanks for going on this journey with us. We will we'll see how many fire drills are are in store. We have one more major.
Uh.
We like to keep people guessing when the next one will be. But there's always another fire drill.
So sometimes we say and we're not correct, so probably better not to say, and.
That now that correct. I do want to tip our cat before we go to Dormy workshop. Make your a beautiful leather goods are the artisan they're there artisanal, yes. And if you go to Firepit Collected dot com and you click on our pit shop tab, we've got some really neat stuff. Dormy actually made the red, white and blue one that you'll see, which is kind of inspired by the US Open. Now that's exclusive to us, and there's some other neat things there. And use fire Pit
fifteen you'll get fifteen percent off. So Thank you to Dormy for their continued support. Michael, it is a pleasure. Ohways, And for Michael Bamberg, this is Alan Chipnik. That was another fire drill. This is the end.
I'm Ben Big, played.
The wind, made a fortune with my ship. Game man. I ran the table and never thought I could fall down the wind and hit me lack a can in the ball. And now I can't shake this losing streak. Every road I take is a dead hand street. I got thoughts in my head, can't get them out, trying not to think what I'm thinking about. I got thoughts in my head, can't get them out, trying not to think what I'm thinking about.