Fire Drill 087: In the Footsteps of Giants [OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP]

What short king it's been. You know, there's been a lot of jokes about he's playing he's under the wind. You know, he has more time to adjust because it takes longer for the rain to hit him. Like there's we can make all these all these all these mediocre jokes about Brian Harmon, but the factor remains that in sports power size are huge advantages, and it's always been kind of this mystery where he was a dominant junior player.

He's not had this nice career on the PGA tour, but's never had the kind of success that people thought he might. You can imagine that when he when he started playing against guys who are, you know, eight inches taller and could hit the ball a lot farther, there was an adjustment. But whatever, he's finally the player we always expect him to be. What a performance by Brian Harmon. What would you say about the guy across four days here at the Open?

fantastic short game and it shows you. I think the fact that he's got a commanding lead here as he makes the turn on the back, not in an open chip chip Sunday, is really a testament to both, of course his skill first and foremost, but also the greatness of links golf that it is an equalizer. This length is not so important. The very brilliant Nick Price sat eight years ago. It only needed to be said once

and it was so true. If you want to target proof the courses to make them shorter, and that's sort of what the Open chap shows, especially under these conditions.

in the Rorrier, and once in the Brian Harminger. But so you know, the first joy for me is, you know, well, is just to be here, to escape the American summer for a week, to see this primitive form of golf that we both love. H There was a story in the New York Times today about whether well Fourth Call would ever get in open, So that's cute. Wales has never had an open Prince of Wales versus the Prince Wales. Wales has never had an open. So it's a terrific

story about and Wyner. And so Christine and my wife send it to me, and I wrote back on the yet Shouldnik and I have played there? Well, we've played a lot of places. They're all terrific, and there's except for the infrastructure part, almost all of them could handle in open because it's not so dependent onlinth. But the fact that we come here so seldom RNA tells you how much the golf there really is here.

It's fun to watch on TV just because there's such a pucker factor and you can tell the players have a bit of fear and whether it's crossed the line into being too small a target whatever, and it's certainly embarrassed Matt Fitzpatrick and some others in a way that seemed a little disproportionate to the miss It's made for great TV. What's your take on seventeens? You know, standing out there watching players play it.

Every golf course has its own personality. If you think a dog can have a personality, which is kind of strange, although everybody, myself it's true. Certainly a golf course can have a personality too. The personality in this golf course is not flashy. And then and everything fit, and then you get to seventeen and super flash. It doesn't fit. It sticks out like a sort of bomb. For those who haven't had a chance to see it. It's a

dish change. Fine, but it's totally locked by brand stands and wind screens, so the players can't really feel the win. And then you play. You play one hundred and thirty yard uphill into the wind shot with a like a clipped eight iron, maybe a full nine iron. But it's basically the seventeenth follow TPC sawgrass because either you pitch it on the green or you've got some wickedly unplayable bunker shot. Maybe a good shot if you get a good lie, fine, if you don't, you're making four or five,

six or more. Because it's so slow, it's so severe that it's not super precise. It rolls off into oblivion and you play another shot. You I guess to use the price group for using. It's definitely a tabletop green. There's very few of us here. Actually don't know if there's any tabletops. Maybe that's really kind of point and it's kind of like an infinity pool and that's cool, Like fifteen that Augusta, you know, that back part is sort of nuculey can't see how bad it is over

over fifteen. But it doesn't work. It doesn't fit in, And the biggest objection is the philosophical one trying to do something to juice it up for TV. That's not the RNA we know and love. They're the opposite of that. They're just like play the course. So they're not doing that here. So I think it's sort of add a character, but you know, it's a moment otherwise territ the golfers. So in conclusion, as we learned to say in junior high school, I would say just sort of doesn't really

fit with the whole thing. But Alan I'm here, I've been watching it live and in person, you're doing what the RNA knows millions of people across the world is doing it watching on TV. How's it playing to you on TV? Which is kind of it's wrong intention but it isn't intentional.

the Linksland. I'm really curious your take on what the RNA did after Thursday with the Bunkers, because the end of the first round was some of the most fun I've ever had watching golf. You had Rom McElroy, a bunch of guys.

and something that koy Lag is way too short. So I thought it was fun because it added real stress where if you knew you went in the bunkers, you weren't going to drop a quarter of a shot or half a shot, You're going to drop a shot in maybe two. And it made the targets that much more precise, and it added danger, which is so often missing in championship golf now where the guys are hitting short irons in the holes they are supposed to play really long.

So I loved it, but the players didn't like it. The Arnic capitulated. They they reshaped the sand so the balls would roll up against the face, and that the championship just carried on. But what was your take on that decision? That midway you know, midstream in the tournament.

could no matter where you were. You could put up to someplace more recently and they get your next shot out. So then the players asked to go in there and assess the thing. Three. I think it shows a tremendous confidence on their RNA's part to admit that they overdid it. I don't know that I would have done it, but I think it's cool. I don't think they can pitch lad of the players. I think they in their confidence.

I don't like this raise their high golf. IQ's people are saying these days, but they did use their high golf. I us and yeah, we kind of overdid it too much. Too many of these, too many these shots are finishing right against the against the wall and leaving the players of nothing. So for it shows you, It shows you how you know a golf course is a big, open, rugged playing field. But as the USA has found out more than once, you get the pin placement wrong by

three feet and it can be a day ruiner. And you get the you get the raking of the trap wrong by just the margin it can be. It can be given the top of the day, which which you don't want. So I think I think that part's quite interesting. But my biggest take, I don't think it's a complete fantasy, but it's a partial fantasy of the best golf courses in the world. Belport during the pandemic, Pine Valley all

the time do not have rakes at all. If you go to Brow and gold Speed where the sheep are still in the in the bumpers they trotted up of course with their with their boats. That's what she had. I think that ship boots, I think so anyway, that would be cool. Just smooth it out of your foot like you do with Pine Valley and uh and it would make the make the trapping more of a trap. And really golf should go back to that. It's overly manicured. So so that's my that's my week bit about that.

So what's your week bit about that. It's just it's just kind of weird about eliminating the rake.

They can handle bunkers with such ease. The the thing about the rnade changing after the first round is what mystifies me is they had Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to watch the players play their practice rounds and watch how the ball was running into the bunkers, and to talk to the players about it. It's kind of like, could

they have gotten it right by Wednesday night? And once they decided and they had all that, they had all that data of all those practice rounds and all the conversations and all the press conferences, Like I thought, it was kind of weak sauce like this. You made a decision, you want the bunkers to be more penal, just stick to it, and that would have been that would have been part of the character of the tournament. So I

don't know, I don't like them. I don't like them making that decision when they made it.

certainly by Tuesday and Wednesdays, So it was. I don't know. I was surprised the RNA, the PG of America. Yes, they'll always cave to the players. I thought those old boys might show more of a stiff upper lip. But you know, I get it it. It could have dominated the discourse if you had all the contenders just making sevens after they missed a green by a couple of yards. I mean, you don't want it to stray into fair

and unfair is I agree with your point. Golf is not inherently fair, but there is overly penal, and there is there is there can be a fine line to where it becomes somewhat absurd. So they took the safe way out. I wish they I wouldh they'd stuck to their guns. I think it would have been a much more interesting tournament. And the people at home who are saying this has been boring and the course is nondescript.

I think it brings those hazards to life. I mean they basically become like water hazards, like you hit it in there, you're certainly going to drop a shot and maybe more, or you might get lucky in and be able to play a beautiful shot like I think it would have added to the texture of this tournament.

kid Scepts Traca was really impressive. I mean he's a big dude and he hits a far but incredible putter. I mean he seemed like he haven't looked at the final putting stats, but I felt like I saw him make more fifteen twenty footers than almost anybody. Jason Day, who's resurgent, and it's fun to see him in contention,

and he was the opposite. I mean every time they showed Day he was he was hitting a beautiful putt that like burned the edge and you can see it on his face like how many how many times am I going to singe the cup here? I mean he really he really hit it well. So there was a lot of you know, blue chip players, but they could never really make that run. It was like there would be spurts, you know. Today on Sunday, Rory comes out in Birdi's three in a row early early in the

front nine. It's like here we go, and then it's just like they just flatlined the bars and Ron was never able to generate any momentum. Cam Young another one, you know, playing in that in that final group with his firepower and got all those kicking birdies on Saturday. It felt like, all right, Cam Young, this is he did it last year at St. Andrews's going to shoot

oother sixty four and make this interesting. But nobody could ever close the gap of what was your takeaway from the guys who didn't win this open, Well.

the winner was the guy from intersecond. So you know, if we think Brian Harmon now had a great, great tournament and by the way, wonderfully eclected leader board of nationalities especially, but also playing styles and personality styles, you know, I think wherever golf is going, we're going to need these major championships, and major championships would be opened us the best job of it. The others would likely do

a better job of its. Does a pretty job of it, really, gathering the best players in the world, ever you're going to try to define them from this is a critical part all over the world to gather one place, and golf is going to become more like tennis with the four Grand Slam events. I don't even know what tennis does. The other fort they outing see here, I actually don't know. I wouldn't even know. Weird to look. I don't have a tennis channel. I don't follow. I don't care enough,

but I do care about the majors. But we're good or for bad. Golf is going to turn in that direction. So when you rattled off of you know, all those names from and then the young man from India, pardon named mister Sharma. Were you familiar with mister Sharma before this week? You probably wear out you play.

He had a terrific year, one of a couple of big time tournaments around the world, contended at some wgc's, and you know, he was really young at that point, and I was I wanted to go do a story in India because his dad's a colonel in the military, and India is a place I've always been fascinated with that I haven't gotten there yet, and I would really far down the road I had, I'd gotten my visa, I had booked a hotel, and I was dealing with the family and then our bosses at Golf magazine. You know,

it's not inexpensive trip. They kind of delayed it, and it was like, well, let's see if this kid has another good year and then we'll definitely do it. But it's the opposite, like there's so many times you got to get the guys while they're hot because you never know what nothing's given, and he hasn't really been a factor since then. It was just like after after Louis resize and won the Masters, we're not doing with the

Master won the Open. I wanted to go down to his farm in South Africa right around on tractors with him, and his agent said, oh, we love it, but you know he's has so many demands. Can we do it later? I said, there is no later, Like he's he just won the Open. You know, this is the moment. And the next year this was like in you know, January February, I said, someone's gonna win the Masters, and someone's gonna win all these terms. They'm going to forget about Louis.

It's like now or never. It's like, no, he's have you seen his golf switing, He'll be around forever. And I'm like, well, I'm just telling you I've done this before. Like there's there's a moment when when a guy is ascendant and there's all this energy and their story hasn't been told over and over. That's when he got half to go do the big features. And in Louis case, they didn't say yes. The Charmers are delightful people. They were happy for me to come, but the trip got

deferred for for expense reasons and it's never happened. So yeah, I've always been interested in him. You know, comes from this town in the north of India. I believe that it's supposed to be incredibly beautiful, and you know, his his dad is out there walking and it just seems like a neat story. And I did a big piece on Jeev milk is Seeing, who's kind of the patriarch of Indian golf. And you know he's been he's been Shoe Baker's mentor and and he's a wonderful guy too.

So yeah, uh, that's the one that's if you make a list of stories that got away Like that's when I always wish I could have done. It's never too late, but he definitely has fallen off. But hopefully he'll this is the beginning of you know, he'll become a scendant and then they'll be another reason to make that trip over India.

walking around with the coat. Of course that has never happened, and he was the same. I see him at the dinner and I see him walking around with the coat. Well, it's funny. Yeah, you gotta write it. You got to write it while while you can.

I mean, he's one or two shots a day away from from an epic run. But he's just not he's not getting it done. What is your analysis of Rory this week?

He had that shot in the front. He was often playing in the last group, not always always, but often was. You know, so that tells you not golf skill We've talked about this before, but it probably does bear repeating. Not about golf skill, it's about, you know, the missing gear. It's just it's it's going to get harder, not easier.

It just will. I feel for him, but I think he had, But I don't feel for him like I feel like I feel for Tiger where he is in his life right now, because I think Rory from what do we know? We don't know anything, but by appearances, by his relationship with his parents and his wife, his child, seems daddy, you know, friends place in the game, seems like he has a very contented life. Of course, there's always hunger for more than any world class athlete or

any world class anybody. So I don't think it's deep, deep pain, but there is something missing. Is that? Is that too Harshaw? No?

didn't speak after Saturday. You know, Saturday, he came out and was absolutely flushing. The ball could have burdied like the first five holes, picked off a couple, but you know it was I saw a stat between Sunday at the Old Course and Saturday at Hoylake. Rory hit thirty three out of thirty six greens, almost perfect ball striking, and had five birdies. In other words, he had twenty

eight birdy puts. It didn't go in like across two rounds, like that will that will corrode your will to live when you're hitting it that good, and you know he was. These were not forty footers. He was missed in ten, eleven, twelve, fifteen footers like the rains that you got to make if you want to win one of these things. And I don't think Rory's a bad putter, but it just seems like he's lost the ability to make them when he needs them, when it matters most. And that's a differentiator.

I mean, when Brian Harmon is having an all time putting performance this week, and I was looking at his strokes gains from t to green. It's good, but it's on the green where it's been phenomenal. And that's just often what it takes. You're playing against one hundred and fifty five other great players, especially on greens like this that are a little slower and little little flatter, and you can put aggressively, like you got to make the putts, and Rory's just not doing that.

game deeply, and anybody loves his game. Loves the open and loves the open, loves the open at the Old Course. There's nothing greater than it. There's actually nothing greater than any professional golf than the Open at the Old Course. We had a fantastic week there a here ago that was right there for now, you know, hats off to cam Smith. What he did was spent on home. But still Rory had the chance, could have gotten it done.

Didn't get it done, and that's good, just like Jordan Steed, you know, hidden in the getting in the in the lake on the on twelve of augusta National quotes the Greek. You know, it's a moment in time where you had the chance and it's coming on now with Jordan SPIE's benefit. Of course he's got the coat forever. Uh. But let's talk about you know, when you say it'll be a year come next July, well that presumes you won't win

next year's Masters. I know everybody who cares about golf and like sorry, would love to see him win a Master's and complete the Great Grand Slam. But this whole of twenty twenty three, going back to July twenty twenty two and then eight years before that, it's going to make winning the Masters even harder, even though in theory the Masters is the easiest one to win. Now you might talk about technical problems. As you've said, he's looked like a great, great better at times in his career.

I guess maybe he hasn't been, but he's going to have two things going on in augusta very very difficult butts to greens to butt and read on Sunday especially, and then they get a dumb factor who knows where his career will go here on some level, he has to feel it's kind of weird to say talking about a multi multi millionaire who seems to have it all and on some level that I wouldn't even know how to articulate, there must be a deep, deep hurt inside

him for the role that he's played for two years now and defending the PJ Tour amid the rise of live golf now on you if you've reported that full story more than anybody, what would be your insight into what kind of and I know you'd have to root in tea leaves to some degrees or he hasn't talked about it that much, but just use this phrase sacrificial lamb.

What's what's your reading into that phrase? And where his head might be as a result, not just his head, but where's golf might be as a result.

boardroom warriors. I mean, Rory's an idealist and he thought he was fighting for something larger than himself and you're bringing the money guys like a dun and a hurl he and these other guys, and they see it in much more cold blooded fashion, and it's one of the all time you know, pulling the rug out from from somebody like And I don't. I still think it's he's trying to find his equilibrium. And I think it showed both at the open end here where his his golf

is so good. He can even with a broken heart and a and a little subdued energy and a low grade anger, he can still go out there and contend. But you need a clear mind to win these things, and you need a you need to you need a focus that is unwavering and I haven't seen that from Rory whatsoever, and so it's it's interesting he now has nine months to recharge for a gust. I would love for him to be selfish and just wd from some

of these events. You know, he's he goes hard around the FedEx Cup, then he goes over and plays a bunch in Europe because he's trying to support that tour. And I you know, we saw it this weekend, blowing off the press like it's sad because Rory's always been so open and the reason why golf fans and golf riders, everybody loves him so much is he lets you in. He's not like Tiger. He's very honest. He's very open.

He's very raw and real. But maybe this is the beginning and that sued him well as an ambassador and has made him a beloved figure. But it's also all the talking he's done is not backed up by you know, the trophy case, right, So maybe maybe there'll be this shift for Rory's gonna just be like, Okay, these guys didn't support me, I'm going to support them a little less.

And I'd like to see him reduce a schedule I see him do less corporate work and just recharge more and downsize his golfing life and make it like Jack and Tiger did, where it's all about the majors and you know all the revenue streams Rory has from, you know, the Whoop deal where he got equity and golf pass and I mean just the money you can make on the golf course. Now, like why go chase the race to Dubai? Who cares? It's not gonna change his life.

I mean, I presume he's got one hundred millions dollars in the bank, what's another ten or twelve? Who cares? And it consolidate his efforts around the term as that really matter and maybe not be stretched so thin. So the fact that he's a little churlish with the press, it's not helpful for guys like us, but it might indicate that he's kind of building this cocoon around himself and maybe that's.

I will show up, but I won't reveal the you know, the well guarded fortress of my inner self. And I'll just do the required and I won't give you one more inch than that. But the transcendent golf was enough. That was his gift and to the rest of us, and I I wouldn't be mad if Rory went down that same road. Just give us the golf, you know, and because he's given so much of himself already, but we'll see it. He may, he may, he may sleep this one off.

wally win when non majors. So clearly to me, it seems obvious to me that he's putting a sort of quote pressure on himself. There's an internal tension when it comes to playing, you know, the for majors, and especially I would say the Masters, but even last year's I would say last year's open up the old courses very equivalent to to the Masters, because it's such a special category onto itself. So I would think the mental trick

for him and Tiger wouldn't relate to this. He can talk to Tiger Toll he's blue in the face, but Tiger would not be able to give advice on This is how to treat majors more like Bay Hills and even players Championships. I think it's almost impossible to do, but I think that would be would be Yes, reduced the schedule, but figure out some kind of mental trick to do that.

He's tried everything else. I mean, because remember the Ryder Cup when he almost missed his tea time. He got the time zones wrong, and he rocked up and he took a few practice swings and ate like a banana and he went out and he thumped Keegan Bradley, who'd been playing amazing golf like Rory McRoy, so good at golf. He doesn't need all this bullshit. Just just just rock up to the first tee hungover and see what happens. And by the way, that was the day he met

his future wife. Was was at that Ryder Cup. So she.

Open had some tough things to say. It was not a warm embrace for the Commissioner upon his return. So it's it's fraught. I mean, well there's always some kind of news bake. We'll see what's next. But yeah, I think he's he's Wantahan's in a tough spot. I mean, he's really he's got to he's got to repair his relationships with the players, with the golf press, with the sponsors. His title of ce you know, CEO of all of

golf is a little tenuous. Like you know, it's been this joke who's going to last longer, Monahan or Norman? All this stuff came out about Norman has been sacrificed at the altar. But I don't think mon Han's on firm footing either. So I would say they're pretty much neck and neck from their their odds of survival. But before we go, let's let's talk a little bit more about Brian Harram. We got to give this guy his due.

I mean, he's just in your reporting this week, have you have you turned up in any nuggets you want to spoil by sharing them on this podcast.

You know that it was worded much more artfully than that. Have you heard that ever in your life or did you hear that from Harmon this week?

to movies and movie theaters for that same thing. But it's so hard to do now because that cell phone. You don't know what's happening on the other end of the cell phone. But you go into the dark space and lose yourself in the movie, lose yourself in the baseball game, and use yourself in the practice, lose yourself in the round the golf. It was. It was a beautiful insight that I never really thought of, and just the way that he said it. So I think Brian

Harmon is a very bright person. I know people want to mock the hunting and blah blah blah, I met at all hunter. I don't really get it. I do think if you hunt the way he says he hunts her, yes, you're killing animals where you're going to eat them. You know, I hate fish, So I'm not going to speak myself.

You can do it. You know this I can get into it's too much of a thing, but I just think that was a spectacular insight into his mind in his life really, And you know, I'm always looking to try to learn something new, and when he said that, I learned something there.

with Brian Harmon, so in that sense it was technical. Well, when I talked for Harmon afterwards, I said, what did you really get out of it? And he said, right there, he said that it was it was really bad. There was no track man in Travino's day, and you can see how well he hits the ball today in his early eighties. It's not about track man. It's about feeling the golf swing. And he said, you know, I consider

myself a field player. Here's the ultimate field player, even though tremendous technical understanding of the golf swing, and I need to get away from the numbers and get more devoted again to just sort of feeling the way about the golf round the golf course, no golf course as a group of golf courses, nothing like Link's golf, to get your away from track man and just lay the shot in front of you with all the tricks that

your disculsion, including reading wayne reading balance, reading your emotions and everything else. So yeah, I have to think I would like to think that that moment Travino was helping her do what he's doing right now.

going to be one hell of a wrter copper. I mean, to play against someone who hardly misses a shot, makes every putt and it just has that grind. I mean, that's the that's archetype of the dude you don't want to play against in match play.

back in your year at some point soon. And that's the end of this podcast. Thanks for listening. As my producer always likes me to say, that's the end. I'm Ben big again.