2017 Players Preview

I miss the green. For example, I'm already upset. When I find my ball in the bunker, I'm really upset.

And when I find my ball in a fried Egg Friday egg, the dreaded Frida Egg Friday, Frida Egg Bride Egg Lie, I'm about ready to run.

Off the golf course.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another edition of the Frida Egg Podcast. We have our three man weave with us is Crown Carter from No Laying Up and DJ Paiehowski from Scratch Gentlemen Live from the blog Cabin.

Andrew, thank you for having us. Welcome to Jacksonville, Ron and I are happy to host you this week. You know, the land of low cost goods and services.

It's you know, I've been getting a lot of pressure across the board from people saying, look, how great Jacksonville is.

What's your what's your take so far?

You know, it's seems pretty nice. It's a little over commercialized for me, too many chains. But you haven't been anywhere yet, you know. I've spent too much time at Gmax restaurant known in Blue.

Technically it's a change. There's two two locations.

Two locations commercialized It's how good was g Max place yesterday?

It was fun time, great dinner.

Was kind of a golf Twitter meet up, almost like a G twenty summit kind of a situation.

Mm hmm.

It's great getting a lot of heat about the Ernie L's Phil Mickelson thing.

It's then coming from all angles.

And then Rory piled.

On Rory Pyle on.

Oh yess like collateral damage, unintended unintended shotsable.

Somebody tipped him off.

He's got an American bias now that he's into Americans.

Uh, Ernie never won, the players filled it, you know what?

Moving on? You know, I think the biggest announcement of the week has been the the lift of the couture, the fat Yeah, from trying harder.

It was time.

I've heard.

I've listened, you know, I listened to the evidence, and uh.

Well what made you out to begin with? Can we start there? He stinks, He very much.

Doesn't stink objectively doesn't stink.

He lacks pop. So I've changed it from you. Lax pop can't play to you. Lax pop can't play Okay, so l PCP is still a thing. But I don't know, it was just it was time to lift the fatoa and I'd heard the bulk of the evidence was was overwhelming that he just gets it. He gets it.

He's woke, super woke. That's great. I'm I'm happy to have you on the team.

So now let's you know, I want to read visit something we talked about best player without a major?

Is it Matt Kocher, No, absolutely not.

It's Monty.

It's Monty.

Monty's the best player without a major and the best player without a PGA Tour win.

You know, we we had Bernhard in the blog cabin earlier this morning.

They learned a nice trade of donuts to the cabin.

The most disappointing thing is I realized when I when we left, is that I didn't ask him. Has Monty gotten surlier on the Champions Tour or more receptive.

To American fans. Here's the thing that you guys should do this week. While you're here.

You've got PJ Tour employees rolling around all over the place. Talk to some of them about Monty. Talk to some of the Champions people about Monty, because they will tell you nothing but great.

I love Monty.

They love it like I think the surliness is greatly exaggerated. I think some of it maybe maybe we talk about American bias. I think maybe they don't get the uh just don't get the British lifestyle.

You know.

Once, once the the world found out about the National parks, it's been a revelation for his his image.

Do you want to talk to talk through that?

I want to keep that from the back burner.

Okay, all right, I don't want to ruin that one. Are you going to trying? You know? Are you gonna go watch Coach this week?

I am? I am. Yeah, I think I'm gonna go. Who's he playing with?

That's a good question. I was gonna look it up here, you know, I really, I just oh, I have to.

He's got Sergio, Adam Scott and Cooch. It's a featured pairing.

It's a globalist pairing.

That's yeah, that's in Switzerland.

And then Coach lives in Sea Island, which might as well be yea Switzerland.

That's a great group. Is a good dustin j T and who.

Right, I'll probably go and watch him a little bit. I don't like his style of play.

Well that's what I was gonna say. So watching I don't.

I know, maybe Andy's a bigger guy on on this than you, but like I am so down with the different styles of play. I get like just turned turned on watching the different styles of play. And that's where like watching Sergio, Adam, Scott, Dustin, j T, and Rory all kind of in the same group, and then watching how Cooch plays against that, Like that's awesome.

I get the Ryder cup when they were doing that number or whatever, these these massive bombs and then Coochers just this scrapy ass bade. Yeah, yeah, I mean I think that's That's the big publicized story of the week is the lifting of the Fats wall from Poucher. But I got ghosted again by Wes. Wes Bryan Sad. He's in my head.

I think he is.

I think that's I think he knows exactly what he's doing. I don't think he's being mean. I don't think he's doing it. I think he just knows.

I kept my distance, I failed myself and he.

Just completely another big thing early week action squashing the beef with with Smiley.

You know, I'm people are capable of change, and.

It's been a big week of change for you of course change, just tron changes.

It's good.

It's a week of change. That's good, it's positive. Spif was there to witness.

Yeah, you know, Jay Spencer, you know, gave a stamp of.

Approval while you were getting in his head about the US Open.

No no, no, no, no, DJ was getting it said not I.

I don't know. Let's just see, let's see how he plays. I think speF you heard it here first.

I think speed might be a little worried knowing that Andy Johnson aka the Fried Egg is head to local qualifying next week.

He was open. I think Speth is like, you.

Know, I I know I got one of these. I was hoping to get more.

But there's all these young guys coming up. This young guy, I don't know.

I think his temper changed, his demeanor change after he found out you were a competitor.

He's gonna want to get his amateur status back. It very much didn't He could heete with you on the on the cocktail.

Couldn't have could have been more unaffected by the by the convent, couldn't have been it couldn't have been could have been nicer. Yeah, but talking a little architecture.

Smiley perked up when we started talking about Vestavia.

Yeahills Country Club.

I'm telling I think there's a new new age on the tour where the younger guys are, you know, great awakening.

Yeah, I'm surprised when Smiley went on the four Play pod that they didn't ask him about any golf course architecture.

Speaking of speaking of young guys getting into architecture, you had spent some time with Grayson today.

I did Grayson Murray.

He's a he's on his website he says that he's into golf course architecture. So I, you know, I wanted to ask him about it. Everybody else was asking him about out Twitter and and firing as caddie and you know, I might.

Have been the only person that and how to catch a predator.

But I asked him about architecture. You know, he he prefaced everything with you know, I want to learn.

More about it.

But you know, I got to play with he told it, he got to play with Gil Hands and he was really Gil Hands so hot right now, Yeah, the hot name in architecture. So but it was interesting, a little different side of Grayson Murray.

You know that's great. Yeah, good to hear. So I report the good with the bad? Yeah, what about the what about the course?

You walked all you guys pulled me back to the blog cabin from me doing actual no laying up. I was creating content for no laying up, which is like the rarest thing in the world. I was writing something you know how to content, and you pulled me away from you pulled me away.

From med tRNS wearing tennis shorts right now by the way, Yeah for full visual.

Walmart, Baby Russell Athletics Walmart.

He rolls up to the to the media center in athletic shorts neon.

Last two days Positio Polo though to be fair.

Unprecedented, and then he spend spend a lot of time in the in the Colway tour truck just pulling out gear.

You Knowick was in there really.

And like I think he was wearing like a Lebron jersey or something.

Erick also woke, I feel like you, I don't want to change too much in one day, but I feel people are gonna come around.

Risk injury Furorick's just spent kind of like stinky.

It's been kind of like athletic shorts and a T shirt and flip flops in there and we were on the same way.

Tron moves down to uh, moves down to Jacksonville, starts adopting that Furich lifestyle.

He lives right down the road. Really, Oh yeah, Jacksonville native.

Can I just say DJ's rock monster. Wow, I have a whole new concept of VJSON.

That's what I'm saying. All these these guys are so three dimensional. You got to get out here and see these guys. There's so much more.

To this truck is like the only truck I've seen bigger on tour than that is Brian Harmon's ironic Brian Harmon's big ass truck. But I mean vj's little guy is murdered out. He's got that Matt Black very cool, really cool truck.

I gained more respect for VJAS, saying after seeing his is like a monster truck.

Like he's like a fifty two year old dude, drive around it.

Like refuses to play the Champions Tour.

Yeah, he refuses to get old.

This this is a good discussion about the golf course.

And yeah, you tell us. I went to the concert last night and Finales Grinding Phenoes playing a practice round on the concert on seventeen and fenes just still looping the course, still grinding out there.

You know, I gotta get out and watch people play twelve. You know, the lots of negative feedback about the left side of twelve just you know, dishing balls into the water.

But like, what what good as a whole if.

It's just a layup birdie for long hitters.

So guys are pretty split about whether they're gonna go for it or not. Cam Smith that he's definitely gonna go for it all week. DJ said he's laying up. I really think, yeah.

Dustin, Yeah, I think so. Wow, that's interesting.

It's not an easy lay up, that's the thing.

Yeah.

I mean, well, you know, I'm just lifting your takes here that we were talking about last night. But there's so many pins on that green that are gonna make it really tough to get to if.

They put him like front left, in front right, and just anywhere in the front.

That's gonna think front right's the only like quote unquote easy one. I don't know.

I think that's harder than it's The right side will be easier. Well, it's it's kind of hard. If you miss it right then you're short sided.

If it's on the right back right. It is just toast like the back rights. If you lay up, you have like a blind shot.

So here's here's a question. Do you think this course gets Do you think guys like over overmanage it, like too much course management, They get too far inside their own heads and get too cautious, like trying to plant it out.

Ah.

I think it's just it's it's unique.

There's there's a lot of like nuance in what you guys have to do.

Is it's I feel like the only way it would get like that is if you know it is a brand new hole like this, like all the other holes on tour.

I mean, there's just like such a big body of data.

That's like this is how this is what happens when you lay up, This is what happens when you go for it.

Here's something interesting.

Speece said to Zach at dinner, like he was talking they were talking about the core in the greens. As he talked about they put all new graphs in so it's like a better bermuda.

And speak was talking about how.

He loves grainy greens because that's what he grew up on, you know, grainy bermuta. So you know now these greens have like no grain, so they're like pure.

So there there is.

Like a little Bermuda advantage that is taken away a little bit because like the grainy greens favors guys that have played a ton on great greens, which you know is just you.

Know what, I did not farewell on grainy greens when we play. I just totally like I think, on like the maybe the fifteenth pole, I realized like I hadn't been reading the green. Yeah, I don't want to do that, like the day.

Yeah, exactly.

The grain is not fun to deal with, not good, too many variables. So you know what Western and be your strategy with West. Now you know, he seems to be getting under your skin.

I'm just gonna keep doing me, keep being me.

Yeah, I don't know.

I think, like I said, I think Wes kind of knows what he's doing. I think he uh, I think he knows what irks these internet trolls like yourself.

I'm not an internet troll.

He knows like if you just pop them right back in the face. That's that's the only It's like a kind of.

A stressful week for me. There's there's there's trouble lurking around.

Every corner, no doubt. That's it's reminiscent of the golf course.

You gotta just manage your game out there, Manta, keep my head on the swim. Yeah, you could make some big numbers really fast walking around that media center, walking around the golf course, walking around the locker room.

There's there's all kinds of hazards out there.

I mean, I might get beat up in the bathroom.

Not evern even in the blog cabin. Is you know is safe? Who knows?

It's I need some sleep. I'm like post post take post low t low t low take.

Yeah, they've had they've had a sign of an itinerary.

It's just been a thing after another, and you know, not a lot of sleep.

That's the I got takeaway.

I gotta get like at least six hours tonight.

Yeah.

I might need a nap, I might need a recharge.

I might go jump in the pool.

Yeah, so shied the bald Eagle. You know who do you guys? Who you guys like? This week? I got two picks? I got it? Are we going favorite dark Horse? Sure? Sure? Favorite?

Justin Rose Sally said yesterday, Really, I just yeah, I don't know, man, He just he to me is we can get into the Westwood thing later. But he, to me is the guy that's like similar, meaning that like he's almost never gonna shoot himself out of things, except for he also seems.

To have the capability to close it out and get it done. And I don't know he's played well here.

I think he shot like sixty three or sixty four, or I think maybe it was sixty four to sixty five in the final round a couple of years ago, shot up the later board, Like I don't know. I think he's I think he.

Is gonna be there.

And I liked my dark horse until I was talking to uh, yeah, I think it was Sarsin.

Uh was Russell Henley.

But then I'm thinking about it, and these these greens are gonna be super firm this week.

Does he have a low golf No.

I just think he's kind of one of those guys that, like he seems like he just makes a bazillion birdies on kind of some of the softer courses and stuff like that you never totally see him.

I like he played well, played well. Augusta who does not.

I guess it was yeah, maybe it's a bad that's maybe it's a bad take. I'm gonna stick with him.

I'm gonna stick with Russell Henley Tron Uh.

I like Kisner. I think he's playing really well right now. I think the favorite. For me, it's probably Coocher.

Yeah, all the way, in all the way, you're all.

I don't. I don't want to watch a single shot that he hits. But like big picture, I like what I'm seeing trending course for course.

I mean, I think to two horses for course.

To uh, two players championships.

Gets it into the Hall of Fame, two majors.

And then dark horse when you go Daniel Summer Hayes.

I love it.

But in my opinion, the best player not went on the PGA Tour yet.

Besides Monty, we need to get Manty some sponsors attemption so you can get get back and slay the dragon.

You need to get Monty healthy right now.

You know, I think, uh, for some you know, I just I feel speak this week.

It's it's quite speaky.

He's missed the last two cuts here.

Yeah, but he almost won the first year.

I know, but I'm I'm kind of I mean, I think I might I don't know.

I'm trying to. I'm debating who to pick him.

I one and done league, and I'm so worried about a miscut though, like you can't get zero points from speed, It's true, you know, But at the same time, I just feel like he's burgeoning.

I mean, I think it's like it's not that he hits it short by any stretch, but you know, it's what they say about this course all the time, where it pinches in it yeah, three ten, three fifteen, whatever, So all these like it's basically gets into the second shot thing where it's like you're looking for the best iron player, the best putter.

I mean, it's pretty.

Much Champ and my my dark horses. I'm feeling the burned really.

Oh yeah, he's just he's not been on fire. Doubt and the uros being tour and Sagurans love him right now.

Nobody knows burned, I know.

You know, yeah, I'm sure I'm surprised that you know that Westburger. There hasn't been a get to know the burn. Uh yeah, I mean even it's hard for like he always talk about it's just a.

It's an American bias. It's hard man he almost won that. He almost won that PGA, and still people are kind of like, yeah, yeah, it's from a different country, like you become up forgotten man, Maz Yeah, nobody's talking about It's true.

He was pleasing. He was the hottest player in the world.

It's another good course for him a few months and then just.

You know, I think that's the golf though. Like it they you go in these stretches where you get hot for like there's only a few select great ones are hot.

All the time. Only one.

Yeah, John Rena, John Roger.

About very good litmus test for John Rown this week.

Yeah, I just he hasn't missed the cutter as a pro, so silly, and he.

Didn't finish outside the top ten as in college for two years.

Like just such a consistent but it's a bad tell.

You who else? I like little dark horse action this week. Matthew Fitzpatrick. Sure, I think this course suit. I don't know if his ball flight's quite high enough. He went to Northwestern he for what like three weeks.

I'm just gonna bring it up every time.

Jake Nichols loves really Yeah, well I love Jake Nichols.

Yeah, he was we were.

Talking about he's he said, he actually said he's a better ball striker than Speed.

I think, as I remember, as I recall, don't hold me to this.

Can we talk about your boy Mark Hubbard?

Oh almost Hubs?

Yeah, I I you know, I got to meet Mark Hubbard today.

What a great vibe. Huh oh man.

Just too low energy guys.

Just a couple of guys that just aren't gonna get you're not gonna get too worried about things.

Well, it was it was funny.

We you know, I've got some scruff and I'm wearing some some ray bands and you know, nobody's talking to Hubbs and I walk up to him and he's got, you know, his scruff and ray bands on him.

We just, you know, we talked about skiing and music.

I gotta say I knew.

So the way that the Players Championship does it is is cool. They do a first time ers press conference every year. They have everybody playing the tournament for the first time comes down into kind of like this big scrum on the back law and just kind of a big circle and anybody can anybody can walk up and interview, you know, anybody, And so.

There's a lot of players, like a lot of players in media just kind of swirling around in this spot.

It's great.

It was a great great scene, great scene.

Yeah, and so uh railed mind train of thought.

Uh oh. So there's a lot of players, a lot of media like.

All mixed about, and I know who Mark Hubbard is, Like I've seen him a hundred times, and I still like couldn't tell he.

Was player or media.

And I like had to look at his name tag for like to try to figure out who he was.

There's only maybe three guys on tour that I have to look at their name.

I know almost I know the backstory on almost all these guys on tour, and Mark Hubbard had no clue.

I was like, where are you from? Yeah? Yeah, you know?

And he reminds me of another Mark, Mark Burke from Pipe Dream. Geez, what do you call him? Homeless hubs?

That's his emails, his emails, homeless hubs.

Well, don't give away the Yeah, people are gonna blown up Mark covered. It's his Twitter, that's homeless hubs. Homeless hubs follow this guy, Yeah, check them out. He's a man the Good Takes. He lives in Denver, He's from there. Okay, I don't know where he lives now.

He's homeless.

Pipe dream, He's he's like the He's like the He's a very cool dude.

He's very well cultured.

Yeah, you know, he's into music.

He's he's a skier.

You know.

He thinks he might be the best skier on the PGA Tour, better than Phil. Well, if you ask Phil, definitely not. But if you ask everybody else, Yeah, well it depends the medium might drive that Phil.

Is the best. American bias, Yeah.

American bias. They're just shifting on Hubbard.

Yeah, so Hubbard does not getting enough press. You're saying, no, no.

He's I don't think he wants press.

How did homeless Hubbs get in? How is JJ spawn not in this week?

It's just not how it works.

I'm so angry about that. He's like a top five player in the world.

I think, look shout out JJ spawn love JJ SPA. I wanted to respond, I think he I mean, he's had good finishes, but he hasn't had like the Postman, he hasn't had anything that's going to bump him up to like, you know, top you gotta be fifteen to fifty.

I think. I mean he's probably in the top fifty. No, he's not topf or top fifty in the world. You have to be top. Oh yeah, you have to be.

I think it's one twenty five last year or top but I think fifty in the world.

I think there's a like a mini money list. I think I don't know.

I gotta check, but I think there's like a mini list throughout the year, like numbers one through X that aren't already in, that aren't already in on twenty seventeen, like get in, which is I guessing how Canley got him?

I think, But I don't know, dude.

There's like an run of Tea Times Tomorrow afternoon. It's best field in Golf one nineteen PM is Reed Watson, Kapko one thirty, rom Rose Kimer one forty one, Garcia Scott Coocher one fifty two, DJ J t Rory like two o three. Then we go Mackenzie, hughes herm do Hermie and uh and Kjoy past Champ.

Yeah, all right. Ralphael Cabrero Bello overrated, under underrated, properly rated.

I think he's I think he is because we put way too much weight on wins. He's underrated, but in the win culture he's overrated because he doesn't win, but he finishes.

He racks top twenties. Sounds like, sounds like another guy cocher.

No, he pounds it though he has plenty of pop.

Yeah he lacks closing speed.

Yeah, he lacks pop at the point of attack.

How about just gets blown out of the whole.

There's different gap, different kinds of our boys. Z B hitting the ceremonial opening t shot this week.

You know he he was.

He was the PGA Tour ambassador of the first annual Monday shootout.

The Saga Shootout. Andy's too modest to mention it. Andy with a huge w this year. We had an eight man shootout, one person knocked out on each hole. Zach Blair came out as to have a little tour player representation.

Andy slayed the dragon. That's why he was wearing a.

Like a buff today.

Zach Wood, I mean looked like like an Arod guy.

Really an Arab Mormon out there. His caddy might be the most interesting just the planet.

His caddy is used to a k for Johnny Miller.

Yeah, and Layman for like twenty two years too. And Johnny Miller. He said, he said Johnny would have won at least one Masters if he would have been on the bag.

Wow, that's a hot take, because back then you could, all right, you had to take it, you had to take one in.

Caddies could line up, stand behind him the whole time and line him up. And he said, that's that's what he used to do with Johnny. Johnny had Like Johnny missed six putts inside of six feet in the first round.

I think that year, man, it would be so hard to watch.

He was out there watching this following his guys, but like watching somebody else loop for him, he was like, it was the most painful thing he's ever experienced. Man, Guys, guy's sixty thirty.

That's how I felt in the shootout.

Just DJ DJ is very very you know, he's he's bummed out because he played really good golf, but got Scott reacted. He he made a bad bogie, had the wrong time, lost lost in.

The chip off. So we really should have should have been able to beat Thrill.

Who else was Thrill and Tron and panther Mic should have been able to beat those guys, and they just couldn't get it done.

DJ's got video coming. You know, it was a good time.

Next year, you know we were holding taking spots, taking reservations.

I'd like to get it up to like sixteen next year.

I think it's like sixty. I think it's like six groups of ten and you just whittle it down.

Yeah, and then there's the final shootout of all the pool winners.

Yeah, that's so, that's what the memory. Blaine Barber committed today, committed. Yeah, he was bumby, couldn't make it. Yeah, he has committed to play.

So you know, now we've got I think that's what it's got to be. I think it's it's, uh, you do like a member guest. It's all flighted and the winners of all the flights get into the final shootout like that.

Yeah.

So the invitation an email oak Bridge National, he might not respond. Yeah, I'm thinking about putting up an email responder that says I.

Don't like, I just didn't take like I just didn't get to it.

Yeah, do not take offense if I don't respond to your email.

Let's talk. Can we talk, Pete Die?

What do you want?

What do you want to talk about? Pete Die? I just I want you to talk Pete Die. This is a huge week for Pete Die.

I feel like I feel like this is this is like, you know, the biggest part of the Pete Die narrative.

So I think there's a this is a very it's a he's kind of a quandary.

He understands the psychology of design as well as any architect has ever done.

For especially for playing for like touring pros.

You know where he's got this golf course and there, you know, there's it's it's visually intimidating.

There's always preferred lines of play on.

On t shots, and you know, if you play those preferred lines usually usually gain a better angle to approach and you get a shorter approach. But those those lines of plays always carry on risk of whether it be a bunker or a hazard or you know, out of bounds. And so you've got these, you know, and it's constantly testing somebody's aversion to risk.

And as soon as you bail, as you bail, the more and more you bail to.

The wrong side, your approach gets much much tougher. But a lot of times you'll get into these spots and you're you're in the fairway and you think you have a good approach, but like your your margin for error is nothing. But like a tour pro sees a fair you're in the fairway and you see a flag just sitting there and they think, oh, I can And then when you miss pin high, usually at a Pete die Corse, that's when all all goes to hell, and then you're you're trying to avoid making a big number.

Sounds like people need to buy some credit default swaps.

Exactly, no bail out.

There's a lot of you know, but like the I think the thing that with sawgrass, I you know, I don't know if I I think there's a thrill for the regular player to go play sawgrass. But like the thing everybody has even mind is this place was designed specifically for tour players. So you're not gonna see as much width as you'd see. But that's okay because you've got guys that can have the ball on a string.

We'll talk us through so that and that leads us into I mean, I know you walked all eighteen for the first time the other day, and I know your initial reaction was like about width and stuff, but I mean it kind of makes sense when you're talking through what you're saying.

Yeah, I mean there there isn't a ton of width on a lot of holes. There's there are some that have a ton of width, Like I think eleven is like forty six yards wide. Nine and and those are the par fives are really cool. You've got a lot of variety in the par threes. You've got a long part three, you've got the short one seventeen obviously, and then the other two are kind.

Of different mid mid iron shots.

Thirteen is so good. Yeah, I love that hole, especially when that pin is like in the way back left. Yes, so good.

No, I like the back right one.

Last year, well, last year, if you missing, they couldn't it cold the green nobody could. If anybody that went to try to get at that pin, it would just roll down in the back blood.

Last year was spectacular.

So good.

You guys were out here on Saturday just talk us through.

Ken Duke's sixty five was the greatest round in the history of golf. It's hard to argue, like not even not even like there's not even a close second. I'm serious, I mean I'm dead serious, Like, and I.

Think three three guys broke par Yeah, Ken Duke had sixty five.

Didn't Daniel Berger shoot sixty nine or something?

I think so straight, straight vibe.

Talking to Zach Blair at dinner the other night about it, he's mentioned he was like golfing, you know, the greens got so fast.

He didn't have a.

Tap in Nobody in the nobody in the group had a tap until the thirteenth hole.

All just kept rolling like seven feet.

By six and seven footers all day for part.

It was great to wat He said, they were legitimately rolling fifteen or sixteen.

I mean spicy. It's you know, trying.

You got mad last night, the water last night.

Make a million putts? What did he do? I don't know?

There should be We need to do it oral history, Yeah, we should legitimately do that.

We need to get Ken Duke on the pod.

I think he got knighted the queen.

Why hasn't nobody doing a Is anyone going to do a big retrospective on that Ken Duke sixty five?

We should spearhead that I didnt Duke in the field this year.

Of course, I think that was the big piece of I think he might have got you might have got was working on maybe, Yeah, that content producing he was doing in the media center.

Ken Duke might have got a lifetime exemption after after that.

I don't think he's in the field.

He's he's definitely in the field.

He's not in the field, guys.

I don't know. It's unbelievable that Ken Duke.

Ken Duke is not in the field. He shot the best round in the history of golf last year.

How is he doing on the field?

You're the one that worst for the tour. You need to be asking these questions.

This might be a clerical asked for.

There might he doesn't have a teeth. This is disgusting, you know this this controversy at Stoggrass, Sally.

And I introduced our saying the commissioner last night got a good working relationship. Now with the cashier, I'm gonna I'm gonna take the second time.

That's for the commission was making rounds handing out coufling today. Did you notice his shirt he has He had the blue and gold buttons for his button down shirt. Like unbelievable detail.

Like I heard a lot of a lot of good stuff about the commission.

I've never heard a bad word out said about the commission. You know he blew up.

I was talking at Michael Kimy, just blew it up. He rolled right in and handed on the cuff.

I said, all right, I'm not gonna at all.

That's fair. You know the commission. He's probably a busier schedule than you.

Well, I felt bad, like many pods we're doing. I just I wanted to talk to every guy about the Walker Cup. Like we had three guys in a row that played in the like Fleetwood, Michael cam and somebody else, and we're like, man like one of them played the Walker Cup at National the of them played the Walker Cup, that Marion and like just those experience Jesus like that. I could have talked to them about that for for two hours. It's just Illuminati golf.

That's it.

There's so many interesting, you know, little unique stories out on the tour.

I think that Mark Mark Covers, he's going to come out of the path soon. Friend of the pod. He's going to come out of the pod.

Yea great, it might put you to sleep, we won't.

I'm just I'm so upset right now that Ken Duke.

Yeah, it's a bad look.

Got just brushed brushed to the side.

Must have finished top on twenty five.

It's uh, this is it's unbelievable.

Justice needs to be served.

There's I see there's.

There's a there's a twosome going off. Can we like get him in? You know some kang and.

Yeah, send the PJ up, Yeah, over to Arkansas.

I have to get him.

If we get I think if we get fired up enough, he'll get in.

You know, let duke play.

Let finish T three last year doesn't get him in.

Hashtag let free Duke three, Dude free Duke. So, you know the the other big storyline. I've heard a lot of buzz from the players about it. The players are talking about Wes d v Leashman.

Yeah, everyone's talking about it.

I mean, Lee Westwood probably is going to be a big factor this week.

I feel like I'm just full disclosure.

Andy wears Air west would shoose, so he's got no objectivity in this conversation at all.

I'm all in on the You know, interesting thing about this new FedEx deal.

Part of the deal is that there's no new UPS sponsorships to players. Seriously, Yeah, Westy and new Staysan.

It just it still cracks me up that Westy won the FedEx Saint Jude Classic of all tournaments.

That might be the reason for this isn't it unbelievable?

Crazy peak? Irony Brown can't do anything for the PGA Tour.

Guys, what can Brown do for you? All right? Ken Duke ten point five to nine strokes between Duke's score and the field average is the biggest differential internament history. Davis loves sixty four and three is the second biggest.

I think it was up there with like the Furick fifty nine at Conway Farms. I think it's no but I mean like Stroked Virtualise, I think those are like among the biggest ever.

I think it.

Blows Furrix fifty eight out of the water. Last year, travelers like what about you.

Do? Who want? Travelers can Duke? How is this tournament?

This is?

Look up his FedEx Cup from last year.

It's a poem. It is he finished T three last year. I should get you into the next year.

It's not how it works though, that that's ridiculous. He almost won.

Look, I'm gonna say.

I'm gonna say on this podcast, there's a lot of talk about churning and having more churning, getting guys in, getting guys out, more volatility.

Ian Poulter's his tour card.

Ian Poulter's in the field and Ken Duke gays in the field. Technicalities. They're in on technicalities. And Ken Duke who finished ty third last year with.

The best round in the history of golf.

Let's see good down, this is all reworked.

Here we go, We'll go to two thousand, twenty sixteen.

Ken, it's amazing.

Ken Duke is on tour really like, uh there finished?

No, no, no, that's this here go back twenty six Nope, down this is good radio here up.

There? Oh there we go?

All right, Sorry, so Ken Duke, you know I finished one.

That's bad. Not good.

For the course though, like we might be we might be working on a statistical outlier here.

Free Duke.

I'm free Duke Cameron crazy, I might get made Free Duke for.

The fans, for Duke Nation.

Hashtag free Duke.

You should paint yourself so.

Strike the go stand out by Mulligan's pub outside the gate. We decide this is free Duke.

What's what's your plan tomorrow? Planet attack Tron? Where where can the people find trot?

I'm gonna I'm gonna go four fours like the best. That like watching dudes just get ejected hitting that approach.

It depends where the pin is. When the pin's back left, it's it's great.

Back right, or like even front right's good.

Yeah, there's a little ball there, exciting.

Supposedly they green complexes are great.

Supposedly they softened it though really some of the greens have gotten soft.

Not good, not good.

But would you well, probably probably a result of duke. They're trying to duke proof the.

Course, and then I well, wouldn't you prove the course?

They didn't let them in the fields the ultimate ultimate way to do proof.

It's just down the line of them.

Would you rather have severe green complexes or firmer greens?

Can't both severe green complexes? Really, I love severe green complexes. Andy's and he feels the exact opposite.

Just uh, you know, I think I think severe greens all it's all balance, you know, severe greens with that wasn't the question severe greens and firm like you can't have severe greens and really fast greens.

That's what I'm saying. That I'm saying, would you rather have it firm and faster or severe complexes? Firm and fast?

All day because like I think, actually subtle greens are the most maddening because like you can't you're trying to see.

They're not fun to watch. But I little think it's.

You always want there to be breaking a putt. It's so hard to read a straight punn. I always think there's something in it.

So I think the hardest greens for these guys is subtle ones because in it.

At about like Wilie and stuff like that, Like it looks super flat.

But that was the thing hard to make a street was to think about a lot of those the open road of courses and played over in England, like the ones that at Liverpool were pretty flat. You're so subtle. Like I struggle with that coming down here too, because Bermuda greens tend to be a little bit flatter just to nature of them, like a bent grass green up in the northeast. And yeah, you just always like the breaks are so much more subtle and there's so much harder to read.

So you in on on flat, firm and fast green now no.

I'm I'm in one. You just love carnage. I want firm, fast, severe greens.

You just want to see some way.

It's just it just ejections. You know what it is like the brown and the score.

It's because you know you got ejected early from from the shootout and you just like to see others commemorate misery.

He didn't get ejected as early as he should have. No, to be fair dishonesty.

Yeah, I went over to the to the to the ball ten.

He did not out.

They did not have vulvis.

I've always been curious about this. What is Bubba hit on the range volves? It didn't happen. Maybe just they just have a couple of bags.

Well he's the only guy that hits.

Vulvick, so they just patrovied former pizza.

Yeah, man, how about Bubbas He's about to have slipt out of the top thirty in the rankings, Like that's where it goes. I mean, you fast, you get outside the top fifty and it just slides.

Can we talking about one hundred? May Hens World World ranking six hundred and something?

Didn't get point? Did he make the Cup last week? Between he finished out got fifty, he might not have gotten world ranking. Will Gray had that great tweet.

Yeah, it's been exactly one year since he's earned a world ranking.

Because if you finished low, what was his was he hurt? What was snakes? Man?

I think they's it just it's just slides.

It goes away bad. But I think we're gonna I think we're gonna see more of this though in this era want more church. Well there's the money.

There's like there's not as much monetary incentive once you've like once you've wrapped thirty million and earnings on and off the course, Like why once you once you land a big ace hardware deal, Like what incentive is there to play play well on the golf course?

It's true, I love the aces. Uh went to Furick. It's a good fit.

That logo is so big.

Honestly, that's great trying what's the what's the worst?

What's the worst sponsorship on tour? Is it Sketchers?

Is it Volvic?

Let me let me grind on this one for a second. You guys keep talking amongst yourselves.

You know, I don't like the big sponsor stuff. I'm getting these guys' shirts.

I think I think Patrick Reid's tax Slayer sponsorships up there.

You live in Jackson home in the tax layered wolf not good.

Tax Slayer is bad all right, what else we got this week? What else to watch for this week? Where are you gonna be? Where are you going to be?

I haven't decided. I haven't. The people find the Frida Egg.

You're the Frida Egg, That's what they all say.

I'm probably I don't know.

In the morning, I might.

I might go out and watch watch Full eighteen. Pick a group and go full eighteen with them.

Just walk that's the best.

And then in the afternoon I might just chill on twelve.

Who's spenceful being paired with?

That's what I'm looking for right now, Tron, you gotta get Wagner looked like jumpy Jonathan Wagners.

There is different ways to get it done there two thirty six pm. We should make an afternoon round it. Yeah, we could catch him out and they're off the back nine. Ye. Perfect.

Everybody's going to be tied up on the front with that.

Yeah.

I wouldn't mind seeing the junk man to that. He's going up last off.

The I think you should support Smiley. I should Smiley's arm.

I think that would mean a lot to him.

Yeah, and Ernie and big and hot Charles. That's that's a that's a good little crew there.

I just I might not even go to the tournament. I might just might start hunger strike here about the duke. The duke situation has got me really ruffled many.

You know, that's what they wanted though. They wanted about Duke. They want they wanted you not.

To be there. You know, I'm I think I don't know. I think it's gonna I think it's gonna give him motivation.

Who's gonna win the Canadian Champion Players Championship.

So we got David Hearn, we.

Might need to heys you over there, come on in.

We got we got a question. We're gonna call him Canadian expert.

Adam Starson here, resident Canadian.

I'm gonna follow a leashman in every tomorrow morning.

They're pair together.

Nice, we get we want to know who's winning the Canadian Players Championship this week?

Is it Hearn? Is it de Latte? Is it.

Mat matc. Hughes was a resounding, resounding positive takeaways like this morning, everybody loved him from the from the very astute, very uh.

Yeah, matches are very thoughtful.

Yeah, he's very you can you can tell that he actually cares about what he's actually saying, I mean, if I if I had to pick somebody to actually before them, it has to be had one.

Though again, I.

Can't think this is a good course for him. He almost was my dark horse.

I mean he's he's such a good putter that it's hard to ever really see him. I mean, if if his ball strike and is even you know, say, slightly above average, I mean he's going to be in contention.

Like he's that good. He's that good on the greens.

He's got a friendly parent too. He's playing with Alex Norn and Luke Donald.

You watch some holes with LD this week? Yeah, what was that? Like? It was? It was good, It was it was interesting.

You know, we talked a little bit about the design and and just how how golf's changed. I mean, he is a he's a very thoughtful guy.

He like it's incredible how good he is inside one hundred yards.

Oh my god, watching him pitch a ball is like one of the prettiest things to do.

He's got an average shot from.

One hundred yards, like average pinion, average anything, What is his average distance from the hole.

The most incredible thing is to watch him hip bunker shots.

If you watch him hip bunker.

Shots like they very rarely are outside of three feet, like like you're surprised when they're like six.

I think the most incredible things to watch him head drivers because it's so bad.

You know, he he gets it done. He's he got to the got to the top of the mountain.

You know you should follow Holmeless Hubbard Homeless Hubbs what times seven thirty two with Moulder and.

Nah is he on the front or the back?

He's on the back.

Oh, that's it. That's an interesting parent.

I like can't this week. I'm changing my dark horse pic. Paully likes Can't too. Really, Yeah, that's good. Gives me even more confidence.

He played well at Harbor Harbor Town, he played well at valspar like those are that.

Demand for me to work the ball both ways off the time. I mean he.

I don't know how much he's going to play, Like I think he's going to be a guy that doesn't play a ton of churg like you, you're never going to see him playing a lot of turns because of the.

Back, but like.

He's stud he it'll be it'll be interesting to see where it goes. It's just good to have him back.

What about Steve Stricker in the field.

Should we do should That's what I'm saying.

Man probably finished top five and a major like typically probably Jerry Man's Jerry Man.

Should we do one? Let's do one? One? Hot take prediction for the week. Oh you want me to go first? I guess I will.

You don't want to say I don't know that it's that hot. You guys are gonna say this is kind of mild. But he fucking.

It's okay.

He torched the course last year. I think JD misses the cut. I think unequivocally not hot enough. That's not even remotely Turn up the heat, Turn up the heat, turn off the heat.

Baby.

Oh man, I do love paparezz out here. Yeah, that's the thing though, you know they they get ejected if like, you.

Never know who's gonna make the cut.

Yeah, I'm gonna go with uh.

Man.

I think Fleetwood will be a factor.

Yeah. Yeah, good vibes today, Trona vibes. Yeah, great hair.

For the best. Let us the best, let us.

Sergia. Somebody's really talking about surgery.

Shrub finishes top ten.

Oh that's good. Stred loves it here. What about scam Smith.

Get a whole lot out of him this morning. He's just he's just real chill. He's trying to move to Jack's Peach.

I thought he lived here.

No, he moved. He lives down like in Partodri. He wants to he wants to move to the wants to be in the act, the beaches. He wants to be in the in the center of it all up with Maddie and uh Maddy, Kelly and I and Trot. He wants to be a neighbor Releashman's caddy.

He wants to be in the Wold Coast, Florida's Woe Coast coast.

What about Bernhard? Oh, Bernhard makes the cut. I'll tell I'll go with that. I'll go with that as my take. I'm gonna say, Ja misses the cut.

Bernhard makes the cut. Okay, covered Factor, Yeah, yeah, he gets You've had some good stuff, good stuff from him. He just got good vibes from him. That's great.

Yeah, Honor Bondle here he might win.

Yeah, Airbnb now salls you're alive, my friend. He's He's still the most most cryptic comment ever made.

I know I need to ask him about that.

Speak share the story.

We're at Harbortown. Uh, he walks Airbnb walks by and it's like, Oh, it's Airbnb, and he's like not till July. My friend and Randy and and DJ and I just kind of look at each other and we're like, what's.

That head been in my head for a month? What he could have possibly been?

All? Right?

Overrated, underrated, It's time wrap it up. Oak Bridge National, Oh, underrated.

I say underrated. I had a great time.

After everybody dumps on it and I liked it.

We went and looped looped nine last night at like seven o'clock. It was great.

It's tough off the tea. I know that's gonna be your I know it's gonna be where you give it. Love marks, just good green. It has great greens. Complexes were great and condition greens no, but the green complexes were awesome. I'm gonna say underrated also, I mean better work. Yeah, and the whole plan that's going into for those that don't know, which is probably everybody.

Yeah, oak Bridge National is the golf course right next to TVC sawgrass that are.

The blog cabin.

That cabin sits on second in between the first and second hole. That's where we have to shoot out. We've got literally we've got a view.

We've got a view of.

Crooked Toron's eighth snowman. What all happened with the double almost went in the water, then sure enough.

Next shot off the next he found in his watery doom.

Yeah, I'm gonna say oak Bridge National underrated, especially since they're going to go through a very woke renovation changing into a twelve whole course kind of an after work after work course.

Love it Uh.

Underrated.

Yeah, we're gonna go next with seventeenth hole. Ooh that's a good one. Oh yeah, I mean I know I can see what you're where. You're trying to base into here, trying to bait us into going overrated.

I think it's disappointing for me. Remember when the euro Tour, I think it was in Turkey, they did like the tee off the top of like an apartment building. There was a pool. Yeah, like they should do that, like you tea off from a hospitality.

Ricky did that when he was doing like his media tour and they were having him hit shots. He was hitting shots from like up in like the golf Channel Conflex down to the green and it was awesome. It was like one it was like one eighty five coming

It's just this Russell Knox. Russell Knox made like an eight or something. He made a nine. Well, he made a nine. And then he came back. He was talking about it.

We did a piece that's going up today. We went back to seventeen with him, played it on a video game. He fared a little better, stuck a close spoiler. You heard it here first, hear first breaking give him a sneak peek, sneak peak.

So you think I'm actually I underrated. I think it's just cool.

It's a it's a it's a takeoff of like the whole idea of these short par threes being.

Like hitted or you're done, like you know, a lot.

Of places do it with bunkers and stuff, but but the seventeenth is, you know, it's the ultimate viewing spectacle.

Porter seventeenth hole overrated, underrated.

Uh, I'm just gonna make a sandwich like Tron's dad.

You're trying to have a podcast.

Yeah, I say, I say overrated.

Wo wow, But we all said underrated. I said it over Kyle.

Those are those golf shoes.

Is technically Porter may or may not of worn golf shoes to the golf course today.

I'm in with big sunglasses now too.

If you go to Oakley, big big, big, big optical, big optical compromise.

What else we're gonna go with?

Jacksonville way way underrated, way way overrated. Don't move here, Yeah, don't come here.

I'm saying enough Jacksonville, not that, not your beach communities.

I'm saying the city of Jacksonville, Well, it's.

The largest city by geographic area in the country.

Doesn't mean it's good. It is. Uh, there's a lot of variety. You love variety. There's a lot of variety. There's a lot of there's a lot of width in angles and strategy.

That go in.

You haven't seen anything here yet though.

You haven't gone to like you even gone to Jagsga.

You haven't gon a Jags game. You haven't gone to San Marco Riverside.

You couldn't pay me to go watch Blake Bortols play football.

Oh god, all right, we're getting off the rails, all.

Right, DJ and I were talking about it, our plan for football season. If and when the Jaguars ever have a four o'clock game, which I don't think is ever has happened in like ten years.

You can't watch them. They're all blacked out.

If they know they do have a four o'clock game. We're gonna go play Hyde Park first thing in the morning at like six thirty am. The first one's off playing like two hours, and then go over to the Kwan, play the Kwan and then go Tokwana. So get thirty six in and then go tailgate and go to the Jags game.

Donald Ross overrated, underrated.

Uh, that's a good one. Never thought about asking this one though.

There's so many designs ascribed to Donald Ross that he never even that's what I'm saying.

You gotta gotta take the whole body of worse. I'm you know what I'm saying.

I'm saying, oh, rated because he's the most well known among the common golfers. So people will be like just over overrated by definition, it's a Donald Ross course, it's a Donald Ross course. But he's a great, great architect. I think he's just he's Yeah. I mean, like, in no way am I saying that Donald Ross is not good.

I'm just saying he is high overrated.

Yeah, Who's who's.

Your ultimate high floor, low ceiling golfer.

Couture?

Yeah, yes, verified, verifiable.

I can't believe you didn't go Westy there, m I should have so many? Are you going to just venmo me? Now, we'll see, we'll see how it goes.

Oh, west he's gonna go out and dust stuff like a sixty six.

Right, he definitely is, and then he's gonna overrated underrated. Mm hmm. I was actually gonna ask Michaelo.

Ultra they're doing that thing today, right, I don't.

Know, sixteen or seventeen, that's what they needed.

The auto responder of the don't be offended if I don't reply. I would say Kopka is uh and then say he's I think he's underrated.

Yeah, I think he's overrated.

I don't think he's gonna play with this.

He's a bomb and gowage specialist.

All right, anything else, No, No, we'll be we'll be getting some out, you know, sorry for the delay and getting you know, the Yeah, it's work shopping, a lot of takes.

Yeah, it's been amber.

I need to fill I need to fill my take, my take th back.

Yeah, you know, there's a there's a lot of busy travel, you know, getting accommodated, you know, sleep takes to.

Get out and just watch some golf. It just kind of like kind of recharge on the table.

We'll be out, We'll get some more of these out and enjoy the first round.

And let's stick ken Duke in the field.

Free dude, free dudel.

H m hm