2025 Open Championship Preview with Billy Horschel

nineteen Open Championship host which delivered an awesome major. It was, you know, the first major that Royal Port Rush had held in a very long time. It will only be the third time that Royal Port Rush has ever held the Open Championship. A awesome golf course, a truly delightful

Open Championship venue. So this is a big week ahead We will have a ton of stuff pouring out from both on the ground and just from observations from watching the telecast this week, so be sure to follow our verious social channels sign up for the fridayg newsletter today. I am excited. Wanted to do a little something different. I feel like some of these preview pods can get a bit redundant. You know, you do this storyline and

it and it becomes you know, storyline. You know, they over the course of five months, if you count in the players, they you know, those storylines are the core storylines or the core storylines, and they Uh. So I wanted to do something a bit different. Uh. One of one of Golf's great personalities has been on the bench, been on the d L. Billy Horschell joins who obviously, I mean you talk about a guy who almost won

a won an Open championship. Last year Billy Horschell finished T two, was standing, you know, had the had the lead, uh with uh with ten holes left in last year's Open. Awesome performance at Troon. Billy was was gracious to hop on uh and chat Open Championship with us. So we talk about Billy UH A lot of just Open centric conversation. But to tie it all together, PJ and I are going to jam through some of the big stories. We're going to talk about the big stories on the front

end of this podcast. Then Billy is going to take us home. So beefy Open Championship Preview this week the Open Championship. All of our coverage is brought to you by our friends over at Mercedes Benz. Mercedes Benz has been partnering with the Open since twenty eleven, and the partnership is rooted in shared values, commitment to excellence, and bridging tradition with modern luxury. One of the things that

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Is this the first time that you have been an audible guest on this podcast?

Since he won the Open in twenty twenty one, he's gotten miscut miscut T sixteen, so hasn't seen a lot of success necessarily at this tournament since he wins. Since he won, he kind of choked API to Russell Henley late on the back nine there, finished top ten at the Travelers or at the Players the next week, but after that only a T eight at the Rocket. Since then, he's only played the signature events outside of the Rocket and the Zurix, so he hasn't honestly played that much.

An uncompetitive T fifty at the PGA, an uncompetitive T twenty three at the US Open. It's been an up and down year in a lot of ways for Colin wore account. But this is a guy who is put in that top flight of Americans in a Ryer Cup year, has won multiple major championships and kind of just feels lost for me right now.

you retire tomorrow, he's probably a Hall of Famer. Yeah, which is an amazing He accomplished that within the first couple of years of his career, which is you know, they it's it's been an interesting you know, golf just in general spent kind of an interesting time right where we've we had that like huge youth wave and I still think like there's obviously like supreme young talent coming

into the game, but it has a bit normalized. I would say we've seen some some older players really have success.

like you had to learn how to play. It was you know, there's so much aspect of the game that took experience that has been that experience window has been shortened so much, whether it's learning golf courses, whether it's you know, how to hit, like technology has created a situation where like when you get weather, you don't have to hit as many shots as you used to have to hit when a ball spun more like the art

of like taking spin off the ball. It's still important, let's not, but it is much less valued today than twenty years ago. So I do think, like, but I think, what's I think where we have like those like you know, we're still going to have like these young players come in, but like it felt like we had just like this monster youth wave happened, and now those guys are are twenty eight, twenty nine, you know, And Scottie Scheffler is like a great example of somebody who started popping after

he was twenty five, you know. And then we've seen, you know, people that are late bloomers like Stepstraka and Russ Henley Russ Henley's having a career year in his mid thirties. And you know, the last major we had Adam Scott contending at forty six, which or forty four, right, forty five forty four I think, which was an amazing, amazing you know, feet you obviously have Roy McElroy still doing it in his mid thirties. So it's just like, I think golf's in a nice balance where it has

like a lot of different ages playing well. But Colin more Kaw is just like in this middle period of his career, this is it'll be you know, where does he go the next five years? Do the next five years look more like his first three years or or or more like the last year and a half?

a couple of just regular events. This year it was the CJ Cup right where he cleaned it cleaned up there, and it's like it gets them going, you know, it gets some rolling. I think that. I think, like the the hard thing when you just play signature events is that you are playing Scotty Scheffler and Rory McElroy and

every other top flight. The competition level and those of winning is hard when you have somebody that has played as dominant golfer skuy Scheffler's played the last two years as well as Rory played the first you know, four months of the year. Like, you know, that's one of the interesting things that has developed is like Rory was the best golfer in the world from January till uh till the Masters. Scotty has taken the throne. I guess this can lead right into my my first thing. I'm watching.

You know, Rory and Scotti, they've run like parallel. We haven't seen them both at their best at the same time. Needless to say, Like, you know, the PGA Tour Player of the Year is kind of a joke, right, you know, you win the FedEx Cup and they're gonna You're probably gonna win the Player of the Year.

every year, the Irish Amateur Event. But like if he wins this now, like statistically you're probably not going to say this was like one of the greatest years of golf. But in terms of emphatic like just if you could, like if you remove you just look at the accomplishments of the Pebble Beach where a venue he never won at, the Players, completing the career Grand Slam, Augusta National. If

he wins at Port Rush, that's an incredible year. And then the added opportunity he could win an away Ryder Cup at Beth Paid Black, Like there's like this could be a crazy, crazy accomplishment year of in terms of like highest of high type stuff. But again, if Scotty wins this, he is without a doubt the player of the year. That's I think that's one of the fascinating things is if either of these guys win it, they have had the best year in golf. And it's still

an open case. Like I think everybody's like closed the door to Scotty's. But like if Rory wins this, like a talk about like great great, like storybook stuff.

He talked about venues earlier this week, and you know what's important pebble BEA's obviously an iconic venue. It's hard, it would be, it would be almost impossible. Then you had the Ryder Cup on top of it, that would be that would be hard to beat. But Scotty, I mean, Scotty got his home game at at Craig Ranch, you know, just just dominating the Dallas area. So maybe maybe maybe Rory has to win this week to compete with that.

But Scotty is week in, week out, Like you said, if you just go total number of months, right of, Rory was the best player in the world from January through the middle of April, and Scotty's gotten the rest of the year since then. Then you start looking at, you know, how many if neither of them win, what what is the debate? And Scotty's going to have the quote unquote belt for longer here and it's probably going to pick this pick.

the US Open about Rory. Jamie Kennedy did the the numbers a elite random he called her random club in golf. If Rory McElroy won this week at royal Port Rush, he'd become just the third player in the last fifty years to win multiple majors in a year multiple times.

royal Port Rush. It had T three in Hiltonhead cut from the Zurich th eight at the PGA T twenty eight the US Open and then won the Open Championship, his forum coming in now Thaighten at hilton Head, the T two, T twelve at zeroch T two at Truist, which is his best finish of the year, cut it to PGA T twenty three at the Memorial T thirteen in Canada, cut it the US Open, and a T forty five at Travelers, So he had some He was trending a little bit at least was around had a

top ten finish at the PGA heading into twenty nineteen, but has not had outside of the Truest any sort of success this year that would would make anybody think that the title defense is even on the table at this point.

you know, highest world ranking. He's he's he's gotten to most you know, So it is it is a you know, I think that that dynamic is going to become a little bit more true with the US Open, with their with their Rota, with their anchor sites. You know, like Pinehurst is coming up quick again and Pebble's coming up.

It will be like in pretty quick succession. So but like, yeah, that is a it's an interesting aspect of like you usually see like you usually see these courses like spaced almost ten years out and in some some regard, but this being just so close so on the heels, and I think that's like actually like you know, subplot storyline of the Open. It's like they don't have a lot

of venues. Yeah, like we are. I think we're getting going to get the Open champion ship basically at the Old Course every five years from now, so one hundred and fifty, one hundred and fifty, five hundred and sixty, like that's the new cadence for the Old course. Port Rush appear like because of the amount of fans they can fit, but also it is a world class test of golf, but that seems to be on a fast track. The Open needs more venues and on that you know, we uh, this will get to My second one is

the golf course twenty nineteen. It was awesome, you know, I think there's a lot of anticipation of it coming back to Northern Ireland. Obviously a country an area of the world that like people ask like why why didn't this happen like earlier, Well, it was a country, a part of the part of the world that was going through some of its own like issues and it's an amazing place. I got to visit Northern Ireland in March

of last year. Love the people, love the place and Royal Port Rush to me is like one of the greatest golf courses in the world. I think, like somehow, like in a weird way, like you know, you think about like where it is. You know, it's like I think it's pretty widely considered like a top twenty course in the world, Like I think it might be like might be too low. I you know, I talk about this a lot with Matt Rush's from our team and

Brendan and Cameron who we all played together. You know there are courses that are more stunning and more dramatic and more like once in a lifetime bucket list places like you know, the most famous Northern Ireland course along with Port Rush is Royal County Down. I would put

that in a bucket. But I do think like in a way if this makes sense, like I think Royal County Down is like a more stunning place to play golf, but I think that from top to bottom in terms of the whole package, Royal port Rush is probably a golf course with less weaknesses and a more well rounded golf course. This is to me at the very top the best links tests, like maybe among the best. It probably would be one of the three or four best

tests of golf in the world of golf. Like I think if I was going to make a list a short order of those, I'd have Shinakock, Augusta National, Royal port Rush and like Royal Melbourne would be my kind of like holy Grail Testing Championship Golf. I think what this brings to the table, It's got incredible topographical interest. You hit up, you hit down, and you often hit from lies that are not flat. That to me is

like a core feature of great Great Championship golf. So you think about Shinnacock has that in spades, Augusta National has that in spades. Port Rush has that in spades. The other thing that port Rush has that, you know, like Shinnakok has this too, exceptionally firm playing conditions, so the ball bounces, the ground is alive, and that to me is another really important example. Royal Melbourne would be another golf course that has that exceptional firmness, that thud

that you get. It's been a dry spring in in the in the UK and Ireland and that should aid that kind of the ball being alive when it hits the ground out there. The last thing that is like that this course has that I think Shinnakok has somewhat is reliable conditions. One of the last you know, real like if there's no win, these guys just hit stock shots. There's no reason to see artistry with the strike, you know, moving trajectories, having to shape shots because of the wind

coming off your left or off your right. A Royal port Rush, you're going to get some reliable conditions. Now, like I look at I was looking at the weather. The wind doesn't look like anything crazy, But like a fifteen mile an hour wind out there is a wind you have to consider and you have to start to not just hit the stock shot at the stock trajectory.

You have to move the ball up and down. And I think what that does is it just separates the true strikers, the people that really have the game and also have the experience and in all the shots in their bag. So for me, you know, port Rush and what separates it from other links courses is it's got

like a really great, sophisticated set of greens. So you start to see you're just gonna see a lot of really neat contouring in the greens versus a lot of other, you know, open championship venues where the greens are a little bit that's where you might lose interest. And this this golf course has some really sharp surrounds, some really interesting contours on the greens. So the golf course to be it's gonna be awesome and I can't wait to see it host another major championship.

We talk about this with Billy a little bit. But that middle, the middle stretch of Port Rush, there's a lot is going to be talked about about the opening because you get out onto the ocean and there's some dramatic, beautiful golf holes and the finish which has you know, fifteen through eighteen is awesome at Port Rush, like unforgettable holes. The sixteenth you're going to hear so much about. But that middle portion of Port Rush is about as demanding of golf as you can get, and it sits down

a little bit. It's not by the ocean. Some of the contouring is a little bit smaller, but it's like this great size and then the green a lot of the greens in that section of Repel and it is like you got to be golfing your ball in the middle of the round at Port Rush, and I think so. I think the golf course just in general, if you look at Lowry what he did really well, is he just dominated in terms of hitting green? Hm, it is. It is a it is a war of attrition out

there with ball striking. You need to be just almost machine like out there or else like you know, some of the I think like this is what makes it a little different than a lot of a lot of links older links courses. The greens, like the surrounds are severe like it is. If you miss greens you can

be in some really tough positions. It is, so I think that's the the nature of port Rush is and why it's so taxing tea to green is because of the greens themselves being more like you know, everybody always talks about Augustin Ashler. These are not Augusta National Greens, Like, they aren't like that. But they are more in that vein than a lot of links courses where they have

those vicious false fronts. They have these these pretty big hollows that you can get into and then you have to recover from spots to bother.

They're chaotic, right, which which yields like you know, like if I if you said, hey, Colum or Cow has win at Harding Park, It's like, well, how many things do you want me to tell you about? Because there was a moment when I thought Matt Wolfe was going to win. There was a moment when I thought Scotty Schffler was going to win, and that was like the

emergence of Scotti Scheffler. And then there was like you know, there's there's all these other guys, and then you know, Colin Markoo hit a shot and all of sudden he won.

contend to really shore this up? Or is there anything that he could do extend this miscut streak to six that would leave him off of his own team come September because this is the last I mean, unless he's gonna go win the BMW again, which is quite possible. But for right now, we'll call this the last shot for everybody ryder cup wise.

where you you alarm. You sound alarmed, but like when you look at the schedule upcoming, like he's he's a good fit for the playoffs, Yeah, I think, yeah, it's kind of surprising he hasn't played well in the open. He's still such a good ball striker. I mean, he's he's.

They're only four of them a year. It makes it very hard, makes it extremely hard. Like you know, I think like you think about like a career like Chris Paul who just announced his last year in the NBA, Like his he's had this unbelievable career, one of the great point guards of all time, has never won an NBA championship. Is like second line of his career. And it's similar with golf, where it could be you could

be talking about like what like Greg Norman. Greg Norman is a perfect example, as was by far the best player in the world of golf for a very long time, outstanding driver of the golf ball, incredible ball striker. Only two major championships, you know, like that is just like so quick. So if you start to think about the last chance, right, You've got Bryson, who I think like Bryson Brahm and are are kind of in their like own bucket. I think they have elevated themselves at this

top pier, top of the pyramid. Your career, your your year is really defined based off of major success. In a different bucket, You've got more Cowen and Xander. Xander's interesting just because of the injury. Defending champion obviously of the Open. The injury has been weird. He's played well this week with the Scottish, who knows if that could be Like I'm almost giving him pass because of the injury year. It's been the worst year of his career.

More cow we touched on earlier. And then final person I'm putting in this bucket is Brooks, who obviously has five majors. His whole career has been defined by major championships and not success in other tournaments. Like most most guys, it's like, well he's won all these other tournaments. For Brooks, it's like he's got five majors, Like.

their career and how we discuss them. And I think what's interesting about Victor he's been sniffing around a lot at majors the last couple of years. Like, you know, the way you win a Major is you get into contention at a lot of majors, And like Xander is a perfect example of that. Last year. Yeah, oh you can't win. He's good. Can't get it done, can't get

it done, like the marker. When the discourse becomes you can't get it done on Sunday, that means You're closer than ever at getting it done on a Sunday, and I think that's like the interesting thing I would I would highlight. I'm taking Victor this week, and that's why do you have a pick?

of you know, I was talking with PJ. Actually, you know, one of the things that we've been missing all year is Billy Horshell. How are you doing, how's the hip and where are you at in terms of your rehap.

about sixty seventy percent. So yeah, I mean I'm following, you know, the instructions as much as I can, and and hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll be able to work into slowly hitting some woods and and but yeah, everything's so far is going well and looking forward to get back out here and hopefully in a couple of months.

with my family, be a part of my kids. His life's a little bit more, you know, hang out my wife more. Just sort of really ingrain myself into my family on a full basis about what we're having to worry about going to practice and play and everything. So, but the thing I have missed is when I do watch on Sundays, you know, seeing guys competing to have a chance to win. That's that's what I miss is not not being out there, not having that opportunity to

to win golf tournaments. But but for the most part, like I said, I mean, I haven't really I haven't really missed golf. I really haven't. I've enjoyed being home. I've enjoyed being a dad, taking my kids to to their practices and taking them to their sporting events and and and not you know, you know, waking up in the morning and yeah, I'm going to the gym to to to rehab and other stuff. But I get to come home and I don't have to worry about going out

to practice. I can just hang out the house and and just relax, which is which has been, like I said, been pretty nice.

You know, you have your friends and you have certain people reach out to you, but other than that, you feel like, you know, some people can feel like a little lost, that they're not not connected, or they're missing out, or they're not in in the grain that they've always been of knowing what's going on out on tour and the ins and outs and all the little things.

need that Johnny Miller in there. And I've said this for a long time. You need someone that's gonna call, you know, be critical of guys when they hit bad shots or decisions or anything. I don't I don't think anyone comes across strong enough, and I don't think anyone does it to what I would say at a good at a at a decent level. As for me as a fan watching golf, and like I said, I have a I'm a PJ Tour player. I have a PJ Tour of brain. I understand what a good golf shot is.

I understand what a bad golf shot is. A lot of the viewers do too, but maybe not as in depth as mine. But you know, we need to be critical of us as as tour players. If someone hits a webshot from forty you know, from one hundred and twenty yards at forty feet, that's a that's awful. Like, let's let's call them out. Let's say that's you know, especially if you know, with four holes up to play and he's tied for lead and one back, that's pressure.

That's that's clearly has to be pressure. He's afraid of missing that shot. He's afraid of pooling the shot. Like, let's be Johnny Miller a little bit like I missed Johnny Miller. I know people gave Johnny Miller a lot of you know, a lot of crap from here and there, but man, he when I watched the old coverages, I have a great appreciation for the way he did a job in his booths for so many decades.

were too soft. And if someone's going to criticize, you know, our decision or what you know, calls out on stuff like, that's the name of the game. That's what they're doing as an analyst, that's what they should do. Sam Burns at the US Open birdies number ten in the final round goes to number eleven. He has a I don't know, one hundred and eighty yards shot up the hill, whatever

it was. And when he said the head, when he said when they said he had seven iron, I was like, I don't think that's enough club because I know Sam, I know how far he hits his club. He hits it further than me. But with a you know, I don't think the yard is took into effect the uphill second shot on uphill lie maybe Sam and Travis is little worried with the water running down, maybe catching a little flyer with the water and going over the green. But Sam comes up short. It's super unlucky to be

plugged or beyond that lip. However it was. But in my aspect was that probably should have been a six iron there. You know, you got a lot of green to work with. You know, seven iron is that enough to carry the bunker? You know, be a little critical, like I don't if I remember correctly, Like that wasn't critical in that aspect there.

the creek. And there was a misplay off the tee and none of it was like all like, oh, bad luck. It was like, no, maybe a a misplayed golf hole.

or whatever. And Sam's hitting seven iron from maybe five

yards further. I'm like, that's got to be a six iron. Sam, Like, you know, but you know, there's, like I said, I think that aspect like that's a you know it we we I think as as fans and as players and everyone, like you want to you want to show how great we are and and when we hit great shots, hit great shots, but when we hit bad shots or or we choke or we do something that the pressure gets to us or you know, if you think it's a mental you know, he's got a little mental yip action,

you know, because of the shot he hit or whatever, Like let's call us out on that. Like that's that just sort of creates a little bit of edge. I think that's, you know, something great that viewers would love to see. Like I said, I don't know. I grew up in the era with Johnny Miller, and I think Johnny Miller is the best, and I always I've always thought that way.

just shrink down. And that part of it is because of what you're feeling as a player in that moment, like you are amped up and you are going through this like you know, you're trying to bring home in that situation the biggest win of your career for everybody on that board for the most part, and you know, like the execution, the decision making becomes so razor thin because you know, like I think, like every time I get done with a major, I just am like god, Like,

what's crazy is like a bounce here or a bounce there you could talk yourself into like almost like ten guys getting it done outside of the times where like, you know, a player just runs away and is clearly the best you know, and it is That is what's amazing about golf and why some of those decision decisions need to be like scrutinized and looked at with like a fine comb, like did did they do the right thing? Because that's the difference between you know, winning and losing.

And I think for Sam Burns, like he hit some really good shots on that back nine, but he also hit some really bad shots. And in the bad shots, like you know he had on the what was it the short on twelve he had he hit one of the worst wedges I've seen, like a pro in contention, hit from you know where he basically missed the I think he missed the green on twelve from ninety yards, you know, and it's like that's just you know, not good enough in that in that moment. But uh, let's

talk about the Open. We'll talk about you in contention. Last year, this this was a this was an awesome, uh weekend at the Open. Just in general, I imagine that there are moments and shots that run through your head. I feel like when you play tournament golf, you get like these like vivid like movies in your head of moments from last year. Are there particular things that you think about often? The honest answer, No, See, that's a good short memory.

you know, I had a chance to win. I finished second best finish of my career in a major and and you know probably should have you know, when I look back at it, I say this every time, even after win. I should probably enjoy this more and let it soak in and and and take it all in. But I'm always so much of moving on to the next thing. But I think some shots I think about, just some some great bunker shots I hit. At the same time, I think about some awful iron shots I hit.

I hit an awful iron shot in the final round on number ten. I had an awful iron shot on number sixteen the third round. My third shot, you know it was I flared it right into a bunker and plugged it. But I hit a great bunker shot and almost hold it out, you know, burning number eighteen on Sunday,

burning sixteen seventy eighteen to finish. So yeah, I mean there's there's shots that I can easily call, but I just don't go back and and you know, yeah, I'm sort of caught off God when it does come when I am caught, you know, thinking about it.

it was my wife Scott it, so it was twenty two. Yeah, it was. It was nasty weather that we played in. But yeah, that that day in that round. And I've said this many times, I don't I don't think I would have played as well if I wasn't paired with someone like Justin and Foods for Rosian Foods. There are two great friends of mine. We have mutual respect for each other, and we both are just guys that grind

it out. You know, when when you're grinding it out and you're making a score and you have someone else doing the same thing, it's sort of you guys are you know, fist pumping each other and sort of pulling for each other, even though we're in one of the last groups on a third round of a major. You're

pulling for each other. Now, if I had it was playing with someone who was just doing the towel, you know, made a couple of bad holes and just doing the towel like that just sort of brings the whole mood down in the group that it's, yeah, you're you're letting the conditions get the better of you. But you know, I've always enjoyed playing and stuff like that, And like I said, you know, I obviously it was a great

pairing to have. And I think, you know, Rosie and I played beautifully in those conditions.

you know, career defining moments for both of you. And because of the additional element of the Open, which is the elements the idea of whether you know you're playing the course in any golf tournament, you're building almost like a house when you think about a four round golf golf round in the first rounds of Foundation, just like, we don't screw this up. We've got a chance to build up right. And you're but you're you're doing this on your own and you're competing at the same time,

but you're playing against the course. And when you get those elements, like, I think you hit on it totally. When you're playing a particularly it feels like challenging mentally challenging round of golf. That player that you're out they're battling with, becomes like if you're both going through, like you can draft off each other in there, and it's

it's so true. And I don't know if there's ever been analytical studies done on it, but like sometimes you just come across bad vibe groups where like things aren't going well and it's easy to get down down in your luck as a group with the Open when the elements turn is how's that?

not going up in the air. I'm keeping it, you know, out of the wind, out of the out of the elements as much as I can. You know, it's not pretty golf. It's you know, the score and the way you do it can look can sort of look pretty, but the way it feels and the way you know what how you want it to look and everything can look ugly. And you know, I think it's just sort of like managing it. You know, how am I going

to hit this shot from one hundred that I remember? Yeah, like the third like I said, sixteen the third round, my third shot, I had like one hundred and maybe twenty yards and I was in between six and seven. I thought I could chip a little six and I you know, just you know, didn't make a great you know, little chippy action. I flirted out to the right and I was like, man, maybe it's just been a hard seven to play it back in your stance and just put it even lower, maybe even run it up the

green a little bit. But you know, it's one of those things where I just say, you find a way to get it done. I think that's what the best players who played in those conditions have always done. You know, they're not worried about making this sling look pretty, not worried about how far the ball goes. I mean you're really not. I mean you're worried about hitting the center

of the face. But you know, with the technology now, you know you can be a little off center with a missit and the ball is still going to go fairly straight. So yeah, it's it's it's survival golf is what it is.

I think Rosie made hit three wood. He hit a beautiful shot. I think it was three. He hit a beautiful shot, like on the front edge of the green from like one hundred and ninety yards and he hits it three two hundred and seventy yards. So but I had this stance over in my third shot. That ball

was like above my feet. But I was on a severe downhill, lie in the fest in like the heather or whatever, and I was trying to figure out how to hit this And I was fifty yards from the hole in, and I knew if I hit a fifty six, I was gonna have to hit it really hard and it was gonna get up in the air too much. And I'm like if I hit a fifty two, there was this hill in front of me about seven to ten yards that it may not clear. And I was like, well, I got to take the fifty two because I'm not

hitting something up in the air. And I hit the fifty two it barely clear. Is a hill, hits a downslope, runs out there has a whole bunch of you know, momentum to the ball checks a little bit with all the water and the wind, the ball stops right, almost goes in. I think I almost lipked it out. And I was like, you know, you just figure out how how to hit a shot. It doesn't matter how it looks. You're just sort of using as much imagination as you possibly can.

that kind of started. Is there something that that changed in your in your approach to the Open or is something about your game and finding something that really that allowed you to become more of a well rounded player that you started to play better in links golf. Yeah.

I love going to the Saint Andrews and I enjoy it so much, but playing three rounds of links, four rounds of links, course of golf, playing in conditions that in late September, early October and Scotland can be sort of iffy, really, you know, improved, you know, just my knowledge, my understanding. I always felt I had the game. I

always felt I had all the shots. It was understanding when to hit certain shots, it was understanding what a good score was, how to play certain holes in the conditions, and you know, just all that knowledge you gain. And so that started in twenty one. I go to twenty two at Saint Andrew's. I play really well. I had unfortunately ten three putts that week that's on the green,

that's not off the green, that's ten. So you know, that was a little bummer because I played really well and I put it the worst I possibly could for four days, you know. And then twenty three where were in.

the Scottish Opening, and missing Open these two weeks. This is the first time in two months that I've actually been like, God, damn, this sucks, Like I wish I was over there.

it's funny you say, like going to the Dunhill. I spent a week in Saint Andrew's earlier this year, and it's like if I were if I were a pro golfer, and it makes actually total sense, right, Like this is one of the majors of the year, one of the four majors, and the Dunhill is like it offers you an opportunity to go hang out in like one of the greatest towns in the world of golf, and during when school is in session, which I think like heightens Like when you go play an open there, it's kind

of it's not really like the vibrant college town. Correct it becomes, but like the Dunhill Week the schools in session, is this vibrant college town with like all sorts of culture and and it's like one of the coolest things. But as you illuminated, I mean this is like this is just opportunity to expose yourself to the type of golf. And I think like one of the things that gets like sometimes forgotten about golf is like so much of setup and golf courses, like types of golf courses dictate

who's going to play well. Like I think it's like very interesting when you look at like US Open sectional qualifying, right, Like there are guys that just get out every year from the same site. And it's not they should not have like this overwhelming, but like certain set up, certain styles of golf lead to different types of players. We see it with like people that are really in the

weeds on gambling. Like yeah, there are like courses for courses and like exposing gaining yourself the opportunity to expose yourself to the types of gained that valuable experience on links golf, and I think, like, what you know, one of the things I'm fascinated by with the Open is like the age the average age of contenders and major championships, and almost every major has gone like is plumb, It's down right. The older championships are the Masters, which has

like a very complex course, and the Open. The Open is like the the tournament that like pro golfers of all ages have like a shot, but it's actually like it's a It's a really wide spectrum if you look at it. It's significantly older the average age of say the top ten, than every other major, and to me, like the vast majority of Americans have so little experience playing that style of golf. And that's why you see that that average age tick up.

get the ball closer. You know, you can in America. You know, if a guy drives it two thirty, he drives it two thirty. He may only hit it two twenty. It rolls out ten yards over there, depends on you know, how much weather they've had. He can hit it two twenty and he could run out fifty yards. And I mean, how nice. I mean that's for anyone to be able to green fifty yards and hit five yards clubs into a green or four less clubs, like they're going to

enjoy golf even more. So. It's just so unique and there's so many options and a way to play the game of golf. And obviously that's where it started, and that's how you know, you know, we the game. I can't say ultimately should be played because you can't have you can't recreate that everywhere in the world. But it's just a foundation of golf and it's so fun to go over there because like I said, and I tell

guys said, try to hit shots. Listen to your caddy if he's telling you hit a five iron and sort of play like a little bump shot or you know a little half shot and only hit like one hundred yards and let him roll out of eighty yards. Like do that. He's telling you because he knows how this needs to be played. And I think the caddies make it such a great experience as well.

finishing in the top twelve of last year's Open. It's like periods on links golf is so important to playing and I think there's like almost like an embrace of links golf that has to happen in order for you to play well. Like Phil Michelson talked about this like it took him a long time to like learn to

love links golf. I'm kind of curious with like with the week of the Open you go to these places, is there anything that's different for you with like the town or anything that you do differently when you're over there than a normal week on the PGA Tour or a normal major week for that matter in America.

being over there and having a great time. And you know, you know, sometimes there's other golfers and caddies that we meet up with, and uh there's other times where we're just in there and the locals will come over and

chat chat with us a little bit. And so it's it's a cool little aspect in the sense of that you know, it may be a little bit tougher over the last couple of years because of where we stay, and then there's so many you know, there's a good thing about I thinks there's so many fans that sort of stay in town and sort of get bombarded a little bit, and but it is a cool aspect when you can just go hang out of the pub and just sit there, you know, have it pying to two.

You know, talk with your buddies. You know. You know, if there's some locals in there that have been there for years and decades, you know, they tell they tell you stories, which some of their stories are so great to hear.

you brought up your team. I think like there's there's been some news lately, a more high pro I feel like, you know, we go in waves of high profile players making changes to their team, and it feels like this year is a is a high turnover team team year. Just in general, coach changes caddy changes is continuity one of the most underrated aspects in in pro golf.

from a caddy, you know. And so uh so I tell guys like it's okay to make changes in caddies, like because you got to find something that works for you and what you're looking for, and you know, and sometimes it takes a little while to go through a

few changes with caddies. Now, with a coaches aspect, I'm always I think if you've had success with the coach for a while, and you know, let's say you go through a little rut like it's you see a lot of guys change caddies, I mean coaches, Like it's it's nothing like, oh, this guy's not good enough for me anymore. You know, I've played bad the last six eight months. It's not working anymore, which is weird because it worked

for so long. And yeah, you're going to go through a little lull and you got to you know, this is where communication with your coach comes in and discuss you know, your goals and what you want, and you also you have to be open to hearing criticism from your coach because you may have changed and how you being and how you know, he may be trying to coach you the same, but you're not listening the same. You're not soaking it all in and you're not listening

to what he's trying to tell you. You know, I had so you know see that a lot. And you see when that happens, guys' games don't ultimately get better. You know, majority of time, I think if you did the statistics, guys that have had coaches for a while and they've had success and then they go through a little you know, low where it's not as good. You know, they may have coach change. Majority of time, you know, it doesn't work out. I'm going to say better than seventy five

percent of the time it doesn't work out. I mean, I could have easily made a coaching change in twenty three when when I was playing bad, and could have told Todd Anderson, Hey, Todd, you know we've had at that point, we've been sixteen years together. We've had sixteen great years together. I just I think, you know, it's time for me to go in a different direction. I'm just not sure if this is working. Are And I never had that thought. You know, we Todd and I

tides on my best friends. We've had we had conversations and I told him what I you know, what I was struggling with. You know what I was, you know, was expecting. You know, he told me, you know some things about me, and so it was a it was a great communication and open line that we've always had.

And and and at the same time, why would I want to change when this guy for the last sixteen years has got me to a high level where we've won at that point, you know, seven times on the PGA Tour, and we've won on the d PEOPLE Tour and you know, we've made a Presidence Cup team together, Like I've had a ton of success with him, Like it's going to be pretty hard to find someone else

that's going to duplicate that. But the same time, what I also see with players is that they go to coaches and change coaches without understanding the way that coach teach, and they don't understand the way their body works and and the way that coach teach and what he does may not work with how your body, you know, ultimately functions.

You know, there's some teachers out there that sort of work with what you have, and there's other teachers that are really stuck into their mole of Hey, we need to do this, this is how I think the swing should be, and your body possibly can't do that.

It's the idea. It's also having the memory bank of being able to recall back five years before when maybe something similar was happening and it looked looks okay, but like, hey, you remember we did this with this hip and you know this, it's like that's I think the thing that you miss when you when you're constantly hopping around, is you miss that recall bank, that idea of like being able to go back and like look at like this, and so I you know, I think like the caddy

things an interesting element to it, where like it can also sour on the opposite end, I think everybody always thinks about like the player, you know, getting like sometimes like the caddy could get tired of hearing the message from the player back right, because like a caddy's in a tough position where like they're you know, they're dependent on the player hitting the shot, you.

work out, and it's fine, you know. It's it's like I said that that aspect is so tough because you're with that person so much and you see him so much, and you know, but I think, you know, you're talking about continuity. You know, my teacher Todd talks about this like, look at the best players in the world. Always been with his coach since she's been a kid. You know. Scotty has been with his coach since she was a kid. Jordan' speeth has been with his coach since she was a kid.

Justin Thomas has been with his dad forever. I mean, I'm trying to get who else is in the top of the world. Lud Big has been with his coach, John Rahm Phillips. Yeah, you know, for since he was in college, you know. And so there there is that, like you said, you know, there is that memory bank of going back to things and trusting, and then then there's just that unspoken stuff that he understands you without

having without you having to say anything. And and Todd knows it with me, like when I get frustrated, you know, when we're working and and there's times when I'm frustrated and he's trying to tell me something and I'm just not listening, like he just sort of he'll just be quiet, and he knows within ten to twenty minutes, you know, I'm going to get out of my little get my panties out of a wad, and I'm going to realize, Okay, what was that that you're telling me to? Okay, I

get that. You know that works. Yeah, you know, I'll come back to him because I know what he's saying at that moment in time is correct. But there is just a wall right there where I just don't want to hear it. I don't want to. I'm frustrated. I just want to, you know, hit balls as hard as I can and be frustrated and get all the frustration out, and then when that's all gone and insane Billy comes back, then we can have then he can start teaching me again.

And if you look at that, it's it's for the most part continuity, continuity and belief and what they're working on, and it's not you know, like Bryson did the speed thing, but he's been on the pursuit of like a lot of the principle, the core principles have stayed the same about how he swings the club, how he approaches the game, but like there is a simplicity, and that simplicity, simplicity in the golf swing comes generally, I believe, from continuity

of the thesis of what you're trying to build with a coach.

own fields, you know that really work. That is when I think it fully comes together because you know, Todd may tell me something and what hit the way he's you know, telling me to feel it or give me some feels or something like that, you know it's correct. I've got to figure out my way of sort of putting that little puzzle together, Like, am I gonna there's a feel he telled me? Tells me is that correct? Or is that the feel I like? Or is there

another feel? And t A is very you know great at if I say, hey, I understand what you're telling me, and I understand this feel, but you know I'm feeling it this way. And I'm like, if I'm feeling this way, is I'm always still getting the results that you want with my feel? And He's like yeah, And so that I took ownership of that into my golf sling.

you're looking for that little like edge with someone. It's like, well, like you know, if you're if you're chasing him, it's like, well he did fumble it at at at Quill Hollow, Like this is you know, I'm you're looking for hope sometimes And I think what's interesting with him now is like he heads this tournament that you know, of all the majors, he's had the least success. But yeah, I

mean it's not like he's been bad. His game works everywhere, and he goes to this this major and it feels like, you know, he he almost won at oakbot Was despite like having a pretty bad week on the greens, and he comes to this major and it's like God, like, you know, it's just he's he's a quintessential perfect major player because of how simple the the the swing and the approaches.

You know, if I played, if I was ever in a final group, I'm like, Okay, you know, if Scotty plays Scotty, it's gonna be tough, There's no doubt about it. But you know, Scotty's prone the missions from short putts.

Probably Scotty's prone to you know, getting when he's in green side bunkers, hitting SHANKO two or hitting a bad greenside bunker shot, and so you know, and then you know, if you know, obviously he hasn't driven the ball as well as of late, you know, going back to the PGA Championship, and maybe before the PGA Championship, maybe the

week or two before. So maybe if his if he has a little if he's driving it, you know, if he's been a little off of the driver, like I may be able to get a shot here or two away, you know, if he's a bad drive, depending on the situation. So you just, uh, it's one that I learned from Tiger is you just got to stay in it. You don't, you know, you don't have to do anything special like everyone he talked about, like everyone you know when they played him, that they had to do something special to

beat him, and he didn't really anything special. Yes, there would be times you went out there and shot a sixty five or sixty seven in the final round, but you look at the final doout scoring average, it's nothing like you know, jaw dropping. But he'd let everyone else beat them. You know, he'd let everyone you know, beat themselves because he knew that they felt that they had to do something special. And so if you have that mentality, Okay,

I'm just going to stay in it. You know. It's the same thing when I play with you know, with Roy McRoy. Roy's going to drive the ball. Great, Roy's going to do it. But if I stay in it and I don't make any mistakes and do anything stupid trying to you know, catch him. You know, if he makes us, if he stumbles up, then I have a chance of catching him or beating him. Now if he doesn't, hey, you know what, maybe I have to do something at the end the last four or five holes, whatever it

may be, to do something try and get them. But you know, if I don't catch them, then it's typically cap It's the same thing with Scotty Scheffler. You know, it's just those those guys that you know, it's just sort of really special, you know, and and can be

I guess people would say intimidating. You know, people try to do more than what they are able to do, above their ability, and as long as you can stay in your play, within yourself and play your game, you're gonna have a chance more likely come the end because that person may be realizing that a Scotti, Scheffler or voy mc hey man, he's not making any mistakes, you know, he's you know, yeah, he's not doingything special, but he's just hanging around and it's sort of like a little

like a little you know what is an insect or whatever. You know, he's just always buzzing around you. You can't get rid of it. And then you know, they mess up and make a mistake and you take over. So it could be a flip side of that that people will think about. And that's the way I think about it.

I just want to be that little insect, that little nag, you know, and in their in their in their game, that I'm always there that you know, if they don't continue to play you know, solid golf, I'm there to hopefully capitalize the you know.

like even to your level, to the highest level. Golf is always and I think maybe one of the things that's unique about links golf is like you get these like good lies that are out of position and like where you're looking at it, and it's like, well, I can hit this shot, I could do this, but maybe it's not the right time to try and do it.

And that's what you're talking about, is staying within yourself, being like smart, not taking on you know, Like I think that's it's constantly playing against your ego golf and in at any level you're playing, is staying in it. With port Rush, I I guess like, actually before we get there, you know, I think like Rory obviously is a huge story this week with with it being in

Northern Ireland. I think, like I believe if my memory is serving your right, like you at last year we're talking, you know, you started to have success in the majors, play well at Valhalla, you played well at the Open last year. But part of that was was the idea of like you wanting to play so well in majors

and almost letting go of that. And I believe it was some of your work with Brett that was like this and obviously a huge storyline as Rory playing in front of the home crowd last time in twenty nineteen he had he got off to the disasters start. What could you talk through just like kind of what you're you guys went through with the majors and and how you go about letting go?

But at the same time, I have a perfectional side. I always felt like the win majors you had to be perfection, And obviously, deep down I know that's not true, but it was always tough those weeks to try not to be perfect. I would, you know, even if I started out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday feeling great and not thinking perfect, Thursday morning would come up in perfection Cide would come out and that obviously derailed a lot of my you know, not having more success in a major. But I think

starting to work with Brett in twenty eighteen. I think it was right around end of twenty COVID. The US Open at Wingfoot was the first one that I felt very comfortable with everything. I played really well for forty five holes. I think it was in the top ten with twenty seven holes left to go, and I just didn't play well. I didn't. It wasn't that, you know, I got ahead of myself. I just just didn't execute the shots Neally is good and didn't make the putts

to stay in it. And so but I walked away even though I was disappointed because I don't think I finished that high that week. I think may have finished thirty or something. I was like the first twenty seven holes, not the first the first forty five holes I played really solid. I'm like, okay, hey, I know what I need to do now. And I always felt like going forward. I always the mindset was in the right spot. You know, for the last five years, there's just now executing shots

and and timing. You know, listen, you've got to hit it well, you got to put it well. You know we all know that. But you know, making sure the games in a sharp enough spot to be able to do that. And then I think one last piece that I sort of told Brett it was last year coming off disappointment in twenty three, and obviously I played started play well early, play well early in twenty four and I won at Punta Khana, and I think it was

at PGA. I just said to him, I was long lines, like, you know, I've always thought on myself, you know, for a long time that I that I was going to be a major champion, like I was good enough and I had the game, and you know, that was something I was going to accomplish, but not that this is sort of like I'm giving up. But I just said, I realized that there's a lot of people in the game of golf that have come before me, that have had unbelievable careers that are probably better players to me.

Over their career, they would be you know, pro careers. They're going to be considered a better player than me that didn't win majors. And you know, if when my career is done, if I don't win a major, I'm going to be disappointed, but I will still be very satisfied with what I have and you know, I just said, you know, look at Steve Stricker, look at Lee west for look at Luke Donald. You know, even look at the guys who've only won one major, you know, Adam Scott,

Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia. I mean, it is amazing to me how tough it is to win a Major. I mean, I've always known it is. But then when you look at guys that I would say are better players to me, have better careers in me, that have won a major, or I've only won one, You're like, gosh, you know, it's not the end of the world if I don't win a major. And so with that I realized I think that just allowed me to you know, I can't say be content because that's sort of like saying you're

giving up. But it's not. It's just like I was content if I went out there and I played the best I could for the next you know, eight years and majors and I don't. If I'm not able to knock off one, that's fine. But I'm going to play these next eight years of majors going out there thinking I'm gonna win, believe it, I'm gonna win, and playing the game of playing the way I want a Major is the way I do and every other.

you know, I gave myself some opportunities coming in. I just make the putts to stay with Xander until the end before it was too late. You know, I held my head up high because I didn't feel like I lost that major. I played that I played that final around exactly the way I wanted and the way I felt, and everything. I missed a short put of ay, I hit a bad iron shot tent. Other than that, I just didn't execute at the level that I needed to

to win. And you had someone like Xander who went out there and executed at a high level on those last nine holes and played a beautiful round the golf, and he deserved to win, and and and so you know, I didn't sleep one hour or even one minute that night. I stayed awake all the way until I had to catch a flight the next morning because there was just

so much adrenaline and emotion and going through everything. But you know, I walked away with my head held high, like, Hey, this this is hopefully just a stepping stone if I can put myself here. You know, x amount more times I think I'm gonna get it done because I've shown my career. Yeah I don't have multiple you know, you know, double digit wins on the PJ Tour, But when I've gotten in the mix on the PGA Tour or the

dp World Tour. You know, I feel like I've got a decent percentage of closing out and winning tournaments.

I never felt that way. And you know, you mentioned Rory earlier and the pressure he's you know, he felt in twenty nineteen there, you know, he talked about it. I think I expect Rory to play well. I think, uh, you know, Rory is going to be energized, He's going to be amped up. I think obviously he's still going to have the pressure because I think he wants to do well. He wants to win at port Rush, There's no doubt about it. He's spoken very much of that.

And then when you have your good friend Shane Shane Lowry who won in twenty nineteen, you want to join your your your friend and winning at port port Rush. So but I think what Rory's gone through the last couple of months is actually a good thing that will hopefully lead to possibly him playing really well at port Rush here this week.

shot wise, distance wise. I think they may have added some bunkers. I saw a specialize they've had some bunkers on some of those holes. And then right around the turn it gets really there's some challenging holes there. I would say, so that's five after the part five, maybe it's number seven, eight nine. Right around there, I.

way the wind blew. And I think it was blown in from the right, you know, hard off the right, which you don't want to miss it, right, But then you know everyone was, you know, looking it because of the wind, was you know, into the crowds left. I think I went, I yelled for immediately after my two T shots. I mean, I'm trying to cut it in it. You know, you don't cut it because you're trying not to wipe cut it because if you come up short, you're way like sixty people below the green and no

man's land. And so it's a beautiful golf course. And I don't know that truly. I think when the technology and the drones and everything now, I think will truly

come to see how great the golf course is. But I think it's just a great combination of of you know, challenging every aspect of the game and the way you know in every shot, and then you think about, you know, I'm sort of jumping from the spot to spot, but just some way some of the T shots are like number five obviously is a fair way of slants like this, but the T shots here and the greens over here, and it's sort of when you set up to the

T shots sometimes you feel like you're aiming too far right. You know, on that T shot you wind up pulling it. It's a part four that you can drive and and so yeah, it's just it's a really great, great golf course.

I enjoyed, and I was disappointed that only played two rounds there in nineteen, and I'm really in disappointed not to be there this year because I was really looking forward to getting back there because I did enjoy the golf course, and I think what Rory's missioned and talked about and a lot of guys have, when you enjoy the golf course and you enjoyed the challenge of it, it lends to, you know, a chance of playing better golf.

brain's really working. I think something that you illumined to that I hadn't really thought of is there's a lot of T shots when you talked about five, and I started to think about other T shots where the fairway kind of just you know, five is in a drastic example, but they just kind of like move a little bit off the center where you're hitting a cross it on an angle, and then you have like the great land movement that makes so many of those T shots very uncomfortable.

Especially I feel like in that middle section of the round.

convert from a par five to a par four. So that's nine, maybe twelve or thirteen somewhere around there, I think, And that's that's just a tough t shot as well. And the way the wind blows, because I think it was blowing, you know, in off the right if I remember correctly when we played there.

this is not I don't want to be here at all, like because it's like gnarly. It's like rossa you could get like you can be like you could be like, well, I'd almost rather be sixty yards or sixty feet below the green at this point than where I am right now, because I'm staring at it and I might hit it down there. And what I think is like so unique is like you start with like that, You're like, I'm

just going to hit it over here. This is my target, and so much of golf at this point has become like you know, it's like the target and your dispersion and like whether it's like some like I, over the course of four rounds, your target might start to creep a little bit right because you know how bad it is there and whether it's like I think, and I don't know if this is if you feel this is like there's sometimes like your subliminal like subconscious mind will

take over even if a shot, like if a SHOT's like semi blind and there is a lot of semi blindness that this golf course and a lot of links courses. Even if you know it's it's better to be right, but you can't see it. Sometimes that subconscious mind can take over and you still miss it left because like okay, like I can't like I can't see that, and I'm afraid of that. Like, is there an aspect of that happening at great golf courses where your subconscious can take over?

Or let's say you start it right and and you hit it good, the windows at push it, but you know it carries and it's it carries to the front right of the green, or it carries that you know, the depression there. That's you know you got to carry, you know, flying it to the green. You know, you want to have that sort of comfort level over the shot that hey, if I start this a little bit right, I'm still gonna be okay, especially if I hit a

solid you know. That's like last year at at Troon, you know number ten, number eleven, You know number ten, you got to aim at way left of what you think and you got to win pushing it left, I mean pushing it to the right. And I remember the practice on hitting like three with a driver, and I'm like,

oh man, that's way too far left. And I get down there and it's in the fairway, and I was like, oh wow, okay, Like that gives you comfort that I can hit the shot over here where I think it's not going to be in a good spot, it winds up in the fairway, you know. Same thing on number eleven. I remember, you know, on Tuesday, went out early, and when I came to make the turn, the conditions got worse.

It just got picked up, not rain, but win. But it was coming the direction that we actually played on the weekend, you know, in off the left, and I remember hitting a t shot and pulling it and if you pull it, there's course there that you can run through. And on the line I thought was gonna run through, I was okay. So I gave me, you know, sort of my parameters, like okay, I can hit it all the way this far left, I can all the way this far right, Like it gives you that comfort level.

I know my parameter, and I know where I can you know what my far left line is and my far right line is it just gives you that comfort level over shots when you know in certain conditions or you know, you get nervous, you know at certain situations.

that wind over and over and over. Port Rush is a little bit more complex of a routing where you it's a it's a later you know, Golden Age golf course where the routing is like you you go in different directions, you're meandering around. What does that What is the uniqueness of that when you factor in the wind, you know what makes that tough versus like where you can just be in a bad wind for a stretch

of holes and that can derail your round. Versus the you know, when when the course is just moving around a lot.

of in the similar wind direction. You know, it may move a little bit, but but you get to some of the interior holes and you're like, oh man, the next couple holes, I've got to win off the right. So now it can sort of balance you out, and you know, you can sort of make corrections in the swing and try things a little bit to rectify when you get back into that left to right win or if you have an issue of the right left win. You know. So I think it's there's a balance in

sence the way the golf swing is. You know, as a golfer, like you can come off the golf course and I feel like, hey man, I got to go hit balls that I've just been hitting in twenty five mile pour left right wins and I need to you know, you know, get my swing sort of back to neutral again out there. When you have the win moving around it, it can keep your swinging a little more neutral state.

But at the same time, the great thing about some of these links courses is if I played five or six holes the same direction, I get a really good beat on the win, where now when it's you're moving around, sometimes you're not getting a good beat. Like if I had it into the left in left to right on the first you know, two holes and next holes are down off the right or down off my left, like okay,

like how much a wind going to help now? And then if it changes two holes later, like you're sort of trying to figure out, you know, the effect, how much effect it's going to have on the golf ball a little bit.

both hands, Like I'm just left left. You just hammering him to death on his weakness. Like that's what a

wind can do when it's moving around it. Almost like that's what you you were talking about early in the Red, Early in the pod is like the experience that like understanding where you can hit shots with with different things is when that move wind is constantly moving around it as the layers of complexity and like you know they you talk about if if you watch basketball, like somebody watches Demarge Rosen isolate and go to work in the mid range, they say he's in his bag. He's deep

in his bag. That is being deep in a golfer's bag. Is that that like different that win constantly moving around and having to hit all these different shots? And I think what port rush does particularly well is too different green sites, some sitting up where everything's rejecting away, some sitting down where you can hit something that kind of scoots into it. That's what makes this golf course to me, Like at the top of the the open venues. Like, if you've played a ton of opens, what would where

where would you put this in relation? Like what are your favorite ones that you know favorite open venues?

then I shot a bazillion the second day. I mean, Matt Fitzpatrick and I we made the turn, we got the number nine, and I'm telling you we played in some of the worst conditions, I mean, even worse than we played on Saturday. It was blowing even harder in sixteen. The last nine holes of our second round, I think we both shot like forty five or forty six on the inward nine. Yeah, and so I wasn't really happy

going back there last year. And then I remember, you know, Monday playing I was like, man, you know this course is actually really good. I've just got to figure out this slot to you know, when this wind switches into us off the left, off the the inward nine, how to play it? And it was perfect that I played Tuesday morning and then switched and I got to play it on the second am my eighteen. But I thought it was a really good test. So port Russ Troon.

I think Saint George's Royal Saint George's is an awesome course. I know it can be a little quirky with the fairways and so many mounting.

has sort of nullified it. The challenge is so many wedshots as so many holes you can drive with the driver now, so stuff you can take out a play, you know, And but when what the conditions get really bad, which I played in the Dunhill, it's one hell of a test, you know. I remember fourteen is a perfect example, the part five there. I was playing with it with Carroll there and who was I can't remember who my

partner was. We were playing with it one year with him and the wind was it was rainy and the wind was blowing in and there was a bunker when you're walking off the tee from the back to you have to walk there one hundred and eighty yards to get to the fairway or two in yards, like, there's a bunker there offen, you know, once you get to the fairway, and I'm like, I remember playing it there in fifteen, Like, why the hell is this bunker? You're like,

that makes no sense. And Carroll and I played Dunhill and we both hit t shots and we both ended up in that bunker in the tee and bars when we went two and twenty yards and there's a I understand why there was a bunker there now because of

the wind direction. But at the same time, if you there's enough fair a hit, but you miss it a little, right your ob team back up from the from the from the t. So yeah, I you know, hopefully maybe with some changes and a few other things down the road, you know, the Saint Angels will show a little bit more of what what it is. But I think it's a great golf course and I do love it, do love it a lot.

us in a situation that we were all in. And then we had Aaron Hills a couple of years later, you know, and I just I went to mic after Aaron Hills. I said, listen, I thought, both those courses are really nice. You know, they're really cool. You know, I'm not going to criticize them because I think, you know,

there's there's a room for them to be played. But as a US Open test, the US Open is about challenging every aspect of game, from your driveway to to iron play, the short game to putting the mental like, you know, let's get back to what the US Open is and like you have to drive the ball well to be able to play well. Like you know, you know, I like Pinehurst and I think, you know, I'm here with Pineers being in rotation because you know, I think it's a little fifty to fifty in some of those

lies when you get off the fairry. But I still think there's a you do have a benefit for hitting the fairway more than if you get off get out of the fairway. But you know, when we went to Chambers Bay and went Darren Hills, we're playing these big wide fairways where really the the you know who, I consider myself a really good driver of the golf ball may not be long, but I was fairly accurate. You know.

That was one advantage taken away from me. You're going to move in the US Open or the Open Championship away from link style courses, you know, I and if you play them on you know link style, you know, maybe link style courses in other countries, it's not the same as being played in the UK. Like I'm okay going to Ireland playing Portmarnarch. I think that's an awesome

I love that golf course. I think it's great. I played it during the World Cup pract session, you know, But to take it outside of the UK, I just can't think of a course outside of the UK that you know, would would fit you know, the fee and everything that is the Open Championship. Like that's just it's as nine and I hope it doesn't happen. I hope it doesn't. I mean, I'm old school. I want to see it always be played in the UK.

Open to go all off one tee like. And then if you go anywhere like anywhere, you're losing the elements of being on a small island in the middle of the ocean, right that present itself, right, there's the weather element of it.

step and I think that's great. And you know, we could maybe go down the Royal County down why don't we go somewhere in Ireland, Like you know, Ireland has so many great wings style courses. Like let's just stay within the in the in the British aisles there a

little bit. Okay, let's not get going to other land masses because like I said, you lose a lot of the charm that is the Open Championship and the one thing you will lose which makes the Open so great, and it gets talked about a lot, but I don't think it's talked about enough. Is is a fan so unbelievable and their knowledge of the game of golf and you know, you know, clapping for a shot when it was hit the forty feet they like they know that

was a good shot from where you hit it. Like they know what golf is, they know what a bad shot is, they know what a good golf shot is. And it's so cool to play in front of them and their knowledge, and you know, I enjoy I enjoy that, enjoy going over there, you know, multiple times a year to play tournaments, because they truly do make it enjoyable to play in front of fans like that.

was a it was a good bike ride. Like the idea of just walking from my house and town to a golf course that's just down the street is the beautiful thing. All right. I said that was the last question, but but you brought it up, I'd be remiss. You played one of the great Walker Cups, Royal County Down Walker Cup. Favorite story memory of playing. You know you're

you're in your youth playing Royal County Down. You know your team had Ricky on it Dustin Johnson, Like you look at that, there's four major champions, tons of Bona Fide Tour pros, one of the great Walker Cup teams and like a very close match.

a tons of stories and I'll give you two. I mean, listen, I was twenty years old, very brash, very cocky, very self assured of himself. I remember Ricky and I were playing Rory and Johnny Cadwell on Sunday morning. We were four down after five we made the turn all square. I think at this point we were maybe what am

I about to talk about? We were about one or two up in the match and Ricky, I think, on the fifteenth of Part three, hit a shot at iron shot out to the right into this bunker and it was a long bunker shot and you're above the green and you know everything and I and I was up against the lip and I hit this unbelievable bunker shot, came out perfect lanes on the green and the balls rolling down and I come running down like a damn gazelle, you know, hoot and hollering at the top of my

lungs like go in, go in, and the ball lips out. You know, we make par. Rory and them had twenty feet, they make par. We won the match like two and one. And obviously, like I was brash, I was an idiot. I mean, I'm not an idiot, but I mean I was brash. I mean, as I said going in there, I said I was gonna be the surgery Garcia of the American team, of the US Walk up team. And so I got paired up with Rory in the Sunday

afternoon singles. We get up on the first t I hit a good drive and he just unleashes on one and it goes so far and he's way down there. He can't have more than seven or eight r in the green, and he said, you know, an iron shot in there to about fifteen feet, I've got like seven feet for Birdie and he makes his ego putt and he goes he yeld the top of his song was like fuck yeah, let's go something like that, and like I was like, oh shit, I'm in trouble. You know.

I was like, Okay, I'm in trouble right now. And listen, we didn't know who Roy was. We knew he just won low am at the Open Championship at CORTNEWSI you O seven. We knew he was a good player, but you know, he didn't come over to the States and play. He was only eighteen at the time. You know. There was a lot of hype around them and everything, and you know, we all, you know, I thought it was you know, it was good, but you know, I didn't know. I could have told you this is what was going

to happen. I saw potential, I saw talent, but yeah, time we just thought it was another player who you know, we were trying to beat. And you know, he showed me something on that that Sunday afternoon singles that I walked away with and I was, I was, I was impressed and I respected the hell out of them.

it's part of what makes it special. But it is also the downside is a venue like Royal County down is unavailable given the modern the modernization of major championships, and there's other venues in America that are similarly where you just have you know, small like it commercially isn't

as big of a success. And it's like that would be to me, that would be up there in the top top echelon of of of tests because that I don't think there's much harder golf courses in the world than that, and more more maybe more demanding, is the right is the right term?

to be squarely in the mix this year. And uh yeah, so we'll be back. I actually have we have a bonus episode coming this week. Uh that will be out on Wednesday. Uh so yeah, we'll have an extra episode and then we'll be back with Trevor after the championship to do the recap breakdown of what happened at Port Rush. So thank you guys for listening supporting the pod through these majors. This year, We've got a couple more episodes of major golf left. Then we got the Ryder Cup,

a little boom and the playoffs. What really matters, right, So big thanks to PJ for hopping on doing the storylines and also editing producing this podcast. Lock in, get the coffee ready, and enjoy the open