I miss a 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 bright egg Friday Egg, the dreaded Frida Egg, Frida Egg Egg, Frida Egg Bride Egg Lie, I'm about ready to run off of the hump.
Welcome back to another edition of the Friday Golf Podcast.
We have made it the uh.
I guess this is kind of the kickoff to the big golf season for everybody in the country. It is Master's Week, UH, and we're super excited about the tournament.
It should be an amazing, amazing event. UH. The so bummer.
Obviously, it's been the first time since nineteen ninety four that a Masters will not have Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson in its field.
It's kind of a.
Turning of page moment, I think for the sport. We will be on site at the Masters all week. There are just storylines galore and we have covered We've dove into a ton of stuff already at the Frida Egg dot com and you'll have on site reporting from Anuel with Meg and then we obviously have done a ton of prep work for the Masters.
Go over to the website. It is filled with stuff.
Kevin van Volkenberg just published a giant piece on Scottie Scheffler. We have little blurbs on every player in the field. We have a interactive every Whole at Augustin National kind of feature, custom website layout where with analysis, strategy, history, quotes about each hole as well as the most memorable shots at each hole. It is something that Garrett kind
of took the lead on. Garrett also has an amazing podcast about the original Augusta National with Josh Pettitt, who's been a guest on this podcast, the founder of the Alistra McKenzie Institute, as well as Brian Schneider. So that's well worth a listening over on the Designing Golf podcast. We will be doing daily podcasts on the Shotgun Start
live from Augusta National. Will be me and Brenda Porath, along with the rest of our team that will be on site, PJ Clark, Kevin van Valkenberg and Joseph Lamanna, so we have a big team on site. We're really excited about this year's Masters and cannot wait to get down to Augusta. For this preview episode, we are joined by Brad Faxton obviously great player, played in twelve mass on his own. He is also a one of the lead analysts for Golf Channel on an NBC on their
coverage weekend week out on the PGA Tour. He will be participating in Live from He'll be a contributor of Live from this week at the Masters during the day on Golf Channel. And obviously he is he's the coach. He's a putting coach of Rory McElroy. On top of all of that, I think it's putting coaches. I don't know what his official title is there in the McElroy camp. So it was great to get insights to Brad who just came back from a trip to Augusta. And this
is our preview of the twenty twenty six Masters. We'll have a on site preview on Tuesday night that will be live on the Shotgun Start. Me and Brendan will kind of.
Chop it up, so this is your early preview.
That one will be a little bit, you know, more in depth with with notes from the ground and then of course after the Masters, we will be joined by Trevor Immulman to break down this year's Masters. So that's what's ahead. Can't wait for the twenty twenty six Masters. And before we get to the Masters, I wanted to
say a quick word about our partner, Mercedes Benz. Mercedes Benz offers a wide range of SUVs from compact to full size with up to three rows of seating, all with flowing lines and precise edges to balance elegance with aerodynamics. You can further customize your driving experience, whether it's through a vast array of interior and exterior options or the hundreds of in vehicle settings that can be personalized to
best fit your needs. Innovative mbux Ai learning capabilities can recognize your habits and driving preferences to create a unique driver profile for yourself. That's really cool. Experience the power, precision and versatility of Mercedes Benz SUVs. Visit MBUSA dot com Slash the dash masters for more m b u s A dot com Slash the dash masters for more real side note, big thanks to Mercedes Benz for for another year of supporting our our programming here.
Uh.
They they make awesome cars, so go check them out. I was I rode in a one of their GLB SUVs recently in an Uber that uh, you know, you get the Uber lottery when you get.
A nice Uber.
I was astonished it had a third row, which I thought was crazy. They had the capabilities. But the GLB was an awesome little uh. It was one of the smaller SUVs. But then I've also wrote in a GLS that that thing is the flagship, you know, Monster Space just awesome all time comfort mobile there. So check out Mercedes Benz. They make awesome cars and big thanks to them for their support this week. All right, let's get
to Brad Faxon. All right, we welcome in Brad Faxon, obviously a legend of the game, great player as well as a broadcaster we hear as contributions on NBC and Golf Channel nearly every week, as well as a coach. It's some of the best players of the world. Brad, you played in twelve Masters, You've attended so many as a you know, with your with with the Golf Channel, I'm curious, what's your favorite thing about the Masters.
That it's at Augusta National, that it's in April, that it's the most anticipated event of the year by the players, it was the most fun event to be at, not only as a player, but as a spectator, as a member, as a member of the media, that the expectations that you go there are always so high and there you just can't believe that they keep surpassing expectations when you
go there just to play. I was lucky enough to play the last couple of days with some member friends and the intention to detail is this truly unlike any place else.
I always find when you go back to a great place, like you find yourself just marveling at something about it. Just with your last with your last trip up there, did you find yourself struck by a hole or a specific green that you hadn't really thought of that as that much that you just found yourself like thinking about while you're playing.
Yeah, can I we talked about a few different things.
Yeah, this is a podcast. We can talk about whatever you want.
Okay, So before we get to holes, but remind me to go back there because I'll go tangentile here.
When you when you arrive on.
The campus and you come into Magnolia Lane, and obviously the members will have one of the staff pick them up and you drive down to magneal O Lane and they stop before you do the drive and say Does anybody want to take a picture? Does anybody want a video? As you drive down towards that clubhouse, and you know, your heart's kind of beating, Even now at my age and as many times as I've been lucky enough to go there, there's something about it when you're going, yeah,
you're looking around always. That was incredible. You know, the big storm from a couple of years ago that knocked down so many trees has had a significant impact on the golf course. When you stand on the tenth t now you can look down the hill and you can see far away Augusta Country Club through the pines that are missing, and you never.
Got to see it. But actually it's a cooler look.
You see a little bit of Donald Ross's Augusta Country Club, some of the bunkering there, and it doesn't bother you, or it certainly doesn't bother me. But every blade of grass it looks like it's exactly the same color and the same height everywhere.
That was remarkable.
I saw something yesterday that I had never seen before. And the team that puts down the gallery ropes for the entire golf course, because we played the first day without any gallery ropes, so all of a sudden, there's a fence around the practice putting green, the fence around the area where the members sit by the tree with the tables starting to go up. The scoreboard all of a sudden went from being green to having all the contestants' names on it. When you first walk in under the
first hole where the creek used to be. And then we saw that the golf carts that have spools behind them where they drive down, and there's probably six or seven people at each golf cart on each side of the fairway where the rope was released, and they geo fence or geo map where every single gallery state goes throughout the golf course, and they would have enough detail from the previous year or years to know exactly where they go or where they need to change if it
got a little too close or a little too far away. I've never seen anything like that. The detail of where they put the galleries in the stands to the right of fifteen. It looks like it's moved slightly back into the right from what I've noticed, so that the people get a better angle of the shots coming down from the fairway into fifteen. They get a better angle to the players hitting their shots on sixteen and now because of some of the loss of the treets, you actually
can see up into sixty. So that's an incredible spot to sit right there in that area. And you know, trying to find a place at any golf course where you can see multiple shots into multiple holes.
That's the dream.
It's you know, I was having a conversation with somebody yesterday and they were we were talking about a subject and they're like, you know, if someone took the Augusta national approach to things, and it was you know, the thesis is what they do is they bring in whether whatever they want to do, whether it's Berkman's or whatever, they bring in the best people in the in the said industry, if it's food and hospitality, they pick their brain,
they get their advice, and they implement it. But then they continue to optimize it every year, and like here the gallery ropes being effectively like lasered and studied year over year.
You know.
Is it's just amazing because it's kind of the huge advantage that they have of it's only once a year that they get to, you know, spend so much time and energy evaluating for once a year, right, and it's it's so easy to look at this and be like, oh, what Augusta does. The PGA Tour should do that, But the PGA Tour is traveling circus around and it's just I mean, it's it's amazing. It is the uh I think it's the.
Gold standard in all of sports for you know, in terms.
Of like the the professionalism and administration of a of a big championship or sporting event. You know, it is, it is an absolute spectacle. And every year I go back there, I'm just marvel at it almost more every time i'm there, Like I can't believe, you know, the complexity. I mean, even down to like them releasing was it last week that the vault where you can go back and watch basically any shot of the last.
You know, seven years on there. It's it's amazing.
Yeah, anybody can. Yeah, it is amazing.
And you know, the detail doesn't just start with the golf course and the players. It's the things you might not think of as a big deal, but when you're a patron walking in at any of the gates, when you're walking in through these gates, now it's not like it's a dirt road and you're walking through scrabble, you feel like, oh man, this looks really nice. The entry in here looks like you're going into a super Bowl.
It looks like you're going into a World Series stadium from all different vantage points, even the parking areas, just being able to see the preparation when we were driving around, getting a little bit of a tour just to see what's going on, and them paving, not paving, but smoothing out the areas where the cars are going to park, or the media center is that arrival area, And to realize that they when they want to make a change inside the property, Andy, they have to do that within
four or five months. So it's not like they just decide in late May, hey we're going to build a seventy thousand square foot player services building. You know, they've been studying for I don't know how long, and I don't know if it's Hoodie's vision, Billy Payne's vision, Fred Ridley's vision, all the three past chairmen that must have come up with these ideas and how do we implement them and how do we do it so that there's no inconvenience to the members. And it seems like they
snap the fingers. They've got an idream a genie here that can do all this stuff at once. And we got a tour of the player services building. The players are going to be able to arrive and go down into the parking garage which is underground now for one hundred and fifty cars. They're going to be able to drive in in their workout gear so that they're not seen walking in looking like they're not golfers. So they
can eat in there. Their families can go in there, their trainers, physio those can come in there, Equipment managers can come in that.
They can eat. There's a locker room there. There's two or three levels.
There's recovery with I think I saw three different temperature cold plunges, a huge room to work out in. They had fifteen tables for the trainers, the therapists that work on the players pre and post playing, and they have a room for coffee, food, television, Wi Fi. That's literally one hundred steps to the practice range, maybe less so the tournament practice here, so they can go out there.
I thought it was funny that the.
Agents can't come in there, so the agents kind of get pushed to meet somewhere else, which is funny. But then they can valley their car underground and then when they leave there's an exit ramp that's a different way. And I think that, you know, the players want to get down to business when they get there. Most of them show up three hours at least before their tea time.
And well that's early in the morning. That's an early start.
And they don't have to run from the locker room in the clubhouse out to the range and then to practice, which was in a different area to warm up. They think of everything, and it's nobody thinks like they do.
Yeah, I mean, my experience there every year is exceptional. I'd like any sterbott The press center is as good as it's like. I mean, it's it's incredible. You come out after a week of a week at Augusta, it's you're living right. What about the holes, Let's get to the golf a little bit. Okay, you know, the amenities, the amenities are great. What about what was there a whole or two that stuck out to you just, you know, with it fresh in your mind.
Yeah, and I you know, look, I'm sixty four years old now I would love to say I played the master's tease, but I didn't. I played the members teas, which are maybe eight nine hundred yards, moved up, but I walked back to every back tee. I looked at the t shots and what's incredible to me is, ay, like the first hole. We know that can be one
of the most difficult holes in the championship. And it's a fairly wide driving area up until you get to the bunker, so the longer hitter has to be more accurate. As they get up to the top of the hill, the left side tree line moves into the left. It's a big carry to carry all the way to the right,
about three hundred and twenty five yards. And that green is diabolical and when the pins left it, which it'll be left a couple of times, it makes the scoring average go up maybe half a quarter of a stroke anyway versus the right sides of the green. And you know you have nerves that that hole. And I think later in the day that hole gets harder and harder as the wind picks up, as it dries out. As you know, there's a scoreboard everywhere. You can see people
love to sit there. That first hole is just out of the gate.
Is.
I think it's one of the best holes on the golf course. And you know, we don't see or think about the front nine like we think about the back nine, but that hole, to me is incredible. The other one that is so much different now to me, and it's so hard as number seven. The back tee now is out of a shoot. It's one hundred and twenty yards farther back than the members tee. And you know, when we used to play it would have been a three wood and an eighty yard sandwich, and now it's four
hundred and fifty yards. It's the hardest fairway on the course to hit. We saw the miracle shot Rory hit last year out of the left rough through this gap that was this big and it's a shallow green. So now when you're hitting a shot from one hundred and fifty sixty seventy yards, you have to be so precise. So I mean when those two par four us, when you see those one and seven, they had an opposite directions,
They're completely different with contours with the greens. You better know what you're doing on those two holes.
I feel like seven is the one where like, until you're there, you don't realize how pitched that fairway is from left to right to It's like if you hit a fade, I mean, the functional width of the fairway is like ten yards. Like if you don't hit that fade on the left side of the fairway, that ball is just going to rocket into the right rough and
you know, I think one. You know, it does such a nice job of being a table setter for the kind of feel of the golf course where if you hit a good drive on one, you all of a sudden are like, okay, like maybe I can maybe I can make a three. But if you get out of position, and we've seen this so many times, you're just looking
at a disaster. You saw it with Rory's final round, you know, you know Rory Saturday versus Sunday, Saturday carries the bunker, makes a three and it's like hello, and then Sunday, you know, he hits in the bunker and next thing you know, he's walking off with a double.
And it's just like that hole kind of presents that Augustine National feel where like, yeah, you could go make a birdie every hole and it's it's not like outlandishly challenging necessarily to make birdies there, but it is outlandishly challenging to not make bogies in doubles.
I would tell you I forgot to mention when I was talking about the first that the bunker there, the lone bunker on the right side of the fairway. I got in there just to kind of take a look, like if you could hit a nice drive like Rory did on Sunday and it goes in that and you're not far off from a perfect shot, whether it's you didn't reach or you just hit it a little too far right. I got in there. I'm six'. ONE i couldn't see the, flag not the flag. STICK i couldn't
see any of. It it's so, deep AND i was in the, middle not up against the. Face so you could have a drive that you missed by three or four, yards and now you're hitting a blind. Shot those are very steep face, bunkers. Intimidating second, shot sand that's the ball kind of gets down there so that a lot of the ball is not sitting above the, sand so short iron you can easily mishit that. Shot and like you, said if you hit it in the left roof those, trees come.
In now you're in the.
Rough it's harder to draw. It there's a front left. Bunker so if you carry, that can you stop? It do you want to draw it? Around AND i don't. KNOW i think it takes a lot of energy on that first shot into the first shot into a green on one if you've driven it in the fairway and the flag sticks on the left side and that shelf either front side or, backside if you're going at, that you don't have a lot of room to spare left or.
Right and if you miss it left to that left, flag, yeah it's easy To it's easy to make a five or.
WORSE i mean what you just said about energy IS i think something that is maybe a little bit under talked about with the golf course is the sheer amount of mental energy that it takes from, you shot after shot after. Shot LIKE i don't, KNOW i mean to, you you've played it so many.
Times is there a moment in the round where.
You feel like you you kind of can relax a little bit.
Only when you walk off the eighteenth. GRADE i don't know what makes What mackenzie And jones did and the golf course so, good is you can hit a nice drive on. One you can have a short eye and a wedge to that whole. Location you can hit a really good shot that ends up four or five feet
right and just trickles. Down and now you have a putt that's from a low area up a, hill and then when it gets to the flat, area it's kind of down grain and downhill a little bit Towards Ray's, creek the low spot and all the, players all the caddies know that is, fast but you're never quite certain on that first. Green is it going to be like
the practice putting. Green there's a practice putting green by the, range and then there's one behind the first t and tenh t which one's going to be morelike what's on the golf. Course you can feel it in your, feet you know your texture. There but it's. Stressful every shot is. Stressful what they did un two is. Remarkable the back tee that is back Where Berkman's road used to. Be now you know it's a three hundred yard shot to the, fairway and they added a tree which is behind the.
Nineteen now it's a tall pine tree that has some branches that are in the player's, eyes so you can't hit a big. Cut if you're going to hit it left of that, bunker you don't have a lot of room to start it left and let it move that. WAY a lot of players like to hit a. CUT i Saw Shane lowry off the tenth tee and his practice around a few days ago hit a big high cut over the trees down onto the flat shot that was rarely ever played. Before but you can't do that
on number. Two so you're stressed out by that t. Shot you, know if you got a real chance to make a birdy, eagle, maybe but if you miss that, fairway you can make easily make a five to six or.
Worse, yeah it's the whole dynamic. Everywhere it's it feels that way where it's just like you got to hit this, shot and if you can't hit that, shot then all of a, sudden you're like you're scrambling for a par THE I i'd love to get into some of the big storylines for the twenty twenty Six. Masters obviously we're coming off an all, timer absolute all, timer but we're also on a run of of big time. WINNERS i, mean we've Got scotty rom sandwiched in there And.
RORY i found. IT i found it.
Interesting you, Know Data golf did a newsletter that came out this.
Morning this Is thursday Before masters.
Week we're recording this where basically talked about like the last four, years every all the winners have absolutely dominated the lead up.
To The major to The.
Major my my first thing That i'm looking at is, that you, know in this, year it's kind of a. Different we've had some guys pop up that are. Different you, Know we've got two high profile rookies that have been the two best players statistically according To Data golf.
In golf this.
Spring uh it Is chris Godder up And Jacob. Bridgeman they have been the two best players by the same statistic they, measured you, Know scottie And rom And rory in the last Four. Masters do we see a high profile rookie at The. Major it's kind of. Crazy the two best players in the spring statistically are Rip masters. Rookies and that doesn't even include Another master's rookie who's a top ten player and A ryder cupper In Ben. Griffin is this the best rookie class we've ever seen At?
AUGUSTA i think it, Is AND i would Add Marco penje definitely in. There Jake knapps qualified to play long, hitter extremely long.
Heter both of them long.
Hitters you, know if they get that driver going at how fast they can hit, it they Punk eat or another long. Hitter his first time playing young player and typically you discount, them, right they don't have a. Chance nobody ever seems to win on the first. Time go still go back To Fuzzies eller and, said, nine could that? Change, yeah it could.
Change.
BRIDGEMAN i think there's no weakness in his. Game he hits it long. Enough phenomenal short iron, player maybe the best. Potter he's kind of taken over The yeah it. Is he used to Watch denny all the time and now it's Like bridgman is the.
Guy what do you like about how he puts the?
BALL i think he looks.
Organized to, me he's being able to keep what everybody tries to make complex very. SIMPLE i talked to him just two weeks ago WHEN i was at the vals bar and his coach when he started With Larry, penley who actually played against WHEN i was At, firman he was At, clemson And penley was, just, hey this is all about. Routine this is all about. Process it's never more than. That and he hasn't made it too. DIFFICULT i don't think he's had a lot of. Instruction looks
like he's on. Go like he looks like the horse that wants to get out of the gate. Fast when he walks up to hit a, putty he can't wait to put. IT i think there's something comforting and seeing that rather than somebody that it looks like timid and what's going to?
Happen AND i don't.
KNOW i think the players that put the best aren't worried about. Missing you, know when they miss, it it's not something that stabs them in the. Heart they just pick it up and start all over. Again and he always looks to me like when he hits a, putt every putt has the chance to go. In if it doesn't go, in it's hitting the edge of the. Hole AND i think he he has that inner. CONFIDENCE i wouldn't be surprised to see him be the first guy to do.
That this since, Fuzzy.
Yeah you know what you, said is like not not being. Afraid it feels like the best putters are never worried about what their next putt might look like because they're just focused on making that putt.
Before shot, link before we knew anything about a three putt, avoidance let's call. It you, know with all these stats that, were you, know made up by smart guys that want to show everybody more. INFORMATION i putted well for a long, TIME i never thought ABOUT i don't want a three. PUTT i never thought is that a stat that meant
anything to. ME i remember having a stretch of some three hundred holes without a three, putt and then they mentioned to me in the press, room AND i started thinking About i'm, like this is the last THING i want to think. About he putts like he doesn't have to think about that. Stuff AND i had an argument or a discussion with one of the guys at a decade AND i, said, listen IF i knew the percentage of putts made from certain, feet would that have made me a better?
Putter And i'm, thinking no.
Way you, know IF i knew that from eight feet the two are average is fifty three percent or whatever it, IS i don't think that would have helped me be a better. PARTTER i didn't want to know any of that. Stuff and now they're presented with that every time they. Play but WHEN i look At Jacob, bridgeman he looks, unencumbered you, know he just looks like this is this is.
Fun this is a. Game this is something That i'm not going to let anything get in the. Way. Great it's a.
Great feeling to have when you go to sleep at, night not having to worry about. That, yeah peace of, mind peace of.
Mind you know.
It's Uh Is bridgman your favorite of the of the kind of high profile or do you feel like got her up could be could.
Be the the the guy.
Here i'm a big fan of god her up in his. Approach love watching his golf. Swing he reminds me Of Big. Jack When jack.
Started the amount of lower body actually, had you, know the amount of, turn the length of his swing after us was cup, crup club was across.
The, line just wallops, it you. Know AND i think he likes to hit it lower and he likes to cut it a little. Bit some people say that would be a. DISADVANTAGE i don't think that will be for. Him he looks like he likes to be in the mix that he. BELONGS i still think something about this Kid. PENGE i remember When gordon's. Sergeant the amateur played With roy and a practice on a couple of years. Ago ry was, Like i've never Seen. Himbero, yeah, Yeah brooks
was in. It and you, Know rory, said this guy is the most, composed has a chance to. Win and maybe that a lot put a lot of pressure On gordon because he didn't play that. Well but this Guy penge has, that he has that ability to hit it out there and those ball speeds over one. Ninety and by the, way today WHEN i was at the grove With roy for just a couple, hours is he just we did a little practice plutting before he went out to.
Play Garret woodland was, there and you know they talked about that win For woodland And gary, said how about this forty one year old with that one ninety five ball speed in that one thirty three club head. Speed And i'm, like this is. Awesome here we got the defending massive champion in the last week's champion talking about how old they are thirty seven and forty one and talking, about, hey LOOK i can get older and get faster and they. Can AND i think that's.
Good, YEAH i mean it was WHEN i saw the one ninety six From.
WOODLAND i was, like, whoa but he's always been able to move, it you know he.
Has and you know he went back to an old, school old fashioned coach that he had, Before Randy, smith who obviously he's Coached scottie for a long. Time he's got a little butch harm in, him a lot of butch harmon in. Him and he's the one who, said, hey why don't you start swinging at it? Again they had to he had to tell, him, look you're not swinging hard. Anymore come, on just because you know you were. Hurt you had to surge you can still swing at.
It and he's working out hard in the. Gym they went back to the old chaff that he used to, use which is much. Stiffer and look what he. Did AND i said to, Him, look coming from you, know THE nbc side of, this and being able to call golf on A saturday and A sunday with the, leaders you know you're you're really only Watching gary and a few other players. Hit it's it's hard to talk about one player but for four, hours but not not when
It's Gary, woodham nor would it be About. Rory but you know when you're with the Story gary.
Had.
Uh you, Know Randy smith called in on our. SHOW i don't know if he saw, that but he called. In we facetimed. Him he had on AirPods LIKE i do right.
Now he was.
Tremendous what, uh what's the story you're watching this? Year for this Year's, Masters.
Well you, KNOW i put a few lists down to think about who are the the young, players AND i think we hit every single one of. Them we didn't talk About tommy mckibbon Or Min Wu, lee two guys that move it pretty, hard that kind of brash sort of. Guys can they be in the? MIX i think there's a real chance of a first time player or a young player can make this their first major championship to.
Win BUT i also it feels like we're due for like a new. WINNER i don't know, why BUT i drive this, down you, know beyond the just the high profile, rookies like whether they're like a distinctly different. Generation it feel it, just you, know we've had such a good run of high profile, winners it feels like there's going to be, there that it's bubbling for somebody else to.
WIN i agree with.
THAT i don't know IF i want, that BUT i think there's a chance for, that a really good chance Pot keater would if he gets it. Going is he got his game solid enough to do. It and you know the same THING i said, about you, know If penge is going to win and he's driving, it, well
he's gonna be hitting short irons. In But, kenny can he dial in his short irons so that he's hit in the right distance and that that's going to become, crucial crucial On sunday and the you, know particularly a hole like, one a hole like seven where you can't afford to mishit a wedge and miss hit a green twelve.
Obviously but the other Thing, ANDY i was thinking, About, okay we've, had like you mentioned right at the start of the, podcast you've Got Rory scheffler And rom that have been your, champions and you, know how could you pick better? Players and you, know data golf has Showing rom maybe the best right now of. All you, Know, scott he's a little bit of an unknown right. Now you, know he's had a few weeks off the birth of their second. CHILD i haven't heard any news about whether
he's Visited Augusta. National his game hasn't been. ON i was kind of, wondering you, KNOW i Saw brandle did, that you, know a little analysis of his golf swing Like brandal always likes to, do and it was a little, shorter a little bit more.
Cupped has he been? Hurt you?
Know and players don't like to tell anybody when they're. Hurt has he been? Hurt is that causing some of these? Issues and THEN i, said, okay so if he took those three guys, away who would be some of the past champions that would you you would give a chance.
Which guys could could.
Win AND i Saw Patrick reid the last two days with his short game Coach Eddie, Pells Dave pell's son who he's worked with for a. While AND i don't know about, you but when you look at guys that have incredible, SHORTCAMES i Mean Patrick reid and he's been that way.
Before Eddie.
Pells you, know he's been the guy that can spin the ball as much as anybody around the. GREENS i think he can take any of the different wedges and play those variety of different.
WAYS i, mean he's an.
Artist he still can curve the ball both ways with you know driver throughout the. Bag could you know any boy has since he Left Live he's played amazingly. Well he's going to get his status back to come play THE Pga tour AND i think this, WEEK i, mean how much would that mean to? Him and you know one of the, villains you know that the, Left Patrick
reid has a real good chance to. Win and you know the other storyline THAT i guess you could put these together Past masters champion have a. Chance and THEN i was thinking old guys that have a. Chance we just talked About guy woodin forty. One that's that's. Older you got forty five year Old Adam scott Justin rose forty. Five last year's you, know lost in the playoff To. Rory he was there these last two days with his short game Coach James ridyard motivated as if he was
twenty one or twenty two years. Old how About Zach johnson with his start on The champions for one, right AND.
I think he's top ten a couple of years.
Ago, yes last.
Year he was on the leader board and you know he's full of. CONFIDENCE i think you know that the the weather this week is supposed to be, dry there hasn't been any rain up. There when he. Won it was that, colder windier week when he was was he fourteen under part or twelve under par in the par fives without going at a? Green he's back To, puttingwell could you see? That so think about. That you've Got zach's fifty or fifty, One you've got the two forty five year Olds woodland at forty.
One, jeez.
How outstanding would that be to see in those final Groups scott you, know But rory and There scotti in there with you, know throw a little, rum throw Little Zach.
Johnson who would you want to? Win?
YEAH i, mean, OBVIOUSLY i think Like Justin rose is just with with last, year how he's handled.
IT i think how his career.
Has aged the the obvious like meticulous effort that he's gone through to to kind of peak for these. Majors uh that is that is a juicy. Storyline AND i think obviously the ONE i think the the the general public wants to get, behind right is they want that you, know he's been so. Close you think between The sergio playoff obviously and The rory, playoff where you know it it's JUST i mean and the fact that he won this.
YEAR i, mean this is the, thing is he comes in it's been like it's been a weird lead up in the sense of like you didn't expect to See scotty like, struggle especially after what happened At amax where he comes out of the gate blazing and you, know he said he might say he's not, struggling but like the standard that he set the last three, years he's playing not as good a golf as he was in, particular like the iron play is is, alarming but like you,
know the iron play just hasn't been, there and it's like that's that's kind of one of his superpowers and that obviously rory with the with the. Injury it looked like at Bay hill he was like kind of starting to get hit his stride and really start, peaking and then he has had the had the. Injury so it's kind of allowed this like wide open feel to This masters where, like you, know PLAYER i have on on the past champion.
SIDE i love The Patrick reed call. Out what About hideki Mass, Yama.
Yeah another. ONE i didn't have him on my, list but of course.
He's played good golf this. Year he looks, healthy AND i think like something that like, you you've.
Kind of hit on with some of, These LIKE i think one of the skills that doesn't get talked about. Enough and it's, like when was the last time someone Wanted augusta that doesn't have like a marvelous short.
Game, okay so let me go To rose on, that Because rose doesn't leave any stone. Unturned and when you talked about, Him James richards An english guy that knows as much about the short game as anybody ever, seen really, qualified and he's he's got the ability to take what's very complicated to make it very, simple whether it's how you play a shot out of a, bunker how do
you change clubs on these? Lies and the one thing THAT i love That Augusta national has, done AND i wish more golf clubs would do what they do is they have one height to cut from the tee all the way to the. Green they don't have second cuts for. Fringe if you're going to hit a shot that's five feet or five yards off the, green it's a default putter almost everywhere players play now now they've made it because two things the rough the fairway, cut the closing
on area isn't really closely. Mown's there's a little bit of room, there and to put it along the on the round along the, ground it's, slow and then you get to these greens that are anything But plus it's against the, grain so there's some bounce on. It they're asking you to chip, it they're asking you to make a, choice and you, Know Rory rory talked about some of the best shots he hit last year and one thing
he called out that you wouldn't ever thought. That he, said this is one of the best shots he hit all, week all, week not On, sunday but all. Week On, sunday he drove it up the right side of number.
Three he was.
Down in the valley and he hit a bump and run with a sixty that he had to, land you, know in the collar before it landed on the. Green and he hit a, low, firm spinny sixty degree that hit into the fringe bounce on the green started to check and then still went seven or eight feet, by maybe even nine feet, by and he made that purler left to. Right Nasiyama Rose patrick, reed oho chip's better Than.
Scotti And rory's been amazing at it. Too but you made a great.
Point you cannot be timid around these greens when you took out your sandwich to hit a chip.
SHOT i think part of it is is that the immense challenge of the approach, shots like you get into positions where you know you're going to have to just like bail out and take your medicine certain. Times and it's like all these GUYS i think with like analytics and and these in kind of like the game management strategy that has really come into.
The sport in the last ten.
Years you see people that they bail out, regularly like and it's just, like you, know Like scotty On eleven's like a perfect.
Example scotty on.
Eleven he just Is he's just going to toss it right all day, long and if he pulls, it it's, great LIKE i have a birdie, putt but if he plays it out to the, Right like the advantage that you earn out there by having this short game is the ability to just take a pass on some like extraordinarily hard, shots knowing like from from a tight, Lie
i'm so good with my. Wedge i'm going to get this up and down a lot of times BECAUSE i AND i think Like Mike, clayton the the the former Euro tour, player always, says like the best golf is is from perfect like perfect, lies but like really hard high degree, Chips like that's where you see the skill come.
Out and you think about like some of the.
Players that you that you, think, oh they should have won The, masters Like Lee westwoods obviously one that comes to mind all the. Time well you never.
Shipped it well enough to win The.
Master, no, right.
You go down the line, like.
Let me just go because when you're On chefler and, eleven you, KNOW i think there's theories on what happens in the off season At Augusta, national what holes get?
Changed are there holes that are?
Changed AND i think there's a theory that they use usually do something with three, Greens and in my opinion WHEN i, played it looked like fourteen was completely. Redone there were certain areas that look like there might be a pen as you could put on the front left over the. Mound it looked like a different. Texture it
felt a little firmer that that could be. One AND i think eleven it looks like the right side of the green is a little bit higher and from that back bunker if you look down like if you if you hit it into that backplunker and had to hit a chip shut down or a bunker shot down towards.
The, water that looks, fast that looks.
HARD i had a YEAR i was playing on The, masters AND i hit it to the.
Right and this is.
Before this is more when it was larry my, eyes when it was probably smooth and you could just hit a chip shot along the ground Almost now it's low and you have to you have to almost fly.
It to the.
GREEN i hit one of those AND i bounced it just a little. BIT i hit it so it didn't quite have the. Spin AND i was really good short, game and the pin was left AND i hit the, shot and it was to anybody that was, watching it would have looked like. Perfect and when the, WATER i made an eight AND i WAS.
I was tenth ninth, maybe and you, know your heart. Sinks it's.
Treacherous, nobody nobody knows how difficult that shot. Is and that's where the hands of someone Like, scheffler someone Like reed who can spin it more Than rory hitting those. Shots you, know he he gets that club where it's outside on the way back and it's almost like he's going the other way sometimes with his. SHOTS i remember In italy on seventeen That shody hit from left of the green and the ball almost backed up from twelve.
Yards having having that confidence to do that off those, lies it's so so important for.
Success, yeah all into the grain, too which is one of every ALL i we would be remiss that not talk About rory obviously gets the bucket off his. Back that's been you, know outside of Like tiger storyline a for the last decade has been Can rory complete The Grand?
Slam can he win at The?
Masters now The rory storyline for this year at least shifts to does this free him? Up AND i want you, know that's that's the THE i think the presiding. Question obviously he's going to be defending the, title and, uh you, know what do you expect to see Ow? Rory do you see see a more Free rory At augusta or or more of you, know kind of what we saw in the final round where it seemed to be just jeckle and hiding between being free and big, big you, know kind of struggle with the.
MOMENT i think we can see a freedom And rory like we've never seen. Before you, know he's he's embraced this role as the, champion as a defending. Champion members of the Club Fred ridley have said there's nobody that's done more For Augusta national than What rory's. Done he's taking that green jacket around the, world literally To, australia To, india back To. Ireland he's had a documentary made on The Grand slam and The masters. Win he knows history
of the, game his his, recall his. MEMORY i don't think there's a player out there that knows What rory does about the. Games he understands and he. Embraces addition to the way he was raised by his. Parents you know that this. Documentary you know when you listen to his Mom rosie and his Dad jerry talk about Raising, rory they've done everything. RIGHT i think This that's why his reaction on eighteen when he finally made that putt to, win.
You, know it's it gets your teary.
OUT i, mean the years to build to that, spot to get him to make that putt in that, position and do you remember what he said To scotty When scotty was putting the coat. On, finally in the, Presentation murray, SAYS i want to put this on myself next. YEAR i thought that was one of the great lines that really NOBODY i don't know if they didn't hear it or they didn't think that was.
FUNNY i thought it was. HYSTERICAL i want to put this.
On, Myself AND i don't even know who does put the jacket on the defending.
Champion if he win.
The scott to do it, Again, no he'd be long.
Gone but here's the difference Between rory And scotty and total respect to both of. Them you, know When rory won last, year he went to the press room and spent longer than anybody would ever. Spend he did little single interviews with other people afterwards that he's known for. Years he went into the members room in the clubhouse and had his family with him and his team with him and didn't want to. Leave and he's been up
multiple times this. Week he's played with Chairman Fred, ridley who actually played the bacts with, him WHICH i thought was really. Cool he's, gonna you, know go up this week and watch some of the final nine holes from an. WHAH i think that's not something the other champions would. Do he's going to help hand out trophies and shake hands for, drive chip and. Putt he's got his dad coming up to play a practic just fround him On. SUNDAY i can't tell you how meaningful this is for.
Him and.
He might set a record off that first seed for fastest ball, speed highest club ed speed of any player that's ever.
Played, yeah it's it's it's it's. FASCINATING i feel like that the documentary did a great job of kind of pushing and pulling on on the. On you, know what he said is LIKE i play my best golf When i'm, free WHEN i When i'm not thinking about, anything When i'm just, myself and like WHEN i struggle is WHEN i get. Tight and like that's kind of where you saw the whole in that documentary On. Amazon we had the director on two weeks ago to talk about, it but like that's where you had That they kind of
like they did it without saying. It like you could just feel him toggling between the two and you see these great shots and then these, others and you you kind of go through the ten year recall of like all the things he.
Tried, uh you.
Know the the thing that's neat now is like it feels like that that his whole feeling towards the place has shifted where he. Is you, know you, win and like how could you not, like if you win The, masters you kind of just embrace The masters as the. Thing it's like otherwise you go the way Of Ernie els where like you, know a couple of years, ago he's like that place torments, me you, know and.
It's like you go one way or the.
Other and it seems like to, Me i'm fascinated to watch this year as you know he will he you, know he was like the last. PERSON i think he was Number harry was WEARING bib number eighty seven IF i remember, correctly which WAS i think he was the last player to check in this, Year he's going to
be there From saturday. On he might be the first player there this, year, yes you, Know and just the, dichotomy the shift of Like i'm trying to treat this as a normal, event you, know IS i think where he got to with?
It you, KNOW i show up late.
And now it is you, KNOW i want to spend as much time there AS i possibly can because it's a place of.
Comfort, yeah he'd be the perfect member there with. Me he'd bring the most guests and he'd have so much fun when he was. There you, know HE'S i didn't know about this tradition about the chairman playing with a defending. Champion they kind of go over the order of the week what they, expect and For, rory this is an, honor you, know to be able to do that, stuff
it's not a. Burden it's part of. History you. Know you can tell by the care in which he chose the, menu having something with peaches in the one of the. Appetizers that's the high quality wines and foods that he's.
Picking and then you, know the exchanging of the gifts and to be able to take that, photograph the drone photograph of him on his hands and knees after the, victory and he had an artist you heard sketch all the the patrons that were there and present that it took the artist six months to do this and to give that to the. Club he but he also got three hundred to give to every single member so that they'll have that the ability to hang that in their.
HOUSE i, mean that's somebody that cares deeply about the, traditions the, cherishes The masters when obviously The Grand slam that went along with.
It BUT.
I can't tell you how important that is to all the young people that are. Around the more you know about that and appreciate, it the better you, look the better it, feels the story it TELLS i keep every TIME i See, ROY i pinch. MYSELF i can't believe that this kind of guy that he.
Is all, Right before we get to our next, topic let's take a quick break to talk about our friends over AT B. Dratty Be dratty is outfitting our team for The. Masters it's really. Awesome they make awesome. Products, obviously they have been a supporter of our podcast for years and an annual supporter of. Ours for this first major championship of the, year a big.
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TOUR i, think, like you, Know John, rahm obviously the champion two years, ago And bryson To, shambeau who has been a factor in the last Two, masters you, know deep in, contention you, know fascinating career At augusta in the SENSE i wrote this for a little blurb we did on the, Website but like if you took Out, Rory, bryson of all the big, names has probably had the most interesting career at The, masters you, know as a
as a, rookie as an. Amateur you, know he was right around the lead On, thursday and all of a sudden he hit the ball way left on. EIGHTEEN i think he made a double or. Triple and after that t shot it seemed like his career was just tortured At. Augusta, now you, know the last couple of years he's been in the, mix played the final group With.
Rory after two, holes it looked like he was gonna.
Win but, like WHAT i find is interesting because you had done this, before Like Data, golf this is as good Of john Rom. Is John rom's played since going To live coming into this, tournament and it's as good As bryson has ever played since he went To. Live coming into the, tournament these two are in top. FORM i think like anybody would have them in the top six seven players in the game of. Golf what are your expectations for rom And? Bryson you do you see those two factoring laid On, sunday.
No doubt about. IT i know it's hard to measure exactly how all these players are. PLAYING i love what data golf does and how they seem to find a way to be a little bit better than their Official World golf ranking does to evaluate players and performance and strength of. Fields, obviously they both have the game to compete there win major.
Championship and.
You Know, bryson with that big draw that he, plays it's a huge advantage on certain holes. There AND i would say that it went on holes like two when he can't carry the, bunker, five when he can carry that, bunker, nine when he can get it all the way down to the flat from the back ten easily around there. Eleven, now with the way that tea has been moved more to player, left it's not really a fade shot to. Do that is a draw that works. There, obviously you
do that on thirteen and, fourteen hugely. Important the ability to reach all the par fives in almost any wind. CONDITION i would Put bryson right back. There and you know BOTH i think the With bryson and With, ROSE i think they're they're extra incentivized from last year to you, know get back into the, mix get back into the picture On. Sunday be more surprising if he. Wasn't if If bryson wasn't than if he, was in my opinion And, rom you, know he's got a little. Strife you know
some of the players on The european. Team you know the Way bryson hasn't been willing to pay off his. Fines he doesn't like the treatment that he's. GOTTEN i don't know if he's loved being on The live tour other than the money that's in his. Pocket and how
will that play out the? Week you, know these, players the top, players when they go in for what can be a very detailed press conference and you know the player that they're going to, be those questions will be raised For, rom like is he going to be ready for? That and you, know like THE Us Ryder cup team and he they weren't ready for the question about you guys are getting? Paid should you be getting? Paid AND i Think rom's going to have to steady the ship when he gets.
There he's been known to get a little grumpy and press conference to you, know LIKE i feel like maybe it was last year he was, Like i've been playing.
Fine you, know it's not a big deal THAT i haven't, won you, Know.
AND i, think you like that is like it's gonna be different, too BECAUSE i think like all the other guys have agreed to the, setup you, know and he's gonna.
Come it's like.
One of the things since the, split since The LIVE Pga tour, Split it's like The masters ends up being the first time they're all back together.
Every, year you know, Exactly and it could.
Maybe at men's, fenses maybe it leads to like, him like why why DON'T i just do? This but it is like it does you, know players play their best golf when they're, comfortable and maybe you, know like you, know he's playing great, golf AND i you, know LIKE i, think like ANY i think the world Of John, rahm, like you, KNOW i tend to wonder what What scotti's run would look like Had rom stayed on THE Pga. Tour would there be a couple of tournaments that that ro might have you.
Know picked off in that.
Mix but like since Since rom, LEFT I i you, know like there are real questions about him being under the. Gun and we saw it last year at THE. Pga you know where he got into the. Mix he got under the gun and as soon as he got, there he he kind of like kind of imploded a little bit down that. Stretch, now like he hit a great putt that didn't go, in and you, know you could play it a lot of. Ways and BUT i we
haven't Seen. Scotty we've outside Of Quail, hollow which wasn't a good, result compete can tend deep into a h a. Major and the other data point we have is The olympics where that didn't go well either when it looked like he was gonna Win olympic. Gold SO i, uh adding in like the the there might be some, uneasiness is it makes it a little bit more. Challenging i've got a stat for a stat for. You so there's four golfers in the history of the sport that have
finished in the top ten in their first Three. Masters do you know who they?
Are they four players have finished in the top ten in there how many.
Starts first Three masters appearances two of, Them, no, no, No i'll give. You i'll give you the first. Two and then there's two modern, players one of which is not in the. Field so we Got Paul runyon And Ralph goodall who did it in the.
Thirties that those.
DON'T i don't want to dismiss anything that those two great players. Did it was a little different time. Then and then you got two modern. Players and then one more can join this list this, Year. Oberg, No oberg can, Join, Yes and that's Who i've, got like, obviously played played. Great the other two Are Jordan spieth And will Zl, toaurres who UNFORTUNATELY i think the the back injury will keep him out from qualifying for this year unless he wins this this.
Week but.
He got off to a good start so. Far today the first round of The. VALARO i saw his name pretty good up there on the. LEADERBOARD i haven't checked late.
Recently, yeah But ludwig, obviously you KNOW i. Don't he's probably the only person that could say that he had a real shot to win the last Two, masters and you know he's coming down the stretch Against scotty got in the, mix and OBVIOUSLY i think it was eleven that kind of caused, him caused, him uh you, know uh to kind of bow out of that. Championship and then last year all of a sudden After rory put it in the, water you're looking at Uh.
Ludvig there he.
Is what do you think about about his game and what makes Him it's such a tailor fit For augusta.
Nashvial esthetically the prettiest looking swing you've. Seen it's A Steve elkinton like move where you just can't believe a player can make it look so, easy so, rhythmical so. Athletic put the power in That Sam snead like in the, tempo the speed in which he Plays trevino like his decision MAKING i think is. Good you, know we saw him in contention again at The players with a real chance and. Falter BUT i think FOR i think he's twenty, SIX i think he's. YOUNG i think he's young for twenty.
Six you, know he's he's still a little bit inexperience for as as much success as he's had a right but he likes he can draw the ball HE'S i think he's so far he's a streaky. PUTTER i think he's found. That and he's so. LIKABLE i, mean he's good, looking he's nice to. People you, know you shake your head at the simplicity of his approach to.
The, game you.
Know BUT i, again he'd be Like bryson to me if you IF i didn't see him in the top ten on The, leader But i'd be more surprised and less.
Surprised, yeah you, know at the beginning of the, years he kind of had some you, know mediocre results by his, standard which you know obviously he said has said a very high. Standard but him coming on basically Bay hill and the, players it puts him right up there on on the on the first page of, Favorites and, UH i think it'll be it'll be fascinating to. Watch one THING i wonder about is, like you, know we just Saw rory kind of go through.
This is, like when do the close calls become scar tissue versus learning?
Experiences, well that's that's a great question that the answer would be is to, me it always is going to depend on that, person because who would have had more scar tissue Than rory and you, know not just in The, masters but who would have had more scar tissue Than Jack. Nicholas how many runner roughs did he have in major? Championships, right more than he?
Won and.
The best players know what it's like to get hit and get back. Up and to, me there's two WORDS i put Along. RORY i love the adjective. Grinder you, know when you see someone and you always thought of a grinder as somebody that might hit it all over the place and scrape around. Out and that would have been A sevy or A Corey paven that could shoot great scorers From hitt and To Tom. Watson But rory's got. That you don't ever see him. Quit you see him playing a lot of Great, friday's a lot of Great.
Sundays AND i love that that that to me means a. Lot and For, OBERG i think he's still young enough that he can recover easily from the scar. Tissue he's going to get more of, it and you you better know how to recover from that or or you're done in this.
GAME i uh, YEAH i think.
That you, know it's like you get these players that get the tag of like they can't get it. Done you, know and my flipping of that is you can't get it done unless you're there a, Lot and the only way you get the tag of not being able to get it done is if.
You're there a. Lot it is like.
Winning you, know obviously you get flukey winners that win once every, time but it's often a byproduct of just putting yourself in the position to win and getting the, bounce getting the break that you need that creates that little two shot swing within your own score where you get a great bounce and you make a birdie where you might have made a bogeater or a. Double and that's the slimmest little margins of the. Sport which is?
IT i, mean it's just.
FASCINATING i, mean you look at last year's tournament and it's like perfect example of. That Once rory hit the ball in the water on, thirteen it was, like all of a, sudden like all these people are back at it and it seemed like the turnamo was.
Over, WELL i Think rory thought for a, while like what DID i just do on a shot that we feel like anybody in the world could at least knocked it on the green and made a Par BUT i think it worked well for the, event and it certainly worked well FOR tv for everybody to not turn THE tv off because he had a three or four shot
lead with a whole or two to. Go, yeah by the, way forgot to Put Tiger wood's name down there as, grinder, right who who is better at gutting out wins and making putts when he had.
TO i Think bryce is a, grinder no doubt about.
It like everybody.
Talks about the, Power but the thing that always WHEN i Watch, bryson WHAT i think is like he's a natural scorer of the golf. Ball like the guy he just knows how to get the ball into the. Hole like it is wild like to, watch like just like the, sheer like you're just Like, God like he just does not give stuff.
Up, Yeah and you, know when you when you define, grinder you know you have to have great short.
Game it's.
Hard if you don't have great short. GAME i don't think you can be a. Grinder you can try, hard but grinder is the way when you're when you're playing and all things aren't, working you just find a. Way you will shots shots that you've never seen. Before you can manage the stress that goes with. That that's AND i think it's a big.
Compliment this might be a good question for.
You as you, KNOW i remember last Year bryson when he talked, about you, know the year before and what he needed to. Do they talked about he talked about how he just struggled getting the pace of the. Greens you,
know he struggled with this the pace of the. Greens and and so then fast, forward he's in the, Mix he's in the last, group And i'll never, forget Like i'm sitting, there, uh in the lead, up it was like a it felt like it was like a gladiator moment where these, two you, know like it was it Was rory And bryson was the. Story everything was fixated on. That and you're watching the two of them put hip putts on on the putting green practice putting, green And
bryson's out there with a ruler measuring his. Stroke you, know he's GOT i think his manager was video it was. Tape it was videoing it with a, iPad and he's like hitting them to. Nothing and then you Have rory who's just like hitting a single ball all over the green like you would if you were a.
Kid you, know from hole to hole.
Like seemingly like like such a contrast in. Styles but then you go out and you Watch bryson and like once again he talked about like struggling with the speed of the. Greens the pace of the greens Is augusta a place that you can have it can that you can thrive putting with with that scientific that that type of like Where i'm measuring with a tape, measurer how Far i'm taking it back to, deem how Far i'm hitting a? Putt Is is that just like not going to mesh?
Long? Like is? It does there have to be feeling? It?
God, YES i don't think you can do math like that At Augusta. NATIONAL i Mean alistair McKenzie flip over in his. Grave and you Know, bryson like you, said he he can pace off a. Putt he has he measures what he anticipates green speed to, be has a formula for how far back the putter goes for every mile per hour the ball is going to leave the putter face and how far that ball will.
Roll And i'm, like how do you do?
THAT i learned a lot, from you, know playing With Ben, Crenshaw Greg Norman Tom, watson PARTICULARLY Augusta, national and how important feel was and taking high, lines playing more break than less.
Break AND i see that In, rory.
You, know And, rory you, know he's he's so different than. That and he's really good at throwing one ball down and you, know making that like a PuTTY's going to hit on the golf course and with less effort than more. Effort and you, know he's he made a great comment to me one. TIME i don't even know if he'd remember saying, this and he, said you, Know i'm taking the putter back what six eight ten inches back and? Through why DO i need to measure? That and there's
a beautiful simplicity to. That and, LOOK I i'm not as smart as some of these great putting coaches are and have. IT i haven't measured everything like they. Have BUT i don't know IF i IF i if they need to do. That, yeah you, can you can unlock a lot of, things BUT i don't know if it always solves.
Everything.
Yeah, yeah it's SOMETHING i wonder about because you, know you hit on this. Earlier it's like it feels like so many of those putts when you're when you're hitting you know the lag puts out. There they go up and then they come down like they go up and then, down and that's like that heart really hard put unless you're just like literally looking at it and feel, it you,
know to hit those. Putts those are the ones THAT i think when you're short just trying to start trying to, measure are the ones that get really hard out.
There LIKE i mentioned earlier on that first, hole that's the from the lower area on the right that up and then. Down there's nothing quite like that. Putt there's a putt like that on seventeen from the left side when the when the pins up on the top right when you're sevy had that in three pooted there when you lost snow a couple of couples and you can't believe how difficult that. Is there's that put on thirteen that you have from past the whole dat, uh, yeah it's.
It it'll drive you, crazy and you better have your field turned all the way. Up you, know the volume of your field that are be all the way up, there and that's you, know you can see it in your, eyes you can feel it in your. Feet but you also have to just remember past puts you've had.
All, Right, brad we got to we got to get you out of. Here.
Uh one last, Question who's Is? Thursday the week before this can?
Change? Obviously who's your winner of the twenty twenty Six.
Masters, well everybody.
Knows i'm going to Say rory, because as you, know being involved with, HIM i really really WANT i want to see a defending champion. DEFEND i think that there's so many great stories out. There you, know If Gary woodland could could win after, winning you, know last week In houston and what he's. Overcome If Justin rose could come back from last year and lose him in the playoff To, rory would be an incredible. Story if one of these rookie young studs came out here and then you,
know And god helped THE Us Ryder cup. Team if it's another Different european Like, Penge can it be a live player that that wins The? Masters could It could it be rom to solidify his position as you, know one of the top, Players but there would be nothing quite Like.
Rory i'm going with.
Him all, RIGHT i bet Take i'm gonna go out on a limb. Here this is, uh this is this is a tough. One i'm Taking Scottie. Scheffler i'm GONNA.
I, KNOW i, know But i'm gonna Take. Scottie you, know that's sow we draw it.
Up So, okay by the, way we haven't even Mentioned Matt, fitzpatrick have?
We? No see this IS i think there's so many.
Guys, YES i mean the Odds maker's got to be a little bit like who who DO i not put up? There BECAUSE i Mean, fitzpatrick what he's done and the two tournaments previous to come into The, masters and how he's, played and how good he's been with his driving and the speed that he has his distance. CONTROL i, mean you know we always talk About tiger being, pinheide It's patrick's spin that way.
TOO i, mean If markow didn't hurt his, back he'd be first page, favorite you, Know and that's a huge.
Question what's what's going on with the? Back you?
Know obviously everybody always has high hopes For Justin. Thomas he's coming off an, injury but like the way he played at The players makes you wonder, like, Hey canny can he get into? It so and then obviously we haven't even talked About xander who's been.
How About Cam. Young, yeah talked About Cam.
YOUNG i, see this is the.
Thing there's two many guys this. Year it's not it's not like the way it usually. Is it's It's golf's in a great. Spot I'm i'm, like it's as excited AS i.
Am for The.
Masters and part of it is Because scotty And rory haven't had as dominant as a lead in as they usually, do and it is opened up all these these other potential.
Winners.
Right i'll tell you one. Thing Tim, fincham you, know past commissioner of THE Pga. TOUR i was on the policy board with him with a couple of. Times he made a great. Point one time in the mid nineties.
Free.
Tiger you know we had normally had Fal Though, price and he, said THE Pga tour survives live parody and without and not that we have.
Parody.
NOW i, Mean scotty's so far ahead points wise in the official world, ranking but we have two dozen legitimate contenders, here don't. We, yeah we just named fifteen. Players and it's, exciting isn't It if you were Only, scotty and as good as he isn't as much as respect his.
Game it's way more fun right.
Now, Absolutely, brad people will be able to watch you On Golf channel this, week a busy, WEEK i, assume and look forward to seeing you out there on the.
Grounds thanks for doing this and you.
Always love listening to you reading what you're Doing friday And, Yeah i'll be on The live from Show tuesday To sunday during the Daytime live from and they told me last year it's the most watched show On, Friday saturday And sunday of the year On Golf channel because everybody's as the prelude to the coverage On Oh yeah ON. Cbs BUT i apologize for my lights going out here
in my, garage golf, workshops storage, place golf cart. Whatever we have a bunch of friends coming over for a little birthday party for somebody and my wife's going to.
Go you got to get out of here and go get the.
Food you gotta you gotta.
Go thanks so much for making a time for, us and we'll see you see you next.
Week i'll See andy.
All.
Right big thanks To brad for joining and thank you guys for listening supporting our master's coverage. Again go check out the. Website we have a whole hubub tons of, stuff.
Go check that.
Out big thanks to our whole team for pitching in and putting together some awesome, stuff INCLUDING i forgot about, this a guide if you're going to The. Masters if you're going to The, masters we have a guide up there about like how you make the most of your trip to The, Masters.
So check that out at the fridagg dot.
Com big thanks TO Pj clark for editing and producing. This and we'll be back next week With Trevor immulman to break down the twenty twenty Six masters