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 brid egg Friday Egg the Dread and Frida Egg Friday fridagg Bride Egg, Lie, I'm about ready to run off of the.
All right, Welcome back to another edition of the Friday Golf Podcast. Today I am joined by Joseph Lamanna and our esteemed guest, uh the founder, the CEO, the COO, the CMO of the Quadrilateral, the golf's only major focused newsletter. Jeff Shackelford. Hi, Jeff, Hi, an, nice to see you.
Nice to see you guys. Last saw you at the US Open. And yeah, it's been a great year, hasn't it.
Yeah. Jeff is fresh off a nice flight from from Scotland back to California. He's in a joyous mood and he's ready to discuss the entire entirety of the Majors calendar. We're gonna give some of the big name players grades on their major season as well as the venues and the governing bodies. So Jeff, big, thanks for coming on, and and what you know, before we get into it. I'd love to hear a little bit about your overall takeaways from the major seasons. Yeah.
Yeah, we still have one more Women's and the of course the Olympics. We don't really count those in the major world. I thought it was a fantastic year, you know, it's kind of what you hope for in terms of majors. The courses played generally like we thought they would, or maybe a little it better. I still have some thoughts about Augusta we might get into, but I thought overall it was you know, we had really good winners, good finishes.
You felt like everybody who did well deserved to do well, and there were great little mini dramas and spats and fun stuff that kept things lively so and and less nonsense about world ranking points and live I mean, there's still some of that, but I thought it was a way above average year when you think about some of the years we've had in the past.
Joseph, your thoughts, I would echo Jeff.
I think the golf courses, maybe with an exception, were very refreshing, and seeing the emergence of Xander Schaffey is a huge takeaway for me, and I think an interesting story to follow over the next couple of years, Xander Schaffley and Scottie Scheffler are starting to establish themselves as like the best major championship players of this new generation, and it'll be an interesting neck and neck battle to see.
It's not crazy to think that Xander can actually keep up with Scotty at least over the next couple of years.
So that's a big takeaway for me.
I always struggle with, like where we where the line of demarcation is with with generations, Like does it start with when a player comes on tour or is it an age thing? Because you have like Rory's thirty four and Xander's thirty, like they are somewhat in the same generation, but it feels like Rory's of a completely different generation based off of, you know, when he came on. I think I generally kind of like lend myself to when
a player's career kind of started. I don't know where do you stand on that, Jeff and Joseph.
Yeah, I'm with you there and it you know, it used to be a twenty year window from sort of when people turn pro sixteen seventeen or after college, So we saw a lot of those European guys like Longer and Sevy start to flame out a little bit at fifteen to eighteen years, and I think it's shortened now. And you're correct that, Yeah, Rory's probably on the sort of on the backside now and Xander is a little
bit of a late bloomers. So you're right, they're only four years apart, but they seem like they're at pretty I guess, just different stages of their career, but they're both equally competitive, and so yeah, it's an interesting window that I think we're gonna have to watch in the coming years because I think, you know, my belief that the combination of money and the way the game's played, increase in injuries, swinging as hard as you possibly can,
stuff is going to shorten careers. It's just to be expected that we're going to see maybe five to eight years and ten years is sort of the normal window for a really outstanding player.
Yeah, it seems like we're going to have to change, like how we characterize careers if the trends keep going the way they're going, like, it's going to like the way we discuss and talk about and and almost weight careers now is going to be drastically different than before, which one of the fascinating things like, you know, if you compare it to like the NBA. NBA careers are getting longer, you know for star players because of the way they were able to take care of their bodies.
I think NFL careers are probably shorter and a lot of aspects except for you know, positions that aren't you know, completely dictated on speed. I think that's like the thing, as the sport becomes more and more speed reliant, you're going to get shorter careers. And I think that's something that's not really discussed in the you know, distance debate, and it's kind of missed by the Yeah, I would say the savvy, the the savvy executives at Panavidra that
are you know, really considering every aspect of this distance debate. Yeah, they are. That are missing the point of that their value in their tour is greatly increased when you have
generational players that span twenty plus years. You know, when you think about the golden years of the tour, the best times on tour, the longest careers happen, and the more that you the more that speed infiltrates and becomes such a profound important aspect of the game of golf, the less likely you are to have really long a substantial amount of really long careers.
Well, we know, golf's not the most thrilling sport, but one of the things that people love and watching it, and a lot of people who watch who don't even play. You know, I've talked all the time with people who are just fans. And one of the assets of golf used to be that you'd get to know somebody and you you'd enjoy seeing them over a long period of time. And now the the turnover rate, I just think it's a huge problem. And to your point, yeah, I don't.
I don't think that they even think much of it at the tour. It just doesn't It just doesn't seem to be something on their their radar. Uh. And I find that I find that just bizarre.
They've got more important things to worry, right, I know, like, uh, like infrastructure.
Yeah, and I'm getting championship management to run every tournament, so the uh, yeah, that those are the things that matter. But as a product, it is so bizarre to to see that lack of, uh, of real curiosity or or contemplation about where we're going and what we should be doing, and and the players now being more in charge, they're not really the ones to start that conversation. I mean, Tiger probably understands exactly what we're talking about and has
spoken on this issue. You know, That's why he still takes pride the cut street because he knows that thing has no chance probably have being broken just because of the way things have changed. And so, yeah, they have some they have some issues. But I've brought it up Andy too with the governing bodies, don't you don't you in this equipment discussion think about these things? You know, do we want to be rushing kids at a younger age and swinging harder? And they've just generally kind of
glazed over when you when you bring that up. And I think that's a responsibility of them as well to factor that into the discussion when they're contemplating rule changes.
Yeah, Joseph, you know we've took a little divergence there.
It'll be the first of many. I'm sure.
How would you, from your perspective a little bit more data centric than maybe Jeff Wright, contemplate generations in golf and how you divide and tackle them. Yeah, it's difficult.
I think what I've sort of landed on is, especially as I've put more importance on major championships. I think the first year that a player plays a full slate of majors or three of four majors is kind of when I'm viewing the beginning of their active career. So I don't know if they toil around for five years before making it into any majors. I don't know exactly how that should be considered, but I'm kind of looking at major championship windows as the majority of their career
thinking about their windows that way. I don't know if that's necessarily comprehensive, but I think it's a reasonable way to look at a player's window of relevance.
Well. That leads us perfectly and our major championship discussion. It might be why Jeff's newsletter focuses so heavily on majors. I don't know if you knew this going into it, but to me, it seems like majors are more important than they've ever been because of the division. The division in the game has increased the value, interest and overall compelling stories that come from majors because it's the four times a year that we actually see all the best
players in the world together. Who knows if that will end. It seems seems like we're at a stalemate right now in the negotiations and both are kind of sitting there. But let's get into the major championship. We're gonna start with players. We're gonna go to venues, and then we're gonna go to the governing bodies and give grades to you know, if we leave a leave a player off that wasn't it's not that we don't like them or
we don't like the tour that they play on. It's more a factor of they didn't really do anything that deserve to be on this list. And then there's some players that didn't do anything and that's why they're on this list of players that we're going to run down. So let's start it off. We'll start it off with the top performer and kind of the toast of the town in golf right now, Xanderschoffley. He finished eighth at the Basters, first at the PGA Championship, t seven at
the US Open, and first at the Open Championship. I mean, I don't want to cut the suspense here, but I have an A plus next to Andrew Schoffley's name for his major's year. What you know, is there anybody that gave him something different? No?
No, no, no, Joseph I did not.
The only notes I even really have on him he gained strokes in fifteen of his sixteen rounds in majors. The only one he didn't he lost a half a shot in around at Augusta. I mean gained more than three and a half shots around in in all the majors, in all the rounds combined. So pretty historic season.
And you can look at it.
There's a bunch of stats that have been tweeted about him, but unbelievable performance this year. I don't think you can give him anything but an A plus.
Yeah. What really stood out at Truon I thought, more than any time I've seen him Andy was how confident, relaxed he was. You know, just thinking back to Port Rush when he had that little driver controversy with the RNAH, just just some of the Yeah, he could get combative and and you know he came in for his press conference.
I wasn't going to go. I had to work on some stuff, and one of the RNA people went around the room and kind of gave the hint, hint, there aren't a lot of people in the room, could you go, And of course I know I do that because we don't want to have players come and have empty seats. And he is the PGA champion, and you just the body language, the way he took questions. It was just
incredible to see how how different he's become. He's been a great player in majors from the very beginning, but to see that transformation, and then it really stood out in the championship when yeah, we had that wind direction and he wasn't entirely prepared for it, he admitted, but he he also just said that's links golf, that's part of the fun of this, whereas other players came in and were whining about it, seemed shocked by it. And yeah, just a little stuff like that just tells you he's
in a special place. He's organized, and he's not spread too thin off the course. He's just he's just got everything going in the perfect direction. And I think he plays the game in a way where he's gonna stay healthy for a while. So he's spent so good in majors from the very beginning, and it's it's great to see somebody persist like that and and and break through in this in this way.
I think a lot of times with majors, like the pressure that is associated when you are close and don't have it happen, and he was racked. I mean, he's going into the year like he's becoming in terms of like weeks in the top ten without a major, one of like the most prolific players that hadn't gotten one.
And to emphatically just launch yourself into a whole different stratosphere of how your thought of as a player in you know, three short months since the PGA, two really like two months since the PGA is incredible.
Uh.
Speaking of that press conference, I thought that was the best press conference he's ever done. Like great he's been. He can be like very short, a little combative almost, and in that press conference he expanded and gave more insight than I've ever really seen from him or heard from him or read, you know, if you read a lot of press conferences, but like the there was a lot of substance in those in the answers that he gave. And I and I think, like you know, when you
look at him set up. You hit on it, like the no injuries, the consistent improvement, the all around nature of his game. I I think he's got he's set up for, you know. I hate to get like too far up ahead and like a lot changes in short windows of time in pro golf. And we'll talk about some players like that, but to me, like three for the next three years, he's gonna be one of the pre eminent three four players in the game of golf.
We started this year in the major season it was rom Rory and Scottie and Brooks, and I think now you have to consider Xander in those five players of true major championships stalwarts, you.
Know, yeah, yeah. And the other thing we because we obsess about golf courses and like to look at them, the winning on two completely different tests within a few months is just as pretty spectacular as well. I mean, Valhala couldn't have been more different than true and we know that's just the I think that's for a player, that is something maybe a lot of fans don't think about.
But the pride you have to get from that and the confidence of conquering essentially a birdie shootout on lush green versus a crazy weird and it was a really weird week in terms of the wind shifts at at Troon and how the helping wind really was almost as hard as as playing into the wind. If It's pretty funny when you look at some of the scorecards, guys turning in down win, down, win supposedly, and they didn't.
They almost played worse. And so to do that, and as you know, essentially at the start of the year he was the best player never to win a major, and that was starting. You're starting to wonder this was going to be a thing that would would linger, and he certainly answered that.
Yeah. Now we now we have that questions like wide open again. We probably can get into that in a little bit. But any any parting thoughts Joseph found Xander Schoffley before we move on.
I think we covered most of it. It's interesting to see him as a little bit of a late bloomer. And we have some of these other golfers like Bryson's showing flashes this year in majors, but he was an elite amateur player, and so to see Xander Schaffley ascend and do it sustainably, there aren't too many other players who've really done that recently. Brooks Koepka might be the other one who didn't have quite the resume as an amateur and as the collegiate player. But we'll see what
the rest of Brooks' major career looks like. It's interesting to see Xander rise onto the scene and do it sustainably, so yeah, we'll see what happens from there.
I think there's also like a little undercard with Xander. I mean, he barely got his PGA Tour card and then he gets on tour and immediately becomes this major championship force. And I think something that maybe isn't talked about enough and something that I'm going to dive into probably a little bit more in the coming weeks, is like the corn Fairy Tour is not a good indicator of PGA Tour success, and I think Xander Schaffley would be like a poster boy for that because the golf
courses they play just aren't demanding. It's harder for a player of the quality and talent level of Exander Schaffley to win and separate themselves and tournaments on courses that aren't demanding, you know, Like there it's all I think for a lot of these players at the top, it's easier for them to win a major than some of the bottom tier tour events at really nothing golf courses, or if they went and played on the corn Ferry Tour at some of these golf courses that are you know,
have been are just like not really high quality golf courses,
like it would be harder in a way. I think for Xander to go down and win on the corn Ferry Tour than it would be for him to win a US Open in some regards, which is a crazy thing to think about, but it shows how much how important venues are, because at these majors, it's amazing to see how the cream rises and it's just like it's a different I don't think it's necessarily that much different than a week in, week out in terms of their mentality.
It's just these venues allow them to separate. And Xander, Scottie and you know, they are great examples of players that like when the golf course is really demanding, it's almost like they're playing twenty people, not one hundred and forty.
Yeah, and Brooks had some of that too. I would also just throw in as a proud southern California. That, yeah, you add Lily Avou and of course you think of starting with Tiger and Phil, but this is quite an interesting run of great players from southern California who are essentially public golf course players were not milled at the AJGA factory, and you just I don't know how you measure that, but I think there's something too growing up here.
I mean, he made a joke at the Open, I was kind of surprised about the lack of wind, but you know, actually you play some really great wind in the afternoon here off the ocean in San Diego and southern California, and you play pola greens and cocula and it's weird, but in a way, it's also got an
element of toughening you up. But to your point, he's somebody who's from the beginning embraced tough golf courses, and Scotty seems to thrive on those and speak there there are people who just who it just brings out something different in them.
Another anecdote of another Californian. I remember talking to Sahith after he played really well at the Old Course, and I asked him about like was it tough?
Is it?
You know, how are you handling the lies around the greens and the turf? And he was like, this is not really much different. I grew up playing baked out drought drought brown fairways, and I learned all these crazy shots because I grew up playing on like effectively dirt. Yeah, And you know, it's like there's an advantage. I think.
I think there's a genuine I think I don't. I'd be curious if there was ever able to do a study, but I think there is like a genuine advantage maybe not early in life, but later in life of a professional golfer for someone who grew up playing maybe not the best conditioned golf courses or the you know, different golf courses. Then someone who grows up from just a
pure country club setting where everything's immaculate. I think there's a certain a certain mindset that's created when you when you grow up playing a little bit scruffier public golf.
It used to be the Texans, the hard scrabbled Texans who would play, you know, in the Hogan Nelson era and then and and after that same thing. And there's no question that it helps you in those kinds of conditions. I mean, Side's played El Prado and yeah, he played some beauties. And I don't know what the answer is if you're trying to raise a great golfer, but but it does harden you in some way, I think.
I think, yeah, it's just an expence. I remember Putch just wiggling around, and you know, greens that were like sponges and brutal makes you not really care about what any greens are after you've played most of your life on that, you know. All right, let's go to Bryson de Shambo, another Californian who now lives in Texas, you know, a pre eminent YouTuber, you know, making waves with his
latest video T six second first Cut. What do you guys got for grades and thoughts on Bryson to Shambo, go ahead, Joseph, Yeah.
I have an a for Bryson. He missed a cut at the Open, and I think that's a big tournament to keep an eye on over the next few years, and how Bryson deals with different wind patterns and how high he hits it and if you can figure out those elements. So really strong year for him, two top two's, I think that's been done thirty times in the twenty first century, so like a historic year in some ways. And then also the one the own blemish of needing to figure out one of the four majors that he
just hasn't had a lot of success in. So unbelievable year for him, especially off the course and some of building his public profile. But I think what keeps him from an A plus obviously is that missed cut, which will be something to keep an eye on.
Yeah, I got to drop into a B plus, it would have been an A year, but uh, the way he came into the open was was a little bit shocking to me. Uh, for the the artist that didn't seemed totally ill prepared for for truon and what was thrown his way, and and even in the practice rounds, you know KVV was out there watching him and he was just just going bonkers with the flight scope and all this, you know, like this is this is links man?
What do you?
What do you know? What do you I should have rushed to William Hill and and bet against him when I heard when I when KVV described the scene out there of what was going on with the with the team and getting annoyed with with the readings and the day, like what do you you're on Royal true? Man? What do you are you looking at the at that point?
What are you looking at the machine for? And then when he comes in and so I just really wasn't prepared for rain and it's colder than I thought, and like, dude, what do you where did you think you are? And it just seemed odd to me that he I don't know if he was just busy doing videos between the US Open and this or Valderama kind.
Of Nashville and Valdorama.
Yeah, I'm sorry I overlooked Nashville.
Yeah, those are the places you play to get ready for for Royal Trend.
Yeah, that really did not serve the live guys well. And I saw I saw where Ram is advocating for a links a week before and uh, to join his other list of things he's advocating for, would live and uh, I just I I that that surprised me that Bryce and he should know better by now, but he's always had he's always been in an odd place when he comes to the Open. It just seems to put him in a weird, a weird headspace. And and he's he's just not equipped for it right now, but he's young.
There's time. As we know many great players, it's taken them a while to figure it out. And I just don't know if he has a shot to flight it occasionally to handle that kind of golf when it when it blows.
You know, best case scenario for Bryson is that somebody, some sponsor pays him exorbitant amount of money to to do a links Links series on his YouTube page. That's how he becomes, you know, a great links player is he has to take his YouTube page there and his his team and they has to do like a couple of weeks over there, and that's yeah, that's what'll you know, breaking fifty at u at uh Anstruther or that's the nine holes May it's Bake breaking twenty five.
At breaking twenty five. There you go.
I think I gave Bryson today. I think I could get talk myself into an A minus. I think the Augusta T six it was a big finish in the sense of like he's he finally did something well in Augusta. But I also want to just point out it was like one good round and he got off to a hot start and then as that golf course got tougher and tougher and it got ratcheted up. It was it was pretty mediocre from Friday on. It was fun to watch.
I think that was the real start of the rehab tour in terms of his image, and that's where you know, he started to come off. I remember vividly like text messages like do we still do we hate Bryson? Like is this a permanent thing? Because that's where he started to really interact with fans and everything. And then obviously
you know the PGA, the US Open, was it. I think that was an interesting one in the sense of like I think there were a lot of questions about how he how that would set up for him going into it, and I think like in the past, that wasn't necessarily a dream set up. Sure he could hit driver everywhere, but that firmness and the nature of the ball on the ground off those greens was a was not something that really was in the Bryson mold. There
was no thick rough. But I think like what over wrote it and maybe you look at uh and we could probably get to in Pinehurst, is that that like that was a golf course that really allowed long long hitters to to thrive and succeed, assuming they kept the ball on the planet, which both of both Rory and him did for the most part. And then uh yeah, I think with with Truon, uh, don't you know he's got to eventually figure it out. I think what what would be the live link site? Would it be Turnberry?
Would Turnberry do that?
Uh? My understanding is no, because they they don't want to taint it for a possible return to the RODA. But I think that's that's kind of silly, uh to think that way. Uh, Trump Aberdeen would be the other one, but for some reason they've been very strange about wanting to go to either of those places that has nothing.
I'm not sure what it is. You know, they do have to do some very extensive disclosures there about the financials compared to here, So I don't know if it's related to that or if it's related to the courses asking for too much, but they definitely need to play links the week before. I mean, you just heard it in Xander's comments, you heard in other player's comments. Even though Renaissance is not quite the same as the Open Road of courses because the wind doesn't influence it quite
as much. It's just the whole thing that, you know, the turf. I mean, I think going back to Xander, I tried to ask a little bit about it in the press conference that shot on sixteen. He had, Yeah, you just it's just a tight lie over a huge bunker, totally chunkable, and it just takes a while to get used to those shots. You just aren't playing those any other place in the United States or really in the world.
And even though Truon was a little greener, still such a tight lie the moment so easy to to just miss it a little bit. And and Xander described that essentially how he went about that shot, And he thought of Florida for some reason as a way to kind of dig at the ball just enough to make sure he didn't chunk into the bunker and suddenly open the
door for Justin Rose, who had an eagle putt. So you just have to be over there playing some of that golf and just getting used to the time zone and the late finishes and everything else, and the lack of darkness at night. It can really impact your sleep and jet lag and all that. So yeah, I don't know they have a lot of other issues to deal with too, though, so just getting courses.
Bryce's major career has been a very you know, it's kind of like a chart that just goes up and down, and there's peaks and a lot of peaks and valleys. Do we think he's going to sustain this peak? Personally?
I think there are golf courses that will continue to not set up particularly well for Bryson. And when you compare him to a player like Xander, where I don't have that concern Xander hasn't finished what outside the top fifteen in a US Open. I mean, I don't have any concerns about what you throw at Xander Bryson. When wide misses get penalized in that driver, he's hitting it at a ridiculously high ball speed and it's not clicking. You're gonna see some missed cuts. And then the Open
Championship he hasn't quite figured out. I would not be taking Bryson against Xander over the next five years. So I think a lot of those sort of tight but the thick, rough, tree lined setups where you can kind of spray it a little bit like winged foot. Bryson's going to be a formidable, top name, but then there's gonna be these majors where you don't really consider him too much in the top tier, and the Open Championships might be an example of that, especially when it's windy.
So I think the up and down is something to expect to continue into the future. What do you think, Jeff? Yeah?
Same, And I mean Oakmont is going to be really fascinating next year if he starts playing down other fairways, because he can't get away with what he did at Pioneers, sitting thirty two fairways which were pretty wide fairways and he still missed a lot. But he you know, I just did bombing gouge and it worked and he got lucky a few times, just enough, And Oakmont could go
either way. It could be a disaster or it could be wild where he starts trying to take advantage of other parts of the course when you have that option. But I'm with you. I think it's going to be up and down, and that's not a terrible thing. But I would love to see him adapt to links golf a little bit more, just try to figure it out and try to just put the machines away for a little while. And because he does have great natural instincts.
I think that's what's fascinating about him, is there there is a creative side, and I just don't think you can bring that to certain golf courses, and so I expect more. And I don't know if that's the worst thing to be up and down, as long as your ups result in wins or seasons like this where he was pretty spectacular for two of the majors.
All right, genre, let's go to John rom next t for misscut at the PGA WD at the US Open with his foot lesion not legion thirteen legion and T seven at the Open Championship. What are we given the big Spaniard here?
C plus and only because that nice Sunday at the Open. I actually bet him Sunday morning. I got him at one twenty five to one, just thinking the forecast had forecast was all over the place. But it was one of those I thought if he went out in sixty five or four, he had a great chance. And then the wind just didn't do much for the leaders. It was still not nice out by the way, it was cold.
It was just kind of dank on Sunday. The conditions were not easy and then the wind did flip, but that was about the best thing he had all year
in the majors. Otherwise, the mojo just wasn't there. And it just feels like the move to live has thrown him off a little bit in terms of the golf courses, the four rounds, and it's in his head, and we know that's a problem for him when he starts thinking a little too much about these things and getting annoyed and getting caught up and everything that could should be happy. I mean Valhalla, he remember, he was a basket case.
He even the clubs, and so I don't think it was a good year for him, and I'm sure he would not disagree.
I've got him as a d I just think that this is the worst year of his professional I'm going to take out twenty seventeen when he was a fresh yeah pop going around these places for the first time, all of them. I think this was a disaster. And I think you hit on something like John Rahm thinks about a lot of stuff. He likes to have things set up his way. I think like you could probably
say he's a little bit of a control freak. I think that probably is a lot of these these players, and now he's put himself in a situation where he has almost no control of how he prepares for majors. I think, like it's human nature probably to take your foot off the gas when you get a big pile of money. I think that he probably didn't come into this year in the same type of form or have
the same hunger. You know, there's that famous same saying, hungry dogs run faster than, you know, than fed dogs.
You know.
It's I think he came into this year a little bit, a little bit you know, ill prepared compared to years past, and it showed early on, and I think by the time he got in gear, he was in a situation where, you know, like he there's a reason he's advocating for the Links thing before because he didn't think he was ready. And that's a terrible way to play major championship golf.
And I think, like, what's going to happen. It could either shift and he could be fine next year he'll be more prepared than ever, or this thing, this lack of control, will continue to eat at him and he'll get more and more frustrated, and it's going to be harder and harder for him to play in these majors, Joseph, I gave him a C.
I thought the T seven at the Open from the wrong side of the split was a legitimately impressive performance, so I couldn't go all the way to D. But if he hadn't played well at the Open Championship, I was prepared to give him a very bad grade.
Andy. I mean, I agree with.
Everything you're saying, absent the legitimately impressive performance at the Open. This is his worst year since twenty seventeen, and the PGA performance at Valhalla is the most lost his game has looked in a long time, and I do think it further underscores how different major championships feel right now than regular seasons. And he hasn't finished outside of the top ten on live and that just feels as irrelevant
as ever. And to be fair, the same side for PGA Tour results in a lot of these soft fields that guys are racking up top tens and then can't show up in majors. So I think Rom's that perfect embodiment of the difference between major championships and regular season events.
And yeah, see it's a C for me.
He's also got some weird stuff going on with the European Tour and trying to sort out these four events and not wanting to pay the fine, and the fine I think live even it's in his contract, there's a belief that they have to pay it. And he's just like, what are you wasting your energy on this? You have to play four times if you want to be Ryder Cup eligible, and he's trying. He's making it more of a drama, as I understand it, than he should. So I don't know what that's about.
It'll be I think this makes for a really fascinating story. The next nine months is when you think about it, just what where he is when he comes back to Augusta because he's in the meat of his career. We talked about how short careers are. Now, you know, did he just waste one of his five golden years? And I think that's a If he did, it's it will be something that you know, kind of like maybe why he didn't get to four or five majors and he's at three, or you know, like I think I would
get I would bet on him winning another one. But I think the you know what he did this year, was he you know, you only get so many bites at the Apple in a career, and he just took
a significant percentage off the table this year. So all right, let's go to Scotty Scheffler win at the Master's T eight at Valhalla and with an arrest from Officer Gillis, our friend T forty one at the US Open, a lot of a little bit of moaning about the native there, and a T seven at at Royal Troon with that had him extraordinarily impressive ball striking associated with it, but maybe lackluster putting.
Well until the eighteenth hole on Sunday where he did reach for his back. So I am I've been wondering how he's doing there, but he seems to be in Paris. I believe that I see, or maybe that was just somebody posting I give him a name minus you know, you won the Masters, So uh, it's it's a great year.
Players, I know.
Oh sorry, I forgot to mention that. Yeah, that helps his all number one total.
Number one in the FedEx Cup too, Ah.
Thank you, Yes, So, you know, the US Open is the one that I think when he I think he already has assessed as as a mistake, having to play the Memorial the week before. He just you could just see he was gassed when he got there on on what was it, Monday afternoon, And of course he went right out to the course. He probably should not have,
probably should have shut it down for the day. He basically played a US Open back to back, and in fact, you can almost make the case in a lot of ways Nearfield Village might have been even more intense from what I saw when I was at Pioneers looking up to the screen. You know Jack doesn't they you know they the Tour doesn't really control the setup there at his tournament. And he looked, he looked worn out. And
you saw what he did before the Open. He skipped the Scottish he went and played some Links golf and tried to roll in in a better way, and he had a he had a good week. Other than you know, he just couldn't putt at all. And the greens were they were really slow compared to what a lot of these guys are used to.
It.
It's just a totally different mindset. It's so hard to hit the putt as hard as you think you need to. And I think that, but it showed that he did the right thing. He got there, he prepared, and I think you're going to see next year he will not play any week before a major unless they come up with some mandatory rule. And I think that's smart. And I think a lot of guys need to a lot of guys this off season need to assess both what they do the week before and whether they go and
do a scouting trip. And we can discuss that more, but you know, I think Shane Lowry was at a huge advantage and very few guys went to Troon at some point in advance. You know, with all the private
jet access. It's we used to roll our eyes at all those pre tournament scouting trips, but they really should be doing it if they have that kind of access, and they value easing into the tournament more with rest and getting the hard work done Sunday Monday kind of thing, and then being ready to go with a lot of energy on Thursday. And I think he showed that's going to be his modus operanda the next year, and that would be smart.
I think that was a big takeaway for me.
Jeff.
Hearing Xander talk about the benefits of playing the Scottish, I know it's a little different than what you're saying because he did play the week before, and you're suggesting Scott he might have been worn out from playing weeks before. So there's different ways to approach it. But getting your body clock correct in playing two to four rounds of
competitive golf in Europe on the way in. I think the body clock is a huge part of this, and the difference between how other sports approach preparing in different time zones versus some golfers is striking to me. Like NFL teams, if they're going to be playing at altitude, they sometimes practice at altitude and get there as soon as they can, and they have techniques to get their body clocks adjusted. I do wonder if Scotty handled that properly coming into the Open Championship, so I gave him
an anus as well. I think that with the win at the Masters, it's a ridiculously impressive legacy defining win and that particular setup, which I'm sure we'll talk about in a little bit. It was one of the most demanding versions of a gusta we've seen, So that's one that's going to stick with me for a long time. But Scotty's having one of the best seasons of the modern era, and he was really only in the mix at one of the majors. He was kind of in
the mix at Truon, totally acted at Pinehurst. I don't think he can look at this as a season that was an A or and A plus considering he hit the ball unbelievably and really had one chance to win. So that's why I land on it all.
Yeah, I think he had a chance to win Troon. Yeah, I think I'd give him two chances. I haven't been as an A minus two. I think the uh I think when you're the I think one of the things that will stick with me is the the almost like the disdain for the Pinehurst thing. I talked about this a little bit, but like when you are head and shoulders the best ball striker, you cannot let something like a little tuft of grass and tofts of grass in
the native area impact you. You need to understand I'm better than everybody at this and I think that was just like a rare chink in the armor of Scottie. And obviously I think the PGA situation was interesting. That will deliver us one of the most memorable moments of the year, whether he you know, he didn't win, but I think, you know, I think the putter is an
interesting thing. Like I always have thought that putter changes are short term, short term solutions, And I wonder did Truan true and eliminate or illuminate another the same issue that hasn't been fixed since before the switch to the mallet, you know, And are we back at this precipice and then what's the next thing, Like you see mediocre putters they switch the way they put a lot, and what's the next thing for sky Scheffler if this kind of Truon type performance continues.
Yeah, and he blamed the greens a little bit of Truon or he suggested that they weren't very true and I thought the ball rolled really well there, So he definitely. I chalk the Piner stuff up to fatigue and kind of cranking. But yeah, he's definitely that that he's one of those players. We've seen them where they just hit so many greens and it gets in their head. And he managed to overcome it a few times this year
at the right time. But and it's the energy I think that he puts into the misses, you know, that's the other thing, you just the amount of energy into the reaction and the glares of Ted Scott and that it's not it's it's a little concerning, I would say, But all in all, he's in a pretty good place and I think he's gonna win an Open championship and Port Rush should be phenomenal for him next year if he's in good for him.
Yeah, that's Port Rush. I think we could save this for later, but I'd be curious where where it would rank in the in terms of the links the links courses. Now, all right, let's do a last really big name. Rory McElroy t twenty two at the Masters, T twelve at the PGA, second at the at Pinehurst and miss cut at Truon. Who wants to start? You want me to start? Yeah, I'll give him a bee. I think that's the floor of when you have a major championship in the palm
of your hand on the seventy first hole. I think a lot of these grades come down to, like I think, you know, I've got some grades down for people that didn't really have the chance that Rory had at higher marks. I think if you were going to critique his major year, I don't think he necessarily was really prepared to play at the Masters. I think that that he was really trying to still figure out his golf swing and probably that that trip to c Busch probably should have been
two three weeks earlier. If you remember, he had that kind of odd for Rory pre shot rehearsal where he was doing the like setting the club and it just you know, looked uncomfortable as a as a as a spectator, it looked uncomfortable, and I think it showed that, you you know, showed that there was a little discomfort in the swing, and it was quickly removed from the pre shot routine after and I you know, I obviously now we're at ten years of of no majors for Rory
and maybe the biggest question, the biggest micro microscope that he'll ever have, is going into the Masters next year because of what happened at Pinehurst, the finish of Pinehurst and and the really poor showing it true.
Well, he played a lot going into the Masters too, and I'm gonna guess he's going to reevaluate that again. I think it was a good idea, it was worth a try, and but as you say, maybe it was there. There should have been a little more time to work on the swing if he was having an issue. Obviously, the swing was in pretty good form at Pinehurst and was not an issue. I'm a bee as well, and the only I'm down it would have been a B plus. I I the trend performance was a shocker for me.
I mean, ibviously Pinehurst was incredible, and I went back and watched the fifteenth hole sequence after Smiley started saying stupid things, and you know that shot on fifteen was was ten maybe twelve feet too far. It's a goofy green that it was a really well played shot, and Smiley did say it on the air that maybe a little adrenaline god him. He didn't say anything else about questioning the club. In fact, he validated the club for
Patrick Cantley. I don't know where Rory and Patrick are on seven irons, but he wholeheartedly endorsed the seven iron. There was no questioning of Harry Diamond. It's not Harry's fault, and I mean that it's just one of those killers. Yeah, obviously the two the short miss on sixteen was was just it just is what it is. It was just it didn't feel good. Over. It didn't look good. Eighteen, you know, put himself in a bad spot. But the shot on fifteen was really good and off a birdie.
You know, he was criticized at LA for not making any long putts. I think you know, you and I might have even talked last year. Any of the last blong putt was the one he made on twelve. It seemed like on Thursday, well, he made a ton of long putts at Pinehurst putted beautifully and so yeah, it's it's just a tough one. But Truon was shocking for me in that he has the ability. He should have
gotten there sooner. If you look, I asked in the press conference about the wind change forecasts and he kind of started describing the prevailing and I didn't know if I asked didn't correctly. And then sure enough, you know, he went out there and he just didn't seem prepared for it. And if he had gone there in advance, he would have had some time on those screens which are just so different and take some time getting used to.
And Shane Lowry did any he would have heard from the locals at that south wind and the summertime has become very common whether it's climate change or whatever, it's just become a more common thing. And it was sure enough there. We really had it three of them, four days in some form, and as he said, I mean, you know, you got to love of me, he said, I didn't adjust, And I just wonder playing the Scottish late,
rolling in Monday. You know, I've watched Harry Diamond work and he he really picks a part of golf course and you know what does that do when you're rolling in on Monday afternoon, you're a little tired after a long week at the Scottish How much can you you get done? And I just didn't get a sense. And obviously a lot of stuff going on in the personal life and all that, and so maybe it just wasn't an opening to get there. But I think he benefits
from because he's trying. It feels like he's trying to do this sort of a little more of a don't overthink it zen approach. I endorse that, but there is some basic stuff you have to do or let your caddie do in his case, and he didn't do it at true, So that was kind of the one bummer there that said he would probably if he were sitting Harry and say, well, yeah, I didn't really do a lot of recon work at Pinehurst, and I was right there. I lost the two of them by two short shots.
So there is a place for what he's doing. But I'd love to see him just do a little more homework. It does have to do a lot, but just a little bit more.
I guess I feel a little bit different. I have a B minus fer Rory. I think he's way too good of a player to only be in the mix at one major in the prime of his career. He's been one of the most consistent players over the past ten years in majors. Obviously hasn't won, but he's been in the mix a decent amount a lot of top tens. Hasn't had a ton of chances to win. But this
year Valhalla set up very nicely for him. He finished T twelve but was completely non competitive, didn't really show up at the Masters again T twenty two but was never in the mix, and then it was closer to dfl at Royal Truon than contending. So I agree he was great at Pinehurst, but I think if you look at this body of work this year to me, a B or a B plus feels a little bit generous given that three of the four majors were closer to
being disasters than being strong performances. So I think it's a BE minus for me. And this was this year's kind of a missed opportunity despite the good run at Pinehers.
What what would be your grade if he had finished first at Piner, same resilt, same exact result, given the monkey off the back narrative, probably all the way up.
To an A.
But yeah, so, I mean he didn't like the he did he did, you just can't it was.
Within his control down the stretch, the three pot sixteen like that wasn't something that was just completely taken out of his hands. So I would I think it's legitimate to penalize him significantly for that.
Jeff. I think that the homework thing is an interesting aspect. And I think, you know, to me, like with these majors, I mean, these guys probably are starting to realize baby, started to realize, this is what your your legacy of a player is. And for somebody that's really you know, for any player that's really into the legacy, the major should be the way that you prepare and I think Rory probably thinks that he prepares best through the no show,
you know, the show up. Treat it like a normal week, we do this, you know. I just wonder, like I know these a lot of these guys don't play fun golf, but like I wonder why sometimes they don't just say we're gonna go. I'm just gonna go spend a weekend or three or four days playing golf. Like if he wasn't played truon for four days, you'd encounter probably a lot of different weather and you'd enter that like it, just go play for fun, you know. I don't know.
I always like I'm interested in, like why that doesn't happen more. It's like if they do go do it. It's like we fly and play one day, Like why not just play a couple of days.
Yeah, they do it at Augusta because it's sort of a more of an experience and they can bring people. And it used to be a thing with Tiger and Phil and when they started flying private and they could do that, and then it's it sort of died down. And again Rory's different, but a lot of these guys now have somebody else tell them how to play the course, look at Google Earth and and chart out t shots
and it's just laughable. And and you ask the people a true and they were sort of shocked at how few players came early and even for just a just a day or or Shane was two days. And yeah, he's kind of a regular guy. I heard he went into the into town and you know, got his coffee and did a little betting on on the I can't remember what sport it was now, anyway, he just kind
of hung out, got the vibe of the thing. And and I think that I think he would benefit from those returning to doing those trips if he's going to play the week before and play in and obviously bring his his caddie who does a lot of the homework. And I think more players will do it going forward, just because we had enough examples this year of guys realizing they probably should have should have somehow gotten there sooner,
and then also so realizing where things are headed. If we're gonna keep having these signature events a week before, they're gonna they're gonna roll in on Monday, and and uh, that works for a lot of people, But you have the money and the resources to to to get there, and again, the golf courses are usually closed now two to three weeks before the event, and you'll have it to yourself, which is kind of fun, you know, if you like the game to have a major venue to yourself.
Yeah. I think that's the thing, is, Like, I think I might take the approach of it's super fun to go, like, really learn this golf course and and you know, uh, embrace it a little bit more.
Uh well, right, and you're also doing it. You're doing it a little in advance, and then you're turning your focus to something else, so it's not like you're obsessing about it. You're gonna you're gonna record all that data in your brain and then you're gonna you're gonna go play somewhere else. And it's not like you're trying too hard. I think that's what Rory's trying to get away from.
It feels like he just doesn't want to try too hard because he's such a naturally gifted, you know, golf savant. But I really think it was exposed as true that that he just wasn't prepared for what it threw at him. And it was hard. I mean, it was a it was a brutal wind and it was hard to adjust, but some people did.
Yeah, you saw it from the first iron shot. It came up like ten fifteen yards, Like when do you ever see world class player come up that short?
And it was like whoa.
So anyways, Brooks Kopka, we'll move on T forty five, T twenty six, T twenty six, T forty three. You know, fourteen months ago it was can we get could Brooks get to ten? Now? Where are we at? What was his grade? And where are you at with Brooks Kupka.
C minus Just just a dreadful year for him and just just I just have to wonder if the live life is is is getting at him. You know, there are a lot of little signs that he really doesn't enjoy it that much being a leader.
Track up this here?
Right? Is this a contract here? Geez? Maybe he's just focused on playing well and live then you know how it is forget the matrix this year?
Uh?
What team is he captain again? Smash slash smash GC Yeah, sorry, yeah.
Yeah, I got to get the GC in there to Laura's captain.
Yeah, but another guy just feels like the mojo is just not quite the same and and uh and all that stuff at Pinehurst about the bad questions and what are you so surly about at this point, geez, Luise, come on, man, So I I I think these were great venues for him this year. And I'm kind of shocked that he because otherwise, you know, I don't have any reports or any signs that he's having any health issues. And I don't, you know, I don't know how I'll
still explain it. Or it could just be that he's he's hit his peak and and he's just not the same. But I mean, just won the PGA last year.
So I also to C minus, this is one of three years in his career that he doesn't have a top five in a major, and he didn't finish in the top twenty five of a major. So pretty simple for me. As a dreadful year for Brooks. And he's somebody that we're talking about as one of the great major championship players of the past twenty five years, this year was not a step in the right direction.
So I'm with Jeff.
Yeah, I echo that I've got him at I've got him at C minus as well. You just wonder it's I think that these careers. How many years you have left, you know, And that's that's where we're at with Brooks. The other thing i'd throw in, I think this is just an adjustment that anybody that's a dad goes through. You know, he's he had, he had his kid out there. Like life changes, like you're you know what, like the people we love to make fun of the perspective thing,
but like your life changes. And I wonder like if this might have been just a year where he's, you know, figuring out. And I think naturally for a lot of people that become dads, it's it's easy to take your eyes slightly off your job, and I think that could be it because you just want to be there. You want to be a part of the part of the that moment. And I wonder if that's part of it
as well. All Right, Klin Morricawa really pretty strong year here T three at the Masters, T four at the PGA, T fourteen, at the US Open, T sixteen at the
Open Championship. I have it as a B plus. I think like it's a B plus for a lot of players this that with what Klin Moricow has done over the last two years, I think a lot of players I would move this into an A category, but Klin Moricau has two major championships and at one point we were talking about him as a potential, you know, six time major winner, and this year kind of left me left me wondering, does he have the gas pedal still to win majors?
You know?
I think we saw him in the heat of battle in the in the Masters and the and the PGA, and it just seemed like he didn't have what his competitors had. And that's kind of where I'm at with Colin Morkaal.
Yeah, it could be, but I think it's a I'm somewhere.
I'm kind of teetering between a B plus and a minus because last year he wasn't so great in the majors and this year he was there and steady, and I think he's going to continue to be a force and hang around a lot, and as we know, that's that's half the battle and the majors and just being there and that just things are going to happen, and they're going to be fluke winners and people have crazy weeks, and the fact that he was there again, I don't
know what the whole drama was with rick sssing out, so why he had to make a change and that was that was a mistake and he fixed that, and it seemed like he was just kind of back to what he's been doing and hanging around and you're not going to win every one of them. He got in the final group of the Masters, probably the Major we think he's least likely to to win, but that's pretty impressive.
And I just think you're gonna if he stays healthy and kind of doesn't the same thing with Scotty maybe on the putting is still not great, and if he doesn't let that get in his head too much, I've seen no reason he doesn't win another one or two.
Two players finished in the top twenty in all majors this year, x Andaner Schaffley and Colin Morikawa. It's a B plus for me. My opinion of him went up this year. Short games come a long way, by far, the best short game season of his career, and I think looking forward, yeah, Colin Morrikala is going to be a force in major. So super strong year, and I
agree with you Andy. If he didn't have two majors to his name, we'd probably be talking about this as like an A minus or an A. But he's not Russell Henley, He's Colin mor Kawa.
Yeah, all right, I think that's I think we're all
pretty much in cadence there. All right, let's take a quick break to talk about our partner, the us For more than one hundred and twenty five years, the USGA has been working to ensure golf has a strong future, and for almost fifty years, USGA members have given back to the game they love by supporting programs and initiatives that affect every aspect of the game, including junior golf, environmental sustainability, the history of the game, and some of
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High expectations for VIC this year cut third place at the PGA, the return of Joe Mayo, and then cut cut C.
Minus for me, just I, you know, just again the energy is just bizarre, schizophrenic or I don't know, it's just crazed. He's just it's just an intensity that's just not going to work. I don't understand it, and I don't understand what happened between last year and this year, the bringing, you know, getting rid of Mayo, bringing him back, and then yeah, I Sawda Riviera earlier this year, it
was like, what is going on here? This guy is just a basket case on the course, like chill out, and of course the contrast with Ludwig is unreal to watch how he approaches the game and you just think, well,
this is not sustainable. You know, there are people who have been kind of high energy, neurotic golfers who've done well, but it I got to watch Victor winns US amateur at at Pebble Beach and he's just a totally different person and he was, you know, intense, but then off the course he was chill and he was reading a lot.
He was really into getting his mind focused on some other stuff just to get off the golf, and I just look at it now and it's like he just really needs a vacation and a and a reset and somebody to tell him, Hey, you're immensely talented. Just calm down and uh, get your act together here, because you're you're you're in your prime and you've got several years ahead of you if you if you don't waste so
much energy on I I don't even know what it's. It's, uh, it's it's kind of entertaining to watch, except that you like, you don't like seeing somebody who's got that much talent be so bizarre on the golf course at times?
Do you think it's just expectations? It's the first year as a professional where you know, because I think last year, going into last year, it was kind of like, is Victor Hoblin going to do stuff in majors? Then he has this great year in majors almost wins, and then this year he's a you know, a favorite like something that you know going into the Masters, that was, you know, talking about Victor Hovlin in the great major year last year?
Could it just be expectations and how that can change your entire mentality and attitude as a golfer.
I don't know, because I even remember watching the year prior riv where he was. You know, it's early in the season, and I interviewed him after this, but I was watching him on the range and he was just going nuts with the ping guys on his driver and it was just again, it was just so much energy wasted on on and it just didn't feel like good energy.
And it just feels like he's been trending in this direction and it worked out well in terms of winning the FedEx Cup and the Great second Half, but and then who knows what happened. But I mean it could be but I I he may just be putting a lot of pressure on himself. But it just feels like he's he just somebody who needs a vacation more than anything.
I have to tip my cap to Jeff. I was pretty high on Victor Hoblin going into the US Open, coming off a third place finish at Valhalla, and when he contended, one of the best players in the world to end of last year, looked lost and looked like he'd found it a little bit. And talking to Jeff before Thursday, you were citing how demonstrative he was in his practice rounds and how his head just looked cluttered, looked out of sorts, and therefore you were pretty bearish on how he was going to play.
Yeah you won, Yeah, Yeah. With Matt Fitzpatrick, I won. I get a beer out of it because it was Fitzpatrick versus Hoblin. Yeah, so you won on that endure you.
I think there's something to the.
I've probably gained an appreciation, especially hearing from you how a player looks on Wednesday, not necessarily the shots they're hitting in practice rounds, because I don't think you can always glean very much from that, but if they look out of sorts mentally, it could be a little bit of a signal. And so I think that's a good point to bring up with Victor Hobbins. So I gave him a CEE three missed cuts in a third place. If it hadn't been a third place, we're looking at
a grade that's much lower. But he did actually contend of Valhalla, which uh mc three mc mc might be more of an indictment of Valhalla than just about anything else.
All Right, I'll give him, I'll give him a C. He had a chance to win a major, and I think that very disappointing rest of the year. Let's kind of fly through the next ones, all right, Ludvig Aberg or Berg, I'm probably mispronounced his name. I blame I blame everybody for butcher four times off the start. He went second at the Masters, miscut at the PGA, T twelve at the US Open, and a cut at at the Open. I'm giving him an as it's his first
time around. He was sensational at the Masters, and going into the weekend at the US Open, it was real like is he going to win? And for me for first time or going around. I think this was a really great debut year for lud Big. I know that miscuts are would but this is not a apples to apples comparison to other players first time around. Really great opening major season for lud Big.
And yeah, I almost give him an a just because of that. Being a rookie. The only thing I see is he's very reliant on his data people and his caddy to tell him how to play a course. I just would love to see him take a little more responsibility. But otherwise, what an incredible rookie year in the majors and just nothing but upside and just needs to I think own how he plays a course a little bit more and not rely on others. And he may do that, it may have just been a first year thing to do that.
I'll give him a B plus second augusta super impressive two missed cuts. I feel like it's the type of year where he would take the results but not be thrilled with them. So I don't feel too differently than either of you do, all.
Right, j T cut Tha cut T thirty one. I'm going C minus. I think the TA was completely non competitive. Fly in on on up the leaderboard Sunday I might. I'm going to go deep plus.
I have D plus Andy he got a little bit into the mix it truon and then blown out to see immediately hits the ball out of bounds on the first te He's in the prime of his career. He's thirty one.
I don't know if it is the prime. I think his prime was twenty four or twenty two.
Well, okay, he should theoretically, thirty one should be at a time where you're playing good golf, And yeah, maybe that's a better way to put it.
But I go deplus.
What about you Jeff, Yeah, I would d plus is about right. I just you know what we now know it wasn't Bones's faults, and I just there's a I mean, he was really good pre truon and then you look at as I watched him play a few holes with Tiger, and spirits were good and I was hitting beautiful shots and and everything seemed great. I just those scorecards though, are just bizarre. That true. They're just wacky what he was doing out there. And just what is this volatility
all about? I don't know, but I think that I do think he is sort of past his peak years, but it doesn't mean he can't still contend. And it feels like the drive is still there. And maybe it's maybe there's almost too much and maybe another player who just needs to take a little break. I don't know, but there is some there is something odd and the energy around kind of his group and with dad and mom out there. Yeah, I just don't know what it is. So but I would not write him off yet as
somebody who is, you know, totally over the hill. I think he still has the chance if he stays healthy and all that the usual stuff to contend and win a major.
All right, last, but not least, Tiger Wood's sixtieth cut cut cut. I have this as a bee and I have it as a bee because he set another record to his long list of records. The maid cut streak at the Masters is now his to be completely fair since the car crash, I don't think it's fair to have any expectations of Tiger Woods being a real competitive golfer with the with the leg issues and the lack of ability to play real golf. But how many more chances does he have to set records, you know, career
records and add to the r a illustrious career. He did it. Making the cut of the Masters is a huge accomplishment for a golfer with his circumstance. What about everybody else?
C plus For me, I don't really know what to say. It was so bizarre because he put in the effort, it felt like at most of the Majors, and really put in the effort, played more in practice than you would expect a time games. Every time I watched him. The ball striking was good, obviously, the putting is starting to get, you know, to that point like a forty
eight year old and a major. The stroke is a little bit different in competition, and I don't I don't know if that's just an age thing or rust element. I don't think he's working that hard on his game at home. And he shows up and he still looks presentable. So and the walking was sensational and true, and I mean, he's barely a limp, and I I just can't write him off yet. I don't. I don't know why he's wasting his time on all this tour stuff. Same with
Jordan Speeth. I mean's it's more it's it's criminal in Speed's case what he's doing. Tiger's older, and yeah, like I said, he does. I don't think he works that hard on his game at home. He's just found that place where he knows what the swing is doing, and it's a matter of finance. I think he still has an open championship in him, a contention in one. Don't forget Greg Norman. You know, spend people who contended at
an old age. So I think that's very possible. I mean, I did get a laugh at the comment about the stamina that these people have to do all these meetings. You know, I guess he's got to work on his zoom meeting stamina here now, and he's going to get a lot of reps. It sounds like in the coming coming weeks.
I guess we finally found one that we all feel very differently about. I have Tiger as a D plus. He was DFL at the Masters of Players who made the cut and has three missed cuts. I kind of disagree, Jeff. I'm pretty comfortable writing Tiger off of contending ever in a major again.
It is I'm like physically uncomfortable to save it for the library.
I'm like physically uncomfortable watching him play golf. I don't know the last time he's put two good consecutive rounds together. I agree he looks physically better than in previous years, but in an era trending more towards speed. Until Tiger puts together two, maybe three good rounds in a row, I think he's very far from contention. And I agree Andy very impressive with the cut streak. But it's hard for me to look at DFL and three missed cuts
and take away too many positives. I like the car accident and stuff that's all important context, but it's not a good year.
I just I mean, I guess I think our expectations are just completely off the board, Like I kind of now expect miss cuts. You know me too, So you know, the fact that he made one made was you know, I think it's amazing when I think it's amazing that a guy didn't play in competitive golf for nine months from the last time he played and then went in and made a cut, like, you know, just if you
take everything out, I think that's impressive. And then when you consider that he was walking on like you know, you know, a partial leg effectively, you know, it's that's where I'm at. All right, let's talk venues. Augusta National the host of the Master obviously, I think it was it was a banner year for Augusta National in terms of the weather. It finally got great weather it hadn't had it for years. We saw firm and fast Augustin National. Thoughts on overall the venue.
I'm not thrilled with the way certain things are trending, this sort of you know, the deepening of the bunkers, the chiseling out of these areas around the greens, taking away some of the the bump and run shots that that I think are still there or were the way they mow the grass around the greens because it's a different mowing pattern than Yeah, I think you and I and he looked at it was it was that this year I was with you or we were just looking
around the ninth green. It was so tightly cut and beautiful, and then you look at the fairways and they do that thing to push it towards the tea and it's not as good of a cut, and so you still have those shots around the greens, but they're increasingly taking those away, so it just it's still yeah, yeah, yeah, the one behind six was weird. There might have been a drainage thing there, but that they can justify it as. But I just feel like it's still trending too much
in the direction of defensive golf. And you know, the shaving of the banks this year kind of turned fifteen into a freak show and I didn't like that. So we'll see what they do in the off season. I think they would probably agree that fifteen got a little too extreme, And I just I don't like seeing August to get to where it's defensive golf so much. And I get the lengthening, I get all the other stuff.
Why they do it. But that's the part where I think they need to be careful, that you just get players tiptoeing so much that they can't quite put on a show. And I'm afraid it's still in the name of getting to a certain winning score. But I don't know.
I mean, if we're grading it, I gave it an as. I thought this was one of the best versions of a guest seen recently, and a lot of that's the conditioning. We got some wind and it was firm, so that's not really addressing the same points that Jeff just did.
I mean, I hear you on how unnatural it's become and how contrived not to put words in your mouth, but I think to an extent, professional golf and modern technology has imposed such a challenge on any golf course that I don't know if it's excusable, but you can at least understand where Augusta is coming from.
On some of that. So I hear you.
But I thought it was a very very.
Good test and the best test we've had at Augusta in quite some time. So I gave it an a minus.
I'll give it a AUS. I think I echo what Jeff said. I think It's like Augusta National is just such a great representation of the tenuous strain between technology and golf courses and how how do you maintain some sort of reference point on winning score and legacy of your tournament without completely you know, dismembering your golf course really,
you know. And I think it's it's just such a tricky tricky aspect is like you know, you I think these they watch some people might watch people putt from off the green and be like, we should take that away, We need to make them chip that right. And it's not necessarily the right thing, you know, it's just a it's a very hard delicate balance to reach. But I would echo Jeff like just generally like the recent changes
have centered around it. So and I think there's like a lack of artistic nature to the work where it's kind of very scooped out and manufactured on a golf course that was supposed to be built with like supreme artistry. And from everything you read about Alison Mackenzie's writing and his thoughts on things, for everything to blend into nature, it really doesn't. It's not doing that. The new work's not achieving that. So let's go to Valhalla. I'll open
this one up. I'm gonna give it a D. The only reason it's passing, the only reason it's getting its yeah, d's get degrees, Jeff, get degrees. The only reason it gets a D is because of the fine people of Louisville that turned out and the fans showed up. This golf course in its current form should never host a major championship again. It is a isn't is a bad golf course. And uh, there we go. I'm I'm done, I'm setting, I'm stopping there and uh, you know I, uh,
this is not about Louisville. The fans came out. I supported the tournament, but I'm good. I'm good on Valhalla.
That's that's that's harsh. I I don't think it's a I I can't call it a as bad of a golf course as you did. I I it's not. It's not ideal, and I was disappointed. The Zousia conversion almost had it maybe softer than it's been, but I and I don't think it's going to host for a while.
But it it.
Produces drama, it produces interesting finishes. It's another course where you know the way with technology, it's just difficult to keep up. You know, the the Island Fairway hole was one where everybody played to the Island, you know, the first few times nobody dared. I mean, the things change. It's hard to keep a golf course relevant. It doesn't have anything mysterious about it. It is very straightforward, as they all like say, it's right in front of you.
And that's disappointing. But I do think it asked for players to hit a lot of different shots. And I mean, I'm going to go see minus just because I think it produced another compelling finish and and and you're right, the people at Louisville is a great city for a minut major and uh, it never disappoints. And so I don't I wouldn't write it off completely. Do remember we
have Quaile Hollow next year and Frisco and uh what else? Yeah, so I mean we've got some I think you may be wishing your valhalla here.
Uh at least I love I love that you feel so different, different than me, and you gave it a C minus you really value.
Now that to me is a passing grade. I had a D plus is not a What school did you go to these are.
Passing Illinois University of Illinois.
Well, actually I did get some d's and religion classes at Pepperdine and I and I have a degree right there to show, so I guess I should.
Yeah. Anyway, Joseph, I have I have C minus.
I think Andy, you'd written about this well and that Valhalla asks questions that were answered decades ago, and the long I kind of disagree with Jeff a little bit that it asks a lot of different shots. I think it's a lot of driver and stock shots. The one ready quality for me about Valhalla is the length, which if if you had a short wedge Fest, it would have been much worse than a long birdie fest. So the greens aren't particularly compelling. And the defense's length and rough.
And that's just again questions that were answered decades ago by track man Golfer. So the game changes and Valhalla doesn't stand up to the test.
I hate spending other people with money, but I'd be okay with Valhalla if they if they underwent a significant redesign. Well, I mean maybe they should have shouldn't have hired Jack again.
You know, actually he did not really, you know, that was kind of a lightly reported element. He did not really get consulted much on these latest changes. It's part of that whole o the Nicholas. He kind of gave away at some point that he hadn't been there in a long time in a few interviews. So it was that whole Nicholas company's thing and the new owners and yeah, so what would you do? I don't, I don't.
Yeah, I think I start from scratch. I think they'll just do you just take it and act like nothing's there. You act like nothing's there, and you start rebuilding.
Yeah, okay, well, good luck with that. I don't think the new owners are going to do that after spending all that money on the grass conversion.
But all right, Pineer's number two A minus.
You know, as a week war on, I yeah, I thought they did a great job. It was greener than last time, but when you listen to what people said watching it, it was better that it was a little bit greener, and it was just a little much the first time. Plus I just didn't have great weather going in.
I As the week went on, though, I really started to get a little annoyed at a few of those greens that I think were altered by either Rhys Jones or Jack Nicholas and one of the various green rebuilds where they just they just are they're just too much. And I wrote after that, you know the barometers should be Now. I know nobody plays a run ups anymore, but you should be able to look at some of those holes and say, well, if I have to, could
I land one short and run it up? Because Donald ross yeh made a pretty big deal about that in his design there, wrote about it, talked about it, spent a lot of time on the approaches, and a few of those greens just just discouraged that. And there's about five of them, maybe four for sure, that they just
need to be deflated. They're just up too much, and they'd still be difficult, but they'd be better holes and and that so that that's the only reason I don't give it an A. But I thought the setup was super I thought the sandy areas. I was a little nervous when I heard about the extra plannings and that the superintendent planned planned to get a bunch of those out right the Monday after the open to begin getting
rid of them. And I didn't find them to be offensive or tricked up or feeling like you were trying too hard to manufacture hack outs or something. I thought it. I thought it the setup, everything was came together beautifully. They wisely kept the greens soft enough so that those goofyer greens functioned well. And I thought that was a
real testament to the USBA. It's not something that normally we would love to see, but they had to do that, and I thought they really highlighted what a what an interesting golf course it is with their with their setup, which is certainly not something we always say with the USGA.
Apparently there was no wiregrass to be had in that part of the country. Apparently the USGA bought all the wiregrass, so you could not if you were trying to get wiregrass, you could not get it because that was it was all bought by the USGA.
It's like Augusta buying semi mature pines. You just yeah that they hoard them, and understandably I gave.
It nay Andy.
I thought they really nailed the conditioning and the trade off between the greens being receptive enough but also being fast that I thought played wonderfully. I do agree with Jeff that some of the greens I think specifically the fifteenth is a little bit out of control. Six and too Yeah, six six, fifteen really stands out to me. And I think when how distance friendly this test was, a lot of people are harping on you could just
hit it anywhere, which I don't really agree with. I think a huge part of why it was distance friendly is when you're a long hitter, you're hitting a higher lofted club coming into these greens and they're perched up and they're like fifteens a great example, and you saw what happened when you're rory and you're off by a little bit. So the difference between hitting a seven iron and a six irons massive. So I thought overall played
very well. The danger around all the greens and the level of precision that that demanded on shots from around the green and iron shots was wonderful to watch and a complete departure from most tests that we see weekend and week out.
So I give it a Yeah, I think I give it a I think you can nippick with the greens, and I don't know, if you know, the big question would be would they would they lower the greens now because they have such an almost aura with the you know, sadistic golf fan at this point, and I don't think they will because of that. I would I would like them too. I think they I mean, having played there a handful of times, like it's you hit the You're just like where do I even land this? And this
is when the greens are soft. I mean they keep them so soft for people. Number two another one, Yeah, yeah, where do Yeah? It's and and I think the other thing is like with with stuff like number two is like they've they've sneakily narrowed fairways at at yardages, like they're way narrower than they should be. And like with number two, Yeah, if I could get up the left side a little bit more, I would it would be okay because I could get the angle. But sometimes they're unafforded.
That being said, I went into the week kind of bummed out about how often Pinehurst is going to be there the next twenty five years and walked away with like, Okay, if one course is going to be in here, this is pretty fun one to watch golf on. Yeah, and I can't say the same about Pebble, but whoa, that's.
What Yeah, No, it's going in the other direction. I guess, yeah, I'm with you there. I was like, Wow, this is too many opens in a short time, and I think that's a credit to the people running Pinehurst. You just felt the investment they made. I still don't see I still didn't see anything on the USGA side that made
me understand the anchor concept anymore. But I did see it from the Pinehurst side, and I felt like they did a superb job of they just having been there when they were sort of taking kicking and screaming into the restoration and now seeing how much they're buying into it, how much they appreciate architecture and its role on both the championship but also people wanting to come there and stay, and all the great courses that are not also in their control that have done work and just effect that
classic effect we've seen where where it spills out to other golf courses. And now what they're doing out with Number ten and probably Number eleven, they've just gotten so golf driven and focused or almost obsessed, and I love that, And so I thought that part of it is what made you feel like, yeah, Okay, they've really they've taken advantage of this anchor thing and they haven't gotten cheap,
whereas yeah, I'm not sure yet about Pebble Beach. You know, I just saw the aerials of the sixth hole and I just went, oh, they just redid the green and that's what you got out of it? Are you kidding me? I mean, so there's still a I feel like there's still a something missing there at at Pebble That that the pebble that the Pineers people really have tapped into and get. And kudos to everybody, Tom Bashley and the whole team on down to the maintenance teams. It's just sensational.
So fix those five greens.
All right. Last one Royal Tire.
I've got to give it an a. I just thought it. It was fascinating how it played, and obviously Mother Nature came through. We've had a lot of majors lately where you're living a little disappointed at at the natural elements not delivering a little more wind, and it certainly did. It was it was really hard. I just you just can't grasp how hard that wind was from the south southeast and how it really didn't make any hole easier. And I thought the players were asked a lot of
different questions it was a little green. At the start of the week, they were very nervous about Thursday's forecast. They managed to get the gravities up. I still don't know how that all works, but they did get some firmness and speed because the greens were shockingly slow and green. The only disappointment was that it was much greener than all the other links that I played and saw in
the area. But the rough was more. I mean, last time it was just a lost ball and the rough and any of the courses around there, and all the courses have really emphasized rough management, so I think even when it got super windy, and obviously these guys have marshals looking for balls, but it just not having that
rough be quite as absurd helped. And the bunkers are I really gained a new appreciation for a lot of the holes there that in the prevailing win aren't very interesting in the modern game, and they became the stars of the show last week, especially you know those first five holes and the stuff that went on there that didn't go on before. So I wouldn't want to play
it every day. I don't think it's much fun. I think it's really hard, but I think it's about as quintessential and open venue as you can get in terms of everything it asked for, and the postage stamp and all the and the railway and the sort of the pockets and the subtleties and what it brings out with a little bit of wind.
I gave it an ay also, Jeff, I think it's even better as an entertainment venue then as a golf course, even though I like it as a golf course. But I think for fans understanding the directions of the nines is distinctive and something that I appreciate about it, the distinctiveness of the postage stamp and the eleventh hole, like it creates those moments that people can anticipate and have
some context for before the players get there. Obviously, the weather was ideal for this championship, and I'd be curious what grades we would give this venue if it was mild. But it is on the ocean and you get reliable wind, so I think it's a phenomenal place to keep coming back.
It's an a for me. I think it's it's the golf course that has the most elements. You know, it's the easiest of the open venues from what I gather to rely on the elements, which I think is like a huge benefit to it. I think it's probably a golf course in the open rota that I thought of as a middle of the road, one that gets bumped up towards the top top end of the of the rota.
I think. I think, like the thing that I always am taken aback by by by these by the opens is is just like how much better golf is when when hazards, when bunkers are hazards and they are something that players fear, and I don't know what the how I don't think that, you know, in a lot of cases there are like conceivable ways to accomplish this in a lot of American courses outside of going to like
the revetted pop bunker route. But like the idea of my ball being able to run up against that revetment and leave me with like no shot or I'm going out sideways, that is the ultimate. It's a it's a hazard acting as a hazard for the best players in the world, which is so rare outside of water and out of bounds, where like it's the only way where you can put something on the side of the fairway.
And I think like it was telling watching how these guys played the first second holes is like the bunkers were real deterrence. It's like they're hitting mid irons off
the tee because they're afraid of these bunkers. And it makes you know, it just like has a ripple effect as a three hundred and eighty yard hole all of a sudden with it into the wind, these guys are hitting like kind of mid irons into a short part four And when it was down, when they're still hitting nine irons, it's hard to get to the those tuck pins behind the bunker that they put that front pin.
Like to me, I just I just think that that bunker in terms of pro golf, and I think it just introduces real strategy and I think that's just so sorely missed in so many places. And that was, you know, one of the things that will last with me from from true.
Yeah. And they the wind made the driver, It just made the dynamics different off the tee, which was nice. It wasn't quite the emphasis on the driver. The other thing of the bunk andy they were it's beach sand and they had a pretty deep time and and that definitely added. They weren't they weren't, you know, ridiculous, But that did not give you many good clean lines, even though they do have a bunker raker in each group, and certain holes even seem to have a bunker raker
on their own. The Postage Stamp I think had its own crews. So yeah, but they they were they were difficult because of that as well. And then they're just well placed and they they the setup was it felt like it was a little better this time that it just felt like there it was a little bit wider, but it also brought more of the bunkers into play, and and it was fascinating. I mean, it was intense.
It just it.
I'll tell you. The way they had the cool thing was on the Postage Stamp because of the Grand Stamp blocking the players. The first day, a lot of guys just could not believe the win. But when I was out there for a few hours, I realized at the end I should have stopped watching the shots because the crowds are so knowledgeable there and the people behind the players, and maybe even the ones kind of off to the side.
As soon as the ball got up in the air, they would react in a way that if you weren't watching, you could guess either it was toast, it was just no chance. There was an anticipatory kind of I mean, there were all these different little sounds they'd make where you kind of knew what the ball was going to do because they'd been sitting there a while and they just knew when a t shot was bad. And that
was just a cool dynamic I think. I mean, I have mixed feelings about the grandstand impacting it, but then if you look the next day, same win, the guys accepted it more and the scoring average improved greatly with the same exact wins. So it was another element where they a little bit of more, a little more trust in the golf course would have helped some people. And
I did. I did find out they did not put flags on that grandstand because because of the approaching planes, it was not a RNA ploy to deceive the players on the wind. But it was spectacular. And don't you love every guy saying why can't we have more of these halls? We don't need another two hundred and thirty yard Part three? I just love that and I'm glad, I'm glad they say it they should, because the seventeenth was not better another twelve thirteen yards whatever it was.
The fifth wasn't better getting longer. I didn't think. I mean that the location of the team was nice, but I do love that the guys call that out and it's it's these organizations are just a little too obsessed with getting the same exact club in their hand on those holes. And that's and it's just not the game's changed. The loss are different. There's just different reasons, and it's there's just a point where a par three loses something
and the same thing happened at LA last year. When you get too far back, it's just it's just so far away. You just you just lose a connection with the green and it's just not as much. It's not as interesting to play or watch generally.
Yeah, I would echo those We were going to get to the governing bodies, but it is our time has passed here. We'll have to do that at a future point. Jeff, thank you so much. Everybody should be that's super interested in golf should be subscribing to your substack. The Quadrilateral. Is it fifty dollars a year? Still? I'm on fifty fifty oh, a little price inflation, and it started.
I went to fifty four and fifty nine. Now, yeah, inflation, I will say it's a bargain.
It is awesome. The stuff you put out, the perspective, the insight, it's something that I've admired. I've read you for since I was like a very very for a very very long time, and I've always appreciated your insight and voice in the game. I think there are very few distinct voices in the game of golf, and you've
been one for decades. We should be applauding your longevity for distinctness and voice, and thank you for coming on and chatting with us, and we'll look forward to talking to you again soon.
All right, Thanks am.
All right. That does it for another edition of the Friday Golf Podcast. Big thanks to Jeff for coming on and PJ Clark for editing and producing this podcast. Thanks PJ. All Right. We will be back next week with new episodes. But in the meantime, check out Club TFE. We've got some yoke with doakes coming up. You could we put up a call for questions there. I think I'll probably put them up on social media, but we'll probably go
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to everybody for all the support through major season. Thanks and we'll be back next week with another edition of the Friday Golf Podcast.