2018 U.S. Open Preview with Brendan Porath and Sean Martin

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the fried Egg Podcast. In a minute, we'll get to our preview podcasts with Sean Martin and Brenan Porath. But first I'd like to talk about our US Open Week sponsor Greater Than Sports Drink. If you like to walk on the golf course, it's important to stay hydrated to play your best golf. Forget the magazine swingtips, Feel good, play good. Greater Than is the best way to avoid dehydration. It's a clean sports drink with two times the electrolytes of the most popular sports drink and no added sugars. I get my Greater Than delivered right to my door every month with our convenience subscription service, which saves fifteen percent off retail this week. If you sign up for a subscription, you will get a free fried Egg hat with your subscription. If you want to try it out first, use the promo code the fried Egg with No Spaces to get twenty percent off your first order. That's the fried Egg with No Spaces to get twenty percent off your first order. Order Greater Than or sign up for the subscription at drink dot com. Thanks, and here's Brendan poor Eth and Sean Martin talking the US Open.

00:01:06
Speaker 2: I miss a green, for example, I'm already upset.

00:01:08
Speaker 3: When I find my ball in the bunker, I'm really upset.

00:01:11
Speaker 2: And when I find my ball in a bride egg Frida Egg, the dreaded Frida Egg, Frida Egg, Frida Egg, Brian Egg, Frida Egg, Bride Egg Lie, I'm about ready to run off the the course.

00:01:46
Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome back to another edition of the Frida Egg Podcast. Today I am joined by Brendan Poorth and Sean Martin as we break down the twenty eighteen US Open. Guys, I'll come on, Andy.

00:02:02
Speaker 3: Thanks for having us. Great to be back.

00:02:06
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been a long time, lottimes this last time have you back?

00:02:10
Speaker 1: Yeah? Yeah, since the since the Masters, since uh or was it the players?

00:02:17
Speaker 2: The players?

00:02:18
Speaker 3: Yea a little h dust up. I'm surprised we got the band back together following that player.

00:02:25
Speaker 1: The drama and a lot of drama involving the players. What are you guys looking forward to this week at Chinnacock.

00:02:34
Speaker 2: I mean, I think obviously answer is the course, right, I think I mean the first two days that's gonna be the story. The players are great, you know, Phill's going for the crew and it slam, Tiger's looking for a major, et cetera, et cetera. But I mean, I think it's all about the course. Is a pretty awesome sight.

00:02:51
Speaker 3: Uh yeah, I think it's it's definitely the course, which is hard to It's hard to say when you have Tiger Woods playing in his first major or first US Open in three years. But I think that's how you know how much of a heavyweight venue we have this year. Like if it's at Aaron Hills or Chambers Bay, you're gonna get that usual like all the course content, course drama, but Tiger is kind of one a still, and that's one b I think probably outside of the golf the golf world, you know, listeners of this podcast is still going to be a little bit about Tiger. But I think there's this fascination with such a such a heavyweight venue.

00:03:35
Speaker 1: Yeah, I degree. I think in terms of US Open, I wrote in this first part of my course breakdown, how Shinnecock's the greatest American championship golf course out there. It's got the combination of history and then just unbelievable design. I think there's no there's no shot you can take off out there, and I think one of the things that's going to be most fascinating to watch is if the wind picks up. I mean, it's just it puts such a mental strain on players, especially over four days. It's where you have to think about every single shot over and over again. And it's just something we don't see very often. Is just masterful course design. And I think people that want to draw to Aaron Hills is the big difference is Shinnacock a is much more exposed to the elements because it's on an island and be the greens are much more severe and much more the margin for error is so much slimmer approaching them because it's not a public golf course three hundred and sixty five days a year.

00:04:50
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'd say, like reading your article, reading a few others, I'm rarely this kind of psyched about a venue. I think like that's always a part of it. That's always certainly a part of it. At the rotating major championships, you want to read up, you want to learn more and trying to familiarize yourself with the layout as much as you can. But like this is this is like a little beyond just like familiarizing yourself and being you know, enthusiastic about it, like you're actually psyched to see how these players take on such a classic course and what I guess what you're calling the best championship major championship venue.

00:05:28
Speaker 2: I just hope that, like the fairway widening and then unwidening, doesn't get too much attention. There's already been a lot about it. You know, we got it. Hopefully we can move on. But I don't know. I think the course setup is important to talk about. There's obviously different philosophies that have their own merits. But I'm getting a little bit there's been a war of words I feel like on Twitter for the last few months on course setup that I'm getting a little bit of fatigue, I think, and I just want to just kind of enjoy Shinnecock that you know, whether the phaiaways are twenty six yards, forty one yards wide or sixty five yards wide. I feel like it's a good venue, will produce a great championship.

00:06:03
Speaker 3: But that's kind of like that's just part, part and parcel at the US Open, right, I feel like it hasn't been that bad now in like the week and ten days leading into it. It's like it's part of like the breakdown of the course. But I don't feel like there's a raging debate about it as far as as far as I can tell.

00:06:18
Speaker 2: But I don't know.

00:06:19
Speaker 3: I think it's better than like screaming about like fescue being oversprayed and stuff like that.

00:06:25
Speaker 2: That's a good point. There's just there's like these two schools and neither of them will concede in. There's like the with an Angle School, which I think has its marriage. There's the old School US Open School, and like none of them will say, like I don't know, they just no one gets an aged at hey. Sometimes within a angles is great and sometimes thick rough is doable, you know for one week a year at the US Open. I just it's all you're either all in or all out.

00:06:51
Speaker 3: I feel like, well, we've got we've got the headmaster here of the with an Angles school. Uh you know why don't why he was out there last week? Eddie? What do you I want? You're like the definitive authority I want on this on this fairway narrowing, you know.

00:07:08
Speaker 1: Like it's obviously as the as a proponent of with an angles. It's always disappointing to see narrowing of fairways. That being said, I don't think that the narrowing is that bad in the sense of, you know, for the most part, the strategy the golf course is maintained. Like I don't like the one on fourteen where they cut you know, they took off the heroic line. They essentially are making everybody play in a box, whereas like if you had, you know, cut the corner there, you there's like a launch pad that would shoot balls, like you know. But for the most part, I really like, you know, the setup. I think the bigger story that people really aren't talking about is the green expansion. So the greens are all probably twenty five percent bigger, and if the USGA keeps the speed down like they've been talking about, we should see way more interesting pin locations than we've seen in years past at Shinnacock. Because one of the things with you know, I think with tilt versus speed, so everybody's always obsessed with, hey, we got to have these greens running really fast. Like the problem with that is then all of a sudden, you limit the amount of pin positions you have an amount of tilt you can have. So I think a way tougher setup is having slower greens but putting pins on in locations that have more tilt. So we should see that this this week with the setup and you know, getting some interesting pins and corners with tilt.

00:08:49
Speaker 2: No, the funny thing to be is with green expansion, Like people understand the merits of it, like, oh, you're taking these greens and recapturing some interesting hole locations because the greens become circular over time and shrink over time. But people don't always understand the merits of fairway expansion. They think like, oh, you're just giving guys a bigger target so they can spray all over the place. It's like, no, we're making the greens bigger to get simple whole locations back, just like we make fairways wider to get some of the cool old lines off the t back. It's it's just funny to me that they people understand one aspect of making this target bigger but not the other.

00:09:25
Speaker 3: So I have a question like this seems obvious, but how different a golf course is it with a twenty six yard average versus what it is today? Like, all right, the players I mean, like it's the bigger issue the green expand, Like I'm wondering if they're still hitting into the same spots and taking the same lines. It's just that are wider landing areas. Obviously, the angles are like the core crunch shot thing is you know, it was done with the USBA, but like that creates a wholes two angles for like member play and you know, the worst player. But how different of a course is it with I mean, it seems obvious that it's much different, but is that the case for sure?

00:10:03
Speaker 1: So the the other overlooked thing that happened was they changed in like two thousand and one, the USJA recommended they switched to rye grass from fescue, and Fescu's like the best grass you could possibly have to play off of. It's firm and fast, it's drought tolerant like you know, but rye grass produces this lush, thick rough but it needs tons of water. So what happened in two thousand and four was they cut the water and like the rye grass just died, you know, and the fairways, so that was part of the problem. And with the fescue grass, since it plays firmer and faster. What in those fairways you saw at Brendan and you playing there, like they aren't like straight lines, like you're hitting them into angles. So when you have really firm and fast fairways, it's not like they're tiny. It's not like they're massive. So the ball you have to hit it on the right line and the right distance with them being so firm and fast, so it's not like the faraways are mega wide like you can't you can't spray the ball and get away with it. I think the other interesting thing with the rough, like the little rough that's out there, is that that the rough's gonna be taller. It's not as thick because it's fescue. It's thin. But like what happens, the ball sinks down, ball might sit up. It's really unpredictable. And what it does is it entices players to try and hit heroic shots. Like when they get into a disadvantaged location, they don't just chip out. They might try and hit the shot that's really low percentage because you know it plays against their ego, so you could see an unbelievable recovery shot. But at the same time, more times out of ten these guys are going to get themselves into even worse positions and then all of a sudden it brings in double triple bogie. I think that is really the benefit of the wider fairaways and the fest Sku grass change is that you get people thinking they're okay in bad spots. And something that's interesting when I had Mark Brody on the podcast is like strokes gain doesn't account for angles, so like, yeah, there's no so you can't ever like you can't prove like, hey, if you hit it to this side of the fairway, like you might be further and closer and that that's good, but you could be in a worse position. But strokes gain doesn't account for that. That's just going to say, hey, this is you know, this is you just gained two strokes on the field, Whereas you could be like I think like a perfect hole to watch would be eight. If you play, if you play up the right, you're in a horrible place. You've got like a semi blind approach and a really bad angle. You can't get it close to some of the pins. But if you hit it, you know far, like they're going to say, you're going to gain strokes if you hit it up the left, it's like wide open into the green. So it's a it's a shot that looks completely different on the right side than the left side.

00:13:01
Speaker 3: Yeah, I just say, like, you know, getting back to the rough my not that I'm any kind of barometer for what's gonna happen this week, but my first shot, I yanked it into the high stuff and that was like in this clump of clump of grass where I couldn't even like get the club face on it. It was just kind of like this crapshoot, almost like a like a pineer's waist area type thing. I mean, it's obviously not as you know, it's much more uniform than that kind of thing, but there are like it's thinned out, there are areas where you can play it in, there are areas where it might be impossible to get the club face on it. And I thought, you know what kind of what's the first cut right up the fairway? Is that just that's yeah? Okay, so I thought that was you know, I mean, that was three weeks ago. That seemed to be pretty healthy and that old style us open stuff that some of those guys might like. I mean, it's not the worst of the worst, but it was not pleasant.

00:13:57
Speaker 1: So moving on for the course. Outside of you know, obviously Tiger is the big storyline. What else are you guys watching.

00:14:05
Speaker 2: Well, it's the one person on this pod who hasn't played Shannacock. I'll go first. I guess I'm really excited about Justin Rose's chances this week. And I don't know, I just like watching him play golf, so I know it's not an extreme take, but I don't know, Man, he's on some kind of run. I know. I mean, Dustin and JT are gonna get a lot of the attention this week. Obviously they're one and two and in the world ranking and the FedEx Cup. They've obviously kind of separated them themselves right now. Tiger Phil the usual stuff. But I feel like Justin Rose, I mean, the guy's number third three in the World's not going out on a limb he or anything, but I mean, top tens and fifteen to the last twenty starts, four wins, put on a clinic at Memorial and I feel like that guy when he's just striping it, there's it's something to watch, and I just, I don't know, became a big justin Rose fan kind of watching a colonial.

00:14:49
Speaker 3: I think it's back to the Course is number one. I think it's Tiger and Phil again. I kind of want to see, you know, how many more chances do these guys have. I know that's like a boring, well not a boring, but it's certainly not original. But I think like Tiger has struck the ball pretty well. I mean, he's struck it really well at Memorial. I think like there are holes here where I think he's going to be happy to hit his stainer, you know, over and over again, and that hopefully will keep him in the game. Off the tee, I think playing with I think he's with JT and DJ, the first two guys. That could be interesting as everyone tries to like match clubhead speeds and ball speeds and all that stuff. But I definitely can't wait to watch Tiger. I think like, if you asked me a month or so ago what his chances were, I'd be like, he has no chance. But I think, like I was, I don't know, hardened by the showing up Memorial from a ball striking perspective, and kind of you know, what's become less and less wild putting is more of a fickle thing that can come to you faster than say, you know, a swing defect that's you can't figure out, or a release pattern that you can't find. But of course he could put like crap again and have no shot. I just think he's got much more of a chance than I thawt he would.

00:16:21
Speaker 2: He just he's still like getting used to contending. I feel like like he made these surges at Memorial and then it always fell back, you know, at the players he hit in the water on seventeen. Even looking back at like Ben Everel did something for us on his top ten chances to when a major since Tory Pines, And there are always times where he had he was in good position after two rounds and fell back on the weekends. Like there's I mean, not that the guy needs to relearn how to win or something, but there's just something missing. I don't know if it's nerves, or if it's just back of experience being in that position for the last five years or what, but he just I don't know, it's just he has trouble keeping it going all the way. I guess crossing the finish line.

00:17:01
Speaker 3: I mean, I think that's a subtle thing people don't like to talk about out in the open is that there have been chances and they'll just say, on he won five times in twenty thirteen, but he also kind of was in a great shot at Mierfield and faded on the weekend at oak Hill and did that handful of times Prior that. The intervening like back troubles and all the other health issues over the last five years, may have obscured a bit a thing that might might be lingering in there. That's like getting in the heat of a weekend at a major, he might need to test again.

00:17:40
Speaker 2: I mean as a competitor, he has to. I mean, he knows his chances are dwindlings. That adds pressure. I mean he's you know, he's older, he's four back surgery. He knows that there's not that many more chances to win a major. So that just adds so much pressure.

00:17:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I agree. I think he's rounding into form. Like from the ball striking perspective, like that's a lot harder to like, that's a lot harder to get to, but it also stays longer. The putters, I mean, like I've never he's always been like the greatest putter of all time, and you look at what's happened the last couple of weeks. I mean, he's a putter away from winning. So that tells me that it's close to there. But with everything, there's so much rust accumulated when you've played, you know, sparing golf for the last really like five six years, so it's you know, he hasn't been regularly competing for you know, a couple of years. That's hard, especially when you get uncomfortable. And I think that's the thing with golf. You see it at every level. It's like it takes an adjustment for most high school kids to go to college, college kids to turn pro. You know, the few automatically adjust and everything. But at a pro level, you know at pros Web to PGA Tour, PGA Tour, you know, winning on the PGA Tour to contending in a major, contending in a major to winning in a major, they are all these different kind of areas, And I agree with you, Sean, they's got a little bit of a learning curve to get back into it. That being said, like I don't think I expect I would be surprised if Tiger won.

00:19:20
Speaker 3: I mean do you think he'll bomb out?

00:19:22
Speaker 1: No, like right I think, I mean, I think he's going to be there, but I just don't think right now he is at the same level as you know, dj A, you know JT or even rory A. You know, if I if I'm watching, you know one group that kind of intrigues me looking at Tea times as the Matsuyama, Leashman and Scholar group. You know, all three of those guys haven't won a major. All three have been really close to major championships. Hideki was really sensational. I saw he jumped like thirty spots and strokes gained a approach just from his performance to the memorial. You know, he had that wrist injury lingered for a while, and I think we haven't really seen him in top form for a while. But I think when you look at Shinnacock, it it is a course that should fit hit Deecki's game really well. He played great at Aaron Hills, which has some similarities. And then I you know, one of the things that's underrat about Hideki's top ten and strokes gained around the greens this.

00:20:25
Speaker 2: Year back to Tiger Quick too. How good was he playing going into Augusta, of course that he knows and has so much success on, and he struggled there, and ever going to Shinnacock where he played in ninety five and with drew in the second round with the wrist injury, and then he played No. Four, finished seventeenth and really contended. So I mean the fact that he couldn't. I don't know that he didn't get it done in Augusta. I don't think he'll bomb out. I agree with that, but it's gonna be hard to do it, of course, where he does not have a lot of a lot of experience to draw back on.

00:20:56
Speaker 1: I mean that being said, nobody in the field really has experience.

00:21:00
Speaker 2: It's also true, but I think it just helps that much more when you're a guy trying to piece together.

00:21:06
Speaker 3: I guess my point was like, not that he's not gonna win. I just feel a lot better about his chances than a month, month or two ago, when I, you know, assumed he'd be hitting the balls, hitting balls out of the fascue more than he wasn't more than he was in the fairway. It just seems like he's learning to or not learning, but managing a different style and managing his own swing in a different way and then at the start of the year. But yeah, I don't know. I be getting back to Hideki And do you feel like that it favors a kind of player because you know, you say it tests all parts of the game. I've seen people already say it's it's a bomber is gonna win. I think Ted Scott was tweeting that somebody else and that also I also saw Graham McDonell played I think it was Doug Ferguson's stories like this, like the first one in a while. I feel like I'm not out of it because of distance, Like I feel like this is back to pure pure ball striking, pure iron us mentality, us open mentality.

00:22:00
Speaker 1: So I start I saw that tweet from Ted Scott, but like my, my, like instant reaction is like, well, what is a bomber? Like you know, everybody almost like the three quarters of the tour hits it over three hundred yards, like you know, like what is a bomber? Is Jordan Speed's like what like the fortieth and in driving distance, like is he a bomber? I mean people will say, oh, he's not a bomber, but he is a like three hundred you know, three hundred plus. It's uh, I think.

00:22:31
Speaker 3: Yeah, I feel like when we say it's a bomber's course or like elimited in like five guys who aren't gonna win anyways.

00:22:37
Speaker 1: You know, these days I was I was putting together like my long Shots article, and I was thinking about, like, Okay, you got to have everything dialed in almost any us open this this one. You got to have all the skills, like you can't be like grossly deficient at one aspect of the game and succeed at shinnecock. I think if I was going to pick one skill that's most important, and I think it's the approach. I think you get a lot of uneven lies with the fairways that will separate the really class iron players from another. And the other thing is it's always it's always pretty windy out there because of how exposed the side is, So that is putting a little bit more premium when you go into these really tough repelling greens on distance control, and the best iron players have the best distance control, So when you're hitting off side hills, downhills, uphill lies, it gets tougher to control distances, and then with the wind it's tougher to control distances. So I really kind of think I'm looking at Iron players, which is why, like Sean said, I really love Justin Rose. He plays well Augusta. I think looking at Augusta in terms of like the side hill lies and the different lies you get, is a good comp to look at. Is like, okay, like driving might not be as important as say, at Marion, like driving, you know, I think the real shorton's will be with approach. So I like guys like Leishman is a guy that I really like because he likes ferm and fast conditioned and he's world class with Irons. Same with Decki Bryson.

00:24:13
Speaker 3: I like Bryson again, Bryson's got He's gonna be all dialed then I am. He's one of my you know, obvious picks or you know, contenders, one of my favorites this week. What about Ricky, I've thought about that kind of like, you know, he's got his life's now settled, he's finally found peace off the course, that's what we'll get. That narrative jammed into the broadcast about twenty times this week. But uh, Ricky and Rose seem to be like convenient picks for everybody. I the issue with Rose is just like everybody is now taking him all the time. Everybody took him at the Master. It's hard to ignore his record. It's just, you know, he's somehow more under the radar pick than saying Rory DJ Justin Thomas and Speed. You know. But but that's that's the only thing that scares me off, is just like that's not original anymore to say Rose, So.

00:25:16
Speaker 2: Fun factoids I thought I found I was part of myself for this. Granted is a different era, older guys won majors, but all three winners at Shannacock in the modern era were thirty five plus and the last two we're top ten in the world ranking. So I mean, that's Rose right there, right the only guy thirty three in the top ten in the world ranking. And I think, I mean, I think it's part of I think every golf course obviously rewards experience and skill. Those are two good things to have. But I think I feel like Shannakock just seems like you have to have a very mature game to win there. I don't know exactly what that means, but just feels very justin Rosie, very very controlled, very precise. So probably Rose and two whole playoff over Hideki is kind of what I'm going to predict.

00:25:57
Speaker 1: Paul's starting to Paul could be a good too.

00:26:01
Speaker 3: That was your players pick right then he withdrew.

00:26:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, killing me, but top He's eleventh, he's older, great iron player, been around in majors plenty of times. Finally won this year the first time in a while.

00:26:19
Speaker 3: So I've started to talking myself into a little bit. I haven't made a pick yet, but I'm talking myself into a back to back Keptka when Ben since Curtis Strange I think was the last one eighty eight eighty nine. But I'm kind of talking. He just seems under the radar, if that makes sense. Obviously, he's been hurt most of the first quarter of the year posted what sixty three is that the players and colonial I just feel like he's kind of fully back and ready to go again. I'm really talking myself into a Keptka repeat.

00:26:51
Speaker 2: He doesn't get enough credit for how consistently well he plays in major rovers.

00:26:55
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, he played well in every type of major off course too.

00:27:03
Speaker 2: The last time he finished outside well, he finished t twenty one at the twenty sixteen Masters. He's finished no worse than thirteenth since.

00:27:13
Speaker 3: And like his stats are kind of all out of whack this year because he was playing hurt there for a few rounds, you know, and then didn't play for much of the year. So it's I just I think you kind of you're taking hopefully a slice of the recency, you know, a little recency bias, but taking those last few starts. His obvious natural talent, his ability to hit it far. I think I just think he's, you know, kind of maybe a US Open type player that contends here for decades, like occurd of strange.

00:27:48
Speaker 2: And his short game was so impressive at Saint Jude, which is gonna be sure this week.

00:27:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, Yeah, he's an underrated great putter.

00:27:57
Speaker 2: Also, going back to twenty fourteen US Open in Pinehurst, where he finished fourth, he has two finishes outside the top twenty five in majors.

00:28:07
Speaker 3: It's pretty good. I think I'm I think I'm sawing myself on that rethat as I don't know, also not the most interesting pick, but I think I'm gonna go for it.

00:28:18
Speaker 1: You guys, who do you think is going to like who's your your long shot. Say a guy that's outside of the top twenty five in the world that could, you know, I don't think. I don't think they'll win, But a guy that you could, you wouldn't be surprised to see up there in the top five, top ten.

00:28:36
Speaker 2: I'm gonna say, you Line playing well, some signs of life out of him, solid rookie season, obviously a guy with some pedigree going back to his amateur days. He's I think got some linksy experience. Maybe you know, played well at Quail Hollow, played a well memorial.

00:28:58
Speaker 3: You know, Peter you line, what about Oost? Kind of kind of ball struck I could interest you in. I don't know, I don't. I mean, he's forty to one, he's thirtieth in the thirty third in the world right now. I don't know that he's really Especially with him, it's like if he cares.

00:29:19
Speaker 1: He's got the Grand Grand Slam of runner ups right right.

00:29:24
Speaker 2: I might go to the South African right behind him in the world ranking with Brandon Grease hits that low stinger T shot which is good in the wind, played well. Triney Forest appreciates good architecture appreciates with the angles.

00:29:34
Speaker 1: Almost one at Chambers Bay too.

00:29:37
Speaker 3: No train tracks. There is a road you get hit it on, but that's you know, there are no train tracks to launch it onto. That's although I guess you could make it in there a temporary Long Island railroad stop somewhere in the vicinity. So but yeah, he's obviously he's a great pick too. That's a dark horse. What about you, Andy, I got it.

00:29:56
Speaker 1: I got a couple I got. I got Trade mullen Ax top ten at last year yours US Open. He finished top or T six last week at Saint Jude, and he had what second at Valero. I think, like you know, when you're looking for like a really long shot guy, I like mull n Ax. He's I know, he's switched coaches this year and he's been way way more consistent than he was last year. But I just look at his game and I think it's it's really fit well for major championships. He's you look at like a guy like you line is a good pick. I think because he's a class player, like you know, he knows how to play proper golf. He you know, I had decorated amateur career and I think with when you look at places like Shinnacock, Shinnecock is is closer to what these guys played regularly on the summer amateur tournament circuit than it is to your weekly tournament to tour stop like it is. You know this. To play Shinnakock, you really know have to know how to play golf like real golf. Like it's not like you can fire at every flag, Like there's benefits to being below the hole at Shinnecock Hills versus like just hitting it at You know that it's just a different style golf where it rewards players that really know how to play. I think we see it. You know this is why no rookies ever wonted the Masters. You you really have to understand how to play golf in the golf course to succeed at a course like Shnnacock. I like camp Smith. He hasn't been playing very well lately, but t three at at Chambers Bay and then he had a top five at the Masters. So I like camp Smith. I think his his game fits well. I like the Australians, the South.

00:31:40
Speaker 3: See like a sand belt, or at least knows the firm and fast.

00:31:43
Speaker 1: Golf, and when you know, they just have a little bit more Their game is more field base than than the point and shoot. That's traditional in American golf.

00:31:54
Speaker 3: Even well and X seems great, but I uh, disqualified him on his Vineyard Vines scripting. Just do that shirt now coming out with it's like red and then there's a strip that's the New York City skyline in white like across the chest and then blue above it. It's just brutal. I mean, what it's like. I think, you know, I don't know what kind of autonomy you have, but you know, I think you're talking about all the numbers you're telling me about all this game and I'm bringing I think like Vineyard Vines might have knocked him out of you know, it might be all moot for that that horrendous T shirt he's got. Is that like empire state building, like going into his one nipple or something. It's just it's not a good I don't get it. They're just crowbarring this like patriotism into everything because it's the US open, you know.

00:32:48
Speaker 1: Is that why you're down on Sergio because they got him looking like a Texan again?

00:32:53
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't think. I mean That's obviously the most mind boggle anyone is they put all these these companies probably warners in the American flag, drape them in red, white and blue, Like, come on, guys, just because it's the US Open, we don't need to like force the issue here, Like I don't. It makes no sense. Guys from Spain, they got them looking like he's you know, big texts. It's just it's it's that's that's my old US Open take.

00:33:20
Speaker 2: Do you know want the equipment company is giving the red, white and blue bags to foreign players.

00:33:25
Speaker 3: I think it's just all a little too forced. But you know, they have they have brands to build and things to sell, and you know, impressions to make and things like that. But I think, like if you stop and think for a minute, like it kind of doesn't make a whole lot of sense for some guy from wherever, Sweden or Spain or Ireland to be dressed like, you know, he's Uncle Sam. Like, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

00:33:52
Speaker 2: But whatever, I wish he was dressed like Uncle Sam. That would be scripting. That's scripting I can get into.

00:33:58
Speaker 1: I think player scripting is overrated. It's gotten way too overrated. I think like I wouldn't like it as a player. I want to wear whatever I felt like wearing that day.

00:34:09
Speaker 2: You know, I agree.

00:34:12
Speaker 1: You should be able to divert from what you what they say you have to wear. You know.

00:34:17
Speaker 3: Problem is they have these contracts and these are their four events with all the exposure. I don't know, It's just doesn't make a lot of sense that in the forced like New York thing, like is this anything Like when you think like Shitnakok Hills and the Hamptons, it's not like they're trying to ram this in like you're going to Yankee Stadium or something, or like the Mets game. There's like all these like idiots with accents screaming stuff like it's not it's like a different scene, different vibe than they're just you know, this is New York. It's not New York. It's the Hampton's. You're an hour away and you are not that page.

00:34:56
Speaker 1: It should be like you're in uh, you're in past, you know, and preppy ass shit. You know.

00:35:05
Speaker 3: But no, we're gonna get this whole like, oh, it's this is New York Golf, Big Apple. It's not at all so mother pet peeve.

00:35:15
Speaker 1: Here seems to be a good time to talk about a factor of which could loom large in this championship. Hydration. Remember when DJ was using deer antler spray. Hydration might be the new legal way to have a leg up. The best way to stay hydrated is greater than the Delicious Clean Sports Drink. It has two times of electrolytes and no added sugars to give you the best possible chance to play well. Buy greater than at drinkgt dot com and if you sign up for their subscription service, you will get a free fried Egg hat this week. Or use the promo code the fried Egg with No Spaces for twenty percent off your first purchase. Purchase greater than at drinkgt dot com. So we got a question in about amateurs. You know, this is the podcast for amateur Golf Smart and you just you just you're fresh off the NCAA. Is who you who you liking for low am.

00:36:12
Speaker 2: Uh? Maybe Doug gim going for the double. Stewart Hagastad's got a little you know, metch Bolt and Golf Association experience that could serve him well. I thought he was retired from competitive golf and it's not a sectionals. Now he's playing. Uh, I'm gonna go big Stu hagastad mature game, obviously mid amateur experience in the area. I think he won the med am if I'm not mistaken. Uh, I'm gonna go big stew come out of retirement to brush off another low amatea just blue blood golf course.

00:36:44
Speaker 1: Why why is gim still an amateur.

00:36:47
Speaker 2: To play Shittacock, baby, I guess that is. I mean, I think you know Doc turn pro to play Memorial. Personally, I would have probably waited. I understand the importance of getting starts, but I mean Shinnacock seems worth it to wait a couple weeks. You'll see a fair amount of guys finish out their career at the US Open, just because you know, if you you had NCAA's and then if you didn't get into Memphis, Uh, yeah, you had no reason to turn pro until after the US Open and then started travelers. A lot of guys start their careers as travelers. So I think this is just a a farewell to amateur golfer.

00:37:21
Speaker 3: Doug gam Does game get an Open championship EXEMPTU? Is that just the winner? Because I know, like there's McCormick medal. There's a couple that because I never understood just wait, you know, some of the guys bouncing after the US Open just give it another like three or four weeks and play the Open Championship too.

00:37:36
Speaker 2: There are some of these places that will give you starts, like the Travelers and the National.

00:37:41
Speaker 3: Sure.

00:37:42
Speaker 2: I think that's why.

00:37:45
Speaker 1: I think I'm going with I think Thornberry. I want to go with him. But Thornberry is a stud. You know, he's won a ton and as a college player NCAA when he's got you know, he's got top t four from last year's FedEx Saint Jude. He finished top twenty five this week there or last week there. So I just think he's a guy that that he can really get in there and and be, you know, be able to handle the moment. Well I think I mean, I like Doug gim too, but I think I'm going with uh with with Big Braiden.

00:38:26
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's my Braiden holtby Braiden Thornberry. It's like a big, big month for Braiden' I'm he's my guy. He's playing with Duffner and Snedeker too, like not. That's a pretty pretty legit tea time for for an amateur. I know, he's not like the run of the mill amateur local qualifier, but that's a Those are some legit players to go off with, So he's my amateur pick.

00:38:51
Speaker 1: What do you guys think about the tea times just in general? Yeah, people are people are making big deal about featured pairings and all this this stuff. You know, Rory talked about how it should be their job to get people in the same pairing on the weekends, not at you know, at the beginning of the week. Do you think do you think that high profile pairings set up the people in those high profile pairings to fail?

00:39:19
Speaker 2: I could see it adding pressure. There's so much movement, but it's almost like the Tiger effect. It's like it's like you're playing with the Tiger effect back when Tiger was in his prime, if that makes sense, Because there's just so many people inside the ropes, and I think that's really the big thing. I mean, the fans definitely, but when people inside the ropes throws off your timing. You've got to wait for everyone to get settled. You know. People talk about pace of play and like that's A big part of it is you gotta just sit there and wait for one kind of like find their spot inside the ropes. And I think that can be a little jarring and just too then all the noise and whatnot. I could see Rory's point, but there's no there's no bigger buzz kill than like a great pairing that has two great players and then that one guy where you're like, uh, this was so close to being the perfect pairing and they threw in some raindow. So I don't know, I'm I mean, at the end of the day, there's two experiences, right. You gotta worry about what's on the ground. We also worry about what's on TV. And like Thursday Friday, you know, you've got you want to give people. You want people watching your tournament, and so you got to feel what they want. It's entertainment.

00:40:19
Speaker 3: It's an entertainment business. I just I think, like you can't just spread them out all over the t sheet with you know, Eric Axley or whoever. You know, they just like you gotta it's an entertainment business. You gotta. You know, the TV pays the bills, sponsors play the bills, and I think he's got a point about it. Maybe you know what what did uh at Riviera? I think Thomas said what it costs him like half a stroke playing with Tiger. Tiger probably gets you know, has to be two strokes better than everyone else, just because of the galleries around Tiger, you know. I think there is some like merit to playing in a featured group having some impact on your on your round. But I think like it's an entertainment business at the end of the day, and and putting them together, like there's really not there's not much else. There's not the alternative there. I don't think there really is an alternative, to be honest with you. They're not going to like spread them out all over the place with one star and a couple of lesser known guys.

00:41:20
Speaker 2: I haven't done it yet because it'd be a lot of work they all see if someone else to do it, But it'd be a really interesting to look at guys. It'd be hard, could be a small sample size, but guys strokes gain total when they playing a feature group versus the rest of the year, and like see if there's a marked difference, and be hard because guys so rarely playing feature groups. Except for maybe four or five big names. But that would be one way to look at it. I'd be very curious about that.

00:41:43
Speaker 1: Yeah, and like guys like DJ and jt A and featured groups every single time.

00:41:48
Speaker 2: Sure.

00:41:49
Speaker 1: Yeah, So let's say, uh, let's say somebody's going out and watching golf this week, and obviously you know I you got the big groups, But what's the one what are the groups flying under the radar? You'd recommend, Hey, if you want to go watch golf, go watch these groups or.

00:42:09
Speaker 2: Group Bryson, Fitzie and Couture.

00:42:14
Speaker 3: That's exactly what I was going to say. No, you're good, go for it. I think that's a great one. Go ahead. I mean the all amateur former amateur winners, some different styles. Obviously, Peter I was.

00:42:32
Speaker 1: Looking at that one too. I think it would be you got what about big Spain group.

00:42:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a great one.

00:42:41
Speaker 2: That was a I mean, what's up with that one? I mean it's the US Open. I don't know, it's just what we started putting. What do we put all the Swedes together?

00:42:47
Speaker 1: I think they're trying to see who they can deck out in more American gear of the Spaniard.

00:42:54
Speaker 3: How about Aaron Battley, you got tossed into the with the Canucks. If you know that that amateur NHL REP three, like Garrett Rank, guys like at NHL.

00:43:04
Speaker 1: You really play, Yeah.

00:43:05
Speaker 3: But they put them with Mackenzie Hughes and then they just like tacked on Aaron Baddeley while playing with whoever? Like why's battlely in that one.

00:43:14
Speaker 2: I don't understand that Ranks, Well, Badley was born in New Hampshire, which is almost Canada.

00:43:20
Speaker 3: Of course, come with.

00:43:21
Speaker 2: That Rank coming off Rank's coming off a tough week. Dogwood amateur guys, so I don't know he's got to rebound from that too.

00:43:29
Speaker 1: That's what you're here for, Dogwood amateur talk.

00:43:34
Speaker 3: I think that that Henley Wise and U Line is probably the one that takes a cake.

00:43:39
Speaker 1: No, yeah, I'd say that that's a good one. I mean, Fleetwood, Bullinari and Norn is gonna go. People aren't going to be watching that, I don't think as much as they should. That would be a really good group of Alex Norn could be a good pick this week. I think that the one that caught my eye was Henley Wise and you Line. I think that you got three really talented younger guys, you know, sub thirty guys, and you know, wise might end up being the most you know, one of the most dominant, you know, top five players on the tour in the next five years.

00:44:18
Speaker 3: Casey Kodaira and Grace's another one that's not bad. You know, three different styles, international flavor, you know, broad horizons, two heritage champions.

00:44:29
Speaker 1: You got you got China, South Korea and Thailand with Kira Ditch, Big wu Wu and how Tom.

00:44:38
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a questionable. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know about doing that one.

00:44:43
Speaker 1: What if Big wu Wu capture takes down the US Open, Like, will he finally get the respect he deserves?

00:44:52
Speaker 2: Hopefully? Right?

00:44:53
Speaker 3: I think he gets the respect he deserves in these quarters, and that's all that matters. I just I think it's kind of a problem in there by the yes Ja but who knows.

00:45:03
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's uh all right, So uh let's get into some overrated underrated what all right? I guess let's talk about DJ.

00:45:12
Speaker 2: Is it?

00:45:12
Speaker 1: Can you guys like DJ this week rolling off like is he gonna break this? Nobody ever wins the week before a major curse.

00:45:19
Speaker 2: Nah, he's staying I was talking to someone about this yesterday. It's not like it's like the whole Oh it's hard to follow up a low round with another one, which everyone says until someone shows, like sixty one sixty two in Las Vegas. But it's just the like, the odds of winning for DJ are like what four percent, five percent maybe a little higher maybe I don't know. I'm not an oddsman. Uh, And so he won, and then the this week again the odds are four or five percent. Well, what are the odds of something that has a five percent probability happening back to back? They're not good. It's not like I think the winning especially for DJ, a guy who doesn't get very stressed out. He's pretty relaxed. It was a pretty easy victory, kind of rolled down the stretch like it doesn't hurt at all, Like it's not like he wasted all his good shots in Memphis like he fit. I think it just helps. He won pretty easily, feels pretty good, and now he's gonna try to win again, Like I don't know, I just think that's an overdone storyline that really is just some pretty simple probability.

00:46:15
Speaker 1: Like last year he won, Uh won three events in a row and he finished, you know, t second and the next one out. So I kind of think. I think DJ, and I think a lot of the players, like we saw it with JT earlier this year, is that it's all about getting hot at the right time, and you know, winning is about a couple of things going the right way. Obviously, DJ was gonna win that tournament last week because he played exceptionally well, and he's the best player in the world, like the him and you know, he's one of the best players in the world. Whenever one of the top seven or eight guys plays their best, they're probably gonna win.

00:46:52
Speaker 2: Uh.

00:46:52
Speaker 1: It's I think when you get into a major, it's about getting a few breaks too, So I think it's it's a good thing. I think. I think he'll be I would guess that he's gonna finish in the top ten. I'd be surprised if he didn't, would you guys, Yeah.

00:47:06
Speaker 3: That's the thing. I was like winning as much lower probability, but I would be surprised if he wasn't, you know, yeah, top fifteen, top twenty. And of course we said this last year and then he Day and Rory all got completely ejected from Aaron Hills. Last year was a little different. He was injured and just had his kid. Life was not settled entirely off the course as he was, you know, watching his second child being born and then jetted right up. But I don't know, he never us opens kind of can go sideway so fast that you know, the highest ranked players all of a sudden are completely ejected.

00:47:41
Speaker 1: Do you think Backstopping is going to consider to be continue to be center stage as we get into this week?

00:47:48
Speaker 3: Oh my god, I can't believe the fury over this. I guess. You know, Jimmy just really cop to it. You know, he's like just game, put it on a platter for like everyone's just been waiting for someone to to turn. And whether he unwittingly did it or not, he certainly you know. It's slightly more interesting, I guess than Fescu Gate, you know, dominating the first two or three days last year. But I don't, I don't. I think it's despite the many vocal I think it's not right and it's not a great practice, but the fury on Twitter might not be commensurate with the actual world problem that it is.

00:48:35
Speaker 1: So it's amazing to see a professional player a Benich to breaking the rules but be also not knowing a very basic rule of right.

00:48:46
Speaker 2: Well.

00:48:46
Speaker 3: I think the worst part of it though, is like it's he made it into like a popularity thing. It's like it's not just he's not just breaking the rule, he's also selectively applying.

00:48:57
Speaker 2: All planning partners are going back to their head like did he ball when he played with me or not? There was this whole other angle too, of like Aaron kept coming in with like, well, you know Twitter, you don't really understand what people are saying, and like there was like veiled like people were wondering like what was he joking? Is he messing with us right now? Is he reverse trolling? Like there's a whole other, like subtle angle of like what's actually going on here? Did he really just come clean or was it a joke or was it some weird sarcat I don't know. There's a whole like subplot that is waiting to be unveiled. It sounds like yeah.

00:49:33
Speaker 3: I mean, as someone who's a media member, I'm very half happy that a lot of these guys have Twitter accounts. But if I was an agent, I'd probably tell them not to have a Twitter account or just delete it. I mean, unless you're some big, little brand brand boy, like you know, cars and some mortgages and stuff like that, then you need it. But I just I don't think you really need it if you're Jimmy Walker.

00:49:57
Speaker 2: Jimmy's Twitter game that was underrated because like he doesn't use it very often except to insert himself in these arguments. Like he only like there's not a lot of self promotion going on. There's not a lot of like selfies from the Bahamas. Like it's only to like and he doesn't mind coming out, you know, guns blazing, I guess Texas metaphor, but like he doesn't mind just just diving right in to give his take. It's you know, usually Twitter's like this curated kind of corporate vehicle, uh more and more. That's what it's used for, as you pointed out, But like he just comes in just to like stir things up.

00:50:30
Speaker 3: Well he did it with the ball.

00:50:32
Speaker 1: Right, Yeah. Yeah, he's a he's a company man, Walker, Texas backstopper.

00:50:40
Speaker 2: You've been waiting for that one.

00:50:42
Speaker 1: It was in the news. I Mean, it seems like he's always getting in tips with Clayton and Shackleford.

00:50:55
Speaker 3: Is that well, yeah, it's very different kind of And the thing is, he's what is he He's like almost forty right. I mean he's been through you know, did the mini tour thing, and you know it was a super talent and kind of late bloomer. I think it's just interesting to hear him because he's not this this teenager who came up playing a certain kind of way, with only a certain kind of equipment, with only you know, this whole backstopping, you know, backstopping phenomenon in play. Since he's been in whatever his first year on tour, he's kind of been through it all. It's weird to see him so vehemently take one kind of mindset that's you'd think would be a younger generation.

00:51:33
Speaker 1: I think I actually like Locker this week.

00:51:37
Speaker 2: You know, he's playing well, he's got his game back. Aaron did make me very nervous. Aaron put out a very stern warning that like Long Island is the center of the lime disease problem and walking through tall grass is the East way to get it. And I was like, cool, great, now that's all I mean, it's what Shinnakok is This tall grass and Long Island.

00:51:56
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, they have signage out. You see signage. It's basically like if you walk through this tall grass, take a shower at when you get home, and call your doctor if you feel fatigue and sick. It's like that's all. They have signage all over the course and watch for ticks.

00:52:11
Speaker 2: Basically, I couldn't think I'm a pants man not shorts.

00:52:15
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah it is.

00:52:16
Speaker 3: What do you think about that? I mean as as a as a hefty individual, this is like my sweet spot. You know, seventy degrees. I can wear a kind of bag, you know, some pullovers, you know, to obscure my body pipe, like it's not gonna be sweaty. It's like perfect. But what about for the course.

00:52:35
Speaker 2: I think we have to make sure to coordinate our vest our vest games. We have the same vest, not the viewer for scare.

00:52:43
Speaker 3: But that would be embarrassing if we all shout up in the same vest to follow like Big Spain at the same time.

00:52:50
Speaker 1: The h I think. I think the weather's great though, this is this is an ideal weather.

00:52:56
Speaker 3: Oh it's perfect.

00:52:57
Speaker 1: Couldn't be better weather for championship Gone, you.

00:53:00
Speaker 3: Think US Open, you just think like eighty and humid or eighty five in the humid.

00:53:05
Speaker 2: All US Open should be Long Island or California.

00:53:08
Speaker 3: You know what, what do you think what's going to do for the course.

00:53:10
Speaker 1: It's just you can just get a little bit more aggressive with a golf course when it's not like you have to when it's hot and humid, you have to worry about diseases and everything. I don't I don't know everything about turf, but I know that when it's when it's cooler, it you know, the grass doesn't grow as much, so you can you can push it a little bit more. I don't think they want to get the greens that fast, but they can certainly if it especially if the wind picks up, I think it will be a little firm. It will be real firm fast, which will be ideal for championship golf. I think, you know, we're just getting good karma because you know, the golf gods know that we don't have a real major championship in uh in August. You know, we're playing Belle Reeven in Saint Louis. It's going to be one hundred and one hundred percent humidity every day. So it's just the world balancing us out, just amazing.

00:54:07
Speaker 3: The PGA is kind of like a firestone firestone, I don't know, firestone light, like a w GC sight.

00:54:15
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, this year's all time low.

00:54:19
Speaker 3: So wait what so real quick? Then it seems like we're getting ideal deal weather not if not ideal, but not bad of course, seems to be perfect. There's not too many complaints. Where can we get into track?

00:54:33
Speaker 2: How can you shut We already saw the tweets coming in today.

00:54:39
Speaker 3: I'm so far in my head on that, Like I actually prefer it now, Like I wish got people.

00:54:45
Speaker 2: I wish people would not about the shuttles. It's not a good look for the profession.

00:54:49
Speaker 3: Oh, I think it's great too. I'm so deep in the process now that I actually want it.

00:54:54
Speaker 2: I actually don't mind a decent shut right at the end of the day, you just time to clear the head. You know, you can talk to people. I don't know. It's not you're sitting in an air conditioned vehicle. It's not like you're from being forced to hiked ten miles back to our hotel.

00:55:08
Speaker 3: Well, how can the USJA f it up? How can the course get somehow get screwed up?

00:55:12
Speaker 1: Is the ruling probably green speeds. Yeah, they let the I think if the less the slower, the I like it being, you know, twelve on the stemp or eleven on the stimp and keeping like all the pins available, you're you're not going to get yourself in any trouble. But if they what I don't I if the wind doesn't blow, I think there's scoring available, and I just worry that what will happen is some good number numbers will go up and people will freak out, like the game has has changed completely, Like this is not this golf isn't the same now as it was in nineteen ninety four. Like it's different, Like so don't hold on to par, like it doesn't matter, like a really good golf course. Like what we will probably see is we'll see the best player separate himself, you know. And I think the best five to ten players will have a chance going into into Sunday, But a lot of people will be really far out of it, and you'll be talking about, well, with Tiger or Rory, they'll be saying, well, they could they could win if they shoot twenty nine. If they shoot twenty nine on the front nine, then they got a chance, like we'll see that, but there'll be five to ten players. I wouldn't be surprised. If you know, people are hoping for plus over par scoring. I think they're scoring if if the weather is the way it looks will be, the winner is going to shoot about six under. That's my guess.

00:56:45
Speaker 3: Well, I think Phil said if the winning scorer, I think he said six under somewhere five to seven under, then the USCA got it right. If it's like an even par, then something went wrong but they didn't do it. They didn't set it up properly.

00:56:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, I kind of agree. Like unless like it's wind picks up one day, you're going to see carnage. Like that's when this golf course is like an unbearably hard but like it just scoring does not mean like I think like one of the most important things is like the difference between hard and challenging. Like hard is like challenging I think is better than hard, where you know it's difficult, it's still difficult, but it it allows you to succeed, you know, challenging like it's not just overly hard. And I think challenging is what we want to see. We want to see great shots rewarded with birdies. We don't want to see just like a bogie fest, Like I want to see great shots, you know, and I want to see people hit recovery shots. And I might be in the minority, but I think this is the type of golf course that allows for that. It's not a chip out fest.

00:57:51
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I sent you the text as I was reading your thing last night. I think like one of the best ways I've heard the Shinnecock test, you know summed up was about that Mayweather line you used about how it's it's just kind of always laying in wait for you to make a mistake. It's not like there's not like very specific points where it's throwing giant uppercuts. You just always have to be, you know, fighting a perfectly tactical fight, and it's always, you know, testing you at all different times in different ways. And I thought that was like a perfect summation of the full tests. There's all sorts of different Part three. You can't just be, you can't just overpower it. There's so many different ways it can beat you up or catch you when you're not if you're deficient in a certain area or you hit a deficient shot.

00:58:39
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I mean that's the way I looked at that. When you play it, like every hole you could burdy out there, but every hole you can make like a boat, you double or a triple, Like you don't feel like there's no sense you're never comfortable out there. It's always forcing discomfort on players, and I think that's why it's such a great golf course.

00:59:00
Speaker 3: It just feels like the USJ is always like it's just in their nature to walk a tightrope. They're always I think though, but I just feel like, yes, given the weather, given the venue, they're walking to tightrope that's only like you know, eight feet off the ground with a net at like five feet. It just feels like for them to really like screw this one up, they have to like kind of I don't know what they really lost the plot by which they've been known to do. And as a media member, like I think they admit, you know, the media have roots for this kind of stuff because it's just you know, manna from heaven when you have players shouting about conditions or you know, them watering the green in between shots. But yeah, it just seems like they have such a they really really have to screw this one up for there to be drama.

00:59:50
Speaker 1: All right, you guys want to do some overrated underrated.

00:59:55
Speaker 2: I don't know you burned it this last time.

00:59:57
Speaker 1: We'll see you got These are all the are all a listener generated.

01:00:02
Speaker 3: So I noticed Xander Shoff's going MCMC since the players, But.

01:00:09
Speaker 2: No, it was just you know, the Frida Egg is the home of quality journalism, quality content really, you know, delves into stories, is not hot takes, and then we just get taken out of context.

01:00:19
Speaker 3: And the problem is it's put us in the untenable position of like somehow thinking Xander stinks or wanting to stink, which is not the case at all. We both loved him. It was a very There was a lot of context to those ds.

01:00:30
Speaker 1: If you roll back the safe. I told everyone that I was gonna at the next time he finishes high, I was going to call you out, like I said what I was going to do on air, you know, I guess yeah, But.

01:00:42
Speaker 2: We weren't saying that like he's not a good player. We were just saying that, like his stock is very high because he's coming off a good here, and so his stock might be at one of its higher points than one of its lower points, because he's coming off so a strong year.

01:00:55
Speaker 1: All right, overrated, underrated Xander, I'm joking. I'm joking.

01:01:00
Speaker 2: He's a great he's a great player. He's a very nice person. He's good for the game. I you know, love watching him play. But you were starting to get out on this road.

01:01:09
Speaker 1: All right? All right? First real overrated underrated from outside the cut attending practice rounds instead of tournament rounds.

01:01:18
Speaker 2: I'm so jaded as like, I mean, I do this fifteen weeks a year for work. From a fan perspective, I would say underrated because you can film swings, you can watch guys practice, Like I feel like if you're a if you're a golf nerd, practice rounds are where it's at because you can film, you can watch how guys do things. It's usually slower, So like if you're not following a huge star, there's opportunities for like interaction with guys, like if you're just asking what they're working on, that kind of stuff. So like for the golf nerd, I would say underrated.

01:01:53
Speaker 3: Yes, I would say it's underrated. I think like, and let's be honest, you know, you get a more holiss stick view now on TV. It's easier to watch on TV. It's you know, the broadcasts are really good usually most of the time, and you know, I think unless it certainly I get the Masters are completely cut off. But Masters is more about the experience of being there. I think at a place like the US Open, you can have radio and leaderboards and all that other stuff, But I think practice round is where it's at. You scout out, you can kind of get a feel for how severe the elevation changes are or kind of what what kind of grass they're playing on, all that kind of stuff, and then when you can go home and watch it from that ten thousand foot view on TV, that's the way to do it.

01:02:39
Speaker 1: I am in the same boat underrated. I actually like hate going to tournament round. I uh, That's why I'm coming back from Shinney Friday morning. Is the with like the especially with the way Fox broadcasts it, with all the hours, like you're you get a better picture of it that way. I think, like the experience of going to US Open, like in a tournament round for like the casual fan, like for the for any fan, like one round is awesome, but over like the long haul for especially what we do. I think that it's it's slightly overrated going to the actual tournament rounds. I think there's there's cool things you can do too, to like if you just watch one group, especially it's tougher at a major because like there's so many more people out there. But like if you're at a regular tour event just watching one group, that's underrated by far, like just watching a threesome for eighteen holes. So next next topic overrated underrated, And this is from Matthew Swindel's the idea of a US Open RODA.

01:03:57
Speaker 2: I think it kind of is one, isn't there. Yeah, yeah, they sprinkle in the surprise once in a while. But I mean there's kind of.

01:04:06
Speaker 1: What would be there's what would be your US Open ROTA. We'll just tweak the question.

01:04:11
Speaker 3: I think that's a question mostly for you. It's pebble, Oakmont, chinnecock wing foot, that's four need somewhere in the middle of the country, which is.

01:04:20
Speaker 1: What I'm I'm checking out Inverness in a couple of weeks. I'm excited to see that.

01:04:27
Speaker 3: That's My issue with the RODA question is like they could preclude it would preclude some of like the classic courses getting back in there if they make changes. I mean, I don't know.

01:04:36
Speaker 2: How I'm going to say. I'm gonna say the idea of RODA is overrated because by not having one, you can sprinkle in like, yeah, the random what would you have an inverness? Like would Internets be in your list of eight clubs? It might not be, but like it's good for one every twenty years, so it gives you a little flexibility. Someone say, I think that the Open Championship. I'm not against RODA, but I'm gonna say, uh.

01:04:59
Speaker 1: What if we did even if we did six six road to courses with two wildcards.

01:05:04
Speaker 3: I think that's the great every eight.

01:05:06
Speaker 1: So every eight years there's two wild cards and six standard and the.

01:05:11
Speaker 3: Wild cards I would love to see be like one kind of classic, you know, maybe US historic US Open course that maybe I don't know, maybe it doesn't have the infrastructure space or maybe it just doesn't have the length. You don't like to see what they did to Marion obviously, but like you want those courses to still be put in that kind of spotlight and that kind of appreciation, and then maybe one I don't know, that's maybe more modern, but you get into dice dicey situation there. But I think that's the best solution. Sixth questions with a couple of wildcards.

01:05:42
Speaker 2: Favorite question do you want US open going back to like these modern links again or do you want the US open to reclaim an identity? Is like classic courses like could your wild cards be like an Inverness? Would you wild card be like a I don't know the song, but somewhere like a dope.

01:06:01
Speaker 1: I don't think any of those are really built for it. I like that's like the thing is like I don't know with the with the current setup. I mean, I think those places could be cool, but I don't think they deliver what everybody wants. I think what I'd like to see more is so you've got Oakmont, You've got Shinnacock, You've got I think Beth Page is obviously one that people love, but like these are all East Coast things. It's like then you go, you've got Lacc and you've got maybe, I say, the Olympic Club. The West Coast is so awesome because of the tea, the viewing experience of getting to watch this unfolded, you know. Eight PM Central time, and and you know, like getting that primetime viewing is unbelievable for like the fans. So I would like to see more West Coast options, but they're unfortunately there aren't that many options out there. Chambers Bay, I think they should get another chance. I think that would be like a good wild card use. But if I was going to go to six sixth place, Rhoda, the majority of them would be on the East coast. A. Yeah, I know, Olympic Club two. Olympic Club's pg A right, they're buying up this. Uh, the the US GAS. Uh so got Pebble, you got Oakmont, You've got Shinney, You've got wing Foot, that's four, you've got It's Olympics out.

01:07:37
Speaker 2: L A c C.

01:07:37
Speaker 1: I guess i'd put in there. So you got a West Coast one.

01:07:41
Speaker 3: Nothing in Chicago does that. Nothing in Michigan or Ohio, I don't.

01:07:45
Speaker 1: I don't think Chicago's got a course that that works. I don't think Wisconsin has one that works. I don't think Oakland Hills is doing this, Gil Hans. I think Restoration I think is going to go through. So Oakland Hills would be my my Midwest one. Once it's once it's done, there you go.

01:08:05
Speaker 2: I'm gonna say Southern Hills in their hands, but Southern Hills is PGA.

01:08:08
Speaker 1: Also, Yeah, PGA is just it's too hot in Oklahoma and June too, you know, like this is like a great time to go to New York or Pennsylvania or the West coast or the Midwest. Like that's like the other thing is is that with the PGA moving, it limits who can host the PGA now, so you lose all of the Upper Midwest. The New York o Kill could be one that you could You could get in there too, Okill Brookline for US Open, that's a cool one too.

01:08:42
Speaker 3: I think that's like the wild card. You bring those classics like a like an Inverness, a Brookline, you try to marry in like whatever you can do to get like those classic US up and venues that maybe aren't can't be regular. I don't know, I don't know how you mean.

01:08:58
Speaker 2: I want to say. I want to say Brookline turn down in the US Open in twenty thirteen because they were going they wanted to go there for the centennial we Met's victory, but they had the amateur ins said, think Brooklyn didn't want the US Open, if I'm not mistaken.

01:09:08
Speaker 3: Well, they have one in the next what four or five years pretty soon, right, twenty twenty two or something.

01:09:13
Speaker 1: Brooklyn, Yeah, I think they're twenty twenty two. There is that the year before LACC Right, that's right, I think so. Yeah, So Brookline would be a good one too. I don't there's nothing in Minnesota that could that could host there's a I mean eventually when we get to no spectator events. It'd be cool if like sand Hills had one, but it's not happening. Any time you want to talk about bad shuttle rides, that would be a really bad one.

01:09:48
Speaker 3: How would the players react to that?

01:09:50
Speaker 1: The pros, Oh, that place would be so awesome. They have so much space.

01:09:54
Speaker 3: I mean, you get like the Trinity the rest back.

01:09:58
Speaker 1: No, I mean I don't. I don't think. I think one of the things is like because it's ranked in the top ten in the country, like and everybody says, this is the greatest modern golf course ever built like built like you can't get but like nobody can complain about that, like it had Trinity forst been like a top fifty golf course. I don't think players would have complained the way they did before. But I think everybody leaving Trinity forst was like, well, this was a really fun golf course. Like you know, it's like Noe, like if you great golf course design rewards great golfers, like you know, and they they quickly learn and that hey, like this is a golf course that like if I play well, like I'm gonna play really well. If I don't play well, you know, I could shoot some bad scores, but it's gonna reward good play, all right. Overrated underrated US Open Father's Days storylines. And this is from Josh Borziak.

01:10:55
Speaker 2: I'm gonna say underrated only because I think in our cynical age, we just like, I mean, yes, these things probably get overdone, but like you know, you see it like it means something too guys like I think of like the Furix and not to get overly sentimental here, but like I mean, I'm a I have a son like to win on Father's Day, like that would be amazing. So I don't know, man, I think like fathers are usually pretty involved in their son's golf careers. You know, some too much, maybe, but like a father and son with a really good relationship, like that being the culmination of kind of the relationship. I don't know, Like, I think it's pretty cool. I think we just live in a very cynical age.

01:11:35
Speaker 3: Yeah. Sure, underrated.

01:11:38
Speaker 2: I mean it's a it's an easy storyline, it's a cheap storyline. People probably go to it too much. But at the end of the day, pretty awesome.

01:11:45
Speaker 3: I uh yeah, sure. I'm like Mike Gundy, I'm a man, my dad, my father, so it hits me. Uh, I don't know, it hits me. It's probably underrated. I guess you appreciate it more when you become a dad. But like they certainly play into her, play into your emotions, and like manipulate your emotions that way.

01:12:05
Speaker 2: The more offensive one is the hey, you're from the same country as this legendary player. However he influenced your career and like sometimes obviously guys were influenced by their fellow countrymen. Sometimes they were, and the poor guy has to like manufacture and answer because I don't want you doesn't want to say in public, well, he had no impact on me whatsoever, so he has to like stumble through some made up answer to respect his older statesman.

01:12:28
Speaker 1: Well, I'm going to say Father's Day storylines are underrated, right, I got I got my I got my only home one on Father's Day with my dad, and it's like a memory I'll never forget. So like when you think about like the hey, I mean, they're much more personal stories. But I think it's uh, you know it be it'd be different story if it's like if you have like a father's father relationship like Patrick Reid has, like now that that's a different you know angle, but most like like I mean, most fathers are pretty involved with their son's golf game. So I think that, Uh, i'd say it's underrated. All right, Last, who's your pick? You got? You got Rose smartin.

01:13:15
Speaker 2: Rose over Matsiyama in a They tie the first two holes. It goes another five holes, but Rose eventually holds off. On Monday morning, I'm.

01:13:24
Speaker 3: Going, uh, Kopka, you heard it earlier, kepco back to back.

01:13:29
Speaker 1: I was gonna pick Rose, but I can't. I can't do it now that uh, Shawn's on on Rose Island, so I will go with Uh. I'm gonna go with Rory.

01:13:43
Speaker 2: Wow. I was figuring I was amazing. We hadn't even mentioned.

01:13:47
Speaker 1: It yeah, I just uh, yeah, I'm going Rory. I think it's been spent a long time. You know, what's that wrap song? It's spent a long time in my head. Yeah yeah, I think, uh, I think I'm going Rory. I don't know why.

01:14:05
Speaker 2: I just uh, there's nothing about this week that screams Rory McIlroy expact that he's really going to golf.

01:14:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, except he's like he's he's unbelievable at golf, and when he's on, he's on, and uh I could see. I mean, it's a golf course that it's it tests everything and it's gonna reveal talent.

01:14:24
Speaker 2: You know.

01:14:24
Speaker 1: I think you're gonna see whoever wins is going to be a very very very very talented golfer. It's gonna be one of those people that you always say, well, you might be the most talented player in the world, in the world. So I think, uh, I'm going with Rory.

01:14:40
Speaker 3: Is he kind of like walks onto the first he already pissed off at the USA. I feel like he's just not and when things start to go sideways, I don't know, he gets a little bubba ish at US opens. I feel like, but it's he.

01:14:53
Speaker 2: Gonna get windy, he's gonna have to flight it. I don't know if he loves flighting it anyways.

01:14:57
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a treasher pick. Hey, it's okay, I just get scared.

01:15:02
Speaker 1: Remember who was on the right side of the shoflet debate.

01:15:07
Speaker 3: Yeah, Sean, did you say everything was underrated this time?

01:15:11
Speaker 2: As a I think I did. I was definitely. I was definitely thinking about that, making that my protest, but I just didn't say anything, But I definitely. I mean, that's the same right, underrated, the safe way out. No one's gonna everyone's happy. Everyone is happy. Everything underrated.

01:15:26
Speaker 1: Yeah, just because you've been a regular on the pod, you don't need to expose your secrets to the future guests. All right, guys, it's been been fun. Maybe we'll uh, we'll catch you after, but we'll see you out on Long Island in the next couple of days. And thanks for coming on.

01:15:46
Speaker 3: Yeah he goes up there.

01:15:47
Speaker 2: Thanks scared?

01:15:48
Speaker 1: All right, but you've been listening to the Fried Egg Podcast. We do the digging for you.