April 9, 2025 • 37 mins
Claude gets a bit sentimental as he walks through his favorite Masters memories, including his first time in Augusta with his grandfather in 1987, Tiger's first win in 1997, Dustin Johnson's win in 2020, and many more.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's the Son of a Butcher podcast. I'm your host,
Claude Harmon. This week the first major of the year,
The Masters. I just got to Augusta and I was
trying to think of what to do this week for
the podcast. And I think the Masters is so special
because of a lot of things, right, But I think
one of the things that makes it so special is
it's the only major to where it's at the same
(00:21):
course every single year. So there are so many memories
at Augusta. Because the golf course is the same, the
venue is the same, the location's the same, you kind
of know what you're going to get. You kind of
know what the week is going to be like. Throughout history,
so many iconic moments. And my grandfather won the Masters
(00:42):
in nineteen forty eight, and our family, we have a
pretty rich history here. My dad's worked with a bunch
of players that have won here, Tiger and Phil and
a bunch of the players that he's worked with. My
uncle Billy caddied for Jay Haas here. They had a
chance to win in eighty six when he was on
the bag for Jay Haas. But I just wanted to
talk about kind of my memories at Augusta that kind
(01:04):
of stand out to me and the first real one
for me. And it's actually the first time I went
to Augusta National and went to the Masters. It was
nineteen eighty seven. That's the Larry Mees chip in with
Greg Norman, and I was going through and looking at
and doing some research for it. And one hundred and
sixty two thousand dollars Larry Mayes one in nineteen eighty seven,
(01:25):
which is, you know, given what players are winning tournaments now,
it's kind of crazy. When my grandfather won in nineteen forty,
I think he made twenty five hundred dollars US. But
the Masters in nineteen eighty seven was my first trip
to Augusta National, And if I'm honest, it was really
kind of the first time that I really kind of
(01:46):
understood kind of what my family did. I didn't play
a lot of golf growing up. I really didn't. I
didn't play junior golf at any level. I think I
tried out from my high school golf team because I
think I thought I was supposed to try out for
it because my dad was a golf pro. And I
mean I shot a million for nine holes. I was
not a good golfer and never was a good golfer,
(02:06):
still not a great golfer. So I never played golf
at any level, so I didn't really kind of understand,
you know, who my grandfather was and kind of his
place in history. And you've got to remember, in the
late eighties, golf was not cool. It wasn't what it
is today. To me, growing up, golf was, you know,
(02:28):
funny clothes and a bunch of old people playing lots
of rules, and it just wasn't something that I was
really drawn to. And I think because my father grew
up having a famous father like I did, I think
he felt a lot of pressure, right, I think he
felt a lot of pressure to play. My dad had brothers,
all four of them played, and I think my dad
(02:49):
felt a lot a lot of pressure. I never felt that,
and my dad never really pushed golf on me. So
when we went to the Masters in eighty seven, it
was very much an eye opener because it was really
the first time that I actually really spent any time,
if I'm honest, around my grandfather. My grandfather was. He
was old school, very much like my dad. He wasn't
(03:10):
the most warm and fuzzy type of person, but that week.
I don't know what it was about that week, maybe
the fact that my father chose to name me after him,
that he saw something that was the year. I think
I was graduating from high school that year in nineteen
eighty seven, and every single almost every single day, he
took me for breakfast up to the old Champions locker room,
(03:31):
which was tiny. I mean, the Champions locker room, even
in twenty twenty five is not very big. I think
people would be very surprised at just how small it
is today. But back then, in the late eighties, I mean,
it was tiny. But he took me up there for breakfast,
and it was very much kind of an eye opening
experience for me because I saw how he was treated,
(03:55):
the praise and the respect that he was shown by
all the great players. And I just remember going up
into the locker room and Byron Nelson was there, Sam
Snead was there. I mean, I saw Sevy for the
first time, Arnold Jack, all these you know, just icons
in these you know, heroic kind of figures in the
game of golf. And I don't know why he chose
(04:17):
to do that, because I didn't really have any real
relationship with the guy. I mean, you know, I was
a high schooler. I didn't play golf, so in that respect,
I was kind of an outsider. But it was a really,
really kind act that he did, and he took me.
We had breakfast, and it was just I'll always remember that,
and every time I come back to the Masters, it's
(04:40):
always a memory that's that's very fresh in my mind,
even though it was a really long time ago. I
also think that we got in trouble because we were
staying in a house and you know, I was bored,
and again, I wasn't really into golf back then, and
I wanted to go see a movie. Take the car
and go see a movie, and both my parents you're
(05:00):
not going to see a movie. So if I remember correctly,
I walked to the movie theater and saw Angel Heart,
which had just come out with Mickey Rourke and Robert
de nirof anybody's seen that movie. And I think I
got grounded for going out and got in a lot
of trouble for that. But that's really the first kind
of Master's memory that I have. The second one that
(05:21):
stands out nineteen ninety seven, my dad was organ with
Tiger Woods. Tiger wins eighteen under wins by twelve and
going back and looking at the prize money in that year,
so ten years later, four hundred and eighty six thousand
total perse was two point seven million, which is just
again crazy to think of, But there seemed to be
(05:42):
somewhat that year of almost an inevitability about Tiger winning there.
And I think it was the way in which he won.
He shot forty on the front I think a lot
of people forget that. On Thursday Tiger Woods went out
and shot forty on the front nine at Augusta in
the Masters and went on to win by twelve and
(06:03):
shoot eighteen under, which kind of gives you an idea
of the iconic week that that was. And I just
remember it was on the old driving range, which is
kind of behind the clubhouse now. So when you drive
down Magnolia Lane, you get to the clubhouse where everybody
takes their pictures, and then you go over to the
right the members driving ranges all along the right hand side.
(06:25):
And now when you come in, you come to the
clubhouse and you take a writ and the past champions
now park there, But back in the day, that's where
the driving range was, and I just remember watching and
sitting on the driving range and watching my dad work
with Tiger. And you know, I'd known Tiger since nineteen
ninety three. The first golf lesson my dad ever gave
(06:46):
Tiger Woods in August of ninety three in Houston at
Lock and Bar. I ran all the video and shut
all the video for that. So I'd spend a lot
of time around Tiger, and you know, knew him pretty well.
And I just remember waiting. I came around from the
driving range and got on the other side of the clubhouse,
which is where the golf courses, and there's the big
tree by the clubhouse where everyone hangs out, and I
(07:07):
just wanted to see him before he went out, and
so I kind of positioned myself to where I knew
he was going to have to pass me, and he
saw me, made eye contact and everything, and I said
to him, go have fun, you know, go out and
have fun today. And I just remember that week. It
was just I mean, it was just crazy, the things
(07:27):
that he was doing, the shots that he was hitting.
But the thing that I always remember about that week
was it was like golf changed overnight. In ninety seven
at the Masters and the players that Tiger beat that week.
I mean, he beat Tom Kite by twelve shots. You know,
you had Ton of Montgomery in an interview talking about
you know, he just plays a game that you know,
(07:48):
nobody really has ever seen before, and he was doing
things and hitting the golf ball. I mean, I can
remember in the early nineties Tiger had I think, gosh,
the first off listening he came to take with my dad.
I think he had either Mazzuno MP twenty seven's or seventeen's.
The seven always stands out to me. Played the Max
(08:10):
Fly HT ninety golf ball. They had the Berner Flex twist,
the tailor made Berner Flex twist driver and back then
he hit shots as far with that old equipment as
he definitely hit his irons as far as you know
they do today. I mean, it's crazy to think like that,
but there was just so much hype, and I don't
(08:33):
think there's ever been Rarely do we see an athlete
live up to the hype like Tiger did, right. I mean,
he came out, he was a superstary when all the usams.
He was supposed to be the next great thing. He
played at Augusta in the past as the Usam champion,
and there was just something about him and at that time,
and I consider myself incredibly lucky to have been there
(08:56):
in ninety seven to watch everything that he did, because
it was just it was fascinating to watch him just
overpower a golf course and overpower a field that you know,
almost at times made professional golfers who had had incredible
careers look just mediocre and ordinary. I mean, you know,
(09:18):
Tom Kite was an unbelievable player. You know, the players
at that time in the day, Davis Love, Greg Norman,
I mean, Tiger just he just changed golf overnight. And
it was pretty special to be there. It was warm.
I remember. I remember being on the old eleventh fair
(09:40):
way when he hit one over to the right and
I was standing by his mom. And there was a
guy back then who was kind of Tiger's guy at
Nike named Greg Nard, and he was kind of, you know,
escorting Tiger's mom around. But just all of the buzz
and all of the hype that week and to see
Tiger do that and to do the things that he
(10:02):
did that week in ninety seven was just magical from
a golf standpoint. And that was the first of his
fifth Masters, and just like being at the Masters in
eighty seven with my grandfather, to be there in ninety seven,
ten years later. I was in the golf you know,
trying to get in the golf business at that time
and trying to find my way as a young professional,
(10:25):
and yeah, ninety seven always sticks out to me as
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(10:47):
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ultimate consistency that aspirational golfers desire. Two thousand and four
sticks out to me. That was the Phill year where
he burdied the eighteenth hole to win the Masters finally
against Ernie Els. But at that time I was working
(11:08):
with Trevor Immlman, and obviously Trevor now kind of one
of the voices of the Masters with CBS. But I
started working with Trevor. I was living in Europe at
the time, living in Scotland and traveling on the European
Tour and started working with Trevor in two thousand and
two when I moved from Las Vegas to London and
lived in London for a year and then moved to Glasgow, Scotland.
(11:29):
And you know, the goal was when I started working
with Trevor, he was outside, you know, he wasn't He
had had a ton of hype. I mean, he made
the cut at the Masters, you know, as an amateur.
But our goal was to get to the Masters, right,
and so it took two long, hard years of a
lot of work, a lot of travel in Europe, all
over the world. And I remember going to the Masters
(11:52):
for the first time. Obviously my grandfather had won there,
my dad had you know, helped Tiger win there, and
you know all of the history of the fan and
I just remember walking on again to the old driving
range and I felt like I wasn't an impostor anymore.
I mean, imposter syndrome is real, right, and I had
that for a long time in my life and in
(12:14):
my career. And you know, there's still times where I
struggle with confidence, wondering if I'm good enough, wondering if
I'm ever going to get to the next level, and
you know, all of those things, and when Tiger won
in ninety seven, to go back there in two thousand
and four, I said to myself in ninety seven, I'm
going to come back here one day with a player
(12:35):
that was my goal. That was that was really my
dream to do that, to come back and be a
part of that, and to know what that felt like
to walk onto the range with the player that you
were working on, because to me as a golf instructor,
it's the pinnacle of I think what we do to
(12:56):
work with a player that is good enough to get
into a major championship, but to work with a player
that is good enough to get into a Master's he's
to me something very, very very special. And I just
remember walking onto the range with Trevor. If I remember correctly,
that was Arnold's last Masters in two thousand and four,
and Trevor was supposed to play a practice round with him.
(13:19):
I remember, I don't know if I guess I still
can't remember if they actually played that practice round, but
I just I had a huge sense of pride in
myself that I had watched you know, my dad have
this unbelievable career as kind of the goat of professional
golf instruction, and you know, all the work that he
did with all the majors that Tiger won there, and
(13:41):
the history of the family and my grandfather and stuff,
and I just I still to this day remember walking
onto the driving range and just saying to myself, Yeah,
you did it, because that was a goal that I
had set for myself back in ninety seven when I
watched Tiger win there and watching my dad work with
him on the driving range and watching you know, David
(14:02):
Ledbetter at that time was just you know, a larger
than life character. He was an icon. You know, the
work that he did with Nick Faldo and all of that.
It just in ninety seven, it left a really big
impression on me. And so when I started coaching and
started teaching and started doing it full time in two
thousand and two, I met Trevor and you know, he
(14:23):
asked me the first time I worked with him, Hey,
what would the goal be? And I said, Hey, the
goal would be to get you inside the top fifty.
Back then top fifty got you into all the majors.
And I said to him the goal is to get
you back where you kind of belong. Because Trevor was
always going to be a great player, he was always
going to be an amazing golfer. But when I met
him in Europe in two thousand and two, I was traveling.
(14:47):
I was working with Adam Scott and Darren Clark at
that time, and he asked me for some help. And
I said to him, I said, listen, if we worked together,
the goal would be to get you into all the
majors and for the rest of your life, you know,
get you to play in all the golf tournament it
doesn't matter. And so the two of us kind of
set out a goal to do that, and you know,
we didn't make the cut that week, but it was
(15:08):
a very very important week for me and and in
my life. And I do remember he was working with
Bob Rotella at the time, and Trevor was incredibly technical.
I mean, I couldn't give Trevor enough information. I just
I mean it was information overload. I mean it was
cracked to the crack addict. And you know, if I
had it to do over again, I probably wouldn't have
(15:29):
listened to him tell me to give him more information.
More things to work on. We worked, I mean, we
worked our asses off for the three four years that
I worked with Trevor. I mean, I think it broke
the both of us. He broke his body, we broke
each other. But I remember he was working with Bob
Rotella at the time, and Rotella was really trying to
(15:50):
get him to kind of get out of technique and
get out of thinking so much about his golf swing,
something that you know I talk a lot about on
the pod and a fore iron. And again this was
the old range, So the back end of the range
has still to this day has netting because Washington Road
is just behind it and the balls could go into
Washington Road. So Roteller was like, all right, let's get
(16:11):
out of the technique and let's get into kind of
hitting a shot. And so he said, what I want
you to do is I want you to pick a
fore iron. I want you to pick out a very
very small target, like a really really small target, and
the only thing I want you to do is start
the golf ball at the target. That's the goal of
(16:32):
this test drill whatever he called it. And he said,
after each shot, I'm going to ask you one question.
Did the ball start at your target, and it's a
yes or no answer, and that's the only thing I
want from you. So Trevor stands up, picks out you
know something, and then I remember Bob saying no, no, no,
I need something. So Trevor said, I wanted to kind
(16:53):
of start it at that tree and I'm going to
hit a fade. And I remember Bob saying, okay, what
part of the tree needs you to be really really specific?
And so tred picked out a bunch of really specific targets.
And so the first one he hits four and beautiful
four starts at his intended target. He had like a
little branch on a tree, started it and kind of
hit a little beautiful high, little cut fade. And he
(17:15):
came back and Bob said, did the ball start at
the target? And he said yes, and then he went
into an explanation of something else, and Bob said, no,
I don't I don't care about any of that. Did
the ball start at the target that you told me
you had? He said yes, And he said, all right,
pick out another target, same forearn and very specific target.
(17:35):
Do it again. And every time Trevor hit a good one,
he would want to expand on the shot. Every time
he hit a bad one, he would want to expand
on it even more. And I'll always remember this that
Bob Rotella said to him, Listen, you're hitting a Foearn
two hundred and something yards. You've picked out an incredibly
(17:56):
specific small target for where you want the golf ball
to start. How much more control do you really think
that you have over what you're doing. And that's another
thing that's always stuck with me about and I've talked
about this a lot on the podcast, about finding start lines,
finding you know, all of these things. That was kind
(18:20):
of if I look back at it now, maybe I
think that was kind of the impetus of that is
picking out something really really small and where does the
ball need to start? And even though Trevor didn't make
the cut that week, it was a huge week for
me professionally, but I think more personally because I kind
of finally felt like I belonged in our family, because
(18:42):
I never really felt and even to this day, I
sometimes feel like a complete outsider in the Harmon family.
But it was the first time that I felt like
I belong. I've done the work and I've helped a
player get to kind of the pinnacle of golf, which
is playing in the Masters. And I'm incredibly proud of
(19:05):
that moment, and I think about it a lot, and
I think about the journey that I've been on since then,
you know, almost over twenty years later. And I do
also remember that was the same year we were at
the Players Championship and Trevor qualified again being in the
top fifty. My dad was working with that Scott, this
(19:27):
funny one, and so my dad says to me, we're
on the range, Trevor's hitting balls and talk to my
dad and you know, I was living in Europe at
the time, and back then, you know, I didn't have
the greatest relationship with my dad. It's it's a little
better now, but back then it wasn't great. And my
dad said to me, you know, how's your man playing
this week, Trevor Immelman. And I said, you know, I
(19:47):
think he's playing really good. I think he's got a
chance to win. And my dad said win. He said, man,
your guy's never going to win a golf tournament. And
I said, and at the time he's worked with with
with Adam Scott. I said, I'll bet you one hundred
dollars that Trevor wins a major before Adam Scott. And
my dad always carries his money in a He wraps
(20:08):
his credit cards around, you know, one hundred dollars bills
and then puts a rubber band around it. And he
took his we're on the range at TPC Sawgrass, Jacksonville.
He takes his money out of his pocket and he
throws it onto the ground on the range and he goes,
I'll bet you all the money i've got that. Your man.
Never anyone even went a tournament on the PGA tournal,
let alone win a major. And I said, well, I'll
(20:29):
bet he wins one hundred dollars a major before Adam Scott.
And like I said, Trevor and I we just wore
each other out. We broke each other. And then I
think it was four. We were at the where were
we We were at the World Cup in Spain. Trevor
and Roy Sabatini had won the World Cup in three
(20:49):
at Kyawhile and they're defending champions and I just I
was going through divorce. I was living out of my car,
and you know, Trevor was we were just in full
grind mode and I just I quit. I just said,
I just can't take this anymore. And we didn't really
talk for a long time, and it was, you know,
it was a really bad breakup as breakups go, because
(21:10):
we just were so close, we spent so much time together,
and I just couldn't take it anymore. I was just
at a time in my life to where I was
just so broken at that time, both personally and professionally.
And when Trevor won in eight, I sent him a message.
We hadn't really talked a lot, you know, we kind
(21:31):
of started to say hi to each other, but we
really didn't have much of a relationship, and he responded
almost immediately and said, tell your old man to give
me my one hundred dollars bill. So four was was
huge for me. And then when Adam Scott won his
first major in the rain was at eleven twelve, I mean,
(21:52):
I can't even remember. That was such a special moment
because I'd worked with Adam when he was younger, and
I love Adam like a brother. I mean, he's just
such an amazing, amazing person. He's such an amazing golfer.
And the year before he lost you know, enormous lead,
(22:13):
I think he bow you the last four holes at
the Open Championship at Royal Lythm And I was working
with Ernie Els at that time, and it was the
first major that I'd been a part of, and I
just remember going to the back of the clubhouse there
to watch Ernie get the trophy and seeing Adam and
he was in tears, and you know, he hugged me
(22:33):
and said he was proud of me, and still makes
me emotional. So to see Adam win at Augusta the
way he won, I mean, I'll never forget it. And
then that iconic picture of Scotty's standing there in the
rain in the dark with all of the flash photography,
with his arms kind of open, and I was watching
(22:55):
it with Arnola board from Rolex, and you know, Adam
one and I went outside underneath the tree and I
just started crying because I was just so happy for him.
And I think that's you know, there are wins, but
Augusta just it brings out all of these amazing moments
(23:15):
and these amazing, you know, victories. And I think most golfers,
if they could win one major, I think a lot
of the Europeans would probably say the Open championship, which
I totally one get, but I think everybody wants to
be a Master's champion, and when you do win one,
there is so much that goes along with that. So
(23:36):
Adam went. I just remember it was raining. That's Sunday
in thirteen. It was cold, it was raining, It rained
all day on Sunday. And to see Adam do that,
you know, with the amount of time that my dad
and I had spent with him in the early part
of his career, traveling around Europe with Adam, and yeah,
it was it was really really cool to see that. Obviously,
(24:01):
Tiger in nineteen stands out, you know, from a memory
for me for loads of reasons. The first, I was
working with both Brooks and DJ at the time and
they both lost by a shot. Brooks had the tournament
ri instant in the water at twelve, and I think
in nineteen that was really kind of the first time
(24:22):
that younger generation had ever seen Tiger be Tiger right
at full flow, Tiger at a major at the Masters,
not making mistakes, and to be a part of that
one in nineteen, having been there when for Tiger to
(24:43):
win his fifth, having seen him win his first in
ninety seven, and the heartbreak for me for having two
guys had had a chance to win. I thought Brooks
was going to do it. I really did, and DJ
kind of came out of nowhere on that Sunday to
give himself a chance. And I just remember walking up
(25:05):
from eighteen and I saw Trevor Immlman and we were
just sitting there and just we were kind of standing
and scoring. Brooks was there, and you know, it's that
scene where Tiger walks up with Charlie and he kind
of walks into that scoring area and I'm kind of standing.
I think I'm standing behind Zach Johnson. There's video of it.
(25:26):
He kind of goes down the line and kind of
gives everybody a high five. I got a high five,
and I just was standing there with Trevor, and you
know the story I told you O four. The first
player I worked with in professional golf, really on my
own was Trevor and and for the two of us
to be there standing watching Tiger, I mean Tiger was
(25:49):
you know, he he's everybody's idol. I mean he's Brooks's idol,
but I mean he was Trevor's idol, right, And Trevor
grew up and played in the Tiger era, right, So
for the two of us to just be standing there
and for all the time that you know, the years.
You know, my dad worked with Tiger from ninety three
(26:10):
to two, and I spent so much time around him,
both on and off the golf course. I mean, he
used to come stay at our house when he was
sixteen seventeen. I used to go pick him up the airport.
You used to have to go wake him up in
the morning when he stay at our house. He had
these big coke bottle glasses before he got the Lasik,
and my dad would go to work and he'd say, hey,
(26:31):
go down and wake you know, make sure Tiger. You know,
you bring him to Locking Bar in Houston. So I'd
go down and I'd set my alarm, go down and
wake him up, take a shower, get dressed, and have
to go down and wake him up again. So to
see him win the Masters for the fifth time, and
to be there when he walked into scoring, I mean,
(26:52):
it's pretty damn cool, right, I mean, it's something that
I'll always remember. And then the following year, in twenty twenty,
the COVID year November DJ winning no fans which is
just because the thing about the Masters and the thing
about the golf course is because it is so undulated
(27:12):
and because there are so much elevation change. You know,
for people listening that have been, you know that if
you haven't been, I think the one thing for the
first timers at Augusta, they're just blown away by the
topography on how much elevation change. So when you stand
on the eighteenth green and you're up by the clubhouse,
(27:33):
and if you're walking from the clubhouse down to the
golf course, especially on Sunday, you kind of hear roars
echoing through the trees, through the crowds. And there are
certain players. You know, there's Tiger rars, there were Jack roars,
there were Greg Norman roars. Now there are Rory mckel
roars and Scottie Scheffler roars. But they're they're very distinctive
(27:56):
and they kind of rumble and echo through. You'll hear
or someone if someone makes a hole in one, Like
there'll be times during the practice rounds where we'll be
on the driving range and there'll be skipping balls across
the sixteenth pond and you'll hear the crowd. You can
hear it, and to go there in twenty with no
(28:16):
fans and coming out of the pandemic and all of
the things and all the regulations and having to wear
a mask, and it was just very eerie. It was
in November, so it was cold, it was wet, so
it was a very different experience than being there in
April with fans and our patrons as they call them.
And I just remember it being I could actually get
(28:39):
out and walk around and see the golf course really
really up close, because the only people on the golf
course were some of the members and some of the officials,
and then those of us that were part of player
support coaches, we were allowed to go out and follow
and just like in ninety seven, DJ came in having
I mean, he was the best player in the world.
(29:00):
Everybody knew it. He knew it, we knew it, the
media knew it, everybody knew it. He was the favorite,
and yeah, it was it was pretty special. I never
thought that that would happen, you know, in my life.
In my career, my goal was just to work with
a player that got to the Masters, that played in
a Master's So to be working with DJ in twenty
(29:25):
twenty and to be a part of that, and having
watched Tiger the year before win and being in scoring
when he came in there and win, And then I
was standing with aj DJ's brother by the putting green
and Tiger Woods walked out with DJ, and I just
remember just it really was incredibly surreal for me to
(29:49):
be standing on the putt and green and watching a
player that I worked with about to have a green
jacket put on him by I mean by Tiger Woods.
I mean, I mean, it's just, you know, you have
these moments in your your life and in your professional
career where they just almost don't seem real, and that
one is crazy. I just remember standing behind the putting
(30:11):
green with you know, Paulina, DJ's wife and David Winkle's agent,
and I remember Bubba Watson came down and Bubba whispered
to me. He said, I think we're gonna see our
boy cry here if he wins this thing, and you know,
obviously won and everything like that. And I do remember
when Tiger put the green jacket on DJ, and and
(30:36):
Amanda Balionis went to interview DJ, and Tiger was standing
next to me and put his arm around me and
he said, I'm proud of you, and it meant a
lot to me. And DJ started crying and Tiger said
to me, the green jacket will do that to you.
So it is emotional. It is an emotional place, and
(30:58):
there were so many historic things that happened there, and Yo,
when I thought about doing this pod, I didn't think
I'd be as emotional as I am. But it's just
such a place. It's got a lot of history, and yeah,
it's special. And so anytime I'm able to come back
here and work with the player DJ this week and
(31:22):
then I'm working with Noah Kent, who by getting to
the finals of the US AM he gets into the
Masters and the US Open. So it's going to be
really cool to see Noah here for the first time.
But the emotion that this place gets out of you,
whether you win or lose, I mean, I just remember
in nineteen when Tiger won and Brooks didn't win and
(31:44):
finished second, and I remember waiting. I waited until he
finished his media and waited and he came into the
parking behind the tournament driving range and he was crying.
I gave him a hug. Ricky Ellitt was there with us,
and you know, we didn't really say much and he left,
and you know, Brooks won the PGA not long after that.
(32:04):
So but yeah, it's a special place. It's iconic, and
it holds a very special place in history, and certainly
in my life and my family. It's a special place
and in my career. It has played a huge role.
The times that I've been at Augusta, the moments and
(32:27):
the years that I was lucky enough to be here
in some of the things that I've been lucky enough
to see in my lifetime. Is it's special. There's a
lot of rules. It's an interesting week. It's a very
different week for golf instructors like myself. We're not allowed
inside the ropes for practice rounds, which is the only
tournament that were not allowed, which is kind of interesting.
(32:48):
I remember when DJ was defending champion in twenty one.
I got to come back and he played a practial
I think it was the week before in twenty one,
and I got to walk around with him. And I'll
be fifty six next month. I've never played Augusta National.
I've never played the golf course. So in twenty one
I got to walk around the golf course and actually
(33:09):
got to get and stand on some of the greens
because again as an instructor at Augusta, were not allowed
inside the ropes. So being in twenty one, I just
another memory that comes up. It was first time I
had actually ever been on the golf course and ever
been inside the ropes, ever been on the first green,
ever been on the fifth green. I mean, I mean,
(33:31):
if you've never been on the fifth green, it's just
so much undulation. And I got to walk over to
the twelfth green, which I mean there are very few,
I mean, out of all the people on this planet,
to be able to play Augusta and to play the
golf course is very very rare. I just remember walking
(33:51):
across the bridge. It took a picture with DJ on
the bridge, but I just remember walking across the bridge
and I'm like, damn, I'm on the twelfth green, gust
So the golf course is iconic, the city, the town,
the entire thing is incredibly special. I know, it's something
that for everyone listening, if you're a fan of golf,
(34:12):
it's something that you mark on your calendar. And when
you hear that kind of iconic Master's song from the broadcast,
it's always special. And one last story that I'll tell.
It's not my story, but it's another thing that is
always a memory for me. My grandfather used to love.
My uncle Billy has told this story. It's kind of
a famous one in our family. My uncle Billy was
(34:34):
caddying and my grandfather would always have dinner, and he'd
have breakfast and lunch up in the in the locker room,
in the champions locker room, and then they would put
a chair on the range for him and he would
just sit and watch people hit golf balls and watch
players hit golf balls. He loved to watch golf swings.
And evidently he had he had the green jacket on,
(34:55):
and he had he had like a food stain on
his green jacket. And my uncle Billy, he's caddying for
Jay Hasso. He's got the you know, the the white
you know jumpsuit that all the caddies here at Augusta
wear famously. And he took a towel and he wet
the towel and he went to go wipe the food
stain off my grandfather's green jacket. And my grandfather wiped
(35:20):
his hand away and he said, Billy, you just worry
about keeping that white tuxedo clean. This week, I'll take
care of the green jacket. So honestly, every time The
Masters comes on television and that sound plays the music
with the you know, the piano and all of the
iconic song that that is, it's synonymous with the golf
(35:41):
course and the tournament. I just always think about my
grandfather telling him keep that white tuxedo clean. So anytime
I see any of the caddies, the first thing that
jumps into my head is keep that white tuxedo clean.
So yeah, I mean it's a special place. It's special week,
and I am excited. I think we're in for a
(36:02):
good one. You know, does Rory complete the Grand Slam?
Does Scottie Scheffler win? Does somebody get their first major?
Does someone step up? Do we have an incredible battle
on the back nine. I think a lot of people
are looking at what does Ludvig Oberg do? His game
looks like it's made for majors, had a chance to
(36:26):
win last year. Do we get a surprise winner? Do
you know we get somebody that isn't one of the favorites.
It's a long week, it's an amazing week, and it's
a week that I'm always incredibly proud and excited to
get to be a part of And you know, when
I look back at the arc and the trajectory of
(36:48):
my life and my career, the Masters is a huge,
huge part of my professional life and my professional career.
So really excited. Hopefully the weather holds off and we
get a really, really good twenty twenty five. Masters. Can't
thank everybody enough for listening. I say that all the
(37:08):
time when I close these podcasts. But I've traveled so
far this year. I've been to Saudi Arabia, I've been
to Australia, I've been to Bangkok, I've been to Hong Kong,
and I've been to Singapore, and in every one of
those cities someone has come up to me and said,
big fan of the podcast. So I continue to be
blown away that people listen. So I can't thank everybody enough.
(37:31):
Rate review, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Do a
little Master's recap next week.
It's the Son of a Butcher podcast. I'm your host,
Claude Harmon. This week the first major of the year,
The Masters. I just got to Augusta and I was
trying to think of what to do this week for
the podcast. And I think the Masters is so special
because of a lot of things, right, But I think
one of the things that makes it so special is
it's the only major to where it's at the same
(00:21):
course every single year. So there are so many memories
at Augusta. Because the golf course is the same, the
venue is the same, the location's the same, you kind
of know what you're going to get. You kind of
know what the week is going to be like. Throughout history,
so many iconic moments. And my grandfather won the Masters
(00:42):
in nineteen forty eight, and our family, we have a
pretty rich history here. My dad's worked with a bunch
of players that have won here, Tiger and Phil and
a bunch of the players that he's worked with. My
uncle Billy caddied for Jay Haas here. They had a
chance to win in eighty six when he was on
the bag for Jay Haas. But I just wanted to
talk about kind of my memories at Augusta that kind
(01:04):
of stand out to me and the first real one
for me. And it's actually the first time I went
to Augusta National and went to the Masters. It was
nineteen eighty seven. That's the Larry Mees chip in with
Greg Norman, and I was going through and looking at
and doing some research for it. And one hundred and
sixty two thousand dollars Larry Mayes one in nineteen eighty seven,
(01:25):
which is, you know, given what players are winning tournaments now,
it's kind of crazy. When my grandfather won in nineteen forty,
I think he made twenty five hundred dollars US. But
the Masters in nineteen eighty seven was my first trip
to Augusta National, And if I'm honest, it was really
kind of the first time that I really kind of
(01:46):
understood kind of what my family did. I didn't play
a lot of golf growing up. I really didn't. I
didn't play junior golf at any level. I think I
tried out from my high school golf team because I
think I thought I was supposed to try out for
it because my dad was a golf pro. And I
mean I shot a million for nine holes. I was
not a good golfer and never was a good golfer,
(02:06):
still not a great golfer. So I never played golf
at any level, so I didn't really kind of understand,
you know, who my grandfather was and kind of his
place in history. And you've got to remember, in the
late eighties, golf was not cool. It wasn't what it
is today. To me, growing up, golf was, you know,
(02:28):
funny clothes and a bunch of old people playing lots
of rules, and it just wasn't something that I was
really drawn to. And I think because my father grew
up having a famous father like I did, I think
he felt a lot of pressure, right, I think he
felt a lot of pressure to play. My dad had brothers,
all four of them played, and I think my dad
(02:49):
felt a lot a lot of pressure. I never felt that,
and my dad never really pushed golf on me. So
when we went to the Masters in eighty seven, it
was very much an eye opener because it was really
the first time that I actually really spent any time,
if I'm honest, around my grandfather. My grandfather was. He
was old school, very much like my dad. He wasn't
(03:10):
the most warm and fuzzy type of person, but that week.
I don't know what it was about that week, maybe
the fact that my father chose to name me after him,
that he saw something that was the year. I think
I was graduating from high school that year in nineteen
eighty seven, and every single almost every single day, he
took me for breakfast up to the old Champions locker room,
(03:31):
which was tiny. I mean, the Champions locker room, even
in twenty twenty five is not very big. I think
people would be very surprised at just how small it
is today. But back then, in the late eighties, I mean,
it was tiny. But he took me up there for breakfast,
and it was very much kind of an eye opening
experience for me because I saw how he was treated,
(03:55):
the praise and the respect that he was shown by
all the great players. And I just remember going up
into the locker room and Byron Nelson was there, Sam
Snead was there. I mean, I saw Sevy for the
first time, Arnold Jack, all these you know, just icons
in these you know, heroic kind of figures in the
game of golf. And I don't know why he chose
(04:17):
to do that, because I didn't really have any real
relationship with the guy. I mean, you know, I was
a high schooler. I didn't play golf, so in that respect,
I was kind of an outsider. But it was a really,
really kind act that he did, and he took me.
We had breakfast, and it was just I'll always remember that,
and every time I come back to the Masters, it's
(04:40):
always a memory that's that's very fresh in my mind,
even though it was a really long time ago. I
also think that we got in trouble because we were
staying in a house and you know, I was bored,
and again, I wasn't really into golf back then, and
I wanted to go see a movie. Take the car
and go see a movie, and both my parents you're
(05:00):
not going to see a movie. So if I remember correctly,
I walked to the movie theater and saw Angel Heart,
which had just come out with Mickey Rourke and Robert
de nirof anybody's seen that movie. And I think I
got grounded for going out and got in a lot
of trouble for that. But that's really the first kind
of Master's memory that I have. The second one that
(05:21):
stands out nineteen ninety seven, my dad was organ with
Tiger Woods. Tiger wins eighteen under wins by twelve and
going back and looking at the prize money in that year,
so ten years later, four hundred and eighty six thousand
total perse was two point seven million, which is just
again crazy to think of, But there seemed to be
(05:42):
somewhat that year of almost an inevitability about Tiger winning there.
And I think it was the way in which he won.
He shot forty on the front I think a lot
of people forget that. On Thursday Tiger Woods went out
and shot forty on the front nine at Augusta in
the Masters and went on to win by twelve and
(06:03):
shoot eighteen under, which kind of gives you an idea
of the iconic week that that was. And I just
remember it was on the old driving range, which is
kind of behind the clubhouse now. So when you drive
down Magnolia Lane, you get to the clubhouse where everybody
takes their pictures, and then you go over to the
right the members driving ranges all along the right hand side.
(06:25):
And now when you come in, you come to the
clubhouse and you take a writ and the past champions
now park there, But back in the day, that's where
the driving range was, and I just remember watching and
sitting on the driving range and watching my dad work
with Tiger. And you know, I'd known Tiger since nineteen
ninety three. The first golf lesson my dad ever gave
(06:46):
Tiger Woods in August of ninety three in Houston at
Lock and Bar. I ran all the video and shut
all the video for that. So I'd spend a lot
of time around Tiger, and you know, knew him pretty well.
And I just remember waiting. I came around from the
driving range and got on the other side of the clubhouse,
which is where the golf courses, and there's the big
tree by the clubhouse where everyone hangs out, and I
(07:07):
just wanted to see him before he went out, and
so I kind of positioned myself to where I knew
he was going to have to pass me, and he
saw me, made eye contact and everything, and I said
to him, go have fun, you know, go out and
have fun today. And I just remember that week. It
was just I mean, it was just crazy, the things
(07:27):
that he was doing, the shots that he was hitting.
But the thing that I always remember about that week
was it was like golf changed overnight. In ninety seven
at the Masters and the players that Tiger beat that week.
I mean, he beat Tom Kite by twelve shots. You know,
you had Ton of Montgomery in an interview talking about
you know, he just plays a game that you know,
(07:48):
nobody really has ever seen before, and he was doing
things and hitting the golf ball. I mean, I can
remember in the early nineties Tiger had I think, gosh,
the first off listening he came to take with my dad.
I think he had either Mazzuno MP twenty seven's or seventeen's.
The seven always stands out to me. Played the Max
(08:10):
Fly HT ninety golf ball. They had the Berner Flex twist,
the tailor made Berner Flex twist driver and back then
he hit shots as far with that old equipment as
he definitely hit his irons as far as you know
they do today. I mean, it's crazy to think like that,
but there was just so much hype, and I don't
(08:33):
think there's ever been Rarely do we see an athlete
live up to the hype like Tiger did, right. I mean,
he came out, he was a superstary when all the usams.
He was supposed to be the next great thing. He
played at Augusta in the past as the Usam champion,
and there was just something about him and at that time,
and I consider myself incredibly lucky to have been there
(08:56):
in ninety seven to watch everything that he did, because
it was just it was fascinating to watch him just
overpower a golf course and overpower a field that you know,
almost at times made professional golfers who had had incredible
careers look just mediocre and ordinary. I mean, you know,
(09:18):
Tom Kite was an unbelievable player. You know, the players
at that time in the day, Davis Love, Greg Norman,
I mean, Tiger just he just changed golf overnight. And
it was pretty special to be there. It was warm.
I remember. I remember being on the old eleventh fair
(09:40):
way when he hit one over to the right and
I was standing by his mom. And there was a
guy back then who was kind of Tiger's guy at
Nike named Greg Nard, and he was kind of, you know,
escorting Tiger's mom around. But just all of the buzz
and all of the hype that week and to see
Tiger do that and to do the things that he
(10:02):
did that week in ninety seven was just magical from
a golf standpoint. And that was the first of his
fifth Masters, and just like being at the Masters in
eighty seven with my grandfather, to be there in ninety seven,
ten years later. I was in the golf you know,
trying to get in the golf business at that time
and trying to find my way as a young professional,
(10:25):
and yeah, ninety seven always sticks out to me as
something really really special. The three DP Tour iron utilizes
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(10:47):
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sticks out to me. That was the Phill year where
he burdied the eighteenth hole to win the Masters finally
against Ernie Els. But at that time I was working
(11:08):
with Trevor Immlman, and obviously Trevor now kind of one
of the voices of the Masters with CBS. But I
started working with Trevor. I was living in Europe at
the time, living in Scotland and traveling on the European
Tour and started working with Trevor in two thousand and
two when I moved from Las Vegas to London and
lived in London for a year and then moved to Glasgow, Scotland.
(11:29):
And you know, the goal was when I started working
with Trevor, he was outside, you know, he wasn't He
had had a ton of hype. I mean, he made
the cut at the Masters, you know, as an amateur.
But our goal was to get to the Masters, right,
and so it took two long, hard years of a
lot of work, a lot of travel in Europe, all
over the world. And I remember going to the Masters
(11:52):
for the first time. Obviously my grandfather had won there,
my dad had you know, helped Tiger win there, and
you know all of the history of the fan and
I just remember walking on again to the old driving
range and I felt like I wasn't an impostor anymore.
I mean, imposter syndrome is real, right, and I had
that for a long time in my life and in
(12:14):
my career. And you know, there's still times where I
struggle with confidence, wondering if I'm good enough, wondering if
I'm ever going to get to the next level, and
you know, all of those things, and when Tiger won
in ninety seven, to go back there in two thousand
and four, I said to myself in ninety seven, I'm
going to come back here one day with a player
(12:35):
that was my goal. That was that was really my
dream to do that, to come back and be a
part of that, and to know what that felt like
to walk onto the range with the player that you
were working on, because to me as a golf instructor,
it's the pinnacle of I think what we do to
(12:56):
work with a player that is good enough to get
into a major championship, but to work with a player
that is good enough to get into a Master's he's
to me something very, very very special. And I just
remember walking onto the range with Trevor. If I remember correctly,
that was Arnold's last Masters in two thousand and four,
and Trevor was supposed to play a practice round with him.
(13:19):
I remember, I don't know if I guess I still
can't remember if they actually played that practice round, but
I just I had a huge sense of pride in
myself that I had watched you know, my dad have
this unbelievable career as kind of the goat of professional
golf instruction, and you know, all the work that he
did with all the majors that Tiger won there, and
(13:41):
the history of the family and my grandfather and stuff,
and I just I still to this day remember walking
onto the driving range and just saying to myself, Yeah,
you did it, because that was a goal that I
had set for myself back in ninety seven when I
watched Tiger win there and watching my dad work with
him on the driving range and watching you know, David
(14:02):
Ledbetter at that time was just you know, a larger
than life character. He was an icon. You know, the
work that he did with Nick Faldo and all of that.
It just in ninety seven, it left a really big
impression on me. And so when I started coaching and
started teaching and started doing it full time in two
thousand and two, I met Trevor and you know, he
(14:23):
asked me the first time I worked with him, Hey,
what would the goal be? And I said, Hey, the
goal would be to get you inside the top fifty.
Back then top fifty got you into all the majors.
And I said to him the goal is to get
you back where you kind of belong. Because Trevor was
always going to be a great player, he was always
going to be an amazing golfer. But when I met
him in Europe in two thousand and two, I was traveling.
(14:47):
I was working with Adam Scott and Darren Clark at
that time, and he asked me for some help. And
I said to him, I said, listen, if we worked together,
the goal would be to get you into all the
majors and for the rest of your life, you know,
get you to play in all the golf tournament it
doesn't matter. And so the two of us kind of
set out a goal to do that, and you know,
we didn't make the cut that week, but it was
(15:08):
a very very important week for me and and in
my life. And I do remember he was working with
Bob Rotella at the time, and Trevor was incredibly technical.
I mean, I couldn't give Trevor enough information. I just
I mean it was information overload. I mean it was
cracked to the crack addict. And you know, if I
had it to do over again, I probably wouldn't have
(15:29):
listened to him tell me to give him more information.
More things to work on. We worked, I mean, we
worked our asses off for the three four years that
I worked with Trevor. I mean, I think it broke
the both of us. He broke his body, we broke
each other. But I remember he was working with Bob
Rotella at the time, and Rotella was really trying to
(15:50):
get him to kind of get out of technique and
get out of thinking so much about his golf swing,
something that you know I talk a lot about on
the pod and a fore iron. And again this was
the old range, So the back end of the range
has still to this day has netting because Washington Road
is just behind it and the balls could go into
Washington Road. So Roteller was like, all right, let's get
(16:11):
out of the technique and let's get into kind of
hitting a shot. And so he said, what I want
you to do is I want you to pick a
fore iron. I want you to pick out a very
very small target, like a really really small target, and
the only thing I want you to do is start
the golf ball at the target. That's the goal of
(16:32):
this test drill whatever he called it. And he said,
after each shot, I'm going to ask you one question.
Did the ball start at your target, and it's a
yes or no answer, and that's the only thing I
want from you. So Trevor stands up, picks out you
know something, and then I remember Bob saying no, no, no,
I need something. So Trevor said, I wanted to kind
(16:53):
of start it at that tree and I'm going to
hit a fade. And I remember Bob saying, okay, what
part of the tree needs you to be really really specific?
And so tred picked out a bunch of really specific targets.
And so the first one he hits four and beautiful
four starts at his intended target. He had like a
little branch on a tree, started it and kind of
hit a little beautiful high, little cut fade. And he
(17:15):
came back and Bob said, did the ball start at
the target? And he said yes, and then he went
into an explanation of something else, and Bob said, no,
I don't I don't care about any of that. Did
the ball start at the target that you told me
you had? He said yes, And he said, all right,
pick out another target, same forearn and very specific target.
(17:35):
Do it again. And every time Trevor hit a good one,
he would want to expand on the shot. Every time
he hit a bad one, he would want to expand
on it even more. And I'll always remember this that
Bob Rotella said to him, Listen, you're hitting a Foearn
two hundred and something yards. You've picked out an incredibly
(17:56):
specific small target for where you want the golf ball
to start. How much more control do you really think
that you have over what you're doing. And that's another
thing that's always stuck with me about and I've talked
about this a lot on the podcast, about finding start lines,
finding you know, all of these things. That was kind
(18:20):
of if I look back at it now, maybe I
think that was kind of the impetus of that is
picking out something really really small and where does the
ball need to start? And even though Trevor didn't make
the cut that week, it was a huge week for
me professionally, but I think more personally because I kind
of finally felt like I belonged in our family, because
(18:42):
I never really felt and even to this day, I
sometimes feel like a complete outsider in the Harmon family.
But it was the first time that I felt like
I belong. I've done the work and I've helped a
player get to kind of the pinnacle of golf, which
is playing in the Masters. And I'm incredibly proud of
(19:05):
that moment, and I think about it a lot, and
I think about the journey that I've been on since then,
you know, almost over twenty years later. And I do
also remember that was the same year we were at
the Players Championship and Trevor qualified again being in the
top fifty. My dad was working with that Scott, this
(19:27):
funny one, and so my dad says to me, we're
on the range, Trevor's hitting balls and talk to my
dad and you know, I was living in Europe at
the time, and back then, you know, I didn't have
the greatest relationship with my dad. It's it's a little
better now, but back then it wasn't great. And my
dad said to me, you know, how's your man playing
this week, Trevor Immelman. And I said, you know, I
(19:47):
think he's playing really good. I think he's got a
chance to win. And my dad said win. He said, man,
your guy's never going to win a golf tournament. And
I said, and at the time he's worked with with
with Adam Scott. I said, I'll bet you one hundred
dollars that Trevor wins a major before Adam Scott. And
my dad always carries his money in a He wraps
(20:08):
his credit cards around, you know, one hundred dollars bills
and then puts a rubber band around it. And he
took his we're on the range at TPC Sawgrass, Jacksonville.
He takes his money out of his pocket and he
throws it onto the ground on the range and he goes,
I'll bet you all the money i've got that. Your man.
Never anyone even went a tournament on the PGA tournal,
let alone win a major. And I said, well, I'll
(20:29):
bet he wins one hundred dollars a major before Adam Scott.
And like I said, Trevor and I we just wore
each other out. We broke each other. And then I
think it was four. We were at the where were
we We were at the World Cup in Spain. Trevor
and Roy Sabatini had won the World Cup in three
(20:49):
at Kyawhile and they're defending champions and I just I
was going through divorce. I was living out of my car,
and you know, Trevor was we were just in full
grind mode and I just I quit. I just said,
I just can't take this anymore. And we didn't really
talk for a long time, and it was, you know,
it was a really bad breakup as breakups go, because
(21:10):
we just were so close, we spent so much time together,
and I just couldn't take it anymore. I was just
at a time in my life to where I was
just so broken at that time, both personally and professionally.
And when Trevor won in eight, I sent him a message.
We hadn't really talked a lot, you know, we kind
(21:31):
of started to say hi to each other, but we
really didn't have much of a relationship, and he responded
almost immediately and said, tell your old man to give
me my one hundred dollars bill. So four was was
huge for me. And then when Adam Scott won his
first major in the rain was at eleven twelve, I mean,
(21:52):
I can't even remember. That was such a special moment
because I'd worked with Adam when he was younger, and
I love Adam like a brother. I mean, he's just
such an amazing, amazing person. He's such an amazing golfer.
And the year before he lost you know, enormous lead,
(22:13):
I think he bow you the last four holes at
the Open Championship at Royal Lythm And I was working
with Ernie Els at that time, and it was the
first major that I'd been a part of, and I
just remember going to the back of the clubhouse there
to watch Ernie get the trophy and seeing Adam and
he was in tears, and you know, he hugged me
(22:33):
and said he was proud of me, and still makes
me emotional. So to see Adam win at Augusta the
way he won, I mean, I'll never forget it. And
then that iconic picture of Scotty's standing there in the
rain in the dark with all of the flash photography,
with his arms kind of open, and I was watching
(22:55):
it with Arnola board from Rolex, and you know, Adam
one and I went outside underneath the tree and I
just started crying because I was just so happy for him.
And I think that's you know, there are wins, but
Augusta just it brings out all of these amazing moments
(23:15):
and these amazing, you know, victories. And I think most golfers,
if they could win one major, I think a lot
of the Europeans would probably say the Open championship, which
I totally one get, but I think everybody wants to
be a Master's champion, and when you do win one,
there is so much that goes along with that. So
(23:36):
Adam went. I just remember it was raining. That's Sunday
in thirteen. It was cold, it was raining, It rained
all day on Sunday. And to see Adam do that,
you know, with the amount of time that my dad
and I had spent with him in the early part
of his career, traveling around Europe with Adam, and yeah,
it was it was really really cool to see that. Obviously,
(24:01):
Tiger in nineteen stands out, you know, from a memory
for me for loads of reasons. The first, I was
working with both Brooks and DJ at the time and
they both lost by a shot. Brooks had the tournament
ri instant in the water at twelve, and I think
in nineteen that was really kind of the first time
(24:22):
that younger generation had ever seen Tiger be Tiger right
at full flow, Tiger at a major at the Masters,
not making mistakes, and to be a part of that
one in nineteen, having been there when for Tiger to
(24:43):
win his fifth, having seen him win his first in
ninety seven, and the heartbreak for me for having two
guys had had a chance to win. I thought Brooks
was going to do it. I really did, and DJ
kind of came out of nowhere on that Sunday to
give himself a chance. And I just remember walking up
(25:05):
from eighteen and I saw Trevor Immlman and we were
just sitting there and just we were kind of standing
and scoring. Brooks was there, and you know, it's that
scene where Tiger walks up with Charlie and he kind
of walks into that scoring area and I'm kind of standing.
I think I'm standing behind Zach Johnson. There's video of it.
(25:26):
He kind of goes down the line and kind of
gives everybody a high five. I got a high five,
and I just was standing there with Trevor, and you
know the story I told you O four. The first
player I worked with in professional golf, really on my
own was Trevor and and for the two of us
to be there standing watching Tiger, I mean Tiger was
(25:49):
you know, he he's everybody's idol. I mean he's Brooks's idol,
but I mean he was Trevor's idol, right, And Trevor
grew up and played in the Tiger era, right, So
for the two of us to just be standing there
and for all the time that you know, the years.
You know, my dad worked with Tiger from ninety three
(26:10):
to two, and I spent so much time around him,
both on and off the golf course. I mean, he
used to come stay at our house when he was
sixteen seventeen. I used to go pick him up the airport.
You used to have to go wake him up in
the morning when he stay at our house. He had
these big coke bottle glasses before he got the Lasik,
and my dad would go to work and he'd say, hey,
(26:31):
go down and wake you know, make sure Tiger. You know,
you bring him to Locking Bar in Houston. So I'd
go down and I'd set my alarm, go down and
wake him up, take a shower, get dressed, and have
to go down and wake him up again. So to
see him win the Masters for the fifth time, and
to be there when he walked into scoring, I mean,
(26:52):
it's pretty damn cool, right, I mean, it's something that
I'll always remember. And then the following year, in twenty twenty,
the COVID year November DJ winning no fans which is
just because the thing about the Masters and the thing
about the golf course is because it is so undulated
(27:12):
and because there are so much elevation change. You know,
for people listening that have been, you know that if
you haven't been, I think the one thing for the
first timers at Augusta, they're just blown away by the
topography on how much elevation change. So when you stand
on the eighteenth green and you're up by the clubhouse,
(27:33):
and if you're walking from the clubhouse down to the
golf course, especially on Sunday, you kind of hear roars
echoing through the trees, through the crowds. And there are
certain players. You know, there's Tiger rars, there were Jack roars,
there were Greg Norman roars. Now there are Rory mckel
roars and Scottie Scheffler roars. But they're they're very distinctive
(27:56):
and they kind of rumble and echo through. You'll hear
or someone if someone makes a hole in one, Like
there'll be times during the practice rounds where we'll be
on the driving range and there'll be skipping balls across
the sixteenth pond and you'll hear the crowd. You can
hear it, and to go there in twenty with no
(28:16):
fans and coming out of the pandemic and all of
the things and all the regulations and having to wear
a mask, and it was just very eerie. It was
in November, so it was cold, it was wet, so
it was a very different experience than being there in
April with fans and our patrons as they call them.
And I just remember it being I could actually get
(28:39):
out and walk around and see the golf course really
really up close, because the only people on the golf
course were some of the members and some of the officials,
and then those of us that were part of player
support coaches, we were allowed to go out and follow
and just like in ninety seven, DJ came in having
I mean, he was the best player in the world.
(29:00):
Everybody knew it. He knew it, we knew it, the
media knew it, everybody knew it. He was the favorite,
and yeah, it was it was pretty special. I never
thought that that would happen, you know, in my life.
In my career, my goal was just to work with
a player that got to the Masters, that played in
a Master's So to be working with DJ in twenty
(29:25):
twenty and to be a part of that, and having
watched Tiger the year before win and being in scoring
when he came in there and win, And then I
was standing with aj DJ's brother by the putting green
and Tiger Woods walked out with DJ, and I just
remember just it really was incredibly surreal for me to
(29:49):
be standing on the putt and green and watching a
player that I worked with about to have a green
jacket put on him by I mean by Tiger Woods.
I mean, I mean, it's just, you know, you have
these moments in your your life and in your professional
career where they just almost don't seem real, and that
one is crazy. I just remember standing behind the putting
(30:11):
green with you know, Paulina, DJ's wife and David Winkle's agent,
and I remember Bubba Watson came down and Bubba whispered
to me. He said, I think we're gonna see our
boy cry here if he wins this thing, and you know,
obviously won and everything like that. And I do remember
when Tiger put the green jacket on DJ, and and
(30:36):
Amanda Balionis went to interview DJ, and Tiger was standing
next to me and put his arm around me and
he said, I'm proud of you, and it meant a
lot to me. And DJ started crying and Tiger said
to me, the green jacket will do that to you.
So it is emotional. It is an emotional place, and
(30:58):
there were so many historic things that happened there, and Yo,
when I thought about doing this pod, I didn't think
I'd be as emotional as I am. But it's just
such a place. It's got a lot of history, and yeah,
it's special. And so anytime I'm able to come back
here and work with the player DJ this week and
(31:22):
then I'm working with Noah Kent, who by getting to
the finals of the US AM he gets into the
Masters and the US Open. So it's going to be
really cool to see Noah here for the first time.
But the emotion that this place gets out of you,
whether you win or lose, I mean, I just remember
in nineteen when Tiger won and Brooks didn't win and
(31:44):
finished second, and I remember waiting. I waited until he
finished his media and waited and he came into the
parking behind the tournament driving range and he was crying.
I gave him a hug. Ricky Ellitt was there with us,
and you know, we didn't really say much and he left,
and you know, Brooks won the PGA not long after that.
(32:04):
So but yeah, it's a special place. It's iconic, and
it holds a very special place in history, and certainly
in my life and my family. It's a special place
and in my career. It has played a huge role.
The times that I've been at Augusta, the moments and
(32:27):
the years that I was lucky enough to be here
in some of the things that I've been lucky enough
to see in my lifetime. Is it's special. There's a
lot of rules. It's an interesting week. It's a very
different week for golf instructors like myself. We're not allowed
inside the ropes for practice rounds, which is the only
tournament that were not allowed, which is kind of interesting.
(32:48):
I remember when DJ was defending champion in twenty one.
I got to come back and he played a practial
I think it was the week before in twenty one,
and I got to walk around with him. And I'll
be fifty six next month. I've never played Augusta National.
I've never played the golf course. So in twenty one
I got to walk around the golf course and actually
(33:09):
got to get and stand on some of the greens
because again as an instructor at Augusta, were not allowed
inside the ropes. So being in twenty one, I just
another memory that comes up. It was first time I
had actually ever been on the golf course and ever
been inside the ropes, ever been on the first green,
ever been on the fifth green. I mean, I mean,
(33:31):
if you've never been on the fifth green, it's just
so much undulation. And I got to walk over to
the twelfth green, which I mean there are very few,
I mean, out of all the people on this planet,
to be able to play Augusta and to play the
golf course is very very rare. I just remember walking
(33:51):
across the bridge. It took a picture with DJ on
the bridge, but I just remember walking across the bridge
and I'm like, damn, I'm on the twelfth green, gust
So the golf course is iconic, the city, the town,
the entire thing is incredibly special. I know, it's something
that for everyone listening, if you're a fan of golf,
(34:12):
it's something that you mark on your calendar. And when
you hear that kind of iconic Master's song from the broadcast,
it's always special. And one last story that I'll tell.
It's not my story, but it's another thing that is
always a memory for me. My grandfather used to love.
My uncle Billy has told this story. It's kind of
a famous one in our family. My uncle Billy was
(34:34):
caddying and my grandfather would always have dinner, and he'd
have breakfast and lunch up in the in the locker room,
in the champions locker room, and then they would put
a chair on the range for him and he would
just sit and watch people hit golf balls and watch
players hit golf balls. He loved to watch golf swings.
And evidently he had he had the green jacket on,
(34:55):
and he had he had like a food stain on
his green jacket. And my uncle Billy, he's caddying for
Jay Hasso. He's got the you know, the the white
you know jumpsuit that all the caddies here at Augusta
wear famously. And he took a towel and he wet
the towel and he went to go wipe the food
stain off my grandfather's green jacket. And my grandfather wiped
(35:20):
his hand away and he said, Billy, you just worry
about keeping that white tuxedo clean. This week, I'll take
care of the green jacket. So honestly, every time The
Masters comes on television and that sound plays the music
with the you know, the piano and all of the
iconic song that that is, it's synonymous with the golf
(35:41):
course and the tournament. I just always think about my
grandfather telling him keep that white tuxedo clean. So anytime
I see any of the caddies, the first thing that
jumps into my head is keep that white tuxedo clean.
So yeah, I mean it's a special place. It's special week,
and I am excited. I think we're in for a
(36:02):
good one. You know, does Rory complete the Grand Slam?
Does Scottie Scheffler win? Does somebody get their first major?
Does someone step up? Do we have an incredible battle
on the back nine. I think a lot of people
are looking at what does Ludvig Oberg do? His game
looks like it's made for majors, had a chance to
(36:26):
win last year. Do we get a surprise winner? Do
you know we get somebody that isn't one of the favorites.
It's a long week, it's an amazing week, and it's
a week that I'm always incredibly proud and excited to
get to be a part of And you know, when
I look back at the arc and the trajectory of
(36:48):
my life and my career, the Masters is a huge,
huge part of my professional life and my professional career.
So really excited. Hopefully the weather holds off and we
get a really, really good twenty twenty five. Masters. Can't
thank everybody enough for listening. I say that all the
(37:08):
time when I close these podcasts. But I've traveled so
far this year. I've been to Saudi Arabia, I've been
to Australia, I've been to Bangkok, I've been to Hong Kong,
and I've been to Singapore, and in every one of
those cities someone has come up to me and said,
big fan of the podcast. So I continue to be
blown away that people listen. So I can't thank everybody enough.
(37:31):
Rate review, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Do a
little Master's recap next week.
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