Butch Harmon

Butch is back and not holding back as he previews the PGA Championship. Plus, he shares what it's been like to work with Rory and his take on Scottie's play this year. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Witness insurmountable deficits turn into unforgettable victories at the Travelers Championship,
the northeast one and only PGA Tour signature event. See
Scotty Scheffler, Worry McElroy, Victor Howlin, Patrick Cantley, and returning
champion Keegan Bradley, as well as other PGA Tour stars
in all four days of the competition at close by

(00:21):
TPC River Highlands. The Excitement tees off June nineteenth through
the twenty third. For tickets and information, visit Travelers Championship
dot com. The Travelers Championship there is only one. It's
the Son of a Butcher Podcast. I'm your host, Claude Harmon.

(00:45):
This week it is a PGA Championship preview, the second
major of twenty twenty four Valhalla, and I figured hadn't
had him on a while to get my dad, butch
Armon On talk about obviously the favorite coming in this week,
Scottie Scheffler. But he's been doing a little work with
Rory McRoy, get his takes on that and just anytime

(01:06):
I think we can get Butcher's takes on you know,
players and the state of the game, he'll be eighty
one in August, and I think he always has amazing thoughts,
insights and listen. What a career, right, I mean, I
think he'll be eighty one in August. And you know
Rory McRoy picks up the phone and says, listen, man,

(01:28):
can you give me an opinion about what I'm doing?
So you know there are a lot of players that
do that and.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Listen. He's worked with the majority of.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
The best players the last thirty years, so always good
to have Butchy on. He's always a fan favorite and
he does not disappoint. So sitpack and enjoyed listening to
There's no one else like him butch Harmon. Well, with
the second major of the year coming up, figured we'd

(02:00):
get somebody that always has great takes on it Dad
second major of the year.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
The PGA.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
Before we get to that, because there's a lot of
storylines around that. This run that Scotty Scheffler was on.
I remember I had you on the podcast right after
he won his first Masters. He is now a two
time Master's champion, four wins this year, including another major.
You've seen a lot of good golf. I know you
were on the call for Sky Sports at Augusta. You
got to watch it. It's beyond impressive. And I think

(02:31):
Shane Lowry said to me Sunday morning, the most impressive
thing about Scotty is how easy and unimpressive he makes
winning look. Meaning when Rory, when some of the bigger
names win, they dominate, it looks like they're doing something special.
Scotty Scheffler just plays amazing golf and makes it look easy.

Speaker 3 (02:49):
Well, I think he just he knows how to get
around a golf course. He does everything very well. You
wouldn't say there's one thing greater than the other. And
he's arsenal. It's just every part of it. He's driving
his iron, players just control. He's improved his putting so much.
Everything he does is good and he's on an unbelievable role.

(03:11):
He's putting better than he has in a while. I
think going to that malahead putter, I think Rory was
the one suggested the two. It was a good idea.
You know, right now, he's definitely the best player in
the world. There's no doubt about that.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
When you look at his stats, Dad, right now, I
mean it's very much like you know, he gets compared
a lot to Tiger, but his game is completely different.
But if you look at the stats right now, first
in strokes gain total, second stroke paint off the tee,
first in approach, ninety fifth in putting, first in greens
and regulation, first in proximity. I mean, if he was

(03:44):
top twenty in putting, he'd win every week.

Speaker 3 (03:48):
Well, that's a big if, if be honest with you know,
we were doing the broadcast of the Masters for Sky
and Nick Dordio, presenter and I were talking about this
and he actually made the statement that you know, Scotty
Scheffler is almost Tiger S And I said, yeah, if
he can do it for the next twenty years in
a row, that Tiger s. So that's that's the big
if into this. There's no doubt about a caud there

(04:09):
right now. He's playing better than anybody and more consistent
than anybody. Look at his distance control of his irons.
He's always pinned high. And that's the one stat that
I look at it all the time with my players.
It's the only one really that makes any sense to me.
Is distance control. If your balls are finishing pin high,
are in that relative area every time, you have completely

(04:31):
control of your ball through the air and on the ground,
and he's had it now, he's been off for a
few weeks because his wife obviously hasn't had the child
yet and they're expecting.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
Well, I think they just had it. I think they
just had it.

Speaker 3 (04:44):
Did they just have it this week? Why? I haven't.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
So he will, but by all accounts, he's going to
go to the PGA.

Speaker 3 (04:51):
Dad.

Speaker 2 (04:51):
When when when you have a baby you played professional golf.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
I mean, my sister and I were born when you know,
we were young, when you were out on tour. For
a guy like Scottie sha Effler, does does having a
baby change the way he plays? Or is he just
that He seems to me to be the type of
player and the type of person that won't be affected
by it at all.

Speaker 3 (05:11):
Well, the beauty is college of scott He's a wonderful
human being. I mean, he's a great husband, he's going
to be a great dad. Everything about him his first class.
You know, he's very religious. He lives his religion, which
I admire for him. It's not my cup of team,
but I admire him for being that way. Do I
think it will change the way he plays golf? Yeah,

(05:31):
maybe a little bit. It will give him a little
more to play for it, because now he's a dad
and he has another person to worry about. But I
don't think it's going to change his attitude and how
he goes about it. I think he goes about it perfectly.
You know. He and Randy Smith always come up with
a great game plan on how to play. Valhalla is
a place that I understand they changed the golf course.
I mean I've been there for the PGA, I've been

(05:52):
there for the Ryder Cup, so I don't know what
the change in the golf course is. But Scotty Sheffer
be ready, There's no doubt about that.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
And so we saw on Sunday, I mean we saw
that part in the round. I think the great ones. Dad,
wouldn't you agree that they all seem to do this
when they are on these major runs, that they can
put the gas on when they need to. On the
front nine, it kind of got close, and then all
of a sudden, he bird.

Speaker 2 (06:16):
He's eight nine and ten.

Speaker 1 (06:17):
And I remember saying to somebody the tournament's over, and
they're looking at me and they're like, what do you mean.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
I said, Well, the.

Speaker 1 (06:23):
Way he is playing and the game that he does play.
He doesn't really beat himself, does he. He has that
kind of knack of not really beating himself, not really
making big mistakes.

Speaker 3 (06:36):
Well, in my opinion, that's one of his biggest strengths
is he has the total confidence in his own ability,
but he doesn't make mental mistakes. That was the thing
that said Jack Nichols Apart, that's the thing he said
Tiger Woods apart from all the other great players, those
two had that ability. Yes, they were great players, they
could handle the pressure, but they just didn't make the
mental mistakes. And Scotty doesn't seem to make any of those.

(06:59):
And like you say, when get close, he puts the
hammer down a little bit, he knocks its stick in
a couple holes, and all of a sudden, there he
is with a big lead. I mean, I can't imagine
any of this is going to change unless someone just
a guy like Rory who is really starting to play
well himself, if he doesn't make any push on him,
who knows what's going to happen.

Speaker 1 (07:17):
The footwork Dad, that everybody talks about. I think everybody
looks at his footwork and thinks it's, you know, kind
of all over the place and thinks, why can't I
do that? But the way his feet work is very functional,
and it's very much the opposite of the way the
average golfer, you know, the club golfer, their weight tends
to go up to their toes. They get closer to

(07:39):
the golf ball with that lower body than the upper
body in the head have to back out, very similar
to one of your former students, Greg Norman, and the
way that his footwork works, that trail foot, his right
foot goes back and his feet actually do a little
bit of what the long drive guys do to where
their feet are actually going back not forward. And I
think it just goes to show you. I think Randy

(08:03):
Smith is someone his coach, you've known pretty much most
of your adult life. I know you have a lot
of respect for him. I've heard Randy say before that
he feels like in modern coaching sometimes that we take
out what kids do with their feet. When you look
at Scotty's footwork, I mean that is part of his DNA, right,

(08:23):
I mean, that is his kind of signature in what
he does. There are a lot of people that would
have taken that away, that would have tried to make
that better, but it's one hundred percent functional for him.

Speaker 3 (08:34):
Well, first of all, I have all the respect in
the row for Randy Smith. He's been Scotty's coach ever
since he was a young man. And what they've done
is the things that you and I have been talked about.
You never take away what a guy does naturally, you
just make it better. Going back to the footwork, if
you look at impact, impact position, which is the most
important thing in the game of golf, is how you
put the cab on the ball and impact. His footwork

(08:55):
is fine. All the other motion is because of the
speed and the rotation and of the torso and the
body and all the speed that he generates. But if
you look at impact, the feeder on the ground, the
weight is in the right place. Everything is right, and
then all of a sudden it goes. The only thing
that scares me about it is I keep thinking he's
going to snap that left tangle one day, the way

(09:15):
he gets over on top of it, and I don't
think he can pull a Tony Fena how like he
did it the part three of the Guessta where he
snaps it back of place.

Speaker 2 (09:26):
We've got three majors left.

Speaker 1 (09:27):
I mean Obviously, when you win the first one, there's
always talk about, you know, could someone win the Grand Slam.
But the way he plays golf, the way that I
mean obviously, to do that, to win all four majors
in one year, I mean, is it is next to impossible.
The stars have to align. But the game that he plays,
and I think the way he handles adversity, the way

(09:49):
he doesn't kind of get too high and too low.
You can make an argument that in the game right now,
if someone's going to win all four, I mean, he's
probably the favorite.

Speaker 3 (10:00):
He's the only one that can. He won the first one,
definitely gonna be the favorite. I think it's a tall order.
I mean, there's so many things that have to fall
into place for that to happen. So let's not get
ahead of ourself. Let's let's get to Valhalla for the
PGA and see what transpires there. If you look at
the courses coming up for majors, you've got Pinehurst for

(10:20):
the US helping, You've got Trooned for the Open Championship.
Those are two good driving golf courses, courses where you
got to control your ball. I know they've made changes
at Valhalla, and I haven't been there to see what
the changes there are going to be. But Valhalla is
a pretty straightforward course right in front of you. So
I think all three of these courses suit his game.
I remember, I don't think there is a course that

(10:41):
doesn't suit his game the way he's played because he's
so under control. But let's go from the first major
to the second major and see what transpires before we
start looking the way down the road.

Speaker 2 (10:51):
He's won two Masters.

Speaker 1 (10:53):
Now, dub what do you think about his game lends
itself to Augusta Nashvill in the way that golf course
gets set up and the test and the questions the
design of that golf course demand from me, what do
you think he has?

Speaker 2 (11:08):
Because I mean he can't.

Speaker 1 (11:09):
I mean, if you win two Majors and you've got
two out Augusta, it would lend it would lead you
to believe that the game that you have sets up
good for that golf course.

Speaker 3 (11:18):
Well, he won two different ways. The way he played
this year at Augusta was not as well as he
played when he won it the first time. He's a
different player now, he's better in all aspects of his game.
He has gotten better. That's not to take away from
when he won the first time, because he played beautiful
and he got the job done. But he went out
and won this time. I mean, he just took this
place away from everybody else in the field and just

(11:40):
said this is mine, this is how it's going to happen,
and went out and did it. The first one, it
was a little bit of a chore and stuff, and
you know, to win you first major is not easy anyway.
And now that he's won two times and he's going
to have to be a thousand percent full of confidence
that he can win these. He's a very confident player.
As you said, He's got all the attributes, especially the

(12:02):
mentally tough, which you have to be to continue to
win majors that I can't say enough about Scotti Scheffer.
I think he's a phenomenal player. He's a phenomenal human being.
I wish he was a little more charismatic so the
fans could relate to him a little more, which isn't
his fault. He just is who he is and I
admire him for being who he is.

Speaker 1 (12:22):
I think the partnership of getting Teddy Scott on his
bag as his caddy, I think that's been a huge,
huge asset in the sense that they're very similar people
on the golf course. They're very similar people in the
way they live their life off the golf course. What
do you think having ted Scott on the bag is done?
I mean he counted for Bubba Watson when he won

(12:43):
two green jacket, so Teddy Scott as a caddy. He's
been on the back for four Masters Championships. But I
think it's just been an amazing partnership. And the calmness
that Teddy Scott brings on the golf course I think
is just perfect for the way that Scotty thinks some plays.

Speaker 3 (13:01):
I think it's a brilliant move for Scottis Scheffler to
bring Teddy Scott on. Teddy Scott had semi talking about retiring,
wanting to go do some teaching and stuff like that.
He gets the call from Scotti Scheffler, he thinks about
it for I don't know how long. I would think
only about two minutes and said yes, I'm there and
the rest is history. They are a wonderful team and
they're perfect for each other because they're very similar off

(13:23):
the course too. They believe in the same things. They
live their lives the same way. It's been a great
move for scottis Scheffler and an even better move financially
for ted Scott. That's for damn sure.

Speaker 1 (13:35):
I mean Teddy Scott is making It's gonna be one
of those years where Teddy Scott is going to qualify
for the Tour Championship. I mean he's going to be
He's gonna make enough money on the money listened to
play in the Tour Championship.

Speaker 3 (13:47):
For the years over where he may be the second
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Speaker 1 (13:50):
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without limits. I want to get to the work that
you're doing that you started doing with Rory. I know
Roy gave you the call kind of right before Augusta.
But Dad, in twenty fourteen, when Rory won his last

(15:16):
major to go to go to four, he had four
majors twenty fourteen, the way he won that golf tournament
again late turning on the gas. If I told you
in two thousand and four, at the end of the
year or fourteen, that in twenty twenty four would be
going back to Valhalla, that Rory would only have one
major or four majors, and that Brooks Koepka would have

(15:39):
more majors than Rory Macrowy. I just don't think anybody
in twenty fourteen would have believed that, given how talented
Rory is.

Speaker 2 (15:50):
What a storyline.

Speaker 1 (15:51):
I mean, he has an opportunity to win his first
major in over a decade.

Speaker 2 (15:57):
His game is so good.

Speaker 1 (15:59):
But remember once, that long time ago in the nineties,
you were working with Greg Norman and he shot seventy
five when he was number one in the world, And
I said, he can shoot sixty six with his eyes closed,
and you said to me, but sometimes he can shoot
seventy five with his eyes wide open.

Speaker 2 (16:15):
Rory is like that. He can shoot.

Speaker 1 (16:19):
He can make shooting sixty three looked so unbelievably easy.
But there were times in the last ten years in
major championships where he puts himself behind the eight ball early,
he doesn't get off to the good start. Then he
has to go on offense, where it's hard to be
on offense in major championships. Why do you think it's
been over a decade since he's won a major.

Speaker 3 (16:41):
Well, we'll go back to that first point. When he
won those four, you would have thought he'd have run
on and had maybe eight by now. You could say.
You could say the same about Jordan's speeded he caught
on fire early and he won a bunch of them,
and he hasn't won any either. It just shows you
how hard it is to win him. I mean, I
think in Brooks's case, Rory's case, and George's case, they

(17:02):
act kind of made it look easy the way they
were doing it. In Brooks's case, he's become the major
championship assassin. I mean, you go to a major championship,
he's ready. I mean, it's almost And you know Books
better than anybody. You were the one who helped make
Books who he is. You had him from the challenge
to our way back a zillion years ago. I remember
when it was the twenty thirteen at the opening of yourfield,

(17:25):
and then the first time I saw him and you said, here,
I want you to come look at his kid. Books
kept going working. Well, we've done a phenomenal job with him,
and he's done a phenomenal job of making it happen.
But it's not easy to win these things. I mean,
these guys sometimes they make it look easy. That's what
made Jack and Tiger so much better than everyone else
as they did it for twenty five years. I mean,

(17:46):
you look at Jack. I mean, yeah, he won eighteen
of them, but he wouldn't have thirteen fourteen, fifteen seconds.
You know, you look at Tiger, he'd been going on
and on right now, Scotty Shepherd's the man. Rory is
the guy we would have thought was going to to
be that man. But I think a lot of times, Caud,
when things come too easy for you, you just expected
to always be there, and then when you hit that

(18:07):
speed bump in the road or something, and it kind
of gets you all tracked, you start changing things and
you start thinking the other way. I personally think that
Rory is back to being Rory again. I mean the
work I did with him, it wasn't a tremendous amount
of changing what he did. It was his attitude and
the way he played certain chots from one hundred and
fifty yards and he made that full swing like he's

(18:29):
hitting the driver, and I wanted him to make more
three quarter swings and chop the bottle through off a little.
He's a very high ball hitter, but with short irons,
highballs aren't good. It's hard to control. We wanted to
bring the ball flight down, and then I've showed him
a lot of different ways to do that. He's put
his own spin on that and he's incorporating that into
this as he goes on to watching the tournaments stuff

(18:51):
Couyle Howell. He's still working on the things to try
and do those things. But he's got to do it
in his way. I showed him and explain to him
why he should do it and how he should do it,
but then he's got to put his own take on it.
I think we saw in New Orleans he felt very
comfortable to what he's doing. We see it again this
week as you and I are speaking. The tournament's going
on in Charlotte, and he's right there. Only what done

(19:15):
looking it on TV? Only only one back on Saturday
from under Shop Play. So he's got his game going
in the right direction also, and I think once you
see it go in the right direction, the confidence thing
takes over. Confidence in golf and everything when everything's going
your way. Golfs he's I mean, just golf swing is
built for driving golf ball. He's the best driver of

(19:36):
a golf ball since Greg Norman. I mean, he's long,
he's accurate, he can hit it a mile, but that
swing is geared to hit drives, and that's why I
wanted him to work from one hundred and fifty yards
in on wider on both ends, take the ball out
of the air, control the ball fight a little better
once so it can one bounce and stop not spinning back.
So all these things he's trying to incorporate into his game.

(19:59):
The thing I admire about him, just like Tiger did's,
he put it right into play as soon as we
talked about it, even in AUGUSTA when it was all
fresh to him. He's still doing it in weekend and
week out. He's continued to do the same things. So
I think he's he's trending in the right direction. I
think his confidence level is there. He still tends to
miss some putts from six and seven eight feet that

(20:22):
you got to make to win, but I think he's
going in the right direction. Are so many of the others.
I mean, if we look at the other guys that
are playing well over there on Live, you look at
how good Brooks is playing. John Brown's starting to play better,
you know, And I have to admire the PGA.

Speaker 2 (20:38):
Cam Smith's starting to play better.

Speaker 3 (20:40):
Who's that.

Speaker 2 (20:41):
Cam Smith has.

Speaker 3 (20:42):
Really been playing, no doubt, and you know, the PGA,
I take my hat off to him for inviting what
sixteen of the Live players to play. Because the world
ranking thing is a bunch of bs now, because the
top fifty in the world to get in majors is
something of the past. They got to come up with
a new system because if you look at Live, John
Rahm is the only guy in the top top thirty five.

(21:03):
I mean, Brooks is thirty seventh, Cam Smith is fifty six.
You can go all the way down to DJ three
hundred something. So I mean the world ranking thing, that
to me, they should throw that out now for major
championships and go on quality. And I think that the
PJA have done that, and my hats off to them.

Speaker 1 (21:20):
What do you think is is there a fixed in
your opinion for the world rankings, because obviously the argument
is everybody that went to Live knew what the consequences were,
they knew what they were getting into, they got paid,
But it just seems like, you know, for the majors,
the majors want the best fields, and regardless of which

(21:41):
side of this that you're on, you know there are
people that are, you know, fiercely loyal to the PGA Tour.

Speaker 2 (21:45):
There are people that like Live listen, I don't.

Speaker 1 (21:47):
Care, but I think the lawyer the majors now they're
the they should be the best fields. And this argument
Dad that the best players got together all the time
and we need to have that happen more. You've been
around golf more than I have. That rarely happened. Rarely
did you have tournaments where all of the best players

(22:08):
were playing. The Players Championship always tries to get the
best field of the internationals and the guys that play
on the PGA Tour. The majors have historically been where
we have that. But you said that, you feel like
maybe in twenty twenty four and moving forward that given
what has happened and what has transpired over the last

(22:28):
two and a half years with Live coming on the scene,
it looks like the world rankings are somewhat comical now
when you have players I mean the eye test, right,
I mean, I think for those of us involved in
professional golf, if somebody I don't care where they're playing,
if somebody is playing in Europe and wins four or
five tournaments, that passes the eye test in professional golf,

(22:52):
you know the players that are the best players in
the world based off of their performance, their toolbox and
the way they play in visional way moving forward, that
the majors maybe say, okay, I mean the one that
could change it all. And we talk about this all
the time, the Masters in the way that they run
that golf tournament. The Masters could play with the completely

(23:15):
set of their own rules. They could say to everybody, listen,
you have to play with our golf ball. You have
to play by these rules, and everybody would do it
because they have so much respect for the tournament and
you know the history there. Do you think that maybe
the majors take the lead and start saying, listen, we
are going to make up our own criteria to invite

(23:36):
the players that we feel are the best.

Speaker 3 (23:39):
Well, I think a Masters has already done that the
last two years. They were the first one. I think
they were the event that the PGA, the Open championshid
us help them, was looking at to see how they
handle it because they have their own rules on how
they invite people, and just because you qualify doesn't mean
they have to invite you if they don't want to.
They were the first one to say, yes, we want

(23:59):
these guys. They're the best players. You look at this year,
we had a whole bunch of live guys playing there.
We got what sixteen of them playing in the PGA.
This is what we want. We want to see the
best fields we can have. Now they're talking about they
formed the committee to talk to PIFF and see if
they can start to make this happen. And I think
it's going to happen Pud because it has to happen.

(24:20):
The PGA tours losing sponsors. This is the last year
for Wells Fargo, Hand has already gone. Some of the
others are talking about, well, how can you ask us
to spend all this money when we don't really have
the best players in the world playing together. So I
think the Masters are really the template of how it's
going to be. Now, how we get to that remains
to be seen. There's still a lot of water under

(24:42):
the bridge. They got to clean up and stuff. But
I'd like to see some sort of start where there
can be some crossovers, whether the three tours get together,
you get lived, you get the PGA Tour, you get
the dp World Tour, and say, look at certain events.
If somebody from Live wants to play in this, we
can invite them. If somebody the PGA Tour wants to
play in a live event, Live can invite them to

(25:03):
play in it, and so and so forth. I think
that would be a start. Is not going to happen,
Probably not, because it's logical and nothing seems more chological
these days.

Speaker 1 (25:13):
Dad, how much do you feel over the last two years,
the fact that Rory was basically the spokesperson for the
PGA Tour. How much do you think that affected his
own course performance in his game.

Speaker 3 (25:24):
I think it affected him a lot, and I think
the powers to be at the tour, i'd have to
just say out of him because he's the commissioner. I
think they asked him to be the spokesman, and to
his defense, he did, and he put himself out on
the limb, and then in a way he got thrown
under the bus on a lot of the things that happened.
And now he's kind of changed his tune. He's come

(25:45):
over to being a lot more open minded, which I
talked to Rory about when I was with him about
a month ago, and he has opened his eyes and
he said, you know, maybe I got a little bullheaded
and the way I did stuff, And so I admire
that for him. He's come out and said that he's
on that committee now to talk to to be able
to talk to the people that live, and I think

(26:06):
he's going to be a great asset for that. I
think the problem you have you have Tiger over here
on the PGA tour side. He seems to be very
anti lived. You have a bunch of other guys that
seem to be that way. There has to be a
way for all three of these tours to come together
and play. That's all we want, that's all we want.
We want to see the best players in the world

(26:26):
playing in as many events as we can get. And
somehow or another, the three bodies are going to have
to put their egos aside. And I'm not going to
pick side. I'm not going to pick the tourist side,
Live side, dB World two side. Just everybody, throw your
egos out the door, let's sit down in the room
and let's make this happen. I mean, that's that's the
way things get done. But it doesn't seem to be

(26:48):
working out that way.

Speaker 1 (26:49):
Well, I know from you know, from I mean obviously
on all of my guys went to Live. I know
there will be a lot of live players and some
of the bigger live players that will look at this
kind of new diplomatic It's like the diplomat Rory right
to where he's thinking. And you know, this is from
a guy that a couple of years ago was saying

(27:10):
he hated Live, he wanted it to die, it was
going to die. You're right, I mean, I think it
is a good thing. And then you know, just in
the last you know, forty eight hours, the ultimate the
epitome of the ultimate live hater Brandall Chamblie comes out
and says live on air that there's got to be
a deal to be made and they need to make
a deal. It's crazy times right now. Where do you

(27:36):
stand on on this?

Speaker 2 (27:36):
Do you think that there's this big push now?

Speaker 1 (27:40):
You know, I'm standing on the range and one of
the AUGUSTA members said to me, it just seems like
there's a lot of greed in professional golf.

Speaker 2 (27:47):
Right now, and there there seems to be a.

Speaker 1 (27:51):
Lot of people talking about the product. There's but five
years ago, i'd never heard anybody talk about the product.
I never heard anybody talk about what a professional golf
was putting out. Live comes in, they offer a bunch
of money and stuff. Do you think that in your opinion,
do you think the players have gotten greedy or do

(28:11):
you think the players are finally saying we finally have
a voice and we've always been told we're independent contractors,
but we have to be told what to do by
the tours that we play on.

Speaker 3 (28:22):
I think some of both. To be honest with you,
and look at the tour you talk about degreed. Didn't
they just come out and start handing out hundreds of
millions of dollars to people in some kind of trumped
up deal. I don't know what it is what they
take to fed away money and then give it all
of the players or something that Isn't that what Live did?
I mean? Come on, and if you're on the PGA tour,
you need to open your eyes and say, you know,

(28:43):
maybe you didn't agree with Live, And I got no
problem if you didn't agree with it, because it was
kind of a strange thing that I offer these gigantic
come outs with mini of people. But you can't you
can't get on a guy for doing it, and you
can't say that he can never come back because that's
ridiculous too. But now all of a sudden, the PGA
Tour is doing the same thing, Claude. I mean, I
don't know what they call this thing. They just hand

(29:03):
out what Tiger Woo's got one hundred million and Rory
got right on down and they had three different categories
of how much money you get. So I mean, in reality,
everybody ought to thank Lid because I think they live
open their eyes to what can happen. Okay, that's important thing.
What can happen? Now? Did both sides are starting to
go this way. It's been that way for three years.

(29:26):
The PGA tours now audishing out a lot of money.
Just because you've been there, I said, all right, let's
get together. Okay, you kind of both are on the
same thing. It's just that some people do it this way,
some people do it that way. But the money's still
coming into the players. You can't say that the players
are being greedy because of the fact that they're getting
paid more money. Anybody that listens to your podcast weekend

(29:50):
and week I would love to have someone come up
to them and say, hey, look, I'm going to give
you fifty times more than you make doing your job.
To do the job over here, my guy didn't get
on a trampoline and leap over there. And I think
now the PGA tour is kind of drinking that kool
aid with this new thing they're coming up with. So
at least we're working in the right direction. Let's just
damn it, let's make it happen.

Speaker 1 (30:11):
If you look at the people that are involved with
the decision making process on tours, I mean, these are
the ssg's guys that are coming in now with the tour.
They are very very good business people. You've got yaes
ser at the piff they're in business. I mean, these
are some of the smartest business people on the planet.

(30:33):
And if you look at the decisions that they're making
on a daily basis from a business standpoint, and some
of the things that they're able to do in the
business world, and some of the decisions that they're making
and merging companies and coming out with new products, to me,
it seems like there isn't a solution because they don't
want one. Because with all of the smart people that

(30:55):
we have, it just continues to amaze me. But with
all these smart people and these business people and people
like Jimmy Donn and people you know from SSG and
the people that I've met, you know in Saudi from
a business standpoint as well. I just I think there's
a lot of people that just don't want peace, that

(31:16):
they don't want this to come together, and it seems
like there's a faction of people that want this divide
to continue.

Speaker 2 (31:25):
Do you do you get that feeling?

Speaker 3 (31:27):
I hope not. I hope you're wrong. I can see
where you can think that way. As a first of all,
it's backtracked a little. I don't think Jimmy Dunn gets
near enough credit for what he did. Someone had to
go talk to the Saudis. Someone had to go. He
was the guy. Jimmy loves God, he's bizarre, seminole, he's
a remember Augusta and all of these and I commend
Jimmy for dinner. They've kind of pushed him beside now,

(31:48):
even though he tried to make the attempts to make
some things happen. I just think that now the players
seem to be running the tour. Okay, is that good
or bad? Well? Professional tour players aren't businessmen. That isn't
good that they're running the tour. They need to have
structure ahead of them. They need to have Do we

(32:08):
need a new commissioner? I would say we probably do,
to be honest with you, because I don't think the
players trust this commissioner. Is there anybody that would be
great at that? Sure, I have my opinion on guys
that I think would be a great commissioner. They're probably
not going to do it. But we got to have
some kind of some kind of backbone and some people
to say, hey, look, I may not agree with this
one hundred percent, but what's in the best interest of

(32:30):
the game of golf. Let's get together. Let's make it happen.
I hope that you're wrong on the packs and the
people are saying, no, we don't want to make it happen.
We like the divide. I hope that's passed. Three years ago,
I could understand that because there was a lot of
Burgo hostility between the tour. I hope that that's gone
now because I think we need to go and try
and be positive on all ends and let's make this work.

Speaker 1 (32:53):
What would you envision professional golf looking like in twenty
twenty five if you could up, what would be your
vision of Okay, this is what you would like to
see happen from the tour standpoint, from live standpoint, from
all the various tours around the world, and then from
what the majors are going to be doing as well.

(33:15):
What would be your wish list of where we are
in twenty twenty five.

Speaker 3 (33:20):
I would like to see the three tours get together
form a end of the season events. You can take
four events, six events, whatever you want to take. For
the best seventy players in the world, no matter what
tour they come off of, play for fifty million dollars
an event or something like that, and I think the
savvast could make that happen. But it's a combination of

(33:43):
everybody has a chance to play in this and it's
the end of the season, true world championship stop. I
mean that to me sounds very reasonable and it's so
logical that'll probably never happen, because, like you say, there
are people that are trying to make it not happen.
I actually think claud if the commissioner three years ago
had taken Yastra's phone call, we might have already had that,

(34:06):
because I don't think Yoser wanted to own all of
golf in the world. He wanted to be part of it.
I mean, you know him very well. You and I
have had this conversation. I think he wanted to be
part of the process. He could have been a phenomenal
part of the process, just to make what I just
said happen. Can you imagine at the end of the year,
in the silly season, when football is going on and
all this other stuff World Series and Baseball, all this

(34:28):
stuff is going on, that all of a sudden, we've
got six events, say six weeks in a row. Pick
a number you want, one hundred players, seventy players, seventy
five players, the best players in the world, come all
over the world. Have a criteria to bring the best
all of the world together for a huge prize money.
Make it. If you win the thing, you get eight

(34:50):
nine million dollars, would give you charity five million dollars
or something like that. Make it something that people would
care about and want to watch, and actually they would
turn it on even when there's a football game on.
They say, holy smokes, this is something special. Look at
who we got playing in this thing. Look where they're playing.
They're playing all over the world. They're the best courses
in the world and all these countries. This is what
people want to see. This is what it's all. Why

(35:11):
do you think that the NFL and is that all
these are going they're playing games in Germany and England
and stuff because people want to see them play. Well,
golf's no different. People want to see these people play.

Speaker 2 (35:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (35:22):
We just got back from you know, Australia and Singapore,
and the crowds that turned out in Australia, it was unbelievable.
They just they've never seen that. That's many good people.
The golf courses Dad in Australia, the sand belt golf courses,
they're just they are just so good. The design, the
bunkering in Australia and those sand belt and we you know,

(35:45):
the Grange where they played the live event isn't one
of the superstar I mean Royal Adelaides right across the street,
which they say is really good. But I just love
to where they're There are these green complexes and the
bunkers are basically on the green, and there's these deep runoffs,
steep faces, and it just it allows for so much

(36:07):
shot making. I know you've been down there a number
of times. The golf courses are just so cool down
there in Australia.

Speaker 3 (36:14):
I've fyed a lot of those, especially in the sand Belt.
I've fighted a lot of those golf courses with a
great tom crow, my good friend, we'd go over and
play them. The bunker and is phenomenal. I mean, it
reminds me of Tilly Hasse and Wingfoot, the deep bunkers
with steep slopes. The beauty that I love about the
golf courses in Australia is the banks are very firm
and everything goes down into the flat of the bunker.

(36:35):
If you notice the only rate the flat part of
the bunker, because that's where all the balls end up.
Very seldom do you see one stick in the bank.
It can happen if they've had some rain and stuff.
But their golf courses are beautiful. But there's great golf
courses all over the world. I mean in great parts
of the world that would love to see an event
like we're talking about, and they would. You couldn't. You'd

(36:57):
have to stop selling tickets. So many people would want
to go see the day. Let's get these three tours.
Let's get PGA Tour Live, Let's get DP World Tour.
Get off your ass and let's make some of this happen.
Let's sit down and talk about it. New haters got
to stop hating.

Speaker 2 (37:15):
The hate.

Speaker 3 (37:16):
Time is over with Live not going anywhere. It's going
to be here, and they're putting a good product on.
I don't necessarily agree with the fifty four holes. I
wish they'd go to seventy two holes. I don't necessarily
agree with the shotgun start, although the players like it,
because then whether it's not a problem everybody's on the
course at one time, the team thing is. I'm sure

(37:38):
it's fun, but it's very confusing when you're trying to
watch it because they start talking about this and that.
But I think there's a way to continue along and
everybody get along, and there's just different aspects that each
tour has. It's really good, and let's put all these
aspects together and let's create some of it. Well.

Speaker 1 (37:54):
I think, you know, if you think about what they
did with PGA Tour, you right, I mean lud big
ober Coming, who was just so impressive at Augusta this
year finished in second. I mean last year at this
time he was playing college golf. Now he is was
he seven in the world. Thea what they did with
the PGA Tour, you which was giving you a ranking

(38:15):
system to college players everybody. I mean, obviously I think
the PGA Tour did that one hundred percent to try
and counteract the live money trying to take the best
college players. But I mean that is something that everybody
in the professional game has thought that needed to happen.

Speaker 2 (38:31):
For the last fifteen years, right.

Speaker 1 (38:33):
I mean, the players coming out of the college golf
system now are amazing. But what I find interesting is
we can't figure out how to get live World ranking
points because it's fifty four holes, there's no cut. Individual
team doesn't seem to be.

Speaker 2 (38:45):
A pathway on that is college golf.

Speaker 1 (38:48):
College golf is fifty four holes, there's no cut, there's
a team an individual winner every week. I can't pick
up if you're seventeen years old, you can't pick up
the phone and call John Fields at the University of
Texas and say I want to play golf at the
University of Texas. He's going to tell you, well, we
would have to recruit you, and you can't just come
qualify for a team. He basically every week through qualifying,

(39:10):
how many times college golfers. Have you coach that said, yeah,
I finished second qualifying or third and qualifying, but they
didn't take me this week. So the coach picks the team,
and then if you're really good and you're going to
go to Stanford, they're going to pay for you to
go to school there.

Speaker 2 (39:24):
So if they can figure out.

Speaker 1 (39:26):
How to get somebody out of that system directly onto
the PGA Tour, like you said, there's got to.

Speaker 3 (39:33):
Be I can't blame the PGA Tour for doing that.
I mean of Coursel. I got about all of the
tour good. I thought it was a great idea. I
think the stumbling block for LID is fifty four holes.
I really do. I get it. They wanted to be different.
I know that l I V stands for fifty four ands.
I get all the coalition with that. I don't have

(39:53):
a problem with the team stuff. The guys seem to
like it. They seem to enjoy it. I mean, we
have Ryder Cup teams and international team the President's Cup,
so we have team events. But I don't blame the
PGA Tour for doing that. I see where your argument
would be, but I just think that the fifty four
hole is a crutch. I think if you went to
seventy two holes and maybe seventy players or so, because

(40:17):
these events that go on with seventy players in it
and no cuts, I mean that would be the same
thing as what lives doing. You know, designated to me
makes sense. I just think the world ranking the way
it's run, I never understood it anyway it was. I
mean I didn't go to MIT, I went to no It,
So I mean I couldn't understand what the hell that

(40:38):
I had. The guy at de Royal County down we
were having a lunch one day and we were talking
about it, and he was trying to explain to me,
and I was a deer in the headline finding I said, look,
I'm very sorry, but I have no idea what the
hell you're talking about. Okay, I wasn't very good in school.
I didn't like school. If I wasn't a good athlete,
I couldn't have got through school. So I mean, you're
talking to the wrong guy with meal pissing into the

(41:00):
win because you're getting it all over yourself because I
have no idea what you're talking about. So they got
to come up with and I don't think the players
have any idea of how it works either. I mean
when I look down to live players and I see
that Patrick Reed is ninety two in the world ranking.
These are major champions. I mean Cam Smith fifty six,

(41:20):
he took major championship d Chambeau. He's one hundred and seventeen.
Dustin Johnson is three hundred and seventy ninth in the
world ranking. The guys one major championships. Bill Michelson just
won one a few years ago and he's one hundred
and fifty eighth. What kind of system is this? I
have no idea what the hell this is? I mean,
come on, let's get a system that works. How about
to get a system. As my dad used to say,

(41:40):
that the guys that shoot the low scores win, that's
the system. The best players in the world are the
ones that are shooting the lower scores. I don't give
it damn what you're ranking as a two year ranking
and all that bullshit. If you're shooting good scores and
you're winning, tess what you're good. I don't give it
damn where you're playing.

Speaker 1 (41:57):
And that goes back to the eye test that we
were talking about, right, you know the best. You know
who the best players in the world are. Right, The
ranking system is the ranking system, But those of us
that are lucky enough to be in professional golf, that
are lucky enough to still work with good players, you
know who the best players in the world are. When
somebody goes, oh, he's one of the best players in

(42:18):
the world, you're gonna if you're looking at the record,
how many tournaments they've won, how many majors they won,
you might say, yeah, Okay, he's had a good year
and he's finished second a lot, but he hasn't really
won a lot of golf tournaments. The eye test, I
think is important in the ranking system data. One question
I've got to ask you, going back to Rory mclroy,

(42:38):
You'll be eighty one in August. You've been lucky enough
to work with the greatest players of the modern generation
and stuff, But you know you're eighty When Rory McElroy
calls you, does it get you excited?

Speaker 2 (42:53):
Does it make you go man? Roy McRoy just called
me and asked me for help.

Speaker 1 (42:57):
As an instructor who's been in the game for so
long and worked with so many great players, does it
still kind of give you that buzz in your stomach
that went a great player like Rory wants your opinion
on something.

Speaker 2 (43:08):
Does it?

Speaker 3 (43:09):
Does it?

Speaker 1 (43:10):
Does it still have that same feeling that it's always
had for you.

Speaker 3 (43:13):
Damn Reditize, You're damn reditize. I'm honored that he would
think that they call me. He's done it before. This
was the first time we've done it. And there's a
lot of them that have done it. You know, Jordan's
done it, Dat's done. All the best players that come
a cake, they just want to hear something different, or
maybe they want to hear you tell them something that
they've missed you something, but you dn't right. I loved

(43:33):
it when he called me. It was like when Ricky
called me back when he when we hadn't been together
for three years. And I love that that he had
the confidence in my ability as a as a as
an instructor and a coach. And there are two different
things to be honest with you, but it makes you
makes you feel good because, Wow, these guys still have
faith in me. I might be eighty, but I've still
got these two track mans right here that work pretty

(43:55):
damn good. These blue things that you're looking at right here,
that that's what these are my track mans right here,
and they worked pretty good for about the last forty
years with these guys. So yes, I was. I was humble,
and I got a big smile on my face, if
you want to know. And I couldn't wait for him
to get here because I already had an idea. You know, me,
I've watched every great player in the world, and I

(44:15):
have a memory bank and golf swings in my head
that I've seen everybody play. So if a guy were
to call me I've never worked before, I guess what
I've watched it play. Now, if I've ever had an
idea what I thought you could do? Yeah, I think
I could help you. And in Rory's case, it was
it wasn't difficult what he needed to do. We had
some good, good conversations about how to handle majors and

(44:37):
the deals, deals and how you approach majors and how
you go about it, and so, you know, so I
loved every minute of it.

Speaker 1 (44:43):
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(45:05):
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much did you.

Speaker 2 (45:20):
Yell at him? How much did you did?

Speaker 1 (45:21):
You put him in the office and get on him
a little bit.

Speaker 3 (45:27):
I didn't really get on them. We sat down in
the office, we had a conversation with by our families
and stuff, and then we started talking about major championships.
And I tried to explain to him, because I've had
a lot of successful guys that have won a lot
of major championships, about how they went about processing the
major championships, not just this is before we got into
his mechanics of his swings, of the things I thought

(45:49):
he should do. I wanted to talk about Augusta and
the very majors. We talked about preparation leading out, how
you handle it, who you live with when you're there,
do you get there too early, get there later, you know.
And I just explained how everybody did it differently, and
then then I'd laid out to him. I said, but
he says so because he had he had gone to

(46:10):
Bay Hill and made twenty six birdies and finished like twenty.
He had gone the next tournam and he's missing greens
in the left bunker with wedges and nine acts. And
I explained to him why. And I explained to him, Look,
you've got a golf swing that's built to drive the ball.
You're the best driver in the game since I've seen,
since Greg Norman drove. I said, you're you're a phenomenal driver.

(46:30):
I said, the problem is you hit your web shots
with your driver's swing. Got this big old long swing
and this big ol' fallow through the balls too high
in the air. I said, I need to show you
how to hit three quarter shots, bring the ball flight
down so one bounce and stops the donecomb roaring back
off of greens. Because of the height you're taking it
in there, you'll control the distance better. I explained to
him how he would do it. Then I said, look,

(46:52):
you're gonna have to put your own take on it
on how you do it. But and and so far,
you know, he's done a nice job. And I can't say, yeah,
he's not doing everything that we talked about, but he's
picking the pipes that he thinks he can do right now,
and he's playing better. He's more consistent now every week
he's right up there again, which is what we want
to see.

Speaker 2 (47:10):
I mean, you.

Speaker 1 (47:11):
Worked with, you worked with two of the biggest alpha's
probably the professional game has ever seen, in Greg Norman
and Tiger Woods. They had everything. They had every shot,
they had everything that you could do. When you look
at Rory Dad and you look at his game, not

(47:31):
just the way that he plays golf, the toolbox he has,
where do you rank him out of all the players
that you've seen, Because I think he's one of, if
not the best players I've ever seen. I mean, he's
to me, he is as close to Tiger and Greg
as you can probably get from having everything.

Speaker 3 (47:53):
Well, I wouldn't I wouldn't say he's is close to Tiger.
I don't think anybody's close to Tiger. There's only one
Tiger Woods. His tale like he is. Greg Norman doesn't
get the credit for how great he was because he
only won two Maniors, because he had the bacles and
other ones. A lot of them were his fault, A
lot of them they weren't his fault. And we're judged
on major championship but Rory's got four of them, so

(48:14):
he's he knows how to win major championships. He won them,
he knows how to do it. I put Rory right
there with one of the best players of all time.
I don't think. I don't think yet his game management
is as anywhere as near as good as Jackson Tigers.
Greg had the Australian mentality. He was an Arnold Palmer,

(48:36):
a gopher, broke of everything, and a lot of times
he let his ability to have all that talent get
in his way. And I think Rory has done that
in the past few years. And I think he's getting
away from that now. He's starting to understand his own
game a little better, you know, So we'll see what happens.
But he is truly one of the best players he's
ever lived. I mean, you can't say he isn't. Look

(48:58):
at his record.

Speaker 1 (49:00):
Going to the PGA. Give me some dark horses that
you think could play well. I mean, obviously I think
everybody's going to be looking at Scotty. I think everybody's
going to be looking at Rory Brooks. Having just won again,
He's going in there with a bunch of confidence. I
was with him today. He's back to really feeling like
he's playing good. He wasn't happy with the way he

(49:21):
played at the Masters, So I think he's going to
be somebody they'll talk about. But give me some of
the other players that you think could have a chance
this week.

Speaker 3 (49:28):
Well, I think the young Aberg kid. I'm not sure
I'm pronounced his name right. I think he's phenomenal. I
think he does. He have oh the length of time
that I have learned how play.

Speaker 1 (49:40):
And win a major, only a second major.

Speaker 3 (49:43):
Yeah, I think the guy who plies under the radar
the most, who hasn't won one, and it's hard to
believe his Tommy Fleetwood. And I don't say that just
because I work with him. I just know his game
so well and how good he is. And you know,
he could have won the Open Championship last he could
have won the US Open Championship. He put himself in
those positions, the putts didn't quite fall for him. He

(50:05):
played beautifully at Augusta finished tied for third at Augusta.
If he puts it all as good as as Sephid
that he would have been right there given him a chance.
I think Tommy is a dark horse that you can
look at. If I'm looking at some of these other players,
you can't leave out Patrick Cantley because he's a good
ball striker. He's a strange guy, but yet he has

(50:26):
the talent to do it. Max Holmes's got the talent
to do it. If I look at some of the
live guys that are playing there, Cam Smith, you've already
said the rom we know books, we know if Terrel
Haddon can keep a cool ahead about himself, I love that.
I love this guy. I got to say something about
terol at Terrell Hadton is what the game needs right now.

(50:49):
The game the PGA Tour, for example, to me, these
young players are so good, but the tour is driven
by superstars and characters don't really have Chef was a superstar,
but he doesn't have that charisma the others half. Terrel
Hatten's got it, man, He's got the other I wish
there was a few more like that. I'm not saying

(51:11):
that we need to keep a microphone around him all
the time. But he gets a bad shot. But Doug
gun Tom Bench is entertaining.

Speaker 1 (51:17):
And how much does Tyrell Houghton reminds you of yourself
when you played the tour?

Speaker 3 (51:22):
Well, his demeanor reminds me of itself. Not this talent
level I entered into talent. I love the guy and
as you know, off the course, he's a nice guy.
He just is passionate about what he does. And when
he goes into these rent and ravens, it's usually about himself,
not about anything else.

Speaker 1 (51:40):
Oh no, he's not complaining about he rarely. I mean
he'll complain about hitting the flag or getting a bad break,
but normally the thing he's complaining the most about Tyrell
on the golf course is Tyrol.

Speaker 3 (51:51):
Yeah, and you look at you look at Bryson. Bryson
is an odd duck. But Bryson's a hell of a player.
I mean, you in the US Open, the Wing Poot,
you can play golf. I'll tell you that. But see,
we don't have these kind of guys anymore. We don't
have these these out of the box kind of guys.
We got to whole bunch of clones that all look
the same. They're beautiful golfers, and I'm not taking it
away from them because they're phenomenal golfers. But the problem

(52:13):
is you turn on the television and a normal PGA
tour vet and you look at the top ten, you
may only know one or two of these people because
the really superstars haven't played that well at various times,
so people turn it off, they go to something else.
We need these guys that are a little bit of
a character. I mean we had it in the old days.
I mean you still have it on the Champions There

(52:34):
Tour with John Dadley. People love John Tiley. John Daily's,
you know, poor guy, he can't get out of his
own way. He's a tremendous talent. But we need stuff
like that. We need characters, and I think the Living
has kind of brought that in with the music and
the way the guys have a good time out there
and stuff. So there's there's a lot of things that
I think need to happen in professional golf, But I

(52:55):
think the overall first thing is we got to get
all the best players playing in the same event. And
we're going to have that next week at Valhalla, and
quite honestly, I can't wait to see what's going to happen.

Speaker 1 (53:05):
Lastly, we'll see Tiger Woods hopefully again next week at Valhalla.
We saw him play at Augusta. What do you think
we'll get from from t dub? I mean, is are
we going to continue to get more of what we
saw at Augusta to where you can obviously see that
he'll have a day where he's fresh and looks like
he has all the shots and looks like he's in command,

(53:28):
and then halfway through the next round, it's like there's
an expiry date on his body and his body just
gives out on him, and you're thinking, man, if he
can just finish this round and somehow finish this tournament's
it's a win and a success for him.

Speaker 3 (53:45):
Well, let's just kind of like it is anytime Tiger
Woods plays. We like it because we don't know what's
going to happen. We all know Tiger Woods. If he
shows up to play, he's going to tell you I'm
there because I think I have a chance to win.
The downside is Claudie can't walk. Can he walk? Seventy
two holes so far has proven that he can't, and
That's a sad thing for me because I hate seeing

(54:05):
Tiger Woods as great as he was. And really he
seems to have put a lot of work on his
golf swing. I like the way he's swinging the club,
what he's dealing with with his legs. He figured out
how to offset that a little bit. So the talent
level is still there. It's Tiger Woods. There's nobody's ever
had more talent in the world. Look like golf of
Tiger Woods. The problem is you got to walk seventy
two holes and he just hasn't proved to himself. Forget

(54:28):
proven anything to us. He didn't prove anything to us.
We know how great he was. I just hate seeing
him going out there suffering and try and make himself
believe he can still do this when I'm not sure
he even believes he can walk seventy two holes. But
we're gonna get it. We're going to get a look
at it and see if he can. And you, you
and I have been in Valholliver for it's hilly. There's

(54:49):
a lot of hills and a lot of up and
down there, and that's wear and tear on him. But
if he shows up, I know Tiger Woods. And I'm
never gonna ever say he can't do something, because that
was what I used to challenge him within the ten
years I work with him. When I really wanted him
to do something, I just tell him he couldn't do it,
So let's move on to something else. What do you
mean I can't do it? I told you probably could,

(55:09):
but it would take a long time. No, let's show
it to me. So you know, he's got his mind
believing that he can, and he's used after his strength
his whole career. I just hope if he shows up,
he could be healthy and he can enjoy his time
out there. The fans love him, They love having him back.
Television loves having him back once again. We'll just absolutely

(55:32):
what happens.

Speaker 1 (55:32):
Well, he famously won in a playoff at Valhall against
Bob May. You were working with him then, what do
you remember? What do you remember about that week?

Speaker 3 (55:42):
Oh? I just remember the back nine that he played
and then the playoff post. I mean it was just amazing.
I mean you got to hint it to Bob May.
Bob made did everything right. Bob May did not lose
the PGA. Tiger Woods just beat him, and to lose
the Tiger Woods, there's no excuse. But I've made made
some great potts and hit some great shots. He'll be

(56:03):
remembered the fact that the Tiger won. But to me,
I and I was doing the broadcast for Sky, I
was there at the time. Bob May was amazing. Tiger
coming down the stretch was amazing. I mean the puts
he made on seventeen putty made on the last hole
coming down that hill with that slider was unbelievable. After
coming beautiful bunker shot coming out. I mean, there was

(56:24):
some some cool stuff going on there. Valhalla is special.
I remember the Ryder Cup when your man Anthony Kim
who now on LIB was playing Sergio Garcia and that
what was it the fourteenth hole or something? He won
the hole of clothing. No, he won. He'd racing to
the next day and Jose Riya, one of the vice captains,
had to say, no, hey, k wait a minute, you

(56:46):
won the match. So there's I've got some cool memories
at Valhalla, and I think we're going to see some
more next week at least, I hope.

Speaker 2 (56:53):
So all right, Well, great talking to you.

Speaker 1 (56:56):
I think the stuff you're doing with Rory, Yeah, and
if he'll listen to you with the wedge stuff, I mean,
it'll definitely help him because he's I mean, he's seventy
seventh and and starts gained approach. You can't win majors
if you're Rory McElroy and be in the seventies in
in hitting greens.

Speaker 2 (57:13):
You've got to be one of When Rory McElroy is.

Speaker 1 (57:15):
Playing his best, he is an elite iron player, and
I think the work that you're trying to do will
help him get back there.

Speaker 2 (57:26):
Thanks for talking to us.

Speaker 1 (57:26):
Always good to talk to you, and I'll give you
some updates from the PGA.

Speaker 3 (57:30):
All right, thanks for having men. Love you, buddy.

Speaker 1 (57:37):
So some really good takes from Butcher there. And as
I said in the in the opening, I mean the
life that he has lived in the game of golf
and the players that he's been lucky enough to work with.
I thought he it's second to none, the record that
he has, how many players he's helped win major championships.
And I thought he also, you know, said some really

(57:59):
good things, some clear thinking things about you know, the
game of golf. In twenty twenty four Live the PGA Tour,
wear all the shakes out stuff like that, so always
good to get.

Speaker 2 (58:10):
His views on things.

Speaker 1 (58:12):
And PGA Championship I can't wait for its start. Should
be a good week Valhalla. Lots of storylines. Does Scotti
Scheffler get another major championship? Can Rory get his first
in ten years? I mean this is the last time
he got one was in fourteen at Valhalla. Can John
Rahm get another one? Can Brooks Keepker get another one?

(58:33):
Can Max Homa and some of the guys that don't
have one, can they get there first? Some great storylines.
I think the majors are the most important events in
professional golf at the moment, regardless of what side of
this debate you're on, But it seems to be the
time that we're getting the best players from all the
various tours. I think hats off to the guys Seth

(58:55):
Wall and the guys at the PJ of America for
giving invites out. I think it's that, you know, we
try and find a way to make all this work
as supposed to, try and find a way to make
it not work. Son of a which comes to you
most Wednesdays, We will definitely see you next week.