September 9, 2023 • 30 mins
First, Doug reacts to Team USA’s disappointing loss to Germany in the Basketball World Cup semifinals, and if the USA hoops program is capable of bouncing back again. Then, 2023 FedEx Cup champ Viktor Havland joins Doug to discuss his thought process as he locked up the FedEx title, how he maintains the confidence when things aren’t going well, why he loves living in Stillwater, and his expectations for the upcoming Ryder Cup.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hey, welcome in.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I'm Doug Gottlie.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
This is all ball. We've got a great treat for you.
Victor Hoblin is going to join me.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
And of course, if you know anything about golf, he
had two of the greatest weeks back to back in
the history of the sport, winning two straight tournaments, and
the second one, of course, culminated in a win of
the FedEx Cup, which means he won fifteen million dollars.
I believe it was like twenty two million and two weeks,
(00:33):
which is nothing short of incredible. But before we get
to that, I did want to kind of recap Team
USA and the semi final loss to Germany, not necessarily
in the game alone, although like, look, we could go
back and pick apart the fact that Steve Kerr has
been ikt of he's trying to force small ball with
Paula Banko playing a lot of the five, or it's
(00:57):
just a matter of the personnel that he has. The
biggest takeaway should be from this tournament is FIBA.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Is a different style of basketball.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
It just is.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
The officiating is very, very different, the physicality is very different.
Doesn't mean the NBA is not physical, but physical in
a different way. But in addition to the fact that
the NBA game doesn't reward a lot of the physicality
of the traditional center, we're just not producing them at
nearly the same rate. And you know, maybe that's an
(01:30):
US problem or maybe that's the game evolving. Now should
be pointed out that in the NBA there is kind
of a.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
I don't know anyone called de evolution.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
The If you notice this week Anthony Davis said he
wants to play power forward. Some of that is that's
what he says he wants to do, right, He doesn't
want to guard Yokich and some of those Steven Adams,
some of those monsters, although he should want to have
them guarding him. Some of that is out of necessity
because look, the team you're gonna have to.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Be the Nuggets.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
They're awesome, and the thing that the Nuggets were able.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
To do in the playoffs was not just play Jokic,
but also, I mean, across the board, there's six nine,
six ten.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
You know, Michael Porter.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Junior's six nine, six ' ten, Aaron Gordon he's listed
six ' ten, but he's probably more in the six
eight six nine variety whatever, And you just you have
kind of the return of size strength to go with
incredible athleticism. So I think some of that's out of necessity,
but we just do not have a part of it
(02:32):
is even our wings. They're you know, three D guys.
They get posted up and they get I mean, look
at the games and which which we have lost, you know,
Austin Reeves getting posted up and Lithuania beasted us on
the boards. I do wonder why Steve Kerr hasn't given
Walker Kessler a chance. Obviously he's not as physically built
(02:53):
or maybe as physically gifted as Jared Jackson, who's really struggled.
But the an NBA center a Foeba center. They may
speel and sound like the same position to people, but
they're really not. It's a different sport. Has the world
caught up to us, Yeah, of course you haven't been
paying attention. On the other hand, we're not the only
(03:13):
ones who can sit here and say, hey, we have
a bunch of NBA players and we're getting beat by
non NBA players. Having to Canada, right, Canada, ten NBA players.
We're gonna play them in the third place game, so
you know, and it does feel like this is a
shot for Lebron and KD those guys to swoop in,
you know, next summer and play in the Olympics and
(03:34):
act like they save today. But the reality is that
we have we should have good enough players, We should
have good enough talent to win this tournament.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
The talent is not an issue.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
I think a good portion of it is how we
teach the game, and the game is taught differently in
other parts of the world. And the biggest issue that
I would say most of us have is most things
we teach are off the dribble, We're off the ball screen,
and we just don't have the ability with so many
of our players to learn to play without the ball
(04:05):
in the post and moving without the basketball least like
lost arts everybody times. The lost art of the mid range,
no lost art of the mid range. It's there, Plenty
of the great players shoot it. It's not analytically a
great shot, but it's still there. The lost art is
able to move without the basketball. That's what makes Steph
Curry so special. And then kind of physicality defensively, we
(04:25):
don't have that in the NBA game for a good
portion of.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
The season and oftentimes for the postseason.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
The FEBA game is different. It's incredibly physical, it's incredibly
skilled with shooting, with passing, not as much for dribbling,
and those teams, I think it plays to their strengths
in terms of their athleticism and style, and it also
plays their strengths in terms of how the game is taught.
So we're not we were at the crossroads a long
(04:52):
time ago. And what happens is at the lower level oftentimes,
you know, like the sixteen U team this year was
so as with the boot users and jaalamont Nati and
they just have dude after dude and just mollywomped everybody.
But we're way advanced. But it's a lot like quarterbacks,
right quarterbacks who when they're in high school and college,
(05:14):
they can run and they don't get taught the skills
that they need for when you get to the NFL
and everybody can chase you down. You know, we're so
physically advanced and athletically advanced at a young age that
oftentimes we're skipping the skills needed when they play that
(05:35):
type of game where it's it's very much a skill
not athleticism sort of game. And I think where we
kid ourselves when we win at a lower level, a
younger level, because once you get older, the athletic gap
is not as great and it can be made up
with physicality, which is pretty obvious. We have some great
(05:55):
interviews to come here on All Ball and they're not
always not always having to do with basketball, because I
think you can you can glean a lot of things
from every different athlete and even business people. Let's start
with Victor Hoblin, of course, star golfer at Mile Mounter
Oakland Estate. Uh, he's been a star on the tour,
although he's only he came in second of the PGA.
(06:16):
He has has yet to win a major. But the
first step is he won the FedEx Cup. He joins
us now at All Ball. You kind of had like
this whirlwind week, you know, where you've been on so
many different shows and kind of telling your story and
taking your victory lap.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
I know it's not your style.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
But now that you've got of gotten a weekend to
catch your breath, how do you reflect on the celebration
have to win the FedEx Cup.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
Yeah, it all happens so quickly in the last couple
of weeks that I wasn't quite sure if I you know,
realize what happened in the moment. So it's been kind
of nice back to Oklahoma. I haven't been here in
like three months, and just to see everyone play some
golf and and just see a lot of the people
(07:09):
that I care about. It's been really nice and and
it's starting to sink in a little bit more. But
now it's time to look at Ryder Cup.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
So Carston's closed down right for renovations. So when you
go to pick up the sticks first time in oklahom
where did you go play?
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Oak Tree?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:25):
So I've been going out to oak Tree National a bunch,
but I've been at Carson a couple of the days. It's, uh,
they're getting ready to close it down, but it's you know,
the holes are still open. The the fairways are just
kind of in a little bit of rough shape, but
the greens are still good. So I've played a couple
holes out there, but mainly going down to oak Tree.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Okay, So when you go down you're playing with your
boys down at Oak Tree. What's the trash talk like?
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Right?
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Because now now you got you got the Yeah, I mean,
you're obviously doing well financially, but now you got all
that money in your back pocket. Plus you're telling people that, hey, man,
money that big a thing to me. So I'm sure
they're trying to take a bunch of you when you're playing.
What's the trash talk?
Speaker 4 (08:02):
Being like, yeah, they're that's That's what I like about
those boys down there. They they're not afraid to throw
some trash at you, So I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Usually just making fun of my clothes.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Or or you know, I didn't make enough money, or
or they're trying to find the vulnerable spots.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
So they're they're good at that. But it's it's good.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Fun even doing this.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Since you're what five years old, was there was there
a moment where you thought as just a burnout moment
or a moment of.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
A crisis and self confidence.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Hm.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Well, I would say like when I grew up in
Norway and even coming to school here in my first few.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Years, I've I've always had something or I've.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
Never thought I was quite good enough because I felt
like I had to I always had to battle something
in my swing or they're something about the game that
wasn't good enough. Now occasionally I would play really really
well and feel like, man, that was that was awesome,
but I couldn't quite do it often enough to believe
in me if I guess. But as I kept just
(09:16):
getting better and I started seeing the results, and then
I got to play a couple of PJ. Turvens as
en amateur and a couple of majors, and I realized that, man,
I'm you know, I'm almost right there, and I just
started believing a little bit better, and it seemed like
all the pieces started falling a little bit easier.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
So, yeah, I don't quite know how to explain it it.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Well, is there like a process you go through when
you go to those moments where I mean, maybe now
the skill level is so good, you've been doing it
so long you don't have it. But you know, that's
a that's a long walk by yourself, in your own head,
in your own thoughts you've been making for years, And.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
I just wonder if what the I mean?
Speaker 3 (09:58):
I just always marvel at guys that are able to
Everybody has it, that self doubt, but guys like yourself
are able to put that aside and use it as
motivation or compete or.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Prove it wrong.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Is there a trigger that you're able to or something
you say, is it what what is your process like
where you eliminate those doubts?
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Well, I think you can.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Instead of focusing on oh am I good enough or not,
it's like focusing on, Okay, what can I do to
get better? And if you still have things or things
to improve and you can still get a lot better, well,
let's just focus on trying to get a lot better.
And when you get there, well, are you still not
(10:41):
good enough or or what are your results like? Then?
Because you know you might have something to worry about
it if you feel like you are playing to the best,
to the best of your abilities, if there is no
juice left to squeeze in your golf game or whatever
it might be, that then I'd kind of be getting worried.
(11:02):
If if you know you're doing all the right things,
swing looks good and everything like that, and you can't
break seventy five, you know that's that's a tough look.
But yeah, but uh.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Yeah, I still feel like I can get a lot better.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
And I've always just focused on the things that I
can control and work on them diligently, make good decisions,
and you put the time in and you just you
have to improve.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
What's the feeling like of watching that, of lining up
on eighteen knowing what's at stake, what I've just I've
always there. There's a tiger Woods commercial back in the
day and it was like guy playing with Tiger Woods
and he's just shaking like a leap right, And I
mean I think you know, I mean, even as a
former athlete, just golfers amaze all of us because you
(11:52):
just have to calm your nerves and you know, find
your line and do what you've done a million times over.
But eighteen FedEx Cup, everything that's at stake. What do
you remember about lining up for that putt?
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Yeah, it was, Honestly, I was kind of surprised.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
By how calm I was in the moment, to be honest,
and because it's I had to battle Xander coming down
the stretch or basically the whole round, even though I
had a six shot lead. You know, Xander Bertie's the
first hole, I do two, and then I make a
nice par plot on number two and it's like.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
But miss too those two putts.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
I'm for a head and that can easily you could
easily lose that in sixteen holes. So it was it
was a battle from the get go and even the
previous rounds that when when every shot feels like it's
do or die, you get into you just get into
a state or state of mind where you just keep grinding,
(12:59):
you take nothing for It's like, oh, I made a birdie,
I got a five shot lead, it's probably over now.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
But as soon as you allow yourself to think.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Like that, it's it's easy to lose focus and put
some bad swings on it. So honestly, even though I
had a five lead on eighteen, there, I just wanted
to make birdie on eighteen because I knew Xander and
I were tied for the individual and so there's like
there's always something to play for, and I just wanted
to make another birdie.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
Okay, So take me inside your mind. Okay, you're looking
at the putt. Yeah, how do you what do you
do to set aside everything that's at say, set aside
the fact you're trying to win. What is the actual
mental process inside Victor Hoblin's mind on eighteen when you're
lining up that putt.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Yeah, so I hit my bunker shot to probably ten
feet or nine feet something like.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
That, and I just get up there.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
I do a system called aim point in my putting,
So I'll step almost in my line and feel the
slope with my feet. And I remember just going to
the middle part of the pott feel the slope and
it was like a one percent slope right to left.
It was slightly uphill. And I put the ball or
(14:12):
I use a line on the golf ball, and I
aimed it just outside right edge, and I'm like, Okay,
if I put it right there and I start the
ball online, there's no chance this ball miss is missing.
And then I just get up there, take a couple
of practice wings, address the ball, and just make a stroke.
And I was because of that lead, I felt extremely calm,
(14:34):
to be honest, the week before i BMW where I
had a seven footer up the hill for birdie. That
was that was a lot worse of a stroke because
I had to make it. Uh But at that point
it was just like, Okay, let's let's try to make
another birdie and and uh yeah, put a smooth stroke
on it and win it.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
So obviously, the last two times you played in tournaments,
you're on this incredible run. How do you keep it going?
Like are you doing the exacty like I'm not changing
my shoes. I'm using the same glove. Are you a
creature of habit where you're going to continue repeating it
until further notice?
Speaker 4 (15:13):
Yeah, I'm not very superstitious, but obviously when things are
going well, it means that the things you're doing are
obviously working, So there's no need for a lot of change.
I think if I just keep doing the things that
I've been working on, and there's still some things to
improve in my game still, and I feel like I'm
(15:37):
in a really good spot where I've had great instruction
for my new coach, Joe Mayo, where he's kind of
taught me or help me understand what I do when
things are not going so well or when I do
hit a good shot. I know exactly what's going on,
so I can kind of help myself if things start
(15:58):
to go a little out of and maybe I start
to slice the ball a little bit more than I do,
or I started not chipping it quite as good as
I have been. Well, I feel like he's helped me
understand it well enough to where I can course correct
on myself and that allows me to never get that
far off. But winning tournaments back to back that's that's
(16:21):
there's a lot of variants in that. You can play
some awesome golf and not win. So I just got
to keep keep playing golf and try to do my best.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
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Speaker 3 (16:43):
You you mentioned in so many of these things, and
even at the at the podium after winning it that
you live in Stillwater and like, look, there's tremendous golf
in Oklahoma, but it is not Florida, right, It's not Arizona.
It's not the place where so many others live. Why
staying stiller.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Well, it's just a great town. You know, me growing
up in Norway, this is home away from home. I've
been here for over seven years now and people are
just really, really nice. I know when I'm coming to
everything is super convenient. The weather is a little bit
of a challenge. But instead of looking at it like man,
(17:26):
the weather sucks here, it's like, no, it's it's pretty fun.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Actually.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
Sometimes they go out there in the winter or in
the you know, some of those cold days when it's
blowing thirty and it's thirty degrees outside, was.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Like, okay, how can how good can I score? Today?
Speaker 4 (17:43):
And it's not that I do it all the time,
but occasionally go out there and just you have to
challenge yourself. I think that's pretty cool because I think
those boys in Florida don't get to experience that very much.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
It feels pretty obvious, like, yeah, some of it's the
Norwegian background, but a lot of it has to be
your family background.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Where does this positivity come from?
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Right?
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Like, again, there's two ways to look at anything, and
you have this ability to find the positive things.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
What's it come from with your family? How did that develop?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Well?
Speaker 4 (18:16):
I wouldn't say it's always easy.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
But it does come I would say it comes natural
to me. And I would say most people.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
In Norway are more inclined to think that way. I
don't know, maybe it's just values and just power raised
in Norway. I guess when you start as a young
kid that okay, you have to work for something or
you have to you know, nothing's going to be given
to you gonna You're gonna have to get out there
(18:45):
and do the work yourself. And if things doesn't doesn't
work out, the way that you expected to. It's look
at it as a challenge and you have to do
better to step up and overcome that challenge instead of okay,
why me and I don't know more. People just think
that way from from an early age, and then it's
(19:06):
almost ingrained in your way of thinking.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
You mentioned you hadn't been home in like three months,
Like what's that like? Like is there food in the fridge?
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Is there?
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Like do you have the same you have been wearing
kind of the same clothes on rotation. I'm fascinated by
that process. Like whenever I've been gone for like a month,
I come home and you're just like, oh my god,
Like I got to like empty the fridge completely start over.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
What's that process.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Like of you when you come in with your bags
and you realize you haven't been home in three months?
Speaker 4 (19:35):
Yeah, well I have I have great neighbors that come
by and look after the house for me.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
So I appreciate that a lot.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
But uh, I remember one of my buddies, Chris Vintura,
he was gonna go come by the house while I
was away in Europe because he had a corn freeture event.
I think he was in Kansas and he was just
driving by and he spent the night and he looks
at the thermost at ninety five in there, so I
guess the ac blew out and I had to get
(20:02):
someone to fix it and it was just a mess.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
So, uh do you have do you have like a
I mean, like, I know, it's a pretty big property
with it. Do you have like a ring doorbell? And
you're like sitting there like, dude, who are these people
coming by my house? Do you like how much do
you pay attention to what's what's even going on back home?
Speaker 2 (20:17):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (20:18):
Yeah, not not No, I don't have that, so I
don't pay that close attention.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Uh but uh and I also have a roommate in
the house, so he uh, he takes care of the house.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
But over the over the summer, obviously he was he
was home and he was playing tournaments, so I uh yeah,
there there weren't that many people in the house.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
So it's kind of it's kind of weird coming back.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
But at the same time, when I'm here, I'm only
in still Water for maybe a week or two, so
it's not like I'm stacked in the fridge full of
stuff for those two weeks. It's almost like, Okay, I'm
only here for a week, so I'll keep it kind
of light until I leave, and then when I come back,
there's not much to throw out.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah, what is that feeling like? First night in your
own bed?
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Yeah, I mean we travel so much and we sleep
in different beds, and it's hard to kind of dial
in the perfect routine. I guess like in at home,
I try to go to bed and wake up at
the same time. When I have a couple of weeks
and I can get into a rhythm, which is really nice.
But yeah, there's there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed.
(21:25):
And I think when you're gone so much and you
come back, you kind of take that stuff for granted.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
You mentioned Ryder Cup coming up and that you're continue
to focus on continuing to improve.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
What's your your kind of mental preview on Ryder Cup.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Yeah, I think it's going to be a blast.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
Obviously, last time it didn't pan out to well for
Team Europe, and that was that was kind of an
awakening in a way. You know, Ryder Cup is the
I think is the biggest deal we play, and m
it's hard to just kind of it's hard to prepare
for it if you haven't been there, and I think
(22:06):
last time was was very valuable for me. Now this
time around, it's going to be at home in Europe
and we face a tough team and team of us,
but I think our chances are looking pretty good as well.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
So I can't wait.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Let's just be honest, are the American when it's playing
in American soil and the Americans are playing, we're kind
of a bouches, right.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
It's like.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Like out, I'll admit it, and I'm sure most of
the guys admit it. What what what is the is there?
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Like? What's the decorum going to be like? From the
European style on the European soil?
Speaker 2 (22:41):
You know, I'd like to think we're a little bit
classer than you guys, So uh no, I put it
this way.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
I don't think we'll be chugging beers on the first hole,
slamming him into the ground, put it that way.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
But now there there'll there'll be some hostilities going back
and forth. That's just a part of it. But h
I at least hope it's again.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
I don't know what we're going into, but obviously they're
going to be cheering for us. But if the other
team starts making putts and playing great golf, then hey,
you know, hats off to him. That's that's that's good playing.
But uh, you know, still still think there will be
a significant home home court advantage.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Who's the best hang? Who's the best hang on that
European team?
Speaker 4 (23:29):
I really like Shane Lowry. He has a great personality.
Uh Yrrell Hatton too, is is awesome. You know, he
can get Matt on the course, but I just think
I find him so entertaining. And Ludwig Aberg the the
youngest kid on the team that just graduated from Texas
Tech and and has played awesome.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
He's he's a really nice kid.
Speaker 4 (23:52):
I don't know him that well, but he's from Sweden
and and closer to my age, so I think we
have a lot in common, but still need some time
to get to know him. Other than that, I mean,
the whole team is is is just a bunch of
great guys. So I'm just looking forward to hang out
with him.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
For you personally.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Obviously, winning you know, two weeks in a row, winning
the fed X Cup is amazing, But what's still left
is those those majors.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
The PGA was right within your grasp. What is that like?
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Because you know, Ricky won the players but hasn't broken
through there. What's that like to be now probably considered,
you know, the best player to yet to win one.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Yeah, I mean that stuff kind of shifts all the time,
but yeah, I mean those it seems like now I've taken.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
A bigger step.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
Every single year I started out, went in the Puerto
Rico Open, and then I won a regular event in
my Coba, and then I won some in Europe, and
then finally I won in the United States and then
the FedEx Cup at the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
It's like I'm kind of.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
Moving up the ladder and it feels like a major
is the next step. But it's and I came close
a couple of times this year, and I feel like
I'm taking I'm a way better golfer than I was
last year, and I feel like my time is gonna
(25:21):
come in those championships. But you can't. I try not
to focus on it that way. It's like, Okay, next
one's a major championship. Man, I'd really love to win.
Of course, I'd like to win, but you know, it's
it sounds cliche, but I just gotta work on the
things that I'm I'm working on and stay calm, and
I think I can pop one off eventually.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Number one thing you're working on currently is.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
Well, I wouldn't say it's just one thing. It's like
my short game has gotten a lot better. And I
wouldn't say there's any technique thing that I have to
get a lot better with. It's just kind of maintain everything.
And I would say it's more mental at this point,
(26:05):
just making better decisions whatever that entails, and then just
doing a good job of staying calm when I hit
a bad shot, because I've let bad shots bother me
way too much, and then I let that escalate a
little bit and I just don't seem to play my
best golf instead of you know, the last couple of
weeks have been a great lesson in that, man, I
(26:26):
don't have to be leading the tournament after the first
round to still have a chance to win a golf tournament.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
I think in Memphis, I finished.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Thirteen, almost had a chance to win, and I was
after twenty four holes, I was second to last in
the field. Wow, And I think that's just that's a
cool lesson to think that Okay, instead of losing to
your crap when you're in that spot, you know, just
just focus on Okay, if I just get on the
(26:53):
roll here, I can actually make up a lot of ground.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
That's that Tiger style grind right there, right, that was
the magical Tiger was he would find a way to
grind in the top ten when it didn't didn't appear
possible after the you know, after the first day exactly.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Yeah, last thing.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
You know, you've changed your golf swing, but your body
has changed over the years.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
What's for the better?
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Right You're like fitness to become a huge part of
what's allowed you to continue to rise.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
What percentage of it is diet, What percentage of it
is your workout?
Speaker 4 (27:27):
That's yeah, it's it's hard to say, but I just
I've kind of if it hasn't been so much for golf,
I've always just wanted to experiment a little bit, see
see what it's going to help me feel better, be
a better athlete. And I remember, just out of school,
I tried a bunch of different stuff. I tried like
fasting and stuff. I ran a lot for a while
(27:50):
there right out of school, and I got kind of
addicted to running, and then I kind of stopped doing
that because it wasn't all that great for my golf.
So I started eating a little bit more, change my
diet and and started lifting a bit more weights. And yeah,
it's just still trying to figure out what's what's the
best way to work out for me and for my golf,
(28:12):
but also try to I just want to try to
be very healthy and be the best athlete that I
can I can be outside of golf.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
So what's the what's what's the hardest thing you had
to cut out? Dial?
Speaker 4 (28:27):
Uh, like not well, I try to not eat that
much like fast food and stuff, so I've never really
had a problem with that. But chips and just you know,
the occasional ice cream here and there. I mean, that's
that's hard to get rid of. And for me, I
got a very addictive personality, so I can't. Once that start,
(28:49):
there's no going back. So I kind of have to, yeah,
be pretty strict.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
With on that on that stuff.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
All right, So what's the what are you currently addicted to.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Golf? Golf?
Speaker 4 (29:02):
I guess and Okay, I'll play poker at the end
of the night and listen to podcasts, so I'm just
I'm kind of addicted to new information and learning mores,
push myself, challenge myself.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
I think that's that's fun.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
That's awesome stuff. Hey man, we'll keep it going.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
And obviously represent the same school that I went to,
so it's a great pride to catch up with you.
And thanks so much for joining me, and good luck
in the Ryder Cup. Regardless of planning for the other side,
doesn't matter to me.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Thanks for joining me.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
Yeah, thanks, I appreciate you having me on.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
All right, that's it for this edition of All Ball.
My thanks to Victor Hovlin for joining us. Reminded, the
Doug Gotlieb Show airs daily daily three to five Eastern time.
We also have a daily podcast called in the Bonus.
It is No holds Barred. There's no FCC restrictions or
whatever that's called. In the Bonus you can download in
the iHeartRadio app. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Doug
(30:01):
gottlie This is All Ball
Speaker 4 (30:20):
H
Hey, welcome in.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I'm Doug Gottlie.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
This is all ball. We've got a great treat for you.
Victor Hoblin is going to join me.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
And of course, if you know anything about golf, he
had two of the greatest weeks back to back in
the history of the sport, winning two straight tournaments, and
the second one, of course, culminated in a win of
the FedEx Cup, which means he won fifteen million dollars.
I believe it was like twenty two million and two weeks,
(00:33):
which is nothing short of incredible. But before we get
to that, I did want to kind of recap Team
USA and the semi final loss to Germany, not necessarily
in the game alone, although like, look, we could go
back and pick apart the fact that Steve Kerr has
been ikt of he's trying to force small ball with
Paula Banko playing a lot of the five, or it's
(00:57):
just a matter of the personnel that he has. The
biggest takeaway should be from this tournament is FIBA.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Is a different style of basketball.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
It just is.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
The officiating is very, very different, the physicality is very different.
Doesn't mean the NBA is not physical, but physical in
a different way. But in addition to the fact that
the NBA game doesn't reward a lot of the physicality
of the traditional center, we're just not producing them at
nearly the same rate. And you know, maybe that's an
(01:30):
US problem or maybe that's the game evolving. Now should
be pointed out that in the NBA there is kind
of a.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
I don't know anyone called de evolution.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
The If you notice this week Anthony Davis said he
wants to play power forward. Some of that is that's
what he says he wants to do, right, He doesn't
want to guard Yokich and some of those Steven Adams,
some of those monsters, although he should want to have
them guarding him. Some of that is out of necessity
because look, the team you're gonna have to.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Be the Nuggets.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
They're awesome, and the thing that the Nuggets were able.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
To do in the playoffs was not just play Jokic,
but also, I mean, across the board, there's six nine,
six ten.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
You know, Michael Porter.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Junior's six nine, six ' ten, Aaron Gordon he's listed
six ' ten, but he's probably more in the six
eight six nine variety whatever, And you just you have
kind of the return of size strength to go with
incredible athleticism. So I think some of that's out of necessity,
but we just do not have a part of it
(02:32):
is even our wings. They're you know, three D guys.
They get posted up and they get I mean, look
at the games and which which we have lost, you know,
Austin Reeves getting posted up and Lithuania beasted us on
the boards. I do wonder why Steve Kerr hasn't given
Walker Kessler a chance. Obviously he's not as physically built
(02:53):
or maybe as physically gifted as Jared Jackson, who's really struggled.
But the an NBA center a Foeba center. They may
speel and sound like the same position to people, but
they're really not. It's a different sport. Has the world
caught up to us, Yeah, of course you haven't been
paying attention. On the other hand, we're not the only
(03:13):
ones who can sit here and say, hey, we have
a bunch of NBA players and we're getting beat by
non NBA players. Having to Canada, right, Canada, ten NBA players.
We're gonna play them in the third place game, so
you know, and it does feel like this is a
shot for Lebron and KD those guys to swoop in,
you know, next summer and play in the Olympics and
(03:34):
act like they save today. But the reality is that
we have we should have good enough players, We should
have good enough talent to win this tournament.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
The talent is not an issue.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
I think a good portion of it is how we
teach the game, and the game is taught differently in
other parts of the world. And the biggest issue that
I would say most of us have is most things
we teach are off the dribble, We're off the ball screen,
and we just don't have the ability with so many
of our players to learn to play without the ball
(04:05):
in the post and moving without the basketball least like
lost arts everybody times. The lost art of the mid range,
no lost art of the mid range. It's there, Plenty
of the great players shoot it. It's not analytically a
great shot, but it's still there. The lost art is
able to move without the basketball. That's what makes Steph
Curry so special. And then kind of physicality defensively, we
(04:25):
don't have that in the NBA game for a good
portion of.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
The season and oftentimes for the postseason.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
The FEBA game is different. It's incredibly physical, it's incredibly
skilled with shooting, with passing, not as much for dribbling,
and those teams, I think it plays to their strengths
in terms of their athleticism and style, and it also
plays their strengths in terms of how the game is taught.
So we're not we were at the crossroads a long
(04:52):
time ago. And what happens is at the lower level oftentimes,
you know, like the sixteen U team this year was
so as with the boot users and jaalamont Nati and
they just have dude after dude and just mollywomped everybody.
But we're way advanced. But it's a lot like quarterbacks,
right quarterbacks who when they're in high school and college,
(05:14):
they can run and they don't get taught the skills
that they need for when you get to the NFL
and everybody can chase you down. You know, we're so
physically advanced and athletically advanced at a young age that
oftentimes we're skipping the skills needed when they play that
(05:35):
type of game where it's it's very much a skill
not athleticism sort of game. And I think where we
kid ourselves when we win at a lower level, a
younger level, because once you get older, the athletic gap
is not as great and it can be made up
with physicality, which is pretty obvious. We have some great
(05:55):
interviews to come here on All Ball and they're not
always not always having to do with basketball, because I
think you can you can glean a lot of things
from every different athlete and even business people. Let's start
with Victor Hoblin, of course, star golfer at Mile Mounter
Oakland Estate. Uh, he's been a star on the tour,
although he's only he came in second of the PGA.
(06:16):
He has has yet to win a major. But the
first step is he won the FedEx Cup. He joins
us now at All Ball. You kind of had like
this whirlwind week, you know, where you've been on so
many different shows and kind of telling your story and
taking your victory lap.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
I know it's not your style.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
But now that you've got of gotten a weekend to
catch your breath, how do you reflect on the celebration
have to win the FedEx Cup.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
Yeah, it all happens so quickly in the last couple
of weeks that I wasn't quite sure if I you know,
realize what happened in the moment. So it's been kind
of nice back to Oklahoma. I haven't been here in
like three months, and just to see everyone play some
golf and and just see a lot of the people
(07:09):
that I care about. It's been really nice and and
it's starting to sink in a little bit more. But
now it's time to look at Ryder Cup.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
So Carston's closed down right for renovations. So when you
go to pick up the sticks first time in oklahom
where did you go play?
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Oak Tree?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:25):
So I've been going out to oak Tree National a bunch,
but I've been at Carson a couple of the days. It's, uh,
they're getting ready to close it down, but it's you know,
the holes are still open. The the fairways are just
kind of in a little bit of rough shape, but
the greens are still good. So I've played a couple
holes out there, but mainly going down to oak Tree.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Okay, So when you go down you're playing with your
boys down at Oak Tree. What's the trash talk like?
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Right?
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Because now now you got you got the Yeah, I mean,
you're obviously doing well financially, but now you got all
that money in your back pocket. Plus you're telling people that, hey, man,
money that big a thing to me. So I'm sure
they're trying to take a bunch of you when you're playing.
What's the trash talk?
Speaker 4 (08:02):
Being like, yeah, they're that's That's what I like about
those boys down there. They they're not afraid to throw
some trash at you, So I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Usually just making fun of my clothes.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Or or you know, I didn't make enough money, or
or they're trying to find the vulnerable spots.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
So they're they're good at that. But it's it's good.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Fun even doing this.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Since you're what five years old, was there was there
a moment where you thought as just a burnout moment
or a moment of.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
A crisis and self confidence.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Hm.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Well, I would say like when I grew up in
Norway and even coming to school here in my first few.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Years, I've I've always had something or I've.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
Never thought I was quite good enough because I felt
like I had to I always had to battle something
in my swing or they're something about the game that
wasn't good enough. Now occasionally I would play really really
well and feel like, man, that was that was awesome,
but I couldn't quite do it often enough to believe
in me if I guess. But as I kept just
(09:16):
getting better and I started seeing the results, and then
I got to play a couple of PJ. Turvens as
en amateur and a couple of majors, and I realized that, man,
I'm you know, I'm almost right there, and I just
started believing a little bit better, and it seemed like
all the pieces started falling a little bit easier.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
So, yeah, I don't quite know how to explain it it.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Well, is there like a process you go through when
you go to those moments where I mean, maybe now
the skill level is so good, you've been doing it
so long you don't have it. But you know, that's
a that's a long walk by yourself, in your own head,
in your own thoughts you've been making for years, And.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
I just wonder if what the I mean?
Speaker 3 (09:58):
I just always marvel at guys that are able to
Everybody has it, that self doubt, but guys like yourself
are able to put that aside and use it as
motivation or compete or.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Prove it wrong.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Is there a trigger that you're able to or something
you say, is it what what is your process like
where you eliminate those doubts?
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Well, I think you can.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Instead of focusing on oh am I good enough or not,
it's like focusing on, Okay, what can I do to
get better? And if you still have things or things
to improve and you can still get a lot better, well,
let's just focus on trying to get a lot better.
And when you get there, well, are you still not
(10:41):
good enough or or what are your results like? Then?
Because you know you might have something to worry about
it if you feel like you are playing to the best,
to the best of your abilities, if there is no
juice left to squeeze in your golf game or whatever
it might be, that then I'd kind of be getting worried.
(11:02):
If if you know you're doing all the right things,
swing looks good and everything like that, and you can't
break seventy five, you know that's that's a tough look.
But yeah, but uh.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Yeah, I still feel like I can get a lot better.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
And I've always just focused on the things that I
can control and work on them diligently, make good decisions,
and you put the time in and you just you
have to improve.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
What's the feeling like of watching that, of lining up
on eighteen knowing what's at stake, what I've just I've
always there. There's a tiger Woods commercial back in the
day and it was like guy playing with Tiger Woods
and he's just shaking like a leap right, And I
mean I think you know, I mean, even as a
former athlete, just golfers amaze all of us because you
(11:52):
just have to calm your nerves and you know, find
your line and do what you've done a million times over.
But eighteen FedEx Cup, everything that's at stake. What do
you remember about lining up for that putt?
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Yeah, it was, Honestly, I was kind of surprised.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
By how calm I was in the moment, to be honest,
and because it's I had to battle Xander coming down
the stretch or basically the whole round, even though I
had a six shot lead. You know, Xander Bertie's the
first hole, I do two, and then I make a
nice par plot on number two and it's like.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
But miss too those two putts.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
I'm for a head and that can easily you could
easily lose that in sixteen holes. So it was it
was a battle from the get go and even the
previous rounds that when when every shot feels like it's
do or die, you get into you just get into
a state or state of mind where you just keep grinding,
(12:59):
you take nothing for It's like, oh, I made a birdie,
I got a five shot lead, it's probably over now.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
But as soon as you allow yourself to think.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Like that, it's it's easy to lose focus and put
some bad swings on it. So honestly, even though I
had a five lead on eighteen, there, I just wanted
to make birdie on eighteen because I knew Xander and
I were tied for the individual and so there's like
there's always something to play for, and I just wanted
to make another birdie.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
Okay, So take me inside your mind. Okay, you're looking
at the putt. Yeah, how do you what do you
do to set aside everything that's at say, set aside
the fact you're trying to win. What is the actual
mental process inside Victor Hoblin's mind on eighteen when you're
lining up that putt.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Yeah, so I hit my bunker shot to probably ten
feet or nine feet something like.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
That, and I just get up there.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
I do a system called aim point in my putting,
So I'll step almost in my line and feel the
slope with my feet. And I remember just going to
the middle part of the pott feel the slope and
it was like a one percent slope right to left.
It was slightly uphill. And I put the ball or
(14:12):
I use a line on the golf ball, and I
aimed it just outside right edge, and I'm like, Okay,
if I put it right there and I start the
ball online, there's no chance this ball miss is missing.
And then I just get up there, take a couple
of practice wings, address the ball, and just make a stroke.
And I was because of that lead, I felt extremely calm,
(14:34):
to be honest, the week before i BMW where I
had a seven footer up the hill for birdie. That
was that was a lot worse of a stroke because
I had to make it. Uh But at that point
it was just like, Okay, let's let's try to make
another birdie and and uh yeah, put a smooth stroke
on it and win it.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
So obviously, the last two times you played in tournaments,
you're on this incredible run. How do you keep it going?
Like are you doing the exacty like I'm not changing
my shoes. I'm using the same glove. Are you a
creature of habit where you're going to continue repeating it
until further notice?
Speaker 4 (15:13):
Yeah, I'm not very superstitious, but obviously when things are
going well, it means that the things you're doing are
obviously working, So there's no need for a lot of change.
I think if I just keep doing the things that
I've been working on, and there's still some things to
improve in my game still, and I feel like I'm
(15:37):
in a really good spot where I've had great instruction
for my new coach, Joe Mayo, where he's kind of
taught me or help me understand what I do when
things are not going so well or when I do
hit a good shot. I know exactly what's going on,
so I can kind of help myself if things start
(15:58):
to go a little out of and maybe I start
to slice the ball a little bit more than I do,
or I started not chipping it quite as good as
I have been. Well, I feel like he's helped me
understand it well enough to where I can course correct
on myself and that allows me to never get that
far off. But winning tournaments back to back that's that's
(16:21):
there's a lot of variants in that. You can play
some awesome golf and not win. So I just got
to keep keep playing golf and try to do my best.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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listen live.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
You you mentioned in so many of these things, and
even at the at the podium after winning it that
you live in Stillwater and like, look, there's tremendous golf
in Oklahoma, but it is not Florida, right, It's not Arizona.
It's not the place where so many others live. Why
staying stiller.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Well, it's just a great town. You know, me growing
up in Norway, this is home away from home. I've
been here for over seven years now and people are
just really, really nice. I know when I'm coming to
everything is super convenient. The weather is a little bit
of a challenge. But instead of looking at it like man,
(17:26):
the weather sucks here, it's like, no, it's it's pretty fun.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Actually.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
Sometimes they go out there in the winter or in
the you know, some of those cold days when it's
blowing thirty and it's thirty degrees outside, was.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Like, okay, how can how good can I score? Today?
Speaker 4 (17:43):
And it's not that I do it all the time,
but occasionally go out there and just you have to
challenge yourself. I think that's pretty cool because I think
those boys in Florida don't get to experience that very much.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
It feels pretty obvious, like, yeah, some of it's the
Norwegian background, but a lot of it has to be
your family background.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Where does this positivity come from?
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Right?
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Like, again, there's two ways to look at anything, and
you have this ability to find the positive things.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
What's it come from with your family? How did that develop?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Well?
Speaker 4 (18:16):
I wouldn't say it's always easy.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
But it does come I would say it comes natural
to me. And I would say most people.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
In Norway are more inclined to think that way. I
don't know, maybe it's just values and just power raised
in Norway. I guess when you start as a young
kid that okay, you have to work for something or
you have to you know, nothing's going to be given
to you gonna You're gonna have to get out there
(18:45):
and do the work yourself. And if things doesn't doesn't
work out, the way that you expected to. It's look
at it as a challenge and you have to do
better to step up and overcome that challenge instead of okay,
why me and I don't know more. People just think
that way from from an early age, and then it's
(19:06):
almost ingrained in your way of thinking.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
You mentioned you hadn't been home in like three months,
Like what's that like? Like is there food in the fridge?
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Is there?
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Like do you have the same you have been wearing
kind of the same clothes on rotation. I'm fascinated by
that process. Like whenever I've been gone for like a month,
I come home and you're just like, oh my god,
Like I got to like empty the fridge completely start over.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
What's that process.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Like of you when you come in with your bags
and you realize you haven't been home in three months?
Speaker 4 (19:35):
Yeah, well I have I have great neighbors that come
by and look after the house for me.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
So I appreciate that a lot.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
But uh, I remember one of my buddies, Chris Vintura,
he was gonna go come by the house while I
was away in Europe because he had a corn freeture event.
I think he was in Kansas and he was just
driving by and he spent the night and he looks
at the thermost at ninety five in there, so I
guess the ac blew out and I had to get
(20:02):
someone to fix it and it was just a mess.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
So, uh do you have do you have like a
I mean, like, I know, it's a pretty big property
with it. Do you have like a ring doorbell? And
you're like sitting there like, dude, who are these people
coming by my house? Do you like how much do
you pay attention to what's what's even going on back home?
Speaker 2 (20:17):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (20:18):
Yeah, not not No, I don't have that, so I
don't pay that close attention.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Uh but uh and I also have a roommate in
the house, so he uh, he takes care of the house.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
But over the over the summer, obviously he was he
was home and he was playing tournaments, so I uh yeah,
there there weren't that many people in the house.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
So it's kind of it's kind of weird coming back.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
But at the same time, when I'm here, I'm only
in still Water for maybe a week or two, so
it's not like I'm stacked in the fridge full of
stuff for those two weeks. It's almost like, Okay, I'm
only here for a week, so I'll keep it kind
of light until I leave, and then when I come back,
there's not much to throw out.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah, what is that feeling like? First night in your
own bed?
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Yeah, I mean we travel so much and we sleep
in different beds, and it's hard to kind of dial
in the perfect routine. I guess like in at home,
I try to go to bed and wake up at
the same time. When I have a couple of weeks
and I can get into a rhythm, which is really nice.
But yeah, there's there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed.
(21:25):
And I think when you're gone so much and you
come back, you kind of take that stuff for granted.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
You mentioned Ryder Cup coming up and that you're continue
to focus on continuing to improve.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
What's your your kind of mental preview on Ryder Cup.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Yeah, I think it's going to be a blast.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
Obviously, last time it didn't pan out to well for
Team Europe, and that was that was kind of an
awakening in a way. You know, Ryder Cup is the
I think is the biggest deal we play, and m
it's hard to just kind of it's hard to prepare
for it if you haven't been there, and I think
(22:06):
last time was was very valuable for me. Now this
time around, it's going to be at home in Europe
and we face a tough team and team of us,
but I think our chances are looking pretty good as well.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
So I can't wait.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Let's just be honest, are the American when it's playing
in American soil and the Americans are playing, we're kind
of a bouches, right.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
It's like.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Like out, I'll admit it, and I'm sure most of
the guys admit it. What what what is the is there?
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Like? What's the decorum going to be like? From the
European style on the European soil?
Speaker 2 (22:41):
You know, I'd like to think we're a little bit
classer than you guys, So uh no, I put it
this way.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
I don't think we'll be chugging beers on the first hole,
slamming him into the ground, put it that way.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
But now there there'll there'll be some hostilities going back
and forth. That's just a part of it. But h
I at least hope it's again.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
I don't know what we're going into, but obviously they're
going to be cheering for us. But if the other
team starts making putts and playing great golf, then hey,
you know, hats off to him. That's that's that's good playing.
But uh, you know, still still think there will be
a significant home home court advantage.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Who's the best hang? Who's the best hang on that
European team?
Speaker 4 (23:29):
I really like Shane Lowry. He has a great personality.
Uh Yrrell Hatton too, is is awesome. You know, he
can get Matt on the course, but I just think
I find him so entertaining. And Ludwig Aberg the the
youngest kid on the team that just graduated from Texas
Tech and and has played awesome.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
He's he's a really nice kid.
Speaker 4 (23:52):
I don't know him that well, but he's from Sweden
and and closer to my age, so I think we
have a lot in common, but still need some time
to get to know him. Other than that, I mean,
the whole team is is is just a bunch of
great guys. So I'm just looking forward to hang out
with him.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
For you personally.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Obviously, winning you know, two weeks in a row, winning
the fed X Cup is amazing, But what's still left
is those those majors.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
The PGA was right within your grasp. What is that like?
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Because you know, Ricky won the players but hasn't broken
through there. What's that like to be now probably considered,
you know, the best player to yet to win one.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Yeah, I mean that stuff kind of shifts all the time,
but yeah, I mean those it seems like now I've taken.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
A bigger step.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
Every single year I started out, went in the Puerto
Rico Open, and then I won a regular event in
my Coba, and then I won some in Europe, and
then finally I won in the United States and then
the FedEx Cup at the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
It's like I'm kind of.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
Moving up the ladder and it feels like a major
is the next step. But it's and I came close
a couple of times this year, and I feel like
I'm taking I'm a way better golfer than I was
last year, and I feel like my time is gonna
(25:21):
come in those championships. But you can't. I try not
to focus on it that way. It's like, Okay, next
one's a major championship. Man, I'd really love to win.
Of course, I'd like to win, but you know, it's
it sounds cliche, but I just gotta work on the
things that I'm I'm working on and stay calm, and
I think I can pop one off eventually.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Number one thing you're working on currently is.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
Well, I wouldn't say it's just one thing. It's like
my short game has gotten a lot better. And I
wouldn't say there's any technique thing that I have to
get a lot better with. It's just kind of maintain everything.
And I would say it's more mental at this point,
(26:05):
just making better decisions whatever that entails, and then just
doing a good job of staying calm when I hit
a bad shot, because I've let bad shots bother me
way too much, and then I let that escalate a
little bit and I just don't seem to play my
best golf instead of you know, the last couple of
weeks have been a great lesson in that, man, I
(26:26):
don't have to be leading the tournament after the first
round to still have a chance to win a golf tournament.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
I think in Memphis, I finished.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Thirteen, almost had a chance to win, and I was
after twenty four holes, I was second to last in
the field. Wow, And I think that's just that's a
cool lesson to think that Okay, instead of losing to
your crap when you're in that spot, you know, just
just focus on Okay, if I just get on the
(26:53):
roll here, I can actually make up a lot of ground.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
That's that Tiger style grind right there, right, that was
the magical Tiger was he would find a way to
grind in the top ten when it didn't didn't appear
possible after the you know, after the first day exactly.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Yeah, last thing.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
You know, you've changed your golf swing, but your body
has changed over the years.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
What's for the better?
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Right You're like fitness to become a huge part of
what's allowed you to continue to rise.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
What percentage of it is diet, What percentage of it
is your workout?
Speaker 4 (27:27):
That's yeah, it's it's hard to say, but I just
I've kind of if it hasn't been so much for golf,
I've always just wanted to experiment a little bit, see
see what it's going to help me feel better, be
a better athlete. And I remember, just out of school,
I tried a bunch of different stuff. I tried like
fasting and stuff. I ran a lot for a while
(27:50):
there right out of school, and I got kind of
addicted to running, and then I kind of stopped doing
that because it wasn't all that great for my golf.
So I started eating a little bit more, change my
diet and and started lifting a bit more weights. And yeah,
it's just still trying to figure out what's what's the
best way to work out for me and for my golf,
(28:12):
but also try to I just want to try to
be very healthy and be the best athlete that I
can I can be outside of golf.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
So what's the what's what's the hardest thing you had
to cut out? Dial?
Speaker 4 (28:27):
Uh, like not well, I try to not eat that
much like fast food and stuff, so I've never really
had a problem with that. But chips and just you know,
the occasional ice cream here and there. I mean, that's
that's hard to get rid of. And for me, I
got a very addictive personality, so I can't. Once that start,
(28:49):
there's no going back. So I kind of have to, yeah,
be pretty strict.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
With on that on that stuff.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
All right, So what's the what are you currently addicted to.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Golf? Golf?
Speaker 4 (29:02):
I guess and Okay, I'll play poker at the end
of the night and listen to podcasts, so I'm just
I'm kind of addicted to new information and learning mores,
push myself, challenge myself.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
I think that's that's fun.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
That's awesome stuff. Hey man, we'll keep it going.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
And obviously represent the same school that I went to,
so it's a great pride to catch up with you.
And thanks so much for joining me, and good luck
in the Ryder Cup. Regardless of planning for the other side,
doesn't matter to me.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Thanks for joining me.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
Yeah, thanks, I appreciate you having me on.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
All right, that's it for this edition of All Ball.
My thanks to Victor Hovlin for joining us. Reminded, the
Doug Gotlieb Show airs daily daily three to five Eastern time.
We also have a daily podcast called in the Bonus.
It is No holds Barred. There's no FCC restrictions or
whatever that's called. In the Bonus you can download in
the iHeartRadio app. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Doug
(30:01):
gottlie This is All Ball
Speaker 4 (30:20):
H
Host
Doug Gottlieb
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