August 18, 2021 • 49 mins
After a last minute exemption into the Women’s Open Championship, Christina calls in from Carnoustie, where she is entranced by the celebrated links. Alan leads a spirited discussion about the competitors playing down the wrong fairways at the U.S. Amateur. And both hail Ryann O’Toole’s breakthrough win at the Women’s Scottish Amateur.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hello, and welcome to Full Send with Christina Kim and
Alan Chipnuk. We are back at it again. Christina, you
are at one of the citadels of the game, CARNISTI. Uh,
tell me about your spin around the links for practice
round and what do you think of the golf course
and and just the whole of the whole vibe there. Well, Uh,
(00:28):
those that are listening to this episode can't see if
I've got this huge smile plastered on my face right now.
I just got back. I we quite honestly just checked
into our Airbnb. UM funny story, because they were trying
to get us to stay at the official hotel. We've
(00:49):
got these, you know, obviously with everything going on with COVID,
we've still got bubbles. And when things were getting organized,
it was still very much at show, and so we
were told we have to stay in UM, you know,
one of two hotels for the two weeks for last
(01:09):
week at the Scottish Open as well as this week
for the Open Championship. And you know, I wasn't sure
what I was in. I wasn't sure if I was
going to get into one, into both, into neither, and
so UM, I kind of waited it out, and also
the RNA had granted the men the access to book
(01:32):
their own accommodation as well. I remember seeing Poulter had
you know a him and a number of guys were
staying in some r vs right over by Royal St. George's,
which is pretty sick and there was a little bit
of a There was an inquiry made by the LPGA
the players as well as some of the officials of
you know what, like what's up and so obviously times
(01:56):
had changed from when the championship first announced with everything
going on with COVID, so they had said, okay, you
can do self catering. It's a bit of a pain
because we're not allowed anywhere other than our airbnb and
the golf course. But at least, you know, I'm in
the living room right now, which means I have a
living room, and this airbnb popped up. Like I didn't
(02:18):
get into the Open Championship until like one thirteen in
the morning Friday morning, and so when I woke up
for my second round, I got an email saying, uh,
you know, this player has withdrawn. Christina Kim is in
along with five other players that they had for Rolex rankings,
and I was like, I'm not gonna lie. I had
(02:38):
no idea where I sat in in terms of the
reserves list, in terms of anything. And they they do
this thing where it's like, you know, they have all
the categories and you're in based on the highest category
that you're in, and so if you if someone decides,
you know, either to withdraw or if like you know,
say tournament winner was already in, then you know, the
(03:02):
next the first the first reserve for that first category
go goes in, and if they're a really eligible, they
then let the next person in that category. Go Like
it's this like ridiculous spreadsheet. Are we supposed to be
more clear on the process now after you just went
through that, because I'm more confused honestly, Like it makes sense.
Like it's like, you know, if you just list out
(03:22):
all the categories, and it's like you can be first
alternate in category one, but in by category six, and
so if you get in if category one has a withdrawal,
you get in off of category one, but then category
six their first alternate gets put in. So it's this
whole like moving thing. And you know, I I was
(03:43):
talking with um, you know some of the LPG. I'm like,
I'm I'm just curious, like I hope I would have
to expect since the r and A, as you know
one taking over the LG, what was the LGU and
and now you know they're the governing body of UM
the Open Champion chere for the men and the women
that it's the same way for the men because we
(04:03):
had no reserve list at all. Um, you know, if
I had gone through the effort and contacted the person
with RNA and say like, what's up, like what is
what's happening? Like where do I stand in any of
these categories, then you know I could have done that.
And I was just like, I didn't know that was
even an option, So that's on me, and UM, you
know that person came back to me. I was like,
(04:24):
it's the same for the guys, and I was like, okay,
so it's equitably complicated complicated. You know, at least it's equitable.
So you know, now I know in the future, one,
just play well enough where you don't have to worry.
But two, if you do have to wonder where you're at,
you can go through the process and contact the right
(04:45):
person to figure out what like what's up, um, But
to go back to it, Yes, I just finished a
practice round today and I tell you it it is
just it's so remarkable, like the the just the art
history of the golf course is just amazing. Like there's
(05:05):
you know, it's like you can't sit there and say
there's like one wonky hole or this or that, you know,
like it was just it was awesome. And Um, I
had been fortunate enough where I did not have to
go through the final qualifying, which is an eighteen whole
qualifier over at Panmuir, which is another remarkable golf course
and it has ties to um. Then Hogan before he
(05:29):
had come and played in his only Open Championship, which
was held here at Carnousti, he had gotten in touch
with pan Muir and very much like him, Panmuir is
like it's ridiculously private, um in the sense of, you know,
they don't want disruptions, like they're just they're just like
a small club. They just want to focus on their
their members and and all of that. And he was
(05:50):
the only player in the field that was granted access
to come in early get a couple of weeks worth
of practice, one using a smaller golf ball as well,
which is what they were using here for the Open Championship.
Then he had to go to do the thirty six
whole qualifier because back in those days, like in the thirties,
there was no field set. Everybody had to go through
the qualifier, and so he went to thirty six whole
(06:12):
qualifier and then came played Carnoustie, won the third leg
of his Grand Slam and never returned. So the fact
that I was at least able to visit was pretty
cool and I'm I'm not gonna lie. I'm pretty pumped
I didn't have to do the final qualifying. There's so
much there that I love. First of all, the entire
field had to qualify. That's such, that's so baller like um,
(06:34):
I mean, I remember back even uh twenty years ago,
like you know, Brad facts and flying over try and qualify,
and it's amazing how much it's changed with all the
um and it probably makes sense. It guarantees the best
players are going to be there, all the different qualifying criteria.
But there's something so pure about you know, what you
want to play in the Open, you gotta fly over
and try and qualify and then or take a boat
(06:55):
back in those days, take a boat. Yeah, and then
the small, the small British ball, like all this talk
about bifurcation and put such an onus on the players
and blah blah blah. I mean those guys really had
to learn how to use a new ball to play
one of the biggest events one tournament. Absolutely, And and
the fact that yeah, and and um so we played
(07:16):
on Todd's birthday, which was pretty awesome. And um I
didn't realize that there were a couple of other players
I've gone out to play the hash had to do
the final qualifying, and I had seen, you know, there
were a couple of girls who had been you know,
they played Port Rush, they played Royal County down and
we were like there on like the same days. We
were there at Castle Rock on the same day, like
(07:36):
you know, and and their caddies were playing and their
caddies were not able to play, And I was just like, Todd,
they let you out on this golf course to play.
It was it was. It was a pretty special day.
And um, whole number six is this, It's this incredibly
difficult part four, Like even without the wind, because there's
(07:59):
like it's it's not exactly a blind tea shot, but
you there's just there's just ship everywhere in terms of
like there's you know, tall heather that your ball will
get snarled up in. There's you know this these rolling
fairways and then it goes up a hill onto an
elevated green. And when Mr Hogan came and you know,
started practicing there, he had made the suggestion to the
golf club of hey, maybe you should put a greenside
(08:21):
bunker front, right, and so they did, and that hale
is now called Hogan, which I love ship like that,
like it just it just rocks my socks. You know,
he's dead. You don't have to call him Mr Hogan anymore,
Like he's not gonna know what am I going to
call him? Benji? Like come on, no, I I I
have I'm going to hold him in reverence. I don't
(08:44):
go down the Mr. Road, like you know when I
broke up with you are a Mr. So No, you're
not going to brutal This podcast is over. When I
when I hung out with with with a big Jack
for a couple of hours at a gust a couple
years ago, I called him Jack. I called Arnie an
like there's no Mr. Come on, like, I will call
someone Mr or MSS until they say no, you can
(09:07):
call me like like I remember he's dead now you
have to in perpetuity. Yeah, exactly. So I'm not going
to be so presumptuous to assume that he would allow
me to call him Ben. Well you could. You know,
Arnold Palmer never liked Ben Hogan because Ben Hogan never
called Arnie by his name. He called him fella, and
(09:27):
Arnie thought that was like a put down and like
a disrespect. So you can refer to Hogan as fella
and see how that feels afterlife. But so me, that
feels like how people call the previous commander in chief
the former guy, which I personally like and I do
it on purpose. Um. Well, and funny story, Pat Bradley, Um,
(09:48):
you know one of the you know, just an amazing
LPG player Hall of Famer. She calls every tour player pro,
doesn't matter who you are, she just calls you pro.
She knows me by my name, she calls me Christina,
so I feel very special. But she calls every player pro,
and she knows every caddy's name and calls them by
their name. So I'm like, ah, does that mean you
(10:09):
hold me in the same like reverence as as the caddies,
which is in my opinion, you know, like she's addressing them,
she's acknowledging them, which is something that does not happen
nearly enough. But you know even these days, and um,
you know, at the same time, I'm like, yeah, no
big deal. Pat Bradley knows my first name. I love
Pat Bradley. When I, um, the one time I played
(10:30):
Augusta Nashville after I won the lottery, Um, I had
this great caddy'd been there for you know, for I
don't know, thirty plus years, and when I hit a
good shot, he'd be like a nice shot pro. And man,
I've never grinded so hard to like try and make
a good swing because it was so understated. And you
know when I hit like a bad shot, he's like nothing,
(10:55):
just put his harm out to get the club back.
It's like dang, I remember when Um, this is we're
getting off topic, but this when I played Shoshan over
in um in Shanghai, which a lot of people think
is the best golf course in Asia, and the caddies
are all these kind of young Chinese women and um,
(11:18):
head to toe, I had to tell you that's right exactly. Um.
And if you hit a good drive, oh, big ball,
big ball, it was like, okay, yeah, I'm gonna get
an extra ten miles pur clubhead speed because like you
just wanted to hear them say that. It was so funny.
And you know, if you made a put they would
(11:38):
clap like it was just it added so much to
the round. And when you made a birdie, they had
these little coins they'd give you. It was I know,
it was. It was funny. I showed up there. I
wasn't planning to play golf. I was over there doing
a story on Rory and I had I had a
chance to play, So I just got a rental set
and I played to the head pro and it had
(12:01):
this super old tailor made hybrid. It was seventeen degrees
and I I hit it like the young Ben Hogan.
I had three eagle puts. And at the end I
said to the guy, I said, I'm not leaving China
without this club. How much do you want for It's
like that thing is so old, just take it. And
so I, of course I didn't have a travel bag,
so I carried it through the airport like it was
(12:22):
a cane, and people would come up to me and
waggle it, and it was like I was. It was
like I was like, you know, ganned Off with his staff,
you know, walking through um. At this point was the bait.
I had to take it to Beijing and fly out
of Beijing. It's like a whole thing. But and I
used that club for a long time, but I could
never recapture the magic. And I think in hindsight, it
was really more about the caddies than the club. I
(12:43):
was just grinding so hard to try and make birdies
get a little coin, get their their you know, affirmation.
So anyway we digressed. Yeah, so back to back to
CARNUSI because the first time I played it, I didn't
love it in that it doesn't have towering doom and
the landscape is a little flat and you never really
(13:03):
get to see the ocean. And back then this was
a long time. It was like in the nineties before
they readed the clubhouse, it looked like like the Soviet era,
like concrete bunker. There was just a certain foreboding feeling
and it didn't not exude charm as I've played it
a couple more times. I've come to love it so much.
And um, I think it's such a great tactical golf course.
(13:27):
And you know the the Open that that Tiger almost
won um In back in um in eighteen and and
Francesco took. It was so fascinating to watch because first
of all, if you remember that course was brown, it
was it was just it was it was a racetrack
and the ball was rolling out forever. And so every
(13:48):
tea it seemed like these guys that stand up there
and they had to make a choice, like they could
hit say a three iron short of the bunkers, they
could try and thread them between the bunkers with like
a three would, or they could try and blast it
over the bunkers with a driver. And but it was
it was relentless because every single hole you had to
make that decision and um, you could see that the
(14:09):
some of the wiring was starting to smoke and sparks
were starting. Like it was it was just too much thinking.
You know, they just want to get up there and
bash it. But but you had to make a decision
every single hole. And I love that. I'm wondering how
it's playing for you guys and and the distance you
hit what what what kind of decisions are you are
you facing on the t box there. So it's not
(14:32):
the same because the last three weeks or so there
has been it's it's what the LPG does, you know,
I mean, we we need more events in um Australia
and Africa because anytime the LPGA rolls into town, we
bring the rain and so it is it's quite honestly,
it is quite green. It is still running out and
(14:54):
if there's any sort of a breeze, the ball is tumbling.
But it's obviously you know, one, we're not playing with
the same sort of um ball speeds that the guys
are are are playing with and so it's not going
to be as exaggerated, but you're you're still getting the
ball to run out and even into the win, you're
still getting twenty yards of role. So for us, yeah,
(15:17):
it is still playing very very much like a Linx
golf course and um but it definitely is a lot
greener than than one Frankie one and excuse me, Mr
Molinaro um one his Open championship. But it is still
an incredible, incredible task um Hogan's alley I mean, I
(15:38):
because I played here back, you know, ten years ago
when we were here the first time, and you know,
I I just remember that I did not drown. So
I'm very proud of myself for that. But at the
same time, it's just like I'm still trying to figure
out what to do about Hogan's Alley because you know,
it's a part five, So do you really need to
even flirt with that? You know, with the those like
(16:02):
fat white Obie steaks down the left hand side, you know,
and then you've got that bunker that's just sitting in
the middle of the fairway, and then another one immediately
behind it. And if you're going into the wind, your
ball the wind here it's like when it's fresh and
off of the you know, and and and that oceanic
what wind. You're just like, there's going to be the
occasional time when your driver is not even gonna go
(16:22):
one ninety in the air, and you're like, son of
a bitch, like, you know, it might end up traveling
about two six yards was because it's gonna go a
hundred and ninety in the air and then it's going
to draw, you know, at the same time and move
forty yards right to left, and so it's still you know,
you have to kind of go in there and start
from you look at the whole location and play your
(16:44):
way backwards, you know. And and there are a couple
of holes like number sixteen where you know, I was
talking with Todd and you know, we we went and
played it and we played it. We're playing it at
two twenty and I know the guys played it from
about two forty, but those twenty yards are make a
huge difference. And you know, I was I played with Yukasaso,
(17:07):
such a fun girl, absolutely adore her, and she was
just she's amazing, and she was like, what is this like,
you know, and I was like, oh, we got a
drivable part three today. Cool. And we're just like what
in the ship do we do? Because it's like we're like, okay, well,
the left is fine. Left is fine because you have
(17:28):
that you just cut it up that slope and the greens,
the greens and the fairways are tight enough where you know,
there's just a little bit of a change in speed,
but that left is fine. You can't you can't go
right um unless you know in those bunkers on the
right hand side shore unless you've got like a front
whole location. Um. But it's you know, and and it's
still great because like last week was a I'm not
(17:49):
gonna lie, it was a pretty true test of links golf,
even though three years ago that land was a flat
ass farm. They did a beautiful job over at Dumbarny
Links um, you know, crafting a wonderful golf course, and
everyone's still talking about it now. And so you know,
I mean, I'm sitting there and it's like, you know,
first round, I missed the green, and you know, I've
(18:12):
got this like you know, kind of like an awkward
little thing you gotta go up over this rise and
then it runs away. And I was just like, I'm
gonna take the eight iron and just bump it up
there and just have it trundle on up and got
up and down for par like you know it requires.
I honestly, I think I pulled out my my sixty
degree wedge three times. And it was when I was
(18:33):
in three different bunkers. Only time. Every time, like uh,
the seventy first hole, they made it drivable and I
missed my target by about five ft, ended up almost
you know, short of pin high. But past the front
of the green, just short of and left of this
green side bunker going up into the green, and then
(18:55):
from the left hand side, you're riding this ridge that
runs along the entire green. And Todd and I went
up there and we looked were like, dude, like, and
it's tight the lizer tightness on a slight side hill
downhill lie, and you know, it's like, I'm like, I
Am not going to take my sixty degree and like
stub it and plug it into the face of this
into the you know, right you hit the ravet of
(19:16):
the bunker and have it come down. I was like,
give me that eight iron and I'm like, give me,
give me fift just give me a chance. I hit
it up there to like ten ft the you know,
the few spectators that they did have out there, like
we're going wild because another player she hit her wedge
and um, you know, like her lob wedge and it
ended up like twenty past the hole she made the pie.
I miss, but whatever, Like it was a great shift.
(19:38):
You know. It's just one of those things you're like,
you just have to execute the shots. And so there
is a lot of thinking that that is involved in this,
which Hi. I love like I think there are times
when I try to find something to think about on
on hold when it's just like, no, dude, we're in America.
Hit your eight iron, spin it and I'm like, well,
(19:58):
what can I have to sick sign? And can I
try and running up? It's like it's not gonna run,
just it's gonna you know, because it's just like you know,
class and it's not a dig. You know, there's a
time and a place for everything. But you know, when
you come to the British aisles, you know, and especially
here at the home of Golf in Scotland, you're the
last thing you want to do is hit something up
in the air and have it spin. Like. I love
(20:20):
the fact that I told Toads, I was like, yeah,
you know, this week especially, I have to really focus
on my spin rates, not necessarily like you know, within
fifty rpm of what I'm thinking or whatever. But it's
just one of those is it's going to be a shooter.
Is there's going to be something that's going to hit
and skip up, like even with a five iron. You know,
what are what are our carry numbers that we need
to what are the numbers we need to know where
(20:41):
it starts running downhill, but like it's just it's it
is spectacular. I'm so so pumped. I love it. I
love it. We'll just look back at the women Scottish
open a little bit so Ryan O'Toole. I mean, if
I'm honest, I didn't realized she was still playing a
full schedule. Like I hadn't seen her name in a
(21:03):
long time, and she comes out of nowhere and winds
first victory. She's been playing well this year, he's been
her name has been creeping up the leaderboard. Yeah, I was,
I was like, wow, way to go, Ryan. I mean
I remember she was a big deal like ten years ago.
No one was excited about her, and you know she's
had she's made a living, but she just uh it
(21:23):
was it was great to see her breakthrough. I mean,
she's she just she just seems like such a cool person,
you know, surfer and has that vibe out there. Very
tell Jenn. I remember when the match was at Cyprus
point Um and it was it was supposed to be
like old guys against you guys. It was gonna be
(21:45):
Freddie and Davis Love against Um Bubba and I forget
the other young guy and then Freddie like w D
and it kind of lost its punch a little bit.
But anyway, I went out there to watch it and
it was fun and and she was out there just watching.
Hang Now I'm like, oh, that's cool. I mean, she
clearly is kind of um a golf fan as well
as a hell of a player. So for those of
(22:07):
us who have lost track of her, you know, my bad,
tell me, you know, tell me and the listeners a
little a bit about her, and like you know what
this wind means? Well, I mean this, this one is
huge on on so many fronts. I think, um, you know,
because like you said, Ryan was a big name as
an up and comer, you know, I mean beyond just
you know, she was one of the few girls that
(22:30):
had been able to break through after being on the
big break and you know she made into her first
Solheim Cup with Rosie Jones as our captain. I was
one of her partners. And you know, it's just it's
one of those things like she and I have talked
about mental health a lot. She seems, you know, she's
always smiling, she's you know, she has like resting neutral face,
(22:50):
So you know, it's it's there are times when you're
just like, oh, she's just kind of like whatever, and
she's like, no, dude, I'm hurting, Like I just have this,
you know, I just always have this, like seemingly, jesh,
I have a Mona Lisa smile on all the time.
And so she's she's been through a lot, you know,
and um, obviously you know, she's a p XG troupe,
so everyone in the family is super pumped for her.
(23:12):
And I would like to sit there and say, on
the record, she has now the eighth person with whom
I have played a practice round with and has gone
on to subsequently win the tournament. So I'm really and
and then this whole Ever, the our practice round protocols
are very different in that we have to go on
to our portal and sign up for practice rounds. I'm like, dude,
(23:34):
I just want to play by myself, Like just come on, like,
let me just go by myself, because like there are
times I'm just like, oh my god, I'm giving so
much love to all these players, um, you know, jokingly
of course, But now she's just she's chill, like you know,
and and she's not she's she's she's always been fearless,
but there are times when it's like, you know, you
(23:55):
sometimes you have to scale things back and you can
be fearless and just be a little bit um not
you can't say smart about it, because she is very intelligent,
but you know, it's it's you combine you know, her power,
her ability to hit the ball low, which, especially with
the way that golf has sort of morphed these days,
(24:16):
it's so hard to you know, hit your t shots
low compared to before. Um. You know, she's strong, she's
so fit, she's you know, in a in a very
happy relationship right now with her fiance Gina, and she
and her Caddie Reid had just split after I think
it was maybe after Evan or something like that, and
(24:37):
so she was able to um start working with a
good friend of mine, Mikey Curry, who was working with
Sophia pop Off, who is uh this year's defending champion,
and she had just quit as she had she and
Mikey had just stopped working together as well, and and
so it was one of those things where I was like,
you know, like they meshed really really well together. Like
(24:59):
he's a very calming um factor in it, which is
something that I think she uh oh, any of us
could always benefit from you know. And and he's smart,
he's witty, he's funny, um and he's got that sort
of like a Clive Owen look to him with like
the salt and the pepper. And he's British and he's
he is very ruggedly handsome, and he's such a lovely
(25:21):
guy and he genuinely cares. So it was kind of
one of those things where you know, I was talking
what's hot, and he's like, you know, it's crazy that
they just started working together and there, you know, they
want their first week out. I'm like, you know, it's
it's and it's not necessary anything, you know, super super
conscious and like at the forefront of your mind. I'm like,
there is always that kind of thing of like a
(25:42):
little bit of like a you know what, fuck you too,
you know my previous caddie and fuck you to my
previous player. Right, I think there's there's maybe a little
bit of you know, fire that gets lit under your butt.
You can still wish them well but still want to
win a little bit more, and there's nothing wrong with
the equivalent of that is my um my daughter's boyfriend
(26:04):
broke up with her like the day before school started,
I know, and she was really bummed. I said, here's
what you do, like where your cutest outfit on the
first day of school and like spend give all of
his friends law of attention and totally ignore him. And
sure enough, like two days later, he came crawling back.
So it's there's uh, I see the same principal applies
(26:26):
to the player Caddy dynamic. Um did she take him
back though? That's what I need? Well? Yeah, So now
they're in negotiations, Like so she's this guy has really
played his cards wrong. So now she's like, well, I'll
consider it, but you have here's my list of demands.
I'm paraphrasing, but anyway, so we we digress. Um, why
(26:48):
do you think that your practice round presence inspires these
players to greatness? Is it your words of wisdom? Is
that they soak up your magical tempo? Is that you
make them feel so good about themselves with your your
witty charm? Like? What is going on there? C k
fun if I know, because if I did, I'd stop ship.
(27:08):
No I could I don't know. I mean I think
that you know there are times when you know if
I'm in a practice round with someone and you know,
like like take today playing with Yuka. She she was
trying to play one of those bunker shots and we've
got that Todd calls it the blow stand up that
perfect Open Championship sand where it's just like you step
in and your feet sink like three inches below the
(27:29):
surface of the stand immediately, and it's just like it's
just like size, like you have to have a lot
of speed to get the ball out, and you know,
it's like it's it's my favorite stand in the whole
wide world. And that's trying. Yeah, go ahead. That makes
me nervous when I can feel my feet sinking. Like man,
it's like I find it harder to get to get
(27:50):
like a good to get to put spin on the ball.
Obviously it's a technique issue, but I'd rather have a
little firmer sand. But so tell me this this shot
that that you could it. So she had she had
her ball. They had like you know, she had tossed
one in where she was basically standing in the bunker
but having to hit out of a bunker um so
(28:11):
both of her feet were outside of it and she
had enough room for a swing, and she took her
sixt degree, opened it up and then just like kind
of stabbed at it and it hit one of the
the ravets and then just came straight back down, like
you know, the sod layers in the bunker, and just
came straight back down. And I was like, have you
ever I was like, just like you give this a try,
Like get your fifty six. She was like my fifty six.
I was like, get your fifty six. Open it up.
(28:33):
And above all else, I always remember when you're in
the bunker, especially in these bunkers, and number one goal
is to get it out, so it doesn't necessarily have
to be you know, trickling into the hole. Like give it,
just give it a chance to get there, you know.
And and so she took her fifty six, opened it up,
and then I was like, you know, give it, give
it some speed, like don't be afraid the sand like
(28:54):
it just kind of tosses the ball up out of
the air. And so she did that and like she
hit this like disgusting shot and was like, oh my
gosh's like, thank you so much. I was like, bounce
is always your friend in the sand, especially in this
kind of sand. Like try different shots, try different clubs.
You'd be surprised by what you can do with like
even a nine or eight iron. And um, you know,
I mean, I I guess sometimes I'll you know, you know,
(29:17):
I sit here and I walked away, and I'm like, yeah,
says the girl that's never won a major, you know,
But um, you know, I just I talked to the players,
you know, and I do always. I do always tell
players like, you know, if you're if you have half
as much confidence in yourself that I have in you,
like you'd be you'd be winning every week, you know.
And um, I don't know. You know, we have fun.
(29:38):
We laugh, we talk like we don't just say words,
we talk, we connect, and I think sometimes there there's
a little bit of that that gets missed um out
here because it's you know, like like you know, the
classic is always like hey, how's it going. I'm good?
How are you? I'm good? How are you? I'm good?
How are you? It's like, you know, if I ask
someone how they are, like I want to fucking no
otherwise I'm not gonna ask. But no, I don't know.
(30:00):
I mean, it's just I'm sure like every player has
got the same sort of thing, because you know every
week you're going to have you know, you're the the
odds are you're always going to play with someone that
ends up winning that week. So who knows, one of
the odds are way against that. Actually it's away those
They were going to always be one or two players
that are gonna be like, well, I played a practice
round with what's so and so, and she won this
week somebody did. But it seems like a big number.
(30:24):
I don't know, that's only the top few that I
can remember. I, honest to god, feel like in terms
of top five, it's it's like seven times that number.
It's ridiculous. And there was a period of time a
few years ago where I was just like, you know,
I'm just gonna go play by myself. Yeah yeah, I
mean you can't give it all away for free. But
(30:46):
so I want your take on this, Christina, because I've
been going back and forth in my mind. I have
to write my my ask Alan column and somebody asked
me about this and I'm still I'm still ruminating on it.
About um on, So, how much you got to watch
of the U S Amateur But at Oakmont there was
a handful of holes that guys were playing down the
(31:06):
wrong fairway because it took it took some bunkers out
of play, or it gave a better angle. But literally
there was there was at least six holes where they
were they were purposely hitting it into an adjoining fairway.
And some folks are like, hey, that's just been creative
and using what's what's presented to you. Of course, oakmon
(31:27):
Is is is such a purists delight, so you know there's
there was. They took all the trees down, uh famously
fifteen thousand trees. It's opened up all these corridors. Probably
in the old days you could have on pretty much
every single one of those plays was available to a player,
but it wasn't as inviting visually, and certainly if if
(31:51):
a miss, it would be penalized. So I don't know
how I feel about it. I salute the players for
their creativity, and it's the point of of of the
games to shoot the lowest score, and that gave him
the best chance. You can't fault them, but it did
feel a little weird, especially what do you think about it?
I don't like it especially, I mean, I above all else,
(32:18):
I definitely hate that in stroke play, um, because then
that's starting to become a liability, and you know, you're
you're potentially staring down a medical emergency. You're you're fucking
up pace of play if you're waiting for the fair
way to clear on another hole so you can hit
your driver into it. I think that I can see
(32:43):
where having some creativity in that sense, Like I can
see how some people can give it props. I can't.
I can't, like you know, and they better have called
it a miss fairway in the stats ship, you know.
I I think that you know, you should play the
whole the way that is presented to you. But that's
(33:03):
also just how I how I play it. Um. I
don't like playing down other fairways. I think that, you know,
it does a disservice to the architect and everything. And
again you know that's not what the point of it
all is. The point is, like you said, to shoot
the lowest score that you can, but why can't you
(33:25):
do that within the confines of the fairway that you're provided,
Like I don't know, like this Mr Fowls architect is dead,
so we don't have to show it, I know, as
being cheeky, but okay, just just be the devil's advocate. Here,
play the whole the way is presented. But have you
ever cut a dog leg by driving it over the trees?
(33:47):
I mean, that's theorectly not how the architect wants you
to play the whole. They want you to play it
out to the right or the left and follow the
contours of the fairway. But um, even in little ways,
you know, blasting over bunker or whatever, like you're you're
you're somewhat bending the hole to your will already. This
is just a more extreme example. Yeah, I I I
(34:12):
guess honestly, I don't. Even Back in the day, I
wouldn't cut corners off very much. I would just sling
the ball alongside it, you know, in terms of dog
legs and things like that. Um, you know that. But
that's also how my brain tends to operate. I don't
love cutting corners. Um. I also really really love being
(34:33):
in the middle of the fairway. I don't really care
for the sides of the fairway, to be honest. So yeah,
I don't know. That is m hmm. That is a
really shitty argument against playing a different golf hole altogether,
in my opinion, because at least you're sittaying on the
(34:55):
same fucking hole. So I'm just I'm just taking the
argument of the illogical stream. But I understand it's just
I mean, if you go on a par five, if
you go for the green in two, that's not what
the architect wanted. They want you to play as a
part five. So you're already kind of bending the rules Christina.
Not necessarily. There could be some holes where they say
(35:16):
they want to make this a reachable part five. But
if you don't hit your your second shot, well you're
not going to be on the green. You're still getting
there in three in regulation, Okay, Yeah, it's it's an
interesting debate and obviously in the absence of internal oh B,
which nobody likes, especially me. I've gone on my Royal
Port Rush screed a couple of times. The first hole there,
(35:39):
it's it's kind of like, well, I don't know what
to do. I mean, for sure, you could plant a
few trees kind of just right off the t box,
so it takes away that option. But still the hole
is pretty wide open. But on a of course, it's
been denuded, like like Oakmonton, you start planting trees, um,
(36:00):
it's gonna look a little weird. I guess the national
you know they do that, they'll they put a couple
of trees off that thirteenth tea box discreetly to try
and change the way that the whole so guys can't
just blast it over the dog legs. So I don't know,
it's really it's really an interesting Uh, there's not a
right or wrong answer. Like I think generally you and
(36:21):
I can be a little dogmatic on things and we
feel like we're right and everybody else is wrong. But
in this case, I don't know, it's I think there's
a strong argument either way. So it's just interesting that
UM and even even golf Twitter seemed divided about it,
between those who saluted the players and creativity and those
who felt like they were, you know, feeding the Vatican
(36:41):
in some way. But yeah, I'm I mean, at the
end of the day, I'm not gonna lie. I really
don't give a ship. Live your life. I'm not gonna
sit here and judge someone based on the actions that
they take on how they play a golf hole. If
they end up beating me, okay, if they don't, okay,
you know, like that's the wrong attitude for someone who
hosts the podcast. You should care deeply about everything, so
(37:03):
we have material. I don't judge it. I can talk
about anything, you know that you know how long I
talk about pooh. I can talk about anything without having
to you know, like sit here and and and feel
like I have to cast judgment on other people or whatever.
You know, Just just don't be a dick. Stop killing,
wear a mask, get your backs, and respect the dog leg.
(37:26):
Respect the dogleg, play the dog leg. All right, So
let's talk about the state of your game here. You um,
a couple of nice rounds at dun Barney, couple that
you you'd probably like to shave a few shots off of.
But um, nice little rally to make the cut anyway,
(37:48):
And um, you've been You've been on this links adventure
for a while. It's coming to a close. So, um,
how are you feeling heading into the Women's Open Championship?
A bit? Well, I feel great. You know, I was
talking with Todd because it'd be one of those things
where it's like after every round we're like, fuck Lee,
(38:08):
we don't really funk up too much, like, you know,
like nothing went in which happens, but you know, you
do your best to try and hit every shot with conviction.
I was really really good for the most part about
doing that. Like the uh that third round like it
was trying to it was it was ripping so too honestly,
(38:29):
oh no, sorry that the second round. So to be
able to honestly like scrap away with you know, a
two overpar that day, it was pretty I was. I
was very much okay with that, you know. And and
then in that third round, like I was, I was
moving along quite nicely, and then um, you know, it
was one of those things where it was like do
I hit hybrid off the tea? Do I hit three wood?
(38:49):
And then you end up going with the three wood
because it's like, you know, it's like to sixty nine
or something like that up to you know, where the
crap is going up the hill. Yeah, it's down wind,
but you're going up the hill like it's not warm.
And I'm like, I was like I had that at five,
like like you know, and then I tried to hit
out of there over a wall to trendle it up
on the green. Then it got stuck in a gorse
(39:09):
bush and I was like, all right, well, and then
I was like when need you to to take an unplayable,
and I was like, there was a time I'm like,
but I see so much of this fucking golf ball.
And then I was like, wait, Todds over at Bandon,
he understands how Gorse operates. This Temptress is singing her
siren song. I was like, I've taken out a playable,
you know, And and then you know, almost got it
(39:31):
up and down for for a bogeye um, and then
you know, made a you know, a couple of unforced
errors on eighteen, and you know, it's just just one
of those things where it's like, you know, you're doing
a lot of things really really well, and you know
you've got to keep trusting the process and not get discouraged.
You know, you got to focus on the positives. And
a couple a couple of weeks ago, tadd a show
(39:51):
he had sent me like a YouTube video about Tiger
when he was in his butch days and talking about
you know how the number you know, the best arguably
one of the the best ball striker and in the
history of the game, like was struggling through, you know,
for him, struggling through hitting shots and everything. But you know,
it's just again like it takes months. So you know,
(40:14):
I know everybody, especially in this Amazon Prime impulse by
kind of world that we live in. You know, everyone's like,
we want results now, and I'm like, they come when
they come, Like you can't press anything. Um, but I'm
just having such an amazing time. And you know, we've
got three weeks off coming up. So who's to say
that my links trip is going to end? Yeah, I
(40:35):
mean that's that's interesting food. Would you think you might
stick around and just do a little more soul surfing
and see some more great courses? I have no answer, because,
like I said, I didn't know I was in this
tournament until fucking Friday morning, So I honestly haven't booked
my my plane ticket home yet. So we shall see,
(40:56):
is the best way to put it. And you know,
I mean I'd love to go and visit air and
and um. You know, also, you know East Lothians not
far from here, obviously five with St Andrews and King's
Barnes and you know all the courses over there, and
kill Spindy is one of my favorite little tiny gems
I love playing. Last week we were a couple of
miles from Is that the golf the Golf House Club,
(41:17):
which you know, formerly Alien Earl's Ferry, and couldn't go.
Couldn't go. We were where where my airbnb was last week.
We were down the road from London Golf Club, which
is home of the original leaven Hole. Like I'm just like,
oh my god, this goddamn bubble, you know, like I
understand it, of course, you know, because it's all about maintaining, um,
(41:40):
you know, the safety of everyone as well alongside the
community that we're coming into. But I'm just like, but
I play golf, and thankfully I was in a place
where you know, I was able to play golf the
final two rounds and and uh makes a little money's um.
But it was a funny story real quick from last
(42:00):
week when when we went to go get our COVID
test to enter the bubble to ensure that we were
negative prior to playing. We show up to you know,
one of the two hosts hotels, and um, it's it's
a it's a beautiful building and there's like all this
like there's these like weird wooden things and like you know,
like wooden bits with like little metal bobs if that
(42:22):
were in Dundee and and you know, Todd looking at
this stuff while we're you know, uh, waiting on a
you know, deliver y, which is like uber eats kind
of a thing in the UK, and and you know,
he's kind of staring at some stuff and I like
walk up and I'm like, man, are those like legit
like pagan like musical instruments facebook, it's certainly just like
these wooden dowels and one of them had like a
(42:43):
metal sort of a thing. And I was just like, wait,
like because you could said there be like boing wing
wing wing, and he's like, that's actually an interesting concept,
like maybe, and then there's like over off to the
side there were like these two clear plastic um containers
that looked like they had like blonde doll hair, and
then you know there's all this stuff like it's and
I'm just like sitting here and I'm like what is
(43:04):
all this? And so Todd like walks up to the
front desk. You know, we're masked up and everything, because
we're like, you know, unless we're actively eating, we're not
gonna um, you know, unmask ourselves. And he's like, can
you tell me what? Like what's up? You know basically,
and this lady went on this long, you know, talking
about the history of Dundee and you know how um,
you know, it was a huge industrial city and there
(43:24):
was so much that you know, comes from Dundee, this
that you know, basically textiles and the building that the
the test we were taking in was was held is
like this old, old, uh building that was owned by
the Baxter family when it comes to you know, textiles
and this. And she kept talking about jute, and I'm
like jute, and I'm like when the funk is she
(43:44):
I'm like, okay, I'm like maybe that means doll hair.
I don't know, like whatever, whatever. And you know, she's
talking about whatever whatever, yeah, and and and shoes and
you know, and then she starts talking about you know,
like post whaling and how they would take the whale
blubber and you know you mix that with the jute
to make it really fine and silky and this and
that whatever whatever. And I'm just like, huh, like it's
very interesting stuff, you know. And and so she like
(44:06):
points over She's like over there behind you, you you can
see there's like a you know, in a traditional jute
um bag, you know, And like we turned around and
like we kind of look at each other at the
same time and like I'm sure, you know, like in
both of our heads. I'm like like my brain was
like I'm like I only see burr lap. Is there
another bag that we're supposed to you know? And I'm
(44:29):
like looking around and you know, and and and Todd
told me later he was like, you know, he was
like saying, like in a joking way. He was just
like because we looked at each other and he's kind
of like he was like my first song was like, bitch,
that's burr lap, Like what do you like? What is
this jute? And then so then like that night, I
was like doing more research just like jute is like
you know, say, it's not the same as but it's
like if you were to take just regular wool, compare
(44:50):
that to like say, um, you know Marino wool or whatever.
You know, it's just a little bit different. Yeah, you know,
cashier comes from goats, so but like it's you know,
it's it's just like it's a finer way of doing it.
And I was like that is is really really cool.
But we kind of used the whole idea of like,
you know, bit just burr laugh was kind of like
one of our inside jokes for the week. He said
(45:10):
it jokingly, of course he didn't say it out loud.
I am totally shook. Kashmir comes from goats. Yeah, are
you sure about this? Yeah, Google, I'm doing that right. Yeah,
Angora comes from bunnies, and I think they do come
from goats. All I never knew that. I thought it
was just a better kind of wool. You've you've rocked
(45:31):
my world here, Christina, Sure, which means there's a ten
percent chance. I'm very very well, just mm hmm. And
then there's Ah, there's another one. So if you were
to take Marino wool compared to Marino wool, there's a
similar thing if you were to compare Kashmir versus another
type of thing, but it's from this super super rare
(45:52):
um goat that is found like near the Himalayas and
around to that or something like that, and it's like
you'll basically be arrested for or like um, you know,
the trophy animal hunting poaching ship if you were to
obtain that kind of material. Um, yeah, that's your teen
A fun fact for I was I gonna say the
full Send podcast, We're enriching our our listeners in so
(46:14):
many different ways. Um. On that note, um, I think, uh,
I think this has been a lively chat. And I'm
gonna let you work on your putting stroke in your
hotel room. It's getting late there and I'm in an Airbnb.
I've got hardwood floors. Well that those are gonna run
a litt quicker than what you see at Carneistia. But
(46:35):
quite possibly, I will say that there is a pregnant
cat outside, so I probably am going to go and
hang out with her for a little bit because you'll
be my She'll be my additional friend while we're in
our bubble. The two thousand eighteen Open was so memorable,
you know. That was that Tiger. I really thought I
was gonna do it. That was when he was still
trying to come. You know, that was the beginning of
(46:56):
his ascent, right and the way the course was playing
and that leaderboard was stacked on Sunday, I went out
and followed Tiger and it was total bedlam. And it's
just one of those you know, I've been looking to
cover a lot of great tournaments, but that one is
is pretty indelible in my mind. And um, you know
the shots that Frankie hit. I mean that there was
(47:19):
about a six month period where there actually more like
eight or nine months where he was the best player
in the world that ended on the twelve tie of
Sunday two thousand, nineteen Masters. But um, anyway, that I
just when I think about card Newstead, I'm always going
to think about that week for so many reasons. But
it's awesome that you guys are getting to play it.
(47:39):
And I always feel like it elevates any uh, you know,
big time event for the LPGA and women's golf when
when you can play these these famous courses that that
are stars on their own right and that golf fans
are already invested in because they have these memories and
they know the lore of Ben Hogan and on down
the on down the line. So it's it's gonna be
(48:00):
a killer week. I can't wait to watch. And um,
I'm looking forward to seeing you hit some eight irons
out of the bunker like that's that's that's got to happen.
Now you've you've teased it enough and five irons around
the green. I love it all right, Well, um, Christina,
do your little thing here, because I know even from
across the Atlantic, you feel compelled to say. I enjoy
(48:21):
saying it and letting our listeners know that I would
love it if they were to make sure that they're
subscribed to this podcast, that they go onto the Apple
iTunes podcast app thing and rate it. You can give
it as many as bug stars because that apparently matters
for metrics or something, and tell all your friends about it.
(48:42):
And and until next week, I I I guess that
I'm gonna have to say thank you for listening and
tune into the next episode of Full Send with Christina
Kim and Alan shift Nut. Thanks y'all, Hie
Hello, and welcome to Full Send with Christina Kim and
Alan Chipnuk. We are back at it again. Christina, you
are at one of the citadels of the game, CARNISTI. Uh,
tell me about your spin around the links for practice
round and what do you think of the golf course
and and just the whole of the whole vibe there. Well, Uh,
(00:28):
those that are listening to this episode can't see if
I've got this huge smile plastered on my face right now.
I just got back. I we quite honestly just checked
into our Airbnb. UM funny story, because they were trying
to get us to stay at the official hotel. We've
(00:49):
got these, you know, obviously with everything going on with COVID,
we've still got bubbles. And when things were getting organized,
it was still very much at show, and so we
were told we have to stay in UM, you know,
one of two hotels for the two weeks for last
(01:09):
week at the Scottish Open as well as this week
for the Open Championship. And you know, I wasn't sure
what I was in. I wasn't sure if I was
going to get into one, into both, into neither, and
so UM, I kind of waited it out, and also
the RNA had granted the men the access to book
(01:32):
their own accommodation as well. I remember seeing Poulter had
you know a him and a number of guys were
staying in some r vs right over by Royal St. George's,
which is pretty sick and there was a little bit
of a There was an inquiry made by the LPGA
the players as well as some of the officials of
you know what, like what's up and so obviously times
(01:56):
had changed from when the championship first announced with everything
going on with COVID, so they had said, okay, you
can do self catering. It's a bit of a pain
because we're not allowed anywhere other than our airbnb and
the golf course. But at least, you know, I'm in
the living room right now, which means I have a
living room, and this airbnb popped up. Like I didn't
(02:18):
get into the Open Championship until like one thirteen in
the morning Friday morning, and so when I woke up
for my second round, I got an email saying, uh,
you know, this player has withdrawn. Christina Kim is in
along with five other players that they had for Rolex rankings,
and I was like, I'm not gonna lie. I had
(02:38):
no idea where I sat in in terms of the
reserves list, in terms of anything. And they they do
this thing where it's like, you know, they have all
the categories and you're in based on the highest category
that you're in, and so if you if someone decides,
you know, either to withdraw or if like you know,
say tournament winner was already in, then you know, the
(03:02):
next the first the first reserve for that first category
go goes in, and if they're a really eligible, they
then let the next person in that category. Go Like
it's this like ridiculous spreadsheet. Are we supposed to be
more clear on the process now after you just went
through that, because I'm more confused honestly, Like it makes sense.
Like it's like, you know, if you just list out
(03:22):
all the categories, and it's like you can be first
alternate in category one, but in by category six, and
so if you get in if category one has a withdrawal,
you get in off of category one, but then category
six their first alternate gets put in. So it's this
whole like moving thing. And you know, I I was
(03:43):
talking with um, you know some of the LPG. I'm like,
I'm I'm just curious, like I hope I would have
to expect since the r and A, as you know
one taking over the LG, what was the LGU and
and now you know they're the governing body of UM
the Open Champion chere for the men and the women
that it's the same way for the men because we
(04:03):
had no reserve list at all. Um, you know, if
I had gone through the effort and contacted the person
with RNA and say like, what's up, like what is
what's happening? Like where do I stand in any of
these categories, then you know I could have done that.
And I was just like, I didn't know that was
even an option, So that's on me, and UM, you
know that person came back to me. I was like,
(04:24):
it's the same for the guys, and I was like, okay,
so it's equitably complicated complicated. You know, at least it's equitable.
So you know, now I know in the future, one,
just play well enough where you don't have to worry.
But two, if you do have to wonder where you're at,
you can go through the process and contact the right
(04:45):
person to figure out what like what's up, um, But
to go back to it, Yes, I just finished a
practice round today and I tell you it it is
just it's so remarkable, like the the just the art
history of the golf course is just amazing. Like there's
(05:05):
you know, it's like you can't sit there and say
there's like one wonky hole or this or that, you know,
like it was just it was awesome. And Um, I
had been fortunate enough where I did not have to
go through the final qualifying, which is an eighteen whole
qualifier over at Panmuir, which is another remarkable golf course
and it has ties to um. Then Hogan before he
(05:29):
had come and played in his only Open Championship, which
was held here at Carnousti, he had gotten in touch
with pan Muir and very much like him, Panmuir is
like it's ridiculously private, um in the sense of, you know,
they don't want disruptions, like they're just they're just like
a small club. They just want to focus on their
their members and and all of that. And he was
(05:50):
the only player in the field that was granted access
to come in early get a couple of weeks worth
of practice, one using a smaller golf ball as well,
which is what they were using here for the Open Championship.
Then he had to go to do the thirty six
whole qualifier because back in those days, like in the thirties,
there was no field set. Everybody had to go through
the qualifier, and so he went to thirty six whole
(06:12):
qualifier and then came played Carnoustie, won the third leg
of his Grand Slam and never returned. So the fact
that I was at least able to visit was pretty
cool and I'm I'm not gonna lie. I'm pretty pumped
I didn't have to do the final qualifying. There's so
much there that I love. First of all, the entire
field had to qualify. That's such, that's so baller like um,
(06:34):
I mean, I remember back even uh twenty years ago,
like you know, Brad facts and flying over try and qualify,
and it's amazing how much it's changed with all the
um and it probably makes sense. It guarantees the best
players are going to be there, all the different qualifying criteria.
But there's something so pure about you know, what you
want to play in the Open, you gotta fly over
and try and qualify and then or take a boat
(06:55):
back in those days, take a boat. Yeah, and then
the small, the small British ball, like all this talk
about bifurcation and put such an onus on the players
and blah blah blah. I mean those guys really had
to learn how to use a new ball to play
one of the biggest events one tournament. Absolutely, And and
the fact that yeah, and and um so we played
(07:16):
on Todd's birthday, which was pretty awesome. And um I
didn't realize that there were a couple of other players
I've gone out to play the hash had to do
the final qualifying, and I had seen, you know, there
were a couple of girls who had been you know,
they played Port Rush, they played Royal County down and
we were like there on like the same days. We
were there at Castle Rock on the same day, like
(07:36):
you know, and and their caddies were playing and their
caddies were not able to play, And I was just like, Todd,
they let you out on this golf course to play.
It was it was. It was a pretty special day.
And um, whole number six is this, It's this incredibly
difficult part four, Like even without the wind, because there's
(07:59):
like it's it's not exactly a blind tea shot, but
you there's just there's just ship everywhere in terms of
like there's you know, tall heather that your ball will
get snarled up in. There's you know this these rolling
fairways and then it goes up a hill onto an
elevated green. And when Mr Hogan came and you know,
started practicing there, he had made the suggestion to the
golf club of hey, maybe you should put a greenside
(08:21):
bunker front, right, and so they did, and that hale
is now called Hogan, which I love ship like that,
like it just it just rocks my socks. You know,
he's dead. You don't have to call him Mr Hogan anymore,
Like he's not gonna know what am I going to
call him? Benji? Like come on, no, I I I
have I'm going to hold him in reverence. I don't
(08:44):
go down the Mr. Road, like you know when I
broke up with you are a Mr. So No, you're
not going to brutal This podcast is over. When I
when I hung out with with with a big Jack
for a couple of hours at a gust a couple
years ago, I called him Jack. I called Arnie an
like there's no Mr. Come on, like, I will call
someone Mr or MSS until they say no, you can
(09:07):
call me like like I remember he's dead now you
have to in perpetuity. Yeah, exactly. So I'm not going
to be so presumptuous to assume that he would allow
me to call him Ben. Well you could. You know,
Arnold Palmer never liked Ben Hogan because Ben Hogan never
called Arnie by his name. He called him fella, and
(09:27):
Arnie thought that was like a put down and like
a disrespect. So you can refer to Hogan as fella
and see how that feels afterlife. But so me, that
feels like how people call the previous commander in chief
the former guy, which I personally like and I do
it on purpose. Um. Well, and funny story, Pat Bradley, Um,
(09:48):
you know one of the you know, just an amazing
LPG player Hall of Famer. She calls every tour player pro,
doesn't matter who you are, she just calls you pro.
She knows me by my name, she calls me Christina,
so I feel very special. But she calls every player pro,
and she knows every caddy's name and calls them by
their name. So I'm like, ah, does that mean you
(10:09):
hold me in the same like reverence as as the caddies,
which is in my opinion, you know, like she's addressing them,
she's acknowledging them, which is something that does not happen
nearly enough. But you know even these days, and um,
you know, at the same time, I'm like, yeah, no
big deal. Pat Bradley knows my first name. I love
Pat Bradley. When I, um, the one time I played
(10:30):
Augusta Nashville after I won the lottery, Um, I had
this great caddy'd been there for you know, for I
don't know, thirty plus years, and when I hit a
good shot, he'd be like a nice shot pro. And man,
I've never grinded so hard to like try and make
a good swing because it was so understated. And you
know when I hit like a bad shot, he's like nothing,
(10:55):
just put his harm out to get the club back.
It's like dang, I remember when Um, this is we're
getting off topic, but this when I played Shoshan over
in um in Shanghai, which a lot of people think
is the best golf course in Asia, and the caddies
are all these kind of young Chinese women and um,
(11:18):
head to toe, I had to tell you that's right exactly. Um.
And if you hit a good drive, oh, big ball,
big ball, it was like, okay, yeah, I'm gonna get
an extra ten miles pur clubhead speed because like you
just wanted to hear them say that. It was so funny.
And you know, if you made a put they would
(11:38):
clap like it was just it added so much to
the round. And when you made a birdie, they had
these little coins they'd give you. It was I know,
it was. It was funny. I showed up there. I
wasn't planning to play golf. I was over there doing
a story on Rory and I had I had a
chance to play, So I just got a rental set
and I played to the head pro and it had
(12:01):
this super old tailor made hybrid. It was seventeen degrees
and I I hit it like the young Ben Hogan.
I had three eagle puts. And at the end I
said to the guy, I said, I'm not leaving China
without this club. How much do you want for It's
like that thing is so old, just take it. And
so I, of course I didn't have a travel bag,
so I carried it through the airport like it was
(12:22):
a cane, and people would come up to me and
waggle it, and it was like I was. It was
like I was like, you know, ganned Off with his staff,
you know, walking through um. At this point was the bait.
I had to take it to Beijing and fly out
of Beijing. It's like a whole thing. But and I
used that club for a long time, but I could
never recapture the magic. And I think in hindsight, it
was really more about the caddies than the club. I
(12:43):
was just grinding so hard to try and make birdies
get a little coin, get their their you know, affirmation.
So anyway we digressed. Yeah, so back to back to
CARNUSI because the first time I played it, I didn't
love it in that it doesn't have towering doom and
the landscape is a little flat and you never really
(13:03):
get to see the ocean. And back then this was
a long time. It was like in the nineties before
they readed the clubhouse, it looked like like the Soviet era,
like concrete bunker. There was just a certain foreboding feeling
and it didn't not exude charm as I've played it
a couple more times. I've come to love it so much.
And um, I think it's such a great tactical golf course.
(13:27):
And you know the the Open that that Tiger almost
won um In back in um in eighteen and and
Francesco took. It was so fascinating to watch because first
of all, if you remember that course was brown, it
was it was just it was it was a racetrack
and the ball was rolling out forever. And so every
(13:48):
tea it seemed like these guys that stand up there
and they had to make a choice, like they could
hit say a three iron short of the bunkers, they
could try and thread them between the bunkers with like
a three would, or they could try and blast it
over the bunkers with a driver. And but it was
it was relentless because every single hole you had to
make that decision and um, you could see that the
(14:09):
some of the wiring was starting to smoke and sparks
were starting. Like it was it was just too much thinking.
You know, they just want to get up there and
bash it. But but you had to make a decision
every single hole. And I love that. I'm wondering how
it's playing for you guys and and the distance you
hit what what what kind of decisions are you are
you facing on the t box there. So it's not
(14:32):
the same because the last three weeks or so there
has been it's it's what the LPG does, you know,
I mean, we we need more events in um Australia
and Africa because anytime the LPGA rolls into town, we
bring the rain and so it is it's quite honestly,
it is quite green. It is still running out and
(14:54):
if there's any sort of a breeze, the ball is tumbling.
But it's obviously you know, one, we're not playing with
the same sort of um ball speeds that the guys
are are are playing with and so it's not going
to be as exaggerated, but you're you're still getting the
ball to run out and even into the win, you're
still getting twenty yards of role. So for us, yeah,
(15:17):
it is still playing very very much like a Linx
golf course and um but it definitely is a lot
greener than than one Frankie one and excuse me, Mr
Molinaro um one his Open championship. But it is still
an incredible, incredible task um Hogan's alley I mean, I
(15:38):
because I played here back, you know, ten years ago
when we were here the first time, and you know,
I I just remember that I did not drown. So
I'm very proud of myself for that. But at the
same time, it's just like I'm still trying to figure
out what to do about Hogan's Alley because you know,
it's a part five, So do you really need to
even flirt with that? You know, with the those like
(16:02):
fat white Obie steaks down the left hand side, you know,
and then you've got that bunker that's just sitting in
the middle of the fairway, and then another one immediately
behind it. And if you're going into the wind, your
ball the wind here it's like when it's fresh and
off of the you know, and and and that oceanic
what wind. You're just like, there's going to be the
occasional time when your driver is not even gonna go
(16:22):
one ninety in the air, and you're like, son of
a bitch, like, you know, it might end up traveling
about two six yards was because it's gonna go a
hundred and ninety in the air and then it's going
to draw, you know, at the same time and move
forty yards right to left, and so it's still you know,
you have to kind of go in there and start
from you look at the whole location and play your
(16:44):
way backwards, you know. And and there are a couple
of holes like number sixteen where you know, I was
talking with Todd and you know, we we went and
played it and we played it. We're playing it at
two twenty and I know the guys played it from
about two forty, but those twenty yards are make a
huge difference. And you know, I was I played with Yukasaso,
(17:07):
such a fun girl, absolutely adore her, and she was
just she's amazing, and she was like, what is this like,
you know, and I was like, oh, we got a
drivable part three today. Cool. And we're just like what
in the ship do we do? Because it's like we're like, okay, well,
the left is fine. Left is fine because you have
(17:28):
that you just cut it up that slope and the greens,
the greens and the fairways are tight enough where you know,
there's just a little bit of a change in speed,
but that left is fine. You can't you can't go
right um unless you know in those bunkers on the
right hand side shore unless you've got like a front
whole location. Um. But it's you know, and and it's
still great because like last week was a I'm not
(17:49):
gonna lie, it was a pretty true test of links golf,
even though three years ago that land was a flat
ass farm. They did a beautiful job over at Dumbarny
Links um, you know, crafting a wonderful golf course, and
everyone's still talking about it now. And so you know,
I mean, I'm sitting there and it's like, you know,
first round, I missed the green, and you know, I've
(18:12):
got this like you know, kind of like an awkward
little thing you gotta go up over this rise and
then it runs away. And I was just like, I'm
gonna take the eight iron and just bump it up
there and just have it trundle on up and got
up and down for par like you know it requires.
I honestly, I think I pulled out my my sixty
degree wedge three times. And it was when I was
(18:33):
in three different bunkers. Only time. Every time, like uh,
the seventy first hole, they made it drivable and I
missed my target by about five ft, ended up almost
you know, short of pin high. But past the front
of the green, just short of and left of this
green side bunker going up into the green, and then
(18:55):
from the left hand side, you're riding this ridge that
runs along the entire green. And Todd and I went
up there and we looked were like, dude, like, and
it's tight the lizer tightness on a slight side hill
downhill lie, and you know, it's like, I'm like, I
Am not going to take my sixty degree and like
stub it and plug it into the face of this
into the you know, right you hit the ravet of
(19:16):
the bunker and have it come down. I was like,
give me that eight iron and I'm like, give me,
give me fift just give me a chance. I hit
it up there to like ten ft the you know,
the few spectators that they did have out there, like
we're going wild because another player she hit her wedge
and um, you know, like her lob wedge and it
ended up like twenty past the hole she made the pie.
I miss, but whatever, Like it was a great shift.
(19:38):
You know. It's just one of those things you're like,
you just have to execute the shots. And so there
is a lot of thinking that that is involved in this,
which Hi. I love like I think there are times
when I try to find something to think about on
on hold when it's just like, no, dude, we're in America.
Hit your eight iron, spin it and I'm like, well,
(19:58):
what can I have to sick sign? And can I
try and running up? It's like it's not gonna run,
just it's gonna you know, because it's just like you know,
class and it's not a dig. You know, there's a
time and a place for everything. But you know, when
you come to the British aisles, you know, and especially
here at the home of Golf in Scotland, you're the
last thing you want to do is hit something up
in the air and have it spin. Like. I love
(20:20):
the fact that I told Toads, I was like, yeah,
you know, this week especially, I have to really focus
on my spin rates, not necessarily like you know, within
fifty rpm of what I'm thinking or whatever. But it's
just one of those is it's going to be a shooter.
Is there's going to be something that's going to hit
and skip up, like even with a five iron. You know,
what are what are our carry numbers that we need
to what are the numbers we need to know where
(20:41):
it starts running downhill, but like it's just it's it
is spectacular. I'm so so pumped. I love it. I
love it. We'll just look back at the women Scottish
open a little bit so Ryan O'Toole. I mean, if
I'm honest, I didn't realized she was still playing a
full schedule. Like I hadn't seen her name in a
(21:03):
long time, and she comes out of nowhere and winds
first victory. She's been playing well this year, he's been
her name has been creeping up the leaderboard. Yeah, I was,
I was like, wow, way to go, Ryan. I mean
I remember she was a big deal like ten years ago.
No one was excited about her, and you know she's
had she's made a living, but she just uh it
(21:23):
was it was great to see her breakthrough. I mean,
she's she just she just seems like such a cool person,
you know, surfer and has that vibe out there. Very
tell Jenn. I remember when the match was at Cyprus
point Um and it was it was supposed to be
like old guys against you guys. It was gonna be
(21:45):
Freddie and Davis Love against Um Bubba and I forget
the other young guy and then Freddie like w D
and it kind of lost its punch a little bit.
But anyway, I went out there to watch it and
it was fun and and she was out there just watching.
Hang Now I'm like, oh, that's cool. I mean, she
clearly is kind of um a golf fan as well
as a hell of a player. So for those of
(22:07):
us who have lost track of her, you know, my bad,
tell me, you know, tell me and the listeners a
little a bit about her, and like you know what
this wind means? Well, I mean this, this one is
huge on on so many fronts. I think, um, you know,
because like you said, Ryan was a big name as
an up and comer, you know, I mean beyond just
you know, she was one of the few girls that
(22:30):
had been able to break through after being on the
big break and you know she made into her first
Solheim Cup with Rosie Jones as our captain. I was
one of her partners. And you know, it's just it's
one of those things like she and I have talked
about mental health a lot. She seems, you know, she's
always smiling, she's you know, she has like resting neutral face,
(22:50):
So you know, it's it's there are times when you're
just like, oh, she's just kind of like whatever, and
she's like, no, dude, I'm hurting, Like I just have this,
you know, I just always have this, like seemingly, jesh,
I have a Mona Lisa smile on all the time.
And so she's she's been through a lot, you know,
and um, obviously you know, she's a p XG troupe,
so everyone in the family is super pumped for her.
(23:12):
And I would like to sit there and say, on
the record, she has now the eighth person with whom
I have played a practice round with and has gone
on to subsequently win the tournament. So I'm really and
and then this whole Ever, the our practice round protocols
are very different in that we have to go on
to our portal and sign up for practice rounds. I'm like, dude,
(23:34):
I just want to play by myself, Like just come on, like,
let me just go by myself, because like there are
times I'm just like, oh my god, I'm giving so
much love to all these players, um, you know, jokingly
of course, But now she's just she's chill, like you know,
and and she's not she's she's she's always been fearless,
but there are times when it's like, you know, you
(23:55):
sometimes you have to scale things back and you can
be fearless and just be a little bit um not
you can't say smart about it, because she is very intelligent,
but you know, it's it's you combine you know, her power,
her ability to hit the ball low, which, especially with
the way that golf has sort of morphed these days,
(24:16):
it's so hard to you know, hit your t shots
low compared to before. Um. You know, she's strong, she's
so fit, she's you know, in a in a very
happy relationship right now with her fiance Gina, and she
and her Caddie Reid had just split after I think
it was maybe after Evan or something like that, and
(24:37):
so she was able to um start working with a
good friend of mine, Mikey Curry, who was working with
Sophia pop Off, who is uh this year's defending champion,
and she had just quit as she had she and
Mikey had just stopped working together as well, and and
so it was one of those things where I was like,
you know, like they meshed really really well together. Like
(24:59):
he's a very calming um factor in it, which is
something that I think she uh oh, any of us
could always benefit from you know. And and he's smart,
he's witty, he's funny, um and he's got that sort
of like a Clive Owen look to him with like
the salt and the pepper. And he's British and he's
he is very ruggedly handsome, and he's such a lovely
(25:21):
guy and he genuinely cares. So it was kind of
one of those things where you know, I was talking
what's hot, and he's like, you know, it's crazy that
they just started working together and there, you know, they
want their first week out. I'm like, you know, it's
it's and it's not necessary anything, you know, super super
conscious and like at the forefront of your mind. I'm like,
there is always that kind of thing of like a
(25:42):
little bit of like a you know what, fuck you too,
you know my previous caddie and fuck you to my
previous player. Right, I think there's there's maybe a little
bit of you know, fire that gets lit under your butt.
You can still wish them well but still want to
win a little bit more, and there's nothing wrong with
the equivalent of that is my um my daughter's boyfriend
(26:04):
broke up with her like the day before school started,
I know, and she was really bummed. I said, here's
what you do, like where your cutest outfit on the
first day of school and like spend give all of
his friends law of attention and totally ignore him. And
sure enough, like two days later, he came crawling back.
So it's there's uh, I see the same principal applies
(26:26):
to the player Caddy dynamic. Um did she take him
back though? That's what I need? Well? Yeah, So now
they're in negotiations, Like so she's this guy has really
played his cards wrong. So now she's like, well, I'll
consider it, but you have here's my list of demands.
I'm paraphrasing, but anyway, so we we digress. Um, why
(26:48):
do you think that your practice round presence inspires these
players to greatness? Is it your words of wisdom? Is
that they soak up your magical tempo? Is that you
make them feel so good about themselves with your your
witty charm? Like? What is going on there? C k
fun if I know, because if I did, I'd stop ship.
(27:08):
No I could I don't know. I mean I think
that you know there are times when you know if
I'm in a practice round with someone and you know,
like like take today playing with Yuka. She she was
trying to play one of those bunker shots and we've
got that Todd calls it the blow stand up that
perfect Open Championship sand where it's just like you step
in and your feet sink like three inches below the
(27:29):
surface of the stand immediately, and it's just like it's
just like size, like you have to have a lot
of speed to get the ball out, and you know,
it's like it's it's my favorite stand in the whole
wide world. And that's trying. Yeah, go ahead. That makes
me nervous when I can feel my feet sinking. Like man,
it's like I find it harder to get to get
(27:50):
like a good to get to put spin on the ball.
Obviously it's a technique issue, but I'd rather have a
little firmer sand. But so tell me this this shot
that that you could it. So she had she had
her ball. They had like you know, she had tossed
one in where she was basically standing in the bunker
but having to hit out of a bunker um so
(28:11):
both of her feet were outside of it and she
had enough room for a swing, and she took her
sixt degree, opened it up and then just like kind
of stabbed at it and it hit one of the
the ravets and then just came straight back down, like
you know, the sod layers in the bunker, and just
came straight back down. And I was like, have you
ever I was like, just like you give this a try,
Like get your fifty six. She was like my fifty six.
I was like, get your fifty six. Open it up.
(28:33):
And above all else, I always remember when you're in
the bunker, especially in these bunkers, and number one goal
is to get it out, so it doesn't necessarily have
to be you know, trickling into the hole. Like give it,
just give it a chance to get there, you know.
And and so she took her fifty six, opened it up,
and then I was like, you know, give it, give
it some speed, like don't be afraid the sand like
(28:54):
it just kind of tosses the ball up out of
the air. And so she did that and like she
hit this like disgusting shot and was like, oh my
gosh's like, thank you so much. I was like, bounce
is always your friend in the sand, especially in this
kind of sand. Like try different shots, try different clubs.
You'd be surprised by what you can do with like
even a nine or eight iron. And um, you know,
I mean, I I guess sometimes I'll you know, you know,
(29:17):
I sit here and I walked away, and I'm like, yeah,
says the girl that's never won a major, you know,
But um, you know, I just I talked to the players,
you know, and I do always. I do always tell
players like, you know, if you're if you have half
as much confidence in yourself that I have in you,
like you'd be you'd be winning every week, you know.
And um, I don't know. You know, we have fun.
(29:38):
We laugh, we talk like we don't just say words,
we talk, we connect, and I think sometimes there there's
a little bit of that that gets missed um out
here because it's you know, like like you know, the
classic is always like hey, how's it going. I'm good?
How are you? I'm good? How are you? I'm good?
How are you? It's like, you know, if I ask
someone how they are, like I want to fucking no
otherwise I'm not gonna ask. But no, I don't know.
(30:00):
I mean, it's just I'm sure like every player has
got the same sort of thing, because you know every
week you're going to have you know, you're the the
odds are you're always going to play with someone that
ends up winning that week. So who knows, one of
the odds are way against that. Actually it's away those
They were going to always be one or two players
that are gonna be like, well, I played a practice
round with what's so and so, and she won this
week somebody did. But it seems like a big number.
(30:24):
I don't know, that's only the top few that I
can remember. I, honest to god, feel like in terms
of top five, it's it's like seven times that number.
It's ridiculous. And there was a period of time a
few years ago where I was just like, you know,
I'm just gonna go play by myself. Yeah yeah, I
mean you can't give it all away for free. But
(30:46):
so I want your take on this, Christina, because I've
been going back and forth in my mind. I have
to write my my ask Alan column and somebody asked
me about this and I'm still I'm still ruminating on it.
About um on, So, how much you got to watch
of the U S Amateur But at Oakmont there was
a handful of holes that guys were playing down the
(31:06):
wrong fairway because it took it took some bunkers out
of play, or it gave a better angle. But literally
there was there was at least six holes where they
were they were purposely hitting it into an adjoining fairway.
And some folks are like, hey, that's just been creative
and using what's what's presented to you. Of course, oakmon
(31:27):
Is is is such a purists delight, so you know there's
there was. They took all the trees down, uh famously
fifteen thousand trees. It's opened up all these corridors. Probably
in the old days you could have on pretty much
every single one of those plays was available to a player,
but it wasn't as inviting visually, and certainly if if
(31:51):
a miss, it would be penalized. So I don't know
how I feel about it. I salute the players for
their creativity, and it's the point of of of the
games to shoot the lowest score, and that gave him
the best chance. You can't fault them, but it did
feel a little weird, especially what do you think about it?
I don't like it especially, I mean, I above all else,
(32:18):
I definitely hate that in stroke play, um, because then
that's starting to become a liability, and you know, you're
you're potentially staring down a medical emergency. You're you're fucking
up pace of play if you're waiting for the fair
way to clear on another hole so you can hit
your driver into it. I think that I can see
(32:43):
where having some creativity in that sense, Like I can
see how some people can give it props. I can't.
I can't, like you know, and they better have called
it a miss fairway in the stats ship, you know.
I I think that you know, you should play the
whole the way that is presented to you. But that's
(33:03):
also just how I how I play it. Um. I
don't like playing down other fairways. I think that, you know,
it does a disservice to the architect and everything. And
again you know that's not what the point of it
all is. The point is, like you said, to shoot
the lowest score that you can, but why can't you
(33:25):
do that within the confines of the fairway that you're provided,
Like I don't know, like this Mr Fowls architect is dead,
so we don't have to show it, I know, as
being cheeky, but okay, just just be the devil's advocate. Here,
play the whole the way is presented. But have you
ever cut a dog leg by driving it over the trees?
(33:47):
I mean, that's theorectly not how the architect wants you
to play the whole. They want you to play it
out to the right or the left and follow the
contours of the fairway. But um, even in little ways,
you know, blasting over bunker or whatever, like you're you're
you're somewhat bending the hole to your will already. This
is just a more extreme example. Yeah, I I I
(34:12):
guess honestly, I don't. Even Back in the day, I
wouldn't cut corners off very much. I would just sling
the ball alongside it, you know, in terms of dog
legs and things like that. Um, you know that. But
that's also how my brain tends to operate. I don't
love cutting corners. Um. I also really really love being
(34:33):
in the middle of the fairway. I don't really care
for the sides of the fairway, to be honest. So yeah,
I don't know. That is m hmm. That is a
really shitty argument against playing a different golf hole altogether,
in my opinion, because at least you're sittaying on the
(34:55):
same fucking hole. So I'm just I'm just taking the
argument of the illogical stream. But I understand it's just
I mean, if you go on a par five, if
you go for the green in two, that's not what
the architect wanted. They want you to play as a
part five. So you're already kind of bending the rules Christina.
Not necessarily. There could be some holes where they say
(35:16):
they want to make this a reachable part five. But
if you don't hit your your second shot, well you're
not going to be on the green. You're still getting
there in three in regulation, Okay, Yeah, it's it's an
interesting debate and obviously in the absence of internal oh B,
which nobody likes, especially me. I've gone on my Royal
Port Rush screed a couple of times. The first hole there,
(35:39):
it's it's kind of like, well, I don't know what
to do. I mean, for sure, you could plant a
few trees kind of just right off the t box,
so it takes away that option. But still the hole
is pretty wide open. But on a of course, it's
been denuded, like like Oakmonton, you start planting trees, um,
(36:00):
it's gonna look a little weird. I guess the national
you know they do that, they'll they put a couple
of trees off that thirteenth tea box discreetly to try
and change the way that the whole so guys can't
just blast it over the dog legs. So I don't know,
it's really it's really an interesting Uh, there's not a
right or wrong answer. Like I think generally you and
(36:21):
I can be a little dogmatic on things and we
feel like we're right and everybody else is wrong. But
in this case, I don't know, it's I think there's
a strong argument either way. So it's just interesting that
UM and even even golf Twitter seemed divided about it,
between those who saluted the players and creativity and those
who felt like they were, you know, feeding the Vatican
(36:41):
in some way. But yeah, I'm I mean, at the
end of the day, I'm not gonna lie. I really
don't give a ship. Live your life. I'm not gonna
sit here and judge someone based on the actions that
they take on how they play a golf hole. If
they end up beating me, okay, if they don't, okay,
you know, like that's the wrong attitude for someone who
hosts the podcast. You should care deeply about everything, so
(37:03):
we have material. I don't judge it. I can talk
about anything, you know that you know how long I
talk about pooh. I can talk about anything without having
to you know, like sit here and and and feel
like I have to cast judgment on other people or whatever.
You know, Just just don't be a dick. Stop killing,
wear a mask, get your backs, and respect the dog leg.
(37:26):
Respect the dogleg, play the dog leg. All right, So
let's talk about the state of your game here. You um,
a couple of nice rounds at dun Barney, couple that
you you'd probably like to shave a few shots off of.
But um, nice little rally to make the cut anyway,
(37:48):
And um, you've been You've been on this links adventure
for a while. It's coming to a close. So, um,
how are you feeling heading into the Women's Open Championship?
A bit? Well, I feel great. You know, I was
talking with Todd because it'd be one of those things
where it's like after every round we're like, fuck Lee,
(38:08):
we don't really funk up too much, like, you know,
like nothing went in which happens, but you know, you
do your best to try and hit every shot with conviction.
I was really really good for the most part about
doing that. Like the uh that third round like it
was trying to it was it was ripping so too honestly,
(38:29):
oh no, sorry that the second round. So to be
able to honestly like scrap away with you know, a
two overpar that day, it was pretty I was. I
was very much okay with that, you know. And and
then in that third round, like I was, I was
moving along quite nicely, and then um, you know, it
was one of those things where it was like do
I hit hybrid off the tea? Do I hit three wood?
(38:49):
And then you end up going with the three wood
because it's like, you know, it's like to sixty nine
or something like that up to you know, where the
crap is going up the hill. Yeah, it's down wind,
but you're going up the hill like it's not warm.
And I'm like, I was like I had that at five,
like like you know, and then I tried to hit
out of there over a wall to trendle it up
on the green. Then it got stuck in a gorse
(39:09):
bush and I was like, all right, well, and then
I was like when need you to to take an unplayable,
and I was like, there was a time I'm like,
but I see so much of this fucking golf ball.
And then I was like, wait, Todds over at Bandon,
he understands how Gorse operates. This Temptress is singing her
siren song. I was like, I've taken out a playable,
you know, And and then you know, almost got it
(39:31):
up and down for for a bogeye um, and then
you know, made a you know, a couple of unforced
errors on eighteen, and you know, it's just just one
of those things where it's like, you know, you're doing
a lot of things really really well, and you know
you've got to keep trusting the process and not get discouraged.
You know, you got to focus on the positives. And
a couple a couple of weeks ago, tadd a show
(39:51):
he had sent me like a YouTube video about Tiger
when he was in his butch days and talking about
you know how the number you know, the best arguably
one of the the best ball striker and in the
history of the game, like was struggling through, you know,
for him, struggling through hitting shots and everything. But you know,
it's just again like it takes months. So you know,
(40:14):
I know everybody, especially in this Amazon Prime impulse by
kind of world that we live in. You know, everyone's like,
we want results now, and I'm like, they come when
they come, Like you can't press anything. Um, but I'm
just having such an amazing time. And you know, we've
got three weeks off coming up. So who's to say
that my links trip is going to end? Yeah, I
(40:35):
mean that's that's interesting food. Would you think you might
stick around and just do a little more soul surfing
and see some more great courses? I have no answer, because,
like I said, I didn't know I was in this
tournament until fucking Friday morning, So I honestly haven't booked
my my plane ticket home yet. So we shall see,
(40:56):
is the best way to put it. And you know,
I mean I'd love to go and visit air and
and um. You know, also, you know East Lothians not
far from here, obviously five with St Andrews and King's
Barnes and you know all the courses over there, and
kill Spindy is one of my favorite little tiny gems
I love playing. Last week we were a couple of
miles from Is that the golf the Golf House Club,
(41:17):
which you know, formerly Alien Earl's Ferry, and couldn't go.
Couldn't go. We were where where my airbnb was last week.
We were down the road from London Golf Club, which
is home of the original leaven Hole. Like I'm just like,
oh my god, this goddamn bubble, you know, like I
understand it, of course, you know, because it's all about maintaining, um,
(41:40):
you know, the safety of everyone as well alongside the
community that we're coming into. But I'm just like, but
I play golf, and thankfully I was in a place
where you know, I was able to play golf the
final two rounds and and uh makes a little money's um.
But it was a funny story real quick from last
(42:00):
week when when we went to go get our COVID
test to enter the bubble to ensure that we were
negative prior to playing. We show up to you know,
one of the two hosts hotels, and um, it's it's
a it's a beautiful building and there's like all this
like there's these like weird wooden things and like you know,
like wooden bits with like little metal bobs if that
(42:22):
were in Dundee and and you know, Todd looking at
this stuff while we're you know, uh, waiting on a
you know, deliver y, which is like uber eats kind
of a thing in the UK, and and you know,
he's kind of staring at some stuff and I like
walk up and I'm like, man, are those like legit
like pagan like musical instruments facebook, it's certainly just like
these wooden dowels and one of them had like a
(42:43):
metal sort of a thing. And I was just like, wait,
like because you could said there be like boing wing
wing wing, and he's like, that's actually an interesting concept,
like maybe, and then there's like over off to the
side there were like these two clear plastic um containers
that looked like they had like blonde doll hair, and
then you know there's all this stuff like it's and
I'm just like sitting here and I'm like what is
(43:04):
all this? And so Todd like walks up to the
front desk. You know, we're masked up and everything, because
we're like, you know, unless we're actively eating, we're not
gonna um, you know, unmask ourselves. And he's like, can
you tell me what? Like what's up? You know basically,
and this lady went on this long, you know, talking
about the history of Dundee and you know how um,
you know, it was a huge industrial city and there
(43:24):
was so much that you know, comes from Dundee, this
that you know, basically textiles and the building that the
the test we were taking in was was held is
like this old, old, uh building that was owned by
the Baxter family when it comes to you know, textiles
and this. And she kept talking about jute, and I'm
like jute, and I'm like when the funk is she
(43:44):
I'm like, okay, I'm like maybe that means doll hair.
I don't know, like whatever, whatever. And you know, she's
talking about whatever whatever, yeah, and and and shoes and
you know, and then she starts talking about you know,
like post whaling and how they would take the whale
blubber and you know you mix that with the jute
to make it really fine and silky and this and
that whatever whatever. And I'm just like, huh, like it's
very interesting stuff, you know. And and so she like
(44:06):
points over She's like over there behind you, you you can
see there's like a you know, in a traditional jute
um bag, you know, And like we turned around and
like we kind of look at each other at the
same time and like I'm sure, you know, like in
both of our heads. I'm like like my brain was
like I'm like I only see burr lap. Is there
another bag that we're supposed to you know? And I'm
(44:29):
like looking around and you know, and and and Todd
told me later he was like, you know, he was
like saying, like in a joking way. He was just
like because we looked at each other and he's kind
of like he was like my first song was like, bitch,
that's burr lap, Like what do you like? What is
this jute? And then so then like that night, I
was like doing more research just like jute is like
you know, say, it's not the same as but it's
like if you were to take just regular wool, compare
(44:50):
that to like say, um, you know Marino wool or whatever.
You know, it's just a little bit different. Yeah, you know,
cashier comes from goats, so but like it's you know,
it's it's just like it's a finer way of doing it.
And I was like that is is really really cool.
But we kind of used the whole idea of like,
you know, bit just burr laugh was kind of like
one of our inside jokes for the week. He said
(45:10):
it jokingly, of course he didn't say it out loud.
I am totally shook. Kashmir comes from goats. Yeah, are
you sure about this? Yeah, Google, I'm doing that right. Yeah,
Angora comes from bunnies, and I think they do come
from goats. All I never knew that. I thought it
was just a better kind of wool. You've you've rocked
(45:31):
my world here, Christina, Sure, which means there's a ten
percent chance. I'm very very well, just mm hmm. And
then there's Ah, there's another one. So if you were
to take Marino wool compared to Marino wool, there's a
similar thing if you were to compare Kashmir versus another
type of thing, but it's from this super super rare
(45:52):
um goat that is found like near the Himalayas and
around to that or something like that, and it's like
you'll basically be arrested for or like um, you know,
the trophy animal hunting poaching ship if you were to
obtain that kind of material. Um, yeah, that's your teen
A fun fact for I was I gonna say the
full Send podcast, We're enriching our our listeners in so
(46:14):
many different ways. Um. On that note, um, I think, uh,
I think this has been a lively chat. And I'm
gonna let you work on your putting stroke in your
hotel room. It's getting late there and I'm in an Airbnb.
I've got hardwood floors. Well that those are gonna run
a litt quicker than what you see at Carneistia. But
(46:35):
quite possibly, I will say that there is a pregnant
cat outside, so I probably am going to go and
hang out with her for a little bit because you'll
be my She'll be my additional friend while we're in
our bubble. The two thousand eighteen Open was so memorable,
you know. That was that Tiger. I really thought I
was gonna do it. That was when he was still
trying to come. You know, that was the beginning of
(46:56):
his ascent, right and the way the course was playing
and that leaderboard was stacked on Sunday, I went out
and followed Tiger and it was total bedlam. And it's
just one of those you know, I've been looking to
cover a lot of great tournaments, but that one is
is pretty indelible in my mind. And um, you know
the shots that Frankie hit. I mean that there was
(47:19):
about a six month period where there actually more like
eight or nine months where he was the best player
in the world that ended on the twelve tie of
Sunday two thousand, nineteen Masters. But um, anyway, that I
just when I think about card Newstead, I'm always going
to think about that week for so many reasons. But
it's awesome that you guys are getting to play it.
(47:39):
And I always feel like it elevates any uh, you know,
big time event for the LPGA and women's golf when
when you can play these these famous courses that that
are stars on their own right and that golf fans
are already invested in because they have these memories and
they know the lore of Ben Hogan and on down
the on down the line. So it's it's gonna be
(48:00):
a killer week. I can't wait to watch. And um,
I'm looking forward to seeing you hit some eight irons
out of the bunker like that's that's that's got to happen.
Now you've you've teased it enough and five irons around
the green. I love it all right, Well, um, Christina,
do your little thing here, because I know even from
across the Atlantic, you feel compelled to say. I enjoy
(48:21):
saying it and letting our listeners know that I would
love it if they were to make sure that they're
subscribed to this podcast, that they go onto the Apple
iTunes podcast app thing and rate it. You can give
it as many as bug stars because that apparently matters
for metrics or something, and tell all your friends about it.
(48:42):
And and until next week, I I I guess that
I'm gonna have to say thank you for listening and
tune into the next episode of Full Send with Christina
Kim and Alan shift Nut. Thanks y'all, Hie
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