Penalty Box

Christina relives her wrong-ball fiasco at the LPGA event in Portland while Alan braces himself for more Euro-centric trash-talking as the Ryder Cup arrives. Ted Lasso talk also ensues. 

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Christina Kim

Alan Shipnuck

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello, and welcome to Full Send with Christina Kim and
Alan Schipnuk. We are back at it again. It is
Monday of Ryder Cup Week. I'm still in California, but
I'm on my way to Wisconsin on Wednesday. I like
to skip some of the preamble, which is tedious in
the best of times, and Ryder Cup week it's just
out of control. But I'm super duper excited for this

(00:28):
Ryder Cup. I was watching one of the euro Tour
hype videos and remember that one they made three years
ago with Sam Torrance and jose Amri othobl and some
other old timers. And even though it's essentially to get
Europe pumped up, it just like got my blood pumping.
And uh, I think this is gonna be an awesome
Ryder Cup. Christina is coming in hot from Portland's she's

(00:51):
now in Arkansas. Uh, tell me what's going on in
your world? C k Well, I you're you're right. I
did leave the beautiful region of the Pacific Northwest, and
we left the greater Portland area. We were about half
an hour forty minutes south of Portland in Oregon City. UM,
we were able to experience a Peter Jacobson design golf course.

(01:15):
I think it's one of his earlier designs. Of course,
was established in over at the Oregon Golf Club. UM.
And yeah, I'm in the n w A as they
like to stay around here, which I find highly ironic,
is that Northwest Arkansas? Northwest Arkansas, Yes, sir, because they've
got Rogers Arkansas, home of Walmart, home of Tyson Chicken,

(01:40):
um Procter and Gamble has one of their world headquarters here,
a huge transportation or cargo something or other and god
bless what was it they had that. It's like, isn't
it like a legendary shopping week because there's all these
super high end malls and UM and the IFPJ players,

(02:00):
you guys are staying right there, and anyone goes a
little crazy. Am I remembering that correctly? Yeah? It is.
It is an absolute oasis here you are because you
I mean, we're when we talk in Northwest Arkansas, I
mean the n w A is n n W in
the A. And like Missouri is not that far from here,
Kansas right there, Oklahoma, Like it's it's all right here

(02:21):
and you've got this, you know, beautiful beautiful farmland like
lots and lots of little rivers, and Beaver Lake is
not far from here, and like this is one of
the largest um uh, it's like in the top hundred
and fifty largest regions in the country. Because you've got Fayetteville,
which is home of the University of Arkansas. They got
them hogs, razorbacks. Um, You've got obviously Rogers, which is

(02:46):
a home of like I said, Walmart, uh, Fayette said Fayetteville,
you got Bentonville. Um, and you've got shoot, what's it called?
Just kind of sound like Bill Clinton all of a sudden.
I do. I do do this every now and again
when I come into a region, I just start picking
up a little bit of the of the the regional speak,

(03:08):
if you the the local tongue. Well, so let's address
the elephant in the room. Here, your your penalty in Portland,
because when I read your tweets, like, oh, it's such
a punch in the gut. Tell the viewers, the viewers,
the listeners, maybe there's a few viewers, what what happened?
How did it feel? How big a hole did you

(03:31):
want to crawl into? And how do you rally from
something like that? Well, I clearly didn't ship well. So
it was my sixteen pole of the day and I was,
you know, I was, I was, it's a difficult golf course.
In all honesty, I'm not gonna lie. I don't even
know what the winning score was. I I know, ship,

(03:53):
what was it like four under or six under came
runner up in my buddy Sue oh um I And
so again we're in this very very beautiful part of
the Pacific Northwest and we're at the Oregon Golf Club,
and I've had a number of people come up to
me that are not, you know, like not associated with

(04:14):
the LPGA by way of like whether they're officials or
you know, like other players and caddies and stuff, because
we all just kind of like gave each other that look. Um.
But you know, like I spoke to when I was
actually at the airport, Um Todd and I were talking
and one of the a random lady came up to
us and said, yeah, I used to you know, I
used to work there. I was a member there for
a long time. Like what do you think? And I

(04:38):
was just like, well, it was very very pretty, um
and the Greens, I mean that there were times when
you felt like if you did like a quick little lookie,
there were there were some really good holes. I'm not
gonna lie. There's some really good holes. It's just there,
you know, when you're sitting there. And and initially the
first hole is it was we were due to play
it at five hundred sixty five yards into the wind,

(04:59):
t shop place ten yards up. A second shot plays
as much as thirty yards up, and then the third
shop plays like ten yards up, so it's like a
six hundred yard par five um into the wind. So
they moved us up like yards. But I anyway, going
back to whole seven, it's just like a little downhill
dog leg right water on the right hand side, and

(05:20):
and on the left you've got you know, I mean,
it's it's a pretty tight t shot. And I was
like between my three wood and my my three hybrid,
and Top was like, dude, we're good with the three wood,
like you know, we're good. And I was like, yeah,
you're right, were good. Um, And I drew my three
wood over some trees and I was like, I'm like,
it's all right. On the left hand side will be okay.

(05:41):
And you know, we had a couple of spotters. I
just see a spot or just dart over like left
of the fairway, and I'm just like all right, I'm
like I I was at was I ship? I think
it was two over maybe at that point or something
like that in the round. And I go up there
and there's yeah, I'm like, okay, worst case, like I
think that it's open up where I can get something

(06:02):
to the green. It's not going to be a long club.
The worst case chip out if you have to, and
then get on try and get up and down for
for par if you make bogey, Like okay, you've got
a couple of chances coming in. And I walk up
there and one of the other playing partners she hit driver,
followed the same line as mine, if not a little
farther left, and I was like all right, like you know,

(06:23):
we'll be okay. And we see a ball like in
the trees, and I'm just like, well, that's the first
ball that we came across. And I hit three, which
she hit driver. Okay, so okay. So I'm kind of
walking over and then I see like often the distance,
you know, like another fifty yards up. I see this
like tiny flutter of red and I'm like, huh, like

(06:44):
I guess that's the other the other golf ball. And
so I was like all right, and she was you know,
I was taking my time because I was like all right,
like it's all good, Like you know, I was the
red is the spotters flag the little flag, yes, yes,
a little flag, and the spotters put down yes, excuse
me when when we miss our t shots. Um, you know,
even it's funny like sometimes your ball will be sitting

(07:04):
on top of the rough three inches from the first
cut and they'll just put a flag down. I'm like,
thank you for trying. Like yeah, I'm like I'm I
sit there. I'm like that's so cute. And so you know,
I just have to say every altercation I've ever had
on a golf course has been with like a volunteer
marshal where like a couple of times jaw to jaw,

(07:25):
like these people think they know how I should do
my job berth, and I do even though they work
one week a year and this is what I do
for a living. And so like the officious volunteer who
just has to get in everyone's business, like I've I've
I've gone to the mattresses a few times of them.
So I'm not surprised that they're they're overdoing the little
red flags. Anyway, please continue because it's there. It's there

(07:47):
one week a year, or you get a few people
that come to a handful of tournaments and volunteer or whatever.
But you know, this is this is is there time
to shine here, and the last thing they want to
do is ever fun up. And so walking down and
the other player in our group is walking ahead of
me because I got short, stumpy leg. Then I'm taking
my time and I'm just like, all right, like just

(08:08):
collect yourself. It's going to be okay, go up there.
And she stops by the first ball and I'm just like,
let your bowl and she's like, yeah, this is mine,
and I was like all right, And so I you know,
I see that other little flutter of fabric, you know,
fifty yards ahead, and I'm like, all right, well we're
really close to a like thicket of brambles. And I was.

(08:34):
And and sometimes so if your ball is it all
varies based on you know, the person that's marking your ball,
Like they can put a flag like uncomfortably close to
your golf ball, or if it's near the ship, they'll
mark it like ten yards away, and I'm like, oh
my god, if this is ten yards in the ship,
like I just oh god, alright, Like, let's just see
what it is. We go up there to tieless one.

(08:56):
I'm like, all right, it's my ball, okay whatever. And
this was the first week that I'd switched the pro
V one Star to the pro V one X, so
I was like, okay, there's a I can just make
out the titlest the red one. Okay, cool co co
co co co coo cool. How do you do mark
your balls the sharp and if so, how do you
do it? So if you're looking at the titlest, it
says titlest and then one and then to the right
of the one, So basically underneath the between the eye

(09:19):
and the s, I put an orange dot. And I
actually use marks a lot markers. I I don't. I
don't use a sharpie. And I also, um, I also
don't sign with sharpie's. If I can help it, I
will use a Milwaukee permanent marker. Um, We're going to
devote an entire podcast next time to this very subject.
You have my interest and my attention, but there is

(09:40):
a reason. Um. So I'm like, all right, well, okay,
I can barely. I can just make out the big
tea and then I see the one and I'm like,
all right, cool, cool, cool cool, And I'm like, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm.
I'm super focused because I'm like, all right, I and
if i'm i'm, I have I have to put on
my rain suit so that I don't get completely shredded

(10:01):
by the brambles because I'm inches away from the shrubbery.
And Todd and I were talking it over a little
bit and he's like, well, if you can't read, and
he's like, I was like, above all, also have to
sit there and look at what kind of backswing I
have and then from there I'll be able to determine
direction this, that, whatever, whatever. And so the other girl
went and Todd was like she tried punching it out

(10:21):
and it He's like it might have gone in the
water over on the right hand side, like it just
went screaming down the hill. And I was like, okay,
well I don't have enough of a backswing to get
this more than like forty yards with rutten out anyway,
so we'll be okay. So I go, I have this
really awkward stands and I hit this unbelievable chip where
if I I could have very easily shanked it um

(10:46):
and made great contact a little eight iron. It trundled
up and went up over the car path and then
just scuttled down barely into the fairway. And I was like,
all right, cool. Everyone's like, all right, good shot. And
because they were anticipating upwards of you know, an inches
to two inches of rain, just gonna play them. And
they had water the course Organs in a drought and
I had gone and played early and had mud on

(11:08):
my ball, and they were like a member and said, yeah,
in order for the course to be playable, like they
have to keep the course drowned basically because of the
amount of slope on the golf course. And so we
played the ball up for the entirety of the tournament.
So I go, I mark my ball. I pick it up,
and I was like, it's not my ball, it's titless one.

(11:31):
And it's again I saw just enough of it to
be able to say, okay, that's mine, Like there's no
reason for there to be another golf ball like in
the area, you know. And and again I don't use
a line. I just just one simple orange dot to
the right of the one. And I'm like, my ball
doesn't have a line. My ball doesn't have a line
on it. This is not my ball. And Todds like what.

(11:51):
I'm like, this is not my ball, and so I
go back to the marshal. I turned around like this
isn't my ball, and they were like what And I
was like that it's not my ball, and one of
the rules officials there I called her over and so
we trudged on our way back and my ball was
within I mean, she did a really good job because
she ended up saying, yeah, you hit the car path twice.
And I was like, cool, the one car path that's

(12:14):
like four yards off the fair threw the rough. Cool.
She's like, yeah, you hit it twice. So I had
the light on it and then I found that ball
right there, so I just assumed. She's like, I'm so
so sorry, I'm I feel so tired. I'm like, sweetheart,
I'm the one that missed the fair away, like you
was just doing your job. It's it's okay, Like you know,
everyone felt so bad and I'm like, y'all are just
y'all are doing your best, Like it's it's it's okay,

(12:35):
like there's there's not much to apologize for. You. You
did your best. And I could have sat there and
put my tea down and completely identified it, you know,
and and also I could have hit the fucking fairway,
so you know whatever. And so the rules official comes
by and I explained to him, like, okay, So my
ball ended up left, they marked it. The marshals marked
it with a flag. I went, I chipped it out.
I saw it was the tielest one. I chipped it out,

(12:57):
went down there. Mark had to, you know, mark the
balls so I can know, do lift, clean and place
and I looked it wasn't my ball, so and then
we just found it. So I have to take an unplayable.
Can you just tell me what I'm lying? After I
hit the shot. I don't want to do the math
because I don't I don't know, I don't, I just
I just just I'm just I'm gonna hit this and
then you just tell me what I've done, did and

(13:17):
unplayable since you actually found your ball. So I found
my ball three yards in the thicket. In the thicket,
excuse me, sorry, sorry, I I didn't mention that part. No,
it was. It was in there. It was. It was
pretty much on the same exact line as the ball
that was found just a little farther up. So excuse
me that. Yeah, I I failed to to um to

(13:39):
put that in one off the t two to punch
out three to go back to where you were. So
I'm hitting my fourth shot and the end, so I
take my unplayable it. So so three back, take my
unplayable as my fourth chipped out five on in six
and then I had twelve ft uh to to to

(14:02):
make my hockey stick, and I had it would have
been an amazing seven. And then I but I will
say I had like five five and a half feet
to make my snowman. So it was very it was
it was a legitimate chance I would have put a
sperm on the scorecard. So I was like, you know what, Okay,
we got a snowman. That's okay. It's actually never heard that.
Never heard that also because you never you know, if

(14:25):
you're putting a nine on a scorecard, the last thing
you're going to do is use it with a smooth hand,
so you get the wiggly tails. Oh my god, that's amazing.
Well that's the beauty of U s g a equitable
scoring because with my handicap, I can't take more than
a seven. So it's like I've I've used that life
for us A seven please, I haven't put a nine

(14:48):
on my scorecard in decades, but bitch, neither have neither
of I. And thankfully I've been able to maintain that streak.
So the victories may be small, but they do exist.
Um yeah, and the poor the poor, And so the
rules officials kind of like she was just a little
flub flam x and I hit another really good chip,

(15:09):
so I had a fucking chip it out again. And
I hit another really good chip, and she was like,
you just hit your fifth shot and I was like, okay,
thank you, and like everyone was just like, I don't like.
So I made my put and I was like, I
went in to the our scorer. It was following us around,
like just so you know that was an eight because
I had to take you know, after the penalty and

(15:30):
then unplayable. And then I chipped it out and then
because I missed that put, that that wasn't eight. And
he was like you can kind of see him doing
the math, and I was like he was like not,
and I was like, no, it wasn't a seven. I
promise it wasn't eight. Um that hurts, Oh it was.
It sucked. And that's the thing I never like Todd
and my laugh because he was like the one the

(15:51):
first week that you go back to a pro V
one x and this fucking happens. And I was like, yeah,
I know, because the thing is the pro V one
x spins less than the prov one star, So if
I had the star, maybe it wouldn't have gotten all
the way to the thicket. It didn't matter, you know,
it just Todd. Does Todd or any caddy in the
situation I have any culpability or is it completely on

(16:13):
the player? I'm pretty sure I'm the one that hit
it off the fairway to the point where a flag
was needed. Yeah, I take full responsibility. And I've said
this before, even if and thankfully this has never happened,
but even if we're a hundred yards out and Todd
takes every single one of my clubs and snaps it
over his knees, like you're a hundred yards you have

(16:33):
to hit your three woods. I'm the idiot that hired him.
It always goes back to the player. Yeah, of course,
of course. Um, but yeah, it's funny. I'm morbidly hoping
he does that at some point, just because it would
be great content. But I don't I don't think that's
not I just probably find content, just as a wordsmith

(16:55):
five minutes ago used trundle and scuttle in the same sentence,
and then the thicket of brambles. To me, you could
just reverse that and you can say a bramble of thickets.
I would think it's the same thing I thought. I
didn't know what even what brambles were. So um, I'm
just I'm pleased with your vocabulary tonight, Christina, and I
want to acknowledge that well, thank you. I also used

(17:16):
the word sperm, unfortunately didn't note that as well. Made
me uncomfortable. What else she's gonna name it? That's the thing,
you know, No, No, I mean it's so bad, it's
it's perfect. It's so bad it's good, Like there's nothing
else that could be. Now, that's all I'm ever going
to take about. Yeah, it is a little bit of

(17:36):
a drag. And then in the second round, I actually
and that's the thing. It was. It was legitimately like
one bad swing. And then in the next round I
hit the ball really really well, and um every pot
that I hit. And this was my first tournament back
using a standard length putter, and I just, I mean,
I had the touch of a blacksmith. I I it

(17:58):
was like it didn't matter how far away from the
hole it was. I'm like, this is going fort like
I I just it was. It was the definite head scratcher.
And coming down the last few holes, I was like,
you know, I can go five under in the last
five holes, and then gave myself chances and like hit
a couple of hit a couple of lips and like

(18:19):
just you know, and then coming up eighteen, you know,
I went through the green into which I know, write
me weird, and I was just like, well, you needed
it to to make the to make the cut. And
then I just reckon hit this little fluffy fluffer out
of you know, a sort of a stubby lie and
then I was like, all right, well, shipet, so this

(18:43):
is gonna be So you know, here we are in
late September. I mean, you're still waiting on a hot
streak for this season, do you do? You still have
the unshakable belief that it's coming and you're gonna you're
gonna you're gonna finish this season in style or where
where are you in your your head space? Well, one,

(19:06):
you have to trust the process. I know that's like
so cliche and it's so you know, Tiger used it
to death, but and I was talking what's hot, and
He's like, you're trending in the right direction, like you
look at I mean, in all honesty, if I did
not have if I if I just made bogie on seven,
I would have made the cut and I still would
have felt like I played like ship in that first round,

(19:27):
you know. So it's it's you gotta just sort of
take things for what they are. And I struck the
ball so well and then just you know, couldn't put
to save my life on Friday. And you know, Todd
and I have spent a lot of time, you know,
getting my lines right and you know, making sure I'm
seeing things correctly, and you know, it's it's just one
of those things where like it happens when it happens,

(19:47):
and you can't force it, Like you just have to
sit there and focus on what you need to focus
on it as opposed to thinking you know, I had
this talk with my dad and he was just like, um, one,
he was like, what did your caddie do? I was like,
he was adding not forcatting, um. And you know, he
he talks about focus and he's like, do you know
how to focus? And I'm just like, yeah, you just

(20:07):
kind of drown out there, you know, all the things
that you're you don't want to think about. And he's like, no,
you focus by focus by thinking about the one thing,
because those other things, all those all those things that
you quote unquote don't want to think about, they're still there.
But if you're able to have your mind solely be
zoned in on the one thing that you do want,

(20:29):
that will it'll just become that one thing becomes so
loud the rest of it drowns out, and um yeah,
because it's it's it's you know, it's it's it's a
means of acknowledging that everyone's nervous and acknowledging that everyone
has these thoughts. But at the same time, if you
can put your mind in a good place and focus

(20:50):
on the good thing that you need, that you want,
whether it's tempo, whether it's you know, something to do
with like your left pinky or whatever the funk it
is that you're working on. Then he can put your
heart in devotion into that and have implicit trust. Then
all those other things are just going to be like,
oh ship, all right, Well I would still hang out

(21:11):
here if you guys want. Yeah, I was listening to
an old House Sutton podcast, which those words are rarely spoken,
but it's it's for my um my Phil Mickelson book.
And actually I like how he's he's a character and
he says something similar was in the context of you know,
he was the best player in the world for about

(21:32):
eighteen months and then he lost his game and he
fought back and all that, and he said his thought
as he was digging his way out of this deep
dark hole was all he all he focused on was
what he wanted to do, Just what do I want
to do with this shot? And not what could go
wrong or what's my miss or what's my swing thoughts,
just like, what do I want to do with this shot?

(21:53):
And um, I like that. And I've really played almost
no golf in the last months because I just I
can't give up the time. I'm just working on this
book around the clock along with trying to keep kids
alive and all that stuff. And but I did sneak
out and played nine holes at Peter Hay and I
was which is not a demanding golf course. It's a

(22:14):
pitching putt, right, but there's still some really tricky greens
and there's some some fiddly little numbers and you have
to pay attention to what you're doing out there. And um,
anyway I had I was thinking about what House said
and it was helpful. And I mean I'm not bragging.
I mean three birdies and nine holes. I had some
really good shots and um, it's like, okay, I'm going

(22:34):
to try and roll this for a while, because I
never really have. I mean, for the however many thousands
of hours I spent a driving range across my entire
golfing life, I've never taken one lesson with like a
mental coach. I've never spent almost any time on my
mental preparation, right like as with probably every every other
recreational golfer, you know, like you you obsess about little

(22:55):
things in your swing or your putting stroke. When it's
the mental game, which is at least of it, we
just sort of neglect and we don't even do anything
intentional for so um anyway, what you said, what howse said?
That kind of resonates, like I like that, and just
I guess what your dad said? And uh, that's the
thing about your dad. He's he's he's I don't mean,

(23:17):
I mean, this is a confidence. He's kind of like
Forrest Gump, Like he's like accidentally profound, right, like when
you don't expect it, he'll just drop something on you,
like damn. Like I remember that even from those interviews
way back when and I was doing that size story,
it was like like he's he has a way of
like cutting through the clutter and just tell it like
it is, which I always appreciated. So, yes, my dad

(23:37):
is in the best possible way. Okay, he's more like
Roy Kent than ted Lasso. It's probably the best way
to I finally watched the first couple dads of episodes
of ted Lasso, which I know I'm way behind, but
like I'm starting to get it. Like I'm as much

(24:02):
as I love movies and I love TV, I'm just
I'm not a big consumer with everything else going on,
And so eventually the fomo gets so strong, like okay,
I gotta freaking watch some ted Lasso. So I'm only
I'm only two episodes deep, but i can see the
charm and the fun of it, so I'm hoping to
catch up at some point. I will say that, so

(24:24):
aside from ted Lasso, I had not watched a new
series since March of because I had always told myself, like,
if ship gets real bad, like what's going to happen
to all them folks that have already watched the entirety
of the Internet, Like I needed. This is like my survivalist,
like exactly exactly. It's my tub of beans that I

(24:48):
keep in um, you know, somewhere in a basement. But
I taught and I started ted Lasso on. It might
have been on Wednesday of last week. We're caught up,
like do you guys watch together or like you like
he's in his room when you're in a room and
you're like you're texting back and forth. I'm trying to
picture that. Oh no, no, no, we watch it together.

(25:09):
We watch it together there on the pal Yeah, we do.
We we share Airbnb, so we we we sit there
and we watch it and we're just like it's just amazing,
Like there's so much. It reminds me it's like a
sporty um the good place to an extent, you know,

(25:30):
and that it is there's a lot of wholesomeness. There's
a lot of yeah yeah, and and it's real though.
And that's the thing because like you have people that
are super swearsy, and then you know people that use
horrible language, and you have some people out there that
are actually trying to do harm to others. And you
can still have hope, you can still believe, you can

(25:51):
still um, you know, be a goldfish if you want.
And it is just and there's just some amazing like
I love I love the interaction between Ted and Beard,
and it's one of the I sit there and like,
I'm like, as I came across you know, some of
the characters like like Nathan Nate, I'm just like, oh
my god, you're so British in your British way. And

(26:12):
then you come across Rebecca and You're like, you are
so British in your own way, and Roy is like
the quintessential, Like they's just everyone so relatable to people
that I have experienced in my life. And I'm like,
aside from the wisdom, the inadvertent unexpected wisdom, and my

(26:33):
ted Lasso in this in this whole life, Like, am
I the one that's the positive person and everything? I'm like,
who's my beard? It's it's amazing though, you know. And
and the US Ryder Cup team should bring should bring
in ted Lasso, like as a little guest speaker. I don't.
I don't think Steve Stricker is is like cutting edge
enough for that. But that would actually be amazing, you know,

(26:55):
in character like having come in to the team room
people go crazy to things. Is one that would be
right up Steve Stricker's alley, Like he makes me think, yeah,
you're pure Americana um and two I think I mean
that bits just one an emmy, So he probably busy
right now, but that would be amazing. That would be amazing.

(27:17):
Let me think Olivia. Let's see Olivia Wilde and then
let's see six degrees of separation of Jesson Sadakis. I'm
sure I know someone that knows someone that knows someone
that could get in touch. You're gonna you're gonna hook
it up. That's a that's a team player. I mean,
there has We should talk a little about the Ryer Cup.
I mean, the one just delicious bit of speculation is like, well,

(27:38):
Tiger wing in under the darkness of night for you know,
inspirational speech on like Saturday night, that would be that
would be the all time greatest mic drop. If Tiger
was just in the team room when the boys come
back on Saturday night. Well okay, so yes, that that
would be. And it would not be the most um

(28:05):
unbelievable thing. It would be damn near impossible. Um that
would that would shock and a lateny. But so long
as it is not going to be at the detriment
of his rehab and recovery. I remember in what I mean,
he gets driven in a golf cart to a g five,

(28:27):
He gets up the stairs with his crutches, he sits
there they're waiting for on the tarmac. They put him
in the back of a you know, an suv. He's
gonna take a total of a hundred steps. Like I'm
not saying, like you should be out there on Sunday
running and then like let's say, if there's turbulence, all
it has to do, you know, I mean, I don't
know what like I mean, he's not He's not like

(28:47):
Mr Glass like I think the guy's been like he's
been six months ago. Whatever I think he can handle
like little air he could. I like to air on
the side of caution. I do remember we had a
a retired marine that came to be one of our
helpers and he had lost um one of his legs

(29:10):
in in Iraq, if I'm not mistaken, and he just
gave one of the most inspirational speeches ever. And he's
just a guy, like he's not like a he wasn't
a motivational speaker, and he was just a young man
that went and served served the our country, went to war,
lost his leg and had the most unbelievable outlook on life.
And we were just like, we want to fucking win
this for you and for people like you that have

(29:32):
served for our country. And remember what this is, you know,
quote unquote what this is all about, you know, just
chasing that goddamn white golf ball around and you know,
paint on our faces and stuff. It'd be awesome. I will.
I I agree, it would be awesome. It would be awesome.
One of my really good friends was saying during the Olympics,
he's has a daughter's five years old and he was

(29:53):
trying to train her that shoudn't have to automatically cheer
for the Americans, Like why not just cheer for great
athletes from all over the world, old that don't get
caught up in the flag waving and the jingoism. And
I mean, it's it's a it's a funny attitude because
you I've gotten this strain through my my Twitter portal
a lot, you know, the angst of Americans. Like one
guy wrote, of course I want to root for the

(30:16):
USA because I'm American, but like I like six guys
on the European team more than like any of the Americans,
and like, I don't know what to do, and uh,
because it's they just have more personality there, John Tire.
They have more fun that week. Of course, that is
all part of why they play well and pressure pack
situations and so yeah, I mean, I know there's some

(30:37):
conflicted American fans out there who probably have especially given
the melodrama surrounding this this US team with Brooks and
Bryson and Bryson and Patrick Cantley and Patrick Read and
everybody and and all that, and so um, it's just funny.
I mean, ultimately people are going to root for the US,

(30:58):
and I think it's gonna be quite seen in Wisconsin.
I feel like these things are always better in the
heartland versus on the coasts, you know, and you've seen
that in the Solheim Cup. It's just I mean, like
Toledo is such a great venue for for the Solheim
It's just I think the people Wisconsin are gonna come
really strong, and given the state of global international travel,

(31:18):
there might not be more than a handful of European fans.
Like it's gonna be quite a home home field advantage.
It will be, which is fun. It's how it should be,
and you know it's gonna be loud, and I'm I'm
definitely I'm definitely looking forward to it. Like I've been
doing this now since right, and I still enjoy going

(31:38):
to the Masters, in the US Open and all the
big events. But when when I get on site, I
start getting excited. But the days before it's like whatever
I've been to, you know a lot of Masters, Like
I know, I'll get excited when i'm there, but right
it hit me today like, oh my god, Ryder Cup.
It's been three years, like I'm and of course a
lot of folks are now trickling into whistling straight and

(32:00):
so you're getting getting the social media energy and and
the visuals and it's like, damn, this is coming and
anyway hit me today. So I'm I'm excited about it.
I can't wait to get there. It's um it's a
challenging week in that there's no real access to the players.
Everything is very scripted and you know, reports on we

(32:20):
can't get in the team room, of course, and they
just sort of bring people when they can. In the past,
it was always a great week for observational reporting because
the players who were benched, plus all the wives, plus
these assistant captains were kind of they were just wandered
down the fairway and you could sort of bird dog
them with and I got so much good material that way.

(32:41):
But with all the COVID protocols and this and that,
it's going to be harder. So I always you know,
how I rate my week, It's like how good are
my stories? You know? And my output? That's what I
care about more than anything. The accommodations, the food way
down on the list is like who wins, Like that's
somebody relevant to me. It's uh so it's gonna be

(33:04):
it's gonna be a challenging work week. I know that,
but I'm trying not to get too bogged out of details,
Like you can only do what you can do, and
COVID has definitely changed the way we can all do
our jobs and as reporters, so you just can't beat
your head against the wall, like you can only get
what you can get and without getting tossed off the grounds.
But I'm not trying to do so. But anyway, it's

(33:26):
gonna be fun. And I will say that, um, it's
kind of a big deal for us that the fire
Pit Collective because when we were just launching this thing
back in the spring, and we were having talks with
Golf Digest and they wanted to collaborate and we felt
like that was an important platform for us. And so
for all the major championships this year, I wrote for
Digest dot com. As we've continued to grow, and it's

(33:53):
the recognition we got for the PG of America. They
were willing to credential me under the collective. So this week,
I know it's cool, So I'm just I'm just all
my works to just be on fire Pit Collective dot com.
And we decide I had already been trending this way anyway,
you know, the old template of just going and writing
one story a day and maybe you find something small

(34:13):
you throw up there and and throw up and doing
a bunch of tweets like it's fun. I enjoy it,
It's comfortable. But I want to do something a little
more dynamic. So we're gonna, um during the week, during
the competition days, I'm gonna do like some live Twitter
Q and a' s and um do some type sort
of ask allen things and try and make people feel

(34:35):
like they're really there, and I'm I'm the guy on
the inside who can answer their questions and be their
eyes and ears because ultimately, with the wall to wall
coverage that exists, like no one really needs me to
tell them what's happening on the golf course, like everyone
pretty much knows, so the fun of it is too.
I'm also gonna try and shoot a lot of video.
I'm gonna turn them into a little like, um, you know,
diaries and just what does it feel like to be there?

(34:58):
What are the what are you seeing in crowd and
behind the scenes that people don't have access to. So
it's kind of a fun different challenge, you know, I'm
not that old, and I'm kind of a dinosaur, as
you know, Christina always having to walk me through the
technical aspects of taking this podcast, so uh, it's all
slightly out of my comfort zone. You know. I'd rather

(35:20):
just like sitting behind my computer type of story, which
is what I know how to do. But I'm gonna
I'm gonna give it a go. Could be a total disaster,
but hopefully it'll be fun and people will be into it.
I love the evolution and yuh as little shade as
I I'm trying to throw as little shade as possible,

(35:40):
But I cannot wait for the day where you can
have this kind of excitement for this old heim Cup.
Oh I know, I mean, well, listen, it was a
really it was. I know that the super super tough.
I know it was. You told me that. You told
me that, and you told everyone else I know, I
know you do, I know you do. But you know,

(36:03):
there will I I gotta I gotta back my girls,
you know, and who knows, maybe you would have been
able to find out which player it was that I
spoke to that told me, um, you know, one of
the players on one of the teams where I just said,
what do you think it is in reference to the
American players, and they gave me one word and it
was ego. Maybe you would have been able to give

(36:24):
to clean that out, you know, I don't know, but
maybe again, we're all making progress out, we're all making progress,
and we gotta do what we have to do on
our end to entice everyone to want to come out
and play. So you know, we'll just on this one. Christina,
and to all the listeners, I saw this, I'll be
the next effing Solheim Cuff, which is only next year.

(36:45):
It's like eleven months from now. That's a good thing.
You know, we don't have to wait very long in Spain.
You just want to go to Spain. It's in twenty three.
I thought they were doing one next year so we
could get um, they could get off of the Writer Cup,
so they're not opposite Ryder Cup. I was told it
was in I'm gonna google this right now. We're talking.

(37:08):
One of us is wrong. I'm wrong all the time.
So but of course I want to go to Spain.
Doesn't want to go to Spain. But that's even if
it was I would go. Are you typing it into Yeah,
Finker cord is On and Lucia Spain. Why did I

(37:28):
think I thought they were bringing another one? Maybe because
everyone assumes that the women are going to back down
and do things in order to make the guys feel
like they're going to be able to keep things up. Whatever.
Backing down it's about spreading the wealth. I mean spreading
the wealth by virtue of us always having to be
the ones to compromise. Got you, I would say, what's

(37:49):
wrong with the idea of having both of them in
the same year, though, that's the thing. I would think
it would be awesome if they were able to find
a way where we flip them where they're both held
in the same year but opposing continents. I think that
would be great because then they're both still biennial events
and one gets a home advantage and then for the other,

(38:11):
for the other team, they get the home advantage, you know,
by way of the men versus the women. Like, I
think that'd be fucking awesome. Um, I feel cheat, like
you just stole a Solheim Cup for me, Like I actually,
I don't know. I read that somewhere. I swear I
gotta get off the night. I know it was something
that people have been contemplating, and I think it's it's
something to do along the lines with that with President's Cup,
writer Cup Solheim, Walker and Curtis, like they're they're all

(38:34):
trying to figure everything out as of now. I know
for a fact we're in well practically speaking. And I'll
answer this question. The problem with having him in the
same year, around the same time, late in the season
as you get news organizations and I know because I've
been part of these conversations in the past, whether it
was a sports illustrat or golf magazine, you know, slash

(38:57):
golf dot com, is that there's a finite bud and
by the time you get to September sometimes it's it's
starting to it's starting to dwindle. And um, you know,
if it's not really an issue for the fire Pick Collective,
we do what we want, but for other don't say that.
For you, having not gone to Solheim, well it is
I told you, it's because I'm like under water and

(39:20):
this is your guy, I know, and this is your
first year with you guys having just accepted the fire
Pit Collection. I know, I know. But the point is,
like that is that is that is possibly a practical
issue that could negatively affect one or both events. Like
if people have to make hard choices on what to cover,
but well, if they know that in the future going

(39:41):
forward they're going to be in the same year, then
just back all right, every every even year, every odd year, whatever,
you know whatever, they end up deciding, Okay, we're just
going to make sure that our budgets are adjusted so
that the following year we don't have to spend as
much money, you know, Like, well, that's a very optimistic
view of how things actually work. Yes, this is coming
from someone that has no no business in business, let

(40:03):
alone any understanding of its. Usually the people that are
outside looking in that are like, well, this seems like
a simple solution, and a lot of times people like,
you know what, one that won't work. But too Yeah,
we didn't really think of it that way. But at
the end of the day, that won't work. The Solheim
Cups in Spain and the Ryo Cups in Italy. Why
would anybody cover any sport other than golf? And let's say,

(40:25):
why don't we have just one week off between the
two then, because then that'll give you reason to have
a three week vacation in your go to Santorini or
I don't know, do prove Nick or something like that. Yeah,
I'm in. I mean, honestly, you know, the two thousand
and fourteen US open Up Pioneers with the men and
the women at the same venue. I thought was wonderful.

(40:48):
Why not do the Ryore Cup and the Solheim Cup
at the same time on the same venue because it's
such low impact, you only have like two holes in
use at any given moment, and you a stagger the
tea times by a couple of hours, you've got the
crowd there like that would be nuts, and I think
it would be incredible platform for both. Like in your

(41:10):
mind that takes away from from from the soul time
is I don't know, like as you're saying, necessarily, it's
it's it is conceivable actually, because my first thought was
is there enough daylight? But you've only got, you know,
in essence, eight matches at a time as opposed to
four matches at a time, and you're not going to
have people on you know, it's not like people are

(41:31):
going to be turning onto the front nine or anything
like that. So it is it is definitely consistent. The
wrong person to be asking that ship. I don't know,
it could it would just be that would be epic,
and I don't know, I have to think if that's
even a good idea. I mean, I like them, I
like them meat having their own identity and their own
their own stage. But at the same time, this is

(41:51):
you know, if you want to make it more of
a quote unquote Battle of the Continents or battle of
the USA versus Europe, then you know, why not be
equip fully equipped with the men and the women, you know,
I mean it's like, look at the look at the military.
We have men and women fighting together. If you want
to take that drastic I'm not saying make it a
mixed team. I mean keep it as it is. Oh no, no,

(42:12):
for sure, but still have them at the same at
the same venue. You know, I would, I I could
be very mistaken. I just think that you know, maybe
some of the guys, you know, some people looking at
from the Ryder Cup, you would be like, oh god,
they're just going to hang onto our coattails kind of thing,
and then look at the crowds until like, oh, there's

(42:32):
no doubt about it, no doubt. That was one of
my favorite days ever in golf. Was Sunday at two
thousand and fourteen US Open as uh, you know, the
LPG players were streaming in and getting getting access to
the facilities while you know, Martin Kimer's out there like
putting and he's chatting up. I can't remember which which

(42:53):
LPG player was had like this weird little putting device
and this guys want to go out and within the
u S Open and he's like messing around with this
putting device on degree and I remember those. You know,
a handful of the LPG players went out and watched
the inside the ropes like that was just it was
a cool scene. And of course it's kind of somewhat
similar at the Olympics. There's a little overlap in the schedule.
And I saw that rio with UM. I think there's

(43:16):
a kinship and you felt it at the VIC Open
other places like um, it's just fun. You guys are
playing the same game, you're doing it slightly differently, and
in each side can learn from the other. And anyway,
we don't have to we don't have to go any
deeper on the subject of a co ed international event,
but it's fun to think about almost absolutely all right, Well,

(43:40):
we're gonna go really deep on the Ryot Cup next week.
We talked about last week. I think we could um.
I think we can table the rest of it because
we don't have to do we don't have to speculate,
we don't have to pontificate. It's actually here, it's gonna happen,
and we're gonna have real results. And what's that It's
Brooks gonna play you think, I mean he's still early

(44:02):
in the week. He's he's there. Yes, I can't imagine
that he would have gotten on the plane if you
have like stiff and sore and things weren't working like
he says, he's healthy. He's there. I think you have
to assume that he's in there for the duration. Now,
whether he'll it seems unlikely he'll go thirty six in
a day, which is fine. I mean, the U S
team's got plenty of depth, but the you know, Brooks

(44:23):
is number one contribution will be if you can just
go in there and be like fun to be around
and not this brooding like too cool for for school
kind of vibe. And if you know it's he always
talks about, you know, he wants he wished he'd been
a baseball player, and he's an athlete and all this,
So okay, now you're all of a sudden you're in
a team sport to be a team leader and and

(44:44):
bring a great energy and inspire people and go out
of your way to to help them succeed. You know,
that's the essence of a team sport. So UM, I
think this is an important week for Brooks. Like you know,
I've detected there's a little curdling of sentiment it around him.
You know, he's been active, kind of like a bully
and a troll all year long, um to Bryson. And

(45:08):
at the same time, you know, his plays obviously dropped
off the last couple of years injury related. But you know,
if you're gonna talk a lot of trash and and
be this controversial figure, you gotta back it up on
the golf course. And he really hasn't. So UM, I
feel like this is an important week for you know,
sort of the Brooks Kepka reclamation project. So I'll be
watching him closely. It's also big for Bryson. I mean,

(45:29):
this is the one week all year that, um, the
crowd is definitely gonna be cheering for him, right Like
he's had a very rocky season and um, there's been
there's been so much you know, just kind of in
the air around him, a lot of negativity. But this
is the one week where every single person there in red,
white and blue is gonna be cheering for him. And

(45:49):
I think that's gonna that's gonna be a big deal
for for Bryson and um, you know, obviously those two
guys are gonna be a focus because of all the subplots,
but also because they have a ton of game. I
mean they could they should both be you know, match
play killers, but um, neither one delivered in Paris. So
I don't know, it's it's there's there's so much intrigue.
I mean, you can go down the list. There's a

(46:10):
lot of guys who have a lot to prove, especially
on the U S side, and that's would add the
tension and that, um the suspense, you know, can can
they come through? I mean Europe they have this transitional year,
They're they've lost some of their their their stalwarts, you know,
without no Sergio, no, no Justin Rose, no Heindri stension.

(46:32):
You know, this could be like the last stand for
that that generation of Sergio and Westwood and Poulter and
so um, they've they've won so much, They've accomplished so much.
I feel like they're playing with house money and um.
But as always, the US team has a lot to prove.
So it's it's gonna be tense. I mean that's what
That's what's fun about it, right, I mean, it's there's

(46:52):
just so much at stake, and um, anyway, I'm pumped.
That's awesome. Quick question, who do you think between Bryson
and Brooks is more like Jamie Tart from Ted Lasso?
And then would that make Poulter more like a Roy Kent?

(47:15):
I mean, I think you need to answer that because
you're clearly way more fluid in the in the show
than I am. But m that's good. What is your answer?
There are aspects to the only thing that that as
of right and as no it's no no shade, no
dig or anything like that. Is that as of right now,

(47:38):
neither Brooks or Rice and are Jamie Tart. Because at
the moment, hope and hopefully this does change, and hopefully
it does change this week, neither of them has been
able to back it up yet because Jamie Tart fucking
good and Alter is like, yeah, he's like a Roy
kent Season one Roy Kent Um and that you know,

(48:02):
like you said, he's he's the journeyman. He's he's one
of the greatest writer covers of all time, just like
Roy was one of the greatest ever at Chelsea and
we'll see, you know, it's it's it's it's that transitional point.
Not to say that Ian can't go out and play
in two, three, four more Writer Cups. He's probably really
close to being viewed as a captain. Um. I would suspect,

(48:25):
you know, just just because like you know, it's just
hard because he's still so competitive and he's still right
as long as I can't. I mean, I just think
about when he played Dustin Johnson in in singles in Paris.
There's not a single thing that Ian Poulter does better
than Dustin on the golf course, and there's a lot
of things Dustin does than Ian Poulter, like, and he's

(48:48):
still beat him. It's just like, I don't know, we
don't know enough about both of their ship talk and
when it comes down to tournament time, that's the thing. Yeah,
oh yeah, no, I mean, oh yeah. If you're making
a list of intangibles and other things. And yeah, Poulter's
got some some big edges, but I'm just talking about
you know, long iron like whatever. Like Dustin is better
at literally every part of golf, and yet he couldn't

(49:10):
even he couldn't handle them. It's just the classic classic performance.
So um, alright, well, I'm looking forward to kicking it around. Um,
good luck in in nd of w A, do they
have hats with like old English script and everything, like
I want like an n w A hat like that
that would if I find one, I promise I will
get you. And I have not come across one yet.

(49:33):
Have we talked about this? So I got my cell
phone in the nineties and I lived in Long Beach,
and um, it's five six two area code, and there
must be a cell tower in Compton that things get
routed through, because if I call someone and I'm not
in their phone, it comes up as Compton, California, and
which obviously gives me so much street cred. But people
are like, oh, I almost didn't answer because it's Compton.

(49:54):
It's like, what am I going to reach through the
screen and snatch a necklace? Give me a break. It's
ridiculous and converse sleep that's very that's stereotyping and derogatory,
So shame on them for thinking that. Right. Conversely, my
home phone, I have a landline just because I live
in Carmel Valley in the cell reception is terrible for
doing interviews. I like to have a landline right now.
It's not gonna get dropped. And when I call someone

(50:16):
on that, it comes up as Big Sur because I guess,
you know, it's just kind of over the hill, and like,
which which one you think gets answered more often? Big
Sur Company's Yeah, no line, But anyway, I yeah. I
live in Orlando, Florida, where the area code is sports
zero seven. Grew up in San Jose, born and raised.
Still have my number from San Jose four zero eight.

(50:39):
I'm sure that messes a lot of people. Yeah, oh yeah.
Whenever they're like can I get your number too, you know,
for like you know, coupons or whatever, I'm just like
four zero eight and they pause for like seconds while
they go, and then they go and press the lead
and then put the aid in and they're like, there
is there's a five six one area code in Florida
and five six too, so probably yeah, yeah, I get

(51:01):
that too, two one three in l A and we
have three to one here. It's so it doesn't make
no sense. It does not. All right, let's release the listeners, Christina. Anyway,
this is fun as always, and I want you to
maybe use more than just a tiny little orange dot
this week. Are we rethinking how we mark the golf ball, bitch? Please,

(51:24):
I've been marking my ball like that since I was twelve.
I'm just gonna keep it in the fairway. I ain't
gonna get any of those little stupid flags near my
golf ball very soon. Alright, well, um, I will have
to say that. Are we going to let the listeners
know that there is going to be a special episode
and additional episode dropping this week this weekend? Well, it's

(51:48):
slightly premature. We got we have to out the logistics.
But what Christina is alluding to is we want to
do an instant react Sunday night from the Ryder Cup
and we might have a guest host here on Full
Sense Running Back. We're still working out the particulars. There's
other podcasts on the Firepit Network, so definitely we'll have

(52:10):
a podcast up late late Sunday night or early early
Monday morning. Christina is going to be in transit, so
she's kind of out as she's getting to up to
Jersey for the next tour event. But Jozy, yeah, if
if those are in those of you who are interested,
we will, I'll treat about it and we'll we'll put
it out there in various fashions so folks know where

(52:32):
to find it. But you and I will be back
as always next Wednesday with our own recap of Arkansas,
Wisconsin and other points in between for sure. Well, all
that being said, I just want to say thank you
to everyone for listening and hopefully everyone has a great week.

(52:53):
Go USA, go a handful of players on the European
team because I just like them, and go golf a
of all else. So, um, thank you very much for
listening to yet another scintillating episode of Full Send with
Christina Kim and Alan ship Nick. Thanks y'all. Bye,