Mito Pereira Interview: How he prepared for his first PGA Championship, his surprise encounter with Tiger and the growth of the game in Chile

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
It's episode fifty six of Off Course with Claude Harmon.
You know the drill. We come to you every Wednesday.
This week's guest Mito Pereira. I got to sit down
with me to last Tuesday, Tuesday before he went on
his amazing run at Southern Hills. What I mean, he
played unbelievable, unfortunate double bowie at the last hold. I

(00:32):
missed to play off by one shot, but I was
really excited to get a chance to talk to him
before he started the p g A. And he's a
really really unique, interesting character, comes from a country where
golf isn't necessarily a huge thing. But I think he
and Waker and Neman, I mean, I think the stuff
that they're doing is going to have such an amazing

(00:53):
long term effect on golf in South America, in Latin America.
And if Mito could have somehow pulled out a major
championship victory, um, that would have been an amazing story.
But um, I think it was a great week for
me to I think we're going to see more of him,
and I'm really excited for you to get an opportunity
to listen to what he has to say about his game.

(01:16):
His career and um I just can't say enough about
how well he played last week. But before we get
to that interview, want to talk about our partners, rap Sodo.
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(02:19):
for one dollars off at rap sodo dot com backslash
off Course And now let's get to the interview. All right, Mito,
I know what I'm going to butcher your last name,
so give me the correct pronunciation. But I've got no

(02:39):
chance at that. What most people say? How do most
people just tell what people say? I just say no all,
but I just say you should stand on the first ding.
And what every day what people say into my name
is just my father will be dying. Do you find
that interesting? Now that you're on the PGA tour, you're
coming and I mean they butcher like regular people staying

(03:01):
the fact that you know you're from another country. That's
gonna throw all a pretty used to it. Santiago, Chile golf.
Talk to me about the golf landscape at home? Is
it big? Is it a huge sport? So now not
a huge sport? Soccer is by far the main sport
by far. Um. I think I've has become bigger now

(03:23):
like with Huaco me playing a PGA tour, there's a
couple of guys before the play on the European Tour. Um.
You now you go to every golf course of these
kids that wants to play, and even kids that just
scope Huaka swinging like they like that. Yeah, um, but yeah,
it has become bigger the association, the Golf Association chill

(03:46):
is trying to get it more accessible. There's only one
public course in the whole country, really, yeah, only one?
How many private courses? So I don't have the second number,
but it has to be around It's not a hundred
like it would be in other countries or something, I
I think, so, I mean it's probably tenn in Santiago

(04:08):
or twelve and then just around Chili. Do you feel
that the Latin American hand that Augusta Nationals brought in
is a pathway now to growing golf in Latin America
because I think we're starting we're starting seeing more players now.
But you know, fifteen years ago, if you were in

(04:28):
Chile and you were going to try and play golf,
I mean there wasn't anything really to play. I mean, yeah,
you got like a mini tour maybe, and then most
of the guys went to Europe because I think, I
don't know the culture there is more similar Like there's
another we got comfrue by Spain guy so um. But yeah,

(04:50):
I mean now you've got a lot of options. Um.
Now there's a lot of more people like traveling to
states to play. And then with this Latin American tournament.
You actually got a big tournament with a big price
that American golfers. I used to play in that. You know,
so American golfers play a lot of tournaments that get

(05:11):
doing I don't know, you like US Open or even
some major I mean another major's tournaments. So this tournament
gives you, uh like a really good option to play
in the Masters, like a really good option. It is
an amazing opportunity. Growing up. What who were your sporting heroes?
They were the golfers? Were they from? It was Tiger?

(05:35):
I mean for me because I was a golfer. But
what is your first kind of memory of Tiger? Was
it watching him? Were you able to watch him? Was
it just through you? Like I was able to watch him.
But I don't really remember that much because I mean,
obviously they really big moment of Tiger, I mean, oh one,
no two, and obviously really long. But I was seven

(05:57):
years old, six years old, but I had a ulster
and everything, you know, like Tiger swing the club turls
and everything and just but I don't really remember the
time that he was winning by ten, by fifteen, you know,
so when he came back and won the Masters in nineteen.
I think it was an opportunity for a lot of
players of your of your age, maybe even just a

(06:18):
little bit older, to actually see exactly when a golf tournament,
because I mean I was lucky enough. You know, my
dad worked with him for ten years, and you know,
I met him when he was sixteen, so I was
around him and was around the whole kind of Tiger era.
So I got to watch it. And but there were
a lot of guys I remember, you know, when I
was working I worked with Brooks Keptter for three years.
Obviously Tiger was Brooks's idol, but he had never really

(06:41):
seen him play or actually I don't remember like like
a pod that he made for a winter tournament. You know,
I just remember one shot of the Masters that he
made it the chip because you can see hit everywhere,
you know. But yeah, the Master in twenty nineteen was
maybe the first time or the time that I remember
the most seeing him whinning a tournament. I'm doing it

(07:03):
that way. It was just unreal. So now that you're
on the PJ, have you been paired with him yet? No?
I mean when you watch him now, I mean he's
here this week obviously, it's a major championship. But now
when you see him in person, is it kind of
like you're like, well, you know, I had a weird experience.
I played on Peddle Beach for the US Open. I mean,

(07:24):
I just walified I was playing the Latin Tour. So
I got to the locker room just I mean normal,
just check my locker and I wanted to stretch, okay,
So at the registration they told me there's some guys
the locker room like a kelpie stretch and you know,
so I there was some curtains and just walk in
there open it was just Tiger without the shirt, pour

(07:48):
guys around him with music. I got in. They look
at me like this, but I was there going in there.
Is it weird when you've growing up idolizing someone to
then be playing in a tournament. There's a lot of
times I think people have heroes in in other sports,

(08:09):
but they never get to meet their heroes because they're
they're y'all watching somebody and they never get a chance
to watch. Now that you're able to watch him play
in a tournament, you're able to watch him warm up
and see him do things. I mean, is it is
it total fanboy stuff or do you kind of look
and see what you can kind of learn or is
it just an opportunity to just watch him. He's just

(08:29):
an opportunity to watch him, Like just how it is,
you know, just watch him. Um, it's weird because it
was it was my idol and then I'm playing this week,
but I'm playing like against him too, you know, like
it's my idols team. But I still want to meet him,
Like it's a weird like they asked me for Like

(08:50):
it's it's a real to play a major. Yeah, it's real,
but I don't really want to take it that way
because I want to win. Like so it's like a
like a thin line to like still treat him as
an idol or treating as a like competitor, you know,
but still an idol. I mean it is now that

(09:10):
you're doing the same thing that he does. When you
look at your professional golfer, you're playing on the PGA Tour,
you're playing in your first major as a professional, does
it give you a bigger appreciation when you look at
what he's done over the course of his career now
that you're trying to do the sides, it's unreal him.

(09:30):
I don't. I don't. I can't put it in words.
So I hope we did that just to dominate this
for for so long. It feels so so difficult, so difficult,
because it's it's once pre that like the thousands of
the world can be the number one one day, but
like anyone, anybody can win. It's not like you watch

(09:51):
the matching tennis and you sometimes you like you have
an idea who's going to win, you know, or in soccer,
you know, this is Madrid against this other team. You
know he's gonna win, like and you can do that
here every week. I mean they say on the PGA
Tour every week there's a hundred some odd people and
literally every week anybody can win. Do you feel that

(10:14):
do you feel that you're now that you're here, is
there have been a learning curve for you now that
you're playing. You know, you you've got battlefield promotion from
the corn Ferry. You're the twelve person to do that.
I mean that even though it seems, yeah, that's how
you go to the PJ that just doesn't happen all
the time. And to go from you know the amount
of people that play the corn Ferry that ever even

(10:35):
get off of the corn ferry and make it to
the PGA Tour. The fact that you were able to
do that in a calendar, you win three tournaments and
the two of them in a row, which rarely happens
as well, because we just don't see guys dominate on
the corn ferry. Um. It must make you look at
the great players, Rory Tiger, all of these guys and

(10:56):
just go, man. I mean what they've done is amazing.
Now that you're it's really amazing. Like you gotta be
so consistent. Just stop to thinking. But I guess you
can do it. You know, why did you choose golf?
I mean, like you said, Chili, it's not golf is
the pathway. It's not a sport the masses could play.

(11:19):
What was it about the game? Who you know? Yeah,
my dad used to play. It was just a weekend golfer,
probably only get seven. Um, and I think my mom
took me just one weekend to just say, let's go
watch that at the course or at the club. I
started all the plastic laughs. It was like two or
three years old. The first tournament was at six first

(11:43):
International Tournament of the Junior World in San Diego was
like eight, and I started actually to having really good results,
and like I liked it. I mean I every day,
almost every day after school, I traveled probably an hour
to go to practice. Yeah it was in winter. You
can just have one hour of practice because I get
out of school, three get to the course of floor

(12:05):
and it's dark by five thirty. So, um, I think
it was. I really liked it. What did you like
about it as a kid, Because I'm always fascinated about
people that get me. You meet so many people, I'm
sure you meet them as well. You meet a lot
of athletes that later in their athletic career they become
just knuts about gold, like the aft was just in Miami,

(12:27):
Landodora's Carlos Siemi, those guys or golf. So what did
you like and what drew you as a youngster to golf?
So I think when I was a kid, I really
like I mean I like the competition and then I
really like, uh like the button, but I mean different

(12:48):
things that you could do on the course, you know,
like I was always trying to hit draws. They like
just like playing around just playing Gold, playing the game,
playing the game. And then as I grew up, I
realized that it was a really tough game. So I
think now I like it because you can never get
enough of it. You can never get to perfection. Just

(13:12):
I feel like if you get to perfection for me,
for example, if you get to perfection, sometimes you start
like losing a little bit that uh motivation. And here's
I mean, it's almost almost no chance to get to perfection.
So you're every day just going going, trying to get
better better. And I think right now it's one of

(13:32):
the main things that I like of golf and competing
on I mean, now on the biggest did you play
other sports growing up? Did you play other team sports?
So just play golf. From three years old to fifteen,
just golf, and then I had a break of gold. Yeah,

(13:53):
I didn't play for two years because of I just
go barded. It got border playing good. Yeah, not just
go bared and just okay, I'm gonna play anymore. He
took a two years because you know, you started like parties,
like fifteen girls, and then all my friends in school
they were like just having a normal life and I
had to every weekend, I have to play golf, have to.

(14:15):
It was like, okay, I'm not enough of that, and
I just did everything else like a normal players. I
played for soccer, I started their bike month and bike tennis. Well,
I used to play a lot of tennis when I
was a good but uh, I did everything. It's a
normal high school good. It's funny because I see a
lot of kids that played, like you said, start playing golf.

(14:37):
From your three you playing a bunch of competitions. You
went to college golf Texas Tech. You spent one year there.
But I see more kids me too, that are better
when they're thirteen and fourteen than they are when they
get to college. And you know, they go to Division
one college, they've been playing golf competitively for ten years
and then they get there. Do you think maybe you
having a break from fifteen to seventeen maybe made it

(15:01):
easier when you made that jump from amateur and went
to college, because I'm sure you saw it. You saw
kids on your own team in college. You knew they
weren't going to they certainly we're going to play the
PGA to right, and you had the kids that were
trying to play all the time. But then you had
kids in the world the team that you knew probably
weren't going to play a lot. They get burned out.
You'd see there just not that interested anymore. They start.

(15:23):
Maybe that break helped you not go through that burnout
face because, like I said, I just see so many
kids that are nineteen years old, they go to college
for a year and they're just like I still were't
play golfing. It was worn out. So yeah, everybody that
asked me that, I say, I think it was the
right moment to do it. I mean, you might have
helped in golf, but he helped me to in personal

(15:45):
life too, like made great friends, have a social life
that it's normal that I still have it. Like I
just go back to Chilia and still have really really
good friends outside of golf. So like I'm just dis gonnect,
you know. But I think that at age it was
the moment because if I would have put from nineteen
to one, it would have you know, it's like before yeah,

(16:08):
then just come back at twenty two saying Okay, I
got I got just yeah yeah. Like like you said, like,
I think he helped me in both ways, busy, maybe
it's the ideal not to quit as as I did,
like not touch a gold for two years, but maybe
take kids like easier. Like right now, I would say,
like kids, just play every sport, play golf, and then

(16:30):
at some point you realize you're good, you're bad, you
like it. So let's take a quick break to talk
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learn more. Now let's get back to the interview. What
we're starting to see now is around fifteen sixteen, certainly

(17:14):
in the US, is when kids start to specialize and say, Okay,
now I'm gonna fun I've played others, played basketball, maybe
played whatever sport. Now I'm going to focus on golf
because I do think there was this massive, massive burnout
factor because you're playing so much. You were playing competitively
in Chile, and were you traveling around South America and

(17:37):
American playing in other junior tournaments. Yeah, I'm here in
the States, the state I mean, I mean yeah, at
least three times a year coming here. H I had
like a fifty percent assistance in school, so I missed
out of the year traveling. So how did you end
up in Texas Tech? Of all places, Lubbock, Texas, Tomba

(17:59):
weeds and at least help me? When you got there
you looked around with it, so you know, Chili's like
southern California, like the style, the landscape. Yeah, so I
didn't even do the visit, so you just showed up
the Texas Tech. Yeah. I've heard of some Swedish kids
doing that and getting there and we had two Swedish kids. Actually,
that is severer culture shock to go to loub with

(18:21):
Texas from Swedi. I don't want to say anything bad
that yet. What So what was it like for you?
How different was that? What was the the adjustment period?
So I went there because I had a friend, that
is it was there. Um. Actually the golf program is
really good. They do really well. I learned a lot,
but it was just coming there. It was just I

(18:41):
knew English a little bit, but not that type of English.
You know. The first month was tough. I mean I
couldn't even speak How did you go to class if
you can't speak English? It was easy classes the first semester.
So first manager always here. That's my favorite, the recreation
sports management. I didn't do anything like my g p

(19:04):
A was three point You couldn't speak this is a
great advertisement in college. Couldn't speak English and three point
h that's great, that's good. But you know that the
tough part was the wind. Yeah, I mean it's so
windy out there. So I got there and August that
it's fall and it was windy, you know, and the guys,

(19:27):
but no, wait until the spring come on. That's like
thirty five of the day. Thirty five were you recruited
by other universities? Which one fur thet State? Well, I
had a lot before quitting, like a fifteen or six fifteen,
but then I quit and I just I mean I
lost it. Yeah, but yeah I had furnest State I think,

(19:51):
I don't know, I don't even remember. But like the experiences,
Texas Tech Golf Boys was really good. The coach was
really good, but it was a tough place. You rose
to the fifth right amateur while you're at Texas Tech. Um,
what did you learn about your game when you went

(20:13):
to college. Was it a huge jump to go there
from amateur or did you go to that experience and say, hey,
I'm I'm really good. I feel like I can just
continue to do what I was doing at the junior
level and take this to play in college. So yeah,
I would say, like, yeah, I went there, but I
learned a couple of things that I didn't know, mostly strategy.

(20:36):
No more than that, I think I was already um
ready to play professional, but that year killed me in
some ways, gave me some experience. I mean, play with
some guys that are playing ready in this event now.
So it's it's a good competition. I don't think you
can get better competition at that age. So like TERMAC

(21:00):
a year. Maybe I don't know. Um So, but like
every person that asked me, hey do I need to
go to college, you said, I mean, it depends. It's
not It's not just one path. Um like wagg Cuggo
was going to college and wins Latin AM and doesn't
go to college and gets out on tour and nobody

(21:22):
would know what happened if he would have go there
and stay there for four years. I don't know, you know.
So it's just more how you feel, how good you are,
Do you feel ready to to play pro? How you
really want? You went for one year and thought I'm
ready to Yeah. So I don't know if I should

(21:44):
say this, but I wanted to come back for half
a year. Give me the happier, Yeah, give me a
half year, because there was some like so I talked
to the coach. He said, hey, and just come back
for half a year, play the Latin American Tournament. See
if I win. If not, that just in pro Ka's
like me too. There's two seniors leaving. You know. It

(22:04):
was like he was in a tough position. He said,
let me try. So I three days later he said, okay.
I talked with the scholarship guys because I mean, we're
gonna lose half scholarship with you, but he said, okay,
we need you, Okay, okay. I went back to Chile
for the break after Nationals and I was maybe three
weeks there and he said, a metal you know, the

(22:26):
guys are telling me, like, no chance to lose half
a year scholarships too much money. So either you come
back for a year or do you just stay chilling? Okay,
let's stay here by what year was that? You know?
And I saw my coach a genesis this year after that,
so there was seven years later. It was a good

(22:48):
relationship still, but obviously it was the right choice. Yeah.
Now two six first full season as a pro. What
did you to Southern two thousand sixteen? Yes, sixteen was
like the first you professional? No, no more amateur. Did

(23:09):
you feel that it was once you turn pro that
it was the right decision? You were like, yeah, I've
made the right decision. This wasn't a mistake. I feel
like I can get out there. You finished third on
the order of it that year and I was and
send their decision. I felt Latin American Q School, the
Latin American Tour, it's such a like the Latin Man.

(23:30):
It's such a huge pathway. Now. I had Harry Higgs
on the podcast recently Harry went down and Latin America.
I have a lot of players that I worked with
and you know guys that have gone down and I
talked with Harry about this as well. They go bro,
you know, the courses Latin America. You know, the rangers
aren't good, you know, the balls aren't good. To travel
and all that, you can get better playing in Latin America. Yeah,

(23:56):
because there's so many guys that go down there and say, yeah,
you know, I just didn't feel like I was gett
being better because of course, of like, how could you
feel like you were not getting better? I mean there's
a tournament every week, there's courses, you've gotta work, and
it's tough, and there's good players. I mean it's not
and it's just five spots, so it's stuff to get
like to get out of there. So I guess you
have to fight it or just just not going up.

(24:19):
What did you like about the Latin American Did you
like travel? Did you like go into the different Travel
was bad travel Central America's expensive flights long, but um,
like I liked it because I had really good friends
in there. Um we went to some amazing places to

(24:40):
just you go to every country South America and there's
some places that the food is just unreal. You get
you get like more um alive, like for the life,
you know, for the personal like you get to know everything. Ah,
So that that part of Latin America is really nice. Uh,

(25:00):
then when you get to the going ferry, everything is
way easier. And then when you get to be there's waysier.
So uh but I think it's a good but to
start there is stuff. It's long. But if you can
make it out of there, if it means something, what
do you think it means? Do you think it means
that you know how to struggle? Does it mean that

(25:21):
you know how to work with different golf courses, with
how all of the great amenities you know, I mean,
you come to a PJA Tour event, whatever rangeball you're playing,
they've got your rangeball right, free, dry cleaning, courtesy cars,
all of the stuff. Right. Do you feel like, having
come from playing in Latin America where you grew up,
that you appreciate that a little bit more because you know,

(25:42):
I think a lot of guys come out on tour
and it just they get really spoiled, really really early.
Because I mean, it's a pretty it's hard from a
competition standpoint out here, but it's pretty easy to play
the PGA Tour. They make it make it easy. Yeah,
that make it really good. Um. But yeah, I mean
you know that you're in the third division. I mean,

(26:04):
it's not like you can demand something. You have to
just play through. They try to do the best job.
You know, there's some good courses, but what was the
best course you play in Latin America on tour? So
actually like the one they used to play in Chili.
It's called Lost the honest, it's just an old traditional course,

(26:27):
tree line, short, small greens, good shape. Um. Then there's
I really like one in Peru that it was really nice.
I love going to Prude food is to some real
have you been there? I have not been. Give us
what's what's the good Peruvian? Come on, what's the good stuff? Everything?
Every No, I'm not kidding. Everything that they do do

(26:49):
it just unreal. I don't know help, but obviously Sea
food is really really good. Yeah. I think we see
players that where they grew up kind of influences the
way their game is. Yeah, growing up not only in
Chile but in Latin America. What you mentioned courses that

(27:09):
you like freelined, small greens. Is that something that is
kind of part of playing in Latin America Because I've
been to some some places in Argentina, I've been to
some places in Brazil, very tree lined, lots of really
really small greens. How did where you grew up in
the courses you played on influence how you play today

(27:32):
or have you completely changed everything with your game to
play on the PG. So yeah, in Chilian, Julia, mostly
Latin America, courses are tree lined all, you know, like
just small greens, not so much undulation. So it's a
pretty flat um short so you gotta just from of

(27:53):
the team. You've gotta shape a lot of shots. I
remember coming here, like for college or after that, just
seeing the guys just hit it really high, big greens,
you know, stop it, And I was getting it really low.
I could shave the ball anywhere you want, but just
really low. For iron, I couldn't stop it on the
green like so for sure, like my game, I grew

(28:15):
up different than playing here, and I had to change
a couple of things like get it maybe more spin
and tried to feel leap higher. But my goal to
show is always low or just shape it, you know.
So I don't think the guys. The guys here go
more high, big greens. You know you can stop, they
can stop it, and it's I mean, it's a great

(28:36):
way to play it, but I just didn't grow up
with that. If you like eight answers like that. One
of the things I like about AIGs game is the
fact that he doesn't have a stock shot, that he
move it left to right, right to left. He hits
it high and it's low. And when he wanted the
w g C last year in Memphis, in everybody who
was remarking, the commentators remarking about the fact that you're
an age like guys like DJ and Brooks and they

(28:59):
tend to kind of hit one shot. You know, they
don't really work the golf ball a lot they do.
It's very much one dimensional age, a little bit of
a throwback, and it says like the fact that you
like to move it around and stuff small greens. Which
of the courses that you've played on the PGA tour
kind of have that, you know, you always say players
have courses that kind of fit their eye. Harbor times,

(29:22):
it's gotta be Harvard Tized tree line there and it
was so nice to be there. Yeah, you gotta shape
is small greenes just perfect. One of the things that
everybody that plays with you, Pat Perez played with you
for two rounds in Harvar Town. We get done and
he's like, dude, how far is that kid hit the
golf ball? Right? So, playing growing up on really really

(29:42):
tight golf courses with small greens, treelined you. I mean
I've watched you could move it. I mean you hit
it a long way? Did you do that once you left?
Were you always somebody that? I mean, were you've somebody
that liked to hit driver everywhere? Remember being a kid,
just try to keep us hards again, every time it

(30:04):
was it can be an iron or a driver, you know.
I realized that a lot of guys that, um, I
remember playing with some guys that they would be more
technical when they were kids, and they were just trying
to really like smooth, you know, and they never got
to hit it for. And I was always there was
an other guys that we were just doing long drive,

(30:24):
long drive, and those are the guys that hit it
for it doesn't matter, I mean in matter, but the
like just debody, there's some shut guys that just learn
how to hit it for just the movement of hitting
for it. So let's take another short break to share
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(30:44):
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(31:07):
A DP always designing for HR talent time, benefits payroll
and people. And now let's get back to the interview.
I remember recently I was talking to Greg Rose and
Dave Phillips, the guys that founded the Titleist Performance instig
They had a player from the PGA Tour that came
out said listen, I want to want you guys to

(31:29):
help me hit the golf ball further. So they went
through all the stuff and everything like that. But Greg
Rose said to the guy, have you ever just thought
about trying to swing the golf club faster? The guy
I was like, what do you mean? He was like,
just try and swing the golf club, move the club faster.
And the player was like, I want to know all
the like the drills something they were like. They both
were like swing faster. Was that something that did you

(31:52):
have a lot of instruction as a kid or were
you kind of self taught or no. I had had
one person that when I was like six eight, he
like gave me a vase that it was really not
so much technical, more like just try to play golf,

(32:12):
you know, taught me how to play golf. Then I
had another coach that I saw the videos from where
I was nine, and then when I was ten, it's
just a huge different like perfect swing, you know. And
then I started with another guy that came back again
to like okay, just more natural. And then I came
to my coach that now to this now Mikael, that

(32:35):
we do it a little bit of both. He doesn't
want to take my natural I mean natural movements out,
but also wants me to get in some kind of path.
So yeah, I had I have coaching, Like Ab hasn't
had a coach. He told me like, no, I don't
have a coach. What what do you you're playing? But
I have a friend that helped me. But it's just

(32:58):
how he feels, always talking not only on the podcast
but in lessons with players the the golf between the
massive difference between technique and executing and playing golf. And
I think so many players get trapped in this technical
world to where, Okay, my golf swing looks good. If
I hit a lot of golf balls, if I put
the golf club in this position, that means I'm going

(33:20):
to play good. It sounds to me like you're a
little bit more old school to where the focus is
as much, if not more, on scoring and playing then
it is, so I'd say both, Yeah, I don't. I don't.
I mean, if I'm playing, he did the ball really bad,
I'm gonna be at the range is doing the work,
you know. But then once some playing it's like, okay,

(33:44):
just last week is funny because last week there was
orties in the range and I told me, oh, you
get what time you deal in twenty minutes and he
was just chips, you know, like just got to range.
It like, are you gonna warm up? Yeah? I just
warm up. I don't. I'm not like trying to hit
good shots. I know. When I get to the court,
it's totally different. You know. It's it's right. I mean

(34:06):
you can get there one hour hitting perfect hydrows high face,
and then you get to the court slice it or
you know, like when you how long is your warm
so now so when you you come out of come
out of locker room, talk us through what your warm
up is. So I normally get two hours before I
have breakfast, about twenty minutes fifteen minutes. Then I go

(34:29):
to the trailer to the warm up that is around.
I try to get there one hour and forty or
five minutes before my tea time. Do maybe thirty minutes
and then I just yeah, just yeah, I mean not
weights but just moving spread yeah, exactly, um, and then
just get to the range early an hour before chip first.

(34:51):
It's it's weird sometimes I put sometimes so non like
I have a pattern for like eight weeks maybe, and
then suddenly at the ninth I just okay, I just
want people's first. So now I'm putting first, putting first, Yeah,
going to rage, then chipping a little bit, and end
up with like three puts just right before I go
to How important How much importance do you put on

(35:14):
your warm up going to the first Let's see, the
warm up is really really good. But you hit all
the you know, you're curving it the way you want to,
your hitting fades and draws, you're moving at the drivers
really really good, the quality of the contact really good.
How often does that translate into playing good once you
go into a Uh, for me, let's say, sometimes I

(35:41):
feel really good and I play good. Sometimes I feel
really bad and I play good. Sometimes I just really
will I played really bad. So it's just like like
or this, like it's different in the course, but I
do have a like correlation sometimes like Okay, I'm feeling
the driver really well and I hear the driver, you know,

(36:04):
But yeah, it's not. Let's say so right now, going
into the your first major as as as a professional,
what would you say so far this year or the
strengths of your gain and what would you say are
the areas where you feel like you can make some
improvements and make some gains Because I want to drive
the ship out of the golf ball, I mean ride
the ball really really well. Yeah, so from t de

(36:27):
Green's for sure make strength. I've been striking a little
bit on the greens. Um, I'd say I just need
to get better chipping and putting will be like a
really next tip, do you think the struggle on the
greens is technique or the greens more have more slow

(36:48):
are they faster different greenches. Obviously this week we're on
bent sometimes w Do you have a preference? Do you
like the greens on the West coast, which is more Poanna,
Do you like Florida which is more bermuda, or do
you like ben grass which is a little bit Yeah.
So at the beginning I hated bermuda because we don't
have that EA chilling, So I like ben grass on

(37:09):
fun maybe, But now I think I can just get
along with every grass. Um. The first thing was I
think it was the breaks, a lot of movement, Like
I'm not I wasn't used to spot like a yeah,
like a six footer with two ft break kind of
kind of like the majority of the puts. You're gonna

(37:30):
have it here at Southern Hills. How much slope around
these greens have. I don't know how fast they are,
but they can be. They can be like twelve because
they can't. They've never been able to get the greens
here at Southern Hills really really quickly. And believe it
or not, in oh one, these screens had a lot
more slope on them than they do now. Like you
look at the eighteenth green and the ninth green, which
you know kind of looked like they're this. Honestly, when

(37:52):
I was hearing these screens in a one had way
more slope, I don't know how they did it. Are you?
Are you good at green reading or you're an aimpoint
guy or your feel guy try ampoint, but I think
no more just more natural. And so when you're reading greens,
are you? It's weird because I can put really well,
but then I can find really that like, so I

(38:13):
know that I can, but will like I put like
a week that I've been making a lot of parts
and read them well, and then just one week that
I just don't have it. So the good thing is
I know that I can put will like I have
it in me, you know, but all of a sudden,
just I get to get more like consistent through every week.

(38:37):
Has there been a difference between the corn Ferry and
the p G A tour from a playing STANDA yeah,
I think, yeah, yeah, I think corn Fery is just
you can hit just drives and just bumped it everywhere,
bump it and do make a lot of birdies. Corn

(38:59):
Ferry first round, you shoot two under, you feel like
you're in the last place. Yeah, I think, I so,
I shot fifty seven under in two weeks two. I
mean when I want back to back for two weeks
or fifty nine. If it was like twenties, twenties, twenty
six and twenty basically every week was like last week. Yeah, yeah,

(39:21):
you shoot four under the first day and you're like, Okay, tomorrow,
I need to shoot sixty two exactly. So it's it's
a good thing because you learn how to really just
get it going, get it going, get it going. But
once you get here, maybe you have to be at
some courses. There are some courses like last week and
just yeah, but then you gotta have a little bit
more like don't be so aggressive to being andy stuff.

(39:45):
When you have a wedge and you have to hit
it five yards to left, it's like you're going to live,
but you want to like you put it close. So
you're gotta be like pretty committed to that. Has it
taken a while, you know, being you know, when you
came out on tour, on the PGA Tour, you haven't
played any of the golf courses before you've seen you've
seen them on TVA, right, you've seen some of them.

(40:05):
Want would have been your favorite courses that you've played
so far on tour that you've gone to and said,
I'm gonna play this tournament every year. This golf course
Harvard Town. Harvard Town is one of them. Howard Town has.
I mean, I like it the shape. I mean, it's
just treeline, small greens, like we said, and has the
best four part three seen of course that I've ever played.

(40:27):
I mean just the like the four together. You know,
a four teeth hole. I mean it is such a
hard hole and it looks stand on t Yeah. I
mean how many think about how many courses you play
on tour where there's a part three where it's not
you know, to forty and there's water on either the
left or the right hand side and it's not a

(40:48):
that is such a different What makes that hole so difficult?
Just you get the green like I mean, you don't
have a bailout, because you bail out left. It's you're
making for sure you put it up in the sand
up on that or you're going through that low area
and you can keep it through the water like yeah.
So no, having a bailout makes it like more nervous,

(41:08):
you know. Then you got this green that it like
goes like this you can go and yeah, you can't
keep something that you make sure you go over the
water because you're gonna go over and then you get it.
So you have to get a really good channel. You know,
it's not a long forward. That's what I like. A
lot of really good part threes are not two fifty,

(41:29):
are just eight? Are a night are pitching? Which like
you think of the most iconic part threes, I mean,
I don't know TPC pebble and then asked, yeah, the postage.
They will really remember. When the Open US Open was
at Marian, they used to composite. I think it was
the second hole was part three uphill and I think

(41:50):
it was two forty uphill right, And one day it
was into the way. There was a practice round and
so d J was playing. He was playing with Lucas,
Clubber and Um Vogel both major. They both all three
of them had one. You know, they've won the US Open.
DJ won the US Open yet, but Luke and and
Um Jeff had wanted So it's two forty uphill. So Luke,

(42:13):
Lucas tries to hit a driver, comes up short. Jeff
Vogolby tries to hit driver, comes up short. DJs hits
three would because he thinks it hits it comes up
short and we're walking up to the greed and Jeff Vogilby,
who's you know, does course design now, turns and looks
at all of us and says, boy, what a great hole.
Huh forty uphill none of us hit the green, and

(42:34):
you're right, the great Do you like kind of the
old school design to where it gives you kind of options?
Because I think people listening don't realize that when you
guys get to a two hundred and thirty two D
twenty yard part three, you're just sitting here going, let's
skill involved, right, I'm just gonna stand up and try

(42:55):
and hammer along on. There's no strategy, you know, regardless
of where the pin is, You're not really trying to compete.
You're just gonna try and dump it somewhere on the
green and maybe hopefully make a part to make a
birdie to luxury. But but really cool poor three's are
all kind of under one sixty and they make you
kind of hit it, think, think it, shape it. Uh

(43:18):
like you have to be precise, you know. Yeah, That's
that's what I really loved about Harbor Town this year.
Just so if you were going to design a golf course,
you think you design a golf course that was had
a lot of influences based off of where you grew up.
Maybe small greens, would it be not so much of

(43:39):
these big runoff areas. Would they be kind of semi flat?
Or we'll try to I'll try to mix a little bit.
I'll try to lose. Yeah, like small greens, a little
bit more treeline. But you have to shape it of
the tea you had, like tough up and downs and
chili is just flat. So you're just chipping so easy. Um,

(44:00):
but you're gonna be hitting nine hours or beaching which
too like tricky bee positions that make you think I
would do that, Yeah, I think it would be fun.
So now that you're playing on the PG Tour, obviously
there's a lot of guys playing now that when you
were in college that you looked up and saw, wow,
this guy's who were the players that you've played with

(44:21):
that you've found yourself that you watch and you when
you after you're done and you play, you know, play
Thursday or play Friday with him and you get paired
with him and you see to yourself, Wow, this guy
is really really good or I really like his game.
Who are the players that you've looked at that you
really kind of admire that you've played with on tour.

(44:42):
That's a tough question. Um, I mean I admire a
lot of guys, But I don't know if I would
say I don't know if I would say, like I
would like to have his game. You know, Um, I
think guys here are all really good and they all
know how to play their game. You see Pat Paris,

(45:05):
I've been paying with him a lot of times and
I really have fun. This guy, sure game is just unreal.
Like I remember playing within the Harvard and he was
one under through five and he did one greed. He
just going through it. And you see he's one of
six times you see every kind of golfer. Obviously, you

(45:25):
say Tiger he has almost everything, you know, everything, yeah, Rory,
and you got DJ he said really far really yeah. Yeah.
But then you've got a lot of other guys that
you say this guy is good, but he really knows
how to really play golf under shoot low Ah, I
wouldn't say like it's I can't get to that point,

(45:45):
you know, Like so Yeah, I admire the top guys.
I'd say, like Tiger, Tiger very far. But I don't
know if I would say I don't know what who else?
Like you got mean? But I for sure said it
sometimes when I play with the guy, he should eight
on this This guy, I mean, he has something. You know.
I've talked to players who have been rookies on tour

(46:08):
and they say that one of the things that they've
been surprised at is you'll play with somebody and you
it won't really be that impressive, right you. They won't
do a lot of things. You know. Maybe they don't
drive the golf ball like you know Rory or DJ
or Books or something like that, or have a short
game like um Patrick read does. But you're keeping their
cord and you at it up and you're like, dude,

(46:28):
like I shot seven under check. There wasn't anything that
just overwhelmed you. And I think that that's a good,
uh good that you said, because I think the guy
said that are not here. They're trying to do everything perfect. Oh,
I want to drive the ball like gayety okay, and
then I want to bad like Tigger and then but

(46:49):
just gotta be your own anything it's tough to do
it because you see these guys that are really good. Okay,
I need to do that, but no, is it the
fact that you said that. Is it hard to come
out here and not try and change your game based
off of what you see from other guys because you
play with somebody like Rory, and Rory just I mean

(47:10):
the way he drives the golf ball. I mean I
played with him in and the play with the Olympics,
and I remember third hole like he's a good driver.
And then I saw Orry he got me by thirty
and I was like, what oh. But then I guess
you gotta look at it and just maybe take the
good out of it and forget and just play your game.

(47:31):
But yeah, I stopped even I think it's tougher when
you're not playing great and you want to find something
and you try and you start looking at other guys.
You know, we've got a lot of players right now
from Mexico, Latin America's South America. Watch you guys. You
guys kind of have the that you play with. Is

(47:51):
it cool that you're able now to share the experience
that you've got with other guys that can speak the
same language. That kind of grew up the way that
you grew up to. I think that's a really When
I first started working with tour players in two thousand
and one, I moved to the European tour, and so
the Ausies played but the Ausies and the Spaniards played
with the Spaniards, The Swedes played with the Swedes, the

(48:12):
Brits Scoldartip. Everybody kind of had their own clip and
it was way more in Europe. It was way more
cliquish than it was on the PGA tour, right because
the PG two are so big, so many different players
from all over the place. But there's a really strong
group of Latin players right now. It's gonna be really
fun for you guys, first of all, just to get
in your own world, that your own language, do your

(48:33):
own thing and stuff like that. Is there a good
mix of healthy competition with Waco and Carlos Sergio being
the old kind of the the the o g of Yeah.
I think I mean for me, at least the hills
that they will be here longer than I, so if
anything I can ask them or just I mean, they

(48:55):
know how to do the things so easy. Because it's
my first year and then like you said, just speak
your own language, like it's just way easier. I mean
even flogs from cheers. So we come from the exactly
same place. So it's just really nice to have these
guys here to play with somebody and get because I
watch you guys do this, people don't Sergio. I don't

(49:19):
think Sergio ever gets the credit that he deserves for
the longevity the career he's had. I mean, obviously only
one major, everybody thinks obviously, but for you to have
the opportunity to spend time and practice rounds both not
only on the golf course but off the golf course,
and and pick someone like Sergio's bright, it's gonna be
a change resource and an amazing opportunity. This guy is

(49:43):
just his career has been just so good, like since
he was like eight t I don't know what what
came tour. Yeah, So the other day he said, like
when Oago won the Genesees, Okay, I think he he
might be. I think he might get the I had.
And I asked him, like, how many turners have you
win or how many years? And he said, like, let

(50:05):
me here, like twenty times. I won't like twenty tournaments
and in you and it was like, I mean, this
guy is just really good and then you see him
and you just you see him as a normal person.
You see him on TV and say, oh, this guy
is just but then you see him a normal person.
Is just what's up. It's just tracy to the think

(50:29):
that these guys are just human beings. They are really
good at what they do, but out of the course,
just just person So playing in your first major championship
as a professional, have you noticed anything different about this
week and the way that you prepare or you kind
of you? I mean, it's a huge stage. I mean, honestly,

(50:49):
it's reader that there's more media, corses big there's more
fans and stuff. Have you I felt like you needed
to do anything different this week to kind of No, No,
I don't. I think I took the the like the
way of doing it the same way that I do
it every week. Obviously it's more important it's a major,

(51:11):
but I think I do very good every week on
the preparations side. So it's no point to change anything
because it's a major. US. The course is tough, It's
gonna be tough, but um, I guess for this term
at least not for maybe for Augusta, you gotta I

(51:32):
don't know, just a little bit you're chipping, you know.
But for this week, I think I've just done the
same you played here, you said in college. It's how
how much different is the golf course that you'll play
this week versus the one that you played what three
twenty seven years? Seven years? That's a big The golf

(51:53):
course has changed a lot, a lot. Yeah, I got
stompols that I didn't recognize me. Um, I didn't really
remember everything. But I think it's wait after so going
into a regular week, assuming that this is a regular weeks,
talk to me about your preparation. Are you a nine guy?

(52:16):
Are you an eighteen? Whole guy? One day at the
nine was what I tried to play twenty seventh holds
at least before the tournament. So if I had a
week off before, I just try to play eighteen on
Monday and get it out of the way, like, no,
the course really good. And then Tuesday and Wednesday, if
I play the problem because I don't play in every
problem yet, um, I can play it a little bit

(52:39):
more like a tournament. So the Monday is just hitting
a lot of balls, chipping from everywhere, knowing the course,
and then Tuesday and Wednesday I can get a game
or just to play one one ball like like doing
like a tournament day. Do you like the gamble when
you when you play practice rounds. Yes, we do some
little gambles. Nothing that kills anybody. But who's losing the

(53:04):
most money right now? In the gambling game? I lost.
I lost some money at Genesis against avan Bag. Yeah
that was that was a little pain, but it was fine.
What are your goals as a rookie on the PJ
Are your goal setter? Do you write goals down? You
have goals in your head? Yeah? I write my goals down, yeah,
on a little book. Um. I mean basically the first

(53:27):
goal was to keep my part umu. Then obviously it
is to win on PGA Tour uh this year. Hopefully
to get Rookie of the Year player or yeah, Rookie
of the year. Um. I mean those three are the
main main goals. Then I have like just small ones.

(53:49):
It's more a week to week but yeah, it was
keep my card win and just Rookie of the year.
H to achieve your first win on the PGA tourl
What do you feel like are the things that you
need to do to get that first win. So on
the mental side of things, just not to get so

(54:09):
much anxious to do it right away. I mean, not
to start the first day like trying. Okay, I gotta do,
you know, because you want to do it. Obviously the
first time that you you win, it's like you get
it out of the way, you know. So from the
mental side, just to be patient and try to really
play like what I play. Uh, and then like I said,

(54:31):
maybe like if I have a really good week on
the greens, I will be really close to to do
it now that someone like Walkers one this year. But
did you talk to him and try and pick his
brain and say, listen, you're an unbelievable week and I
mean that's some of the best golf. I mean he
played on on a really really difficult golf course that week.

(54:52):
I couldn't believe as good as I've seen someone play
in a long long time. Did you pick his brain
and you know, say, would have been a practice round
since then, Hey man, you know what were you thinking,
what were you feeling? What was the thought process? No,
we're really good friends outside the Golan. We when we
go out of the course, it's like no, go no.

(55:15):
Sometimes we like I told him a great shot on
down hole. Yeah, but nothing much. I think everyone is different.
So like before I was trying to copy so many
guys of what they think, what they do, what they
technique or whatever. And then I started working with a
mental coach that it's like, Okay, let's trust this process
your way and do your way. Um, if I have

(55:38):
a really big doubt and like and Waco can answer it, you'
all asking, But I know it's just good to see
him win there. I just didn't want to like, hey,
what do you do? Like how do you do? You know?
You just hey, you play great like this, congrats. Do
you think it's hard not to do that? Because you
have so many guys out here that have had a
lot of success playing with them play you know, Thursday

(56:01):
Friday with you know, somebody like Justin Thomas or Jordan's
Speed and something like that, so much success. I think
it's one of the things that's really difficult out on
the PGA Tour's to come out become a rookie on
the PGA Tour and not change things and said, Okay,
I was good enough to get here. We were in
Saudi Arabia and the tournament and UM having breakfast with DJ.

(56:24):
And there was a girl that I teach on the
Lady Store UM named Maria Marina Alex. She won two
weeks ago, but it was like the first tournament of
the year in UM in Boca and Florida. She was
in the last group with Leona McGuire. She ended up
not winning, and Leona played great, she shut two under
and finished fourth. But I that morning I said to DJ,
you know, I video imay, hey Marinas in the last

(56:44):
group and say, what can you tell her? And he said,
tell her just to do all the stuff that got
her into the last group this week. Don't try and
do anything different, don't try and change anything. But that's
hard to do because you can watch so many people
and go maybe I should try that equipment now. I mean,
you come from not being able you can now, Hey,
can you change the waft of my driver? Can you

(57:05):
change the ship? Can you do that? I think it's
hard to stay focused and eliminate the white noise when
you're rookie on tour because you don't know what you're
doing exactly. I had a good advice from a friend
that Bobby d s. I know, if you know, you
tell me, like, please just the first sermon, don't go
to the truck and try to change everything. They're gonna

(57:27):
try to give you these they're gonna try to give
you that. Just give it the way you and I
still have the same clots to what I want to
have to change. Oh maybe the way stuff that you
played the corn ferry with and had all the success.
That's that's pretty impressive and not a lot of people
do that. Let me tell you. We'll try things, but
I always go back to Okay, let's d J flies

(57:48):
private every week. One of the reasons he flies private
every week because we bring so much equipment. I mean
sometimes we've got five drivers, eight putters. I mean we're trying.
He's he's not afraid to do so. The fact that
you're not in that kind of rabbit. I changed one
club is from two hours or seven would? I mean

(58:09):
I can stop it in the three hours, So I
just needed the same world. So the seven would how
already carried the seven two forty two to everybody, listen,
it's gonna love that because they've got seven winds. Their
bag probably one nine. Lastly, I know you're really busy.
Thanks for doing this. Recently Mary moved lived in Jupiter neighbor. Now,
where do you play at Jupiter? So that's a quick

(58:31):
that question because I don't can't get a membership there anywhere. Uh.
They let me practice at Trump Now it's a really
good place. Um, trying to get into Bears or mail Is.
But eventually I get in, I hope. I don't know when. Yes, somebody,
I work at a club in Florida. I think we
might be able to be a great help. Um. I

(58:54):
want to have a family, want to start No, yeah,
maybe two years, two years. Yeah, we go Mary and Janry,
so hopefully she'll travel with me these one or two
years and then maybe you have kids. Yeah, expect we're
to say that, I know, right, I mean you got
the ring on it. I mean it's real life now.
You gotta you gotta do all the set expectations for

(59:16):
this week, I mean first major as a pro expectations
or are you just not putting expectations on it and
just gonna kind of do your own thing? Uh? You
know what I mean. I just really want to play well,
but I think to play well, I just really have
to take it step by stay teachers, are you late
earlier early late? I don't even remember. I love it.

(59:41):
Thanks for talking as good luck this week. I'm really
excited to uh listen. I'm don't let anybody tell you
don't have the game to play out here, because I've
watched you play. There are a lot of tools in
the toolbox, and I would be surprised if you don't
have a long and accessible career out here on the

(01:00:02):
Great So it was a really cool talk with me
to listen. Um, it was tough to watch what happened
on that last hole, but I mean, the guy played
so so good it would have been an unbelievable story.
I mean, you've got to remember, yes, he qualified for

(01:00:24):
the U S Open in two thousand nineteen and as
an amateur, but this is his first major championship as
a professional, and he carries a one shot lead into
the seventy second hole at Southern Hills. I mean, it
was an unbelievable store. I thought he played amazing. Um, yes,
obviously he'd like that swing back. Yes he'd never been

(01:00:46):
in that situation before. But um, it was really really
cool to get a chance to talk to him, and
I'm really excited to see not only what this does
for his career, but UM, I think he has the
type of game to where you're gonna start seeing him
more often. And I wouldn't be surprised if you see
him win a golf tournament, whether it's a major, non major.

(01:01:08):
I'd be shocked if he doesn't win a tournament before
the end of the season. So I want to thank
me too for talking to us, and UM, I hope
everybody enjoyed that. So the second major championship in the books. UM,
what an unbelievable performance from from Justin Thomas. UM. There
are so many takeaways, so many things that everybody listening

(01:01:29):
can learn. Number one, UH, don't give up. You're never
out of it. I mean j T starts the final round,
he's way back, and it just goes to show you. UM,
back Nines on Sundays, back Nines and major championships. Um,
they are always always special, they're always exciting, and they

(01:01:50):
always throw up, UM interesting things. I'm going to keep
talking about it. Double bogeys kill your scorecard. Mito makes
double bogey on the last hole. Bogey would have got
him into a playoff. PARI wins the tournament. So he's
standing on the eighteenth hole, you got a one shot lead.

(01:02:13):
He makes bogey, and he's in a playoff, make par
and he hosts the trophy, rinses it in the water,
makes double and misses out on a playoff. And you
hear me talk about it all the time. But double bogies,
double bogies at the wrong time can be so destructive. UM, Listen,
Justin Thomas is probably the biggest other than I think

(01:02:38):
Bubba Watson j T. Shapes the golf ball as much
as anybody. And I think when he's doing that, and
when you're watching him do that, it's just so exciting. UM.
You know, I thought the drives he hit on eighteen,
some of the iron shots he hit. I mean, he
can just move the golf ball a bunch of different
directions and it's just so fun to watch um. And

(01:02:58):
it's cool to watch him do what he does, UM
on the biggest stage. UM. I thought the partnership of
he and Bones, Um, the interaction between those two, especially
on that last hole, kind of talking them through. UM.
I thought the pep talk. I don't know if you
guys heard this in the in the press conference or
in JT's post round interviews. But he said on Saturday night,

(01:03:22):
you know, he thought he'd shot himself out of the tournament,
and bones said to him, listen, you're not playing that bad.
Don't beat yourself up. You've got a chance. You're the
only guy in on on the leaderboard tomorrow that's really
going to be in one of the last four or
five groups. It's one a major championship. You know how
to do it, you know how to get it done.
And um, you know it was Will Salatorus. I mean,

(01:03:44):
you gotta take your hat off to him. I mean,
he'd never wanted a tournament lettl and he's in the
same boat as Mito, never won a tournament before, let
alone a major championship. I thought he played unbelievably well. Um.
I thought the recovery shot where he hits it over
the green at six off the cart paths, somehow finds
a way to make bogey. I mean again, if you

(01:04:06):
look at that, he's staring double, he's staring triple in
the face, he finds a way to make bogey. He
saw the reaction when he makes that bogey, and then
he birdies the last hole. To post five under and
it was enough to get him into a playoff. But um,
two major championships for JT now a player's championship. It's

(01:04:26):
been number one in the world, it's won the FedEx. Um,
it's a Hall of Fame career. I mean, a bunch
of wins, double digit wins, um. And he's done everything
this year but win a golf tournament. He's put himself
in contention and to get that done on a really,
really tough, hard golf course conditions change. D T played

(01:04:50):
with dj uh the first two rounds. DJ missed the cut.
UM was in the wrong side of the draw and
still managed to get the w So hats off the
j T. He's one of the bright shining lights on
the PGA Tour. But it just goes to show everybody
the tour is in a great place. UM. We've got
great stars, we've got great stories and Um, obviously it

(01:05:14):
was a struggle to watch Tiger Woods. UM. I mean
I watched him early in the week in the practice rounds,
and you know, I was I was really surprised he
teed it up. UM. I was really surprised after Thursday
that he teed it up on Friday. Um, I just
I just didn't think that he was gonna be able

(01:05:36):
to finish. I was not surprised when he pulled out,
and you know, I just it's tough to watch him
go through what he's going through. The game is a
better place when he's in it. Tournament turn in a
better place when he's playing. But UM, I just wonder
if we're ever going to see Tiger the way we're
used to seeing them. These is two majors in a

(01:05:57):
row to where good first round, and you know, things
just kind of go downhill from there, and you can
see that it's his body that just won't allow him
to do the things that everybody in the game, including me,
wants to see him do. Um, it was a hellop
of a performance for him to just play. UM. I
hope that he does the things that he needs to

(01:06:18):
do to kind of get healthy and if that means
more time off to get everything in order. UM i'd
before that. But um, it's great to see him back
playing Tiger, and it's tough to watch him play the
way he's playing right now. But an amazing week two
more majors left um to really really exciting major championships

(01:06:39):
onto the US Open at the country Club and then
the hundred and fiftie Open Championship at the home of
Gulf St Andrew's. I'm excited about the next two majors
and another incredible major week. Thanks everyone for listening. Congratulations
to Justin Thomas on Major number two. Of course, with
Claude Harmon comes to you every Wednesday. We will see

(01:07:02):
you next week.

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