August 5, 2020 • 51 mins
In this episode of the Clubhouse with Shane Bacon, Shane is joined by Scott Van Pelt from ESPN to discuss the excitement and anticipation surrounding the PGA Championship. SVP shares what he expects from Tiger and who he thinks needs to play well. SVP also talks about what he thought the first time he saw Bryson DeChambeau and why he picked Xander Schauffele to win.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Clubhouse with Shane Bacon, a production of
I Heart Radio. Welcome to the Clubhouse with Shane Bacon.
I am your host, Shane Bacon. I know it's a
little late for a typical PGA Championship preview, but when
Scott Van Pelt agrees to jump on for a few
(00:22):
minutes and a few minutes turn into forty five, you say, yes, absolutely,
let's get this out in any way possible. And so
that's what you're listening to. Scott is one of the
greatest guys in all of sports, and I'm excited to
watch him over the next four days of this PJA
Championship on both the ESPN and CBS. I can't believe
we have major championship golf. Finally, I am currently looking
(00:43):
up to the sky because for some reason, I believe
that the heavens have something to do with golf. Uh
and sometimes they do, I think sometimes mostly they don't.
I sometimes look there and shake my fist when the
ball doesn't go in for a hole in one, but
that's a whole another story. PGA Championship week. Very very excited.
I will be online all week, probably too much, if
(01:03):
you will, um on Twitter at Shane Bacon just following
along and having a little bit of fun with it
and uh. And then on Sunday night, if you don't
listen to my other podcast to get a Grip with
Max Homer and Shane Bacon, we'll have a full recap
recap including obviously you know, firstame experience from a guy
in the field and Max. So that's that. Let's get
to Scott back in the clubhouse Scott Van pelt Over
(01:25):
at ESPN. Scott has a podcast I mentioned last time
he was on. It's called the s V Pod. And
since this is a golf group, I just wanted to
point people out to a particular episode. It's titled Addiction
Recovery Victory and it was with Chris Kirk and he
did it a few weeks ago and it's it's an
unbelievably powerful episode. And if you haven't listened to it,
(01:47):
or if you don't subscribe to the podcast, do both
of those things, because it is a great, great list
and it was it was one of my favorite podcasts
that I listened to kind of during the pandemic. Scott,
I thought it was it was really really unbelievable to
listen to open up. Well, thank you. And I mean
it was personal to me because, as I described in
the conversation with with Chris, you know, I lost my
(02:10):
father to to alcoholism, so I know what it is.
And um, I think that most people listening to he
and I and to you and I are are are
either you know, either in it or they're not too
many degrees removed from it. And so just hearing him
talk honestly about it and and just about how he's
managed it and how he's uh, you know, dealt with
(02:32):
it and came back and won. I don't know. I
just I loved it. And it was it's just cool.
It's it was neat that he was willing to be
so honest and um and and discuss it. So I
appreciate you saying that. And and uh, you know it
was I hesitate to ever say anything you and I
or any of us in our field. It was important
because mostly it isn't. But you know, it felt important
(02:54):
because somebody might hear that that's in in it and
maybe they say, well, let me try to get some
help here. So I appreciate you talking about it. Yeah,
when you go into you do a lot of interviews
and and you even said this to open the chat
with Chris and and I'm assuming you record all those
intros after you have the conversation with them. But you know,
you do a lot of interviews. You talked to a
lot of different people in sports and outside of sports.
(03:16):
When you get the feeling and you know this road
it's gonna go down how much? And I don't want
to say you're not involved in the silly interviews and
the ones that you're having fun with, but those conversations
are the ones that you're you yourself as the interviewer.
I just feel like your investment into it. You have
personal experiences you already talked about. You know, you walk
(03:37):
away from those as you I mean, you said they're
not important at times, you know, I feel like those
are some of the most important things people listen to
because it gives a look into the life of athletes
that maybe we don't always talk about. We're talking about
it more now than we ever did. But a lot
of the times we look on the screen and go,
I'd do anything to be this guy, you know, I'd
do anything to be this girl. And it it really
(03:59):
is I feel like it. It humanizes so many people
when they are willing to to be themselves in these interviews.
And I can only imagine when you know what's going
down that road, you know, it takes you to a
new level as well, sure, because it's it's and you
you're right that more now than ever, people are okay, Sam,
what's not okay? And and more honest about that. And
(04:22):
when you go into a conversation knowing what the ground
you're going to cover is and knowing it, it's pretty heavy,
and then it's okay to be vulnerable than if someone
is willing to be honest and share his story that
I'm not afraid to share mine, particularly because it's there's
similarities there, so you know, it's, uh, look what we're lucky.
(04:42):
We mostly get to talk about about games and scores
and all that stuff, and I enjoy that. But these
are human beings doing it now. They play a different
version of the sport that you and I love than
than we are able to when you more than me.
But again, just to your point, here's a guy, you know,
four time winner on tour, been in a President's Cup team,
(05:03):
like he made it. He was the glib in the life.
And it's like you know, and he's in a hotel
like I'm in right now, staring at a mini barn,
you know, how to come to Jesus. And good for him,
thank god, he did absolutely well. I wanted to analogize.
I've been trying really hard to figure this out how
we went from zero sports to this, and I feel
(05:25):
like now, especially on the West Coast. I know you're
an East Coaster and you're on the West Coast this week,
but you know these basketball games are coming on at
ten am. It feels like March madness to go from
no sports to everything you have now, especially for you
who does the nightly show, you know, five days a week,
and I mean you have to talk about something. What
(05:46):
has your life been like since sports has returned and
giving you, you know, all of the amount you can
talk about and more at times. Well, I mean it's
I'm excited for it. I'm grateful for it, because we
did sixteen weeks of Sports Center after gobert tonsted Positive
with no sports and let me tell you, um, I mean,
(06:08):
I don't want to meddle. I don't want to meddle,
and I don't want anyone's pity. I steal money most
of the time. Doing it, but we worked at it
for those same weeks. I'll assure you we we worked
at it because my goodness, there's uh, you know, I'm
a bi esser, but at some point you run out
of that. UM. But I've been off. This is the
(06:29):
first time I've worked since the early July because typically
this time of year, Shane, I, you know, I tap
out after the after free agency in the NBA playoffs
are done. So this is a scheduled break for me
in advance of UM, I wouldn't have been working now,
I'd still be off, but the p GA went from
May to here, and here I am. But when I
get back from this event, my family and I are
(06:50):
actually moving back home to where I'm from in Maryland,
and once the dust settles there will be back at
it with Sports Center from d C. And I'm just
so grateful to have all of these different things that
that's I guess that's the get back here, right, is
that for all that time we didn't have anything, and
it's gonna happen now in golf. Um, you didn't get
any majors, and now we're gonna cram a whole bunch
(07:11):
of big time stuff in a small window and the
idea that you've got, as you say, like noon tips
in the NBA and and early Stanley Cup playoffs one
of my favorite things every year. And you know, as
you and I talk right now, I'm watching some and
and you know, these these these bubbles. I give all
the leagues, all the cred in the world. I give
the PGA Tour and j Monahan all the cred in
(07:32):
the world. They've they've figured it out, and they've done
collectively an exceptional job trying to do it. It's hard
to do anything right now, but good on all of
them for trying to get these uh these events in
because people love the distraction and and certainly in my case,
I mean it's it's what I do. So I'm grateful
(07:52):
for anything you mentioned Golf specifically, Obviously we're gonn talking
about the PGA Championship, but you know, this is a
cram schedule. Jim Nance earlier this week said, you know,
he calls this the greatest stretch of golf in the
history of the game. We're about to embark on with
this PJA Championship and then you know, major after major
after major. I believe this is the most anticipated major
(08:12):
Championship since the Tiger Slam potential at the Master's back
in oh One. I mean, does it feel like that there?
I know there's no fans. I know people aren't out
on the golf course all hyped up. But do you
get the sense and meetings and talking to players and
being out that there at a new level of excited
to get a major going considering all that's gone down
(08:34):
the last few months. I do, And I think I
think Shane, I think we can we can all get
um caught up in in you know, paying attention to ratings.
And I've always been one that says like, if I
do the show at midnight Eastern and if we have
a fun show, a good show, if it rates well, great,
(08:57):
But that doesn't mean it was a good show because
it rates well. If a lot of people watch it
and the show sucked, and that's a shame we had.
We allows the show it too many people saw it. Um.
But what I'm getting at here is that the PGA
tour has done had a um a bunch of eyeballs
on it. And I think you've got a lot of
fun young players, and you've got the guy that isn't
(09:17):
the doesn't move the Needlely is the needle. You've got
Tiger back in a place where he's played well, and yeah,
I mean all of this is a is a way
to get to the sense I think that everyone has. Uh, Look,
we're here, and I don't I'm not saying we being
the media, make the ESPN or CPS we make it
a big deal. But we're all here and we're all
so excited to be because none of us have been
(09:39):
you know, outside of nance like CBS, this group hasn't
been out on the road at all, and they're all
here and so just I think the fact that that
we're all kind of getting back to it and that
this and I'll say this, this golf course plays a
big role in that. Honestly, I think there's a there's
a whole lot of respect for it and on a
happiness that they get to be you know, this age.
(10:00):
Because as you'll hear, if you play like announcer being
going you take a shot, every time someone mentions that
was a parking lot for the US Open, you will
be hammered. Um, don't do that. Don't gonna come up.
That's gonna come up. I mean, and it should. I
just think it's a cool deal that, hey, this golf
course was kind of left to to fall into disrepair,
but now it's been shined up and as a major
(10:23):
venue itself. So yes, all these things conspire to to
make it a sense of real anticipation and excitement and
um and I think I think this course is gonna
identify the kind of person that that, you know, the
major you'd want a major to to sort of say, hey,
you're the guy this week. I don't see how it
(10:45):
will be anybody other than somebody that plays a real
good golf and and for you, a guy that does
work at night, late night on the East Coast going
to the West Coast, having to do work super early
in the morning, this is you might as well have
flown to Australia. I just feel like you're in a
time clock. I mean, I'm suing now, you're fine, but
you know, getting up at what time you're gonna have
to wake up on Thursday for five six am to
(11:07):
get going. I mean it's gonna be a different early
It'll be well, it'll be early. I mean, look, we're
between ESPN and ESPN. Plus man, we got we got
first tea shot to last part where if it's onward,
I mean, if they're playing, we're talking about him, so
it'll be early. But you know, the the one good
thing about not having been doing this show for a
while and having little kids, uh and you know about
(11:27):
it these days, I mean you the days is sleeping
in and whatever. Those are long gone, so it had
I've actually been up early every day, which has been
better uh than you know, if you look, the alarm
is gonna go off early Thursday morning, but like, so
be it. This is one of those first night before school,
the night the night before the first day of school
kind of the other it's hard to sleep at all,
(11:47):
just because you just like, let's go, yeah, lay the
outfit out and be ready to rock with it and
just have already tied. You know. By the way Singer
used to get our stat guy to tie his tie.
He would always get that that was what he would do,
and I'd always go, you know, you're poulaising you don't
let's tell you to tell you got you got our
guy over here doing it. But yeah, you talked about
the time you guys are on air. I mean I
(12:09):
was gonna a joke that you might have a cot
in the booth. What is going to look different for
you doing this, you know, with you know, COVID and
the pandemic and social distancing and everything you guys are
doing personally for you, what's it gonna look different than
opens you've done in the past, And what will it
look different for the viewer watching from home that might
(12:30):
see something that would have been that would have been
different if the p g A obviously had been held
when it was gonna be help. Hopefully, the goal, I
think Shane would be that it won't feel much different
at all. I mean, and I that's what That's what
I've largely sensed from from the work that CBS has done,
and they've done a really really nice job because it
(12:51):
hasn't you know, it hasn't been like a glaring sort
of oh that feels weird or looks different. I mean,
and luckily golf as a televised sport doesn't mean sure
it was strange like Memorial for for example, like at Merefield,
not to have twenty thousand pretty well oiled people on
that hillside watching Justin and Morricwa make those pots. I mean,
(13:14):
it would have been a totally different scene with with fans,
but in terms of of what will the only real,
the only real I guess difference is that when we
swap out with CBS, because we were work in conjunction
with uh, you know, Jim Nance will come into the
tower when we vacate, there's a period of time there
(13:37):
where everything that is at that desk is is cleaned,
just to make sure, you know, we're following the safest
sort of protocols that are in place. So I guess
there might be a chunk of time where and I
don't even know necessarily now how we do that line
change frankly, um, but other than maybe a small window
(13:58):
where there's announcer of golf or something, I don't know how,
and that probably won't will be seamless as well, because
I'm sure you know, Sean mcdonnough and Bob was Shusan
and Dave Fleming in the various towers will just continue
on calling the golf. We could just swap about kind
of one at the time. But I mean, you know,
and you would get this because you've done it. But
(14:18):
I mean, you're you're you're in a tower on eighteen,
you're looking up, You've got all the monitors, you've got
all the computers. I mean, there's there's nothing other than
you know, sitting a bit further apart from David, maybe
than I would have otherwise, but what I could use
in my lap in years, Um, it should mostly be
as it's been, I think, and I hope, Yeah, it's
it's been. To your point earlier, it has been unbelievably
(14:41):
comfortable watching sport. I feel like of the sports I've watched, baseball,
just because of the stadiums, has felt maybe the least normal.
The bad. The NBA thing is unbelievable. I I turned
on a Laker game a couple of days ago, and
you know, they have the they have the basically the
logos and everything on the on the court. I thought
(15:04):
I was watching an old game. I thought they had
had some sort of delay or something. I mean, that's
how real the NBA has felt when we've got a
chance to watch it. And golf, as you said, outside
of fans, you know, screaming and hollering and and bob
Ba booeing. I mean, we're not really getting much different
than what we've seen, and we're still getting unbelievable golf
and great reactions. So it's been fun. The one thing
(15:25):
I feel like we haven't seen is a lot of
Tiger Woods. I mean, you know he's there. This week,
we saw him play the Memorial. Have you got a
chance to to talk at all with them? And where
do you feel like he's at headed into the week?
We uh we chatted briefly on the on the putting
green um on Wednesday, and it's it's so funny how
(15:45):
and I mean we've known each other a long time. Uh,
and you know, it's the same conversations I've had with
David Duval, who's gonna be uh by my by my side,
uh six ft apart uh and the booth. You know,
when you've known each other for a while, I'm a
conversation are just different. And so when I see him,
like the conversation is, I asked, immediately, how's Charlie swing?
(16:08):
Because he wants to talk about his boys swing more
new more than he's interested in talking about anything else.
And you know, it's it's immediately about families and how
everybody's doing. And he was out there doing like a
little one hitted putting girl. He's got a different putter,
which is always you know, in his case, it's actually
worth mentioning just because he's one about eight billion dollars
without other Scottie. Um. But I mean I wouldn't pretend
(16:33):
to know. I didn't get into anything other than just
how you're doing and how you're feeling, and you know
it's I mean, he's never in the history of me
knowing him, has never once been like, oh I feel
like crap and I'm gonna shoot a Hunters, you know
what I mean. Like it's it's always it's always frame
through a lens of everything's great, which is why to
(16:54):
a degree I don't even bother asking. Um, I think
really he's the he's the wild card and the whole thing,
because who the hell knows when you got a back
that's that that isn't is fused together and you're out
here and let me say it is cold, man. It's
that San Francisco cold that gets in you and you
(17:15):
can't get can't get loose, and you just feel like
it's in your bones and the winds blowing and it's
hard to get loose. And we saw an impact him
I think last year three of the major championship venues, um,
you know, as opposed to say Memphis, where it's ninety
five and you can just you know, three swings and
you're good. So I haven't got a clue what to
(17:36):
reasonably expect now. Like most courses he's played in his
in his you know, incredible career, he's got history here.
You know, he's most places in Riviera. I think that's
the only place I can think of where he's played
a bunch at one. You know he's one here, So okay, cool,
But that was a long time ago, you know it was,
It really was. I mean a lot a lots of
(17:57):
the routings different, um lot about it's different. And yet
and again you know this better than me as as
a player. I think when you show up somewhere where
you've played well or in his case one, I mean
whether the routing is different or you've still one here,
you know what I mean, Like you've got a frame
of reference that nobody else has got other than Rory.
And he won here when it was a match place.
(18:18):
So um, you know, this is just a lot of
words where I could just say, man, I don't know,
I really don't know what to expect because I don't,
And in in a way it's intriguing. I think it
actually makes it more interesting. If Tiger would have played
five events and we've just seen the good and the
bad and the ugly from him coming in, we'd have gone, well, well,
we'll kind of know after Thursday. And I feel like
(18:40):
this is almost like two thousand ten Masters, where a
you're just excited that he's out on the golf course
again and be you've I feel like, you know, reading
Bob out there doing a great job for you guys
on the website and and following him through the weekend
and all the prep that looks like has gone into
the golf course. To me, it looks like a tiger
(19:01):
that is circling some events knowing that if the good
Tiger shows up, he's got a real good chance to
win a couple of majors. In two thousand twenty when
it maybe looked like we weren't going to have majors
at all. Well, I don't know if I agree about
having a real good chance, but I agree for sure
that he's he's clearly clearly rationing, you know, the powder.
(19:25):
He wants to have as much dry as much dry
powder as he can have for the events that he
that he cares about. And it's just my sense. This
is not an informed opinion, but it's my sense that
there are no events, including the FedEx Playoffs, because he
doesn't need the money. There are really no events that
(19:46):
matter to him other than here, uh wingfoot and Augustine
in November. Um, that's it. I mean, that's that's is
that in the playoffs ever again, they really don't matter
again to him? Um, so I don't. He wouldn't even
be in him unless he played well this week. So
um yeah, I think I think that's It's the intrigue
(20:08):
part those is Spottling obviously, I mean, he's he nobody
else is like him. Yeah, he's the need As you said,
he is the needle. Is a question I heard on
a couple of my buddies other golf podcast on the
Shotgun Start. They were talking about player that needs this
the most. Is there someone that kind of pops into
your brain as somebody that really needs a major title,
(20:30):
needs this major title, maybe more than than everybody else
in the field. That's an interesting one. I mean, I mean,
I'll say a couple of names that immediately come to mind,
and need is is a is We could debate that
the definition of need. I think I think speech needs
to play well on the weekend. Um, We've we've seen
(20:52):
him shoot some really good Thursday Friday scores really good
and then all of a sudden on the weekend he's
real ordinary. And um, you know he went through that
stretch where he made every twenty ft or he looked
at not eight ft and that does not continue. Um,
and it's been it's you know, I think you get,
(21:13):
you get to a certain place where you win. I mean,
he looks he's he's one. He's this shy of the
Grand Slam. So I don't say he needs this for
the Slam. I'm saying he just needs to play well
because he hasn't played well on the weekend in a while.
And then I'm I just wonder about Rory. I mean
at some point, you know, because he's won, he won
(21:34):
the Players, because he won the playoff, and you're like, oh,
yeah he did, didn't Yeah he did. He's won big events,
but he hasn't won a major since fourteen and his
good as you know, talk to anybody out there in
the range, like if everybody played their absolute best, who's
is the scariest? People tell you it's Rory. DJ would
get a bunch of votes. Um, you know, Tiger, prime Tiger,
(21:58):
but I don't know that he's you know, the same
as he was when he was that guy. But people
will say Rory at his best is spooky when he
hits it straight and starts making cuts and starts that
little bounce when he's walking off tease man, he can
run away. It's interesting with Rory. Is I feel like
you I mean, you said it is. You know, it's
a storyline in golf that I almost feel like is lost.
(22:20):
I mean, this guy is I would say, I mean,
I think arguably the best player of this generation, kind
of post Tiger, post Phil, and it's been a it's
been a long time since he won a major title.
And I feel like the two names you mentioned in
Jordan's Speed and Rory, who were one and two of
this next generation, are almost kind of coming into this
under the radar. I mean, the conversations are about Keepka,
(22:43):
they're about Justin Thomas and then everybody else. And I
feel like, you know, you're kind of losing the storyline
of of of a guy that could complete the career
Grand Slam, which is wild, and it's not being talked
about at all. And then Rory, who could finally win
another major? What what other names were said? Because I'm interested?
Didn't who like just I mean again, maybe you know
how you playing needs like you need one because you
(23:04):
haven't won one, or in the case of the two
guys I'm talking about, you haven't in a while. Like
what other names came up? Well, I mean, Ricky is
one that I feel like will constantly get thrown into
this conversation. I mean, I know Ricky hasn't played his
greatest golf in this return, but you know, he's a
guy that if he won a major, would never get
asked about it again. And we've seen this with plenty
of guys. And you know, Sergio was famous for this
(23:26):
that every major he went to, it didn't matter what
he did. To your point about Rory winning the players
in the FedEx Cup, if Sergio done that, nobody would
ask him about that. They would ask him, you know,
is this the major You're finally gonna do it at?
And and so I feel like Ricky's always going to
be the top answer to that question. And I thought
another name that was thrown around that was very interesting
as Tony Fenwe. I mean, it's not that he hasn't
one of major it's that he hasn't really won, and
(23:48):
he's there every single weekend and if he somehow picked
off a PGA championship, all of that, he plays well
until Sunday stuff goes away. Yeah, and it's and he
was and I have I have a real blind spot
for Tony because it happened to think he's just the
best dude ever, unbelievable guy. Well, he's just such a
he's just such a good dude. And he was asked
about it and he was like, god, i'm my scoring
(24:09):
average actually, like he he had some way to frame
it positively, which doesn't surprise me. Uh, he's way too
good to to not play better. Um. I mean at
that stretch he was like four clear of Ramin, Like
in ten holes he was five back. I was like, what, Uh,
he's he's too good not to not to break through.
And and the Ricky thing. I actually spent some time
(24:31):
with him on I don't remember what day it was, Monday,
I guess, and I said, just without getting too technical,
how do you describe to me what it is you're
trying to do, Because he's working on he's just working
on trying to slow his hips down and everything with
him his timing, and he's trying to get it to
a point where it's not as timed in his swing.
And I get it. I get messing with it to
(24:51):
a degree. But I also think that when you're is
good as Ricky, I just I just think and you'd
know because again more than me, because as a player,
like trying to change anything's hard. Because I said, do
you trust it yet? And he's like, well, I went
from like no good rounds to a good round and
then not a good round too, Like I had really
pretty three pretty good rounds in Memphis. I just said,
(25:13):
Saturday I didn't make any putts and then Sunday it
just got a bad start. But I mean, it's it's interesting,
you know. I think he's searching some you know, you're
trying to figure out, well, how can I get more
consistent and making it less timing and more sort of
the whole body rotation. Um, it was the way I
understood it as he described it. But yeah, of course,
I mean until you were win one, everybody's gonna gonna
(25:34):
test to you about it. I mean, and he frankly,
I think needs to win more in general, you know,
just for the star rep he has. He doesn't have
as many wins as as he you know, as he could.
We're gonna take a quick break and be right back.
(25:55):
Well somebody that hasn't played great in major championships thus
far in his career and somebody I'm very excited to
ask you about. What was your first thought when you
saw Bryson in person? What was your what was what
was it? What was like? What what went through? Because
I mean, I know I can only imagine you were
really excited about it, because I would be excited to
see him in person. He's just enormous man. Like it's
(26:17):
just it's it's just, it's just it's just and I
mean like I'm I mean, I'm a big person. I'm
I'm I'm six six and I'm bigger than most. But
like he's he's big and like, uh wow, that freaking
dudes big man. And the funny thing with him is
a tour players or tour players like you know that
I can do what you can do. I mean, I
(26:39):
had a player I won't name him, but he's just
like if you've see the guy hit the driver and
I said I have not, and he said just stick around,
like he said, it's a circus. And I had another
player as a walking during a practice trint he goes, man,
what he's doing, all credit to him, it's astounding. Like
we were on the par five four and when people
watch this this week, it's a downhill six seven yard
(27:01):
part five and there's this big ash tree in the
middle of the left hand part of the dog leg
and the guy said he's gonna hit it over that
tree and he helped. He he had hit a really
good drive on the on the hale and he said
he'll be seventy yards beyond where I am right now.
And he's a topic of conversation, Like, guys are just
(27:22):
blown away by what he's done. David Duvall, she was
gonna make this point a telecast. He's like, he's proven that,
like increasing your swing speed is not a god given thing,
it can be a learned, slash taught thing. You can
do it. He proved you can do it. Um. And
so I waited patiently on the range to see the
(27:43):
circus and he got all jammed up with his wedge
in the path of his wedge, and God only knows
what physics he was trying to figure out, and I
finally had stuff to do, so I left. So I
didn't see him hit the driver on the range, but
I did see Dustin Johnson go through working on a
little cut. And my god, if you've never seen him
hit a driver person, it is a different sound coming
(28:03):
off the face of the club. So he's the guy
who put his one aid to du Shambo with that club.
Just as an aside. But what I what I I mean, Look,
I'm fascinated like anybody because I'll tell you right now,
there's if he hits it straight out here, then he's
got a chance to do what maybe only he can do. Uh,
and that's like have little flip wedges into some long
park fource and like have a seven iron into a
(28:26):
six hundred yard hole. If if he's able to hit fairways, um,
because he just he does what no one else is doing.
And and I feel like, and you know this better
than I, but what other sport can someone change the
biggest macho factor there is? You know, you think about
(28:47):
a football player that if you're a receiver, you're the
fastest receiver. I mean, there's not really anything to make
up for in speed. If you're the strongest linebacker in
the league. You know, you're just stronger than everybody else.
I mean, people are intimidated by your muscles and and
how big you are and the hits you can put
on people. Baseball, you know that if you're throwing at
one oh two, you know there's a guy that's throwing
(29:08):
at ninety five. He's not hitting one oh two. He's
just not. And I feel like in golf and this
guy in particular, he found a way to jump past
so many guys that are known for their distance and
become the longest hitter on tour. I mean, I don't
know if this happens in other sports. I'd love to
hear your thoughts on that it doesn't. And I think
(29:30):
that's a great point and the only the only thing
I could equated to. And you started to you touched
on it about about like if you threw one oh two, Like,
no one's ever done what he's done in terms of
increasing their distance off the tea buy as many yards
as he has ever um. I mean he went he
increased his driving average by like fifteen yards um in
(29:52):
a year, which as again on the top end, like
maybe a yard or two, but not right I mean,
that's just it doesn't make it's And the only thing
I could say is if a guy like say, we're
all this chatman, like he can hit one o two,
maybe one oh three, depending on what the gun is,
Well if he shows up and all of a sudden
like he's hitting one oh six one oh seven, well,
now you're doing things that that aren't done no no
(30:16):
one else can do. And it seems that Deshambo has
has done that. Like I guess he had the track
man out the other day and you know, said he
got his ball speed up to two oh two, and
I think that's that's the threshold that he's trying to
get to his like two hundreds. But he also sit
the other day Shaney wants to live to be I
can't think of anything that would be worse than that.
(30:37):
All the people you care about would be dead and
you just be a wrinkly old prune. And you know what,
we just went through two thousand twenty and then you're
probably gonna have a couple more of those. We're all
through as well. If you get to one thirty, I'm out.
I don't want to do it. In me like eight
ninety and healthy and I'm pretty happy with that. I'll
be good with that. I want to squeeze in some
good years. Enjoy the enjoy the ride. But you know,
(30:59):
at some point, you know, I'll get off the ride.
Around before one thirty. I'm gonna go ahead and get
asked the waiter for the bill. Yeah, I'm I'm out.
You're a guy that that loves loves sport, loves rivalries.
How bummed are you that we didn't get Keptka Bryson
first two rounds? I thought we were gonna I was
convinced of it. I thought so too. I heard some
(31:19):
shatter about too that you know that uh you know,
I mean I never know for sure if what the
truth of it is, but I mean I was I
was under the impression I'll just leave it like that,
that that that that neither side had any issue with it,
like five, do what you want, put us together. But
I mean, look, you put you put Kepka and Lowry
(31:40):
and uh Woodland together. I mean, you've got a uh,
you've got a major championship pairing trio. And I don't
know what quibble you could have with that. Um, I
think that I think it's great for golf that Kepta
in particular, is more than willing, uh enthusiastic even to
(32:00):
participate in the barbs back and forth. I mean having
a couple of young stars and one guy that's hitting
it eight miles and the other guy that's like, yeah,
I mean, I've got a pile of majors over here,
Get get at me when you have one, when you
can finish in the top ten and one. He hasn't
said that. I'm saying he could if he chose to.
I think it's I think that's fun, Like add a
(32:22):
little W W E to the mix. Um, you know
it's it's it's good for the game to have, you know,
a little a little smack talk, because God does it
happens in at every level of why shouldn't happen at
the highest level. You know you're you're one of your
jobs this week is to know info on the players
and to be ready in schooled. I know you are.
How much research is done on the p g A
(32:43):
professionals And considering the amount of time you guys are
gonna be on television, do you have a plan to
kind of show everybody the first two days try to
get everybody on the telecast at some point. Yeah, And
I mean there's there's the they're calling them the twenty
like that's sort of the hag tang and the the
way that we're framing it because you've got twenty guys
(33:04):
that are that are p GA professionals that are in
and I've I've talked to a bunch when they've been
out there on the uh you know, during practice round.
You know that that's that to me, that's the most fun.
Like to me, like I love Thursday through Sunday, don't
get me wrong, but Monday through Wednesday, particularly this week
because it's just so different, has been just great fun.
You wander around, you meet met a guy from Maine,
(33:25):
met a guy that's the pro a Trump National and
and down in the DC area where I'm gonna be
going soon and naturally ingratiating myself so that might be
able to get out in place in free golf. Got
to do that. But I mean, but what and you
you all did, um what certainly what we tried to
do as well when we were the ones covering the
U S open. I mean, tell the story of the qualifier,
the story of the person that that got through sectionals
(33:48):
and some insane like eight way playoff and made a
birdie at dark and whatever. Well, you know these guys,
and there's a couple of guys uh that have you know,
made cuts and whatever else. I mean, Um, what I
was saying that these players is, hey, man, obviously have fun.
But look, I mean, t shoot a number man, Someone's
gonna little Man wins on Sunday, I mean, what the hell?
(34:10):
And I think all these guys, uh have have a
real understanding of who they are and what they are,
and they represent proudly their clubs from back home, and
and they've got all the people back there pulling form.
I just will we will. We will absolutely share the
stories and the details of them as as you know,
(34:30):
as is as is reasonable to do. But but they're
definitely part of the story in the in the same
way the qualifiers are. I shouldn't say that that's not
the same way of qualifiers are because these guys, these
guys have earned their way in and their prosum But
it's the same idea, which name are you most excited
about pronouncing during the week and which name is still
(34:52):
giving you fits in term of how in terms of
how to say it, or do you feel like you're
pretty pretty locked in. I will only call jazz jazz.
That's who I thought I had that written down anyway,
that that's a tough one. No, it's not a tough one.
It's an impossible one. And I will call I will
call jazz jazz and only jazz. Um. There's there's a
(35:14):
there's a I'm trying to think if I should tell
this story or not? How do I? Um, can I
tell it? I think I can tell it? Well, I
mean it happened, it happened on TV. I won't identify
the broadcaster there somehow or another, Thomas Bjorne turned into
Bjorn Borg for one of our colleagues, and um, so
(35:34):
I'm trying to figure out how I can work Bjorn
Borg into the telecast. But I mean jazz Johnnah Watton
on non is essentially I think I think I said
it correct. But I think I would just go with jazz. Yeah,
it's it's just make it like share it and you
knew what that's a great that's all you need. It's jazz,
like you don't need anything better. That's an unbelievable athlete.
(35:57):
Like if his first name was if his first name
was for it, it would be harder, like, yeah, there's
old Fred, but it's jazz Like it's like like get
jazz out there with the with the little club to world.
Go ahead, jazz, right, I mean you could you could
just sort of pass it off and let it drift
into the ether online. You had h I saw an
ESPN dot com you have. Xander's your pick. It's a
(36:18):
great pick. I did I contend he is the most
underrated player in golf and I and I feel like
he just his resume says exactly that any particular reason
outside of the fact that he's unbelievable that you went
with him. Anytime we're asked to pick, I always just
give a kind of a flippant sentence, because I mean,
the idea that you can identify who's gonna win a
in a field of a hundred and fifty some Odor
(36:40):
sixties of whatever it is people is preposterous. Hell, it's
hard to pick the winner of the super Bowl. There's
two teams. So you know, I think I said Xander
because I don't even remember what do I say? But
I'll tell you what I think, and that's that I
think winning majors is largely a it's a process it is.
It is becoming comfortable, not making it more than it is,
(37:07):
and being there with opportunities to do it. And he's
done all those things. He's gotten out here. He clearly
knows he's one of the best in the world. I
think he's ranked just outside the top ten. I want
to say it's eleven. I mean, it does fluctuate. But
whatever he's ranked, he's he's he's that he's on that
list of guys that if he won, in no way
would it seem um like an accident. It would seem
(37:32):
entirely appropriate. And I think he, like out here, long
is really good off the tea, but it's not as
it's not as good as straight And I just I trust,
I trust him to to to put the ball in
play and to shoot numbers. And I just think that
guys like, you know, guys of his talent are are
(37:55):
just bound to win one eventually. But you know that
the thing about this is that and we had this.
We always seems like this conversation always comes up. And
I actually had it with David Dubald. David Dubald won one. Now,
granted he was porn at the wrong time because there
was a guy that was winning, you know, all of them,
but like Dustin Johnson has one. You know, just Justin
(38:17):
Rose has one, um it, Jason Day has one, and
and in no way am I diminishing who they are
as players. I think the point is like one's kind
of a lot, especially one's yes, exactly, one's hard to
get because like when Shane Lowry wins at Port Rush
(38:39):
last year ago, Yeah, you know, that's not that's not
that's not out of hand. I mean, that's that's sure.
I mean he's got the goods to do it. And
and here's the thing, when it was his time, when
it was his time to stand there and and and
you know, deliver, he did and the guy and when
you don't that that can haunt you forever. Like I've
I've said that this is a hundred times, Like I've
(38:59):
been convinced Justin was gonna win the Masters, Well he
might have had his time and and Searedio won it instead.
And you know Greg Norman was supposed to win it.
How many times, David Duvall was supposed to win it,
Ernie else was supposed to win it. They never did.
So I guess what I'm saying is when it comes
to majors like and and right now for for sure.
The list of guys that if you said he's it,
(39:19):
I'd go, yeah, okay, it feels longer than I can remember,
you know, yeah, I mean Xander. I was looking this
up because I liked your pick so much. I didn't
steal it. I picked Tiger just because I thought it
was funny. I never picked Tiger, but I saw I
saw you tweet that. I'm like, good for you. Yeah,
just's I never tweeted I. Of course, I never picked
him ever. Ever. Ever. I didn't even pick him when
he was winning them all, just because it was just
(39:40):
such a it was such a homer pick, you know.
I I like Duke this year. You know, people roll
their eyes at you, like a portion, but the way
to go. Zander five top six finishes in his eleven
major starts thus far in his career. Tiger starts his
pro career three top six finishes and his first eleven majors.
Rory had four top six is in his first eleven majors. Now,
(40:03):
they both had a win one of their top six finishes,
but it just shows how Impressivesander has been early on.
I mean, he's he's been in contention in these situations
a lot more than a lot of other players you
expect to be there. You know, Justin Thomas, who is
the best player in the world and has one a
major title, has one top five and a major. That's
it and it was the win. So Zander is a
(40:25):
guy that has been on the train tracks a lot
and eventually the train's gonna hit you. Yeah, that's that's.
That was it. I mean, it's it's sometimes I mean, look,
you're guessing, but I mean you can at least make
an informed guests. And I think I saw you tweeted
out the thing about Nicholas that that wanted the Major.
Isn't that the dumbest thing you've ever seen. It's the
(40:47):
dumbest thing I've ever seen, is that that run for Nicholas.
It just is preposterous. How do you not have a
bad week, like one bad week in twenty years. I
just that is you know, when you look at Tiger
and you look at Jack And I've always said this,
you know, I'm a guy that gets in my own
head when I am under the gun, especially in golf.
(41:10):
You know, I tried to play pro for a while
and it didn't work out, and I would get nervous
and I would I would overthink stuff. And that was
my problem. That was what I battled. I've never understood
how someone can go into an event the favorite, favored
by everyone, media, other golfers, you know, casual sports fans
go into it and still when you know, I just
(41:32):
find that so impressive. And Jack did it for twenty
five years, you know, I mean every single major he
was there and and it's i mean, go look at
the tweet because I don't know the numbers, but the
winds are obvious, but the seconds and thirds are just
it's like, I mean, it just is it makes no
sense at all, none that that you could be that
(41:52):
consistently brilliants and and you're in you're right, I mean,
especially when, um, the expectation is is such that you
can almost only fail, right, I mean, you're and Tigers
certainly dealt with that too. Um. But I mean, like
I got sitting next to David, and I'm so excited
to do it throughout these uh these these days that
we're out here. You know, he had to win to
(42:15):
a time there and he just very casually we were
walking the golf course on on Wednesday up. I was
asking about it. He's like, yeah, he said, I you
know you were at that. My first one that he
wanted was just in Williamsburg and he said that I
think I won like eleven thirty three, and he and
he just he said it, and he wasn't saying it
to be a jerky. It's well, I mean, it's the truth.
(42:35):
He was just reciting the fact. But imagine winning a
third of the golf tournaments you played over a thirty
three tournament span. Well, that's what Duval did. And you know,
I think that's what gives a guy a frame of
reference to to to weigh in when it comes to
anything that might come up out here, which is what
I appreciate so much. And he's also he's not afraid
(42:59):
to say, like not to be a jerik and not
to try to rip people. But I think it's hard
sometimes to be critical, and David's not critical in the
mean way. I think he just if he says something
that's not flowery, it's because it's what his eyes tell him.
It was. It was the Johnny Miller thing. You know,
people would would kind of bag on Miller. I thought
he I thought I thought he got it. I mean
I thought he was unnecessarily head people choked a lot,
(43:22):
bought bothered me at times. But my point on Johnny was,
you know when you were unbelievable, and you know, Johnny
and David Daval actually have a lot of similarities, you know.
I mean I think they people thought they might win
a lot more than they did. I mean, Daval had
a run, as you've mentioned, it was unbelievable. But I
always felt like Miller kind of was speaking like he
(43:45):
was observing, and at times it could get him in trouble.
But I I think, I think David does an unbelievable
job in the booth, and I think you're exactly right.
Sometimes it's helpful when they're honest because they're seeing what
they see as who they are. You know, he was
one of the best players, and I would listen to
be to be fair to Miller, like if if that's
if that's what he thought and that's what we wanted
to say, then like he he's earned the right to
(44:06):
say it. I and I just I just I personally
felt like there were times that it was unnecessarily harder.
There's a difference between saying you've got to be able
to make that shot and like ripping a dude. I
felt like there were times that you know that that
to me it felt harsher than it needed to. But
you know, maybe I'm asking for both things here. I'm
giving David credit for being honest and and then I'm
(44:29):
grading Miller harshly for being too harsh. But whatever I mean,
he I mean he had obviously had a hell of
a run in the booth for for NBC. Yeah, the
last thing, I have another podcast with my my buddy
Max Homer obviously in the field this week. I need
you to let's let's just see what strings are you
pulling to get Max on the coverage as much as possible,
(44:52):
because I know you're a fan of his as well.
I think he's awesome. Um, this is we are a meritocracy,
Jane Bacon. It is. It is very simple. It's hit
hit it in the fairway, hit it on the green,
make putt. Well, what do you know Max Holmes on
the leaderboard. I mean, I'd be thrilled to show Max.
It is entirely dependent on Max. Um, you know he's
(45:15):
going to pull the strings. Hit it, Tell him to
hit it, tell him to hit in the short craft
hit it on the green and then make putt. You know,
he's not gonna have to do anything to earn you know,
to earn our affection. I mean, I think he's a
as you well know, he is a great dude. And uh,
I'd love to see him play well here this week.
How many major has he been in? I think this
is his third or fourth, This is his second PG Championship.
(45:38):
He played and made the cut last year at beth
Page and uh, and yeah, I mean he's gonna be
in all the wins this year because obviously the win
and then he's played well. He definitely played unbelievable before
before the break. So uh, and we saw him play
well at the three m. You had correct me if
I'm wrong here, because this is me trying to use
my memory from god knows how long ago. I think
it was two thousand. I feel like you were doing
(46:00):
Sports Center and Tiger opened with something like sixty five,
and you were anchoring Sports Center and alphab Back then
it was alphabetical. I feel like now they put the
name up on top of who they want. But you
said it was like Kirk Triplet or something, and you said,
you know, Triplet just said he wanted to be on
top of a US Open leaderboard after one day, and
(46:22):
you said, sorry, man, And they went to the leaderboard
and it was Tiger six because I think they both
shot the same score. But I mean, again, this is
twenty years ago, but I feel like it was you
in there and you had such a great line of like, nah, man,
this is Tiger and his prime, we gotta show him
up top. If it was a good line and it
was me, and it was definitely, don't it might have been.
It might have at my long up enemy. Um. I
(46:45):
just it's so funny you mentioned Kirk Triplet. He did
we're in San Francisco and across across uh lake were
said at the Olympic Club. If you remember, this is
a long time ago, this is ninety eight. I'm taking
it back even further. It was there was that controversial
whole location on the eighteenth and uh Triplet putting it
up and started to roll back. He just went up
and stopped it. He just stopped it and took the
(47:05):
penalty in staid the hell with it like it was.
It was a bad whole location and uh and Triplet, Uh,
what is what disagregious as Michelson at Chinnikock, But it
was the same kind of deal. It was just if
the ball was going to roll back to his feet
and he decided no, it's not, No, it's not. But
that's a different story. So sometimes we all have enough,
especially on the golf course. But yeah, if if Max
is on there, you know, I mean, you gotta got
(47:27):
seeing him. You gotta love seeing he shaved the mustache.
It's a good thing. Oh, that was glorious. It was
a very few you could pull it off, and he
wasn't one of them. Scott. I appreciate I didn't mean
to take forty five minutes of your time, um, but
it happens every time we talk, and it's my fault
because you know I enjoy you. You know that I
think you're awesome and that I'm happy to do it anytime. Well,
(47:47):
I appreciate it. Um. Just what time are you guys
getting going on Thursday? People are gonna listen to this
either Wednesday night or Thursday morning before the coverage. What
time are you guys on and where do you start?
Hen am Eastern time, UM seven Pacific and that is
on ESPN plus. People will complain because people will say
(48:09):
N plus, Well, it's it's four dollars. I think for
a month of of that and you can see everything, okay,
and it's a we're all, we're in a business, everyone's
trying their best. We're on ESPN Plus in the morning
and then at four Eastern I want to say it's
it's ESPN. So it's a combination from ten ten am
(48:29):
to ten pm Pacific, excuse me ten pm Eastern, so
twelve hours from ESPN Plus through ESPN you can see
all of the coverage of the PGA Championship. Then on
the weekend we're on the same deal ESPN Plus early
and then ESPN for a chunk of time. And of
course that's leading up to our friends at CBS covering
it over over the course of the weekend. Happy to
(48:50):
work with the Jim and Lance Barrow doing his last
p G A championship of his legendary career. So we'll
we'll be working up our butts off, but happy is
held be here and uh I hope folks enjoy watching
the first major of the year. Oh I I cannot
wait over under on diet cokes you drink per day,
what's the what are we setting the over under at Shane?
(49:10):
It's so bad, is it? Are you like? Are you
like double digits easily? Now? Yeah? Yeah, it's a bad
it's it's bad. Okay, it's okay. It's better this than
better this than party drugs. Like imagine if if if
every diet coke instead was like ecstasy, I would be
I really wouldn't have a problem. But it isn't. I'm
(49:31):
not taking twelve hits of ecstasy. I'm just drinking diet coke.
That's all it is. So it's it's a lot. That
would if you did the rolling his balls off, rolling
his balls off and he's calling the chip, except that
would uh that would you know what? Maybe my last one?
Maybe when I'm really old and I just want to
go out with a bag, We'll just, you know what,
(49:51):
maybe not. Let's pass on that and we'll talk. We'll
talk about it offline and we'll see you if you're
sitting in David Duval's lap at some point, we know
we know that's your last major change. Right If I'm
telling them you're the best and we're hugging each other. Yeah,
it's just the whole thing was going off the rails.
You're like, wow, Vanpel, that's what happened. How did we
end up talking about about exorbitant drug use at the
(50:12):
end of this Chane, how did that happened? It happens
at the forty five minute mark. Every time we always
get to drugs and then we go off. That's Scott Vampel.
You know where to find him. I don't need to
tell you where to follow on Twitter, but do do this.
Do yourself a favor. Subscribe to the podcast and listen
to the Chris Kirk episode because it is awesome and
it's powerful, and I promise you you will be done
with the episode and be a Chris Kirk fan for life.
(50:34):
That's Scot Vanpel. You're gonna see him a lot in
your TV this week. Thank you, Shane. We're gonna take
a quick break and be right back. That'll do it.
Hope you guys enjoyed the preview. Hope you enjoy the
coverage all week long on ESPN and CBS. I'm excited.
(50:57):
If you don't follow me on Twitter, I will be
you know, and annoying your timeline. I guess at Shane
Bacon uh and uh. And you can follow the Clubhouse
as well at the Clubhouse pod on Twitter, on Instagram.
I'm on Instagram on Instact, my picked videos won't upload correctly,
so I don't post as much as I do. But
that doesn't matter because we have a major and that's
(51:19):
what I care about. I hope you guys enjoy the coverage.
I hope you guys enjoy the week and uh and
we'll be back next week to talk about the PJA
Championship and to discuss who won the first major as
we roll right back into another one, because that's what's
gonna happen, and that is what the season is about.
Thanks so much for listening. You are why we do this.
(51:47):
The Clubhouse was Shane Bacon as a production of I
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Welcome to the Clubhouse with Shane Bacon, a production of
I Heart Radio. Welcome to the Clubhouse with Shane Bacon.
I am your host, Shane Bacon. I know it's a
little late for a typical PGA Championship preview, but when
Scott Van Pelt agrees to jump on for a few
(00:22):
minutes and a few minutes turn into forty five, you say, yes, absolutely,
let's get this out in any way possible. And so
that's what you're listening to. Scott is one of the
greatest guys in all of sports, and I'm excited to
watch him over the next four days of this PJA
Championship on both the ESPN and CBS. I can't believe
we have major championship golf. Finally, I am currently looking
(00:43):
up to the sky because for some reason, I believe
that the heavens have something to do with golf. Uh
and sometimes they do, I think sometimes mostly they don't.
I sometimes look there and shake my fist when the
ball doesn't go in for a hole in one, but
that's a whole another story. PGA Championship week. Very very excited.
I will be online all week, probably too much, if
(01:03):
you will, um on Twitter at Shane Bacon just following
along and having a little bit of fun with it
and uh. And then on Sunday night, if you don't
listen to my other podcast to get a Grip with
Max Homer and Shane Bacon, we'll have a full recap
recap including obviously you know, firstame experience from a guy
in the field and Max. So that's that. Let's get
to Scott back in the clubhouse Scott Van pelt Over
(01:25):
at ESPN. Scott has a podcast I mentioned last time
he was on. It's called the s V Pod. And
since this is a golf group, I just wanted to
point people out to a particular episode. It's titled Addiction
Recovery Victory and it was with Chris Kirk and he
did it a few weeks ago and it's it's an
unbelievably powerful episode. And if you haven't listened to it,
(01:47):
or if you don't subscribe to the podcast, do both
of those things, because it is a great, great list
and it was it was one of my favorite podcasts
that I listened to kind of during the pandemic. Scott,
I thought it was it was really really unbelievable to
listen to open up. Well, thank you. And I mean
it was personal to me because, as I described in
the conversation with with Chris, you know, I lost my
(02:10):
father to to alcoholism, so I know what it is.
And um, I think that most people listening to he
and I and to you and I are are are
either you know, either in it or they're not too
many degrees removed from it. And so just hearing him
talk honestly about it and and just about how he's
managed it and how he's uh, you know, dealt with
(02:32):
it and came back and won. I don't know. I
just I loved it. And it was it's just cool.
It's it was neat that he was willing to be
so honest and um and and discuss it. So I
appreciate you saying that. And and uh, you know it
was I hesitate to ever say anything you and I
or any of us in our field. It was important
because mostly it isn't. But you know, it felt important
(02:54):
because somebody might hear that that's in in it and
maybe they say, well, let me try to get some
help here. So I appreciate you talking about it. Yeah,
when you go into you do a lot of interviews
and and you even said this to open the chat
with Chris and and I'm assuming you record all those
intros after you have the conversation with them. But you know,
you do a lot of interviews. You talked to a
lot of different people in sports and outside of sports.
(03:16):
When you get the feeling and you know this road
it's gonna go down how much? And I don't want
to say you're not involved in the silly interviews and
the ones that you're having fun with, but those conversations
are the ones that you're you yourself as the interviewer.
I just feel like your investment into it. You have
personal experiences you already talked about. You know, you walk
(03:37):
away from those as you I mean, you said they're
not important at times, you know, I feel like those
are some of the most important things people listen to
because it gives a look into the life of athletes
that maybe we don't always talk about. We're talking about
it more now than we ever did. But a lot
of the times we look on the screen and go,
I'd do anything to be this guy, you know, I'd
do anything to be this girl. And it it really
(03:59):
is I feel like it. It humanizes so many people
when they are willing to to be themselves in these interviews.
And I can only imagine when you know what's going
down that road, you know, it takes you to a
new level as well, sure, because it's it's and you
you're right that more now than ever, people are okay, Sam,
what's not okay? And and more honest about that. And
(04:22):
when you go into a conversation knowing what the ground
you're going to cover is and knowing it, it's pretty heavy,
and then it's okay to be vulnerable than if someone
is willing to be honest and share his story that
I'm not afraid to share mine, particularly because it's there's
similarities there, so you know, it's, uh, look what we're lucky.
(04:42):
We mostly get to talk about about games and scores
and all that stuff, and I enjoy that. But these
are human beings doing it now. They play a different
version of the sport that you and I love than
than we are able to when you more than me.
But again, just to your point, here's a guy, you know,
four time winner on tour, been in a President's Cup team,
(05:03):
like he made it. He was the glib in the life.
And it's like you know, and he's in a hotel
like I'm in right now, staring at a mini barn,
you know, how to come to Jesus. And good for him,
thank god, he did absolutely well. I wanted to analogize.
I've been trying really hard to figure this out how
we went from zero sports to this, and I feel
(05:25):
like now, especially on the West Coast. I know you're
an East Coaster and you're on the West Coast this week,
but you know these basketball games are coming on at
ten am. It feels like March madness to go from
no sports to everything you have now, especially for you
who does the nightly show, you know, five days a week,
and I mean you have to talk about something. What
(05:46):
has your life been like since sports has returned and
giving you, you know, all of the amount you can
talk about and more at times. Well, I mean it's
I'm excited for it. I'm grateful for it, because we
did sixteen weeks of Sports Center after gobert tonsted Positive
with no sports and let me tell you, um, I mean,
(06:08):
I don't want to meddle. I don't want to meddle,
and I don't want anyone's pity. I steal money most
of the time. Doing it, but we worked at it
for those same weeks. I'll assure you we we worked
at it because my goodness, there's uh, you know, I'm
a bi esser, but at some point you run out
of that. UM. But I've been off. This is the
(06:29):
first time I've worked since the early July because typically
this time of year, Shane, I, you know, I tap
out after the after free agency in the NBA playoffs
are done. So this is a scheduled break for me
in advance of UM, I wouldn't have been working now,
I'd still be off, but the p GA went from
May to here, and here I am. But when I
get back from this event, my family and I are
(06:50):
actually moving back home to where I'm from in Maryland,
and once the dust settles there will be back at
it with Sports Center from d C. And I'm just
so grateful to have all of these different things that
that's I guess that's the get back here, right, is
that for all that time we didn't have anything, and
it's gonna happen now in golf. Um, you didn't get
any majors, and now we're gonna cram a whole bunch
(07:11):
of big time stuff in a small window and the
idea that you've got, as you say, like noon tips
in the NBA and and early Stanley Cup playoffs one
of my favorite things every year. And you know, as
you and I talk right now, I'm watching some and
and you know, these these these bubbles. I give all
the leagues, all the cred in the world. I give
the PGA Tour and j Monahan all the cred in
(07:32):
the world. They've they've figured it out, and they've done
collectively an exceptional job trying to do it. It's hard
to do anything right now, but good on all of
them for trying to get these uh these events in
because people love the distraction and and certainly in my case,
I mean it's it's what I do. So I'm grateful
(07:52):
for anything you mentioned Golf specifically, Obviously we're gonn talking
about the PGA Championship, but you know, this is a
cram schedule. Jim Nance earlier this week said, you know,
he calls this the greatest stretch of golf in the
history of the game. We're about to embark on with
this PJA Championship and then you know, major after major
after major. I believe this is the most anticipated major
(08:12):
Championship since the Tiger Slam potential at the Master's back
in oh One. I mean, does it feel like that there?
I know there's no fans. I know people aren't out
on the golf course all hyped up. But do you
get the sense and meetings and talking to players and
being out that there at a new level of excited
to get a major going considering all that's gone down
(08:34):
the last few months. I do, And I think I
think Shane, I think we can we can all get
um caught up in in you know, paying attention to ratings.
And I've always been one that says like, if I
do the show at midnight Eastern and if we have
a fun show, a good show, if it rates well, great,
(08:57):
But that doesn't mean it was a good show because
it rates well. If a lot of people watch it
and the show sucked, and that's a shame we had.
We allows the show it too many people saw it. Um.
But what I'm getting at here is that the PGA
tour has done had a um a bunch of eyeballs
on it. And I think you've got a lot of
fun young players, and you've got the guy that isn't
(09:17):
the doesn't move the Needlely is the needle. You've got
Tiger back in a place where he's played well, and yeah,
I mean all of this is a is a way
to get to the sense I think that everyone has. Uh, Look,
we're here, and I don't I'm not saying we being
the media, make the ESPN or CPS we make it
a big deal. But we're all here and we're all
so excited to be because none of us have been
(09:39):
you know, outside of nance like CBS, this group hasn't
been out on the road at all, and they're all
here and so just I think the fact that that
we're all kind of getting back to it and that
this and I'll say this, this golf course plays a
big role in that. Honestly, I think there's a there's
a whole lot of respect for it and on a
happiness that they get to be you know, this age.
(10:00):
Because as you'll hear, if you play like announcer being
going you take a shot, every time someone mentions that
was a parking lot for the US Open, you will
be hammered. Um, don't do that. Don't gonna come up.
That's gonna come up. I mean, and it should. I
just think it's a cool deal that, hey, this golf
course was kind of left to to fall into disrepair,
but now it's been shined up and as a major
(10:23):
venue itself. So yes, all these things conspire to to
make it a sense of real anticipation and excitement and
um and I think I think this course is gonna
identify the kind of person that that, you know, the
major you'd want a major to to sort of say, hey,
you're the guy this week. I don't see how it
(10:45):
will be anybody other than somebody that plays a real
good golf and and for you, a guy that does
work at night, late night on the East Coast going
to the West Coast, having to do work super early
in the morning, this is you might as well have
flown to Australia. I just feel like you're in a
time clock. I mean, I'm suing now, you're fine, but
you know, getting up at what time you're gonna have
to wake up on Thursday for five six am to
(11:07):
get going. I mean it's gonna be a different early
It'll be well, it'll be early. I mean, look, we're
between ESPN and ESPN. Plus man, we got we got
first tea shot to last part where if it's onward,
I mean, if they're playing, we're talking about him, so
it'll be early. But you know, the the one good
thing about not having been doing this show for a
while and having little kids, uh and you know about
(11:27):
it these days, I mean you the days is sleeping
in and whatever. Those are long gone, so it had
I've actually been up early every day, which has been
better uh than you know, if you look, the alarm
is gonna go off early Thursday morning, but like, so
be it. This is one of those first night before school,
the night the night before the first day of school
kind of the other it's hard to sleep at all,
(11:47):
just because you just like, let's go, yeah, lay the
outfit out and be ready to rock with it and
just have already tied. You know. By the way Singer
used to get our stat guy to tie his tie.
He would always get that that was what he would do,
and I'd always go, you know, you're poulaising you don't
let's tell you to tell you got you got our
guy over here doing it. But yeah, you talked about
the time you guys are on air. I mean I
(12:09):
was gonna a joke that you might have a cot
in the booth. What is going to look different for
you doing this, you know, with you know, COVID and
the pandemic and social distancing and everything you guys are
doing personally for you, what's it gonna look different than
opens you've done in the past, And what will it
look different for the viewer watching from home that might
(12:30):
see something that would have been that would have been
different if the p g A obviously had been held
when it was gonna be help. Hopefully, the goal, I
think Shane would be that it won't feel much different
at all. I mean, and I that's what That's what
I've largely sensed from from the work that CBS has done,
and they've done a really really nice job because it
(12:51):
hasn't you know, it hasn't been like a glaring sort
of oh that feels weird or looks different. I mean,
and luckily golf as a televised sport doesn't mean sure
it was strange like Memorial for for example, like at Merefield,
not to have twenty thousand pretty well oiled people on
that hillside watching Justin and Morricwa make those pots. I mean,
(13:14):
it would have been a totally different scene with with fans,
but in terms of of what will the only real,
the only real I guess difference is that when we
swap out with CBS, because we were work in conjunction
with uh, you know, Jim Nance will come into the
tower when we vacate, there's a period of time there
(13:37):
where everything that is at that desk is is cleaned,
just to make sure, you know, we're following the safest
sort of protocols that are in place. So I guess
there might be a chunk of time where and I
don't even know necessarily now how we do that line
change frankly, um, but other than maybe a small window
(13:58):
where there's announcer of golf or something, I don't know how,
and that probably won't will be seamless as well, because
I'm sure you know, Sean mcdonnough and Bob was Shusan
and Dave Fleming in the various towers will just continue
on calling the golf. We could just swap about kind
of one at the time. But I mean, you know,
and you would get this because you've done it. But
(14:18):
I mean, you're you're you're in a tower on eighteen,
you're looking up, You've got all the monitors, you've got
all the computers. I mean, there's there's nothing other than
you know, sitting a bit further apart from David, maybe
than I would have otherwise, but what I could use
in my lap in years, Um, it should mostly be
as it's been, I think, and I hope, Yeah, it's
it's been. To your point earlier, it has been unbelievably
(14:41):
comfortable watching sport. I feel like of the sports I've watched, baseball,
just because of the stadiums, has felt maybe the least normal.
The bad. The NBA thing is unbelievable. I I turned
on a Laker game a couple of days ago, and
you know, they have the they have the basically the
logos and everything on the on the court. I thought
(15:04):
I was watching an old game. I thought they had
had some sort of delay or something. I mean, that's
how real the NBA has felt when we've got a
chance to watch it. And golf, as you said, outside
of fans, you know, screaming and hollering and and bob
Ba booeing. I mean, we're not really getting much different
than what we've seen, and we're still getting unbelievable golf
and great reactions. So it's been fun. The one thing
(15:25):
I feel like we haven't seen is a lot of
Tiger Woods. I mean, you know he's there. This week,
we saw him play the Memorial. Have you got a
chance to to talk at all with them? And where
do you feel like he's at headed into the week?
We uh we chatted briefly on the on the putting
green um on Wednesday, and it's it's so funny how
(15:45):
and I mean we've known each other a long time. Uh,
and you know, it's the same conversations I've had with
David Duval, who's gonna be uh by my by my side,
uh six ft apart uh and the booth. You know,
when you've known each other for a while, I'm a
conversation are just different. And so when I see him,
like the conversation is, I asked, immediately, how's Charlie swing?
(16:08):
Because he wants to talk about his boys swing more
new more than he's interested in talking about anything else.
And you know, it's it's immediately about families and how
everybody's doing. And he was out there doing like a
little one hitted putting girl. He's got a different putter,
which is always you know, in his case, it's actually
worth mentioning just because he's one about eight billion dollars
without other Scottie. Um. But I mean I wouldn't pretend
(16:33):
to know. I didn't get into anything other than just
how you're doing and how you're feeling, and you know
it's I mean, he's never in the history of me
knowing him, has never once been like, oh I feel
like crap and I'm gonna shoot a Hunters, you know
what I mean. Like it's it's always it's always frame
through a lens of everything's great, which is why to
(16:54):
a degree I don't even bother asking. Um, I think
really he's the he's the wild card and the whole thing,
because who the hell knows when you got a back
that's that that isn't is fused together and you're out
here and let me say it is cold, man. It's
that San Francisco cold that gets in you and you
(17:15):
can't get can't get loose, and you just feel like
it's in your bones and the winds blowing and it's
hard to get loose. And we saw an impact him
I think last year three of the major championship venues, um,
you know, as opposed to say Memphis, where it's ninety
five and you can just you know, three swings and
you're good. So I haven't got a clue what to
(17:36):
reasonably expect now. Like most courses he's played in his
in his you know, incredible career, he's got history here.
You know, he's most places in Riviera. I think that's
the only place I can think of where he's played
a bunch at one. You know he's one here, So okay, cool,
But that was a long time ago, you know it was,
It really was. I mean a lot a lots of
(17:57):
the routings different, um lot about it's different. And yet
and again you know this better than me as as
a player. I think when you show up somewhere where
you've played well or in his case one, I mean
whether the routing is different or you've still one here,
you know what I mean, Like you've got a frame
of reference that nobody else has got other than Rory.
And he won here when it was a match place.
(18:18):
So um, you know, this is just a lot of
words where I could just say, man, I don't know,
I really don't know what to expect because I don't,
And in in a way it's intriguing. I think it
actually makes it more interesting. If Tiger would have played
five events and we've just seen the good and the
bad and the ugly from him coming in, we'd have gone, well, well,
we'll kind of know after Thursday. And I feel like
(18:40):
this is almost like two thousand ten Masters, where a
you're just excited that he's out on the golf course
again and be you've I feel like, you know, reading
Bob out there doing a great job for you guys
on the website and and following him through the weekend
and all the prep that looks like has gone into
the golf course. To me, it looks like a tiger
(19:01):
that is circling some events knowing that if the good
Tiger shows up, he's got a real good chance to
win a couple of majors. In two thousand twenty when
it maybe looked like we weren't going to have majors
at all. Well, I don't know if I agree about
having a real good chance, but I agree for sure
that he's he's clearly clearly rationing, you know, the powder.
(19:25):
He wants to have as much dry as much dry
powder as he can have for the events that he
that he cares about. And it's just my sense. This
is not an informed opinion, but it's my sense that
there are no events, including the FedEx Playoffs, because he
doesn't need the money. There are really no events that
(19:46):
matter to him other than here, uh wingfoot and Augustine
in November. Um, that's it. I mean, that's that's is
that in the playoffs ever again, they really don't matter
again to him? Um, so I don't. He wouldn't even
be in him unless he played well this week. So
um yeah, I think I think that's It's the intrigue
(20:08):
part those is Spottling obviously, I mean, he's he nobody
else is like him. Yeah, he's the need As you said,
he is the needle. Is a question I heard on
a couple of my buddies other golf podcast on the
Shotgun Start. They were talking about player that needs this
the most. Is there someone that kind of pops into
your brain as somebody that really needs a major title,
(20:30):
needs this major title, maybe more than than everybody else
in the field. That's an interesting one. I mean, I mean,
I'll say a couple of names that immediately come to mind,
and need is is a is We could debate that
the definition of need. I think I think speech needs
to play well on the weekend. Um, We've we've seen
(20:52):
him shoot some really good Thursday Friday scores really good
and then all of a sudden on the weekend he's
real ordinary. And um, you know he went through that
stretch where he made every twenty ft or he looked
at not eight ft and that does not continue. Um,
and it's been it's you know, I think you get,
(21:13):
you get to a certain place where you win. I mean,
he looks he's he's one. He's this shy of the
Grand Slam. So I don't say he needs this for
the Slam. I'm saying he just needs to play well
because he hasn't played well on the weekend in a while.
And then I'm I just wonder about Rory. I mean
at some point, you know, because he's won, he won
(21:34):
the Players, because he won the playoff, and you're like, oh,
yeah he did, didn't Yeah he did. He's won big events,
but he hasn't won a major since fourteen and his
good as you know, talk to anybody out there in
the range, like if everybody played their absolute best, who's
is the scariest? People tell you it's Rory. DJ would
get a bunch of votes. Um, you know, Tiger, prime Tiger,
(21:58):
but I don't know that he's you know, the same
as he was when he was that guy. But people
will say Rory at his best is spooky when he
hits it straight and starts making cuts and starts that
little bounce when he's walking off tease man, he can
run away. It's interesting with Rory. Is I feel like
you I mean, you said it is. You know, it's
a storyline in golf that I almost feel like is lost.
(22:20):
I mean, this guy is I would say, I mean,
I think arguably the best player of this generation, kind
of post Tiger, post Phil, and it's been a it's
been a long time since he won a major title.
And I feel like the two names you mentioned in
Jordan's Speed and Rory, who were one and two of
this next generation, are almost kind of coming into this
under the radar. I mean, the conversations are about Keepka,
(22:43):
they're about Justin Thomas and then everybody else. And I
feel like, you know, you're kind of losing the storyline
of of of a guy that could complete the career
Grand Slam, which is wild, and it's not being talked
about at all. And then Rory, who could finally win
another major? What what other names were said? Because I'm interested?
Didn't who like just I mean again, maybe you know
how you playing needs like you need one because you
(23:04):
haven't won one, or in the case of the two
guys I'm talking about, you haven't in a while. Like
what other names came up? Well, I mean, Ricky is
one that I feel like will constantly get thrown into
this conversation. I mean, I know Ricky hasn't played his
greatest golf in this return, but you know, he's a
guy that if he won a major, would never get
asked about it again. And we've seen this with plenty
of guys. And you know, Sergio was famous for this
(23:26):
that every major he went to, it didn't matter what
he did. To your point about Rory winning the players
in the FedEx Cup, if Sergio done that, nobody would
ask him about that. They would ask him, you know,
is this the major You're finally gonna do it at?
And and so I feel like Ricky's always going to
be the top answer to that question. And I thought
another name that was thrown around that was very interesting
as Tony Fenwe. I mean, it's not that he hasn't
one of major it's that he hasn't really won, and
(23:48):
he's there every single weekend and if he somehow picked
off a PGA championship, all of that, he plays well
until Sunday stuff goes away. Yeah, and it's and he
was and I have I have a real blind spot
for Tony because it happened to think he's just the
best dude ever, unbelievable guy. Well, he's just such a
he's just such a good dude. And he was asked
about it and he was like, god, i'm my scoring
(24:09):
average actually, like he he had some way to frame
it positively, which doesn't surprise me. Uh, he's way too
good to to not play better. Um. I mean at
that stretch he was like four clear of Ramin, Like
in ten holes he was five back. I was like, what, Uh,
he's he's too good not to not to break through.
And and the Ricky thing. I actually spent some time
(24:31):
with him on I don't remember what day it was, Monday,
I guess, and I said, just without getting too technical,
how do you describe to me what it is you're
trying to do, Because he's working on he's just working
on trying to slow his hips down and everything with
him his timing, and he's trying to get it to
a point where it's not as timed in his swing.
And I get it. I get messing with it to
(24:51):
a degree. But I also think that when you're is
good as Ricky, I just I just think and you'd
know because again more than me, because as a player,
like trying to change anything's hard. Because I said, do
you trust it yet? And he's like, well, I went
from like no good rounds to a good round and
then not a good round too, Like I had really
pretty three pretty good rounds in Memphis. I just said,
(25:13):
Saturday I didn't make any putts and then Sunday it
just got a bad start. But I mean, it's it's interesting,
you know. I think he's searching some you know, you're
trying to figure out, well, how can I get more
consistent and making it less timing and more sort of
the whole body rotation. Um, it was the way I
understood it as he described it. But yeah, of course,
I mean until you were win one, everybody's gonna gonna
(25:34):
test to you about it. I mean, and he frankly,
I think needs to win more in general, you know,
just for the star rep he has. He doesn't have
as many wins as as he you know, as he could.
We're gonna take a quick break and be right back.
(25:55):
Well somebody that hasn't played great in major championships thus
far in his career and somebody I'm very excited to
ask you about. What was your first thought when you
saw Bryson in person? What was your what was what
was it? What was like? What what went through? Because
I mean, I know I can only imagine you were
really excited about it, because I would be excited to
see him in person. He's just enormous man. Like it's
(26:17):
just it's it's just, it's just it's just and I
mean like I'm I mean, I'm a big person. I'm
I'm I'm six six and I'm bigger than most. But
like he's he's big and like, uh wow, that freaking
dudes big man. And the funny thing with him is
a tour players or tour players like you know that
I can do what you can do. I mean, I
(26:39):
had a player I won't name him, but he's just
like if you've see the guy hit the driver and
I said I have not, and he said just stick around,
like he said, it's a circus. And I had another
player as a walking during a practice trint he goes, man,
what he's doing, all credit to him, it's astounding. Like
we were on the par five four and when people
watch this this week, it's a downhill six seven yard
(27:01):
part five and there's this big ash tree in the
middle of the left hand part of the dog leg
and the guy said he's gonna hit it over that
tree and he helped. He he had hit a really
good drive on the on the hale and he said
he'll be seventy yards beyond where I am right now.
And he's a topic of conversation, Like, guys are just
(27:22):
blown away by what he's done. David Duvall, she was
gonna make this point a telecast. He's like, he's proven that,
like increasing your swing speed is not a god given thing,
it can be a learned, slash taught thing. You can
do it. He proved you can do it. Um. And
so I waited patiently on the range to see the
(27:43):
circus and he got all jammed up with his wedge
in the path of his wedge, and God only knows
what physics he was trying to figure out, and I
finally had stuff to do, so I left. So I
didn't see him hit the driver on the range, but
I did see Dustin Johnson go through working on a
little cut. And my god, if you've never seen him
hit a driver person, it is a different sound coming
(28:03):
off the face of the club. So he's the guy
who put his one aid to du Shambo with that club.
Just as an aside. But what I what I I mean, Look,
I'm fascinated like anybody because I'll tell you right now,
there's if he hits it straight out here, then he's
got a chance to do what maybe only he can do. Uh,
and that's like have little flip wedges into some long
park fource and like have a seven iron into a
(28:26):
six hundred yard hole. If if he's able to hit fairways, um,
because he just he does what no one else is doing.
And and I feel like, and you know this better
than I, but what other sport can someone change the
biggest macho factor there is? You know, you think about
(28:47):
a football player that if you're a receiver, you're the
fastest receiver. I mean, there's not really anything to make
up for in speed. If you're the strongest linebacker in
the league. You know, you're just stronger than everybody else.
I mean, people are intimidated by your muscles and and
how big you are and the hits you can put
on people. Baseball, you know that if you're throwing at
one oh two, you know there's a guy that's throwing
(29:08):
at ninety five. He's not hitting one oh two. He's
just not. And I feel like in golf and this
guy in particular, he found a way to jump past
so many guys that are known for their distance and
become the longest hitter on tour. I mean, I don't
know if this happens in other sports. I'd love to
hear your thoughts on that it doesn't. And I think
(29:30):
that's a great point and the only the only thing
I could equated to. And you started to you touched
on it about about like if you threw one oh two, Like,
no one's ever done what he's done in terms of
increasing their distance off the tea buy as many yards
as he has ever um. I mean he went he
increased his driving average by like fifteen yards um in
(29:52):
a year, which as again on the top end, like
maybe a yard or two, but not right I mean,
that's just it doesn't make it's And the only thing
I could say is if a guy like say, we're
all this chatman, like he can hit one o two,
maybe one oh three, depending on what the gun is,
Well if he shows up and all of a sudden
like he's hitting one oh six one oh seven, well,
now you're doing things that that aren't done no no
(30:16):
one else can do. And it seems that Deshambo has
has done that. Like I guess he had the track
man out the other day and you know, said he
got his ball speed up to two oh two, and
I think that's that's the threshold that he's trying to
get to his like two hundreds. But he also sit
the other day Shaney wants to live to be I
can't think of anything that would be worse than that.
(30:37):
All the people you care about would be dead and
you just be a wrinkly old prune. And you know what,
we just went through two thousand twenty and then you're
probably gonna have a couple more of those. We're all
through as well. If you get to one thirty, I'm out.
I don't want to do it. In me like eight
ninety and healthy and I'm pretty happy with that. I'll
be good with that. I want to squeeze in some
good years. Enjoy the enjoy the ride. But you know,
(30:59):
at some point, you know, I'll get off the ride.
Around before one thirty. I'm gonna go ahead and get
asked the waiter for the bill. Yeah, I'm I'm out.
You're a guy that that loves loves sport, loves rivalries.
How bummed are you that we didn't get Keptka Bryson
first two rounds? I thought we were gonna I was
convinced of it. I thought so too. I heard some
(31:19):
shatter about too that you know that uh you know,
I mean I never know for sure if what the
truth of it is, but I mean I was I
was under the impression I'll just leave it like that,
that that that that neither side had any issue with it,
like five, do what you want, put us together. But
I mean, look, you put you put Kepka and Lowry
(31:40):
and uh Woodland together. I mean, you've got a uh,
you've got a major championship pairing trio. And I don't
know what quibble you could have with that. Um, I
think that I think it's great for golf that Kepta
in particular, is more than willing, uh enthusiastic even to
(32:00):
participate in the barbs back and forth. I mean having
a couple of young stars and one guy that's hitting
it eight miles and the other guy that's like, yeah,
I mean, I've got a pile of majors over here,
Get get at me when you have one, when you
can finish in the top ten and one. He hasn't
said that. I'm saying he could if he chose to.
I think it's I think that's fun, Like add a
(32:22):
little W W E to the mix. Um, you know
it's it's it's good for the game to have, you know,
a little a little smack talk, because God does it
happens in at every level of why shouldn't happen at
the highest level. You know you're you're one of your
jobs this week is to know info on the players
and to be ready in schooled. I know you are.
How much research is done on the p g A
(32:43):
professionals And considering the amount of time you guys are
gonna be on television, do you have a plan to
kind of show everybody the first two days try to
get everybody on the telecast at some point. Yeah, And
I mean there's there's the they're calling them the twenty
like that's sort of the hag tang and the the
way that we're framing it because you've got twenty guys
(33:04):
that are that are p GA professionals that are in
and I've I've talked to a bunch when they've been
out there on the uh you know, during practice round.
You know that that's that to me, that's the most fun.
Like to me, like I love Thursday through Sunday, don't
get me wrong, but Monday through Wednesday, particularly this week
because it's just so different, has been just great fun.
You wander around, you meet met a guy from Maine,
(33:25):
met a guy that's the pro a Trump National and
and down in the DC area where I'm gonna be
going soon and naturally ingratiating myself so that might be
able to get out in place in free golf. Got
to do that. But I mean, but what and you
you all did, um what certainly what we tried to
do as well when we were the ones covering the
U S open. I mean, tell the story of the qualifier,
the story of the person that that got through sectionals
(33:48):
and some insane like eight way playoff and made a
birdie at dark and whatever. Well, you know these guys,
and there's a couple of guys uh that have you know,
made cuts and whatever else. I mean, Um, what I
was saying that these players is, hey, man, obviously have fun.
But look, I mean, t shoot a number man, Someone's
gonna little Man wins on Sunday, I mean, what the hell?
(34:10):
And I think all these guys, uh have have a
real understanding of who they are and what they are,
and they represent proudly their clubs from back home, and
and they've got all the people back there pulling form.
I just will we will. We will absolutely share the
stories and the details of them as as you know,
(34:30):
as is as is reasonable to do. But but they're
definitely part of the story in the in the same
way the qualifiers are. I shouldn't say that that's not
the same way of qualifiers are because these guys, these
guys have earned their way in and their prosum But
it's the same idea, which name are you most excited
about pronouncing during the week and which name is still
(34:52):
giving you fits in term of how in terms of
how to say it, or do you feel like you're
pretty pretty locked in. I will only call jazz jazz.
That's who I thought I had that written down anyway,
that that's a tough one. No, it's not a tough one.
It's an impossible one. And I will call I will
call jazz jazz and only jazz. Um. There's there's a
(35:14):
there's a I'm trying to think if I should tell
this story or not? How do I? Um, can I
tell it? I think I can tell it? Well, I
mean it happened, it happened on TV. I won't identify
the broadcaster there somehow or another, Thomas Bjorne turned into
Bjorn Borg for one of our colleagues, and um, so
(35:34):
I'm trying to figure out how I can work Bjorn
Borg into the telecast. But I mean jazz Johnnah Watton
on non is essentially I think I think I said
it correct. But I think I would just go with jazz. Yeah,
it's it's just make it like share it and you
knew what that's a great that's all you need. It's jazz,
like you don't need anything better. That's an unbelievable athlete.
(35:57):
Like if his first name was if his first name
was for it, it would be harder, like, yeah, there's
old Fred, but it's jazz Like it's like like get
jazz out there with the with the little club to world.
Go ahead, jazz, right, I mean you could you could
just sort of pass it off and let it drift
into the ether online. You had h I saw an
ESPN dot com you have. Xander's your pick. It's a
(36:18):
great pick. I did I contend he is the most
underrated player in golf and I and I feel like
he just his resume says exactly that any particular reason
outside of the fact that he's unbelievable that you went
with him. Anytime we're asked to pick, I always just
give a kind of a flippant sentence, because I mean,
the idea that you can identify who's gonna win a
in a field of a hundred and fifty some Odor
(36:40):
sixties of whatever it is people is preposterous. Hell, it's
hard to pick the winner of the super Bowl. There's
two teams. So you know, I think I said Xander
because I don't even remember what do I say? But
I'll tell you what I think, and that's that I
think winning majors is largely a it's a process it is.
It is becoming comfortable, not making it more than it is,
(37:07):
and being there with opportunities to do it. And he's
done all those things. He's gotten out here. He clearly
knows he's one of the best in the world. I
think he's ranked just outside the top ten. I want
to say it's eleven. I mean, it does fluctuate. But
whatever he's ranked, he's he's he's that he's on that
list of guys that if he won, in no way
would it seem um like an accident. It would seem
(37:32):
entirely appropriate. And I think he, like out here, long
is really good off the tea, but it's not as
it's not as good as straight And I just I trust,
I trust him to to to put the ball in
play and to shoot numbers. And I just think that
guys like, you know, guys of his talent are are
(37:55):
just bound to win one eventually. But you know that
the thing about this is that and we had this.
We always seems like this conversation always comes up. And
I actually had it with David Dubald. David Dubald won one. Now,
granted he was porn at the wrong time because there
was a guy that was winning, you know, all of them,
but like Dustin Johnson has one. You know, just Justin
(38:17):
Rose has one, um it, Jason Day has one, and
and in no way am I diminishing who they are
as players. I think the point is like one's kind
of a lot, especially one's yes, exactly, one's hard to
get because like when Shane Lowry wins at Port Rush
(38:39):
last year ago, Yeah, you know, that's not that's not
that's not out of hand. I mean, that's that's sure.
I mean he's got the goods to do it. And
and here's the thing, when it was his time, when
it was his time to stand there and and and
you know, deliver, he did and the guy and when
you don't that that can haunt you forever. Like I've
I've said that this is a hundred times, Like I've
(38:59):
been convinced Justin was gonna win the Masters, Well he
might have had his time and and Searedio won it instead.
And you know Greg Norman was supposed to win it.
How many times, David Duvall was supposed to win it,
Ernie else was supposed to win it. They never did.
So I guess what I'm saying is when it comes
to majors like and and right now for for sure.
The list of guys that if you said he's it,
(39:19):
I'd go, yeah, okay, it feels longer than I can remember,
you know, yeah, I mean Xander. I was looking this
up because I liked your pick so much. I didn't
steal it. I picked Tiger just because I thought it
was funny. I never picked Tiger, but I saw I
saw you tweet that. I'm like, good for you. Yeah,
just's I never tweeted I. Of course, I never picked
him ever. Ever. Ever. I didn't even pick him when
he was winning them all, just because it was just
(39:40):
such a it was such a homer pick, you know.
I I like Duke this year. You know, people roll
their eyes at you, like a portion, but the way
to go. Zander five top six finishes in his eleven
major starts thus far in his career. Tiger starts his
pro career three top six finishes and his first eleven majors.
Rory had four top six is in his first eleven majors. Now,
(40:03):
they both had a win one of their top six finishes,
but it just shows how Impressivesander has been early on.
I mean, he's he's been in contention in these situations
a lot more than a lot of other players you
expect to be there. You know, Justin Thomas, who is
the best player in the world and has one a
major title, has one top five and a major. That's
it and it was the win. So Zander is a
(40:25):
guy that has been on the train tracks a lot
and eventually the train's gonna hit you. Yeah, that's that's.
That was it. I mean, it's it's sometimes I mean, look,
you're guessing, but I mean you can at least make
an informed guests. And I think I saw you tweeted
out the thing about Nicholas that that wanted the Major.
Isn't that the dumbest thing you've ever seen. It's the
(40:47):
dumbest thing I've ever seen, is that that run for Nicholas.
It just is preposterous. How do you not have a
bad week, like one bad week in twenty years. I
just that is you know, when you look at Tiger
and you look at Jack And I've always said this,
you know, I'm a guy that gets in my own
head when I am under the gun, especially in golf.
(41:10):
You know, I tried to play pro for a while
and it didn't work out, and I would get nervous
and I would I would overthink stuff. And that was
my problem. That was what I battled. I've never understood
how someone can go into an event the favorite, favored
by everyone, media, other golfers, you know, casual sports fans
go into it and still when you know, I just
(41:32):
find that so impressive. And Jack did it for twenty
five years, you know, I mean every single major he
was there and and it's i mean, go look at
the tweet because I don't know the numbers, but the
winds are obvious, but the seconds and thirds are just
it's like, I mean, it just is it makes no
sense at all, none that that you could be that
(41:52):
consistently brilliants and and you're in you're right, I mean,
especially when, um, the expectation is is such that you
can almost only fail, right, I mean, you're and Tigers
certainly dealt with that too. Um. But I mean, like
I got sitting next to David, and I'm so excited
to do it throughout these uh these these days that
we're out here. You know, he had to win to
(42:15):
a time there and he just very casually we were
walking the golf course on on Wednesday up. I was
asking about it. He's like, yeah, he said, I you
know you were at that. My first one that he
wanted was just in Williamsburg and he said that I
think I won like eleven thirty three, and he and
he just he said it, and he wasn't saying it
to be a jerky. It's well, I mean, it's the truth.
(42:35):
He was just reciting the fact. But imagine winning a
third of the golf tournaments you played over a thirty
three tournament span. Well, that's what Duval did. And you know,
I think that's what gives a guy a frame of
reference to to to weigh in when it comes to
anything that might come up out here, which is what
I appreciate so much. And he's also he's not afraid
(42:59):
to say, like not to be a jerik and not
to try to rip people. But I think it's hard
sometimes to be critical, and David's not critical in the
mean way. I think he just if he says something
that's not flowery, it's because it's what his eyes tell him.
It was. It was the Johnny Miller thing. You know,
people would would kind of bag on Miller. I thought
he I thought I thought he got it. I mean
I thought he was unnecessarily head people choked a lot,
(43:22):
bought bothered me at times. But my point on Johnny was,
you know when you were unbelievable, and you know, Johnny
and David Daval actually have a lot of similarities, you know.
I mean I think they people thought they might win
a lot more than they did. I mean, Daval had
a run, as you've mentioned, it was unbelievable. But I
always felt like Miller kind of was speaking like he
(43:45):
was observing, and at times it could get him in trouble.
But I I think, I think David does an unbelievable
job in the booth, and I think you're exactly right.
Sometimes it's helpful when they're honest because they're seeing what
they see as who they are. You know, he was
one of the best players, and I would listen to
be to be fair to Miller, like if if that's
if that's what he thought and that's what we wanted
to say, then like he he's earned the right to
(44:06):
say it. I and I just I just I personally
felt like there were times that it was unnecessarily harder.
There's a difference between saying you've got to be able
to make that shot and like ripping a dude. I
felt like there were times that you know that that
to me it felt harsher than it needed to. But
you know, maybe I'm asking for both things here. I'm
giving David credit for being honest and and then I'm
(44:29):
grading Miller harshly for being too harsh. But whatever I mean,
he I mean he had obviously had a hell of
a run in the booth for for NBC. Yeah, the
last thing, I have another podcast with my my buddy
Max Homer obviously in the field this week. I need
you to let's let's just see what strings are you
pulling to get Max on the coverage as much as possible,
(44:52):
because I know you're a fan of his as well.
I think he's awesome. Um, this is we are a meritocracy,
Jane Bacon. It is. It is very simple. It's hit
hit it in the fairway, hit it on the green,
make putt. Well, what do you know Max Holmes on
the leaderboard. I mean, I'd be thrilled to show Max.
It is entirely dependent on Max. Um, you know he's
(45:15):
going to pull the strings. Hit it, Tell him to
hit it, tell him to hit in the short craft
hit it on the green and then make putt. You know,
he's not gonna have to do anything to earn you know,
to earn our affection. I mean, I think he's a
as you well know, he is a great dude. And uh,
I'd love to see him play well here this week.
How many major has he been in? I think this
is his third or fourth, This is his second PG Championship.
(45:38):
He played and made the cut last year at beth
Page and uh, and yeah, I mean he's gonna be
in all the wins this year because obviously the win
and then he's played well. He definitely played unbelievable before
before the break. So uh, and we saw him play
well at the three m. You had correct me if
I'm wrong here, because this is me trying to use
my memory from god knows how long ago. I think
it was two thousand. I feel like you were doing
(46:00):
Sports Center and Tiger opened with something like sixty five,
and you were anchoring Sports Center and alphab Back then
it was alphabetical. I feel like now they put the
name up on top of who they want. But you
said it was like Kirk Triplet or something, and you said,
you know, Triplet just said he wanted to be on
top of a US Open leaderboard after one day, and
(46:22):
you said, sorry, man, And they went to the leaderboard
and it was Tiger six because I think they both
shot the same score. But I mean, again, this is
twenty years ago, but I feel like it was you
in there and you had such a great line of like, nah, man,
this is Tiger and his prime, we gotta show him
up top. If it was a good line and it
was me, and it was definitely, don't it might have been.
It might have at my long up enemy. Um. I
(46:45):
just it's so funny you mentioned Kirk Triplet. He did
we're in San Francisco and across across uh lake were
said at the Olympic Club. If you remember, this is
a long time ago, this is ninety eight. I'm taking
it back even further. It was there was that controversial
whole location on the eighteenth and uh Triplet putting it
up and started to roll back. He just went up
and stopped it. He just stopped it and took the
(47:05):
penalty in staid the hell with it like it was.
It was a bad whole location and uh and Triplet, Uh,
what is what disagregious as Michelson at Chinnikock, But it
was the same kind of deal. It was just if
the ball was going to roll back to his feet
and he decided no, it's not, No, it's not. But
that's a different story. So sometimes we all have enough,
especially on the golf course. But yeah, if if Max
is on there, you know, I mean, you gotta got
(47:27):
seeing him. You gotta love seeing he shaved the mustache.
It's a good thing. Oh, that was glorious. It was
a very few you could pull it off, and he
wasn't one of them. Scott. I appreciate I didn't mean
to take forty five minutes of your time, um, but
it happens every time we talk, and it's my fault
because you know I enjoy you. You know that I
think you're awesome and that I'm happy to do it anytime. Well,
(47:47):
I appreciate it. Um. Just what time are you guys
getting going on Thursday? People are gonna listen to this
either Wednesday night or Thursday morning before the coverage. What
time are you guys on and where do you start?
Hen am Eastern time, UM seven Pacific and that is
on ESPN plus. People will complain because people will say
(48:09):
N plus, Well, it's it's four dollars. I think for
a month of of that and you can see everything, okay,
and it's a we're all, we're in a business, everyone's
trying their best. We're on ESPN Plus in the morning
and then at four Eastern I want to say it's
it's ESPN. So it's a combination from ten ten am
(48:29):
to ten pm Pacific, excuse me ten pm Eastern, so
twelve hours from ESPN Plus through ESPN you can see
all of the coverage of the PGA Championship. Then on
the weekend we're on the same deal ESPN Plus early
and then ESPN for a chunk of time. And of
course that's leading up to our friends at CBS covering
it over over the course of the weekend. Happy to
(48:50):
work with the Jim and Lance Barrow doing his last
p G A championship of his legendary career. So we'll
we'll be working up our butts off, but happy is
held be here and uh I hope folks enjoy watching
the first major of the year. Oh I I cannot
wait over under on diet cokes you drink per day,
what's the what are we setting the over under at Shane?
(49:10):
It's so bad, is it? Are you like? Are you
like double digits easily? Now? Yeah? Yeah, it's a bad
it's it's bad. Okay, it's okay. It's better this than
better this than party drugs. Like imagine if if if
every diet coke instead was like ecstasy, I would be
I really wouldn't have a problem. But it isn't. I'm
(49:31):
not taking twelve hits of ecstasy. I'm just drinking diet coke.
That's all it is. So it's it's a lot. That
would if you did the rolling his balls off, rolling
his balls off and he's calling the chip, except that
would uh that would you know what? Maybe my last one?
Maybe when I'm really old and I just want to
go out with a bag, We'll just, you know what,
(49:51):
maybe not. Let's pass on that and we'll talk. We'll
talk about it offline and we'll see you if you're
sitting in David Duval's lap at some point, we know
we know that's your last major change. Right If I'm
telling them you're the best and we're hugging each other. Yeah,
it's just the whole thing was going off the rails.
You're like, wow, Vanpel, that's what happened. How did we
end up talking about about exorbitant drug use at the
(50:12):
end of this Chane, how did that happened? It happens
at the forty five minute mark. Every time we always
get to drugs and then we go off. That's Scott Vampel.
You know where to find him. I don't need to
tell you where to follow on Twitter, but do do this.
Do yourself a favor. Subscribe to the podcast and listen
to the Chris Kirk episode because it is awesome and
it's powerful, and I promise you you will be done
with the episode and be a Chris Kirk fan for life.
(50:34):
That's Scot Vanpel. You're gonna see him a lot in
your TV this week. Thank you, Shane. We're gonna take
a quick break and be right back. That'll do it.
Hope you guys enjoyed the preview. Hope you enjoy the
coverage all week long on ESPN and CBS. I'm excited.
(50:57):
If you don't follow me on Twitter, I will be
you know, and annoying your timeline. I guess at Shane
Bacon uh and uh. And you can follow the Clubhouse
as well at the Clubhouse pod on Twitter, on Instagram.
I'm on Instagram on Instact, my picked videos won't upload correctly,
so I don't post as much as I do. But
that doesn't matter because we have a major and that's
(51:19):
what I care about. I hope you guys enjoy the coverage.
I hope you guys enjoy the week and uh and
we'll be back next week to talk about the PJA
Championship and to discuss who won the first major as
we roll right back into another one, because that's what's
gonna happen, and that is what the season is about.
Thanks so much for listening. You are why we do this.
(51:47):
The Clubhouse was Shane Bacon as a production of I
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On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.