October 14, 2020 • 47 mins
In this episode of the Clubhouse with Shane Bacon, Shane is joined by PGA TOUR player, Justin Suh, to discuss his journey from college golf to the PGA TOUR. Justin talks about sponsor invites, the amount of pressure there is to perform as a young golfer, navigating a wrist injury and frustrations while trying to Monday qualify. Lastly, Shane gives Justin a geography quiz! Follow Shane on Twitter @ShaneBacon
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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, And We've got a
good one this week. I feel like I say that
every week, you know what I need to start doing.
If they're mediocre, I'm gonna say that we got an
(00:22):
okay one this week. We got a kind of a
crappy one this week, but this one is good. Justin
saw On Justin is a guy I met when he
was in college at usc and he was the number
one ranked amateur in the world. And he is a
really nice kid, bright, young kid with a ton of talent.
And he turned professional and was a part of kind
(00:42):
of a Miami Headion type of press conference to the
travelers with Matthew Wolfe and Victor Hoveln and Colin more Kawa,
kind of an introduction to the world for these star
studied amateur players that we're all going to turn professional.
And Justin his bat a little bit of injury and
has had to go through, you know, a different process
than some of those other guys have had to go
(01:03):
through as he has made his way in these professional ranks.
Just you know, a year and a half or so
into it, and uh, and the results have started to
come and it's been great to see. I think you'll
really enjoy the conversation. As I mentioned, he's he's a
great kid. And uh. And at the end, I make
them super uncomfortable with the with the quiz that I
throw his way, so you'll have to wait for that
at the end. Uh. I hope you're well. Hope you're
(01:25):
getting a chance to play a little bit of golf.
I know, and a lot of parts of the country
golf is going away and uh, and that's a bummer.
I just was up at Aaron Hills last week. Little
chili in Wisconsin if you go in late September early October.
But you know, we were we packed accordingly and uh
and had the beanies and the gloves and you know,
sweaters and was vest weather. It's all. It's you just
(01:48):
got to have a vest on no matter what the
temperature is, if it's cold, especially if you live in
a hot weather place like I do in Arizona. But
hadn't been up to Aaron Hills since basically I drove
away from our rental home back in you know, after
the US Open. I was. I did the interviews that
year for Fox and uh and for the US Open Championship,
and um, yeah, it was great to go back and
(02:08):
see it. I mean, it's always crazy when you see
a US Open golf course before the US Open, so
you know when we'd be up there for media day.
I went up there in two thousand and sixteen with
my dad to player and Hills and just get a
feel for that golf course late in that season. And
you go to Aaron Hills and you see the golf
course and it's spectacular, and then you get there for
US Open week and it almost doesn't even look like
(02:29):
the same place with all the tents and the grand
stands and and just everything. So it was nice to
get back to what Aaron Hills originally and kind of
usually looks like. And uh, it was. It was awesome.
It was championship worthy. It beat us up one day
with like thirty mile par hour wins. My gin app
added strokes. I've never seen that before. There's I think
(02:50):
it's called PCC where it's basically the conditions you play in.
It added three strokes to our score that day or
or I guess subtracted those from our score considering the
winds were up so high. And and yeah, man, that
is a That is a golf course that reminds you
how good the pros are because we definitely weren't shooting
you know, sixty three, like justin Thomas and uh and
there are places around that golf course where you see
(03:12):
what the pros did and what you do and it's humbling.
It's a reminder, but big thanks to Aaron Hills. That
place just awesome. Every time I go to Wisconsin, I'm
impressed and happy and excited to go back. It happens
when I go to Saint Valley or Aaron Hills or
or Blue Blue Mound, any place is always awesome. We
were there for for the for the Girls Junior last
(03:33):
year at Century World, and you know, I just I
just love the vibe in Wisconsin almost every time in
terms of the golf. The golf is great. It's chill,
it's relaxed, and it's beautiful. And I know the seasons
are short, but uh yeah, I had a great time
and my buddies did as well. And that putting course
Aaron Hills is next level. That's the best putting course
that I've been to yet. It's just it's perfect for
(03:53):
Aaron Hills. You don't necessarily want to go out after
playing eighteen holes on that golf course because it's a
it's a big golf course and it's a big walk
and when you get done, you just want to grab
a drink and go put And it's a twelve old
pudding course. That was excellent. So that's a that's a
that's an awesome addition to that place. But that's enough
for what I've been I've had going on. Not a
lot else, not a lot of golf happening. It's overseas
(04:14):
season in Arizona, so the clubs go away for for
a few weeks. Always kind of a good thing. Really.
It just reminds you that you actually can miss this sport,
you know, if you spend too much time playing it.
But yeah, let's let's get to the guest. Let's get
to our to our guests, Justin Suh, who was nice
enough to join us after a couple of great weeks
on the PGA tour, and we welcome into the clubhouse,
I think for the first time, Justin Suh. We haven't
(04:36):
done this before, right, No, first time first time, being
on first time, and also I'm happy to finally have
a guy on that saw my least graceful walk to
an opening tea shot in the history of my golfing career.
I I never knew we'd ever get to talk about
the time. I completely ate ate it walking to the
(04:56):
tempolar Riviera when we uh, when we played riv together
a few years ago. Yeah, that was scary. You had
a copy or something in one end and a bagel
and the other with the bag and you're walking down
like the slippery steps going down rim Like, oh no,
it was I remember I was so excited you, you
and I were. I think you were still at USC
and I was playing riv because we had the Amator
(05:18):
coming up there and I just had never been out
there before. I've never really seen the golf course, and
and you were, and you and I were like six
thirty in the morning, you know, first off, and we're
starting on ten, which isn't very intimidating at all. And
I just remember I fell my Mike did I did
the cleats right out from under me on the stairs.
I landed on my ass. I complete yard sale everywhere,
(05:39):
and all I was thinking was please, nothing be broken
because I really wanted to play, you know, I really
want to play the golf course. I know you got
a chance to play riv a lot. I've never got
a chance to do it. So luckily nothing was broken
and we got a chance to do it. But how
are things? How are you? Everything's good, man, everything's good. Um,
just just you know, just trying to navigate through this
whole pandemic just like everyone else. But man, I've been
(06:02):
I've been fortunate to get some good spots um into
some PGA events the past, the past month. I mean
the first one was that Ferry Cuta where Chris haff
got me in, and a couple of weeks ago it
was Punta kana Um with Jay Overton and now Patrick
Lyndia Shriners. So you know, I'm just so grateful that
these guys gave me a chance to a chance to
(06:22):
compete and for me to show what I've been doing
the past um past quarantine, just how much I've been
working in the game is finally coming up. Yeah, can
you walk us through something. I know you're new to
it as well, but we hear all the time about sponsors,
invites and spots into events and as somebody that's learning
this process as well. How does it work, you know,
(06:44):
for the for the novice fan that pays attention but
doesn't really know the intricacies of how maybe somebody gets
into certain events, you know when they don't have a
spot or they're not into it. How does that all work?
You know, relationships have a lot to do with it,
especially I mean coming out of college, they definitely take
a look at what you're ranking is which helped a
lot when me, Matt Colin Victim, We're getting all these
(07:07):
sponsor invites, um, right out of college. So I mean
I did, my dude, dilling, just I sent all my
emails very personal um and you know, like it's it's
it's really coming from the heart, because getting a sponsor
invite isn't something that that's you know, like giving very often.
It's very special to uh a tournament director to put
(07:28):
their trust in you and and see something where they
wanted you to play well and you know remember the tournament.
So it starts off by just sending the sending the emails.
You gotta you gotta communicate with them and kind of
create a creative relationship. Yeah, and I mean it's worked
out well, for you've got a lot of sponsors invite early.
You mentioned the press conference. I mean, well, you mentioned
the start with some of those names. You had a
(07:48):
press conference at the Travelers alongside Victor and more Cowan Wolf.
But I want to just talk right now about your
recent play, which has been great. Uh T fourteenth at
the crow as you finished eighth, which I believe is
your best finished on the PGA Tour at the Shriner's
last week in Vegas. I know the start to your
professional career might not have been not might might not
have gone the way you hoped it would, but I
(08:08):
feel like the game is where you maybe expected it
to be right now. What has kind of clicked for
you over the last few weeks? Yeah, I mean yeah,
Like I said, the start wasn't something that I was
I was I wanted. Um, it was a little rough
coming straight out of college. It was. There's a few
It was a stretch of week where I kind of
(08:29):
you know, knew where my wrist was kind of going.
I went through that wrist injury right out of college.
It was going from like Regionals to Nationals and flying
overnight to UH Memorial, playing in that rough and flying
over to back over to California, UM playing in like
a thirty six SOL qualify for USO because it was
just it was on my part and yeah, just just
(08:51):
playing a little too much of hitting weight too many balls,
trying to think I needed to do that to feel
comfortable out on the core. So the past, I mean
that last season and kind of it taught me a
lot and just how to navigate a week of a tournament.
And I mean I learned a lot. But now that
what click the last few weeks. It's uh, it's not
something that just happened overnight. It's been accumulating for the
(09:13):
past um half year where I started going back to
because I went back to Kelly, worked with my coach
Phil Johnson, UM figuring out this risk thing where I
can swing pretty aggressively at the ball and still not
have to deal with this issue. Um. But obviously, like
I mean, I haven't dealt with the risk, the risk
pain in such a long time. It's uh, it's just
something that was there for the few for the first
(09:35):
five or four stars on the on the PG eight,
which is rough, but coming back from that is it's
not easy. So I mean during quarantine and during during
the whole shutdown UM coach Sanbury. You know, I I
linked back with him and started working on our college
drills and working back with chemistro Duke, our sports psychologists,
And you know, it's just it's so satisfying when when
(09:57):
we put in that much work UM during technically the
off season just because no one was playing UM. Just
to see that hard work layoffs and in these last
few events us extremely gratifying. Yeah. And and you you
you touched a little bit on the wrist. Do you
mind just kind of expanding on what you've gone through
with the injury, because I know, I know it was
(10:18):
something that's just kind of lingkering. It seemed like the
moment you know, you threw on the professional gear, it
was like this wrist thing was just kind of lingering
in your life. Yeah. I mean I I really didn't
talk to too many people about it except for the
pp you guys in the in the PGA tour Van,
I'm working with them literally every tournament, I mean every day.
I remember even at Travelers, like I couldn't even hit
(10:39):
any balls. I just went out on the golf course
and think like, well, I should at least get as
many as many rests as I can't hitting a golf
ball on the golf course and I don't want to
just keep feeding balls in the arrange and make it
worse and worse. And the guys came to me or
like it, talk to me in the van and he said, yeah,
you're getting some tendonitis just from over over use. So uh,
(11:00):
I mean, for for the next three months or so,
I was icing it. I was icing it, stretching it,
doing some some strength, and they weren't on it just NonStop,
and and it was tough, just because like those tournaments
those the rough isn't thick out. It's not a joke
out on the PGA Tour. It's long, it's tough. So
being in the rough and you know, battling battling it
(11:22):
out on the golf course and trying to like you know,
not get re injured or make it worse, it was
just something where I just couldn't perform like where I
wanted to. It was always like like I like want
to hit this pool eight, but I should hit this
stop seven is set. There's just decisions like that that
made an uh made an impact in those first few starts.
(11:42):
But uh, yeah, I mean that's just something a lot
of a lot of athletes go through. But it was
just it was just unfortunate that was right out of college.
Golf is so weird now. I mean, you're you're you're
a young guy. I mean, you've been pro for for
less than a couple of years. You were number one
ranked emitor in the world. I mean, you had an
unbelievable college career usc I mean all these things, and
it was just now comes the professional turn. And what's
(12:05):
so interesting is maybe fift twenty years ago you had
a couple two or three years to just kind of
understand all the inner workings of what being a pro was.
I mean, it wasn't just this burst on the scene.
You gotta go win, You've got to do it right now.
How is that in your experience kind of changed because
(12:25):
I mean, there are press conferences for you to turn professional.
You're seeing your peers win on the PGA Tour. How
much pressure is there on a young guy like yourself
now to perform right away versus maybe what it was like,
you know in two thousand when guys were turning pro,
I wouldn't really say there's there's any more pressure, because, um,
(12:48):
that's something I like learned how to deal with, especially
in college when you get that number one ranking spot. Um,
I got to it my junior year, and you know,
it's it's it's all these influences that come out you
from different angles, where angles where other people have these
expectations of yourself. So when I was number one, then
you're expected to you know, they think, oh, you're gonna
(13:09):
win every event, but you just kind of learned how
to navigate through them through that. And I learned through
that in college. Um, so when I turned pro, it
didn't affect me much or even at all. It was
just something something I had to go go through. Um,
with that risk injury. It was just you know, just
that timing. But yeah, I mean it's just it was just, uh,
(13:31):
it was just I mean, now it's the expectation of
these young guys and I'm one of them right now.
To perform so quickly right out of college is uh,
It's it's exciting. Really is It's just so wild how
young golf is. I mean, you're you're living it, you're
seeing it. You're seeing it on Latino America. I can
only imagine. I mean, Corn Ferry PGA tour. It's young everywhere.
(13:54):
And the thing I feel like that's really switched is
we had young players that were great, and now we
have young players that could dominate. You know, that's really
the difference. Is I mean we're seeing I mean more
cow with Bryson. I mean, these guys are are are
guys you were competing against, and they've already won major
titles and you see that? Is that motivating? Is that?
Is it frustrating? Is it motivating? What does it do
(14:15):
to you personally? When you see the guys you were
playing against beating in college, you know, then turning pro
and and you see maybe a more a Cowe go
off and win a couple of times, including a major,
and Bryson do all the Bryson stuff he's doing. Does
it motivate you more? Does it frustrate you more? Does
it put more pressure on you? It's uh, if anything,
it's definitely motivating. Um see all the guys that I
(14:37):
was competing against just a couple of years ago doing
what they're doing. Um, it's it's almost like like if
they're doing it just so quick, it's almost like a
reassurance of you being able to do it as well. Yum.
And that's I think that's been kind of like, like
I said, the better day do, the better I do, um,
just because the better day do, I'm like, okay, like
(15:00):
step it up. You know, it's um. You're always just
trying to like work a little higher than than the
rest of them. So the better day to do, you're
just kind of like washing and you're like, oh, man,
like I just want a major. I was like, okay, cool,
then the major should be coming pretty sad for me too,
if I work hard enough and do the right thing. Yeah,
it's just again, I just I'm so impressed by the
(15:21):
youthful mentality now, you know, I mean I think you
probably could link it back to speech. I mean, I'm
sure you could go back to Tiger, but Tiger, I
feel like comparing stuff the Tigers is just a fool's air.
And at this point, but you know, you go back
to speech and he's a teenager and he wins on tour,
and then it seemed almost like it was expected. And
I remember, I mean you, I'm sure you heard it
a thousand times. I heard it a thousand times as well.
(15:42):
About Justin Thomas. At one point he was this this
friend of speechs right, that was that what what always
got attached to Justin Thomas's oh he speeds buddy, Oh
he's speeks friend, because JT didn't win a lot early
in his career, and it maybe took JT a couple
more years to understand how the nasional golf thing worked.
And you know, we get close and just wouldn't close
(16:03):
it out. And I just am I'm shocked at how
confident the young players are as they turned professional and
how they expect success right away. It's not I want
to win, it's I expect to win. And I feel
like that is uh, that is a big change on
the PGA Tour for sure. Yeah, I think it's anything.
It's I think Brooks's even said, it's almost just like
(16:24):
a mindset where like if you know and really believe
that you're going to have a chance to win, um
at these events, it's it's gonna be likely, um, just
if you really believe in it. And for me to
see all these young guys and George Jordans and Justin
just you know, dominate so quick for us, like it's
(16:45):
just like, oh, like it's going to happen, It's could happen. Um,
it's just a matter of how you work. I mean
everyone everyone gets there in different ways. It's just finding
your own path and learning, learning what works best for you.
So if you could just kind of walk us through,
you know, you going from college to pro and what's
(17:05):
happened for you. I'm where you've gone, where you've played,
the good, the bad and everything, just over the last
couple of years. Just to give people an idea of
what happens as you're bouncing around, you know, professional golf
and some of the different tours. Yeah, I mean it's
been a while, right, I've been kind of everywhere since
I graduated. A lot of miles. You're racking up the
(17:26):
flo the miles in the round of cars, a lot
of miles, a lot of round of cars, a lot
of tell rooms. Um. But yeah, So, I mean right
out of college I got the seven stars from it
was a memorial Travelers Detroit. Uh three, um, John Deere
(17:48):
and Barracuda. Um, I believe that's seven. If I'm missing one,
I apologize. There's just a lot of traveling during that summer.
But I mean those all, all seven of those events,
I mean, coming with that risk injury, it was it
was all close calls and just even making the cut.
I think I missed almost every single one of them
under two shots or two or three shots, maybe even
(18:09):
one a few times. Um. So it was just so
close every week, kind of even playing almost behind the
field um every event. So like mentally, I was like,
it's going to happen, Like there's never a doubt in
my mind where oh, like my game isn't good enough.
It's just a matter of being healthy and and confident
going into the golf course. UM. So after those seven starts,
(18:31):
you know, there's nothing else really going on besides the playoffs.
So me and my Asia and we talked, and there
wasn't a sponsor invite down at UM Latin America. So
I got a sponsor invite there and I had I
think I had a probably a month off um to
like get healthy and everything was feeling good. But that
(18:51):
was in the very beginning transition of of working with
Bill and getting my swing just a little different and
more comfortable uh um for like a long run term.
So I went down to Peru the first event, I
think I was leading after the third round, finished tea four.
Next event, finished second in Argentina. Next event finished ten,
(19:16):
and the next event finished I think eight, the final event. Um,
so it's four straight top tens down in Latin America.
Then we have a couple more months off and then
I played in three PG events from January to February.
It was the Farmers, the A T and T, and
Puerto Rico, and that's where everything like, even though I
(19:40):
missed the cut there too unfortunately, so there's a lot
of this cause, but it was a lot of learning. Um.
That's where it kind of clicked for me at A
T and T, especially where I think I was T
fourteen going to the third round and it's a third
round cut and I was making that turn a spyglass
and the wind was just you know, thirty miles an hour.
It was. That was the last group, means are getting bumpy,
(20:00):
so it's just a tough stretch. Um. But that's where
it really clicked for me, where I was like, okay,
like I'm seeing seeing some results and almost fortunately for me,
COVID hit just like in relation to uh being able
to work a little more and you know, like super
sad times, but like for me, like it was the
time to really just you know, get back diagnosed what's
(20:23):
what's what's really needed. Get back to work on the range,
get back to doing our drills with coach ambury Um
and I mean I put in a lot of hours. Unfortunately,
had had like Joe Bramlett who's like a big brother
to me. We both moved out to Vegas um in
January or he's been out there a couple of years,
(20:43):
but I moved out there and we just went to work.
I mean we were out there every morning, every afternoon,
just practicing, getting better, um, getting our numbers down. And
I was fortunate to have a playing companion um out
on the golf course and yeah, I got these starts,
just a few, just the past couple of months and
just saying some results. Now. I love listening to stuff
(21:05):
like that because you know, I'm not sure that even
I am am as aware of this as I should be.
Is you know, we see the PGA Tour players and
even corn Ferry and LPGA and European Tour, and there's
a schedule and it's set. And if you're in that world,
then your schedule set for you and you've got an
event basically every single week, especially you know on the
(21:26):
p g A Tour. Uh, Max holme on On on
the other podcast, I Do Get a Grip. We were
talking a little bit about when he turned professional last
week on the episode, and we were talking about his
desire to finish top ten because that meant he could
play another week, and without that, you might go three weeks,
four weeks and not know when you're gonna play again.
(21:49):
And as I'm listening to you talk, I feel like
you fell a little into that as well, where you know,
you have a good week, you play well, you finished fourth,
you finished eighth, four top tens, and then you have
to take three or four weeks off from playing in events.
That has to be one of the bigger adjustments from
college golf to professional is. At least in college golf,
if things are going well, you know events are coming up,
(22:09):
and if they're not going well, you know you've got
events coming up where you can change a little to
change the tide, if you will. Professionals not like that.
If it's not a set schedule, right, it's you're gonna
have these weeks off, and you basically got to wait
for another opportunity. Yeah, especially where I was in particular,
it's just you're always kind of you kind of always
have to be ready because the opportunities come out of nowhere.
(22:32):
So I mean, I get the call from Peter probably
are like a week or tournament director a week before
the tournament. Um, so it's like, boom, you gotta book
your flight, you gotta you gotta just scan that mindset
of playing the tournament in a few days. Um. But yeah,
that's just kind of that's just kind of what you
have to go through the first first couple of years
when you turn pro. I think, and and uh, it's
(22:53):
just wild. I mean, it's just everything is kind of
you're almost almost weighing the schedule as you because based
on your performance, that dictates if you're, like you said,
in the next event or you gotta wait in a
few weeks, maybe a month, um, for for another chance. Yeah.
I was reading a Golf Digest article Brian Whacker did
(23:14):
on you in September. He mentioned how close you've been
in Monday qualifying. He said, you, I think you shot
something like thirty under over Monday cues. How How close
were you? How many how many events was that in
a row, and how great were you playing and getting
so close? So after the I think it was right
after March um. Once everything was closed and after I
(23:37):
got to work, and then we're like, Okay, the season
is coming back. Monday qualifiers are opening back up. Let's see,
let's see where we're at. Let's try to get something going.
Um So I signed up for this Monday qualifier in
in Utah and I shot seven under their. UM went
in like this a whole playoff until it was pitch
(23:57):
black and I actually had a chance to uh she
p to make it, but it was so dark and
it was such a long day. I just kind of,
you know, I couldn't really see a break, and I
kind of guessed and then I just made a mess
out of it. I shot seven under their, missing a
playoff following week, Um gosh, I can't remember it was.
It was like I can't really remember all the places.
(24:17):
I went like seven under, like seven under again in
Briggs Branch, missed it by one, then came back again
at Briggs Ranch in San Antonio shot eight under, missed
it by one, And it was I mean I played
in like four or five or six actually know almost six,
and then went to Chicago and a couple other places
(24:38):
all missed by like one or two shots and it
was just so drainny. He was just like God, like,
these Mondays are brutal, Like, right, you got guys, I
mean playing for four spots in a hundred and fifty
six guy field. Um, I mean, there's gonna be some
guys who just get hot with the putter. And for me,
it wasn't. It wasn't like I was getting hot, but
I was playing such good golf. So uh so what's
(25:03):
it called? Um? You know, just every I was playing
such a golf every week where it was just one shot,
like one play and it was just like it was
just training. You're like, God, it's again. It's it's such
a glimpse into a world that I. I mean, and
you know there's that great Monday que Twitter account now
that really highlights you know, what what is all about
(25:23):
a Monday qualifier? But this is again, we talk so
much and see so much about the biggest events and
the guys that play great there and the guys that win,
and you forget that there's dudes that are shooting seven
and eight under and a Monday qualifier and not getting
in and you were doing it week after week after week.
So it's like, I'm sure there was a level to
you of being really frustrated that you weren't getting into
(25:46):
the events. And at the same time, I'm sure if
you're talking to a coach or a friend, they're going, dude,
you are playing awesome. Like you said, thirty under par
over over the over the span of four or five
Monday cues, and you're like, I'm I'm leading them unde
qualifier scoring average. That just doesn't get that didn't pay
me any money. Yeah, exactly, I mean that's also. I mean,
(26:07):
the thing is, I think I also am one of
those guys who believe everything happens for a reason. Um.
And after missing all those Mondays, like I mean you get,
I mean, the tournament directors are watching those. Um. Unfortunately
for me and Chris Haff, he gave me that first
chance to come back out. He's like, dude, I've been
watching your Monday cues. Um if there's anyone who needs
to break its youth, So he gave me that chance
(26:28):
to come out to Barracuda, and I was so pumped.
I mean, I remember being in Vegas and getting that call.
It's like let's go, like we're ready, um, going straight
up the truck E I drove up there with my
own car, um, staying with a buddy of mine who
actually uh lives right next to that golf course, and
it was just one great week to uh so you know,
not not just make the cut, but be in contention
(26:50):
with but Joseph Bramlin, who I worked so hard with
at my home course. Um, it was special. It was
just something just click where I was like, okay, this
is it um and just you know, carrying that momentum
all the way to Putt to conor getting a chance
over there and performing at the Shriners. Has it's been
It's been really really great. Yeah. I had I had
(27:11):
Sophia pop Off on the podcast last month and she
said something similar to the way you've been talking. And
she said that you know, somebody that had struggled and
was looking for a break and was looking for something
to click in the golf game, and it was really
the pandemic for her as well, that that allowed her
to spend time on parts of her game that she
needed to work on. And it seems like that was
(27:33):
very similar to you. I mean you've mentioned UH coach Zambery,
who's the head golf coach at USC where you went.
I was texting with him yesterday and he said, you
were talking a lot about short game. You were trying
to sharpen up the short game because you've noticed how
great the short games are professionally on the PGA Tour
for the best in the world. And he also said
that it felt like you just needed and wanted someone
(27:54):
to just talk with on results, on what was working
and what wasn't. How nice has it been to have
that sound board that you had for so long, you know,
in California, to now have again to just help you
look at things and go, this is working, this is great.
Things are awesome, and we need to sharpen this up
a little bit. Yeah. I mean it helps a lot
(28:15):
because coach Ambury, especially in my college career, he's got
i mean all my data, Like he's probably recorded every
single shot I've hit within those four years I've practiced
and on the golf course. But he knows my game
just as much as anyone else. Um, so he knows.
I mean, he broke it down with me with the
data is like, dude, get your short game better. Um,
(28:36):
when me get to work on that, I was like, okay.
And he's not a guy who really tells me exactly
the fundamentals of what's going on. He's like, he just
tells me to get better at this, and it gives
me the chance to figure it out on my own,
which I've always worked really well with and just you know,
finding seeking my own help or you know, being out
on the golf course and putting in the hours and
(28:57):
and figuring out on my own. UM. Yeah, I know.
I'm so so thankful for Coach Amberys just to uh,
just to be that sounding board of you know, like
just telling me get better at this. You're doing pretty
good at this. UM, spend some more time on this.
It's just it's really just as simple as that. I mean,
I remember calling him after put to Conna, like literally
(29:18):
two days later after our tournament. I'm like, hey, coach, like,
what did you see out there? Just like, well, you know,
this looks pretty good and this did so get to worry.
I'm like, all right, cool, And then we just got
back to doing our drills. I got on the range
that the drills sent on our scores. UM got the
call in the Shriner's a couple of days later, and
(29:39):
he was pumped in and so was I. We're gonna
take a quick break and be right back. So of
of those guys you came up with, you know that
the names we've already mentioned, you know, Hobbling and moricala Wolf.
I mean you could even throw in guys like I mean,
I'm assuming you know Bryan some rom those types of
(30:01):
guys were in and around the college game when you
were there. Who are you closest with with of that crew?
And you are you a guy that will reach out
to even appear and go, hey man, I've got a
couple of questions on things that you know, maybe you're
that have worked or things that I want to work on,
or just ideas in and around the professional golf space.
(30:21):
Is that something you do in Which person would you
actually talk to about that? Yeah? I was actually Colin
is who I'm probably closest with out of those names
that you mentioned. Um And I remember before before Punta
kana Um. I think one of the articles that it
kind of took it out of context. But we just
(30:42):
played and this like eighteen old match like in the morning,
just you know, first one off, it was right after
you won the PA. It was like pretty soon after
you won the p G A and I was like,
all right, let's see where my name is compared to
his right now. Um, And you know we were just
we're just playing quick but still it matches them asked,
and we were both pretty into it, um. And I
(31:03):
ended up getting him by two up. I mean, he
got his revenge on me before Shriners, and I think
bab By like four up. It's just kind of a
friendly match. But I mean a guy where I'm just like, okay,
I was playing with him a year ago. Um, you
just want a major and you know, just get just
getting that little win off an eighth and on match
(31:24):
was like all right, cool, Like the games there, it
was just kind of that little period like okay, games there,
like it's just still golf. Um. And we definitely, I
mean I asked him a few questions about, you know,
like what it was like winning the major, Like what
once you learn? Like what's the single most thing you
you took away from it? Um? You know, we're just trading.
(31:45):
We're just trading info. And it's it's really nice to
have these young guys that I played with helping me, um,
because they've been so successful. Yeah, I mean, it's it's funny.
The winds that that are boosts to who you are
and what you do, you know, I mean, it's it's
a hill a match for you know, Tony Box or whatever,
and you're playing, but you want to win, and you
(32:05):
really want to when I I've got a couple of
buddies here that play mini tour golf in Phoenix, and
we've played with a couple of my friends that played professionally,
and you know, we're playing in a money game and
we're playing in a in a nassa or whatever we're
doing personally, And I can see in those guys that
are playing that that are my friends that are playing
mini tour and hoping to one day ascend, you know,
(32:26):
Corn Ferrior, PGA Tour or whatever. I can see how
hard they're battling because it's not just a round of
golf for those guys, right, it's a chance to level
up and see where you're at and if you can compete,
if there are things they do that you don't and
and so it's it's very interesting some of the motivation
that comes from things that nobody knows about, you know,
like uh, like you said, a friendly six am match.
(32:47):
You know, where you're first off and you're just going
out there and battling. What has what has for you
been the biggest surprise about pro golf versus uh versus
amateur and collegiate golf. And I mean this also coming
from a guy that I believe you were. You played
at the Oak Mott u s Open, So I mean
you've you've obviously seen pro golf up close as you
were playing collegiately, but now that you're really in the mix,
(33:08):
what's been the most surprising part? Uh? Well, just going
back to the first the question before, I just want
to say, like between like I know all those names mentioned,
like I do have to uh thank Joseph Bramlin. I mean,
he's literally been my big brother through all this. So
there's all those the guys out there, but Joe's got
a lot of experience on the p G A and
I got to thank him so much because he's you know,
(33:29):
he's he's he's my big brother. He helped me out.
I'm playing with him every practice round, every tournament we're
we're out there. So first of all, I really want
to thank him for kind of taking me under his wing. Um.
But yeah, like UF the PGA Tour, like what I've learned,
and I mean I think the most I've learned is
the pace. The pace of the PGA is very different
from college golf. In college golf, you're playing in threesome,
(33:55):
you've got coaches kind of hovering around every t box,
and you got probably six hours of playing time out there,
where you know it's slow, you're waiting every tea. Then
you have time to really, you know, take a step
back and just kind of relax on the golf course.
But on the p G a totally different and that's
(34:15):
something I definitely have to change after those few the
first few stars where or you know, slow play is
a really bad rep out there. You don't want to
be a slow you don't want to be a slow
player as a pro. That's what you're saying. No, no,
it's it's it's not a great rep to have um
and the pace of like being just a little behind.
I mean people, I think a lot of people on
(34:36):
Instagram they see these fines that they implicate on having
a slow, bad penalty, and they don't realize, like there's
a lot of guys out there who don't have the funds,
Like the top five guys in the world where you know,
ten grand penalty. It's it's constantly, it's a huge deal.
So I remember I got one warning at very cuta
(34:56):
um after our first round. It was just kind of
a miscom indication between the guys playing with and whose
turning was I got this one that time, and the
and the and the official came up to me and
he's like, okay, I'm giving you At that time, I'm like, okay,
I understand. And you said the next one is like
uh something fine, like it was a pretty big number,
and I was like, jeez, like all right. Right after that, yeah,
(35:22):
right after that, I was like, oh my god, let
me take my routine just a little bit. Um. But
you just have to, you know, you just have to
be at a point where you're you're reacting instead of
just thinking on the golf course. You're reacting two shots,
you got the number down because you've done it so
many times while practicing and in competitive Browns, You're just
(35:43):
you're just reacting to the golf course. And now I'm
at a state where when I step onto the golf
course is so fun, so much more exciting because you
get into this really cool flow of of of being
out on the golf course and just playing golf and
hitting the shots that you and your caddie discussed right
off the bat. So that's something I learned a lot
coming out of college. Is this something that now you
(36:06):
hope or wish college would press players on is to
be a little bit quicker or to speed up, because
if the transition goes from you have all the time
in the world to now, all of a sudden, you've
kind of got to go, go, go. I mean, that's
that can be a big change for a player. You know,
if they if they're used to having all the time
they need on a tea or a green or whatever.
Do you do you hope or wish college would push
(36:26):
players to speed up a bit or even penalize them more. Yeah,
I mean it's just really tough because the way it's
structured and the way um I mean, it's just different
in college because you're playing more as a team rather
than the individuals, so coaches want to have that input
and help players out and on part three's and certain
(36:49):
difficult shots. So it's really different. And even even if
you try to get that pace of play up, it
won't really compared to what it's like on tour where
on Saturday Sunday a plane with just a twosome and
you can't fall behind because if you do, a guy
is gonna come right over you and you're gonna be
like picking up and you cast do or else you're
(37:09):
gonna get a fine or you're gonna get time. Um.
But yeah, I mean hopefully in a nice couple of
years there's something where the college college kids are like
students can really understand that is some different change, um
right off the bed. Yeah, I mean I think of
a friend of mine always preaches that, you know, playing
quickly is a skill. It's not. You know, playing quickly
(37:31):
well is a skill, right. I mean playing as fast
as Rory and Dustin Johnson play and able to play
at the level they play at is pretty impressive because
you know, a lot a lot of golfers need a
little bit more time. So it is it is a
change and something you've got to completely flip in terms
of how you're approaching the game as well. If all
of a sudden you feel like you're in a hurry
(37:52):
all the time, you know, being in a hurry is
never good in golf. I mean, you never want to
be in a hurry to rush to the golf course
because you're late for a tea time or you know
you're you're trying to get up there and hit your
golf shot and you feel like you're you're on the clock.
So it is it is a little bit of a
maybe more of a skill than maybe people think it is. Yeah,
and it's also the transition from being able to use
a bushnew when you play. When you use the bushnell
(38:13):
like you're playing quick, like you can just get it boom,
You're ready. But now transitioning that from college to actually
using a yardage book, actually looking at your pin sheet
and doing the math, doing the numbers, then figuring out
where the sprinkler head is, um and trying to get
the best number you can in relation to the pen
like that's that's all time. And to be able to
(38:36):
do that more efficiently and a lot quicker with your caddy, UM,
that takes practice. That takes a lot of trust in
your caddy to get his number and match it up
with yours. So yeah, that's something that I've I've definitely
learned to and and I've been fortunate to find a
caddy a J. Monthesino, who works so well with me
and uh, and I was reading that you when when
(38:56):
the injury was going on and you were missing cuts,
you were you kind of spend time on the phone
and specifically on social media. And as a guy myself
who is trying really hard right now to distance himself
from social media, how is that experience and how how
much have you kind of kept it at arms lengked
to just simply keep your sanity because it's it's not
(39:17):
it's not good for anybody to be scrolling, right, It's
not good for anybody to be scrolling through stuff when
you're you know, not the happiest you can be exactly.
And I think especially since I was injured, like I
wasn't able to work out as I wanted to. I
couldn't you know, be as active. So after a tournament
or a tournament round or a practice round, I'm literally
just in my hotel room, um, just watching Netflix, are
(39:41):
going through my phone for hours and hours and hours,
and it was it was just not something that was
healthy for me or my game. And then you're looking at,
you know, so many swings where it's just like people
don't realize that if you look at that many swings,
it will do something when like, especially when your game
is not you wanted to be where mine wasn't at
(40:01):
the time. It was just, you know, it just kind
of affected it little by little. UM So I just
had to distance myself away from it and just kind
of have you have a healthier relationship where um, I
could still be you know, interactive with people who follow
me and support me on on Instagram and other certain as,
but still have time to you know, give it. I
(40:24):
just have to be disciplined, like when I practiced, when
I you know, when I when I'm home with some friends,
like I don't I try to stay away. I don't
use it. I try to focus on what's you know,
being being right in front of me and just staying
present instead of being distracted in the whole different world
on social media. So the last thing I wanted to
do was um I heard, I mean justin I know
(40:48):
you you're you're you're a smart kid, you went to USC.
You know you you're a guy, You're a bright guy.
But I've heard that there's one flaw in your brain
and that comes with us geograh fee and I've heard
you struggle mightily by naming the state to the city.
So if I give you a city, I've heard you're
(41:09):
not the best at knowing what state it's in. Is
this fair to say? This is gonna make me look
so bad? I have I have a couple of layups.
I have one tough one and then and then I'm
not I'm not girling you. I'm not giving you like Concord,
New Hampshire or something. Okay, so you're any of them
(41:29):
is a tough one. So listen. Now, I know you
know California, by the way, I love I love the
coach z Ambrey told me this because it's just a showy.
So you've got California down. I'm assuming you know Sacramento
in all l A and San Diego and all those things.
Can you give me Chicago, Illinois? I was just there, Illinois, nicey.
(41:53):
I knew you could knock it out. I've got I've
got a kind of off the beaten path city that
I feel like you're gonna get. I've got confidence in
you justin Oh my gosh, I'm I'm there. Corpus Christie,
say that one more time, Corpus Christie. Shane, this is
(42:13):
deja vu. Okaythead my senior year the whole team sitting
on the lounge, the whole girls and guys team, and
the coaches do this to me for an hour, and
it was what would you say? What would you say?
What would you say? Your percentage was when they were
doing this to you when you're a senior, I almost
don't want to say because it's pretty bad. Yeah, it's
(42:35):
it's always so. So I did this thing. We were
doing the get a grip thing Max, like during pandemic
one time. He just he just threw this app and
he goes, I want to quiz you on golf trivia
during the podcast, and all of a sudden, I get
super nervous because I feel confident in my ability to
know stuff about golf. But the last thing I do
(42:58):
is want to come off as some idiot that doesn't know,
you know, what Tiger's cut streak was, or you know
who won the nineteen thirty five Masters. I mean, I
want to feel like I know all these things. And
I got super nervous, so I totally understand where you're
coming from. This is, by the way, my new favorite thing.
I want this to be on your Wikipedia page one day.
Somebody's gonna have to edit it. And just say say no,
(43:19):
say say not great at des Moine. Doesn't know where
de Moine is, but unbelievable and a lot of other things. Yeah, well,
I don't know, I don't know where, um, where the
city or state was where you just said uh before
I just said but uh, I'm trying to have what
that question. You're all good, Um, where where is? So?
(43:40):
What's your schedule like the rest of the year in
the next year, what do you have planned like what
what's definitely on the schedule and what are you hoping
you can add on the schedule? Um, So we're I mean,
the next two weeks we have off for c J
and Zozo. I'm definitely in the Bermuda Championship because of
this top ten A Shriner's nice um, and we're just
(44:02):
we're hopeful for Houston and Mexico. Um, but you know,
good golf at Bermuno would definitely definitely help. But right now,
what's definite is Bermuda and that's that's where my focus
is right now. Yeah. I mean, you know you, I mean,
you get a chance to Unfortunately you live in Vegas
and I live in Scottsdale, and right now, every golf
course is getting overseated and there's nowhere to play. But
I'm assuming there's somewhere to practice. But this is always
(44:24):
the biggest bummer about living in the desert is when
the nice weather finally coman. It's been brutal in Arizona
the whole summer. The weather finally breaks and we have
all the golf courses get scalped, and you're like, no, no no, no,
no no. This is when we want to play golf.
This is when we want to go out on the golf.
So hopefully you have a place that you can at
least go banks some balls in practice for a little bit. Yeah,
I do. Um, And you know, this was my first
(44:46):
summer out in out in the desert and uh, coming
from Cali and having a deal with one ten and
one fifteen, so I'm such a regular basis it was.
It was a huge adjustment. Yeah, it was. I've noticed
any of any of the guys that moved to Arizona,
you know, the professional golfers ended up in Arizona, especially
(45:07):
this year with the pandemic. You know, everybody was kind
of home the whole time. Like, man, it's it's one
fifteen a lot. I'm like, yeah, pretty much the whole summer.
It's one fifteen. You gotta get your you gotta get
your work in earlier late. But uh, but just exactly.
I appreciate the time. I appreciate you jumping on. I
was pumped to see, you know, the couple of weeks
in a row of great play. I know you've been
obviously working a lot on it, and uh and for you,
(45:29):
I can only imagine seeing the finishes. You know, you
get so close in Mondays, you get so close to
other events. To finally see it come into play at
the big events at the PGA Tour events has to
make you feel super satisfied by what you've gone through
the last year, year and a half. It does, it
really does. Um. I mean it's I mean everyone in
my team, they've been working so hard and just getting
(45:51):
me set up to uh to where I'm at now
and and to see everything quick and to see myself
compete and have so much fun on the golf course
and being up there in the eat aboard. Um, it's
definitely definitely satisfying. Well, Jess and I appreciate it. Good
luck the rest of the year and in the next year.
I'm sure I'll see you on the road at some point.
And yeah, I mean keep at it. And uh and
de Moine is in Iowa. There you go, that's that's
(46:13):
your I'll remember that one. We're gonna take a quick
break and be right back. Big thanks to Justin. Big
(46:35):
thanks to you for listening. If you like the show
and you haven't rate rady or reviewed it, do that.
That's a nice thing to do and and it helps
us out and it helps the podcast. Big thanks to
my Heart and uh, and just wanted to let you
know if you like this podcast, if you haven't listened
to Get a Grip with Max Holm and Shane Bacon
and the other podcast I do with Maxima who's on
the PGA tour, make sure you subscribe and listen to
(46:57):
that as well, because we have fun with that. It's weekly.
It is kind of all over the place depending on
what happened that week. And uh and yeah, make sure
you check out as well. We'll be back soon with
another guest. The Clubhouse was Shane Bacon as a production
(47:22):
of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio,
visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
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, And We've got a
good one this week. I feel like I say that
every week, you know what I need to start doing.
If they're mediocre, I'm gonna say that we got an
(00:22):
okay one this week. We got a kind of a
crappy one this week, but this one is good. Justin
saw On Justin is a guy I met when he
was in college at usc and he was the number
one ranked amateur in the world. And he is a
really nice kid, bright, young kid with a ton of talent.
And he turned professional and was a part of kind
(00:42):
of a Miami Headion type of press conference to the
travelers with Matthew Wolfe and Victor Hoveln and Colin more Kawa,
kind of an introduction to the world for these star
studied amateur players that we're all going to turn professional.
And Justin his bat a little bit of injury and
has had to go through, you know, a different process
than some of those other guys have had to go
(01:03):
through as he has made his way in these professional ranks.
Just you know, a year and a half or so
into it, and uh, and the results have started to
come and it's been great to see. I think you'll
really enjoy the conversation. As I mentioned, he's he's a
great kid. And uh. And at the end, I make
them super uncomfortable with the with the quiz that I
throw his way, so you'll have to wait for that
at the end. Uh. I hope you're well. Hope you're
(01:25):
getting a chance to play a little bit of golf.
I know, and a lot of parts of the country
golf is going away and uh, and that's a bummer.
I just was up at Aaron Hills last week. Little
chili in Wisconsin if you go in late September early October.
But you know, we were we packed accordingly and uh
and had the beanies and the gloves and you know,
sweaters and was vest weather. It's all. It's you just
(01:48):
got to have a vest on no matter what the
temperature is, if it's cold, especially if you live in
a hot weather place like I do in Arizona. But
hadn't been up to Aaron Hills since basically I drove
away from our rental home back in you know, after
the US Open. I was. I did the interviews that
year for Fox and uh and for the US Open Championship,
and um, yeah, it was great to go back and
(02:08):
see it. I mean, it's always crazy when you see
a US Open golf course before the US Open, so
you know when we'd be up there for media day.
I went up there in two thousand and sixteen with
my dad to player and Hills and just get a
feel for that golf course late in that season. And
you go to Aaron Hills and you see the golf
course and it's spectacular, and then you get there for
US Open week and it almost doesn't even look like
(02:29):
the same place with all the tents and the grand
stands and and just everything. So it was nice to
get back to what Aaron Hills originally and kind of
usually looks like. And uh, it was. It was awesome.
It was championship worthy. It beat us up one day
with like thirty mile par hour wins. My gin app
added strokes. I've never seen that before. There's I think
(02:50):
it's called PCC where it's basically the conditions you play in.
It added three strokes to our score that day or
or I guess subtracted those from our score considering the
winds were up so high. And and yeah, man, that
is a That is a golf course that reminds you
how good the pros are because we definitely weren't shooting
you know, sixty three, like justin Thomas and uh and
there are places around that golf course where you see
(03:12):
what the pros did and what you do and it's humbling.
It's a reminder, but big thanks to Aaron Hills. That
place just awesome. Every time I go to Wisconsin, I'm
impressed and happy and excited to go back. It happens
when I go to Saint Valley or Aaron Hills or
or Blue Blue Mound, any place is always awesome. We
were there for for the for the Girls Junior last
(03:33):
year at Century World, and you know, I just I
just love the vibe in Wisconsin almost every time in
terms of the golf. The golf is great. It's chill,
it's relaxed, and it's beautiful. And I know the seasons
are short, but uh yeah, I had a great time
and my buddies did as well. And that putting course
Aaron Hills is next level. That's the best putting course
that I've been to yet. It's just it's perfect for
(03:53):
Aaron Hills. You don't necessarily want to go out after
playing eighteen holes on that golf course because it's a
it's a big golf course and it's a big walk
and when you get done, you just want to grab
a drink and go put And it's a twelve old
pudding course. That was excellent. So that's a that's a
that's an awesome addition to that place. But that's enough
for what I've been I've had going on. Not a
lot else, not a lot of golf happening. It's overseas
(04:14):
season in Arizona, so the clubs go away for for
a few weeks. Always kind of a good thing. Really.
It just reminds you that you actually can miss this sport,
you know, if you spend too much time playing it.
But yeah, let's let's get to the guest. Let's get
to our to our guests, Justin Suh, who was nice
enough to join us after a couple of great weeks
on the PGA tour, and we welcome into the clubhouse,
I think for the first time, Justin Suh. We haven't
(04:36):
done this before, right, No, first time first time, being
on first time, and also I'm happy to finally have
a guy on that saw my least graceful walk to
an opening tea shot in the history of my golfing career.
I I never knew we'd ever get to talk about
the time. I completely ate ate it walking to the
(04:56):
tempolar Riviera when we uh, when we played riv together
a few years ago. Yeah, that was scary. You had
a copy or something in one end and a bagel
and the other with the bag and you're walking down
like the slippery steps going down rim Like, oh no,
it was I remember I was so excited you, you
and I were. I think you were still at USC
and I was playing riv because we had the Amator
(05:18):
coming up there and I just had never been out
there before. I've never really seen the golf course, and
and you were, and you and I were like six
thirty in the morning, you know, first off, and we're
starting on ten, which isn't very intimidating at all. And
I just remember I fell my Mike did I did
the cleats right out from under me on the stairs.
I landed on my ass. I complete yard sale everywhere,
(05:39):
and all I was thinking was please, nothing be broken
because I really wanted to play, you know, I really
want to play the golf course. I know you got
a chance to play riv a lot. I've never got
a chance to do it. So luckily nothing was broken
and we got a chance to do it. But how
are things? How are you? Everything's good, man, everything's good. Um,
just just you know, just trying to navigate through this
whole pandemic just like everyone else. But man, I've been
(06:02):
I've been fortunate to get some good spots um into
some PGA events the past, the past month. I mean
the first one was that Ferry Cuta where Chris haff
got me in, and a couple of weeks ago it
was Punta kana Um with Jay Overton and now Patrick
Lyndia Shriners. So you know, I'm just so grateful that
these guys gave me a chance to a chance to
(06:22):
compete and for me to show what I've been doing
the past um past quarantine, just how much I've been
working in the game is finally coming up. Yeah, can
you walk us through something. I know you're new to
it as well, but we hear all the time about sponsors,
invites and spots into events and as somebody that's learning
this process as well. How does it work, you know,
(06:44):
for the for the novice fan that pays attention but
doesn't really know the intricacies of how maybe somebody gets
into certain events, you know when they don't have a
spot or they're not into it. How does that all work?
You know, relationships have a lot to do with it,
especially I mean coming out of college, they definitely take
a look at what you're ranking is which helped a
lot when me, Matt Colin Victim, We're getting all these
(07:07):
sponsor invites, um, right out of college. So I mean
I did, my dude, dilling, just I sent all my
emails very personal um and you know, like it's it's
it's really coming from the heart, because getting a sponsor
invite isn't something that that's you know, like giving very often.
It's very special to uh a tournament director to put
(07:28):
their trust in you and and see something where they
wanted you to play well and you know remember the tournament.
So it starts off by just sending the sending the emails.
You gotta you gotta communicate with them and kind of
create a creative relationship. Yeah, and I mean it's worked
out well, for you've got a lot of sponsors invite early.
You mentioned the press conference. I mean, well, you mentioned
the start with some of those names. You had a
(07:48):
press conference at the Travelers alongside Victor and more Cowan Wolf.
But I want to just talk right now about your
recent play, which has been great. Uh T fourteenth at
the crow as you finished eighth, which I believe is
your best finished on the PGA Tour at the Shriner's
last week in Vegas. I know the start to your
professional career might not have been not might might not
have gone the way you hoped it would, but I
(08:08):
feel like the game is where you maybe expected it
to be right now. What has kind of clicked for
you over the last few weeks? Yeah, I mean yeah,
Like I said, the start wasn't something that I was
I was I wanted. Um, it was a little rough
coming straight out of college. It was. There's a few
It was a stretch of week where I kind of
(08:29):
you know, knew where my wrist was kind of going.
I went through that wrist injury right out of college.
It was going from like Regionals to Nationals and flying
overnight to UH Memorial, playing in that rough and flying
over to back over to California, UM playing in like
a thirty six SOL qualify for USO because it was
just it was on my part and yeah, just just
(08:51):
playing a little too much of hitting weight too many balls,
trying to think I needed to do that to feel
comfortable out on the core. So the past, I mean
that last season and kind of it taught me a
lot and just how to navigate a week of a tournament.
And I mean I learned a lot. But now that
what click the last few weeks. It's uh, it's not
something that just happened overnight. It's been accumulating for the
(09:13):
past um half year where I started going back to
because I went back to Kelly, worked with my coach
Phil Johnson, UM figuring out this risk thing where I
can swing pretty aggressively at the ball and still not
have to deal with this issue. Um. But obviously, like
I mean, I haven't dealt with the risk, the risk
pain in such a long time. It's uh, it's just
something that was there for the few for the first
(09:35):
five or four stars on the on the PG eight,
which is rough, but coming back from that is it's
not easy. So I mean during quarantine and during during
the whole shutdown UM coach Sanbury. You know, I I
linked back with him and started working on our college
drills and working back with chemistro Duke, our sports psychologists,
And you know, it's just it's so satisfying when when
(09:57):
we put in that much work UM during technically the
off season just because no one was playing UM. Just
to see that hard work layoffs and in these last
few events us extremely gratifying. Yeah. And and you you
you touched a little bit on the wrist. Do you
mind just kind of expanding on what you've gone through
with the injury, because I know, I know it was
(10:18):
something that's just kind of lingkering. It seemed like the
moment you know, you threw on the professional gear, it
was like this wrist thing was just kind of lingering
in your life. Yeah. I mean I I really didn't
talk to too many people about it except for the
pp you guys in the in the PGA tour Van,
I'm working with them literally every tournament, I mean every day.
I remember even at Travelers, like I couldn't even hit
(10:39):
any balls. I just went out on the golf course
and think like, well, I should at least get as
many as many rests as I can't hitting a golf
ball on the golf course and I don't want to
just keep feeding balls in the arrange and make it
worse and worse. And the guys came to me or
like it, talk to me in the van and he said, yeah,
you're getting some tendonitis just from over over use. So uh,
(11:00):
I mean, for for the next three months or so,
I was icing it. I was icing it, stretching it,
doing some some strength, and they weren't on it just NonStop,
and and it was tough, just because like those tournaments
those the rough isn't thick out. It's not a joke
out on the PGA Tour. It's long, it's tough. So
being in the rough and you know, battling battling it
(11:22):
out on the golf course and trying to like you know,
not get re injured or make it worse, it was
just something where I just couldn't perform like where I
wanted to. It was always like like I like want
to hit this pool eight, but I should hit this
stop seven is set. There's just decisions like that that
made an uh made an impact in those first few starts.
(11:42):
But uh, yeah, I mean that's just something a lot
of a lot of athletes go through. But it was
just it was just unfortunate that was right out of college.
Golf is so weird now. I mean, you're you're you're
a young guy. I mean, you've been pro for for
less than a couple of years. You were number one
ranked emitor in the world. I mean, you had an
unbelievable college career usc I mean all these things, and
it was just now comes the professional turn. And what's
(12:05):
so interesting is maybe fift twenty years ago you had
a couple two or three years to just kind of
understand all the inner workings of what being a pro was.
I mean, it wasn't just this burst on the scene.
You gotta go win, You've got to do it right now.
How is that in your experience kind of changed because
(12:25):
I mean, there are press conferences for you to turn professional.
You're seeing your peers win on the PGA Tour. How
much pressure is there on a young guy like yourself
now to perform right away versus maybe what it was like,
you know in two thousand when guys were turning pro,
I wouldn't really say there's there's any more pressure, because, um,
(12:48):
that's something I like learned how to deal with, especially
in college when you get that number one ranking spot. Um,
I got to it my junior year, and you know,
it's it's it's all these influences that come out you
from different angles, where angles where other people have these
expectations of yourself. So when I was number one, then
you're expected to you know, they think, oh, you're gonna
(13:09):
win every event, but you just kind of learned how
to navigate through them through that. And I learned through
that in college. Um, so when I turned pro, it
didn't affect me much or even at all. It was
just something something I had to go go through. Um,
with that risk injury. It was just you know, just
that timing. But yeah, I mean it's just it was just, uh,
(13:31):
it was just I mean, now it's the expectation of
these young guys and I'm one of them right now.
To perform so quickly right out of college is uh,
It's it's exciting. Really is It's just so wild how
young golf is. I mean, you're you're living it, you're
seeing it. You're seeing it on Latino America. I can
only imagine. I mean, Corn Ferry PGA tour. It's young everywhere.
(13:54):
And the thing I feel like that's really switched is
we had young players that were great, and now we
have young players that could dominate. You know, that's really
the difference. Is I mean we're seeing I mean more
cow with Bryson. I mean, these guys are are are
guys you were competing against, and they've already won major
titles and you see that? Is that motivating? Is that?
Is it frustrating? Is it motivating? What does it do
(14:15):
to you personally? When you see the guys you were
playing against beating in college, you know, then turning pro
and and you see maybe a more a Cowe go
off and win a couple of times, including a major,
and Bryson do all the Bryson stuff he's doing. Does
it motivate you more? Does it frustrate you more? Does
it put more pressure on you? It's uh, if anything,
it's definitely motivating. Um see all the guys that I
(14:37):
was competing against just a couple of years ago doing
what they're doing. Um, it's it's almost like like if
they're doing it just so quick, it's almost like a
reassurance of you being able to do it as well. Yum.
And that's I think that's been kind of like, like
I said, the better day do, the better I do, um,
just because the better day do, I'm like, okay, like
(15:00):
step it up. You know, it's um. You're always just
trying to like work a little higher than than the
rest of them. So the better day to do, you're
just kind of like washing and you're like, oh, man,
like I just want a major. I was like, okay, cool,
then the major should be coming pretty sad for me too,
if I work hard enough and do the right thing. Yeah,
it's just again, I just I'm so impressed by the
(15:21):
youthful mentality now, you know, I mean I think you
probably could link it back to speech. I mean, I'm
sure you could go back to Tiger, but Tiger, I
feel like comparing stuff the Tigers is just a fool's air.
And at this point, but you know, you go back
to speech and he's a teenager and he wins on tour,
and then it seemed almost like it was expected. And
I remember, I mean you, I'm sure you heard it
a thousand times. I heard it a thousand times as well.
(15:42):
About Justin Thomas. At one point he was this this
friend of speechs right, that was that what what always
got attached to Justin Thomas's oh he speeds buddy, Oh
he's speeks friend, because JT didn't win a lot early
in his career, and it maybe took JT a couple
more years to understand how the nasional golf thing worked.
And you know, we get close and just wouldn't close
(16:03):
it out. And I just am I'm shocked at how
confident the young players are as they turned professional and
how they expect success right away. It's not I want
to win, it's I expect to win. And I feel
like that is uh, that is a big change on
the PGA Tour for sure. Yeah, I think it's anything.
It's I think Brooks's even said, it's almost just like
(16:24):
a mindset where like if you know and really believe
that you're going to have a chance to win, um
at these events, it's it's gonna be likely, um, just
if you really believe in it. And for me to
see all these young guys and George Jordans and Justin
just you know, dominate so quick for us, like it's
(16:45):
just like, oh, like it's going to happen, It's could happen. Um,
it's just a matter of how you work. I mean
everyone everyone gets there in different ways. It's just finding
your own path and learning, learning what works best for you.
So if you could just kind of walk us through,
you know, you going from college to pro and what's
(17:05):
happened for you. I'm where you've gone, where you've played,
the good, the bad and everything, just over the last
couple of years. Just to give people an idea of
what happens as you're bouncing around, you know, professional golf
and some of the different tours. Yeah, I mean it's
been a while, right, I've been kind of everywhere since
I graduated. A lot of miles. You're racking up the
(17:26):
flo the miles in the round of cars, a lot
of miles, a lot of round of cars, a lot
of tell rooms. Um. But yeah, So, I mean right
out of college I got the seven stars from it
was a memorial Travelers Detroit. Uh three, um, John Deere
(17:48):
and Barracuda. Um, I believe that's seven. If I'm missing one,
I apologize. There's just a lot of traveling during that summer.
But I mean those all, all seven of those events,
I mean, coming with that risk injury, it was it
was all close calls and just even making the cut.
I think I missed almost every single one of them
under two shots or two or three shots, maybe even
(18:09):
one a few times. Um. So it was just so
close every week, kind of even playing almost behind the
field um every event. So like mentally, I was like,
it's going to happen, Like there's never a doubt in
my mind where oh, like my game isn't good enough.
It's just a matter of being healthy and and confident
going into the golf course. UM. So after those seven starts,
(18:31):
you know, there's nothing else really going on besides the playoffs.
So me and my Asia and we talked, and there
wasn't a sponsor invite down at UM Latin America. So
I got a sponsor invite there and I had I
think I had a probably a month off um to
like get healthy and everything was feeling good. But that
(18:51):
was in the very beginning transition of of working with
Bill and getting my swing just a little different and
more comfortable uh um for like a long run term.
So I went down to Peru the first event, I
think I was leading after the third round, finished tea four.
Next event, finished second in Argentina. Next event finished ten,
(19:16):
and the next event finished I think eight, the final event. Um,
so it's four straight top tens down in Latin America.
Then we have a couple more months off and then
I played in three PG events from January to February.
It was the Farmers, the A T and T, and
Puerto Rico, and that's where everything like, even though I
(19:40):
missed the cut there too unfortunately, so there's a lot
of this cause, but it was a lot of learning. Um.
That's where it kind of clicked for me at A
T and T, especially where I think I was T
fourteen going to the third round and it's a third
round cut and I was making that turn a spyglass
and the wind was just you know, thirty miles an hour.
It was. That was the last group, means are getting bumpy,
(20:00):
so it's just a tough stretch. Um. But that's where
it really clicked for me, where I was like, okay,
like I'm seeing seeing some results and almost fortunately for me,
COVID hit just like in relation to uh being able
to work a little more and you know, like super
sad times, but like for me, like it was the
time to really just you know, get back diagnosed what's
(20:23):
what's what's really needed. Get back to work on the range,
get back to doing our drills with coach ambury Um
and I mean I put in a lot of hours. Unfortunately,
had had like Joe Bramlett who's like a big brother
to me. We both moved out to Vegas um in
January or he's been out there a couple of years,
(20:43):
but I moved out there and we just went to work.
I mean we were out there every morning, every afternoon,
just practicing, getting better, um, getting our numbers down. And
I was fortunate to have a playing companion um out
on the golf course and yeah, I got these starts,
just a few, just the past couple of months and
just saying some results. Now. I love listening to stuff
(21:05):
like that because you know, I'm not sure that even
I am am as aware of this as I should be.
Is you know, we see the PGA Tour players and
even corn Ferry and LPGA and European Tour, and there's
a schedule and it's set. And if you're in that world,
then your schedule set for you and you've got an
event basically every single week, especially you know on the
(21:26):
p g A Tour. Uh, Max holme on On on
the other podcast, I Do Get a Grip. We were
talking a little bit about when he turned professional last
week on the episode, and we were talking about his
desire to finish top ten because that meant he could
play another week, and without that, you might go three weeks,
four weeks and not know when you're gonna play again.
(21:49):
And as I'm listening to you talk, I feel like
you fell a little into that as well, where you know,
you have a good week, you play well, you finished fourth,
you finished eighth, four top tens, and then you have
to take three or four weeks off from playing in events.
That has to be one of the bigger adjustments from
college golf to professional is. At least in college golf,
if things are going well, you know events are coming up,
(22:09):
and if they're not going well, you know you've got
events coming up where you can change a little to
change the tide, if you will. Professionals not like that.
If it's not a set schedule, right, it's you're gonna
have these weeks off, and you basically got to wait
for another opportunity. Yeah, especially where I was in particular,
it's just you're always kind of you kind of always
have to be ready because the opportunities come out of nowhere.
(22:32):
So I mean, I get the call from Peter probably
are like a week or tournament director a week before
the tournament. Um, so it's like, boom, you gotta book
your flight, you gotta you gotta just scan that mindset
of playing the tournament in a few days. Um. But yeah,
that's just kind of that's just kind of what you
have to go through the first first couple of years
when you turn pro. I think, and and uh, it's
(22:53):
just wild. I mean, it's just everything is kind of
you're almost almost weighing the schedule as you because based
on your performance, that dictates if you're, like you said,
in the next event or you gotta wait in a
few weeks, maybe a month, um, for for another chance. Yeah.
I was reading a Golf Digest article Brian Whacker did
(23:14):
on you in September. He mentioned how close you've been
in Monday qualifying. He said, you, I think you shot
something like thirty under over Monday cues. How How close
were you? How many how many events was that in
a row, and how great were you playing and getting
so close? So after the I think it was right
after March um. Once everything was closed and after I
(23:37):
got to work, and then we're like, Okay, the season
is coming back. Monday qualifiers are opening back up. Let's see,
let's see where we're at. Let's try to get something going.
Um So I signed up for this Monday qualifier in
in Utah and I shot seven under their. UM went
in like this a whole playoff until it was pitch
(23:57):
black and I actually had a chance to uh she
p to make it, but it was so dark and
it was such a long day. I just kind of,
you know, I couldn't really see a break, and I
kind of guessed and then I just made a mess
out of it. I shot seven under their, missing a
playoff following week, Um gosh, I can't remember it was.
It was like I can't really remember all the places.
(24:17):
I went like seven under, like seven under again in
Briggs Branch, missed it by one, then came back again
at Briggs Ranch in San Antonio shot eight under, missed
it by one, And it was I mean I played
in like four or five or six actually know almost six,
and then went to Chicago and a couple other places
(24:38):
all missed by like one or two shots and it
was just so drainny. He was just like God, like,
these Mondays are brutal, Like, right, you got guys, I
mean playing for four spots in a hundred and fifty
six guy field. Um, I mean, there's gonna be some
guys who just get hot with the putter. And for me,
it wasn't. It wasn't like I was getting hot, but
I was playing such good golf. So uh so what's
(25:03):
it called? Um? You know, just every I was playing
such a golf every week where it was just one shot,
like one play and it was just like it was
just training. You're like, God, it's again. It's it's such
a glimpse into a world that I. I mean, and
you know there's that great Monday que Twitter account now
that really highlights you know, what what is all about
(25:23):
a Monday qualifier? But this is again, we talk so
much and see so much about the biggest events and
the guys that play great there and the guys that win,
and you forget that there's dudes that are shooting seven
and eight under and a Monday qualifier and not getting
in and you were doing it week after week after week.
So it's like, I'm sure there was a level to
you of being really frustrated that you weren't getting into
(25:46):
the events. And at the same time, I'm sure if
you're talking to a coach or a friend, they're going, dude,
you are playing awesome. Like you said, thirty under par
over over the over the span of four or five
Monday cues, and you're like, I'm I'm leading them unde
qualifier scoring average. That just doesn't get that didn't pay
me any money. Yeah, exactly, I mean that's also. I mean,
(26:07):
the thing is, I think I also am one of
those guys who believe everything happens for a reason. Um.
And after missing all those Mondays, like I mean you get,
I mean, the tournament directors are watching those. Um. Unfortunately
for me and Chris Haff, he gave me that first
chance to come back out. He's like, dude, I've been
watching your Monday cues. Um if there's anyone who needs
to break its youth, So he gave me that chance
(26:28):
to come out to Barracuda, and I was so pumped.
I mean, I remember being in Vegas and getting that call.
It's like let's go, like we're ready, um, going straight
up the truck E I drove up there with my
own car, um, staying with a buddy of mine who
actually uh lives right next to that golf course, and
it was just one great week to uh so you know,
not not just make the cut, but be in contention
(26:50):
with but Joseph Bramlin, who I worked so hard with
at my home course. Um, it was special. It was
just something just click where I was like, okay, this
is it um and just you know, carrying that momentum
all the way to Putt to conor getting a chance
over there and performing at the Shriners. Has it's been
It's been really really great. Yeah. I had I had
(27:11):
Sophia pop Off on the podcast last month and she
said something similar to the way you've been talking. And
she said that you know, somebody that had struggled and
was looking for a break and was looking for something
to click in the golf game, and it was really
the pandemic for her as well, that that allowed her
to spend time on parts of her game that she
needed to work on. And it seems like that was
(27:33):
very similar to you. I mean you've mentioned UH coach Zambery,
who's the head golf coach at USC where you went.
I was texting with him yesterday and he said, you
were talking a lot about short game. You were trying
to sharpen up the short game because you've noticed how
great the short games are professionally on the PGA Tour
for the best in the world. And he also said
that it felt like you just needed and wanted someone
(27:54):
to just talk with on results, on what was working
and what wasn't. How nice has it been to have
that sound board that you had for so long, you know,
in California, to now have again to just help you
look at things and go, this is working, this is great.
Things are awesome, and we need to sharpen this up
a little bit. Yeah. I mean it helps a lot
(28:15):
because coach Ambury, especially in my college career, he's got
i mean all my data, Like he's probably recorded every
single shot I've hit within those four years I've practiced
and on the golf course. But he knows my game
just as much as anyone else. Um, so he knows.
I mean, he broke it down with me with the
data is like, dude, get your short game better. Um,
(28:36):
when me get to work on that, I was like, okay.
And he's not a guy who really tells me exactly
the fundamentals of what's going on. He's like, he just
tells me to get better at this, and it gives
me the chance to figure it out on my own,
which I've always worked really well with and just you know,
finding seeking my own help or you know, being out
on the golf course and putting in the hours and
(28:57):
and figuring out on my own. UM. Yeah, I know.
I'm so so thankful for Coach Amberys just to uh,
just to be that sounding board of you know, like
just telling me get better at this. You're doing pretty
good at this. UM, spend some more time on this.
It's just it's really just as simple as that. I mean,
I remember calling him after put to Conna, like literally
(29:18):
two days later after our tournament. I'm like, hey, coach, like,
what did you see out there? Just like, well, you know,
this looks pretty good and this did so get to worry.
I'm like, all right, cool, And then we just got
back to doing our drills. I got on the range
that the drills sent on our scores. UM got the
call in the Shriner's a couple of days later, and
(29:39):
he was pumped in and so was I. We're gonna
take a quick break and be right back. So of
of those guys you came up with, you know that
the names we've already mentioned, you know, Hobbling and moricala Wolf.
I mean you could even throw in guys like I mean,
I'm assuming you know Bryan some rom those types of
(30:01):
guys were in and around the college game when you
were there. Who are you closest with with of that crew?
And you are you a guy that will reach out
to even appear and go, hey man, I've got a
couple of questions on things that you know, maybe you're
that have worked or things that I want to work on,
or just ideas in and around the professional golf space.
(30:21):
Is that something you do in Which person would you
actually talk to about that? Yeah? I was actually Colin
is who I'm probably closest with out of those names
that you mentioned. Um And I remember before before Punta
kana Um. I think one of the articles that it
kind of took it out of context. But we just
(30:42):
played and this like eighteen old match like in the morning,
just you know, first one off, it was right after
you won the PA. It was like pretty soon after
you won the p G A and I was like,
all right, let's see where my name is compared to
his right now. Um, And you know we were just
we're just playing quick but still it matches them asked,
and we were both pretty into it, um. And I
(31:03):
ended up getting him by two up. I mean, he
got his revenge on me before Shriners, and I think
bab By like four up. It's just kind of a
friendly match. But I mean a guy where I'm just like, okay,
I was playing with him a year ago. Um, you
just want a major and you know, just get just
getting that little win off an eighth and on match
(31:24):
was like all right, cool, Like the games there, it
was just kind of that little period like okay, games there,
like it's just still golf. Um. And we definitely, I
mean I asked him a few questions about, you know,
like what it was like winning the major, Like what
once you learn? Like what's the single most thing you
you took away from it? Um? You know, we're just trading.
(31:45):
We're just trading info. And it's it's really nice to
have these young guys that I played with helping me, um,
because they've been so successful. Yeah, I mean, it's it's funny.
The winds that that are boosts to who you are
and what you do, you know, I mean, it's it's
a hill a match for you know, Tony Box or whatever,
and you're playing, but you want to win, and you
(32:05):
really want to when I I've got a couple of
buddies here that play mini tour golf in Phoenix, and
we've played with a couple of my friends that played professionally,
and you know, we're playing in a money game and
we're playing in a in a nassa or whatever we're
doing personally, And I can see in those guys that
are playing that that are my friends that are playing
mini tour and hoping to one day ascend, you know,
(32:26):
Corn Ferrior, PGA Tour or whatever. I can see how
hard they're battling because it's not just a round of
golf for those guys, right, it's a chance to level
up and see where you're at and if you can compete,
if there are things they do that you don't and
and so it's it's very interesting some of the motivation
that comes from things that nobody knows about, you know,
like uh, like you said, a friendly six am match.
(32:47):
You know, where you're first off and you're just going
out there and battling. What has what has for you
been the biggest surprise about pro golf versus uh versus
amateur and collegiate golf. And I mean this also coming
from a guy that I believe you were. You played
at the Oak Mott u s Open, So I mean
you've you've obviously seen pro golf up close as you
were playing collegiately, but now that you're really in the mix,
(33:08):
what's been the most surprising part? Uh? Well, just going
back to the first the question before, I just want
to say, like between like I know all those names mentioned,
like I do have to uh thank Joseph Bramlin. I mean,
he's literally been my big brother through all this. So
there's all those the guys out there, but Joe's got
a lot of experience on the p G A and
I got to thank him so much because he's you know,
(33:29):
he's he's he's my big brother. He helped me out.
I'm playing with him every practice round, every tournament we're
we're out there. So first of all, I really want
to thank him for kind of taking me under his wing. Um.
But yeah, like UF the PGA Tour, like what I've learned,
and I mean I think the most I've learned is
the pace. The pace of the PGA is very different
from college golf. In college golf, you're playing in threesome,
(33:55):
you've got coaches kind of hovering around every t box,
and you got probably six hours of playing time out there,
where you know it's slow, you're waiting every tea. Then
you have time to really, you know, take a step
back and just kind of relax on the golf course.
But on the p G a totally different and that's
(34:15):
something I definitely have to change after those few the
first few stars where or you know, slow play is
a really bad rep out there. You don't want to
be a slow you don't want to be a slow
player as a pro. That's what you're saying. No, no,
it's it's it's not a great rep to have um
and the pace of like being just a little behind.
I mean people, I think a lot of people on
(34:36):
Instagram they see these fines that they implicate on having
a slow, bad penalty, and they don't realize, like there's
a lot of guys out there who don't have the funds,
Like the top five guys in the world where you know,
ten grand penalty. It's it's constantly, it's a huge deal.
So I remember I got one warning at very cuta
(34:56):
um after our first round. It was just kind of
a miscom indication between the guys playing with and whose
turning was I got this one that time, and the
and the and the official came up to me and
he's like, okay, I'm giving you At that time, I'm like, okay,
I understand. And you said the next one is like
uh something fine, like it was a pretty big number,
and I was like, jeez, like all right. Right after that, yeah,
(35:22):
right after that, I was like, oh my god, let
me take my routine just a little bit. Um. But
you just have to, you know, you just have to
be at a point where you're you're reacting instead of
just thinking on the golf course. You're reacting two shots,
you got the number down because you've done it so
many times while practicing and in competitive Browns, You're just
(35:43):
you're just reacting to the golf course. And now I'm
at a state where when I step onto the golf
course is so fun, so much more exciting because you
get into this really cool flow of of of being
out on the golf course and just playing golf and
hitting the shots that you and your caddie discussed right
off the bat. So that's something I learned a lot
coming out of college. Is this something that now you
(36:06):
hope or wish college would press players on is to
be a little bit quicker or to speed up, because
if the transition goes from you have all the time
in the world to now, all of a sudden, you've
kind of got to go, go, go. I mean, that's
that can be a big change for a player. You know,
if they if they're used to having all the time
they need on a tea or a green or whatever.
Do you do you hope or wish college would push
(36:26):
players to speed up a bit or even penalize them more. Yeah,
I mean it's just really tough because the way it's
structured and the way um I mean, it's just different
in college because you're playing more as a team rather
than the individuals, so coaches want to have that input
and help players out and on part three's and certain
(36:49):
difficult shots. So it's really different. And even even if
you try to get that pace of play up, it
won't really compared to what it's like on tour where
on Saturday Sunday a plane with just a twosome and
you can't fall behind because if you do, a guy
is gonna come right over you and you're gonna be
like picking up and you cast do or else you're
(37:09):
gonna get a fine or you're gonna get time. Um.
But yeah, I mean hopefully in a nice couple of
years there's something where the college college kids are like
students can really understand that is some different change, um
right off the bed. Yeah, I mean I think of
a friend of mine always preaches that, you know, playing
quickly is a skill. It's not. You know, playing quickly
(37:31):
well is a skill, right. I mean playing as fast
as Rory and Dustin Johnson play and able to play
at the level they play at is pretty impressive because
you know, a lot a lot of golfers need a
little bit more time. So it is it is a
change and something you've got to completely flip in terms
of how you're approaching the game as well. If all
of a sudden you feel like you're in a hurry
(37:52):
all the time, you know, being in a hurry is
never good in golf. I mean, you never want to
be in a hurry to rush to the golf course
because you're late for a tea time or you know
you're you're trying to get up there and hit your
golf shot and you feel like you're you're on the clock.
So it is it is a little bit of a
maybe more of a skill than maybe people think it is. Yeah,
and it's also the transition from being able to use
a bushnew when you play. When you use the bushnell
(38:13):
like you're playing quick, like you can just get it boom,
You're ready. But now transitioning that from college to actually
using a yardage book, actually looking at your pin sheet
and doing the math, doing the numbers, then figuring out
where the sprinkler head is, um and trying to get
the best number you can in relation to the pen
like that's that's all time. And to be able to
(38:36):
do that more efficiently and a lot quicker with your caddy, UM,
that takes practice. That takes a lot of trust in
your caddy to get his number and match it up
with yours. So yeah, that's something that I've I've definitely
learned to and and I've been fortunate to find a
caddy a J. Monthesino, who works so well with me
and uh, and I was reading that you when when
(38:56):
the injury was going on and you were missing cuts,
you were you kind of spend time on the phone
and specifically on social media. And as a guy myself
who is trying really hard right now to distance himself
from social media, how is that experience and how how
much have you kind of kept it at arms lengked
to just simply keep your sanity because it's it's not
(39:17):
it's not good for anybody to be scrolling, right, It's
not good for anybody to be scrolling through stuff when
you're you know, not the happiest you can be exactly.
And I think especially since I was injured, like I
wasn't able to work out as I wanted to. I
couldn't you know, be as active. So after a tournament
or a tournament round or a practice round, I'm literally
just in my hotel room, um, just watching Netflix, are
(39:41):
going through my phone for hours and hours and hours,
and it was it was just not something that was
healthy for me or my game. And then you're looking at,
you know, so many swings where it's just like people
don't realize that if you look at that many swings,
it will do something when like, especially when your game
is not you wanted to be where mine wasn't at
(40:01):
the time. It was just, you know, it just kind
of affected it little by little. UM So I just
had to distance myself away from it and just kind
of have you have a healthier relationship where um, I
could still be you know, interactive with people who follow
me and support me on on Instagram and other certain as,
but still have time to you know, give it. I
(40:24):
just have to be disciplined, like when I practiced, when
I you know, when I when I'm home with some friends,
like I don't I try to stay away. I don't
use it. I try to focus on what's you know,
being being right in front of me and just staying
present instead of being distracted in the whole different world
on social media. So the last thing I wanted to
do was um I heard, I mean justin I know
(40:48):
you you're you're you're a smart kid, you went to USC.
You know you you're a guy, You're a bright guy.
But I've heard that there's one flaw in your brain
and that comes with us geograh fee and I've heard
you struggle mightily by naming the state to the city.
So if I give you a city, I've heard you're
(41:09):
not the best at knowing what state it's in. Is
this fair to say? This is gonna make me look
so bad? I have I have a couple of layups.
I have one tough one and then and then I'm
not I'm not girling you. I'm not giving you like Concord,
New Hampshire or something. Okay, so you're any of them
(41:29):
is a tough one. So listen. Now, I know you
know California, by the way, I love I love the
coach z Ambrey told me this because it's just a showy.
So you've got California down. I'm assuming you know Sacramento
in all l A and San Diego and all those things.
Can you give me Chicago, Illinois? I was just there, Illinois, nicey.
(41:53):
I knew you could knock it out. I've got I've
got a kind of off the beaten path city that
I feel like you're gonna get. I've got confidence in
you justin Oh my gosh, I'm I'm there. Corpus Christie,
say that one more time, Corpus Christie. Shane, this is
(42:13):
deja vu. Okaythead my senior year the whole team sitting
on the lounge, the whole girls and guys team, and
the coaches do this to me for an hour, and
it was what would you say? What would you say?
What would you say? Your percentage was when they were
doing this to you when you're a senior, I almost
don't want to say because it's pretty bad. Yeah, it's
(42:35):
it's always so. So I did this thing. We were
doing the get a grip thing Max, like during pandemic
one time. He just he just threw this app and
he goes, I want to quiz you on golf trivia
during the podcast, and all of a sudden, I get
super nervous because I feel confident in my ability to
know stuff about golf. But the last thing I do
(42:58):
is want to come off as some idiot that doesn't know,
you know, what Tiger's cut streak was, or you know
who won the nineteen thirty five Masters. I mean, I
want to feel like I know all these things. And
I got super nervous, so I totally understand where you're
coming from. This is, by the way, my new favorite thing.
I want this to be on your Wikipedia page one day.
Somebody's gonna have to edit it. And just say say no,
(43:19):
say say not great at des Moine. Doesn't know where
de Moine is, but unbelievable and a lot of other things. Yeah, well,
I don't know, I don't know where, um, where the
city or state was where you just said uh before
I just said but uh, I'm trying to have what
that question. You're all good, Um, where where is? So?
(43:40):
What's your schedule like the rest of the year in
the next year, what do you have planned like what
what's definitely on the schedule and what are you hoping
you can add on the schedule? Um, So we're I mean,
the next two weeks we have off for c J
and Zozo. I'm definitely in the Bermuda Championship because of
this top ten A Shriner's nice um, and we're just
(44:02):
we're hopeful for Houston and Mexico. Um, but you know,
good golf at Bermuno would definitely definitely help. But right now,
what's definite is Bermuda and that's that's where my focus
is right now. Yeah. I mean, you know you, I mean,
you get a chance to Unfortunately you live in Vegas
and I live in Scottsdale, and right now, every golf
course is getting overseated and there's nowhere to play. But
I'm assuming there's somewhere to practice. But this is always
(44:24):
the biggest bummer about living in the desert is when
the nice weather finally coman. It's been brutal in Arizona
the whole summer. The weather finally breaks and we have
all the golf courses get scalped, and you're like, no, no no, no,
no no. This is when we want to play golf.
This is when we want to go out on the golf.
So hopefully you have a place that you can at
least go banks some balls in practice for a little bit. Yeah,
I do. Um, And you know, this was my first
(44:46):
summer out in out in the desert and uh, coming
from Cali and having a deal with one ten and
one fifteen, so I'm such a regular basis it was.
It was a huge adjustment. Yeah, it was. I've noticed
any of any of the guys that moved to Arizona,
you know, the professional golfers ended up in Arizona, especially
(45:07):
this year with the pandemic. You know, everybody was kind
of home the whole time. Like, man, it's it's one
fifteen a lot. I'm like, yeah, pretty much the whole summer.
It's one fifteen. You gotta get your you gotta get
your work in earlier late. But uh, but just exactly.
I appreciate the time. I appreciate you jumping on. I
was pumped to see, you know, the couple of weeks
in a row of great play. I know you've been
obviously working a lot on it, and uh and for you,
(45:29):
I can only imagine seeing the finishes. You know, you
get so close in Mondays, you get so close to
other events. To finally see it come into play at
the big events at the PGA Tour events has to
make you feel super satisfied by what you've gone through
the last year, year and a half. It does, it
really does. Um. I mean it's I mean everyone in
my team, they've been working so hard and just getting
(45:51):
me set up to uh to where I'm at now
and and to see everything quick and to see myself
compete and have so much fun on the golf course
and being up there in the eat aboard. Um, it's
definitely definitely satisfying. Well, Jess and I appreciate it. Good
luck the rest of the year and in the next year.
I'm sure I'll see you on the road at some point.
And yeah, I mean keep at it. And uh and
de Moine is in Iowa. There you go, that's that's
(46:13):
your I'll remember that one. We're gonna take a quick
break and be right back. Big thanks to Justin. Big
(46:35):
thanks to you for listening. If you like the show
and you haven't rate rady or reviewed it, do that.
That's a nice thing to do and and it helps
us out and it helps the podcast. Big thanks to
my Heart and uh, and just wanted to let you
know if you like this podcast, if you haven't listened
to Get a Grip with Max Holm and Shane Bacon
and the other podcast I do with Maxima who's on
the PGA tour, make sure you subscribe and listen to
(46:57):
that as well, because we have fun with that. It's weekly.
It is kind of all over the place depending on
what happened that week. And uh and yeah, make sure
you check out as well. We'll be back soon with
another guest. The Clubhouse was Shane Bacon as a production
(47:22):
of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio,
visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever
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