19th Hole Podcast: 2025 US Open

Ashley Ryan and Alex Mroz are joined by Derek Berg and Marc Medley as we discuss the field and storylines for the 2025 US Open at Oakmont.
The story of every US Open is the course and this year is no different as the USGA is preparing Oakmont to host it's 10th Open and provide it's toughest test.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Nineteenth Pole Podcast US Open Edition sponsored
by Tito's Handmaid Vodka.

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Speaker 3 (00:13):
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Speaker 1 (00:16):
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Speaker 3 (00:22):
All right, business has been taken care of.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
It is the US Open nineteenth No The Nineteenth Hole
Podcast US Open Edition. Ashley Ryan and Alex Maraz with you.
We have a special guest with us today. Two special guests,
or maybe I should say one and a half special guests,
Derek Berg and Mark Medley joining us today. We'll see
how much Mark actually chimes in. The one and twenty
fifth US Open is at Oakmont Country Club, so we

(00:49):
felt like we needed to bring in the expert Derek,
who has played Oakmont. Do you think should we call
him an expert or should we just call him a
guy that's played there before?

Speaker 4 (00:58):
He's an expert Okay, he's an expert.

Speaker 5 (01:00):
It had trees though last time.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
Oh so it had trees before.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
It doesn't have trees now, we'll see. It is obviously
known as a very challenging course, which US Open. They
take any course and make it extra challenging. So to
take Oakmont and make.

Speaker 3 (01:13):
It more challenging.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
I mean we're recording this and US Open week hasn't
even started and we've seen people do practice rounds and
already complain about Oakmont.

Speaker 4 (01:23):
Yes, yeah, it's I think I heard Adam Scott hit
every Pharaoh on the front nine and shot thirty nine.
Rory made a seven on the second hole, which Derek,
I think, is that a driveable Paul Part four?

Speaker 5 (01:36):
It can be?

Speaker 4 (01:37):
Yes, yeah, so it's Oakmond is showing its teeth already.

Speaker 6 (01:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
They're saying the ruff will be up at five inches,
and then they've had a lot of rain, so it's
just very thick. I think Bryson filmed his practice round
and said he couldn't.

Speaker 3 (01:49):
Even see the ball.

Speaker 4 (01:51):
Yes, yeah, no, it's it's going to be interesting with
the rain usually they say. I was listening to an
interview with Bob Ford, who had been the head professional
at Oakmont for forty years. He's like, it's either gonna
be five under or five over, depending on if it
rains or not. And I think with the rain it's
going to be really thick rough, you know, which is

(02:12):
going to lend itself to driving accuracy.

Speaker 6 (02:15):
We don't want to go there just yet.

Speaker 4 (02:16):
But it's it was a golf course that was designed
or it is a golf course. It's designed to be
the hardest golf course in the world in mind, and.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
It's hosted ten This will be its tenth US Open.
I've seen people complaining already about the par three eighth hole,
I believe at almost three hundred yards.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
So I'm going to start off there with you guys.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Is par three nearing three hundred yards?

Speaker 5 (02:40):
Is that too much?

Speaker 3 (02:40):
Because the pros are.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
Even complaining about it, at least Xander is, I'll say, well, he.

Speaker 6 (02:46):
Has to complain to begin with.

Speaker 7 (02:47):
So yeah, there's not a lot of good. Part three
is that long, let alone, any part three is that long.
But yeah, that's a long club in Bill par three,
So no doubt about it. I will say, having played it,
not at three hundred yards, but it's a pretty big
area down there. I mean I know that back in
the day when guys were hitting long irons in there.
Now guys hit long irons way further than they used to.

(03:08):
You know, it's meant to kind of land short and
run up. But yeah, anything that you're hitting a three
wood or some guys hitting a driver into is maybe
a little bit on the long side. But hey, everybody's
got to play it, and yeah, it just adds to
just like every other whole author is gonna be hard.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, well, they're the goal obviously with every US Open
is to be over par.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
That's what they want, the winner to be over par,
everybody to be over par.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
I think last time it was at Oakmont, right, if
I recall you did some research out it was Dustin
Johnson won it and he was under par, right fur under.

Speaker 4 (03:38):
Part Yes, twenty sixteen. I think they might have had
some rain earlier in the week. But yeah, they've added
like three hundred yards to the golf course. I think
gil Hans did her He did a restoration and or
I don't know what you want to call renovation restoration
in twenty twenty three. So they've widened some of the
greens a little bit. I think the average or expanded.

(03:59):
I think the rich green square footage at Oakland is
eight thousand square feet, which is absolutely ridiculous, and I
think that is really the teeth of the golf course
is the greens. From my understanding, Yeah.

Speaker 7 (04:13):
To add on it, like again, having played it again,
it was a while ago now two thousand and three.
But the two things that really stood out with Oakland
and anybody that's probably played it is there's nothing tricky
about it. I mean, I guess you could call it
greens tricky just because they're so fast and undulating if
you want it, but it's right in front of you,
especially having there's zero trees out there. There are holes

(04:35):
that are under four hundred yards, you know, there's a
few three four five of them, so there are holes
that aren't very long as well. But it's right in
front of you. But you just have to hit it
where you're looking, and if you don't, you're going to
pay the price for it. And that's just the way
it is. So it's very fair in the fact that
there's no tricky holes or anything like that. It just

(04:56):
it wants you to hit one good shot after another
until you're done with eighteen holes and then thinking back
one experience, I had you stand in the fifteenth fairway,
I remember, and it's kind of an elevated fairway, and
I remember looking down you're probably sitting ten to fifteen
feet above the green, and I was like, this is
the biggest green I've ever seen it in my life.
And we walked down there and you realize like you're

(05:19):
standing on the green, but you're in the like it
seems like you're in the fairway. And they had to
put like little spray paint dots to like say this
is where.

Speaker 5 (05:29):
The green started, this where the fairway ended.

Speaker 7 (05:31):
Oh so it looked like it was just a fairway
all the way to the back of the green, or
you could say a green all the way somewhere into
the middle of the fair I mean, it was just
it looked massive because the fairways are.

Speaker 5 (05:41):
That good too.

Speaker 3 (05:42):
Oh wow.

Speaker 7 (05:44):
So yeah, it's an amazing place, and it is from
the time you tee off until you get done.

Speaker 5 (05:48):
There's there's no breaks out there.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
I should put a disclaimer why right now as my
dog is parking. This is the first time that we've
done the nineteenth podcast like in an in person setup.
So we were sitting in my backyard on the golf
course and the dog is mad at a squirrel, so
he might chime in and I apologize.

Speaker 5 (06:06):
In advanced for the squirrels are loading.

Speaker 2 (06:09):
Oh perfect, Yeah, so he just knows what's going on.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
Okay, So you did mention the greens and how fast
they are they're saying, I think it was between a
fourteen point five and a fourteen point nine was what
they were saying.

Speaker 3 (06:20):
That they thought they'd be at.

Speaker 1 (06:21):
Like, is that just something that they're doing for the
US Open, because I've heard the Oakmont screens are always fast.

Speaker 5 (06:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (06:28):
I mean that's just something that the membership prides himself on,
is having fast greens and being really a huge test
on the green complexes. And I think now with the
subair systems, so they've got a subair system that they
put in in the renovation, they can dry those greens
out really quickly during all the rain that's going to

(06:51):
come through next week. And that was the same thing
that we saw a Quail Hollow actually with all the
rain that they had, they had the sub air put in.
But yes, Oakmont prides himself on their five inch rough
and they're fifteen on the STEMP meter. I don't know, Derek,
if if if it was fifteen when you played, But.

Speaker 5 (07:11):
Yeah, they're definitely fast.

Speaker 7 (07:13):
But championship golf courses too, Like not only are they fast,
but when you play a championship golf course, you know,
the green complexes make them even faster, right, Like, I
mean there's not a lot of flat spots you're putting,
like either up a tier or down a tier, or
it goes up and over something and then up at
the end. You know, there's not a lot of like, well,

(07:35):
this green's just fairly flat, you know, or gently goes
from one side to another all the same.

Speaker 5 (07:40):
Right, there's like.

Speaker 7 (07:41):
Pockets and sections and so especially if you hit a
big green and it's rolling fourteen and half the you know,
putt is downhill and then the other half is uphill
late and then maybe it breaks to the I mean
like that's where you start, you know, finding like, wow,
this gets really difficult, you know. I would say the
average guy or gal when they go to play their
local club or MUNI like the green kind of goes

(08:03):
front to back on that seth or it goes a
little bit left right, or it's fairly flat, or it
just has a flat front and then has a little
tier and it's flat on the back.

Speaker 3 (08:12):
Fairly readable.

Speaker 5 (08:13):
But yeah, it's it's fairly simple.

Speaker 7 (08:15):
Yeah, you know, at any championship course I've played, it's
like you get on these greens and it's like there's.

Speaker 5 (08:21):
A lot of stuff going on.

Speaker 6 (08:23):
Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 4 (08:24):
And I heard I think it was Zach Blair who
just qualified.

Speaker 6 (08:28):
I can't remember if.

Speaker 4 (08:29):
It wasn't Maryland or whatnot, but obviously plays on the
PGA Tour and he's played.

Speaker 6 (08:32):
Oakmont a bunch.

Speaker 4 (08:33):
He goes, you won't have a put out there on
a four foot where you're starting it at the hole.

Speaker 6 (08:38):
It's out, it's outside the hole. Yeah, so there's it.

Speaker 4 (08:41):
To Derek's point, they're so heavily contoured that it you
kind of white knuckling around the whole time.

Speaker 6 (08:48):
I would say.

Speaker 1 (08:49):
For our listeners who might not like just be well
versed in kind of greens and reading greens and things
like that. So we're talking about the greens that are
being around to fifteen, what like, is there like an
average for a typical golf course kind of where the
where it's running on step there nine?

Speaker 3 (09:06):
Okay, so that's really fast.

Speaker 4 (09:08):
Yeah, it's like putting on on concrete.

Speaker 6 (09:11):
Yeah, on court.

Speaker 5 (09:13):
Yeah, I don't even know what greens they can even stamp.

Speaker 7 (09:15):
At Okama, they're probably stamping the putting green, which is
like fairly flat, because if you take a green that's
rolling fourteen on a flat surface and you put some
tilt and it, I mean it can be rolling its
fifty honestly, because like you could drop a ball on
the back of the second green, it'll roll the fairway.

Speaker 5 (09:30):
Wow, Like that's not the exaggeration either.

Speaker 7 (09:33):
So so yeah, that'spending on where the ball is, Like
it'll just pick speed up as it keeps going.

Speaker 3 (09:38):
That's ridiculous.

Speaker 1 (09:40):
And I'm glad you brought up the drying method that
they have there because that was my first thought is
with all this rain that's making the rough so difficult,
how on earth are the greens going to be that
fast because you'd think maybe really slow for how wet.
It is so good to know that they have really
fancy technology.

Speaker 6 (09:53):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (09:54):
I did see one description of the setup and it
was described as rough topped at five inches.

Speaker 2 (09:59):
Green speeds of fifteen on the stimpmeter.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
Rene invaded golf course with at least one new whole
location on each Green. Nothing to see here, just the
setup basics for next.

Speaker 3 (10:07):
Month's US Open at Oakmont.

Speaker 1 (10:09):
That was just like a casual golf person that it
is on it.

Speaker 3 (10:16):
A lot of anger to watch. Yeah, yeah, it's gonna
be a lot of anger. And we've seen a lot.

Speaker 1 (10:21):
I mean, we saw quite a bit of anger when
the US Open was here at Chambers Bay, Like they
were not happy with that course set.

Speaker 3 (10:27):
Up and this.

Speaker 1 (10:29):
I understand that the frustration with that was maybe over
course and things like that, but yeah, it's just I mean,
we we do have experience, especially here, with how irritated
or angry these golfers can get with the course conditions. Okay,
let's talk about the church pews. They said they're not
digging them out for this tournament. So does that obviously

(10:51):
is bad?

Speaker 5 (10:52):
I would assume.

Speaker 1 (10:53):
I don't quite know what that means, Like they're just
not I don't know what that's what I've just seen
is that they're not digging them out.

Speaker 3 (11:00):
What does that mean?

Speaker 1 (11:00):
Do you know?

Speaker 7 (11:01):
No, I gotta be honest, I have no idea. Okay,
the church pews they look cool. I mean, they are
a hazard, no doubt about it. I don't you know.
They come in and play on two holes possibly, you know,
but all the bunkers at Oakmon are meant to be
hazards like there are I don't know how many there are,
to be honest, but there's a lot, and most of
them are meant to especially the faaraway ones, are meant

(11:24):
to just wedge out like that was the whole design
was like when you get in there was not to
like most likely be able to hit it onto the green.
So when you do get in those, if you can
advance into the green, you're you're pretty fortunate. So you know,
you can get into the side of the church perows
to have shots. But yeah, most of the time you
kind of get close to one of the tongues and yeah,

(11:46):
it gets a little more difficult. But they're all designed
to be that. The church pews just kind of have,
you know, obviously a different look than you would see
most bunkers.

Speaker 3 (11:53):
Yeah, so I did find the quote.

Speaker 1 (11:54):
So as USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer said it,
in twenty sixteen, we carved out those.

Speaker 2 (12:00):
Ditches to where players could get in there and play.

Speaker 3 (12:02):
This year, we're not doing that.

Speaker 1 (12:03):
You hit it in those ditches, good luck there might
be some that will play out of it, but it'll
be twelve to eighteen inches of wispy pesky and they're nasty.

Speaker 5 (12:10):
That's left of nine.

Speaker 7 (12:12):
Okay, uh oh, the other one on the back nine,
but yeah, no, that's left and not Yeah those maybe
one year they really hit out. Yeah the truth pew
just the bunkers, but yeah, no, they have ditches out
there too where Okay, some years rough's been super long and.

Speaker 5 (12:25):
Other years they've been able to get it out. Okay, yeah,
and the one on nine too.

Speaker 7 (12:29):
Like you can't see it from the tea box, like
it's a it's a blind t ball.

Speaker 6 (12:32):
It's a shot.

Speaker 7 (12:33):
Because you have to line it up with the clubhouse
in the background and maybe a couple of trees, and
even with that, it's not very wide, so you're just
you're seeing nothing, and you're like, well, I got to
hit it between those two things, and if I don't,
I'm either going to be in a bunker or I'm
going to be in the ditch totally.

Speaker 5 (12:49):
And it's not a short hole that I believe. It's
like four to eighty up the hill.

Speaker 7 (12:52):
So for some of those guys, it's you know, it's
not that long, but you do have to hit a
good tea shot.

Speaker 1 (12:56):
Yeah, all just in your research, and I'll ask Derek
this after from his playing experience, But is there anything
that stood out to you about this course and what
these guys are going to deal with?

Speaker 4 (13:06):
Yeah, I mean I feel like with Oakmont, you kind
of play along two big ridges and then everything funnels
to the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Speaker 6 (13:15):
And there's a few I mean.

Speaker 4 (13:16):
Derek correct me if I'm wrong, but there's a few
like semi blind t balls out there from the t's
that these guys are playing at.

Speaker 6 (13:24):
But I think what Derek.

Speaker 4 (13:25):
Brought up earlier about how you don't know where like
the green blends into fairway, there's some false fronts. There's
greens that slope from back to front or from front
to back.

Speaker 6 (13:37):
Excuse me.

Speaker 4 (13:39):
So I think there's a lot of it's gonna put
a lot of a premium on driving. But also you know,
lag putting when you get when you get on the
when you get on the green complexes.

Speaker 6 (13:51):
Excuse me.

Speaker 4 (13:53):
Yeah, Oakmont, it's just brawny, it's big, the scale is huge.
You're really just trying to hold on at the end
of the day.

Speaker 6 (14:04):
I mean, Derek knows better than me.

Speaker 5 (14:08):
Yeah, I mean they're there are.

Speaker 7 (14:10):
Like I said, there's a handful holes are under four
hundred yards I mean four hundred and fifty yards for
these guys these days, is really not that long of
a hole. But with some of those short holes come
with some of the crazy greens as well. So even
though you might even hit the fairway like then, controlling
your shot into the green is huge and all that stuff.
But yeah, I mean, like I said, I think the

(14:32):
biggest thing that stands out that I remember is just
that there's just like I said, no let up. I mean,
because if you do then miss the fairway on one
of those short holes, Yeah, then all of a sudden
you're like, oh my gosh, I just took one of
my plane birdy opportunities. And now you're you're grinding or struggling,
you know, to make anything there. And like I said,
the green, the bunkers there are penal.

Speaker 6 (14:51):
I mean, yeah, you can't hit it in them.

Speaker 7 (14:53):
They are not good and not so much like in
some instances where you just hit it out you make
your bogie. I'm like, there's some like you're gonna hit
it out and it's gonna roll across the green, it's
gonna go into four inches of rough, and then you're
struggling to make bogey.

Speaker 5 (15:06):
So you might make double.

Speaker 7 (15:07):
So yeah, it's like I said, the biggest thing that
stood out to me was there was nothing tricky. There's
no even though there are a couple of blind tea shots,
it wasn't anything like, oh man, I don't know, this
is a hard dog leg and you know you got
to snap hook it around the corn. It's like, nope,
you better hit it there, and then if you don't,
you better be playing for sometimes bogie. And even if

(15:28):
you do hit it there, you're like, well, do I
really want to get too aggressive now? And it's yeah,
it's really hard to describe a course like this sometimes
to some people when you, hey, this is a championship
golf course because of just whole after hole what you're
kind of dealing with. And an interesting thing I actually
heard going this too is all the holes. There's like

(15:51):
four holes that go north, some four holes that go south,
four holes to go east, well west, I mean like
they all go different directions too.

Speaker 5 (15:58):
So if the wind's.

Speaker 7 (15:58):
Blowing, oh yeah, it doesn't necessarily you know, play great
for some of the short holes, you know, it might
blow dead into on the short and then down on
the long and then you know, the next day the
wind switches a little and all of a sudden the
holes played completely different because they all just go different
directions as well.

Speaker 4 (16:15):
Yeah, the routing of the golf course is superb.

Speaker 7 (16:17):
Yeah, but yeah it is just super fair, but just
super hard.

Speaker 3 (16:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (16:22):
So basically the key is just play perfect golfing.

Speaker 4 (16:25):
It'll be fine, yes, but I think it's all right,
fair enough, fair enough, all right.

Speaker 1 (16:32):
Well, why don't we get into talking about some of
the players. And we're going to start with somebody that
is not going to make it to the US Open,
Max Homer.

Speaker 2 (16:40):
He was out at Derek's favorite.

Speaker 1 (16:44):
He was out at Columbus right in Columbus, Ohio, earlier
in the week, trying to make the qualifying He did
not make it. He was carrying his own bag. He's
had some caddy issues. He fired his first caddie, Joe Grinder.
Is that right, Joe Griner?

Speaker 5 (16:58):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (16:59):
Then that was before the Masters. Then he had his
new caddy, Bill Hark. But he showed up to Columbus
without Bill and he was on his own carrying his
bag for the thirty six holes. Then he showed up
at RBC Canadian and had a different caddy, which is
Tiger's old caddy, and he missed the cut. What Like,
we talk all the time about how golf is such

(17:19):
a mental thing, but it really seems like Max is
going through it right now. I think they asked him
about carrying his own bag and he said, it seems
better when someone is not standing next to me for
some reason. So I might just need to walk by
myself more like, I don't know how how do you
get yourself out of that situation.

Speaker 2 (17:37):
I don't think you can just not have a caddy forever.

Speaker 7 (17:39):
I think Max is just finding himself in a spot
that a lot of average Joe's finding themselves, but they
just it's not on TV and they're not elite, world
class players. But he's obviously ran into some you know
issues playing golf the way he wants to play, and
you know, a lot of a you know think like, oh,

(18:01):
if I make a couple of changes, like I can
get things turned around. And he's made a lot in
the last you know year, And sometimes when you go
down that road, it doesn't work out very well. And
it takes, you know, either a while to get back
or forever, and maybe it never even does come back.
But I mean, when you're switching swing coaches and golf
clubs and clothing brands and caddies and all this stuff,

(18:24):
when you've already been you know, two years ago, he
was a Ryder cover.

Speaker 4 (18:28):
Yeah, fifth in the world.

Speaker 5 (18:30):
You know, it wasn't very long ago.

Speaker 7 (18:33):
Again, I've never played the PGA Tour, but I've played
golf at a fairly high level. And I mean I
can't relate exactly, but you know, switching a putter here
and there to get a new look, that's one thing.

Speaker 5 (18:44):
Switching everything.

Speaker 7 (18:45):
That's a guy that's lost, not comfortable and searching, thinking
that if I just switched something, it's gonna spark something
really quick. And I would say the guys that tend
to stay more consistent day in and day out, they don't,
you know, they they their consistency stays a lot, you know,
they stick with the program. They kind of trust the program,
they you know, and he just seems like, for whatever reason,

(19:08):
the program needed to switch and and and he switched
it off.

Speaker 5 (19:11):
And he's a switch at all.

Speaker 7 (19:12):
And that's you know, I would say golf, playing golf
all my life.

Speaker 5 (19:16):
Now it's like that usually doesn't work out very well.

Speaker 7 (19:19):
Switching, like I said, a putter or something here and
there can give you a new fresh look. But switching
to all that that seems like someone that's lost and
thinking that switching is just going to get him back,
and I usually find that that's not the case. And
so he's ou where he's at. So he's still a
great player. I mean he's shown little signs here and there,
like he had a decent Masters and and things like that.

(19:40):
But yeah, he's got to find something or or somebody
that he can you know, entrust that we'll get him
back on track, you know, so because yeah, it's he
seems he seems lost.

Speaker 6 (19:51):
Yeah, we see.

Speaker 4 (19:52):
We see that with a lot of golfers, right, I mean,
like look at Jordan Spieth right a few years ago,
you know duct tape boy, right, he was just doing
anything he could to try to put himself back together
after trying to find you know, you know, you go
down these rabbit holes kind of like Garret was talking about.
Justin Thomas was in the same boat. I mean, pulling
out a live name Lee Westwood. You know, he was, well,

(20:17):
he's on the Magic sticks right on live. Yeah, but
they're so bad actually my favorite yes, right, but you know,
Lee Westwood I think was number, you know, top five
player in the world and dropped all the way down

(20:38):
to like two hundred and something. So, you know, to
piggyback on Derek, it happens, right, start searching for something
newer and better and thinking we can improve. Yes, we're
a weird breed, right, weird breeds. It is a confidence thing, Mark, Yeah, it's.

Speaker 8 (20:57):
It's making that change to get a sense of confidence.
And once you have that back, I mean, the towent's there,
it's just feeling comfortable.

Speaker 1 (21:06):
Well, we'd had a conversation before we started recording about
caddies in the relationship with a caddy, and I thought
it was very interesting.

Speaker 2 (21:11):
That what you guys brought up just kind of that caddy.

Speaker 1 (21:14):
Maybe it is that they spend too much time together
at times, and like if somebody something, if something's not
going well, it's just the butting of heads and they're
almost like brothers because I mean, Derek, you said they
spend more time with their caddies than their families.

Speaker 5 (21:27):
Yeah, I mean Caddy, I would never want to be
a caddy.

Speaker 7 (21:31):
But yeah, they it's really tough because you're with them
so much, you're talking about golf so much, your your
you know, livelihood as the caddy, and obviously the player
depends on what goes right on the course. And when
it doesn't go right, it's like I would say, a
lot of the time could be wrong, but I'd say
a lot of times it's not like the cat or

(21:52):
the player probably looks at the caddy like, oh god,
you screwed up again or anything like that. But when
things aren't going right, you know, there's probably a lot
of complaining, a lot of you know, negative talk and all,
and I mean just as human beings, like it probably
wears them both out. And you know, before you know,
you were boys five years ago, and after five years

(22:13):
of just like you know whatever, whether it's two years
of just like you know, down in the dumps, I'm
sure warm both out.

Speaker 5 (22:20):
You know, if we're speaking, you know, I'm not I can't.

Speaker 7 (22:23):
Speak for them, but if you're talking about Home and Grinder,
it's like I gotta imagine they both got worn out.
And you know, those guys were, like I said, like,
as far as we know, they were boys, and they
still might be. But to split there definitely had to
been you know, there had been too much for both
of them. Yeah, you know, and obviously I think you know,
Max probably made the decision. It sounds like, but yeah,

(22:45):
that's a rough job because you want to cut I
would probably want to keep it. I'd probably want to
have some stranger to be honest and just make keep
it business because as soon as you cross that line
with your buddy, it's kind of like where do you
go from there?

Speaker 5 (22:56):
You know, it'd be really hard.

Speaker 7 (22:58):
I mean, it might take some time to kind of
get back to so called normal, you know.

Speaker 2 (23:02):
Because you feel like you also broke up with somebody.

Speaker 5 (23:04):
Yeah, I mean tough.

Speaker 1 (23:06):
Yeah, and we I mean everybody here has broken up
with somebody at some point, and it can derail your
entire train of thoughts. So imagine with the mentality of golf,
it's and both of them.

Speaker 5 (23:16):
We're trying to make a living.

Speaker 7 (23:17):
I mean, it seems like it's just how we're out
playing a game, which technically it is. But whenever when
the game is relying on you paying bills and all
that stuff, I mean, I'm sure it can get a
little spicy out there.

Speaker 1 (23:30):
I mean, we saw I think a great example of
the caddy golfer relationship in full swing with with Joel
Damon and Gino. Like there, there was a lot of
times watching that where you're feeling really bad for Gino
because Joel's not taking the game as seriously as Gina
wanted him to. And I think they're probably a more
rare couple.

Speaker 2 (23:49):
Of duo because they have there they were.

Speaker 9 (23:52):
Well, you know what, they're a little more on the
goofy side a little bit. Yeah, they're a little more
laid back in chilled and i'd say most people. But yeah,
it's it's tough, yeah, because you could tell Gina was
getting frustrated. But but he doesn't want to like get
in Joel's face necessarily.

Speaker 5 (24:09):
Because he's like personality.

Speaker 3 (24:11):
Right yeah, yeah, and it's yeah, you're right, that's his.

Speaker 5 (24:13):
Body and it's on his personality.

Speaker 7 (24:15):
It seems like they're both happy, go lucky, which honestly
might have heard him a little bit for a little while.

Speaker 8 (24:20):
There, yeah, you know, and Gina knew what he was signing.

Speaker 1 (24:23):
Oh yeah, I mean, I just I do adore their relationship.

Speaker 3 (24:26):
I think they're very cute. I hope that they have
a lot of success.

Speaker 7 (24:29):
Okay, I say Max is just going through what most
of us go through at some point. This is just
nationally televised, and it's just he's just searching because he
wants what he had two years ago, and he's probably
not that far from it. Yeah, he feels like he's
a mile from it.

Speaker 3 (24:41):
Yeah, that makes sense, That makes sense.

Speaker 1 (24:43):
Al Ay thoughts on Max Helma You want to add
or you think Derek summed it up.

Speaker 6 (24:47):
I think Derek summed it up pretty well.

Speaker 4 (24:49):
I think he's he'll he'll be on the rebound here
at some point. It's just it's the ebbs and flows
of golf that the ups and downs.

Speaker 2 (24:57):
Well, it does feel like too.

Speaker 1 (24:58):
We do see quite a few play that all of
a sudden when they actually do break onto the scene,
they're real good and real good, and then they have
that moment where they step back and I mean, gosh,
that happened to Jordan Speed times ten.

Speaker 4 (25:09):
Yeah, and he came out.

Speaker 5 (25:10):
He was a failure after this. Yeah, this beginning where
you're going to go from there? Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 4 (25:15):
I mean Ricky Fowler has been on the milk carton
for a little bit.

Speaker 1 (25:18):
Yeah, there's another person be playing in the US Open,
right there. Okay, so someone who is playing in the
US Open, wonderful Phil Nicholson.

Speaker 3 (25:27):
Who was quoted this week, is saying, there's a high.

Speaker 1 (25:28):
Likelihood this will be my last US Open. But I
haven't really thought about it too much. So it's not
just that like he's.

Speaker 3 (25:34):
Retiring or he's done.

Speaker 1 (25:36):
He has a five year exemption, which he got after
winning the PGA Championship back in twenty twenty one. But
since he's joined LIV he's i mean essentially been a
non factor except for his T two at the Masters
in twenty twenty three.

Speaker 2 (25:49):
He's I looked this up and I was actually like, wait,
this is real.

Speaker 1 (25:52):
He missed the cut in ten of his last fourteen
major championship starts. So Phil's not doing well and I
couldn't be happier about it.

Speaker 7 (26:00):
You guys, kiel, Yeah, sounds like you and Phil are tight.

Speaker 5 (26:06):
Yeah. I mean, who knows with Phil or anything. He's
just getting older.

Speaker 7 (26:11):
I mean, like you know, I mean at some point,
like golf's hard, right, he's fifty one six five.

Speaker 3 (26:17):
Six ancient, just kidding.

Speaker 7 (26:20):
Fifty four fifty five something like that. He uh, is
just hard to compete you know, and then you were
taking one of literally the hardest golf courses on the
planet before. Yeah, this is a tournament that, like I
was talking to Mark earlier about it's like I try
to qualify for every year and this year I was like,
you know what, maybe it was not to qualify. This

(26:41):
one is gonna you know, potentially you're gonna walk out
of there going, you know, and bruised and battered. So
who knows whether it's his last one or not. I
don't know if i'd want to go out with Oakland.

Speaker 4 (26:51):
But he's got Shinnacock next year. You know what happened
there last time, Yeah, with the devil putting, Well he
might do that this.

Speaker 7 (27:00):
Year one of the same. But uh yeah, who knows
what's Phil? But I will say I'm not a huge
Phil guy. But whether you like him or not, like,
I mean, the guy's career has been unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (27:14):
Yeah, so I should say when I'm like, I couldn't
be happier that he's like maybe done, or that he's
been sucking. It's not because he hasn't had a great career.
I just he's he's the leader of helps with him
the li bs and I and I think he thought
like the grass was going to be so much greener when.

Speaker 3 (27:30):
He went over there, and it might have been greener
for him. It might have been it might have made
a lot of green. I think he did.

Speaker 5 (27:35):
Yeah, a lot of people off to him.

Speaker 4 (27:36):
Oh he's not he's not going to get you know,
probably not going to get the major that he wanted.

Speaker 3 (27:41):
He's definitely going to get the think his career Grea.

Speaker 2 (27:44):
Slam I was reading, I was like, this is the
one he's searching for. I was like, is it going
to be the one he gets?

Speaker 4 (27:49):
Looking forward to the rough time tied for second ninety nine,
two thousand and two, two thousand and four, two thousand
and six, two thousand and nine, twenty thirteen.

Speaker 3 (27:57):
Oh my god, you had that many? Yes, Wow, I
millions that close?

Speaker 1 (28:02):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (28:02):
Yeah, he is like the ultimate bridesmaid.

Speaker 1 (28:05):
All right, Well, Rory was the bridesmaid here last year
after some hutting disasters. He's probably trying to forget that.
But it is interesting because the RBC Canadian Open was
this week and Rory missed the cut. So my question
for you guys is is that, like, do you think
that going into something ahead of a major tournament that
these guys are thinking like I want to win this?

(28:26):
Are they thinking of it more as like I'm just
staying warm, practicing.

Speaker 3 (28:30):
Got to keep things going while I go into the Major.

Speaker 1 (28:33):
Or do you think, like, is there any chance a
miss cut at this tournament affects him in any way?

Speaker 6 (28:38):
I don't.

Speaker 4 (28:38):
I don't think so. I mean, I he I mean
now he can just hop on his plane and fly
down to Pittsburgh. I don't think it's going to affect
you know, for Aaron Rodgers there maybe yeah, exactly looking
for his house. But yeah, I think I think with Rory,
like he he might be kind of in a funny
headspace right now as far as you know, the whole

(29:01):
not talking to the media thing. And he and he
was at Oakmont a week ago, I think on Monday
doing an outing uh and and he said, he's like,
you know, I was really tired after Thursday and then
the rain delay Friday and Saturday. Then there was the
driver testing thing, and he goes, I don't want to
talk about it because Scotty's driver didn't didn't check out either.

Speaker 6 (29:23):
I think for Rory, I'm.

Speaker 7 (29:25):
I'm not Scotty's driver have to do with I know, right,
Like I don't even know why you mentioned that.

Speaker 6 (29:30):
I know, because it's supposed to be private.

Speaker 4 (29:33):
Yes, and I get it, but like it was leaked
by two members of the media.

Speaker 7 (29:36):
Yeah, and Elas Like again, I could be wrong, but
it's like I don't think. I don't think Rory and
Scotty are going out with these drivers, Like.

Speaker 5 (29:46):
I know this thing is hot, but I'm not gonna say.

Speaker 7 (29:48):
You know, it's like none of these guys are going
out there with like, oh, I know, my driver's hot.
Like they have to do these testings, and Lucas Glover
said that some guys give them their backup drivers so
they or whatever.

Speaker 5 (29:59):
Right, like, but like you're.

Speaker 7 (30:01):
Never didn't pass right, we all know, like after you
hit it a bajillion times, like the metal wears down
or whatever the face is, so it ends up getting
a little hot. That's why they do the testing. The
driver fails a big deal. Here here's another one, Like, yeah,
I don't like why that was such a big deal.
I mean, like, give Rory an illegal driver or a
regular one. He's took gonna smash it.

Speaker 5 (30:22):
Yeah, you know what I mean, Like I.

Speaker 7 (30:26):
Just that whole thing, like I don't know if that
was a like another excuse to just kind of not
talk to the media.

Speaker 5 (30:34):
Who knows he does have.

Speaker 2 (30:35):
His moments of where he's good.

Speaker 7 (30:37):
Its like I understand that, Like the guy was the
puppet for the tour for the last two years three
Like eventually get worn out, They get sick of answering.
Like again, I've never been interviewed except for right now.
But eventually you get the same Eventually you get asked
the same question over and over.

Speaker 5 (30:58):
Oh my god, I'd go crazy. I'd be like, get
out of my face. Right.

Speaker 7 (31:02):
So it's like you guys get worn out, right, and
especially that guy. Yeah, I mean that guys get asked
the same question all the time.

Speaker 3 (31:08):
What do you have to add?

Speaker 1 (31:08):
In fact?

Speaker 5 (31:09):
When he starts.

Speaker 7 (31:11):
When he starts, it's like, oh, Scotty's driver in my drive,
I'm like, what are you talking about?

Speaker 5 (31:16):
Like, Okay, your driver failed. That didn't to me.

Speaker 7 (31:18):
That was one thing when they said their driver's feel
I wasn't like, oh, it was like okay.

Speaker 1 (31:23):
They tried to make it seel like it was some
sneaky thing that he tried to do or like done
something wrong.

Speaker 3 (31:28):
It's like okay, like.

Speaker 5 (31:28):
He's at home filing down his face like.

Speaker 7 (31:32):
Ark.

Speaker 1 (31:32):
I was like, I don't even know what it means,
Like did he do something scandalous?

Speaker 3 (31:34):
And I was like, no, he didn't. He hit his
driver too many times?

Speaker 5 (31:37):
Yeah, yeah, the ball comes off faster than they wanted
to and the story yeah, yeah, a new one.

Speaker 4 (31:42):
Well, if you want to put c T machines on
every first T and test them and then see, you know, and.

Speaker 7 (31:49):
Rory this week, like yeah, some guys like to play
the week before, some guys don't.

Speaker 5 (31:53):
Maybe he has a I know, like he usually plays.

Speaker 4 (31:56):
I know he does playing the RBC, he gets to
commit into.

Speaker 7 (31:59):
The like he has something with RBC that he doesn't
have it publicly, but like if he has something with them,
like say hey, I'll play in your event because he
wants to support Canada or whatever, or he's a guy
that likes to play the week before. I mean, like,
whatever it is, and I think it drows zero grain
assault to like what's gonna happen next week?

Speaker 3 (32:18):
I was gonna say, is there a chance?

Speaker 1 (32:19):
He was like yeah, I'll play starts Thursday and Friday.
And it's like I'm but I'm gonna miss the cut,
so I have more time to go get.

Speaker 3 (32:25):
Ready for the US.

Speaker 7 (32:25):
But it was, it was, but it was I think
a little bit of a testing because he was using
the new q I thirty five like it probably gave
him a like, sure, ye see how this works in
an event, because we all know that in an event,
even if it's not like super serious, for him, is
different than playing with your buddies.

Speaker 1 (32:42):
Yeah, okay, And he did go, yeah, do a practice
round already at Oakland along.

Speaker 3 (32:48):
With Adam Scott.

Speaker 1 (32:50):
They did talk about how terrible the course was, and
so he's ready a good way, well, a good way,
not terrible, like it wasn't ready like.

Speaker 4 (32:57):
Terrible, really hard terrible.

Speaker 5 (33:00):
People are gonna cry really hard.

Speaker 2 (33:03):
All right, Well, so let's get right to it.

Speaker 1 (33:04):
Because the favorites obviously this week again not a surprise,
it's Rory, Scotty and Bryson and al. We talk about
this every single major because it is these three. And
I mean, right now we're two for two of these three.

Speaker 4 (33:16):
We are so yeah, we've not that we you know
that we're five to one or whatever.

Speaker 5 (33:22):
Two.

Speaker 1 (33:22):
Yeah, But again it is interesting because I mean even
in the last major, Bucky was like, well, would you
take Scotty or Rory or would you take the field
And I was like, I'll take Scotty or Rory.

Speaker 2 (33:33):
And that's not usually smart, right, You're usually going to
take the field.

Speaker 3 (33:36):
But it just seemed like.

Speaker 1 (33:38):
In the last two they were those were just the
best possible choices.

Speaker 3 (33:42):
So we've got.

Speaker 2 (33:43):
Scotty, Rory, Bryson odds on favorites.

Speaker 3 (33:45):
Again, would you take one of these three against the.

Speaker 2 (33:47):
Field out or are are you a little.

Speaker 3 (33:50):
Leery about it?

Speaker 4 (33:51):
I mean, I just I'm a little leary in the
sense that like Scotty doesn't Scotty. Scotty needs fairness in
his game, right. He went off about mud balls. Yeah,
at Quayle Hollow. I think round one. You know, Pinehurst
last year doesn't like that, you know, some of the
bounces with the turtleback greens. You know, never plays great

(34:14):
at the Open Championship.

Speaker 6 (34:15):
Never not really fair.

Speaker 4 (34:17):
I think Oakmont isn't fair in a lot of respects, right,
like Derek saying, it's out in front of you, but
like you're gonna get You're gonna have to chip out
sideways and if you miss, you missing a wrong spot,
you could make double bogie like that. Yeah, not but
having said that he's Scotty Sheffler, right, So I mean,

(34:40):
of the three, yeah, I would definitely pick pick Scotty
Scheffler without a doubt. Yeah, it's just gonna be how
is the patience level?

Speaker 6 (34:50):
You know, are we.

Speaker 4 (34:51):
Gonna are we gonna stop? He's been missing it left
a little bit. I mean, I think Memorial it's not
a good comp too. Oakmont h Morele screens really flat,
but there is some you know, there is some narrowness
off the tee and there's some weird kind of funky
lies that you can get in the faraway and obviously
Scotty lit it up there. But if I'm picking one

(35:15):
of the three at Scotty Scheffler and then I'd probably
put Bryson ahead of Rory. Honestly, I think Bryson finished top.
I think he finished fifteenth when he played here in
twenty sixteen, so that was a good finish for him.
And then he's been putting well and you know, obviously
drives the ball insanely far, not that Rory doesn't, but
I just like how Bryson's game is trending, and.

Speaker 6 (35:37):
I like the headspace that he's in.

Speaker 2 (35:40):
Okay, before I get to Derek and get your opinion
on the favorite.

Speaker 3 (35:42):
I have one more question for you, al.

Speaker 2 (35:44):
Because when we talked about the PGA.

Speaker 1 (35:46):
Championship, we talked about the fact that Scotty hadn't played
at Quayle Hollow.

Speaker 3 (35:51):
Except for one time the President's Cup, and he was terrible.

Speaker 1 (35:54):
Yes, and it was Ted Scott that had all the
experience being Bubba's forber Caddy, and clearly that paid off
because Scotty was more prepared for that course than most
everybody else in the field. How do you think that
relationship will help him going into this, Like do you
think I mean, because clearly Ted Scott's been here a lot.

Speaker 4 (36:13):
Ye, well, yeah, no, most definitely. I think it's actually
funny like Scotty played her as an amateur in twenty sixteen.
I think he was tied for seventh or something after
the first round when Dustin Johnson won. So yeah, I
mean they're going to be all over it. I mean
it'll be interesting. He might be getting some more mudballs

(36:33):
this week unfortunately for him with the weather, but yeah,
they'll be they'll be dialed in. But again, like he's
gonna have to keep his guys. Ted's gonna have to
keep Scotty you know, in check a little bit as
far as being patient and not getting frustrated and aggravated
with some of the breaks that you know, Oakmont you know,

(36:54):
could could could lend him.

Speaker 5 (36:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (36:56):
So well, and from what I've heard, Ted Scott is
the guy that they say manages to say all the
right things and do you know, keep his players very
common cool.

Speaker 3 (37:03):
So he's at least in a good spot there.

Speaker 1 (37:05):
Yeah, absolutely, yeah, all right, Derek d I don't know
what to say there. I was gonna be and Derek
all at the same time, and I just went with
a weird first d like, yeah, let's just go with that, Okay, Yeah,
Scotty Rory Bryson, would you take.

Speaker 3 (37:19):
One of them?

Speaker 7 (37:20):
Or I mean, I'd still be buying Scotty stock stock
all day every day. I mean, like like all the
guys say, I mean again, like when you have PGA
Tour players, you know, basically saying all the same stuff
we're playing, there's or saying there's a reason for it, right,
Like he he misses in the right spots, He makes

(37:40):
all the right decisions, you know, he then obviously hits
a bunch of good shots, you know, distance control is
going to be huge out there.

Speaker 5 (37:46):
I mean, like.

Speaker 7 (37:49):
At that place, like it's going to be who can
just kind of stay patient the most, the longest, stay
in the moment, you know, hit the right shot when
you need to that might be chipping out, you know,
things like that, and he does all those things right.

Speaker 5 (38:01):
I Mean, the.

Speaker 7 (38:01):
Only concern I would have at all about Scotty Scheffler
to add an Oakmont would just be the putting, you know,
just like making having a good putting week, because you know,
like Al said, and it is out there. It's like
there's so many putts that are like two balls outside
the hole or three balls and they're four feet long, right,
like making those putts. But other than that, like he'll

(38:24):
hit in the rough, he'll hit in a fairway bunker,
he'll hit in a green side bunker. But he's got
a great short game and he'll make the right decision
coming out, and he's playing good going in.

Speaker 5 (38:33):
And so there's no.

Speaker 7 (38:35):
Way I would if I had to go against the
Scotty Scheffler at Oakmont because of how hard and challenges
it is. Right after that, I'd probably go with Bryson
just purely because he smashes it, and everybody's gonna hit
in the rough. And if you're further up there and
you got a shorter club in, just like he did
at wing Foot, it's gonna pay dividends. So you know,

(38:56):
Bryson's would just be again, same thing like. So he
make good decisions at the right moment, makes a few putts,
but his distance will help him for sure, because.

Speaker 5 (39:06):
Everybody's gonna hit it in the rough.

Speaker 7 (39:08):
I mean, there's you know, the tenth fair Way I remember,
and again I don't know if they've changed since I
was there, but like that fair was just hard to
even keep it in in a good shot.

Speaker 5 (39:16):
So you're gonna hit it in the rough.

Speaker 7 (39:17):
And then so then if you have the power to
get it to land on that green and somehow stop
as a huge advantage Rory I would never let I
mean be like, oh god, no, he has no chance.
I mean, that's that would be ridiculous. But both of
those guys, Bryson and Scotty are a little steeper coming
into the ball, so when you do get in the rough,
it might pay a little bit better for them, you know,
and things like that. So but yeah, Scotty all day

(39:40):
every day, and then you know, Bryce would be my
next for sure.

Speaker 1 (39:43):
If Bryson wins it, does he take the trophy on
a tour like he did last year?

Speaker 5 (39:48):
The question?

Speaker 6 (39:48):
I'm sure that, yeah, I.

Speaker 5 (39:54):
Take that thing, especially back to back, You kidn't.

Speaker 4 (39:57):
It's actually funny. Bryson's never actually defended a professional tournament
back to back, so it would be very interesting for
him to do that.

Speaker 1 (40:06):
And everyone to have to be like Bryson, You got
to act like you've been there before because you have.

Speaker 5 (40:09):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (40:10):
Yeah, okay, So we do have Mark here, and he
is the commissioner of our fantasy football or fantasy football
Fantasy golf league.

Speaker 3 (40:16):
So I'm going to ask you.

Speaker 2 (40:18):
Have you used Scotti Schefler already?

Speaker 5 (40:22):
All right?

Speaker 3 (40:22):
So is that who you're going with this week?

Speaker 2 (40:24):
Or you're not going to tell us until you pick?

Speaker 8 (40:26):
Well after the the announcement of the tour championship, not
starting with a lead, I will be picking Scotty Scheffler
this week, all right, And I am leading the Master
or the major segment of the league as.

Speaker 6 (40:40):
Well right now, so you guys know, anybody.

Speaker 8 (40:47):
Listening and pick against me, pick with me?

Speaker 1 (40:55):
J all right, here's one of those places I do
I mean, obviously we've picked the winners this year, but
I think in the history of the Nineteenth Pole Podcast,
we've brought up some very interesting dark horses that people
have taken very seriously and done pretty well with. So Al,
I will start with you because I always love to
hear your dark horses.

Speaker 3 (41:15):
Who have you got this week?

Speaker 6 (41:18):
That's a really tough one for me.

Speaker 2 (41:19):
I will, well, you bothered that Seth Straka was considered
a dark horse.

Speaker 6 (41:22):
He's not a dark horse.

Speaker 8 (41:23):
He was gonna be mine, but he's not a He's
not a dark horse.

Speaker 4 (41:27):
Yeah, he's definitely way too well to be a dark Yeah,
he's not a dark horse. I like somebody maybe honestly,
I like Jason Day as like a dark horse, okay
if you want to.

Speaker 6 (41:37):
I mean, he.

Speaker 4 (41:37):
Finished top ten in twenty sixteen. Yeah, he was number
one player in the world.

Speaker 6 (41:42):
At that point.

Speaker 4 (41:43):
But he he's got a great he's really good around
the greens, great lag putter.

Speaker 6 (41:49):
You know, he drives it far enough.

Speaker 4 (41:51):
I think if you look at players, you know, like,
for instance, like twenty sixteen, you've got shorter hitters in there,
and I got some SATs gone, but it's like you
got Jim Furick in their second in twenty sixteen and
both both in seven and sixteen.

Speaker 6 (42:13):
Right, that would be a dark That would be a
dark horse.

Speaker 2 (42:16):
Yeah, there is one real They have to be in them.

Speaker 4 (42:19):
Yeah, they have to be in the in the tournament.
So what I'm saying is is that you don't have
to be the longest driver of the golf ball to
perform an Oakmont. Right, You've got to have a set
of skills. I think you've got to have at least
a little bit of distance and accuracy, but you've got
to be able to lag it well and you know,
kind of wedge it around.

Speaker 6 (42:40):
Pretty well.

Speaker 4 (42:41):
Like Derek was saying, some of the par fours are
shorter than you would think for a major championship test.
So Jason Day would be like my top dark horse.
I think outside of that, man, I don't I can't
off the top of my head. Maybe I don't know

(43:01):
if it would be considered a dark horse, but somebody
like wants to be a dark Bunker is a dark horse. Yeah,
I mean maybe I don't even know if Ox is
not a dark horse at this point. I don't think,
but I don't know if he could handle like the
Greens maybe that's a dark horse.

Speaker 6 (43:17):
Yeah, that's a dark horse.

Speaker 5 (43:18):
Dark dark. You know they're dark. They're dark.

Speaker 7 (43:23):
Let's see here, Uh he's what's he got three majors
past him?

Speaker 4 (43:31):
Yeah, plus fifteen that's pretty dark, pretty dark.

Speaker 2 (43:36):
I feel like dark horse anything over.

Speaker 6 (43:37):
One hundred to one.

Speaker 1 (43:38):
Yeah, yeah, you're pretty Yeah, that's okay, that's yeah, I
like it.

Speaker 4 (43:44):
I think a guy like actually Sam Burns too, he's
kind of been trending a little bit in the right direction.

Speaker 6 (43:49):
Really good potter.

Speaker 4 (43:51):
Maybe not the longest off the tee, but again like
decent short game, decent approach play. That would be another
like dark horse. I mean Harris English too. He has
been playing playing well this year.

Speaker 6 (44:02):
I don't know. If thats Shane Lowry.

Speaker 4 (44:04):
That's not a I wouldn't consider him a dark horse.

Speaker 6 (44:07):
I went, I wish he would be a dark horse.

Speaker 4 (44:09):
But he was leading the Open last time there in
twenty sixteen.

Speaker 1 (44:12):
He was.

Speaker 4 (44:12):
He's playing pretty well this Oh, he's playing awesome. Yeah,
he's had a terrific year. The tougher he does. I
actually would really like Shane Lowry this week. If it's
not one of the top five guys in the world.
I think Shane Lowry like could really get it done.
He was playing great at the truest at at Philly
Cricket Club, which I think is comparable to Oakmont in
some respects with the green complexes and and the style

(44:35):
of golf course.

Speaker 1 (44:36):
Yeah, I'm just looking at Shane Lowry's odds here, but
oh plus fifty five hundred yeah, pretty odd or pretty long,
pretty dark, pretty long, pretty odd.

Speaker 5 (44:44):
Pretty pretty dark, pretty pretty, pretty.

Speaker 2 (44:47):
Pretty pretty Lowry? All right, Derek, you got a dark
horse for us?

Speaker 1 (44:52):
Or what?

Speaker 5 (44:53):
I will say this? I would take no, no, no, I don't.
I can't even.

Speaker 4 (44:57):
He's got so much you can't even read this therek.

Speaker 5 (44:59):
I can't read.

Speaker 7 (45:02):
I will say kind of going back to like when
you told me about the Big three. I like Colin
Moore a cow this week for a number of reasons,
so I would go with scheffleor Brison and probably call
him but after that, if you want to call him
a dark Corse. I kind of like two and they're
really close to each other, and the guy I like
before the second guy. But I like Russell Henley this week,

(45:25):
and Corey Connors would be the next one.

Speaker 5 (45:27):
All right, Corey just worries me in the fourth round.

Speaker 6 (45:29):
Yeah, he's great. He's gonna be.

Speaker 7 (45:32):
There till the end and then just the fourth round again,
just trying to win a major for the first time.
But I do like Russell Henley. Russell hits it straight
off the tee. He's a good iron player, he's a
good potter. He plays well at hard golf courses. He
just played well at Jack's Place. Russell Henley is a baller.
He's not super dark. He's sixty five and six fifty

(45:54):
is he?

Speaker 5 (45:55):
What is he? He's there?

Speaker 7 (45:58):
Yeah, But I like a Russell Henley like I, and
I think he's got the kahone is to win it
coming down the stretch. If he just doesn't he gets
in like the second or if he just doesn't lose
it the first round, right, if he just hangs he hangs. Yeah,
I mean when you got coons, yeah, then you're fine,
and then you're fine.

Speaker 5 (46:18):
You're always fine. But yeah, I like a Russell Henley
big time.

Speaker 1 (46:21):
Also, I will tell you I had typed in the
Shane Lower US Open odds and it gave me last
year's this year's his His odds are thirty six centers
plus thirty six fifty five.

Speaker 3 (46:30):
Yeah, still it's still.

Speaker 2 (46:31):
Dark Horsey, dark Horsey.

Speaker 3 (46:34):
Mark.

Speaker 2 (46:35):
Do you have a dark horse for us?

Speaker 4 (46:37):
Mine was set it was the tank, septic tank.

Speaker 8 (46:41):
Yeah, he's up there in proximity to the whole on
approach is good.

Speaker 6 (46:50):
Yeah, one Philly Cricket Club too. Yeah, I went great.

Speaker 5 (46:53):
He's he's just solid.

Speaker 8 (46:54):
He's not gonna not gonna compound mistakes typically, he's gonna
be consistent.

Speaker 2 (47:02):
All right, Okay, Well before we wrap up, Al, you
take up.

Speaker 1 (47:06):
You do a lot of research. Is there anything we're
forgetting to discuss? Anything you want to add before we
wrap up?

Speaker 4 (47:13):
I mean, I think I just want to pay tribute
to the fact how much we've talked about the golf course,
how venues matter, and major championships and not just major
championships with PGA tour venues.

Speaker 6 (47:24):
I mean, we didn't.

Speaker 4 (47:26):
Talk this much about Quail Hollow nearly at all, I think.

Speaker 7 (47:30):
And Quail Hollow is probably amazing day in and day out,
like as a member and all that, like this was
the best place on Earth.

Speaker 5 (47:37):
But the fact is that we get to see it
every year. As a viewer, you're kind of like, yes.

Speaker 7 (47:43):
So you want to see these courses that you don't
get a sea very often. I don't think Quayle Hollow
is not championship by any stretch.

Speaker 5 (47:50):
Of the imagination.

Speaker 7 (47:52):
But yeah, when you get a when you get to see,
of course that you just don't get a sea very often.
Like people, especially viewers probably get up for that big time.

Speaker 6 (48:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (48:00):
And I do wonder too if, like with the US Opens,
as much as it's not like it's a totally different
level of golf that these guys are playing, I wonder
if like the average person watches it.

Speaker 3 (48:10):
And they're like they shut over par.

Speaker 2 (48:12):
I feel I feel a little better, even though if
the average person went.

Speaker 3 (48:15):
Out there, they'd be like seventy five over par.

Speaker 2 (48:17):
Yeah, but it's just like the front exactly.

Speaker 1 (48:20):
But it's just like it gives a little bit of like, Okay,
so they do struggle sometimes too. They are not as
superhuman as they sometimes appear.

Speaker 4 (48:28):
Yes, and we want to we want to see that.
I think that's it's not it's refreshing to see it's. Yeah,
I mean, it's nice to see people struggle, like the
best in the world struggle a little bit and test
all aspects of their game and it's just not thirty
under par every week, and you know, we'll just drive
her wedge drive a wedge like we got to chip

(48:49):
it out sideways. We got to see them hit different shots,
and so I think venues do really matter, and I just,
you know, want to make a point of that, you know,
in the in this closing segment. But I think it
was a great how much we talked about the golf course.
Really it's it's it's gonna be a great watch on
TV and hopefully we don't get too many weather delays
over the course of the next week.

Speaker 1 (49:11):
Yeah, well, thank you for joining us, Derek, you have
anything you want to add before you're down.

Speaker 7 (49:14):
I'm super excited watching on the golf or on the
on the on the tube.

Speaker 5 (49:18):
And you've got a tube TV stuff.

Speaker 7 (49:20):
We have a tube you you tell your wife to
get up and you have to click it to turn
it on and change the channel. You have a remote.
But uh, yeah, I know it's it's cool to have
had played there too. So maybe it's not exactly the
same golf course, but why do you.

Speaker 2 (49:35):
Let everybody know when you play there what.

Speaker 3 (49:37):
You what you did?

Speaker 7 (49:38):
Actually it is so yeah, two thousand and three, so
there was some trees, not very not very many, but
there was some trees there.

Speaker 5 (49:47):
But and what tournament did you play in?

Speaker 7 (49:50):
The USAM in two thousand and three, they flan again one, Yeah,
and so yeah I got unfortunately got to play it
during a USJA event too, so it was even it
was like they're going to play. It was hard, but
I don't remember leaving going like that play sucked. It
was like that was the best butt kicking ever. But yeah,
I was also, so it'll be great to watch, like

(50:10):
kind of what Al said, But it is fun to
watch these guys just get they get so relative to
par done out of shape that you know, you get
guys in press conferences and they're like this is ridiculous
and the greens are fast and the balls rolling, and
just like who cares, Like if the guy wins at
six over, then just figure out a way to shoot five.

Speaker 5 (50:28):
You know what I mean.

Speaker 7 (50:29):
But yes, it is more refreshing these days to watch
guys struggle a little bit more than just like, oh
there's the flag, let me just hit it over there
and it just lands right there and it stays there
and I make my birdie in it, I make my
bar exactly. Yeah, So yeah, it's gonna be great to watch.
There still will be some amazing golf, I'm sure, but

(50:50):
then there'll be this like we're gonna go over to
fourteen and you're gonna see a train wreck and you're like, yes, I.

Speaker 5 (50:59):
Hope that there is.

Speaker 7 (51:00):
Just there's a little bit of blood, sweat, and tears
that are just pouring out of most of these guys.

Speaker 3 (51:06):
So that's what the US opens all about.

Speaker 8 (51:08):
I hope they broadcast a lot of that, and I
feel like they will, yes, but there's gonna be.

Speaker 7 (51:13):
A lot and maybe, you know what, maybe there won't
be as much complaining because these guys I think. I
think they're prepared for I think they're like, oh gosh, Oakmont. Yeah,
I mean, like not like the Hills like eight years ago,
where it's like the Hills will just shoot sixteen hundred.

Speaker 5 (51:27):
Here.

Speaker 1 (51:27):
Well, I don't feel like it's very common that you
hear about players going to the tournament for the following
week ahead of the tournament they're playing in, just to
get into practice round and then go play in the
tournament they're gonna play in and then go back to
the end of.

Speaker 7 (51:39):
Course, like I think they do that. But like I
said this week, I think they'll just be more. I
think there'll be more mentally like it's gonna be so hard. Yeah, right,
And I think most of the time for US Opens,
like again, not to get on a tangibly like when
they played in La. I mean, the fairway is there
on a lot of the holes are forty fifty sixty
yards wide. It's like it's not really a US Open.

(52:02):
I mean again, Wyndow Clark's a world class player, but
he's hitting fifty yard power fades on every hole, and
it's just like, I mean when they were kind of
up eighteen, it wasn't like, oh god, when its gotta
pipe this. It's like he's basically got a hit in
between Downtown La he had.

Speaker 5 (52:20):
Rory's probably going.

Speaker 7 (52:20):
Like, oh gosh, yeah, he's got to top it to
not you know what. That's not going to be the
case here. You can go on seventeen, which is like
three hundred and twenty yards and try to hit an
iron up there and missed the fairway in five inches
of rough and be like, oh my god, I'm ma
me six. So it's gonna be awesome. Yeah, can't wait.

Speaker 5 (52:36):
I'm not gonna get off the couch on Sunday.

Speaker 1 (52:39):
Well good, you shouldn't. It's Father's Day too, so you should.
Definitely everybody should do stuff for you.

Speaker 5 (52:43):
Yeah, sure, I'll be all right.

Speaker 1 (52:46):
Well, thank you guys for another wonderful episode of the
Nineteenth Fool Podcast, the US Open Edition. Cheers and to
a successful, wonderful, fun US Open