July 1, 2025 • 34 mins
The arrest of Scottie Scheffler before the PGA Championship created a butterfly effect that may have handed Xander Schauffele his first major win. The podcast explores controversial headlines, status hierarchies, and social observations that highlight our interconnected world.
• Scottie Scheffler's arrest outside Valhalla Golf Club results from a misunderstanding with law enforcement
• How Scheffler's absence from his best form created an opening for Xander Schauffele to gain confidence and win
• The powerful influence of crowd support on tournament outcomes in professional golf
• Harrison Butker's controversial Benedictine University commencement speech about women's roles
• The "Big Titty Cookies" billboard controversy and how canceled advertisements can generate more publicity
• Firsthand observations of status hierarchies and human behavior on a film production set in Charleston
• How the status game plays out between talent, directors, crew members, and extras ("background") in film production
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share with friends, and leave a review. Your support helps us continue bringing these unfiltered tales from the golf world and beyond.
Spotify
Apple podcasts
Amazon Music
all other streaming services
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
you're tuned in to another episode of tales from
the first tee.
I'm rich easton telling talesfrom beautiful charleston, south
carolina.
Typically I like to wait a fewweeks between episodes,
(00:31):
sometimes a few months.
I just want to make surethere's enough good topics to
talk about and so I get donewith my last episode and not but
an hour later I'm on thispractice putting area.
A good golf friend of minewalks up to me, asked me about
when the next podcast is coming,and I said, well, I just, I
(00:53):
just put it in the can, it's, Ijust produced it.
It's coming out tonight.
He goes well, there are allthese new topics that you just
got to talk about.
And so I think about it for awhile and after the weekend I'm
like, yeah, this stuff can't gounsaid.
A few days later, back at thatsame practice going.
(01:14):
You know, all this talk ofpractice, you'd think I'd be
better.
Anyway, I play in this Saturdaymorning game.
It's run by a character I callBilly the Kid who I have talked
about quite often.
He's a septuagenarian thatstill plays like it's his 30th
birthday.
(01:34):
The only thing that preventshim from playing 366 days a year
is not every year is a leapyear, but fortunately 2024 is a
leap year, so that makes the kidone day happier and one day
more experienced.
So I'm walking around the greentrying to find a putting stroke
(01:55):
that'll work for the day, and Idon't usually make a habit of
eavesdropping, but I couldn'thelp overhearing a story about
an arrest earlier in the morning.
Now I wouldn't normally insertmyself in the conversation but I
couldn't help it.
I mean, just looking at howsurprised all of the other
(02:15):
golfers were when this one guywas telling the story, I just
had a pipe in.
I'm like.
Who got arrested?
Scotty Scheffler, what thefreak.
This guy is the poster childfor well-manicured,
well-mannered, respectful,religious family man with a
(02:39):
one-week-old infant.
I mean, I ruled out a drug bust, sex trafficking, spousal abuse
and firearms dealing.
Now, if it were P Diddy, Iwould have guessed all those
things, but not the golden child, the number one golfer in the
world recently bearded, I think,to hide his baby face.
(03:00):
Image to this modern day Metrolumberjack look.
Image to this modern day metrolumberjack look.
Now I hear this story andimmediately pull out my iPhone
to check out like I got to getthe facts on this.
Is this true or is this just arumor.
So here's what I learned andhere's some conjecture.
(03:20):
It's dark in the early AMoutside Valhalla Country Club in
Louisville, kentucky.
Most PGA pros, particularly theones that really compete for
the title, have a routine tobest prepare for the tournament.
Some get into the mobilefitness center to stretch out
before hitting the practice area.
I would suspect that that'swhere Scotty was heading.
(03:42):
It's my understanding that PGApros that are not rooming
on-site and there are someevents where there's housing
on-site or really nice hotelrooms the ones that aren't
rooming on-site get preferentialtreatment when they drive into
the course.
Typically they have courtesycars or if they don't, they just
(04:05):
come up to the guard, roll downthe windows, show their
credentials to security and thensomehow get to move around
wherever the traffic is.
They get preferential treatment.
And, as unluck would have it,there was a fatal accident with
a bus and a pedestrian earlierthat morning that set the tone
(04:28):
for law enforcement for the restof the morning.
There are a lot of fuzzydetails around the infraction,
but rumor has it that trafficimpeded Scotty's journey to the
course to start his three-hourpreparation.
So, according to differentsources, another police officer
had told Scotty to move aroundtraffic and go to the front gate
(04:52):
but this other officer was notletting him yield and when
Scotty kept going he held ontoScotty's car and this guy
probably not in his high schooltrack fitness mode lost his
(05:15):
footing and got dragged until hefell and suffered some injuries
, cuffed him and told all thelooky-loos and media to back off
because this suspect was goingto jail and there's nothing you
can do about it.
Scotty's mugshot hit socialmedia shortly after his arrest
(05:37):
and when I saw it it looked faketo me, well faker than Tiger's
mugshot.
The whole McGillis seemedsurreal, but it was confirmed in
so many news feeds it couldn'tbe fake news.
Now I think Scotty handled itlike a true professional no
drama.
He actually addresses the mediato assuage any rumors or
(05:59):
embellishments.
His POV that it was a bigmisunderstanding.
Over the course of the weekend Ithink we learned a few things
about the incident.
Scotty's actions weren't doneout of malice.
They weren't done out ofoutright disrespect of the law,
you know.
That being said, is it possiblethat Scotty's rise to the top
(06:22):
of the golf food chain, with allthe adulation and attention,
made him feel like this oneparticular officer of the law
didn't know who he was.
So he took matters into handand did what he had to do to
prepare to win anothertournament.
Did he think that he might haveearned enough status to operate
(06:43):
above the law?
Maybe not.
Maybe the image that his teamis well-crafted is true to core,
and it was dark and it wasrainy.
But you know, if it were me andI was the number one golfer in
the world, I might have done thesame thing Scotty did.
Nothing would have gotten in myway to prepare for that
(07:05):
tournament.
I would have been like Trump atthe Paris Accords when he
pushed the president ofMontenegro out of the way so
that he could be front andcenter for the cameras.
What an ego.
I don't think law enforcementwas trying to make a point.
You know like it's dark andrainy.
(07:27):
Someone just got killed crossingthe road and as an officer of
the law, I've got to worktraffic control.
I'd rather be home sleeping andno prima donna.
Or these privileged media typepeople are going to usurp my
authority, particularly thismillennial motherfucker.
Or these privileged media-typepeople are going to usurp my
authority, particularly thismillennial motherfucker?
(07:49):
Now I said on my last episodethat I don't like to gamble on
anybody but myself in sports.
Now, if you bet on Scotty thispast weekend, you'd be
apoplectic when you learnedabout the arrest.
As early as Sunday, news wasbuzzing about the Louisville
(08:10):
police dropping all charges.
Now I honestly believe the buzz.
It seemed like if this was justa misunderstanding.
I'm sure once they realized whothey captured they would
realize it was just amisunderstanding.
But I watched this clip of thecourtroom the other day where
(08:32):
Scotty's lawyers were asking fora continuance of the
arraignment.
I think it's so.
Scotty could play in thecolonial golf tournament this
weekend.
But from the sound of the tonein the courthouse it doesn't
look like the case is beingdropped anytime soon.
This was a felony, not amisdemeanor, and the DA, or
(08:54):
whoever was talking to the judge, was suggesting that, no matter
who this is, this is aviolation of the law.
This is a violation of the law.
Now, my point of view is thisNothing is certain in life.
This is just another example ofthe butterfly effect, and that
(09:16):
is the world is deeplyinterconnected such that one
small occurrence can influence amuch larger complex system.
If Scotty doesn't get arrested,there's a good likelihood he
wins the tournament.
But it sets things in motionand Zander now doesn't have to
deal with the best of Scottie.
(09:36):
Zander didn't have to deal withScottie in the final pairing
and listen to the crowds ofpeople yelling for Scottie.
He had a deal with ColinMorikawa, a two-time major
champion but not the crowdfavorite.
I think crowds have a tremendouseffect on the outcome of most
(09:58):
any sporting event.
In golf, when you hear peoplecalling your name and they're
cheering you on, it has to be anadrenaline rush.
It has to be.
And when you hear golfersinterviewed after they'll talk
to home crowds.
This past weekend Justin Thomaswas the hometown favorite and
(10:21):
you could see how emotional hewas playing in front of the
Louisville fans.
I mean to him he said it wasone of the greatest weekends of
his life.
So the fans have an effect andI think as Xander was playing
through the weekend he wasgaining more traction with the
fans Because the prior week atthe Wells Fargo Championship he
(10:45):
was actually leading thetournament coming into Sunday
with Rory one stroke behindplaying against him, and that
weekend Rory had the crowd.
He won it.
Now his fourth time and thecrowd just loves him and I think
that had an effect on Xander.
So this weekend Scottie's notplaying with alongside him.
(11:08):
He's starting to get the crowdwith him and he becomes a
different golfer.
If he's making mistakes,they're small mistakes and he is
becoming Houdini out of thelast hole when he hits his
second shot.
With a very awkward stance, healmost had to stand inside of a
(11:28):
bunker to hit this shot.
He was able to advance the ballup towards the green, make an
incredible chip shot and then hehad to make the putt of his
life Six and a half feet putt ofhis life Six and a half feet, a
(11:49):
fairly straight putt with aslight turn at the end.
And I got to be honest with you, I thought he was going to miss
it and I didn't know what wasgoing on in his head.
I couldn't tell.
I wasn't walking the fairwayswith him so I couldn't tell how
the crowd was revving him up,but his confidence was sky high.
So I've got to believe.
When he went up to make thatputt, he knew that putt was
(12:11):
going to go in.
So I had my doubt.
So as he makes the putt and theputt is veering towards the
edge of the hole the ball does arim job around the outside and
I am waiting to watch the ballcome out of the hole.
Some of my buddies call that amonica all lip and no hole.
But it goes in.
(12:33):
And all of a sudden I'm likethat's what he thought it was
going to do, maybe not in rimjob fashion, but he believed
that putt was going to go in andit did.
And there's a saying in golfyou're no better than you think
you are.
If you've ever seen anybodymanifest their outcome.
I think you saw it this weekendand you know, because of his
(12:59):
past performances, particularlyin majors, I thought he was
going to succumb to some othergolfer's destiny, like Bryson
DeChambeau, who caught both thelocal crowd and the viewing
public's eye with hisswashbuckling performance.
If you're interested inwatching the trajectory of a
superstar, follow Bryson.
(13:19):
His story is like no other.
His story is like no other.
I mean a mad scientist with abrain like a supercomputer who
requires mass input prior toevery shot he makes.
But on the other end of thespectrum, he shows this emotion
on the course, like Tiger,Sergio, spieth, rom after most
(13:43):
every shot.
I used to always say he's thegolfer I'd never want to play
behind, just because of hismethodical slow play.
I also said the guy might begreat on the course, but I'd
never want to have a beer withhim.
He's just got so much going onin his head.
But you know what I think he'schanging.
He is now becoming anentertainer that happens to play
(14:05):
really good golf.
I am the entertainer and I knowjust where I stand.
Another serenader and anotherlong-haired band, free speech
and women back in the kitchen.
These are a few of my favoritethings.
These are a few of my favoritethings.
(14:25):
These are a few of my favoritethings.
Last week, harrison Butker, thekicker for the world champion
Chiefs, made a commencementspeech at Benedictine University
.
I'm not certain that his speechwas vetted by university
faculty or whether it had to be,but regardless, his theme for
(14:47):
college graduates was likenothing ever broached.
I'll paraphrase In thisprogressive world of equal pay,
equal opportunity andunderscoring a let's all get
along mantra, harrison remindedwomen that, like his wife, a
(15:08):
woman married to a man makingprobably four million dollars a
year, your most prized goal inlife is to be defined by your
husband, while your role as ahomemaker should satisfy your
every dream in life.
That's suspicious, that's weirdand whatever his interpretation
(15:30):
of the Bible was, that's howall of you college graduates
should conduct your lives.
So all of you, all of youfornicating female financiers,
don't be misguided into a lifeof unfulfilled blasphemy.
Don't be misguided into a lifeof unfulfilled blasphemy.
So I actually have mixedfeelings about his speech.
(15:51):
I could see both sides.
First of all, I'm a free speechadvocate, which should surprise
no one who listens to thispodcast.
If Harrison feels stronglyabout a woman's role in the
world and believes we should allbe ruled by biblical
interpretation, so be it.
(16:11):
Look, by doing what he did, heleaves himself open to harsh
criticism, which has swelledinto demands for his firing.
Now I think that would be amistake for the Kansas City GM
to give him his walking papers.
He has the right to express hisviewpoints of the world.
I'm just looking forward to allthe signs in the stands,
(16:35):
particularly when he plays awaygames.
For every action there's anequal and opposite reaction.
If the noise level gets tooloud, opposite reaction.
If the noise level gets tooloud, the Hunt family will be
forced to act.
But right now they don't haveto.
I think let's just enjoy theresponse.
If nothing else, it's personalentertainment for me.
(17:19):
Big titty cookies.
Just add milk.
That's add with a double DMakes your bone grow.
We're talking lactationinfatuation.
Molly Baz, pumping out onecookie at a time.
An electronic billboard wastaken down.
It was a billboard featuring abare-breasted pregnant woman
with two cookies covering hernipples with the headlines just
add milk.
The product she was featuringwas big titty cookies.
(17:42):
She's selling lactation cookiesbaked to help promote healthy
lactation Milk boosters.
At first I thought they werecookies made with mother's milk,
but after my teenage gigglessubsided I realized they were
lactation initiation.
I would venture to guess thatmost of us men don't realize or
(18:07):
know this, but lactation can bechallenging for some women for
different reasons Hormones,medication, radiation therapy,
drug, alcohol use.
There are a bunch of others.
It's a serious issue,particularly for those suffering
the challenge, for thosesuffering the challenge.
(18:30):
As a result, companies that canprovide a healthy solution
should be eagerly accepted andapplauded if their products make
a difference, if they actuallywork.
And thus, if not for the bigtitties title, the ad probably
wouldn't have been dropped thead probably wouldn't have been
dropped, and I don't know whatdrove the cancellation.
I mean, I could just imagine.
(18:51):
Imagine there's this churchgroup traveling to New York City
for the first time withelementary school kids.
They're going to see the playBook of Mormon.
They decide to kill an hour orso in Times Square, maybe treat
the kids to a slice at Sparrow's.
Some get selfies with Elmo,spider-man, captain America,
(19:13):
iron man.
But the day doesn't go exactlyas planned.
First they encounter the nakedcowboy, at which time the
schoolgirls start giggling andasking why a man wearing only a
bulge-filled tighty-whities issinging in the square.
Then a bunch of dads getbamboozled into a game of
(19:39):
three-card Monty and the shellgame, where they have to follow
the red ball.
Now they're down 300 bucks.
To top it off, a few of theboys are staring up at this
billboard saying big titties.
At which point some of theKarens begin to scold them for
yelling big titties, big titties.
(20:01):
Then one of the observant momslook up at the billboard and
gasp big titty cookies.
That's blasphemy, said one ofthe tightly wound Karens.
Something must be done.
At which point all of the momspull out their phones looking
(20:21):
for contact information foroutdoor advertising companies,
connect with the manager incharge and threaten a lawsuit.
Now, for all of you patientlisteners, that was my
imagination and fake news.
But having the ad removedwasn't Quite.
Frankly, I don't think thatMolly Baz could have gotten
(20:44):
better exposure and searchqueries if the ad was just left
alone and nobody took it down.
Sometimes the report of apotential lawsuit or a forced
cancellation provides moreillumination than the original
and plan.
And what is it about tittiesthat gets everybody's attention?
(21:05):
Well, I researched it on Redditjust for my own adolescent
amusement.
Here were some of the answers.
Number one they'reaesthetically pleasing.
Two they're the only thing youcould honk if you don't have a
driver's license.
That was pretty funny.
Number three it reminds us ofthe comfort and joy of
(21:27):
breastfeeding.
Then there was this chain ofback and forth between these
people that I would imagine werebasement dwellers.
But the creme de la creme wasthis quote there's something
about them that is non-verballybegging for all of the sperm
you'll ever create to just eruptand cover them.
(21:50):
That post was from the handleButtfucker, spelled with three
K's, probably one of thechaperones on the New York City
field trip.
Molly Baz, you're a marketinggenius, genius, genius, genius,
extra, extra, read all about it.
(22:11):
Extra, extra, read all about it.
Jesus is coming back again.
Extra, extra, read all about it.
This is some news that yougotta take in.
A few months ago, my crushsigned up to participate as an
(22:33):
extra in one of the localproduction crews, charleston has
become an attractivedestination for several film
companies.
Her experience was so good thatI signed up and actually got
picked this week to be on aproduction.
Now, because of confidentialityagreements, I'm legally bound
(22:54):
to leave out the name of theproduction company and show.
That's perfectly okay, becausethe observations I have have
little to do with the specificproduction and more to do with
how people behave in thisenvironment.
I recently finished reading abook by author Will Storr about
(23:15):
the status game of human life.
It encapsulates the game oflife and how increasingly our
status provides meaning greaterinfluence, access to a wider
choice of mates, more securityand resources for us and our
families.
After spending several days onthe production set, it became
(23:38):
abundantly clear that the statusgame was dynamic and in full
view.
The role of extras actually havea professional title on the
production set we are basicallycalled background.
We are basically calledbackground.
It's a non-offensive way ofsaying.
We are human props.
The role of background is toadd human color to a scene.
(24:06):
The talent or celebrity actorscreate the focal points and the
background adds realism to thescene.
And I would tell you this onceyou work as background, every
future movie or series you watch, you're going to gaze at the
extras to see how real andnatural they behave.
One of the funniest mockeries ofthe wrong way to act as an
(24:28):
extra is the final scene ofPee-wee's Big Adventure, where
Pee-wee Herman plays the hotelclerk in the movie about himself
Paging Mr Herman.
Mr Herman, you have a telephonecall at the front desk.
I mean he does everything wrong, like looking at the camera,
(24:55):
looking awkward while the otheractor is speaking.
He's mouthing the words of theother actor.
It couldn't have been anyfunnier of the wrong way to act
as an extra.
I made sure in my role asbackground I didn't do any of
that.
So a few things becomeperfectly clear to me at the end
(25:17):
of day one shooting.
Number one is most of the girlsand some of the younger guys
came to the set with hopes ofbeing discovered.
Those same hopeful positiveshad their dreams crushed when
they had a standstill a hundredyards away from the camera and
(25:37):
were not even picked for any ofthe close-up scenes.
Next to the talent, the realjob of background is this Show
up on time when you get to theset, don't be a douche up and
then get on the shuttle buseswhen directed.
That's it.
(25:57):
Before I share my thoughts onobservations of the status game,
I have to point out the highlevel of expertise and precision
exemplified by the director ondown to the grunts.
I haven't had the opportunityto serve in the military, but I
would venture a guess that afilm production company,
(26:20):
particularly a really good onelike this, operates with similar
precision.
Every chance I got to watch thedirector, film and sound crew
in action was like a gift to me.
They speak a different languagethat transforms the set and the
talent into specific actionsthat in turn satisfies the
(26:42):
director's vision.
And if it doesn't, they cut anddo it again.
A hundred iterations of thesame thing until the director is
satisfied.
Same thing until the directoris satisfied.
Look, the status game was infull view.
(27:02):
Number one is top of the chainwas the talent, and even within
that there was a range of powerwithin the talent.
The more recognized the talentswere, the more they seem to get
what they want.
And they knew where they stoodon the picking order.
I mean they had their own PAson beck and call to provide them
nourishment, clothing, shelterand, most importantly, ass
(27:26):
kissing.
Like that was a great scene.
Oh, you did so well in thatscene.
You looked so good.
You did great.
The second rung on the powerpyramid was the director.
Look, all the shit flowsdownhill from the director.
He or she calls the shots onwhere to shoot, when to shoot,
(27:48):
where to reshoot, who gets to gowhere and when.
All of the other gaggle ofsupport teams march to the
director's orders.
They are in charge.
Now the sound and filmdirectors were seemingly at the
same level as the productiondirector, with all of their
support staff at attention atall times.
(28:11):
Between the production director, film director and sound
director, it was the trifecta ofpower.
Below them you seem to have theproduction assistants and prop
masters basically one step thatare above the grunts, the camera
and sound crew.
All that follow the lead of theassistant director, who
(28:35):
basically speaks for thedirector.
The director comes up with theideas and then the AD turns
around and barks the specificorders to each of the groups.
When I first got on set, Iactually thought the AD was the
director because he was givingall the orders to everybody,
until I saw the director inaction Below all of the grunts,
(29:00):
the cameramen, everybody that'scarrying everything.
There's the food crew and thefirst aid and then other
miscellaneous jobs that plug anyholes in the dike.
For most people.
I had no idea what their roleswere unless I asked them and,
trust me, I pretty much askedeverybody what they did.
Below that there is thebackground, the extras, and the
(29:27):
extras were the most eclecticgroup of humans with the most
diverse backgrounds that allapplied for the job with a mix
of different intent.
So here are some of the thingsthat they said to me as to why
they wanted to be there.
Of course, number one is beingdiscovered.
(29:48):
I already call that.
Everybody who goes on the setthinks that a camera is going to
capture them and the directoris going to see it and said who
was that person?
We need that person front andcenter.
We got to have that person onmore shots.
Some people just want to be oncamera.
Some just said they look, theyliked the series and they wanted
(30:10):
to be part of it.
Some just wanted to be as closeas they could to the talent in
hopes that they'd connect.
Some, like me, were verycurious about the industry.
I wanted to see how the sausagewas made.
Some wanted to participate inthe industry anything in the
industry.
Others want to climb the ladderin the industry.
(30:32):
So they want to start at thebottom, somehow work their way
up and see where it takes them.
Some people were just bored athome, wanted something different
.
And then others wanted, neededor just enjoyed getting that $88
check for eight hours of workand maybe there's an opportunity
(30:53):
for overtime.
And then others wanted thatelevated status amongst their
friends and family, basically tosay, hey, I just worked on this
set.
You know it's kind of anaphrodisiac.
Here's an observationalnewsflash.
Background extras should belike children.
(31:15):
They should be seen and notheard In the status game.
There's little to nointeraction, two levels above or
below the sediments of statusseparation.
The talent doesn't talk toanybody but other talent or the
(31:35):
directors.
They don't want the backgroundto speak with anybody else
besides other background, pa's,first aid or the protein
selector on the chow line.
There is no interaction betweenbackground and talent or
(31:56):
background and the director.
We are props, even though wewere warned by the PA not to
interact with the talent.
Don't get in the way.
I often see these youngstatus-seeking extras trying to
make the connection anyway.
I mean, the laws of smoking hotapply to most everything
(32:20):
Attractive.
People know that they have asuperpower of leaping over
status lines to get what theywant.
I think a good part of theindustry is built on good looks
rising to higher levels thantheir peers.
At some point, real talent andwhen I say talent I mean
(32:41):
someone's ability to really actfind themselves getting bigger
roles, more complex roles, andare more sought after.
You don't have to be smokinghot to rise to the level of top
talent, but I'll tell you itdoesn't hurt If, given the
(33:03):
chance, I'd probably do it again.
You know.
You just never know where it'sgoing to lead.
For me it's most likely goingto lead to the chow line, but
that's nothing to shake a stickat, because craft services can
be the highlight of a tough dayon the set.
I'm your host, rich Easton,telling tales from beautiful
(33:34):
Charleston, south Carolina.
Talk to you soon, thank you.
you're tuned in to another episode of tales from
the first tee.
I'm rich easton telling talesfrom beautiful charleston, south
carolina.
Typically I like to wait a fewweeks between episodes,
(00:31):
sometimes a few months.
I just want to make surethere's enough good topics to
talk about and so I get donewith my last episode and not but
an hour later I'm on thispractice putting area.
A good golf friend of minewalks up to me, asked me about
when the next podcast is coming,and I said, well, I just, I
(00:53):
just put it in the can, it's, Ijust produced it.
It's coming out tonight.
He goes well, there are allthese new topics that you just
got to talk about.
And so I think about it for awhile and after the weekend I'm
like, yeah, this stuff can't gounsaid.
A few days later, back at thatsame practice going.
(01:14):
You know, all this talk ofpractice, you'd think I'd be
better.
Anyway, I play in this Saturdaymorning game.
It's run by a character I callBilly the Kid who I have talked
about quite often.
He's a septuagenarian thatstill plays like it's his 30th
birthday.
(01:34):
The only thing that preventshim from playing 366 days a year
is not every year is a leapyear, but fortunately 2024 is a
leap year, so that makes the kidone day happier and one day
more experienced.
So I'm walking around the greentrying to find a putting stroke
(01:55):
that'll work for the day, and Idon't usually make a habit of
eavesdropping, but I couldn'thelp overhearing a story about
an arrest earlier in the morning.
Now I wouldn't normally insertmyself in the conversation but I
couldn't help it.
I mean, just looking at howsurprised all of the other
(02:15):
golfers were when this one guywas telling the story, I just
had a pipe in.
I'm like.
Who got arrested?
Scotty Scheffler, what thefreak.
This guy is the poster childfor well-manicured,
well-mannered, respectful,religious family man with a
(02:39):
one-week-old infant.
I mean, I ruled out a drug bust, sex trafficking, spousal abuse
and firearms dealing.
Now, if it were P Diddy, Iwould have guessed all those
things, but not the golden child, the number one golfer in the
world recently bearded, I think,to hide his baby face.
(03:00):
Image to this modern day Metrolumberjack look.
Image to this modern day metrolumberjack look.
Now I hear this story andimmediately pull out my iPhone
to check out like I got to getthe facts on this.
Is this true or is this just arumor.
So here's what I learned andhere's some conjecture.
(03:20):
It's dark in the early AMoutside Valhalla Country Club in
Louisville, kentucky.
Most PGA pros, particularly theones that really compete for
the title, have a routine tobest prepare for the tournament.
Some get into the mobilefitness center to stretch out
before hitting the practice area.
I would suspect that that'swhere Scotty was heading.
(03:42):
It's my understanding that PGApros that are not rooming
on-site and there are someevents where there's housing
on-site or really nice hotelrooms the ones that aren't
rooming on-site get preferentialtreatment when they drive into
the course.
Typically they have courtesycars or if they don't, they just
(04:05):
come up to the guard, roll downthe windows, show their
credentials to security and thensomehow get to move around
wherever the traffic is.
They get preferential treatment.
And, as unluck would have it,there was a fatal accident with
a bus and a pedestrian earlierthat morning that set the tone
(04:28):
for law enforcement for the restof the morning.
There are a lot of fuzzydetails around the infraction,
but rumor has it that trafficimpeded Scotty's journey to the
course to start his three-hourpreparation.
So, according to differentsources, another police officer
had told Scotty to move aroundtraffic and go to the front gate
(04:52):
but this other officer was notletting him yield and when
Scotty kept going he held ontoScotty's car and this guy
probably not in his high schooltrack fitness mode lost his
(05:15):
footing and got dragged until hefell and suffered some injuries
, cuffed him and told all thelooky-loos and media to back off
because this suspect was goingto jail and there's nothing you
can do about it.
Scotty's mugshot hit socialmedia shortly after his arrest
(05:37):
and when I saw it it looked faketo me, well faker than Tiger's
mugshot.
The whole McGillis seemedsurreal, but it was confirmed in
so many news feeds it couldn'tbe fake news.
Now I think Scotty handled itlike a true professional no
drama.
He actually addresses the mediato assuage any rumors or
(05:59):
embellishments.
His POV that it was a bigmisunderstanding.
Over the course of the weekend Ithink we learned a few things
about the incident.
Scotty's actions weren't doneout of malice.
They weren't done out ofoutright disrespect of the law,
you know.
That being said, is it possiblethat Scotty's rise to the top
(06:22):
of the golf food chain, with allthe adulation and attention,
made him feel like this oneparticular officer of the law
didn't know who he was.
So he took matters into handand did what he had to do to
prepare to win anothertournament.
Did he think that he might haveearned enough status to operate
(06:43):
above the law?
Maybe not.
Maybe the image that his teamis well-crafted is true to core,
and it was dark and it wasrainy.
But you know, if it were me andI was the number one golfer in
the world, I might have done thesame thing Scotty did.
Nothing would have gotten in myway to prepare for that
(07:05):
tournament.
I would have been like Trump atthe Paris Accords when he
pushed the president ofMontenegro out of the way so
that he could be front andcenter for the cameras.
What an ego.
I don't think law enforcementwas trying to make a point.
You know like it's dark andrainy.
(07:27):
Someone just got killed crossingthe road and as an officer of
the law, I've got to worktraffic control.
I'd rather be home sleeping andno prima donna.
Or these privileged media typepeople are going to usurp my
authority, particularly thismillennial motherfucker.
Or these privileged media-typepeople are going to usurp my
authority, particularly thismillennial motherfucker?
(07:49):
Now I said on my last episodethat I don't like to gamble on
anybody but myself in sports.
Now, if you bet on Scotty thispast weekend, you'd be
apoplectic when you learnedabout the arrest.
As early as Sunday, news wasbuzzing about the Louisville
(08:10):
police dropping all charges.
Now I honestly believe the buzz.
It seemed like if this was justa misunderstanding.
I'm sure once they realized whothey captured they would
realize it was just amisunderstanding.
But I watched this clip of thecourtroom the other day where
(08:32):
Scotty's lawyers were asking fora continuance of the
arraignment.
I think it's so.
Scotty could play in thecolonial golf tournament this
weekend.
But from the sound of the tonein the courthouse it doesn't
look like the case is beingdropped anytime soon.
This was a felony, not amisdemeanor, and the DA, or
(08:54):
whoever was talking to the judge, was suggesting that, no matter
who this is, this is aviolation of the law.
This is a violation of the law.
Now, my point of view is thisNothing is certain in life.
This is just another example ofthe butterfly effect, and that
(09:16):
is the world is deeplyinterconnected such that one
small occurrence can influence amuch larger complex system.
If Scotty doesn't get arrested,there's a good likelihood he
wins the tournament.
But it sets things in motionand Zander now doesn't have to
deal with the best of Scottie.
(09:36):
Zander didn't have to deal withScottie in the final pairing
and listen to the crowds ofpeople yelling for Scottie.
He had a deal with ColinMorikawa, a two-time major
champion but not the crowdfavorite.
I think crowds have a tremendouseffect on the outcome of most
(09:58):
any sporting event.
In golf, when you hear peoplecalling your name and they're
cheering you on, it has to be anadrenaline rush.
It has to be.
And when you hear golfersinterviewed after they'll talk
to home crowds.
This past weekend Justin Thomaswas the hometown favorite and
(10:21):
you could see how emotional hewas playing in front of the
Louisville fans.
I mean to him he said it wasone of the greatest weekends of
his life.
So the fans have an effect andI think as Xander was playing
through the weekend he wasgaining more traction with the
fans Because the prior week atthe Wells Fargo Championship he
(10:45):
was actually leading thetournament coming into Sunday
with Rory one stroke behindplaying against him, and that
weekend Rory had the crowd.
He won it.
Now his fourth time and thecrowd just loves him and I think
that had an effect on Xander.
So this weekend Scottie's notplaying with alongside him.
(11:08):
He's starting to get the crowdwith him and he becomes a
different golfer.
If he's making mistakes,they're small mistakes and he is
becoming Houdini out of thelast hole when he hits his
second shot.
With a very awkward stance, healmost had to stand inside of a
(11:28):
bunker to hit this shot.
He was able to advance the ballup towards the green, make an
incredible chip shot and then hehad to make the putt of his
life Six and a half feet putt ofhis life Six and a half feet, a
(11:49):
fairly straight putt with aslight turn at the end.
And I got to be honest with you, I thought he was going to miss
it and I didn't know what wasgoing on in his head.
I couldn't tell.
I wasn't walking the fairwayswith him so I couldn't tell how
the crowd was revving him up,but his confidence was sky high.
So I've got to believe.
When he went up to make thatputt, he knew that putt was
(12:11):
going to go in.
So I had my doubt.
So as he makes the putt and theputt is veering towards the
edge of the hole the ball does arim job around the outside and
I am waiting to watch the ballcome out of the hole.
Some of my buddies call that amonica all lip and no hole.
But it goes in.
(12:33):
And all of a sudden I'm likethat's what he thought it was
going to do, maybe not in rimjob fashion, but he believed
that putt was going to go in andit did.
And there's a saying in golfyou're no better than you think
you are.
If you've ever seen anybodymanifest their outcome.
I think you saw it this weekendand you know, because of his
(12:59):
past performances, particularlyin majors, I thought he was
going to succumb to some othergolfer's destiny, like Bryson
DeChambeau, who caught both thelocal crowd and the viewing
public's eye with hisswashbuckling performance.
If you're interested inwatching the trajectory of a
superstar, follow Bryson.
(13:19):
His story is like no other.
His story is like no other.
I mean a mad scientist with abrain like a supercomputer who
requires mass input prior toevery shot he makes.
But on the other end of thespectrum, he shows this emotion
on the course, like Tiger,Sergio, spieth, rom after most
(13:43):
every shot.
I used to always say he's thegolfer I'd never want to play
behind, just because of hismethodical slow play.
I also said the guy might begreat on the course, but I'd
never want to have a beer withhim.
He's just got so much going onin his head.
But you know what I think he'schanging.
He is now becoming anentertainer that happens to play
(14:05):
really good golf.
I am the entertainer and I knowjust where I stand.
Another serenader and anotherlong-haired band, free speech
and women back in the kitchen.
These are a few of my favoritethings.
These are a few of my favoritethings.
(14:25):
These are a few of my favoritethings.
Last week, harrison Butker, thekicker for the world champion
Chiefs, made a commencementspeech at Benedictine University
.
I'm not certain that his speechwas vetted by university
faculty or whether it had to be,but regardless, his theme for
(14:47):
college graduates was likenothing ever broached.
I'll paraphrase In thisprogressive world of equal pay,
equal opportunity andunderscoring a let's all get
along mantra, harrison remindedwomen that, like his wife, a
(15:08):
woman married to a man makingprobably four million dollars a
year, your most prized goal inlife is to be defined by your
husband, while your role as ahomemaker should satisfy your
every dream in life.
That's suspicious, that's weirdand whatever his interpretation
(15:30):
of the Bible was, that's howall of you college graduates
should conduct your lives.
So all of you, all of youfornicating female financiers,
don't be misguided into a lifeof unfulfilled blasphemy.
Don't be misguided into a lifeof unfulfilled blasphemy.
So I actually have mixedfeelings about his speech.
(15:51):
I could see both sides.
First of all, I'm a free speechadvocate, which should surprise
no one who listens to thispodcast.
If Harrison feels stronglyabout a woman's role in the
world and believes we should allbe ruled by biblical
interpretation, so be it.
(16:11):
Look, by doing what he did, heleaves himself open to harsh
criticism, which has swelledinto demands for his firing.
Now I think that would be amistake for the Kansas City GM
to give him his walking papers.
He has the right to express hisviewpoints of the world.
I'm just looking forward to allthe signs in the stands,
(16:35):
particularly when he plays awaygames.
For every action there's anequal and opposite reaction.
If the noise level gets tooloud, opposite reaction.
If the noise level gets tooloud, the Hunt family will be
forced to act.
But right now they don't haveto.
I think let's just enjoy theresponse.
If nothing else, it's personalentertainment for me.
(17:19):
Big titty cookies.
Just add milk.
That's add with a double DMakes your bone grow.
We're talking lactationinfatuation.
Molly Baz, pumping out onecookie at a time.
An electronic billboard wastaken down.
It was a billboard featuring abare-breasted pregnant woman
with two cookies covering hernipples with the headlines just
add milk.
The product she was featuringwas big titty cookies.
(17:42):
She's selling lactation cookiesbaked to help promote healthy
lactation Milk boosters.
At first I thought they werecookies made with mother's milk,
but after my teenage gigglessubsided I realized they were
lactation initiation.
I would venture to guess thatmost of us men don't realize or
(18:07):
know this, but lactation can bechallenging for some women for
different reasons Hormones,medication, radiation therapy,
drug, alcohol use.
There are a bunch of others.
It's a serious issue,particularly for those suffering
the challenge, for thosesuffering the challenge.
(18:30):
As a result, companies that canprovide a healthy solution
should be eagerly accepted andapplauded if their products make
a difference, if they actuallywork.
And thus, if not for the bigtitties title, the ad probably
wouldn't have been dropped thead probably wouldn't have been
dropped, and I don't know whatdrove the cancellation.
I mean, I could just imagine.
(18:51):
Imagine there's this churchgroup traveling to New York City
for the first time withelementary school kids.
They're going to see the playBook of Mormon.
They decide to kill an hour orso in Times Square, maybe treat
the kids to a slice at Sparrow's.
Some get selfies with Elmo,spider-man, captain America,
(19:13):
iron man.
But the day doesn't go exactlyas planned.
First they encounter the nakedcowboy, at which time the
schoolgirls start giggling andasking why a man wearing only a
bulge-filled tighty-whities issinging in the square.
Then a bunch of dads getbamboozled into a game of
(19:39):
three-card Monty and the shellgame, where they have to follow
the red ball.
Now they're down 300 bucks.
To top it off, a few of theboys are staring up at this
billboard saying big titties.
At which point some of theKarens begin to scold them for
yelling big titties, big titties.
(20:01):
Then one of the observant momslook up at the billboard and
gasp big titty cookies.
That's blasphemy, said one ofthe tightly wound Karens.
Something must be done.
At which point all of the momspull out their phones looking
(20:21):
for contact information foroutdoor advertising companies,
connect with the manager incharge and threaten a lawsuit.
Now, for all of you patientlisteners, that was my
imagination and fake news.
But having the ad removedwasn't Quite.
Frankly, I don't think thatMolly Baz could have gotten
(20:44):
better exposure and searchqueries if the ad was just left
alone and nobody took it down.
Sometimes the report of apotential lawsuit or a forced
cancellation provides moreillumination than the original
and plan.
And what is it about tittiesthat gets everybody's attention?
(21:05):
Well, I researched it on Redditjust for my own adolescent
amusement.
Here were some of the answers.
Number one they'reaesthetically pleasing.
Two they're the only thing youcould honk if you don't have a
driver's license.
That was pretty funny.
Number three it reminds us ofthe comfort and joy of
(21:27):
breastfeeding.
Then there was this chain ofback and forth between these
people that I would imagine werebasement dwellers.
But the creme de la creme wasthis quote there's something
about them that is non-verballybegging for all of the sperm
you'll ever create to just eruptand cover them.
(21:50):
That post was from the handleButtfucker, spelled with three
K's, probably one of thechaperones on the New York City
field trip.
Molly Baz, you're a marketinggenius, genius, genius, genius,
extra, extra, read all about it.
(22:11):
Extra, extra, read all about it.
Jesus is coming back again.
Extra, extra, read all about it.
This is some news that yougotta take in.
A few months ago, my crushsigned up to participate as an
(22:33):
extra in one of the localproduction crews, charleston has
become an attractivedestination for several film
companies.
Her experience was so good thatI signed up and actually got
picked this week to be on aproduction.
Now, because of confidentialityagreements, I'm legally bound
(22:54):
to leave out the name of theproduction company and show.
That's perfectly okay, becausethe observations I have have
little to do with the specificproduction and more to do with
how people behave in thisenvironment.
I recently finished reading abook by author Will Storr about
(23:15):
the status game of human life.
It encapsulates the game oflife and how increasingly our
status provides meaning greaterinfluence, access to a wider
choice of mates, more securityand resources for us and our
families.
After spending several days onthe production set, it became
(23:38):
abundantly clear that the statusgame was dynamic and in full
view.
The role of extras actually havea professional title on the
production set we are basicallycalled background.
We are basically calledbackground.
It's a non-offensive way ofsaying.
We are human props.
The role of background is toadd human color to a scene.
(24:06):
The talent or celebrity actorscreate the focal points and the
background adds realism to thescene.
And I would tell you this onceyou work as background, every
future movie or series you watch, you're going to gaze at the
extras to see how real andnatural they behave.
One of the funniest mockeries ofthe wrong way to act as an
(24:28):
extra is the final scene ofPee-wee's Big Adventure, where
Pee-wee Herman plays the hotelclerk in the movie about himself
Paging Mr Herman.
Mr Herman, you have a telephonecall at the front desk.
I mean he does everything wrong, like looking at the camera,
(24:55):
looking awkward while the otheractor is speaking.
He's mouthing the words of theother actor.
It couldn't have been anyfunnier of the wrong way to act
as an extra.
I made sure in my role asbackground I didn't do any of
that.
So a few things becomeperfectly clear to me at the end
(25:17):
of day one shooting.
Number one is most of the girlsand some of the younger guys
came to the set with hopes ofbeing discovered.
Those same hopeful positiveshad their dreams crushed when
they had a standstill a hundredyards away from the camera and
(25:37):
were not even picked for any ofthe close-up scenes.
Next to the talent, the realjob of background is this Show
up on time when you get to theset, don't be a douche up and
then get on the shuttle buseswhen directed.
That's it.
(25:57):
Before I share my thoughts onobservations of the status game,
I have to point out the highlevel of expertise and precision
exemplified by the director ondown to the grunts.
I haven't had the opportunityto serve in the military, but I
would venture a guess that afilm production company,
(26:20):
particularly a really good onelike this, operates with similar
precision.
Every chance I got to watch thedirector, film and sound crew
in action was like a gift to me.
They speak a different languagethat transforms the set and the
talent into specific actionsthat in turn satisfies the
(26:42):
director's vision.
And if it doesn't, they cut anddo it again.
A hundred iterations of thesame thing until the director is
satisfied.
Same thing until the directoris satisfied.
Look, the status game was infull view.
(27:02):
Number one is top of the chainwas the talent, and even within
that there was a range of powerwithin the talent.
The more recognized the talentswere, the more they seem to get
what they want.
And they knew where they stoodon the picking order.
I mean they had their own PAson beck and call to provide them
nourishment, clothing, shelterand, most importantly, ass
(27:26):
kissing.
Like that was a great scene.
Oh, you did so well in thatscene.
You looked so good.
You did great.
The second rung on the powerpyramid was the director.
Look, all the shit flowsdownhill from the director.
He or she calls the shots onwhere to shoot, when to shoot,
(27:48):
where to reshoot, who gets to gowhere and when.
All of the other gaggle ofsupport teams march to the
director's orders.
They are in charge.
Now the sound and filmdirectors were seemingly at the
same level as the productiondirector, with all of their
support staff at attention atall times.
(28:11):
Between the production director, film director and sound
director, it was the trifecta ofpower.
Below them you seem to have theproduction assistants and prop
masters basically one step thatare above the grunts, the camera
and sound crew.
All that follow the lead of theassistant director, who
(28:35):
basically speaks for thedirector.
The director comes up with theideas and then the AD turns
around and barks the specificorders to each of the groups.
When I first got on set, Iactually thought the AD was the
director because he was givingall the orders to everybody,
until I saw the director inaction Below all of the grunts,
(29:00):
the cameramen, everybody that'scarrying everything.
There's the food crew and thefirst aid and then other
miscellaneous jobs that plug anyholes in the dike.
For most people.
I had no idea what their roleswere unless I asked them and,
trust me, I pretty much askedeverybody what they did.
Below that there is thebackground, the extras, and the
(29:27):
extras were the most eclecticgroup of humans with the most
diverse backgrounds that allapplied for the job with a mix
of different intent.
So here are some of the thingsthat they said to me as to why
they wanted to be there.
Of course, number one is beingdiscovered.
(29:48):
I already call that.
Everybody who goes on the setthinks that a camera is going to
capture them and the directoris going to see it and said who
was that person?
We need that person front andcenter.
We got to have that person onmore shots.
Some people just want to be oncamera.
Some just said they look, theyliked the series and they wanted
(30:10):
to be part of it.
Some just wanted to be as closeas they could to the talent in
hopes that they'd connect.
Some, like me, were verycurious about the industry.
I wanted to see how the sausagewas made.
Some wanted to participate inthe industry anything in the
industry.
Others want to climb the ladderin the industry.
(30:32):
So they want to start at thebottom, somehow work their way
up and see where it takes them.
Some people were just bored athome, wanted something different
.
And then others wanted, neededor just enjoyed getting that $88
check for eight hours of workand maybe there's an opportunity
(30:53):
for overtime.
And then others wanted thatelevated status amongst their
friends and family, basically tosay, hey, I just worked on this
set.
You know it's kind of anaphrodisiac.
Here's an observationalnewsflash.
Background extras should belike children.
(31:15):
They should be seen and notheard In the status game.
There's little to nointeraction, two levels above or
below the sediments of statusseparation.
The talent doesn't talk toanybody but other talent or the
(31:35):
directors.
They don't want the backgroundto speak with anybody else
besides other background, pa's,first aid or the protein
selector on the chow line.
There is no interaction betweenbackground and talent or
(31:56):
background and the director.
We are props, even though wewere warned by the PA not to
interact with the talent.
Don't get in the way.
I often see these youngstatus-seeking extras trying to
make the connection anyway.
I mean, the laws of smoking hotapply to most everything
(32:20):
Attractive.
People know that they have asuperpower of leaping over
status lines to get what theywant.
I think a good part of theindustry is built on good looks
rising to higher levels thantheir peers.
At some point, real talent andwhen I say talent I mean
(32:41):
someone's ability to really actfind themselves getting bigger
roles, more complex roles, andare more sought after.
You don't have to be smokinghot to rise to the level of top
talent, but I'll tell you itdoesn't hurt If, given the
(33:03):
chance, I'd probably do it again.
You know.
You just never know where it'sgoing to lead.
For me it's most likely goingto lead to the chow line, but
that's nothing to shake a stickat, because craft services can
be the highlight of a tough dayon the set.
I'm your host, rich Easton,telling tales from beautiful
(33:34):
Charleston, south Carolina.
Talk to you soon, thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.