The latest edition of “The Wagyu Filet Show” had a lot of topics to dive into with the Monday finish and win by Austin Eckroat at the Cognizant, another strong showing by Jake Knapp, the return for Anthony Kim on the LIV tour as well as the win by Joaquin Niemann and a look ahead to Arnie’s Bay Hill. Johnson Wagner and Brendon de Jonge touch it all.
You think this is only a grip it’s only in my hands on every single shot it’s an extra 2 yards of carry when it matters most respect the goup welcome into the wagu filt show Brendan dong Johnson Wagner Brendan it has been two weeks I feel like I haven’t seen your beautiful
Face in so long we got to talk about the Mexico open down at Vidant we got to talk about the cognizant classic of the Palm Beaches let’s start with PGA National and and the Finish we just saw out of Austin ecro this Monday I tell you what he he looked like he’d been
There a thousand times I guess when you’re swinging that good it’s kind of hard to screw it up isn’t it I mean just absolutely on repeat and and some of the best iron shots I’ve ever seen under that kind of pressure the shot into 12
Or 11 with the mud ball kind of got back left with green was right where he needed to 12 just absolutely you know hits a perfect shot to the back pin 13 out of the rough uh the up and down on 14 out of that down
Slope you know that and then even shots like 17 he had I think a three shot lead at the time on 17 everyone’s talking about you know aim it at that left bunker you hit in that left bunker who knows you plug it in there bad things
Happen he hit this thing right over the top of the flag stick just absolutely flushed it same thing on 15 great shot into 15 uh great shot in 16 where he made the but it was H it was fun to watch it’s always nice to see someone
Where you can see their in that much control of the game and you can you can see there that the confidence was growing with every swing yeah I think he was I think he was third in Strokes gained off the te for the week and first or second in Strokes gained approach so
Uh clearly first in Strokes gained T to green and oh by the way he putted really well the the second shot into 16 to me was by far the best swing it’s that right pin you know if you pull that left you’re down over in the bowl and have an
Awkward two- putut up the hill he took it on knowing how confident he was with the swing and played that little draw kind of away from the water away from the flag to 10 feet and just buried it you know this Austin ecro Brennan he was
On the first class of the PGA Tour U program and there was four of them that got their card in 22 corn fairy tour season they were the first graduating class from 21 and four of them got their cards I think Brandon woo was one of
Them I don’t know the other two but this we’re seeing this PJ tour you program really pay off uh getting these kids out onto the PGA Tour a lot quicker and easier the for the top level seniors that are playing the game yeah without a doubt it’s it’s one of those things that
Has certainly worked um obviously we we know what Ludo Berg has done out of that program as well but these are guys that were the class before that um it is it’s one of those initiatives that has has paid off right away um and you know
Looking back it it is it’s a great great idea that they came up with it’s nice to see this kind of success so quickly from the guys that did come out of there Eric Van royan is continuing his hot play had a good finish in the Mexico open I
Believe he finished t7 or eight he was definitely in the top 10 and then had that amazing round what did he Birdie the first six holes yesterday on Sunday starting uh a little bit unfortunate that he couldn’t keep that round going but was able to finish and I I didn’t
Think you I think he was overplaying the Simo pro pro member this morning uh just in case there was a playoff they were going to shuttle him back over but he is on a heater right now that all kind of started with that win at worldwide Technologies last fall yeah he’s playing
Some great Golf and another guy where you can see the confidence is growing and yeah I agree with you he kind of got screwed there with that weather was was just rolling you know was eight under three his first 10 holes standing in the middle of the 12 Fairway when that that
Massive storm blew and then yeah you know we both know when you’re when you’re going you want to keep going you’ve got that momentum on your side you feel like you can birdy every single hole and yeah that got halted for I think they had a three and a half hour
Delay um bad timing for him but you know on the flip side of that it can it can certainly work out if you’re struggling a little bit then you get a delay like that it it can work in your favor so you know you play this game for long enough
You’re gonna have good and bad breaks are you surprised they went two balls off of one te with knowing that weather was coming I really am the fact that they played three balls on Saturday with no threat of weather and then all of a sudden went two balls on on Sunday it
Really made no sense at all um if they had gone early split T start three SS even with that three and a half hour delay would have had no problem coming and playing it would have probably been four or five hes they would have had to
Finish Sunday night so yeah I think the the field staff kind of dropped the ball on that one and uh talking about dropping the ball a little bit so I I watched a lot of the golf this weekend and I remember PGA National being a ball buster just a very very scary Golf
Course to play I hate the fact that they made 10 a profile that you know there were guys hitting wedges in there I think the hole played 4.2 for the week 4.2 is a hard par for 4.2 is a stupidly ridiculous part five so I I really didn’t like that
They removed the Fairway bunkers down the ride on six yeah and and the one on 10 there used to be there used to be bunkers on 10 that was done a couple years ago I think six needed those bunkers gone it was too much of a a penalty but they
Have definitely tried to make that place much Kindler and gentler that’s a great point about 10 yeah I you know I I was looking through the past results and I think 11 of the past 17 winners had all been in single digits I think what did EOD end up
Shooting this week 17 under I think tournament record I know now 10 is a PO five that you had four shots right there but the Florida swing is tough it it’s just meant to be tough I don’t like the fact that they’re going in there and
Kind of Molly godling these guys well I think they the rough was down this year from where they had had it in years past and you know the three the the the four shots difference making it a par four to a par five that was huge and they didn’t
Have at least they didn’t have the normal high winds the course was soft uh it was very very manageable I I’m with you I I always love tur tuning in to PJ National and just seeing Carnage I think I think at one point I actually I may
Still lead uh most balls hit in the water on the bear trap I mean and by the way they built over the back te on 17 don’t you remember hitting three iron in there now these guys are hitting eight eight and seven irons on Sunday when we
Used to be lacing long irons from that back te you know it’s I I was looking at again just trying to bring back some memories I remember making a cut on the number I think this was maybe 2010 and I went out and I shot five under on the
Weekend and I finished in the top 10 you know I which was two under par at the time two under I think I would have finished almost dead last off the cut this week um it I like that Golf Course being difficult it’s meant to be a difficult golf course and I understand
They can’t do anything about the wind and the weather um but you can set up the golf course a lot more difficult I remember they’re being chip Out rough I don’t think we need to have chip Out rough again maybe but you certainly need more rough than we had this week 2009 I
Was early on Friday and I don’t know if I was even or one overpar didn’t think I had a chance to make the cut I’m staying at PGA National couldn’t get a flight out that night my my wife Katie had just gone home the previous day she was
Pregnant with our son first son our first child Graham and I meet a couple buddies at the pool at PGA National run into de boo weekly next thing you know we are playing beer pong on the edge of the pool at PGA National um one of my
Buddies Taps me on the shoulder it’s getting dark out and he says by the way you just made the cut on the number you’re going to be in the first four groups out the next day so it’s like it was the kind of place that you never
Knew if the wind blew it’s kind of like TPC San Antonio for the Val Valero Texas open you can finish in the morning the wind can pick up and that cutline can move three or four strokes in a heartbeat and we just lost a lot of that
With PJ National this year yeah we did and I again I I don’t want to sound like that grumpy old man I feel like I sound like Brad Fable the rules official that always used to [ __ ] about how easy everything was now um but it’s it’s it’s kind of
That golf course’s Mo there needs to be cornered I mean I remember probably on three different occasions walking off that golf course and I had mud and Muckle over my pants and stuff from hitting a ball out of the water it’s just it’s that kind of golf course there needs to
Be carnag and honestly I think to a man a viewer would enjoy seeing that kind of stuff yeah but to to the other side of that point I think that that tournament started losing its great field uh year after year just losing a few more guys that even live down there that didn’t
Want to play because the golf course was so too was set up too hard so it’s a fine balance I mean I know tour players are a little soft and don’t want to get beat up that hard but you’ve got to find the balance to where players want to
Come play it and it remains difficult yeah you do and I agree with you there to an extent I mean I know they they’re going to Bay Hill next week they they know that bill is going to be really really difficult and they don’t want to
Essentially get beaten up two weeks in a row uh going into the PLAYERS Championship so I do understand that but I I feel like like maybe we’re catering a little bit too much to the big names trying to attract them by making a golf course easier and well essentially it
Didn’t really attract that many more of the big names there’s still a lot of guys that live down there that didn’t play I know Justin Thomas was a local resident he didn’t play Rory maroy did come back which was a huge draw for this tournament um Ricky F was there but
Still it it wasn’t a really top heavy field I guess it was it was definitely had a better it had a better feel over the previous week which was the Mexico open which you and I were both working and I mean how about Jake knap coming
Back after what he did in Mexico in that shootout Sunday with Samy valaki to come back and finish fourth the very next week on a setup like PJ National and Brendan I was fortunate to walk with his group Saturday I’ve never seen anything like what this guy did Saturday at the
Mexico open he didn’t miss a shot look a lot like Austin nekro finishing up the final round of the Cognizant just didn’t miss a single shot and then the guy comes out on Sunday and has got the left misses and you you thought he was going to completely crumble but he ultimately
Had some great up and downs on that Sunday for the Mexico open Win picking up his first win of the year the third rookie on the PGA tour to win this season which is shocking with with nap with Nick Dunlap with Matthew pavon and when you look at Nick Taylor winning the
The Pebble Beach it’s like Hideki matama win in Genesis was great but we’re we’re not getting like these huge bigname Superstars winning these tournaments do you think the tours a little bit concerned right now they are Nick Nick Taylor was uh was management not Pebble Beach thank you thank you you’re right
Yes no I I do I I think the Stars need to show up you know I was looking down a list of all the winners this year and Windam Clark is a big name in the game now I do understand that outside of Windam Clark there’s not really any big
Names eki was a big name eki will be a big name again but at the time was outside the top 50 in the world so yes the tour needs the Stars to stand up and the tour needs the Stars to stand up now we’ve got some really big weeks coming
Up um but speaking of stars you mentioned Jake nap there I think we got a future star in the making there with this guy he’s got a he’s got a Swagger about him as well I kind of like it yeah he kind of got that Gunslinger walk
Around um I think this guy’s G to be really really good and uh I don’t mean to to blow my own horn here but at 9:53 a.m. on Thursday morning doing PGA Tour live I predicted Jake knap was the winner in Mexico and uh he came through
I was I was sitting there with a great host and a good friend of ours Mayan Patel and Mayan asked me you know name name a young guy who you think might be someone to watch this week and I said Jake nap and you know what he he got it
Done for me too bad you couldn’t get that in on our five club’s pick earlier in the week uh I saw you post that on Instagram as well so horn horn sufficiently tooted uh well done Brenan you have a you have a real way of handicapping young golfers
I want to get back on Austin e Road a little bit because I had a nice encounter with him at the Mexico open it was uh it was Tuesday night it was a caddy uh party on the par three course right in the middle of all the hotel
Buildings at Vidant and this place is unbelievable it’s a 10-hole par three course they only played nine and I actually did a double loop I was catting for my old guy Matt Bower and David geese and they played in the first shotgun and wanted to go back out and
Play again and they got paired up with stone Coburn who was Austin who was Austin necrot caddy and he like Stone Cold Coburn I mean this dude is a beast Austin came out and walked the last six or seven holes and his wife Sally was out there and just and I’d been around
Him once or twice before but I I just can’t I can’t describe how refreshing it is to be around a young man like that that has had so much suc success and that is certainly looking like he’s going to have a ton more just one of the
Most genuine guys I’ve ever been around his wife Sally was a sweetheart and Matt Hower made like four birdies in a row to finish just burying putts and so Matt Matt’s a little bit convinced that Austin’s good play this week was because Hower inspired him on the par three
Course late night drinking some Heinekens and porn and bombs Matt Hower and David geese in the same group a couple caddies that are very relieved that they’re not catting for you anymore they’re they to bigger better things um but yeah Austin ech I mean every interview I’ve seen with him the guy
Town’s so grounded and um again we talking about Jake nap being a superstar I think this guy as well he uh he is a flusher I a very very repeatable golf swing very good golf swing lots of speed there as well and it’s it’s nice to see
Some names we talk on one hand about how we need the Stars to stand up and perform but on the other hand there are certainly some stars that are making their way yeah and his swing it’s it’s Unique it’s not built in a lab it’s it’s clearly he’s been out there you know
Just grinding on his game forever and I think it’s nice to see these unique swings and Jake knap seeing such a seeing a guy that can just hit the ball so hard to have the amount of control that he does on sort of off speeed three
Quarter shots like these guys are are so in touch with everything I’m just really happy that I’m not out there grinding against those guys anymore trying to make a living yeah isn’t that the truth um I I I like the way Jack Jake naap is able to control his speeds no surprise
That he’s played well in two windy weeks um very very nice arm swing there and he uh he played the first three rounds this week with Rory maroy I mean how how this guy’s life’s changed in two weeks go win you play the first three rounds with
Rory and I played Rory through three rounds so uh yeah there’s there’s a lot of good things that are going to come from Jake knap uh through the rest of this year moving forward he had that wonderful finish at Farmers as well finished T3 and you think about the the
Ballpark that Tory Pine South is the ballpark that PJ National where he played well this this past week and then the Mexico open at Vidant that Golf Course is massive it you would struggle mightily if you had to te it up there there’s just probably a lot of probably
A lot of Fairways you couldn’t even reach 10 comes to mind one would be a hard for you and so I I I I’d like to get your take on the Mexico open and and and what that Golf Course is like watching it for PJ Tour live
Thank God I don’t have to play it but from a watching standpoint and I’m gonna guess we probably don’t agree on this I kind of liked it I I had never been there i’ never seen the property there were some difficult par fors I like these guys having to hit three woods and
Three irons and the par Wars I don’t remember the last time I saw that I’m so used to seeing these guys bomb drivers over dog legs and stuff you didn’t have that option at Vidant it seemed like your long holes were straight so you’re you’re having to play the hole as it’s
Designed and it was nice you know to to see the 10th hole there I think I saw a stat that it was the third most difficult part four on the PGA tour last year the entire PGA Tour uh one hole in Zozo in Japan and one hole in a major I
Think it was the sixth hole at oill but other than that this was the most difficult PL for and it’s nice as I say you know I’m so used to seeing these guys tear driver up six inches off the ground and just smash it over the top of
The dog leg they didn’t have the option to do that at the D I lik seeing guys having a hit shots from that 150 to 175 range I don’t feel like we’ve seen any of that I feel like we’ve lost all the good mid iron players out of the game
Although as I say that Aus erro did a pretty good job of that this week but uh it was something different um you obviously were on the ground I know you don’t have real good feelings about that golf course but let me hear why I I I
Played it in 22 the first year the the event there uh for a guy like my length below average on by two or standard back then uh I mean I hit multiple there were multiple par fours where I had to come in with three-wood and and I was walking
Sunday with Henrik norlander on that 10th hole that you speak of and there’s a there’s a water down there that comes into play about 265 so Henrik hit three-wood off the tea to kind of keep it short and left of that of that penalty area and he hit the most
Beautiful fivewood I’ve ever seen into that green and I I it’s it’s hard there’s there’s a fine line for me because yes I agree with you with guys like Jake knap having to hit four and five irons into some of these holes but then you turn that around and I I would
Say over half the field chz Rey hitting Lumber into a couple par fours it just it seems like length is always an advantage but on that Golf Course down there at Vidant it’s it’s on steroids like how much easier it is if you can fly the ball 315 yards yeah I’m guessing
You know just listening to you and and I know we’ve spoken about this before that if I played that goal of course i’ feel strongly the other way about it but from from a viewer standpoint I kind of like seeing guys have to hit some shots in there which again it’s very very
Different from the norm that we have but become used to let’s talk about that final group at the cognizant I had really high expectations for Shane Lowry uh coming in I know he he got kind of weathered out a couple years ago when sep staan a
Big storm came in when he was on the last uh and and didn’t really have an opportunity to make birdie to force a play off seems like a venue that he plays really really well and I just uh he never could get it going I know T off
At five something was really difficult on Sunday evening but what happened with Shane you know I I feel as though maybe he put a little bit too much pressure on himself you know he lives in the area he’s spoken about how much he wants to win this tournament obviously loves the
Golf course you know you mentioned that when he got kind of screwed with the weather there with SE struck he has it his last top 10 was at the this golf course as well last year so very very obviously plays well there feels comfortable around the golf course I
Think Shane and I’m not gonna try and make excuses for him I think Shane needed some wind he uh I think he needed some wind uh on on Sunday he is a very very good win player likes to hit those kind of shots um I think he kind of got
A little bit hosed there by the fact that there was absolutely no win and as you say it’s hard when you are you’ve got that five something tea time you know you’re only going to play five holes six holes whatever it was um sometimes it’s hard to to motivate
Yourself to to really get going for those six holes and both of those guys got off to a terrible start David skins was two over three his first five Shane was one over three his first five so no momentum in that final group either good
For skins the way he came back I mean he hit two of the worst shots I’ve ever seen uh off the first T left almost into the penalty area left that I obviously you know it’s there and I’m not afraid to hit the ball left but that was left
Of left of left and then into three the par five from the left rough pulled it all the way into the penalty area was two over through three good for him got it back ended up finishing T4 best finish of his career uh his previous
Best finish was a t29 at the RSM classic $44,000 so certainly with that finish he’s gonna have the biggest paycheck of his career that’s a guy that played at Tennessee similar vintage to us I remember playing quite a bit with David on the uh on the corn fairy tour back in
The day he got his card back in 22 and and lost it only made a couple hundred grand for the year really good to see him get it back quickly and hopefully this is the sign of some good things coming and giving us old guys a little
Bit of Hope and and suffered a really weird weird thing on the golf course I don’t know if you saw this his caddy was walking off one of the te’s slipped and fell and landed on the bag uh David went to hit a putt and as he took the putter
Out of his bag obviously realized that this putter was completely bent golden the rules official was able to bend it back back to where he felt like it was actually actually usable um puted with it like that for the first round then took it somewhere and got it line lofted
Obviously um and kept it in the bag but that’s always a little bit disconcerting when you know your putter obviously you’re so used to looking down and seeing one thing then even if you feel like you’ve got it back to normal it always kind of your mind plays a little
Bit of tricks with you and you think hang on is this exactly where I thought it was so just a a strange strange scenario there with his with his Cy busting his ass on his golf bag sounds like Piggy was on the bag uh in the way
He was B in that back I I saw the replay of it me he was being forceful with that thing which obviously moving metal you have to be yeah um but yeah you know he as I say felt like he got it close enough to where it was and put it pretty
Good for that first round and then uh you know actually made a good 10 12 footer down the hill right after he bent it back and then as I say got it line lofted and used it for the rest of the week didn’t take it out of play yeah
It’s pretty pretty darn entertaining Brenan I’ve been playing a little bit of golf myself uh just came back from oh hoopy match club with the second annual Rusty Nail which is a charitable event put on by Jonathan isy we raised over $100,000 for the first te of Charlotte
Uh we were I think we were at 70 last year so over a hundred this year so we’re climbing towards that $200,000 number it was uh such an incredible three days down there practice round five n whole matches over the course of the next two days my
Partner and I played well put up a good fight but we did not make the shootout my brother TJ and his partner will Calder were defending Champions they took our flight down again and it had some you know pretty amazing trash talk for throughout the entire uh but ultimately the tournament
Was Won by George dwey and Bill love it and uh man they uh they played well made a nice par on the shootout the only team to make an alternate shot par and took home took home the cash prize and the in the honor of of the The Rusty Nail title
Which I think is probably the greatest uh trophy in all of golf I I mean what what a great initiative you guys have started there you know $100,000 is awesome um that’s a trip you invited me on and then Uninvited me so thank you for that but I I fully understand uh no
That that’s great to hear and well we we both love o hoopi it’s such a cool place and what a great place to do something like that yeah it was it was a it was a blast of a trip need to need to work on my uh my ability
To enter home better after a golf trip I think you’ve you’ve experienced that with me coming back from Kusa before and some other places so uh a constant learning process for this guy yeah you know I mean it’s not one of those things you want to force you learn it slowly um
I think you’re just so excited when you’re on a trip and it it just takes you a little while to come down with that high which is which is understandable um I’m not going to say I haven’t egged you on a couple times and maybe put you into a little bit of
Trouble with that re-entry but uh it’s it’s always entertaining to watch yeah for sure for sure all right well we also had the comeback of a former star it had been 12 years since Anthony Kim had played a professional event and I I have to say I I during the rain delay Sunday
I I tuned in and I I watched a little bit didn’t get to see much of him I was keeping track of his scores but uh I don’t know what to think of it I think it it was kind of a sideshow I think you take that much time off golf it’s it’s
Hard I think he ended up 15 or 16 over last place by a mile how’d he look to you terrible I I listen I Anthony Kim now is some kind of like he’s like a mythical creature like you know people would say that they saw him pop up here
Or he popped up here he’s kind of like the Loch Ness monster you know in La you just pop up every now and then now Anthony Kim is back playing golf he’s as you say 12 years removed the game has changed a whole lot in 12 years as you
And I know no we’re unreasonable to expect him to play well this week I don’t think that was ever the expectation but as I to get back to this mythical creature I don’t think there’s anything that Anthony Kim can do on the Liv tour outside of winning five six seven
Times in a year where he’s going to live up to what people remember Anthony Kim being you know the guy that went out there and took down Tiger Woods or made 10 birdies at a gustan around you know I he goes out there and he plays Some
Solid events on live maybe say he gets a couple top 10 or whatever that’s not going to do anything for Anthony Kim you know that the the expectation is that this guy is still some kind of world beater this is the greatest talent that kind of went away I
Don’t think he can live up to that I obviously we don’t know what Anthony Kim’s financial situation is we don’t know anything about his personal life at the moment I don’t I hope that the reasons for him doing this are all the right reasons what that he wants to come back
And play high level professional golf again yeah that that that that that is it that he feels like he can come back and compete and can be get back to being where Anthony Kim was would you what you make the look of the T-shirt shorts untucked all
That I didn’t get for it to be honest um obviously he did Donna CER for the tournament that was more of the the practice round looked um yeah there were also times and and I watched a lot of it where obviously it’s hard to look like you’re interested when
You’re playing that badly but he looked disinterested at times and if this is your first golf event back in 12 years you should be really fired up to go and play and I understand a lot of that as ment gims Persona and his his personality and stuff but uh I don’t
Know I I guess what I’m trying to say is that I I I wish him the best I just don’t have real high hopes he was a rookie with us back in 2007 on the PGA tour I remember doing rookie orientation with him and hanging out a little bit
Over the first couple years and then he kind of elevated his status up to that Superstar World obviously was the Ridder cup just darling in 2008 at Valhalla for Captain Paul aan or um yeah it’s a shame I I I I just don’t yeah I don’t know
What he’s going to gain by this to to reiterate your point hopefully uh yeah I mean he had that big insurance contract if he never played again so I I don’t know if he’s got to pay that back or if there was a statute of limitations on that but hopefully we’ll keep continue
To see him play and he’ll progress up up the up the road I think uh there’s a lot of people that probably paid attention to Liv Jetta this week just because Anthony Kim was coming back um the golf course actually looked pretty sweet over
There uh that I I don’t know if I saw more than five Spectators for the you know the hour that I was watching it did not seem like a very well attended event but course looked good Wen Neiman gets another win sort of solidifies the uh Augusta National the
Masters given him a special invite to the Masters this year which is great walking nean has really made an effort to to play globally since going to live and play in these big world ranking points down in Australia where he won and uh I think he’s really Justified
That birth into the Masters and and he was always one of those guys that I really loved watching play and it’s good that we can see him there in April I I tell you what he is he’s playing some golf like he he was absolutely smashing
It with the driver and hitting all kinds of different shots um I honestly believe he is g to come into Augusta as one of the favorites you know I looked at his last six results around the world as you say went down to Australia played in
Oman um I think maybe played in Malaysia just as you say did did everything he needed to to justify an invite from Augusta and good good for them for giving it to him but I tell you what he is playing some very very impressive
Golf and I I tell you what if you want to put a little bit of money down on someone W nean might be a good good bet well you had Brooks kka at the Masters last year and that went uh that went pretty well for you I played with
Walking once and the dude hit the sickest flighted driver I’ve ever seen it was like this head high cut that flew over 300 and ran 30 yards down every Fairway uh I mean maybe that’s not necessarily the greatest fit around Augusta but I I know he has other shots
In the bag um but yeah I I’m a I’m a big fan of him and hopefully hopefully you’re right hopefully he’ll be there in contention for us Sunday at the Masters to to your point there they showed him their their version of trackman whatever
It is on the on the LIF to he hit one and I think B speed was 187 there was four feet of curve and it was a 61 foot Apex I mean just an absolute laser and I think it it went like 3:15 in the air
Rolled out to 380 just it it’s very very impressive and another guy that’s just swinging with so much confidence um yeah he’s a speaking of Cades that had a slight upgrade there uh Gary Matthews used to work for me for a while he’s he’s on the bad for walk NE but now just
Absolutely killing it yeah just cashing in I saw I saw the animal on TV I definitely meant to meant to say something about that yeah definite upgrade similar shot shape but uh but little bit different in distance yeah it probably makes a little different sound
Off the face there um yeah you know I was they they have another feature there on live called uh player Mike or caddy Mike or something and Gary’s very very good about speaking a little bit louder anytime that thing on him and he’s got a little bit of Spotlight so he’s he’s
Enjoying the enjoying the extra Spotlight that he’s getting out there but uh yeah walking de was playing some very very good golf and took down a good field and and there was some big names in contention there anything else you want to get into before we move to Bay
Hill no I don’t think so I think we’ve uh We’ve touched on most of it there um you know again we we did talk about this how the Stars need to step up this is the time right now you know we’re gonna have two great fields in a week being
Bill and and the players um I want to see the stars with some of these new Stars integrated I want to see a jake knp up there pushing Scotty Sheffer down the stretch something along those lines uh an Austin EO taking down Rory M you
Know I I think we’re we’re to that now and that’s what we need that’s what the PGA Tour needs yeah I I’m completely with you one guy that I think is a future star if he’s not already a star who finished in that tie with Eric Van royan at the
Cognizant for second was minm LE I thought he was going to make a run early Monday morning he just could not buy a putt kept hitting pretty good shots but minwoo is a sneaky guy he had a good players championship last year he’s a sneaky guy to look out going forward
Down this year yeah we talked about Jake knap with having that Swagger and a little bit of uh a little bit of aura about him almost Min Le that same way you know he’s already got this this cult following of let him cook um I I I agree
With you I think minw Lee is GNA be a big big star um played great at the Players last year as well so it’s going back to a golf course that he that he’s seen of these golf courses you’ve seen for the first time so I I think Min Le
Is going to be one that’s certainly worth watching B Hill is one of these places that it’s so refreshing to me getting back to what you were saying about PJ National Bay Hill if weather cooperates they completely flip a switch going into Saturday and the greens
Become absolute bricks and and a lot of players don’t like it I always found it to be amazing because you you know two under par moves up and and I I think there are not enough places like that that we play anymore on the PGA tour
Where you’ve got to go shoot five under a day to think you have a chance of winning Bay Hill is one of the exceptions to that and that’s kind of where I’m going with my pick as someone that is is good at shooting 200 under par and escaping a little bit of trouble
Yeah I I agree with you on Bill it was it was a golf course that kind of it always beat my ass it was it’s the I think out you know this week we’ve seen four difficult PA threes I think those four part threes are b a little harder
Uh you know when when that when the PJ tour staff wants to extend those they can all outside of 14 play 230 thereabouts um those to me are the four hardest part threes when those greens get firm you know like that back right flag on 17 you can’t hold it back
There’s nowhere to hit it back there um it’s it’s it is it’s just a tough golf course and I I agree with you we don’t see enough of these golf courses where you do you shoot even P shoot one two under and you you’re moving the right
Way on the leaderboard and I I hope we get the weather that that bill deserves it’s a it’s a big event it’s a it’s again one of our signature series events so I hope we get the weather that it deserves speaking of that 17th green the
Last time I played uh I think it was 2019 I top 10ed at uh I finished second in Puerto Rico and it got me in I was like first alternate got in for Davis Love on Thursday morning my buddy Tony FBO was catting for me we played well made the
And Tony he kind of worked with me when he CED for me too and he was able to get me hitting a left to right shot and I stood on that t Sunday on 17 I’m like Tony I’m gonna slice a five iron here and see if I can’t hit this green and
And I it was I mean you know me I hook the ball this was the best iron shot I ever hit in my entire life towering high fade lands right kind of front middle and is just gone over the back of the green it it’s just it’s an impossible
Hole some guys even play for the up slope of that front bunker because it’s the best place to get up and down from yeah it is it’s one of those I mean I I feel as though sometimes part 3es when you try to miss the green may be
Slightly unfair it should be it should be an option to hit a ball on the green um but yeah you know b as I say it was one that always gave me nightmares there’s too many t-shots where it’s a Vader you actually need to start it down
The waterline um I mean I I used to have three six three six 11 I would I would wake up with with cold sweats thinking about some of those t- shots I mean I I honestly I remember thinking on six I could stand there all day and just bury
Ball after ball in the water um because it’s a rch yeah I think I hit it out of bounds right a couple times just because I didn’t want to hit in the water but yeah it’s it’s a hard golf course and again it’s gonna be a great field so it should
Be good watching you couldn’t take the dambo line just short right of the green uh no I yeah we I always played that whole into the wind was was typical story of my life on the golf course was uphill into the wind so it
Switched you got a pick I do I do um and it’s it’s a pick and he played this last week and it’s more of what we’ve talked about over and over and over kind of stop start um was was going nicely on Saturday makes a triple on 16 tries to
Play a ball out of the water leaves it in the water just kind of gets stuck in neutral from there then has a great finish um obviously I’m talking about Rory mroy I think Rory Rory’s driver is such a weapon I think that that that can
Set up the golf course for him at at Bay Hill and uh has obviously had P success there um and I think you know we’re talking about getting closer to Augusta now Rory has ramped up his schedule going into Augusta I think this is kind
Of where now he takes the next step very slow West Coast certainly a step in the right direction here at at PGA National and I think now this is where he takes that next big step as he’s final final preparation for Augusta Well Rory’s never a bad pick I’m going with my heart
On this one um he played well here last year at Bay Hill kind of collapsed a little bit coming down the stretch has not played since Riv I’m going with my favorite golfer of all time Jordan spe I think his creativity around the greens if it firms up and gets fast I think
He’s always going to be a threat there just because nobody’s going to run away from him on that golf course so I’m going with Jordan spe how many times have you picked Jordan spe so far that’s just the first time this year okay just checking I may have I may have I may
Have picked him at caloa I think I know you have a record of all of this written down I do I’m not surprised to hear you pick Jordan SMI um no I I agree with you I think anytime greens airm you’re gonna miss a bunch of
Greens and he’s very very good with that wedge in his hand so we’ll uh we’ll see Brendan it has been a pleasure talking with you today and thank you all for listening to the wagu filet show we’ll be back with you next Week
