After winning the media lottery, Soly wrapped up his week covering the Masters with a chance to play Augusta National the day after Scottie Scheffler won his second green jacket.
After some time to process the experience, Soly is joined by Neil and KVV to relive the anticipation leading up to the round, offer a hole-by-hole recount of his day on the course, and answer some listener questions.
The NLU email newsletter: bi-monthly updates on all things NLU: https://newsletter.nolayingup.com/sub…
Join The No Laying Up Nest: https://nolayingup.com/join
No Laying Up Website: https://nolayingup.com/
Follow along with No Laying Up Here:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/nolayingup/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/NoLayingUp
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/nolayingup/
Follow the No Laying Up Squad:
Tron Carter – https://twitter.com/TronCarterNLU
Big Randy – https://twitter.com/BigRandyNLU
DJ Pie – https://twitter.com/DJPie
Young Neil – https://twitter.com/ngschuNLU
ladies and gentlemen welcome back to the
no Lang up Podcast we promised it it’s a
little it’s a week late listen there was
a signature event there was a women’s
major last week but we promised you we
were going to give you every possible
detail of my round of golf at exus at
Augusta this is a dream come true not to
play Augusta but to actually have people
curious of a shot by shot of what
unfolded in a round of golf for me and
uh I am G we’re going to do every one
we’re going to do every shot every
question we solicited some questions
from The Refuge joining me and
interviewing as well as Mr Kevin Van
valkenberg hello kvv so I am so excited
I shaved my beard off just to make me
more professional this week uh because I
knew that it would called for the the
most Big Jay of Journalism uh events
here that I had to grill you like I was
you know on 60 Minutes here so like get
ready for that you’re experienced at
asking questions about uh to players at
Augusta National so I’m I’m nervous for
what you’ve got cooked up for me but uh
probably pretty feeling pretty far away
from the golf course right now handle
some fatherly duties over the last month
new father new newly Meed father Mr Neil
Schuster hello Neil how are you good
afternoon gentlemen I’m fired up to get
a shot by shot I I just want to
encourage listeners viewers to stick
around s will be giving a breakdown of
his fantasy baseball team after this uh
and then I want you guys to watch me
watch me play video games at the very
end yeah so we got a we got a big one on
tap for you today make sure you stick
around to the end and we’ll we’ll share
the link for that other video uh a bit
of how housekeeping if you are a new
listener to this show you can listen to
it on anywhere you get your podcast as
well we have a no laying up Podcast
YouTube channel which you can watch the
video version of this if you’re not
doing so already on it we’ll have a few
Graphics little Google Earth images of
where some of these shots went uh it’s
very low five but just wanted to give
the viewers that are watching it on the
YouTube uh a little something to look at
uh as well you can subscribe to that
there we’ve got a a no Lup YouTube
channel where our golf videos go and
then of course you can subscribe uh to
anywhere you would get this podcast we
are also proud say season 9 of tus sauce
is presented by our longtime Partners at
Precision Pro Golf episode 2 is
premiering Wednesday night at 9900 p.m
eastern time on the no laying up YouTube
channel this is our travel Series where
we are filming uh we filmed this past
year in Australia and you guys know
about the variety of no Lup designs
Precision Pro offers on the nx10
rangefinder they’re adding another one
to the mix to commemorate tour sauce
season 9 it’s an awesome design with a
nod to Australia it features the Wayward
Wayward golfer logo on a background
inspired by a b a jar of vomite the nx10
is fast accurate and reliable
Rangefinder with all the features you
would expect and the Added Touch of an
nlu design if you have an older
Precision pro model like the nx7 or nx9
don’t forget about that they have a
trade up program returning customers get
30% off a new Rangefinder purchase when
upgrading to the latest and greatest
that Precision pro has to offer they
keep getting better it’s a fantastic
product you can use code nlu at
Precision Pro golf.com to get $20 off
your nx10 Rangefinder support the brands
that make content like Taurus sauce
possible by going to Precision progolf
decom shopping for your next Rangefinder
today and once again use code nlu to get
$20 off S are we ready to begin I think
we’re ready to begin I have spent uh the
better part of a week now uh brenon
porath texted me yesterday and just shot
me a message somewhere around 11 o’clock
yesterday like we were on the Range a
week ago uh at Augusta National uh it
has taken me quite some time to kind of
put my thoughts down uh try to organize
it try to come up with that overall
message and takeaway from uh from the
day that was but I’m ready to dump what
whatever you guys want to hear so cute
whenever anyone asks me if I’ve played
Augusta I’ll just be like no but I’ve
interviewed a guy who’s played Augusta
so let me tell you all about that all
right before we begin this let’s kind of
talk through the process of how this
came to be so like did the Masters just
like give you a spot uh in their uh
their Monday outing it’s because you’re
like a swell guy how did this come about
that’s what a lot of people including TC
will lead you to believe uh so for those
not familiar YouTube watch will see me
in air quotes saying Lottery lot not not
a lot of people are believing it’s a
true Lottery there might be some frozen
pingpong balls at Augusta National that
is the common uh common criticism that
they face it was uh so if for those that
aren’t familiar if you are a media
member press member at covering the
Masters uh you can enter their Lottery
system to play the course on Monday I
think 28 people win it won it this year
or there’s 28 spots uh available for it
if you have won before you cannot enter
it again for seven years heard a lot of
stories of firsttime winners that get it
I’ve heard stories of guys that have
applied many many times and not gotten
it you know any guys like that one one
of those is Kevin van valkenberg he this
was his fifth time applying for it as
well five time player of the week five
time it’s not some walk- on scrub s kids
a star I’m GNA have Brooks flash me of
the PJ Kev how many times have you tried
to be in the
lottery how many how many media members
do you think there are my guess would be
probably 300 or so and then so you at
some people who don’t play golf uh
period or you know just have no interest
in doing it anyway some people who have
quote unquote ethical concerns uh which
you know what I don’t want to dismiss
entirely like I do feel like uh some
people who I have a couple friends who
are like yeah I just don’t want to be
like you know begging the club for any
kind of thing whatever personally I’m
not I’m like yeah man I’m it’s just a
round of golf like I’m ready to play but
if I think when you think about it like
in the larger context of if you put this
up for auction right if you said like
hey there’s 20 rounds at Augusta up for
auction tomorrow the bidding would
probably go really high it would might
even get into like the six figures you S
have a lot of billionaires who’d be like
I really want to play there and I’m
gonna just throw as much money down so
it is it is a privilege in that sense
and to be totally honest like I I
entered it with zero expectations this
was my first year covering the Masters
so I just I I know I run good look I
know I’m extremely aware of how good I
run I did not think it’s been incredible
start to the year for me got to
experience a lot of great things welcome
we my wife and I welcomed our first
child into this world eight months ago
it just it kind of felt like all right
I’ve rolled the dice a lot of times and
I keep landing on Boardwalk like we’ve
played 28 straight games and I keep
getting the best properties it just
doesn’t feel like it’s going to hit a
29th time and I was watching I was not
planning on you know I wasn’t heavily
invested in winning this year uh and I
was eating a hot dog on Friday afternoon
they announced that that there was going
to be winners and a bunch of people
Scurry down to the bottom of the stairs
to see if uh the names that are going
out there and you can believe me or not
but I was like I was rooting for the
name Kevin Van Vonberg to come up there
because in because I was honestly
anticipating if I did get it I was
anticipating the feeling that I did have
which was guilt like when I saw my name
up there it was like man there’s people
that have applied to this for a lot of
years there’s people that don’t run as
good as I’ve run and I just won this on
the first try like I wasn’t overwhelmed
with joy in that moment it was just like
oh my God like what a freaking amazing
bound and it it honestly like we can
talk about some of this but I if I
honestly like lost track of the dream of
playing Augusta over the years for a
variety of reasons which we can get into
but it wasn’t like my week hinged on
getting to play it or not on on on
Monday like it was such a busy week we
had so many shows I’m running around all
over the place and it was just genuine
shock when I saw my name up there and it
was like holy crap uh I’m G to be
playing Augusta on Monday a couple
followups to that do they do they put it
up like a manual scoreboard like they do
the other scoreboards like it’s not it’s
digital it’s digital behind the
information desk and it Scrolls like it
Scrolls screen by screen so like there’s
you know a few names go up and there’s a
big a reaction amongst a bunch of people
that you know if your friend got it or
if you got it then another name and you
don’t know how many screens there’s
going to be you kind of lose track and
you know I saw a few familiar names pop
up there and then the but the thrill
right away was when my name popped up
there right next to it was Brenan porth
who has been a friend of of all of ours
really for quite some time a friend of
mine for almost a decade now and been on
group chats and I’ve covered Golf and
have a ton of great memories with and it
was just like hey no matter what I’m
going to get to share like this day with
Brendan we’ve later found out we were
gonna get paired together which was
another true Miracle but it was like a
great thrill I had was he was not down
there but I got to go like he was
sitting right next to me in the in the
media center or two seats down and just
go up and surprise him and say like what
you have plans for Monday and he thought
he thought I was messing with him like
he thought I was total uh you know which
would have been a very very cruel prank
uh and told him that he had hit the
lottery and that I had too it was the
the shock was was was shared between the
two of us in that moment so that was my
other question you don’t get to pick who
you play with no you’re assigned a tea
time they uh so they have a meeting on
the Sunday the the day before um and
they pass out envelopes that say like
here’s your tea time and it gives you an
arrival time as well so the arrival time
is 10:30 a.m. with for the 11:30 tea
time and heard stories of other people
that had gone and like tried to show up
a couple minutes early before their
arrival time and were turned away at the
gate so uh I went and picked Brennan up
on that on that Monday morning and we
went and sat at the uh there’s a a
Christian Life Bookstore about 220 yards
from the entrance to Magnolia Lane and
we sat there for about we pulled in like
1017 and we sat there for about 10 11
minutes talking about something I I have
no idea what we talked about I don’t
remember what we talked about it was a
super weird anticipation feeling of like
I I can’t believe that we’re getting
ready to do this we’re going to pull up
down Magnolia Lane and like experience a
day at Augusta National and uh that’s
exactly Scotty would have approved if
where you guys hung out you know just
get a little literature that morning
like think about you know your your
place in the cosmos stuff I I will say
just on the follow up on like the
finding out process I have seen a sports
writer uh who really wanted to play
throw his notebook in anger and storm
out of the media center when he did not
get picked uh and I will say also I know
people who have played who’ve been
paired with like three other people who
don’t speak any English and it sort of
like kind of diminishes the whole
experience right because if ultimately
you’re asking yourself what is golf
about for me like as a true dream a golf
experience about the people I’m playing
with or the venue that I’m playing at
and I think the right answer is probably
like it’s a a sweet spot between the two
but if you go to one extreme where
you’re like oh I’m playing a real [ __ ]
hole with like my friends I can still
probably have a better time in some ways
than playing like an elite course with
like three people who I can’t even talk
to and I just feel like I’m not even
part of that experience totally and it
was it was super additive to play with
Brennon we played uh the other guys were
in our group were a gentleman from a
from a local newspaper in Columbia South
Carolina and then a gentleman that
worked for Bloomberg in Atlanta I I did
not know them prior to this and and got
to know them we had a great great time
with them but with BR like I have a
history with Brennan I could turn to him
in like you know walking down the 11th
Fairway and be like are we seriously
doing are we doing this right now like
is this I remember when we were
recording podcasts into my cell phone uh
like it was resting on my knee after the
2016 Ridder cup like there’s just so
much added context of like getting to
share it with somebody who like it added
because he was so excited about it which
made me more excited about it which
brought more out of him and it just like
kept building on top of it and um that
was just another incredible surprise of
the day and the only thing I I’ll think
back on is like I’ve caught myself in
the past I’ve never covered again the
Masters in person I’ve caught myself in
the past when when people have won the
lottery like a tinge of just jealousy
and I don’t want to say anger on it but
it’s just like attend to that jealousy
and I’ve like smacked myself of like why
in the world for people that like you
you know and respect why would you not
like be over the moon for them excited
for them like to play I I immediately
when Porter won it like in 2017 I think
it was there was like one% of like
jealousy and then it was like no this is
freaking incredible like you can’t be
mad at someone or je like it’s a bad way
to go through life like jealous of of
somebody that’s gotten this this
opportunity and i’ you know Andy’s name
popped up last year and was like dude
that’s freaking awesome like be excited
for these people uh and it but that has
been something like I had to like be
conscious of in the past as well and uh
although I’m sure there’s plent people
out there that were ready to punch me
when my name when my name for the record
the last three rounds that Su has played
are St Andrews in Reverse St Andrews and
then Augusta National to which I said
what are you Bobby [ __ ] Jones like
come
on and like I I got a kid pissing and
[ __ ] all over me at home I’m like
yeah that’s cool man that was waiting
for me when I got home too Neil there
was a lot of life waiting for me when I
when I got home so I will say be remiss
if I didn’t say the prosecution does not
like the pairings for the for the
lottery here you know po comfy
pairings there’s a thumb on the scale
you know I would I wouldn’t be surprised
if with the pairings there is a thumb on
the scale but it by all accounts there
was a you know there’s a true reach into
something and the account that I heard
was you know from somebody that we know
that is that is doing the pulling was
like the immed reaction when they saw my
name was like oh God everyone’s gonna
think this was rigged uh so either
they’re really going out of their way to
lie about that or uh or or it is a true
draw I’m I’m sorry but there’s like you
may have been totally random in fact I
believe that you were there’s no chance
that the lottery is 1,00% like random
there like not with a I mean it doesn’t
strike me as an organization that leaves
a lot up to chance they be like ah you
know what let’s let’s get these four
people in and then well the rest of
it’ll be random whatever so I’ll I’ll iy
also that is their right like I don’t
have any I actually don’t really have an
issue with a thumb on the scale I get it
uh the other option could be no one gets
to play the whole of course and also
just so we’re clear if it rains on
Monday they basically just cancel the
outing and you don’t get to like oh I’ll
I’ll just save this for next year you
just go back into the pool and you don’t
get it so another seven years but you
got to wait for seven years that’s your
that’s your pick that’s what I’ve heard
was that is if I think it’s if you don’t
get a play that you just go back into
the pool you can just get picked again
the following year but you don’t you you
don’t actually have to wait a seven
years if you don’t get to play it’s like
once you step on the property it’s like
hey there’s no rain checks like once
you’re once you’re here but if you don’t
actually get to go then you’re good to
go uh all right so what when was the
first time you consciously can remember
thinking man I’d like to play Augusta
some I mean it had to be sometime in the
late 90s early 2000s like when I really
started to get into golf I think I can
first remember watching the Masters in
1996 huddled around the TV in the
kitchen watching like we were all
rooting really hard for Greg Norman and
the F thing of course happened and the
Norman thing happened uh on that day but
I remember my whole family just look at
all the places life has brought really
pulling for for
Norman and from there like my you know
all this kind of builds up into
realizing what it was going to be like
to play austa and I’ll get into some
like kind of losing track of that
aspiration throughout the course of the
years but it is like the only place that
is going to have the layers of context
that we’re getting ready to talk about
the layers of memories and the layers of
like shaping my golf fandom like this
tournament has had a huge huge huge
impact on that I’ve I’ve learned a lot
of that from like reading the book
several years ago making of the Masters
of like learning what it’s like to have
the branding around this event and the
television product and what it has
become to this this this thing that like
means so much to so many people like for
so many people it is a dream to set foot
on Pro this property to attend one
practice round day right and it took
until 2016 for my dad’s dad to ever go
on the property for the first time and
go to the part three contest get an epic
photo of Gary Player making a hole in
one on that day running around like
getting lost from my dad and my uncle in
that day and like you know somehow
finding their way back together without
their phones it’s the only place where
my grandfather followed Jack Nicholas on
the back nine in 1986 and and was there
as part of all of those memories it was
the only place that like I sprained my
ankle when I jumped up in the air when
Tiger Woods chipped in in when I was in
the dorm in 2005 uh you sprain your
ankle doing everything I’m a I get hurt
a lot dude it was it’s really really bad
uh there’s all of these layers of like I
played this course in the video games
and it it just it hit me way too late in
this that like this is a oneof one
experience like there’s no other course
or first experience at a course that’s
going to go into this category the
closest I could come up with was the old
course like watching so many open
championships and that feeling so far
away and like walking onto that te for
the first time but the difference
between that is like that is an open
public golf course like this is
something that fell into my lap the day
after the Masters Sunday pins with ideal
course conditions I mean it was one of
the best course condition conditions
we’ve ever seen for the Masters and I
got to got to be there in person for all
week of that and then roll on there and
play it on that Monday it was it just
like it was an overwhel ing feeling
eventually it it it hit me later than it
should have and I’m glad because I I
stayed busy obviously through the
weekend and it just snuck up on me
Monday how much this was gonna like hit
me and how how crazy cool this
experience was going to be well there’s
one thing I’d add there to kind of to
the first point you were making S I was
thinking about this this year with with
Augusta or with the Masters and it feels
like there’s not a lot of and maybe this
is just like a a a Twitter take but like
almost like every tradition and thing
Society like now has somebody that’s
like shits on it and I and I feel like
the Masters and the Super Bowl are like
the last bastions like maybe in sports
where it’s like like even like the the
MLB a baseball’s boring you know or like
the NBA playoff they’re too woke or
whatever it’s like the Super Bowl like
with it with Wars and all like the Super
Bowl has its problems you know you could
probably criticize Augusta National and
the Masters for some stuff but like if
you do like a Twitter search for any
other topic you’d find like a bunch of
people just being like this [ __ ]
sucks like you’re a loser for liking
this and it’s like the one thing that
like even non-golf fans are like oh it’s
the Masters week like this is awesome
and I just I I’m almost like waiting for
the year that’s not the case and this
year is not that year and I think that’s
just worth pointing out which then makes
you want to go and see why in person and
then you know the next step of that is
is to play and the the place is like a
theme park I’ve heard the Disney World
comparison for a long time and it really
hit me but it was more like it’s kind of
more like Jurassic Park in that it’s a
just freakishly manicured place like it
is this holy [ __ ] [ __ ] it’s a
dinosaur I mean the level of
infrastructure within it the size of the
industry around this thing and this like
once in A- lifetime kind of feeling
around so much there like so many people
that are there on the the Monday the
Tuesday the Wednesday it’s their first
time going and this is like their chance
at like making the memory there and well
a question there s sorry to cut you off
but did you feel like you were being
watched where where are there actually
USB ports in the trees did you see
cameras in places you didn’t expect to
see cameras well I was I asked like hey
are we allowed like can we go can we go
pee like in the woods like oh yeah
absolutely I was like oh I’m sorry I
didn’t know like if there was cameras or
whatnot in there they’re like oh no no
there’s cameras in there but like yeah
everybody just goes goes and pees in the
woods it’s like oh okay well cool uh but
yeah it every but I noticed this like
walking around the ma like the Masters
there’s you just walk by a tree and like
there is a there’s a cable running up
this tree and I don’t know why I don’t
see a light up there I don’t see I don’t
see what the purpose of this cable is
but there’s something going on in all
this and uh it is a little bit it’s too
much it’s it’s over the it’s incredibly
over the top but that’s a big thing of
what people love about it the Mystique
around this whole thing is is a part of
The Branding I would love to I’m sure
there’s been ton tons of it done like
I’d love to like read like a just a
brand end in like case study of of this
tournament like the line for the
merchandise that doesn’t just come
because the logo looks cool like it
comes with a an entire experience and
like a strategy to how they do
absolutely everything which there’s
plenty you can critique about all that
yeah and like that’s part of where my I
I again like kind of lost track of how
cool it would be to play this was like
the more we’ve explored Golf and
explored different cultures and explored
different types of golf courses the less
the manicured and manufactured part of
of golf feels appealing like honestly
Lynx golf is not on overseed Ry
heathland golf is not on overseed rye
it’s not massively green experiences and
like when I was 22 that was all I would
have ever cared about and like getting
to go experience different kinds of golf
and types of golf courses like the style
of golf course that Augusta is has
become less of a desire to me uh for a
lot of reasons which led to me like
miscalculating like how freaking cool it
would be to actually play the shots from
the Masters no it’s like you I’m glad
that not all Golf and golf is trending
away from that type of golf but like
it’s awesome that that version exists
it’s how I felt when we played like a d
Manor I’m like oh well I know I should
like the soul of Bal bunan more but yeah
sometimes it’s just awesome to play a
dope manicured course with sub aairs and
like there’s a there’s like a magnetic
magnetism
to places that spare no expense there’s
a lot of criticism that goes you know
along with that of like oh I can’t
believe you guys are wasting all this
money on such a you know pointless thing
if you’re an outsider but it’s but it’s
you know it’s it’s like a guilty
pleasure maybe that you’re like oh my
God that’s incredible you know totally
and that’s where like I I I
underestimated again how fun the golf
shots would be like the all the things
that I love about a golf shot the the
challenge of like hey if you execute
this properly you got a great chance at
birdie and if you miss by just a little
bit you can easily make a par if you hit
it right here but if you want the birdie
you’re gonna have to play it like this
and if you miss it you’re probably
making bogey that happened so many times
over the course of just 18 holes even
from the members teas that I was like I
was when I walked off 18 the overarching
feeling was like I want to go do that 15
more times not one not two not five I
want to play to that pin I want to play
to that pen I want to experience that
shot can’t believe I wasted my shot on
that one it was uh I didn’t walk off
Pine Valley with that feeling uh you
know saying like I want to go do that 15
more times and unlock this puzzle but
Augusta brought out like all of the Mind
stuff that activates my brain about golf
part of like the main reason I love golf
all that puzzle solving was on 150% when
I walked off the 18th green which I just
again I just wasn’t really expecting
Pine Valley members take note uh yeah
and uh good luck in 2031 for when you
get to teed up again at austa yeah all
right so let’s we’ll move this along
here what were the next 48 hours like
after after you got picked so what how
did the conversation go with Hannah
considering uh it was a her birthday and
B uh an extra day away that you’d be on
the road after spending like 12 of the
last 14 days away from home while she
was watching a toddler I got ahead of
this one and said like all right I made
a reservation for Monday night but
listen honey if it’s like a five to 10
Perc chance I’d win this Lottery if I do
I you know pick something out and if if
if it hits this is your bonus birthday
present I’ve already got you birthday
present but you get a bonus present and
we’ll go out to dinner on Wednesday and
uh I mean she she UND she definitely
understood the once in a-lifetime nature
of all this and and that’s what you had
going for you because it it is the one
thing in golf that non-golf fans
understand totally totally true that’s
like that’s it you know if it honestly
if it was any other course it’ probably
be like yeah the old course I don’t care
right is that
public why do you why do you want to
play an old course
yeah so it it was when I called her and
told her the news she was more excited
than I was it was so it was not as hard
of a cell as you might think she was
obviously a very understanding and
loving massive shout out to Hannah
Hannah if you’re listening she certainly
will be in massive 100% aspirational
wife the wife of this situation I made
it home by by you know 10 o’clock that
night I think so we at least I got to
wake up my daughter the next morning
still so that was good daddy played the
M all right so what what did you do did
you go hit some balls that week so how’s
your swing looking uh in going into that
uh outing so it this was did a quick
back of the napkin calculation was like
oh okay this will be like 13 days uh
between the last time we played at at St
Andrews and picking up a club for the
first time uh back stat side my honestly
my the first thought was like okay how
am I going to get from Friday to Monday
without hurting myself in some way
because my back is teetering it’s always
teetering the lower back issues are
there I swear within 30 minutes of
seeing my name up there it started to
just bother me just a little bit like in
one wrong move could have been could
have been you know one of the great
alltime own goals of all time of my life
so I went and hit some balls on Saturday
and Sunday mornings got up a little
early just to just to get some feels hit
some balls over at Forest Hills uh off
some mats of just like all right that
way when I get on property at least
won’t have been the first time I’ve
touched a club um but also like in this
time period I I you know got a lot of
advice from people that had done it
before but I I got ahead of the mental
part of like you have got to not care
about what you shoot like the only way
you’re going to have a bad time is if
like you start out poorly and you’re
obsessed with what you shoot and you
don’t experience the rest of the round
that got put to the test very very very
early uh which we’ll get to but that was
like a dude have some feels but like go
in to this round with a goal of like
experiencing each shot experience it
just because a putt is you know A
10-footer is for double doesn’t mean
like you’re not going to get to hit that
left or right putt again on on this
green like take it seriously like you
know go enjoy it go get the experience
out of it so I I will proudly say like
got myself in the right right mindset
for that because I’ll tell you my score
at the end of it all when we go through
the hole by hole but uh you know it
wasn’t great but truly will not have an
impact of how I look back on this day
all right other than uh giving me like a
half naked hug in the hallway as uh I
was headed out uh to get put as much
distance between you and me as I could
in my uh jealousy what did you do that
morning did you eat breakfast did you
where did you hook up with por uh I went
over got a smoothie got a coffee cleaned
up the Airbnb you know uh the time did
sneak up on me sorry just sorry about
leaving the mess behind for you I just
figured that that was your that was your
payment that’s within the expectation of
uh of what needed to be what needed to
be done before in Augusta tea time but
it you know killed time as much as
possible but it was it was like I’ll go
over there I’ll pick him up around this
time and then it was like well if
there’s 85 roads closed between here and
there like that could be a problem so
I’m just going to get there early and
then we can get to the parking lot early
just in case just let’s just get in
front of the gates and what’s funny is I
we pulled out of that lot at like 10:29
and we sat at the light for what felt
like 15 minutes and it was probably two
but like we didn’t get up the drive
until like 10:32 and I was already like
oh bad start just wasted two of our
minutes at Augusta National and then uh
yeah sure enough you you know you hand
him the invite and like the security
barriers that are there go down and then
sure enough you’re driving up Magnolia
Lane all right so what’s it like to
drive down Magnolia Lane uh Frosty
walrus on The Refuge wants to know what
kind of music did you put on I I
panicked I didn’t know what to do I knew
what I was going to play on the way back
down the drive uh and if you listen to
the 1997 Masters Deep dive you can
probably guess what song that’s going to
be I didn’t know what to do other than
like when I got when it kind of set in
on Friday uh I just sent my I just
texted my dad and was just like hey I’m
thinking of you today and like just want
to say thank you for like bringing me
into golf and I just am afforded like an
incredible opportunity next week and
like that’s that’s where my mind went
today and it was like thought about
again my grandfather and he grew up in
in West Virginia my whole family grew up
in West Virginia and I was just thinking
about my family at that time I I put I
had to do it put on John Denver Country
Roads uh for the drive up Magnolia Lane
and probably was playing a little louder
than I should have been probably going
faster than I should have been but again
I wanted to get to the range want to get
to the shop I wanted to get to get
moving and uh pulled up valed the car
clubs went out to the range and then it
was yeah you kind of got to get shoes
changed if you want to do shopping in
the Augusta pro shop that has the
Augusta National gear not the Masters
gear you got to do that then and then
out to the to the the range and hit some
putts and ready to go that the time can
go really really quickly in that time
period whose Locker did you get assigned
in the Champions locker room I got Craig
Stadler and Craig Wood that was our
whole force them got that one so how
about that Frosty walrus getting walrus
is Walker that’s good stuff Craig Sadler
kind of like my spiritual uh like you
know avatar for the World of Golf so big
Big Fellas with the facial hair so I
like that got changed at this point I
should uh probably take a break and give
a sh out to our friends at roback uh
roback active wear you know roback best
fit best feel uh it is spring there’s
nothing better for the season than
roback they’ve been pumping out new
designs left and right they’re
incredible Beyond just golf they got
bathing suits now which we’ll be using
uh you know to go from a hot day on the
course straight to the pool I don’t know
if you can go straight from the from the
course in a bathing suit to the pool but
quick change and you can go maybe maybe
you can I have not seen the bathing suit
yet a kid man yeah that was like my
summer can’t do that at Augusta I will
say that uh the performance polos are
moisture wicking they got great stretch
the collar is crisp it doesn’t lose its
shape they fit way better than those old
boxy polos simply to put there the best
designs paired with the best feeling
polos uh you know about the performance
hoodies I got one on right now Neil’s
got one on right now legit the only
hoodies we wear our favorite hoodies to
wear the fabricus soft we cannot take
them off wear them on the course or uh
just in everyday life as well they are
that good and the performance qips are
soft versatile comfortable they keep
your swing feeling fresh they keep you
feeling fresh they make a great
transition from the course to office
they are the ideal secondary layer if
you haven’t already time to load up on
some roback both for yourself and for
others code nlu roback.com for generous
20% off your first order through the end
of this week that’s rhob bac.com 20% off
bottoms qips hoodies and more with code
nlu spring golf is not the same without
roback so I just want to point out that
uh all the way up through I think about
the hoodie Johnson era unless you were
like Dan Jenkins and like Ben Hogan
could bring you there all the time
Sports media was not allowed to hit
balls uh either on the tournament range
or the members range they had to go off
the 10th te uh and they got themselves a
little box lunch basically to carry with
them uh so I think you can thank
chairman Billy Payne for your much
warmer experience he was uh sneaky one
of the more Progressive chairman at
Augusta National and said like no we’re
going to treat the media like they are
actual members uh so I I say that as a
Prelude to say what was it like to hit
balls on the tournament range which even
members are not allowed to do it was
pretty surreal again it’s one of those
things where like you’ve got you know
maybe 50 minutes once you get parked and
and and changed of like how are you it’s
kind of like a a shopping spree uh uh in
some way if somebody said you can go
into this electronic store and you got
this much time get as much get as much
in as you can you know you wanted to hit
enough balls to to get loose and but
without obsessing over your swing or
anything like you want to hit some chips
you want to hit some putts of course the
greens are very unique at Augusta but
yeah I mean it was like the coolest best
range you’ve ever seen I mean the greens
were like real Augusta greens so you’re
hitting wedges into them and like seeing
how much it actually spins I don’t know
if I’ve ever hit range balls and you
know you’re obviously hitting Prov ones
on the Range and watching them spin as
they landed at the greens a bunch of
different pins that you can kind of
practice all right this is kind of like
the shot that’s going to be in number
three this is going to be maybe the shot
that will be in number five and watch it
spin and react on the green it was it
was really cool it was really really
nice it again all of it felt it just
from that moment on I just felt like I
was floating like honestly it would just
you’re walking into this setting that
you’re so wildly familiar with but
you’ve never stepped in those actual
spots that’s one thing that’s different
about this course as well compared to
other ones that we get to go visit for
golf tournaments it’s like anywhere else
we can walk inside the ropes we can go
to the range we can you know go to all
these places and Augusta like a bunch of
the the spots you end up standing in the
Fairway like I’ve never stood in this
spot and never will and uh it just all
looks so different so when you’re there
and Jose marel aabo was for some reason
standing where they where you pick up
your range balls and grab a water and uh
you’re just like yeah yeah I’m here to
this is my I’m here to play gusta of
course of course this is where I’m
supposed to be today do you get a sign
to caddy did you think at all about
texting bones and saying like hey man
are you free Monday is there any way you
could uh come along here and do a loop I
could I could pay the the regular rate a
signed to caddy he was waiting for me at
the range I had a younger guy out there
and I get porth had gotten a
recommendation from a member to take his
his specific member caddy uh but I I had
one Rand randomly assigned and uh I
didn’t think as bones that would have
I’m sure he would have loved to have
been out there with me that would have
been sick uh all right so now we have
arrived uh what was the feeling like as
you walk to the first te uh did you
think about like when Rory hit went out
on Washington Road in 2018 for his
opening t- shot his nervy opening teot
so it was like not being dramatic like
in in that walk we kind of got a shuttle
over to this little Breezeway where you
go kind of past the golf shop and pass
the clubhouse and and you walk out there
in that walk it was like that’s when it
got real that was the first time
crossing over from you know the side of
the clubhouse onto the golf course you
know the the the paths are worn out from
where the patrons have been walking the
the leaderboards are still up but all
the names are stripped out all the ropes
are gone and you know there’s a few
people from Augusta that there waiting
on that first te to send you off and a
photographer and it was like again the
excitement of the group and everything
was like kind of talking to each other
like H holy [ __ ] here we go and like
looking back on it and I got approval on
this one to say this before before I do
say it like the only feeling that I can
compare that to was like anticipation
wise was like waiting for my wife to
walk down the aisle like at our wedding
it was like a this is only gonna happen
once like this is this is it like how do
you slow down time how do you take like
photographic memories of this how do you
capture this moment like you could take
a camera out there you can take photos
you can’t post them or share them
anywhere but like it it was not even I
have some photos from the day but I
don’t like even care about them because
I was just trying as best I could to
just etch all of the details into my
memory as tightly and as closely as I
possibly could and just like cherish it
but it was like holy [ __ ] dude this is
your first your only time playing
Augusta for the first time this is a
round you’ve you’ve waited for for your
whole life you wanted it really really
badly when you were 22 but like it
wouldn’t have hit the way that it’s
about to hit like you wouldn’t have the
appreciation for it you wouldn’t you
know back then you just wanted to tell
everyone about how you played Augusta
listen I’m probably talk about it for
two hours telling everyone about it but
like I I’d be fine if nobody ever asked
me about it and I never had to you know
never needed to talk about it just
because it was like a very cool just
personal experience to
have four please now on the tea Chris
Solomon uh what was your first swing
like I thought I’d be really nervous and
I got some great advice uh I will say
some from one uh trusted Hardy
journalist Kevin Van valkenberg which uh
was to say like you can’t you can’t
treat this like you can’t treat every
shot like it’s your only chance you’re
ever going to have to play Augusta like
it might be you you very well need to be
where this is prob in all likelihood the
only chance you’re going to get but if
you do that on every shot like you’re
going to strangle the club and you’re
going to freak out and you’re going to
miss out on some of the experience so I
was weirdly not I have lots of great
advice by the way for someone who’s
never played course just having talk to
a number of people but it was that was
really good advice but I wasn’t as
nervous as I thought I’d be um so for
those that don’t know you do play the
member T’s uh everyone’s assigned the
member T’s and there are definitely a
variety of skills of of players that are
out there on this day and it’s not I
wouldn’t classify it’s not a very formal
round of golf it’s not like uh you know
you’re not passing out scorecards
there’s no competition there’s any of
this it’s like dude go enjoy your day go
have fun closer to like a hitting giggle
than it is like something that’s really
really formal so it wasn’t I did not hit
18 cups for a variety of reasons God
that’s so disappointing wow hope ry’s
not listening you have to you have to
let me get through some details of this
and you got to give me some leeway here
and that some things that are outside of
my control preventing that at times okay
but that’s still disappointing you know
I understand we’ll we’ll wait till that
as it there is a pace of play
expectation uh and in regard to to the
day that’s that’s sure well that’s
that’s true here as well so 40 minutes
in we are now about to begin uh your
first drive where does it end up so uh
again this is the part where we have a
few Graphics here to show here but uh
again from the member T which the member
T’s at Augusta are I’m looking at the
card right now
6365 compared to 7555 from the from the
tournament te’s so 1,00 yard difference
it’s it’s a vast vast difference so sick
I don’t think uh and there’s nothing
nothing in between there’s no option in
between for anyone that ever plays it so
I I am certainly in the in the small you
go all the way back to the back of the
member te’s or you just have to like tea
up right in front just tea up where
they’re telling you to tea up from was
kind of my My Method I would love it if
there was a 6900 yard option I you know
there’s a lot of uh you know there’s
turn obviously the highest ranked
tournament or whatever you want to call
it one of the most prestigious
tournaments uh and a lot of member play
there’s not a lot in between uh right
for about my My Level play back te’s
would be too long for me wouldn’t be
that fun m t’s are a bit short at at a
lot of a lot of spots we can talk about
that but if this was any other hole I
probably wouldn’t have hit driver but I
wanted the biggest Club head for the
first te of course uh had massive
flashbacks to how tiger started so many
Masters with a a ball that was supposed
to cut couldn’t me fade couldn’t get my
fade uh and hit one directly into the
left trees kind of near Bunker right uh
just couldn’t get it get bending and
look when I got up there I was like man
was not the biggest landing area for
driver I don’t know if I would have done
that all over again so we’re a little
behind the eightball but I got a little
Gap I I can get one to the front right
part of the green if I really hook like
a seven iron from 130 yards but I kind
of chunked it but it was fine it got out
to the middle of Fairway I had about 86
yards in uh from the middle of Fairway
to a back left pin that had four yards
behind it and one the first hole is one
of those greens that you walk uh walk
around and see and like when you’re
watching the tournament you’re like dude
this can get out of hand really quickly
like I don’t know how to execute these
shots the Mounds the contouring everyone
knows about the elevation change at
Augusta and how it it looks you know
it’s different on TV but getting close
to the internal Contours the small
Contours around the green it gets really
visually intimidating very quickly so I
knew on this wedge I was like dude long
is going to be a lot of trouble for you
like let’s hit this 58 degree flight it
down wind was a little bit in and I hit
a really solid 58 degree towards that
back left pin that was like that is all
I can do that’s all I want to get out of
it it’s not going long it’s going to
land on that upper tier we’re going to
be fine greens have been really firm the
whole tournament and you know we watched
balls bound and you know haven’t watched
a whole lot skidding and sucking back
and I must have clipped this ball
absolutely perfect because it landed
back left ripped off the back left down
the tier in the middle of the green down
the front of the green off the front of
the green it rolled for probably 30
seconds um sick so immediately my
reaction is okay media day they have
watered the greens the greens are soft
like it is not the tournament that we
just saw so I get up to this chip I’m
now chipping my fourth shot with a 54
degree hit a little skitter you know
that I’m expecting to go into the soft
green NOP they weren’t that firm I must
have just hit the perfect spin on that
first shot it skids all the way over the
green goes down a slope now I’m chipping
from long up a contour to a short-sided
pin with my fifth shot uh heart racing
at this point uh a little bit like you
know there’s balls flying there’s p pong
and balls flying all over the place it
already feels like a little bit rushed
hit a 58 degree didn’t clip it very good
it rolls 25 ft by now I got a 25 footer
back up the hill for double on the
opening hole things are moving very
quickly uh it did not go in I triple the
first hole and my theory of like all
right how how are you don’t let a bad
start like ruin the rest of your round
was put to the test very very early
seven on the first everyone’s going to
hear about that uh Hey freed up you’re
freed up man you know when do you want
to make triple S what do we always say
what’s the ibf voice over at this point
it’s a difficult game and it breaks
everyone
eventually your heart pours out for him
uh so yeah it was it was you know that
that was a tough start but honestly that
that’s as as fast as a triple bogey has
ever just left my system it just didn’t
matter got up to the second te and uh
again oh wait we’re gonna pause here for
a second I want to just as a history
lesson Neil I wanted to quiz you as part
of this what would you think of as like
being some of the most famous moments on
the first green is any that come to mind
it has to be Ernie L’s right yeah I mean
that’s and that’s probably the only one
I’ve got because I I think this one is
similar to 17 my favorite stinky Nandina
of like the broadcast doesn’t do it as
much justice as severe as the green is
uh but I think that L’s sequence was was
a a good indicator uh I guess ROM four
putting in 2023 also is something that
comes to mind schwarzel chipping in came
for me uh Rory blowing it off the planet
in
2018 um you know all the tiger doubles
that you know that he’s had there
there’s there’s a lot there’s a lot for
for every hole but it is a freaking one
has one has more history than I thought
about as I was thinking through it uh so
but that was the schwarzel chip in I
think is probably the most like famous
good moment eventual Masters winner
chips in uh to sort of start his day and
and announce that he’s going to be in it
but I was there for the lv’s six putt
which is uh one of the more brutal uh
meltdowns in public all right let’s on
to number two so flipping over to number
two uh again a lot of these the member T
is just going to be a very different
look uh I I forgot I had this the whole
these Graphics are great G us shot
tracers fantastic I after that triple
s’s got to be thinking about his Herz
reservation down left of uh of number
two you know maybe I’m just goingon to
WD from the media day uh right if you’re
not aware we renamed the Delta counter
which is what Dan jenin always said was
left on number two is the Herz counter
no one really goes to the Delta County
anymore they just change on the app but
you still have to go to the Herz counter
if you want to change up your rental car
situation uh fight over the insurance
and the all the all the fees Neil they
throw on those rental cars have you ever
looked at the damn fees like recovery
fee fee tax all of it and you know on
top of the like guilting me into getting
the insurance like the five different
types of insurance I don’t know is it
covered I don’t know it’s up to you
anyway s back to you luckily I prepaid
all that on the first hole so I was I
was freed up I could return it with no
gas uh in the tank when we got to two
got up and I again there’s certain shots
i’ I’ve always looked at at Augusta and
been like like the seventh T I don’t
know what to do with that t- shot that
just does not fit my eye there’s all
kinds of shots that don’t fit my eye two
is not one of them I’ve been drawing
driver for a couple years now this was
it got there it’s pretty wide and you
know that from that memb te you can get
it past the bunker and just get it way
down there all I had to do is get one
moving left and I just lambasted a ball
around the corner it was probably the
purest shot I hit all day got all the
way down there I ended up having
176 uh into the second green the par
five which again I’ve watched this shot
the approach shot so many times I know
where you’re supposed to land it you’re
supposed to land in that front tongue uh
of the green to get it to chase all the
way back there to that back right pin
with a ton of severe slope around it and
we got kind of caught in between because
you know you’re realizing too something
I was battling throughout the course of
the day is watching having watched so
much of the Masters you they’re playing
a different golf course so they’re
hitting way different clubs into it and
the the trajectory and the ball the way
the ball is going to roll out is very
different than what I have from like 176
so I was going to hit nineiron it was a
little helping wind off the down slope I
just needed to cover like
155 uh but my cad was a little worried
about with a nineiron loft like it
actually hitting the front of the green
and running back to that back right
corner so we ended up hitting eight hit
a great shot but had moving a little
right to left was hoping it land in the
middle the green and it just air mailed
the green it was an icarito ball it went
way over the green and ended up uh on
the back hill it would have hit the patr
it would have Crush people in the crowd
if there was a crowd standing there uh
went pretty far tiger Ray Floyd told
tiger to hit it into the patrons on that
hole you get a good good chop to chip
from there right T ray Floyd told him to
hit to the right patrons to chip back up
the hill that was so where I hit this
ball was like dude oh my you have
watched this tournament for how long you
know not to hit it right where you just
hit it like that is you could watch one
day of the golf tournament there and
know that’s not where you’re supposed to
hit it and I fell right into the Trap
like how how did that happen that again
goes back to like oh I want to hit that
shot again with nine iron like that why
did I hit eight iron that was not the
right call uh daddy [ __ ] him that’s
not I made the decision listen uh uh
don’t try don’t you put that on me uh
what’s up I I’m way long and I know this
little section of the green is very
small to this pin and it it’s like I’ve
got a ton of Fringe to cover and it’s
like the the goal was like if we can get
this third shot to creep onto the green
as slow as we possibly can that is
that’s the best chance of getting this
close only chance of getting it close
it’s going to go past you know you could
you can leave it on The Fringe pretty
easily and if you get it going with any
speed it’s going off the green may go
into that bunker it’s a really tough
shot so this is the part that like I was
really surprised at how much I enjoyed
like chipping Around Augusta because you
can land it off the green and it will
bound on like it’s not that’s what I
hate about playing Florida golf if you
land it into the green on Bermuda you’re
not getting a very predictable bounce
and like so you end up taking everything
lofted wise and you can get into some
really big hip chipping heie GBS because
you know you’re trying to use the bounce
trying to get spin on it all that but
this is like dude you can be creative
around these greens you can Loft a ball
up onto them if you need to or if you
need to go down to a 46 degree which is
what I did and find the right spot to
land it if you land on a down slope or
an up slope it’s going to behave
differently and this is where it was
like all right now I’m seeing where I
want this ball to finish on the French
now I’m seeing where I need to land it
to do that I need this to land in the
hollow kind of where the patron Hill
slopes down into where it Hollows before
it goes back up around the greens and
that’s even having watched a lot of this
tournament I didn’t have the
appreciation for how The Fringe plays
into the greens like you know almost
sand Bel courses have bunkers that cut
into them but a lot of the holes of
gusta have fringes that kind of cut into
the greens that drive a ton of
decision-making right it it D it’s a lot
of that barrier between birdie and bogy
with the approach shots and it makes
your shots from around the green that
much more interesting it’s chipping off
Short Grass is an emphasized skill at
Augusta and was like oh oh so this is
what they’re talking about right here
because this is a really hard chip God
there’s probably so many spots where you
have to balance like I’m probably only
playing one time in my life so I want to
hit I want to chip it I want to hit the
shot but like man I should probably putt
this well and that’s was doing all week
like the fairways are not tightly mowed
like that was another takeaway as well
they are not like they’re pure but it’s
it’s it’s closer to like a a very
semi-rough than it is like a a pristine
bent grass Fairway if that makes any
sense so it does you’re not you’re not
incentivized to put a lot of them right
I’ve always watched that and been like
why guys don’t put a out in the Masters
either and and I I I can understand more
of that having seen it so I grab this 46
degree and I hit hit um and again going
back to how much I’ve I’ve how much
reverence I have for this tournament
I’ve watched the 1997 highlight film uh
from Tigers win so many times and Chris
shinkle is the is the narrator of those
things and I can I can read them back I
can read the lines back to when when
they go through Tiger’s round and this
happened on the eighth hole he tiger
misses One Way left but he hits this
pitch that goes into the hill sprinkles
up there and goes to five feet and he
says this line that says Ben crenchaw
said you could hit a bucket of balls and
not hit one that close and when the ball
landed at the hollow of the of the of
The Fringe and rolled up onto the Fringe
uh and onto the green I literally was
like replaying that in my mind it’s like
that is the bucket of balls shot you
give me a bucket of balls I will not
have a ball roll onto the green at the
speed that it did and like the you know
the C the group’s kind of scattered
everyone’s kind of playing up and the
ball gets on the green it’s rolling so
slow and the caddies start getting hyped
they’re like oh [ __ ] oh here we go here
we go because it’s rolling and rolling
and rolling it rolls for 12 seconds it
felt like 45 seconds but it just barely
gets over the hill rolling rolling
rolling they’re getting hyped other
group they’re screaming for so long that
other groups are starting to like watch
and like root this ball on going going
going it is in the center of the hole I
took my 46 degree wedge I walked it in
walked it in towards the hole lipped out
on the low left side oh like at a
crawling Pace it was just like a oh my
God I could not ever do that ever again
uh finished 12 inches from the hole did
go up and tap that one in to make sure
that hit cups and uh it felt good to
walk off the second green knowing I was
not going to get blanked at God the
seven3 start would have been oh yeah
pretty solid but we’ll take birdie we’re
on the board take it uh all right quick
history lesson here uh Neil how many
times would you say the Tiger has made
Eagle at number
two oh man I’m I I feel like he’s had
a I don’t know I don’t even have a guess
maybe I’m gonna say five can I guess
zero I’m going to guess zero so you are
correct the answer is zero he has played
the second hole 100 times in his career
and has never made Eagle so that is all
the more reason why I wish you had made
that chip because you could sort of walk
around and stunt on the C with my 176 I
was say I don’t have I don’t have a lot
of memories of tiger on on two compared
to the other par fivs the one the memory
that does stick out to me is is it was
it uh the mattress king with the albatra
yes who in yeah that was I remember that
shot like it was yesterday truly the
most uh memorable I think shot on that
whole the the
albatross all right so on to three on to
three we’re only two over at this point
we’re two over we’re we’re like all
right who cares we got that you know a
lot of scoring opportunities ahead um
wind is kind of in off the left on this
one and I I wish I could have this shot
over just because we didn’t really go
through a process I I’m not say we
weren’t like behind Pace already but it
was like it was you know I was handed I
forget if I hit four or five iron I
forget what it was and I didn’t feel
comfortable over it because he didn’t
want me to hit driver because of where
the pin was which I did not disagree
with like if I ended up with like that
65 yard shot to that front left pin with
the greens as firm as they were it was
going to be a really challenging shot
and with the the wind coming in I don’t
think I could have got it up close to
the green to be able to kind of bump one
up into the hill like a lot of the guys
the Masters players were doing so I
ended up with the yardage from the
member te’s like three it is 340 on
three you’re only up 10 yards so it’s
it’s not that much shorter and I I think
it was EI he had either four or five
iron and he he told me it could not
reach the left bunkers but I didn’t
trust it like he was not he put the
right Club in my hand but I just didn’t
trust it and I bailed way right and I
hit this which is like the dumbest
feeling hitting like four iron straight
into the trees when you’re trying to
like lay up um and it was it was a
really bad shot that feeling well it’s a
very very tough feeling um got up there
and uh I’m in this pine straw and I’ve
got 115 flag but I’ve got like this
weird Gap that would maybe with a with a
draw put me on the right side of the
green so but it’s got to go up and it’s
got to go through a specific window and
so I just grabbed a 46 degree and uh is
it 40 yeah it’s a I have a what do I
have I have 48 degree why’ I keep saying
46 48 degree um and I hit it I hit it so
freaking flush through the window with a
draw and so then you’re just like gosh I
hope it takes the right spin hope it
takes the right bounce and it somehow
did the graphics here do not uh do do
not show show you much other than I hit
the the the middle right side of the
green about 45t right of the pin which
was best case scenario from where I hit
that I was probably where you’re aiming
if you had the 60 yard shot too potent
probably too yeah you’re you’re exactly
right some guys that ended up in that
spot hitting their third just had no
shot at that pin and it was just very
very oh it’s so good so then I had the
putt like from that upper part straight
down the hill and again just kind of
that appreciation of the slope and the
feeling I hit the putt a little too firm
as you might expect it rolled about
eight feet by I had a putt coming back
there was about a ball outside of the
left coming back up ped the putt right
in the center saved par on three we’re
we’re very happy about that we’ve rided
the ship hell yeah yeah we’re doing fine
we’re playing fine and the key here is
like I’m experiencing the shots right it
was out of position on three it was like
how can I leave this in the best
possible spot to somehow save par like I
know short left is going to be trouble
going long is going to be trouble like
let’s just hit the front right part of
the green see what happens and figure it
out from there try to lag it CL it was
just like way the shots worked on top of
each other every shot had consequence
and starting my brain started to get
pretty activated here pretty
early uh history lesson pause what would
we remember for famous shots on the
third uh I would I immediately Scotty’s
chip in uh when he won the Masters the
first time Jump to mind in after and I
want to note the disgraceful Tio I still
think that it’s BS that the scoreboards
count as those things look so permanent
permanent scoreboards right I know I’ve
got so many notes that oh they take them
out when the tournament’s not going on
like I don’t care those things are hunks
of metal like you can’t hit it there
that’s that Tio bothers bothers me to
this day but that’s what I had too kbv
Schwarz will also of course hold out on
this hole so you remember what happened
to Jeff magger he’s leading the Masters
this hit in the bunker and then hit him
hit the lip and hit himself and got
penalized for it uh right in the chest I
always remember him turning to his
playing partner and putting up like
touching his chest and putting up two
fingers be like yeah I just add two
strokes to my uh shot because that or to
my score because that one just nailed me
in the chest was rules are different now
right you don’t have to count if the
ball hits you uh but back then certainly
did and again it just I think that’s I I
was just replaying in my mind so many of
the of the shots and different
strategies and that we’ve seen to this
pin with the different wins and how that
that whole changes every time from day
to day from where the pin is where you
want to where you want to drive it and
you know how the greens are reacting
it’s just a really exacting shot I don’t
know I can’t picture a world where I
could have gotten after that pin anyway
so I was I was thrilled to walk off with
four on that one uh we come to four one
of my least favorite holes on the course
TC and I were grumbling about this a bit
uh during the week got a little bit of
push back from some of the the Masters
junkies who say oh it’s one of the only
hard par 3es you really got you got to
love it but tell me S what are you
hitting here going into the fourth so
the member T yardage says 170 uh I
believe we had
176 um yeah we’re back into a wi now and
the wind was humming pretty good I was
between seven and six iron I ended up
committing to the seven and Swinging
hard uh hit a really good shot but got
caught up in the wind a little bit came
uh just drifted a little bit left landed
on the green on on the edge but trickled
off to the left just past the left
bunker uh the pin was kind of back left
middle um if that makes any sense not
all the way in the left but I had about
a 30-footer straight up the hill from
just off The Fringe and this was a clear
like you can putt this one because you
got to hit it hard anyways puted it up
there to about six inches or so and had
an easy tap in par so PR on this hole
yeah good job yeah you didn’t yeah Phil
said you could just hit it at the grand
stand there and be fine uh right cuz
that in the year know he’s not leading
the Masters when this happened sometimes
get it confused I believe it was 2011
but he aimed kind of between 12 kind of
between the grand stands and the uh the
bunker there basically thought he could
get up and down regardless B hits the
rail the grand stands goes into the
bushes has to play two right-handed
shots uh to get it into the bunker uh
hits it a pretty good bunker shot but
it’s not able to make the Putt and makes
a six uh pretty much plays himself out
of the Masters uh it loses fin in second
by two shots or out of the playoff by
two shots not that so I feel like I
remember uh Bubba hit a hit a crazy shot
in here one of the years he won but I
don’t really have a ton of memories of
like I don’t know this whole just lacks
it’s not a bad golf just lacks a little
bit of Personality spe briefly in the
year that he was chasing Bubba had a uh
made a birdie on this hole I believe uh
and it almost it felt like it was sort
of flipping the momentum between them
where like it was like oh my God speed’s
coming like this this 20-year-old kid
might win The Masters and then it
completely like uh on on the 9 10 11
stretch like speed just completely I
think I’m like B with that one one of
those years he it was like a display of
how well he could work the ball because
I think the wind was doing something and
because he was a lefty and he was able
to like sling one in there he was like
the only person that could like get it
back to the stick with with any kind of
spin I I can’t remember the shot
specifically but something there’s
something in my memory bank about that
spe was leading by two when he when they
left this screen in 2014 he went on to
bogy that’s Fifth and bogy eight and n
and Bubba made four birdies he birdied
uh B Bubba also birdied number four uh
at this uh did he okay I just I remember
meing that this was like I was like oh
my God like this kid just like hit an
unbelievable shot made birdie here he’s
gonna he’s gonna do it he’s gonna take
down Bubba thank God no it did not
happen did not uh all right on to the
fifth which Dan Jenkins once said that
no Sports Rider had ever seen the fifth
hole because it’s the furthest away from
the clubhouse Media Center uh so yeah
fifth is kind of unmemorable but I would
curious to hear what did you hit from uh
much different hole from the member te’s
it is a much different hole um this was
a grab your driver you’re a drawer just
hit it hard up there and it’s w August
is pretty wide this is this is one of
the more Awkward shots again one that
you know you should in in theory the
design of the whole like the bunker
should be right where I want to hit it
right and that’s where that the you know
the critique I would have on the on the
member te’s is just like a lot of them
are just very easily carriable carryable
for for uh a lot of different players
but just pounded driver way up there
kind of felt like a at times I was kind
of wondering like should I just hit six
iron here and like experience the the
long iron into the screen
but just didn’t feel like the right way
to go about the round yeah you don’t
need to spot the course anything I’m
sure it’s going to sneak up on you s I
just want to note that you’re a drawer
not a
painter might be might be something I I
I use in the
future I wonder if any of the members
are kind of sometimes like a little
bummed out like they who are like a
stick you know say you’re like you saw
like a a scratcher plus you know
handicapped who just feel like oh like I
I have this great golf course and I
can’t actually experience it in the true
way it is because I’m not allowed to
play from further back you could make a
pretty fun hybrid set out there I think
there’s there’s several holes where I I
would you can play the the back te right
I mean seven would make more sense from
the back te I think um I don’t know
that’d be a fun way to do it maybe
that’s we can explore that in a future
future episode but pounded driver down
there on five drew it around the corner
got up there I had 115 in uh or or 110
in back right pin I I I want to hit this
shot again there’s no reason I should
have ever missed a wedge where I did but
if you if you get if you landed one just
right of this pin there’s a slope to the
in the back right part of the green
that’s going to take you right down to
the pin the smarter decision would be to
play just left of it and you’re putting
straight up the hill for birdie from 25
ft whatever it was but I tried to get
this one close pushed it just a hair it
lands on the top right of the Ridge and
just sneaks off the green up above the
hole about 3 four feet um just you know
if that had landed a foot and a half
farther left it might have spun down
right next to the hole but again this is
where that thin line is and now I’ve got
this awkward putt I puted this one
carried just a little too much speed
Through The Fringe uh and rolled about
five feet past got kind of caught in
between on my read I knew it was
breaking right uh didn’t play enough
break and missed it on the low side for
a sloppy three putt bogey from The
Fringe not technically a three putt
whatever but it was like dude that
should have I had won 10 in on five I
should not be making five on this one uh
but got caught with my hand in the
cookie jar just couldn’t make any putts
uh this if you’re listening watching the
Masters is where Scotty shelfer
basically stole col Mora’s soul from him
on the fifth because Scotty hit seven
iron and Mora was trying to get into
this hole with five iron uh Neil would
you do you remember any memorable
moments in the fifth over the history of
time you know I I really don’t but it’s
a one hole I’ve been to practice around
long long ago and it it always sticks
out to me as a I I really like this hole
and that changed when I saw it in person
and saw how difficult the green is being
there on site it’s also like where I
remember walking in as a patron through
that gate there’s like a gate back there
and and so Dan Jenkins in the media
doesn’t see that but I think a lot of
people it’s almost their first one of
the first holes they do see when they
walk on proper well if you get a
burkman’s pass that’s right over where
that is too but I don’t yeah it’s like I
I enjoy watching this hole during the
tournament but I don’t have any iconic
moments from
it s need stick out for you uh just guys
just struggling with it nothing in
particular but just watching the balance
of guys trying to get after pins and end
up in that back bunker always felt like
Rory did something dumb on this hole
approach wise that that always sticks
out to me tiger always felt like
struggled with this hole and uh you know
some Masters runs uh just kind of got
got bogged down I think it’s four five
and six like you know they’re not the
most exciting they have the most
personality but it really is a place
where the the ball Strikers separate
totally so the longer I watch this
tournament the more I’m like I I you
know on Sunday I feel like Max hit such
a good iron shot in here and you’re just
like it kind of shows you like all right
we’re four five six holes in like who’s
got it today and like you can just like
man that’s a highlevel golf shot to the
middle of the green you know it it
almost takes a ton of context to
appreciate it for sure 1995 Jack
Nicholas made Eagle here twice uh over
the weekend on Friday uh hold out with a
five iron from like 185 yards and then
on Sunday hold out with a seven iron
there only been four Eagles I believe in
Master’s history on this whole and Jack
Nicholas has two of them 1995 in the
same year yeah in the same year but 55
when he did that probably uh believe
it’s 57 right because there was 9086 he
was 46 when he was yeah so 55 he hit him
55 at that point that’s outrageous uh we
are excited at no ling up to announce
that we are are sponsored by our friends
at FanDuel whether you’re playing golf
or betting on it there’s nothing worse
than first T Jitters which we did not
have uh on the first TI August we had
some Jitters throughout the course of
the day but don’t tell them I had
Jitters on the first hole do do not
print that do not write that uh but with
FanDuel you can crush your first bet off
the tea because right now new customers
get
$150 in bonus bets guaranteed with any
$5 bet that’s $1 150 bucks win or lose
you can go for the green all season long
uh with bets like longest drive close to
the pin outright winners and more they
got a ton of really fun markets you can
go to fanduel.com nlu and hit your first
BET right down the middle of the Fairway
with FanDuel America’s number one sports
book FanDuel official betting operator
of the PGA Tour must be 21 and older 18
and older in DC and present in select
States first online real money wager
only $10 first deposit required bonus
issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets
which expire seven days after receipt
restriction Supply cat terms at sports
book. fanduel.com FanDuel is offering
online Sports wagering in Kansas under
an agreement with Kansas Star Casino LLC
gambling problem call 1800 Gambler or
visit fanduel.com RG in Colorado DC Iowa
Kentucky Michigan New Jersey North
Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Illinois
Tennessee Vermont and Virginia call 1800
next step or text next step to 533 42 in
Arizona 1888 78977 77 or visit ccpg dog
chattin Connecticut 18009 with it in
Indiana 18005224700 or visit KS gambling
help.com in Kansas 1877 770 stop in
Louisiana visit MD gambling help.org in
Maryland visit 1800 gambler. net in West
Virginia or call 18005224700 in Wyoming
hope is here visit gambling helpline
ma.org or call 800
32755 for 247 support in Massachusetts
or call 18778 hope and Y or text Hope
and Y in New York let’s go God s that’s
the best I’ve ever heard you do that
that a Hall of Fame Hall of Fame
disclaimer performance
God that gets me fired up that th
threading the needle tighter than seven
Fairway austa right there that was uh
one slip up was going to really messed
me up there here we go we’re we’re on to
number six we’re on to number six uh
this was a just a cool spot and time in
the round we got a second to breathe up
on this te and standing up on that te
look you can look down on 16 from there
you look down again appreciation for how
much elevation change there is between
that t uh the shot looks freaking
impossible to that back right pin and
the new area that they have down there
the RT was near the front of the box it
was 169 yards that back right pin I
pulled nine iron on this one and hit a
really good shot one of my best shots of
the day it landed just on the right side
of the green and hung barely On The
Fringe pin high right maybe 15t from the
hole about as close as you could have
hit one without it being on the green um
it was a little extra element on the
putt which was way outside the hole on
the right it was a sharp breaking putt
that was hard to get the speed right
coming off The Fringe hit a little too
firm went went through the break went
about 3 and 1/2 ft past came back with
the with comebacker just a little left
to wrer but poured that in uh for an
easy part any part of that back right
pin I was I was quite proud of uh still
little frustrated from from letting the
bogey get away the hole before but was
happy with a par on that hole so are you
reading putts for yourself on this is
you asking the caddy for help are you
getting help from the caddy I’m I’m
trying to lean a ton on like what Max
was saying though about putts breaking
more than you’d think and I kept wanting
to play more break and I you know it it
was uh without the actual experience on
it you know trying to go back and forth
with the caddy on on what the reads were
it was uh at times we were not quite
getting on the same page on how much
break there was or how I like to read
putts or how I hit them and um but yeah
we we’re we’re we’re talking about each
and every one and uh you know he’s
picking out spots for me and I’m trying
to follow as best I
can uh Neil I think I know Si’s answered
this but uh any shots memorable that
stick out to you on the sixth hole in
the history honestly no until I listen
to y’all’s Deep dive and the the one
that tiger roped in there what was that
201 yeah 11 yeah uh which I did when you
got when I was listening to that pot I
did remember that shot um but nothing
else nothing else jumps out to me like a
you know momentum changer yeah the only
thing I would say is DJ hit a really
good shot in there leading by one in the
20120 Masters which may have occurred on
a green screen totally uh whether that
happened or not I can’t say all right on
to the seventh on to the seventh this is
a hole that uh I I I looked at it on the
map before we played and I couldn’t
quite figure out what to do on this
there’s a case to be made for just
hitting driver and trying to get all the
way up on that UPS slope but with where
the Sunday pin is you just kind of need
one at the bottom of the hill and you
can flip a wedge up there and that
should funnel down there shout out to
Randy so it’s kind of unnecessary to
give yourself that awkward pitch he
asked me if I wanted to hit the two or
the four iron more and I said two I’d
rather just kind of hit a little
flighted trag 2 Iron I just smothered it
though I had an awful shot um I mean
this this you’re just you really are
awkwardly up on this hole and the
Fairway slopes from left to right and I
was trying to hit a little draw just so
it didn’t leak into the right tree line
just smothered it right at the trees had
like 115 in from over there was going to
have to hit a a hero hook 54 degree I
was just trying to get up in that bunker
but didn’t quite catch it a little fat
again a little slippage in there and
then I I left myself about a 30 35 yard
pitch on that UPS slope I was right in
the spot where I could have chipped it
right in between the bunkers and run it
up but I decided to go aerial with it
and try to get it up there and knowing
if I got it past the pin it would come
back but whatever forever reason however
I clipped it just kind of went past the
hole and stayed up there I had about a
20-footer coming back down the hill for
par and missed that one and and made
bogey on this one so kind of unforced
eror this was a birdie opportunity hole
and one I this is one I’d love to have
over again because really just got to
get one in the Fairway and it was easy
flip wedge and pretty doable hole this
hole kind of stinks if I’m being honest
it’s just like it does it just doesn’t
pop it’s it’s a place where you know
with all the coverage of the Masters
this is where I go like run take the dog
out to pee or
you know it’s like all right we’re
through like just like I don’t want to
miss eight so seven you’re just like
whatever yeah uh nothing in my research
I’ve never really found a truly
memorable shot on seven Byron Nelson
apparently drove the Green in the second
Masters that ever took place here which
uh annoyed Clifford Roberts Bobby Jones
enough that they lengthened it
immediately 25 yards they added all the
bunkers in uh but this is one of the
holes they’ve never quite gotten right
it’s never really for all the history
there’s never really been a unless
somebody out there has listened and can
remember a truly momentous uh like or
infamous thing that happened on the 7th
I’d love to hear it but as far as I can
tell I couldn’t find it tiger what H one
out in 2009 I think the first year after
the the Scandal or 2010 sorry 2010 he h
one out on Sunday in the Sunday red I he
was not quite In Contention he end up
finishing fourth I think that year but
he kind of you know threw the club up of
like oh finally got one uh you know
because he was he was uh you know I I I
remember that off the world yeah um and
I do remember this whole like Sundays of
like man if you’re hitting the ball well
and you hit this Fairway on seven like
oh here we go edge of the seat like this
is a good birdie opportunity you can get
one here you can run then you flip over
to eight so there’s something to it at
least to that Sunday pin but I mean this
was originally designed as like a pitch
and put hole like a driving pitch hole
and now it’s 450 yards from the from the
back te and like the most narrow Fairway
it was like wide open and kind of Choose
Your Own Adventure but modern technology
is kind of ruined this whole and they’ve
kind of bandid together for for several
years and it just has kind of ended up
at something that’s just kind of there
all right on to number eight S what’s uh
we’re we’re at what we’re three over at
this point in the round no we’re four
over four four okay bogey on five and
then a bogey on seven that’s right yep
four over Step Up on eight really easy
t-shot honestly from the member T um
pretty wide Fairway bunkers not in play
hit a hit an okay drive but kind of
smothered a little bit end up on the
left side of the Fairway pass the
crosswalk and you get up there and you
are on like an up slope like it always
this is always one of the holes that I’m
like dude how are the them this must
look easier in person when you get up
there because these guys just send it up
near the green and are able to get 280
up the hill they always get it up there
I don’t know how and no you get up there
you’re like dude okay all of my fears
about this hole are accurate um
especially from that left side I didn’t
have a great angle and it was uh you
know you get flashes of all everyone
that’s always Missle over there like
there’s nothing good so one time hitting
the shot you’re you there’s a tower back
there that ends up being what you’re
trying to aim it at or trying to get it
get it at with the right to left shot
shape to be able to get it up the front
of the green and get chasing back there
and uh I had 195 way up the hill and I
hit a six iron and I just didn’t didn’t
trust it enough to flip it over just
because I was fearing going left and it
kind of scored just a little bit right
on me and got past uh ended up past the
big mounds and far enough past the pin
the pin was kind of in that back left
that I didn’t have to pitch over the
Mounds but I was well over the green and
had a pretty lengthy shot in which kind
of gives you like a 40 yard shot that
was like okay do I land this with a 58
degree all the way up on the green with
some spin now rolling downhill to this
pin or do I try to bump one up through
what do we try to do here a lot of
elements ended up going for the 58 but
all day long on this shot that I tried
to use the Open Face use the bounce and
really clip it I the ball traveled way
farther and with less spin than I was
expecting and I just was not able to
ever hit that nippy pitch caught it just
a little heavy maybe or or a little
thick and it just trickled all the way
down to the back French and probably had
25 feet uh coming back up the hill for
birdie so you’d think it was a missed
opportunity you know for the birdie but
we had the right to Le up the hill Drano
right in the the cup Birdie on the
eighth TST get back to three over par
played the last seven uh even uh after
you know that opening triple so feeling
playing pretty normal regular golf side
in that first hole Yeah truly just
disaster on that first just could make
some putts uh I’m a little sad you
didn’t get to hit the tiger slingy draw
that we’ve uh admired over so many
different
do appreciation for that too like with
how much like your your shoulders are
tilted this way I mean you truly on this
UPS slope and again granted remember T
I’m way up past where they’re hitting
shots from and I was on a more severe
part of the hill and if I hit it farther
right where I should have i’ would have
been on a less severe part but that was
just a really hard shot to picture
slinging one uh with the ball just
sitting that that high above my feet and
which I want to call out Scotty’s shot
from Sunday from over on the left side
when he I think he hit like a two iron
like roped one over the trees like I
thought that was among the best golf
shots I’ve seen in the last 12 months if
not longer it was it was
incredible if you didn’t listen to our
Deep dive about uh the various like
where we picked out four Masters uh
tiger hit one of the mo what we were
talking about tiger hit one of the most
awesome like just absolutely ropey hooks
used the Mounds uh got it all the way
back to the back left pin and made Eagle
there uh in a in a incredible I think
shot 30 saw on the
that year 31 so go look that up if
you’ve never seen it uh one of the great
shots in the tiger Cannon uh in doing a
little bit of quick research in here uh
in 1986 which obviously we know from
Jack’s Victory uh Tom Kite and sevie
Byer were paired together and I I think
this they in the final group because
sevie LED going into that day they both
made Eagle on this hole they both
chipped in it was not on television oh
God I went literally back and watched
this morning the 1986 Youtube footage
whatever and they’re like well oh just
you know let you know SE B steros just
chipped in and Tom Kite chipped in right
after him like I mean We complain about
the broadcast sometimes now imagine that
with backtack eagles that’s probably why
it’s not more famous because there’s no
like highlight of it gets replayed over
and over I will say this was a hole
having played I had I’ve always loved
this hole even more appreciation for it
it is a puzzle it is so many awesome
elements to it those Mounds around the
green dictate everything your shot shape
leading up into the green the shape of
the green too like just that Ridge that
runs through the middle of it and how
precise you have to be it’s not one you
can just hit up near the green and
figure it out like that’s after having
played it I wish I would have just
bombed one long left there’s Grand
stands back there and you’re basically
kind of chipping back up the hill from
there but again that was this was around
this part of the round I’m kind of like
God I totally see why guys with
experience went around here you have to
have played it’s not something you
simulate in a practice round you had to
have played like a Sunday at the Masters
to know and hit it in the wrong spot to
know exactly what you’re dealing with
and where you just get there like gosh I
wish I was right there I wish I was
right there and how guys like tiger
always talk about missing in the right
spots around there and how integral all
that was it was like holy [ __ ] I’m like
walking in the I’m I’m doing I get to do
all of this I get to like act all of
this out it was just it was very surreal
and that was just what made it just took
it to this whole other level of of fun
like I keep falling back on that world
fun like it was just awesome it it was
weirdly fun to get like punched in the
mouth like when you didn’t execute one
of the shots just be like oh that was I
deserve that’s my fault but that was fun
I really like the balance of that’s a
good doctor special totally all right on
the nine closing in on the the the first
nine not the front not a front nine but
the first nine we’re closing on the
again pretty relatively Easy Shot um
especially with a little bit of the wind
help that we had on nine to get it past
all the trees and uh I just pounded one
down the middle and it actually got up
to the UPS slope and came back into the
walkway um and I was left with 91 yards
into to that front pin again a a a a
shot I’ve seen way too many times come
up short your boy was not going to be
coming up short into that one I hit a
little um a little what did I hit in
there 54 degree in there I clipped it
perfect it was like I wanted to hit
about a 98 shot or something like that
to the 91 pin but up the hill um just
because there’s so much slope in there
that it’s going to rip back like you’re
expecting uh to rip back and uh and I we
can’t see what happens up there you
don’t know happens and it just ends up
in the middle tier I I I really thought
I was had stuffed one in there I kept
while I was down there I was like
waiting like please don’t rip all the
way off the front like you did on one
please don’t rip all the way off the
front and got up there had a really
really tough putt 30 feet uh above the
hole but I just had to hit one basically
the top of the mound watch it trickle
down to to kind of gimme distance and
had walked off with a easy par on nines
for a front nine of 39 with the triple
on the first uh and feeling pretty good
about things honestly for sure so you
mentioned uh the shots ripping off there
uh Norman in 96 one of the most
memorable through things in fact that
was where he was like oh [ __ ] like I
might be in real trouble if you’ve
watched the espan documentary shark
about it a shout out to Sheffer I think
this probably you know second Masters
hits it to six inches on Sunday I was
standing right there so I haven’t
actually seen it on TV but uh certainly
seemed kind of like a a hell yeah moment
for him uh but another one I wanted to
call out two more actually uh shout out
to our guy Adam sarson who used to have
this as one of his gifts if you ever
seen the tiger gift of him where hits
the huge big uh hook around the corner
from the trees that’s on nine and where
he kind of shuffles sideways almost like
a football player doing uh like warm-up
uh slide drills and that’s that’s a
famous shot on nine and in in 1986 Jack
Nicholas hit it to 12 feet uh on this
this hole and he heard some cheers going
on in the eighth green and he turned to
his son and said why don’t we try to
make some noise ourselves uh or to The
Gallery at least and then rolled in a
birdie putt to get him to three under
lead at that point was eight and then of
course Jack obviously stormed back and
won the Masters that year I I’d also
kind of one like to nominate uh tiger
popping his dislocating his wrist pop it
back into place and and popping it back
into place that happened here on nine in
I think 2019 did he he had like an epic
lag putt from the back of the green you
truly did one of the best that stands
out to me as a memorable shot too this
hole’s awesome this Green’s awesome
there’s just so many elements to this
shot and it is one of those like you
kind of almost need to watch shots come
in from up top to learn how to play play
it like and uh another one with
experience that would just drive so much
of your decision- making I got to throw
our friend Brendan under the bus on this
one he uh he was up on the front Fringe
he got kind of Lucky with where his ball
ended up it kind of sucked back off the
front right and and stopped on the front
Fringe and I think he ended up making
like a seven because his shot did not
get up the mound went all the way down
the slope came all the way back into the
Fairway that happened a couple times uh
end up making a mess of it a memorable
mess of it I would say of like Ah that’s
what can happen at Augusta really really
quickly I was not upset to to see
somebody else fall into that not me Por
if anybody doesn’t know he can pound it
off the team I’m sure he was hitting
balls uh and he but he he often says of
himself I have the touch of a blacksmith
around the greens like just a little bit
of stone hands um it was it’s just again
a wild reminder of of this of the slopes
and how that can play there so turning
over onto the back uh there is a lot of
questions about this there is a little
uh Bev cart up there by 10 with with
everything you could want body armor and
Gatorade and snacks and all that so you
know you get a little break you’re
standing up there and uh really the wind
really does WHIP at this part of the
property and like we had a I mean a
relatively windy day I mean it was it
was relatively strong so uh get up to
the member t on 10 and K asked what I
want to do I want hit three with a
driver it was back into the wind so I
was like just give me the driver let’s
go hit driver I can move that one right
to left we can get one way down there
and he cautioned me he’s like if you get
one moving too far you can end up in the
first cut on that left side and there’s
a tree down there so like you know you
don’t you’ve heard the adage of like you
can’t go too far left here like you with
driver here could go too far left what I
heard was let’s hit driver as far down
there and as far left as possible and uh
no I just I kind of smothered it just a
little bit and overcooked it just a
little bit listen not as far left as
possible because I think what our guy
Rory showed us that they’re as far
further left as possible than you get
past the first tree limbs the tree limbs
are not much of an issue from the member
T it is wide but it is uh one a shot
I’ve always pictured hitting and I
always wanted to hit that draw down
there I just honestly hit it like too
good and there is one Perfect Tree there
that like all of a sudden I’ve got that
that Mackenzie bunker that’s left there
in the middle of the Fairway that nobody
ever hits it into when you need to punch
under a tree is in a really perfect spot
so I’m in this first cut I’m 130 yards
there’s a big dip in the Fairway and a
big uh Mound going back up to the green
like I didn’t know what to do like there
was a very thin Gap I could hit it over
one of the branches in front of me and
maybe under the next one but like I just
couldn’t picture a shot carving through
that perfectly so I grabbed like a five
iron and tried to just punch one under
the
tree and proceeded to hit the wor one of
the worst shots I will hit hopefully
this year I mean it was like a a smother
top pull directly into the base of a
tree directly under a bu that shot
directly under a bush like it it was the
most immediate I the ball was even done
rolling and I was like oh that’s an
unplayable and I had to take you know
take two club links uh from the
unplayable spot drop in the pine straw
now hitting four from left of this green
and I I tried to carve in a uh a 48
degree from under there but the PIN is
front left and I missed it in the front
right bunker which got a you know an
immediate from the cad like oh that was
gonna be tough from there and at this
point things were moving a little
quickly but I’ll say I got up there and
just like kind of played a little out of
turn because we were scrambling a little
bit this point and just splashed this uh
58 degree out like just over the mound
kind of right of the hole and it took
the slope and rolled and rolled and
rolled and rolled and rolled and got got
all the way down there to three feet I
had a three foot tap in for a double
bogey on 10 so again started both nins
in just horrific horrific fashion played
the first two holes of each side and
combined five over uh which was really
frustrating so I’m glad you didn’t have
the Scott hul putt from above the whole
s uh which as we reviewed could have won
the Masters I hope you thought deeply
about that uh any other moments on 10
historically that stand out Neil I think
Bubba from the trees Rory Adam Scott you
know there’s a lot of playoffs at end on
10 so I feel like there’s a there’s a
bunch of them to choose from but Adam
Scott in the rain is is pretty iconic
it’s diabolical green when you stand on
that green man it’s it’s smaller than
than you maybe think it would be the
slopes around that front edge are a lot
more dramatic it’s uh it’s a it’s a
tough little hole man it’s uncomfortable
um I wish I could have come into it from
the Fairway um and had that t-shot over
with but um got a reminder of how how
difficult 10 can be so 11 11 yes this is
one where the get the difference between
the back te the the tournament tea and
the the members is massive I mean it is
a 120 yard difference on the card you’re
almost like you’re like oh yeah it’s 520
from the backs and 400 from the UPS I
mean you turn on it’s like almost a
pitching wedge I feel like 11’s gotten
out of hand it was yeah like I I feel
like during the tournament it was it was
too hard that there wasn’t really any
strategy to it the guys it’s just like
yeah I mean you know I guess Scotty was
he hit the green and Max hit hit the
green and those were awesome awesome
golf shots but it was just like nobody’s
even even thinking about hitting like it
that’s like a a happy accident they’re
all just trying to bail right it’s
playing almost playing like a par five
and you know what Neil I’m glad you said
this because like so much 99.9% of how
we all view this golf course is through
the lens of the players that play in the
Masters right so the way the game is
trended with technology and I’m not
going to do a full technology bit here
but like it it has caused Augusta to do
some stuff that is not good for the golf
course but probably necessary for the
highest Lev competitive golf narrowing
stuff making it lengthier stretching
things out and just trying to keep some
scale of the shot value involved in it
and I’ve not loved how that’s trended
for reasons that are not Augusta’s fault
more of Technology’s fault but like that
is what was also contributing to a
somewhat died down uh anticipation or
expectation of playing the golf course
right it was just like gosh honestly
like the Hipster me would say I’d love
to play the 1997 Golf Course like that
would be the most fun and uh
the reality is though for like a player
of of my level that is not a Tor prer
not even obviously not even close is
like the challenges and all the things
within it and the exploratory nature and
the contouring plays really really well
like better than I was expecting it to
it the scale is still a little off I
think for just the distance I hit it I’d
love to play this hole at 460 it’d be a
really great hole deciding how much to
take on around the corner but that that
that’s just a reality so stepped up on
11 it was into the wind I hit probably
the best t- shot I hit all day because I
actually cut it around the corner a
little bit
that’s got to feel good this this to
answer kbb’s questions earlier this is
the shot or the hole that I’ve pictured
playing more than any other which might
sound weird but I almost think about it
more of like the start to the next five
bangers you know like getting that that
top of that Fairway and having that shot
in it’s like let’s get off to a good
start here man because we got a lot of
good ones coming up opening opening song
on a great album exactly flip the
cassette and like oh let’s go love I
love why I so disappointed with how it
played this year in the tournament
because I I love this hole and it just
feels like they’ve tricked it up too
much and that’s where honestly the the
the layer upon layer upon layer upon
layer of how many epic golf shots there
are to hit on this course helps you with
each one because it’s not like go on to
TPC Saw Grass where it’s like dude did
did what’ you do on 17 like that’s the
one shot I got so many questions since
then like hey what’ you do on this hole
what’ you do on this like there’s just
so many that you don’t stand over shots
and freak out about them because hey if
I mess up 11 I get play 12 and 13 next
and then you go to like there’s just so
many awesome shots that while you’re in
it again it’s just like the the I just
keep saying about I was it was just like
you’re floating you’re just like in this
it’s like you’re in a live painting or
you’re in a movie like as it’s being
filmed like you’re just seeing it in
like a fourth dimension that was just uh
just such a surreal feeling so I got up
there I had 117 into this one back into
the win was kind of a tough tweener for
me I tried to take a little off the
pitching wedge but didn’t want to take
on the left didn’t want to hit that
smother ball blocked a little to the
back right part of the green uh had a
downhill putt to there that as soon as I
hit it I was like Ah that’s too fast
that’s too fast uh we underere the putt
coming back uh the eight-footer coming
back up the hill and I missed that low
so bad three putt bu on 11 17 in I know
God that’s yeah that’s like a that’s not
quite the same hole Yeah Yeah it’s I do
yeah yeah I was gonna say falo hit four
iron into this hole when he won uh in
against Larry m or excuse me against
Scott H when well and I had Larry m
listed as you know kind of I the iconic
shot um but I do want to shout out God
who I think it was the guy from New
Zealand this year that first time i’
I’ve almost seen somebody put it in Ray
Creek he like Foxy yeah yeah uh like
hooded a freaking like three iron it
roll I was like oh my god I’ve never
seen a ball back there
before it is when you round this corner
that was another one of like oh God I
have never looked straight down 11
Fairway and see like 12 in the
background like I’ve never seen that
angle different parts of the property
you feel like you’ve kind of been to
that area I’ve been around one green
I’ve been around three green I’ve been
to all sides of a lot of these holes
this is when you realize like oh no no
the Rope is there I’ve never been to 12
and when you flip over to the other side
of race Creek eventually here like oh my
God oh my God I can’t believe I’m
standing here I’ve never I will never
get to stand here ever again that was
the most surreal part is is the part
that’s upcoming the other thing in this
is more of a general take but looking on
screen here at the the the coolest thing
about this part of the property and just
some of the Aerials of Augusta is it
reminds me of when you see like a really
really nice house on like Zillow I’ve
been doing a lot of zilling now that I’m
a dad and you see like when there’s like
a really big kitchen and there’s like a
nice big countertop but then there’s
just like 20 feet of space like you know
you know like there’s just this extra
like the way this T box on 12 is just
surrounded by like 30 yards of just dead
like grass that’s almost pointless but
it just serves to like it’s it’s like a
style thing I I don’t know if that take
makes any sense but it just it’s so
aesthetically pleasing to see how much
space that that things get you know
they’re not cramped in any way
especially back here on aan Corner few
things in life live up to their billing
uh but aan corner is one of them
standing there this area where 11 Green
12T 13t like it’s it’s pretty awesome
well and then so we flip over to 12 uh
after making the bogy on 11 I’m three
over on the side I’m six over on the day
and like I kind of had told like hey if
you got a good round going on 12 let’s
let’s do the Tiger shot let’s do the
Tiger shot like let’s hit it over the
bunker let’s let’s T putut it let’s not
get out of hand here I’m six over
probably the only shot I’m GNA have into
12 and you we get up there it’s it’s
pretty long wait everyone’s taking the
pictures on the Hogan bridge and it’s
it’s the longest weight we’ve had and
the wind is whipping at this point and
it’s into it’s 149 yards and again I’ve
played this shot in my head so many
times I’ve played this shot at Golden
oala they have an unbelievable replica
of this hole but I’ve hit it enough to
know like all right if you’re going at
the pin it is probably a different Club
than if you’re going to the other part
of the green and if you’re going to the
other part of the green you have to
ignore the pin entirely you got to
pretend it’s you know kind of either
over the bunker or left of it and it’s
probably nine iron and back into the win
149 was like dude if I hit a hard nine
at that pin the harder I hit it the more
it’s going to balloon and if I’m one
smidge right of where I need to be it’s
going in the water and then like you’re
G to make a big number on this hole so I
was like I think it’s iron but I’m going
to go for it I’m going to hit the shot
I’m going to choke it a little bit but
I’m going to hit it relatively hard I’m
going to hit it you know try to get it
up in the air and try to get the the
spin on it and I made it up in my head I
made it up in my mind like we’re gonna
we’re gonna go for the shop and it’s
it’s eight iron right the wind’s in our
face and I’m not gonna say I got nervous
over the shot but like my senses just
kind of went away by the time I stood
over it I wasn’t nervous to hit the shot
I was really excited to hit it had a
great picture for it a great feel for it
I was like let’s step up and hit the
shot on 12 at Augusta it’s time
and I don’t know if I didn’t feel it or
if I blocked it out and just didn’t
notice it but the wind was not the same
and I hit the shot I I look up and the
ball is sailing five feet left of the
pin couldn’t have been better like if it
was flying right at the pin I’d have
been nervous but it’s like all right
that’s not going in the water hell yeah
dude you executed the shot like you hit
the shot to the back right pin on 12 out
austa let’s watch it float all right
where you at w where you oh my God is
there no wind right now is there
absolutely no wind right now and like
holy [ __ ] the maybe the one adage about
Augusta is how much the wind swirls down
an aim in corner and how you don’t know
what it’s doing on 12 and it’s it’s
perplexed every player that’s ever
played it and it’s flying it’s flying
it’s flying I’m like oh no get down get
down get down and it was close it landed
on the back Fringe and bounded into the
back right bunker um so back right yeah
like it was it was on an aggressive line
like it was a well executed shot and uh
you know what hell yeah what for way to
go for it I don’t want hear somebody
this like oh soft like oh let’s just
play it safe no come on so if you’ll
remember uh tiger hit it there in was it
2020 and hit it into the water and made
a 10 uh you get back there you take your
photos like it’s just surreal took a
group photo on the Hogan bridge that
walk up was incredible and then you do
cross over and you’re like oh god I’ve
never been over here before I’ve never
experienced this wow it’s a thin green
wow it is like walking into a painting
into a dream and you just look at this
shot it’s a little on the down slope and
it’s like oh my God there’s no there’s
no alternative here like this is either
I I don’t even I don’t even it didn’t
really even enter my mind that like you
could pull off a miracle shot here it’s
like this is has to go in the water like
I don’t know how you stop this shot with
it as firm as it is I dug into that that
bunker opened up the face of a 58 degree
I pulled back on like I remember
watching mine sagstrom hit this shot at
the solheim cup in 2021 at iness and
like I couldn’t believe how open you
could it looked like she like was just
had the hosle addressed at the ball and
she hit the sickest little bunker shot
and it was like that taught me like hey
you can open the face up you know in a
really dire situation you know thinking
about keeping my weight for it all the
lessons that Huber gave me about bunker
shots but the club had pass in the hand
Tony fenale his lesson about rocking the
baby on the way back just held this
thing open as aggressively as I could
and I hit the bunker shot of my life it
was the perfect smack was like the oo
and Oz from the caddies of like nobody
was everyone was expecting this ball to
go in the water landed in the hollow
just like it did on two like not quite
on the green trickled onto the green and
rolled up to three feet and I I could
have I could have sprinted across Ray
Creek to get back on the other side it
was the one of the most thrilling golf
shots I’ll ever hit in my entire life it
was better than stuffing the shot from
the te it was just like holy crap got up
there had seen that putt so many times
over the years I’ve watched guys miss
this putt too often uh played the putt
outside the hole from 3 feet and poured
it in the center got up and down from
the back bunker on 12 it was hell yeah
highlight of the day I’ll hear that
sound of that bunker shot it’s if you
the one a lot of the questions of what’s
the one shot you’ll remember that’s the
one that was that was I still can’t
believe that that ball came out the way
it did and it landed the way it did and
it stopped the way it did and uh I’ll
have that one forever because it was
going to be six or more uh like couple
groups waiting back on the tea I was
going to have to go to the other side of
Ray Creek to play like it was going to
be embarrassing if that ball went in the
water and uh luckily we cleared that
hurdle
so hell yeah um flip over to 13 a shot
I’ve maybe been the most excited to hit
of any of any shot you could probably
say that about four or five of these but
um the up te is really far up it’s 465
it is right next to to uh to the green
on 12 and uh stepped up and hit a
three-wood and and hit the shot I
pictured hitting for so many years kind
of towed it wrapped it around the corner
rolled on the low part and got out there
uh had 173 yards in uh after wrapping
the three-wood around the corner had is
it so wrapping it around like is it does
it get down to the flat spot down there
like is it by the creek I thought it was
but kind of like past the flat spot even
it got so far around the corner that
like this is where I’m playing kind of
my my second shot from there and the
kind of it was in the middle of the
Fairway it wasn’t like along the left
side and I it wasn’t until I address the
ball here that I realized how far above
my feet it was just still how hard that
shot is I mean the PIN back got the F
out two iron into that it’s it was eight
iron but okay well but like with older
ball older technology like the him
talking about over with Fanny in 96 and
all that like one of your one of your
favorite uh you know sort of back and
forth I know that well but it was so it
was so exact to how I’ve pictured the
shot so many times for years like dude
how do you aim this one like do you aim
it at the creek knowing it’s going to
draw no you can’t do that then you’re
going to hit the brand CER shot like do
you aim at the middle of the green well
no you can’t do that cuz it’s just going
to smother it and go left and I end up
aiming kind of at the pin which felt
like middle of the green and hit the
eight iron kind of smothered a little
bit landed up on top of this left Ridge
and stayed there it was kind of lucky I
kind of thought I was going to trundle
down over the green um and this is the
same putt that Scotty had on that on
Sunday and it was a really tough putt I
had to aim it you know almost back
between those two bunkers up there and
just get the speed right and let the
hill take it and I hit it too hard and
it went above the hole and passed it
about six seven feet I’d say maybe eight
feet coming back for birdie but a fast
downhill putt um outside the hole I hit
it as soon as I hit it uh my caddy was
like oh sit sit sit cuz I I firmed it
but it went right in the middle of the
Hole uh had the two put birie uh let go
uh and but honestly like the biggest the
biggest thrill of this was like what
porth hit a great t- shot on this one as
well hit a great approach and he went
long a little longer left than I did
into the hollow kind of on the down
slope and well I’ve watched guys
struggle with that shot for for a long
time you know do you chip it do you bump
it do you flop it do you putt it and he
pulled out a putter on this one and
whacked it and hit a great awesome putt
up over the ridge got up there to maybe
five feet and he poured in the birdie as
well like he’s uh I don’t know what poor
as handicap is I think he’s shot
somewhere somewhere in the 90s or
something on this day but he birdied 13
and we like we didn’t like want to do a
full Rider cup celebration of like spe
and Reed but we kind of like kind of
like chest bumped each other and like
gave a little awkward high five like
held hands like walking off the green of
like holy [ __ ] did we just Birdie the
13th Hall at Augusta like set for life
on memory for that one I mean it’s
uh got to be the easiest hole from the
member T I think out there but doesn’t
matter that’s a shot I’ve been wanting
to play my whole life and uh to have it
go that way was was was just awesome it
was great great the rest of our WhatsApp
group never got that far in our dreams
so way to way to live for us uh all
right 14 14 one again that like I was
kind of hurt by watch too much of the
Masters and uh I I know what a good line
is off this te I know what a bad one is
did not appreciate for how far up we
were that I needed to really wrap one
around the corner hit a great t-ball but
it ran through the slope of the Fairway
took it down the right went down in the
pine straw got kind of a lucky break
that I had a little window down there
had 104 yards in sounds like ROM in 2023
yeah you got the ROM shot well but it
was no it like went past the initial
tree line and like way down ran down the
pine straw um and was again kind of had
a little lucky window up there and caddy
gave me great advice like miss us left
miss us left I didn’t listen uh missed
it a little bit right onto The Fringe
had an awkward little putt we ended up
putting this one but it was kind of up
the hill uh it was going to rip a lot
off The Fringe but kind of an
inconsequential just 25f footer from The
Fringe and uh roll it up there and had
to two-putt birdie could have I could
have got close from that angle I if I
hit the shot that he was requesting but
it just kind of sored a little bit boy
tup par oh T par two yeah I got up there
in two and then yeah two putt two put
par on that one so uh Neil you mentioned
the ROM thing uh other sort of famous
moments Phil Mickelson uh having back
toback Eagles in 2010 he eagled 13 and
then eagled 14 on this hole that it
really took the ridge there where it
sort of rides down from the left to to
that right pin cool green cool hole cool
green um a lot of really cool whole
locations and we got to play this the
Sunday pin on this one was just a total
thrill to play so 15 again an upt but
like this one again matched the like man
that looks kind of narrow there like
this this t-shot looks really narrow for
the pros and stand on that on that hole
I needed to hit a ball that was going to
move a little left to right to like hold
it in that Gap and it was like was a
tough t- shot this was one that maybe
said this on I think I’ve already said
this twice but maybe the shot I wanted
to hit the most at Augusta was the one
from a top that Hill coming into it and
I just smothered one just not a snap
hook but like it just was moving left
and as soon as it was moving left like
the Fairway slopes that way and it was
going to go into those trees and I was
toast so I I knew I wasn’t going to get
the shot in the top of the hill but
honestly like the hole I think back on
the most is like everything that
happened from this point forward like if
I could encapsulate like unlocking
Augusta and what made it so fun and what
made it such a thrill was like all right
well here’s where I am in these trees
here’s what I got to figure out for this
layup here’s where the the pin is I
watch guys really struggle with this pin
it’s on a ridge and like if I lay up
down the right I got more room to come
in from the right front of this screen
and that you know I don’t have to worry
about the the ridge left of it but I’m
more of a Downs slope over there and
I’ve watched that shot I remember this
guy chunking in the water I’ve watched
this guy go long so I end up hitting it
to the Franchesco molari spot um I hit
like a little punch seven iron down
there and hit an awesome shot got all
the way to the flat part and even from
from there I’m almost hitting up the
hill a little bit to this pin like and
from straight on and so I’ve got 86
yards and I’m in a great spot and I kept
watching guys hit this shot I watched
Sam Burns I think it was Sam Burns you
know rip one into this green and rip it
all the way back off into the water and
so like I’m approaching I’m coming into
this shot 86 yards and I’m like I’m
sorry 83 yards and I’m like okay if I
hit the shot I hit on one this might rip
all the way back off into the water if I
don’t then I might be going over the
green and having the impossible up and
down that all the best players in the
world couldn’t make yesterday so a
perfect balance of like hey if you
execute a great shot here you’re going
to have like a tap in birdie probably
there’s a little Ridge behind this hole
you can spin it off the back slope and
uh as long as you can control your Spin
and hit the right shot here you’ve got
this and hit the shot and I thought I
hit a perfect 58 degree and it lands
just past the hole takes the skid but
does exactly what I watch a bunch of
guys do and it just holds up in that
Fringe it did not rip back off that
Fringe and nobody made that putt all
week uh and it was just far enough that
was like dude it’s so delicate from past
there I can’t flop this onto the green
so I got to putt this and it’s one of
those I needed to roll one revolution
onto the green and it’s going to end up
next to the hole
hit it and it just got caught up in the
hairy part of The Fringe and it stopped
On The Fringe and now I’m still above
the hole putting for five when I was
like a revolution or two away from it
ripping back and probably being a
relatively short birdie Putt and uh I’ve
got the put it was an easy putt from
that next one I just lagged it up close
to the hole and made bogey on 15 so I
was felt like I executed and unlocked it
but I just was a little off and it was
just all that exacting nature of how the
friend cuts into the green how that’s
going to affect the shot the stuff that
I don’t think I had full appreciation
for until you until you go do it but I
think back of the shot I won over again
I want to hit that one again because it
was just an awesome super engaging 83
yard shot which you can’t say uh that
about every 83 yard shot so I’m sorry
you didn’t get the Sergio chance to hit
eight iron in there to that to kiss it
off the pin or Norman falling to his
knees in 96 when he lipped out the eagle
putt that essentially let him know the
Masters was over or the Tiger five iron
twirl from the top of the in 2011 that
was that that would have been I got this
question too I forget uh who who asked
this uh from The Refuge but you know did
you drop balls and hit shots from
anywhere on there and honestly I I
didn’t uh it was
not like the thrill of this round was
doing the shots within the course of
your round right I could have dropped
one from the top of the hill on 15 and I
wouldn’t have felt anything if I hit in
the water been like who cares if I hit
it to 5 feet who car like it wasn’t your
ball like it wasn’t your ball in play I
I honestly was not that incentivized or
encouraged to you know reenact famous
shots or or anything like that it’s like
dude this thing was just meant to be
experienced in the course of your round
and uh I thought about it from stay on
that top of the hill like should I do it
should I do it and I was like you know
what no you didn’t hit it there you
didn’t earn it like you maybe someday
maybe someday you’ll get you get to do
that again but no you got to figure out
your way in from there all right the
famous 16th we’re coming to the last
stretch here we don’t even need much
advice from the cadd we know what to do
here we know where this pin is I will
say from the tea it looks the pin either
the pin was farther left this year or
that thing is more tuck than it looks
like on TV because it it just looked
like a harder one to get to that bunker
looked like it was more in play water
looked like it was more in play uh it
was 145 yards from the up te it it
measures 170 from the from the back te
but it was back into the wind had up to
152 to where I could use the slope uh
hit a nine iron hit it right at the TV
tower felt pretty perfect I said I said
uh sit to it and I should have said go
because it needed to get a little deeper
hits the mound uh there and and funnels
down but it was about 20 feet under the
Hole uh and didn’t get to whip around
the slope didn’t have the right shape to
get in there and get tight it was not
quite the way I wanted to hit it but uh
hit the nine iron to there and had had
the putt we’ve seen many times over the
years no regrets on this one I I hit a
good putt just a bit firm it probably
missed a cup and a half on the high side
but it was like a just a good strike
good effort just not the right line for
the speed uh that I wanted to on that
one tap in par on 16 and that was that
green standing on that green was one of
the more surreal places to stand as well
of just like it’s a little smaller than
you might think it just feels pretty
quaint and intimate in that spot with
all the grand stands and all the TV
towers around that one and just the just
the energy down there was something that
one was one I I’ll remember as well and
you know in your life suly have you ever
made a par like that you start to to
smell the next hole there too on that
green you know as you approach the 17th
tea I thought of you stinky n when I got
to Nandina Neil um stepped up it’s a
pretty pretty benign t-shot you don’t
think a lot of it it does really Arrow
up there but it really did look like I
could get it past all the trees with
driver the way the wind was a little
helping and I pounded a driver up there
got caught up in the trees a little bit
on that right side but did get past
everything but stopped in that second
cut and this one I was not in the second
cut very much on this day but like this
one did it made me appreciate the role
it plays just a little bit more because
I had what did I have in I had 104 yards
in to the front right pin um over the
bunker and it was like oh man I wish I
was in the Fairway for this one because
I got to judge a little flyer here it’s
firm even though this is going to be a
lob wedge in I got to think about how
I’m going to land this and stop it
somehow and I did not hit the shot again
kind of hit that little little fatter or
a little bit too solid shot out of the
rough it had no spin land middle of the
green went all the way over the green um
and was kind of a disaster spot I little
more appreciation for
17 uh after playing this one that green
does run away a lot more than than you
it really shows on TV and uh just a
little bit more considerations around
all these that’s never really been fully
brought to life on TV sorry to report
Neil listen you can that I have no issue
the the architecture of the whole I’m
I’m here for all that it looks better in
person it’s more severe all that I just
don’t like where it falls in the round I
feel like it’s a very anticlimactic hole
and it’s a let down a lot of times
towards the end of the Masters for me
it’s a better version of seven you know
that’s fair and I have a problem with
both holes so that makes sense to me
yeah getting hit the same chip that I
struggle with the whole day of not able
to clip the 58 it runs all the way off
the front off the false front that I was
desperately trying to avoid with my
second shot so now I’m chipping uh you
know chipping uh four from the front
right but did clip a nice 58 up there to
maybe three feet and rolled in the
rolled in the bogey um to uh head to the
last now I’m seven over on the day uh
and I need to par the last to break 80
which I did had not thought about at all
until I’m there I’m like ah come on you
got to break 80 like I know you didn’t
care about your score but you got to
break 80 the upt is way up up and uh the
caddy was like you you’re going to need
with driver you’re going to need to fade
this a lot like you’re going to need to
really get one moving right but with how
far you can hit it you can kind of get
it past all the trees and I hit a big
fade and he was exactly right I did get
past all the trees and ended up in this
weird kind of Gap there’s one isolated
tree that you can kind of see up there
on the right side um that I got I hit it
in the Fairway between the trees that
line the right part and that one tree so
was in a really great spot I think I had
98 yards in to the front left pin from
over there hit a hit a 58 degre
threw it up in the air um little left to
where I wanted and it’s flying it’s
risky it’s risky it’s risky and it
bounces on the on the front left Fringe
and kicks down towards the hole we can’t
obviously you can’t see it but all the
caddies were loving it and said that’s
goingon to be really good got up there
as four feet away from the Hole uh just
short of it almost in the tiger almost
in the tiger spot where he made the putt
uh in
1997 and I’ve now got a four-footer to
to to Birdie the 18th at Augusta and
walk off and I God I don’t want to throw
my guy under the bus on I don’t want to
throw my guy under the bus on this one
but I’ve seen this putt a ton of times
like it’s tiger had to play it outside
the hole and I’m a little left of where
tigers’s was but you know it’s an
outside the putt breaks right I I could
not have been more convinced it breaks
right and uh I I was convinced that it
was gonna be dead he’s like don’t mess
with it it’s four feet like just play it
straight play it straight and it’s like
I can get on board with that like I I I
I don’t want to invent the break here
it’s a short enough putt that like let’s
just jam it into the back
hit a dead straight Putt and it veered
off to the right and then and lipped out
on the on the low side on the right so
missed missed my 79 79 missed the the it
was a sour taste to leave in my mouth to
miss that miss that shorty on the 18th
hole and I I did miss like three putts
low low on the right side on the left
writers that I I just wish I’d had just
hit with a little more oomph and kept in
and and trusted the break on but uh shot
7 Kenny Perry situation there uh yeah a
little bit a little bit put on 18 to
miss the playoff I hate that for you
yeah um I don’t know if 79 would or 78
would have got me into too many playoffs
so not a score I’m proud of uh I did
play the first and 10th holes five
overpar the rest of it two overpar bunch
of sloppy three putts and and uh missed
missed easy par opportunities but man it
was uh we you know we did the walk up to
18 I took my hat off did the wave to the
crowd like did the what what you have to
do it you have to do it when you’re
walking up 18 uh and you know kind of
Sun’s starting to set a little bit on
the day and you’re just
wasn’t his day but he’ll be back it
wasn’t his time maybe not um you know it
it we did just kind of kind of float in
from there it was exhausting it was a
you know a hot day it was uh you know
you got to wear pants out there it was
85 degrees and it just a lot of
emotional energy spent uh you know in
that whole experience and it was it was
really added to by getting to play with
Brendan and just like experience that
with with a friend and uh just to watch
him get excited and the and Brett and
and Jay that we play with were were
or I’m sorry Jordan we play with were
really excited about uh about the day in
general everyone just had huge Smiles on
their face the whole time cat were
taking pictures they knew how special
the day was for everyone and uh it just
it it was it was surreal it exceeded the
hype I would say and helped by the fact
again that it kind of just snuck up on
me how cool it would be being so busy
leading up into it and kind of
distracted leading up into it definitely
helped but um I just don’t think I’ll
ever no matter what I won’t get a chance
to ever play a gust for the first time
again and that that’s truly like there’s
nothing else on a bucket l a gol there’s
I’ve not played every top golf course I
want to play in the world but there’s
nothing else that is going to compare to
that like there’s just no there’s 0.0%
chance there’s ever enough context
around any other golf course in the
world that would have added so much to
the experience um and I’m just forever
grateful and thankful that I got the
chance to do it and uh yeah it was a a
true dream come true it was uh honestly
a little bit of emotional experience
that’s fantastic I got I have one final
question for you and then I’ll kick it
back to kbv give me one thing that you
noticed out there being able to walk you
know inside the ropes among giants
whatever you want to say like did you
notice any like oh my God there’s a bird
feeder back here on 13t or something on
the periphery of the course that you
could only see if you were a if you were
a competitor and maybe there isn’t but
I’m just curious if something stuck out
to you not necessarily you almost notice
that more when you’re uh like walking
the grounds you know outside the ropes
but it was like I was stunned how much
it flipped over from the Masters to like
felt like a members course and overnight
like it was you know the benches are
back out by the tea and it just felt
like an incredible place to go hang and
play golf and enjoy other people’s
company like it was other than the the
scoreboards like you just would not have
been able to tell that the Masters was
just there like it was eerily quiet and
uh it it was weirdly felt just like a
normal day out there never experienced a
normal day out there never been there
outside of the Masters but it just began
it felt rather routine relatively
quickly in terms of how quick they’re
able to turn it back into uh a member’s
course the benches were really cool they
have wooden benches that are that are
out there waiting at all the members uh
members teas that were we enjoyed some
nice leisurely uh leisurely sits from
time to time well so last question what
was the pace you were trying to hit and
did you hit it because it seems like
that was important I mean you’re just
trying to keep up with the group in
front of you right I mean they have a
lot of media people that are out there
playing TV people out there playing and
you just don’t want be the be the group
that uh is is slowing things down so I I
I I no concept at time I don’t remember
what it was when we when we got back in
the car um you obviously don’t have your
phone on you it’s it’s it’s wild how
like you just you how much of our lives
are based around screens and how you
walk on that ground and I never looked
at one screen the whole time that I was
on the actual Green Grass of Augusta
like back in the Press Center they’re
aware of those but on the golf course no
jumbotrons no phones no television
screens no nothing like nothing at all
and so you’re just like it’s just a raw
just in-person experience like you’re
not tempted to ever look at your phone
because it’s not there and that part
really did stick out to me all right so
you’re leaving the property you get back
to go one more time down Magnolia Lane
uh what’s on the stereo for your sendoff
here when Tiger Woods won the 1997
Masters tournament uh he and his friends
loaded up into their car um probably a
bunch of Arby’s rappers on the on the
ground of the car as they went there
after every around that that week and
they played the Quad City DJ’s hit song
come on and ride it parenthesis the
train I had to do I told Brenan I was
like I’m sorry I got to do this and
blasted it again louder than I probably
should have but went back down Magnolia
Lane playing come on ride the train
headed off play us out headed off the
grounds back out to Washington Road and
uh back to the rest of everyday life and
uh I don’t know if it’ll ever be the
same after that but it was just a uh if
I never get to play it again I’m it I I
I want to say I’m fine with that other
than to say like it was such a
tremendous experience that uh you know I
feel extremely I don’t want to say
accomplished by it but it feels uh it
enriched my soul enriched my golf Soul
it was uh a a a just a tremendous
tremendous life experience and I’m
extremely extremely thankful that I got
to do it and enjoyed it as much as I did
because I’ve had I’ve had rounds at at
really great golf courses that just have
not hit my soul and haven’t you know
then you end up walking off of them and
feeling like why am I not feeling as
high as I should right now and this was
just opposite end of the spectrum and
again maybe that should have been way
more obvious to me way earlier than it
was but um it was a true true thrill and
I’m I’m very very excited I’m very
excited somebody got to listen to me
talk about it for two hours as well no
it was good stuff I I was curious I’m
glad I I waited to get the full
breakdown it’s all I’m proud of you you
uh thank you everybody for listening
thank you for tuning in uh I think we’ll
uh hopefully someday somebody else in
our group will get to play Augusta maybe
I’ll just keep bringing nlu members to
Augusta and like Neil maybe you’ll get
to play next year I’ll just I’ll be over
for six and uh possibly you get D there
over over seven I can just keep racking
up l’s while uh people and I definitely
won’t be jealous or have my feelings are
at all any sh for no I’m all all there
SE I’m very excited that you got to do
it very proud of you for building this
uh this company that would make even
possible so congrats well couldn’t have
done it without uh a you know everyone’s
support and a lot of the hard work
that’s gone into it over the years and
uh yeah feel very blessed I do want to
before we wrap Kevin we got a lot of
great questions from the Refuge uh if I
could sprinkle just a couple in there um
we got uh D golfman 62281 said over
under three and a half attempts at
successfully skipping the pond on 16 I
did attempt the skip shot on 16 and um I
hit a really nice flush shot into it it
just like skipped too many times it
didn’t like hydrop plane it made it all
the way but hit the lip of the bank and
came back into the water so I did not
know that was allowed well that’s good
to hear my cadd suggested it I would not
have done it if if if uh if he had not
uh suggested it but PJ Southerland how
many strokes different you think your
score would have been from the
championship te’s versus the
member I’d say probably six shots worse
I mean I probably played about an 85
round from Championship te’s I don’t
think it would have been much worse at
like 6,900 I don’t I don’t think I
gained a ton of Advantage other from the
t’s other than a couple of the par fivs
where you know eight irons into them are
are very different than hitting five
irons into them but I was G to say any
hole you have a better appreciation for
now that you played it I think it’s t
chap 80 is asking that that’d be 15 of
uh watching those guys Dro that shot
from the top of the hill again is just I
it always amazes me when I see that
green and even more now I’m watching How
firm it was like and just the different
obstacles you got to avoid on that one
um it’s a tight RPP like it really is a
tight RPP and they’ve made that hole
look really really easy over the years
and it did not did not feel easy at all
but it’s all it again all those like
fringes that just kind of encroach on
the green a little bit and just drive so
much of your decision- making was
something I’ll always remember and
appreciate just a little bit more um and
why you see guys with great short games
usually do well on this golf course but
yeah just uh last few questions here
like um you know any any tournament teas
that you looked back at and we’re like
oh my God like that shows you like just
how ridiculous it is some of the
lengthening of the course that has had
to be undergo technology yep uh holes 5
7 8 11 13 14 and 18 uh were the ones
that I’m like that it’s a massive cap
between these two two T’s that
completely completely completely changes
the whole and uh and that was yeah that
gosh 11 is insane like it is just almost
like off the property it’s it’s insane
so what was your offc course experience
like did you get to do get any stuff
from the the Pro Shop did you get to
have any lunch what’s what was that so
lunch a breakfast was offered up but I
didn’t want to I didn’t want to waste
time with any of that when you get your
one hour of of leadup time so skipped
out on that did go to the Pro Shop they
didn’t have much Augusta National gear
out on like I I got a belt and a sweater
that had Augusta National on it and and
a few ball markers the rest was all
still Master stuff but again didn’t try
anything on I was like I hope this fits
thankfully it did end up fitting when I
got home but did a brief bit of shopping
uh but again that was going to eat up
into my range in practice time also so
kfish did you travel with your clubs in
case you were selected or did you have
to play with a set from Lost and Found I
did I had a wedding in DC the week
before lugged my clubs all the way to DC
then lugged them to Augusta just in case
I hit the 10% chance that uh I would hit
the lottery and uh it happened to have
hit so glad I did that almost lost my
clubs coming back from Scotland so that
was I was lucky that they they made it
back in time so any any hole you have a
better appreciation for I guess um I
mean you said 15 but like I wonder just
like standing on any of those tea boxes
any any sort of special feelings that
you got that you wouldn’t have thought
otherwise about any certain other than
like man it’s such a really good test to
do each of these holes four times like
for the course of the of Master’s
Tournament of like four different pins
to do it four different times different
wins and like it not it’s not going to
be the same every time you play it it
just never is just a little way more
appreciation for all that it’s it’s not
stock golf shots it is a feel your way
around it it’s a uh Golf Course inspires
a lot of creativity and and shot making
and and and different skills and it
again this tell me if this sounds dumb
it’s just so fun it was just so fun to
hit the shots like it it again I I I
don’t want Pine Valley is a bad one to
pick on but like I I wouldn’t walk off
some of these courses and just like
Marian was a very fun place to play but
I wouldn’t describe like every shot I
hit as super fun you know what I mean it
was incredible experience but like these
this is closer to how I feel at the old
course how I feel at pineh her 2 how I
feel it sweetens of like you just want
to keep hitting it like the and the way
it punishes you is weirdly fun and you
always got a shot with the next one and
uh I I don’t know I I was s pleasantly
surprised how much fun I had again that
may sound incredibly obvious but it was
just that much uh of an enjoyment so I
I’m probably repeating at this point I
think it’s probably time we wrap uh
because I think two hours is the quote
of uh I people probably already want to
punch me but um listen that’s that’s my
that’s my brain dump from probably the
best golf experience I’ve ever had and I
I thank all of you for being it uh being
willing to be entertained by it I was
very much entertained thank you for for
sharing it along with the way with me
all right thank you all for tuning in uh
you can subscribe to our podcast
anywhere you find it subscribe to our
YouTube channel check out tour sauce
coming out this Wednesday uh subscribe
to our no Lup podcast YouTube channel as
well we’ll keep putting up video
podcasts and uh we’ll see you back here
next time thank you for tuning in cheers
back
43 Comments
Wow KVV looking like a completely different person
What bet did KVV lose?
God DAmn KVV. bring that beard back! PLEASE
Great show guys. Soly, your narrative was sincere and evocative. Well done!
Who’s that guy on the right lol
Really pleased for you and. Brendan. Andy Johnson playing with his persimmons last year was awesome, too 😂
KVV….ten years younger…
Wowww Soly must be nice. Wish I were that lucky. Just kidding that’s awesome dude couldn’t have happened to a better person!! Loved this
I have Neil’s hat!
As someone with a turf grass management degree, a lot of cables up trees are actually lighting rods…especially at a place like ANGC
I think we can now put to bed the idea that if an amateur started on the green at the farthest point from the hole they wouldn’t win the masters.
the greens are tough but let’s not pretend average players would 4 putt every green
Why is he so disappointed with 79?
What is solys history with poker? He uses lots of phrases and fits the mold of a guy who would get caught up in the boom. Could definitely see him grinding 2/5 at bestbet in jax back in the killhouse days
Loving Soly's backdrop! Amsterdam XXX
After KVV finally gets the chance to play, we need the generational driver of the golf ball MISTER TEE CEE to go carve it up. #SharedProsperity
Awesome!!! Great storytelling on this one and the great shots from the past add ins were perfect. Happy for you Soly!! 🫡 Hope KVV gets it next year
Nice job, Soly & NLU team. Appreciate the recap. Hope KVV gets to play at some point.
✌️🪷⛳
The disclaimer read was really, really, impressive
too bad there wasn't a "Surreal" counter for Soly
Crazy thing is…I'd have listened to this if it was another hour long.
Remember the Titans references never fail to add to any situation in life.
Soly, happy to work with you on your back issues. When you're ready to make a difference in your fitness, I've got a great place for you to start.
Where did you take a piss?
Do member tees have a slope rating?
Do you tip the caddies?
The word of the day is “smothered”
Neil daisy chaining Zyns throughout (e.g. dropping the Phil Mickelzyn in the trash https://youtu.be/WW-yIlkE0RQ?si=Kwjvo-FhDLeRifoQ&t=2889)
Was hoping to see this. It’s obvious how much this meant to you. Incredible job creating something that has resulted in opportunities like this. Hang in there KVV. You’ll get your day. 🤣.
Nice new podcast setup kvv, very classy
I could’ve listened to 6 hours of this. ANGC has that effect on us golf whackos, but credit to the storyteller too. Soly talks about golf with such passion and emotion, it makes it easy to listen to. The greatest game.
How do u not turn the radio completely off and roll all the windows down on your drive up magnolia lane!?
Agree everyone complains for attention, sans Masters and Super Bowl
Tiger's shot on 7 in 2019 comes to mind for me. First moment of that day that the crowd felt he had a good chance.
Legit LOL when KVV said “it’s a difficult game and it breaks everyone”
Girlfriend: honey what r you doing
Me: I’m listening to some dude I never met play a golf course I’ll never see
Seriously my favorite podcast I have ever listen to! Thanks
That's a VIVID walkthrough- feel like I was there! KVV and Neil got next…
This was awesome. Such a good listen. Love seeing KVV's reactions to Soly's shots and hole breakdowns too. Just a guy that's sharing the joy of the opportunity with his friend. Great stuff guys!
This was excellent, happy for you Soly!
so good.
Usually you guys by now put up a preview of the next weeks event. Didn’t get around to it this week?
Strange, given its a sellout and one of the biggest events of the year outside of the majors
My favorite part is Neil ripping through an entire tin of Zyn during the probably four hour uncut recording
7th…the momentum changer in 2019