Jason Kokrak LIV Golf Smash GC | This Week in Golf Interview on radio across Canada with host Chris McKee.
so we’re joined Now by Jason kokra on this week golf Jason appreciate you joining us hey thanks for having me appreciate uh appreciate the invite so we’ll start with the obvious we’re up here in Canada across Ontario and BC and Alberta start with easy question you were born in North Bay but then moved to the US not long after so how did it come to be that you were born in North Bay and why’ you leave well uh my mom is Canadian she lived there uh most of her life in North Bay uh live kind of south of Toronto got a couple of family members that still live in North Bay and through the Toronto area um my dad and I or my dad and her met uh on a vacation trip somewhere and I was kind of a happy accident and I think uh my mom just kind of was up visiting family and I happened to come about so uh I think that’s kind of how it all uh all came about uh being born up in Canada and then uh my dad had a business down in uh North Eastern Ohio uh dry cleaner so um that was going to be the the main source of income so that was kind of the area that we need needed to move to but uh spent a lot of winners and a lot of uh you know time visiting her family and ice fishing and doing all the Canadian stuff I grew up playing hockey and it’s just uh it’s a it’s a fun place to go visit but a little too cold for me especially being a golfer no doubt have you been back any time since you know what I haven’t been back in quite some time I’ve uh played the Canadian open quite a few times uh while I was playing the PJ tour but uh I haven’t been back quite a while I’ve got my own family now in uh Northeast Eastern Ohio was live living in Charlotte for a few years but now back uh towards the the Cleveland area so I was the sports reporter for a very brief time for the North Bay nugget so I I lived up in North Bay for a little bit so you’re still a legend up there so I’ll give you that so well that’s good my I guess my name travels all the way up there nowadays that’s fun they still they still speak well of you so Jason take me back to your time on the PGA tour so you’re absolutely RedHot winning four tournaments between October 2020 to December 2021 then at some point around that time you get a phone call or email from your agent or manager telling you about this new golf league you know just talk about your initial reaction to that to kind of how you end up making the move to live well I mean I kind of started off being a a golf Saudi Ambassador for uh a couple of years and you know all the talks about another League coming about and you know all the animosity that was causing on the PGA tour but um you know when I got the call I you know I was semi-in interested because I’ve already had a you know pre-existing relationship with those guys so um I I wasn’t uh you know all for it at first I wasn’t against it by any means but uh it was kind of all about just a situational uh thing about who was going who was making the jump and who I was end going to go with um long story short I made uh they made a couple of attempts and a couple offers I said no to and kind of you know put that to put that to rest and then Brooks called me uh right around the US Open at the Country Club and uh we talked about it and you know we kind of got an offer on the table for him and an offer on the table for myself and it made sense to to sign on together and you know move move forward and you know do this whole live thing and see how see how it goes so it was a definitely uh you know a lot of stress on me and my family and you know making that that type of a decision you know getting just walking away from the PGA Tour I I hope that you know everything Co comes to back together at least I can go play a couple of the events that I won but uh that that’s really the the some of the tournaments I do miss miss going to play but uh yeah it was quite interesting the the about six months six plus months of you know negotiation and you know talking with them am I going am I not and you know there was a lot of speculation uh if if I was going and a lot of people were coming to me for answers and I was just like you guys probably know more than I do but uh it’s was just kind of going with the flow and if the offer was right and uh you know after Brooks called me and wanted me to sign on with his team for uh a better part of however long our contract is I I can’t even remember now but uh enjoying it a lot more time with uh my family back home in Cleveland and you know uh it’s uh definitely takes the ease of the the the day-to-day week to week grind on the PJ tour awesome well we’re joined by Jason KRA of Smash GC on live so let’s go back to your time on the PGA tour so mention those wins between 2020 and 2022 you win the CJ cup Charles Schwab Houston open and the QBE shootout all within about a 14mon span I mean the I mean the hole must have been looking like you know a basketball net at that point what was working well for you during that run I had a I had a driver tailor made Sim driver that I was absolutely Hitting off off the planet really hitting it well hitting it straight you know down the Fairway a lot of lot of looks uh and then you know I think I just got comfortable you know obviously with my Caddy d David Robinson Dr Rob as we call him but uh you know him reading the greens me and being comfortable a little bit of confidence and uh giving myself a lot of looks uh you know gave me gave me that confidence uh Shadow Creek was obviously the first win but uh unfortunately not a lot of people around to to witness that but I’m very comfortable on Shadow Creek I’ve played it quite a few times my got family that live in Vegas spent a lot of time out there so played that place a lot so I was very comfortable coming down the stretch uh there and it was not quite cruise control I definitely was nervous but uh you know the t-ball on 18 after I crushed it down the Fairway was a little bit easier hitting a wedge into a part five but uh you know same thing in Houston open I was actually um story I was thinking about withdrawing because I was trying to play that world ranking game and I was on the the range with my swing coach in my ear I had my headphone on and I was thinking about withdrawing and my agent’s trying to talk me into playing David’s trying to talk me into playing I’m just like I don’t know what I’m going to do and uh I found something uh on the range with Drew and D Rob and Kevin and I just uh you know I I just kind of ball struck myself around that place around the greens was tough so you know missing greens I think a lot of people were struggling and you know I came down to that back nine and made a a couple great uh putts through that stretch David uh kept kept my nerves calm on you know 16 17 and 18 and you know got that uh that that win in Houston open so you’re now a member of Smash GC for those listening on radio Jason’s got his smash hat on right now and so has being a part of a team changed your approach to golf or even enjoyment level in golf uh yeah I think uh you know every it kind of brings everybody back to college golf having a good time with uh your friends that you know and you know out here there’s a lot of different personalities I think it’s okay not to get along with people or have disagreements you know we’re all adults here so um you know I think uh if you find the guys that are you know you you like to be around and practice with and you know just be be a team bounce ideas off of I think uh that that brings a new aspect and a little bit of a refreshing uh feel to the game of golf considering you know the the entirety of golf is mostly individ ual but uh it’s still an individual game I got to take care of what I need to take care of and you know and then we come together as a team we win in Vegas we’ve had a couple other team wins it’s just uh it’s fun to have that uh that secondary atmosphere uh outside of the own individual game we’re joined by Jason KRA and for those unfamiliar his smash teammates are of course Captain Brooks Kea last year’s Liv champ Taylor G and the notorious grah McDow so walk us through a typical conversation amongst the four of you before each event you know you’re in Nashville this week what’s what’s the chat amongst the four of you going into this week well I think it’s uh you know Brooks coming off of a major last week uh I think he’s a little bit uh tired didn’t play a practice round but we played a practice round back nine GMAC and uh gu and I um you know just kind of fun loving kind of picking each other’s brains like uh about you know the firmness of the greens where to play a couple of you know Miss spots to miss uh but it’s very relaxed I mean there’s not a lot of pressure because I know that gmax a veteran player gu is a a a class world class golfer you know and obviously Brooks is one of the best players in the last decade or two and uh myself I you know I got hot at the right time and I think I’m rounding back into shape so uh it it’s been it’s been a lot of fun I I’ve I’ve really enjoyed it so checking out your Instagram you guys all the team hanging out at like Houston Astros games and then doing a golf clinic for indigenous kids down in Australia I mean do you guys keep communication kind of all year round I mean is there I mean look you know there’s it’s not show friends it’s show business but is there uh you know is there a friendship amongst you guys oh for sure I mean uh you know as I said before there’s guys that you get along with and there’s guys that you don’t but uh the team that we have this year we we definitely mesh pretty well anytime uh I I shoot a message out or anything like that they get back uh real quick and we always talk about doing something outside of a live event together so you know that goes the show show you that how close this team is and uh you know it’s it’s it’s a great atmosphere um I won’t say it’s much better than any other year but you know we got four guys that uh we don’t have to worry about take care of you know each other’s business and you know we uh we want to win a few more times than we have I think we’ve uh you know underplayed with uh how we’ve played this year you know we haven’t uh hit our stride quite yet well speaking of when you did get that team win back at Live Las Vegas and February I mean how exciting is that being a part of a team when as opposed to an individual win obviously not as sweet but still kind of exciting your eyes or yeah it’s definitely exciting I mean I had a I had a chance Graham had a chance coming down the stretch that’s always fun gu obviously playing uh really well uh pretty much every week but uh you know it’s it was nice to get a a team win I think Graham was that was his first team win so he’s like I don’t know what to do up here so nonetheless it it was fun to to have the team win outside of an individual winning but uh I think we’re ready to have one of us win a tournament and have a team win so hopefully that’s uh this week so we’re joined by Jason kraak Li Golf and so Jason you’re currently number 26 in the Live points or the rankings just past the halfway point of the season and so for those unfamiliar Liv golf has relegation much like the English Premier League and that so if you don’t perform you get dropped or punted from the league I mean how stressful is that looming you know possibility of relegation in your mind well I think it’s a little different uh in some of our cases I think uh everybody has a different uh contract level uh a different number of years that they’ve signed on for so there’s going to be some guys that you’ll see relegated and you’ll be see some other guys uh picked up if they’ve played uh bad enough but um I think they only have a couple of spots that get actually get relegated you’ll see a couple guys probably sign on next year but um you guys probably know more than I do about that I’m I’m just trying to keep my head down grind it out and uh play as well as I can so you have a you can’t get relegated anytime soon is that too much specifics yeah pretty much I I can’t get relegated the next couple years so we’ll be okay let’s Comfort again so well Jason I mean we all saw Bryson to shambo’s incredible performance last week of the US Open I mean you guys are playing Nashville this week is there a feeling that Bryson’s success could translate to more success for live golf in the United States even as early as this this week in Nashville is there any kind of additional Buzz based on what Bryson did this past week oh no question uh I think uh they’ve been sold out on Saturday for a few weeks now and they’re just about sold out for Friday and uh Sunday so um I think the the the crowds are getting bigger and bigger uh around a live event being a little bit too I mean we’re a good 40 minutes outside of downtown Nashville but um yeah we’re expecting big crowds a party hole this week here in Nashville so it’s uh we’re well we’re we’re calling It smash Nashville so uh it it’ll be fun it’s it’s a great atmosphere a great town and uh hopefully we’ll uh we’ll pull off that uh Second team W of the uh the year cool so we’re joined by Jason KRA so Jason like uh we’re on mean a couple stations across Canada one of them in Saga 960 across Ontario we were the first radio station in North America to airli golf so I was on I helped what we did we took the TV feed and then I would be on watching because sometimes on TV there’s a 20 second silence well doesn’t necessarily work for radio so I would jump in kind of doing the play byplay so I’ve been on the live train maybe a little bit earlier than some of the other broadcasters across North America so I’m I’m a big Liv guy you know in I had Jerry folz on about a year ago and he helped me understand the team aspect and it kind of changed my perspective and makes a bit more sense and so you know you you were one of the initial guys uh you know one of the earlier guys going to live but how much of an excitement or morale bump was it when you saw John ROM coming to live a couple months ago and that was you know record-breaking news all over not just golf media but all over you know mainstream media as well well I think anytime you get a player of that Caliber Caliber to to sign on with Liv something that’s uh relatively new to the golf world I mean definitely going to shake things up I mean you you know when Dustin was the first one to go and then Brooks you know you talk about cam Smith Bryson all these guys uh you know following and then John ROM signing on to you know round out I guess the 13th team but uh um it’s just one of those things the the bigname players the guys that move the needle uh seem to be coming over to live and some of the other players not to take anything away from what they’re doing on the PGA tour uh you know I think we have uh a little a step up right now we have personalities on this tour we have guys that can relate to you know a few more people out there um you know reach a different audience I guess uh I think with uh it’s just a different different type of atmosphere at a live event compared to a PJ Tour event so I’m hoping to get to live West Virginia coming up in August because that’s drivable for me I’m up in Toronto area so be about a seven eight hour drive to get down there so hopefully bumy in person there so there seems to be some sort of framework in place or at least you know a deal in the works between Liv PJ tour and DB tour what’s your personal interest level of if allowed going back and jumping on a PJ Tour event or even DP Tour event in 2025 and Beyond is there like do you even care to show up to anything or I mean uh I I would have some interest in playing a a select few events I think uh having a little bit uh smoother pathway I guess you could say back to playing those events or choosing a a few other or an invite or what what have you I think it’s uh I think we just need to kind of call it what it is I mean Liv is going to be here for a while PJ tour is not going anywhere uh I think everybody just needs to start playing nice and you know they have some elite players in the world we have some elite players in the world and you know who who knows what’s actually G to happen because I sure don’t but I I just I would rather see less animosity between the two um you know I my my view is uh sure I probably shouldn’t even say it but it’s it’s uh I just want everybody to just you know drop the act of you know I I don’t agree with this I took some heat last week from uh an older guy that I was just like you know it doesn’t really matter I’ve already made my decision I’ve been here for you know a number of years like if you’re going to say something three years ago was the time to say something not now so um I I just wish that we could play a like if I wanted to play the CJ cup or the Houston open again I mean I know uh Mr Crane would love to have me back as a past Champion so um I’d love to come back and play those events if if uh if I’m invited if not I’m more than happy spending those extra weeks at home with my family Co I wish I got you last week on on the show when they were uh doing all the tequila and maybe a little bit looser with that and so two quick two quick questions here to wrap up so one I know you dad two kids right yeah two boys seven and five so has being a live player allowed you you know a little bit of lesser schedule was allowed you to be a better father and husband maybe well I’m definitely more present um obviously you know I travel quite a bit for for work be before but uh yeah I uh I’m very much enjoying more time you know I I’m looking forward to you know when they start playing more Sports and being able to either coach or be present or just go into more things and you know just you know their faces when I show up to you know their the church camp or what just pick them up in in in Dad’s truck is it goes a long way to just being home and present and then last least so we’re joined by Jason krack from Smash GC predictions for Liv Nashville what’s what’s the feeling amongst you guys heading into this week uh I think uh playing with the the guys I think Brooks is B uh you know I think you know Brooks kepus Brooks kepus he’s going to play well most of the time uh gu is rounding into shape GM had a great finish in Houston and uh I’ve been trending a little bit here and there so hopefully we uh we all come together and one of us takes down the individual championship and uh we we take it as a team as well awesome Jason K thank you out for your time best of luck for the rest of the week and hopefully we can do this again soon sounds good thank you
