Generation Next is here now. What should the Tour do about it? | Golf Channel Podcast

In this week’s edition, the guys discuss what the John Deere victory means for Davis Thompson’s career, how the continued hot play of the young stars is a good problem for the Tour, and what Rory McIlroy should be asked at the Scottish Open. #GolfChannel #PGATour

Chapters:
0:00: Davis Thompson gets win No. 1 at the Deere
03:30: Are the early-era Scottie Scheffler comps fair or foul?
07:30: Luke Clanton and Michael Thorbjornsen continue to shine
15:30: Rory McIlroy headlines Scottish Open. What should the media ask him?
25:00: Rex heads off on a 5-week work trip … but at least he has some help.
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Generation Next is here now. What should the Tour do about it? | Golf Channel Podcast
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hello and welcome into this edition of the golf Chan podcast with Rex and lav apologies in advance for what is a very Nas delivery I have a cold despite the heat index being 110 degrees wow over the past five days but I digress Rex you were in the Delta Sky Lounge we will get to that in just a moment Davis Thompson go dogs is a winner on the PGA tour rolling to a four shot victory at the John Deere Classic on the strength of a Sunday 64 Rex in the aftermath fellow Bulldog Brendan Todd damn good dog says that Davis Thompson is a perennial Ridder copper and future major winner Ian Baker Finch on the CBS telecast com compared him repeatedly to Scotty sheffler what say you is this a rising star uh he is a rising star uh that all seems a little breathless to me to be honest with you based on his record because we haven’t seen this until the last two or three weeks to be honest with you so I don’t think we need to get ahead of ourselves what he did on Sunday the John Deere was very impressive one bogey over the course of that final round you could tell he was really nervous you could tell he was dealing with a lot of things I sent you a text message and I assumed you were gonna do a screenshot and put it up on the podcast because I I capitulate I have agreed that okay he can smile we saw it we now have a picture of it there he goes he’s fishing for it now uh he will smile it just did not look like he enjoyed himself but again this goes back to the idea and there it is for the I apologize for the audio audience but that is that that th did he know that the picture was going to be taken like it’s usually like a one two3 cheese type situation i’ I’d never seen his teeth before I I didn’t I didn’t know that he was capable of of of such emotion at least that’s Joy H I assume you watched the interview with Amanda afterwards on CBS because I was really curious to see what the emotions were going to be like and there were actually a surprising amount of emotions coming out of him his wife was there the idea that he there was he was crying almost he was fighting back tears see he’s Scotty sheffler Rex he’s Scotty sheffler he loves his wife is he h is that is that the line we’re going to draw right there I I I feel like that’s a lot and and I thought about this on the plane I’m in Atlanta as you pointed out I’m in the Sky Lounge I I thought about this on the flight up here because his his father is Todd Thompson and he’s the tournament director at the RSM classic and he is a legend of Georgia junr Golf and he’s a legend now in St Simon’s Island that’s my fifth major we’ve all a that so I I was rooting for him I I wanted him to get that first Victory I wanted him to get that breakthrough breakthrough however there’s no denying the fact anyone that wants that final round I’m going to go back to the line I used last week on last Sunday’s podcast that if you didn’t know anything about gol and you just tuned in and you just wanted to see oh what’s this all about you would have thought he was being held against his will and again using the same line I used last week but he did not look like he was enjoying himself uh he certainly didn’t even though he made what seven birdies in his first 11 holes on Sunday basically snuffed any and all drama out of the proceedings at TPC Deer Run I do want to give Rex ibf the benefit of the doubt here with these Davis Thompson Scotty sheer comparisons because on the surface they seem wildly unrealistic if not total lunacy I I sort of see where he’s coming from in the in the sense that DT does have and has amassed a impressive resume over his career he’s the former number one ranked amateur in the world coming out of Georgia he had I think three College wins he was on a US Walker Cup team he’s got his card through the corn fairy tour where he played well during his apprenticeship there he’s six foot4 he kind of has that uh prototypical golfer build that’s modern now he’s softspoken and I I think what he was trying to say ibf was trying to say is that is that Davis Thompson now in what is a year and a half almost two years on the PJ tour has three run finishes and he’s kind of been knocking on the door and this can be quote unquote the first of many except the problem with that is that Davis Thompson has just six top 10 finishes and what is 60-some career starts if you compare that to Scotty Sheffer and what Scotty sheffler did over the same span Scotty sheffler had a 61% top 10 rate in his first couple of seasons on the PJ tour he has always been this Relentless this inevitable this mind-numbingly consistent player so I don’t quite see the comparison there I I do think that Davis Thompson can have and will have a very nice career he’s already a top 15 player statistically on the PGA tour absolutely I think he’s shown was sort of the head-to-head battle last year with John Ram when which he came up one shot shy he was also a runner up uh earlier this year in Myrtle Beach opposite field event and even last week in Detroit where he didn’t really have a chance to win and finish one shot shy uh there uh in in in the Motor City as well like he can put himself in contention he’s on a bit of a nice run here but please comparing him to Scotty Shu at this point just is is not doing anyone any favors well and it might have been it look in Ian Baker Finch’s defense or anyone at CBS or even Golf Channel they’re you’re trying to sell these events and I did want to have a a brief conversation about the idea that John Deere Classic this event is used as sort of the Prototype of every time we’re having a conversation about the future of the PGA Tour and okay if we have elevated events and we have Majors what on left what else is there really going to be on the vine for fans for players to participate in and this is always used as the example what happens to the John Deere Classics of the world and and I have a tremendous amount of respect for this event I’ve been to silvus a couple of times it’s it’s the biggest sporting event in that town it’s really really special to them and this week was equally special and so I understand why CBS and everyone El is going to try to sell this a little bit more than probably they should you’re right he is a really really good player he has a huge feature ahead of him the way he he puted certainly this week and last week is encouraging because if he can find a way to to harness some of that going forward I think he could be I’m not gonna say Scotty sheffler ask but I’m gonna let’s go Xander shaay like whatever comparison you want to make on that front he he could be have a wonderful career and I think he is going to have a wonderful career but no he’s not Scotty Sheffer he I don’t know about pero Ryder copper I don’t know and again you’re the Georgia Bulldog Homer here so you’re the one that’s going to get breathless more than any of us and the fact that you’re dialing everyone down is probably the voice of reason on this if I want to admit it I don’t think if I if I were to get a little breathless for just a moment I don’t think the US president Cup team this year is totally an outrageous scenario uh the standings have not yet updated Davis Thompson entering the John Deere classic was 30th in the point standings I would largely think based on some quick Matthew that he would at least crash the top 20 since May he has the runner finished Myrtle Beach again an opposite field event on the PJ tour but a top 10 at the US Open runner up last week in Detroit now a victory he’s going to be playing the Scottish he’s gonna be playing the Open Championship if he can continue this sort of form I I think he’s exactly the sort of player that Jim fck would want to sort of fill out that backend roster sort of bet on the future get him into the mix make sure everyone knows him try to get him adjusted to that to if you know he’s needed for Beth Page black in 2025 he’s ready to go with that requisite experience I don’t know Rex since you were traveling how much you dug into this other storyline that emerged on Sunday from the John Deere classic but the Young Guns Luke Clanton and Michael Thor bornon both tied for second Clanton becomes the first amateur to record back-to-back top 10 finishes on the PJ tour since 1958 meanwhile Thor who’s making just his third Career Pro start he was number one in the uh PJ tour university rankings for the top graduating senior ties for second as well it’s clear now rex that these kids are coming and they’re coming quite fast are we becoming numb though to these achievements of these young kids coming out and starring right away on the PGA tour I think we are because as you pointed out this hasn’t happened in 70 something years I’m not really good at math but if I’m figuring it out that that’s an amazing stat that you just threw out there when and this goes back to Nick Dunlap where he did something that no one had done since Phil Mickelson did when Phil Mickelson was a an amateur and so I I think we are sort of dismissing the idea of how special this is and if you asked probably the best comp is I was texting with a tour player tonight on the flight up and he was talking we were having this exact same conversation about 15 years ago maybe even 10 years ago players who were still amateurs players who were still in college didn’t show up on the PGA tour and did this that’s what made what Phil did so special that’s what made what Nick Dunlap did so special well they didn’t by and large do this like if you look at sort of spe spe tied for 16th as a 16-year-old in the 2010 Byron Nelson 16th I mean you’re you’re talking about back-to-back top 10 finishing that’s a huge difference between that Lee McCoy and Tampa finish top five but I I think the point is that they were they were more kind of Hit or Miss hit hit or miss talents who would come and go there was not this continued excellence and even an expectation that these guys would play well well and you had your Tiger Woods’s and your Phil Mickelson’s and and you can sit and start picking off players I remember Charles how made a splash as an amateur you know briefly before he ended up turning pro like there were the sort of the one-offs but you didn’t have this where there was a moment in time not so much on Sunday but there was a moment in time when I was watching the tournament on Saturday thinking to myself that yeah and Amish could win this event like we could have two in one season it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility until uh Davis Thompson started pulling away on Sunday but man I it’s really special and I think you’re absolutely right I think we do dismiss how difficult this is I think we do dismiss how fully developed these players are they show up as fully formed adult men who are ready to compete on the PGA tour I certainly think that’s uh been the been a large improvement over these past 10 or 15 years sort of the the the gap between Elite amateur and successful touring Pro I I don’t think that Gap has ever been smaller than it is right now and you can go into the the Myriad factors that go into that whether it’s Fitness whether it’s nutrition whether it’s the quality of golf courses that colleges are playing obviously equipment plays a huge part in this and you look at those two players in particular Luke Clanton and Michael Thor bornon Clanton was top five this past week at the deer in approach Play Thor bornon was top five this week off the te like these are incredible hitters of the golf ball from a ball striking standpoint they’re as good as anyone right now even if they’re either making their third career start or a rising Junior uh Florida State University I do think Rex it goes to show with this with this increasingly small Gap that whatever the future of the PJ tour is going to look like whenever this new model comes out for 2026 it has to involve more opportunities for players like like Clanton anthon Bon I don’t think there should be like some sort of Auto PJ tour card just because you have a top 10 finish or a top five finish in the PG T that’s not what that I’m saying here but Luke clanton’s amateur record he is is surging up the rankings he he played uh he was a contender for the h Haskins world for the top college player he was on the team that made the finals of the NCAA championship before they lost to Auburn like so you couple his amateur success with what he’s already done uh playing in professional tournaments like he can get his PJ tour card through what is called this accelerated program under PJ tour but he’s going to have to wait until after his Junior season that’s another year from now so he has to spend another year playing college and amateur golf playing More tour starts on these sponsor exemptions is he ready right now to make the leap I think only Luke Clanton can answer that I think Nick Dunlap would have preferred a couple more months of seizing but but any model for what the future is going to look like has to involve a more direct pipeline not just for the top guys but I think for three to five of them because they’ve shown that that they can handle us uh they talked about it on The Telecast and I like PGA toour you and look I don’t want to get pulled into this conversation we’ll leave this to Brentley ran and everyone else who follows this much closer closer than you and I do but yes it’s serving a purpose and you’re seeing it right now I guess if I’m going to voice a cautionary tale here it’s going to be Nick Dunlap because we had a long conversation when he won the American Express about should he shouldn’t he what what what’s he gonna do you made a very interesting pitch that he should not maybe he should go back and play college golf for that one final year and be with his team I I dismissed the idea based on everything we know about PGA Tour this year just because of the changes just because he had an opportunity once in a lifetime opportunity to play in all the Signature Events to play in I think three of the four major championships at that time when he won the American Express so he had everything ahead of him I still think he made the right decision however he has struggled since then he’s not played very well and I think he is going to be the cautionary Tale on this front because you’re right I I think a player can come out and have two or three or four good weeks that should not get you a PGA Tour card it should get you an opportunity to get a PGA Tour card but the the tour needs to be careful here you don’t just don’t want to start ding them out just because you had a player like what’s happened now where you had back-to-back top 10 finishes and okay let’s give him a tour card I don’t think that serves anyone it certainly doesn’t serve the player very well and doesn’t serve the membership very well I think what will in I think in time what’s going to be more impactful for the PJ tour is not actually this pijor University program for the graduating seniors whether it’s lude viob Berg whether it’s now Michael theor born and I actually think this accelerated program which dos out PG toour cards uh to a player if they re if they achieve certain benchmarks in their career and they it’s it’s based on a point system you get points for made Cuts in the PG tour you get points for becoming world number one winning important College tourament of something of that ilk so like you’ve clearly built up your resume to that point I think it’s going to be very interesting to see if they stick with that Junior season because right now Gordon Sergeant is a PJ Tour player so happens to be playing another year of college golf he already has his PJ tour card locked up through that accelerator program Luke Clanton the way that he’s played this summer coupled again with his amateur success will be very close to locking that up as well I just think there’s going to be an increased push to potentially put that as a sophomore season if you can acrw enough points doing what you’re supposed to do in college at amateur golf that sort of validates you as an upcoming Star who is worthy of consideration on on the PGA tour Rex you mentioned that you are in the Delta Skyland that is because you were heading to Scotland you will be the golf Central reporter this week for the Scottish open where yes a very good field has assembled although Scotty sheffler is not in the field the headliner of course is going to be Roy mroy who is making his first start since he did not speak to the media following that crushing runner-up finish at the US Open you’re going to be the reporter Rex what do you want to ask him you’re on mute I know this is your first time doing a muted call you wanted me to mute because you didn’t like the Ambient sound from the Delta Sky Lounge so that’s on me audio Med yes uh I will say everything we wanted to ask him on Sunday at Pinehurst and I’ll start with the idea of it’s a month later you’re really gonna ask him that well yeah what with the emotions I do want to know that and I guess if you transition from that was it a learning experience at all because he’s talked about this before about the idea that every time he’s lost he’s learned something from it he’s gotten better he he’s he’s given himself an opportunity so are you really going to do that this time around very nice I just saw the the the the headline bar go up that’s awesome good for you um the idea that every time you you put yourself in this situation where you’ve suffered this heartbreaking loss and you put yourself out there in front of the world that you’ve learned something from it what did you learn from this particular instance and and look yes I still want to know because we didn’t have the opportunity to ask him on Sunday night at Pinehurst and I guess going forward I mean the Open Championship this is your last chance to get off the major snide is there a sense of urgency now in everything you’re going to do building up towards Royal trun yeah I think I think the main question I I think you hit on the head there was what could be learned from that Sunday at Pinehurst that can be applied for next time and keep in mind he has fared quite well in the Open Championship over the past decade or so six top six finishes in his last eight op like you would think barring some sort of crazy weather and he gets on the wrong side of the draw like that Ro M should figure prominently in the proceedings in a couple weeks time at the 156 open I also want to know Rex was what happened Sunday at Pinehurst more physical or was it more mental we saw the mistake uh with with some of the drives that he left out there we saw the mistake uh with some of his short putting uh he hit like the equator of the golf ball on the 7 on the put in the 72nd ho or was that just like the mental wires completely going haywar like was that all of the learnings that he’s he’s aced over the past couple years with Bob Rotella and staying calm and staying presentent and focusing on on what he needs to did that like just completely go out the window during that final hour which was pretty frenetic in some of the best viewing that we’ve had all year long like those are those are the two things for me I’m not sure he would necessarily answer them uh honestly but I mean to me to me that seemed like a mental breakdown a mental breakdown that we really haven’t seen of a player of his caliber in a major since I’m thinking of spe Phil Wingfoot I mean I mean spe and the Masters yeah uh in 2016 I’m thinking DJ 72nd hole a Chambers Bay in the 2015 open that green was crazy I I’ll give DJ credit on that one uh but spe was also really really honest in the aftermath that and he told us like my arm play Is Not Great this week and we put him in a situation or he put himself in a situation on the 12th hole where he just didn’t feel comfortable and and tried to do something he wasn’t capable of doing that particular we week Rex how about this line of questioning do athletes have a responsibility to talk to the Press afterward do you think Rory will ask be be asked that by the British press or will you be the one who asked it uh I won’t be the one to ask it because I think I was pretty clear when we uh I think I was pretty clear when when I think we we talked about it after whatever happened on of pineh her where I I don’t feel like there’s an obligation and I don’t expect a a player to always sort of acquest to our request that there be an interview however and that particular situation and I think Scott velt on ESPN said it better than anyone else that I heard that okay you don’t have to do it but Phil Mickelson did it when he melted down at Wingfoot Jordan Speed did it when he melted down at the master John vanderville did it when he melted down at the open I can keep going on and on and on that this is what you do as a professional athlete I know it’s uncomfortable I know you don’t want to answer these questions I totally understand it but there was a story to be told there for all the reasons that you just pointed out like I’d love to it’s it’s such a if you want to try to unlock the mental side of this and was it physical or was it mental coming down the stretch because I would argue I think most of us would argue that it was had to be 100% mental because he was what 400 I keep getting this number wrong 467 out of 467 from inside three feet when when it came to those those putts and you missed that one in the most important situation was it a misread did you hit a spike Mark like there’s so many things that that could have gone wrong in that particular situation or did you just feel the pressure of the moment that’s the story that you want to tell on a Sunday night that’s a story that I wanted to write on that Sunday night so yes I I don’t think there’s an obligation so I’m not going to be asking that question and I’m a bit of a coward too so that that’s another reason while I’m not goingon to ask it but I I don’t think there’s an obligation I I we we’ve gone through this when when you get your reign as as the Golf ridy Association president which will be known as the reign of terror for the rest of time because you’re you’re going to be an awful president I could already see it you’re going to ban all Agents from the scrum area from the from the interview area because you don’t want them around their players and you’re G demand that every player answers every question in the interview I don’t believe in that I I believe that at the Olympics they do it and I’m going to be there in a couple weeks and I love the idea that they do this a player has to walk essentially a real a real life Gauntlet like back and forth and you have to look the interviewer in the eye when they ask you Rory can I ask you a question and you have to tell them no and you have to keep walking and that to me is probably the best way of doing it and it seems a little Draconian and seems a little harsh but at least give the interviewer a chance if people are a little skittish about what’s going to happen in the election come November uh I could I could assure you it will it will not be as bad as what happens with the golf Riders Association of America beginning in Spring 2029 I still think so just a couple things to to button this conversation up one I I do think there’s a responsibility particularly in this new world order in which everything is going to be turned for a profit or return on investment particularly with Roy marroy as the face of the PG tour for at least probably the next five years I do think there is somewhat of a spons responsibility there I do think your solution with the gauntlet type situation where he has to has to look me in the eye and say no I am not talking today in which case Okay uh and I I wish you I wish you farewell good sir I do think that that is probably where we need to go in the future and and finally about whether this was physical or mental I still think one of the images of the year when Rory missed that two and a half footer on the 16th green and it it rims out hard his his hand expression to like slow down like like the ball slow down do not go too far away is something I don’t think I’ll ever for get like the the Frailty that that showed in the moment like that this was sort that this was slipping away from him I’d love to dig into what that meant what he was feeling in that moment even if it is a month removed I do think there’s some some answers that we need to that we need to get from Rory well and I love this conversation because I was going to transition and I have to catch a flight so we can’t go too deep on this one but I can’t believe you haven’t brought up your boy Jordan spe who made a made a real run made a serious run on Saturday the John Deere classic and look the John Deere classic is his comfort food that’s his blankie we all know that that’s where Jordan Speed goes when he needs to play well when he needs to get a result and it was coming on Saturday until I got to to the 13th hole and I I went and read this interview because I was really really curious because he had 109 yards from the middle of the Fairway on the 13th hole and he said it was a bad yardage and he pulled it way left and made a bogey and next thing you know things start going sideways and he doesn’t do what probably thought he was going to end up doing which was shoot a sub 60 round because that’s where he was heading in that situation I I am taken by the idea that okay it’s a bad number but missing left on that green to that flag is not the answer the answer is missing it 10 feet or 20 feet short right and then just too putting for your par and moving on that to me is shocking because you have a player of Rory’s caliber which we’re talking about what he did at Pinehurst and now Jordan’s caliber doing this when he has an opportunity to put some real pressure and have an opportunity to win for the first time in a really really long time making a run on Saturday in the deer words that have never been spoken instead he shot a 70 and the final round did Jordan spe and finished outside the top 25 like we we sort of belabored the point on the podcast on Wednesday diving deep into the state of Jordan spe I’m kind of tired of at the moment we have a big enough s season I’m I’m tired of it this season what’s your favorite topic I can’t believe it but he keeps doing the same thing over and over again where he drives it well and he’s not sharp enough with his iron play or his wedge play to take advantage of it the 63 was an aberration for how he played for the rest of the week like this is this is what Jordan spe is at the moment he’s the 60th best player on the PJ tour this season in FedEx Cup and I don’t think it’s it’s unrealistic to see him finishing the season that way picked up two strokes on the field uh approach to the green so it’s not as though he was terrible but he was still midle on a week when the winning score was 28 under par and there was what 16 guys who finished 20 20 deeper under he’s just not sharp enough right now it’s very frustrating I clearly aren’t in the mood no I I’m just I’m just a little tired of of of Jordan we keep we keep wanting more and he keeps disappointing us I don’t think it’s I don’t think it’s unrealistic to want more Al although watch out for spe at the Open Championship that is the major that he’s played the best over the past six or seven years Rex you did mention that you’re about to catch a flight this is like what a four or five week Expedition over to the UK what’s how do you even like pack for that what’s what’s the deal very good Bon that’s impressive uh it’s five weeks it’s interesting that you would ask that so I have done the ultimate hack and we’ll see if we’ll actually have a fun five weeks finding out if it works so all I brought was a carry-on right here next to me you can see it right here and my golf clubs because I’m not an animal and I’m going to play golf during the Scottish open because that’s what you do however uh I did the hack that I ship my all my suits up to Connecticut for the Open Championship because you and I have to wear suits and more on TV so that’s pretty much the uniform of the day and they will ship them back when I’m done with them that week they so you have you have shipping people well you and I both have shipping people and I’m sure you’re not flying 30 you’re also not flying 38b into into Edinburgh are you uh no I believe it’s 5B if if you want to be honest just a real man of the people flying business class and he’s and he has shipping people for all of his suits he’s on television a very a very flying over to Royal TR there tough guy take it easy I think it’s 3A that’s this is this is this is this is not about me uh what are what’s like how did you spend your last couple days in America before you before you set sale for five weeks it was magical uh bunkmate and my oldest son have been in Scotland for the last week and so she will meet me at the airport tomorrow morning when I land uh my oldest son will be be flying home tomorrow so we’ll be be able to see each other quickly I’ll hug him he’ll get on a plane he’ll fly home and then me uh bunk mate uh super producer Andrew Bradley we’ll all join up and we’ll drive over to gullen essentially together for the week at the Scottish open uh there is going to be some golf I’ve already uh arranged that I have North barck in the morning which is going to be fantastic after we get off the plane and then I think we have mirfield on Wednesday afternoon so yeah good stuff oh wow yes North baric my favorite course I’ve have ever played Jason my man hooked me up he he he brought it correct Tyler fitting last week at poner in in club it was fantastic he was perfect yes folks that’s right Rex has a personal Club fitter to go along with his shipping person as well his travel agent to get business class oh yes just a real man that Rex hoger we’ll be back on Wednesday for any news wink wink that might happen over the next couple of days in the world of golf as well as a full preview uh of the Scottish open well Rex again will be the golf Central reporter everyone wish uh Rex some safe travels thanks as always for listening thanks for the support M sports.com golf in the intome we’ll talk to you guys in a couple of days have a great start to your work week