Graeme McDowell joins Jerry Foltz and Su-Ann Heng on Fairway to Heaven to discuss his love of golf, football (or soccer), whiskey, and horse racing. The 2010 U.S. Open champion talks about what it meant to his dad to win on Father’s Day, investing in his hobbies outside of golf, and how he deals with pressure on the golf course. McDowell shares his fun facts about time spent with Sir Alex Ferguson and Lou Holtz and why his son’s favorite golfer in the world is Talor Gooch.
Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro
1:45 – Peter Malnati Wins the Valspar
5:14 – New LPGA Tour Event
6:54 – LIV Miami Preview
12:08 – Graeme McDowell Joins the Podcast
13:50 – McDowell’s Love Story
17:00 – Owning a Competitive Horse
23:13 – Love of Football
29:01 – Grey Coast Irish Whiskey
32:47 – Pouring a Guinness the Right Way
35:00 – Moving to Birmingham for College
41:00 – Winning the U.S. Open
45:40 – Moving to LIV Golf
49:54 – Getting Traded to Smash GC
59:10 – Dealing with the Pressure
1:05:33 – Where Do You See Yourself in 10 Years
1:07:32 – Traveling Around Ireland with a Pigeon
1:11:02 – Graeme McDowell’s Legacy
1:14:51 – Outro
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When are you getting to Miami Sunday morning going to hang out in South Beach for a little bit of course you are that’s what you Superstars do yeah yeah yeah that’s exactly what we and then uh I think there is a possibility that there will be a visit to the tattoo
Parlor uh what else what else happened I got three more I got three more tattoos since I’ve seen you last yes I got it uh last week what are you doing in uh where are you right now I’m in Phoenix Karen yeah Karen is working the Ford Championship lpj new
Lpj event back in my old stomping grounds and of course it’s in right by where I used to live here for years and years I look I mean I look tremendous what can I say it’s uh I don’t know about tremendous but Uh welcome to Fairway to Heaven a live golf podcast my name is Su and hanging with me is Jerry fult my brother who is uh currently in Arizona yes yeah off the plane and then straight to our podcast you’re committed ready to go I wouldn’t have it any other
Way there was a chance we were gonna have to do it from the side of the road on my phone though for a moment there because we drove to the wrong hotel and I used to live here yeah yeah I’m not shocked uh but that would have been kind
Of cool if you did it you know side of the road traveling a traveling podcast yeah yeah yeah yeah that’ll be that’ be funny come listen to the story about a man named Jim let the Old Beverly hillbilly stee song you you’re too young any who um all
Right let’s talk about what happened uh in the golfing world this past week uh Peter melatti he wins the velpar championship he did um quite an emotional win um turned out to be a fairly big story I read this uh thanks to our friend at flushing it h you know
This guy apparently he turned Pro in 2009 played the mini tours before earning special temporary status on the web.com back when it was called web.com uh where he won his seventh start and then uh that got him a PGA Tour C of 2014 which he then lost again and then
Returned to the web.com uh and then he won again that season to regain his PJ TOUR Championship and and then he won the sesern Farms I think right he did T Mississippi Y and then eight and a half years it’s eight and a half years of just hard work dedication he’s uh just
To maintain his tour card get his status keep it there and then he finally want to get in and he’s got his first invite to the Masters how cool is that that’s very cool I know that the first invite to the Masters is pretty amazing uh you
Know what I would love to to say something derogatory because of the battle between live golf and the PJ tour but Peter Mady is literally one of the most harmless human beings I’ve ever known he’s such a nice nice guy so I was really happy for him I didn’t actually
See the end of it once he had the lead coming up the last hole because we had this other thing on in the States called March Madness is very compelling this time of year but I was very happy for Peter who’s your who’s your speaking of
March mtis who is your uh your team well I’m in the land of the Sun Devils but that’s where uh all the people who don’t get into Arizona actually go to school so University of Arizona is my team always been a basketball school so they’re they’re still alive yeah but you
You don’t have any from like Florida that you might be like no rooting for no no there aren’t really any basketball schools in Florida it’s all football land I mean there’s some that that get in the tournament and do well but uh it’s rare the Florida GF Coast made it
To the final four a couple years ago that was pretty fun they were like the the Running Rebels from UNLV of of Years Gone by it was a fun team to watch yeah what about you ballsy I mean I’m a I’m a Syracuse man myself so we’ve basically been completely irrelevant for
The last decade even though we call ourselves a basketball school but uh we made a final four run my sophomore year in college which was just about the most electric few weeks of my entire life oh really wow wow coming from the guy who just got married it was absolute
Pandemonium on campus when we we came back down 15 in Virginia with 7 minutes left and beat them to make the final four and literally the entire school just like started running in circles on campus it was it was so much fun like I my friends I literally talk about it
Pretty much every week I’m glad his wife doesn’t listen to this podcast I’m glad that you know somehow that she doesn’t listen to this podcast even though no one I just she married you [Laughter] smart oh dear me um what else happened Jerry anything on your side of things
Any any uh nuggets you want to share well the lpj is playing a new event right yeah they’re playing a new event at a course uh that I was right down the road from where I lived here in the South I guess it be the South Valley area Southeast Valley area of Phoenix
Phoenix is massive I mean absolutely from a landsize standpoint it’s just so sprawling and so massive um but yeah it’s I’m looking forward to going out there maybe a day or two normally when I travel with Karen I’m more the Cabana Boy like do her laundry and and this
This week at one of those places that has a little kitchenet thingy so make some food or something but yeah and uh it’s funny because we don’t work that many weeks you and I do we do this on Tuesday night and then we do 14 or 15
Weeks of work and I used to do about 35 so it seems like there’s a lot of time off but the only time I really get to rest is when I travel with her her because at home there’s always something to do you know we live in that old
Country house and there’s always something to fix or work on and when I travel I actually can lay on the bed and watch TV for hours and not worry about it so it’s my decompression time nice and speaking of Cabana Boy you do dress
Like one so I guess you fit the role um well that’s kind of a compliment isn’t it no I don’t know yeah I mean there aren’t any ugly cabana boys I mean they exude sexiness I get what you’re saying I know it’s hard to admit but I get
It will Will’s about the puke I I’m I’m about to puke I’m trying to keep my face how about how about we talk about live Miami next week what we what do we look talking about cabana boys yeah speaking of cabana boys and actually good-looking ones uh we’re heading to
Miami uh next week back to direct uh they’re going to play the blue monster it’s going to be different usually we play this for the team championship uh we’re going to play it as an individual event uh in a different time of the year as well so I’m curious to
See what the golf course looks like um I think the weather’s still pretty good in Florida right now isn’t it yeah it’s going to be around 80 a little over 80 every day it’s perfect time year to be in Florida and it’s just a great great great Golf Course obvious it’s kept up
With technology over the years by lengthening of it and it’s I mean it is a long hitters Golf Course every part five I think it’s 590 or more um it’s just it’s and it’s a ball Striker golf course you have to be able hit along you
Have to keep it in the Fairway there’s water everywhere it’s just I mean it’s a beast it’s an absolute beast and it had that reputation even back in the what the 70s and 80s when it was a regular PGA Tour stop all the way up till not
That many years ago it was a regular PJ tour stop is it going to be as windy uh that time of the year does it ever change or is it pretty consistent throughout the year well you’re on the I mean literally the whole State’s a swamp the entire the
Entire Peninsula is a swamp so there’s nothing to block the wind Springtime is usually the windiest time um in Florida so it’s been pretty Breezy every day in Orlando and that’s the most center of the peninsula you can get so closer to the water it’s going to be Breezy yeah
Yeah okay well it’s going to be interesting very different Golf Course to Hong Kong Golf Club you can’t find a golf course more opposite yeah or a city or a city yeah ex exactly exactly uh yeah I’m excited uh who do you think who’s like some of your favorites going
Into Miami you know what’s funny the analytics that you know I’m so big on now since we’ve got so great information that our that our research Department provides us um Champions data and then Duncan over in in the UK and uh and perky um trending nean is going to be in the last
Group uh Dustin Johnson is more than likely going to be in the last group this is this is what I consider the two guys who are likely going to be leading heading into Sunday but you have some oddballs in there statistically who suit this course really well uh one of them
Being Believe It or Not Graham McDow from some of the things that are important for this course even though he doesn’t have the length that some of the longer guys do and uh Matt Jones is trending to somebody who should be keep an eye out for this week so the the dark
Horses if you will from a live field standpoint if there is such a thing and uh and Brooks I think will be there as well because the week before the Masters we know what matters to him most we know what matters to every professional golfer most um I think he’ll I think
He’ll show some good form and we know what happened last year as well uh a week before the Masters he won our event in Orlando and goes on and plays really well at the Masters so um I don’t know I I I don’t know who I
Have as a favorite going into next week I haven’t really put much thought into it I’ve been sick uh so let’s see I well I caught a little bug from Casey um caught you know he’s always in school and it’s always going around and I usually am pretty good I like fight it
But now I’m I’ve caught it I’ve caught it and I’m trying to fight it and get well before I H to Miami but uh yeah I think Brooks is a good one on that Golf Course um uh he he hits it he’s hitting it really good and he hasn’t played his
Best golf yet he’s been in top 15 top 20 the last four events um so really solid player I do like Waco I mean it’s really hard not to pick Waco I know he’s having a bit of a vacation right now with his wife uh taking some time off which is
Well deserved I know he was starting to feel a little tired uh when we spoke to him in Jetta I think he had played a few weeks in a row and then obviously had to play Hong Kong it’s a long travel it’s a long travel
For these guys um and so I think you know he’s taking some time off and uh yeah I’m curious to see how he plays after coming off taking some time off so Rob ROM should play well too and Paul Casey is playing some great golf but he
Paul Casey’s got some really long travel he’s coming back from playing right there in your backyard that’s right at my home Club he played really good um and uh and before that he was in Switzerland he was on a ski vacation with his wife so he went from Hong Kong Switzerland
Singapore back to Arizona he’s now in Yad the woods um and then Miami so yeah it’s a lot of traveling but um Paul’s been playing some really good golf man uh he’s striking the ball great all right every week we have our segment called tea time and this week as with
Every week Our Guest is is very special and very talented we do have from Smash GC Mr Gran McDow let him in hello that looks like an alcoholic beverage gram what you it might be it might be it’s a little um it’s a little tequila grapefruit but it’s probably 88
AM Singapore time so you’re probably not on that page right now listen we don’t know what’s in this mug are you at home in uh Orlando no I’m actually down to the Bahamas with the kids for spring break oh are you no I’m at on Baker’s Bay which is up
On the aboc coast Northeast to Northeast Bahamas yeah I’ve had a place here for about 10 years 12 years something like that so we’re just hanging did it do all right during that hurricane that really hurt no no we we actually got pretty beat up so this this is our this is our
Second go at the H here so I’m actually up up in my up in my bedroom here which is kind of nice but uh this this this was our second go so I mean um we put it back together again we we had good insurance thank goodness so
Um but it it got pretty beat up you’re is that a chandelier behind you it looks like a bunt cake it’s like shaped like a bunt cake yeah there’s actually a funny story behind that I mean the some have no idea how my wife found it but like some Village in Africa
That that they specialize in making these chandeliers so that was like handmade from like leather and it got shipped in from yeah it’s like a it’s made from leather it’s like little strands of leather wow wow it’s way way above way above my pay grade it looks
I’m sure it was cheap though I’m sure it was you know absolutely you know you know handmade and yeah God they don’t even yeah no idea makes makes wife happy yeah um all right speaking of your wife I’m gonna Dive Right into my favorite part this is be a podcast this is yes
The whole love Story the note The Notebook of gr mcdow’s life um I’m sure you saw the post that I did on Instagram I tried to get a few people to write in and to leave a comment of what they want to ask you okay and apparently you have quite
The romantic story with your wife Kristen uh so do share um um so yeah well I mean we met in Orlando in like 2010 2011 I was building a house in Lake Nona and Kristen’s in the architecture design business and you my Builder my Builder
Said to me we needed this to H design company just so that I didn’t build some you know ridiculous house that was going to be unsellable in the future and you know we we ended up hiring Kristen’s design company and yeah things went a little sideways you know she ended up
You know moving into the house with me a couple years later and uh yeah actually I think I saw the post on Instagram I think it was Jan want Jenna Sims uh Jenna cop know Brooks Brooks’s wife wanted to know wanted me to tell you guys about the proposal so I I proposed
To her on the helipad of the bur Al Robin Dubai which was kind of cool um you know I pretend that you know I kept her waiting for about at least a year longer than she wanted to wait but um yeah we were going for dinner up in
The Burge and um we made a little segue out onto the helipad and yeah I was probably about as most about as nervous as I’ve been you know probably at any point in my life and yeah you know we’ve been married for 10 years as of last
Year so you know it’s it’s been it’s been great she’s uh she’s putting up with me so that’s the main thing well the question is that she buil the house and designed a house the way did she end up building and designing it the way she
Wanted it yeah how long G to move into it how long into the building process did she find did she start to think well you know what this might be my too yeah you know I started I started losing the arguments as we went through the process
You know like early on I’m a client and I’m paying the bills and I went all the arguments and then you know as as things moved on I started to lose some of those arguments but uh you know we still live in that house today so it’s it’s been
Great and uh you know obviously this house start with the Bahamas she she put this one together as well so you’ll be very fortunate very lucky and um this is this is a fun place to come with the kids and hang out how did you ask her
Out I mean she comes into to your house she looks at the space and and you guys obviously mean and have discussions of of how you know how you want your place to look like how did you ask her out I mean that’s a good move that’s a really
Good move get your interior designer you know ask her out on a dinner it’s good yeah know you know how things things just happen things just you know it’s um it was uh it was just kind of one of those things that was meant to be you
Know so we’re we’re obviously uh we we’re we’re happy we’re happy it happened the way it did well speaking of the uh speaking of The Spoils of success you also now are a co-owner of some kind of competitive horse called give me five along with your captain kka what uh what what tell
Us how that came about and what the hell kind of horse what’s it do it mean just race yeah well he but it does weird races he’s a jump he’s a jump horse so I mean back in the UK and Ireland horse racing is obviously huge like it like it
Is in the states as well and all over the world really Australia Hong Kong um Dubai the Middle East Saudi obviously huge horse racing now um but like uh in the UK and Ireland we have like a lot of flat racing but then also a lot of jump
Hurdles steeple chase where you know these horses going run two and a half three miles and they’ll drum they’ll jump over 15 20 type of fences during that race so we actually bought a horse a couple years ago with um with with under under the name of the clicks
Racing um LLC so kimer myself Blondie the caddies we all bought a piece of this horse he’s called four of a kind and uh he’s won a couple of races he’s pretty good he’s definitely he’s definitely not gonna pay the bills anytime soon but he he’s fun he’s a good little horse and
Then um the same trainer uh had another opportunity to buy another horse with him sort of middle of last year and it turned out he was called give me five and Brooks had just won the PGA champ ship to win his fifth major and he he displayed an interest in getting
Involved at some point and uh I you know I sent him a text I’m like you know I’ve got this horse he’s called give me five and I think you know there’s there’s a little bit of synergy there it’s an interesting name since you just won your
Fifth major I think you should jump into this one with me so him and I ended up splitting this horse and um he’s kind of a good one so I mean the way the trainer explains it to me he’s he’s a young trainer who’s um his uncle is a guy
Called Paul Nichols who’s one of the you know one of the most successful um probably jump trainers um of all time in the UK Harry trained under him for about 10 15 years and then got his own yard and we you know Kenny and I Kenny
Who who Who’s My C who’s been my Cy for 18 years we you know we’ve known Harry for a long time and we said to him you know once you when you get your yard you know we’d love to do something with you you know so hence four of a kind and
Then Gimme Five was actually I lost to bed on the golf course to Harry at Liv London last year we were playing the pram together and I hit a shot into one of the par 3es and I coule I can’t remember why I came up but I said to
Harry I tell you what if you if you hit it closer than me I’ll buy another horse off you and Harry’s like about a 1520 handicapper you know it was kind of it was a shot out of nowhere and he hits this thing I know about six feet so I
Was like well that was an expensive that was an expensive betat to lose so you know that that’s where that’s where the gim me5 came from and um you you buy these horses they’re they’re already named so um the these Hors is four of a kind and give me five were both already
Established Irish flat horses they ran on the flat but they were very mediocre um and then you buy them and you teach them how to jump and some of them like to jump and some of them don’t like to jump and you know four of a can’s pretty good little jumper and gim
Me five really he you know he’s got a chance to be something pretty cool pretty special and he he’s been he’s been fun so far so I know Lee Lee has a few horses right he’s got like 21 two horses at this point I don’t know if he
His are more like racing horses though right that I don’t think they jump do they yeah Lee has Lee has kind of a bit of both he has some flat and he has some jump stuff as well so he’s uh he’s been in he’s been doing this stuff for 10 15
Years so um you know I’m I’m a long way behind wesy when it comes to uh be being a horse uh being a horse owner but um he I think he’s actually going to get a horse with Harry who’s our trainer I think he’s going to get a horse with him
This coming year as well um but Lee really enjoys it spends a lot more time I’m in the UK he gets to go and see these horses run a little bit more than I do so when you know when you live in in the US you don’t get a chance to get
Back to the UK to see them run anymore uh very much but um it’s great we have this WhatsApp group with Brooks and myself and the trainer and some of the staff and we get videos all the time you know about the horse and so he’s actually running the Monday of Miami he
Runs in a pretty big race in Ireland actually so uh that that’ll be next Monday uh the first of April April Fool’s Day so I’m hoping it’s a good April full so hey when I was a kid when I was a kid I’m way older than you by
The way uh 17 years to be exact when I was a kid you didn’t take up golf unless you sucked at everything else and then if you could accelerate golf you know you could make a little bit of a name for yourself back then is it the same
Way in horse racing if you’re not good as a flat racer and then you see if you can jump or kind of like figure skaters and Ice dancers is that how it works that’s probably a pretty good analogy did you just call them ice dancers Jerry yeah ice dancers there’s figure skaters
And then there’s ice dancing the the figure skaters who can’t do the jumps become ice dancers that’s right who knew that’s educational yeah yeah I don’t think that’s what they’re called but okay it’s I yeah it’s called ice dancing it’s an Olympic sport dancing yes I thought it was okay
All right all right yeah there’s the ones who do the quadruple luty thingies and then there’s the ones who just go around and spin all right had a couple livs yeah Jer showing some serious knowledge of the um ice dancing World there I like it well my former colleague at golf channel NBC
Terry Ganon is the is the voice of all those broad I watch to hear Terry yes yes yeah so anyway all right that Chang the subject we now know what we now know what Jerry does in is this an expensive hobby or is it an investment these these
Horses oh this is this is definitely not an investment this is definitely an expensive hobby No Doubt this is a kind of like sponsoring a mini tour player it’s one of those ones you know how do you how do you make a million bucks in the horse racing industry start with
Like about 50 you know that could be applied to many things but the horse racing is definitely one of them yeah um now now let’s go from one of your interests and hobbies to another which is football and you’re a huge uh let’s just this is where I love just
Boring Jerry he’s going to take his headphones out he’s going to exit this conversation which is amazing um he hates football so we’re GNA talk about it you’re a huge manchest United fan soccer I was going to say we talking Saka here we talking Saka footb football the the sport that actually
Touches your foot the ball touches your foot 99% of the time it’s this is true this is true unless you’re the keeper but um no listen I I grew up as a big Manchester United fan um in fact my older brother is named George after George B who was um probably Northern
Ireland’s greatest ever footballer played for Manchester United and and many other great teams um my dad was um my dad was a massive fan um you know when he was in the sort of 20s I guess when when George best was was in the
Height of his powers and um so I kind of grew up into I was indoctrinated into the Manchester United kind of um you know Bas yeah exactly you know so I kind of had no choice I think in in Ireland we don’t really have you know football
We do have football obviously in Ireland but it’s it’s not not as high level as obviously you know the Eng the English Premier League um so it’s either Liverpool or you know United or Arsenal pretty much um you know most most Irish people support one of those teams and
Every Saturday there’s a there’s a sort of massive Exodus over to England to to kind of go to Old Trafford go to all these big grounds and watch the um watch the games so Ken Kenny who you know who’s been on my bag for 18 years this year he’s a massive Manchester United
Found so I guess you could say I live vicariously through him these days I I I haven’t been to Old Trafford I think the last time I went to Old Trafford I think Kristen came with me I think United got beat six and zero by city that day and I
Haven’t been backa was this when was this when they were good or this was when city were really starting to be good it was it was towards the end of the Ferguson era and uh we actually we were scheduled to meet Ferguson after the game and I remember introducing him
To Chris and um you know told told him it was her first time at old traford and he said well it should probably be her last time at Old traford due to the score you know she’s probably not welcome back um you know jokingly of course but uh now listen I’m probably
Not as connected as I used to be um like I say I live viously through keny noways you know I live in an America did you get to did you get to to meet any of the the I call them The A Team The A Team back
In the 90s the old old school just Superstar packed Manchester United Alex Ferguson days did you get to meet any of them or play golf with any of them because I think some them do love playing right yeah I’ve met a few of the guys i’ you know met Rooney and Giggs um
Michael Carrick obviously Ferguson at that game Ferguson would be one of my heroes you know I think uh you know he came to the r he’s exactly how you’d expect him to be you know if you you kind of see him on TV he’s just kind of
You know he’s just got that just got that kind of serious kind of lighthearted kind of edge to him a little bit you know but he seems lighthearted but you know the everything you know he’s just very calculated and kind of has a line for every situation and you know I’ve gotten
To know Lou Holtz pretty well you know he would be I’m not sure that would be a good comparison but Lou Holtz was obviously a very famous football coach lives lives in Orlando Lake Nona real football yeah real football real football but you know I just think those guy you know
I’m always yeah I’m always so impressed by you know so intrigued by these guys more than anything how you can you know handle a dressing room full of you know Superstars and upand cominging Superstars and maybe guys on the way out and so many different personalities to
Be able to you know create a cohesive kind of goal and and and you know put a team together the way those guys do but Ferguson I spent some time with Lou Holtz and spent some some time with Ferguson they’re they’re just such impressive guys and um you know I always
Like I said always look up and I’m very intrigued by by the um by the by the ways and means these guys go about their business that’s awesome that’s awesome you got to meet Alex Ferguson sir well sir Alex if we had Royal T in the states
L Holtz would be sir Lou Holtz as well he is royalty I mean legendary coach from Notre Dame for so long I actually hosted him when I work for Golf Channel and they had their Studios in Orlando we had these instructional shows I called your game night on Mondays and I hosted
Him on a golf instructional show believe it or not and it was Holtz and fols was fantastic best highest rated show they ever had yeah I mean Holtz he’s coach Holtz is a he’s a he’s a great guy and uh just just got a oneliner for every
Situation but like one kind of weird Factory about Coach Holz is he doesn’t drink water at all he said water doesn’t taste of anything and if it did then it’s really bad for you so that’s why I don’t drink water it’s it’s a Diet Coke and chard night only perfect that’s that’s that’s
Jerry’s theory he never drinks water he only drinks Diet Coke L Hol says water doesn’t taste of anything so why would you bother drinking it because if it does Taste of something then it’s clearly not g to be very good for you it’s a secret to longevity L Hol is not
A young man anymore he’s gotta be close to 80 now yeah I think he’s probably over8 yeah yeah yeah see I knew I I knew I had the right formula you’re on the you’re on the something there f absolutely um all right well there’s another thing that most people might not
Know about you some might do some might not you have your own whiskey company you make your own whiskey um it’s called called gry Coast right yes it’s called yeah gry Coast Irish whiskey yeah we um we have a Distillery well it’s not uto Distillery but it’s a a Distillery called boan uh
Just north of Dublin and they they make a gray Coast for us we ship it into the US it’s in about 28 States right now it’s still young we’ve been in the market about 18 months very difficult very difficult to kind of break into to to these markets I mean you know having
People walk into a liquor store looking for you know specific Brands I mean the Irish whiskey Market is very small but it’s it’s it’s a it’s a it’s a market that’s you know growing 15% kind of year over year so it’s a really it’s a real evolving kind of Market space and uh
Yeah it’s fun how did you get get into it and yeah I was going to say I’ve always kind of I’ve always kind of had little fies into the alcohol space I you know I do enjoy so I do enjoy a beverage I do enjoy a
Beverage from time to time so we’ve done you know we had we had the beer company with Freddy yakobson and Keegan Broadley we were Brewing our own beer it was called golf beer brewing which was kind of fun but that kind of hit a hit a
Brick wall i d some stuff with de AIO with Guinness and harp um but yeah this is my first kind of real ownership piece that I’ve had I suppose um you know own it with a some Partners um who’ve been in the beverage industry for a while and
Um slowly slowly trying to trying to build the brand a little bit so it’s fun you know I I like I like whiskey I like Bourbons you know I like scotch and I grew up close to Bush Mills Distillery which is you know the one of the oldest
Distilleries in Ireland um so um you know I’ve always been certainly interested in in whiskies and and we created this Irish whiskey which is a bland of four different um four different whiskies two single grains and two single malts and it’s finished in American Oak so it’s got that kind of
Burban sweetness to it as well so kind of designed a little bit for the American palette um but it’s been fun you know it’s been fun so far so hopefully we can continue to build up B were you super involved in the the making process yeah very much so yeah
Know I I very much um you know from the ground up really we you know we named it we we we built the we we built the brand we built you know so gray Coast is a you know it’s basically it’s a little bit of
The Story of My Life uh the gray Coast is named after the coast of Ireland where I grew up um you know I was describing to the boys and I said um well it’s not really very blue skies and it’s kind of dark and Moody and the
Ocean crashes against The Rock and I said well you know the coast you know hence we come up with greaty Coast you know and um you know and and and the whiskey is a really kind of like a little bit of a story about you know my
Life about you know born in Ireland and Chase the American dream you know hence the Irish whiskey finished like an American Oak with that bourbon kind of profile flavor to it as well so it’s a little bit of a it’s a little bit of a
Story of my of my journey and and my life a little bit just kind of encapsulated into a into a fine brown liquor so um it’s been fun I got a great team and and like I say we’re kind of at the early stages a little bit but um
We’re we’re working on it I don’t think process is fun bet I can’t wait to do it I’m wondering about the flavor profile compared to some of the Ry the Ry whiskies that I like but I’m sure it’s not a huge seller yet in Birmingham
Where you went to college but I just got to know is it sold at the two Nona BL locations yes it’s it’s in the two Nona blue locations for sure for sure the second question I have about Nona blue because I love them both they’re both incredible restaurants great Stores um
Do you mandate that because in America it’s impossible to find a bar who knows how to POR in us do you mandate they know how to pour properly that’s a good question um and I remember when we when we were opening the first Nona blue in
Orlando in 2013 and I was doing some stuff with di AIO at the time and I asked them to to help us make sure we had a decent plan of Guinness in in in the you know uh and we do we actually you know I you know I’m a little fussy I
Don’t really drink Guinness in America too much unless I’m I like it when like I’m in the Northeast like New York Boston where it’s kind of cold and dark and to me to me Guinness is kind of one of those drinks that it needs to be kind
Of cold and nasty outside to enjoy Pine a Guinness when it’s you know when it’s sort of 85 90 degrees Fahrenheit you know it’s not really a drink that I crave much but um you know obviously when I’m back meal it’s a meal that’s what it it’s phenomenal it’s it’s it’s
Actually a light beer too believe it or not you know I think I think from a calorific point of view it’s quite um it’s it’s quite is quite decent for you as far as some other beverages are concerned but you know if you’ve been to Dublin and you know some of the great
Little pubs in Dublin you know it’s there’s nothing quite there’s nothing quite like it really it doesn’t quite taste the same sort of around the world which is one of those one of those myths about the about about Guinness it’s like no one can really explain it why why
Does it not taste the same but um somebody somewhere knows the answer to that question yeah I don’t know if Jerry I don’t know if you’ve tried this but kill Kenny kill Kenny on draft is so good it is so good on draft it is I would feel like I’m cheating on my
Girlfriend if I tried it oh I just love the fact I just love the fact it’s 8:45 Tuesday Wednesday morning in Singapore and all we’re talking about alcohol and gambling here for suan San’s Wednesday’s off to a flying start here this morning listen I have I have uh
Something that looks like a goodness in my cup so well never know we’ll never know now um Jerry talked about Birmingham uh which is where you went to college I Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham y Birmingham un Alabama Birmingham I see it all righty um
So when I was uh when I was reading this thing I’m going this guy just went from belf Fest to Alabama how I mean you want to talk about a culture shock that had to be like crazy of an experience for sure I’d actually never been I’d never been in
The States before my life um so I flew in for a recruiting trip and the funny thing was I I actually got I got stuck in Immigration on the way in I flew from Belfast to Amsterdam Amsterdam to Memphis and I was flying from Memphis to Birmingham but
I’ve never you know I’ve never been in the US before i’ never filled out the Customs form before I was so green behind the years when it came to traveling and and I remember I I was on a recruiting trip but like strict NCAA sort of Regulation said that I think you
Can only be on the ground for 48 hours or something you know but like I’m I’m flying in from Northern Ireland I’m not going to come in for 48 hours so I think I was staying for maybe three days or four days or something like that so you
Know I’d been instructed to say that I wasn’t on a recruiting the recruiting trip um just you know NC whatever ncaa’s kind of got some crazy got some crazy kind of regulations but um so I got pulled into the secondary in Immigration in Memphis and um because I didn’t have
The address where I was staying in Birmingham and uh I remember the offer said to me officer said said to me um what are you uh what are you doing going to Birmingham Alabama and I said um just go to visit some some buddies um there
At the the school and he said to me you’re not on a recruiting trip are you I said no sir um you know because because I’d been instructed not to say that and so I had a phone number for the boys I was staying with a couple of the
Guys in the golf team and so the guy the the immigration officer types in you know dials the number calls these guys up and he said you know I’ve got a Mr McDow sitting here what’s the purpose of his visit to Birmingham uh he’s on a recruiting trip you know the guy looks
At me and he said well you you realize you just lied to a you know custom and border patrol officer I was like yes sir I’m sorry um I ended up missing my connection was a long story but one of those kind of like early early kind of
Travel stories in your life that you look back and you go man I really had no idea what I was doing but um you know obviously all worked out okay and I ended up going to UAB I had three years there and yeah my first year was no
Doubt like I mean people didn’t understand me and I didn’t really understand them and I remember I went home after my first year there and I put on about 15 lbs ate some really good food and and had had this messed up accent as well which
Never really ever went away um much to much to people people are very amused I think I think people especially people in Ireland and the UK generally are very amused by my accent um but like I say spent three years in Birmingham with a northern a thick Northern Irish accent either you
Repeat you know you end up you you got to make a decision you’re going to have to repeat yourself for the rest of your life or maybe change the way you said say some things and here we are so um like I say people are very amused by my
Accent it’s uh it’s a little like farties it’s it’s not really sure what he is sometimes you know I’m I’m right there with him yeah he’s not sure whether he’s in Texas or or or fast that’s so funny because it sounds like such a I mean not a strong strong
Irish accent because literally I yeah if I go into an Irish pub and I’ve been to some in Dublin I it’s not the say don’t understand a word anybody say especially after a few GES you don’t and then you don’t even care you just laugh and have
A good time but it still sounds like an accent to me but when you go home you’re very Americanized right very much so very much so yeah so and then you you know I I got some buddies that have been in the states for 20 years and their accent
Might be thicker now than it used to be when they lived in Northern Ireland so it’s just weird how people’s ears and people the way people hear things and the way we react to to different dialects but um my mine is definitely very midatlantic much to people uh High
Amusement that’s a I love I love how the Irish people say down every time I hear ver d d con D yeah it’s almost like everything’s a question County down like he pronounces your last name he says the proper way to pronounce it is McDougall MC yes like it’s a mcdull like
As d m MCD MCD yeah that’s it m iing up pretty much discovered that I think Northern Ireland and maybe Scotland to a certain extent might be the only places in the world that pronounce the way my last name spelled as mcdo and that’s how I grew up in
Northern Ireland it was it was always McDow and then when I started traveling obviously the pronunciation was much much much more commonly McDow and uh my dad didn’t really like it in the beginning he didn’t really like he he liked people to say the name correct ly
Um I just got to the point where I wasn’t really going to fight it anymore I was like as long as they’re saying my name and hopefully saying something good right after I really don’t I don’t really care how they pronounce it and like I say 99% of the world sees that
Written down like that and says McDow so um I’ve I’ve you know I’m living in America and you know my kids are pretty comfortable with McDow now so um we’re going to go with it but no doubt you go back back home to Northern Ireland and it’s definitely uh McDow
Speaking of Graham speaking of your dad uh I was watching this clip uh that you did for the US Open when you won in 2010 and I watched you watch you hugging your dad on the 18th green uh on Father’s Day back when you won at Pebble Beach uh now when you look
Back at those videos I mean what describe some of the emotions that still flow through you I mean it’s been 14 years right since the US opened in ago yeah I could just certainly see you get very emotional still um when you when you watch that video can you just
Describe some of the emotions for sure I mean I think you know he he obviously brought me to the game of golf and he he taught me pretty much everything he knew um you know and he was always one of those dads that was very much kind of
Like you know if you want to play golf great I want you to give it 100% but if you don’t want to play golf that’s fine too so it was never really golf was never really one of those things that that I was kind of forced to do or you
Know kind of pushed into the game it was very much something I loved from the beginning but he nurtured the love and he gave me the environment and the ability to be able to you know do what I needed to do in the sport you know so to
Fast forward from you know those early days to what was I 30 31 years old um it just about turned 31 and and um you know he he started traveling to the majors with me a few years previous to that and we’d had some good experiences and you
Know obviously found myself in the lead there at Pebble going into the Saturday and Dustin Dustin Johnson Shel 65 I think on the Saturday so I went went to a situation where I was two or three back going into Sunday and Sunday was Father’s Day you know us open Sunday’s
Always Father’s Day super special time for for many many players obviously and you know my my experience there with my dad I I remember you know you warmed up at Pebble you warmed up at the range kind of up top and then you jump into like
Kind of a shuttle and and it takes you down to the first te and you walk down some steps towards the first te and I remember we were walking down the steps together and I said to him you know I didn’t get a chance to get you
Anything for Father’s Day Dad but you know Happy Father’s Day and yeah he started crying and he’s like yeah just you know maybe go get me that trophy today and like I’m starting to cry and I’m like geez I got to go Tee It Up here
In like 15 minutes you know he’s I’m like not sure I can do that for you Dad but I’ll try my best and you know fast forward four and a four and a half hours and you know we’re hugging out in the 18th graen at at Pebble Beach having won
The US Open so I mean it was it’s just one of those it’s one of those cool things that you know him and I always share together and and like I say I owe I owe a huge amount to him for you know bringing me to the game and obviously
You know your parents obviously sacrifice a lot for you know for for their children you know whatever whatever path or Road they go down and and my parents were no different for sure and it’s nice to um it’s nice to have obviously been for forunate in the
Game of golf to be able to give things back to them and take care of them now but um yeah those are the those are the kind of little moments that you share together and and that was obviously doesn’t get a whole lot better than that
You know the 72nd hle of a of a US Open on you know the 18th gr at Pebble Beach with your dad um on Father’s Day yep it’s pretty cool stuff he say to you when he hugged you because he said something to you he said he said to me you’re some
Kid that’s what he said to me yeah it was it was just you know a good sort of solid Northern Ireland sort of colloquialism you know you’re some kid I don’t know where he pulled that from but um you know he was obviously very emotional and um so him and I went back
To Pebble four years after that we you know I hadn’t been back I had been back for four years he hadn’t been back we played the AT&T together um Steve Jones over there at the Pebble Beach uh pram people they they gave gave us an invite
For for me to come back and play the AT&T with my dad and we had a fun week we had a fun week we played Cyprus and U San Fran golf club and I think I wore my dad out actually before he got to the first first uh first round of the tournament
We we we played all the golf courses in around the Monterey Peninsula there it was pretty cool so that was fun that was a fun journey to kind of four years later to go back there together and play AT&T to to together that’s cool cool to
Steve John as well he’s he’s such a good dude we actually yeah Steve Steve’s a good man we spent the year as College roommates together way back in the day really um yeah yeah yeah in Arizona it was oh yeah it was we have some good stories to tell some damn good stories
To tell you mention you mentioned path and that you know the path you went down to get to the US Open that path now has ultimately LED you to live golf one of the one of the ogs do the kids call them OG’s right original yeah well I’m not
First of all I’m not a kid but okay yes that’s what they call EZ perspective you’re a kid yes that’s what the kids call um looking back I guess I mean the basic question is do you have any regrets uh certainly no regrets um you
Know I think I think my I don’t have any personal regrets I think you know I I hate where the game of golf kind of is right now if you like um and that’s obviously not not necessarily on me as much as it’s just on the powers that be
With the game of golf I think um I I think ultimately we’re going to come out the other side of this with the game of golf in great shape I think you know there’s obviously I think in any business there’s always disruption you know inevitably there’s going to be
Disruption um and I think Liv you know has been a has been a very healthy disruptor to a sport that you know I think the business model was slightly wrong and I think things needed to change and uh you know unfortunately change can be painful um but I think uh
I think we’re through a lot of the pain now you know it was no doubt it was difficult at the beginning you know especially like you say being one of the original kind of um one of the original guys that uh you know were involved in
In kind of um the initial kind of push if you like when when when we had to kind of really you know go against the go against the grain a little bit um it was hard um but um you know as we sit here I think you know you know third of
The way into our third season you know with with the Personnel that we have on board now with the team with the product with the media product that we have I think the momentum you know is really really strong and and I’m I feel ever more confident that that you know it was
The right decision to make you know I’m I’m very happy where I’m at I love my schedule I love the ability that I have to be able to you know play a very very competitive schedule against some of the best players in the world which is what
I always wanted to do um and continue to do that and have you know have as much time with my family as I as I do nowadays I mean I’ll play I don’t think I’ll play more than 18 or 19 times this year which is a very very light schedule
For me um and and there’s no doubt that was one of the harder that’s been one of the sort of tough transitions to make I feel like I used to play between 25 and 30 and now all of a sudden you play 18 times a year and you have to be more
Ready to play than Than You Know Than I Used to Be You Know used to be you could take a few weeks off then set yourself a three or four week kind of schedule where you know week one might be a burner week just be like might not be
Ready this week but I’m going to use it as a springboard for the second third and fourth weeks whereas live you know you got to show up right to go um and and that’s been one of the biggest differences in the transition for me it’s been it’s taken me a couple Seasons
To figure that out a little bit how to be more ready and how to kind of put the foot in the accelerator from the first hole on Friday you know for you know three runs versus four doesn’t sound like much but like you know from a from
A from an approach point of view from a psych olical point of view having no cuts and and um you know live is way more aggressive it’s way more of a Sprint than it is a marison and uh you know so there’s definitely been I feel
Like guys picked it up quicker than than some other players and I feel like I’ve had to adapt some of the some of my preparation uh adapt some of my warm-ups even for the shotgun just because 48 guys in the range and you know it’s not
It’s 54 guys in the range and there’s a lot of stuff going on and you know so I I I’ve adjusted my warm-ups and and just adjusted some of the things that I’m doing so you know it’s nice to have got the season off to a decent start with
Some you know some mediums medium amount of success um and hopefully we can kick on but you know that’s a long winded answer um Long Way winded way of saying that you know I feel very comfortable where I’m at right now I I love the
Group of guys that we have I love the momentum that Liv has right now and um you know I think the future’s bright yeah well you talked a little bit about how you had a bit of a a rocky start I guess the first two seasons in
2022 you finished 39th and then last season you finished 42nd and right now you’re playing some great golf uh you’ve had some great finishes on the last two events obviously smash with a win uh one of the traits this offseason was you moving to smash and I know you had
Mentioned that Brooks had thrown you a Lifeline uh talk us through that trade and what was your reaction when Brooks called you to join his team yeah I mean listen I I got myself in a little bit of a a bit bit of a Hold the End the last
Season because you know like you alluded to I didn’t play well enough so you know I got myself into that sort of free trade category where I you know I wasn’t automatic 24 and I was in that kind of scary place of you know needing to be picked up by you
Know myself and the clicks had kind of got to the point where I realized that um you know they didn’t they didn’t sort of see a future with me um you know as a click so you know I was definitely going into that sort of trade window and when
You when I started looking around and doing the math and seeing guys that were all contracted and guys that had deals and I I’m looking I’m thinking to myself wow I I could end up you know on The Chopping Block here I could be done and
Uh you know that was kind of that was kind of scary a little bit because I wasn’t ready to be done I guess was was the most important thing because I felt like I was you know starting to kind of play well starting to get the hang of
Live starting to starting to get my head around it all a little bit and you know I’ve been talking to a couple of teams um but you know I had a really good conversation with Brooks in Miami at the team championship and and he said that
Um you know he may have a spot in the team for me if things worked out and you know obviously that was something that that was that was really exciting and interesting but until you know he gave me the call and and confirmed it you
Know I it was uh it was just one of those things that you know I was potentially at the end of my at the end of the road regards kind of you know my competitive golf career and you know was kind of looking to you know looking to
See what was going to be next but I think in my heart I knew that I wasn’t ready for that I wasn’t ready to hang the clubs yet and I clubs up yet I felt like I still had some competitive years left in me and I was still motivated to
Play well and you know when I got the call to be part of Smash I I knew I could feel like a little a little switch was flicking inside me that was um you know I was going to be surrounded by the right type of players that um you know
Were going to be competitive every week that we’re going to be hardworking highly motivated and um that could be just what I needed at this point in my career you know and I think one of the big one of the interesting things about Liv is is the team is the team culture
The team environment the preparing as a team eating together traveling together um um you know even though I think when people watch on TV they get very sucked in by the individual and how much money we’re playing for the team element of live is the very unique thing about it
And and it’s the thing I love most about live and it was a thing that probably took me by surprise the most when I came to live was how compelling the team stuff was how much guys were into it how much guys really enjoyed working together as a unit creating goals
Together as as a team practicing together and prepping together and sharing information and trying to make each other better um you know it really is and it’s something that’s going to continue to evolve and live I think we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible um it continues to get
Better and better so you know smash has been a great fit for me you know when when you’re on a team with Brooks kopka who you know Demands a certain level of um you know work attention you know and just commitment to going out there every day and trying
To be the best you know because that’s who that’s who he is you know we know how hard he works we know how good he is and you know you know every day you Tee It Up that you know he’s expecting you to play well you know and then throw in
Tater G with three wins last year and you know that trade was obviously awesome for Smash and Jason gock is an incredibly talented player as well so you know I’m the older Statesman on the team um but I but I know that I’m expected to um show up every day so you
Know I I worked hard in the offseason and and came into the year kind of ready to go so it’s been good so far loving it loving the culture loving being around Brooks being around Tater and Jason they’re they’re great guys got a great team of people that are working at Smash
And um you know we had that team win in Vegas which was kind of a nice little kind of boost to get us going um but uh we’ll see you know looking forward to hopefully doing you know it was my first time in the podium you know the boys
Were joking with me I didn’t know what to do up there you know so they they made me hold the trophy pretty much for for most of the most of the the hour of kind of the you know being on the podium and the photographs and the media they
Just kept me making me hold the trophy the whole time because I never had one before they’re drinking the champagne yeah you were kind of the you were kind of the MVP on that Sunday too but um you know you mentioned you kind of felt like
You might be getting to the sunset of your career now your race horses when they get to the sunset of their career they go out and they get to go to the stud Farm that’s pretty cool as a golfer you get to the sunset of your career and
You become a commentator which I’m glad you’re not because I’d be un employees but um when when you got that call from Brooks and that deal came through and you approach the season knowing that I mean there’s what is it 39 individual competitive days to finish in the top 24
That is a lot of pressure and when we added six players to the to the field and kept that number 24 that’s even more pressure and there had to be lingering doubts from the way you performed last year it’s one thing if you’re 30 and and
You know you got a lot of golf at you but if you’re in your 40s and you’re wondering you know is this the end of my competitive career how did you get past those emotional doubts and and be able to deliver uh the kind of golf that I
Think you knew in your heart you could still deliver but you still still somewhere in there there’s you’re human there’s doubts yeah for sure I mean I think um every athlete or any any highlevel businessmen I mean anything I I think you know life is full of doubts
And I think um it’s it’s really how deal with those doubts that that really kind of is the difference between success and failure you know I think um looking at golf I mean every time you stand over a shot there’s always doubts that it that
It might not go right you know so I think it’s just the way you frame those things you reframe them and and you know I think I I had to find some motivation I had to I had to reframe kind of like any any kind of anger that I held maybe
About you know last season and the way things played out and the fact that I might be dumb you know and you know I had to reframe that and say okay it’s it’s time for me to prove to people that I’m still good enough you know prove to
You know prove to my team you know obviously Brooks had put his trust in me to come and you know play for the team so you know I had something to prove to him that that that that you know he made the right decision so I think you know I
Think I just tried to create some motivation from within um you know in in a good way in a positive way you know it’s kind of like let’s show people that I deserve be out here still and and uh that uh you know play trying to you know
I I feel like I feel like I’m Joy enjoying my golf a lot more the last sort of 12 months than I have in a long time I think um I think there’s no doubt I feel like I put a lot of pressure in myself um when I came to live I felt
Like I felt like uh you know the negativity and and the you know the way people had reacted had you know put like a a very bright Spotlight that I felt like I had to um had that I really had to prove something to people and I and I
And I don’t think I I don’t think it was I don’t think it was good motivation I think it was um I was I was pushing too hard back against something that you know I needed to I needed to sort of free it up and kind of play my own game
And and just get back to playing golf For the Love of the Game a little bit again and I feel like I’ve done a good job with that this season you know I’m enjoying playing I’m enjoying going out there you know feeling the heat a little bit um and using that heat positively
You know like Sunday yeah sorry so I was going to say Sunday here in 2024 with all four scores to count I mean I feel like the first week we did that in Mexico you know the the pressure was on you know you could feel it um you could feel the whole
Range was tight on the Sunday I felt like in makoba you know it’s kind of like everyone’s going out there and you know you don’t want to let your squad down you want to play hard for everyone so it’s uh you know there’s just pressure every day which is great and I
Think you know pressure can be can be negative and can be positive and and for me at this point this is this is what I need this I need some pressure and some and and some you know some focus and some motivation um and I feel like I’ve
Got a really great recipe with with the guys I’m surrounded with you know you talk a lot about feeling the pressure feeling the heat um you’ve been a professional for a long time now and I think there are a lot of young professionals regardless what
Sport uh who have to deal with some form of pressure and quite often than not it works against them how did how if you would have given advice to to a young player who’s maybe upand coming and and is feeling that same pressure what would you tell them
How how do you convert negative pressure to a positive pressure great question to your advantage yeah yeah that’s a very good question I think um you know I I don’t think there’s really a short answer I think unfortunately the answer is a little bit long longer there there
Is no there is no sort of magic potion for um for a player to understand how to deal with pressure themselves because I think everyone’s different I think um I think you have to go and learn about yourself I think you have to put yourself out there a few times you have
To you have to near go and mess it up a little bit a few times to and then try and learn from that and be like okay what went wrong there you know I’m am I the type of player that gets a little fast Under Pressure do I get a little
Slow Under Pressure do I you know do I have a lot of negativity that comes in you have to try and figure some stuff out about who you are uh when the heat’s on because you know everyone reacts a bit differently so then once you figure
Out who you are you got to figure out some mechanics to to be able to deal with that in the moment you know you know basically having a plan for when when the heat comes when the demons come because they are going to come and they’re going to ask the questions and
You gota you got to have some answers you know so like for me I knew I knew that I had to have a few things I had to have a great pre-shot routine that I would go back to at all times under pressure and that would have to be very
Rigid it would have to be very you know the you do the same thing doesn’t matter if it’s the biggest five iron you ever have to hit in your life or whether you’re just hanging out with the boys on you know on a Monday n hole at your
Local golf course that like you have to normalize it your brain kind of has to go okay I know what I’m doing here I do this all the time okay let’s do it again right so that’s just like normalizing pre short routine and then like little
Small nuances like you know when I got under pressure I knew that I got a little slow and I got a little methodical and I got I I kind of overanalyzed a little bit so I would you know it got to the point where if I got
In the heat I would just try and speed up a little bit I just grabbed the club at T Target and I try and go you know I remember hitting my third shot into 18 at Pebble in 2010 I mean I had the club out of the bag before Kenny gave me the
Yardage I I knew ballpark what it was going to be and I just knew I had to get the club out and get it behind the ball and go before my mind started kind of firing you know so I was very you know Under Pressure I just Tred to be more
Athletic and just be more Target orientated and less analytical because I knew that my my tendency was to to was to overthink a little bit so just having you know just learning about yourself having the mechanics to deal with your Tendencies when they come because you know just just basically having a plan
For when for when the hits the f I guess I think it’s a it’s I remember reading David goggin’s autobiography and he was talking about one of the races that he did it was called the badwater 135 and he’s it’s you know probably the hardest ultramarathon in the world 135
Miles through Death Valley in the middle of summer you know and he’s he’s driving the track and he’s um he’s prepping you know he’s looking looking at nutrition he’s looking at his rest stops he’s looking at all these things and he’s also he’s also making a plan for what
He’s going to do when the demons show up because he knows that some point during that race he’s going to have the battle with him you know it’s going to be life or death and his body’s going to say stop dude you you got to stop and he you
Know he creates a you know he’s he’s got a mental technique to be able to deal with the when when it shows up you know and I and I remember reading it thinking to myself that’s so that’s so good for golf because everyone you it’s
The old everyone has a plan so they get smacked in the mouth but it you know it’s the same in golf we’re all very good at kind of like you know looking at practice dra well I’m going to hit it here and I’m going
To hit in the Grain and I’m make the pot and you know we’re not very good at kind of going well you know what am I going to do if you know when I hit the bad shot because it’s coming you know how am I going to deal with deal with the
Demons when they show up so I think that’s a really kind of cool cool kind of way to look at it it’s like you know yes have a plan for when it’s going good but you also need you also need a plan for when when the wheels come off a
Little bit because there’s going to there’s going to come point it’s going to be nine holes or eight you know it’s going to be a point in the round where you’re going to have to deal with some stuff and you’re going to need some techniques to deal with that yeah that
Was when uh I think you bogeyed to Ninth at Pebble didn’t you you kind of Bogi from the middle of the Fairway and uh I think you’re the only player in the red going to The Back Nine yeah I Bogi I Bogi nine with a nine Aron Myan from the
Left semi and then I bogie tan from the middle of the Fairway and I remember I hadn’t looked at the leaderboard yet so I’m walking off the 10th graen and I and I I said to Kenny I got I got to look at the board
Here I got to see what’s up and it was it was just a resetting mechanism I looked up at the board and I saw everyone was struggling and I was like okay reset click back head back down let’s go again you know so it was just a
You know I had I had a couple of blips and I just needed to reset the system and uh yeah and and I think just having having ways to be able to just kind of bring yourself back down you know just kind of reset clear clear the
Brain and kind of start again I think that’s like I say everyone that is so hard to do on a Sunday with nine to play at peble beach for the us but it’s it’s not just something you invent there and then you know it’s something you’ve practiced it’s something you’ve done
You’ve been there several times before and um you kind of figure you got to figure out your own crazies that that’s that’s the bottom line you know you got to you got to deal with your own crazies because everyone’s got them and and you got to figure who long list man you got
Figure out who you are yeah well and sometimes you have to work with him as well that’s it hey I’m gonna steal one of su’s questions because I love the question uh and I know we’re kind of winding down on time with you um where where do you see yourself in 10
Years great question um 10 years I’ll be 54 I’ll become 55 I mean I you know you know we we talked about media we talked about TV I think um I have no idea if I can do what you guys do um I have no
Idea if I could have a boss oh you can oh I don’t know if I could handle a boss and someone telling me what to do and where to be and how to do it um that’s the hard part unless unless you work for us because we don’t have those bosses we
Have cool bosses no I I’ve always I’ve always potentially seen myself on TV you know talking a lot as I do and and hopefully bringing an educated opinion to to to a sport that I love a lot you know I I can’t see myself walking away from the
Game of golf and not wanting to be involved in some way share or form so um you know like I say it it’s one of those things until until I try it I have no idea if it’s something I can do or whether I like it or not but um yeah I
Mean I think uh being on TV looks pretty fun uh what do you think of it I well I think if you take my job I get to come run your restaurants because that was always my passion before golf so G the G mac and cheese is so good it is
Literally best Mac cheese I’ve ever I’m your job buddy you’re you’re too good at what you do I’m not off oh no no no no I’m just saying he’s after mine I want I want to when I retire or or get fired it’s always the same thing
Um I always wanted to open a restaurant always I worked in restaurants for years after college and while I was struggling to try and pay the bills playing golf and that’s always been my passion it is to this day I still all the cooking all
The cooking for Karen and I in the house every bit of great I’ll make I’ll make the chili con carne I’ll make the chili con carne for your restaurant sounds good um uh Graham you know as I said earlier I had opened up uh a Ken worms
On Instagram and had uh people write in as to what they want to know what’s the story when you were traveling around Ireland sleeping in a car with a pigeon what and and apparently a ghetto blaster in your back seat yeah now that’s true story give us a little context there like
Uh well so so I mean every summer I’d go home from college and we would um go playing the events all around Ireland and one of the events was in lench which is a phenomenal golf course in the southwest of Ireland and I didn’t really
Ever have ever have a car so a couple my couple of my buddies in Port Rush um you know they were good players as well so we we’d all go to the same tournament so we’d all carple so one of the boys would drive and this one year
We were taking a homing pigeon that got lost we were taking him back and we we we were driving him we drove him seven hours down the west coast of Ireland and we let him out in the car park in L hinch that was our instructions so I we seven hours down
The west coast of Ireland in the back of a car with a pigeon with a homing pigeon that got lost yeah that that he got he got lost he ended up in it’s got one job yeah he he got one job to find his way home and
He ended up long way from home and we had to drive him we had to drive him back so he could no idea to this day if he that pigeon ever found its way home but we let him out in the car parking L
Hench yeah and we had a ghetto we had a ghetto blaster we had a ghetto blaster because the radio was broken so we had one of those ghetto blasters you know that you put the big the big doublea batteries into what was playing though what what was
Playing just to set the scene Graham what was playing on the ghetto blaster I remember Ricky whoat for Brooks him and I drove down to the same tournament one year this was another year but he was driving and he he had his cassette player in the car but it was broken he
Couldn’t get the tape out so we just had this one tape and it was just a double-sided tape that one one one side was Eagle ey Cherry uh saved tonight safe safe tonight till the break so we heard that like it was on a repeated
Loop on the other side was uh fast car uh who sung that one Trac Tracy Chapman Fast Car so that was that was the two songs that we had seven hours done seven hours back and this tape was stuck in the tap recorder we we yeah the pigeon
Was another year that was the ghetto blaster year how did how did you know where did the pigeon tell you where home was how did you know where you said you had to drive RI Ricky story Ricky was tell probably tell the story better than
I would but why the pigeon had to go back yeah but no we we drove him all the way Port rush to how did you know where the pigeon was from it’s a pigeon did they have a I think he must have had some he must have had a little tag on
Him little little address on there oh my God yeah obviously he obviously was not a very high level homing pigeon I’m sor glad I did that I’m so glad I got that get out of you all right we’re gonna we’re gonna wrap this up with yeah we’re going to wrap this up
With one final question uh what do you want your legacy to be Graham I’m not sure I think highly enough of myself to kind of leave any sort of a legacy I mean I you know when I when I think of my legacy I mean I’m I
Don’t I don’t even think about golf I think I’m think more about my kids you know I think I want to leave a good impression on them and and kind of um see them grow into you know great adults themselves and you know to me to me my
Kids will carry my legacy of you know just being a good dad and and being a good parent and teaching them some good stuff and hopefully they can teach that to their kids you know so when I look at golf I I hope I’ve left a i good Mark in
The game of golf you know I feel like um you know I feel like you know playing a full Rider cups and you know winning some nice tournaments and yeah like I said it’s it’s it’s so hard to think highly enough of yourself to kind of really have made like a big
Impact in a in a game that’s got hundreds years of tradition and so many great players and you know so many great players are going to come and and take take our place you know but um you know like I say when I think of Legacy I
Think of my kids just trying to be a good dad trying to trying to teach them some good stuff and and make them proud and and obviously turn them into good adults as well I think you know what so I think I think that answer right there
Is the Legacy that people will have of you because uh the statement that I don’t take highly enough of myself to think about a legacy is exactly the enduring quality that your fans and people that know you uh will will preach as far and wide and as loudly as they
Can because you’re such a grounded human being for being a superstar in this game and I think that will be your lasting because you are you’re just a solid solid guy and uh and it’s really an honor to know you I appreciate but thank you sure yes uh yeah thank you Graham
For your time and and you’re always uh such a pleasure to be around uh it really is and and I always tell people that you’re one of probably the nicest person I’ve ever met um and and someone who’s a major champion and have achieved so much in your life uh I’m sure your
Kids will be very proud of you uh when they are old enough to understand what you have achieved and everything that you’ve been through so thank you so much for your time and we appreciate you we’re going to see you in Miami see me in Miami yeah I’m going to have my my
Little seven-year-old gol nut son’s going to be with me in Miami so I’m excited to bring him down so Wills right name Wills his favorite player this was even this was even as of last year his favorite player is ter G so then yeah his favorite this this came from Chicago
Last year at richar farms for some reason he came home and he’s like d TL gu is my favorite player and I’m like it’s kind of random but okay um I mean obvious T was having an amazing season right so I mean I think he got sucked
Into all the live hype videos you know that were playing in the big screens and obviously Tater was all over them because he was having that you know but it was you know obviously you got like you know Bryson Brooks and Dustin you know my my little boy was gravitated
Towards Taylor so you know fast forward into 24 and he’s got me on Brooks’s team with Taylor on there so he can’t wait to get to Miami and hang out with Team smash that’s cool a that would be awesome I can’t wait the photos from that cheers thanks thank you so much
Enjoy the rest of your time at the Bahamas uh that needs a top up I think that’s I think I’m gonna have to shut it down for the evening oh wow all right I was I was trying to behave myself because I knew I had to have this phone call [Laughter]
So okay let’s wrap it up wow yeah yeah yeah yeah um you’re right you know the part that he said about he’s not sure if he’s good enough to be he thinks enough of himself his golf is good enough yeah yeah that’s that it that encompasses is
Who he really is as a human being yeah he’s just so I mean he’s a freaking US Open winner yeah he’s won like I don’t know 12 professional wins or something like that he’s been on the riter cup what four times that’s not that’s a pretty good resume right there you know
And to think that his golf isn’t good enough to be his legacy yeah or any yeah yeah yeah or thinking enough of himself to to even worry about a legacy I mean we live in a day and age now of social media where it’s it is it’s overamplification of self-worth of self
Of self-awareness of self importance he’s just the opposite of that he he thinks everyone around him is more important than in him in his mind and that you don’t get that from Superstars very very often somebody as driven as he is to not think that the Universe revolves around them he he just
Doesn’t yeah he he certainly when you’re around him he just gives you he’s so present and he’s so he gives you the time of day you know it doesn’t feel like he’s too good or you know I I love the guy I love the guy I’m
Roing for him I’m so H I’m so happy um to watch him kind of find his game back yeah and and to like he said in the podcast fighting those demons and having those answers to those demons that’s not easy to do I know he’s got he’s he had a
A stretch where he wasn’t playing his bus Golf and then he came back and he won again I think 2019 and then won the Saudi International in 2020 it’s not easy you know this game as we know it humbles you and it eats you up and it
Just swallows you whole as long as you allow it to and it’s and it’s getting longer and longer and he’s not and that you know that that that’s in the back there somewhere and it’s I think they would be the most popular win of them all if he
Were to win a live AIT anytime this year it would be the most popular win amongst the peers of them all yeah well he is trending in the right direction he’s at some great finishes um on Liv so anyways it’s always great chatting with him uh
Jerry I’m gonna let you go because you want to go and have some dinner and possibly have a beer so I’ll let you go um yeah I’ll see you in Miami next week and we’ll be in person again we look forward to it I’m very excited about
Jackson’s coming down so you get to say hi to the better fols by far um better and better looking yes FS let’s just give our listeners some context you know you just you can’t do anything about your your genetic makeup so he didn’t have a choice on that
He must have got it from his pH probably obviously very much so obviously all right all right um uh if you love this podcast please do subscribe uh you can find us wherever you get your podcast and if you want to watch this on video you can catch it on
Our YouTube page as well as our LIF Golf Plus streaming app till next week we’ll see you in Miami take care have a great weekend peace out adios girl
5 Comments
Su-Ann!
What a fantastic interview. Taking the lost “homing pigeon” to Lahinch, best story ever. Keep up the good work.
ugh Su-Ann, tattoos are a typical and ugly look on todays ladies. Im sure they are tiny too? Which shows alot of hesitation and commitment issues, red flag city.
First of all, you can tell so much of a persons character when they take the high road and talk positively about someone that publicaly threw shade on the organization they work for. Foltz and Su Ann praised Malanati for winning after he said that Liv golf team events seem contrived. Again another person that probably hadn’t spoken to any LIv players to give an educated, informed opinion. Plus what does Malnati know about playing team events that have importance.
Graeme reminds me of Feherty with his wit and humor and accent. Can you imagine having beers with G Mac and Feherty when he used to drink and listening to them telling stories and yakking it up. Priceless. This interview didn’t greatly change my view of Gmac- I was always a big fan of him.
Both look so young. How do you both do it??