This week on The Road to French Lick, Frankie Capan III shoots 58, Tim Widing goes back-to-back a at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Veritex Bank Championship, and we go behind the scenes at the Kentucky Derby.
MORE The Road to French Lick:
Episode 1: https://youtu.be/i3HVE6sF_YQ
Episode 2: https://youtu.be/g-cpXXmWnR4
Episode 3: https://youtu.be/Ofli2Lwfvi4
Episode 4: https://youtu.be/vlxUJlgvo_A
Miles Russell interview: https://youtu.be/JQq57mg2Dfo
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there were records go lore last week and we had our first two-time winner of the year and he went back to back at the veritex bank championship and we’re on the road to French [Music] Lake hi everyone I’m Ryan baling and welcome once again to the road to frenchlick a show chronicling the 2024 corn fairy tour season culminating in the corn fairy tour Championship presented by United Leasing and finance at the Pete die course at frenchlick Resort in frenchlick Indiana on this week’s episode we Crown our first two-time champion of the season and as it turns out it’s also our first back-to-back winner of the year but first before we get to that let’s talk about the incredible first round of Frankie Sapp in the third the Minnesota native who shot an opening 5813 underpar in the first round of the veritex bank championship in Arlington Texas at Texas Rangers Golf Club in the process Frank he sa in the third tied the corn fairy tour record for the best single round score against par matching the 57 shot earlier this year on the par 70 host course at the asara Chile classic which was shot by Crystal bald Del solar this saen only led by three after the opening round but found himself in a great position to earn a ton of points for the week he W up finishing fourth in the tournament at 24 under total seven shots behind our winner Tim Ving before we talk about Tim Ving let’s hear from Frankie Sapp in the Third on an incredible week for him it’s definitely felt like I’ve kind of had a bit of a Target on my back um which is I mean I’ve never had I guess that feeling at at an event like this um so I think it’s it’s definitely new territory for me but I think there’s just been a lot of emotions that I’ve gone on throughout the week and I’m happy with how I’ve been able to handle most of them um there’s there’s low ones out here even when it does get windy I’m looking at the board I see some some low ones um but at the same time I’m I’m I’m happy with how I’ve battled aot last two days I feel like battling and just kind of grinding out some decent scores the last couple days is kind of how it’s just been going um you know obviously had a lot go for me the the first round um so maybe it’s just even evening itself out a little bit congratulations again to Franky Happ in the third a tremendous accomplishment shooting 58 and earning a ton of corn fairy tour points by finishing in Solo fourth place at the ver Tex Bank Championship the tournament was ultimately dominated though by Tim Ving who won the prior tournament at the Lee com Sun Coast class and at the time becoming the eighth consecutive firsttime winner on the season now he is the first player to go back to- back this year he is the first player with two wins this year winds up winning in record fashion at 31 under 253 setting the corn fairy tour scoring record for 72 holes against par and for a 72 hole total he now practically assures himself a place on the PGA tour next season and is absolutely in the top 30 in the standings that will advance to the corn fairy Tour Championship presented by United leing and finance congratulations to Tim vading on a tremendous accomplishment this week the road to French Lick is once again on the road with my co-host Brendan Sweeny taking a trip to Louisville which will be the center of the sporting Universe for the next several weeks including with the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby and the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in the Louisville area just 70 minutes away from the French Lake Resort Louisville is going to be hopping in the sports scene and Brendon Sweeney takes us on a behind the scenes look at the Kentucky Derby this is Brendan Sweeny and I’m coming to you live from Wagner’s Diner just outside the gates of Church Hill Downs with the 150th edition of the Kentucky Derby will take place this Saturday uh today we have the great pleasure of speaking to Carl Schmidt longtime Louisville director of of the Louisville sports commission and curator of the Mohammad Ali museum he showed us around the backstretch today we also catch up with Fred cogill who’s wrapping up a 38-year career of covering the Derby as well his his career with WLKY Sports in Louisville uh he’ll touch upon the history of Louisville some of his great experiences and what the PGA Championship will do at Valhalla coming up at the end of the month and also what the road to French Lick will come to with the corn fairy tour later on this year so we’re in the stable area Churchill down there’s 1,400 horses stabled here these horses train every day and then the whole Kentucky Derby phenomenon just gets layered right on top of that so you have horses going out on the track doing their training come back to their Barn get cleaned up they get a bath and then they close a track for just D Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oak horses and so they can train they good about 45 minutes so let’s carry on what’s the season here at the track uh always open the spring me opens the last weekend in April and the Derby is one week later the first Saturday in may they run through the 1st of July they have a short meat in September and they have a meat that runs the last weekend in October through Thanksgiving so so as a native Lille louil what does Derby mean to you and what does 150 mean to you Derby 150 well the Derby is a celebration and it’s it’s about lifestyle and it’s part of the fabric of our community and it’s who we are it’s it’s a time to welcome your guests in the town and Derby 150 to me means I was at the 100th Derby as a college student in the infield and I’m shocked that I’m still around for Derby 150 back Rich at 50 Tuesday at Church Hill Downs 38-year veteran sports reporter and dear friend Fred’s Hill what’s 150 like Fred Brennan is really special I mean this is as good as it gets you know sometimes people say why why is a number so important right why is 150 more special than the others well you know there’s a book in the Bible named numbers right so I mean numbers obviously mean a lot and I think this has a lot of emotion attached to it for a variety of reasons including but not Li Li mited to we made it past Co and it’s a really really big deal this is the longest continuously running race the Kentucky Derby uh in America and it is the best race on the planet so it’s exceptionally cool and for me a little bitter SCH so 38 years this is your we’re on the backstretch this is a backstretch this is your last official Derby for the station for the station yes so some of the memories it’s got to be mindblowing but uh what sticks out well I tell you what you know this’s a song called blink 38 years I mean I remember being here in 1987 with my first derby with Ali Sheba almost won a Triple Crown saw a lot on your Miss Triple Crowns American Pharaoh is probably the one that sticks out the most he was the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years since 1978 with a firmed uh which beat Aladar very very exceptionally cool Pharaoh was a special horse he was like a puppy dog most race horses are very high strung he was the polar opposite he’d nuzzle you he’d lick you uh there’s a famous picture of him laying in his stall with his Hooves up with his owner laying next to him on one side and the trainer Bob backer laying on the other so getting to cover history like that especially being at the Belmont for that but it started here uh is probably about as cool as it gu so Louisville has a very special month coming up later on this month will be at Valhalla with the PGA Championship how do you tie in such a 150,000 people here 150,000 people maybe all week long at the at Valhalla this again part of the it’s a one shot deal right there’s 150 and it’s never been in the spring it’s always been I mean meting the PGA in August well they move the PJ up to May so within a twoe window we get two of the biggest sporting events in the history of this town literally 14 days or so apart um the town is primed I mean the Vibe back here everybody’s smiling and look everybody Smiles almost every year but this one there’s just a little extra something a good vibe that you know we’ve had so much bad news lately this is sort of an escape for all that Rick patino used to say that sports are a noble and honorable escape from the realities of the world and I would say that really applies for this window of time everybody’s got a favorite beverage in hand everybody’s seeing old friends for this especially where we are right now this is a reunion of old friends sometimes year to year sometimes 20 or 30 or 40 years and or 38 yes in my case and the fabric of that I mean this this is woven into the fabric of the community it’s the only place in the world I’ve ever been where Housewives or House Husbands can argue over lettuce Kroger about horses you just don’t see that anywhere else at French Lick we’re celebrating the 100 year anniversary of Walter Hagen winning 1924 PGA Championship in October we’re hosting the corn fairy championships bringing professional golf back to French Lick you’ve had great experiences at French Lick what do you think the corn fairy players will do at the die cour it will be a formidable test it’s one of the best golf courses I’ve I’ve ever seen and from a Vista standpoint it’s the most special course I’ve ever seen I’ve often said if that we’re near a major Market I mean it would get exceptionally more coverage I I still say it’s the best kept secret in the United States you pull into the property and your jaw just drops because you’re looking around it like you’re looking at you know the Alps basically in golf uh I think they’re going to have their hands full I mean a couple guys will obviously we find the winner he may be under par I mean you never know it’s 8,000 yards at its toughest and it’s already tough from 6,000 yards I’m just saying but uh no I think they’re going to play a lot of fun and an enormously challenging Golf Course likely the most challenging they’ve ever played put a bow on this right now who do we like for number 150 at chill down this week I I followed this race this year more than I have in modern times because I teach a course at University of Louisville producing stories for the Kentucky Derby and so I was very connected from early on last November I saw a horse and I fell in love with them see Leon who’s the second favorite here uh he actually lost that race by a nose it’s his only career race he lost he’s got four stars three wins and a second missing by a nose so he’s a nose from being unbeaten he’s a big com from behind horse that’s not always the greatest thing at Churchill Downs you’re navigating a full field of 20 these horses never seen this many in a field before they’ve never gone this far before they likely never will go that far again or see a field this big again many of them never been on this racetrack before except in training so there’s so many variables you just never know think of it as driving on a Chicago expressway at rush hour right you’re you’re ducking you’re weaving you’re up you’re down sing you’re leg yes and that’s the Kentucky Derby Fred I can’t thank you enough for your friendship my man congratulations on a on a race well run my friend 38 years Fred cogill WLKY Legend friend my buddy love you man right back at you brend Sweeney rejoins me he’s been in Louisville for us get ready for the 100 50th Kentucky Derby and right after that we’ve got the PGA Championship in the Louisville area Valhalla Golf Club which is about 75 minutes away driving from French Lake so kind of the Confluence of the sporting world is about to hit the French Lake Louisville metropolitan area Brendon so what’s kind of the level of excitement in the area for what’s about to happen these next few weeks I tell you what I got a great opportunity the day to go to Churchill Downs I’ve I’ve been to Church Hill Downs before but I’ve never been in the back stretch and to be invited to go in was pretty cool they sort of had like you know it’s area code 502 and today being Tuesday they call it 502s so all the local guys are going there because the Oaks is the big race that used to be the local race that happens on Fridays Derby always on Saturday um but it the Oaks has just been overrun with people from out of town and and so that the locals just hang out on Tuesday so it was neat it was it was a great experience um and then two weeks from now after Derby closes up you have the PGA Championship right around the corner in Valhalla so it’s about 15 minutes outside uh Northeast of of uh Church Hill uh right up the highway so yeah the town is is booming the town is busing uh the hotel years the restaurants uh all the vendors are happy I’m sure Budweiser and Woodford are going crazy as well um and I you know the bar was flowing freely this morning I was walking by and the backstretch I’m like you know would have mind pop it in there but I had to be responsible and jump on an airplane and head back home so it’s good um the golf is fabulous I was just up at the resort I was up at French Lick uh with had some meetings up there uh the courses are in fabulous shape uh there’s been a great spring uh the the crew at our place is doing great the Donald Ross we just uh wrapped up our we had a big three-year bunker project that we just uh wrapped up so all the bunkers have been totally redone and uh we’re working on a couple surprises coming up in the in the near future down in the valley so uh it’s it’s springtime time in the midwest north of the Ohio river and south of the Ohio river is considered sort of the Midwest um and that’s where they’re going to be this week for the Derby so we had a couple good conversations that we’ll catch up with this later we have a little break here on the corn fairy tour schedule week off and the Advent Health championship in Missouri but we went eight tournaments eight firsttime winners five playoffs as we mentioned get to the ninth tournament we finally get a second time winner or a multi-time winner just turns out is going to be the same guy who was the last firsttime winner Tim Ving wins the eighth Tournament of the year at the Leon wins the ninth Tournament of the year at the veritex banks Championship great run for him and practically secures himself a tour card for next year that that’s a really cool thing for somebody to know hey I’ve I’ve got to wait till October to get this but I’m almost certain I’m gonna get a PJ tour card well one more Victory be a battle a battlefield promotion right the three- win promotion that has happened in a while I remember Luke Guthrie did it way back in the day and I think someone else did but I forgot who it was but uh yeah that’s that’s pretty solid right there um but you look at at at what’s going on on tour right now um these guys are fighting they’re fighting hard and we always sort of focus on like the top 10 but I think you’re going to start seeing the molding of of the top 70 which Advanced the French Lick and then the top 25 after that who go on to get their card so there’s going to be a race within the race within the race so it’s coming down to where all the shots are important and these guys are playing their tails off we had a 58 last week yeah Frank he just he banked it and then a fell shoots a 60 and it’s three Strokes be or two strokes behind him and he shoot Lights Out it’s just crazy crazy competitive um these guys are that good and you know the course conditions are set up for them fabulously and they’re just ripping to cover off the ball and you know our guy miles Russell he gave it a valiant effort uh he didn’t make the cut um but shot a 70 in the last day which is pretty solid and that’s a lot of pressure for a kid I’m sure he felt it on the inside yeah you know it was it was sort of cool to go the first time now everybody sort of gave him a double look and whatnot but he’s got a lot of offer and you know what we were the first guys to tackle him on the interview so uh we’ll put that in our little feather in the cap there so great job Miles proud of you buddy and uh hopefully we’ll catch you down the road and get you back on the show it’s tough sleding when you’ve got to shoot six or seven under par for two rounds just to get to play the weekend that that is H that’s a tough business to live in yeah but it makes the makes the prize so much sweeter when you get it that’s true and you did mention this about you know we we do focus on the top five or top 10 top 30 whichever mile post you want to talk about in terms of the standings but the way the co fairy tour season works there is a reshuffle basically every four events so if you don’t have a good stretch of play or you have a great stretch of play you can find yourself your availability into getting into these tournaments or the remainder of the Season either improving dramatically or being hurt tremendously and it can happen in a very short span of time amen yeah a lot and clear and you’ll see it starting to shake out you know with the with the tour coming up now with their schedule excuse me with their schedule being the way it is you know we’re moving into the summer months we’re moving into some more drier weather we’ll be hitting a lot of Midwestern places in the plains we be head Kansas you know Oklahoma Illinois um and it’s all going to be coming down where weather may become a come a factor and drying out some of these courses yeah and these guys have been lighting it up on the last couple of weeks I mean 58s 59s we’ve had a bunch of sub 60 scores already this year we’ve had plenty of them to look at uh it’s going to get a little bit tougher in terms of the setup as as you mentioned it’ll get a little bit firmer a little bit faster but uh these guys are incredible I mean they’re they’re putting up numbers that you you can’t believe that and they do it every single week and and most weeks the player who puts up that number doesn’t even wind up winning the tournament that’s how hard it is to to be this good on the Cory Perry tour and earn your way to the PGA Tour so it’s a great stretch that we’ve just gone through to take a little rest at this week maybe enjoy mint julip at the Derby or watching at home and we get to enjoy the the PGA Championship we’re right back at it with the Advent Health Championship so Brenda thanks so much for being with us and uh we’ll do this again very soon cheers buddy thanks again with his second consecutive win on the coin fairy tour Tim Ving remains number one in the coin fairy tour point standings adding to his number one tally with 500 corn fairy tour points he now leads the standings as we look at the top five this week in the corn fairy tour points list knowing that the top 30 in the standings at the end of the season including at the corn fairy TOUR Championship presented by United Leasing and finance earned PGA Tour cards for next season number one on our list again is Tim Ving at 1,261 points Mason Anderson remains second in our list at 8133 points Steven Fisk remains third at 755 points Kevin V remains fourth at 665 points while Trent Phillips remains fifth at 595 points as we do each week on the road to French Lake we take a look at two holes on the peak die course the French Lake Resort at French Lake Indiana the host of the Corn fairy TOUR Championship presented by United Leasing and finance and for the third episode in our series we look at two challenging par fours the par four fifth hole and the downhill par 4 sixth hole here’s will hasket with more the fifth hole is the shortest par 4 on the course and your t- shot here is of the utmost importance an ideal struck t- shot ends up in the left center of the Fairway that misses all the Fairway bunkers down the right hand side but also aligns you perfectly for an approach shot to a green that sits at a 45° angle from the Fairway it’s a very small green and the bailout is actually a little bit long and left of the putting surface but remember this approach shot plays significantly uphill [Music] the sixth hole is a great par for but do not miss left over 20 bunkers line the left rough and a premium is placed on the accurate t-shot near the Fairway bunkers on the right hand side that leaves a midiron approach shot of about 160 to 175 yards to the green this hole will also be one of the most photographed while the vistas from the green are absolutely incredible [Music] that’ll do it for us this week on the road to French Lake thanks so much for watching we appreciate it the next Corin fairy Tour event is in 2 weeks at the Advent Health championship in Kansas City Missouri at Blue Hill country club with another $1 million purse on the line $180,000 to the winner and 500 very important corn fairy tour points to the champion we’ll check back in with you again on the road to French Lake after that tournament I’m Brian bingie for everyone here at golf Newsnet and for the French Lake Resort thanks so much for watching we’ll see you next time
