Rick Shiels & Adam Scott talk The Open, winning The Masters, Tiger, STEALTH & much more EP139

Welcome back to the rickshaws golf show podcast everybody i am your host it's episode 139 it's open week and i could not be any more excited i didn't guy you well i'd say i'm more excited let's have it excited off i'm i'm. So thrilled if you're excited across the room i'm. So excited that like it's like it's all built to this this is it the 150th open at st andrews the home of golf. So much drama so much excitement who is going to be you know what never ever before ever ever ever in my life thoughts. So much about who's gonna win it but not in a point of like trying to work out it's such a massive win this one imagine winning the 150th at st andrews like you win majors yeah oh well. And good right to win the 150th open is just like astronomically huge it was something uh i think it was jack nicklaus that said you know you've gotta win the open at saint andrews to be a legend of the game. Or considered a great however. everyone might have different opinions on that but this year it does feel like they said the 150 is ginormous. But the fact it's back at the home of golf it's not been there for seven years it does feel incredibly different. And like you said on sunday somebody's gonna stand there on the silicon bridge holding that jug like that getting amazing pictures who will that be tiger the weather well we'll see the weather looks like it's gonna be at least dry there's to be a couple of windy days which st andrews definitely needs otherwise there could be some really low scores around there um as you're listening to this podcast right now me. And guy are driving up from from our home here in the northwest of england all the way to saint andrews because we are going to be there from tuesday to pretty much the will you're there till the weekend i'm there over the weekend it's going to be electrifying the crowds the atmosphere the night life being able to see loads of people like to be able to see tiger walking doing stuff i'd literally watch him do anything i think as well yeah yeah okay. And i think that's the thing we've said this before. And we'll say it the locales come home the beautiful thing the amazing thing the intriguing thing within andrews isn't just the golf course it's the town so the open it's not just like you've got the golf and once it goes dark and the goal's finished you go out to hotel you've got the nightlife you've got the the banter zones you're gonna be walking around the top of alpha in the morning he's singing easily i'll be doing that erican's lang lang shot from the in front of the dunk well we we got incredibly like we've been lucky to do some amazing things i i've played with the old course with tom watson in reverse i've hit shots from the old course hotel i've played with with famous golfers full time with garcianic more time with guys charlotte. But last week we got gifted something which could possibly top everything we did vip passes to the dumb vegan pub wow i mean this hopefully there's not many of them around because that is we doesn't matter how big the queue is doesn't matter how busy it is we can just wander up there flash the badge we're in paint's on me guinness guinness on me. So it's gonna be really exciting week if you are there please come. And say hello um like that's just gonna be yeah hello hello uh it's gonna be mega absolutely ridiculous um we've also this episode is a guest episode. So you'll notice on the time this is a long long podcast today.

And we are also through this week going to be taking the podcast equipment up with us fingers crossed we're going to release some exclusive audio audio only podcasts explaining our. And describing our open experience while we're there well we've said they're going to be audio only. So i they could potentially be five pints of guinness deep there's no that could happen. For you oh easy by 10 o'clock in the morning um so yeah. So we'll get a few podcasts out for you this week but today's episode we are joined by legend adam scott masters winner 2013 one of the best golfers. For such a long period of time like 22 years he turned pro in the year 2000 and obviously one of the best golf swings that's ever been seen ever been you know he's known for how beautiful his golf swing is he's a very very nice man unbelievably nice man one of the nicest guys we've ever met. Or filmed with yeah in fact i've almost put him as number one spot. So far yeah that's no disrespect to anyone else he was just. So brilliant with his time we filmed a match at king's barns that will be coming very soon where i did a 10-shot challenge against him i started 10 on the par he started level part it was very very windy we had a fantastic match that'll be coming very soon um. And he did a fantastic podcast we filmed it in king's barns which is an amazing place by the way unbelievable golf course we filmed it in kings barns in the locker room yeah a bit weird. But it wasn't weird there was it because it was like it was like a fancy look that was a locker room. But it for most golf clubs that would be like a sweet it was unbelievable. And like you said he came in. And i was very starstruck because he was like turnpro in 2001 i think it was um i've literally grown up knowing who adam scott was. And what was married some obviously researched before the podcast he's ended the year every calendar year he's ended it in the top 50 in the world since the year 2001 which is in 20 years that elite level it's outrageous. And one thing i mean he was an unbelievable gentleman he was. So good and one thing i came away thinking is he had a spell i think it was 2011 2015 where he came like top 10 in 11 majors. So he was. So so competitive but i'm actually so so happy he has won a major because if he hadn't he would have to go down as the best golf ever not to and and nobody really wants that obviously title and the fact he won the masters he's got that green jacket he's going back every year which will come on too massively in the podcast. For that dinner with the champions he deserves that he talks about his win obviously augusta in 2013 but he also delves quite deeply into his loss in 2012 and royal lithum which i didn't know if it was gonna be a bit of a touchy subject. But he definitely touched i almost made him that isn't it i think now one thing before we get on to the actual podcast with adam scott we've got a big announcement as well coming in the second. But one thing that we just wanted to make very clear cause i'm sure we're going to get in comments everything else we are not investigating journalists. So we're not going in there to probe these guests. And kind of you know make it awkward or try and get too much out of him um it was a conversation we wanted to dive into his historic past his his future what what the game is going to look like now little bits of that did touch on potential other tours. But we weren't going to go in there. And go are you joining live. So there's not loads and loads of live talk in this because we felt we needed to respect his position i think yeah you're right if you want that kind of content this isn't the right place if you go to sky sports go to you know these other media outlets outlets who ask the really hard hitting questions. And we have a guest on we treat them like they are a guest you know we ultimately just are two golf fans who want to sit down with someone who we look up to. And chat to we want to make them feel comfortable and i think yeah there wasn't really much about that there was a little point about how new golf pros are being motivated. For the future which he touches on and that there was a few interesting points there. But again it's up to him whether he joins whether he doesn't he didn't give us any indication at all he just feel like that at the moment he loves playing golf competitively and all his focus on was the open because we filmed this last week. So he got in early played a damn manner in the jp mcmanus golf day he then.

Jumped over on it on his jet to uh to scotland and he had he has preparation and there's no out of all the people now he is i would absolutely love it if he won 100 he's my one of my favorites. So that's going to be really good there was one thing in the podcast i said which can not set annoyed me after i said it i was kicking myself because he's playing the open acts in andrews in the year 2000 2005 10 15. And now 22 so he has pl he will have played in the open five times at the old course. And i put that to him and said surely that's the most i have anybody in the field. And he went oh no target 95 as well. And i went oh yeah. And i knew that because tag on the us amateur in night i think it was four five. And six and obviously off the back of each of those got into the open and as i said i was like oh yeah i knew that. So it was little tiny things i was like also i saw today.

I didn't know this either ian poulter's done those five as well i'll ask him he did two thousand i only saw it today.

Two thousand two. Or five two ten three two fifteen and then.

You know i forgot by the way i listened to a really good podcast um five live done about the open i completely forgot if noah's there in 15 that rory missed out from breaking his leg while hurting his leg playing football oh my god yeah because he won the 14 at hoy lake. And then.

15. yeah he missed out. For hurt i thought if he broke or just hurt his legs you know did that kind of throw you off then.

You know you had such momentum because that was his last major win yeah 14 was his last one wow eight years with that one we've mentioned this before. But it's incredible and i think um i'd love to see i'd love to see tiger win my absolute dream would be tiger winner i'd be honest i don't think that's going to happen. And part of me has a feeling this could be when he bows out i'd hate to see it well i'd love not hate it i'd hate to see it because i don't want tagger to retire i'd love to see it cause i'll probably be there um i'd love to see adam scott win after what a nice guy is. But but also it would be really nice for rory to get one i think he is you know he's co he's a living legend let's be honest he's done such a good you know had such a good career. So far he's not won a major for eight years to finally break his duck at the old course that would be special i'd say which golfer though i can't look past at the moment it's not a big surprise on the shuffle he's just won travellers jp mcmanus scottish open he's going into the openers live he's won three tournaments in a row i think. So i mean jp minus obviously it's like it's only a two-day kind of bit of a charity hitting giggle as they would call it. So this looks amazing but the fact he's he's going. And he's in such great form there's probably going to be a bit of fatigue there. But there's so many though we said this last we had a little bit of a guess who we thought would do well. And i think our scottie shaffler who else did i remember rory. And somebody else would do i've changed my three now go on who are you going adam scott adam scott. And adam scott but that's the thing though genuinely you look at the names of the people are playing there's. So many guys who could win it and you won't be surprised if any of them once it's gonna be so competitive and so exciting i i can't wait for it there's the slogan for this open i don't i'm sure you've seen this is everything has led to this. And obviously you can say at any moment in time every everything in life has led to this moment weirdly. But this does feel like everything really you know think of like old tom morris back in the day. And you know when it was the the the belt. And it went to the claret jug and everything literally said the 150th there's no bigger potential lifetime hopefully of the 200th. But who knows um but yeah it's gonna be special it just feels like there's no major that's ever had this buzz ever no not in my lifetime. So excited about that. And like i said adam scott's gonna come on soon. But before we get to that i've got a huge announcement i have a brand new sponsor you might have noticed gonna guess a few little a few little golden eagles dotted about so yeah i have signed with lylan scott the clothing brand uk company um as you guys have been on my journey with me you noticed back in the kind of middle of 2020 that parted ways with nike. And i've not signed anyone since because none of the no right brand has come forward as of. Yet and i'm really happy to sign milan scott really happy to work with him in the future the clothing is phenomenal um it's again similar idea to what i was why didn't sarah nike not going to see me shoving it down your throat. So i'm going to be wearing the clothes the heart the apparel. But that's kind of as far as it goes yeah. And i think what's great is that you put the um instagram post under the day announcing it. And what was really unique was there was. So many comments going oh my name is i love lions scott there's quite a lot of competency coming back because it was massive in england about 10 years ago a little bit more. And it really has got a resurgence now but there's also a lot of comments i'm guessing more from us maybe younger people didn't know what the brand was. And that's quite unique because over here it's a really well-known authentic golf brand obviously greg norman won the opener believe we're in the brand as well it's been around for years but obviously you won't it'll get in front of a lot more different eyeballs and i think it's going to do good things to brandon it's good gear yeah it's really it's really really good gear. So um you'll see me wearing it like i said a lot of us guys were a bit confused about the brand they'd not heard of it. But hopefully that it's going to help the brand grow a little bit more in america um it fits brilliantly it looks stylish it's modern it's not too ridiculously pricey that's a big thing that is i mean yeah like the gear it's very good quality. But it isn't stupidly priced and i think that's something that you you kind of not owed to the audience. But if you're wearing stuff that is ridiculously overpriced it's quite hard people to sometimes swallow that stuff isn't. But it's great quality yeah. And you know what you've really slimmed down you're looking good thanks pal i've been working hard actually i've been running a bit more this weekend and been working hard eating healthy i'm looking forward to getting in even better shape and hopefully working out on my golf as well a little bit trying to pick up something don't get too rich extra clubhead speed i want to start getting really ripped i've got to a point now where i'm like okay i'm definitely happier than where i was two. Or three months ago and i'm thinking what could happen next.

Maybe a little uh little push towards one getting 40 trying to try and rip up but we'll see what happens so yeah big announcement lion scott be wearing it in all the videos wearing the podcast um. And it's a very very very nice gear right without further ado what you've really been waiting for i was sit down deep dive with adam scott in the locker room at king's barns sit back relax enjoy this. And enjoy the rest of the week for the opening uh well thank you for coming on the podcast we really do appreciate it no worries i know you're a busy man uh we're here in scotland yeah it's the week before the open yeah we're at beautiful kings barns oddly enough in the locker room yeah a little bit weird. But it's a very nice look it is look at this look at the windows the natural light. And we're gonna go out and play some golf after this yeah. And it looks really really really windy it's picking up that's for sure we're gonna have a fun little match which will be coming out on youtube very soon um. But obviously you've just flown in from ireland after playing in the jp mcmanus pro am yeah uh a dare manner you were just saying how ridiculously stunning it was oh it's it was a great event look it was it was unbelievable every everything about it uh just phenomenal. And the condition of the golf course is just outrageous i almost want to see it to believe it you said it was almost better condition than augusta well it could be the best condition course in the world you know on it i think we need to go yeah we really do we were debating coming this week actually we had an opportunity to come. But it didn't quite work out but yeah i think that's highly on the agenda yeah it does look absolutely pure talking about what's looking unbelievable at the moment obviously you're here. For the open yeah at st andrews the home of golf had a little run around the golf course this morning you had a wander out there as well just a quick that's just rich on a flex that this morning's done a 5k run by the way sorry there is a medal coming some fighters you will post your medal. For that run um it looks phenomenal yeah it looked really green yeah. And way more obviously it's been over quite a wet yet sunny period of time so that the golf course does look really really green compared to when it can get burnt out yeah what does what does scotland what does saint andrews kind of mean to you well this is a special one isn't it i mean we've been delayed a couple years going back uh to sin andrews 2015 was the last time we were there this is the 150th it is andrews the old course claret jug open championship um it's the gulf of end of the year really let's face it it's the biggest event of the year do you do you love the golf course yeah i mean there's nothing else like it you know uh a lot of a lot of crazy stuff going on that could never be replicated today.

Probably without someone being hung. For it you know it's uh it's really wild stuff going on out there. But it works yeah it's a golf course that if it was flat. And or a quiet day should i say it's very scorable and if we see that in the open there could be some outrageously low scores but if you get a day like today.

Where it's windy you were saying it's forecast to be quite windy. And they can tuck some of the pins. And you can get they can get sneaky yeah it's not easy either is it no it's not i mean the wind is the defense of most links let's face it uh you know some are tougher than others. But that there is. So much room at sin andrews to play uh in the calm conditions we've seen it i mean just even the last couple goes at sin andrews in the karma conditions rory's shooting low numbers i mean it's right in his wheelhouse he's got to be licking his chops coming up here to some andrews. And hoping for light winds um but everyone is kind of playing that aggressive bomb game. And if it isn't windy they're going to have to push the pins really really close. And and i think they can i think they can do it because green speeds aren't crazy around the links. And uh they can push them a yard. Or two closer to the trouble and and i think um they probably should i think we need we need a bit of a test out there they almost can't get too fast the greens can because of the wind yeah like suddenly the ball will be rolling all around the green wouldn't they really if they've gone too fast yeah absolutely. So that allows them to get pretty creative with where they can push the pins to i mean tucking them around the bunker edges certainly on the first few holes going out you know a few over the bunker it's just down slope from the bunker yeah um you know. And you end up seeing guys putting from 45 feet all the time 60 feet coming back but but that's what they're gonna need to do if it's not not. So windy hopefully there's a bit of wind and i think they don't have to do anything too creative at all. So this is just over a week before the open starts you've just arrived into scotland now what's your kind of itinerary. For the next.

Few days how do you kind of like to prep into open week yeah this week before the open is like one of my favorite weeks golfing wise. For me uh i often come up early the week before and i like to all majors really but especially the open um you know adjusting to playing the links is not that quick of an adjustment at least. For me you know we just play in the air and it's target golf and point and shoot but if you can figure out how the ground can really help you uh on the links there's there's a moment in every realm probably where you can be a bit creative. And and get it to where you need to be better than going up in the air. And maybe bringing in some more trouble so i spend this week like really challenging myself to kind of bring my uh vision down to the ground a bit play on the ground use the ground and get a feel for how it is now if it's a bit green. And a bit slower maybe a little bit less of that yeah because it's not. So fiery you might might be able to control a bit better but i still think even if it is a green links yeah. But you know you got to use the ground to your advantage where you can. So obviously this isn't your first rodeo is it is it five times you've done st andrews down in the open did you do it yeah 2000 was my first major i did the qualifiers i went through the regional qualifier i played in uh somewhere outside glasgow in the regional then.

I went to loch lomond. And played the tournament at loch lomond and then.

I came over here to leave and links and played the 36 hauler on the monday and qualified for the open no i mean did you just turn pro at that time yeah it was like four weeks into being a pro. So it was a good night's sleep that's quite cool i never knew that it's quite good there can't be anybody else in the field then.

Who's played the open at saints andrews more than you will have done because i don't think tiger played in 95 he did. Or did it yeah i think that must be one more than you yeah my buddy um steve webster i think was the low amateur the reason i know is because he told me he was the low amateur that year. And tiger was in the field. So yeah because he won the u.s of course he did yeah yeah yeah. So tiger has but you know i'm up in that age bracket now where we're just hold on to it i remember when i got on tour and you know around that time and come to the open and i saw fred couples and he was maybe 42 years old. And i'm like oh wow it's so old that's me now that's where you are now that's where you've got minwoo lee looking up to you now oh there's adam scott we were talking about obviously we got we've had uh mimwi on the channel a few times. And look played with him around here actually and the old course and uh the good news is he he went on to win a tournament soon after being on the podcast. So i'd like to think we've got some level of lucky charm yeah hopefully it's going to work. For you he seems like a good lad and he seems like a obviously a baller oh yeah um no he's got some he's got all of all the arsenal in the bag there you know. And it some people can crack it straight away. And he he's got it all like winning the scottish like he did last year in a great field you know he knows. But just p piecing it all together can take some time like you know it took me a long time to figure out how to get really competitive in the majors you know my first 10 years of my career i just you know it was just like a lottery whether i was going to play good at a major. Or not and i didn't play good very often and then.

I had a period of time where i just had it all figured out and was threatening at each one which was fun. But you know min he's so he's so good i think he's really close now he's a few years a few seasons in i mean he should figure it out. And he's young too it's ridiculous how much does he lean someone like that who's obviously you've got a common connection from australia you seem to have got kind of the team's office to look up to you does he bend your ear much on advice does he can i say adam am i going to get around the old course does he ask. For advice and also are you willing to give advice. Or is it. Or is it kind of like why should i give advice to some competitor yeah no i i think one of the nice things about the game certainly through my career is you know everyone's been really open to sharing um some tips let's say you know i'm it's not my job to coach him around the old course i think i'd probably mess him up more than i could help him you know on purpose yeah of course you know. So miss right just take it down the right everywhere but um no like that i think i think they play. So different than kind of how i learned to play too you know i'm almost learning how the new or modern game is played a bit by watching these guys as well. So has your game changed a lot in the last 10 years or so like ball speed club head speed distance has become a massive factor with the introduction of launch ones and stuff as well have you strived for that i mean you're not obviously a short hitter if you strive to gain more distance. And speed i mean i've i've tinkered at times. For sure to see what happens um [Music] yeah when i when i hit along i hit it wider too that's what happens. For most people i think you know look bryson did an amazing job of gaining all that speed. But keeping it pretty much on the golf course and there was a period there where it was frightening the accuracy with that length um hard to maintain obviously. But you know i'm kind of i have my own golf swing dna that i've had forever and it's hard to work against that i'm so far in now like i can do what i can do. And i think it's still enough to kind of pick apart any golf course yeah. But i'm but i'm not able to carry it like rory over bunkers at 3 40. you know and step on one that's not where my game is now. And and i'm not set up to do that i've kind of got dialed back equipment to play how i like to play we're going to come onto equipment shortly because obviously we've had a bit of a transitional period recently. But it is that i would say arguably you would be known to have the best looking golf swing in the world i can be your height man well yeah that could be high you have yeah does that kind of come with levels of like pressure like have you like have you almost always have you into technique first off. And also do you always kind of come back to this aesthetic looking. Or would you sacrifice aesthetic looking swing for more distance power etc um am i into technique i mean i know a little bit about golf technique i guess i probably no i didn't not i didn't learn it early. Or anything like that um but i know a little bit but i'm i wouldn't be a great coach i don't think. But uh i i think what fools a lot of people with my swing is the rhythm you know it's a nice flowing rhythm it's it. And it's just kind of evolved i mean it was a slightly different faster rhythm um when i was younger very much like like yeah young tiger i guess yeah. And that was on purpose. For me i was just trying to swing like him yeah like everyone wants you know. And uh and it's just kind of evolved i haven't really changed my swing you did really well at copying his homework basically yeah you saw him yeah i'm gonna copy that yeah well yeah everyone everyone was having a go. And um somehow i managed to match it up pretty good for a while and then.

Of course i worked with butch and he also found we had similar attributes so we worked on some similar things and my swings really just evolved from there so i'm i'm uh i actually don't watch my golf swing at all now i mean i don't really i haven't really seen a swing since maybe last year at augusta. So really nearly 18 months when you say that do you mean swing from an analysis standpoint yeah okay i see occasionally a swing on television. Or or something like that but that doesn't allow me to like pause it and check every spot and you know and would you do that on purpose do you not analyze yeah i think it's better i don't look um you know i have a coach. And i trust him and he does a great job with me. And he's done a great job with me for over 10 years and because i can get into like the aesthetics. And go hmm i'd like to see my left wrist a little flatter at the top and then.

Square the club face a bit more but if i start fiddling with that and i'll move stuff and everything starts moving and all of a sudden it's not not good at all well that's it because your coach will say to you well actually flattening that wrist you're gonna end up hitting it more left. And you go i know but i like it i like it flatter you don't look yeah exactly i think people can get trapped into that i think yeah. And one of the things that i was blown away by doing some research before you came. And since i think it was 2001 till the present day the end of every year you've been in the world's top 50 golfers which is insane. And i think andrew said before is 86 majors you've competed in 84 majors without missing one right in a row that is absolutely insane how have you stayed. So consistent and also like injury free to play in every major 84 in a row what i mean obviously there's lots of secrets to guess what has been the secret to that uh the longevity thing i don't know i um i think you know i was lucky i had some talent early on. And like i said before i didn't play very good in the first whatever 40 majors we'll call it i had a few top tens. But never really featured and but i was when my good golf was good back then.

It was really good. And i'd win a couple tournaments a year for most of those years but i could never take it up to that level and there was this guy tiger making it hard. For anyone to actually believe they could play at that level like like i turned pro and i had the dreams of being world number one and winning all these 20s and then.

Like tiger in 2000 was making you know. For 10 for 10 years that dream was just not going to happen when tag was at an absolute pump did it obviously what was it like to witness did you did you think like when i'm on obviously i could compete with this guy. But it was just that he was just on just. So often what was it like to see was he just head. And shoulder by everybody else i think everyone. Or all the top players initially seeing him thought yeah when i'm on i'll be able to compete. And then.

When they were on they couldn't compete you know it just you just couldn't it was just every bit of his game. And makeup was just at a level above everybody else. And uh it's hard to explain i've tried to explain it to some of the younger guys who weren't on tour until maybe 2010 or something and didn't see like this ridiculous stuff early on in the 2000s but it it's hard to explain that he was that much better than everybody else. And i had a fun one with martin kaima who was not grasping like how someone could be. So much better and he he'd just been number one and he'd won his second major and he won it by eight shot he won the us open by eight shots which is outrageous i said well tiger won it by 15. like nearly a double lily laptop like how good you thought you played that week he's nearly laughed wow you know. And i better head around there i very appreciated that he's like thanks adam well he wasn't believing me i'm like all right well believe this mate yeah yeah yeah. So in that era then.

To win a tournament that tag was in you'd have to be. Or guys have to be on their a game and then.

Tiger be on his like b game get that win basically yeah i mean he was he was winning tournaments with average average game. For sure and uh and when he was playing really good you know let's look at just the majors he won by 15 12 eight here at st andrews host of other tournaments by more than five. And you hardly see anyone run away with the tournament these days you know it's a much more level pegging i must admit there's a lot more playoffs like these days or whatever just closer victories and things like that you know even obviously someone like scottish effort at the moment who's on an incredible form unreal he's not winning by 10 no he's winning by one. Or two you know it's not happening all the time like that really um so obviously you've played this is coming up to 84 majors yeah. But the big one the masters when you won it yeah i mean that must have been a relief i guess. For you i'm guessing also the the biggest event of you every career yeah how did that kind of feel at the time how does it feel now when you look back at it i think at the time it was. So um satisfying you know we'll call that the prime of my career hopefully there's still some of that left but we'll call that the prime for now at the moment yeah at the moment. And uh you know that there'd been so much in the lead-up to it you know like a few years of actually believing that i'm good enough to win a major you know the the real belief the real self-belief inside not just the dream of course and maybe maybe not even that the media hype or what other people are telling you you have to yeah you. And yourself have to believe i can do it was it 2011 to 15 i think you had 11 top tens in the majors right. So you on a serious hot streak so you must have no leading up to that like yeah i can do this yeah i think uh 2011 i finished second in the masters. And i played really good i shot 67 on sunday but i was only it was schwartz alberti the last four. And uh beat me and that never happened before and i was. But it was that moment where it was like okay you can really do this yeah that was apart from a you know a very freak yeah four holes. Or you would have won it felt like that to me at least um but it was at that point it was like no you're really ready to do this. And then.

The next.

Year was lithium at the open where bogey the last four. And lost and that was a heartbreaker. And still can't believe it happened but there was like this moment after that where i just went then.

On a mission then.

It was like no no this can't be this this can't be the story. For me you know uh and the pga was soon after that back then..

But uh rory won at kiwa and then.

It was the eight months until the masters. But through that whole time i was pretty much just on a mission of you know i'll get i'll get it the next.

One yeah you know when i was at a point where the head down. And focus and i did whatever i had to do. And i remember like from that january leading into that masters in 13 there was a really strong vibe going on around my training. And my coach and everything and it was we knew something was going to happen we just were you know the enthusiasm was high. And we were just pushing hard you must have had a really strong mindset than a positive after that obviously at lython. For bogeys and just missing out to then.

Go right this is my time i'm gonna continue to work that must have been some real resilience because i guess some guys heads could have gone down after that yeah i mean. And again it was the positive was even more than the masters where where schwarzel birdied the last four lithium was all on my bat you know. And i controlled this major it was all up to me. And that was even more belief like yeah you're ready you're ready to do this just gotta keep getting in that position. And i had the recipe you know so i just had to find a little little something that i missed there at lithum at the end and you know it was really soft bogeys like it wasn't like a horror show of bad shots. And stuff it was just. So soft and uh and it's like you've got to identify and be really tough on your critiquing your performance and and i can get more relaxed in a pressure situation. And like cruise even more and and at a major you know that can catch you out because the the penalty. For a mistake is much more. And the pressure is much more too. So you know i learned a lot out of them you know i had to but i knew like well i'm playing better than everybody else and uh i can i can determine the outcome of these 20s i can really sympathize with you yeah. So recently i do a series called break 75 the goal is to try to shoot break 75. And i um i double bogeyed the last for a 75 yeah i wrote with them. So it's a hard time 18 is a very difficult hole you know that no one realizes how hard a hole that is when he made birdie there that day you know that was a freak it was probably three people watching. And a seagull yeah i hit the worst t-shirt in my life went in the bunker that was like 180 yards golf course is phenomenal. But i got i got in so many bunkers i was getting angry at how many there actually are in good places as well it's catchy ball yeah i remember in two in 2013 obviously when you won the masters it was like i think you are such a fan favorite the the whole golfing community was like yes yeah yeah it felt like that thanks yeah it did i have really strong vivid memories going down the 10th in the playoff. And it was a real um raw crowd of emotion it was like low cloud drizzling rain kind of cool uh. And people were just yelling. And cheering and really getting into it the golf was good with me. And cabrera in the in the playoff and stuff but i felt like everyone was like trying to get me over the line because lithium was pretty fresh still at that point uh. For everybody and it was a shocker there's no doubt about it i mean it's hard it's hard to it's hard to think that you know i let that slip away you know because as a as a proud kind of top player you want to have like this you you want to be bulletproof almost you know you don't want to show that it might have a weakness to anybody else. And that's a pretty big one so it was important. For me to kind of come back i mean. But it did feel like that it was really a it felt like a really um popular win which is like cabrero was happy. For you i mean obviously he was devastated to lose. But the way he embraced you as well he obviously respected you massively yeah well we've had a good relationship on international president's cup teams. And i've played with him as a partner on the team and we'd known each other from european tour days when i came over here in the early 2000s he was on the european tour. And he obviously has gone on and won once and he's a big time player you know and i actually played with him that week on thursday friday that he was my first two-round draw. So yeah he played a lot of golf with him yeah that week i did we've said in the podcast before that like when when an elite golf. Or any golfer i have to be elite but wins a major it puts them in a different light and you you solidify them as through a major champion is that how it feels. For you guys on tour when it wins a major you almost put them on a separate kind of pedestal that they're now joining that elite club of major winners yeah i think. So i think it it's just gone down that path i think you know when tiger came out. And he identified his goal he had nicholas's 18 majors pinned up on his bedroom wall and tiger made a big deal about mages off the back of everyone considering jack the best with the best major record it's just taken them to be what everyone's career is measured by it's the gold mark in it yeah it is. And i think i think you know tiger's done. So much uh had such an impact on the game but because he outlined that and he went out after it and it's incredible that you know he he didn't yet get to 18. yes. But he got so close yeah i never yeah i know it's crazy you can't. But uh but he got up there so quickly that it just became the standard you've got one of the most iconic pictures though on the 18th green at all custer when the rain is drizzling down you've got your green jacket on you've got your arms spread out wide that is when i think about major masters winners that is in the top three of my pictures that comes from my head because it's. So unbelievably iconic like do you do you have that anywhere in your house yeah that's the one that's the one as soon as you walk in your house it's there i'd have it i'd have a 100 foot canvas you know it's. So good yeah it was a lucky one to get because you know funny how things happen like you think of the masters. And you think of beautiful flowers. And you know the birds are chirping. And the music and stuff and there i am in a play-off and it's like gray and rainy and nearly dark like we couldn't have played another hole so it was lucky the part went in. And then.

Oh so you've won and now you get the ceremonies now there was no prize giving on the green. Or anything it was too late they just walked me. And bubba out there bubba put the jacket on and i stood stood there i didn't know and i just you know obviously happy and and the club's photographer was the only photographer like behind all the photographers taking the fronts because the shadow is. So long um we had sir nick fowler on the podcast recently and he was talking us about the masters dinner the day we've done the wednesday. And we found out so much is it wednesday. Or tuesday it's tuesday tuesday we found out so much about it how like crazy where do you sit in the room because apparently everyone's got their own set place. And it's almost it gets split into like continents right where where are you where are you in this kind of mix yeah. So there are a few seeds that are like absolutely you know reserved they're reserved seating without you don't sit in jack's seat yeah don't sit in tiger's seat. And then.

Everyone else kind of ends up in a similar place year after year and and the year that you win and you're hosting the dinner you're up the head of the table for that one that one time and then.

You've got to go find your seat which is also daunting. And i just ran down the left side to trevor and we've been buddies since junior golfers and i'm like right i'm going to sit next.

To my mate. For the rest of our lives at this dinner it's just going to be epic. And uh so we've got like goosebumps yeah that's actually a really really cool light i'm going to sit next.

To my mate every year. For the rest of our lives so good because you can yeah. And you deserve they're gonna happen they're gonna have to write letters to get me out of that tournament that i'm too too old to make around 18 they're going to be like adam you've played enough here mate you've got to stop three times yeah. But uh do you think that would be because we've had we've had a little chat about on the podcast about sandy lyle playing in the masters. And how maybe is it the time to retire how hard is that decision like is obviously you're not there just. Yet because you're competing still and you've got still got chances to win obviously when does it get to appoint me like i think i think this is the time i need to hang it up. Or do you yeah it must be it's got to be hard i mean it's. So special for all those guys in that room you see on that evening again all remind each other how special it is to be in that masters club is what it's called. And uh you know started by hogan long time ago and uh i think that's got to be an incredibly hard decision because it's not like he can't actually get it around the course he's pretty long too still sandy. But it but it's it's i think it's a real balance. And you know generally augusta national do a really good job of keeping the tradition. And and what the masters started as and and being the best competition it can be too. And i think there's got to be a little wiggle room. For some of the champions to keep playing i think the thing that changed my mind the most i didn't know it at the time when we did the podcast he's not taking anyone else's spot is he i don't think. So so it's not like the open where a past champion would actually take somebody else's spot so i think that kind of gives him obviously a lot of leeway in the fact that only the champions that you're not taking the spot off somebody you should be competitive in it. Or whatever it may be yeah i think there's a bit of wiggle room there you know. And if if that changed then.

We gotta we gotta look at it but you know some all those traditions and the amateurs playing and being a big part of the event uh you know a lot has talked about what what bobby jones uh and clifford roberts started with so i i i like some of that still there's got to be a place for that does it have a different feel now obviously as a past champion go into the masters does the weak have a different feel to it obviously still be competitive. And do as well as you can. But you look forward to it more for things like the champions dinner as well yep yep everything the green jacket i just love it yeah i put it on every day you know because you can. And it stays in the locker there that's something that stays at the club that's something we learned from them at home or something you get like a rapper yeah everything's green at home i actually i'd i'd already planned it. But it was even better. But i i built a house back around the time i won the masters and i painted it at green too so yeah i have green cars a greenhouse you know everything magnolia house that's right lots of gut lots of guys have azaleas planted at their house at home like just because they're the popular flower from the master does any other major have this kind of club feel to them when you win like do you if you guys have one i'll tell you yeah i'll tell you after i've been in the open no. But is it like do you know. For the other for the other majors do they seem to have that kind of feel because it does feel like when you become a master's champion you are part of this real club. But from the outside in i've not i know i think they opened over dinner don't leave. For past champions but i've not heard any stories about any like never heard of a uspga champions having that kind of clubbing like that do these things happen you know. Or well they all have dinners now i think which is nice because you know they are special events. And it i think it is nice to go down memory lane. For all the guys uh and be recognized there's no doubt the masters club is you know the the most exclusive in the game. For whatever reason something about the green jacket something about the way augusta national has run this event for 80 80 years or so now so uh it's a good one to be in it well it really is yeah i must admit like if you're going to win any that that in the open really yeah i don't know if yes no i agree well interestingly when you know growing up as a kid watching golf in australia greg norman was number one in the world. And he had so many close calls at augusta but i watched him in the open twice and the open was special. And you know the uk and australia's always had a close connection so the open was always like the really really special one. And the masters was amazing. But my guy never won it yeah. So the open was big. For me and then.

Obviously going to the masters. And playing i mean i'm not i'm not being picky. But i'm pretty happy with the green with the green jacket but if you a claret jug at augusta at saint andrews sorry that's a nice ringtone yeah yeah just to have another conversation 150th exactly well we hear as well we spoke to other golfers before. And they've kind of said that leading up to a major they try. And treat it with the same preparations other events it's mentally that they don't want to get themselves too excited. But is that really the case do you go into this week thinking this is the one it's the 150th at saint andrews it's the open does it feel different yeah i i think all the little extras are nice. But even if it wasn't at san andreas if it was the open last year i think i think i from what my experience is you need to take your game up up a level from from where it is some people fool themselves. And bring the pressure off and that's that's absolutely fine strategy too but you have to know i think as a as a competitor that you've prepared well enough even if you're then.

In your expectation that no i'm not um a shoulder sore. Or whatever and you're kind of playing within yourself i think you've gotta you truly will know whether you've actually done the preparation that your game can sustain a level through a major test because because even if it's just the pressure it's more you know uh you. And you know it's hard to fool yourself when you're out there playing that or or the penalty is more severe the course is set up tougher uh it's it's the ultimate test of a golfer i suppose the crowd gives it that energy as well you know they know how big a deal it is yeah. And it could be the best crowd in golf the open yeah i mean a lot of people do in fact i think it probably is it has to be is that just because they're that kind of their golf knowledge again like they understand what actually a good shot is in certain situations yeah i i believe. So yeah. And there's a real appreciation uh for that good shot to 30 feet it is 30 feet you know it's nice. And that's a nice thing when you're walking walking up to the green and you've you're feeling good and and you're getting a bit of feedback for it too it's a nice thing i suppose the difference is well let's say let's say it was a pj tour event in beautiful sunshine. And i feel like and i've i don't know if i've actually been to an event in the us i've been to the masters but i don't think i've been to just a standard pga just started at the masters i just started it's down a little bit after that it was it yeah. So there was um what i was trying to get to there take that out of the consideration i feel like the crowd a lot of pga tour events are going because it's a sporting event yeah they're going. For a bit of food but like it's more like it's a sporting event and the golf's kind of happening where somewhere like the open this year i don't think they've ever had as much hospitality. So that that will still be going on yeah. But doesn't matter if it's a cold rainy thursday morning that grandstand on number one will be packed full of spectators wrapped up with the little kind of um [Music] ponchos yeah they'll be watching they'll be listening to it on the radio they'll have they'll have the course planner out they're going. For the golf it's not for the drinks and the showbiz side of it they're going because they want to watch the best of the best yeah. And like enjoy that test i think that's where you do get that incredible crowd at a place like the opening they said you hit a fire it's like 30 foot people know it's an amazing golf shot yeah absolutely. And i think that the walk up 18th holes of the open the way they do the stands clever in it brilliant. And i think it makes a different sound you know like on television i feel like the raw at an open is like a real raw yeah. And uh yeah. And it's a different and it's a different sound than other tournaments it's it's truly special the open i mean it's. So it's so brilliant and uh this one's gonna be this one's gonna be a cracker how nervous do you got you're pretty nervous like first t nerves are big. For me like like trying to explain that i think to a lot of viewers obviously a lot of viewers get first t nerves i genuinely believe everybody in the world gets first t nerves. But for someone like you this is your 84th major champion yeah. But what my first team nervous i could actually top it or like yeah without about what are you what's your worst nightmare when you're stood over a bull because surely you're thinking might be a bit thin. Or something it's not like you're gonna go beyond one or anything well i'm not going to say anything you know like let's just bounce off one thing i will say you know like a little less nervous on the first hit standard is because it could be a five iron you know i can handle that. And it's like hitting into a driving range so you know i i should be able to handle this one but first tina it's just a build up and and because you know you want to do well it's it's what you've been thinking about is what you're working. And you know it's the a little bit of anxiety and and nervous energy and and everything and it's it's the start i think by the time you're getting around to 18 even if you're in contention even if the opens on the line coming down the last it's a different nervous than teeing off i'm way more in control yeah once once i've played out there you know i i feel like. But it can last like on a bad day like when maybe the game's not quite there maybe the head's not quite there. And now you're out for the open but you want to do well even if that even if you shouldn't be thinking that uh they can last a few holes it can take you a few holes to really calm down. And you can do a lot of damage to your score in those few holes. So you obviously thursday it's understandable the first shot of the tournament does it continue on like friday saturday. And sunday first tee obviously sunday if you're really in contention i think i think it's a lot less i think you know you do get yourself under control it's a lot less. But a funny story when i qualified for the open here in 2000 first major and uh i think i had like a three some three o'clock tea time on thursday anyway nice it's all really baked out. And dry five iron off the first i mean couldn't get better you know i can't really mess this up then.

I go five iron down there perfect. And the pins just over the burn there and had a had a pretty good yardage nothing but it was just a lob wedge hit the shot. And watching it i'm going sit down sit down as it's bouncing toward the burn i completely fasted it. And it rolled in the burn and i doubled the first oh welcome to major golf just oh my god yes. But i won't forget it it was just a shock i'm like oh my god i've just laid the sword over the lobber i genuinely think a lot of listeners. And viewers will appreciate that honesty about first tee nerves because i think you know i do i think when you're a 18 handicapper playing in your local tournament you're thinking you're the only person in the world as first-team nerves yeah. But it's quite the opposite everybody everybody has it everybody i have to think. So you know i definitely augusta the first tee at august is the most nervous i get oh yeah i think it's just a build up you know it's been a long time since a major. And it's you know i'm thinking i'm going out to win. Or whatever it is. And it's a pretty tough first half it's hard for everything about it's hard the tee shot's hard the second shot's hard the green is one of the hardest greens to putt on on the course. And you know you're jangling basically so you know it can it it can all get away from you pretty quick. And it's a proper shoot out of the out of the spectators oh yeah like obviously the old course the spectators on the first two are quite a bit out of the way. But augusta i look at it sometimes on tv and go no i wouldn't fancy this not even if i'm hitting it well it's a very understated first-tier announcement as well isn't it the master's yeah it's very is it four please yeah it's almost like is anyone watching i can just sneak off here no one's watching it's gonna go off early guys yeah that's my just last thing on major's men maybe. But like that spell you out from was it 11 15 where it was like ridiculously competitive you hear again i think you said earlier on another golfer sale they kind of gonna get the game to the a game ready. For the majors how did you actually do that like how do you get your game to its best possible point. For the mage is it just a practice routine is it mentally how do you actually do it yeah i think you know everyone's got their ways of getting ready. And i think i had a pretty good recipe going through that period of time you know i found some stuff that worked. And i didn't fiddle with it too much i just let it kind of build and accumulate you know i kept doing the same stuff and the momentum was going. And i was getting better. And better and better and at that time i liked i like the range like i like hitting balls i can get into a good session you know three. Or four hundred bowls i love it you know i can stand out there. And hit balls all day i really like a good range session and at that time there are a couple of things i was working on especially before living. And i was hitting like two shag bags of balls a day. For like two weeks leading into lithium the lithium week and just grooving my swing you know it was just like in the groove. And i was doing all the other right kind of stuff the training. And the treatment and everything and it was all in a good place. And you know most like top athletes the ones i've spoken to they all say their performance comes from the preparation like and then.

And then.

You get there and you just go out and do what you're naturally good at you know you just think than there yeah no. And it's all done and and that's where the mental strength comes from it's like it's all the work beforehand you know the my mental um i guess discipline or came from being disciplined of going to the gym on the day like i don't want to do it don't want to do it. But you go and you and you get it done or you hit that bag of balls today.

That you didn't want to do it. And you just keep accumulating there's also a time to know when you know like you got to stop because you know you're sick or your hands bleed you know because a lot we all have a lot of similar traits like professional you get a bit obsessive about stuff you know you can see it guys get a bit obsessed about the gym. Or get a bit obsessed about hitting balls or a certain action and a move and it's just we all have that trait i think being professional. And competitive and doing stuff over and over again so you've got to know when when you've taken it too far as well i suppose it is like if you know you're prepared. For something you are just better. And you just know you know if you can look back. And go i've done everything i could to be prepared for this situation yeah therefore. your confident level boosts through the roof. And you think i can't do anything more it doesn't go to plan i've done everything i could have done well most recently. For me the best one recently was at the us open i went up straight from memorial i flew over to brooklyn played monday tuesday wednesday the week after a memorial tournament. And my first look at brookline i was like what is going on out here you can't see anything off the tee you don't see a ball finish on the green you know i was i couldn't believe it. And then.

Tuesday i got my head around it a bit and wednesday i'm like right i've got this course figured out and i left and went away and did a bit of practice. And chilled for the rest of the week to get ready for the usf and came back didn't touch didn't touch the course on monday or tuesday and just played a few holes on wednesday and i had this great strategy for the golf course really simple like it's a tricky course you don't see a lot the only number i got for the week was the front edge of the green i didn't look at a pin the whole week all i had to do was fly the ball over the front edge. And it would be fine and it was the easiest simplest way to play the course now i didn't hit enough fairways to win the tournament i think i finished 13th. Or something but i just i was. So prepared like that three days was. So valuable because then.

I was just calm yeah. And i and i walked probably into that u.s open the calmest i've walked onto a major in a long time maybe ever i i just felt so confident with like my approach to the things so it's a sometimes you figure it out talk about confidence back in 2014 you were world number one does that bring a level of confidence that you are the best golfer in the world. Or does it come with added pressure it was pretty short-lived unfortunately. For me i think i think uh it was a few how long was it though uh 11 weeks a couple months yeah something like that the um eleven weeks more than anyone else it's a great it really is a great accomplishment it was like the kid dreaming he went i was going to be world number one. And like i said. For the first 10 years it seems like completely impossible that that was ever going to happen tiger was playing. And it was just basically not happening. So so then.

It was like a few years of chipping away at this thing. And finally getting there and uh yeah it's it's an amazing accomplishment stand there. And think right right now no one on the planet is better than me does that give you confidence yep. For sure yeah like when winning a tournament i can't tell you how much confidence that gives you. And i think about the confidence i get from winning a tournament then.

I think like tiger won every third tournament. For 10 years i mean i'm just joking how how much confidence did he have you know like i can't imagine like if i win a tournament i think i'm never to lose again you know we could hit a good shot we can hit a good drive. And think we're never going to hit it offline again yeah it does it you're right it does it takes a thousand shots to build confidence. But also one to kind of shatter it a little bit as well but yeah i think if it's just an interesting take because i'm not sure sometimes i reckon a lot of others might answer that. And say well as number one you feel like you've got a target on your back like you're the guy to chase down and that almost comes with a level of pressure that's possible sometimes hard to kind of maybe control or manage okay i can see that certainly if you know you prolonged number one. And you know becomes a thing like okay you're 50 weeks in jason day. Or whatever like everyone's gunning for you now it was like a fun period. For me like of i actually the week i went to number one i wasn't meant to play but i thought if i don't play it's possible someone else goes to number one who's playing so i entered the tournament i have to play as number one and i actually won the tournament that week so uh that's how i managed to kind of hang on for a few more weeks but you know it felt like i've got to play as number one in the world you know it might not be the case again so um that that was a fun thing. And actually steve was caddying. For me at the time and he'd gone home to new zealand and i said hey i'm going to play. So he's had to fly back over to america yeah to america. And it was colonial. And he's like why are you playing it's not a good course. For you i said i'm playing because i want to play his number one in the world. And he's like oh you know he's done it all of course you know he's done everything and he's like and and we were four over after nine on thursdays like i told you this is a bad idea i told you this would be bad on the course yeah that's brilliant. And i'm like i'll show you then.

So we scraped in made the cut and won the tournament on the weekend and we're quite into equipment yeah here on the show. And our audiences as well you've been you've had the biggest change of equipment this year or last year was it end of last year um no this year really i didn't i didn't actually change any equipment starting this year. But that's kind of just evolved throughout the year you've got a lot of newer clubs in the bag yep more it seems to be creating a bit of a storm online these sexy looking eyes yeah these are irons yeah are they miura they are yeah did you have much say into these i'm guessing you did because they've got your initials on the back yeah yeah i did i um you know i've been with i was with titleist. For 21 years a full staff player and um you know the reality is that that they don't last it doesn't last forever. And it got to the point at the end of last year where you know i had some more freedom so i started they built me an incredible set of irons at the back end of last year but in conjunction with that i'd i'd asked miura to also build i didn't know what was going to happen. So i asked miura to build a set of irons and i tested them mirrors initially um and i liked a lot about it but i just i was used to the look of the titleist iron i'd used them. For seven or eight or nine years and yeah it was quite commonly known you were using not then.

You didn't always use the latest blades six eight ones. Or something do i yeah. So they were they were 680 ones which is the iron tiger used at titleist really early days. So they're a really old style looking blade much wider sole much more offset than probably most of the modern clubs when i pick up modern clubs today.

There's no offset. For me i grew up with a lot of offset like a ping eye two iron doesn't bother me at all like i'm happy around better players don't yeah fowler's got a zero offset well he's like onset almost it's. So bizarre that all the guys now are learning with none. And i think you know i think there's some science in that like they're saying you know you don't want that like club coming in behind the shaft. For deviation and all this kind of stuff that i don't really know much about but i just grew up playing with offset and that's what i like so that's what i know you think someone who who you know again famously have used the most butter knife blades in the game that the offset would offend you that that potentially you said about the pink i2s there yeah you really wouldn't like the look of those because you know there's almost too much kind of help with this offset. But it's actually quite the opposite well i think most clubs in the 80s. And 90s had plenty of offset i think there was a lot in there. And even on the blades if you look at really old blades there was a fair bit of offset in in the iron. So that's what i grew up with and that's kind of what i like looking at so why miura well they they have a good reputation you know really of making a high quality club and i was interested in investigating that. And after i hit the first set and said look i like how they feel uh. And i like the soul which is something i've been looking at stats. And trying to figure out why i have better stats at some places than others into the green um i asked them if they kind of start working more towards my look so i sent them a set of my titleist to have a look at and see if they could shape something similar which they did they're not exact copies at all of the titles no obviously. For legal reasons yeah i don't i don't well yeah i'm joking i don't know what what should i do. But just get it in there anyway does nora himself make the assigns. For that knows it is team. Or i i honestly don't know i just you know i said this is what it's got to be you know if you wanna want there to be a chance of me using it has to be something like this let's start there before you tell me how much better how much more you know i know you know more than me. But i've got to look at it and hit it they feel different because they've i've heard they feel very good they're incredibly solid yeah yeah they get hit twice don't they in the forging process apparently documentary you know more than me too you know it'd be really funny if they came to you went right adam we're going to make. So much longer straighter you're both like more accurate you definitely need this brand new set of murals you for a good price well the funny thing is when i got the first set to hit they said don't be surprised if you hit them further because they're. So solid even though they're the same did you want to no no i'm not really. But he was just trying to forewarn me. But i think it's pretty funny like they they they think they are. So solid that you might actually get a little more distance out of it it's um but they've gone well i've used them in two events so far and my statistics with the iron play have been incredibly strong with them so you know it's been a good so it's not move at the moment it's not just the cosmetic no they look nice. And look that was that was a surprise to me because i really didn't expect that because you know i don't have any relationship other than they're kindly making a set of clubs. For me so it wasn't really about that at all have you clever marketing from them obviously marketing if you've not seen him we'll put an image up or if you're listening google it and it's literally got your logo your ans logo on the back they do look phenomenal i'm looking forward to seeing them today.

Obviously you were titles. For 20 odd years and you know it's making amazing clubs from drive right through to ball we all know that but is it kind of in some ways a nice feeling being mixed back just choosing whatever you want. And having different brands in some ways it's a nice feeling for sure and i'm look i'm still a contracted titleist player i play the ball and uh foot joy so you know i still have an ongoing relationship with this company for now 20 plus years which i'm really proud of to be honest it's amazing they've been incredible supporters to me and fantastic so i'm really happy for that but it is it is a nice feeling to just uh kind of be on my own terms at this point in my career. And just be in control and i think what's interesting is you know i started this year with the freedom to do whatever i want. But i didn't i hadn't changed a thing it was all the same as last year. And then.

You know a couple months in curiosity had the better of me and it's like i played with tommy or i played with someone who's hitting us down but it is then.

Then.

You open this door to potential testing which is a never-ending uh cycle if you get into it welcome to rick's world thousands of shafts. And heads and settings and all kinds of stuff it's it's mental so i just did a really a really little bit. And got to a comfortable spot a coming to you and pushing their products on you a little bit like suddenly a callaway coming adam i think you could hit driver are they kind of like trying to potentially get product in your hands as well certainly early on the range this year on tour though i made a lot of new faces like fresh blood yeah guys who would you never you'd never spoke to. For 20 years given up giving up on me honestly you know we've got him we've got to get a driver in his hand so yeah that must be quite like saying mike it is tricky because you could make it complicated where in the past you've gone i've got two drivers to choose from yeah. Or a couple maybe a few years old because i think you've you've been quite hard to change sometimes i guess it is i mean i i think it is hard to change on a regular basis like if you get something good you want to just keep going with that. And i think we've seen pretty much the proof is in the pudding like guys who are really peeking out like when jason day was on tear. Or brooks you know he was just using this stuff. And brooks wasn't even contracted to use stuff most of that time he won majors so you know you've got to find what works and and you stick with it and like you form a relationship with these clubs you know we see it obviously i'm guessing you know when you first came on tour and even through to the last maybe five six years it was very common that guys have full through the bag deals with one brand. Or whatever it might be probably since nike stopped making clubs i've seen it a lot more now that guys like brooks capco was doing it where they're using a bit more of what they want. And that's becoming more of a popular thing is that because guys are more open to it now thinking actually that might be a better strategy. Or is it because people now are making almost more money through other deals. And other sponsors that they don't need to sacrifice having a club deal as such i think it's a bit of both you know i think it's just like the evolution of the pro game there's lots changing obviously now lots happening. But also with the equipment stuff um and there was if you go back i remember when it all became full full club deal like when i first turned pro there was a lot of freedom. And it was almost like yeah oh you like that we'll just stamp whatever on it you know. And it's not even close to available to any anyone to buy but as long as it says tight list on it almost almost you know there's a lot of freedom to have like really customized stuff and it's really built for the pro and then.

There was a period where book that just ended. And it was like here's this stuff it's going to be in the shop this is what you're using we'll figure it out it's all adjustable. And we'll get it sorted for you and i think you know it's it because of things like you said like the money's getting. So big and uh guys realize you know it's it's detrimental to their career to like sacrifice the fairway woods for example i'm just picking stuff but the fairway woods because you know you've got to be in a 14 club deal to get this contract but like the prize money is. So mega now like if you play good one week you're probably going to make that contract up in one week. So there's the balance point you know but you do want to be well supported onto it as well with the equipment like you you know you need to have some support of um if things go wrong. And that that is nice titlers still offer me that kind of full support yeah that really changed my mind on contracted players where tommy on. And he said almost like the the um it's like an f1 team yeah they like the mechanics yeah. So they're going in looking at his numbers. And going we feel like you can improve in this area by this product. But they're doing it for sole purpose of performance it wasn't it's obviously not trying to sell products but it's it's for full performance benefit and i look back and thought oh yeah i hadn't really ever thought of it like that you know they they're making these fine tiny tweaks all the time to get their their driver as in the golfer the best equipment i.e the car to make it perform the best. And i'm like oh my god that makes so much more sense i suppose the other thing you would mention then.

How i think social media has probably stopped these brands being able to just stamp titleist on any product because there's. So much more close-up imagery now yeah. And there's so much more that's that's leaked out into the into twitter and instagram that you can't you can go that's not the club that they're saying it should be do you know what i mean. So they probably have to be a little bit more stringent on on the actual product that's being sold here well one thing gary that i think i'm sure that you you have done this. Or still do titleist do is what the players often use an older version of the ball because they still like that more would you use like was it 50 i used 15 v yeah i think i'm the only guy using it that's cool that they still produce that. For you because it is right now yeah yeah yeah they no one used it. And i think um it was unpopular because it kind of got known as like the short pro v1 like no pro v1 has ever really been short. But it was like that pro v1 in 15 versus the x had the biggest gap gap. And so it was unpopular. And i'm the only guy why do you like it then.

Because it spins a lot right yeah. And i've just again you know i turned pro i was using a professional 90 when i turned pro there wasn't even a pro v on the range. So you know that spun a lot so like where i started to learn the game was with a lot of spin. And this ball doesn't spin anywhere near like a professional 90. but once you get into like the the current v1 and v1x you know they have such a big engine it's such a different launch window they're they're so hot it's like it's a big step for me to like kind of almost change my whole um way i approach hitting shots and where and the window that i see him in and flighting him and i think my iron play generally like my distance control is is up there on on the tour with anyone's. And i feel like i'd be sacrificing a lot to like make a big change you know i'm just in my comfort zone really make that ball i know there's a massive stash that's got your name on it hopefully they're making it still and they're not like seven-year-old stale ones they're not they're they're unbelievable they're looking after me i know they're fresh i think they're tightly pro v1 2022 ball there's never gonna be out just just stuff on there please you'll never know no exactly i wouldn't surprise me i say that stuff we're we're shockers golf pros i mean honestly i i did change in like 17 to the 17 v. And i was playing really good in 16. And i just switched it out oh yeah this is good this is good. And straight away like everything went downhill the next.

Six months and i said to 40 pitts has looked after me at titleist uh on the ball. For my whole career i said you have the right to punch me if i ever change ball again i've um i've got tactic that you can use. So i'm i'm known for my channel for cutting golf balls open okay i'll send you a present of some ball cutters yeah. And then.

When they send you a box you can cut them open yeah right now in the year 2022 do you think it's the best time to be a professional golfer in the game of golf probably probably yes i mean uh i mean generally things are always getting better you know like not even in golf everything seems to be getting better. So probably probably it's the best time i mean maybe everyone can say this. But looking back i think man i came along at the best time tiger just turned pro i mean look. And look how that so i've just hopped on the coattails of tiger woods for the last 20 20 years and and getting to experience all that he's brought to the game of golf but also getting to watch him and play with him and against him in that kind of period where i just don't see guys play at a higher level now but not with the separation like he had you know so i feel really lucky to be in them but if i was a young pro now i think it it's an epic time to be to be out there there's. So much good stuff happening it can get. So good so quick now the learning curve is way way shorter is that because people have the new pros coming up have got experience. And they've watched guys like you they've watched like guys like tiger and rory for the last you know 15 20 years and gone okay i can learn what he did there i can learn how they performed at the highest level i can see how he works out in the gym i can see how he maintained such a great form. For so long and they can go well we'll just do that. But also advance it yeah we'll do we won't make the mistakes that you might you guys might have made. Or the guys 20 years four years ago would have made well they should be doing all that like they should be learning but also i think uh you know there's there's. So many things it's not just one thing but you know the equipment's good the data analysis you know these kids come out of college and they're four years of just having numbers explained to them and and if it's not being detrimental to them to think about that they're playing like 10-year season pros smart course management i think the best example i can give of that somewhat recently is when jordan spieth came out the guy played like a 15-year veteran the first year on tour you know. And you couldn't have picked that he's coming out and winning three majors the first four years on tour but he played so smart in the head bit like kali murakawa yeah as well more recently two-time major winner. And he's so wet behind the ears yeah like he's only been on tour a few years if you look at that we were in um royal liverpool earlier today.

There's a picture of the walker cup team from 2017. And you look at the us boys and then.

Obviously marakawa um scotty sheffler and who else was somebody else on there as well there's some burns probably i think possibly san bernardino. But was he not he was probably around that i don't know oh no no the same age too victor's yeah unbelievable player as well they've got it all figured out really quick you know. And there's people to help them do that. And then.

Uh they've got to go out and do it obviously. But i think you know now the information that guys are getting young is really really helpful if they if they can process it. And use it to their advantage so and they come out too the big difference i feel like is they come out. And even though you know you watch rory tee off and like but it doesn't really like intimidate them because they hit at 3 20. like rory it's at 350 and then.

Colin nuts went out there like 3 10 3 20 anyway with his little strong fade you know it's like no one's really doing anything that no one else can do you know just. So in your time then.

Obviously tiger will put him to one side who who has been a golf that you've looked. And just thought like wow they hit it just yeah i have about five guys on my okay let's see when i played with him earlier in my career i'm like okay i want to beat that. And okay like this is you know stuff that i'm not sure i can do you know well tiger was the first one ernie uh ernie ernie i played with a lot in tournaments early on. And he's played three of the best rounds of golf i've ever seen when i've been playing with him and one of them was a 60 at royal melbourne in uh in the heineken classic in like 2004 it's the most outrageous round of golf i've ever seen just pure just everything under control you know drawing three irons into the into the green the right way holding six irons on you know into a little wind. And parting his short game was superb i think maybe the best hands on a club i've seen is ernie wow wow yeah i really enjoyed playing golf with him. And he was nice to play with because the rhythm like he could watch. And i mean he he was hitting it far in that like 2003 2004 he was really dominant player uh. But you know he did it easy it was nice to watch. And and and i could feed off playing with him whereas like tiger in the end my tactic was to not watch i just had to turn my back you know like it was all intimidating. And the crowd and everything and i'm just like in my bag looking for stuff while he's hitting rustling tees did it make i'm sure it didn't. But did it make the um what happened at lithum slightly less painful because ernie did end up taking victory over that kinda kinda it sounds nice it's pretty painful yeah it's a painful loss. But it's nice like ernie should be a four-time major champion i'm not gif gifting him one but you know i i am pleased it was him that won yeah yeah um who's your last who's next.

Yeah um i'd say vj i mean his ball striking in the early 2000s like i i remember being on the range in boston watching him got the bottle the umbrella you know the whole thing he was doing. And he was hitting five irons on the range in boston at the tournament. And i just had to stop and watch and it was just ball flight after ball flight just piercing. And he hits a lot of balls right yeah. And he it was just. So solid so solid i thought that was really good stuff davis love was the big surprise to me when i first played with him because he's won a major. And he's been a great player and a ryder cup star and he won a lot of tournaments on them but pretty pretty uh overlooked i'd say and i played with him i was like wow this guy really strikes the ball really can strike the ball. And that was that he impressed me that round. And one more i think there's one more yeah do i have one more um tiger ernie vj davis love yeah well mickelson i played with a lot in majors through the 2000s thursday friday pairing we seem to you know we've joked about it we always get paid we got paired together. For like 10 years i think i know why it is go on he always wears black. And you quite partial to beige neutral colors you need somebody who always wears like a blue and yeah oh yeah nicholson's the one in black scots i love that what is saw a comment like why is he wearing that again because he's a dad. And he's giving up on life [Laughter] you're not exactly you know exactly like it's not exactly like you know was there any story there was it was it was cold that week in l.a. And that was the sweater i had. So you know i i i had two of them actually there was two. But um you know it was that bass sweater every day i think it got a little bit out of hand because the next.

Day i had an event. And i wore it to that and there was some media of that. And the next.

Day on purpose well i did on the tuesday there was an event on the tuesday too. And i thought right now it's getting some traction on when i yeah i'll get everyone wound up. But yeah i you know it's unbelievable what people pick up back up. And run we're good we see enough soon so we're gonna fly through this very quickly we're gonna get some questions obviously in the start 2000 i just want to actually one more bit and that 2000 or certainly when tag came through it was known. For him to move the decimal point in golf like the financials he moved it it feels like right now the decimal point has probably moved again really recently do you think that does play a big part in these young golfers coming through coming up. And how they are playing. For certain titles and differences this these days and is the competition harder to win because there is such a wide berth of talented golfers i think um yeah tiger definitely changed the decimal point. And it's been on an upward trajectory ever since so but i can say. For myself like coming down the stretch of a tournament to win i've never thought about the prize money at that point yeah you know it's about the trophy of course at that point um however. that's when you're on the course playing. But as a professional golfer the reason you are a professional. And what is separating you from uh the others is that you're playing. For money so is a part of it. And you know that that is the case. So maybe off the course you're making decisions based around money and the decimal point or whatever so um but i i don't see it just bleeding over to um affecting you how you play i've never thought on you know the last screen of the players you know for like this is a million dollar part. Or whatever that's not crossed my mind um so you know i think young i think it's become attractive obviously. For a lot of people to come and try and play golf and kids getting pushed to play young too because there is big money in it. And it's getting bigger it seems so it it does have an impact. But i don't think it affects people's play as much as you would imagine like especially top players yeah they're in a top player out there coming down the last at the masters thinking oh this is. For three million bucks you're not saying you're not playing for your mortgage are you no i mean no well when you're on the rise you are doing i'm trying to when you certainly win your first term probably you're really trying to you know you have to make money it's. So important um but like i said once you get into you've been on tour. For a long time i'm guessing it's not as big a deal do you know what i mean to make that it's not as big a deal no. For sure i think you know it's an interesting thing. And i think there's a lot to shake out as we sit here today.

Like let's see how things shake out over the next.

12. Or 18 months with just how pro golf structures up now and uh and you know and then.

What trickle-down effect that has because i think that's important too like it's always going to be good. For the top guys at the top of the world but let's make let's see how the trickle-down effect is i think that's a really important part of the program because you know whether you're seeing the euro pro tour. And these guys scratching it out to try and get a start and and pay some bills but they're probably a lot of doing other stuff as well of course and then.

You know where does it go. And it would be good to see with all this injection that the trickle-down effect is having a really positive effect on the on the pro game you know what pro. And real grassroots yeah you just talked about the moment the golf course in ireland where was it lahinch lahinch it's got 600 junior members imagine the cash injection there imagine the cash injection in junior golf. And development of the future stars like yeah it could be phenomenal like it could really golf is booming it really is last few years golf is booming general play is up massively professional golf it's getting more eyeballs than it's ever got before. But it'd be so good to kind of push that back into like you say yeah get more kins into it make it more accessible make you know. And that's that's where we might see that trickle down from the top because it's got to start from the top yeah. And and hopefully it will do it kind of it will um well i'd kind of throw it out there like you know covert saw this huge uptake in rounds of golf played i mean who would have who would have predicted it. But no way. But the challenge now is. For like our governing bodies and administrators is how do we keep him playing now because if we get back to normal life. And people have a lot of work again and going into the office. And doing all that they're going to run out of time to play golf. So we've got to be smart now while we have him like we've got to keep him on the hook and my challenge to all all the leaders in the game would be like what are we doing to keep them because they're just going to go away otherwise if we don't change because they weren't here before you know it was just covered that got everyone into it which is you know like a silver lining of the whole pandemic. But for golf it could be fantastic and there are there are lots of things happening in the game um at the moment that could keep peak interest let's say. So i've got a business proposition for that here we go if you want to be an investor yeah rick's quick six bricks quick six we can work inside working titles investors. And no one signed up we might need a little more info we build really fun six minute abs. Or i could do with them as well six whole golf courses yeah that are fun easy to play. And there's different levels to it yeah i'd like to see different not different teas. But different hole sizes yeah. So you have like a standard hole for you for your good golfers you have a slightly bigger hole like a ball and then.

You have like your foot golf hole for you like your higher handicappers floodlit bit of music blaring but not too loud okay we can put a bit country you know whatever it may be um you know it's fun it's no dress code it takes an hour to play yeah really yeah um to speed up the process we'll put conveyor belts between the t. And the green like you get at an airport just cruise this this is new by the way this is jason 17. And a half million investments please more than one percent and we'll negotiate from there and i will not i'll not leave this room until we get a yes. But i think things like that would be. So much more fun we've got to start doing some other things and again you know i'd say to the to the governing bodies of the game we've got we've got to look at that kind of stuff and and you know they're in a good financial position these governing bodies at the moment thanks to all the success that golf's had and they've got to look at you know i know there's a big thing and i just sit here it's simple for me i don't have to think about it's not my job. But they how they allocate it and do some studies. And go and take over some struggling courses and and and change the model a bit and see what works where and stuff like that's good i just think six yeah rick's quick six could be the thing absolutely let's let's click that one bit yeah adam scott endorses rick's quick six um look generally i would yeah i just think we we got to do stuff like that you know back to lahinch where i was just out the other day they've got you know they call it like the sin andrews of ireland lahinch. But then.

They've got this 600 juniors in this cool teaching facility with a pitching area but then.

They have the other course and i'm going to whiff on the name of what they call that course. But it's like got six power three six power five and it's all really short fun you know that's where the kids play mostly and learn the game and it just looks so good you know and i think um you know ev everywhere we've got to keep doing that i look back at my time as a junior in australia. And and it seemed very accessible and very welcomed as juniors and they were great junior programs. And uh you know i just have a feeling it's just not quite the same today.

Um talking about startups. And kind of getting something to get more people into the golf game you've got a bit of a start-up kind of business going on as a little side hustle at the moment yeah yeah it's getting it's getting to that point that's when you know like okay okay adam you know you're at the end of your career now [Music]. But uh but yeah. So you know again in covert there was time. And here we go i was thinking it's a dangerous thing. And a buddy of mine who just got back into golf uh after not playing for really since high school uh got back in he's gone deep you know as you can do you just get right into it. And um you know let let's try and do something. And see and and it started out as something really small and you know fun and it's turned into something a bit bigger and basically you know going with the technology world um we've been doing some content stuff on youtube uh under fair game. And there is something coming out soon with fair game that's hopefully going to be what people want to kind of hang on their phone who are golfers. And and connect communities and you know from my side of things it was like i've got all these buddies all around the world that play golf. And it's hard to keep in touch with them all and i never see how they're playing and i wanted to build something that i would use and then.

He wanted to build something that he would use and we're coming from two really different places in the game of golf so i think it's going to be something that everyone will really enjoy using it's almost a bit like strava. For golf yeah that's a pretty good way to describe it that's quite cool yeah. So it's almost like a social bit of a social network it is you might be able to meet up with other golfers in your area. And play golf together and stuff yeah absolutely yeah we've got lots of ideas coming. But basically it's a social network and as much as you can use it on the course if you want i want it's also something that you'd use off the golf course. And like kind of be you go to where you hang and catch up with your golf buddies and almost like a clubhouse on your phone more excuse for ricky on his phone can i just give you a little excuse though can i just give you a little bit of advice please i'm not sure if the youtube game's gonna work out. For you adam no no i don't think. So i just think you know you're alright a goal no i'm i'm really not you're decent at golf yeah you won a master's. And it's not another but it leaves us leave the youtube for the professionals yeah i'm really joking. But i think i think there's more pros coming into youtube social media you know it's great. For golf there's more golf been on youtube see the personalities more of the golfers i've not seen before very much and now with you guys around things like this and other guys making youtube content you get to know the the golfer more yeah definitely yeah i think it's great i mean you know youtube is kind of the platform that i've ended up gravitating towards not not. For um golf stuff but just just generally no i've seen your tips i'm looking forward to playing with you i'm looking forward to playing with you soon um. And you know it's just where i've gone um and i'm not act very active on all the other social stuff but um you know i think it is a good platform. For golf to take advantage of um we'll put a link in the description and the podcast as well if you want to check out fair game it's definitely it sounds like it's really exciting we had lots of questions i know this is a good sign. Or not we've answered a lot of them in the podcast you are professional actually guys well done it's actually where we got all our questions from nice we've got two that i want to answer there's one other guy called john cook who was saying that um the john cook the john cook saying how what's the thing that you've seen most of the amateurs playing when you're playing pro-ams you're playing an amateur what's the biggest thing you see them doing wrong that you could get kind of the most holistic piece of advice that people listen to this podcast. Or watching i think two two things generally. For amateurs at the golf course one is expectation that starts wrong most of the time like they're going to go out. And have a good round i think that's just have a fair round like have a fair expectation like back to that preparation stuff like if you've been in the office. For the last seven days don't get your hopes up too high that you're going to hit every fairway. And green out here have a fair game have a fail it's going to be rick's quick six by fair game yeah. And uh so i think expectation is a big thing you know like really let's let's go out there. And give yourself a chance um but the other thing i see like more from actually doing it is everyone under clubs you know. So just like take you think it's a seven just take a six. And just swing the same and i think it'll work out nicely. For a lot of people yeah if you looked at stats. For greens missed by amateur golfers it's short short right yeah. But mainly a lot of the time next.

Question i feel like the answer will just be because it works. But a lot of people have been asking why do you use a broom handle putter yeah um the simple answer is because it works. But the long story is you know i was a really streaky putter i was i was either really good. Or really poor and it just after however. many years it was just like too too frustrating too much hard work like making the rest of the game hard. And um brad malone my coach kind of dangled it in front of me at home i had a little like fake green in the backyard at home in australia and he brought he went down to the golf shop and bought one like went out and putt with it and of course i'm like oh yeah what's up what you got there you know next.

Minute i'm out there rocking the shoulders with it. And uh yeah it was just like a fresh start. For you know i was just 10 years in to tr you know had tried everything some success a lot of a lot of frustration. And it was a real fresh start. For me and it's and it's generally been really solid actually i'd say since i went back to it when after the anchor ban and i cut the putter shorter and it's kind of floating let's say now i think it's better than anchored really yeah i think it's it's freed up all putts. But certainly longer putts are better i guess anchoring is hard on long putts yeah can get in the way a bit i mean it was really long you know the old one was like 49 inches i mean it's a long long club. And this is now down to 45. So it's like a driver yeah. And um you know i got a little bit into like the science and research of the part you know moi's been a big thing in putting for 10 or 12 years let's say like when the head size gets big it gets really stable and looked into that so you know it's been slow development like with a broomstick because no one really makes many of them. Or sells many of them so it's not like a hot thing for scotty cameron to not bring sticks up but you know i did have a lot of support from them. And i pushed them hard to like try stuff and and get me to a point where i felt like i've got really really good putter and the last couple years like i said since it's been not anchored i mean my stats are probably consistently the best in my career. So i feel like i'm in a real good spot with it perfect makes sense good answer yeah cool questions pretty much we've covered a lot there there's a lot on the jumper as well. But rick covered that i'm glad i didn't wear the beige one i mean it's it's in the same family we kind of we're going to do a challenge i'm going to start 10 on the par you're going to be level par king's barns we're playing off the backs oh we better be yeah well you are just just before this ends i've got one that i'll apologize i've not told you this story i want to say it. For the podcast um as a child i was up 11. Or 12 maybe even yeah 11. Or 12. um at wentworth pga so it was i think it was volvo actually it was the time it was the volvo pj you gave me a golf ball as a little fan gave me a golf ball. And it was either the professional 90. Or the first year of pro v1 we set it on at the side 392. yeah i kept it at home obviously as a gift madam scott. And then.

One day i decided to use it the golf club and lost it are you asking me. For another golf course yes i absolutely am i've got one of them old pro-v 2015. please oh yeah adam's lap oh yeah you were the lad in the uh the black jumper worked on the side of 14. i remember you you didn't i didn't give it you nicknamed it i wonder where that ball went well thank you adam. For your time you've been amazing honestly it's been great diving into it no worries the the history. And also what's to come in the future um i'm excited to play with you because like i say these golf swings ridiculous. And i might have to do what you did to tiger i'd have to turn around today.

And when you hit just go it sounded all right yeah because i think you'll intimidate me. But we'll go we'll go and find out the video's great videos coming out soon good luck in the open this week yeah we really are rooting. For you i'm sure all the fans everyone listening and watching will be rooting. For you as well good luck with the app and uh we'll get on the golf course yeah been a pleasure thanks guys. So much.