00:00A big week, as always, on the PGA Tour when the golfers head to Jack's Place, that is Muirfield Village, in Dublin, Ohio, for the 2025 Memorial Tournament.
00:10Scotty Scheffler is the reigning champ. He is in the field this week after he did not win on his home turf at Colonial last week, but still finished top five.
00:19Scheffler, a very short favorite. We'll talk about all of that in a couple of moments, we hope, with our guy Keith Stewart here on the early line.
00:26But DRS's hot topics continue on this Wednesday morning. A few big ones, DRS, in the last 24 to 48 hours around the PGA Tour.
00:35Let's start with the changes to the Tour Championship, the final leg of the FedExCup postseason that crowns the FedExCup winner each and every year.
00:44The last few seasons, though, the PGA Tour has elected to use a staggered start based on the top 30 entering that Tour Championship at Eastlake in Atlanta.
00:55Based on where you were in the FedExCup standings, for instance, if you were in first, you started at 10 under, so you had the leg up, you had the advantage to win the FedExCup,
01:04even though somebody might win the Tour Championship or play better in terms of their rounds to par that week.
01:12So, DRS, that a big change for the PGA Tour this upcoming season.
01:16No longer a staggered start in what they will coin a more difficult test at the Tour Championship.
01:22Good! Look at other sports out here. Imagine if you got to the Super Bowl last year, like,
01:26ha, man, Chiefs are down 14-0. Wait, we didn't even kick off yet.
01:29Oh, well, the Eagles are the better football team overall, had more points on the regular season. Stop it!
01:33We just want to see great players in a big-time tournament play for money and be on even footing here.
01:38Hey, I want to bet this tournament. Well, Scotty Sheffield's got a seven-shot lead over Rory McIlroy.
01:43What? The tournament hasn't started yet.
01:44I like this change here because it's understanding. When you do something and it doesn't work and the public doesn't love it,
01:51make the change back. Nobody's going to fault a tournament from being played under normal tournament rules with all the superstars.
01:56Just give us the golfers here that we look at on an even playing field. May the best man win. That's all.
02:02And now we are joined by Keith Stewart here on the early line for his reaction on this big news.
02:07And we'll get to the Memorial Tournament in just a moment as well.
02:10Keith, thank you so much for joining us.
02:11Welcome to the full. Join right in on Donnie's hot topic debate.
02:16Do you like the changes the BGA Tour announced yesterday for the 2025 Tour Championship?
02:21Ben, good morning. And you know what, Donnie? Guys, it had to happen, right?
02:25The staggered start. When the players don't like it, then you know it's a problem.
02:29I mean, it's one thing, you know, the fans can gripe a lot about a lot of things.
02:33But the players themselves, you know, I go down there to Atlanta and when Scotty has a press conference
02:38and he starts talking about playing with his buddies and giving them 20 strokes when he plays at home,
02:42I mean, that's not the PGA Tour. That's not the Super Bowl of golf.
02:45So this had to happen. The change where it sits right now seems pretty good.
02:50I also love the talk about the change of venue because going down there every year,
02:54I'm not sure that that's the best golf course.
02:57You know, I love the way that the Super Bowl moves around and maybe the Tour Championship should too.
03:01Donnie?
03:05I like it. Yeah, look, I'm with you, Keith, right here.
03:08Well, I would expect maybe a combative, like we don't actually want to do that.
03:11Now, hear me out on this. We take a look at the Tour Championship, which I'm not a big proponent of anyway,
03:15but I like the changes. I think it makes some sense. And you're right.
03:17If the players don't like it, then so be it.
03:19Let's get into a little bit of controversy here.
03:21We're playing on one of the more iconic places with maybe the greatest golfer on the history of the sport.
03:26It's Jack Nicklaus. Always carries himself with grace everywhere he goes.
03:30Whenever he's on a telecast, it's must-listen TV, if that makes sense.
03:34But this week, Rory McIlroy doesn't show up.
03:38And always, with that Florida swing, you knew when you were going to play at Jack's Place up north here,
03:43but also down south at Arnie's Club.
03:45You pay your respects to the greatest of the game who allow you to make this great earning power
03:50and also play this prestigious sport here.
03:52Any controversies with Rory skipping out on Jack's Place and Jack on the app?
03:56I didn't really hear from him at this point.
03:57Well, I mean, that's the controversy, Donnie.
04:01Quite simply, guys have schedules.
04:03And with the way that the major championships and these signature events are being moved around,
04:07I mean, we're in the middle of five elevated events.
04:10We've got two majors and three signature events in seven weeks.
04:13So I don't begrudge Rory for moving his schedule around.
04:16He wants to win a national open in Canada.
04:18So be it, right?
04:19But the fact that he doesn't call the Golden Bear in the 50th edition of the Memorial,
04:25I think he'll regret that long term.
04:27Yeah, he did not call Jack Nicklaus to let him know that he was going to miss the Memorial Tournament.
04:33Jack saying yesterday at his pre-tournament press conference,
04:36he doesn't hold anything against Rory McIlroy and understands that golfers have busy schedules
04:40to maintain and even move around.
04:43But, again, an interesting development for Rory McIlroy, Keith,
04:46who did not speak with the media after any of his four rounds of the PGA Championship.
04:50Of course, what was a coronation and a celebration for finally winning the career Grand Slam at Augusta
04:56has kind of changed its tune in a pretty short amount of time.
04:59Now to the actual golf this week at one of the signature events on the PGA Tour.
05:04And who is the reigning champ at the Memorial?
05:06That would be Scotty Scheffler.
05:07And who is the very, very, very short favorite?
05:09That would also be Scotty Scheffler entering this week at plus 280.
05:14Let's start with the golf course at New York Field Village, Keith.
05:18Your keys to this week at the Memorial Tournament are what?
05:21Well, a couple of years ago, 2019, Patrick Cantley torched this place for about 19 under par.
05:26And you know that didn't sit well with the Golden Bear.
05:29Jack had to make some changes.
05:30So following the 2020 edition, they did a major renovation of the golf course.
05:34And since then, I mean, you look at 2023,
05:36Victor Hovland wins at seven under par in a playoff.
05:40In 2024, Scotty wins at eight under par.
05:42So they've got the golf course where they want it.
05:45And now the guys are showing up.
05:46They have signature status.
05:48If you want to win this week, the first thing you got to do is you got to play the place like Scotty.
05:52There's no better course management in the game right now.
05:55The guy just doesn't make any mistakes.
05:57We saw it at Quail Hollow.
05:58He's going to do it again here.
05:59The second thing is that this is one of the few places out on the PGA Tour that truly measures short game acumen.
06:06You've got to be good around the greens here.
06:08There's 50 greenside bunkers.
06:09They're deep.
06:10They're treacherous.
06:11You've got deep rough.
06:11You've got closely mown areas.
06:13You've got runoffs.
06:14It tests the whole skill set when you're close with a wedge.
06:17And then the third thing is that it's a second shot golf course.
06:21There's no tricks here, guys.
06:23This place was designed with Augusta National Golf Club in mind, which is a second shot golf course.
06:27You have to be a great approach player.
06:29The specific range I'm keying on is 175 to 200 yards.
06:32The guys that are great there, just like Scotty, are the ones that are going to compete with him come Sunday.
06:38Final 40 seconds of the segment.
06:39Keith, Keith, Keith, now to the early leans on the early line.
06:43Who do you like to have a big week in Dublin, Ohio?
06:46Ben, I like a guy that was good here in 2023.
06:49I think Victor Hovland is, he just has the perfect game for this place.
06:52He's great off the tee, plays a little fade, left to right ball flight.
06:55And then, of course, that approach bucket that I talked about, he is like third in the field.
07:00He is unbelievable there, and he knows how to score.
07:03Now, the second guy, you're going to love this one, Siwoo Kim.
07:06Further down the board, about plus 4,500.
07:08Siwoo's been super hot lately.
07:10He's got four top 30s in a row on tour and five top 20s here at Mirafield Village.
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