00:03Oh boy, golf season, probably a little bit far off from most of the golfers in the Northeast.
00:07That's for those hardy guys that, like I used to do, play the Christmas Eve Inventation on freezing cold weather and get out there with the boys.
00:14But today, we need help in the golf environment.
00:16Sonny Wright said it's Joe Ranieri.
00:18Now we bring in Keith Stewart.
00:19The Hero World Challenge is on deck, Keith.
00:22How are we feeling about golf?
00:23And it's December.
00:24We're talking golf.
00:25Absolutely we are.
00:27Hey, Donny, you know what?
00:28When Tiger Woods shows up, hosts a press conference at a tournament, we're going to talk about golf.
00:33The guy still moves the needle.
00:35Yeah, he does move the needle.
00:36And by the way, speaking of move the needle, let's hear from Tiger Woods right now.
00:39It's been very different.
00:41The recruiting process now, it's, you have cell phones.
00:46We didn't have cell phones.
00:47We had written letters that would show up and be in the mailbox.
00:51And it's like, oh my God, I got a letter.
00:53You know, it's just very different.
00:55How fast, you know, coaches can communicate with the family members and the player that's trying to recruit.
01:01It's just a different world.
01:03And I'm not saying it's good or bad.
01:06It's just different.
01:06And it's fun to be a part of the process with Charlie and go through it and see where the opportunities that he has, that he has created for himself by playing better.
01:18The places that he could play, wants to play, and ultimately will decide where he wants to go play.
01:25Keith, we need an update on Tiger.
01:28Come on now.
01:29What do we got?
01:30Well, right there, he's talking about his son getting recruited for college.
01:33And I love how he just says, oh, it's a different world.
01:37You know, you think, buddy?
01:38You know, like you're the number one golfer recognized in the world.
01:41Your son wants to play college golf somewhere.
01:43This is like LeBron's son being recruited to play basketball.
01:46Yeah, I think you're going to get a couple of texts or some coaches reaching out.
01:49That being said, on the health front, Tiger, not much to say.
01:54On the PGA Tour and the future of the PGA Tour, if you read between the lines, Donnie, Joe, he had a lot to say.
02:02It looks like change is coming quicker.
02:04You know, rather than waiting this out, rather than making the PGA Tour a cruise ship as it's done for so many years, you know, change over successive seasons,
02:12I think we're going to see a big change to the schedule in 2027.
02:16And Tiger alluded to it several times in his press conference.
02:21I got to ask you, Keith, but is he ever going to play on a champion's tour?
02:26Is that something he has any desire to do, you think?
02:28Because they're trying to recruit him, and I get it.
02:31But will we ever see him on the champion's tour?
02:34I think you'll see him in a champion's major.
02:36I could see him wanting to win the U.S. Senior Open.
02:39I could see him having a sponsor that's paid him enough money that he goes and plays in one of those events.
02:44But more than one or two, if he plays more than three, I'm going to set the over-under at three and a half.
02:51If he plays more than three and a half champion's tour events in his career, I'd be surprised.
02:55I mean, I think if he goes and he can win the U.S. Senior Open, he would check that box.
03:00But other than that, I mean, not many guys have won the U.S. Am, the U.S. Open, and the U.S. Senior Open.
03:06That would be something that historically Tiger would want to do.
03:09And he won the U.S. Junior if you want to throw that in too.
03:11But other than that, I mean, I think when Tiger's healthy, which he won't ever say, but when he's healthy, we'll see him at his tournament at the Genesis, and we'll see him at Augusta, obviously, and whatever major venues he can walk for 72 holes.
03:25Competitive golf, that's what we want to see Tiger get back to.
03:28He knows back to competitive golf.
03:29It's Keegan Bradley.
03:30Let's hear from Keegan Bradley right now on the Ryder Cup.
03:34Keegan, you're an emotional person, player.
03:37That's what makes you you.
03:37And you just talked about the gaping hole.
03:40You gave yourself an F.
03:42And you've talked about the disappointment of losing as captain.
03:45How much of an emotional toll can you verbalize that take on you the weeks after the Ryder Cup?
03:54I mean, the darkest time of my life, probably.
03:58I mean, I don't know how else to describe it.
04:00Certainly, definitely in my career.
04:02But there's always a lot of pressure, Keith.
04:07A lot of pressure here that he's talking about.
04:09The darkest time of my life.
04:12I mean, this guy showed up to the Skins game on Black Friday, and he smoked the field.
04:17I mean, I think he's going to play with a huge chip on his shoulder.
04:19Not to give too much away for the hero, but one of my early leans on the early line is definitely Keegan Bradley, for sure.
04:26I mean, I think this guy's going to show up to every tournament like he cares, like it is his U.S. Open.
04:32He went through that Skins game, I mean, like a Vegematic.
04:35He tore those guys up.
04:37You know?
04:37I mean, it was awesome.
04:38It was in the wind.
04:39And when you look at this week, down there in the Bahamas, they have perfect weather coming.
04:43Low 80s, not too much of a breeze, no rain, but Bermuda grass.
04:47And that is Keegan Bradley's wheelhouse.
04:50He just played on it in the Skins game there at Panther National down in your neighborhood there, Joe.
04:54And you know what?
04:55Going down to the Bahamas, a place where he's played well.
04:58He took his fall off, but you know what?
04:59It's obvious he's been working on his game, and he wants to play on that Ireland Ryder Cup team and actually win the Ryder Cup.
05:05And I don't think he'll sleep until that happens.
05:07So I definitely like him.
05:09And if you want to throw one more in, I'm going to look at Bobby Mack, too.
05:12Bobby Mack has had one heck of a fall.
05:14He played great at the BMW, came in runner-up.
05:17You know, that's the second round of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
05:19Came in runner-up to Scotty, and then he goes and wins the Ryder Cup.
05:22He wins the next week over at St. Andrews with a ski cap on at the Dunhill.
05:27He has back-to-back top tens in the DP World Tour playoffs.
05:30Bobby Mack down here, again, in the wind with his driver, with his scoring ability.
05:35Keegan, Bobby Mack, love those two.
05:39I mean, plus 135, Keith, is what Scheffler is.
05:44I mean, he's either won the tournament or been runner-up for, like, every year he's ever been in it.
05:49It is his first, I think, competitive, you know, tournament since the Ryder Cup.
05:55And from what I understand, he's actually working in new woods and a new driver.
06:01Does that – do you anticipate that there'll be a little adjustment period with him maybe early on?
06:06So, he doesn't win by five?
06:11Is that what we're saying?
06:12You know?
06:13Yeah, exactly.
06:15You know, here's the thing, right?
06:18Back in my golf professional days, I wasn't called the director of golf.
06:21I was called the director of fun.
06:23You want to have some fun this weekend, you bet Scotty to win.
06:26And then they have this little event going on over there in Australia called the Australian Open.
06:29And for the first time, Rory McIlroy is over there playing in it.
06:33You take Rory, Scotty, put him in a parlay, Joe, right?
06:37You're going to get, like, 12-1, 13-1, right?
06:40And then you'll have – I mean, you'll have a sweat all weekend because those two guys are going to be involved.
06:44You think McIlroy is motivated?
06:46The fans have shown up in practice rounds giving him standing ovations.
06:50They're so excited that he's there.
06:51And don't forget that they're playing Royal Melbourne.
06:54That's a historic site.
06:55Rory loves his history, too.
06:57Just like Tiger, just like Scotty.
06:58He is going to try to win that event as best he can.
07:02I mean, to win on two McKenzie courses in one year, Augusta National and Royal Melbourne,
07:06that is more than historic in a year that has been career-defining for one Mr. McIlroy.
07:12Keith Stewart, he's our guy on the PGA Tour.
07:14The Hero World Challenge coming up this weekend.
07:16We'll talk to Keith Stewart because we are almost at the new calendar year and right up against the Masters.
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