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Full Swing - Season 4 - Episode 02: The Outsiders
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00:07Carolina blue skies, tens of thousands are on hand welcoming the world to the Queen City of Charlotte, the 107th
00:18PGA Championship.
00:37It feels like Ryder Cup season is starting to really begin. The Masters is kind of its own thing, but
00:43it moves quickly and we're already at the second of four majors.
00:46So this is one of those tournaments, this Ryder Cup coming up, that you're going to be an old man
00:51and you're not going to want to tell your kids that you missed it. This is one you want to
00:54be at.
00:58The Ryder Cup is on everybody's mind right now. For European captain Luke Donald, there's great news. His team is
01:05coming into focus. His guys are stacking up wins. They're firing on all cylinders.
01:09With your captain's hat on, how do you feel about another strong showing from the Europeans following the Masters?
01:15Yeah, it's great. It's always nice when guys on your team are up there each and every week playing against
01:23the strongest fields in golf and doing extremely well.
01:28When you have two or three guys up there, like the Masters, there's always going to be one loser, which
01:32is the tough part because I'm texting the guys and hard luck.
01:37But inside I'm thinking, you know, this is great because I've got a few guys all playing really well.
01:47But for U.S. Captain Keegan Bradley, it's open season. There's a longer list than ever of potential U.S.
01:56Ryder Cupers.
01:57Can we go listen to you? Let's go do it. Let's go do it.
02:00We're trying to put the best team together. These guys are playing in all four of the majors.
02:05You know, you see a guy, maybe a younger guy, that, you know, stands up to the pressure and can
02:10feel this is as close as we're going to get to Bethpage
02:13and that, you know, the pressure on Sunday is a lot in a major.
02:17I think when you get down to it, they're always really tough decisions.
02:21Any given week could tee it up with these guys in a PGA Tour event.
02:27I think the Europeans seem to lean into the team environment and that's what Keegan Bradley has to do.
02:33Pick me.
02:34And there's a lot of guys who are playing their way onto this team who will feel like,
02:38I don't know if I'm going to play another Ryder Cup because I haven't played one before.
02:41So I got to put everything into this week.
02:46That sort of embodies the spirit that Keegan brings to this team.
02:49We might not be the normal guys. We might not be who you expected,
02:52but we're representing the red, white and blue in the Ryder Cup.
02:54And we're going to play like it.
03:14The bags are fresh.
03:15They really are.
03:16This is blowing some people's minds right now.
03:18It's really nice.
03:19Yeah, let's go.
03:21Nice.
03:23And then down here we have a celebration of our spectator champion, Chris.
03:37Oh, look at that.
03:39Nice.
03:40I think this is one of your wedges.
03:44Yeah?
03:44Yeah.
03:45Yeah.
03:46I love it.
03:46Good.
03:48Certainly we want to see the guys coming down the stretch of tournaments in the biggest events.
03:53The US Open is a big barometer.
03:56The majors are so stressful.
03:59We sort of know how Justin Thomas is in these situations or Scotty Scheffler or Xander.
04:05So when we're looking at guys that sort of burst onto the scene, we took in all those factors
04:09and we're really paying attention to that.
04:11Yeah, we're going to do a little better.
04:13Yeah.
04:14Cool.
04:15All right.
04:15Three, two, one.
04:17Daddy, look over here.
04:19Good girl.
04:20Good girl.
04:21Her little legs just perched over you.
04:26Winning a major in a Ryder Cup year is one of the very few foolproof ways to make the team.
04:33And we've seen in recent years players come basically out of nowhere and use, in particular,
04:39the US Open as their statement.
04:41I'm here and I belong.
04:43I think when you're Keegan Bradley, you're thinking, man, who's going to come out of the woodwork
04:49and shock the world this year?
05:11What up, G?
05:12What up?
05:13How you doing?
05:14Good to see you, Doc.
05:15Good to see you.
05:15I'm good.
05:16How about yourself?
05:16Man, great.
05:17Awesome.
05:18You like this?
05:19Damn.
05:19This is a little throwback, huh?
05:21Throwback.
05:22What year is that?
05:23I have no idea.
05:25So I'll do a couple, yeah, front boards and...
05:27Yeah.
05:28You got front boards?
05:29No, dude.
05:30Come on.
05:31Back in the day.
05:32Come on.
05:32Mike will kill me if I did this.
05:34Yeah, no.
05:35We got to keep the wrist protected.
05:37Yeah.
05:37Yeah.
05:38We can't go.
05:38We got to go back to back.
05:39I'm just going to roll.
05:40I'll do a front board, though.
05:41I'm going to roll.
05:44Growing up in Southern California, it was all skateboarding, surfing, beach, even, you
05:50know, snowboarding during the season.
05:52Let's go.
05:53Let's go.
05:56I was probably eight or nine years old.
05:58My dad bought me a skateboard and would go to this park and spend all day there, honestly.
06:02And we just felt so, like, spirited and free.
06:05Kind of speak.
06:07Roaming the city, roaming your town and trying to find places and hanging with your friends.
06:11God, he makes it look so easy.
06:13I know.
06:16All right, let's see if I can front crook at first.
06:18Come on, Sean.
06:19First.
06:20The difference between golf and skateboarding, at least back then, there was, like, a huge
06:23divide, right?
06:25Skateboarders were kind of the crazy ones.
06:28You're trespassing.
06:30You're causing a ruckus.
06:31And golf, on the other hand, was, you know, very proper.
06:35Lots of etiquette.
06:36Classy.
06:38I feel like when I grew up, like, I was actually trying to hide that I was a golfer.
06:43Me, too.
06:44Me, too.
06:45I would have, like, golf clothes in my backpack and then, like, have my skateboard.
06:48Yeah.
06:49And I'd be like, all right, boys, see you later.
06:50And I'd go, like, skate off and then go change real quick and go to the golf course.
06:53Oh, the amount of times I would get made fun of and then, like, try to hide it.
06:58I feel like golf, like, you're using your brain in a certain way, kind of like skating.
07:02But, uh, there's not as much pain involved.
07:05Yeah.
07:06Very fair.
07:07Yeah.
07:08This.
07:09Yes.
07:10Oh.
07:12All right.
07:13Let's get him out of here.
07:15Let's get him out of here.
07:16Dog.
07:16Oh, man.
07:17Enjoyed it.
07:18I'm a late bloomer in golf.
07:21My whole career, whether it was junior golf or collegiately, it kind of took me a while
07:27at each stage to really come through.
07:41Championship Sunday at the Players.
07:45J.J. Spahn not going away.
07:47We're playing public courses just outside of L.A. and now on the grand stage of the Players.
07:54The Players is definitely a breakout week for J.J. Spahn.
07:59Oh, man.
08:00J.J. Spahn's got a kick in birdie at the toughest hole.
08:05And we see a lot of guys who come out right from college and their star is not the case
08:09for J.J. Spahn.
08:14Oh, yeah.
08:15J.J. Spahn.
08:17J.J. Spahn.
08:18And he is going to tie McElroy.
08:21The guy's just spent money.
08:24This for the Players' Championship.
08:27Going toe-to-toe with Rory McElroy, the biggest star in our sport.
08:34I mean, he was one revolution short of winning that tournament.
08:38I think that was a big signal to the rest of the golf world, like, J.J. Spahn is for
08:42real.
08:47But McElroy's got another Players' title.
08:50At the end of the day, it doesn't matter where you came from.
08:52It's kind of like where you're at the moment and what you can do.
08:56And, you know, I've used that as fuel to prove, you know, people wrong.
09:06Oh, yeah.
09:07A little cake tasting.
09:08Your favorite wedding planning event yet.
09:10Mm-hmm.
09:10The cake tasting.
09:12I'm going to go for a little bit of chocolate.
09:14And we're going to cut them.
09:15We're going to cut them right here.
09:17No, at our wedding, when we cut the cake, you can't shove it in my face.
09:21Wait, I've seen so many good videos of that, though.
09:24Don't even think about it.
09:26When you want to marry a golfer and you want to pick a wedding date, you know that you probably
09:32have to get married in the off season, which is either September or December.
09:36And so before this year even started, if Ben would have had a bad year and would have finished
09:43outside the top 100, he would have had to go to Q School finals.
09:47If we picked Saturday of Q School, it would have just added pressure of, all right, I have
09:52to play well or else we're going to have some wedding issues.
09:56Honestly, I just didn't even think golf was going to ever happen again when I was working.
10:00So, pretty crazy.
10:02Here we are eating cake on Netflix.
10:09My professional golf journey has been a roller coaster.
10:16I came out of college having some success.
10:20Everything was kind of going swimmingly.
10:22He clearly showed a lot of passion, a lot of talent.
10:25And then Ben Griffin finds himself, as he turns professional, things aren't as easy as
10:30he thought they were going to be.
10:34Unfortunately, in 2019, I just didn't play well.
10:38The way the P.J. Tour is structured, all of these players are independent contractors.
10:44So when Ben Griffin turns professional, he's responsible now for paying for his hotel room,
10:50paying for his flights, paying for his caddy.
10:53On a mediocre to bad season, players can lose $40,000 to $60,000.
11:00I had $17,000 in credit card debt.
11:03For me, the system made it so difficult to make it that I didn't want to gamble on myself anymore.
11:09I needed to step away and do something that I could afford rent.
11:14I knew I needed to try something new.
11:26All right, get after that salad bar, Mike.
11:28That guy can't be first in the buffet line.
11:30I started working as a loan officer for Corporate Investors Mortgage Group.
11:34It was nice to finally have paychecks coming in and felt like I could finally pay my own rent.
11:40It's been a thrill of a lifetime watching the last few years.
11:42Yeah.
11:43Mike's seen the most of it.
11:46We take all the credit.
11:47Exactly, for sure.
11:49That's about the time when I got a phone call from Doug Sieg, the CEO of Lord Abbott.
11:53Yeah, good seeing you.
11:54Doug, let's go.
11:56What's up, my man?
11:57How are you?
11:57Doing good.
11:58Good seeing you.
11:59Look how strong you look.
11:59I know.
11:59Look how strong you look.
12:00I'm taking your credit.
12:01He called me and was like, dude, you're too good.
12:04You're too good to be a loan officer.
12:05You're too good to not be playing golf.
12:07Like, we've got to get you back.
12:09I want to help you get back to golf.
12:11I want to sponsor someone who's going to work from kind of the ground up.
12:14So I decided to make a comeback to golf in 2021.
12:17Well, at least it was straight.
12:18Yeah.
12:20All right, guys.
12:20Yeah, we'll see you out there.
12:21See you in a bit.
12:22Doug sponsored me, paid for all of my expenses.
12:25I credit him to literally all of my success.
12:28I think Ben stepping away from golf gives him a ton of perspective.
12:34He has the perspective to say a bad day on the golf course is better than any day in the
12:40office.
12:41And so I think it makes him a lot more positive.
12:47That'll play.
12:48I think how limber he'd be if he had a full-time guy.
12:51Give me a Ford Caddy.
12:52Give me a Ford stretch.
12:54You know, give me the grandstand free drop.
12:56Look at those tree trunks.
12:57I mean, they've never even been pulled in those directions.
13:01My mind completely shifted from those first couple of years of playing professional golf to now this new revive me.
13:08Flash forward to the Zurich Classic.
13:10It's the final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
13:15The only team event on the schedule.
13:18And it's worth the wait for Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak.
13:22They team up for their first win on the PGA Tour.
13:28Ben Griffin was completely off everyone's Ryder Cup radar to begin this year.
13:33He showed up on some early leaderboards, but I think getting that victory in the team format sent a message
13:38to Keegan Bradley.
13:40It was an incredible moment, but also it kind of felt like a monkey off the back.
13:45I didn't have to worry about, you know, would I be a PGA Tour winner one day.
13:49That unlocked a new level of confidence.
13:53This year, Keegan Bradley, he's in this unique position to find new talent,
13:58to find new personalities who might be a great fit that we've never thought of before.
14:10Henderson Executive Airport.
14:12Automated weather observation.
14:14One, three, three, four.
14:17Zulu.
14:18Wind two, zero, zero at one, three.
14:22I've been flying for just about three years now.
14:27If you do it right, it's not really that dangerous.
14:30I've got the pre-flight checklist on my phone here.
14:34I just make sure I don't miss anything as I go.
14:37You could do it for the lifestyle.
14:38You could do it for the money.
14:40You could do it for the fame and the notoriety.
14:42But I play golf because I love to compete.
14:47It really is the ultimate meritocracy.
14:51When you're standing on that first tee, the golf ball is staring right back at you.
14:54And you have to take 100% ownership of everything that happens after that.
14:59Great.
15:01That's good.
15:01Mav's a cerebral guy.
15:03A lot of these tour pros, I think, are sea ball, hit ball.
15:06Mav is not like that at all.
15:07He's got an incredible career at Stanford where he is, like, one of the best college players ever.
15:12Was the number one amateur in the world.
15:13He finally wins his first PGA Tour event in the fall.
15:16From St. Simons Island, Georgia, is the RSM Classic.
15:20Maverick McNeil is still leading the way by one.
15:27And he's an incredible putter.
15:28That's the strength of his game, which is very enticing to a Ryder Cup captain.
15:34Maverick McNeil is now a winner on the PGA Tour.
15:38Maverick's finally starting to play the type of golf to cut it with the big boys.
15:42That's going to be his third top three of the season.
15:44And now Keegan is looking at him.
15:46And Mav said to me early in the year, he said, my goal is not to make the team at
15:51Bethpage.
15:51My goal is to annoy the crap out of the Europeans with my putter.
15:56Here's round 64.
15:59Keegan's message is to be yourself.
16:03And I think he's holding our feet to the fire a little bit to see who's going to perform down
16:06the stretch.
16:08I would give anything to put up a point for the United States.
16:13Clear.
16:17In big moments, either in the airplane or in golf.
16:22I just executed my process.
16:24I can't think of anything else except what I'm doing.
16:26And that's a beautiful thing.
16:28We're 73.
16:30For someone that wants to be in the conversation for the Ryder Cup,
16:35performing in the majors is everything.
16:37All right. Looks good.
16:39You need to be able to play your best when the stakes are the highest.
16:44Altitude flaps up.
16:46And for whatever reason, that's eluded him.
16:57Almost there.
16:58On the road, we have a lot of meals out, so when you get to be home for a little
17:05bit and have a home-cooked meal, it's kind of a luxury.
17:08All right. Dinner's ready.
17:10I'm the oldest of four brothers.
17:14Family dinners were a bit of a normalizing influence for all of us.
17:18Good job on the food, gentlemen.
17:20Good job.
17:22I'm not a professional golfer when I'm around my family.
17:26I'm Mav.
17:27I'm Maya's husband, soon to be our daughter's dad, and hopefully a chef that didn't burn the stakes.
17:34I will say, Tori was a great, like, starting point for baby-proofing.
17:39Tori's not going to throw up on your shoulder.
17:41Well, Tori will go poop wherever she wants.
17:43So will the baby.
17:44She has no diaper on.
17:47Diapers don't work.
17:48When the blowouts come in, there's no...
17:50Honey.
17:52We're cutting that out. That's not making it.
17:55That is not happening.
17:57We've got a baby girl on the way, and I think that's to offer a little bit of balance to
18:01the McNeelys,
18:02because they've got a lot of guys, a lot of testosterone over there.
18:06Cut.
18:11Good morning.
18:12The opening round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont.
18:16There's nothing quite like it.
18:19The United States Open is the hardest golf tournament every year.
18:23It's a huge stage.
18:25Carrier melange.
18:27Oakmont, which is a cathedral of the American game,
18:29and widely considered maybe the hardest golf course in the world.
18:38Yeah, things are changing.
18:40Way to go, Ben.
18:40Yeah, appreciate it.
18:41All's well?
18:42Yeah, all's great.
18:43Great playing.
18:43All right, thank you.
18:43Really happy for you.
18:44Appreciate it.
18:44See you out there, Ben.
18:47Are we together?
18:50You're on full swing now.
18:52Oh, really?
18:53If this makes it.
18:54Let's see.
18:55Yeah.
18:56U.S. Open tee times.
18:57Who else?
18:58Mav.
18:59Ooh.
19:00Little Ryder Cup pairing.
19:02Early off 10.
19:03See you there?
19:03That's my Zerg partner.
19:06Number one.
19:07First win with him.
19:08It's my first U.S. Open.
19:10Going to be one of the most challenging tests I've ever experienced.
19:16Gary, what's up, man?
19:17Thanks.
19:18Appreciate it.
19:20Thanks.
19:21Appreciate it.
19:22Hey, check this out.
19:23Time to send a statement to those Europeans.
19:26We're not messing around.
19:38There's no question that winning a major, specifically the U.S. Open, is career and really life changing.
19:49At the start of the year, you wouldn't necessarily say, oh, we're thinking about Ben Griffin.
19:53We're thinking about Maverick McNeely.
19:55But after the top few names, it's a bit of a free for all.
20:00Ladies and gentlemen, from Las Vegas, Nevada, please welcome Maverick McNeely.
20:11One of my goals this year is to gain experience playing the weekends at major championships,
20:16something that I have not done much in my career.
20:24This is my second U.S. Open.
20:26I don't have a lot of experience in major championships.
20:30Oakmont is a brutal test.
20:31I know you've got to be on your game, and it's going to expose every flaw if you're off.
20:37JJ spawned his third.
20:44How about this touch?
20:46What a shot from JJ.
20:48That is fantastic.
20:56Wow.
20:57He's got a chance.
21:01Is he on the green?
21:03Oh, my gosh.
21:05Oh, my gosh.
21:07Griffin for the two.
21:09And Ben Griffin continues building on the success that we've seen this spring.
21:16Oh, my gosh.
21:27And at 16, JJ spawn.
21:32Oh.
21:34Oh.
21:36He's going to have a perfect clutch straight up the hill.
21:40So the outright lead.
21:45Just putting on a clinic right now, Mike.
22:01He has been spectacular with this club all day long.
22:05Oh.
22:12That's well judged.
22:14JJ spawned just magnificent.
22:16A 66 on day one here at Oakmont.
22:21Great round.
22:22Thanks.
22:22That was amazing.
22:24I thought he was insane.
22:25Yeah, it was nice.
22:28Walking off the 18th green, very, very upset and frustrated.
22:32I hate playing bad golf.
22:34I really do.
22:35And I'm a very competitive person.
22:36And I did not get the best out of myself today.
22:39And we practice until I feel like I have something that I can take into tomorrow.
22:55Yeah, so fun fact about Dana, she does not like her smoothies.
22:59I like it thick.
23:00She likes them thick.
23:01And because of that, this blender process takes about 10 minutes.
23:05So.
23:06That is not true.
23:14That's my coach, James.
23:16Lordy.
23:18Back when you used to have a lot of hair.
23:20Jesus Christ.
23:23What was the last thing you bought for yourself?
23:26You bought the sprinkles.
23:28Everyone knows a good sundae needs some high quality sprinkles.
23:33And did I spend $19 at Sprouts on sprinkles?
23:36Yes.
23:38Even though it was my first US Open, I'm coming in hotter than just about any other golfer in the
23:45world.
23:47Ben Griffin said when he walked away from the game for a while, I have lost my dreams.
23:54And now those dreams can be realized.
23:59His dream comes true!
24:03The second career win, both of them, in a month's span.
24:08Ben Griffin, you've made it all the way back.
24:17I'm so grateful to even be like, just playing golf.
24:20Sometimes I question whether or not people understand how good we have it.
24:27It wasn't that long ago where, you know, going out to eat was like, you're thinking about the financial side
24:35of it.
24:39And I don't have to think about that again.
24:40It's crazy.
24:47Sorry for the emotions.
24:50If you win the US Open this week, are you going to buy yourself anything?
24:53Maybe a two-way ticket to the Ryder Cup.
24:58Which they probably pay for.
25:01They probably reimbursed that.
25:11Welcome to another United States Open Championship at Oakmont.
25:16Maybe a chance of rain a little bit later on.
25:18That could change the whole dynamic here at Oakmont.
25:23Friday afternoons are a very fateful afternoon at Major Championships.
25:27Good look for Birdie.
25:29And another one drops in for Spahn.
25:34Yes.
25:35Ben Griffin.
25:37McNeely looking for Birdie.
25:39Buoyed by some confidence.
25:42Certainly, if you show up without your A-game, you're going to be sent packing.
25:47You know, Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut, defending champion this year.
25:50Justin Rose, past champion of the US Open, misses the cut.
25:55Ludwig Oberg, who looks like a golfing cyborg machine, he misses the cut.
26:00Dustin Johnson dive-bombs into the rough.
26:04Oh, my goodness.
26:06This might send it over the edge.
26:08Must make for Cantley.
26:11Surprising to see Patrick Cantley heading home.
26:14It's no guarantee.
26:15It's no guarantee.
26:16I think it's probably the hardest cut to make in our sport just because of how difficult the golf course
26:19is.
26:20What a putt.
26:22Bouncing back again.
26:24Maverick McNeely continues to move his way up.
26:29Gets one to go.
26:31Back-to-back 30s, and more importantly, bogey-free.
26:34When you see the top players who have found success consistently on the toughest tracks in major championships failing to
26:42make the cut, you can say,
26:44OK, well, those guys are no longer a threat to me, and now this might be my opportunity to grind
26:50it out.
26:51Prove I'm mentally tough enough to win.
27:04Ben Griffin, and he is in excellent position to take a run at his first major.
27:11Maverick McNeely has got the best round on the course right now at three under.
27:17But he drops one here.
27:19Still very good day for McNeely.
27:34I'm really, really proud of the way I handle the most difficult major championship of the year.
27:40My first made cut at the U.S. Open, and I've worked harder than I ever have this year to
27:46have a great season on the PGA Tour,
27:48but even more than that, to be ready when I put the tee in the ground at the Ryder Cup
27:52if my name's called.
27:55And I hope that I can play well enough to earn that spot.
28:00Mav is a super talented guy, incredible amateur career.
28:07He's playing better and better every year he's out there.
28:09And to make the cut at the U.S. Open was a big step for him.
28:12And he's certainly high on our list of people that we're watching.
28:23Maybe not a player in the field with more confidence than Ben Griffin.
28:30It's a bad bogey there.
28:33Pretty decent look here. I think this man can do it.
28:39Got it there.
28:43Nice balance on that swing for Ben.
28:49Ben Griffin can do the same.
28:51Yeah, 15 feet, little right to left, or straightish.
28:55Walked it in confidently.
28:57He's playing well.
29:02Spawn for birdie at the 14th.
29:0810 straight pars for J.J.
29:11Go hard to the right here at the end.
29:13No, he played too much break there.
29:16Birdie, 16.
29:17Tough one to get up to the hole.
29:19He's been struggling with his speed.
29:21Trying to stay within a half dozen.
29:23Tough run for Ben Griffin.
29:25Three straight bogeys.
29:28Oh!
29:29Did he need that?
29:31Big time.
29:3612 straight pars and then that big birdie to tie the lead again.
29:41J.J. Spawn looks like he feels at home here.
29:47So a bogey will be for Spawn just a second of the day.
29:52Still an under par round for J.J. Spawn.
29:55Who has been in the heat of this major championship since day one.
29:59And will be right there on the championship Sunday tomorrow.
30:04Is this the three days of golf you've ever played in your life?
30:10Um.
30:12Yeah, I would if you want to sum it up.
30:15Yeah, this is the best I've played, you know, in my career for sure.
30:22How's your body feel? Are you sore?
30:24My body feels good.
30:26Normally, um, my legs get a little bit tired after most rounds, so.
30:31Derek, uh, when we get back I'll do PT for...
30:35An hour?
30:3645 minutes or so, yeah.
30:38And then put the feet up.
30:41It's just such a mental grind playing in...
30:44Playing in almost every tournament, but obviously, especially the majors, just cause...
30:49Every hole is so, so challenging.
30:52Do you feel like there's a lot of fans out there today?
30:54Yes, but...
30:56Because there were a lot of fans out there today.
30:58People call me like...
30:59Beth Paige Benny.
31:00I've got...
31:01That's my favorite one.
31:03Playing very good golf.
31:04I have a good chance to make a charge here and still win this golf tournament.
31:08How can I now break through and win a major?
31:19Last night, my daughter just caught a stomach bug and was vomiting all night long.
31:26She couldn't keep down water and my wife and I were trying to get her to feel better.
31:31So I had to rush to a pharmacy to get her some medication to ease her stomach.
31:37And it was three or four in the morning.
31:39You know, at the time, I'm thinking, well, I think I have a golf tournament to play.
31:43But that was kind of the last thing in my mind was more to, you know, help my daughter out.
31:53You know, I had a good first couple of days.
31:55I got to keep pressing.
31:58There's no let up.
32:00I'm excited.
32:01I'm ready to go.
32:02Hopefully I can put something together.
32:05You know, it's Sunday.
32:06You don't have any more rounds to make up ground and it's all or nothing.
32:09Right now.
32:12They gloomy Sunday morning at Oakmont cloud cover a little foggy.
32:17Hopefully the forecast storms for later today.
32:21Stay away.
32:30Somebody's taking that walk off the 18th green with their life changed forever.
32:36It's championship Sunday at Oakmont at the U.S. Open.
32:46Here I am, this kid coming out of nowhere, wasn't even in the signature events.
32:51Put myself in an incredible position to be in the mix.
32:53Please welcome from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Ben Griffin.
33:02I told my caddy I need to make a run and I had no doubt that I was going to
33:05win the golf tournament.
33:11Ben Griffin, the guy who's been as hot as anybody not named Scotty Scheffler the last month on tour.
33:27We just saw Keegan Bradley, Maverick McNeely's eighth on the Ryder Cup points list, could very well play his way
33:37into a guaranteed spot on Captain Keegan's team.
33:43From Los Angeles, California, please welcome JJ Spahn.
33:50It's the U.S. Open.
33:52It's the toughest test and it's Sunday, so trying to do my best to get things going, keep things together
33:57in a sense.
34:04JJ Spahn has a good look here, Smiley.
34:08On a good line.
34:09Oh, bangs it off the stick.
34:11Maybe a bad break.
34:13Oh, that is a terrible break.
34:16One of the worst breaks we've seen all week.
34:21Ogie bogie start for the guy that's been so consistent for three days.
34:32You have to imagine JJ's mind has to be spinning right now.
34:37He's got to find a way to reset.
34:43Crazy bounce.
34:45It might have even hit in a rake.
34:48Yeah, yeah.
34:49I think it is.
34:50Because he has just ended up in some of the most awkward, worst places that you can imagine.
34:55He's getting an attitude check that he's probably never seen before.
35:00Can he get this in for par?
35:02Oh, bogeys keep piling up for JJ.
35:10Ben Griffin has this for birdie.
35:16It appears we've got some raindrops coming through for the first time.
35:20The pressure, the conditions, a nuisance, and then some.
35:26Ben Griffin for par at the last.
35:28He had birdied 16 and 17.
35:33So he gets in at plus five with a bogey at the last.
35:40The day was tough.
35:44I'm still a little bummed, but, um, yeah, all in all, you know, the last few weeks I've been in
35:51the final group every week.
35:52So this was, uh, it felt weird being, you know, sixth, seventh last group.
35:57But I would have taken this week a long time ago, and I think I got to accept it and
36:01bring the positives and bring them to next week.
36:04U.S. Open, the majors.
36:07Hey, that was my first U.S. Open.
36:09That's crazy.
36:11It's wild, it's wild to be at my first U.S. Open and, like, be bummed that I didn't win.
36:16Like, most guys go to the U.S. Open and they're like, all right, I just want to make the
36:19cut and play well.
36:21And for me, it's like, there was never even a moment where I was thinking about the cut.
36:25It was really just trying to get in the lead.
36:28But, it's crazy how fast things change in this game.
36:30I mean, three years ago, I'm just trying to get on tour.
36:35Three months ago, I'm just trying to get in the majors.
36:37Two months ago, I wasn't even in the masters.
36:39And so, here we are.
36:42Now I'm on Keegan's radar.
36:45Everyone's paying attention now.
36:51Playing the first U.S. Open at Oakmont is a pretty tough task.
36:57And, for him to go out there and play the way he did, just shows what a brilliant player he
37:02is.
37:03Man, is it coming down here.
37:05Wow, quickly.
37:08They're gonna have to stop play, I think.
37:11Yeah, this has just put a stop on play.
37:14And there's the siren, the horn.
37:18Fans are scrambling for cover.
37:28When the horn went off, the weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
37:37I kind of get a little break from this nightmare of a start to the final round of the U
37:42.S. Open.
37:45I feel like I'm starting over by kind of going back to what I do before rounds and, you know,
37:51almost try to forget what happened earlier.
37:54I got nothing to lose at this point.
37:56Who knows? I mean, it's the back nine of the U.S. Open in some really tough conditions and anything
38:01can really happen.
38:04The police escorts are getting the players out in vans out to their positions.
38:10Maybe this break in the action will help J.J. spawn.
38:13Just been an all-out fight for him today.
38:16Bogeyed five of the first six.
38:20My coach told me if you were four back going into the back nine on Sunday, if you were told
38:26that Monday you would take it, right?
38:27And I said, sure, I totally would.
38:29So the days you don't feel like anything is gonna go your way, feel like you're not that far off,
38:34need something to turn this around.
38:37I knew that I still was in it. I just had to string together some good shots and, you know,
38:43push through.
38:47J.J. spawn!
38:50You talk about keeping a good attitude and never giving up.
38:58I was just trying to go out there and give it all I had.
39:04Oh, that's an excellent shot there by spawn.
39:08Been a day and really a career of resilience for this man.
39:13For the outright lead.
39:21And this is developing into one of the craziest U.S. Open stories in a final round.
39:28Sole leader.
39:34My daughter always asks me every time I go to a tournament and come home, did I win?
39:38And I say no.
39:40And for her to see me actually win a trophy, I think it would be, you know, a dream come
39:46true.
39:54How about this?
39:55The best shot of his life.
40:02J.J. spawn, the leader by himself with one to play at the U.S. Open.
40:13I need to stop selling myself short, honestly.
40:17I've always doubted myself.
40:19This is my ninth year, I'm no young buck anymore.
40:25It's just honestly something that you see other people doing.
40:30We're watching J.J. spawn stand over this part and everybody is thinking,
40:36just lag it up there, get it in in two.
40:38Who's going to hold a 64-foot birdie putt to win the U.S. Open?
40:43Nobody's ever hold a putt of that length to win a major championship.
40:47We talked about it all week long, how there was a time in his career, kids,
40:50where he said, I was scared to be in the big moment.
40:53This is a kind of psychological turnaround that J.J. spawn has made.
41:07In one of the most unlikely final round Sundays in U.S. Open history, J.J. spawn closes the deal.
41:20You could have never dreamt this Sunday for spawn.
41:27Another one of those lessons that you learn in sports, right, only in sports.
41:33You keep dreaming. You keep plugging away.
41:36You don't give up.
41:38We saw all of that in Moore today.
42:04That's the coolest experience you can have right there.
42:06Walking away with your girls on Father's Day after you just won the U.S. Open.
42:16The champion of the 125th United States Open, J.J. spawn of Los Angeles, California.
42:28I never thought I would be here holding this trophy.
42:32I never knew what my ceiling was. I never knew how good I could be.
42:36But I'm just proud that I've been resilient in my career and pushed through a lot of things.
42:42Just trying to be the best golfer I can be.
42:45And I'm happy to display that today at Oakmont.
43:03Every kid is like this putt to win the U.S. Open.
43:07Please tell me the difference for you between the dream and the reality.
43:12Well, first off, the putt as a kid wasn't a 64-footer.
43:16Usually it's like five feet or something.
43:19What a story tale ending to such a great week.
43:23And for me, it's just unbelievable.
43:25I'm still riding on cloud nine right now.
43:28I got a second win now.
43:32You know, I represented the country pretty well this week, winning the U.S. Open as an American.
43:39And I'm ready to represent the country as an American at the Ryder Cup.
43:43Oh, okay.
43:45I'm ready.
43:48I'm waiting to wake up.
43:50Waiting to wake up.
43:58I want the dream to end, for sure.
44:02But it's not a dream.
44:08The Tour Championship is the last tournament of the season.
44:12Just the last day of the season. Nothing to see.
44:14I've not won on the PGA Tour, and I've had these chances.
44:18I'm well aware of, like, the story that's building.
44:21It's crunch time for the Ryder Cup.
44:23Yeah, a lot of guys out there trying to get Captain Keegan Bradley's attention this week.
44:28When I think of the Ryder Cup, it's hard to not make it a bigger deal than what it is.
44:33Keegan Bradley has a lot to chew on this weekend.
44:36You have a chance here to become a playing captain.
44:39I'm feeling pretty good. I feel like I've kind of got it in my hands.
44:43All I know is I have to prove to Keegan that he should have no doubt in picking me.
44:48Are we next?
44:52Hey, Keegan.
44:58Alright, bye.
45:00Me too.
45:26You're coming to the next video.
45:56Transcription by CastingWords
46:26Transcription by CastingWords
46:37Transcription by CastingWords
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