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00:00Anyway, again, golf, golf, golf, the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
00:05The one thing I've read about this course, and I really don't know these Open Championship courses from each other,
00:12Brian,
00:13until the tournament comes around and then sort of it's, my memory is refreshed about them.
00:18But Birkdale is apparently notorious for how tight it is.
00:24Like, this isn't necessarily a bomber's golf course, right?
00:29Yes, you're right on that.
00:31And with how firm, and the word that I've been hearing used quite a bit from all the people that
00:36are there, it's crispy.
00:38It's going to be playing, I think, it's going to be a course where you're not going to see a
00:43lot of drivers hit off the tee.
00:45Jordan Spieth on Monday after his practice round said one six iron for him ran 300 yards just because it's
00:53so dry.
00:55So, I think we're going to see a lot of irons.
00:57I don't think anybody's going to have to necessarily overpower the golf course.
01:01So, I mean, you know, whatever the virtue of having super length off the tee, I don't think it's going
01:06to matter that much.
01:07I think a lot of it's going to be accuracy and placement.
01:10So, it probably brings more players into play for you, maybe your job a little bit more difficult.
01:16But, yeah, I don't think necessarily you have to be a long hitter to win this week.
01:21It's all about accuracy and, you know, a little bit of luck, too, for what it's worth.
01:26We know that's a part of sports.
01:28But I think more so at the open than any other of these major tracks because sometimes you hit literally
01:35the dead center of the fairway.
01:36But it hits one of those little mounds or ruts and then it runs into a pot bunker and suddenly
01:42you have to hit it backwards just to get it back in play.
01:45So, that's something that maybe is a little bit more, you know, luck-oriented than maybe we see in some
01:50of the other traditional venues.
01:51Did I read that the fairways run faster than the greens?
01:56Yes.
01:57Yes, but some of them for sure.
01:58The greens, so normally, for those that are familiar with, like, the stint meter number, for majors, usually it's maybe
02:0512, 13, you know, a bus that can even go higher sometimes.
02:09But usually these are, like, 10 and a half, and they're not meant to necessarily be super, super, super fast.
02:18Like, people will probably say, why does this course look so burnt this week or crisp?
02:22And, you know, we've talked about this before.
02:24The R&A, the Royal and Ancient, that runs this event, they say whatever the weather does, that's how the
02:30course is going to play.
02:31They don't care if the winning score is plus 5 or minus 25.
02:35So, that's something that's kind of what this, you know, what this Open is about.
02:40They say, we're going to let this, you know, Mother Nature kind of decide of how this tournament's going to
02:44play.
02:44And it looks like the weather is going to be really, really nice in terms of the conditions.
02:49It's going to be 70s all week.
02:51There's really no chance of rain.
02:53Wow.
02:53One unique quirk about this major, that may be the U.S. Open or the PGA, is that they don't
03:00use the back nine to tee off.
03:03And the Masters doesn't either, but they have a much smaller field.
03:06So, that doesn't maybe impact it as much.
03:08But a lot of times, we talk about, like, the draw.
03:11Like, did they get, you know, early-late or late-early, that kind of setup, you know, how you're going
03:18to start this tournament.
03:19And sometimes the weather, as we know over there, can change quite dramatically, where some guys that are playing early
03:25might play in calm conditions or play in terrible sideways rain.
03:30And then it can flip in the other way, and they can get a huge advantage.
03:32So, it looks like that's not going to necessarily play into factor this week at all.
03:37It's going to play super firm, super hard in terms of the firmness of the course.
03:43And we're going to see a lot of runout.
03:45And I think creativity is going to be interesting to see.
03:47What do these guys do on approach shots?
03:49Are they necessarily bringing the ball in high and actually going at these pins, or are they actually bringing it
03:53in in front of the green on some of their approaches?
03:56This is in Northwest England, and the last time the Open was there, Jordan Spieth won his last major, and
04:03I think it might have been minus 14 or minus 12, some score like that.
04:06So, if it's going to be nice out.
04:08What's an Open championship without rain?
04:10But, okay, if it's going to be like that.
04:12You need one day, I feel like.
04:13I want to one day at, like, 6 a.m., wake up and lie in bed and turn on the
04:19TV and then see it like somebody's umbrella turned inside out.
04:23Like, that's what I want to see.
04:24I want to see some hats blow off.
04:25Yes.
04:26Yes, I need one of those days for it to be a true Open experience.
04:30But, yeah, you mentioned Spieth.
04:32I'm sure the highlights that people will be seeing this week, he, in that year that he won here at
04:38Birkdale, 2017,
04:39was when he had that epic pull where he hit it where no one even expected him to.
04:46It was, like, into the driving range, concession area, and they didn't even know if it was deemed to be
04:51out of bounds or not.
04:52They realized there was nothing with stake.
04:55They're like, well, it's not out of bounds.
04:56It took him over 22 minutes to play the hole, and he ended up somehow salvaging a bogey out of
05:04it.
05:04I mean, I'm sure they'll throw the highlights over the course of the week here if he's at all in
05:07contention.
05:08And it was that hole where he makes the putt and yells, go get that, and his caddy, Michael Greller,
05:14you know, goes and gets it.
05:15It was an incredible bogey for him, considering how far he missed his tee shot.
05:20But, yeah, this was the last time it was here.
05:23This is when Spieth was kind of in the discussion of if he's the next, I don't know, was it
05:29next Tiger, I guess, at that point?
05:30Right, yeah, because that 2015 through 2017 time period, Spieth was dominating more than any other player in golf.
05:37With Brian Kozio, Bulldog unable to join us.
05:40Let's get to the picks here.
05:41It's my turn.
05:42I've been on a roll with these.
05:43You said it might be tougher because of the, you know, the conditions may be so nice.
05:49Maybe that opens up the field to many more players.
05:52I don't like how the odds fell for me, and I'm going to ask you, Brian, to break a tie.
05:58I checked on three different betting apps, what we use to sort of tier these players.
06:04Top three, you win half the amount, half a unit.
06:08Fourth, players rank four through 20, you win one unit.
06:11Anybody ranked higher than 20, you win a double.
06:14So, I looked at three different apps, and they all have the third and fourth favorites dead even in price.
06:23That's Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.
06:26So, I'm going to ask you to decide which one goes in the half X group and which one is
06:321X.
06:32You pick.
06:34All right.
06:34I'll put Fitzpatrick into the half payout because I think he's playing very, very, very well.
06:41Although Fleetwood, I feel like I could argue too, but I'll push Fitzpatrick into that top three.
06:45Very well.
06:46That's what I would have done too.
06:48So, I'm taking both of them and Scheffler, who is the favorite, won last year.
06:54Might seem like a long time ago since he's won one, but he won this tournament last year.
06:58I'll leave McIlroy off for the half price.
07:01I don't like his attitude.
07:02We'll all be dead, so who cares?
07:05Not picking him.
07:06I'm going to take a McIlroy break.
07:09I'll take Shoffley.
07:10Sounds perfect for the track.
07:13Shoffley.
07:14Irons.
07:15I'll take him at 1X.
07:16Also, Rahm.
07:19Seems like you almost got to do that at that price.
07:23I'll take McIntyre from Scotland.
07:25He had a good week at the Scottish Open, maybe third.
07:29And, you know, close to home.
07:31I don't love that pick, but I'll do it.
07:34I don't love a lot of these.
07:34I feel like about the next 20 guys are kind of all the same here.
07:39So, that's six.
07:40Scheffler, Fitzpatrick at .5.
07:43Fleetwood, Shoffley, Rahm, McIntyre at 1X.
07:46I'll take Hovland.
07:48Another sort of, like, almost like a default pick in these things.
07:52What's his problem?
07:53Is it fair to say he has a problem?
07:55Like, how close has he come to winning one?
07:58Is he, to you, a good pick?
08:02Yeah, because he is talented enough that he's going to win one.
08:06I don't, I don't even know if I would label it as a problem.
08:09I would just label it as the fact that there's just a ton of good golfers.
08:12And his chances have also been in the middle of the Scotty Scheffler time period of dominance.
08:19So, that's a little, maybe, blip there.
08:21I mean, he's been a second a couple of times, once at the Masters, once at the U.S. Open.
08:24So, I don't, I don't think, I'll say there's just more so other players maybe just have nipped him
08:31than it is going to necessarily say, like, there's some sort of friend that he can't finish.
08:34So, I like to pick.
08:35I would take him if I was on your, if I was picking the 10.
08:37He'd be one of mine.
08:38Okay.
08:39I kind of like the idea of Wyndham Clark, the U.S. Open champion.
08:44But, for apparently as locked in as he is, I'm going to not take him.
08:48I thought about it.
08:49I have 11 names written down.
08:50He's the one I'm crossing off.
08:52Scheffler, Fitzpatrick, Fleetwood, Shoffley, Rahm, McIntyre.
08:55Maybe you'll have time to comment on Clark if you want.
08:57Hovland.
08:58And then I've got Russell Henley, who I want.
09:03He's just inside the top 20.
09:05And game theory wise, I hate picking the guys that are like 19th in this.
09:09But, I'm taking Henley anyway.
09:12And then two guys just outside would be Tom Kim and Joaquin Neiman.
09:18I love that Neiman had that.
09:19But, he had an 11 on a hole at the U.S. Open and still finished, what, top 10?
09:25Yep.
09:26So, there it is.
09:27I'm not taking Clark.
09:28Should I take Clark?
09:29Would you?
09:33Probably not.
09:34Just more so.
09:35And this is going to sound silly.
09:36But, well, he's won a major already.
09:37Is he good enough to be a two-time major winner in one year?
09:40Like, I'm not ready to put that label on him yet.
09:42He's won two U.S. Opens, yeah.
09:44Yeah.
09:45I mean, to me, this week, with, you know, like the storyline, there's Fleetwood, his hometown.
09:52He said the stories of him sneaking on this golf course when he was a little kid.
09:56Like, who's the best?
09:58When you said Hovland, I feel like that's the answer maybe.
10:01But, who's the best current player that hasn't won a major?
10:04I think Hovland's in that discussion.
10:05And maybe Fleetwood's in that discussion.
10:07And both of them have a chance to maybe get that done this week.
10:09I think Fleetwood would be that answer.
10:11I don't have, like, a tail of the tape here, but remember, at the end of last season,
10:14it was how he couldn't win these tournaments.
10:17He was close.
10:17And then he does win the playoff, right?
10:19He wins the Tour championship.
10:22So, yeah, that guy's due, right?
10:24That guy's due.
10:26Okay.
10:27And Rose made his amateur debut here and had the chip in on the last hole and, you know,
10:34had a great kind of start.
10:35That was his last tournament before he turned pro.
10:38And we obviously know he's had an outstanding pro career.
10:41You know, maybe a week where, again, you don't have to hit it a mile.
10:44Not that he doesn't, not that he hits it short, but an older Rose who's smart,
10:49who knows the course, like, that also could be a nice story for this week, too.
10:52For as good as he has been, you know, money in the Ryder Cup, a gold medal, a U.S.
10:58Open,
10:59it feels like, for him, if there's one event that I'm like,
11:03Justin Rose should have an Open.
11:05Like, it just feels like that's right and he doesn't have one yet.
11:07So, maybe that could be something, too, this week.
11:08Like, certainly could regret leaving him off.
11:10He's in a group where a lot of guys are like that.
11:13Morikawa, Oberg, Hatton.
11:16So, Cameron Young.
11:17Yeah.
11:17Brian?
11:18There's a ton of good picks out there.
11:20Even, I'll go down the board a little more, Goddard up.
11:23I don't even know if he's really down the board.
11:25No.
11:25He's won recently, but he has played well last year, won the Scottish, had a nice two weeks
11:32to go.
11:33I'm sorry, yeah.
11:33Won the Scottish last week, I'm sorry, but then won the John Deere the week before that.
11:37So, he's had some good play as of late.
11:38He's played good in this tournament.
11:39He's the seventh favorite.
11:40He's above all those guys we just talked about.
11:42Wow, so they have moved him up quite a bit.
11:44Yep.
11:44So, that's no longer an underdog pick for sure.
11:46Plus $2,800 for Goddard up, who I'm leaving off.
11:49Plus $75,000, last thing, for Patrick Harrington, who is dominating the senior tour, won an open
11:56at that golf course.
11:58I'm not going to put him on my team, but I'm going to put $10 on him to win $7
12:01,500 if he
12:02does it.
12:03Is it completely insane to think that Harrington, who is, I think, my age, I mean, he's got that
12:10going for him, could win this thing?
12:15I kind of like it.
12:16You're talking me into it.
12:16I feel like I'm going to jump on with you on that.
12:18All right.
12:19$75,000.
12:21Super likable guy, too.
12:22Like, you know, for those that are into guys that are media-friendly guys and gives great
12:28quotes, he's the best on the tour, probably, in that sense.
12:31He's amazing with that.
12:32So, yeah, is he a three-time major winner?
12:36I know he won the Open twice.
12:37Did he win a PGA, too?
12:39No.
12:40Did he just do Open?
12:41I'm not sure, but I'm guessing two.
12:44Two British.
12:45He went back-to-back, for sure.
12:46Yes.
12:46Two of those.
12:47He's won the last two U.S. Senior Opens.
12:49One was like a month ago.
12:50Not even.
12:51Yeah.
12:53All right.
12:53He's got to run kind of like we were talking about with Bernhard Longer on the Senior Tour
12:57for quite a while.
12:58Now Harrington's doing that.
12:59Right.
12:59Or Hale Irwin before that.
13:01That's right.
13:03Okay, Brian.
13:03You free tomorrow?
13:06Yeah, let's do it.
13:07Same time.
13:08Yeah, we'll check in same time, sir.
13:10And then, obviously, for those that want to watch early, I know a lot of big names are
13:14teeing off, like in the 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. window.
13:17I think USA has the TV coverage at 4 a.m. for those that want to wake up early.
13:22Okay.
13:22Thanks, Brian.
13:23Talk to you tomorrow.
13:23Okay.
13:24Talk to you tomorrow.
13:24Brian Koziel, T to Green, Saturday mornings, Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Fleetwood, Shoffley,
13:30Rahm, McIntyre, Hovland, Henley, Tom, Kim, Neiman.
13:35I think I hate this team.
13:37I'm not coming in with brimming with confidence.
13:41But you never know.
13:42I'm not sure confidence really correlates when it comes to predictions.
13:47I don't know who's going to win.
13:48Should I?
13:50We'll go with, these are our guys.
13:52I stand by the boys.
13:54Time out here.
13:55Mike Shope with you.
13:56Bulldog is off today.
13:57This is WG.
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