U.S Open Picks & Preview

Nish: 0:03

every story has an ending. Does our quest to play the top 100 courses in 10 years have a good ending? I’m mish and I’m here to guide you through this golfing journey. This is the top 100 in 10 golf podcast.

Nish: 0:19

I have a very special guest on me today. He’s a chap that I’ve been trying to get on the podcast for quite a while, actually, and I avidly listen to their podcast. His name is Sean Sean Massey. He’s from Fair Wagers. They are a golf brand that he runs with a gentleman called TJ, and you can find them on Instagram or TikTok, as at Fair Wagers, but together they run what’s called the Must Play Podcast.

Nish: 0:48

Now, that is a show, as I said, I’m a real fan of, and it evaluates golf courses that they’ve played on the entire experience. It’s a little bit like what we do. They’re giving you a good rundown of how they found that course. They’re giving you a good rundown of how they found that course and, very uniquely, they put the courses through a 10-question test as well as dive into the history of the course Every few episodes.

Nish: 1:15

They also run a series called Level Select, where they get a guest, come on and pitch them on a course that they actually haven’t played and help them find some hidden gems across the the US. You can find all their podcasts by searching must play on Spotify, apple podcasts or YouTube or basically anywhere you get your podcasts. So I hope you enjoy this episode. He’s going to give us a really good rundown about Oakmont as a golf course and as a golf club and maybe give us a little bit of a hint about might be a little outside bet for winning the us open this weekend. Hi sean, thank you for joining us today, all the way from the other side of the pond thank you for having me.

Nish: 1:59

I’m excited to be here now we’ve got you on for our US Open special. We’re doing a preview. Now I’m a little bit in love with your podcast that’s the Must Play podcast, which is available on all podcast platforms. So it’s a special occasion for me and it’s always nice to be as a host to be excited about the episode that you’re doing.

Nish: 2:23

Now I don’t know if it’s just me, but it’s felt like, as we’re gearing up to sort of us open um weekend, it feels like there’s a lot of social media noise and that’s really amped up recently and and I don’t know if that’s a course thing, because there’s been a lot made of like the rough and and, but I also don’t know if it’s because they, the pga, started getting really good at getting influencers on playing the course, sharing content. So I don’t know whether it’s a double-edged thing that’s leading to it. However, I couldn’t have thought of anybody better to get us on and tell us about what people can expect, because from here, our side of the, the great atlantic uh, we know of oakmont, but it’s not one of the real big, salubrious courses that you’ve heard of. So right, and now that could be my golfing ignorance to the perfect that’s here in the US too.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 3:26

A lot of people actually aren’t as familiar with Okmai as they are with other courses.

Nish: 3:30

Is that right? Okay, I was looking back on. One of the things I looked back on was previous winners and things like that, and I was actually the way it was going. I was kind of the most recent addition. It was Dustin Johnson and then the previous to that was Angel Cabrera, who’s obviously hitting the headlines with his butter.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 3:55

Yes, do you remember who finished second to Angel in that tournament?

Nish: 3:58

Who finished second to Angel Cabrera?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 4:01

I’ll take a guess. Who do you think? Who do you think probably had it on lock 2007. 2007. 2007.

Nish: 4:05

Cabrera, I’ll take a guess who do you think probably? Had it on lock in 2007?, 2007?, 2007? Oh God, I mean, we’re not talking somewhere like early L’s or something like that. Are we Tiger?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 4:16

Is it European?

Nish: 4:17

Is it Tiger? Yeah, oh, my goodness, that’s a rare occasion. I know he’s beaten him. I know In the major, in the final stretch.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 4:26

He had a double bogey on one of the holes and that was pretty much it. He only lost by a stroke, but yeah.

Nish: 4:33

Wow, I mean I have a self-professed Tiger fanboy. I love the guy. It was heartbreaking when he was coming through all of his troubles. Yes, like how could I have to justify really liking this guy again, you know, but I think he’s been great.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 4:52

Since he’s sort of almost dropped out of contention, he’s brilliant now where I mean it’s hard to see tiger nowadays on some of these majors where he’s struggling to walk a little bit, or Augusta, which is very hilly, and everything else. But you just can’t deny there’s still a spark. When he’s out there, you just your eyes are glued to him, no matter what he does. You have to kind of watch. You know he’s got that stardust.

Nish: 5:17

Doesn’t he still? Yeah, oh, he wasn’t. I’d read that the ratings or the viewership. As soon as they know Tiger Woods is going to be in there, there’s a massive boost. Yeah, just go up.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 5:31

Same with the purses. I mean, if you remember when he came on the scene like the first place, winnings were just really not that much. And then comparatively. And then Tiger comes on, has the effect, and now you know, people who are just coming out of college or something have the option to win millions of dollars just one time and it’s all. Because usually Tiger was the one that drew the crowds in and got non-golf fans excited and that’s where all the eyeballs came from.

Nish: 5:59

Isn’t it phenomenal that one person has driven all of that. That one person has driven all of that like the commercialization of this game, which actually we, we take for granted now, you know, I was up to 45 just the other day and it’s like all I’ve known is this sport being pretty commercial really and I’m entitled to coming along, right. You know, before that it was all you know kind of cigars and you know old men Woods comes along. Before that it was all cigars and old men in sweaters and all that kind of thing. And then he’s just one person completely revolutionized the sport.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 6:35

I’m sorry, I got you off of Oakmont already I’ll try and withhold the trivia.

Nish: 6:41

Listen, Tiger Woods is my pet favorite subject.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 6:44

We can go that way, if you want.

Nish: 6:46

Exactly. It’s a shame he’s not playing, but there you go. I was looking at the previous winners and early elves and the previous winners to that and I thought, oh, there’s a narrative building here of sort of non-US winners of the US Open at Oakmont. And then that got dashed pretty quickly, because then it’s all Americans.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 7:07

Miller, nicholas Hogan.

Nish: 7:10

And that’s a who’s who of golf in the South Sea, just an amazing roll call of previous winners. So, with all of that, how is it that it’s not a really well-known course?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 7:27

I would say it’s known, but it’s not necessarily the same level as like a Pebble Beach or other US Open courses that have hosted as many times and also have that brand name recognition. This one, I feel like people instantly know. When they see the church pew bunkers they’re like, oh, that course, I’ve played that on a sim or I’ve seen that you know wherever on the US Open. But if they don’t see that image and you say Oakmont, I would bet you that some people who aren’t as into golf wouldn’t be able to place where in the country it is. They know it’s somewhere on the East Coast maybe, but they haven’t really figured out where in that area it might be. It’s not the same as like Pinehurst, where you’re like oh, clearly, when I look at it on TV I can tell it’s in North Carolina, like it’s that type of course.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 8:22

This could be anywhere. It looks like it could be New Jersey. It looks like it could be in new jersey. It looks like it could be in new york. It could be, you know, anywhere.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 8:31

Um, so I think that’s one of the factors.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 8:32

And then the other reason is that it’s been around so long and it’s such a prestigious club but it really is a hard to get on club like the public doesn’t go and just make a tea time at Oakmont, so you’re not going to see a ton of social media coming out from Oakmont unless it’s hosting a tournament.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 8:52

It’s not like people are out there filming their YouTube shots, unless you’re recently at the media day for the US Open. So I think they have a problem with, like you know, they don’t want people filming out there. They have a phone policy similar to Augusta where they don’t really want people out there on their phones, so you’re not going to see a ton of it online and I think that in you know, the generation coming up now that’s probably one of the factors of why they also haven’t really seen a bunch of Pokemon one of the things that has been big and and has come up from all these influencer rounds that have been going on is that everyone’s been talking about how punishing this rough is going to be, and I mean, I’ve seen some brutal videos.

Nish: 9:34

You know where they’ll just drop it and can’t see it again. For my standard of golf, I mean, that’s what. Two, three dozen pro V1s gone, I think, on that round I’ve just not got a chance. But what are the thoughts on the rough being that punishing?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 9:54

I mean it’s classic US Open or USGA, right, they, out of all the majors, they’re the ones that trick up the course the most, sometimes to a fault, as we’ve seen at previous Opens trick up the course the most, sometimes to a fault, as we’ve seen at previous opens. Um, and they like to make the style of golf really be if you are just out of position, right, you’re just kind of going off the fairway a little bit, or you just flew the green a little bit, or you didn’t stop the ball, you’re punished with the thick, thick, rough and of course, for us that’s like a game ender, almost like how do you get out of this, like your rounds done? Essentially because you’re just gonna hack out of there. But once I feel like the pros have figured out how to do that, it almost doesn’t become as exciting to watch because they figured out how to do it. Versus courses like um.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 10:46

When they had it at um in uh oklahoma a couple years ago, when justin thomas won uh at the pga, he was playing that course where you could tell there was runoff off the greens, right, and there was plenty of uh. Let me think about this shot because if it doesn’t, it’s going to roll into this waste area or this bunker a lot of us opens, don’t have that now. I know pine hearse last year did and that was like kind of an exciting I think a very exciting finish to see bryce and rory going at it. But this course really does feel more like wing foot, where it’s like the bomb and gouge approach to things and I know we’ll talk later probably about who’s favored to win here, so that rough is such a that phrase probably gives it away a little bit, doesn’t?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 11:31

it A little bit, yeah, but the rough really is like a USGA-like kind of stamp. Like you can tell they’ve had their hands on something here and at Oakmont. It’s like a mix of rye, bluegrass and fescue. Hands on something here and at oakmont it’s like a mix of rye, bluegrass and fescue, so it’s it’s a kind of a cold weather mix that gets real thick and they’re going to have it tricked up. I saw something that like it’s going to be five inches or more, um for the, for the rough, and then pair that with the greens. So the greens at oakmont are po, but they are usually some of the fastest greens that you’ll ever play and they’re going to be rolling at a 14 or a 15 on the stint meter for this US Open. So pair that with the rough and you’ve got greens that are as fast or faster than Augusta. It’s going to make for some like interesting you know holes.

Nish: 12:23

I mean, this is probably going to lead me on to my next question, actually, but I mean, what were your golf fans? You know, we all. We’re all absolute fanatics. We live and breathe the game in our own little way. What, what, what do you prefer watching? I suppose that’s what it comes down to, doesn’t it? Do you prefer watching? I’ll go a little bit harsh here. Do you prefer watching what you might consider overpaid? You know, head in the clouds and out of touch with reality, rock stars that are struggling to do the basics of golf? Live golf, live golf, naming names. Do you want that? Or do you want to see something? That’s obviously a test, but you see fantastic shots. You see amazing tee shots, you see, I mean, we don’t know. Time will tell. Do we get a congested scoreboard because it’s difficult, or do we get a spread out scoreboard where only two or three have mastered the course? I mean, I don’t really know. What do you like watching?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 13:40

I like watching what Augusta does, and not just because of the fact that it’s Augusta. I like having courses that have like the pine needles or the waste areas, somewhere where the ball could continue down a fairway and there’s a fair shot that’s being asked of the golfer. But if they’re offline or whatever, it’s going to roll into trees or it’s gonna roll into desert or whatever the case is. I hate. I don’t really like seeing the ball disappear in the rough, because then it’s like every hole has the exact same attack plan. That’s like oh, I’m in the rough, really know what you have to do from here. You’re either gonna try and chop it out as far as you can and play, or you’re gonna go for it but’s going to happen when it hits the green it’s probably going to skitter off and then go into the rough again, or, you know, you leave it short.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 14:31

So the playbook for that type of golf isn’t as diverse and I like watching more link style or courses where you’re going to keep it low, you’re going to run it up, you’re going run it up, you’re gonna try all these different shots. Um, that to me is more exciting, because it for me too, if I ever get to play that style of golf. I love how it just makes you think and you can play something like really fun. Like the other day I was playing a course that was kind of reminding me of this as far as we can get out here and I had to hit a putter from 50 yards out and I was like how cool is that that I get to use?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 15:02

a putter 50 yards out because I was blocked by trees and I couldn’t get it up, you know.

Nish: 15:06

So I thought that was fun, that’s my style. You know you’ve seen stuff like that on tv, haven’t you? You know and you see said that you people have played that kind of shot. So I mean I think before we’d commenced on this frankly ridiculous journey of trying to play the top 100 courses in the UK in 10 years, I mean that’s just ridiculous. Well, who does that? You?

Nish: 15:26

guys do that hopefully yeah, but before, before we sort of started on it, I hadn’t really played anywhere links and and then it had a bit of fear for me. I was like, oh my god, these are some of the toughest art and things like that. And actually chris who so you’ll do the challenge with, he said that you’ll love it because you have to think that’s exactly the right thing. You know, it’s not just there’s a flag, I’m firing into it and if I miss only one, you know, because you can play that same shot probably six different ways and still get it close. You know, and I’ve got a trademark bump and run, like you know, I’ll basically do a putting stroke in my seven iron and I’m good at judging the distance with that. Oh, I like that.

Nish: 16:12

So if I’ve got like nothing in front of me and I can run it to the green, that’s for me. It’s like I’m not even going to try and fly that. Take everything out the equation. Yeah, the wind, everything. Just run it along the floor and it’ll do the job. But you do get a chance to actually think about it. And the other thing that’s probably just occurred to me I didn’t mention it prior to coming on, but pace of play is a massive thing at the minute, right? So if these golf balls are disappearing left, right and centre, how are these players supposed to be keeping pace with play?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 16:46

I mean, they’ve got spotters oh, they got spotters at the tournament yeah, they got the guy that’s throwing the flag down immediately yeah, or somebody kicking it back into place.

Nish: 16:53

This has happened a few times yeah, but this happened.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 16:56

This happens on public courses like san diego, where tj lives, uh, tori. We like to play there every once in a while, right before or after the Farmers open. And the rough is like that, but you don’t have spotters out there, and so they tell you when you tee off that generally there’s a 60-second rule. If you can’t find your ball, just drop another and hit, because otherwise the rounds out there would be way too slow.

Nish: 17:18

Yeah, yeah, we’re going to just go on tangent here, I’ll tangent here a. We’re gonna just go on tangential, off some tangential a little bit, but um, tory pines, tell me about that place. I mean it just oh it looks amazing.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 17:30

It’s one of my favorite places to be in the world. Um, we did an episode on it on the south course, where I said like the the lodge at tory pines is like my resting place. Just put me there at the end of my life and let me live it out like that’s very happy there um, get me a drink, get me a rocking chair and a blanket and I’ll just watch people play golf.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 17:50

It’s amazing it’s funny like people sometimes will shit on the course when it’s on the on the rotation for the pga tour because it’s not the most exciting golf to see.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 18:01

Um, and it does suffer from what I just described with the usga like a lot of tricked up court holes with just thick, rough, long, narrow fairways, um and bunkers and there’s not a lot of other factors.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 18:14

The only water is on the 18th hole at um south course and that’s like a pond um, but when you play it and you’re not playing it during the week of the open it’s like any other course in terms of difficulty, um, it allows you to miss the ball a little bit more, so you can kind of just swing as hard as you want, and I guess that’s a bit of the bombing gouge approach, right, um, and there’s holes where you can’t do that, but for the majority of the time you’re going to go hit it, you’ll find your ball, you’ll have an angle in. Usually there’s not like narrow quarters lined with trees or anything like that where you’re going to be punished and everyone who’s out there knows what they’ve got. It feels like when you’re teeing off, everyone else is excited. This is kind of a really stupid analogy. Tj will laugh at this, but my family’s really into Disney, like Disneyland and stuff.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 19:06

We have a five-year-old so I take them all the time and all the people who are lined up to get into Disneyland are all kind of like you excited, you’re off work, you’re going to go have a big day, you’re going to go ride the rides, kind of thing, and there’s like a buzz or an energy almost.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 19:18

And when you’re at the pro shop at Tori and stuff like, there’s people from japan who just got off a tour bus and they’re they’re playing this course. Uh, you’ve got people who are visiting from out of town. Then you have like locals who got off work and they’re about to go play, but everyone’s getting like transfusions and drinks at 9 am. Everyone’s excited to go, like, go, go, have a day at tori. You know you don’t have plans after this, um, and so there’s that buzz and the energy and it’s just so iconic and it’s one of my favorite places, to be honestly I think you know that there’s a lot to be said for the fun factor of going out and playing and the enjoyment and excitement, and you can get a little bit.

Nish: 20:00

It’s great, it’s wonderful playing some of the the best and toughest courses in the world. Of course, it feels like a serious golf day, doesn’t it that? I want to test myself, and I think Chris actually fits into that category. He wants to play these courses when they’re in tough weather conditions and the greens are fast and the roughs high and all this kind of thing. I’m not, mine is. I want to go out there and just have a damn good day, just, yeah, playing golf.

Nish: 20:27

And and for me that isn’t shooting low, that isn’t, you know, hats and hats full of birdies or anything like that right, I get one birdie and that’s made my day. I’m doing the dance, I’m doing everything. You know it’s just kind of I’ll walk away from that day to say, oh, it’s like the best day ever, it’s amazing. You know, yeah, we just recently played glenn eagles and oh, how was it? Oh, I mean, it’s a. It’s described as a golfer’s playground and that’s exactly what it is. They do everything just so well. I said to Chris, as we were sort of finishing up at the King’s course, I said I think this is the closest I’m going to feel to you know, being like a pro. You know you turn up, everything’s sorted for you. You turn up, they’ll take your bags from your car and you know it’s all sort of sorted out there. And then you turn up on the team, grab some teas, grab a divot tool, grab a yardage book, all this kind of thing um did you have a caddy?

Nish: 21:28

no, we didn’t have a caddy actually, so we played with members on both, both occasions. So we? A didn’t need a caddy and b? Um saved us of the expense of doing that. Yeah, that’s, that’s going to be a big milestone actually for us. The first place we actually need to get a get a caddy, um, because then you’ve got somebody who you don’t know watching you playing golf, which is always a, yeah, but you talk about wanting to feel like a pro, like when you have a guy asking you like what do you typically hit these, these, you know these irons?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 21:58

uh, I like you know what are you thinking about doing here? And you’re like, well, I wasn’t thinking, but now I am no, now I am yeah yeah, I was just gonna step up and hit you know, step up and start blasting. You know, and now I? Gotta think about it.

Nish: 22:11

Um yeah, but that’s the fun part too I’ve got to tell you the real number of where, how long, I actually hit my five.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 22:16

You know that kind of thing that I can’t do my in my head like this could go anywhere from 140 to 160. You know who knows?

Nish: 22:24

I think, getting back to what we’re talking about, the enjoyment factor of the day, we had the best time playing on the queen’s course, but it’s not really a long course but it’s. I think because of that they may like we probably. We do a thing called dream 18, so as we’re going around it’s like we see a visually stunning hole is it in our dream 18 hole? And hopefully at the end we’ve got 18 amazing golf holes that we can look back on. And we nominated three on the front, nine alone from the queen’s course into the dream 18 because you stood on the team and it was like that is a feast for the eyes, like just a stomach, and it didn’t matter that I didn’t hit a good t-shirt, it was just like but I wanted, I was, I couldn’t wait to put the ball in the t-box and yeah, you know, and spray it left. You know that’s, that’s just how it was, it was and that fun sometimes I think, is a little bit.

Nish: 23:18

I think I’d convince chris that he enjoyed the queens course more than the more than kings. Yeah, yeah, I think he was set that. He’s like I know kings is a serious course, you know all that kind of thing. I was like, yeah, but I know, but look at that, you know how many interesting t-shirts did we have and how many approaches of, like you know, 160, 150, 160 for your second shot into the green. I mean, I’m not saying that we’ve got good stats from there at all, but that’s heaven, isn’t it? You know you can, you can hit seven, six or something like that. You’ve actually got a chance of maybe getting something close.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 23:52

So yeah, it was funny.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 23:54

You say those three holes make your like dream 18, because the I feel the same way about courses sometimes where I don’t even care what I shot If I had a handful of holes. Actually we have a. We have a test question on our pod about this, called the buzzworthy test, where we talked about is there more than one hole you’d want to immediately go play again. And if there is, that sometimes makes a course for me where I am just like I cannot wait to go back out and try to play number three or four again or whatever, because it’s asking a certain question or the view is amazing or whatever it’s. It’s enough to draw me back out there. And then when I think back on a day of golf, even if I didn’t have a good round, I’m like how lucky was I that I got to play these today, that that is a cool feeling, Like what did you do today?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 24:38

Oh, I was out here, I was staring at the coast or I played this amazing beautiful hole and those like postcard-type things sometimes can make a round too, you know.

Nish: 24:48

Absolutely, and unfortunately our phones don’t quite do it justice.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 24:52

No, not even close.

Nish: 24:54

You go. Well, it just looks like a pretty flat hole, but actually when you’re there, you go, it’s all the undulation.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 25:02

I have an idea for a pod that maybe we’ll have you on for on ours, which is like that exact concept you cannot capture with a phone, and I want to call it like a love letter episode. Where it’s like pick a hole or a course or whatever it is, and just start opining for like 30 minutes, like bring me there, sell me on this feeling you feel when you’re there, um, and write that love letter to that hole or to that course or whatever it is sometimes that’s enough to sell it, versus like just a video where you pan and try and do it justice and you can’t yeah, because I just don’t think you can.

Nish: 25:34

You know, you don’t, you know so much other stuff, don’t you? When you, when you play, I think also, sometimes, yeah, I’ve, I’ve hit um t-boxes, sometimes when I’ve just, you know, picked up or I’ve just shot a nine on a on a par three, you know, it’s just been an absolute disgrace. And then you, you kind of, you want the reset, don’t? You want something just to snap you out of it. And you, yeah, head down, you suddenly get to T-Box. You look up and you go, oh wow, that is stunning. To hell with what’s just happened. Now I’m here, now present for this. Right, that’s our game, isn’t it?

Nish: 26:11

That’s the beauty of what we do it is yeah, how lucky we get to play in some of these places yeah now I got you off the rails again from oakmont you did, you did. It’s great. It’s absolutely brilliant. Now talking of how you’re going to feel on the t-box yeah the eighth at oakmont is a 208 t-yard r3.

Nish: 26:35

Now I can’t hit my driver 280 yards at the best of times anyway. And I’ve seen the green it’s surrounded by bunkers, uh, and I’ve seen the rough and that’s pretty bad as well. So you’ve got to be pretty accurate with your. They’re probably going to be hitting what three would probably, aren’t they maybe? Um, now there’s been a bit of chat here and in the uk and europe probably a little bit, about the distance there and and is that really a fair par three? Uh, because we’re talking about that kind of 160, 170 distance, you know, maybe getting up to 200. And, you right, the par three is the chance to see these pros throwing darts at this hole. You know it’s the ultimate thing. Everybody’s chasing is a hole in one. I mean, you’re getting pretty lucky if you’re getting one on that. On that par three, we’re probably expecting 20 to 25 percent of people hitting that green, maybe over the course of time.

Nish: 27:32

So I mean, what do you? Where do you guys stand? What’s the sort of chat in the States about that particular hole that’s been quite talked about?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 27:42

It’s stupid, it’s dumb.

Nish: 27:46

Next question.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 27:47

No, no, no, I agree with you. It’s honestly. I talk with some other guys, like my neighbor or my friends about, like you know, what’s coming in. We’ll talk about that hole and we’re like, why, just why? I’d rather watch the postage stamp, I’d rather watch one of those holes where, like you got to land it in this little spot or else you might roll off the back or you might roll into a bunker, or you might like even 16 at Augusta you really land on this little part of the hill. It’s going to come in and feed into the pin from here and, like you know, if you land it just right there, there’s a chance that this guy jars it. That is way more exciting to me than a 280 yard par three. And on top of that, one of the days of the U S open, they’re going to run this as a 299 yard par three I don’t know if you knew that.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 28:36

Okay, it’s a 300 yard par three on one of the days um and I mentioned at the top, I have some trivia for you. I have my first trivia question for you all right ready, are you ready?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 28:47

it’s about this. Okay, all right. So one of the players who will be there uh, they’re playing at memorial this week at mirfield, right? Uh, went to pennsylvania and went to oakmont to go play a practice round before mirfield. It was one of the first players to go see what the course looks like and go get experience, and they were asked about this hole. So this player has two pga championships but no us open wins. And he was asked if he had played the 300 yard part three and he said yeah, I did. It’s not my favorite hole in the world. I think you could do some other things with that, but everyone’s gonna have to play the same hole and be able to execute the same shots, and I would love four threes on it right now if I could take it. Who do you think said that? And my hint is they have two BGA championships under their belt, but no US Open. Who Is that? Bryson? No, not Bryson. He has a US Open, doesn’t he? Oh?

Nish: 29:47

yeah, last year Sorry, oh god, two BGA championships.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 29:54

Who was it? Justin Thomas.

Nish: 29:56

Justin Thomas. So he’s really not fan then no, and he, he, uh.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 30:02

He’s chasing the elusive trophy, obviously, but uh he’s not a huge fan of that and he’s been struggling with recently his he’s pulling a few of his drives. So I think he’s going to kind of figure out you know how he’s going to play this course, but that specific hole just not a fan and and I don’t think it’s fair to say you or I are either like this is kind of it seems ridiculous yeah, I’ll watch it.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 30:27

I’ll tune in and watch to see what they’re doing on day one maybe, but after that I don’t really need to like see it. I guess I need to make a distinction here too between the usga and oakmont right? So like oakmont, as a course already is, must see tv like I really want to watch people take on oakmont yeah the usga decides to just turn that up to like 11.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 30:50

Right and the way they should be doing. That is all the ways we’ve just already been talking about, but instead they go the thick, rough and long hole type route. Um, but I will say like this hole does look really cool on regular days at oakmont and most of oakmont. I don’t know if you want me to cover this now or not, but it’s like it’s built into hills, so most of the holes don’t go up or down a hill, they go along the hills.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 31:19

So most of the fairway slope and that’s that’s where, like, the church pew bunker is coming to play, because on that hole you want to be on the left side of the fairway. If you’re not, your ball is going to roll all the way down to the right side, into the rough or to a bunker. So those church pews are, they don’t look like they’re in play, but when you realize that you have to land it just right in that bunker or else you’re going to be all the way down here, that’s when it comes into play. So most of these holes I like that both the fairways and the greens have these elements of elevation or undulation in play, and so I think, even without the USGA doing what they’re doing, oakmont will be one of the courses that’s gonna be really fun to watch. That like can this guy shape this ball the way that you want to be shaped? Can he land it in this certain spot without rolling all the way down?

Nish: 32:08

and then that feels like a good test of the overall golf, then, doesn’t it? You know, can you, you know uphill, downhill, left, right lies, all that kind of thing, and draw it or cut it, whichever way you want to do it it will require all the shot shapes and all those types of ball above your feet, below your feet, like what you’re going to do.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 32:25

I have a. I have a little fun fact for you too on this. So if you would play Oakmont in the regular setup, if you don’t mind me asking what’s your, do you know your handicap? Yeah, it’s 60. Okay, so let’s say that you shot six strokes better over time and you became a 10 handicap, okay, okay, if you were a 10 handicap playing oakmont? This course has a course rating of 77.5 and a slope rating of 150 out of 155 possible.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 32:56

So it’s one of the toughest tests of golf. If you had a 10 handicap, you would be given 21 strokes from the championship tees to shoot even harder. That’s how much harder it plays. Yeah, you’re not just getting your 10 shots, you’re getting 21 shots to basically be scratched, you would be getting just a new scratch.

Nish: 33:16

Yeah and that’s without the usga setup like that’s.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 33:19

That’s just how tough this course is, because you got greens that roll away from you, you got fairways at slope and it’s just a. Yeah, it really is a tough test of golf and I think it’s going to be exciting to watch. Um, but that just puts it in context for you, right when you’re thinking about okay, so you’ve probably given us the characteristics of the course a little bit more.

Nish: 33:40

You know well, that’s one of the things people like about Augusta, don’t they? You’ve got these sweeping um fairways and you don’t get to see it on tv as much, and the height, yeah, differences and things like that, um, but that kind of course, then who are you thinking from the field that’s going to suit the most? Okay, it might be a double-stranded question.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 34:04

Actually, sean, I was just thinking because, yeah, it might change according to the rough might in it well, that can certainly just torpedo someone’s round, right um, so long but accurate is, I mean, don’t we all want to be? Uh, but that is kind of one of the biggest sliders on who would do well here? Long hitters, but people who generally have fairways and regulation, so think of your scotty scheffler’s, your rory’s, um, and then the rough is nasty and but spin control is really important. On the greens right, so we talked about the greens being super fast. Generally they slope away, so you have to know where exactly to land it, or even in front of the green sometimes. So you’re taking people who have good approaches into green stats, right, um? So the money right now is on scotty.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 34:58

Number two is rory, who I know you guys big fans of rory um bryson, john rom and zander. Those are your top five. Now I don’t that’s. That’s purely based on odds and some data, golf stuff. I’ll tell you I don’t like the Jon Rahm stat, I just feel like he’s, even though he did well recently. He has the personality to blow up and just get angry, and then it just rounds out of the door. And how many attacks out of the rough. Does it take before Rahm throws a club?

Nish: 35:33

You know, I could see that happening in my mind. I think he’s got that fiery temperament, hasn’t he?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 35:38

for sure, um. So honestly, if there’s someone that like outside of those names that I think is a sleeper pick here, I would go with ludwig. I oh, love that game. Yeah, I think he’s level-headed. He hits the ball far. He’s pretty accurate. We just talked about tory. He won at tory, um, when they held the genesis over there, and he got second at the four. Yeah, did he run her up at the farmers? I think he did, but he was leading a couple days at the farmers before he fell back. And tory is one of those courses we just talked about. Very us open, like right, it’s just narrow fairways, a lot of thick, rough, tricky greens. So, like ludwig and he’s shown up in majors I do think he would be like where I’m putting some of my money for good odds.

Nish: 36:24

Yeah. I think he’s like plus 1800 or something like that yeah, he’s got absolute shout, doesn’t he?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 36:29

Yeah, so I would put Ludwig. That’s where I’m putting my money this year.

Nish: 36:33

He’s such a cool guy as well. I’m just my money this year.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 36:35

He’s such a cool guy as well.

Nish: 36:36

I’m so jealous of him.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 36:37

I tried to put on one of those Adidas hats he wears and I couldn’t pull it off and I hated it. I was like he looks so much better in this hat, see that’s the difference.

Nish: 36:45

I’d still wear it. I’d look full, but I’m still wearing it. I mean, we’re off again, but that new Adidas original stuff is just amazing. I’ve been. I bought myself a new driver head cover, I’ve got a new shirt for my birthday and oh nice, yeah, I’ve got a glove. I don’t need a new glove, you know, I certainly don’t need a 30 pound glove anyway, but this looks cool. I’m having yeah you know, yeah, um, yeah, they’ve really they’ve done well with all of that kind of stuff, I think.

Nish: 37:17

I agree yeah, and he just he’s a sexy man we’ll have to double click on that.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 37:25

Explore that a little bit more with you.

Nish: 37:26

On another pod there’s a different podcast genre to take into that one. Okay, lovely, I think that’s good. There’s a good smattering of Europeans there. Isn’t there the reckoning?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 37:42

I honestly come another Ryder Cup. I think you guys have a pretty strong chance of winning again.

Nish: 37:48

It’s looking good. It’s certainly looking like it could be very competitive, I think. So, yeah, that’s all you want to be, don’t you? I don’t think we’re. You know I haven’t got any like european tattoos or anything. You know hating it if the americans win, but you just want a nice close, close contest yeah, yeah, that’s how I always refer to a good competition I can’t wait.

Nish: 38:12

I can’t wait for that. It’s really shaping up well. I mean, rory winning, winning a green jacket, has just really sort of thrown the cat amongst the pigeons. Now this time It’ll be interesting to see how he gets on it. You know, taking that.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 38:25

What do you think about him not calling Jack for the Memorial Tournament? Did you see that clip?

Nish: 38:30

Oh no, it’s like Rory, come on five minutes. What does it take?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 38:33

I know it’s a bit tough. I’m what does it take? I know it’s a bit tough. I I’m gonna hold out.

Nish: 38:36

Hope that there was some miscommunication there something that, yeah, absolutely, because you just think you know he’s the absolute, he’s the grandfather of the game yeah um, yeah, I hope so. I really hope so, because actually you know, rory’s not like that well, I mean, he’s been a little bit more spiky since winning the masters.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 38:54

Actually, it’s been really strange yeah he’s got some personal stuff going on, maybe, yeah, maybe.

Nish: 39:00

He’s not been speaking to reporters and things like that, and one thing he’s always been good at is time for people and respect for the game and all that kind of thing. Yeah, I like to think that there was some attempt made and it didn’t quite work out it was tough seeing Jack up there looking like he was about to cry he did.

Nish: 39:19

Do you know what he did? He really did, just this week, done the episode about Jack Nicklaus’ stats, which were frankly insane, oh my God. Yeah, just, he’s just such a like a. It’s like he ran down his knees. I know Lovable guy, you know loveable guy, just want to give him a hug.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 39:35

Yeah, speaking of Nicholas too, and Oakmont, bringing us back to Oakmont, he won that one year. That year was the year that Arnold Palmer went up against him and was trying to win at Oakmont, and Arnold Palmer I don’t know if he finished second, but he was like he was a leader and like was trying to close it out and couldn’t close it out, and Nicholas came from behind and won. And Oakmont was one of the places that Arnold Palmer had said in his career he wished he would have won a trophy at that. He he was like that was the one that got away, almost among others, I’m sure, but he really wanted that trophy at the US Open in 2008.

Nish: 40:15

I mean, it feels like the course has got a lot of respect from the actual, from the players. It is one they want to get a trophy out if they can.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 40:27

I think it goes back to the history too.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 40:29

It’s been around since 1903 or 1904, and it’s been a tough test of golf ever since. It’s been a tough test of golf ever since and it got you know, prestigious and notoriety pretty early on, because the son of the guy who built the course actually became the head of the Was it the USGA became the head of, became the head of. Hold on, let me check my facts here, I don’t want to speak up here. He became USGA president in 1926. So the guy, the son of the guy who built this course, became president eventually, and so that’s why oakmont has hosted the most.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 41:07

Us opens is because right there’s a, there’s a history there, um, so it definitely got elevated once.

Nish: 41:13

I think a lot of that stuff happened I mean, what do you know anything about the club itself? Obviously that it is. It seemingly is exclusive. So you know much out there about it. But is there anything you do know?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 41:27

um yeah, I mean there’s not like if you see reviews and stuff about it, it’s all positive, because I think you’re not invited back if you ever say anything bad kind of thing.

Nish: 41:36

Don’t burn your bridges.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 41:38

Yeah, but it’s actually like a community. It has like like it has like a pool, it has a clubhouse, it has, like you know, a gym. It is really like a full club that you could go to a country club and not just do golf. So there’s that element to it. But they do have some funky well, not funky, but they have some more call it old school codes or things they do. So I mentioned the phones is one of them right.

Nish: 42:08

I am interested in that.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 42:09

You’ve really got my attention Okay so their dress code is pretty strict. It’s collared shirts, mock turtlenecks, slacks, shorts you can get away with uh, but the shorts have to be at a certain knee height, uh, like they can’t be too high. So, uh, shorts are to be no more than two inches above the knee. I find that hilarious I know me too, what’s gonna happen what do you think’s gonna happen?

Nish: 42:34

yeah, uh, shout out to chubbies.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 42:37

I don’t know if you guys wear that brand of clothing out there in the uk, but uh, tj is very close to chubbies and they make shorts that are shorter than that, and one of the clips that went viral for us was him hitting himself in the face with a golf ball and he was wearing some of the shortest shorts he’d ever owned in that clip uh, we still get comments to this day about it.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 42:58

Um, and I love that kind of funny, but it feels like they’re trying to out augusta, augusta here I mean, they could give them a run for their money in terms of membership and and how long they’ve been around. Whatnot right? They’ve been around longer um than augusta so yeah, uh, but yeah, it’s actually augusta connection. Bobby jones who co-founded masters in Augusta, even though it’s a McKenzie design. Bobby Jones won here at Oakmont.

Nish: 43:24

Yeah.

Nish: 43:25

So, no, actually I think that’s a. It’s a really great segue to something previous, so our listeners will be aware of this. When we did do our Masters live reaction, we did drop in a healthy sprinkling of some pretty interesting facts actually, and they all came from sure, so sure. They actually went down an absolute tree. Everyone loved them and actually I thoroughly enjoyed listening to that episode as well, because it was just like add it on repeat. But, um, yeah, is there anything sort of either in the history of oakmont or just generally about when it’s like like a really surprising or interesting notable fact?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 44:08

yeah, so I I’ve been known to you know nerd out and do a lot of deep dives in history.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 44:13

Um I pulled out some stuff from here that, uh, I had bookmarked for, uh, just kind of a future episode idea, around country clubs and whatnot. Um, but I talked about um, the guy that was the son of the architect that became the usga president. So, um, start off with him. I guess a little bit of a background. So his dad, henry um, was kind of a. He grew, grew up in Pittsburgh.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 44:42

So, for those who don’t know, oakmont is just outside Pittsburgh, pennsylvania, in the East Coast, and that’s a region that’s really well known for iron and steel and a lot of manufacturing. And so the guy who founded Oakmont actually sold a company to the stillbag named Andrew Carnegie. So that’s where he got his money. And then, around the same time, this guy Henry or HC was his initials he had some health issues where he had a new outlook on life, and so Carnegie actually introduced him to the game of golf and told him you got to go to the UK, you need to go to Scotland, you need to go to Ireland, you need to go to these other places and start playing some of that golf. So he went to the old course, he went to all these other ones Carnoustie, I believe he played and a handful of others and came back in love with link style golf. And you know he’s in Pittsburgh so he can’t build links. Really, as it’s meant to be, there’s no coast.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 45:45

But he wanted to build something inland that resembled that and it would be a full 18 hole test. So right from the get go they were trying to make a course that was like a really tough course. They wanted it to be a challenge. That was what they wanted. And his son, wc, the one that became the president, was a really tough course. They wanted it to be a challenge. That was what they wanted. And his son, wc, the one that became the president, was a really good golfer in his own right. So he was a four-time amateur champion in the state of Pennsylvania. He had won a handful of other tournaments in the US. He actually was one of the founders of the Walker Cup and he was the first American captain of the Walker Cup and he was the first American captain of the Walker Cup in 1922.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 46:22

And then, became USGA president in 26 and 27. So his, the family has a lot of their hands on. You know some of these well known parts of golf. And so because of that WC, who was very competitive in his own right when they would host tournaments and US Opens at Oakmont, he had a really, really tough time with anyone who was beating on the course. He wanted the course to beat up the golfers. He did not like golfers shooting good scores. There’s kind of a funny story where WC would drop a ball on the back of the green on certain holes, like the second green, and if it didn’t roll off the front he’d ask the grounds crew why the greens were so slow. He like he, he needed that to kick a ball off the front, like he wanted this to be that challenging. Um, and then another time, kind of a funny, funny story as he got a little older Sounds like a fun guy, doesn’t?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 47:21

he. Yeah, no, no. During World War II there was like a war bonds exhibition at Oakmont where they were trying to raise money for war bonds. And Sam Snead, famous, obviously found that on the seventh hole, which is like a par four, that there was an open area beyond the bunker on the right side of the fairway and it was a. It was a place that he could land the ball, that had a really easy angle into the green, and so on the first day he was, he was doing that and wc saw that he was informed of the strategy that sneed was playing. So that night he had a grounds crew go out there and stall a bunker in that exact spot and didn’t tell the golfers, and Sneed found that bunker off the tee the next day. That’s the level of pettiness that WC had.

Nish: 48:11

actually. That’s pedantic beyond belief, isn’t it? Yeah, yeah, you’re not playing this like I want you to play it.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 48:18

No exactly. And making the grounds crew go that night to go do it so imagine, imagine, being his kids.

Nish: 48:28

Oh god, yeah, I just don’t want it. Come on, just give us a break. What are you doing? You’re supposed to be encouraging us. Yeah, do it the proper way. That’s how you gotta do it speaking of the proper way.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 48:41

Another fact about two I found in history is that they hand dug and did this whole course with horses, plows and men and manpower. There’s no machinery no. So they used two dozen horses and mules, 150 men. They dug out the first 12 holes and they did that in six weeks and then they had to stop because it was winter and the ground got too hard and they couldn’t do it so they finished the last six holes in the spring the following year, and so they were supposed to open in 03, but they opened in 04 because they didn’t finish before winter and this whole thing that

Shawn – The FairWagers: 49:15

happened, um, but like that was all by hand. That was the level of wow I guess you would call it like the the work mindset that this guy, henry, and his children had, because you know, back then there was pretty much a class system where these guys were the wealthy and they just employed these guys to come do what they said and make make a buck um, yeah, so there was that.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 49:41

Okay, I have a couple questions for you, kind of hole by hole here, on a few things. So hole one is actually one of the toughest holes of golf in the US Open. It’s a par four Full stop. Yeah, it’s historically one of the toughest holes. I think it’s in the top three toughest holes of US Opens. Wow, in terms of score. So it’s in the top three toughest holes of.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 49:57

US Opens in terms of score. So it’s a par four 488 yards narrow fairway that goes downhill and the green slopes front to back. So on top going downhill, you’re hitting into a green that comes away from you. What do you think the stroke average was in the 2016 US Open with Dustin Johnson when he won?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 50:17

Oh, in the 2016 us open with dustin johnson when he won so think about, like you know, if you’re you have your average round winning at augusta at minus six or something like that, right, like an average score for most holes that are par fours would be like 3.88 or something right where it’s like it’s definitely over four, isn’t it?

Nish: 50:34

guys are gonna birdie, but most will par yeah, if it’s, if you put it in trivia, it’s going to be like crazy high, isn’t it? So I would say four and a half four, point four, point four, five. Yeah, it’s four and a half yeah that’s.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 50:47

That’s unbelievable, that whole. So you walk away with a birdie like you know that army, excuse me, a par, that that’s a good start to the round jumping for joy.

Nish: 50:57

Yeah, yeah, absolutely yeah. And also that’s 2016, right, so that’s like the guys have got all the new equipment oh yeah, they’re attacking now, yeah, and also big off the tee, wouldn’t they? Because good downhill and all that kind of these things.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 51:13

They were correct, but yeah, wow, that was part of the um. I was forgetting who I was listening to, but someone was talking about uh. On some of those holes, like the first hole even, you have to know where you want your next. Like, obviously, whenever you play, you want to figure out where you’re leaving the ball room, um, but those greens are so fast and so tough that they need to know exactly where, after it’s a 15 on the stint meter, this thing’s going to roll out. Because if it rolls out but it doesn’t go below the pin right now they got a little downhill tester that could go off the green. So they need to be like in this little area past the pin to go back uphill, but not too far that it goes into the rough. So it’s like really, really insane how you would play that WC’s test.

Nish: 51:57

Drop the ball at the back of the green, I know exactly.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 51:59

Then it rolls off the church pew bunker. Do you know what hole it first shows up on?

Nish: 52:07

Jim would have guessed. Now, is it a traditional out and back, or is it two loops of nine?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 52:12

Well, I have something about that too. Actually it’s a little different.

Nish: 52:18

I can’t get a clue, then, can I? No, I want to say seventh, it’s the third. Pretty, pretty quick. Do you know what I was gonna say? Third, for some reason, I bet the third’s like a par three, isn’t it? And say what you’re talking about, that’s yeah.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 52:33

So the church, the church pew is a hundred yards long now. It’s essentially a massive bunker right, but it used to be 12 individual bunkers and they connected it and just kept those lines of grass. Essentially, that are there, um, and I believe there’s still 12 lines of grass for the 12 bunkers. But the the thought was, if you’re anywhere around the pews, you have a decent shot that you can still hit, but if you’re in there, you’re essentially going sideways. You can’t get out really that much, right, yeah, and that fairway goes left to right, so you gotta flirt with that bunker as much as you can without getting in, because otherwise you’re gonna roll to the right, and that was the hole that tiger uh double bogeyed in 2007. That lost him the tournament on cabrera cabrera, right, yeah so kind of a history on that.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 53:23

So the other thing too this is more of a fun fact, but I mentioned that the you know. He asked if it’s out and back or whatever. Yeah, right through the course is a freeway, is a highway, it’s the pennsylvania turnpike. If you zoom out on maps or you look at a drone shot and the drone keeps going far enough, there is a legit eight lane highway going through the middle of this course. So you know, you think of this course being out there in the woods or kind of you know a club?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 53:52

No, it’s bisected by this highway, like you’ll see trucks and lorries going by.

Nish: 53:58

Yeah, so see how much you actually spot that on the coverage, because they’ll be bringing that up yeah, I don’t know if they’re going to advertise it.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 54:06

You know they probably won’t. They’ll have a lot of angles I won’t show, but uh, it’s going to be impossible not to see from, like the blimp shots or anything like that yeah, yeah, because holes two through eight are actually on the other side of the highway so they have to cross over. Then I presume there’s a bridge yeah so you play one, you go over a bridge, and then you play two through eight. You come back over the bridge and then you play nine through eighteen. Do you guys call them highways?

Nish: 54:28

you call motorways, motorways yeah, so yeah, motorway, yeah, I did drop lorries.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 54:33

I don’t know if your listeners caught that you did drop a little lorry in there yeah, that was it.

Nish: 54:37

yeah, yeah, I like it. I like it. That’s good research.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 54:41

I was a Top Gear fan back in the day.

Nish: 54:43

I watched plenty of I’ve got into a habit at the end of our podcast of saying on that bombshell, which is what John Clarkson used to always say yeah, old Jezza, yeah, you know what’s funny about him.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 55:00

It always made me laugh. He used to always make fun of how fat Americans were, and then he started to get a little bit of a gut himself not really one to talk, is he? He would have shit on Americans.

Nish: 55:08

For that he’s got that classic gut, though, hasn’t he where everything else comes out yeah, let’s leave the rest of the beer on it if he wants to.

Nish: 55:16

Well, sean, you have given us some absolute gems about Oakmont today. Thank you so much, uh, I also appreciate it’s really really early there. So, um, yeah, but I would definitely urge everyone to to give the guys a follow. I’m going to put a little link in our description, uh, but the easiest way to find all their content is just search, must play on either spotify, apple podcasts or youtube uh, preferably youtube, which is always a good one, so you actually get to see. Easiest way to find all their content is just search, must play on either spotify, apple podcasts or youtube uh, preferably youtube, which is always a good one, so you actually get to see the guys. That’s always a good thing. Um, and, yeah, I promise you you’ll absolutely love this podcast. So, uh, give them a listen. And I mean, who? Who are you really plumping for, then? Who? I mean, let’s, let’s take the money out of it, let’s take any betting out of it. Who’s your one guy that you’d be over the moon if they wouldn’t?

Shawn – The FairWagers: 56:05

Fleetwood I would love to see Tommy, let it go, I just really want him to win.

Nish: 56:12

I love his swing. I absolutely love his swing.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 56:15

He seems kind of like Keegan, where he’s going to show the emotion. He’s going to cry if he wins. He’s going to have the wholesome family moments. He deserves it. He’s gotten close in the US so many times. I just I would love to see him win. When he lost the RBC Canadian Open, that one broke me. I was like he deserved it and wanted to see it yeah.

Nish: 56:39

I profess my love for Ludwig before. I’d love to see Ludwig winning. I think going into a Ryder Cup it’d be great for him. Tottenham’s obviously, that’d be great. But a European to win the US Open. If we can go into the Ryder Cup and we’ve got two European major winners different ones I think that would be, that would be absolutely fantastic. Just got there. You know the the romantic um finishes uh, rory wins the open over here because it’s a yeah, port rush where he’s from. So, uh, yeah, if we could share it out, I think you’ve got great for kind of three european winners before the Ryder Cup. It’s like a greedy.

Nish: 57:21

Here you’re getting a little greedy golf levels itself, you’ll get the Ryder Cup. Yeah, can’t wait for that, but no, thank you, sean. That was absolutely brilliant.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 57:33

Yeah, thanks for having me on.

Nish: 57:34

I appreciate that certainly giving me so much more information about Oakmont. I’m looking up WC as soon as I can.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 57:41

There you go.

Nish: 57:43

The cruel, cruel man.

Shawn – The FairWagers: 57:44

Yep.

Nish: 57:46

Next time on the Top 100 in 10 Golf Podcast, we’ll preview the next course we’re playing historic Ganson Golf Club in Yorkshire.