PGA Championship Preview Podcast

Preview

Office Hours: Oak Hill, Walter Hagen and the PGA Championship

Making Picks For The PGA Championship

KVV is on the grounds at this year's PGA Championship. In his first piece, a statement first-round 66 leads KVV 

to examine the fleeting yet eccentric legacy of Bryson DeChambeau.

Thursday PGA Championship Recap Podcast

Thursday

KVV: 2023 PGA Championship Notebook: Shanks and Scenes from Day 2

KVV spends his day two at the PGA Championship collecting a handful of insights: A humanizing shank from a PGA pro's best week of his career, Talor Gooch 

dishes on his season-altering MC and Rory McIlroy on playing it safe.

Friday PGA Championship Recap Podcast

Friday

KVV's Saturday question for players: How in the world do you actually try to stay dry on a day like this? 

Saturday PGA Championship Recap Podcast

Saturday

Brooks Koepka: Resuming the Pursuit of History

KVV wraps up his week at Oak Hill with words on the revival of Brooks Koepka's legacy. Recent years have provided countless questions about the state of Brooks Koepka's game. This week, he provided the answers. 

Sunday PGA Championship Recap Podcast

Sunday

2023 PGA Championship

Welcome to our hub for all of our 2024 PGA Championship content! Here, you can find podcasts, videos, writing and other musings about the week!

Along with content on our own platforms, we're back for another Megacast with ESPN this year! We'll be broadcasting each competition day on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

 members can sound off on the Refuge thread below!

Page Break

2024 PGA Championship - Valhalla & Louisville Jail

Viktor Hovland is Searching for His Old Self

Viktor Hovland has been on a manic pursuit to fix things. But the same curiosity that made him a star may be fueling his slump. 

835 - PGA Championship Preview

836 - PGA Championship Happy Hour

Previewing The PGA Championship

Happy Hour: PGA Championship

837 - Thursday PGA Championship Live Show

Live from the Kill House: PGA Championship (THU)

838 - Friday PGA Championship Live Show

Live from the Kill House: PGA Championship (FRI)

839 - Saturday PGA Championship Live Show

Live from the Kill House: PGA Championship (SAT)

2024 PGA Championship Content Hub

Welcome to our hub for all of our 2024 Masters content! Here, you can find podcasts, videos, writing and other musings about the week!

members can sound off on the Refuge thread below!

The Masters 2024 - Homa House Party

There’s more to the Amari Avery story than a small snapshot of her life suggests. Instead, two years in college – something that almost didn’t happen – have redefined everything. 

The 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur marks the arrival of a new generation in the women’s amateur game. 

ANWA 2024: Sights and Scenes Heading Into The Final Round

Survival was on everyone's mind on cut day. Now, 35 players will have plenty to think about going into Saturday's final round. 

Bailey Shoemaker never let Lottie Woad or Augusta National scare her. Instead, she entered Saturday and found her old self: The intimidator. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 813: LPGA Match Play & ANWA Preview + Rachel Heck Interview

ANWA

The journey to golf's greatest destination comes at the risk of its greatest heartache — and even golf's best know it all too well. 

Jon Rahm wants you to know that he loved the PGA Tour. He has a lot of great memories from the years he spent playing there. He doesn’t have regrets, but he has … feelings. He’s not too proud to admit that. In the months leading up to the WM Phoenix Open, he would drive past the course fairly often, see the grandstands going up, and the weight of his decision to join LIV Golf would return to the forefront of his mind.

“Knowing that I wasn't going to be there was quite hard, right?” Rahm said Tuesday. “I still love the PGA TOUR, and I still hope everything [is for] the best, and I still hope that at some point I can compete there again.”

Rory McIlroy gave what had to have been the shortest press conference in the long and tortured history of Rory McIlroy press conferences on Tuesday. It felt like a less-than-subtle attempt to cut down on distractions but still fulfill his press obligations, McIlroy arrived three minutes ahead of his 12:30 press conference, answered seven questions and was done by 12:33. At past Masters, he’s been willing to open a door to his brain and let everyone look around inside, and the results have been mixed, so perhaps this strategy will offer better returns. He did, as he often does, get briefly philosophical.

“If I cast my mind back to 18-year-old Rory and I'm driving down Magnolia Lane for the first time, how would I feel and I think, it's just always trying to go back to being grateful and feeling incredibly lucky that you can be a part of this tournament and you get to compete in it every year,” McIlroy said.

“Thankfully, I've improved a bit since my first start here, and I feel like I've got all the tools to do well this week. But, again, to bring those tools out, I think one of the most important things is to enjoy it and smell the — I guess not the roses, the azaleas along the way.”

This is my fifth Masters, and every time I step on the property, I realize just how miserably addicted I am to my cell phone. There are some Masters traditions that I find a bit overwrought, but forcing people to actually be present and not have their face buried in a screen remains one of the best things about this place. The first hour you’re here, you feel minor waves of panic because you can’t resist patting your front and back pockets, looking for a phone you’re convinced you dropped or left behind somewhere. But eventually, it fades, and a bit of serenity washes over you. The urge to look up stats, or names, or take pictures of every little interaction disappears. You wonder why it’s so hard to untether yourself from online bullshit in your everyday life. A lot of cynics think this is the only sporting event where this would work, and maybe they’re right, maybe Masters tickets are so hard to get that people will agree to anything, but it sure does work here.


You can count Jordan Spieth as a fan. At least at the Masters.
“It's amazing,” Spieth said Tuesday. “But I also understand how advantageous cell phones are for the growth of our sport. So, it's nice for a week, but if it was every tournament, you know, we would -- our growth would be limited.


“But what's really cool about it is you just feel that everyone's very, very present. They're not focused on if they got the right shot that they're sending and maybe they don't even know where your ball went, right? And here the patrons are -- just like at the Open Championship, they're just highly educated, they're very involved, they're very present.
“So you end up having those kind of roars and stuff that may be similar but might not be, you know, with the phones out. It's very nice because you feel like everyone's there with you all the time.”

Group 5: Soly reacted: “Thorbjorn’s special exemption came with an asterisk - *has to play with Bryson

Group 7 and 8: Sneaky strong groups of flushers. Big Tex Sergio, Chris Kirk and my guy Foxy. And then Glover, Ben An, Harris English.

Group 9: Mickelson gives Finau varying degrees of legal advice on the pending litigation he’s embroiled in out in Utah with businessmen who funded his early career, while Sepp minds his own business.

Group 10: Oddly keyed in on this one, despite my ongoing beef with Canada. The more I watch Nick Taylor the more interested I am. Grouped with Henley and Joaco, two guys who should play well this week. This one punches up.

Group 11: Interesting/would watch. Min Woo Lee, No Hat Pat, Rick. The Unstable Compound juxtaposed with the Apollo-backed stability of Cantlay. Also, Rickie’s been playing some bad golf since his win in Detroit last year - weird arc going from contending at LACC and winning at Rocket Mortgage to complete his resurgence, to missing 4/9 cuts so far this year and no finishes better than 35th, and the issues seem to be 

. I’d say we’re at a crossroads, but then I remember he’s only 35.

Group 12: It’s like an addiction support group, but for putting: Hideki, Zalatoris, JT.

Group 13: V intense. Rahm, Fitz, Dunlap. Not a lot of chatter there.

Group 14: Scottie, Rory, Xander not being a feature group is so sick. I respect them for pairing the three of them up and then not hiding it a bit.

Group 15: Does Cam Smith put the hard sell on two guys who have been long-rumored for LIV, the Blow Pig and Vik? Do the 

Group 19: Vijay, Si Woo, Grillo is a case study in deep ball striking tendencies.

Group 21: Team Rose, Country Music Sensation Eric Cole, Peter Malnati is a play on the age-old “England or Alabama?” question.

Group 22: Akshay, Poston, Lowry: I’m weirdly captivated by this one, though the revelation that Akshay’s shoulder “injury” stemmed from a pickle ball debacle a few years ago makes the events of the physics appearance in the playoff on Sunday that much less palatable.

Group 26: Keegan, Pavon, Hatton. Shades of the revolutionary war. A guy from the beating heart of Colonial New England, a dyed-in-the-wool, tempestuous Englishman, and a French guy just sort of hanging around. Also, do Keegan and Hatton rue what could have been with the Ballfrogs and reminisce about their time together as teammates?

Group 28: Harman (slow; current Champion Golfer of the Year), Koepka (fast; reigning PGA Champion) and Global Superstar Tom Kim (allegedly a “Global Superstar”) just doesn’t sit right with me. This guy is getting thrown in a premium pairing that should be reserved for one of the ams or even the Blow Pig, as the reigning US Open champion. Between the pants thing at the PGA, the way he played up his ankle injury for cameras at Hoylake, and the breathless hype before, during and after Full Swing Season 2, the TK stuff feels like a bit at this point.

Group 30: DJ, Morikawa, Tommy. /would watch. And I was saddened, but not surprised, to see 

people hating on Tommy’s lilac cardigan

 today online. Could’ve been sized better, but I like the concept.

One thing about the Masters that always makes this week stand out is how much it means to every person involved. Player, family, caddie, patron, green jacket, media member, TV viewer.

My grandpa LOVED the Masters. I'm not sure we went a single Christmas without him telling stories from 1986, when he picked up a 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus on the 10th tee and followed him all the way in. He loved telling me about where he was standing for each shot, and I pored over highlight films and footage over the years to try to get a glimpse of him. He always said the best chance to see him would be when he stood on top of an electrical box behind the 17th tee, just a few minutes before he poured in another birdie and Verne gave his iconic call. I never did find him in the footage, but I took a minute on Monday and stood behind the 17th tee and thought about him standing almost in that exact spot, witnessing history that he got to tell his grandkids about.

Many years later, he temporarily gave the badge to my mom with a note that read:

"If you go to the (Memorial) tournament, take my Masters badge, and IF you see Jack standing around with nothing to do... try to have him sign it. You can tell him I started following him on the 10th hole on that Sunday afternoon in 1986 and followed him all the way in. It was the greatest sporting thrill of my life. Tell him if he signs it, it will probably be on my lapel in my casket.. if some kid doesn't take it off...!"

It sat there on his lapel in his casket as we honored him in 2016. I couldn't help but softly giggle when my mom removed it before the casket closed.

We've still got the badge, and the memory.

Stunned, Ludvig Aberg withdraws his hand from the microphone, grimacing at a room of twenty people watching him in the press room of Augusta National. He’s just hit his hand against it, deep into an explanation about the preparation for his very first Masters. He resumes his answer, and after many questions, is sure to forget those three seconds of a 20-minute press conference.

An hour before, another PGA Tour rookie can be found searching for answers, too. On Tuesday, Nick Dunlap is paired with Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns once again for a practice round. It’s the first of many this season, and he’s managed to find comfort in the duo. Though he’s three months into his job, as he walks in unison beside Burns and Scheffer on the fairway of No. 3, Dunlap’s gaze toward both resembles someone who understands just how surreal the moment is.

“He's a guy that asks a lot of really good questions,” Scheffler says.

Half-joking, he adds: “He’s in a difficult spot where he should be in college right now. He should be going to class and instead he's playing in the Masters.”

Ludvig Aberg and Nick Dunlap’s journeys have run perpendicular, but their humility parallels. Aberg ended his amateur career as the best player in the world, but played a full collegiate career. Dunlap ended his amateur career as the best player in the world, but played nearly half of a collegiate career. One had a college career’s worth of accolades earn him a PGA Tour card. The other was the first amateur since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win on a PGA Tour exemption.

Life has changed a lot since college, but there’s a noticeable desire for most of it to remain the same.

“I think my life on the golf course has changed a lot over the last couple of months, but my life hasn't changed a ton off the golf course, which I think is really important. My personality is the same. I don't try to do anything different from what I did last year,” Aberg said.

Dunlap’s own hints are more specific to his week at Augusta National. Before his fateful victory in January, his invitation to Augusta was merited by his U.S. Amateur victory in 2023. Originally, he planned to vie for low amateur and stay in the Crow’s Nest. The 19-year-old is now a professional with changed expectations and new accommodations.

“Fortunately and unfortunately I'm in a new position and grateful to be here,” Dunlap said. “I wish they would let me pop in there for a second, but it is what it is.”

Playing in the Masters requires that they accept this brand new world; one they likely aren’t departing from any time soon.

NLU Podcast, Episode 814: Masters Deep Dives - '77, '80, '89, '11

NLU Podcast, Episode 816: Masters Preview

NLU Podcast, Episode 817: Augusta Happy Hour Preview 

Previewing the Year's First Major

Masters Memories by Kevin Van Valkenburg and No Laying Up

It's hard not to miss Bryson's larger-than-life personality and golf. His opening round 65 to lead the Masters on Thursday was a reminder of that. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 818: Thursday Augusta Live Show

Jordan Spieth is Increasingly Unrecognizable

It's hard not to let go of the Jordan Spieth we once knew. But his failed attempts at salvaging the glory of 2015 have revealed another side of his career. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 819: Friday Augusta Live Show

NLU Podcast, Episode 820: Saturday Augusta Live Show

Serenity and security: Scenes from a memorable Masters

Lasting memories from a week spent watching the world's best golfers chase a man they were never going to catch. 

KVV wants Max Homa to lose one thing on Sunday. And no, it's not the one thing he's worked his entire life for: a Masters victory that for the first time, is extremely possible. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 821: Sunday Augusta Live Show

2024 Masters Content Hub

Welcome to our live page for the 2024 Players Championship! Here, you'll find the latest content from the week on-site including written content, videos, live shows, podcasts and more!

Refuge: 2024 Players Championship

In Jay Monahan's tensest press conference as commissioner, what felt like his entire tenure came under scrutiny. Instead of answers, it mostly highlighted his survival. 

 NLU Podcast, Episode 803: Players Happy Hour Preview

NLU Podcast, Episode 802: Players Preview

Office Hours: The Players Championship

NLU Podcast, Episode 804: Thursday Players Live Show

NLU Podcast, Episode 805: Friday Players Recap

NLU Podcast, Episode 806: Saturday Players Recap

What every fan of men's professional golf has been yearning for manifested on Sunday at The Players Championship. And it wasn't exactly Scottie Scheffler — rather, it was the moment unfolding around him. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 807: Sunday Players Recap

2024 The Players Championship

Welcome to AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am week! Below you'll find the latest content organized by day, featuring podcasts, on-site pieces, commentary and more. Be sure to tune into our live shows early in the week and our Sunday recap after the conclusion of the final round.

Apple Podcasts: NLU Podcast, Episode 787: LIVE from the Range at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Spotify: NLU Podcast, Episode 787: LIVE from the Range at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

NLU Podcast, Episode 787: LIVE from the Range at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Tuesday

NLU Podcast, Episode 788: LIVE from the Range at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Wednesday

It's a given that the pressure to keep the biggest stars happy birthed PGA Tour Enterprises. Now, what about the fans? 

A Bunch of Questions: Jordan Spieth and Michael Greller

Soly, Neil, D.J. and Tron embark on The Hay at Pebble Beach, the redesigned par 3 course by Tiger Woods and Beau Welling. Watch the guys play a scotch foursome format within its exciting design and captivating views. Presented by AT&T.

NLU Podcast, Episode 789: AT&T Pebble Beach & LIV Mayakoba Recap Live Show 

Saturday/Final Round

2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Welcome to Ryder Cup week! Below you'll find the latest content organized by day, featuring podcasts, on-site pieces, commentary and more. Be sure to tune into our live shows after coverage ends each day.

2023 Ryder Cup: It Has Arrived

2023 Ryder Cup: A New Era For Team United States

Years of strategizing means that this time, the Ryder Cup will be different for the United States. But what about the result? Check out this in-depth preview by Soly. 

In this Ryder Cup-themed mailbag, KVV discusses the idea of paying Ryder Cup participants and assembles his Ryder Cup dream teams and imaginary boxing matches. 

Even in its commercialized nature, KVV taps into how the spirit of caring is the Ryder Cup's most transcendent quality. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 745: Ryder Cup Preview with Shane Ryan

NLU Podcast, Episode 734: Last Four European Ryder Cups

NLU Podcast, Episode 735: 2023 Ryder Cup Roundtable: Post Captain's Picks

Office Hours: The Ryder Cup

NLU Film Room: Marco Simone

NLU Podcast, Episode 746: Ryder Cup Pairings Preview

NLU Podcast, Episode 747: Friday Ryder Cup Recap

Besides the points on the board, there's a massive difference between the United States and Europe in the Ryder Cup: Their response to hardship. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 748: Saturday Ryder Cup Recap

The aftermath of Saturday's tiff, the alleged pay protest, the birth of a new stalwart and what it means to be a European Ryder Cupper — a deep dive into the scenes from the final day of the 2023 Ryder Cup. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 749: Sunday Ryder Cup Recap 

2023 Ryder Cup

Welcome to Solheim Cup week! Below you'll find the latest content organized by day, featuring podcasts, on-site pieces, commentary and more. Be sure to tune into our live shows after coverage ends each day.

2023 Solheim Cup @ Spain - Foursome Pairings Announced

Team Europe has an opportunity to do something that has never been done, and the United States is abandoning the status quo — could Finca Cortesin change the Solheim Cup forever? 

NLU Podcast, Episode 740: Solheim Cup Preview with Sophie Walker

Office Hours: Solheim Cup

Live from the Kill House: 2023 Solheim Cup (Happy Hour)

2023 Solheim Cup Day 1 Recap Show live from Spain! We break down Foursomes and Fourball results from today and gear up for Day 2's matches. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 742: Solheim Friday Recap

While Lexi Thompson's reluctance to address her costly shank won't define her career, it warrants a larger discussion on why the media seeks to understand athletes in every scenario. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 743: Solheim Saturday Recap

After a long voyage and a week spent at Finca Cortesin, Tron, Randy and Neil recapped their most profound experiences on and off-site during the 2023 Solheim Cup. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 744: Solheim Sunday Recap (+ Show Notes)

2023 Solheim Cup

Welcome to The Open week! Below you'll find the latest content organized by day, featuring podcasts, on-site pieces, commentary and more. Be sure to tune into our live shows after coverage ends each day.

151st Open - Hoylake aka Royal Liverpool aka Harman's House

Throwback: Tron and Soly visit Royal Liverpool

Back in 2017, Soly and Tron visited six English golf courses in four days. Day three was dedicated to Royal Liverpool and earned the title of "best experience" out of the entire trip. Check out all the sights and stories from the 

KVV Mailbag: The Open? Names, Venues and British Rock Bands

It’s time for The Open Championship! Or the British Open? KVV explains his preferred name, talks venues, champions and compares the Open rota to British rock bands. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 716: Open Championship Preview

NLU Podcast, Episode 714: Martin Ebert previews Royal Liverpool

Office Hours: The History of The Open at Royal Liverpool

Royal Liverpool Preview Podcast with Martin Ebert

Making Picks For The Open Championship

Rickie Fowler’s Thursday at Royal Liverpool provided a clue as to how he’s survived a rollercoaster of a career—by being the exact opposite. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 718: Thursday Open Championship Recap

Yes, put Justin Thomas on the Ryder Cup team

There's a valid case for leaving Justin Thomas off of the 2023 Ryder Cup team, especially after his enormous MC at the Open Championship. Or is there? 

NLU Podcast, Episode 719: Friday Open Championship Recap

Counting sheep or one Claret Jug? With a five-shot lead, anything's possible on the eve before the biggest round of Brian Harman's career. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 720: Saturday Open Championship Recap

Weathering final-round jeers and years of effort, 36-year-old Brian Harman hunted down his first major championship with true precision. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 721: Open Championship Recap

2023 The Open

Welcome to U.S. Women's Open week! Below you'll find the latest content organized by day, featuring podcasts, on-site pieces, commentary and more. Be sure to tune into our live shows after coverage ends each day.

NLU Podcast, Episode 706: U.S. Women's Open Preview

NLU Film Room: Randy and Michelle Wie West at Pebble Beach

Office Hours: History of Pebble Beach and the U.S. Women's Open

Making Picks For The U.S. Women's Open

Pebble Beach is one of the greatest stages in golf. This week, we get to watch it host an entirely new set of characters. 

The more that Rose Zhang changes, the more that she stays the same

Life has changed plenty since Rose Zhang last played a competitive round at Pebble Beach, the site of her course record 63. But she's stayed the exact same. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 708: Thursday US Women's Open Recap

What could Amy Olson have gone through this week at the U.S. Women's Open? At nine months pregnant, Hannah Solomon might have an idea or two. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 709: Friday U.S. Women's Open Recap

The final wave of Michelle Wie West's golf career crashed quietly along Pebble Beach. That doesn't mean it wasn't beautiful to witness. 

NLU Podcast, Episode 710: Saturday U.S. Women's Open Recap

Patience, along with a quiet intensity, rewarded Allisen Corpuz with her first victory — a U.S. Women's Open. 

Maybe Charley Hull didn't quite get what she wanted, but her final day at Pebble Beach shows she's right there. 

Surprise! Allisen Corpuz has been here all along

2023 PGA Championship

Saturday

More Like Soak Hill (Sorry)

Saturday PGA Championship Recap Podcast

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