What went down: It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: TC’s Ludvig victory lap.
(2:30) Soly is joined by TC and D.J. to unpack quite possibly the most buzzing week of the fall! If you’ve been swaddled by the comfort of more popular American sports, it’s time to get you up to speed on some big updates in the golf world. The 1-hour fall podcast rule has been BROKEN, so buckle up.
The show begins with Sean Martin catching a stray from TC, who calls him out for frequenting Starbucks during the week of the RSM Classic – ranked as his favorite story of the week, right before the actual Ludvig dub. Ludvig compiled weekend rounds of 61-61 to earn his first PGA Tour victory at the RSM Classic – and in only 14 professional starts, is No. 32 in the entire world…
Not so shockingly, TC is allowing everyone but Soly Ludvig amnesty. (He refuses to move on from “Mulevig”.)
(5:50) Could Ludvig be better than…Viktor Hovland? On who could perhaps be Ludvig’s closest comp, and some prognostications for his overall career trajectory, as well as comparing his swing to the Terminator. The guys uncover his Masters odds, and uh, he’s better than a bevy of recent major champions.
(21:25) On the heels of the inevitable, D.J. quizzes Soly and TC on their ability to name the last 20 years' worth of PGA Tour Rookie of the Year winners.
(29:00) Nicolai Højgaard wins the DP World Tour Championship by two shots after carding five birdies in his final six holes. A final round 64 sealed the deal for another talented rising star. The top ten DP World Tour players have now earned PGA Tour status: Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, Ryan Fox, Thorbjørn Olesen, Alexander Björk, Sami Valimaki, Robert MacIntyre, Matthieu Pavon, Jorge Campillo and Ryo Hisatsune.
(32:00) TC addresses the “Fleetwood is washed” allegations. Soly is asking for the receipts re: Tony Finau in 2021.
(36:15) The guys react to Rory McIlroy stepping down from the PGA Tour policy board. Why now? Was it too much to handle after all?
(42:20) D.J. conducts a wellness check on the pro golf discourse. Soly goes on a can’t-miss rant on how awful of a golf year it’s been.
(44:45) The TGL roof collapsed. (Update post-pod: The TGL is postponed.)
(51:00) Everyone’s favorite duo–I mean, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele have withdrawn from the Hero World Challenge. Are there two spots available on any LIV teams? *Insert LIV tangent*
(53:25) The PGA Tour’s tournament funding structure is changing, and now they’ve have to potentially “charity snatch” to fund purses?
(1:00:30) Lanto Griffin’s take re: the PGA Tour policy board shift inspires a larger take on mule representation, money and the internal power dynamic.
(1:18:10) Paul Azinger’s contract with NBC was not renewed. Assessing his impact on coverage, and who an apt replacement would be. Should the coverage itself be revitalized?
(1:29:10) The Cat is back and it only took ~90 minutes to mention it! Is the silver spoon, OWGR point giveaway Hero World Challenge icky?
(1:32:30) So who watched the Netflix Cup? Should we keep doing this kind of stuff?
(1:39:50) The next Match between Rory, Max Homa, Rose Zhang and Lexi Thompson has been pushed back to Q1 of 2024.
(1:40:10) Amy Yang shot 27-under at the CME Tour Championship and a $2M prize, one of the largest in women’s golf. But does the ramp-up and presentation around it fall flat? Maybe we should start advocating for Tiburon erasure.
(1:50:30) John Smoltz advances to the final stage of Champions Tour Q-School.
Best take: (44:45) I too feel for the people who worked hard to put TGL together, and I hope this becomes an ice-cold take, but simulator golf isn’t reinventing the wheel, nor am I actually that bummed out that it’s been postponed. All of it is super corporate and sanitized and giving a little…unfun? Which is the last thing golf needs.
Worst take: (1:32:30) For the ten minutes I watched it, I didn’t hate the Netflix Cup, Soly. I think with some structural changes – the weird crossover between F1 and golf, the LIVcore of it all – it could be, uh, better? But the sphere is hilarious, and I think we can all admit that.
Quotables:
(47:40) “Flaccid, but elongated. It’s been an elongated rollout.” -TC on the TGL
(1:22:20) “He (Faxon) speaks to me when he talks. I don’t know who Zinger was talking to at the end.” -Soly
(1:41:35) “If you’re trying to make this great made-for-TV product, and the TV broadcast feels like a funeral procession – there’s no juice to the TV product – the 2 million dollar first prize doesn’t mean anything.” -TC on the LPGA season finale
Referenced works:
(4:00) Sean Martin’s viral pro-Starbucks tweet.
Sean Martin’s overheard Ludvig comp from Tour players.
Sean Martin’s own stray at TC.
(36:30) Monahan and Herlihy statement on Rory’s policy board departure.
(53:25) SBJ: Sources: PGA Tour making changes to tournament funding structure with purses on the rise
(1:00:30) Adam Schupak: Lanto Griffin pulls no punches as Rory McIlroy leaves PGA Tour Policy Board, but who should replace him?
Ads: (1:30) Thanks to our friends at Titleist for the support, where you can find the best ball in golf. They recently released a video featuring Soly, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth engaged in some golf ball testing – which you can find here.
(27:30) Shoutout to our friends at Rhoback activewear. The holiday season is quickly approaching, and Rhoback is fresh off new restocks. Breathable, lightweight fabric on their signature performance crews – we can’t say enough good things about the hoodies. Between fit, feel, and quality, no one is doing it like Rhoback. Use code “NLU” at the Rhoback website for 20 percent off your first order.