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NLU Podcast, Episode 807: Sunday Players Recap

Totally believable but unbelievable how Scottie not only became the first player to defend at the Players Championship — but did it on an injured B-game. Wyndham and Xander entered the day tied, but Scottie emerged for 

Sunday and tore TPC Sawgrass up with his ball-striking fiesta. A Sunday 64 to spend some time as the clubhouse leader while everyone else fails to catch up crowns Scottie the champion.

 Soly does the Tiger-ish math: 36 out of 115 starts for Scottie? (Tiger, for reference, was 56)

It’s easy to feel like this is all hyperbolic: Setup, weakest Players field in years…but Scottie has elevated himself from killer to downright annihilator.

 We’re 25 minutes in and I can’t remember the last time we went down the leaderboard this late into the show! But the top between Schauffele, Wyndham, Harman and Sahith etc. was electrifying.

 TC says the putt not dropping on 18 was karma for the Blow Pig. (BTW, if you don’t understand why Wyndham is being referred to as the BP, try typing Wind Ham into your emoji bar.) It’s time to cancel Wyndham for his golf: 4-iron, pitching wedge into 18? He’s just offended by Wyndham’s entire golf game. Yes, his game is valid – but it’s hard to trust. And the mashing of the rough two weeks in a row. Also, if you like Wyndham, it’s fine. If you don’t like Wyndham, that’s fine too.

Wyndham is probably still cursing his putter as I write this.

 Xander is allergic to making the putts that he needs to. More so than Wyndham, but kind of in a similar vein here.

 Scottie and Wyndham both made history by finishing first and second in back-to-back weeks. Ted Scott says Scottie was in so much pain, he almost didn’t play the weekend?

 This was a highlight week for the PGA Tour – and it feels like it’s unique to the Tour, not LIV.

 Thanks to ianfrittsshow for the question: The guys offer their own personal ranking of the best players in the world.

D.J. would like to lower the Rory banner after his Thursday 65. Nothing like Rory burning out early.

TC’s using his on Austin Eckroat, who was penalized for loitering, and if Scottie won the Masters in hindsight, it would instead be the best thing for golf.

Soly: The tournament was on another level this year – though the fifth major talk and LIV poaching dimmed his perception, it managed to survive all of that.

 How would a shotgun start go at The Players? There were some speedy finishes, but if we’re keeping a huge field, the beginning of the week should move 

faster. At least some things are still sacred.

 TC has shown up to defend his Cleeks from the scathing criticism of Peter Malnati. It’s okay, TGL also catches a stray.

 Cody brings us a flight tracking report for Yasir and Tiger Woods. 

 Joel Dahmen joins to talk a bit about his game of recent, The Players, witnessing the Austin Eckroat penalty and his hair.

I think in the post-Tiger era, it’s more important than ever to kind of celebrate what we’ve got. Tiger isn’t the standard; he’s the exception – but to see how everyone is measuring up to contextualize Scottie’s greatness is helpful. Scottie’s unreal, and I’m glad we’re amplifying that. Shoutout to Data Boy Soly for backing it up so well on these recent pods.

Since we played the Peter Malnati audio, I think worst take should go to him. I don’t think we should throw away the idea of team golf because it’s failing hard in one interpretation (LIV). Look at the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, Walker Cup, college golf, etc. (and this is just men’s golf) – all compelling versions of team golf. It can be done!

“Soly, I don’t have a d-rider hat, but I have d-rider chains.” -TC

 “I’m not learning anything from LIV Hong Kong.” -TC

“The first thing I texted you after I watched Full Swing is ‘Dude, dope kitchen, love what you’re doing with the kitchen,’ which means in my late 30s, my priorities have changed in life.” -Soly

“Well, this event does have an asterisk on it because Talor Gooch isn’t here.” -Joel Dahmen

 (2:30) Bring the fiesta anywhere you go with the all-new High Noon Tequila Seltzer Fiesta Pack. This variety 8-pack features two new tequila flavors: Blood Orange and Prickly Pear, alongside two long standing favorites, Grapefruit and Lime. All are made with real tequila and real juice, perfect for any fiesta under the sun. Find the all new High Noon Tequila Seltzer Fiesta Pack nearest you at highnoonspirits.com.

Brought to you by Titleist - the #1 Ball at The Players and the overwhelming #1 choice of the world’s best… Sentry. Sony. AmEx. Farmers. Pebble. Phoenix. Mexico. Cognizant. Bay Hill. Puerto Rico. And now we can add – The Players. 11 of the first 12 events played this season on the PGA TOUR have been won with a Titleist golf ball. In total, 101 players this week at TPC Sawgrass teed up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x model, more than five times the nearest competitor – including four of the top 5 finishers. Head over to Titleist.com to start the golf ball fitting process and find out which Pro V1 or Pro V1x model is best for your game.

Soly and Sahith paired up for a collab on the Titleist YouTube channel – check it out 

 Thanks to SERVPRO for sponsoring our new segment, the Mulligan. SERVPRO is the #1 choice in cleanup and restoration. And they do construction too. SERVPRO has 50 years of experience helping people recover from disasters. They specialize in cleaning and restoration due to floods, storms, fires, mold and more. SERVPRO is here to help 24/7 – just call 1-800-SERVPRO. 

A fresh, funny discussion of all things golf from the guys at No Laying Up. Episodes air twice a week and topics include tournament recaps, interviews, deep dive player profiles, golf travel, and more.

807 - Sunday Players Recap

Xander Schauffele leads by one heading into the final round of the Players, as we recap our day out at TPC Sawgrass, Wyndham's chunk, Harman's 65, Scottie's health, some course setup issues, and a lot more from Saturday at the Players.

806 - Saturday Players Recap

Wyndham Clark races out to a 4 shot lead. Will Soly's pre-tournament pick go on to win? We chat about a Friday out at TPC Sawgrass, Scottie's neck, what makes the Players experience special, Roger Maltbie, Rory, a fun trivia game, and a ton more.

NLU Podcast, Episode 805: Friday Players Recap

805 - Friday Players Recap

The first round of the Players is in the books, Rory, Xander, and Wyndham all shoot 65 to race out to the lead, Vik and Jordan confront Rory about a couple of drops, TPC Sawgrass plays benign, and everything else from our day on-site at the Players.

NLU Podcast, Episode 804: Thursday Players Live Show

804 - Thursday Players Live Show

Our High Noon Happy Hour Preview show covers our week at the Players to date, reactions to Jay Monahan's press conference, Rory's comments, as well as Xander, Scottie, and others. We also make our picks for the week, what groups we want to follow, what hole at TPC Sawgrass we would tweak if we could, and a lot more.

803 - Players Happy Hour Preview

Soly is joined by DJ and Randy for a look ahead to this week's Players from TPC Sawgrass. After Soly sprinkles in a few nuggets from his day at the course we play 'Buy or Sell' on a number of topics around this week's event (the lack of a repeat winner, Monahan's presser and future as commissioner, the event's claim of the strongest field in golf) as well as the prospects for a number of the biggest names on tour who figure to be in contention on Sunday.

802 - Players Preview

The biggest stars descended on not Hollywood, but Bay Hill! Soly invites the Pie Man and KVV to help dissect one of the most blockbuster weeks on the PGA Tour.

Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational by six shots

Scottie led the field in SG putting on Sunday – say it ain’t so! Scottie won in a commanding fashion in the final round, where he entered the day leading by two and led by five with just eight holes to play. His closest threat was Wyndham Clark who crashed on the front nine after three bogies.

Is there any fit challenger to Scottie’s campaign to repeat at The Players or Masters?

 KVV insists that the golf media at large, us included, has to do a better job of highlighting some of the up-and-comers versus the established guys (who for the most part are stinking it up). D.J. counters by saying there are two different kind of fans – the diehards, who take interest in these rising stars, and the casuals, who want to be entertained by the usual.

D.J. brings up the fact that there’s a golf course issue on the PGA Tour, and Bay Hill, a signature event, amplified that.

The guys do an Around the Horn format of their three favorite things this week. They start with of these include Willy Z’s continued re-emergence and raging Rory.

Some praise for Matteo Mannesaro, who wins for the first time in 11 years. A former British Amateur champion.

 The spectrum of LIV takes is fairly enormous – and maybe the only way to move this forward is pure neutrality in terms of attitude (as far as performance goes).

AK shoots a final round 65 – nice! Does this really instill any hope about a career revival? Probably not. Let’s hope he’s enjoying himself!

What is our review of Smylie Kaufman’s Happy Hour? Let Smylie (organically) cook!

 Some love for the always chaotic No. 6 at Bay Hill. We miss you, Bryson.

 Have our feelings changed at all on Bay Hill? If there’s gotta be a lukewarm signature event, guess it’s gotta be this one. It remains kinda juiceless – is it supposed to be a chipping contest? What does it want to be?

Joe Ogilvie joining the PGA Tour Advisory Board is an interesting development. Bailey Tardy, previously called out by the Big Man, wins at Blue Bay LPGA, besting Lydia Ko who was once again on the verge of her final HOF qualifying point.

Sahith is DRIVING the ball! Wyndham Clark is a sustainable badass – consider his past year: Wells Fargo, U.S. Open, Pebble (nearly the course record).

Err, let’s talk about the Wyndham ruling a bit? Did he intentionally move his ball?

Jordan Spieth! 72 holes! Do they go together anymore?

More LIV insights, including some good performances from Bryson and Cam Smith.

What questions do we have for Jay Monahan as he addresses the media this week at The Players? Is he still committed to striking a deal with the PIF?

A gentleman named Phil Landes submits a question to the live show, wondering if Ed Herlihy and Jimmy Dunne are still saving this golf thing or whatever.

A Caffeine TV viewership update: 2M this week! Soly points out the daily users rounds out to 10k………….tough.

 and while KVV hasn’t watched it yet – he’s accepted his flowers in terms of being correct about Keegan Bradley.

Wyndham Clark didn’t win this week, but it feels like his entire past year is a capital W, like his name – and I think continuing to identify just how threatening he is in terms of majors/the remaining signature events is the nuance his play deserves.

 While I don’t entirely disagree with KVV about platforming rising stars

- it’s tough to do it when there’s very little consistency between these rising stars. Ludvig is the one name that stands out. He’s been able to sustain success in his rookie year and made an enormously strong case for why the best college player should have a PGA Tour card. But there’s few narratives that are easy for the two camps D.J. mentioned to string together.

“There’s no one not playing fantastic golf that’s getting shut out of these events.” -Soly

 “(D.J., on the YouTube TV catch-up feature) There was 36 of them, and 12 of them were playing through. True nesting doll of ads-type stuff.” -D.J.

 “I feel like Tron is the only person who covers LIV honestly. He’s the only person who gets mad when his team stinks.” -KVV

 (On Spieth) “The guy is playing golf like he’s got two months left on the lease and he’s not getting his security deposit back.” -Soly

Paolo Uggeti’s feature on what Will Zalatoris has been through and what’s gone into the comeback

 Thanks to our friends at High Noon for sponsoring another Live from the Killhouse. We’re loving the all-new High Noon Snowbird Pack. The 8-pack includes two new flavors, Raspberry and Plum, alongside High Noon classics, Peach and Lemon—all made with real vodka and real juice. The Snowbird Pack is a winter exclusive, so get it before the ice melts. Track down the pack nearest you at the 

 As always, thanks to Titleist for sponsoring this episode, the #1 ball in golf and the #1 choice of players at every competitive level. Head over to the 

to start the golf ball fitting process and find out which Pro V1 or Pro V1x model is best for your game.

Thanks to Rhoback for supporting another episode. Best fit, best feel! Use the code “NLU” on

 for a generous 20 percent off your first order through the end of this week.

801 - Bay Hill Recap

NLU Podcast, Episode 800: Arnold Palmer Happy Hour

Back with our High Noon Happy Hour Live Show, we preview the week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, chat about Bay Hill, some API trivia, and discuss field sizes. Plus news, comments, laughs and more. Cheers!

800 - Arnold Palmer Happy Hour

NLU Podcast, Episode 799: Netflix Full Swing Season 2 Deep Dive

As the second season of Full Swing gets released on Netflix this week, Soly, DJ and Neil hand out their reviews of the sophomore installment for the series. We touch on the episodes that we liked, the ones that were duds, improvements from season one, how we view the 2023 Ryder Cup differently in light of the final episodes, and the stories we wish would have been a part of the retelling of the 2023 year in professional golf.

799 - Netflix Full Swing Season 2 Deep Dive

It’s a present tense kind of show notes week. What does that mean?

Well, the Cognizant Classic will see a Monday finish after a typical Sunday in South Florida occurred. At the time of my writing this, the final group is through

Guess Garfield’s in for an interesting Monday of golf.

But before they jump into that, Soly and the Schuster brothers start things off a little differently this week with a Pro Golf Fantasy Draft. And no, it’s not in connection with the current pro golf year. 

Points allotted by tournament victories/finishes:

For posterity, let’s document their answers (this is a snake draft format):

 1. Viktor Hovland 6. Ludvig Aberg 7. Patrick Cantlay 12. Justin Thomas 13. Tommy Fleetwood 18. Joaquin Niemann 19. Nick Dunlap 24. Sahith Theegala 25. Sungjae Im 30. Tony Finau

 2. Scottie Scheffler 5. Rory McIlroy 8. Xander Schauffele 11. Will Zalatoris 14. Cam Smith 17. Bryson DeChambeau 20. Jordan Spieth 23. Hideki Matsuyama 26. Nicolai Hojgaard 29. Tom Kim

 3. Jon Rahm, 4. Brooks Koepka 9. Collin Morikawa 10. Max Homa 15. Wyndham Clark 16. Gordon Sargent 21. Cameron Young 22. Matt Fitzpatrick 27. Daniel Berger 28. Sam Burns

Enormous Sunday delay brings the Cognizant classic to a Monday finish

The three-hour rain delay was ALWAYS in the forecast. Could make things very complicated for the Seminole Pro-Member!

TC’s boy Austin Eckroat is 15 with 12 holes to play.

 Eckroat earned his first PGA Tour victory in a three-shot win!)

The board member Signature event sponsor’s exemptions have once again been distributed! Soly likens it to the Nancy Pelosi stock gameplay.

That said, the recipient of one of those, Webb Simpson, had some insight on the future of the game, and made comments such as reducing field sizes from 156 to 144, and associating the idea of transparency with Jay Monahan.

How valid are these sponsor’s exemptions re: the merit of these players?

 TC offers a shoutout to Bud Cauley’s comeback.

 Addressing the Rory to LIV rumors – signs point to 

, but he’s certainly not shy about his discontent toward the PGA Tour.

Where’s Rory on the PGA Tour in 2024? His play remains really lackluster.

LIV King Abdullah Economic City: Anthony Kim, Niemann wins by 4

Is there a chance Anthony Kim is a pawn in this weird golf war? We need him to shine a light on his own story. It’s a lukewarm outcome whether he wins on LIV or not, but as Neil points out, this is the best-case scenario for him.

2 million people allegedly watched Anthony Kim on this “Caffeine TV” network…

Joaquin LIV slayer Niemann once again complains about the OWGR in his post-win reaction.

Talor Gooch buys a professional bullriding team? A W in a massive L week in which Gooch says if Rory completes his career grand slam without some of the best players in the world, there will be an asterisk – of course, Gooch is currently not in the Masters.

Oh, and according to the Times, LIV is involved in an 8 figure lawsuit with Andy Gardiner/the PGL.

Other headlines: Hannah Green wins HSBC Women’s World Championship in dramatic fashion, The Match

Hannah Green made a 30-foot bomb to win the HSBC Women’s World Championship by one over Celine Boutier.

The Match featuring the Rory McIlroy, Max Homa, Rose Zhang and Lexi Thompson was a ratings disappointment. But that sounds like a great lineup! What’s the issue? Are there too many cooks in the kitchen?

The golf was cool, but the performance was awkward and stilted. It feels like trying too hard for virality. Soly will NOT apologize to DJ Khaled, who correctly reported that he showed up and thought 

TC shows the 117th Argentina Open some love.

The Seminole Pro-Member is on Monday…so what happens to the Cognizant players who are in it?

Irish golfer Joe Lyons wins the Spanish Senior Amateur, but had to throw his trophy away because RyanAir wouldn’t let him bring it on.

TC saying the game should erupt in even more chaos at this point. It couldn’t feel much more bleak, so why not? And the faster it bottoms out, says Soly, the faster it will come together again. The houses are on fire, but the entire neighborhood should just go up in flames.

I’m not sure if there are too many cooks in The Match kitchen – while they could subdue the booth a little bit more, I think it all comes down to selecting the right mix of personalities. I could never picture Rory, Max, Lexi and Rose hanging out voluntarily. The YouTube golf formula has kind of proven it doesn’t matter who is playing, as long as they’re in sync!

 “This is the worst thing we could have done, was giving him the last pick. Next name you say, TC, is your pick.” -Soly

“Webb is one of those guys that’s going to take advantage of that top 30 career money list exemption. We’re all looking for the guy that did this – and all these guys have been on the policy board at different points and enacted all these get out of jail free cards.” -Tron

 “If there were 2 million people on Caffeine TV, stop telling me about it. Just have the 2 million people. Just keep them. Stop trying to make me have FOMO. I don’t have it.” -Neil

Our own Merch Czar makes a cameo in Titleist’s new docuseries, “Finding Feel,” which is available on their YouTube. Neil remarks on his sensory-deprived Titleist T-series iron-hitting experience.

With the launch of “Finding Feel,” Titleist is also giving you the opportunity to win a custom set of new T-Series irons. There are two quick steps to enter from now until March 9:

2) Leave a comment on the Finding Feel video on YouTube.

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 Full Swing is back! This episode is brought to you by season two of Full Swing. From a controversial and divisive agreement between the PGA TOUR and the PIF, to the selection of the Ryder Cup teams and the face-off between the US and Europe at Marco Simone. Full Sing takes you inside the locker rooms, meeting rooms, and family rooms where it all happened. Relive the 2023 season of professional golf with inside access you won’t find anywhere else. Watch “Full Swing,” March 6th. Only on Netflix.

798 - Cognizant Check In + LIV Jeddah Recap

Daniel Berger stops by to talk with Soly about his back injury and the road back to reclaiming his physical health and his place in the competitive golf landscape. We also cover his experiences in team competitions, playing money games with tour pros as a high school-aged kid, his mental approach to golf and his injury rehab, the changes on tour while he was away and a ton more.

797 - Daniel Berger

Apple Podcasts: NLU Podcast, Episode 796: Mexico Open Recap

Spotify: NLU Podcast, Episode 796: Mexico Open Recap

Soly, TC, and Neil must have completed their DuoLingo lesson of the day before they hopped on, because they practiced their Spanish game as a greeting! The only thing that would have made this podcast better is if they tried to do the whole episode in Spanish. The best pronunciation goes to the Schuster brother who spent his week in the opposite climate of Vidanta Vallarta…

Jake Knapp wins the Mexico Open for his first career victory


 Soly exposes the scripts we’ve all been fed as PGA Tour propagandists. JK. It’s been a rough go being a fan of men’s professional golf. This is absolutely no shade to Jake Knapp, whose two-shot win at the Mexico Open and infusion of personality was a welcome sight.


Sunday’s final round had Jake Knapp starting out with a four-shot lead over Sami Valimaki before he bogeyed the first and third holes with that quickly vanishing.

Valimaki tied things up with an eagle on the 7th but entered some bogey trouble on the back nine, but Knapp managed to hold on tight despite making just two fairways, going bogey-free to win by two.

Soly was stunned by how surprising Sami Valimaki’s aesthetic was. And of course, by nature of being a Finnish player, TC claims he had him on his shortlist. That said, how do the guys feel about the results of the PGA Tour-DP World Tour alliance so far re: talent promotion?


The guys dig into a great question from LordBenne: “Would Knapp's win (a legitimate accomplishment for a KFT grad) be less derided if the Tour wasn't coming off a hugely underwhelming West Coast swing?”

TC engages in some Big Tone erasure in misremembering last year’s winner but brings up a valid concern about how his contrarian soft spot for opposite field events has slowly eroded. The level of care between weird rules violations, juiceless fields and setups fails to really substantiate the ever so inflated purses.

There was a seemingly erroneous unplayable awarded to Valimaki, whose ball landed in underneath the fence which was still inbounds. He ends up taking a drop on the sand, which was deemed a continuation of the cart path??? The gang (and perhaps the audience) wasn’t sure what to make of it considering S. H. Kim got a free drop from the fence on Friday, but Valimaki had to take an unplayable on Sunday. Thank god there are only millions of dollars at stake!


Lots of free promo for Florida accident attorneys in likening them to new-age rules officials.

In order to make this season of the PGA Tour a little more palatable, the guys turn their attention to (possibly the first time ever) the FedExCup standings.

Other golf news: Masters special invites, Bryson interview, Anthony Kim’s upcoming LIV debut, Patty T wins again

Masters special invites! Now Joaquin Niemann can be happy. Thorbjorn Olesen, Nieman and Ryo Hisatsune will be a part of the field.


 Digesting the Bryson interview and his recent comments about the OWGR…where he falsely claims LIV events fulfill all the criteria and Jerry Foltz says OWGR doesn’t matter? Guess he’s been reading up on some Jung, as he says the “death to egos” needs to occur.

 Anthony Kim will be returning to golf at LIV Jeddah, which could literally mean anything.

 Jon Rahm did a very revealing interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith. He remains pretty forward and just underwhelmed about LIV Golf in general.


 Charlie Woods shot an 86 at the Cognizant Pre-Qualifier…which is to be expected, considering he is literally 15-years-old. What was totally inexcusable was the fan behavior at his qualifier, which according to Emilee Smarr of the Palm Beach Post, 

Darius van Driel wins the Magical Kenya Open. Joe Dean, who was working as a delivery driver, earns a life-changing 200k check.

Patty Tavatanakit wins for the second week in a row, this time earning an LPGA victory at the LPGA Thailand after winning on the LET the week before.

Bronte Law wins the LET Lallya Meryem Cup

The Match, with Rory/Max/Rose/Lexi airs Monday, 2/26!

TC played with THE John Minnium! Soly goes into his past week at the Gasparilla, which we’ll have a FULL recap on in an upcoming Film Room!

June 6th was, essentially, smoke! An announcement of doing the absolute least, in the name of warding off scrutiny. Players have been poached. LIV isn’t going anywhere – and the PGA Tour looks more and more embarrassing.

TC, please! The OWGR does matter! The majors remain the most juiced-up parts of the year! And they’re juicier by the week. Don’t fall for the Bryson/LIV denial. The metrics are questionable, but it’s what we have.

“I wish it was called the BDE qualification system.” -Soly


 This episode was brought to you by our friends over at Titleist. More than 70 percent of competitors on both the PGA TOUR and LPGA this week played a Titleist golf ball. That includes 6 of the top 7 in Mexico, and every player in the top 8 in Thailand.

The overwhelming majority of the world’s best put their trust in the performance, quality and consistency of Titleist. Head over to Titleist.com to start the fitting process and find out which Pro V1 is right for you.

Shoutout to our friends at Holderness & Bourne for keeping us warm for the remainder of winter! But it’s time to look ahead to warmer temperatures – their new Spring 2024 collection just dropped with over 200+ new styles and colors, including a new performance pant called “The Garvey.” Enter code “NLU10” at 

A little house ad action! This podcast is presented by The Nest, which is ramping up its exclusive content! Last week we released an exclusive behind-the-scenes video of Strapped Louisiana. We also just released a February Nest pod where Cody and Neil interview Nest member Pete Couhig the CEO and part owner of League 1 football club Wycombe (pronounced Wick’em) Wanderers. Tourist Sauce BTS stuff is incoming as well!


If you’re not a member of The Nest, visit this page 

 Current Nest members, check out our brand new hub for all Nest-exclusive content 

796 - Mexico Open Recap

As the LPGA Tour's spring Asian swing kicks off in Thailand this week our LPGA pod crew of Randy, Cody and Jordan break down the Tournament of Champions and the Drive On, won by Lydia Ko and Nelly Korda, respectively. Then it's on to LET and the Saudi Ladies International (23:20) where Patty Tavatanakit won with a seven-under final round 65 and offered some candid thoughts on her recent struggles in her post-round interview.

We then look ahead to the weekend in Thailand and some of the notable names in the field (40:30) as well as a look ahead to the latest iteration of The Match involving Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang. Then, Jordan helps us get up to speed on the latest from the women's amateur golf scene before we close with a look at some of the notable rookies on the LPGA Tour this year (54:20) and some assorted news and notes.

795 - LPGA Check-In

Apple Podcasts: NLU Podcast, Episode 794: Genesis Recap


Spotify: NLU Podcast, Episode 794: Genesis Recap

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA WINS THE GENESIS INVITATIONAL WITH A FINAL ROUND 62

 A trio of Soly, Public Defender Randy and KVV form to dissect a dramatic week at Riviera.

If anyone was watching Wyndham closely at Pebble Beach, it was Hideki, who nearly set a course record of his own at the final round of the Genesis. He started the day six shots back and won by 3 – but how?! A final round 62 with three straight opening birdies and a back nine 30 did it. According to datagolf, beloved Masters champion Hideki fell to World No. 63. What a comeback!


 Even so, this week didn’t save the PGA Tour’s anticlimactic start to the year. Soly officially adds himself to the list of people who yearn for Jon Rahm and other energizing LIV defectors.


The West Coast swing is over, and it’s hard to feel like it catalyzed much of the PGA Tour season. The stars haven’t won and the mules are running rampant.


 Randy’s Valentine, Willy Z, and fellow back injury sufferer was Hideki’s greatest challenger. The guys get into a conversation about what makes Will Zalatoris’ game so captivating – and Randy relates to Willy Z’s putting struggles.

Since we’re all rallying behind Willy Z, why do we gravitate toward certain players. Is it all off the course? Is it all game? Body language?

 Hot take time: Willy Z is winning a major this year! -Soly (Quick, everyone, bookmark this!)

Emo Patrick Cantlay is insufferable. And he’s slow. And he played like garbage. This is the best way I can sum up KVV’s rant. We know he can be pensive! It’d be nice to see more of that.


 Scottie is cooked until the putting is fixed. This is slowly becoming the most frustrating in golf. The “I can fix” him reaction from Soly and frustration from Soly just feels like a bad relationship. It’s time to start seeing other golfers, Soly. What happened to your Valentine, Sahith?

his way out of the Genesis Invitational? Seems legit, but also, there’s every reason to feel like it wasn’t either.

Where does he go from now and between the Masters? He DID say he’d play once a month, after all.


Let’s talk about the Spieth DQ. Is it valid? Should players be responsible for keeping their own scores? Uh, yeah. There’s A LOT of deliberation and down-time between shots.

Where Spieth went wrong is there was a reported discrepancy between Spieth and Tom Kim’s cards. Spieth allegedly had the runs, so he ran signed and ran off.

Other items from Riviera: The fourth hole stinks. Public defender Randy steps in once again to argue that it’s fine.

Viewership is proving fragmentation has adversely affected public interest. The Tour is trying its best, and the public indifference to golf on the CW is obvious. Sigh.

and interesting camera angles from the week! Yes, we’re still getting used to the lack of a coverage gap.

 Viktor, step up! Let the answer to his short-game woes go but has struggled to get it going this year.


KVV notes that sure, Viktor might wait to peak at the right time, but he’s too young to save his good play exclusively for the majors.

(1:46:00) OTHER HEADLINES: SUSPICIOUS CAT BEHAVIOR, TAVATANAKIT WINS


David Puig won on the Asian Tour to grab a spot in the Open Championship. If you remember, Puig was an Arizona State two-time All-American who left to LIV after his junior year.

The LPGA returns for its first Asia Swing in a few weeks.

The Phoenix Open is conducting an operational audit.

Oh yeah, before we forget: The Cat and Gary Woodland peeped into JT’s bag to figure out what he was hitting. The Cat signals that JT’s hitting an 8-iron from Gary Woodland. You’re allowed to check inside of someone’s a bag, but are you allowed to communicate that to a playing partner?

 Soly previews his week at the Gasparilla Invitational and provides an update on his game! We’ll be releasing another film room following his adventure.

No Laying Up