Masters Week Fever

April 7th, 2026

Masters Week is here, and we’re running full speed at Augusta vibes. We start with the tradition that might be more exclusive than the tournament itself: the Champions Dinner. Who shows up, what the menu says about the winner, and why that Tuesday night slot is the one reservation you never miss. From there we hit a few Masters fun facts, plus the weird feeling of a Masters where some of the usual headline names aren’t part of the week. 
 
Then we close the book on March Madness the way fans actually do it: with opinions, bracket pain, and one “game of the year” matchup that turned into a boat race. We talk through how our Bald Guys on the Bench bracket challenge shook out, why people swear pools are rigged when the same names finish near the top, and how much more fun sports get when bragging rights are on the line. 
 
Once we’re back inside the ropes at Augusta National, we get into the real stuff: course conditions, why firm fast greens change everything, and how trends like world ranking can shape Masters betting picks. We run through the Masters all-time money list, then dive into our tier pool decisions and the names we keep circling, from Jon Rahm to Bryson DeChambeau, plus steady plays like Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick, and longer-shot paths to a top finish. We wrap with the kind of Masters stories that hit you in the gut, like amateurs earning a tee time and kids getting a once-in-a-lifetime moment at Drive, Chip and Putt. 
 
If you like golf, sports betting, Masters pools, and the chaos that only Augusta can create, hit play. Subscribe, share the show with a golf buddy, and leave us a review. Who are you taking to win it all this year?

#baldguysonthebench #graboneandcrackone #themasters 

Transcript

Masters Week Energy And Banter

Graham 0:00

Welcome to another episode of the Bald Guys on the Bench podcast with your hosts Graham Cohen and Scott Wasco. What's up, everyone? Welcome back to another episode of the Bald Guys on the Bench. Scotty Wah. The week is here. It's finally Master's Week. How you doing, brother?

Scott 0:23

Dude, it is here. And you know what happened about four hours ago? What? That little dinner that the champion gets to host. Yes. How good is that?

Graham 0:36

One of the most exclusive dinners on the planet.

Scott 0:40

And somehow, somehow, this is the 10th anniversary of the worst Masters champion ever. Danny Willett gets a seat at that god dang table. Oh, I was gonna bring that up too. You know, TP and I were talking about it last night, about being the 10th anniversary of this, and he goes, Are you more mad at Jordan Speith for hitting 37 balls in the water or Danny Willett winning? And I just responded with a big old fat yes. But, you know, anyhow, it's time. Uh we got a fun show. We got March Madness to wrap up. Uh we got Masters Week, dude. I mean, oh I just got chills thinking about it. Wow. But before we grab one and crack one, I just got this egg. Oh god. Grab it, crack it.

Graham 1:38

Yeah, no one's hearing it. It's playing in your ears. No, it's not. I don't hear it. You don't hear that? No. Boo! Just like the Wolverines, unimpressive, but they still won. Oh, unimpressive. Yeah.

Scott 1:55

Yeah. We'll get into that in a little while as a boat race. Well, yeah, unimpressive. Okay. Um, anyhow. I mean, can we start putting Arizona in the same category as Gonzaga? Wow.

Graham 2:08

Wow.

Scott 2:11

I mean, how many one seeds have they had? I mean, yes, Arizona has won a national championship, but can we start putting them in that same category?

Graham 2:20

Oh man, I can't remember the last time. I mean, it's just like, you know, the five times Michigan basketball has been relevant in the last 25 years. I mean, isn't it just great that they're relevant now during you have during the time you have a podcast? Sheesh.

Scott 2:35

Hey, hey, I'm just gonna say this to respond to what you just said. When is the last time Penn State has been relevant in basketball?

Graham 2:45

Never, but they're not a basketball school. They dominate in volleyball, they dominate in wrestling, they dominate in many other sports. They just don't dominate in basketball. There's just certain schools, have certain sports. Basketball is not one of them.

Scott 3:00

Um, let's move on, dude. I don't even, we'll get into that shit in a little. I mean, whatever, dude. How was your weekend, dude? Uh I mean, uh you left me speechless with that. I mean, you're welcome. Volleyball? Volleyball?

Graham 3:19

Uh that's the first thing that came out. I don't know. I hey if we want to look up a Google, how many national championships school wide does Michigan have versus Penn State? That'd be a good question.

Scott 3:36

Well, we're about to get another one this weekend with the frozen four.

Weekend Recaps And Early Brackets

Graham 3:40

We shall see. We shall see. Um, but anyway, back to my weekend. Weekend was chaotic. That being Easter weekend, work doubles both Saturday and Sunday. Uh it, you know, look, it was good being there making that money. It the only thing that was a little rough for me was there's a little stomach flu that was going around with some of the people at work. I happened to catch a little bit of it, uh, worked through it, you know, made no one sick or anything. I mean, it wasn't like I was, you know, dripping, you know, nose dripping all over the place and anything like that, but it it was just to the point where, you know, my energy was low, and it was just like, all right, once Sunday night was over, I'm just like, this next two days are not gonna be great. And yesterday was pretty miserable, but today I'm sucking it up. Here I am, and that's all I can say about that. So, Scott, how was your weekend?

Scott 4:31

It was good, dude. Uh was off Saturday and Sunday, had to go into work yesterday to the club for a rules thing with with their ladies, but uh dude, the weather was awesome. Uh kicked off the weekend with, you know, it was kind of wild. Yukon ladies, right? I hadn't lost a game all week, all year. And I turned the game on, and I'm like, Kristen's like, why do you have ladies basketball? And I'm like, Because they're getting ready to lose. They're getting boat raced by South Carolina, and right in time we get to see what? Gino act like a bitch. Dude, I mean, wow, you want to talk about wild? And he blamed it on a non-handshake thing, and then dude, the craziest part was he issued an apology and didn't even name her in the apology. Dawn. I mean, it was like obviously somebody wrote it for him, but dude. The funny thing about it was uh the sideline, somebody on the sideline had uh their own recording of it, and she's like, I'll whip Gino's ass. You know what? I believe her. I believe her. Dallas Staley whipped that old man's ass, dude.

Graham 5:52

I mean, she might pull a shull a shiv out. That's about it. I didn't know she'd beat no ass. Come on now. An Italian guy, you think an Italian guy's gonna let a black woman beat his ass? As old as that guy is? She ain't no spring chicken.

Michigan Rolls Arizona In Semis

Bracket Challenge Drama And Apologies

Scott 6:06

Dude, she's half his age, she'd hit him twice before he even doing. The old saying, she'd be giving him so many rights, begging for a left. I mean, come on. Shit. But anyhow, dude, whatever. UConn loses. And, you know, the next game, oh my god, UCLA. Well, I don't even want to talk. We'll talk about the championship. We're all, you know, championship game on Easter Sunday, and I'm over at Kristen's parents for Easter brunch, and we're talking about it, and like, yeah, I don't think UCLA has a chance. Oh, god dang, boy, this shit were we wrong. I mean, UCLA boat raced the shit out of them. But, you know, other than that, you know, played a little G on uh Saturday. It was hot here, went over to my grandfather's club over in P Town with my boy Parker, and played a little golf. It was good, had some fun. Uh then just came home and you know, got ready for national semifinals. You know, game one was what was it? Uh Yukon and Illinois. And didn't disappoint, you know, it was a fun night of basketball. And then, you know, the matchup everybody wanted to see, not just you and I, but like we said in the preview, the national championship game was gonna be what we hoped for in Arizona and Michigan. Yeah. And we got to see it, dude. And I think the line was one and a half, Michigan was favored by one and a half. Money line was like pretty much even. I think Michigan was like minus 115, and Arizona was minus 105. I mean, we were everybody was hyping it up. This is gonna be the game. This could be the greatest semifinal game ever. The hype was real, Arizona wasn't. I mean, the game was over quick, dude. Quick, and that's with the Big Ten player of the year getting hurt and not playing a lot, dude. I I mean, he came back in in the second half, but dude, it was a 16-point lead at halftime. And I'm like, wow. I was shocked. Like, I thought I thought it was gonna be one of those, oh my god, we're biting fingernails to the last second thing. And another part of the fun was, you know, the bald guys on the bench bracket challenge, it came down to that game. And if Arizona won, Grammar Police, aka Andy won the bracket challenge, and if Michigan won, my son wins. And it was fun, right? I mean, I mean, it came down to that. Yeah, dude. But and real quick, thank you to everybody that supported the bracket challenge and had fun with it. And I'm gonna go ahead and be the first one to do it. Graham can do it after me. T P public apology riffed on you from the first, you know, the first weekend. Saying everything it was a tight, it was a tight bracket, unless your name was Tyler Prickin. We laughed, had some jokes. You even texted me, you were like, Yeah, well, TP ended up coming back and uh finishing higher than your boy Graham over there. And you know, pretty wild. Uh and I'm just gonna say, you know, before you can say whatever you want, I got a couple texts from Greg, Shane's dad from my flag team, and he's like, This shit's rigged. You and Kellen, Kellen comes in first, you come in second. And I'm like, hey, how about my sister came in third? You know, Wasco's dominate, you're right, you're welcome.

Graham 9:47

Yeah, it's uh kind of interesting considering you pretty much all had the same picks that you just stole from the internet from this guy that normally gets all the picks correct. So it's kind of hmm, kind of amazing how all three Wasco uh entries were so similar. You could have why would I write off the cocktails of someone else? What isn't it the point of making your own picks? I picked my champion. No, I understand that, but you picked them based off someone else's choices. Hey, did you lose? I don't care. I couldn't win anyway. I took second place last year. I'm just saying, look, I'm holding my head high because I actually made my own picks. I didn't go online and see, oh, who does this person p think is gonna make it and then follow their picks. Did Kellen make any of his own picks?

Scott 10:36

Yes, he did. He did. Absolutely. Besides the final four. Absolutely. That's how he beat me. Because him and I were one and two. Yeah. Still. Yeah, still. Anyhow.

Graham 10:49

And to TP, you're also right in his coattails. I'm just gonna say this. I had more total wins and games picked win just because the point value increases the farther you go. Okay, congratulations. You picked, you joined Scott's bandwagon and you picked Michigan. Because I know you pay absolutely no attention to college basketball. Congratulations. Who had more wins picked? Your boy did. So I'll just I'll hold my head high up.

Scott 11:17

I'll look right now. I'm gonna look at something right now. Oh, okay. Games picked. Uh, I'm gonna look at where's TP, Angels fan. He his winning percentage was 86.6.

Graham 11:30

Okay.

Scott 11:31

Where's Graham? I I didn't forget. Uh 61.9%. I don't buy that. So I mean, write it down, take a picture. I don't give up. I mean haters gonna hate, hate, haters gonna hate.

Graham 11:48

Well, yeah, considering I had both teams in the I mean, I only had one. No, I think I had two of the final four teams. And neither of the teams I had in the championship. So yeah. You had Arizona to win at all. Yeah, well, that's what I'm saying. So I only had two in the final four, and neither of them made it to the championship.

Scott 12:09

That's all I have was two in the final four.

Graham 12:12

I think I think. I mean, I'm not looking at it, so whatever. Like I said, right other people's coattails, congratulations. Anyhow, uh, like I said, it was a fun tournament.

March Madness Wrap And Broadcast Gripes

Scott 12:25

The best team did win. And, you know, it is what it is. March Madness is over. The worst part about it, dude, who didn't we get to hear on the call last night?

Graham 12:38

Dick Vitel. Got him.

Scott 12:44

Yeah, you did. You got me real bigger, just like last week when never mind.

Graham 12:50

Oh, let me guess. Is it is it your man crush? Yeah.

Scott 12:54

Jimmy. Dude. This whole CBS and Paramount, I didn't realize it until yesterday that they alternate the championship game being on the CBS, and then last night it was what? T T, I think, or TBS or whatever. Dude, that's fucked, man. Having Jim Nance not calling it on Monday night of Master's Week.

Graham 13:19

Yeah, but what if he would have called it and you guys would have lost? You gotta look at it that way. I don't care, dude. I don't care. It's Jim Nance, bro. So you would have rather listened to Jim Nance and had your Wolverines lose than not listen to Jim Nance and then win.

Scott 13:34

Dude, the way Jim Nance takes you in to the one shining moment.

Graham 13:40

I don't disagree with his commentary skills. I I I I understand what you're saying. I'm just saying sometimes things happen for a reason. That's all I'm saying.

Scott 13:50

So, real quick about Jim Nance, right? Yesterday I I mentioned I had to do that rules thing at the club for the ladies. Well, they also asked me to do a little master's trivia for the ladies before we got into the rules just to make it fun since it's Master's Week, right? So I'm talking about, you know, the first slide on my PowerPoint is Jim Nance, a tradition like no other. And we're talking about it, and then we started talking about the hello friends. And, you know, we all know why Jim Nance says that. I'm not gonna bore anybody with the details, but I told them that, and one lady literally looks at me and she goes, Scott, I just figured it out, and I'm like, What's that? And she goes, Every one of the emails you send out for golf, you start off with hello friends, and I'm like, Of course.

Graham 14:42

Oh my god.

Scott 14:43

Dude, my voicemail in my office, hello friends, dude. You know, I everybody knows that listens. The guy is has my dream job.

Graham 14:55

Yeah, well, I mean, you and you and a lot of other people, but yes.

Scott 14:59

Well, yeah, but I mean, it's just, and the guy's a good dude, and whatever, but you know, it was just fun at Master's Week. Uh anyhow, I mean, anything else you want to say about Marsh Madness? Uh oh, Carolina hit hired a head coach. Yeah, kind of blew me away. Blew me away. What's his name? Hey, something alone, right?

Graham 15:23

Oh my god, you don't even know his name.

Scott 15:25

That's because I don't I'm not an NBA guy. But hey, everybody seems to like it. Uh yeah, he's a damn good coach. Yeah. Uh I'm stoked, but I mean, even the hoodie showed up today at his press conference. I was like, what?

Graham 15:46

You know, since you brought his name up, did you hear or see uh Pat McAfee show the other day? So they were interviewing Shoshevsky.

Scott 15:57

Yeah, when the announcement came out.

Graham 15:59

Yeah, when the so the announcement comes out and he's just like, oh, hmm. And Shoshevsky's basically is like, well, you know, UNC hired a very decorated pro football coach, and look how that program's doing right now. So, you know, it is what it is. I was like, wow, Coach K, throw in the shade. Let's go.

Scott 16:20

Hey, Mike. How does how that last game? Well, whatever.

Graham 16:26

Hey, hey, beat a dead horse. All right, whatever.

Scott 16:28

Hey, as a Carolina fan, I can beat it till the day I die.

Graham 16:33

Hey, you still got more dumbs, whatever.

Scott 16:37

We're not even getting into it. Yeah, it's Master's Week. Hey, hey, what what it's Tuesday.

Graham 16:42

What one thing one thing I do want to finish, and I want to say thank you to Google. Um Penn State has roughly in between 30, I'm sorry, 53 to 57 national championships among all programs. Michigan is 39 to 40. So suck it. All right, back to Mass.

Masters Fun Facts And Missing Legends

Scott 17:04

Okay, does volleyball really compare to football, basketball? Uh I mean, are we talking about underwater basket weaving? Or are we talking like you know, you are trying to mural intramural? I mean, if you're a real sports program, you dominate in the major sports. No, in the sports that you care about. Football, basketball, hockey, and football, not underwater basket weaving. And okay. You know what else Penn State leads in? Little boys showering with coaches. Mic drop, I'm out. The end. Next topic, Master's Week. You're welcome. Wow. That's how you end that conversation, real quick. Uh yeah.

Graham 17:45

You're welcome. First off, they were in college, number one. Number two, uh whatever. Just stop trying to stop. I'm not defending him. I'm just saying.

Scott 17:55

I'm just saying. Oh man. Oh god, I'm weak. Uh, real quick, as we get on to Masters Week, I got a fun fact for everybody. Okay, Graham, don't take a sip of your beer when I say this. Uh, everybody out there knows Graham is Jewish.

Graham 18:14

Well, okay.

Scott 18:16

There are three Jewish players in the Masters. Two of them have the same first name.

Graham 18:25

Don't tell me to ask to figure out who they are.

Scott 18:28

Oh, okay. No, I'm not, because we don't have 30 minutes. Uh Daniel Berger. Okay. Max Max Gracerman. That sounds about right. And Max Homa. Wow. Stat of the day, right there for you. How about that? Another fun fact for you. This one's gonna blow your mind. Okay, you ready? First Masters since 1994 that neither Tiger or Phil will be playing in.

Graham 18:59

I I mean I get Tiger, but Phil, I'm st I'm still something's going on. Yeah. Even if you're not gonna play, why not just show your face? So you're telling me he's not there tonight at the dinner?

Scott 19:18

Didn't sound like it, dude.

Graham 19:19

Why would you not be there for the dinner? I don't know. I mean, from what everyone says, that's I mean I mean, I just saw a uh thing on YouTube the other day where they were interviewing Fred couples, and he basically said that it's just like, hey man, the best thing about Bastards Week, especially for him, is you know, doing the dinner. And he said, you know, from the be you know, when the Masters Dinner started, like, yeah, they were nice, but it wasn't until like the last what do you say, like 20, 30 years where when people started well, really it was with you know Arnie and Jack telling the stories and things like that, and then once once it became more story time and jokes and things like that, where it became more fun, and surprisingly, when I heard this interview, take a wild guess what you would think good old Freddie thought his favorite master's dinner was.

Scott 20:14

I hope it wasn't Danny Willis. It's yeah because T P and I were looking at that last night, and Bubba Watson. I mean I'm gonna say Freddie was probably all over Hadeki.

Graham 20:26

How do you yes, was it? It was because and he said I quote It was hibachi, right? Well, no, it's not the food itself. He gave a speech, a 15-minute speech all in English, and he said he was so blown away by that that it just made it one of his most favorite master dinners ever.

Scott 20:47

So TP and I were talking about this last night, right? Because, like I told you last night, you and I have done our master's dinner, champion's dinner for the last three years, right? So I figured let's ask some people that are loyal to us and listen to the show all the time.

Graham 21:01

Yeah.

Scott 21:02

Okay. So I asked TP, and then we were talking about it, and he was like, dude, how about Hadeki with the full on hibachi? Can you imagine him throwing out there the onion volcano? I was like, and then I was like, and then the egg roll. And then he's like, he goes, Could you imagine some Japanese hibachi dude tossing a piece of fried rice across the table to Fred Ridley and be like, hey, catch? And I was like, I said it like an Asian, sorry, we're not racist here. Hey Fred, open white. Dude, dude, we're dying. It was uh we were dying, and then he's like we're talking about for Bubba and you know, whatever. But dude, what a night, you know. You have that dinner reservation for the rest of your life on Tuesdays of Master's Week.

Graham 21:58

If there's one Reservation you're never missing the rest of your life.

Scott 22:02

Oh that's it. Oh Especially once you're one of these dudes that are retired and not playing.

Graham 22:10

Oh my god.

Scott 22:11

Dude, dude, they just sit there and rack up Rory's bill with these two thousand dollar bottles of wine. Hey, keep 'em coming. I ain't playing tomorrow. I get to sleep in. Let's go. Rack it up.

Graham 22:22

Oh, my grandson's being born. Yeah, I'll be there tomorrow.

Champions Dinner Menus And Jokes

Scott 22:26

Yeah. So let's jump into it since we're on the dinner. So TP, I was like, give me your appetizer, main course and dessert, right? TP throws out there choice of bacon wrapped jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and some kind of sushi roll. Caesar salad. And then I knew he was going to say it because he goes, Cali burrito. Just kidding. He was like, probably a marbled age bone-in ribeye topped with balsamic, uh, side of baked potato loaded with asparagus, dessert, New York cheesecake topped with strawberries and a chocolate drizzle.

Graham 23:02

Fair enough. Amen at it. Amen.

Scott 23:04

And and like he said at the end, in honor of Mr. Tyler Britton. That's the best thing when they put the menu out there. When they say, Dude, that's what they say.

Graham 23:14

I know they do. I know.

Scott 23:16

Well, then why are you laughing?

Graham 23:18

I'm laughing. I'm laughing, not to cut you off. Did you hear what Rory said when they were? He's at the press conference today, and they asked him, like, so uh how come we notice you did you didn't put a lot of Irish food on the menu? And he's like, Because I wanted to enjoy the meal. Duh. I was duh when I heard that.

Scott 23:39

Hey, hey, straight facts from Rory right there, dude. Straight facts, man. Oh my god, that's amazing. So, Jerry, Jerry, I asked him, his wife is from Thailand, and he sends me his champions dinner, and it's like eight pages long. And I'm like, bro, come on. I asked you for three things appetizer, main course, and dessert. I mean, I sent it to you, you saw it.

Graham 24:07

Uh it's like the cliff notes from you know, if a chef is opening up his book, like, we don't need all that. Just tell us what it is, not how it's prepared, what course, you know, the all this other stuff.

Scott 24:20

Not not not, I want to see your typing, not some copy and paste shit from a website. Cliff notes. But anyhow, appetizers, grilled skewers of marinated chicken, typically skewed, served with peanut sauce and cucumber relish, spring rolls, crispy, deep fried rolls, wontons, and then the first course, chicken coconut soup, and a choice of pad thai, chicken, pork, or shrimp. Okay, can't beat some pad thai. I mean, I ain't mad at it. Ain't mad at it at all? At all. At all. And then my boy Chris Reinert out there on a boat, keeping us safe. Can't wait till he gets back so I can take his money on the golf course. I actually got some wedges for him, dude. Some Taylor made wedges, got his name all over him, waiting for him to get back. It's gonna be fun to kick his ass on the golf course with when he's playing my own clubs. But anyhow, uh Chris goes full seafood tower, dude. Lobster tail, shrimp, crab, the works for the appetizer. Dinner, bone in ribeye, baked potatoes, roasted busel sprouts, and then dinner, strawberry cheesecake, New York style. I mean, classic. Can't beat it, right? I just figured let's get somebody else on here to do it since you and I we all know where we're going. I mean, you know, Graham's having his pecan pie. We all know that. We all know homeboy's having red velvet.

Graham 25:47

I mean, I mean, I've been getting I'm not gonna lie, this uh sticky toffee pudding has been uh or you know, or bread pudding I've been seeing a lot recently and at some different restaurants here in Las Vegas have been pretty pretty pretty tasty. But uh, you know, I might switch it up, but can't go wrong with peacon.

Scott 26:06

Yeah. So saw something yesterday. I figured we'd chat about it tonight, be fun, entertaining, give us something to chat about. Oh, hit me. Okay. Masters top ten all-time money list. Oh, dude. And it's and the thing about it that sucks is how much more money modern day players are making, obviously, at Augusta. Yeah. Versus the old. So as we go through this list, think modern players. Okay. Don't think Jack, because god dang, if Jack was making what these dudes were making, we all know where he would be. Oh, for sure. Right? I mean, number one, number one's kind of crazy. But if you think about it, you're looking it up. I see. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not. Number one's kind of crazy.

Graham 27:00

I mean, if we're going money.

Scott 27:02

If you go, if you go back and think about it, it's not crazy. Man. It's not who you think it is. Who you think it is is number two, and that's Tiger.

Graham 27:14

No, I mean, I wouldn't well, just because he's been so um I mean Phil. I mean Bingo. Phil's number one. Yeah. Just because of the I mean, he won it semi-recently, and then he's won it a couple times. I mean, if we're going top ten, if I'm gonna shoot off a couple names here, I mean, I would think Bubba.

Scott 27:38

Bubba is number 10. Speath? Speeth is number six.

Graham 27:46

Um what about uh uh Usezen? Nope. Oh wow uh Jason, no, he hasn't won it. Number five hasn't won it either. He hasn't won it. It's not he doesn't play there that often. I'm thinking oh, what about um oh wow, I can't think of all these guys. Um the dude that's married to Paulina Gretzky. What's uh uh Johnson? Dustin.

Scott 28:23

Yeah, he's number he's number nine. Okay.

Graham 28:26

Um I'm just trying to look at names. I'm just trying to look at names. Dude, you haven't you haven't said the the two like most obvious ones blindside me with all these Well, it's not it's not a quiz.

Scott 28:38

We're talking about chatting.

Graham 28:40

Uh Adam Scott.

Scott 28:44

Nope. He was number 11. Wow. I know. Uh but remember, I mean, when he won, it was it was yeah, it was a while ago, yeah. Yeah, I mean, yeah, Phil's number one, but you know, he's finished up there all the time and some dubs.

Graham 29:02

Yeah.

Scott 29:02

Come on, come on. You're you're defending champion.

Graham 29:06

Oh. Scheffler.

Scott 29:09

No, that's Rory.

Graham 29:11

Rory, yes.

Scott 29:12

We'll still Rory's number three. Well, I mean Scheffler's number four. Yeah. But number five is still a good one because he's never won. Uh he's lost in two playoffs. Oh wow. So this is probably an older player? No. Well, older by age, but in the field this week. And has won this year on tour. Justin Rose. Think about that. How good has his career been at Augusta? Yeah. Lost to Sergio in a playoff and lost to the city.

Graham 29:50

Yeah, because I said Scott, then I was like, I already said him, but yeah, Rose, because I was like, yeah. Well, when you said one this year, I'm like, wait a minute.

Scott 29:56

Yeah. Like so and the and to fill the rest out, you you you're missing to uh Patrick Reed, winner comes in the top five every god dang year.

Graham 30:07

I would have got there eventually, but yeah.

Scott 30:09

And and Rom. Yeah.

Graham 30:11

Wow.

Scott 30:13

Yeah.

Graham 30:14

Just because he's won, but then he's played pretty decent the last couple. I mean, I guess.

Scott 30:18

Yeah. Top five last year. Uh I mean, and I'm surprised.

Graham 30:23

And where was Bubba?

Scott 30:26

Bubba was ten. Wow. But remember when he won, the purse is.

Graham 30:31

Yeah, but the purse difference is what, a million dollars?

Scott 30:34

Yeah, but he's only played there well twice. Well, winning twice.

Graham 30:39

Well, yeah.

Scott 30:40

Yeah.

Masters Money List And Betting Picks

Graham 30:41

Yeah, but Speed won there twice once. Okay. Yeah. But hey, there we go. Yeah.

Scott 30:49

So, dude, I don't even know where to start. How do you how do you like Rosie, by the way? Just side tangent. How do you not? I he's one of my picks in the pool. In tier two.

Graham 31:04

How do you not? I mean, I'm looking at tier two right now. That's what I was looking at, just to get the you know, these names. And dude, tier two is brutal. And folks, we're talking we're talking about this uh master's bracket that uh one of his buddies does, and tier one is disgusting. I mean, there's ten guys to I love so many people in tier one. Well, I mean, let's but let's go down the list. You got Scheffler, Rom, McElroy, D.Chambeau, Ludvig, Shoffley, Cameron Young, Fleetwood, Fitzpatrick, Morikawa. The only person I don't like is Morakawa. Yeah. I mean, personally, I mean, I remember doing these multiple years ago, and there'd be even a few less guys. I mean, I could take three of these guys and put them in tier two. Personally.

Scott 32:00

Dude, I I I just I'm not taking Rory. No. Nobody, nobody wins it back to back. I can make a a point to pick Scotty. He shows up there and he's the man. Rom. Rom, who I've already bet on to win. Uh Bryson. The course is supposed to be playing as firm and as fast as it's ever played.

Graham 32:27

Yeah. Also, no rain this week.

Scott 32:30

Yeah, that thing's kept and obvious. That's why it plays firm and fast. Uh, where did Bryson win? Pinehurst played as firm and as fast as we've ever seen in the US Open. Ludvig, not sure I have a lot of confidence in him after the last couple times he's you know been in contention. With that being said, I hope he gets the dub for Joey. Uh Xander, dude, love him. Cam Young, love him. Fleetwood, love him. And my pick that I've already bet on, Fitzpatrick.

Graham 33:05

Yeah, I mean, he's been playing solid. Rehears, Bitsy, dude. Solid.

Scott 33:10

I mean, dude, I I don't know. It's gonna be fun. It's you know, if you read all the shit out there, everybody's got their stats about this, about that, their age. You know, the average age is 32, and you know, shots gained approach, and have they made the cut in the the previous year and all these things, and you know, I don't know if I sent it to you or not, but after all that criteria, uh basically it said, what'd it say? Uh when it comes down to it, one of these guys is gonna win, and it's Xander, Fitzpatrick, or Fleetwood after all those stats. I like Fleetwood, ball striker. I mean, but does he putt good enough? Uh tier tier two, dude. How do you not take Hadeki? I know it's hard because you got Rose and you got Speath in there, and you got Patrick Reed who always plays well there, but Hadeki's never missed a cut there.

Graham 34:16

Yeah. That's what's so tough with these when you're picking guys per tier.

Scott 34:21

Like, yeah, when you're picking that's what makes it fun.

Graham 34:26

Yeah. Well, no, that's what makes you want to do 12 entries. Maybe not 12, but you know, four at least.

Scott 34:34

I mean, I don't know. And I don't know. But as we're talking about this, your favorite, Graham. You know, we always do the favorite and long shot, and by favorite we mean I guess you can take anybody in tier one or tier two. Well, uh. And by long shot, you can take anybody in tier three on.

Graham 35:04

I mean I'm rooting for Bryson. I'd like to see him get it done there. Um, I kind of have a sneaky suspicion about Fitzpatrick as well, just because he's been playing so damn consistent. You know, he has he has a great short game, and if you're playing at the Masters, you need to have a great short game.

Scott 35:30

And by the way and by great short game, you're talking about a guy that chips and pitches cross-handed.

Graham 35:38

Yeah. Hey, if it works. Hey, if it works.

Scott 35:44

Last time I was there in 2024, dude, I literally followed him for four holes just watching him hit short game shots around the greens because I was just mind-blown watching him do it cross-handed. You know, I'm so are you going Fitzpatrick? No, no, I'm going Bryson. Going Bryson. You're going Bryson. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. That's your favorite. Long shot. You said three down. Um yeah.

Graham 36:11

I mean, I dude, I've I've been all over him.

Scott 36:18

Uh I know exactly where you're going. You're going astray.

Graham 36:23

Yes. I mean, will he win? Probably not, but I like a top ten.

Scott 36:29

Why won't he? I I mean he's he's a lefty. Lefties play Augusta pretty well. Yeah.

Graham 36:34

I mean, he's been dialed in this year.

Scott 36:37

Uh Bubba Phil?

Graham 36:39

Yeah.

Scott 36:40

Uh who else?

Graham 36:45

Is this a quiz or my business?

Scott 36:50

Lefty Mike Weir. Oh, yeah, because that's the one I remember. Uh he's almost as bad as god dang Danny Willard.

Graham 36:58

No, no, no, no, no. Mike Weir is a much more complete player. He's one more, he's a far greater player than Danny Willett ever was. Let's let's not jump over the deep end here.

Scott 37:10

I'm not saying he's the greatest. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Mike Weir, that I even put you in the same sentence as Danny Willard.

Graham 37:16

Yeah.

Scott 37:16

I apologize to all the Canadian Mike Mike Weir fans. OA. I'll phone my mom and apologize, my bad. Alright, so you're going astray. Uh, dude, I've got so many people in tier one I love.

Graham 37:40

Yeah, because there's ten great choices.

Scott 37:43

But the name that keeps coming back to me, John Rom.

Graham 37:49

He's been playing consistent on the live, you know. He's I mean, I love it.

Scott 37:57

Yeah, he's my favorite. I mean, I do have bets on a lot of people in this tier one to win the goddamn Masters on DraftKings, but uh so you just need one of them to basically cover all Hell yeah, let's go.

Graham 38:12

I got 20 bets, I just need one of them to hit. Then I break even.

Scott 38:17

Dude, and tier three or beyond, there's some guys you could go with, but I really like this dude because he rolls the shit out of it, and he plays hard golf courses well.

Graham 38:36

And that's Sam Burns.

Scott 38:39

Yeah, could could have won at Oakmont last year, but got a shitty rolling, whatever. One of the best putting strokes on tour. I don't know. I'm just excited, dude, because it's gonna be firm and fast. And no rain. Oh man. That place, goodness gracious.

Graham 39:01

Alright, so let's take a look at tier two. We got Rosie, Speeth, Kepka, Matsuyama, McIntyre, Godarup. I can't believe Patrick Reed's in tier two. I mean, I get it because of how well he plays there. I get it, but he also, since now defecting from Liv in the DP, now now is only playing on the tour. He hasn't played in how many months?

Scott 39:24

Patrick Reed's one of those guys that show up to Augusta.

Graham 39:28

I get it. I get it.

Scott 39:29

I'm just it's like Phil. It's like Freddie being old when Freddie remember when he had the cut streak going? Yeah. Freddie shows up to Augusta and he's like, oh man, I'm like 25 years old. Yeah. Phil. I mean, Patrick Reed last year, holes out for Eagle and 17. Get your boy in the cash in this pool we're talking about.

Graham 39:51

Yeah.

Scott 39:51

Top five. Yeah, right. I think. I don't remember exactly. But yeah, tier two. It's almost as hard as tier one just because you can make a statement in the case. It's his first time.

Graham 40:06

Yeah.

Scott 40:07

I like him, but what about Hovlin? First time. Get the F out of here. I did I knew you were gonna say that. I just wanted to see what you're gonna say. Get out of here.

Graham 40:15

Get out of here. Alright. What about what about JT? Nope. I I'd love to see him do it. Wow. So you're really in like the top five five guys. Rose, Speath, Kepco. I love Rose. Yeah. McIntyre. I I would probably I'd probably pick Rose if I was gonna do it.

Scott 40:36

Yeah. That's who I picked in the in my first entry. But I love Speath. He fits the criteria of being 32 years old.

Graham 40:47

Yeah.

Scott 40:48

I mean, remember the guy had a four-shot lead until he didn't. Yeah.

Graham 40:56

Yeah.

Scott 40:57

For back-to-back. I don't know. Patrick Reed. It's hard. Kepka, I want to make a case for him. But it's tough. When you have all those other guys, right?

Graham 41:12

Uh well, folks, this is the Masters. It's not like, oh, we're playing it's Yeah. It's not the middle of the year John Deere Classic over here, okay?

Scott 41:24

Sorry, Badger. I know that's your like.

Graham 41:29

But I mean you know, I I kind of like uh this tier three. We got Si Wu Kim has been playing pretty nice this year. Minwoo Lee has been pretty decent. You know, my boy Akshay. What about Jake Knapp?

Scott 41:50

Right? Guy's got talent. Guy's got talent. Shane Lowry. Yeah. And a long shot, dude. His world rank. The guy just straight stripes it until he gets on the greens. If the guy made half the putts, Corey Connors. Yeah. One of the one of the best ball strikers out there. I don't know, dude. Uh it's tough, man. Uh it's hard. It's why it's called a pool. And it's right called having fun. And you know. Right. I don't know. I mean, spawn got the dub last week, world rant five.

Graham 42:34

Oh, we did. I missed that.

Augusta Conditions Plus Tier Selections

Scott 42:36

Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, and just how about this, dude? My new company that sponsors me, Puma, back-to-back wins on tour, Woodland, then spawn. Let's go. Okay. Let's go. Too bad Rick's not in the field because we could go for three in a row. But uh, uh, I mean, I don't know, dude. It it's it's gonna be a fun one, but something I was reading. Uh-oh. Winners winners at Augusta have not been outside of the top 25 in the world. Call it what you want.

Graham 43:13

How long has that gone back for?

Scott 43:15

Uh, last 10 years.

Graham 43:17

Yeah.

Scott 43:18

Yeah. And you can't you can't call Rom, oh, there you go, VGK, tie it up. You can't call Rom's world rank outside of the top 25 because we all know that shit's bullshit because of the yeah, and the PGA tour. Because his he's 30th, you know, whatever. You can't call that. Yeah. Bryson's Bryson's 24. Uh uh. I don't know, dude. Uh it's gonna be a fun event. I mean, Cam Young, I love the guy, he got that big dub at the players. How big was the rider cup for Cam Young? Yeah, his confidence. Yeah. You know.

Graham 44:00

I mean Yeah, I mean he can he can pound it. I'm just more worried about, you know, his putting it around the greens. I'm sorry, what? Yeah, I said it. Okay. Okay. I mean, we all have our opinions. That's what scares me about Fleetwood. Yeah.

Scott 44:24

Fleetwood is his his irons and his driver as good as anybody.

Graham 44:28

Yeah.

Scott 44:29

The fast ass greens scare me there.

Graham 44:33

But that's why I like Sam Burns, dude. But who'd you take in tier four? Because there's a name that stuck out to me. Let me find it. And maybe you and I are on the same wavelength here and see if this name stuck out to you as well.

Scott 44:54

I I went Rom in Tier 1, Rose in Tier 2, Astray 3, Adam Scott in Tier 4. Oh, close. Kidiyama in five, and Harris Inglison 6.

Graham 45:10

See, I was thinking uh I like Straca. He's been he's just been playing consistent this year. Totally agree. I mean, do I think he's gonna win? No, but if I'm doing this pool, do you do you think I'd see him in the top 20? I mean, look, if you can have six guys in the top 20, that's yeah, that's hopefully making money.

Scott 45:33

Like let's see, Azure, I don't know how he played last year.

Graham 45:44

Um did Reed finish third. Where does Stroka did? He where is he? I'm trying to find him. Oh, here's your boy Danny Willett.

Scott 45:59

Yeah, take him. I I dare ya. Um I don't think Stroka made the cut last year.

Graham 46:09

Really?

Scott 46:10

Yeah, Willett did though. Damn. That's bullshit. You're unbelievable. Um Harris English T12, Corey Connor is T eight.

Graham 46:29

Oh man. Patrick Reed third. Ludwig seven. I think I might go uh I think maybe tier five, maybe a little Maverick McNeely. Although wait, he hasn't played there. Wait, is this his first second or second year?

Scott 46:50

No, he he finished T32 last year. Yeah. Somebody I like also, no name guy.

Graham 47:02

Matt McCarty.

Scott 47:06

Always played well there. Yeah. T14 there last year. I don't know, dude. It's just gonna be a fun week. I mean, dude, it's Masters Week. What else can you say? Right? Except I'm pissed I'm not there.

Graham 47:26

Well, but I don't know. I'm just trying to think. I'm working Sunday morning, so by the time they start, the leaders will go off.

Scott 47:40

I should be able to be done with work by the time Yeah, dude, the leaders don't go off until like almost 2 30, 3 o'clock my time.

Graham 47:49

Yeah, that doesn't that's like that's still 11 my time. I'm going into work at 10. So I mean I'll be watching it on my phone at work, but hopefully I'll uh oh don't be don't be wrong. I'll be sneaking away to the TV. Don't worry.

Scott 48:06

Yeah, I just I don't I don't it's a hard one. I I just you love players for different reasons. You love players for your brain, you love players for your heart, you know who you want to win.

Graham 48:25

Yes, but also the Masters is the one place where you like to see drama, you like to see people moving up and down the board, especially once you the back nine hits, you know what I mean? Like, yeah uh like last year?

Scott 48:39

Yeah, I'm just saying, like when Rory's running away with it, and then all of a sudden he dumps an 80-yard shot and rays creek. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. You know what I mean? Like you see, you get to see last year. I mean, and I just remember last year. I don't I don't know if you were working or not. I remember driving back from Wilmington and get home, and it's like punch, punch, punch. Rory looks like he's running away with it. And then he does that. You see a champion hit one of the worst shots you've ever seen in your life, and then two holes later, you watch him hit one of the best shots you've maybe ever seen in your life at Augusta. Yeah. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, that's the second shot on 15 people. Yeah, that was and then his shot on 17. Was that any good? And then on the 72nd hole with the one shot lead, he's got a gap wedge in. He's got 20 yards right of the flag, and what's he do?

Graham 49:38

Fans it into the bunker, doesn't get up and down playoff. That's what I'm saying. We need the excitement.

Scott 49:50

Dude, it's Augusta. We're gonna see it. I am unless Scotty becomes Scotty. And, you know, had his kid, little Remy, did heard something today. It was hilarious. And I was like, wow, for people that aren't in my shoes or yours that have actually been there, going to Augusta's what? A bucket list vacation. Of course. Scheffler's kid that's nine days old has already been on property.

Graham 50:18

Well, when you put it like that, asshole. Think about that. I mean, like, think about that. We got people waiting their whole lifetimes.

Scott 50:30

Yeah. Is that any good?

Graham 50:35

I mean, I just hey, it's why they say Masters is the greatest place on earth. Or at least, you know, some of us do. I don't know.

Scott 50:51

Dude, and then and the fun stories, right? Of amateurs getting to play. How about a homeboy that's 39 years old, real estate agent, won the mid-am, teeing it up at Augusta?

Graham 51:07

And get to do it when it's in pristine. I mean, it's always pristine.

Scott 51:12

Yeah. I mean, is that any good? Hey. That's what's so fun about it. Badger texted me last night and called me today, bitching and moaning about how Romano and Fowler are in the field. And I'm like, dude, they didn't meet the qualifications. Yeah. You know? Yeah. Do I want him in? Of course I do. He finished 32nd last year. Didn't qualify for the tour championship. If he got in the tour championship, he's in the field. And you and I are doing this live from Augusta National. Well, I am. But Badger's like, this is bullshit. I'm like, how is he? He's better than you. Well, dude, he didn't meet the qualifications.

Graham 51:56

Yeah.

Scott 51:57

You know, it sucks. But I honestly believe last two weeks, he was obviously pressing. You and I know the situation, and what do you need to do to get in Augusta? You don't think Fowler knows?

Graham 52:10

Yeah, right.

Scott 52:11

You know, I truly believe it could be a good week off. He's in the field next week at the signature event at Hilton Head, Harbor Town. Watch out. It's not a course where you gotta bomb it. You gotta hit second shots. Yeah. But as we wrap up Masters Week, the episode, I gotta give a little shout out to a junior member at my last club, Greenbrier. Uh, Tyler Fink actually qualified and got to go to the drive chip and putt this past Sunday at Augusta. Is that any good? Yeah, right. Since you'd a little video 15 years old. Dude, I was thinking about these kids don't realize what they're doing and where they are. When they're 35, they're gonna be like, holy shit, I got to hit a putt on the 18th green at Augusta.

Graham 53:05

Oh, a hundred percent.

Scott 53:07

I got to have dinner, you know, and the hardest part, dude, if you qualify to go there, you only get to take one parent. How hard is that for the other parent? I mean, you get it, you understand the situation, but dude, you know what I mean? It's wild as shit. Yeah, I mean, it's crazy.

Graham 53:36

Well, I mean, for your boy's case, I mean you took his dad, his dad, you know, teaching himself.

Scott 53:40

I mean, yeah, it all makes sense. Yeah, yeah, but sick, sick. Texted his dad on Saturday. I'm like, dude, have fun, soak it up, tell Tyler I said, congratulations, and he's like, dude, it's amazing. It's like, you're in a dream, dude. These kids, I mean, what the shit?

Graham 54:02

I mean, and and him as the dad gets to go just because of his son.

Masters App Tips And Signoff

Scott 54:06

Yeah, dude, and I mean, one of our members actually at Duckwoods, Katherine Schuster. I don't know if I ever told you about her, she played uh collegiately at Clemson. She won her age bracket, the very first drive chip and putt. Oh, wow. And and she posted some pictures today, and she played in the you know, Augusta National Women's Thing. She posted some pictures today on her round in her practice round when she got to play there, and I was just like, son of a bitch, you know. Like, come on, man. But anyhow, Graham, I hope you get to watch it. You know, if people haven't downloaded the Masters app, download it. Because you can see every shot everybody hits, and it's gonna be amazing. I'm gonna win some bets this week. Won a good one last night with Michigan with that free Super Bowl bet. You know, placed it the day after the Super Bowl. Billy won. But hey, I mean, I don't even know what to say. I wish I was down there and I had a Georgia Peach ice cream sandwich in my hand.

Graham 55:16

Right? The long wait's finally over. Can't wait to do the episode with you next week so we can talk all about it. And hey, as the best homie always says, boo-bye.

Scott 55:28

And next week, we get to see the man, the myth, the legend, Jimmy. And as I always say, good night, friends. It's finally here. It's Masters Week. Let's go.