Shinnecock Survival

Recorded June 22nd, 2026

Golf at Shinnecock Hills does not care about your feelings, and neither do we. After the U.S. Open wraps, we sit down to unpack what “Let Shinnecock be Shinnecock” really looks like when the greens are firm, the margins are tiny, and par feels like stealing. If you love major championship golf, this one is a masterclass in picking spots, accepting bogeys, and surviving the kind of test that exposes every weak decision.

Wyndham Clark gives us the perfect case study. We talk through how he wins without needing to flush it for 72 holes, why his par saves are the real highlight reel, and how a hot putter can carry you when everything else is wobbling. We also revisit the Oakmont locker story and ask a tougher question: why do fans hold grudges against some players while giving others a lifelong pass for behavior that is objectively worse?

Then we get into the part that had us fired up: the crowd. Heckling, cheering for balls to roll off greens, phones out for live betting, and people chasing social clips instead of watching the competition. We debate a clean solution inspired by the Masters: limit phones, cut the beer culture at majors, and make removals actually mean something. If the game is growing, we want it to grow the right way.

If you’ve got thoughts on fan behavior, USGA setups, or what golf etiquette should be in 2026, hit play and join the argument. Subscribe, share with your golf group chat, and leave a review with your take: should majors ban phones and limit alcohol?

#baldguysonthebench #graboneandcrackone #shinnecockhills #usopen #wyndhamclark

Transcript

Welcome And Anniversary Chaos

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 Bunch. Scotty did I just say Bald Guys on the Bunch?

Scott 0:21

Well, it's better than your guy that ran the pool in Vegas that said your entry name was Bald Guys on the Beach, so you got him beat. Speaking of which, did we ever get an email on the results of that?

Graham 0:33

You know what? I'm gonna take a look at that.

Scott 0:35

No, we didn't. I'm just gonna tell you we didn't. Uh my question is is the British Open gonna start before we find out the results?

Graham 0:44

I mean, you would think so. I'm gonna send this dude a text.

Scott 0:49

Is he gonna send us the entries for the U.S. Open or the Masters? Which one? Because I'm pretty sure we already know the Masters results. But anyhow. Hey, at least it wasn't my fault.

Graham 1:00

I sent the right file.

Scott 1:02

Okay, but you don't pay attention. But anyhow, uh, you know, you can't edit that because it's a joke on your boy, bald guys on the beach.

Graham 1:11

Yeah.

Scott 1:11

If we were on the beach, we'd be two bald guys.

Graham 1:14

So, you know, what it is, what it is.

Scott 1:16

So, anyhow, it's Monday night. Uh, US Open wrapped up yesterday. Before we get going, you know what time it is? Grab one, crack one, my guy. Let's go. And as we're recording this June 22nd, 24 years ago, to the day, I got married. Wow. Happy anniversary, Kristen. That's all I can say. You've put up with a lot of shit. You've dealt with my friends, and you know, everything that comes along with me. And you're still here 24 years later. And man, what a 24 years it's been. Two kids, it's been awesome. Can't do anything different. Funny thing, I don't even know if you know this story. Uh-oh. Talking about it earlier with my dad, uh, wedding day. Wedding's over, and everybody's gone to the reception. And the wedding party's all taking pictures and this and that. Come out, and limousine broke down to take us. Yeah. To take us to the reception. And don't forget, I gave the dude a hundred bucks to get a bunch of beers and for us for the ride to the reception. Ten of us, all college buddies and Kristen's Harodi sisters, and et cetera, et cetera. And it breaks down. So, and everybody's gone, dude. Except for the photographer, my parents, Kristen's parents. So all my groomsmen get in the back of the photographer's pickup truck. That's how they get to the reception. Kristen and I get in the back of my mom and dad's minivan with my grandma and my sister. That's how we get to the reception. I don't even remember how the her bridesmaids got there. I have no idea.

Graham 3:12

But thanks for playing.

Scott 3:14

The good news is it's a story, and Kristen's dad got his money back. Okay, okay. I was just gonna ask that. Yeah, of course. And it's a classic picture in our wedding book of all my guys in the back of the bigger truck. It's classic. I can't believe I would never have told you that, but jeez, dude.

Graham 3:33

Did you guys finish the beer while you were waiting for the rides? No, dude. We couldn't. Something happened to the limo.

Scott 3:39

We couldn't even get into it. What? Yeah. Oh, the beer was in there.

Graham 3:45

Oh my god.

Scott 3:46

Yeah.

Graham 3:48

Exactly. They drop it off after? Like, what happened to the beer? That's what that was. She gone.

Scott 3:56

Another funny story, man. The day we're getting married, you know, we go pick up the tuxes the day of the wedding. Not a good idea. And probably not. Yeah. My boy Lapo, you've heard me talk about him. Him and I go get the tuxes for everybody. We drop them. Everybody else is off at the hotel where they're staying for my groomsman. Lapo and I go back, and we had an issue. I don't remember whatever. And all I remember is being so hungover waiting for the tuxes. And dude, I ripped ass in this store. Dude. On a scale of one to ten best parts of my life, it was definitely 1A or 1B. Like clear of the place, bro. It was so Lapo and I still talk about that to this day. So then my boy Perkins, my high school buddy and cos buddy, like we had purple vests and shit and black bow ties. Well, they gave him a purple bow tie. And he comes downstairs when we're meeting at the hotel to go, and everybody has black bow ties. He's like, what the hell? And dude he grabs his bow tie and goes to the bartender at the hotel, and he's like, bro, can I trade you this purple one for the black one for the day? Done.

Graham 5:18

Yeah. There's always something that happens on a wedding day, right?

Scott 5:24

Always. But uh speaking of wedding days, TH got married on Saturday. Congrats, bro, in Detroit. They're on the way to, I don't know where they're going, somewhere to swim with pigs, like the Bahamas or something. You know, the pigs are in the water.

Graham 5:40

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Scott 5:40

I've heard good and bad about that. Like they're aggressive because they know you're gonna feed them when they like come up to you, they're like, you know, begging for food. It's like, bro, like, come on, man, you're a pig, like shit. But anyhow, had to throw that out there.

Shinnecock Setup And USGA Choices

Scott 5:56

Uh anyhow, US Open, dude. It's in the books. The one thing you and I talked about in our preview show was, and we stressed a lot of it, was the USGA is under the gun about the way the last two were. And I'll tell you what, I saw a press conference last night with uh a main guy from the USGA, and they said they had a plaque in the trailer for tournament operations, and it said, Let Shinnickok be Shinnickok. And it was. Yeah. They had to slow it down, dude, on Thursday and Friday. We talked about if they didn't, and it was bad. And then we were like, what's the worst case scenario? You know, it doesn't blow. And it they lighted up, and then we were saying, I said it, the early wave, late wave looked like it was going to be the best draw. Well, that was the exact opposite because for about an hour on Thursday, when Wyndham went deep dish pizza in the first round, there was not a breath. And yeah, it is what it is, dude. I mean, they got it right, and then everybody's whining, bitching, moaning. Oh, there's so many people under par. Badger's like, this is the worst golf tournament ever. The U.S. Open is unwatchable. I'm like, okay, did you watch at Aaron Hills in Wisconsin, where everybody shot 63s? You want to see 20 under win in a U.S. Open? No.

Graham 7:23

Yeah. All those people that were under par, yeah, they were one under. Two under. It wasn't like there were 70 people at 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 under. Like, relax.

Scott 7:34

Exactly. Let the weekend be the weekend.

Graham 7:37

For sure.

Scott 7:39

And Caitlin, the girl I give lessons to, awesome player, her grandpa was in the day, and he goes, Did you watch the golf this weekend? I'm like, Yeah, he goes, That was terrible. And I'm like, I'm sorry, what? And he goes, It was terrible. He goes, guys are hitting balls onto the green and they're rolling off. And I'm like, hey, you gotta hit your spot. They're the best in the world. The best in the world. Hit your spot. I like it. I like to watch Par be a good score. I like to watch Bogey be a good score. You want to go watch the waste management and watch 20 Underwin? Dome golf? Yeah, it's fun at that time of the year. But US Open, dude.

Graham 8:26

I mean. Look, the only thing I would say to that is how people think of the Masters. Yeah, it's hard, but you can still go low. You can still go deep on it. Like they want action. They want players to go for the pins. They want them to be um, you know, they want them to go for it, they want them to take risks. And the US Open is not that. It's yeah, you have to pick your spots.

Scott 8:50

And the Masters, the Greens, you know, you've been there. It's the same thing as what we saw the last four days. You gotta hit your spots on the greens, or guess what?

Graham 8:58

Exactly.

Scott 8:59

Good luck. Yeah. You know, if you don't hit your little quadrant, the ball's gone. Yeah. You know? I mean, just think about this, dude. In the history of the US Open at Shinnecock, only six players have finished under bar. Six. What? And three of them were this year. And three of them didn't win the event. Think about that.

Graham 9:29

Yeah. And also think about how those greens didn't roll faster than what? Ten and a half?

Scott 9:35

They had it a little bit faster. Not that crazy. Yeah. Nothing insane.

Graham 9:42

And what's the tour average? Like 13? 12?

Scott 9:47

Yeah, who knows? But faster than that. Yeah, for sure. You know? I mean, the craziest thing was the 10th hole. I mean, I know you didn't get to watch it on Saturday, but the 10th hole is not a very long hole. Dude, it was damn near impossible. Right. Guys were laying up so they could have full shots. They had 70, 80 yard shots. Nothing was staying on that green. It was wild, dude. Wild. And I don't know, dude. Before we even get into it, I mean, obviously, we skipped the whole weekend thing. Obviously, we know we were watching golf. Duh.

Graham 10:23

They were playing.

Scott 10:24

I mean, and forgot to forgot to throw it out there. And you know, happy Father's Day to everybody out there. You know, we just skip the weekend, whatever. Um, it was a fun event, dude. Fun fact. Okay. That golf course opened in 1891. We talked about it the other night. It was one of the five original courses that started with the USGA. Right. They're only on their fourth head pro. That's insane. And he just started in 2022.

Graham 10:59

That's insane. Four. So what? The head pro is like, oh, I'm 60, or I'm 78 years old, and I'm still the head. Like, that's a hundred, like, let's do the math. That's 150 years.

Scott 11:13

It's crazy. It's insane.

Graham 11:15

What?

Scott 11:16

It's gnarly, dude.

Graham 11:18

How do you get that job? That's obviously not on.

Scott 11:22

Yeah. And I asked, I don't know if I told you, I was asking Marrows. I was like, because Maros was in the golf business up in New York. And I'm like, did you ever get to play it? And he goes, Yeah, all the time, dude. Because their old head pro that just retired in 22. He loved local assistants coming out and playing. I was like, hell yeah. That's legit. That's cool that they allowed that.

Graham 11:44

I mean, it looks sick.

Scott 11:47

It looks sick. And it looks like, oh, dude, if I want to go get my nuts kicked in, yeah. Why don't I just go jump on a punching bag on my dick? I mean, save myself five hours in a caddy fee.

Graham 12:02

I mean, yeah, but they were what, 38 or 40 yards wide fairways here? Dude, that rough, that fescue was oh my god.

Scott 12:11

Here's my thing about that. I I agree. But it wasn't consistent. It wasn't consistent. It was thin in spots, it was deep dish in spots, like the lie Windham got on whatever 16 was ridiculous. But other spots it wasn't terrible. You know, that's just part of Lynx golf, dude. I mean, that was the complaint at Pinehurst a couple years ago when Bryson won. The rough wasn't crazy. You could get good lies. Well, you know, isn't that the same in every golf course? You get a good lie here, you get a good lie there. You know?

Graham 12:51

Uh still, that being said, what were the final scores? I mean, only two people finished above par, or below par, I should say. I mean, you give a few at even three.

Scott 13:03

Wyndham, Burns, and Tom Kim.

Graham 13:05

Oh, I'm sorry, I that was for the day. My apologies.

Scott 13:08

Yeah, no, for the tournament.

Graham 13:10

But dude, uh I mean, all I can say is if there was a 10-foot putt for par, homeboy made it. He was putting on clinics.

Scott 13:26

And he said it, I heard it. He said, I hit it like shit Saturday and Sunday. But dude, he got up and down from trash cans. It was like wow. Wow.

Graham 13:38

What did you tell me on Friday night after he had that lead? You said, Graham, you think if someone asked him, hey, you don't have to go out and play, you just took plus two for the weekend, would he be happy with that? All day. And that's kind of what happened. He finished at pla at minus five, and that's what happened. Four, sorry. Look, how happy is Ping right now?

Scott 14:04

Oh, dude. They're as happy as Odyssey was in 2023 when him and Fowler are in the last group with the jailbird. Right? Ping probably sold out that putter.

Graham 14:17

You think? To have an exclusive deal with Ping just for the butter.

Scott 14:23

Damn, I just saw on the bottom line, Linda Cohn is retiring from ESPN.

Graham 14:27

I just saw that.

Scott 14:28

Wow. Dude, end of an era. She started in 92. Yeah, right? Wow. Sorry to get sidetracked. No. So let's jump into it real quick,

Wyndham Clark And The Crowd

Scott 14:40

okay? Last year, probably a year ago to the day, I had a kick rocks moment about Wyndham and what happened at Oakmont. Okay. Yeah. For those of you that live under a rock and don't know, he missed a cut on Friday, and as he was leaving on Friday, kicked a locker, punched it, kicked it, whatever, damaged it. And it was a whole Oakmont ended up finding him. They made him repay it. Uh he had to go to anger management and he had to donate a million dollars to the Caddy Association of Pennsylvania.

Graham 15:15

Did all this damn. Was he banned from there too? Did I hear that?

Scott 15:21

Yeah, but I think they lifted it. Oh so yeah, because uh uh U.S. Open's there, it was funny because they he was banned for 10 years, and that's the year was right when his exemption for winning the 23 US Open would be up. But guess what? He's exempt for 10 more, so he's good. Yeah. But here's the thing, dude, and I was thinking about it. And you and I were talking about last night. Okay, the the fans yesterday were ridiculous. Bro, cheering for balls rolling off the greens, this and that, and I'm thinking about it, and I say to my dad, yeah, it's New York fans. And then I'm on the way to work today and I'm thinking about it. And I'm like, and literally right when the light bulb went off in my head, Michael Breed on the PGA Tour serious channel says, It's not a New York thing, it's a long island thing. And I was like, What is I'm like, yeah, Beth Page. Remember the first year the US Open was there and everybody's yelling at Sergio? Uh the Ryder Cup this past year you were there, the shit they were saying, and now this. It's not a New York thing, it's a Long Island thing, and Maros is probably gonna hate me for saying it, but you know, I mean, think about it. The US Open is and major championships are also where in New York? Uh most of them are in Long Island. No, Oak Hill, New York, and Wingfoot. Yeah, no issues, right? Yeah, none, none. Where was the PGA championship a couple weeks ago? In Philadelphia. What are Philadelphia sports fans known as? The worst. Yeah. Any issues?

Graham 17:09

I I I I just couldn't believe, and look, I mean, it was talked about all over the golf channel, all the other publications, and rightfully so. For not being a writer cub, the amount of heckling that the American players were getting, like, all right, I can see why after everything you're still throwing shouts at Rory. All right, I get that. But you have a guy that's I mean, leading the field, let it from day one, start to finish, and you're cheering when balls going off the front. You're cheering like you're literally going against the player. I mean, like, golf is a classy sport.

Scott 17:54

It's not football, it's not a team event we were watching yesterday. Ryder cup, cool, cheer if their balls roll off, but keep it, you know, good. Here's the thing. Here's the thing. I get it. Scotty is going for the Grand Slam. Okay? Get it. Totally get it. Dudes are out there five, six beers deep with what in their hand? This. What are you doing with this in your hand?

Graham 18:20

He's referring to a cell phone in his hand.

Scott 18:23

You're making wagers. You're live betting this, you're live betting that. And the way the world is now two dudes got booted, maybe more. They're doing it all for social media. It's all for their thing, dude. And here's the thing. And here's my thing. And I'm eating crow, I'm eating it, I've been eating it all day. Okay? Everybody is a hater of Wyndham Clark because he damaged a locker out of frustration of the way he played golf. Okay? Yeah. Get it. Totally get it. But we praise Tiger who was out banging Denny's waitresses and crashed his car twice on pain pills, putting other people's lives in jeopardy. And we praise that guy. We praise NFL players who go home and beat their wives, but we're hating on a dude that kicked a locker. And you know me, I had that kick rocks moment last year, and I'm eating my crow. I'm eating it, and it tastes good. Can I put a little slap your mama to give me a little flavor? Think about it, dude. And not only that, dude, I'm thinking about this yesterday. 2023 was just like yesterday. He's tied with Rick at LA Country Club. Yeah. Who's the fan favorite? Rick.

Graham 19:59

Yeah.

Scott 20:00

Yesterday, who's the fan favorite? Scotty. Scotty. And he handled it.

Graham 20:09

He did what he had to do. He sacked up. I mean, when it comes down to it, from start to finish, did he not look like the best golfer out there? Did he not, did he not hit the best shots? Did he not make the most incredible parse saves you've ever seen on those screens? Those poa greens that were just bumping around by the same.

Scott 20:34

It was insane, dude. Yeah, he did. And one of my assistants or interns was like, Oh, he wanted on 16 with that putt. And I'm like, You're stupid. I'm like, how can you possibly say that? Did you not watch the two and a half rounds before that? Yeah. How many saves did he have? The par five. He he's looking at eight, dude. Number two, he's looking at eight. Um how can you say that putt? Yeah, it was a huge putt in the moment. Okay, whatever. If he doesn't make three par saves on the front nine, does that putt yeah matter at all?

Graham 21:17

Well, it's not pars aren't sexy.

Scott 21:20

Yeah, no golf. Balakh. Sorry, I had to call you out right now. My bad. I know you're gonna listen and you're like, God dang it. But dude, we're going back. I'm like, dude. And he's like, he was choking. I'm like, dude, you know how I hate the word choke in golf. He's playing in the final group with Scotty. The world is cheering against him. Sam Burns comes out, and the hole looks like the size of a basketball hoop and is filling it up. Right. The world is getting fast for him. You know, you didn't play tournament golf, but you can be cruising along playing great golf, and then you hit a Bad shot, and what happens? The world gets fast. You're like, oh fuck, oh fuck, what am I doing? Oh and he sacked up, like his dad said, when he surprised him on the 70-second hole. That was the greatest round of golf you've ever played. Yeah. He did it when he had to do it, dude. There's nothing I can say, dude. I just I don't know, man.

Graham 22:28

You know, uh, is it kudos, pet on our backs? We did talk about him having a chance before the start.

Scott 22:35

A lot. I had him to win. I also had Sam Burns and should have cashed out, but that's another story.

Graham 22:43

But also, I want to bring up, remember that player we were talking about, like, oh, you know who hasn't really done anything in a hell of a long time? And then this tournament, you're just like, oh, hey, how about finishing third? Tom Kim. Like, way to show up out of nowhere.

Scott 22:59

Like he played so good. Right? There's nothing you can say about it, but good on his birthday, too. It was him and Scotty's birthday. And that's another thing. Dude, every green complex Scotty gets to, the fans are singing happy birthday to him. And Clark has to deal with that, you know. I don't know, dude. I just the guy today on the golf channel, he's like, dude, I forget, in 10 years, it's supposed to go back to Beth Page, the PGA championship. He's like, if I'm the PGA of America, I yank it, take it somewhere else, because it's ridiculous what's going on there. It's not golf, dude. It's not golf. I mean, I agree. It's just not, dude.

Graham 23:43

I mean I hate to say that. Like, that's it's so effed up to think that, though.

Scott 23:49

They're iconic venues. The game is growing, right? The game of golf has been growing since COVID. Right. But this is not the way the game needs to grow. Ryder Cup, cool. It's okay to cheer. Don't cross the line and say shit to the players' wives, like what happened at Beth Page. And dude, I don't know, man.

Graham 24:12

Yeah, but how do they not want to book a course that's so historic and well known and that fans want to see? Like, that's what I've made up the point the other night and saying, what? Are when you go to these events, are we gonna start seeing signs and say, hey, if you heckle, there's gonna be a great chance you're gonna go-bye.

Scott 24:32

You know what you need to do? You know what you need to do? Oh boy. Quite simple. It's quite

Fixing Heckling With Masters Rules

Scott 24:40

simple.

Graham 24:40

Don't serve beer.

Scott 24:42

The best sporting event in the world is what? Somewhere. I just got my tickets in the mail today. The best sporting event in the world is what? The Masters.

Graham 24:53

Okay, I'm like, what yeah, can you be more specific?

Scott 24:56

Okay, guess what? Don't allow this. Yeah. Don't allow it. Folks, that's a cell phone. Don't allow it. Enjoy where you are with your best friends, your family. It takes the betting away. It takes the social media shit away. It takes the morons that are eight beers deep away. And guess what? If you get booted, just like the masters, good luck ever getting in that place again. It solves everything. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, that's uh it solves it, bro. That's one of your better takes in a while. It's not the waste management where you're getting hammered on the 16th green. Yeah, I understand. I mean, they're yelling at Rory, dude. Rory's not even in contention. He gets it in a bunker. Rory turns around and calls the dude fat. Good for Rory. The little leprechaun was awesome.

Graham 25:58

They're not verbally attacking the players at the waste management.

Scott 26:02

Uh-uh. Maybe. Not to the point where it was this weekend. Yeah. It's sad, dude. I mean, Wyndham, he's owned it. He was asked about it. You know, he's owned it. Bob Ford, the Michael Jordan of Club Pros. They asked him about it and they said, hey, he paid his dues. He apologized. He paid for the locker. He paid the fine. He went to anger management classes. Let's move on. But once again, Tiger can go pass out in his car on the way home from practicing, run into a mailbox. Luckily, he doesn't kill people. And all we think about is, oh man, God dang it, he ain't playing in the Masters. Oh, he ain't playing in the Masters. Like, who cares if you killed somebody? Old lady out there walking her grandkid, walking a damn dog, but oh shit, he ain't playing in the Masters. And I'm guilty of it just as much as anybody else.

Graham 27:02

Yeah. The worst part is it's like when you hear it explained like that. He kicked a locker. If you're a person with any dignity, like I there's nothing you can say to that. If you have a pulse and you have any kind of oh, we'll we'll forgive you for this, that, and the other just because we want this, that, and the other to happen.

Scott 27:27

I it's just driving five miles from your house when you lived in California, going to the photo shoot, passes out, drives off a cliff.

Graham 27:38

Yeah. Well, man.

Scott 27:40

Shit, he ain't playing in the Masters this year. Whoa. It sucks. It really sucks that Wyndham had to deal with that yesterday. And you know what? I'm stoked he won because of that. I agree. And once again, that crow's tasting good. I mean, I can get me a little knife and a fork if you want. Because, dude, I went off on it. I lost my shit. But hey, when you start thinking about stuff like that,

The Putts And Pars That Won

Scott 28:10

I mean, it makes it all relevant. But, dude, it was a fun event. It got tight. Sam Burns, my gosh. I mean, poor guy. One of the best putting strokes on the planet. And on 17, when he stuffs it, dude, I'm like, oh my gosh. Got like seven feet. He makes that nine out of ten times. Worst putting stroke. I mean, you might as well have been out there putting that butt. That's how bad it looks. She left-handed and blindfolded. I mean, it was just like, oh, dude. Oh.

Graham 28:44

Couldn't believe it. Ah. Yes, but as the overall story, how heartbroken would you be for Wyndham if he does make that any to go from day one to day four, outright lead the whole way and just give it up at the end would have been brutal. Yeah self-confidence.

Scott 29:04

Yeah, but he's got one. He's got a win.

Graham 29:07

Yeah. Yeah.

Scott 29:08

But Burns got screwed last year when he didn't get the casual water, and they were showing it again yesterday, and it was like, oh my god, has he got to hit it out of a goddamn swimming pool? I mean, come on, dude. Give my man and then makes dub and you know, the end. But I mean, Scotty just couldn't get it going, dude. He got it going on Saturday and couldn't get any momentum yesterday, bogeying the first hole. And I actually tried out the DraftKings app, actually betting to birdie the first hole. I'm like, dude, he's gonna birdie the first hole guaranteed at like plus 350. Nice bogey. You're welcome for the Wosco jinx there, Scotty. I mean, gosh, dude. I don't know.

Graham 29:55

So granted, Scotty was close by the end. Is he still like, how can he still be such a heavy favorite the rest of the tournaments he plays?

Scott 30:08

Because if he gets the putts to drop, he wins by five.

Graham 30:13

Yeah.

Scott 30:13

He wins by five.

Graham 30:14

And as Joaquin Neiman said when asked about how he finished.

Scott 30:20

I love it.

Graham 30:20

If my grandma had wheels, she'd be a car. Um okay. Like, what are you saying? Like, I get that.

Scott 30:29

I I just Oh man, Carolina's gonna lose this game. They're down seven to one now. Wow. Um, I agree. As we wrap up that,

Father’s Day Stories And Amateurs

Scott 30:40

dude, I had it in the notes, and I know you saw it. Some fun U.S. Open stories. Please. As we all know, the U.S. Open always finishes on what? Father's Day. Yeah. Right. Coolest thing, 17-year-old, what's his name? Miles Russell. Okay. Makes a cut. He's Florida State. Tiger son Charlie caddy for him in the qualifier. Didn't caddy for him in the event because he didn't want all the hoopla with Tiger Sun. You know, I get it. Totally makes sense. Makes a cut, checks with the USGA rules officials prior to Sunday's final round. Ask them, hey, is there anything against the rules if my dad tags in on 18 to take over the bag for me? They're like, nope, perfectly cool. Doesn't tell his dad, and I'm watching it live, okay? And they walk over to the side of the fairway and he's telling his dad, and Tariko, NBC, everybody knows about it. Tariko's staying telling what's going on. So cool, dude. So amazing. I mean, your boys over here, you know, super cool. You know, I talked about emotional. It was the it was the coolest shit ever. That kid gets it, dude. That kid gets it, and that kid is going to be special. Yeah. Graduated high school two weeks ago, makes a cut at the US Open. I mean, I think five amateurs made the cut.

Graham 32:16

Yeah.

Scott 32:17

And two tied for low amateur. I mean, talk about the game of golf for the United States in our future.

Graham 32:27

Well, yeah, we say that, but can we get a dub?

Scott 32:32

I mean, I'm just saying, super cool of a 17-year-old kid to think about that and do it.

Graham 32:39

You know? When all those top guys.

Scott 32:44

Yeah. Yeah. Harris English, dead to me. Patrick Reed, dead to me. Who else? Who else? Who else was on behind the TP's list?

Graham 32:55

There's a few people.

Scott 32:56

Hold on, I gotta find two. Uh Russell Henley, dead to me. Uh, and always big, big pasty Bob. You know, used to love you, now I gotta hate you. Sorry, Bob. Ass clown. Dude. I mean, hate list, dude. Oh my god. TP's bitter betty at Xander, too, because Xander kind of cost him in the pool. Yeah. But I mean, other stories, dude. We talked about it. The two amateurs making the cut. They tied for Lil'am. I'm like, how are they gonna do this? They gave him both medals. Super sick. Awesome.

Graham 33:37

Callan, right?

Scott 33:39

Yeah. And then the other dude, I can't think of where he's from, uh, Oklahoma State. I can't think of his name. Uh, Keith Mitchell.

Graham 33:49

Kashmir Keith, baby.

Scott 33:51

Kashmir Keith, bro, goes out. Opening nine of the event, shoots 41. How easy is it to just pack it in? I'm done. Just shot six over on the front nine. He's like, nah, I'm gonna go get me a dirty water dog on the turn, and I'm just gonna shoot 29 on the back to shoot even. I'm sorry, what? In those conditions? What? 41-29 shoots even par in every round of golf and becomes the first player ever to shoot even in four rounds.

Graham 34:29

Best finish at a major. I mean, just the whole time. And the best part was he was embracing it the whole time. Oh, reporters asking him.

Scott 34:38

Loved it. Loved it. He's loved it. It was sick. It was cool. You know, how do you not like Kashmir Keystone? His old old school visor. You see the picture of him on 18 when he took his visor off from the wind. If I had hair, I could show you. But dude, he took his visor off. Because of the wind, like everything was thick enough. It was awesome. He's joking on himself. It was thick, dude. It was awesome. But I mean, you just mentioned it. If my grandma had wheels, she'd be a car Neiman, dude. First round. Makes an 11, dude. An 11 on the par four sixth hole. Makes a nine, really. Hits two balls out of bounds, throws his club, gets a two-stroke penalty. Makes an 11. Shoots 78 in the first round. Uh finishes the event. Tied for 7th at one over. Do the math. If he makes par on that hole, if he makes double on that hole.

Graham 35:40

Yeah.

Scott 35:43

Woulda, coulda, shoulda. I I just like you said, if my grandma had wheels, she'd be a goddamn car. I mean, but dude, I I I don't know, dude. I I mean, just think about this, dude.

Graham 35:58

Let's put this in perspective. Clark. Let's do it. Two US Open wins. 23 and 26. He has the same amount of majors as JT, Bryson, John Daly, Dustin Johnson, Greg Norman, John Rom, and Shoffley. Yeah. Okay. He has one more major win. Then couples. David DeVall, Davis Love, Jim Fuhrrick, Adam Scott, and Justin Rhodes. Let that sink in. Sometimes there's things in life you just can't explain.

Scott 36:43

It just And then and then and then no more and then and then no more and then and then what's my tattoo saying? Dude, what's mine saying?

Graham 36:54

Sweden. Anyhow, he is one major away from tying Jordan, Hale Irwin, Nick Price, Patrick Harrington, Payne Stewart, and VJ Singh. Patrick Harrington has three majors? Yeah. Wow. I mean, I knew he I I knew he had a couple. I just wow. Dude. That's right. And you still got some great players that I mean have none.

Scott 37:36

Things that make you go, hmm.

Graham 37:39

Yeah. And it's kind of like, you know, what we said before the on our last episode, where it's just like you just need to find the four best rounds of your life. It's all putting it together. It's all I I just I mean, look, you can be consistent as all hell throughout the season. Yeah, that's great. You can be consistent your entire career. That's great. Speaking of consistent, Adam Scott.

Scott 38:06

100 straight majors.

Graham 38:09

That's insane. What's also insane is the guy that's ahead of him. Yeah. I'm not calling him the goat, but Jack. A hundred. What was it? Is it 148 or 150? How do you do like, did you never miss a major for 30 years? Did he never get hurt or something?

Scott 38:33

Never. He just smoked Siggies and kept playing.

Graham 38:37

Like, there's no way you want to talk about records that will never get broke. There is no way that gets broke.

Scott 38:45

The coolest thing about Adam Scott, I was watching his press conference on Tuesday, and they were talking to him about the hundred straight, right?

Graham 38:52

Yeah.

Scott 38:53

And he wasn't in that field until he played as well as he did at Doral. And they asked him, they were like, if you didn't get in, were you gonna request a special exemption?

Graham 39:05

He didn't even think when he answered a straight flat no. I loved it. Big old fat no. Didn't even barely let the reporter get the words out of his mouth.

Scott 39:18

Nope. Wow.

Graham 39:22

I mean, you know, everyone's talking to zerop about it, all of his sponsors, all the people around him. I mean, it's not like he didn't know.

Scott 39:29

Another story, dude, that people don't realize. I wish I knew how many it was in a row. God dang it. But this is this broke the streak of top tens for Justin Rose and Majors. He finished T-11.

Graham 39:47

That's insane.

Scott 39:49

Talk about just domination station at an older age. Yeah. Insane. Aaron Rye follows up a PGA championship win with the T11. I mean, yeah.

Graham 40:05

And the funny part about that was he was kind of nowhere to be seen. Yeah. All of a sudden you're just like, wait, what happened was?

Scott 40:13

Dude, the story of the year. Gary Woodland. T7. Yeah. T7. Hit hit his T shot on the 18th hole on Saturday. Uh 412. I'm sorry. How far? 412. Thanks. Appreciate it. Come on, dude.

Graham 40:31

Is that any good?

Scott 40:34

T Ben, that's like, do the math, carry the one. Two drivers in a wedge. Sorry.

Graham 40:41

He's going driver off the deck.

Scott 40:45

Dude, that's insane, man. 412. Ugh. I don't know. It was a fun event. The open championships is a couple weeks. I don't know. It was fun. Travelers championship

Tour Schedule Frustrations After Majors

Scott 41:00

this week. Once again, hate it. Signature event, following up a major. You know, Rory's skipping it. Looked it up.

Graham 41:09

I thought that was mandatory. This is bullshit.

Scott 41:11

It used to be when they got fined. That was the first year of Adam. So we were talking about it in the last episode about what the minimum requirements of events were to maintain your card. Well, obviously Rory won the masters, so he's exempt for this amount of years, but you still have to play in these events. It's 15 events, is what you have to play in.

Graham 41:31

And those 15 include FedEx and major championships. Okay.

Scott 41:39

So going into after this week, him skipping it, everybody's like, wow, is he going to play the 3M to be the 15th event because he never plays in Memphis for the FedEx? Well, come to find out, if you've won 30 events on the PGA tour, there's some other crazy rule that you're good to go. I mean what? Yeah, I don't know. It's like it does.

Graham 42:07

I'm sorry. I thought you grew the game by showcasing your stars.

Scott 42:12

I don't like it. I mean, Scotty will be there next week. I get it. It's a major championship. I get it. The schedule sucks. It always sucks. Harbor Town, one of the best events on the tour is always the week after the Masters. And until it became a signature event, it didn't get a lot of players, top players. It's the week after the Masters. Dude, come on, man. I get it. If you win that major, cool. Take the next week off. If you don't get your ass up to Connecticut and go play in Hartford. I mean, come on.

Graham 42:44

Bro, it's like 150 miles away.

Scott 42:47

It's ridiculous. By boat, it's closer. That's what they were saying.

Graham 42:52

Yeah, straight shot if you take it over the water, yeah.

Scott 42:55

Take the ferry.

Graham 42:56

But I don't know, man. Uh I don't know.

Scott 43:02

Rick didn't play very well, bummed, played good the first day until he made double on one of the last couple holes, and then just couldn't get it going the second round. Dude, speaking of not playing well, uh John Romm. Uh Patrick Reed. Bryson? Uh anybody from Live except Neiman and Tatton. Hatton's the best player of Live, dude. I mean, you want to talk about a top 10 machine in majors. My God.

Graham 43:34

Yeah.

Scott 43:34

Backdoor top 10 yesterday.

Graham 43:37

Rom goes out, bogey free 68 in round one. Unheard of at Shinekock, right? Misses the cut. Kristen's dad, they were all over yesterday for Father's Day.

Scott 43:49

He's like, why is that, Scott? I'm like, I don't know. Can't pinpoint it. My dad's like, it's because they don't have to play good for their money. I'm like, eh. I don't say that. I say it's because they're good. Golf courses they play are soft. They're not in PGA tour quality golf courses. They're not in PGA tour tournament conditions. They're not firm, fast, and full of gas. I'm just saying.

Graham 44:17

You know, I I don't know. How great of a story was after day one seeing Dustin Johnson four under. He hit some shots day one in the afternoon. It was cool. It was fun to watch. I mean, that threesome that they had, day one went low.

Scott 44:37

It was like, I'm sorry, where did this DJ come from? Right? He must have been motor boat and son of a bitch that night. That was for you, Jeff Aldridge. I'm gonna send you that reel. You're welcome. Uh dude, I don't know, man. It was cool. And then when he made that dub, TP's like, that's the end of him. And then he made an eight on Saturday, and TP's like, I told you, he gone. You know, but it was it was still fun to watch the first day. And the amateur leading the event through a couple, you know. Through nine, yeah. Yeah.

Graham 45:12

Uh dude, even Tarico made a comment said, Hey, I hope his friends are, you know, take a shot at that. It's not very often you get to see your name on as the first place position on the leaderboard at the US Open. It's pretty amazing. Also, something that caught my eye, Tarico even pointed it out because I was watching it, I think on Sunday, but he made a point, or maybe it was on Friday, he made a point that he gave kudos to the production team saying that the production team makes a point every year at the US Open to show at least one clip of every player that's in the field.

Scott 45:52

That's sick.

Graham 45:53

Like, how sick is that?

Scott 45:54

Especially for how many qualifiers, right? It's called the US Open for a reason, because it's an open championship. That's cool. That's sick.

Graham 46:04

Out of every 156 players, they get their TV time, and because they made a point, like, hey, just want to let you know that this is so-and-so, and they show them making a birdie or whatever. And it's just like the fact that they were able to do that, I'm like, that's pretty cool.

Scott 46:17

That's pretty cool. I like it. So back to piggyback what you were just talking about. Take a picture of the leaderboard, right? When your name's on there for amateur fit. Uh in 2006, maybe? I don't know. Way back when. Your boy caddy for Charlotte Mayorcus, my girl from SCGA, all American at UCLA, in the US Women's Open

Stanley Cup Stat And Closing Bits

Scott 46:40

at Newport Country Carl in Rhode Island. Our first round, we teed off on the back nine, and we were through five holes, and she was like too deep. And I looked up at the leaderboard and I'm like, oh my god, we're in second place. And this is back before iPhones and shit. I'm like, God, I wish I could take a picture of this right now. You know, it was sick. But that's what I'm saying. That's what it's all about, dude. It's it's the open for a reason. That's why I love it. It's cool. Yeah. Super cool. Stories. I mean, remember Bryson as an amateur at Augusta? I mean, yeah. But I mean, after the first round, Graham's like, oh yeah, players I hate, Rory and Bryson, and they're both playing well. And I'm like, give it time, guy, give it time. Bryson just starts hitting, well, whatever. And Rory just, whatever. I mean, dude, Rory hit it so good the first day, and then Bogey's the last two of three. And that was that was the end of him. You know. But I don't know. Fun event. Uh it's the dog days of summer now. It's golf. You know, that's about it. You know, Stanley Cup. We didn't get into a lot of Stanley Cup final shit or NBA championship because my week was busy last week. It's not because my night's lost. So, Elliot, you know, from work, you can go, you know, kick rocks. But, you know, he's dude, damn kid, dude. Listen to this. And I'll give you kudos because this was kind of funny. Yesterday, um, getting my oil chains and he texts me, and I thought he was gonna actually be a nice kid and be like, hey, happy Father's Day. And he texts me, he goes, Hey Scotty, your daily reminder that the Canes won the cup.

Graham 48:30

Gather.

Scott 48:31

I'm like, you little shithead. Little Ashone. I mean, that was pretty clever on his part. Whatever, don't care, hate you. Uh-oh. Dude, but TP sent me something. Insane stat, right? There's not one active NHL arena that's had the Stanley Cup presented on its home ice surface more than T-Mobile.

Graham 48:58

Capitals won in our first year at home.

Scott 49:01

We won it at home, and then the Canes won it at home. Think about that. That's insane. We've been in the league for nine years and we've had three Stanley Cups. Yes, I know we're one for two, whatever. Don't care. But we've got one.

Graham 49:16

That's an insane stat. For as long as the league's been around.

Scott 49:22

Insane.

Graham 49:24

You're telling me that more cities don't have active.

Scott 49:28

Active arenas. Okay. Crazy. Crazy shit.

Graham 49:33

I mean, you would think well, well, Boston changed arenas. That's why I was like, okay. Yeah.

Scott 49:37

Well, no, where the Stan Cup was presented. Not in the Stanley Cup. Where No, I get it, I get it.

Graham 49:43

I'm just I'm just surprised.

Scott 49:45

Yeah. Pretty wild. And speaking of wild, uh, I was actually gonna wear a Knight's hat tonight, even though this season's over, because the next time the Mets play a game that's important, the Knights 2026 season will probably have started. So I don't know, dude. Whatever. I mean, maybe I should cancel the package, but I really can't because it's free from T-Mobile. Because last time I canceled the package, we did good things. So maybe I'll just take the app off my goddamn phone, but yeah, that ain't gonna work this year. Sorry.

Graham 50:21

Well, hey, you got some uh World Cup to watch, some soccer and uh uh for a little bit longer? I hey, are are you betting on it?

Scott 50:32

Yeah, betting and not watching. I mean, like I told like you know, Kristen's dad's a huge soccer fan, and we're watching it last night, and he went to another room to eat dinner. I'm like, turn the channel quick, quick, quick. Kellen's like, I'm like, hey, if you want to watch something more exciting, Kellen, go stand at the window and see if the grass is growing, might be a little more exciting. And guarantee it doesn't end in a god dang tie. On that note, Graham, get us out of here. I love you, buddy. It's been a fun week. Uh, U.S. Open's in the books. Uh on in the travelers and then the open championship. And dude, FedEx, I mean, it's July next week. Yeah, you know what that means? We're getting close.

Graham 51:17

Five weeks to the Hall of Fame game, baby.

Scott 51:20

We're getting close.

Graham 51:23

It's almost here. Scotty Wah, it's always a pleasure doing the podcast with you. Happy anniversary. And hey, as the best homie always says, boo-ba!

Scott 51:32

Good night, friends. Good night, Wyndham Clark. I hope that beer was really good last night. Or as you're saying nowadays, the grape. That's what they're calling wine now. And on a side note, hot chick of the week, my boy Wyndham's girl.

Graham 51:50

Ooh, we know. Have a good night. Graham, love you.