Matt Adams gets you ready for the FedEx St Jude Classic, the first event of the PGA Tour playoffs for the FedEx Cup. We are also joined by PGA Tour player Patrick Fishburn who finished just inside the all important top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings. We recap Cam Young’s first PGA Tour win and talk about Ryder Cup implications.
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Welcome to the most listened to golf in the world. The Fairways of Life show on air, online, and around the world with the most candid interviews, unforgettable stories taking you beyond the ropes. Here’s your host, New York Times bestselling author Matt Adams. What is going on, folks? Welcome in to the Fairways of Life Show from wherever you are joining us here at the PXG Custom Studios. You’ve never played like this before. So, so many players were hoping that they have never played like this before to get inside of critical numbers. And there’s a lot of critical numbers that you will hear us discuss over the coming days and weeks. the top 30, the top 50, the top 70, the top 100. Each of those numbers distinctive in their own right. That latter number getting inside of the top 100 in 2025 is taking on added significance because for the first time since the all-exempt tour started in 1983, that number is lower than it has been since that time. 125 now to down to 100. So there is pressure, there is performance, there is importance at every level. What you do along the lines of trying to accomplish whether you keep your card, whether you get in the tour championship, whether you get into the signature events, whether you make the FedEx Cup playoffs, etc. All critically important. Take for example Patrick Fishburn after the Windham where you finish on 13 under par. He moved from 108th to 95th in FedEx Cup standings. so so critically important. Patrick with 50 PGA Tour starts to his credit. 94 on the corn ferry tour, 16 career top 10s. He won on the Canadian tour in 2019. He finished tied for eighth on that 13 under mark that I just mentioned which earned him that move. He’s currently 19 115th in the official World Golf Rankings. He’s joining us today to talk about the journey so far and what it’s like to be fighting these numbers. Patrick, what’s going on, my man? How are you? Nice to see you. Good morning. Thanks for having me on. Pleasure. All right. So, what is it like as you’re coming into the waning moments of a PGA Tour season? You know that you have to perform and you in your case, you were outside the number going into the Windom Championship. What are the emotions? What’s going through your mind? Yeah, it’s very stressful. you know, like you mentioned that the cards have been cut from 125 to 100. And so there’s just that much added pressure. And you know, it’s the dream. It’s been the dream of mine to play on the PGA Tour since I was probably eight years old. And and so you know, trying to hold on to that dream, stay out there. Um it’s it’s the goal. And uh you know, the competition is so good. Every single week you got to you got to bring your agame. And with the FedEx Cup points, you’re either moving forward or you’re moving back. So every single week you got to show up. you got to perform and and try to get inside that top 100. And then the next jump, which I just missed, you know, getting into the playoffs obviously, but that would be the next jump in my career to try to get inside that top 70 because then, you know, things can change uh drastically. So, with that much weight on your shoulders, I I got a million different questions going through my mind right now, but with that much weight on your shoulders, I guess, how were you sleeping? How were you handling it? How did you get yourself into a calm mindset? Are you a leaderboard watching? You could tell there’s my my mind’s going crazy right now to try to understand what that’s like. Yeah. Yeah. I you know, I never sleep very good at all. So, um that was just normal. But yeah, you’re just always thinking about it, always stress, and I try not to uh watch the leaderboards too much, but it’s it’s hard to miss them. They’re right there in front of you and a lot of the time you look over and your you know, your big old face is right there on the screen. So, it’s it’s something that’s just part of the game and you just learn to deal with it. And, you know, last week was a pretty pretty wild week, roller coaster week. I was we had the weather delay. I you know, I made a double bogey on the 15th hole or the fifth hole and uh it put me outside the cut. Had to come back and play, you know, three more holes. Looking like I probably wasn’t going to make the cut, but luckily some weather came in. Made it a little bit more challenging. birded a few holes coming in just to make the weekend to uh to give myself a chance. And so you never know with golf it’s there’s so many different things that can happen and um each day can be different the way your golf swing feels, the way you feel on the greens. It’s just trying to managing, you know, the best you can control what you can control. Patrick, where do you go to control what you can control? Is it breathing? Is it meditation? Is it taking it one shot at a time? I’m not trying to be trit. I’m just trying to understand in your mind and in your heart, how do you control all these factors so that you can do what you need to do? Like you mentioned after the double, how do you make sure that you score the birdies that you need to make coming in to get into the right position? Yeah. Well, that that was a good break because it was it was actually so it was a sixth hole, so they blew the horn right where I was when I was standing on the seventh T. So, I could kind of go home. I had they they canceled the entire day so I was able to sleep on it. But I knew coming back the next day I’m going to have to make at least two probably three birdies to make the cut and it just you know it kind of changes your mindset you knowing that you have to attack that next morning and try to make it happen. And and luckily I was able to do it. But for me my process is you know I try to work out. I do they’re not even really golf lifts. My caddy makes fun of me, says they’re kind of prison lifts, but I I try to do these things every other day, so my body, so my hands and my, you know, arms try to feel the same. And then um work on the work on the mel side of the game. I’ve been doing a lot more of that the last several weeks. Um and the last several weeks, I think I’ve made six of the last seven cuts. My results have been so much better. And just train the mind. the way that you talked to yourself, the way that you, you know, after the rounds, you know, writing the things that went well in journals and really focusing on the strengths and then um just controlling what you say out there and what you know what just how you manage the mental side of the game. But it’s it’s a work in progress. Golfers are kind of weirdos and so we’re always trying to figure out how to manage ourselves and how to uh perform the best we can. I I love the there were so many things you just touched on there that were classic. Amongst them, the prison lifts are are noting the how you talk to yourself. I want to go down that road for a second. Was Patrick Fishburn difficult, judgmental of your own performance previously? Are you allowing yourself more grace now? Where are you in terms of what that self-t talk is and how that manifests itself? Yeah, it’s, you know, golf it’s really easy to beat yourself. I I see every single one of my shots and so it’s it’s trying to trying to get away from the perfectionist idea and just allow things to happen and can and been working with a great uh guy that I met down at BYU named Craig Manning. has been helping me just he calls it proactive selft talk uh rather than you know letting those negative thoughts negative thoughts and sayings come out and different things like that and then you know a little bit of a power statement to kind of encourage yourself when things aren’t going going your way just to get back on track and I think that’s so much that’s so important for me because it’s so important for me to play subconsciously with no thoughts and if I start getting negative and thinking being negative. Um, it kind of triggers the conscious mind and then my swing I start steering the ball and so it’s it’s so important for me to basically play thoughtless out there, maybe have one swing thought, but just to be an athlete, react to the conditions. And that’s what this year it’s almost I played my best golf on the windy days where there there’s there it’s had to just react and use your hands and use your field and hit shots against the wind, keep it below the wind, hit it high and different things like that. It’s kind of the stock days where there’s there’s no wind and you’re in the middle of fairway with a wedge trying to figure out what shot to hit is where I struggle. And so it’s just trying to tap in being athletic and and using the subconscious, but you know, controlling controlling the dialogue in your head. We’re out there for five and a half hours and there’s a lot of walking and there’s a lot of time in between shots. So it’s it’s really important what you do after your shot and in between shots. Fascinating stuff because it it sounds very much like you’re a bit of an artist, Patrick, that that when you react to target, uh you you’re playing better than when you’re just trying to play golf swing, for example, or as you mentioned the the negative uh thoughts when you can keep them at bay. You mentioned a power statement. What is your power statement? Is it is it a consistent one or does it vary by circumstance? Uh it can it can vary, you know. feel like I’ve maybe done some things that other golfers haven’t done. Like I did I sort of a two-year church mission where I put the clubs aside for two years and I came back and had to relearn the game. I actually came back to BYU and my first qualifying round was a 91 and it was a I was a mess for a year. And so I feel like that experience really kind of toughened me up and hardened me. And so I kind of I used that experience to say, you know, you’re you know, you’re you’ve done some things. You’re you’re tougher than some of these guys. you can you’ve you’ve done that and and then I played a lot of sports growing up and I try to tell myself that I’m you know a great athlete and great hands and just it’s kind of silly but it really it it it triggers your mind and gets you to a spot where you start believing yourself and having confidence. It’s easy to think well obviously when things are going well and so these are some of the things I try to tap in when they’re not to try to re rewire the system and get things going in the right direction. Uh Patrick, I think it’s fascinating and and I mean you it may feel a little silly to you to be speaking about it out loud, but I can guarantee you there’s people watching you all over the world right now going, you know, maybe I could be doing a little bit more of that instead of hitting an errand shot and declaring to the world that I’m the worst ever to fill in the blank here, right? So I want to continue that conversation with you. do want to ask you about your mission for two years, stepping away from the game, coming back into it, shooting that 91 the the first time you were back, maybe thinking, did I give it all away? Uh, and did you give it all away for a higher calling? And is there merit to that, too? So, we have more to go through with Patrick Fishburn as we’re talking about these trials, these tribulations, the challenges that the best of the best face. And yes, that challenge got even tighter this year because keeping your card, keeping your job if you please on the PGA tour got tighter now than it’s been in well over 40 years. Our conversation with Patrick Fishburn continues as a Fairways of Life show does right after this. In a worldclass field, when the wind howls and every shot demands everything, it takes skill, creativity, mental toughness, an unwavering trust in your equipment. 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How much do those kids keep you grounded in terms of all these things we’ve been talking about this morning about just remaining chill and understanding that there’s a bigger picture at play? Uh it’s everything. Yeah, it’s I feel like since becoming a a parent, my practice and everything I’ve done is is more efficient because I I know that I, you know, I want to spend the time on the course, but I really want to be, you know, mostly involved in their lives and and get home as quick as I can, especially, you know, when I’m on the road all the time. When I’m home, I I want to be home, but I also got to keep the game in check. And so, it’s it’s such a great thing. There’s nothing better than being a parent. It’s been it’s been the best uh three years that uh anyone can have. It’s so much fun. they they come out to a lot of the the tournaments on the west coast and um it’s it’s so much fun and I usually play well when they come out because I I play the round and then I forget about golf and I go hang with them and then uh the next day go out and play again. But it just it just kind of takes my mind off of things and it’s it’s not a better blessing in the world. Very fortunate. Have you found that? And and it reminds me of Billy Casper as you as you probably know where you’re from. Billy Casper had 11 kids and I asked him one time about what what happens with the family and he basically told me it’s the reason why he doesn’t feel as much stress on the golf course because he’s got this family to go back to and he knows he has to provide for the family. uh that whole experience for you is that part of the reason why when we look at the time span that you’ve been a dad over these last three years, maybe two years in particular, you keep getting better and better in almost every statistical category and in your performance. Not the least of which, which I think you might find fascinating here if you don’t already know it. You get progressively better by round. If you look at your performances on tour events, Patrick, your first round is your worst performance, your second is a second, your third is a third, and your final round is always your best performance of the week on average, which I find absolutely fascinating. How much does that family dynamic play into this ascension that we’re seeing right before our eyes? Yeah. Yeah. It’s it’s everything. Like I said, it just it just narrows my focus and I just it’s just a new chapter, a new thing of life has just opened up when they came to the world. And and so, you know, that’s it’s at times I actually feel a lot more pressure because, you know, you got these three little kids and your wife, it relying on you to play well. And so, it’s it it just it makes me want to focus, makes you want to train harder. And that is interesting. You know, I’ve I think last year I was I was number one on uh scoring average for Saturday and and really good on Sunday. So, it’s I just got to get over the the cut hurdle. You know, I miss a lot of cuts, but seems like when I make them, I usually play pretty well on the weekend. And so, it’s just getting through Thursday and Friday. I’ve taken taken some steps to try to improve that start in preparation on Thursday and Friday. And I’m playing better on Thursday and Friday this year than I was last year. Um, but I’m I’m glad to see that, you know, Saturday, good play on Saturday and good play on Sunday is kind of continuing this year when, you know, when it matters. The the PJ tour is the courses are so hard and they get trickier as the week goes on. And so even if you make the cut on the number like I did last week, the courses are so hard and so tricky that you can still shoot really good scores on the weekend and move up quite a bit. I kind of saw the on the corn freight tour if you make the cut on the number you can shoot some really low scores and maybe not move up so much just because everyone’s making a lot of burries and so you know if you make it to the weekend you know anything can happen on the PGA tour. We’re seeing a competitive trend in you, Patrick, in that the more difficult the course, the more difficult the situation. I mean, your your your dad and your brother have already told us that when your back is up against the wall, you play your best. How do how would you describe all that dynamic? I don’t know. It It’s been strange. There’s been lots of scenarios like my first year in Canada, I had to win the last event to make it to the corn ferry tour. I went in there, I won the event on the corn ferry tour, I had to, you know, the long season. I had to take a top five that very last event to keep my card. I took a top five. Um, and then just I’m not sure. I think uh I grew up playing money games and different things since I was 11 years old. always playing with something on the line my entire life and maybe maybe that helped uh since I was a kid really feeling like every round had a lot of meaning and um you know there was something to lose and just gathering that I think basketball playing basketball helped um playing other sports helped um I’m not sure it’s just it I feel like uh it’s such a stressful situation when you’re in the hunt or when you have something on your line whether you know your career is on the fine, whatever. But it almost gets me to a spot where um my feel and my hands and my forearms and and my mind just the the focus just narrows even more when it’s that becomes an extremely stressful situation and I I seem to play better. So hopefully that trend can continue. It’s um it’s it’s it’s been good so far and hopefully I can and uh close out the year well. But I I the key for me is I need to get off to better starts. Get better off better starts in in the season. Seems like I always get off to a really slow start. And even in the week, like you said, I get off a little bit of a slow start. So if I can figure out how to, you know, transition and get that uh feeling of my back against the wall sooner, I think I’d have better results. Yeah, it’s kind of fascinating, Patrick, because it’s it almost there’s a sense of almost watching the clay get molded right before our eyes here in this discussion where you have this sense of urgency earlier in a particular round or at least in in in starting a tournament, rounds one, round two prior to the cut as you were discussing. Is that something that you guys are actively working on aside from just saying, “Well, I’d like to, I hope to.” Are there things you’re actually doing towards that goal? Um just preparation, looking at all the preparation Monday through Wednesday. Um making sure I’m using my time wisely. Um I’ve improved so much in putting the last several weeks. It’s been a huge breakthrough. It’s been the biggest issue probably in my game and I six or seven weeks ago I think I was ranked about 140th strokes gain putting and we kind of evaluated things and knew that needed to make some changes and so we we started you know using some aimoint and um using a different putter and went away from using any sort of mechanical training aids and all I focus on now is reading greens and I do speed drills and that’s I’ve gone gone from 140th to now I think I’m 67th in strokes game putting in five or six weeks and that’s that’s been the biggest change for me as of late. And so it’s just just getting away from honestly getting away from mechanical things and just being athletic and free. And I feel like I’ve I’ve done that with my full swing throughout my career and now I think I’m just barely starting to do that on the putting greens. So I’m seeing some progress there. Hopefully I can continue. It’s awesome and it’s exciting to see what you’re doing. Uh, as you guys can tell as we’re talking with Patrick that there’s this theme that’s woven through it about him as an athlete. I mean, he’s over 6’4, big guy, strong guy, all state in basketball, etc., etc. Your family, Patrick, has a horse ranch. And I’m curious when when you’re around animals, these beautiful, majestic animals that that your family is a part of raising and training and selling, what kind of perspective does that give you? Did is there any connection, any way that your experience there contributed to you becoming one of the best golfers in the world? Um, maybe. I uh at this point in my life, I try to stay far away from the ranch as I can. Luckily, my my brother Andy, he’s the one that kind of he runs the show over there, and it’s it’s an amazing horse operation. It’s incredible what what they do over there. My dad’s involved. I try to stay away as far as I away uh from that place I can, but I think uh I think more so playing a lot of different sports growing up has been been so important for me. Growing up, I played all through high school. I played six months of basketball and not touch a golf club. And then I played six months of golf and and not touch a basketball. And I feel like that was so important for my development growing up doing a lot of different things, you know, having the team aspect. If I would have just done one or the other, I guarantee I would have been burned out by the time I got to college. Um, but just doing that, you know, I actually got to college my freshman year and I’d never I’d never played golf in the months of January to May. And so I played some awful golf. The coach Brockbank and coach Miller were probably wondering what they did by recruiting me. Getting such a Yeah, I was shooting in the 80s and high 70s. But just just doing a lot of different things growing up is so important. I I see not that I know anything, but I see a lot of kids like specializing in different things. I just I don’t know if I agree with that because I feel like there’s you just miss out on so many so many different things if you’re just doing one sport or and there’s so many things that were with basketball that transferred over to my field and you know my my hands um my swing my golf swing. I’m a very handsy player. I rely on a lot of timing and a lot of um you know manipulation with the club. And so I feel like just developing the hand those hands with basketball, golf, you know, baseball. I didn’t play baseball long, but I played it through uh you know, elementary, but just just doing a variety of things, developing different skill sets, you know, not just golf movements, but all all sorts of different skill sets. and I’m sure busy on the farm that we were seeing those beautiful shots of courtesy of the PGA tour as well. I I have to imagine with the work that it takes to help running a farm when you were a kid and playing these sports and the lifestyle that you had at that time, uh that had to give you a strong resolve. Obviously, you mentioned already you had a strong resolve when you decided to be to go on your missionary trip which lasted what two years if I remember correctly. Uh Patrick, why did you do it? What was the decision there given where you were at that time? You were at the peak of your athletic prowess including uh your golf game at that time and you decide to make this very significant commitment in your life. Yeah, for sure. It was it was a it was a hard decision. You I played a year at BYU and then I didn’t originally plan on on going on church mission. You have the choice to go and um I felt like it was something that I needed to do. I felt like the Lord had blessed me a lot in my life and and I wanted to try to give back to him and try to give back to other people. And so I I left for a couple years. It’s a pretty it’s a pretty hard thing. You’re out there pretty much all day every day. Uh you’re riding bikes. You’re out in the middle of the the sun. You’re you’re trying to talk to people. You’re doing a lot of service. You’re trying to teach people of of Jesus Christ and help in any way you can in the community. And you pretty much do that every single day for for two years. You have one day on Monday where you kind of do a little bit of your laundry. You can play some basketball and do some different things. But, you know, the rest of the week you’re you’re up sun up to sun down. And you call home. I only they’ve changed it now, but I called home on Mother’s Day and uh and Christmas. So, you’re pretty much detached from your family for a couple years. And so, that really makes you grow up very fast. And while you’re on this church mission, you you know, you see a lot of people that are going through struggles and going through hard times. And that definitely puts puts your life in perspective coming from, you know, a nice place in in in Ogden, Utah, and you’re going to different areas that people are really, you know, down on your luck and you’re trying to help them. It just kind of opens your eyes to what the world is really like out there that, you know, there’s people that are struggling. And you have, as a golfer, you’re really, we’re really selfish people. We’re always worrying about ourselves, worrying about our own games. But for two years, I had two years of trying to focus on other people and help other people. And so I feel like that it just really helped me as a person. But yes, when I came back, I was a terrible golfer. It took me months just to shoot in the 70s. It took me a year probably to shoot even par or better. But the mental side and the perspective and different things like that, without doing that two-year um mission, I I know for sure I wouldn’t have made it to the PGA tour because I feel like it helped the mental side of things, how I manage bad situations on the course. It’s never really that bad compared to what’s really going on in life. Yeah. For other people. And so it’s there was so much that went into that that has helped me. Uh it took a took a few steps back obviously but was able to take a lot of steps forward and and get to uh where I am today. How much are you looking forward to the FedEx Cup fall? I love playing in the fall. Last year it was really important for for my game because I think I went in outside. I was probably 120th going into the fall. So it was really a kind of a stressful time. And you know some of these courses I’ve played already like the one in Napa. I went there. I’d already played quite a bit out there. Uh my assistant coach in college is Todd Miller, Johnny Miller’s son. And so we would Johnny has ownership in in that area. And so we’d go out there and play a little bit. So I really looked forward to playing that tournament, played that tournament. Well, and then just a great schedule. We play uh play in Utah, which is always fun. Play down in Black Desert, brand new resort. That’s really incredible place. Really anxious to get down there, play in front of the home crowd. And um it it’s going to be great. I love playing in the fall. I seem to play my best golf this time of year and uh you know really looking forward to it. It’s going to be fun. So many great stops the rest of the year and very important especially for us that are outside that top 70 number that are you know vying for our cards and vying for position next year. It’s so crucial these last you know seven events for us in the fall. Yeah. And how much because I love your attitude. I love your energy. I love your enthusiasm, the vision that you have. Let’s jump past the fall if you would allow. How much are you looking forward to 2026 with who you are now as a person and as a player? I think I’m like you mentioned, I think I’m progressing every single year from the Canadian tour to the corn tour. Every year I’m I’m making some progress on my game and so I I want to keep that momentum going. I want to make sure that I lock up that card for 2026 because I I feel like I’m just starting to understand these golf courses. Just starting to understand the way that the tour sets up the golf courses, the firmness, how it gets firmer as the week goes on. Um, you know, the intricacies to some of these courses. You know, some of these guys have been playing these courses for for 20 years. And so when you show up to a spot, you feel like you’re a little bit behind. And so getting that third year out there, I feel like I would see a lot, you know, a big jump forward. Um, you know, knowing just just understanding things a little bit better each year. And I’m really I’m most excited about the progress that I’ve made on the greens. I feel like this could open up a new level to to my performance on the course, just having uh a putter and having a method, a practice method, something that I can rely on that’s consistent week to week. I’ve I’ve been a very streaky putter. Um, but I’m starting to see some consistent results that will take a lot of stress off my game. You know, I’ve I’ve relied on hitting it close, hitting on the par fives and two to make birdies, but now I can I can see a few more putts from beyond 20 feet going on. 15footers just takes a lot of stress off the game if the putter can cooperate. I love it. I love the whole theme of taking stress off across the board. Everything that we’ve been talking about today. Uh how about sponsors, Patrick? Who have you aligned yourself with? I’m so lucky. You know, a lot of my sponsors are actually from this from this Ogden area. had such a a great community for me to grow up in. They’ve I have so many people that have backed me. I don’t know if there’s a a professional golfer that gets more support from his community than I do here in Agnut. So, uh great companies, local companies that that help me support me um through thick and thin and and I’m very lucky. And I yeah, I grew up playing at Ogden Country Club where they just had the corn ferry event. So, it’s it’s a very tight-knit community here in in Ogden and in Utah. And so I’m very lucky to have so many sponsors and so many great people that are they’re willing to take a chance on me. It’s awesome, man. All right, the last thing I want to ask you today and and we’ve touched on this in so many different ways, but but I’m going to ask you in a different perspective if you’d allow. There are so many people watching us right now where whatever it is, the hope, the dream that they hold in their heart and mind. What message do you have to those people about perseverance and vision and execution and allowing yourself to be the artist instead of the tactician to accomplish your goals? What is your message to all of them? Wow, that’s a great question. I don’t know if I’m qualified to answer that, but I would I would just uh probably be kind to yourself. I think it’s so easy to to focus on the things that we don’t do well, but I think there’s so many things that that all of us uh can that are doing well and that we can improve on and and just keep learning. I I love studying the game. I love studying the mental side of the game. Just just selfmastery, finding ways that I can be a better father, be a better person. And I think everyone within us has that. We just got to just got to unlock that. But start with being a little nice to yourself and and uh not always dwelling on the negatives, but enjoying life and being positive. There’s so so much good in the world. It’s easy to turn on the TV and and maybe see some negativity, but there’s a lot of good people and a lot of good things going on. I tell you what, dude, you are a ray of sunshine. Uh Patrick Fishburn, we wish you the very very best moving forward. I know these are some very important weeks and months that still lie in store for you. We can’t wait to see what’s around the corner. Thank you for your time. Yeah, thank you for having on. Enjoyed it. Appreciate it. Pleasure. All right, folks. So, this idea of breaking through is so important. Buried in mind that what we saw on tour just last week was a massive breakthrough for Cam Young. How did he do it? What’s behind the numbers of what he accomplished? We all know the big number. He had seven runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour and had not yet won. What changed? What was different? I want to go down that road with you and talk about some of the things that it may impact. I also want to congratulate our partner Flight Scope with their new introduction into the world. It just came out yesterday. The MEVO Gen 2. The MEVO Gen 2 is a launch monitor and a simulator. I don’t know how else to describe this thing other than to tell you that it is absolutely mindblowing. This device uses multiple technologies, Doppler radar, the camera views, and has it all together for absolute accuracy. The beauty about this device with everything that it measures, all of the data that comes back to you, and it’s portable. This is whether you want to use it on the driving range, whether you want to use it at home as a simulator, maybe you just have it set up as a net in your backyard. The amount of information that it can measure for you will blow your mind. And I know for those of you that are interested in this level of technology, you want to know your angle of attack. You want to know your ball speed. You want to know your club speed. want to have tracing technology so that you can see how and where the ball flight is going. What’s your apex as an example? All of this data is available to you. It is easily within reach with the MEO Gen 2. It is that unique. It is that special. And ready for this? It’s available for just under $1,200 in the marketplace right now. And here’s another thing that I’m amazed by. Once you unbox it, all of this data is available to you. It’s not hidden behind pay walls. It is yours right out of the gate. Look at these data parameters. So, congratulations to Flight Scope. Their new MEVO Gen 2 is out right now. Log on to flightcope.com for more. And we will be back with more of the Fairways of Life Show going down that road. We just talked about the why that’s behind so many stories right after this. In Ireland, golf is more than just a game. Come and experience our world famous Lynx courses and our world famous Parkland courses. All set alongside world famous scenery and visit our world famous historic sites. And while you’re here, enjoy our world famous hospitality. [Music] Fill your heart with Ireland at Ireland.com/golf. Benh Hogan Golf Equipment is back. Established in 1953, we serve golfers who demand excellence of their equipment. Designed by the game’s best engineers, forged in the world’s best foundaries, and built to order in the USA. Don’t settle for off- therackck disappointment. Elevate your game with custom clubs at direct consumer pricing exclusively at benhoganolf.com. That’s benhoganolf.com. PXG is proud of our nation’s heroes like past and present military, law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs, nurses, and teachers. And it’s no secret we give special pricing to all of our hero customers. It’s also no secret that times are tough. And in our book, that makes everybody a hero. So now through August 31st, everybody qualifies for special heroes pricing on select clubs. Visit pxg.com now to learn more. PXG, you’ve never played like this before. Sure, this is golf, but so is this. And this. And this is definitely golf. And so is this. Hey, that’s not golf. Oh, wait. Yeah, it is. And no matter what your golf is, you’re going to need a store. No, a supertore. A place to get fit for a new club and walk out with it the same day. A place to find the perfect fit. A place to do whatever this is because this is golf. And this is golf’s supererstore. What would your ultimate golf experience be like? Just you and a friend? Or would you round up some buddies for a foresome? Just one day or an entire week? There’s a good chance your ultimate golf experience could be Michigan’s magnificent 10. 10 incredible courses set among three remarkable resorts. See for yourself. Book your ultimate golf experience today. Hey, I’m golf broadcaster Matt Adams. You know, Hubs Peanuts has been cooking up the top 1% of peanuts for over 70 years. And these aren’t your average nut. These are super extra-large Virginia peanuts cooked in the USA. Family-owned Hubs peanuts have more protein than any other nuts. So whether it’s a boost on the course or a special gift, the variety of flavors guarantees Hubs Peanuts is just what you need. Familyowned, nutritious, delicious, and sustainable. Hubs Peanuts. It’s just right. Hubsspanuts.com. When you choose Newton Chefs, you’re choosing more than a product. You’re choosing innovation, pride, and excellence. Right here in America, we pay attention to the minutest of details, and you can feel that in the performance of our shafts. [Music] as we welcome you back to the Fairways of Life Show from the PXG Custom Studios. You’ve never played like this before. Log on to pxg.com and see how and why. Speaking of the wise, so we knew that Cameron Young had seven runner-up finishes on the PJ tour and plenty of close calls, plenty of times he asserted himself into the story at major championships. But well, a lot of people didn’t realize that those seven runner-up finishes were the most of any player without a win going back to 1983. The significance of what he accomplished, he moved from 40th to 15th in RDER Cup points. You’re going to hear coming up, he’ll talk about his position with the RDER Cup. He’s 16th in FedEx Cup points. He’s 21st in the official World Golf rankings. He’s only 28 years old. And that’s that’s one of the things that and we should do this sometime in the show where we have a broader conversation about young players in the game of golf to keep an eye on because we get so swept up in it that sometimes we forget that there are players still in their 20s that are making a lot of noise. The chief amongst them, of course, would be Scotty Sheffller, who’s 29 years old, still in his 20s. And there’s plenty of others that we can have that discussion about because that lends itself to where we’re going down the road. Yeah. Ryder Cup teams, President’s Cup teams, people who are going to contend for years to come. When we talk about Cameron Young and his five top 10s that he had just this season, what’s fascinating to me is where you look at his performance, and this comes down to what I like to say is the why. What’s the why behind what’s going on? His putting average in 22 and 23 and I and I went to 22 23 for no particular reason other than to just grab one for a comparison. Look at this graphic that Andrew put together. Strokes gained putting in 2223. He was ranked 158th on tour. Look at him in 2025. That difference is so stark and so profound. From 158th only a couple years ago to sixth this year at the Windham championship, he led the field in strokes game putting. Are you ready for this? Plus 10.335. Absolutely unbelievable. But as you see oftent times when players are working on a particular aspect of their game sometimes it costs them in another area. Total driving in 2223. Total driving is the combo of both distance and accur of dis accuracy and distance. Sorry. He was 15th. Total driving at 25 110th. Driving accuracy got worse. Proximity to the hole got dramatically worse. Scrambling about the same. A little bit better but not even close to average. So it shows you the power of for one thing the flat stick and we just heard Patrick Fishburn talking so much about that and getting to sixth. So where I wanted to start with today because I think the best way to try to understand where a player is physically, emotionally, where their game is at is to hear it directly from them. So when Cameron Young sat down with the media, he was asked about how this victory at the Windom Championship, his breakthrough victory on the PGA Tour, in which he became the 10,000th player to win on the PGA tour, which I want to get to as well if we have time. How does it set up the next few weeks? And what does this mean to him in terms of his chances of perhaps making Keegan Bradley’s RDER Cup team? Is there still work to be done? But more important to all of that in the wake of victory, Cameron Young, how does it feel? It feels great. Uh like you said, feels like a long time coming. I felt like for, you know, the first year and a half that I was out here, I had a chance to win, you know, every every third week it felt like. And um they’ve been a bit more few and far between. But um to to have a chance like this today, I was I was not going to let it get away from me. And I’m I’m thankful that I that I didn’t. And going into the truest this year, the first week of May, I think I was 83. So, um that was not a great spot to be. And you know, there’s thoughts in the back of your mind like, you know, what if I finish 104th? So, you know, I I kind of told myself that I can’t let that happen. And I’ve I’ve played some different golf since then. So, yeah, I mean, to to be back kind of where I feel like I should be, uh, I’ve got a great opportunity to make it to East Lake and I think a great opportunity to make a Router Cup team. So, those are those are the two things I want to do. So what’s interesting to me about is that latter conversation, the last comment he made because I promise you it was coming about feeling that he has a shot at making the RDER Cup team. He’s 16th in standings, 15th, I beg your pardon, is standing, 16th in FedEx Cup points. So it’s clear there still is work to do. The question is how much will Keegan Bradley and his team take a look at current form? So let’s talk about his current form. Normally when I when I talk about current form, we go back five events. I’m going to go back six for a specific reason because the last six events for Cam Young. RBC Canadian Open tied for fourth. US Open tied for fourth. Travelers tied for 52nd. The Rocket Classic tied for 46. He missed the cut at the open and then he wins at the Windom. So how much you take into that I think is part of the consideration. At the very least I think it would be safe to say over the weeks that lie before us and there’s it’s a very small sample that he has to make for Keegan Bradley with the BMW he’s got to do very very well. I think he’s going to need at least one more win and a high finish on top of that to really draw in that attention. Okay. One thing about Cam Young is that he always seems so stoic. You know what I’m saying? There was a bit of a cathartic moment when he finished. I thought so when he was talking to Amanda on Sunday and and afterwards where he said he didn’t expect to be so emotion emotional because he was knocking on the door a lot. But he was asked about, you know, he has a five shot lead going into the final round. Were you nervous the night before? And then this did the nerves impact you did you feel in that final round? Yeah, I mean honestly la last night was no problem. It just like we were out here early. It was we had to play three holes and then come back and play a whole round of golf and by the time I got home it was dinner bed. Um so I really had uh no issue. This morning I was a little bit more nervous than I expected, but kind of just, you know, did my my usual stuff and um I I really I was I was a little bit nervous starting out and and then um you know, by by the time I made the second or third birdie, I was I was just ready to ready to get it done. Yeah, I wasn’t I wasn’t nervous at all um those last bunch. Um, I just kind of at that point had my foot off the gas and frankly I knew that I could make a couple bogeies and it was just a matter of not hitting it anywhere that I could possibly make a double. Um, which I I didn’t want to play that way, but at some point, you know, there’s I wanted to win by 12 and at some point there’s something more important than that probably. And you know with four holes to go and an eight shot lead or whatever it was at the time um I I was just trying to get it done. Um and you know even even though I had a couple putts for par, it was like the least stressful few holes probably of my career. Well, he did get it done. Congratulations to Cam Young breaking through and winning on the PGA Tour and becoming the 1,000th PGA Tour winner all time. Very cool number again. And what I love about that is it shows you how small the number of people are that have actually won on the PGA Tour. When you think about it across the spectrum of the entire history of tour events, congratulations to Mayu Yamashuta who wins uh the AIG Women’s Open, first win on the LPGA tour, and that first win is a major pretty good place to start there. if we have time. I know we’re getting short on time on today’s show, but I’d love to hear from Latti Wo, too, because I feel like I was talking about this, I think it was last week’s show where I feel like we’re on this this edge if we’re not already thrust into a new golden age in golf with what we’re seeing happening all around us. And I think Lahi is showing us amazing things. I want to talk about that if we have time when we come back. I want to talk about Jackson Kovven as well, the young amateur who played great at the Windham again because I think these opportunities to discuss these young players give us a vision into the future. If you want a vision into your future of playing your very best golf, head to newtonolfco.com. Newton golf shafts have an elongated bend profile and that means that you’re going to feel perhaps for the first time in the history of of you playing the game of golf load at the top of your golf swing. 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MEIBO Plus comes with ownership of simulated golf courses for you to play and practice at home. Meio Plus is an essential golf partner to help you improve and understand your game better. Put more purpose in your practice. To learn more and get your MEVO Plus, shop now at flightcope.com. When you choose Newton shafts, you’re choosing more than a product. You’re choosing innovation, pride, and excellence right here in America. We pay attention to the minutest of details. And you can feel that in the performance of our shafts. [Music] Um, I mean it was pretty good overall. Um, played played solid. Um, probably hit it better over the weekend. Just didn’t really hold too many putts, but I mean top 10’s not you can’t complain too much. So, yeah, overall good week. Um, I mean, I don’t think it affected my golf, but yeah, it was definitely a lot lot more attention, a lot more um, you know, eyes on me. Um, feel like I handled it pretty well overall and just was just sticking to my my game and just trying to focus on the prep really and not let it distract me too much. Yeah, I think so. I think I played even before this, played a lot of the majors, you know, as an amateur. So, got to play with um, the likes of the people I was playing with this week. So, um, had that experience and kind of knowing I could play play well against them and and beat them is just a nice nice confidence booster. Yeah, it felt great. Um, it’s a little stressful coming down the stretch. Made a couple really really good putts and um just happy with the way I played. Didn’t really have my best stuff today, but really really scrambled and managed well and I’m really happy with the finish for sure. Like I I definitely feel a little more comfortable out here. Um definitely still have those first sea nerves. I don’t think those are ever going to go away, but um just just happy to be out here. Uh this is a a great venue, great spot, and yeah, it’s it’s great to be here. I got I got USM um starting next uh Monday, so looking forward to that. Getting outside of California where I grew up and um it’s definitely a pinnacle and a great tournament. Jackson Koven, the number one ranked amateur player in the world, was the second video hit that you just saw there. He finished tied for fifth at the Windom on 14 underpar at Auburn University. This past year, he completed his sophomore year. His freshman year was one of the best seasons of all time. I’ve written down here in this pad what he accomplished, just a picture of it’s because it’s amazing. SEC Freshman of the Year, SEC Player of the Year, Ben Hogan Award, Haskins Award, Jack Nicholas award, Auburn won of course the national title that year and at the Windom that was his second top 10 finish already on tour, a kid who was still in college. Latte W is doing amazing things. She won the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Open in July as an amateur. She won the Women’s Irish Open. uh still as an amateur. She finished one stroke out of the playoff at the Avon Championship. She won in her pro debut at the Scottish Open and at the AIG or at this past weekend’s AIG Women’s Open. She ended up finishing tied for eighth. Absolutely remarkable the stuff that we’re seeing before us and it makes it very very exciting indeed. So too was today’s show. Thank you so much as ever folks for your company. It was really fun getting a chance to talk to Patrick that long and to give you guys a chance to hear specific cuts from Cam. Till next time, see you.
