Chris Kirk Wins the Birdie-fest at Kapalua – 2024 SENTRY Tournament Recap | The First Cut Podcast

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Rick Gehman, Kyle Porter, Patrick McDonald and Mark Immelman recap the 2024 Sentry.

0:00 Intro + new fashion on the golf course
7:00 Chris Kirk wins the 2024 Sentry in very professional fashion (& we have receipts, Rick)
19:30 Sahith Theegala goes deep on Sunday and almost picks up win No. 2
29:00 The Jordan Spieth experience is alive and well + Im’s birdie record, Collin Morikawa & more
46:00 Best Bets
54:00 One & Done

#golf #pgatour #thesentry #thefirstcutpodcast

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ABOUT THE SHOW: The First Cut brings you everything you need to know in the world of professional golf. Nearly every day Rick Gehman, Kyle Porter, Mark Immelman, Greg DuCharme, Sia Nejad and Patrick McDonald bring you the best analysis in the game. From DFS to betting previews, interviews and recaps… everything golf is on the table when you listen to The First Cut.

Freaking first cut golly welcome to the first cup podcast I’m Rick gamon and this is your recap episode for this week’s Century joining me to break it all down Patrick McDonald is here Patrick good evening to you little after dark action to start the year oh could get a little spicy uh we

Talking a little Jason day style hopefully later in the show I’ve got some takes on that uh really overshadowed Jordan Beast performance this week but uh great tournament to kick off off the year spe style performance or just his actual performance oh the the blade collar rope

Hat I mean no one talked about it I thought there was there was something there Jason day Pro providing a lot of cover for a lot of guys this week Mark imman is here Mark good to see you it’s good to be seen yeah I was under the

Weather for a few days but had a nice vacation so good to be back with you boys um nice nice to get a little mix mixed up in The Fray here uh we appreciate you giving us a $500,000 Head Start well I figured I’d try be like

Patrick for a week or two and see what it’s like at the bottom of the leaderboard and then make my way from there you know all right we’ll just clip that Josh and we’ll hold on to that for a couple of months and we’ll just see

How that comment ages might age well I don’t know could age very very poorly KY Porter is here KP hello it’s probably gonna age like the uh like the wine that I owe I’m gonna owe Mark here in a few years gonna be aged Kyle it’s gonna be a

If JT doesn’t doesn’t play the PJ tour I’m confused Patrick did you like speed’s fit or or dislike it well the bar is just so low with Jordan spe that they did a flashback to 2015 or whatever so bad and it was like this guy is like

Wearing the exact same thing pretty much I just I was not a fan of it I’m Pro Jason day somewhat and antip on the style front I thought the the spe ROP hat was good I I liked it I was in on it well well while we’re on Jason Patrick

Was it the style or the size of the clothing the amount of fabric that put you off no I I I like Jason day the the style because he’s willing to do something different I’m all about that that’s okay I think uh day two outfit with all the

Random little uh swirly icons on the pants H I’m out on that and I’m kind of out on malbon in general but his ability they want to sponsor us I there goes our sponsorship his willingness to try something different I I get I Round of Applause from from

Me you you said Jordan SM was wearing did you say a blade collar that is that is the type of collar there you go okay is that’s not a blade collar is it I think it’s just a I think he I think his collar has just gone the way of his

Swing which is all over the place so you’re telling me it was tucked in all day and no one said anything to him because a blade collar is like a it’s like a fake collar right it’s not like a it’s not like a mock turtleneck but it’s

Like there’s I don’t even how to describe it there’s like a cutout of where the the collar is but it doesn’t actually fold yeah the Blade’s kind of like a henley t-shirt no that’s a blade over there I I I looked hard no thank you Mark thank you Mark is that a blade

Rick I’m zooming in last year last year I know because Adidas had a similar shirt with like a two button PL jaet we had to wear and a longer sort of not a mock but pretty close kind of thing there’s no way that’s a blade color I don’t think it is because I’m

Gonna show you what what a blade collar is I’m gonna show you Rory mroy in a blade and Josh I’m gonna uh I’m gonna share my screen here if you can pull this up when did wear a blade yeah exactly if I can do this fast enough I’m

Waiting with breath I feel bad for Chris Kirk right now we’ll get to him try try that Josh it’s half loaded there you go okay that’s a blade collar oh that’s horrible thing he just had all the buttons done up no go back to the spe his in just the buttons onone

Up that’s a BL it might it might be I don’t know because there’s a like look at the oh so oh oh so you’re saying so if he were to button the top collar would see the black part because that would be the that would be against his

Neck no I think the blade is like the accent it’s like the it’s like my what do you call this the lapel and the the sweater I’m wearing go back to Rory Josh I don’t see it it’s done I’m with you are you with me KP is this an even two

Two well I’m taking a closer look now I’ve got some other photographic evidence in what we have on the show I’ve not I don’t have all the camera angles available no I think it I think it can you share my screen producer Josh no I’m really feel sorry for Chris

Kirk the podcast listeners are gonna love this oh they are people love fashion talk I think it I think it I think it’s a t I think it is a type of Blade let me I’m gonna need to see what you’re looking at um okay let me figure out Mark had to

Share his screen during the show you have no chance Rick I’m gonna I’m just gonna text this picture to producer Josh and he can it’s gonna take like five minutes no don’t don’t worry about it I’ll also I’m gonna I’m gonna consult with some folks that were on site that

That might have had better eyes on it as well all right well Josh whenever that comes in just put it up we’ll we’ll Circle back just throw it up we’ll talk about it two big announcements before we jump into the recap in the week that was

Out on Maui number one that golf on YouTube uh golf on CBS YouTube channel that you could be watching us on right now has reached 100,000 subscribers thank you very much please let’s go for the next 100,000 and if you would like to vote us for the best golf podcast of

The year the link is in the description takes about I don’t know 10 seconds to do they don’t ask you for anything intrusive they don’t ask you for your credit card information or your social security number or your mother’s maiden name nothing like that very very simple

Stuff go cat your vote and we would would greatly appreciate it the century is in the books and it was Chris Kirk who goes 67 65 66 658 under on Sunday to capture his first victory since last year’s Honda Classic it was bogy free Mark for the first 12

Or 13 holes I thought it was pretty darn Flawless I’m not sure I saw many flaws after that but it was a very uh well organized well managed round where he had a ton of looks and took advantage of a lot of them it just looks so comfortable I mean can we’ve

Just for a minute in the era of the hard fade on in the world’s professional game what eight out of 10 guys hit hard cuts the high draw is the prettiest thing in the world and this guy had that on absolute tape every single ball with driver through wedge just the babiest of

Little balls that fall off the top of the flight it was so pretty and and you know when it gets a little Breezy now it wasn’t Breezy like it could be but when you uphill uneven lies there’s pressure up it’s easy for swing Rhythm to get off

But he didn’t miss a beat the guy was metronomic so for me it was the golf swing junkie in me just had the a ball which in Chris Kirk play and it was it was almost virtuosa to kick the season off in my opinion one bogey all weak KP

He was uh led by his approach play 12th in Strokes gained approach he was first around the green and he tacked on another three and a half Strokes with the putter Chris Kirk uh took some time off and played left-handed yeah I might I might try left-handed if you get to

Come back and and start playing golf like this well I think we have some evidence that you would not try left-handed hoping I was hoping you forgot oh no okay here we go oh no this is a text from from uh let’s go I don’t have the date I

Don’t have the date in front of me but this is a text from Rick that somebody that wasn’t me laughed at so I I had no part in this and it says I’m impressed and appalled this was about Chris Kirk uh somebody dropped a video of Chris Kirk

Playing left-handed in our group chat yeah Rick says I’m impressed and appalled 82 Lefty is incredible swing looks good also he plays for millions of dollars in glory but spends a month a month practicing something fairly useless question mark question mark exclamation points speaking of things that didn’t age well golly Rick learn

The driver Chris learn the driver in in my defense oh let’s hear it the driver was the worst part of his game this week that’s a that’s not a good the the the jury is tosses it out oh yeah this was uh I don’t know maybe two weeks ago

Or you know when when that when that Lefty when that Lefty swing came out and uh yeah not not great not great for me I I appreciate uh listen hand up that’s maybe that’s the new the new uh practice strategy I was hoping that you were not

Going to remember that I said that well I did I thought about it all all afternoon but uh Kirk was you know he was really good he he had a great quote afterwards where he said even though I was nervous I I tried to think like I’m

Not going to let my nervousness affect the fact that I can hit a great shot here and how many times did we see I mean 17 obviously was the was the kind of Dan new ma like the Apex of of what he did uh throughout the week that that

Shot was a joke I mean that that’s such a it’s such a tough not only is it a tough shot but it’s it’s not really a spot where you’re flag hunting because you know you have 18 you can make four on 18 18’s like a four and a half I

Don’t know what the scoring average was but it’s not a it’s not a super difficult hole and so just to hit that shot into 17 was it was it was awesome and his his Tempo Rick was the thing that stood out to me Mark alluded to

This but like his Tempo was so good and it almost seemed to slow down when when the pressure was on which I was really impressed by so just a it was it was a really it was a really cool win by him I think the one of the things I wrote

Afterwards is just nobody nobody would have expected something like this obviously he’s had a great career but nobody would have expected when he came back in uh what was it 20 2020 or 2021 and he’s uh he’s playing on he’s one he’s playing corn fairy tour events he

Played a couple of those and then even two weeks ago when he’s playing left-handed golf or whatever you just don’t expect him to go out and win in a in a Big Boy event like this and he just he went and did it I thought it was I

Thought it was awesome I was really impressed by him and by the entire performance yeah Patrick it’s you know one it’s it’s difficult to find the line between kind of staying in the moment and staying engaged without realizing the moment that you are in and I thought

That Chris Kirk did a really good job of that he always walked slow but you did not see that pace change at any point on Sunday and the the big thing not only the great shot that he hits into 17 from 208 yards to make birdie obviously a

Great shot but in the moment now to have the cushion where you can play 18 to a five and not have to make a four or try to make a four to win and maybe things go sideways like that shot was worth it was worth a birdie on the scorecard but

It was much more valuable than that yeah and I think what makes it a little more impressive uh to me is just having guys like up in front of you post numbers again like birdie after birdie after birdie and having to see that on the score board instead of someone in your

Own group kind of doing it and keeping Pace with them and just knowing like okay when I step up to this par five I’m going to have to make a birdie or else I’m going to lose a shot to the pursuers here I I think that takes a toll

Mentally on you and I know that’s kind of the name of the game at caloa you have to pretty much shoot eight under or else you’re G to get lapped by the field and I think that’s just another impressive Point by Kirk and he really did on the back nine without his putter

I mean he missed a lot of putts a lot of Birdie opportunity from 12 on that easily could have fallen if uh that front nine stroke was there and so to kind of build that lead a little bit on the front nine with a 5 under at the

Turn and then not cruise but look really in control that entire back nine uh really impressive win and in two wins in his last what 20 25 starts probably for a guy like Chris Kirk who came to Hawaii a few years ago and got his tour status

Back at the Sony Open and to win here a few years later it’s really cool to see that’s such a good point to me Patrick and how you spoke of you know because you know the people out in front are going to get busy and especially on that

Course because the close to the round of golf 14 the short four and 15 the five and of course um 17 the five and then you have 16 where you get the drive in the Fairway and you got a wedge in hand you know guys are going to pick up two

Perhaps even three coming in but there were two shots that stood out to me that speak to your points and this is this the approach to 17 aside that was gorgeous he gets it on 14t driveable and hits three-wood off the te so just as content to play his game hits the

Three-wood in the Fairway hits the wedge on the green then the next toll that par five the 15th that sort of wanders its way downhill and it’s it’s not as easy as what it seems on television because you have that chicane in the middle of

The Fairway and if you pull it you can’t really go for the green if you block it you’re in Kingdom Come and he just gets up there and just starts at right center just hits his baby drop perfect and it catches the slope and works out will and

I looked at this and I’m like wow this guy is a guy who’s absolutely cool with exactly who he is he’s not trying to do anything he cannot and he understands that if I hit the ball like I can and I hit it solidly I’m going to be okay and

And to me that was a mental battle one two but you heard kiss speak about it I mean Chris Kirk has been a winner since he was a junior and he might not blow the brains out of a golf course but he plots his way around there and when he

Gets everything working he is a pretty sound campaigner career earnings guess Rick he’s been around a long time I just looked up how many wins he has so I know the answer to that I know how many wins he’s got um are you including this week or not including this week

31 really really good guess 29.6 oh okay yeah so six six wins that’s that’s what I looked up six wins to Patrick’s guess it was it was two in his last now two in his last 21 starts now he had that eight-year stretch between win number four and win number five from

Colonial to the Honda of 2023 but that’s that’s a tidy little career KP six six wins and now you’re entering uh I mean the way the style of golf that he plays um there there are a couple of really good spots for him we are going to one

Next week he’s had a lot of success at wly as well yeah it’s going to be interesting I think I mean just winning a signature event I was thinking about this during the the round that’s a that’s a big deal you know there’s there’s we talk about

Majors and obviously those are a much bigger deal but to win a one of the eight siggies is that what you’re call them Patrick siggies and then I’m calling the normal ones gen poop gen pop general population okay correct so so win one of the eight

Siggies is uh I mean he’s had a I think he’s kind of had an underrated really good career right like he’s been I mean just to stay on tour for that long almost won a FedEx Cup uh did win a FedEx Cup playoff event where else he

Won Colonial he’s won some some real like legitimate golf courses and and to add kaaloa to that it’s uh I think it’s a career that he can look back on even um well you throw in the personal stuff and obviously you’re you’re proud of that but even if you’re just talking

About the golf stuff I think it’s a I think it’s a career to be proud of let’s play this game I’ll read you his wins in the name that they were when he won them and you tell me what that tournament is now okay so 2011 he won the Viking classic

RSM no that’s Sanderson Farms Sanderson Farms Markus on the Bo 2023 mlad classic RSM RSM that’s the RSM 2014 the Deutsche Bank Championship that’s the that’s it doesn’t exist Does it TPC Boston yeah uh playoff event oneish kind of the Northern Trust Dell Technologies Championship would be its uh most recent

Name and then who can say and then that’s dead too and then the Crown Plaza Invitational at Colonial is now what’s Chuck the dean and Duca I don’t was the dean and Duca for one stage Charles schw that’s right Patrick Patrick got that one Honda Classic and then the century six wins

For Chris Kirk on what’s the Honda Classic now oh Honda’s had two different names since he’s won it it’s the classic at the Palm Beaches I know that because it’s on my live schedule under that name they got a sponsor yeah they did I can’t remember it though cogn cognizant

Cognizant classic look at look at Patrick just deep in the in the 500 yeah um all right congratulations uh Chris Kirk you are on the board six cons uh six wins on the PGA tour 29 underpar 29 underpar 28 under for sah fala a 63 on Sunday 10 under par he had two

Separate stretches Mark in which he made uh four straight birdies two through five 13 through 16 he could not tack on another birdie at 18 though I think if he did Chris Kirk would have played his 18th hole the final hole of the day a little bit differently so maybe it still

Ends up with Chris Kirk winning just at 30 underpar but sah officially finishes one shot back you know he’s so refreshing to watch play golf and whenever I get to call him I get quite excited because he’s he’s sort of broken the mold and he is so true to who he is

And I watched him play this evening and he hits his shots and he’s creative and he’s got all manner of trajectories and stuff and just the way he goes about it it honestly it looks to me like he’s really having fun playing the game and that to

Me is incredible when you’re playing for $3 million and such where he’s hon playing purely for the level of the game as far as I’m as far as it appears and um I have no doubt that if this guy stays injuryf free which I think is a

Bonus given how he swings it because the way he moves his body he doesn’t put a whole lot of torque on different joints and stuff in his lower back and his knees and hips so I feel like the longevity is there it looks like his short game and the putting is improving

Almost every week is’s out there so with with the way he plays it it honestly it looks to me like there’s so much more in his future and I think we just just scratching the surface with siah well the the conversation you know a couple years ago when when sah really started

To pop on to the scene KP is just kind of how raw and how talented he is and we we’re starting to see the maturity the consistency it’s no longer T9 mcut t11 mcut those results are getting a lot tighter uh obviously getting close to Victory here

Winning at the fortet this is something that’s becoming more and more of a trend yeah he’s he’s electric man he’s he’s awesome he’s I think I called him the new spe on Thursday night uh it’s interesting because you know he’s played well at some of the courses that speed

Has played well at right kaaloa Augusta he made a run last year uh I think he finished in the top 10 at Augusta last year I want to say he had kind of a a late uh stretch there where he played very well I think you if you get him on

A like a tight Treeline golf course I don’t know how well it’s going to go because he can get he can get wild right but man if if you get him on some of these these open courses uh like like we see at capala he can kind of kind of get

Out and run a little bit it’s it’s really really fun I’m I’m excited about his year I’m I’m curious about what you think his ceiling is Rick like what what do you think he can like whose career what can he be on the PGA tour oh interesting okay uh um I

I I actually throw him into a category with like Cam Davis which is these really raw talented guys that are getting better that when they get on really good courses for them are super dangerous now I think sah is is better than Cam Davis and I think that he kind

Of proves that down the stretch I think he could be a one win every two three I was months 15 months yeah okay yeah I I see that look in college he won he was prolific and he was playing against all the stars in college when he was there at pepon you

You referenced Augusta National Kyle and I remember it would might have been the Tuesday we went there in the clubhouse and had some lunch and he was sitting there and big now this is the Master’s first timer and when you get to Augusta National you OD by the place and then

You go and practice and then you’re like holy cow this is legit and it’s difficult and it it’s sort of keeps you on the knife edge the whole time but he was sitting there at lunch and kind of eased his chair over to us and was just

Chitchatting and I’m like you having a good time and he goes man I’m having a ball isn’t this place great and I was looking at him going you are incredible because most folks come here yes but you can see the nerves and and the anxiousness not him he was all

Smiles and he’s like I’m gonna go out there and just let it fly and he did and as you point out played pretty well there yeah he’s he’s very down toe dude I’m uh I’m excited I do think I think Rick there there’s going to be courses where he just naturally struggles on

Right um I I I don’t know that he’s the type I I don’t think he’s at the type of talent level where like a I don’t know you like a Klay or a Rory or a ROM where where you go to any course and it doesn’t really matter what the course is

I don’t I don’t think he’s that but man I think he can be really dangerous at a lot of a lot of courses at a high level on the PGA tour I agree that for now and I say for now because I don’t so let me

Go in this order I think there are courses that he will struggle on there courses that will be better for him for now because Patrick I don’t think he’s like I don’t think he’s sniffed his ceiling I think we are very far away from him finding a ceiling no he’s only

26 he was one of those guys who left Pepperdine before they won that National Championship kind of right there in the middle of covid he got the his PJ tour career started a little after that and so I I’m kind of with Kyle where it’s

Hard not to see a lot of Jordan speed in him he’s like a d it’s like a diet version maybe I know non-alcoholic beers are really in now maybe a nonalcoholic version of Jordan spe and you couple like the electricity of him with his crew which is just massive you hear it

On every Green theala theala it’s hard not to just like gravitate towards him in root for him and then he also has one of like I think the alltime kind of bailout Reactions where he just sags kind of like slams The Club down a little bit like he did on 18 I think

That’s a shot that when he goes to bed tonight he’ll want back I know the chip wasn’t great but the second one he kind of bailed out a little too much I think and so it’s there’s just so much to like one in his game two his personality very

Down toe great family uh based off Netflix and the interviews with his dad I mean when he won at the fortnet championship his dad was like front and center in the camera just going absolutely Bonkers I don’t know how you can root against that and then obviously his winning pedigree from the amateur

Level I think that’ll eventually translate more into the professional level at major championships uh in big time events he’s the type of guy that if he if he did maybe and I I don’t you know I’m an idiot podcaster so don’t listen to me but I wonder what he

Would be like with a little speed training cuz he’s already going to be wild right like if he if he tried to you know get a little bit longer off the te and really get out there with some of the the big boys off the tea I think

That would be pretty interesting because that’s an area where he’s he’s he just Str he just lags a little bit and and you probably probably comes into play more like an yeah like an RBC Heritage than it does at a capala but that that part of his game is going to be

Interesting to me Kyle I just want to build on that I I don’t know what the numbers say on siah when you talk about length of the tea but I’ll tell you this again I don’t know numbers but I’ve called him a few times he is long I mean

The guy is not short whatsoever where it could be kind of deceptive is he’s not afraid to go to like what I would call a sting driver off the tea where he te’s the thing way down grips down the driver and it’s this head high fade shot just

To find the Fairway and with that being said he is deceptively accurate off the t2 now it looks kind of all over the show because of the balance and the and how animated the action is but granted look when I see him on the weekends he’s playing well at events but he’s been

Accurate and he HS a lot of shape to balls but he he plays the shape of holes which to me is so creative and crafty and he almost finds a way to be accurate just for the way he approaches it statistically uh 59th in driving distance last year 300 not sure yards uh

17 second in accuracy 52% of but I think that that’s a good point is when when you see him on the weekend he’s he is probably driving it better because he’s probably playing better and I think that when he does drive it better like like that’s the one thing

That kind of keeps him from um probably contending more frequently so it’s not like he’s incapable of doing it just doesn’t do it as as much as he should okay we are going to put a pin in that conversation we got to go through a lot

Of different guys we got to recap Our Best Bets we’ve got to recap the one and done but first we’re going to take a quick break and hear a word from our partners will you need your sports news anywhere we’ve got breaking news to bring you then get your sports anytime

You want them big trade news overnight to discuss because we know you need Sports all the time a lot of movement in the rankings this week a legend ads to their legacy we’re bringing you that breaking news right here on HQ CBS Sports HQ anywhere anytime all the

Time and we’re back we’re g to go rapid fire one guy for each of you until I say we’re done because there’s a lot to talk about Jordan spe that goes to you KP a solo third eight under 65 he goes out in 32 makes birdies on 10 and

11 14 and 15 hits a wayward drive at 16 into the Fairway bunker that plugs underneath the lip he has to just extract it sideways he makes bogey there and that really derailed his momentum but another good week around kaaloa for Jordan Speed yeah a couple things but

First uh to to close the loop on the on the blade collar uh got word from from the property it is a blade collar wow wow here’s a different here’s a different angle um there a second shooter well done Patrick I was I was told uh it

Looks different because the back is a different color but it’s uh it’s slightly raised but definitely does not have a I’m catching L’s all over the place today yeah same here tough tough way to start the year good job uh spe was uh spe was very spey I mean it was five

Straight birdies and then I mean not only did he have the plug lion 16 but he had the whole I think it was 10 11 was it 14 or 13 where his ball was next to uh Harris englishes and he had to redrop in a divid

Uh the whole thing was just if you if you said hey who do you think got a plugged Li in a bunker and had to uh move his ball and then redrop in a divot and also made three five nine birdies on the day I mean if it’s not sah it’s it’s

Jordan Speed so all in all uh good week I wouldn’t call it a great week Rick he didn’t he putted it awesome right like he made he made a lot of putts on Sunday yeah here’s the what a what a mess did Kyle did you hear what he said to the

Rules official during that I did not the guy whoever it was was like yeah that looks uh pretty similar to what it was and he he said like under his breath he goes yeah especially the part where it’s three inches [Laughter] underground if my name was Patrick Reed maybe

I um I thought it was an encouraging week but I’m not I’m not uh we’re not putting jacket number four or whatever he’s on uh on layaway quite yet I I don’t I don’t think he he kind of Saved himself with the putter which is

Not it’s good it’s good for this week he scored well all that but it it it I I’m still I don’t know I’m still a little wary about like what the trajectory is for this season sunj M goes to to you Patrick 25 under par a 10 under 63 which was a 10

Shot Improvement on Sunday from his Saturday round and he also set the record for most birdies in a 72 whole PGA Tour event he made 34 of them didn’t win so obviously there were some Bogies and other things out there seven Bogies and a double clean that up

He runs away with this thing by a million shots imine making 34 birdies in a tournament and not even sniffing the trophy I mean it was a great finish obviously but he never really had a chance to win this tournament I I think he will eventually win at this golf

Course you see so much similarity to the leader boards at Augusta National where he’s played well he’s played well here a ton as well and so I think we talk about all these guys who haven’t won in a long time Klay spe Xander not a long time but

Over the past year sunjay kind of flew in under under the radar there in 2023 and uh hopefully this is a sign of him gearing up for a big 2024 I want to pick him for one and done next year already at kaalo okay and I also think he’s I think

He’s Patrick maybe the most underrated player in the world him and Russell Henley sure but I mean very underrated I totally agree and he’s what 25 no is he that old already okay yeah he’s 25 tour for nine years March 30th 1998 on tour for nine years Perry Ellis yeah Mark gets Colin

Mora bookend 65s on the week 67 and 70 in between the good news for Colin is that he was in Strokes gained off the te and first in Strokes gained approach he is that Elite ball Striker that we have known that he is that that is back it’s

2024 is the year of colum um I can go there I know I’d been critical last year in 23 where I felt like just the way the ball was being struck I felt like the numbers were biying just the quality of The Hitting and you could see was

Working very hard on the thing all of the time and there was a lot of time taken between shots and turns out then he and his longtime coach I mean lifelong Coach Rick sessing house they break up um over the Christmas vacation but he just looks a whole lot more

Decisive to me the little bit I saw of him play the golf swings the same I feel like the Cadence is gorgeous the ball striking is there I I I’m enjoying the um the counterbalance look in the putter it looks to me like he’s swinging that

With a whole lot more freedom and for me that that’s kind of always the the separator with Colin you know even if he’s off he’s going to give himself looks and it’s just a question of um of converting those so I thought it was a

Great start to the season um I feel like he’s probably going to build on this stuff and and and there’s a win on the horizon of that I have no doubt I’d just like to see though that that Under Pressure um that he stays because you know it’s easy when you’re kind of

Chasing to kind of aim and fire a little bit I want to see him with a lead or close to the lead come Sunday afternoon if he still is decisive because if he is that’s how he used to be back in uh 20 in those years when he was winning major

Championships if he’s that way inclined I feel like it’ll be a great season for him Scotty sheffler with a Sunday 66 out in 33 in in 33 KP looking at his putting numbers first two rounds very good he gained two and a half Strokes with the flat stick his final two rounds Saturday

And Sunday he lost those two and a half back plus another half a stroke anything new and interesting to say or is this just more of the same same New Year same story finished first Tia green and 44th in putting I mean he’s Rick the last 25 tournaments he’s played dating back to

November of 2022 he’s he’s lost 141 guys total over 25 tournaments that’s he’s averaging like a fifth place finish over like 25 straight tournaments no Cuts missed one finish outside the top 25 I don’t I don’t know I I don’t I don’t know what to do with that like I’m I’m

Almost I’ve I’ve almost like every time he plays I’m like he could win six tournaments in a row but then I started thinking about it and and it’s like I think this might just be like who he is I’m curious where you’re at with sheffler um I don’t know anymore I I

Remain very optimistic just because the the you know three quarters of the game T to Green is so much better than everybody else and we get these spurts I mean Thursday and Friday I was ready to hand him six seven eight trophies this year but then he burns a couple of edges

I also think that he and and kizner made this uh and the stats bear this out Kar kar’s a low-key stat guy by the way he made a couple of comments that were like I love this guy um it it he gives himself so many more of those eight to 15f Footers than

Everybody else does and he’s so he’s missing more than everybody else not because he’s just because his rate is lower and because of the volume that he’s taking that I’m just I’m stunned it does it has not leaked into and maybe it hasn’t we just don’t know about it that

Has not leaked into kind of the rest of his game but I I remain incredibly optimistic I like that he has um I mean remember Kyle there was a long time where he was first in TI green last in putting and wasn’t trying anything new I I’m at least optimistic about new putter

New grip new putting coach work being put in that I’m at least optimistic about that Rick if I might real fast just on that I think he and Phil Kenyan have done a marvelous job on just the shape of the stroke the quality of the

Strike with a putter to me I think the only thing where he and Ted Scott were tripped up on was they misread a lot of putts I mean that that look green reading is a skill and it’s a part of good putting but I feel like if you

Start to get Scotty at a place like Phoenix where those greens are true true the way he’s rolling it right now I watch out I you can put me on the record I’m I’m I’m excited I think it’s open season for Sheffer when he gets on green a little easier to

Read fair enough um sometimes we got to do the bad with the good that goes to you Patrick AE batia two underpar I would take that two underpar unfortunately that was four shots worse than the field average it was a 71 and it was not good from the start he made

Double on one he eventually got those back with birdies on five and six he made another bogey on eight and quickly he goes from the top of the leaderboard to outside the top 20 he claws his way back he finishes T14 kind of what we what Greg and I talked about on uh

Saturday night you know the the massive gains with the putter over the course of the first uh three days you wonder how that starts to go when pressure is at at its highest it didn’t go well for OE the rest of his game wasn’t very sharp

Either when you said bad news I thought you’re gonna give me wet socks shle but uh I’ll take batia I mean it’s just a night nightmare start where you lose your golf ball on your first t- shot you walk all the way down the Fairway and

You have to walk back the Walk of shames probably the worst thing in professional golf especially on the very first hole I I don’t think I’ve ever seen that happen at least not since maybe 2020 Us open at Wingfoot I know a few guys lost their

Golf balls in the rough there and so to get punch to the mouth right there on the first hole and then being in that final group and signature event like that it it’s really tough to overcome and I I think we could all agree the sky

Is the limit with this kid still only what like 21 so much runway in front of him in his game and I think it it’s just a learning experience that most if not all professional golf golfers have to go through and I think to get it out of the

Way when you’re still 21 uh is going to be huge for his future Mark we’ll wrap this up with your golfer but your golfer is not a golfer at all your golfer is the golf course Plantation course at kaaloa and I will preface all of this by saying I

Understand that par is a social construct but if you would have played caloa to the field average this week you would have shot 18 and a half under par uh that score alone would have won 28 different PGA Tour events this year uh 18 underpar is pretty deep under par is

It not yeah golly I mean well first off and I commend Kurt Byron for saying it because the the superintendent and his staff a lot of them lived down the way in Lina and they lost everything but these folks put their best foot forward and they presented a golf course that

Was in Immaculate shape now I I can’t remember when I was there last it was for Justin Thomas when he won when he won the two events there in a row and I always remember the golf course being sort of grainy the fairways were sort of chopped up in landing areas and the

Greens were inconsistent but I watched aot lot of the footage and the greens looked Immaculate the only thing is and this is look it’s the case for any golf course where you got um a Seaside environment if the wind doesn’t blow the players players are going to shred the place

It’s just how it is and I’ve I’ve seen the place be burnt to the tunea 245 600 power before and I year I believe the year JT one was maybe 15 16 17ish so I think it’s a function of the wind really not blowing and just that the course was

In such great shape because every putt I saw a low level on they weren’t bouncing and I remember when I was there with I was in those greens you’d see balls wiggling around the show all over the all over the time time so I think it was a great job by all involved

And yeah you had to shoot crazy low but when you get there with good conditions and know when you know it’s it’s part of before we end this segment I just saw a good uh stat on Twitter this is from Underdog’s golf account Chris Kirk 331

PG tour starts six wins Ricky Fowler 323 career starts six wins I think said show Chris Kirk under pretty underrated career he’s got he’s got going right now well that begs the question if I said you right away Kirk Fowler head-to-head where do you go I would take Fowler like

99 out of 100 times in terms of in terms of like like who’s had a better career or who’s a better player or what no if you just had to line them up and say okay you’re picking them in five events this year who are you g to pick between then

You got to choose between the two of them for who beats the head to head versus the other one you’re taking I probably I probably pick Ricky but yeah that that’s kind of like okay Mark who would you pick between I don’t know Ricky Fowler and Lee hoders for

Example I’d go with Ricky there but I tell you what Kirk is a Kirk is a match for I think Kirk is a match for Ricky Ricky is impressive he drives the ball a long ways for a slightly built guy um and he’s a wonderful putter but Chris

Kirk just has that X thing you know the between the ears and when he when he gets into contention he polishes stuff off he and and he does it well wins in contention Ricky’s I think the underrated part of Ricky’s career Rick is just the the major performances Kirk

Hasn’t had that right he’s got right like one top 10 I think two top 10 at Majors Southern yeah 20 what was that 2022 PGA I think that’s it maybe one other top 10 but Ricky’s got just so many of I mean he’s got you know 15 top 10 or

Whatever the number is so I think that’s a that that’s a that’s a big thing Chris Kirk uh one top 10 in 24 major championship starts one in 24 one in 24 Ricky Fowler Ricky Fowler uh 13 in four 49 so even if we even if we match those

Up Chris Kirk would have like two out of 40 something Ricky would have 13 out of 49 that’s a big difference massive difference yes agreed okay we are going to recap the Best Bets which we’ll talk about wet socks uh Xander Schley and his pal Patrick we are going to recap the

One and done full of drama and two of you the listeners found your way to Chris Kirk this week we will cover unbelievable unbelievable and more after a quick word from our partners wake up to football highlights and news from around the world with the one and only morning

Footy team rise and shine football fans welcome to morning footy start your all day football craze with morning footing part of the all new Gazo Network and we’re back the bets for this week man we the last five holes turned a lot of green into a lot of red as uh

That tends to happen in this sport KP you and I were on opposite sides of this Eric Cole over Cam Davis it was close it was an 11 shot difference Eric Cole Davis spot yeah I regretted this I think I said it on our pod because I

Read your newsletter after I picked it and regretted it from the moment I picked it should have switched it didn’t and uh congratulations thank you very much um Patrick had Tony Fen out 17 underpar t38 beating Cameron young 18 underpar t33 one stinking lousy shot

Patrick yeah and I think uh if you look at the stat book there at the end of the week I don’t know how many double bogeys were made on the par 518th but I can tell you Tony now had won today his last hole of the tournament to lose this bet

Um oh that’s like a triple so tough just to recap Tony fow loses by one shot to Cameron young Tony fow on the 72nd hole of his week makes double bogey on the par five 18th that is playing more than a half a shot under par that’s that

That’s you know it’s a bad beat bad I don’t think well makes it even worse uh he did take a drop somewhere though that’s a that’s a KP special a double without losing a ball it says he hit into the native area he did take a drop okay that makes me

Feel better maybe he found the ball though which always makes you feel a little bit better okay finishing positions Patrick can’t like KP oh who was inside the top 10 for the m i mean he hung around he was like basically T12 the entire week he finished T12 66 68 68

67 yeah he was kind of flirting with it I was I was tracking it uh during his back nine and he was kind of in and out he was T8 at one point and then dropped out and then Birdie the last and ended up finishing uh T12 so uh I’m fine with

It he he was close he flirted with it uh that’s that’s totally fine I he started really well I thought he was going to have a better week but just kind of kind of stalled out over the last couple rounds if it makes you feel any better Patrick

What Tony fow did on 18 lost you a wager what Xander Schley did on 18 cashed you a top 10 thanks to the eagle that he made a very meaningless Eagle after making eight cars in a row on the back nine he makes you an eagle to finish T10

And the way that we grade these uh that gets you the full share because we are not a Sportsbook it’s it’s always a bold strategy to try to par to death the back nine at kaaloa and I do applaud Xander for trying to employ that today uh I

Could go on a long rant about wet Soxs right now but I won’t just because he did make that eagle three on 18 for me and because of that I’m very appreciative that’s such a Xander finish though just a just par par par par par and then an eagle he

He he drives me nuts his I thought his chances were over once on number six where Kirk puted first from about eight and a half feet made it and then Xander missed his then he finds the divot on number seven doesn’t hit a nice approach shot there

And you kind of just felt the winds take wind taken out of his sails and then from there Kirk kept on kept on going and it kind of just felt like it was it for him I said to myself today I like I’m just glad I’m done with

Him like I I just used him in the one and done and now I don’t even have to worry about when and I’m just like happy happy to be done with him um Mark I’d like your opinion on this one I had Brendan Todd to finish

Inside the top 20 this was such a lock that Josh actually marked it green as a winner in the outline Josh yet Brendan Todd who goes out in five under on Sunday uh hits one a mile off the planet on 14 snaps his driver in the I’ve never

Seen Brendon Todd throw a club throws his Club snaps his driver makes another double on 177 doesn’t birdie 15 or 18 drops 16 spots to 33rd and loses the BET yeah two things there um look if there was one guy I was going to bet on not to

Miss one of those wide Fairways it would be Brandon to but all that being said I I would have been Keen to see your metrics I didn’t read your newsletter this week but because ordinarily um the Sentry is the kind of place that likes a really long driver and the fairways are

So wide everyone’s you know you you’ve really got to hit it wildly to get it into that native grass and stuff so I uh top 20 you would think there was a given I would have jumped all over that too but it was a surprising back nine

Especially that the errors were made off the te because that’s ordinarily his calling card I was also not expecting the club throw he’s not a club throw kind of guy is he at all and and the first time you throw it of course it snaps which is

Just which makes you which makes you wonder I mean I I didn’t see was it a tur Hatton kind of a or was it like a gentle TOS because it may have been slightly or somewhat fractured if it was breaking on Landing he hit something with it so he

Didn’t he didn’t chunk it he just kind of like flipped it and it hit a microphone or a sign or something something by the T box he’s getting fined on top of it to add insult to injury he’s getting F sure the Best Bets pretty darn good KP col morawa top 10 no

Problem there uh well it it was a little dicey he was flirting with it him him and K were kind of right there all day and he he pulled it out at the end so I was feeling great after round one so was I um Patrick staying positive

And staying in the green this is like four or five in a row for you since you’ve turned to a positive kind of guy Xander Schley and Patrick Klay parlay to finish inside the top 20 for both of them it was even money and screen I’m

Going to be hitting this bet every time these two Tee It Up top 20 don’t let me bet them to win Rick I know you’re out there on the west coast I’ll buy you your ticket here to the east coast if I bet either of them to win and I give you

Full authority to kick me in the nuts if I do we’re gonna stick to the top 20 in the parlays because we’re huming uh I accept you have yourself a so my my best bet was Matt Fitzpatrick top gbni Great Britain and Ireland uh plus 260 with Hatton Fleetwood Rose

Wallace and power now we gotta talk this through because Fitzpatrick and Terell both finished at 22 under so I would like uh I would like Josh to apply the the Dead Heat rules on this and and divide it by two and give me plus 130 which is the way that would get

Graded is everybody okay with that totally sure cool okay so that makes you’d lose my business a book like that that uh that’s two and a half wins two and a half wins for the Best Bets now we go to the one and done which for

The first time ever we have opened this up to the fans there were 77 people who put a pick in in our oneand done now Josh I have a question because you know this is going to come up next week if people want to get in can they still get in

They’ll obviously be behind but if someone wanted to start the Sony okay Josh is telling me yes so Mark if you’d like to get started at I’m just gonna start my week next week so we’ll go from there and see how it works out great are

We all clear that you have to submit your pick into the website now yeah I got you yeah I I mean feeble excuse but family in town from South Africa and I was I was I was headless at the time all on me all right no no worries well uh

717 people are in you can still get in if you want we’ll have the link in the description uh let’s recap our situation to begin with it was pretty similar across the board because myself uh Greg and producer Josh had Xander Schley uh KY excuse me Patrick had Patrick Klay

And Kyle had kyum Mora so look at Kyle take a screenshot his name is at the top of the leaderboard congratulations Kyle it might be the only week I’m like I’m like Charley [Laughter] Hoffman Thursday leader no it was it was great it was you

Know this is I think it’s it’s a little deceptive because it comes it it happens so fast it’s the first tournament of the year but it’s such a massive purse I mean what what what’s a more important I guess the players is a more important one than this that’s the only one the

Rest are tied right the other Signature Events are 20 or unless like the PGA Championship comes out and says we’re going to do 22 but we won’t know that until later so really the only one we know right now that’s bigger is the Players Championship so that’s why I

Think it’s it like I’m really impressed or I kind of annoyed that people would like how do you take Chris Kirk for the biggest purse of or the second biggest purse of the year no offense to Chris Kirk well and also no offense to those two people that took him uh one username

Okay Boomer is that is that insulting Mark are you insulted by that I don’t know I guess so my my kids tell me I’m a I’m a boomer I think more for Kyle who’s in poke OK yeah yeah I agree I me and Mark are both offended

War well the other guy who picked Chris Kirk offends me too because that name is you’re obviously not a golfer and I’m taking that personally I think we’ve been offended everywhere here yeah for sure but I just I think it’s I mean I guess it obviously it’s a good strategy

To be kind of Lone Wolf or pick somebody that that doesn’t have a lot of ownership uh I shouldn’t be talking one andone strategy in front of Rick you know a lot more about it than I do but it it to me it’s I wonder if people who were

Picking non stars and Superstars are were aware of just like what the what the purse was for this week well we’ll see we’ll see if OK Boomer goes wire to wire and wins wins the one andone we’ll uh we’ll we’ll tip our cap to that there were one two three four five Sith

Selections they got 2.16 million a handful of Jordan spe 1.36 and then some Colin Mor caas at $678,000 so Sony Open next week First full field event of the year we always get the the newcomers the guys coming up from the corn fairy I believe we’re going to see Alejandro tosti we’re going

To see DDC we’re gonna zotus Cole’s zot torus is back MC ne’s back there’s like seven guys making a start on major Medicals there is a lot happening for next week uh we will obviously be back Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday any final thoughts before we get

Out of here on this Sunday night I got one uh Ricky Fowler finished at 10 under 56 at nine under number 57 on the leaderboard Lee Hodes so Ricky fer I’m not forgetting about that 3M tussle Mark and KP had about about the careers of Hodges and fer it’s off to a

A racing start was was it Hodges and F I took Hodges over somebody else I remember Gordon Sergeant oh was was it Sergeant yeah I thought it was Fowler just finished seventh in the uh in the Jones cup down in SE Island too too easy of a it’s the course is probably too

Short yes gota get get on some of these big boy major championship courses yeah okay uh I no I don’t have any final thoughts Rick I I mean other than I just I I don’t know I kind of alluded to this earlier I don’t know what to do with

Sheffer right now I don’t know I don’t know what category to put him in it’s it’s a it’s such a unique thing that we don’t see very often when guys get on 18mon heaters like that they usually win a ton right and and he’s won a decent amount

But I mean at some point you are what you are and I’m I’m my my faith is waning that he’s gonna rip off five wins playing at the level that he’s playing at it’s it’s a gift and a curse it’s a I would love to give him some truth serum

And pick his brain a little bit well because he I think he would say I heard him and and uh spe I think it was a no l up interview where they were talking about well he has all these 10f Footers so his putting stats look bad

Because nobody else has as many 10f Footers and you’re like okay I I get that for a single round or a single event but over the course of a season that stuff evens out right yeah it doesn’t matter if you have if you have 110 let’s do eight Footers if you have8

Footers and you make 50 of them and those are the only putts that you have you have the same number of Strokes gained as the guy who has 108f Footers who makes half of them well maybe I can bring the coaching standpoint to this like if let’s say I was Phil Kenyon and

Scotty said to me all right Phil I was Miss Missing puts coming down the stretch i’ look at him and go okay since we’ve connected what has happened in terms of your performance on The Greens so I’d love you to help me out there is he better right now cuz what they’ve

Been together for a couple months or so yeah he’s only got two starts yeah I think I think we need some I think it’s a great point I think we need time though he gained a little bit at the hero right if I remember off the

Correctly off the top of my head and he was a small negative this week which is infinitely better than what he was last year so so he’s if he’s a stock he’s trending correct I I agree that’s where I am and he’s the number one player in

The world and I also think that um there is a la there’s usually a lag between like the things that you’re working on and when that stuff gets into competition for sure so I bet you it looks great on the put and green in practice and then it’s he’s just got to

Get that in there every single time I think it’s it’s a it’s a great point that you made Rick earlier that Mark is sort of backing up where it’s it’s like okay it it would be more concerning if you weren’t doing anything I think it’s I think it’s encouraging that you’re

Working on changing something and yeah you might not see the results of that until the Masters or until the PGA or whatever but that’s a good time to see those results you know and maybe he maybe he does win five times and they come in the summer instead of January

February so uh yeah I’m not bailing on it but it’s just it’s it’s just the exact same thing it feels like every week as and Josh just put this in the chat well this is like the worst event for him like like you don’t birdie where

You you gotta get to 20 under and and and the driver is mostly taken out of the game and he was still in contention for the vast majority of it and L the field in from T to Green I I’m still very very optimistic about his iron play is so underrated because obviously

Everybody like sees the way he moves his feet off the te and they’re like oh it’s crazy that he hits pH his iron play is unbelievable I think his short game is fantastic really good yeah there’s those like grainy Bermuda lies that give everybody trouble he he h some fun ones

Around the he’s the number one player in the world can’t get any better than that can’t get better than number one okay we’ll be back Monday Sony Open DFS preview Sony Open Mega preview pod Tuesday round by round Recaps probably a similar time because of the Hawaiian

Time that we will also still be on for next week was holing his way out of this podcast big thanks to producer Josh who does all the hard work behind the scenes Mark emman available at markor and Patrick McDonald at P McDonald CBS Kyle Porter Kyle Porter CBS you can find me

At Rick run good this has been the first cut we’ll catch you next Time