The 2024 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption recipient Chase Johnson joined Travis & Sliwa to discuss the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club coming up in February.
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We’re ready to go we’re ready to play some golf out here I think I saw a half second of sunshine here a minute ago it’s not raining right now so we’re very very excited to get out on the golf course and very very excited to talk to
Our guest here as well Chase Johnson sitting with me here at Riviera Chase is the 2024 Genesis Invitational uh Charlie cfer Memorial exemption choice and Chase it’s a it’s a pleasure to have you thank you yeah thank you so much for having me it’s a pleasure to be here all right so
We we’ll get to the golf in a second because I got tiger questions I got Riviera questions but I think I’ve been insulted and you’re the right person to ask about this uh uh the producer of the traven SLE show Emily heel is a Harry
Potter fan I like her already as as you are I was told that I would belong in the House of Slytherin I’ve been told that that’s an insult is did she insult me and I didn’t know it so no let’s put it this way the the traits for the house
You’re ambitious okay but you’re cunning so is cunning cunning could go either way it could go either way so that one’s up to you there’s good s can we find more ways to I would hate to compliment Travis can we find more ways to criticize him I feel like it’s
Not going the most evil person in the world came from that house okay we’re now we’re talking okay see now I feel like I know what we’re talking about so I I should I should uh but I guess if I did if I did what she’s accusing me of
Then she would be right I need to okay just that’s probably the best way to do it so tell me what it’s like to get the Charlie cfer exemption to come here and play at Riviera to play on the PGA tour which you have done in the past but to
Come play in tigers’s event yeah I mean it’s it’s an amazing opportunity Tiger’s always been my favorite player uh ever since I can remember um you know he’s been my biggest role model with the game uh from playing the Tiger Woods video games you know my dad taught me um he he
Would pull bits from the game if you got accomplishments you won trophy balls and so he taught me how to win by giving me like Daddy trophy balls uh if I made make a birdie or had to good practice or something so I learned how to win with
That and you know he’s been with me in the game ever since and so to be out here at such a historic course receive such a you know prestigious award from two amazing Trailblazers for the game um it’s a it’s a huge opportunity in against you know a fantastic field
Obviously well the the field is one of the best in golf every single year and you just talked about what an inspiration he is you and I were talking a little bit before we came in line you haven’t gotten a chance to to spend time with him yet you were talking you almost
Got his as a kid back in Ohio in akan at that event that that used to be a world golf championship event how close did you get were you like next in line how how close were we so H the way that the range set up it was a very narrow
Walkway from the range to like the fan area and they had metal fences and I was first in line I had the full Nike get up wow and uh I was reaching out um right in front of them and he was like two three inches from taking the hat to sign
It and the whole crowd surged and knocked the metal fence over and almost took his legs out and he I’ve never seen a golfer run so fast he was 30t away from me by the time I blinked and um that was that still haunts me in my
Dreams but I did get to meet him I played the worldwide Technologies event in Cabo on you know first PJ Tour event ever on a tiger designed golf course which was really cool um El card and Alan Cabo it was beautiful and you know I’m on the uh first te I played nine
Holes that morning went in took a lunch break got a my haircut came back there was a three- group backup I was annoyed obviously but then as it was my turn to tea off I’m looking around I turn around and tigers walking up on the tea box I was like okay you’re
Chase it’s not high chase I’m tiger it’s the other way around and um you know I it it went smooth I was standing there he was like hey uh how far is the cover of that bunker he’s talking to me so snatch out the yardage book pull it up um and he
Was you know he looks so intimidating he’s huge man I mean I was like I need to get in the gym for sure after this um but he was super cool he’s cracking jokes on the T box and stuff and so uh hopefully you know we can I can get the autograph
During tournament week I like your chances I think I do too Chase what’s your um just what’s your thoughts on the state of golf right now um where it is the future moving forward uh it’s funny when when you bring up tiger and I think
We all go back to a stage of where golf was at its absolute Peak and of course a lot of that had to do with Tiger Woods and every Sunday if he had that red Polo on watch out and and everyone was going to watch um what’s your just what’s your
Uh thoughts of where golf is today and uh how you feel about it moving forward um I mean golf is such a great game I mean uh I think I heard earlier I mean the whole point of the game is to give an opportunity that’s why we have Monday
Qualifiers that’s why we have us open qualifying because you never know who is going to be the next you know icon for the game and um you know moving forward it was really uh cool to see Nick win yesterday uh you know first amater since
91 to do it Nicholson put on that goofy helmet a million years ago right yep um so I mean that that right there just re reiterates the fact that anyone can do it cuz um are there more good players than there have ever been before like a
Guy comes out of college and wins a Tour event yeah I mean you know you could you could see the transition growing up uh you know I was an All-American out of Kent State but you know it took me a while to kind of find my feet and you
Know learn my game and I mean you got um so many guys coming out like the one kid from Illinois I think he came out won his first corn fairy event then the next week I think someone else did it and then uh I mean we got you know uh L
Ludvig comes out just takes over the golf world at first year on tour Ridder cup member winner uh and then you got this kid so um you know the player players are in it’s a game where the players can control it so um it’s really cool to see them doing that and
Hopefully I can make my mark uh absolutely my own got a chance coming up in about a month we right here at Rivier Chase Johnson is the 2024 Genesis Invitational Charlie cifford Memorial exemption um you talked about the backup on the tea when you got T when tiger
Came up and asked you how far it is to cover that book or have you arranged practice rounds yet have you kind of figured out like who you’re going to spend Monday through Wednesday with getting ready to play the tournament because I know that there’s some money
Games there’s a whole lot of things going on how do you dip your toe into that pool yep uh I haven’t gotten anything sorted for um for this week or out here at Genesis yet but uh you know when I um it was fun in in Cabo uh my
Buddy that I always did my practice rounds with on Corin Ferry he has his PJ tour card and so just kind of f fell right into the same stride um his name’s Harry Hall good buddy uh really cool guy and so we jumped right back into our
Same normal money game uh for the practice rounds and uh had a blast how hard is it when you come out to because you know you you played on three different tours last year you you played the PGA Tour you played corn fa you played The Advocates PGA Tour so all of
A sudden you got a guy that is familiar a friend and you can kind of pair out it’s an individual sport but just having somebody else out there with you that you know’s kind of in the same you know on the same path that you are just
Getting started kind of new to the PJ tour how much does that help it it’s it’s huge and uh you know even with guys who have already been out here so when I did my practice rounds week of mortgage after I won the uh John shippen Invitational I played my practice rounds
With Taylor pendrith Kent Stater and um Michael gig who we all three when I had my status and now I’m back out there we all three play out of the same course in Jupiter okay um and so you know I just fell right into stride with them and
Then my first round pairing was with gigs and uh Tano Goya who I played on Latin tour with so I played the first two days with those guys and you know it’s it’s again it’s an individual Sport and you’re doing your own thing but it’s always nice to have conversation down
The Fairway when you’re walking absolutely chase you originally from Ohio right yes sir um so what do that is you a big LeBron fan any thoughts on uh on on the Lakers right now I might as well squeeze one of those in if you’re
If you’re a Brun fan okay so um I you know I almost went to St Vincent St Mary end up going to uh a rival white high school actually okay but you know I grew up in the area got to see him play when
I was a kid at uh St V and I’m I’m a huge LeBron fan when he went to Miami I was a Miami fan when he came back to Cleveland he got our championship and at La I want him to win the championship every year um so I mean I just saw I
Can’t remember if this was recent but I just saw he got clawed up by Wolverine in uh aent game yesterday yeah that was uh he’s probably like Wolverine too he probably be healed by the time play the Clippers tomorrow completely gone he’s from a another play one last golf
Question before we cut you loose Chase Chase is here he’s the uh Charlie siford Memorial exemption winner for the 2024 Genesis Invitational which is coming up in February you get your tickets at Genesis invitational. comom how’s your game fit this golf course uh you know I
Put a lot of work into it and um you know I I I really I I get I’m going to see the course for the first time here in a little bit uh but I believe I’ve gotten my game to the point where I can handle any course that I play it’s just
A matter of you know just getting the ball in the hole and being patient so we’ll uh we’ll just do our best to execute and let the golf speak for itself so what is somebody like me who plays golf on the weekend supposed to do
On the fourth hole that’s a 240 yd part three up the hill into the wind you might have to study up on your Harry Potter knowledge and try and become a wizard there you goise suan every time I step out I’m like this is a part three are you
Kidding me like where where in the world am I supposed to hit this ball that looks like the Will Roger State Beach bunker in front of the thing you got to carry it nine miles I don’t know what to lay up on a part three I guess right I
Don’t know you might need to become an X-Men for that one too should be offended by Slytherin that’s a fact uh it you got to take that one in your own stride buddy you can be you can be good or bad it’s up to you Jas Johnson will
Be out at the Genesis Invitational you can get your tickets at Genesis invitational. he’ll be playing with the Charlie sifford Memorial exemption jaseon it’s a pleasure thanks for coming by thank you guys so much for having me appreciate it you got it as well
1 Comment
Congratulations Chase! Wishing you the very best! So excited for you!