Luke Donald’s rise to the summit of professional golf culminated in his achievement of becoming World Number 1 in 2011, a testament to his unwavering dedication and skill. Alongside his individual success, Donald’s leadership qualities earned him the role of European Ryder Cup Captain in 2023 in Rome where he guided his team with poise and tactical acumen, to a historic victory over the USA. Since then he has been elected as captain of the 2025 European Ryder Cup team once more. This conversation shows Luke’s entire personality including his love for family, friends, and the arts and creativity side of life. His journey exemplifies the values of sportsmanship and excellence, solidifying his enduring legacy in the realm of golf and beyond.
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0:00 – Intro
1:14 – Podcast Begin
2:57 – Luke’s Childhood
5:30 – Going to Rudolf Steiner
11:25 – Walker Cup
12:51 – Luke’s beginnings with golf
17:09 – Luke’s start with competitive golf
21:38 – Deciding to play at Northwestern University in Chicago
29:18 – Winning NCAA
34:56 – Maintaining confidence throughout college
36:11 – Golf Drills and Mental Insights to the game
42:40 – Combining art and golf
44:00 – After finishing at Northwestern and going to Q-School
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Welcome to the I canfly podcast today we are so excited to share with you our conversation with Luke Donald starting from humble beginnings luuk ascended all the way to the number one player in the world in May of 2011 Luke was incredibly kind in Sharing literal drills in his preparation and
Efforts to becoming the greatest player in the world but not only this what showed through in this conversation is loose heart Luke was a very reserved person and someone who’s very rarely shown all sides of his personality and I’m so excited for everyone to have the opportunity to see the full and loving
Character that he is this was really best displayed when we touched on the writer Cup this past fall Luke shared that captaining the writer Cup team this past year was truly the greatest accomplishment of his career and bringing that group of men together through love and gratitude is what truly
Banded them together as brothers please please enjoy this conversation with Luke Donald we did you’re on you’re on the she’s nine well nine and a half soon in a CLE yeah g is the most intimidating one in the room she was doing long division here before we got in I had no idea what was going on on that problem
SP the Christmas PJs on yeah ready for Christmas the best time of the year go do your reading and then you can come say hi later okay deal thanks high five nice thanks G Luke thanks for having us today we’re at Luke’s house and this is uh feels
Very festive my wife would be extremely happy right now she’s been dying to get into the Christmas spirit is it no November 16th or something little early for Christmas but Gigi was watching the Santa Tracker which frankly I didn’t know already that exists already I thought that only came up on like
December like 15th on so did I we learned today I love it this is really cool to have to have you on as a as a fellow golfer and uh someone who I’ve looked up to I know Jay looked up to for a long time with like your career and
Your family and the way you treat people and um it’s just it’s cool to to be in your home tonight and uh hopefully can learn some cool stories about your your life and upbringing and things that you’ve learned over the way over the ways and um I guess we can start as
Uh when you were young where did you grow up and tell me about your parents and wow yes uh I grew up um I grew up just outside uh England really yeah outside London I mean um inside of England yeah in in England just outside of London
Um yeah a long time ago now uh turned 46 in December so it’s it’s taking me back a while but uh I grew up um a town called um well I lived in a town called high Wickam pretty much most of my early years which is a town right between
London and Oxford um yeah I mean anyone who’s been to London Heathrow it’s very 30 minute drive from Heathrow Airport um pretty pretty Central down in the south of England and um yeah youngest of four um I’ve got an older sister who’s 10 years older than
Me okay older brother 8 years older and then another brother uh 6 years older and then then I came along so um Chris I think you probably met Chris he caned for me for a while right and still caddies now uh he’s got a good story and
We we’re very close growing up playing a lot of golf together um good player good player yeah he uh he was a club pro for a while um in England and uh when I got my tour card um I was like do you want to come come caddy for me and he’s like
Hell yeah do um you know beats teaching Mrs habam that’s for sure she’s still working on the draw she’s still working on that yeah it’s a Peach but um yeah I grew up I grew up in England um yeah youngest of four um went to a very
Artistic school till I was about 10 years old Rudolph Steiner School oh where my kids uh where my brothers and sister pretty much went their whole career um whole whole childhood and um then I went uh to a little bit more of an academic school and then uh went to what’s called a
Royal grammar school which is like a uh good education um where you don’t have to pay it’s like it’s it’s not like a public school but it’s like a a a free private school almost it so um good good AC academics good uh Sports can we pause
On the artistic one I want to hear more about that because I when I grew up I was in the tap talented art program for like drawing and painting and stuff and yeah so um rud Steiner I’m sure it’s a little bit like a montauri and they believe in you know very balanced
Upbringing and you know my parents were certainly that way my parents were you know I’d call them kind of gypsies in a way very balanced um they didn’t really to them you know when I got good at golf especially they they didn’t really care about that they wanted to
Make sure that even though I was good at golf that I had other interests as well had a balanced life um but uh Rudolph Steiner yeah was again quite an artistic school um what’ you like to do there man I my memories are just playing
A lot um I remember we had this one class called uthy wow like we would we would put like these ballet shoes on and make sure that when you walked around and like in a circle with your your classmates that you had to never start with your heel down it was always toe
Down interesting and you’d have these copper rods and you’d have to like put them over your hand and like drop them behind and catch them and it was like working on your like um yeah coordination coordination and yeah I remember that remember a lot of
Art artistic classes so I was even um an art major at College because of this really right wow I mean um my all my brothers and sisters were pretty artistic because of they went through this whole system of of the Rudolph Steiner and even though I only went up
To till I was 11 I sort of you know watched them and right still continued that in in the school at rawal grammar school so even at we had school gcsc and a levels which is like high school different diplomas mhm and then U one of
Them was was art that took um an a-level level so soon as I came over to college in Northwestern Chicago um you know again that’s quite a liberal art school to variety of different subjects and stuff but time I got through my my sophomore
Year I had to decide what I was going to be a major and I thought as they didn’t have an undergraduate Business Degree which I thought would kind of be useful they didn’t have that so I thought really Let’s do let’s do art so I did f
Art as my major in college wow a lot to do with you know my upbringing you know in school did it feel like I mean from that time from 10 to 18 or 10 19 or so 10 years of space like coming back to the art probably felt pretty cool and
Like you’re I guess the upbringing in that in that school gives you the freedom of being creative very creative um which you know I think I helped me in my golf in a little bit I was just going to say yeah um short game specifically
Game and sevie was one of my Idols I think probably the most creative players that there ever was you know sure um but yeah I I you know again in University at college and and Northwestern I just felt like I wanted to do something that I enjoyed and I
Enjoyed that enjoyed kind of immersing myself into different forms of artwork I mean oil painting was my was my concentration um but you know I I felt like I could get lot you know the the classes were three hours long usually wow Tuesdays and Thursdays like 9 to 1200 it take up my
Whole morning MH but you could really just lose yourself and you know and I feel like the time really flew by uh yeah it was just something I thought that kind of helped my my golf you know it gave me sort of using kind of both
Sides of my brain a little bit and is there like a easel in front of you at the during the class or is it just lectures yeah so so there’s lots of I mean the the art major was a bunch of different things we did all kinds of way um you know lithography
To um Print Works to um oil painting to um my last ever class at Northwest was intro to sculpture you know I had one class to graduate my final quarter what was the sculpture intro to sculpture um I did um I did like this massive like Lion
Sick uh kind again it was based off of golf that was such a response that you would get sick it it was based off uh of golf again um because when I was playing for England um you know we have the three lines the three lines on the shirt it’s like
Thing mhm and um even when I played in like the Eisenhower in 1998 which was kind of my sophomore year uh we would have these pins that you would swap between countries so if you were from France you give a little French one we had like little lions that
We would give it was like kind of a cool little ceremony between amate golf in England and and when you were playing in Europe so yeah I just I did something Eisenhower was was that was a tournament that was for the best amers from each
Yeah we we we were represented by GB and I okay um wasn’t just England but yeah France Spain you know all these other countries had teams and uh yeah I played it in 1998 in Chile Santiago Chile very W so nice pretty cool I remember doing
At the at the Walker cup where you like exchange your ties or maybe even was pin yeah yeah yeah I played in two of those in 99 and 2001 where were they Nan in Scotland in 99 and ocean Forest um oh yeah up in SE Island Ocean Forest is
Amazing yeah hottest week in my life no way oh it was mid mid August yep I don’t know if it was extra special hot or I just wasn’t used I mean I’d been in the US or for three or four years um with uh Northwestern um but I just that week was
So so hot yeah here Arie where did the name Archie come from um well I don’t know I just liked I thought Archie was a good dog’s name and it was very British very British archal you know Archie that was my his middle name is
Rock which is a place we go to in the summers in Cornwall so Arie Rock Donald yeah we we went through a few different names but I don’t know when he doesn’t listen do you call him archal I don’t know if he knows that one so we we talked about how you got
Into art frankly but nowhere in that do we really get into where golf started in that 30 yeah you know so when did golf first come into play for you golf started when I was about seven years old um started very much had a a par three
Course just you know just down the road from where I lived um had a couple clubs and then but really I got very interested in it due to my parents buying like a um like a holiday home time share in Spain so it was in the south of Spain a place called
L manga club which um it’s quite famous in a way because it’s it’s held Q schools for for for the European tour in the past so we were this just kind of this newish development down there um Spain was a very popular place for British people to go in the summer and
Get some warmth and get some warm weather and sunshine and we went down there bought my parents bought a time share we got three years of like free golf free tennis all these facilities so and there was a par three course um right outside like this the Villas that
We would rent and I just kind of fell in love with it I mean um my dad played a little bit um growing up his dad my granddad was a really good player some of the trophies behind here are his trophies he was like a scratch
Player he passed away before I was born but I heard a lot of stories from my grandma about how how he loved Golf and had all these famous things like he had a hole in one in the morning and then in the afternoon he had another hole in one
Like stuff like that that’s cool um yeah I started pretty much yeah I would go to Spain and just kind of caught the bug it was me my two brothers my dad would go out we’d have a few clubs between us and just sort of loved it and
Sort of had that natural ability so at 9 years old I I I joined my first Club just down the road a place called Hazel May Golf Club um the joining age was actually 12 but they saw saw some talent in me and uh let me join as a
Nine-year-old and good on them yeah gave me an opportunity I always remember that that’s cool it’s interesting because that like you hear that story and I I went to Australia earlier this year for the first time and they had these Junior programs even at Royal Melbourne you
Know where where Juniors could go and join you know a club practice at and play and you tell that story back in England I I feel like it’s something they don’t really hear about here in the states no where it’s just something for a kid to have the opportunity to go and
Play somewhere yeah I agree when I was growing up in New Jersey like we weren’t even allowed out on the course until you were like 15 if you were before 15 you couldn’t be you couldn’t go out until 2 o’clock in the afternoon yeah it’s like the Junior programs they changed a lot
Since then but yeah it’s really cool to hear yeah and I I’m always very thankful to that that club for for allowing me to do that because it did really give me a massive headst start having somewhere to practice and play and um yeah I remember
They let me play in my first event I think I was 11 years old and they gave me a 28 handicap and I played off the they’ let me play off the red te’s you know the lady T’s yeah and I had 44 points stableford so nice they they
Suddenly cut my handicap down pretty quick yeah so I was like I shot 20 over I think so it’s a good day yeah and I had one of the most special moments as my first hole in one I was at that course no way the first hole was
A par four 320 yards but it was like blind t- shot straight downhill he didn’t see it okay and in the summer obviously if it was warm and it got firm and I carried it probably 200 yards you know 13 but I hit this drive and it went
In the hole no way on a par four wow that’s a cool story have you had an ace on a par four since never well it’s checked off the list yeah it’s all the matter W so from there I mean you you get into playing at a young age and you start
Competing then around you you join the club when you were nine when did you first start playing competitive golf tournaments Beyond something at the club like that yeah so um I ended up joining another course you know a few miles down the road that was a little bit more
Established it was a um called beckville Golf Club it was a Harry Colt design it was a little longer um you know a little bit more demanding I thought it had a little bit better practice facilities and something I could probably elevate my game I won the Club Championship at
Like age 14 or 15 and then another again at s 16 or 17 and but by the time I got to like 15 I started you know getting we have like county level so you’d go you either well you before that to be honest you play into Club matches so you’d go
Travel to a different course near you yeah and play like match play against other people Juniors and then so I did that and then you know it’s just getting recognized to play some club events or different tournaments um around the area and do well and you know suddenly got
Picked up by the county to play like under 16s or something you know I just worked my way up and then by the time I actually got to 16 or 17 I was playing in the full England squad wow which sort of meant I was one of the best kind of
12 guys got picked up doing England coaching yeah um all that kind of stuff so um yeah it’s just a kind of a natural progression really I just I love competing I love I I beg my mom to take me to the course all the time yeah after
School even before school you know the weather in England most of the time isn’t that great right you I would uh be there you know until it was dark and um you know just wear out wear out my clubs putting green doing games you know I had
My brother practice a lot with which is kind of helpful but practice with a lot of Juniors and other friends I was going to say was there anybody that was like on the same level even if they were a little older than you that was like your competition growing up that you’re were
Trying to beat all the time was it your brothers or something it was probably my brother at first and then you know once I start getting a little stronger and growing a little bit and hitting it just far enough it’s for a while you know it
Was struggled to me to get to a part four and two you know just it wasn’t strong enough so as soon as I started getting longer and longer and more more more strong um I started to beat my brother and then you know I was probably
14 or 15 at that point and he was 2021 you know and I was starting to beat him regularly so um that was that was a pretty a highlight for me I suppose to to beat your beat your older brother yeah hell yeah I remember the first time
I reached a par 4 and two actually it’s I haven’t remembered that since then and then you just brought it up it’s a good memory it’s such a commonality between golfers growing up and we all have that same story of just every day you’re 12
13 14 years old as soon as the sun comes up as long as you can go until it sets I mean there’s such that love when you’re growing up for the game that just you don’t want to leave you know part of it’s the social aspect being around the
Club and talking to kids your age for you it was for sure a little bit yeah probably but it’s it’s that where the love starts you know just going out seeing yourself get better like I always remember I always remember like my when I was 12 years old there was one summer
Where that was that was when I first dove into the game and found that this was something I wanted to learn how to compete and play in and and every day I went to the golf course and went from like a 28 handicap to a six and one
Summer and and it’s I’ll never forget it because the better you get engulf the you know how much you’re improving gets so much smaller and smaller you’re trying to save you know quarter shots and you’re you know it’s it’s it’s such a minute you know area that you’re
Always trying to improve in but that summer I’ll never forget because it was just every day like I could see my bunker game getting better see my putting getting better it’s nothing better though is it than just seeing that Improvement I I felt that in the last
Week like I haven’t hit the ball all this good in like a good 5 years and it’s like I feel like a kid again it’s so incredible what like what about for you what was the next step after 15 coming into getting on into uh College
Like I’m sure you were recruited by a bunch of guys like coming from overseas what was that yeah it was it was a strange process you know again going back to my parents they they wanted me to continue my education so it was really important for for
Them that I contined to do that um so I had two choices really to go to university in the UK or or potentially look at going to the US which again at that point This was um you know two around 2000 not many guys from the UK
Had started to go to the the us a few guys had you know Paul Casey was the year before me he’d gone um I think gr McDow was around the same as me um but weren’t many kids from from overseas really going to the US at that point so I was
It was sort of talked about um a little bit but I knew that if I was going to improve I didn’t feel like I was good enough to turn pro um I felt like I needed some more time to to get better and for me the US just seemed like a
Perfect opportunity um to to to do both cuz in the UK If you go to university you know there’s nothing like what we have over here in terms of college sports I was I was just blown away by the first time I came over to Northwestern and saw the facilities and
The facilities are you know and you know that’s a 55,000 people stadium and that’s that’s quite small compared to some really when it comes to college so um yeah I went through a whole process of um being recruited um by lots of different colleges I sent out my resume um to
Called college prospects of America I sent my resume out to the a bunch of colleges and waited for them to kind of contact me so again i’ heard of very few of them growing up in England um we’re pretty oblivious to what was going on over here in terms of college golf um
Stanford though I’d heard of they they uh um approached me and were interested so I had talks with them was guy called Wally Goodwin I don’t know if you remember who he was but at the time tiger you know was making all these head you know all this noise about us Juniors
And US amateurs he was still Stanford at the time and so I thought wow this would be great go spend it a year before he graduates and go go play with him but in the end I didn’t get into Stanford um I think it was from what I uh heard later down the
Road that you know it was between me and this other kid a guy called Jimmy Lee who you’ve obviously heard of cuz he he went on to great things on the PJ tour Jimmy Lee but they they went with Jimmy Lee uh right on bunch of Majors
Out there yeah and um so Wally was a former Northwestern coach yeah uh Jimmy actually was in my uh I got inducted into Northwest in Hall of Fame and Jimmy was prominent in my speech now because without Jimmy sure I wouldn’t have got to Northwestern so everything happens
For a reason so have you contacted him since uh I did see him one time like a long time ago and uh we we had a little brief chat and had a laugh what a name it is a great name wa so all right so when you were waiting for these colleges
To write like write you back was it literally writing you back like waiting in the mail for it or an email or I think it might have been emailed just by then yeah you got some kind of or they contacted the the organization and they called called me just said you know this
This this University is interested Old Dominion or something I’m like where’s that like like you know I was like where’s that one who’s who’s that like and then I’d look up and I’m like these guys are averaging 76 and this doesn’t seem like that good like so but Stanford i’ heard
Of Stanford you know going in England you like You’ heard of like the famous card like Harvard and Yale and MIT and like because of movies more than anything and not really because of because of golf so and in the end so I I didn’t get into Stanford and Wally was a
Former Northwestern coach so it’s like I feel bad you should go over take a visit go to Northwestern and um yeah see if you like it so again I’d never heard of Northwestern yeah I thought it was probably somewhere in the northwest of of America somewhere
Like Seattle or yeah you know I had no idea to look up all this stuff and it was a really a leap of faith so in April of 97 I took my very first trip to the US I’ve never been to the US I was 19
Years old alone or alone alone um you know I had some conversations with Pat Goss who’d just become the head coach there and um you know we were meant to meet at the airport and I I arrived and went through security and in England people meet you
Through security you know you don’t go outside to the curb and get picked up are they come in people come in usually and so you know this is customer ped didn’t know this I was just inside waiting Pat was outside in the car like so there’s no phones fact then
1997 there was a McDonald’s out there and I just sat there I was like I just sit yeah I don’t have a phone number I don’t know where I’m going like first time ever to the America and finally Pat like just parked and came in and found
Me but was like I was waiting for about an hour and a half oh man but it was of to a shaky start but you know I don’t know if you I’m sure both you’ve all met Pat right yeah sure good just the nicest guy um
Made me feel so at ease we went out went to a practice at some course uh I was blown away by you know just the the golf courses that they they took me around a few different places they get to practice and stuff and yeah all these private clubs and yeah it was
It was unbelievable I was like these courses are amazing you know I was a little worried cuz it was like middle of April and it was still like cold and little bit of snow on the ground and places sure like how am I going to
Practice it yeah but um yeah sort of a leap of faith I I I had a great visit I felt very at ease with Pat just felt right I don’t know and so I’m like let’s go Northwest first visit on AR in yeah I never went to another
One was there any other players there that you knew heard of never heard of anyone wow and it’s kind of unique too because I don’t know many players that really I don’t know if they’d heard of me either they certainly found out because you went on to what year was
It when you won NCAA I won my sophomore sophomore year yeah Hazel te I won the individual yeah NCAA Hazel team uh Team finished third that year um yeah I was having a great time even my freshman year I didn’t win I didn’t win um came close a few
Times I remember one of the first one tournament I got paired with Hank Keeny oh wow my freshman year and I wasn’t a long hitter never been a long hitter but I was really short back then I mean I was playing a greenoid zuno driver I don’t know if you ever remember those
Ones but it was it was it was green yeah it was it was one of the first metal drivers but I carried this thing 240 maybe and it ran out 270 you know if I if I got a good good flight flight on it you know if I
Was able to get that blatter down but get some run on it and Pat Pat comes to me before I te off and goes now I just want to warn you this guy hits it a long way I’m like yeah no problem like I’ve been competing a few events and had some
Top 10 and top 15s and it’s like no not a problem no problem anyway I played with Hank and I was hitting like long four irons into par fours where he was hitting like flip sandwiches he was the longest he still had one of the longest distances on PJ T when he came
Out 03 I think he was 318 or something in 03 in three wow he was longer for the next 10 years or something his driving average so he was a beast um I remember going to the rain we shot we both shot 71 or 72 tidy tied him but
I was so distraught I went to the range afterwards and just started trying to swing as hard as I could with the driver I mean obviously I was probably going from 155 to 15 yeah yeah 45 carry um but my freshman year was yeah it was a learning experience um I really
Enjoy my time there I didn’t win um came close a few times but felt like I could compete you know on I was a third team All American I think my freshman year so solid Year great yeah um yeah just super super consistent back then I was I was short
But I was super straight pretty good wedge player good it play you know and um just did everything pretty consistently um um but then I really excelled in in my sophomore year um first three events I think in the in the four it finished second second second second I still still hadn’t won
And I went to Stamford of all places place I didn’t get in and um yeah cool course played Jimmy Lee Jimmy uh was probably in the team I don’t know but I was going head-to-head with Joel kryal I’m sure oh yeah yeah he was one of the
Top amers now works for pxg I think he’s out on tour see him a bit but went head-to-head with him he was a first team All American and um finally got over the line and won won my first event was the last event in the fall and from
Then on just sort of nothing really stopped me I I won 13 times in the next three years including an NCAA so yeah won a lot um got a lot better with Pat got a lot better um with that col that progam prog I mean they were I thought
Amazing program in terms of just pushing you uh having great structure uh very fortunate to have Pat I think as a coach you know again I I went to Northwest and totally blind yeah didn’t know didn’t know Pat didn’t know that he was a good teacher you know sometimes you go to
College Co and coaches know nothing about golf they’re literally Managers driv from tourn tournament organized practice whatever but they’re they’re not really there to teach you and and Pat was you know really helped me with my game and you know for 20 years he was my coach yeah that’s what I was curious
To ask you about because you really it’s pretty rare I I I don’t know of many other examples where somebody went to college and genuinely worked with their college coach not just while they were in school but then you know going on and having you know a career where you
Worked with them why uh why change anything that’s broke you know so it was it was good yeah I mean I had an amazing four years I was in the fraternity had fun did golf did my studies I I I sneak by enough um with my art degree and
Northwest a tough academic so you know you had to really manage your time you know you had to learn all these kind of things as a as a young kid um but it was a great experience for me I mean I I just love the golf I love the structure I
Love competing at a high level traveling around um you know learning to be able to organize that school work but also having a fun social life as well I mean I think great great four years in my life what was it in the structure what was it after that first win that like
Catapulted you into becoming the player you are today like is it the confidence was it yeah I think I just had to get over that hump you I kind of knew I was good but I kept not quite I had to kept I kept failing a little bit and I think
That the failing is always beneficial you you learned so much from that um you know and and once I figured out how to win I gained a lot of confidence and sort of knew that knew that I had it in me so again I just kind of figured out
That my game was good enough even though I wasn’t like a long hitter like hanini or anything but I had good strengths you know all around strengths I was very very consistent I didn’t do a lot wrong so it’s just like down the middle down the middle on
The green make a putt make I remember you know a lot of times I would hit a lot of greens and and my putting was decent in college but it certainly wasn’t as good as when I when I got to um obviously my best years on tour but
Um you know I’d always say I’ve had eight pars Pat all two part it’s just like you know I get just so frustrated cuz I was such a good ball Striker very straight hit the greens but didn’t feel like I made enough CS but again in college being that consistent you know
Kind of got you a long way for sure were there any mental secrets that you had learned from him or from yourself through that I never really worked on my mental side or thought about it certainly in college um you know I’ve always I’ve kind I’ve kind of always had the belief
That the physical and a lot of mental coaches would disagree with this the physical comes before and you learn so much through that and through good preparation and through good um drills especially when I was at my best as a professional I did a lot of writing down
Stuff um seeing that Improvement and that seeing of improvement gave gave me such a a high mentally what stuff readying now so I would just make up a lot of drills that would put me under pressure in practice and then I would try and beat
That and if I didn’t then I had to do it again you know so it was like putting myself under pressure a lot of variability um but also um yeah just seeing it on paper yeah that was that was helpful to me mentally what’s your favorite maybe least
Favorite hardest drill that you created for yourself um the one you know obviously always known for being a good Putter and I was probably the best putter in goal for almost 5 years between like 010 09 to 2013 MH um you know I ranked inside the
Top five on the PJ tour for five straight years a couple times number one I think it was my ability to to hold those putts uh those four to eight Footers so I I created this 4 to8 ft drill 20 putts um around four different holes so 20
Putts in total all different variety four five 6 78 varied mhm again and my my Benchmark was always 15 at times during that period it was 16 out of 20 so w 80% which is quite you know Again Tour average would have been about 65% maybe 1 yeah so again I just kept
Doing it and if I didn’t do it I’d do it again and and I just I think that was so good for momentum you know again I came down to like not three putting for a long time and Y um again I think those things for momentum and confidence are
So important and um certainly was a was a big factor in a lot of My Success yeah so even if you had a long Putt in competition you’re like if I can get this within inside 8 ft I have an 85 80% chance of yeah just felt very good about
Myself yeah so break it like how would you go down with these these balls for the 20 balls between four holes would you just literally measure out or like just throw a couple or what your caddy do no no yeah literally step around a Hole uh randomly between uh four five 6
Seven and 8 footer so you know maybe the eight foot I po first then I go to the sixth and I go to the five then I go four and then finish with the seventh every hole was different but four different holes mhm so every part was
Its own part you have to read it go through your routine yeah went through my routine um so again I’m you know I see a lot of these drills where people are hitting the putts over and over again and they’re good for your confidence but that’s not really
Replicating real life golf every shot is its own shot right um so you know I I tried to create a lot of drills which had variability plus put some pressure on yourself definitely to create a little bit of angst a little bit of um you know uh you can never
Create that same pressure you tournament but you can get close yeah what can you walk us through your routine for a pot yeah it’s it’s pretty simple um you know I’d always line it up um with the I I’ve played a titless ball for a long
Time put the Titus on top um kind of facing Square to to the ball like perpendicular toic uhuh um I’ve never really used a line like at times I’ve dabble with it but most of the time it’s like the Titus is on top I just want
Something that I I can see that’s kind of in a in a good geometry as suppos to the whole um yeah I would you know obviously do my lining up uh that’s sometimes behind sometimes the other side looking around from the side but when I’m get to the
Ball I take one practice stroke look at the hole and I walk in take one more look and then I go it’s quite quick it’s like after that final look it’s you coming back and then just going there’s no time in between of thinking it’s just like no it’s pretty quick yeah yeah
Using my eyes a lot I I I I really believer in using your eyes especially for Pace um and again sometimes I felt like if I line up balls it gets me a little bit out of that I get too too bogged into down here rather than
Looking at the hole and like feeling like what what’s between me being athletic like shooting a basketball exactly yeah it’s it’s so fun for me to listen to Because when we first started coming down to the Bears Club in 2012 I mean I spent hours just on the
Part three course watching you practice and frankly like a lot of the work I started working with Darren may you know shortly after and and a lot of the drills and things we would work on were inspired by you know what you created and you know I always and I worked a lot
On that stuff yeah and I always remember going you know out to the part three and you had these yardage bands that you were working on with wedge play and and you know it was incredibly inspiring just to watch the consistent work that you would put in and out every single
Day and Pat was for a lot of that but it was also on your own a lot of the time too and uh but for you know I guess what I’m curious the key in Morgan was a little bit too is like the artistic side that you always
Had off the golf course how much did that come into play for you in like visualization or you know have you ever kind of worked with those you know tools while you were playing I mean you talk about your eyes that’s all visualization I think using your eyes especially for
Speed control on the greens um is really important um and I feel like I’ve always been a bit of an artistic old school player just in general you know I’ve definitely never had that modern swing where I keep the club face very stable for a long time I’ve been quite a handsy
Player I’ve always tried to be more stable but struggled you know i’ bit of a a young swing I suppose and early ex I early extend a little bit um my body stalls out somewhat and I have to use my hands but again I I’ve Ted to take some of
That out at times and um it’s never been easy for me you again I feel like I’ve always goes back to you know just having that ability to kind of feel it and maybe maybe it’s taken away some of my wins uh over the time you know because very difficult to
Keep that timing over and over again under the imense pressure but again i’ it served me pretty well as well so um yeah that that artistic side is certainly kind of never left my kind of my core values of like off swing my DNA I suppose so it you come out of
Northwestern then and you enter Q school and right away you make the PGA Tour yeah I mean we’re here in Jupiter Florida and that is a big part because of Q School yeah so my um well yeah I played the I stayed amateur um through the middle of the
Summer to played my second Walker cup uh I had some much fun two years before and then that I felt like if I just wait another couple months play another Walker cup enjoy that with my teammates like that would be really cool um you know there’s no rush to I’m already 23
By this time I’m quite quite late to the game really I’ve gone through four years of college and I actually took a year out between high school and going to college I worked for my dad and just want earned some money and played some amateur events so I’m quite
Old um coming out at College um so playing that Walker cup was important but uh I was obviously one of the best amateur in college so I got seven starts on the PJ tour um but I didn’t make enough money but between those starts I was going
Through Q scho as well so first stage of Q scho I’d signed with the IMG straight of college they they were kind of the biggest mhm agent at that time I just felt like they were Global me being England you know maybe playing some in Europe down the
Road uh playing in America like that was a great fit for me and so they signed me up for Q School uh first stage in California you I’m not sure why they I remember why they signed me up in California I was living in Chicago so I flew all the way to
California uh I landed in the LA at like 8:00 P.M and it was in Lok California um I think anyway again it was before like Google Maps and all this stuff and they’re like you know you just take the 405 up and it’s just north of California anyway I kept driving it’s
Like uh exit this and this I was driving for like an hour with my brother get to about 10 p.m. now I’m like where is this place stopped off at a motel like do you know where this is it goes yeah it’s another 2 hours north of it 3 hours north
Of I’m like fuming all right we’ll take in that we’ll spend the night here go the next morning do a practice round anyway I won that stage by 14 shots what so I got through first stage easy enough I remember I remember that story now wow
So it’s worth it in the end you have some stories man and then second stage um you know people are trying to like because they were like you know your game’s good on hard courses so you need to go back um this is a great stage it’s always low
Scoring tough um it was um Dark Horse or not it’s right by montere oh yeah yeah we went there is it dark horse or um or black black horse black horse black horse so that’s my second stage um and uh I finished second second stage so I’m through to finals disappoint this is
Like this is easy piece of cake but and and finals is down the road yeah at um PJ National R so I have a good friend that’s a big alumni for Northwestern Eric gleer who’s an older guy get donated a bunch of money we built an indoor facility because of him so he
Lives in Lost Tre I get to stay with him for the week and another kid Jess Daly and I think you know Jess but I don’t think so Jess was a year above me but good player um and we both made it to third stage we both staying at his house
We both both make it through you I remember but I remember going through six rounds obviously there’s 25 cards and I’m one shot inside the the the number playing the last round and my brother’s canning for me and uh suddenly we’re like driving to the course on that
Last round and we’re like this is it like you know it’s just a I’m you know do I’m going to have a place to play or I might not have a job you know next year like and it was the most stressful round I think I’ve played in a
Long time um I ended up making 15 pars and three birdies I got up and down from everywhere I was hitting it terribly but just grinding it out you know and um managed to finish 18th out of 25 I think I made it by two shots in the end and
Got my card and um wow was on the PJ tour 2002 was my first year damn yeah that that stress of Q school man it’s it’s I’m so glad I’ve only done it once yeah there’s nothing like it in sports other than that you know like what you just said like I’m
Either going to have a job or not going to have a job the next year it’s pretty insane think about up until then it was just like play and count it up at the end see how I do I’m doing well I’m playing fine but then that last round just like the
Realization of what was on the line it was just pretty immense not bad place to stay a ler either no so uh yeah so that’s kind of how I got there because after I got got my tour card I would come down here for a few weeks out of Chicago to to
Practice mhm and Tre well Eric would let me come down here I think I I was I was playing here at Bears I think most of the time had some contact here but you know I was staying at this this guy’s house which really really nice house like on the
Water the guest house or the tennis court amaz like this is the life like coming down here for a couple weeks practicing before the tour Co started and yeah eventually I did well enough that in 06 he’s probably he well 05 I think he was like you probably need to
Buy your own place now six I bought my first house down here just down the road and um yeah kind of well full-time now for 10 years um so but like after getting your tour card and blowing through Q school like you continued to get better and obviously
Became yeah it was a struggle though like that first year was really difficult I found you know suddenly I’m I’m the best college player for the last two or three years in college and now I’m just this pretty average player you know with an average short game
Um you know and I’m watching all these guys that are so much better than me and I and you have to learn so much that first year like you can only get in certain events you can’t control your schedule right you don’t never been to these courses you don’t know anything
About them you have to really learn them you don’t know where to stay you don’t know where to eat you know it’s all very difficult you don’t know many people right I had my brother to hang out with which was kind of nice but um it was
Difficult and you know a grind and felt like good weeks I was finishing 35th and I was like man if that’s a good week like how am I going to how am I going to get Peete out here so it was tough um and I and I was sort of very consistent
As I said in my game and that was good enough to by the last tournament I was something like 105th on the FedEx which was Secure mhm and I went to the Southern Farm Bureau classic it was the last event of the year and I was leading
Through three round rounds I got hot I don’t know I just happened to get hot and then the skies opened on Sunday it rained out Monday the Skies open it was rained out and they called the event and I and I was claimed the winner so I went
From like 105th on FedEx to 57th I won my first PJ Tour event wow obviously that was two years exemption got the big check $468,000 it was for first place you still have it I still have it somewhere yeah that’s cool wow what a story the
First year um 03 was a bit of a struggle again I didn’t do great and maybe finished 90th something in the FedEx I mean it was okay but it wasn’t you know it was hard going it wasn’t easy and then 04 I just felt like I I
Started to figure it out start to get to know these places start to play better um and by that by middle of the ‘ 04 I think I’d kind kind of gotten towards the top 50 in the world and so I wanted to obviously play Ryder
Cups you know you have to be a member of the European tour so I joined but back then if you wanted to be a member of the European tour you play 13 events oh that’s right I remember that so it was the majors obviously counted the world golf championships counted so you
Literally had to be in those if you wanted to be playing the PJ tour and the European tour you had to be in those cuz that was your eight that was counting on both and then you’d have to find five more which you could but it was still
Not easy like another five five five events joined the tour um and then I went over played Sweden in the summer and won it um by five shots in in malmer and that was my second win as a PTA as a as a professional and I sort of
Jumped top the world rankings and like people were starting to talk about me again you know and and eventually I was get I got a pick for the rider cup that year Bernard Langer um not not a surprise but it was you know I was certainly it was only two
Picks that year it was me and Monty and um Bernard told me in the end that he he one of his vice captains um had gone over and scouted the course and it was really a good fit for me Oakland Hills he said it was of course you had
To be very straight you till our greens uh and you know have good ability on slopey Fast greens and you know those was before we had really a lot of Statistics to go by but you know he studied my game and he was very diligent you know that’s why I made a good
Captain yeah um got me in that first Rider cup and um W it’s just an amazing experience to to be part of that that’ll come full circle yeah yeah how I mean once you I mean once you tasted that team play for the first time you had you
Had that experience in the Walker cups I’m sure and it’s you know every American and every European’s dreamed to play in a writer cup but actually like speaking of burnhard specifically though and I want to get into your writer cup you know we’re going to get into that
Conversation later but I mean you guys kind of approached the game in somewhat of a similar way with with how militant you with your training and your practice was he ever kind of an inspiration for you and maybe a tangent off that question but in those early years like
Who were those players that were really did was there anybody on tour you really looked up to or um well certainly my two Idols were were falo and and sevy growing up F just for his sort of dedication I remember him changing his swing after he’ won a major and thinking
Like why would you do that and just you know amazing work ethic um sevy just for his short game and his flare and his his his ability to inspire I suppose you know I remember as a kid at my first Club Hazel M you know I’d put myself in really awkward positions
Around the green and just try and get up and down pretending I was sevy and I think that helped helped me as a short game player and my kind of went back to me again as my artistic side you know shining through um you know Bernard Langer um again he
Was a great player but it certainly wasn’t um someone that I really watched a lot as a kid I remember him winning the Masters but again that was a little bit before me won Masters in maybe 85 85 you won 85 right MH um you know my
First real memories of the Masters was sort of 87 Jack 186 87 Larry m 88 was Sandy L um and then we get into the Europeans a little bit fder right um so you know that’s when I’m starting to watch TV on Golf and um Langer was a little bit
Before me um but obviously super impressed with what he did in his career and super impressed with how he was as a captain I I felt I knew exactly where I stood the communication the clarity of everything he expected from me where I should be who I who was going to play
With um you know all this stuff was pretty well laid out um he just seemed like he was very profan yeah it’s a nice feeling to have in a a leader you know I’m sure as we’ll get into I think later about your captainship right um sure but I think
Before we we reach that I want to learn more about how you continued growing into becoming number one in the world and then also winning both European n PGA Tour money lists and like how how did you do it it’s amazing I I’ve been
Yeah I I you know a lot of credit to Pat again you know Pat was by my side the whole time um I had some other people that that really helped along the way too I think Pat was really good at making me focus on on the process of
Just continue Improvement not getting dragged into um all the deci side stuff and results and all you know he would always get me Focus back to what I needed to do to be a little bit better uh the next day and and I think that was a real good
Guiding kind of force for me and Guiding Light um mhm you know so I never kind of got ahead of myself um I kind of stuck with what I knew what I knew worked um but it’s and and I sell in pitfalls at times you know um I think
2008 was pivotable moment in my career um I was playing the 15th hole Tory Pines in 2008 the US Open 70 uh my 68th hole of the tournament I was in about 15th Place I teed up one you know it’s a long path difficult hole and I hit this drive
And snap there something go in my wrist and um you know up until then I was starting to chase a little bit of distance I was like you know I need to get a little longer to be competitive MH and you know being a handsy player I think that was
Just just war on my wrist so beginning of the week I felt some pain but didn’t think much of it it was just a bit sore and then suddenly yeah bang um the sheath of my the ECU tendon sheath that holds my tendons in place split open on
The on this left side so I couldn’t even finish the round couldn’t even hold on to the club I was done withdraw and um you know that for me that was a little bit of a am I going to ever come back you know can I get over this you know you always
Have these thoughts as an athlete you have an injury it’s like what’s what’s the next step for me um so I you know went through the process had to get surgery in the end I tried to fix it um without surgery in the end it was just
It was just a hole there I mean it just had to be sewed up you know it wasn’t wasn’t never going to grow back unless I went in uh with a surgery and great surgeon Dr Andy Wand at HSS really helped me worked with a couple other
Guys furick and some other other Pros on injuries and 6 months later I was back on the course but the lead up to that six months getting back on the course um you know I kind of took stop that you know that wasn’t my DNA trying
To hit the ball far you know you know I had to get back to what I was good at and that was starting from the hole backwards so obviously two months into my surgery I could start punning so I just would p p p three four hours a day
You know then I could hit these 10 yard chips and then I could hit the 20 yard chips and I literally worked my way back you know that was just the process of the injury process but that was exactly my DNA to like figure out be be as good
As you can be from inside 4 feet be as good as you can be from inside 20 yards chipping be as good as you can be from you 100 yards wedge play you know that that’s how it worked and that was kind of My Philosophy it’s like I got to
Concentrate on my strengths right okay my weaknesses I’ll try and get a little bit better but I’m really going to focus on my strengths and how I can be better and I brought on another guy called Dave orid who was a little bit out of Center
Um not really had any kind of influence in golf he was a rugby kicking coach wow okay guy called Johnny Wilkinson was one of the best kickers in rugby you worked with him and he came in and worked with me on certain drills uh pushed me gave
Me um a little bit more of an edge a little bit of a harder um you know just a an Fu attitude nice and um he was really helpful and I think I brought on a trainer Ben Shear you know Ben you’re out there today yeah
And um I’m still working with Ben um you know and I think those guys we had a good plan um I Craig Knight worked with me on my soft tissue I don’t know I just had a good team Dave was pushing me Pat was keeping me focused on what I needed
To do to be better I was getting stronger uh you know and it just sort of all kind of worked together and um started winning some tournaments in 2010 I won a couple times and then 2011 I went and and won the match play at Tucson suddenly you know I was a good
Player I was I think 9th or 10th or 11th in the world at that point um but not anywhere close to being number one you know there was a big gap between being 10th and being number one in the world but that win shot me up to like three in
The world and at that point I’m thinking I’m three now like I only got two more smarts to go and it was never really my goal I think to be number one you know as a kid you grew up I this part to win the master this part to win
The Open Championship but it’s not like this part to get to number one in the world like you don’t it just didn’t really work that way for me so but at that point in 2011 I thought man let’s let’s go for number one say there’s a
Chance let’s go yeah more than a chance so you know that be came the focus for me in a way um still doing all the good good things but um yeah I had had some good opportunities to get done with when I went to Hilton Head which is obviously a
Place I’ve I’ve played well at I lost in a playoff to bran snica in 2011 um if I’d won there would have got to number one in the world um had another good week somewhere else didn’t quite get it done it’s just like just right there not knocking on the door and
Finally I had an opportunity I went to England to to the BMW PGA Championship oh yeah which is their flag ship event big week big event um and at that time Lee westw had got to number one um and that just so happened we tied
After 72 holes and we’re in a playoff to see who would be the you know would he keep number one or would I get to number one and made Birdie on the first playoff Hall in par five and got to number one I told you earlier that was a cool win for
Me cuz you know there’s something special about saying that you’re the best in your sport I mean something special I’d say I mean it’s it was an unbelievable feeling a place just 30 minutes away from where I grew up a lot of my friends and family and people on
High school friends I grew up and still were friendly with were there and supporting and we went out and had a just an amazing night and drank till 4 in the morning just just just enjoyed it you amazing yeah celebrating with your friends and something that special it’s
Yeah it’s lifelong memory for sure wow yeah that’s incredible it’s um and then carrying that on is that when it started the the 56 weeks was it right that you were number one yeah so a total of 56 weeks so I um probably went for I can’t remember the number good 25
30 weeks in a row and then certain mroy was playing well and he he overtook me U then I got it back the next week you know and it went back and forward a couple times and then um he had a strong start to 2012 he
Got it back and then I went to Tampa yeah the B Spar and I won that event in a four-way playoff that got me back to number one and maybe I kept it for another few weeks until yeah he took it and kept going for a long time so um 56
Weeks in total which I think it’s like number seven all time just you know it was it was a good run um yeah tiger wasn’t at his strongest he certainly had his issues in 09 010 mhm but he was starting to play again you know when I
Was number one he was getting back into the top 10 I think he got to number four or five or three by the time I lost it um and he took it over again from Rory at some point but you know again you know you when you have that opportunity
You just take it right no matter who’s who’s playing one the time Y and what’s the the trophy sitting right up there what’s it called for the 50 yeah up there um the five prong trophy it’s the mark McCormack um trophy so yeah anyone who’s has the most weeks at number one
In any year gets that trophy W so I only have one of them but tiger probably has about 10 of them more more than 10 right I mean 600 and something weeks is incredible insane that’s insane yeah I was actually I was thinking about Tampa cuz this like not
Only is this conversation just ethic in general but for me personally like the time when you were you know really starting this run was when I first started really diving in and falling in love with the game of golf and all I did was watch golf every day so you know
There was a night we shared together you know a couple years ago and you were staying with me at the memorial where we cracked open a bottle of wine and basically just went down memory lane around the fire pit and I was just geeking the best those are the best
Nights reminding you of the back toback Dunlop Phoenix and Japan and it was prettyy fun conversation but I remember uh watching Tampa and you had to make birdie coming up the last to get into the playoff I remember correctly I definitely Birdie the the playoff hole to win um did I birdie 77
Might playoff hole that I’m thinking of then cuz you wer you hit it out of the rough yeah that was the playoff so it was four playoff it was me furick Jim uh gagas G and sang Moon Bay oh wow and gagas piped one about 350 down the
Middle like had little sandwich in Jim probably you know bunted one in the Fairway yeah I think Sam Mo Bay hit the Fairway too and I I was a bit nervous I you know didn’t quite you know my handsy action didn’t quite close the club face
And hit it in the right rough and I was the first to hit in second shot and it was you know that green it’s like so far up and the pin was I think six or seven yards on um on the front edge and I’m at
The rough and you know it’s got a decent Li I can get to the the green but you know controlling it is tough and I pick a seven iron it’s a hard seven iron for me me and Johnny Johnny Long sock M caddy and we uh we piic picked the 7even
Iron and it just comes up like perfect I’m like looking at this thing I’m like that looks good please carry please carried carries by a foot and just rolls up like six feet under the pin they they all make par and I I sneak it in the
Left Edge uh to to to win so my my fifth PJ tour win my last one on the PJ tour so far so far so far so far Camilo’s been uh you he’s inspiring us inspiring us all of us oh yeah that’s for sure what’s some advice or things you’ve
Learned about pressure coming down the stretch like obviously there’s so many things that can happen so many things can enter your mind yeah um is there any advice that you had like that can get you through it like obviously I’m coming back into golf selfishly asking you as
Well but there’s so many I’m sure young Pros or kids listening to this as well that could benefit well I again I think the times I felt the most anxious is when I I feel like I haven’t been prepared like I’m not feeling good about my game and not quite sure where the
Ball is going honestly I think a lot you can get rid of a lot of that anxiety is through good preparation and good practice so I think it starts with that for me MH you know making sure I’m doing the right work and the drills and um putting myself under pressure and then
You know again you you stand over those putts like that sixf footer to win Y and I’ve done all those four to8 foot drill so many times I’m like you know I make this nine out of 10 times like you know I think that that helps you know so
Again for me it was all always about preparation you know that you can do some breathing and um you know POS be positive and and all that kind of stuff and not get too too ahead of yourself stay in the moment and I think those
Things are are given and I think a lot of the top guys always do that stuff but for me it always came down to just having that faith in myself that I’d done the preparation mhm it’s funny cuz Jack pretty much said the same thing and yeah he was like being prepared and
Doing your work is will get you there like feeling that confidence yeah I’ve done this before and it doesn’t really matter what it’s for right now it’s like I’m familiar with it and I can do this yeah like it’s just like anything you know if if you feel like you’ve done the
Work um and you’re prepared like a speech or something you know if you go in there cold turkey and you know quite sure what you’re going to talk about that’s the most nerve-wracking thing but if you go in there and you’ve rehearsed it you’ve done it you thought about it
It’s you’re still going to feel nervous you’re still going to have that that butterflies but you’ve done it and you know you know you’ve been there before so um you know I think there’s no no shortcuts you know anything in life you know no shortcuts you you just got to
You got to put in the work and be prepared for sure on a lighter note what’s uh what’s a good story from PGA Tour that you’ve had or any other players that you’ve had some funny situations coming down the Fairway or Caddy’s having to do weird things out
The oh man you put me on the spot here there’s I’m sure there’s several that come up well I can think of one I was going to bring up later but why you think I can tell a quick story that I may have heard from uh a little birdie
Before we started this today please yeah it’s not a story as much as it’s really a question and I could attest a part of it but you know you’re such a professional you’re very calculated you’re very well spoken the way you you know attack your practice is very
Structured um but you know like we’re having here tonight you like to have you know a couple beers here and there maybe a couple glasses of wine and sure when that ensues you know you like to have a good time so uh a little birdie told me that uh when that occurs you’re
Typically the first to end up on the table dancing and so the question is if that’s true or [Laughter] not D who who told you that yeah may have been a recent winner on tour CV well yeah CV CV and I’ve I’ve we’ve we’ve definitely shared I think
You know golf like anything life but being at the top of of golf is is you know it’s stressful right and sometimes you need those releases you need those times where you can get away with stuff get away from stuff and not just be centered on everything like 100% so
Yeah you know I I probably to the general public I’m pretty even killed the whole time but that’s not really me you know I like to have some fun I like to uh have some glasses of wine now and again at right times and certainly a CV
You I’ve uh hug he he do he’s pretty you know he is pretty uh occasionally he’ll let loose but not very often but we’ve spent some we’ve spent some holidays together and over new years’s and stuff and yeah the tequila might been flowing a few times and you know you got you
Show show some moves you know sure I do have this little little thing where I can like get my my belly to go like this so that’s my party move that’s incredible you know half control the last time I saw that was on a in Egypt the belly dancers probably
Drinking too much wi now right right it’s impressive well something had to impress Diane to come along it’s the belly danc that’s true yeah yeah oh man that’s a perfect transition actually I’d like to talk about Dian and how you met and your family now and your three girls
And yeah like it’s so special having a family now I have a one-year-old she turned one yesterday my daughter and is there yeah tell me about how you guys met how you had kids and how you integrated back to booze again um as I said as I said it was my last
Quarter at Northwest and I was doing one quarter at intro to sculpture so Tuesday to Thursday 9 to 12 I was doing sculpture the rest of the time I was practicing a bunch and I was at the bars a lot you know my last Mar quarter in
College and we went I went to this um kind of famous bar on the outskirts of Chicago that stay open till 4:00 a.m. because Evon was dry for a long time but the bars would shut at at midnight and every all the college kids would go down
To the outskirts like 10 minutes away from Chicago where they could stay open so this CD College bar and Diane was out there with a a a mutual friend that I knew knew and we just started to chat a little bit and kind of hid it off and we
Didn’t didn’t start dating till maybe 6 months later but kind of just built a relationship and MH chatted a bunch and um yeah we just we kind of went over out for Halloween and then met up and I was a a cell phone for Halloween she was
Um JLo remember the JLo outfit I don’t know sounds whatever it is she was a much better outfit that may but that was sort of the start of our date November 1st um 2001 didn’t have a tour car didn’t have anything and she didn’t know much about golf but um yeah her mother
Um Dan Dan’s father passed when she was 11 so her her mother kind of brought her and her younger sister up pretty much like on her own for most most of the life and a very strong woman and very protective obviously of of her their
Daughters and and I I met with her maybe in December um before I even went to the final stage of Q school down here and she’s like uh yeah what do you do and I’m like um just graduated I’m going to try and be a professional golfer she
Like well what else are you going to do like how you going to make money like you know what was your major I was like what’s an art major uh okay well what what well what are you going to you know you it’s like just grilling me and I
Remember I played my first event it was a Sony Open I finished 13th I think I made 89 Grand or something nice she she saw that she’s like this might work this might work no she’s the best but um yeah we just sort of started dating um and Um yeah we got married in 2007 and in Greece she’s her parents were born in Greece she’s Greek American and probably beautiful Antonopoulos is our surname and did a lot of the whole Greek family gatherings and all that kind of stuff Greek EA it was it was fun
Getting to know her her family and yeah we did a big big Greek Greek Wedding in sorini and beautiful uh 2010 we had our first child yeah Ellie so yeah three daughters now 13 12 and and nine you met gigg earlier I don’t know if GG made it on this podcast she’s on
Pretty sure gig’s been around in her Christmas pajamas in her Christmas PJs and yeah I mean I think a lot of my My Success when I got to number one coincided with you know a year later after having my first kids wow I think uh there was definitely a lot of
Perspective a lot of gratitude a lot of understanding that again going back to golf is important but like this is this is what it’s all about and I think you know having that understanding gives you a bit of a grounding right for sure so you know you hit a bad
Shot you know it’s okay you know think of my daughter so bad you know it’s not so bad like there’s there’s more important things in life and you’re trying as hard as you can obviously but you know it’s it’s not everything so you know definitely having children was a
Big I think proponent for me excelling uh and getting to number one for for a couple years amazing yeah great gratitude is something that we’ve had uh come up a lot on this podcast with the with the guests and um just it’s so important to to feel that and the way
That it kind of like transpires into your life like unknowingly but it just makes it so much better and and I agree with kids now like even practicing for me it’s just like doesn’t you know I’m I’m having fun because when I go home I
Get to see my daughter smile and call me dada and like it’s um it’s so cool what what are your girls into do they any them like golf yeah I mean theyve they’ve had their moments where they come out to the course but uh and come to the range but
They they don’t seem too interested and I’m fine with that and certainly wouldn’t pressure them into it they they love hanging out with me and driving on the golf cart and going to the halfway house and grabing a cookie and you know they’re more into just kind of hanging
Out with with me especially my younger one and and my other two older ones are getting too cool now you know to do that but they used to do all that and stuff so they they play sports they um gymnastics volleyball basketball um you know you try and keep them off their
IPads as much as possible but they’re into their school and um their friends and I think that’s you know pretty healthy way of living down here you know waking up and every morning it’s pretty sunny most of the time and just being able to be outside and all that kind of
Stuff it’s it’s really a blessing to be here in Florida because of that you know I think for sure you know obviously lived quite a lot of time in Chicago and lived in England and you know those I remember as a kid all those gray days and bra evenings I didn’t really think
About it too much but obviously to wake up with the sun it just it just makes you feel a bit better doesn’t pretty sure any uh girl dad advice girl dad advice um good question I think just like and anything with parenting it’s just just try and be
Engaged as much much as possible you know Um you know just observe listen um definitely you know have structure and have boundaries but let them be themselves you know I think that’s that’s really really important too that’re they’re all very different um different they all have different characteristics um you know and you don’t treat them the same but
Um you know I think letting them be find their independence is really important great advice take that to heart yeah per um presence has been huge in in our family right now just like yeah that’s the hardest thing you know I think we’re all well most of us are you know on our
Phones a lot and yeah that can get in the way sometimes with that that nonsense so true putting those away he Gigi she’s she’s a PID so to get back into golf a little bit I think this year has been so exciting um to have to have you with not
Only the graceon team um but uh the Ridder Cup captain and I’d love to hear your thoughts and feelings and experience on on that whole situation yeah well obviously we’ve known each other for a long time through Grayson mhm seven eight years together with Grayson but a long time before that
Even with with arlex and all that kind of stuff so you know we go back way way way go back but uh yeah this year was was very special obviously I had the opportunity last year to to be Captain um uh the rider cup for me has always
Been the Pinnacle of some of my experiences in golf just because you know as much just I feel like I’ve done quite well individually um The wrer Cup being able to share those moments with a teammate you know it’s a very individual game golf and you can be on your own a lot
And it’s a grind and you have to you know there’s not many times where you’re with it with someone else working you you’re out there finding it you know digging in the dir by yourself yeah and there’s there’s something nice about that but there’s there’s something you
Miss being involved with a big Team all the time and and the rider cup for me is is so special because of the that um because of the atmosphere you play in front of the fans the energy um you’re playing to represent your families you’re playing to represent your
Teammates you’re playing to represent your country MH um your flag and I think all those things just make the Ry cup so special and and obviously had a lot of succcess I’ve played I’ve played in four on been on four winning teams I was about to ask that I I I shouldn’t know
It in research before this but I was going through in my head I’m like have you ever lost a rder cut um well 20 at wiing Straits I was a Vice Captain we lost we got we lost pretty hard but yeah seven out of the six out of the seven I’ve I’ve been
On winning teams so that that’s helped with my enjoyment I I you you know you go there and you want to win you know that’s that’s part of it it’s a great ride rivalry you know and I think coming you know obviously as a as a player playing in forom playing in four
Balls not wanting to let your partner down the atmosphere the crowd all that kind of stuff is is so so fun um and then obviously I got this year the opportunity to be a captain and it’s very different different opportunity very different experience cuz suddenly
Now now it’s well for me it’s 14 months of trying to figure out how to give my team the best opportunity for success and it sort of engulfs you you know you thinking about it all the time and first of all there was a lot of anxiety and a lot of fear it’s
Like 45 years old or I think the time when I was given the opportunity I was 44 quite young um you know some guys are still playing Ry cups at that age you know can I do this I’m a a at heart quite shy introverted person you know now I’ve got
To lead these 12 guys and I’ve got to inspire them and talk to them and get to know them and um figure out a plan to for them to be successful so it was it was a little bit daunting at first but the more I got into it the more I I
Talked to a lot of people and I started to glean a lot of information uh i’ obviously made a lot of notes even over my Ridder cups as players mhm uh being a player um you know and it was it was honestly the most special moment of
My career you know when we W when we got through that Sunday and see we’re Victorious against a very strong us team so you guys awesome um I think it was just because it was such a you know as an individual you win a major or you win a
Big tournament it’s one week you know and it’s amazing and it’s something you’ve worked for but for for the Ridder cup it’s just something i’ I was engulfed in and and uh it was on my mind for for you know 14 months who was who
Are some of the people that you went to for advice on how to lead um yeah I’m not going to tell you everyone certainly a lot of past captains mhm um I talked to Bernard Langer I talked to Paul McKinley um you talked to them personally before Tony jacn was
Four-time Captain three times a winning Captain he was the first captain in in the US to win at mfield Airfield um what was some of their advice oh was just managing people um I’ve got it all written down but uh certainly looking you know Bernard Langer again looking at the course and
Making sure your picks are are um you know related to the golf course um yeah so much so much so much advice um you know and you got to you got to take everything you know read it through and think that that makes sense you know I
Want to use that that that doesn’t make sense to me MH you know and you kind of got to mold it into what’s good for you but um yeah I would certainly think having very small ego with this job helped because I I was willing to learn and know that I didn’t know
Everything and I need to figure out the best way and that was through learning from from other people you know and um that that was certainly part of the journey yeah I mean I I have a thousand questions I want to ask you about the
Riter cup it was so epic to go there and thank you for you know having my best friend and I I mean it was we were uh we were we were as Americans you know somewhat rooting for the us but frankly more closer friends it was it was pretty
Cool to come over there and and see you be so locked in each day just you know I mean I talked to RF of your you know your caddy and Morgan one of your closest friends before we were doing this today and he was telling me how he
Felt like an F1 driver in the final final day on Sunday driving around trying to get to every whole while things were going on but maybe before I asked a couple questions about this riter cup looking back at the ones you played in you know what are just some of
Your favorite memories looking back as a player whether it was you know the most epic speech you heard in a locker room I’d love to hear that or you know one of the your your best shots you think back to what what are a few of the highlights
As a player you really think back to well yeah lots of um I just amazing moments as a as a player like some of the the great shots even my first very first Rider cup 04 Oakland Hills I get to play with Paul McGinley um the first four balls um and
My opening drive is 60 yards right I mean literally the worst t-shot ever uh got off to a bad start you know it’s amazing the pressure people say oh you you can have so much pressure you know you be ready for that first and I don’t
Know I did I was walking to the tea and I felt fine I felt like just normal nerves little butterflies and standing there no problem and oh four there was like a thousand people around the te it wasn’t like yeah like it is now it’s not
Even 800 like it was it was like a normal regular event you know and as soon as they announced your name it just it just hit me and I I went to jelly like my knees and my leg I could I just my mind just went blank had no idea how
To B golf ball and you know it was awful um but I had a great partner he put his arm around me and and I think again that’s where that team stuff comes in like having someone there just say don’t worry about it I got this all like
Regroup Robbie McIntyre had that same story or Bobby McIntyre he he had that same story about with Rosie Rosie yeah this year walking to the first te you know and Rosie put his arm around him but um have you played Oakland Hills uh years ago when I was when I was like 12
Or 13 18 is this tough tough power four dog leg right like 490 or something up the hill M big like um slope in the middle of the green I had 225 or something second shot mcin had hit in the bunk or the rough he
Was out the hole we all square I just hit this pure two iron landed on the front edge rolled up rolled back to about 15t I I didn’t make the part and in the end Chris Riley I was playing Chris Riley sh sync and Chris Riley made like an
Eight-footer to tie the match but we we hared it it one of the most special shots I remember as a player I got two iron into the last um I lost my singles to Chad Campbell but then the next 2006 I got I got go again in the singles and I got my
Own back so that was that was impressive that was important I missed 08 with the wrist surgery yep um but I would have played that one 2010 Wales had an epic match against Jim furick in the singles just all you know down the middle on the
Green make a pup make a birdie it was Cup champion he won the Felix cup yeah um yeah little trivia question who was the most drunk person at the player after party on Sunday it was Jim furick no that’s one you don’t see coming no no
Who was on the table dancing first yeah LD LD probably the belly well won that one one up epic match that was a close Rider cup we won by I think my point and then obviously 2012 was you know a very famous Rider cup the miracle Medina not so much for
The us but obviously for for European folklore know the comeback um seevi had passed away the year before Jose was the captain you know all the inspiration he’ shouted at us after Friday after we were losing you know I saw a different side to him he was s so
Passionate about the rider Cup this year even he was talking to someone you know and I I’ve got some great pictures of Jose um I’ll share one day you years to come down the road where we had this dressing room um at at Marco Simone it
Was 13 lockers all the players in sevy yeah and it had sevy’s shirt from 1995 his last time he played at uh Oak oakill yep um in Rochester hanging up uh with a little plaque and um couple times someone walked by and he was had had his hand his head down and
Just sobbing you know and um this is what the rer cup meant to him you know and he he said to someone I can’t remember who but he said I would I would give up one of my Majors to be able to play in another rer cup wow and you know
And that’s kind of you know what it meant meant to him and obviously with him being the captain in 2012 very inspirational very you know emotive and I don’t know after to myself I I had one of my most famous shots was against tiger on 17 you know he was they were
Coming back at us we were four up at the turn me and Sergio and um tiger started making a bunch of birdies and just pumping and doing all this and suddenly birded 16 we one only one up playing 17 he stuffs in in 17 down the hill part three and I hit
It inside him you know that’s probably my most famous shot as an individual in the r cup wow we ended up making both making a two and he uh we half the laes and won that hole and got to 105 and then polter was doing his heroics 106
And I don’t know we would been beaten up the whole week for two days and we came off Saturday just feeling like this was you know we were we were going to win I don’t know we just we had this momentum and we liked how the singles roster kind played out we all
Liked our individual matches I was very fortunate to be given the the honor of going number one singles so I went out and beat babba 3 in one um we got a bunch of blue on the board early and then you know it happened you know um it was it was
Unbelievable crazy um what what was it like played against babba though I mean CU that is uniquely a very intimidating competitor just because of literally he could hit any Shining coming off 2012 it’s when he wins the Masters hitting the incredible shot out of the trees
Like I can’t imagine match play he won the match play too I think or was always contending in the match play Championship yeah they put him number one for a reason I think he played quite well right in Saturday yeah but I think
In a in a way I was kind of the perfect antidote to his fan fair you know he was excited and stuff and I didn’t give him anything you know I’m just like that was part of the reason that was the reason they put me in there you
Know yeah um and I was a Chicago guy in a way in Northwestern so I had just as much crowd support as he did to be honest with you so I sort of you know to win that first match was important and then the guys behind us just keep doing
What they were doing was was was really important too so um yeah that was good so now we fast forward to you know this year and you’re captaining the team and I remember we were together at the memorial uh the year prior when things started to go
Down with with Liv coming into play and and Henrik decided to go and this potentiality started to come together and you know just to get to watch you getting to know you and the responsibility of taking this on I mean how intentional you talk about the locker with with you know sev’s Locker
Being there I mean I remember watching and behind the scenes of you know the team rooms I mean everything felt so intentional and and and guess I’m asking was it which I’m sure it was but like I mean you developed such a culture in that locker room and I just would love
To hear you talk about you know your leadership style and yeah that comes from yeah well it was I think it was the very next week after I stayed with you in Canada I flew to Canada and got the call like would you like to take over from Henrik and I was
Like yes but yes I think so you know like yeah I mean I was call him my wife and she was over in the UK and you know we were just my God this is happening like this is so cool like you know what an opportunity and but but yeah that’s
Kind of when the process started that’s um you know I think that’s when I started to figure out how I can create the best best environment for my team to succeed um and that started with me trying to play um quite a lot so I
Wanted to get over to Europe more uh I wanted to be in amongst the players I wanted to try and create um trust and amongst them get to know them better obviously get to play with them um uh as much as possible to see how they performed uh with me but you know
Just start the communic ation you know start those that that um being able to feel like they they knew who I was that they could they could trust me uh and that was the first step um you know then we obviously looked at qualification criteria you know six
Picks was very different yeah um I thought that gave me the best opportunity to get the the be most informed players but also have an ability to create to choose some players that been there uh I know all different things um so yeah again um those were kind of the first steps
But you know again it was a process of how can we make everyone feel like they belong as well you know I think that was important in my um in my captaincy um there was always going to be rookies on the team it’s always going to be established players always going
To be Superstars you know how do we get these guys feeling like 12 guys in the room playing for each other you know where how can we take this hierarchy away you know where we were all playing for each other yeah um so again a big important part of that was the practice
Trip um we’ve never really done a formal official practice trip before um so we went there as a team two two or three two weeks before and it was something that we’d never done before and I was a bit nervous about we did this fireside chat
Um what was your idea it’s my idea and another guy that I’ve been working with um that was very much into creating the right culture and teams and um yeah I didn’t really know what to expect and how it was going to go and whether these guys would kind of buy
Into it and it was amazing in the end there was some very simple questions we asked I started off talking about my my starting Golf and what the Wild Cup meant to me sort of passed it around I started with John went to Rory and it
Just sort of just started to flow you know and then some people you know didn’t give too much away but some people really opened up wow and what it what it really did was it it’s um it made a lot of rookies understand that a lot their
Upbringing in golf was exactly the same as the superstars you they had something in common they were playing um because of a lot of Sacrifice from their parents um because some people were told they weren’t good enough and they needed to prove themselves you know and it was
Amazing like kind of just the emotion and um the conversation that that kind of went that that happened and this sort of we then that’s when the team really started to form we we then went away everyone was playing at Wentworth it felt like everyone was together again
Obviously I I had an opportunity to pair people together thinking about pairings yeah who was going to be playing with who um and by the time we got back to the ridy cup usually those first day on Monday or Tuesdays like people were trying to find their feet and find where
They are but we were already a team by we’re rolling we were already rolling so it was it was very good it it worked very well um and as I said the whole week you know there really wasn’t any hierarchy you know you always need just Superstars to play great but they were
So good about inviting everyone you know I’d walk into the team room I was usually the last last guy there CU I had media and all sorts of stuff and so I I walked in late and and in the evening and usually you know people like to hang
Out in their little groups right but no John was sitting with Bob and then John the next day was sitting with Rosie and then the next day he was sitting with someone else and the same with same with um Rory and you know it it’s just U it
Was a very um yeah these guys just sort of took it took it really well and just was was we a real team I always find it so unique like when you watch I get a little emotional talking about it oh as you should I should I mean it was i’
I’ve never been to a sporting event anything like it you know as just a sports fan and obviously a golf lover but I mean to get to go to Europe and feel that energy I mean I actually I remember CV and I were talking about it
He was in Columbus a few weeks prior and you know he was sharing his he really wanted to come yeah um he had to go to qualifying school or something um I know he had to go to some event that cuz he’d had such an amazing experience the
Presence right Vice Captain there that you know I think some of those experiences helped what he just achieved the last couple weeks 100% but the I remember him telling me he’s like you know when you walk the golf course you know because of the TV screens everywhere it’s you know you see every
Shot and so you’re you’re standing on the 12th Fairway and there’s nobody even playing in front of you but everybody’s looking back at the screens watching wow and you know so and so makes a putt Rory makes a putt and The Crowd Goes Nuts I mean it’s just electric the whole time
Jack you were there in France you know uh too but I mean it just I I always remember like one one thing I find so unique about watching the European teams is the first T the camera goes up to the four you know in four balls and forom
The camera goes up to them right and you got two Europeans and the two Americans they go to the Americans they’re standing there shoulder to shoulder go to the Europeans it’s arm around one another MH again that I I certainly never told them as a captain put your
Arm around like that that that’s that’s certainly not that’s all organic you know and I think that started again you know three weeks before you know everyone sort of built got really bought into this whole team aspect um it really is important for them you know they they biggest thing I
Wanted was that win or lose they had the best week you know at the end of the week you know and um we started off the week very strong we had some motivational videos you know I tried to really give them a a good vision of what
The week would look like uh the purpose you know try to give them some inspirational stuff with the sevy and stuff well how about Novak Noak yeah um there’s all kinds of stories obviously and and I tried to really um give them a l of confidence this is why I think
You’re going to win you get this this this this this I I don’t see anyone you know you know and obviously a lot of the pairings were um already in place you know well before that week you always have to adapt obviously sometimes and
You and you do but it was a week where a lot of things went to plan and I didn’t have to adapt that much um but you know obviously that was a lot because of the the preparation had gone in what do you think like the differences from the American side
Versus the European side of like the camaraderie like is it because of the way that you’re raised is it because of the way that like the Ridder cup is seen from that perspective um hard hard to know I mean obviously I can only talk from my
Standpoint you know for us you know we we do make a big deal of it and we try to really enjoy the the moments we get to to spend with each other that week um we I understand you know you can’t take these are in highly class individual
Players and you can’t take them out of their routines and and stuff but at the same time they are so willing they’re always looking forward to going back in the evenings and spending that hour two hours together the videos you know the the times they get to spend um they
Obviously outside of that they’re still doing their practice routines they’re doing their warm Downs their warmups you know individually that that they’re very good at but the times away from the golf course they really Embrace I don’t know why because they they really enjoy it you know I’ve I’ve certainly read some
Stuff that the US do it a little bit differently you know they they do quick team dinners at the course and then you know a lot of time on their own in their rooms and stuff and some room service and I don’t know that’s just what I’ve
Read I don’t know if that’s true or not but they you know I did read something like um Brooks said you know we we just try and make it you know in in a major I go out to the course I do my practice nine holes and then I’m back and I’m
Watching TV and just chilling you know that’s my major preparation and that’s how I want it to be in Ry cup to be the best interesting but you know again we we try to embrace the week a little bit more just try and make it kind of fun as
A group yeah sounds amazing that one oh it’s you know rather than just um kind of doing the the same old you know week in week out so um again I think uh because that um the guys you know again win or lose they they have a great time
Because they’re just hanging out with these guys that the usually competing against week and week out but that week their their buddies their companions their family there you know everything you know we do a lot of things together I think that’s kind of kind of cool I
Agree can can you share any of the motivational videos that you showed play one on here was it is it like something you can search on YouTube or is these these will be uh personal videos that they’ll just keep and um that they’re theirs and um yeah it was just every
Player had a an individual video though really you know um the first night yeah I asked them to be in their rooms between 5:00 and 5:30 and their their wives like handed them an iPad I think with the video so they could see it on
Their own you know uh in their room on their own just enjoy it it was just you know people that were close to them talking about how special they were to them and how much support they had W stuff like that um that’s amazing so cool you know and then they all came
Back down to the team room and uh that’s when I got back from the course and I did my little talk about you know setting up the week and stuff but then at the end we played like a compilation of the videos oh cool and uh yeah there
Was a few tear so uh it was a a very emotional start to the week which you know again I didn’t want that to happen on Thursday night because I thought that was a little too close to competition but um it was a good it you know again I
Think it just set the tone for why we play the cup um we play not just for ourselves we just play for more than ourselves we play for uh each other we play for our family we play for our friends for the people that have supported us the whole way theyve
You know um made it possible that we’re here right now you know it’s kind of now it’s their opportunity to to play great and write their story but they also have a responsibility to inspire the Next Generation so you know again all all this messaging is is I think important
And it and it it adds to the week of what makes uh a ride cup just so special mhm yeah and it’s I mean back to the gratefulness you know like they being seeing those videos I’m sure they were just like wow this is incredible what a what a special feeling
To have and then getting in that that mindset of just being like full gratitude the yeah I’m thinking inherently we all want to be um feel like we belong to something right we feel like we belong and we were a part of a collective mhm I think people are
Just on their own um you know struggle you know they don’t have support so I think that’s just human nature that’s why family is important right Community why you’re having children or having a wife or having someone that’s so supportive having a coach having best friend that’s there for you you know
That Collective is human nature you know and if you can bring that to 12 very skillfully individual player players and and try and bring that out as much as possible then then I think you can you can create some great play and great camaraderie and and that’s that’s all we
Try and do in R cups create some magic sweating now no dude hope I’m not giving away too many Secrets here it’s not it’s it’s not rocket science it’s it’s it’s very basic human nature but um yeah but it’s repping into that yeah yes but I mean just listening
To you and you know responding to it it’s it’s Brotherhood it’s it’s love for one another I you talk about that fireside chat I mean we you know I’d known you for we’ve had a few well I it’s honestly where I’m going I’d known you for 10 years you know at the Bears
Club but pretty topically you know just seeing you on the practice range and whatnot you get to find interesting things about people you never knew I think that’s that’s cool you see them every day for 10 years but you don’t really know them that way if you have an
Opportunity to open up a little bit do something special it took us one night sitting around the fire couple bottles of wine you know and just you know just like that you you open up to one another through vulnerability and being honest and like you said you realize you’re a
Whole lot more alike than you are different yeah you know and it sounds like just the ability that you know you led the effort and you know bringing a group of men together as individuals but well I I certainly you know helped as the captain there was a lot of people
Around me you know we have a great team um and everyone bore into it and I certainly wouldn’t take full credit for everything but I had a lot of you know like anything you always need help right you have good people the support staff at the European tour
Amazing um you know there there’s people that help with the videos and that have inspirational ideas and people that help me with the culture and um my wife you know she was amazing as a lady captain in terms of creating an amazing in event the Spanish Steps for for the for the
Players and families and and you know just care I think just showing that kind of care is is kind of is really important that’s huge I mean that’s what that’s why we’re doing this right now like to share that we’re all in this together yeah like we’re like we’re all
People who and part of uh part of any leader like is share that knowledge onwards right and share it on and have people to learn and certainly uh again certainly some of my messaging was you you know you’re playing for your teammates but you’re playing to inspire the Next Generation
As well pretty sure that’s powerful yeah and on on that topic too I mean you know your career in itself is so inspiring and and kids like myself looked up to you so much you know growing up around the game and you know know what would be
Your you know message or inspiration to kids that are thinking about getting into the game of golf why why should you play golf what well I think it’s important to be passionate about something um you know again we see too many kids on phones and iPads these days and you’re
Not really learning much and um you know I think find something you’re passionate about um really enjoy it get into it and and want to improve at it I think that was how we all started in the game of golf um have you know have some
Support there with you that can push you in those tough times but tough times are just as important as the is the good times you you learn so much from the the failing I think that’s why golf is such a humbling game isn’t it you fail all the time I
Mean you literally fail all the time and and that’s why you got to Embrace those those those cool moments and enjoy those good moments and I certainly celebrated that ride C win for a good month afterwards and I’m still going a little bit cheers I’ll give you a cheers for
That one right now Cheers Cheers boys speaking of that works that works just right Little Italian number exactly you know that wasn’t even intended but maybe it was a little bit subconsciously yeah right I’m on Italian kicks hello I’ll just tell you this as a spectator
My best friend and I fly in and we basically didn’t sleep and my best friend Jake and I fly in for 48 hours to Rome we didn’t sleep for two days we just just went and after it I mean what a what a town to have a writer Cup in we
Didn’t even go out either we just walked theity even some of that was the messing like enjoy this history this is we’re we’re adding to the history of Rome which is like an immense place like how much has gone on in this place place and now you have the opportunity to create
Your own little piece of I mean where you guys walk down the steps after the opening ceremony or down that main I’m I’m blanking on the names of it all but I mean it was the Spanish Steps they had they had closed that for 40 years oh no way they half closed it
For a mission impossible movie last year and literally it hadn’t been closed for 40 years wow and my wife pulled that one off so yeah it was pretty cool that’s insane just walking through the streets and goosebumps yeah yeah we didn’t you know obviously it was mostly Hotel Golf
Course Hotel golf course but we wanted one night where get to enjoy the city it’s important because we don’t do that very often man I’ve just had like I’ve had goosebumps for the last 30 minutes sitting here listening to you talk about the rder cup I mean it’s just you know
Man I’m so happy and so proud of you I mean to hear you talk about this the emotion in it like it’s just man I’m like it’s really special and really grateful for you sharing your stories and and just what what an incredible accomplishment thanks really thanks for
Having me on yeah the um speaking of the the high moments in careers um our last question that we end each podcast with is based around our title uh which is I can fly and we like to know if there’s any time in your life where you felt that I could
Fly not too long ago about five weeks ago standing on that green on 18th knowing that we just won the rider cup I mean everything I’d poured into it and um yeah there’s nothing greater than doing something for other people right and and creating something special like that
So uh yeah I was on Cloud9 uh just a lot of emotion you know obviously few tears came out um you know and I I don’t cry very often on a golf course but uh you know that was that was fun yeah it’s a perfect way to that’s
Beautiful perfect answer yeah gigg come in here give Pap a hug call it a night it’s bedtime GG it’s par your bedtime uhhuh thanks Luke yeah this is great thanks thanks Archie nice work appreciate you J arie’s ready for bed that was aw yeah
3 Comments
Wow, wow, wow! Another unbelievable pod! Luke is all class…so many intricate jewels to pull out of this one. Thanks for bringing us on the journey. 👊🐺
Keep this up, gentlemen. This is a great podcast with incredible guests! Try to get Keith Mitchell—I listened to a Broken Tee Podcast with him, and it was interesting—I think a discussion with you would be fantastic!
Golf genius 🙌👍 great talk gents! EXACTLY..Physical first mental second! Luke💪NO 3 putts👍eyes are key, handsy player. As a golf instructor there are many gold nuggets here! Thanks for sharing Luke, you should write a book, lots of learning moments.