Tour Winner Carl Paulson Interview- Phoenix Open, Tiger Woods, & Future of PGA Tour

Fairways of Life is joined by Carl Paulson, a 2-time Korn Ferry Tour Winner & 1999 KFT Player of the Year. You can listen Carl and Dennis Paulson on SiriusXM weekdays from 10am-noon on their show “Inside the Ropes”.

Carl Paulson is a golf analyst on PGA Tour live he also works for ESPN plus uh SiriusXM PGA Tour radio he is basically everywhere he’s a multiple time winner amongst the professional ranks L those many years ago he was a corn fairy Tour player of the year as well 342 tour

Starts at that 28 top 10 along the way he will be the analyst this week of the Marquee group coverage of the Genesis on PGA Tour live again that can be found on ESPN plus and he’s the host of inside the ropes with Dennis Paulson weekdays

On SiriusXM I believe it starts at 10: a.m. but I will confirm that with the man Carl Paulson how are you doing did your team win fantastic I didn’t have a dog in the in the fight it was a great game though and uh we got to enjoy it with some

Friends so it it was exciting that did you hear our question about whether today should be like the The Hangover holiday or something sh it doesn’t make sense that the that some it’s like the biggest event sporting event in the United States all year so many Americans

Are engaged I think people love a holiday anyway because it’s a holiday but does it make sense to say make this like a whole weekend event and make it a make it a holiday that’s taged to it I kind of like the Saturday idea uh I think they should move Halloween to the

First the first Saturday after it falls the after the 31st have the the the Saturday before for the uh for the adults to to act like children and go out and have a good time Saturday after for the kids and uh why not play this game on Saturday night I don’t get it

But uh at least it started early enough for us to get home and get in bed at a decent hour well the the event that we saw this week is funny the way you phrase that for the adults act like children some of them were acting like

Children at the WM yes they were Phoenix Open uh I guess my question to you is is it too much I I think it it’s gotten a little bit out of hand uh but you know that going in you know you look at what happened with Billy

Horel you look at what happened uh with Zack Johnson and them losing you know losing their minds a little bit on the fans that were uh you know acting foolish or childish or whatever you might want to say I I think it’s gotten a little bit out of hand however

You know what it’s going to be like when you sign up for that tournament if you don’t like it don’t go all right so I want to talk to you about the guy that did what he needed to do in a tailor because Nick’s performance to finish was

So so impressive and it goes to I don’t know if you if you caught the show earlier where Don was talking about kind of The Wonder of sport that here in the golf that that preceded immediately at the Super Bowl we saw this great playoff it went actually into the Super Bowl and

Then at the Super Bowl itself we see it go into overtime Nick Taylor 72 foot putt plus to win the RBC Canadian open is Home Country first time a Canadian won it in 69 years when he accomplished that feat he’s a four-time winner on the PGA tour first of all just your thoughts

In general about Nick well I was uh watching the game with Sean Foley last night and some other friends and uh obviously Sean being a fellow Canadian was pulling hard for Nick and uh so we kind of all started you know a little bit kind of

Pulling for Nick but uh Sean was telling me that this guy’s a lot better than he gets credit for he hits a flat driver in the in the mid 170s ball speed uh sneaky long and one of the best wedge players on tour uh you go look at

It looks like we lost Carl there for a second here’s where I’m going with the with the president cup too following question international team right now Tom Kim Second Jason day third Nick Taylor fourth Sun JM fifth amelon ago sixth Ryan Fox I’m going to give you the

Top six of Team USA you give me your thoughts one Scotty Sheffer two wendam Clark three Chris Kirk four Colin morawa five SOI Gala six Eric Cole you want me to keep going I’ll keep going uh seventh Max homma eight Xander Schley nine Patrick Klay 10 Sam Burns 11 Jordan SP

And 12 Keegan Bradley I have to go back to the the international side and give you remember six qualifi six captains picks on both team seven minwu Lee eight benan nine sewu Kim 10 Cory Connors 11 is Adam Scott 12 is Cam Davis I’m giving you those just in the order I realize

Again to reiterate that uh six are going to be Captain’s picks if you look at those two sides in recent performances on either side I find it incredibly difficult to find an advantage one way or the other I know Carl’s back with us do you see an advantage one way or the

Other right now looking at President’s Cup with current form If This Were to lock down today I’m not sure if I would give them an edge just because of the how the team was decimated by play players that were going to live but I certainly think that it’s getting closer

And closer of course we’ve seen some lopsided victories in in this uh in this uh in this event and and it would be nice I think for the President’s Cup if we could get a couple of really really close matches Maybe even have the Internationals win but I like what you

Were talking about I I think we’ve got a Canadian Captain uh in an event that’s going to be played in Canada and some very good upand cominging Canadian players I think that team’s going to be loaded with Canadians and and the Canadians are as about a proud country

As you’ll find and let me tell you something about their uh how crazy they are about golf they’re nuts absolutely nuts they only get to play about five months a year up there and they love golf maybe maybe more than any country I’ve ever seen Carl I had to ask you

About this because everybody’s excited Andrew put up the tweet from tiger that he confirmed of course that he will be a playing Host this week at Riviera from your perspective as a guy that played the the filt of your career when tiger was absolutely flying At His Highest

Descent what is it like for you to know Tigers back out there again well it’s it’s great for the game of golf um you know all of the things that he has to go through to play in these events uh to prep for the round and and to work on

His body after the round just so we can see him play golf five or six times a year is is incredible and um look hero was really the first time we saw him play four days where he didn’t lose a ton of stamina he didn’t his golf didn’t

Although it wasn’t great at the hero the scoring wise it didn’t get worse throughout the week it actually got a little bit better at the end of the week and the way he was striking the ball so I’m hoping that we can see him play five

Or six times a year and be able to make it through those four days and you know and be healthy when he gets off the golf course of course he’s never going to be one of those guys that walks off the golf course and feels great because of

All the stuff that his body has been through but to see him out in La playing at Genesis is massive for our game I know that you have uh sources all over the place Carl I’m curious what you’re hearing on the inside is Tiger’s Presence at these events more than just a ceremonial

Appearance is HE capable of competing well as you mentioned earlier when we were coming back from break that I played most of my career uh during tigers’s uh Heyday and from what I’ve seen throughout the years and from what I’ve uh you know witnessed in 20 2019

With him coming back and of course winning the Masters after winning the Tour Championship I’m not going to put anything uh out of the realm of possibilities of happening with tiger I think it will have to be a perfect storm though if he wins the weather’s going to

Have to be good body’s going to have to be feeling good and he’s going to have to play a certain type of golf course in my opinion to give him an opportunity to win uh Augusta you know you think all of that experience that he has at a

Over everybody else it’s just such a tough walk so I’m not sure where that Golf Course would be but I certainly think we’re going to see him get in contention a couple more times before it’s all said and done it’s an interesting point to actually bring up

Where you know tiger is going to pick places to play now granted he’s the host this week where he has had great success but that’s not the case at at where he is this week I mean he he’s got great history at Riviera but I’m curious about

How you think that matches up and go to your earlier comment about you know the venue has to be right for him walking has to be right for him how does it suit the tiger that we know today uh you’re talking about Riviera for the Genesis yeah not not great um

It’s not an easy walk uh I mean once you get down off of the platform where 18 green and in one TR obviously it’s not that bad but the um grass is kind of squishy and and it’s not a great fit he doesn’t have a great track record at

Riviera um but it’s his tournament that raises a ton of money for his foundation and and the fact that he’s gonna get to Tee It Up and play uh you know we’re going to see where his game is and we’re going to go through this every time he

Plays right he’s going to play this week and probably not play again until the Masters and and we’ll have the same discussion then as we’re having now where’s this game how Rusty is he going to be it’s just going to be like that moving forward with Tiger but again more

Important I think now listen in his mind is this a ceremonial golf tourament that he’s playing in heck no he is a guy that seriously thinks he can win every time he tees it up in that absolutely baffles me I’d love to get into his mind for

Just two or three minutes and and kind of feel what that feels like to have that confidence uh but is he going to contend this week probably not but having him there at the tournament playing as host is massive not only for the tournament his foundation but the

Whole game did you believe back in the day when you were at the height of your own prowess that that you could beat Tiger Woods or were there things that he was capable of doing that you looked at and said I just can’t do that well he

Definitely had some shots that I don’t have due to strength and height uh you know I’m I’m 5’9 he’s a little bit over six feet tall and and hitting out of the rough is a heck of a lot easier if you’re a little bit taller but uh um you

Know when we are on our aame we don’t think anybody can beat us and you know there’s if everybody brought their aame of course Tiger’s probably uh got the most bullets right he’s got the biggest gun so to speak and but it doesn’t you know y Yang didn’t say oh Tiger’s you

Know Tiger’s gonna beat me uh you know there’s guys that have gone toe-to-toe with them and and given them their best shot tiger normally comes out on top but offers are a weird weird Bunch we have this uh this weird uh confidence and hope even when things aren’t going well

And I think that’s what’s so special about the athletes do you for two questions first of all what time are you on the air today just to confirm an a PJ tour radio on Series 6m yeah we’re 10 to 12 Monday Monday through Friday all right 10 to 12 with Dennis Paulson how’s

DP doing he’s doing great doing great uh he’s uh he’s relocated he’s a Texas boy now so uh he’s up in uh up in San Antonio and they’re absolutely loving it very cool now two and he’s a granddaddy now oh good congratulations DP uh to your coverage this week on PJ Tour live

Where coming in it was noted that you are marquee group coverage do you already know who you’ll be covering this week by any chance I not yet we should get that email later today okay so when the tour returns to a venue like Riviera or any uh experience that you have even

At Riviera how excited do you get as a player to return to a classic venue well I the first time I played Riviera I just was walking up those steps after finishing the 18th hole and thinking to myself oh my gosh that you know think about the people that have

Walked up these steps where my feet are hitting exactly where their feet were hitting in all of the old uh the old players from the 50s and 60s and uh Hogan and all of that so it it really is a special place when you find a a golf

Tour a golf tournament or a venue that’s been around as long as Riviera has now of course the tournament’s changed names throughout the years but it’s still LA and it’s still Riviera and it’s a a golf course that stood the test of time I get

Real excited I mean this is one of my favorite golf courses I had a awful track record here and I still showed up every year to play in it because the golf course is just that good very cool while we have your company I do want to

Ask you about the recent uh SSG strategic Sports Group investment in the PGA Tour uh what are you hearing amongst your brethren uh especially veteran Brethren from PGA Tour ranks yeah this is one of those things that just kind of has baffled me uh I’m trying to find out

How we’re going to get from point A to point B here right everybody wants to get from point A to point B uh into all of this divisiveness and get these the best players back out on the golf course together more times than we’re seeing

Right now uh I just don’t see I don’t understand how they’re going to get from point A to point B I’m I’m uh not even close to being smart enough to be to be allowed in that room but uh one thing I will say if you’re going to Hitch your

You know you’re going to hit your uh your product to a wagon this is a pretty darn good wagon to Hitch you too uh look these guys have made money all their whole lives they know it they know how to make money they know how to make

Return on their money and for them to have the confidence to put the $3 billion investment into the PGA Tour knowing and thinking that they’re going to make more than that back that’s a good sign I just don’t know exactly how this whole thing is going to break down

Speaking again I’m taking advantage of the last couple of minutes we have here with you Carl we were talking a lot about Rivier we’re talking a lot about tiger this week hosting the Genesis open it happens to also be a signature event so for going down the road of kind of a

Ma macro view of where the World of Golf is right now what is your view on these Signature Events don’t mind the Signature Events I just wish they were 120 person fields and and cut to 60 uh giving more playing opportunities look if they had these tournaments set up the

Way they were last year Kirt kitama would not have won the Arnold Palmer Invitational because he wouldn’t have been in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and I think that’s really important that we give more opportunities for guys uh you know let’s say guys between 40 and 80 consistently on the FedEx Cup list uh

An opportunity to win these tournaments and I I just wish because the sport was set up as pure capitalism go out play well win a bunch of FedEx cut points win a bunch of money at the end of the week win a bunch of money at the end of the

Year uh start making a legacy for yourself I just I I I just feel like like they should be 120 person fields and cut to 60 and and then uh you know let you know let the tournament just rock and roll from there I I I don’t Nick Dunlap turn pro one AMX

Unbelievable Story play turns Pro plays in you know you know a signature event and finishes in last place and gets FedEx cut points for that I I don’t think that’s right you if you don’t beat anybody you shouldn’t get FedEx cut points so uh just a few minor changes now I will

Say I wanted to wait until a full year went by before uh I made a you know a lasting decision on this and uh I think the tour has done an unbelievable job with their with their schedule and the way that they’re doing the the next 10

And the uh the ion next1 and the Aon um you know swing five I think those are fantastic ideas to boost the fields in some of the other tournaments that aren’t Signature Events and we’ve seen great Fields so far in all of those events that aren’t signature event so uh

I think they’ve done a great job and let’s wait and see how this 2024 plays out but I maybe there’ll be a few adjustments at the end of the year Carl Paulson a veteran campaigner with Club in hand now an important voice in The World of Golf you can hear him from 10:

A. eastern time this morning on SiriusXM PGA Tour radio and from Thursday coverage on PGA Tour live always a pleasure thank you so much for your time take it easy Manny thanks for having me