What Masters invite really means for LIV players | Golf Channel Podcast | Golf Channel

In this edition of the Golf Channel Podcast with Rex & Lav, the guys discuss the significance of Joaquin Niemann’s special invitation to the Masters, debate whether any other LIV players have any legitimate gripes and map out what a “global tour” could look like. #GolfChannel #GolfChannelPodcast
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What Masters invite really means for LIV players | Golf Channel Podcast | Golf Channel
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Hello and welcome into this edition of the Golf Channel podcast with Rex and La walki Neeman it’s a special invite to this year’s Masters tournament chairman Fred really making the call on Wednesday Thorn olison as well as Rio hitsun also earning a spot Rex what’s your uh reaction besides my uh A+ pronunciation

Of Rio’s last name uh you got scared there at the end I could I could tell you panicked a little and you started leaking confidence but but your power through it I’m proud of you uh I I want to say and I want to have a a broader

Conversation because this came up on the round table that you skipped yesterday on golf today didn’t skip cam was sick had 100 degree 103 degree fever is now feeling much better thank you for your concern well and then you called me and cam seemed fine so all I’m saying is it

Seems like you just wanted a day off and you used your poor son your lovely son your magical boy of a child to get out of work which seems like a really lame thing for a guy to do any I’ll go back to yesterday’s round table because I thought it started an interesting

Conversation with the idea being and I I don’t know how many people have seen the Greg Norman tweet about the world rankings but it was another Greg Norman tweet or X about the world rankings pointing out that only two players that haven’t recently gone to live golf

Remain inside the top 50 sliding scale so that’s going to change over the next few weeks I wanted to split that up into a two-fold argument because the first part of the argument the Nuance part is we can all agree and it seems like now Augusta National perfectly agrees with

The idea that there are players on live go that are still worldclass players just because they went to live go that doesn’t mean they’re not worldclass players and shouldn’t be in the major championships anymore and I think this is an important first step towards doing

That and I think all of the majors it’s going to be a little bit different with the other three versus Augusta National because let’s face it they can make their own rules it’s what they’re best at in this particular case though I will give them so much credit because you

Look at this important first step as yes we can all acknowledge W Neiman should be in the Masters and you can keep going down the list of anyone else maybe Taylor G comes into the conversation whoever else might be in the conversation that is one part of the

Conversation there needs to be some sort of pathway Beyond where we’re at right now in the game and and how we might come back together get them in the majors I don’t think this has anything to do with live golf I don’t think so either it has everything to do with

Watching Neiman being a worldclass player and I think they realize that and and Augusta National realized that the other part of the conversation no no no no no no no no no I don’t think that’s right at all there there were two words that were conspicuously absent from this press release Augusta National

Golf Cup Liv golf was not in the conversation W Neeman is receiving a special invitation to this year’s Masters for a couple reasons one of them is that he’s a former winner of the Latin America amateur Championship uh the tournament run by Augusta National uh in hopes of inspiring the next

Generation of players in that region W Neeman is inarguably if not the best one of the best players from the region that is so important to Augusta National secondly walki Neeman won the Australian Open a co-sanctioned event on the DP World Tour uh in uh earlier this winter

That uh Victory alone got him into the Open Championship he also has a couple of other top five finishes on the DP world tour irregardless of what walki Neiman’s world ranking says and his world ranking says that he is 81st in the world walki Neeman a is an important

Figure in Latin America and B one of the best players in the world right now but two words that were not in that press release and this has nothing to do with his season opening Victory on Liv golf live golf live golf was not in the press

Release this has nothing to do with his accomplishments or accolades well no of course not why would it have anything to do with live go off this has everything to do with the world class player not in one of the major championships and again

We can go back to the idea we all agree that there is something flaw in the system right now and we need to figure out a way to make sure that the top players don’t slip through the crack because what fans media corporate sponsors everybody wants is for the top

Players to go against each other in these major championships that’s what makes them special and you’re right they didn’t mention live golf because they didn’t have to this has nothing to do with live golf you’re just recognizing a top player whatever their motivations are and you pointed out very well what

Their motivations on this front might be what I wanted to point out is the other half of the equation and again I don’t want to get into the Greg Norman part of this because it’s nothing but a straw man argument it’s ridiculous the idea that he’s still pounding on the drum

That they somehow live golfs to get world ranking points to remedy this par this problem that’s what we’re talking it all comes back to the top players not in the majors like we want him to for him to keep going back to the world ranking is just ridiculous because you

Knew before you started live golf that this was going to be an issue the team golf portion the world ranking has made it clear each time you’ve approached them that they have a problem with this and I even went to during yesterday’s Round Table to the idea all you needed

To do is look at the PGA Tour they had a built-in proof of concept right there in the Zur classic that this is a PGA Tour sanction event that gives out FedEx Cup points and a lot of money and you know what they don’t get world ranking points

Because the world ranking doesn’t want to deal with how they sort of sort out teams and and partners in events and what’s going to happen if Billy horse was walking down the Fairway and his teammate needs him to do X Y or Z that’s not what they want to get into so that’s

The hangup the world ranking can get by the idea it’s 54 whole events shotgun starts limited Fields whatever else you want you want to throw at them they they can find work rounds for that the one thing they can’t find a work around is the teen concept and drg Norman and live

Doesn’t want to change that so you can’t keep going back to the world ranking it’s a ridiculous argument well it’s also how kind of politics work in this country isn’t it where you just you just grind down your opponents you grind down Society by just being the same drum and

Eventually it just becomes an accepted part that’s clearly Greg Norman strategy that he’s employed over the past couple years it’s it’s pretty obvious and it came out in some of the documents that that players were told that we would be able to get world ranking points just as

They told exactly just as they were told that the PJ tour could not suspend them for a single day incorrect if they were to play live golf also Incorrect and so I I think it’s I think it’s an interesting uh point where where we are now where where Liv golf could have made

Changes to kind of eques the official World Golf Ranking and yet they haven’t they added a couple wild card spots that’s obviously not going to be enough to lay some of those concerns uh they they still are are are diving headlong into the team competition and you know

I’ve kind of made the argument on this podcast they should just kind of forget their bid for official World Golf Ranking points and just go straight in the team compe competition instead they’re they’re sort of stuck in this in between where they want to be two things

Uh to two sections of people Augusta National on several occasions over the past couple years Rex has made clear that they do not care for live they don’t care for its format they don’t care for the disruption that is caused in the professional golf landscape and

Keep in mind this was the exact same group Augusta National Golf Club was part of the exact same group that shut down lives bid for official World Golf Ranking points and so I think it it shows you what they think of Liv Golf and that’s where kind of Taylor G finds

Him himself whether you look at U official World Golf Ranking whether you look at data golf’s ranking Taylor G is a top 50 player in the world according to those rankings he’s 40th W Neiman is 22nd I think that’s inarguable that those rankings are more accurate they might not be more fair I

Think the official World Golf Ranking is a fair measure it however it is not accurate does Taylor gr does Taylor G now have a legitimate gripe being a three-time winner last season being the best player on live golf and yet it appears that he is going to be shut out

Of at least the first major of the year uh yeah I think he’s got a legitimate gripe and look he’s probably at the top of the list and we can sit sort of parse out maybe some of the others that may have a a good gripe I just don’t like my

Ally when it comes to Taylor gu I don’t feel great about going to the mat for him because we go back to last year’s open and I think both of us got hung up with the same idea that his argument was the USGA has changed the rules to try to

Keep me out well they had changed the rules months before he realized this and if he really wanted to play in the US Open he could have gone to qualifying and he chose not to so that one is always sort of Taylor G also thought he

Could just play one live event and then come back to the PJ tour so there’s a lot not not not there’s a lot of alarms there’s there’s a lot of red flags when it comes to Taylor gu and his logic when it and it comes to this so again that’s

Why I don’t like him as my Ally here but yeah I I think he certainly does and that’s why I would you’re right Augustin as just like probably the USGA and the PGA of America Seth wall has been pretty clear about his thoughts when it comes

To live golf not big fans I get it I understand they’re part of the current ecosystem and they’re probably going to decide with that side always I just think this announcement should be celebrated as a bit of a breakthrough for all the reasons you pointed out whatever the motivations are Augustin

National has realized that we don’t have the best field in golf right now like we need to find a way to to work these players back into the fold because they want w NE in there I would think they would want Taylor G there I would think

There’d be quite probably a handful of Live players you want to figure out how to get into the fold as I said the problem’s going to be what’s going to happen for the PGA Championship and then the US Open and then the Open Championship they have qualifying but as

Taylor gu has proven live golfers don’t have much interest in qualifying well that’s not necessarily true I mean w Neeman is in the field this week at an Asian Tour event he’s one of 21 Live players were in the field so I think you

Know when it comes to nean it was it was kind of a perfect storm was it not he’s he’s from a he’s from a a region of the world that’s very important to Augusta National he won a marquee event the Australian Open he’s performed well in

Two other starts in the DP World Tour and he’s also made the effort to try and qualify and and take up membership on the DP World Tour he to to try and get to the major championships rather than just kind of sitting back and and lobbing grenades at the major

Organizations I think that’s uh something that is is commendable as well and it needs to be pointed out I I think I saw a tweet on this from our boy Nas veratu who’s usually pretty good with the math because of where the world ranking is with that field that they’re

Playing in this week on the Asian International series even even if he would have won it wouldn’t have moved him inside the top 50 so that probably I would think would have been in the minds of Augustin National as well here is someone to your point you’re right I

I’ll pull that one back a little bit who’s trying who’s branching out a little bit and trying to figure out a way to play in the Year’s first major because it means that much to him then let’s make sure he’s in it you think nean is is is pulling the rip cord and

Flying home from Oman I know I know next week he is he is playing in the live golf event in Jed he’s like ah I think I’m I think I’m good here I don’t really need to te up probably I wouldn’t blame him if he did but I I think those guys probably

Have learned after what is it now a year and a half almost two years now of playing on live golf I I think most of them are figuring out man I got to play more than 15 times or 14 times a year like this is not a good flow I don’t

Like it worked for Tiger Woods to a certain degree over his career because less was more when it came to Tiger I think for the vast majority of players more is more like you do need to get some reps in I’m not saying everyone needs to be Patrick Reed and play 35

Times a year but 14’s probably not enough and it could still give him a buffer if he is able to pick up some world ranking points with the PJ cut off as well traditionally it’s not written in their guidelines but traditionally they do uh extend invit ations the top

100 in the world rankings again Walky demon as of this posting is 81st in the world sausage fingers up pleas go please go ahead sa fingers up you you reached out to our bestie Lil Russ trying to look for topics you were a little little panicky this morning that we weren’t

Going to have topics for this podcast and I disagree with that again because you skipped yesterday’s round table and because aan being maximum aiman Lynch through all kinds of just lot of conspiracy theories oh yeah a lot of conspiracy theories and I did want to

Run this one by you I’m sure you have somewhere you wanted to steer the Pod I apologize for interrupting you however when it came to Rory maoy and we addressed his comments I think on Sunday from last week in Los Angeles about a global tour and he kind of elaborated a

Little bit and gave a little bit more detail and the question and this I I feel all right Aman like if if this is wrong please call me out next time we’re on air because you’re not shy about this I feel like this came straight from from

Aan is Rory maro’s thoughts on a global tour quote unquote realistic and my respon response to that was not only is it realistic it is inevitable yeah I I mean I think I I think I fully agree I think that the there’s there’s a couple sticking points

Like I think there’s I think there’s a a couple sticking points I think there’s a lit sticking points not a couple but for for youngish Americans let’s call them 28 to 32 I think they’re going to be certain hangups and it’s going to take a

Lot of convincing to hop on a plane and travel internationally six to 10 times a year you know you know traditionally they’ve done one-offs where they go chase appearance money you think back to the South African open uh late last year Justin Thomas and Max Homa both hopping on a jet they both

Played uh both played well there maxom got the victory but it’s kind of a one-off and they you know you’re building a safari and then you head home and collect some money uh for the holidays but but sort of building in these these swings I’m actually glad that you took the conversation here

Because I actually took the time I had a lot of time on a red idea that I did not sleep on to kind of map out what this world tour could look like and it’s very complicated I I think the easiest part Rex is actually knowing where you should go where you

Should go domestically and then where you should go internationally it’s actually creating a workable flow throughout the calendar year that I think is the hard part so you if if you look at the domestic stop and where the PJ tour should go and I’ll I’ll do these slowly so people can

Follow along I think you really have to lean into the best courses the best venues I’m writing them on on the PJ tour and so if you’re looking uh domestic in the US I think you have to go to kaaloa it’s a recognizable venue it may not be the best golf course but

Is incredibly recognizable to fans you would do Tory Pines which has hosted the US Open you would go Pebble Beach one of the Mecca’s of Us Golf you would go to Phoenix and the rowdiest fan base potentially going to be a little bit more T in the coming

Hold on let’s let’s try this a different way you’re you’re gonna wear this down because this is what you like to do you like to drone on a little bit you you do Yammer from time to time this is not droning on this is literally this is

Naming the domestic stops that I would take well you’re yammering let’s start with the starting point point of I think 24 events is what Rory sort of threw out there and look he’s not on the policy board anymore so this isn’t in Insider information this is where he’s starting

From I think we can both agree you can Lop off four of those it’s the four major championships all right let’s just include those as that’s four of the 24 so now you’re starting at 20 with the idea that as you pointed out eight to 10

Of those need to be International we we all on the same page here probably I think I think 10’s I think 10’s too many I I don’t I don’t think there’s any way you can get 10 uh could be because the reason I stopped you is because you had

Already named at least three maybe four West Coast events correct and so you’re going to have to you’re going to have West Coast is the best coast that is the highlight of the of the PJ tour schedule if those are the best events you can’t a have them up against football and you

Can’t have them in kind of the run up to the Masters again the tricky part is going to be creating a workable flow to also uh get events internationally and so we’re up to I believe four including Phoenix then you do Riviera then you do

Beay Hill then you do the players uh and then you’re looking at really the best courses that you have remaining on the PJ tour schedule to me that’s Hilton Head to me that’s mirfield Village in the memorial to me that’s Quail Hollow and what will no longer be known as the

Wells Fargo Championship uh I do believe you’ll see a match play event back on the schedule then you have the three playoff events the St Jude the BMW and East Lake for the Tour Championship that’s where you need to go in my opinion domestically you could also

Throw in colonial as well if uh if if Hilton Head is not really your flavor that’s it if if you’re the PGA Tour and you’re trying to create this 80 person uh World Tour for the very best players uh in a very limited schedule that’s it there is nothing missing from

That domestic us schedule where it gets interesting then Rex is how you blend that into this International schedule and creating this world tour and having some swings but also building in the time off for players to travel to work on their game to bet a new equipment whatever the

Case may be because if you’re going to have a 24 event schedule for the very best 80 players the the the the probability the likelihood almost the inevitability is that all of those players are going to be teeing it up they’re not going to be taking any of

These events off it’s almost like a a contracted situation just like live golf is you didn’t name a Northeast venue because they don’t have any currently on the PJ tour I’m like well The Travelers would be a Northeast venue that would be the OB not going to Connecticut nope

Connecticut is not on the docket but I’m like yeah you have to you have to have a Boston meand really aren’t New York City chicag football like you have to you have to go to those big markets I’m with you but as as the current PG Tor schedle

Stands you don’t you don’t have that and you’re you’re not going to be Travelers is not going to be one of them uh and I think Quail probably isn’t a viable option as as it stands right now as we know Wells Fargo Charlotte huge Market

Got to go there huge market and look I think Quail Hollow the club itself is is very very popular among the players I think Johnny Harris has created his own version of Augusta National I just don’t know if it’s viable going forward from a corporate standpoint from what I’ve been

Told they they’ they’ve touched on and and tried to essentially nail down two or three different potential sponsors to take uh Wells Fargo place not a lot of traction right there the match play has always been a problem I don’t know why you would be motivated to bring that

Back anybody I don’t think anybody last year looked at each other and went man I’m gonna miss the match play no one said that no one said listen listen back to the podcast I love that tournament and I think once a year you never covered it number one so you loved it so

Much you never wanted to get off your couch covered it all the time covered it all the time I covered it three times a did I loved it I loved it you L Austin is what you love you didn’t particular the m Dove Mountain I covered it at

Harding Park love the tourn think you did Dove Mountain sure did I don’t think I could get anybody to the top of that mountain with me we were in the snow uh we were in the snow together uh and well to I think to address whatever combination and you named 17 events

Counting the three playoff events in whatever combination I think the match play is a little ridiculous again no one no one is sitting around clamoring for the new match play fine you love it but no one else there’s no petitions there’s there’s no social media there’s no

Outcry to bring back to match play so I don’t know why you would want to create something that doesn’t exist when there’s plenty of other good options for you to go to quood people are pissed off about other stuff be questionable you’re not in the Northeast that seems to be an issue

Probably the one issue that you brought up that I don’t think will be a problem uh according to you to this so you named 17 events so 17 international events and we can name those probably pretty easy and give some pretty good options those could all be bookins those could be two

Or three at the you before the West Coast Swing starts and two or three after the playoffs that way it doesn’t encroach on the idea that this is going to and and you’re kind of assuming that the DP World Tour continues as it is in whatever the future looks like drink up

Folks I appreciate another fun comment about that one uh whatever the future looks like drink twice I I think we can safely assume that players will no European players will no longer be scrambling trying to get their minimums on that tour to maintain you know their their status for the Ryder Cup or

Whatever the case may be I think that’s going to be baked into the future of the game of golf I I don’t hate this I mean I think you’ve clearly put some thought into it what you’ve touched on though and I’m glad we did this as an exercise

Is how complicated this is going to be I mean you’re going to be building a plane while it’s in the air and it’s it’s not going to be easy because you have so many competing interests now that you’ve added a layer of the international component to it so right now if you look

At the PJ tour schedule the weakest part I think inarguably is is the summer it’s the summer and the events around the US Open and around the Open Championship it’s just it’s just a dead part of year in my opinion you should move a lot of

Parts from the West Coast Swing so early in the year into the summer last I checked they just had the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach in the month of July it went swimmingly you still get you know the the weather conditions but the sun is more likely to shine than it

Does in the Crosby and Clan bake weather that you have in mid-February Rivier will still be spectacular obviously you cannot have you can you cannot go to Phoenix that time of year because you’d be melting on the face of the Sun and so there’s probably some some workability

With that aspect but you look at at the summer like if and you’re looking at some of these international events that you could go to I would do basically a month abroad in June and July culminating with the open Championship I think the the Irish open uh you have to include I

Think the Scottish open you obviously have to include that’s a co-sanctioned event on the PJ tour already and then you can do kind of the Middle East at the beginning of the year and I think after the playoffs you can use you know you can do the the BMW PGA you can do

The dunh Hill links uh which includes St Andrews austr in that austr in that rotation you have Australia potentially uh kind of kicking off uh the the Middle Eastern swing at as well there’s definitely a way to do it and it’s going to take a lot of planning again to kind

Of build in the off weeks and the potential travel headaches that you’re going to have for let’s say a player who lives in Jupiter kind of sojourning all over the world that’s going to be very taxing on a body and I’m not sure that’s going to be U of of keen interest to

Some of these players but but it can be done and I think again Pie in the Sky stuff I think it could be spectacular uh actually correction on my math here you said Maui and I didn’t count Maui right correct am I right on that you did say c yeah I wanted I

Wanted capalo yep that’s fine so that leaves 16 uh I’m sorry that there was 18 events that you recommended so that leaves essentially six spots for the Internationals and what you named you want to give one to the Irish one to the Scottish and so now you’re looking at

Four spots I think it’s obvious you have to find something in Australia based on the success that Liv golf had it ad go capala I would go caloa to Australia to the MD the other way actually actually I would I mean logistically wise logistical wise if you

Want to do it the right way you would start in the Middle East go to Australia then go to Hawaii and then go to the West Coast like that’s but again I’m moving I’m moving the I’m moving the West Coast into the summer I don’t mind

That I I think you and I had this discussion after the nightmare that was Pebble this year about and i’ I’ve made this argument before I’ve written this column before if you if you sat down and you wanted to build the best PGA Tour schedule you could based on golf course

Market uh flow of schedule everything if you really wanted to to to create the best product possible playing Pebble Beach in February is not the time of year to do it yes we do get fantastic weeks from time to time and we also quite a bit get what we got this year so

You’re right play Pebble Beach in the summertime we’ve all been there in the summertime you and I were there in the summertime and we loved it play La in the summertime again it’s very very nice that’s when their weather is the absolute best that’s when people want to

Come outside and sports so I’m with you on that one I think six international events is not enough for what they need what they want to do I heard Aman’s argument on golf today on Tuesday essentially being the European tour the DP World Tour has been doing this for

Years and they have failed to to find kind of commercial support to True kind of Fortress or butress this this world tour concept you know you can you can go to Japan you can go to Australia you can go to Dubai but if sponsor interest is not there if media partner interest is

Not there if player interest in turn in turning up at that event is not there it’s going to fall flat it’s going to take a lot of alignment with a lot of different parties for this to actually work and and he was absolutely right and

I I think the best example of this would have been the President’s Cup that was down in South Africa by all accounts really really successful President’s Cup like you look at the way it ended in the dark with Ernie ell and Tiger Woods sort of duking it out probably one of the

Closest President’s Cup in the history of that event I I’ve been told by people who were there that commercially it wasn’t all that successful to aon’s point like it’s hard to sell these things I will point in modern day the last President’s Cup that was played in Melbourne the granted Tiger Woods was

The captain and that probably factored into it as well that looked as if it was a wildly successful event by all accounts Adelaide last year on the live golf schedule was a was probably their most successful event either from a commercial or fan perspective whatever

The case may be it’s not it’s not going to be an easy egg to crack these are not easy markets to break into but if you deliver the product that we all want them to deliver which would be the top 70 or 80 players including the players

From live if you find a way to unify the game and you find a way to Branch out and and to make it travel and to your point about younger players not wanting to travel I mean I I I think if this is it if you tell a young star that look

You have accomplished you you’ve made it to the top of the mountain and these are your 24 events like go out and make the most of them I don’t think flying from somewhere in the Middle East to Australia to Hawaii to the West Coast is that demanding because it happens in

Pretty much every other sport you look at tennis three of their four major championships are played outside the United States I just think it would it it would represent a significant change in how they’ve traditionally operated from junior golf to to college golf to now their their lives on the PJ tour

You’re basically just traveling abroad two to four times a year depending on your eagerness to to see new markets and so to so to now go six to 10 times and to kind of be away from home for a month and to to put more mileage on your body

Which Roy mckoy to his credit I mean he’s been doing this his entire career and has done so incredibly successfully but I think that’s going to certainly represent a shift for the Scotty shefflers and the Jordan spe and the Justin Thomas’ of the world who have not

Done it all that often and and just to just to put a bow on this today in my household is a national um YouTube TV day and by that I mean I canceled YouTube TV uh after the Super Bowl like I do every year and today is the last

Day I I’ve discovered that it happens on the same cycle so today is the last day I’m going to have TV and I was being ridiculed by my son’s huh po one out I was being ridiculed by my sons and since everyone uh is so good about commenting

I would be curious to crowdsource this one that am I the only one and and I don’t consider myself cheap maybe I am but I just feel like after football is over and to to be clear I have access to all the golf I have peacock thank you NBC

Universal appreciate that I have ESPN plus I have Paramount plus you know that comes with Prime video by the way that’s how I get that one anyway I can watch all the golf when I’m home it’s part of my job I I can still do I just have no

Interest in the rest of it am I the weirdo here um if if you have to ask whether you’re cheap you probably you probably are cheap I mean I’m not the I’m not the I’m not the perfect person to ask ad midly I have a 5-year-old two-year-old

We have every app Under the Sun we’re not we’re not ever minimizing or or we’re cancelling if if anything we’re simply adding It’s A Brave New World and that’s the world that we live in rexus does actually work as a as a perfect segue to full field season which we’re

Now to embark on on the PJ tour schedule three of the first seven tournaments of the PJ tour schedule were Signature Events we’ve gone over them they were not necessarily a big hit especially two of the last three weeks but now we’re entering a period where six of the next

Eight are full field events including this week the Mexico open where checks notes Tony feno the defending Champion is the headliner this week Nikolai hogard also in the field we’ve we’ve bandied about kind of the importance of the full field event how they can still deliver if not ratings at least some

Intrigue in kind of this broader page of tour schedule that’s not where I want to go with this discussion but in your opinion Rex is there still room for both based on what we’ve seen with the Signature Events and the stars are you going to be as eager to tune in

To these full field events knowing what we know now well I mean if you kind of look at what we’ve gotten to your point so far I I made the argument yesterday on golf today that if you like storytelling if you if you you know like the heartstrings if you like someone who

Who pulls them themselves up from their own bootstraps that you had Chris Kirk and Grayson Murray to open the season in Hawaii I think you’ve had cool stories across you had an amateur win for the first time in decades on the PGA to the one thing you were missing is sort of

That top player winning I think wam Clark was the highest ranked player 21 and he was just he was number 10 in the world so he was the only top 10 player to win so far uh 54 holes as well all those things not to not to take it away

From um I I I countered this argument yesterday saying that there has to be room for this on the PGA tour schedule because again aan being maximum aiman wanted to send the probing question out that are the Mexico opens of the world over no I don’t think they are over

Because there’s still a lot of professional golf there’s still a lot of real estate out there to be sold someone wanted to buy this there was a sponsor that has interest in this there may or may not be fans down there I’ve never been to the Mexico open but there is a

Level a modicum of Interest and if you’re a business then you’re going to try to make the most of that business going forward based on the 15minute conversation you and I had parsing out whatever the world schedule’s going to look like the question is how are they

How are the Mexico opens in the rest of them not to pick on Mexico but you’re this week how are the Mexico opens going to fit in to that Universe I do think there is a place for that I think it was Johnson Wagner during the round table

Who bought up the idea just look just take whatever is left after you’ve cherry-picked and come up with this 24 event schedule that is going to make everybody happy and be the next future of professional golf take whatever’s left and meld that with the corn fairy tour and create what Rory has talked

About sort of that European football pyramid where everyone starts at the bottom and you aspire to work yourself up to the top and that means you play in the Mexico opens of the world like you do now with an eye towards Donal Palmer invitation all right if you’re in the

Field this week at Mexico you know exactly what a good week would mean problema means you get into that next signature event and I think that is motivation in of itself is it going to be a sustainable product that people are going to watch that’s the million billion dollar question whatever it

Might be we spent the first 10 minutes of this podcast talking about the Masters and why did we talk about the Masters because it’s one of the four biggest weeks of the year we are in the middle of this fight about regular season Golf and it’s never become more

Apparent that regular season golf serves I would say little purpose other than to provide context for the major championships it it it it provides storylines it’s it it it boosts the players profile whether it’s a it’s entertaining now I’m gonna I’m GNA stop you there a little bit like it’s

Entertaining if you weren’t entertained watching the Canadian open just to throw something out last year like you don’t like golf man but I’m saying for I would say a a casual sports fan this is the the the fan at the PJ tour with this new infusion of cash is trying to tailor its

Market to the regular season tournaments provide nothing other than context yes weekly entertainment sure for for die hards yeah we have a corn copia of things to discuss each and every week on on the PJ tour but big picture if you zoom out 30,000 feet we’re basically boosting profiles we’re analyzing okay

Victor havin and Max hom are off to slow starts of the year as the Masters continues to draw near you see what I’m saying and so these full field events which you’re going to have six of the next eight weeks I there’s there’s there’s nothing wrong

With them they they are they are serving a purpose if Nikolai hogard can win this tournament we’re anointing another Young 20-some Star I think that’s great if if Tony fow can win this tournament for the second year in a row he also has a top to finish since the tournament started

In 2022 I think that’s great it gives him a lot of momentum as the calendar turns uh to the Fe to the floorida swing and with the Masters now just two months away like this is this can still serve a purpose is it going to draw monster

Ratings can’t imagine are is there going to be a lot of talking points when we do our recap podcast on Sunday night probably not that’s that’s perfectly okay and we’re all just kind of operating in the ecosystem that is the current fractured professional landscape if you asked me to highlight from last

Year’s Major League Baseball season I’m probably going to say game seven of the World Series because nothing’s more magical than that in all of sports but especially in baseball there was also 162 games they played just to get to the playoffs last year and those 162 games

Matter like look you get into the middle of the summer just like we do in golf and they get a little long and they get a little boring and people start kind of tuning out and let’s reconnect in the fall when you know we get to the playoffs that’s fine because you don’t

Get to game seven without the 162 games you have to have the 162 games you just can’t start the culmination of the FedEx Cup season Rex we’ve heard this over and over again over the past 16 years toward Championship culmination FedEx Cup season you kind of ruin that for me but

All right I I see what you’re saying I I see where you went there yes I to I 100% agree because you couldn’t just pick the two teams you thought spring training’s just getting started and we can’t be like you know what the Yankees they’re GNA be pretty good let’s just pick them

And let’s go with the Dodgers and let’s just go straight to the World Series like you can’t do that that’s not the way it works and it’s very very similar to golf I think you’re right I think there will be compelling story lines I I think it will be compelling television

And compelling things for you and I to talk about we can only hope that someone gets DED for another stupid rule because that seems to be the one thing that moves the needle in golf no it’s probably not going to kill it when it comes to ratings it’s probably not going

To kill it when it comes to clicks on websites but you have to have these That’s Sports if that is not the biggest plug and the biggest tease for our Sunday night podcast recapping the Mexico open I don’t know what possibly is Rex your home for the rest of the week cognizant

Classic on Deck I’ll be there for a special project uh next week but you are home at least until Bay Hill what are you firing up on the grill I actually have something tonight that I’m very excited about and I actually had to order do you have like a taco

Rack no like when you make tacos anyway uh someone sent me this link and uh I couldn’t I wish I knew what the website is because I always want to give credit but someone sent me a link link of someone making uh Smashburger tacos and

I can kind of walk oh it’s such a fad oh no it’s a fat it’s terrible do not do it abort it looks delicious I’m I’m doing it I’m totally anyway I’m doing it tonight night so we’ll have something to talk about on Sunday night apparently

Mine just fell flat what are you doing this weekend it’s it’s a fad I’ve tried them don’t do it it’s really hard to kind of uh get the it’s because the the the bun or wrap or or shell it does not provide yeah it does not provide the

Proper contrast that you’re looking for texturally with a burger a burger is meant to be eaten on a bun there’s a lot of things that are delicious in a taco ground beef is one of them but ground beef is also kind of crumbled up as a burger patty and trying to bend it

And trying to get it as pliable as you need to for the Smash Burger Taco big Miss it’s just an internet fad that is sure to die a speedy death Burger meant to be eaten on a bun got it okay what do you got going this weekend uh I got some

AI tuna staks as uh I’ve mentioned a couple times on this podcast uh cholesterol is an issue and so we’re working to remedy that uh in quick fashion I’ll be doing that uh on Wednesday also Publix had BOGO chicken wings and so I’ll be doing them my new

Favorite way which is to smoke them for 45 minutes until they’re about 170 internal and then flash fry them uh at 365 boy in my little countertop fryer for four or five minutes so you get so you have to life life is all about balance a tuna Stakes trying to get

Those very important Omega-3s and then just killing it absolutely and flushing it down with a sixpack of beer with the fried chicken wings actually you fry them what what sauce do you toss them in I do a mild buffalo sauce as you know I’m a little bit of a wussy when it

Comes to heat uh but it is Frank’s mild buffalo sauce gives me just enough tank gets the gets the gets the nose going a little gets the eyes watering just a little bit but does not completely blow the top off like the regular one does the Texas Pete is is really good maybe

Tad too spicy for you but that’s what we use the Texas pet is delicious all right folks that is a wrap up for this golf CH podcast with re Rex and lab we’ll be back on Sunday hopefully to recap a thrilling captivating Nonstop Action final round from the

Mexico open if not we’ll still talk about it anyway and we’ll have a lot of fun doing so in the meantime make sure you guys go to nbcsports.com golf for all the latest news notes commentary and features from the World of Golf hope you guys have a great rest of the week we’ll

Talk to you in a few days Burger meant to be eaten on a bun