Final 2024 Masters Debrief – The Scottie Slam, Rory McIlroy’s Disappointing Week & More | First Cut

Rick Gehman and Patrick McDonald recap the 2024 Masters on CBS Sports Network.

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0:00 Intro + Scottie Scheffler takeaways
9:26 Ludvig Aberg, Max Homa and others who came up short
20:39 Disappointing weeks for Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and others
31:02 Previewing the 2024 Major Schedule
36:36 RBC Heritage Preview

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

[Music]
[Music]
welcome to the first cut podcast I’m
Rick gaming that right there is Patrick
McDonald and Patrick this is an exciting
day but sometimes the saddest day of the
year the Masters is over we have a great
Champion we have a lot to talk about but
we are nearly a full year away from
getting to do it all over again
yeah Rick I know you’re still out there
in uh in Augusta set the scene for us
you were doing it all week for us you
know brilliantly from the golf course
what’s the town like
today uh the T the part of the town that
I’m in is quite quiet I was I was
telling you earlier I think I’m the only
person left in this hotel at the moment
so I uh I think most people have already
gotten out of here but I’m I’m enjoying
it for for one last day I see a lot of
Masters Flags everywhere this is a
community that takes a ton of pride in
the Masters as you can imagine we heard
those stories all week long about hey I
actually just live a couple of a couple
of streets over and I volunteer every
year at the Masters and I you know wear
my green and yellow it’s it’s it’s it’s
a really cool thing that this town has
G yeah and I know there’s some uh some
media members who are lucky enough to uh
be playing the golf course today in some
spicy conditions mind you I’m expecting
a lot of lot of implosions to be be
coming out of that did you hear that uh
one woman who won the lottery has never
played around a golf in her
life I’m hoping that when she plays
Augusta National so for those who don’t
know there is a media lottery I think
they select 24 media members to play
Augusta National the day after the
Masters I did not win uh so yes there
was a a a media member who is going to
make her very first golfing appearance
ever on any golf course Patrick if I did
that and I played the first time ever at
the greatest course to ever be
constructed I would just retire and
never play again do you think she picks
up her golf ball at all like she she’s
Meandering down 11 she’s like eh I’m
good I’ll just head to
12 I mean I think that would I think I
would right I think I would and I play a
lot of golf you know I think there’s a
scenario like I don’t know how how
athletic is she I mean I the first time
I played golf I could barely make
contact with the ball so I don’t know
what’s going to happen yeah all I hope
is she posts a legit score posted on the
internet so the real golf hardos I know
some media members were a little uh a
little mad they wanted her to kind of
give it to someone else but she won the
lottery I hope she post a legit score uh
for all of us to see I mean good for her
yeah good for her I’m I’m excited to
hear well listen let’s talk about Scotty
sheffler now twice a Masters champion in
the last three years and he did it in
convincing fashion but Patrick I want to
even just go back to the start of the
week the refrain from basically
everybody on planet Earth was yes Scotty
Sheffer is going to win this golf
tournament he entered with some of the
shortest odds in in Masters history he
went from a formidable favorite to a
convincing Champion it’s really hard to
pull that off for the entirety of the
week and Scotty has just done
it yeah I credit it to probably two
things one the mentals in between the
ears he he is by far the best he’s just
so sure of who Scotty Sheffer is as a
person that it translates to the golf
course and it becomes probably his
greatest superpower and then two
obviously the TAA green game I think for
the majority of the week Scotty Sheffer
was not Scotty sheffler with the iron
play he made some uncharacteristic
mistakes you think about the first two
rounds on 13 he got lucky one of the
times the other time he did not but his
short game he got to display those hands
which are you know some of the softest
in the world it’s just world class short
game that not a lot of people talk about
and I think the first three rounds maybe
even the first three and a half rounds
of this golf tournament was defined by
Scotty Sheffer short game and then once
he got the ball striking once he kind of
rediscovered it it was over it was a
wrap I mean he just hit you know Target
after Target from what seemed like the
eighth hole on the last 10 holes of the
golf tournament and really ran away from
what was a a great chasing pack and we
we were running four wide with 10 to go
you blanking Scotty shuffler has won the
Masters four wide with 10 to go and
basically a determined outcome with six
to go that’s how quickly it happened it
all happened in Amen Corner where we saw
lud VI oberg maxom colore orawa all in
one way or another c a double through
the most famous stretch of of three
holes in golf while Scotty got through
unscathed and that really is the
difference and Patrick I love it when
and the Masters gets decided in Amen
Corner that’s the way it should be yeah
it seems like it has for the past I
don’t know like half half decade you
think about Tiger Woods in
2019 with feno and pure and Molinari all
faltering even in 2022 I I know we
talked about it a little last night this
round reminded me a lot of that 2022
final round where Scotty didn’t have his
ball striking early cam Smith make a
charge at him uh Scotty Bird’s number
three like he did yesterday to kind of
get a little bit of breathing room and
then you come to Amen Corner cam Smith
tries to more or less win the golf
tournament on number 12 makes a bad
swing finds Ray’s Creek Scotty sheffler
wins the green jacket and we saw it
there yesterday where it seemed like
guys were trying to win The Masters
around Amen Corner ludvig with that you
know trying to get probably a two
aggressive into 11 which is a big no no
Colin pushing after making the big
mistake on nine trying to make a birdie
on 11 also a big no no know and then Max
one yard further or one yard shorter
he’s probably fine he just hit hit the
perfect down slope where it bounces into
the bush and he has to take it
unplayable but Scotty sheffler just
displayed the discipline that the other
guys couldn’t and he realized you know
moving forward on 13 and 14 with that
PIN there were birdie chances ahead of
him and he let the other guys really
falure and make the mistakes and he’s
standing there all by himself yeah
standing there all by himself and
Patrick there’s nothing we love more
than immediately overreacting so let’s
talk about the Scotty slam you know the
the chances of him winning all four
majors in one year and maybe you throw
in the players he’s already got that one
done he’s 40% of the way through the big
five he he’s got it’s an Olympic year
let’s just give him that one that one
too now he’s up to to to six in one year
that has uh would be one heck of a combo
but I was looking at the odds he’s
obviously uh a heavy favor to win each
of the last three major championships if
you turn those in to probabilities uh it
is about a 1% chance that Scotty Sheffer
will win the Grand Slam this year now
that sounds like a little that is an
insanely High number 1% is an insanely
High number considering the feat and the
odds and the probabilities of of this
actually
occurring so if we look at a Strokes
game perspective just the last last
three months not even the last two years
not even the last 12 months the last
three he’s one stroke better than Xander
shafley per round who is the second
ranked player and he has doubled Tommy
Fleetwood who is the 10th ranked player
Scotty sheffler is at 3.51 Tommy
fleetwoods at about
17ish and and so put it in that
perspective and you’re like Scotty
Sheffer is just so much better than
everyone else in the world right now and
it’s not close it it really is not like
lobg beats you know wins the Masters
most years when Scotty scher’s not in
the field right but the thing that I’m a
little worried about and I think the one
Championship that these guys have to get
Scotty sheffler is the PGA Championship
there’s a baby in the house M maybe he’s
not sleeping as well maybe he’s changing
diapers more than he he’s practicing or
whatever it may be but I think they have
to get theirs out Valhalla I love
sheffer’s game for Pinehurst number two
I think he could win that Championship
with his blade putter not the Mallet if
he just wants to toy with them and have
a little fun and then as we know
anything can happen at the open I mean
weather
draws 1% is tough obviously but there’s
so many variables he could be on the
wrong side of a draw uh a bad bounce
here or there whatever it may be but I
mean it’s real like it’s the possibility
is definitely real
I just want to get to the US Open with
the slam as a possibility that’s all
that’s all I ask and he’s going to be
tough because uh there are plenty of
guys vying for major championships this
year we’re going to continue this
conversation with some of those names
after a quick
[Music]
break welcome back to the first cup
podcast and we have already talked about
Scotty shuffler being on top of the
golfing world but Patrick there are
plenty of guys vying for that Crown
let’s start with the ones who were in
The Mix at the Masters and the newest
face on the Block ludvig oberg yes get
used to that name he is from Sweden and
he is unbelievable Patrick I mean you’ve
you’ve you’ve dubbed him ludvig AI he
seems like a robot he seems like he has
every single emotion under control his
swing was crafted in some lab somewhere
I’m positive of that he is an absolute
stud yeah I I don’t blame the uh the
older generation of the PGA Tour hooting
and holler in that uh the youngsters are
stealing their jobs like artificial
intelligence because ludvig’s coming for
him and not only was it his master’s
debut it was his major championship
debut he was trying to become the first
player ever to win The Masters in his
his major debut Keegan Bradley won uh
the PGA Championship about a decade ago
in his major debut but it is
legitimately just an automated process
highly efficient highly effective SE
ball hit ball it felt like at times as
caddy Joe scin was playing Tiger Woods
PGA Tour 2008 just telling him like Hey
hit a five uh five yard draw off that
tree for me boom hey fade one three
yards off that boom uh and so it was
just wildly impressive and he walked
around Augusta National like it was a
Tuesday practice round at the vbar
championship to tell you the truth it
seemed like nothing really got in his
way outside of uh one of the patrons
knocking a a power bar out of his hands
while he was rounding the turn maybe
that threw him for a little bit of a
loop there when uh when he made the
mistake on number 11 but outside number
11 obviously just a uh a poor iron swing
too aggressive to that pin location on
that hole but to bounce back like he did
and apply a little bit of pressure on
Scotty sheffler uh showed me a lot of
chops and he just looked so at ease on
the second nine at Augustin National for
for a guy in his first major
championship and those type of players
do not come around often Rick yeah I’m
glad you mentioned the double that he
made there on 11 I was I was right there
uh on the side of the Fairway it was a
it’s a 11 is a very difficult hole it’s
one of the most difficult holes on the
golf course especially in that moment of
the championship the wind was swirling
and they couldn’t figure it out ludvig
finds the drink he wasn’t the only one
to do that I loved the bounce back right
when when hom made double it it was kind
of over when morawa made his second
double in a in a three- hole stretch it
was it was over ludvic got both of those
shots back quickly and was still the
only one applying what little pressure
could still be applied to
Scotty yeah he he had a very realistic
eagle chance on 13 as well which would
have erased those two Drop shots
immediately hits uh a perfectly
controlled uh short iron into number 12
as well pin High middle of the green and
the bounce back yeah like you said Rick
very impressive wise Beyond his ears it
seems like nothing nothing gets to this
guy whether it’s because of the rider
cup experience he got this past fall or
whether it’s because Joe scin has so
much experience Around Augusta National
whatever it is it’s impressive and it’s
fun to watch and we’re going to be
watching a lot of him over the next
couple decades uh the resume is building
already a PGA Tour winner already a DP
World Tour winner already a member of
the winning Ridder Cup team and now a
runner-up finish in your first major
championship uh appearance ever so
pretty good start if you are oberg let’s
talk about maxom this is a different
path for Max here Patrick ludvig jumps
out of the gates professionally and
starts making noise Max hom has spent a
half a decade getting a little little
bit better every single week and now
he’s probably a top 10 player in the
world and he’s trying to take those
strides and those improvements to major
championships he faltered on 12 making a
double on the par three there but he was
very much in the mix and this is by far
his best major championship
result I I loved Max H’s strategy Around
Augusta National for the first three and
a half rounds
of this golf tournament it seemed like
he was super disciplined he took his
medicine it felt like he was just sort
of jostling for position in the pelaton
there but he was in the pelaton right we
we talked about how they’re running four
wide with 10 to go homo’s right there
and after uh ludvig hits it in the water
and Colin makes that double bogey on
number nine all of a sudden H’s at the
top of the hill as the guy who can take
down Scotty sheffler he it’s a super
disciplined golf shot a great golf shot
to find that green down the hill on
number 11 and then number 12 probably a
yard too long maybe a yard too short
whatever it may be he he perfectly finds
that little Downs slope beyond the 12th
green gets a hard bounce into the bush
has to take an unplayable but like you
said there Rick this is a guy who
struggled to maintain his tour card for
a while who won at the Wells Fargo
Championship at a major championship
venue he’s slowly but surely gotten
better and better one at golf courses
like Tory Pines and Riviera as well
stars on the President’s Cup team makes
the putt during the fall not to lose the
rder cup he’s talked about that often
how how much his legs were shaking
during that and now we we’ve seen this
major championship progression for him
and and if he keeps on progressing like
he has this past half decade you would
think this is going to be a common
occurrence for
Maxa yeah he’s learning a lot about
himself each and every tournament he’s
putting it all into the memory bank for
later use K morawa is maybe one of the
most interesting golfers that we have on
tour right now Patrick and we talked
about this a little bit uh on on Sunday
night’s show basically you know he’s
nine hours away you know you wake up
Sunday morning you have one good round
and you’re a three-time major champion
in your first 17 starts you know it is
still um an unbelievable unbelievably
short list of what he’s been able to
accomplish um in just such a short
period of time in major championships
but 2024 hasn’t been a great year for
him it doesn’t feel like he’s that major
championship threat every time he tees
it up but I think we need to start
re-evaluating
that yeah Rick we were 10 holes away
from colum marawa having two more Majors
than Scotty sheffler one more major than
Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas and
John ROM in in one major away the US
Open where he is statistically the most
sound from the career Grand Slam and he
matched Scotty sheffler those first
eight holes shot for shot but he just
got nothing out of the greens he had a
lot of really good putts just wasn’t
able to convert you think about the par
five second he wasn’t able to he
accessed the uh the par 3 six pin on top
of that uh Plateau which was
ridiculously difficult to get to wasn’t
able to make it uh but matches a
sheffler birdie with one of his own on
eight and then he got his own words got
too greedy on nine after losing his t-
shot right into the pine straws missed
the green left in the in in the
greenside bunker and wasn’t able to get
up and down and then at that point he’s
just playing catchup and you don’t play
catchup around am man corner but what I
learned from K morawa this week is some
of those guys just have it I’m not
putting it on the Brooks kepa level of
he has to be considered for every major
championship but this is now at least
the second time where he’s entered the
major championship without his
superpower his iron play think about the
2022 US Open where he hit a draw for the
first time in his life and he’s leading
at the halfway point and so moving
forward no matter the form I think if if
he’s showing any signs of Life col
morawa is a guy you have to consider for
every major championship in my opinion
yeah it is interesting he hasn’t even
really peaked at the right times these
guys try to Peak four times a year and
he hasn’t really even gotten that right
yet he’s found contention quite a bit
well we are U A Long Way removed from
real contention for Tiger Woods but we
must talk about the big cat here because
he did get through four rounds Patrick
at Augustin Asal they did not end well
he makes the cut but then he finishes
last amongst those who made the cut his
his uh weekend was was laborious it it
looked difficult out there it was not a
very good golf but he will leave the
week with a brand new record and that’s
most consecutive Masters cuts made he
breaks a tie with Gary Player and Fred
Couples now 24 Masters Cuts in a row
yeah I think that was a big motivation
point for him coming into the week
obviously had only played 24 holes this
entire season uh and got off to a really
nice start with rounds of uh 73 and 72
was inside the top 25 entering the
weekend only seven strokes off the pace
you think you know it’s an outside shot
Slim chances but he’s not totally out of
this if you can put together somewhat
decent round but uh you know
physically we’ve seen it time and time
again in in this latest iteration of
Tiger Woods career where once it hits
the weekend it’s tough to watch for as
fun and as good as shots he was hitting
the first two days you think about the
around some of the around the green
shots he hit were just downright silly
especially on number 11 it was as bad
over the weekend and and major
championship weekends have not been kind
to tiger ever since uh 2020 to tell you
the truth and his last four Out Augusta
National are 7878
8277 uh Southern Hills in 20122 when he
had to withdraw from the PGA
Championship that was after a 79 as well
so it’s it’s tough but that’s kind of
just the state of Tiger Woods and the
state of his game at the moment where he
just can’t get around a golf course
that’s physically demanding like Augusta
National in the way he used to maybe it
gets better at a hot humid Pinehurst
number two balla I see him kind of
struggling at even though he he’s won
there before just when you think about
what the PGA Championship requires now
it it’s a really good it’s a driv
championship when you think about it
they grow the rough out that’s probably
not great for Tiger Woods so if you’re
trying to hit your Wagon on a major
championship this year I lean Pinehurst
number two but even that that’s a super
super long shot at the moment yeah
massive ask for Tiger to even contend in
a major championship in this current
state there are others who left Augusta
National disappointed Patrick we are
going to talk about those on the other
[Music]
side welcome back to the first cup
podcast live on CBS Sports Network and
Patrick we’ve talked about the highs
unfortunately we’ve got to talk about
the lows as well we’ve got to do our job
and we’ve got to talk about guys guys
who disappointed at Augusta National and
the biggest disappointment not because a
t22 is anything to Snicker at but
because of what it could have meant and
that’s Rory mroy who has yet again uh
failed to complete the career Grand Slam
he’s extending his major championship
drought from a historical standpoint
anytime a golfer who has the second
shortest odds to win has a chance to win
and complete the career Grand Slam it’s
a big deal so unfor Ely this Falls as a
mooy
failure yeah little bit of a bummer
especially because he got off to a a
decent start this year normally Rory
macroy you can kiss his Masters chances
goodbye after Thursday but he opened up
with a one under 71 was right in the mix
Friday it got really tough out there and
you have him playing alongside the two
best players in the world statistically
in Scotty sheffler and Xander shafley
and you can just see how far way his
game is compared to those especially
shefflers I mean everyone’s far away
from sheffler at the moment but Rick the
one shot that really stands out to me
and I think a lot of people I’m not
alone in this the second into 11 on
Friday where Sheffer hits a slighted
beautiful golf shot to the right side
Rory just goes full blast into the wall
of wind coming off the right and hits it
into the drink there and uh he ends up
shooting a 77 on Friday backs it up with
a 71 Saturday and at that point he’s
really out of the golf tournament but
yeah I I think you know Rory’s gotten
off to a little bit of a slow start this
year that’s not unusual he kind of
picked up the pace last year at oakill
and finished really well his
2023 but I think people need to remember
that 2022 and 2023 statistically at
least were Rory mckoy’s best seasons of
his entire career and it looks like
maybe he’s fallen off that pace a little
bit and then you combine sheffer’s just
scorcher at the moment it seems like
he’s you know far away from major
championships but you you look at the
graphic you have from Rick run good.com
and he he plays really well in major
championships he gives himself chance
after chance especially at the PGA
Championship in the US Open these past
couple years I mean he easily could have
won at Lac he easily could have won at
Southern Hills when Meo Pereira
collapsed he kind of was only a stroke
out there of that playoff so you would
think eventually the ball just has to
bounce his way uh but I think his game
needs to go uh you know needs to turn
the corner a little bit before we get to
that point for Rory
maroy this graphic is such a great
representation of the combination of
both skill and luck that is required to
win any golf tournament let alone a
major championship so since Rory’s last
major Championship win 2014 only Brooks
kepka has been better in terms of total
Strokes gained than Rory at Majors Roy’s
been better than spe and DJ those are
three and four yet those guys combine
for 10 major championships during that
stretch Rory zero and you’ve seen guys
who have played much more
inconsistently um who have not played as
well Patrick who have Majors yet Rory’s
constantly in the mix and hasn’t found a
trophy yeah I I think the one point from
that graph is is not all Strokes gained
are made the same we went a while there
where Rory mroy didn’t really give
himself a great chance
at major championships I know he has a
ton of really nice uh results at the
Masters in particular but the oh if Rory
turns in 30 joke that runs across the
Internet it’s a real thing right he used
to enter the back door top 10 all the
time at Augustin National his best
chance really was 2018 with Patrick Reed
when he he was in that final pairing but
shot 74 uh but his best result
technically is that runner up to Scotty
Sheffer in 2022 where Rick I think we’d
both admit he didn’t really have a
chance on that at n on Sunday uh so
recently he’s gotten a lot better
obviously the past few years he seems to
always be in the mix the 2022 open I
mean if he could just made like one putt
of substance that championship’s
probably his a couple PGA championships
the US Open as well when he dunked his
wet shot Into the Bunker on 15 that par
five uh so he’s close he’s close but he
just has to go out and grab it when the
moment is there and recently he hasn’t
been able to do that
if you want gut-wrenching few hours go
back and rewatch The Final Round at the
open where he just T putts everything
and cannot buy like just any one of
those Falls and it’s probably his um the
guy that I might be more concerned about
Patrick is Justin Thomas th this is this
is a lot now right I mean he stood on
15t on Friday in like a tie for 15th I
think he was even par he was definitely
even par I believe it was a tie for 15th
it’s not an easy closing stretch but
plenty of guys were you know making a
birdie here making a birdie there if he
if he gets one more coming in he’s
inside the top 10 going into the weekend
instead utter disaster double double
bogey double plays his final seven holes
excuse me four holes seven overp par he
moves the cut line to get the plus sixes
in he finishes at plus seven doesn’t
even get himself in and now for the
first time in his career he has missed
three consecutive major champion ship
Cuts add on top of that as if that
wasn’t enough Patrick uh he has just
split with his caddy bones and there’s
just seems like a lot of turbulence a
lot of questions and not a lot of
answers he is as volatile as ever Rick
and volatility does not work in major
championships I mean look at Scotty
Sheffer right we’ve there’s people out
there claiming he has no Riz right he’s
boring boring golf wins major
championships Brooks kepka Fairway green
tup putt that that’s the formula right
Tiger Woods did it for decades Brooks
kepka did it and now Scotty sheffler is
doing it Justin Thomas does not have
that answer key at the moment and you
bring up the major championships of the
past he made three out of four Cuts last
year made the cut at Oak Hill in his PGA
Championship defense had to make a putt
on the last ho on Friday an 8-footer
just to make the weekend finish towards
the bottom of the leaderboard but you
think about the high scores recently the
79 there at Augusta National on Friday
the vbar championship on Saturday when
when he touched the lead and then he
lost like three million Strokes on the
green when when he did have Jim Bones
maai on the bag you bring up the Open
Championship where he didn’t break 80
the US Open where he didn’t break 80 he
mixes in these these really good rounds
that kind of draw you in and you’re like
okay Justin Thomas is back the iron play
looks great he has all this creativity
around the green and then you blank in
and he’s shooting 80 or shooting 79
again and that’s just not a recipe for
Success uh in major
championships I am a victim of being uh
drawn in to Dustin Thomas and only to be
disappointed well uh let’s do one more
disappointment here Patrick and I’m GNA
go with Jordan spe I mean this is a guy
that I I was promised could summon the
magic anytime he gets to Augustine Asal
let me tell you he did not
and Jordan spe is someone whose stat
profile is as concerning as ever I’m not
even sure what he’s good at anymore I’m
not even sure what he’s bad at anymore
because every single week it’s something
different he plugs one leak another one
opens up somewhere else I am about as
concerned as as I’ve ever been on
Jordan’s be which which probably means
he’s going to win the RBC
Heritage yeah I think he summoned the
demons there instead he he played the
wrong card on the Ouija board uh but
yeah I mean last time he missed the cut
at at the Masters he did win the RBC
Heritage the following week where where
he was missing putts from like three
inches if if you remember but I came
into this year thinking it was the most
important season of Jordan spe’s career
over the past couple you know he he came
out of that Valley from like 2019 2020
one in 2021 at the Texas open one again
in 22 and who was Jordan Speed going to
be in 2023 was it going to be a middle
of the- pack type of guy moving forward
where he picks off one win a year and
that’s a great season for Jordan Speed
couple that with a rder cup or a
President’s Cup appearance or is he
going to be a guy who contends in major
championships right we always talk about
how he always has two builtin major runs
at Augusta National and at the Open
Championship because of his history and
because of his creativity and there
might be a chance that one of those open
open runs is coming to an end because it
has not been good for Jordan spe over
the last handful of years I know he
finished fourth at this tournament last
year but never really had a chance uh
chasing down John ROM and so yeah I’m
with you Rick I was very high on speed
entering the year I was high after he
almost won the century if not for a
couple Miss short putts but ever since
that start it it’s been like what are we
doing you have no idea what what he’s
doing half the time he’s playing in
sewers he he’s hitting balls in in the
gutter he’s hitting balls in the water
and then launching it over the green
with a 50- yard pitch Jordan Speed
doesn’t do that he definitely doesn’t do
that at Augusta National so yeah I think
the concern level’s pretty high I think
he’s not uh I think his wrist is
bothering him more than he’s leading on
I’ve heard some some murmur on the
ground that he he was holding his wrist
a couple times after a few shots so yeah
I’m not too sure what to think which
means like you said Rick he’s probably
going to win soon exactly right I don’t
know what Jordan spe is doing but I know
what we’re doing we’re going to be
previewing the final three major
championships of the year after a quick
[Music]
break welcome back to the first cut
podcast live on CBS Sports Network and
Patrick the Masters is over but we’re
just a month away from the next major
championship and that’s the PGA
Championship we’re going to Valhalla
which as the locals say is in Louisville
Kentucky right did I get that
lville lville it’s like a it’s like a in
the throat type of deal well we’re going
back to valhall for the first time since
2014 you know who won it
then who was that Rick that was Rory
melroy ah okay okay in the
dark yeah in the dark with the Ricky fer
and Phil
Mickelson PGA Championship when it was
in August was the last one right yeah
yeah that was uh the stretch he went on
where he won three tournaments in a row
the open the WGC at Firestone and then
uh valhall in the dark where uh he he
hit into Phil and Ricky in the FI on the
final hole if you recall Phil wanted to
come back on Monday yeah he
did it they was he was uh wored that it
was a little bit too dark well there’s a
lot of interesting story lines here uh
the the career Grand Slam is out there
for one Jordan
spe yeah so Jordan spe does have the
career Grand Slam uh going for him
obviously as we just touched on probably
not the best fit for him statistically
given where his game is at but but
Valhalla Jack Nicholas design tends to
caters to faders of the golf ball
obviously Scotty sheffler falls into
that category ludvic oberg coming off
that Master’s debut would fall into that
category Rory marroy as well Brooks kka
the defending Champion as well so uh I
think it’s going to be a a great major
championship once again the PGA
Championship has tended to be a great
test over these last handful of years
when they made kind of the uh the switch
to be in that six to eight under range
Rick and it’s produced some really good
champions
it certainly has it’s a massive field
we’re going to have some PGA
Professionals in it as well it is
certainly no small feat the US Open
Windam Clark is going to defend his US
Open title that he won at Lac we you
going back to Pinehurst number two
Patrick probably one of the most famous
most historic spots that we go
to yeah I had a few Buddies go there uh
a couple weeks ago will Neville AJ
Catalano it’s their birthday
um and they gave me kind of the low down
Rick they’re really bad golfers and you
know what they struggled quite mightily
and you know who’s not a bad golfer
Scotty sheer I think he wins this
championship by five going away you got
to ball strike your way around it the
the round the greens are are very
difficult show short mode areas Scotty
sheffler is going to be able to put his
hands on full display there I know it’s
historic I know Martin kimer kind of
puted his way around in route to his
victory I think he won by eight over
Ricky Fowler and Eric Compton I can’t
believe I know that one pulling that one
out uh but I think this one is really
Scotty sheffer’s to lose especially when
you think about his us opens the last
two years he had a putt on the 72nd hole
at Brook line to force a playoff and
last year he finished third uh real
close at La
suc yeah this is when ker puted
everything off the greens if I remember
correctly and just never gave anybody a
a chance well we went uh we’re going
back to our PGA Championship site that
we went to in 2014 we’re going back to
our Us open site that we went to in 2014
we’re going back to our Open
Championship site that we went back to
in 2016 it would have been so beautiful
if it was 2014 that would have worked
out really well but it didn’t because we
are going back to trun and this is where
we got the Henrik Stenson Phil Mickelson
battle they laed the field there was a
huge gap between them and the man who
finished third do you remember who that
was Patrick
that was it wasn’t Andrew beef Johnston
it was brand
snaker I think it was JB Holmes oh
you’re right you’re
right oh man but this this was this was
the duel and obviously you mentioned it
a little bit earlier in the show An Open
Championship is sometimes out of these
guys hands you might be on the wrong end
of the weather draw there are just a lot
more variables and things that that we
cannot control that are going to happen
that
week yeah it feels like we haven’t
really seen a uh a super bad weather I
know there was some rain and wind last
year but Rick I’m kind of hoping for a
baked out brown gusta 40 to 50 type Open
Championship this year that that’s what
I’m I’m really hoping for but like you
said it’s really tough to kind of
prognosticate what’s going to happen
there uh trun personally isn’t one of my
favorite in the
but it produced a great Championship
last time and hopefully it does
again that’s much farther in the
distance we’re going to talk about what
is in the immediate next stop on the
schedule because the schedule rose on
the RBC Heritage a signature event we’ll
cover that after a quick break
[Music]
welcome back to the first cup podcast on
CBS Sports Network and Patrick no rest
for the weary My Friends the PGA Tour
rolls on and this time to Hilton Head
the Masters is in the past this is no
small event this is a signature event so
we are getting an absolutely stacked
field at a very unique golf course one
that we go to quite a bit and we’re just
going to continue to run with this
schedule and Sprint for as long as we
possibly can
yeah hopefully Bo the boys brought the
PD light in the Advil for for the major
hangover because uh they’re going to be
needing it this week Big Time Event like
you said signature event over $3 million
on the line no cut and we need to see
some of these guys not Nam Scotty
Sheffer get in the winter Circle A lot
of them were close obviously last week
with ludvic Max and Colin but uh someone
I’m looking at in particular Rick is
Patrick hlay we we haven’t seen him win
since the 2022 BMW Championship he was
great at the Ridder Cup in moments uh
the major championship resume leaves a
little bit left to desire but he was
kind of percolating a little bit he was
circling the waters a little bit there
at Augusta National and you see on the
screen there that he’s 20 to1 this week
uh he’s been great at RBC Heritage
Harbortown in the past he lost in a
playoff to Jordan spe that one year as
well so can’t is the guy I’m looking at
but you got Brian Harmon wendham Clark
some of the best players in the world
playing on a great golf course that Rick
is quite different than Augusta
National yeah Patrick Klay there with
the fifth shortest odds now I do I want
to talk about the golf course in a
second but Scotty sheffler the the
prohibitive favorite uh he is still in
this field as of right now I think there
was at least a little bit of an
expectation that he’d be taking this
week off after a um tiring week at the
Masters he talked about how much he just
wanted to get home and be with Meredith
who is on the verge of having their
first child so I’m I’m thinking Scott he
doesn’t make it to Thursday and
eventually withdrawals from this event
but as of right now he’s he’s right back
at it going for a fourth win in five
starts yeah I I joked last night that we
might look back at that Steph joerger
Houston open Victory and be like what
the hell happened there I mean good for
Jagger talking about one of the all-time
wins that no one saw coming during the
Scotty sheffler stretch uh yeah maybe he
just sent Teddy Scott to Hilton Head
short drive from Augusta went back uh to
Austin uh to Dallas to uh take care of
Meredith and and check on her and he’s
going to fly over here shortly I don’t
think Scotty sheffler needs much
preparation the game’s obviously in a
good shape uh Tia green he’s the best
player in the world by far all around
he’s the best player in the world by far
so if Teddy Scott can get a game plan
for him he’s obviously very live to pick
off his fourth win in the last five
which is just silly to say yeah well
we’ll see if he does tea off on on
Thursday the golf course is a special
one it’s a fun one and Patrick it
doesn’t look like a lot of the courses
that we get on the PGA tour calendar
it’s shorter there are very tiny greens
it is not really a driver heavy heavy
golf course you can play this a lot of
different ways and we’ve seen some of
the shorter more accurate hitters have a
lot more success at this golf course
than the usual PGA Tour
stop yeah more point A to point B type
of golf you see a lot of mid irons here
which doesn’t really make makes sense
when you look at the scorecard but with
the dog legs and the overhanging trees
guys are kind of forced to certain parts
of the fairways uh if they don’t want to
take it over which some have started to
do in recent years as well uh so yeah
like you’re like you said Rick it’s uh
it can be played a lot of different ways
but it gives those shorter guys a bit
more of a chance guys like you know my
my boy Russell Henley maybe a Denny
McCarthy as well some of those point A
to point B players who can find a hot
putter yeah exactly right in the the
greens are 37 square feet 3700 square
feet on average 37 would be very very
small 3700 is still quite small and the
field that’s going to battle it you know
this being elevated to that signature
level Patrick that that hasn’t always
been the case in 2020 I think this was
one of the strongest Fields because it
was one of the first events after the
covid restart but now we’re getting
something like 26 of the top 30 players
in the world teeing it up so a course
that we always see but now add in
Rory zot Torres Justin Thomas Jordan you
know I mean that that caliber of
golfer yeah it’ll be interesting to see
how come of some of those uh bigger
hitters like a Windham Clark and aor
mroy where we’ve seen them thrive on
more wide openen and bombers Paradise
type golf courses how how their game
will translate to more Dink and dunk
sort of right more the Run game more big
10 football this week as opposed to the
West Coast air ra offense that they’re
used to so th those guys in particular
are interesting and like I said Rick we
need guys to start winning golf
tournaments it has been the season of
Scotty sheffler or the long shot the
stars of yester season have not been
around so far and so I’m hoping some of
them will make some noise this week uh
quickly here Patrick I think that uh the
guy that has already caught my attention
early in the week is Xander Schley I
know he has holds a special place in
your heart I think he’s super Live this
week with that well-rounded game played
well last week didn’t really get into
the mix but I think he’s super live this
time around yeah wet sock shafley should
have a chance at the what is it the
calabo the Calabogie sound is that what
it is uh off Hilton Head Island that’s
fine he’s definitely the second best
statistical player in the world at the
moment but Rick I’m going to get weird
it’s a Russell Henley week what week
isn’t a Russell Henley week right point
a point B make a lot of putts Georgia
Boy in this neck of the woods I I think
he has a good uh good
tournament who would look the best in
that Tartan jacket I don’t think it’s
Russell Henley I think Xander would look
a lot better honestly I think Shane
Lowry maybe I think the the the orange
beard kind of compliments The Plaid the
tart in quite well uh and he’s another
another guy who’s just hitting the
living crap out of his
irons I love it well Patrick it has been
a pleasure I’m glad we have covered uh
the gamut of golf talk here and if you
want more of this you can find both
Patrick and I and our friends on the
first cut podcast which is available on
YouTube and anywhere you can get your
pots
[Music]