Jake Knapp, A Star is Born – Mexico Open at Vidanta | The First Cut Podcast

The First Cut crew discusses Jake Knapp’s win in Mexico.

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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.

all right jent this was or at least
could have been a jake knap coronation
let me tell you Patrick didn’t happen
because aogi on one aogi on three fails
to take advantage of the par five6 all
while Sammy valaki makes Birdie on four
Eagle on seven and what was once a four
shot lead a zero shot lead as they
stepped on the E for as smooth and free
flowing as That Swing was from nap the
first three days oh boy it was it was
not great early uh I mean the first T
obviously left number two he got very
lucky not to crawl into the trees with
his t- shot and made a nice part there
the third hole I mean that looked like
one of me out there to be honest with
you he wasn’t even close to touching
land that was straight left uh but to
his credit to his credit
he held Pat shook showed a lot of
resolve and kind of looked Inward and
said hey after seven holes I’m still
tied for the lead even though it was
horrible first few holes it’s a two-man
race between me and Slammy valami and he
got himself to The Back Nine with a real
chance to to win obviously and we all
know what happened then I can only
imagine Greg how fast the world is
spinning for you when you’re you know a
handful of starts onto the onto the PGA
tour you’ve probably not slept but if
you slept at all you slept on four shots
and everybody like you know putting the
crown on your head how could you how
could you blow a four shot lead four
shots four shots come on and then it
disintegrates instantly I I would be
woozy with how fast that was going yeah
and this I mean it’s such a dramatic
turnaround right you think about all the
categories he was leading the field
heading into the final round I mean
driving distance Strokes gain approach
greens a regulation proximity to the
hole total birdies par four scoring par
three scoring I mean he was leading the
field in everything it was almost a
clean sweep and all of a sudden he can’t
he can’t find a fairway he can’t find a
swing he can’t find a green there was
nothing
working and I mean now you even look at
some of these distance numbers I mean he
was if you look at all holes the first
three days he’s basically right at three
10 and today all of a sudden it’s 15
yard shorter right that’s a not a great
sign uh you know little speed Little
Speed drop little Club selection changes
here and there maybe got to go to a
little more conservative strategy um in
the two driving distance holes he was
first yesterday in driving distance 31
today like a 33 yard drop in
distance um hit nine greens today
leading the field heading in um so a lot
of things fell apart for
him with the stuff that like Rick we
talked about him on Monday he was a
great play this week um but not for what
we saw today he was a great play for
what we saw the first couple of days
because of his ball striking ability and
that’s not what he leaned on today Mark
that very confident swing that guy who
was stomping around fedon vayarta for
the first three days was a little little
more a little more timid on Sunday you
could you could almost see it in his in
his body language see it in his face it
just didn’t feel like the same guy now
the the Counterpoint of all of that is
obviously what you did in the first
three days allowed for this luxury right
that this is why we add him up we add
him up after 72 if this was if this was
just the final 18 it wouldn’t be Jake
nap’s trophy but it is yeah um couple
things seven of nine scrambling today I
mean we can talk about the ball striking
so he gets it up and down nearly every
single time he’s missed and that’s
admirable when it’s under pressure but
I’ve always found it curious how a lot
of folks when they’re handicapped
players kind of look at a situation when
they’re like all right we if anyone’s
going to fall down Sunday because Sunday
is hit different on the PGA tour it’s
going to be with a short game I I’ve
always as a golf swing instructor sort
of looked at the thing and go you know
golf swings aren’t automatic deals
there’s so many moving parts and with
someone with a speed like a Jake app if
something’s just marginally off then all
of a sudden the whole the cat cats
thrown amongst the pigeons in a way and
and so it’s always tough to manage a
golf swing then you got some wins and
you got some pressure coming at you and
you’re playing with a lead it was it was
a grind and I know things turned around
but this sort of stuff happens and I
have to I have to commend him for the
way he hung on and the way he scrambled
to earn his win CU in my opinion this
and this is just opinion you you can
have at me if you want if this was a
different type of golf course with more
punitive rough with faster greens that
was
smaller I I don’t think well he didn’t
have much pressure on him but I don’t
think he wins I certainly don’t because
you cannot drive the ball as wide as
what he did on a Sunday on the PGA tour
and win it just doesn’t happen but but
kudos to him he found a way and you know
often times that first win is the most
difficult one they say the second one is
the hardest because you have to now
justify the fact that you’re not a fluke
winner he’s got the game we know this
but I’ll tell you what with all that
money in his back pocket now and with
the fact that he’s in the Signature
Events now he’s going to go to his coach
Dana doist and go right there’s some
stuff we going to tighten up because uh
today I had to battle to get this thing
over the line but but 10 out of 10 well
done you know on the on that short game
Mark you mentioned seven and N
scrambling if you include par fives he
had nine up and downs today m i mean
that’s half the holes yep and two of
them were failed right now you’re at 11
and he hit he hit a couple of greens
today um so
those up and he did with tremendous
consistency yeah and you know it’s and
you know it’s going to grind my gears a
little bit because look I love to watch
him swing at he syrupy look he’s
freaking powerful I I watched him in San
Diego he can move it through the air but
but and the swing’s going to get all the
love if you watch the PGA Tour account
and you watch everyone they all going to
be talking about Jake nap’s golf swing
right and they have been doing it but
his skill around the greens today was
that was real stuff man that was that
was spean in a way at times to me whoa
whoa
whoa come off come at me come at me I
will not come at you for if it was a
different Golf Course Jake knap would
not win because he won it I think on 16
he was lined up left in that Fairway 71
yards wide and he missed the Fairway
right uh just to go where his swing was
but to compare him to Jordan spe around
the
greens okay that’s a step too far I was
getting excited there forgive me I I’ll
Stand Down your honor I did what he had
to do he did what he had to do I’ll
compare him to Jordan spe off the t two
Fairways
Patrick dude he and he got everything
out of those two Fairways too because
you look on number two it’s amazing to
me looking back on his round that he
only lost one golf ball number two
easily could have found the trees number
10 he kind of necked that D mini driver
that he has finishes short of the water
hazard after valami hits it in the water
and then number 14 as well where he
blows it way right it hits right of the
golf uh golf cart path bounces left
inside the tree line so he has a a way
to the green and makes birdie there and
it was just for as good as he hit it the
first three days today was just the
polar opposite and you add in the
distance numbers that Greg was
mentioning and it it’s unbelievable I
want to I want to say this that that
that downturn in the distance of the tea
not only Patrick were these things wide
they weren’t struck out of the middle of
the face because if he had squared one
or two those puppies up they might have
been out of Port of
AATA yeah there was a bunch of mishit
balls and and it’s the worst place to be
for a golfer you know you guys have all
been there when you just don’t feel like
you can get the club back to the ball
and then you’re in the final group and
you’re playing for what’s your biggest
win of your career it’s a horrible place
to be I mean I would I mean I would
contend it’s almost worse than standing
over five six seven 8 foot putts and not
feeling like you can make them cuz when
you standing there with 200 something
into a wind and you don’t know if you’re
going to square this up that is horrible
on your
nerves yeah and it’s a wide golf course
but you’re I I don’t yeah I don’t know
if I could keep it in play like there
trees I mean these Fairways are 70 yards
wide at at times at least between the
tree like you should not have tree
trouble out there and he did at
times and if you miss Fairways too it’s
not like you you know the ball’s
nestling down and you’re guessing on
whether you’re getting a jumper or not
that’s P that P palum just sits it up
like it’s on a team most of the time so
getting it from there to the putting
surface is it’s not easy by any stretch
but it’s certainly not like it could be
when we head down the Florida swing now
according to Justin Ray since we started
keeping track of Fairways nobody has
ever hit two or fewer Fairways in the
final round and won on the PGA tour
until
today