Smylie Kaufman is joined by special guests Kevin Kisner and Dan Hicks throughout the show to relive the U.S. Open and how incredibly challenging Oakmont was for the entire field last weekend.
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[Music] that’s Smiley Coffman for 61 wow i’m Smiley Coffman and this is the Smiley Show welcome back to the Smiley Show and we have a great one for you today coming off the 125th US Open at Oakmont uh I’m Charlie Hume i am the only person you’re going to hear from today that is not a member of the NBC sports broadcast team he is of course Smiley Kaufman and we have Kevin Kisner and Dan Hicks joining us in the wake of an incredible finish at Oakmont uh and and these conversations Smiley are presented uh by our friends at Ahead today we’re talking about trustbased relationships ahead builds and manages digital platforms that power the most successful organizations in the world their consultative approach unmatched engineering and innovative solutions combined to accelerate the impact of technology in every client they serve ahead’s long-standing relationships are built on outcomes and experience with both their clients and technology partners you can learn more at ahead.com smiley you have incredible relationships with both Kiz and Dan Hicks so here’s where I want to start is just give us a little We’re going to open with Kiz tease a little excerpt of that interview that you really enjoyed that you want the the audience to kind of key in on well first off I’m jealous of where he is you know I walked out this morning and it was so humid the humidity is insane down here in Birmingham and he’s up in the mountains wearing a sweatshirt drinking a cup of coffee you know just getting ready for a nice little uh golf round in a couple hours so that that’s a little excerpt I’m jealous of but uh just overall insight you know uh he was of course uh as plugged in as anyone last week being sitting next to Dan Hicks and being on such a um you know an iconic moment in golf history with JJ Spawn’s uh big putt at 18 so uh just to get his perspective of you know uh not only that moment but just what he observed throughout the day and the the crazy conditions i you know I thought he gravegate in or great gave great insight excuse me uh I I I’ll say I was very jealous myself i I got to spend a few months in cashers a few years ago and mountain air up there it’s just one of the best places in the state of North Carolina there are a lot a lot of them that are uh in this state so wish kids luck on social media member I think it’s is it member member this week at Mountaintop or was it member guess uh I think member guess is what he said okay well send send uh kids some some messages of of good luck uh speaking speaking of ahead with this like I know we uh you talk about these trustbased relationships seriously when it comes to these big time events you really have to have it there’s there’s I know I’m I’m kind of leaning into this a little bit but seriously it when when you’re not looking somebody in the eye I have to have a lot of trust in the fact that they’re they know where I’m going and I know where they’re going and I’m not leading anybody arai and they’re not leading me uh into a little weird place so uh it’s been a lot of fun working with both of these guys uh but especially Kiz him and I both have a great rapport as far as just talking golf um and it’s been really fun to work with him on the broadcast and it’s there’s no faking uh you know just overall connection with somebody as far as just being able to talk to them and kids and I have a little bit of that so it’s that’s been a lot of fun yeah and and then on Dan is there any piece of that interview you want to kind of get people ready for well I mean Dan’s just a he’s a he’s a pro the pros pro you know he’s as good as it gets uh you know it’s it’s really fun to watch a talent like himself have moments like that to where you can really see you know how good he is at what he does um you know you you have these 72 hole tournaments are a long time to to call shots to to send it over to holes to personalize guys and you know that’s a career type of moment um and he’s been doing this a long time he’s had some incredible calls when you think about Tiger Woods making that putt in ’08 did you expect anything different um and I I think just his insight of how he prepares for big moments like that and calls like that and just letting it come to him just shows how natural and gifted he is as a uh sports broadcaster and also he’s been a great friend and a great mentor to me uh to where I’ve been able to go to him uh more and more over the years uh with things on on how to improve but I tell anybody I I’ve been lucky and fortunate to be at NBC to where I just get better by osmosis meaning I just get to listen to really talented people and it’s hard not to get better by just listening to their cadences and how they approach uh talking uh on air to to the viewers so I’ve been super blessed and uh Dan was great Kiz was great it’s going to be a great episode yeah the three of you have an incredible chemistry both on and off camera and I think that those are maybe some of my favorite parts of these conversations just is just hearing about what goes on in the booth between shots when you’re off camera and and on Dan i mean just we’re going to hear the call in that interview but just the how about one i mean does it get any better in terms of punctuating one of the greatest moments in US Open history so uh let I’m not going to waste any more of your time uh we’re going to get started right here with a Kevin Ker interview take a quick break and get to Dan Hicks here we go all right guys welcome back another episode of the Smiley Show we got the kids in the house another I guess kind of like happy hour i mean know we do this enough now cuz kids were starting to get used to talking to each other now we’re just doing on camera this time but uh man we just had a pretty epic US Open man and uh just I mean just instant reactions man just just having a day or two just to kind of digress from what we just witnessed yeah it was a wild day dude i I never like during the broadcast in the booth I could never really put my finger on what was going on or what was about to happen like you were kind of more in the action we were talking in commercials a little bit uh it was just straight carnage you know mostly and then suddenly after the rain delay it was like JJ Spawn out of nowhere has come back and it’s just like the only guy that can hit a quality golf shot uh for the last hour and a half two hours of the US Open and I uh I thought the two drives he hit on 17 and 18 like so good showed his resolve from the players championship and how he can handle that pressure in that situation like you were watching right there in front of him and like as soon as the ball took off you’re like and this is strike and I mean it’s it’s just incredible that uh under the biggest situation in his life he probably made his two best swings i thought it was a really cool way to come back from getting completely hosed early on in the in the front uh front nine and I think it all repaid him when Victor Havlin’s ball settled one foot behind his ball on the 18th screen i mean how many times kids have you played in a final group or you’re in contention or even seen somebody else but you know the emotions of what it feels like of showing up on Sunday ready to go you feel like you had a great range session and then you get out there and somehow it’s like not coming out the middle you’re getting terrible eyes you’re getting terrible breaks you know JJ Spawn’s breaks at one terrible the rough and then he hits the flag at two uh you’ve been there uh what do you think J what was going through JJ Spawn’s head through those first six holes where he’s five over through six and all of a sudden you know all these dreams you have of winning a major championship feel like they just went out the window and it happened so quick yeah it’s amazing how quickly it can happen and and I know there’s no way he wasn’t thinking like obviously this isn’t my date right like it’s so easy for that to creep into your head when those things are happening and uh I think the reset is such a huge deal for him you know I was telling uh Dan in in one of the commercials like JJ was kind of out of my picture of winning the US Open when the rain delay happened right like I we weren’t even hardly showing them anymore we were huge and uh you know I tell people all the time like I hate rewarming up i don’t know if you did when you played but I hate like after a rain delay or if I practice a lot in the morning and go eat lunch and then I like want to go play i never can like get the feels again so maybe JJ kind of finds found some new feels and and Sam and Scotty did not uh on the on the rewarmup I think the conditions obviously played a huge role in the in this I caught kind of the second half of the final round i think guys were hitting squirly iron shots trying not to touch the ground with the water uh and JJ seemed to manage that the best but uh it was a it was a heck of a turnaround and uh I thought it was really cool that you got to be in that group to uh to call those last few shots well let’s talk a little bit about the conditions because every single step that I took walking down these fairways felt like I was walking in a puddle i mean the fairways were definitely saturated um and I’m wondering you know with the how the if this was a PJ tour event kids do you think the the just the overall you know committee do you think they would have sent the guys out uh or do you think they would have waited for the golf course to be a little bit more uh playable i’m just wondering from your experience of playing on the PJ tour for years and years i mean it was like 80% casual water in all the fairways pretty sure we would have played the ball up on Sunday on the PGA tour with the with the conditions already set and the looming forecast uh the PGA Tour does a great job of trying to get the tournament in in the in the time allotted so it sure is a lot easier to go play in those conditions when you don’t have to worry about is this casual water or not and we have arguments like Sam did in the 15th fairway we just move the ball until it’s in an area that you feel comfortable with by playing it up so uh I don’t know what the USJ high horse on not playing the ball up is i I mean I I know they want to play golf as it is but is it golf if the best players in the world are skulling sand wedges trying not to touch the ground because it’s so saturated or fatting irons and hitting five irons 30 yards left when you know it’s the only place you can’t hit it at some point the conditions are causing that and it’s not in a good way like I don’t mind conditions causing bad shots but when it’s something out of your control like water in the ways and you know another thing I was talking about and every time I play in those conditions I the ball always goes right off the off the face yeah yeah yeah but all these guys were hitting it left and I don’t know if they were reacting to trying not to hit it right or what but every shot for the last hour and a half went left you know it’s funny i was uh talking to JJ Spawn after his second shot at 12 this is you know Jay we’re still not in the JJ Spawn mode at this point cuz Sam Burns just made a birdie at 10 and at this point after he makes birdie at 10 it feels like Sam Burns is probably going to win this golf tournament it just feels that way um after making a big putt at the turn and then the chaos happens at 11 and then all of a sudden I’m doing the math i’m like JJ Spine has a chance to win this so is Victor but at the time JJ hits this huge right ball um after taking casual water relief so it’s not like he I mean he probably dropped and it still got wet from dropping he’s still dropping in a wet spot but it JJ walks past me he says “Sideill wide wet ball pretty sweet huh?” I was like “Yeah I bet that was pretty tight.” I mean JJ doesn’t hit it you know if he if he pushes a shot it’s going to go like 10 to 15 yards right it’s not going to go SK right you know it’s not It’s not I mean that’s how far right it went and then he gets that amazing break where he gets on top of that mound but to your point I saw everything for the most part go left except for that shot yeah you saw uh you know Sam Fatt on 11 Scotty Skulllet and then Sam’s wed shot on 12 going I mean the only place you can’t hit the ball on 12’s left of that hole and he’s got a sand wedge in his hand just puts in terrible spot actually hit an unbelievable chip but then missed the putt and I think that’s when he kind of got rattled at that point like 11 happened and now he thinks he’s about to get one back on 12 and he makes six and it’s like man maybe I’m not going to win this tournament i mean what’s going through your head as a competitor uh that anybody other than JJ Spawn right so JJ Spawn makes you know that 40-footer at 12 he makes a what is it a 22footer at 14 then he makes a 65footer at 18 i know those those last four guys we’re talking about with Spawn Havlin Adam Scott Sam Burns those are the four guys who we thought were going to win the golf tournament heading into the day when you see all that kind of happening as a as a player do you just tip your cap to the guy that just finds a way to get it done or you just like man um that just seems crazy to me how somebody can make that many feet of putts in six holes on the back night of a US Open yeah I think you tip your cap and you kind of understand it’s his time right like you know those things happen to you or I when we’re playing and we like love it and don’t think about how lucky we are we just expect it but as you’re watching from the outside it’s like dude you never you could have a small bucket back there and never make that putt on 18 so it’s it’s your time and uh you know I think like I said it’s kind of making up for what happened early on uh in the round and and like a lot of people say it all it all works out over time i mean it worked out for JJ you know he made more putt feet of putts in the last six holes than some people make in a whole tournament so he definitely deserved it and I think you tipped your cap and realized that you know it’s his time all right so when he makes that putt at 18 I I know you probably maybe seen that putt a time or two during the day of course we just saw Victor make the putt but what were your percentages as far as what you thought JJ’s chances were to just two putt because I I I tried to tee it up the best I could that I thought it was a hard hard wagpot yeah you know how we are in the booth we’re like scribbling notes back and forth to each other uh while we’re on the air and basically Terry Ganon and Fax had put up like 50/50 on two putt right and then uh you know I’d seen that putt probably 10 times throughout the day and I most guys were getting it within four or five feet it wasn’t like it was impossible to get to a makeable second but I kind of could we had the same camera angle on everybody’s putt so I could kind of tell when it crested the ridge whether the speed was good or not and so I’m Dan is kind of leading as it’s rolling like you know needs a two putt to win the US Open and it crest the hill and I’m like “Oh man this is perfect speed.” Like it’s not going it’s a two putt right and I just stick my thumb up right in front of Dan’s face like it’s good yeah and cuz I know he’s got to make some crazy big moment right there if it does something good and none of us nobody in that booth was thinking the [ __ ] going in right you’re not thinking it no one in America’s thinking it and so I’m like what is Dan going to say if it goes in as it’s rolling and hits the pin and he goes “How about one?” And I thought that was the coolest call ever so uh kudos to Dan for being out that’s why he’s so good at what he does and he filled in perfectly in that spot i would have been like “What just happened?” You know on air isn’t it incredible watching him go after that yeah it’s incredible it’s incredible to see that he can just roll with it and know the situation and uh that’s why he’s such a good guy at that but yeah I would say 50/50 on three putt is what we were guessing in the booth i wanted to see like the the inside cam reaction of all four of you guys after the putt went in i just wanted to see you guys just uh you know stand up and just try to keep your composure knowing that Dan’s got this call but at the same time you you probably just witnessed one of the most uh gosh uh I don’t know if there’s going to be anything that ever tops it on an 18 green for a long time for a major championship the the one that comes to mind for me is is the 2008 on Tory Pines with Tiger Woods the putt he had to make but golly I mean where where does this stack up for you dude it’s got to be at the top for me to win the first major win the US Open like I don’t even remember i don’t even know exact footage of the putt but it had to be over 60 ft and it went in like a two-footer dude it was like perfect speed dead middle uh I mean it’s just incredible to me that you know when you saw it I saw another angle from the other side of the hole and I know you were talking it up about how hard the putt was but it breaks a lot late oh god yeah and uh I mean it was out there like 6 ft left of the hole at one point and I’m like how did he know this is going in but uh I mean it went in it would have gone in a thimble and as far as I’m concerned you know Tigers was incredible and and we see that putt roll how many times and and it’s bouncing all over the place and goes in but uh you know situationally knowing what JJ was trying to accomplish in his first major championship i think it’s probably top of the list well I was uh listening to a conversation that JJ had uh postgolf tournament talking a little about uh something that him and Max Homer were talking about that I guess Max learned from Tiger that said that hey dude uh US Opens you basically just try to hang around on the back nine and even when you think you’re out of it still just hang in there that that goes for probably very few amount of events kids like when you think about winning on the PGA Tour and what you have to do you can’t take a couple holes off and and expect to win a golf tournament on the PJ tour but when it comes to a US Open and a very difficult golf course like this where does how do you go into that with the correct mindset to be able to come out the champion because very few are able to win major championships and it does take a little luck at times but also just just hanging in there sometimes is the best best formula for majors yeah and I to be honest I think the start probably helped JJ’s mindset the most kind of like man maybe you know it’s not my day i’m you know six back or whatever he was after five holes four holes and he settled in started making some pars and I think his mindset probably changed to you know let’s just try to get as good a finish as we can right and then he starts making birdies and it’s like oh crap I might be able to win this tournament uh so I think that change in the attitude and and mindset throughout the round probably helped him being his first major and and probably put the most pressure on Adam and and Sam because they’re like “Hey it’s our tournament to win or lose which is the heaviest burden you can have playing in the last group of a major.” So uh th those two situations I think were super helpful but to your point a PGA Tour event you know if you’re two shots up with six to go you better birdie two to three out of the last six to win the golf tournament us Open it’s like man I might be able to bogey two out of the last six and win the golf tournament so uh that mindset only comes around once or twice a year and it’s so different and I think uh where JJ was when he started making birdies and hanging in there was such a good situation for him well you probably got a maybe a little bit of sense of of where the guys were were you know heading into Sunday i think one of my favorite things that you do is you go get treatment uh from your trainer at at golf tournaments even if you’re working the broadcast like hey you want to go uh whether it’s eat breakfast or lunch like no I’m heading to the golf course to get treatment done and I uh I think that’s awesome but still did you happen to run into any of those top four guys that that uh that morning just in just getting a sense of kind of where they stood well to be honest I kind of selfishly do it to make myself feel better but that’s where they all go before they tee off sure so it’s a little more casual area because nobody comes in there like the locker room where all the caddies come and teachers and you know this locker room used to be this sacred room but now everybody has access to it it seems like but the treatment room is just you and the trainers and everybody seems to be more off the cuff and what I’ve learned since TV is if I hang out in there you know guys just kind of let it loose a little bit more and I saw Adam Scott uh that morning and he seemed a little uptight about the whole situation i did not see JJ or Sam um but uh just kind of walked around on the range and and I could tell JJ was super tight on the putting green that that morning like you know he missed some short putts grinding with his team on the r on the putting green and you could kind of tell it affected him which you know heck it would affect all of us you know I’ve never won a major you never want to major but if you’re out there with a chance and you’re like missing putts on the putt and green you’re like “Oh my god what if I miss out on the course?” type of stuff and Sam seemed the most chill like by far he’s out there chilling with his guys and uh you know doing his routine and I was like man Sam’s in a really good spot this is going to be a tough one to to track him down if he gets off to a good start but uh it just you know they both shot three over on the front I think and still winning the golf tournament that tells you how hard the conditions were i mean there’s so many storylines kind of unfolding at this US Open uh did any player stand out i know of course JJ Spine we talked about him but did any other player kind of stand out that kind of rose to the occasion this week or do you think it was more so Oakmont one well I I I super interested by like a guy like John Rom who we didn’t really talk about or have a chance and suddenly on Sunday shoot 67 and post four over and all we talk about for an hour and a half is like maybe four over wins the golf tournament at this point who knows dude if Scotty would have somehow back doored this thing too he’s another guy I kept slapping Dan like dude if he would if he made any of those putts on the back nine you know he post one or two over and I don’t know if if guys changed their mindset to that but as bad as we thought Scotty was playing he’s playing terrible or not you know not going to have a chance suddenly like two hours left in his round I’m like dude if he posts three under on the back nine somehow he wins this golf tournament um and then Bobby McIntyre like what a what a couple shots he hit coming down the stretch for his chance to win and I love his vibe about golf like you know please God be right or whatever he said on 17 when he touched that driver i thought that was really cool like he’s living in the moment he’s trying to win and um so those two guys or you know three guys stood out to me all right so your assistant captain of course for the Ryder Cup coming up at Beth Paige seems like JJ Spawn all but just locked up his spot based off of points and I think it’s kind of thrown a whole wrench a little bit into the American team because uh if JJ doesn’t win that tournament you expect he’s going to be in the the category of of needing a pick all of a sudden he’s a guy that might be locked up based off of points i’m not sure how close it is yet but uh still Kiss uh you you have to feel like this might light a fire into some players that are on the bubble yeah we need them to you know we need some guys that have have experience in RDER Cups to to come rise to the top now you know if JJ’s on the team for sure you got guys like Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak right there you know they have another couple good weeks they could lock it up and they’ll be all rookies at a RDER Cup in New York so we need some veterans to to step up to the plate and and be able to be mentors to these guys at this tournament you know it’s the biggest biggest team event that we could possibly have and we need as much experience as we possibly have but I’m not worried about guys like JJ Spawn i love his game and I’ll put him under my arm and and get him fired up to go play you just you just got to be careful who you pair the the rookies with and make sure they feel comfortable in those situations to go shine and show the world what they’re why they’re on the team it it doesn’t it feel a little odd this year because the team was was so seemed like set like at whistling straights and and even closer to Rome maybe a little bit of a disarray but this year just seems a a bit of of of everything you have all these first timers for Ryder Cups i can think of about six to seven guys that legitimately have a good chance to make the team and then you have plenty of these veteran guys uh that I would say are you know they they need to play well um and it’s going to be tough for Keegan to to call one of these rookies and tell them they’re not on the team when when they’ve played better than the veterans this year so that that’s my whole uh question is how how how much experience do you think is needed on this team or and can you roll out a team that’s that’s just really playing well that maybe has a little bit more rookies well kind of our you know what we talk about is we want as much experience as we can get but not if your game’s not there you know you look at a guy like Brooks Kepko yeah from the time I was asked to be a vice captain I never really thought that he wouldn’t be on our team right but he hasn’t played great so it’s it’s just a this is me speaking not not Keon but I’m like dude you you if you’re not playing good you can’t be on it help us even if you’re experienced if you’re shooting four over it doesn’t really help us now he played better at the US Open but I need him to show me he’s playing great before we could make a choice to pick him right so it’s a it’s a hard conundrum that you’re in like you want experience but you also can’t take a guy that’s not showing form and I I you know I’m not trying to get too ahead of that form right now we still we still have one more major and then we have the three playoff events that a lot of guys can and can show us some form and um I think it’s a really fun and exciting process to be a part of i’m glad that I’m on the side and hopefully uh it all it’ll all work out and and we’ll have a great RDER Cup for United States yeah i guess the one thing I want to ask you here about Keegan is I just want to put you in his shoes for a guy who I think is uh easily a top 12 American player right now do you think he has more or less pressure with his game right now as far as just his uh his wants and will to want to be on this team based off of points do you think it frees him up to know that hey I don’t really care to be on the team but I also know that I would love to be on the team if I play good enough where do you think Keegan’s golf brain is right now with kind of where he sits in this this whole RDER Cup standing stuff i think Keegan’s so focused on being the captain of the Ryder Cup that his game’s kind of secondary to that like I don’t think he tees up thinking I want to make the RDER Cup as much as a guy like Ben Griffin does does that make sense yeah totally i think when he tees it up on Thursday at the Travelers he’s trying to win a golf tournament but he’s also thinking about man what how are we going to handle that dinner on Thursday night or what are we going to do Friday morning type of stuff um you know if he shows up and wins this week or wins the British Open I think Keegan’s mindset will change to more player centric on the RDER Cup but um basically it’s going to be up to Keegan you know I I can’t tell Keegan he has to play on the team if he doesn’t want to play right if he makes the team obviously that’s great but I don’t think anyone can tell Keegan “Hey we’re picking you.” Except Keegan saying “I want to be I want to play and I think I’m deserving.” So uh that’ll all unfold in time but uh as of right now he’s playing great and we could use his assets on the team well I’m going to miss working with you at the RDER Cup man we we losing you and Woody that week so it’s it’s going to be a couple man down that week i know how many times do you think Tommy or somebody’s going to text me “Hey can you hop on with Smiley real quick?” or whatever i mean I my phone’s going to be blowing up from Tommy and uh I uh I really enjoy TV i love working with you i think you and I have a great camaraderie back and forth on the on uh as it unfolds the whole play but uh you can’t can’t pass up a dream opportunity like what I have at the Ryder Cup and if everything works out you and I have plenty of Ryder Cups to call in our lifetime uhhuh and let me ask you this how many people think that you and I look look alike man it’s my favorite thing in the world and uh Charlie’s going to laugh at this but every time I’m walking through an airport or at a golf tournament and somebody goes “Oh Smiley what’s up?” And I always tell him to f off just so Smiley gets a bad rap everywhere he goes uh it’s awesome i even told Smiley’s dad that in the uh in the hotel this week and he started laughing so hard it was awesome i was like he’s like “That’s the greatest thing I’ve ever heard.” I was like “Yes great when they call me Smiley I go straight to the f- word.” Oh man well what a US Open in Oakmont kids to keep on uh doing your thing man where where are you playing next i’m playing next week in Detroit Detroit John Deere then coming to see you at the British Open we’re going to play some Twilight Golf together bring your weapons yes indeed all right buddy well best of luck in Detroit see you at the Open and uh get all those kids dialed in and wait it’s me guest this weekend right too gas practice round in three hours so don’t uh don’t call me unless you need need some uh alcohol infused kids in your life all right buddy have a good one man thanks K all right thanks for having me man hope you enjoyed that uh Kevin Kisner conversation kie I think this is his third time on the show and it just it never gets old it’s never not entertaining well I appreciate him coming on you know it’s uh I know he’s he’s got a little bit more media in him now but still to take the time i know he’s he’s up there on vacation playing some golf so uh taking the morning out for a very busy busy schedule that he’s had this year probably one of the busiest man uh men in golf with as much golf as he played and doing media um and being a father and TGL it’s been a busy year for him so we appreciate him taking the time yeah i mean and and I’ll say too these two guys some pretty good golf to have on deck this this weekend if you were if if you had the distinct privilege or pleasure of taking your golf clubs from Mountaintop and Casters North Carolina up to Wingfoot uh one way you could do it is by using shipsticks you probably wouldn’t need to to be honest you probably wouldn’t need to yeah depend you probably have to go to the Asheville airport i’m not sure where you fly into you know on Long Island for for Winkut but uh Shipstick gets you from your for front door to four easier than ever they’ll pick up your golf clubs from your home or office or or maybe your mountain cabin uh and deliver them on time guaranteed to your golf destination anywhere in and outside the United States no more airport headaches no more lugging heavy bags just easy stress-free travel for golfers like you supporting benefits include white glove service complimentary insurance real-time tracking door-to-door service international shipping and it’s for any occasion shipsticks is perfect for buddies trips business trips even family vacations where managing kids strollers and extra luggage can ruin your vacation before it’s even begun and maybe also member members member guests at two very top tier clubs my agent doesn’t even ever take his clubs to the airport he just use shipsticks that is his way to get golf clubs from his house to the golf course i mean seriously swears by it he say it’s unbelievable i’ve used it before of course but uh for the most part I I’ll bring my clubs with me to the airport but I mean it it’s becoming uh for a lot of city people it seems like a lot of city people really lean into not wanting to deal with you know whether they’re getting on the subway to get to the airport I don’t know how New York people get anywhere but if they get there by a train subway whatever it is or car uh it seems like that’s way way easier yeah i mean why would you do anything else it’s just one less thing to worry about uh and if you are a city person if you’re a if you’re a mountain person whatever whatever wherever you are however you’re going to play golf at a different location you can enjoy 20% off your next shipment by using the promo code smiley that’s smmy y l i e and we’ll of course put a link in the podcast and YouTube you can use to ship your clubs wherever you’re going next have I told you the time that I accidentally uh hopped on a private flight and left my clubs in the taxi car uh you have not i like the beginnings of the story this is how ship 6 was first used for me we were going from the Northern Trust to the Deutschbank uh 2016 we played we were playing out in the Hamptons hopped on a flight we get in Boston my clubs are not in the plane uh and somehow the clubs didn’t make it from the taxi cab to uh to the plane so watch out flying private sometimes can be very difficult i I heard a story about this i think it was Claire Rogers who had a story on this at Aaron Hills uh a couple weekends ago where there was some situation with I believe it was Amari Avery where they had to move Airbnbs or move hotels or something and her her I don’t know if it’s her boyfriend or fiance her husband he he had to leave for the airport and took her clubs with him oh to the airport yeah so uh I mean it there are so many stories about you know golf clubs trying to travel horror stories uh it’s one less thing to worry about just use shipsticks get him there on time right the clubhouse walk up there they are at the backdrop so uh we appreciate Ship 6 for presenting this this this episode and uh without further ado we’re going to get to Dan Hicks for more breakdown on the 125th US Open all right welcome back another episode of the Smiley Show and of course just had Kevin Gizner on and now we have Dan Hicks on the show so Dan I know this may feel a little bit about you know a little happy hourish here and I’m happy to have you on as a guest my man very much so good to be on and last the last time the only other time I was on we were we were live at the Pinerest Den at the US Open last year at Piner so um that was on site that was a live version there so good to be back on uh your your background looks great it I mean it’s a little different than Oakmont i think it it definitely is this was my grandfather’s this set above his mantle in his uh in his den so it’s one of my favorite photos ever or paintings I should say and uh reminds me of him but it also reminds me of the West Coast and I just love that that whole area uh all right Danny uh we’ve we’ve had plenty of you know US Opens over the year that have had earned nicknames you know you could think of the the meltdown at Wingfoot in ‘ 06 you could think of uh the Tigers Tory Triumph in08 and maybe even Wingfoot where you remember Bryson’s blueprint where he kind of defied the USGA distance and how you’re supposed to uh strategize around a golf course and then maybe this year I don’t know what you think but JJ respawns at Oakmont i could tell you put a lot of thought into that Smiley what do you think i you know I can’t you know off the top of my head I can’t beat that uh because that’s exactly what it was that was one of the most I think I said it in the aftermath of the chaos of JJ Spawn dancing around with his caddy Mark Karens in the ray with an umbrella i said something like in one of the wildest US Open Championship Sundays we’ve ever seen um cuz that’s exactly what it was i mean I that was my 26th US Open which is crazy i you know and just when you think you’ve seen it all you haven’t and you see something you see something that happened with JJ Spawn you know we’ll never see something like that again we’ll never see a 65 ft putt or 64t 5 in however it exactly was to win the US Open i I guarantee it in another 26 US Opens you won’t see it happen quite like it happened on Sunday well let’s just talk about you know this being your 26th US Open as a playbyplay voice for NBC you know what does that milestone mean for you Dan you know it’s uh I’m sure it’s been quite the journey to from you know Oakmont to your first one at Shinnik yeah first the the the one word that comes to mind smiley is is privilege because you never know um you know how long you’re going to be able to do them your your network in this case NBC has to have the rights to do them so you’ve got to be lucky to be able to have the opportunity to do them and then uh just to be able to stay in that chair and work with all the greats that I’ve had the pleasure to work with from from Johnny to Zing to now Kiz and Company and Fax is up there um it’s believe me I never take it for granted although I will say Friday’s second round of this year I want to get your take on this um it seemed a little slow i don’t know we got off the show on Friday and the guys were getting beat up on the course and it just felt like uh you know is this one going to deliver and then I remember telling I don’t know if it was Gil Caps or Mike Tariq or somebody I said you know sometimes we have that feeling and then Sunday who knows what’s going to happen so um it it certainly turned around to one of the great great finishes in US Open history in a hurry you know what that void you were missing was on Friday it was just happy hour that’s all it was you know I knew there was something it was just You had this itch and you’re just trying to scratch it you didn’t know what it was that there was no happy hour on Friday it Hey if a if a US Open ever needed a happy arm Friday that was the one we we we could have used it just to just to get away from the bludgeoning on the course cuz it was get they were getting beat up and but that’s the US Open right i mean this butt for bogey this butt for par um that’s what it’s all about you know we had so many storylines heading into that Sunday where it really kind of rounded into form where we’ve had this final four feeling heading into Sunday with all these unique storylines and you know all of a sudden you know through uh I guess even right around the rain delay you have all of these exploding possibilities of who could win this golf tournament from the four that we had at the beginning of the day so from your seat Dan uh what’s going through your mind when it kind of turns into this kind of wide openen free-for-all i I looked up and all of a sudden there’s Five Guys tied for the lead i thought how in the hell did we end up here it happened like in a blink of an eye i think I used that term on on the on the telecast so you know there was so many twists and turns and then all of a sudden to have it come down to and then there was there was ROM sitting in there at plus4 i know a lot of people probably thought that was still farfetched but I kept pointing out that score because guys were going backwards they were sliding down the hill just like some of the fans in the mud at Oakmont i mean it was going the other way and then when Sheffler was trying to get in there he didn’t quite get to the plus4 number so I thought those guys had a chance at the time because that’s how the golf course was playing so you even had those guys in the outside outside looking in and then all these guys tied for the lead but that’s what you hope for that’s what you dream for that you’ve got all those possibilities and you know we just played the Tiger Woods 2008 look back at Tory Mines and I’m thinking uh you know are we setting the stage for something uh you know similar craziness that we just saw so um anyway it was uh it turned into something in in the blink of an eye that was just uh one of the great one of the one of the all-times it really did it really was and it was a little bit of a different type of chaos maybe you can kind of compare it to Wingfoot in 2006 when the storyline that entire day is is Phil Mickelson can he go and win his first US Open and from your chair again when you’re kind of selling this narrative and this storyline of Phil Mickelson going and winning this and all of a sudden in a blink of an eye Jeff Ogulvie is the US Open champion now how how do you you know keep yourself composed knowing that uh it can change in a blink of an eye uh and all of a sudden this this buildup that you’ve been having has to change just like that and and this week was almost a Robert McIntyre situation yes yes i think uh a lot of people including us and I think the interview that Robert McIntyre did at the end after JJ Spawn was still on the course that he did with Cara Banks i mean you if you played that back you’d be like “That guy won the US Open.” I can tell and I think I think in his heart of hearts he thought he’d won it and that’s what made it so crazy when he watched from scoring that putt by JJ Span go in uh and a great act of sportsmanship right he sits back and he and he and he he gives it one of these this thing had so much going on it had you know every time I see that putt I think of the rain coming down the umbrellas the It was kind of one of those almost movie like atmospheres that you just don’t get i mean sun could have been shining and that would have been great but I think it even added to the moment with the r the rain coming down and the umbrella and Karen’s and JJ spawn spinning around uh I just thought it was incredible um so yeah it’s it’s one of those deals where when it spins like that you got to you got to pivot and um you know we were you know the possibility of JJ Spot still winning was there but I was doing a a real deep dive into Robert McIntyre and we you know we found out that the Silver Scott Tommy Armor won the first open at US Open at Oakmont so we had a nice little you know parallel going there but uh it switched uh it switched in a hurry yeah it has to it has to kind of screw up your prep a little bit i’m sure most of the stuff you did last the night before was getting ready for those four guys i know you got to be prepared for anything but I’m sure you and Gil were kind of trying to figure out all right I need to get some info on this guy quick yeah I uh so you know Sam Burns had the one shot lead and I had a feeling he was going to play strong and he did um and so what I tried to do the the night before actually this was the day of the morning of I I got on the phone with Brett his agent Sam Burns his agent and I said “Hey listen we know Sam a little bit but just give me anything you have that maybe would kind of you know get his personality out there a little bit something that the viewers would like to hear so I had a nice conversation with Brett so I had a bunch of stuff ready for Sam Burns that never quite materialized which kind of uh went down the drain no pun intended at 15 when he double bogeied that hole or we had the ruling uh but yeah that’s that’s what I try to do i I try to I try to do as much as I can beforehand but then in the end which makes this business so good and so cool is that you never know what’s going to happen and it it it did a JJ Spawn is not going to win this thing no way to wait a minute we got five guys wait a minute it’s JJ Spawn and Robert McIntyre and oh my god JJ Spawn is the US Open champion it seemed like it happened in a matter of minutes it was quick and you got to give a lot of credit to our team at NBC Tommy Roy leading the charge you and I both know what it’s like uh how much goes into a live broadcast and making sure it it matches the you know the story lines of of what’s happening uh during a crazy Sunday so for by the way Smiley speak speaking of that I’ll just you know not to not to not to plug or kiss our producers’s butt but those replays that that you saw like right after they went in you’ve got in and the director Joe Martin let’s give him his due as well i mean those happened like boom boom like it goes to the to the it goes back to Spawn it goes back to Josh G Josh Gregory shot i mean that was all in real time at the time of the live broadcast you got Josh Gregor we had just told the story about how he turned a short came around by working with Josh so Tommy Roy Joe Martin those guys have the wherewithal to get all those shots amid all the chaos like oh my god uh who’s important well you go sponsor you go fans you go wide and then you just do it again from all these different angles so um they absolutely delivered and that’s the that’s the brilliance of Tommy Roy oh this is the perfect time Dan to tea up uh your call it was incredible call and uh we got we got Charlie in here with the sound so we’re going to listen to it and then we’re going to react to it after so Charlie if you don’t mind let’s listen to that call on the 18th green from Dan Hicks want to cozy it up don’t need to make it two putts [Applause] about one i mean that golf ball without seeing the picture that was rolling for a very long time it was and we’re all so the the the only regret that I think Tommy Roy just talked to him you know short time after this after the show uh he said he goes the only regret we didn’t we that we that we wish we would have done is the replay of the booth you know how they’ve got a camera on us yes so it’s Terry Ganon Brad Faxton kids and me and I don’t know what I did all I did was reach a new decel level of how that’s just the first thing that came into my mind but I guess Kiz I in fact and and Tannon went crazy too so don’t be surprised if you see the replay of that at the open championship at Royal Port Rush when you see JJ Spawn because I guess I guess uh the old booth lost control a little bit as well there but that you couldn’t contain we couldn’t contain oursel you know well sure we never seen anything like that well it was an incredible call Dan and I was going to ask you this so you know when we’re kind of setting up this putt from JJ Spawn of course we watch Victor Havlin just putt right before but you know it’s my job to let you guys know hey this is not an easy two putt and so after you know I kind I kind of lay out let the thing breathe let you do your thing Dan and JJ hits this putt while it’s rolling of course like in your mind you’re probably preparing for um you know you’re not thinking about it going in right like that’s not even coming into your mind thinking about what am I gonna say if this goes in you’re probably just thinking about you know if it goes to six feet what you’re gonna say or if it goes to tap in what you might say going in like so that coming out in real time was was just incredible what a call that’s um that’s the big big biggest example Smiley of not getting ahead of yourself and not getting start scripting things before they happen because that that obviously I I things were kind of going through my mind he’s going to like you know cozy it up there like I thought he was and so then now we’re going to get ready for a little tap in putt or maybe it was going to be a 4-footer who knows there was all these possibilities um but that’s the biggest example why you don’t get ahead of yourself because it was in the moment i was just watching it you’ve got to react to what you’re seeing you’ve got to stay locked into what you’re seeing and I had just said the last words out of my mouth were two putts so that was kind of and it just kind of strung together and I just hooked it on and just said “How about one?” So that was like you know it was just having a natural conversation at a little more of a high energy level but it was just kind of keeping in the moment two putts cozy it up and then just kind of stringing on how about one so uh that’s that’s a big example of why you don’t get ahead of yourself and script things out and uh just kind of let the moments happen when they do so we just had kids on and he said that while the putt was rolling he had seen that putt maybe a couple times during the day to where he knew when it kind of crested over the hill at that point you still couldn’t see the flag stick but he felt like it was going to be a good putt and it he said this is what he did i don’t know if you saw it but he said he you know he put his thumb up and he said “This is gonna be good.” like thumbs up to you knowing that hey this is going to be a good putt did you see his thumb i don’t think I did i can’t imagine why i was locked in on the monitor and just making sure I didn’t screw this like uh you know epic US Open moment up but afterwards I do remember Kiss saying man I knew that was like had a good chance if I go in i thought you know but I did not see the thumbs up you know what we’ll do is we’ll look back at the tape that I talked about and try to see that yeah let’s see the thumbs up and we’ll have the You’re probably doing this you’re probably like “Yeah you know how kids that’ll be enough of you for now uh let you do the call.” Uh thank you very much but uh yeah so we’ll have to get the evidence and see if we can get grab the thumbs up from kids on the uh on the talent camera as they as they call it i mean it was epic i By the way Smiley you you were People don’t know how hard your job is the guys on the ground i mean first of all you’re slopping around in mud for hours and hours and hours that’s just a physical test and people say “Oh well he’s young and he’s fine and blah blah blah everybody like to do it.” Think again because you’re not only trying to get yourself in the right position up and down slopes of money where you can you know I want to ask you how many times you probably almost lost your footing on on the side of because you’re hustling you’re in the moment you got to get to the next hole you got to get position but people have no idea how hard that job is and uh you did an incredible job you were back in the booth for your own little happy hour after after soldiering around the soldier i can’t it was a sauna on Friday get that coat and tie on i’m just like oh smiley would come in and he would look like you know I don’t know we we had some fun with Smiley because he came in and he was all of a sudden I’ve got a coat and tie on and I’m absolutely steamy the temperature inside of this shirt is 180 and the humidity is higher than and it was coming on camera three two one danny thank you man it it definitely is a bit of an Energizer Bunny type of job when you’re an Encourse reporter especially when you legitimately need to check every single lie of Eddie Golfbot at this property because it was such an important part of the story is you know I kept on hearing the group behind me with Bones Adam Scott horrible lie and then every but every lie that JJ had after the restart good lie i’m telling you it was it was a run of luck that I hadn’t seen the entire week he was able to play from every single lie he got just the the just enough of a break on his bad lies to be able to do something with it and I’ve always said with major championships that sure the guy who plays the best for the most part wins most of the time but you have to have the opportunity to win you got to put yourself in position and then you also have this this little category too that I think comes into play which is luck you need a little bit of luck to win these things there’s no doubt JJ Spawn had a little luck with his lies over the last uh nine holes of this golf tournament and then he also had a little bit of luck and fortune and taking advantage of an opportunity who makes 126 ft of putts in six holes on a Sunday i mean just the most insane thing so like he’s he’s getting a little lucky taking advantage of that luck and you got to give the credit to the guy man it’s just incredible to see a first-time go and do that but but here’s here’s the deal he was owed it right i mean those bad those bad breaks off the stick on two and what had happened subsequently and sometimes when we look back at the telecast you kind of there’s a lot of times I’m like ah I wish I would have known that I wish I would have known that JJ Spawn was uh bouncing to CVS’s at 3:00 in the morning to get his daughter some medicine up all night throwing up can you imagine uh you know one shot off the lead in the US Open but that’s what you do you know and the fact that it was Father’s Day and JJ Spawn is like being a father is being a father at 3:00 in the morning and oh by the way uh I’ve got a US Open to try to tackle on the toughest golf course ever uh but yeah I I just you know and he kind of he kind of he kind of said that maybe his slow start had something to do with that and then the rain delay kind of reset him and everything but that was an incred that’s just another part of the story that JJ Spawn wrote well it was incredible for watching JJ Spawn get it done and Dan you didn’t not you not only had Kevin Kzer sitting next to you this week but you also had your old pal Johnny Miller back sitting next to you for a segment uh I know you you’ve spent many many years calling some big-time golf with Johnny Miller and of course he’s a legend um and and one of the best to ever do it in that analyst chair what was it like having him back at Oakmont at a place where he had a Sunday 63 and and I’m sure a lot of memories it was awesome um and that of course will be the last time I see Johnny at Oakmont i unless something crazy happens because uh you know so it was really cool to see him really cool to get him on the air and just kind of you know shoot the breeze with him a little bit and you know it’s not that I’ll I forget how good he was but it was funny cuz we were running that Tiger Woods 2008 rerun during the rain delay and just hearing him again just pounded into my head how good he was and is um he just had an incredible natural kind of uh soant crystal ball in everything that he talked about and so he really put us on the map smiley uh long time before the Smiley Cop and Happy Hour was the big hit of NBC golf johnny Miller was putting us on the map i mean when we got the USGA rights in 1995 uh we hadn’t done much golf at all in a long time uh ABC had had the rights for a long time to the US Open we had never done the open championship which we do now so I credit Johnny Miller to really giving us instant credibility the USGA you know loved Johnny of course he was a big part of their their history he won a junior boys you know won the junior championship as well in addition to his US Open so uh he really you know really put us on the map and gave uh all of us I think sure the opportunity to do what we do still to this day well I think he understood the assignment better than anybody you know he didn’t cheat the viewer you know his job was to report his opinion to the viewer and he put his relationships aside for maybe players that he had respect for but that’s that’s the job it’s giving your opinion and not sugar coating it and as a kid I thought it was too harsh i was never really a Johnny Miller fan i thought he was too mean but I think now uh when I got into TV I I have much more respect for him because guess what that’s what that’s what the viewer wants to hear they want to hear what’s going on in the player’s mind and they don’t want it to be told any way other than the truth your first responsibility and you’ve learned it in a hurry and I’m sure you had some uneasy moments when you were like “Uh do I say this that’s my buddy man i we grinded on tour together for all those years and now I’m going to like kind of call him out on something.” But that’s what your responsibility is and the sooner a broadcaster who goes from the field whatever sport it is to the broadcast booth figures out that he or she is broadcasting for the people at home the sooner they figure that out uh the quicker they can become the best broadcaster they can be and uh it didn’t take Johnny long to figure that out no it did he was ready to pounce and he’ll be the first to say he could have said things in a different manner at times a lot of times it’s the way you say it that you can kind of still be getting the same point across but uh Johnny Johnny could come across very harsh and there were some moments where I would basically let about 10 seconds of dead air go by and go let’s go to 17 and Gary Cook because I had nothing to say i was like there’s nothing I can say that’ll cushion that or let you know or you know it was just one of those time but he was he was he was a blast you never knew what he was going to say every show all right you got to be honest with me here how many times would Johnny Miller hit the cheese whiz and how many times would you hit the cheese whiz too uh you know what i never I never parttook in the cheese whiz that was Johnny’s Johnny’s thing it was kind of actually gross to see him oh you don’t say because he because he would so first it started off Kathy Nos our lovely brilliant stage manager would like take the cheese whiz and put it on crackers and then Johnny would start eating it and he found that he really liked it so much that he started mainlining it from the nozzle to his mouth like you I would all of a sudden I’d hear this like and I’d be like what is going on and Johnny has the nozzle of the cheese whiz and He’s direct hitting his mouth with with the cheese whiz so uh it just kind of became one of his things and I would look over him and he’d have the smile on his face i go “What are you doing dude you’re like that’s that’s not good for you.” And he be he had his shoes off his feet up you know he was he was California Northern California cool in every way but the cheese whiz thing was a little disturbing at that time oh when you signed off with Johnny at Oakmont how do you not both have a a tub of cheese whiz and just kind of just We should have on the way to break these are the kinds of production ideas that only come from the Smiley Coffman show had had I would to do it over again we would have done that and I would have said Johnny just for old times sake hand in the cheese whiz can one more time at Oakpot it would have been perfect dan that’s cinema Dan that’s cinema that’s it absolute cinema you got it well I know you’ve seen plenty of US Open venues in your years Dan you know we go all the way back to was it 1995 shink was our first US Open yeah 1995 Shinik all right so you plenty of venues over the years for US Opens do you have any personal favorites uh or just from a broadcast perspective or just uh you know any just being a fan of the game of some of these venues my my all-time favorite course and US Open course doesn’t matter is Shinikok ah I just think that place is so good and um you know doing that first one in ’95 just kind of turned me on to the place and then watching it through the years and living in the area as I do i’ve been out there played golf got beat up on it and it’s like you know it’s the and National Golf Links is right next door which is a fabulous place but that’s the happy golf and then Shinik you go like get your butt kicked for for four and a half hours uh I just think Shinnok is has everything you want in a championship course cannot wait to get back there next year um when it’s stage there again oh oh smiley you’re past it oh man you you were gonna just mark Mark my words you’re going to fall in love with this place i think I would I’m going to be interested you should try to play it before you go out there in the in the circus comes to town you know so come on up here visit me we’ll uh we’ll do a little wingfoot little shinik double double uh or maybe we’ll just hang out there and do shinik national that’s the perfect day little Johnny Little Johnny Walker Black to end the day maybe maybe not saying maybe maybe that’s in the carts uh that that that’s always a good uh that’s always a good ender at the end of the day i’ll say that all right let’s take a trip back down the road or I don’t I guess we’d probably be heading west from Shinikok uh over to Beth Page is that the right direction am I heading the right way here yeah you are because the further out east you go you get out you know all the way out there to Mont but yeah we’re coming back in it’s not that far from Manhattan it’s certainly not way out there where Southampton is so um it’s far you know Farmington New York I think is the uh is the actual address of it or the city or the town it’s coming up danny have you been there have you been to Beth Page i played the Northern Trust there um this was in 2016 so I have been there and uh it’s awesome i uh I It’s one of my favorites in the area too as well it’s a big six and a half mile walk out there they’re they’re making that first tea like wrap around from the 18th green around the first tea so they can get more people uh for the for the hoopla the first tee and they can just hang out there and leave you know watch a match come back to 18 if they can so uh yeah I cannot wait for Beth Paige it’s going to be you know sometimes you you you overhype things and you and sometimes they don’t deliver but I’ll guarantee you Beth Paige that Ryder Cup is going to be one of the all-time atmospheres in the history of golf i mean especially just with uh the golf course the New York fans uh the the strength I would say of the European side and knowing that uh the motivation from that side to win on foreign soil that kind of seems to be honestly more important is who can win the away game and who’s going to be the team to to lose at home to me that that’s the big story line that I’m I’m excited about and I just have no idea who’s going to be on this American team we talked about it with kids and JJ Span just I I think played his way onto the team based off of points you expect him to be on the team obviously now and I’m wondering how many rookies are going to end up on this team for the Ryder Cup uh for the American side what do you think i think uh it’s going to be really interesting because you know there’s going to be guys thrown in there for the first time ever and oh by the way we’re Beth Paige where the atmosphere is off the charts of like how did I get myself into this but we’re going to see some first- timers I think uh for the American side um you know I don’t know how it’s going to exactly shake out i think the Keegan Bradley thing is incredibly interesting um I keep bending Kiz’s ear i don’t know if you guys talked about that we did we talked about it what What did kids say about Keegan i All I asked him I said I want you to put yourself in Keegan Bradley’s shoes and I want you to tell me what your mindset is as a golfer um heading into you know Ryder Cup selection are you more or less nervous about playing well week to week to try to make this team or do you feel like it’s you know I I just go out and play golf and wherever the sticks chat or the uh the chip stack at the end of this is you know we’ll make a decision as a team uh it seems I couldn’t exactly get a feel for it but Kiz kind of was at the end just basically said that um nobody’s going to be able to tell him to play on the team he’s going to have to decide for himself yeah that’s that’s been Kiz’s response when I’ve uh when I’ve asked him about it and so that’s this is a TBD you know to be determined right uh just to see how well Keegan continues to play i don’t see him backing off i think he’s just in a great spot in his career i think he thinks it’s kind of cool that he’s the Rder Cup captain and is is good enough to play with his side you know potentially uh so I don’t think he’s going to back off i I think that’s going to be really interesting to see if he ends up playing at Beth Paige where he used to sneak on when he played at St john’s as a kid i mean you know that’s a great story line that’s going to be cool as well i personally think he he’s he’s one of the best 12 players uh over the last two seasons i think he should be on the team i think if it was any other captain they would look at his history of how much he’s played at Beth Page uh he fits the profile of a a perfect teammate he’s a great locker room guy and of course he’s the captain we know this but um I I’m selfish in thinking that because the RDER Cup is different than the President’s Cup and that there’s four matches in the morning four matches in the afternoon on Friday and Saturday it’s different than the President’s Cup where there’s five matches going out and only two guys sit really he could play in the morning both days on Friday and Saturday sit in the afternoons and captain and then go play Sunday it’s it just seems it it seems like it would make sense that you always have a bunch of guys sitting some guys don’t even play uh in a full day yeah uh and and it let’s not forget that let’s just say he is a player on the team and he gets out there and god forbid he doesn’t perform well and then you’re going to hear about you know everybody say oh my god I can’t believe he’s tried to take on all this responsibility yeah he was playing well and probably deserve to be in the top 12 but it’s it’s very clear that Keegan Bradley can’t you know you can’t captain and play the same time in this event i mean you know but that’s the thing about the Ryder Cup right it’s the armchair quarterbacks at home that are going to sit there and second guessess everything and you know the the losing captain of a Ryder Cup is it’s a tough position it’s I mean how many times have we seen these guys just get roasted and it’s really not their fault i mean you can just go on and on and on about pairings and the deep dives and the analytics and stuff it comes down to those three days how are those guys handling things and sometimes we get a little bit too much into the numbers and go well you should have put so and so with so and so it’s sports and they’re either going to make it happen and perform or they’re not and some of those younger guys that are coming up are either going to handle the moment or not so um that’s what makes the RDER Cup the Ryder Cup though can you imagine the first guy to tee off in the RDER Cup a plane captain Keegan Bradley on the tea man i mean that that is exactly what I want to see but yeah I Yeah I would I would see Keegan get in there and do you know the club’s spinning around and you know the places going crazy and just pipe it down the middle for team USA the New York fans just shotguning beers at 7 in the morning after he tees off i mean it’s just doing the beer bongs the whole thing i mean that’s exactly what this event is going to be uh it’s going to be chaotic i’m excited to work it uh going to be walking up that’s not an easy golf course to walk now think about it at the with the hills out there so get yourself in shape for that one smile it’s not rested up that’s right and then a week later we’ll be having a kid so uh congrats on that awesome there you go well Danny a lot of fun this US Open happy Father’s Day to you and uh gosh where I’ll see you next open championship where we got uh plenty of storylines there who’s your pick on the way out you know I have picked literally for the last two main I picked at the Masters i picked Shane Lowry uh I picked him for Oakmont i can’t go with him again at Port Rush i mean I could but that would really be pushing the envelope um you know it it’s probably going to be one of these guys trending um it’s I love that golf course though i absolutely I have not been wait you’re gonna love it it’s my favorite in the rotation now St andrews is special the town the whole thing and that’s that’s off that’s kind of in it one category by itself but the ruggedness and the feel of Port Rush um so you know what hell with it I’ll go with Shane Lowry i think he’s going to get it to get I think he’s in the story line doesn’t write itself better than that i mean you know I wish I could say Rory but I don’t know where he is and I don’t know where he will be by then i hope he uh I hope he uh starts playing better and and uh kind of gets everything tied down a little better but I I you know so so on the record here Smiley this this will be played back on on one of your podcast that Dan Hicks went with Shane Lowry to win at Port Rush again mic drop there it is folks there it is don’t even watch Don’t even need to watch the open make sure turn on your TV we need the ratings so just keep it on so you don’t mind all right Danny uh Joy the Wingfoot member guest this weekend is that right yes uh yeah i’ll be at the member guest while Kiz is playing and his member guest somewhere in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina and from what I understand Brad Faxton is in the field it is the announce It’s the announced team major championship announced team major championship huge huge week in golf in fact I’m I’m surprised that uh you won’t be streaming it live on the Smiley Coffee Show or or maybe there was you know come on do a happy hour at Wingfoot on on Friday oh man a little walk and talk wouldn’t hurt a guy after after coming after coming off a six net five there you go there you go always a pleasure pal appreciate you buddy see you man thank you thank you thank you well there you have it uh really fun recap putting a bow on the US Open at Oakmont with Kevin Kisner and Dan Hicks uh always fun talking to those two guys and Smiley now we turn the page to another uh it’s it’s crazy how this golf calendar is flying by i’m looking at the one and done sheet we’re getting ready today there aren’t very many events left to pick it’s We’re running out of time here you haven’t used Rory yet have you i’ve not used Rory yet i’ve not used Rory yet i love that you just decided to save him on like a generational run and now he’s he’s like who knows if he even plays the rest of the year he’s going to win a port rush he’s going to win a port rush are you going to take him there you think h We’ll see i mean uh if I was you I’d just use Sam Burns for a fifth time so I I I have Ludvig back in play now courtesy of of your you know I use him with AT&T but but uh you know I’m I’m campaigning petitioning to have him back in play but All right where where do we stand on one and done where we stand on one and done is you were doing very well so in the FedEx Cup standings you would be second uh underneath Scotty and above Rory uh but you were third on the money list this year uh I courtesy of John Rom and of course we we do the we use the points for whoever he tied with because he doesn’t get FedEx Cup points he plays for Liv but I’m 33rd on the Fet Cup list and the money list so all right you’re keeping your card now you’re keeping your card not only am I keeping my car but I a couple good events in a row and I might make it to East Lake so that’s that’s where we want to be i think I think that’s maybe how we should do it if we get to the end of the season and if I’m not inside the cutoff I don’t get to pick for the next event cuz I I didn’t make it that far so I love that i love that thankfully I I should be able to make it there uh this thus far but uh you were doing very well you’re doing very very well so you got to tune in we’re we’re about to hop off and record these in by the time you’re watching this we’ve already made the pics on Instagram it’s a good reminder to tune in uh follow us on Instagram at the Smiley Show every week and give you those picks and this week for the Traveler so uh unless you got anything else Smiley I said we wrap this thing up and go make those picks yep and then just expect uh you know I’m actually going to be playing Beth Paige next Monday uh which is um exciting uh we’ll see how my game stacks up i was going to say what word are we going to go with there for what that that pitching to be like you know I’ll go find my golf ball and hit it again but the uh I’ll be there with Rox one of my one of my sponsors and excited to be there and playing but also we’re going to be recapping uh we’re going to be recapping the Travelers Championship after this week and then we’re going to be talking to James Kogan who broke the story about uh the new CEO of the PGA Tour which we didn’t discuss uh which uh I think we’re going to have a really good interview with James i’m excited to do that this afternoon um and I I think we’ll it’ll probably take a couple weeks to really get a sense of the direction of of the PJ tour but I think James will really help us kind of lead us in the right direction of uh what to think about this yes absolutely yeah in addition to that Travelers Travelers recap James on Brian Rolap being appointed as a CEO in the subsequent reports now that that there is a a plan to sunset Jay Monahan and that should happen in the next uh 6 to 18 months I believe it is and turn over the day-to-day responsibilities to a new CEO so all exciting stuff can’t wait to get James’s thoughts on that uh so look forward to that next thing in the feed that we have for you and we appreciate you watching and listening as always we’ll talk to you right back here very soon you know I listen to this podcast is really cool and all of our fans and subscribers but make sure you like and subscribe it’s cool to see what you guys are doing i know golf fans appreciate it but we we do too so please keep it up for all the good people at YouTube like and subscribe you guys have some good takes so I’m happy to come on and and shoot the
