Fairways of Life is joined by our friend Billy Kratzert, a 4x PGA Tour winner and golf analyst who shares his expertise and thoughts on the game of golf and the PGA Tour.
Billy katzer is a voice that we have become familiar with for his work on TV that has extended over many years his playing credentials are also equally as Stout he’s won multiple times on the PGA tour he played in 400 81 PGA Tour starts eight times he was runnerup he had 29
Top five finish 59 top 10 finishes he tied for fifth at the 1978 Masters he tied for sixth at the 1978 US Open I’m going to stay with 1978 for a second because it has a connection to this week he lost in a playoff at the 1978 Hawaii
Open uh now where called the Sony of course uh to Hubert green at that time and it’s always a pleasure to catch up with Billy and get his perspectives on all things gol Billy how are you how have you been I’m doing well Matt how
Are you well thank you very much hey did you get a chance to catch uh any of Kevin Kisner’s debut uh doing the analy on TV I’m curious what your thoughts are I did and um the fearful part of of everyone um certainly was there uh even
Kiz was mentioning it but I thought he did a great job he you know he has a personal relationship with these guys he’s he’s he’s current with these guys um he knows everything about him he you know he took some you know some little shots when he had the opportunity I
Guess the one that’s being most noted is the one with Jordan Speed but I thought kids did a great job and um you know I think you know as I look at it uh kind of a rotational type team you know could be pretty good in my opinion I mean you’ve
Done that so many times everyone that comes in for their at least their first few times doing it when the media asks them they go you know it’s a lot harder than people think it is how hard is it Billy when you’re trying to come up with
A thought or an Insight that’s going to provide context or depth when there’s all kinds of other noise going on in in your earpiece or or in your head well I think I think the the hard part Matt is that you want to try to be
Too perfect early um in your career or your career change uh or maybe something that you’re going to pursue later down the road in in K’s uh deal but I just think that kiz was just he was just natural he you know he didn’t try too
Hard we say it all the time you know the harder you try the harder the game is well the harder you try at this but you have to do your homework you have to know each and everything about the players and and what their Tendencies are what their Tendencies are not what
They like what they dislike um but I thought he did a great job of being himself and and I think that’s the key but um he did say that the preparation uh when he was talking to Tommy Roy and and Tom Randolph and and the team
Getting ready he did say hey if this has to go on every single week I’m out and uh so so but kids did a great job and uh I was happy for him and um you know he he brought he brought a lot of levity to the broadcast I thought it was good
Awesome the the event the sentury at at the Sony of course produced incredible scoring 29 underpar for Chris Kirk I I know that you’re familiar with the venue in the event from what they were saying it there was not a lot of wind throughout the course of the week so it
Was an opportunity for these guys just to eat it up from a from a birdie perspective I’m of the mindset where I like that kind of flow and ab in the game of golf I like events where uh scoring to par is difficult and I also like high-scoring games where we see a
Lot of birdies what’s your reaction to what you saw off yeah I you know I don’t mind the mix I mean we had it earlier um or late last year um in Mexico I mean when tiger built that golf course in 2014 he anticipated a lot of win nor did
Was he expecting to have a PGA Tour event there but golf courses are built with the anticipation of how it’s going to play most of the year and when you look at St Andrews the year that uh Louis Us’s in one will Roy shoots 63 but
Then he gets caught in the wind and then he shoots 80 I mean you’re going to get these years where you can just go ahead and Blitz it and uh when Cameron Smith won he you know he shoots what 34 under and you know he made the comment at the
Beginning of the week you know I’m going to have to shoot a bunch more of these eight under Pars in order to win because they weren’t expecting win and um when you get that hey you know go out there hey I put it for you know know 18 b or
16 birdies and two Eagles and I just thought that uh the scoring you know the pushing you know and Chris Kirk at 29 under and and then 28 27 26 you know everyone was pushing each other I kind of like that I I mean it’s it’s a Memory you know it’s it’s like
Okay B CWA last year through I’m going to say all but maybe 30 holes 31 holes he was Bo or 70 or he was bogey free is what I’m trying to say 68 holes and and then all of a sudden it jumped up and got him I mean
The scoring was equally as good but I just think I just think that you know you need that break you need that you need that differentiation from going out there and and getting beat up on a golf course I mean they’re going to go to Farmers if they don’t have decent
Whether the farmers that’s going to be a tough venue it’s a big golf course and and they’re going to struggle but I’m like you Matt you know I like the memories of you know what a guy did he made six birdies in a row then he pared
Then he made an eagle and and you know guys get on runs like that I I think it’s great yeah the the just to finishing rounds Chris Kirk are winner with a 65 theala with a 63 spe with a 65 those are just the top three and that
Was just the final day now Billy I want to ask you this $3.6 million for Chris Kirk last week 3.6 million is there any part of Billy crater that kicks a cat out of the way thinking about the amount of money that players are getting
Today no I mean you know when you go back and and certainly when I started um you know we were playing for more money than what Arnold and Jack started at I mean it’s just been a progression now was the progression that we saw different in the last couple of
Years absolutely we kind of saw it when when tiger came out and then the new negotiations took place and that elevated but you know for necessary reasons everything’s been pushed did I think we would see this no but um am I jealous no I think these kids they get
Out there they’ve worked hard you go back and just a few years and you look at Chris Kirk at the Sony Open he had to come through in a big way to continue his ex exempt status on the PGA tour uh you know it’s it’s well documented fighting the alcoholism and and coming
Back and he had the medical and he came back and he was able to secure his plain Privileges and and now he wins in South Florida last year now he wins again he wins a signature event I mean everything has just you know been uplifting for
Chris Kirk and uh he’s worked hard to get there I mean it it’s been a tough journey and when you’re trying to overcome something outside the ropes then when you get in and then you perform I think I just think it makes it that much better so these guys getting
Out there getting after it and uh they make a bunch of money um hey I like it uh you know I kind of like looking at it and seeing what they make and you know you can go out there and finish third and and um you know make over a million
Three so I’m okay with it it’s amazing absolutely amazing plus dude when you think about your career you played during a time that I call when when Giants roamed you look at the amount of Hall of Famers that played right in the heart of when you were playing and you
Were still teeing up at a time with when you talked about Arnold Palmer or the Billy katzer they’re all still playing it was it’s incredible when you think about your era now you mention him so I’m gonna I’m GNA ask you the question uh speaking about another goat Tiger
Woods tiger said that he’s going to try to play once a month how excited are you from a fans perspective if you please but at least from A Game’s perspective how important is it that tiger is still out there from a fan perspective I am totally elited I I mean I couldn’t be
Happier um you know to watch him swing the golf club um I’m I’m just ecstatic but um from from the game of golf um right now professional golf um he may be he may be that that kind of that one guy that can can kind of bring professional golf into a calmer State
Than what it is um right now we get all the players uh four times a year at the major championships uh you you know tiger I think or at least his hope and wish is that he plays all four Mages and I and I just think I think he is the one
Guy that that can kind of bring calm to the whole situation and and hopefully everything gets done pretty soon but he’s an important part of professional golf right now and and we need him we need his Insight um we need we need a bunch of his time which he’s willing to
Give uh and he’s giving back um and and that’s what I love about where he is uh with his golf with his private life with everything going forward uh but I’m excited about seeing him play uh he’s having to do it a different way you can
See that um he’s worked out a lot U maybe that’s one of your goals Maddie you know try to get up there and I saw the you’re starting to uh maybe stretch a little bit and work some different muscles so can you get can you get to where a
Tiger is or maybe not but uh I he’s going to have to do it a different way but he understands it I mean he knows more about every little thing he needs to do in order to compete than any player I’ve ever seen and he he leaves
Nothing unturned and you know I look forward to watching him play but I do think he is a massive part of getting professional golf back to where it needs to be you know morawa he made the statement I’m tired of all the fluff uh Xander schofl I’m just going to go bury
My head in the sand I’m you know I’m just going to keep going forward you have guys that want some answers professional golf wants some answers and right now um they’re trying to get those answers but there aren’t any right now you know the extension of
Of uh the deal with the PGA Tour and um PF I you know I just hope it it gets done I hope everything uh there’s some sensibility to it and it gets done and but I think tiger is a big part of this whole thing there’s Billy right there
Classic I’ll tell you what he’s still got that move Billy how about your year in 1978 it was it was crazy good yeah it it was a fun year and um you know coming off uh a win at Hartford uh the year before and then you know
Having a chance to win and then my good friend Hubert uh got me in a playoff but uh you know I it was it was a nice run that I had till 86 and like you were talking about earlier you know the ability to be able to play with Arnold
Jack trino Floyd Weiss I I mean I could just go down the list and uh you know I’ve lost a couple of close friends you know Hubert green Tom Weiss cof and um but it was a great era to play in and I enjoyed it uh you
Know playing college gone with khaw Bill Rogers Bruce litzky Craig Stadler Gary KO I you know you just go on down the list and uh it was quite a special time Maddie what’ you think about Raymond Floyd did you play with him much played a lot with Raymond in fact
There was there was I I continue to tell this story there was there was a kind of a nwe period and prior to the sophisticated way that they do the pairings now it was just all index cards so each week you know you go in there
And boom boom boom they shuffle them and sometimes they stick together and sometimes they don’t well there’s a 9we period I played with Raymond Floyd Lee trino or both nine straight weeks and every single round that they play now this is nine weeks every single round
They played or I played with them one of them chipped in I mean I you don’t expect me to be surprised to hear that well Raymond was the master at the for iron off The Fringe and just kind of use it like a putter I mean he he’d make one around no
Problem so that’s classic what did what did leino say or call you he he’s got something on everybody you know what he just he just called me Katy you know and that’s you know he he kind of has a nickname for everybody it’s kind of like tiger really
You know Tiger has a nickname for everyone and and uh but apparently katsy just kind of fits because that’s what tiger says too so they’re kind of on the same page so far as nicknames but but Lee I mean he you know he was always he was always that guy that when you
Repaired with him you knew you were going to enjoy it one you were going to see a great ball Striker uh maybe one of the top three um you were going to witness that the ability that he had to to get to a whole location you know he didn’t have to land
It up there he can make one of those bada balls just crawl right up the slope he could put so much spin on it and that I mean it was amazing to play with these guys and the Chi-Chi Rodriguez uh George NS and these these ball Strikers it was just fabulous
That’s what I mean about playing during a time when Giants roam now it when we’re talking about 2024 I think just looking at the four majors of this year tells a lot of where we’re at the Masters our defending Champion is John Rah he went to live
We’re at Valhalla the last to win at Valhalla of course was Rory mroy in 2014 we’re going back to Pinehurst for and that was for the PGA Championship we’re going back to Piner for the US Open Martin kimer won there in 14 he’s he’s now with Liv Michelle we won on the
Women’s side if you remember back to back she’s retired at the open our defending champion of course is Brian Harmon but the last time we were at Royal trun Henrik Stenson won and that epic battle with Phil Mickelson both with live I mean it’s a microcosm that
Pick those four events and talk about the balance of power in the game of golf but I I would leave it and that broad brush to you to react if if I may Billy in terms of where we’re at heading into 24 in the game well um I think we’re positioned to
Where if we can somehow get an agreement to where you can have the top players in the world play against each other more uh you know what that solution might be I don’t know I certainly it’s it’s much more difficult than just saying that we’re going to do it um otherwise
It would have already been done I just think that um in order to have the game the professional game where it needs to be you need to figure that out um I thought it’s interesting that you brought that up that you have ROM kimer uh Stenson so you have those guys um
They’re over at Liv now uh that have won those championships in tournaments so I guess I really never thought of it that way but I think that kind of shows you exactly where we are right now but where we need to be for the betterment of the
Game I think you know how do we put everything aside um I mean even Rory has said hey I was a little too hard in my comments in my statements uh about the guys that jumped over to live um there there’s a softening there um so I think I think
Amongst the players there’s more of a a softer approach is is what I’m hearing and and maybe that’s going to be what was necessary to make all this work um I just think it a hard stance at the beginning uh was certainly the wrong method um at least it’s proven to be the
Wrong method and now if we can get the the the best players in the world together because you want to be able to say uh like the TPC used to uh this the players used to always say the best field in golf well the best fields in
Golf now are the ones with the major championships uh so um hopefully it can get resolved I I don’t know how they’re going to you know eventually come to that but if it’s if it’s 10 or 12 times a year uh I think that would be great uh
But there are some stumbling blocks that everyone needs to get over and and right now no one knows what those those stumbling blocks are but apparently they’re in place otherwise the deal would have been done Billy when you look at and you again you take this any way you want to
Go down the direction you want is there a risk for the game of golf in the discussions and in the current of in the flow of events happening around it right now I you know what I think I think as we talk about the game of golf and and where it is if
We talk about it professionally then we’re going to talk about where you play what when you play uh how much you’re paid whatever uh if you go down the other path and and then you want to talk about what they’re doing with the game and the equipment and everything well that’s a
That’s that affects more people so I guess Matt I I guess my biggest concern uh with this with the game of golf and where we are right now is what makes most sense um you know if if Rory even said it you know we have the the player you know incentive
Package that you know they had 100 million in there Roy even said it hey if you want to give back to the game if you want to grow the game then then go ahead and take that money and then put it towards something whether usj an RNA split it whatever whatever organization
But you know do that and and and you know create more Goodwill that way and you know cuz the guys the guys will give back but you know how do they grow the game well they give back but you can grow the game if you can you know do the
Funding with the usj and the RNA and and whatever so I guess my my biggest outlook on on golf right now that is we have to once again get the people to where they’re they’re happy with professional golf and uh especially on the men’s side you know we need to get
It to where people are more accepting and they’re not doing a lot of arguing and trying to figure out stuff uh Billy I think you and I share a a common mindset from the perspective that I do believe that the game of golf will always Prevail and part of the
Reason it will prevail is because of the heroes that we love to watch play uh but also because of the young people that are continuing to feed into the system like this week at the Sony once again we’re going to get a chance to watch
Ludvig Oar uh it out in Dubai it’s got a great field in the DP World Tour we’re going to get a chance to watch Rory and and a bunch of great players out there as well but oar is one where from the performance that he had not only in his
Own individual right but also with what he did at the Ryder Cup uh again and I’m not taking away from his an individual because it’s really exciting but I think he represents a whole class of young players that are emerging on the game that one day will inherit the mantle of
It but it’s very exciting to to to watch it because it speaks to that hope agreed and and when you look at the PGA Tour and what they’ve done and the the way you perform in in college and the way that you can jump to to the PGA
Tour like Oar did and then all of a sudden you have the success that Oar has had up to this point uh that’s Sensational and and I’ve always said you’re always going to create the stars on the PGA tour the PGA Tour is where
You want to be this is where you want to start you can you can certainly make a name for yourself um that’s the PGA Tour that’s you’re going to you’re you’re see stars every year on the other hand the live uh they’re utilizing those stars
And you see that with the cam Smith the kka and you can just go down the list now you have John ROM and so that’s why I’m saying you need to blend it together but the the Stars today the these young guys they had the qualifier down uh in pindra at s grass
Country Club and the valley course and to go out there and watch these kids play Under the toughest conditions and shoot some of the scores they shot they were amazingly good and and there’s a lot of talent a lot of young players out there uh but I
Love the fact that you can jump from college you get in there you’re a senior you Contin continue on uh you can benefit from that it’s a it’s a plus plus for for that person so the game of golf so as far as the younger players
Are concerned they’re in a good spot I mean they really are I mean the tour has really done a nice job in getting that out there and allowing these players to have access to the BGA tour through playing well in college it’s great and it’s you know the the interesting thing
Billy is it’s not just the young players go out folks if you had a chance and watch a qualifier for a PJ tour Champions event if you don’t shoot south of 65 you’re not getting in it is that good the buffet that is golf Billy I’m sure
You and I will be working together up at NBC in the months that lie ahead but thank you very much as ever for your time it’s great to catch up I always enjoy it Matt and you have a great 2024
