Celebrating Golf's Rising Stars: Sahith Theegala's PGA Tour Win and Grayson Murray's Comeback
Sep 18, 2023Season 3Episode 36
HOST: FRANK A. BASSETT
Join us as we celebrate the journey of Sahith Theegala, the Fortinet Champion, straight from his proud parents Merlee and Karuna. Discover the story behind Sahith's first big win on the PGA Tour and the lead-up to their anticipation of the upcoming RYDER CUP. Expect to be inspired by Murry's unique mental strategy that kept him focused during his round, developed from his time working with NAVY SEALs. And to those who admire resilience, we unravel the story of how Grayson Murray bounced back from a double bogey on the 16th with incredible mental strength to win on THE KORN FERRY TOUR.
But that's not all! Tune in for an in-depth conversation with these champions as we explore how they plan to commemorate their victories. Whether you're a seasoned golf enthusiast or a newcomer to the sport, this episode is packed with insightful stories, personal triumphs, and a celebration of golf's recent champions. Come join us for a memorable episode, you won't want to miss it!
Join us as we celebrate the journey of Sahith Theegala, the Fortinet Champion, straight from his proud parents Merlee and Karuna. Discover the story behind Sahith's first big win on the PGA Tour and the lead-up to their anticipation of the upcoming RYDER CUP. Expect to be inspired by Murry's unique mental strategy that kept him focused during his round, developed from his time working with NAVY SEALs. And to those who admire resilience, we unravel the story of how Grayson Murray bounced back from a double bogey on the 16th with incredible mental strength to win on THE KORN FERRY TOUR.
But that's not all! Tune in for an in-depth conversation with these champions as we explore how they plan to commemorate their victories. Whether you're a seasoned golf enthusiast or a newcomer to the sport, this episode is packed with insightful stories, personal triumphs, and a celebration of golf's recent champions. Come join us for a memorable episode, you won't want to miss it!
Speaker 1:
This is PGA Tour Countdown. Welcome everybody, frank Bassett, joining you for PGA Tour Countdown, the Rap, the tournaments are in the books for this past week on the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champions and the Corn Fairy Tour. And guess what? We have short interviews from all three of your winners, plus an interview with the Fortinet Champion, sahith Tagala. What a fine young man and it is his first win on the PGA Tour, so he's very excited. His family's there and we'll let you hear that interview at the end of the show at length. But let's get right to it with all the winners from this past weekend.
Speaker 4:
It is official you are the champion, you are tour bound. Once again, we made a lot of the sports psychology that you have undertaken the last couple of weeks and with Navy SEALs you were so disciplined, you were so patient all week. Walk us through a little bit mentally where you were.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, I mean that was the calmest I was for four days ever on a golf course. Going back to as a kid that session that I had with Tony Blower and San Diego with my instructor went out there with me and my dad and my instructor really pushed me to go out there and try it and do it. It was kind of the spur of moment type deal. I wanted to be at home on my off week but I decided to go out there and it obviously paid off. I couldn't be more thrilled how I handled myself out there. Having this guy beside me was you know. I think we kept telling ourselves that we were wasting no mental energy. This week we are just heading it and going and finding it and just kind of doing that and that is worth.
Speaker 4:
Kipper, yesterday you guys made a double bogey on 16 from 116 yards. Grayson's response showed us so much. What did you see?
Speaker 5:
That was amazing right there. I mean, he hit two perfect golf shots. We thought, you know, we kind of blew the wind there and it sailed over the green and he was with no man's land back there and he, you know, he didn't hit his chip hard enough. It was impossible chip to come back. And then he chipped it short of the green again. I was going, uh-oh man, this is when my guy really usually implodes and he just walked over and put the putter in the bag and just had to the next tee man, and I went that right, there is the key to my guy right there, once he found a way to do what he's doing now. There's no limit to what this guy can do. His game is so big.
Speaker 4:
Physically, the tools have always been there. Now, mentally, it's all back on the PJ Tour. It's almost like a second awakening for your career.
Speaker 3:
It is. Yeah, I mean, I think everyone says they get second chances and I feel like I've gotten three or four or even more than that and I'm blessed to be where I'm at and I'm blessed to be able to go back out there and you know, I think my game and my mental game is good enough to go out there and compete and be a top player.
Speaker 4:
And Kipper's been a great year for the Henley family here in Tennessee, by the way. Wow right, any plans to celebrate?
Speaker 3:
I think we're going to uh Kipper's wife and daughter here and we might get a nice dinner downtown Nashville and just hang low and just go to Columbus tomorrow.
Speaker 4:
Well, it's certainly a popular winter and, as caddy, as bagman Kipp Henley, he'll be smiling big for the rest of the week.
Speaker 1:
What is Hello Fresh? With Hello Fresh, you get farm fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. You skip the trips to the grocery store and count on Hello Fresh to make home cooking easy, fun and affordable. That's why it's America's number one. Meal kit Falls right around the corner, folks, and Hello Fresh is here to help you plan for the busy season ahead with tasty dishes delivered right to your front door or back door, wherever you tell them to deliver it to. Simply choose your recipes and pick your delivery date. Then lay back and enjoy the last days of summer knowing dinner is covered.
Speaker 1:
Parents have enough back to school shopping and planning to do so. Why don't you let Hello Fresh get the groceries and save you some cash with pre-portioned meals delivered right to your door? I gotta tell you folks I use Hello Fresh. They've been a sponsor of ours in the past. They're back again as a beloved sponsor because I love cooking Hello Fresh meals. They're fantastic and they just hit the spot. The portions are great. I love them. They're my favorite. So go to hellofreshcom, slash 50 countdown and use code 50 countdown for 50% off plus free shipping. Remember that's 50 countdown 50 COUNT D-O-W-N and you get 50% off, plus you get free shipping. You gotta do this, folks. Hellofresh is the best.
Speaker 5:
It seems like what I do out here. I come out here, I get to talk to Steve Stryker every day and then congratulated him at the end of the week. Well done.
Speaker 6:
Thank you. I kind of limped it in there in the last hole but I knew I had a couple shots to play with and just yeah, it was a battle. You know, always on these Sundays trying to win a golf term, as a battle, not only you know your emotions, the game, everything you know, just trying to get it done, but it's so rewarding when you do.
Speaker 5:
What about those eight holes from 9 through 16? Three parties in an eagle in that stretch? What kicked in.
Speaker 6:
You know I knew the back was, you know, the area where you could score. You know I had a nice birdie putt at 10 that I didn't make and I was kind of kicking myself Didn't birdie 11. But then that eagle at 12, really kind of jump, started that back side and again, it's a lot of fun. You know I didn't hit the shots like I want to at times and that's what keeps you grinding, keeps you working at it, trying to improve, but ultimately got it done, which is really cool. It's the year of Stryker, congratulations.
Speaker 1:
Your business gets to a certain size and the cracks start to emerge. Things you used to do in a day are taking a week. You have too many manual processes. You don't have one source of truth. If this is you, you should know these three numbers 36,000, 25,000 and 1,000. Okay, let's go at them one by one. 36,000 that's the number of businesses which have upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle. Netsuite's the number one cloud financial system, streamlining accounting, financial management, inventory, hr and more.
Speaker 1:
25, netsuite turns 25 this year. That's 25 years of helping businesses do more with less, close their books in days, not weeks, and drive down costs. And then there's one, because your business is one of a kind, so you get a customized solution for all of your KPIs, that's, key performance indicators and one efficient system with one source of truth. You manage risk, get reliable forecasts and improve margins Everything you need all in one place. You know, I was in business for many, many years before I got into radio and TV and I will tell you that we had dysfunctional systems that didn't talk to each other, so it took forever to get the information we needed to make smart decisions. Well, with the brand new NetSuite product that they're offering right now with an unprecedented offer. You can't go wrong, and their offer that NetSuite's providing makes everything possible for you. So right now I want you to download NetSuite's popular KPI checklist, designed to give you consistently excellent performance, absolutely free at netsuitecom slash PGATour that's, netsuitecom slash PGATour to get your own KPI checklist. Netsuitecom slash PGATour.
Speaker 2:
Well Sahib, in your 74th start on the PGA tour, you walk away with your very first victory in your home state of California, no less, in a place that you love so much. What does this moment mean to you?
Speaker 7:
Oh it just it doesn't feel real. It's probably not going to set in for a while, but, man, I was a lot of good golf and that was some of the most fun I've ever had in my life. I mean, I had so many family and friends cheering me on and just the support I have is mind-blowing. I go to bed at night these last few days. I'm like I can't believe how many people are cheering for me and rooting for me. But, man, this feeling is incredible and I couldn't have done it without my whole team and everyone out here. I mean, this is such a team effort and for me to just put it together like this, it means the world. It means the world to me.
Speaker 2:
Well, golf is a solitary sport, terry was saying on our broadcast. But your friends and family, your support system, that's what really makes this machine work. Your dad Merlee, mom Karuna and everybody here, 35 strong. How important were they to your success here this week and to your whole career?
Speaker 7:
They meant everything. I mean, just like the way I am, I kind of keep my head down and keep going and then stay focused. But I secretly just love the cheering. It gets me fired up and just knowing that I have that support, no matter the good golf or the bad golf, they just have my back and I hope they know that I have their back too. So you know, it's just I can't even express how I feel, but it's a team win. It's not just a win for me, it's a win for the whole family and everyone.
Speaker 2:
Merlee, you and Karuna have been there for every single step of the way through this career. What does it mean to you to watch your son achieve this dream?
Speaker 8:
It's incredible. I think one thing is you know, as a rookie, you know you're hoping that somebody you know plays bad and for you to win it, but he went and got it. That I'm so proud of him because this is a this goes long for his career, feeling confident that I could do it on my own, I don't have to depend on others. I think this is what I was proud of him that I know he could do it. But I had to be really realistic. When he won in college four times out of 40, I told him realistically in PGA Tour he may have been only one out of 100, and he proved me wrong, just but he's very, he's very practical. I had to make it practical for him that he can receive.
Speaker 2:
He's a hard work girl. Well, congratulations, you deserve every single moment of this. To the whole team, thigala, you guys have earned it and you're going to celebrate tonight.
Speaker 7:
Definitely going to celebrate.
Speaker 2:
Thank you, Kiera All right, Terry, it's a family affair down here.
Speaker 1:
So there you have it Three winners and we are off to the races, counting down the time until we get to the Ratter Cup. We'll be back with you with Golf Talk America and all the other shows on the Golf Talk America Network this week, but let's get out of here now and let's go enjoy some beautiful weather, play some golf and then get ready for all the tournaments that are going to hit us this week. So for the Golf Talk America Network team, for PGA Tour countdown and all those who work with us, our reporters in the field and our engineers, I'm Frank Bassett saying we'll catch you in the grill.