Get ready to stroll the hallowed fairways of Augusta with us, your hosts Tim Matthews and Frank Bassett, as we bring you the essence of Masters Week. Feel the pulse of the tournament and the character of the PGA Tour, all bundled up in discussions rich with golfing lore and the latest industry shakeups. Our journey isn't solo; we're graced by the wisdom of former Senator Sam Nunn and the architectural insight of Robert Trent Jones Jr. Moreover, we reunite with Virgil Herring, reliving the foundation days of our show and the evolving landscape of golf media.
Get ready to stroll the hallowed fairways of Augusta with us, your hosts Tim Matthews and Frank Bassett, as we bring you the essence of Masters Week. Feel the pulse of the tournament and the character of the PGA Tour, all bundled up in discussions rich with golfing lore and the latest industry shakeups. Our journey isn't solo; we're graced by the wisdom of former Senator Sam Nunn and the architectural insight of Robert Trent Jones Jr. Moreover, we reunite with Virgil Herring, reliving the foundation days of our show and the evolving landscape of golf media.
PGA Tour Countdown is sponsored by Row Body Program, the most popular weight loss shots on the market. Lose 15 to 20% of your weight in a year on average and actually keep it off with Row. That's R-O Factor is unbelievable. Get chef-prepared meals on the table in two minutes with Factor's delicious ready-to-e eat meals. And remember that NetSuite is by Oracle and over 37,000 companies have already made the move. So do the math. See how you'll profit with NetSuite. That's NetSuite by Oracle. Welcome to a special edition of PGA Tour Countdown and Golf Talk America together. The 11th of April, it's the first day of the Masters.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the fusion of golf, music, sports and entertainment. Golf Talk America with Tim Matthews and Frank Bassett.
Speaker 3:Take it away, boys. And hello everybody. Welcome to Golf Talk America once again. And this is a special week that I don't have to tell anybody out there, even if you're not a golf fan, what this week is all about, but if you are a golf fan then this is kind of a religious week for all of us. I think I could be fair in saying that it's probably the biggest week of the year for everybody, and the Masters and the week of the Masters and everything at Augusta just has such a special tone to it that we're all excited about it and can't wait to talk to you guys out there and let you know what's happening. And the reason that we can give you the specifics about what's happening today and throughout the tournament today is, as we're recording, this is first day for the Masters Thursday. It's because Frank Bassett, normally in the Nashville studios, is in the soon-to-be-erected Augusta Georgia studios and he comes to us there with a special guest and a special friend of his as well. Frank, how are you doing this morning?
Speaker 1:I'm doing absolutely fantastic, Tim. It's Masters Week. What do you expect?
Speaker 3:Am I right on that Got here early.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a very special week, best week, sure, you know the Players Championship, as you well know, used to be.
Speaker 3:Oh my God, If you say that again, I swear.
Speaker 1:But it isn't. It's the Masters now the players has changed. It's just not the same anymore, but it's special because of all the friends that you see and I was in the media center yesterday in the clubhouse talking to some friends. Got to spend some time talking to Sam Nunn yesterday. He is still around.
Speaker 1:Former, senator, congressman, senator, right, yes, absolutely senator and he was wearing his green jacket. We were joking around having some fun and ran into Robert Trent Jones Jr yesterday. He's getting up there. He's going to stop by this week and record something with us, so we'll have that for our fans or patrons or whatever.
Speaker 3:I'm curious, Frank, Is the media center? Does it have the Glenn Levitt on tap for you there still?
Speaker 1:No, no, but it does at the Azalea House.
Speaker 3:Glen Levitt is on tap here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. It's special in many, many, many, many ways. But what happened this morning to me? I'm standing here there was a delay, as you well know and we're all in the Azalea House and it's packed inside and out in the patio, people mulling around getting ready to go over because of the delay, and someone walks up to me and I was absolutely floored.
Speaker 1:I haven't seen him in forever even though we live in the same town, we just haven't seen each other. We've our path started out in 2014, when your path started on pgatourcom, as well as ours, and the first, the original, my first pick for the host because again I was producing, I wasn't going to be behind the mic was my good, good, good friend, and I can't stress that enough. Mr Virgil Herring is here with us on the headset. Memories buddy.
Speaker 2:But it hurts my feelings a little bit how great things were in 2014. We got started. It was just the best radio show I've ever been a part of, so I can't thank you enough for the time that we had. It was unbelievable good. It was so good.
Speaker 1:It was so much fun, and I mean, Virgil, you did a great job and at that time, of course, Tim was hosting the game on pgetourcom. Yep. And you came in. Did you come in right after us, tim or two shows behind?
Speaker 3:after 8 to 10? I think it was right after.
Speaker 2:Yeah right after. I'm pretty sure it was right after, was it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it was so much fun. You know, we had Virgil was the anchor, like you were on your show, and then we had See our Paul Stankowski lookalike was Ned Michaels and he prepared a lot like Stanky, does you know? Oh, what are we talking about today?
Speaker 3:As soon as he goes on the air.
Speaker 1:There you go. Yeah, and you had Steve Johnson as your instructor in those days. And we had Danny Briggs as our player from the PGA Tour. Yep, yep, and it was Virgil and Danny and Ned, and it was some great radio and you guys had great radio too. Y'all had a lot of fun.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was a good time back then. Yeah, we had a lot of fun and yeah, it was exciting and fun and kind of in early parts of all that. And PGA Tour radio is different now, isn't it? I mean, they don't really put so much out as they did back when. Everything's happening different now in Club Ponte Vedra.
Speaker 1:It was kind of special.
Speaker 1:The PGA Tour or PGATourcom. Totally different. They don't really. I guess Swantec is still doing something, but they really don't promote the podcast like they used to. We were live shows. We weren't podcasting in those days. We were eight, we were eight to ten every freaking day, yeah, yeah, uh, five days a week. And then we converted to the podcast and you know, the team kind of split up and broke up and golf talk. America evolved with doug bell for a while and then, um, fred albers, and everybody kind of filled in. You filled in some, and then you and you and I got together and I ended up on the microphone and you kind of helped train me to continue to stumble and step on you when you're talking. So there, tim, you're my mentor.
Speaker 3:Yeah and we've gone ever since.
Speaker 1:Yeah but Virgil's background. I mean, virgil's been doing a lot of stuff and we'll talk about that, but Virgil was originally Brant Snedeker's instructor, and Virgil is a guru when it comes to getting somebody you know, looking at the numbers and working with them, a fabulous, fabulous instructor. And Virgil, you did a TED Talk also. Now You're doing some really cool stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so in July I became the first pga professional to ever do a ted talk.
Speaker 2:That's cool, and I didn't even really talk about golf. I talked about what it takes to be great and I used the principles. I used the principles of what we, um, what I teach in golf and they just happen to be the same things that it takes to be great at anything. So I told stories for basically 15 minutes to discuss what it takes to be great and from there I had no idea where it was going to take me. And next thing, you know, I'm here at the Masters with Dave Meltzer Meltzer and it's what a wild ride going from golf teacher to golf channel, golf Talk America, you know, doing News Channel 5, all the stuff that I do on News.
Speaker 1:Channel 5 for golf Well before Golf Talk America, though you did the local show there, you were the longest-running golf talk show in Nashville, like Tim, is in Dallas with the game Talking golf with Virgil Herring COVID ended me.
Speaker 1:COVID ended a lot of people, literally and figuratively. So you and Tim were like the old guard of radio in your respective cities. I was the guy sitting back and listening to it and not having to work so hard to do it. I'll never forget Tim this is a great story when Virgil, some things changed with his. He had a sidekick. Ned was his sidekick for a period of time there, ned Michaels, he won. What tournament did he win? On the Asian Tour, singapore Open, singapore Open. Yeah, I don't know who's at the door, but somebody answer the doorbell, would you? But I remember sitting down with Virgil and this is a guy I looked up to. Tim. I mean confident. Hell of a player, I mean crushes the golf ball and a hell of an instructor also. I mean truly.
Speaker 1:And I looked up to him and he looked at me at lunch one day after he was going to do the show all by himself, with no sidekick, and he said Frank, I'm kind of nervous about this. I've never really had to do a show all by myself. I will never forget. Do you remember what I said to you that day? I was floored that you, virgil Herring, are nervous number one. I'm the guy who's when I got behind this mic I was terrified, but I said I'll never forget it. I said, Virgil, you're talking to your friends. Just talk to your friends. That's all you got to do. They're tuning in because they want to hear you. So just talk to your friends. And you did it. And I'll never forget. I was sitting there that day listening to you and you just blew it out of the. You blew it, I mean blew it great, just perfect.
Speaker 2:I think one of the things that I've learned once through coaching is like if you have the ability to learn how to use the energy that nervousness creates, it allows you to do things greater than you could without it, and that's one of the most important parts of understanding what goes on inside the brain. It's like that. That nervous energy is excitement too right. So if you can learn how to harness it, if you can learn how to harness that energy, it allows you to do greater things than you could without it. And that's what that's what the Masters does to these people too.
Speaker 2:You know and there's a really interesting number, which is to choke at anything means that you're doing something past 20%, past what you're capable of doing, but greatness occurs between, you know, 8% and 15%. So you have to really stay focused because you're a little bit past your best and the greatest things occur in that place where just a little bit past your best causes you to go into flow state or high-end zone, and that's what allows greatness to occur, and I just let it happen. I stopped trying to make it happen on radio, on TV, whatever, and fortunately I study golf intently, so it just allows me to be able to free flow without much thought.
Speaker 1:Well, you're good at it, You're smooth. No, you're great at it and you're smooth. And listening to you, listening to Tim over the years, and Doug Bell and Fred Albers and all of our team, john Swantek and all the guys Mark Immelman taught me a lot about doing this and I just love being behind the mic now. It's just fun, and I love just getting Tim off balance half the time because he'll be on some subject and I'll just come in with something else just way out of left field. Tim, did you rejoin us? If we lost Tim Matthews, we might Again. We're in Augusta, georgia, for the 2024 Masters. I'm sitting here with Virgil Herring, the original host of Golf Talk America when it started in 2014 in Nashville, tennessee, broadcasting on pgatourcom worldwide, with a great crew and a lot of fun, unbelievable guests. We'll talk a little bit about those guests when we come back. Don't go anywhere. We're live from the Azalea House at the 2024 Masters.
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Speaker 1:So, do the math, see how you'll profit with NetSuite. The product is absolutely incredible. It's as I said earlier, I wish we had had NetSuite in my businesses in my years as a CEO. So here's what I want you to do, and I want you to do this right now. Now, through April 15th, netsuite is offering a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program. Head to netsuitecom slash golftalk. That's netsuitecom slash golftalk, netsuitecom slash golftalk. And welcome back to the Masters. I should have played the Masters music, I think. Hey, sorry about that little glitch we had with the Internet, of course, being in Augusta, georgia, this time of year with the many people that are here for this minor league tournament they call the Masters, it's just the internet is tough. So what we've done is we went back to the rotary phone, we dialed Tim Matthews in Dallas, texas, and his man-servant answered the phone and handed it to him. So, tim, are you with us?
Speaker 3:I feel like Andy Griffith. I'm actually talking on a phone that's on the wall with the earpiece that I put in, and then I get the operator and ask him to put me through to Andy Lulu, would you get me through to Barney please?
Speaker 1:Absolutely, that's what we're doing in Augusta.
Speaker 3:But, you know, it is true. It is true that in Augusta, I don't think you know there's probably one cell tower in the whole place. Every time I've been there which is not a lot, but I've been there I guess three times people complain about the same thing, which is that you can't get much internet, and I don't think that the powers that be around there don't really want you to have that much. They kind of want you to be there for golf and for the old schoolness of it, and so I don't know that they really update a lot of that stuff. So it's kind of a constant theme there and you just have to deal with it. So we have to deal with it, absolutely.
Speaker 1:So what you missed, I'll bring you up to speed. Virgil was talking about going from his local show to Golf Talk America and then expanding his teaching and instruction and then doing some golf channel TV. Then he did something that really sort of sent him on a new path. He's working with a friend of ours, dave Meltzer, now. He did a TED Talk and that brought he and Dave together and that's how Virgil ended up here at the Azalea House. He'll be working with the people that Dave has invited here this afternoon for an event. So, virgil, it's great as I said earlier, it's fabulous to have you sitting next to me.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, augusta National is really special to me. It was 20 years ago this week that I was here with Brant as an amateur, and it's hard to believe it's 20 years ago, but it is Wow, you don't look a day older. I know I'm remarkably fit for 50.
Speaker 1:That painting that's in the attic, that's aging in your mouth, there you go.
Speaker 2:But it's the best run golf tournament in the world. I love it here and I literally couldn't believe it when I walked in and I saw you, because it just like then, the memories of all that we did came flooding back.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:It's great, but it's going to be, I look forward. Like golf needs this Masters to be a great Masters.
Speaker 1:It does. I agree, tim, you agree, don't you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I think because of everything with live and and I started to watch the next season of full swing, which kind of brings us to last year, but I mean, with a lot of the guys trying to blend and get back together and rory basically taking a back seat again, which I think was very wise on his part, and and you know, I think to get into that, rory lost a lot of fans because of his hard line stance, because I think a lot of fans are like I really don't care what you billionaire guys do, just play golf and let me enjoy watching the best players play, while we kind of got drawn into this you know crazy world that they're in, and and he kind of became the the lightning rod of a lot of that and and so I think he's he's smartly and said, okay, let me just play some golf, let me do what I have to do. And I think a lot of those guys have said the same thing. So, even on that Netflix series and you guys walking around at Augusta today and tomorrow and the next days, I think they're all being friendly with each other. I don't know that there's any hard feelings. Think they're all being friendly with each other. I don't know that there's any hard feelings. They kind of were forced into having hard feelings and saying some bold statements until everybody started to. Well, you know, it's not really getting us anywhere, let's. So I? I agree, virgil, I think because of all that and all the drama that's happened.
Speaker 3:And, uh, somebody brought up the comparison, said well, could it be like, you know, uh, baseball or the nfl, where you have the afc and the NFC and they meet together and they play a Super Bowl and yes, they are in the same league but they're kind of different divisions? Baseball forever was American League and National League and you never saw each other until World Series. So can you coexist with the same sport, but kind of in different leagues? And I guess the comparison is yeah, in the history it's been proven that you can somehow make that work. And that's what the smart guys in the room have to figure that out, how to make it all work, because everybody else wants to either play golf or we want to watch the golf, and let those big guys in the offices and all the attorneys work out the details. And hopefully that's what's going to happen.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I really believe that that is what's going to happen. I think June 6th was probably one of the most incredible days for the tour when it was announced that they were going to try to get together with Liv Shocking and that was I don't know. I just couldn't believe what I saw there. And then I listened to Jon Rahm say that. Jon Rahm felt like he was going to be the final domino that would force it to happen and he was hoping that it would already be done just because he left. I don't know how much I buy all of that, as if it's the reason, because I think there's 175 million other reasons why. But at the end of the day, what happened on June 6th ruined Rory. It really hacked off Xander, john Rahm and Patrick Cantland. I'm surprised that both of those two guys didn't go either.
Speaker 1:Me too.
Speaker 3:And I'm not convinced that if Rory doesn't win this week, I'm not convinced that he's not going either here's a really interesting fact to me or point of all this is if the money is still out there and I guess Rahm is fairly recent right. I mean he got his big chunk and so if it's still out there and if indeed this is going to get worked, I don't know why they haven't. Why would you not jump if you were to bring one of those guys up, shoffley? Why would you not take $100 million or whatever Shoffley is being offered, but it seems like that's about the minimum? Why would you not take it and say, okay, I can still pretty much do everything?
Speaker 3:And I've talked to DJ and Reed and and Smith and all the other guys that made the move to go to the live tour and it doesn't seem like any of them have regrets. So that's the case, and I also up my my wealth to the Frank Bassett category. Then why would I not do that? I mean, it doesn't seem, and I don't know that there's any. You know they talked earlier, as you know, virgil and Frank, about oh well, there's going to be a penalty to pay, right, and I always said, even back then, I go, you got to be joking me. You really think that Phil Mickelson is going to write a check back to the PJ tour for the fact that I took the money to go to live, and that's never going to happen.
Speaker 3:So if there's no downside other than, okay, I can't play at Genesis right now or I can't do, can't go play at Phoenix, or whatever, I don't know that. As you said, virgil, there's not 175 million reasons why I can kind of get over that. If indeed the major thing for all these guys is to play majors right for the top golfers we're talking about. If you're Brooks Koepka, the guy got $180 million or whatever he got. He's living on a boat. I mean, he's got a boat in his backyard. He's got the life of Riley and oh, by the way, I can still win majors. It doesn't seem like there's no reason to not do it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and there's a lot of moving parts, right, and I think that the biggest concern that if they don't get this thing figured out pretty soon is that right now, the golfers are the most overpaid athletes in sport, based around the viewing audience per right.
Speaker 2:And the viewing audience is declining significantly, partly because the big names on the PGA Tour haven't won and CW is not really a household name for Live to be on. And even though YouTube you could argue their YouTube numbers are reasonable, that's not moving the ticker tape yet. But at the end of the day this would be the real litmus test. This is the first time in like nine months that all both tours have convened in front of each other and if we get some type of epic finish and I would almost say that it would be better for the pga tour and this whole thing if a live person won, because that would force the more action to get taken If a PGA Tour player wins, there's like, well, we don't need it yet.
Speaker 2:But if Cam Smith or DJ or Kepco or any one DeChambeau, any one of these guys, the worst one would be awesome. But I mean, if Phil Mickelson wins, it would be absolutely. I can't even imagine the headlines if Mickelson would win. But I really believe that if we could get a nice like a top 10 with five PGA Tour and five live players and it turns into some type of epic showdown like we had in 01.
Speaker 1:That would be phenomenal.
Speaker 2:It would be so good and that would bring some life back and I think it would start to spur on the idea of bringing it together, which is literally stupid that we're not, because there's no difference, in my opinion, between what it was like in the late 80s and early 90s on the European tour. If they went to live, what's the difference between them going to live and what's the difference between Seve and Sandy, lyle and Longer and all those guys on the European tour? They get five exemptions. Give Brooks, dj and Bryson five exemptions and they come over here five times a year but that's all they can play.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree 100%. But let's back up to what happened in that June event on CNBC and what was announced was a framework. It wasn't a framework agreement that was announced. It was an intent to put together a framework agreement. So basically it was a letter of intent between the two entities, between PIF and the PGA Tour. That stopped all the lawsuits. That was part of the deal. They dropped all the lawsuits with prejudice. They're gone forever, can't come back.
Speaker 1:The PGA Tour had already gone in 150 deep, 150 big, large million and they were hurting. The PGA Tour had already gone in 150 deep, 150 big, large million and they were hurting. The PGA Tour was hurting, yep. And they could not keep up. They could not sustain pulling in $20 million, $22 million purses. There's absolutely no way with the sponsorships that they had. So they had to go out and squeeze their big sponsors and say, hey, can I have a little bit more? We need this, this, this Elevated events, whatever they wanted to call it now, designated events, you know, whatever. So, long story short, that stops it. The PGA Tour puts together these events but at the same time, don't you think, behind the scenes, they were working to try to get SSG to come to the table, those big sports guys that were out there, I think that happened in the fall.
Speaker 2:You think, yeah, I think that happened in the fall and it's very fascinating what SSG has done. Is it really hacked off Yasser?
Speaker 1:Oh, you know, that's when Rom came. That was the shot across the bow was Rom.
Speaker 2:So now you're going to deal with, you know, is Arthur Blank and what's the guy's name who owns the Red Sox Going Blank 10. John.
Speaker 1:Red Sox owner John Henry, john Henry, yeah.
Speaker 2:They're not going to take a back seat to Yasser running the tour.
Speaker 1:Well, but wait, think about this, and this is where I was going with this whole thing. Number one the $3 billion they put in 1.5, I guess is being doled out supposedly to the players for no apparent reason, except just to try to keep them in my opinion. But those guys believe in ROI at that level. This ain't your mama's Cheerios at the table. I want to be a fly on the wall in the first board meeting. When they say so, how much have we lost out of our $3 billion investment? We've already put 1.5. In the first board meeting when they say so, how much have we lost out of our $3?
Speaker 2:billion investment.
Speaker 1:We've already put $1.5 in the pockets. And Yasser, don't you think those and this was the sidebar of it SSG, those guys, this may open the door. Just my opinion, it may open the door for them to have discussions now with Yasser and PIF. Pif is an endless well of money period. Don't you think they would like to dip into the PIF for some of their other entities that they're dealing with? And Saudi Arabia wants to diversify from all the oil money and do other things around the world. So I think SSG did it because they really want to work with PIF under the table or, no, on top of the table to maybe get some money in.
Speaker 1:That's a long one, but that's where I was going with that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there could be ulterior motives for those guys, because there's been multiple stories written since the fall when the SSG came around. How are you guys getting your money back? I mean, what are you going to do? Oh, by the way, so you're giving jordan spieth making this up, but you're giving jordan spieth 85 million for his contribution. Tiger's going to get 140 for his guy.
Speaker 3:Once you divvy all that up, which I think added up to close to a billion of their dollars, yeah, where's the return, even on that billion? I mean, is jordan spieth doing something for you? Is tiger gonna do hell? No, they're not. They're. You're just rewarding them for their, for their contribution. Right, you're good, and you're basically as Frank, you're competing with the live money. Say, okay, well, jordan, now you've got $90 million that you weren't expecting, so you're happy. Right, you're going to stay with us instead of taking $400 million to go to live. But again, if you're the guy who's giving that money, what do you get out of that? I mean, you get to go play golf with Tiger or something.
Speaker 3:I don't understand how that makes any sense, but you're right. If indeed they say, well, can we do business with the pif and our three billion investment for the 10 guys involved. Right, we're all putting, we're all putting 400 million into this or whatever their number is. Can we make more than 400 million coming back because of other deals down the road with other things, non-golf with the saudi, maybe? Maybe that would make sense to do it, because everything I've read and all the questions have been thrown, nobody has an answer and nobody's gotten an answer for how exactly would ssg people make money off of this investment in golf, unless it's a hundred year investment? You know you'll get it down the road, way down the road, when something comes all together. So yeah, it is still very, which maybe is why there's no final answer. I know that answer.
Speaker 2:The answer is they're waiting for the new media deal in 2030. That's where they're going to get it. So the tour players get ownership of the new players initiative deal and they're already battling. They're looking at this like the f1 way, which is the f1 racers are actively involved all week in the media and the fans and they have to be very accessible and the f1 drivers love it. The tour players do not like the idea of being accessible to the fans full time, but that's going to be one of the things that grow the game. That creates the buzz that's ultimately going to make them even more money because now they own it.
Speaker 2:But what it really comes down to is that the PGA Tour is going to have a PGA Tour media center in which they're going to be able to follow every player nonstop and, like they already have the Korean Japan and they're going to have the in Korean and they're going to follow the leaders and all the Korean players and they're going to have the Japanese, they're going to follow the leaders and the Japanese players. So it's going to be all over the world, globally and they're going to be able to market that at an unbelievable high price. But they have to wait until 2030. So right now they're just biding their time. They know what they're getting into, but they're going to kill it in the immediate 20, 30.
Speaker 1:Interesting Investment for the future.
Speaker 2:Yeah, investment for the future. And then therein lies the next thing is like, if you look at the business model of Liv, it's not very successful, it's actually pretty poor. But how Liv is going to get their money back or the PFs is going to get their money back, is they're going to sell the teams.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:So the idea right now is they're going to make a maybe 2% to 4% profit if the sale of the teams goes as they intend. Plus, they're predicting two more or three more teams to be added.
Speaker 1:Added to it.
Speaker 2:So therein lies these $120 million. $140 million team sales. That'll add up to like $2 point something billion. And then they come out barely ahead of where they started.
Speaker 1:Well, you spoke of this and, of course, I want to. Let's do this when we come back. Let's take a quick breather when we come back. One more issue I want to discuss in regard to that and you brought it up both you guys Virgil Herring is joining us, of course, and Tim Matthews on the other end In regard to the million or billion dollars that's already been doled out to the players. I have an idea about how it's being done and I want to see what you guys' opinion is of that. So, with that being said, let's take a quick breather. We'll be back. We're live from the Azalea House at the 2024 Masters, with Virgil Herring and Tim Matthews on the other end of the line, and we will be right back. Hey everybody, frank Bassett here.
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Speaker 1:You know we used to say in the old days when Virgil controlled the microphone and the producer there's that tequila music again. Where's the blender? And Danny Briggs would go Hilarious stuff. Frank Bassett, joining you live from the Azalea House with the original host of Golf Talk America who popped in today and surprised us all, virgil Herring Thank you for being here, my friend, my pleasure. And Tim Matthews, the host of Golf Talk America, is joining us from his studio in Dallas, texas, via telephone, because the Internet is so incredibly difficult to deal with here this week in Augusta. Thanks, tim, for struggling through with us on this.
Speaker 3:To show you how bright I am, frank. Yes, the fact that I'm on the phone instead of on the Internet. I haven't left my laptop. I'm still looking at it, as if I'm almost still talking on my headphones. I go, you know what. I actually can wander around my house. I don't have to just sit there and look at the blank screen. So yeah, it took me about 10 minutes to figure that one out, that I don't have to. So yeah, now I'm walking around, but welcome back.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah Well. Are you watching the ceremonial? Did you see the ceremonial starting of the Masters for 2024?
Speaker 3:Well, first of all, yeah, we kind of buried the lead a little bit. There was a delay. What are they saying weather-wise? Because here we are, as we're doing this podcast first day, first morning on Thursday, and there was a weather delay. I'm curious what's the update there now?
Speaker 1:Well, I haven't seen the latest update, but supposedly we start tee times at 1030. That was our last update.
Speaker 2:It looks like they're 10 minutes behind because they were supposed to tee off at 10. Jack, tom and Gary were supposed to tee off at 10-10 and he'd have like 10-25.
Speaker 1:So maybe there's a 15-minute pushback yet Could be the skies. We're looking out the window. Right now we're right here at Azalea House, 1100 Azalea Drive. We're across the street, you can throw a baseball and hit Magnolia Drive. So we're looking out toward the course and it's still pretty puffy out there. The weather report, as everybody probably knows, so I don't need to say it but I will is that it's going to clear up very shortly here by noon or so, and get really, really windy, which is going to play havoc with the swirling through those Georgia pines.
Speaker 1:But as we left the last segment, I brought up the fact that where did that billion dollars go and how was it doled out? It has to be for me, coming from a business background, if they're going to give me $85 million for instance, jordan Spieth here's $85 million they don't just hand it to him. There's an agreement that has to be signed for that $85 million and in that agreement they're going to secure his participation on the PGA Tour somehow, some way. Now, in doing that, does that mean he has now become an employee of the PGA Tour and not an independent contractor? So I'm not an attorney, although Pontevedra has a lot of them down there. I don't know, guys, what. Tim Virgil. Where did you jump in?
Speaker 3:I mean it could be that, of course, the appeal for a lot of golfers on the PGA Tour is that they are independent contractors. So they're very different than LeBron James and Patrick Mahomes, the guys who play for leagues and play for teams and basically are owned by those teams and those leagues. These guys are free to do what they want. Well, there's obviously been some question about that. That's kind of Phil's whole point is if we are indeed, then how come you guys have our media rights and all the other things that went into the leaving for the live tour and all that? So I don't know. You're right.
Speaker 3:I would think if you're going to hand a guy a check that that size, you're going to say, well, here's what comes with that check. I don't know that they want to give up their freedoms. Right to say, okay, now I work for the pj tour, um, because that would change the business model that they've had forever. But certainly there's got to be some kind of commitment to you know, this would be so classic, wouldn't it be like a top high school recruit taking the money from Georgia and then going to sign at Ole Miss. It's like, okay, so it's like Jordan takes his money. We don't want Georgia's hand-me-downs.
Speaker 1:We don't want the hand-me-downs from Georgia, my coach at Ole Miss is the master of the portal. Okay, I love Lane Kiffin. I'm off on another tangent. Here I go. But, Virgil, what do you think about all that?
Speaker 2:I believe that because they have ownership now in what the tour is doing, that that's going to make it interesting, because that would classify it not necessarily as an independent contractor, because now they're owners. So I would imagine this is where it's going to get down to the players and that contract that they're going to be writing. That's probably what Tiger's playing a major role in, that Peter Malnati and all of those dudes. But at the end of the day, we already know whether it's good or bad. The person who's really calling the shots is Tiger.
Speaker 1:Yes, I agree.
Speaker 2:And, at the end of the day, I think that they're going to do everything they can to keep it entrepreneurial as they can, but, as we know, if you throw eight zeros and two commas into something, people will listen, and I think that that's going to be. I think that's what we're going to be staring at. Is there's going to be, you know, you think Tiger. Tiger's going to get the most, roy's going to get the second most, probably Jordan Spieth's going to get the third most and Justin Thomas is going to get the fourth most amount of money would be my guess, in the order of it all.
Speaker 1:Scheffler, scheffler.
Speaker 2:Maybe Scheffler, scheffler, maybe Scheffler in front of Justin Thomas?
Speaker 1:They don't need Scheffler to jump ship. I don't think he will. I don't think that's where his heart is. But, boy, if he did, it would be a body blow.
Speaker 3:Isn't there money also going to Legacies? I mean, isn't Jack getting some? I don't know, it's not going to be $50 million, but as I understood it, guys who have contributed Watson and Jack are also going to get a chunk for what they've done over the last 40 years to build up the PGA Tour to where it's at. They're buying loyalty, I think. If that is indeed true, Jack has done an awful lot, but he hasn't done anything for 35 years it's done in corporate America.
Speaker 1:all the time it's called a signing bonus.
Speaker 2:It's going to be interesting to see how that works out for sure.
Speaker 3:But what are you going to get out of Jack? You're just giving Jack a thank you. Nobody wants Jack to be on a podcast or be social media or anything else. You're not getting it. So I guess you're just doing it to thank you. But I also think you're doing it to have Jack stay loyal, jack to say, okay, speak well of the PGA Tour so that we can. And if that is indeed the case, then what kind of agreement? Because it does sound like they're doing separate train track endeavors here Live Tour and PGA. How do they come together? I mean, if we're going to give you money so that you'll stay low and Live's still going to buy players like they showed with Rom, what kind of agreement do they make? Because it seems like they're still banging heads pretty good against each other here and I don't know how they're going to settle all that, I think there's two massive issues.
Speaker 2:I think the first issue is that what the PIF wants and what the PGA Tour and SSG wants, they're not very well aligned. But let's just say, for all intents and purposes, in about by December, they put it together. I really think the biggest hurdle is the Department of Justice, because when they had that hearing man the PGA Tour got exposed and they got exposed bad, big time.
Speaker 2:And I don't think they were expecting that. They got their head kicked in. They were like, literally those people were trying to hand the PGA Tour easiness, and then that one guy right at the very end. One more question there's that event in China and there's all this money.
Speaker 1:Oh God, that was a body blow. And they're like oh God, oh no, please no.
Speaker 2:So I don't know that they're going to get this through for a lot of reasons, and I think there is the big hang-up Now. Obviously you grease enough pockets. We know how that works, we're watching it, but I mean, at the end of the day it's going to be hard-pressed to get past to the DOJ on that, and I don't think the biggest hurdle is the bringing together of the tours, I think it's going to be the Department of Justice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't disagree with that at all, because that was a body blow with that final question. That was the killer and the tour had to number one. The tour had to get rid of these lawsuits and within that was disclosure. And that's what they were. It wasn't the money as much as it was what could come out in disclosure. And Piff was smart enough to say okay, and they just dealt the card to the PGA Tour that said we are just going to tie you up and throw you in the river on this one if you keep up messing with us. It's been a wild ride. I don't want to belabor it because we are at the 2024 Masters with Virgil Herring and Tim Matthews joining us here. Virgil and I here in Augusta at Azalea House and Tim in the Dallas Studios. But let's take a quick breather, a break, whatever you want to call it. Up next is Dave Logue. Our old executive producer used to say never say we're taking a break, say up next. So I'll say this. Up next, tim Matthews and Virgil Herring and me are going to break down a little bit about what we think is going to happen at this Masters.
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Speaker 1:Do it today and welcome back to Augusta, georgia, frank Bassett, joining you alongside Virgil Herring and Tim Matthews for the 2024 Masters, live from the Azalea House, and the music you just heard the bumper music we've played for years on this show means it's time for a tequila frozen. Margarita, virgil, you've had your third already this morning. Wow, man.
Speaker 2:I'm feeling fresh.
Speaker 1:You're feeling fresh, Tim. How's it going in Dallas?
Speaker 3:Don't we have Masters music? Isn't your buddy the author of the Masters official music.
Speaker 1:Dave Loggins, a friend of mine. You know, dave, don't you Virgil does. He did write it. He did write this stuff right here. He wrote that stuff, that's what we need to play. There you go and you know what he did with that.
Speaker 3:Brings a tear to my eye.
Speaker 1:He gave that to Frank Chikernian and said he was so inspired when he was walking down the fairways for his first time at the Masters, that song came in his mind and he wrote it and gave it to CBS. And they said how much do you want for it? And he said, oh, nothing. So the last time I talked to Dave I said listen, when you pass, will you will the rights to that song to me, because I'm going to go after the money on that one, Dave Loggins great, great writer.
Speaker 1:He's Kenny Loggins' cousin, by the way. But anyway, frank Bassett, joining you, virgil Herring and Tim Matthews, and we promised that we'd get off of this live golf and this SSG stuff and let's talk some Masters and let's talk about well, you've got to bring up Tiger and what's going to happen here with the delays that we have, he doesn't tee off until around 3 or 3.30 today now, but, guys, so I'm assuming, jim, if I could jump in, yeah, please, we're not going to get the first round totally in today.
Speaker 3:Is that a given?
Speaker 2:That's pretty much a given.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think so. Okay, so some guys won't finish Okay and look at the trees. Look at the treetops, Virgil.
Speaker 2:How do you think I ought to play this? Start it out over the trees on the right side and let it go. Yeah, I think this is going to be. Today is going to be an interesting day, because when you get it wet and then you get the wind blowing, you get a little bit of moisture on the club face interacting with the ball. You're not going to be able to spin it as much, and then if it gets offline and the wind gets it further offline, that's going to make today tricky.
Speaker 2:Today's going to be the trickiest of the four days, for sure. Whether it's what the wind's going to be blowing like at 4 o'clock is going to be interesting compared to what it is right now, but right now it's humming out here, so I'm going to be interested to see how this plays out In 2000, 2003-ish. This would give Tiger a gigantic advantage Because his iron control was he's the greatest iron player of all time. But at the end of the day, he's not a factor in my opinion, and I think it's going to be really interesting to see how the big names play with 20-plus mile per hour winds and a little bit of moisture between the ball and the face.
Speaker 2:This is what the Masters does. It brings out the best in everybody, because every part of your game gets taxed fully all day, every day. You can't get away with anything, and that's what makes it so hard to say definitively that somebody's going to win, because it only takes one bad shot, one bad win. Literally, somebody could step up on hole 12 and hit 147. They could hit pitching wedge and hit it in the water, and then they could step up oh, I guess I'm just going to re-tee and they hit nine iron. Hit nine iron into the trees over the green and you can make a seven so fast and you didn't even hit a bad shot. And that happens here and that's what makes it so compelling. Every year is like danger lurks on every hole all the time, and what always produces the greatest champion is the guy who's playing the best. That week always shows up.
Speaker 1:And for the biggest prize in golf. Yeah, for sure, for the biggest prize in golf, which is to put that green jacket on. No doubt, absolutely.
Speaker 3:I'm curious too. I mean, people have said and I think there's probably a lot of truth to this the old adage of you can't win the tournament on Thursday but you can certainly lose it. There's going to be a few guys probably going to surprise us, but there are going to be a few 74, 75s thrown up on the board that could really dampen somebody. And guys I'm making up names, but I say Cantley, somebody that you're thinking is contention there's going to be a few guys that are going to blow up. They're not going to handle if the wind is indeed they're saying it could be what up to 40-mile-an-hour winds today, frank. I mean, for the guys that can't handle that, yeah, it could really. Now, does it favor a few? You've got to think that maybe it favors some of those Europeans right that certainly play in a lot of link-style courses the Lowrys, maybe even Rory, but the guys that are used to that kind of windy condition.
Speaker 3:Some say Texas has a lot of wind. I mean everybody has a lot of wind, but maybe Scheffler is going to be more used to the wind, or Jordan Spieth, but there will be some people that aren't going to handle it very well. And, and see, just like Virgil say, see a few double bogeys get thrown up there and which makes it always so tough, right? One of the guys that that is that's favorite, and all of a sudden he's he's 10 shots back after one round. You know first round and you're going okay, well, can I? Almost impossible. I mean, it's very hard to do. So that's going to be interesting to me to see who can't handle the win. I think after today. Am I right on this? You guys? The forecast is fairly good for the next three days after today. It's very favorable.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:Very, very warm. Reek havoc yeah.
Speaker 1:So what is this going to do to Brian?
Speaker 2:Harmon. Well, this is not a good one. Once again, lefties have a huge. It's going to blow him away. What is he? 5'3". It could, but lefties have a huge advantage here and if, and that's why I really think, well, my dark horse pick is Akshay Bhatia. Well, yeah, that's not much of a dark horse, he's pretty hot, but it it's the first time he's ever been here, true? Well, he actually was in the drive, you know the drive-chip and putt.
Speaker 1:He's a legacy. Yes, he's the first person to do that.
Speaker 2:But when you look at some of the holes and how the greens sit, it favors a lefty, especially some critical holes like 12 and 13,. Obviously you know, brian Harmon, what he lacks in length. He'll gain an advantage in shot dispersion. But at the end of the day, I think Brian Harmon needs a north wind, which I believe we have today. But it'll be the last day of north wind. North wind is the wind that produces Zach Johnson, mike Weir, the shorter hitters. He's the one that he's the wind. The north wind is what allowed Snedeker to have two great runs.
Speaker 3:And tell people Virgil north wind would affect which holes.
Speaker 2:It makes all the par fives play into the wind except the second shot on two, and at the end of the day it makes all the. It takes the advantage of the long hitters out, because now most of the par fives aren't even reachable by Rory. And then, when you factor that in, now everybody has to be a better wedge player. That's how Zach Johnson dominated that year and that's how Mike.
Speaker 2:Weir dominated that year is that he just tore it up on the par fives with a wedge play, so that's going to be interesting. Today will be the only day if Harmon puts together a nice round, it'll be great. I mean, if he shoots a 67, 68, or 69 and puts himself in the top five. The dude's a bulldog, literally and figuratively.
Speaker 1:Yes, he is, he knows how to play.
Speaker 2:But if the wind goes out of the south and you have to deal with DJ and Brooks and Rory and all the guys that can flat out rip it and hit five irons and six irons in these par fives, he can't like, statistically speaking, he can't really compete against that unless he has the greatest wedge and putter week of all time, and that's what happens in the south winds. The south wind always has the best players and the best players are the ones that always hit it the farthest period in a sentence.
Speaker 2:It's been that way since bobby jones so if we get, if we get the South win, which is what they're expecting the last three days, it'll come down to the big dogs for sure.
Speaker 1:Tim.
Speaker 3:I wonder, too, if this year I've just got this sense I don't know why, but I have this sense that it's going to be a Danny Willett kind of a year. And it won't be Danny Willett, but it'll be a guy that out of nowhere, a guy that we're not thinking of because all the favors are the favors. We all know the names that most people are going to go with, and that I would too if I had to put a hundred dollars on it. But uh, and the team might certainly fall into that category, but I just have a feeling there's going to be a guy who nobody's talking about. Uh, there's, there's what. It's a small field, frank, but there's still 75 golfers this year something. It's a small field for the Masters, but of the 75, there's somebody who's from 50 on that nobody's even talking about.
Speaker 2:What do you think about Jason Day? Do you like Jason Day and that group of people?
Speaker 3:It could be. I mean, certainly nobody's mentioning him, as far as most of the time, as one of the guys I love. Jason Day him as far as most of the time is one of the guys he's I love, jason day, I think a. I think he's a great story and a really good guy, um, but he's also got his game back and I think, yeah, somebody like that. I think the confidence that somebody can gain today or today and tomorrow, whenever they finish their first round of different people and I think we'll see a couple of the people we're talking about that are lesser predictable it's going to give them so much motivation to say, man out of all, that I shot a 66, a 67 today and really inspire them to go on. That's kind of what I'm thinking.
Speaker 3:Again, I'd have a hard time betting against Scheffler, but I just have this Mike Weir, danny Willett, kind of feeling, trevor Immelman that people are going to be going. How the hell did that guy win? You're like, well, you know what. You just hang in there and you get some confidence going and a couple other guys make some mistakes. It can happen, but that's what I love about the Masters, right? They're, I guess, all majors, but the fact that some of those guys can make that happen. Wyndham Clark is another one who's not played and got an amazing game and certainly should have a lot of confidence coming in here. But you know what it's been since Fuzzy Zeller for the first time or to ever win. And how did Fuzzy do that? How?
Speaker 1:did Fuzzy do that? He was probably the best putter that's ever come in.
Speaker 2:He had a great putting week.
Speaker 1:I mean that putting week he had was out of control, great yeah, and he had the best caddy, seasoned caddy from here that week too.
Speaker 3:Well, I think Fuzzy also had the right mindset, right. I think Fuzzy has always been a carefree kind of guy, right oh?
Speaker 1:pretty much and I think pretty much.
Speaker 3:The lack of the lack of tension probably maybe helped him. Like you know, I'm not expected to win, I'm just going to really enjoy it and the enjoyment, you know, led to him. I think the problem I have watching Jordan Spieth, and probably everybody has, is he is a complete roller coaster and so while I love watching him play, it's hard to predict he's ever, because he he can. He can throw up a birdie, birdie, birdie, double bogey, double bogey, like nobody's business. And you're going why? How does it go sideways so fast for this guy? How do you hit it down the roof at Valero?
Speaker 3:You know, I think, messed up in his head, a fuzzy Zeller type, is almost clear-minded, I think, and I don't want to say he doesn't have anything going on in his brain, but he's just kind of having a great time and going wow this. So who can handle that kind of pressure? Today's pressure, maybe, is different than that. Right, there's sponsorship, there's ranking points, god. Different than them. Right, there's sponsorship, there's ranking points, god knows what. So it's hard to see anybody out there that can't feel that pressure.
Speaker 2:Whatever, right I mean it's such a big game today. Well, the thing is, if you look back and thought about October in October you'd have thought that Victor Hovland would be a favorite and Ludwig Obert would be right there behind him. You haven't even heard either of those names much in the last couple of weeks and I don't know what the heck Victor Hovland's thinking. But at the end of the day, the dude is so talented and he can do whatever he wants to do. He's just not playing well right now and I think a guy who could handle this weather is Ludwig, and I don't expect him to win, but that would be a person that would be great for the game. A young guy, super talented, has some charisma to him. That would be a nice undercard victory. I don't think anything would top Rory winning personally. Well, I guess Tiger, but I mean I think Rory winning the career Grand Slam would be. That would be a shot in the arm for golf.
Speaker 1:that would be unbelievably necessary and and then shot in the arm for him, yeah, in his head too. He needs that he probably went.
Speaker 2:He probably went four more in the next 10 yeah he's.
Speaker 1:He has been in trouble. So one other name that's been coming up in a lot of conversations is joaquin neiman yeah, any thoughts? On joaquin, go ahead tim. I think I think you know joaquin Neiman yeah.
Speaker 3:Any thoughts on Joaquin? Go ahead, jim. I think you know Joaquin doing. What he's been doing is and again to the point of who gets to watch, right, I mean, are you watching online? Are you watching a live tour on WB or on the CW, wb, the CW? But yeah, he's been playing exceptionally well and I think he's got. You know, everybody there has the game. But we're going to find out pretty quickly. Like I said, the cream will rise Pretty quickly. We're going to see some guys that we thought had the game that are going to blow up.
Speaker 1:The mental acumen to suffer through four days on Augusta.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but I think Neiman's a hell of a player, I mean yeah for sure, virgil.
Speaker 2:Here's a name that I just think about it. He has played great all year Sergio Garcia.
Speaker 1:No kidding. No kidding A guy who can handle the wind.
Speaker 2:The guy who can play in this wind A ball striker. He's not notoriously a great putter, but he's already won here before, and he's got something to prove.
Speaker 1:Passionate about it. You know he's got a passion for vindication.
Speaker 2:That would be another interesting victory.
Speaker 1:I'd love that I would love that.
Speaker 2:That would be incredible, and I just think that that's what makes it so funny. Is like you've got all these past champions that could put something together. Is like you got all these past champions that could put something together. I mean Bubba could put something together. I mean Phil Mickelson I didn't think that Phil Mickelson had a chance last year because he finished second.
Speaker 2:So, I mean you can't predict any of these past champions, because once you learn how to navigate this place, you never forget how to navigate this place. You just have to have a good ball striking week to hit it in the right spots.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But I get excited about what golf needs right now. We need a big star to win. I don't really care on what side of the fence it's on, but I really want somebody that's big to win it. But like you said, tim, the way this whole season has gone, it strikes you like somebody out of the blue that's not really a big name, like an Austin Eckroth would win, and it wouldn't shock anybody, because no big names are winning in anything. Rr.
Speaker 1:Hideki, yeah, I mean, I think it's a pretty wide-open Masters this time and I'm very, very thrilled that this weather is going to move out of here, because I don't want it to be a weather-damaged Masters. I want to see a shootout and, like you said earlier, virgil, how good would it be to have five live players and five PGA Tour players and one hell of a Sunday shootout here at Augusta. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:I think that's what golf means.
Speaker 3:And I think it would be amazing. What I'm really pulling for is a playoff. I would love to see some extra holes come Sunday, with somebody making some great moves on 16, 17, 18, and tying in maybe a two or three-way tie. And what if it was a PGA Tour? What if it was Rory Koepka and Scheffler? I mean, that could be just oh my God. I think that would be such drama and as much as the common cool announcers probably won't say much, the fans would be going apeshit over all that. If that could happen, people would be going in their clubs and bars and wherever you're watching it it would be. To me that would be the ultimate. Who doesn't love playoffs to begin with? And if somebody makes on 18, a birdie putt to tie, that's what I'd really, in a perfect world of drama, I would love to have Again, if you have the right blend of the two different numbers. Oh my God, monahan will be. I don't know what he'll be doing. It would be classic Packing.
Speaker 2:Defecating on himself. I.
Speaker 1:It would be classic Defecating on himself.
Speaker 2:But pooping those brits. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to see McElroy and Koepka, Wouldn't that be an absolute barn burner? Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, but it could be. I mean, think about it.
Speaker 2:It would be really interesting, because the last really cool one that I can think of was with Seve Greg Norman and Larry Mize, you know, when it was more than two people right To have like a no-name and Brooks and Rory or Scotty Rory and Joaquin Neiman or something like that, where there's two massive names and then this one new name thrown in there. God, that would be epic. Yeah, that would be a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:You know, interestingly enough, just as a sidebar, I like Joaquin Neiman. I have a special affinity for him because they had me. I was at the Greenbrier and they couldn't get somebody out on 18 when he won it, so they sent me out and that's how I kind of got my face on the TV to interview him in his first win. And he still sees me and he recognizes that because it was so important to him that first win. He always says hello, remembers my name? He's just a great young man. Yeah, he is, and he would be a feel-good win for me in my heart if he could pull this thing off here. I'd love it. So we're talking to Virgil Herring and Tim Matthews. Virgil, of course, the first host of Golf Talk America back in 2014 when all this stuff started, and Tim Matthews, the current host, my co-host on Golf Talk America, who started the game back in 2014 on PGATourcom. We were all part of the PGATour radio family and still are, in a lot of different ways.
Speaker 3:But we're just hey, Frank, you know what I got right here. I'm in my office studio in Dallas right now. What do you got?
Speaker 1:You're going to pull a Rocco. Rocco pulled out a cigar and some bourbon and started dipping it in it on Zoom while we were trying to do a live show. Now, what are you going to do?
Speaker 3:No, it's actually kind of close to that. But I'm sitting here and for some reason, on my bookshelf here I've got those small bottles that you get on a golf course, like if somebody is going to give you something to drink. You know they get from French wine bottles. I've got like three bottles of fireball.
Speaker 1:Oh God.
Speaker 3:And it makes me think of you and me, because we went up to I can't even remember somebody's hospitality house way back when we were there five, six years ago and it was the first time I ever had fireballs, because the guy said, hey, you want to try this, and he took it out of the freezer and had this fireball and you and I drank like four of them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember, and I was like oh my goodness.
Speaker 3:That was my favorite memory of Augusta.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Virgil will love this one. So we, the first time Tim came here as part of, you know, doing our show here, we had this really gorgeous home that they had given us out in Evans, with all the players out there, in all the homes, and it was Bill Conwell, which I don't know if you know, bill, or not. Bill's been around golf forever. We had Dane Bryant, olivia Newton-Johns, musical director and pianist. We had Laura Bryna staying in the house with us. We had Jim Grosjean Crazy Grosjean in the house, brendan Sweeney in the house with us and I don't know who else. It was a huge house and we're all downstairs. Virgil, one morning and Tim's.
Speaker 3:You know where this is going. I'd like to see how you explain this one.
Speaker 1:Frank, Go ahead. You know where this is going and I've got to be careful with this. And there are pictures in the house. You know, somebody's home the husband and wife. The wife is absolutely the most gorgeous brunette I've ever seen. I mean, we all commented on how beautiful she was. And here comes Tim bebopping down the stairs. He said you know, I was looking for a blow dryer under the cabinet and look what I found in this bag. And I won't tell you what it was, but it takes batteries and it makes noise and it vibrates. And we all fell out laughing so hard and crying. We were laughing so hard. Here's Tim with a vibrator in his hand. Okay, oh, not a toothbrush. No, it wasn't a toothbrush. That was the funniest master story I think we had over a couple of years.
Speaker 3:And I couldn't dry my hair with it either.
Speaker 1:It didn't work, but you took it home with you, I think, didn't you? I don't know? Anyway, having a lot of fun, guys, I know we've run a little long today. It's been a lot of fun, but any parting thoughts, tim, you go first.
Speaker 3:I would say that again, the real thought is that today, being the weather inclement weather day, could be a real test for some of these guys, and I think we're going to see, when we look on Sunday, that this costs some guys that had a really good chance.
Speaker 3:This was their day and they didn't come through. Whoever it might be, I think there's going to be a handful of those guys that kind of blew it on this day because it is, as they say, going to be lustry and windy and all that kind of stuff. So that to me is who survives? That? I think it actually kind of adds a little bit of the drama to the first round that it's going to be questionable weather and to see who can survive that and maybe just even par is fine and good and maybe one under is fine. But I think we're going to see a few guys in the mid-70s that we're all suddenly going okay, this is out. So that's what I'm curiously going to be looking at whenever they get started, which is Frank, at what time are you saying Eastern time are they going to start?
Speaker 1:They're out on the course right now. They're already out. Uh, they're out on the course right now. They're out there. They're out there right now.
Speaker 2:So it's 11 o'clock Eastern Virgil thoughts. I think golf needs a big week, and at any time a sport, generally speaking, needs a big week. The big names show up. I expect this to be what golf needs. I have no idea who's going to win, but I expect it to be an absolute Donnybrook coming down the home stretch and I expect a massive story to come out of it. In my personal opinion, I hope it's Rory winning the career Grand Slam, but I just expect it to be something gigantic to create the buzz that is needed to pick the sport back up again. That's what I'm looking forward to Cool.
Speaker 1:So before we get out of here, I want you to tell all of our listeners how they can find you and your podcast and a little bit quickly about where to reach Virgil Herring.
Speaker 2:So my podcast on the Verge. It's on Spotify, itunes and what have you. The video version is on Spotify. You can contact me through my website, which is virgilherringcom, or you can contact me on my cell, 615-579-5190. I do corporate golf, I do business golf outside of just the obvious golf lessons. But contact me there and I can customize anything you want to make your golf needs taken care of.
Speaker 1:Fantastic. It's been a lot of fun guys. I've enjoyed it. I hate to cut this off because it's been old home week and, honest to goodness, I had tears in my eyes. Hate to cut this off because it's been old home week and, honest to goodness, I had tears in my eyes when I saw this man walk in today. So for myself, for Virgil Herring, for Tim Matthews, who's in Dallas Tim, get on the plane and get here for us. Okay, come on quick. Sure, I'm Frank Bassett saying thanks for listening. We'll be doing shows all week live from the Masters.