Johnny's World
Johnny's World
2025 Masters Preview w/Tom Sikes
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Tom Sikes joins the show to talk about he and Johnny's trip to the 2008 Masters tournament. We also make predictions of winners and share a few of our favorite memories.
To support our cause check out johnnypacker.net and order a bag of fresh roasted coffee today!
Hello friends. BW here with my co-host Johnny. This is our annual Masters preview show. How you doing, Johnny? I'm doing well, BW. It is Masters Week. So excited. Good to hear, Johnny. Good to hear. Azaleas are in bloom. That's right. Outside, yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. Man, I love this. I love this week. It's it's just one of those things I look forward to every year.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you in the final four and you have the masters all right there. So it's pretty cool. Yes. Speaking of that, did you get to watch the national championship the other night? I did. Gosh, I couldn't believe that. Um get a shot off. That was pretty cool.
SPEAKER_02I know, I know. And then just those videos of uh Kelvin Sampson standing there, you know, just kind of blank, blank faced. Yeah. I was actually listening to a podcast yesterday. They had um Chris Verdon's show. He has Tony Allen on here, on his show every Tuesday. And Tony Allen was on the Oklahoma State um team that made the Final Four with John Lucas, uh, same, you know, the same Baylor guy that was with uh Lawrence Robertson all that stuff. And he was just asking him, you know, kind of this. They they got knocked out, and he's like, you know, what does that feel like? You know, that's your last game, you're knocked out of the tournament like you didn't win the championship. And he was just kind of going through, you know, how hard that is. And he's like, You still think about it every day? And he's like, Absolutely, still think about it every day. So it's uh a tough deal.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that is tough. I was actually hoping Houston would win just because that guy and yeah, a great coach and everything. And but uh I guess uh the best team won. I mean, Florida won the SEC tournament and then they won the four. So they obviously the best team. But I hate it. Houston didn't even get a shot off. That's the worst. I know when you're right, it's the worst. At least get a shot off if it goes. If it misses it, it misses it. But yeah, get a shot off. That's rough.
SPEAKER_02It's such a weird sequence, and that never happens. Like you don't see anything like that ever. And you know, he's got to be replaying that in his mind over and over again.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, definitely.
SPEAKER_02Yep. But uh, well, anyways, we'll well, Johnny, let me tell everybody why we're here, and then uh we have a special guest with us today, and we'll we'll uh let I'll let you introduce him and we'll talk a little bit about the masters. So, um, but for y'all, for all y'all that are tuning in, if y'all are just listening for this master's preview, we appreciate you being here. Um, but we're here. Um, my name's Brandon, and and we've got Johnny here. And Johnny here's been dealing with cystic fibrosis his whole life, and this show is all about raising some money and awareness about cystic fibrosis and uh help people like Johnny, they're dealing with this every day. And if you want to support us, go to our website, johnnypacker.net. And if you like coffee or know somebody that likes coffee, you can get on there and order a bag. It is fresh roasted coffee in New Albany, Mississippi. As soon as you order it, they roast it and they ship it to you. You'll have it within a week, and it's really good stuff. I was actually just texting my good buddy John uh Juan Valdez, friend of the program. He just ordered him a five-pound bag of the Mocha Java. He said that's his favorite blend. I just placed another order for two bags of the Mexican, and then there's a cold brew blend. I like to make cold brew this time of year, and so I got three bags coming, uh, actually just shipped out today, I believe. So I'm excited about getting that. But so if you like coffee, get on johnnypacker.net, order a couple bags, share a bag with a friend, and uh support our mission.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Yeah, you know, we talk about this all the time. I said win-win deal, you get something that that you you enjoy at a reasonable price, and and uh obviously the money goes towards a good cause helping people with CF because even though I have a miracle drug, there's people out there that that don't have access to effective treatment and they're dying every day. So uh we're all here to help others, and this is our little contribution we have to try to just make a difference in the lives of the people that are fighting CF that don't have anything because I know what it's like not to have something, and and it's tough seeing other people succeed when you can't, there's nothing out there for you. So um obviously everything with research all deals with money and dollars, and um that's how we're able to get new drugs on the market. So uh just buying but one bag of coffee, johnnypacker.net, you're making a huge difference. You might not think so, but uh every every penny matters. So uh we thank y'all very much.
SPEAKER_02Yes, sir. Well, uh, this has been one of my favorite episodes of the year. We get to talk about the masters, and uh, we have a special guest with us today. So if you'd like to introduce him, y'all y'all have some masters memories together. I'm sure we'll cover some of that. But uh introduce our guest, Johnny.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'm so thrilled to have my dear, dear friend uh Tom Sykes on here. We've been talking about podcasting. I've been trying to get him on about all four years now, so we're finally on there, and we have the this is the best episode to get him on because he took me to the masters, he crossed off something on my bucket list, the Sunday round, the final round of the Masters. Uh, we went to in 2008. So uh Tom loves the Masters, and and I love the Masters because Tom loves the Masters, and it's just awesome. So I always look forward to this time of the year. Like I said, uh college basketball is over with the final four, and then we go straight into Masters. Just a great time. Uh so my dear friend Tom Sykes, welcome to Johnny's World. You're on, man.
SPEAKER_00I'm on Johnny's World. All right, it's so glad, and congratulations to your podcast for being recognized with the CF. Yeah, one of the best uh in the country. Fantastic.
SPEAKER_01Number two ranked podcast in the country on CF, number nine on Mississippi Sports. So uh pretty cool. People are listening, so that's a good thing.
SPEAKER_00So, JC, you you wanted to go to the Masters. I said, Well, look, he said, I'm gonna get get on uh I'm gonna find a ticket. I said, Well, hang on, let me see if I can get you a ticket. But what day you want to go? Thursday, Friday? He said, No, I want to go on Sunday. I said, John Clark, that is the that's the toughest ticket in the world to get. So I called a buddy, MSU, big fan, Robert Sanford. And uh he not only got one ticket, he got two tickets, and we were able to go together. And so Robert has since passed on. He passed away this past year with cancer. Um, but I've I'll never ever forget his generosity and love and compassion. And so we picked up the tickets from another family member at the Hooters on Washington Avenue or street, whatever it is. And while we were there, we ran into John Daly, who had a big bus and he was selling merchandise. And oh, it was fantastic.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we had uh we went on April 12th, 2008. I always remember that. You know, I'll remember Tom because on January 12th, 2008, I killed that deer at Lake End with you. So, you know, four months later, um, we went to the Masters. So the 12th, and you know, you know how 12th is a big holy number, 12th, January 12th, April 12th. So that's I always remember that April 12th, 2008. We were there, but yeah, we went to to Hooters. I remember uh putting. Um you remember the little putting green they have in front of Hooters? We we did that to wait for the tickets and uh got me a land shark. I remember that. And and uh they have all sorts of golf stuff at that Hooters, but uh we did that right when we got there. And then we got a uh we got a hotel room at like the comfort in or somewhere that you know, usually those hotels rooms would probably be like a hundred dollars or so. That that master's week they jacked it up, I remember really high. But we went in there, we got it. We I mean it you would have thought it was like uh like a five-store hotel the way the way it was just, you know. We were happy to be there, man. It was it was it was like the hojo, man, you know, at Dukes of Hazard Spareville. We stayed at Howard Johnson, same feeling, man. It's like I don't care what the hotel's like, we're there, you know. That's what made it. So it was so exciting. Uh so and then we got up early that next morning and it was still uh dark outside.
SPEAKER_00And hang on, before that, you had to do your jacket, remember? So it's about three o'clock in the morning. Yeah, oh yeah. I got to see John Clark uh go through his routine.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, a lot of people, a lot of people BW seen it, a lot of people that I know that know how to CF haven't lived it, they haven't traveled with me or been with me or somewhere like that where I have to do that. So it's kind of an item experience when you travel with me because you see exactly what I deal with on a daily basis. Because from the outside, you know, I look normal, uh, but the inside or my lungs are the bad part, and and uh it's just a constant grind, you know. Everywhere I go, I have to get up two hours in advance. If I have to be somewhere, I have to set my alarm to do these treatments and everything. Because if I don't do them and I go, I'm gonna be at coughing, and it's just gonna be a miserable experience for everyone. So uh so yeah, if we had to get there, I can't remember at five. I was up at three doing my treatments and and knocking them out. And uh we got there and I mean uh it was it was dark outside, I remember that, but I do remember uh we got a picture before we went in. We couldn't take phones or anything in there, but we went to the we went to the merchandise shop and we loaded up there. And uh, you know, I just saw yesterday online that place makes like uh I mean, just millions and millions, like you know, I mean, every they had it down like from the uh minutes to second. It was like over $800 a second, they make. I mean, it's just insane. They make a million dollars an hour, a million dollars an hour, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Because there's no online shop, so they're buying for everybody. You know, if you go to the masters, you get tons of requests. Could you get me a hat? Could you get me a shirt? And you go, Oh my gosh, I can't carry all this stuff. So luckily you can ship it, you can ship it there. So it's really good. But listen, we got down the first place you wanted to go was A-Men Corner on a Sunday. I said, as a pastor, that's the perfect place to go. Well, listen, there's an eight, there's an 800 uh, it's an unbelievable elevation drop from the clubhouse down to Amen Corner. You your ears will pop. Oh, I mean, it's unbelievable. If you have no idea, we can't tell on TV. So we get down there, we plop our green master's chairs down to get the best spot, and then we take off and go to other parts of the course, right? When we come back, well, everybody's got the same chair. Remember that, JC? Yeah, and we couldn't find our chairs, right? And people were already there, and it was it was crazy. But A-Men Corner is, you know, it's the you can see the 11 green, obviously the 12 T box and the green, and then 13th t shot. Um, truly kind of the theater of of Augusta. Of 300 it Augusta has 352 acres, but most people want to go to that one acre.
SPEAKER_02Um so did y'all find your seats and did y'all camp out there for most of the day, or did y'all follow people, or what did y'all do?
SPEAKER_00We found our seats. By the way, if I if you go, put a ribbon on your chair, some kind of uh and we watched a little while, but you know what? It's kind of hard to see the green. Oh, yeah. Um, because it's it's it's 150 yards up on 12? Mm-hmm. On 12. And so we started there, but the we found out that the best spot is number six T box, and underneath the T-box, you can you can sit down, and they hit over your head, and you can see to the green, and then to your right, you get to see number 16. Oh, wow, that's and that's the best theater. That's the best theater, yeah. On the call, all those balls rolling close to that the pin down there. But listen to this: John Clark wanted to go to see Tiger, that's really what he wanted to see. So we were at the T box of six six. Remember, JC? Yeah, oh yeah, and Tiger bogeys number five, and he unleashes a diatribe of of vocabulary that you don't, you know, there's no camera, but from the green to the T, so the players have realized that's their time to vent. Oh well, he unleashes it, and that's the first time John Clark ever saw him and heard him in person. And uh I just watched JC, you know, this was his moment, you know. I said, This is it, this is this is big.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, big time, man. You're that close to Tiger Woods. It was it was awesome. The one one memory I have about I remember about Tiger, it was on the back nine. Uh, that they were they were uh he was teeing off, and there are these he had a banana. He was eating a banana right before he teed off. And after he ate the banana, he just threw the banana feeling on the ground. These kids dove up under the thing to get the banana feel. I always remember that. I was like, that's pretty cool, man. No telling what they do with that thing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, do they still have it?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. But yeah, seeing Tiger was awesome, man. It was just a great experience. Uh, yeah, we I I followed him around and uh walked around the course, and then uh one of the highlights I remember is getting the food and this going to your spot you were talking about. We laid back and just just chilled and ate and got us a pimento cheese and excel sandwich and just uh enjoyed the sunshine. It was just real relaxing. And uh, but but yeah, we we followed um I kind of followed Tiger for for a good bit and then uh we went back to to a mid corner, but it was a great masters, you know. I was wanting I was really wanted Tiger to win, and man, he finished in second place, so it was an awesome one to see him. Uh the guy that won was uh Trevor Embleman was one that year, but we have a great memory on the 18th uh fairway. Uh we're yeah, at the very end, the masters. You know, we're we're walking up to 18 and we're sitting there talking, and and this woman starts talking to us. And Tom, tell tell him who who are we talking to?
SPEAKER_00Okay, so uh we're standing there, we're not sitting there, we're standing there, and we we're right by that big score school board, and it's really hilly, you can't see the green. So we're sitting standing there, and this this girl really, lady, uh, she's got golf shoes on. And I say, Johnny, she's got this this is a real fan. And uh, she has a visor on that's got a signature on it. And so Johnny asks, Tell tell me your story. And she says, Well, I'm Sergio Garcia's girlfriend. And here's the funny part: Sergio didn't not make the cut, so he flew back to Florida and she decided to stay there and watch the rest of the tournament. And so we got to watch it with her, and uh, you know, how how cool is that? Man, they broke up, obviously.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. Well, hey, I'm curious, you know, because it's so hard to get a ticket. Um, do they limit the number of people in there? Like, does it feel obviously like the A-Men corner is gonna be crowded, but when you're just walking around, like can you get around, or is it just crowds everywhere?
SPEAKER_00It's crowded around the greens. Most people will camp out at take a particular green. For example, I grew up in Atlanta and I I've been to a master's growing up from high school to college, but my mother would go and she would just go to the ninth hole, and then as soon as they were done with the ninth, that she'd go to the 18th, and she just those parked her chair right there. That's what most people do. It's good to see the course, but it is so hilly, it'll wear you out. Like Bernard Langer said yesterday, he was worn out. You know, this is his last tournament. Yeah, he was just exhausting. It is so hilly. Number 10 is an 80-foot drop from T-Box to the fairway. Um, so you really got to be in shape. And John Clark, Johnny. Sorry, John Clark, Johnny. Uh, you know, with your lungs, man, you rocked and rolled on it. Oh, yeah. It was so good. You know, the story really of of the masters is is really about the course and about the history and the the caddies. You know, they used to have caddies till 1982 and these great funny names. Jim, big boy Dent, Robert Cigarette Jones, Tommy Burnt Biscuits, Bennett. But uh, one of the guys was named Willie Lee Stokes, and he was born in 1920. He cut the trees down at age 12 for numbers 10 and 11 when they were built up. He went on to become a caddy there, and he would watch the rain on the course and see how the water uh streamed on the greens, and he learned those greens because of the rain. And guess what? He won over and over and over again. He became the key caddy for the the founder, uh Clifford Roberts, um, who nicknamed him Pappy. But he realized Ray's Creek, it's this 10 long 10-mile-long stream alongside the course, it's 60 60 feet wide and about four feet deep. But that is really the key. Most of the greens will break to Ray's Creek.
SPEAKER_02Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's what's cool. That's what I like about it. Is some of these guys that have been playing it for so long, they know all the shots, they know what's going to happen in these different locations. And so some of these guys can kind of hang in there, you know, guys in their 50s and things like that that hadn't really done much on the tour lately, but you'll always see a couple names pop up, and every now and then one will come into the weekend. So I always enjoy that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's it's it's it's really about the the way that that it they dramatize the moment. Number 16. I mean, obviously, greatest shot of all time. The Nike logo rolling.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I mean, the way it was it was broadcast, just phenomenal. Choice of words. What I like about the masters is it's not a a regurgitation of a lot of verbiage, they choose their words real carefully. And yeah, Jim Nance uh on the 18th tower, I mean, just has the perfect words. The bear, the bear comes out of hibernation. 1986. So good.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think you sent something last night, and it was saying that that the masters uh renews just the CBS contract one one year every year. And so I never I never realized that.
SPEAKER_01Well, I didn't know that either.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I guess I wonder what's gonna happen when Nance is gone if they'll change it up. I know it.
SPEAKER_00That's gonna be weird without Nance there. Yeah, you know, we have we have a good friend DJ Gregory who walks the PJ Tour every week, and he he uh he received the PGA Tour Courage Award. He's got um cerebral palsy. Yeah, and and he's been walking in. We run his foundation out of Meridian. It's called Walking for Kids. You can donate to it, walkingforkids.org. And we have a different player play every week for us, but he is really good friends with Jim Nance, and he'll get invited up into the tower with Jim and watch the final round with him. And they wrote a book together called Walking for Friends, and and uh just a tremendous relationship. And that to me is what really it's all about. I remember going to Napa one time and I said to the vineyard owner, I said, What's the great, what's the best wine you've ever had? He said, That's not really the question. It's not the wine in the cup, it's who's around the cup.
SPEAKER_02Exactly.
SPEAKER_00The same is true with the masters, it's who you go with. Yep. And uh Johnny and I got to go together, and that I that's what I remember is just the relationship. Yep.
unknownYep.
SPEAKER_01If he had gone, if I had gone by myself, it'd been totally different, you know. Yeah, experience it with someone, and we always always have those memories together, and uh it's just uh it's just an awesome time. It's one of those it's one of those things like like I wouldn't ever care to go back, Tom tell you the truth because it would never live up to like it's one of those things. Of course, I turn I wouldn't turn it down if I got offered again, but it's like once you go and you experience it and you have such a good time, nothing can compare to that time that that first time you went. So uh it was just uh such a great time, but really enjoy and I always enjoy watching stuff on TV, knowing you've been there, you can see that hole, you remember where you were standing there, remember what was going on. It just makes it a whole lot different after you've been there to see it. But uh man, it's just uh it's definitely a bucket list item. You know, I have had a bucket list from before the movie, the bucket list, and and I've I've crossed everything off and be moved on to the second bucket list, the third, and uh you know, I'm never gonna not have one because that means I've kicked the bucket, so I always gotta have one going on. But uh, but yeah, that was on there and just uh just such a great, great experience and and memory that we'll always share and uh really really enjoy it. So yeah, look forward to it every year. So uh switching over to this year's masters, so uh let's talk a little bit about this year's masters, who who who we like and and all that sort of stuff. You got any any dark horses, or you know, I'm sure Scotty Schepler is the favorite on everybody's uh mind, but what what do y'all think?
SPEAKER_02Man, well I gotta say one thing, you know, just picking a bucket list. I mean, yeah, this is the top of my bucket list. I've been trying to get tickets for years, and every year, you know, I get the email in July. Sorry, no tickets for you. You can try again every year. So if anybody's listening to this, if they want to really, you know, help me out, like feel free to send me a pair of tickets so I can go check it out. Because I mean, it is there's not many things that I that I really feel strongly about wanting to do, but this is one of them. So, you know, it's on there.
SPEAKER_01Can you can you apply to do the practice rounds, BW? How does that work?
SPEAKER_02Yes, you can you can apply for the practice rounds. And then all four of the regular rounds, and I do it every year. Really? I don't know if I'm blacklisted or what, but I get that email every year. Sorry, I didn't win. So but and I'm sure you can pay your way, but you know, it's one of those things they say you get in trouble if you're selling tickets or whatever, so you don't want that happening to you. Oh yeah. Yeah. So well, uh man, you know, it's one of those things I've been thinking about. Um I really want to see Rory McElroy win it. Um and he's playing really well this year. You know, he had that crazy thing happen to him at the US Open last year, and uh just more scar tissue from that. I don't know if that helps him or hurts him. Um, but he seems to just be um he seems like he's more relaxed. I don't know, something about him. I could definitely see him doing it. Um so so he would be really my pick and and hope that I would win. And it's always kind of tricky now with the live golf because you've got these guys, you just don't see them, you don't know how they're playing, you just don't really know anything about them, and they just kind of come out of nowhere. But there's always those guys. I mean, of course, Bryson Deschambeau, Brooks Kepka. Um, then who's the guy, the Australian guy? Uh is it Cam Smith, um, who won the British Open a couple years ago? Those guys, you know, could come out there and do something. Phil, I don't think Phil's got much left in the tank. I I could be wrong about that. I saw Tigers not even there. Um, he didn't I saw he didn't go to the champions dinner um because he got hurt, you know, more recently. And then, of course, there's there's Scheffler. So there's a lot of names floating out there, but the Masters, there's always going to be some kind of dark horse coming of nowhere. And I don't know who that's gonna be this time.
SPEAKER_00Russell Henley is a dark horse, but he's not even a dark horse, really. He's right, he's a Georgia Bulldog. Um, he's a bulldog, he won recently. Brian Harmon, another Georgia Bulldog, just yeah, you know, his son about drowned in a riptide at Pontavidra. You heard about that, and he got saved by their uh their best friend. She she went into the water and she she about drowned, and she's in a comb. And then somebody else came and rescued him. But so he but he ended up winning that tournament this past weekend despite having a heavy heart. Yeah. And and it's gonna be raining, it's gonna be a little wet uh on the weekend. So you want to pick somebody that make the cut, and Brian Harman always seems to make the cut.
SPEAKER_02What tournament? He won a major, didn't he?
SPEAKER_00Um, yeah, he won uh he won the open championship.
SPEAKER_02Okay, yeah. Two years ago.
SPEAKER_00Uh I think two years ago. Okay, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00It's hard. Bryson Deschambeau has got a new driver. Y'all heard about this? No, it's uh he's using a long driving contest driver. Oh man, it doesn't have a uh convex face on it, it's flat. Oh, and they crack real easily. So they think he's got six different drivers with him this week, and he they don't have any mark, he writes with a red Sharpie on it what that driver does with spin and distance. It's bizarre.
SPEAKER_02You know, he's kind of a weird dude, and I didn't really like him for a while, but uh he he seems like he's lightened up a little bit since he he won the U.S. Open last year. I I and uh I started watching some of his YouTube stuff. It's kind of cool what he does. Like he has, I don't know if y'all have seen it, but I watched one. He he got three uh junior golfers, they were these boys, they were probably like nine to twelve years old, and so they played a scramble against him to beat him, and uh they ended up beating him. Um, and so it's it's kind of he does all these kind of cool little challenges like that. So it's it's kind of interesting to watch him.
SPEAKER_00You play with play with President Trump, and they had a great time. I didn't see that. I need to go back and watch that. Watch that one. That's really, really good.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00They tried to break uh 50. Oh, yeah, that's tough. So who's your favorite, Jake? John Johnny.
SPEAKER_01Uh I'm I'm going with Sheffler because I think I mean he's obviously the the the one everybody's picking, but like you said, I'd love to see Rory do it. But man, every time I pick him, he loses or something happens to you. Yeah, so I'm not gonna say say him this year, but and then you got John John Rom, who won it a couple years ago. Oh, yeah, yeah. Forgot about him. Yeah, Colin Morikawa. He's uh he's another in the mix, and then uh you know, uh I love Jordan Speeth. I always like him.
SPEAKER_02Uh yeah, I would love to see him do it again. I don't know. He's just I don't know what's wrong with him. He's kind of lost it. I I don't know, but but hey man, that that I was gonna say that was one of my favorite masters when he won when he was so young, uh that year 2015, and he won years ago. Yeah, yeah, the US Open.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, hard to believe.
SPEAKER_00Who's DJ uh with this this week, Tom? Uh every week, every year we have Zach Johnson. Okay, yeah. And let me tell you another story about that. When we went, Johnny, we got there Saturday before the round, and on Sunday, and we decided to go to the course. And so we get to the gate, and you can't get in the gate, obviously, but you can look down, you can see Magnolia Lane. How cool was that? We're taking pictures, and all of a sudden the car drives up, and it's Zach Johnson and his wife, and he's taking back the green jacket. Oh, because it went the year before one the year before, and we would happen to be just right there. I was like, Oh, this is a Zommo. God is all over this. Yes, you know, we could knew we were just in the right place, right time, and the whole trip was just like that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's awesome. I remember when when we had DJ on the podcast a couple years ago, Zach Johnson liked the post, and I'll text BW. Yeah, who would have thought a master's champion be liking our our Johnny's World podcast? I thought that was really cool. But yeah, I don't I don't know. Uh it'll be interesting. I always like the older guys uh competing in it, you know. Uh Fred Couples always liked him, he uh and uh and Phil. But um yeah, I I'd go with Scotty Scheffler just just just because, but uh hey, let me ask you this. I want to get y'all's opinion on this, or not opinion, but what y'all do. All right, Tom, say you win the masters. BW, you win the masters. What are you picking for your master's dinner? Oh I always thought that's pretty interesting. Oh, that's a good question.
SPEAKER_02Man, uh Scotty's, I think they what it the one he had looked really good. I think it was this year, and I was thinking, you know, that would that would almost be what I would want.
SPEAKER_01I need to go back and the burgers or sliders, sliders, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02But then he had like a cookie, like an ice cream cookie, uh skillet cookie. Um yeah, I mean, I it'd probably be for me something basic, like burgers, fries, uh, you know, brownie with ice cream, um, something like that. That's kind of when I'm gonna indulge. That's usually where I like to go.
SPEAKER_00What you go on time, it's awesome. You know, that's a great question. Because it's a formal night. You right, yeah. You know, that's why it kind of surprised me with the sliders thing, you know. That's a great question. I you know, I love me a good filet, but yeah, man, I think I might bring in some red fish from from Louisiana. I think I might go Louisiana route. Uh oh yeah, just just uh in the season. I'd I'd bring in a big time chef if if they allow it. And uh that's probably what I do. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I heard on heard on super talk uh or uh sports talk Mississippi yesterday were talking about this. They that's what made me think of the question, and they were talking about when Bubba Watson won it, he won it twice, and the two times that he won it, he had the same meal both times, and they were shocked at what he had. He had grilled chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes. They're like, Grilled chicken, why'd you do this, Bubba? This is like you can have in Caesar's salad. They were like, You can add anything you want. Why would you do so? It just it's really neat because it it's it's your pick, what you want. That and yeah, then a lot of the oriental guy or uh international guys, like uh the guy that wanted Hadeki, whatever his name is, yeah, Matsuyama. Yeah, he had sushi, and then John Rom had tapas, I believe, or something like that. So it's it's neat to see uh how that is, but uh, but yeah, like it's really really cool. But yeah, they were giving Bubba a hard time. They're like, Why did you why why would you grill real chicken? But yeah, I saw a tweet yesterday.
SPEAKER_02It's funny, it said it was a tweet and it it had the picture of the menu of Bubba Watson, and it said, We don't talk about this enough. So I thought that was funny.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I go, I'd go, I'd go steak and shrimp for sure, man. I I do it big, you know. Why not? You know, you you got uh this is your time, you know, your time. You get you get what you want and get get what other people and also I'd probably have something what what other people would like. I wouldn't want to get something that hey, I like it, but everyone else wouldn't like that just to make people eat it because you know I try to try to try to be without everyone else, like and enjoy it, let everybody else enjoy. But I do think that's a nice tradition. I really enjoy seeing what they have every year and who who um who picks what and all that sort of stuff.
SPEAKER_00I do like the traditions of I like the I like the the way that they broadcast it. I like the few commercials, but I really like the green jacket. Yeah, I'm preaching this Sunday about they took their coats off when Jesus was going on the road to Jerusalem and they put them on the road and they put them on for a saddle. And I thought about the green jacket. They only get to wear the green jacket when while they're there, yeah. So, except for if you're the champion, you can wear it all year long. So you see them wear it on the tonight show and every every show. But that the power of the green jacket, it takes three months for them to make that green jacket. Um, the the tailor. It's it's it's amazing. You're not supposed to take it off the grounds, but some of them have. Uh, but I love I love that tradition, the Tuesday night champions dinner. But I feel so sorry for those players, some of the players that never get to go in there. Oh man, I know it gets it gets rubbed on too. They say, Hey, what are you doing Tuesday night? Yeah, you know, they're always rubbing it in on the other guys.
SPEAKER_02That is killer. Man, Johnny, I thought you were gonna say uh Paps Place buffet or something like that over there. You're gonna bring that in there. Yeah, that'd be good. That'd be good.
SPEAKER_01Paps place came to cater the masters. Uh, this place is in Ackerman. I mean, M BW used to eat there in college, and they have a catfish head in the back, it's like a mascot. The catfish would always hang over the bathroom. But the old woman on the commercial, she still says it to this day. She says, Come on down to Pap's place. Well, we don't rob you, we just feel your belly. And it's awesome, it's all you can eat buffet, country, country cooking, man. It's good stuff. Exactly. Yeah, CW, I'd go with that. I'd probably go with something like that, too.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I'd I'd switch it up definitely. I wouldn't have this if I won it multiple times, I'd have different menus, right?
SPEAKER_02Right. And Tom out the green jacket. Remember the principal, uh, Mr. Driscoll used to wear a green jacket around MRA. I wonder where he got his made.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he would always wear it masters week. Remember that he knew it was Masters Week when he when he was wearing that green jacket. That's right, that's right. So, do they have Tom? Do you know this? Do they have you have to return your green jacket to the Masters and it stays there?
SPEAKER_00Or how does it work? Yeah, it stays there. So when so when Zach brought it back, he he he's never gotten to take it off the grounds. Okay. Now Sam Sneed, Sam Sneed was the first winner in 19. I can't remember. Uh was it in the 20s or was it before that? Um I can't I'll have to look it up. Yeah. But uh he he's I think some of the players have snuck theirs out. Like Sevi Ballisteros when they did that movie on him. Yeah, he had he had his jacket. Wow. So it it does.
SPEAKER_01So if you're the winner, if you're the winner, do you get to take it for the year out, or is it sapping?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you get to take it for a year, but then you've got to bring it back, and that's what Zach was doing when we saw him. But everybody else got to leave it. Wow. You know that during World War II, the Augusta National, they didn't have they didn't have the tournament during World War II. Uh, so they they had trouble keeping the grounds, so they they brought in turkeys and cows. Really? To eat the grass, yeah. Wow. And then they ate it all, and then it was terrible. Yeah, I bet it was messed up after that. Golly. But you know, it was a fruit land nursery. That's how Bobby Jones and and found it. And um, that's it's really about the the flora, right? And how do they keep the azaleas? Like our azaleas have already bloomed and are gone, but you know what they do to keep them ready for the broadcast for the week? They freeze them, they freeze the azaleas. How in the world? Yes, so it'll be prime. Wow, that is crazy, and the bird sounds you hear, those are piped in.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, I'd heard that one before. Yeah, I tell you though, I love it. I I have a little thing in my office, I put it on the YouTube uh ambiance, and it's like the the birds are chirping and the water's running. Something about that, it's just relaxing, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And the music, you know, it's all about the music, it's just so well done. Yeah, we had Tom. Do you remember drop driving over to the Masters uh that when we went? We had the I had the XM radio and had the masters channel on the XM Radio, and that music, man, we just we just played it nonstop over and over and over. But another cool thing is like I remember us talking about this, it's kind of like uh a traveling circus, pretty much, because come Sunday when we I mean Monday morning, they're all gone. They're moving on to the next, I think it was in Hilton Head or somewhere like that in South Carolina. It's just like they're there and then they're gone. Uh yeah, it's a ghost town Monday.
SPEAKER_00You know what's going on right now is the as we're as we're recording this, is the part three tournament, and that's another piece to it. You all these families are out. Speeth is son is hitting drivers off oh wow, he's playing, and just to watch them as human beings and trying to balance their family life, yeah, is just a beautiful sight. It's so wholesome and and joyful. It it really captures the best of the best. Maybe that's why everybody loves it. It's got all of it, right?
SPEAKER_01It does. Now, was that was that what Charlie Tiger and Charlie Woods were in last year, the par three? Or is that it was a couple years ago, I remember him being in it.
SPEAKER_02They do the uh the father-son, they have like a PNC championship or something like that. They play that every year. I know, but I don't know if he's done the par three or not.
SPEAKER_01I don't believe so. Yeah. But well, well, it's awesome, man. Uh yeah, so excited, you know. You know, BW, this is one of my favorite favorite episodes. We have we've had Tom, we we had you're up there with Tim Brando. We had Tim on our class here talking. Right. Yeah, you know, Tim Tim talked to the lawn bw, you were you were at your kids' game. We were like, tell me when we're gonna stop. I had to go, yeah, yeah, yeah. And he was still going on, man. So yeah, it's just uh it's it's awesome, man. I we could talk days about let me tell you a story.
SPEAKER_00Let me tell you a quick story. So I was at David Frost's uh wedding down in West Palm, and it was in a small Presbyterian church. David Frost used to play on the PGA tour. Yeah, and we would go around the country and he would talk golf, and I'd talk God, and we did all these business breakfasts. So he invited me in to do to his wedding. And and as I walk in with Paige, my wife, right behind us is Bernard Langer and his fan, his his wife and all the players you see on TV. So, man, I'm getting stoked. I'm fired up. This is all gonna be great. Go to the wedding, get through the wedding. We go to uh Trump International Golf Club for the reception, and we're sitting at the table, and I'm sitting next to Bernard Langer. And oh, he doesn't want to talk about himself, he doesn't want to talk about golf, he wants to talk about mission and God and and kind of my story, and and and he's a big, strong Christian. I've been with him in Bible studies before. He carries a big Bible, got tons of notes. And I said, What are you doing tonight? He said, Well, I'm here for the wedding, and as soon as we get through with this, I'm flying to Augusta. And he made the cut. Man, and this is his last year playing, and I tell you what, he is a gem of a fella. He is genuine, sincere, super hardworking, and very caring. Um, great, great story of though. He he he wanted to be there for David Frost's wedding, you know. He was willing to be there and then fly fly that night up to Augusta. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_02I've heard he was a good guy. Um I and I've heard he's got he's got four kids, I think. Is that right? Yeah, I'm not sure the exact number. Yeah. Well man, this has been great. Uh really looking at the biggest thing.
SPEAKER_01One more thing I remember, I remember when we were in the eighth grade, man. Hard to believe this. I think it was eighth grade. Uh yeah, eighth or ninth, somewhere around there. We were uh at school. I remember you, I remember this vividly. I can remember you and Kevin Bailey talking about this in class. And some I think Bailey said there's a there's a shark lurking in Augusta. And I was like, What the heck is he talking about? And it was the year. Do you remember that? Norman. Greg Norman. He had auto came along. We were like so mad we wanted we wanted Greg Norman to win it. Remember that?
SPEAKER_02Yes, I'm still mad about it to this day. Um, and I can still see it. So I used to get the Sports Illustrated magazine, and they that came out, and that picture of him, he's like bent over his putter, you know, he's like hands on his knees, like bent over. You can tell he's just like exhausted. And I remember I brought that to um to school with me, and uh King got real mad about it, and he took it and he threw it across the room and he said, Screw foul. So I still remember that. But that was really like the first masters I think I was actually like into that I really watched.
SPEAKER_01Same here, same here. Uh yeah, and then you know the next year was when Tiger came onto the scene. Pretty hard. That happened before Tiger. Uh pretty, pretty crazy, but yeah, it's uh it's it's awesome. Uh so many uh so many good memories and just uh just fun to watch. And we'll all be tuning in and see who takes home the green jacket this year.
SPEAKER_02That's right. Well, Tom, we appreciate you being here, man. It's been great. Well, we'll have to get you back on for something else because uh it's really really been a pleasure.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you so much for including me. It it's a joy to be with you, and I and I follow you and grateful for the mission, and it's all about mission and and helping those with uh need healing and and hope. And y'all bring that. So thank you so much, Brandon. Thank you, Johnny. Yep, thanks, huh?
SPEAKER_01Really appreciate you coming on, man.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_01Hey, all right, y'all say you know, we always say celebrate all celebrations. That's Tom's big thing, right there. That's what we're doing.
SPEAKER_00Life is short, life is fragile. When good things happen, celebrate. That's right.
SPEAKER_02And go to johnnypacker.net and get some coffee.
SPEAKER_00That's right.
SPEAKER_02Thank y'all. Thank y'all.