The Draw: 2026 Women's Australian Open and The Players Championship

In this episode of The Draw, hosts Nathan and Brian dive into how Hannah Green gave Aussies something to cheer for when she won the Women’s Australian Open on the Ladies European Tour, becoming the first Australian woman - since Karrie Webb - to win the event since 2014. To add to the excitement, Aussie Cassie Porter shot a Sunday course record to finish T2.

The hosts then cover the Players Championship, where Cameron Young beat Matthew Fitzpatrick after Ludvig Åberg’s back-nine water penalties. It was hard to miss Young's huge drive on 18 to help seal the deal. A fun storyline coming out of TPC Sawgrass was YouTube-taught pro Sudarshan Yellamaraju posting a T5 finish and winning $925,000 before announcing his withdrawal from the Valspar Championship.

Previews this week include the LPGA's Fortinet Founders Cup, the DP World Tour's Hainan Classic and the PGA Tour's Valspar Championship.

The hosts also discuss commissioner Jay Monahan’s proposed PGA Tour changes, including a shorter season and more match play.

The Draw is a Fairway to Green podcast. See all episodes at www.fairwaytogreen.com.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hello, welcome back to the Draw, a Fairy to Green podcast. And we have to start the week off talking with another national

Hannah Green Wins Home Open

SPEAKER_02 0:07

open. Over on the Ladies European Tour, we had the Women's Australian Open, and that was won by Hannah Green. She is an Australian. Like we've talked about this many times before. There's something about golfers winning in their home country. She becomes the first Australian woman to win this event since 2014.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

Yeah. No LPGA event last week. So Hannah Green said, I'll go play my national open. It's the Ladies European Tour and the Australian WPGA. So pretty much a yeah, I feel like it was an easy decision for her to decide to play. She's playing again this week. But she didn't have her, she didn't have her caddy for her win on the she won on the LPGA tour three weeks ago, the beginning of March. Didn't have her caddy. She had her husband on the bag. I'm not sure if that was the case this week, but another another victory for Hannah Green. She as we mentioned a few weeks ago, she m uh she changed, kind of made some changes to her swing at the end of the year last year, October, November, and put a new putter in the bag. Um so good thing, I guess whatever she did uh certainly were is working and OA continues to work for Hannah Green.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

Yeah, and then uh Cassie Porter, fellow Australian, ends up shooting the course record on Sunday to finish in a T2 position. So again, yeah, like you said, no LPG event. So go go play in your home country and and go win. And look at that. I mean, yeah, two wins early on in the seasons has to feel good for uh for Hannah.

Recapping the Players Championship

SPEAKER_02 1:32

On the PG tour this week, we had do we want to? I don't want to call it the fifth major, people call it the fifth major, or we're just gonna go at the players' championship. Cameron Young picking up his second career PJ Tour win with dramatic fashion. Um yeah, it's we're gonna start with your pick of the week, Ludwig Oberg, who looked completely in control for pretty much since Friday, mid-round during his second round, to the 11th hole on Sunday, and he made two terrible swings that cost him the golf tournament.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

Yeah, um my pick my pick was obviously Ludwig Oberg, and I was feeling very good. Uh 54 holes in, the guy he looks very in control, up by three shots going into Sunday, and then all of a sudden on the back nine, uh 11 puts one in the water, uh, and then 12 puts another one in the water. 12 was uh arguably worse. That one was just a snap little toe hook, something that something that you see out of me, a 12 handicap on the weekends. So not something you'd see out of uh a golfer the qu what the qual uh the quality that Ludwig Loberg has. And then you know it happens to everyone that you know the last three weeks you saw Shane Lowry, you know, fumble at the at the end. That was arguably I was definitely a more a little bit more egregious, you know, uh sell to lose the tournament. And then uh who is it? Um Daniel Berger last week. Yes, Daniel Berger. He he but that wasn't necessarily him playing poorly, it was just Akshay playing you know out of his mind. So so this week another another back nine, uh you know, not class, but loss. And then it was good to see Cameron Young win. You know, I was at the edge of my I was on the edge of my seat watching because I'm a huge Cameron Young fan, and Matthew Fitzpatrick, uh maybe a little uh, you know, I was a little maybe I'm still a little annoyed about the Ryder Cup, but that's uh having to make putts from all over the course, but I didn't necessarily want to see him win. I know that Cameron Young win. I'm very happy about the the outcome.

SPEAKER_02 3:31

Yeah, I mean Fitzy, he took control one once Oberg hit it in the water. Fitzy took control, made I think it was three birdies and four holes, and it's like, oh, he's just gonna win. And again, he's been really good the last year and hit a poor drive on 16 and just couldn't make birdie there. 17, five. Conservative, just middle of the game. But again, you have a one-shot lead for the players. Like, that's the shot you hit. Like he executed the shot you're supposed to hit. Cameron Young make a birdie on 17 and 18. He did. I mean, Cameron Young hit a great shot, he got the slope. Fitz didn't make the birdie, and then 18 is kind of where you can say where yeah, Young had the advantage with hitting a drive 375 yards. I mean, the longest drive on that hole in the shot link era, which is 2003. So, again, it's not even Fitzzy hit a bad drive, like he said afterwards, he hit a good drive, it's just it ran through the fairway and he missed a makeable parpa, which he was making all week. And yeah, I mean, for Young, it's just kind of confirmation of how good he's been since winning the windem at the end of the year last year. He was easily the best American there at Beth Page. Um, and yeah, just to win here is again, we can call it the fifth major, but it was a tough course. The wind was blowing. Again, he's played well. He has his two other top ten finishes this year, and for Cam Young, it's like, okay, now he's up to fourth in the world. Like, he's gonna be a betting favorite at Augusta, I would assume, if not the favorite, because I don't think Scotty can be the favorite the way he's been playing lately. Rory with this back thing is concerning. Morkow, who's played well, he had to withdraw with a back injury. So, right now, like Cam Young is probably up there. I'm sure if you look, he's not the favorite right now. But for me, heading into it about a month out from there, it if he had a high finish, he's played well there before would not be shocking at all. Uh, Xander Shoffley makes Bird, I think it was three of the last four holes. He gets into the third place finish. So another American who's kind of rounding the form. I don't know if you saw this. I I thought this was funny. Someone tweeted it out. I think it was around the 11th or 12th hole. Cam Young was the only American. It was like Fitzpatrick, Ober, McIntyre. I think Fleetwood was up there. I think Straight. Yeah, the Ryder Cup flashbacks. I saw him. And it was just like Young in the middle. I'm like, oh no. And someone had a funny tweet was like, Team Europe has Cam Young surrounded. I'm like, oh, this, and then he's the one who pulls out and wins. I mean, again, he's become a legitimately great putter. I mean, I I forget, I can't remember the stat they said after, but between four to seven feet, he didn't have a miss all week. I mean, a year ago at the beginning of last year, you say Cam Young's not a good putter, he's an average putter, and he's legitimately one of the best putters, and then you add someone who can drive a ball 375 yards on the most difficult closing hole on the PJ tour and give himself a flip wedge in. I mean, if he wins two or three more times this year, doesn't shock me. Sign me up for Cam Young hitting drives over at Adair Manor next year at the Ryder Cup and this year in the President's Cup. Um, because he is arguably has been one of the best American players in the last six months.

SPEAKER_00 7:03

Yeah. Um as as as as I said earlier, as a Cameron Young fan, it has been a little bit, I wouldn't say just a little actually a little bit disappointing in the last few years. We've seen the flashes, we've seen the talent from Cameron Young. You know, it seems, you know, for a few tournaments every year, Cameron Young is up there. You see Eagles, all the talent, but it doesn't really hasn't really got it done. And we saw it at the Ryder Cup at Beth Page, how he was the best American player like on the team. It's like pretty not uh not egregious to say that. And so I um I saw a stat, I I don't remember fully, but it was how Cameron Young's caddy kind of helped to make a be a better putter. I know maybe I think he wasn't that great of a putter um before his caddy switched the caddy and he's reading the greens like like a madman. And as you like you said, four to seven feet, didn't miss a putt all week. And it that's that's like Brian Harman um oh British Open uh win kind of kind of stat where he didn't miss inside of eight feet, or he was like 71 out of 72 at like inside of eight feet or for the week. It was it was it was a little ridiculous, but but yeah, um Cameron Young at Augusta National. I would be very I would be buying stock in Cameron Young at Augusta National. I don't really know. Maybe I've I'm thinking like Tommy Fleetwood and I mean you still can't write off Scotty, he still has a few more weeks to come into form, but and or Akshay Bhatia, that's really the few guys that I'm I'm looking at right now. But yeah.

TPC Sawgrass Spotlight

SPEAKER_02 8:31

Yeah, I think the other thing I want to talk about. This is this golf course is so fun to watch. I I just Sunday I turned it on from the time I woke up, and there are so many holes. Like, I mean, the first hole is you gotta hit a good drive. And then I love the fourth hole where uh Michael Thor Bornton kind of just collapsed and hit it into the water, and then all that, where it's it's a 380-yard par four, but you see guys like Oberg and made a bogey on Sunday, and Thorborn Thor Bornsen made an eight because he hit it in the water. I mean, if you don't hit a good drive, you're in the rough on one side, the bunker on the other, phenomenal just layout of a course. The final three holes have have to be the hardest final three hole stretch on any tournament anywhere. E. I mean, Augusta, you have 16 to par three, not that hard. 17, okay, 18's a hard drive, but like out of the major courses, like I I think nothing really compares to it.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

I mean, certainly 17 and 18. That's just that's just different sauce right there.

SPEAKER_02 9:36

Yeah, and then 16 though is a great par five. I mean, you had Cam Young who had a perfect drive, he had a four iron in his hand, and he's considering a laying up because of how windy it is, and you don't want to you can't miss right or he loses the tournament. He he was like, if Cam Young lays up, I mean, what are we doing? Like, so I mean it's just a really good debunker where he ended up having his terrible lie from pulling a four-iron in there. Is it just it's a really exciting golf course, and you never know what's gonna happen. Uh, especially like right, like you said, Fitz played conserved and hit the middle of the green, but that's what you're supposed to do to win the golf turban. It's just he didn't win.

SPEAKER_00 10:13

Yeah, exactly. Uh, one more I would like to talk about one more thing uh without the with the players. I know you probably saw this, probably probably gonna talk about it too, but um Siddarshan Yellow Miraju, uh he got T5 this week, and he, you know, kind of a guy who popped up out of nowhere. Yeah, I've I've gonna be honest, I've never heard of him before this week. And he's he started on the PGA tour this or this season, but really never heard of him. And he learned golf on YouTube watching Rory McElroy and Tiger Woods swing. So just watching YouTube, and he's and he's fifth place at the players. Um, he turned professional at 19. And then this week uh at the players, he made just you know, one week of work, uh, you know, Toddra Fifth, $925,000. So a very large payday for him. I did see he made this week, and then he went through this week. Everyone's like, Yeah, like you know, cut almost a million dollars, you know. You I guess you could take a week off to celebrate.

SPEAKER_02 11:09

Yeah, I I did yeah, that was pretty cool. I think he has one corn fairy tour win. So that was correct. I mean, yeah, it was it's a course where if you play well, like again, it it it evens out a field pretty well. I mean, you saw some of the stars up there, right? We saw Fitz and Robert McIntyre finish fourth and Xander is up there again, but like also like last year you had JJ Spawn in a playoff before he won the US Open, and you had Bud Collie who finished third behind him, Spawn and McRoy. So it's a course that if you're a good ball striker and you make some putts, you can be in contention. I mean, Kevin Kisner was in a playoff years ago when Ricky won. So I mean, if Kevin Kisner can win there, be in a playoff, like it's a course that a lot of different people can win. I think that's what makes it so exciting because there's not really a type of golfer that it fits more. I mean, yes, it helps if you're Cameron Young and you can hit the ball 350 yards plus, but again, it Fitz is not the bomber he is, and he was there right with them to the end. Um, but it's just it's a great course. It it's always a great, great show of uh ability, especially when the wind was going and the fans always get into it. The USA chance on little glass couple holes. I mean yeah, Fitzy said this is nothing compared to the Beth Page, so he was playing along with it. So that that was all all great stuff. And the PG tour's gotta be excited because this is their their tournament, right? They don't own one of the majors, they don't own the the rider cup, they have the presence cup, but still it's not theirs. So again, whether it's a fifth major or not, I whatever. I think if they just can make it as good as they can and have the field as good as it was this week and the course and great setup and shape, I think it's will stand out on this tour schedule no problem.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Yeah, they did the PGA tour did a fantastic job this weekend. I honestly don't have any complaints. Um suggestion, this is just me. Um, I don't think anyone's really gonna agree with me. I want them to move uh the T-box on 17 back. Uh I know the holes already hard enough as it is, but for like one day, I just want to see show like a lot of players just granted it might be unreasonably hard, which I totally get, but like I just want to see them just I want to see pro suffer.

SPEAKER_02 13:25

I I guess I have yeah, like I mean plays like I think like 130 to 140. If they push it back to 170, and they're having to hit a seven iron or six iron into the win. It it you're right, it may get unplayable, especially if it's the bounces off the back, yeah. I guess that but it's tough. Yeah, I mean uh the one part three they have. I don't know if it was maybe it was eight, that's like 220. Like I enjoyed seeing them hit long irons and stuff the water on the left?

SPEAKER_00 13:53

Is it that the one with the water on the left?

SPEAKER_02 13:55

Uh maybe. I don't know. I think so. Yeah, but I mean, I'm I'm all for long part three and to kind of watch these guys struggle and hit shots. I mean, it will be exciting. I know they announced that they have this new program called Chasing Sunday that is in like partnership with NFL Films that does Rnocks. I think that comes out tonight at nine. And I saw a preview of it was like a minute and a half conversation between Batia and his caddy Joe Griner on the 17th hole. About do I hit a chippy nine? Do I hit a full pitching wedge? So I think we're gonna get some cool things out of that. Again, I think that drops here at nine, and I guess we're recording this Tuesday, so you'll see it. I think it comes out on the NFL Films YouTube Wednesday morning. Um, so go check that out because I'm sure you're gonna get some great conversations on club selections and stuff like that um as well.

LPGA Tour Returns to U.S. for Fortinet Founders Cup

SPEAKER_02 14:47

On the LPG tour this week, they are back in the United States, they haven't been here since their Orlando event, the Hilton Grand Vacations. They have the Fortnite Founders Cup down at Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club. It is a star-studded field, um, which is nice to see again. Finally back in the U.S. You get a little more participation, I would imagine, than people having to go travel over and play in the Asian swing. Um, last year's champion, Yolimi No, is in the field. Again, Gino Titakoon's in the field, Nellie Kord is in the field, Lydia Coase in the field, who else? Ro Zang, who's a winner here in 2024. Great field. It should be an exciting um kickoff or kind of re-kickoff to the LPJ tour over here in the States this week.

SPEAKER_00 15:39

Yeah, aside from I think the first tournament in Asia for the LPGA tour, the fields, you know, haven't no disrespect, they haven't been with the the top 10 players in the world. Yeah, I think the last tournament on the LPGA tour, the it was the Blue Bay Invitational. There was only one or two players in the top ten um in the field. So it's really nice to see uh a lot of the players, not most, if not all of them, playing this week uh in the tournament in California. Um, so my pick for this week, uh, I would love to go. I'm gonna go with an American. She has been playing very well, she played well in Asia. I'm going with Austin Kim. She her three she has played in three tournaments this year. She has a T3, uh set a runner-up, and a T18. So three top 20 finishes for Austin Kim this we uh this season, and I expect her to continue with her strong play.

SPEAKER_02 16:29

Yeah, you brought up it it's a great, it's a good field. 20 of the 25 uh players in the top, or out of the 25 top players in the Rolex rankings are in the field. So again, you could go with Nelly, you could go with Gino, you can go with Minju Lee, Minji Li, Miyamashida. I'm going with uh a pass champ pass champion I mentioned earlier, Rose Zhang, who has not played much on the PJ Tour this year. She has one start, and that was at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament Champions. She finished T9 again, so not the most starts here. She has one here, so it's a course she has good history at. She's from Stanford, she likes playing in California.

Previewing the Hainan Classic at Mission Hills Haikou

SPEAKER_02 17:10

Um, so Rose Zhang to pick up her second win at the Fortnite Founders Cup. Over on the DP World Tour after another week break, the DP World Tour is starting their Asian swing um of their schedule at the Hainan Classic. It is the second year of this event. Marco Penj is the defending champion. He will not be in the field. He is has his PJ tour card. He's actually in the field this week at the Vales Park Championship, which we'll talk about here in a sec. Um, it's a really cool golf course. I was looking up pictures because again, China, it's tough to know like what these golf courses are like. I looked up some pictures, it is on a natural volcanic landscape. So if you think back to um it's the Utah event the PJ Tour hosts, where he's kind of has a volcanic rock, it's very similar to that. Um yeah, so it the views are really cool. Um, at this golf resort in China where they're playing it, it has 10 golf courses. Um, they're playing on the Blackstone course, which hosted the 2011 World Cup of Golf that Matt Kucher and Gary Woodland won. Um, so again, pretty um new tournament. Again, Francesco Molinari, former mage champion, he kind of highlights the field, not the best field in the world. Um, we have Dan Bradbury who finished second a couple weeks ago at the, or he won the Joe Burg Open a couple weeks ago. He'll be in the field. You have Nacho Elvario who's played well this year, Freddie Scott, who won the BAPCO Energy's Brain Championship as well. Um, so not again, not the greatest field in the world over on the GPU World Tour, but still a good one. My pick this week is Jorge Campillo. He is looking to pick up his fourth career GP World Tour win. He has two top 20 finishes in his last three starts. He is a T36 here at last year's event, so he knows, of course, he's played it and he's played well the last couple weeks. So Jorge Campelio, my pick for this event.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

Uh so my pick for this week, I'm going with Wen Yi Ding. Um, he is from China, and uh I didn't know much about him, but I did do some research on Wen Yi Ding, and he did win the Chinese amateur open three times in a row, I think from 2019 to 2021. So certainly a very talented golfer, and he has won on the China tour. Uh yeah, the China Tour, like another separate tour, but but yeah, it certainly has a professional win, a few amateur wins. So um definitely and likes playing in China, uh obviously. So maybe gets it done this week.

SPEAKER_02 19:46

Yeah, home country, uh, always there's something different about playing your home country. The last event of the week

Valspar Championship: Previewing the Snake Pit

SPEAKER_02 19:53

is the PJ Tour, and it is the Vales Bar Championship. It's another fun golf course. It's the last tournament in Florida, so they're finishing up their Florida swing. Again, it's another good field. We're talking about the LPGA field being really good. This PJ field isn't as good as that one, but you have Victor Hovlin, the defending champ. You have Akshay Batia, Xander Shoffley, Justin Thomas, just to name a few of the players in the field. Uh Brooks Kepka will also be in the field. He hasn't played there in a while, even before his PJ Tour suspension. You have Adam Hadwin, who's won here before in the field, Blades Brown, so the 18-year-old phenom in the field, Draco Bridgman, who has just been really good since winning at Riviera a couple couple weeks ago. So again, we were talking about closing finishes here at uh Innisbrook. They have the famous snake pit. So it is their final three holes of the tournament. Um, each hole at this course is named after some type of snake, so that's pretty cool. But the snake pick is snake pit is hole 16, 17, 18. It's two really hard par fours, and in the middle of it is just a long par three. Again, this is where JT kind of lost the tournament last year and Victor Hovlin stole Urman. Um, again, it's uh not the hardest golf course, but ball strikers will perform really well here. I'm going with one of the better ball strikers on the PJ Tour. He's coming off a T13 finish at the players' championship. Give me Corey Connors in his last three events here. He has a T16, T21, and T8 finish. Again, Canadian, one of the best ball strikers, has two PJ Tour wins um in his career. I'm picking him to pick up his third this week at the Vallas Bar Championship.

SPEAKER_00 21:39

Yeah, I saw Corey Connors on the leaderboard quite a bit uh last weekend. So certainly in great form. Uh I'm going with another guy who I saw on the leaderboard. Granted, it was on Thursday, but uh I'm going with Sahith Tagala, um, one of my favorites. Um yeah. Last week he kind of final his last round wasn't wasn't uh didn't play very well, but A couple stats for Sahit Tagal this season. He is 125th off the T in strokes gain. So pretty poor in that category. However, he makes up for it. He's 32nd in approach and 34th in putting. So very good once he gets off the off the T. Um, and he has three top tens this season. So he can he can get it done. And uh it just takes a one week where he can you can find the driver and he's there.

SPEAKER_02 22:25

Yeah, he he's played well, especially last year coming off the injury. And I think he's another kind of one of the young guys that oh, if he didn't have this injury, like could he have been on the rider cup last year? I don't know. But yeah, I think he's good. He's been good at TGL. He's played well here to start on the PJ tour. Um, and again, I think that driving thing, the kind of the mishitting the drive, I think it will correct himself. He's too good of a player not to. And like you said, it takes one good week driving, and all of a sudden he finds something and sees himself in contention.

Jay Monahan Changing Up the PGA Tour

SPEAKER_02 22:55

Before we go here, I did want to talk about Brian Rollap. I don't know how much of this kind of State of the Union address you saw that he did at the PGA uh at the players' championship last week. A little bit. Uh so we're just really quick go over kind of his six main points, his six pillars that he mentioned. The first one was the season structure. That's been all the talk over the last kind of month or two. The playing committee, and they're figuring out what's the best type of schedule. Is it less events, smaller fields, big field? It's just been kind of like, what are we gonna do? And he kind of laid out he goes, they're gonna play from January to September, they're targeting right after the Super Bowl play in September. 21 to 26 events. Those events include the four majors in either the President's Cup or the Ryder Cup, depending on the year. So again, you're probably looking at 21 to 22 regular PJ Tour events like the Vales Bar Championship, uh, the T Vilero, Texas Open Down and TPC San Antonio, uh Kongason Classic events like that. Again, don't mind that. I'm sure there would be some type of fall portion as well. Um, but he was more so talking about the the normal season. The fields, he's said they are going to get away from the limited field events, so you're not gonna see, yeah, which I love. I love the idea of more players. I don't like the limited field events. Give me the more players. I think at the players' championship this week there was 123 players, and he said approximately looking at fields of 120 to 130. Again, love that idea. Don't make it, don't give me less players. I want more players because it's hard to have a PJ2 card, and now you're making it harder for the players who have it.

SPEAKER_00 24:39

Don't we saw we we saw last year with the whole Ricky Fowler situation with the you know him benefiting from those limited events? So I think this is the more fair way and a really enjoyable experience.

SPEAKER_02 24:50

And you're gonna get the player like right, Jacob Bridgeman, who relatively unknown, he had a good year last year. He goes and wins the Genesis, one of the singer events. Now he's in majors and all that, but he's a good player. Ben Griffin was the same way, he was kind of out of nowhere, wins an event and then plays his way into the senior events. I like more stories like that is what I want as a viewer. Exactly. The third one, uh, starting big, which I don't really know how this is a pillar. Like his thing was they're gonna start big at an iconic West Coast venue. I they kind of started big with the tournament of champions, in my opinion. I loved going down to Kapalua and watching that golf tournament Hawaii. So again, maybe whether it's starting big, maybe it's starting big at Pebble Beach, maybe it's at Riviera, Tory Pines, Cyprus. Like, I I don't maybe they're thinking along the lines like that, right? Like, I don't know, but okay, that that one was like, all right, it's not that big of a deal. I mean, I they don't need to start at an iconic venue. I will watch if they go play T PC Scottsdale. Like, I guess that's iconic in its own way, but like still I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 25:58

I would argue that the the start they have this season already is pretty big venues anyway, so I don't know what how much it's really gonna change. Exactly. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 26:07

Uh the other one was they're gonna try to get in more big markets, which I am a fan of this one. I'm biased. I know you go to school in New York, I live in New York. I don't think they come to the Northeast, Northeast enough. Again, we had one of the I think they they had the playoff events here before. They had the Northern Trust down at Liberty National in New York City, they had TPC Boston a couple years ago too, and they do events, but they're trying to target more bigger cities, so they're gonna try to get in bigger TV markets. So Chicago, Boston, New York, uh, you mentioned Washington, DC as one.

SPEAKER_00 26:42

So I do like that. Yeah, I as someone who lives in DC or lived in DC uh pretty much my entire life. I go back there on breaks, you know, summer break, and there is no like there was the Wells Fargo uh in 2020, I think 2022, uh at TPC Potomac, and that was kind of the last. That was kind of like the last really they have they but they have tournaments at Caves Valley near Baltimore, but that's pretty far away. But they there's also there's like there's a there's many great courses in Northern Virginia or Maryland near DC that you can have tournaments at.

SPEAKER_01 27:14

You've got congressional there, of course, majors, give me Meriden, like that's more Chicago, Illinois, but they've got Trump National also RTJ.

SPEAKER_00 27:23

Um, so there's some really nice courses that you can play in Northern Virginia or Maryland, and I'd I'd I would love to go to a PGA tour event. Um, you know, not more often than I have the opportunity to.

SPEAKER_02 27:34

So yeah, I mean they they he also mentioned Philadelphia, and again, they are going to a Ronimak Golf Club this year for the PGA championship. Last year they were at Philly Cricket Club for the truest championship because Quarrel Hollowa was hosting the PGA. So again, those are just two really good golf courses. I'm really excited to see aironomic here, and I think it's in two months. So again, one of the I think that's cool, get into bigger markets, get into some cooler golf courses that we haven't seen in a while. Um, the other one is kind of they're talking about promotion relegation. So they're gonna have they have eight signature events now. His goal is to increase it to 16 but bigger fields, and that'll kind of be the first track, and then there will be a second track that you can ladder up and play well enough to get into those first track, those signature events. So he compared it to the European soccer and relegation. And I don't mind that. I think it gives players a reason to play maybe a little more, uh, but they have to make sure like they're doing it correctly. Like, I don't need some gimmicky thing that throws everything off, like all of a sudden, like, oh, I didn't play well these three events and now I get relegated. So that'll be interesting. I'm sure there are a whole bunch of kinks and like tweaks they need to make to it to make it um stable and like worked out well so it works well, because if it doesn't, then it really won't. And I think the players won't like it if it isn't something that isn't easy to understand and easy for them to move up to the next track, we'll say.

SPEAKER_00 29:02

Yeah, uh, I don't know how that's gonna work. I certainly I would just like to see kind of how it starts out and then see where it goes from there. I like the idea of promotion relegation, it rewards people who play well, and then guys who don't play well, you know, that's how it goes. So uh I I like the sounds of it, but I'd obviously have to see see more of it to to know what's really fully going on. And I'd like it to be easy to understand because I'm not trying to do math and figure things out on the on a week-to-week basis on who you know how you know finished 60th and is not gonna play next week in the signature event.

SPEAKER_02 29:34

So I agree, yeah. Because they I mean they have the things like the Aeon next five and the Aeon swing 10, like those are a little confusing in itself of like, oh, I need to make sure who are the top five FedEx cup pointers from these four events to get in there. So, like you said, if they can make it easier for us to understand, that will make it great. The last thing, and I think maybe one of my maybe my favorite point he made is enhancing the postseason. He said that they're looking into match play for finally possibly all three events, which I was like, okay, three events may be a little much. Yeah, I that's that's a lot. One event, like the final one at the tour championship, whether it's at still at East Lake, like I wouldn't mind if they move the tour championship from course to course, like a major. I understand that East Lake probably has some type of contract that they have to play there, but I'm all for it. Again, it has to be a correctly done. Like, I don't know if they could do it how it was the was it the Dell Technologies match play down at Austin Country Club. I don't know if they would pick that type of same format, whereas like round robin for yeah, it was like their punch madness tournament. Yeah. I don't know if it's gonna be like that. I don't know if it's as simple as the first player in the FedEx Cup player plays the 32nd ranked player in the FedEx Cup and then go like that. However, it is, I think the match play would be really cool. I know people are gonna be like, well, I want to see Scotty and Rory go at him. Like, well, it may not happen, it may only happen if they switch the match play. It may only happen once in our lifetime, those two actually face off for it. But again, I'm fine with that. I don't need to see those two go at it all the time. Like, give me Scotty Scheffler and a Cinderella run guy. Like, I I don't even know. Like Taylor Pendrith or Scotty Scheffler for the tour, like something like that would be really cool. I think the storylines behind it again, March Madness is starting up this weekend, and when a Cinderella or someone gets upset, one of the bigger schools gets upset, like that's the talk of social media. So I think it would be cool to see someone beat Scotty or someone beat Rory who's relatively unknown.

SPEAKER_00 31:41

Yeah, I love the match play format. I've been, you know, I've been saying this for a few years. I I think these guys they come up through college and junior golf, and what do you play in those in high school and in college, especially in those in the playoffs? You play match play, and then seemingly once you get to professional golf, it goes away. And I I think you know, these players that are that thrive in these match play formats, they should be able to showcase these skills. It's a different time, it's a totally completely different kind of golf. You know, you're more focused on winning the whole you're playing against one guy rather than stacking scores across the whole day. And I I love the match play. You know, I would love to see Scotty Scheffler, the world number one, you know. I don't think he's first placed in the FedEx Cup. I think I think Cameron Young is, but or yeah, I think it's Jacob Bridgeman. Yeah, Jacob Bridge. Jacob Bridgeman right now, which is Jacob Bridgeman, who is the number one in the FedEx Club. I'd like to see him play against the 30 second guy who's earned the right to play in the final at in hopefully at East Lake. So I would love to see that, and I'm very happy that that these changes might that are be are being considered because the new the format uh I know they changed it recently. It was the whole starting strokes thing, 10 under that kind of thing. That was terrible. It took him took him a little too long to figure that out, but now they they start them all even, which is which is very nice how Tommy Fleetwood won uh last year, and now hopefully no now this changed. So I'm I'm happy to see the PGA tour kind of learning and listening from people um and making some positive changes for the tour.

SPEAKER_02 33:06

He is he, I think he's doing the right thing, and he was very transparent. He goes, If I don't know an answer, like I will let you know, and that we'll get someone and we'll work on it. So he said they're gonna be working on it in the next couple months. The next time he's gonna talk is at the Travelers Championship. So we may learn more details then. Um, but I think they're going in the right direction. I know they have they have the players committee that Tiger Woods is on and Tiger's all about it, and working to help kind of the tour in any way they can to make it the best for the players. It'll be interesting to see what they finally come up with, and who knows? Maybe we won't get the full details in June at the Travelers. But if we can get a little more set in stone, kind of what events they are, what's the first track and second track and and all that. But I I thought the direction is good and I like the idea of bigger fields, maybe less events. So the more players playing them again, I want to see the best players play. And if there's so many events right now, like they can't play in them all, so it we gotta make sure they can play, and we want the best players to play. He's coming from the NFL, he wants to give the viewers the best product they can, and I think some of these things he was talking about, I think they will improve um our kind of watching and viewing experience. All right, enjoy the golf this week again. LPGA DP World Tour PGA. We'll be back here next week to kind of discuss all that went on and any more updates. Again, go check us out, ferretogreen.com, check out our our articles. We have the preview articles that are coming out for these events, and again, as a review articles as well. And go check out our YouTube again. Subscribe, give us a review on wherever you get your podcasts. Enjoy the golf this weekend.