Live from Atlanta: Keegan Bradley & Andrew Green Interviews + Tour Championship Preview

[Music] that's Smiley caufman for 61 wow I'm Smiley caufman and this is the Smiley Show welcome back to the Smiley Show once again here on site at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in fact we got the East Lake Pro Shop right behind us this is a tough scene for Charlie as some someone who's a big merched Pro Shop guy I can just see him eyeing some of the Rope hats in the East Lake Pro Shop that sit in our peripherals there's there's some good t-shirts I've seen there're I'm I'm trying to get we came in here the other night when it was a little darker so I couldn't get a full scope of the merch but this morning walked in I was like I wonder if there's a way I can use my badge to get in there yeah oh yeah 100% I mean that there's a door right there we just open oh wait hold on hold on I'm getting breaking news here we have a report we have a breaking news report we're going live on the scene to our IHOP correspondent Smiley Kaufman Smiley you have breaking news please what's the report uh report uh that I that I just happen to be walking out of the elevator this morning and to my surprise surprise or Delight Delight I see I'm looking down on my phone and I look up and I see hii matsuyama's translator with carrying a drink tray of big gulps and printed on these big gulps IH hop three big cups and then a big plastic bag I'm just going to assume they were pancakes and just nine sides of little small syrup packets it was about to be a feast in uh in the hotel today and and luckily I mean it's just it's just great to see it confirmed and I hope honestly that Hideki is just doing this as a ploy knowing I was about to leave and just say hey go down there sit with IHOP and just be standing there for like between the window of 8 and 9:30 and just keep on walking back and forth until we can get the smiley show seeing this live in action just to kind of get us on their Trail thinking that this is a thing and maybe maybe that's what happened or maybe these just guys wanted some IHOP this morning if it's an elaborate ruse Andor marketing play more power to Hideki and his Camp very could been I'm not going to go all in that this was their breakfast this morning I'm I'm going to believe that potentially this is a bit what do you think his order is at IHOP like is he like a standard buttermilk pancakes guy is he doing chocolate chips blueberries yeah I think he just mixes up different things in his pancakes that's just what that's my guess it's it's a solid guess I did I'm dying to do this IHOP video with hii now like for just translators caddies us panak man and I I just have a hard time believing that Hideki is ordering like three Diet Cokes in the morning I'm kind of hoping that they're just big old chocolate milks like that's kind of what I was hoping we're in these big gold IHOP and and the logoing I mean the these are the biggest blue cups I've ever seen just with IHOP in in nice white it looked like a big Pepsi uh it's probably not a good place to say Pepsi is at Coke town but yeah yeah fair point I that is that is hilarious though like I when we got that textas morning in our production group chat I like he's he's making this up there's just no way but he's Hideki it was awesome big big iHome really really big news out of the out of the Smiley Show camp this morning I'm glad I'm glad we got that cut in for the breaking news uh so IHOP reach out don't well reach out to us too help us set something up we're here for it Hideki is clearly here for it well the cool thing about us now is that we can go to High IHOP in the morning you know we're able to go to Culver's for a nice little early afternoon lunch and then during the evening you know we have we can go to either Walk-Ons or canes and just kind of get lost in the sauce a bit I I it sounds like a great meal if my metabolism was 10 years younger uh we're we're needing to make some Lifestyle Changes here I will say on the back end of Monday's episode had multiple people reach out and tell me that there is a Culver's maybe 20 minutes from me in Durham North Carolina there's a there's a cver in Apex apparently which is I don't know if that's the best news ever or the worst news ever well this is what's going to happen now you know you're going to finish your rounds of golf at at Hope Valley and instead of going into the men's Grill and and hanging and having a drink and eating lunch you say guys I got to get out here I got to get back to uh the kids to to help out and you're just going to you're just going to plug in Culver and you're going to be back in 45 minutes I got to be honest with you one of my favorite post bad round Traditions is just piging out on bad fast food oh that's that was my Monday qualifier deal you know anytime I was on the west coast if I miss the Monday which most of the time you do uh the reward is is punishing your body within and out yeah yes which which we've also covered this on the show we're a big fast food show apparently big fast food guys yeah I I will go to the Culver and carry and get some Kurds cuz I I'm obsessed with that place now so uh Culver IHOP you know the whole the whole nine yards we're we're we're doing well shooting Masters this year we we finished our show so late that the only thing to open was Wendy's and both just happened to go to the same Wendy's trying to go find food and and I was hey good to see you man just two cars behind each other in the Drive-Thru going the for the same spicy chicken sandwich FR I was telling Fran I was going to get like should I just get the the chicken Snack Wrap thing or whatever she's like yeah that's probably like the best thing to get there and then say what do you want I like I'll have the double baconator it's hard it's hard to pass up on the the Baconator at Wendy's uh man that's enough okay that's that's just about enough fast food talk uh because we have the the the Tour Championship the the finale of the PJ tour season to get into here and we got a lot of great guests lined up for you today we've got Andrew Green to talk about the golf course the restoration project that he's done here uh which we've heard some interesting comments from players on already this week of just you know getting used to a place that feels very very new to them I mean Xander shley new golf course it that was crazy to me to hear Xander shley say where he's like the East Lake Whisperer that nothing feels the same to him other than maybe just how to walk from a hole to another hole that that was wild to me so we have we have Andrew on to talk about that and we have Keegan Bradley on as well really excited about the BM BMW Championship winner fourth in the FedEx Cup Standing so we're excited to get to that um so smiley let's just kind of start big picture on where we stand coming into this into this tournament just the FedEx Cup uh you you were able to get out and kind of walk a few holes you still have a few more to to get to before you're finally prepped for the tournament on Thursday but what are your impressions of the golf course what you've seen this far so I've never seen the golf course in person and this is my first time on the grounds uh when we did our show on Monday you know I've I've always watched East Lake over the years um that whether it be the Tour Championship or when it was before that you know growing up as a kid when it was in the Tour Championship um I I kind of felt like the golf course on T TV always just just kind of like felt blot of me like it never really like did anything for me it just you know it was it seemed like a a good golf course and and one that I would enjoy playing but just it's not like a picturesque holes like you're going to be at uh with uh you know going on the West Coast or just these these signature type holes it's just good hole after good hole Yeah and every player that I talked to about the golf course they all loved it they loved playing it they just felt like there was good after good hole so from my perspective it's like okay you know watching it on TV I never really felt like anything crazy ever happened besides that par three uh 15th hole you know that seemed like to be the drama of the golf course other than that it seemed you know where guys were making birdies but like their bogeys were kind of boring CU they hit in the rough now from being on the course and walking it you know obviously it I'm seeing these greens for the first time I don't know where they used to be so I'm just seeing it for what it is and I think it's going to be very very challenging um the the number I got from Austin Kaiser uh was this would if if it's just a regular stroke play tournament everybody starting at even he said single underpar would win and he said even something closer to even is what he felt really that that's the words out of his mouth um now do you think he's saying that because there's still I mean as as much work was done the off season there was a 13we growing period for the new grasses and by the way apologies we we have we're we're in a hi traffic area here we have lots of players and Personnel coming through we actually had a delightful 10-minute conversation with Sean Foley covered a lot in that conversation hope to see him again soon but uh that that is what's happening in and around us because we're here in the clubhouse at East Lake but just talking about you know getting back to to Austin Kaiser's point of you know this is It's obviously onee turnaround from the course last year so do you think his assessment on the score and the difficulty of the course is related to the time it's going to take for this thing to bed in the firmness of greens or you think it's just the actual restoration and the way bunkers have been moved and things like that no it'll it'll eventually get back to where where guys are going to be able to score and um and be able to hold shots but coming out of the rough I think the example that Austin gave me was on the I believe fifth hole and maybe it was six I think it was six I'm still like learning the holes in my head but uh he said he hit in the right rough and hit a a wedge onto the front of the green like landed one yard onto the green and went into the back bunker on a green that's 35 yards long so wow he just said that out of the rough you just have no chance to hold anything um because of the firmness and that's interesting too because if you look at the stats on this Andrew Green is part of this restoration added five acres of Fairway went from 24 acres to 29 acres and there's actually 20 acres less of rough went from 90 Acres of rough to 70 Acres of rough and I think Andrew will kind of will cover that in our conversation about the way the fairways were changed and the the the subtle regassing of those Fairways to a different type of zoa uh but so if you're a player and you're in the tournament this week and you have that in mind you've seen the way the balls reacted out of the rough you've seen how firmly greens are how do you game plan for that how do you strategize for that I mean obviously don't hit in the rough but like is there any major strategy shift you think these guys are going to employ now that they've kind of seen the way the course is behaving you know I think uh you really don't ever know until the gun goes off right like when you get out there and you start to see kind of how the golf course is really reacting uh with with tournament pins you know a lot of times these whole locations they cut are going to be um pretty benign in the middle of of the green but when you get them on the corners that's when you really start to feel how difficult a golf course can really play so I imagine that'll be the strategy for most guys probably air on the side of caution not be aiming at as quite as many flag sticks but I'll say this that when guys have wedges in their hands in the Fairway doesn't matter what golf course they're playing they're going to aim at flag sticks but when you get on these par 3es that that have some length anything with middle irons and long irons they're going to be saying all right where's my Miss where do I where can I get up and down from um because I think at this point they'll know where like what's reacted Monday Tuesday and Wednesday with with mid to Long irons and and they probably know it's like hey even if I'm in the Fairway I I can't be aiming at these flags like these like this is the only flag I can be somewhat aggressive with so um that's all what these guys are doing this week their preparation um you know it's unusual to see so many guys out um on a Monday just listening to guys conversations they just said you know what we we need to be out here um seeing both sides two times a lot of shoot at uh St Jude this year I see JT on Wednesday day and he's like going to play the back nine that morning uh in a proam and I was like did you play the front he's like Noah nothing changes so it just kind of goes to show like when these guys know a golf course they they typically prioritize rest and Recovery especially coming off of a stretch but this week these guys are putting a lot of work in Monday through Wednesday to try to learn this golf course to try to be more prepared than the other guy because you know these guys are playing for a lot of money this week in a Tour Championship it that was really interesting for Monday's show we were stationed right there at the first te to see all those guys were making that same two time zone trip from Denver out there getting working early four guys in the top 10 just like rolling right through yeah getting ready for a big week so we now are going to get right to some of these conversations we've had we have Keegan Bradley coming up now who just as we as we mentioned just won the BMW Championship at Castle Pines from there we'll talk to Andrew Green about this East Lake restoration and then we'll come back with we think we found a good Sol for our a done pick format I think we got a little something that's going to work and maybe we'll employ this in the years going forward but that's the kind of run a show so we'll waste no further time we'll get right to our conversation with Keegan Bradley now all right we are back on the Smiley Show with another special guest thrilled to have Keegan Bradley joining the show after fresh office win at Castle Pines for the BMW Championship moving from 50th in the FedEx Cup to Fourth and now in a place where you've had some success here 2011 PJ champion ship at Atlanta Athletic Club what have the past few days been like just the Whirlwind of winning and and traveling here and getting ready for the the tour's final event of the Season yeah it's been wild I I don't normally ever sleep very well on Sunday nights anyways but after a win I I basically don't sleep I I I can't shut down and so it's always a struggle to get back on the right schedule and uh you know I I flew home saw my family for a day and came here yesterday and so but so weird in golf you don't get any time to enjoy anything now I'm back out here on this brutal course with a chance to win the FedEx C stress is all back in there so uh but it's great all right so Keegan I just want to rewind about nine days let's take us ourselves back to the St Jude championship and towards the weekend so Saturday and Sunday you know you're in a position to where you're trying to make it into the BMW Championship just enough for an opportunity to have a chance to win and we all know what's at stake when you make the BMW Championship you're in all the Signature Events and for you you're going to be the the captain of the Ryder Cup team just like not having the stress of having to worry about sponsors exemptions having a schedule all those things that us players think about for you now you made it your season is set but I talked to Shane Lowry and he said he played with you on Saturday and he said he has never ever seen Keegan Bradley this like stress out about you know trying to make it to the BMW it was so horrible I I uh I it felt like you know that tors School feeling of just like there's no enjoyment it's just like you're clocking in you're going to work and you're trying to do this and you know I went into Memphis 39th I was closer to making the Tour Championship then to missing you know so you think you're safe and then all of a sudden you're you're not once he checks that official projected thing you're like oh my God and you know out here in the PJ tour there's scoreboards everywhere so I just try my best not to look at but like all of a sudden you're like looking at a bird and then you see 50c projected on the fetc and then I want to die you know so like it was it was brutal because you know now with a family with kids like you know like not having the structure of the schedule would have been horrible and I also was those are my favorite tournaments to play in and then top top that with what I want to do in my career but then also with what I want to do with the rider cup like I want to yeah I want to be around the guys in the locker room I want to be around the guys you know playing a practice round seeing them play on Thursday like all little things that I may have missed out on and uh what a relief it was what it would have made for a very challenging year but once you made it through uh you know you had to just be elated just for the opportunity and sometimes when just the stress falls off like the game shows up and the freedom is there and you saw that with yourself Adam Scott and a couple other guys that that barely made it through that had good weeks like Alex noren so when did you know at the BMW Championship at Castle Pines that this could be a really special week so I was playing the proam on uh on Wednesday and it was super super windy that day like the hardest it blue and on the third hole I hit this six iron into this this really tough green and like I hit it and I flushed it and it came out perfectly where I was looking hit EX ex actly my number went to like 12T and I hit that shot and it I remember walking to the green like jeez that was that felt really good and and I swear to you I did not miss a shot I I hit that weird that drive on 14 on Sunday where it went in the went in the trees it wasn't even that bad I got caught up in the wind other than that I did not really miss a shot after that like it was that solid you know what I mean and and uh I don't know what it was this happened to me at hardford last year too where miss the cut at Us open and then went to Harford and played the best golf of my life un there's no nothing I can point to other than that that one shot and it just felt great did you find anything like was there anything that you did on the no okay I I to tell you the truth wish happened to me I didn't I uh I didn't play that bad at Memphis I really struggle on that course I don't know what it is I I did when it wasn't a playoff event and like it's scary because that's a really important event for us so like got to figure out how to play well there but yeah I think one of the more fascinating parts of last week from a fan perspective was all the calculations of map that went into every single shot like you're at 6,400 FT of elevation then a lot of those holes have massive elevation changes Upp or down and then you talking about the wind earlier in the week that we saw on the weekend as well fun for fans to watch not necessarily for the players Cades or the reporters that are trying to figure out trying to do it on fly one I I thought it was so cool having an ear into the conversation you had on 17 with Scott Vale where you're going through numbers he tells you it's 222 backs you off the shot right before you're about H and said let me just check to see what you hit yesterday 225 said that's perfect five iron of course you stiff it make Birdie the tournament at that point effectively over I I am curious if if you could for for the amateurs listening or watching who don't have a sense of what goes into determining the number for every single shot you're hitting how different was it last week at Castle Pines from what you might see this week at East Lake yeah so I got to Colorado I went straight to the course on Monday it's been all day Monday and Tuesday figuring out the yardages cuz for me that's how I play and play you know ball striking and one of the best things that I can do is I practice hitting my numbers I don't ever go to the range and drop a bucket of balls and hit like I'm always trying to hit a certain number hit a certain amount of shots inside of uh proximity so like this is how I play so when I go to Elevation it's really stressful for me like I have to get this dialed in and know exactly the yardage so we we went out and we figured that out I had the quad we had some from when we played it last in 2014 and we made up a chart from 8 9 10% so we would get the real yardage we called it when we got the adjusted yardage that was the real number okay the adjusted adjusted was with the percentage so we would go through that and we would get that down to wear so then I would throw out the the actual number that'd be gone so then I would be back to the sea level number and then I was just playing the way I normally would play it's really cool stuff yeah I I wish I would have had that type of system you should have seen all the chicken scratch on my on my piece of paper I was trying to work off of and I was like wait have I done altitude yet or have I done a elevation I I there's probably plenty of times where I was like oh this guy's got the wrong Club in his hands but really it was just my bad math but Keegan on uh the BMW Championship you know one of the scenarios I wanted to walk you through was you know you kind of already mentioned it but final round of Q school and then we already talk about when how difficult it was for you to make it in and and sitting around refreshing your phone so you got final round of Q school you're done at the St Jude you're refreshing your phone and then the final day at BMW Championship if you can rank which one you were most nervous for which one were you the most comfortable for that would be interesting to see like final round Q school at home nothing is in your hands at St Jude and then the final round at BM so Q school is in a category of its own okay that's like I I always I always think back now like I'm I'm such a better player now I and knowing what I know now I don't know if I can get through tour schol just just knowing how important it is like back in the day I when I was doing it it was it was so like almost more fun cuz I was like doing what I want love to do now would be like horrifying um and then St Jude the afternoon was just miserable the the BMW on Sunday I I sort of feel my cist in those in those rounds it's I know it's really strange to say like I'm more nervous on Friday when I'm on the cut line than I am coming down the stretch of to to win a tournament it's a different type of nerves and I I've over the last handful of years I've definitely felt a lot more comfortable in those positions and so I would I would honestly put BMW the easiest it wasn't EAS I knew that's what he was going to say bike you know how to win it's more of like what I was meant to do the other stuff is just like just work I think a lot of people a lot if you ask a lot of players they'd feel the exact same way this is what you prepare for this is the situations that you practice and spend all those hours for is for moments like that um but the one thing I got to ask you here is on the 18th hole you know once Adam missed his putt that that probably was the most nervous you were at the entire week cuz now you're like all right buddy let's not Rin this thing by we're going to get this thing right in there and I CU I I told uh somebody that was standing right next to me I was like if Adam misses Keegan's missing this PT he's a th% not making this he he is going to be playing a Highline and soft if it breaks it breaks well it's it's surreal when you're in that moment of like I'm watching Adam Putt and I and I'm telling myself you got to be ready for him to make this the shoty hit in there from the bunker oh unreal unreal because to be honest with you I was thinking all right you make par you win the tournament and then I'm I'm I'm looking at Adam and I'm like geez okay hold on a second if he makes this and then because I'm thinking he's on the down slope like to hit that ball on the green would have been 10 out of 10 to hit it on the right quadrant there nobody was making birdies there 18th it it was spectacular and then it's surreal when he when you're in that position and they miss that Putt and you're like holy cow I just won the tournament just like I got this little s settle down now buddy and I was talking to Dr Mo he's my helps me with my mental side and he was like you know your routine on that last pot was like horrible wasn't was like I I was getting that over with as fast as I could so but yeah it was uh it was it was great well your highs and lows of your career are are interesting right they're so different than you know the es and flows that I experience on the tour you know your highs have been super high You've Won major championships you've been a part of big Rider cups and and president cups and your lows were documented all last year with you know really having a good year you know like you've played really well just unfortunately it was documented that you're left off of that rder Cup team and let's fast forward now how things have changed right it seems like this year you finally got over the hump with just the break of your career you get named a rder Cup captain now you speaking to exist to everybody say you know my playing career I feel like I'm still in my Peak I still like I can still play so to go out and then win the BMW Championship right before these picks are about to be made you're already an assistant president Cup captain you haven't been part of a team in 10 years so to me it feels like nothing but positives ahead for Keegan Bradley for sure I when when I got the call to be the Ryder Cup captain it was first off a complete shock yeah but uh part of the call the first things they said were we want you to be the first plane captain since Arnold Palmer in 1962 wow wow so like they they it wasn't like we we don't think you can play anymore or we don't you know you're in this ceremonial role like they made it very clear to me and other players top top guys that are on the team said we really want you to be on the team so you know it was definitely a part of me cuz you start to think not like a player as a captain you start to think and and I I have to catch myself cuz I start you start to think of not what you would normally think of as a player you want to do what's best for the other guys and then I have to sort of sometimes remind myself about you know how I I'm still I think I'm playing the best golf of my of my life and I think I have you know years ahead of me here of good golf and um I'm so proud to be you know the Ryder Cup captain and the uh Vice Captain for Jim [ __ ] and and a chance to make the President's Cup team because I thought when I played in my first Ridder Cup in 2012 I was going to play on these teams for the next 15 years well wi and you know I I I I tell people you never know when your last shot is in one of these things and my last shot as I sit here now was the final deciding point to Jamie Donaldson and Glenn Eagles for the rder cup so you had to sit on that that bag is still on not unpacked still yeah so you know to to be in the conversation and and to be you know with these guys is means a lot to me and um I I really don't take it for granted it's a lot of pressure and a lot of it's a lot of weight to it Keegan this is we're a well documented dad pod here we're both relatively new fathers really loving that whole process and I thought it was so cool seeing on your Twitter after winning the BMW Championship you you shout out to your wife Jillian your sons Logan and Cooper uh the way they decorated your 2018 BMW championship trophy so what is is is this is this is Logan stuffed animal paa am I saying paa yeah paa okay tell give me a little backstory on Puda so Puda is a big player in our house he's been he's been Logan's uh you know blanket or teddy bear that he sleeps with forever and so they went in they didn't tell me Logan started to tell me on Saturday night my wife stopped them but then I had him tell me my wife didn't want me to know anything about this but they took my 2018 Trophy and they put pauda in there and Logan spent the night without sleeping with paa Wow which was like I couldn't believe it I couldn't believe it and then they looking up yes they plucked some hair off of my my dog Penny and put it on top of it if you zoom into that photo you can see it and as like a good luck charm and uh so special like the the the winning as not a dad and then winning as a dad it's not even close but the funny funny story about cuz my son is all jacked off about me winning but after he says but I really actually wish you didn't make these tournaments because then you'd be home and I'm like Logan you this what you work hard you get there he goes yeah I get it but that's great but if you didn't make the tournament you'd be home I'm like well that's nice too pretty sweet C do you have the family with you this week they're coming on Friday yeah that's fantastic yeah well it's hard to Pivot off of pauda it's hard to really to go to the next topic but I actually want to Circle back here like Charlie this is your first time meeting Keegan nicest guy in the world right like so fun to talk to and this guy when he gets in match mode not the nicest guy in the world this guy this guy goes full laser beams like I don't know if psychotics the right word but he wants to he wants to kill you if he's playing you and I think that's such a great quality to have as far as your competitive spirit I mean we heard the USA chance last week you're pumping up the crowd like it's a a Ridder Cup last week in Denver and I love that you're already in this mode because I I want to talk to you a bit about you being the Ridder Cup captain and potentially even the President's Cup Vice Captain or a player how much you know you're going to have to either cater down a little bit towards you know being a little bit more even keeled as a captain or are we going to see like like the Luke Donald handshake right before the front first round and just be like sorry pal and we know you and luk buddies too well I think it's really important to be authentic as a captain as a Vice Captain or a captain I think anytime you try not to be yourself it doesn't come off right to the team so certainly you know as a captain you have to have a certain amount of poise and and you know strategy to how you act but I also am going to be myself yeah and I think one of the reasons why they've chosen me to be Captain is they they want a little fire like this like this this riter cover Beth Page is going to be insane insane and you know they the the boys they they they're all most of the guys on the team that'll be on the team they're such level calm guys and I I I love that about them and I think I can bring a different side of like you know a little bit more fire a little bit more like getting the guys going getting the crowd going have you seen old school yes you know the when Will Ferrell's in his underwear in the in the locker room and he's throwing chairs to everybody's got to keep their composure that is what I'm picturing Keegan Bradley's like Photoshop his head on like right before we go out I I got to speak to Xander after he won the British Open a second after he walked off the green and he was talking to me and people like he just finished a practice round it was bizarre I I I like after I win a tournament I forget about the British Open you know you're so jacked up and you're so and he's talking to people and me as if we just ran into him on on off this screen right here it was so these guys they're they're they're such good dudes and like I look forward to to being being their captain and we and we definitely look forward to watching it on the way out uh you know you are fourth in the FedEx Cup and also number four is what the season win total potentially for the Patriots is going to be right maybe four four and a half let's let's give him the half so the hook is there are we taking the over I'm take the over we're going to take the over believe in it because so I'm a big North Carolina football sio and uh Drake may all right how we feeling about Drake this far so I got I just I would love to see him play I I've seen him in the preseason and like he seems to be getting better and better and better and I just it's EXC it's exciting for a Patriots fan because like there seems to be like extreme Talent there cuz growing up where I grew up there's no college football so I didn't really see much of him play but it's exciting time yeah it's it's he did a lot with hardly any talent in Carolina so I think whatever he has with the Patriots he'll he'll be able to make it work I love it I love it you got to give your Boston common golf bit oh do we need to break up Boston Common I think the people are asking questions as both of the FedEx Cup playoff events been won by FR is frog the Frog's a mascot so double frog winner like you need to break up the are they two stacked are we two stacked our whole entire team made it to Atlanta which is pretty pretty amazing yeah we it's uh going to be such a blast I mean we Hideki was a late addition to the team and um gez we got a pretty good team do you know anything about his IHOP stuff I saw it last week and he eats Chick-fil-A every night is that what no I saw his uh translator today with three big gulp IHOPs in the hotel so I just didn't know if if if this is something that that you were aware of that that he's a big IHOP maybe a frog pregame meal yes perfect I couldn't imagine eating that before playing a tournament but yeah he's he's got it figured out all right buddy well this been great you know Keegan I've known you for a long time you've been a great mentor to me and somebody I could always go to about anything in the game of golf and uh it's been a lot of fun watching you succeed and and I was pumped to see you get named captain and I'm hoping uh to see you be a playing Vice Captain very soon um in Montreal next month thank you boys I appreciate it thanks for taking the time what a fun conversation with Keegan Bradley really really good dude it's good to see him in good spirits I mean I'm glad I'm glad you got to see just how how great of a guy Keegan Bradley is why he's so well-liked why he was you know name the rder Cup captain you could see it through his personality what type of guy is but when he gets on that golf course it's a totally different human being and I love that about him you know I I try to embrace that competitive uh spirit as well so he's it's going to be fun to watch kind of him as a captain and maybe as a playing Captain here pretty soon it's that Boston Common frog mentality you know I mean just Second To None uh so that was really fun chat with with uh the BMW Championship winner the man who was sitting fourth on the FedEx Cup points list headed into the Tour Championship and now we're going to get to a conversation with Andrew Green the architect who did a restoration project in this last year on East Lake a lot of interesting changes players have you know seen it for the first time have a lot of wide ranging set of reactions to it uh so it'll be an eventful week for the golf course itself and we'll get to that conversation right now all right we were thrilled to be back here on the Smiley Show at East Lake Golf Club with Andrew Green a man who's done some extensive work here uh Andrew's done work at a ton of historic amazing courses most recently you're probably familiar with his work at oakill for the 23 PJ Championship that everyone really loved and enjoyed another Donald Ross course up there uh we also have some some personal ties here he's doing some work at SCH Creek yes you're your home not yet but we're getting there we're getting there hopefully next year is I think maybe October is think you got it and I got to say in my research for this I was I was thrilled to learn that I got to give a shout out to my wife here that you're a hokei as well two from Virginia Tech there ties it's a lot of ties in here so Andrew just to get started with you know this week we've heard some comments from some players now who've seen the course for a couple times you know what's what's your reaction to what we've heard thus far to the work you've done here at East Lake yeah I think it's it's been interesting um you know the oill reaction was probably way too positive or good to ever think uh I could relive that but I it's I'm really trying to unpack it the last I don't know 36 hours or so and I keep thinking about this idea that of course they were familiar with the old but now it's a real test mhm and we we did things to really allow you to explore your entire game and you have to hit shots that are testing those edges and so I I probably got them a little uncomfortable not only just the idea that it's new the greens are really firm um but that they're having to hit shots they never hit before and you know we do when we're doing renovation and restoration work you you've got a group of members that grow up at places larity it's not too this where the were very familiar anding thef and and trying to play Shots that maybe they thought you know they played before and you can't play that shot now is interesting I thought Xander I think said something like there isn't even a tree to aim at that it's not that we cut them down it's just we changed the sight lines that's so interesting and you know I I see this all the time now when it comes to to restation projects and and stuff like you've done at East Lake and other places um is that you use just pictures aerial photos from I think it was 1949 is what I saw so my question is is did was this laying around did you have to dig to find this aerial photo was it readily available or let's say you didn't find it now what's the plan I guess that's my question is like if you didn't have what it looked like back then yeah so I found the photo in a government archive doing a a search um that's kind of a part of my typical process when I come to a club I really want to understand how even if it's a newer course how it's evolved you what decisions have been made so understanding that timeline is important this picture in particular from 1949 was crystal clear like the resolution was really good that helps which in 49 is kind of nuts and then um we also had some pictures from right before George Cobb red the course for the ryer cup and that's when the course really changed from what Bobby Jones and Alexa Sterling played um and so we could pair those two pieces together and it started to really help understand how the golf course presented itself if we hadn't found you know some stuff I I don't know um I kept looking for things that reinforced the ideas that I saw and would help tell the story and you know even George Cobb's plan to renovate the golf course had the old course drawn underneath it mhm so you know we knew the green shapes and things from that and that like so what we're seeing this week for the Tour Championship where a lot of folks have not seen this golf course these green complexes this is matches similar to what it used to be like at 1 to 18 yeah there there's there's some wheel room yeah the first green so every Green actually had two kind of surfaces a winter and a summer Green in Atlanta right brutal kind of edges of the the turf Spectrum so sometimes they were like a black and white cookie M there was one surface that was made and just one grass on one half and one on the other sometimes it was two different putting surfaces so four there was a green on the left and a green on the right old 13 old 13 and the green on the there was an oak tree in between and so we picked the green on the right mainly because it allowed the golf hole to start to turn and a lot of the holes on what's played as the front side now are really just back and for you know there were soldiers kind of going back and forth um and then there's things like one green originally was against the boundary well I I really couldn't put it right on the road in the modern game so there were a few of those things that we adjusted um number eight is you know is this number eight or this number eight this number eight yeah that one is is an original uh with the intent of Shifting 9ts left and creating a drivable par 4 yeah I've had a good chance to look at that hole Charlie it's we we could see it from our our set that we had on Monday the opportunities mainly with like left hole locations was where you're going to see guys try to hit driver that have the length I think what's the carry on that that bunker on the left uh it depends on which te right the the dam te I think is 390 and then the up te is is 330 and then they could play it all up to 300 you'll see guys hit driver probably to left pins there's one like right hole location that's that if you hit driver to that whole location it's it's a you're taking on a huge risk cuz if you miss that Fairway and you hit out of the rough you're you're plan for you'd be lucky to make par I'm curious on could be this project or any other project when you're doing a a restoration of sorts how much of it is like you're saying looking at an aerial photo and trying to kind of remain true to the to the original design and how much of it is you trying to get inside you know whether it's George Cobb or Donald Ross's head and and just think what what would his intent have been if he was designing this course for the modern game modern equipment modern players yeah that's that's an interesting question and I think it tends to fall in a little bit of both of not I don't think I'm ever really seeing strict restoration fitting the modern game whether it be green speeds and slopes or uh the distances you know covering bunkers and things you know that that would never work but if we can take you know the green shapes the green Contour kind of ideas and then kind of just manipulate them enough to work today I think that's where I'm trying to blend and the hope is you know that if if the original guy was here he'd be proud or at least somewhat agreement with with what we've done so uh I was listening to Victor hin talk about this the other day and I spoke with him on the golf course and you know I think initially guys would immediately figure out that the golf course is different I think a lot of people when they showed up they see the aerial photos they don't really know what they're getting into as far as just how different it is from what they've played over the last decade to what they're seeing this week and there was a shot that Victor was describing that I think kind of it it describes a little bit more what these guys are facing this week and that's on the second hole the par three a green that used to be it was a it was a two-tier green if I recall very narrow was it two-tier is it was whatever it's the the green now is huge it's a big green but there's a a right hole location tucked over a bunker and Victor was describing the shot as if you go at it you're you're you're bringing in you're bringing in five but if you play like three steps left of it you're going to have like a 40 footer because everything kind of slopes that way so for a shot like like he describing do you feel like it kind of characterizes the type of golf course that East Lake is now meaning you have to be a little bit more precise in first I know this is a part three but playing from the Fairway and having scoring clubs in your hands to be able to attack some of these whole locations that now have a little bit more treachery around them yeah I think every time I was trying to make a decision I wanted the player thinking and the idea of taking dead a a out here there's some whole locations that you shouldn't take that aim no and whether it's a little short a little left whatever uh the second green is massive it's it's awesome you could practice to 12 whole occas they could use so many it's and they all be good and I think you know some of them are going to play better as the greens mature and are you know hold a bit better um but I I would ask the players to be you know more thoughtful of how they attack some of this where the shots they typically hit week in and week out some of those aren't going to work here they just aren't whether be the green firmness the shapes and Contours of the greens um and I think the player that Embraces the idea that there's some Challenge and bit more of you know let's Pine NSE right there are holes if you took on and you missed an inch yeah to a bit of an extreme aters but you know you know sometimes you need to you know play away a little bit 100% And this golf course I think most professional golfers and and caddies and people that have been around the game understand that this golf course was renovated quickly like this is not this golf course has not matured yet it's not where it's going to be 3 or four years from now this golf course this week is going to have firmness it's going to be playing harder than it ever will so from your perspective as someone who knows what the long longterm vision is of this golf course is it going to be difficult or easy for you to sit back this week with shots that you know aren't going to react like they will a year or two from now oh I'm I'm I'm here for it I'm yeah I mean green firness you're fine with it we're fine with it I me some players going to be you know sure green firmness is the number one cryptonite for the modern player you know they just spend the ball so much they hit the ball so high you know it's so when you get the green firmness then you got to be a little more thoughtful and I yeah I mean I think about the average player if you're you know sitting at home thinking about your game how many times other than maybe a wedge or nine iron are you flying it at a flag expecting it to one hop and stop you know you're bouncing it in you're using Contours and I'd say even the the tour players when they go play in the Open Championship the Scottish open whatever they're using more of those kinds of skills which is fun they love playing in that right but once you come across the pond back it's like no I can't do that so this week with the firmness I I'd love to see some players thinking more those kinds of shots that's awesome Andrew I sort of fancy myself as an amateur grass nerd you know we we were we were we try to do our best around here to to you know understand what these grasses are doing but of course there's a level of expertise it's far above ours that having been said you and I were talking before we started this recording I thought this was super super interesting you can look at this course and say oh okay they had zoa Fairways they still have zoa Fairways they had Bermuda greens they still have Bermuda greens I think it's really interesting talking about the difference between myera which the fairways were going to zoroa and then going from the Min ver Bermuda to the tip Eagle Bermuda and we love if you could just kind of explain what those differences are in the way they're going to behave well and I think that's actually playing a lot into what the players are seeing because when you put a little more slope contour and and you know character into the golf course when the grasses play firmer and faster it just changes your mindset the old Meer in the fairways you'd hit it and it land and that was about it maybe it rolled out a couple Paces now the Zoro is a bit thinner blade bladed grass it sits a bit more upright the ball wants to chase a little bit more but it's still will hold different than a Bermuda grass Fairway or a bent grass Fairway uh great example 14 and 18 we put more slope in those Landing zones trying to get the ball to hang a little bit so that those shots you got to judge that lie um the ball's chasing but it's not just running in the rough automatically so there's a nice balance there with the greens the Tiff Eagle tends to be a more stable Turf for warm season green than than a lot of our other options at the moment it's uh you know grain this year there's no grain they're so young yeah and a number of players have talked about that in caddies cuz they're like well how do we play the grain there there's no grain has settled in yet yeah so um but both of those grasses are are really providing a great surface today and also great sustainability for the club you know you know what's back like you know how part of my take is what's back of the week's back of the week zoa is back zoa is so back zoa is back you know how many clubs now that that are just dying to put zoa in and it's not the zoa that we grew up on where you're in the golf cart and you're driving down the Fairway and it's just going back and forth there's different strands of this zoa now that that are fantastic I know that uh SCH Creek we're looking at the stadium zoa which is a darker green um which I think you can get down pretty tight kind of similar to what what East Lake has out here with the Zoro we have a different zo zoa grass around the greens actually prism pris super tight and that's actually what BR as a cool a putting surface zoa no so you could actually take it way down we that's why it's going play fast like that's that's why it can play fast cuz most times when you think about zoa you think about that first bounce like you were talking about that just doesn't go anywhere but when you have something that's that tight this prism zoia it first off it looks amazing it's going to look good on TV but it plays like really tight the grain's not going to be a super big issue but you're going to have to be able to clip it to be able to get spin on it well and that's maybe this is getting a little off topic but now the grass nerd in me is kind of working here like is zoa for clubs in warmer climates is that are we going to see more zoa greens and things like that or is is it like is that becoming a competitor to Bermuda say like in I think there's one in Atlanta that yeah I think we're seeing where it's going right the the technology and the breeding and and what the The Growers are bringing to the table is outstanding I mean we've even got some of those zoa grasses they're putting on Bunker faces and not mowing an entire year because they just don't grow which is phenomenal for maintenance and cost and so there's a number of things we're trying the problem is there's no magic grass there's no magic Turf it's it all takes labor it all takes work it all takes um you know some sort of inputs you know from either fertilizer pesticides whatever to be good yeah that it's funny you know I just we're we're we're so many things on this pod but what we are we're we're grass guys your ass guys PR the T-shirt zoa is back zoa definitely zoa is back so where are you going to watch this tournament from are you going to be here all week are you going to watch on your TV and giggling or you where you going to be yeah the plan's to be here all week unless I get run out of town U we were lucky enough to to be able to rent a house here nearby that we can walk to the core so I have my team here uh here during the beginning of the week and my family's coming I've got uh got I guess I guess got four guys on staff my wife uh who helps a ton and then we just hired uh another guy that will start in January so we got some really good team members and uh and your son to watch the class son yeah he's in down at the moment well we we just assumed your son was coming in just to see the fine work that you've done on this golf course then we find out no he's just here for the creators class absolutely he cannot wait we could be watching Charlie Point next year for all we know out here let's let's start the movement right now let's going they said you have to be lower than a four handicap so you're handicap management I know you're a one now but the world's worst one yes we need to have someone from the USGA on next to talk about how that score penalty system works we we'll get to that soon all right man on the way out I know you got some other projects coming up so we might as well talk about the project that's near and dear to my heart which is sh Creek uh just overall impressions of what you've when you get on the property at sh Creek and then what where we are now and kind of what you expect that place to eventually be like yeah so an amazing Place Hall Thompson his vision there incredible I met Hall as a kid did you he's quite a character um yeah so you know trying to make sure that we stay true to the nature of his founding Vision uh you know a great place to go spend uh you know some time playing the game of golf with some buddies right having a good time uh hitting all the shots that you can think of that's something that's really top of mind trying to add more variety to the experience a little bit of what you see here a little more movement in some of the fairways bringing the creek back yes creek creek feels appropriate yeah so we're going to open open the creek back up on seven um cuz we that tornado go through cuz that had to be very odd as an architect when you get in and one well I guess 15 holes don't match the rest of the golf course CU a tornado ripped through and took out thousands of trees insane right insane so all the greens will get reworked uh we actually found in this case Bob Cup who was working with Nicholas had a drawn sketches of all the greens and I'd actually drawn like a perspective of them oh that is so sick so we're not just going to sit there and like build exactly what he had on there because things have even changed in that period of time but we've used that as a bit of inspiration which is kind of cool and uh yeah so I think just more variety more fun for the average player a little tougher for you your buddies and uh yeah I think look it's got a major championship pedigree and we want to embrace that as well as just the great place that it is gets me excited Charlie gets me excited this guy's playing the member guest coming up so he's he's excited too to get his first SI on it uh got to give a shout out to the superintendent out at chill Creek James Carroll that guy's he's a good man he's epic he's also a guy talk grass with James and I I was there Monday with him talk Talking grass talking grass segment talk your ass all right Andrew thank you for your time uh I know you got to start doing some Scouting For This Creator classic to make sure your son's all dialed in with well I appreciate your time man it's it's been a lot of fun to to kind of get to know get to know you and then just this golf course what we're expecting this week so I appreciate you awesome thank you thank you thanks Andrew well here we are wrapping up our final FedEx Cup playoff episode of the Smiley Show big thanks to Keegan Bradley and Andrew Green for taking the time to join us here uh in this this little room here outside of the pro shop at East Lake I think they're making some smoothies in the kitchen behind us yes it's cozy it's cozy it is cozy definitely cozy nice cozy setup but we we've covered we've covered the golf course you know you've heard us talk to several players this week Xander shley Sam Burns included you're pretty well previewed at this point so here's where we're going to get right to our oneandone picks and really this is we're in an interesting spot smiley because most oneandone leagues this point are done because they they're doing it off of money or FedEx Cup points and obviously this week is very different because the the the purse is scaled you know along with starting Strokes so it's kind of tough to parse that out so here's where we've arrived for our one andone format we've kicked around some ideas on the show and I think this one works is we're taking the FedEx Cup points we acred over the course of the Season slotting ourselves into the standings list so I would be third you would be fifth so so that means I'm going to take the same amount of starting Strokes the seventh or the third place finer sure okay me pick let me do do a little pick up there caught up there you're taking the third that's yes yeah that yeah so what that means is I'm taking the amount of starting Strokes the third place finisher has that's currently Hideki Matsuyama so I am starting at 7even under okay you are taking the fifth place uh finisher Strokes that's luig Oar five under it's only two shots baby let's go only two shots and then the player that we are each selecting we're going to take their their non-adjusted score and then adjust with our starting strokes and that will determine the season long Smiley Show one to done champion this feels like a Scotty cheffer situation from your standpoint with you with a bit of a comfortable lead over me at this point and it's as Scotty says is it really a season long race you know if if you know I won X amount of times and I think you could march on on that on that boat with Scotty but I tell you what I would love to to drink out of the the trophy on Sunday night yeah I I would like to either run back Scotty's quotes or give a few of my own here because I am realizing and looking at my list of guys I've used that I am almost entirely hosed at this point cuz you still have a few I have way too many bullets in the chamber and we're going to learn for that for next year because I think I overthought the one and done all season long just trying to save up save up save up so if I could use I mean I wish I could just hand you one of my guys cuz I I think I still have like half of the top 10 in the world still available yeah this would be great like if if what the PJ tour did is they did not reveal the FedEx Cup format until the last event and the left guys figur that out it'd be very interesting that is what's happened to me so you I believe have the first pick this week and so you are at five under and who are you taking well I thought about this pick like from day one and this is this was a a no-brainer decision and you know hard it was this year to not take this player because he was playing as good as golf of anyone already used and this isn't Scotty shuffler we're talking about Xander shlay I saved him up for East Lake in the Tour Championship but I did kind of forget that they did uh do a restoration project so it's not the same eastl that Xander played on it were you at all talking about it's a complete new golf course I don't have a tree to aim at I have Xander chle and and I don't care I it's better situation than any of your picks can be because I have uh the player that probably you know he's coming in with a little bit more form I would say than Scotty coming into this week so uh I feel really strongly about my chances to uh win the one andone title in year one I think Xander could be playing Mars Golf and Country Club probably would do pretty well he'll be just fine yeah so that's I I listen I wish I still had Xander my list I've used Scotty Xander ludvig Rory Colin wendam Sam Burns Patrick Klay sunj M Tony fow Victor havin Ox batia I'm I'm pretty i' I've gone through most of the list here so here's what I'm looking at is I've got yeah who are we got well who are we between I'm just just generally curious if if we're looking at the top of the board I still have Hideki and Keegan at my disposal so do I go with good show Mojo the the Smiley Show bump rock with Keegan do I go with Hideki matama who is playing for stacks of as and stacks of pancakes this just came just came off an injury just came off an injury didn't even play BMW but pancake therapy it's a real thing can fix that back right up uh or do I go further down the list than I and because because obviously it's this is just like their their score without starting Strokes so do I go for like do I go for JT who who has a lot of ground to make up and needs a big we to play for I think I think I'm going to go with yeah that's what I'm going to do I'm going to go with the the the longest running friend of the show on the Smiley Show three time recurring guest I'm going to use Justin Thomas this week at East Lake lot to play for got us play his way in to the to the President's Cup picture I think he's currently 19th on the points list big week could do wonders for him I'm GNA I'm going with Justin Thomas this week all right and seven shots okay I just got to have Xander Shaw play Win by three that's all you got to do so JT play well out there Budd buddy uh that is that's a conclusion of our one and done I don't think we're going to do a fall season one and done I don't feel like that's no we'll we'll see you back in the Cent we'll see in Hawaii but is why don't we just give just a couple suggestions on on players that we do like and I I I'll say this and I thought Keegan I thought Keegan would have been a great pick just with the how high he hits the golf ball I think this course sets up again like you have to hit Fairways and I know we say this every week it's like well we're always trying to find the guy who's accurate you need somebody who's long and accurate this week so that's where my brain kicks in with with Rory ludvig like these are two guys that hit it up in the air High into the greens um so I I really do think like Keegan ludvig and uh and Rory are three guys that just kind of just uh stand out to me a little bit that was the one piece of sound from Scotty's presser in discussing the course uh in discussing him potentially playing down the 10th Fairway uh when when he's playing the 18th hole which we've just now learned they've made the 10th internal out of bounds this week so he will not have that option so uh but he said that one of the only guys he saw hold the 18th green playing from the proper Fairway was Rory mroy so that theory absolutely holds water um and just hearing some had a lot of success here too Ro yeah this is this is a good place for him so I I like all those I mean I think yeah it's it's the best 30 players on tour this season so I I feel like at this point all those you mentioned are good shouts maybe a Windham Clark this guy's got the the most I feel like Sam Burns Sam Burns to me is the guy that just has had I feel like the best run um I would played his way in each I feel like Sam Burns would be the guy that if you're looking for somebody who's uh a little down the board I thought he was he's not starting at two under is he start at four under he's starting at four under I mean I I still feel like six shots back I I feel like Sam Burns is a guy who's going to finish inside the top four at the end of the week do do you think do you like going a little further down uh do you like like an Adam Scott continue to maintain some momentum that he's built I just I worry a little bit about height and the greens with with most guys down the board uh I really do um I think the guys at the top are the guys that hit it harder hit it higher and I'm kind of leaning that way this week so like guys like you know we always say you know for the most part hit the fairways and and like so you would think like Russell Henley you know guys like that but like Tony fenale he's a he's a player that I like this week just cuz he hits it hard his iron game he can control trajectories and hit it up in the air if he needs to but uh I'm not picking anybody that doesn't have like really strong Landing angles in the greens well there you have it pretty uh solid rundown there for anyone trying to sprinkle some cash around yeah in addition to our uh our season ending oneandone FedEx Cup on the Smiley Show uh so we're wrapping here smiley this is the last one on the road we got to go back home here's your your final opportunity to provide some final thoughts from East Lake oh man uh what a run it's been thank you for all who've listened to all of our shows thank you for all the hard work for our team behind the scenes with Brian sandfield Jackson Brown uh two guys that have made things happen Charlie obviously getting helping getting these these videos turned around so it's been a really good run for the playoffs we're excited to kind of do more of this next year as well um but really I think just the Ste Championship I'm I'm excited to see who's going to win I I think it's going to set itself up for potentially who's going to win players the year I know I've already kind of put in stone that it's Scotty's year I still feel like that recency bias of Xander uh if he was to win could definitely skew the scales a little bit as far as what that race might look like at the end of the year but um I think it'd be it'd be a fitting ending to the season if we had a showdown between Scotty Xander and then throw in another player on a Sunday so um hoping that for all golf fans that we get that and we get a really fun Tour Championship and then uh we're into football season and and we're going to be doing some picks and stuff for that as well that's right stay tuned on that front we got a couple of little pools cooking maybe a little uh pick them Game for college football and a little Survivor pool for the NFL uh so stay tuned to our socials to to get some information on how you can join us in playing those contests but that's that's about it I'm going to go find Andrew Green son then go walk around and watch some creators play some Call here in East Lake I feel like is the play so we we really appreciate all of you joining us these past few weeks watching and listening and we'll have a a recap of this event plus some some previews some thoughts about what the President's Cup the final six picks for each team should be on Monday and and by the way uh to you uh Happy game day uh early you know happy early game day happy game day are when does LSC play there we play Sunday night so I'm going to probably tape the show uh or excuse me tape the game drive home turn my phone off and then just watch it like it's live we have Minnesota Thursday night 8:00 P.M cool yeah nice so many people like oh my God oh God great Max Johnson please yo yo you said you play him at home uh Road oh so you got to have the Gopher uh on the video board for like the kicks have you seen the Gopher just like do have you seen it and we're we're a one and a half Point favor which is the ultimate trap oh my God ultimate Trap game we're taking the Gophers baby Hammer the Gophers uh I just hope I just hope we get out of there with the win but God I'm going to be rowing the boat so hard that is I I I'm very very cautiously waiting into this college football season we there's a really good chance we're both 0 and one uh to start the year who do y'all play we play USC in Vegas oh yeah that's not great either I mean we're a favorite but we've lost every home opener since 19 so yeah football season so glad so glad to be back uh backers well a lot of fun this week and uh yeah we we'll talk to you very shortly here with some uh TOUR Championship recap some president cup preview uh excited to do it all and and and get ready for the the final Marquee competition of the golf year in about a month here so thanks for watching and listening we'll talk to you back here soon you know I listen to this podcast it's really cool and all of our fans and subscribers but make sure you like And subscribe it's cool to see what you guys are doing I know golf fans appreciate it but we we do too so please keep it up for all the good people YouTube like And subscribe you guys have some good takes so I'm happy to come on and and shoot the