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00:00 >>Keith, thank you for joining us here live on this Tuesday on the Early Line.
00:07 Last time you were on TEL, it was Friday morning ahead of round number two at Valhalla Golf
00:13 Club.
00:14 Live from Valhalla to try to tell us what was happening with the situation on the scene
00:19 following the arrest of Scotty Scheffler.
00:21 A little bit calmer on this Tuesday, I would imagine.
00:25 >>I tell you, I've been to go into golf events for many, many years and covering that up,
00:29 watching them live, and I have never witnessed anything in a media center much like what
00:34 was happening on Friday.
00:35 The anxiousness, the storylines, the rumors, everything.
00:39 The electricity of that room and that of the atmosphere and the vibe on the golf course
00:44 with Scotty going around and the chants for him, "Free Scotty."
00:48 It was pretty amazing stuff and some unbelievable theater, no doubt.
00:53 >>It was a wild weekend to say the least at Valhalla, but as we focus on the golf, in
00:58 the final round, it was Xander Schauffele prevailing over a field where everybody was
01:03 going low in Louisville.
01:05 Xander Schauffele, Keith, has had a world of talent for as long as he has been on the
01:10 PGA Tour.
01:11 A gold medal winner in Olympic golf, but that major title had eluded him in any of the four
01:17 majors finishing top 10 in each of the four entering this week at the 2024 PGA Championship.
01:24 But when all was said and done, a birdie putt on his 72nd hole of the week goes around,
01:31 but then down as Xander Schauffele is a major champion for the first time.
01:36 How did he change the narrative around his game to ultimately end up the champion of
01:40 the PGA Championship at Valhalla?
01:44 >>Going into Valhalla, I mean, I was giving Xander zero credit and I walk away giving
01:49 him all the credit in the world, listening to his post round or post tournament press
01:54 conference on Sunday.
01:56 He still remains so composed and obviously he was very emotional at that moment and very
02:01 relieved that he finally got over that hurdle in his career.
02:04 But here's a guy with all the controversy that's been swirling around golf and how much
02:09 of a beating he takes from the media week after week after week and not being able to
02:13 close for the last two years.
02:15 I mean, his last win was July of 2022.
02:19 For him to do it in such heroic fashion, knowing he needed a birdie on the last hole, having
02:24 to take that baseball swing stance, getting the ball up there and then getting up and
02:28 down.
02:29 I mean, it's been a long time since we've had a major end on the final putt.
02:33 It's been over two years.
02:35 So for Valhalla, the PGA of America and Xander to all close in such fashion, it was just
02:42 unbelievable theater and I can't say enough good things about Xander in this moment.
02:48 It was fantastic to watch in real time as well.
02:50 You take a look at starting the back nine where maybe the easiest hole in the golf course
02:54 a par five.
02:55 He bogeys that and loses the lead, then still able to gain his composure back and also keep
02:59 to your point.
03:00 Sometimes moving forward, he could have won this, let's just say by five strokes, walking
03:04 up 18.
03:05 It feels great.
03:06 I love the fact that he's been known to not be able to close the door, but needed the
03:08 birdie on 18 to secure that victory with the clutch putt that rolled around.
03:13 I think that helps him out in the future.
03:15 But as we take a look at the future of golf, maybe it is Scottie Scheffler who shot 67
03:20 round number one, 66 after being arrested and maybe the adrenaline sort of got away
03:24 with them on Saturday, but Sunday right back in the form at a 65.
03:28 It's almost a shame because if he would have had a very good round, at least a decent round
03:32 around number three, who knows what we would have saw on Sunday.
03:35 Talk to us about Scottie Scheffler, how he encapsulated this entire week at the PJ and
03:39 still able to perform and get a top 10.
03:42 Well, I tell you what, it is a great microcosm for all that's going on in golf.
03:47 I mean, all the disruption that we faced for the last two years was kind of the way Scottie
03:51 led his week.
03:52 I mean, here's a guy who is by far the best player in the world and he showed it.
03:57 And maybe Ted Scott has tons of job security because part of the storyline was that his
04:02 caddy had to leave on Saturday and he had permission ahead of time.
04:05 And it was known well known in Scottie's camp that Ted was going to his high, his daughter's
04:09 high school graduation.
04:11 But boy, did he need help on Saturday, keeping it all together after that adrenaline rush,
04:16 like completely, you know, challenged him after the big dump on Friday night, you know,
04:21 when he was just like, Oh, geez, you know, like what just happened to me?
04:24 And then he comes back Saturday needing to compete again.
04:27 He probably really needed Ted Scott on his bag.
04:29 But overall, I mean, this is just a sign of the times in golf.
04:33 This guy is an amazing talent.
04:35 And at the end of the day, we had roughly, I don't know, five, six, seven policemen on
04:40 a Friday morning that couldn't recognize him and put him in a, put him in a cop car and
04:45 sent him to jail.
04:46 I mean, what, what are we doing?
04:48 Like, that's unbelievable to me.
04:50 It kind of just shows to me that like all the stuff that we've been dealing with in
04:54 golf, these, the talent is still there and we need to celebrate the golfers more.
05:00 You know, everyone's being critical of all the way the golf Zander was 21 under.
05:04 How about that Zander shot 21 under?
05:06 How about that Bryson birdie, the last all to force a playoff?
05:10 How about Victor Hovland and Colin Morikawa, these young stars coming back?
05:14 I mean, how about all of these different storylines that are so positive and yet we don't even
05:18 know who the number one golfer in the world is in Louisville.
05:21 I mean, like this just blows my mind.
05:23 I mean, there was so many positives in the golf world of which I've been a part of forever.
05:28 I mean, Bryson walked around that place like Arnold Palmer.
05:31 I mean, he was the people's champion.
05:33 It was so cool.
05:34 And yet we can't come together.
05:36 I mean, at the end of the day, the best way I can answer your question, Donnie, is to
05:39 say that Scotty Scheffler is without a doubt the best golfer in the world.
05:43 He showed that this weekend, but there's a lot of other guys out there that are working
05:47 really hard to try to catch him.
05:50 And we're going to have some unbelievable theater this year when they come together.
05:54 It was an absolutely star studded and stacked leaderboard in the final nine of a final round
06:00 of a major championship.
06:01 Bryson pushing Zander Schauffele, Victor Hovland making a charge.
06:05 Morikawa finally recording a birdie on his 72nd hole, his 18th of Sunday.
06:11 So quickly here, Keith, a quick early look at the next major championship on the docket
06:16 in about a month in the middle of June in North Carolina.
06:20 Pinehurst number two for the 2024 U.S. Open.
06:24 I think the theater that we saw on Sunday sets the stage for the U.S. Open.
06:30 What say you?
06:31 Oh, there's no doubt about that.
06:33 These guys have now officially understood that these four events have if they thought
06:38 they were a big deal going in, they're 10x that now.
06:42 And the golf world can't wait for it enough.
06:44 I mean, the anticipation, the crowds on Sunday.
06:48 I walked with Victor and Bryson.
06:50 Unbelievable.
06:51 I can't wait to talk and get into Colonial even next week.
06:54 It'll be good.
06:54 It'll be good.
06:55 [Music]
06:57 (bells chiming)