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00:00You sent over a tweet and really the conversation got started by Monday Q info on X of just talking about what the tours work towards in terms of structure and signature events.
00:11And, you know, Rory McIlroy this week, of course, skipping the Memorial, but he's going to play in the Canadian Open.
00:17There's been sort of mixed reaction to that opinions both way on X.
00:21The tweet you sent over in specific was Bob Herrigs.
00:23And he says, if there is a reason why Rory will get called out, it's because he was part of the Delaware meeting to push for this.
00:29But he's also doing the tour a huge solid by going to Canada and by going to New Orleans and Houston.
00:34Bottom line is he will have played in five signature events, four majors and the players.
00:38Maybe 10 is enough to satisfy the all the best need to be together idea.
00:44Maybe they consider reducing number of signature events.
00:47And he he buries a lead.
00:50Also, don't be surprised if he skips Memphis, which is something we've talked about on the show.
00:53And that would be very, very interesting.
00:55I don't think he's going to play Memphis.
00:58I don't think so either.
00:59Did he almost finish like he finished like bottom of the pack last year?
01:03I don't think he wanted to be there.
01:05It didn't change like his ability to win that tournament at the end of the year, the tour championship.
01:11It's going to be like, all right, am I going to start two shots back or three shots back?
01:15Scotty Scheffler.
01:16I mean, would that matter to you?
01:18Well, I and I think in I don't want to assign motives to Rory, but I think part of it is
01:25is just kind of calling the bluff of the system that he doesn't like.
01:28And a lot of guys vocally have talked about not liking.
01:31It's like if he says, you know, if he decides, hey, I'm not going to play in this thing.
01:38And it's one of three playoff events.
01:40That is a very serious thing for for a tour that is hoping to elevate all three of those events.
01:46And so I think it's like the only way you can go about resolving that is by changing the format so the players cannot skip a first playoff event and still be in contention for the tour championship.
01:56Yeah, that's that's a whole definite definite conversation to have.
01:59And I think the criticism with Rory is understood, because when you go back to that meeting in Delaware with all the top players, Tiger flying in, when I think Ricky was on the flight coming up to meet with the guys about.
02:13All right, guys, let's all commit to be playing together at signature events eight times of the year.
02:20And there's gonna be a penalty if you don't pep and play in those events.
02:25And what we can do, you know, this is all these guys at this meeting are saying to the PGA Tour executives, like y'all can go and charge these sponsors more because we will guarantee them that we will all be there playing.
02:38And so Rory was a part of this, you know, like he was one of the many top players that were there that were advocating for towards we need to play against the best players in the world more.
02:48So that's where the scrutiny is coming from with Rory is the fact that he's going to skip three of these signature events, like you said, possibility that he might skip Memphis.
02:58But then there's the other side of the coin, which is I don't really hate it.
03:03It's I think the signature events to where they're laid out in the schedule needs to be looked at.
03:07I think they're too grouped up.
03:09They're not they're not spaced out enough.
03:11And it puts guys in really weird situations around the majors of, OK, like, do I do I value playing at the Memorial, a place that has always been one of the premier events on the PGA Tour?
03:25Arnold Palmer would be in that same vein as far as PGA Tour events.
03:29And guys are just like, you know what?
03:32I'm good.
03:33I'll play the week before a major because I'd rather just stick to that routine.
03:38That's what Rory did.
03:39He played in Houston, right?
03:41Before.
03:42Well, I guess the argument could be made is is that Houston was two weeks before Augusta where San Antonio was a week before.
03:50He changed it because he played San Antonio two years ago.
03:52And then.
03:53Yeah.
03:53But now.
03:55Well, go ahead.
03:56Well, because Memorial's this week.
03:58Canada's next week.
03:59Correct.
04:00He's playing a week before a major.
04:02And then the U.S. Open.
04:03Right.
04:03But but I but I think, you know, to each guy, I feel like approaches this a different sort of way, you know, and Scotty Scheffler doesn't play in the truest the week before the PGA.
04:15And that turns out pretty good for him.
04:16Like, I don't think we were raising that much of a fuss about Scotty skipping the last signature event.
04:20And the strategy, of course, paid off because he was the one hoisting the Wanamaker at the end of the week.
04:24Like, I just think with Rory, you know, it's and again, I don't mean to assign him a motive or try to, you know, tell you what's going on in his brain because I certainly don't know that.
04:34But I do think that if I had to guess, it's just been an evolution.
04:38Like, what he said in that meeting and that climate and what the tour was asking of him at that point is so much different than the role he plays right now for this tour.