Genesis and Exodus

It's time now for the Chipping Forecast, an association with Peter Miller, brought to you by Andrew Carter, Eddie Pepperel and special guest Ian Carter. Hello everyone, welcome to another episode of the Chipping Forecast, I'm Andrew Carter. Eddie Pepperel is your home Eddie. I'm at home. I'm back. Good to be back. It feels like I haven't spoken to you both for a good while, so I'm looking forward to catching up. Because Ian Carter, our no longer regular special guest, just a special guy, we don't communicate with Eddie with the pod, because we're kind of third wedding reception people, that's how close you are. Well, yeah, there is that. It's still festers. I mean, we don't converse with Eddie when he is playing. We leave him well alone then, but obviously didn't play last week, so it has been involved in a little bit of WhatsApp chat. Oh no, we chat away. I press mute and my microphone there for a moment. It's going really well. I think if I was to get remarried or renew the vows, you would both be ushers at this point. That's such as the nature of our relationships. So we'd be servants at your wedding, isn't it? Yeah. All right. Well, that's good. We've been promoted. We made the top 100. Good, how are you feeling anyway, Eddie? First of all, how's the old neck? The neck's all right to be fair. I came off the medication almost as soon as I got home from India, because I was sick of it, frankly. So it's been recovering. There's a bit of pins and needles, but it's not certainly not a lot of pain. So yeah, I shall start doing some rehab on it, I guess, specifically now over the coming weeks and some general training and look forward to my next event, which will hopefully be down in Australia at the Australian PGA. Okay. We're getting too early into golf time. Ian, how's your holiday holiday? Holiday was great. Thank you. Yes. So came back from the highlands of Scotland on Saturday, and then I flown up back up to Scotland today. So I'm actually speaking to you from Karnusti. What? Yes. What are you doing, sir? I am interviewing Paul Laurie later today. Wow. Wow. Yeah. I mean, after all the years of me going corporate, whenever you've discussed various things that you've been doing, you could do the same to me to be fair. It's just part of the job. Part of the job. Good. New life. So yeah, so really looking forward to that. I actually haven't seen Paul Laurie in a very long time. So that should be good fun tonight. Yeah. He's got a bit of an online presence. Does he know? I know he does a lot of good work Paul Laurie in terms of bringing golfers through. Good man. Good to see his mini-me, David Law, just retain his card in career. And I think he finished 99 at the end. I always think he's mini-me, really. If anyone watched them play in swing, I think he was quite heavily influenced by Paul Laurie, given that he's also from Aberdeen. David Law, that is. So well. There you are again trying to turn things around to go. I know. Any canals up North Ian? No, no. No, I don't. No, I don't think. Oh, we got any canals for a pod last week when Eddie was here. Well, one review in particular was it was. It was it was it was it was pure quality. It went on for an hour and a half. So yeah, but there is a link. Camel Laurie canter. Have I mentioned Laurie yet? No, I mentioned in my mind. There is no link at all. Well, there is now. Oh, Usher's. He was my best man at my wedding. That's where the link was. Oh, he, him and his friends, Sunker Canal boat on his stagdoo. Actually. Yeah, I wasn't invited to it. So hang on, you weren't invited to his stagdoo and he was your best man. Yeah, such as I guess the nature of our relationship. Laurie, have you heard of falling out of something? It may be. And he's got many more friends than I have for now, any friends. But yeah, him and his friends, they Sunker Canal boat somewhere along the well, some canal, I guess, running around. Would I think are you suggesting that if you'd been on that stagdoo, then the sinking wouldn't have occurred. Exactly. And I think it wouldn't have happened because bizarrely and maybe unbelievably to some, I would have been the most sensible person on that boat. Sorry, I need to know more about this. How could you sink canal? Do his scupper had they been boarded by bikers? Honestly, I'm not sure how much I can say because there were legal proceedings that followed. And I don't know how that turned out. And I don't know whose fault it was. But I just know it was Sunk. And some believe well, as it sounds, I think that was, I think that was also the high companies argument. Let me think who's fault could it possibly have been with 12 people in a stagdoo on a canal boat? Oh, I think was it possible that the person walking the dog on the top half? Good. Well, there we are. How are you, Andrew? You had a good weekend. You had been up north too in Scotland. Yeah. Yeah. So just seeing some old friends, university reunion, there's four of us get together every, every unit comes around more quickly every year. And we just go, you got a bit more white in your beard. And then we just go our separate ways. Is it really that's the chart? We usually climb up a mountain or something, but the weather was obviously so so bad this Saturday. And one of my, one of my boots, my 20 year old hiking but just fell apart. The soul came off. It's done enough mountains. It's had enough. And yeah. So do you want me asking what do your friends do? What are their crazy? I don't know. I don't ask them. I just, one of them's a teacher, one of them, one of them sells seafood by sea shore. And actually not by sea shore, I think, and stalling or thereabouts. And the other one is between jobs, resting. But I, I never knew what he did. He did something to do with the internet. I think so. Does the one that sells seafood have a, like, a cockles of muscles stand? Or is it a, a, a grander role? Not say that it's not grand to sell cockles of muscles in a stand? No, they, they, they, they provide salmon and things to, to, yeah, shops. Farmed salmon. I mean, I, what are we trying to do here? We're trying to take the pod down from last week to 90 minutes. Yeah. Anyway, so I've just driven down. I was doing, oh, I was doing a little voice over today, completing the series of Scotland's Golden Coast, which is the East Coast. It's a series about the East Coast. It's been written more for the first series, you know, been sailing about it. So I'm not sure. I think some people watch things, some decent figures, but this is the second series. Oh, builds to quite a head in stories about North Berwick, like goodness. All right. I just, I mean, let's bring it, bring it back to golf because I was up in the Highlands on the East Coast. And the golf up there is just amazing. I mean, utterly amazing. Maybe we'll get into it later in the pod, you know, the kind of golf that you, you can enjoy, you know, little tight links golf courses with holes that, you know, predominantly are between 300 and 350 yards. In the modern day, players like, like you, can you enjoy that, that sort of golf when the holes aren't that big? I mean, they were, they were the perfect size for me. You know, I don't hit the ball anywhere near as far as obviously you two do. But you do, you get it out there. But it was just fantastic. Amazing, but places like Fort Rosen, Rosemarkey played there on Friday and Chippers everywhere as well. Got to say hello to Colin and Jonathan who, who were playing behind us there, both TCF, TCF listeners and goal speed. What a golf course that is. You play all these links holes and then all of a sudden, you're in the middle of, you could be in the middle of Sunningdale or Walton Heath. It just changes as it goes in land and then comes back to the sea. Amazing. Just Aurora. Lovely. Just on the topic of Chippers. I don't, I didn't get their names, but there were two Chippers that flew out to Delhi to watch me play golf separately. Specifically to watch me play golf. And Jen spoke to them in between rounds, lovely people apparently. But yeah, well, what had his commitment, isn't it? And you didn't speak to them? I didn't. That's the kind of guy I am. And Andy, this trip is part of a sort of, they would do a tour, they would follow you to India, to Korea and on the back. No, no. They knew me well enough, not to make such a stupid assumption. Okay. Anyway, well, let's, let's get into it because I know you've got into it quite a bit on socials and on our sub-stack and we've done a bit, you know, been on Instagram, but you know, we know a lot of our listeners, the podcast are just, this is what they come for, the podcast. So you obviously decided not to go to Korea and the danger was always from, I mean, it was fascinating watching because, well, sort of watching in the middle of the night or getting up in the morning to see what had happened because you had this sort of horde of players just behind you. And once you'd made the decision not to go, it was who can pass you. And that there was a, a, Yuto, I always get his surname wrong, um, Katsuragawa. Katsuragawa. Yuto, Katsuragawa. There was a Kiridech happy barn rat. There was Mateo Manasera was one place ahead of you. There was a Sebastian Sudabari. There was a, and there was also Sean Crocker. Halverson as well, Andrea Halverson. So the cut came, and it seemed as if a lot, a lot of your threats had, had gone. Kiridech happy barn rat, really emotional interview. And I'm glad to see the East AIDS at 110. I think, so he at least is in that category, isn't he? - He is. Yeah, he may decide to go to QSchool to try and improve that ranking, he may not. But I played with Curidec the first two days in India and he, I think he missed the cut and he cut quite a frustrated and solemn figure, actually. And so in all, honestly, I wasn't, he wasn't somebody I had on my threat radar in Korea. Whereas Sean Crocker very much was because he had been showing some form, of course, Sebastian said about only needed to make the cut and he didn't. So there was hope, I mean, in fact, after two rounds, my hope really ended up lying on the winner, you took Katsura Gawa because through two rounds, I think he was around 10th position and he needed a top 15. And when you haven't been playing great all season, as I know very well, a top 15 isn't an easy thing to achieve. - But he was fourth there last year, that's the thing as well. - Oh, well, that's, I didn't know that. And of course, he won in Japan a few years ago. So this is an example of an Asian player who plays well in Asia and we often see this in Africa and whatnot too. So there was no great surprise. I mean, there was a good deal of surprise in his performance, but at the same time, you know, given his past results there, you could see it, I suppose. - But there was hope even with Sean Crocker after his first nine holes of his final round. - Yeah, but before that though, he made the cut on the number again. That's the thing. You know, when I saw him make the cut, I thought like, if he'd missed the cut, I would have thought you were safe. - Well, I would have been. - Yeah, I would have been. And would have been comfortably safe really. He was only throughout, you know, the aforementioned names of Halvall Sunkiradek. They needed to earn quite a few points. It's just difficult to do in the final event where there are still a number of good players in form there. I don't know if you saw Sean's 36th hole. It was an incredibly nervy affair, I think, and he left it kind of 20 foot part three foot short. And that would have been a horrible part after all. - But that's the thing. So this whole series of events, this is why this whole last few weeks has been fascinating for only a number of players, just compelling viewing. It's like this Lemony Snicket series of unfortunate events. I don't know what happens in that film, I've not seen it. But it's a series of events and secrets that just all came to a culmination on that back nine that we'll talk about in a minute. But you had Manicero burying the last two to make the cut in Spain, burying four of the last six to make the cut in India. Both of them making, with he and Crocker making the cut right on the number there. And it was crucial that Manicero moved one above you in the standings. So then you come to Korea, Crocker playing his 11th consecutive tournament, something you've done before this tour around the world. Absolutely spent. You've found a birdie in the last four holes to make the cut right on the number again. And then as Ian says, was he three over after nine in the final round? - Yeah, he was out, he was out. And then he shoots 29 on the back nine to make it comfortably. And as Eddie posted on social media, I mean, pure minerals. And you can only salute that. But I just wonder, Eddie, I'm intrigued to know what time you got up on Sunday. And you know, what was your regime for sort of checking out your future? - Well, I went to sleep just fine. Jen didn't, and it was Jen that woke me up coming to bed, I don't know, three o'clock-ish. And woke me up and I stayed up till three. - She was up and about and just checking things. And she's, I think she tried to go to sleep and saw his start and then she said she couldn't sleep because she was, you know, too hopeful. And there was me snoring fast asleep. And then I think once you know, he made a couple of birdies, Jen seemed to be resigned to our fate. And so it proved. And it was a fairly disrupted week of sleep in general. Actually, it was a bit like having four Christmas eaves in a row, you know, because every week, it was definitely on my mind waking up just to see how's it looking today. But some, I had to accept not being there that, you know, the fate wasn't in my hands. And I was entirely comfortable with that. Of course, that was part of my calculations and the decisions are not going. And I echo what you said about Sean. That was minerals at their finest. I think you could say, you know, rare earth minerals. - Would you have gone to career if you hadn't had that 100 to 110 safety net that didn't exist last year? - Probably, maybe. Yeah, quite possibly, I guess. Because there is a significant difference between being in category 18 and category 19. As I discovered in 2025, because in '25, I was in category 19. And I played 10 times. That's very difficult to do anything on the DP World Tour with 10 starts. Whereas, of course, this year in cat 18, I'll play 22 times. And I suspect next year will look much the same. And of course, with 22 playing opportunities, you can at least do something. So yeah, that would have been part of my calculation. I mean, obviously I've documented it pretty extensively now on the sub stack or whatnot. And people can go and find it over there. It is indeed free to read that article. So if they want to get a better insight into exactly what my thinking was, they can do so without me rehashing it here. But I think truth be told. And I think Ian, you hit the nail on the head last week in the podcast, the cumulative effect of the medication, fast-tracked and awful lot of kind of, let's just call it emotional toil. I know that might sound a little soft to some, but it's the reality that I was feeling. And I felt like actually I'd done such a good job getting myself in the position that I'd gotten to after India, because when I reflect on the conversations I was having after withdrawing from the French open with folks at the tour, I was worried that I was going to fall out the top 110 and not play golf again this season. And when I turned up on the Tuesday at the Dunhill links, I was genuinely in a lot of pain and thought there's no hope of me playing until I was put on a new set of medication. And it's no doubt about it, that made the difference. But I wanted off of it, frankly. - Can you take us into, because we didn't have you on the pod last week, can you take us into India? Because, you know, '71, '66, and being one off the lead at halfway, what was your physical situation at the weekend? What happened, were you feeling spent or did you feel your form just went? - It was fairly exhausted. I think I put in, well, 36 holes on the Friday. I don't remember the last time I played 36 holes outside of US-7 qualifier. It was a very challenging day on all fronts and I played really, very well on the second round in particular there to shoot that 65 or 6, whatever I shot. And of course, I had a lot of hope. And actually, on the Saturday and Sunday, I felt really good about things. It's probably the calmest I felt being in a good position for a long, long time, ironically. I just didn't play that good in the third round. Hit a few sloppy iron shots. I couldn't hold the puck. I couldn't get the ball in the hole from any sort of mid-range. And when there's that confluence of poor iron play at times, or certainly erratic iron play, I hit some brilliant iron shots, but some dreadful ones and not being able to hold putts. It's just tough to score. And as I discovered, I found that out and I came up short and it was a bit frustrating to say the least. And I think emblematic, frankly, of the season writ large of my form writ large across the last few years. Good stuff in there, bad stuff in there. Shirt or champagne, I've said that before. - And when you're going round as well, it's an interesting dynamic you have. You've got Jane on the bag. You're in it together. This is your, it's not just your livelihood personally. It's your livelihood as a couple. You know, so it's, I don't know how you feel when you know that things are spiraling or we would hear just what it's like being able to do. - Well, I think I've leaned heavily on Jane quite a lot recently, in fact, because I've been feeling quite down. But she's been the support. But in India, we were both spent. And actually, it was just, Jen as much as it was I that said, or me that said, it was fine calling it a day. You know, Jen actually didn't show any, and have any reservations about me doing what I decided to do at all. She was fully supportive of it. And so I think that comforted me a little bit. And look, I understand some people will find that decision bizarre, but as I described, there was lots of factors behind it. And again, just to point out, I still feel slightly injured. The medication was definitely not helping. I wanted to get off the medication more than anything. - And the point that I made last week is that we can be very glib when we discuss injuries and what gets forgotten all the time when you're injured, is that you're in pain. And that in itself never mind the drugs that you're taking to alleviate the pain. But if you're in pain, then that's exhausting as well. - Yeah, and I'll be honest with you, pain was less of an issue in India and even Madrid. The issue was I was taking cumulatively about 300 milligrams of codine. I was taking eight tablets a day of cocodamol. That was a cumulatively about 250 milligrams of codine in the system, not to mention the amount of paracetamol, which is fine. That's a lot of codine to have every day in the system. And so I was just consistently battling drowsiness, tiredness, and then I was trying to combat that with caffeine and food and whatnot. And it's just, it's quite a lot of stuff to add in on top of having to play. I mean, I haven't had a practice session since the Monday after Cron Montana. You know, it's eight weeks for a professional sportsman not to be able to practice. So to have even made the cuts that I've made, I think I did quite well in all honesty. And I was really pleased with the points I earned, although as frustrating as it was the full shot, I kind of think I did all right in my stance that I had. - Was there any point last week where you thought, ah, I should have gone? - No, there really wasn't in. There really was genuinely wasn't. I have absolutely no regrets in going here. I've prioritized myself above all else. I've been here before. I've been in a lower spot before. I recognized the pattern of behavior, the patterns of thinking, the intrusive thoughts that were beginning to enter my mind in Madrid and particularly India. And I wanted out of it. And you know, when a player or a person, irrespective of whether you're into sport, whatever you do, I don't care. When you start to enter that, spiral of mindset. You need to find a way out of it and that's what you have to take care of yourself and that's all I decided to do. So with the recognition that we just touched on that I will still have plenty of opportunity next year and I just want to get fit and actually reflecting briefly and I'll do it in greater length. I'm sure down the road but this has been a better year than last year. There's no doubt about it. I've played a lot better golf. There's been a lot of progress made. I do not feel lost with my game. So I'm pretty hopeful moving forward. The three guys ahead of you in the rankings, they played 27, 38 and 28 tournaments and you played 22. Manaceiro and Crocker, they were full members David Law challenged to a graduate. So all ahead of you in terms of getting into tournaments, that's part of it and then of course you got your neck. I suppose part of the challenge though of being a tour pro might be said to do, have that, getting the stars, yes, but also to have that stamina and that fitness and staying healthy, which is part of it. Do you think about that going forward and saying, right, I'm going to try and I don't know whether the neck is caused by maybe a condition you have anyway or more prune to it. But do you think you can do better in terms of your conditioning for the year? Well, absolutely. 100% I can do better and I hope to do better. I will say this though, if I had a full card, I doubt I would have played more than 25 tournaments. I'm not gutted that I didn't finish 100th on the rankings because I wanted to play 30 tournaments next year. That is not why I want. And those who listen to the podcast will know that. That would be a very unhealthy thing for me to do. A good number for me is 24/25 times and in fact that is kind of the amount I've averaged throughout my career. And I'm not of the opinion that finishing 100 and first on this year's rankings will be a career defining moment for me. It just won't. Their careers are not defined on such fine margins. They are defined on grander themes and themes that frankly I've gotten wrong. The themes that you've just touched on in terms of my physique and physical stamina and also technical aspects too I would say. And many would probably argue psychological too. You could go to to tour school and potentially improve your standing but you're not going to go to tour school. No, so I did consider going. I will be in category 18 regardless. What the position I will be in by not going to Q school is that I will sit as the, I mean there's 15 cards on offer at Q school. You'll be 16. If 15 cards are earned I will be 16th in category 18 which is kind of where I was at the start of this season. The reason I decided not to go primarily actually is because after the first three tournaments which are two in Australia and one in Mauritius which everybody in Q school will most probably get into, almost certainly get into. There is a mini rerank which happens after those three and the best performer in that category after those three events goes to the very top of the pile. So you know I could go to Q school which would only give me another week at home and then a week at Q school, week at home and go to Australia. It's really, it would feel like not enough time at home given my plans and what I would like to do. So my intention is to spend three weeks at home. I'm also changing some equipment which isn't a big change but I will be making some equipment changes for next season. So, you know, it gives me an opportunity to not be exchangeable. So I'm going to some old, an old brand that I've been with before but yeah which I'm excited about and for but at least gives me a bit of time at home to integrate some of those changes. And as you said you've not had a proper practice session for so long, eight weeks. So given that you freed up that window where you could have been playing six rounds of Q school, do you feel that that time that you've given yourself will be a window where actually what you really need is real proper practice bedding in new equipment and and and readying yourself to be able to hit the ground running when you get to Australia. I think so. I think three weeks from here is enough time. I've just had a week where I've rested. I think in three more weeks time I will physically feel much better than I have been feeling which is really important. Psychologically I think I'll be there for in a much better place too and of course I will have spent enough time practicing I think to feel pretty ready to get to Australia. So um and yeah I'll maybe go and seek out a putting coach is my intention in the next week or two to maybe spend a bit of time there on some putting but yeah I'm I'm quite hopeful that the next few weeks you should yield a happier fitter slimmer anyway Eddie when I arrive in Australia. Okay we're going to go into a fitness regime. Maybe we should all do our fitness regime over the winter months. I'm I'm going to yeah I'm up for that. Yeah 100% good you and Eddie. You become as the veteran. You're you're yeah you're all model helping me. Well that's because I just exercise like I mean I have to keep the demons up here but uh well and that's the other thing that I've really missed and I did touch on this I think in the blog I wrote after India. At the start of the year I had a month at home where I spent a lot of time training and it's maybe the best I've ever felt. It's certainly the best I've probably felt in my 30s going to Dubai and Katar and I carried it on I maintained it through February and as the years gone on as it's so often the case with me I just struggled to maintain that discipline in that structure and I get bogged down in the travel and the stresses of professional golf and competing and I lose sight of the importance of training and I do think the more I reflect on that particularly when you look at the Roy McRoy's and especially the Justin Rose's of the world and the the the intention that they apply there in that in that realm I think it adds for an awful lot and I'm discovering that as I'm reaching 35 for not 25 anymore. Generally speaking you know and maybe there's time for this discussion again in a few weeks or so but do you feel because you've had a little bit of a better year you know 35 do you still have drive and motivation in the game and what is that is that motivation I want to finish 80th and keep my card comfortably and have some better tournaments or do you want to feel that buzz of competing surely I mean I'm kind of asking rhetorical questions here at home. No I don't think you are I don't have any kind of outcome goals but I've never had outcome goals it's going to sound wishy I want to play good golf to do that you need to be healthy to do that you need to be working on the right things right and that's clearly what I've struggled to do but fundamentally I just want to be playing a kind of golf that when I when I when I play it and I'm and I'm teaming it up I feel as though I have some control and some degree of mastery which frankly I've just felt I haven't had for quite a long period of time that's what floats my boat and I do still wake up with that ambition and the motivation to achieve that and if that was to disappear I would almost certainly call it a day I'm not going to sit here and lie and say I'm as motivated now as I was when I was 20 that would be complete rubbish because I'm not I'm just not but you know those who know me and I think you two do know me fairly well we'll also know that across my career I've always been had a wondering mind and and would you could probably have fairly accused me of not being you know focused enough on golf that's just where I've always been but within that I've had good years and bad years so but you said to us you know as long as I stopped being a moron and I'm just wondering what it is that we can help we can help you without but it's interesting I want to know what drives you and it's not to maybe you know you got close to the rider cup team in 2018 do you think of oh two rider cups coming up let's let's just see if I can I think stop being a moron comment was me being maybe modest maybe a bit hard on myself because I think I could have been accused of being a moron in 2018 and I had a great year you know this is the thing that I've tried to touch on and I probably don't do it particularly enough and it's a really difficult thing to articulate just the sheer complex nature of golf it's very difficult to ascertain why players have success and some fail there are some of the hardest workers I can I can think of but are not playing on a deep old tour and they've had struggling flailing careers across the last decade and some who do extremely well who don't work nearly as hard there is no linear relationship between lots of things in this game it is just a very very challenging sport and and yet I haven't I haven't solved the puzzle um or certainly kept the puzzle in place for long enough you know just wrap wrap up this part you your drive is to master that skill is the sort of pure thing of sorting out how to hit a good golf shot it's not all of the buzz of people watching me and being in contention and feeling that excitement about sporting competition well not necessarily but at the same time maybe because that buzz that you feel really in my past anyway I've I felt that buzz when I've had mastery and control and when I've had people watching me and I don't feel in control I feel terrified I feel like I feel naked so you know it's not that I don't enjoy competing in front of people it I do it's just contingent on the level of skills that are on offer at that point and I have control of and my lack of mastery has been the most revealing thing that is exactly why I'm a hundred and first in the rankings and not first or twenty first in the rankings that's and so what does mastery encapsulate well lots of different things of course I still maintain that golf is a predominantly skill based sport and I think the main component of skill is technique which is why I always focus on that but as I'm clearly discovering there's a lot more to it as well and physical is the physical side is one one part of it is it to get to a position where you see the shot that you need to play given where you are on that golf course in that circumstance on a leaderboard and to be able to see that shot and hit that shot I mean that sounds that sounds very glib but it strikes me that for big parts of of your recent seasons it's been about getting feels swing technique and and playing swing rather than golf do you know I get what you're saying I would just go back again to some of my better years and say that that was always the case then you know people have always found me frustrating and that I'm overly technical technically minded looking for fields doing silly routines it was the same about in 2018 and then there was a part three in India the sixth hole I think on the the third round I'm playing with Todd Clemens and Joel Gerbach and we all hit eight times and it's in this fiddly little part of the green and we all landed within probably three yards of one another each ball but there's was one yard to the left of mine and mine was one yard too far right. Mine went down into the bunker and there's went stiff. I made a good par and they made a birdie. My point there is the margins are that fine and I've fallen just on the wrong side of those margins too often and that is in my view reflective of not much else other than skill and so that's not really mindset. It's just skill and that's what I need to I think still do a better job of doing but 30 minutes in should we not maybe move on and talk about this? See if we can master it. On the Pita Malar, let's start it out, just set the tone, October favourites. That's what it says on the Pita Malar website at the moment. Where would you rank October in favourite months of the year and all my favourite months are I would go March, April, May, June, they're the bosses, they're just they're the classic months. It's got to be bottom three. November is the worst. Do you think, oh I'm not so sure actually because I think with November and you've kind of got December and Christmas in a new year in mind which I know you hate Christmas. Yeah so December and November December would be bottom for me those two. Oh you see I would probably have February at bottom because I think at that point you're at the end of a winter and you feel utterly depressed. Oh no the light starting to appear and you're going for you. The end of February spring basically. Okay I should just say January then. Yeah but January your past Christmas so the corner has been turned. Anyway what am I talking about? October favourites with Pita Malar. Actually let's talk about trousers because then the October favourites you've got, there's an E.B. 66 performance five pocket trousers are Milange one, E.B. 66 Milange performance five pocket trousers. You're an E.B. 66 guy. You're a simple E.B. 66 performance five pocket trousers. 4.6 stars out of five from one thousand five hundred and sixty-six reviews. Really I think that's good. Anything over 4.5 is my rule of thumb on usually Google but the same will apply. You know you're not going to be disappointed. Just buy them. I mean we're slipping down over this podcast because of Barry's YouTube. Oh there wasn't my last week. Actually we're going to surpass that this week. We're going to go on for about two and a half hours. But there's also another trouser. Another trouser. Another pair of pants which is another trouser which is which is all the rage with pro golfers at the moment. I think guys on tour going for the Bingham Cord or the tour players waiting those. The Walker Cup teams wore them you know almost every day at Le Hinch as well. Love them so take out the Bingham Cord. Have you tried them out? I'm not sure they would have gone down well in Delhi. Maybe in a cooler climate. I might give them a try in the spring actually. I've just got myself a pair of those particularly for for autumn golf. Oh yeah you see. And winter golf. There is the voice of the stylish man saying yeah Bingham Cord well I'm going to check right now as well because I haven't got a pair of those. So Bingham Cord, EB-66 performance, five pocket trouser, Bingham Cord, big rivalry established between those two now as golfing trousers. So why don't you try out both those pairs and make your choice and let us know or don't I don't they mind. But head to www.peatamolar.co.uk free delivery with your first purchase. Peatamolar. Just to go back to kind of the theme we were talking about before that because this and again I'm doing this thing where I'm sort of equating the kind of golf. But I think this would be interesting for people who you know are just club players. So when I played at Four Tros last Friday I suddenly got hit by a bout of the shanks on the first three holes and honestly the ball was just going sideways. Every time I pulled a wedge out and it was horrific. I couldn't work out what I was going to do. When I got to the fifth hole which is a par five I tugged my second shot, short left and into really long grass, dunes, undulating. I found my ball and I'm suddenly now facing a wedge shot and I've already I've shanked four wedges in this round and I've got to play this shot and the ball is above my feet in long grass uphill lie and I've got to I've got to hit it 20 yards on to an elevated green and I you know I got myself into a position to be able to hit that shot and it came right out the middle of the club and went on to the green I hit it as well as I could. But my point is that all the the previous ones were on standard lies, shots that I could have practiced over and over and over again and would ordinarily routinely hit. I'm not saying to a pros proficiency but to a reasonable standard I certainly wasn't going to take more than three more shots on that hole and here I was taking five or six more as a result of these shanks and yet when I was faced with them all together way way more difficult shot. I was able to pull it off and that you know just going back to Eddie's point about the complexities of the game of golf per se. That that kind of speaks to that but also where you suddenly have to improvise technique rather than strive for perfect technique in perfect circumstances. It's interesting isn't it? It is I'm reminded do you remember a few weeks ago we talked about my effort out of the trees at the bell free on the net hole that I didn't pull off and ended up going into the hazard and I'd said in years come by often I pull that shot off and I still went for it but this time I didn't. I think you know my view again and this is just maybe my opinion but when enough of the when you have enough bases let's just say adequately covered from a technical standpoint there is enough crossover that when you are faced with challenging shots you know good things tend to happen wherever the balls above your feet below your feet what not. And there are times however too where this kind of creative flair can come to the fore and I think I've been a good example of that generally speaking you know it is the maybe the case that a standard seven iron is a tougher shot for me at the moment than a 20 hour draw with a seven iron but the problem is in my my level you don't get rewarded it in 20 hour draws with a seven iron you get rewarded for doing what Scotty Sheffler does which is just a laser seven iron at the flag more often than not. And so they're the margins that's what that's what the game at the professional level is asking for and requiring and I'm falling short so it's some it's a really difficult question to answer and you know again points to the just a very complex nature of the game I think I feel like I kind of do I was distracted by the dogs because they're they're out of kilter by an hour at the moment so they've been asking for the dinner for the last hour or so jet lagged well they're just they're just all over the place yeah I kind of do that's the kind of thing I say when I don't know I was listening to some of it but not all of it so I kind of do I'm so supportive now Eddie one thing that you get into on our sub-stack it generated quite a bit of conversation was the live player situation next year because and you were very careful to do this before you were you know knocked out at the top 100 so you're stressing there wasn't several grapes etc but it is very very interesting because a lot of players are now live players and I was saying well I'm not going to be involved and live 2.0 there's a sort of standard social media statement that a lot of them are putting out saying it's time for me to move on it's been great I want to spend more time on my family etc which is variations on that theme but just on that yeah they all said they went to live to spend more time with their families and don't do that don't catch them out yeah there's a lot of a lot of players are going to be coming back of different standings and different reputations and some of them will have categories on the dp world tours so some of them will be entitled to play some of them will be relying on sponsors imitations it is it is a big big can of wagons of worms so and this is something that you obviously and a lot of other players who are playing on the dp world tour are very aware of and and watching keenly yeah and that's actually why we're at the sub stack was because I saw you and Ferguson Richard Mansl and Yostl out in about a week ago all comment on this and comment I would say quite unfavorably on it in terms of their opinions towards the dp world tour on the rumors and they are mostly still rumors that invites really are going to be you know given to some of these players I think that is confirmed at this point I don't think it's really speculation to say that Charles how the third is going to be playing on the dp world tour next year a number of times through invites and I think it's it's that that I found calling frankly and why because not nothing gets Charles how the third and I just want to point out to it's not that I'm under any impression that these guys are not better at golf than me Lucas Herbert is a better goal for them me I'm not of the opinion he shouldn't be playing on the dp world tour immediately because he's not a better player than me my point is quite simple. those that don't get it, and it's a small minority, it's that earn your right, the way I did at Q School, the way we all have to. And to the degree to which a player hasn't earned their right historically, I'll say Rory Makaroy, when he was offered invites in the very early stages of his career, it's a very different scenario, 'cause there's somebody that didn't play on lift golf before receiving those invites, and of course, lift golf has done an awful lot of harm to the deep people at all. So yeah, I do find it quite, as I described in the article, and I tried to be fair within it, but I did see it as a bit of a betrayal from the tour to be giving invite to such players, frankly. - So I suppose it's, as well, a DP World Tour is looking at a potential opportunity to have some star names, so you could understand maybe, that's why Charles Hull, the third stands out. Charles Hull, the third has been a wonderfully solid professional over many, many years, but he's not somebody that's, you're thinking, oh, this guy's a John Ram, this guy's a former world number one, this guy's a great writer-cut player or something. So I don't want to single him out, but if someone like that is getting more than one or two or three invitations, then it's very strange. - No, but you are right to single him out in the sense that at no point in his career, has he ever expressed any desire to play on the DP World Tour? And there's nothing wrong with that because he's an American, and he was eligible to play on the PGA Tour, but the fact of the matter is, he's got nowhere else to play. And to Eddie's point, if he wants to play on the DP World Tour, if that's the vehicle for where he can play his golf, then he has to earn that right, and that means go to Q-School, surely. - Absolutely, it's the very thing we criticized live for at the very beginning, was that it was unmeritocratic, and now all we're doing is the very same thing. I don't like it, I've never liked that. I described it as a miscalculation, the other miscalculation that I personally think the DP World Tour was making at this point in time, and this will be open to, certainly. This could be open to disagreement, I think, is that I think the DP World Tour see this as an opportunity to kill off live 2.0, thus killing off a competitor. My personal view, live 2.0 is already done for. If it couldn't succeed with 6 billion behind it, there is no way it's ever gonna succeed with a mere 300 million dollars behind it, of which actually the more people I listen to talk about this investment, they describe it more as a debt investment on the side of BC partners to offset their own future tax liabilities, more than anything else, frankly, and cruelly. - On other deals. - 100%. - Yeah. And so I just don't agree that I can understand the idea that this will kill live off, I think it will, but my view is it was already dead, and so you didn't need to bend over to give child how the third or Thomas Peters, and I like Thomas Peters, I've got an awful lot of time for him, and I think he's a brilliant player, but I just think he should go back to Q-School, the way I did, the way Kiridek might have to, the way a lot of players have to, and earn your status, I'm not of the opinion they won't do so, I think they're plenty good enough to do so, but make them do it, it's the meritocratic beauty of a sport like golf, it's a cornerstone that I'm unbending on, frankly, and always have been. - I suppose it's interesting that a lot of these players have said no to live 2.0, they might not have said no to whatever live 2.0 might be if they didn't have anywhere else to go, so they say, "Okay, well, there is a sort of safe haven there from me, or somewhere to play from me on the DP world tour." I mean, my view on that is that John Ram and the very, very best players, the people that only really make a difference, Wacky Neem and Tyrell, I think that they were done, and that they would have been seeking a route back irrespective of any deal that may be done between DP world tour and live 2.0 players, and that's, again, what I tried to point to in my blog. I have no issue with Wacky Neem and coming back and receiving invites, he's a star. I would watch it, I'd pay to watch Wacky Neem and play golf. I wouldn't pay to watch Charles Hale with a third play golf, and I think against him, and that, to me, is a calculation that I think needs to be made, and it doesn't really matter if Charles Hale with a third, and I don't wish to single him out, because he is such a nice fellow, and he is a very good player, but for the intensive purposes, it doesn't really matter from the DP world tour's perspective, whether he plays on live 2.0 or not in my view. So to kind of, I would say betray the membership in the way that's potentially going to be done by offering him invites, which will at some point have an impact on entries for some players on the DP world tour. I mean, it's quite feasible and possible that next year, I might not get into a tournament because I might be one or two short, and there will be four invites given out to live players, and whether that's right, fair, wrong, I'm not gonna make that judgment, but that's what's probably going to happen, and that's what the decision of the DP world tour has taken. - To your previous point, the tour could turn around and say, we are justified in taking action to make sure that absolute, to make it absolutely sure that live 2.0 doesn't happen. I mean, that is a strategic business play. - I agree, I don't personally ascribe to that view, as I say, I think he was already dead, but I can see that point, and that's why I tried not to be overly critical towards Guy Kinnings and the strategy writ large. And there's another side to that, it's the side that you unfurlistered and Richard Manson and Yosel Lauer and myself are speaking up about Jorge Campillo. A lot of these, a lot of people might describe those players as mules, I would say go play golf with Jorge Campillo. Go and look at his career, he's not a mule, he's a bloody good golfer that should be rewarded for that and has been and should continue to be rewarded. And so, yeah, I'm fairly strong, wild and viewed on it as you might imagine, but I'm not the only one, that's for sure. And the point I made in the sub stack as well is how to go on a bit was about what then fills the void when such a decision is made. Because from my perspective, I lose a little bit of respect for the tour and they do something like this and usually what tends to fill that void is resentment and even contempt. And I'm not a contemptuous individual and I'm certainly not somebody that seeks to be vengeful in any way, but I do ask myself, what should I ever do for the deep who will tour in the future? You know, if they're gonna make my life slightly more difficult and I don't wish to say, 'cause they've made my life a bit easier in recent months by giving me invites into Madrid, for example, so I'm fully aware of the benefits that they've afforded me. But I, you know, I stop me if I'm coming across as overly, that's what it's just honest. - And what I'm interested in actually, Eddies, because I think your views are very, very clear, but how much they reflect what your peers are feeling, you know, the players who have been on that tour for a number of years, who are not necessarily the ones that are regular winners or regular top tenors or, but are making a really hard-earned living on that tour. And that, in a sense, there are some that are being jeopardized by this now. And I just wonder how deep that sense of feeling is amongst your peers. - I suspect it's quite deep. The fact that the number of them has spoken out publicly, which they wouldn't ordinarily do those folks that I've mentioned. And I again wanna make the point that this isn't about, 'cause a lot of people would just jibber back and say, "Play better." They would use the Royal Macri phrase, and I get it. But that's not my argument. My argument isn't that I shouldn't be playing better. My argument is that Thomas Peters and Charles Heather Furture just earned the right, the way I've had to earn the right to play on the very tour, that we're all playing on. That's all I'm seeking. That's all I'm trying to uphold when I talk about going to Q-school and upholding the meritocratic values. And I don't think that's a controversial argument. I think that is a, I think that is the dominant feeling. Certainly as I look at the comments and the feedback in recent days, but it's gonna be, it's interesting times. I try to see it from both sides. And again, the tour is in a tough spot. We haven't spoken about the recent financial statement that came out. It's in a difficult place. There's absolutely no doubt about it. It's trying, it's very best to come up with a product in 2027 that's gonna give it its best chance moving forward. So I'm very sympathetic towards Guy on that front too. - We'll speak about financial situations. Love seeing that a few bonuses being handed around, but a few people still waiting to be paid. And some players still very much contesting. I think Dustin Johnson and Baba Watson were among a group still trying to chase down their missing money. - 100 million, 100 million. - They're looking to get a combined 100 million from the Saudi Arabian public investment fund. - Good luck with that. - But also, you know, the disclosures that have come from the bankruptcy hearings are just mind blowing. The amounts of money that Scott O'Neal, the chief executive has been paid, subsequent to the Saudi piff signalling that they were withdrawing their funding. I mean, millions upon millions of dollars have had it his way. And, you know, we see it with a number of the leading players there as well. - Is Rick Schill's not doing some Rick Schill's is owed over a million dollars. - But then, you know, we've spoken about this, so it's not worth rehashing too much, but it is worth highlighting nonetheless, you know, the normal contractors who are out of pocket for doing their work. And all at the same time that they are trying to launch lift 2.0 with 300 million dollars worth of backing from BC partners. And they're saying, I noticed the financial times who've been really good on this reporting that they, they think they've got 15 players. As it stands at the moment, I think publicly we know Richard Blande, Victor Perez, Cameron Tringale, and one other, I can't remember, has gone out of my head. But, you know, players of that ilk to build a league around that is supposed to compete with the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour, or complete, as Scott O'Neal [BLANK_AUDIO] say. I don't see how it works. I remember a few weeks ago saying that I didn't have a lot of sympathy actually for the contractors and the vendors that were unpaid and having discovered that Scott and Eels recently paid $15 million. I want to retract that statement. I have some sympathy because it's a disgrace that the Greg Norman was paid as well and Phil Mickelson continues to be paid having he's not been playing. It's quite stark, remarkable and live and no laying up did quite a good episode this morning actually where they spent the first 45 minutes going through a lot of it and I've have to say it was entertaining as it was kind of depressing really as well. You mentioned Victor Perez it'll be interesting because if he was to play on a live 2.0 given the choice he's got to make I wonder and I'm thinking out loud here maybe he could be 100th after all because he is in the top 100 of the Deepy World Tour rankings and so I don't know really how or why he should stay within that surely he should come out and that should bump me up as Scott so I've got Victor going to stay and live too much madness. But given that the Deepy World Tour stance which is you've got to make a choice and if you sign a contract with live you're out as far as the Deepy World Tour is concerned. Well we should we should be working Victor so it's not madness Victor it's I think it's a county move to stay with a live 2.0 so Victor Perez definitely that's a good decision so Alfie goes Eddie's number 100 but well it probably won't make a difference I mean I saw Seawoo Kim for example stay within the top 100 and one of his counting events was the president's cup which is quite remarkable one of one of one of Seawoo Kim's four counting events on the Deepy World Tour this year's president's cup I mean he had a good result he finished second but yeah and I don't really understand. How is that possible? I think it might be to do with the fact that the rider cup also counts on the American side as a start for say Rory McRoy when he plays the rider cup it counts as one of his 15 on the PGA Tour but but given its association with the PGA Tour and nothing to do with the Deepy World Tour and given that captains in the past have said openly that they wouldn't consider picking a Deepy World Tour player I do find it pretty odd that he would that would be a county move. Seawoo's gone Victor's gone to number 99. I'm good playing in Debye in a minute. I really don't want to sound bitter I really don't know what you're doing I mean I can see the logic of that because if you are an Australian player then by definition you don't have right to that exemption or rather the the right that a European rider cup player would have in turning around and saying well I played in the rider cup that is a counting event so you have to have a level playing field for those players who by by dint of their nationality couldn't play in the rider cup. Absolutely and and it's again points to any of these rules that are in place are in place for a good reason I discovered this having spent enough time on the committee and that's why I try not to be overly critical of whoever is at the Deepy World Tour these are really good smart folks though I may disagree with certain things that their smart bunch and they're and these rules are in place for good reasons so at the problem is when there's a lack of communication which I do think has happened a bit recently and it happened a lot under Keith I'm I'm afraid to say rumors start to fill and then speculation mounts especially in the golfing community it just swells and goes crazy into a frenzy and and that's what I do think maybe the leadership could have gotten a better hand on and just to give us a bit more information as to their plans so that we could at least not speculate and get things wrong which I often do on no speculation here only this you know one of the most important things to do in in improving your golf game is it's not just use golf clubs that's quite important use the right golf clubs and be fitted to have the right golf clubs how can you do that well of course you can go to a proper fitter and Ping has many qualified fitters around the country qualified stockers and fitters and professional shops or you can go to the fitting center as well and link it to what a place that is again there anyway yes so but one other thing you can do perhaps as a sort of starter just to get an idea is go to this wonderful thing they have on the Ping website called WebFit and I'm going to show you how easy it is I'm going to do it just now so if I go to the website ping.com and then click there on WebFit I'm going to go for a wedge fitting here wedges important because again sometimes you think why am I catching this fast or what am I doing it might because you're terrible but it might also be because you've got the wrong kind of grind or loft a lie on your on your wedges so here we are first so you just just just answer a few simple questions so right first question what's your average score it gives a range between 65 and 120 I'm going to pull that down to 76 because I'm lying what no I'm this is listen you can live in little fantasy world as you do this you should probably be more accurate my average score is 76 in fact my average score is 74 that's the only round of golf I've played this year right okay continue what's your pitching wedge carry distance I'm going to see 180 yards that's the thing I can put in there what I've thinned it right okay continue on that what's your highest lofted wedge and I'm going to put in I don't know okay yeah continue that I'm telling you how many returns they have because I'm falsely in false inputs no it's yeah this is where you've got to be honest with us don't you what are your typical turf conditions soft and wet medium varies or firm and dry I'm going to put firm and dry and see what kind of that there it's now optimizing my grind profile what's your highest priority if you're most lofted wedge and I think it's distance control really I'm going to put that in there now it's finalizing my grind profile my my grinder profile different the best grinds my game be grind is the best grind for that particular game that I've come up with there through some fanciful answers but that's as simple as that and it's coming up with the loft I best loft I should have in my most lofted wedge the bones all suited to bunker conditions first thing you know the beast stands for on that be grind the badger the badger grind just shanks your own degree no the badger grind refers to the the hosle yeah exactly and then an amazing shoulder to the rough into the badger grind has the dot you know the ping have the dots on the other side of the badger grind they have it on the hosle side of it well there you are anyway that's the kind of technology available to you on the website for ping but I do stress get yourself sorted for clubs for the end of this year for next year and do it with a qualified fitter there are so many around there and ping with their technology and their options available from putters through to irons wedges and drivers they are the best about so head to ping.com and what do we say make ping wing with ping oh god should have practiced that that's right make ping your thing any bands go on have some if you're not sticking on a few quid then it's not sports echoes spread betting overdrive check out the odds and lay it on large with any band it's friendly it's fun it's half your wage gone on a minor two tennis match in Slovenia mother f*** and if the bet doesn't pay out sell that kidney but keep betting with any bet I'm taking the kid's Michael gamble responsibly what else should we talk about as we run things up here in this in this pod did did the butterfield get finished today yes and did it finish yeah third hole of a playoff it was it was Austin the smother man again one is second to element so he goes up to 51 you can't move into the top 50 that's it you can move up to 51 so he's right at the top of things so he gets into the first two signature events next year gets into Riviera and oh I can't remember what it is you get some pebble beach pebble beach yeah so he's in the Riviera and pebble beach or the other way around and she must power this is one he'd won before she must be right does quite well and these he did one I think he'd won the barbersol and he'd won the butterfield and he was going for his second butterfield and he he's short up his card so it's it's been obviously a bittersweet day for him obviously the tournament restricted to 54 holes regulation and then as it turned out three holes of of playoff today and the third extra hole power unable to get up and down so he bogeyden that lets smotherman win he had no wins in his first 99 starts and now as one is last two so 101 starts into into his career but that will really shore up his playing options going forward for a good long time now for for Austin smotherman so a big day for him and looking at the ranking things and because obviously it's top 100 there as well it keep their cards so of of the players who earned a pj tour card in the dp world tour last year and we go through them here so here's Markle penge Markle is now one oh he's one ten now actually he's one four events to go four events to go lori canter one one I don't know what happened to him Christopher right and he's doing best of all he's 25th I think of the rankings Christopher right and so he's at a great season andry and saddie though 187 so he'll be gone Alex Norton also very good, he's 36. John Parry is about 90 at the moment now, 89. John Lee, where's one? Where's Hoeton? He's outside the top 100, isn't he? Oh yeah, he's 126. So in fact, he's outside the top 125, who are in conditional PGA Tour status. I thought he'd done well, a couple of tournaments. Did I just dream that? I mean, he needs to do well, the majors, mate. Well, it was in the open last year in that he played really well, wasn't it? Okay. And Rasmus Niergaard Peterson, I don't know where he is, he's outside the top. Oh, he's 100, oh, he's position number 80. He's 101, Rasmus Niergaard Peterson. So lots of play for over the next month, isn't there on that full series? Yeah, so it's, you know, we've touched on it a lot, obviously, with the DP World Tour, but this, this spell is very consequential goal for a lot of golfers who, for the majority of the golfing year, are largely ignored. And so there is something to be said for the way that the, the golfing year sort of goes. And I, and I think we're going to see even more of that, going forward with the way that the, the calendars are shaping up with the new promotion and relegation kind of issues that will come to the fore from 2028 on the PGA Tour. And then how the DP World Tour with some of its biggest events in that full period, taking as they hope many of the big names to play in those, while you've also got this jockeying for position and careers on the line. So it is interesting. So Eddie, another factor with how many stars, somebody gets in the DP World Tour next year, that's what, how many of those 10 players come back to their umbrella, or their, their parachute rather umbrella, using an umbrella as a parachute, where many poppins, the parachutes, so who's going to be coming back? I mean, Markle, Penn, Mike? Well, might be. Yeah, might be. I've been told only two or three, which is kind of the, there has been the normal number across the last few years. So I had a little look and, you know, bearing in mind last year on the DP World Tour, it was top 115 cards in the end. And I, and I think I worked out roughly speaking about 88 of those were what you would consider regular players on the DP World Tour. And this year that number's gone down to some of like 77. So you know, there are fewer players, basically what I'm saying there, that will be active category 10 members in 2027 on the DP World Tour, that there are so many difficult things to factor in, you know, the winners' categories. That was, we had a burgeoning winners' category across the last two years on the DP World Tour. That's come down a bit, playing opportunities, trying to predict them are really difficult in general. And that'll be the same across both tours. And that's your big problem going forward, isn't it, that you can't plan a schedule? It will be, yeah, I mean, you'll certainly get a good idea in the first, you know, month or two as to, you know, how many players are playing regularly. So it will become clearer. But yeah, look, there's going to be some uncertainty, some late travel for sure. No, I do think that I'll get as many starts as I said earlier than I did last year, if not more in places. So, um, and, and one thing's for sure, I should be pushing bloody hard on the invites if they're given them out to Charles Halberth III. Fuck yeah. Okay. What was an old hooting outside? Well, they started up again, the olds. You see, they stop after and spring and then early summer and then they take a pause and no, once it gets a bit colder, I think they're hunting again and down. Talking of owls, do you know, I saw in the week? What? Promotion for a book called The Owl Carver. Yes. I thought it looked so standard. Oh, I didn't. I think it looked eerie and potentially quite dramatic. Jen's got it already on, on pre-order. Jen's got a Jen's already ordered. I think she has been disappearing for a while. She's, she's, she's said to me that her and her friends, they do a book club. So, he's taking a call. This is great. He can't listen to it. He's listening in one year. No, he's going to pull Laurie calling off. Oh, he's telling us to shush. Sorry, right? Bill, carry on. Sorry. Jen, book club. Jen and her friends, they do a book club every week. Yeah. And, um, and I think Jen's already nominated your book when it comes to February. I don't mean that as in a sort of self-deprecating way, but I mean, there are so many classic books to, to book club that this, I hope, a group of how many what? Yeah, I think. Only four of them. Oh, Jen likes books that generally are about witches. I don't know if yours is, but I think she's got a little, I'm rewriting it. I mean, I'm already excited to hear that you're doing a sequel to it. So, um, this is just, this is brilliant writing a book. What a, what a challenge. That doesn't, what, what sort of wintering Andrew can we expect then? Because, you know, I think it's said to say last winter was a challenging period for you, but the book, especially, it was, well, look at that one, the same again. God, he's really gesticulating in this front. Absolutely. He's going terrible news. I mean, I don't mean terrible news. I said, oh, he's going. He's bank details to somebody. Oh, God. He's of that age. Anyway, um, let's not talk about the book. Let's talk about this week, um, the Vedanta world Mexico open on the PGA tour. I said, I don't really want to talk with that. It's, um, it's not a huge name field again. There is one outlier, Wyndham Clark world number five. He's playing at Ben Griffin's playing Tom Kim, but then you've got those guys John Perry, Marco Penn's, Jordan Smith, Rasmus. How you go? He's at, he's at 113, or Rasmus. So, yeah, there's something up for grabs at Vedanta world, which is a kind of theme park. I think it's like a Mexican Disney world. Great non-cursor. There we are. Just Ian's back now. I managed to steal it away. Was that, um, was that, it looks serious? Well, it's very serious. So, when we came back down from Scotland on Saturday, our golf clubs didn't make the journey. And that was the delivery man to say that they're on their way. Okay. And, um, and hopefully, um, Sarah will be in to be able to, to, to take themselves. I was, I was saying, I'll just, if, if, if Sarah's not in, then, um, just go to the neighbours. Oh, well, I can't do that unless you warn them. I mean, like, just ring on the doorbell. Mm-hmm. It's fine. Make ring your thing. Yeah. So, um, yeah. So, but good news. Good news, the clubs. Good. That is the back. That is good news. Um, excellent. Um, what else can we talk about? On the LPJ tour, Japan's Yuri Yoshida won the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in South Korea. Here on you was leading by four going into the final round, but she was playing alongside Yoshida. She shot 73 Yoshida at 68. That was not done. Now they go into Malaysia, Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur. Um, Yuri Yamashita won the title last year, so. I was looking the other day in Maybank in Malaysia. That was a tournament that I used to play. Uh, my first few years on the DP World Tour European Tour, as it was back then. And I saw a few other sponsors and events that have gravitated over to the women's game and left the men's game. And, I mean, some of that could just be because CEOs and whatnot want to sponsor women. Some of it could also be reflective, however, of the demands on price funds. And that's something that we might continue to see over the next five years has the demands from the men's side get so big. A lot of these sponsors are just not going to be able to meet them and instead might go across to the women's game as a consequence because they're only asking for a fifth of the amount. Well, we were talking about it last week, you know, a six million dollar press for the Butterfield. And the top right player was, uh, was Kori Konnors, you know, in the next 61 in Austin Smotherman and, well, even done to win it. So yeah, what are you paying for as a sponsor? Um, on the ladies European tour, the hero women's Indian Open. This was at DLF. I mean, what do you think the scoring was like at DLF? Porn or Long Patlin won it for the fourth time. 11 under four shots clear of Vanicapur of India. Only seven players finished under par though. The cut was nine over. So let's see, yes, DL is speaking of that though. Um, I see that the the hero Indian Open is is back on the schedule for the match on the men's tour because it when the the initial schedule was published, it wasn't on there, but it is now as a chance I could be there next year. So we shall, um, well, I've been entertaining record on the Monday after the fact. When I de-borded, de-borded, when I got off the plane in Delhi, I de-planned. I de-planned. I waited for my clubs, and alongside me was a fella who was on the same flight from London, and he asked me where I was going, and I told him, "Delhi golf club." I said, "Where are you going?" He said, "Oh, I'm playing DLF." And he was all excited about it. I said, "Oh, you'll enjoy that." I thought you might as all get those clubs and throw them back on that can way about because you will not want to see them ever again. Yeah, but you can probably quite enjoy it if you're not playing about a score. You can just it's a crazy golf course, but I think it's become a bit of a cult golf course as well, because there's been so much chat about it. I think maybe quite a few people think, "Yeah, I'm going in that part of all this. We've got to go play DLF." It's kind of bucket list type stuff. Yeah. Okay. This week on the LED, it's the Wistron. Ladies open in Chinese Taipei, Taiwan, there I'm going to say it again, "Come out me China." Actually, don't, I'm genuinely scared. Decent purse, $1.2 million from Wistron. Electronic's manufacturers are Wistron. Interesting. I'm heading to New York tomorrow. What? From Connoissee to New York. Connoissee to New World. So because it's the voting for who gets into the World Golf Hall of Fame, which is something that I know you couldn't care less about Andrew, but it's going to be some interesting discussions there as we decide who should be admitted. You're flying to New York. So you're part of the voting panel. I am. And part of the trip is to play Boulter's role on Wednesday. And I won't be able to do that with my golf clubs because they didn't make it back in time. Or you're flying from Edinburgh? Maddenborough to Newark. - Maybe now badges left to BBC, this is what we can expect him to become more part of the sort of bureaucratic furniture of the game and really just get them all in a way. - I have done this before. So some recently invited me back. - Yeah, you're into all the foreign omelettes before, didn't you? - Yeah. (laughing) - It's nominating them. - It's the pilot with Ian Carter. - Who's up for nomination? Who's up for nomination? - Well, I can't say. - Yeah, is there a long list? - There's 14 up for grabs. I sent you that yesterday, didn't I, Andrew? - Yeah, I didn't read it. - No, I don't follow through him. - And you're not overly, who is it? - I just know, what is it? It's an American conceit that we know who the great achievers in the game are, on the course and off the course. You don't need to do actually go into a building in Florida and have a meeting in New York and Gulf of Bulter's all to decide who, yeah, I know that Harry Vardons were on the grates or whoever it might be, so. - Well, yeah, you do, you do. Absolutely, you're steeped in the game. But other people are coming to the game all the time and I genuinely think it's a good thing. - Yeah, but those people that are coming to the game probably think Rick Shields is up for nomination. - Actually, probably, maybe, no, he's not. So the male competitors who are up for, you've got to be over 45, I believe. - Why? - Because they're the rules, Jim. (laughing) - Jim Fjurek. - That's why Corey Paving, Justin Rose and Adam Scott. - Yeah, great, well. - For the women's game, Christie Kerr, Lisa Lotten Neumann, Inbee Park and Dottie Pepper. Historic players and amateurs, Ted Ray, Jay Siegel and Alexis Sterling, and contributors Harry Colt, Butch Harmon and Jim Nance. - There, actually, a bunch of quite acclaimed names. I'm surprised some of them aren't already in it, to be honest. - Well, there you are. - Well, that's a big, of course. - So it's going to be really interesting. I mean, I can't really say anything, obviously. But what do you think, who stands out there, who stands out there from those names that you would say in? - Well, I mean, how many majors did Corey Paving when Jim Fjurek stands out? Major winner, great, great. - Sure. - Jim Fjurek. - Yeah, he shot 58, a bunch of times, then he was a great player. - I think we know the great players. That's the thing. We don't need this anymore. - Is he Hall of Famers? - What does it mean to be a Hall of Famer, yeah? And I suppose that's the thing. - People don't always talk about an American broadcast and come and do the thing. Well, she needs one more win to qualify for the Hall of Fame. - Yes, that's the LPGA Hall of Fame. That's completely different than this one. - Okay. - No, that's where there's a qualifying category. And I think one of the things that you have to keep in mind is that it's a Hall of Fame, not necessarily a Hall of Achievement. So like Colin Montgomery is a member of the Hall of Fame. He's not one of major. But if you were a student of the game in 50 years, 100 years time, then you should know about someone like Colin Montgomery because he had a very famous career. - So what you're saying is, if we keep doing this podcast, I could one day be in the Hall of Fame. - Oh my god. - Right. - It's my vote. - There we go. So you're going to New York tomorrow. - Going to New York tomorrow, yeah. - We'll be back tomorrow afternoon. And come back Wednesday night, our back home Thursday morning. - Wow. - Jet Setter, Jet Set Willie. - Consider a deal with this new man. - Yes. - No, I don't mean new man, the product. - It all depends whether she's in to collect the golf clubs because if she's not, then, you know, there might be trouble. - Right. I think that will probably do it next week. Or what a treat we have for you next week. And we have a treat for you every week. Actually, I'm not sure we have had this week, or last week, but there hasn't been so much random nonsense. This is what I, because the podcast is generally and very grateful and thankful for this, that it's growing all the time. We've got new listeners all the time. And a lot of them seem to be, I don't think they're quite tuned yet to the chipping forecast randomness. - The modus operandi of randomness. And so they're saying, what are you talking about? You know, golf chat, I want golf chat, golf chat, golf chat. So I think, yeah, I think we've done quite a lot of golf chat over the last few weeks. I think we need to get back to more. - You know, I discovered the career holds. Christopher Cross, I watched a 20 minute YouTube video. - Of course. - The great singer who performed sailing and ride like the wind. I mean brilliant, brilliant songs. And quite a sad story, really. It reminded me, potentially, of how this podcast could one day evolve in that he was fantastic. And oh, no, no, I shouldn't say that because YouTube is fantastic. I'm not, the podcast is doing well. It's growing and he released the song sailing. And then MTV emerged and people saw what he looked like. And it kind of was the end of his career because he didn't look like Madonna or Michael Jackson. And that's why maybe we shouldn't go on to video and we should remain on audio because we could become the Christopher Cross of the podcast world. You know, we just, just not let people see us. Just, I just always cross. - I kind of agree. - That's true. - God. - The thing is, I really agree with that. But it's interesting that that's what people are interested in, not people, but most interestingly, Andrew. And you'll love this is because, actually, his songs have survived MTV. That's the great irony. This was part of the, you know, at the time for 20 years, it was a real challenge for Christopher Cross to have to deal with the changing world. But actually, I knew, like myself, you know, I love Christopher Cross now some of his music and MTV's no longer a thing. So his music survived. Even if there was a period in his career where the image effect, you know, was quite significant for him on the negative front. So we're just, yeah, the timeless is what I'm trying to say. - Wow, I'm just reading a little bit of it. His personal life, Christopher Cross. 2020, he got COVID, and then he later reported that he'd lost the use of his legs 'cause of COVID. - On an upbeat note, just had the text, bags have been delivered. - Great, great stuff, Ian. Look forward to where you can tell us, tell us tales of playing a voltage role. I mean, you can't get those cobs. So you'll get a heart set and you'll play a voltage role. - Yeah, exactly. - Thomas Hughes, we'll be fine. - Tales of you hitting four shanks are all then a good shot from the rough and we'll look forward to that. So Eddie, what are you doing this week? Practicing, getting fit, getting fit, practicing, recovering. You know, I know you don't like this aura, Andrew, but it's been remarkably accurate across the last six weeks, eight weeks. Unbelievable, how could it've been? So, still recovering, but it shall happen. I'm gonna be patient and get to work. - Good, okay, not going to Q-school, getting ready for events in Australia, Mauritius. - Hopefully, so, all right, good. I might even hit some balls this week, so. - We should catch up and have a game. - We should, we should. - Yes. - Yeah, let's do that. All right, okay, let's nip it under the one hour, 30 minute mark again, perfect. And we'll speak to you next week, then. Bye-bye. - Bye-bye. - Bye-bye. - And that concludes this edition of the Chipping Forecast, wishing you a safe and pleasant night. (upbeat music)