Sunday, -Golf With Jay Delsing

This is golf with Jay Delsing, a two-time All-American at UCLA, a participant in nearly 700 PGA Tour events, seven professional wins to his credit, over 30 years of professional golf experience, a member of the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame. This is Golf with Jay Delsing. Hey, good morning.

This is Golf with Jay Delsing. I'm your host, Jay. I am sitting down with my buddy Jay Williamson, and we are at Wild Crush. Willie, thanks for joining me today. Boy, what a perfect day to be at Wild Crush, talking whatever we're going to talk about.

Yeah, absolutely. God knows what we're going to talk about. We've got a little tequila next to us. We've got some golf on the TV, and we've got a few people in here. So we're just going to have some fun. We've got some golf giveaways. Folks, if you're around, stop in.

We've got self-dispensing wine machines. We've got something for everybody. So come on in. We formatted a show like Around the Golf, and the opening segment is the On the Range segments, brought to you by the Gateway section of the PGA. We want to thank our friends there, Ali and her team. Each week, there's over 300 men and women around the area that make our golf experience so much better. We also want to thank Jeff Thornhill. Thorny gives us a dozen TP5 golf balls to give away each week. Just send me an email, j at jdelsinggolf.com, and you'll be entered to win the drawing. And I also want to tell you that, gosh, this next Wednesday, we are dropping the first episode of Beyond the Fairways. I'm doing a new podcast with Danny Mac, Danny McLaughlin, four-time Emmy winner Danny McLaughlin, and we're going to be talking golf and sports and life.

So please subscribe to that wherever you can. All right, Willie, wintertime. When's the last time you played golf?

You know, I actually have to really think about that. For the first time in a long time, I don't think that I've touched a golf club since the beginning of January. So what is it, basically March 1st now? So it's been over 45, 50 days, which is the first time probably in 30 years that that's happened.

Okay, so on a typical, so I know, because we're going to get into some, tell the folks about some of the cool stuff you're doing in the community, the business stuff, but normally for you, when you played, how long was the longest you ever went without? I mean, I don't even know where my clubs are right now, which is not a bad thing. That's a good thing. It's a damn good thing. Tequila helps that. It does.

It does. You know, I always liked the ability to escape in January and February, just even for a couple days to Florida, but gosh, I've been so busy, not only with my son's hockey schedule, but also with some business things that I'm involved with, that I really haven't, I've thought about green grass, but I haven't thought about golf very much, to be honest with you. Yeah, it's, you know, I was remissing, I wanted to thank Ron Doherty and the Doherty Business Solutions for being the title sponsor of the Golf with Jay Delsing Show. They do a phenomenal job.

Just went to the Hartball not long ago. Ron Doherty was the chair and they raised over $500,000 in a one evening event at the Ritz-Carlton. And then how about this, Ron goes from being the chair and hosting this thing to going in the lead singer and a band that was also the entertainment for the night. Yeah, he's a generous guy. He's made a name for himself in business, certainly in this community, but he's giving back, which we need to see more of that from guys that have been very successful like that. So good for Ron. Yeah, absolutely. And their team is great with what John Wirth and Kelly and her husband Steve, it was a lot of fun and it was great to see a bunch of people from the community all get together and make a difference. So man, Willie, we've got so much to talk about.

Where do we start? I know, I know. And we got to get to Liv eventually.

We can start with Liv if you want. Have you been watching any of the Netflix? I don't even know. Well, so I watched my first Netflix show last night, the first episode, and it was very uncomfortable for me, very uncomfortable. I felt the same way.

And I get questions all the time, not only from my family, but my friends, well, gosh, you got to be loving this Netflix show. And I don't really love it because it makes, it brings back a lot of memories. And it's great to see the guys that are on top, but man, that grind, I miss the grind in some ways. And I wish that I was better. It's like for the first time in my life, I actually have regret that my career wasn't better. Yeah.

The first thing that just smashed me in the head was like, is everybody flying on a private jet now? I mean, come on, man. I think they made, to be honest with you, I think that was a little bit too much of the focus. I totally agree. And I think golf at the highest level, whatever the highest level is now, because there are a couple of different high levels with Liv and the tour. I think they have to be a little bit careful and cognizant of that because they don't, I just think the image, they're going to have an issue with that image, I believe. So let's talk about that for a second.

So we've talked before. So with the PGA tour, if you look at the schedule and the things on the schedule, we know that the majors are always it. They are kind of the focal point for every, if you could ever win any sort of tournament, you're going to probably start as a US guy. You're probably going to start with the masters and then go to the US open. And then they're all bonuses.

We take any of those things. But what we've created again at the PGA tour, Jaybird, is this cast system within the tournaments. And so now you have these elevated events that are $20 million purses.

If you're John Deere, you're not pissed off. If you're, if you're just pick a couple of, what about the Honda classic this week, which, which was also always a phenomenal event. One of my favorites to play. I don't know. I just preferred Florida, the warmer weather, but all of a sudden that's a second, maybe third tier event. Now they have two players in the top 30 in the world and they also, so they have a better field at the Seminole pro lamb that they do in the Honda classic.

They do. And that's, that's coming up what tomorrow tomorrow. Yeah.

Yeah. So what's interesting folks, the reason, the real reason is tigers event becomes the last event on the West coast swing and very few players ever play a last event on the West coast swing and the first event as the tour moves to the East coast. Well, but, but now Jay, it's a lot easier when you finish on Sunday to get in your private jet and get to where you want to go.

It used to be when apparently, so I don't know. I hate to say it this way, but it used to be where, you know, you were kind of stuck there until Monday morning to leave. And then that's why a lot of guys didn't prefer that part of the schedule.

So they wanted to kind of have that week off. Right. But when you're playing for whatever that purse was, I didn't even, I didn't even look, but I don't even really want to even know. And I don't want to sound like a sour grapes guy.

I just think that they're a little bit out of control with, with how the money is being allocated now. Okay. So let's talk the listeners through when the way we play the tour, when you, let's say we're both going to play in LA, we're both going to play at RIF. We both love RIV. We'd love to play.

That's where I played with tiger twice. Yeah. So let's say we're going to forget.

I got to talk about that. So let's say we play there and you make the cut and you, and you're trying to get your butt down to South Florida as fast as you can. You finish in LA and the weather's usually terrible, terrible, and it's usually drags out. And it, but let's just say you finish on time and you're finished at five. There's no way to get on a flight out of LA until at least eight, which if you do the math, you're at 11 on the East coast. So it's a red eye. You're just, you're absolutely beat to death. I don't even know if they have those anymore. And how many times do you not want to do those?

I mean, you might try to go out the next morning, but to your point, I mean, you jump on a, in your private jet, that's probably parked at Santa Monica airport right there. And before you know it, well, the golf world has certainly changed and I, you know, gosh, it's been, it's been a while since you and I were both out there. So again, we're going to sound like old guys here, but it hasn't been that long. And I remember, you know, we all felt very fortunate playing for what we've played for.

We, you know, we, we kind of coincided with the quote unquote tiger era, but that it pales in comparison now. I mean, it's, it's crazy. It's crazy. It's built on itself. Right. I mean, so, so where'd all that come from? Right. But okay.

Well it was because we, we were made to kind of feel guilty that we were playing for those types of purses. And, and now all of a sudden Phil has rocked the boat and you can say whatever you want about him. But man, I'll tell you what, there's been significant change. And all of a sudden they shook that money tree in the backyard down there in Ponte Vedra and something fell from the sky. Right. But what was interesting about that is that we just finished that television, the old TV deal.

So it's not that unusual to me that the person's one up. What I hate about this is it just seems like we copied what they're doing at live and it just seems so reactionary to me instead of going, let's just hang on a second. They had to do it, figure it. They had to do it.

Yeah. I would have much preferred a J to J Monahan, our commissioner to just tap the brakes for a month or two and then come out. It just looked like we were just running around with it. Well, they got, they got caught. I think they got caught and, and they were forced into making some, some controversial decisions and you know what?

It'll see how it plays out. I don't know people. I think it's actually great for anyone that plays the game professionally.

That's under 50 years old. However, I don't think it's great for fans because now you've got, you know, you've got a certain percentage of guys that aren't playing. I don't even, where do you find, is it on YouTube? I don't even know where you find those rights on the CW now.

I don't know where ESPN is half the time on my TV either. But I just think it's, it's, it's a new era and it'll be interesting to see how it evolves. Yeah, absolutely. Well, well that is going to take us to the end of the, on the range segment. I'm going to do the tip of the cap. The tip of the cap is brought to you by my buddy Colin burnt at the Dean team.

Volkswagen and Kirkwood three one four nine six six zero three zero three. We're doing a little different format this week. We're doing a live at wild crush. Pearly has taken the week off. Jay Williamson is hanging out with me here and we are tipping our hat to our staff, our waiters, our bartenders, all of the folks that are in the service industry right here today. We have Emily, we have Addie and we have Caitlin and we're tipping our caps to those girls. Those, those ladies, we appreciate them. It's a tough time right now for servers and, and, uh, and we appreciate them. The tip of the cap is brought to you by Dean team, Volkswagen, Kirkwood three one four nine six six zero three zero three count.

Thanks so much for the support folks. If you need a new vehicle, just email me. Jay at J Delson golf.com. I will introduce you to Colin. He'll take care of you. He's taking care of me.

It's taking care of Pearly and my daughter's got one of his cars. That's going to wrap up the on range segment. Golf with J Delson is brought to you by Darty business solutions, which we still appreciate. We're going to take a short break and come back with the front line that was on the range with J Delson for news on the latest golf equipment tips. And to ask Jay a question, log on to J Delson golf.com.

Coming up, it's the front nine on golf with J Delson. I love having Daugherty business solutions as the title sponsor of the golf with J Delson show. You already know that they're the number one largest it consulting firm and the largest software developer in the St Louis region. You also know that there are over 2,500 dirty teammates in 30 States and three countries around the world. But what you may not be aware of is what dirty business solutions does right here in our own community. They were the sponsor for the first advocate PGA event at Glen echo this past September dirty business solutions was also a presenting sponsor of the Ascension charity class. They have created access point which builds diversity in the IT workforce. This is a game changer in our community. Literally hundreds of mostly young African American women are getting 50 to $60,000 per year jobs right out of high school.

And that training begins in high school. dirty business solutions believes talent is equally distributed, but access to that opportunity is not Ron Daugherty. Our founder at dirty business solutions is the chair of the 2023 heart ball supporting local the local American Heart Association Foundation.

These are just a few examples of the positive things dirty business solutions is doing right now in our community. The legends of golf returned to St Louis in 2023. You won't want to miss one of the strongest fields in golf, Ernie Els, Steve Stricker, Bernard Langer, john Daly and many more when they compete for the 2023 Ascension charity classic title September 5 through the 10th at historic Norwood Hills Country Club all proceeds benefit area charities together, we were able to donate over $1 million to those most in need last year.

Visit Ascension charity classic.com. You're listening to golf with Jay delsing. To connect with Jay, log on to j delsing golf.com. You'll see the latest in equipment, find the latest innovations in golf and get tips from a PGA professional. That's j delsing golf.com. Hey, this is Jay delsing for SSM Health Physical Therapy. Our golf program has the same screening techniques and technology as the pros on the PGA Tour course. SSM Health Physical Therapy as the Titleist Performance Institute trained physical therapist that can perform the TPI screening on you as well as use a cave s 3d motion capture system, proper posture, alignment, etc can help you keep your game right down the middle. We have 80 locations in the St. Louis area call 800-518-1626 or visit them on the web at SSM physical therapy.com.

Your therapy, our passion. This is the back nine on golf with Jay delsing. The back nine is presented by Pro Am golf located in Brentwood. See what Pro Am golf can do for you. Hey, welcome back. This is golf with Jay delsing. I'm your host Jay.

I'm sitting down with my buddy Jay Williamson. Willie, how many years on the PGA Tour for you? You know, I don't know.

That's a good question. 15 ish. Yeah. 15 like that in your first year was I got through Q school at Greenleaf West in 1995. So I, that was in kind of the fall like December. Yep. So that was the 96 season, which was my first season.

I remember getting a tap on the shoulder from Clark Jones, who was at IMG, who I played high school golf with. He said, guess what? Congratulations.

You're going to Hawaii. That's so awesome. And I'm like, why? I didn't, honestly, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't even know what the schedule was. Right.

I was so ignorant and naive that actually that helped me. Well, in 96 something else happened. Tiger Woods came out, played it, uh, in Milwaukee and then to John.

Yeah. He never came back to those events. Funny to say, funny how that happened. Anyways, we are on the front nine is brought to you by the Ascension charity classic folks. It is going to be September 1st through, I'm sorry, September 5th through 10th, Norwood Hills country club. And don't forget about the advocate PGA Tour event.

Um, that's brought to you by the folks that are title sponsor at Darty business solution. So will you got to play in the Ascension? I played the first year you played the first two years. It's really cool to have an event here, isn't it? Well, yeah, I think it's, it's something that you and I always dreamed of to be honest with you. I mean, we were always frustrated that, you know, St Louis, you know, never fit in the schedule for one reason or another sponsor. We, you know, the available week finding a venue. So I, well, first of all, I can't believe it's already been two years since it's been played here.

Right. Um, so yeah, it's, it's, it's a cool event when you're still trying to make money as, as a 50 plus player, you know, to play in your hometown and sleep in your own bed. I mean, it does present some challenges, but you know what, uh, it's something that I'll never forget for sure. No, I absolutely the fact that, uh, you know, really Nick, Nick, we're going and Steve Spratt, what they did, the, the, the behind the scenes work they, they did probably before we were even brought onto the team as ambassadors is ridiculous. I remember hearing about it probably four years ago now, pre pandemic. And, uh, I'm thinking, yeah, whatever we, you know, we, we always heard those rumors, you know, there was going to be an event, but I'll tell you what Nick and Steve and others for sure. But those two in particular were, I still can't believe what they were able to do and what they've done and actually what they've created, which arguably is the finest champions tour event of the year, right? Which is crazy in two years.

And you know, it's interesting year, but you've been a member at Bell reef for, I don't know how long, too long that a lot of the members are telling me, how do we get Williamson out of here? One of the things that they'll say is that, um, the tour was approaching Nick and the Ascension folks saying after what happened at the PGA championship, Steve Lewis has got to be on the schedule, but we, but don't we hear that all the time? I felt like I do, you know, it's the same, it's the same theme with golf. It's the same thing with soccer now that we've seen. It's the same thing with the battle Hawks. It's like there's, I think there's one guy out there that has, has really tried to change that narrative, Stan Kroenke, but in every, you know, think about the blues, the cardinals. I mean, the, the narrative is just not true.

No. And what we've proven, whether it's golf or baseball or hockey or now with the XFL and soccer, it's incredible. Really. The, the people of this town support like no other, they, uh, we out kick our coverage on everything. I mean, what, what, when you go, let's just stick with the ascension jury classic.

I mean the back nine looks like a tour of it with all the corporate hospitality. It's re it's, it's, it's phenomenal. No doubt. And again, it's something, it, it, it's an event, um, that I'll never forget. Yeah, for sure.

Absolutely. And now how about Bernard? Bernard Langer, um, what about a month ago won his 45th champions tour event, 45th champions tour event ties Taylor one, which of course he's going to break that unless something drastic happens to Bernard. How many times have you played with Bernard?

That's actually a really funny story and I'm going to have to share that since he's, do it. I don't remember what year this was, but it was at the players championship and we played the first day and he had a short putter and he putted terribly. I think he shot probably four or five over.

So he was way down the road. We show up the second day, he's got a short putter again. He played nine holes and walked off. He could not play with a short putter. And I think, I don't know this for a fact, but I'll, I would, I would actually, if I were a betting man, I would, I would say that that was probably the last event he played for the short putter. I've seen him putt with the short putter and it was frightening.

It was almost like he was just sneaking up on the putt to hit it. He was so angry. He was so angry and he quit after nine. And you know, that's just not even him. He had to be at his wits end. Yeah. And what he's been able to persevere through to actually have the success that he's been able to have is nothing short of remarkable. He's had the yips.

He'll tell you 10 or 15 times in his career. Oh gosh. Yeah. The full blown. He probably has them when he plays now. Oh yeah.

That putting stroke that he uses with the lock and it's all over the place. But you turn the TV on on Sunday because no one seems to watch, I guess that's what they tell us. At least no one seems to watch the champion store. That's why purses haven't gone anywhere.

That maybe could be another topic of discussion. It's amazing. You turn the TV on on Sunday and lo and behold, if Bernhard Langer isn't in the top five every week, it's like, is he playing less holes? I mean, what is going on?

I don't understand. Well, the interesting thing about when I've, I've played probably 25 times with him for whatever reason. My first tournament, the first cut I ever made over in Hawaii, I played with him on Sunday and he doesn't do anything great. And he has got the yips and he has the yips and he's won.

You know, I was, he's, he's in one of the things he does. He works out like his work ethic is off the charts. He's in great shape, no question. And I don't think there's a better strategist in terms of course management.

He never seems to get out of the fairway and out of a cross or a ball on top of his skis. He never seems to be out of balance. I think he's got that. I don't, I don't know if this is going to be offensive. I don't think it's offensive.

I actually think it's a great trade. He's got that. He's got that German wherewithal to just get his stuff together.

It's very much together. He doesn't get, he doesn't get excited, not emotional about it. Perfect attitude for, uh, you know, as a, as a champion golfer.

Yeah, he does. And, um, to think of him, I'd say the thing that he does best, I think a short, his, his pitching and chipping is phenomenal to win. You cannot win at Augusta twice. You know, you can not and not be able to just, if you walked around and watched him play, he does, like you said, he doesn't do anything that's, that's overly impressive. He's not real long off the tee. He hits it real low off the, you know, off the tee.

Doesn't hit it long. He kind of hits it on the green, but not close all the time. But man, he chips and putts. Now with the long putter, he is a true professional. And economical with his strokes, unlike you and I.

Very efficient. God, that is like, this is really awful. You and I, it's like a yard sale. There's stuff falling out of our pockets.

Just try to get chips on the green and he's like chipping them in. There's shots that are lost. So let's talk about what you were talking about purse wise. So Liv comes around, we're going to get to Liv in the next segment. Liv comes around PGA tour reacts, elevated events. Now we got how many events are $20 million purses with a PGA tour supplementing the purses even further. And the champions tour purses have gone absolutely nowhere.

I don't know this for a fact, but I don't think the champions tour purses have gone up one cent since Liv came around. Well, I do know one thing when I was when, so I am 62, so I'm what about six, seven years older than you, whatever I maybe eight. I can remember when the champions tour was just getting going and Bob Gilder and some of these guys that I played a lot of golf with on tour were turning 50. And they're like, yeah, they were hammered in the gym.

And I'm like, what's going on? Like there's 42 events, right? There is 42 events.

And one of the things that I was told, and I don't know this again for a fact, but on our show, we're never close with the facts anyway. But someone told me that there was a chance because of the number of events and how many Hale was winning that Hale had a chance to be the worldwide money beater. Can't have that happen.

And they can't have that happen. So how many events are there now in the champions tour? 35. Oh gosh, I don't think so. I don't think I don't know, but we can look that up. Yeah.

Yeah. That's a good question. But, but yeah, there's definitely been, um, and again, we consider an argue how many events there should be. Um, I think what St. Louis has proven that there are markets out there that can, that can support a champions tour event. And again, at the end of the day, it's not about the golf. It's not about, it's not about you and I getting to play. It's, it's, it's, it's a community event. The charitable dollars that are raised are second to no other sport and it gives, it gives the community a chance to play inside the ropes.

I think that that's what people remember of, you know, of these, these, these events. So one of the things you, you just touched on, I tell anybody that'll listen to this, that the PGA tour don't every single year donates more money than the NFL, major league baseball, NBA and national hockey league combined this year. But it's going to be, I think it's going to be around $300 million. Oh yeah, I'm sure. I'm sure. And I mean, we don't advertise that enough.

That is not known that that is, that's not a staggering number. So we just had the AT&T, the Pebble Beach event played a month or two ago. And you know, and, and I just talked to a buddy, Tim Hytman, he's on the Ascension Charity Classic team, which HNS, with HNS. How much money do you think that event raised this year for the local charities in the Monterey Peninsula?

I bet it raised a million dollars at least 18 million, 18 million. And they go under the radar. People are complaining that AT&T does not complain. Have you ever heard AT&T complain about that tournament? No.

Where a field isn't good or this or that? Not once. Right.

Because they're doing it for the community and they know what they're doing and they love what they're doing. And they got Pebble Beach. Yeah.

And it's still one of the most well attended events ever. Willie, that is going to wrap up the, on the, where are we on? We're on the front nine, but we'll be right back with the back nine.

Don't go anywhere. Jay Williamson will be joining me and we'll head to the back nine. This is Golf with Jay Delson. That was the front nine presented by the Ascension Charity Classic coming up. It's the back nine and more of golf with Jay Delson. The legends of golf returned to St. Louis in 2023.

You won't want to miss one of the strongest fields in golf. Ernie Els, Steve Stricker, Bernard Langer, John Daly, and many more when they compete for the 2023 Ascension Charity Classic title September 5th through the 10th at historic Norwood Hills Country Club. All proceeds benefit area charities. Together, we were able to donate over $1 million to those most in need last year.

Visit ascensioncharityclassic.com. This is Jay Delson. Did you know that Marcona is the largest authorized appliance parts distributor in the world? That's right.

The largest in the world. Did you know that Marcona is based right here in our backyard of St. Louis, Missouri? Well, that's pretty impressive. What's more impressive is the way that they get back to the St. Louis community and our region. CEO Jim Sowers has donated service dogs to the wounded servicemen and women of our armed forces.

Suites at St. Louis Blues Games have been donated and auctioned off in which all proceeds were given to the backstoppers. Then there was the Marcona Police and Firefighters Viewing Deck at the Ascension Charity Classic this past year. It was a huge success, so much so that it's being implemented on other tour stops around on the PGA Tour. To Jim Sowers and his incredible team at Marcona, we want to say thank you. Thank you, Marcona, a proud sponsor of the Golf with Jay Delson show.

This is Paul Leisinger and you're listening to Golf with Jay Delson. The official vehicle provider of the Golf with Jay Delson show is the Dean team, the Dean team, Volkswagen of Kirkwood. They provide me, Pearly and our families with all of our cars. The reason we went with the Dean team is because we could trust them. We knew at the Dean team, they were going to take care of us and they have. They made the entire car buying experience so simple.

It was more than just simply selling us a vehicle. The Dean team made our car buying experience seamless and enjoyable throughout that entire process. The Dean team has the complete car buying steps done before you head into their showroom. They're ready to answer all your questions and set your mind at ease when buying a vehicle. At the Dean team, they offer new pre-owned and all the services included with your Dean team purchase.

When you're with the Dean team, they become lifelong friends. The Dean team, Volkswagen of Kirkwood located on Manchester road in Kirkwood, the Dean team. Hello friends, this is Jim Nance and you are listening to Golf with my friend Jay Delson. This is the Back Nine on Golf with Jay Delson. The Back Nine is presented by Pro-Am Golf located in Brentwood.

See what Pro-Am Golf can do for you. Hey welcome back. This is Golf with Jay Delson. I'm your host Jay. We are at Wild Crush Wine Bar over in Town and Country. 13360 Clayton Road right behind the straps and right next to our buddy Mark Del Pietro's new restaurant, Cleaver and Cocktail. I'm sitting down with buddy Jay Williams. Jay Williams, Jay Williamson.

Willie, we are just doing at the break. Oh and I have to say thanks to Pro-Am Golf for sponsoring and presenting the Back Nine. These guys are great. CJ is fantastic. Helps get you fitted, get you clubs.

They're just fantastic people. We just were talking at the break. 25 champions events now. 25. So at one point in time, there were 42 or 44. So you do the math, 17 or 19 more. Not quite half, but approaching half. Right.

Amazing. So one of the things that's interesting about our career and our champions tour career or not career, whatever you want to call what we've had on the champions tour. When you have to go through the qualifying school, you have to be in the top five to get your card. Otherwise, nothing, right? And with our status, we have lifetime status, which means we could go to each event and try to do the Mondays four spots.

If you knew, if you and I both knew that there were say 10 more events, just say 10 more events, 35 events, that it would make a world of difference in my mind for how committed I would be to trying to do this thing. Yeah. I've said that too. Might sound like sour grapes.

Sounds like an excuse. You can kind of define it any way you want, but I always felt like if I was only playing two or three times a year, it's really hard to, especially when you don't live in a warm weather climate and if you don't get off to a good start, man, it's tough to make your way. So again, champions tour is what it is. I don't know if they know what it is. I don't know if the tour knows what it is. Is it a competition? Is it just kind of for fun? I'm not sure that the tour is committed to it either, to be honest with you. Yeah.

It's interesting. You know, one of the great stories on the champions tour this year, two great stories actually are Brian Cooper and Tim O'Neill. Now last year, Nick and Steve and the HNS group gave Tim O'Neill an exemption here at Ascension Charity Classic as a 50 year old, a new 50 year old he played and just had a really nice tournament, solid tournament, 25th, 25th, 30th place. He's a heck of a player. He's been a good player for a long time. He just turned 50 and now he goes out and he finishes in the top five at the qualifying school. He's got a full year of being exemplary.

One of the things that you and I never had. Right. And good for him.

He stepped up. You know, he did exactly what you need to do in order to, to continue to make a living on the champions tour. If you're not exempt out there, you're just, you're just going to Vegas every, you know, once every, you know, six weeks and hoping. And you know, one of the things we can talk about too, is those qualifying. You cannot go, this is not go slop this thing around and you're going to get into a champions event.

You're going to qualify. I, I missed, I went through a stretch where you beat me in a playoff for the senior open. I think we both shot 68 or 67, something like that. I went down cause I was playing so well for me. I went down and played in a four spot for the Memphis tournament to play with the kids.

Shot 66 lost in a playoff, went to Steve Stricker's event up in Wisconsin, shot 68 missed by one and went somewhere else and broke 70 again and didn't get in. That's when I said, dude, sit down, lay down, lay down, fall down, do something. Right?

What I see here at the, at wild crush, I think you should stick to this. This is, this is a great gig. Are you kidding me? My partner, Karen Pazlowski and I, and her, her, uh, her daughter, our managing partner, Lexi Pazlowski, the guys have, they've just done a great job. This place is beautiful.

We are sitting here. I'm looking right now at our dear friend, Paul Wertz, his wife, Shannon are great supporters. They actually grew up on this property.

Um, Paul grew up on this property and his family, this is his family's property. So the, the stories and the fact that we're in the community, the way we are over here is it's phenomenal. If you haven't been over here yet, come over here on a Thursday or Friday afternoon, especially when the weather warms up a little bit. They got a great, great patio in the back.

They got these great little pizzas that I haven't had yet. I can't wait to have one fire. One of those tequila. I don't know. I've got it like a hole in my glass.

I know there's a hole in my glass too. That's pretty good. It helps our content of our show. That's right. But, um, thank you for the, for the kind words about wild crush and we're, we're having a lot of fun with it, but the, the, um, the whole champions tour, it's almost kind of like a mystery, you know, cause it's like you said, is it an exhibition?

I don't think so. It's a competition to a large degree. It's still nothing like the PGA tour in terms of the competition. The guys can play, the guys can play the butts off.

There was no question about that. It's, it's, it actually, it's an incredibly competitive tour and I would like to see the, the, the PGA tour that owns the champion. So I'd like to see him come out with a mission statement. I want to, I want to hear what that, what that says. Well, I do know what the mission state, we're big on mission statements here.

Um, um, uh, and wild crush. And, um, I do know the mission statement for the PGA tourists provide playing opportunities for professional golfers. That's their mission.

Well, that's not what it is for the champion. So I can tell you, right. Um, anyway, we'd be that beat that one to that one. We're, we're making the turn. We're going to the back nine. Yeah, that's right.

All right. So how about John Ram? The way John Ram's playing one of the things that amazes me still about the guys have planned to her, all damn good players from one 25 all the way up to number one in the world. But when you get some one guy that gets a little bit of confidence like Rob, he looks unstoppable. And do you remember about a year and a half, maybe two years ago, DJ went on a run where he won four tournaments in a six or seven, uh, uh, time stretch and he was winning them by five and six shots.

Yeah. John Ram, he's really interesting to me because the way he swings the golf club, I actually have tried to do that and I can't, I can't, I can't get it. I can't figure out, but it's so efficient, but you can't teach that. I don't think you can teach that, but it works so well for him, especially under pressure that it's, it's, um, I don't know. And the guy is just, he's, he's a, he's a great player right now playing with a lot of confidence. The thing that, the thing that amazes me about John Ram and what he's doing is, um, you know, he, he had a major, uh, uh, temperament issue as a young guy when he first came out, you could see if something squirrely happened to him on the first or second hole of the event, this thing was gone for the rest of the week. You know, he's obviously been able to attain that.

Um, so, and let me ask you this too. Typically speaking, you don't see guys with, with that, that, that short fiery temple like that. It, you see them get off, you know, a little bit easier than some of the other guys. He's managed to do something really because just take the, the, when there's this most recent win at Genesis, he had so many shots left and it didn't phase him. When, when I hit that double cross, cause he tried to cut everything off the tee.

When I hit that double cross and my, my fades went left, it was terribly hard to get that to swing away on that next one. He's got a little bit different body style than you do. You think he's, man, he's always lean and he's it.

And he's a little, not a little pudgy and you know, I'd take like I do something. He's got something going on. He really does. But what undeniably watching him sprinkle a little bit of magic dust on top of having a world class game already is a lot of fun to watch. Yeah, no question. And he's with that golf swing, he's not, I don't even know how old he is, but he's not going in a way anytime soon.

No. And you don't want to think when you, if you want to talk about technique and his golf swing, one of the things that I liked so much about him ball striking wise is similarity to what Sergio does and how much that club planes on the downswing, meaning it flattens out. Man, you can get on some really good ball hitting streaks with that. He hits it real hard with that left to right shot and that's his go to. And he's figured out that he hits it far enough certainly. And if he can chip and putt like he does, he's hard to beat.

Yeah, there's obviously no holes in his game. It's fun to watch him do his thing. Other than Tiger, who do you like to watch on the regular tour?

You know, that's a good question. I don't know because I, quite honestly, I don't really watch that much golf anymore. I like the way, it's interesting. I found myself watching more champions tour stuff just because I can relate to that. I just can't relate to some of these guys on the regular tour. Now, you know, we're watching the Honda Classic today. It's such a power game now and I just don't understand how these guys hit it as far as they do. There's so many good young players that it's, they all kind of look the same to me and I don't really have anything in common anymore. So, you know, I'd much rather watch the LPGA and the champions tour guys. It's true though, isn't it? We were talking about this in a couple of shows ago where I really think, generally speaking, the average public can do so much better and learn so much more by watching the LPGA.

Don't you think? No question. The champions tour is still out of reach.

The champions, these guys are still bombing it. I mean, if you go play, I mean, Padraig Harrington at the Ascension Charity Classic last year hit a three-wood on the 11th green on Sunday. The guy's really long. 300 yards will go on.

And it's just something. So when are you going to start playing again? What are you thinking? I don't know.

It's a good question. You know, now that Georgia's hockey season unfortunately is over and my CDS lost yesterday in the semis, it frees me up a little bit. But I don't really know where I'm going. I've got to kind of figure out what I'm going to do. Like I said, I've been involved in some transportation companies that my family's into for a long time.

So it's probably something that I wish I would have done 10 years ago. But it's keeping me very busy. I play a lot of pickleball, which I love. And that keeps me somewhat in shape. Hey, round is a shape. That's what I keep telling people.

Round is a shape. I kind of like sleeping in my own bed. You and I traveled for so long. I don't really aspire to spending the night in hotels. It's just not something that I really look forward to. How much fun is it watching your kids play? I mean, I had all girls, but they are really, really competitive volleyball players. And I've got two of them who played in college and one's playing right now.

And I just love watching them play. Yeah, I do too. And it's hard because I've got one more year. And I dread the day that that's over.

So I'm mentally preparing for that now. Didn't Whitney play in college? Yeah, she played field hockey at Northwestern for a year, but then realized that that wasn't something that she wanted to do. So anyway, I do miss watching her play also.

Yeah, you kind of get into that whole mode. And it's an entirely different deal as a spectator compared to when you're playing. I can't imagine what I did to my parents watching me play golf. I would not want to watch my kids play golf competitively.

That would be incredibly difficult. Watching someone you love or care about play golf and especially knowing what you've done. I think my dad actually had a heart attack watching me play golf in Tampa one year. I think that that's what caused it.

And I don't blame it. I have a heart attack watching me play golf too. My dad would be, I could see my dad.

I'd be putting and I look over through on the through line. I see my dad poking his head around the tree and he's got a stick in his hand. He's breaking the stick.

You know, he's just nervous trying to burn off. So I, so I have watched one episode of a full swing and what, what actually grabbed me about full swing was the support that Justin Thomas's dad gave him. And I do believe that that's a big part of, I mean, Hey, listen, Justin's a world-class player with world-class talent, but I think the support he got, because when you watch full swing, you realize how hard it is, even at that top level. And you know, he was getting, he was getting great support from, from his dad, recognized how difficult it was massive sleeper.

It's going to come out of that. He's going to be a star. Gosh, what's what's his dad's name? Is it Dan Thomas? No, it's Mike. Mike, Mike.

He's going to be the starter. You know what? We got to wrap up the back nine room folks. Don't go anywhere. We are at wild crush.

We are doing a live show from the wild crush. This is golf with Jay Delfin. Come back to the 19th hole. Jay Williamson is with us. This has been the back nine presented by Pro-Am golf. We'll make the turn into the clubhouse and head into the 19th hole. That's next on golf with Jay Delfin.

This is Jay Delfin. And if you're like me, you're always looking for the best ways to improve your game. That means getting the best, most up to date equipment you can find in golf. You can find that equipment at Pro-Am golf. Pro-Am golf is located in Brentwood. And since Pro-Am golf opened in 1975, they have been more than just selling golf equipment. Pro-Am golf is dedicated to helping build your game inside and out. Pro-Am golf can custom fit all your clubs specifically to your build. They offer private one on one lessons and they carry golf gear for every part of your game.

That means clubs, balls, shoes, apparel, accessories from all the major brands. I get asked all the time by golfers, where should I go get fitted for clubs? And I tell everyone to head to Pro-Am golf. They're the best in town.

And make sure you ask for CJ. That's Pro-Am golf. Visit Pro-Am golfusa.com.

That's Pro-Am golfusa.com. Powers Insurance and Risk Management combines 200 years of experience and cutting edge products to deliver exceptional service, value and clarity to their clients. Powers Insurance will deliver the highest quality property and casual insurance programs and strategic planning consultation services in the industry. Insurance can be overwhelming and confusing.

It can be tough to understand. Powers Insurance simplifies it for you and your business. Powers Insurance and Risk Management will partner with you by providing ongoing assistance, consultation and service that will help you control your insurance expenses and your workplace safety. Find out how Powers Insurance can help you. Visit powersinsurance.com.

That's powersinsurance.com. Hey, this is Jay Delsing for SSM Health Physical Therapy. Our golf program has the same screening techniques and technology as the pros on the PGA Tour use. SSM Health Physical Therapy has the title as Performance Institute trained physical therapist that can perform the TPI screening on you as well as use a KVEST 3D motion capture system. Proper posture, alignment, etc.

can help you keep your game right down the middle. We have 80 locations in the St. Louis area. Call 800-518-1626 or visit them on the web at SSMPhysicalTherapy.com. Your therapy, our passion. This is Golf with Jay Delsing and let's head to the 19th hole.

Hey, welcome back. This is Golf with Jay Delsing. I'm your host Jay. I've got Jay Williamson with me.

We are at Wild Crush Wine Bar in Town and Country doing a live show from here and we're headed to the 19th hole. Willie, we've got to touch base and talk a little bit about Liv. I had an interview with Alan Shipnuck who wrote the book on Phil Mickelson and he is convinced that Brooks Koepckel has buyer's remorse and wants back in. Well, I don't think he's the only one.

He's just the only one that's maybe obtuse enough to say that. Someone, I don't remember who it was who told me this, but when you've been on tour for a while and you've made enough money, generational money, you're not really playing for money anymore, you're playing for trophies. I think this first year, so when Ridley announced what Augusta National was doing, it was really telltale to me because it was about a six or seven paragraph statement, but in paragraphs like four and five, he took blatant shots at this tour at Norman and the fact that they're giving all these guarantees and they're basically destroying the way professional golf has been in the foundation. Golf is not a guaranteed game which separated it from all the other professional sports. It's not a guaranteed game.

Right, and he mentioned Sarah Zinn and the great champions at Augusta over the years and how they were playing to be in the record books and compare themselves with other greats of different generations and things like that. And then I really don't feel like this first year they had any choice, but I do think they've got a choice in the second year. I'm really thinking and hoping that they hope this thing just dissolves itself. And I don't think it's going to because I think there's unfortunately too much capital there that the Saudis have that will continue to support this. But I think if we had this conversation five years from now, I don't think it's going to be around.

I think it's kind of like the pandemic. I think it's just going to kind of disappear. And I think right now the majors, the USGA, you know, the Royal and Agent, Augusta, I think they're worried about litigation, unfortunately.

How can they not be in our world today? And you know, again, golf doesn't need that drama. It doesn't need live. But unfortunately, the tour needed a threat to open up the purses. And Phil did that. And unfortunately, it's been great for the players, for sure. I don't think it's great for the golf fan though. I will say it's been great for some of the players. So we're basically going back to a top 60 sort of deal.

Well, that's where it's trending. I know you're right. And that's, that's gonna, I mean, but but Jay, these guys at this tournament, for instance, the Honda Classic, they're still playing for a very large purse.

Yeah, they're playing for 10, 8 to 10 million. Absolutely. Well, it's interesting to see what happens. So how do you do you see any sort of way? Let's say, you know, so Willie, take some other sports. For example, you know, when the ABA tried to try to join with the NBA, there was also people were all sorts of pissed off, all sorts of crazy, we can't do this with the same thing happened with the NFL and the you know, in the AFL and all of those things, and they did manage to join.

Is there I just don't see a way it works. Well, I don't either. And I'll I'm just going to use the NFL as an example. Just look at what the battle hawks are doing. No one watches the battle hawks.

You can't find them on TV. But people still love the sport now. Now, is that going to make that sustainable? Or is the XFL going to be around in two or three years? I don't know if it's going to be the same as it as it was. I don't think that that's going to make it but still people love football, people love golf, they're going to try to find it.

But the problem is, you're going to have a hard time finding golf, the live tour on TV. I mean, I don't even know how you do it. So I just don't know how it I don't know what the business model is. Well, there is a one. Let's see. And that's the there's no business money.

Right? Well, when you have that kind of cash, and you're just throwing stupid money after stupid money, it doesn't. But you know, maybe it can go on forever. But but the irony Jay, what's the business model of the tour? People have been trying to figure that out for a long time.

Well, the business model of the tour is to raise money for charities. That's what they say. But I mean, they're doing it. Right.

No, for sure. But all of a sudden, they came out with these purses that like, now I know the TV contract was renegotiated and but still, what's the business? Is it nonprofit? Well, there's a nonprofit side and a for profit side, you know, convoluted.

Yeah. Well, they walk, they walk, they walk a lot of they straddle a lot of lines to your point. Yeah, they struggle. They like the gray area. They can take they can exploit the part of the gray area.

That's the for profit side. Yeah. So anyway, it's it's an interesting conversation.

Certainly. I don't think that we're going to solve it today. But it's going to sell for sure.

We couldn't solve a fifth grade math problem today. It's a killer. We're fine. It doesn't hurt. Because you could you realize you're dumb and you just go with it with the crowd here at the Wild Crush.

You know, Wild Crush has been great today. Like, I don't know why people don't come. In fact, I might come here every Sunday afternoon, even if I'm on the show or not. You got it. You got it. We'll get you. We'll get you a chair. We'll get you a cat. We'll get you whatever you need. You need a pillow.

We'll make it work for you. The so I mentioned I asked you before. Talk a little bit about when you start playing again. So you haven't played in quite a while.

I haven't either. I have been hit or miss going into the gym. I still lift a couple times a week. But just the cardio. I just haven't done the stuff that I need to do. But I'm I'm threatening to do that.

What does it look like for you to get back to get back? You know, all right. So I'm going to dig deep here. All right. Because I've had a couple Diet Cokes and, you know, anyway, I've got a new set of clubs that I'm really excited about. And I'm going to I'm going to say a name and don't hold it against me. I'm going down the Bryce and D. Shambo Road. You know, I was going down the road and then I'm like, no, this is just too weird.

OK. I had these clubs made out at Golf Galaxy in Chesterfield. And this guy is looking at me like you're pitching wedge. You realize you're pitching wedge is two inches longer than standard. And I'm like, yeah, let's do it.

We're doing it. And I went and played in the pro member at Old Memorial. It was like the first three plays of January. That's the last time I played.

And they feel a little bit different. But man, I hit some really nice shots. I liked it. Do you hit any short iron fat?

A couple. Yeah. But I had some really good ones, too. Yeah. What it does for me, though, it allows me to create a little bit more speed.

Right. And I don't have to bend over as much. It's not as stressful on your body.

It helps my body a little. I think there's something there. I'm not sure if I'm going to spend enough time to really perfect this, but I can see where Bryson was going.

I mean, he's off the rails for sure. But I think that there's something there. So that's that's what I'm excited about for golf. That's cool. So when do you think you're going to wait till the weather definitely turns? You think I'm not a brown grass golfer. I'd rather go for a walk in Queenie Park, to be honest with you. But I think, you know, I might escape to Florida sometime in, you know, late March, April.

Matt Gogol texted me this morning, said, Are you on the plane going to Tucson for the qualifier tomorrow? And I'm like, not only no, but heck no. I didn't even think about it. You know, so I won't. I won't really, you know, and who knows, maybe that's going to be good for me.

Maybe the break will allow me to enjoy it more. But I really enjoy playing pickleball now. That's that's a little bit of my problem, which is like the opposite of golf. Right. It is.

It is the opposite of golf. Yeah. So when it comes to starting to play, do you go did you get back in the gym?

Do you do it? I'm in the gym a couple of days a week. I'm actually in pretty good shape. I'm getting older.

I had another birthday, which I'm not happy about, although it does beat the alternative. Right. But, you know, I think I'm in good enough shape. Oh, yeah.

Definitely. Speed's not your your flexibility as well. Yeah, you can. I can get it out there. I'm definitely not as long as some of these guys, which is, you know, a little concerning to me because. But I my length is not. No, my excuse. No, that's not the issue. No, me. I mean, even at my age, at 62, I can tell. Yeah.

Length is not the problem. Well, I remember playing with you in Calgary a couple of years ago. I thought you were going to win the event. You came out like I heard it. Birdie Birdie. I'm like, this guy's going to win the damn tournament. They should have called it after three years. Catty almost died that way.

How can my clubs didn't make it? That was a week from hell. I'm sitting there thinking, do I have to give my catty mouth to mouth on the 60? Oh, my God.

That's hard to compete when you're, you know, anyway, you know what? Those are the kind of memories that we're going to cherish forever. I actually remember my experience in Calgary more than I remember some of the experiences on the regular tour. Well, Willie, if you'll recall, we're staying at the West in their Calgary and in the middle of a pandemic, the pandemic, which is a cluster all to itself. And the fire alarm, we get a fire alarm at what, two forty five, three in the morning on Saturday came down with his golf bag and I was ready to play. I woke up and I'm like, I don't smell smoke. I'm not getting out. I didn't leave. I looked out in the street, in the entire street out in front of the Calgary.

I never forget it. I'm like, you know, if I go down in flames, I'm going to, I'm going back to bed. You're jumping out the 20th story window, 20 story window. Just shoot me anyway. Yeah. What's the difference?

Um, so, um, when I know you get asked this all the time, I get asked this all the time. The guys want to, they want to play better golf. They want to hit the ball longer. And I, spring golf is so difficult. It's so difficult in, in the Midwest. The golf courses are in the worst shape they're in all year long.

The guys are coming off the couch and not doing anything. Jaybird, why isn't the high school golf season in the, in the fall? Why the girls, not the boys, both, both, they should both, they could, they could play in the same time. It'd be a progressive way to do it anyway. So I think your question is, what can you do to prepare?

Absolutely. What would you say? Well, I think number one, you have to stay in some semblance of shape, especially flexibility. You've, you've got to stretch.

Um, you, you, you can't just show up at the golf course and think, well, you know, I'm just going to go play golf. You've got to, you got to stay in some semblance of shape. I would actually say there's a place right up the streets called stretch you. And I would actually go, you know, I, in fact, I started going to stretch you and they stretch you for 30, 45 minutes. It's, it's phenomenal. And then I get away from it. You got to have good habits if you want to play good golf and going to stretch you would actually really help you, especially the next month.

If, if you know, you want to start playing in April and May, do they put you on a bike or do they get your body warmed up or anything that just gets you in there? So it's that gentle. There's none of this crazy, you can tell them how, how hard you want it, you know, but it's a, I actually would recommend it. They do a really good job. That's fantastic. Really?

That is going to wrap up the show. Thanks so much for coming to wild crush. Thanks so much for hanging out with me, talking golf, love you love just this, this time to hang.

Yeah. Thanks for the tequila. It's great to catch up. The tequila makes everything better.

Doesn't folks. Thanks so much for joining us here at wild crush. Come by and have one with us. We want to thank Darty business solutions for sponsoring the golf with Jay Nelson show, and we will see you next week. Get afraid. St. Louis.