Alex Myers | Golf Digest

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Kick off your summer and shop in-store or online at Whole Foods Market today. The wait is over. That's right. Season 5 of The Kardashians is here. Just when you thought life couldn't get any faster, they're punching it into overdrive. Chris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall, and Kylie are back and continue to defy expectations in all their endeavors. So, get ready to go behind the glitz and glamour of the most iconic family on television.

The all-new season of The Kardashians premieres May 23rd streaming on Hulu. All right, it is the Infinity Sports Network. It is the Zach Gelb show. You know, before each and every major, we have to talk to Alex Myers, senior writer for Golf Digest, who's kind enough to join us right now as we get set for the PGA Championship that gets underway tomorrow. Alex, thanks so much. Appreciate the time.

You got it. I'm riding high after that Knicks win, so I'm feeling pretty good today. Yeah, that was a tough, gritty performance by Jalen Brunson. And time to put some respect on Tom Thibodeau's name because it's just ridiculous after Game 4 where this team has overachieved all throughout the year. And this coach has got so much out of them that people are ready to say, oh, this is why the Knicks are hurt. It's because of Thibodeau's coaching side.

I didn't look tired last night, Alex. I'll tell you that. Yeah, exactly.

And you know what? I'd like to see any other team take out four of their top eight rotational players and see how they do. I mean, this is absolutely amazing that they're even making this competitive. And yeah, I think the Thibodeau stuff is overblown, of course. I mean, some of these injuries were fluke plays. I mean, Randall got like pulled down on a fast break.

I mean, OG, I guess you could say the Hammy was tired out or something, but most of these injuries are very flukish, so I don't buy into all that. I love Tibbs. By the way, I did not have in my bingo card today. Alex Meyer started us off with basketball, and Stephon Marbury, when he joined us earlier, started us off with the Rangers and hockey. I would have never predicted those two things with the two great guests that we've had on and a bunch of others today.

All right, let me start you off. Obviously, every golf conversation has to start with Tiger Woods. What's the feel around Tiger? What could we expect this week from Tiger Woods?

I got to say this is about the least excited. It seems that anyone has ever been for Tiger Woods performance. I, you know, it, which is sad in a way. And, you know, someone asked me the other day if I thought he would make the cut or not. And I, I said, I don't think he's gonna make the cut.

I mean, I hate to say it, you know, this is, you know, of course he won here in 2000, but that's a, you know, another lifetime ago. And at the Masters, he, you know, he has all that course knowledge and let's be honest, it's easier to make the cut at the Masters. It's a top 50 out of about 90 players and you have the amateurs and some older guys in there. So, and he has that course knowledge and he had that motivation, the extra motivation to break that cut streak record at the Masters. He doesn't have that here at the PGA. I just don't know, you know, if he's not in, if he doesn't have a great start and isn't in contention, I just don't see even as much of a fighter as we know Tiger is. I just don't see him having quite the same motivation there. And, and, you know, there's a guy who's only finished a handful of events in the last couple of years.

So the odds are he's, even if he makes the cut, he's not even going to finish the four rounds. So for those, for all those reasons, I guess I'm kind of lumped me in with the group that it just doesn't seem like many people are talking about him this week. You know, it's kind of crazy. It's not just Tiger. It's the entire event. You know, I've never gone into a major where we feel like no one even cares about this. You know, golf I know was humming during COVID. It was booming because of COVID and it gave us something to watch and a lot of people are playing. You walk into this PGA Championship, if I didn't do this for a living, I'd have no clue that it was even going on this week.

Yeah. I mean, it certainly doesn't get the, you know, the roll up, the rollout that you get for the Masters. I think overall the move to May for the PGA has been a positive because it does, it is kind of enclosed within the other four.

Whereas we all know it's the fourth major, but when it was the fourth on the calendar as well out in August, it was kind of on an island by itself. So at least now it's in the mix here. I do think they get a little extra buzz by, you know, the winner of the Masters. You can always say, oh, so-and-so's going for the Grand Slam. And even though that person has no chance this year, there actually might be a chance because Scottie Scheffler is so freaking good.

So there's a little there. There's, you know, you got the Rory stuff and all the weird stuff going on with him and you got Scottie with the baby. You do have arguably the three best players all coming off a win, which is kind of unprecedented because obviously Scottie missed last week because of the baby. Rory won. Scottie won a couple starts before that. And then Brooks Koepke plays on the live tour and he won his last start. And he's the defending champ here. And Rory's the defending PGA champ. So in terms of heavyweights coming in with, you know, believing that they can win, it's about as good as you can get.

But yeah, it's clearly the major that we kind of, you know, we forget about a little unfortunately. All right, so Alex Myers here with us. Let me start you off then out of the guys that you just mentioned with Rory McIlroy. For people that don't know, he won last week, like Alex said, obviously divorces don't happen overnight. So that must have been on his mind and he was able to still win. But he, you know, came out publicly that he filed for divorce this week from his wife. Do you think that has a mental impact on such a mental game that we call golf as you go into the PGA Championship, where Rory hasn't won a major since what like 2014 or whatever it is? Yeah, 2014 at Valhalla. So it's so weird because on the one hand, he's got all the momentum.

He's got the history of Valhalla and okay, I'm going to break this 10-year drought here. And then you have this divorce stuff come out to your point for sure. This is obviously been going on for a while and all of a sudden he's flipped the switch recently and played great. So part of me says, hey, this might be a, you know, a weight off his shoulders and and now he's freed up to play. That being said, you just never know how someone's going to react once it actually goes public. And once you see the headlines and you know, you're beaten over the head with it and people start asking you questions about it.

And you know, it's a little different once it's in the public versus when it's in the private and you're controlling it and you know what's going on. So I think, you know, the jury's out there. We got to wait and see how he reacts to it. But I think overall there's a lot more pros to like Rory this week.

I don't like the plus 700 number, whatever ridiculous number it is. But other than that, there's a lot more pros in his corner this week heading into this tournament. All right, let's go to Brooks. We know for so many years right with Tiger you walked into a tournament and who was like who's going to who else is going to urinate down their leg just by seeing Tiger Woods. Is there at all that effect for just this tournament the PGA Championship with Brooks Koepke the fact that he's won the PGA Championship three times since 2018 and the most recent one last year. He won it and put his stamp like right back on the sport.

Yeah, I think there has to be for sure. And again, you know, he you know, we always say oh, we don't know how these guys are playing and live what we know how he's playing. He just won his last start, you know, he didn't have the Masters that he wanted of course, but as a defending champ as a three-time winner of this event, he's won this event when it's a shootout.

Where was that in St. Louis at Belle Reeve. He's won it when it was not a shoe. I was a more grinded out affair at Bethpage for whatever reason just loves the PGA setup and it's usually a big brawny course with thick rough, but he's he drives it obviously very long, but relatively straight compared to some of the longer hitters and when he does go into rough, obviously he has the strength to get out of it and we all know he focuses the most on these weeks. So no, I think he's got an aura around him at obviously at any of the majors, but but certainly this week and if he wins this week a fourth PGA would match how many Tiger has won in his entire career and it would be Brooks doing it in a seven-year span.

So yeah, I mean it's historic stuff. I don't I don't know how you couldn't look at him and at least, you know be a little intimidated by him. Let's get to the best golfer on the planet right now. Scottie Scheffler. So we know what happened odds on favorite to win the Masters. He does that you talked about earlier. Maybe he goes for the Grand Slam this year and that storyline. How many majors do you he already has one you got three more majors, including this week. How many more majors you think he wins this calendar year? I mean, it would kind of be stunning if he didn't win another one.

Let's just say that I don't I don't think you can ever count on more than two. I mean to is it any anytime someone wins two in a season stupid instantly historic campaign, right? And I think last year was incredible that he didn't win one. So it's almost like he's owed at least, you know, another like, you know, you keep if you looked at these two years, you'd be like we had to win at least two and so he didn't win one last year. So it's almost like he's got to win two this year. I'm not sure this is the best spot for him, but he still has to be, you know, considered the favorite if you took if you took away odds took away everything else. The fact that he not only never has a bad week. He never has a bad day.

It's just it's just hard to imagine him not being in contention at least and yeah, there's the whole baby thing and always you tired and sleep. I mean, come on. Let's let's get out of here.

It was that was last week. He's here. He's amped up. He's ready to go.

He didn't play last week. That would have taken something out of him. So no, I think he's all systems go and and also the baby thing is ridiculous because going into the Masters everyone's like, oh his wife could give birth that he may not be able to finish any be won the tournament. He had that right stress on his mind to not only that Zack he wins the tournament and we're like, oh, well, he's got to get home to his wife gets home.

He goes out to a dive bar and then he goes to Hilton head and he wins there. It's just incredible. Like, you know, he wasn't even like that into that tournament.

He still won. So like he's just he's that good. It's just amazing. Who was someone that was close at the Masters that now as we go to the second major of the year that you think they'll have another great performance and could potentially win this weekend.

I'm glad you asked. I I really like Bryson DeChambeau this week. I you know, he showed us something at the Masters. He's been kind of under the radar since he went to live obviously had all the injuries and he went to live and so you don't really hear or see him as much. He quietly was top five at the PGA last year.

That didn't really get a lot of buzz. Whereas a few years ago when he was still on tour. He was probably the most talked about guy but doing it at the Masters. I think got him a little more on the radar here. The odds makers have given him some respect. I think he's in the 25 to 1 range, you know, just kind of below the big hitters.

Not the boy. He is a big hitter, but the the top favorites. I think this course especially with all the rain.

It's gotten how long it's going to play. It just it just feeds right into him or Augusta. I never liked him there. I know he made the par 67 comment years ago and he got burned by that. This was the first year he's ever. He's played well since then. I've never liked him at Augusta. I think that place is in his head. This place is much more like a US Open setup, which obviously we saw him win at wing foot. We saw him contend the next year at the open. I think this is a much better course for him. And I think he's quietly building momentum and kind of getting back to that superstar status that we saw a few years back.

So you like to Shambo give me two or three other names that you're really like that. Maybe you throw a few dollars on this week. Yeah, my biggest bet. I don't know what it is, but I Wyndham Clark is calling my name here, you know, if you look at Quail Hollow and Valhalla, you got Rory who's won both places. You got Tiger who's won both places.

I think it's a very similar comp at least the back down about how I is very similar to quail house. So Wyndham Clark began his streak not streak his his you know vaulting into star status at the Wells Fargo last year. Well, hollow when he won and we were like, oh, that's a nice story.

Whatever. Then he wins the US Open. Then he wins another signature event. He finished runner up to Scottie Shepler twice this year already in big time events.

All he seems to do is contend in big time events. He didn't at the Masters, but we all know he's a left to right player and the Masters favors a right to left. So I don't know if Augusta's for him.

Now he's back in another one of these big courses. He can hit that cut. He's an incredible putter.

He hits it a mile. I just think this guy other than Scottie Shepler has proven his worth in the big events better than anybody in the past 12 months and he's sitting there at 40 to 1 on Zack. It makes absolutely no sense. We love Zander.

I love Zander Zander shop. He's 14 to 1 Wyndham Clark major champion is 40 to 1. It makes absolutely no sense. So he's my favorite bet of the week as far as Flyers go. Taylor Penderth. I mean this guy just won and then finished top 5 at Quail Hollow. He's a 200 to 1 shot.

I don't get that one either. I mean, you know, again betting him to win maybe a little questionable, but but certainly a top 20 type bet and then Wills Alatorre. A guy we've talked about a bunch. Yep, obviously everybody expects a lot from him. He got up to a nice start to the year runner-up Riviera. He is really struggled, but I think it's down now to the point where 75 to 1. I mean, this guy is just a you know, a master class ball striker big hitter at some point. He's going to break through. I think again, I think the value is just too much to overlook at 75 to 1 for Wills Alatorre. Last thing I'll ask you is a wrap it up with Alex Myers.

It's crazy when you go through a conversation like this and someone's name just doesn't pop up. Where are we at with Jon Rahm? Hmm, you know, look I said I said this is almost unprecedented with the top three guys all coming off wins, you know, Rahm hasn't won this year, but he is second on the live standings. So he's played quietly very well. He's top 10 in every event. I know it's a lot easier to top 10 against the limited field every week and everything else that's going on on that tour. But you know, he's played well, he's a fierce competitor.

Let's remember. This is a guy who said his goal is to pass Tigers record for 15 majors. And he said that once he was a few years into his career. It's not like he was off to some, you know, he's late 20s already. He thinks he's going to play for another 20 years and he's going to kind of rack up one major a year. He he's that competitive.

So I think he turns it around. I know the Masters was very disappointing for him. But you know, he was hosting the dinner and he was defending champ and all that other stuff going on. He looked like he wanted no part of that green jacket ceremony.

Agree. And that was his first chance to, you know, when he was thrown back in and he was set with how he was treated all this. Look, you could say what you want about the guy, whether he made a mistake, whether he regrets, whatever. It looked like me doing yard work, honestly, like that's how he did. Oh, yeah, you should see me. I think he'll be a little more comfortable this week and and and I think we'll see him play better.

I can't see him having kind of two dud majors in a row. He is Alex Meyer, senior writer for Gulf Digest. Appreciate the time as always, Alex. You got it. Go Knicks. There we go.

Big Knicks fan Alex Myers. I also think he went call from mom. Answer it. Call silenced. Instacart knows nothing gets between you and the game. That's why they make ordering from your couch easy. Stock up today and get all your groceries for the week delivered in as fast as 30 minutes without missing a minute of the game. You have 47 new voicemails. Download the app to get free delivery on your first three orders while supplies last. Minimum $10 per order.

Additional terms apply. Dive into the start of summer at Whole Foods Market. Check out their summer splash event with sales on fresh organic produce, organic strawberries and a fan favorite sale on Ben & Jerry's and Tolenti. Explore deals on grill friendly meats like organic air chilled chicken breast, beef and chicken kebabs, all with no antibiotics ever from our meat department. Plus grab easy sides from prepared foods and cool off with refreshing drinks.

Kick off your summer and shop in store or online at Whole Foods Market today. The wait is over. That's right. Season five of the Kardashians is here. Just when you thought life couldn't get any faster, they're punching it into overdrive. Chris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie are back and continue to defy expectations in all their endeavors. So get ready to go behind the glitz and glamour of the most iconic family on television.

The all new season of the Kardashians premieres May 23rd streaming on Hulu. Wake Forest 2. So big demon deacon 2 a few years ago.

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