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Episode 68 - IT issues and Olympic hypotheticals
17 Plays2 months ago
The lads are back after a week of IT issues saw their Open Championship podcast hit the archive bin and zero streaming platforms. So they reflect on Troon, discuss the Olympics and, what sport they'd fear best in (dribble). Before picking their gold medalists and discussing some of the Kiwi chances.
Transcript
00:00:13
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to the Off The Tips podcast. Another fortnightly instalment of the podcast because the boys encountered some technical difficulties last week that we were not qualified to deal with in our open podcasts went astray. So we're going to briefly recap a golf event that, you know, was a couple of weeks ago from what we remember. And then we're going to rip into discussing the Olympics and hopefully everything goes well on the the internet front and the and and the hosting front. We don't have to rerecord this, but I see. How are you going, mate? Thanks for jumping on.
00:00:55
Speaker
I'm good, brother. G'day listeners. Yeah, it's one of those ones where it's pretty embarrassing when when you you have some technical difficulties on the one of the biggest weeks of the year, golf-wise. It just shows um where this podcast is at at the moment, probably, Cal. It's probably fair to say. Yeah, it's real real amateur hour sort of stuff. But um I see what's been happening, mate, over caught up with you since um we're having a meltdown about these aforementioned technical difficulties. How's how's life treating you over in the the great United Kingdom?
00:01:35
Speaker
Yeah, not not much to report, mate. Last week, just really busy with work. We don't need to bore anyone with that. And then just just a few bears and just tune into the Olympics over the weekend. So yeah, nothing too strenuous. What about you? Yeah, not a whole heap. I got out on on the course for about 15 holes on ah on Saturday, which it was is always a treat to get out there. ah And I was up in Newcastle. Same sort of thing, you know, venturing around some so licensed establishments. And then, yeah, that that that was about it. a First cricket preseason last night, I had to do a beep test, which I would have had has to do one of those in about 15 years. Are you going to disclose your title? I'm not actually privy to my time. i it It was more like a it wasn't a recorded thing. It was just a
00:02:32
Speaker
just to get one of the boys sort of situation. yeah i I was in the the top half of the cruise. That's good cru stuff. And that's that's all I'm after. That's that's simply all I'm after. As long as you're not embarrassing yourself, it's fine. You just kind of sneak into the crowd. as As long as you're not one of the first four or five out, yeah. that's but sort of like a ah work function as long as you're not in the but the junk is there you're okay like you just don't want to be that one person that's discussed about if not absolutely and i see there's some signs of life in the gulf game it was very much a ah social hit and giggle up at the great um cypress lakes club it and
00:03:24
Speaker
in the Hunter Valley, but you know there's some good things, there's some bad things, but you know for the amount of golf I was playing, I wasn't too unhappy with with you know how I was hitting the golf ball. There's just a big concern of hitting driver off the tee, and I was ah lucky that I didn't have to do that a heap around there. What was the golf course like? Oh, it was great. I've played there before. I love it. ah They host the TPS Hunter Valley, which I'll hopefully be up ah covering this year. It's an outstanding track, some great holes.
00:04:00
Speaker
get get get your eyes on a lot of kangaroos, which you know is always great for a tourist like me. And yeah, ah not it's great, mate. So yeah I think the Hunter Valley is probably an underrated ah golfing destination. And I think there's there's plenty of really good tracks, plenty of good wine. So if you're ever and thinking about planning a golf trip over those ways, I'd highly recommend getting there.
00:04:29
Speaker
Sounds good, brother. Good to hear your golf is in a respectable state as well. ah Yeah. At least you can go out and sort of golf your ball around. Yeah. kind of yeah Look, it's it's it's definitely nowhere near its it's best, but it's it's okay. I've got this i got this hybrid in the bag that I'm loving. It's my favorite club. but it's a Yeah, it's a go-to fairway finder, pretty much. so and And that's all I'm after. But, A.C., what do you remember when they opened now that it's a couple of weeks? I just remember.
00:05:13
Speaker
Some really tough kunditties at times. I um must say it does feel like a long time ago right now. It does, basically. I thank think the thing that's just sticking out to me, it's simple, but just how clinical Zander was that final round. just stepped on their throats on the back nine and it's just amazing since Rory just put him in a body bag at Quail Hollow just how quickly the narrative in golf can change like people were just abusing him getting into him we we have on the pod plenty of times talked about how he's not a killer and he's he's peeled off two majors now and then now people are talking that you know he might be the first the grand slam out of you know Rory Scheffler
00:05:58
Speaker
Brooks, Spieth. So it's just amazing how much like the switch can flick in the golf world and narratives. Yeah, for sure. Like if you're doing to me, told me that Zandal was going to be a two time major champion at the end of 2024. I did sit with a laugh in your face. He's the the way he's gone about winning these majors too has just been ruthless and clinical. It's it's so impressive. ah Like you said about the course, ah always really I really impressed with the golf course. I loved it. There were some nervy tee shots. I see how do you reckon you'd go hitting a ball of 11. That's frightening.
00:06:46
Speaker
I get scared whenever there's a possibility I have to reload and it's just on both sides on that hole. Mate, I don't know what I do. I think I'd aim left and try to cut the shit out of one, but it probably wouldn't. Yeah, that that could probably be the play. I don't know. But they have a big left to right one, so it would probably just end up off the planet right. I don't know, mate. I'm just not good enough for that so sort of carry-on. Yeah. Just one thing that caught my mind and I've just just popped to my head. did you What were your thoughts on Billy Horschel's kit on the um the final day? He's wearing like a button-up cardi. Kind of looked like he was a manager at a supermarket. It was it was epic.
00:07:35
Speaker
I think I messaged you and I said, you can't win a major in that fit. I think it was the let's like the call I made. I'm not, yeah, I'm not sure about it. Let's just put it that way. And he but he backed up this week at the 3M Open, won by Jonathan Vegas, which, geez. I didn't know who won that tournament. I'm not going to lie. Really? well I was completely checked out. It has become a bit of an overload. it's
00:08:07
Speaker
by its there's There's been massive major hangovers recently and yeah it's it's hard to it's hard to get up for. But by just before we've been in the open and and move on to some other stuff, ah big names missing the cup, no more so than the Bryson and and Rory. Geez, they two world class golfers simply looking out of their depth for two days at Royal Trune, wasn't it? They did. They were on the bad side of the draw, but like they just weren't handling it. Rory was
00:08:46
Speaker
You know, i'm gonna ask to but I've got to crush his hat in the mail. Obviously, I've got to acknowledge my bet that I thought he was going to win this week. and ah just our Last week, it was just so wrong. and Some of the shots I saw him try to hit were just just so dumb. and i'm You sort of wonder. And I know you're judging the best players in the world, but he's hitting you know is' add a full wedge into the breeze. I've played enough golf to know that that just doesn't fucking work. um And I thought he would be able to work that out. And so that that some of that stuff was quite perplexing. It felt like he wasn't really ready for wind like that.
00:09:26
Speaker
And Bryson was similar. um You know, he kept talking about his how his equipment and yeah he couldn't work out the wind. Yeah, well, the wind is a bit of a, it's a bit of a fail thing, Bryson. You can't just put it on track, man. So, yeah. He's a protractor. Yeah, they just got found out simply as that. Ludwig, he also struggled. It was his first open. I don't think it's like a massive deal. He just parted so badly and there was a
00:10:03
Speaker
There is a skill to putting on linked screens. I know this is a different sort of level, but I really struggle because you've got to hit them <unk> got have them very firm. They're quite slow and furry. it's It's very different to if you're putting on. You don't as if you're putting on like a 12 or something a bit faster. It's it's it' definitely an art to it. So Ludwig, I don't think he needs to worry about that. But it's just a shame, Kao, I was thinking how early the majors wrap up now that the PGA is earlier. It's it's just such a long wait. And it's it's quite sad, really, because it's like I'm not really getting up for some. It's fine if you've got a Ryder Cup coming, but at the moment, it's just pretty bleak for the rest of the year, really. Yeah, well, I suppose you got this week, the Olympics and then the President's Cup, but
00:10:56
Speaker
why they character The they promote the FedEx Cut playoffs, which I get, they they have to say it's a big draw card on the PGA tour. but i um I'm in the same boat. it is It is tough to, you know, to pretend to think these are massive events, which are the Olympics obviously is, but I i simply can't get around the FedEx Cup playoffs. It's it's the at the end of a long year and it's played a shit venue to a championship. and
00:11:30
Speaker
I'm not sure about the handicap star. It's just, it seems like a bit of a Mickey Mouse operation now for the amount of money they play for. But yeah, it's it's tough seeing the open be the last and and essentially July, it's ah so it's halfway through the year. But I see, I just, you briefly mentioned you crush a hat situation. Did you not think about heading down to live UK to go pick one up from the merch store because that could have surely been on your agenda. I actually had a few mates go. I should have asked them. That's what I should have done. Yeah. That's actually good thinking, but it actually looked like a cool week. I might try go next year, I think. Yeah, absolutely. It looked like a great week. John Rahm getting the job done, which was surprising. Like he had a good week at the open and
00:12:22
Speaker
So he showed signs of life there without really contending and then yeah hey He's got the live monk monkey monkey off his back and he and he got the job done and I was I was pretty surprised by that because man, I was not sure what to make of his golf game at the moment and Yeah, I thought he he was on the bad side of the draw at the open though. I thought he played pretty well. um He definitely showed signs of life there, so it was not it didn't surprise me he won. The other thing with levers, you can rule out a lot higher percentage of the field, and you've got a small field. so
00:13:01
Speaker
ah ah I'm not shitting on his win. It's good to see him back and he's beating a good bunch of players, but your you chances of your top dog on that tour are a lot more. Absolutely. Cam Smith finishing second, which man, he's hard to get a gauge on at the moment, isn't he? What he threw up at the Open was just to so bad. yeah pilot that like should i do so I do still worry about Cam, to be honest. I don't know if he's sharp enough for majors at this, slide it's proven this year. It's it's a bit different playing sort of tour events, but he's just showed that he's not quite quite there in the big ones. For for sure. in it
00:13:54
Speaker
Any parting words on the on the the Open, mate, and before we crack into the five rings, the Olympics? Nah, let's just go to the Olympics. It's old news now, the Open. Oh, actually, no, no, no. I need one more thing. Dan Hillier. Just a big shout out to him. It'd be so rude not to. um Top 20 for him. Epic stuff. Showed a lot of fight. He snuck in the cut and just fought his way hard on the weekend and awesome stuff. For guys had a really tough year. um I was just so happy for him because i everyone knows he's just got some class about him.
00:14:36
Speaker
and to prove it against in tough conditions on a tough golf course against the the best in the world was just outstanding stuff and then foxy with another made cut um Another awesome... you When you see him on the list of of cut streaks and majors, it's it's pretty impressive. Actually, it's very impressive. um I'd love to see him... If I'm being fussy, I'd love to see him actually get right in the thicker one, but you gotta admire what the performances he's put up in the majors. Yeah, and on that note, yeah we had four Kiwis.
00:15:15
Speaker
at the Open, which is I believe the most we've ever had in Kazuma, Kaburri and Michael Hendry, which is one of the the more inspirational stories going around for those that don't know, like had leukemia last year, got ruled out of the Open, got ruled out of playing a lot of golf and And like was very, very unwell. I i had a chat to him earlier this year at the Australian Open and he said it was, yeah, like it was pretty bleak times. So the fact that he's been able to turn it around inside a year and play a major championship is pretty inspirational stuff. so
00:15:53
Speaker
Hopefully it's not the last time we see him play at one one of these events, but more importantly, you know hopefully so he's in great health and he and he has a good season in Japan and and in Australia. He's already won since it's coming back on Japan. so look It's as inspiring as it comes and and they don't they don't make them as mentally tough as that anymore. so ah like And also awesome of the um ah RNA to to just extend his his invitation for one more year, um just to give him the opportunity, which I thought was, you know, it's, you know, you sort of expect it, but they also didn't have to do that. um And so it was it was cool that he was still able to play, fight back and play this year. And also because, you know, although he missed the cart, he only just missed the cart, I thought,
00:16:43
Speaker
A pretty good lucky bait, Rory. um Yeah, you know so good a good week for him really like and it and it's hard like he missed the cut in a pretty brutal fashion like a couple of just a couple of Big numbers coming home on that that back nine. He was pretty comfy inside the cut line. So look that that can just happen at a on a legs go, of course, like It's it's the way it is. It's pretty unlucky but you know, yeah a decent way can bend two majors for him this year when he was an
00:17:14
Speaker
He was literally playing the age of Pacific amateur. Oh, he's still winning his trade. i so I think Seven Over is a success. sir you know You look at all the big names that have folded in that tournament. Yeah, he he would have liked to have made the cup for sure, but I think it's great science. The Olympics AC, firstly, have you been enjoying it? like um And what events have you been liking? I was just saying to mates that it's not quite the same when you don't have the coverage tailored towards the New Zealanders.
00:17:54
Speaker
So watching watching like great Britain coverage can be a bit punishing sometimes because they're like cheering yeah really cheering hard for them. we we You're not you know and into that sort of stuff. So it's it's just been a very different experience. It's it's more of like a world view on it. And so it's not, yeah, it's not really tailored for us like it is when you're watching it at home and at like the breakfast shows covering it and the news is covering it and flashing to the Olympics, if you know what I mean. And you might probably find that in Aussie as well too, trying to tune in. Yeah, you can. i You can actually access the New Zealand, the New Zealand feed over here, which has been pretty
00:18:41
Speaker
pretty good It's obviously on an absolute prick of a time, but I've ah found myself, as I do every four years, I surprise myself and go, how good is this sport? Is that European handball? Fuck, I get up and add at the Olympics. That looks like so much fun to play. That would be a good one. What have I tuned into? I think I've watched yeah watch the canoe slalom. I always enjoy that one. ah Mountain biking. Big fan of the mountain biking. um Swimming, obviously. i I'll watch the finals in that.
00:19:17
Speaker
ah Yeah, i've I've covered a little bit. what Okay, Cal, if you were you're an athlete, let's say you can't play golf and you you started it when you picked the the sport up when you were five years old. Have you trained at that sport? well What would you represent the your country in the Olympics? I see. I've had a conversation similar to this and I was going to have a I've got a little bit of a different angle on this that I might ask you afterwards. ah So you started from the get go, like as as a kid. Yeah, as it's your chosen sport. And with the sole goal to become ah an Olympian. Yeah, I'm not talking about your favorite sport. I'm just talking about if you had one, like you know, not in your field capabilities, your physical attributes. like What would be your best chance?
00:20:10
Speaker
So for those of you that don't know, not a tall guy, so you can probably rule out, you can probably rule out any sort of athletic thing. Oh, see in saying that, you know, I did relatively okay junior swimming career. So maybe I could. Maybe a triathlon. Oh, not a great, not a great runner. Uh, yeah, if definitely, definitely not, no good with clippings on a, um, but on a road bike. I've had, I've had a couple of incidents with those, uh, in short, I reckon badminton. Yeah.
00:20:59
Speaker
yeah I, am um, I reckon just the pathway to get there in New Zealand would probably be easier than one of those real physical sports. I backed myself with a I've played a couple of times in my life, but but just watching from the couch, it looks it doesn't look as hard as as it probably is.
00:21:32
Speaker
so um Yeah, I'm going to say badminton. What about you? I think about it. I'd say it'd probably be maybe, I'd say maybe mountain biking, roguely. I just think you don't have to be, you don't have to be like really physically gifted. but you yeah I don't know if I'd have the balls for it though. Like there's a lot of injuries. Some of those those like rock rock gardens or whatever they call it look pretty treacherous. I just, yeah, maybe I could i'd probably become a cropper on those. ah Yeah, similar vein, maybe squash, but I don't know if I'm agile enough for squash. Squash isn't an Olympic sport, is it? So probably. Isn't it?
00:22:27
Speaker
Nah, it's at the Commonwealth Games, so. Oh, okay. that's That's rogue how they have badminton and not squash. Yeah, squash is a far better sport. Yeah, well, if you also, if you're gonna have tennis, I don't know, I just thought, I just assumed all the racquet sports were included. you might Obviously not. I've learned something. Pickleball. Yeah. So, okay, mountain biking, you'd have a couple of broken collarbones on your resume. I'm not saying a word. This is hypothetical. yeah um Or maybe, what about a team sport? my Yeah. But you have to be at a team sport when New Zealand send a team, I guess. like You can't just be
00:23:13
Speaker
say I'm going to be in the European handball team because like you're just not going to get sent to the Olympics. Like you probably, I reckon you could, if you went and started playing European handball, you could play for New Zealand probably. ah bit I bet they'd be nice. I don't know. i But yeah, a team sport could be a good angle. I don't know. If you started from five, you'd get the
00:23:44
Speaker
Hockey, baby. yeah I played a bit of hockey growing up, but fuck, it was never that good, so probably not.
00:23:55
Speaker
But hey, so I got another one for you. So if you had to put all your eggs in one basket from now, so 26, and you could fully fund an attempt at getting to the Olympics in a sport, what What do you think your best chance is? That's basically what I've just asked, isn't it? ah like What's the difference here? ah I don't know. Well, I'm more thinking like that I could become this badminton prowess from five, but if I only had if i only had for four years to work at it, I'd probably throw the cargos on and and have a go at breakdancing.
00:24:42
Speaker
I don't, yeah, that's actually, I don't, I'm trying to think if the age would change anything for me. Um,
00:24:52
Speaker
maybe I could be a pistol shooter. That, that was brought up. These hypotheticals were spoken about on the way to the Hunter and and a shooting base one was, was fired up there, like, um, maybe archery. Yeah, but have you, have you tried to, those are, that's hard, man. It's bloody hard. I've watched Robin Hood though.
00:25:24
Speaker
Yeah, that, I remember, like I've had another ghost since, but I remember when I was like, 10, I couldn't even pull the thing back. but It was just so tight and I literally wasn't strong enough to even fire the thing. It just literally like just dribbled out. You'd have been like 30 kilos at 10, would you? Yeah, I was as a little bloke. Still I am. Oh mate, we've had our fun. the gulf At the Golf National, now
00:25:58
Speaker
a great field assembly. ah It's a unique week that we, you know, i've only see once every four years. yeah These guys kind of never represent their country anymore officially. So it's it's good to see, you know, them wearing their colors. ah i Look, New Zealand, a couple of decent medal hopes, Dan Hillier coming off that week at the Open. He had played a decent amount of golf in France and add Europe and obviously Foxy and then Lydia Ko literally hasn't not won a medal and then the Olympics. So look, a lot of good signs, but what are your kind of memories off the top of your head of the golf national? Ooh. Um, just Europe dominating really in that right. Um,
00:26:53
Speaker
The molly wood stuff. Oh no. And Fleetwood just, yes I think they, they both went unbeaten that week from memory. Yeah, they did. And just the Americans just not being prepared. But I don't, I don't, apart from that, I just remember a lot of water and thick rough was the two. And I'm pretty sure they pinched it in. They pinched the rough in a bit. Yeah, that's what I was going to say. Yeah, they took driver out of the hands a little bit. Yeah, that's what I was going to say. And obviously it probably won't look like that this week or not quite to the degree. But my lasting memory was Phil just hitting two in the water and conceding his match on the team. That was good.
00:27:40
Speaker
five ah But ah you know, it's like, yeah The full one gave me real, real vibes that when you hit a couple OB and you just walk the hole with your mates, just take a wringer. I'll just put a wringer out of it. ah Yeah, that did give those vibes, but is there anything in particular you're looking forward to golf-wise at the Olympics? ah um
00:28:14
Speaker
I think it's like, I thought i sometimes think they could, I don't know how they'd do it and I don't have any ideas here, but I think they could be a bit more creative with the formats to just make it a little bit different ah from what we normally get. I think yeah the one thing I remember quite a bit from the last Olympics was just that mad playoff for bronze. I think there was about five or six of them. um And it was someone randomly, why am I meant CT pan? Yeah. It was so in Sabatini, he was in, he was representing Slovakia. ah Slovakia. And what's something to do with like his, the only reason he was playing for Slovakia was like his wife's dad was on the Olympic committee or something. It was random. That is random.
00:29:08
Speaker
Probably have to fact check that, but I'm pretty sure there's something along those lines. Well, yeah, I don't know, but was this... Oh, no, I'm not even going to No, we haven't endowed that date. But yeah, um I agree. I think there could be a way that you could make it make it mixed. we don't We don't see enough of that in the golf world, you know, that the men and women competing together, but you're right. Maybe there could be a... a couple of different formats. You can have a you could have yeah your top two seeds maybe play in the stroke, play individual titles and the respect of men and women. And then yeah your bottom two seeds play in like a ah mixed, I don't know if it'd be best ball or or um a mixed format, best ball, alt shot kind of kind of scenario. but yeah But then you're obviously setting up for three tournaments and not two. so
00:30:06
Speaker
yeah it's ah It's a hard one, but I agree on the format front. Yeah, yeah i we might have to put our heads together. Maybe we can do one after this weekend um and just maybe we can come up with a format each and um yeah see what see what we think. But I don't know. i I'm looking forward to it. I was thinking today, it must be weird for Aussie to look weird having Day and Minwoodly representing them. i just it's I just picture Adam Scott in an Aussie jumper. um Yeah. ah that Like, out of those four? Yeah, he categorically said these. He won't play the Olympics.
00:30:53
Speaker
Yeah, but I agree like if you when you think of Aussie you think about him Scott. Yeah, it's no slight on Manulio day. It's just um, yeah, he's How do they do you know how they work it out like us get four which makes sense but How's that? How's that even come about? Yeah, I'm not sure I know the It's pretty funny that the blue. If you're inside the top 10, I think if you're inside the top 10, you're allowed a certain number and then. Okay. And then, but then, yeah, I don't know. Do you reckon, do you reckon the blow pigs feeling quite out of place there right now? Yeah, Wyndham Clark for those that don't know. Yeah, I, I, I kind of do like,
00:31:44
Speaker
I saw that team photo and like, I get that he's a major champion and has won, I think three events in almost the last 12 months, but it just, there's something doesn't seem right about seeing Wyndham Clark's standing next to Scotty Sheffler, Colin Morikawa and Xander Shuffley. I agree. It's a real bring your brother along situation. Watch him minute it get a medal now. Yeah. In saying that, do you want to give me a gold medal from the men's side and and and the women's side before we sign off this podcast?
00:32:26
Speaker
um I think Zann is going to do it. And he's going to get another one. um And Lydia, why not? Love that. Yeah, I i think I think Scotty is going to be very hard to beat this week. I think he will win gold. And I think, yeah, look, I love the year angle with Lydia, but I'll just go somewhere, somewhere way different. I think, I think Lily will win gold. I think it just is tailor made for her accuracy.
00:33:05
Speaker
just and if I'm putting my analyst hat on, like she's so accurate and it's going to be a point point A to point B sort of place. So I think she's going to be hard to beat with Nelly showing some pretty weird form at the moment. Yeah, it's hard. Lillia Voo is a freak. So it would not surprise me at all. Yeah. I don't really know yeah what else to add, to be honest. Um, do you think the, do you think the home crowd could get, um, silly boot here up for a medal? That's true. Yeah.
00:33:43
Speaker
yeah like Like, yeah. so um Keep your eyes peeled for the, for the French, uh, coming out and I, Actually, that might be worth a dabble on a punt. Yeah. I'll scan that and get back to you. What about Lowry being the flag bearer? I enjoyed that. Yeah, I love that. I think putting some respect on golf at the Olympics, which is fantastic. How do Ireland fare normally at the medal tally? I don't know.
00:34:26
Speaker
I don't think that'd be great. I don't know. So in New Zealand, you just, any sport where you're you're sitting down, we're normally pretty good at. Yeah. ah it's true yeah Have we won a medal yet? No. That's pretty tough to see. The the woman's sevens tank surely wins gold. Yeah, we're getting in uncharted territory. I don't know this stuff. I don't know. I just saw they won their quarterfinal by 50, so that's like a lot of points. Yeah, I think they've been putting some scores on. I think they put about 40 on VD, too. Look out. I think they're pretty sharp. Okay. Well, mate, I appreciate you jumping on again late at night and I'm so glad we didn't have any technical
00:35:24
Speaker
difficulties because this laptop could have been used as a frisbee. So thanks. Thanks for sticking with us, guys. And thanks for tuning in. We'll be back next week to hopefully talk about a New Zealand medal and golf at the Olympics. It's a massive chance. So we'll catch you all next week at AC. Go well. Sleep tight. just cold might