Drop Zone - GOLF Podcast

Did the Zurich Classic teach us anything about the Ryder Cup? Did Brook Henderson's win teach us anything about the LPGA Tour's future? What did Tiger Woods reveal in his latest Instagram post? This week's Drop Zone breaks down the PGA Tour's controversial Player Impact Program plus the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic, the LPGA Tour's L.A. Open and everything in between.

This week's Drop Zone features an extended discussion on the runaway victories we saw on Tour last week. Lydia Ko by seven and Stewart Cink by 4. Big deal? HUGE deal. For both, really. But also, there's Billy Horschel and his anti-arm-lock take. Should it be banned? Should Si Woo Kim's putt have counted? We disagree a lot this week. Join us.

Sean Zak and Dylan Dethier recap Hideki Matsuyama’s breakthrough victory at the Masters, Will Zalatoris’ ascent and how Spieth's game has come full circle. The Drop Zone wraps up the Masters from Augusta.

We've made it to Augusta! Sean Zak and Dylan Dethier recap Jordan Spieth's win at the Texas Open and discuss what it means for this coming week at the Masters. Spoiler: it means a lot. We discuss the favorites, tease some bits of an exclusive interview with Bryson DeChambeau and break down everything we can expect to happen this week at Augusta National. Youthful guest James Colgan joins to discuss his first impressions of the club before the group puts a bow on the ANWA and ANA Inspiration.

We got more golf than we deserved this weekend, but we'll take it! Sean Zak and Dylan Dethier explain why DJ and Kevin Na were both sort of in the wrong, why the match play format shouldn't be changed, why Joel Dahmen's win felt so good and what to watch for in the women's game this week.

Who's golf's MVP? Rookie of the Year? Most Improved? Biggest Question Mark? Believe it or not, we're halfway through the PGA Tour season, and we're here to hand out some half-season awards. You'll be surprised what you've already forgotten from this season...

What did we learn about Justin Thomas on Sunday at the Players Championship? What does his win mean as we look towards the Masters? Sean Zak and Dylan Dethier break down everything from the week at TPC Sawgrass and dive into the current states of Lee Westwood, Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy and more.

All it took was a win from Bryson DeChambeau to bring the Drop Zone back onto your podcast airwaves. We discuss the event at Bay Hill, what hanging out with Bryson is really like, what he means for golf moving forward, etc. Also, it's Players Week! The biggest event thus far in 2021 kicks off Thursday, so we look back at the last 12 months of golf in the world of Covid-19. Dylan shares a reminder of what it was like on the ground at the 2020 Players and what to expect this week at TPC Sawgrass.

We research plenty of stories — but we don't get a chance to tell all of them. What did it feel like at the final tournament before the pandemic? Who changed golf's conversation the most in 2020? And what was this year like for the PGA Tour's most accurate player? On this week's episode of the Drop Zone, we dig into our notebooks to revisit several key moments from the 2020 golf season and share the details behind the stories we never got to.

Cameron Champ has plenty of power on the course. So much that when asked about the race for distance, he said "I'm just gonna keep my mouth shut." He also has plenty of power OFF the course. After discussing his wacky and impressive 2020 season we talked with Cameron about his recent decision to fund two scholarships at an HBCU, Prairie View A&M, in the name of his Grandpa Mack. That alone impressed us at the Drop Zone, and so did the rest of his season, so we got into a lot of it in this week's episode.

Who were the biggest winners of the strange, unprecedented 2020 golf season? Can Bryson DeChambeau crack the list? How 'bout Patrick Reed? Adidas? There's still a month's worth of rounds to be played, but let's beat the year-end rush with a celebration of those who made the most of it. This week's Drop Zone shouts out 10 big-time winners who grabbed an unusual year by the horns.

What a week it was at Augusta National. Dustin Johnson is your Masters Champion after a record-setting performance. We break down the entire week by sharing what we learned about DJ, Tiger, Bryson, Rory, Augusta National, Augusta the town, distance in golf, and much more.

To break down this week's Masters, we interviewed six different experts to hone in on every aspect of golf's biggest tournament. From Bryson DeChambeau's game plan to Tiger Woods' title defense to the CBS broadcast to the best gambling picks to a potential equipment revolution, here's what to expect at Augusta National. Featuring Luke Kerr-Dineen, Jonathan Wall, James Colgan, Michael Bamberger, Alan Shipnuck and Josh Sens. Enjoy!

Jack Nicklaus, 6-time Masters Champion, for nearly an hour. Need we say more? Golf's greatest champion joins us for a long conversation about all things: the Masters, Augusta National, Bryson DeChambeau, changes to the golf course, Tiger and Phil. We hit on just about everything with Jack from the comforts of his compound down in southern Florida. Come for his memories of a Jack-proofed setup and stay for his first lesson at the hallowed grounds, courtesy of Arnold Palmer.

While many of the best golfers in the world gravitate to southern Florida, Daniel Berger was raised in the middle of it. Raised on a golf course, picking the range and taking money off pros. It's all he's ever known, and it's a big part of the reason why he's so damn good. Berger sat down with us to talk about the iron-sharpens-iron aspect of Jupiter, Florida, his resurgence in 2020 and why he'd never dream of leaving the Sunshine State.

Bandon Dunes began as a pie-in-the-sky brainchild of a wannabe golf course developer and a wannabe Scottish golf course architect. Together, David McLay-Kidd and Mike Keiser built a golf course — but they had no idea they were spawning a revolution in the process. Bandon expanded and Cabot Links and Sand Valley followed in its footsteps; some dozen golf courses later, Bandon's lasting legacy is as an idea: That North America can have true links golf and that reimagine the idea of a remote golf course as a bucket-list destination. New locales have followed in Bandon's footsteps, like Cabot Links in Nova Scotia and Sand Valley in Wisconsin. Dream Golf has become a movement. But it sure didn't start that way. On this week's Drop Zone, here's how one course in nowhere, Oregon turned into an entire movement — all by accident.

There's nobody quite like Collin Morikawa — even on the PGA Tour, where it feels like a new 'golden child' gets crowned every few weeks. Morikawa joins the Drop Zone to fill us in on his origin story, dive into the differences between 'good' and 'great,' tell us where he's been and where he's going.

Whether or not he remembers it, Xander Schauffele was one of the first guests we ever had on the Drop Zone. That was years ago, and we've all come a long way since then. This week, he joined us again to dish on a bunch of stuff, including: - Watching Tiger Woods win at Torrey Pines in 2008 - Growing up in San Diego - Money games with Phil Mickelson - His rise to becoming a top 10 player - How he competes with the likes of Bryson, DJ, Rory and longer players

The U.S. Open champ is back for part 2 of our discussion. This time, we talk all about his victory at Winged Foot, why his game was so good that week and what it means for courses this fall ... like Augusta National. DeChambeau also responds to the claims that he might be "breaking" golf, and offers a retort for how his changing the game is actually great for golf.

Golf's most recent major champion joins the Drop Zone for a lengthy discussion on all things Bryson: His upbringing, his transformation, some mind-blowing practice facts, how his game is perceived and what it was like demolishing Winged Foot. This is part 1 of 2 — the second half of the Bryson DeChambeau convo will go live Wednesday morning. Subscribe to make sure it lands in your podcast library!

Our very own Dylan Dethier was on site at Winged Foot, and ALSO at the after party with Bryson DeChambeau as his team as they celebrated their biggest accomplishment ... yet. We recap the U.S. Open with behind-the-scenes detail you're not going to get anywhere else.

Nobody knows more about winning at Winged Foot than the iconic club's very best players, so we assembled a roundtable of club champions to help preview this week's U.S. Open. What are the keys to winning a brutal test at Winged Foot? What will the best golfers in the world shoot? What kind of U.S. Open should we expect? All that — and more! — on this week's Drop Zone.

Sometimes, 18 holes is too much! For anyone who has ever thought that, GOLF Magazine is in your corner this week, launching a new ranking of the best 9-hole courses in the world, a list of the top par-3 courses and the best courses under 6,000 yards. Non-traditional golf at its very best. We talk with Ran Morrissett, the man behind the ranking, right here on the Drop Zone.

We’ve heard plenty of players describe the unforgettable sensation of playing golf alongside Tiger Woods for the first time. But what’s it like to caddie alongside him? For one man, it was the opportunity of a lifetime — and then it got a bit complicated. On this week's Drop Zone, we take a look at the fuller story behind Tiger Woods, world-famous caddie.

Basketball is the no. 1 sport being played in the NBA Bubble, but sport no. 2? It's golf. Players, coaches and staff members from every team have teed it up down in Orlando, and for some of them, golf is way more than a fun hobby. It's become a way of life down in Florida. We talked to a bunch of players about just how important golf is to them within the Disney bubble.

Our Alan Shipnuck was on site Sunday for the rollicking conclusion to the PGA Championship, and we dive in on how one golfer separated from the pack. What did Collin Morikawa's victory feel like at TPC Harding Park? What did we learn about Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and more? What was it like covering the first COVID-era major championship? Shipnuck answers those questions and more on this week's Drop Zone.

When two Canadian brothers in their 20s launched DataGolf, they didn't realize just how many questions they'd be asking — and answering in the process. What are the biggest myths among golf fans? How do you pick a winner in a sport as random as golf? Even better, how do you create a model so powerful it can give you predictions and update in real time? Here's how DataGolf became one of the smartest voices in the game. Plus, some PGA Championship picks!

These days, it's tough for anyone to get inside the gates at a PGA Tour event — never mind inside the ropes. But our Sean Zak made his PGA Tour caddying debut at this week's 3M Open. How'd he do? What blew his mind? What did he screw up? Here's what we know about the life of a Tour caddie, from Zak's first tournament on the bag.

After four months away from the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods is back this week at the Memorial. Will he live up to expectations? Well, let's set those expectations appropriately. We spend this episode recounting everything Woods has done since he won the 2019 Masters, and why you should be both bullish and bearish on Woods' 2020 season.

Is it Bryson DeChambeau? Is it Rory McIlroy? Is it ... Webb Simpson? During one of the most interesting times in golf, we figure out who is No. 1 and apologize to those who don't make the cut. Sorry, DJ.

It's about time we admit it ... Bryson DeChambeau is changing golf. He changed his body, changed his swing and his results right now might just change the PGA Tour as we know it. We explore everything that Bryson was, is and might become on this week's episode of the Drop Zone.

Rory McIlroy has had the same coach since the age of 8, but you likely know very little about him. Michael Bannon, the man behind the curtain, joins the Drop Zone to dig deep on how a talented young golfer ascended to world No. 1. What was Rory like as a child? What lessons did Bannon learn from coaching him? And what would he tell parents with talented juniors just getting started?

Phil Mickelson is 50 years old. Fifty! In honor of the man known simply as Lefty, we are breaking down the 7 best things to love about Phil, from his legendary amateur career to his hunger for a little action during money games ... to his lack of hunger while fasting. Here's to you, PM. And to 50 more!

Golf is back. The PGA Tour is back. We're back talking about live golf! It's been about three months since we saw play stop at the Players Championship, which is one hell of an offseason. The truth is, you've forgotten countless things about where we left off, like how Tiger wasn't playing well, or playing at all. Or how Patrick Reed was winning his way through the haters, and how it was a two-man battle for Player of the Year. We catch you up on everything you forgot about this Tour season and preview what the rest of the year might hold in store.

When live pro golf made its return at Seminole and Medalist a couple weeks ago, there were no outside media members allowed on the grounds — but our Michael Bamberger has a way of showing up places. He joins the Drop Zone to share what it was like to experience golf’s strange new Florida Swing in person.

In recent weeks, some 98% of U.S. golf courses have opened for play. But it’s hardly business as usual. There are contradictions and unknowns that leads to the industry’s one big question: How are golf courses going to change? How is YOUR golf course going to change? We explore that topic and find some answers in this week's Drop Zone.

Go ahead and name a golf memorabilia item. Chances are, Golden Age Auctions has sold it. Green jackets? Check. Masters trophies? Check. Tiger Woods' golf clubs he used during the Tiger Slam? Check! This week, we dive into the world of golf auctions — one is live right now! — and learn everything there is to know about buying and selling golf history. Eventually, co-founder Ryan Carey entertains us with his top 3 fantasy golf auction items, which might be the next great golf debate.

Malcolm Gladwell hates golf — he's made that clear for years. Most recently, Gladwell called for the "liberation" of courses and republished an anti-golf Revisionist History episode devoted to his issues with the game. We listened back (with open minds!) and found that Gladwell cut a few corners. We're here to set the record straight, breaking down what Gladwell missed about golf while acknowledging there were some things he got right, too.

Behind every Tiger Woods win are the clubs he used and behind Tiger Woods' clubs is a wizard. A wizard club-maker from Texas who has a "gift." His name is Mike Taylor and we tell you all about his magic here on the Drop Zone. Equipment editor Jonathan Wall has the story, straight from the club shop in Fort Worth.

What would YOU do if Tiger Woods appeared out of nowhere during your round of golf — and wanted to play you for a Buick? For Beverly Rettinger, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. For the rest of us, it became the greatest Tiger Woods YouTube video ever.

Tiger Woods is the most famous golfer in the world, but after him? Probably the last two presidents. Next on the list is not Rory McIlroy or Brooks Koepka, but Michael Jordan. The basketball star picked up golf in the 80s, demanded to play in the 90s (and at the Olympics) and is now building the most epic golf playground he can imagine. He's absolutely addicted, and we explore every story of Jordan golf lore on this episode. Enjoy!

Holes in one are funny. They don't discriminate ... or do they? We all know a great player who has never made one, just like we all know that hack who has made multiple. We're going to introduce you to the man who has made more aces than anyone else. His name is Mancil Davis, and he's the luckiest golfer of all-time.

This week’s Drop Zone is an unlikely story of life and near-death at Augusta National. Seeing Amen Corner in person is at the top of most golf fans’ bucket lists. For Johnny Pruitt, it was where his life came to a hard stop — and then began again.

The Drop Zone is back! We’ve been reimagining the show with a new focus: Taking you deeper inside stories from the world of golf. For decades, the chapters of Tiger Woods’ life have played out in front of us. Mostly, they’ve been inspirational. But not always. This week, Michael Bamberger joins the show to break down how Woods has changed — and what we can learn from watching him. Bamberger's new book "The Second Life of Tiger Woods" is out in stores this week and let us add to its industry-wide praise: it is THE golf book to buy this year. -------- Click here for more on the book: https://fave.co/3dJk1pv

We're back! While the Drop Zone went on a slight hiatus, soon we'll be in your feed on a weekly basis once again. Only now, we'll be actually telling you stories. Storytelling and reporting are two things that GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine do better than anyone, so look for Dylan and Sean to host the the absolute best of that right here on this feed, every single week beginning very soon with an episode about Tiger Woods. See you soon ...

Robert Trent Jones Jr. — the man behind Chambers Bay, Poppy Hills, Spanish Bay and others — joins us this week to discuss his career as a designer. We talk through his various projects, reclaiming a course from flooding, creating courses for the U.S. Open and how course architecture is an art form. Enjoy!

Alan Shipnuck sits down with Michael Murphy the famous author of Golf in the Kingdom to discuss his everlasting novels, what golf means to him these days, what it was like watching Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach, and what he intends to do with his Kingdom characters in the future.

How good is Patrick Reed? Does Bryson deserve to be among golf’s most controversial figures? And what are we looking forward to in the Florida Swing? The Drop Zone breaks down a wild finish in Mexico.

Joel Dahmen joined us at the Genesis Invitational to break down all aspects of life on the PGA Tour, from the cliques to the traveling circus. Dahmen even set a prediction for himself at the Genesis...and then blew past it! Thanks to Joel for joining and showing why he’s one of the best hangs on Tour.

After a wild final round at the Genesis Invitational, we break down Adam Scott surviving Riviera, what it’s like to cover the event in person, what Rory McIlroy’s final round means, the state of Tiger Woods’ game and much more.