The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 1: Xander Schauffele and the Everything Bagel
Episode Date: May 22, 2024What are the best moments in sports history that are not remembered because the player's team ultimately lost the game? We dive through some nominees from Dan, Stu, and the Shipping Container. Then, M...ike and Stugotz can't believe the enormity of The Sphere, Connor McGregor continues to have star power, the Indy 500 used to mean something, and a debate over whether or not stealing a stream is actually stealing. Plus, Xander Schauffele, the winner of the 2024 PGA Championship, joins the show to discuss his favorite bagels, smoking cigars, how his international background shaped him, being challenged to be his best as a kid, winning a major, drinking from trophies, the coolest people he's heard from since winning, and the funniest parts from Scottie Scheffler's story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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This is the Don LeBattor Show with the Stugats Podcast.
Mike has a good nominee here Stugats from your Mets that I've totally forgotten about. He just said a name during the break that I basically just associate with one play. Yes. I don't have...
One play Hall of Fame.
I don't have any other information. He's been wanting to for a couple of days. Tyree's definitely in it.
He's been wanting to keep building out the one play Hall of Fame but the left fielder for the
Mets Andy Chavez. Yeah in a losing effort in the NLCS the St. Louis Cardinals ended up winning
that but an unreal catch that resulted in a double play because no one could believe that he made that catch.
Well, he was standing on the left field wall, was he not?
Basically, I saw this one.
I saw one time footage from Japan of a guy.
It was like the movie either Major League one or two.
Yeah, I was wondering if you were doing Major League too.
No, no.
The Asian guy in Major League was also standing up.
He stood at the very top of it.
But he was stealing that from an act look it up
We'll be able to find this we will be able to find on the internet
I'm sorry. I got it you got it you got
Busy doing something you got it. You don't know how to turn on your computer
You don't want to turn it off. You don't know how to turn on the volume. I don't know how to turn it off
I said I apologize what you don't do is just shut it down. That's what you did
last time because you couldn't figure out how to turn off the volume on your computer.
Can you guys get for me in video please? There's a catch in Japan of a guy just standing on
the left field wall. But Chavez isn't standing on the left field wall, but it's pretty close.
It's an unreal catch. And I think it's in that class of just iconic, you would think, game-changing moments,
but it ended up happening overall in a losing effort
because the Cardinals go on to lose that series,
to win that series.
And then in the World Series,
I believe the Texas Rangers were one strike away
from a championship in game six.
Then Freeze hits the home run?
Was it Freeze that hits the home run?
And then the St. Louis Cardinals
end up winning that World Series.
I was a baseball guy at one.
It was a long time ago.
At one point.
At one point.
Yeah.
One point.
Oh, this is, I'm seeing this catch right now.
I don't know.
There's a couple I'm seeing where in Japan,
people scaling walls.
I don't know if it's the one you're talking about.
It's absurd.
You can just keep playing an assortment
of great highlights of people stealing home runs.
I believe that that is the greatest feeling that sport can produce.
That ball being in your glove.
I believe it feels better than even making epic contact at the end of a game.
To end a game.
Man Pudge looked like he had the feeling.
Because that was like machismo.
Oh yeah I took your best shot
I got the bleepin ball. You're saying that's a better feeling than Aaron Boone had when he hit a walk-off home run
I'm saying if you can end a game
By robbing a home run having it in your glove and you're the only one who knows it
I think that feeling is better than the feeling of it hitting your bat and you know before anyone in the stadium
That you have the correct contact
because of how it feels, how you've connected.
I don't know, when Pedro threw Don Zimmer,
I think that was a pretty good feeling too.
Yeah.
And you just get him and just get out of here.
That was more of just to let his weight keep going.
It's an old guy.
It was like an Ole coming.
He had it coming.
Yeah, but you feel good about that one.
Put it on the pole, Juju. Did Don Zimmer have it coming?
I don't believe this show's stance on Don Zimmer,
an old person charging Pedro and Pedro throwing.
How old was Don Zimmer?
He was over 80.
Old enough to know better.
He's been over 80 since, you know,
for 30 years out of the womb.
Put it on the poll.
Has Don Zimmer been over 80
since emerging from the embryonic fluid?
I think I got the all time, like this is top ballot,
top of the ballot, moment that came
in an overall losing effort.
They did win that game, but they lost the series
in quick fashion, AI, stepping over Lou.
They won that game one to everyone's shock and surprise,
and then they promptly got gentlemen swept.
That was a shock, yeah.
They lost in five.
Don Zimmer was 72 at the time, he passed away at 83.
No way he was 72.
He was.
Well, he was 80 since the womb,
as Stu Gotts has already established.
He was an old 72.
I don't understand how it is that he could be 72.
Kobe have like a huge game winning shot
against the Detroit Pistons in the finals,
but they lost in five as well.
And that season was like talked about as an embarrassment.
That is correct.
Looking at that replay,
he does kind of grab the top of his head.
And I remembered it more as Pedro just kind of letting him go.
He does kind of grab his head and give him a toss.
It was a mixed martial arts expertise of using his momentum like grab this ears
Momentum that I remember it's more ear grabbing like it's not a great look for pet. He has a lot of head it yes
that is that is a lot of old head and
He does a belly flop on the crap
I think there's I think David Ortiz
afterwards is like oh he just has a like a guttural reaction to it like oh shit
look great oh he puts his arms out I mean that can be a disaster if someone of
that age falls that way they can break their hip that's usually the start of it
yeah I mean it could have been and we can laugh about it now, but that
could have been something that was super disastrous,
where Don Zimmer died seven months later,
because that's usually the start of it.
But what if Don Zimmer killed Pedro?
Ooh.
Well, that doesn't seem to be one of the options,
given the footage that we're presently watching.
Beat him to death with.
Pedro's arms flew off his body and stayed on the ears of Don Zimmer. Beat him to death with. Petro's arms flew off his body and stayed on the ears of Don Zimmerman.
Beat him to death with the arm of John Smiley.
Killian Mbappe putting France on his shoulders
to tie a game that looked over
in one of the all-time championship performances ever
only to lose to Argentina.
Man, that game was a fever dream.
I want to talk to Stugats about something that happened last night at
the Emmys because I don't know if you guys saw but Greg Olson one outstanding
personality and event analyst and is going to have to take a seven million
dollars a year pay cut because he's going to the second team now and Tom
Brady is taking his job.
I'm guessing that that has never happened in the history of the Emmys, not the Tom Brady
part obviously.
Sports Emmys.
That hasn't happened.
Yeah, the sports Emmys.
Thank you.
Greg Olson going from outstanding personality and event analyst to also you're going to
have to take a demotion and a seven
million dollar a year pay. And Tom Brady's gonna ask you for advice because
Tom Brady is asking him for advice. I mean this Brady guy taking his job
forcing him to take less he takes a demotion he's great at what he does and
Brady has the audacity to ask Greg Olson, hey, how do I do this?
Unbelievable.
Is it audacity?
Yes.
Tom Brady was famously helpful to teammates.
You think that if you were Greg Olson,
you wouldn't pick up his calls,
you wouldn't give advice, you wouldn't help?
Oh, I'm not certain what I would do,
but I mean just the stones on Brady
to call Greg Olson and say, hey, how do I do this?
I've never done it before.
You were great, I'm taking your job.
She give him bad advice.
Yeah.
Like things not to do.
Curse.
When he starts talking, talk over him.
It kills.
T.O. could have been the Willis Reed of our generation.
Playing on a broken leg in the Super Bowl?
Totally changed the entire reputation of his
because of that performance in a Super Bowl,
but Donovan McNabb was puking on the field.
Literally.
I couldn't believe that Terrell Owens made it back
for that Super Bowl.
I believe he missed the previous two pre,
the games with a broken leg.
What do you think they shot him up with?
The same stuff they gave on Inoby over the weekend.
Just a huge, I mean, he couldn't see straight his agree
It's not the same thing. He looked drowsy his right pupil was looking at his inner
It's what I do the next season was done
I mean seriously was no couldn't feel human emotion when they were so desperate to put him out there
They went for another Willis Reed moment because Tom Thibodaux was telling you this is what I need because my team's not good enough
That's correct don't forget that abstrain by Josh Hart. The only way the Knicks could be good
enough, it's like the concerts that Stugatz goes to, is if you're on copious drugs. I don't think
that's true. Thank you, Mike. I don't think it's true. Well, it might be true for jam bands.
I've tried.
I don't get it.
Maybe I need to do drugs.
Again, I don't do drugs.
I'm not a little dummy here or there, but I don't do drugs.
But that venue that Sugots was at is probably the only way I'd enjoy a jam band.
And they're the greatest of all time, Denning Company.
Well, Grateful Dead, really.
And you, I can't even imagine,
since that's your favorite band by a pretty wide margin,
the type of weekend that you had,
because we're gonna try to describe it right now,
and Dan, you've never been to the Sphere, right?
I'm sure it's amazing.
I've not heard anything other than people be amazed
by everything happening at the Sphere.
You know, it was interesting for me
because I started out in the 200 section,
like the 200 level, and I found myself, because I'm there for the sphere. You know it was interesting for me because I started out in the 200 section like the 200 level and I found myself because I'm there for the music
like I love that band it's the only band that I love but the visuals were so
amazing the show was so amazing I found myself spending more time looking at the
visuals than I did listening to the actual music and so I decided after four
or five songs I want a concert I want to focus on the music.
I'm on shrooms, I want to focus on something.
It's hard to focus when you're doing it.
So I went down to GA, I went down to the floor,
and then it started to feel like a concert.
Visual's still great, but felt more like a concert.
I can't imagine how people were tripping there.
Dan, I think-
They were afraid to stand up, Mike.
I was gonna say, when you're on drugs,
isn't it designed more steep than other theaters? Like I'd imagine
it's scary to stand on mushrooms. So there were two friends sitting right
next to me in the seats. They were standing at the beginning of the first
show I went to on Friday night and one friend had to sit down and he was like,
so he goes, he goes, yo man, I gotta sit down. And his other friend goes to him,
looks at him and says, man, I'm glad you said that.
I didn't wanna be the first.
We've all been there.
Then I looked over at both of them and said,
you guys okay?
They're like, we'll be okay.
I went to the Sphere when we were doing
our Super Bowl thing, I saw you two there.
I'm not a big you two guy, but you've been to the,
everyone here's been to the Grand Canyon?
I haven't.
Well, the best way that I can describe it is,
you can see all the pictures on the internet
of the Grand Canyon, you can hear all the first-hand accounts of the Grand Canyon,
but until you're there and there's nothing blocking you from experiencing it, it's unlike
anything that you've seen in this country, there's no real way to articulate it.
I think that venue is up there.
You can see all the cool venues, they look cool when you're scrolling through IG and
TikTok, but until you're there and you see the enormity,
keep in mind the Sphere is designed
to make it look even bigger than it actually is
through depth perception tricks and whatnot.
It's just unbelievable.
It is single-handedly, you could already put it up there.
It doesn't have the legacy of like Radio City
and all these other places,
but that is the greatest venue I've ever been in.
So I was in Vegas, I just missed you, God.
Stu was there the week and I was there during the week.
And anytime you look at the strip, you see the sphere.
We did like the big I, Ferris wheel, whatever,
and you look over the sphere and it is just enormous,
but it's so clear, like the screens on the outside
are so clear that the graphics that are floating around it
are like, if you're looking at it on your phone,
like right next to you.
I don't know what technology they have there,
but it's incredible.
Yeah, people think that what's going on outside
is like the same, that's just an entirely different monitor
and we have the NHL draft that's going to be randomly,
very randomly, the first sporting event there.
I love that.
I'm gonna watch the NHL draft,
not really knowing much about the prospects,
although I hear it's good class.
But UFC, Dana White has gone on record saying,
he may be hyping this thing up,
but he says it's gonna be one and done.
That the type of show that they have to produce to make it,
because you have to reformat everything,
you have to essentially build a brand new graphics package
for a screen like this.
He's like, it is so cost prohibitive
that people are gonna say they wanna do events at the Sphere,
but you're gonna quickly realize
that it's impossible to actually do this.
He's doing this. He knows it's going to be a loss.
He just wants to have this event at the sphere to have that as part of UFC's
legacy says it's going to be one and done.
O'Malley is going to be the, the fight. It's going to be O'Malley versus Marab.
So championship fight, but he's like this, I, for me, Stu, you've been inside,
Mike, you've been inside when you're talking about having a boxing match,
a UFC fight, anything where the fighters are now
in the screen, basically, like you
look at one part of the octagon or the boxing ring,
like the screen is going to be behind you.
It's like Tron.
You know when they have these big face-offs in Tron
and you have millions of people in the background going crazy
and the fight is just projected on that thing?
If that's what they're going to do,
if they're actually going to project the fight to scale,
it's going to seem like...
You can't use the sphere, not do something like that.
It's something that we can't comprehend,
and if you wanna comprehend it,
may I suggest downloading the Game Time app.
Wow.
Download the Game Time app, create a brand new account,
get $20 off.
Chris, are we going to New York?
I'll be there. We're going to New York.
We're going. Yeah. Well, we better start looking at that
game time app and seeing what our seats might look like at New York Rangers and Madison Square
Garden. Historically, expensive prices over there.
We get a low price guarantee just in case you find it cheaper anywhere else.
You're going tonight? No, no, no, we're going for game two. So you get to match that and more. You get stellar customer service from the fine folks over at Game Time.
And again, if you're creating a brand new account, you get $20 off with the promo code Dan.
D-A-N. Thank you to Game Time for all of their tremendous support.
Since the dawn of mankind, we've cooked our food over and over and flamed and debated the best way to grill.
One thing not up for debate, grilling and beer always go together. And not just any beer will do.
Whether you barbecue Texas style or celebrate Wednesday with burgers and dogs, you need a beer that tastes great and is less filling.
So you have more room for food. You need Mille-Lite.
As you guys may or may not know, I'm a pretty decent cook, especially behind the barbecue. So when I start the fire for my smoker on a hot day, really, the only thing that I have
to worry about is what wood I'm going to use.
The easiest decision for me is what I'll be drinking.
That's a nice ice cold can of Miller Lite.
Oh, and by the way, here's a pro tip.
It really goes well with brisket.
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A perfect companion for grill masters across America. With the Miller Lite in hand grilling doesn't just taste
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Dan Lebertard! Since you brought up fighting and since Tony is here there are a couple of things that
I wanted to ask Tony about.
One is the return of the mouthy Conor McGregor.
Can you guys tell me when's the last time he won?
Because he is still an enormous draw because of his past and because of his mouth, but
he is not any longer one of the best fighters in
mixed martial arts. But the other thing that I wanted to talk to Tony about is
because McGregor is, they have sold more than they've ever sold. This is going to
be the biggest gate and the biggest pay-per-view draw probably of all time.
Because of, you have an answer by the way, 2020 be cowboy saroni at usc 246 because of his star power and no matter who the fighter has been in
mixed martial arts they have not created a bigger star than connor McGregor but if he's not washed
he is not in any realm what he used to be and his life has seemed kind
of out of control in a way that makes it really difficult to get into optimal
shape because of the recklessness and the distractions and the drinking and
and the potential crime like there's just been a bunch of shit around him but
the other thing I wanted to ask you about because you're an expert at corruption the best we've got around here who isn't still
gots uh... you the fury who sick fight uh... had
one hundred and twenty million dollars lost because twenty million people are
estimated to have streamed it illegally
uh... so i don't know how they do the tabulations on this.
I know that Dana White is chasing around a single hacker
thinking that that is the person who is stealing his money.
But the idea that 20 million people would be able
to get something for free that would cost the people
doing the business $120 million worth of business,
I think that's happening in just Hialeah.
I believe that Tony was raised by a whole bunch
of resourceful Cuban people who know exactly how to do this
in my childhood.
My childhood is filled with Cubans who knew how to execute
this particular thing of stealing something
that wasn't theirs.
Stealing?
Stealing is a loaded dirty word
If anyone's stealing it's the UFC from the fighters am I right well this is yes, but this is
But Dan say the illegal streamers are the Robin Hoods of this story
There are some that are Robin Hood Robin Hoods that obviously don't want people to have to pay
79-89-99-120 bucks whatever ends up being but Dan when you look at these the streamers
You know hey who we've all been we've all been there
We've all done that you know like am I gonna pay 90 bucks to watch who's sick and fury probably not
But I know a guy who's got a jailbroken. You know little something or other so you're talking about Tony. What is that?
broken
broken what? I don't think you can VPN something or something.
I'm speaking on a microphone.
Tony, Ted Williams threw him off.
I don't want to hang on with your speech today.
I don't want to say things that are going to incriminate me
or people that I know.
So there's a jailbroken fire stick
that's been going around Miami that somebody that I know
possibly could hook you up with.
In the passenger seat of Stugatz's car when he's on gummies.
In the Midwest, right?
That's right.
That's right.
So I know somebody.
I don't want to incriminate that person or my relationship with that person,
but I will say that there are avenues for people to go out and watch fights,
watch sporting events that are maybe pay per view that you don't have to pay per
view.
In what world is this not stealing? I mean,
a rationalized world with no morals. Yeah.
It's kind of what we live in right now.
How so if It's stealing.
If you go to a bar and you go to watch Tony's MMA live
or whatever it's called, like live in person,
and the fight's on, you're not paying for the fight.
Right.
So it's free.
That's fair.
No, if it is a fight that is pay per view,
and you have not paid,
because you're getting it in your house illegally.
Free 99, we like to call it.
It's illegal. Right. The crime is- What laws? You're borrowing it in your house illegally 399 because it's like it's illegal right the crime
What laws is your borrowing exactly the bar pays Billy like the restaurant that they're at?
Yeah, but Tony doesn't if you're hungry and you steal a loaf of bread is it stealing hmm yes
Yeah, but you're hungry, but you're hungry
Hunger is the rationalization for the crime you're walking around the beach, and you break into Dan Levitard's car, but You're desperate. And hunger is the rationalization for the crime. You're walking around the beach and you break
into Dan Levatard's car, but you're desperate.
Is it a crime?
I'll let you get away with it.
Exactly.
But I could prosecute you.
All of a sudden, Big Daddy Me over here
against the streamers for some reason.
So what do you want to do, Dan?
You want to persecute?
You want to prosecute the people that are trying to just have
a good time and hang out with their friends?
They're trying to support your business
by not paying you for your product.
No, I just want to define it as stealing.
I neither want to prosecute nor persecute the thief.
Sometimes stealing is smart, Dan.
Put it on the poll please, that Lebatard show
is stealing, sometimes smart smart and also is watching a pay-per-view fight
without paying for it stealing. But there's just listen. I'm also stealing. But you're
not viewing it's a pay-per-view. You're not paying to listen. These are
copyrighted things people pay for the exclusive rights F1 is very vigilant
about this when you pay for the exclusive rights f1 is very vigilant about this when you pay for the exclusive rights
You're paying to have exclusivity not to have someone not pay for what they don't do paper
You watch it on someone to never hear about f1 again. I second that
Pretty big Motorsports weekend Monaco. It's a giant one. Isn't it? It's the biggest one of all time. Oh, come on
It's a big one. They said that last time This is a big one, isn't it? It's the biggest one of all time. Oh, come on. It's the biggest one of all time. They said that last time.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
It's the biggest one of all time.
I'm not a Formula 1 guy.
I'm not.
I'm not.
But it is Monaco.
And while the race isn't of a certain quality,
I have seen a few Monaco's in my day.
It's not a great race, but it is the prestigious race
in Formula 1.
And here in the United States, I grew up
in a time where the Indianapolis 500 meant something. It made stars out of guys like Tony Canaan and Helio Castroneves.
So it meant something, like you would go on late night with Letterman if you won the Indianapolis
500.
No, he's right.
Help me out, guys.
Rick Mears, yes, he's right.
Legacy media over here, help me out here.
No, you're right.
It's Tony Canaan.
It didn't matter how little you fought. When I was a kid, I thought that there was just, they call it IndyCar, I thought it just had one race in
season. That everybody worked to this one race. And when you consider the qualifying
process, it seems like it's taken a month all at that track, it's a really big deal.
Like I said, the entire sport is named after the Indy 500, and I actually have a tether,
because I never watch IndyCar, but I've gotten into NASCAR with Kyle Larson qualifying inside the top five
Unbelievable he's aiming to be the only person outside of Tony Stewart to ever lead a lap at both the Indianapolis
500 and then the NASCAR race that follows this this year's the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte only one person in human history
Has ever led a lap in both races on the same day. Not many people, I don't think a lot of people, I think other than
one other person other than Tony Stewart did it. In fact just finishing both races
in the same day is a monumental achievement. So I'm gonna be watching the
Indianapolis 500 only because of Kyle Larson and his pursuit of this unreal achievement in motorsports
and then the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, God's country, that is NASCAR country.
I'm locked into that as always.
Tony, Mike is right.
There was a time where the Indy 500 winner, if Gordon Johncock won the Indy 500, he would
mate the late night circuit.
You drink milk or something, right?
And then you go to the C-series.
You got to go around 500 times.
Common misconception, it's 500 miles is the race. It 200 laps 200 laps f1 is 57 laps child's play
Honestly a mockery of racing, but that's neither here nor there also who's in the pace car for the any 500 another another tether for you
Who can Griffey jr. From your oh my m?
My m's red hot by the way a huge comeback win at Yankee Stadium
We don't have to talk about the M's.
But the Indianapolis 500, like I mentioned, used to mean something.
And this is the first time I've watched it in several years.
It's just because a NASCAR driver's in it.
By the way, suspensions and fines levied against Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
I saw another angle of that fight and Ricky Stenhouse is literally screaming, Dad!
Dad!
As his dad gets punched in the face by Kyle Busch and then Ricky Stenhouse goes to Kyle
Busch and says, I'm gonna wreck you in Charlotte.
Is that the crazy Busch?
Uh, no, well if you look-
Trick question, they're both crazy.
They're both, especially if you dig into what happened to Kurt Busch.
I'm gonna wreck you in Charlotte is quite the thing to say.
It's like Talladega Nights, that's something Will Ferrell would say. I'm gonna wreck you in Charlotte is quite the thing to say. It's like Talladega Nights, that's something Will Ferrell would say.
I'm gonna wreck you in Charlotte,
and then what Kyle Busch says is,
bring it, I suck as much as you.
This season's a waste.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Let's get the video up here Stugatz,
quickly for Celtics fans,
leaving last night's game early,
so that I can revisit Stugatz's Ray Allen experience.
Stugatz left the arena to beat the traffic, game six.
Ray Allen makes one of the most historic shots ever.
Stugatz hears the vibrating arena, tries to get back in,
but evidently, I don't know if there's a rule everywhere,
but in Miami, once you've left the arena,
you cannot get back in. They will not allow you in even if there's a rule everywhere but in Miami once you've left the arena you cannot get back in they will
Not allow you in even if you have a dollar. Yeah, I did try to get back in
I knew I was not getting back in everyone else tried to get back in and as they were walking running past me
I told them you're not getting back in like I feel like in retrospect
You have no regrets because you definitely beat traffic, which was your objective that day
Oh, yeah, but I missed one of the great shots of all time.
You're fine though.
Yeah I was fine.
But had he lost game seven it would have been on Taylor's list.
I was sleeping by 10.45, I was good.
You guys have to understand that when he's talking about it he'll tell people he was
there anyway.
He was there.
You're the only guy that knows.
He wasn't there for the shot.
He was at the game.
I saw everything.
But he wasn't and he didn't. I saw everything, yeah. But he wasn't, and he didn't.
He heard the noise and then was confused.
I wish we had video of that, of a startled Stugatz,
like trying to waddle to his car quicker than everybody
and then wondering where everybody is
because he's the only one waddling to his car.
I thought of another all-time moment
that happened in a losing effort.
Many said it was impossible when the Intimidator broke his collarbone to win the pole at Watkins Glen. He won that
pole and won the race, but he won the pole with a broken collarbone. Raise hell. Praise
Dale. Billy, you said you didn't want to hear anymore about race. F1, I said. Don LeBattard. Let me get some golf ASMR. Stugatz. Oh, f**k me. This is the Dan Lebatard show
with the Stugatz.
Sander, there is nothing in your teeth. You look like a champion. You look like you have
the smile of a champion. You look like a winner. He is 30 years old.
He's a bona fide star on the PGA Tour.
After making the final group on Sunday,
four times this season,
finally won his first major PGA Championship this Sunday.
And it's his first win since 2022.
It was such a feel-good win for people
who love golf and love Xander
because he has been so close so many times
Dan he's been in 28 majors finishing the top 25 I think 21 times but right now he's struggling
with something in his teeth and I don't know what it is what is happening why why are you struggling
so much with what's happening with your mouth right now entire trouble just out of everything bagel I
there's something in there you know know, it's a dangerous baby
It is those are tough before an interview a lot of seeds
There's a lot is put it on the pole is the everything bagel tough right before an interview you going chive cream cheese plain
What are we doing here?
It was actually a little like breakfast bagel. So
It was nice but you know tough time though yeah agent texted me he's like you got to get on and I was like oh shit I was like me
well well you're fine don't worry about it but what is the trophy casually being
over your shoulder so great yes what is the greatest of the bagels go ahead and
and make the perfect bagel for us. Everything bagel toasted. I kind of like a little bit more of a toast on it as well.
I like a little bit of a double toasted. Yeah, well, double toast for sure.
And then, you know, just some cream cheese. I keep it simple, just like everything else.
Nothing else. You don't want locks. You don't want anything.
Just cream cheese, a preferred schmear of any kind.
Like, do you have a brand that you endorse? No, not really.
All right. That concludes that particular cul-de-sac where the interview questions end there.
I want to ask you though about the bad parenting in your life that involves you getting cigars at
10 years old. Like that doesn't seem, that seems like something that everyone in your family should
be against
I have a you know, my dad's half French half German. My mom's Taiwanese group in Japan
We're pretty you know, we have a worldly background So I don't know where it started but I was around cigar smoke for for quite some time
Well, I thought it was ten years old which sounds too early to me. It is too early
Smoking a cigar at 10. I was in I was getting secondhand high I guess it was 10 years old, which sounds too early to me. It is too early. How are you smoking a cigar at 10?
I was getting secondhand high, I guess.
So was I.
Well, that's smoking.
Yeah, OK.
So when did you start smoking cigars,
and what is your expertise in this area?
I'm a rookie.
I mean, I'll smoke them with pretty much anyone.
But usually celebratory is the region.
Social to celebratory is how I'd categorize my smoking.
And then, yeah, I think the first cigar I ever tried
was probably when I was 12 or 13.
Not 10 at least.
Yeah, and it's still pretty early.
What can you-
Just a touch,'s a touch.
It wasn't much.
An inhale.
What can you tell us is unusual about your upbringing when you have that,
when you have so much different culture in your upbringing,
what would you identify as some of the things most responsible for forming you?
Good question. some of the things most responsible for forming you?
Good question. I'd say it was an unorthodox approach to just about everything. The way we you know, the like, it was very
European, I guess the way like we have three hour dinners when
we'd have conflicts, we would sit and
talk about what happened. It wouldn't be like go to your room, you're grounded. Like I've never been
grounded in my entire life. So all these like it was an interesting like a lot of conversation,
we talked through a lot of the problems like my dad, my mom, they always wanted me to understand
what was going on while I was in trouble if I was ever in trouble. I mean, like I felt like I could
do pretty much anything
as a kid compared to a lot of my other friends.
But I always think back to when I was a kid,
I was like, why didn't I do more dumb stuff
if my parents didn't really mind?
And so they obviously had some sort of hook in me there
knowing that I wasn't gonna do anything too bad as a kid.
But yeah, the international background
has brought a lot of a lot of
culture a lot of food and a lot of family into the whole thing. When you
mentioned cultural influences which would you say was the greatest like
which was the one that pushed you forward the most? I mean it's a it's a
mix I mean I you know Asian culture is super family oriented. German, the Germans and the
Japanese, you know, historically have gotten along in the past.
They, they they still a lot of discipline, a lot of
perfection, a lot of work ethic. And then the French, the
French kind of aspect, you know, my dad's half French, and, you
know, he tries to explain how how they live their lives, they try to enjoy how they live, you know, sa dad's half French and, you know, he tries to explain how they live their lives.
They try to enjoy how they live, you know, sava vivre, whatever it means.
He would always say that as a kid for me growing up.
Like it's just a way, like live your life a certain way and to enjoy everything.
So you take your time when you eat dinner, you take your time when you're with your friends.
You're never really in too much of a rush.
So there's a lot of clash with
the cultures, but I'm kind of just like a melting pot of a lot of it. Where the discipline come from
though, because it's such a lonely sport, it requires such perfectionism. So the discipline
about being meticulous, where does that come from? Yeah, definitely, you know, the Asian in me you know stereotypically and uh the German for sure just the the German drill
sergeant from my you know my dad's perspective was just just hounding hounding down on me you know
always just make you know holding me accountable um you know we'd have conversations about what I
what I'd like to do you know how I want to about my work. And it didn't take a whole lot.
Once I came out with what I was trying to do myself
and I verbalized it, my dad would hold me to my words often
and it didn't take a lot for him to push me
because I said it all and there's things that I wanted.
So he just held me to a high standard.
Give me the most extreme example you can think of
from your childhood of trying to meet the expectations
around that kind of pushing.
He never really pushed.
He like, I just, when I sat down, you know, I mean, I was,
I was just like any kid.
I wanted to hang out with my friends.
I wanted to, you know, go to the mall after school.
I wanted to do all those small things, but you know,
my dad told me if you want to be great at anything, you have to put a ton of hours into it and
you're young so you can get a nice head start. And so he's like, I will help you
if you are committed and I will love you if you're committed. I will still love
you if you're not committed. But this is a choice you need to make right now. And
it's a hard choice because you're a kid. And so I just remember those times, you
know, we're schooled and and I would try to hitch a ride from my buddies
because I was pretty young when I was, you know, I was like 13
when I got to high school, my parents were foreigners, but I
was just trying to go to like just trying to get myself to the
golf course and you know, in the random days where I was tired
after school, it was like, you know, get out at 3pm. And you
know, I'd be at home, my dad would come home from work, he'd
be like, did you practice? And I would look at him, you know,
like every kid looks at their parent when they mess up
and he didn't really have to say anything else.
And I just felt this like overwhelming guilt in my body
because I told him that I was committed
and I told him that I wanted this
and I was letting him down
and I was letting myself down more than anything.
So I don't know how he did it,
but he freaking, he played some nice mind games with me
when I was a kid.
Zander, I've got no connection point to being a good golfer let alone one that's
Barreling down on the precipice of winning a championship like you just did
typically
People that cruise to a title they have a charmed existence
And I don't know what your mindset is
But you had to play really good golf to win this one
He had some of the best golfers in the world on an absolute heater, informed to win a title.
Are you paying attention to what other people are doing
on the course, knowing that you have to lock in
that much more, or are you just tuning in out
and trying to play your game?
Well, I mean both.
There's these leaderboards that are like 30 by 30.
They're massive, you just see them everywhere.
So I look at it, I recognize it. I embrace it.
And then I just have to lock in. I got to realize, you know, why am I in this position? It's because
I've been staying in my lane. It's because I've been doing all these things the way I do them.
And so it's easy to get lost in the sauce, like looking too far ahead. And you just look at the
board, you accept it, you embrace it, and then you just get to work. You know exactly what you have to do to win a tournament and hard parts doing it, obviously,
but just locking in, locking in after every shot.
It's like a weird three hours of your life because it's going really fast, but it's also
so slow at the same time.
It's strange.
It's hard to explain.
Xander, we have video here of the second shot on 18.
You have two feet in the sand, the ball's above to explain. Zander, we have video here of the second shot on 18. You have two feet in the sand, the balls above your legs.
I tell the guys that I told them yesterday,
that's one of the greatest shots in golf history
that no one will ever talk about.
Do you agree with me?
Yeah, I mean, it's nerve wracking.
I mean, I've hit that shot.
If you've played a sport enough and you're surrounded,
you're in their sport a ton, like golf, for example,
I've hit it everywhere on a property
you can possibly imagine.
So I've had a shot like that before,
and I wasn't too nervous about it.
And like you said, everyone was playing incredible golf.
Like I knew I had to make a birdie,
and if you're trying to win, you have to go for it.
So I knew chipping out, you know,
and trying to hit an iron up on that ridge
wasn't gonna get me a birdie.
I knew punching it up there somewhere was gonna give me the best chance and opportunity to win this golf tournament.
How many beers have been consumed out of that trophy behind you?
You know, we started with some champagne.
You know, we're in Kentucky, so there was whiskey, like classically, some bourbon.
It was we had we had a nice go with it.
We had a small crew there at the rental.
When we get back to, I'm in Florida right now, but when we get back to San Diego, that's
where Austin's from and a lot of my, you know, that's where I grew up.
So I'm sure, and then my parents are on a whole nother level, you know, they have their
like crews they're going to go out with.
So there's a good chance my parents actually drink more out of this than I do.
I have so many questions, but we have limited time with you.
Who are some of the coolest people you've heard from over the last couple of days that
you find moving?
You know, Tigers reached out, you know, a lot of guys on tour have reached out.
They've been super supportive.
You know, MJ texted me.
I got to know him a little bit better at joining the Grove here in Florida.
Steph Curry reached out, he's a Callaway staffer, so it's been an awesome, it's cool to have
other sporting figures reach out to me.
Good that you said MJ.
I mean, yes, but he's got a good list.
I want to kind of go through his texts here, but who hasn't reached out that should have?
My dad, my dad. Who's the person?
I mean I am yeah my phone I thought my phone was going to explode so I'm still like
I'm constantly just trying to get back to everyone's been so supportive. I'm
just trying to get back to everyone individually. I thought my phone was leaking over heat
at some point. What's your go to response? Because you're getting so many. It's kind
of like when you get birthday messages, like are you just saying thanks, bro? Like what's
your go to response to all the congratulations you're getting?
I definitely I'm not a copy and pacer. So I mean, I'll read read what they wrote and
you know, I'll try to respond accordingly. Salute emoji. Salute emoji.
Just the heart. You just heart it and move on.
No. No. Yeah. That's like a nice thing that the iPhone did or Apple or iMessage,
where you can just heart everything. But I'll write a text. I'll address who they are
just so it doesn't feel like I'm just ripping through these things.
You hear from Scotty or his hands tied?
That's a good joke no yeah Scotty and Meredith they're awesome Meredith when that's going down are you like well this field just opened up
yeah it's the number one golfer in gives me a certain advantage to have him in jail. It does break up the groove.
There's only a few ways to beat the guy, you know what I'm saying?
What is the best of the group chat?
Because I've been told by sources that the group chat that you have changed the group
chat to include Scheffler's mugshot.
That was not, there was someone else on our table that did that.
It was the day after. That was not there was someone else on our table that did that
It was the day after we need old Scotty he's picked it like a champ so
our real a group chat for our physio table it ended up being a mugshot of Scotty and
Took it great. He's up and actually smiling at everybody
But take us through you learning the news and how where you were just take us through everything
that happened there where you realize my friends in jail.
This isn't terrible for me he can they can wait a while
before they let him out.
Yeah, I mean I thought it was a prank and I woke up I woke up
a camera with time 7.45 or 8 o'clock or something I try to
sleep in and my you know my wife has media on her phone I don't I don't have what time, 745 or eight o'clock or something. I try to sleep in and my wife has media on her phone. I don't have anything on my phone.
So she showed me, she's like, what is this?
And I was like, it must be a prank or something.
And then we turned the TV on
and he's just plastered all over ESPN.
So I was like, oh shit, that's kind of interesting.
And then news started coming out,
but I don't know if you guys know him at all
or I've ever talked to him. He's he is like he's a concrete dude. He's solid
so like I know him pretty well now and I've competed against him and
He there's no way he would ever do anything to harm anyone except a competitor or a golf ball. So
All well and fine, but what was the funny thing? What was the no he's not gonna answer that
I know I've got to get to the club club what happened to do process holding so quick the funniest
stuff with Scotty being in prison jail not prison yeah hard time yet still
pending he was like what he cheesed up are you saying to yourself how do you
get out so quick?
I mean, no, I mean, I think the funniest thing I was like, I don't know how people in Kentucky
had like a screen printer, but they had like mugshot shirts like an hour and a half after
he was released.
And I was like, I'm walking around property, you know what I mean?
And like kids are wearing a free Scotty shirt.
I'm like, people are, people are incredible these days.
I don't know how they do it.
Yes or no question. We will let the champion go on this one. Yes or no, you will at one
point wear one of those t-shirts in front of him.
Yes, I would 100% wear it in front of him.
Okay, let's make sure he gets one please. Xander, thank you for being on with us. We
appreciate it and congratulations.
Thanks, boys.
Since the dawn of mankind, we've cooked our food over an open flame and debated the best way to grill.
One thing not up for debate, grilling and beer always go together. And not just any beer will do.
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So you have more room for food.
You need Mille Light.
As you guys may or may not know, I'm a pretty decent cook, especially behind the barbecue.
So when I start the fire for my smoker on a hot day, really, the only thing that I have
to worry about is what wood I'm going to use.
The easiest decision for me is what I'll be drinking.
That's a nice ice cold can of Mille Light.
Oh, and by the way, here's a pro tip.
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96 calories per 12 ounces.