Show notes
Nelly Korda's Historic Run, the Ryder Cup Captain's Picks Debate, and the Craziest Tiger Woods Story You Have Never Heard
It is mailbag time on Golf Live. Trey and Justin Ray answer your questions — and along the way tell one of the most incredible stories in golf history that somehow does not get told nearly enough.
How Dominant Is Nelly Korda's Run, Historically
Nelly Korda just won four of her first eight starts in a season — something only one other player has done in the last twenty years. Lorena Ochoa won five of her first eight in 2008, but neither Ochoa nor the previous version of Korda won multiple majors during that stretch the way Korda just did. Justin does not think the run is over.
And then there is the historical comparison that puts it all in perspective. The mid-1990s stretch between Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb — the "I'm Annika and you're not" or "I'm Karrie Webb and you're not" era — was, in Trey's words, an entirely different level of dominance. For about four years it felt like one of those two players won basically everything. Annika beat Karrie in a playoff during that stretch and that was just how it went for years. Justin's response says it all — you think Scotty and Rory are dominant? This was something else.
The Ryder Cup Format Debate
A viewer asks the question that comes up every two years — why not just take the top 12 in points and remove captain's picks entirely? Take the politics out of it.
Trey appreciates the spirit of the question but pushes back hard. The points are accumulated over a two-year period, and players who earned points eight or nine months ago are not necessarily playing the same golf now. Captain's picks allow for the human element — accounting for who is hot right now, who fits a particular course, who pairs well with whom. Justin agrees but adds the caveat — if you removed picks entirely, the points system would need to be flawless, which it currently is not. Both land in the same place. This is a feel game as much as a stats game, and a great captain has to marry both.
Does the Memorial Deserve Major Status
Short answer from both Trey and Justin — no, and that is fine. The Memorial is Jack Nicklaus's tournament, has an elite field, a brutal setup, and a course that absolutely feels like a major. But Justin makes the broader point — not everything needs the major label to be great. The Players Championship, the Tour Championship at East Lake, these are all elite events in their own right without needing to borrow the major designation. And credit to the Tour for finally moving the Memorial off the week immediately before the US Open, something Nicklaus himself once called a slight.
Why Do the Europeans Dominate the Presidents Cup
A great question with a great answer. The perception is that the format favors alternate shot, which should theoretically even things out. But Justin points out the real reason — European players have an entire infrastructure of team competitions outside the Ryder Cup cycle. The Seve Trophy, the Royal Trophy, the Eurasia Cup, and more recently the Hero Cup all give European players reps in match play team formats that American players simply do not get. Trey adds that this is exactly the kind of feeder program Jim Furyk has talked about wanting to build on the US side — so playing these formats does not feel unfamiliar when it actually matters.
How Often Do Amateurs Actually Contend at the US Open
The last amateur to finish in the top 10 at the US Open was Jim Simons in 1971. Fifty-five years ago. Justin notes that even getting there is the real accomplishment for most amateurs — the 72-hole grind at US Open difficulty without a single blow-up hole is one of the hardest tests in golf, and most of what amateurs take from the experience is the scar tissue and lessons that shape their eventual professional careers.
What Are They Most Excited to See at Shinnecock
Both Trey and Justin want to see the players struggle — in the best way. The US Open's identity is brutality. Firm, fast, thick rough, and after a wet spring, that rough is going to be nasty. Scottie Scheffler made a scouting trip to Shinnecock recently and called it a brutal test. Justin puts Shinnecock in the same tier as Oakmont and Pebble Beach as venues that simply feel like the US Open in a way few other courses do. And the history backs it up — the last time the Open was at Shinnecock in 2018, Brooks Koepka won at one over par, and since then no major winner in the men's game has shot worse than 73 in a first round. Brooks shot 75 and did not care.
The Tiger Woods Story You Have Never Heard
And then the story that closes the show. Justin's favorite US Open memory is personal — his first event on the road in 2010 at Pebble Beach, riding a golf cart with Trey behind Tiger and Phil, and meeting Chris Berman for the first time (who immediately christened him "Justin Time, better than Dustin Time" after Dustin Johnson's collapse that Sunday).
But Trey's story is the one that will stop you in your tracks.
At the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach — the tournament where Tiger Woods won by 15 strokes, with second place at three over par, one of the most dominant performances in the history of major championship golf — the second round had to be finished Saturday morning after being suspended. The night before, Stevie Williams had taken balls out of Tiger's bag so Tiger could practice putt on the hotel room carpet. He forgot to put them back.
Tiger steps to the 18th tee. Pumps a drive into the ocean. Stevie reaches into the bag. There is exactly one ball left.
If that ball goes into the ocean, Tiger cannot finish his round. He is disqualified. They cannot get another set of those balls — it was an experimental Nike ball that was not even available for sale at the Pebble Beach pro shop. The greatest performance in the history of major championship golf simply does not happen.
Stevie had a choice. Tell Tiger this is the last ball — and risk rattling him — or say nothing and trust him. He said nothing. Tiger called for driver. Stevie, from behind him, was just hoping to find land.
It found land. The rest is history. Twelve strokes under par. Fifteen shots clear of second place. And it all came down to one golf ball that almost went in the Pacific Ocean on a Saturday morning nobody was watching. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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