THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome the captain of Crushers GC, Bryson DeChambeau; Patrick Reed from 4Aces GC; and the captain of RangeGoats GC, Bubba Watson. I'll start out by letting you guys know that Friday is going to mark the 100th round of competition of LIV Golf. Let that sink in for a minute; think about everything that's transpired since London of 2022 to now our 100th competition round, and I'd like for each of you to go down the line and kind of reflect on these last 100 rounds and all that we've accomplished, where we started, and where we are right now.
Bubba, I'm going to start with you.
BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, this is exciting times. When I think about going through the motions of deciding I wanted to come to LIV, I thought about the 10-year plan, on paper, what the goals were, and it's met my expectations. It's been better than that.
We've changed the face of golf. So to be on that side of history is pretty special.
I know years ago when the PGA TOUR made that same decision, and when I'm saying years ago, we're talking '50s, '40s, whatever year Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus and them made the other tour, so we're a part of that. It's an honor and a privilege to say I'm a part of that. Scottie Scheffler has made a lot of money this year because of the changes that we've started putting in place.
I believe that golf is actually growing in the right spot, and I think team golf is here to stay. So I'm excited for the next few events, the next few years, and hopefully the RangeGoats can beat the Crushers.
THE MODERATOR: Patrick, when you reflect back on these last couple of years and 100 rounds, what comes to mind? What comes up for you?
PATRICK REED: Too many rounds, no wins. That's what comes to my mind.
No, I think the biggest thing was when we first started, obviously we knew the plan. We knew what LIV was trying to do and what the mold and what we were going to do, and for it to come around so quickly and how successful it's been so fast is absolutely outstanding. I've loved every minute of it.
I can't wait to continue playing and for a lot more rounds than 100 and get hopefully to 1000 soon and just watch it continue to grow and change the game of golf and show a faster and more fun side of golf, not just the old traditions. Things need to evolve. Things need to change. I feel like that's what LIV is. They've stepped into a world that was all about tradition only and has changed the face of golf for the better, and I feel like with LIV, we're now allowed to touch a lot broader and better way of golf. Golf is boring, slow, long, and we've now brought in the fast and more entertaining part of life.
Q. Bryson, how far we've come, how quickly did you expect us to be as far along as we are after only 100 rounds?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, look, I didn't know where we would exactly be after 100 rounds, but I can tell you that the ideas behind it, especially when I was having conversations back in 2022 and whatnot with where this was going to go, I expected there to be a lot of progress, but the progress has been amazingly awesome, from everything that we've done, everything that each team has individually done, the players, what they've done to make this league what it is now today is quite impressive.
As I look at a five-year vision, 10-year vision, I just see this thing exploding here shortly.
When people start to see the true value that we're bringing, that intrinsic value is only going to exponentiate over the course of time, which is what I'm excited for. I'm waiting for that kind of domino effect, for it to start falling in that cool direction that we see here on our side at LIV, especially with the team aspect.
It feels a lot like -- it's some of the highest level golf but you feel like you have a family out here and some really good friends that can help, I guess you could say, make everybody better. That's what I'm excited to see is how that progresses, how it transforms, the sponsors that come in, the people that are a part of it, that want to be a part of it.
For me to see that potential out there, we've just got to get after it and get it because it's all right there for the taking, and I'm super excited for these 100 rounds and how they've gone. Obviously I've won a couple, and the Crushers have done well, and we've won a team championship, and I'm super proud of the guys. That's what we've set out to do.
But we want to keep doing that. We want Paul, Baan, Charles to keep pushing forward and I'll keep doing my job, and that's what I'm excited about, and hopefully it pushes these guys on other teams to keep pushing forward, as well.
Q. Patrick and Bubba, you guys spent a lot of time at the Greenbrier, bringing your family here. You really love it. Tell me what makes the Greenbrier so special.
BUBBA WATSON: The atmosphere. When you think about the atmosphere, this is a community. This property runs this community. A lot of people from this community work here. They're proud of this. This has got a lot of history here, and then when you think about the beauty with the hills, the mountains, the trees, the water, there's so many activities you can do here --
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Nature, right, Bubba? You're all about nature.
BUBBA WATSON: Yes, giving back, going green.
Yeah, so when I think about all the stuff that you can do as a family, there's so many things you can do.
I think Thomas Pieters, he went on a buggy ride yesterday. He went a little fast, I heard, but he survived it. There's so many things you can do around here that are fun, fun for families, fun for kids.
Again, the atmosphere, the people around here just treat you so lovingly. I lived here for a few years, and gosh, I have got great memories about living here at Greenbrier.
PATRICK REED: One thing about this place is one of the words he kept saying, family. It's a place that at least when my family, everyone comes, they treat you like family. They treat you like you're one of their own.
Obviously when you look at the place, you look at the rooms and everything, it's like taking a step back in time. I think that's an absolutely amazing place to be able to put your phone down and slow everything down. The world these days is so fast. Everything has to get done so quickly.
Every time I've come here with my family to Greenbrier, everything stops, and it's slow motion. You actually get to enjoy life, enjoy your time with family. You have so many activities to do, and the golf course is absolutely amazing, even when I go and play in 40-degree weather during Thanksgiving and things like that.
It's one of these places that it doesn't matter what your age is. There's something to do that everyone can do, and it includes everyone. I think that's huge, especially nowadays, that everyone is included, everyone has something to do, everyone has fun. You just have quality family time.
The staff in this area and the people are what help make that happen.
Q. Bryson, you love Greenbrier for a different reason.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I like it for family, as well. I can tell you quickly, this place feels like I'm a kid again. You get out here and you see nature, you see the trails, you see going on a hike -- I grew up in Fresno. We'd go up to the mountains every once in a while, and that's kind of what it feels like a little bit. Obviously it's more forested here and whatnot with different trees.
But what I can tell you is, yes, 58 -- 61, 58 on the weekend, won last year. I mean, shoot, couldn't be more special.
Being here in general is just an amazing experience that you feel at home. It's a really cool feeling for me to come back every single time I've been here, whether it was previous to LIV or now, and still just feel incredibly comfortable. The people here, fantastic. Like Patrick said, they just make you feel like you're at home, like you're part of a great big family.
I just feel like a kid again being here.
Q. Let's talk about that 58. This was where you shot 12-under 58, which was the lowest round in LIV Golf history. Your 23 under combined winning total remains the lowest of any LIV Golf champion. You finished the round with 13 birdies and one bogey. This week we have a Bryson Watch Zone in the fan village where fans can go and watch any shot anytime to see if you can break your 58 record or match it. Just a year on, can you just take a moment to reflect on that week, reflect on that day and what's transpired since then?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, I won't go too deep into it, but I can tell you that was the day my life changed for the better for sure. Previous to that I had been struggling with my golf game, not really understanding how to get the job done again. It had been a while since I had felt like I had done anything.
Played well at Valderrama, did well at the PGA, but still just didn't feel like I had it to win.
Coming here last year, I had this new piece of equipment, driver in play that I felt like I was going to be able to hit a lot straighter, and ultimately that was a massive different for me in order to be more comfortable on the golf course, hit it straighter with the distance I had.
PATRICK REED: 360 and straight.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, it was going far and straight, and just having some wedges into greens and having a good wedge game that week and making a lot of putts. Everything lined up finally again the way I've seen it do in the past. That's what jump started me to how I've been playing this past year, jump started me to winning the U.S. Open this year and continuing to play some really stellar golf.
I just can't be more excited that this was the place it started at because I've always loved it. It's always had a place in my heart. Shoot, it's just one of those things you come here and you just feel like it's home, and that's what I felt like last year. I was super comfortable.
The 58, I don't know how to explain it. Just kind of semi-blacked out I guess you could say. It's one of those moments the last four holes I'm trying to win a tournament, but it started to rain and I just kept focusing on my game. I didn't get outside of this bubble that I created for myself and I wanted to focus on hitting the next best shot. I think that's what really pushed me on to focusing obviously winning the tournament but to shoot in the 50s and then obviously to make the 40-footer on the last hole for 58, that was just the cherry on top. What a special moment, a special place in my heart forever, and probably the greatest scoring round, if not -- it is the greatest scoring round of my life, but probably one of the most special moments of my entire life.
Q. Bryson, you shot 58, you didn't make an eagle, you suffered one bogey. Can you foresee a time when maybe you break 58? Is that within the realm of possibility at some point in your career do you think?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, I'm trying to break 50 on my YouTube channel. But I can tell you breaking 58, I'm sure someone is going to do it at one of these times at some point. We're just too good now. There's going to be a time where everything kind of lines up. David Duval was one of the first, Al Geiberger was the first, Mr. 59, and then David Duval and others have done it since then, and it's starting to get a little easier. It's like runners breaking I think the 4-minute mile; it was one person that broke it, and the next year there were 12 or whatever or something like that.
I feel like that opens up the door, and with Joaquín shooting 59 this year, you're just starting to see it more and more. I believe there will be a 57 at some point, even a 56 potentially.
I think a 57 has been potentially shot on other tours before, but it's going to just get more consistent over the course of time. We're just too good now, and it's fun. When you're in that mindset and you've got that, oh, we're going low and making everything, these guys know, it's why we do it. It's why we play golf.
Q. Bubba, you know this place as well as anybody. It's given up three sub-60 rounds here. Why is that? Why this place in particular seems to do that?
BUBBA WATSON: I think the first thing is the condition of the course. It's always in great shape. When you're in the fairway, you know you can flush it out of the fairway. You're going to have a lot of wedges if you're hitting your driver 360 and straight.
PATRICK REED: And you're putting.
BUBBA WATSON: And you're putting to every green. It couldn't make an eagle, though.
It's the condition of the course first. The greens are always running really nice. They're smooth. So that gives you confidence there. Then if you're hitting your driver well. I think if you look at everybody, obviously they're all playing well to shoot in the 50s, but this place, it breeds that confidence in you, like he was saying, like you start making putts. He didn't think about the rain. He was so focused on what he was doing because he was in that moment, blacked-out moment where he just was so focused on his goal that he wasn't even thinking about score, and then next thing you know you add up the score and you're in the 50s. So I think that's really what it is. It starts with the confidence of the golf course and then it builds from there.
Q. Patrick, can you see other sub-60 rounds out here?
PATRICK REED: Yeah. I think that's the biggest thing is these greens are so pure that if you're hitting the ball really well and giving yourself a lot of looks, once that putter gets hot, you have an opportunity. There's a decent amount of short enough holes where you're going to have a lot of wedges. The par-5s if you're -- with this guy's length over here, you're getting to both of them with irons in your hand, and yeah, if you run on a heater like that, you get going, especially early, it just gives you all that confidence. No matter where you're playing, if you start off with a bunch of birdies right off the bat, you just have that confidence to keep pedal down and keep going.
Obviously Bryson did that, and to be able to go out and shoot what he did, especially in the rain here last year, was something special. But the bigger question is what did him and Phil shoot yesterday from the forward tees. That's a bigger question.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I heard they shot worse.
PATRICK REED: Because when they played through me on 14, they were at 13-under through 14, and I'm sitting there trying to add up, and I'm like, Bryson might beat them alone.
But no, I mean, you can definitely see it with the talent that the guys have out here, with how good this golf course is and the shape it's in.
Yesterday was a prime example. Golf course was so pure, weather was perfect, very little wind. It was a perfect scenario yesterday that somebody could go low if they get on a hot streak. I think the most impressive thing about what Bryson did was it was wet. It was wet, it was raining, and he was still able to have that control because when you add moisture to the golf ball, it's hard to get that golf ball to go exactly where you want all the time.
For him to go out and shoot 58 in that kind of conditions was something special.
Q. Bryson, you mentioned the Break 50. You're going to drop another one today. It's gotten about 20 million views, I think, total, of all the Break 50s that you've had. What is it about that particular series that you think has become so popular?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Look, first off, it's an interesting challenge.
BUBBA WATSON: No invite my way, whatever. All the other guys suck. We could beat 50.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Can we now? Let's do it in Dallas then.
BUBBA WATSON: I'm busy that week.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: So I think first off, it's a really interesting challenge. Just talking to Phil yesterday about it, he was saying, man, I thought this was going to be a lot easier from the forward tees. I'm like, no, it makes your driving that much more difficult because you're trying to drive it into a 15-yard area where the green is, and then you've got to make eagle -- well, if it's a par-72 you've got to make it five times. You've got to make eagle five times, and sometimes there's not all par-5s out there where you can drive it and hit a wedge up there. The par-3s are the most difficult part of the challenge because you've got over 100 yards and you're trying to get up-and-down for birdie, not an eagle like you would be on a par-5.
He was like, man, I never thought it would be this difficult when we were out there and playing. It was like, yeah, this is the real deal. It's not a joke. We're trying to break 50.
It really changes your mindset into the game of golf of there's plenty of different ways to play the game. You could challenge yourself in numerous ways. This Break 50 challenge is almost impossible to do. It is almost impossible.
BUBBA WATSON: Patrick, me and you should go try to do it.
PATRICK REED: I mean, let's be honest, that Break 50, when I heard he was playing with Phil, I'm sitting there going, his length, Phil's short game and chipping and wedge work, that would have been the time I thought.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I thought so, too.
PATRICK REED: Especially when I was out there playing yesterday and they come whipping through, no wind, I'm like, ooh.
BUBBA WATSON: I can't wait for that to drop and see if y'all do it.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Part of the other aspect of it is the content that we're able to create from it. There's so many cool unique moments, hitting a golf ball close from the tee, one-liners, whatever it is. It's an entertainment piece, as well, so you've got that content piece of us trying to break 50 and then also the content of us just being who we are, and it showcases our personalities a lot more, and I think that's what's so unique and cool about it.
It just exposes golf to a younger generation on YouTube and gets more people involved in the game of golf.
My goal in all of that is to bring viewers, young viewers, to LIV Golf, to the teams, to all of us out here, and I think that's the main important part of it that a lot of people don't understand is that it's trying to reach a new generation of potential golfers. That's what LIV is doing. That's what I'm trying to accomplish alongside LIV and with LIV as a partner, as well.
It's a symbiotic relationship where we can exponentiate the game of golf in a really cool, unique way.
Q. Is there one favorite moment that sticks out in your mind, of all the ones you're posted?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: To be honest, my favorite moment was the first one we actually did. My opinion on that is solely focused on the fact I did it for the first time with Garrett Clark, and we had a chance to do it on the last hole. We just had to chip in for eagle on the last hole and we would have done it at this golf course. Now, it was a shorter golf course, real easy golf course. You're hitting irons into a lot of the par-4s. But still, we had a great chance to break 50 on a legitimate golf course. We didn't do it, but again, it solidified the fact that while this challenge was real and possible and I want to do it with anyone and everyone that wants to be a part of it. I think that was a really cool moment for that first video we ever did, Garrett Clark.
Q. I was curious for anyone with a course like this where you talk about being able to break 60 here, fairly common among the tournaments, does it change the approach that you have on a course like this? Does it allow you to be more aggressive? Do you come in thinking you can go low, especially with the comfortability factor of it?
PATRICK REED: To me it feels like a Monday qualifier every day. You come to a golf course like this and you can't just cruise around and shoot 3-, 4-, 5-under a day. You have to just, right from the beginning, go out and be aggressive, go make as many birdies as you can. But you have to be smart. You can't be reckless out there and be hyper aggressive. You have to pick your moments.
Every time I come here it reminds me of every time I've played the Monday qualifiers. You had 18 holes, you had to shoot 6-, 7-under a day, at worst 5-under to have a chance. I mean, it shows. Every time you come out here, you have sub 60s a couple times out here, but at the same time, you see I'm pretty sure a decent amount of 61s, 62s, 63s happen.
Well, here on LIV when you only have 54 holes, if someone goes out and shoots something like that, you can't go out and shoot 68 and have a chance. You have to go out and get out to a 5-, 6-, 7-under par start and after that you have to do it every day because you have to go low.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, it's a golf course where, like I shot 68 in the first round and I was behind the 8-ball quite a bit and then you've got to go shoot a couple low rounds to go get the job done. But my point exactly is that it's a golf course that you've got to hit it straight. You've got to hit your wedges good. You've got to make a lot of putts. It is like a little bit of a Monday qualifier, which is fun. We sometimes want those events out here. We want to give the fans something unique and cool and fireworks going off. I respect and appreciate that, and I think it's a unique opportunity to showcase a skill set of ours that we're not always allowed to just fire at everything. I think it's fun. It's fun to be able to do that for us sometimes.
Q. With this being the penultimate tournament of the season, is it cool to have something where you're talking about how comfortable the environment is heading into that stretch at the end?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Anytime you get to a place and you feel comfortable, that's great for any of us. I know Bubba and Patrick, they love this place, as do I. I feel like it's a comfortable environment, and that only aids to the fact of like going out there and just being in your own game and playing your own game and playing well just because you're comfortable.
There are times I've gone to a golf course and I'm super uncomfortable, and I'm like, why am I uncomfortable. Things aren't simple; they're not easy. I've got to go through a bunch of hoops to get to the driving range or do this, that, whatever. It creates some added stress that you don't need that ultimately could potentially hurt. It doesn't mean it's going to, but sometimes you feel uncomfortable and your week doesn't go the way you planned. Anytime you get that comfort out here, it just allows us to fire and go low.
Q. In terms of the format difference between this and past tournaments held here, any thoughts on that, if you prefer the team style or the traditional?
PATRICK REED: Team.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: 100 percent team. Anytime you're not doing your best on Sunday and you don't have a chance for the individual title, you're still playing for your team. I think that's what's so cool about this tournament and LIV in general is the ability to always participate no matter where you're at on the leaderboard.
But it's still, you've got to play well. There's a relegation aspect to it, and if you don't play well throughout the season, you're going to have to make your way back on.
I think that's the beautiful part about it is it rewards good play and penalizes bad play to the extremes.
Q. We touched on 100 rounds of golf being played with LIV and what that's done over the past few years. Can you speak to the respect level from perhaps the outsiders that's come along with that and growing LIV but also garnering respect from those that perhaps were doubters at the outset of it?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I mean, I'll speak to that. I'm staying at a friend's house this week, and it's been awesome to see the change from individuals around the community around here. Not only the respect but the understanding. I think there's a difference of understanding of what we're trying to accomplish. It's not a one-off thing or whatnot. It is here to stay, and we're here to provide great entertainment, here to inspire, and hopefully educate people on a new format that is going to keep them interested throughout every single shot that we hit.
I think that's what's so cool and the impact we can make in the community, too, seeing how much we have done for Greenbrier and been able to help out this community on a whole 'nother level is what LIV is all about.
PATRICK REED: I mean, me personally with LIV, I think what is so unique is with having a team aspect, it's our one sport that growing up in high school, middle school, college, it's such an individual sport. You're out there playing for yourself. When you get to college you get the team aspect, but it's so lonely out there by yourself, and to be able to be a part of LIV, having teams, now fans aren't just going to follow individuals, because if you're going out to the other events like in the past and say one of your guys you love to follow all of a sudden is playing really poorly, it's like, okay, well, now what, do I really want to watch him struggle. But now fans are allowed to get behind teams, so then they're pulling for a team. That's one thing I've absolutely loved about it so far is with being the team aspect, we're now playing for something other than just ourselves. We're playing for three other guys out there. We're playing for our whole entire team and everything.
When you go out there and you're playing for something else, you see that extra grind. It's one thing that I've always never understood is I'm the type that I can always improve no matter what, whether it's hole 1, hole 18 or the last hole of the tournament, I'm always trying to strive to get better, and you'll see some guys at other events, other tours that if they're going to miss the cut or if they've played poorly on Sunday they're already thinking about next week. Well, here at LIV we're always thinking about that day no matter what, whether you're 54th on the leaderboard going into Sunday or where you stand because you're always playing for something else. Now you're playing for three other guys. You want to play well for them. So you always see that grind.
I think that's huge because when kids are out here, they don't want to see guys go out and try to play the fastest round ever. They don't want to see guys just step up and whack a ball. They want to see that grind because it gives a bad look in golf, it gives a bad look in any sport when the professional athlete is not giving it their all, and out here on LIV, since you're playing for someone else and playing for other guys, you're giving it all 110 percent, and with having only 14 events, you get to treat them all like majors, so we're all coming in fresh, we're all coming in hungry to play, we're all getting ready to go so we're all putting it all on the line for those three days.
BUBBA WATSON: Feeding off of them, high school golf and college golf is a team atmosphere, individual plus a team atmosphere, and then professional golf, the biggest events that I know of in professional golf are team events. There's two of them. Every other year there's an event. We've all played on those team events, and now professional golf is bringing a league that has team and individual at the same time, so there's two tournaments in one.
This is what we play for. On Sunday, you can't hide. On the first day you can struggle and the other three can take over, but then on Sunday, all four balls count so you're fighting for your team. You make a bad swing, you're disappointed, not because of you, but you're disappointed because you let the other guys down. So you're going to try to give it your all and hang in there on a Sunday because all balls count. You can't hide from it.
That's the thrilling part. I think we'd all rather be on the podium as a team than just as an individual because we've got that brotherhood now; we've got that feeling. We're a big family out here, and we want to pull for one another and lift the trophy together.
PATRICK REED: Talking about that team element, the coolest moment I've had on LIV was our first year when we were playing, and the Aces, we won the team championship. We're playing --
BUBBA WATSON: You just wanted to bring that up, didn't you.
PATRICK REED: No. On Sunday, this golf course that we're playing, Doral, is probably on paper the worst golf course setup for Pat Perez, one of our teammates, and Pat is the type that he's like, oh, man. He shows up early, puts in his grind, and he was a huge part of our team on Sunday because everyone counted, and he gave it his all, and he played so well, and he answered that call.
Now, a lot of guys if they're going to a place that they're not playing well, they don't like a golf course on our tours, they're just like, all right, let's just go through the motions, and to see a guy like that go out and give everything he has because he's playing for three other guys and goes and gets it done to help our team win, that to me, those moments are what you're going to see out here on LIV that you probably won't see out on other golf tours because you're not playing for other guys, you're playing for yourself.
My boy PP, to be able to go out and play like he did it and to do it at a place that I know he doesn't like, that on paper he shouldn't like, and he's able to go out and do it, those are the kind of things that this league brings to us that I think is very important.
Q. Bryson, with your success, do you have plans to have a second channel where you bring more golf content that gets into the weeds of what you're doing in the lab, if you will?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: There are future plans for that. We want to continue to grow that audience and inspire younger a generation, continue that on my main channel. For a secondary channel there's always that options, especially in different languages and whatnot. That's a totally different option for us that we're looking into, as well.
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