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Why does the Ryder Cup make us care so deeply about even the most obscure of Ryder Cuppers?
In this episode of The Bag Drop: Untold Stories in Golf, host Matt Considine welcomes back friend of the program and EMMY NOMINATED Sean Martin (Senior Manager, Content Development at the PGA TOUR) to celebrate the magic of fall golf, preview the Ryder Cup, and share stories of lesser-known names who became cult heroes. From JJ Spaun’s resilience to Rory McIlroy’s emotional connection with fans, they explore how community, history, and team spirit make this event unlike anything else in golf.
The conversation dives into:
In this episode of The Bag Drop: Untold Stories in Golf, host Matt Considine welcomes back friend of the program and EMMY NOMINATED Sean Martin (Senior Manager, Content Development at the PGA TOUR) to celebrate the magic of fall golf, preview the Ryder Cup, and share stories of lesser-known names who became cult heroes. From JJ Spaun’s resilience to Rory McIlroy’s emotional connection with fans, they explore how community, history, and team spirit make this event unlike anything else in golf.
The conversation dives into:
- Why fall is golf’s best season
- Sean’s favorite Ryder Cup underdog stories
- JJ Spaun’s comeback and Rory’s emotional pull
- Home-field advantage and Keegan Bradley’s captaincy
- Predictions for Bethpage and future Ryder Cup cult heroes
Connect with our guest
📸 Sean Martin — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmartingolf/
🐦 Sean Martin — X/Twitter: https://x.com/PGATOURSMartin
🌍 Website: https://www.newclub.golf
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newclubgolf/
🐦 X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/newclubgolf
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@newclubgolf
🐝 NewClub: https://www.newclub.golf
🏌️ Titleist: https://www.titleist.com
🎙️ Matt Considine — 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/consequential85 | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consequence18/ | 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-considine-103bb21/
📚 Dr. Kevin Moore ("The Professor") — 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/kevcmoore | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevcmoore | 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-moore-177b30b3/
Episode Chapters
Episode Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Fall Golf Enthusiasm
02:42 Golf Seasons: Preferences and Experiences
05:36 Ryder Cup Anticipation and Content Creation
08:13 Highlighting Underrated Golfers in the Ryder Cup
11:12 Obscure Ryder Cup Heroes and Their Stories
19:54 Seve’s Heartbreaking Ryder Cup Experience
21:27 Memorable American Players in Ryder Cup History
23:15 The Unique Journey of Jeff Overton
24:54 Exploring Lesser-Known Ryder Cup Heroes
27:02 The Impact of Nicolas Colsaerts
28:33 The Molinari Brothers’ Legacy
30:35 The Rise of Ben Curtis and Ryan Moore
32:26 Future Cult Heroes of the Ryder Cup
Founded in 2017, NewClub is the premier private golf society in the United States. It blends the community and access of a private club with the variety and affordability of public golf. Members enjoy thousands of reserved tee times, competitions, and events at exceptional partner courses across our local chapters, as well as signature trips and exclusive perks. NewClub is revolutionizing golf membership, making the game more meaningful for those who love it.
What is The Bag Drop?
What is The Bag Drop?
The Bag Drop features weekly stories from the culture, community, and characters shaping golf today. Produced by NewClub Golf Society, each episode blends authenticity and expert insights for passionate golfers at all levels. Special guests from clubs, courses, and every corner of the changing landscape join us for thoughtful, in‑depth discussions on all things golf.
Creators and Guests
Host
Matt Considine
Founder of NewClub and our resident feel player. Matt’s junior golf career led him to the University of Akron where he met our co-host. During his junior year, Matt Studied abroad in Ireland and discovered golf societies. Subsequent trips to Scotland fed his passion for the history, ideals, and culture of accessible, affordable, and sustainable golf, a concept he would later bring to the U.S. with NewClub. Known for his interviewing style, quick wit, and compelling storytelling, Matt brings thoughtful, reflective conversations to The Bag Drop. His professional journey before NewClub included multiple leadership positions in growth-stage startups, where he managed teams responsible for more than $250 million in revenue. Matt actively gives back to the game as a Board Member of the First Tee of Akron and past chair of the Evans Scholar Foundation. Proudly based in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, Matt finds inspiration in family life with his wife, their three children, and their golf dog, Gypsy.
Host
The Professor
NewClub's Chief Ambassador and every golf sicko's favorite educator. Kevin is a thoughtful and deeply curious host. His studied, constructivist approach adds intellectual enrichment and balance to the show. As a professor of Math Education at the University of Georgia, Kevin's background in applied mathematics and cognitive psychology uniquely informs his insights on golf strategy and performance. Originally from Ohio, Kevin was a Division I collegiate golfer at the University of Akron, where his passion for understanding mathematical thinking began. After earning his doctorate from Arizona State University, he combined his analytical expertise with his love for golf by co-founding Golf Blueprint, an organization aimed at helping golfers optimize their games through data-driven strategies. Kevin enjoys balancing deep philosophical discussions with simple pleasures, such as indulging his sweet tooth, cheering on college football, and spending relaxed evenings with his friends, his wife, and their beloved dog, Nole.
What is The Bag Drop: Untold Stories in Golf?
A golf podcast about life. Weekly stories from the culture, community, and characters shaping the game today. The Bag Drop blends honest authenticity with expert insights for passionate golfers at every level. Produced by NewClub and supported by its members, each episode welcomes guests from clubs, courses, and the lesser-known corners of the golf world for thoughtful discussions on all things golf and life.
Founded in 2017, NewClub is the first of its kind golf society in the United States; blending the community and access of a private club with the variety and affordability more typical of public golf. Members enjoy thousands of reserved tee times, competitions, and events at exceptional partner courses across our local chapters, plus signature trips and exclusive perks. NewClub is on a mission to revolutionize golf membership, making the game more meaningful for all those who love it.
🎧 Listen, rate, review, and subscribe to The Bag Drop:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bag-drop-untold-stories-in-golf/id1430328006
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SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-bag-drop
Transistor: https://thebagdrop.transistor.fm
⛳ Learn more about NewClub: https://www.newclub.golf
Matt Considine (00:02.172)
Welcome to the new club bag drop untold stories in golf. I'm your host, Matt Constantine here here with myself. I don't have the professor professor lists. Once again, he's swamped. he's in what he called executive meetings, which, in the math ed department at the university of Georgia, I didn't, don't know what that means. I guess I imagine they've pulled all of Athens top minds together to figure out the lackluster start for the Georgia Bulldogs this fall.
you know, how are they ever going to get back to the quarter finals of the college football playoffs lose to, I don't know, another Notre Dame again. anyways, if you're a bulldog fan, listening to the show, and you want to see some football dominance, check out the house state, but guys this year, the number one house state, but guys, that's how a program operates. without the professor, as I often do when I lose.
Sean Martin (00:50.495)
Akron doing?
Matt Considine (00:58.062)
the gravitas and intelligence that the professor brings to the show. I gotta replace it with something special. So today we have very special guest, someone who is familiar to the backdrop and that is none other than one of our favorite guests, Sean Martin, content manager, senior content manager for PGA Tour. This guy's the best. I am kicking around all kinds of thoughts that I was excited to...
run past the professor and, I'm actually more excited to run him past Sean today. Cause I know he, the man has an encyclopedia of knowledge that, he forgets more about golf than we learn on this show. So, looking forward to our chat with him. No fun fact this week, we're going to stay off the professor's turf. maybe Sean will, will enlighten us with some other things, but, in new club, there's so much going on right now. Fall is the best.
It just is. I don't care if there's a stack ranking of the seasons for golf. Sign me up for fall number one every time. I, I fricking love it. The fur, the turf is farmer. That's probably like maybe the most underappreciated thing. It's just a little less rain. The ball sounds different when it hits the ground, when the club interacts with the turf, it's just the best. And so there's new members of new club that also understand that because there's plenty of golf left this season. So I just need to welcome.
Our new members, the new club golf society, that is Alexander Ray, Jacob Abraham, Amir Dekel, Blake Hirschberger, DeAndre Dixon, and Scott King. Welcome to the club, gentlemen. Let's go play some golf. Before we get to our guest today, need to shout out our friends at Titleist and the T-Series Irons. Part of the reason the ground sounds so good right now to me is the interaction of my T100s with that turf. Optimal balance.
of everything precision control feel that's what i'm getting out of my t100s this year you can step into the t150s the t200s and i am a little tempted to hit the t250s because they don't look all that different i i set one down the other day next to my t100s they're not bulky but man they they go it's it's a bit juiced if you ask me so thanks to
Matt Considine (03:21.372)
our friends at Titleist for support in the backdrop, for support in New Club, the all new family of T-Series irons. You can check those out over at [Titleist.com](http://titleist.com/). Without further ado, let's get on to the show.
Mr. Martin, how are ya?
Sean Martin (03:38.542)
Good, I have a couple comments after listening to that intro. First, no mention of Akron football. know, go straight to Ohio State. Second, a guy who loves fall. I feel like you're the kind of guy taking a PSL to the course for an early morning tee time in your cashmere hoodie. And then rocking the T100 really says a lot about you. Traditionalist, great ball striker. I'm impressed by your selection of the 100s.
Matt Considine (03:41.53)
Yeah, sure.
Matt Considine (04:01.5)
That is why you're on this show, not for the flattery, but for the attention to detail. You know, there's few people that pick up lot of, because I like to nag our friends in Georgia about their football program and the Ohio State Buckeyes. I'm like that worst Ohio State Buckeye fan. I didn't go there. As you know, you're a man of research. I'm a University of Akron Zip. Not a great start for the Zips the last 27 years.
but they're gonna turn it around,
Sean Martin (04:34.541)
Hopefully, mean tough start for the Cal Poly Mustangs as well. A little 69 to 3 loss at Utah last week. So I can resonate with you. But we got Western Oregon this week. I think we might be favored.
Matt Considine (04:44.806)
So you're a West Coast guy, you brought a fall golf. What's your stack ranking of the golf seasons? Do you have a preference? What's number one?
Sean Martin (04:55.425)
Yeah, I've been in Florida for 20 years. So I'm bringing this from a Floridian's perspective. Fall, I would say is probably, I would go actually spring is probably number one. You have to morph into kind of late winter, early spring because spring can still get hot.
Matt Considine (05:09.734)
So yeah, does that start March for you? Or like, what's the date you say? Yeah.
Sean Martin (05:12.909)
I think even in February you're looking pretty good. Summer is by far number four. I don't even bother touching the clubs. I'll go in the morning with my kids to hit some balls, but I'm not doing it. I'm not playing 18 holes. Honestly, the days long enough, afternoon nines would be nice, but then it also rains every day at five. It's the perfect time for us at work to just go out to TPC, play a quick nine in the afternoon.
Matt Considine (05:21.276)
So funny.
Sean Martin (05:39.347)
Literally, it's in some sort of vortex or something where every day at five it's raining and you can't do it So yeah fall winter's okay You can get some pretty rough weather here up in Northeast that honestly the problem with the winter here is it's there's no snow You can still play the option is there but it might be like 40 and raining so which I'd rather have it be kind of binary where hey There's snow on the ground. We're not playing but having the option to maybe go out there in 50 degree weather
Matt Considine (06:01.436)
Yeah.
Sean Martin (06:06.869)
it makes it tougher and people don't understand the 50 degrees here. It's a lot cold. The feels like is a lot lower. When you get that, that humidity, that moisture and that wind, mean it is cold. No, I've been in Boston when it's 25 and you can always wear a t-shirt if there's no wind and it's sunny and then, you know, 50 degrees in Jacksonville and it's layers upon layers.
Matt Considine (06:15.62)
Mmm cold a wet cold is no good. Yeah. Yeah
Matt Considine (06:28.188)
That's funny. I am a little of a sicko as you probably are aware. And so I, one of my Southern friends here, I'm playing golf and they look up what the temp is in Ohio or Chicago. They're like, you're, you're insane, but it's dry. Like, yeah, it's crisp. There's a, as long as you know, the frost is gone, like you put the gloves on. I got like those thin gloves, but they're still warm. You know what I mean? Not the big mitts, not the ZJ big mitts, but.
Sean Martin (06:42.232)
it's crisp. So crisp.
Sean Martin (06:49.729)
Big Mitz. not the Big Mitz.
the oven bits. Okay.
Matt Considine (06:58.01)
Before we dive in today, because I wanna get your thoughts on some Ryder Cup stuff that we're going into here. Everyone's starting to phase out maybe, but the sicko's, everyone comes back for the Ryder Cup. We're all tuned in for the Ryder Cup. man, you're building tons of great content. You're talking to lot of different people. I'd love to know what's one of the more interesting conversations you've had recently, Sean, led us into your world.
Sean Martin (07:23.331)
you did butcher my title in the intro. I forgot to mention that as well. Just, I think you said senior content manager. You got tripped up. Senior manager content development. New role as of like May, but.
Matt Considine (07:26.428)
no, what'd say?
Matt Considine (07:33.494)
geez. Can I just say Emmy Award nominated again?
Sean Martin (07:38.387)
Sure, just put that in front of me. That's my permanent name change now.
Matt Considine (07:43.004)
No, what's like, I mean, like, okay, you're, I'll give you some flowers here. Like your Scotty documentary, I thought was one of the coolest things I watched last year. Like it was just, it was stuck, cause it was delivering me what I love of our conversations, which is things I don't know. Things I'm just not, I think I'm paying attention, but you go a little deeper. You shared such a great story there.
Sean Martin (07:44.726)
At least in this space.
Sean Martin (07:54.935)
I appreciate that.
Matt Considine (08:06.364)
You got to spend a ton of time with him. Like what's that right now? Like, and you don't have, if you can't say what you're got coming up, but like who are some conversations that have been, wow, this is really interesting right now.
Sean Martin (08:17.802)
Yeah, think the fall is always an interesting time. I think we try to prepare for next year and you know, things slow down a little bit. Probably post Ryder Cup, you know, right now all of our top players are consumed. I mean, they're at the Pro-Core and then they'll have the Ryder Cup in a couple of weeks. And then after that, maybe it's time for a breather and try to take advantage of that to get some time with guys. They're home for an extended period of time. Hypothetically, maybe just our American friends, the Europeans have a finishing stretch on the DP World Tour they're focusing on, but
You know, I think JJ Spahn's really speaks to me, think. You talk about a guy that, I mean, a year ago, he thought it was over. I mean, he thought his game was done. He talked about, I'm going to lose my card and it's probably time to hang it up. And that unlocked the best golf of his career. He's one of the top players in the world right now. And it's not just that he won the U.S. Open. He almost won the players. He almost won a FedEx Cup playoffs event. And it's amazing. Just a guy like that. And what maybe that unlocked, maybe it's one of those, you know, when you
like you've lost everything or everything's about to be lost. You have nothing to lose and so it frees you up to go play. It's like, I mean, last June of 2024, he was probably facing like, hey, either I play well or it's over. And so you have nothing, you're not holding on to anything. You're not playing defensive. You're sometimes when you're playing for your metaphorical life or playing for your career, maybe it could freeze you up because there's no other option than play good. So I like his story. mean, Scotty, obviously an amazing season again. I think
This season felt like the one where Scottie went from like, all right, know, he's maybe a generational player too, I think this year, especially the way he won at Port Rush is like, okay, he's generational, might be all-timer. Obviously he still has work to do to do that. But I think, you know, now before he turns 30, having three legs to the career grand slam and the US Open feeling like one that's tailor-made for him, you know, a guy who hits it like he does and...
also can chip like he does. I think even though Scottie's 2022 through 2024 were amazing, I think 2025 to me felt different. Even like LeBron was tweeting about him. think Mahomes tweeted about him when he won at Port Rush. I think this was when the greater sports world took notice of like, okay, it's not just the best golfer in the world, it's one of the best athletes in the world and we should take notice so we can say we watched history. And then of course there's Rory.
Sean Martin (10:46.358)
I mean you can complete the career grand slam this year. I mean the Masters feels like it was five years ago But I mean you look back at it and I try to remind myself of kind of what we felt in that moment in the days after it's I think we've kind of forgotten but I mean everyone was on you know cloud 9 we fell in love with the game the emotion You know Rory's positive message about like fulfilling your dreams. I remember all the tweets about like there was one I don't know who was some random Twitter person that I think had no
connection to golf went viral and it got into my algorithm. was like grown men writing prose to Rory they would never write to their wives or girlfriends. And I think she actually then used one of my tweets as an example. So I was probably a little guilty of that. But I mean, it was true. My wife agreed that we were serenading Rory in a way we would never serenade our significant others.
Matt Considine (11:22.982)
Yeah
Matt Considine (11:31.174)
Yeah. we got our, our master's Rory conversation where we had you and Cal Porter on it. That got, my wife said the exact same thing. She's like, kind of write this quality of love letter to your son, Julian, or to your daughter, right? Like it. Yeah, it's okay.
Sean Martin (11:52.608)
I mean Rory made us feel things that we haven't felt in a while, It was the Erez tour for middle-aged men?
Matt Considine (11:58.716)
It's okay. And so I'm glad you started with those superstars, right? Like you get, that's such a cool thing. You know, for us that geek out, you get to spend time with these superstars. But I was thinking about this and this is why I really wanted to have you on for kick around this idea in my head. The Ryder Cup forces us to care about, we're gonna get into some names, but a JJ Spawn. I'll just say JJ is a major champion.
but he's not the superstar that Rory is. The Ryder Cup kind of makes us care about a JJ Spawn in the same way that we have to care about Rory that week or the same way we have to care Scott that week because what do we care about? We care about USA winning or we care about Europe winning and it's a team thing and one point is one point. I think when I was going through my memories of the Ryder Cup and I was thinking about all these obscure names that I wouldn't be able to recall if it weren't.
for my obsession and addiction to the Ryder Cup. And so Sean, what I wanna do for the remaining time I have with you here is I wanna do a little bit of a captain's pick of our favorite obscure players, names that a lot of folks maybe might not remember, but we sure do because of this event. And you know what, you will remember them for probably three, 400 different things.
The general fan remembers him because of their participation in the Ryder Cup. So I got some ideas. I kept it to the last 30 years, if that's okay. But I wanted to see if we could alternate some picks here. And for each player, maybe you can share some anecdotes, because you'll probably know more about these guys than I will. How's that sound? I want you to start us off if you don't mind. Who's your first pick for most obscure Ryder Cup hero? Let's call him heroes, why not?
Sean Martin (13:42.582)
Sounds good, let's do it.
Sean Martin (13:49.676)
I'm going to start at 99 because that is my formative kind of Ryder Cup experience. I would have been starting my senior year of high school and I remember watching it, not maybe really understanding what it was exactly, but I remember calling one of my friends on my landline like in the midst of the comeback of like, they're going to do it. It was the, I think it was a phone. I don't know if you did magazine drives at your school. Oh yeah.
Matt Considine (13:54.979)
So, yes.
Matt Considine (14:15.32)
yeah, we got the little is that where you got the little fuzzy guys that if you sold
Sean Martin (14:18.603)
Yeah, so from the magazine drive, I earned enough to earn a landline phone. So I had a landline phone. were just because he couldn't text then. So, know, we're in the middle of the comeback and and we start talking 99 Rider Cubs. were you know, that's how you shared moments in that time was you hopped on the phone and dialed the number.
Matt Considine (14:35.668)
Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I had a Lego phone, man. It was the it was the best.
Sean Martin (14:40.459)
I guess I did have a pager, do remember also. So I'm gonna go Steve Pate. Member of that team, you might forget. Steve Pate, an interesting story as well. actually also played, played probably two of the best Ryder Cups ever. He also played in 91. And he...
Matt Considine (14:45.584)
Yes, Steve Pape.
Matt Considine (14:57.122)
I did, he? See, I would not have pinned him for a two-timer.
Sean Martin (15:00.149)
He brought out the rarely used envelope rule at Kiowa. He was involved in a car accident. believe, I want to say, I need my facts correct. I think his car was rear ended leaving like one of the banquets. And so they put him in the envelope. And so they're basically before singles for people who don't know each captain, at least back then, I don't know about now. They put a name in the envelope and if a guy on one side can't go, then
Matt Considine (15:09.211)
is.
Matt Considine (15:30.149)
Yes.
Sean Martin (15:30.463)
Then the other side, your envelope guy also doesn't play. And then you half point it. he, yeah. Here's the lead I found in the LA Times. Former UCLA golfer, we gotta localize it. Steve Pate suffered bruises to his ribs Wednesday night when a caravan of limousines taking him and some other members of the U.S. Ryder Cup team to a dinner in Charleston collided in a three car accident. No other players were injured. So.
Matt Considine (15:40.07)
How about that?
Matt Considine (15:57.308)
Cheers.
Sean Martin (15:57.932)
But 99, he was on that team as well, the captain's pick of all things. One of the last guys on the team. He actually paired with Tiger Woods as well. Back, I think the Southern California ties paired them up. But two, one and O for our boy Steve Pate, including a singles win, seventh spot in the lineup, a key point to put the USA up 13 to 10 over Miguel Ángel Jiménez beat him two and one. So Steve Pate, a Ryder Cup hero in two of the United States, best Ryder Cups.
Matt Considine (16:26.0)
That's awesome.
Sean Martin (16:28.031)
And of course that's a man best known as the volcano, some may remember.
Matt Considine (16:32.86)
Yes, he had a fire. It would go quick, right?
Sean Martin (16:35.419)
In my mind he's also, I don't if you remember the strong legion of guys, I'll see the floor here in a second, but in the late 90s the strong legion of guys sponsored by Strada Golf Balls, the Top Flight, Him, Furek, I mean that was the first solid core golf ball being used on tour.
Matt Considine (16:47.509)
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. They try. remember thinking. Yep.
Matt Considine (16:58.492)
Was Faxon a strata guy at the gate? No, he's always tight. Yeah, Bill Glasson. Bill Glasson, see? I knew we'd get off of the Ryder Cup train at some point. All right, I'm gonna give you, I'll back up. So 99, I had a number from 99, but if I, we're doing three each. Gosh, this is gonna be tough for me. I'm gonna go a little personal because this same year,
Sean Martin (17:02.207)
He might have been Bill Glass and definitely was.
Sean Martin (17:19.369)
It's a great.
Matt Considine (17:27.758)
My father played in the, NEC invitational at Firestone soon to be WGC. It might've been a WGC actually by 99, but that year he gets paired up with a young Scotsman by the name of Andrew Coltart and. sorry. Did I say, yeah. Pro amp. Sorry. This is me. This is me. I just, I just gave my dad a lot more ability. no him and his set is very savvy.
Sean Martin (17:44.273)
Did your dad compete in the pro-am or in the tournament?
Okay, was like, did I miss something?
Matt Considine (17:57.276)
10 handicap played in the pro-am of that event at pretty much every year. And Andrew Coulthart, who we got paired up with, I was on the bag. One vivid memory was my dad had already been to Scotland a number of times and he, you know, I think he looked up his hometown or said something. And the guy went from, and I love this about the Scots and the Irish, they do this quite well. When they're talking to Americans, they have that like tone down broke.
but my dad said something that really resonated with his hometown and he just went to this thick Scottish Baroque and you could just see my dad not being able to understand a damn word of what he just said. And I just was like, we gotta, you know, it's good. anyways, the dude was awesome. I thought he was a very talented golfer. I think he finished dead last in that tournament that year. He was playing awful. And so when it comes to the Ryder Cup, not that many months, like what is that, a month?
and a half later with the old schedule, gets Mark James, he benched him, right? He benched him for the first two rounds, didn't play day one and two. I don't know if that ever happened. Did he do it with a couple of others? Well, he did it to my man, Coulthard, and it was Tiger he ends up with in his singles match, right? So talk about being fed to the wolves.
Sean Martin (19:07.433)
He did that with a couple of guys that year, I think, didn't he?
Sean Martin (19:20.309)
Yeah, so these might be your other picks for obscure Ryder cuppers. Jarmo Sandlin and Sean Vandeveld also only played singles.
Matt Considine (19:22.8)
But he gave him a fight
Matt Considine (19:30.138)
I didn't realize that. Wow. John Van, Vanneville did too. Okay.
Sean Martin (19:33.355)
So you've heard the conspiracy theory about the Coltart pick, right? This might be, gosh, it might be in Shane Ryan's book. I believe it's in Shane Ryan's book, The Cup They Couldn't Lose. A fantastic, honestly, if you want to get geeks with Ryder Cup, you got a couple weeks. Still, I would pick that book up and read it. There's a conspiracy theory that a prominent, I want to say Scottish businessman put a large bet at the beginning of the year on the fact that there would be three Scotsmen on...
Matt Considine (19:37.043)
no, give it to me.
Sean Martin (20:02.111)
the 99 Ryder Cup team. so the conspiracy is that that swayed Coulthard being included on the team. forget who, think, because there was another guy, there were a couple potential picks there, but I can't remember who he would replace. yeah, there's a conspiracy there. It probably has no truth or validity. I remember Andrew Coulthard having a great, very consistent year that year.
but it's out there.
Matt Considine (20:32.764)
I mean, to be like these guys are so, we talk about them at the top, the best golfers in the world, at the very top, 12 from Europe, 12 from US, but to be a guy that gets benched, that's gotta be, like you're joyous to be a part of the team, but I don't care about all the culture, team over individual, that's gotta suck. That's gotta suck. So anyways, Andrew Kolotar, who's your next?
Sean Martin (21:02.098)
My next is a man who actually never played on the Ryder Cup but qualified for one. Miguel Angel Martín. Not to be confused with Miguel Angel Jimenez or Pablo Martín. Miguel Angel Martín, 97 Ryder Cup was at Valderrama if you remember, so in continental Europe which was a big deal, was the first one on the continent. So I was the captain, heavy Spanish vibes, Miguel was a Spaniard. He qualified for the team.
Matt Considine (21:11.1)
Mmm.
Matt Considine (21:21.062)
Seve was the captain.
Sean Martin (21:30.73)
But he hurt his wrist and so they asked him they asked him to play an 18-hole round to prove that his wrist was fit for play and He refused to do so and so because of that he was basically forced to give up his spot on the team and so He threatened legal action, but nothing came for it. But instead Yeah, he qualified the team and never
was never able to play, unfortunately.
Matt Considine (22:03.024)
Man, are the saddest, Sean. I thought mine, like, you only got to play one match and you had to play Tiger, but you're like, envelopes and injuries. This is depressing. That's pretty good. He did, he what?
Sean Martin (22:10.845)
You wanted random.
Sean Martin (22:15.53)
He was offered an invitation to attend the match to get a team uniform and the $3,500 in expenses the players get, but he said there's no way I'll settle for that. He's not gonna attend as a kind of charity case, but yeah, he basically was left off the team.
Matt Considine (22:38.492)
Wow. Well, all right, we got one American to, I'll balance it out. I'll give us an American. I have a number of 06 guys on here, I have a sense that you're gonna hit us. I'm not even gonna go on your turf. I don't know. If you fade 2006, I'd be surprised, but there's a plethora of obscure, lesser known heroes on that US squad. So for my American,
Sean Martin (22:51.24)
Yeah, I mean, that's the, that's the s-
Matt Considine (23:08.596)
I'm, I'm very personal today. I'm going with things that I've, I've had some exposure to a 2010 us team. Jeff Overton, got to get my man from Indiana, the Hoosiers. I, Sean, I was a very mediocre college golfer at best, but I somehow put a 69 on the board at Indiana's tournament and, Jeff had a bad day and shot 69. So I got paired up with them for the.
Sean Martin (23:17.802)
Mmm.
Matt Considine (23:38.46)
a final round and my whatever it was, 77 to his 62 was quite stark, quite a stark arrangement. So Jeff Overton, when he made that Ryder Cup team, was like, wow, wait, this is a guy I've played with. Like I've seen his game and now he's on this huge stage. This is crazy. The one thing I looked up with him, everyone talks about Boom Baby, right? was the team of...
my gosh, Jeff and bubba. Yeah, sorry. Bubba, Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton, they were doing boom baby. When they would make shots, it puts, it was very strange celebration. They decided on, I remember cringing at the time thinking, man, Europe even looks cooler when good things happen on the golf course. But, anyways, the, his record was two, two and
Sean Martin (24:08.235)
Here's with Baba.
Bob was his teammate in that match, yeah.
Matt Considine (24:33.017)
I mean, he had that fire. Like we talk about what Keegan brings to the Ryder Cup. feel like Jeff kind of had it at Celtic Manor, but he's yeah, his jarred eighth hole boom baby. That's probably the most memorable thing from it. Any, give me some other things on Jeff Overton that I might not know.
Sean Martin (24:51.786)
So good research from Doug Burks and Associated Press that figured this out. I think the only player to appear on a Ryder Cup team who never won on the PGA Tour before or after, still winless. I think you've had some guys who haven't won yet, but they go on to win. know, Scottie Schaeffler hadn't won when he was named to the Ryder Cup team, but obviously went on to win. But just never won. Obviously could change, but he's had some pretty incredible health struggles after that.
Matt Considine (25:02.364)
Wow, only one. No way.
Matt Considine (25:18.168)
Yeah, that you're bringing. I totally forgot about that till just now, but Jeff, Jeff actually has an incredible comeback going on right now from a terrible health, a scary head.
Sean Martin (25:25.96)
Yeah. Yeah. I think he had some sort of spinal trouble. think it was life threatening.
Matt Considine (25:32.538)
Yeah, yeah, that's I'm going to check in on that because man, that would be a cool, cool story if he does get back out there.
Sean Martin (25:39.93)
Jeff Overton part of the famous 2005 US Walker Cup team that featured great team I love the picture of a high school Brian Harmon and Anthony Kim I Think also JB Holmes was on that team pretty stacked squad at Chicago Golf Club that 2005 yeah
Matt Considine (25:55.482)
Was that what year did you say 2005? Chicago golf club. Wow. Yeah. What a man. Those were like, you were a junior golfer on the same time I was right coming up those names. But I mean some of those names. Good point. Brian Harmon, when I saw that name, I'd always be like, damn that, well, give it to that guy. I can't play like that. He was such a stud, growing up. Who's, who's your next number three or final actually.
Sean Martin (26:04.506)
I was a college graduate at that time. yeah, yeah, yeah.
Sean Martin (26:23.241)
My next, gosh, I just blanked on the name. I was diving deeper into Miguel on Hel Martín, if I'm honest. I do always love the guys who they win a major in the year of the Ryder Cup and they get on the team, but the guys who won in non Ryder Cup years. Because think John Daly remains the only guy to win a major in a Ryder Cup year and not get on the team, or least win the PGA.
Matt Considine (26:31.42)
We can circle back if you
Sean Martin (26:53.129)
91 and 95 both Ryder Cup years not on the team and So you take like a JJ spawn for example, like if he wins a major in a non Ryder Cup year There's a good chance he's maybe not on not after the year he had but just yeah You have these first time major winners that don't get on the team then you have the guys that happen to win and they're honest so like a Larry Mize for example in 87 is the kind that I definitely look at those always make for some of the most most random names I think for me probably going back to 06. I think you
Brett Wetterich who had a decent year in 06. He won the Byron Nelson. I think he was maybe runner up at Doral, but that was just an interesting time, whether it was the qualifying system or just maybe the state of American golf, that 06 team is full of just the kind of names you're looking for here. mean, you've got a...
Matt Considine (27:44.582)
Wetterich was a fellow Ohioan too. Big hitter Wetterich. He can move it.
Sean Martin (27:48.423)
Yeah, you've got a pre-master's victory, Zach Johnson on that team. I think 06 is kind of the gold standard in random Ryder cuppers.
Matt Considine (27:57.756)
Absolutely, absolutely. But not on Europe. mean, Europe was stacked. Like every team for 06, when you look at those names, you're like, okay, those are Hall of Famers.
Sean Martin (28:06.868)
Yeah. And what about you? What's yours?
Matt Considine (28:08.668)
I'm going to go with, so Brett, we're at a week. That's darn good. I would like to submit to the court of approval. all right. So this one came to mind watching the, YouTube replays of Rome and Cola sarts Nicholas Cola sarts. Yeah. So am I saying that right? Cold starts just cold starts.
Sean Martin (28:30.025)
Colesarts? Colesarts. Colesarts. Just Nicholas Colesarts. Colesarts. Colesarts sounds like a medical, like a medicine or something.
Matt Considine (28:38.288)
Great. So the Belgium, the Belgium.
It does. got a bad case of cold starts. The Belgium is called, they call him the dude first off on the European tour. I found that Timber. I thought that seems appropriate. But in those videos I was rewatching, like he's a vice captain in Rome and I'm like, what was his record? know, how, how much did this guy, like, what did he do? I don't remember him that vividly from those, those rider cups, but
He does seem like what a teammate as a vice captain. he was a guy, know, and he's imposing. He's a big dude and he was doing the claps with the, you know, stadium in Rome. But I, so I had to look him up and he, he had some spectacular moments in 2012. So 2012 is his appearance and he did some incredible things. They said it eight birdies and an eagle carrying like a lifeless Westwood to a victory over.
Sean Martin (29:12.489)
Hmm.
Sean Martin (29:19.08)
Yeah.
Matt Considine (29:38.364)
Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker. I do remember that, you know, once it was brought up to me, but it's not like a name or a person that I thought would ever be a vice captain. But I think that's kind of the secret too of Europe's culture awareness of this stuff. Like they just know these moments, what they mean to a legacy, a thing, and they'll not hide from like,
Yeah, this will define you. know, like Nick, you did it. You're the dude. You beat Tiger with that incredible stretch. You're a vice captain. You're a part of this forever. Like that type of thing, I don't feel like the U.S. is up for, but I will say, I feel like the addition of like a Gary Woodland, who is such, you know, probably our dude for the U.S., just such a great guy that everybody loves.
Sean Martin (30:32.733)
Well, think I would say our vibes captain is probably Kevin Kisner. I don't want to like stereotype him, but I don't see him crunching the numbers from the analytics team. I think he's more of the vibes guy. Probably like Cole starts out there doing the thunder claps. Kisner's out there, I don't know, chugging a beer, taking a shirt off. Yeah.
Matt Considine (30:48.668)
Yeah. Any, any, any, any facts with him that you could enlighten me?
Sean Martin (30:53.16)
I think.
I don't, I actually was looking at him recently because the President's Cup is returning to Medina. And he is a guy who's been on the Fried Egg Pod. He does some, I think, commentating now. Apparently a great character, a great talk, a great hang. So I was looking at him for some content ideas potentially. I remember the one that I was gonna say that I forgot, one was Eduardo Molinari.
Matt Considine (31:07.292)
I didn't know that. I could have checked that out.
Sean Martin (31:21.741)
2010 Ryder Cup that one sticks out only because I always thought Edward Molinari was the man because 2005 he won that US amateur at At Marion and I was at the stage of my life. I was like, well if you won the US amateur You're obviously an amazing player and that's not always the case because match play can be a little funny But I was also confused about how an Italian like a got in the US amateur Did you just fly over and do qualifying which you kudos if that's your level of commitment?
But Eduardo and Francesco, this stands out to me professionally, they won the World Cup in 09 and I wrote in golf week, they're like, now they wanna be, next year they're try to be partners on the Ryder Cup team. And my boss was like, there is zero chance that ever happens. Give me a break. I think Eduardo had just won four times in the challenge tour, set the earnings record. He's like, that'll never happen. And then it did. So it was a nice moment in my early in my career that was proven correct. Ryan Moore.
Matt Considine (32:17.98)
I'll share a quick personal thing on the Molinari brothers. So there's a Ryder Cup YouTube channel, they're releasing new videos and this is probably like a month and a half ago on a Sunday morning. I finished watching it and I'm like, I need to call my brother. My brother's eight years older, he taught me how to play the game golf. Like we won one event together teaming up. It was so special. Like we talk about it all the time. I'm finishing.
Sean Martin (32:18.832)
Another? Okay. Yeah.
Sean Martin (32:26.354)
Mm-hmm.
Matt Considine (32:47.068)
I got tears in my eyes, Sean. I call my brother and I'm like, hey man, I just wanted to this. the Mullen Otter Brother video? Yeah, I just watched it. I can't believe it. And so that is like an underappreciated thing. Anybody who plays golf with a sibling, like those two being able to team up in a fricking Ryder Cup, that's the, I can't imagine. That video is really, it's like 11 minutes. I recommend it. Go watch it. It's great.
Sean Martin (33:11.752)
Well, I love them too because they're very different players, very different body styles. They don't really look anything alike, which was a good vibe. Another one, this might hit close to home, but Ben Curtis was a major champion talking about guys that win on non Ryder Cup years, but that wasn't how he got into his one Ryder Cup. It was just basically finishing runner up at the PGA at Oakland Hills, just juiced enough points to get him onto the team. So that was...
Matt Considine (33:18.234)
And their games, yeah, their games are so different.
Sean Martin (33:40.008)
That's the perfect example of a guy, hey, nice major win, wrong year, but he did get his revenge. And then finally Ryan Moore just taking advantage of the Billy Horschel rule to the full extent. Ryan Moore, obviously an amazing amateur career, very good PGA Tour career, but it was good match play record. But it was that one runner up at Eastlake basically that got him onto the Ryder Cup team. think he'd won the John Deere earlier in the year, but I wouldn't say that's necessarily what Ryder Cup spots are made of. But he was just the right...
Matt Considine (33:53.584)
Good match play record.
Matt Considine (34:07.834)
Am I remembering this correctly? Wasn't Ryan Moore a later captain's pick?
Sean Martin (34:13.385)
Oh yeah, no, he was, added the like post Eastlake captain's pick because 2014 Horschel had gone like second for, they'd already set the team, team was done, closed, no more. And Billy finished second first first in the playoffs and they're like, well, sorry, seed's taken. So they added a post Eastlake Ryder Cup captain's pick. And that was Ryan Moore, he was just the right man at the right time.
Matt Considine (34:17.254)
That's right.
Matt Considine (34:25.232)
That's the Horschel rule. Okay, got it.
Sean Martin (34:43.762)
taking advantage of that rule change.
Matt Considine (34:46.896)
All right, these are so fun. You're absolutely the guy to go through these with. We're doing this again in 20 years, Sean. Who are we looking back from each of these teams and saying, this is our obscure cult hero from 2025 at Bethpage Black? Who are you gonna say?
Sean Martin (35:08.04)
I mean the one, probably two of the rookies. mean definitely curious on JJ Spahn. I mean the guy is like fifth in the world right now. He's had an amazing year. It's not just the US Open victory like I said. It's so many other performances this year. But you do wonder like is it a one-year thing or I mean are we talking JJ Spahn's gonna have like a Jimmy Walker run. I think people dog Jimmy Walker sometimes maybe but like I mean the guy what he did at his mid-30s was amazing. Racked up like 10 PGA Tour wins in a matter of a few years. Won a major.
I mean, when you talk about like mid 30s turnarounds, that's at least recently the gold standard. So is JJ Spahn like the new Jimmy Walker, like that's, which is a compliment. Or is it like, man, remember that 20, 25 JJ Spahn had, that was wild. And then Ben Griffin, you know, breakout year this year, played great in majors as well as winning the Charles Schwab in the Zurich. Was that a...
Matt Considine (35:45.03)
Yeah.
Sean Martin (36:05.513)
a well-timed year that got him on a Ryder Cup team or, you you're talking about a guy who's coming on a little later, maybe than normal, late twenties, but also a guy who was out of golf for a while and has an incredible story. So that obviously would set his time tail back a little bit. Yeah. What's Ben Griffin in five years? We talking Ben Griffin, you know, six PJ tour wins in a major. Are we talking, you know, Ben Griffin, man, remember Ben Griffin's 2025? That was kind of random.
Matt Considine (36:34.876)
Yeah. Yeah. I'll go to the other side on Europe's team. think, uh, Sepp Straka still has a chance to be a, uh, obscure cult hero. Um, I mean, he played pretty dang good in Rome and, uh, being back on the team. Also Rasmus, I guess the Hogard twins, you know, talk about brothers, the Molinaris.
at least had some differentiation. feel like so many fans have a hard time understanding the difference between Rasmus and Nikolai and their stats are very similar.
Sean Martin (37:03.59)
I do love that the, the European team is literally 11 of the guys from Rome and the one exception is the identical twin of the other guy. So just Hoygard swap.
Matt Considine (37:10.972)
You
I'll tweet this out, but even on the website, I was looking at this morning, you know, on the website, all the guys are wearing their jackets and then there's just Rasmus with the, these normal, you know, PGA tour outfit. yeah, that's, that's a point. I think, gosh, it's, it's cool. It's like, these are compliments and slights in the same regard. It's like your career might not, you know, be more majors coming your way, but the Ryder cuff is going to be a massive part of,
of these guys' legacies really for the nerds like myself who rewatch these things. So I think Sep, I don't know, I could see Sep being the guy, like could see Sep being a Kohlstarts for some reason. I don't know why it's coming to me, but I feel like he could.
Sean Martin (37:59.944)
I think that's a little bit of a slight on sep. mean, let's...
Matt Considine (38:03.43)
No, no, no, not from a career standpoint. I mean, in this Ryder Cup, like this upcoming. I'll transition us now to, me some predictions, Sean. What's gonna go down at Bethpage? What do you feel in your heart of hearts is gonna be the outcome?
Sean Martin (38:21.992)
I I'm going USA. think the, we all know there's so much to talk about the home course advantage at this point, you know, since 20 or since 2008, the home team has won every rider cup. The lone exception is 2012 when it was the miracle of the Dinah, which was literally a miracle. home, home field advantage is a huge thing. And then I honestly, think, I think Keegan's kind of nailed the captaincy.
I think that not picking himself was the right move. I think that has galvanized the players behind him. think they recognize the sacrifice that he made in the name of the team. Cause we all know how badly he wanted to play. And I think those guys seeing a captain who was willing to give up something that he wanted for the sake of the team, I think makes those guys buy in even more. I think playing the pro core is huge.
You know, had guys, mean, Colin and Scotty both said earlier in the week that they were just not prepared for the 2023 Ryder Cup. They'd had too much time off. They hadn't played. They hadn't competed. know, no one had played on the U.S. team except for two guys. They hadn't played since Eastlake. They'd taken a month off without competition. Whereas Europe was playing the BMW PGA. They were spending time together. They were going to Marco Simone. They were bonding. They were building momentum.
And that US team shows up, they land Monday morning and they get just totally hit in the face. Jet lag, sick, et cetera. And I think, you know, last year's President's Cup, Jim Feerick talked about, they got there the weekend before the President's Cup, which never happened. And that was buying from Scottie and the leaders, as far as the players who were leaders saying, guys, we need to get there early. For a President's Cup, we're really like, I mean,
They're the heavy favorites. They don't need to do that. And I think, but I think the U.S. team was probably, there was a little bit hubris, I think, going into 2023. They'd won six of the last seven international team matches, including some road matches like 2019 down in Royal Melbourne. That's one where you're rife for upset with jet lag and the transition and a golf course that you're not accustomed to. They'd had record-setting wins at the 2017 President's Cup. They blew out the Europeans and in 2021,
Matt Considine (40:16.527)
Alright.
Matt Considine (40:29.916)
I'll see you.
Sean Martin (40:43.759)
Ryder Cup, I mean, they're riding high going to Marco Simone. I think they figured we can hop on that jet land Monday morning and we're going to roll. And I think getting blown out the way they did and just looking absolutely outmatched and out prepared I think was a wake up call. And I think that team ever since then first at last year's president's cup and now this year's Ryder Cup has bought in in a way that you didn't have before because they realized you can't just waltz into these things.
Matt Considine (41:08.592)
Yeah, I think there is potential for a U.S. blowout, honestly. I think there's potential.
Sean Martin (41:17.899)
Yeah, I think so. And it's not a knock on the, it's not a knock on the Europeans, but it is a, you get rolling in those things and you get the crowd behind you and it just, mean, I'm not a huge, like, I don't know how I feel about momentum. I wish the professor was here to talk about hot hand and that debate, but there is a, man, you just get rolling and it just feels like it's impossible to.
Matt Considine (41:24.092)
Yeah.
Sean Martin (41:41.531)
to play. And Rory has talked about the difficulty of a Road Rider Cup because of the fans. So if it affects Rory McRory then it definitely is real effect. So I take his word.
Matt Considine (41:48.452)
Yeah, yeah, and that's where I was but here's what I was gonna say. Whereas where 2021 at Whistling Straits was a blowout. I think if this is a blowout you it you can't No offense to captain stricker, but I do feel like if it is that is Almost a lot of much larger achievement in terms of of Expanding against this specific european team. This is a better team. These guys are playing great their their world rankings right in line with
You know, the U S players, all the data and whatnot, but I just think that, yeah, that Keegan's doing things a little differently and the pro core this week does feel different. Like watching those guys out in California. mean, think about going to wine country before to bond with your team and how you're. It sounds incredible. Sign me up. Well, Sean, I know you're a busy man. Thank you for jumping on this morning. this is always fun. The professor, you, fill the void in my heart when the professor's not here. Cause
Sean Martin (42:32.305)
Sounds nice.
Matt Considine (42:47.032)
You're a very intelligent dude and you know a lot about this silly game of golf. I'm grateful that golf got you, Sean, and not like, you know, something else. I'm just happy that you're in my golf universe. And everybody listening, everybody, a part of New Club listening, again, I wanna welcome some of our new members. This is a really awesome time of year to see people coming in.
Sean Martin (42:57.893)
I appreciate that.
Matt Considine (43:11.246)
and joining our club. Alexander Ray, Jacob Abraham, Amir Dekel, Blake Hirschberger, DeAndre Dixon, Scott King. Welcome to the club. Again, thanks for listening. If you get this in your newsletter as New Club and you just click on to listen to the professor's fun facts, but somehow we got you to stick through to the end of the show. Thank you guys. Seriously, this community, this group, this show grew out of New Club and it's all about sharing our love of the game of golf.
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