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Dan Evans takes listeners inside a side of PGA Tour week that most golf fans never get to see.
After getting a special invite into the Arnold Palmer Invitational pro-am through Mastercard, Dan and the crew break down how the player-selection draft actually works, which stars were already off the board, why Rory McIlroy being available was such a surprise, and how the group ultimately ended up playing Bay Hill with Viktor Hovland.
The episode also gets into what it feels like to step into that world for the first time: Dan’s first trip to Bay Hill, his first PGA Tour pro-am, the 7:10 a.m. tee time that came with getting Hovland, and the pressure of showing up on-site before sunrise for one of the most iconic weeks in golf.
From the weirdness of pro-am pace to the reality that players are still treating it like a final practice round before the tournament starts, this is a true behind-the-scenes golf story with access, nerves, and a look at how tournament week really works.
Presented by: Sports Illustrated
What is up and welcome back to a wildly special edition of the Dan Evan show down here in Orlando, Florida at the Arnold Palmer
Invitational and Josh you got to witness it firsthand today was pretty incredible.
It was obviously you got to play the Victor Hovelin which we played with DJ before we played with Thomas Peters and we're just
racking up the list now of great pros to have on.
Yeah well I got quite the special invite by some new friends at Mastercard and they found me a spot in the pro am.
And kind of brand new for all of this first the the draw the draft yeah yeah we got to start there that whole thing is just wild.
So essentially there's a whole thing the night before all the teams get together and every team has a number and then they randomize and draw numbers.
And once your team's number gets drawn you get to pick the player you want to play with and they slowly get crossed off the list.
Once your name gets called you get to pick from the remaining players and we made a very strong choice.
Yeah Victor Hovelin I mean how do you go wrong? What a fun guy great guy great for our brand to definitely fits in with our our type of people.
And you you wanted Tommy let's be honest you wanted Tommy.
Yeah he was taken before he was one of the few names that was taken before which was interesting.
We have no idea how that works.
Yeah Scotty was pre-taken Shay Lowry rose Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood word.
Yes pre called for probably some some higher up names who don't have to sit through a draw.
Sometimes you got to pay for Scotty Schuffler you know like Scotty Schuffler doesn't come free.
But surprisingly enough Rory was available.
Yeah he was the first pick of the draft very first pick number two with the Justin Thomas.
Yes first turn it back on yeah and we should also mention this is your first time at Bay Hill as well right.
First time at Bay Hill yeah first time at Bay Hill first time playing Bay Hill first time at the Arnold Palmer like all the first first time playing a PGA tour pro am.
Yeah yeah that that is crazy to think about.
I wish I had the gifts here to share and show but they're they're being shipped back with a shoulder be on the next show.
Yeah whatever and it's some cool stuff.
It's very cool.
So yeah we have to make our pick and we have quite the early tea time.
Yeah to get Havelin he was at 7 10 a.m.
So we like our time on the range started at 6 10.
So we had to be on site by like a little before 6 so we're leaving our hotel like 545.
What time do you set your alarm for?
Um which alarm because there was like 5 but I was like starting alarm 445 was the first one.
How do you balance that like is your first alarm before when you really want to be up or that's the time you want to be up and then you.
It's a great question then thank you.
I based it on what I call the emergency alarm okay which is like 30 minutes before I have to leave home or wherever I'm at.
So like today we were leaving at 545 my emergency alarm was on for 515.
So that's the last one and then they all work forward and then I work back about a half hour every 5 or 10 depending on how I'm feeling sometimes I'm just mix it up.
Yeah but that's it was yours the same 445 is.
Yeah my first one was 445 and then I know that snooze is like 9 or 10 minutes or whatever yeah.
So I try to break it up so if I'm not waking up well so I went I think it was 445 448.
Oh god.
451 and then I knew my 445 snooze would go off and come back 454 so then I would like and then my snooze is what.
Yeah you could only set three alarms and have them for as many hours as you would maybe yeah.
Once you get in the snooze cycle but I think I was up by alarm too.
No you were ready to go to yeah it's different waking up for anything at 545 and waking up to go play bail and 545.
Yeah yeah I like I would say yard work yeah way harder to wake up to 545 no chance you could sleep in there.
Playing Bayhill with Victor Hovland right out of bed easy yeah we got a new breath it's like
we're in a drive either we just got a new group 545 it's pitch black out there and foggy and foggy
and then you've got to have like the full Bayhill experience you got the morning due in the morning
you got the fog all over and then but it's time you got to your second nine full sun.
I'm gonna tell you like the the biggest like sort of high pressure moment is the first shot
on the first tee oh yeah I mean we we have the whole experience the whole thing like the guy
comes out wearing the blazer with like the little name tag on and he was like now for the seven 10
a.m. t. time Dan Evans like two people left one with me I'm self clapping the two people are in
this room right now that was great we were very pumped for me yeah oh yeah I'm being done I will say
though I got that first one off the tee yeah it was solid I've been up to pro hands with you now
both times you said you were nervous going in and you played well both times now so maybe you're
just decent at golf I don't know yeah but I it doesn't make me any less nervous for whatever
it is it's not like oh I've got this in the bag is it the crowd or is it the pro that gets you
nervous because the experience in general I would say all of it yeah it's like the opportunity
you're invited you're like taking up this spot and like you don't want to embarrass yourself and
you've got a pro golfer who just smoked one from the back tees and then you go up to the yellows
and yeah people watching the group and it's just like everything you know it's so you you wanted
to go well and it to me it's like the second tee shot does not matter as much like you want
that to go well so you want them all to go well but like I feel like when I pray to the golf
gods for like one gift it's for just the opening tee shots that's in any round too yeah like if I
go out with my buddies at a muni it's nine a.m. that first shot is my most important yeah it sets
the tone yeah you have to yeah because you know it's a rough day if you just top that first one
and you're just like oh he okay here we go but it's even worse when you're at a pro you can't
just go like walk up pick it up put it back and you're doing it again yeah you're not reload no no
god no it's your victor goblin yeah well right would you see a lot though like the pros will
hit like multiple tee shots or like they'll make the putt and then they'll go over and like
like oh I want to practice on the Friday pin oh yeah you go like hit to like a random corner where
there is no company no so I can't like doing that a lot yeah but no it's I mean we we saw
that at the lip event as well that it because it is a still practice round for them at the end of
the day it's a day before the tournament yeah I mean essentially they've just set up the system
where we can go out there and hang out with them during their practice yeah that's really
what it is right like tournament starts tomorrow morning this is their last time seeing the course
before like it all counts and they're walking around with us guys there's all that it's a signature
event and we're just like a lolly guy dude and it's like a signature event based on like one of
the most notable figures in all of golf like there's so much about it that's the prestige of this
event and then here's us there's like there's like an air in the whole clubhouse and like on
all the ground that's like we should be respecting Arnie like that's what it feels like yeah
whatever I like think about us being there and like joking around and like
chooie me she's like maybe another weekend this is a mistake like do they know they get the wrong
name like I'll even tell you these tastes different there do that they do yeah there's just
something about it drink of the Arnie at the Arnie yeah you can't you can't beat that you can't
I will I will say though um you always know there's gonna be some gifts beforehand of course
gifts were great oh my god oh you walk right up first things first they hand you this like
vessel duffle bag which you've been asking for yes but like customed out with the little Arnie
umbrellas and like the liner has it the whole thing so nice then you step down a little bit and then
gift cards for Peter Miller yeah kind of fun um not even sure how much is on it yet
it's probably not a little yes I just assume it's uh you can buy a couple a couple sure it's
yeah then you got a little farther and uh you get a brand new cobra driver that was ridiculous
I don't believe it's the Arnold Palmer edition yes which is insane like that's got to be at least
a six seven hundred dollar driver easily and it's just in your bag yeah yeah wrap the brand
and go and then uh you get a brand new pair of Puma Arnold Palmer edition shoes oh I didn't even
see that one yeah oh they're in the duffle okay that's for the ship talk they're in the room for
like yeah I already packed like overpacked mmm I like I wasn't thinking you know whatever I know
but like I was like doing the whole thing where you have to like sit on your suitcase to see if
it I didn't have room for another duffle a brand new pair of shoes and whatever I blow this
Peter Miller gift card on wait a minute though hold on what's stopping you from just bringing the
bag as another bag because now you can put all your other stuff in there well the issue is you
only get so many carry-ons and all that so that I'll be like over bag you have the check
and duffle but I know it's it's a lot just get ruined immediately yeah I could have checked my
main suitcase and then carried the duffle on but then you know anything with the wheel so your
backpacking carry duffle yeah it's a lot it's a lot you want to be able to drag something at the
airport yeah well and I'm shipping stuff home anyway because when we finished our round there's
a great finishing whole gift which was this beautiful photo that we took on the first T
by the 18th T was printed and in gift form which is insane work in a frame in a frame which is
just crazy hand-signed yes by Victor Oblin which I still don't quite understand when he did that
I I don't they must have been coordinated this thing before and because right we took the photo
with him we played golf with him and then we got a gift that he had signed but he had never left us
yeah I don't understand yeah they hadn't done before but isn't it on the picture
no it's in like the plaque in the middle got you okay yeah that explains it pre-signed yeah
and unless he like dipped off him yeah he got a graph there he was I I did want to say shout out
to Victor Oblin he was very involved with the fans there's a good amount of people
yeah towards the end of the day and he was signing autographs for everybody taking pictures with
everybody which you don't got to do I wouldn't want to do it so like I respect for him and also he
um sort of I don't know like went along like you could talk to him ask him questions like he was
just up for it like he's having fun talking about whatever like well if you're cracking my dumb
jokes he's only laughing away like the whole thing I get to make like these guys you do it for
like enough years you have to do this every single week it's a lot that at some point you're like
I listen I don't I don't want to do small talk like I'm I'm not up for that you got to embrace it
at some point and I think a bit like I don't know if maybe I'm speaking for you I feel like you
were more when you were picking your player you wanted somebody that you'd vibe with more than like
let me just get the best player totally and you kind of got the best wall for
yeah but yeah for real like yeah for real to me like vibe is a big part of it yeah oh yeah if I
get to pick like you get up all the entire sheet with like whatever 80 something players on it
or whatever it was it's like I think it would be more fun to be with somebody who would be fun to
be with yeah exactly because there's obviously like a lot of these guys are so wicked dude
you're just naming guys yes I didn't intentionally didn't but yeah there's a lot of guys out there
that are just like stoic and they're just about their business and that's just it's not
enough on against them it's just what they do well or for example like one of the greatest golfers
in current modern era Hideki Matsuya now we're naming there I'm just one of the other folks in our
group shows him in the draw and I was like man that'd be so incredible because he got such a great
swing like but the conversation yeah because like in press conferences he uses a translate or
like the whole thing so I I'm curious like how they're after doing what we'll find out tonight
we will because they were about 1240 we had seven times they had 1240 so we had the extremes we
were all the way done before they got started crazy crazy shout out to you guys in the group in
front of you four hour pro-am round four hour pro-am round is why I was ready for six and a half
hours of course I mean easily live with how to have been five and a half yeah I mean I think the
the sort of saving grace to it is the fact that we were so early and there was I think one
group ahead of us or two maybe I don't know it was just Scotty yeah yeah so like he was playing
fast he's cruising yeah and Victor wasn't slow by any means either even when he was hitting four
balls on the tee no he was still just sending him dude he walks so fast he does oh my god like I was
like oh I'm gonna kind of like walk them for a little bit and like he kept like he was just like
I'm not next to him anymore you'll see a picture right here of him five feet above her 50 feet
bed of everybody he's like he's like galloping I mean it's crazy I respect it I mean he's definitely
that's probably makes sense why Jack you see those calves on him oh my god oh those things are so
dying get out of here I mean what do you think about it like at some point somebody asked them they
were like you know Victor so like turn them into tournament week after week like do you ever
try and take like Monday off he's like no days off so he's out doing that that thing like I'm
sore right now a lot of walking I was running the whole thing um he's doing that every day like oh
yeah and I'm sure like stuck around and practice for hours after then do it in a moment like
four more days oh my god he's been doing it since Monday exactly it's like oh my god it's a lot
it is golf though we do love golf but still it is it's a lot like people argue is golf a sport
is golf a game I mean to me hobblins an athlete yeah wait is that actually a thing to get people
to argue that was yeah but like it's not a sport it's a game the greatest game ever it's a game of
golf yeah I'm pretty negative on that yeah I don't get on board that I think it is one of the most
intense sports walking team one time that's all I got to say is walking team one time cat I mean
it makes sense why their calves are so dialed oh dude and like I couldn't even imagine being a
caddy oh my god because it's like dude like they're not even using like a Sunday bag like no they've
got like a full-blown staff bag yes which is wildly unnecessary by the way there's no need
for that big of a bag for the same amount of clubs yeah they're in for sponsors I get I get
I get what what about you what why do you have a staff bag I don't have a staff bag I thought
you were the one behind that you got from vessel no oh yeah but I'm not like carrying it for a
walking yeah yeah that's my point like yeah you bring yeah you bring that on the back of the
cart of course yeah that would be funny you you pulling up to the course of a cat 18-year-old
care and your heavy ass bag and look a lot of the caddies were like volunteers there's old guys
young guys there's some gals girls like one of the girls like she was like a young junior golfer
yeah I'm just imagining if I handed her a staff bag she'd be cooked she had no chance the the
golfer that she was counting for also felt bad because it's like you get a girl that's not
many years younger than you and it's like you feel bad handed or you're bad and he had like a
regular carry bag yeah a light bag yeah you got to have that that's that might be pro M101 or
just honestly golfing with a caddy 101 if you're gonna get a caddy anywhere don't bring a heavy
ass bag also lighten your bag yeah oh yeah like I did a full purge like I literally went through like
is particular is like I took half the teas out of my bag I was like I just don't need to have
have all these different repair tools like well I'm not using those take them out of the bag
I have two towels I'm like I'm gonna go to one tile there you go I went through all like my spare
balls on the bottom took all of them out and just had like two clean sleeves in there like I know
that you organized it for the kid I was I was being conscious of whoever was gonna be stuck
carrying this bag you were losing me there for a second because you were naming exclusively
light things yeah you got it the goalful yeah took out one towel I took out my phone charger
yeah that's big yeah I was that taking it I went through every single pocket this last night
or was this before you left uh this was at 420 or 521 am yeah this was me when my
emergency alarm was going on all this when you were doing that yeah I'm just imagining you in your
room with like the one that sounds like the air raid sign and you're just snoring through that's
free it's not the uh that's one you gotta have it bro if I imagine if I slept in for this and
didn't leave you know when I stacked my alarms yes I stacked the sound so the first one that
goes off at 445 is very peaceful it's like the piano one yeah the second one is like a little
more up like the Danana Danana and then by number three it's air raid time yeah that's the
emergency one I said get up I don't know who's getting up for that first alarm like the like the
the this like the soft peaceful what who's waking up from no I sleep better yeah yeah yeah I get
like real snuggly like oh my god that's another thing being in being in hotel we got to get up
at 540 or 445 for this tournament we're in a 60 degree room because you know we couldn't
get all the way down oh yeah yeah well you've been sleeping good tonight yeah I'm gonna sleep
like an absolute baby uh well especially because I'm you know like the whole falling asleep like
nervously before thing oh yeah excitedly like yeah it's not like I'm super nervous but like
it's just a big deal like I was excited dude how can you not be like I have to do the thing
where I'm like I put the phone down just like take a deep breath calm down and also like one
eye pops open and you're like I remember my oh yeah I got it got my rangefinder it's fine it means
you care okay once you get to the point where you're playing programs and you don't care
the night before maybe it's you play your laptop yeah you're all done I think that's it because
this is like this is the coolest thing you can't you can't beat the access that we have is great
yeah the master card obviously yeah um and I'm I'm very excited for the tournament tomorrow and
yeah we're gonna be the master card lounge 17 yeah yeah we had a little peek at today yeah there's
like a few beautiful nice ones on 17 so I was like oh are we in that nice one or that nice one
all of them yeah yeah we're we're getting spoiled out here for sure deservedly so I don't know
probably not but I feel like we condom pretty good including us so this is fine yep we did our job
I think yeah it's great day all around great day still got a whole tournament ahead of us you have
a highlight or a low light highlight um okay yeah for sure um whole six that's the famous
Bryson de Chimbo drove it over the entire lake and he did the whole like yep thing which by the
huge miss not taking that photo yeah oh I thought about it after I was like I should have
did yeah you should know what a waste do it tomorrow during the tournament and but also like I couldn't
do it on my t-box because we played nowhere near where Bryson's like which makes it crazy like yeah
I from a forward t still had no hope of doing what he did yeah and he's 75 yards back that one
nothing was the most extreme for like t differences like I'll put it near I have a picture of his
your t and it's like is this the same hole yeah it really isn't on that one I just I picked a very
confident like pretty aggressive line yeah pick my tree pick my target and I sent it and balls
flying over water for a long time and you just see that like mid fairway bounce and it's just like
you did it it was great um I have like he like yells up from the back he was like
he was like never a doubt huh never a doubt he was good for that he was good for the post shot
like perfect shot beautiful he was good for that I was like I was like yeah I was like I'm not sweating
this is that's not sweat that was easy yeah no that do that whole beautiful oh my god that was
the real being on that oh dude and meanwhile like many on many holes he's teaming off 60 yards behind
us in landing 60 yards ahead of us I'm like it's it's a different game yeah that mean there's
just like there's zero world where you could ever stumble into like being kind of as good as it
like there it just like even like on 18 like I don't he was you know like one 98 out or something
like that which is like a very respectful decent distance from the green and he hits it to like
three feet yeah with probably like a nine iron time it's just that's crazy like for me I'm like
let's just get it on the green sore potting and he's hitting to three feet you're thinking about
like shy rolling up yeah like I don't know if I can stick it but yeah don't chunk it like you know
like I don't know like way and and of course like there's people no yes so like when you miss
there's consequences there were some four rights and four left that ever heard some very aggressive
ones from some of the people I heard some loud ones really loud ones yeah yeah but nobody got
hurt so nobody nobody nobody except through your drums yeah yours maybe yeah other than that yeah
oh it's hilarious yeah I will say though for some reason I get I sent my expectations law I get it
we live in the Midwest we haven't played like real rounds of golf since like October yeah I played
one or two kind of travel rounds so you know you're whatever so I I tried to manage my expectations
and keep them low so they want to hit good shots I'm like oh nice okay good good but I struggled
on a few of those par threes yeah I don't know what it was I was like man like I'm I hit the same iron
out of the fairway on the last hole and struck it well and everything was great um step up to the
next deals like oh this distance is great I'm like I'm hitting the same iron again so I'm like I
have confidence over it and like I I forgot whatever hole it was but just chunked it straight
to the water think it was seven wasn't something I don't want straight in the water just like
with like two and a half pounds of dirt just like with it that was right after Victor like
sung like three above our head yeah like it was like fireworks which by the way is like one of
the coolest sounds ever never gets old having a probe behind you hit over your head it's to me I
would prefer that over fireworks on the 4th of July oh my god yeah just I'm not gonna get into my
firework so we're ready to take we can go for that another day we'll get there we can get that
another day totally I mean Disney isn't far from here it's a separate side show but I was
don't feel there all day like you you do not get used to seeing the pros hitting those kind of shots
you can't like the sound like the sound is just different and even like what I when I go practice
and what I'm hoping to achieve is not even that like I like I'm seeing shots I'm like oh my like
that's beyond even what I feel like I'm working towards yeah it's like so next level and you
got to hit the range which was uh you're on one side the pros are on the other yeah Hort Billy
Horsho was a couple stalls away from you and Sam Burns right over there yeah it's like here's
the other one that's you know I I did a quick little interview with Sam Burns yesterday and then
I see him today yeah and so it's like are we friends now do I say hi do I not like I don't want
to ignore on like is a hug too much yes yeah like do I just like do like you know like like like
like a one of those handshakes you jump in his arms or do I like wave with two hands like I
don't know what you end up doing none of the above well he didn't really look my way and so like
that's because it's also awkward if you're like oh my armor yeah yeah one of those yeah I
I what I also realized out is I'm so awkward internally that I'm like having these like
commerce I'm like should I wait put your arm down yeah all right how about this look a little bit
but if he looks don't look away because then I'm like oh my cat like a local Victor Vick
obli and ob just like having these like anxiety conversations just rattling through my brain like
are you having fun I'm like yeah yeah it's a great time it starts to become verbally we're
saying it out loud they're when playing out these ridiculous scenarios if I should wave
and sam burry with one hand or two hands ridiculous dude like relax I'm like I am relaxed
so it's it's great do you have a I want to ask you one question for today it's Wednesdays
we're recording this yeah you have a pick for me uh term it starts tomorrow I mean I just feel like
we got to pick Vick Vick's the pick there it is I mean I feel like we should take all the credit
for him doing well and you're present um also all the blame if he doesn't because he had to
watch some horrific shots and I don't say that any master card player wins it was because of us yeah
absolutely um or even sam burns because I spared him from the two-handed wave which would
have ruined his day actually we walked past him so he can't oh oh I I he was carrying a coffee
and I was like uh actually I got a latte you actually said yeah I didn't have to blame this but
I panicked did he what he said he was like ha ha ha ha like he laughed at first then really
it was the stupidest shit he ever he probably wasn't glad to hear myself yeah a little easier to
make it cool a normal person got a lot and I'm walking away I'm like why do it's because you
didn't have enough time to think about it before like oh my god it's sam burns I'm doing oh my god
I know it was a good time yeah that's great yeah well we'll uh report back after we see some more
this tournament yep Thursday for all day Thursday Friday and then um we're out back to the Midwest
and we're bringing the warmth back with a weather report we're bringing the warmth back bringing the
warmth and a bunch of merch from the uh yeah yeah merch store the first time we go to Bay Hill and
we just have everything that they have in the store I think I'm like hey I should grab like maybe
a shirt or something for the round three hundred seventy five dollars later I don't think it's
accusing the magic hat one layered piece on a rack later and you and I will be going back
yo for sure to there and we haven't even been to the tournament pro shop yet we've only been to
the course pro shop which by the way like if you can get the courses pro shop gear yeah at the
tournament and it's a it's a big time like if you know you know because like a regular person
would never know like the difference in us way yeah Taylor Arnold Palmer but for us it's like
I tell you though we could really level up if we could in that tennis pro shop oh dude
would we go out with that now the tennis balls I have a grasp of the dancing next show
all right that's it Dan Evan chill

The Dan Evans Show

The Dan Evans Show

The Dan Evans Show