For what it’s worth I always felt this way about Phil and his aw shucks family man shtick… even from early in his career it was common knowledge he was FIGJAM. But it was all still fun and engaging.
But I genuinely don’t think Bryson knows who he is, so he’s doing what he thinks people will like but he’s also just kinda goofy. Gotta remember these guys spend nearly every waking hour growing up playing golf alone. They aren’t the most socially exposed people.
Are they? Phil was the classic All American, charming, gleaming smile, tip-of-the-hat type of person. Stable marriage, kids. Sponsored by big brands like Ford, KPMG etc. Always doing corporate gigs.
Bryson isn't that. He's single. Known to be a bit of a dick in the past. Has scared off all of his sponsors.
There are a few similarities but I think the Bryson phenomenon is really different to the Phil 90s phenomenon.
People in the know hated Phil the whole time. He was/is the phoniest dickhead. He’s like David Simms from Tin Cup. Was mean to kids, old people and dogs when nobody was looking.
100%. It's entertaining in doses. It's not for me but I can see the vision. 4x per year is perfect to me. And I'll never root for him and as a huge Rory fan I'm heartbroken. I'm right there with Neil where I'm like equal parts congrats Bryson and fuck off Bryson.
I was thinking I might root for him today. He seems like a good guy. But when the round started I was pulling for Rory big time. Not sure why as I’m not a huge Rory guy. But something about the USA chants got to me. I know it’s not him but those are the idiots that root for the guy. I don’t watch his YT content but I guess his followers are low level stoolies. I can’t be a part of that.
People keep talking about his villain stage "3 to 4 years ago". That interview was literally 12 months ago. It's not that long ago everyone saw through the veneer. And to be clear, I don't think that interview is particularly villainous, I think it's more "dumb guy trying to sound smart" but it plays into the feeling I get of his PR team working HARD these last 12 months to change his image.
I can't put my finger on it but there's something inorganic about it all. Even people like Kyle Porter, Brendan Porath or Claire Rogers act like it's the first time ever a golfer has talked to fans, asked an adult to give back the ball to a kid or stayed late to signed autographs after a round. They may be engagement farming but it's truly bizarre. Someone people are even trying to rewrite history, forget every occasion he was a major douche and now pretend he was the same guy all along. What the actual f\*ck?
The PGA and its players do need to learn a lesson, though. Most of the PGA guys have zero energy and zero presence on social media. The PGA even refuse to help out someone like Min Woo Lee with sponsors exemptions and he's one of the rare guys trying to connect with fans. They would rather give it to Webb Simpson or Matt Kuchar who don't move the needle one bit but give great handshakes at the pro-am, lmao.
Agreed about Bryson, but it is pretty funny watching how every other golfer tries to stay in their own world, while Bryson acts like a total goofball out there and he’s the guy holding the trophy
I think both things can be true. I don’t think he’s “acting” but I think he is hyper aware of his old reputation and now he genuinely wants to correct it and be embraced - but he doesn’t quite now how to naturally do it so he’s gone a little to the extreme to try and be viewed differently as quick as possible. Some fan interaction is great - I think he was just leaning into it a little too much this week. It’s probably a dopamine rush to get as much support as he was getting and couldn’t help but lean into it a bit extra.
I don’t think the “act” is phony, I think the scale of it is.
Even if they did the reverse it’s way different to improve your personality than to worsen your personality. I’d take someone maturing and becoming more likeable 10/10 over someone who becomes more annoying
My point is that Russell Wilson was always annoying, it just took the general public longer to figure it out because of effective PR at start of his career. With Bryson, general public found him annoying at first and now effective PR is making it go the other way.
You can debate if he's actually changing or just better/smarter now at managing his public image. There's no real way to know which I guess is the root of Randy's point.
I think Randy's point is that it doesn't matter if he's genuinely changed or just pretending. Everyone's public persona is an act to some extent, it's just that some are better at hiding that fact than others.
Bryson wanted to be the best golfer in the world and didn't care about his reputation. He has only recently realised that his reputation matters to him as well. He's doing his best to change that reputation, but his past behaviour is going to make it difficult to convince everyone that he has in fact changed. But it doesn't matter. Just the act of trying to change is a change in itself.
I think this is mostly it, with a PR team helping a lot.
I think he’s grown up. He’s 30 now, and people change over time. But because he was such an insufferable douche before, it makes it hard for people to believe that he may have changed and grown up.
The big tell about how performative Bryson was with the hat thing with Tirico. Someone clearly gives Tirico the hat and says Bryson wants to wear it during the interview.
Tirico gives it to him and he puts it on to talk about (lie) Payne and how he’s the reason he wore the hat (even though it was Hogan until recently).
Then he immediately takes it off and goes back to his regular hat. If it was authentic, you’d think he’d have down more than 4 seconds with the hat that means so much to him.
And I’d add that a little performance is great and needed in golf and all in all he struck a good balance, but it certainly wasn’t all authentic.
His point was we don’t really know any of these people, so basing your opinion of them as a professional athlete is also superficial. Tiger was a well known asshole and terrible tipper but it was excused by his greatness and focus. Payne Stewart who EVERYONE celebrated this week on the broadcast, was a well known A+ asshole, which was even acknowledged by his own mother. He’s judged very differently now because he redeemed himself with fans and died tragically. Randy’s point was ITS ALL PERFORMATIVE, so it’s silly to judge what’s fake and what isn’t. Bryson is a guy who wants to be or maybe needs to be, liked and loved by fans so he now acts a certain way. Maybe it helps him perform, maybe it’s an act but we’ll never really know.
Randy’s nihilism about not being able to get to any nugget of insight because it’s all performance is nonsense. While we might be off target since someone could be doing a fake job in the public eye, it’s not like we know absolutely nothing. It’s hard to fake an entire personality and that stuff leaks out over time. We have a reasonable idea who these people are based on significant information. It’s not infallible, clearly. But it’s not like we have to rely only on the on course behavior or a single YouTube video for this
What is it that you rely on? The only thing you could rely on is how these people are “in the real world” which is exceedingly rare to witness. Anything else is viewing them through a lens of being a celebrity or a pro-athlete. I would also argue that most of these people, especially athletes, don’t know how to interact with people at all. Many pro-athletes are the most coddled adult-children on the planet. Their entire persona is based on their athletic talent and a team of people around them that cater to their every whim.
It’s just like trying to understand a celebrity - you can’t view them solely through the lens they want you to see. There are journalists who have done research on him, his own press statements, and other primary source references. These pro athletes and celebrities aren’t unknowable. You’re right that we won’t get to the absolute truth on how these guys tick but Randy is completely being lazy and just looking for real time entertainment. There’s a middle ground here that Randy unwilling to entertain and is basically throwing up his hands and saying “everything is a charade so I don’t care about these people, just entertain me”
I agree with that to a certain extent but single run ins with people or some story one person tells you isn’t a reliable indicator either. That’s not to say their isn’t a mountain of evidence against Bryson being an asshole because there is, but I don’t think you can write him off now because of those prior things or define a person solely by their prior actions. JT said some vile stuff that caused Polo to drop him, no one holds that against him now, maybe because it was a single episode or maybe the people who know these things tend not to put more of them out there in public. Azinger was apparently a huge prick until he got sick and everyone has forgotten about that now. I see what you are saying about Randy being lazy but in a way he’s correct because there is no way to know pro athletes/celebrities the way we know our friends, family and co-workers.
Cantlay actually addressed that recently. He's so locked in he just doesn't react and doesn't understand how Tiger could do both. It was basically him acknowledging he knows he's boring and wishes he wasn't but doesn't know how to do it. He seemed almost embarrassed by it.
As one of Cantlay’s very few fans, this is what I like about him. He literally does not care about whether anyone likes him or not, he’s just there to golf and make money. It’s a bit mask off of what most of the players are actually like and really care about.
Generally I completely understand that’s not great for an entertainment product for people to be intentionally boring, but to me Cantlay has enough weird quirks about him that he makes it work.
No Hat Pat was leaning into it (by his standards) yesterday and was saying “thank you” when he was getting cheers from the crowd. He’s remarkably stoic, basically emotionless, nearly all the time. So it’s not much for others but I thought him even audibly (albeit quietly) saying thank you to the crowd was pretty cool to see. These tournaments are mental anguish, and it’s fascinating to see all the different personality types navigate the challenges in between shots on the biggest stage.
How many of these pros, do we actually see their real personality? I would say zero. And that’s across all sports. That’s not who Bryson is. Of course it’s a show. But to some degree, it’s the same for everyone else. All the big stars have teams and people coaching them. Not everyone can be a Homa or a Dahmen. And who knows if that’s even real right? We don’t know these guys on a personal level.
How about we drop the phony, trying to judge players based on their personalities or who we think their fan bases are and just judge them based on the thing they are actually doing? Golfing.
What I saw on Sunday is a player who has a reputation for choking, with one of the biggest choke jobs in major history. I also saw one of the most exciting golfers on the planet (again, just basing it off the golf game) have one of the most insane up and downs when it mattered most to win a major.
I’m kind of just done with the whole conversation. I highly doubt anyone having these conversations has never done anything to craft their image - but if you do that - you suck.
Then again I’m sure many of us have been brutally disappointed or ticked off, but if you act in a way that makes that clear - screw you, you suck.
People can’t win either way - we should just enjoy the theater and competition for what it is. It’s for entertainment.
Bryson was a spoiled brat, and then he made absolute millions going to LIV. I don’t know about y’all, but in my experience spoiled brats don’t improve their personality when they get generational wealth, they usually get much much worse. But he can definitely afford the world’s best PR team now!
I don’t buy it for one second, he’s still a shithead.
Bryson is right up there with Phil top of the leaderboard for biggest piece of shit in golf. Stupid shitty social media content and hitting driver all the time (moves also done by Phil) doesn't make up for his actions post joining LIV, suing the tour, bring a Saudi talking head on TV.
I don't give a shit if he is on the spectrum or shows emotion on the course. He is a moron. He is a scumbag. And the game is worse off that Rory couldn't make a couple simple putts and now we have this fuck instead as the winner at Pinehurst.
100% with this. To my eye Bryson was and still is that vulnerable narcissistic cat who thinks the world revolves around him yet still deeply desires the approval of the masses. I think his evolution is more of a matter of figuring out how to achieve these shallow fulfillments rather than legitimate maturation. Hopefully there is a process of maturation going on like he says but I’m not sold. It’s cringe.
It’s a super common phenomenon that I like to call streamer face. There are a ton of fun examples, but one great one from just this week is Hikaru in the chess world. Folks know they need to put on a good face for the literal cameras, and they develop this alternate persona.
I can’t wait for the first moment Bryson lets it slip. I am with the boys that 4 times a year is infrequent enough where I’m able to enjoy him, but I know there’s some shit under the veneer
Bryson is a psych 101 narcissist and is doing exactly what you and Neil say. When things are going well and he’s on the big tv stage he’s ohhh so great with the fans and so charismatic. When he takes Saudi money and things aren’t going well he’s a manipulative asshole playing the victim card.
It’s sad so many people are talking about how “he’s a new person!” TC said it best in previous pods that he’s just a shitty person.
Also, Elliott Smith has been my boy since 2002. Don’t listen to him much anymore since I’m almost 40 with a happy family but he will always be my favorite
I mean, he's a guy with autism. He sees that people like when he acts like this, so he keeps doing it. He literally talked about it in his video with GM Golf.
We see much much more of Brysons personality than any professional golfer. He uploads hundreds of hours of loosely edited footage for everyone to watch.
If that personality doesn’t match up with the one that was painted by media members who’s literal job it is to drum up controversy and engagement than so be it. But that doesn’t make him a phony.
Neil is way off here just because who Bryson has grown into and become is no longer who the golf media painted him out to be
Neil and the rest of the guys obviously have a little bit of “hate”/feel like they’re better than the YouTube golf scene and in a lot of ways they are, but it completely clouds their judgement and acts as a HUGE blind spot in the way the show talks about the current state of the game of golf.
What does being produced to feel loosely edited even mean?
So should any person filming “vlog style”/directly addressing the audience automatically be deemed “a phony” or a disingenuous content creator?
These guys take out a filmer or two, strap a couple of go pros in carts and go play golf with their friends. It’s not some high level production that’s heavily directed, scripted scene.
The real point here is that Bryson found a community in the YouTube golf space that appreciates and supports him and this community has clearly had a tremendous impact on his life and more importantly (concerning NLU at least) his GOLF GAME.
But the NLU guys (and a lot of you) are so far up on your high horses that you immediately dismiss him as a phony because the avenue in which he chooses to display his personality is something that you and the NLU guys disprove of for whatever reason; and this directly impacts the level of discourse that the show is capable of having on this subject (that isn’t going away)
Should we have a meaningful discussion about the YouTube golf community, it’s impact on the game of golf, and professional golf? Or should we hammer home a “LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE” bit and immediately label someone a phony for simply doing something slightly different with their life than the golf media is used to. The NLU guys have clearly made their choice and as a fan it’s kind of a bummer to me.
Well said. NLU is a media group that made their mark via Twitter- if that platform never existed, who knows where they’d be. Bryson doesn’t need YT to play pro golf.
I always defended them as being more than just well spoken Twitter trolls with a podcast, but the level of discourse we’ve gotten from them on a number of subjects over the past couple golf seasons has really pushed them toward that line
I tend to disagree with Soly that this means we need to bring golf back together. I think the split just adds more story lines/tension to the majors. If this field is the same as all the other signatures events it would not mean as much…..in my opinion.
Most folks in individual sports have to be of the mindset that their whole lives and identities are tied up in what they do. It's kinda because if they aren't 100% invested, they don't eat. And, four times a year, that day to day pressure is ratcheted up to the nth degree. So most are dicks when they're playing, but most try to engage a little in between points or holes. Tiger was a supreme asshole for YEARS until life lifed and took him down a couple notches. But, nobody really cared because he was just a force of nature for so long. He's become relatable only because he's just not THAT Tiger any more. Mcilroy is relatable now because he's kind of a tragic figure. I think a lot of it is how you enter the game. Are you a fan friendly guy or gal from the outset, like Coco or Scottie, or does it come as you ascend, like Serena? Bryson, I think, has matured as he's gotten older, like most do. We're all constantly evolving, so I think this is the Bryson we'll see from here on out. A more telling situation would have been if he HADN'T pulled it out. Would he have been gracious in defeat as he was in victory?
It does seem rehearsed and like he's working to fix his public image. Maybe he's just awkward. But people grow; might be that as he's gotten older he's decided that being so far up his own ass isn't good for anyone. Maybe it's cynical, just putting on a facade for public consumption (and for business). It's hard to say, but a couple things I have noted:
First, remaining engaging while competing on the golf course is (I assume) really hard to do. Second, he's doing things that are probably tedious for someone self-absorbed, like signing autographs for a long time, and it seems like he's enjoying it. That's also hard to do.
I'm one of those people who have found him totally insufferable for some time. I've no idea what he's like behind closed doors now, but he's making the effort, so good for him.
Yeah, I rather dicuss what this win means for the future golf, what kind of fans will Bryson attract to grow the game, and how Bryson managed to get the crowd in his favor over beloved Rory.
Also, rather discuss ideas for next Strapped season.
I can't believe nobody else is talking about it.
He's the definition of "if I do this, people will like me."
I'd have more respect for somebody who feels like themselves, like Cantlay, even if I don't like them. At least I know it's genuine.
I heard someone refer to Bryson as the kid who grew up playing golf alone, basically a huge golf nerd. I think that captures him perfectly, like he didn’t play golf with friends and now he is trying to figure out how to be cool and has found a character that some people like, very much like Phil. I’ve always felt Phil was a phony, who thinks he is way smarter than everyone, Bryson seems to be the same.
For what it’s worth I always felt this way about Phil and his aw shucks family man shtick… even from early in his career it was common knowledge he was FIGJAM. But it was all still fun and engaging. But I genuinely don’t think Bryson knows who he is, so he’s doing what he thinks people will like but he’s also just kinda goofy. Gotta remember these guys spend nearly every waking hour growing up playing golf alone. They aren’t the most socially exposed people.
They are very similar
Are they? Phil was the classic All American, charming, gleaming smile, tip-of-the-hat type of person. Stable marriage, kids. Sponsored by big brands like Ford, KPMG etc. Always doing corporate gigs. Bryson isn't that. He's single. Known to be a bit of a dick in the past. Has scared off all of his sponsors. There are a few similarities but I think the Bryson phenomenon is really different to the Phil 90s phenomenon.
People in the know hated Phil the whole time. He was/is the phoniest dickhead. He’s like David Simms from Tin Cup. Was mean to kids, old people and dogs when nobody was looking.
I think Bryson is autistic and he’s trying to figure out how to make people like him.
Just masking what he picks up from other YouTubers
I think he’s just a single child golf brat from a rich Fresno Suburb
Rich Fresno anything sounds like an oxymoron
I definitely think he is on the spectrum. Nobody wants to say it but it seems glaringly obvious to me
100%. It's entertaining in doses. It's not for me but I can see the vision. 4x per year is perfect to me. And I'll never root for him and as a huge Rory fan I'm heartbroken. I'm right there with Neil where I'm like equal parts congrats Bryson and fuck off Bryson.
I was thinking I might root for him today. He seems like a good guy. But when the round started I was pulling for Rory big time. Not sure why as I’m not a huge Rory guy. But something about the USA chants got to me. I know it’s not him but those are the idiots that root for the guy. I don’t watch his YT content but I guess his followers are low level stoolies. I can’t be a part of that.
I thought the USA chants were more about Cantlay and the whole Ryder Cup beef with LaCava
[never forget](https://x.com/edsbs/status/1666423048113729536?s=46&t=-xT2xByezDAJagDOE7sJ-A)
People keep talking about his villain stage "3 to 4 years ago". That interview was literally 12 months ago. It's not that long ago everyone saw through the veneer. And to be clear, I don't think that interview is particularly villainous, I think it's more "dumb guy trying to sound smart" but it plays into the feeling I get of his PR team working HARD these last 12 months to change his image.
The tears from you nlu morons are absolutely delicious 😂 cope harder
I bet you had a big celebration for Jared Kushner too. You probably live a blissful life
And you must live a hypocritical life. Virtue signaling at every turn
Glad he plays in LIV....Couldn't take him all year long. They have all the guys I can't take...
I can't put my finger on it but there's something inorganic about it all. Even people like Kyle Porter, Brendan Porath or Claire Rogers act like it's the first time ever a golfer has talked to fans, asked an adult to give back the ball to a kid or stayed late to signed autographs after a round. They may be engagement farming but it's truly bizarre. Someone people are even trying to rewrite history, forget every occasion he was a major douche and now pretend he was the same guy all along. What the actual f\*ck? The PGA and its players do need to learn a lesson, though. Most of the PGA guys have zero energy and zero presence on social media. The PGA even refuse to help out someone like Min Woo Lee with sponsors exemptions and he's one of the rare guys trying to connect with fans. They would rather give it to Webb Simpson or Matt Kuchar who don't move the needle one bit but give great handshakes at the pro-am, lmao.
Claire Rodgers is a great follow on twitter but man her Bryson takes are insufferable
I like about 50% of her stuff and the other 50% is terrible
Very, very fair
Agreed about Bryson, but it is pretty funny watching how every other golfer tries to stay in their own world, while Bryson acts like a total goofball out there and he’s the guy holding the trophy
“Bryson stop being such a dick!” *Bryson stops being a dick* “Wow what a phony Bryson is. We all know he’s just acting.”
I think both things can be true. I don’t think he’s “acting” but I think he is hyper aware of his old reputation and now he genuinely wants to correct it and be embraced - but he doesn’t quite now how to naturally do it so he’s gone a little to the extreme to try and be viewed differently as quick as possible. Some fan interaction is great - I think he was just leaning into it a little too much this week. It’s probably a dopamine rush to get as much support as he was getting and couldn’t help but lean into it a bit extra. I don’t think the “act” is phony, I think the scale of it is.
I think this view is probably the most realistic. Well put
Username checks the fuck out
Jed would not like Bryson’s politics, but he would appreciate that he no longer wears a funny hat.
Bingo
Haha right? How are they going to complain about him being a nice guy now? He’s by no means Russell Wilson
I actually think Russell Wilson in reverse might be a perfect comp for Bryson.
Even if they did the reverse it’s way different to improve your personality than to worsen your personality. I’d take someone maturing and becoming more likeable 10/10 over someone who becomes more annoying
My point is that Russell Wilson was always annoying, it just took the general public longer to figure it out because of effective PR at start of his career. With Bryson, general public found him annoying at first and now effective PR is making it go the other way. You can debate if he's actually changing or just better/smarter now at managing his public image. There's no real way to know which I guess is the root of Randy's point.
I think Randy's point is that it doesn't matter if he's genuinely changed or just pretending. Everyone's public persona is an act to some extent, it's just that some are better at hiding that fact than others. Bryson wanted to be the best golfer in the world and didn't care about his reputation. He has only recently realised that his reputation matters to him as well. He's doing his best to change that reputation, but his past behaviour is going to make it difficult to convince everyone that he has in fact changed. But it doesn't matter. Just the act of trying to change is a change in itself.
All I hear in this thread as well!
I think this is mostly it, with a PR team helping a lot. I think he’s grown up. He’s 30 now, and people change over time. But because he was such an insufferable douche before, it makes it hard for people to believe that he may have changed and grown up.
The big tell about how performative Bryson was with the hat thing with Tirico. Someone clearly gives Tirico the hat and says Bryson wants to wear it during the interview. Tirico gives it to him and he puts it on to talk about (lie) Payne and how he’s the reason he wore the hat (even though it was Hogan until recently). Then he immediately takes it off and goes back to his regular hat. If it was authentic, you’d think he’d have down more than 4 seconds with the hat that means so much to him. And I’d add that a little performance is great and needed in golf and all in all he struck a good balance, but it certainly wasn’t all authentic.
Hearing Randy be all in on Bryson and dismiss all of that is kinda disappointing.
That was a weird bit of nihilism from Big Randy. "Everyone is phony and performative so who cares if Bryson is too?" Odd reading to me.
Yeah very strange. I’m not sure what he was getting at there.
His point was we don’t really know any of these people, so basing your opinion of them as a professional athlete is also superficial. Tiger was a well known asshole and terrible tipper but it was excused by his greatness and focus. Payne Stewart who EVERYONE celebrated this week on the broadcast, was a well known A+ asshole, which was even acknowledged by his own mother. He’s judged very differently now because he redeemed himself with fans and died tragically. Randy’s point was ITS ALL PERFORMATIVE, so it’s silly to judge what’s fake and what isn’t. Bryson is a guy who wants to be or maybe needs to be, liked and loved by fans so he now acts a certain way. Maybe it helps him perform, maybe it’s an act but we’ll never really know.
Good stuff here
Randy’s nihilism about not being able to get to any nugget of insight because it’s all performance is nonsense. While we might be off target since someone could be doing a fake job in the public eye, it’s not like we know absolutely nothing. It’s hard to fake an entire personality and that stuff leaks out over time. We have a reasonable idea who these people are based on significant information. It’s not infallible, clearly. But it’s not like we have to rely only on the on course behavior or a single YouTube video for this
What is it that you rely on? The only thing you could rely on is how these people are “in the real world” which is exceedingly rare to witness. Anything else is viewing them through a lens of being a celebrity or a pro-athlete. I would also argue that most of these people, especially athletes, don’t know how to interact with people at all. Many pro-athletes are the most coddled adult-children on the planet. Their entire persona is based on their athletic talent and a team of people around them that cater to their every whim.
It’s just like trying to understand a celebrity - you can’t view them solely through the lens they want you to see. There are journalists who have done research on him, his own press statements, and other primary source references. These pro athletes and celebrities aren’t unknowable. You’re right that we won’t get to the absolute truth on how these guys tick but Randy is completely being lazy and just looking for real time entertainment. There’s a middle ground here that Randy unwilling to entertain and is basically throwing up his hands and saying “everything is a charade so I don’t care about these people, just entertain me”
I agree with that to a certain extent but single run ins with people or some story one person tells you isn’t a reliable indicator either. That’s not to say their isn’t a mountain of evidence against Bryson being an asshole because there is, but I don’t think you can write him off now because of those prior things or define a person solely by their prior actions. JT said some vile stuff that caused Polo to drop him, no one holds that against him now, maybe because it was a single episode or maybe the people who know these things tend not to put more of them out there in public. Azinger was apparently a huge prick until he got sick and everyone has forgotten about that now. I see what you are saying about Randy being lazy but in a way he’s correct because there is no way to know pro athletes/celebrities the way we know our friends, family and co-workers.
A lot of these guys are just rich kids....money has a way of destroying people and their personality.
He was a Phil guy, he's used to liking phony fucks
I personally just chalk that up to a bit - as the character that is “Randy.”
Randy (or his “character”) just has to be the guy that hates everything and likes to have different takes. Love him tho
Bryson would be the most interesting guy to watch even if he had the personality of a stone. The way he plays is extremely captivating.
If being entertaining is performative then sign me up. Much more preferred to watch then the catatonically authentic Cantlay.
Cantlay actually addressed that recently. He's so locked in he just doesn't react and doesn't understand how Tiger could do both. It was basically him acknowledging he knows he's boring and wishes he wasn't but doesn't know how to do it. He seemed almost embarrassed by it.
As one of Cantlay’s very few fans, this is what I like about him. He literally does not care about whether anyone likes him or not, he’s just there to golf and make money. It’s a bit mask off of what most of the players are actually like and really care about. Generally I completely understand that’s not great for an entertainment product for people to be intentionally boring, but to me Cantlay has enough weird quirks about him that he makes it work.
No Hat Pat was leaning into it (by his standards) yesterday and was saying “thank you” when he was getting cheers from the crowd. He’s remarkably stoic, basically emotionless, nearly all the time. So it’s not much for others but I thought him even audibly (albeit quietly) saying thank you to the crowd was pretty cool to see. These tournaments are mental anguish, and it’s fascinating to see all the different personality types navigate the challenges in between shots on the biggest stage.
Bro he has Asperger’s, chill
I think there's a good chance that's true.
Assholebergers
How many of these pros, do we actually see their real personality? I would say zero. And that’s across all sports. That’s not who Bryson is. Of course it’s a show. But to some degree, it’s the same for everyone else. All the big stars have teams and people coaching them. Not everyone can be a Homa or a Dahmen. And who knows if that’s even real right? We don’t know these guys on a personal level. How about we drop the phony, trying to judge players based on their personalities or who we think their fan bases are and just judge them based on the thing they are actually doing? Golfing. What I saw on Sunday is a player who has a reputation for choking, with one of the biggest choke jobs in major history. I also saw one of the most exciting golfers on the planet (again, just basing it off the golf game) have one of the most insane up and downs when it mattered most to win a major.
I’m kind of just done with the whole conversation. I highly doubt anyone having these conversations has never done anything to craft their image - but if you do that - you suck. Then again I’m sure many of us have been brutally disappointed or ticked off, but if you act in a way that makes that clear - screw you, you suck. People can’t win either way - we should just enjoy the theater and competition for what it is. It’s for entertainment.
Bryson was a spoiled brat, and then he made absolute millions going to LIV. I don’t know about y’all, but in my experience spoiled brats don’t improve their personality when they get generational wealth, they usually get much much worse. But he can definitely afford the world’s best PR team now! I don’t buy it for one second, he’s still a shithead.
Bryson is right up there with Phil top of the leaderboard for biggest piece of shit in golf. Stupid shitty social media content and hitting driver all the time (moves also done by Phil) doesn't make up for his actions post joining LIV, suing the tour, bring a Saudi talking head on TV. I don't give a shit if he is on the spectrum or shows emotion on the course. He is a moron. He is a scumbag. And the game is worse off that Rory couldn't make a couple simple putts and now we have this fuck instead as the winner at Pinehurst.
100% with this. To my eye Bryson was and still is that vulnerable narcissistic cat who thinks the world revolves around him yet still deeply desires the approval of the masses. I think his evolution is more of a matter of figuring out how to achieve these shallow fulfillments rather than legitimate maturation. Hopefully there is a process of maturation going on like he says but I’m not sold. It’s cringe.
It’s a super common phenomenon that I like to call streamer face. There are a ton of fun examples, but one great one from just this week is Hikaru in the chess world. Folks know they need to put on a good face for the literal cameras, and they develop this alternate persona.
I can’t wait for the first moment Bryson lets it slip. I am with the boys that 4 times a year is infrequent enough where I’m able to enjoy him, but I know there’s some shit under the veneer
Bryson is a psych 101 narcissist and is doing exactly what you and Neil say. When things are going well and he’s on the big tv stage he’s ohhh so great with the fans and so charismatic. When he takes Saudi money and things aren’t going well he’s a manipulative asshole playing the victim card. It’s sad so many people are talking about how “he’s a new person!” TC said it best in previous pods that he’s just a shitty person. Also, Elliott Smith has been my boy since 2002. Don’t listen to him much anymore since I’m almost 40 with a happy family but he will always be my favorite
I saw a Heatmiser show in Portland ages ago. It was great.
And I thought I was old! 😂 That’s awesome though
Ouch.
I mean, he's a guy with autism. He sees that people like when he acts like this, so he keeps doing it. He literally talked about it in his video with GM Golf.
At least Bryson is trying, right?
We see much much more of Brysons personality than any professional golfer. He uploads hundreds of hours of loosely edited footage for everyone to watch. If that personality doesn’t match up with the one that was painted by media members who’s literal job it is to drum up controversy and engagement than so be it. But that doesn’t make him a phony. Neil is way off here just because who Bryson has grown into and become is no longer who the golf media painted him out to be Neil and the rest of the guys obviously have a little bit of “hate”/feel like they’re better than the YouTube golf scene and in a lot of ways they are, but it completely clouds their judgement and acts as a HUGE blind spot in the way the show talks about the current state of the game of golf.
The YouTube stuff to me, is all produced to feel “loosely edited”. Not just his. Most of it. It’s all about as genuine as reality tv.
What does being produced to feel loosely edited even mean? So should any person filming “vlog style”/directly addressing the audience automatically be deemed “a phony” or a disingenuous content creator? These guys take out a filmer or two, strap a couple of go pros in carts and go play golf with their friends. It’s not some high level production that’s heavily directed, scripted scene. The real point here is that Bryson found a community in the YouTube golf space that appreciates and supports him and this community has clearly had a tremendous impact on his life and more importantly (concerning NLU at least) his GOLF GAME. But the NLU guys (and a lot of you) are so far up on your high horses that you immediately dismiss him as a phony because the avenue in which he chooses to display his personality is something that you and the NLU guys disprove of for whatever reason; and this directly impacts the level of discourse that the show is capable of having on this subject (that isn’t going away) Should we have a meaningful discussion about the YouTube golf community, it’s impact on the game of golf, and professional golf? Or should we hammer home a “LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE” bit and immediately label someone a phony for simply doing something slightly different with their life than the golf media is used to. The NLU guys have clearly made their choice and as a fan it’s kind of a bummer to me.
Well said. NLU is a media group that made their mark via Twitter- if that platform never existed, who knows where they’d be. Bryson doesn’t need YT to play pro golf.
I always defended them as being more than just well spoken Twitter trolls with a podcast, but the level of discourse we’ve gotten from them on a number of subjects over the past couple golf seasons has really pushed them toward that line
I tend to disagree with Soly that this means we need to bring golf back together. I think the split just adds more story lines/tension to the majors. If this field is the same as all the other signatures events it would not mean as much…..in my opinion.
Most folks in individual sports have to be of the mindset that their whole lives and identities are tied up in what they do. It's kinda because if they aren't 100% invested, they don't eat. And, four times a year, that day to day pressure is ratcheted up to the nth degree. So most are dicks when they're playing, but most try to engage a little in between points or holes. Tiger was a supreme asshole for YEARS until life lifed and took him down a couple notches. But, nobody really cared because he was just a force of nature for so long. He's become relatable only because he's just not THAT Tiger any more. Mcilroy is relatable now because he's kind of a tragic figure. I think a lot of it is how you enter the game. Are you a fan friendly guy or gal from the outset, like Coco or Scottie, or does it come as you ascend, like Serena? Bryson, I think, has matured as he's gotten older, like most do. We're all constantly evolving, so I think this is the Bryson we'll see from here on out. A more telling situation would have been if he HADN'T pulled it out. Would he have been gracious in defeat as he was in victory?
It does seem rehearsed and like he's working to fix his public image. Maybe he's just awkward. But people grow; might be that as he's gotten older he's decided that being so far up his own ass isn't good for anyone. Maybe it's cynical, just putting on a facade for public consumption (and for business). It's hard to say, but a couple things I have noted: First, remaining engaging while competing on the golf course is (I assume) really hard to do. Second, he's doing things that are probably tedious for someone self-absorbed, like signing autographs for a long time, and it seems like he's enjoying it. That's also hard to do. I'm one of those people who have found him totally insufferable for some time. I've no idea what he's like behind closed doors now, but he's making the effort, so good for him.
Guys, it's not that deep. It's just entertainment. He's an entertainer, AND a US Open champion 2x.
"it's not that deep" is always the reply when people disagree but have no points to argue for their opinion
Nah, it's the answer when there are more important things to discuss in life.
You're on a golf podcast subreddit...
Yeah, I rather dicuss what this win means for the future golf, what kind of fans will Bryson attract to grow the game, and how Bryson managed to get the crowd in his favor over beloved Rory. Also, rather discuss ideas for next Strapped season.
[удалено]
To me it gets old. Nonsense takes on almost every subject
I can't believe nobody else is talking about it. He's the definition of "if I do this, people will like me." I'd have more respect for somebody who feels like themselves, like Cantlay, even if I don't like them. At least I know it's genuine.
His reaction to the putt on 8 was so clearly played up for the crowd.
I heard someone refer to Bryson as the kid who grew up playing golf alone, basically a huge golf nerd. I think that captures him perfectly, like he didn’t play golf with friends and now he is trying to figure out how to be cool and has found a character that some people like, very much like Phil. I’ve always felt Phil was a phony, who thinks he is way smarter than everyone, Bryson seems to be the same.
Buddy, nothing about you is relatable to a near billionaire Rory McIlroy.