 Brooks Kepka, Brooks, welcome to your third career, Ryder Cup, a lot of people have been asking about the first tee this, you know, first time out there and that, but I kind of just want to ask about Hazeltine and your first match victory, the sense of accomplishment that would put, putting a number on the board, I think you were with Brent Sennettiker, and just how good that feels for the first time, you know, put a tally on the American side. Yeah, it was probably the most nervous I've ever been, was on the first tee, it was good. I think I went out, I didn't play the morning match, so I went out and watched the guys tee off and was kind of there and got to like soak in the atmosphere, which was pretty cool. I got chills, I was standing next to Tiger and maybe Davis, I was like, how cool is this? So yeah, it's exciting and you know, to be able to go out in the first match that I played and win, I thought Brent was the perfect partner, I loved it, he was so perfect for me, you know, energetic, didn't really care if I sprayed it and he's a good putter, so that's usually a good combo. That is. All right, let's hit some questions here, we got a quick hand here over number three. Hey Brooks, Stricker was in here yesterday talking about how one of his main goals for the week for you guys was to reduce the number of obligations to kind of keep things more relaxed and calm. I was curious if you noticed a difference compared to prior Ryder Cubs, has it been a little bit easier? Yeah, I think so, I think COVID kind of made it that way a little bit, but I think he's done a good job of keeping everything kind of on the low because it is a busy week. We've got a lot of things like I can't, you know, I don't bring my physio just because I know I don't have time for it, so little things like that, but it's definitely a lot easier. I think pretty much everybody is kind of noticed that, and it's been great. I think you can kind of see it. Maybe, you know, that's kind of why. I don't know, maybe dead on Sunday, I don't know, but I think it's definitely, definitely a lot better this year. Over here on your left, Jeff, please, nice. Brooks, Strick was expressing to us that you feel 100% health-wise. How long have you felt 100% and are there any limitations at all this week as far as how much you can play? I mean, I'm like glass, I wouldn't say I'm 100%. I mean, I left knee, right knee, I'm broken, man, but no, I mean, I feel fine. I feel as good as I felt in a long time. You know, a lot of it, just, you know, over the past week and a half, did a lot of work on it. Derek's sitting with my trainer. We were down, he was down with me for about eight days, so I'm able to kind of work everything out and make sure it's fine, but I feel good and I'm ready to go as much or as little as I want. No worries, just going 36 in a day or? You're good. Straight across to Rex. Brooks, going back to kind of the alternate shot deal. I mean, statistically, it's just a format the United States has struggled in, but do you feel like it's a format that you enjoy and that you guys like going out and playing? Yeah, I do. I like it. It's just different. It's, you know, it's tough to build a rhythm. I think, for me, I didn't play on any teams growing up, so I didn't play on any junior rider cup, walker cup. I didn't play any of that, so this is like the first time I've done a team thing other than college. So it's, it's definitely, I never played alternate shots, so until I got here, but it's, you know, I think some of the guys probably have that luxury because I played walker cups and stuff like that, so they might have a better idea, but I like it. It's fun. It's different. It's just tough to kind of build a rhythm. You know, you hit one good shot and you're going to wait 15 minutes before you hit the next one. But yeah, I don't see. At the end of the day, it's just who plays better. And it seems obvious, but had you ever played alternate shot before your first team event as a professional? No, I don't think so. I don't think there were any junior events where it was alternate shot, so I think 16 was the first time. If I played alternate shot, I can't even remember. I think I did, but yeah, I think that was the first time. Right here, number 20. Hey, Brooks, how would you describe Strix as a captain and just kind of what are some of his best attributes and virtues that he's bringing to the table for you guys? I think he cares so much. He's very passionate. You can see that maybe not outwardly, but when you're inside the team room or talking to him personally, it's very obvious. He's just got a big passion for the game, big passion for all of us as players. You know, the vice captains, he just truly cares a lot and he's a softy. I was gonna, my follow up to that because he's a crier, obviously, as we all know. You know, is there a part of, you know, obviously you want to win for any captain you're playing for, but because of how emotionally he is about that, and obviously he's here in Wisconsin and whatnot, how much do guys want to win for him and make him ball his eyes out on Sunday? Yeah, it'd be nice to see him cry. I think, you know, that'd be awesome just because I know how much time he's put in. You know, as a captain, you got to put in so much time for, I mean, at least a year and a half. I don't know, because we had an extra year. I don't know how much time that they actually put into it other than that, but, you know, it's at least 18 months of hard work, you know, grown up in Wisconsin. There's a lot of things that just kind of are coming together where it would be the perfect storm if we kind of, if we were to win. You know, so I think everybody knows that and everybody wants to, you know, just play well. Straight back in 26. Hey, Brooks, you said you haven't played many team competitions, so I'm curious what the transition's been like for you going from, you know, golf as an individual sport to this team concept? It's different. It's, it takes a little bit of adjusting, but once you, once you get out there, it's the same thing as competition. Just go put the ball in the hole as quickly as possible, hit the best shot you can, or, you know, if you're in trouble, get it back or your partner or whatever. It's just, it's, it takes a little bit of adjusting, but, you know, it's tough. I mean, in my whole life, it just played an individual sport and you go to a team, so it is different, but I enjoy it. I think it's fun. Kind of brings you back to a little bit of college, to be honest with you, because I mean, we're not playing alternate shot or best ball or anything like that, but it is, you know, that team camaraderie. Going to go off on your right eight. Your hybrids. Why do you think Team USA are going to win this week? What do you think the potential strengths of your team and any potential weaknesses in the European team? I think there's a lot of guys playing well. You know, Patrick's been playing really well. Bogue's been playing really well. There's a lot of guys that have played, you know, Jordan's, Jordan's playing great. You can see it. I think, at the end of the day, or I guess at the end of the week, it's, you know, someone's got to win, someone's got to lose, and it's just who plays better. So it comes down to, you know, with the eight guys you send out every day, are they going to play the best that they can and do they play the best of their ability? And if they do, then that side's going to win. Brief follow. Did you just describe your current relationship with Bryce and the Shambo? Yeah, I mean, we're on the same team together. We've had dinner almost every night as a team. I've been, got here on Monday, so we're all, everyone as a team is interacting, everybody participating in conversations, doing everything we need to do. Front right, too. Have you gotten to know anybody better this week that you maybe haven't spent that much time with in the past, or do you feel like you just know all these American guys really well by this point anyway? I would say this year I probably know them a little bit better than, because it is a younger, core group of guys. I'd say the only guy that I probably didn't know from junior golf or amateur golf, college, all that stuff was Colin. Maybe that was kind of the one, but the rest of them, I mean, I played since we've been 12 years old to now. So we already kind of have a pretty good relationship, and it's just a younger, younger core group of guys than it's been in the past, where, you know, coming in my first one, I didn't know Brent that well, I didn't know Bubba that well. There's a lot of, you know, I was just coming out on tour, so it was completely, it was a different scenario. And have you stayed away from the ping pong table, given the knee? I haven't played any ping pong, man. I haven't been in the team room just chilling too much. Just, you know, we do, I know the obligations are cut down, but it's still, I still got long days. We're gonna go back, left Bob 25. Brooks, Bryce, in the other day, he sort of intimated that there might be something with you and him beyond the Ryder Cup. It was very vague. He just sort of teased it. I'm just wondering if you could elaborate on that, if there's anything close. Is there gonna be some sort of a competition, or was he, or did he mean something completely different? I have no idea. I don't know, I didn't listen to the comments or hear what he said, so I have no idea. Thank you. All right, let's shoot over to seven over here on your right, Brooks. You spoke in the past about how you enjoy sort of trash talking and stuff like that. With this, and you haven't had to do it, but with this kind of event, with the atmosphere and everything like that, is it gonna be hard to kind of, you know, keep your mouth shut or are you gonna get involved in that kind of thing just to sort of get everyone going? I don't trash talk to anybody, it doesn't matter. I mean, we've all done it, we do it in the team room. It's just all, you know, everybody out here is competitive, everybody understands it, and it's just part of it. Doesn't matter what we're doing. Like you said, even if it's ping pong, I haven't played ping pong, but I mean, those guys are trash talking while they're playing ping pong. You don't take it personal when it's, you know, it's part of it. 24, Doug, right behind me. Brooks, on the interview with Golf Digest about the Ryder Cup, and Zinger saying that you should give up your spot if you don't really love it to someone who does. I'm curious what you thought of those comments and is there any concern that that feeling is shared by fans or anyone else based on what they read or think? I never said it was negative. Y'all spun that that way. I never said it was negative, I said it was different. Like I said, I've never played any of these team events. I didn't play Walker Cup, didn't play Junior Ryder Cup, never played anything, so I said it's different. And that doesn't mean it's bad. Y'all spun it that way. But I get it, I realize that. I mean, and do you love the Ryder Cup? Do you look forward to it? Yeah, I enjoy it. I think it's a lot of fun to play. I think it's, like I said, I wouldn't be nervous on that first tee if I didn't care. So I guess my question to that is could, is there any part of you that's concerned that people will perceive that as they look at you playing this week? I don't know, a lot of it, you know, I can only do my job and then y'all report whatever your opinion their side might be. So you guys, you guys have kind of already spun it negatively. So it kind of is going to trickle to the fans because you guys are kind of our only outlet besides social media. So it's how you guys take it and spin it and you guys spun it negatively. So whatever they think it's kind of be off what they read, whether you write an article, whether you, whatever you're doing, you know, they read that stuff. So it's all kind of, if your guys' opinion, they're going to take that side a little bit more. Okay, back right in number nine. Books, you were talking about how well the American team are playing as individuals. In previous occasions, Europe have often managed to be more than the sum of their parts. Is there more to match play tournament golf sometimes than just hitting individual form? Yeah, maybe a little bit, but I don't think it's too much. Someone's got to lose, man. There's two teams playing, so there's going to be a winner and there's going to be a loser. So, you know, it just comes down to who plays better. And I think it's as simple as that. I think sometimes people look into it a little too much, whether it be guys playing a lot, you know, playing five in a row out here, or, you know, four weeks in a row, whatever, you know, there's different things. They kind of depend, but at the end of the day, it's just who plays better. I mean, you can see a guy wins one week and then the next week misses the cut, or he's missed seven cuts in a row and then goes out and wins. And it's just how you play good that week. And, you know, you get a bunch of guys that play better than the other guys and you're going to have a winner. We're going to wrap it up here, Brooks, on your left, Jeff 19. Brooks, you would know Daniel better than most with your college ties. I just curious how far back you two go and what can he bring to a competition like this? He's fiery. I like it. He's maybe not on the outside. He doesn't show up, but I think maybe more or so behind closed doors and knowing him personally. He's definitely very competitive. He's funny. And I just like the fact that he's always ready to go. It doesn't matter if he's good at, I mean, ping pong, chess. I mean, it doesn't matter. He's ready to go and he's ready to kick your butt, which I think is awesome. You two would pair well together? Yeah, we could. We paired at Liberty, I believe, the President's Cup. I think we paired there in alternate shot, but that was, I mean, it was fun. I enjoyed it. I mean, I've known him for years and years and years, so it's pretty cool to look back and he was showing me a photo yesterday of us in college and us now. Man, we look so young. I feel old now. All right, Brooks, thanks for the time. Thanks for the time we were with our good friend, Tony Fina. Tony, welcome to your second career Ryder Cup. You played here in 15, had a good finish, T-10. That was played in August. Temps were probably in the low 80s and such, and here we are, crisp, almost fall-like conditions, a little more of a breeze. How different are those two golf courses if you can take yourself back and also be here this week? Yeah, I'm trying to think back to 2015. I remember the golf course just as a whole. I remember the holes, kind of what they looked like, the shape of them. I don't really remember how it played in 2015. I don't know if that's my memory. I'm getting old. So I kind of had a almost a blank canvas. I felt like when we had our practice last week coming out, it was nice to be out here again and see there's just quite a few blind shots on this golf course. I think just seeing the lines and being confident over where you're aiming on some of those holes are very important. It's still kind of the same season, I would say, just in that we played it in August and 15. We're in late September now, so still pretty close to the same season. So I don't remember it playing crazy different. I know it's a lot cooler. I don't remember wearing a jacket when we played in 15, but yeah, my memory wasn't great of 15, just kind of remembering how the golf course played, but it's nice to have come back to a place that I have played, have good memories from. I played really nicely in 15 for at least three rounds, and it's just fun to be back to the golf course that I've played before and have great memories of that. All right, let's hit the ground here for some questions. We'll start front right, too. Yeah, is this a more tiring week than other tournament weeks, just because you just have to be more on the whole time with teammates or dinners or different obligations? I would say in a sense, yes, because you do have to be on quite often, but man, it's where you want to be, though. It's kind of a mix of both. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. That's for sure. I wouldn't want to be at home in the situation I was in maybe watching, so it's worth what the week brings, and that's a lot of team dinners going out in groups, a lot of things that we're not as accustomed to on a normal week, but when you're only dealing with it for one week and it's the Ryder Cup, we're all up for it and we're all up for the challenge and it ends up being a great time. I get to know a lot of these guys better than I know them just on a normal PGA tour week or playing major championships, whatever it is, so just getting to know the guys or why is getting to know each other better makes for good feelings all around and whatever tiredness we're feeling throughout the week, I think it's trumped just by being here and participating in the Ryder Cup. Straight across, Rex, four. Tony, this would be, I guess, a four ball related question if you end up in one of those four matches. Is there a hole, a specific hole out here, a combination of holes where you can take advantage of your length maybe that you wouldn't do normally? Yeah, well, I think there's a handful of holes. It just depends on the wind, you know, like if it's coming off the coast, a lot of the holes are gonna be playing into the wind early, so those are the holes that I think someone like me can take advantage of. If it's a trade wind which is coming out of the south, which I think it's gonna be this weekend, then you're gonna have to take advantage of the holes kind of along the water, you know, from starting from six or yeah, six all the way down to 13, most of those holes go the same direction. So I would say those are the holes that you gotta take advantage of because you're gonna be playing those into the wind. So it's mostly wind dependent. I feel like when it comes to length, my length I think is a good asset to have on this golf course. And I think the length of our team, just in general is a great thing on this golf course. Front left, Jeff. Tony, Patrick Harrington was in the other day and he traces a lot of Europe's success to the fact that they grow up trying to play on teams and playing different sports. You come from a background like that, playing different teams. How does it translate for you this week into being successful? Yeah, I think camaraderie is a big thing in team sports. Kind of having that oneness, I think is a big thing. A lot of the mojo of a team atmosphere, I think is a big deal when you're playing team sports. They seem to have that for some reason and maybe that's, you know, it's a project's point. Kind of them, you know, I know football is a big sport. There are a lot of them, you know, played football growing up and a lot of team sports. But the way I look at our team is a lot of our guys have as well and we have a great young, hungry team. I think a lot of us play team sports growing up, myself included, but there's definitely that oneness that comes from being involved in team sports at some point in your life. And again, I think most of us have that type of experience from playing some team sports, maybe more so than what most of you guys would think. Number 20, Mark. Hey, Tony. You speak to what Strix has meant to this team and what kind of a captain he is and have a follow on that? Yeah, Strix, I mean, Strix has meant everything to our team as our captain. He's such a great leader. And I say that, I think mostly just through his example. He's got this chill confidence to him, you know, and I think when I say that, mostly you know what I'm talking about. He's not, he doesn't talk a lot, you know, in our team meetings, he hasn't too much, but you can tell the energy he has for the Ryder Cup, the passion he has for it, just by the way he goes about his business and he's got this quiet confidence and I think that's something that we've all learned from and myself included as a player, to play under someone with that type of confidence and just the passion that he has for the Ryder Cup, you feel it. This is a huge, this is a big one I feel like for our squad, this Ryder Cup. It's a big one for our team. It's a big one for Strix. This is a place that he loves, Wisconsin, Whistling Straits, this is his home. So we've got a task in front of us where we have an opportunity to do something really special for our team, for our country, but especially for Strix. I think we have that in the back of our minds and we wanna win this one, not only for everything involved, but especially for our captain. Now I don't think there are statistics for this, but I'm quite certain I think he's cried after every time he's won. Obviously, as you can know, it's a cryer. I mean, knowing how emotional he is, how much do you, would you like to see him bawling his eyes out on Sunday? And is there just a, you know, you kind of addressed a little bit there, but just how much you guys wanna win for him? Yeah, it would mean the world for all of us. You know, as, I'm sure I speak for all my teammates, you know, for us to win for Strix. Who wouldn't mind seeing all that emotion and sensitivity that he brings to the table on Sunday evening. So it'll be a cool thing. We've got a tall task in front of us, we know that, we've got a great European team that we're up against, but we've got a great, I've got a great group of 11 guys that I'm gonna go to battle with these next few days, and we've had some great practice sessions, gotten to know each other really well, got a great group of young guys. As one of the older guys, it's crazy for me to say, in 2018, when I was on that team, I was one of the younger guys. And now, just a short three years later, the third oldest on the team, I think it tells you where American golf is headed. We've got so much great young talent, and we've got a handful of that young talent on our team already this year. So really exciting that that's the case. And, you know, our goal is not only to change the mold this year, but the history of the Ryder Cup for us, I think means a lot to us young guys, and to our younger guys. And hopefully we change the mold here, moving forward, not only this Ryder Cup, but many Ryder Cups come. Seven on your right, Tony. Tony, a lot's been made of the crowd this week. Predominantly, it's going to be an American crowd, very, if any, Europeans. I mean, does that work as a positive for you? And from a European perspective, can it be a negative having, you know, pretty much the whole crowd against you from, you know, does that alter, would that alter their mindset, you think? Yeah, I mean, it goes both ways. I definitely love, you know, having the opportunity to play in front of our home crowd. That's something that I personally haven't had. Both of the Cups I've been a part of, international teams, Ryder Cup in Paris, and the President's Cup, which was in Melbourne, Australia. So I personally haven't had the opportunity to play in front of our crowd. So that's something that I'm really excited about. I felt the love already this week in the practice rounds, but to get out there in competition, I know it's gonna be a whole different type of energy from our fans, and that's something that I really look forward to. I think that's gonna play into our favor as Americans. Just to have that energy. And momentum is a big thing in sports. That's something I know about team sports for sure. Momentum is a big thing. And so the team that has the momentum I think early is gonna fare well. And I think it's always an advantage to play at home. So I think hopefully that plays well into our hands. If we're behind early, I think it still plays into our advantage because our crowd can kind of cheer louder or whatever the case is for us as we play. Doug, 24. Tony, you said something interesting, I thought, about this is a big one for us. And you mentioned Strick, and then you mentioned about, seemed like about 15 other things in the course of a five-minute monologue. They are well done. What stands out? Why is this, outside of Strick in Wisconsin where we are, why is this so big? Or what makes it big in your mind? And kind of as a reversal of that question, what would happen if you guys lost? And why would that be so crushing? Well, for me, the change of culture, we've got a whole new team. We have a team with no scar tissue. There's only a handful of us that has even played in a Ryder Cup. And a few of those, we have winning records. So we actually don't have guys on our team that have lost a lot in Ryder Cups. So what I mean by this is a big one is, we've got a whole new team. We've got a whole different group of young guys that are hungry, you know, they're, I see, you guys see six rookies. Man, in this team room, I don't see any rookies. I see six, you know, I have, I see 12 guys that are confident and none of us are wide eyed. We want to win. You know, that's the end, at the end of the day. That's what I see when I'm in that locker room. I see guys beaming with confidence and really hungry to win. And that's, that's refreshing. And I'm not saying that I didn't see that in Paris, you know, but there's a certain feel I feel like. And that's, the only reason I say that's a big, that this is a big one is because I think the culture of American golf is changing and that you guys have seen, they were so much younger. This is the youngest team I think we've ever had by a long shot. And so I think that the culture of what we want to bring, again, not only at this Ryder Cup, but in many Ryder Cups to come, we've had, I think some publicity about Americans not having the camaraderie, maybe that the Europeans have or not have the interest in playing in the Ryder Cup. That's not the case. You know, I don't think that's the case. They've outplayed us in quite a few Ryder Cups, but that's the mold we want to change moving forward. And that's why I think I say this is a big one. And then for us that have been a part of the teams, the five guys, I think that are on this team that were in Paris. It's hard to watch another team celebrate in front of you. That's something that I had to do in Paris in 2018. Jordan was there, DJ, JT, and Bryson. So I think there are five of the 12 of us. This is a big one because we don't want to experience that again. And to experience that on their home turf, I think that was a tough one. If we were to experience that here on our home turf, where we're watching them celebrate on our home turf, I think that's going to be a hard pill to swallow. So with that being said, there's that extra motivation, I think, or extra drive to change the culture of American golf, and we have that opportunity this week. Would it be, though, Tony, a huge setback if you have this new culture and this young team and still don't get it done? You can look at it as a setback. Brooke said it earlier. I was just standing there watching his last few remarks. There's going to be a winner. There's going to be a loser at the end of this week. There's always going to be positives to draw from losing. If that were the case for Americans later this week, that's something that I've dealt with a lot in my career. Overcoming adversity, that's something huge. We're going to be able to deal with that if that time comes. But I see a change in culture. I see a change in American teams. And starting with this week, hopefully, the culture of us not getting the job done at the Ryder Cup in the last handful changes this week. Thank you. Just on a similar sort of theme, does the captain use any sort of motivational techniques or anything that you think of work this week or anticipating anything tonight to bring the team together? Yeah, no, he hasn't really done anything like that. I think, again, he's got that quiet confidence to him. Strix has. And I think we're all just excited for the opportunity we have in front of us. It's such a special week on so many different levels. We get to represent our country, so many great people in the game of golf. The PGA of America, I mean, there's so many great things and people that we're representing this week. Just to have that opportunity, I think, is really exciting for all of us. I don't anticipate any motivational speeches or anything like that. I think we're motivated enough as a team. And come tomorrow morning, we'll be ready to play. We are joined by Daniel Berger. Daniel, welcome to your first career, Ryder Cup. Great year this year, finished third in one statistic, I want to ask about birdie to bogey ratio. It was almost two to one third on the tour. But on the surface, that would seem to reflect, because it reflects your game, that that might translate well into match play. Does that your hope? Is that the type of game you have? Yeah, I mean, listen, I think make more birdies unless bogeys is a good stat. But especially out here, you have to make birdies. And I think bogey avoidance is going to be big. And an alternate shot, that's going to be tough. But hopefully, the conditions are challenging. And I think that suits Team America. Let's hit the floor for some questions. How about Jeff here over on my right, 19? Daniel, a lot of folks just feel you are built perfectly for this event. Why is that? Well, I think I'm fierce. I'm competitive. I think I got a taste of the team environment at the President's Cup at Liberty National. And it brought out a different side of me that I didn't really know that I had. So I'm imagining that this is going to be times 100. But I'm excited for it. I'm excited to represent the United States of America and to be a part of a great group of captains and assistant captains and teammates and guys that you're usually competing against on a day-to-day basis. And now, you're working with them to achieve a goal, which is something that, as individual athletes, we don't get very often. So it's a cool experience. And it's something that I've looked forward to for a long time. What about the match play dynamic? What about it do you love as far as just having one or two opponents that you're looking across from? And those are the guys you got to take down today? Yeah, I kind of equate it to Tennis, which is something that I grew up playing, where it's you against one other guy, and you don't worry about the other 151 players in the field. It's just one mission, and that's to beat the guy that you're teeing off against, which is a different environment than what we're used to. So I think I got better at match play, having played the President's Cup. And then this year at the match play, I figured out some things that I think are going to help me this week. Straight across to Rex, number four. You mentioned statistics, and I know Steve has used some of them. Is there one that stood out to you? I know he said he used them as far as trying to come up with his pairings. Is there anything that he told you that maybe might have surprised you? I don't think any of it surprised me. I think a lot of the stuff that we went over, I had known that those were kind of my strong suits. And I think, in the end, statistics are important, but I think a lot of what makes a good team is how you gel with your partner and how you guys get along. So I think that's a big factor in how the performance is going to go, is how you and your partner team up together. What did you figure out at the match play, if you don't mind me asking? I think that match play is just such a different beast compared to stroke play, that you really are looking at your opponent and you're strategizing based on where he hits it. And I think in my younger years playing the match play, I was too focused on trying to play the golf course and not play the opponent and that's the difference for me. We're going to swing over to five. There we are, right in the same neighborhood there. Hi, speaking of tennis, did you talk to your dad at all about that dynamic of his Davis Cup experience and going in an individual sport into a team environment within that sport? You know a little bit, my dad, we talk a lot, but a lot of his advice is not golf related. So obviously one of my biggest goals was to make a Ryder Cup team. Having him had played the Davis Cup, which is kind of the Ryder Cup of tennis, but yeah, I mean, they're just so different sports that it's tough to really equate the two. We're going to go to number eight right behind there. What gives you the confidence that Team America are going to win this week? What do you think your team's biggest strengths? Well, I think everyone's playing great golf right now and that's really the key to winning points. And I think that there's not one guy that I wouldn't want to be paired up with. There's 11 other players that you could throw with me and I would feel completely confident and comfortable and trustworthy that if they had to hit a big shot or make a big putt that they could do it. So I think that's a big key for us. Straight back here Daniel, 23. You said some of your dad's advice, most of it wasn't golf related, what's the biggest thing you kind of learned from him about seeing, what's the biggest advice he's given you that's helped you in your career then? Hard work, dedication, putting the time in. I think, I've said this before, I don't think I'm the biggest, I'm not the strongest, I'm not the fastest golfer out here, but I'll work any of them and that's I think my biggest asset. Jeff, on your left. Tony, before you was talking about the changing culture of American golf and you have so many younger, fresh faces here. As you guys, for you maybe looking in on this event from the outside before now, is it kind of mystifying to see the results and how USA hasn't had success here? Yeah, I mean I've tried not to focus on the losses and I've spent a lot of time watching some video of their successes, the 99 Ryder Cup where Justin Leonard made that putt and Team USA running on to the green but I think it's definitely become younger. You look at all the faces on Team America and they're just very young guys. I think Dustin's the oldest at 37 or whatever so I think the notion that rookies can't come out here because they don't have the experiences can kind of be thrown out the window because all these guys are competing at the biggest events, the major championships and winning big golf tournaments and that's all it comes down to is being able to perform at the highest level. Straight across number five. And just on the six rookies, is there any particular kind of camaraderie between that group of you within the team or I mean, is there a dynamic among you? If you're asking if there's like any rookie hazing, not really but no, I mean listen, there's the guys that have played multiple Ryder Cups, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Kepka, that Jordan Spieth that we're all looking for for advice if we have any but we know what we have to do and how we have to prepare to play well and that's what we're gonna do. Seven, right behind. You touched on it just earlier but are you making a sort of trying to keep your emotions in check is gonna be quite difficult? Have you kind of got any plans to try and do that or are you just gonna sort of go with the atmosphere because it's gonna get pretty walkers out there? No, I'm excited for it. Honestly, the toughest part about this week is waiting to tee off on Friday. Like I'm ready to go. I wanna play golf. I wanna play as many times as I can and I feel like that's the mindset for everybody. We just wanna play. No one wants to sit. There will be occasions where players are sitting but I know they'll be ready to go when their name's called. Rex, four. Remember the first time you played against Brooks in a tournament, I'm guessing it was in junior golf probably? Probably college golf, yeah. I don't think, you know, he was a little older than me so he would have been in the older divisions or he would have been, you know, kind of past me in junior golf stuff. You guys have qualifying rounds at that position? Yeah, we're qualifying. I mean, Brooks was really good in college. I mean, he was a first team all-American and I was a freshman so I definitely didn't have that same level of play but I started to play better toward the end of my freshman year when, you know, ACC's, regionals, nationals. So, I mean, yeah, he was a very good college golfer. I'm just curious if you guys had any kind of bouts during qualifying, I mean, just where you guys would go head to head on the course? No, he was definitely a better golfer. I mean, I was there my freshman year. He was a senior. You know, he was just a better golfer than I was. I feel like, you know, I kind of developed late. My second year in college is where I really started to pick things up and started to, you know, become better and kind of the rest has gone the way I thought it would. Right next door, number three. Just out of curiosity, how important is it to get off to a good start with the short four on one, the par five on two, and then the par three on three? Yeah, I think those are key holes. I think in alternate shot, those are gonna be key holes. I think the tougher part of the golf course is on the back nine. And so you're gonna see some birdies early on in alternate shot format and then it's gonna kind of be more of holding on toward the end. I just think that the back nine presents a lot more challenges than the front nine does. One more question about the tennis and playing doubles. You said you reminded you of it, mostly of foursome's I would imagine, but what do, what similarities do they have that you drew from as you walk in that room or you did a few years ago in Australia? Well, I played in Liberty National in New York. But you know, tennis is a very individual sport. I didn't play much doubles, but I wasn't that great of a tennis player, but people somehow think I am. But no, listen, it comes down to being prepared and showing up on the first tee ready to go. And I think the early practice session that we did here on Sunday and Monday last week was a huge key for us. I think like yesterday I didn't play golf. I just walked and chipped and putted a little bit. And I think I wouldn't have been able to do that had I not been here early to see the golf course. I mean, I played the course at the PGA Championship in 15, but you know, that was a long time ago. So we're all ready to go. We're ready for that first tee shot on Friday. We're with Harris English. Harris, welcome to your first career rider cup. I asked Shane Lowry a similar question, but is there any extra sense of accomplishment making the team? You know, you're in your early 30s as opposed to when you were early, things didn't come easy. You really had to work for this, kind of get over the hump and grind. Is there any extra sense of accomplishment that came with that? Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think being 32 years old, it means a lot more now than it would be if I had made this my first or second year on tour. I mean, this is my 10th year on tour. I've tried to make this term, what, four or five times and haven't made the team, but put in a lot of hard work the last couple of years and this has definitely been a goal of mine. It'll been, I wouldn't have had the career in this game that I've wanted if I never made a rider cup and had a chance to bring the trophy back home. So it definitely is more of a sense of accomplishment and kind of shows, I don't know, all the work I've put in the last couple of years has mean something and I'm definitely glad to be here. Terrific. All right, let's hit the floor. Daniel, start us off. Six. It kind of feels like what the tournament not starting today, it feels like this week has already been so long. When you have that combined with, like John mentioned, your weight to play in this, is there ever, is there a sense of like, let's get this show on the road by now? For sure, for sure. There's been a lot of build up the last couple of weeks after I knew I was gonna be a captain's pick after I got the call from Sturkers. It's just been a lot of build up, which is fine. It definitely feels like a major. But I'm ready to get this show on the road. I mean, we've played enough practice rounds. I know the holes out here. I know the wind's gonna change, but so what it's about, I love the build up to this tournament and with the pairings coming out tonight, it's fun. Everybody's waited for this tournament for a while and I know the fans in Wisconsin here have waited a long time to watch some live golf and I think they're gonna get a good show. You mentioned the golf course. Aesthetically, it looks really different from what you guys see on a weekly basis on the PG Tour. Does it play that different or does it actually are the aesthetics kind of misleading in that way? Yeah, I mean, it definitely looks like a links course, but it's not playing that way. The fairways are decently soft. The greens are decently soft. You can't really run shots around the green, bounce stuff into the green, but it's awesome. I love this kind of golf. I love when it plays hard like this, windy and it's gonna be a grind out there. I think you're gonna see a lot more pars, wind holes than you would in a normal Ryder Cup. So it's gonna be fun. Same neighborhood four straight across. Hey Harris, you mentioned being on the course and being ready to go. Daniel just said, you know, the preparation part, he just walked yesterday. He's like, we probably wouldn't do that if not for all the practice rounds. So has Steve's goal of being prepared and all that stuff kind of put you guys in that space, you kind of feel the same way that you're, you feel good about what you're gonna see out there? Yeah, 100% I think that's what Strix motto was from the get-go's. He's gonna make us be the best prepared team and each player be the best prepared they can be. And I think that's how he preps for majors. I think that's how Tiger Woods preps for majors. It's great to learn from those guys and going into tomorrow. I mean, you kind of have that out of your mind of I'm prepared, I'm ready to go and just got there and play golf. So I think we're all ready to go. We're just kind of putting the last finishing touches on getting prepared and feeling good about tomorrow. I think you have a follow-up question, right? Yeah, I gotta say it's two quick ones. Can you speak to your working relationship with Eric a little bit and maybe the role of that he has this week with you? I mean, it's obviously being a different different kind of setting, different requirements or asks of him. So can you speak to that a little bit for this week? Yeah, we have a great relationship. I've been with Eric for probably three years now. So he's kind of seen me at my lowest low and the highest of the high. So he's seen me in every situation and he's one of the most even keeled guys out there. And I know this tournament means a lot to him. This is his third Ryder Cup of category for Jeff Overton, Anthony Kim and now myself. So he's been in this environment before and I know it means a lot to him. Coming back to Wisconsin, he grew up from about an hour away from here. So he's gonna have a lot of family and friends out here. So it's gonna mean that much more to him. I know you're not really going off site too much, but any local knowledge that he can share? I mean, more just the weather, like man, it's cold out here, windy. I mean, especially this course with the wind is it doesn't really get blocked much. So your ball is gonna get hit by the wind from start to finish. And we don't see that a ton playing your normal American courses in the trees and whatnot. But that's something we've had to work on a little bit this week and getting used to some of that. We're gonna go virtual here, beam out with Benzin, Benzin, Benzin, go ahead, you're with Harris. Well, first of all, congratulations and welcome to Wisconsin. I have a question regarding the golf equipment. Do they give you any type of enhanced new technology to try at the Ryder Cup? Now, normally at a regular PJ Tour event, I'm with Ping, so I play all Ping Clubs and we have the equipment trailer there and we have our equipment guys on the range with us. But I actually haven't seen any of those guys this week. He's been pretty strict with COVID keeping us in the bubble. But I normally don't like to try any new clubs, but if I'm at home in an off week, so I'm sticking with all 14 clubs, grips, ball, everything I've played for probably the last year. So no, I mean, that's the last thing you wanna do is come to a big tournament like this and start switching up stuff. So I think you would find that with a lot of guys on our team of we're not really changing anything and sticking with what got us here. We're gonna go to 19, Jeff's gonna get us back on track. Hey, Harris, two for you. Given your proximity to Davis Love and his vast experience in this event, how much have you been able to lean on him? Yeah, him and Zach Johnson both live in Seattle and I actually went to launch with Zach last week and bounced a lot of questions off of him. He kind of prepared of what this week was gonna be like, especially all the dinners, the functions, practice rounds. It can be a long week, so you gotta kind of pace yourself. And when you do have downtime, get rest and get treatment to your thing. But it's awesome having those guys. I grew up watching Davis and idolizing Davis's game and he's been such a positive role model for me and a lot of guys in Seattle have helping us out. And I mean, that guy's been through everything. Went in 30, 20, 30 plus times on tour, playing in, I don't know, how many Ryder Cups, being the captain. I mean, he's done everything you can in the game of golf and it's awesome to be around him a lot and hopefully a lot of this stuff can rub off on me. And you mentioned up front, you've waited a while to get to this event. I'm sure you've come in with certain expectations. Has anything this week, any part of the week exceeded your own expectations? Yeah, it's just a lot of fun being around the guys in the team room and at dinners outside the golf course because you spend all year playing these guys and playing in big tournaments and you don't really get to spend that quality time with them off the golf course and learn about their interest and their wives' interest off the course. So it's been really cool for me to get to these, know these guys on a more personal level and enjoy that camaraderie that we get in the team room. Okay, we're gonna beam out one more time. Peter Santo, go ahead, you're with Will. Or it's gonna be with Harris. A lot gets made about the golf balls in foursome having to learn another player's golf ball. How important is that and what is the kind of testing process like? Yeah, I think you always wanna be hitting your ball on an iron shot or approach to the green. So it less matters what you tee off with. So if I played alternate shot, I would, if I was teeing off, I would play my partner's ball off the tee that way he could be approaching the green with his own golf ball because spin matters a lot more when you're hitting an iron shot. And I play a softer golf ball so guys might not like playing my golf ball into the wind or into a green, they might spin it too much. I think off the tee it doesn't matter as much into the greens it matters a lot. So you'll see a lot of guys play their partner's ball off the tee. We're gonna go over here in house number five. Yeah, hi, on the six rookies, do you think that affects the way the team operates for better or for worse? And has Steve mentioned the precedent from 0-8 when he was one of six rookies and they won? Yeah, I mean he kind of gave me some advice on him being a rookie and kind of what to expect. But I would see the pairings more so with a veteran and a rookie. I don't know how many, especially right off the bat, how many two rookies he's gonna put together. Which I understand that. And he kind of told me that yesterday we were kind of in between some pairings but I definitely understand what he's going, what, why he's pairing certain players, certain players. And he's had a lot of experience in the scene and then kind of knows what that first tee is gonna feel like and the jitters and the excitement of getting the round started. I know they put a lot of thought in these pairings and we're gonna send out the right ones. And then do you feel like a group within a group as the sex of you or is it just, everyone's too disparate for that? Do we feel an agreement? Like a group within a group. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, like the pods or like the rookies being, I mean, it's weird being the second oldest guy on the team and I'm a rookie. I don't really feel like a rookie. I mean, I was watching Mora Kawa play college a couple of years ago and Scotty Scheffler I played in the US open with when he was still an amateur. So I've known these guys for a long time and I don't quite feel like a rookie. I'm a rookie in this format but I mean, I've been out here on tour for 10 years. I feel like I've experienced a lot. So to me, I'm ready to tee up with these guys and hopefully can bring the experience I've had over the last 10 years to this tournament. 23. You talked about what Davis and Zach said about preparing for the weekend. What advice did they give that stuck out about the weekend itself? Is it something where you kind of have to be there to kind of experience it or did they give you any kind of advice of how it's gonna be different? Yeah, we talked about if I'm not playing a morning session or afternoon session, kind of how to handle that because obviously we have all of our routines we do every week of the year playing PJ Tour events or majors. But that goes out the window a little bit because you want to be here for your team, you want to be, and I want to experience all there is to this tournament. If I'm not playing in the morning, I want to be on that first tee and feel the energy, feel the excitement. So it's just stuff like that, what to expect and kind of how to handle those different situations. Okay, we're gonna wrap it up here on 19 with Jeff. Here's, I'm guessing maybe down in that Naples event you play a little bit of foursons but since Walker Cup, how much have you played foursons and what are your thoughts on that event? Yeah, I haven't played a whole lot other than playing with Kutcher a lot and we've had a lot of success. Albeit it was modified all-terrain shot but I've learned a lot from him. I've played a lot of golf with Kutch. Might give him a shout this afternoon for any kind of last minute advice he has. He's been a great mentor of mine and yeah, we've had a lot of success and I've picked up a lot of tips over the years from playing with him on alternate shot strategy and little tidbits of what to do in certain situations. So I've definitely had a lot of guys around me that have helped me and I can soak in whatever they have to say. Is it hard to find comfort in that format just because you don't play it much? Yeah, I mean, I feel like it's kind of uncomfortable for anybody going a few holes without hitting a driver or going a few holes without hitting a chip or a putt. You just gotta be so adaptable in that format and I think it's a lot of fun to play. It's really hard but you have to know your partner well and you're gonna both hit bad shots but you gotta pick each other up and keep going. So I think it's a very unique format in this game but it's a lot of fun to play and I enjoy it. We are joined by US Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker. Captain, we have pairings and we have matchups too. Let's speak just in generalities for your four pairings. How do you feel about it? You must feel pretty good and we're on the cusp of getting this thing going on. Yeah, to your last part there, how excited we are and everybody is to get this thing going finally. It's been three years and you come in here on Sunday evening and the practice rounds are great but yet you have Friday in the back of your mind and you're just looking forward to getting out there and getting it going. But yeah, I feel great about our pairings. Some teams that have played together over the years whether in Ryder Cups or some Presidents Cups. So yeah, we wouldn't put them out there if we didn't feel good about them. Let me just put it that way. So we're extremely excited about how these guys are playing and the order of which they're going out. Okay, let's have some questions. I guess we'll start straight across on number three. Hey Steve, a few of us did some just predictions for fun and almost everybody got the four pairs that the US was putting out because it seems like you've had them play together and it's been pretty clear and they've played in the past. Europe on the other hand seems totally unpredictable and very surprising. You probably weren't giving a lot of thought to them beforehand, but looking at it now, did you, what do you think about their pairings and did you anticipate any of this? You know, I didn't, and I didn't even try to anticipate. They're all great players. We're trying to take care of ourselves. I'm paying attention to my team. We talked occasionally about maybe who they're gonna put out but it doesn't matter really. I mean, they're all such great players. They're all highly ranked players and we know that we're gonna have to play our best to beat them. So we had an idea that Rory and Rom would probably go one and four and that's pretty much all we knew or really thought about. We didn't know who their guys were gonna be that they were gonna be paired with but we kind of had that figured out for the most part. So we tried to act accordingly as well but other than that, we didn't take the time to try to figure it out. Gotcha. Okay, 19, Jeff. Steve, if I remember right, you put Daniel and Brooks together when you were captain at Liberty, right? I think so, yeah. They played together before. Where do you see those two? What do they bring out of each other? They play a lot of golf at home together. They enjoy being with one another. Daniel is a wonderful foursome's player. You know, he controls his ball really nicely and good short game, great potter. Yeah, so he's just kind of a natural fit for the foursome's and they like playing together, bottom line and they do well together. They're excited to go out tomorrow and try to get a point. Right behind me, captain, Alex, 20. It's trick, when you were naming your six captains picks you mentioned how length was very important yet the longest guy on your team is sitting in the morning. Could you explain why? Yeah, yeah. I mean, we're trying to make sure that everybody gets a little bit of rest, too, is that's in the back of our mind and you know, yeah. I mean, we can't play everybody every session, right? I mean, four people have to sit and but he's gonna get his turn at some point and the real good thing is that all these guys have bought in. You know, they know the plan for the most part. They, we've communicated that to them and we're upfront with them and they understand it and are willing to do anything for the betterment of the team. In your particular case, will all of your guys play today, tomorrow? You'll have to wait and see, Alex. Okay, and one last thing. Did you, did anything happen this week? Is that a cup's hat on there or what does that have? Yes, it is. Okay. I didn't know it was a Chicago Bears hat. Yeah, well, you almost got flayed out there. Yeah, you know what? That didn't turn out so good, but. But, you know, I tried to explain myself as we kept going there. I still root for the Packers. Let me just get that straight. When you have to explain yourself, you're in trouble. Yeah, I know, you're right. Did anything that happened this week influence what you have on paper today? Anything that happened this week influenced what these matchups are? Yeah. No. Bob on two. Steve, I assume you have a plan already for the afternoon. Is there anything that could change it or is it, you know, apart, aside from an injury or an illness, obviously that could, but I mean, just talk about the way somebody plays or anything. Do you have a set pairings for the afternoon? I know you won't tell us, but could anything change that or do you think you will stick with that no matter what? No, we're gonna stick with the afternoon plan. It was put in front of them on Monday and we've stuck with it and we're gonna stick with it. The other thing is, was there any disappointment from anybody about not playing early or because you said this so early, they got on board? Not at all. Again, these guys have been incredible. I can't stress it enough, really. And again, it's about the communication that we've had, the captains and myself and being up front with them and just letting them know what we're thinking so there's no curve balls. And we've heard it multiple times if from all the players, if you want to play me once or all five, that's up to you, meaning the captains and just so we can try to win this cup. Straight back, Michael, number four. Thank you, Steve, I see Phil out there during the practice rounds and he's talking and talking and talking to you and I'm wondering if you can give us some sense of what he's actually talking about. To me? Yeah. Oh, we've talked a lot about a lot of different things. You know, we've talked about players, picks or pairings, I should say. We've talked about golf swings. I enjoy talking with Phil and we're lucky to have him to be a part of this team and it was unknown for a while whether he was gonna be a part of this team as a player or a captain and I had reached out to him quite a long time ago about being a part of this team actually last year and then we keep touching base and then he wins the PGA championship so we talk again and so it's been an ongoing process with Phil but I knew I wanted him here and he's great for the team, he's great in the room and yeah, so he talks all the time. He talks about it and we have talked about a lot of different things so it's wonderful to have him around. Is Bryson sort of his, does he mind Bryson in a way? Yeah, they get along great. They, Phil finds Bryson very interesting and is trying to learn things from Bryson I think too and I think Bryson feels like he's trying to help Phil in some ways too so they have this rapport with one another and they enjoy being with one another and yeah, so I see those two guys being in each other's pocket for the rest of the week. Thank you. Yeah. Jim on six. Hey Steve, at the outset you mentioned it's a three year run up to plan for the week, Sunday through, now that you're ready to hit balls on Friday has that worked the way you had hoped when you see the guys get together and the way they're loose, the things they've said has your, I mean I guess you'll know how they play but up to now do you feel like that is, the goal's been accomplished in your mind? Very much so. Yeah, it, obviously the most important part is coming up, right? I mean the playing and them trying to win a point and just trying to put them in a position to play great golf and so far I think we've done that. The guys are playing great and like I said, they're all on board. We're gonna beam out to Ian Slattery. Ian, you are up with the US captain. Hi Steve, how important was continuity when making those pairings and either proving pairings from previous rider or President's Cups or new partnerships with similar or same golf balls that they used? Yeah, all that is taken into effect. Xander and Patrick have had success in four sums in the President's Cup so we thought it was a natural fit for them to do four sums here tomorrow morning. Yeah and we look at the golf balls, I mean sometimes it's just very difficult. We had some guys try and other guys' balls and it's a challenge at times so that determines sometimes the pairings and what you can do going forward. So it is, it's a big puzzle, trying to get all the pieces put together and you rely on feedback from the players, you rely on feedback from the captains and yeah it's a challenge but one that we're excited to be a part of. Bob, number two. Steve, how do you think now, look we had some rain earlier obviously but how do you think the course will play? Are the greens as firm as you would like them? Is the course gonna play firm and fast even with rain or can you say? Yeah I don't know, I mean the rules are that we get it into the condition all the way up to the Sunday before and then that condition is kind of maintained throughout so that's the goal is that that condition will be kind of maintained and it has been. We can't, we don't have any say on what Mother Nature does and provides as far as rain goes or wind and today they were getting a little bit, not really that firm but just faster with all that wind and borderline almost too fast for that kind of wind. But the good news is the wind looks like it's gonna lay down a little bit, still breezy but not as much as the last couple of days. But the course is in great shape, the guys think it's a good setup and everyone that I've heard from both sides have enjoyed it so far. Front right number three. Steve you've been here before in President's Cups, you're at the point where you've had total control and now you have to relinquish it and basically sit back and watch. What does that feel like and how does it change your own nerves? I'm gonna enjoy it. To this point it's been a lot of work and there's still more work to be done for sure. We still have to watch some golf, we still have to gain some more information the way I've been talking to the assistant captains and you want to look forward to Saturday and you want to try to get a plan and we do have somewhat of a plan but it's more about watching these guys play now, getting some feedback from them and the caddies and the assistants and then making the plan for Saturday but yeah, it's in their hands now. They're playing great and they're excited to get going. I mean, I can't tell you how excited they are to get going and get that first tee ball in the air tomorrow. You go in front left with Jeff. Steve, it was the captain's call right to start with either format and I'm curious why you chose Borschlands. Was it the fast-started hazel team? Yeah, I mean, stats have shown over the years that that's a better format for us. Yeah, so we wanted to kind of stay with that plan and that's what we're doing. Steve, four rookies going out for you tomorrow. A Ryder Cup rookies. What's that night's sleep here on Thursday night going to that morning? You were in those shoes in 2008. Yeah, it's a week where you don't get a lot of sleep. You got to try to make sure you do that and I've tried to give that to the guys and I'll do that same thing tonight. You know, we'll have a quick dinner and tell them to get to bed. So it's a big day tomorrow, but it is. It's, it occupies your mind and it's tough to get some sleep. So, you know, it's an exciting time. You know, I mean, we're all excited. I'm sure you guys are all excited as well. So we're definitely looking forward to it. We're going to wrap it up here with Alex with the final question. Go ahead, Steve. Pat Hurst at the Solium Cup said she wouldn't play anybody five. She thought it was just too much. Do you feel the same way? We kind of do at times, you know? And it, you know, that could, excuse me, that could morph into something different when we start watching these guys and if you need to lean on some players more than others. But yeah, we're trying, that's our focus is try to make sure that guys get rest and it's a big off course. And then when you have conditions like we've had the last couple of days it can kind of really beat you up. So yeah, we're conscious of that and trying to look at that going forward as well. That's definitely on our plate to try to make sure that guys are getting the rest.