This week we welcome back on the legend himself, Jason Sobel. We get into which golfers he thinks will breakout this year, why he’s having the most fun he’s ever had at The Action Network, and discuss a quick lookahead to the Ryder Cup. At the end of the episode Jason explains the coolest golf related game we’ve ever heard, so make sure you stick around for the whole thing!
Coffee with Rouge
Good morning, Folks. After some collaboration with the Writers Association over the past couple days, I have decided to hop back into the writers’ mix. It truly has been a while but I’m excited to continue to be a part of such a prestigious group.
Quick bio: My name is Jake Mulholland but am commonly referred to in the golf pool, QOTW, and OAD articles as Moulin Rouge. Not a big nickname guy but this one feels right. I enjoy golf, listen to all the AM Hour podcasts, and have established a great relationship with each of the Writers in this group. Each member has a deep passion for the game of Golf and as the podcast continues to grow, I am hoping to serve as their invaluable DC asset.
The purpose of this write up is to provide you, the viewer, with a manageable Spark Notes edition below each episode’s link. 40 episodes in, I can personally say I have enjoyed the content and as a group we think this added bonus to the episodes will provide a little more flexibility for our listeners. Hoping to add some comic relief into the fold as well. Hope you enjoy.
Who we’re interviewing? Jason Sobel
BIO: https://www.actionnetwork.com/article/author/jason-sobel
Twitter Handle @JasonSobelTAN: https://twitter.com/JasonSobelTAN?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
POD Spark-Notes:
:21- Intro to guest for Episode 40. Right off the bat Walsh is set on calling Jason Sobel “Sobes”. He’s been on before so there must be some chemistry there. Pod starts off really well with Bad & Boujee remixed with You Cant Touch this: check full song here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4NEhuDFHRs
1:10- Jason was previously working with Golf Channel and ESPN but is now serving as a Senior Golf Writer for The Action Network.
1:38- Mike doesn’t enjoy small talk so he just fires a question at Sobes early in the session… “Thoughts on who he (Sobes) has on his radar for 2020 season as breakout candidate?”
2:00- Sobel talks about the Presidents Cup momentum that played into the hands of the early Winners so far this year on the tour
To date here are the winners from Week 1 through Honda:
- Sentry Tournament of Champions- Justin Thomas (Presents Cup Member)
- Sony Open in Hawaii- Cameron Smith (PC Member)
- The American Express- Andrew “no fade” Landry
- Farmers Insurance Open- Marc Leishman (PC Member)
- Waste Management Phoenix Open- Tony… oh wait, Webb Simpson (PC Member)
- AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am- Nick Taylor
- The Genesis Invitational- Adam Scott (PC Member)
- WGC Mexico- Patrick Reed (PC Member)
- The Honda Classic- Sungjae Im (PC Member)
5:00- Who is a guy that you see as a sleeper that comes into the fold around April (Masters timing)
- Dylan Frittelli – “A guy that could be up there for a while”
- Champ- “People have tempered their expectations of him but I see him as a great player”. Champ will build on his short game
8:35- Sobel discusses how the term “Consistency” is used and argues that “Consistency is not the end goal on the PGA Tour”
10:55- Sobel recounts his experience working with the Tour
- Two stints at Espn
- Golf Channel for four years
- Thinks his current job is the most fun job he has ever had
11:25- Great to see a guy go off the beaten path and find the right spot for him in golf. Sobel talks about the growing interest in gambling during golf tournaments (Check link below for more details on the recent Action Network- PGA Tour deal)
12:45- Wants to provide betting advice and insights that weren’t available 5 years ago
- Sobel elaborates on his interaction with Bryson which supports the point that having a personal interaction with the Players is a better way to go about knowing the players than simply looking at statistics from a superficial perspective
15:00- Sobel loves Xander but isn’t ready to proclaim he is ready to be a Major Champion
- Reiterates that Xander steps up to big events and has a bright future
- Players want to peak three to four times a year
20:00- The fall of Francesco Molinari!
- Hasn’t had a Top 10 anywhere in the world since The Masters in 2019
- Lead of the back nine and got steamrolled by Tiger (same group)
22:00- Sobel’s opinion on role of honesty in reporting/interviewing players on the Tour
- Sobel elaborates on Koepka’s antics
- Sobel waited on the range for an hour and a half to wait for Koepka to finish up his post round session
26:15- Major talk. The guys try to get Sobel to take a guy in one of the Majors
- Mentions Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood
- Over the next five years who wins the most Majors? Next ten? Sobel thinks Rahm is the answer in one of those situations
29:30- Sobel elaborates on “Amigos” game
- Play with four to seven guys
- Hypothetical: four guys. Two balls the furthest left or right are partners. Look at it from the 150 and define the partners for each hole
- Vegas scoring: Player 1: 4, Player 2: 5 is a 45, other team, Player 3: 5, Player 4: 6. The differential is 11 so team 1 gets 11 points on the hole.
Great article on The Action Network and PGA Tour deal: https://www.pjstar.com/sports/20200302/pga-tour-embraces-sports-bettors-with-action-network-deal
Cheers,
Rouge
The Amateur Hour Golf Podcast 