Latest / The Auburn Undercover Podcast / Range Talk: Exclusive interview with Golf’s No. 1 amateur, Auburn’s Jackson Koivun

Transcript

Range Talk: Exclusive interview with Golf’s No. 1 amateur, Auburn’s Jackson Koivun · The Auburn Undercover Podcast

• 0:18
  Welcome in everybody. Uh not sure what
• 0:20
  we're going to call this. Leaning
• 0:21
  towards range talk here with Auburn's
• 0:23
  Jackson Coven. Jackson, thanks for
• 0:25
  joining us.
• 0:25
  >> Yeah, thanks for having me.
• 0:27
  >> I don't know if there's enough uh time
• 0:29
  to list off all your accolades in terms
• 0:31
  of everything you've accomplished not
• 0:33
  only your college golf career, PGA Tour
• 0:35
  career this year. Uh what's it kind of
• 0:38
  been like so far this year for you
• 0:40
  coming back and obviously very very
• 0:42
  successful?
• 0:43
  >> No, it's been great. Uh been having a
• 0:45
  lot of fun this uh this year. Um teams
• 0:48
  team's been playing really good and we
• 0:50
  just keep pushing each other to get
• 0:51
  better and we've seen a lot of success
• 0:53
  in this uh spring. Just hoping to keep
• 0:55
  it rolling.
• 0:56
  >> Yeah. Well, look, you're uh you're
• 0:57
  warming up. You guys have one regular
• 0:59
  season tournament left. Um for you
• 1:03
  before a round,
• 1:04
  >> what does a warm-up kind of look like
• 1:06
  for you? Yeah, I just try to keep it
• 1:08
  pretty consistent. Um, I just try to get
• 1:11
  there about an hour and 10 minutes
• 1:12
  before. Uh, just get the body loose, hit
• 1:15
  some shots, uh, work on a little bit of
• 1:18
  technique stuff here and there, and uh,
• 1:20
  head over to putting green, hit some
• 1:22
  putts, and just try to get in the right
• 1:23
  mindset for tournament.
• 1:25
  >> Okay. So, you're a putting second guy,
• 1:26
  not a putting first guy.
• 1:28
  >> What about college golf? one of the few
• 1:30
  places you're going to be playing 36
• 1:32
  holes outside of, you know, weather
• 1:34
  delays and stuff like that. But what
• 1:36
  does that look like before a day of 36?
• 1:37
  Because obviously those are days are
• 1:38
  pretty taxing.
• 1:39
  >> I'm assuming you don't want to get
• 1:41
  >> don't want to get too much work in on
• 1:43
  the range beforehand, but at the same
• 1:44
  time, you know, you got to get ready
• 1:45
  some way. So,
• 1:46
  >> yeah, I mean, I I keep it pretty
• 1:47
  similar. Just kind of prioritize being
• 1:49
  ready, being well rested the night
• 1:51
  before. Uh 36 whole days are very very
• 1:54
  taxing on on your body. you're out there
• 1:57
  for 11 12 hours at a at a time. So, just
• 2:01
  being being mindful of getting your
• 2:05
  rest, eating a lot, and um just being in
• 2:08
  the right mindset that you have to you
• 2:10
  have to be locked in for for a long long
• 2:12
  time.
• 2:12
  >> What are you starting with today?
• 2:14
  >> Uh it's just 54. I always I always start
• 2:16
  with 54. just kind of get the body
• 2:18
  loose, hit a couple shots, and then
• 2:21
  move into some uh some longer clubs. Uh
• 2:25
  after a while,
• 2:26
  >> feel like most golf guys are a little
• 2:28
  intricate in how they warm up. They're
• 2:30
  in odds, they're in evens, you know,
• 2:32
  that's kind of what they do. Maybe not
• 2:34
  warm-up, but on a practice day. Yeah.
• 2:35
  >> Are you one of those guys? Are you just
• 2:36
  going to hit evens one day and odds the
• 2:38
  next day or something?
• 2:39
  >> So, I go from
• 2:42
  54 to 46 and then I'll hit a good amount
• 2:44
  of eight irons. Eight iron is my
• 2:46
  favorite club to hit. and then five
• 2:48
  iron. Then I'll work through the top of
• 2:49
  the bag. But um eight iron is kind of
• 2:52
  where I get all my technical work done
• 2:53
  and um then just kind of go from there.
• 3:00
  Obviously we got you out here on the
• 3:02
  range today, but are you more of a range
• 3:03
  guy, more of a just go out and practice
• 3:05
  and play guy?
• 3:06
  >> I like to keep it uh pretty 50/50.
• 3:08
  There's there's a lot of benefit to
• 3:10
  both. Say if I'm struggling with my golf
• 3:12
  swing, I'll probably lean towards the
• 3:14
  range a little more. If I feel like I'm
• 3:15
  playing good, I'm go out and play a lot
• 3:17
  of golf. Just keep working on um trying
• 3:21
  to score my golf ball and shoot it the
• 3:22
  best I can.
• 3:23
  >> You got a lot of good options here in
• 3:25
  Auburn. Tons of courses to go play.
• 3:27
  >> For sure.
• 3:35
  >> You were talking food and getting
• 3:37
  fueled.
• 3:37
  >> Mhm.
• 3:38
  >> What's a pre-round meal for Jackson
• 3:39
  Coven look like? Yeah, I mean I'm not a
• 3:41
  huge breakfast guy, which can be a
• 3:43
  problem, but
• 3:44
  >> it's a bit of an issue if you got an
• 3:45
  early morning tea time.
• 3:46
  >> So, I just try to try to eat as much as
• 3:48
  I can of whatever's there that I like
• 3:50
  and try to get the protein, the carbs
• 3:52
  in, and then stay hydrated. Staying
• 3:54
  hydrated is huge. Um, drinking
• 3:57
  electrolytes, drinking a lot of water,
• 3:59
  and just making sure your your body and
• 4:01
  mind's ready.
• 4:03
  >> What about during around? Are you going
• 4:04
  to snack?
• 4:05
  >> I try my best. Um, try my best to eat as
• 4:09
  much I can. A lot of lot of nuts, trail
• 4:11
  mix, bananas, that type of stuff. And a
• 4:14
  lot of lot of water.
• 4:16
  >> Yeah. Got to during those summer rounds.
• 4:18
  >> Yeah.
• 4:18
  >> Especially down here,
• 4:19
  >> right?
• 4:25
  >> That's uh that's pretty pure right
• 4:27
  there. I'd be pretty happy with that.
• 4:29
  >> Thank you.
• 4:30
  >> For you getting into golf, what are some
• 4:33
  of your first memories growing up?
• 4:36
  >> Yeah, I mean I I started basically when
• 4:38
  I could walk. my dad to take me out to
• 4:40
  the course and then kind of just got to
• 4:41
  the point where I wanted to go and then
• 4:43
  I dragged him. So, um I just fell in
• 4:46
  love with it. Play a lot of sports
• 4:48
  growing up. But, uh always uh always
• 4:51
  preferred golf and um
• 4:55
  >> yeah, I just just remember going to the
• 4:56
  course when I was really really young
• 4:58
  and just kind of messing around.
• 4:59
  >> Well, I haven't seen you out there
• 5:01
  playing point guard, but I feel like you
• 5:02
  probably made the right choice. Yeah.
• 5:04
  >> Picking up golf if
• 5:05
  >> I think I did.
• 5:07
  Obviously,
• 5:15
  you're always kind of changing things a
• 5:16
  little bit, but has this always kind of
• 5:18
  been your swing. Have you always kind of
• 5:19
  had this motion?
• 5:20
  >> Yeah, I mean, I've always kind of had a
• 5:22
  quick, some people call it violent
• 5:23
  motion. Um, just trying to get
• 5:26
  everything I can out of my body and uh
• 5:28
  trying to keep it at in a in a safe
• 5:31
  aspects. You know, a lot of people say
• 5:34
  I'm going to have back problems. So, um
• 5:38
  kind of managing managing the stress on
• 5:40
  my back and uh just kind of working out
• 5:43
  some things in my swing as I get get
• 5:45
  older and get stronger to kind of
• 5:47
  eliminate some things I really don't
• 5:50
  have to do anymore.
• 5:51
  >> That's what chiropractors are for.
• 5:52
  >> Yeah.
• 6:05
  We talked about the season a little bit.
• 6:08
  You know, you said it was kind of a no
• 6:10
  doubter for you in terms of coming back
• 6:12
  last year
• 6:13
  >> um when you decided to defer your PJ
• 6:15
  tour card. Do you still feel that way?
• 6:17
  Are you glad that you came back for your
• 6:18
  junior year?
• 6:19
  >> 100%. 100%. Um just couldn't be happier
• 6:22
  to be a place like Auburn. Um
• 6:25
  wasn't ready to turn pro. my my after my
• 6:28
  sophomore year and very very happy I
• 6:30
  stayed and uh get the opportunity to
• 6:33
  play with these guys and see some of the
• 6:34
  freshman succeed succeed a lot and feel
• 6:38
  like we got got a really good chance
• 6:39
  this this coming postseason.
• 6:41
  >> That's what I was going to ask you about
• 6:42
  Jake specifically. I mean Logan has been
• 6:45
  good and then some of those other
• 6:46
  juniors alongside you, but
• 6:48
  >> Jake specifically won SEC freshman of
• 6:50
  the week a couple times in a row there.
• 6:52
  >> Yeah. No, he's been playing really good.
• 6:54
  Um he's he's a very scrappy golfer. He
• 6:57
  just likes to get get the ball in the
• 6:58
  hole and that's something I respect and
• 7:00
  something I'm always trying to get
• 7:03
  better at and you know you can watch a
• 7:05
  guy on the range stripe it but uh at the
• 7:07
  end of the day it all only matters of
• 7:09
  how quickly you can get in the hole and
• 7:11
  he he does a very good job with that.
• 7:12
  He's been playing some really good golf,
• 7:14
  works really hard and it's just
• 7:16
  something you can respect.
• 7:18
  Going back to your freshman season, I
• 7:20
  mean, you've always been maybe a little
• 7:21
  bit more of a quiet guy and look, golf
• 7:23
  is not the same as basketball or
• 7:24
  football. You probably don't have the
• 7:26
  vocal leaders in the same similar sense,
• 7:28
  but do you feel like you've taken on a
• 7:30
  little bit of a different role as the
• 7:32
  leader now kind of of a younger team and
• 7:34
  trying to lead these guys a little bit
• 7:36
  just in terms of even just leading by
• 7:38
  example, you know, out here practicing
• 7:39
  more, helping them, showing them
• 7:42
  whatever that may be?
• 7:43
  >> For sure. I mean, my freshman year,
• 7:46
  freshman and sophomore year, we had a
• 7:47
  really old team. And then, yeah, I flip
• 7:49
  a switch. We had a really young team.
• 7:51
  Uh, we have no seniors, three juniors,
• 7:54
  and um, we're just trying to do our best
• 7:56
  as the old guys on our team to to show
• 7:59
  the young guys the ropes and how they
• 8:01
  can improve and kind of kind of push
• 8:03
  them to get better.
• 8:04
  >> Do you feel like this is some of the
• 8:05
  best golf that you've played in your
• 8:07
  career? I mean, you've won four of the
• 8:08
  last six tournaments that you've played
• 8:09
  in as the individual.
• 8:10
  >> Yeah, I mean, I've always been really
• 8:12
  hard on myself. Um,
• 8:17
  I feel like I'm definitely playing
• 8:18
  really well. There's just there's always
• 8:20
  places I can clean up and just kind of
• 8:22
  focusing on that and improving where I
• 8:24
  can get better at and not really
• 8:28
  settling for for where I am now, which
• 8:30
  is obviously a really really good spot.
• 8:32
  But, um,
• 8:34
  >> I definitely feel like I could be
• 8:35
  playing better, but I'm also very happy
• 8:37
  with the success I've had past couple
• 8:40
  weeks. when you hear things like
• 8:41
  breaking Tiger Woods's record.
• 8:43
  >> Yeah.
• 8:43
  >> What goes through your mind?
• 8:45
  >> I didn't even realize it when I did that
• 8:48
  in Hawaii, but it's obviously a good
• 8:50
  category to be in. Um and
• 8:53
  um whenever your your name's in the
• 8:56
  books with Tiger Woods, it's pretty
• 8:59
  pretty cool to think about.
• 9:01
  >> So, how long is a a normal practice
• 9:03
  session? How many balls do you feel like
• 9:05
  you're going to hit during a day?
• 9:06
  >> Kind of depends on the day. I mean, most
• 9:08
  time I'm out here all day. It just
• 9:10
  depends on if I'm just practicing or
• 9:12
  playing. Most time I like to practice
• 9:14
  and play 18 holes. Um, but I hit a lot
• 9:17
  of golf balls. I spend a lot of time on
• 9:19
  putting too. So, um, just trying to find
• 9:23
  the right right balance of that.
• 9:25
  >> Yeah, you're consistently called one of
• 9:26
  the best putters in the game. I mean,
• 9:28
  going back to the handful of PJ Tour
• 9:30
  starts you had last year, the advanced
• 9:32
  stats showed you, I think, is best
• 9:34
  putter in the world. It was it was
• 9:36
  somewhere right up there. Has that
• 9:38
  always been a pretty big strength of
• 9:40
  your game?
• 9:40
  >> Yeah, it has been. I've been been
• 9:42
  fortunate enough to uh been always been
• 9:44
  a pretty good putter and uh I just
• 9:46
  really really like practicing putting
• 9:48
  and I think that that kind of kind of
• 9:50
  helps is I can sit on putting green for
• 9:52
  hours and practice. Um I don't know if
• 9:55
  that's just uh kind of the aspect of
• 9:58
  seeing a success when you make a putt
• 10:00
  and then I just like to keep doing it.
• 10:02
  But, um, definitely, uh, definitely has
• 10:06
  been been a good part of my golf game
• 10:09
  for a while and, um, something I like to
• 10:11
  do.
• 10:12
  >> What's the, uh, what's the flat stick
• 10:14
  right now? I think you've always been a
• 10:15
  mallet guy.
• 10:16
  >> Yeah. But what you got right now?
• 10:17
  >> I've been messing around with a couple
• 10:19
  putters here and there, but, um,
• 10:22
  this is a kind of a prototype putter
• 10:26
  that that I snagged. And um you can take
• 10:29
  a look at it if you want, but it's just
• 10:31
  a mallet with a uh the plumber's neck
• 10:34
  and it's got a nice line on it and it's
• 10:36
  been it's been working pretty good.
• 10:47
  >> Yeah, this thing is sweet. You can do
• 10:49
  some damage with this. This thing is
• 10:50
  awesome.
• 10:52
  >> Thank you.
• 11:07
  talked a little bit about you kind of
• 11:08
  growing from your freshman year to now
• 11:10
  as a little bit more of a leader,
• 11:12
  >> but how else do you feel like you've
• 11:13
  grown just as a player, as a person? How
• 11:15
  do you feel like you've kind of matured?
• 11:17
  >> Yeah, I feel like I've just kind of
• 11:18
  matured in all aspects of life. Um, you
• 11:22
  know, you come into college and you kind
• 11:24
  of have a
• 11:27
  like a young young fire and I try to
• 11:30
  keep that going, but you kind of mature
• 11:32
  in the game of golf and you start
• 11:34
  learning learning more things about
• 11:36
  about how your body works, how you hit
• 11:38
  the golf ball, where the right misses it
• 11:40
  misses are, and you just start seeing
• 11:42
  things in a little different light. And
• 11:43
  I think I've done a really really good
• 11:45
  job of kind of adapting to that and
• 11:48
  adding that into my golf game and just
• 11:49
  being smart on the golf course. And then
• 11:51
  obviously as a person I've gotten gotten
• 11:53
  older and um just kind of matured and
• 11:58
  feel like I've gained some wisdom in the
• 12:00
  past three years and just trying to use
• 12:02
  that to my advantage.
• 12:04
  >> You're one of the fastest golfers I
• 12:05
  think I've probably ever seen. Um the
• 12:07
  little bit of college golf we get to
• 12:09
  watch on TV. We need more of it. Um, but
• 12:11
  during the natty your freshman year,
• 12:12
  have you slowed, we're talking about
• 12:14
  slowing down your swing maybe a little
• 12:15
  bit, but have you slowed down as a
• 12:16
  golfer a little bit as well out there or
• 12:18
  are you still pretty fast?
• 12:19
  >> Yeah, I still like to think I'm pretty
• 12:20
  fast. Um, but I feel like I've gotten I
• 12:23
  don't want to say quicker, I'd say a
• 12:24
  little more deliberate. Just kind of not
• 12:26
  just rushing into decisions and uh just
• 12:30
  not jumping the gun on a golf shot and
• 12:32
  thinking it through and thinking of all
• 12:34
  aspects of it.
• 12:36
  >> It is. Yeah. Yeah. Had a lot of it.
• 12:54
  Look, my main job is covering football
• 12:56
  recruiting. Obviously, do as much golf
• 12:58
  as possible, but for you going back to
• 13:00
  the recruiting process, what led you to
• 13:02
  Auburn? Obviously a California kid that
• 13:04
  was then in North Carolina. How did you
• 13:06
  land at Auburn? Yeah, I mean growing up
• 13:08
  in California, I I loved it there, but I
• 13:11
  always wanted to get out to the to the
• 13:12
  East Coast and uh kind of spread my net
• 13:15
  wide um in the recruiting process and
• 13:20
  took a took a visit here and spent nine
• 13:23
  hours on a official visit and didn't
• 13:25
  want to leave. So, kind of just told me
• 13:27
  all I all I needed to. I mean, whether
• 13:29
  that's the coaches, the facility, just
• 13:31
  the school in general, the whole
• 13:33
  atmosphere was was so good and couldn't
• 13:35
  pass up an opportunity to come here.
• 13:37
  >> Golf recruiting probably doesn't have
• 13:38
  the same uh the hats on the table and
• 13:41
  all the same stuff that football has,
• 13:42
  but who were some other kind of hats on
• 13:44
  the table for you there towards the end
• 13:45
  and um who finished runner up? You know,
• 13:48
  I like to think of
• 13:50
  >> different history and what could have
• 13:51
  been.
• 13:52
  >> Yeah.
• 13:52
  >> Who was the school that you considered
• 13:54
  the most besides Auburn? I guess
• 13:55
  >> I don't really know. I mean, I I wasn't
• 13:58
  too deep in the the recruiting process
• 14:01
  when I decided to come to Auburn. I
• 14:02
  probably had like a top five.
• 14:04
  >> Okay.
• 14:05
  >> Um,
• 14:05
  >> you had the you had the graphic for
• 14:07
  Twitter, the top five graphic.
• 14:10
  >> Not quite, but um I I had an idea of
• 14:13
  kind of where I wanted to go, but I was
• 14:16
  I was pretty uncertain until I came and
• 14:18
  took a visit here. But I was looking at
• 14:20
  some North Carolina schools like UNCC
• 14:22
  and Duke and Vanderbilt and uh
• 14:27
  yeah, maybe Tennessee, but um when I
• 14:31
  took a visit here, I was I was pretty
• 14:33
  set on coming here.
• 14:34
  >> This worked out pretty well, I would
• 14:36
  say.
• 14:36
  >> Yeah, I think it was a good decision.
• 14:49
  for you guys. We've talked about this
• 14:51
  season a little bit. Obviously, one
• 14:52
  regular season tournament left um before
• 14:55
  postseason play gets rolling. You feel
• 14:57
  like you guys are starting to peak as a
• 14:58
  team at the right time?
• 15:00
  >> I think so. I think we're just getting
• 15:01
  into the right mindset. Uh we had some
• 15:04
  struggles in the fall, but we kind of
• 15:06
  worked those out and um I think we're
• 15:09
  I'm just trying to get get into these
• 15:11
  guys heads that it's let's not go in.
• 15:13
  and let's just go let's go beat them by
• 15:15
  a lot. And I think if we all can adapt
• 15:18
  to that mindset, we're going to be be
• 15:20
  pretty damn good in the the future.
• 15:22
  >> Well, you did that in Tennessee. Yeah.
• 15:23
  >> Strong win at the Mason Rudolph.
• 15:25
  >> Mhm.
• 15:25
  >> Um
• 15:27
  >> you would have won the team title by
• 15:28
  yourself,
• 15:29
  >> finishing 12 under in the second second
• 15:31
  place team was nine under. So,
• 15:33
  >> starting to starting to come together.
• 15:35
  >> How about for you going into the SEC,
• 15:37
  you know, the SEC tournament
• 15:38
  >> looking to become a three-time winner.
• 15:41
  How special is that kind of opportunity?
• 15:43
  >> No, it's great. I mean, I love Sea
• 15:44
  Island. The SEC tournament's so good.
• 15:46
  And um we're we're going to go in there
• 15:50
  with some fire and try to win it for the
• 15:52
  team. And um if stroke play works out in
• 15:56
  a in a good good light, then so be it.
• 15:59
  But I'm just just trying to play for the
• 16:01
  team.
• 16:17
  Are you a first te nerves guy? Are those
• 16:19
  still there in your golf game?
• 16:21
  >> Um, yeah. I still feel nerves on the
• 16:23
  first tee. Um, thankfully I've kind of
• 16:26
  dealt with the nerves on the rest of the
• 16:28
  round, but I feel like I kind of like
• 16:31
  the nerves because if I didn't get
• 16:33
  nervous, it felt like I wouldn't care.
• 16:36
  So, um I definitely feel nerves on the
• 16:39
  first tea and then after that it's kind
• 16:40
  of go time.
• 16:52
  >> There been any moment that you can
• 16:53
  recall where you were more nervous than
• 16:55
  maybe any other time? Any other T-shot,
• 16:58
  first TE? Maybe the 21st hole of the
• 17:01
  playoff.
• 17:01
  >> Probably the 21st hole of the playoff.
• 17:04
  actually probably the 18th hole of
• 17:08
  nationals my freshman year I was more
• 17:09
  nervous and then I was very very upset
• 17:13
  after I lost that hole to go into a
• 17:15
  playoff and then the uh
• 17:18
  we'll call it the fire kind of took over
• 17:20
  over the nerves and um but that 18th
• 17:25
  hole you know you start thinking about
• 17:29
  you know you got some guys that aren't
• 17:30
  coming back uh you got the whole school
• 17:34
  watching you. It all comes down to you.
• 17:36
  It's It's hard not to get nervous.
• 17:39
  >> Yeah, that's fair. Like, uh I can't
• 17:41
  really imagine hitting that T- shot.
• 17:42
  Seeing as I get nervous hitting in front
• 17:44
  of a starter.
• 17:45
  >> Yeah,
• 17:45
  >> that'd be uh a little nerve-wracking.
• 17:58
  >> What else are you working with in the
• 17:59
  bag right now? Are you more of a lawn
• 18:01
  iron? Are you more of a woods kind of
• 18:02
  guy? I feel like we've seen the woods
• 18:04
  grow a lot more. You know, seven woods
• 18:06
  Yeah. becoming a lot more popular.
• 18:08
  >> Yeah. So, I'm I'm still on a threeiron.
• 18:10
  Um I I love I love my three iron and I
• 18:14
  got driver 3-wood, but um I've been
• 18:18
  driving it really well, which is nice.
• 18:19
  And um something I kind of take pride
• 18:22
  in. I've always been a pretty good
• 18:24
  driver of the golf ball and a good
• 18:25
  putter. And um
• 18:29
  driver's definitely one of my favorite
• 18:30
  clubs in the bag. And we're always
• 18:33
  always trying to work on hitting it
• 18:35
  straighter.
• 18:48
  >> That was pretty straight.
• 18:50
  >> We'll take that.
• 18:52
  >> I'm trying to remember what tournament
• 18:53
  was. I think it was the US Amter because
• 18:56
  it was on TV so I remember watching it.
• 18:58
  >> Mhm. Um, you had a T-OT. I mean, you
• 19:01
  teed it up right next to the T- marker
• 19:03
  and took one of the most vicious hacks
• 19:05
  at the ball I've seen. I mean, that was
• 19:06
  a There's no way you're going to
• 19:08
  remember what I'm referencing,
• 19:10
  >> but I mean, you took a huge swing and
• 19:13
  just bombed it down there. It was on
• 19:15
  like the 16th or 17th or something like
• 19:17
  that.
• 19:18
  >> Yeah. And that was I remember that clip
• 19:21
  of your T-shot bouncing around on
• 19:23
  Twitter a little bit because it's one of
• 19:25
  the few times that people get to see,
• 19:26
  you know, college golf, even if it is
• 19:28
  the USM. And it was it was impressive.
• 19:30
  >> Yeah. No, I like to I like to hit it
• 19:33
  hard and sometimes I feel like when I
• 19:35
  swing harder, I hit it straighter. So,
• 19:39
  I'm definitely comfortable hitting it
• 19:41
  hard.
• 19:49
  There's one thing that I feel like
• 19:50
  amateurs struggle with. Definitely me.
• 19:53
  Uh I haven't pulled the driver out of
• 19:54
  the bag in like two years now. It's it's
• 19:56
  that it's hitting the driver. There's a
• 19:59
  lot of other issues people struggle with
• 20:01
  wedges, stuff like that as well. But
• 20:02
  what would be kind of your tip for
• 20:03
  amateur golfers in terms of getting
• 20:05
  better with the driver?
• 20:07
  >> I mean,
• 20:08
  >> or some tips. I'll take I'll take
• 20:10
  everything you got.
• 20:11
  >> Our assistant coach says it best. I
• 20:13
  mean, the driver is the something you
• 20:15
  can do the same every single time.
• 20:16
  You're on a flat lie, you can tee it up
• 20:18
  the same height every single time, make
• 20:20
  the same swing, and be fine. Um,
• 20:24
  so that's kind of like what I like to
• 20:25
  think about is, you know, you tee up a
• 20:28
  driver anywhere, it's the same as when
• 20:30
  you're practicing. And, um, just making
• 20:32
  sure setup's all the same because it's
• 20:34
  it's easy to get a little off with the
• 20:36
  driver. And, um, just it's probably the
• 20:40
  most forgiving club in your bag. So,
• 20:42
  just get comfortable hitting it and even
• 20:44
  if you miss it, um you can still get
• 20:46
  away with it. Speak for yourself.
• 21:00
  >> I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you.
• 21:01
  Probably the number one question on our
• 21:03
  board um on the message board and on
• 21:05
  Twitter and whatnot is what's Jackson
• 21:07
  doing for his senior year? Is he coming
• 21:09
  back? Have you even, you know, thought
• 21:11
  about that or considered that or you
• 21:12
  just kind of focused on the season and
• 21:14
  then
• 21:14
  >> see what goes from there?
• 21:16
  >> I'm just focused on these next few
• 21:18
  tournaments and going to go from there
• 21:20
  cuz I don't want to get too far ahead of
• 21:22
  myself when we're when we're in the
• 21:23
  midst of things and um just trying to uh
• 21:27
  go out there with the team and do the
• 21:29
  best we can.
• 21:44
  I feel like I know probably two of the
• 21:46
  answers here and we won't count a
• 21:47
  putter. If you can only take three clubs
• 21:49
  out there for the round, what three
• 21:50
  clubs are you taking?
• 21:53
  >> Driver, eight iron, 60°.
• 21:55
  >> Okay. Yep. I need driver 8 iron.
• 21:57
  >> Yeah. As soon as you said eight iron was
• 21:58
  one of your favorites, that was
• 21:59
  obviously a lock.
• 22:01
  >> Yeah.
• 22:11
  excluding the national championship,
• 22:13
  it's probably your favorite college golf
• 22:14
  memory. I mean, it could be a
• 22:16
  tournament, it could be a not even
• 22:18
  necessarily golf related, but what's
• 22:19
  been kind of your favorite moment out
• 22:21
  here with these guys at Auburn?
• 22:24
  >> Um,
• 22:27
  Hawaii this year was a lot of fun. Uh,
• 22:29
  we got to see the team kind of click and
• 22:31
  play really well. I think we tied the
• 22:33
  NCA scoring record and just kind of nice
• 22:36
  nice little little boost going into the
• 22:38
  spring and knowing we we can we can
• 22:41
  break records and um that we have the
• 22:44
  firepower to do anything.
• 22:58
  to describe coach Kleiner in one word or
• 23:00
  maybe one sentence. How would you
• 23:03
  describe him?
• 23:04
  >> Uh passionate. He cares a lot about us
• 23:06
  as a team and as people and um just
• 23:09
  can't be more fortunate to have him as a
• 23:11
  head coach. Uh he's here all the time
• 23:14
  working, recruiting, trying to get
• 23:16
  Auburn golf better. And um there's just
• 23:19
  something to be said when feels like
• 23:21
  your head coach is working that much
• 23:23
  harder than you when you're out here for
• 23:24
  for 10 hours.
• 23:26
  Um but yeah, passionate
• 23:41
  rapid fire some questions then get you
• 23:44
  uh get you wrapped up. I know you're you
• 23:46
  got way more important things to do than
• 23:47
  this. Um
• 23:48
  >> let's hear them.
• 23:49
  >> Three favorite golf courses.
• 23:52
  Um,
• 23:54
  Cypress, Augusta, Sawrass.
• 23:57
  >> Okay. Uh, favorite golf region. If you
• 24:00
  can only keep one, you can only play in
• 24:01
  one area. Look, it's not super specific.
• 24:03
  East Coast, maybe. Florida, West Coast,
• 24:07
  Texas, maybe?
• 24:08
  >> Either Florida or Northern California.
• 24:12
  >> Okay.
• 24:12
  >> Yeah.
• 24:13
  >> Yeah, that makes sense. I could see
• 24:14
  those. Uh, driver or putter?
• 24:16
  >> Putter.
• 24:17
  >> Fade or draw?
• 24:18
  >> Draw.
• 24:19
  >> Okay. Match or stroke play?
• 24:24
  >> Huh?
• 24:26
  >> Stroke.
• 24:28
  >> Okay.
• 24:28
  >> Yeah, I could see that.
• 24:30
  >> Feel like match play is a lot of fun,
• 24:31
  but there's
• 24:33
  >> I don't feel like it's the best player
• 24:34
  that wins every time. So,
• 24:35
  >> yeah, that's fair. There's a little more
• 24:38
  maybe a little more strategy in my mind.
• 24:40
  A little bit more gamesmanship, not
• 24:42
  necessarily strategy.
• 24:43
  >> Yeah, for sure. But it's definitely
• 24:45
  >> I mean shoot even if you're 5 yards back
• 24:47
  hitting that first shot out of the
• 24:48
  fairway
• 24:49
  >> on a par4 or something like that
• 24:50
  sometimes is more beneficial
• 24:52
  >> right
• 25:09
  the spot here teammate at Auburn. You
• 25:12
  can only pick one.
• 25:15
  >> I like them all equally.
• 25:17
  >> I can't I can't make a decision on that.
• 25:19
  They're all my teammates.
• 25:20
  >> Okay. So, you're you're technically not
• 25:22
  even a pro yet and you're already media
• 25:23
  trained. You already know how to get out
• 25:25
  of those answers or out of those
• 25:26
  questions. No comment.
• 25:38
  Not counting your Auburn teammates.
• 25:40
  Build a fourman scramble of pro golfers.
• 25:42
  It could be older pro golfers. It could
• 25:44
  be current guys. Build your fourman
• 25:46
  scramble.
• 25:47
  >> Like to have fun with or to play your
• 25:49
  best with.
• 25:50
  >> You know what? Let's do both. Let's have
• 25:51
  two different two different scramles
• 25:53
  there. Let's do a scramble
• 25:57
  to play the best. Shoot the lowest
• 25:59
  score. And let's do a fourman just tea
• 26:02
  time for for vibes. Having a good time
• 26:05
  out there. Play your best.
• 26:08
  I'm gonna go Scotty.
• 26:10
  I'll go Russell Henley for his iron
• 26:13
  play. I'll go Denny McCarthy for his
• 26:16
  putting.
• 26:17
  >> Okay.
• 26:18
  >> And then
• 26:20
  for vibes,
• 26:22
  >> I'll take Duffner out there. He's funny.
• 26:25
  Um
• 26:27
  you like John Dailyaly
• 26:30
  because he's a lot of fun. And
• 26:35
  third for vibes.
• 26:41
  You really like Justin Thomas.
• 26:43
  >> Okay. You really want a Bama boy out
• 26:45
  there with you?
• 26:46
  >> Yeah. It's It's his one downfall.
• 26:59
  Some favorite spots in Auburn. Favorite
• 27:01
  spots to eat or kind of hang out or
• 27:02
  whatever?
• 27:04
  Um,
• 27:06
  favorite spots to eat. Moe's barbecue is
• 27:10
  really good.
• 27:10
  >> Okay. What's the Moe's barbecue order?
• 27:13
  >> Got to get the wings.
• 27:14
  >> Okay. That's a Jason Caldwell special
• 27:16
  right there. Smoked wings.
• 27:18
  >> Smoked wings are really, really hard to
• 27:19
  beat, but I like going there a lot.
• 27:22
  >> Any other spots?
• 27:28
  >> Tailgate before Jordan game at Jordan
• 27:30
  Air.
• 27:30
  >> Yeah.
• 27:31
  >> Hard. It's a lot of fun, too. It's a
• 27:33
  good answer.
• 27:34
  >> Yeah.
• 27:34
  >> Well, Jackson, it's Mast's week, so
• 27:36
  we'll wrap it up. Who's your Mast's pick
• 27:37
  and why?
• 27:40
  Uh,
• 27:43
  >> this might be a little controversial,
• 27:44
  but I'm going to go Patrick Reed. He's,
• 27:48
  uh, he's been playing really, really
• 27:50
  good. He's won there before, and
• 27:53
  I don't know. We'll see.
• 27:55
  >> I feel like that's been popular in terms
• 27:57
  of on Twitter and on betting markets.
• 27:58
  Look, he's maybe not the most popular
• 28:00
  guy at times or with some people, but
• 28:02
  >> yeah,
• 28:02
  >> it's been a popular pick. So, you're not
• 28:04
  alone.
• 28:12
  >> Jackson, we really appreciate the time.
• 28:14
  It's been a blast. Thanks for having us
• 28:16
  out here. Best of luck with the rest of
• 28:17
  the season.
• 28:18
  >> Um, looking forward to Look, you guys
• 28:20
  can look forward to this. You can look
• 28:22
  forward to I'll be out at St. Simons
• 28:24
  covering you guys in the SEC tournament.
• 28:25
  So, that'll be a blast. Um, and then
• 28:28
  look at the run to the run to the
• 28:30
  national championship. Yes, sir.
• 28:31
  >> See where number one Auburn golf goes to
• 28:33
  end the year. So, appreciate it,
• 28:34
  Jackson.