Mark Greenhalgh 0:56
Welcome into the Be The Right Club Today Podcast presented by Makefield Putters. Hal Sutton and Mark Greenhalgh here with you. It’s Wednesday evening, October 8. Hal, how’s it going?

Hal Sutton 1:08
It’s going good, Mark. I’m just at the golf course having a good day.

Mark Greenhalgh 1:15
Always fun to be at the course. Let’s begin with our usual recap across the major tours in golf. I’ll start with the PGA Tour.

Steven Fisk fired an eight-under 64 Sunday at the Sanderson Farms Championship, including four birdies in his last five holes and three straight to finish. He becomes the fourth rookie to win this season, joining William Mouw, who won the ISCO Championship, Aldrich Potgieter, who won the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and Karl Vilips, who won the Puerto Rico Open.

Fisk made almost 145 feet of putts in the final round and led the field in strokes gained total, yet was only 13th in strokes gained putting.

Hal Sutton 2:31
That means he hit the ball really well.

Mark Greenhalgh 2:34
Exactly. Leading in strokes gained total with only average putting shows the rest of the game was excellent.

Hal Sutton 2:40
And 140 feet of putts is still a great number. Winners usually make a lot of putts.

Mark Greenhalgh 2:49
That brings us to Makefield Putters. Made in the USA, using Radial CUSP Technology to help find the equator of the golf ball, get it rolling quicker, and reduce skid. They also have a three-weight system. Hal, I’ve never asked, how are your weights set?

Hal Sutton 3:16
Mine are equal across. It’s a great putter, but you still have to choose the right line and make the stroke. They’ve removed as many variables as possible.

Mark Greenhalgh 3:43
I’m more of a straight-back-straight-through putter. What about you?

Hal Sutton 3:53
Slightly inside-to-inside, but not much. I spent a lot of my life trying to go straight back and straight through, using tees in the green as a guide. A bit primitive, but that’s how we learned.

Mark Greenhalgh 4:23
Nowadays you can get fit properly at MakefieldGolf.com. Any idea what your best putting performance was during a win?

Hal Sutton 4:47
Whenever I won, I putted well enough. I was never known as a great putter, but I made the putts I needed and didn’t miss the ones that cost tournaments. I never tracked feet of putts the way players do today. I’d remember a long putt I holed or something unusual, but I didn’t total the number. Sometimes I added up how many feet I missed.

Mark Greenhalgh 5:40
I always remind amateurs that even the best players in the world make only about half their ten-footers on perfect greens. Expectations matter.

Hal Sutton 6:21
In my rookie season I’d check the Monday paper to see what I earned, then think about the six-footer I missed that cost me money. Eventually I changed my mindset, I started thinking about the last putt I made and what that earned me. That change made a big difference.

Mark Greenhalgh 6:58
Over on the DP World Tour, Bobby MacIntyre handled the weather and won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by four over Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton. The event was shortened to 54 holes due to weather. MacIntyre had only one bogey each day, incredibly impressive for links golf in heavy wind.

Hal, what’s the best round you ever played in bad weather?

Hal Sutton 7:39
I don’t remember a specific round. I played a lot in bad weather but don’t recall any great scores coming from it. When it’s raining and windy, patience is the key. I was surprised they had to call the event at 54 holes, I didn’t think rain stopped links golf. They always had us out there.

Mark Greenhalgh 8:16
So what weather bothered you most?

Hal Sutton 8:27
Rain. Not my favorite. Hard on the caddie, hard to keep things dry, hard to maintain rhythm. You feel rushed.

Mark Greenhalgh 8:50
Wind bothered me, I’m a high-ball hitter. Downwind and into the wind were tough. Sometimes you catch one perfectly and it just cuts right through the wind instead of being held up.

Hal Sutton 9:27
I loved the wind. Hated the rain. Downwind and into wind used to be harder because the old balls spun more. Today’s balls spin less, curve less. If the USGA and R&A want to change the game, they should put spin back on the ball.

Mark Greenhalgh 10:03
On the LPGA Tour, Ruoning Yin won the Buick LPGA Shanghai, becoming the 26th different winner of the season. She was offered immediate LPGA membership but deferred it to 2026, meaning she won’t count as a first-time winner in 2025.

Hal Sutton 10:49
Twenty-six different winners is amazing. Congratulations to her.

Mark Greenhalgh 11:00
On the Korn Ferry Tour, Adrian Dumont de Chassart won the Compliance Solutions Championship, becoming the eighth player this season to earn a PGA Tour-bound declaration. He moves to sixth on the points list. He finished at 33-under par, including back-to-back 61s to start the event.

Hal, do you know your best back-to-back scores on tour?

Hal Sutton 11:40
I was low in Phoenix when I won there, maybe 64-64, but I’m not certain. It’s been a long time.

Mark Greenhalgh 11:55
On PGA Tour Champions, Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey went from Monday qualifier to champion at the Constellation Furyk & Friends. Only his fifth start, and he became the youngest winner on tour this year.

Another example of a player who didn’t have huge success on the PGA Tour, but finds it on the Champions Tour.

Hal Sutton 13:01
A lot of guys do well early out there because they’re the youngest. Others view it as a second chance. The guys who had a lot of success on the regular tour may not be as hungry.

Mark Greenhalgh 13:35
Did you ever wear two gloves?

Hal Sutton 14:03
Never. Cold wasn’t great for me either. I liked warm weather, which is where the tour always tries to be.

Mark Greenhalgh 14:12
That wraps up our tour recap. When we come back, we’ll talk Ryder Cup and making the show.
This is the Be The Right Club Today Podcast presented by Makefield Putters.

Hal Sutton 14:39
Hi, I’m Hal Sutton…[AD READ, unchanged and corrected]

BTRC Audio 15:35
Welcome back to Be The Right Club Today presented by Makefield Putters.

Mark Greenhalgh 15:42
Welcome back. Time for our topic of the week. Hal, last week we talked Ryder Cup, and I want your thoughts on a few things from the 15–13 European win.

Let’s start with the crowds. Are crowds out of control everywhere, or just in certain places?

Hal Sutton 16:26
I don’t know about everywhere, but they were out of control last week. As an American, I was embarrassed by some of the behavior. Golf is supposed to be a gentleman’s game. There was no need for name-calling or throwing beer. Uncalled for.

Mark Greenhalgh 17:57
It felt like everyone hyped the “rowdy New York crowd,” and when the U.S. team fell behind early, the crowd didn’t have positive energy to feed off, and it turned ugly.

Hal Sutton 18:43
The PGA of America should have said publicly that the behavior wasn’t acceptable. The other thing: that wasn’t the Bethpage I know. They shortened it and cut the rough. Bethpage is supposed to be long and hard. I don’t know who made those decisions.

Mark Greenhalgh 19:39
Exactly. First tee I understand, but the rest could be tipped out. And cutting rough because we have longer hitters doesn’t make sense. If Europeans try to keep up and miss fairways, we’d have the advantage.

Hal Sutton 20:23
Major championships play courses hard, and Americans often rise to the top. I would’ve preferred the real Bethpage.

Mark Greenhalgh 20:39
It feels like the U.S. always either uses too much data or not enough. For example, Harris English and Collin Morikawa were statistically the worst possible pairing out of 132 combinations, yet were sent out twice. Do we need a balance of analytics and feel?

Hal Sutton 21:39
It’s tough. Sending your best players out first was always my philosophy. People criticized me for pairing Tiger and Phil, but they were number one and number three in the world. You try to send a message. The Europeans play their top guys all four matches, which leaves them tired on Sunday. The U.S. had too big a deficit this year for that to matter.

Mark Greenhalgh 22:53
Should the task force continue? It doesn’t seem to be producing results.

Hal Sutton 23:35
I don’t know. I think we’re overthinking everything. Expectations are too high. Keegan Bradley probably feels like he failed, even though he put everything into it. And he should have been on the team, every other captain in the world would have picked him.

Mark Greenhalgh 24:36
Todd and I think Fred Couples should be the next captain. Players would run through a wall for him. He blends analytics with feel.

Hal Sutton 25:18
I don’t think it’s as complicated as analytics suggest. It’s who hits the fairway, who hits the green, and who makes the putt. We’re overthinking.

Mark Greenhalgh 26:15
Do Europeans make more putts because of pairings? Justin Rose was +4.56 strokes gained putting on Saturday with a partner, but −1.5 on Sunday alone.

Hal Sutton 26:53
Some days you have it with the putter, some days you don’t. And Ryder Cup pressure is unlike anything else.

Mark Greenhalgh 27:22
Let’s shift to “making the show.” Why do so many Korn Ferry players struggle after getting promoted?

Hal Sutton 28:53
Some don’t truly believe they belong. It’s not talent, it’s self-belief. When big names walk onto the range and crowds react, it can be intimidating. Some players need time to convince themselves they belong.

Mark Greenhalgh 29:56
Players now get $500,000 to start their PGA Tour careers. Does that help or hurt?

Hal Sutton 30:23
I remember my first check vividly. I earned it. Today’s players get $500,000 before earning anything. That changes the mindset. I borrowed $18,000 from my dad for six months of expenses and drove everywhere. Today you can’t survive a week on that.

Mark Greenhalgh 31:25
Expenses are huge, caddie, travel, lodging. Justin Rose missed his first 20-plus cuts. That takes a toll.

Hal Sutton 31:56
When you’re missing cuts with little money in the bank, pressure builds. With $500,000 in the bank, you can think, “It’ll be fine next month.” Sometimes there isn’t even a cut now.

Mark Greenhalgh 32:21
Field sizes are shrinking in 2026 and there are a lot of exemption categories. Do we have too many exemptions?

Hal Sutton 33:36
It’s too hard for a newcomer to break out. The Champions Tour eliminated Q-School. Fans love dark-horse stories. Tommy Gainey this week is a great example.

Mark Greenhalgh 34:27
People love dominant stars or underdogs. Same with that PGA pro who made noise recently, fans loved it.

Hal Sutton 35:12
When I beat Tiger in 2000, everyone expected him to win. The fans were on my side. Tiger even joked the next morning, “I can’t believe how many rednecks are here, and they’re all pulling for you.”

Mark Greenhalgh 35:43
Coming up next, we’ll take a look at this week in golf.

Hal Sutton 35:58[AD READ, unchanged and corrected]

BTRC Audio 36:54
Welcome back to Be The Right Club Today presented by Makefield Putters.

Mark Greenhalgh 37:01
This week on the PGA Tour, the BayCurrent Classic in Japan. Nico Echavarría outdueled Justin Thomas last year. Echavarría made the playoffs, earned $2.2 million, and sits 18th in fall points. He must finish top 10 to reach the signature events.

On the DP World Tour, the Open de España presented by Madrid was won last year by Ángel Hidalgo, who beat Jon Rahm in a playoff. Hidalgo sits 79th on the points list after some recent improvement.

On the LPGA Tour, Shanghai native Ruoning Yin earned her fourth career victory at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, breaking the scoring record previously set by Danielle Kang. She is 31st in the points this year.

On the Korn Ferry Tour, the Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance was won last year by Braden Thornberry, who has struggled on the PGA Tour this season, only six made cuts in 22 starts with one top-10.

Hal Sutton 39:11
College exemptions give players another route to the tour. Those guys are more prepared, but it’s still hard to get established.

Mark Greenhalgh 39:34
Lots of avenues, lots of pressure. When you get your shot, you have to make the most of it.

Hal Sutton 39:44
That pressure has always been there, even in 1982.

Mark Greenhalgh 39:51
Finally, on the Champions Tour, the SAS Championship in Cary, North Carolina, won last year by Jerry Kelly. He has one win this year and sits 15th in points.

One more shout-out to Makefield Putters. Hal and I both use them. Made in the USA. Multiple head shapes, shafts, weights, necks, Hal uses a plumber’s neck, and Radial CUSP Technology for a quicker, truer roll.

Hal Sutton 40:49
Great putter. Go check it out.

Mark Greenhalgh 41:07
That wraps up this week’s episode of Be The Right Club. Hal, we’ll check back in two weeks. Todd Burrell joins me next week. Thanks for listening.

BTRC Audio 41:24
Thank you for listening to Be The Right Club Today with your hosts Hal Sutton and Mark Greenhalgh, presented by Makefield Putters.