Podcast appearances and mentions of john huggan

Few people in any industry can claim to have altered the direction of that industry, but David Leadbetter is one. When a playing career eluded him in the 1980s, he turned his mind and energies to coaching and from humble beginnings, has built one of the most recognisable golf instruction "brands" in the world. But along the way, Leadbetter's profile - and that of his successful clients - helped reshape the way golfers think about taking lessons, a change remaining in effect to this day. John Huggan sits down with Leadbetter to talk everything from his transformation of Nick Faldo's swing, to the one player he never got to work with but wanted to.

This is Monday's OTB Breakfast Bite, your FREE bitesize taster of this morning's full Off The Ball Breakfast. On this morning's show, Gary Murphy joined Ger, Colm and Arthur to look back at Rory McIlroy's momentous win at Augusta National.Golf journalist John Huggan proclaims Rory as Ireland's greatest ever sportsman.And today's Bite begins with Gary Murphy recalling the rollercoaster of emotions he went through whilst watching perhaps golf's greatest day. Catch Off The Ball Breakfast LIVE weekday mornings from 7:30am or just search for Off The Ball Breakfast and get the podcast on the Off The Ball app. SUBSCRIBE at OffTheBall.com/join

One of the most underappreciated achievements in the professional game is longevity. Earning and keeping a PGA TOUR or DP World Tour card for years spanning into the double digits is rarer than we think and those who manage it -such as our guest on Episode 137, Soren Kjeldsen - have much to offer. In this wide ranging chat with John Huggan, Kjeldsen reveals not only a keen sense of humour, but a deep love, appreciation for and - perhaps most importantly for many - knowledge about how to play the game. A four-time European Tour winner (as well as a World Cup victory with Thorbjorn Olsen in our own backyard at Kingston Heath in 2016), Kjeldsen is thought-provoking and articulate and can now add "excellent podcast guest" to his Wikipedia.

Ask most recreational players their dream job and 'professional golfer' will be pretty high on the list. But not all who have the opportunity to join the pay for play ranks take that path and on episode 136, we meet just such a golfer. Colin Dalgleish is not only a long-time friend of our correspondent John Huggan, but a decorated amateur who chose not to pursue a professional career, despite winning the 1981 Scottish amateur championship and representing GB&I in that same year's Walker Cup. He later captained the team twice, in 2007 and 2009. Don't miss John Huggan's fascinating chat with one of golf's “lifers” and greatest contributors to the game.

Our guest this episode is one of New Zealand's most successful professional players, boasting four European Tour titles and nine victories in this part of the world, including two New Zealand Opens. But there is much more to Turner than just golf. The long-time touring professional turned course architect and commentator sits down with The Thing About Golf host John Huggan to talk all things golf and life in a compelling discussion which covers everything from his “just by chance” start in the game, to the current state of professional play.

Golf is different things to different people, which is part of the game's great charm. For some, it's clubs and gear which grab the attention, while others focus on the swing. But for a select few, it is the laws governing the game, and one of the best in the business - recently retired R&A rules guru David Rickman - joins John Huggan on this episode for a fascinating chat about life around the top echelons of the game and the ever-evolving rules we play by. 

He first burst onto the scene as a talented amateur with a sensational finish in the 2014 Australian Masters, followed by an 11-hour overnight drive to Sydney to qualify for the following week's Australian Open. It has been 11 years and five professional tournament victories since and Lucas Herbert has amassed some stories - and wisdom - along the way. Unafraid to share his opinions, Herbert is always a good interview and this sit down with John Huggan doesn't disappoint. From LIV, to Q School, to the mixed Australian Open format, the 29-year-old pulls no punches in what is an entertaining and thought-provoking chat.

It was a meteoric rise to fame for Karen Stupples when she claimed the 2004 Women's British Open with a final-round 64 after opening eagle-albatross on Sunday. However, Stupples was never guaranteed to get to the LPGA, nor even play golf for a living. In fact, if she didn't hate washing dishes so much, she might have ended up doing something else entirely.Stupples talks about that and much more in this delightful chat with John Huggan.

There are many in the golf commentary business who add little to a broadcast, but Sky Sports' Tim Barter is certainly not among them. From on-course interviews to breaking down golf swings, Barter is a master of multiple crafts and in this absorbing conversation with John Huggan, he tells the story of his journey to becoming regarded as one of the best in the golf broadcast business.

Rich Beem is one of the game's best characters of the past 30 years and his 2002 PGA Championship win over a charging Tiger Woods remains among the most entertaining finishes to a tournament this century. John Huggan sat down with Beam recently to learn about where he came from, what it's like to win a major, Team USA's best chance of winning the Ryder Cup away from home and plenty more. Beem is engaging, thoughtful and eloquent and knows how to tell a good story, which all makes for an excellent listen. 

John Huggan sits down with Seve Ballesteros' son, Javier, to talk life, golf, the Ryder Cup, the state of the world game and plenty more.Few golfers have made an impact on the game comparable to Seve. The Spanish magician entertained and thrilled crowds worldwide with his extraordinary skill and matador-like personality. He remains to this day one of the most popular players in history. John's chat with Javier for episode 129 offers a fascinating and compelling insight into events and people, past and present, from a perspective we rarely get to see.

There is perhaps no more familiar voice in the game than that of Jim Nantz, host of CBS' golf coverage, including almost 40 years of The Masters. In this candid chat with John Huggan, Nantz reveals his journey from humble beginnings in the game to his start in broadcasting and a career so successful, he now owns a home (with its own golf hole) at the iconic Pebble Beach. Nantz is charming, funny and articulate and has a knack for telling a good story, of which he has plenty.

At the age of four, Peter Baker wrote down that he wanted to be a professional golfer. At 14, he played representative golf with the seniors. At 21, he claimed his first European Tour title and five years later - the same year he represented Europe in The Ryder Cup - he added two more.A lifetime spent in the game has taught Baker much about both life and golf. In a fascinating episode 127, he sits down with John Huggan to reflect on a 37-year career playing the game for a living.

Rarely has a player sported the green jacket with such style than our latest guest and one of golf's greatest assets, Trevor Immelman.However, there is more to the 2008 Masters champion than a pretty golf swing. The 2022 International Presidents Cup captain sits down with John Huggan to talk about his beginnings in the game, his thoughts on the Presidents Cup, the LIV/PGA Tour negotiations, where TV commentators get it wrong and much more. Immelman is one of the game's best ambassadors and after listening to this chat, you'll gain an insight into why.

This week John Huggan catches up with a true golfing stalwart who has spent more than 20 years plying his trade on the European Tour.Stephen Gallacher has four wins and a Ryder Cup appearance to his name, placing him in some elite company. Having grown up around golf with his famous uncle Bernard as a mentor, Gallacher still lives and breathes the game.With the senior tour fast approaching and a thriving junior foundation bearing his name, Gallacher is as busy as he's ever been and chats with John about everything from LIV Golf and the future at the top level, to why encouraging junior participation is so important.

He was part of one of the most epic duels in Open history, when he and Phil Mickelson went head to head for the Claret Jug last time golf's most prestigious tournament was held at Troon in 2016 ... and he is also John Huggan's latest interview guest.There is so much more to Henrik Stenson than a brilliant golf game … he also has a sense of humour and a perspective on the world a bit broader than many of his professional brethren.Stenson sat down with our very own John Huggan recently to reflect on a career which has produced some remarkable highs, but also some equally intense lows.

He might not be the best-known name in golf, but England's Howard Clark was a stalwart of the European Tour in a time of major changes for the professional game in the 1980s and '90s. John Huggan caught up with the former Ryder Cupper at his home in England to talk life, golf and a life in golf.

A stalwart of the European Tour during the boom years of the 1980s and '90s, Mark James had a ringside seat to some of the most exciting times the men's professional game has known. In the era of Seve, Faldo, Lyle and Langer, the Englishman managed to amass 18 victories (32 globally) before going on to captain the 1999 Ryder Cup in one of the most infamous matches in history. In this fascinating chat with John Huggan, James reminisces on a career that spanned almost 20 years from his first European victory to his last and which included stints behind the scenes working to improve the Tour for the players.

There might not be a more polarising voice in modern golf media than Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee and he doesn't disappoint in this wide-ranging chat with John Huggan. From why he thinks a brutal US Open is a good thing, to a breakdown of the type of player who wins at Augusta, this one is heaven for golf nerds.

He is known as one of the nicest people in golf, but he might also be one of the most thoughtful. Ian Baker-Finch, 1991 Open champion, sat down with John Huggan at Augusta National this week to talk the Masters, his career in both golf and television and his thoughts on the modern state of the game. 

Two-time Masters winner Ben Crenshaw is as much a part of Augusta folklore as any past champion. Now one of the game's leading course designers, Crenshaw sat down with John Huggan to talk all things Masters — and everything else to do with golf.

Three-time DP World Tour winner turned Sky Sports commentator Nick Dougherty is a firm believer in golf as metaphor for life and the 41-year-old has had his share of ups and downs in both. John Huggan recently caught up with the Englishman to talk about a lifetime in the game, highlighted by playing with Tiger Woods at his peak in the third round of the 2007 U.S Open. Dougherty also talks openly about the impact of losing his mother suddenly in 2008 and his struggles in the aftermath before finding a second career as a TV broadcaster.

From the humble courses of southern Sydney to the top levels of the game, Wayne ‘Radar' Riley has been in and around the game of golf for more than 50 years.Having started at the age of seven, he became a six-time winner at the professional level including one of the most iconic Australian Open victories of the modern era.Riley now spends his time analysing and critiquing the world's best on television as an on-course reporter for Sky Sports in the UK. In this wide-ranging chat with John Huggan, Riley looks back on a career and life that has been full of adventure and always plenty of golf.

From child prodigy to multiple European Tour winner, Ronan Rafferty has seen just about everything in golf. Popular wherever he went, Rafferty has a particular fondness for Australia — where he won five times between 1987 and 1992 — and credits his years spent Down Under as a crucial element in his international success. In this delightful chat with John Huggan, Rafferty reflects on his amateur career, what it was like on the European Tour in the halcyon days and how the game has changed over his lifetime.

Not every great amateur turns professional but that doesn't mean they can't make a living out of the game. Vinny Giles is one of the game's great amateurs having won the U.S and British Amateur titles as well as the U.S Senior Amateur. He also represented the United States four times at the Walker Cup, winning three times. What is less well known is his long-time business role as a player manager, having at various stages guided the careers of Tom Kite, Davis Love III, Lanny Wadkins, Beth Daniel and Meg Mallon.In this fascinating interview with John Huggan, Giles talks about how the game has changed over his many decades as both a player, businessman and devotee of the game.'

Chris Kirk's 14th season on the PGA TOUR couldn't have gotten off to a better start! The former University of Georgia Bulldog wins the first event of the year and gets to join Damon & Eamon on the show. Kirk discusses his favorite shots from the weekend, and how his openness about addiction struggles has helped him find success on tour once again. Gary Woodland is starting his own comeback too. The 2019 U.S. Open Champion is back on TOUR for the first time this week since undergoing brain surgery. Woodland spoke to Todd Lewis about his expectations for the week, and the support he needed to get back to the sport he loves. UCLA Men's Golf star Omar Morales is just at the beginning of his pro journey! The amateur standout joins us before he tees 'em up in the Latin American Amateur Championship in Panama later this week. Over in Europe, Martin Slumbers, head of the R&A Golf Association, has announced he will be stepping down from his role by the end of 2024. John Huggan from Golf Digest stops by to discuss what Slumbers' departure means for the European game, and gives us a primer of what to expect from Rory McIlroy in the season to come. Chris Kirk (6:00) Omar Morales (16:15) John Huggan (21:36) Gary Woodland (45:07)

“There are only three options: We can bifurcate; you change the whole game; or you do nothing. And doing nothing is not an option.” R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers says a decision on what to do about hitting distances in golf is coming by the end of the year but, after admitting to Golf Digest's John Huggan there had been lots of opposition to the R&A and USGA's proposed Model Local Rule, what's going to happen now? If you change the whole game, could that mean a shorter ball for everyone? In this episode of the From the Clubhouse podcast, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll speculate about the distance debate and how it will affect us at our clubs? Would we be willing to play a shortened ball? Would it make any difference to our games? And what could it mean to the way our clubs maintain their courses? You'll not be surprised to learn Steve and Tom have rather different views! The duo also consider the latest reincarnation of Tiger Woods and look at the new manoeuvres in the LIV Golf-PGA Tour standoff. Will a deal be done? The From the Clubhouse podcast is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf.

In many ways Matt Fitzpatrick is an unlikely major champion. His game isn't as flashy as some but he works hard — and smart — to get everything out of his talent. In this revealing chat with The Thing About Golf host John Huggan, the Englishman looks back on his remarkable U.S Amateur/U.S Open double at Brookline, shares thoughts on the Ryder and Walker Cups, explains how he added 20 yards to his game off the tee and also why he switched to cross-handed chipping. The recent winner of the Dunhill Links at St Andrews, alongside his mum, has had quite the journey so far and the likeable 29-year-old looks far from done yet.

Damon and Eamon recap an electric weekend in golf that saw wins by Camilo Villegas, Lilia Vu, Max Homa, and Steve Alker. They then welcome Rex Hoggard and Ryan Lavner to talk about the last few weeks on the PGA Tour and Rory's recent comments on his fiery Ryder Cup. The guys then get into Homa's win at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and welcome in John Huggan to talk about everything to do with the DP World Tour. Anthony Rodriguez, senior program director of First Tee, then hops on to talk about all he is doing to grow the game of golf with the younger generation. After that, Isabella Fierro breaks down what it means to be part of the newest class of Epson Tour graduates. Lastly, the general manager of Cedar Crest Golf Course and member of African American Golf Hall of Fame Ira Molayo breaks down everything going on with the Southwest Airlines Showcase at Cedar Crest this week.

We like to complain about them but those who commentate golf on TV create the soundtrack of the game's history. Gary Koch, the 2023 Payne Stewart Award recipient, will likely be best remembered for his iconic 'better than most' line at the 2001 Players' Championship. But there is much more to his story than that shot, or even his more than 30-year TV career. A standout amateur and six-time PGA Tour winner, Koch sits down for a chat with John Huggan to reflect on a life intertwined with the game and some of its greatest players.

Professional golf can be a roller coaster but even by those standards England's Oliver Wilson has been on an epic journey. From leading amateur to successful professional to twice losing his game almost completely, the affable 43-year-old has seen and done just about everything golf has to offer. In this episode, Wilson sits down with John Huggan for a fascinating chat about life, golf and everything in between.

Search ‘Ryder Cup' on the internet and it won't take long before you find an image of Sam Torrance, arms raised to the sky after holing the winning putt at The Belfry at the 1985 matches. The Scot is the son of one of the game's greatest coaches. Bob, but also a pivotal figure in both the Ryder Cup as we know it today and the European Tour. On the eve of the 44th matches between Europe and the United States, Torrance sits down for a fascinating conversation with The Thing About Golf host John Huggan, to talk all things Ryder Cup as he reflects on a career spanning more than 40 years.

There are few better spectator sports than waiting for an international team golf competition to get underway. With the Solheim Cup now just days away we catch up with John Huggan from on site at Finca Cortesin in Spain for all the latest non stories. Links mentioned ion this episode: Angus and Grace Go Golfing website (https://www.angusandgracegogolfing.com) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/angusandgracegogolfing/)

Some names are synonymous with the Ryder Cup and on the European side Bernard Gallacher is one. Eight times a player and three times a Captain, Gallacher oversaw a time of great change in the matches from before European players became part of the team to the height of hostilities at Kiawah Island in 1991. His chat here with The Thing About Golf host John Huggan is as compelling as you would expect and the understated Gallacher reveals more than one story that has never been told before.

There are few more thoughtful or interesting voices in the game than Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell.In this wide-ranging chat with The Thing About Golf host, John Huggan, the 2010 U.S Open champion talks Ryder Cup, Pebble Beach, the move to LIV and why he doesn't think he deserves a voice on the DP World Tour. Agree with him or not there is one thing guaranteed with McDowell: you'll be entertained (and he'll make you think).

Her voice is familiar to golf fans the world over but there is much more to Dottie Pepper than what we see in the televised golf coverage. A world class player, major champion, and passionate advocate for all forms of the game, Pepper is an intelligent, articulate speaker and thinker about the game. These attributes are on full display in this broad ranging discussion with The Thing About Golf host John Huggan, which covers everything from the Solheim Cup to the possibilities of Saudi Arabia increasing its involvement in the women's game.

It's not often you get an insider's perspective on one of the game's most important championships but that's exactly what David Begg, former press officer for The Open Championship, gives us in this lengthy chat with John Huggan.From Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino to Greg Norman and Nick Faldo, Begg had a front row seat for some of golf's most memorable moments.

About the only people in golf who attract more criticism than the players are those who commentate on the game on TV. But not Judy Rankin.The 26-time LPGA Tour winner and former Solheim Cup Captain is universally regarded as one of the best to ever pick up a microphone and in this broad ranging chat with John Huggan she covers everything from her beginnings in the game to the future of the LPGA Tour.

Jim Furyk occupies an unusual place in the professional game.Without the profile and attention of the likes of Tiger or Phil or Rory, he more than comfortably held his own in that company for the best part of 20 years.A Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup stalwart, Furyk has some fascinating insights into the game and the people who play it as you will hear in this compelling chat with John Huggan.

John Huggan joins the pod to discuss Brooks Kopek's PGA win and, as is the way in the New World Golf Order, the broader implications for the top end of the men's game. From the Ryder Cup to an outburst from Koepka's coach, nothing happens in isolation in men's golf any more. Links mentioned on this episode: Adam Schupak's interview with Claude Harmon III (https://golfweek.usatoday.com/lists/liv-golf-brooks-koepka-coach-blasts-media/)

Winner of the 2006 US Open, Geoff Ogilvy is known as one of professional golf's best interview subjects and in this wide ranging chat with John Huggan he shows why.From growing up in Melbourne where being a caddie at Royal Melbourne gave him access to the course to playing and winning on the biggest stages in world golf alongside the likes of Tiger Woods and Seve Ballesteros, Ogilvy has done it all with a critical eye and an active mind.In this chat we find out where his love of golf architecture was born and how three months at the start of the century set up an entire career.

Peter Dawson has been as influential an administrator of the game as anyone in history.Appointed Secretary of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1999 it was Dawson who oversaw the creation of The R&A in 2004 to take care of the club's commercial operations, including The Open, through one of its biggest growth periods.Among the highlights of his tenure were announcing Tiger Woods four times as the Champion Golfer of the Year and several years refereeing at The Masters.Dawson and John Huggan have known each other many years and while they share a love of the game there is much they don't agree on which makes for a fascinating discussion.

It's a long way from Wales to Augusta National and the Ryder Cup captaincy but it's been quite the loaf journey for 1991 Maters champion Ian Woosnam.In a special Masters week edition of The Thing About Golf the former World No.1 sits down with John Huggan to reflect on his career.From starting in the shadow of fellow Masters winner Sandy Lyle to eventually going all the way to the very top echelons of the game.

It's been 25 years since Mark O'Meara slipped on the green jacket after a tense final round battle with Fred Couples and David Duval.In this sit down chat for a Masters week special of The Thing About Golf with John Huggan the two time major winner (and Australian Masters champion) reflects not only on that week and but a rich, full life in golf.He touches on Augusta, Tiger and so much more.

Rod Morri is a multi award winning Australian golf journo, serial podcast presenter and head honcho at Sydney Podcast Studios. Over the course of the episode we take a look behind the scenes of his fascination with Golf Course Architecture and how that origin story that can be traced to a holiday to Ireland and the UK in the late 1990's. We highlight some of the individuals that Rod podcasts with.... characters such as Mike Clayton and Adrian Logue.....why Geoff Shackleford hasn't provided him with an advance copy of his new book Golf Architecture for Normal People (available for preorder via that big online book reseller), the genesis of the State of the Game Podcast and ongoing colaborations with that fantastic award winning curmudgeon John Huggan..... we also get to the bottom of why Mr. Morri no longer plays golf. Happy St Patricks Day and thanks for tuning in! Podcast recorded 3/3/23 prior to R&A and USGA press conference on Model Local Rule (MLR) regarding ball testing etc Keep an eye out for the next State of the Game podcast over the next few days (https://stateofthegame.fireside.fm/) with Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and Geoff Shackleford for indepth analysis and discussion on the MLR announcement. Special Guest: Rod Morri.

John Huggan is on the ground at Sawgrass where there is very little talk about the golf and almost endless chatter about the split at the top levels of the game. He joins the pod to discuss all things PGA Tour, LIV, DP World Tour and why he likes Francesco Molinari this week. Links Mentioned On This Episode John Huggan's column (https://www.golfaustralia.com.au/news/golfs-fifth-major-cops-a-liv-golf-uppercut-591690) from Sawgrass

There are few in golf whose contribution to the game could be compared to that of Sir Michael Bonallack. Unquestionably one of Britain's greatest amateur players he has also been a long-time administrator of the game serving as both Secretary of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and later Captain of the R&A.As a player, he enjoyed great success but few years were as glorious as the summer of 1968 when the then 33-year-old won the third of his five Amateur championships, his fifth English Amateur, the Brabazon Trophy and was the leading amateur at The Open Championship.In this lengthy chat with The Thing About Golf host John Huggan, Bonallack reflects on that wonderful summer and his extraordinary life and career in the game.

Like many TV analysts it's easy to forget Sky Sports' Ewen Murray was a player long before he ever sat behind a microphone.In this wide-ranging interview with The Thing About Golf host, John Huggan, he looks back on his playing career on the European Tour, the putting yips, how he got into television, his fallout with Tiger Woods and what he thinks of the current LIV Golf controversy. It's a broad and rambling discussion from a man whose life has been immersed in the game and it's well worth a listen.

What a week in St. Andrews: From Tiger giving an Old Course goodbye, to boos for Ian Poulter and an awkward Phil exit, there is so much to talk about as it relates to the 150th Open Championship. There are few people better to recap an Open than our John Huggan, a longtime editor who is now our European correspondent and an expert on the Old Course. We get Huggan's thoughts on Rory's missed opportunity, Cameron Smith making history and whether the Old Course has been reduced to a pitch and putt … or a hybrid-and-putt.The ‘Be Right' boys are buzzing, too, after cashing some Cameron Smith tickets (as we hope you did, too, as Stephen Hennessey made him one of his picks on last week's episode). Listen on for their early leans for the 3M Open.As always, check GolfDigest.com for our full array of gambling content for the PGA Championship, including picks from our anonymous caddie, Pat Mayo of DraftKings/Mayo Media Network; Rick Gehman of RickRunGood.com; Brandon Gdula of numberFire/FanDuel; and Lee Alldrick of FanShareSports.

To understand why St. Andrews' Old Course is not just the "Home of Golf," but also the most significant golf ​course in the world, it's important to understand just how much of the game's history has run through this unique seaside layout. From the course's deceptive complexity to its seminal moments, Dan Rapaport outlines everything that makes the Old Course so vital to the game's identity, and why the Open Championship there this week comes at a fractious but opportune moment.