The Back of the Range

Viktor Hovland - 2018 United States Amateur Champion

March 22nd, 2019  |  42 mins 11 secs

alan bratton, kristoffer ventura, masters, matthew wolff, ncaa golf, oklahoma state, pga, rickie fowler, us amateur, usga, viktor hovland

Our guest for this very special BONUS episode here at The Back of the Range is the 2018 United States Amateur Champion, Viktor Hovland! Viktor steamrolled through the competition at Pebble Beach last summer and won the US Amateur after only being down in one match, for one hole....the entire match play portion. He is part of the Cowboy juggernaut that is working to go back-to-back. But before Nationals.....he's going to play The Masters.

Chris DiMarco - U.S. President's Cup Hero and Champions Tour Rookie

March 20th, 2019  |  56 mins 17 secs

champions tour, chris dimarco, florida gators, golf, masters, pga tour, president's cup, ryder cup, tiger woods

Our guest this week is Chris DiMarco. He might be one of the new kids on the Champions Tour block right now, but if you've been following golf for the last twenty years on the PGA Tour....you've seen him as a member of multiple Ryder Cup teams, a President's Cup hero, and he's also had a front row seat to some of the more iconic moments in golf. He shared his thoughts on the young stars of the PGA Tour, the guys on the Champions Tour, and we also chatted about his son, Cristian, folllowing in the old man's footsteps.

Paul Tesori - PGA Tour Caddy for 2018 Players Champion, Webb Simpson

March 13th, 2019  |  1 hr 45 mins

fsga, paul tesori, pga tour, players championship, tiger who, tiger woods, tpc sawgrass, uf golf, usga, vijay singh, webb simpson

While everyone is getting ready to watch THE PLAYERS this week, there is only one man on the bag for the PLAYERS Champion, Webb Simpson. Our guest this week is that man: Paul Tesori. This is an amazing episode where we talk about his twenty years of caddying on the PGA Tour, his days playing the tour, his All-American career at Central Alabama and UF, and most importantly....The Tesori Family Foundation.

Dottie Pepper - CBS Sports Analyst and Two-Time Major Champion

March 5th, 2019  |  53 mins 22 secs

cbs, dottie pepper, furman, golf, hagen, justin thomas, masters, nysga, pga tour, sarazen, solheim cup, tiger woods, usga

This episode has some spice to it! (See what we did there?) Dottie Pepper joins us this week at The Back of the Range and we covered some amazing topics. Golf on TV, the filth of Poppie's Pond at the ANA, her incredible playing career, and what it takes to prepare to cover the PGA Tour for CBS. This is a VERY fun episode and we barely kept up with her!

Collin Morikawa - #2 Ranked Amateur in the World from Cal

February 27th, 2019  |  46 mins 18 secs

amateur golf, cal bears, college golf, golf, morikawa, norman xiong, palmer cup, stewart hagestad, sunnehanna, walker cup

The #2 ranked amateur in the world joins us this week at The Back of the Range! Collin Morikawa is wrapping up his collegiate career at the University of California - Berkeley. He's won the Sunnehanna and the Trans-Miss, and went undefeated at the 2017 Walker Cup. Wonder who the next star on the PGA Tour will be? It just might be Collin Morikawa. Here's a great chance to get to know him!

Jeronimo Esteve - The Pride of Puerto Rico

February 20th, 2019  |  1 hr 11 mins

amateur golf, dartmouth golf, jeronimo esteve, pga tour, puerto rico, usga, world amateur golf

Our guest this week is Jeronimo Esteve! Jero is very proud of his Puerto Rican heritage and has competed in the Latin American Amateur Championship, the World Amateur Championships, and has competed in numerous USGA championships. We talk about how he ended up playing college golf at Dartmouth, how he balances a busy family life with his golf ambitions....and the story of the 2011 United States Mid-Amateur that all started with a routine visit to the tailor to get a suit for his sister's wedding.

Casey Martin - Head Coach, Oregon Men's Golf

February 13th, 2019  |  31 mins 9 secs

amateur golf, casey martin, college golf, jay brunza, oregon, pga tour, stanford, tiger woods

Our guest this week is Casey Martin, Head Coach of the University of Oregon Men's Golf Team. Before leading the Ducks to the National Championship in 2016, Casey won a national championship as a member of the 1994 Stanford Cardinal team that included Notah Begay. We spoke about his days on the PGA Tour, lessons from Tiger that he's shared with his current players, and his thoughts on his landmark case against the PGA Tour nearly 20 years ago.

Kristen GIllman, 2018 U.S. Women's Amateur Champion

February 6th, 2019  |  30 mins 33 secs

alabama golf, brooke henderson, curtis cup, kristen gillman, lexi thompson, lpga, texas golf, usga

Our guest this week is Kristen Gillman, the 2018 U.S. Women's Amateur. She just turned pro and is a rookie on the LPGA Tour, but we chatted about her amateur accomplishments that include....well, just about everything you can imagine. Curtis Cup, World Amateur Team, All-American at Alabama.....oh, and she actually has TWO U.S. Amateur wins. Her first? At the age of 16. She's got some serious game and some great stories!

Chip Lutz - 2015 U.S. Senior Amateur Champion

January 30th, 2019  |  54 mins 48 secs

byron nelson, chip lutz, golf, pennsylvania golf, pga tour, r&a, senior amateur, usga

Our guest this week is Chip Lutz. Where do we begin with this guy? How about back-to-back Canadian AND British Senior Amateur Championships in 2011 and 2012? We chat about his days at the University of Florida playing with legends like Gary Koch and Fred Ridley, his meteoric rise after turning 55, practice rounds with Tom Watson, and an amazing story about Lord Byron Nelson.

Shannon Johnson - 2018 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Champion

January 23rd, 2019  |  1 hr 29 secs

golf, indiana golf, lpga, parziale, ping, shannon johnson, south dakota golf, thorny lea, us mid am, usga, women's golf

Our guest this week is Shannon Johnson, the 2018 US Women's Mid Amateur Champion. Shannon has played in 13 USGA Championships and has racked up 13 state titles in her home state of South Dakota including four straight Women’s Amateur titles between 2003-06. We talked about her amateur career, her decision to stay an amateur, and her home course of Thorny Lea in Massachucets. Does that name ring a bell? That's Matt Parziale's club. He won the 2017 US Mid Amateur.....so clearly we had to talk about Parz and the culture at Thorny Lea.

Dave Stockton, Jr. - A Family Affair at the 1991 U.S. Ryder Cup

January 16th, 2019  |  50 mins 11 secs

dave stockton, justin rose, pga tour, phil mickelson, rory mcilroy, ryder cup, usc, web.com tour

Our guest this week is Dave Stockton, Jr. and in this episode we cover everything from his role as his father's caddy on the PGA Tour as a 12 year old, being an assistant captain at the 1991 Ryder Cup, working alongside his father and brother to improve Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson's putting.....the stories that Junior shares in this episode will blow you away.

Jim Demick - Executive Director, Florida State Golf Association

January 10th, 2019  |  1 hr 1 min

amateur golf, florida golf, fsga, jeff golden, lexi thompson, marc dull, pga tour, usga

Our guest this week is Jim Demick, the Executive Director of the Florida State Golf Association. This episode was recorded at FSGA headquarters in Tampa, Florida. We talked about how the biggest state golf association in the United States manages over 600 days of tournament competition, 38 state championships, and all of the people that make it happen. We also talked about where he was in 1986 when Jack Nicklaus won The Masters. (HE WAS THERE!)

Marty Hackel - Golf's Mr. Style

January 3rd, 2019  |  58 mins 43 secs

adidas, golf, ian poulter, marty hackel, pga tour, polo ralph lauren, puma, rickie fowler

Our guest this week is the most stylish man in golf! Marty Hackel is still a contributor to Golf Digest Magazine, and is still considered their Fashion Director Emeritus. Marty shared some stories about the fashion that we all see on the PGA Tour, his thoughts on Tiger and Phil, and the dreaded white belt syndrome!

Steve LeBrun - The Journeyman Returns

December 27th, 2018  |  1 hr 7 mins

golf, minor league golf tour, pga tour, q-school, steve lebrun, web.com, west palm beach

Our special guest this week is Steve LeBrun from West Palm Beach, Florida.  With his back against the wall after three average rounds in Web.com Q-School Finals this year,  Steve qualified on the number with a final round 62.   Steve tells the entire story of that round and what is means for him, his family, and his prospects as a professional chasing his way back to the PGA Tour.  

For those of you that think the life of a professional golfer is glamourous....and full of private jets, courtesy cars, and endless endorsement deals...well, during this episode, Steve draws back the curtain and reveals what life is really like for professionals chasing the dream.

Stewart Hagestad, 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur Champ

December 19th, 2018  |  1 hr 19 mins

amateurgolf.com, golf, jordan spieth, justin thomas, masters, ryder cup, stewart hagestad, usc golf, usga, walker cup

Our guest this week is Stewart Hagestad. The 2016 U.S. Mid Amateur champion and 2017 US Walker Cup member talks about his college days at USC, fighting off nerves to make the cut at The Masters, and his decision to be a career amateur. Stewart also talks about his junior golf days with his pals Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.

Scott Turner, Director - Minor League Golf Tour

December 12th, 2018  |  44 mins 24 secs

brooks koepka, golf, minor league golf tour, pga tour, professional golf, scott turner, web.com tour

Our guest this week is Scott Turner, the owner/operator of the Minor League Golf Tour based out of South Florida. The MLGT has been around since 2004 and through over 1400 tournaments, they've paid out over 8.5 million in prize money. Nearly 80 of their former players had status on the PGA and/or Web.com Tour in 2018. When Scott isn't running overseeing the day-to-day operations of the tour, he competes in amateur tournaments all over the state of Florida. Since reclaiming his amateur status, he has racked up numerous wins in Florida State Golf Association events and was the Palm Beach County Golf Association Player of the Year in 2018.