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Subpar

2026 Masters Preview: Steve Sands on how Phil Mickelson helped shape his career at Augusta National, his photo with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player

Subpar

GOLF.com

Golf, Sports

4.71.4K Ratings

🗓️ 7 April 2026

⏱️ 75 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On this week's episode of GOLF's Subpar, Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by longtime golf broadcaster Steve Sands. The lead interviewer for NBC's golf coverage talks why an interview with Phil Mickelson at the Masters changed his career, his chance photo opportunity with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player at Augusta National and why Tiger Woods gave him the nickname "Sandsie."

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Transcript

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0:00.0

All right, welcome back to Subpar with Colt Nost and Drew Stoltz.

0:13.3

It is Masters Week, the 90th playing of the Masters Tournament, and we are here in Augusta,

0:18.3

Georgia, getting ready for what's going to be an incredible week. So, before we get going here, we've got to give a huge shout out to JJ Spahn, who picked up his third PGA tour win. The guy who's having a miserable season. Best finish, tied for 24th before this past week at the Valero, Texas Open. But there's something in the water, or maybe the Churros down there in San Antonio. Kid looks good in boots, don't he?

0:37.8

Yeah.

0:38.3

You got two of them.

0:39.3

It's nice seeing a little California skateboard dude,

0:41.3

wearing the boots, throwing the piece on and stuff. But I mean, that's the JJ we know. That's the JJ we've come to know. The beginning of this year, you can point to a few different things. Maybe it was the pressure of, you know, being one of the guys in the spotlight, always being looked at.

0:53.3

He had some health issues around the Phoenix open.

0:55.1

But, dude, watching him play play Sunday closing that thing out. Like, that's what we're accustomed to seeing from him, that driver. He got that bullet left to right, started making putts. Just like when he needed a big shot, he seemed to hit it. Driveable far fours on the 17th hole seemed to be a good recipe for him just like at oakmont hits it up there

1:11.6

this time he makes it to 18 not the easiest pose if you normally like i got a one shot lead and

1:17.1

i'm playing a part five feeling pretty good about getting it down that thing was a monster yeah was it

1:21.4

playing it was playing it was they had the wind chart that showed how far it was playing 695

1:25.7

like playing 700 yards it was awesome but props to him that was good to see him get back and had good timing right before the first major. Yeah, awesome to see. Nobody booked a last minute ticket to Augusta, Georgia. The field is set. It's going to be awesome. The weather looks perfect all week long. I can't wait to get to it. But, please, this is my first two weeks in a row. Okay, packed up the house.

1:48.1

Okay? weather looks perfect all week long I can't wait to get to it but please this is my

1:44.6

first two weeks in a row okay packed up the house got everything ready to go

1:49.6

going to Nashville next week after the Masters a couple days just to get away

1:53.5

you know not talk for a little bit play some golf and you know I didn't bring my

1:56.9

clubs here because I use shipsticks because it's so easy I called our boys over shipsticks so guys I need to send my clubs to Nashville so what they do they sent me a label I printed it out I put it on my travel bag I set my clubs outside the front door boom they pick them up and they will be at bounty club ready to rock pull them out grab my shoes and go slap some fools around shipsticks the only way to go yeah meet you when you get there and ship them straight home. It's the easiest thing in the world, the only way to travel. And right now, Shipsticks is offering our listeners 20% off. Your first shipment when you go to Shipsticks.com, use the code subpar 20. Go to shipstick.com, use the code subpar 20 to get 20% off your first shipment and save yourself to hassle this

2:34.5

golf season that's s hip s t i ck s dot com make sure use the code subpart 20 so they know we sent

2:42.2

you use it once use it always never going to use it anything else a joke how much nicer it is

2:47.2

all right let's get to the masters scotty sheffler coming in is the favorite. It has moved a little bit. He was around plus 350. He's plus 500 right now. It's had a few weeks off. Congratulations to him and Meredith on the birth of their... Remi. New little boy, Remy. Bennett's got some competition. By the way, I love it. I saw this tweet where it's like, you know, most people spend their whole life just dreaming of going to Augusta. They wait 50 plus years.

3:41.5

Remy Schaeffler waited nine days. Bucketless stuff, go ahead and check it off. Just short of two weeks there. Oh, that's so cool. That's a nice deal. Yeah, shouts to him and Meredith for getting that next baby boy in the mix, but he's coming off a slump, yeah slumping he's got two consecutive non top tens i mean who would you don't even read about slumps like this i don't know what camp you're in i think you're in the same camp as i know what camp i'm gonna scottie schreffler goes and plays the way he does it's it's his and nobody else's and then if he does if he doesn't's a little bit loose, then there's a bunch of other names.

...

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