Don't mind us where playing Through? And we then with another edition are they playing Through podcast? It's Froggy from Melvious to Rant in the morning show on Twitter. We are at play Through Golf, are at Froggy Radio and at Brian Whacker one. So today Brian is live on site at this week's Honda Classic, and we have a very great story on the phone for many, many many reasons. Uh, Eric Compton, who played his way into the Hanted Classic, is joining us. Good morning Eric, Good morning guys. Thanks for having me on the show. Oh, thank you so much for giving your time. So Brian, I'm gonna let you set up the stage because I know you're friends with Eric and you can kind of lead us through the journey that Eric has been through that is leading us to just watching him play this weekend on the PGA Tour. Well, first we should applaud the modern technology, because yeah, I'm here at the Honda Classic. Uh, you're in the studio in South Florida, and Eric is joining us from home in Miami. The veteran move, by the way, Eric to forgo the practice round today on Wednesday when the busy pro am day, and uh, yeah, there's there's a lot going out of the golf course. UM, but thanks again for joining us. And yeah, I mean, um, everyone of course is familiar with Derek's story two time heart transplant recipient. But let's not let's save that for later. UM, let's talk about you getting back onto the PGA Tour Monday qualifying here, and you know you've spent the last three years on the web dot Com Tour since um and this season as well, decided to Monday qualify. I don't think people really understand how difficult it is, um for you guys to to qualify this way for a tour event. It might be one of the more difficult ways to get into a pg Tour event. But you shot sixty eagle the last hole, uh, to get in and take medalist honors. UM, So can you put that into context there? How difficult it is? Uh? Two mondays, Oh well no, it was. It was so easy. I just showed up and shut sixty five right there, you go? You know, I mean, it's Monday qualifying is is uh amongst tour players is somewhat of a joke, um, because you know, I mean, it's not a joke, but it is a joke because it's so hard. I mean, if you put for the viewers in the context, it's there was four hundred forty four players that signed up on Wednesday that did not have any kind of professional tour status to get into the Monday qualifier, and they had it at four different sites, So twelve guys got in on those different sites, and then a hundred and fifty six players. And I would say out of the hundred and fifty six, there's probably uh, you know, twenty or thirty players that maybe passed champions on the PGA Tour UM or have one on the Web dot Com Tour. And then you know, you have have outstanding college players that are coming up, um that are the next stars of the of the of the tour that may have uh not made it all the way to the web dot Com this year or just chasing them Monday qualifiers. So well, that said, I mean, it was a very strong field, you know, probably stronger than than or as strong as a Web dot Com championship field. And um, so you know everyone's getting out of the parking lot laughing and looking over their shoulder and you know, you just gotta bring it. I mean, it's basically um step on the gas from the first hole. And and I've done these before where you know, you bogey or make a triple after seven, you know, five or six seven holes and you just kind of have to um eliminate yourself from the field. And you know it's it's not you never want to withdraw from an event, but UM, Monday qualifying, it's just it's it's like a roll of dice. And and fortunately, UM, you know, I came out on top this time. I've done it a few times in my career, had some some crazy stores. I actually flew out to the l A one year UH for the Riviera and UH. I remember I five putted the seventeenth green. I knocked it on a part five and and ended up and ended up burning the last hole and getting in a playoff and then lost in the first hole in the playoffs, and flew all the way back, flew all the way back to Miami. You know what is that six hour flight? Right? But then I went out. I went out to Riviera one year and and UH and I Monday qualified when I didn't have any status, and um I won the qualifier and uh and then UH and then shot sixty three on Sunday at the tournament with Charles Howell and uh finished twenty five and I think I made like sixt dollars or for the week. So you know, I came home and I was and I was really really excited. Um, but I think this time it's different. I mean, I've been playing really, really well this year and got myself in contention on the on the web dot Com Tour, and um, you know, even though the web dot Com Tour is a theater tour for the PGA Tour, the people realize the talent that's on the web dot Com Tour. There's a lot of talent out there. Yeah, I mean it's uh, you have a mix of of all kinds of players and and really if you look at the tour, you know, in the start of the season, there's always rookies that win. You know, Cameron Champ came out. I played a lot with him last year, and um, you know you look at Justin Thomas and and guys that have come off the web. I mean it's just it's you know that that's basically the PGA Tour. So um, having not played a PGA event and three years, it's hard for me to even put my mind around, Um, the last time I qualified for any you know, going out and doing a qualifier is really the US Open, where I finished thirty six holes in a qualifier and then went on to have have this success in finishing second at the U S Open. Are you nervous about tomorrow? I mean, are you nervous to tea it up for your first event in many years? I mean, it's what's exactly going to yourn It's the same as any other any other professional tournament, web dot com or or you know playing I played the Honda, you know, probably seven or eight times, maybe more so, um, you know, uh familiar for fourth year back in right, had a good showing there and you know, I I think I bogy the last hole to finish fourth, but it was still a great, a great tournament for me, and um, you know, I just I'm just excited to play. And I know I know that today is you know, all about getting rest because Monday qualifying and then playing. I played nine holes in the practice round, so I'm I'm used to pacing myself and knowing what uh what I have to do with my body and then just hopefully this week I I get off to a good start, and and you know there's uh, there's a there's gonna always be good shots and bad shots and how you handle it and hopefully the chips fall in your direction. Um. But it's nice to just be out there and see a lot of familiar faces from the reps to to a lot of some of the older players and and actually the face of the PGA tour. Like I said, you know, a lot of the guys are guys that I played with last year on the web dot com that graduated. Um, so it's you know, as far as looking at each other, Um, we know, we're all familiar with the same guys. I mean, it's it's unfortunate the way the schedule has changed that. Um, you know, Tiger is not playing and and um, actually I got a text from him this morning and he said, you know, congrats and getting in and and have a good week. So um, I'm you know, hopeful that maybe I could get into the bay Hill next week. But when I said that to him, he said, how does you focus on this tournament this week? So if anything that I can learn from from him over it's just how how strong he is with his mind. And and there's just but there's been a lot of people that have reached out to me this week, and you know, obviously being kind of a local guy and and having the story that I have, you know, Jack Nicholas, um, it's his tournament, was happy that I that I got back into playing his tournament, and um, you know, just it just feels good to have a lot of people that that believe in me, and and and I've been working really really hard. So it's you know, it's nice that things are are falling in the right direction right now. What is the is the most difficult thing about King from the PG Tour, which you know you played on from through worse. You mentioned that runner up at the two thousand fourteen US Open, and if it wasn't from our it wasn't from ourt comer that week, we'd be having a different conversation. But what what is the hardest thing going from um, you know out here the big tour. We I saw you on the range earlier in the week, and and a lot of people and just a lot of players and so forth. But what is the hardest thing when you go from all the trappings and luxuries and and obviously this is the biggest stage to having to play the web dot Com and adjust to that. Well, I think that's a great question. I think it depends on the player. I know, for me personally playing the Web dot Com Tour, um, it's great to be in competition, but I'm more of a tactical player. You know, I drive it for the most part pretty straight, and I have a tidy short game, and um, you know, I keep it around in the mix, uh, making thoughts and and I'm not not a player that always gets in contention, but I'm always finishing, um, somewhere in the middle of the pack. And when I do get a hot putter or hit a few closer iron shots, I get close to close to the lead. Well, that said, on the PGA Tour, for me, the biggest difference is it really rewards somebody who drives the ball straight. Um, I know that we all talk about how long you hit it and and and things like that. That actually is more of an advantage on the Web dot Com Tour. I just think because um, the golf courses probably are not as manicured as well, and we tend to play courses that are a little bit more wide open. So for me, I feel more comfortable on PGA Tour courses because I know I can play center of the green and let the birdies fall into place. Like this week at the Honda. It's not going to be a course where you gotta shoot twenty five par It's more um about the importance of a par And I think the younger guys that come from the web dot com that are going to be the next superstars um have to make the adjustment of how to maybe hit a few more balls in play under a lot more stress, because there's more stress when you play a PGA event. There's more people, uh, asking for your tension. There's there's autographs, there's media, and and what happens is from the minute you get yourself on the property and you walk your from the car to your locker, there's somebody going to stop you and ask you a question or or things. And and it's the balance of trying to be a nice guy and and talk to people and being able to just zone in and get your work done and get out and um, you know, I mean that's just kind of handling being a professional athlete. When you're on a team, somebody's doing that for you. But when you're an individual. You know, you get singled out and and sometimes um and that that can be hard and UM. You know, the web you don't really deal with those kind of things on the web dot Com Tour. You're just trying to learn how to play play golf and and learn how to win tournaments. But the PGA Tour just has so much more, uh, things that you have to deal with. And then when you get a major championships, it even gets more. You know, you had to deal with family and getting badges and tickets. There's just just a lot. There's a lot that goes on to being a professional athlete and golf. Yeah. I don't want to go backwards or anything, but I want to I do want to point out that your morning is going a lot better than mine, only just by the significant fact that you got to text from Tiger Woods this morning. I did not, um, but you know, I wanted to ask you. A couple of years ago, Tiger was was had some health issues and was out of the game and was was not even really able to walk or even sit up long. Was there a time you thought that number one, he was done and number two, do you think that he will win another major? Championship are Uh. I think that he has a good chance to win Pebble Beach this year, but he is up against some different players. Now, you know, Dustin Johnson, um is you know, I think the front runner for for Pebble Beach. He's always played well there, and there's guys that are just as talented, if not more talent than than him. Physically, Now, um, he has to he has to you know, sharpen up a short game a little bit and get back to where he was and and you know his earlier career in two thousand, I think he hits the ball as well as he's ever hit it. Right now, he really looks looks good around his swing. It's just uh, you know, getting hot with a putter. So I I think any given week, um, in the next ten years he might have uh, well, he's gonna have a good chances that major championships. There's out and then half the battle is just getting into the major championship. And he's already going to be exempted every major championship really, um, so he can build a schedule around that. And you know, speaking of his injuries and stuff, he seems to have a handle on it and I spoke a lot with him, you know, via text over the last couple of years, um, when he was going through some stuff. And you know, I'm not I wouldn't say I'm great friends with him. I'm you know, just more of text message buddies and see him when we were at tournaments. And I think he has a a lot of respect for what I've been through and and I can understand what he has to go through. Um uh, you know physically and a little bit mentally. I mean I've had to deal with death. I don't he hasn't had to really deal with that. But um, it's not easy when your body is not working and you have some personal personal issues. You know, I had some personal issues myself off the golf course, and it's hard to play golf. So he got hit with a double whammy. And I think he's in a good place right now. And that actually brings me to my next question is that you have had health issues and I know you don't want to be known as the heart transplant guy. You want to be Eric Compton who's got a great golf game. But how has that affected your ability to play golf and how does it affect you in the future and will you have to have a third Well again, that gets back to what what Tiger said this morning. You know, how about just focusing on today, and you know, I get I get answered that asked that question a lot with my health, and I've always had to take a day by day so there might be a day where I have to visit that, but I can't really think about those situations UM on a daily basis. I just you know, I'm very thankful and happy that I'm I'm healthy right now and I have an opportunity to play UM this week. It's Uh, it's been a long journey that I've had. You know, yesterday was my twenty seven year anniversary of my first heart transplant, and UM, you know, my daily routine is probably different than most UM professional athletes. UM. You know, I've had to gather a lot of my strength through my mind and belief and uh, you know, if you probably did a live detector test, I think I'm six four pounds. You know. When I see Kept or any of the guys, I you know, in my mind, I feel like I could probably knock them out. But that's just the strong will that I have in my head, you know, um. And I've had to be that way in my whole life. And and you know, kind of visually your yourself as a healthier person than you really are. Um. And and that's pretty much why I've played with that fight, UM my whole life. And I think I've had success as a transplant recipient. UM. You know, to forget about the golf, forget about just just being a recipient alone is tough and um. And that you know, and I think what you said, you know, it's not that I don't want to be known as a transplant recipient, uh, because I think as I've gotten older, I've embraced that and been an ambassador for transplant recipients. UM, because I know how much I can inspire other people to to, you know, get out of bed. And it's not just it's not just the transplant. It's whether it's whether people have cancer or other underlying issues that they have to deal with a daily basis, depression or or you know my situation. I've just been very, very blessed to be able to handle the adversity. You know. That's that's a gift in itself that I think that I was able to get from God, was to be able to handle emotional trauma and stress. And um, that's what I try to pass on to other people is just you know, getting out of bed and and and forgetting about forgetting you know, the things that happened yesterday. You gotta move. You gotta keep moving forward because it's the only way I lit life. You know, speaking of moving forward, we hear it all the time from guys saying your clothes, you know the game is close. But you really did feel that way. You know, you mentioned obviously playing well and a couple of starts on the web dot com this year, you have the lead down in the Bahamas event through fifty holes. I won't I won't bring up the final round, but but you know your game is it was in a good place. And you I think we talked to the other day and you said that, um, you weren't surprised that you that you Monday qualified or her Shop sixty five And just how close do you feel to say, playing the kind of golf that you were playing back in when you did finish runner up at the US Open. I mean, I feel like, uh, it's a good question. I don't really know, and I don't think any professional athletes knows how close they are until they get over the hurdle. Um, when I'm hitting hitting balls at home and playing tournaments, I'm seeing some some really cool neat things. And you know when I, when I hit shots out of the window, UM in the ball flight is doing what I want. You get excited because you feel like you're close. But and then again you got to get the job done. So, UM, my first step was was getting here and into a big tournament. And you're only good as your opportunity. So my opportunity here is is it at a big place on a big golf course. And hopefully, UM, I can continue to play the way that I've been playing the last few weeks. Some of these guys are so great. They do it every week. You know, it's like getting up in the morning and having their serial. They're just gonna be in the top ten. You know when I when I when I talk about playing well and and having a good tournament. UM, you know, for me, those are different obstacles that I have to deal with. We're all talented athletes and and hitting shots, but um, there is you know, there's the pressure of it, and how your body holds up under pressure. And that's my biggest hurdle is it not the talent, It's not the shots, it's being able to produce good golf under a lot of stress with my uh medical situation. And so I'm not competing against really anybody on the I feel on the field, I'm competing against myself really, UM of being able to control that. And as we talked, you know, I was leading the tournament in the Bahamas for three days and at one point I had a four shot lead and and you know, I gave it back on Sunday with a with a terrible hole and and you know, ended up shooting a really high score. UM, and I just decided, you know what, I'm not gonna do well on it. I just move forward. And you know, it was a tough situation. End up breaking my caddy and and we had a relationship for three years, and I think he'd had enough of it. I just, uh, I just don't go there, and and you keep doing it, eventually the door opens. And that's kind of how the US Open was for me. I mean, it was just controlling my emotions and and it's difficult. It's just a lot it's difficult to do that. UM, and walk eighteen and have that tremendous adrenaline. With a transplant, I think probably makes it a lot harder. That's my ultimate goal is to when when a golf tournament walking and playing at that high level. Eric, Well, thank you so much for your time. God bless you. Glad you're healthy, Glad you're doing better, and would love nothing more than to see you standing on the par five eighteenth green on Sunday holding the trophy at the end. I appreciate And and and next time we have uh you guys have me on. We'll we'll maybe we'll do a little gossip and uh and it won't be so so serious. Yeah, no, I slowly. We'd love to have you on any time. You are welcome here on the podcast, any time you want to come on. Yeah, I mean, I think that one one thing I will say is because of my story, um, you know, and and it is a serious story, but outside, if you get to know me and have a beer, I'm not I'm not all about the serious side of life. So yeah, no, I've actually had one interaction with you on the golf course and you were extremely funny. I met you at a tournament and you were very candid and very funny, and I really enjoyed it. Actually, actually don't don't. Don't you have a pro prom story about that? Well? I do, I do have. I do have a prom story, but I don't think Eric wants me to tell that story on the podcast, so I'm going to sit on it for a little bit. Alright, good deal, Thank you very much, Eric, have a great day man. Alright, good luck to you later. But bye. I think you're bad enough now you've had enough with frogg Ian lacquer bitch.

Don't mind us where playing Through? And we then with another edition are they playing Through podcast? It's Froggy from Melvious to Rant in the morning show on Twitter. We are at play Through Golf, are at Froggy Radio and at Brian Whacker one. So today Brian is live on site at this week's Honda Classic, and we have a very great story on the phone for many, many many reasons. Uh, Eric Compton, who played his way into the Hanted Classic, is joining us. Good morning Eric, Good morning guys. Thanks for having me on the show. Oh, thank you so much for giving your time. So Brian, I'm gonna let you set up the stage because I know you're friends with Eric and you can kind of lead us through the journey that Eric has been through that is leading us to just watching him play this weekend on the PGA Tour. Well, first we should applaud the modern technology, because yeah, I'm here at the Honda Classic. Uh, you're in the studio in South Florida, and Eric is joining us from home in Miami. The veteran move, by the way, Eric to forgo the practice round today on Wednesday when the busy pro am day, and uh, yeah, there's there's a lot going out of the golf course. UM, but thanks again for joining us. And yeah, I mean, um, everyone of course is familiar with Derek's story two time heart transplant recipient. But let's not let's save that for later. UM, let's talk about you getting back onto the PGA Tour Monday qualifying here, and you know you've spent the last three years on the web dot Com Tour since um and this season as well, decided to Monday qualify. I don't think people really understand how difficult it is, um for you guys to to qualify this way for a tour event. It might be one of the more difficult ways to get into a pg Tour event. But you shot sixty eagle the last hole, uh, to get in and take medalist honors. UM, So can you put that into context there? How difficult it is? Uh? Two mondays, Oh well no, it was. It was so easy. I just showed up and shut sixty five right there, you go? You know, I mean, it's Monday qualifying is is uh amongst tour players is somewhat of a joke, um, because you know, I mean, it's not a joke, but it is a joke because it's so hard. I mean, if you put for the viewers in the context, it's there was four hundred forty four players that signed up on Wednesday that did not have any kind of professional tour status to get into the Monday qualifier, and they had it at four different sites, So twelve guys got in on those different sites, and then a hundred and fifty six players. And I would say out of the hundred and fifty six, there's probably uh, you know, twenty or thirty players that maybe passed champions on the PGA Tour UM or have one on the Web dot Com Tour. And then you know, you have have outstanding college players that are coming up, um that are the next stars of the of the of the tour that may have uh not made it all the way to the web dot Com this year or just chasing them Monday qualifiers. So well, that said, I mean, it was a very strong field, you know, probably stronger than than or as strong as a Web dot Com championship field. And um, so you know everyone's getting out of the parking lot laughing and looking over their shoulder and you know, you just gotta bring it. I mean, it's basically um step on the gas from the first hole. And and I've done these before where you know, you bogey or make a triple after seven, you know, five or six seven holes and you just kind of have to um eliminate yourself from the field. And you know it's it's not you never want to withdraw from an event, but UM, Monday qualifying, it's just it's it's like a roll of dice. And and fortunately, UM, you know, I came out on top this time. I've done it a few times in my career, had some some crazy stores. I actually flew out to the l A one year UH for the Riviera and UH. I remember I five putted the seventeenth green. I knocked it on a part five and and ended up and ended up burning the last hole and getting in a playoff and then lost in the first hole in the playoffs, and flew all the way back, flew all the way back to Miami. You know what is that six hour flight? Right? But then I went out. I went out to Riviera one year and and UH and I Monday qualified when I didn't have any status, and um I won the qualifier and uh and then UH and then shot sixty three on Sunday at the tournament with Charles Howell and uh finished twenty five and I think I made like sixt dollars or for the week. So you know, I came home and I was and I was really really excited. Um, but I think this time it's different. I mean, I've been playing really, really well this year and got myself in contention on the on the web dot Com Tour, and um, you know, even though the web dot Com Tour is a theater tour for the PGA Tour, the people realize the talent that's on the web dot Com Tour. There's a lot of talent out there. Yeah, I mean it's uh, you have a mix of of all kinds of players and and really if you look at the tour, you know, in the start of the season, there's always rookies that win. You know, Cameron Champ came out. I played a lot with him last year, and um, you know you look at Justin Thomas and and guys that have come off the web. I mean it's just it's you know that that's basically the PGA Tour. So um, having not played a PGA event and three years, it's hard for me to even put my mind around, Um, the last time I qualified for any you know, going out and doing a qualifier is really the US Open, where I finished thirty six holes in a qualifier and then went on to have have this success in finishing second at the U S Open. Are you nervous about tomorrow? I mean, are you nervous to tea it up for your first event in many years? I mean, it's what's exactly going to yourn It's the same as any other any other professional tournament, web dot com or or you know playing I played the Honda, you know, probably seven or eight times, maybe more so, um, you know, uh familiar for fourth year back in right, had a good showing there and you know, I I think I bogy the last hole to finish fourth, but it was still a great, a great tournament for me, and um, you know, I just I'm just excited to play. And I know I know that today is you know, all about getting rest because Monday qualifying and then playing. I played nine holes in the practice round, so I'm I'm used to pacing myself and knowing what uh what I have to do with my body and then just hopefully this week I I get off to a good start, and and you know there's uh, there's a there's gonna always be good shots and bad shots and how you handle it and hopefully the chips fall in your direction. Um. But it's nice to just be out there and see a lot of familiar faces from the reps to to a lot of some of the older players and and actually the face of the PGA tour. Like I said, you know, a lot of the guys are guys that I played with last year on the web dot com that graduated. Um, so it's you know, as far as looking at each other, Um, we know, we're all familiar with the same guys. I mean, it's it's unfortunate the way the schedule has changed that. Um, you know, Tiger is not playing and and um, actually I got a text from him this morning and he said, you know, congrats and getting in and and have a good week. So um, I'm you know, hopeful that maybe I could get into the bay Hill next week. But when I said that to him, he said, how does you focus on this tournament this week? So if anything that I can learn from from him over it's just how how strong he is with his mind. And and there's just but there's been a lot of people that have reached out to me this week, and you know, obviously being kind of a local guy and and having the story that I have, you know, Jack Nicholas, um, it's his tournament, was happy that I that I got back into playing his tournament, and um, you know, just it just feels good to have a lot of people that that believe in me, and and and I've been working really really hard. So it's you know, it's nice that things are are falling in the right direction right now. What is the is the most difficult thing about King from the PG Tour, which you know you played on from through worse. You mentioned that runner up at the two thousand fourteen US Open, and if it wasn't from our it wasn't from ourt comer that week, we'd be having a different conversation. But what what is the hardest thing going from um, you know out here the big tour. We I saw you on the range earlier in the week, and and a lot of people and just a lot of players and so forth. But what is the hardest thing when you go from all the trappings and luxuries and and obviously this is the biggest stage to having to play the web dot Com and adjust to that. Well, I think that's a great question. I think it depends on the player. I know, for me personally playing the Web dot Com Tour, um, it's great to be in competition, but I'm more of a tactical player. You know, I drive it for the most part pretty straight, and I have a tidy short game, and um, you know, I keep it around in the mix, uh, making thoughts and and I'm not not a player that always gets in contention, but I'm always finishing, um, somewhere in the middle of the pack. And when I do get a hot putter or hit a few closer iron shots, I get close to close to the lead. Well, that said, on the PGA Tour, for me, the biggest difference is it really rewards somebody who drives the ball straight. Um, I know that we all talk about how long you hit it and and and things like that. That actually is more of an advantage on the Web dot Com Tour. I just think because um, the golf courses probably are not as manicured as well, and we tend to play courses that are a little bit more wide open. So for me, I feel more comfortable on PGA Tour courses because I know I can play center of the green and let the birdies fall into place. Like this week at the Honda. It's not going to be a course where you gotta shoot twenty five par It's more um about the importance of a par And I think the younger guys that come from the web dot com that are going to be the next superstars um have to make the adjustment of how to maybe hit a few more balls in play under a lot more stress, because there's more stress when you play a PGA event. There's more people, uh, asking for your tension. There's there's autographs, there's media, and and what happens is from the minute you get yourself on the property and you walk your from the car to your locker, there's somebody going to stop you and ask you a question or or things. And and it's the balance of trying to be a nice guy and and talk to people and being able to just zone in and get your work done and get out and um, you know, I mean that's just kind of handling being a professional athlete. When you're on a team, somebody's doing that for you. But when you're an individual. You know, you get singled out and and sometimes um and that that can be hard and UM. You know, the web you don't really deal with those kind of things on the web dot Com Tour. You're just trying to learn how to play play golf and and learn how to win tournaments. But the PGA Tour just has so much more, uh, things that you have to deal with. And then when you get a major championships, it even gets more. You know, you had to deal with family and getting badges and tickets. There's just just a lot. There's a lot that goes on to being a professional athlete and golf. Yeah. I don't want to go backwards or anything, but I want to I do want to point out that your morning is going a lot better than mine, only just by the significant fact that you got to text from Tiger Woods this morning. I did not, um, but you know, I wanted to ask you. A couple of years ago, Tiger was was had some health issues and was out of the game and was was not even really able to walk or even sit up long. Was there a time you thought that number one, he was done and number two, do you think that he will win another major? Championship are Uh. I think that he has a good chance to win Pebble Beach this year, but he is up against some different players. Now, you know, Dustin Johnson, um is you know, I think the front runner for for Pebble Beach. He's always played well there, and there's guys that are just as talented, if not more talent than than him. Physically, Now, um, he has to he has to you know, sharpen up a short game a little bit and get back to where he was and and you know his earlier career in two thousand, I think he hits the ball as well as he's ever hit it. Right now, he really looks looks good around his swing. It's just uh, you know, getting hot with a putter. So I I think any given week, um, in the next ten years he might have uh, well, he's gonna have a good chances that major championships. There's out and then half the battle is just getting into the major championship. And he's already going to be exempted every major championship really, um, so he can build a schedule around that. And you know, speaking of his injuries and stuff, he seems to have a handle on it and I spoke a lot with him, you know, via text over the last couple of years, um, when he was going through some stuff. And you know, I'm not I wouldn't say I'm great friends with him. I'm you know, just more of text message buddies and see him when we were at tournaments. And I think he has a a lot of respect for what I've been through and and I can understand what he has to go through. Um uh, you know physically and a little bit mentally. I mean I've had to deal with death. I don't he hasn't had to really deal with that. But um, it's not easy when your body is not working and you have some personal personal issues. You know, I had some personal issues myself off the golf course, and it's hard to play golf. So he got hit with a double whammy. And I think he's in a good place right now. And that actually brings me to my next question is that you have had health issues and I know you don't want to be known as the heart transplant guy. You want to be Eric Compton who's got a great golf game. But how has that affected your ability to play golf and how does it affect you in the future and will you have to have a third Well again, that gets back to what what Tiger said this morning. You know, how about just focusing on today, and you know, I get I get answered that asked that question a lot with my health, and I've always had to take a day by day so there might be a day where I have to visit that, but I can't really think about those situations UM on a daily basis. I just you know, I'm very thankful and happy that I'm I'm healthy right now and I have an opportunity to play UM this week. It's Uh, it's been a long journey that I've had. You know, yesterday was my twenty seven year anniversary of my first heart transplant, and UM, you know, my daily routine is probably different than most UM professional athletes. UM. You know, I've had to gather a lot of my strength through my mind and belief and uh, you know, if you probably did a live detector test, I think I'm six four pounds. You know. When I see Kept or any of the guys, I you know, in my mind, I feel like I could probably knock them out. But that's just the strong will that I have in my head, you know, um. And I've had to be that way in my whole life. And and you know, kind of visually your yourself as a healthier person than you really are. Um. And and that's pretty much why I've played with that fight, UM my whole life. And I think I've had success as a transplant recipient. UM. You know, to forget about the golf, forget about just just being a recipient alone is tough and um. And that you know, and I think what you said, you know, it's not that I don't want to be known as a transplant recipient, uh, because I think as I've gotten older, I've embraced that and been an ambassador for transplant recipients. UM, because I know how much I can inspire other people to to, you know, get out of bed. And it's not just it's not just the transplant. It's whether it's whether people have cancer or other underlying issues that they have to deal with a daily basis, depression or or you know my situation. I've just been very, very blessed to be able to handle the adversity. You know. That's that's a gift in itself that I think that I was able to get from God, was to be able to handle emotional trauma and stress. And um, that's what I try to pass on to other people is just you know, getting out of bed and and and forgetting about forgetting you know, the things that happened yesterday. You gotta move. You gotta keep moving forward because it's the only way I lit life. You know, speaking of moving forward, we hear it all the time from guys saying your clothes, you know the game is close. But you really did feel that way. You know, you mentioned obviously playing well and a couple of starts on the web dot com this year, you have the lead down in the Bahamas event through fifty holes. I won't I won't bring up the final round, but but you know your game is it was in a good place. And you I think we talked to the other day and you said that, um, you weren't surprised that you that you Monday qualified or her Shop sixty five And just how close do you feel to say, playing the kind of golf that you were playing back in when you did finish runner up at the US Open. I mean, I feel like, uh, it's a good question. I don't really know, and I don't think any professional athletes knows how close they are until they get over the hurdle. Um, when I'm hitting hitting balls at home and playing tournaments, I'm seeing some some really cool neat things. And you know when I, when I hit shots out of the window, UM in the ball flight is doing what I want. You get excited because you feel like you're close. But and then again you got to get the job done. So, UM, my first step was was getting here and into a big tournament. And you're only good as your opportunity. So my opportunity here is is it at a big place on a big golf course. And hopefully, UM, I can continue to play the way that I've been playing the last few weeks. Some of these guys are so great. They do it every week. You know, it's like getting up in the morning and having their serial. They're just gonna be in the top ten. You know when I when I when I talk about playing well and and having a good tournament. UM, you know, for me, those are different obstacles that I have to deal with. We're all talented athletes and and hitting shots, but um, there is you know, there's the pressure of it, and how your body holds up under pressure. And that's my biggest hurdle is it not the talent, It's not the shots, it's being able to produce good golf under a lot of stress with my uh medical situation. And so I'm not competing against really anybody on the I feel on the field, I'm competing against myself really, UM of being able to control that. And as we talked, you know, I was leading the tournament in the Bahamas for three days and at one point I had a four shot lead and and you know, I gave it back on Sunday with a with a terrible hole and and you know, ended up shooting a really high score. UM, and I just decided, you know what, I'm not gonna do well on it. I just move forward. And you know, it was a tough situation. End up breaking my caddy and and we had a relationship for three years, and I think he'd had enough of it. I just, uh, I just don't go there, and and you keep doing it, eventually the door opens. And that's kind of how the US Open was for me. I mean, it was just controlling my emotions and and it's difficult. It's just a lot it's difficult to do that. UM, and walk eighteen and have that tremendous adrenaline. With a transplant, I think probably makes it a lot harder. That's my ultimate goal is to when when a golf tournament walking and playing at that high level. Eric, Well, thank you so much for your time. God bless you. Glad you're healthy, Glad you're doing better, and would love nothing more than to see you standing on the par five eighteenth green on Sunday holding the trophy at the end. I appreciate And and and next time we have uh you guys have me on. We'll we'll maybe we'll do a little gossip and uh and it won't be so so serious. Yeah, no, I slowly. We'd love to have you on any time. You are welcome here on the podcast, any time you want to come on. Yeah, I mean, I think that one one thing I will say is because of my story, um, you know, and and it is a serious story, but outside, if you get to know me and have a beer, I'm not I'm not all about the serious side of life. So yeah, no, I've actually had one interaction with you on the golf course and you were extremely funny. I met you at a tournament and you were very candid and very funny, and I really enjoyed it. Actually, actually don't don't. Don't you have a pro prom story about that? Well? I do, I do have. I do have a prom story, but I don't think Eric wants me to tell that story on the podcast, so I'm going to sit on it for a little bit. Alright, good deal, Thank you very much, Eric, have a great day man. Alright, good luck to you later. But bye. I think you're bad enough now you've had enough with frogg Ian lacquer bitch.