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Brendan! joins The Boys for this Masters cleanup episode before jetting over to meet Andy in Scotland. Joseph immediately begins with some comments regarding his drive back to Atlanta alongside Brendan that featured 90s hip-hop and a spilled coffee in the precious GLS. From there, the trio wonder if Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler should just be the prohibitive Masters favorites for the next three or four years given their 1-2 finish this week without their "A games." There's also some debate about whether Rory has surpassed Phil Mickelson in the all-time rankings of golf. PJ and Joseph watched the final round back on TV and shared some thoughts on Russell Henley, Collin Morikawa, and Xander Schauffele that they didn't pick up on the ground on Sunday. The two also weigh in on the discourse surrounding the CBS broadcast, which was amplified even more by Kevin Kisner's comments making the rounds on X early Tuesday morning. Brendan then shifts the attention to the Schedule for the Week, beginning with a Signature Event at the RBC Heritage. Brendan openly states that there shouldn't be golf this week and sees the Heritage as a legacy event that will surely be impacted by the PGA Tour's ever-changing schedule and stance on wanting a piece of the monetary pie from the majors. He shares whispers from under the big tree at Augusta about these conversations and how big Tour sponsors may allocate their funds moving forward. With Andy out, PJ steps in and provides 5 Guys to Monitor This Week in Hilton Head, including one with an "unfair advantage" much like Rory allegedly had at ANGC. Joseph, PJ, and Brendan all make One-and-Done picks as Golf's Premier Gambling Podcast looks to stay hot after hitting a winner at the Masters. The "Event of the Year" is next on the schedule rundown with the Senior PGA Championship's move to April. PJ shares some important tee times and notable storylines for this year's event at The Concession, featuring the big debut of Rory (Sabbatini)! LIV Mexico City and the JM Eagle LA Championship are also previewed before moving on to the biggest news of the week so far: the installation of a pool on the 18th hole at Memorial Park. Brendan can't believe that the Chevron Championship is making its golf tournament all about a jump into some water and a friend of Joseph's was kind enough to provide photos of this small four-foot-deep pool next to the 18th green! FRIEDEGG discount code for 15% off at mobjak.com Visit your local Golf Galaxy and download the Golf Galaxy mobile app.
Andy and Brendan (joined by KVV, Joseph, and PJ) are bouncing after another incredible Masters finish that had Rory McIlroy winning another green jacket. They debrief on a full day chasing a manic leaderboard with Rory, Cameron Young, Justin Rose, Scottie Scheffler, and more throwing their hat in the ring to win on a firm Augusta National setup. They discuss Rory’s legacy now with six majors, his claim to the best European golfer of all time, and what comes next on the resume building. They also discuss all the challengers and dispense with the preposterous notion that Augusta went soft with the setup. LIV Golf’s week is given a grade, with some hollering about Sergio Garcia’s conduct and the warning he received from a green jacket. They discuss the narrative that the Masters lost some of its identity with the merch haul movement and some of the hijinks around the Par 3 contest. Lastly, they finish with some big picture thoughts on the majors the rest of the year and a note of thanks for listening.
Andy and Brendan load in for an all-time round of Contender or Pretender as we head to the final round of the 2026 Masters. They discuss Rory McIlroy losing his six-shot lead with haste, as a host of talented chasers came and went at him on the leaderboard on Saturday, none more so than Cameron Young, much to PJ Clark’s delight. They run through the entire board, including sheriff of the fair police Scottie Scheffler, and debate who is game for Sunday. Should we be ringing alarm bells on Rory after the way he hit it in the third round? There is also some lengthy and emotional discussion about the setup of the golf course and the critique that Augusta National went too soft. They rip through some Storylines No One is Talking About for one final night before closing it out with an amusing story from under the tree and their picks to win it all on Sunday.
Andy and Brendan are buzzing after a Friday sprint to the finish from Rory McIlroy, who set history with the largest 36-hole lead by making birdies in six of his last seven holes. They discuss the finish, how he’s elevated his game and brain at Augusta, a place that seems ready to give him it all now, and how far back is too far back with this margin. They run through the list of very game chasers and who might pose a problem should he stumble. Also discussed is the notion of Augusta going “soft” with the setup with greens that were less firm than the opening round on Thursday. Is the 13th hole back? They analyze a full day of momentous decisions and some water balls, including Scottie Scheffler, who seems stuck in neutral. They have a dose of shame to give out for the missed cut crew, including Bryson DeChambeau, who went out in a blaze of ignominy with a triple bogey 18th hole to tumble below the cut line. The notion of LIV preparing Bryson, Rahm, and others for major championship golf is also put to the test, with some quotes from the past coming back to haunt. They close it with some rapid awards from the day and several Storylines No One Is Talking About as this Masters goes to the weekend.
Andy and Brendan are live in Augusta to recap a full day on the ground at the first round of the Masters. It’s early, but the course is in exquisite condition and primed for a stupendous final 54 holes. They ponder if the course conditions, which are firm with no real moisture on the horizon, could prompt some player complaints or a become a situation worth #monitoring over the next three days. Then they get to the leaders at the top of the board, like the defending champ Rory McIlroy and how the very plausible title defense somehow flew under the radar. They discuss Sam Burns’s impressive first round, Scottie hanging tough in late conditions, and how the P in Pat Reed stands for “PROBLEM.” Grumpy Bob MacIntyre is also dispensed with following a tough first day, and the two LIV pillars of Bryson and Rahm are put in the crosshairs. They hand out some awards, like the Good Guy Gerry award, Best and Worst shots, and more from day 1. They close by emptying the notebook with some amusing odds and ends and then go over Storylines that No One is Talking About.
After two days taking in the sights, sounds, and scuttlebutt of Augusta National, Andy and Brendan have returned to preview the 2026 Masters. They begin with an overview of the course setup and delightful weather forecast for this week before diving into the top contenders. Things kick off with Rory McIlroy, who enters the week as the defending champion for the first time ever. Rory is described as "freed" and "relaxed" this week, leading to one member of the crew picking him to win back-to-back green jackets. Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau are also discussed at length before Andy, Brendan, and PJ bat around who the fifth biggest story of the week is. Submissions for this spot include Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Åberg, and Cameron Young (not from PJ!), but it may end up being Jordan Spieth anyway. A Tee Times draft breaks out which leads into a time-honored tradition, Storylines Nobody Is Talking About. After the notebooks get emptied, Kevin Van Valkenburg stops by with a "KVV 3" from Tuesday's happenings on the ground. Golf's Premier Gambling Podcast makes their picks to win before sending this episode off and getting the 90th Masters Tournament underway.
Andy and Brendan! have made it to Augusta and are ready to hit the ground running for the first major of 2026. After a long travel day, there's still plenty of excitement for this year's Masters as each shares what they're looking forward to the most this week. Brendan suggests that a certain Guy may be the only player with enough juice to really energize the crowd late on Sunday, while Andy is just waiting to hear Joseph LaMagna's first impressions of Augusta National. Before all of that, they recap the Valero Texas Open, where J.J. Spaun officially became the King of Texas with his second win at the event. Spaun's comeback win in rough weather marks his first since last year's U.S. Open, with Brendan suggesting he may be "The Rain King." Andy runs down the list of "Worst Major Winners This Decade (or Century)" and applauds Spaun for further removing himself from this list. He then launches into a crusade against Bob MacIntyre's caddie for using an iPhone to find the wind direction on the 72nd hole with a chance to make a playoff or even win the tournament. Asterisk Talley had a historic collapse at Augusta National on Saturday during the final round of the ANWA, clearing the way for Maria Jose Marin to win perhaps the biggest event in women's golf. More results follow, with Andy and Brendan discussing a runaway with for Lauren Coughlin at Shadow Creek and an opera singer's big week on the Korn Ferry Tour. After wrapping up with yet another Masters Fact of the Day, the two announce that they will be LIVE on the Fried Egg Golf YouTube channel for the 2026 Masters preview episode at 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 7th.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of perhaps the greatest Masters ever, Andy, Brendan!, and Kevin Van Valkenburg present a special Flashback Friday episode covering Sunday at the 1986 Masters. After some opening chatter about Illinois basketball and Rory Sabbatini's 50th birthday, the three spend over two hours discussing the final round that led to a sixth green jacket for Jack Nicklaus. They share highlights from the broadcast and compare it to the CBS shows of today, reminisce about the key players at the top of the leaderboard coming down the stretch, and discuss the equipment used by those playing 40 years ago. Enjoy this beefy Flashback/Spotlight, and we'll see you in Augusta on Sunday night.
With Andy on the road, Brendan! is joined by various members of the Fried Egg Golf team for a Wednesday medley episode. He opens by himself following the latest news from Tiger Woods, who announced he was stepping away from the game to seek treatment and focus on his health. Brendan provides the latest on the situation before transitioning into a previously recorded segment with Kevin Van Valkenburg discussing this morning's release of the police report from Tiger's Friday arrest (06:25). The two also unpack some remarks from Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who is finding a way to ruin Brendan's day in March instead of just during Sundays during the football season. Meg Adkins then stops by to preview this week's Augusta National Women's Amateur (29:35). Meg runs through the top storylines of the week, ANWA's place in the greater women's golf ecosystem, and the quirky format that leads to an interesting leaderboard late on Sunday. Lastly, Joseph LaMagna joins Brendan ahead of his favorite PGA Tour event, the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio (53:35). Brendan questions "the Boys" about what they're most excited for at their first Masters with press credentials, leading to a detailed explanation of PJ's anxieties around press conferences. Joseph takes over for Andy and gives out 5 Guys to Monitor This Week (For Various Reasons) at the Valero, covering local legends and a very topical Game Within a Game for Masters season. Brendan unleashes an all-time rant about youth sports while discussing the Drive, Chip & Putt finals this weekend and poses a quiz to Joseph and PJ as part of the Masters Fact of the Day. Finally, the three discuss the biggest news of the week: Tommy Fleetwood's new hat deal with Blackstone and Jason Kelce's Masters broadcast assignment. We'll be back on Friday with a special Flashback to get you set for the first major of 2026.
Welcome back to Golf's Preeminent Victory Monday Podcast! Andy and Brendan went LIVE on YouTube for this recording, with Brendan calling it a Victory Monday for everyone in the golf world after Gary Woodland's win in Houston. Andy is celebrating a Victory Monday for other reasons as the Fighting Illini are Final Four bound for the first time in 21 years. After some technical hiccups and debate about whether Andy is headed to Indianapolis ahead of the Masters, the two recap an emotional win for Gary Woodland at the Texas Children's Houston Open. The 2019 U.S. Open winner blitzed the field, winning by five shots at the conclusion of Sunday's round and setting the new scoring record for the tournament. Brendan declares Woodland's win the "Story of the Year" given the context surrounding his struggles with PTSD following brain surgery. Andy gives Woodland praise for going public with his diagnosis and commends him on helping not only himself but others in doing so. The two also discuss standout performances from Min Woo Lee, Johnny Keefer, Chris Gotterup, and Sudarshan Yellamaraju. Brendan shares some Substantiated Rumors from the Indian Open at DLF, where it seems as if the DP World Tour may be faking weather reports in order to ensure a fair course setup. Alex Fitzpatrick secured his first win on the DP World Tour, joining his brother, Matt, in the winner's circle following last week's Valspar Championship. In other results, the LPGA has its first repeat winner of 2026, Stew Cink is coming for a playing Ryder Cup captaincy, and the "Davis Zone" has hit the Korn Ferry Tour. Things wrap up with some news about the new player facilities at Augusta National and a brief bit of Tiger Woods discussion as more comes out about Friday's car accident and his ensuing arrest for DUI.
Andy, Brendan, and Kevin Van Valkenburg react to Tiger Woods's arrest for DUI after a rollover car crash in Jupiter, Florida on Friday. They discuss the arrest, the public reaction, the media's responsibility for the current Tiger arc, and Tiger's future - whether it be at next week's Masters, his role on the PGA Tour's Future Competitions Committee or beyond.
It’s whiparound Friday once again with Andy anxious about his Illini. Brendan begins with some stories about Jonathan Kaye, who is playing a Korn Ferry Tour event this week on a medical exemption at the age of 55. They dig into the wildly amusing story of an alleged two-month suspension for Kaye and ponder what it would take in the modern era for such a disciplinary action. Then they get into some unsubstantiated rumors from Delhi, where the Hero Indian Open is punching as usual at DLF, including putting Akshay on the ropes. They react to news of wild dogs and snakes roaming the premises. There is a philosophical media chat about the expanded media coverage of the Masters, and if they’re finding the right balance between doing too much and attempting to grow. Masters Fact of the Day goes into George Cobb, the little known architect who was the consulting design man for two decades in the postwar era. This leads to digressions about Nebraska basketball and Andy getting pulled over by a cop for traffic violations on a bicycle. They close with some golf advice on sim league cheating and aim point offenses.
Tiger Woods made an unexpected "return" to "professional golf" on Tuesday night, so Andy and Brendan! once again went LIVE on YouTube in his honor. They initially react to LAGC's blowout win over Jupiter Links in Match 2 of the TGL Finals, ending Tiger's comeback early and sending Tom Sim packing until next season. There are takeaways from the second season of TGL, ideas for the league's future, and more questions about when we'll see Tiger next. Andy submits that the only question remaining should be whether Woods can make the cut at the Masters, not whether he can compete or even finish four days of competition. Speaking of Augusta, that's the next time Scottie Scheffler will play following a WD before this week's Houston Open. Houseplant #2 is arriving at the Scheffler household just in time for Scottie's latest attempt at a green jacket. Without the Sheriff in town, Brendan runs through some notables for this week's Tour event and breaks the news of Deputy Sam Burns's new job at Raising Cane's! Andy shares his 5 Guys to Monitor as we approach crunchtime for those not yet in the Masters field. Andy and Brendan end up with the same one-and-done pick for the wide-open setup at Memorial Park, but PJ ends up using a big gun to even things out. Elsewhere on the Schedule for the Week, the DP World Tour is leaning into the absurdity of DLF and has captivated Andy with an 18-hole flyover of perhaps the best course in the world. However, the "Event of the Week" has lost some shine as a podcast favorite is not playing in this year's Indian Open. Lastly, Brendan brings this rambling episode home with yet another Masters Fact of the Day with just two weeks to go until the first major of the year.
Welcome to yet another Victory Monday episode of The Shotgun Start! Andy and Brendan went LIVE on YouTube on Monday morning to recap the Valspar, LIV South Africa, and more. Andy and PJ are rolling into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, so a brief Basketball Minute kicks off the show. Brendan shares some tales from his experience at the first round in Philadelphia, where he learned that UConn might be the new Duke for kids growing up in the 2020s. Andy continues to tout the Big 10's supremacy and that even extends to golf! Northwestern's own Matt Fitzpatrick avenged his loss at The Players by winning the Valspar Championship, his first PGA Tour win since 2023. Despite Brendan's uncertainty that we need an event the week after The Players going up against the NCAA Tournament, the Valspar delivered with a tight finish on Sunday. The two discuss Fitzy's win and continued ascendance back into the game's top tier, something that was improbable to judge at this time last year. They also give Fitzpatrick credit for calling out the slow play of his playing partner, fellow Big 10 legend Adrien Dumont de Chassart. Strong showings from Brandt Snedeker, Marco Penge, Brooks Koepka, and Jordan Smith are mentioned before Andy and Brendan give the Valspar some credit for being a different test than what is presented week-to-week on the PGA Tour. The biggest win in golf came at LIV South Africa as Bryson DeChambeau secured his second-straight playoff victory. He defeated Jon Rahm in the individual playoff and also led the Crushers to the team title, taking down the Southern Guards in their home event. Bryson was quite emotional throughout the week and Andy highlights that DeChambeau finds himself in his best form entering Augusta in recent memory. South Africa seemed like it was a massive success as a host for a LIV event, but Brendan wonders if these sellouts in Australia and South Africa are making the league truly viable. Jon Rahm, the loser of this week's playoff, has dug in even further in his fight with the DP World Tour and his 2027 Ryder Cup status is now really in jeopardy. Elsewhere in golf, LPGA's Founders Cup provided some great visuals and possible safety hazards, an American won on the DP World Tour, and the Champions Tour found a new level of social media innovation. Things wrap up with a brief bit of news on more PGA Tour scheduling possibilities and a further delay of the rollback by the USGA.
Whiparound Fridays return as Andy and Brendan! record during the early window of NCAA Tournament Thursday. After a brief check-in on the Illini and Johnnies ahead of their first round games, attention turns to another tradition of spring: the reveal of the Masters Champions Dinner menu. Andy and Brendan share their thoughts about everyone else sharing *their* own thoughts on Rory McIlroy's selections, which seem to appeal to a wide audience. Dan Orlovsky was not pleased by the menu during an appearance on SportsCenter, giving PJ more fodder and another chance to remove him from the Cameron Young bandwagon. Andy and PJ trade reviews of the PGA Tour's "Hard Knocks" show, "Chasing Sunday," which premiered Tuesday night. Andy is thrilled to have a golf product made for golf fans about the actual playing of golf, but PJ isn't so sure that the "Hard Knocks" edit truly came through. As the Tour continues to make these shows, will players get a "bad edit," or will everything have a so-called "Disney ending"? Brendan and Andy then discuss some early Masters storylines with just three weeks until play in Augusta, including the strong crop of debutants at this year's tournament. Brendan has some first-hand accounting from the Hainan Classic in China where the first round lasted over five hours on Thursday. In other news, Phil is BACK for the HyFlyers (in dead last place), and Bryson DeChambeau had yet another press conference moment made for social media in South Africa. Lastly, Brian Rolapp spoke on CNBC about the changing media rights landscape for pro sports leagues and might've made it seem like the PGA Tour's deal will be going... down... when it's time to renegotiate. We'll see you on Monday after the Valspar and a weekend full of college basketball.
Andy and Brendan went live after a big TGL Tuesday night playoffs, with one delighting in Jupiter getting to the finals and another down in the dumps over Boston’s abdication of the No. 1 seed. They review the night that was down in the SoFi dome and ask some tough questions about the offseason, as well as Tiger’s team perhaps skirting roster rules. Then they get to the schedule of the week, with some amusements and guys to monitor down at the Valspar in Tampa, where the course is a bit of a changeup for different reasons. They pick five guys to monitor and some one and done picks. The event of the week goes to a mysterious and un-televised DP World Tour event in China, where there will be "cartners" for the first two rounds. They spend the last chunk of the episode combing through Bryson’s galaxy-brain dissertation about rollback down in South Africa, as well as some other quotes about his "compassion" for the world. Visit your local Golf Galaxy and download the Golf Galaxy mobile app to upgrade your game!
Andy and Brendan went LIVE on YouTube following the conclusion of the 2026 Players Championship, recapping an electric Sunday back nine that ended in Cameron Young's second PGA Tour victory. The two initially give some credit to "The Boys" after a week full of adversity in the AirBNB but came with the trade off of a big win for Mr. 1,000. Young defeated Matt Fitzpatrick following a blow up from 54-hole leader Ludvig Åberg. Despite a sleepy Saturday and a slow start to Sunday, the last 90 minutes at TPC Sawgrass delivered for viewers once again. Andy and Brendan discuss Cameron Young's history as a "big game player" and how the setup with long rough helped him as a longer hitter off the tee. They also unpack Åberg's collapse on holes 11 and 12 and his gameplan that ended up getting him in trouble. Grades are given to Cam, Ludvig, Scottie Scheffler, the course setup, NBC, and other contenders as is tradition at a "major" event. The Boys, Joseph LaMagna and PJ, join in for the back half of this episode to celebrate a Victory Monday for the only recurring guest in "Lunch with The Boys" history. PJ shares insight from his weekend on the ground and his time following the NYGC tandem of Young and Fitzpatrick on Sunday, while Joseph shines some light on Sudarshan Yellamaraju, one of the breakout players of this week. We wrap with some small unsubstantiated rumors after a successful week in Jacksonville for the 2026 Players Championship. Thank you to Optum for their support of our Players Championship coverage.
We got a live rollicking one! Andy and Brendan went live after leaving the opening round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. They react to some early mover and shakers, Collin Morikawa’s instant WD, and how the course changed, evolved, and punched back at the players early in the championship. They react to Rory McIlroy giving it a run with his injury and Scottie Scheffler’s somewhat middling round with some struggles off the tee. They make some predictions for the next three days and also discuss some storylines that no one is talking about here. They spend the last half of the podcast reacting to Brian Rolapp’s grand rollout of some major plans to change and tweak the PGA Tour as announced on Wednesday in a theatrical setting at the Global Home. Can he actually get this proposal across the line facing increased pushback from players and other stakeholders in the game? Thank you to Optum for their support of our Players Championship coverage.
Andy and Brendan are LIVE outside TPC Sawgrass at The Players Championship and ready to review a full day of scuttlebutt, course scouting, and player assessments. They begin with some notes on a Sawgrass setup looking like an attempt to push the pros around in a major-like fashion, supporting the campaign to make this tournament a “major.” Then they discuss Five Guys to Monitor, and not monitor with their worst tee times of the first two days (along with some of their favorites). The also preview what Brian Rolapp might say in his first big address at his first Players, and how few people on site seem to know precisely what is coming but it is the most-discussed subject so far. Will we get a scarcity schedule? Will we get a mule purge? Are the players re-asserting their control over the new regime and Tour structure? Then they hit on some storylines no one is talking about this week, including the LIV Singapore Champions dinner. Finally, they bring in the boys, PJ Clark and Joseph LaMagna, and offer some further notes from the ground before closing with their official picks to win. Thank you to Optum for their support of our Players Championship coverage. Visit Cobalt and use code "FRIEDEGGPOD15" for 15% off: https://cobalt-golf.com/discount/FRIEDEGGPOD?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fdiscountable-products
Andy and Brendan are just about ready to head down to Ponte Vedra for a "major" March event, but we've already missed out on one Players tradition! Andy can't believe that the yearly TPC Sawgrass arrival videos did not make it into Sunday's Arnold Palmer Invitational broadcast. NBC couldn't cut away from a duel between Daniel Berger and Akshay Bhatia on the back nine that ended with Akshay's third playoff win on the PGA Tour. The two break down Bhatia's comeback win and standing in the game as one of the premier players under the age of 25. The constant comparisons between Rickie Fowler and Arnold Palmer and some complaints from Justin Thomas regarding the setup at Bay Hill also feature prominently in this Arnold Palmer Invitational recap. The Players DID release their featured groups on Sunday afternoon, leaving a spot for an injured(?) Rory McIlroy and a struggling Justin Thomas to be on non-stop coverage for the first two rounds. Andy's "Event of the Week," the Puerto Rico Open, was "must see TV" with a leaderboard full of young talent including John Daly II, Blades Brown, and winner Ricky Castillo. Patrick Reed notched another DP World Tour top 10, but could not stop the blaze of Dan Bradbury at the Joburg Open. Brendan then shifts the conversation to Jon Rahm's win at LIV Hong Kong, his first individual win since 2024. Neither Brendan nor Andy are moved much by this win for Rahm and point out that maybe playing a LIV schedule is not the best preparation for a major championship, unlike the test presented by Bay Hill this week. Lastly on results, Zach Johnson is one-for-one in his Champs Tour career, taking down the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational! Sorry to all Ben Crane bettors, as he finished outside of the top 30 in his Senior Tour debut. This Gambling Podcast regrets the error. Check back on Tuesday as Andy and Brendan go live(?) to preview the 2026 Players Championship! Thank you to Optum for their support of our Players Championship coverage.
After a trip to the eye doctor, Andy is locked in for this Friday episode and is immediately thrilled by an unsubstantiated rumor from Brendan! about an ill-timed tattoo. PJ is out on a trip with his fellow Boy, leaving the two to recap Daniel Berger's stellar Thursday at Bay Hill by themselves. Andy and Brendan discuss signs of life from DB and Ludvig Åberg before debating whether the Arnold Palmer Invitational should replace The Players as the PGA Tour's "major." They agree that the setup is closer to a major championship test than March at TPC Sawgrass with Brendan claiming something can't be a major if they're playing ball-in-hand every year. After a brief bowling interlude, Andy decides that Luke Donald's third consecutive Ryder Cup captaincy is NOT an issue, much to PJ's dismay. In (potentially) related captaincy news, Brendan is still on cloud nine following the big Jup Links win and Tom Kim's ace that sent Tiger's team to the TGL playoffs. Will Tiger tee it up in the first round against the Ballfrogs? We have two weeks to find out. Jon Rahm will be teeing it up in South Africa soon, which Rory McIlroy seemed to think he may not be too happy about. Rory was asked to comment on Rahm's ongoing fight with the DP World Tour and we may have a beef breweing between these Ryder Cup teammates! Finally, Andy and Brendan share some college football tales from Augusta in honor of legendary coach and broadcaster Lou Holtz, who passed away on Wednesday evening.
Brendan! is on edge early in this episode ahead of a win-and-in Jupiter Links match rounding out TGL's regular season. He shares his favorite team's lineup for the match with Andy and highlights management's decision to send out Kevin Kisner for this pivotal moment in team history. Things quickly transition into the Schedule for the Week for another loaded weekend of outdoor golf. The PGA Tour returns to Bay Hill Club & Lodge for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, one of the premier iron tests on the schedule. Brendan claims that you "cannot be a fraud" this week and believes imposters will be exposed around Arnold's Place. Andy's "5 Guys to Monitor" puts the spotlight on two players making their first PGA Tour starts of 2026 and some other big-name players searching for a win in Florida. There are some laments from Andy about the smaller, Signature Event field making Bay Hill not as fun for PGA Tour Live viewing, but Brendan pushes back and is excited to see all the screened-in porches. PJ jumps in to run the year's first installment of In/Out/Alternate in honor of this week's Puerto Rico Open, where the Past Champions category is putting in work after a slew of withdrawals. Ben Crane's much-anticipated (and highly bet on!) Champions Tour debut is blown by in the rundown in favor of a discussion about Jon Rahm's comments in Hong Kong. Many LIV players are stuck in the Middle East and reserves will be in action, but Rahm made the trip and decided to prolong his fight with the DP World Tour. He has taken exception to the DP World Tour mandating that LIV members play six events, making for a busy fall following the LIV season's end. Andy and Brendan do not feel any pain for Rahm, wondering how he's gone this far in his "delusional" fight against the DPWT. Will this mark the end of Rahm's Ryder Cup career? It looks like things are trending that way. Use promo code SGS30 to shop the Draddy Sport Spring collection: https://bdraddy.com/collections/draddy-sport-spring-26-collection
Andy and Brendan! went LIVE on YouTube for a Victory Monday morning recording following a Ballfrogs win over Jupiter Links late Sunday night. Andy is buzzing now that the Frogs have locked up the number one seed in the TGL playoffs despite the best efforts of "Tom Sim" and Max Homa. This turned out to be a loaded weekend of pro golf with national opens across the globe and a Cognizant Classic that absolutely delivered. Shane Lowry found the water twice in "The Bear Trap," blowing a four-shot lead on the final three holes at PGA National. The Salty Boy, Nico Echavarria, came up with a birdie on the 17th to take the lead and eventually secure his third PGA Tour win. Andy and Brendan discuss Lowry's collapse and debate whether he'll find himself in another position to win on the PGA Tour any time soon. Lowry, who hasn't won a solo event in the U.S. since 2015, had a win probability of over 96% standing on the 16th tee before being the first player to hit it in the water on Sunday. Brendan gives him props for speaking to the media immediately after his round and sharing that he wanted to win in front of his daughter for the first time. Following an epic finish - and despite a poor setup at PGA National - Andy runs through the Tour's schedule and puts the Cognizant in a tier above many Signature Events and all three playoff venues this year. PJ shares an update on the yearlong "Brooks Koepka vs. Mules" contest after Koepka's first top ten finish of the season. Is the money deficit already too big for the Mules to make up? Andy and Brendan then run through results from the rest of the week, hitting on the South African Open, New Zealand Open, and the Argentina Open, where winners and top finishers earned a spot at Royal Birkdale later this year. In news, the USGA had a massive Saturday news dump in which they awarded the 2045(!!!) U.S. Open to Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Who knows if this podcast will exist in 19 years, but these two midwesterners are excited for the national championship to return to America's heartland. Things wrap up with some TGL chatter recapping the first overtime match of 2026 and plenty of Jason Kelce exposure on the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Use promo code SGS30 to shop the Draddy Sport Spring collection: https://bdraddy.com/collections/draddy-sport-spring-26-collection Visit your local Golf Galaxy and download the Golf Galaxy mobile app to upgrade your game!
This Friday episode begins with an apology from Andy after a missed opportunity to discuss Kevin Roy (and his dad, Patrick) as part of our preview of The Cognizant Classic. Brendan moves things along to an early check-in at the South African Open where George Coetzee withdrew after a poor start, ending his run in this week's Game Within a Game. Another Game Within a Game participant is Ernie Els, who Andy claimed "looked a little husky" on the range. This Ernie discussion ushers in a brand-new Champions Tour Minute after Andy and PJ heard from a well-placed source that the "next big thing" on the senior circuit is not Tiger Woods or Zach Johnson, but another 50-year-old waiting to make his debut. The bulk of this episode focuses on some comments from pre-tournament press conferences at The Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. Shane Lowry believes that the overseed course setup by the Tour's Championship Management has dramatically altered this event from a tough test to now something that looks green on television. Billy Horschel tried to shift the blame off the Tour and to the resort at PGA National, but Andy and Brendan aren't giving them the benefit of the doubt. This issue with the setups is even further exemplified at this week's KFT event at the Jockey Club, with Andy saying that the Tour has "completely ruined so many places." Ryan Gerard, the betting favorite at this event, also had some things to say before he teed off. Gerard has been a focus of the Tour's marketing efforts this week and Brendan thinks this can be a model for future "PGA-B" events potentially making stars. Gerard shared a story about playing with Scottie Scheffler and how Scottie manages to bridge the gap between clubs by playing a high-launching shot. Gerard has been chasing that shot and believes he has it, hoping that it'll lead to success at the majors this year. Brendan then shares a Flashback Friday segment on the 1991 Honda Classic, won by Steve Pate. This story has it all, including a legendary overclub challenge by Paul Azinger and a scorekeeper finding a lost ball. A Golf Advice email about guarding Michael Jordan in a JV basketball game closes out this show - send your own stories to [email protected] for an upcoming showcase episode! Visit Cobalt and use code "FRIEDEGGPOD15" for 15% off: https://cobalt-golf.com/discount/FRIEDEGGPOD?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fdiscountable-products
Brendan! didn't make it down to Florida after all, leaving Andy and PJ to roam around the SoFi Dome by themselves for Monday's Ballfrogs match. Andy shares plenty of takeaways from his in-person experience, leading to a wider conversation regarding the future of TGL. What's next for the screen golf league after the ESPN TV deal expires? How can the in-person experience level up? Is there a risk of players leaving after the second season wraps up? The two then move on to the Schedule for the Week and first discuss the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. The Florida Swing begins this week and Andy has his list of 5 Guys to Monitor, including a player returning on a major medical and Brooks Koepka once again playing his hometown event. Everybody makes a One-and-Done pick despite a weak field after many top players withdrew from the event following the Genesis Invitational. Andy tosses out a Game Within the Game for the South African Open, which he also names as his event of the week! It's a quick wrap -up at the end, as the only big news is a very special birthday for a podcast favorite!
It is Victory Monday for Golf's Preeminent Gambling Podcast! Andy returns from vacation and immediately gives Brendan his flowers for picking Jacob Bridgeman to win the Genesis Invitational. PJ issues an apology for laughing at Brendan's belief in The Bridgeman, who cashed 100-1 tickets for bettors everywhere. Andy and Brendan recap the weekend at Riviera and shine a light on Bridgemans path to the PGA Tour and his first career victory. Kevin Van Valkenburg joins from the on-site media center in LA to share some observations from the ground, touching on Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Aldrich Potgieter, and more. Andy, Brendan, and Kevin also discuss the online pushback against Riviera after the pros tore up a soft course this week after all the rain on Thursday. After debating whether there should be a "Shotgun Start Book Club," there's a brief Tiger Woods conversation amongst the group, with everyone believing that he will, in fact, play on the Champions Tour in 2026. Brendan is convinced that Tiger will be playing the Masters, too! Andy moves to ban Spider putters on the PGA Tour before recapping the rest of the week in pro golf, including the Magical Kenya Open and Jeeno Thitikul's first-ever win in Thailand. In news, the DP World Tour has settled its fines with almost all of the eligible LIV players... except for Jon Rahm. Andy and Brendan wonder if this means his 2027 Ryder Cup status is truly in doubt as even Tyrrell Hatton decided to cut the check. PJ and Andy are both in Florida for the big Ballfrogs match on Monday night, but it remains to be seen if Brendan will make it down south through the snow. Stay tuned for some in-person TGL takeaways on Wednesday's episode!
Brendan! is joined by an on-site Kevin Van Valkenburg for this Friday episode honoring the Genesis Invitational. KVV shares some scenes from the practice rounds at Riviera before the rain came in and made much of Thursday's first round a wash. It wasn't a wash for this Gambling Podcast, as Rory McIlroy and Jacob Bridgeman both share the clubhouse lead as of this recording. Brendan spent the morning watching along on PGA Tour Live and has plenty of takeaways from the broadcast, including a scoring average graphic that was completely devoid of content. PJ was assigned to watch the "Betcast" on Thursday and points out that there was plenty of Jon Rahm talk on this PGA Tour product despite Rahmbo riding Dumbo at Disneyland this week instead of teeing it up at Riv. Scottie Scheffler is not yet finished with his first round, but he struggled mightily on his front nine. Brendan and KVV recap what we've seen from Scottie so far, adding another poor Thursday to a stretch of many this year. Even with a great round from Rory and Scottie's tough stretch, the news of the day was made elsewhere. Following reports from Geoff Shackelford and Adam Schupak looking into the matter, the PGA of America announced that President Don Rea Jr. has been "reassigned to member-first priorities" for the rest of his term. Brendan reads the full statement and everyone wonders if this is truly the end from Don. There's also some introspection about how much of a role... podcasts... played in this decision. KVV breaks out the Lucas Glover impression at the very end of his chat with Brendan to celebrate the U.S. Open champ being named PAC Chairman. The last half hour of this episode is a reheat of a Flashback Friday from 2021, when Andy and Brendan remembered Ben Hogan's comeback (not to be compared to Anthony Kim's) and "Mr. Icicle." Visit your local Golf Galaxy and download the Golf Galaxy mobile app to upgrade your game!
"The Boys" are back in town for this Wednesday episode, joining Brendan to preview the PGA Tour's return to Riviera. Joseph starts out with a take regarding this week's event "honoring" the local community in the Palisades, setting the tone for this episode early. Brendan, Joseph, and PJ unpack Tiger Woods's pre-tournament press conference, in which he discussed his chances of returning to competitive golf in 2026, a potential Ryder Cup captaincy, and the PGA Tour schedule changes. It seems like Tiger may tee it up on the Champions Tour after all, with PJ already wanting to make travel arrangements for a few select stops later this year. Woods also gave some insight into the hard work he's been putting in on the 2027 PGA Tour schedule, alluding to the California swing being later in the summer, maybe as part of the playoffs. Joseph loves the idea of Tiger's mark on the game being a playoff schedule that he created, and Brendan thinks that the Genesis Invitational should be a "jumbo event" moving forward. PJ runs through his five favorite tee times for the first two rounds and also sets the scene for this week's Aon Swing 5 vs. Sponsor Exemption tracker, now a five-on-five fight for this week only! Joseph passes along Andy's 5 Guys to Monitor before highlighting a favorite tee time of his own. He also initially declines to make a One-and-Done pick before Brendan bullies him into it on air. Brendan has some sourced reporting from the Magical Kenya Open, sharing details about the caddie fees and "driving range" at this week's DP World Tour event. In news, Justin Thomas will return to pro golf next week in the SoFi Dome... no word yet on if he's playing outdoor golf as well. To round out the show, Joseph and Brendan preview the first-ever Fried Egg Golf Anonymous Survey, tiering the best players in the men's game.
Back at home after a week in Chicago, Brendan is joined by "The Boys" for this beefy Monday show. This episode was recorded late on Sunday night after BP was issued a technical foul during a youth basketball game and needed time to "decompress" before using a microphone. Joseph immediately wants to learn why Brendan was T'd up and finds that his actions were completely justified after a complete rules breakdown. While the technical foul may be a big story for this podcast, the biggest story in sports this weekend belongs to LIV Golf following Anthony Kim's win in Adelaide. AK erased a five-shot Sunday deficit playing in a group with major champions Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, defeating Rahm by three shots for his first win in 16 years. Brendan, Joseph, and PJ recap the final round, covering Kim's outstanding iron play, the return of the swagger that made him captivating to begin with, and the many inspiring quotes from after the tournament wrapped up. They also question some of the broadcast's hyperbolic statements about the magnitude of the moment. There is also plenty of discussion about brutal Sundays from Rahm and Bryson, adding yet another week without a win for both of them on the LIV Golf tour. Not to be completely outdone, the PGA Tour had an "A+ week" at Pebble Beach according to Brendan. Collin Morikawa came from behind to secure his first win since the 2023 Zozo, making a four on the 18th hole for the win. Joseph and Brendan break down performances from Morikawa, Akshay Bhatia, and even Scottie Scheffler, who found himself in the mix again after a slow start on Thursday. Joseph also calls out Sam Burns for his club choice on the final hole, something that only a Deputy would do. In news, Gary Player remains upset with Augusta National (and Brendan may have an idea of why), sponsor exemptions go to - who else? - Jordan Spieth and Tony Finau, and Brendan and PJ go in on the Providence Friars following a dirty Saturday game against the Johnnies. Visit Cobalt and use code "FRIEDEGGPOD15" for 15% off.
Enjoy a recording of Thursday night's SGS Live Show at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois! Andy, Brendan, KVV, and PJ entertained the masses with the latest news from Pebble, messages from Gary Player, hypothetical major wins, audience questions, and much more. Thank you to all who came out to our first-ever theater show!
Andy and Brendan are together in Chicago for this Wednesday episode, bringing a jolt of in-person energy for the first Signature Event of 2026. To start, the two tie up some loose ends from Phoenix, discussing Hideki's "chair-gate" in the playoff and some distressing tweets from Spieth Legion. There's plenty of discussion about the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with one-and-done picks, Andy's "5 Guys to Monitor," and a new game that we'll be following for every Signature Event. They also debate whether Pebble Beach is now obsolete for PGA Tour pros following the debut of a new tee on the sixth hole for this week's tournament. LIV is back for a second straight week, jumping from Riyadh to Adelaide for the league's biggest non-U.S. event. Aussie Elvis Smylie is riding high following his win and was rewarded with a big OWGR boost for his troubles! Speaking of world ranking points, Andy and Brendan also react to Chris Gotterup reaching No. 5 in the world following his win at the WM Phoenix Open. They briefly recap Monday's TGL match, featuring three players that aren't on the rosters of the teams that played, and PJ suggests there's a new conspiracy afoot in the SoFi Dome. Everyone is ready to roll for a full week in Chicago ahead of Thursday night's event at SPACE. Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space for more details.
Andy and Brendan planned to go LIVE on YouTube as part of "Golf's Favorite Pregame Show," but Hideki Matusyama had other plans. After a few too many wayward drives, Matsuyama could not make this a Victory Monday for Boston and coughed up the WM Phoenix Open to Chris Gotterup midway through the first quarter of the Super Bowl. Andy and Brendan recap a jam-packed week in the desert, hitting on Scottie Scheffler's t3 finish, Hideki's driver woes, and Chris Gotterup's continued ascension into the game's top tier. Patrick Reed could be the only player hotter than Gotterup right now, remaining undefeated in regulation in his last three starts with a win in Qatar. He is all but guaranteed a PGA Tour card through the DP World Tour now, but Brendan doubts his "lifelong goal to win the Order of Merit" is a real thing. Elvis Smylie immediately paid dividends for Rippers GC, staring down Jon Rahm in Riyadh for a win in his LIV debut. The two then run through results from the rest of the world and a bit of news before unpacking Brandel Chamblee's latest masterpiece of a take. Brandel made waves by suggesting that The Players Championship is ABOVE the four majors in stature and should absolutely be qualified as a major championship moving forward. Andy and Brendan are aghast at this statement and share some unsubstantiated rumors suggesting that the current PGA Tour membership does not share Brandel's personal opinion. Andy then previews Thursday night's live show in Chicago by reading some internet information about the event. Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space for more details. Use code "FriedEgg" for 15% off at mobjak.com
The police siren is in use for this Friday episode following a Thursday 73 from Scottie Scheffler that left him visibly angry on PGA Tour Live! Andy and Brendan discuss an uncharacteristic over-par round from the World No. 1, as well as Brooks Koepka's tough day at a course he's won at in the past. Not everyone is on the struggle bus: Chris Gotterup has the first round lead with fellow young stars Pierceson Coody, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, and both Højgaards on his heels. In other PGA Tour news, they are once again starting up the "fifth major" debate around The Players Championship with a new promo that says "March Is Going To Be Major." Andy is ready for this weekend's Super Bowl after a week of hype in the Bay Area, but there's a brief preview of some events preceding next week's live show in Chicago. Somehow, this conversation ends with PJ challenging professional athletes to play him for an SGS season of "Pros vs. Joes." Patrick Reed could use someone to challenge him on the DP World Tour as he's once again right in the mix in Qatar. Brendan and Andy suggest any number of Euro stalwarts that could potentially become the "P Stopper" but it remains to be seen if anyone will step up. While Brooks is struggling in Phoenix, Smash GC is winning the team contest at LIV Riyadh, with some wondering if Talor "Sam Presti" Gooch has turned things around for good. The back half of this episode is dedicated to the PGA of America hiring Terry Clark as its new CEO, with Andy and Brendan both highlighting areas of need for the governing body now that it is under new leadership. Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space for more details.
A long-awaited piece of news broke just before we hit record on this episode: the Utah Jazz have added to the Great Young Core! Andy is jubilant after the Jazz traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. on Tuesday afternoon and shows up to record in what Brendan calls a "murdered-out Utah Jazz ensemble." After a Sports Minute focusing on the Great Young Core and Andy's upcoming Super Bowl experience in the Bay Area, the two discuss the actual big news of the day, LIV Golf receiving OWGR points for the 2026 season. The top 10 finishers at each LIV event will receive points, with nothing going to those finishing 11th or worse. This has already led to complaints from the league and comparisons to the full field receiving points at a non-Tour event like the Hero World Challenge. Andy believes LIV's complaints don't have a leg to stand on given that the league does not abide by some of the usual OWGR guidelines to begin with. Brendan dove into the 2026 LIV media guide to learn more about this year's teams and found some great nuggets while researching this week's fourth Ace. LIV will start its season in Riyadh, with the Saturday finish ending up on FOX Business. On the PGA Tour, the WM Phoenix Open looks to NOT finish in a playoff that runs into the Super Bowl. Andy's list of "5 Guys to Monitor This Week (For Various Reasons)" features a sponsored legend, a three-time major champion, and one of Brooks Koepka's mules! We also spend PLENTY of time learning about the second mule Brooks will be bringing along with him into the field this week. There's a hilarious list of DPWT notables in Qatar to round out this week's schedule before Andy and Brendan read the latest statement from the LPGA regarding Sunday's disaster in Florida. We'll see you on Friday for more! Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space for more details.
It was a historic weekend of professional golf as one of the game's greatest achievements finally came to an end. Andy begins this episode on a somber note as Xander Schauffele's "made cut streak" was snapped on Friday at the Farmers Insurance Open. Brendan joins in, remembering other iconic streaks such as Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive games played record and comparing them to Xander's totally-not-made-up mark. Justin Rose did make the cut and ran away with his second win at Torrey Pines, defeating a trio of players by seven shots. The 45-year-old is now ranked third in the OWGR and has played some of the best golf of his career in the last 12 months. Andy and Brendan wonder how much gas he has left in the tank, with Brendan predicting that Rose will compete in majors into his fifties. In other notes from the Farmers, Brooks Koepka finished t56 and had plenty of time on the broadcast on ESPN, Golf Channel, and CBS despite never being competitive. One of the two mules that Brooks brought onto the "ark" this week did make some money, kicking off our yearlong game of Brooks vs. Mules. Johnson Wagner also made his long-awaited CBS debut and did not disappoint, recreating shots while the tournament was still going on! The two also discuss Michael Brennan's DQ thanks to a Data Boy and strong weeks from Si Woo Kim, Joel Dahmen, and Ryo Hisatsune. The DP World Tour event in Bahrain ended in a playoff featuring Patrick Reed and ended in a wild concession that no one had ever seen before. The main event of this podcast is Andy and Brendan's recap of what went on at the LPGA's Tournament of Champions on Sunday. The event was shortened into a 54-hole event due to the course not being an "optimal competitive environment" for "competitive competition" according to some statements from the tour. Andy and Brendan tee off as they're astounded by the celebrity pro-am still being played on the very same course rather than the actual tournament. For those with tinfoil hats, Nelly Korda won for the first time in over 440 days as a result of the shortened event. There's also plenty of Illinois basketball talk at the end of this episode, as well as more invites from colleges across the country who want Andy, Brendan, and PJ to inspire the youth of America. Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space for more details.
The hits just keep on coming early in this 2026 golf season: Patrick Reed is BACK on the PGA Tour... in August. Andy and Brendan begin this episode with some other breaking news regarding a beloved recurring bit possibly coming to an end and some more details about the SGS Live Show coming to Evanston on Thursday, February 12. They then dive into the biggest news of Thursday: Tony Finau's new Jordan Brand clothing. After a conversation about fashion, Andy and Brendan discuss Patrick Reed's decision to leave LIV Golf and play the DP World Tour in 2026 before returning to the PGA Tour in 2027. They debate whether "LIV is dead," as reported by many, and wonder whether any other LIV players will reassess their allegiances after Brian Rolapp removed another hurdle towards a PGA Tour return for Reed. Andy deems that LIV deserves this outcome of losing its stars following a FOX Sports graphic promoting the season opener that misspelled the names of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Martin Kaymer (henceforth known as Martin Kraymer on this podcast). Brendan reads Patrick Reed's statement, in which he claims he was "born to play on the PGA Tour," even though he voluntarily left said Tour years ago to play on LIV. The real winners in all of this? Guys like Laurie Canter and Victor Perez, who now have one less player to compete against for these big purses. Speaking of returning players, Brooks Koepka played his first round back on the PGA Tour on ESPN, carding a 73 on the South Course at Torrey Pines. Andy compares his "re-debut" to what it's like when Tiger returns from an injury, leading to massive over-analysis of every little thing in one round or tournament. Koepka played with Ludvig Åberg - always comfortable going to and from the course - and Max Homa, both of whom struggled mightily on Thursday. Justin Lower and Justin Rose are atop the leaderboard at Farmers. We end the show with the return of Golf Advice, featuring an Andy-submitted question for Brendan and a listener question that BP deems "human advice." Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space for more details.
Not sure if you've heard about it, but Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour this week! Andy joins Brendan for this Farmers Insurance Open preview coming off a big Ballfrogs win on Monday night. He's giddy about the Frogs continuing to earn the top spot in our TGL Power Rankings and makes a pitch for Michael Thorbjornsen to become a permanent member of the team. Brooks Koepka has not yet joined a TGL team, but he did join some assembled media for a pre-tournament press conference at Torrey Pines on Tuesday. He spoke about his nerves returning to the PGA Tour and seemed a little emotional discussing the path that led him back to the Farmers. Andy and Brendan unpack the half-hour presser before Brendan offers up some over/unders for Koepka's 2026 season. How many Signature Events will he play? Will he return to Bellerive for the BMW Championship in August? Will he ever suit up for Jupiter Links after all? Koepka will be in a featured group at the Farmers for Thursday and Friday which will be broadcast on linear TV thanks to ESPN. Brendan wonders if this is the PGA Tour showing off to Bryson and Rahm that they could also be prominently featured on the Worldwide Leader in Sports if they were to return before their approaching deadline. Could Patrick Reed also be part of this conspiracy? We'll have to find out. Andy shares his "5 Guys to Monitor (For Various Reasons)" ahead of this week's festivities at Torrey, keeping an eye on a horse for the course and a major champion that could be on the trade block. One-and-done picks are made for the Farmers with PJ's pick prompting a fun Medinah story from Andy. Elsewhere on the schedule, LPGA season kicks off this week at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and Patrick Reed looks to stay hot on the DP World Tour in Bahrain. In news, the 2026 PGA Tour Player Advisory Council was announced and has a distinctly American feel, Nelly Korda has some *takes* about WTGL, and a DP World Tour player goes down for a performance-enhancing drug suspension.
Scottie Scheffler is one-for-one in 2026! Andy and Brendan return to recap yet another victory by the best player in the world, his 20th on the PGA Tour and first at The American Express in Palm Springs. Andy immediately wonders if Brendan and PJ regret "fading Scottie" by taking the under on 6.5 wins this year. Neither of them relent, but they do admit that the over is off to a hot start. Andy and Brendan highlight Scheffler's ability to win both birdie-fests and hard-fought events, as well as his ability to never hurt himself, putting pressure on those playing in the same group as him on Sunday. One such example was Blades Brown, the 18-year-old phenom who entered Sunday tied with Scottie in second place. He had one of the few over-par rounds on Sunday playing alongside the World No. 1, pushing the Korn Ferry Tour member out of the top ten with a t18 finish. In Dubai, Patrick Reed won again on the DP World Tour during some rainy coffee golf. Afterwards, he revealed that he's not currently signed with LIV for 2026 and is contemplating playing a DPWT schedule to try to earn a PGA Tour card for 2027. Andy and Brendan wonder whether he'll actually do this and give Reed some props for being a golf sicko and world player. Stew Cink continued his reign over the Champions Tour, winning the season opener in Hawaii. Adam Schupak wrote up an article detailing the struggles of Zinger, Papa, and Peter Jacobsen calling Champs Tour action from PGA Tour Studios, sending Andy and Brendan over the edge with how serious they were. Peter Jacobsen just wants to see if Tommy Two Gloves is using the same gloves every week, and he can't do that from inside the moat! To end the show, Brendan runs through the LIV Awards results, including Jon Rahm winning Clutch Player of the Year, as predicted by Andy on Thursday afternoon. Andy then slightly amends his northeast snow take from last week after hearing from many listeners. For those wondering, yes, there are plenty of Football Minutes within this episode as well!
Some of the of things discussed on this Friday episode by a combination of Andy, Brendan, PJ, and KVV: Rory McIlroy's belief that Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton should just pay their DP World Tour fines Alejandro Tosti flying planes The Navy Pier Ferris Wheel New Mets ace Freddy Peralta The "Under the Influence" Award Bob MacIntyre's youth golf career Country music star Riley Green Comparing Angel Cabrera to Brooks Koepka Comparing Brooks Koepka to Eli Manning The TGL hole "Cenote" Scottie Scheffler's lack of "fire emoji" on the PGA Tour app Colin Montgomerie's 17th hole on Sunday of the 2006 U.S. Open Jeremy Schaap The 2010 Billboard No. 1 hit "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz (ft. Ludacris) Champaign, Illinois "Hoop Dreams" Kevin Kisner's ball speed Garrett Popcorn of Chicago TGL Power Rankings Virtual Bob Parsons Enjoy, and stay safe if you're in the path of snow this weekend! Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space for more details.
This Wednesday episode was recorded early on Tuesday due to Keegan Bradley Bobblehead Night at Madison Square Garden demanding PJ's attendance. Andy and Brendan wonder what other St. John's legends have bobbleheads available, but PJ is most excited to see a Boston sports icon get honored at the World's Most Famous Arena. With a lack of press conference quotes from Palm Springs to discuss, Brendan immediately begins with the Schedule for the Week, beginning with the American Express. This event has a loaded field with many top players beginning their seasons including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Andy believes that the Signature Event model has actually enhanced the non-Signature Events as more top-tier players are in need of FedEx Cup points. One-and-done picks are made as Brendan looks to stay hot off a runner-up finish at the Sony. Andy debuts a new segment, "5 Guys to Watch (For Reasons)" and highlights some players to keep an eye on this week. Attention then turns to the Dubai Desert Classic where European Ryder Cup stars will compete this weekend. After discussing some notables for this event, the two continue on and chat through this week's KFT stop at The Abaco Club and the return of the Champions Tour at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship. In news, NCAA Individual Champion Michael La Sasso has signed with the HyFlyers for the 2026 season. Andy and Brendan debate whether yet another young player taking a contract from LIV is the proper way to go vs. playing through a college season and trying to qualify through PGA Tour U. WTGL has also announced some of its initial rosters... including a retired Lexi Thompson. Finally, there's rumblings that the proposed rollback will no longer be going into effect in 2028, as the USGA and R&A are discussing a delay until 2030. Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space for more details.
Despite a heartbreaking Bears loss to end their season in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, Andy joins Brendan for what is still a Victory Monday episode of The Shotgun Start. Andy can't believe that Vijay Singh made the cut at the Sony Open and immediately takes a victory lap about hitting the Over-Under of 0.5 Vijay made cuts for the season. There is a brief Football Minute at the start of this episode commemorating a historic Bears season, but the conversation soon shifts to the PGA Tour's Opening Drive, which is now closed after just one event. Chris Gotterup won the Sony Open for his third win in as many seasons and perhaps further exemplifying why he was a Ryder Cup snub at Bethpage. Andy and Brendan discuss Gotterup's advantage off-the-tee that set him up for success at Waialae Country Club and his continued ascendence into the upper tier of pro golfers. The two then unpack other storylines from the first PGA Tour event of the year, such as a top 25 from Jordan Spieth, a made cut from Vijay, a Sunday stumble by 54-hole leader Davis Riley, and a Collin Morikawa missed cut. Andy also brings up Big Shot Bob MacIntyre's comments about his attitude costing him a win at the Sony and wonders if Bob gets a bit too much leeway from fans based on his on-course actions. Nacho Elvira took home the win in Dubai on the DP World Tour after a Shane Lowry collapse on the 72nd hole. Andy and Brendan are thrilled about a win for Nacho and give some props to Lowry for speaking to the media after a tough finish. After touching on the Latin America Am, Brendan shares some of Michael Block's latest comments... about Tiger Woods. Andy cannot believe that Blockie has a platform to throw out a gauntlet to Tiger Woods on the Champions Tour, and Brendan also can't believe Greg Norman is still being platformed to discuss his "loyalty to the PGA Tour." Speaking of loyalty to the PGA Tour, Patrick Reed has said that he'd be open to a return if he was offered the same deal as Brooks Koepka. This episode wraps up with another Football Minute as we put a bow on the Bears and look ahead to a loaded week of pro golf with the 2026 season now underway.
Andy did not declare this a Victory Friday episode, but is looking ahead to another potential Victory Monday coming soon! He opens the show by telling Brendan how nice it is to have a franchise quarterback that can lead a team into meaningful January football and is downright giddy about Sunday's matchup against the Rams. Andy wishes that Brendan and PJ may one day get to experience having a long-term answer at QB, but for now, they all get to watch the PGA Tour's Opening Drive at the 2026 Sony Open! Brendan confirms that the Opening Drive is, in fact, just this one event and the branding will be removed by the time we get to Palm Springs, but it's great to have professional golf back nonetheless. There's some new internal OB at Waialae Country Club and some literal walls built to prevent alternate routes being taken off the tee, the fairways have "no fire," and the course was as soft as a dartboard on Thursday morning. A new year means new equipment sponsorships and Andy and Brendan are delighted to share that a burly podcast favorite is officially a PXG troop! Andy waxes poetic about his time with Dr. Bob before PJ pops the bubble and confirms that he is also an honorary doctor, much to Brendan's dismay. Rory McIlroy is in the early lead in Dubai and made headlines by playing with cavity-back irons. Andy breaks out a take that all pros should have to play blades and leads Brendan into an "Equipment Minute." Tuesday's TGL match is very briefly discussed as Andy and PJ walk Brendan through what he missed skipping out on another Jup Stinks loss. Brendan rounds up some quotes from PGA Tour players (such as Will Zalatoris, this week's guest on The Fried Egg Golf Podcast) about Brooks Koepka's return and it seems like many are happy to have him back. Wyndham Clark is not necessarily among them, saying that the penalty is like Brooks having his cake and eating it too. Speaking of Brooks, Kevin Van Valkenburg comes in from the bullpen to close the show with a Flashback Friday segment on the Top 10 Brooks Koepka moments from his first PGA Tour stint. KVV covers Koepka's feud with Bryson, his beef with a horse, and repeated media slights that offended the five-time major champion.
To paraphrase Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour's Opening Drive is *finally* just about underway! Andy and Brendan are beyond happy to have actual golf back on the Schedule for the Week, even if this is still a Victory Wednesday episode for the Bears. It could also be a Victory Wednesday episode for the PGA Tour, as Brian Rolapp's new Returning Member Program has enabled Brooks Koepka's return at the Farmers Open in just two weeks. Andy and Brendan discuss all the details of the new pathway, open to just four LIV golfers for the next three weeks before LIV's season begins in Riyadh. The two wonder if the financial penalty of "equity coupons" and a donation to charity was enough of a punishment for Brooks, but see this move as an overwhelmingly positive for the Tour and Brian Rolapp's tenure. Things seemingly moved quickly over the weekend and Rolapp gets props from Andy and Brendan for decisively striking while the iron is hot. PJ makes a change to his major picks, awarding Brooks with a fourth PGA Championship, but Brendan is skeptical that Koepka will find himself in major shape in 2026. Brooks will not be at the Sony Open this week, but many PGA Tour stars will be to start the season. This gambling pod makes some picks for the first event of the year, riding with two big names and a podcast favorite. Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy and other European Ryder Cup heroes are in Dubai this week for a DP World Tour event as a tune-up before coming back to the states. Brendan comes in with a real winner for the Event of the Week, Tiger's 50th birthday at the Breakers in Palm Beach. Andy and Brendan toss out some musical acts that would fit the vibe before realizing that Jon Bon Jovi is already enlisted to perform. Lastly, some major LIV news came across the desk on Tuesday morning as the Ironheads and Stingers GC have re-branded! This podcast will continue using the Stingers name, but some potentially-AI press releases reveal the new country-based names of these teams. There's also some LIV hot stove news with a former U.S. Amateur winner seemingly making the jump from the PGA Tour.
Apologies to all of our Nico Echavarria fans, but this is the biggest Victory Monday episode to date. Andy is on cloud nine following an improbable comeback win for the Bears over the Packers in the Wild Card Round, leading to an extended Football Minute to kick off the show. He attempts to subdue his emotions to be respectful of the many angry Packers fans in his mentions, but Brendan quickly eggs him on into an outward celebration. PJ is called in to defend Jordan Love's actions (323 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions) after the loss and Andy once again suggests that Malik Willis (injured hamstring) would have been a better option for Green Bay. All three commiserate over their historically-hapless franchises firing a coach as good as Matt LaFleur, but it seems like that's on the table for the Packers following this defeat. After displaying a chart showing the likelihood of PJ losing his job with a Packers win, Andy then transitions to golf and the biggest news of this NFL-centric weekend: Michael Block's new clothing deal. Brendan can't help but laugh at Blockie linking up with Malbon, giving the brand a roster of Champions Tour stars. Blockie was sure to star in a ridiculous announcement video posted on Saturday afternoon, leading to plenty of social media fun ahead of the Bears game. Andy and Brendan then recap the Jones Cup and LIV's Promotions Event after a light week of competitive golf. Richard T. Lee will be LIV's first Canadian golfer and Malbon athlete Anthony Kim held on to earn a spot back on the tour for 2026. To finish off this final week without the PGA Tour, Andy, Brendan, and PJ make their 2026 major picks and highlight some breakout and bounce-back players for the upcoming season. After a long, long wait, the Opening Drive finally begins on Thursday! Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space for more details.
The content gods have blessed this Friday episode with a piece of news that Andy has called "maybe my favorite thing that's ever happened on the PGA Tour." Vijay Singh, a 62-year-old who did not finish in the Top 20 of the Schwab Cup standings on last year's Champions Tour, has decided to use his career money list exemption for full status for 2026 on the PGA Tour! Brendan and Andy do a bit of a deep dive into Vijay's recent PGA Tour results and Andy applauds him for using this exemption despite calls for scarcity and cuts from the top of the new Tour food chain. Andy even goes as far as to say that he will still be in high spirits if the Bears lose on Saturday because he knows Vijay will tee it up at the Sony next week! In other PGA Tour field news, Scottie Scheffler has committed to the AmEx and WM Phoenix Open, marking the first starts of his 2026 season. With no Sentry, the AmEx has a much better field than in recent years, but Scottie will still likely be three-to-one or less to win the event. Brendan then segues to the biggest news of this week: Derek Sprague's departure from the PGA of America. Sprague stepped down as CEO, leaving an opening in the PGA of America's leadership that could really only be filled by one man. Is this Don's path to permanent relevancy? We'll have to just wait and see. There is also a VERY important Nico Minute in this episode, as a new sponsor has stepped up for a podcast favorite this year. The back half of this episode contains the yearly Over-Under segment, with Brendan, Andy, and PJ making predictions for the rest of the year. Will the major scoring record be broken? How many wins for Rory and Scottie? Can Cameron Young finish in the OWGR Top 10? Will the Bears beat the Packers twice in this calendar year? Listen to find out! Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. General public tickets are on sale at 10 am CT on Friday, January 9. Check out https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space for more details.
Despite the lack of (outdoor) professional golf during this first week of January, Andy and Brendan know the show must go on! The two are admittedly down in the dumps a bit with no Kapalua on our TV screens and wonder if we've already seen the final PGA Tour event played at the Plantation Course. This "rite of passage" may not be kicking off 2026, but there has been plenty of TGL to fill the void! The Bay GC and Atlanta Drive match on Tuesday night was a "second-screen filler" for Andy, Brendan, and PJ, and all three admit some level of fatigue with the screen golf league after just three matches of season two. Some of the new holes are nice, Chris Gotterup has been a star, and Roberto Castro has improved the ESPN broadcast, but nobody knows where TGL should rightfully stand in the golf ecosystem. Even with all of these outstanding questions facing its first league, TGL has expanded and founded a WTGL, coming this winter! Lexi Thompson, a semi-retired professional golfer, has signed on to be the face of the women's league, which Andy and Brendan both deem to be "too much" screen golf. Andy thinks a WTGL league could be better than the LPGA's week-to-week product, but doesn't have much faith that the TGL will figure out how to get there. There's a lengthy discussion about TGL rosters and how nobody can figure out who's on what team with all of the "alternates" in play before everyone agrees that too much time has been spent on screen golf in this episode. Speaking of teams, Talor Gooch made a strong, Sam Presti-like move adding Harold Varner III to Smash GC! This trade came as a result of Thomas Detry joining fellow Illini Thomas Pieters on the 4Aces, marking another signing for LIV during this Hot Stove season. Elvis Smylie has also joined the league, teaming up with Leish and Cam Smith on the Rippers. After a very, very abbreviated Schedule for the Week, Andy leads his yearly look at the Top 10 of the OWGR as the group predicts which players will fall out of the top spots by the end of 2026. Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. A presale for FEGC members begins at 11 am ET on January 7, with general public tickets going live on January 9. Check out https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space for more details.
Andy and Brendan! are back! After an extended break to end the year, the first episode of 2026 has plenty of news to catch up on and is, of course, a Victory Monday celebration. Andy is still rolling after the first-ever Ballfrogs win on Friday night, claiming that this victory lasts all weekend. Michael Thorbjornsen was a star in his TGL debut, but much of the conversation was on a star who was not yet present in the SoFi Dome: Brooks Koepka. Andy and Brendan unpack Koepka's departure from LIV and Talor Gooch's upcoming captaincy of Smash GC. The two debate where Brooks will play in 2026 and agree that it's unlikely that he'll play on the PGA Tour this year. His PGA Tour standing will apparently impact his TGL candidacy as well, but Rory, SVP, and other major names in the virtual golf universe all made it seem like Brooks's indoor debut is imminent! Will he be the savior Jup Links so desperately needs? In other LIV Hot Stove news, Pat Perez is angling for a return to the PGA Tour before his 50th birthday and Kevin Na has unfollowed the league on Instagram. What does this mean for the Ironheads? Nobody knows! With no golf to preview this week, PJ leads an audit of last year's over-unders, looking back at Zatch moments, destruction of property by international superstars, and missed cuts at majors by many big name stars. As it turns out, all three football minds nailed the under on the 2025 Bears/Browns/Jets total, ushering a Football Minute to close this show. PJ is thrilled with the chain of events leading to the Jets obtaining the second overall pick in April's draft, Shedeur led yet another win for the Browns as Myles Garrett broke the NFL's sack record, and Andy is already preparing for a playoff matchup against the best quarterback on the Packers, Jordan Love. Stay tuned as we preview more and more of the 2026 golf season before the Sony Open kicks off next Thursday.
Andy and Brendan's Christmas wish for a "Home Alone" episode to finish out 2025 has come true! The Boys take over the feed for this final look back at the year in professional golf as Joseph and PJ recap the 3M Open and Wyndham Championship. Before getting to what was perhaps the most important tournament of the season, The Boys first discuss TGL's Season 2 debut on Sunday. Billy Horschel took down NYGC again, continuing to be the bane of the entire city's existence according to the broadcast. Billy was joined by Chris Gotterup and Corey Conners on the Atlanta Drive as last-minute replacement players for the suddenly-injured Patrick Cantlay and Lucas Glover. Despite only having one (1) of the team's four (4) players active, Atlanta still managed to clean up against Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Xander Schauffele. Joseph and PJ discuss some standout new holes designed by Augie Pizá and share some excitement for this Friday's Ballfrogs match. There's also been a bit of major golf news since we've been away - Talor Gooch is now the captain of Smash GC! Joseph reads from a new LIV article detailing Gooch's approach to his newfound captaincy and the fallout from Brooks Koepka leaving the league with one year remaining on his contract. The Boys try to game out where this leaves Brooks to play in 2026 and PJ wonders if an easy route back to the PGA Tour for Koepka is coming soon. Bryson DeChambeau is also posturing for a new contract, telling Flushing It that some things need to change for the now-72 hole tour in 2026. After cleaning up the LIV hot stove, The Boys resume the Year in Review with a brief stop at TPC Sod Farms for the 3M Open. Scottie, Bryson, and many more golf stars were in attendance at the "Happy Gilmore 2" premiere this week, but no star shined as bright as Kurt Kityama at an Arnold Palmer design. The Kitty Kat held off challengers like Matt Wallace and Jake Knapp to secure his second PGA Tour win, setting the stage for the 1,000th unique winner in Tour history at the Wyndham. The majority of this episode is, naturally, spent remembering a superstar's win at an iconic Donald Ross venue in North Carolina. Cameron Young ran away with the tournament, beating Mac Meissner by six shots to finally win his first PGA Tour event. Joseph and PJ share the best highlights from the crowning of Mr. 1,000, properly giving this American Ryder Cup hero his flowers despite the best efforts of Andy and Brendan to prevent this from happening. The Boys end the show with a new segment called "Receipts Corner," calling out some who believed this day - or Cameron Young's ensuing end-of-season success - would never come. Andy and Brendan will return in 2026 for another year of covering the amusing, inane, and irreverent moments from professional golf.
It's time to sprint through the finish line... kinda. Andy, Brendan!, Kevin Van Valkenburg, and PJ return for what may be the final installment of 2025's Year in Review, spanning from the Travelers Championship through Scottie Scheffler's win at The Open. Before the five-event recap begins, Andy is given ample time to celebrate a Victory Sunday (and Monday!) following the biggest Bears win in years on Saturday night. He talks plenty of smack about a Packers team that the Bears may see again in a playoff game very soon and anoints Caleb Williams as the best quarterback in the NFC North. Fear not, as there is a Nico Echavarria Minute to even things out later in this episode! Part 9 of The 2025 Year in Review begins with KVV handling the Travelers Championship, which was a triumphant week for his man Keegan Bradley and yet another collapse by Tommy Fleetwood. Brian Rolapp also burst on the scene with the official news of his hire as the PGA Tour's new CEO. Brendan picks things up at the Rocket Classic where podcast favorite Aldrich Potgieter won a never-ending playoff at a bomber's paradise in Detroit. LIV Dallas also ended in a playoff, won by Patrick Reed, but Bryson DeChambeau managed to be the star of the show anyway at his hometown event. The John Deere Classic featured another playoff at the end, but PJ instead focuses on a group of "olds" complaining about equity stakes in PGA Tour Enterprises as the biggest news of the week. Patrick Roy's son, Kevin, also provided what may be this podcast's Tweet of the Year! Andy then slips in a "Nico Minute" while discussing Chris Gotterup's breakout win at the Scottish Open. He also shares some enlightening quotes from Scottie Scheffler on links golf and Rory McIlroy's public detonation of PGA Frisco. The Open Championship is a team effort, with KVV handling the pre-tournament days of "Nihilist Scottie" and yet another newsworthy caddie-player breakup. Andy researches Thursday and Friday in Portrush, reminding folks of some early leaders like Jacob Skov Olesen and other Storylines Nobody's Talking About from that week. Remember when Matthew Jordan defeated par? Finally, Brendan brings us home as he walks through Scottie Scheffler's coronation and an emotional weekend for Rory McIlroy in his home country. That'll do it for Andy and Brendan on the feed in 2025, but "The Boys" have been tasked with giving Mr. 1,000 his just due after the powers that be decided to end their 2025 Year in Review at Royal Portrush.
This installment of The 2025 Year in Review does NOT contain any unforeseen interruptions but DOES start with a good, old-fashioned Football Minute! Andy is on the road but joins Brendan and PJ for a quick segment regarding a possible Bears move to Gary, Indiana. Andy cannot believe that Kevin Warren would sit awake in his bed and send this open letter on the week of the biggest game in years. The three also share some thoughts on the first-ever "Golf Channel Games" and find that the format might be the best "alt-golf" viewer experience yet. Unfortunately for the broadcast and its advertisers, no one was suckered into wagering on the event. Andy departs for his own mega-podcast session with Tom Doak, leaving Brendan and PJ to carry the baton for this look back at May and June. PJ begins with the Charles Schwab Challenge, a week where the olds took over both Colonial (on the PGA Tour) and Congressional Country Club (on the Senior Tour). He recaps his drive to DC to take in the Senior PGA in-person and provides plenty of Don Rea content for those wanting more from Part 7. Brendan then heads to "Jack's Place," now a proper noun on big letter hats, for the Memorial presented by Workday. Ben Griffin couldn't go back-to-back starts with a win as he was chased down by - who else? - Scottie Scheffler. Rickie Fowler also used his sponsor exemption for good, qualifying for The Open with a top-ten finish! Joseph LaMagna then joins the recording as PJ shares Cameron Young's triumph at U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying and his ensuing close call at the Canadian Open. The Canadian Open also featured the pro debut of Luke Clanton, who was being treated like Cooper Flagg by the PGA Tour ahead of this momentous occasion. Finally, Brendan, PJ, and Joseph recap the third men's major of the year, the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. They discuss the first-ever episodes of Lunch With The Boys, so much "Championship Rain," and J.J. Spaun's movies of choice, among other amusements from the week. Monday's episode will be a mega-recording as we attempt to finish the Open Championship ahead of Christmas!
In a plot twist that absolutely no one saw coming, Don Rea is somehow NOT the star of this episode recapping the 2025 PGA Championship. Masters winner Rory McIlroy joins Andy, Brendan!, KVV, and PJ to share some thoughts about his own historic year. Rory discusses the Masters win that made him a grand slam champion, his recent travels to Australia, the 2025 Ryder Cup, and much, much more. He even breaks some HUGE TGL news that may lead to one (1) Ballfrog win in 2026! After committing to a future appearance on "Lunch With The Boys," Rory departs and sets the stage for a look back at the 2025 PGA Championship: The Rise of Rea. Andy is tasked with researching the early-week festivities, including dumping rain and a sparsely-attended champions dinner. He then transitions to the main event: Tuesday's press conference featuring Derek Sprague, Kerry Haigh, and Don Rea Jr. Andy reads quotes from our live show from that very day, remembering when PGA members were referred to as "first responders" and recalling his own investigative journalism from a phone call to Augusta Ranch. Kevin Van Valkenburg picks things up for the first two days of play, detailing a leaderboard that prominently featured Jhonattan Vegas, Cam Davis, and Ryan Gerard. Mudballs run rampant after days of rain at Quail Hollow and players like Xander, Scottie, and more are very unhappy! KVV also has the honor of presenting on this year's installment of Blockie-mania, as Michael Block missed the cut after a decent first round. Brendan brings this episode home as he chronicles Scottie Scheffler's dominant Saturday performance that resulted in his third major championship. The 2025 Year in Review, although delayed, will continue on Friday!
Despite the almost four-hour runtime of Part 5, the show must go on as the self-imposed Christmas deadline inches closer and closer. Andy and Brendan are once again joined by PJ and KVV to chat through a set of four events following Rory's win at the Masters. Before the Year in Review gets back underway, the four recap this week's biggest news: Alejandro Tosti's performance at PGA Tour Q-School. Everyone is giddy to have Tosti back for another season on the big tour and they commend him for fighting through Q-School for a second time. Andy, Brendan, and Kevin also discuss some late-breaking golf news regarding the National Links Trust and the Trump administration's plan to renovate the three public golf courses in Washington D.C. The Year in Review resumes with a look back at the RBC Heritage and the immediate wake of one of the greatest wins in golf history. PJ runs through a week's worth of Rory reactions before unveiling the important stuff, such as Grant Horvat's Barracuda exemption (unused) and Wesley Bryan's PGA Tour suspension (still seemingly ongoing). Justin Thomas returned to the winner's circle in Hilton Head, getting over the finish line for the first time since the 2022 PGA Championship. Andy is next up with the Zurich Classic, where Rory McIlroy made his return to golf in a team event alongside Shane Lowry. Andy rediscovers the backboarding that occurred at a disastrous Chevron Championship and the power outage that led to the golf world being exposed to a Champions Tour Sunday on national TV. He also shares that one of the great technological achievements of our time happened this week! Brendan has the honor of recapping PGA Tour history, as Scottie Scheffler burned down TPC Craig T. Nelson Ranch and tied the all-time scoring record in a runaway win. All that may be great, but Brendan is most excited about the children in attendance chanting while a bulldozer wrecked the practice green ahead of Lanny's renovation. KVV comes in to close things out again, handling the first-ever Truist Championship. His findings lead the group down a rabbit-hole of past HSBC photo shoots, complete with a flying Henrik Stenson and Yao Ming. The 2025 Year in Review returns on Wednesday with the long-awaited Rise of Rea.
Less than halfway through this podcast, Andy asks the assembled group if this will be the "longest episode ever." As you could probably imagine, he was right. Per usual, he's joined by Brendan!, KVV, and PJ as they finally get through the first major of 2025 for the annual Year in Review. KVV, or more accurately known as "K-J Hawk," starts off the show with a recap of the Valspar Championship. He closes out the Florida Swing with notes from Viktor Hovland's improbable win in a Sunday duel against Justin Thomas before Andy and Brendan run through the two Texas events preceding the Masters. At the Texas Children's Houston Open, Dr. Chipinski didn't make any calls late on Sunday but was able to secure a big win over Gary Woodland, Scottie Scheffler, and Alejandro Tosti. Andy also has the honor of recapping the first-ever TGL Finals during Houston week, which leads to a debate about re-naming the SoFi Dome after Billy Horschel. Brendan is tasked with detailing Brian Harman's runaway win at the Valero Texas Open, but is also sure to note that the Cleeks were "trying to become the Yankees" and plenty of other LIV news from the tour's week in Miami. The last two hours of this episode are spent recapping "the tournament of a lifetime," the 2025 Masters. Andy, Brendan, and Kevin each share the biggest moments and memories from different parts of the week, resulting in a comprehensive recap of Rory McIlroy's triumphant completion of the career grand slam. Using their on-the-ground insights and usual research findings, the three provide a detailed picture of one of the great moments in golf history. The 2025 Year in Review will return on Monday as the dawn on Don Rea inches closer and closer.
The Year in Review returns after a week off and things are still moving at a snail's pace. Per usual, Andy has real concerns about finishing this eighth installment up before Christmas or even the start of 2026, but the group soldiers on despite some wanting to "pull a Notre Dame." This episode begins with a bevy of golf news, far too much for the second week in December. Andy, Brendan, KVV, and PJ discuss a potential LIV departure by Brooks Koepka, TGL's new trading card deal, and the 10th anniversary of Fried Egg Golf. Brendan repeatedly attempts to transition to the Year in Review, but Andy holds him up with a burning desire to unpack Philip Rivers signing with the Indianapolis Colts. Finally, as promised, the Arnold Palmer Invitational recap gets underway! Brendan recalls NBC missing the shot that won the tournament, a chip by Russell Henley on the 16th hole to take the lead over Collin Morikawa, as well as Morikawa's ensuing media controversy. THE PLAYERS is next up on the schedule, complete with Tosti Tales, a Will Zalatoris sighting, J.J. Spaun's rise toward the U.S. Open, and another Rory win. Andy, Brendan, and PJ all contribute with on-site memories from a week in the swamp resulting in a segment that goes so long that the Valspar is pushed to Friday's episode. Will we get to the Masters this week? Stay tuned to find out!
For the first time in six weeks, this is NOT a Victory Monday episode of The Shotgun Start. Andy and Brendan are both deflated after losses by the Bears and Browns but at least a great weekend of professional golf made up for it! Despite zero wins, a Football Minute kicks off the show with plenty of ranting and raving about the College Football Playoff and its selection process. To tie this back to golf, Andy ponders which golfer would "pull a Notre Dame" by taking their ball and going home after not getting an exemption into an event. After that detour, the Australian Open is first up on the weekend recap. The two focus on how to make this event the fourth men's major instead of the PGA and wonder whether a new date on the schedule would convince more top players to make the trip down under. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen picked up his biggest win to date and an invite to next year's Masters. Cam Smith and Adam Scott also popped on the leaderboard in their home country to secure some OWGR points and in Scott's case, a spot in the 2026 Open. The Nordic takeover continued at the Nedbank where Kristoffer Reitan withstood some heat from Dan Bradbury to shore up his own trip to Augusta in April. Finally, Andy and Brendan begrudgingly discuss the Hero World Challenge. Wyndham Clark was unhappy with the conditions at this "hit-and-giggle" event and Tiger joined his Jup Links teammate Kevin Kisner in the booth to reminisce about Kisner's infamous bunker shot at the SoFi Dome. After another sleepy tournament week, Andy and Brendan are left wondering why this event even exists. After a brief bit of news, PJ is called on to unpack a bizarre Skechers World Champions Cup and his trip to Madison Square Garden to watch the Utah Jazz's great young core. The 2025 Year in Review (probably) resumes on Wednesday!
A good old-fashioned Whiparound Friday episode kicks off the first weekend of December. Andy and Brendan are pleased with the early returns from Wednesday's "Save the Mules" campaign, which launched with its very own PSA! TGL is also raising awareness for its second season with a social media video featuring new architect Gil Hanse. Gil walked out of the player tunnel in an empty SoFi Dome, creating a piece of content that will last a lifetime. Andy and Brendan bat around ideas about how this video came to be and what we may be able to expect from Hanse's designs on the big screen. In more TGL news, the league announced its newest drink sponsor on Thursday in a moved that stirred up early-2000s memories. There is actual golf being played this week in the Bahamas and South Africa, but the main focus of this podcast is on the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne. The two share their thoughts after watching the first round of the event and wish that the world's top players had more chances to play these types of courses across the globe. For a last piece of Friday news, Jordan Spieth told Adam Schpak that he's planning to play his way into 2026 Signature Events and "does not want" to use exemptions anymore.
It's time to put the Year in Review on pause for a loaded week of golf in December. Andy and Brendan are relieved to be talking about current events and the content gods have delivered, providing nuggets spanning from Bethpage to the Bahamas. They begin with the Hero World Challenge and its host "Doctor" Munjal. Brendan calls for an early Thirstbucket of the Week following his yearly media availability in Albany and questions what he's a doctor of after all. PJ chimes in with some quick research finding that his doctorates may or may not be honorary, leading Andy to refer to him as "Mr. Munjal" for the rest of the show. Tiger Woods also spoke on Tuesday about his playing future and the future of the PGA Tour. He stayed in line with reports about Brian Rolapp's 20-event schedule coming as soon as 2027 and confirmed that he'll be OUT for Jup Links in the first half of the TGL season. Brian Rolapp found himself in front of a microphone last week and made sure to mention that the "middle class matters," which is sure to put the minds of mules at ease. In more from the Ryder Cup that will never end, Justin Thomas appeared on the No Laying Up podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the American loss at Bethpage. Within the interview, JT took exception to the green speeds at The People's Country Club and said that they were not what Keegan Bradley asked for. He stated that "they" argued with the Americans about the speed, which was aggregated to no end on social media. On the very (too?) busy Schedule for the Week, the Hero has brought in outside help for its Pro-Am, Rory is teeing it up at Royal Melbourne with Dr. Chipinski, and Will Zalatoris makes his return at the Nedbank in South Africa. With almost all of the world's top players in action this week, Andy and Brendan wonder if there are some scheduling issues that lead to three tournaments spreading out the top-end talent as opposed to getting them all in one place to compete against each other. Lastly, the Skechers World Champions Cup will somehow air on ESPN and ABC this weekend, so PJ has a full primer ready to go for those tuning in for their first Champs Tour action of the year. Friday's episode will contain a full, detailed discussion about TGL's Gil Hanse intro video that set Golf Twitter ablaze on Tuesday afternoon.
A Year in Review episode on the first of the month, AND it's a Victory Monday? Andy and Brendan are in high spirits following the holiday weekend and are joined by KVV and PJ for the third installment of the 2025 Year in Review. For those unaware, the date is December 1 and the Chicago Bears are atop the NFC standings. Andy can't believe what he's seeing and is still rolling following a big Black Friday win over the defending Super Bowl champions. The crew discusses David Puig's win at the Australian PGA and some other assorted notes from the first of two weeks down under for the DP World Tour before moving on to the Year in Review. KVV gets called in from the bullpen to handle the WM Phoenix Open to kick things off. He regales his audience with tales of Andy selling off property on "Just a Guyland" before Spieth popped at TPC Scottsdale and dives into LIV's 2025 kickoff in Riyadh. Brendan then takes the baton and looks back on a "muted" Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines. This event moved from Riviera due to the LA fires and was the week after Tiger's mom passed away, leading to a more subdued event than usual. Andy brightens the mood by unpacking the TGL Presidents' Day marathon and what was perhaps the true "Event of the Year," the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld. Everyone takes a great amount of joy as the pillow fight of a playoff between Brian Campbell and Aldrich Potgieter is pored over in great detail. Lastly, PJ closes out this episode with some more TGL memories, including the league's first-ever one day signing and Brendan's second trip to the SoFi Dome. Jake Knapp's big week at the Cognizant Classic is also discussed, but the true news of the week came in the form of letters to Sam Saunders regarding exemptions into the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. We will put the Year in Review on pause for a few shows as pro golf heads to one of the world's finest courses for the Australian Open and PGA Tour stars will tee it up at the Hero World Challenge this week.
The Year in Review rolls on with this second installment covering the penultimate Farmers Insurance Open and Rory McIlroy's win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Recording this episode well before its release, Brendan and Andy wonder how they'll be feeling on Friday morning as you're listening to this after a day of turkey and football. With the addition of TGL to the early-year golf calendar, these weeks have taken longer to review causing this episode to focus on just two events. PJ jumps in to handle the Farmers at Torrey Pines. Sure, Harris English won his fifth PGA Tour event, but the true highlight of this week was Billy Horschel's TGL debut. PJ recaps the Atlanta Drive's first-ever victory, as well as some important interviews from PGA of America leaders (not the one you're thinking of... yet). Andy then is tasked with presenting on Rory's win at one of golf's great venues, Pebble Beach. This week marked the return of both Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth from injury, as well as Bryson DeChambeau's content-filled trip to DLF in India. Part 3 of the 2025 Year in Review will be in your feeds for Monday morning!
It's time to be thankful for all that golf gave us in 2025. Andy and Brendan return for the always-dreaded (yet eventually enjoyable) exercise known as the Year in Review, back for its EIGHTH season! The two take a very quick look at this week's schedule and preview the return of the Skins Game as well as the first of two weeks in Australia before the long-awaited Year in Review gets underway. This installment, per usual, begins with The Sentry as Brendan remembers what may be the final PGA Tour event at Kapalua. He shares all the bits and pieces that come with the start of a new year, including equipment changes for Max Homa, the PGA Tour's new studio space, and Hideki's record-breaking week in Hawaii. Andy then jumps in to tackle the Sony Open, which ended in a playoff between two podcast favorites after J.J. Spaun fumbled in regulation. Andy also has the honor of introducing TGL to the Year in Review as the indoor league kicked off with an NYGC loss to The Bay. Brendan rounds out Part 1 by covering the "Tank Slam" at a glacially slow American Express and Tiger's TGL debut in the SoFi Dome. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the 2025 Year in Review coming Friday morning for your holiday weekend travels.
It’s Victory Monday on the Shotgun Start! Andy and Brendan are without PJ as the young lad takes in a Lions-Giants game. They get into the Big Fin, Sami Valimaki winning the RSM Classic and some amusing comments from DL3 about the next 15 years at the event where no changes are planned. They also discuss the bubble boys, including one Jordan Spieth, who missed the AON Next 10 by less than a point but will likely get a sponsor’s spot anyways to Pebble Beach. There’s a rousing LIV segment after Jose Ballester won the Saudi International and the hot stove heated up, including some Asian Tour grads, an Abe Ancer trade, and unsub rumors on a run at a potential Magic Stick. There’s also an amusing detail from some recent LIV GM meetings. They close with the LPGA’s CME Championship and an underwhelming season getting a deserving winner in Jeeno Thitikul. They also discuss the momentum the LPGA might have with Craig Kessler and how they can bottle it for some long term success and stability.
Brendan! returns to host this Friday episode and begins by picking Andy's brain about a morning spent at the DMV. This conversation quickly evolves into a debate about different kinds of gasoline and why the "middle" level of gas even exists. If anyone out there happens to own a gas station, please let us know your thoughts on this matter. Speaking of "gas", Rico Hoey is continuing his fall swing heater with a share of the first round lead at the RSM Classic. Andy does some Big J Journalism and investigates whether Hoey will be eligible for the International Presidents Cup team and finds out that he is, in fact, eligible to take down Scottie Scheffler at Medinah in September 2026. The two then run down the Top 100 Bubble Boys as the FedEx Cup season finally comes to a close, mentioning that podcast favorites like Matt Kuchar and the "Beau-rista" may be on the outside looking in for full status. "AI Minute" returns with Andy reading off the Google Gemini suggestions for someone googling Matt Kuchar's age. They then check in on the Tour's "Players to Watch", most of whom are struggling after Thursday's round. Brendon Todd was not one of the five highlighted by the Tour, but "Todd Watch" returns anyway for a quick minute. Brendan then shifts to the biggest news coming out of the RSM, some comments from Harris English about a potential PGA Tour schedule change. English claims that the Tour is discussing starting after the Super Bowl and running a 20-event season. Andy and Brendan discuss the impact this would have on the "A Tour" and "B Tour" setups, as well as major markets that would likely host a new tournament under this structure. Andy brings in a "former NFL executive" (PJ) to share some thoughts on a move to an NFL-like schedule under Brian Rolapp, another very famous ex-NFL exec. PJ is also prompted to preview an upcoming "Lunch with The Boys" episode featuring recurring guest Cameron Young. Through two rounds, Caleb Surratt is doing Caleb Surratt things at the Saudi International, but Anthony Kim is close behind him on the leaderboard! Brendan and Andy then unpack a bit of the LPGA's 2026 schedule changes before wrapping things up with the latest from Notah on Tiger's future competitive plans.
Andy is joined by "The Boys" for this final Wednesday show of the 2025 PGA Tour season! Brendan is off at Pinehurst in protest of the RSM Classic, his least favorite PGA Tour event, so PJ and Joseph LaMagna step in to preview the fall swing finale. PGA Tour Comms put out an unhinged list of five "Players to Watch" for the RSM which prompts a guessing game to kick off the show. Andy then goes down the list of every winner of the event and wonders if this is the worst winner's list of any full-field PGA Tour event. Although he's not a "Player to Watch," U.S. Am winner Mason Howell is in the field and playing with Davis Love III for the first two rounds. The CME Group Tour Championship rounds out a big week of LPGA news. Every round of the 2026 season will be broadcast on live TV with more cameras and microphones on the course to help facilitate this. Andy issues an apology for misidentifying Brooke Matthews as the winner of the Lamborghini on Monday's episode and quizzes PJ and Joseph on whether they'd even want the car after an ace. 43 LIV golfers will tee it up at the PIF Saudi International for some coffee golf in the U.S., but they're all dwarfed by Sampson Zheng for the purposes of this podcast (and the soundboard). LIV's offseason is underway and the first PGA Tour defection is in the books with Victor Perez heading to the Cleeks. Martin Kaymer is ecstatic about this acquisition and gave some glowing quotes about how Perez will further elevate the Cleeks brand. The three pitch some other LIV hot stove transactions, including two offers for one of the brightest young golf stars in the world! In news, former LIV star Henrik Stenson paid his DPWT fines and will be back on the tour for 2025 in some capacity. Andy wonders if this is all a ploy to get a second chance at a Ryder Cup captaincy now that the Euro pipeline seems dry. The Augusta Hooters was demolished on Tuesday but PJ already has a plan for another interview with John Daly next year. Finally, there's some general sports chatter to round out this episode with notes on the Colts, LeBron James, and a takedown of WWE.
This is once again a Victory Monday episode of The Shotgun Start as Caleb Williams led a game-winning drive in Minnesota to push the Bears to 7-3 on the year. Andy is absolutely buzzing following the divisional win but was even more excited about the finish of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship on Sunday morning. Adam Schenk hung on against 40 mph winds to secure his first PGA Tour win and guarantee his status for the 2026 season. Andy and Brendan run through an incredible Sunday of television as Tour veterans and young players battled the elements on a small island in the middle of the ocean. They pitch that maybe the Butterfield should be a Signature Event to give fans a chance to watch the best players in the world try to figure out the wind patterns for four days of competition. Not to be outdone, the DP World Tour Championship went to a playoff between Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick. Fitz ended up with the win, putting a bow on a season that had him fall outside the top 80 in OWGR only to now have him back inside the top 25 heading into the new year. Andy and Brendan then take a look at the "Year of Rory" following his seventh Race to Dubai title, passing Seve's mark for second place all time. Potential Ryder Cup captain Stewart Cink chased down Steven Alker in Phoenix to become the first player since 2017 to win both the Schwab Cup Championship and the season-long honors. Champions Tour Minute also includes some Tiger Woods chatter following a Golfweek article published on Friday about his potential involvement on the senior circuit in 2026. This episode closes with a brief bit of news involving a back surgery for Justin Thomas that will keep him out of action for the first part of next season.
This Friday morning recording covers a variety of topics, stretching from a hypothetical Matthew Jordan comeback at the DPWT Championship to a preview of a Bears-Browns game happening five weeks from now. We begin with a Football Minute following another Jets primetime loss. Andy forces PJ to apologize for forcing America to watch Justin Fields in a standalone game, something that he has done on this podcast many times. Andy and Brendan quickly pivot to the Butterfield Bermuda Championship where Adam Hadwin had the early lead. The two use Hadwin fighting for his card as an example of the new cutthroat PGA Tour rules and a proof of concept for what the fall swing should be. Mid-Am Will Haddrell, previously mentioned on Wednesday's episode, looks to be in position to make the cut and maybe even beat Michael Brennan! In Dubai, the European Ryder Cup team is off to the races in the final event of the DP World Tour season. Nicolai Hojgaard leads at the halfway point over the likes of Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, and Rory McIlroy. Andy compares the leaderboard in Dubai to the Butterfield leaderboard for a good chuckle before asking if a Patrick Reed or Matthew Jordan comeback win would do more for content. The Internet Invitational wrapped up last night with over 200,000 live viewers tuning in for the finale. Andy and Brendan discuss the reach of the tournament and compare the viewer numbers to what the Butterfield may produce this weekend. Kai Trump's LPGA debut produced plenty of viewers on social media as she carded an 83 in the first round at the ANNIKA. Brendan gives some credit to Trump for beating the offshore gambling lines and says it was a "not-horrendous" score given the circumstances. This leads into another wider discussion about what sponsor exemptions should be used for in golf and whether someone like Internet Invitational star Brad Dalke is worthy of one in a PGA Tour event. Andy highlights that other popular sports do not need something like a sponsor exemption to bring in eyeballs. The Champions Tour is playing four rounds this week at Phoenix Country Club and some hecklers have surfaced following Bernhard Langer around the event. Two patrons are unhappy with Langer's potential "anchoring" and have t-shirts and the rulebook to prove their point. This episode ends with a Golf Advice question that could be straight out of a "Curb Your Enthusiasm" script that has Andy yelling about aces again.
Andy and Brendan! are joined by "The Boys" for this Wednesday episode in honor of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Andy is especially jazzed after a big Packers loss on national TV moving the Bears into a tie for first place in the NFC North. He attempts to once again besmirch Aaron Rodgers but quickly is moved to golf talk with a loaded schedule of events to discuss. Brendan attempts to deem the Butterfield as the "Event of the Week" but is shamed into giving it to the Schwab Cup Finals by Andy as a nod to PJ's continued Champions Tour coverage. Andy, Brendan, and Joseph LaMagna run through the field in Bermuda and Brendan shares his investigation into how some amateurs found their way into the event. The DP World Tour finals are next up on the "Schedule of the Week," with Rory McIlroy poised to secure yet another Race to Dubai win. The DPWT announced the new "Rory McIlroy Award" on Tuesday, now given to the European with the best performance across a year's four majors. To Brendan and PJ's surprise, Joseph reveals that Rory is ineligible for this award, leading to questions about why this even exists. The ANNIKA Driven by Gainbridge at the Pelican has made plenty of headlines due to a Kai Trump sponsor exemption and Caitlin Clark's Pro-Am round having extended coverage on Golf Channel. Finally, PJ previews the Charles Schwab Cup Championship as the 2025 Champions Tour season comes to a close. Andy makes plans for next year's swan song at Phoenix Country Club that involves PJ running a 5K race to raise money for colon cancer research. There's a brief discussion of some news surrounding the now-announced teams for the "Golf Channel Games," but Joseph isn't sure what to make of this made-for-TV spectacle. "The Boys" are then put on the hot seat by Andy and Brendan as they're quizzed about the future of "Lunch with The Boys," the Indianapolis Colts, and more.
Much to the dismay of one YouTube commenter, Andy declares this as yet another Victory Monday episode! He's excited about the latest Bears comeback win but instead eggs Brendan and PJ on to discuss the Tank Bowl between the Jets and Browns on Sunday. After a quick recap of the misery at the Meadowlands, Andy and Brendan move into a weekend recap of all things pro golf. "Benny Booms" secured his third win of the calendar year at the World Wide Technology Championship with a 63 on Sunday, moving into the OWGR top ten and bumping Collin Morikawa out. Griffin's breakout 2025 is discussed at length, and Andy and Brendan try to figure out how likely he is to win a major next season. On the DP World Tour, Aaron Rai took down Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff at the HSBC Abu Dhabi to win the first playoff event. Rory McIlroy made things interesting with a 62 on Sunday, falling one shot short of the playoff. Brendan credits Rory for staying in the fight after a season full of wins which may make a random DPWT event seem somewhat meaningless. The rains did NOT bless the LPGA's Toto Japan Classic. Weather caused the final round to be stopped while it was in progress and the tournament reverted back to the 54 hole scores as the final leaderboard. This led to a playoff conducted on a makeshift 130-yard "par 3" that was actually a rain-soaked par 5. Andy pleads with the LPGA's new commissioner to fix the league's recurring issues and maybe consider playing more events in Asia due to great fan turnouts. Min Woo Lee announced that he will be playing on the PGA Tour for 2026, putting to bed any rumors of his departure for a LIV contract. This Dr. Chipinski storyline segues nicely into some TGL talk before NFL Minute rounds out this episode with a new Andy conspiracy about Aaron Rodgers.
This Friday episode brings a game of Quote Roulette and the conclusion of the first-ever "Draft Week" to start your weekend. Brendan is ready to skip forward to Sunday afternoon's big Jets-Browns tilt at MetLife Stadium with rumors swirling that he may meet up with PJ to watch the game in-person. Andy and Brendan run through the early leaderboards for the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship and World Wide Technology Championship before diving into press conference clippings from around the world. Rory McIlroy wasn't impressed by LIV's move to 72 holes and doesn't think they'll be getting too many OWGR points as things currently stand. Lee Westwood took exception to these remarks by the Masters champion, saying that Rory may change his mind next week on whatever he said anyway. Westy believes that the LIV fans are the biggest winners of this "innovation" as they'll be seeing an extra day of golf! Paul McGinley spoke to Bunkered about the impending DP World Tour fine decision on players like Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. McGinley believes there are larger things at play for the future of the DP World Tour's existence and acknowledges that making Ryder Cup players be members is one of few cards the Euro circuit has left. Perhaps most importantly, there was some late-night beef between Joe Mayo and the Short Game Chef on Instagram on Wednesday night. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Mayo started a grease fire in the Chef's kitchen, airing out some past texts and conversations and calling out the Chef's teachings. Andy and Brendan are giddy about this long-winded IG caption and lose it when Joseph LaMagna joins in to share a comment about "extra Mayo." Lastly, the President of the PGA of America spoke to the 31,000 or 34,000 or 37,000 members this week and apologized for "harming the association" in past months. We play the audio of this apology and have added it to the soundboard. "Draft Week" wraps up with a double whammy and a new guest: Joseph joins Andy, Brendan, and PJ to draft 2026 Pro Golf Venues AND the best players in the world age 28-and-younger.
"Draft Week" continues on this Wednesday episode as Andy, Brendan, and PJ pick their favorite PGA Tour events of 2025. Speaking of draft picks, the show kicks off with Andy immediately having PJ answer for an explosive trade deadline for the 1-7 Jets. The Jets choosing to stockpile future draft picks rather than have actually good players on the current roster is quickly tied into golf and the constant need to find "who's next." Michael Brennan could be "next," and he's back in action this week as the PGA Tour heads to Mexico for the Worldwide Technologies Championship. Andy and Brendan briefly discuss the field for the event, including Brennan, Ben Griffin, and U.S. Open champ J.J. Spaun. The DP World Tour playoffs begin this week with Rory, Tommy, and more teeing it up at Yas Links for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Brendan mentions the event's defending champion, Paul Waring, which leads to a guessing game on Waring's 2025 PGA Tour earnings. There was some real, substantial golf news on Wednesday afternoon as it was announced that LIV Golf will begin playing 72-hole tournaments in 2026. Andy and Brendan find great humor in the fact that this is being spun as "innovation" and the next phase of growing the game, despite now being the same as the PGA Tour. They discuss whether the top players will start to separate themselves even more given another 18 holes at every event, and also mention some new trademarks filed by the league for potential team names. The back half of this episode contains a bit of a Year in Review appetizer in the form of a Best 2025 Events Draft. The three briefly look back at the year and select their favorite highlights from the PGA Tour schedule and a few wildcards.
It's "Draft Week" here at The Shotgun Start! Andy and Brendan went LIVE on YouTube for this Monday episode, kicking things off with an NFL Minute celebrating a miraculous win by the Bears on Sunday afternoon. Andy is riding high while Brendan is down in the dumps about his Commies and the latest Jayden Daniels injury. Having just re-signed with Smash GC, Graeme McDowell is NOT down in the dumps and instead is positioning himself for a run as the European Ryder Cup captain in 2027. Speaking to Bunkered, McDowell said that he'd like to be the "olive branch" that brings European golf back together and that the divisiveness in the game has come from the top players and not guys like him trying to "eke out a living." Andy and Brendan go off on these quotes, citing McDowell's LIV earnings and reported signing bonus and wondering why he's no longer a DP World Tour member, which seems to be a disqualifying factor in being the next captain. In other LIV/DP World Tour news, Tom McKibbin went wire-to-wire in Hong Kong to secure an invite to the 2026 Masters and an exemption into the Open Championship. Brendan suggests LIV should prop McKibbin up as the prime example of playing a worldwide schedule that still allows pathways into the major championships that do not involve OWGR points. Andy then debuts the much-anticipated 2026 TGL Power Rankings as the league approaches season two. Who does he have ranked first? You'll have to listen to find out! "Draft Week" then gets underway as Andy, Brendan, and PJ draft players as if they were handing out sponsor exemptions to their own tournaments. This popularity-focused draft goes for more rounds than expected, allowing for some insane picks to come into play by the end. To close things out, the "Internet Invitational" is briefly discussed after Andy watched the first week's episodes on Halloween night.
Start your Halloweekend with some listener-submitted costumes! Brendan kicks off this episode by sharing a few "Feedback Friday" emails with Andy, including one about getting caught playing behind a "golf influencer shooting content at a Bay Area course" this week. Andy comes to the defense of this anonymous content creator, providing some reasons for why said creator was perhaps playing slowly. Brendan also reveals a follow-up email from The Great Manassero's trip to San Diego a few weeks ago. In end-of-week golf news, Jordan Spieth has received one last 2025 sponsor exemption and the LIV offseason is in full swing. Bryson DeChambeau is reportedly in re-negotiations for a new contract with the league and it was announced that players will have a pathway to starts next season through the International Series and a "Q-School" event in Tampa this winter. Gary Player made headlines after declaring himself the third-best golfer ever and Andy believes this can-do attitude is what made the Black Knight so great in the first place. PJ then joins in to help Brendan run through the listener submissions for this year's Halloween costume contest. Highlights include someone actually dressing up as PJ, and hypothetical costumes such as "Collin Morikawa's dog," "Championship Rain," "PGA Tour Comms," "Tony Jacklin looking for equity," and much more. Flashback Friday with KVV sends this episode home, as Kevin stops by to enlighten Andy and Brendan about the exploits of "Crazy" Marty Furgol, a former Ryder Cupper and the final winner of the El Paso Open.
Andy and Brendan! once again went LIVE on YouTube for one of the best days of the year: the annual golf Halloween costumes episode. Before diving into some ideas celebrating the best in golf for 2025, the two quickly run through the Schedule for the Week containing just two events for the final week in October. They then move to some recent news, highlighting Kai Trump's LPGA sponsor exemption into The Annika in November. Andy and Brendan call out the continued use of sponsor exemptions on all tours and note that this could not be a an actual competitive exemption. Elsewhere on the LPGA, the Grant Thornton Invitational teams are out, pairing FSU studs Lottie Woad and Luke Clanton, Canadians Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners, and more. For the last bit of news, it was announced that the Old Course will be adding new tees in an effort to make the course longer for the 155th Open. This opens the floodgates for a discussion about the distance problem in golf with Brendan calling this a "five-alarm fire" that should not be celebrated by media and fans alike. PJ is tapped to explain the 2026 Champions Tour schedule that may - or may not - have Tiger Woods in its plans before Andy forces him to rank his top five Halloween candies. The three then present their golf-adjacent Halloween costume ideas, covering subjects like Lucas "King of Takes" Glover, Happy Gilmore*, the Crentist, Keegan Bradley's suitcase, and much, much more. Listener submissions will be read and judged on Friday's episode for a gift card to the Fried Egg Golf Pro Shop.
A voiceless Andy joins Brendan! for a Monday morning recording that opens with an all-time story about stolen groceries and freezing ground turkey that isn't yours. After they unpack the unpacking of someone's fridge, the two discuss the latest young winner in pro golf, Michael Brennan. Brennan, the top player on the PGA Tour Americas this year, will skip the Korn Ferry Tour after his runaway win at the Bank of Utah Championship. Andy and Brendan commend Brennan for his performance off-the-tee and note that the venue of Black Desert allowed for the top player to separate from the pack and cruise to a win on Sunday. PJ shares an amusing note from the broadcast that may get some Halloween costume ideas flowing after hearing that Brennan dressed up as Rickie Fowler as a kid. Elsewhere in golf, Steven Alker is the new "Mr. October" AND the new Schwab Cup No. 1 after a big win at the Simmons Bank Championship. Brendan tuned in for some banter between Zinger and Tommy Gainey, who did just enough to secure a place in the Schwab Cup finals and full status for 2026. Andy has some takeaways from watching some late-night International Crown and flags that a former Ryder Cup player is coming for a spot at Adare Manor after this week's DP World Tour event. Fifa Laopakdee won the Asia-Pacific Am, scoring an invite to next year's Masters. ANGC Chairman Fred Ridley spoke at the event and condemned the Ryder Cup fan behavior, which segued nicely into a unsubstantiated rumor about everyone's favorite PGA of America leader. In other news, DJ has re-upped with the 4Aces after his glowing comments about LIV last week and TGL's LAGC got some new investment from an AL Central ownership group that's been reportedly lowballing their Cy Young Award winner. Our annual Halloween costumes episode will be out Wednesday, so submit your ideas to [email protected] now!
Brendan! is joined by "The Boys" for a Friday episode recorded in the aftermath of the latest NBA gambling scandal. Brendan, Joseph LaMagna, and PJ run through an overview of the news involving Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier before wondering if pro golf is inevitably set up for a scandal of its own. Joseph suggests that player head-to-head markets for a single round would be the way that this would happen and PJ has already dubbed the FBI sting as "Operation Al-BET-ross." Joseph also details the difference between regulated markets and unregulated markets in sports gambling and how each could potentially lend itself to issues like the ones hitting the NBA. The three debate who would be the most surprising name to get caught up in a golf scandal before moving on to an update on the Bank of Utah Championship. Joseph believes this tournament is better than a handful of Signature Events and applauds the Tour for putting a "featured group" on the clock on Thursday morning. PJ shares an amusing comment from PGA Tour Live comparing Aldrich Potgieter to an all-time great as well. On the leaderboard, Thorbjorn Olesen found himself in the lead at the time of recording which provided plenty of joy for all involved in this recording. Brendan asks Joseph whether he's excited to attend the Good Good Championship in Austin next November after the announcement that the YouTubers will bring back "Big Break" to television. Joseph points out that Austin is "influencer city," so maybe Good Good has found the right market for its brand. The Sentry is officially canceled for 2026, but Kapalua is back open in mid-November anyway! The Sony Open will now kick off the 2026 season, and maybe rookies will actually make their way into the field. TGL unveiled its new green for the second season of the indoor league. Brendan is debating whether there's too much auxiliary golf content but The Boys are excited that Cameron Young has a chance to break his own record for the longest putt in TGL history. Brendan wraps up this episode with one quick Golf Advice question regarding a "Just A Guy" Halloween costume ahead of next week's costume extravaganza.
This Wednesday episode was once again recorded LIVE on YouTube in an effort to have some fun during "silly season." Andy believes that "golf is back!" and Brendan immediately shares that Dustin Johnson might agree with him. DJ is in the Philippines this week for an Asian Tour event and is excited to grow the game alongside some of his LIV leaguemates and other YouTube golfers. Dustin shared some enlightening thoughts on the host course for this International Series tournament, calling it "a golf course" and allowing his "good caddie" to scout the course and tell him where to hit it. Brendan is giddy about these DJ quotes and gets Andy going on DJ's future in majors now that his exemptions are up. Keegan Bradley is also pondering his future these days, wondering if he'll ever get a chance to play in the Ryder Cup again. At Travelers media day, Keegan shared that the last few weeks have been some of the toughest of his life and that the loss at Bethpage will follow him forever. He did state that his goal is to play at Adare Manor, though, so he's got that going for him for the next two years. A B. Draddy ad read turns into a bit of an Illinois Minute with Andy and Brendan debating if the Illini can find their way into the College Football Playoff this winter. The Schedule for the Week kicks off with the Bank of Utah Championship and the PGA Tour's return to the lava rocks. Andy and Brendan are excited for a weekend of captivating TV viewing at Black Desert Resort with a strong field for a FedEx Fall event. Notably not in the field is Jordan Spieth, who currently sits at 56th in the standings heading into next season. Brendan declares Spieth "MIA" and calls out sponsor exemptions for Signature Events taking away from the fields at events that need big-name players. There's some cocktail golf this week for the east coast in the form of the LPGA's International Crown, and Tommy Gainey is on the bubble of the Champs Tour finals in Phoenix. Brendan runs through some notables for Q-School and Andy anoints the Billy Horschel Invitational Presented by Cisco as the "Event of the Week." In events that have ended, the Butterfield will have a D2 golfer from Lee University in the field after a win at a recent college event. The news roundup begins with Jack Nicklaus winning a $50 million lawsuit, leading to a wider discussion about clubs overspending and youth sports. Lastly, the NBA starts up tonight and the PGA Tour is in Utah, so Andy ends the show with a much-needed Jazz Minute!
Andy and Brendan! went LIVE on YouTube for this Monday episode covering a fourth straight Bears win, Tommy Fleetwood's continued heater, and some breaking FedEx Fall news. "Football Minute" kicks things off following wins for the Bears and Browns and yet another loss for PJ's Jets. Andy then has PJ recap his time "inspiring the youths" at Syracuse University, regaling the next generation of media leaders with stories about inflatable colons and PGA of America karaoke parties. This episode transitions to golf through the online response to Brendan's Friday newsletter piece on reinstated amateurs. Wes Bryan was upset by a line and took to X to voice his displeasure. Speaking of YouTube golfers, it was announced mid-podcast that GoodGood will be the title sponsor of next year's FedEx Fall event in Austin, Texas. Will Blockie find his way into the field as a sponsor exemption? You'd have to think so! In current-year pro golf, Tommy Fleetwood won the DP World India Championship with his son, Frankie, in attendance. Andy and Brendan debate whether Tommy is becoming a superstar or if he's already there. Andy also notes Tommy's improved iron play as the main reason for his rise into the top tier of pro golf. The course in India was lined with so many trees that it forced many players, including Rory, to keep the driver in their lockers. Some golf media minds have wondered if trees are the solution to the distance problem in professional golf, but Andy isn't so sure they're making the right point. Brendan points out that if players like Rory are being paid appearance fees to grow the game, it may be worth having them hit a few bombs off the tee for the fans. The rest of this weekend in golf is then recapped, with PJ chiming in to celebrate B. Draddy ambassador Justin Leonard's win at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic on the Champions Tour. In news, the PGA Tour has a bunch of new C-Suite execs on staff as Brian Rolapp continues his takeover heading into next season, and the PIF may have a path back into pro golf with a potential DP World Tour partnership. Andy wraps up this episode with an impassioned rant about the Brewers loss in the NLCS and the rumors of Milwaukee slashing payroll for next year after such a successful season.
Andy and Brendan are without PJ for this Friday episode, prompting Andy to panic at the 53-minute mark about potentially forgetting to hit the record button. They begin on this quiet week where else but with Andy having to chaperone a preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch. Then they get to some early amusements from India, where Rory wants to play DLF and this week is keeping his driver in the locker — is this a good thing?! They whiparound on some rumors from the global home, where Brian Rolapp may be trying to figure out what is going on with some expensive operations. News touches on the rage bait of the week, Colt Knost’s sponsored podcast segment announcing he’s applying for reinstated amateur status. They bat this one around for a few minutes before moving to some rumors about the Schwab Cup finale and a hefty golf advice segment.
With Andy on the road, Brendan! kicks off this episode with a solo segment focusing on Jon Rahm and his Ryder Cup future. Brendan unpacks the ongoing legal battle between Rahm (and Tyrrell Hatton) and the DP World Tour regarding fines for playing unsanctioned (LIV) events. Rahm has repeatedly stated that he will not be paying these fines and has appealed the DP World Tour's ruling to the point of arbitration. Due to this appeal process, Rahm and Hatton have been able to play in DP World Tour events despite the outstanding fines and were allowed to play for Team Europe at the 2025 Ryder Cup. With the arbitration ruling looming, Brendan looks at whether Rahm's Ryder Cup status and DPWT status is really in jeopardy, and what it would mean for him (and Team Europe) moving forward. Brendan is then joined by Kevin Van Valkenburg for the rest of this Wednesday episode. KVV offers his take on the Rahm discourse and the news that Rahm will not tee it up until LIV's 2026 season kicks off in February. From there, the two run through the Schedule for the Week. Many stars are in India for the DP World Indian Championship in Delhi. Rory, Tommy, Hovland, "Benny Booms," and Brian Harman are among the notables competing at this fall series event. Viktor is back in action after his neck injury at Bethpage and was finally available to speak on the events leading to his Sunday "in the envelope." Elsewhere in golf, the LPGA's Asia swing rolls on with another limited-field event without Nelly Korda, the Champs Tour playoffs kick off in the DMV, and Q-School is ongoing. In news, Cadillac is rumored to be back in the fold for the PGA Tour's return to Doral this year. Brendan and KVV take this as a chance to reminisce about past tournament sponsors they wish would return. Lastly, KVV debuts his new mailbag segment with a few preview questions before expanding on more submissions in an upcoming website column.
Andy and Brendan return after a eventful weekend of sports losses and an "uneventful" weekend of pro golf. Andy is still in the dumps after the Cubs loss in the NLDS, but claims a Victory Monday for Chicago anyway. It was an eventful weekend in French Lick, Indiana at the Korn Ferry Tour finals. Andy and Brendan run through the Top 20 bubble and discuss many of the players that earned their PGA Tour cards for next year. They also commend the KFT broadcast crew for bringing something different to viewers before wondering what Brian Rolapp was thinking during his trip to French Lick. On the PGA Tour, Xander Schauffele found his way back to the winner's circle at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan. This was Xander's tenth PGA Tour win, leading to a discussion about how many he'll end up with at the end of his career. Unlike the KFT booth, Andy was less than impressed with the Baycurrent broadcast and calls for more analysts to tell it like it is. Brendan is fired up that the year of Marco Penge rolls on after his big win at the Spanish Open. Penge will now be in next year's Open and Masters and said post-round that he thinks he's set up for success at Augusta. PJ checks on his Masters odds and finds that Penge's priced lower than one recent major champion! In perhaps the biggest news of the week, the LPGA's streak is over. Jeeno Thitikul won the Buick LPGA Shanghai, becoming the first repeat winner of 2025. The greens at this event were under fire all week for poor conditioning and Brendan was excited to see some pros having to handle muni-like conditions. Alex Cjeka won the final Champions Tour event of the regular season and the "senior mules" are unhappy about Brian Rolapp's recent cuts to the pension program. As for the rest of the news from this weekend, it came out that J.J. Spaun was held out of foursomes at the Ryder Cup due to his golf ball. Andy suggests maybe it's time for golf to have just one ball to use like every other sport does. The two then discuss the current state of Tiger Woods following another back surgery and where his place in today's game may be. Will he even play a TGL match again, much less any on-course golf? To end the show, Andy demands that PJ apologize for an abysmal performance from Justin Fields on national television as the Jets remain winless in 2025.
Sometimes, things are willed into existence. Following this podcast obtaining footage of PGA of America President Don Rea's performance of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem, Brendan is first joined by a giddy Andy to discuss this monumental moment in golf history. Andy details his reaction to seeing the "cinema" for the first time and pleads for Don to remain in this leadership position forever. Brendan then brings on KVV for a frame-by-frame breakdown of the nine second video, as well as the rest of this regularly scheduled Friday episode. Brendan, KVV, and PJ recap their Wednesday night consisting of acquiring the video and the ensuing checks and balances to make sure this iconic footage was not produced by AI. They commend Don's courage and leadership, as he took the reins and lit a fire under Team USA, who won Sunday singles by five points following this inspiring round of karaoke by their fearless leader. KVV highlights some lines of the song that he wishes were on film, but we're all still hopeful that the full tape will one day make its way to the internet. In non-Don news (yes, that exists!), Brendan shares an unbelievable listener email about The Great Manassero teeing it up at a San Diego muni earlier this week. KVV is enthralled by Beau Hossler's ayahuasca use and ensuing passion for coffee, leading to a group discussion of which professional golfers would make the best hallucinations while on a trip. The Korn Ferry Tour is looking at a bit of history this week, as Tiger's season-scoring record is apparently in danger of being broken. This has Brendan out of his mind, awarding the KFT socials with the first-ever "Ragebait of the Week" award. Joseph LaMagna published a wide-ranging interview with Team Europe Vice Captain Dodo Molinari which revealed just how far ahead the Euros seemingly were compared to their American counterpoints at Bethpage Black. KVV uses this, as well as his article about the analytics used by Team USA, as a way to ask why Ryder Cup USA hasn't pivoted its backroom strategy yet following another defeat. Speaking of the Ryder Cup, Collin Morikawa was popped by a European journalist in Japan about his request for "chaos" from the crowd at Bethpage. Morikawa claimed that his words were taken out of context, and Brendan demands that we stop acting like the American players are at fault for the rowdy fans. Two Golf Advice emails round out this episode, with a debate on how to fix the "crowd issue" at future major golf events and a question about teens hitting into people under the cloak of darkness.
Andy and Brendan return with plenty to discuss as the golf world finally moves out of the Ryder Cup's blast radius. Naturally, this episode kicks off with a Baseball Minute due to a disappointing start to the NLDS for Andy's beloved Cubs and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Things quickly transition to "Don Watch" as Brendan is hearing rumblings that the "Lose Yourself" karaoke video may surface in the coming days. The PGA Tour moves from Jackson, Mississippi to Tokyo, Japan this week for the Baycurrent Classic. This event and its various changes in the last five years leads to a wider discussion about the PGA Tour schedule and the ultimate question of "how many tournaments is too many?" Elsewhere on the schedule this week, the Korn Ferry Tour finals are set to go off in French Lick even though most of next year's Tour cards are locked up. On the DP World Tour, many LIV stars are at the Spanish Open contending for a 2026 Masters invite. Jon Rahm is playing his home event and spoke to the media to somewhat re-ignite the Ryder Cup crowd discourse a bit, as one does. After running through the rest of the Schedule for the Week, Andy and Brendan parse through a bunch of golf news including the return of the Skins Game and the 2026 TGL schedule release (with accompanying content!).
Just when we thought we were out, he pulls us back in! After declaring this podcast done with Don Rea until Year in Review, Brendan starts this episode off with the late-breaking news of Don Rea's karaoke performance after Saturday of the Ryder Cup. According to the Times of London, D-Rabbit reportedly took the mic at his hotel and performed Eminem's "Lose Yourself" in front of player families and more onlookers. Andy is stunned by the song choice, thinking that an Eagles song would be more up Don's alley. Everyone is wondering when and where the video of this historical moment will inevitably come out and PJ is debating on making some calls across Long Island to see if he can procure it. With Don's one-year anniversary as PGA of America president coming up, Andy ponders if he makes it through half of his two-year term. Brendan is aghast at the "Deep State" of European media and PGA of America members who are trying to cancel Don, demanding that this cannot happen, if only for the sake of this podcast. Before running through this week's results, Andy and Brendan also provide an incredible update on the "Lotte at Lottie's" challenge! In actual golf news, Tommy Gainey secured his first win on the Champions Tour and Andy believes that this may mark the end for the senior circuit in more ways than one. Speaking of the Lotte, the LPGA's unique winner streak carries on after non-member sponsor exemption Youmin Hwang took home the win. Big Shot Bob MacIntyre won a rainy, cold Dunhill just a week after battling at Bethpage. The weather was so bad in Scotland that the event was shortened to 54 holes, causing some Pro-Am celebs to walk off the course due to the conditions. On the PGA Tour, Steven Fisk chased down Garrick Higgo at the Sanderson to win his first-ever PGA Tour title. Andy pops PJ about the latest Jets loss and there's some network television discussion to round out this quick Sunday recording.
Andy and Brendan! went LIVE on YouTube for this Friday episode to kick off the post-Ryder Cup weekend. We've received word that the "Lotte at Lottie's" challenge is off to a roaring start, with two listeners finding each other at the bar on Wednesday watching tape delayed coverage of an LPGA event from across the world. As you could probably guess, most of this episode focuses on the continued fallout from the Ryder Cup crowd fiasco and Don Rea's various responses. Andy and Brendan dig into the Don's LinkedIn post responding to criticism, something he's experienced since his days as a Minor League Baseball umpire. "New level, new devil" has now become a staple in the podcast's vocabulary as well. Andy got duped by a photoshop of Rea's potential resignation being discussed on ESPN's "First Take," but Brendan can't imagine a golf world without Don moving forward. Elsewhere in the crowd discourse, PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague spoke to The Athletic about "not hearing" what happened from his luxury box on Saturday. Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton spoke out prior to the Dunhill, unsatisfied with Don's trophy presentation and ensuing apology. In non-crowd Ryder Cup cleanup, Furyk & Friends has become a bevy of content! AssCap Jim Furyk was unhappy about the green speeds being off at Bethpage and wonders if that was to blame for Team USA's poor putting performance. Stewart Cink also revealed that he interviewed for the 2025 captaincy, only to get ghosted by "special agent" John Wood afterward. Moving on from the Ryder Cup, LIV has reported its financial losses and the numbers have Andy and Brendan wondering where the league goes from here. Things wrap with Golf Advice, including Andy's passionate defense of poker chip ball markers.
The dust is beginning to settle from the "biggest Ryder Cup ever" and the PGA of America has found itself in the crosshairs of everyone in golf. The organization has still not formally acknowledged anything regarding fan behavior or experience at Bethpage, but a Don Rea interview from Sunday morning has surfaced and provides Andy and Brendan with plenty of fodder. The President of the 31,000 thought that you could find fans like the ones on Saturday at a "youth soccer game" and claimed that he hadn't heard any of the barbs thrown at Rory McIlroy during the week. He wrapped up his chat with BBC by saying that "golf is the engine of good," which sets Andy and Brendan off to the races. They look back at the week as a whole and wonder what the PGA of America's true focus was on and whether the organization truly cared about putting on a quality golf tournament. The two discuss where the Ryder Cup should go from here and whether it needs to be sold or licensed to another company for future installments in the United States. After a complete dissection of Mr. Rea's quotes, it's back to normal in golf with plenty on the Schedule for the Week. It's chicken time at the Sanderson, you can go watch the Lotte at Lottie's, and Furyk & Friends has a distinct Ryder Cup feel! Plenty of LIV players and Ryder Cuppers will play at the Dunhill Links on the DP World Tour with celebs like Wayne Gretzky, Bill Murray, and the bassist from Linkin Park. A brief Playoff Baseball minute sends us home for this Wednesday episode with both the Guardians and Cubs starting their runs on Tuesday afternoon. Always remember, by listening to this podcast, you're part of the engine of good!
After an unexpected dramatic Sunday at Bethpage, Andy and Brendan are back to debrief from Europe’s win on away soil at the 2025 Ryder Cup. What does Europe do and have that the USA continues to botch? They discuss the American side’s valiant effort to make it close in Sunday singles, but turn to Europe’s brilliance and the autopsy of yet another USA failure. They ponder the envelope rule and how that had the USA side miffed and how the worst-case scenario of a tie was narrowly avoided. They grade each and every player, including the captains, and it’s not a kind review of Keegan’s week. The fans are also graded, and they go through one more day of shouts and heckles and react to Rory’s comments on it from the weekend. Course setup is also discussed, revolving around Keegan’s admission that he “made a mistake.” PJ and KVV join with some amusements from the ground as well after another incredible day covering one of the best events in golf.
Andy and Brendan have PLENTY to talk about after a full, buzzing Saturday at the Ryder Cup despite the blowout on the scoreboard. They jump immediately into the testy exchange between Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, caddies, Francesco Molinari, and others during another winning afternoon for Europe. They dissect Keegan’s miscues with lineups and management but wonder if it would have mattered given Europe’s play. They also go into the extremely hostile crowds, the constant abuse of Rory McIlroy and the opponent, and discuss how bad it got out there and how much it crossed the line. KVV and LaMagna join late to relay some of their notes from their days inside the ropes before a rambling discussion on Russ Henley, Rose, New England sports analogies, and much more in this rollicking Saturday night episode.
Andy and Brendan are together on Long Island after a full day at Bethpage Black taking in the Ryder Cup, where the USA is in a significant hole to Europe at 5.5 to 2.5 points. They discuss the late attempts by the US to close the gap and how they were held off yet again by the Euro stars like Rahm, Fleetwood, and Rory. They offer up some MVPs and LVPs, which brings Keegan Bradley’s strategy for the whimpering leadoff four-ball session that put the USA behind from the jump. How much of Scottie Scheffler is to blame? Or did Keegan set them up to fail? Was Bryson done in by his partners? Is the US cooked? They also cover some of the crowd effects, the first tee scene that might have been underwhelming, Trump’s visit, and some of the heckles heard throughout the day. Also, has the golf course been set up in a way that’s actually neutered some their strongest players.
Andy and Brendan are playing with a half-set as they locked their recording equipment in the wrong car ahead of this unplanned Thursday live chat reacting to lineups for the opening session of the 2025 Ryder Cup. They discuss the strategy of both captains in setting their four alternate shot pairings for Friday morning, and get hyped for the banger of an opener between Bryson-JT and Rahm-Hatton. They also discuss any surprise pairings and players, pondering weaker choices against someone left on the benches. They close it out with some predictions on matches and the overall session before we dive into the chaos of some of the best three days in golf.
Andy and Brendan are back at the Ryder Cup — this time, not in an RV but a hipster Brooklyn spot — to record their first episode of the week together. It’s a wide-ranging preview episode that begins with some instant reactions and amusements from the Opening Ceremony, featuring Don Rea and essays about New York being considered gritty. They discuss some of their insights from the ground walking around, talking to some players and getting the lay of Bethpage again. They read the tea leaves and discuss some of the pairings that could be coming and how Bryson DeChambeau, and a potential partnership with Justin Thomas, may prove to be the tipping point for great success or great disaster. They discuss the potential for crowd troubles and how the golf course sets up as “so American” for taking the teeth out of a place that’s supposed to have a warning sign. Then they bring in KVV for his “KVV Three” notes from the ground on some amusing subjects and an SGS RC Fantasy draft with Andy, Brendan, KVV, and “The Boys.” They finish it out with some picks for top points earners, winner, and most likely to get in a tussle.
This episode was recorded before NFL kickoff on Sunday, so Victory Monday for the Bears and Browns will have to wait. Andy is still licking his wounds from an ugly Illini loss to Indiana on Saturday night and wonders if winning out would still clinch a playoff spot. PJ is in high spirits after a Syracuse win in Death Valley and an early scouting trip to Bethpage on Saturday morning - only for the Jets to ruin everything again. We wrap up College Football Corner and discuss some wonderful coffee golf at the French Open (presented by FedEx) on Sunday. Michael Kim secured his first win since the 2018 John Deere Classic, edging out Elvis Smylie, Min Woo Lee, and Brooks Koepka. With Kim, Lee, and Koepka dropping in on the DP World Tour to great success, Brendan tries to draw some conclusions about where these fall fields stand overseas. Andy makes the case for a potential unification between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour that would have one points list and a stronger fall schedule. The LPGA had yet another unique result to uphold the streak - a cancelation of the tournament in Arkansas after 18 holes! Brendan has PJ share some scuttlebutt from the early merch preview at Bethpage, including some reporting about the famous sign - a favorite of Jason Garrett. In an actual bit of news, Rory McIlroy spoke with The Guardian and took his chance to pop Bryson DeChambeau ahead of a potential match this week. Rory also says he's "more confident" in a win for Europe now than he was when he made his guarantee in 2023. Andy and Brendan answer some listener questions about the Ryder Cup to close things out before traveling to the great state of New York for this week's festivities. Find our full Ryder Cup preview episode here on Wednesday night!
A light week of golf leads us to this wide-ranging Friday episode, covering a potential new housecat, the return of a broadcast legend, and a legendary Ryder Cup Flashback. Andy and Brendan first discuss the U.S. Mid-Am and the fiery online debate about former pros getting their amateur status reinstated. Andy is adamant that these players should not be able to waltz back into amateur golf and outlines his ideal rules for the situation. Brendan and KVV react to Andy's rulings and wonder if some are too harsh for those looking to continue playing competitive golf after their pro careers end. There's a bit of golf news to cover with LPGA legend Stacy Lewis retiring and the PGA of America bringing the KPMG Women's PGA and the PGA Championship back to Bethpage in the coming years. In much-needed Ryder Cup broadcast news, Sir Nick Faldo will be on the call for NBC next week, teaming with Terry Gannon and Notah Begay for morning sessions. Blockie is also back in the fold for 2026, because of course he is! We'll see him at the AmEx next year. In the spirit of Bob Uecker, a Golf Advice emailer sent along a letter from a ghost of Ryder Cup past to be read before we help one of our favorite football podcasters out with a fantasy football punishment. KVV then unpacks a Flashback Friday segment on the 2004 Ryder Cup war between Phil Mickelson and American captain Hal Sutton, complete with a Texas accent you won't want to miss. Lastly, some Don Rea soundbites send us into the weekend, as only he can.
It sure seems like everyone is just counting down the days until the Ryder Cup at this point. With minimal golf news and no PGA Tour event to discuss, Andy instead starts this episode with a tale from his latest round of golf. Playing at one of America's great championship courses, Andy decided he wanted to recreate an iconic moment and ended up almost hitting some folks enjoying a Tuesday afternoon lunch on the patio. It's been a big week for paying homage to iconic figures, as Brendan shares the latest Bob Uecker tribute from the Milwaukee Brewers. Brendan is aghast at the team reading and posting a fake letter from the deceased Uecker, which leads into a discussion about which ghosts this year's Ryder Cup teams should (allegedly) hear from. The Europeans have made it to Long Island and dressed in some... interesting... clothing for their first practice rounds at Bethpage Black. Justin Rose thinks that New Yorkers will become "caricatures" of themselves in the crowd and thinks that the VR preparation is a sign that things have gone too far. In actual golf being played this week, the ultimate Game Within a Game is underway on the LPGA circuit: can the unique winner streak continue at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship? With 18 of this year's winners in the field, the odds are in favor of this incredible streak living on. Andy is fired up about the Stephens Cup and the U.S. Mid-Am, both of which are already underway as of this recording. The Celebrity Ryder Cup rosters have been released with big names such as Toni Kukoč, Pau Gasol, and Brooklyn Beckham facing off against Eli Manning, Colin Jost, and "Sticks Boy " Noah Kahan. In substantive golf news, Amazon Prime has acquired some Masters streaming rights for Thursday and Friday and - as first reported on this podcast - the PGA Tour will not open the season in Kapalua due to the water issues in Maui.
The combined 0-6 Bears, Browns, and Jets lost by a combined 74 points on Sunday. But it is still a victory Monday around here as we welcome Kevin Van Valkenburg to the Fried Egg Golf team. Though he has been a contributor to SGS in the past, he’s now on the FE ship full time so we bring him on to bat it around following the weekend of Brocore, Wentworth, and continued Ryder Cup hype. We discuss Scottie Scheffler — his mere presence — putting everyone around him on the fritz, like Ben Griffin, who could have, should have won the Brocore. Did it take a low stakes fall event to really convince us the Tiger invocations are not out of line? Maybe. They also discuss king mule Lanto’s involvement in the proceedings and Jackson Koivun needing to stay on Tour and not go back to school. At Wentworth, they discuss Alex Noren being a top 20 player in the world and for sure a top 12 option for Team Europe who will be relegated to the ass-cap role. Then the notion of VR headsets preparing the Euro Ryder Cup team for battle is also bandied about with some amusement. They close with some football chatter and laughs about PJ having to send cringe tweets for the Lions following the Browns wishing Deshaun a happy birthday on Sunday morning.
This Whiparound Friday episode might as well be a show about nothing with not much going on in golf this week. Andy and Brendan start with a quick rundown of an early leaderboard at the Procore with players like Mackenzie Hughes and Matt Kuchar leading the way. They then move to the BMW PGA on the DP World Tour where auto-qualifier Rasmus Hojgaard struggled on Thursday. Andy takes that baton and runs with it, explaining that the Ryder Cup captains need to be more cutthroat and sit struggling players until Sunday singles if that's what is best for the team. This leads into an impromptu Flashback Friday on the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in Paris, France. Andy and Brendan remember some crazy decisions made by the American side, such as making a "celebratory" Tiger Woods play four times that week and pairing a rookie Bryson DeChambeau with a wild Phil Mickelson. They bring up supporting characters such as Thorbjorn Olesen playing with Rory McIlroy and the European team of "Moliwood" that effectively won the event on their own. As for the 2025 event, the Americans are out in full force in Napa and Keegan Bradley is calling this the "closest team he's ever seen" - despite only seeing two teams prior to this. After a bunch of winding Ryder Cup chatter, some legendary Golf Advice emails send us into the weekend. A #HedgeBoy story from Cypress jogs Andy's memory about a horrendous round in the area before Brendan reads an email about a member-guest caddie's interactions with nature.
It is NOT a Victory Wednesday (or Tuesday) episode for Andy, but he's back to join Brendan! for a preview of some September golf throughout the world. Things kick off with a quick Champions Tour Minute highlighting Thomas Bjorn's win in St. Louis that was ignored on Monday's Walker Cup recap. Bjorn took home one of the more interesting trophies in golf at the Stifel Charity Classic before working as an AssCap for Team Europe in a few weeks. Speaking of Ryder Cup preparations, 10 of the 12 Americans are in the field at the ProCore Championship in Napa. Tuesday's practice round has already brought some early "pods" and potential pairings. Scottie Scheffler looks like he'll run it back with Russell Henley after a strong showing at the Presidents Cup while his deputy, Sam Burns, played a round with Mr. 1,000 and No-Hat Pat. Team Europe is also gathering this week - they're almost all in the field at the BMW PGA at Wentworth in England. Rory McIlroy had some insightful comments regarding his future schedules in his pre-tournament press conference and stopped just short of naming some events he doesn't particularly care for. Also teeing it up at Wentworth is defending champion Billy Horschel, who makes his return to competitive golf following a mid-year injury. To preview this week's Champions Tour event in South Dakota, Andy runs down the Schwab Cup standings and once again wonders who Ricardo Gonzalez is. In news, future Champs Tour star Tiger Woods was seen hitting balls on a New Jersey range on Monday, sending the internet into a storm, per usual. To close the show, Andy comments on Monday night's Bears loss to the Vikings and has some questions about Caleb Williams.
Andy joins Brendan! fresh off a weekend at the 50th Walker Cup with a notebook full of observations from Cypress Point. The United States won for the fifth-straight time, securing a blowout margin with a strong performance in Sunday singles. Andy shares some tales from the ground, including notes on Mason Howell, Niall Shiels Donegan, and Michael La Sasso. Brendan provides some color on the broadcast side after two days of watching at home. Not to be outdone by the amateurs, Bryson DeChambeau showed up for the weekend to be a thirsty boy and share his thoughts on Dr. MacKenzie's masterpiece. Andy also spent some time with a legendary light-hitting first baseman as well! On the professional golf side of things, Rory McIlroy won the Irish Open on Sunday morning, making an eagle on the 72nd hole to send the event into a playoff. It was an emotional week for Rory, who brought his green jacket to show off to the home crowds at the K Club. Andy and Brendan try further contextualize Rory's rollercoaster of a 2025 following this latest win. In news, a podcast favorite throws out the first pitch at a New York Yankees game and Xander is the only eligible American Ryder Cupper skipping out on the Procore. We wrap things up with a Football Minute following disastrous Browns and Jets losses on Sunday, because how would an NFL season start otherwise?
Andy and Brendan return with a mega-episode to kick off a big weekend in sports! Andy is especially excited about his trip to the Walker Cup at Cypress Point and previews some players to watch in the 50th playing of the competition. The two discuss golf's resurgence in popularity, using Sergio Garcia's decision to skip the Irish Open to play with tennis star Carlos Alcaraz as a prime example. After a lengthy Walker Cup discussion and an all-time story from a trip to Cypress, Andy and Brendan dive in on the first round of the Irish Open. Rory McIlroy found himself on the clock on Thursday and was quite upset, but not as upset as Pablo Larrazabal was at Marco Penge missing out on the Ryder Cup team. Larrazabal's tweet is a perfect transition into some Ryder Cup commercialization news on a slow week in golf. PJ is appalled that there will be an outdoor takeover of Rockefeller Center for Ryder Cup weekend and Brendan shares details of some very expensive "at-home" kits for those watching on TV. Following the Ryder Cup, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will lead another set of teams at the "Golf Channel Games" in December. Andy is already excited for the potential of some takes surrounding any pro's performance in this made-for-TV exhibition. In a follow up from the legendary "Dunky" on Monday's episode, Andy shares another Walker Cup crime file - with this former player ending up absolved of any wrongdoing. To wrap things up, there's some brief NFL chatter before we send it to an old Flashback Friday segment from 2019 on the first-ever Walker Cup.
Andy and Brendan! get this First of the Month recording in under the gun, chatting late on Labor Day about the latest news in golf. They run through Monday's announcement of the European Ryder Cup team as Luke Donald finalized his roster with 11 of the 12 players from Rome. The two debate whether this is the best Team Europe has ever been and wonder who, if anyone, will be looked back on as the "random" member of this 2025 roster. The picks were made following the Omega Masters on the DP World Tour, won by pod favorite Thriston Lawrence after a year of struggles in the United States. In honor of this week's Walker Cup, Brendan shares quick flashlight about a player from the last time the event was held at Cypress Point. This flashlight has twists and turns and ends up with an extradition, if that's your thing. PJ quizzes Andy and Brendan on some SEC backup QBs or SEC golfers following Week 1 of college football and all three take some joy in North Carolina's loss to TCU. Things wrap up with a Champions Tour discussion after Ernie Els publicly challenged Tiger Woods to tee it up on the senior circuit in 2026.
With minimal golf news to chat about, this Friday episode covers a myriad of topics including geography, plane flight paths, and the Green Bay Packers. Andy is still recovering the Micah Parsons news and Brendan prompts PJ to explain his love for the Packers in 2025 just to make things worse. After an abridged Football Corner before college football kicks off this weekend, Andy and Brendan move on to golf and discuss Sunny Kim's latest win on the Minor League Golf Tour. Brendan is especially impressed by the record books on the Minor League Tour and suggests the PGA Tour take some notes. They also run through the field at next week's BMW PGA, where most of the potential European Ryder Cup team will tee it up alongside some LIV boys and... Corey Conners? Brian Rolapp is reportedly wondering how the PGA Tour can better market the mules, so Brendan and Andy come up with some ideas and players they'd like featured. Andy then audits the PGA Tour socials to figure out where some mule content could fit in. In other news, Kapalua is now shutting down in order to preserve the course due to a water shortage and The Sentry is officially in danger. There's plenty of Golf Advice to send you off to a holiday weekend, with listeners wondering when they can drink non-alcoholic beer and an Andy takedown of the handicap system in America. To wrap things up, Brendan, Andy, and PJ look ahead to Week 1 of college football and highlight some games to watch, with Andy making a shocking revelation.
This Wednesday episode was recorded live right after the interminable dog-and-pony show announcing the final six captain’s picks to fill the 2025 US Roster for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage. Andy and Brendan are giddy coming off that show and dissect the six picks, who got snubbed, and the agonizing choice by Keegan Bradley to just captain and not play even though he is clearly one of the best 12 US golfers this year. They also outline some points of concern on the roster, potential pairings, and a laundry list of amusements for the one-hour show with all six picks sitting on a zoom. They ponder the notion that the Americans are on “the back foot” and the Euros are tap-dancing in their heads. The role of Tiger Woods, if any, in these decisions is also bandied about. They close with schedule for the week and some news on the Masters and Open switching up their exemptions into their fields, a Rory-Scottie skills challenge coming to TV in December, and the Tour Championship’s monster ratings.
Tommy Fleetwood has finally won a PGA Tour event. Naturally, this episode starts elsewhere, as Andy and Brendan immediately jump into some quotes from Robert Garrigus and James Hahn. As told to Adam Schupak, these men are very unhappy about the PGA Tour's continued shift toward Signature Events. Garrigus challenged Jordan Spieth to a match for his "five sponsor exemptions" into Signature Events next year and Hahn wants Brian Rolapp to get his phone number from Jay Monahan. This sets Andy off, wondering which players should feature in the "Mule Derby." Things eventually get back to the Super Bowl of Golf, won by Tommy Fleetwood after four rounds of preferred lies. Tommy held off "Playoff P," Keegan Bradley, Russell Henley, and a half-hearted charge from FedEx Cup fourth-place-finisher Scottie Scheffler on Sunday. PJ questions whether this Tour Championship should even count as Tommy's first win, but Fleetwood is now Mr. 1,001 regardless. Andy and Brendan discuss the week at East Lake and give Tommy his flowers for landing the plane on Sunday afternoon. With the U.S. Ryder Cup team set to be announced on Wednesday, it seems like Keegan Bradley will select himself, leaving one of Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, or Sam Burns at home. There's a lengthy discussion about what Keegan should do, but everyone agrees things are trending toward him being a playing captain. The European Ryder Cup team also got a boost on Sunday, with Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton teaming up to win the LIV Team Championship in a playoff. Elsewhere for Europe, Rasmus Hojgaard qualified on points, all but locking up their 12 players. Brendan is unsure of how Rasmus accumulated enough points to make the top six and questions whether all points lists should go away for the 2027 Ryder Cup. Stew Cink went back-to-back at the Ally Challenge, beating Ernie Els in a playoff in Michigan and Brooke Henderson won her national Open on the LPGA. Finally, President Trump declared that he's in favor of Keegan Bradley's playing captaincy and said he will be attending the Ryder Cup on Friday. Will he chop it up with Don Rea? That remains to be seen.
Andy and Brendan return to unpack Brian Rolapp's presser at East Lake ahead of the 2025 Tour Championship. Brendan is in especially high spirits following a strong start from Jacob Bridgeman who has found himself in contention to win the FedEx Cup after one round in Atlanta. The bulk of this episode is spent recapping Rolapp's press conference and discussing his first orders of business as CEO of the PGA Tour. It sounds like major changes are coming and Andy, Brendan, and PJ wonder where Rolapp and his newly formed committee will begin. Whether it's taking a piece of revenue from majors, various media rights deals, or shrinking the Tour even more, Rolapp seems eager to shake things up. The back half of this show previews the LIV Team Championship in Plymouth, Michigan. The event will be LIV's 50th tournament, leaving Andy and Brendan to wonder whether the league will make it to 100 events. Brendan runs through some all-time LIV stats, as this golf entity actually has accurate bookkeeping - a rarity these days! Jon Rahm has come down from Mt. Everest and made an interesting draft choice when choosing his first-round opponent, drawing comparisons to his beloved Arizona Diamondbacks. We will be back on Monday to break down golf's Super Bowl in full after a new FedEx Cup champion is crowned at East Lake on Sunday night.
At long last, Andy has returned from sea (and air!). He joins Brendan and is fired up off the jump, coming in hot to defend the city of Chicago after last week's "slander." Andy's back just in time for golf's Super Bowl - the Tour Championship at East Lake. Brendan shares some quotes from an Adam Schupak article about the event possibly heading out of Atlanta sometime soon, only to find that Tim Finchem might've promised the event would stay there "in perpetuity." The winner of this week's event, which is now being played without Starting Strokes, will win both the tournament and the FedEx Cup for the 2025 season, unlike Jon Rahm's LIV title that came with zero victories. Rahm compared his win-without-winning to climbing Mt. Everest, sending Brendan off the rails at the preposterousness of that comparison. After running through the Schedule for the Week, Andy and Brendan then get into the 2026 Schedule for the Year after the PGA Tour announced its dates for next season. Trump Doral will host a new Signature Event in May, making it nearly impossible for rookies and those without signature status to play between the Masters and the PGA Championship. In other news, Paul Azinger will receive the Payne Stewart Award this week and Andy has a few questions about how the committee chose him as the 2025 recipient. TGL has announced the start date for its second season, going head-to-head with an NFL Sunday in December. This leads into an NFL Minute to close out this episode - Andy loves what he's seeing from the Bears, Joe Flacco is starting for Brendan's Browns, and PJ is already apathetic about Justin Fields and the Jets.
With Andy lost in an airport (not at sea), Brendan! once again called upon PJ to step into the "big chair" to close out the second round of the 2025 FedEx Cup playoffs. After he was unable to make history as the defending FedEx Cup champ last week, Scottie Scheffler fought back with a vengeance at Caves Valley. Scottie chased down Big Shot Bob MacIntyre in the final pairing, putting an exclamation point on his latest win with a chip-in on the 17th hole. Brendan shares some insight from his weekend on the ground, covering pace-of-play and a proper showcase of the top 50 players on the PGA Tour. One of those 50, Ben Griffin, had a rocky start to his Sunday and shared post-round that it was due to an "overdose" on creatine, sending Brendan and PJ into a tizzy. Jon Rahm was not in Baltimore, but he was in Indianapolis for LIV's individual season finale. He took home overall champion honors after a Sunday 60, but lost the weekly event to Sebastian Muñoz in a playoff. Brendan and PJ discuss the absurdity of Rahm - who did not win all year - beating out Joaquin Niemann's five-win season for the 2025 LIV title. LIV relegation is also a hot topic as big names now have to play elsewhere next season. The "Lads Club" is in full effect for Ryder Cup Europe with both Harry Hall and Marco Penge having big weeks despite seemingly having no shot at the 12th spot on the European roster. On the American side, Keegan Bradley had a nice Sunday at Caves Valley, but questions remain whether he should pick himself to play at Bethpage following a t-4 from Sam Burns. PJ then celebrates a long-awaited Victory Monday after Dick Green wins the Champs Tour event in Calgary. Brendan wraps up a great week of golf at Olympic Club for the U.S. Am, and shares an unsubstantiated rumor about next year's PGA Tour schedule to end this episode.
As promised on Wednesday's episode, Kevin Van Valkenburg returns to discuss the 2021 BMW Championship at Caves Valley and the ensuing SGS episode that continues to live in infamy. Before KVV comes in, Brendan keeps PJ in the big chair to run through some press conference quotes and results from the first round of this year's BMW. Brendan unleashes a rant about the proliferation of the Little League World Series across ESPN properties, leading to a lengthy discussion about the state of youth sports and selling out to private equity. From there, early storylines from the BMW start to emerge including plenty about next month's Ryder Cup. Scottie Scheffler doesn't want to talk about the upcoming matches at Bethpage, but Rory and Keegan both had some thoughts about a playing captain in their pre-tournament pressers in Baltimore. Brendan and PJ also preview LIV Indianapolis, share some concern about Xander Schauffele in this lost season for him, and check in on match play at the U.S. Am. KVV then comes in to join Brendan as the two remember their time at the birth of "Patty Ice" against a villainous Bryson DeChambeau at the 2021 BMW Championship.
Brendan! and PJ run amok on this episode while Andy's out on a boat somewhere. They have a lengthy food discussion to kick things off with the "Burger Dog" at The Olympic Club has taken center stage at the U.S. Am. There is debate about the merits of Chicago cuisine, bagels from just anywhere, and Phil Mickelson's Portillo's experiences in Bolingbrook last week. Tommy Fleetwood's tour of the 30 MLB stadiums has also continued after he was spotted at Camden Yards on Tuesday evening. He's in town for the BMW Championship at Caves Valley in Baltimore, best known as the birthplace of "Patty Ice" in 2021. Brendan and PJ take a small look back at that event, with more to come on Friday thanks to a special guest. Picks are made for the second round of the playoffs and PJ argues that this driver-wedge fest may be a proper way to crown a champion of the PGA Tour season. They run through the rest of the Schedule of the Week before dropping in some news about Versant and NBC striking a rights deal for the USGA Championships. If you still have cable, you're in good company here! Brendan then calls on Golf Channel's Brentley Romine for some onsite coverage of the aforementioned U.S. Am, burger glizzies and all.
Andy is once again lost at sea on a potentially Great lake, so "The Boys" jump in to recap the first round of the 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs with Brendan! After an update from PJ on Don Rea's custom shoes for next month's Ryder Cup, Joseph LaMagna and Brendan dive into an eventful Sunday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Justin Rose exorcised some playoff demons, defeating J.J. Spaun on the third extra hole at TPC Initech. Rose and Spaun locked up automatic qualifier spots for their respective Ryder Cup squads, but the main story was yet another Sunday collapse by 54-hole leader Tommy Fleetwood. Brendan and Joseph discuss Fleetwood's play on Sunday and Joseph shares some insight into an impactful course management decision that may have tipped some off to the impending collapse. Also of note, the Chaplain returned to Scottie's bag for Sunday and Mr. 1,000 shined again in one of the strongest fields of the year. There's plenty of chatter about the "Bubble Boys" of the FedEx Cup Top 50, as Rickie Fowler used his season of sponsor exemptions to cash a trip to Caves Valley, but Jordan Spieth is going home. As per usual this time of year, a lengthy Ryder Cup debate over Spieth's current status unfolds with Brendan playing the role of "public defender" for the three-time major champ. NBC's broadcast left a lot to be desired, worrying the trio about what's to come at the Ryder Cup next month. Elsewhere in golf, LIV had a double playoff at Bolingbrook, Megha Ganne won the U.S. Women's Am, and the President called in to congratulate the latest DPWT winner. After a brief Champions Tour Minute and a few news items, PJ convinces Brendan to give a statement on the Browns finding their franchise quarterback in Shedeur Sanders.
A true Friday episode about nothing seems fitting for the first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Andy and Brendan immediately jump in on some Ryder Cup discourse after Akshay Bhatia's Thursday 62 that has him in the lead at the FedEx St. Jude at TPC Initech. The two discuss whether players like Bhatia, Bud Cauley, or even Harry Hall could do anything in the playoffs to cement their case for a captain's pick ahead of next month's matches at Bethpage Black. There's some continued action on the caddie carousel, with Collin Morikawa debuting a new man on the bag in Memphis. Andy seeks out some help from our AI overlords about why Morikawa has issues finding a permanent caddie, and Tony Finau reveals that he, too, is playing the new Titleist ball that Fordie Pitts gave Mr. 1,000 last week. Brendan continues his crusade about PGA Tour history and the calculation that led to Mr. 1,000, finding that the PGA Tour wins record should NOT be 82 after all! Speaking of PGA Tour insanity, their latest "Perfect 30" fantasy game for the FedEx Cup Playoffs asks a question that is nearly impossible to answer - placing all 30 players at East Lake in the correct order three weeks ahead of time. Don't worry, the prize is one million dollars, but it's far more likely that the grand prize winner will merely get another $1,000 gift card to their local PGA Tour Superstore. In news, the U.S. Women's Am has been tremendous cocktail golf in the evenings, the DPWT has an SGS leaderboard early, and Hudson Swafford spoke out about his suspension from the PGA Tour. We round out the week with some Golf Advice about a child's day at the Senior Open and asking for more strokes on a golf trip.
It's time for the playoffs! Andy and Brendan are thrilled to discuss the most important three weeks in golf, kicking off this week at TPC Initech in Memphis for the FedEx St. Jude Championship. 69 of the top 70 players on the PGA Tour will tee it up in the first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, with only Rory McIlroy skipping out. This has caused plenty of commotion and Peppy Peter says a new "Rory Rule" may be implemented to force all who qualify to play the three playoff events moving forward. Speaking of the playoffs, Brendan discovered that the Wikipedia article for this first round has become an a minefield of past sponsors and jumbled histories, not unlike the PGA Tour's winner list that deems Cameron Young as "Mr. 1,000." Mr. 1,000 is in Memphis, searching for another strong finish that would place him ahead of Keegan Bradley in the Ryder Cup standings. The calls for Captain Keegan to not pick himself as a player are growing louder by the day, so he'll need to play well in the postseason to silence the doubters. Elsewhere on the schedule this week, the Champions Tour is back stateside in Seattle, the DP World Tour's notable list is... something, and the U.S. Women's Am heads to Bandon. In news, the Creator Classic is returning to East Lake and an SGS favorite announces his last start on Tour.
Andy and Brendan! are joined by The Boys for the Victory Monday to end all Victory Mondays. PJ and Joseph LaMagna are ecstatic after Cameron Young secured his first PGA Tour win at the Wyndham, becoming the 1,000th unique winner in Tour history. Brendan has some questions about how we arrived at the 1,000 number, perhaps throwing an asterisk on the forever-nickname of "Mr. 1,000." There's plenty of debate about Cameron's Ryder Cup standing heading into the event in his home state and a potential playoff push for Playoff P coming up. PJ walks everyone through his mentality throughout the weekend as it became clear that the NYGC stalwart was going to win for the first time. LaMagna also sheds some light on real improvements in Young's game that could lead to a #floodgates situation following this win. Andy and Brendan then discuss some Coffee Golf, chatting through Miyu Yamashita's win at the AIG Women's Open. Jackson Koivun gets some love for his performance at the Wyndham despite skipping the Western Am, which was won by Jase Summy at Skokie Country Club. As you could probably imagine, the majority of this episode focuses on Cameron Young and the manifestation of his first-ever win and ensuing lasting legacy as Mr. 1,000 on the PGA Tour.
First of the Month recordings finally return with Andy and Brendan! in high spirits for this Friday episode. With the calendar turning to August, a lengthy debate about month rankings breaks out before the two turn to Jordan Spieth's latest comments ahead of the Wyndham Championship. Spieth is looking forward to a big 2026 season despite being a 2025 Ryder Cup hopeful and Andy questions what reasonable expectations are for this "guy" moving forward. At the Women's Open, Charley Hull had some enlightening comments on the golf ball and why she doesn't watch golf on television. With the Western Am going on, Brendan shares some notables for those watching the weekend broadcast. PJ quizzes Andy and Brendan on Happy Gilmore 2 cameos, leading to some confusion from those who have already watched the film. In Golf Advice, questions about tournament play and asking for access to private clubs set Andy and Brendan off. There are also some intermittent updates on the Wyndham Championship throughout this episode.
Andy is back ashore and opens this episode with a staunch defense of beaches following Monday's episode. Brendan and PJ fight back, leading to a discussion about how to manage jellyfish stings and a name drop of Moises Alou. There is some golf talk, as the PGA Tour's regular season wraps up with the Wyndham Championship this week. Andy and Brendan wonder if there will be any conscientious objectors next week in Memphis with many top European players still abroad. Some players need big weeks at the Wyndham in order to even get to Memphis, and Andy is happy only 70 guys will see the postseason. One-and-done picks are haphazardly made, but this premier gambling podcast may still find a way to close out the year with a winner. The Women's Open Championship is this week as well and Brendan is fired up about his prediction of Lottie Woad as the gambling favorite coming true. He suggest a remix of Black Rob's "Whoa" be produced to welcome Lottie to the first tee at Royal Porthcawl for her first major as a professional. Plenty of Lottie chatter follows, as well as some cleanup on the KFT exemption scandal covered on Monday. Andy awards the Event of the Week to the Western Am, there's some news with new LIV purses in 2026, and Brian Rolapp's tenure at the PGA Tour has officially begun. A long-awaited review of Happy Gilmore 2 rounds things out, with Andy and PJ going back and forth about the film and possible continuity errors throughout.
Andy is off at sea, so Brendan! calls in "The Boys" for this Monday episode. Joseph LaMagna joins PJ and BP to discuss Kurt Kitayama's second career PGA Tour win and his continued dominance at Arnold Palmer designs. There's some chatter about Kitayama's excellent weekend at the 3M Open, tough Sundays from Jake Knapp and Akshay Bhatia, and some wild lines from the broadcast throughout the week. Brendan shares some takes from the beach as well before a quick look at the FedEx Cup standings heading into the last week of the regular season. Elsewhere in pro golf, a Korn Ferry Tour sponsor exemption has Brendan riled up, Lottie Woad was victorious at the Women's Scottish Open in her pro debut, and the Champs Tour Player of the Year race has heated up following the last major of the season. Rory McIlroy even stopped by the Senior Open Championship to take in the sights and sounds of the senior circuit. Joaquin Niemann won for a fifth time in 2025 at LIV London, an outcome which Joseph calls the "worse-case scenario" for the league. In news, Happy Gilmore 2 has taken over the golf world and a full review of the film will come later this week.
After transatlantic and transcontinental travel earlier, Andy and Brendan are ready for a true whiparound Friday episode to round out a chaotic week. Brendan! is back stateside and shares that he did not watch a movie on his flight back from Ireland, disappointing Andy as they chat about the big premiere of Happy Gilmore 2. Scottie Scheffler made it to New York with his "Open Championship trophy" in hand, just 24 hours after winning his fourth major, and was joined by Collin Morikawa, John Daly, and golf influencer Bryson DeChambeau, among other celebrities. Speaking of Bryson, he's had a big few days of quotes regarding the Ryder Cup and a potential matchup with Rory at Bethpage. Andy and Brendan then run through the Schedule for the Week, including the Sticky Note Open at TPC Sod Farm, Zinger calling the Senior Open with some friends from across the pond, and the U.S. Junior, where one participant was disqualified for a peculiar reason. There's a little bit of news regarding LIV as their flagship London event kicks off on Friday before this episode wraps with some Best Day Brewing Golf Advice.
Scottie Scheffler is the 2025 Champion Golfer of the Year after securing his fourth major title with a Sunday 68 at Royal Portrush. Andy and Brendan spend the first half of this episode putting Scheffler's run into some historical context following his win, placing him a U.S. Open win away from the career slam at just 29 years old. The two break down his round and the skills he showed throughout the week that enabled him to separate from the rest of the field in Northern Ireland. The back half of this recap touches on basically the rest of the field, as Andy's "Storylines Nobody's Talking About" include Rory McIlroy winning "Low Holywood," a Sunday storm hitting Westy Island, plenty of Wikipedia Top Tens, and Kevin Kisner blaming the UGSA for Wyndham Clark's Oakmont incident. There's also plenty of course takeaways from Royal Portrush, and Brendan ends this week of coverage with a little game from his time on the grounds at the 2025 Open.
In what may come as a surprise to no one, Scottie Scheffler's bogey-free 67 has him four clear of the field heading into Sunday at Royal Portrush. Andy and Brendan recap more excellence from the No. 1 player in the world and set the scene for what could be his fourth major win on Sunday. They play a quick game of Contender/Pretender with Haotong Li and Matt Fitzpatrick before Brendan unpacks a day walking with Rory McIlroy in Northern Ireland. The two attempt to contextualize what Rory means to the fans at Royal Portrush and what playing this event in his home country may mean to him coming off the career slam. They wonder if Rory has a chance of chasing down the Sheriff tomorrow, but are unsure if anyone can even reach Scottie's current mark of -14. In "Storylines Nobody's Talking About," Andy highlights Matt Jordan's everlasting battle against par, Georgia Bulldogs feeling right at home, and a new musical heading to Broadway in September. Brendan wraps this show up with tales from the pub with Dick Teder and an update on Joseph LaMagna's TikTok stardom.
Andy and Brendan return to recap the second round of the 153rd Open Championship following Scottie Scheffler's 64, the best round of the day at Royal Portrush. Most of this episode is focused on another brilliant round from the Sheriff, allowing him to take the outright lead by one shot over Matt Fitzpatrick. Brian Harman popped early, firing a 65 in the morning wave to have the lead for most of the day until the two policemen got hot. Shane Lowry was also discussed at length after cursing at Royal Portrush, the site of his lone major win, and being handed a two-shot penalty for causing his ball to move with a practice swing. Andy and Brendan run through notable missed cuts, including LIV stars Cam Smith, Brooks Koepka, and Patrick Reed, and American "stars" Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa. Andy wraps up with some more "Storylines Nobody's Talking About" and is sure to mention Matthew Jordan's career-high Open round, the Sepptic Tank's first major made cut of 2025, and a retired golfer who found his way to the weekend.
Andy is joined by a Portrush-based Brendan to recap the first round of the 2025 Open Championship. They unpack an incredibly fun day of golf and leaderboard full of SGS favorites like Lee Westwood, Jacob Skov Olesen, and Matthew Jordan. Brendan shares insights from walking the course all day, including a substantiated rumor about Scottie's warmup on the range during a practice round. The two chat through Matt Fitzpatrick's resurgence, Scottie's potentially "meaningless" 68, and the benefit of experience at Open Championships with many Olds in the red after day one. Andy runs through more "Storylines Nobody's Talking About," including the Sheriff finding a partner with jurisdiction in the United Kingdom, 19-year-old Dick Teder "aura farming" with his mullet, and Calamity Corner casualty in Cameron Young. Wyndham Clark's ban from Oakmont is discussed at length before Andy enlightens Brendan on what happened with the TV broadcast, including a star turn for a former major champion! Check back in tomorrow as the two go through all the missed cuts for the final men's major of 2025.
Brendan! made it across the pond (without some luggage) and has taken in two days of practice rounds at Royal Portrush. He joins an injured Andy, who found out that Crocs aren't built for basketball the hard way on his Monday evening walk, to preview the 2025 Open Championship. The two run through all of the major storylines, such as Rory's homecoming to Northern Ireland, Scottie's media comments on "fairness" and Jon Rahm looking like he's back in form. They choose favorite and least favorite tee times, calling out which groups to wake up early for on Thursday and Friday if you're operating from the United States. Joseph LaMagna joins Brendan from the Portrush media center to discuss going viral on Northern Ireland TikTok, as well! Andy shares five under-the-radar storylines for this week, touching on a Holywood native playing at home after a top-five finish last week and the best player in the world without a major returning to major golf. To wrap things up, PJ submits 12 Games Within a Game for the year's final men's major before four Lock-Hammer-Fire picks are made.
With all due respect to the Dick's Open and the ISCO Championship, Andy's Event of the Week, this episode was recorded immediately following the Scottish Open due to Brendan's recurring air travel cancellations. Chris Gotterup outdueled Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark, and the clock at the Renaissance Club to capture the Scottish Open title, the biggest win of his career to date. Andy and Brendan discuss Gotterup's continued development as a player and his battle against the shot clock on Sunday before mentioning strong performances from Rory, Scottie Scheffler, and Marco Penge in Scotland. The two then touch on the Evian Championship which ended in a playoff win for Grace Kim after perhaps the greatest closing stretch to a major in history. Andy and Brendan analyze this win in the greater context of the women's game and also note that Lottie Woad has earned enough points for an LPGA Tour card following this event. Lastly, Talor Gooch won LIV Andalucía despite a late charge from Jon Rahm, who believes he's currently hitting the ball better than he has at any point in the last two years. Rahm's comments lead to a bit of an Open power rankings discussion before Brendan wraps with some news coming out of Stefan Schauffele's latest interview. Watch our Open Championship preview LIVE on YouTube at 4 pm ET on Tuesday for continued coverage!
This Summer Friday episode covers a wide range of topics, starting with Pete Crow-Armstrong and ending with some promo for next week's Open Championship live show (4 pm ET on 7/15!). Andy and Brendan share some stories of 1990s Tour pros thanks to recent orders from the Fried Egg Golf Pro Shop and the Pro Set trading cards included in their packages. Andy reads off the stats and information from Mark Brooks's 1990 season, leading right into some unsubstantiated rumors about the PGA Champions dinner. Brendan adds LIV Valderrama to the Schedule of the Week and highlights Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia as two players to watch as we close in on Ryder Cup selections. Speaking of Valderrama, Brendan then dives into a flashback from the 2002 Volvo Masters on the European Tour. This event was won by both Colin Motgomerie and Bernhard Langer in a shared victory, leading to some interesting quotes and discoveries looking back 23 years later. The episode wraps with some Golf Advice about Member-Guest season and some caddie-etiquette. Be sure to tune in to next week's Open Championship Preview as we go LIVE on the Fried Egg Golf YouTube at 4 pm ET.
Coffee Golf season has come again and Brendan and Andy are ready for this week's Scottish Open. Before diving into the co-sanctioned field, Brendan shares a story from a listener who cashed out big thanks to this gambling podcast's constant mentions of Brian Campbell ahead of the John Deere Classic. Andy and Brendan then discuss the Genesis Scottish Open and the catnip of players posting their rounds at North Berwick early in the week. Content Machine Dylan Frittelli has told the world his plans to putt with a mini driver and Bob MacIntyre has Andy riled up with some comments about his driver swing. Attention then turns to the ISCO Championship in Kentucky, where DPWT players such as Jakob Skov Olesen will find themselves playing alongside PGA Tour stalwarts like John Bradley Holmes. Andy declares the ISCO as his "Event of the Week" and asks everyone to join him in following this tournament as closely as possible. The two circle back on the yearly discussion of the Evian Championship and its status as a major on the LPGA circuit before PJ jumps in to run down the field of "celebrities" at the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe. This segment touches on NFL legends like Jerry Rice, national weather anchors, and has three Gary Sheffield impressions baked in. The Champions Tour is in New York, but three-time defending champion Padraig Harrington will skip the Dick's Open for a tee time at the Scottish Open instead. Brendan wraps up the Schedule of the Week with some on-the-ground insight from the U.S. Adaptive Open, sharing the stories of some athletes competing in Maryland. In news, Collin Morikawa has a temporary new caddie and Brendan solicits an expert opinion on the interior design of Trout National.
Andy celebrates yet another Victory Monday coming out of the holiday weekend as he joins Brendan! to recap Brian Campbell's second playoff win of 2025. The two discuss the John Deere Classic and how Campbell is being positioned as an "anti-rollback" hero by winning twice as one of the shortest hitters on the PGA Tour. They also chat about other contenders in the Quad Cities with Max Homa showing glimpses of good form and Matt Kuchar sharing more wisdom with young players late on a summer Sunday. Kevin Roy, son of Patrick, turned to the platform formerly known as Twitter to defend himself against Joseph LaMagna about a rules issue on Saturday, leaving Andy and Brendan to wonder what all the fuss was about. PJ chimes in with some conspiracy theories regarding Aldrich Potgieter's mysterious withdrawal before the episode turns to the DP World Tour and author Dan Brown's latest win. Just in time for Coffee Golf season, Brown has returned to the winner's circle and will surely play a prominent role at Royal Portrush in a few weeks. Brendan and PJ are also giddy about the latest star from the Tartan Tour, Chris Maclean. Elsewhere overseas, Lottie Woad won the KPMG Women's Irish Open by six shots, her first win in a professional event. Andy and Brendan debate whether she should take her LPGA Tour card this year once she earns enough points, or play out her senior season at FSU next spring. In news, Lucas Glover is ready for the Scottish Open and is glad no LIV players received an invite, and the new FedEx Cup payout structure has been revealed. This episode ends with a tribute to Ed Fiori, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 72.
Andy and Brendan are living in the future, pre-recording this holiday Golf Advice extravaganza. They discuss their thoughts on parades ahead of the 4th of July and get an early start on the patriotic celebrations by sharing the news of Gary Woodland's appointment as an assistant captain for Team USA this fall. After that brief detour into actual golf news, Andy, Brendan, and PJ read through a bunch of listener-submitted questions about player rankings, TPC housing developments, "Brian" Griffin and "Adam" Novak, and more.
It's a throwback audio episode with Brendan using his Airpods after finding himself in a travel delay. Nevertheless, Andy is on cloud nine over on Westy Island after Lee Westwood qualified for this month's Open Championship at Royal Portrush. The two reminisce about Westy's t-4 performance and stand-up morals at the 2019 Open before running through the rest of the 2025 qualifiers from overseas. They are particularly chuffed by Richard Teder, a 20-year-old from Estonia who holed out for eagle in a playoff to secure his spot at Portrush. Andy wonders if Dick Teder is the first player in a new generation of golfers - the Rory (Sabbatini) generation. LIV's 2026 schedule was leaked and the league won't make a stop in the United States until mid-May. Brendan and Andy run through the dates and the travel plans needed to play at majors throughout the world, such as going from Spain to Shinnecock Hills for the U.S. Open. From there, it's time for some lock-hammer-fire picks for the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run. The "Champion House" is back and is sure to be catnip for the entirety of the week. It's the strongest field in tournament history and there's no better example of that than Rickie Fowler returning to the Quad Cities for the first time since 2010. Andy shares a little 2010 time capsule to contextualize how long its been since Rickie played the Deere and gets Brendan to sing along to some Ke$ha on a Tuesday afternoon. In news, Adam Schupak reported that numerous PGA Tour legends are unhappy that they've been cut out of the new equity program coming as part of the PGA Tour Enterprises company. 36 former players will receive money based on a "career points" system that prioritized PGA Tour wins and starts, leaving European stars like Tony Jacklin and Nick Faldo on the outside looking in. They are, predictably, unhappy and voiced their displeasure to Golfweek, leading to a lengthy discussion from Andy and Brendan. Tune in to CBS Sports Network at Noon ET on Wednesday, July 2, for the Team Europe Wheel of Mules on "Eye on Golf with The Shotgun Start."
Andy and Brendan! celebrate a Victory Monday thanks to Aldrich Potgieter outlasting Max Greyserman in a five-hole playoff at the Rocket Classic in Detroit. Despite the hourlong playoff full of missed putts, Andy's vibes are especially high following the first PGA Tour win for "South African Big Dumper." There's plenty of distance discourse after a weekend of contention from "Speed Wars" stars like Potgieter, Jake Knapp, Michael Thorbjornsen, and more, leading Andy and Brendan to ponder whether the Rocket Classic is even "golf" at the highest level. Outside of the Burly Boy's big win, Playoff P showed up at LIV Dallas, unlocking a new level of Patrick Reed Ryder Cup conversations. Reed's first LIV win adds to an already strong major season and Andy thinks he's earned a spot on Team USA ahead of another fan favorite. PJ chimes in to recap "Maltbie-Gate" at the U.S. Senior Open after the beloved NBC announcer got into it with eventual winner Padraig Harrington on Friday night following the second round. The trio dive into the details on this confrontation and shout out a few other stories coming out of the Senior Tour Super Bowl in Colorado. A highly-anticipated Sports Minute covers a rare Cavs-Bulls trade before Brendan recaps Peppy Peter's speech to the field in Detroit to put a bow on this Monday episode.
Whiparound Fridays return as Andy and Brendan cover the 2025 NBA Draft, Collin Morikawa's latest media beef, and a massive Cleeks profile in Forbes in this episode. Sports Minute kicks off with some frustration from Andy about the Bulls front office and how they've handled the NBA Draft as of this recording. It was ball-in-hand on Thursday at the Rocket Classic, resulting in the course record being broken by Burly Boy Aldrich Potgieter and Kevin Roy, son of Patirck. Andy's one-and-done pick Min Woo Lee had the early lead with a 63 and followed up his round with some interesting comments to the media. Brendan and Andy discuss why this event at Detroit Golf Club exemplifies the need for a rollback and shine some light on the issues highlighted by Dr. Chipinski. In other Detroit news, Collin Morikawa has another new caddie and some beef with a media member following an article published on Wednesday. The Cleeks have decided to "rebrand" themselves in an effort to become as culturally relevant as Jordan, Ferrari, and the New York Yankees and Cleeks lifer Brendan is loving what he's hearing from his team's new leadership. There's a brief check-in on the U.S. Senior Open before things wrap up with two Golf Advice questions as we hit peak member-guest season. Enter the B.Draddy Cool giveaway here: https://www.bdraddy.com/pages/fried-egg-golf
This Wednesday episode is an in-person recording on Long Island as Andy and Brendan pregame the 2025 Fried Egg Golf Club Member-Guest. Instead of beginning with any golf news, methods of transportation are ranked following Andy's early-morning drive across the island. It's a huge week on the PGA Tour as Area 313 is BACK for the Rocket (not Mortgage) Classic! This year's field is the deepest in tournament history with players vying for Ryder Cup and FedEx Cup points. Brendan puts his investigative reporting hat back on and calls this year's Area 313 charity giveaways into question. Picks are made and PJ is calling for a "now-or-never" week for NYGC superstar Cameron Young. Elsewhere, it's another Senior Tour major as the U.S. Senior Open takes place in Colorado without defending champion Dick Bland. The LPGA is running their team event and the DP World Tour takes on the Italian Open. In news, a Joe Ogilvie interview in Sports Illustrated alludes to the PGA Tour potentially looking for a cut of TV deals for major championships and more. Enter the B.Draddy Cool giveaway here: https://www.bdraddy.com/pages/fried-egg-golf
Andy and Brendan are fired up for four months full of Ryder Cup discourse following Captain Keegan Bradley's win at the Travelers! They discuss the impact of this win on the American Ryder Cup team on both the captaincy, which Bradley said he would not relinquish, and the back half of the roster for Bethpage Black. The two also talk through Tommy Fleetwood's latest runner-up finish on the PGA Tour after failing to convert the 54-hole lead for what would have been his first career win in America. With Signature Events wrapped up, Brendan shares some #data on sponsor exemptions into these events and the results may shock you! From there, Andy goes deep on the course setup for the KPMG Women's PGA at PGA Frisco. Minjee Lee was able to separate from the pack and win her third career major championship, but many players were outspoken about an "unfair" setup. PJ chimes in with some blow-by-blow of the Kaulig Companies Championship where Miguel Angel Jimenez took down Steven Alker in a playoff. To wrap things up, some scuttlebutt from the ground at Travelers is shared regarding the most famous member of TPC River Highlands, Chris Berman.
This is an episode full of Friday whimsy, covering the Chicago Cubs, Wyndham Clark's antics, Sheriff Scottie's department expanding, and more. Andy and Brendan run through an "apology" from Wyndham in the aftermath of destroying a locker at Oakmont and how he turned this moment into a plea for a spot on the Ryder Cup team. The two also discuss Scottie Scheffler's comments from Wednesday's press conference at the Travelers regarding what he considers a "fair test" on the PGA Tour. Speaking of the Travelers, Jordan Speith withdrew with a new injury and Adam Schefter took over Thursday's broadcast with some insane PGA-NFL comparisons. Leaderboard updates are provided for the Women's PGA Championship and Champs Tour at Firestone, where PJ's pick of Thomas Bjorn is fighting for dead last. To wrap up this episode, Brendan chats with Viktor Hovland about Brian Rolapp, Jay Monahan, Oakmont, and his favorite fruit.
Andy and Brendan are back home after a week in Pittsburgh (which some have called the No. 1 city in Ohio) and begin this episode with some U.S. Open cleanup. They double back on some takes from Sunday's show regarding J.J. Spaun possibly being a "flukey winner" and the Sam Burns rule situation on the 15th hole of Sunday's round. After closing up shop on Oakmont, attention turns to Tuesday's announcement of Brian Rolapp as the first-ever CEO of the PGA Tour. Andy and Brendan run through Rolapp's background as a longtime NFL executive and discuss the plan to "sunset" Jay Monahan at the end of 2026. Picks for this week's Travelers Championship are made, with the added bonus of new headset microphones in rotation! There's some Don Rea chatter ahead of the KPMG Women's PGA in Frisco and more men's major championship golf is on your televisions this weekend at the Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone. Be sure to tune in to CBS Sports Network on Wednesday for the debut of "Eye on Golf" at Noon ET!
Andy and Brendan! return to the Ecco House after a Sunday at rainy Oakmont Country Club. The two recap J.J. Spaun's win at the 125th U.S. Open, his first major championship victory. They recount a chaotic Sunday with nearly a dozen players in true contention throughout the afternoon and provide final takeaways from the week at Oakmont. Deputy Sam Burns gets put under the microscope after fading from the lead, Cameron Young got PJ's hopes up yet again, and even Sheriff Scottie Scheffler was somewhat involved in this final round. Andy and Brendan also commend Adam Scott for his efforts despite losing what may be his final chance at a second major. Tune in to "Eye on Golf with The Shotgun Start" on CBS Sports Network on Wednesday at Noon ET for more U.S. Open cleanup!
Sheriff's Deputy Sam Burns has the solo lead after 54 holes at the 2025 U.S. Open! Andy and Brendan made it back from Muddy-mont and recapped a Saturday filled with slips and slides on and off the course. They talk Adam Scott turning back the clock and contending at his 24th U.S. Open, J.J. Spaun's inability to go away, and a loitering Viktor Hovland despite struggles off-the-tee. Scottie Scheffler is deemed "too far back" to win the title after 72 holes, but Cameron Young is a potential dark-horse contender following his best iron play of the year. Rory spoke to the media about speaking to the media, opening a discussion on his week as a whole. Finally, Jason Day shared he roots for half of the AFC North and an ad read sends things off the rails heading into Sunday.
Andy and Brendan went live in front of a studio audience at Local Remedy Brewing in Oakmont to recap the second round of the 2025 U.S. Open. They discuss an... interesting... leaderboard heading into the weekend, headlined by Sam Burns after a Friday 65. The two share some worry about the current situations unfolding and debate what the best-case and worst-case scenarios are come Sunday night. They two then run through the big names who won't see the weekend, including Bryson DeChambeau, Shane Lowry, and Ludvig Åberg. There's some scuttlebutt from the grounds, some live audience interaction, and much more whimsy on this Friday the 13th recording.
After a day on the ground at Oakmont, Andy and Brendan went live to share their thoughts from the first round of the 2025 U.S. Open. J.J. Spaun is in the lead at -4, so the two first debate who the "real" leader of the tournament is. Andy settles on a resurgent Brooks Koepka, sitting at -2, and is eyeing Jon Rahm at -1 a bit further down the board. Brendan shares some takeaways from following Spaun's second nine before transitioning to some course talk. The two discuss Thursday's pin placements, the setup "begging" for a fluke winner, and have some rough thoughts percolating already. Scottie, Rory, and Bryson are covered, with each finishing the first round over par. Games Within the Game are updated after some early commanding leads as well. Big Shot Bob MacIntyre had some critical quotes following his even-par round and Brendan loved what he was hearing. To close things out, the two look ahead to Friday and where the cutline might end up.
Andy and Brendan are bouncing after a full two days at Oakmont and ready to debrief in this burly episode previewing the 2025 U.S. Open. They begin with some initial thoughts on Pittsburgh and their first couple days at Oakmont. There’s a wide ranging discussion on the golf course and some of the immediate impressions on just how difficult it will be, where it will pop the best, how to avoid disasters, and if it can get away with tricks just based on its reputation. They run through some of the favorites like Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, and Jon Rahm and some of the amusing, alarming, and affirming quotes and trends from top players. As is tradition, they run through their favorite tee times, and offer the “worst” tee time for the first two rounds. They empty out the notebook with other delights and scuttlebutt from the ground before bringing in The Boys to chat about their interview with Cam Young, a day caddying alongside Bryson, and a debate over some games within the game. There’s also a big announcement about a new SGS endeavor coming next week with CBS Sports.
This quick Sunday episode was recorded right after the "pillow fight" of a playoff between Ryan Fox and Sam Burns at the 2025 RBC Canadian Open. Andy is ecstatic about Foxy's victory Monday and subsequent move into the top 35 in the OWGR, hoping that this could get him a spot on the International Team for next year's Presidents Cup. Brendan and Andy recap an SGS-filled top of the leaderboard at TPC Toronto that ended in one of the worst playoffs in PGA Tour history. PJ is called on to explain Cameron Young's Sunday round and blowup on the 72nd hole but he claims this was positive momentum heading into the U.S. Open. A premature game of Oakmont Contender or Pretender is played following Rory's adventurous week with his driver and Phil's near-win at LIV Virginia. Brendan received some on-the-ground intel from RTJ, where Joaquin Niemann won yet again. The show wraps with some Oakmont chatter about rough content, a weekend of rain, and excitement for what's to come in the week ahead at the 125th United States Open.
We are wishing a happy June 6th to you and yours, wherever you may be! Brendan barely has a voice but is still ready to celebrate the second anniversary of the Framework Agreement with Andy on this fine Friday episode. The two open with a lengthy discussion about the future of LIV Golf and the current status of this 731 day-old agreement between the PIF and PGA Tour. They debate whether the two sides ever actually come together and if not, what the best path forward is for everyone involved. From there, this is a bit of an Oakmont preview episode ahead of the 125th U.S. Open next week. Andy has Brendan and PJ attempt to place the top of the field into tiers, with some commentary on players such as Ludvig Åberg, Joaquin Niemann, and Justin Rose. Andy also goes down the list a bit to find a deep sleeper who has the short game to win a U.S. Open at a course like Oakmont. Brendan turns back the clock for a Flashback Friday on the 2016 U.S. Open and the rules controversy that loomed over Dustin Johnson's final round. He shares some tweets from Rory, Spieth, and even Rickie who were watching live and were not pleased with the USGA's handling of the situation. To close things out, Joseph LaMagna stops by bring Ernie Els's 1994 U.S. Open win into question after discovering some sketchy drops during the final round.
Andy and Brendan are in high spirits for this "Victory Wednesday" recording focused on the Canadian Open. The two discuss the results from "Golf's Longest Day" of U.S. Open qualifying. Amateurs lit some sites up, Cam Young advanced in a playoff, and Zac Blair found his way in at Springfield yet again. There's some LinkedIn chatter after "dental coach" Matt Vogt advanced to Oakmont from the Walla Walla, Washington site. Andy and Brendan ponder whether big-name players that failed to qualify at east-coast events should have flown out to the west coast to play different competition. The two then move to the RBC Canadian Open, where Luke Clanton will debut as a pro and Rory McIlroy re-emerged after his interesting week at Quail Hollow. Andy and Brendan discuss Rory's pre-tournament press conference and his comments about his driver failing testing at the PGA and the ensuing decision to not speak with the media after any tournament round. PJ pops in to preview the American Family Insurance Championship, a Champs Tour team event, before Brendan gives his "Event of the Week" to this week's DP World Tour stop in Amsterdam. In news, the Fireballs have a new signing and Scottie Scheffler is officially headed to Bethpage!
Another week, another Sunday episode reacting to a Scottie Scheffler win on the PGA Tour. Andy and Brendan recap Sheriff Scottie's 16th career victory after he defeated Ben Griffin by four shots at The Memorial. Brendan reads through some stats to help put Scottie's three-year run in some historical context before Andy runs through Scheffler's 2017 Walker Cup teammates to show how much his game has improved in eight years. The two are downright giddy that Ian Baker-Finch dropped a "Sheriff" on the broadcast on Sunday which was promptly added to the soundboard. Andy and Brendan also tie up some loose ends on The Memorial by chatting about strong weeks from Ben Griffin and Sepp Straka. Speaking of good weeks, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler made the most of their sponsor exemptions and Andy is not happy about these free invites into Signature Events. The U.S. Women's Open had some setup issues at Erin Hills after near-six hour rounds became the norm all week long. Maja Stark won her first major championship, another first-time winner at the U.S. Women's Open. Brendan and Andy also discuss Lexi Thompson's stance that she did not "retire" after her sendoff last season. The two then finish up the recap portion of the show with notes from the Austrian Open and a playoff edition of Champions Tour Minute before previewing "Golf's Longest Day" on Monday, even though the name may no longer accurately describe the event.
Whiparound Fridays continue as Andy and Brendan cover everything from the quarterback room of the Cleveland Browns to the drinking water at the Austrian Open in this episode. After crowning the Austrian Open as his "Event of the Week," Brendan was swarmed with information about the tournament and its history. He informs Andy about the past "tee up" rounds where every shot could be played off a tee and shares that the drinking water may be causing some issues for players on the course. The main portion of this episode focuses on the changes to the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup Playoffs that were announced Tuesday afternoon. Andy and Brendan discuss the removal of "Starting Strokes" from the Tour Championship and whether these changes will be enough to fix what has become a broken playoff system. With the playing field evened out at East Lake, they then debate who the worst-case scenario winner of the 2025 FedEx Cup would be. Meanwhile at the U.S. Women's Open, slow play is once again the topic of discussion with rounds nearing six hours on Thursday afternoon. Andy and Brendan then recap the NCAA Championship and some gamesmanship by an Oklahoma State player that should have him in Ryder Cup conversations. In other news, Charlie Woods is an AJGA winner, Good Charlotte is headed to Bolingbrook this summer, Blockie's angling for Champions Tour exemptions, and Bryson may have some nice digs in Washington D.C. ahead of LIV Virginia next week. To wrap things up, Brendan shares an amusing story from his trip to a diner with PJ.
This episode starts with a simple question: why isn't college golf more popular? Andy and Brendan look at this week's NCAA championships and wonder how the college game could raise its profile among golf fans. They compare top players, some of whom have PGA Tour cards already, and top-ranked schools to the top prospects and teams in college football and basketball that become household names during their respective seasons. After the lengthy college golf discussion, the two preview yet another Signature Event as the PGA Tour heads to the Memorial at Jack's Place (proper noun). Rory McIlroy will not be in Columbus, instead choosing to play in next week's Canadian Open in his quest to win every national open possible. One-and-done picks are made with Brendan steering into a bit after Andy boxes him into it. The U.S. Women's Open is at Erin Hills this week, leading to a debate about where the course stands in terms of major venues in the professional game. Andy and Brendan run through some notable groups for the first two rounds and share some excitement for on-location coverage from The Mixed Bag. The Champions Tour treks to Iowa and PJ has some questions about the Schwab Cup standings following the second senior major. Andy and Brendan wrap things up with some LIV contract news as the first wave of players are up for renewal.
Andy is back from his travels and joins Brendan to get caught up on this holiday weekend of golf. This episode starts with a lengthy Senior PGA Championship recap after PJ's journey down the eastern seaboard to Congressional Country Club. PJ shares his observations from the ground, touching on back-to-back major champion Angel Cabrera's aptly-named equipment, Richard Bland's insistence on hitting driver all over the place, and some substantiated rumors about new podcast folk hero Don Rea Jr. Andy and Brendan then recap the Charles Schwab Challenge where Ben Griffin won his second PGA Tour event of the season. They debate Griffin's early case for inclusion on this year's American Ryder Cup team and Brendan shares a touching moment from Griffin's post-round presser on Sunday. In news, Rory McIlroy is skipping this week's Memorial Tournament, Will Zalatoris undergoes back surgery, and Lucas Glover presents a conspiracy about driver testing on the PGA Tour.
With Andy on the road, "The Boys" join Brendan! for this Friday episode. Joseph is immediately thrown in the fire of a Champions Tour major week with Brendan and PJ sharing the latest news from the opening round of the Senior PGA Championship at Congressional. There's a new Don Rea development that you'll have to see (or hear?) to believe, which leaves everyone in stitches early on in the episode. Scottie Scheffler's outing at the Dallas Stars game is discussed, as well as some insane PGA Tour Live graphics shown during first round coverage of the Charles Schwab Challenge. Scottie also shared some thoughts on a potential deal between LIV and the PGA Tour during his pre-tournament press conference. There's some more Motor City GC chatter as the trio tries to select the perfect team to represent Detroit in 2027 before tackling some golf advice questions, including one submission about a legendary round at the Colonial Pro-Am.
If you're interested in astrology, PGA cleanup, and the most comprehensive preview of the Senior PGA Championship, this is the episode for you! Still basking in the afterglow of Scottie's win at the PGA, Andy and Brendan are in high spirits for this Wednesday episode. They first debate what a fair over-under is for Scottie Scheffler's career major wins and emphasize how hard it is to sustain an elite level of play for ten years. The two then do some more PGA wrap up and briefly look ahead to Oakmont and Royal Portrush, where they expect Jon Rahm to be a contender. On the PGA Tour, Scottie will tee it up again in Dallas for the Charles Schwab Challenge. Joining him there are Corey Pavin, Olin Browne, and David Frost, leading Brendan to question whether these olds will be competitive at Colonial. After making some fire picks for the week, this episode turns into a full-on preview of the Senior PGA Championship at Congressional. Brendan and PJ go through the field and discuss notables, including Andy's favorite, Lee Westwood! There are odds out there for this event, so picks are made for this major championship as well. In news, Detroit's TGL team will begin play in 2027 and some history was made at the USGA Fourball.
Andy and Brendan are flying high after another strong major championship week of golf and daily podcasts. They get right to it with this recap marveling at Scottie Scheffler’s weekend at Quail Hollow, from the all-time Saturday finish that went right into the ugly Sunday start to a win that provokes thoughts of a multi-major summer to come. What’s left for him to solve and are there further questions that need answering? They get into the mental load he can put on his competitors, including Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau on the weekend. They discuss the joy of having Rahm back in the hunt and how it came undone on the back nine. They get into some amusing Bryson quotes about his equipment and needing to find a ball that flies straighter with over 190 mph speeds. Also, has his major play been more brilliant or sloppy lately? They grade out several more near the top of the non-Scottie leaderboard, including Joaquin Niemann’s first ever top 10. Rory’s week is given a review, from the scores to the media freeze out. Also graded is the CT Machine, the Quail Hollow major setup, and the PGA of America as a whole led by Don Rea. Then PJ jumps on late to debrief on a WILD Champions Tour scramble in the dark as well as a possible auction scandal at the PGA.
Chief of the Fair Police Scottie Scheffler has a three-shot lead heading into Sunday of the PGA Championship as Andy and Brendan return to break down the third round. There's plenty of Chief Scottie talk following his incredible back nine, including a new soundboard clip to replace last night's sirens. A lengthy Contender or Pretender? segment follows, with Andy and Brendan discussing Bryson DeChambeau (and his post-round quotes) and a seemingly resurgent Jon Rahm. PJ wraps things up with a quick Regions Tradition update ahead of TWO major championships being decided tomorrow evening.
Andy and Brendan once again wrapped up a day at Quail Hollow with a YouTube livestream as the broadcast ended. They start with a trip to "the Vegas zone" with Jhonny Vegas still in the lead after 36 holes of the PGA Championship. Chief of the Fair Police Scottie Scheffler is lurking and is the odds-on favorite to win the tournament and is discussed at length. Bryson DeChambeau and Richard Bland are carrying the LIV baton, just as everyone predicted entering the week. Andy and Brendan also cover some late-breaking news about Rory McIlroy's driver that may explain his struggles off-the-tee this week. To wrap things up, there's plenty of ongoing fallout and discoveries following the all-timer that was the 2025 PGA of America press conference.
Andy and Brendan! went live on YouTube as play wrapped up to recap an... eventful... Thursday at Quail Hollow. They discuss the supergroup of Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Rory McIlroy's struggles both on and off the course, the ongoing debate over the "fairness" of mudballs, and take a look at a different leaderboard than we've been used to at recent major championships. They also hit on Phil Mickelson tying his worst-ever round at a PGA Championship, some more major disappointment for Joaquin Niemann, and were still live as Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas, and Bryson DeChambeau wrapped up their Thursdays. The Regions Tradition is briefly covered after Richard Green's record-breaking round at Greystone.
This is a beefy Wednesday episode with Andy and Brendan previewing the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club. Two days of rain in Charlotte might've stopped some practice rounds, but it did not stop anyone at the microphone as Tuesday pressers provided incredible quotes for discussion. Andy and Brendan kick things off with some course discussion after players such as Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler admitted to the media that Quail Hollow doesn't require much thought off-the-tee. It's debated whether the hate on Quail Hollow has gone too far and the impact of weather is a hot topic as we get closer to the tournament beginning. The favorites are discussed at length, with full segments on Scottie Scheffler (making his tournament debut at Quail), Rory McIlroy (storied history at this course), and Bryson DeChambeau (hit a hole-in-one over his house this offseason). Picks are made from the premier golf gambling podcast with no one overthinking the second major of the year. PJ joins in to discuss best and worst tee times, of which there are many, before the attention turns to the PGA of America presser from Tuesday afternoon. Andy and Brendan do a deep dive on the topics discussed by PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague, PGA of America President Don Rea, and Chief Championship Officer Kerry Haigh. We're fired up for another week of daily shows after each round, so stay tuned throughout the week.
Andy and Brendan gather for this “signature” recap from the Truist Championship at Philly Cricket Club. They list what they liked, and what they didn’t like from the weekend in Philadelphia. There is much pomp and circumstance about the Sepptic Tank rumbling his way to another win, and they handicap his chances for the PGA in Charlotte. There is also a Rory temperature check after a top 10 week and the next major now here. They debate whether this new schedule “sucks” and if it should have been Players week instead. The rollback debate that erupted based on the initial scores at the 7100 yard classic course is revisited, with notes about trees and Lucas Glover trying to have his cake and eat it too. There’s a Justin Thomas assessment as well — is he all the way back?? There’s some quick reaction to the Myrtle Beach Classic, LPGA, and DP World Tour as well before news signs off on a possible Rory trip to Australia and two new trademarked TGL names.
Finally back at home, Andy is in great spirits for this episode and surprises Brendan! by claiming a Victory Friday for the city of Chicago following the election of Pope Leo XIV. After plenty of midwest sports talk and an NBA playoffs check-in, the two recap the much-anticipated first round of the Truist, played at Philly Cricket Club. Brendan goes full Data Boy and shares some insight into Rory's round and the "big bops" he's hitting on the 7,100-yard course. Andy and Brendan discuss how events at courses like Philly Cricket Club show the need for an equipment rollback as these places are overpowered by today's game. Next week's PGA Championship is briefly previewed, as Andy wonders why there's "no juice" for a major championship. In news, Detroit looks to be getting the first TGL expansion team - much to Andy's chagrin - and Brendan shares another piece of PJ's "Forrest Gump" past life. Following a recap of the Creator Classic, Andy and Brendan answer some Golf Advice questions before Sports Minute wraps things up after some of the Pope's Chicago sports allegiances are revealed.
Andy is back in the states and begins this episode by telling Brendan! about his time at Oakmont for U.S. Open media day. The two share their excitement for next month's tournament and dig into some setup talk about green speeds and the membership requesting the winning score be over par. From there, it's a big week on the PGA Tour as the inaugural Truist Championship takes place at Philadelphia Cricket Club, a Golden Age design. Andy and Brendan debate whether this course will be long enough to test the pros and lament that a week of wet weather in the northeast may lead to low scores on the 7,100-yard track. One-and-done picks are made for the big purse at stake with a limited field tuning up for the PGA Championship. Elsewhere, the alternate field event in Myrtle Beach has a stronger-than-usual field, headlined by Tom Kim. There's some Creator Classic chatter ahead of the new team-style event on Wednesday, with Andy wondering where Fat Perez's game is at these days. In news, ratings are out for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and LIV Korea, and the U.S. Ryder Cup contingent (minus one big name) allegedly met for dinner in Philly on Tuesday night.
Andy's time across the pond is winding down but he still calls in to join Brendan for a celebration of life for TPC Craig Ranch. For all its faults, the course was able to find the best player in the field this week as Scottie Scheffler tied the PGA Tour scoring record at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Andy and Brendan discuss Scottie's historic win and dig into some scoring numbers for the par fives at TPC Craig Ranch this week. Will things still be the same following Lanny's renovation? We'll have to wait a year to find out! From there, the two recap Bryson DeChambeau finally closing out a Sunday lead with his win at LIV Korea. PJ shares some late-night broadcast thoughts and comments on the state of Richard Bland's game heading into the senior majors. Jon Rahm finished in the top 10 again, but Andy isn't sure this streak means as much as LIV thinks it does. In news, Rory drops some hints about next year's Champions Dinner at the Masters to an old friend, and Andy provides three stories from his time with Fried Egg Golf Club in Scotland.
Cue up the Thin Lizzy for this Friday episode as "The Boys" return to the SGS feed. With Andy still overseas, Brendan is joined by Joseph LaMagna and PJ Clark for an insane Friday episode full of conspiracies, horse takes, gorilla hypotheticals, and Golf Advice. After a bit of Kentucky Derby chatter, initial takeaways from the CJ Cup Byron Nelson are shared and Joseph proposes a new "Cam Champ Rule" for PGA Tour venues. The three then preview this week's LIV Korea event and discuss the current state of Jon Rahm, David Puig, and Richard Bland, among others. In news, departments within the PGA Tour are shifting a bit and tournament weeks are now "event weeks" for these local communities. Before Golf Advice, "The Boys" get Brendan's thoughts on the latest 100 men vs. one gorilla hypothetical and wonder which pro golfers would be the biggest assets in this kind of fight. Golf Advice has a Champs Tour legend involved and more hole-in-one discourse. To wrap things up, Brendan chats with Joel Beall about his new book, Playing Dirty, which you can buy here.
Andy is still being popped by the pub life in Scotland but recovered enough to join Brendan for a Wednesday morning recording to celebrate the PGA Tour's yearly stop at TPC Craig Ranch. This episode begins with a much-needed Blockie Minute ahead of the fourth and final round of the PGA Professional Championship. Mr. Block, the first round leader, has slipped down the leaderboard and needs a strong finish to qualify for Quail Hollow. Andy is still blacked out from Blockie content overseas and is wondering why the legend of Blockie is not growing internationally. The CJ Cup Byron Nelson begins on Thursday with a field full of Dallas residents and former champions of the event. Brendan sees this event as part of the Tour's venue problem, playing at an uninspiring course that should be soft after some rain this week. In Craig Ranch news, Lanny Wadkins is set to lead the renovation ahead of next year's tournament and is out and about doing press to discuss the project. After a week off for the Zurich, one-and-done picks return as this gambling podcast looks to get back on the right foot. Elsewhere on the schedule, the Champs Tour is also in Texas for the Insperity Invitational, and the LPGA will follow up its first major with a trip to Utah for the Black Desert Championship. Next, PJ shows off his new big letter hat from a trip to TPC River Highlands and Andy proposes a business idea for him to look into ahead of the Ryder Cup this fall. In news, Blades Brown is sticking with a KFT event as opposed to a sponsor exemption this week, LIV TV ratings continue to be low, and 2026 Presidents Cup captains were announced.
Andy is off in Scotland and calls in after a late night at the pub to join Brendan for this Monday morning recording. After some unplanned promo for Fried Egg Golf Club, this episode starts with a recognition of the world's best player, Joaquin Niemann, following his third win of the year on LIV. The two compare the three wins of Niemann and Rory McIlroy and wonder who the best player of 2025 truly is. From there, the conversation shifts to an extended Champs Tour Minute, as a power outage at the Zurich Classic allowed everyone to get some bonus coverage from Zinger and Papa on Golf Channel. PJ is overjoyed that the greater viewing public now sees his point about Zinger being kept in a studio as opposed to on the road watching Jerry Kelly outlast Ernie Els at TPC Sugarloaf. Andy and Brendan then move to the Chevron, won by Mao Saigo in a five-way playoff, the largest in LPGA history. Brendan points out the egregious backboarding opportunity available on the 18th hole and Andy shares some local reporting from The Woodlands about the lack of advertising for the event. On the PGA Tour, social media sensation Ben Griffin and NFL Draft pundit Andrew Novak teamed up for their first PGA Tour win(s) at the Zurich Classic, beating the Hojgaard twins following some interesting drops on the 72nd hole. This episode quickly runs through some news to wrap things up, including the latest from Michael Block as he looks to qualify for Quail Hollow.
Brendan! is back from Orlando and ready for the fifth annual Zurich Classic Walk-up Music Quiz! Andy peppers Brendan with questions about his vacation, setting up some takes about the best theme park rides in central Florida and observations about the human race. In golf news, the two preview LIV Mexico and take a deeper look at the league's scheduling ahead of the PGA Championship. Is traveling across the world and back to Charlotte the best way to get ready for Quail Hollow? It looks like we'll find out! Early returns from the Chevron and Zurich are also discussed, with Kevin Chappell replacing a withdrawn Billy Horschel getting most of the shine. Brendan reads a listener email about the Buffalo Bills ahead of tonight's NFL Draft and Andy has an update on where Hooters sources their chicken wings following Wednesday's debate with "The Boys." Before getting to the Walk-up Music Quiz, Andy and Brendan share some information about the new Fried Egg Golf website. Finally, Andy quizzes Brendan on potential walk-up songs for teams at this week's Zurich Classic before going rogue with the soundboard and likely getting this episode removed from YouTube.
Rumor has it that Brendan is still in line to ride Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure, so Andy is joined by "The Boys" (Joseph LaMagna and PJ Clark) to preview the Zurich Classic and the rest of this week in golf. Andy and Joseph run through some notable pairings for this week's team event on the PGA Tour, a tournament that some have called the "Mule Super Bowl." Joseph shares his take that more players should participate in the Zurich due to the amount of FedEx Cup points at stake in an event where one can be carried by a teammate. Andy and "The Boys" make up a few teams that they wish were in the field for this week, calling back memories of iconic moments in SGS history and wondering how some players could earn their first wins on the PGA Tour. Andy grills PJ about the future of Champions Tour Minute following his big interview with John Daly, and the Senior Tour's return is previewed ahead of the Mitsubishi Classic. Joseph and Andy run through the top storylines ahead of the first women's major of the year, the Chevron Championship, taking place in Texas this weekend. In news, Xander Schauffele debuted his new app and has PJ hooked on all of his exclusive content with more to come soon, and a new crop of "creators" are involved in the next Creator Classic, leading to Joseph wondering what Wes Bryan and the rest of the original crew are up to.
With Brendan still waiting on lines at Orlando theme parks, Andy calls in Shane Bacon from the bullpen for this Monday morning recording. To start, the two discuss Justin Thomas's playoff win over Andrew Novak at the RBC Heritage, his first win since the 2022 PGA Championship. Andy and Shane unpack an almost wire-to-wire win for JT and look at his improved putting and elite iron play that has bounced back to almost peak form. Shane shares some optimism about the rest of 2025 for JT, while Andy takes away that sometimes playing good golf is the most boring thing a player could do. The two debate where JT stands in a historical context with 16 PGA Tour wins to his name, comparing him to players such as Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson. From there, things go a bit off the rails as Andy shares some Disney reports from Brendan's trip ongoing trip to Florida before PJ provides an update on where the "ins" finished at Puntacana. Shane and Andy talk through Joel Dahmen's bogey-bogey-bogey finish to his final round, allowing Garrick Higgo to win his second career PGA Tour event. Andy highlights Neal Shipley's playoff win on the Korn Ferry Tour and Ingrid Lindblad's first LPGA win before wrapping this episode up with some news. Will Scott Stallings beat Andy's marathon time? Stay tuned to find out!
Andy and Brendan are back at home after a week in Georgia but still reflecting on what Brendan has deemed "the greatest Masters" of his life. This episode unpacks some of the more emotional elements surrounding Rory's win and subsequent completion of the career slam. The two discuss how Rory's sustained relevance in majors without a win could parallel to struggles in any person's life before comparing McIlroy's current career standing with Phil Mickelson's. Andy wonders what Justin Rose is doing to prepare for majors given his performance in weekly PGA Tour events and also demands apologies from the Corey Conners contingent who were not pleased with his takes last week. Picks are made for the RBC Heritage as this gambling podcast looks to stay hot after picking another winner last week. PJ then hosts a lengthy round of In-Out-Alternate for this week's alternate field event in PuntaCana, featuring some SGS favorites and plenty of winners from the early 2010s. Brendan wraps things up with some quick bits of news, including a "creator" exemption into the 'Cuda, before heading off to Disney World, where Rory may or may not be celebrating his Masters win.
Andy and Brendan! are back at the Draddy House in Augusta to recap one of the great days in golf history as Rory McIlroy completed the career slam by winning the 89th Masters in a playoff over Justin Rose. The two share their on-the-ground insight from Sunday, starting with the palpable buzz throughout the property at Augusta National this morning before the leaders teed off. They talk through some play-by-play of Rory's round, including memorable moments - both good and bad - at Nos. 1, 2, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, and the two playings of No. 18. While Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, and Ludvig Åberg are also discussed, this episode mainly focuses on Rory's historic victory and the end of his 11-year major drought.
Andy and Brendan are BUZZING back at the Draddy house after an unforgettable third round Saturday at Augusta National. They begin, naturally, with Zach Johnson’s round. Then it’s on to the incredible Rory McIlroy show that started 5-under through five, peaked with a legendary strut into 15, and closed with a two-shot lead with 18 to go for the career slam. They also chat extensively on Bryson DeChambeau not giving into the fight even without his best stuff, and closing with three birdies in his last four holes to REALLY put the pressure on McIlroy for a Sunday final pairing for the ages. They also get into Jordan Spieth’s extreme whining about mud balls and how it might play with the green jackets. They close with PJ on Pace Car duty recapping Tom Kim’s solo round that pushed the four-hour mark before some final remarks heading into Sunday.
Andy and Brendan are back at the Draddy house to celebrate and denigrate at the midpoint of the Masters. They discuss an amusing Friday finish with Scottie Scheffler sitting under a Magnolia tree looking for a ruling, a despondent Spieth grinding to make the cut, and temperamental Tyrell missing two foot putts. They also discuss Rory McIlroy getting back into the fight with a rousing 66 that has him in the second-to-last group on Saturday after the narrative “buried” him following the two doubles on Thursday. Bryson’s adaptation to Augusta is spotlighted as he makes another run for a green jacket for the second year in a row. There’s a course change discussed and the continued comments on 15th green are also reviewed. They get into some other patron amusements from the ground, a Hat Chat, and a funny nugget about Ken Griffey Jr., photographer at Augusta for the week.
Andy and Brendan are posted at the Draddy House Thursday evening to discuss their day at Augusta National scurrying around collecting nuggets and watching golf. They discuss some of the very tough pins and course difficulties of the first round, where Nick Dunlap posted a 90 without a three-putt. Theyhit on some of the early leaders like Justin Rose and Scottie Scheffler, as well as some of the late disappointments like Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy. There’s also plenty of chatter about the pace of play and the Tom Kim experience up close. They hand out awards for shot of the day, quote of the day, Piss Bear of the day, and the Good Guy Gerry Award. They wax poetic about watching Bernhard Langer make his way around the course as a wily veteran. At the end, they unload the notebook with some fun rumors and scuttlebutt picked up from the day on the ground.
Andy and Brendan! are buzzing and ready to preview the year's first major from the Draddy House in Augusta. The two return from a day at the course to discuss the biggest storylines entering the week before sharing their favorite tee times and making one-and-done picks. They start with Rory McIlroy, wondering if this will be the year he wins a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam. From there, Andy commends defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who will enter this week without a win in 2025. They also dive into fellow contenders Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Åberg, and a LIV contingent featuring Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann, and more. In favorite tee times, Brendan is excited about a grouping for a young player getting a lot of love this week and sets up a lengthy discussion about Jordan Spieth. Andy and Brendan empty their notebooks with notes from the ground before bringing PJ in to recap his first-time experience at Augusta National to close the show. Enter B. Draddy's giveaway for a FREE Andy hoodie here! Click HERE to enter the Fried Egg Golf Pool for this week's tournament.
It's an in-person Sunday show from the Draddy House in Augusta in honor of B. Draddy ambassador Brian Harman's win at the Valero Texas Open. Andy and Brendan! are together in Georgia and ready for the week ahead. Brendan shares some notes from his time at Augusta National on Sunday, where Gary Player provided an unsolicited sermon and bees are running (flying?) rampant. The two discuss Brian Harman's win at TPC San Antonio and the tough conditions leading to his Sunday score of 75. In other golf results, Ángel Cabrera secured his first Champions Tour win at the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational, leading to questions about his re-debut at Augusta this week. PJ reports about the PFHOF shadow competition, won by Notre Dame legend Tim Brown, adding another trophy next to his Heisman. Marc Leishman hit it around a big ballpark at Trump Doral, leading to an individual win for him and a team victory for the Rippers at LIV Miami. Sergio "Big Tex" Garcia upheld his strong team golf legacy by winning "The Duel" alongside George Bryan IV, but not without some upload issues delaying the release of the final video. Andy details this year's Augusta National Women's Amateur and is fired up about Asterisk Talley's potential and plans for her future. Be sure to join the official Fried Egg Masters Pool for a chance to win prizes from B. Draddy and more!
It's a true whiparound Friday as this episode covers many topics, spanning from a listener's Juuso Valimaki scouting report to a promotion for our Masters preview show going LIVE on YouTube next Tuesday night. Andy and Brendan are in high spirits and excited for Augusta, starting this show by choosing a player they'd like to see play himself into the field for next week. There's some more discussion about the Masters having range data for all players throughout the week, prompting Andy to ask PJ how to use these numbers for a gambling edge. Elsewhere in golf, the stars are out and speaking to media at LIV Doral, where Brooks Koepka was critical of the league's standing in year four despite its new CEO spending three months on changing a marketing phrase. Brendan shares some rumors about Bryson's non-participation in this week's "Duel" with YouTube creators and whether he actually owns his own YouTube channel he's been running for the last few years. As promised, PJ has a comprehensive preview of this weekend's James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational, where Darren Clarke and Boo Weekley will play two rounds with Warren Sapp and Dwight Freeney. This episode wraps with a new golf advice question focusing on a legendary upset in golf history.
This Wednesday episode focuses on two scandals currently unfolding across the sports world. Andy and Brendan! are disappointed to miss out on a First of the Month recording, but are fired up about the field construction for the Valero Texas Open. The field was expanded to 156 players with full status, but would need to shrink to 144 before allowing any alternates into the field. Andy wonders how players on major medicals, career money exemptions, or sponsor exemptions could reasonably jump an alternate such as Hayden Springer, who's currently ranked 78th in the FedEx Cup. From there, the two discuss some fallout from last week's Houston Open after seeing some unfounded criticism of Memorial Park. Picks are made for Valero, as PJ looks to stay hot following his winning selection of Dr. Chipinski. Brendan then prompts Andy for more thoughts on the torpedo bat "scandal" in baseball and how the technologically-advanced equipment can relate to golf. The Schedule for the Week is laid out with an ANWA preview, some LPGA scheduling thoughts, and some groundwork for LIV and Champs Tour discussions on Friday. In news, Dallas is in talks to get a TGL franchise, filling the Luka-sized hole in the city's heart, and Billy Boy picks up a new partner for the Zurich.
It was an SGS-heavy finish at the Texas Children's Houston Open, where Dr. Chipinski, Min Woo Lee, was grouped with podcast favorites Alejandro Tosti and Ryan Fox in the final round. The Doctor was IN on Sunday, with Min Woo barely holding off a charging Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland for his first career PGA Tour win. Andy kicks this episode off with a Victory Monday celebration for PJ, whose hammer came down on the correct player this week in Houston. Brendan and Andy then unpack Tosti's Sunday, a round filled with various run-ins with rules officials and his fellow players. They debate whether the NBC broadcast was too mean to him after repeatedly criticizing his pace-of-play throughout the final stretch. Min Woo gets planety of shine, but his choice to lag putt on both 17 and 18 on Sunday leaves the group wondering if he'll have to give up being Dr. Chipinski moving forward. In Houston Open wrap-up, Brendan and Andy discuss Sami Valimaki tying the course record, Gary Woodland's return to the top of a leaderboard, and Rory McIlroy's new elbow injury he revealed after his top-10 finish. Former Fireball Eugenio Chacarra took down the Hero Indian Open at DLF, securing him a DP World Tour card through 2027 after his departure from LIV at the end of last season. Brendan adds some color from on-the-ground reports at DLF, had only three players finish under par in a weak field for the DP World Tour. On the Champions Tour, Steve Allan won a pro event for the first time in 23 years after getting into the Galleri Classic as an alternate earlier this week. PJ shares some updates from Bob Papa in Champs Tour Minute and alludes to some potential upcoming content with a local Champs Tour legend. In news, Brendan drops that some people inside the moat at PGA Tour HQ are concerned about LIV Miami's broadcast on "Big FOX" this week out-rating the Valero Texas Open. Per request, this episode ends with a short discussion on the new bats in Major League Baseball and how golf can learn from what MLB decides on their legality.
This episode is full of Friday whimsy, as Andy and Brendan cover a variety of topics to send you into the weekend. Andy begins by asking questions about Ryder Cup eligibility for the latest honorary Texan. Brendan reveals that Thursdays are now known as "Diet Friday" after sharing today's Masters Fact of the Day. Speaking of Masters facts, Andy then provides an early weather update for Augusta, making sure he gets out in front of this upcoming catnip. After a recap of PJ's night at a Mumford & Sons concert on Wednesday night, updates are provided on the Hero Indian Open and the Houston Open. DLF was featured on Design Disasters on Thursday morning after caddies wrote in to complain about the 17th hole, and Matt Jordan is in contention with his standard first-round 69. In Houston, Tosti finds himself in the early lead, making Andy wonder what would happen if Tosti found himself in the field at Augusta National. LIV Golf announced its own Creator Classic, with a similar group of creators playing alongside pros at LIV Miami. PGA Tour member Wes Bryan is playing with Dustin Johnson, which has Andy do some journalism to ask if he'll be suspended from the PGA Tour as a result of his participation. At long last, some Golf Advice emails are read before Brendan has a quick Flashback Friday segment about Vijay Singh and how international players adjusted to the Houston Open in the early 2000s.
TGL Tuesdays come to a close, as this episode was a YouTube live recording following Billy Boy's crowning moment in the SoFi Dome! Andy and Brendan begin by discussing the Atlanta Drive's SoFi Cup win, rounding out the TGL season. They share some overall takeaways from the inaugural screen golf season, Andy breaks out his data-driven power rankings one last time, and PJ is reeling after yet another New York sports loss in a playoff environment. There are pleas for Billy Horschel to take his (rightful) place on the Ryder Cup team this fall, with his MVP-worthy screen golf performance showing he's ready for the main stage. In real golf (37:50, for all of you timestamp fans), Andy deems this week's Hero Indian Open "the Event of the Year" with the DP World Tour heading back to DLF. A listener writes in with some in-person insight from our favorite course, complete with an SGS legend sighting in the clubhouse! Picks are made for the Houston Open, which Tony Finau believes is the best Masters prep on Tour. The LPGA returns with the Ford Championship in Arizona and Brendan passes on some insight from the latest episode of The Mixed Bag. The Champions Tour continues its California Swing, but you'll have to chase down how to watch it across multiple platforms. Finally, the NFLPA Classic at Mayakoba is filling some airtime on Golf Channel this week, so PJ gives an in-depth breakdown of the field and some quotes from on-course reporter Jameis Winston. To wrap things up, Andy, Brendan, and PJ discuss how one would fly to India to make it out to DLF for the Indian Open this weekend.
This recording was delayed until Monday morning because life is better with Andy by Brendan's side! Andy's in the dumps following the Illini's loss to Kentucky in the Round of 32, but his spirits were lifted by Tiger Woods hard-launching his relationship with Vanessa Trump on Sunday night. Brendan and Andy unpack all aspects of Tiger's post, from the bizarre caption to the posed photos prominently featuring the Sun Day Red logo. After a quick spin through Vanessa Trump's Wikipedia page, the two move on to the golf, where a "lost" Viktor Hovland ran down Justin Thomas to win the Valspar. Brendan is fired up about how great the PGA Tour's Florida Swing was and imagines Luke Donald is thrilled with back-to-back wins from European Ryder Cup stalwarts. Andy shares some appreciation for Viktor Hovland's openness with the media when discussing his struggles and compares how Hovland and JT played the final few holes down the stretch in different ways. It was a week of viral moments - Billy Boy showed off some ambidextrousness, making a birdie after hitting his approach left-handed, Adam Hadwin broke a sprinkler with a club slam, and Patton Kizzire perfected the "putter punt." Elsewhere in golf, Dick Mansell won on the DP World Tour, the Sunshine Tour is back in the Coetzee Zone, and Miguel Angel Jimenez secured his second Champions Tour win of the 2025 season in California. There's also plenty of chatter about the PGA Tour's DMCA habits, which are back and possibly better than ever! Things wrap up with some March Madness talk following Andy and PJ's trips to their respective regional sites to watch their teams lose in the second round.
It’s a throwback episode, with PJ on a boat sailing to the St. John’s NCAA tournament game. There are some Wifi issues, technical difficulties, and just Andy and Brendan on their own like the old days. They discuss some quick news on Scottie Scheffler laying the blame squarely at the feet of one cohort for the current fracture in men’s pro golf. Then they get to some SGS Golf Advice on a member at a club frustrated by some notable rich and famous people jumping the line into full status privileges. Then Andy closes it with a fantastic mini spotlight or flashback, or a flashlight, on Chip Beck, who carded the second ever 59 on the PGA Tour, but not without some major controversy. The Mac O’Grady disciple is covered in some depth, including a few close majors calls and Ryder Cup run-ins with Woosie.
To the surprise of no one, what was supposed to be a quick, 40-minute Wednesday episode ended up pushing an hour. Andy and Brendan are fired up after a week at The Players and are ready to watch a strong field at the Valspar Championship to round out the Florida Swing. This episode starts with some TGL notes after barely watching the semi-finals, leading to agreement that the indoor league needs to wrap before The Players takes place in 2026. Speaking of The Players, Andy recalls J.J. Spaun's "Blockie" moment on the 17th hole on Monday, asking Rory where his ball was. This leads to today's Masters Fact of the Day, which then ends up in a discussion about who would play Michael Block in the Disney movie about the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill. For the last bit of Players cleanup, Andy shares some AI findings that PGA Tour Championship Management could have used to set up TPC Sawgrass last week. On the outdoor golf front this weel, Brendan declares he's back "in" on the Florida Swing after some exciting events to this point and a Valspar field that includes 24 of the top 50 players in the world. The DP World Tour is in Singapore and Big Shot Bob MacIntyre is in the field, which has Andy and Brendan wondering what direction he flew to get there from Jacksonville. PJ goes down the tee sheet for the Hoag Classic's Pro-Am on Sunday, filled with NFL stars and athletes of all levels - an elite test of Remembering Some Guys. In news, the LIV Singapore ratings were quite poor, but Peacock and Golf Channel drew a big number for the Monday playoff finish at The Players. Finally, Andy unveils the latest data-driven TGL Power Rankings heading into next week's final series between NYGC and the Atlanta Drive.
“The boys” gather to fully debrief on the The Players Championship after Rory McIlroy came out on a Monday morning to beat J.J. Spaun for his second gold man trophy at TPC Sawgrass. Andy and Brendan discuss the golf nerd delights of the three-hole playoff in whipping winds on some of the most iconic and nerve-wracking holes in pro golf. They touch on Rory’s resume, current status, and future prospects with the Masters bearing down on the season. They review J.J. Spaun’s touch ‘em all ball into the water at 17, and his overall performance up against Rory. They discuss Scottie’s temper and the weird contentious vibes at times with the press between him and Morikawa, and Rory’s kerfuffle with a heckling fan earlier in the week. They ponder Scottie’s current trajectory, some other names that impressed and disappointed, and how the course, specifically the tree at 6, stacked up against the pros. They close it with some LIV Singapore thoughts and a look at the current Ryder Cup situation.
We are Sunday spitballing! Andy and Brendan are back home, but PJ is still at TPC Sawgrass and they hop on to discuss a wild Sunday at The Players Championship that is still unresolved. They discuss Rory’s finish after running out to a three-shot lead following a four-hour storm delay, and J.J. Spaun’s battle back to nearly clip him out of the playoff. The make some picks for that playoff and offer some theories why Rory should be an obvious heavy favorite.
Andy and Brendan! are together in the Ponte Vedra Beach area to discuss their last couple days at TPC Sawgrass and The Players. They react to a mixed leaderboard of mules, stars, and surprises. They discuss the “outsider” they would most like to see stay on the leaderboard, and the rounds of both Rory and Spieth. They also hit on some of the truly ugly numbers posted by a handful of popular names at the very bottom of the leaderboard. On the ground insights focus on how the course played through the first round and a handful of rumors collected about the most expensive chipping lesson of all time, some cheapskates contributing to the caddie closest to the pin contest, and more. Sign up for the Fried Egg Golf Newsletter by clicking here: https://pages.viral-loops.com/share-fried-egg-golf-newsletter-vvxqvql2
It’s a Players Championship preview episode with Andy and Brendan together in Jacksonville for this rousing and wide-ranging chat on “the gold standard.” They begin with news that the PGA Tour is going to use an “AI setup tool” to help set up courses going forward. They then bounce around all over the place with notes from a day of press conferences with Jay Monahan, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, and Collin Morikawa, who said he doesn’t “owe anyone anything.” They bat around who would gain the most from a win at Sawgrass, and who needs it most at this point in their career. PJ relays some amusing insights from his day on the ground, including a visit to the merch tent and Chainsmokers Concert. Brendan discusses why he’s in love with TPC Sawgrass while Andy offers some conditioning laments. They close with an update from big Jay on the state of the deal and if there’s a possibility there might just not be one with the PIF. Sign up for the Fried Egg Golf Newsletter by clicking here: https://pages.viral-loops.com/share-fried-egg-golf-newsletter-vvxqvql2
Andy and Brendan went LIVE on YouTube immediately following the finish at Bay Hill and were fired up after a packed weekend of pro golf. Off the top, they discuss Russell Henley chasing down Collin Morikawa to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his first win in over 850 days. Andy and Brendan chat about Henley's current place among the game's top players, his Ryder Cup candidacy, and his tournament-winning chip-in on the 16th hole that NBC missed thanks to a Rolex commercial. They then move on to Collin Morikawa and his performance at Bay Hill. Morikawa was unable to close, blowing a three-shot lead on the back nine and is still searching for his first win since 2023. Other notes on API include Keegan Bradley's record-breaking Sunday, Michael Kim's rise up the OWGR ranks, and Sepp Straka's continued strong play. Next, Andy and Brendan give some props to Karl Vilips for his win at the Puerto Rico Open, becoming the first player to win on the PGA Tour in Sun Day Red apparel. From there, the two touch on the Blue Bay LPGA and the Joburg Open before a lengthy discussion about LIV Hong Kong. Sergio Garcia won the individual title and is continuing to push for a spot on a Team Europe at Bethpage. Phil Mickelson also showed some life, finishing in third place and bringing the HyFlyers to the podium for the first time ever. After some updates from PJ on the still-ongoing Dump in the Box Cologuard Classic, Andy and Brendan close this episode with some talk about player reaction to the proposed rollback as reported this week by Adam Schupak and a shoutout to Dustin Johnson.
This Friday episode starts with some football whimsy - Andy is pumped about the Bears acquiring two high-priced offensive guards to start their offseason! The whimsy continues into golf talk as Aldrich Potgieter topped his drive into the lake on the sixth hole at Bay Hill, providing a must-see moment for Andy and Brendan on Thursday morning. High winds in Orlando led to a brutal first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. TGL stars Max Homa, Cam Young, Min Woo Lee, and Tom Kim were among the many players well over par after round one, leading to questions about whether these players are better suited for the SoFi Dome vs. outdoor golf. Elsewhere in pro golf, Andy shares an unsubstantiated rumor about a PR Open participant who may be playing games with his PGA Tour pension. This episode is mostly news-based as Andy and Brendan discuss recent comments from Rory McIlroy and Jay Monahan surrounding the current state of the PGA Tour. Rory says he isn't sure the PGA Tour "needs" a deal with the PIF at this point, which brings back memories from last year's comments from Jordan Spieth in a similar vein. Jay was interviewed by Eamon Lynch about a potential deal, the Tour's search for a new CEO, and more, with plenty to unpack for Andy and Brendan. Following this lengthy news discussion, Brendan dives into a Flashback about Jerry Heard, a two-time winner of the Florida Citrus Open (now known as the Arnold Palmer Invitational), whose successful pro career was derailed by a lightning strike.
Both Andy and Brendan are licking their wounds after the Ballfrogs and Jup Links became the first two teams to ever miss the TGL playoffs this week. The episode begins with some immediate TGL takeaways after a tough three matches to end the regular season. Brendan is miserable when describing the Jup Links performance from Tuesday night and runs down the final scores of all their losses this year. Andy is already on to 2026, where he believes the Ballfrogs need a roster shakeup and could stand to add more grit to their team for season two. It's a quick transition to actual golf this week as the PGA Tour's best field of 2025 will tee it up at Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Xander is back from injury to play alongside top stars such as Ludvig Åberg, Scottie Scheffler, and Rory McIlroy for this Signature Event. Andy and Brendan discuss Bay Hill as a test for professional golfers and remember some moments from API history. The hammer lock fire picks of the week are made but are unfortunately very much chalk for those looking to tail. After Bay Hill comes the 2025 debut of In/Out/Alternate, where Andy loaded up with 19 entries for the Puerto Rico Open. Brendan fights to the finish wondering whether names like Kevin Chappell, D.A. Points, and Johnson Wagner are headed down for this event. The two touch on this week's LPGA event in China, LIV Hong Kong, and the DP World Tour's Joburg Open before diving into the Dump-in-the-Box Classic. The Champions Tour returns with the Cologuard Classic, which is barely on television but PJ will find how to watch anyway and report back on Sunday. In news, Jay Monahan and Andy "Spitballin'" Weitz are doing the media rounds to tell everyone about the Fan Forward Research (please capitalize) and that a deal with the PIF is not imminent.
This Monday episode quickly gets into the Sunday finish at the Cognizant Classic, where Jake Knapp melted on the back nine and Joe Highsmith shot a 64 to secure his first PGA Tour win. Andy takes no pride in a successful double-down on Knapp not winning after Thursday's 59 and wonders how he keeps getting himself in these situations with his takes. Highsmith and his caddie, Joe LaCava Jr., get props from Brendan and Andy for back-to-back 64s on the weekend, earning the win after making the cut on the number. Brendan shares some on-the-ground reports from a listener about the "worst edition" of the PGA National event yet. The two also touch on performances from Russell Henley, Doug Ghim, and Michael Kim, among others. Most importantly, Andy is thrilled that world No. 92, Luke Clanton, finally secured his PGA Tour card! From there, the two discuss a rain-shortened South African Open, where a runner-up finish secured Laurie Canter's place in the top 50 of the OWGR. Brendan openly wonders if the PGA Tour will let the former Cleek take his rightful place in the field at The Players. Lydia Ko won the HSBC Championship in dominant fashion for her 23rd career win. Andy's interest in biker gangs was rewarded at the New Zealand Open, where former biker gang member Ryan Peake won the event and a spot in The Open Championship this summer. Some news from the weekend is discussed, including the all-important TGL playoff push happening Monday and Tuesday. Nick Dunlap has signed a one-day deal with the Atlanta Drive, but Andy is wondering if their organization is laying down to keep the Ballfrogs out of the playoffs. The two discuss the Seminole Pro-Member field and a possible Tiger Woods appearance at TPC Sawgrass next week. To end the episode, Andy, Brendan, and PJ come up with some ideas for a PGA Tour Scouting Combine to celebrate the NFL Combine in Indianapolis coming to a close. Who's your pick to beat Sepp Straka in an Oklahoma drill?
Enjoy a special reheat of three Flashback segments remembering events at PGA National! First, Andy shares some details about Bruce Lietzke, the 1984 Honda winner, who changed his entire schedule to spend more time with his family and had an affinity for a timely hot dog. Brendan then recaps Tim "Lumpy" Herron's win at the 1996 Honda Classic. Lumpy won the tournament as a rookie, but this segment also has plenty of nuggets about the eventful week Greg Norman had and his ongoing issues with the TPC Network. The second Flashback in this episode covers Camilo Villegas’ 2010 Honda win, the cycling career of "Spider-Man," and some good karma for Graeme McDowell after calling a penalty on himself at PGA National that year. Finally, take a trip back to the 1987 PGA Championship at PGA National, where the competition almost literally melted away in the Florida heat.
Andy and Brendan have a lot to talk about for this Friday episode with the first round of the Cognizant proving to be a content bonanza. Billy Horschel was chasing alligators and criticizing the setup, PGA Tour Championship Management destroyed a once-proud event, and golf superstar Jake Knapp opened his week with a 59! The two discuss all of these topics and the storied history of The Honda Classic and remember how tough PGA National used to play. Andy shares the list of previous winners at the course and notes how many of them are top-tier legends of the game. Brendan rants about PGA Tour Championship Management overseeding the course and allowing the course record to be shattered on Thursday of the tournament. They briefly discuss the South African Open and HSBC Women's World Championship before diving into some golf news ahead of the weekend. Annika Sorenstam has thrown her support behind former Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott to take over as the LPGA commish, leading to all of the sports world mocking this idea. There's some debate about whether any worse choices are out there, and if there are, it's decided that there are very few. Andy announces that he's been invited to a watch party for the big LAGC vs. The Bay match on Monday morning Pacific Time and wonders if he should make an appearance. In Golf Advice, a late submission commiserates with Andy about Jake Knapp's 59 and an emailer asks for advice on an upcoming golf trip. To end this episode, PJ has a short Flashback Friday about the 1971 PGA Championship at the original PGA National, the first time the event was held in February.
A 9 p.m. TGL match had Andy and Brendan ready for a late night live show for this Wednesday episode. The two react to the week that was in the SoFi Dome, with Brendan sharing details from his in-person experience watching the Ballfrogs lose yet again on Monday night. With losses by Jupiter Links and NYGC as well, all three teams will have a chance to make the playoffs in the final week of the regular season. Andy and Brendan discuss Tuesday night's match between The Bay and Jup Links, critiquing the broadcast and wondering if the product is better without the pressure of Tiger playing. They shout out stellar performances by "Tom Sim" and "Dr. Chipinski" Min Woo Lee, helping to make Tuesday's match entertaining. Andy updates his model and spits out this week's TGL Power Rankings with the Ballfrogs tumbling down the graphic. The Bay GC is standing tall at No. 1, but PJ wonders if there's some underlying metrics that could present a problem for them in the playoffs. The conversation then shifts to this week's Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, where Jordan Spieth feels he's a good fit for the course at PGA National. Andy and Brendan aren't so sure, and Spieth goes unpicked as a Hammer, Lock, Fire selection for this week. The South African Open on the DP World Tour presents a bevy of Games Within a Game for longtime SGS listeners. In news, "Full Swing" returned to Netflix on Tuesday and Brendan makes a cameo in an early episode! Brendan also shares some quotes from Peter Malnati regarding a potential PIF-PGA Tour deal and President Trump's involvement in negotiations. Finally, one of Andy's favorites has a PR firm asking for coverage of his new life after golf.
Andy and Brendan are buzzing on this Monday episode, recorded immediately after the playoff finish at VidantaWorld. Andy is claiming a Victory Monday for Illinois after Brian Campbell took down Aldrich Potgieter at the Mexico Open. The two unpack Sunday's stretch run that led to the two-man playoff. They discuss Potgieter's first pop-up on a PGA Tour stage, how he leveraged his driving distance into a second place check, and some of the decisions he and his caddie made that may have cost him the win. Andy and Brendan also react to Campbell's final drive of the event, destined to go out of bounds before hitting a tree and bouncing back into play. They share some disappointment in the performances of Aaron Rai and Stephan Jaeger as both failed to convert on chances that could have resulted in a win. Elsewhere, Brendan shares some listener reporting from the Magical Kenya Open, won by Jacques Kruyswijk. On the LPGA Tour, Angel Yin won the Honda LPGA Thailand and A Lim Kim's use of aimpoint on a tap-in went viral late Saturday night. A roundup of weekend news closes this episode, with Andy and Brendan touching on Tony Finau's one-match deal with LAGC, Eamon Lynch's reporting on the PIF-PGA Tour White House meeting, and Jordan Spieth playing next week's Cognizant.
A Friday whiparound episode covers a wide range of topics, including Tiger, Jay, Yasir, and Adam Scott meeting with President Trump at the White House on Thursday, a bevy of golf content coming to streaming services soon, and a ranking of Girl Scout Cookies. Andy breaks out the soundboard early after not using it much in the month of February before Brendan shares some unsubstantiated rumors about Girl Scout Cookie sales inside the moat at PGA Tour HQ. The two then discuss Thursday's meeting between the PGA Tour and Saudi PIF at the White House, which has not yet reached a deal at the time of posting. On the PGA Tour this week, Tosti is off to a hot start in Mexico and Andy wonders why everyone's ready to anoint Jake Knapp as the "Next Big Thing" during his title defense this week. A new sponsor debuts this episode, with Brendan and Andy sharing their new favorite venison from Maui Nui. SGS Golf Advice returns with a listener's list of worst names for golf clubs, a suggestion for PGA Tour practice rounds, and a question about simulator etiquette. Brendan wraps this show up with a Flashback Friday on Mexican golf legend Esteban Toledo and one notable rules issue he encountered during his career.
Four TGL matches across two days makes for a great Wednesday episode! Andy and Brendan went live on YouTube following NYGC's blowout victory over Jupiter Links on Tuesday night to discuss the bevy of content coming from the SoFi Dome. Brendan is immediately furious with his beloved team's performance, wondering about timeout management, roster construction, and if Jup Links can ever contend while building around Tiger Woods. Andy unveils his first-ever SGS TGL Power Rankings, leading to an entire segment of disagreement regarding where he put his Ballfrogs. The two recap Monday's P-Day marathon, which was "very fun" and a success story for the league in its first season. Unfortunately, that momentum did not carry over into Tuesday night, but PJ is excited that his NYGC team is in the win column thanks to help from the Mets. The ESPN broadcasts are critiqued and the technology is questioned, but Andy and Brendan both agree that TGL found something good on Monday. In non-screen golf, the field for the Mexico Open is deemed "too good" to play In/Out/Alternate, so hammers are thrown on some fire picks ahead of a week at a bomber's paradise. The Magical Kenya Open is awarded Event of the Week thanks to a field full of notables such as "The DVD Player!" Finally, Patty Tavatanakit is defending her title in Thailand on the LPGA Tour this week. In news, Sun Day Red finds its first non-Tiger athlete and Charlie Woods gets a special exemption.
This Sunday episode starts with a Sports Minute in which Brendan asks Andy to answer for Illinois hanging a banner upside down during Saturday night's game. There's also some chatter about the USA-Canada hockey game ad the Four Nations Faceoff. In a positive for golf, the Sports Minute closes with an agreement from everyone that the Presidents Cup has more juice than the NBA All Star Game! From there, Andy and Brendan discuss Ludvig Åberg's first win in a Signature Event at the Genesis Invitational. They talk through Ludvig's come-from-behind victory, chasing down Maverick McNealey at Torrey Pines. There's some intel from the ground that Ludvig skipped out on buying the media beers after his ace which leads to Brendan ranting about this ridiculous tradition. Andy has some critiques about the setup on Sunday and the two also discuss Tiger's appearance in the booth coming down the stretch on CBS. With the West Coast swing over and done, Andy, Brendan, and PJ give out some awards to commemorate the first six events of the season. After some internet issues due to cold weather, the conversation moves on to LIV Adelaide, won by Joaquin Niemann. Brendan dives into some reporting about LIV's ratings in Australia and their balance sheets from the past few years showing that the league is spending billions of dollars without much return. Champions Tour Minute checks in on the spread at the Chubb Classic to finish this episode. Justin Leonard won for the first time since 2008, but folks are upset about Papa and Zinger not being on-site for the call!
Love is in the air for this Friday episode as Brendan and Andy discuss their plans for Valentine's Day to start the show. If you're looking for a last-minute gift, a tipster passed along a run of Zach Johnson "Tour-Issued" memorabilia currently up for sale on eBay. Andy has PJ make some picks for collectors looking to invest, leading to a discussion about whether ZJ is out there wearing a Small polo when playing. Golf's premier gambling podcast then shouts out some LIV odds for Adelaide, where 52-year-old Richard Bland finds himself favored over Dustin Johnson in a head-to-head market this week. Andy and Brendan briefly chat about DJ's career and current standing in the game, noting how much things have changed for him since the 2020 Masters. Speaking of changes, Andy went full data boy to compare the potential teams for the Ryder Cup this fall. With the median OWGR of these teams being almost equal, Andy dispels the notion of a large advantage for the Americans as many thought there would be following the rout at Whistling Straits. Data Boy Andy then shares some numbers showing that it may be beneficial for big names to play events in the fall in order to hit the ground running at early-season Tour stops, but Brendan isn't so sure about his data set. At the Genesis, both Rory McIlroy and Jay Monahan discussed the potential PGA Tour-PIF deal. Rory commented on his recent round with President Trump, who is apparently not a fan of LIV's format despite hosting events at his courses across the globe. There's also some talk about reunification, leaving everyone wondering whether the PGA Tour or the Champions Tour would benefit more from having LIV players back in the fold. Brendan received a Champs Tour scoop and sent PJ on an investigation into a potential Champs Tour Cutthroat Corner for this week's Chubb Classic. Brendan then briefly reads some comments from new LIV CEO Scott O'Neil before saving the rest for Monday. Flashback Friday returns to send you into the weekend with Brendan remembering the anniversary of Wayne Levi's 1982 Hawaiian Open win, the first-ever with a neon golf ball on the PGA Tour.
Andy and Brendan start this Wednesday episode by wishing for the return of landline phones as society's primary communication method after some emails received earlier this week. In a light week for pro golf, two preview the Genesis Invitational, being played at Torrey Pines South instead of Riviera this year. They discuss their mixed feelings toward this event following the change in venue due to natural disaster and Tiger's WD after his mother died. Nonetheless, hammers are thrown on this week's fire locks as golf's preeminent gambling podcast looks to get back on the board with a win at Torrey. PJ takes a big swing with his pick for the week and apologizes for Kenny Gainwell's total yards prop loss, provoking some discussion about Sunday's game. Andy and Brendan then note the lack of TGL matches this week and wonder whether Tiger chose to have the league take a week off during his hosted event. Without a DP World Tour or LPGA event this week, the Champions Tour gets second billing ahead of the Chubb Classic. Andy shares some on-the-ground insight from Tiburon before looking ahead to the upcoming Cologuard Classic. LIV moves from Riyadh to Adelaide this week for their premier event, complete with the Watering Hole making its return. Brendan shares that the league will make its FOX debut on Saturday night at 11 pm ET due to the time change from Australia. Naturally, some ratings talk comes next with numbers from both LIV Riyadh's final round and Thomas Detry's Sunday at the WM released on Tuesday. Things wrap up with a news segment covering a reported update in PGA Tour-PIF negotiations and Dustin Johnson's split with TaylorMade as his equipment sponsor.
Andy is on cloud nine for this Victory Monday episode, as Illinois alum Thomas Detry won the WM Phoenix Open going away. Brendan and Andy discuss Detry's first PGA Tour win and his outstanding play on the weekend that earned him a champagne shower and victory hugs on the 18th green from international stars like Matt Wallace, Ryan Fox, and Christiaan Bezuidenhout. The two wrap up more stories from Phoenix, including a big week from Jordan Spieth, a tie for second from Daniel Berger, and a faulty back nine from Scottie Scheffler on Sunday. Rasmus Hojgaard also received some flowers from Andy, leading to a wider conversation about possible European Ryder Cuppers in February. Andy and Brendan then recap the golf weekend across the rest of the world. They share their favorite Haotong Li memories as a way to commemorate his win on the DP World Tour and wonder how the U.S. Virgin Islands became the title sponsor for the LPGA's Founders Cup. PJ jumps in to detail how Bob Papa was growing the game of golf in Morocco while covering Miguel Angel Jimenez's win on the Champions Tour. The golf recaps close with a segment on LIV's debut under the lights, where Andy calls winner Adrian Meronk the "GOAT of Night Golf." This episode ends with a brief discussion about Tiger Woods playing in next week's Genesis at Torrey Pines, a place where he's won eight times.
Andy starts this Friday episode by breaking the news of the latest Cavaliers trade to Brendan just before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday afternoon. Brendan parlays his excitement about the Cavs into a recap of LIV's first-ever round on FS2, complete with dancing robots, strobe lights, and a Backstreet Boys appearance! Brendan shares details of his morning watching the 54 players in Riyadh and calls Thursday's first round "the golf broadcast of the year" to this point. With solid first rounds from names such as Dustin Johnson, Lee Westwood, and new signing Tom McKibbin, there's some anticipation for the final two rounds of competition in Saudi Arabia. In other LIV news, the USGA announced an exemption category for LIV golfers, the first major to have an explicit category for LIV qualifiers. On the PGA Tour, a statement regarding Jay Monahan and Adam Scott meeting with President Trump was released just before recording. The three met to discuss a potential deal between the PGA Tour and PIF, which the statement alleges is becoming closer to being a reality. Andy and Brendan then talk through Rory McIlroy's response to Charley Hoffman's letter taking "thinly-veiled" shots at him earlier this week. On the golf course, the WM Phoenix Open has turned into a influencer event, which has Brendan wondering whether it could be that exclusive if everyone's invited. Brendan shares some reports from PGA Tour HQ about cafeteria prices being raised, and Andy wonders if this is an SSG operation to recoup some money spent on other sports teams. This episode wraps with some SGS Golf Advice questions about joining a club and some Super Bowl chatter before the big game on Sunday night.
This Wednesday episode is yet another TGL Tuesday Live Show! Andy and Brendan went live on YouTube to react to the Ballfrogs getting blown out by LAGC at the SoFi Dome. Brendan begins the show by coining the term "Ballfrauds" and questions how a this roster is losing to Justin Rose. Collin Morikawa was a revelation again, staking his claim as perhaps the best simulator golfer alive and explained that KPMG was now sponsoring his strategy regarding The Hammer. Andy and Brendan discuss the goings-on of TGL Match 5, where the screen technology failed to register a Tommy Fleetwood approach shot. In outdoor golf, Schedule for the Week begins with the WM Phoenix Open. The venue is discussed at length, with the golf course being only a minor factor in what this "venue" entails. Andy, Brendan, and PJ make their fire, mega-lock, hammer down gambling picks for the Waste Management in an effort to bounce back after a poor showing at Pebble. Elsewhere, Lexi Thompson, the retiree, is back again to play at this week's LPGA event, and the Champions Tour is in Morocco! Andy and Brendan also preview LIV's 2025 debut under the lights in Riyadh, airing on Fox Sports 2. In news, the LPGA has a new pace-of-play policy, Lucas Glover wants to ban aimpoint, and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am posted big ratings thanks to Rory's win.
Andy and Brendan went live on YouTube late Sunday night to recap Rory McIlroy's win at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his 27th career victory on the PGA Tour. They dive into what was a quality weekend of golf on the PGA Tour, providing a much-needed boost to the product after a sleepy start to the season. The two unpack Rory's dominating performance driving the ball, including the ridiculous line he took on the 14th hole which lead him to an eagle on Sunday to practically seal his win. Andy and Brendan also compliment the CBS broadcast, which elevated the event even more than its "signature" status. They discuss what turned out to be a packed European Ryder Cup leaderboard, with strong performances from Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, and Sepp Straka. TGL superstar Tom Kim was also a factor, finishing in a tie for seventh after being put on the clock for slow play (again). In addition to Rory, Scottie Scheffler also made his first start of 2025, finishing in a tie for ninth. After wrapping up with more discussion about why venues matter on the PGA Tour, Andy and Brendan turn their attention to perhaps their favorite venue, DLF. Ollie Schniederjans won for the first time in nine years, blowing out a LIV-heavy field in India. Andy shares some intel from someone who's played DLF about the course and why Bryson was perhaps not the biggest fan of the greens there. A Lim Kim won the LPGA's Tournament of Champions, which ended right in the coverage gap for Pebble Beach, outlasting a late charge by Nelly Korda on Sunday. In golf news from the weekend, Brendan shares a letter written by Charley Hoffman that was shared with PGA Tour members on Sunday night. Hoffman is suggesting that top players need to show their support for the Tour by playing in more events, despite taking time off to play overseas or in TGL matches on Mondays and Tuesday nights. To wrap this episode up, Andy, Brendan, and PJ react to the Luka Doncic trade in an NBA-focused Sports Minute.
Travel back from the Florida swamp pushed this episode to a Friday morning recording, but Brendan and Andy are still jazzed about PJ's interaction with "Sticks Boy", which was briefly immortalized by a Noah Kahan fan account on Instagram before being deleted due to colon jokes in the comments. Aside from TGL, there's outdoor golf being played across the globe this week, and the discussion starts with the latest from DLF, complete with some on-the-ground insights. Brendan and Andy are giddy about "The Battleship" making the cut and staying to play the weekend, where he'll be chasing 36-hole leader Joaquin Niemann. There is then some lengthy discussion about Pebble Beach, where Jay Monahan and other PGA Tour executives were spitballin' with the media in a private Wednesday session. A large part of this session reportedly focused on PGA Tour broadcast issues, with the executives saying that they want to show "more consequential shots" for viewers going forward. In on-course news, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry both celebrated a hole-in-one on Thursday, leading to plenty of soundboard usage from Andy. The LPGA's Tournament of Champions is also ongoing in Orlando, and Andy and Brendan look at the list of celebrities playing in the pro-am and decide who should earn a promotion to Pebble Beach next year. Is former NBA swingman Courtney Lee really a celebrity? This is discussed at length! To wrap things up, an emailer writes in with a story about a fraudulent assistant club pro for this week's SGS Golf Advice.
Andy and Brendan are together in Florida for this highly-anticipated Wednesday show, still recovering from their in-person TGL experience. The two unpack everything from Monday night's match, including an interaction with "Sticks Boy" Noah Kahan, Tiger getting hit with the first-ever shot clock violation, and an overtime Jupiter Links win. Andy wonders if Tom Kim is now "unsittable" for the rest of the season and Brendan shares his thoughts on the moving green after seeing it with his own two eyes. PJ chimes in to compare his SoFi Dome experience to his time walking through an inflatable colon at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. There's plenty of Pebble Beach Pro Am chatter, as Rory, Scottie, and Jordan Spieth make their 2025 PGA Tour debuts. One-and-done picks from this gambling podcast are also shared, with three TGL superstars being selected. To wrap, Andy bestows "Event of the Week" on the International Series event at DLF in India and the two wonder how Bryson DeChambeau will handle one of the most interesting courses in the world.
A Saturday finish at the Farmers Open allowed for a Sunday morning recording, so Andy and Brendan went live on YouTube to recap Harris English's fifth PGA Tour win. English gets his flowers as a worthy champion and true professional, shooting a 73 with 12 straight pars to secure a win. Most of the Torrey chatter is about slow pace-of-play yet again, as even Dottie Pepper called out the long Saturday rounds on the broadcast. In other notables, Luke Clanton finished t15, gaining another point in the PGA Tour U standings, and two of this gambling podcast's picks for the week finished in the top 15 as well. Andy and Brendan then check in on the Game Within a Game for the DP World Tour's event in the UAE, where Big Shot Bob Karlsson was the only one to make the cut of the three options. In news, Andy and Brendan discuss more quotes from PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague about "hitting the pause button" on the proposed rollback. In an interview with Golf Digest, Sprague reiterated that the PGA of America would not be in support of the rollback and expressed a desire for golf leadership to gather "all around the table," as if that hasn't happened before. Sponsor exemptions were announced for the AT&T Pebble Beach this week and, as expected, Jordan Spieth is on the list. He's joined by Gary Woodland, Keith Mitchell, and Rickie Fowler, which leads to a short look at Rickie's current status in the game. Finally, Andy, Brendan, and PJ look ahead to their trip to Florida for the debut of the Ballfrogs against Kevin Kisner and Jupiter Links on Monday night.
The never-ending golf news cycle leads to a jam-packed Friday episode as Andy and Brendan unpack a week's worth of stories and rumors heading into the weekend. TGL sent out some team-themed email blasts on Thursday afternoon, so this episode begins with more chatter about the screen golf league and its many marketing campaigns. Brendan and Andy read these team descriptions and discuss how a casual golf viewer might react upon reading that the Atlanta Drive represent the 365/24/7 nature of their city. In outdoor golf news, the Farmers Insurance Open had more withdrawals on Wednesday before play began for the week, with big names such as Will Zalatoris and Gary Woodland bowing out. The tournament is ongoing without a full field despite constant cries about players needing more opportunities to play on the PGA Tour. From there, Brendan and Andy discuss Eamon Lynch's interview with former PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh that was teased on the Wednesday episode earlier this week. First, Waugh is taking credit for Keegan Bradley's appointment as Ryder Cup captain for Bethpage and went into detail about how that choice came to be. Waugh also discussed the new PGA Tour Enterprises corporation and how that's changed the business of golf, wondering if the PGA of America would one day sell the Ryder Cup off. At the PGA Show this week, Adam Schupak sat down with current PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague, who made comments expressing some hesitancy with the proposed rollback starting in 2028. Andy and Brendan discuss what would happen if the rollback was further delayed or even cancelled and how that would impact the game on all levels. In less consequential news about the future of the game, Jordan Spieth committed to the AT&T Pebble Beach, presumably entering via a sponsor exemption, and The Open Championship will return to St Andrews in 2027. PJ chimes in to tell Andy that "Sticks Boy" Noah Kahan is now an investor in the Ballfrogs, which leads the show down a rabbit hole of ranking pop stars. This beefy Friday episode ends with one golf advice email about an upcoming golf trip impacted by a lifelong phobia.