The Shotgun Start

In this bonus edition of The Shotgun Start, Brendan Porath and Joseph LaMagna take a trip down memory lane after rewatching the final round of the 2017 Open Championship. The two recount Jordan Spieth's roller coaster of a final round, his famous drop on the 13th hole, Matt Kuchar's heartbreak, and forgotten moments and amusements from a memorable finish. They hand out a few awards, including Worst Dressed and Favorite Commentary, before a quick lookahead at what's to come when we return to Royal Birkdale for next week's 149th Open Championship.

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At long last, Coffee Golf season is here! Andy and Brendan are just about ready for the final major of 2026 and kick off this Whiparound Friday episode with some more discussion about the jumbled pro golf schedule this week. Andy was especially excited to watch the Scottish Open on Thursday morning and was befuddled that it wasn't on television, further exemplifying why events like the Evian Championship and Scottish Open shouldn't share the same week. Brendan brings up a Padraig Harrington quote from last week at Scioto to kick off a discussion about the continued evolution of the pro...

Despite this week having two (2) PGA Tour events and two (2) major championships, this episode must kick off with a Soccer Minute following the USMNT's 4-1 loss to Belgium on Monday night. Andy and Brendan compare the aftermath of the loss to that of a Team USA loss at the Ryder Cup and also try to figure out which golfer is most like Christian Pulisic. After selecting teams to support for the rest of the World Cup, the two move on to this week's Scottish Open. They wonder about the future of the co-sanctioned event and whether it'll appear on...

Sure, Chris Gotterup just won for the fifth time on the PGA Tour, but this episode could only really start in one way. Andy and Brendan immediately discuss the influx of social media content from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding guests, because if you don't post a picture of you attending a wedding, did you really attend any wedding at all? Justin Thomas took a break from defending the Travelers Championship to appear at MSG this weekend, so Andy gives him a chance to get back in the comments by pointing out some similarities between the Travelers and...

The impending holiday weekend has Andy and Brendan in a chipper mood for this Friday recording, although Andy is questioning whether the 4th of July being on a Saturday is actually a good thing. After "Federal Holiday Minute," there's a quick check-in on early returns from the U.S. Senior Open - including plenty of Blockie, already - and the John Deere Classic, where the leaderboard is serving as a warm welcome to "tier two" for Brian Rolapp. Andy and Brendan then discuss which "tier two" events should be bumped into "tier one" in 2028, highlighting longtime Tour stops like...

It's not just a First of the Month recording - it's a First of the Month recording during the Summer of Cotton! After Sunday night's passionate discussion about the Travelers Championship and TPC River Highlands, it's only right that this Wednesday episode begins with a recap of Viktor Hovland's playoff win over Scottie Scheffler. Andy and Brendan discuss the one-hole finish on Monday morning and (sarcastically) wonder if Scottie actually hit his approach "too close" to the hole, forcing him to miss a four-footer to extend the event. They give Viktor Hovland his flowers before transitioning to this week's...

A Monday playoff between Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler will serve as an exclamation point to one of the best golf weekends of 2026 thus far. Andy and Brendan! are fired up for this episode, recorded after watching a birdie-fest at TPC River Highlands, another women's major, and Blockie's near-perfect Champions Tour debut. They can't help themselves and begin with a brief section on the Dick's Open, an event that made some consider if the Champions Tour really needs Tiger Woods at all. Upstate New York's finest sporting event provided plenty of fodder, from Bob Papa singing Zac Brown Band...

Brendan and KVV begin this Friday episode with some clean up on the sweeping changes announced from the PGA Tour this week, including the initial “reporting” and subsequent freak out that places like Pine Valley, Cypress Point, and Seminole could host the re-imagined PGA Tour Championship. They discuss some Travelers odds and ends, where Scottie’s missing belt is a big story, and this also leads to a devastating drive by of Arch Manning. Then they discuss video of Rory McIlroy playing Birkdale on the day of a PGA Tour Signature event and reporting from Bob Harig that he has re...

Andy and Brendan are finally both back home from a week-plus on Long Island (home of the worst fans in golf? PJ defends here!) and ready to get to the week-to-week grind of the PGA Tour. That Tour dropped some expected bombshell news from the Travelers Championship, where the new track 1 and track 2 structural changes were officially announced by Brian Rolapp, who is now also commissioner in addition to CEO. They debate the merits of the new Tour, with multiple “series” --- Challengers and Championships -- within it. How will the Tour Championship look if match play is brought into...

Andy and Brendan are live from Southampton after a full day chasing the contenders around Shinnecock Hills on an exhilarating major championship Sunday. They debrief their day, and week, following Wyndham Clark, the villain for this New York crowd and now a two-time major winner. They discuss Clark’s status, his game this week, and the hate that seems to have flowed his way throughout the final round. They review the main challengers in Sam Burns, Tom Kim, and Scottie Scheffler, if you can call it that. Some winners and losers are coldly separated, focusing on the USGA, the go...

The Long Island fans skipped out on Saturday of the 2026 U.S. Open, so Andy and Brendan have to recap everything they missed! After an even-par 70, Wyndham Clark now has a six-shot lead heading into the final round over a gaggle of players at -1, including Scottie Scheffler. How likely is it that Scottie can complete the Career Slam on his 30th birthday? Is Sahith Theegala live to run down Wyndham? Will Deputy Sam Burns finally earn a promotion with a strong Sunday shift? Andy and Brendan run down the leaderboard and look at the (few) contenders and (many...

Wyndham Clark finds himself firmly in the driver's seat after two rounds at Shinnecock Hills. Andy and Brendan discuss Wyndham's bid for a second U.S. Open victory as he currently sits four shots clear of the field. They bring in Kevin Van Valkenburg to break down Xander Schauffele's impressive Friday round and KVV sticks around for the rest of the show. The three discuss missed cuts from Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, making this another disappointing showing for LIV Golf in what could be its major swan song. Andy presents some Storylines Nobody Is Talking About to send...

The winds and fog came in the morning, but the afternoon wave found themselves with a favorable draw on Thursday of the 2026 U.S. Open. Andy and Brendan record after a "golf nirvana"-type day at Shinnecock Hills, commenting on the setup discourse that is already dominating this installment of the national championship. They empty the notebook and look at both the real leaderboard AND Andy's "Actual Leaderboard" with most of the first round completed. Wyndham Clark is four ahead, perhaps signaling that Lanny Wadkins was on to something with his renovation of TPC Craig Ranch. Andy and Brendan...

Andy and Brendan are live from Southampton and bursting with enthusiasm for what may be the major championship of the year, the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. They begin with some initial reactions to the golf course setup and conditioning after a couple days on the ground, discussing a potential clarity and change in approach for the USGA at this venue that has produced controversy the last two times around. They review the stars and “guys to monitor” from Scottie to Rory to Bryson and more. They rip through their favorite tee times and nominate a “worst” tee time as...

On this very special episode (now with enhanced audio!), Andy and Brendan kick off U.S. Open week alongside Maxfli ambassador and three-time PGA Tour winner Ben Griffin. The three sat down at the Maxfli pop-up store in East Hampton, New York, to discuss Ben's preparation for this week's test at Shinnecock Hills, his continued success on the PGA Tour, and much more. 

Visit Dick’s or Golf Galaxy in-store or online to purchase Maxfli Tour Series.

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It is an all-time Victory Monday at the Shotgun Start, where a member of the podcast can truly celebrate a world championship. PJ Clark sat down for this episode after being awake for 36 straight hours, roaming the celebratory streets of New York like a nomad. PJ details his evening around Manhattan and the emotions of watching his Knicks win the championship. Then Brendan and Joseph turn to the golf in Canada, where Bud Cauley got his first PGA Tour win after turning pro some 16 years and many, many health issues prior. The Cauley round and story are given its...

We are four wide on this busy Friday with a lot of news to discuss as the week closes before the U.S. Open. Brendan is joined by KVV, Joseph, and PJ. They begin with the Golf Digest report on allegations against Phil Mickelson of nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact with a female employee at his home club that led to his removal from said club. They discuss the late stage spiral of Phil, and the seriousness of this now most recent allegation, the mess he’s made of his career, what could have been, and what will never be...

PJ is off playing the 100 Hole Hike (Donate Here!), leaving Andy and Brendan to fend for themselves on this Wednesday edition of SGS. So it begins with a rambling first 10 minutes on the World Cup, Knicks, Kramer Hikock, the Bears moving to Indiana, and much more. Eventually, they get to “Golf’s Longest Day” and the multitude of stories that emerged from final qualifying for the U.S. Open, including Charlie Woods “carrying” the young phenom Miles Russell to Shinnecock. Event of the Week honors had a crowded field to chose from between a national open in Canada, the Curtis Cup...

After a "fabulous golf weekend," Andy and Brendan return to recap the best-case scenario unfolding at the U.S. Women's Open and a marathon Sunday at Jack's Place that ended up in yet another playoff finish. They begin with Nelly Korda's win at Riviera, her first U.S. Open title and another leg down on both the Career Grand Slam and Career Super Slam. The two are joined by former LPGA caddie Matthew Galloway to break down the weekend and what this monumental win could mean for women's golf moving forward. They discuss how to improve the broadcast experience...

Ahead of the the national championship's return to Shinnecock Hills in two weeks, Andy, Brendan, and Kevin Van Valkenburg continue their rewatch of the 1986 majors with a Flashback Friday on Raymond Floyd's U.S. Open win. The three share their favorite moments from Sunday's round, available for viewing on the USGA's YouTube Channel. They discuss the main stars of the day, including Floyd, Greg Norman, and Lee Trevino, and give some takes on the ABC broadcast itself. In a new add to these major rewatch episodes, Andy, Brendan, and KVV hand out awards such as "The Patrick Cantlay Housecat o...

It's a jam-packed week of golf across all levels of the game, and this Wednesday episode immediately kicks off with some takes about the oversaturation of competitive golf on television. Andy and Brendan debate whether the Powers That Be should work to spread out major events such as the NCAA Championships, U.S. Women's Open, and a PGA Tour Signature Event in order to not stack on top of each other in a short timespan. Andy points out that the PGA Tour is not truly driving engagement in amateurs playing recreationally and is disappointed that the NCAA dream matchup...

This First of the Month recording has everyone in a great mood off the jump, with Andy immediately taking a victory lap for a big weekend from Pete Crow-Armstrong against the Cardinals. Brendan quickly transitions things to Russell Henley's playoff win at the Charles Schwab Challenge, the sixth PGA Tour victory of his career. Henley birdied the final three holes in regulation to tie Eric Cole before making another on the sole playoff hole. Andy brings up some other six-time winners in an effort to contextualize Henley's career and his chances of winning a major championship. Brendan calls Henley...

Andy and Brendan! went LIVE on YouTube for this Friday morning recording covering the latest in college golf results, LIV golf rumors, and a hot start for Tom Kim at an outdoor golf venue. The two recap Stanford's win at the NCAA Women's Golf Championship and wonder why college golf has not taken off like other non-revenue sports like baseball and softball in recent years. Brendan shares some intel from LIV Korea, where it seems like tensions are high heading into next week's stop in Spain. Talor Gooch has the early lead there, perhaps as a tribute to his...

Andy makes his triumphant return to the pod after missing out on one of the great content bonanzas in golf history over the holiday weekend. He joins Brendan! for an "all over the place" Wednesday episode previewing yet another week of rainy Texas golf on the PGA Tour. After a brief foray into whatever the "Enhanced Games" are (and naming some favorite MLB steroid users), the two react to a Josh Carpenter report regarding the first half of the 2027 PGA Tour schedule. Not much has changed in terms of actual tournaments, but dates have shifted for events like the...

Brendan and The Boys return for a Monday recording recapping perhaps the biggest content week of the year! Now armed with a weekend of data following Friday's bonus Happy Hour episode, the three further unpack the absolute domination of Lanny Wadkins' $25 million renovation of TPC Craig Ranch by this week's field at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Wyndham Clark shot a final-round 60 en route to his first win in over two years, edging out Si Woo Kim and Scottie Scheffler atop the leaderboard. Joseph comes armed with stats showing that this might've been the easiest PGA Tour event ever...

It was late Friday afternoon going into a holiday weekend, just when everyone should unplug from being online and go about their merry way. And they tried to slip one by us at the PGA of America with a letter to members that Don Rea had been suspended for the remainder of his term. So PJ, Joseph, and Brendan gather for some degenerate hours when they had zero expectation to be online on Friday for a happy hour chat. The Removal of Rea and at the absolute castration of Craig Ranch, where $25 million was spent in part to challenge...

This Friday episode kicks off with a good old-fashioned Sports Minute following the latest exploits of Andy's beloved Pete Crow-Armstrong. Although bad, PCA's struggles seem like nothing compared to Brendan's Cavaliers after a historic collapse in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against PJ's Knicks. As a follow-up to Wednesday's show, Brendan provides an early update on the Browns' QB competition before transitioning into the all-important RATINGS! report for the 2026 PGA Championship. The masses turned out to watch Aaron Rai's back nine at Aronimink, giving CBS its highest viewership for the PGA since Phil Mickelson's win at Kiawah. With...

Who needs a major championship when you have The CJ CUP Byron Nelson right around the corner?! Andy and Brendan are giddy for another installment of a longtime favorite event of this podcast, this time with a new twist! That's right, the Lanny Wadkins-led renovation at TPC Craig T. Nelson Ranch is ready for its much-anticipated PGA Tour debut. Andy and Brendan read through multiple articles from Dallas-area news publications detailing the behind-the-scenes work that went into this $25 million project. Did TPC Craig Ranch really need to spend all that money? It seems like that's up for debate, providing...

A eventful, punchy, spicy PGA Championship week has come and gone so Brendan and Andy provide a full debrief following Aaron Rai’s win at Aronimink. Andy did show up and there are flowers to be given to Rai, whose story and Sunday are worthy of ample praise. They discuss the Sunday overall, and whether it fell flat or was an appropriate cap to what both considered a strong week for the PGA. That trends into a course and setup discussion, which was more of a hot topic than anything this week, and whether it delivered an appropriate major we...

This unforgettably unique PGA Championship goes to Sunday with an absolute boatload of players who could be considered “in contention” with 18 holes to play. Andy and Brendan break down a wild Saturday that saw birdie barrages early, a million different leaders, and a condensed leaderboard going to the final round. There is a beefy game of “Contender or Pretender” going through all the players from Alex Smalley out in front to some studs like Rahm, Rory, and down the board to Cam Young and Scottie Scheffler, who are six and five shots back. They discuss some storylines that nobody is talki...

Do we have proper major setup or a total sham on our hands at the Aronimink for the PGA Championship? The golf course setup debates are raging in Philadelphia, as the PGA pushes pins to the corners and a leaderboard has condensed going to the weekend. Andy and Brendan get into some of the setup quibbles, what the data is saying, and just how enjoyable it has been to watch over the first two rounds despite some online chatter. Then they get into the stars like Scottie, Rory, Blockie, and the leaders like Smalley, Potty, McNealy, and Gotterup. Some...

What a day! Andy and Brendan are giddy from a Thursday at the PGA Championship that delivered a cornucopia of delights from Blockie rumbling back into our lives, Bryson DeChambeau’s dumb coat, an AI PGA Assistant that went haywire, and the incredible Garrick Higgo late-to-the-tee penalty and explanation. They begin with some Aronimink course thoughts, hailing the Donald Ross design, the greens, and the test that came stiffer than what was imagined. They discuss some stars that flopped, like Bryson and Rory, and others who soared, like Scottie and Potty. They close it out with the “real” leaderboard and so...

Andy and Brendan return just in time to preview the second major championship of 2026! Brendan is on-site at Aronimink Golf Club outside of Philadelphia and spent his Tuesday gathering plenty of nuggets on subjects including Michael Block's speaking fees, Rory McIlroy's toe blister, and player issues with PGA of America Setup Czar Kerry Haigh. Andy provides insight into the Donald Ross-designed course and illuminates some setup issues facing the world's best this week due to modern equipment. The two bring in The Boys to make the all-important Gambling Pod Picks as the crew looks to stay unreasonably hot and...

SGS goes to the bullpen as PJ and Kevin Van Valkenburg slide into the big chairs for a late Sunday recording. The two aren't entirely sure how they got here, but they applaud Andy for taking the night off to celebrate the Bulls securing a top-four pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Things stay on the rails to start, as PJ and Kevin quickly get into another "juice-less" week at Quail Hollow for the Truist Championship. Kristoffer Reitan broke through for his first PGA Tour win after getting into this Signature Event on the Aon Swing 5 list, defeating a...

Brendan is joined by The Boys for another installment of Golf's Preeminent Birthday Podcast, this time celebrating both Cameron Young and, of course, Brendan! himself. Joseph LaMagna comes in fresh off his first round of 2026 and admits he's been having trouble sleeping as of late, leading things perfectly into another Pillow Talk segment to kick off this Friday show. It was a sleepy Thursday round at a rain-soaked Quail Hollow for the Truist Championship where Matt McCarty leads at the conclusion of play. Joseph and Brendan take stock of the Truist as an event and Quail Hollow as a...

The Content Gods delivered an absolute goldmine of press conference quotes for this Wednesday episode! Andy joins Brendan fresh off of U.S. Open Media Day at Shinnecock Hills and he airs some grievances about all facets of Long Island without PJ present. The two discuss whether Shinnecock is possibly the best golf course in the world and remember the most iconic shots from previous U.S. Opens played in Southampton. After a brief tangent regarding the new programmatic ads inserted into the audio version of the show - there's a first time for everything! - things get back...

For one final time, Andy joins Brendan from The Shed(!) for this Sunday recording as they look back on the formative years of this podcast. It's often said that the more things change, the more they stay the same, so it's nice that Cameron Young's dominant 2026 season remains in progress despite Andy leaving The Shed behind. Mr. 1,000 blitzed the field at the inaugural Cadillac Championship, defeating World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler by six in the end. This event was practically over on Friday afternoon and Cameron secured his third PGA Tour victory despite calling a penalty on himself for his...

LIV Golf might've learned something from Andy's weekend of garage sales as they're looking for buyers ahead of the 2027 season. Andy joins Brendan! from a very empty house for this First of the Month Recording packed with - you guessed it! - more LIV news from the golf story of the year. As first reported by Josh Carpenter, Yasir Al-Rumayyan is OUT as Chairman of LIV Golf, leaving his post on the league's Board of Directors as the Saudi PIF pulls its funding at the end of 2026. LIV replaced Yasir with two new board members on Thursday, one of...

Still reeling from last weekend's garage sale, Andy joins Brendan for this "efficient" Wednesday episode while on hold with an AI chatbot. The garage sale tales continue to begin the show, with Andy explaining the latest wrinkle in furniture sales around the Bay Area: the existence of toll bridges. After cleaning up the remaining fallout from Andy's weekend, Brendan transitions things to the ongoing LIV funding saga. It seems like more and more information comes out each day regarding the league's future, which Scott O'Neil reiterated was set for the remainder of 2026. That may be true, but the much-anticipated...

Golf's Preeminent Birthday Podcast makes a triumphant return to celebrate Andy Johnson's 40th birthday. The birthday boy is a bit worse for the wear after a "full swing" on Saturday night, but has plenty of stories to share with Brendan after his weekend running a garage sale. Andy's garage sale was NOT the only family-first event on the schedule this week as the Fitzpatrick brothers took home the trophy at the Zurich Classic. Matt Fitzpatrick might have wins in back-to-back weeks, but his younger brother, Alex, now has a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a spot in...