The Shotgun Start

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...

Brendan! is back stateside and returns just in time for the seventh annual Zurich Classic Walk Up Music Quiz! Before we get to that, Andy is eager to discuss a bit of their trip to Scotland as part of the first-ever segment of "Pillow Talk." Brendan shares some shopping woes when trying to get gifts for his family and Andy is still reeling from his 24-hour travel day earlier this week. Brendan then calls Andy out for his new TaylorMade Spider putter, supplied to him by Big Equipment after he called for them to be banned on Tour earlier...

A jet-lagged Andy is back in America and is joined by Shane Bacon for this Wednesday episode about slightly more than nothing. This wide-ranging conversation hits on dozens of important topics, such as the core values of Talor Gooch's new OKGC team, TGL's choice for 2026 Player of the Year, a Newark airport review, and a dramatic reading of this week's Legends Tour field in Barbados. There is actual golf discussed at some points, as Andy, Shane, and PJ dive into the Zurich Classic and the ridiculous teams competing for 400 FedEx Cup points and a two-year exemption this week in...

Andy, Brendan!, and Kevin Van Valkenburg check in from Scotland, recording this episode from separate bedrooms in the same house overseas. Andy declares a "Victory Monday" despite not publicly submitting his "pick" of Matthew Fitzpatrick to win the RBC Heritage on Wednesday's episode. Constable Fitzy took down Sheriff Scottie Scheffler at Harbour Town after one playoff hole, securing his second win of the 2026 season. The three discuss Fitzpatrick's ascent to the top five of the OWGR after being outside of the top 70 at this time last year and how working with Mark Blackburn could be a perfect personality match...

Mr. PJ finds himself in the "Big Chair" once again with Andy, Brendan, and KVV in Scotland this week! He's joined by Fried Egg Golf's Garrett Morrison, also known as his Golf Architecture 101 professor, for a deep dive into the last 48 hours of LIV Golf's existence. Starting late Tuesday night, rumors began swirling that LIV would be shutting down after the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia decided to pull its funding from the tour. PJ and Garrett run through a detailed timeline of the last two days, parsing through various reports to drill down to the facts as...

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...

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 we...

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 ro...

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 g...

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 un...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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 do...

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...

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...

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 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...

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 h...

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 spen...

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 Play...