It’s bonus week on the Shotgun Start. There will be four episodes, including a spotlight on a past U.S. Open celebrating the national championship on what was the originally scheduled 2020 U.S. Open week. That will come Wednesday morning, but first, a preview of what’s to come at Harbour Town. Andy and Brendan break down the loaded field, the Rickie Tour Live featured groups (featuring Rickie), and how the power players (and Glen Day!) might take on a different setup. One-and-dones devolve into ...
Jun 16, 2020•49 min
The PGA Tour made a strong return this weekend and Andy and Brendan are back to recap a real, actual golf tournament. They offer their initial reactions from Colonial, but not without some laments about what’s happened to Perry Maxwell’s design and the CT machine operator being deemed inessential for tourney ops. Jordan Spieth’s eventful week is also dealt with at the top, as the two debate if any positive extrapolating can be done from his work at a favorite venue of his. Has anyone (sans Tiger...
Jun 14, 2020•58 min
It’s Friday and PGA Tour golf is back. This episode begins with Brendan and Andy soaking in a joyous and eventful first round at Colonial. First, Andy, in the tradition of the show, issues an apology to a certain Dockers khakis enthusiast. Then they transition to the topic of the day: Thicc Boi Bryson, his booming drives, and his incredibly bizarre quarantine chronicles video posted to Instagram. There is a request to get it submitted to a low-level film festival. Jordan Spieth’s 65 provoked hop...
Jun 12, 2020•58 min
Golf is back and so is the normal, or approximately normal, Wednesday episode of the Shotgun Start. Brendan and Andy express their excitement, concerns, and amusements as the Tour gets underway at Colonial. They have some of their usual fun with the field, which includes a Senior division, Anchormen division, Mr. 300 division, Friends-of-Colonial division, and perhaps a new husky boy division. Andy hands out his event of the week, which leads to a discussion on why the other Sawgrass course is c...
Jun 09, 2020•1 hr 3 min
This week brings the exultant return of golf, and Brendan and Andy will back to the normal tournament show and routine on Wednesday, digging into Colonial and its anchoring-heavy field. But first, they start the week with one more Spotlight to satiate during this golf-less time. The subject is Jose Maria Olazabal. They discuss Ollie’s incredible ascension from a farmhouse on a golf course at the foothills of the Pyrenees to an amateur stud to an instant success in his first year on the Euro Tour...
Jun 08, 2020•1 hr 45 min
This Friday episode begins with Brendan and Andy announcing their caption contest winners from Instagram for B. Draddy polos, which leads to an amusing story about Andy trying to pronounce a certain variety of mushroom in a prior job. Then the two react to news that the OWGR freeze will end next week despite the fact that, well, world golf is not resuming. How was Scott/Keith Pelley the only dissenting vote against this measure and did the PGA Tour put their thumb on scale? Then they revel in th...
Jun 04, 2020•54 min
This Wednesday episode begins with a few comments from Brendan and Andy on the current protests in the country, golf’s poor history with race, and how they and the podcast need to be better. Then a short news segment hits on a report that the PGA Tour is considering a makeshift feeder tour to give players on some of the lower tours like the Canadian Tour and LatinoAmerica tour some reps. Then they hit on the official announcement of the new Workday double dip at Muirfield, which leads to an odd ...
Jun 03, 2020•1 hr 38 min
Following the two-hour Ernie Els Spotlight on Friday, this episode is a quick Monday whiparound on some golf news odds and ends. Brendan and Andy first relay an Ernie superstition omission submitted from friend of the program Shane Bacon. Then they relay another golf conspiracy theory from “Spartan Butters,” author of the infamous Brooks sets his schedule to avoid weddings theory. This one is about DJ’s watch. News begins with the Deere replacement event likely becoming a second week at Muirfiel...
Jun 01, 2020•35 min
It’s Friday! This week-wrapping episode begins with a discussion of the new Manor Swing that will bring the return of the Euro Tour and our beloved summer #CoffeeGolf. Also in scheduling news, Andy and Brendan discuss the cancelation of the John Deere and the delightful SGS catnip possibilities for a July replacement event at TPC Sawgrass (the zinc standard?). Then comes the resumption of the massive undertaking of an SGS Spotlight on Ernie Els. This is Part II (find Part I last week) and begins...
May 29, 2020•2 hr 9 min
With both hosts worse-for-the-wear, the Part 2 Spotlight on Ernie Els is pushed to Friday. This Wednesday episode begins with some debate on the excitement over The Match’s astronomic TV ratings. Does that number matter as a proof of concept for something more or is it just indicative of a one-time windfall in a unique moment? This leads to some further debate over mic’d up players and if we’ll ever actually see that on the PGA Tour. Andy also relays a hunch about one tournament on the upcoming ...
May 27, 2020•1 hr 19 min
A smiling Brendan and Andy hop on the horn and chat about all things Match 2 in what was a great day for golf in the spotlight. They review the all four players, the broadcast, Medalist, and the prospects for more of these in the future. How did this capture such a wide swath of the sports world’s attention and have what seemed to be a unanimous approval rating? Tom Brady’s struggles are explored with great depth and revelry. They debate his worst shot and also marvel at his hole-out birdie in t...
May 25, 2020•59 min
This holiday weekend Friday episode rolls into the weekend with some pleasant news from Andy’s round in Minnesota this week, tales of conference calls gone awry, and the announcement that the Shotgun Start now really, actually has merch in the form of a few hats. Then they get to the news of the week, starting with a report that the European Tour has plans for a return, concentrated in the UK on what will now be known here as the Manor swing. This transitions to comments from Lee Westwood, Adam ...
May 22, 2020•51 min
This Wednesday episode begins with a quick reaction to news that the U.S. Open will have no open qualifying this year. Then Brendan and Andy start to take on the monster that is the Spotlight of Ernie Els’ life and career. Part 1 starts with the 10,000-foot view, offering up some numbers that frame just how much of a talent he was and the success of his career. It transitions to his earliest days in South Africa and his decision to go full-time into golf, some of his immediate amateur success, a...
May 20, 2020•1 hr 43 min
Andy and Brendan get together shortly after the conclusion of the Driving Relief match at Seminole to reflect on the return of televised golf. It starts with some gratitude for this effort and undertaking to bring golf back, and in such a prime venue. Then they get to some quick reactions on the day -- what they liked, did not like, and the aesthetic of the world’s best carrying their own bags through this world class course on the ocean. Grades are handed out for the different players, the cour...
May 18, 2020•46 min
This joyous Friday episode starts with praise and thanks for the return of golf this weekend with the skins match at Seminole on Sunday. Brendan and Andy begin their preview with some reflective thoughts on why they’re so happy about this event and the larger meaning and impact it could have, for the obvious priority of raising money for Covid charity, but also for the game of golf. They preview some key holes to watch at Seminole, revel in the aesthetics of these players carrying their own bags...
May 15, 2020•1 hr 1 min
This Wednesday episode goes in several different directions, from news of the day to two separate “Flashlights” at the end. Brendan and Andy begin with some reactions to the PGA Tour’s health guidelines and policies that were sent to the players on Tuesday in a 37-page deck. They got a look at the deck and pulled out some of the more substantive, amusing, and concerning points as things prepare to return next month at Colonial. Then they get to the further details of the match at Seminole, inclu...
May 13, 2020•1 hr 4 min
This Monday episode starts with a focus on weather talk as the ultimate small talk crutch, especially in our current quarantine moment. Tiger’s pet nicknames for ZJ and Bryson, unearthed in a video at the end of last week, are reviewed. Then Brendan and Andy react to the firmer details of The Match between Tiger and Phil at Medalist. They discuss the venue and atmosphere of the South Florida club, what Manning and Brady might bring to it, and the absurd betting lines for both that match and the ...
May 10, 2020•49 min
This Friday episode features our SGS Spotlight for the week and the subject is Ben Crenshaw. As usual for these Spotlights, it’s long, but take it in at your own plumb-bob pace. We get into Crenshaw’s outrageous amateur career, including his three consecutive NCAA titles, intra-UT rivalry with Tom Kite, and the “Ben’s Wrens” that followed him. We go long on some of these NCAA moments and early pro days that had writers calling him the next Jack Nicklaus with Arnold Palmer’s charisma. His repeate...
May 08, 2020•2 hr
This Wednesday episode begins with a discussion on tacos, overrated components of tacos, and the delivery vessels of tacos. We then transition to the official announcement of the skins match at Seminole. We ponder how Rory will carry the conversation, how Rickie will activate, how DJ will strategize his way around, how Wolff could be a breakout star and, of course, whether TaylorMade will put CT machines on the first tee for testing. Mostly, we just praise the effort to bring televised golf (for...
May 06, 2020•1 hr 20 min
This Monday episode primarily takes on the status developments across the various Tours. But we first begin with an apology to Dell for our naivete from a few weeks ago. Our discussion on the PGA Tour’s card problem then begins with news that there will be no promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour this year, and no Q school. Also, Major Medicals can reportedly be reset if you played poorly in those opportunities earlier this season. This leads to Andy just reading some player names, asking to guess ...
May 04, 2020•52 min
We open this podcast with some further comments on the Sumo Citrus phenomenon, offer some friendly content plugs, and then roll into the second half of our Spotlight on Davis Love III with Shane Bacon (Fox Sports broadcaster, Get A Grip podcaster, grilling hat wearer). Part II covers DL3’s major championship shortcomings and nerves, and then his one and only breakthrough at those championships, the 1997 PGA at Winged Foot. It’s a dominant performance that was allegedly going to lead to many more...
May 01, 2020•1 hr 17 min
This Wednesday episode begins with some brief discussion on MJ vs. LeBron to stir the pot in Chicago, as well as some brief comments on the Ryder Cup unlikely transitioning to an “all captain’s picks” format for this year. Then we turn to an SGS Spotlight on Davis Love III and we have the absolute privilege to be joined by Shane Bacon, broadcaster for Fox Sports and of multiple podcasts, including Get A Grip with Max Homa. We cover DL3’s rise to becoming a Tour Pro, his early struggles to even c...
Apr 29, 2020•1 hr 8 min
This Monday episode is a departure from the heavy reading and listening on Nick Faldo of last week. We begin with some more reaction to The Match II becoming an official thing. We praise it, look forward to it, worry about the “banter” save for Peyton, and ponder Medalist as a venue. Then we discuss news of another potential match in South Florida united by one common OEM. A good article from Joel Beall in Golf Digest that reports on how the Tour’s return to action may look is reviewed. Shotlink...
Apr 27, 2020•47 min
An early recording of this Friday episode begins with some quick musings on the Match II as well as a tease for another Andy walk-up music segment he’s been prepping for all year. Also, before the NFL Draft, there’s a brief interlude on which PGA Tour player we might choose first for a real, actual game of football in pads. Then we get to Part II of our SGS Spotlight on Nick Faldo, with PGA Tour dot com’s Sean Martin joining us once again. This part picks up with his last two major wins, the emo...
Apr 23, 2020•1 hr 34 min
This Wednesday episode begins with a brief rundown of the scant news from the past few days. That scantness gives us occasion to discuss Bryson DeChambeau’s claim that he may play the maximum allowable length driver and that he also may bulk up to 270 (!) pounds. We also hit on the idea of a fan-less Ryder Cup and Tim Finchem getting in the HOF before transitioning back to our SGS Spotlight series. In this episode, we start the process of taking on the monster that is the career and life of Nick...
Apr 22, 2020•1 hr 46 min
This Monday episode begins with a brief reaction to the news from a Guardian report that the PGA Tour is hoping to secure 1 million coronavirus tests in order to complete its overhauled schedule. Then we are joined for a fantastic and enlightening interview with Mike Clayton, a golf renaissance man who also played on the European Tour during the heyday of the famous five, currently a subject of the SGS Spotlight series. Mike regales us with stories of Seve, Woosie, Lyle, Faldo, and the yippy Lan...
Apr 20, 2020•1 hr 16 min
This Friday episode begins by answering and discussing a few messages from listeners. What happens if Jack Nicklaus’ putter toss knocked out Doug Sanders? Did Brooksy expose the fan advantage during a recent interview and bolster Andy’s “no fans” idea even more? What bridge at Augusta will be “Woods bridge?” And can we expect any unique activations for a November Masters? Then, in the second half of the podcast, we discuss in detail the new schedule announcement from the PGA Tour. We wish the To...
Apr 17, 2020•56 min
This is a different style episode for the Shotgun Start, focusing on the final round of the U.S. Open the last time it was at Winged Foot. The episode features clips from an interview with Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 champ at WF, and some of the calls from the NBC broadcast on a day when Johnny Miller’s fastball was touching triple digits on the radar gun. In addition, we celebrate the many facets of this particular championship that align with the SGS oeuvre. Andy and Brendan set up the world of gol...
Apr 15, 2020•1 hr 43 min
Brendan and Andy return from the weekend with our golf appetites satiated in a way by the Masters Rewind on both ESPN and CBS. We discuss why this worked from the minor details to the obvious advantages, and if it is at all replicable for events that are less prestigious. Why are we not seeing more of these real-time lookbacks with player interviews and just more experimentation from the Tour? In news, we hit on the Tour’s plan for fan-less events and spotlight some of the achievements and quirk...
Apr 13, 2020•1 hr 12 min
It was a long week for Brendan and Andy, who are walking wounded into this Friday episode and just start talking about a sundry of topics before moving to some more AMA questions. First up is Andy’s harrowing fence problem at home. Next comes Tiger’s inability to do puzzles at his home. Then comes the overengerized Bryson and his huffing and puffing backyard range session. In the AMA portion, we respond to questions on Vijay vs. Phil, our favorite vegetables, the decrepit equipment in our golf b...
Apr 10, 2020•1 hr 21 min
