Andy and Brendan record this “extra” Tuesday episode to discuss, well, the biggest golf news to ever happen, non-Tiger division? Including Tiger division? They react to the details of the PGA Tour and LIV merger announcement, which is still light on many of those details. They remark on just how secretive this process was with hardly anyone knowing what was coming, including most of the players and maybe Greg Norman. Saudi money is officially injected into the PGA Tour with a new, for-profit TBD...
Jun 06, 2023•43 min
There are no Sunday scaries here, as Andy and Brendan are bubbling to talk about a fantastic day and weekend of golf. They begin with the LPGA, where Rose Zhang debuted as a pro, and won. They discuss the incredible achievement, the hype train that’s chugging full steam, and caution about setting insane expectations. They also hit on the concurrent AJGA event and the abominable pace of play at Liberty National. On the PGA Tour, they praise Viktor Hovland’s “mettle” to survive a brutally hard Mui...
Jun 05, 2023•1 hr 5 min
It’s a whiparound Friday episode, with Andy and Brendan discussing various maladies and which occupations might be the worst for someone who is chatty. Then they get to the rough ride of the Frugalites in Central Ohio. Also out of Columbus was news of a player meeting with the USGA and continued critical comments about the MLR. Is it possible there is a retreat or a few majors just played with different equipment? There’s further information on J.B. Holmes’s shenanigans in Tennessee. Matt Wolff ...
Jun 01, 2023•42 min
Due to the Monday holiday in the United States, this is a BEEFY hybrid episode discussing all that happened in golf over the weekend with a look forward to the shhhhedule for the week. There is a lot of college golf talk at the top as Andy braces for Illinois’s run in Arizona. They discuss some disappointments, flops, and contenders for the ECCO Event of the Week at the men’s national title. There’s also lots of chatter about the LIV event in DC and some of the young players on that Tour perform...
May 30, 2023•1 hr 6 min
This Friday episode continues on the Michael Block takeover of the golf world, and maybe the larger sports world. Andy and Brendan record as Mr. Block plays through his first round at Colonial, and discuss his comments on a podcast that he’d be one of the top players in the world with Rory’s distance. They lament some of the overcoverage, praise him for his interview endurance, and are happy he’s getting his during this big moment. Then they move on to Claude Harmon III’s incendiary comments abo...
May 25, 2023•48 min
This punchy Wednesday episode begins with the continued Michael Block whirlwind that has completely taken the national discourse by storm. Andy and Brendan react to his appearance on all three network morning shows, some of his betting odds for Colonial, and his tee time grouping for the first two rounds. Schedule for the week bounces around, first heaping praise on Rose Zhang as the GOAT of women’s college golf and giving out the ECCO event of the week to the NCAAs. Then they discuss some of th...
May 23, 2023•54 min
It was a fantastic PGA Sunday so a peppy Andy and Brendan check in one last time for the week to discuss it all, starting with Brooks Koepka’s fifth major championship win. They praise Koepka’s work both at Oak Hill and over the course of his career as the majors king of this era. They wrangle with the LIV question, and whether this brings any “validation” to that tour or product and also address the Ryder Cup question. Viktor Hovland’s real challenge is praised, while Rory McIlroy’s mismanageme...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 24 min
Andy and Brendan are joined by Shane Bacon, who is in Rochester calling the PGA, for this Saturday night 54-hole check-in on the PGA Championship. The first several minutes are a lot of Michael Block talk -- the incredible story, and the exposure, and the golf media lapping up every drop. There’s amusement at how he wiped Scottie Scheffler off the coverage. The rest of the episode is a lot of Contender/Pretender around the leaderboard, from Block to Rory to Brooks up on top. There’s some amusing...
May 21, 2023•53 min
Joseph LaMagna joins Andy and Brendan for this midpoint check-in on the PGA Championship. The setup at Oak Hill, with its firm fairways and thicc rough is put in the crosshairs. The trio discuss some of the most impressive performances from Friday, and some of their biggest disappointments. This leads to extended chats on Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Brooksy, Hovland, and many more. They ponder who still has a chance with 36 holes to go in a makeshift contender-pretender. The story and play ...
May 20, 2023•50 min
Andy and Brendan quickly run through a great, full day of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill. They begin with some thoughts on the absolutely wonderful course conditions, which had balls bouncing and bounding all over for a mid May date. There are some thoughts on Higa’s big moment and Bryson’s return to the stage of competitive golf after a long, hard five-year journey. There are many other notes and comments including some shots of the day, quotes of the day, worst outfits, and reviews of Rory a...
May 19, 2023•38 min
Andy and Brendan are back for another major championship. This preview episode begins not with talk of gnomes but rather garbage plates, and who might be suckered into indulging in one in player dining. There’s also some anti-Wegman’s chatter. Then they get to the major, noting the field and the potential for losing Jordan Spieth, who was on site and being diagnosed by many amateur doctors. The course is previewed, focusing on some of the punishing stretches and internal OB on the front nine. Th...
May 16, 2023•1 hr 8 min
It’s major championship-eve and Andy and Brendan are ready for Oak Hill but first they need to discuss a likely best-case scenario for the non-designated Nelson in Jason Day ending a winless drought on Mother’s Day. They laud the TPC Summerlin model for getting the winning score in at 23-under. They pan CBS for the coverage at the conclusion. With LIV Tulsa, they praise the industrious Stingers and discuss many CW affiliates taking the golf off their station with about 90 minutes to go and a gre...
May 15, 2023•44 min
Andy and Brendan get going on this Friday episode with reaction to Phil Mickelson tweeting, then deleting, then tweeting, and then deleting, an accusation at the PGA of America for colluding with the PGA Tour to discriminate against LIV players getting into its PGA Championship field. This was a nice segue from an amusing Phil message that Andy saw on the wall at a Chicago hot dog and beef joint. There’s a handful of LIV Tulsa thoughts, some Bears-Browns schedule chatter, and a Richy Werenski ap...
May 11, 2023•58 min
This lively Wednesday episode was recorded quite early on Tuesday, but Brendan and Andy are buoyed by the promise of a three-peat for the Husky Boy. Andy is also slightly enthused by his hockey team landing the top pick for a generational talent, but more excited about the honor in one of his Illinois golfers DQ’ing himself. Then they get on to the Byron Nelson, aka Husky Boy Invitational, and what’s been done to TPC Craig Ranch following the renowned architectural trend known as the TPC Summerl...
May 09, 2023•49 min
Andy and Brendan make a pledge at the start of this episode that it will absolutely not go over a certain mark, and then they blow past that as they forgot to do an ad read. They begin with some thoughts on the IL Crown format, the relatively un-dramatic 2023 edition, and the pieces in place. Then they get to Wells Fargo, where Andy and Brendan debate whether this is proof that the Designated model will have some real issues next year when it’s not mandatory that top players, such as Rahm and Sc...
May 08, 2023•50 min
It’s Friday! Andy and Brendan discuss a variety of topics as we barrel toward the weekend. They begin with some of the drama around this Talor Gooch exemption cutout for the U.S. Open, and some of Phil’s working theories for it. That leads to a digression on some of the unseen tactics that can be deployed by one prominent manufacturer that begins with a “t” and ends with a “t” in the ongoing rollback and bifurcation battle. Rory McIlroy working with the TaylorMade team for six or seven months on...
May 05, 2023•58 min
This late Wednesday episode is thanks to Brendan’s delayed return from vacation and Andy’s road-weary week traveling the coast of California to prep for the upcoming U.S. Opens. They begin with some meandering chat about these travels and vacation preferences before jumping into an amuse bouche of whiparound Wednesday tidbits on Dustin Johnson’s favorite movie, Tony Romo’s first tee routine at U.S. Open qualifying, and the banning of Omar Uresti. The latest tidbit leads to the PGA Club Pro Champ...
May 03, 2023•51 min
Joseph LaMagna joins the podcast while Brendan continues to relax on vacation and discusses the weekend in golf with Andy. They start by wondering who if anyone watched the LIV Singapore event that featured a dynamite leaderboard. The PGA Tour's Mexico Open prompted a long discussion on what exactly needs to happen with the schedule moving forward and Tony Finau's recent run of wins against weak fields. The podcast closes with some thoughts on the Alker Boy and one handed chipping on the Champio...
Apr 30, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Shane Bacon joins the podcast while Brendan is on vacation to discuss the best NBA -Golfer comparisons. Discussions include who is Grayson Murray and Stephen Curry before ending with some Golf Advice centered around a significant other purchasing golf shirts and the 100 hole hike.
Apr 27, 2023•56 min
Andy and Brendan are back for a Wednesday episode about a bunch of different things, somewhat related to this week’s golf schedule. They begin bouncing around some ideas about the Mexico Open, its underwhelming field, and what to do about non-designated events, if anything. Is Jon Rahm or the field the better play this week? Notables return for the schedule for the week, which hits on another Champs Tour event, the women going to Wilshire, the PGA Pro Championship, and more. There’s an unplanned...
Apr 25, 2023•59 min
This Monday episode begins with the NBA minute with both Andy and Brendan wallowing in Cavs and Kings losses, but one still claiming a victory Monday. Then they move to the LPGA’s first major of the year, or alleged major. Both express some dismay about the lack of pop at the first Chevron Championship, from the weather to the course to the pace of play. They congratulate Lilia Vu and feel for Angel Yin, but they wonder about what distinguished this event from others on the LPGA circuit. At the ...
Apr 24, 2023•42 min
This Friday episode begins with a discussion on whether 4/20 falls into a fake holiday category. Brendan is joined by Joseph LaMagna to discuss this and other important topics, like John Daly and David Duval shooting 3-over par in a best ball format, Paresh Amin’s alt-shot potential, and other non-competitive elements of the Zurich. Tiger Woods’s announced surgery is also discussed, as is the notion that he should be calling it a career. They hit on all the LIV teammates playing together in Aust...
Apr 21, 2023•1 hr 2 min
It’s Whiparound Wednesday on the Shotgun Start, where Andy and Brendan had even less-than-normal prep or plan before hitting record to get this episode done. Honestly, it’s mostly just reading off a list of the many odd and terrible teams at the Zurich and reacting to them. They debate who will finish last. There’s also an amusing somewhat substantiated rumor about Shad Tuten. They discuss the videos of Patrick Cantlay being heckled that emerged from Harbour Town, as well as Jordan “just a guy” ...
Apr 18, 2023•48 min
This Monday episode is a wander, with little on that electric Jordan Spieth and Matt Fitzpatrick finish at the RBC Heritage until the midpoint of the episode. Andy and Brendan begin with some thoughts on the NBA playoffs and Sacramento Kings bandwagoning vs. Northwestern bandwagoning. There’s also some chatter about a designated event coming the week after a major and whether that needs correcting. There’s some discussion on a truly insane tweet from a PGA Tour pro, Jon Rahm’s performance in the...
Apr 17, 2023•53 min
This Wednesday episode begins with some questions for Andy on his round at Augusta National, yielding a handful of amusements in the “forgetting to turn your mic on” category. Then Brendan and Andy move to some clean-up from the first men’s major, discussing the huge TV ratings, Brooksy’s Sunday struggles and welcome return to major contention, the Phil question, and LIV’s schedule between now and the next major. They confront the Ryder Cup questions, with LIV players maybe bagging enough points...
Apr 11, 2023•1 hr
Andy and Brendan record one final time from Augusta National, debriefing their day following the final groups at the Masters. They discuss Jon Rahm’s brilliance on Sunday, from starting four back of Brooks Koepka for the resumption of play in the morning to cruising to a four-shot win over Brooks and … Phil Mickelson? They hit on the Koepka-Rahm dynamic in the final group, and how Rahm really took it to him hitting first off most tees. Koepka’s final round could have also been impacted by the pa...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 1 min
A soggy Brendan and Andy record this Saturday podcast from Augusta National, where they empty the notebook with various amusements from the rain-soaked second and third round. They debate whether this is now down to a two-horse race, playing some unofficial contender vs. pretender while discussing the brilliance of Brooks and the bad draw of Rahm. Tiger Woods’s made cut streak continued, and they pass on a few observations from watching him in the morning. Big Jay Kokrak saying Augusta should be...
Apr 08, 2023•51 min
Mother Nature called it early on Friday at the Masters, where storms rolled in and trees started falling around the 17th tree. Fortunately, no one was injured but there was much reaction to the dramatic scene. It’s not the only battle that will happen with Mother Nature this weekend, as a new game within the game is brought to light. On golf, they discuss Brooksy’s dominant 36-hole run and whether that story may even be usurped by the amateur Sam Bennett playing his way into second or third by t...
Apr 07, 2023•44 min
Andy and Brendan are live(ish) from the Masters press building with this quick(ish) episode on the first round from Augusta National. They discuss the three leaders, beginning with Brooks Koepka and the potential cheating scandal with caddies signaling clubs to one another in the group. They then move to Viktor Hovland, and react to his round after watching a truly horrifying short-game practice session up close in the morning. Amusements from run-ins with Sandy Lyle and Larry Mize are also rela...
Apr 07, 2023•51 min
Andy and Brendan check in from Augusta for their official Masters “preview” episode, which rambles on with educating tidbits and amusements picked up from the ground both on golf and non-golf topics. They discuss Tiger Woods’s press conference and expectations for this week, and the same for Rory McIlroy after listening to and following him on Tuesday. There’s ample Aldrich Potgieter appreciation, and some more serious amateur chatter on Gordon Sargent. They do a bit on the course, their reactio...
Apr 04, 2023•1 hr 28 min
