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The Shotgun Start

Fried Egg Golfanchor.fm
The Shotgun Start with Andy Johnson and Brendan Porath of Fried Egg Golf is a podcast waiting for you early in the morning that quickly blasts through a variety of topics (usually) related to golf and (ideally) relevant to the day. It covers news from the pro tours around the world, amusing and important topics from the amateur game the rest of us play, and some irreverent stuff in between. There will be short interviews, previews, reviews, and dives into the archives. It provides what you need to know on golf through a rapid and fun catch-up discussion.
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Episodes

The Scottie era levels up, Rahm’s winless LIV title, and Ryder Cup Lads Club drama

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 weeke...

Aug 18, 20251 hr 22 min

Flashback Friday with KVV, Rickie for Ryder Cup (that Scottie is sick of talking about)

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 spor...

Aug 15, 20251 hr 18 min

Burger Dog inflation, BMW Caves Conundrums, Versant gets the U.S. Open

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 ...

Aug 13, 20251 hr 25 min

Memphis was…good?, The Fleetwood chronicles, and Spieth’s season ends

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 Ry...

Aug 11, 20251 hr 36 min

Using the FedEx Cup to make the Ryder Cup, Insane PGA Tour fantasy contest, and Golf Advice

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 cad...

Aug 07, 202558 min

Do the playoffs need a "Rory Rule," PGA Tour history shams, and Keegan's Ryder Cup status

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....

Aug 05, 202554 min

Victory Monday! Cameron Young wins, Mr. 1,000 fraud, and Women's Open

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...

Aug 04, 20251 hr 10 min

Is August good? Is Spieth good? Eye-popping amateur scores, and Golf Advice

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 enl...

Jul 31, 20251 hr 5 min

A Beach defense, Flow so properly you'll see I'm Woad, PJ’s Happy Gilmore 2 review

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 t...

Jul 29, 20251 hr 4 min

Worst-Case LIV Winner, KFT exemption scandal, Snoozy 3M

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...

Jul 28, 20251 hr 11 min

Bryson wants to chirp Rory, Another bad Ryder Cup venue, and Golf Advice

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,...

Jul 24, 20251 hr 20 min

2025 Open Championship Recap: Scottie's historic run and Rory's homecoming

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 o...

Jul 20, 20251 hr 51 min

Saturday at the Open Championship: Scottie Scheffler moves closer to fourth major championship

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 ...

Jul 19, 20251 hr 2 min

Friday at the Open Championship: Scottie separates and Rules controversies

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 Ro...

Jul 18, 20251 hr 2 min

Thursday at the Open Championship: Portrush punches, Olds fight back, & Scottie finds a likeminded partner

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 ex...

Jul 17, 20251 hr 10 min

2025 Open Championship preview: Rory, Scottie, Rahm setting up for good one at Portrush

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 t...

Jul 15, 20251 hr 41 min

Gotterup hurries to Scottish win, Rory/Scottie/Rahm pop before Open, and an insane Evian finish

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 bef...

Jul 13, 20251 hr 5 min

LIV (Sergio and P) Ryder Cup cases, Monty Flashback, and Golf Advice

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 din...

Jul 10, 20251 hr 1 min

The Super Scottish Open, Kentucky mules, and ‘Celebrity’ golfers in Tahoe

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...

Jul 09, 20251 hr 10 min

Homa in the Heartland, Anti-Rollback poster boy Brian Campbell wins, and new FEC bonus money spread

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....

Jul 07, 202554 min

Ryder Cup gets another Captain, Holiday Golf Advice

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 a...

Jul 03, 20251 hr 16 min

An odd LIV schedule, Westy Island signs of life, and The Olds want their equity

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 ...

Jul 02, 202558 min

"Speed Wars" in Detroit, P-Reed for Ryder Cup, & Maltbie-Gate at U.S. Senior Open

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 t...

Jun 30, 20251 hr 10 min

A rollback case in Detroit, Morikawa media dust-up, and The Cleeks “rebrand” aspirations

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 ...

Jun 26, 20251 hr 15 min

Is the Tour coming for its cut of the majors, 313 charity recession, and Rocket gets deep

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 investigativ...

Jun 24, 202552 min

Playing Captain Keegan, Fleetwood’s anguish, and LPGA anger about PGA Frisco

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....

Jun 23, 20251 hr 9 min

Wyndham’s ‘apology,’ Viktor Hovland joins to chat new Tour CEO, and Fair Policing in Hartford

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...

Jun 20, 20251 hr 11 min

PGA Tour’s new CEO from NFL, Monahan’s LONG goodbye, and U.S. Open apologies?

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 ...

Jun 18, 20251 hr 18 min

Sunday at the U.S. Open: Chaos Golf, a Rough Quandary, and Fair Policing

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 somew...

Jun 16, 20251 hr 30 min

Saturday at the U.S. Open: "Deputy Sam," Scott throws it back, and Rory talks

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-ho...

Jun 15, 202556 min
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