The Shotgun Start

Latest Episodes:

Changes coming to Royal County Down?, Butterfield In/Out/Alternate, & a Schwab Cup Quiz Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

A Chicago team must have lost something somewhere because Andy is once again calling in sick for this Wednesday episode. The Boys join Brendan for a lively round of In/Out/Alternate as a way of previewing the Butterfield Bermuda Championship shortly before PJ pulls off one of the most impressive feats in golf journalism (no spoilers). Then, they discuss the recent news that Royal County Down may get some work done from familiar sets of hands. They almost forget to run through Tuesday's blockbuster TGL roster announcements, but fear not - the signings of Blades Brown, Ben James, Ryan Fox, and more are discussed at length to close things out.

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Ranking our best events of 2026, Appearance fee debate between Rory and Kis, and Chacarra’s Ryder Cup move Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

At long last, it is Victory Monday again for the Chicago Bears! Andy and Brendan celebrate wins by the Bears and Browns to open this episode in high spirits despite the Cleveland Guardians finding themselves on the brink of elimination in the ALCS. After a shockingly brief Sports Minute, Andy wants to kick things off with the Champions Tour! PJ comes in to explain the thrilling end of the SAS Championship, where Vijay Singh became one of the rare players to make the cut at the Sony Open and win on the Senior Tour in the same year. Brendan wonders whether Vijay's Champs Tour career has been a disappointment and Andy poses the idea that Singh may find himself on the PGA Tour Championship Series in 2028. The two then discuss Eugenio Chacarra's win at the DP World India Championship. Chacarra now finds himself atop the Race to Dubai standings and is putting himself in position to break through the Lads Club for a spot on the European squad at Adare Manor. Speaking of Team Europe's stars, Rory McIlroy found himself in a debate with NBC lead analyst and golf podcaster Kevin Kisner regarding his participation in this week's DPWT event. After wrapping up this week's results, Andy and Brendan react to the latest news regarding the possible redesign of East Potomac Golf Links following a statement posted by President Trump on Sunday afternoon. Lastly, PJ pops back in as everybody ranks their best events of the 2026 golf season as we inch closer and closer to the Year in Review!

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LIV’s bankruptcy debacle, Irate Senior Tour players want their pensions!, and Golf Advice Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

At long last, Andy has made his return to the podcast! He joined Brendan for what he's calling Victory Friday as the two went live on YouTube for a Friday morning recording. After the Milwaukee Brewers swept the Dodgers in the NLCS, Andy has decided that this is a win for the suburbs of Chicago and has deemed the team "his Brewers" for the rest of the postseason. The Friday Frenzy continues with an updated look at LIV's bankruptcy proceedings where most players now find themselves freed from any contractual obligations. Among them is Jon Rahm, who received his NIL rights and the rights to Legion XIII in this split. Brendan then transitions to what may be the story of the year: the "criminal" removal of the Champions Tour pension fund. Andy, Brendan, and PJ bat the ball around about this Adam Schupak report that features insane quotes from Billy Andrade, David Toms, Scott McCarron, and more. In other news, Will Zalatoris will miss the 2027 season after another surgery and the DP World Tour is still planning on holding its year-end events in the UAE. This episode wraps with some Golf Advice questions about a long drive disqualification and some caddie tipping gone wrong.

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Rory talks LIV’s future in India, Golf’s wasteful era, and Austin Hitt(s) the PGA Tour Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

Brendan is once again joined by Joseph LaMagna as Andy is still on the run after a disastrous weekend for Chicago sports. BP is especially chipper given his Guardians took a 1-0 lead in the ALCS on Monday night, stealing a road game from the #1 seed Tampa Bay Rays. He opens the show with a bit of housekeeping regarding the next few weeks of programming before discussing the light Schedule for the Week. With the PGA Tour off, the focus is on the DP World India Championship and a field that features European Ryder Cup stars and other proper players. Among those in attendance is Rory McIlroy, who made waves on Tuesday with some new-look pants, a sponsorship deal for health trailers, and some comments he made during a Bloomberg event in India earlier this week. Brendan, Joseph, and PJ wonder if Rory's new health trailers are a way to keep his body in shape for a career lasting into his 50s despite the six-time major winner's insistence that he will not play the Champions Tour. At the Bloomberg event, McIlroy was asked about things ranging from playing golf with President Trump to his daughter's thoughts on TGL. Joseph runs a few clips from the interview and leads a discussion based on Rory's comments about LIV and its impacts throughout the greater golf ecosystem. In non-Rory India news, both Joost Luiten and Anirban Lahiri had something to say about LIV's future and how players should be assimilated back into the DP World Tour moving forward. Lahiri's comments particularly strike a nerve with Brendan, prompting a monologue about how historians will look back upon golf's "wasteful era." Brendan and Joseph are then joined by Austin Hitt, winner of the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Championship, to discuss life on the KFT bubble, his best stories from his time on the Latin America Tour, and what he's looking forward to next year now that he has a PGA Tour card locked up.

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Bethpage Ryder Cup shame continues, Baycurrent and KFT classics, and Sports minute(s) Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

After what some (Brendan) have called a "shameful" weekend for the city of Chicago, Andy no-shows the podcast and leaves BP to clean up a weekend of golf with Joseph LaMagna. They kick things off with a Sports Minute discussing the a Bears blowout loss to the Packers, the ultimate mid-off between the Jets and Browns, and Arch Manning's letdown against Oklahoma. Despite the Texas loss, Joseph celebrates a Victory Monday just because of the Baycurrent Classic, one of his favorite events of the year. Brendan and Joseph discuss Michael Brennan's third win in just over 365 days as he took down a strong field at the no-cut event in Japan. They ponder the future of the PGA Tour in Japan and whether this event could one day be a co-sanctioned Japan Open. The two then move on to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship where we now have the 20 names joining the PGA Tour for 2027. They run through the list of graduates and point out names to watch, primarily focusing on 19-year-old Blades Brown. PJ pops back in for a Champions Tour Minute honoring a former U.S. Ryder Cupper who extended his pro golf career with a win at Furyk & Friends. There's also some thought as to whether Jim Furyk will be distracted by his duties as a host to truly focus on the 2027 Ryder Cup next fall. In news, The LIV has its first two commitments, including a two-time major champion! The back half of this episode features a Friday Scramble with Brendan, Joseph, PJ, Andy, and Kevin Van Valkenburg regarding the latest fallout from the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, this time focusing on Keegan Bradley's interactions with a rules official. We'll return on Wednesday as Silly Season rolls on across the golf world.

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The Rahm departs The LIV, Sergio aims for Ryder Cup 2027, and more USO Anchor Sites! Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

This Friday episode kicks off with a Playoff Baseball Minute following Andy's earlier declaration of support for the Chicago White Sox in their quest to eliminate Brendan's Guardians in the ALDS. Brendan says he's heard from dozens of Chicago fans who can't believe Andy's stance on rooting for both teams in the city, but Andy is too concerned about the continued dominance of the Milwaukee Brewers to care. He throws all of his support behind the Dodgers and convinces PJ to join him in rooting for a three-peat. Brendan is aghast at the notion that anyone would root for the Dodgers in 2026 due to their ludicrous spending with questionable morals. While on that topic, things transition to Jon Rahm's decision that he will not be playing in LIV 2.0, as announced by his lawyer on Wednesday afternoon. Andy and Brendan react to this expected news and wonder where Rahm will end up in 2027. Will there be a parachute back to the PGA Tour immediately for the two-time major winner, or will he play out the year on the DP World Tour alongside others who bailed on The LIV like Adrian Meronk and David Puig? Sergio Garcia will also not return to The LIV and has been released from his contract, now allowing him to contact any other tours. He's already optimistic about his Champions Tour career in 2030 but for now, his focus is on making the European side for Adare Manor. Andy supposes that the only thing that can ruin what Luke Donald has built is allowing the likes of Sergio, Lee Westwood, and Graeme McDowell back into the fold to disrupt the mojo. In other late-week news, Merion was announced as a USGA Anchor Site, cementing its place on the U.S. Open rota through 2050! Andy and Brendan also react to a Michael Bamberger article about Tony Romo's DQ from a recent KFT pre-qualifier. Playoff Baseball Minute returns at the end of the episode before Andy makes PJ and Brendan give their predictions for Sunday's matchup between the Browns and Jets.

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Is ‘The LIV’ a tax asset or future golf league?, Furyk talks Ryder Cup in Ireland, and KFT apathy Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

At long last, LIV Golf has received part of its investment from BC Partners. Andy and Brendan return to break down the details of this "initial committed investment in LIV Golf" that became official late Monday night. This investment will help the league "emerge" from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and amended the terms of the original agreement, allowing two more weeks to build a roster for the 2027 season. BC Partners Credit head Ted Goldthorpe spoke at a Sportico event in London on Tuesday morning about the deal, repeatedly calling his new league "The LIV," which Brendan got a big kick out of. Goldthorpe also suggested that The LIV's teams could be valued at $100 million each "in very short order." Andy and Brendan debate whether BC Partners wants the league to succeed or will just use the tax advantages on the losses to make more money in other ways, as they've done with other purchases. Elsewhere in Europe, the Ryder Cup "Year To Go" countdown is on, with Luke Donald and Jim Furyk being peppered with questions about fan behavior, team outings, and the Americans being underdogs at Adare Manor. Furyk was also asked directly about Patrick Reed, bringing a whole new level of anticipation to the next 12 months of discourse. The two eventually get to the Schedule for the Week, beginning with a loaded field at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan. Blockie is once again in the field on the Champions Tour, but Andy deems him not a "Friend of Furyk" just yet based on earning an exemption through his play. On the DP World Tour, Jon Rahm withdrew from the Spanish Open due to the impending birth of his fourth child, leaving the newly-freed Sergio Garcia to fend for himself against defending champ Marco Penge. Lastly, they preview this weekend's Korn Ferry Tour Championship and lament the lack of promotion from the PGA Tour and KFT channels about the biggest week of the year.

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Tom Kim plays his way out of military service, Blockie hit by cart, and KFT pitch and putt Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Andy and Brendan went LIVE on YouTube for this Monday recording after a busy weekend of fall golf... and a Bears win over the Jets. Andy is particularly giddy about some postgame comments from the Bears defense calling Sunday's win "one of the easiest games" they've ever played in, and Brendan looks forward to the Browns stomping this same Jets team next week. From there, the two recap a loaded schedule of golf, beginning with Tom Kim's win at the Asian Games. Kim successfully won gold, exempting him from mandatory military service in South Korea and keeping his pro golf career on track. Andy and Brendan discuss the mental pressures of playing under those circumstances and applaud Kim's performance, especially after a standout week at the Presidents Cup. In Utah, Smother Boy finally became Smother Man as Austin Smotherman won at Black Desert in his 100th start. After discussing Smother Man's win, Andy also highlights big weeks from Ben James and Rico Hoey. Adrian Meronk has started his 2027 Ryder Cup candidacy with a bang, winning the Dunhill by taking down Casey Jarvis, Tommy Fleetwood, and a drone-fighting Bob MacIntyre. PJ pops in for a lengthy Champions Tour Minute following another Steven Alker win over Michael Block on Sunday. After referring to himself in the third person on Saturday evening, Blockie's quest for his first win was derailed after he was hit by Alker's golf cart on the second hole of Sunday's round. Despite another loss, has Blockie done enough for a spot on Team USA at the Skechers World Champions Cup in December? Andy and Brendan then touch on a ridiculous setup on the Korn Ferry Tour and another non-major win for Jeeno Thitikul at the Lotte Championship. Things wrap up with an unexpected position from Brian Rolapp regarding Daylight Savings Time and another Andy rant about the Milwaukee Brewers.

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Mid Am Victory Friday!, and future of PGA Tour rights deals and business offseason Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

Brendan! is calling for a Victory Friday for the city (or town?) of Cleveland following Andrew Bailey's win at the U.S. Mid-Am! BP is joined by PJ for a brief intro to this Friday show covering the Mid-Am final, early PGA Tour action in Utah, and Pete Crow-Armstrong's struggles in a two-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs. Brendan then brings on Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal for a look at the "Business Season" of professional golf. The two discuss a variety of topics including what's next for the PGA Tour's media rights deals, the continued search for sponsors for Championship and Challenger series events, and whether FedEx is really gone for good following the 2027 season. Josh also hits on the recent wave of executive departures from the LPGA and the league's struggles to build a television audience. We'll return on Monday with a full recap of a loaded week of Silly Season golf (and probably Sunday's Jets at Bears matchup).

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The USGA's "venue malpractice," Reinstated am rage, & P-Cup cleanup Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

It's a busy week of golf as the calendar turns to October! Andy and Brendan are both ready for some playoff baseball and spend this episode previewing the six (6!) golf events taking place this weekend. First, there's a bit of Presidents Cup cleanup, with Brendan wondering if Jason Day would've put the Internationals over the top if he wasn't injured. Still buzzing from Medinah No. 3's starring role, Andy takes aim at governing bodies scheduling out major venues for the next 20 years and can't believe we won't see Medinah on a major stage again anytime soon. The two preview the Bank of Utah Championship, where the three betting favorites were not PGA Tour members at this time last year. They also bring back the Lotte at Lottie's Challenge, highlighting this week's LPGA event and one of Chicago's finest establishments. After running through the rest of the schedule - including a "Classic" Champions Tour week - they bring on Matthew Galloway to discuss the ongoing USGA Mid-Am. Matthew, a reinstated amateur himself, and Andy discuss the USGA's stance on the issue that has swept the nation... or just a lot of angry people on Golf Twitter. Matthew also gives his take on the recent wave of executive departures from the LPGA.

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