The Shotgun Start

Latest Episodes:

Rahm wants ‘anti-distance’ golf course design, Rory doesn’t want to be in Bryson’s shoes, Frank the Tank DQ drama Nov 11, 2026

Show notes

Andy is back! He joins Brendan! for this Wednesday episode previewing another packed week of golf in November. The two first discuss the DP World Tour Championship where The Bumblebee (among others) is getting fit for a 2027 Ryder Cup uniform. In pre-tournament press conferences, Rory McIlroy emphasized that he'd never be in Bryson DeChambeau's shoes and Jon Rahm shared his thoughts on the distance issues in today's game fresh off his win last week. Andy brings 5 Guys to Monitor back for the PGA Tour's Austin Championship and pleads for a beloved fast-casual burger chain to sponsor the segment moving forward. PJ is also back in the saddle today and is ready for a match play situation between Stew Cink and Zatch Johnson at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Andy and Brendan wrap up with some quick bits of news before diving into Frank Kennedy's disqualification from DPWT Q-School and the ensuing social media statement graphics that came with it.

Beginner or scratch golfer, weekend warrior or tour hopeful—however you play, there’s a Garmin device built for your game. Visit garmin.com to learn more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bryson begins apology tour?, Rahm’s instant post-LIV win, and Blades Brown arrives Nov 09, 2026

Show notes

What looked like a potentially slow, sleepy fall golf weekend delivered an excellent Sunday. Brendan and Joseph convene to discuss Blades Brown’s historic win in Mexico, Jon Rahm’s win in Abu Dhabi fresh off declaring himself LIV-free, and Bryson DeChambeau’s open letter that nobody asked for. They close with some Q&A from listeners, covering the young stars in the game, the USGA, tacos, karoake, and more.
Use our code "SGS15" for 15% off at https://cobalt-golf.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LIV Golf Is Officially Dead Nov 06, 2026

Show notes

With the news that LIV Golf is officially shutting down, Brendan hosts a Friday medley episode featuring Sujeet Indap of the Financial Times, Joel Beall of Golf Digest, and Fried Egg Golf’s Joseph LaMagna to dissect LIV’s demise and its ramifications. Brendan brings on Sujeet to find out how the deal with BC Partners fell apart and how agents squabbling over their share of LIV’s carcass helped derail the venture. Next, Joel joins for a retrospective on LIV, its impact on professional golf, and how key figures like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Phil Mickelson will be remembered for their roles in the Saudi-backed rebel league. Finally, Brendan and Joseph reconvene to bat around a couple of the day’s other newsworthy developments, including a two-shot penalty for Rory McIlroy in Abu Dhabi and Colonial Country Club getting booted from the PGA Tour calendar.
(00:40) Intro
(22:36-49:35) Sujeet Indap
(49:42-1:54:31) Joel Beall
To celebrate the new-look Pro Shop, you can take 10% off your first print order when you use code PRINTS at checkout. 2027 calendars have arrived with three different layouts along with refill packs for the stand version. There’s never been a better time to explore everything the Pro Shop has to offer at proshop.thefriedegg.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the European Tour back?!, Tiger’s course design portfolio, and guys who should have gone to LIV Nov 04, 2026

Show notes

This episode is off the rails, on the rails, fishtailing about, and careens to a soft landing, maybe. Brendan and Joseph somehow get stuck early on the topic of Tiger Woods designing a golf course on Long Island, and if he’s not practicing what’s preached in the nascent days of that career. Then they get to the YASSS Links and the the DP World Tour playoffs near the Strait of Hormuz in a hot zone of the world. They comb through Jon Rahm’s quotes in his first appearance since it came out that he would not be going with LIV 2.0, and also review Guy Kinnings prospectus for the DPWT future. Is the Euro Tour back baby!? There’s also an impromptu segment on what guys should have gone to LIV but didn’t, like Tony Finau, who is playing this week on the PGA Tour. This entire premise disgusts Joseph. They close with some news on the Golf Channel Games, an LPGA Q school mess, Alker laying down the law on LIV guys coming to the Senior Circuit, and a new sponsor for the Good Good Championship.
Rapsodo’s biggest fall launch yet pairs the all-new MLM2XPRO launch monitor with the full Rapsodo Golf Ecosystem. Visit www.Rapsodo.com/MLM2XPRO to learn more!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bryson on LIV 2.0 and ‘not really getting paid,’ KVV from New Zealand and Asia Pacific Am, and VidantaWorld delights Nov 02, 2026

Show notes

With Andy and producer PJ on the road, Brendan is left to man the controls. He brings on Kevin Van Valkenburg from the media center at Te Arai to recap an exciting edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship won by Fifa Laopakdee and discuss the trajectory of one of golf's great amateur events. Joseph LaMagna also joins to break down the action from VidantaWorld where Andrew Novak shredded the field during a busy NFL Sunday. Then, Brendan and Joseph get to some provocative Michael Block quotes, which prompts a conversation about whether or not the Champions Tour has groupies.
Join Fried Egg Golf Club for exclusive access to member-only trips, early access to events, in-depth course reviews, and the FEGC app. Discover all the benefits of being a member and sign up at https://www.thefriedegg.com/fried-egg-golf-club

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Great 9th Annual Golf-Adjacent Halloween Costume Episode Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

It's time for one of the most storied traditions in all of SGS lore! Andy and Brendan are both back in the saddle for this Friday episode celebrating the NINTH installment of their Golf-Adjacent Halloween Costume exercise. Before the holiday festivities get underway, Andy declares a Victory Thursday/Friday following the Bears trading for Jeff Simmons and Brendan unleashes a rant on Sergio Garcia's most recent "open letter" about his future plans. The two then have PJ pop in as they provide their best ideas for your Halloween costume needs, suggesting listeners dress up as a shoeless Lucas Glover, a "grumpy turtle," LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil, and more! The three then read through listener-submissions and will keep an eye out for more as everyone celebrates Halloween on Saturday.

Beginner or scratch golfer, weekend warrior or tour hopeful—however you play, there's a Garmin device built for your game. Every product talks to the next, giving you real data, real insights, and real improvement, round after round. Visit garmin.com to learn more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

VidantaWorld returns, "The LIV" hires a King, & Playing athletes before fame Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

Despite the Brewers' 3-0 World Series lead, Andy is not running away from the noise and is joined by The Boys for the first part of this episode. The trio run through the Schedule for the Week and debate whether the Asia-Pacific Am or the VidantaWorld Mexico Open should earn the title of "Event of the Week." PJ also provides a comprehensive preview of the Simmons Bank Championship, which has once again been demoted to the Golf Channel App for live coverage on Sunday evening. They also react to the news of LIV Golf hiring former TaylorMade CEO Mark King as a "senior advisor," with more to come from Brendan on Friday. The second half of this episode features Andy, PJ, Brendan, and Kevin Van Valkenburg reading through listener stories about playing against professional athletes before fame, with KVV sharing his own experiences against Pro Football Hall of Famers! Listeners share tales across all sports, delighting the group and hopefully entertaining the masses at large. We will return on Friday for our annual Halloween Costume episode as we approach the end of October.

To celebrate the new-look Pro Shop, you can take 10% off your first print order when you use code PRINTS at checkout. There’s never been a better time to explore everything the Pro Shop has to offer at proshop.thefriedegg.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Was it really too windy to play?, Boy from Bratislava takes Champs Tour, & LIV losses continue Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

Move over, Blockie - a new Champions Tour rookie is taking over from here! Andy, Brendan, and PJ are all giddy following Rory Sabbatini's Sunday charge at the Stifel Charity Classic and immediately discuss the Silver Slovak's first win on the Champions Tour. As per usual, Paul Azinger brought the heat on commentary as the Boy from Bratislava got hot, playing the final four holes in five under par to cement the victory. Andy then recaps his trip to Milwaukee for Game 2 of the World Series and shares some enlightening statistics regarding the Brewers fanbase, of which he is now NOT a part of. The two move on to the unfinished Butterfield Bermuda Championship and wonder if it was really too windy to play on Sunday or Monday with a full field. A whole new group of players announced they were not joining LIV 2.0 over the weekend, leaving just the "Big 4" of Bland, Tringale, Steele, and Campbell as public commitments so far. Dustin Johnson has not yet decided either way, but he is leading a group looking for severance payouts from the Saudi Arabian government! We wrap with a brief Football Minute after another last-second Browns win and a Jets loss that might be the worst one in recent memory.

Visit www.Rapsodo.com/MLM2XPRO to learn more about the new MLM2XPRO!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridgeman rallies in South Carolina, AI doomerism, & Bachelor party rollbacks Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Andy returns to the pod and promptly reveals his exciting upcoming weekend plans to The Boys, who are left speechless at what he's up to! PJ, Andy, and Joseph digest early results from the Butterfield before turning to more pressing matters: Jacob Bridgeman hitting the campaign trail, the meaning of life in an AI world, and parenting at youth soccer games. They close with some Golf Advice, which gets all three of them worked up about the modern state of Bachelor Partying. Roll. It. Back.

Shop fall layers at bdraddy.com with promo code SGS30!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Shop fall layers at bdraddy.com with promo code SGS30!

Check out our 2027 Events at thefriedegg.com/events.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected