The Shotgun Start

Latest Episodes:

Yasir and Jay play together, Cutthroat Tour proposals, and a Ballfrogs documentary Oct 02, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan bring in the month of October with this meandering episode on a wide array of pro golf and non-golf topics. They begin with a debate about pumpkin patches. Then they get to the news that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and Saudi PIF’s Yasir Al-Rumayyan are playing together in the Dunhill this week alongside their pro partners, Billy Boy and Mean Dean. This leads to a lengthy digression on the ability to get a deal done on the golf course, as well as an exploration on some of the many other amateur/celebrity names in the field. Then they get to some minutiae on the Furyk and Friends Champions Tour weekend. The Sanderson marks the return of Cutthroat Corner, as well as a chat on Monday Q’s report about the reduction of fields and cards memo that was sent out. They close with a discussion on the KFT Championship at French Lick, who is in, who is out, and where cards are on the line and some argue it is the purest moment in sports. As they try to leave, Brendan pans the notion of a 5-part documentary series on the Ballfrogs.

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Grading the Presidents Cup, USA team’s future, and a farewell to Dayman Sep 30, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan are back to put a bow on a fun P-Cup week at SGS. There was a little bit of everything. For this Monday episode, they begin with another USA blowout victory at the Presidents Cup and what it says about the current state of the competition, its future, and how enjoyable it still was this past weekend. They hand out grades for several players on each side of the equation, including Captains Furyk and Weir, stars like Playoff Pat, and goats alike -- does Canada have to apologize? They discuss the kerfuffle with the Tom Kim, the American response with Wyndham stirring the pot, and what crosses the line, if anything, in match play. They close with some further presidents cup appreciation and criticism as it rides off into the sunset for another two years.

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Presidents Cup Day 1 Disaster, and other assorted shouting Sep 27, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan are coming in hot on this Friday episode after a 5-0 whitewash in the opening session of the Presidents Cup. The Internationals are down, but are they out? Also probably yes. They discuss some of the LVPs, the MVPs, the golf course, the broadcast, and much more from Montreal. They hone in on a couple thirstbuckets, some bagel boys, and the Tom Kim controversy about leaving the hole early that put Kevin Kisner in a tense confrontation with Camilo Villegas. There is some heat for C-Bez, Milquetoast Mike, J-Day, and many more. There is praise for Scottie, Xander, Wyndham, and many more. There are questions about the Pointer Brothers, among others. They close with some thoughts on the two USGA amateur champions crowned on Thursday.

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A quick Presidents Cup Eve jamboree Sep 25, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan went live on YouTube shortly after Thursday's pairings were announced to preview the first session of the 2024 Presidents Cup. As per usual, things went slightly off the rails with the help of the YouTube commenters. The two talk Xander and Cantlay being split up, the comedic genius of the Jason Day and Ben An pairing, rank all five matchups in terms of watchability, and more!

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Presidents Cup crossroads, Royal Montreal misfortunes, and a chat with Billy Draddy Sep 25, 2024

Show notes

It’s Presidents Cup Week! Andy and Brendan get into this early fall team match play windfall, but first there’s some football chatter about Bert trying to stir things up in Happy Valley. Then they get to a wide-ranging chat on the Presidents Cup, including the current state of the competition, how it gets a bad, or deserved, rap, and how it could be improved or if it needs changing at all. Then they get into some of the rosters, storylines, potential for drama, and amusing tidbits about the host venue, Royal Montreal. They make some picks to win, picks to flop, and highest potential points earners. They also relay some of their favorite P-Cup memories. Lastly, it’s a special week for the pod as their longtime friends and partners at B.Draddy and Zero Restriction are outfitting both teams, so they catch up with Billy Draddy to chat about creating the uniforms for each team and some of the captains’ and players’ feedback.

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A Rory-Billy battle for the ages, LIV’s cinderella story, and Mid-Am Minute Sep 23, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan start this Monday episode riding high from big college football wins over the weekend despite a lack of NFL success on Sunday afternoon. The two begin by unpacking the SGS Leaderboard of the Year at the BMW PGA Championship overseas, with a Billy Horschel-Rory McIlroy playoff to finish off what was another great tournament on the DP World Tour. They discuss the playoff itself, Billy's winning weekend, Rory's play coming down the stretch, and whether "The Great" Manassero has what it takes to get it done on the Euro Tour. The episode then takes a slight turn towards this week's Presidents Cup, as Billy Horschel has now won yet another tournament following the selection of a U.S. team. Next, Andy and Brendan hit on Lydia Ko and the LPGA Queen City Championship, keeping her incredible season going with another win. The premier Champions Tour gambling podcast then tries to justify a poor week of picks for the PURE Insurance Championship, as Brendan put the cooler on Richard Green's hot streak, Andy didn't put in the necessary research for a win, and Producer PJ couldn't find anywhere to bet on Steven Alker in Las Vegas. After some U.S. Mid-Am talk about 2016 SEC Baseball Player of the Year Boomer White and the debut of the "Presidents Cup Fact of the Day," Andy and Brendan celebrate a true underdog story, the Ironheads finally reaching a podium after multiple upsets at the LIV Team Championship in Dallas.

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Is LIV’s team championship format better than the FedExCup, and SGS Golf Advice Sep 20, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan are flying blind with PJ out and about in Vegas looking for places to take his Champions Tour bets. They begin with some clean up on what kind of travel counts as “cross country” and a few more amazing tidbits on the man named Boomer playing in this week’s mid-am. Then they get to a variety of news on Jim Furyk dropping the F-bomb and getting all hot and bothered over the notion that a USA loss might be good for the overall Presidents Cup appeal. There’s also a preview and chat on the format of the Team Championship at LIV Dallas, and how it compares to the FedExCup Playoffs. They chat about the PGA announcing LIV eligibility for the Ryder Cup, Tony Romo’s disastrous pre-qualifying for Q school, and Tiger’s latest surgery. Then they get to an all-time golf advice about a nightmare playing through incident.

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Disastrous TV ratings and How LIV guys could return to PGA Tour as talks stall Sep 18, 2024

Show notes

This PACKED Wednesday episode wanders around for an hour on a variety of important and inane topics on what should be an otherwise sleepy stretch of the golf year. Andy and Brendan begin with news of some truly horrific TV ratings from Sunday’s PGA Tour event, which were beaten by LIV’s own paltry ratings. Then they get to a Bloomberg report that talks between the PGA Tour and PIF might be held up on the notion that LIV players must return or forfeit their money from that enterprise, along with Joel Beall’s reporting otherwise on what’s truly holding up the talks: how LIV players are re-integrated back into the Tour. They discuss how that might happen, and who is actually worth taking back of real value. There’s a lengthy Mid-Am digression with some notables and their incredible stories. There’s also a segment on the legend of Sunny Abacoa coming out of the swamp to reclaim his MLGT throne. Schedule for the week goes deep on Champs Tour chatter at Pebble, as well as the DPWT’s flagship event at Wentworth. They close with news on the Masters expanding coverage to Paramount Plus and a name for the Vegas match between LIV and PGA Tour stars.

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Rory’s RCD heartbreak, Solheim streak snapped, and Rahm’s LIV conquest Sep 16, 2024

Show notes

An awesome weekend of September golf has Andy and Brendan in great spirits for this Monday episode. To start, Brendan downplays a Browns Victory Monday in the Swag Sports Minute, but Andy is riding high after a great day at the ballpark and delivers the news that Andrew Price won the Crump Cup. After that, the two dive into a loaded weekend of golf, starting with the Irish Open at Royal County Down where Rasmus Hojgaard chased down Rory McIlroy and the Great Manassero for the win. Andy and Brendan share their thoughts on how RCD played for the pros, the TV coverage (or lack thereof) of the tournament, and another disappointing finish for Rory in a tournament that means a lot to him. After that, Meg Adkins calls in from Dulles to help recap the Solheim Cup as the Americans finally secured a win in the competition. Meg shares on-the-ground insights from the week, hitting on the shuttle disasters of Friday morning, standout performances from Nelly Korda and Rose Zhang, Charley Hull's smoking habits continuing to take over social media, and who will takeover as captains for both sides in the next Solheim Cup in September 2026. After wrapping up with the Solheim Cup, LIV Bolingbrook gets featured after Bryson DeChambeau said the course "played close to a major championship test" this week. Jon Rahm took home both the tournament and the season-long title, leading Andy and Brendan to wonder what this means looking back on not only his 2024, but also his career. Producer PJ then joins to share the great news that the leading Champions Tour gambling podcast has stayed hot and even improved on last week's efforts, as Brendan secured a Steve Stricker playoff win for those tailing the picks. To finish things off, Patton Kizzire gets a shoutout for winning the Procore, with Creator Classic alum Wes Bryan taking in a T13 in Napa.

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Solheim Cup dramas, Champs Tour takes South Dakota, and Golf Advice Sep 12, 2024

Show notes

A late Wednesday recording leads to a Thursday release for this episode, as three events tee off on a Friday-Sunday schedule this weekend! Brendan attempts to start this episode with a Solheim Cup preview, but excludes the Champions Tour’s Sanford International from the Friday-Sunday schedule and leaves Andy aghast. This turns into a lengthy edition of Champions Tour Minute with Producer PJ, as the three look to stay hot with their picks for the big weekend in South Dakota. It’s then revealed that PJ may be taking a trip to the Schwab Cup Finals in Arizona for an in-person Champs Tour weekend, but the funding may depend on how successful the one-and-done picks continue to be. The Solheim Cup is then previewed, with Andy and Brendan both picking the United States to win big. They discuss the one year turnaround between Cups, the potential for a breakout American golfer, and some early gamesmanship with the team houses on the course. After an interlude about over-negotiation and when to tip in certain situations, the two dive into LIV Bolingbrook and wonder whether the Ironheads or Majesticks can finally secure a podium finish. They then note that Jon Rahm is attempting to play some DP World Tour Events in order to maintain eligibility for the 2025 Ryder Cup, but seemingly won’t pay the fines necessary to do so. This episode finishes with some quick NFL talk heading into Week 2, and a golf advice question surrounding “low-cap privilege.”

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