The Shotgun Start

Latest Episodes:

Dueling finishes on LIV and PGA Tour Playoffs and a punishing U.S. Am Aug 19, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan recap an absolutely loaded weekend of golf with tournaments coming down to the wire across all levels of the game. Andy leads off this Monday episode by waxing poetic about Caleb Williams and his performance in Week 2 of the preseason, becoming far too excited about the Bears on August 19th. After an extended Caleb Minute, the golf recap begins with the FedEx St. Jude in Memphis as Hideki Matsuyama stayed afloat on the back nine to hold off a charging "Mr. August" Viktor Hovland and others. The two discuss notable cuts from the FedEx Cup Top 50, such as Jordan Spieth and Tom Kim. This then leads to a chat about Presidents Cup rosters and who may be making the trip to Montreal at the end of September. Andy and Brendan then talk through Brooks Koepka taking down Jon Rahm in a playoff at LIV Greenbrier, a promising result for both players who have struggled on major stages this year. The conversation then hits on Lauren Coughlin's victory at the Women's Scottish Open and her form heading into the Solheim Cup and next week's Women's Open at St. Andrews. After a recap of the weekend at the U.S. Amateur, Producer PJ shares what he learned about Bob Papa's whereabouts in this week's Senior Tour Minute.

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Monahan speaks at Tour’s ‘Silly’ Playoffs, 2025 Schedule release, and Golf Advice Aug 16, 2024

Show notes

It's a beefy Friday episode in honor of the FedEx Cup Playoffs starting up. Andy and Brendan lead off the episode with some U.S. Am discussion as Andy's Illini have shown up to compete. This then turns in to a conversation about what an amateur even is these days, given that many top players have large NIL deals backing them. Next, it's an extended FedEx Cup Minute as they take a look at the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Pool and (lack of) prizes before discussing the mostly-unchanged 2025 PGA Tour schedule. The two then read some presser comments from this week in Memphis, with quotes from Jay Monahan, Scottie Scheffler, "Playoff P" Patrick Cantlay, and more, leading to ideas on how to make the FedEx Cup a true playoff system and improve upon what is today. After a listener-requested FedEx Cup Fact of the Day about a certain Guy in the field, Andy and Brendan take some Golf Forever Life Advice questions, including an all-time story about 24 years of guilt.

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Kuchar cleanup, More sweating in Memphis, and U.S. Am nuggets Aug 14, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan are back on this Wednesday episode to recap the fallout from Matt Kuchar's solo Monday finish at the Wyndham Championship, among other things. They start with Andy's initial take on the whole situation on Sunday before getting into the range session, TIO drop, and three shots of Monday morning. Kevin Prise gets a shoutout for his outstanding Monday coverage from Greensboro before Andy and Brendan break down Kuchar's post-round comments. The conversation then moves to the FedEx Cup Playoffs and this week's FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis, which will mark the start of our free-to-play FedEx Cup pool! Andy is watching out for some big names that are in danger of missing out on the Top 50 and next year's Signature Events, including a certain Guy and last year's FedEx Cup champ. The two take a look at the current FedEx Cup standings, which aren't easy to figure out, and try to make sense of how some players have accumulated so many points. Brendan then lays out the Schedule of the Week, hitting on the U.S. Amateur in Hazeltine, a possible American Ryder Cup scout team at the Czech Masters, and of course, LIV Greenbrier. The episode wraps with some news and notes, such as Sanderson Farms no longer sponsoring the Jackson, MS event on the fall swing.

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Insane Matt Kuchar protest puts Wyndham on hold while Lydia Ko wins gold Aug 12, 2024

Show notes

Brendan is joined by Joseph LaMagna to recap an astounding end to Sunday at the Wyndham Championship with Matt Kuchar abandoning his ball on the 72nd hole due to darkness even as the rest of the field finished the tournament. The two dissect every angle of this unique situation, including a live reaction to Kuchar's explanation for this move and have a conversation about all of the people who will be affected by Kuchar's one-hole return on Monday morning. They then wrap up the Wyndham by giving props to Aaron Rai on his first career PGA Tour win and discuss Max Greyserman's wild finish that cost him the lead. After that, Joseph and Brendan talk through Lydia Ko's gold medal win at the Paris Olympics and both declare that they are "in" on Le Golf National after two weeks of quality golf. Before wrapping things up, Producer PJ jumps in for a Senior Tour Minute as Bob Papa was able to make it to Seattle for the Boeing this weekend following the Giants' preseason game on Thursday. To finish the episode, Joseph decides to share that he wasn't a fan of U.S. Men's Basketball's thrilling gold medal win over France despite Steph Curry's heroics.

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Apologies to Rickie and Spieth, Nelly’s stumbles, and Golf Advice Aug 09, 2024

Show notes

It’s Friday! Andy is delusional about the Bears after one episode of Hard Knocks and has great hope. Then they get to some of the golf of the week, the women’s golf competition at the Olympics and the delayed Wyndham Championship. But first there is an apology for Rickie Fowler after a mistake from last episode, and an attempt at an apology for Jordan Spieth. They also try to figure out what the plan is at the Wyndham after the Hurricane washed out day one. There is also a FedExCup Fact of the Day. Then they discuss Nelly Korda’s quick tumble down the leaderboard, the Swiss sensation at the top, the French favorite, and the general scene in Paris. They close it with a fun and beefy Golf Forever SGS Golf Advice Segment on a cart boy getting caught red handed, caddying around an expected due date, and worst courses to visit in major cities.

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FedEx Cup fever, Cutthroat Corner returns, and Women's Olympic Golf preview Aug 07, 2024

Show notes

It's the finale of the PGA Tour regular season, so Brendan and Andy are peaking at the right time. Andy begins the episode expressing his excitement about watching the battle for the Comcast Business Top 10 coming to an end this week at the Wyndham Championship. Brendan then shares an analogy comparing the photo-finish Men's 100m Final at the Olympics to the race to make the Top 70 in the FedEx Cup ahead of the playoffs. The two then share a note about the "Buy Two Get One Free" deal on hats at the Fried Egg Pro Shop before discussing the event of the week, the Women's Olympic Golf tournament at Le Golf National. The attention then turns to the Wyndham, where Nick Dunlap will look to remain in the FedEx Cup Top 70 despite winning twice this season. Andy works on branding the show as your home for "FedEx Cup Facts," which leads to a discussion of Viktor Hovland's season and whether he will make it to East Lake. Brendan then presents this week's Cutthroat Corner, focusing on a club pro making his sixth start of the season. The episode ends with some news, including the newly-named Truist Championship heading to Philly Cricket Club next year, and previews of the Boeing Classic and U.S. Women's Amateur at Southern Hills.

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Olympics golf arrives, Scottie gets gold, and a Xander-Rory tiff Aug 04, 2024

Show notes

An incredible Sunday at the Olympics prompts this early recording from Andy and Brendan, as they react to Scottie Scheffler getting the gold, Jon Rahm collapsing on the back nine, Rory making a run before splashing late, Xander bowing out, and Tommy Fleetwood upholding the legacy of the Silver Slovak. They discuss if Olympics golf has an official moment that will elevate its place in the sport overall, even asking some hypotheticals about whether this means more than a major. They relay the players’ commentary supporting some of the weight, and importance of the day, including that of Rory McIlroy, which led to a minor rebuke and shot from Xander Schauffele. They also discuss the NBC coverage throughout the weekend, Le Golf National, and the future of Olympics golf with LA up next.

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Wyndham Clark anger, Olympic sport gatekeeping, and Golf Advice Aug 02, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan close out the week, and open a new month, with this Friday episode checking in on the Olympics golf competition from Paris. First, there’s a check-in on the Bears, Jets, and some questions about 3-on-3 basketball and how an alt-event like that might work in golf. There’s also some gatekeeping about what should be an actual Olympic sport, like speedwalking? They discuss early action from Le Golf National, such as Wyndham Clark’s early troubles, the discourse around him and who should qualify for a team, and the golf course as a variety test. Then they close it out with Golf Advice on Member-Guest appreciation ideas and a psycho starter trying to get a player to go back in and pay a dynamic pricing hike.

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Brendan returns, Olympic predictions, and Beach Takes Jul 31, 2024

Show notes

Brendan is back from vacation and joins Andy to catch up on all that's happened in golf. The episode starts with some thoughts on how pools have been operating and why society has decided that beaches are a travel destination. Andy then shares a note on Caleb Williams' first week of camp with the Bears as he begins his surely illustrious NFL career. The two transition into Olympic talk, as Brendan is concerned about the USA Golf uniforms for this week's festivities. They make some picks and share some good course fits for Le Golf National, which may not suit Tosti's game as well as you'd like. To wrap things up, Andy and Brendan discuss the PGA Tour's new Creator Classic coming to East Lake as part of the Tour Championship.

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Vegas victorious at 3M Open, Rahm wins on LIV, and Olympics talk Jul 29, 2024

Show notes

Andy is joined by Brentley Romine to discuss the weekend that was in the world of golf. The show starts with a 2024 Olympic Minute, where the two debate what other sport the American men would compete in, how Tosti will fare at Le Golf National, and more. After wrapping up a Paris preview, attention then turns to Jhonattan Vegas's win at the 3M Open, his first PGA Tour win in seven years. Andy and Brentley then discuss Jon Rahm's first-ever LIV victory at JCB before moving on to the US Junior Am at Oakland Hills. To wrap things up, it's a Senior Open Minute breaking down K.J. Choi's first senior major and the commercial breaks surrounding his final two holes.

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