The Shotgun Start

Latest Episodes:

Rahm in Palm Springs, Zatch fights back, and pros we’d most want as SGS guests Jan 19, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan send you off to the weekend with a fun 50 minutes on … a wide range of subjects. They begin with some reaction to Zach Johnon jamming right in their faces with an opening round 10-under 62. Then they somehow get on the subject of the proper way to cut grilled cheese, parents who email the school too much, and Coco Gauff’s pasta endorsement. There’s more discussion on some Palm Springs matters, like Jon Rahm allegedly being in town and playing in some games, Nick Dunlap’s impressive showing, and Billy Boy mic’d up on PGA Tour Live. They also discuss Bernhard Langer announcing this year will be his last Masters and Fred Ridley saying Angel Cabrera will be welcomed back if he gets his visa. Some Pelley quotes about a “global tour” are also dissected and analyzed as fairly pushy on his strategic alliance. They close with a Golf Advice segment on a boss making an employee take his son out to his fancy club and a Bob Parsons speech at the Asia Pacific Golf Summit in Vietnam.

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The Tour’s Yasir Al-Rumayyan problem, Jay goes to Saudi, and Blockie’s 2024 debut Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan fire it up for this Wednesday episode on the heels of a report in The Athletic that Yasir may face a lawsuit for some bad things he is alleged to have carried out on the instruction of Saudi Crown Prince MBS. Is this a golf and PGA Tour problem now and just the beginning of many? Also, it comes out while Jay Monahan is reportedly in Saudi Arabia trying to hammer out a deal. Andy and Brendan concede there is probably no choice now but how could this have gone differently than where we’re at with Yasir appearing to have an amount of control and authority. Then they rip through the schedule for the week, which includes many amusements and delights on the Amex in Palm Springs, the new “best teacher rankings,” Daniel Berger’s return, and “the best JT in the world.” They discuss more Rory comments about a world tour and a quick drive by of his on Kapalua, while Brendan delivers his own drive-by of an Antetokounmpo brother. They close with a Rahm rumored sighting, some questions on the LPGA at the start of its season, and make some one and done picks for the Champions Tour’s season opener.

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A ‘virtually certain’ crooked drop, Sketchy exemptions, and Jay calls Yasir Jan 15, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan are back for a very much *not* Victory Monday episode during the holiday in the States. They discuss the Browns blowout playoff loss, the Packers success, and the Bulls fans booing a widow. They eventually get to Grayson Murray’s win at the Sony, but not before first addressing a complete sham of a free drop given to Carl Yuan, who was in contention at the wire. Elsewhere on Sony, Grayson’s “redemption”, Ben An and Keegan’s finishes, and Will Zalatoris alarm are all discussed. Over in Dubai, they chat about Ken Weyand’s exemption and an all-time spread of 72 shots worse than first place. How did he get in the field? Should we feel bad for him? Rory booting away a season-opening win is also covered and if it means anything going forward. They close with news that Caleb Surratt seems like he’s going to LIV, Jay Monahan finally has a phone conversation with Yasir, and Webb Simpson delivers some wide-ranging thoughts on the state of negotiations and the PGA Tour board.

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Pelley and Slumbers out, Phil demurs on Ryder Cup, and SGS Golf Advice Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan get one more unexpected recording together in the Swamp before departing for the week. They offer a few reactions from their time down in Florida, which included a pass by of the famed Abacoa. They transition to a Swamp denizen who is playing on the Euro Tour this week and may set a new record for the “the spread” in a no-cut Dubai event. Then they get to the many shake-ups at the executive level in pro golf, with Marty Sleeps leaving the R&A and Keith/Scott Pelley leaving the European Tour. This leads to great amusement over Pelley’s replacement being just a Guy, literally, capitalized. Do the changes have anything to do with a reshuffling of the world order in golf? They also discuss another tamer Phil interview in which he said multiple times he is too “divisive” to be a Ryder Cup captain, right now at least. They close with a round of SGS Golf advice questions on your clubs going over the cliff at Cabot Cliffs, if there’s PXG “type,” and what pampas grass in your yard might signal.

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Rory’s proposes “World Tour,” Rookie screwjob at Sony, and Robot toilets Jan 10, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan are happily reunited in the Jupiter swamp for this Wednesday episode and they have some reactions to their rental home’s putting green architect, as well as its robot toilets. Then they transition to the controversial field composition for this week’s Sony Open, the first “regular” event under the new/old schedule in the Signature Event era. Has the Tour completely bumbled it and screwed the rookies out of their debut? Should DP World Tour players be given priority over KFT grads? Or is this just a case of the Tour modernizing and getting leaner? They discuss this hot topic, make some one-and-done picks, and hit on a few things to watch at Waialae. Then they get to the DP World Tour, where Rory McIlroy had a lengthy response on what he sees for the future potential of pro golf and the possibilities of a world tour.

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A historic win in Hawaii, Kisner’s TV debut, and rookie meeting intel Jan 08, 2024

Show notes

With Andy traveling, and Brendan scheduled to early Monday morning, this is a podcast recorded and completed on the run in some of the most dire circumstances in this podcast’s ramshackle history. A first attempt from the baggage claim in a swamp airport is scuttled and transferred to the rental car shuttle and eventually the rental car. Needless to say, they cover Chris Kirk’s win in Kapalua, Spieth’s final round of “bad breaks,” more low scores and 400-yard drives, and the Kevin Kisner experiment in the NBC booth. Then they get their hands on the itinerary for the much-maligned “rookie meeting” that had players flying to Honolulu on the eve of an event they could not get into, so they run through the full lineup of various sessions indoctrinating the rookies into the PGA Tour Way.

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Warm Kapalua glee, Norman and Phil react to Rory’s ‘reversal’ on LIV, More over-unders Jan 05, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan are back for their first Friday episode of the year and it’s a joyous scramble. They begin with what Andy terms as one of the funniest and bizarre articles he’s read and stumble around on a few random non-golf topics. Then it’s on to one of the best watches of the year: the first round, primetime golf from Kapalua. They react to some sponsorship shuffling on hats and feet, sadly with one Sepptic Tank. They discuss Scottie Scheffler’s opening round, Sahith Theegala’s early lead, and whether or not they missed Zinger. Also, what is going on with his replacement? Then they discuss Rory McIlroy’s comments on LIV and whether they were a “stunning U-turn” and the subsequent reactions from both Phil Mickelson and Greg Norman to them, with the latter appreciating Rory “falling on his sword.” They close it out with a few more over-unders for the 2024 season, with Brendan trying to put Andy in a blender on a few major predictions, LIV movements, and Bears props.

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PGA Tour returns with a LIV-impacted THE Sentry and 2024 over-unders Jan 03, 2024

Show notes

Andy and Brendan are back in 2024 and they’re starting a little worse for the wear but enthusiastic and encouraged for another year. They discuss some quick resolutions and the PGA Tour’s opening event at Kapalua, including a variety of Catnip subjects and a field that is not its strongest coming out of the gates. The Rahm-to-LIV impact is felt pretty quickly and they discuss this as well as some Mac Hughes comments on Tuesday in the press room. They also have some fun with the caddie revolving door and the notion of ranking the best golf teachers in America. They also run through the schedule for the week, including some concerns about NBC’s tower experiment, and make their long-awaited gambling picks. The back half of the podcast is their annual over-unders exercise with a mix of serious and semi-serious props for the coming year.

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Answering Listener Questions and Year-end Golf Advice Dec 28, 2023

Show notes

Andy and Brendan reconvene after the holidays to catch up on all they missed during the break and settle up with a few listener queries before the end of the year. They opened up the floor for SGS Golf Advice as well as an AMA on Twitter, so they bounce around on many subjects related to the podcast, golf, Tour golf, themselves, and golf courses past, present, and future.

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The 2023 Year in Review, Part 9 - FIN Dec 21, 2023

Show notes

Andy and Brendan are back for the finale of the Year in Review, picking up with the PGA Tour’s visit to Congress for a hearing on its “merger” with the PIF and going all the way through to the last low gross championship of the PGA Tour season. Before YiR, they begin quickly with some amusements from an article on recent LIV transactions, some Q-school thoughts, and a dispatch from the ground watching El Pato’s return to golf after getting out of jail. Then it’s another beefy Year in Review session, from the Senators getting off some insane questions to Tour execs to a wildly amusing British Open and into the Playoffs. This is the usual SGS approach to the year in review, focusing more on the amusing, inane, and extraordinary and it will continue to roll out over the next several weeks in multiple parts to be enjoyed at your convenience during the holiday season.

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