The Shotgun Start

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Jay Monahan's Memo, Sandals and SGS Golf Advice Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

CBS Sports' Kyle Porter joins Andy Johnson with Brendan Porath on vacation. The two start off discussing Kyle's aversion to sandals and potential solutions before diving into the recent Jay Monahan Memo to PGA Tour players. In the memo there is some clarity to how the Tour will bring together the Tour players and LIV players and Kyle wonders if LIV will keep going. Then a large conversation about the Tour's stance against the MLR ball rollback is discussed at length. The podcast ends with some SGS Golf Advice which includes a golf celebrity encouter, a sore loser and a tournament result in question.

Today's sponsors are AG1 and Oars And Alps, find more information about each at the websites below:

www.drinkag1.com/shotgun

www.oarsandalps.com/friedegg Promo code: Egg15

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Ryder Cup political maneuvers, Hoylake “blowing up” 17th hole, FEC Playoff problems Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

Brendan is at the beach with family, covered in sand and Oars & Alps sunscreen, and looking for a break from the “vacation.” And Andy is ebullient about getting a new couch. So this is a punchy episode on a range of subjects -- the field list at the 3M Open including the scion of a Dockers enthusiast, as well as some bigger names grinding to make an improved playoffs cutoff. That includes Justin Thomas, who is covered in some detail vis-a-vis the Ryder Cup. The two majors, the Senior Open and Evian, are also covered tersely with some critique for Champions Tour golf given Steve Stricker and Stew Cink are just no-showing. The U.S. Junior is given “ECCO event of the week,” with some questions about what actually constitutes a “junior” given that some full-blown college players are in the field. There’s also an “All-Name Team” from that event. There’s a lot of yelling about a little Courier Cup points bylaw that has jammed Akshay Bhatia from being in a proper spot on the points list. News hits on a report that the much-hyped 17th hole at Royal Liverpool, “Wee Eye,” will be “blown up” and made much fairer.

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Sunday at the Open: Harman’s rout, Rory and Rahm desperately chase, and other winners/losers Jul 23, 2023

Show notes

The last men’s major round of the year is in the books and Andy and Brendan reconvene to discuss some of the larger picture items and plenty of the stupid amusements. They begin with Brian Harman, his career, his dominance this week, and the notion that this was a bad major. Then they cover the chasers, from Rahm and Rory to Cam Young and some of the other backdoor Top 10ers. A winners and losers segment covers some of the boorish fans, the un-dramatic 17th hole, “Waggle Cam,” and a few other players. An unplanned Ryder Cup discussion breaks out after some chatter and praise for the Sepptic Tank. There’s also plenty of chatter about Hoylake and its place in championship golf, despite a weekend that was less than compelling. Thank you all for your continued support of this silly endeavor, especially during these major weeks.

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Saturday at the Open: Contenders and Pretenders, Ryder Cup debate gets hot Jul 22, 2023

Show notes

Andy and Brendan check in after an eventful Saturday at Royal Liverpool that may leave us with a relatively academic Sunday. Brian Harman leads by five, but they discuss his round and how the good conditions allowed for some scratchiness that could come back to bite him with Cam Young and Jon Rahm as the immediate chasers. They discuss those two, their low scores, and how the likes of Tommy, Rory, and Jordan couldn’t do the same. There’s some level of critique for all three, particularly on Rory’s putting. They ponder who is actually a contender anymore given the spread, as well as the flop that was the 17th hole. They close with a longer Ryder Cup chat as Justin Thomas’s candidacy for a roster spot seems to have become a hot topic while some of the on-course developments have lagged. It wraps with a few compliments for Zinger analogies!

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Friday at the Open: R&A gets soft, Billy Boy ejects protester, Contenders & Pretenders Jul 21, 2023

Show notes

This was supposed to be a short one dammit! But Andy and Brendan got too worked up about both the sacred and inane from day two at the British Open. They begin with Brian Harman praise, and how his traits exhibit the best of what Hoylake demands, and some of the monotony and pitfalls of PGA Tour golf. There’s also a wide-ranging chat on some of the bigger disappointments, touching on DJ, JT’s delusions, and Scottie grinding to make the cut. Patrick Cantlay’s lay-up on 18 to do so is also put under the microscope. A contender/pretender segment examines a less-than-stout leaderboard at the midpoint. There’s an analysis on the R&A deciding to change the bunker maintenance to make them softer in the middle of the event. They also get into Rahm’s irritation around the circus of playing with Rory after a microphone got in his way. After trying to wrap it up for several minutes, there’s a throwback chat on Billy Boy and his ejecting of a protester -- how’d it go and what was said?

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Thursday at the Open: Hoylake takes, Coverage diatribes, JT alarm, Ernie goes OFF on Jay Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

Andy and Brendan are fresh and chipper after watching 13ish hours of golf in the first round of the Open. They begin with some amusements from the day, including their own routines to wake up and dive right into what quickly became an abominable broadcast in the early morning hours. They react to how Royal Liverpool played in the first round, with particular admiration for the internal out-of-bounds and some skepticism for the new 17th hole. They reveal the “actual” leaderboard with some of the names that must be taken seriously, and those who do not have to be. They discuss Brooks, Scottie, and Rory getting into the house relatively unharmed, though Scheffler’s putting is cause again for concern. There’s some sympathy for JT’s finish, but a realistic assessment on whether he should be brought to Rome. Zinger and Faldo are chuckled over for a few minutes before they close with some news on Ernie Els just going off on Jay Monahan and the merger deal to Bob Harig.

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An Open Preview: Hoylake issues, Rory’s return, Rahm defends Monahan and PGA Tour Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

This Wednesday episode is a wide-ranging chat that also serves as the official British Open preview. Andy and Brendan begin with some debate that’s not really a debate on whether the Beatles are overrated. Then they jump right into the prime storylines on Royal Liverpool so far this week, namely the new 17th hole and the decision of an historic club to make such dramatic changes and for one architect to be the consultant for almost every course on the Open rota. They also discuss some early player grumbling about the bunkers and their maintenance, as well as the beautiful course routing and tangled architectural history. Then they get to favorite tee times, which involves a lengthy Dan Bradbury chat and some of the worst and best groupings. A new game of contender, make cut-irrelevant, and missed cut is also introduced for a slew of top names at the end. The quote roulette segment focuses on Jon Rahm’s staunch defense of Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour.

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Rory, Big Shot Bob, and an all-time coffee golf Scottish Open, plus Barbasol delights Jul 17, 2023

Show notes

Andy and Brendan are worse for the wear but absolutely alive for this Monday episode recapping one of the great finishes to a tournament in some time. They discuss Rory McIlroy’s birdie-birdie close to edge an astounding 64 from Scotland’s own Bobby Mac at the Scottish Open. This discussion goes in myriad directions on Rory, Bobby, and how wind makes the best in the world have to actually think. They ponder how much better of a player Rory is now compared to past more one-dimensional days, a potential world-tour with a combo leaderboard like this, and the decision to move tee times up and the coverage maze it wrought. At the Barbasol, Andy is absolutely giddy about the barf-fest down the stretch but happy with The Candy Man getting the win. They also discuss Steve Stricker’s dominance on the Social Security tour, the “spread” at Firestone, and a wild penalty for Lydia Ko at the Dana Open.

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Players have tough questions for Jay, Rory hits persimmon, and SGS Golf Advice Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

It’s Friday and we are spinning the clock to the weekend and Open Championship week. Andy and Brendan begin with an unsubstantiated run-in with a Team Smash member on the recent workout drama. Then they get to the quote roulette of players reacting to the Senate hearings, including Xander, Spieth, and Scheffler suggesting some hard questions coming for Jay and a total lack of clarity. There’s a separate section on Xander’s standing in the game. They also discuss the mishmash of narratives pushed by the Tour, and why the players are clearly right to lack trust in the leadership. Then they react to some of the startling numbers shown when Rory hit a persimmon driver at the Scottish Open, and his comments to “roll back everything” including the clubs. Lastly, they close with some SGS Golf Advice on drunkard in a PGA Tour pro-am, a HS match against an opponent in a cart, and chipping green etiquette.

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PGA Tour (but not LIV) go to Washington, Document Dump, and Barbasol In/Out/Alternate Jul 12, 2023

Show notes

Well, it had been a long time since they forgot to hit the record button but all good streaks come to an end. This is a re-load after it was discovered the first 25 minutes of the first run were not being recorded. NEVERTHELESS, Andy and Brendan get right back on the horse and deliver this peppy, puzzled, enthusiastic, skeptical, and amused recap of the Senate committee hearings on the PGA Tour and PIF deal. They discuss some of the Senators’ antics, the performances of Ron Price and Jimmy Dunne, and the implications of their testimony. They also get into the document dump that occurred alongside the live hearing and how the picture it paints, combined with the testimony, seems to strengthen the PIF’s negotiating position over the next five months. There’s also a lot of reaction to some of the proposals, realistic and fantastical, in the documents as well as the botched rollout of the deal. Then the schedule for the week starts at the great Barbasol Championship with another rousing round of In, Out, Alternate? There’s some Scottish Open chatter as well as LPGA and Senior Major coverage to close it out.

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