The Shotgun Start

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Boom Times on Westy Island, Women’s Open coverage and mudball drama Dec 14, 2020

Show notes

It’s one of the sweetest Victory Mondays in this podcast’s history as Lee Westwood, in a show of longevity only the true sporting icons possess, wins the Race to Dubai some 20 years after his first Euro Tour season-long title. Andy celebrates this and Mitch Trubisky’s outclassing of the Texans. He also now defends the Race to Dubai system labeled as a farce as recently as last week. A winding discussion on the Strategic Alliance leads to Brendan offering a solution for making the FedExCupdates actually meaningful and compelling, while Andy offers a truly radical proposal. On the U.S. Women’s Open, the two discuss the coverage confusion and QBE Shootout preempting from the end of the week as well as the mudball moaning and dilemma during a soggy Saturday round. They will be back with a full accounting of the Monday conclusion with a supplemental episode when the championships finishes.

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Houston happenings and QBE Shootout odd couples Dec 11, 2020

Show notes

This Friday episode begins with a certain glee about the answer on Final Jeopardy and a personal anecdote about Andy watching Jeopardy with his Father-in-Law. Then they dive into the final major championship of the year. There’s a prediction about first-round leader Amy Olson, praise over the low-trajectory style, puzzlement over a late-arrival for a tee time, and a heated debate over parked cars on the golf course. There’s also a discussion about whether Texas has any personal injury lawyers willing to take on Cristie Kerr’s golf cart accident case. The annual QBE Shootout preview is once again an incredulous discussion over how some of these two-man teams came to be. News closes out with a fun story about the Ryder Cup at Medinah after the announcement that the Pres Cup is coming there soon.

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The Great Range Wall, a Lexi comp, and The Home of (MLGT) Golf Dec 09, 2020

Show notes

This Wednesday episode is a U.S. Women’s Open preview with a little Race to Dubai and Minor League Golf Tour championship discussion tacked on at the end. Brendan and Andy begin by discussing this week’s major venue and the unique challenges of hosting across 36 holes in December. There’s also the unique challenge of the driving range setup, which has both of them all hot and bothered. They hit on the favorites, the notable tee times, make a Lexi-Pat Reed comparison, and flip out about the name of a new driver before discussing the more serious matter of only 4 percent of sports coverage being dedicated to women’s sports. The Race to Dubai coverage is centered around the lipstick on a pig quotes regarding Collin Morikawa’s attendance and contention for the season-long title as well as Sungjae Im’s curious but expected participation. They close it out with the heavy hitters and Tour vets in the field for the MLGT title at Abacoa, which is proposed as the St. Andrews of that tour’s rota.

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An SGS Spotlight on Juli Inkster, U.S. Women’s Open legend Dec 08, 2020

Show notes

On the occasion of this week’s 75th U.S. Women’s Open, this Spotlight episode focuses on the Hall-of-Fame career of Juli Inkster, and specifically her 2002 national championship triumph over Annika Sorenstam at historic Prairie Dunes. Brendan and Andy begin with Inkster’s earliest days as a player, growing up next to the 14th fairway at Pasatiempo, not taking up the game in earnest until 15, and then winning an astonishing three straight U.S. Women’s Amateur titles. Then they transition to her work as a pro, notably winning her first major at the Nabisco following some delectable TV controversy. Within the context of the continued challenges that only women pros must face, they discuss the impacts of motherhood on her career, and how it essentially split her career into two parts, with a lengthy drought in the middle. Then there’s a focus on her 35-year career at the U.S. Open -- there’s the questionable ruling and kick-in-the-gut playoff loss at Oakmont in 1992, her first win in an amusing Mississippi setting, and the all-time final round at a roaring Prairie Dunes to clip Annika in 2002.

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When is a curse broken, Rickie vs. Brooks disappointment, Alliss appreciation Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

This Monday episode begins with Viktor Hovland’s burying of the Puerto Rico Open curse. Or is it buried? Brendan tries to talk himself into the curse being still alive because of a non-continental U.S. win and many other illogical contortions about a fake curse. The two discuss the weekend that was at Mayakoba, including the soft course, Hovland’s admittance that he’s usually poor under pressure, Finaue’s flop, and JT’s Sunday stuck in neutral. Then they get to the early departures and 2020 ends of Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka, debating who had the more disappointing year between the two (judged against different standards, of course). Angela Stanford’s work on the LPGA is praised against the backdrop of a game, on all tours, that tends to favor the younger player. Cristie Kerr’s cart crash is also mentioned. The potential for Collin Morikawa to win the Race to Dubai, despite not yet playing on the European Tour, is discussed and panned. They wrap with news, which is mostly an appreciation segment on Peter Alliss, who died over the weekend.

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Frigid under par, a FedEx hitman, and Huh? A flashback Dec 04, 2020

Show notes

This Friday episode begins with a new example from office life emails for another creative name for Thursday, or maybe Friday. Then Brendan and Andy get into the absolutely frigid conditions at the LPGA event in Dallas. In a warmer, and certainly softer setup, the Mayakoba got under way with plenty of players living under par, including Rickie Fowler, grinding to stay in the top 50 in the OWGR at the end of the year. An ad read for Smith Devereux (SGS listeners go here for that holiday vine) turns into a story about reckless FedEx drivers in both of their neighborhoods recently and a theory that should perhaps have Andy’s head on a swivel during his runs. On the Euro Tour, the Pissbear is in the mix and another player with two drivers in the bag is making moves in Dubai. Will this just become the new normal? Flashback Friday is on John Huh, who won the Mayakoba by parring Bob Allenby to death in 2012. Research for this shed some light on the incredible story of Huh just to find golf, excel at it, and eventually make it on Tour. Listen to the end for the story of a new player to root for.

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Name that Snake, Poofers Paradise, and Mac Miscellany Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

Andy and Brendan begin this Wednesday episode with a few leftover Mac O’Grady stories that rolled in over the last few days. Then they relay an item, formerly used by Hunter Mahan, that they would absolutely push in their holiday gift guide, if they had one. The schedule for the week begins with Mayakoba and its unique (for the PGA Tour schedule) ability to reward accuracy relative to distance. It’s a big week for cave bunkers and mangroves but could it also be a big week for the Bracelet Boys? And where’s Matt Kuchar? The LPGA Volunteers of America Classic gets event of the week honors while the Euro Tour somehow has dueling events in Dubai and South Africa. This prompts some research into the “Fire Course,” the venue in Dubai. A news segment hones in on the continued announcements of fans-less events but the Phoenix Open announcing their intention to have some sort of scaled down operation at the 16th hole. They close it out with a few thoughts on Rory’s interview with Golfweek and the potential catnip feeding frenzy coming at the PNC Challenge next week.

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An SGS Spotlight on the inimitable and eccentric Mac O’Grady Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

Following the typical episode on Sunday is this bonus Spotlight episode on Monday and the subject is the legend of Phil McGleno, aka Mac O’Grady. Andy and Brendan spend nearly two hours relaying their research on the life and career of Mac and it still seems insufficient. They begin with his rough upbringing, how he found the game at Rancho in LA, how he lived in a storage box in a garage, and how he turned pro with a network of backers in the LA area. The 16 Q-school failures over a decade are recounted, as is the final moment of triumph when he broke through and it’s described through the colorful prose from Mac’s journals. His talents and eccentricities, too numerous to list here, are given a full account, including the ambidexterity and obsessive search for every piece of information on the golf swing. The many conflicts and controversies, including his years-long feud with PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman, are also a major part of the story. O’Grady is a nonpareil figure in the history of golf and thanks to Rukket for sponsoring our attempt to dive into at least a portion of his story.

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Strategic Alliances, Elephants, and Sir Charles Nov 29, 2020

Show notes

Preceding a Monday Spotlight coming on the inimitable Mac O’Grady, this Sunday episode is a quick jaunt reacting to some of the golf events from the weekend, notably Match III, the PGA Tour and Euro Tour alliance, and the Dunhill Championship. Andy laments Dick Bland’s fade at the Dunhill, but praises Christiaan Bezuidenhout’s second victory in his home country. There’s also a brief interlude on Polish golf following Adrian Meronk’s contention. Then they get into the weeds on the PGA Tour and European Tour’s strategic alliance announcement -- what it means for the schedule, the Courier Cup, the Ryder Cup, and the PGL. There’s a debrief on the latest Match, the handicap disparities, the grotesque venue, the entertainment factor, and the sustainability of this series. News closes out with DJ’s announcement that he will, shockingly, not be able to make it to the Mayakoba this week.

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USGA gets in bed with Bay Hill, another Match, and the scourge of “Gift Guides” Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

This Wednesday episode begins with the discovery of Brendan’s distaste for anything with banana in it. Then both Andy and Brendan discuss a few things they’re thankful for, mostly you, the audience, before rambling on some golf odds and ends in a light week. One of those items is the announcement of the Walker Cup practice session taking place at Bay Hill next month. Could this mean the USGA is eyeing Bay Hill for a U.S. Open? Who can say? The schedule for the week touches on the Euro Tour heading to Leopard Creek and the next iteration of The Match. They discuss the format, the ridiculous odds, and a few props, including an influencer challenge with four influencers they’ve never heard of, that appear to have made-up names, and millions of followers on YouTube.

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