The Shotgun Start

Not sure if you've heard about it, but Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour this week! Andy joins Brendan for this Farmers Insurance Open preview coming off a big Ballfrogs win on Monday night. He's giddy about the Frogs continuing to earn the top spot in our TGL Power Rankings and makes a pitch for Michael Thorbjornsen to become a permanent member of the team. Brooks Koepka has not yet joined a TGL team, but he did join some assembled media for a pre-tournament press conference at Torrey Pines on Tuesday. He spoke about his nerves returning to the PGA Tour and seemed a little emotional discussing the path that led him back to the Farmers. Andy and Brendan unpack the half-hour presser before Brendan offers up some over/unders for Koepka's 2026 season. How many Signature Events will he play? Will he return to Bellerive for the BMW Championship in August? Will he ever suit up for Jupiter Links after all? Koepka will be in a featured group at the Farmers for Thursday and Friday which will be broadcast on linear TV thanks to ESPN. Brendan wonders if this is the PGA Tour showing off to Bryson and Rahm that they could also be prominently featured on the Worldwide Leader in Sports if they were to return before their approaching deadline. Could Patrick Reed also be part of this conspiracy? We'll have to find out. Andy shares his "5 Guys to Monitor (For Various Reasons)" ahead of this week's festivities at Torrey, keeping an eye on a horse for the course and a major champion that could be on the trade block. One-and-done picks are made for the Farmers with PJ's pick prompting a fun Medinah story from Andy. Elsewhere on the schedule, LPGA season kicks off this week at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and Patrick Reed looks to stay hot on the DP World Tour in Bahrain. In news, the 2026 PGA Tour Player Advisory Council was announced and has a distinctly American feel, Nelly Korda has some *takes* about WTGL, and a DP World Tour player goes down for a performance-enhancing drug suspension.

Scottie Scheffler is one-for-one in 2026! Andy and Brendan return to recap yet another victory by the best player in the world, his 20th on the PGA Tour and first at The American Express in Palm Springs. Andy immediately wonders if Brendan and PJ regret "fading Scottie" by taking the under on 6.5 wins this year. Neither of them relent, but they do admit that the over is off to a hot start. Andy and Brendan highlight Scheffler's ability to win both birdie-fests and hard-fought events, as well as his ability to never hurt himself, putting pressure on those playing in the same group as him on Sunday. One such example was Blades Brown, the 18-year-old phenom who entered Sunday tied with Scottie in second place. He had one of the few over-par rounds on Sunday playing alongside the World No. 1, pushing the Korn Ferry Tour member out of the top ten with a t18 finish. In Dubai, Patrick Reed won again on the DP World Tour during some rainy coffee golf. Afterwards, he revealed that he's not currently signed with LIV for 2026 and is contemplating playing a DPWT schedule to try to earn a PGA Tour card for 2027. Andy and Brendan wonder whether he'll actually do this and give Reed some props for being a golf sicko and world player. Stew Cink continued his reign over the Champions Tour, winning the season opener in Hawaii. Adam Schupak wrote up an article detailing the struggles of Zinger, Papa, and Peter Jacobsen calling Champs Tour action from PGA Tour Studios, sending Andy and Brendan over the edge with how serious they were. Peter Jacobsen just wants to see if Tommy Two Gloves is using the same gloves every week, and he can't do that from inside the moat! To end the show, Brendan runs through the LIV Awards results, including Jon Rahm winning Clutch Player of the Year, as predicted by Andy on Thursday afternoon. Andy then slightly amends his northeast snow take from last week after hearing from many listeners. For those wondering, yes, there are plenty of Football Minutes within this episode as well!

Some of the of things discussed on this Friday episode by a combination of Andy, Brendan, PJ, and KVV: Rory McIlroy's belief that Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton should just pay their DP World Tour fines Alejandro Tosti flying planes The Navy Pier Ferris Wheel New Mets ace Freddy Peralta The "Under the Influence" Award Bob MacIntyre's youth golf career Country music star Riley Green Comparing Angel Cabrera to Brooks Koepka Comparing Brooks Koepka to Eli Manning The TGL hole "Cenote" Scottie Scheffler's lack of "fire emoji" on the PGA Tour app Colin Montgomerie's 17th hole on Sunday of the 2006 U.S. Open Jeremy Schaap The 2010 Billboard No. 1 hit "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz (ft. Ludacris) Champaign, Illinois "Hoop Dreams" Kevin Kisner's ball speed Garrett Popcorn of Chicago TGL Power Rankings Virtual Bob Parsons Enjoy, and stay safe if you're in the path of snow this weekend! Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more details.

This Wednesday episode was recorded early on Tuesday due to Keegan Bradley Bobblehead Night at Madison Square Garden demanding PJ's attendance. Andy and Brendan wonder what other St. John's legends have bobbleheads available, but PJ is most excited to see a Boston sports icon get honored at the World's Most Famous Arena. With a lack of press conference quotes from Palm Springs to discuss, Brendan immediately begins with the Schedule for the Week, beginning with the American Express. This event has a loaded field with many top players beginning their seasons including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Andy believes that the Signature Event model has actually enhanced the non-Signature Events as more top-tier players are in need of FedEx Cup points. One-and-done picks are made as Brendan looks to stay hot off a runner-up finish at the Sony. Andy debuts a new segment, "5 Guys to Watch (For Reasons)" and highlights some players to keep an eye on this week. Attention then turns to the Dubai Desert Classic where European Ryder Cup stars will compete this weekend. After discussing some notables for this event, the two continue on and chat through this week's KFT stop at The Abaco Club and the return of the Champions Tour at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship. In news, NCAA Individual Champion Michael La Sasso has signed with the HyFlyers for the 2026 season. Andy and Brendan debate whether yet another young player taking a contract from LIV is the proper way to go vs. playing through a college season and trying to qualify through PGA Tour U. WTGL has also announced some of its initial rosters... including a retired Lexi Thompson. Finally, there's rumblings that the proposed rollback will no longer be going into effect in 2028, as the USGA and R&A are discussing a delay until 2030. Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out ⁠⁠⁠https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space⁠⁠⁠ for more details.

Despite a heartbreaking Bears loss to end their season in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, Andy joins Brendan for what is still a Victory Monday episode of The Shotgun Start. Andy can't believe that Vijay Singh made the cut at the Sony Open and immediately takes a victory lap about hitting the Over-Under of 0.5 Vijay made cuts for the season. There is a brief Football Minute at the start of this episode commemorating a historic Bears season, but the conversation soon shifts to the PGA Tour's Opening Drive, which is now closed after just one event. Chris Gotterup won the Sony Open for his third win in as many seasons and perhaps further exemplifying why he was a Ryder Cup snub at Bethpage. Andy and Brendan discuss Gotterup's advantage off-the-tee that set him up for success at Waialae Country Club and his continued ascendence into the upper tier of pro golfers. The two then unpack other storylines from the first PGA Tour event of the year, such as a top 25 from Jordan Spieth, a made cut from Vijay, a Sunday stumble by 54-hole leader Davis Riley, and a Collin Morikawa missed cut. Andy also brings up Big Shot Bob MacIntyre's comments about his attitude costing him a win at the Sony and wonders if Bob gets a bit too much leeway from fans based on his on-course actions. Nacho Elvira took home the win in Dubai on the DP World Tour after a Shane Lowry collapse on the 72nd hole. Andy and Brendan are thrilled about a win for Nacho and give some props to Lowry for speaking to the media after a tough finish. After touching on the Latin America Am, Brendan shares some of Michael Block's latest comments... about Tiger Woods. Andy cannot believe that Blockie has a platform to throw out a gauntlet to Tiger Woods on the Champions Tour, and Brendan also can't believe Greg Norman is still being platformed to discuss his "loyalty to the PGA Tour." Speaking of loyalty to the PGA Tour, Patrick Reed has said that he'd be open to a return if he was offered the same deal as Brooks Koepka. This episode wraps up with another Football Minute as we put a bow on the Bears and look ahead to a loaded week of pro golf with the 2026 season now underway.

Andy did not declare this a Victory Friday episode, but is looking ahead to another potential Victory Monday coming soon! He opens the show by telling Brendan how nice it is to have a franchise quarterback that can lead a team into meaningful January football and is downright giddy about Sunday's matchup against the Rams. Andy wishes that Brendan and PJ may one day get to experience having a long-term answer at QB, but for now, they all get to watch the PGA Tour's Opening Drive at the 2026 Sony Open! Brendan confirms that the Opening Drive is, in fact, just this one event and the branding will be removed by the time we get to Palm Springs, but it's great to have professional golf back nonetheless. There's some new internal OB at Waialae Country Club and some literal walls built to prevent alternate routes being taken off the tee, the fairways have "no fire," and the course was as soft as a dartboard on Thursday morning. A new year means new equipment sponsorships and Andy and Brendan are delighted to share that a burly podcast favorite is officially a PXG troop! Andy waxes poetic about his time with Dr. Bob before PJ pops the bubble and confirms that he is also an honorary doctor, much to Brendan's dismay. Rory McIlroy is in the early lead in Dubai and made headlines by playing with cavity-back irons. Andy breaks out a take that all pros should have to play blades and leads Brendan into an "Equipment Minute." Tuesday's TGL match is very briefly discussed as Andy and PJ walk Brendan through what he missed skipping out on another Jup Stinks loss. Brendan rounds up some quotes from PGA Tour players (such as Will Zalatoris, this week's guest on The Fried Egg Golf Podcast) about Brooks Koepka's return and it seems like many are happy to have him back. Wyndham Clark is not necessarily among them, saying that the penalty is like Brooks having his cake and eating it too. Speaking of Brooks, Kevin Van Valkenburg comes in from the bullpen to close the show with a Flashback Friday segment on the Top 10 Brooks Koepka moments from his first PGA Tour stint. KVV covers Koepka's feud with Bryson, his beef with a horse, and repeated media slights that offended the five-time major champion.

To paraphrase Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour's Opening Drive is *finally* just about underway! Andy and Brendan are beyond happy to have actual golf back on the Schedule for the Week, even if this is still a Victory Wednesday episode for the Bears. It could also be a Victory Wednesday episode for the PGA Tour, as Brian Rolapp's new Returning Member Program has enabled Brooks Koepka's return at the Farmers Open in just two weeks. Andy and Brendan discuss all the details of the new pathway, open to just four LIV golfers for the next three weeks before LIV's season begins in Riyadh. The two wonder if the financial penalty of "equity coupons" and a donation to charity was enough of a punishment for Brooks, but see this move as an overwhelmingly positive for the Tour and Brian Rolapp's tenure. Things seemingly moved quickly over the weekend and Rolapp gets props from Andy and Brendan for decisively striking while the iron is hot. PJ makes a change to his major picks, awarding Brooks with a fourth PGA Championship, but Brendan is skeptical that Koepka will find himself in major shape in 2026. Brooks will not be at the Sony Open this week, but many PGA Tour stars will be to start the season. This gambling pod makes some picks for the first event of the year, riding with two big names and a podcast favorite. Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy and other European Ryder Cup heroes are in Dubai this week for a DP World Tour event as a tune-up before coming back to the states. Brendan comes in with a real winner for the Event of the Week, Tiger's 50th birthday at the Breakers in Palm Beach. Andy and Brendan toss out some musical acts that would fit the vibe before realizing that Jon Bon Jovi is already enlisted to perform. Lastly, some major LIV news came across the desk on Tuesday morning as the Ironheads and Stingers GC have re-branded! This podcast will continue using the Stingers name, but some potentially-AI press releases reveal the new country-based names of these teams. There's also some LIV hot stove news with a former U.S. Amateur winner seemingly making the jump from the PGA Tour.

Apologies to all of our Nico Echavarria fans, but this is the biggest Victory Monday episode to date. Andy is on cloud nine following an improbable comeback win for the Bears over the Packers in the Wild Card Round, leading to an extended Football Minute to kick off the show. He attempts to subdue his emotions to be respectful of the many angry Packers fans in his mentions, but Brendan quickly eggs him on into an outward celebration. PJ is called in to defend Jordan Love's actions (323 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions) after the loss and Andy once again suggests that Malik Willis (injured hamstring) would have been a better option for Green Bay. All three commiserate over their historically-hapless franchises firing a coach as good as Matt LaFleur, but it seems like that's on the table for the Packers following this defeat. After displaying a chart showing the likelihood of PJ losing his job with a Packers win, Andy then transitions to golf and the biggest news of this NFL-centric weekend: Michael Block's new clothing deal. Brendan can't help but laugh at Blockie linking up with Malbon, giving the brand a roster of Champions Tour stars. Blockie was sure to star in a ridiculous announcement video posted on Saturday afternoon, leading to plenty of social media fun ahead of the Bears game. Andy and Brendan then recap the Jones Cup and LIV's Promotions Event after a light week of competitive golf. Richard T. Lee will be LIV's first Canadian golfer and Malbon athlete Anthony Kim held on to earn a spot back on the tour for 2026. To finish off this final week without the PGA Tour, Andy, Brendan, and PJ make their 2026 major picks and highlight some breakout and bounce-back players for the upcoming season. After a long, long wait, the Opening Drive finally begins on Thursday! Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out ⁠⁠https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space⁠⁠ for more details.

The content gods have blessed this Friday episode with a piece of news that Andy has called "maybe my favorite thing that's ever happened on the PGA Tour." Vijay Singh, a 62-year-old who did not finish in the Top 20 of the Schwab Cup standings on last year's Champions Tour, has decided to use his career money list exemption for full status for 2026 on the PGA Tour! Brendan and Andy do a bit of a deep dive into Vijay's recent PGA Tour results and Andy applauds him for using this exemption despite calls for scarcity and cuts from the top of the new Tour food chain. Andy even goes as far as to say that he will still be in high spirits if the Bears lose on Saturday because he knows Vijay will tee it up at the Sony next week! In other PGA Tour field news, Scottie Scheffler has committed to the AmEx and WM Phoenix Open, marking the first starts of his 2026 season. With no Sentry, the AmEx has a much better field than in recent years, but Scottie will still likely be three-to-one or less to win the event. Brendan then segues to the biggest news of this week: Derek Sprague's departure from the PGA of America. Sprague stepped down as CEO, leaving an opening in the PGA of America's leadership that could really only be filled by one man. Is this Don's path to permanent relevancy? We'll have to just wait and see. There is also a VERY important Nico Minute in this episode, as a new sponsor has stepped up for a podcast favorite this year. The back half of this episode contains the yearly Over-Under segment, with Brendan, Andy, and PJ making predictions for the rest of the year. Will the major scoring record be broken? How many wins for Rory and Scottie? Can Cameron Young finish in the OWGR Top 10? Will the Bears beat the Packers twice in this calendar year? Listen to find out! Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. General public tickets are on sale at 10 am CT on Friday, January 9. Check out ⁠https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space⁠ for more details.

Despite the lack of (outdoor) professional golf during this first week of January, Andy and Brendan know the show must go on! The two are admittedly down in the dumps a bit with no Kapalua on our TV screens and wonder if we've already seen the final PGA Tour event played at the Plantation Course. This "rite of passage" may not be kicking off 2026, but there has been plenty of TGL to fill the void! The Bay GC and Atlanta Drive match on Tuesday night was a "second-screen filler" for Andy, Brendan, and PJ, and all three admit some level of fatigue with the screen golf league after just three matches of season two. Some of the new holes are nice, Chris Gotterup has been a star, and Roberto Castro has improved the ESPN broadcast, but nobody knows where TGL should rightfully stand in the golf ecosystem. Even with all of these outstanding questions facing its first league, TGL has expanded and founded a WTGL, coming this winter! Lexi Thompson, a semi-retired professional golfer, has signed on to be the face of the women's league, which Andy and Brendan both deem to be "too much" screen golf. Andy thinks a WTGL league could be better than the LPGA's week-to-week product, but doesn't have much faith that the TGL will figure out how to get there. There's a lengthy discussion about TGL rosters and how nobody can figure out who's on what team with all of the "alternates" in play before everyone agrees that too much time has been spent on screen golf in this episode. Speaking of teams, Talor Gooch made a strong, Sam Presti-like move adding Harold Varner III to Smash GC! This trade came as a result of Thomas Detry joining fellow Illini Thomas Pieters on the 4Aces, marking another signing for LIV during this Hot Stove season. Elvis Smylie has also joined the league, teaming up with Leish and Cam Smith on the Rippers. After a very, very abbreviated Schedule for the Week, Andy leads his yearly look at the Top 10 of the OWGR as the group predicts which players will fall out of the top spots by the end of 2026. Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. A presale for FEGC members begins at 11 am ET on January 7, with general public tickets going live on January 9. Check out https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space for more details.

Andy and Brendan! are back! After an extended break to end the year, the first episode of 2026 has plenty of news to catch up on and is, of course, a Victory Monday celebration. Andy is still rolling after the first-ever Ballfrogs win on Friday night, claiming that this victory lasts all weekend. Michael Thorbjornsen was a star in his TGL debut, but much of the conversation was on a star who was not yet present in the SoFi Dome: Brooks Koepka. Andy and Brendan unpack Koepka's departure from LIV and Talor Gooch's upcoming captaincy of Smash GC. The two debate where Brooks will play in 2026 and agree that it's unlikely that he'll play on the PGA Tour this year. His PGA Tour standing will apparently impact his TGL candidacy as well, but Rory, SVP, and other major names in the virtual golf universe all made it seem like Brooks's indoor debut is imminent! Will he be the savior Jup Links so desperately needs? In other LIV Hot Stove news, Pat Perez is angling for a return to the PGA Tour before his 50th birthday and Kevin Na has unfollowed the league on Instagram. What does this mean for the Ironheads? Nobody knows! With no golf to preview this week, PJ leads an audit of last year's over-unders, looking back at Zatch moments, destruction of property by international superstars, and missed cuts at majors by many big name stars. As it turns out, all three football minds nailed the under on the 2025 Bears/Browns/Jets total, ushering a Football Minute to close this show. PJ is thrilled with the chain of events leading to the Jets obtaining the second overall pick in April's draft, Shedeur led yet another win for the Browns as Myles Garrett broke the NFL's sack record, and Andy is already preparing for a playoff matchup against the best quarterback on the Packers, Jordan Love. Stay tuned as we preview more and more of the 2026 golf season before the Sony Open kicks off next Thursday.

Andy and Brendan's Christmas wish for a "Home Alone" episode to finish out 2025 has come true! The Boys take over the feed for this final look back at the year in professional golf as Joseph and PJ recap the 3M Open and Wyndham Championship. Before getting to what was perhaps the most important tournament of the season, The Boys first discuss TGL's Season 2 debut on Sunday. Billy Horschel took down NYGC again, continuing to be the bane of the entire city's existence according to the broadcast. Billy was joined by Chris Gotterup and Corey Conners on the Atlanta Drive as last-minute replacement players for the suddenly-injured Patrick Cantlay and Lucas Glover. Despite only having one (1) of the team's four (4) players active, Atlanta still managed to clean up against Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Xander Schauffele. Joseph and PJ discuss some standout new holes designed by Augie Pizá and share some excitement for this Friday's Ballfrogs match. There's also been a bit of major golf news since we've been away - Talor Gooch is now the captain of Smash GC! Joseph reads from a new LIV article detailing Gooch's approach to his newfound captaincy and the fallout from Brooks Koepka leaving the league with one year remaining on his contract. The Boys try to game out where this leaves Brooks to play in 2026 and PJ wonders if an easy route back to the PGA Tour for Koepka is coming soon. Bryson DeChambeau is also posturing for a new contract, telling Flushing It that some things need to change for the now-72 hole tour in 2026. After cleaning up the LIV hot stove, The Boys resume the Year in Review with a brief stop at TPC Sod Farms for the 3M Open. Scottie, Bryson, and many more golf stars were in attendance at the "Happy Gilmore 2" premiere this week, but no star shined as bright as Kurt Kityama at an Arnold Palmer design. The Kitty Kat held off challengers like Matt Wallace and Jake Knapp to secure his second PGA Tour win, setting the stage for the 1,000th unique winner in Tour history at the Wyndham. The majority of this episode is, naturally, spent remembering a superstar's win at an iconic Donald Ross venue in North Carolina. Cameron Young ran away with the tournament, beating Mac Meissner by six shots to finally win his first PGA Tour event. Joseph and PJ share the best highlights from the crowning of Mr. 1,000, properly giving this American Ryder Cup hero his flowers despite the best efforts of Andy and Brendan to prevent this from happening. The Boys end the show with a new segment called "Receipts Corner," calling out some who believed this day - or Cameron Young's ensuing end-of-season success - would never come. Andy and Brendan will return in 2026 for another year of covering the amusing, inane, and irreverent moments from professional golf.

It's time to sprint through the finish line... kinda. Andy, Brendan!, Kevin Van Valkenburg, and PJ return for what may be the final installment of 2025's Year in Review, spanning from the Travelers Championship through Scottie Scheffler's win at The Open. Before the five-event recap begins, Andy is given ample time to celebrate a Victory Sunday (and Monday!) following the biggest Bears win in years on Saturday night. He talks plenty of smack about a Packers team that the Bears may see again in a playoff game very soon and anoints Caleb Williams as the best quarterback in the NFC North. Fear not, as there is a Nico Echavarria Minute to even things out later in this episode! Part 9 of The 2025 Year in Review begins with KVV handling the Travelers Championship, which was a triumphant week for his man Keegan Bradley and yet another collapse by Tommy Fleetwood. Brian Rolapp also burst on the scene with the official news of his hire as the PGA Tour's new CEO. Brendan picks things up at the Rocket Classic where podcast favorite Aldrich Potgieter won a never-ending playoff at a bomber's paradise in Detroit. LIV Dallas also ended in a playoff, won by Patrick Reed, but Bryson DeChambeau managed to be the star of the show anyway at his hometown event. The John Deere Classic featured another playoff at the end, but PJ instead focuses on a group of "olds" complaining about equity stakes in PGA Tour Enterprises as the biggest news of the week. Patrick Roy's son, Kevin, also provided what may be this podcast's Tweet of the Year! Andy then slips in a "Nico Minute" while discussing Chris Gotterup's breakout win at the Scottish Open. He also shares some enlightening quotes from Scottie Scheffler on links golf and Rory McIlroy's public detonation of PGA Frisco. The Open Championship is a team effort, with KVV handling the pre-tournament days of "Nihilist Scottie" and yet another newsworthy caddie-player breakup. Andy researches Thursday and Friday in Portrush, reminding folks of some early leaders like Jacob Skov Olesen and other Storylines Nobody's Talking About from that week. Remember when Matthew Jordan defeated par? Finally, Brendan brings us home as he walks through Scottie Scheffler's coronation and an emotional weekend for Rory McIlroy in his home country. That'll do it for Andy and Brendan on the feed in 2025, but "The Boys" have been tasked with giving Mr. 1,000 his just due after the powers that be decided to end their 2025 Year in Review at Royal Portrush.

This installment of The 2025 Year in Review does NOT contain any unforeseen interruptions but DOES start with a good, old-fashioned Football Minute! Andy is on the road but joins Brendan and PJ for a quick segment regarding a possible Bears move to Gary, Indiana. Andy cannot believe that Kevin Warren would sit awake in his bed and send this open letter on the week of the biggest game in years. The three also share some thoughts on the first-ever "Golf Channel Games" and find that the format might be the best "alt-golf" viewer experience yet. Unfortunately for the broadcast and its advertisers, no one was suckered into wagering on the event. Andy departs for his own mega-podcast session with Tom Doak, leaving Brendan and PJ to carry the baton for this look back at May and June. PJ begins with the Charles Schwab Challenge, a week where the olds took over both Colonial (on the PGA Tour) and Congressional Country Club (on the Senior Tour). He recaps his drive to DC to take in the Senior PGA in-person and provides plenty of Don Rea content for those wanting more from Part 7. Brendan then heads to "Jack's Place," now a proper noun on big letter hats, for the Memorial presented by Workday. Ben Griffin couldn't go back-to-back starts with a win as he was chased down by - who else? - Scottie Scheffler. Rickie Fowler also used his sponsor exemption for good, qualifying for The Open with a top-ten finish! Joseph LaMagna then joins the recording as PJ shares Cameron Young's triumph at U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying and his ensuing close call at the Canadian Open. The Canadian Open also featured the pro debut of Luke Clanton, who was being treated like Cooper Flagg by the PGA Tour ahead of this momentous occasion. Finally, Brendan, PJ, and Joseph recap the third men's major of the year, the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. They discuss the first-ever episodes of Lunch With The Boys, so much "Championship Rain," and J.J. Spaun's movies of choice, among other amusements from the week. Monday's episode will be a mega-recording as we attempt to finish the Open Championship ahead of Christmas!

In a plot twist that absolutely no one saw coming, Don Rea is somehow NOT the star of this episode recapping the 2025 PGA Championship. Masters winner Rory McIlroy joins Andy, Brendan!, KVV, and PJ to share some thoughts about his own historic year. Rory discusses the Masters win that made him a grand slam champion, his recent travels to Australia, the 2025 Ryder Cup, and much, much more. He even breaks some HUGE TGL news that may lead to one (1) Ballfrog win in 2026! After committing to a future appearance on "Lunch With The Boys," Rory departs and sets the stage for a look back at the 2025 PGA Championship: The Rise of Rea. Andy is tasked with researching the early-week festivities, including dumping rain and a sparsely-attended champions dinner. He then transitions to the main event: Tuesday's press conference featuring Derek Sprague, Kerry Haigh, and Don Rea Jr. Andy reads quotes from our live show from that very day, remembering when PGA members were referred to as "first responders" and recalling his own investigative journalism from a phone call to Augusta Ranch. Kevin Van Valkenburg picks things up for the first two days of play, detailing a leaderboard that prominently featured Jhonattan Vegas, Cam Davis, and Ryan Gerard. Mudballs run rampant after days of rain at Quail Hollow and players like Xander, Scottie, and more are very unhappy! KVV also has the honor of presenting on this year's installment of Blockie-mania, as Michael Block missed the cut after a decent first round. Brendan brings this episode home as he chronicles Scottie Scheffler's dominant Saturday performance that resulted in his third major championship. The 2025 Year in Review, although delayed, will continue on Friday!

Despite the almost four-hour runtime of Part 5, the show must go on as the self-imposed Christmas deadline inches closer and closer. Andy and Brendan are once again joined by PJ and KVV to chat through a set of four events following Rory's win at the Masters. Before the Year in Review gets back underway, the four recap this week's biggest news: Alejandro Tosti's performance at PGA Tour Q-School. Everyone is giddy to have Tosti back for another season on the big tour and they commend him for fighting through Q-School for a second time. Andy, Brendan, and Kevin also discuss some late-breaking golf news regarding the National Links Trust and the Trump administration's plan to renovate the three public golf courses in Washington D.C. The Year in Review resumes with a look back at the RBC Heritage and the immediate wake of one of the greatest wins in golf history. PJ runs through a week's worth of Rory reactions before unveiling the important stuff, such as Grant Horvat's Barracuda exemption (unused) and Wesley Bryan's PGA Tour suspension (still seemingly ongoing). Justin Thomas returned to the winner's circle in Hilton Head, getting over the finish line for the first time since the 2022 PGA Championship. Andy is next up with the Zurich Classic, where Rory McIlroy made his return to golf in a team event alongside Shane Lowry. Andy rediscovers the backboarding that occurred at a disastrous Chevron Championship and the power outage that led to the golf world being exposed to a Champions Tour Sunday on national TV. He also shares that one of the great technological achievements of our time happened this week! Brendan has the honor of recapping PGA Tour history, as Scottie Scheffler burned down TPC Craig T. Nelson Ranch and tied the all-time scoring record in a runaway win. All that may be great, but Brendan is most excited about the children in attendance chanting while a bulldozer wrecked the practice green ahead of Lanny's renovation. KVV comes in to close things out again, handling the first-ever Truist Championship. His findings lead the group down a rabbit-hole of past HSBC photo shoots, complete with a flying Henrik Stenson and Yao Ming. The 2025 Year in Review returns on Wednesday with the long-awaited Rise of Rea.

Less than halfway through this podcast, Andy asks the assembled group if this will be the "longest episode ever." As you could probably imagine, he was right. Per usual, he's joined by Brendan!, KVV, and PJ as they finally get through the first major of 2025 for the annual Year in Review. KVV, or more accurately known as "K-J Hawk," starts off the show with a recap of the Valspar Championship. He closes out the Florida Swing with notes from Viktor Hovland's improbable win in a Sunday duel against Justin Thomas before Andy and Brendan run through the two Texas events preceding the Masters. At the Texas Children's Houston Open, Dr. Chipinski didn't make any calls late on Sunday but was able to secure a big win over Gary Woodland, Scottie Scheffler, and Alejandro Tosti. Andy also has the honor of recapping the first-ever TGL Finals during Houston week, which leads to a debate about re-naming the SoFi Dome after Billy Horschel. Brendan is tasked with detailing Brian Harman's runaway win at the Valero Texas Open, but is also sure to note that the Cleeks were "trying to become the Yankees" and plenty of other LIV news from the tour's week in Miami. The last two hours of this episode are spent recapping "the tournament of a lifetime," the 2025 Masters. Andy, Brendan, and Kevin each share the biggest moments and memories from different parts of the week, resulting in a comprehensive recap of Rory McIlroy's triumphant completion of the career grand slam. Using their on-the-ground insights and usual research findings, the three provide a detailed picture of one of the great moments in golf history. The 2025 Year in Review will return on Monday as the dawn on Don Rea inches closer and closer.

The Year in Review returns after a week off and things are still moving at a snail's pace. Per usual, Andy has real concerns about finishing this eighth installment up before Christmas or even the start of 2026, but the group soldiers on despite some wanting to "pull a Notre Dame." This episode begins with a bevy of golf news, far too much for the second week in December. Andy, Brendan, KVV, and PJ discuss a potential LIV departure by Brooks Koepka, TGL's new trading card deal, and the 10th anniversary of Fried Egg Golf. Brendan repeatedly attempts to transition to the Year in Review, but Andy holds him up with a burning desire to unpack Philip Rivers signing with the Indianapolis Colts. Finally, as promised, the Arnold Palmer Invitational recap gets underway! Brendan recalls NBC missing the shot that won the tournament, a chip by Russell Henley on the 16th hole to take the lead over Collin Morikawa, as well as Morikawa's ensuing media controversy. THE PLAYERS is next up on the schedule, complete with Tosti Tales, a Will Zalatoris sighting, J.J. Spaun's rise toward the U.S. Open, and another Rory win. Andy, Brendan, and PJ all contribute with on-site memories from a week in the swamp resulting in a segment that goes so long that the Valspar is pushed to Friday's episode. Will we get to the Masters this week? Stay tuned to find out!

For the first time in six weeks, this is NOT a Victory Monday episode of The Shotgun Start. Andy and Brendan are both deflated after losses by the Bears and Browns but at least a great weekend of professional golf made up for it! Despite zero wins, a Football Minute kicks off the show with plenty of ranting and raving about the College Football Playoff and its selection process. To tie this back to golf, Andy ponders which golfer would "pull a Notre Dame" by taking their ball and going home after not getting an exemption into an event. After that detour, the Australian Open is first up on the weekend recap. The two focus on how to make this event the fourth men's major instead of the PGA and wonder whether a new date on the schedule would convince more top players to make the trip down under. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen picked up his biggest win to date and an invite to next year's Masters. Cam Smith and Adam Scott also popped on the leaderboard in their home country to secure some OWGR points and in Scott's case, a spot in the 2026 Open. The Nordic takeover continued at the Nedbank where Kristoffer Reitan withstood some heat from Dan Bradbury to shore up his own trip to Augusta in April. Finally, Andy and Brendan begrudgingly discuss the Hero World Challenge. Wyndham Clark was unhappy with the conditions at this "hit-and-giggle" event and Tiger joined his Jup Links teammate Kevin Kisner in the booth to reminisce about Kisner's infamous bunker shot at the SoFi Dome. After another sleepy tournament week, Andy and Brendan are left wondering why this event even exists. After a brief bit of news, PJ is called on to unpack a bizarre Skechers World Champions Cup and his trip to Madison Square Garden to watch the Utah Jazz's great young core. The 2025 Year in Review (probably) resumes on Wednesday!

A good old-fashioned Whiparound Friday episode kicks off the first weekend of December. Andy and Brendan are pleased with the early returns from Wednesday's "Save the Mules" campaign, which launched with its very own PSA! TGL is also raising awareness for its second season with a social media video featuring new architect Gil Hanse. Gil walked out of the player tunnel in an empty SoFi Dome, creating a piece of content that will last a lifetime. Andy and Brendan bat around ideas about how this video came to be and what we may be able to expect from Hanse's designs on the big screen. In more TGL news, the league announced its newest drink sponsor on Thursday in a moved that stirred up early-2000s memories. There is actual golf being played this week in the Bahamas and South Africa, but the main focus of this podcast is on the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne. The two share their thoughts after watching the first round of the event and wish that the world's top players had more chances to play these types of courses across the globe. For a last piece of Friday news, Jordan Spieth told Adam Schpak that he's planning to play his way into 2026 Signature Events and "does not want" to use exemptions anymore.

It's time to put the Year in Review on pause for a loaded week of golf in December. Andy and Brendan are relieved to be talking about current events and the content gods have delivered, providing nuggets spanning from Bethpage to the Bahamas. They begin with the Hero World Challenge and its host "Doctor" Munjal. Brendan calls for an early Thirstbucket of the Week following his yearly media availability in Albany and questions what he's a doctor of after all. PJ chimes in with some quick research finding that his doctorates may or may not be honorary, leading Andy to refer to him as "Mr. Munjal" for the rest of the show. Tiger Woods also spoke on Tuesday about his playing future and the future of the PGA Tour. He stayed in line with reports about Brian Rolapp's 20-event schedule coming as soon as 2027 and confirmed that he'll be OUT for Jup Links in the first half of the TGL season. Brian Rolapp found himself in front of a microphone last week and made sure to mention that the "middle class matters," which is sure to put the minds of mules at ease. In more from the Ryder Cup that will never end, Justin Thomas appeared on the No Laying Up podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the American loss at Bethpage. Within the interview, JT took exception to the green speeds at The People's Country Club and said that they were not what Keegan Bradley asked for. He stated that "they" argued with the Americans about the speed, which was aggregated to no end on social media. On the very (too?) busy Schedule for the Week, the Hero has brought in outside help for its Pro-Am, Rory is teeing it up at Royal Melbourne with Dr. Chipinski, and Will Zalatoris makes his return at the Nedbank in South Africa. With almost all of the world's top players in action this week, Andy and Brendan wonder if there are some scheduling issues that lead to three tournaments spreading out the top-end talent as opposed to getting them all in one place to compete against each other. Lastly, the Skechers World Champions Cup will somehow air on ESPN and ABC this weekend, so PJ has a full primer ready to go for those tuning in for their first Champs Tour action of the year. Friday's episode will contain a full, detailed discussion about TGL's Gil Hanse intro video that set Golf Twitter ablaze on Tuesday afternoon.

A Year in Review episode on the first of the month, AND it's a Victory Monday? Andy and Brendan are in high spirits following the holiday weekend and are joined by KVV and PJ for the third installment of the 2025 Year in Review. For those unaware, the date is December 1 and the Chicago Bears are atop the NFC standings. Andy can't believe what he's seeing and is still rolling following a big Black Friday win over the defending Super Bowl champions. The crew discusses David Puig's win at the Australian PGA and some other assorted notes from the first of two weeks down under for the DP World Tour before moving on to the Year in Review. KVV gets called in from the bullpen to handle the WM Phoenix Open to kick things off. He regales his audience with tales of Andy selling off property on "Just a Guyland" before Spieth popped at TPC Scottsdale and dives into LIV's 2025 kickoff in Riyadh. Brendan then takes the baton and looks back on a "muted" Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines. This event moved from Riviera due to the LA fires and was the week after Tiger's mom passed away, leading to a more subdued event than usual. Andy brightens the mood by unpacking the TGL Presidents' Day marathon and what was perhaps the true "Event of the Year," the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld. Everyone takes a great amount of joy as the pillow fight of a playoff between Brian Campbell and Aldrich Potgieter is pored over in great detail. Lastly, PJ closes out this episode with some more TGL memories, including the league's first-ever one day signing and Brendan's second trip to the SoFi Dome. Jake Knapp's big week at the Cognizant Classic is also discussed, but the true news of the week came in the form of letters to Sam Saunders regarding exemptions into the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. We will put the Year in Review on pause for a few shows as pro golf heads to one of the world's finest courses for the Australian Open and PGA Tour stars will tee it up at the Hero World Challenge this week.

The Year in Review rolls on with this second installment covering the penultimate Farmers Insurance Open and Rory McIlroy's win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Recording this episode well before its release, Brendan and Andy wonder how they'll be feeling on Friday morning as you're listening to this after a day of turkey and football. With the addition of TGL to the early-year golf calendar, these weeks have taken longer to review causing this episode to focus on just two events. PJ jumps in to handle the Farmers at Torrey Pines. Sure, Harris English won his fifth PGA Tour event, but the true highlight of this week was Billy Horschel's TGL debut. PJ recaps the Atlanta Drive's first-ever victory, as well as some important interviews from PGA of America leaders (not the one you're thinking of... yet). Andy then is tasked with presenting on Rory's win at one of golf's great venues, Pebble Beach. This week marked the return of both Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth from injury, as well as Bryson DeChambeau's content-filled trip to DLF in India. Part 3 of the 2025 Year in Review will be in your feeds for Monday morning!

It's time to be thankful for all that golf gave us in 2025. Andy and Brendan return for the always-dreaded (yet eventually enjoyable) exercise known as the Year in Review, back for its EIGHTH season! The two take a very quick look at this week's schedule and preview the return of the Skins Game as well as the first of two weeks in Australia before the long-awaited Year in Review gets underway. This installment, per usual, begins with The Sentry as Brendan remembers what may be the final PGA Tour event at Kapalua. He shares all the bits and pieces that come with the start of a new year, including equipment changes for Max Homa, the PGA Tour's new studio space, and Hideki's record-breaking week in Hawaii. Andy then jumps in to tackle the Sony Open, which ended in a playoff between two podcast favorites after J.J. Spaun fumbled in regulation. Andy also has the honor of introducing TGL to the Year in Review as the indoor league kicked off with an NYGC loss to The Bay. Brendan rounds out Part 1 by covering the "Tank Slam" at a glacially slow American Express and Tiger's TGL debut in the SoFi Dome. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the 2025 Year in Review coming Friday morning for your holiday weekend travels.

It's Victory Monday on the Shotgun Start! Andy and Brendan are without PJ as the young lad takes in a Lions-Giants game. They get into the Big Fin, Sami Valimaki winning the RSM Classic and some amusing comments from DL3 about the next 15 years at the event where no changes are planned. They also discuss the bubble boys, including one Jordan Spieth, who missed the AON Next 10 by less than a point but will likely get a sponsor's spot anyways to Pebble Beach. There's a rousing LIV segment after Jose Ballester won the Saudi International and the hot stove heated up, including some Asian Tour grads, an Abe Ancer trade, and unsub rumors on a run at a potential Magic Stick. There's also an amusing detail from some recent LIV GM meetings. They close with the LPGA's CME Championship and an underwhelming season getting a deserving winner in Jeeno Thitikul. They also discuss the momentum the LPGA might have with Craig Kessler and how they can bottle it for some long term success and stability.

Brendan! returns to host this Friday episode and begins by picking Andy's brain about a morning spent at the DMV. This conversation quickly evolves into a debate about different kinds of gasoline and why the "middle" level of gas even exists. If anyone out there happens to own a gas station, please let us know your thoughts on this matter. Speaking of "gas", Rico Hoey is continuing his fall swing heater with a share of the first round lead at the RSM Classic. Andy does some Big J Journalism and investigates whether Hoey will be eligible for the International Presidents Cup team and finds out that he is, in fact, eligible to take down Scottie Scheffler at Medinah in September 2026. The two then run down the Top 100 Bubble Boys as the FedEx Cup season finally comes to a close, mentioning that podcast favorites like Matt Kuchar and the "Beau-rista" may be on the outside looking in for full status. "AI Minute" returns with Andy reading off the Google Gemini suggestions for someone googling Matt Kuchar's age. They then check in on the Tour's "Players to Watch", most of whom are struggling after Thursday's round. Brendon Todd was not one of the five highlighted by the Tour, but "Todd Watch" returns anyway for a quick minute. Brendan then shifts to the biggest news coming out of the RSM, some comments from Harris English about a potential PGA Tour schedule change. English claims that the Tour is discussing starting after the Super Bowl and running a 20-event season. Andy and Brendan discuss the impact this would have on the "A Tour" and "B Tour" setups, as well as major markets that would likely host a new tournament under this structure. Andy brings in a "former NFL executive" (PJ) to share some thoughts on a move to an NFL-like schedule under Brian Rolapp, another very famous ex-NFL exec. PJ is also prompted to preview an upcoming "Lunch with The Boys" episode featuring recurring guest Cameron Young. Through two rounds, Caleb Surratt is doing Caleb Surratt things at the Saudi International, but Anthony Kim is close behind him on the leaderboard! Brendan and Andy then unpack a bit of the LPGA's 2026 schedule changes before wrapping things up with the latest from Notah on Tiger's future competitive plans.

Andy is joined by "The Boys" for this final Wednesday show of the 2025 PGA Tour season! Brendan is off at Pinehurst in protest of the RSM Classic, his least favorite PGA Tour event, so PJ and Joseph LaMagna step in to preview the fall swing finale. PGA Tour Comms put out an unhinged list of five "Players to Watch" for the RSM which prompts a guessing game to kick off the show. Andy then goes down the list of every winner of the event and wonders if this is the worst winner's list of any full-field PGA Tour event. Although he's not a "Player to Watch," U.S. Am winner Mason Howell is in the field and playing with Davis Love III for the first two rounds. The CME Group Tour Championship rounds out a big week of LPGA news. Every round of the 2026 season will be broadcast on live TV with more cameras and microphones on the course to help facilitate this. Andy issues an apology for misidentifying Brooke Matthews as the winner of the Lamborghini on Monday's episode and quizzes PJ and Joseph on whether they'd even want the car after an ace. 43 LIV golfers will tee it up at the PIF Saudi International for some coffee golf in the U.S., but they're all dwarfed by Sampson Zheng for the purposes of this podcast (and the soundboard). LIV's offseason is underway and the first PGA Tour defection is in the books with Victor Perez heading to the Cleeks. Martin Kaymer is ecstatic about this acquisition and gave some glowing quotes about how Perez will further elevate the Cleeks brand. The three pitch some other LIV hot stove transactions, including two offers for one of the brightest young golf stars in the world! In news, former LIV star Henrik Stenson paid his DPWT fines and will be back on the tour for 2025 in some capacity. Andy wonders if this is all a ploy to get a second chance at a Ryder Cup captaincy now that the Euro pipeline seems dry. The Augusta Hooters was demolished on Tuesday but PJ already has a plan for another interview with John Daly next year. Finally, there's some general sports chatter to round out this episode with notes on the Colts, LeBron James, and a takedown of WWE.

This is once again a Victory Monday episode of The Shotgun Start as Caleb Williams led a game-winning drive in Minnesota to push the Bears to 7-3 on the year. Andy is absolutely buzzing following the divisional win but was even more excited about the finish of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship on Sunday morning. Adam Schenk hung on against 40 mph winds to secure his first PGA Tour win and guarantee his status for the 2026 season. Andy and Brendan run through an incredible Sunday of television as Tour veterans and young players battled the elements on a small island in the middle of the ocean. They pitch that maybe the Butterfield should be a Signature Event to give fans a chance to watch the best players in the world try to figure out the wind patterns for four days of competition. Not to be outdone, the DP World Tour Championship went to a playoff between Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick. Fitz ended up with the win, putting a bow on a season that had him fall outside the top 80 in OWGR only to now have him back inside the top 25 heading into the new year. Andy and Brendan then take a look at the "Year of Rory" following his seventh Race to Dubai title, tying Seve's mark for second place all time. Potential Ryder Cup captain Stewart Cink chased down Steven Alker in Phoenix to become the first player since 2017 to win both the Schwab Cup Championship and the season-long honors. Champions Tour Minute also includes some Tiger Woods chatter following a Golfweek article published on Friday about his potential involvement on the senior circuit in 2026. This episode closes with a brief bit of news involving a back surgery for Justin Thomas that will keep him out of action for the first part of next season.

This Friday morning recording covers a variety of topics, stretching from a hypothetical Matthew Jordan comeback at the DPWT Championship to a preview of a Bears-Browns game happening five weeks from now. We begin with a Football Minute following another Jets primetime loss. Andy forces PJ to apologize for forcing America to watch Justin Fields in a standalone game, something that he has done on this podcast many times. Andy and Brendan quickly pivot to the Butterfield Bermuda Championship where Adam Hadwin had the early lead. The two use Hadwin fighting for his card as an example of the new cutthroat PGA Tour rules and a proof of concept for what the fall swing should be. Mid-Am Will Haddrell, previously mentioned on Wednesday's episode, looks to be in position to make the cut and maybe even beat Michael Brennan! In Dubai, the European Ryder Cup team is off to the races in the final event of the DP World Tour season. Nicolai Hojgaard leads at the halfway point over the likes of Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, and Rory McIlroy. Andy compares the leaderboard in Dubai to the Butterfield leaderboard for a good chuckle before asking if a Patrick Reed or Matthew Jordan comeback win would do more for content. The Internet Invitational wrapped up last night with over 200,000 live viewers tuning in for the finale. Andy and Brendan discuss the reach of the tournament and compare the viewer numbers to what the Butterfield may produce this weekend. Kai Trump's LPGA debut produced plenty of viewers on social media as she carded an 83 in the first round at the ANNIKA. Brendan gives some credit to Trump for beating the offshore gambling lines and says it was a "not-horrendous" score given the circumstances. This leads into another wider discussion about what sponsor exemptions should be used for in golf and whether someone like Internet Invitational star Brad Dalke is worthy of one in a PGA Tour event. Andy highlights that other popular sports do not need something like a sponsor exemption to bring in eyeballs. The Champions Tour is playing four rounds this week at Phoenix Country Club and some hecklers have surfaced following Bernhard Langer around the event. Two patrons are unhappy with Langer's potential "anchoring" and have t-shirts and the rulebook to prove their point. This episode ends with a Golf Advice question that could be straight out of a "Curb Your Enthusiasm" script that has Andy yelling about aces again.

Andy and Brendan! are joined by "The Boys" for this Wednesday episode in honor of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Andy is especially jazzed after a big Packers loss on national TV moving the Bears into a tie for first place in the NFC North. He attempts to once again besmirch Aaron Rodgers but quickly is moved to golf talk with a loaded schedule of events to discuss. Brendan attempts to deem the Butterfield as the "Event of the Week" but is shamed into giving it to the Schwab Cup Finals by Andy as a nod to PJ's continued Champions Tour coverage. Andy, Brendan, and Joseph LaMagna run through the field in Bermuda and Brendan shares his investigation into how some amateurs found their way into the event. The DP World Tour finals are next up on the "Schedule of the Week," with Rory McIlroy poised to secure yet another Race to Dubai win. The DPWT announced the new "Rory McIlroy Award" on Tuesday, now given to the European with the best performance across a year's four majors. To Brendan and PJ's surprise, Joseph reveals that Rory is ineligible for this award, leading to questions about why this even exists. The ANNIKA Driven by Gainbridge at the Pelican has made plenty of headlines due to a Kai Trump sponsor exemption and Caitlin Clark's Pro-Am round having extended coverage on Golf Channel. Finally, PJ previews the Charles Schwab Cup Championship as the 2025 Champions Tour season comes to a close. Andy makes plans for next year's swan song at Phoenix Country Club that involves PJ running a 5K race to raise money for colon cancer research. There's a brief discussion of some news surrounding the now-announced teams for the "Golf Channel Games," but Joseph isn't sure what to make of this made-for-TV spectacle. "The Boys" are then put on the hot seat by Andy and Brendan as they're quizzed about the future of "Lunch with The Boys," the Indianapolis Colts, and more.

Much to the dismay of one YouTube commenter, Andy declares this as yet another Victory Monday episode! He's excited about the latest Bears comeback win but instead eggs Brendan and PJ on to discuss the Tank Bowl between the Jets and Browns on Sunday. After a quick recap of the misery at the Meadowlands, Andy and Brendan move into a weekend recap of all things pro golf. "Benny Booms" secured his third win of the calendar year at the World Wide Technology Championship with a 63 on Sunday, moving into the OWGR top ten and bumping Collin Morikawa out. Griffin's breakout 2025 is discussed at length, and Andy and Brendan try to figure out how likely he is to win a major next season. On the DP World Tour, Aaron Rai took down Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff at the HSBC Abu Dhabi to win the first playoff event. Rory McIlroy made things interesting with a 62 on Sunday, falling one shot short of the playoff. Brendan credits Rory for staying in the fight after a season full of wins which may make a random DPWT event seem somewhat meaningless. The rains did NOT bless the LPGA's Toto Japan Classic. Weather caused the final round to be stopped while it was in progress and the tournament reverted back to the 54 hole scores as the final leaderboard. This led to a playoff conducted on a makeshift 130-yard "par 3" that was actually a rain-soaked par 5. Andy pleads with the LPGA's new commissioner to fix the league's recurring issues and maybe consider playing more events in Asia due to great fan turnouts. Min Woo Lee announced that he will be playing on the PGA Tour for 2026, putting to bed any rumors of his departure for a LIV contract. This Dr. Chipinski storyline segues nicely into some TGL talk before NFL Minute rounds out this episode with a new Andy conspiracy about Aaron Rodgers.

This Friday episode brings a game of Quote Roulette and the conclusion of the first-ever "Draft Week" to start your weekend. Brendan is ready to skip forward to Sunday afternoon's big Jets-Browns tilt at MetLife Stadium with rumors swirling that he may meet up with PJ to watch the game in-person. Andy and Brendan run through the early leaderboards for the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship and World Wide Technology Championship before diving into press conference clippings from around the world. Rory McIlroy wasn't impressed by LIV's move to 72 holes and doesn't think they'll be getting too many OWGR points as things currently stand. Lee Westwood took exception to these remarks by the Masters champion, saying that Rory may change his mind next week on whatever he said anyway. Westy believes that the LIV fans are the biggest winners of this "innovation" as they'll be seeing an extra day of golf! Paul McGinley spoke to Bunkered about the impending DP World Tour fine decision on players like Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. McGinley believes there are larger things at play for the future of the DP World Tour's existence and acknowledges that making Ryder Cup players be members is one of few cards the Euro circuit has left. Perhaps most importantly, there was some late-night beef between Joe Mayo and the Short Game Chef on Instagram on Wednesday night. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Mayo started a grease fire in the Chef's kitchen, airing out some past texts and conversations and calling out the Chef's teachings. Andy and Brendan are giddy about this long-winded IG caption and lose it when Joseph LaMagna joins in to share a comment about "extra Mayo." Lastly, the President of the PGA of America spoke to the 31,000 or 34,000 or 37,000 members this week and apologized for "harming the association" in past months. We play the audio of this apology and have added it to the soundboard. "Draft Week" wraps up with a double whammy and a new guest: Joseph joins Andy, Brendan, and PJ to draft 2026 Pro Golf Venues AND the best players in the world age 28-and-younger.

"Draft Week" continues on this Wednesday episode as Andy, Brendan, and PJ pick their favorite PGA Tour events of 2025. Speaking of draft picks, the show kicks off with Andy immediately having PJ answer for an explosive trade deadline for the 1-7 Jets. The Jets choosing to stockpile future draft picks rather than have actually good players on the current roster is quickly tied into golf and the constant need to find "who's next." Michael Brennan could be "next," and he's back in action this week as the PGA Tour heads to Mexico for the Worldwide Technologies Championship. Andy and Brendan briefly discuss the field for the event, including Brennan, Ben Griffin, and U.S. Open champ J.J. Spaun. The DP World Tour playoffs begin this week with Rory, Tommy, and more teeing it up at Yas Links for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Brendan mentions the event's defending champion, Paul Waring, which leads to a guessing game on Waring's 2025 PGA Tour earnings. There was some real, substantial golf news on Wednesday afternoon as it was announced that LIV Golf will begin playing 72-hole tournaments in 2026. Andy and Brendan find great humor in the fact that this is being spun as "innovation" and the next phase of growing the game, despite now being the same as the PGA Tour. They discuss whether the top players will start to separate themselves even more given another 18 holes at every event, and also mention some new trademarks filed by the league for potential team names. The back half of this episode contains a bit of a Year in Review appetizer in the form of a Best 2025 Events Draft. The three briefly look back at the year and select their favorite highlights from the PGA Tour schedule and a few wildcards.

It's "Draft Week" here at The Shotgun Start! Andy and Brendan went LIVE on YouTube for this Monday episode, kicking things off with an NFL Minute celebrating a miraculous win by the Bears on Sunday afternoon. Andy is riding high while Brendan is down in the dumps about his Commies and the latest Jayden Daniels injury. Having just re-signed with Smash GC, Graeme McDowell is NOT down in the dumps and instead is positioning himself for a run as the European Ryder Cup captain in 2027. Speaking to Bunkered, McDowell said that he'd like to be the "olive branch" that brings European golf back together and that the divisiveness in the game has come from the top players and not guys like him trying to "eke out a living." Andy and Brendan go off on these quotes, citing McDowell's LIV earnings and reported signing bonus and wondering why he's no longer a DP World Tour member, which seems to be a disqualifying factor in being the next captain. In other LIV/DP World Tour news, Tom McKibbin went wire-to-wire in Hong Kong to secure an invite to the 2026 Masters and an exemption into the Open Championship. Brendan suggests LIV should prop McKibbin up as the prime example of playing a worldwide schedule that still allows pathways into the major championships that do not involve OWGR points. Andy then debuts the much-anticipated 2026 TGL Power Rankings as the league approaches season two. Who does he have ranked first? You'll have to listen to find out! "Draft Week" then gets underway as Andy, Brendan, and PJ draft players as if they were handing out sponsor exemptions to their own tournaments. This popularity-focused draft goes for more rounds than expected, allowing for some insane picks to come into play by the end. To close things out, the "Internet Invitational" is briefly discussed after Andy watched the first week's episodes on Halloween night.

Start your Halloweekend with some listener-submitted costumes! Brendan kicks off this episode by sharing a few "Feedback Friday" emails with Andy, including one about getting caught playing behind a "golf influencer shooting content at a Bay Area course" this week. Andy comes to the defense of this anonymous content creator, providing some reasons for why said creator was perhaps playing slowly. Brendan also reveals a follow-up email from The Great Manassero's trip to San Diego a few weeks ago. In end-of-week golf news, Jordan Spieth has received one last 2025 sponsor exemption and the LIV offseason is in full swing. Bryson DeChambeau is reportedly in re-negotiations for a new contract with the league and it was announced that players will have a pathway to starts next season through the International Series and a "Q-School" event in Tampa this winter. Gary Player made headlines after declaring himself the third-best golfer ever and Andy believes this can-do attitude is what made the Black Knight so great in the first place. PJ then joins in to help Brendan run through the listener submissions for this year's Halloween costume contest. Highlights include someone actually dressing up as PJ, and hypothetical costumes such as "Collin Morikawa's dog," "Championship Rain," "PGA Tour Comms," "Tony Jacklin looking for equity," and much more. Flashback Friday with KVV sends this episode home, as Kevin stops by to enlighten Andy and Brendan about the exploits of "Crazy" Marty Furgol, a former Ryder Cupper and the final winner of the El Paso Open.

Andy and Brendan! once again went LIVE on YouTube for one of the best days of the year: the annual golf Halloween costumes episode. Before diving into some ideas celebrating the best in golf for 2025, the two quickly run through the Schedule for the Week containing just two events for the final week in October. They then move to some recent news, highlighting Kai Trump's LPGA sponsor exemption into The Annika in November. Andy and Brendan call out the continued use of sponsor exemptions on all tours and note that this could not be a an actual competitive exemption. Elsewhere on the LPGA, the Grant Thornton Invitational teams are out, pairing FSU studs Lottie Woad and Luke Clanton, Canadians Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners, and more. For the last bit of news, it was announced that the Old Course will be adding new tees in an effort to make the course longer for the 155th Open. This opens the floodgates for a discussion about the distance problem in golf with Brendan calling this a "five-alarm fire" that should not be celebrated by media and fans alike. PJ is tapped to explain the 2026 Champions Tour schedule that may - or may not - have Tiger Woods in its plans before Andy forces him to rank his top five Halloween candies. The three then present their golf-adjacent Halloween costume ideas, covering subjects like Lucas "King of Takes" Glover, Happy Gilmore*, the Crentist, Keegan Bradley's suitcase, and much, much more. Listener submissions will be read and judged on Friday's episode for a gift card to the Fried Egg Golf Pro Shop.

A voiceless Andy joins Brendan! for a Monday morning recording that opens with an all-time story about stolen groceries and freezing ground turkey that isn't yours. After they unpack the unpacking of someone's fridge, the two discuss the latest young winner in pro golf, Michael Brennan. Brennan, the top player on the PGA Tour Americas this year, will skip the Korn Ferry Tour after his runaway win at the Bank of Utah Championship. Andy and Brendan commend Brennan for his performance off-the-tee and note that the venue of Black Desert allowed for the top player to separate from the pack and cruise to a win on Sunday. PJ shares an amusing note from the broadcast that may get some Halloween costume ideas flowing after hearing that Brennan dressed up as Rickie Fowler as a kid. Elsewhere in golf, Steven Alker is the new "Mr. October" AND the new Schwab Cup No. 1 after a big win at the Simmons Bank Championship. Brendan tuned in for some banter between Zinger and Tommy Gainey, who did just enough to secure a place in the Schwab Cup finals and full status for 2026. Andy has some takeaways from watching some late-night International Crown and flags that a former Ryder Cup player is coming for a spot at Adare Manor after this week's DP World Tour event. Fifa Laopakdee won the Asia-Pacific Am, scoring an invite to next year's Masters. ANGC Chairman Fred Ridley spoke at the event and condemned the Ryder Cup fan behavior, which segued nicely into a unsubstantiated rumor about everyone's favorite PGA of America leader. In other news, DJ has re-upped with the 4Aces after his glowing comments about LIV last week and TGL's LAGC got some new investment from an AL Central ownership group that's been reportedly lowballing their Cy Young Award winner. Our annual Halloween costumes episode will be out Wednesday, so submit your ideas to sgsgolfadvice@gmail.com now!

Brendan! is joined by "The Boys" for a Friday episode recorded in the aftermath of the latest NBA gambling scandal. Brendan, Joseph LaMagna, and PJ run through an overview of the news involving Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier before wondering if pro golf is inevitably set up for a scandal of its own. Joseph suggests that player head-to-head markets for a single round would be the way that this would happen and PJ has already dubbed the FBI sting as "Operation Al-BET-ross." Joseph also details the difference between regulated markets and unregulated markets in sports gambling and how each could potentially lend itself to issues like the ones hitting the NBA. The three debate who would be the most surprising name to get caught up in a golf scandal before moving on to an update on the Bank of Utah Championship. Joseph believes this tournament is better than a handful of Signature Events and applauds the Tour for putting a "featured group" on the clock on Thursday morning. PJ shares an amusing comment from PGA Tour Live comparing Aldrich Potgieter to an all-time great as well. On the leaderboard, Thorbjorn Olesen found himself in the lead at the time of recording which provided plenty of joy for all involved in this recording. Brendan asks Joseph whether he's excited to attend the Good Good Championship in Austin next November after the announcement that the YouTubers will bring back "Big Break" to television. Joseph points out that Austin is "influencer city," so maybe Good Good has found the right market for its brand. The Sentry is officially canceled for 2026, but Kapalua is back open in mid-November anyway! The Sony Open will now kick off the 2026 season, and maybe rookies will actually make their way into the field. TGL unveiled its new green for the second season of the indoor league. Brendan is debating whether there's too much auxiliary golf content but The Boys are excited that Cameron Young has a chance to break his own record for the longest putt in TGL history. Brendan wraps up this episode with one quick Golf Advice question regarding a "Just A Guy" Halloween costume ahead of next week's costume extravaganza.

This Wednesday episode was once again recorded LIVE on YouTube in an effort to have some fun during "silly season." Andy believes that "golf is back!" and Brendan immediately shares that Dustin Johnson might agree with him. DJ is in the Philippines this week for an Asian Tour event and is excited to grow the game alongside some of his LIV leaguemates and other YouTube golfers. Dustin shared some enlightening thoughts on the host course for this International Series tournament, calling it "a golf course" and allowing his "good caddie" to scout the course and tell him where to hit it. Brendan is giddy about these DJ quotes and gets Andy going on DJ's future in majors now that his exemptions are up. Keegan Bradley is also pondering his future these days, wondering if he'll ever get a chance to play in the Ryder Cup again. At Travelers media day, Keegan shared that the last few weeks have been some of the toughest of his life and that the loss at Bethpage will follow him forever. He did state that his goal is to play at Adare Manor, though, so he's got that going for him for the next two years. A B. Draddy ad read turns into a bit of an Illinois Minute with Andy and Brendan debating if the Illini can find their way into the College Football Playoff this winter. The Schedule for the Week kicks off with the Bank of Utah Championship and the PGA Tour's return to the lava rocks. Andy and Brendan are excited for a weekend of captivating TV viewing at Black Desert Resort with a strong field for a FedEx Fall event. Notably not in the field is Jordan Spieth, who currently sits at 56th in the standings heading into next season. Brendan declares Spieth "MIA" and calls out sponsor exemptions for Signature Events taking away from the fields at events that need big-name players. There's some cocktail golf this week for the east coast in the form of the LPGA's International Crown, and Tommy Gainey is on the bubble of the Champs Tour finals in Phoenix. Brendan runs through some notables for Q-School and Andy anoints the Billy Horschel Invitational Presented by Cisco as the "Event of the Week." In events that have ended, the Butterfield will have a D2 golfer from Lee University in the field after a win at a recent college event. The news roundup begins with Jack Nicklaus winning a $50 million lawsuit, leading to a wider discussion about clubs overspending and youth sports. Lastly, the NBA starts up tonight and the PGA Tour is in Utah, so Andy ends the show with a much-needed Jazz Minute!

Andy and Brendan! went LIVE on YouTube for this Monday episode covering a fourth straight Bears win, Tommy Fleetwood's continued heater, and some breaking FedEx Fall news. "Football Minute" kicks things off following wins for the Bears and Browns and yet another loss for PJ's Jets. Andy then has PJ recap his time "inspiring the youths" at Syracuse University, regaling the next generation of media leaders with stories about inflatable colons and PGA of America karaoke parties. This episode transitions to golf through the online response to Brendan's Friday newsletter piece on reinstated amateurs. Wes Bryan was upset by a line and took to X to voice his displeasure. Speaking of YouTube golfers, it was announced mid-podcast that GoodGood will be the title sponsor of next year's FedEx Fall event in Austin, Texas. Will Blockie find his way into the field as a sponsor exemption? You'd have to think so! In current-year pro golf, Tommy Fleetwood won the DP World India Championship with his son, Frankie, in attendance. Andy and Brendan debate whether Tommy is becoming a superstar or if he's already there. Andy also notes Tommy's improved iron play as the main reason for his rise into the top tier of pro golf. The course in India was lined with so many trees that it forced many players, including Rory, to keep the driver in their lockers. Some golf media minds have wondered if trees are the solution to the distance problem in professional golf, but Andy isn't so sure they're making the right point. Brendan points out that if players like Rory are being paid appearance fees to grow the game, it may be worth having them hit a few bombs off the tee for the fans. The rest of this weekend in golf is then recapped, with PJ chiming in to celebrate B. Draddy ambassador Justin Leonard's win at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic on the Champions Tour. In news, the PGA Tour has a bunch of new C-Suite execs on staff as Brian Rolapp continues his takeover heading into next season, and the PIF may have a path back into pro golf with a potential DP World Tour partnership. Andy wraps up this episode with an impassioned rant about the Brewers loss in the NLCS and the rumors of Milwaukee slashing payroll for next year after such a successful season.

Andy and Brendan are without PJ for this Friday episode, prompting Andy to panic at the 53-minute mark about potentially forgetting to hit the record button. They begin on this quiet week where else but with Andy having to chaperone a preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch. Then they get to some early amusements from India, where Rory wants to play DLF and this week is keeping his driver in the locker — is this a good thing?! They whiparound on some rumors from the global home, where Brian Rolapp may be trying to figure out what is going on with some expensive operations. News touches on the rage bait of the week, Colt Knost's sponsored podcast segment announcing he's applying for reinstated amateur status. They bat this one around for a few minutes before moving to some rumors about the Schwab Cup finale and a hefty golf advice segment.

With Andy on the road, Brendan! kicks off this episode with a solo segment focusing on Jon Rahm and his Ryder Cup future. Brendan unpacks the ongoing legal battle between Rahm (and Tyrrell Hatton) and the DP World Tour regarding fines for playing unsanctioned (LIV) events. Rahm has repeatedly stated that he will not be paying these fines and has appealed the DP World Tour's ruling to the point of arbitration. Due to this appeal process, Rahm and Hatton have been able to play in DP World Tour events despite the outstanding fines and were allowed to play for Team Europe at the 2025 Ryder Cup. With the arbitration ruling looming, Brendan looks at whether Rahm's Ryder Cup status and DPWT status is really in jeopardy, and what it would mean for him (and Team Europe) moving forward. Brendan is then joined by Kevin Van Valkenburg for the rest of this Wednesday episode. KVV offers his take on the Rahm discourse and the news that Rahm will not tee it up until LIV's 2026 season kicks off in February. From there, the two run through the Schedule for the Week. Many stars are in India for the DP World Indian Championship in Delhi. Rory, Tommy, Hovland, "Benny Booms," and Brian Harman are among the notables competing at this fall series event. Viktor is back in action after his neck injury at Bethpage and was finally available to speak on the events leading to his Sunday "in the envelope." Elsewhere in golf, the LPGA's Asia swing rolls on with another limited-field event without Nelly Korda, the Champs Tour playoffs kick off in the DMV, and Q-School is ongoing. In news, Cadillac is rumored to be back in the fold for the PGA Tour's return to Doral this year. Brendan and KVV take this as a chance to reminisce about past tournament sponsors they wish would return. Lastly, KVV debuts his new mailbag segment with a few preview questions before expanding on more submissions in an upcoming website column.

Andy and Brendan return after a eventful weekend of sports losses and an "uneventful" weekend of pro golf. Andy is still in the dumps after the Cubs loss in the NLDS, but claims a Victory Monday for Chicago anyway. It was an eventful weekend in French Lick, Indiana at the Korn Ferry Tour finals. Andy and Brendan run through the Top 20 bubble and discuss many of the players that earned their PGA Tour cards for next year. They also commend the KFT broadcast crew for bringing something different to viewers before wondering what Brian Rolapp was thinking during his trip to French Lick. On the PGA Tour, Xander Schauffele found his way back to the winner's circle at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan. This was Xander's tenth PGA Tour win, leading to a discussion about how many he'll end up with at the end of his career. Unlike the KFT booth, Andy was less than impressed with the Baycurrent broadcast and calls for more analysts to tell it like it is. Brendan is fired up that the year of Marco Penge rolls on after his big win at the Spanish Open. Penge will now be in next year's Open and Masters and said post-round that he thinks he's set up for success at Augusta. PJ checks on his Masters odds and finds that Penge's priced lower than one recent major champion! In perhaps the biggest news of the week, the LPGA's streak is over. Jeeno Thitikul won the Buick LPGA Shanghai, becoming the first repeat winner of 2025. The greens at this event were under fire all week for poor conditioning and Brendan was excited to see some pros having to handle muni-like conditions. Alex Cjeka won the final Champions Tour event of the regular season and the "senior mules" are unhappy about Brian Rolapp's recent cuts to the pension program. As for the rest of the news from this weekend, it came out that J.J. Spaun was held out of foursomes at the Ryder Cup due to his golf ball. Andy suggests maybe it's time for golf to have just one ball to use like every other sport does. The two then discuss the current state of Tiger Woods following another back surgery and where his place in today's game may be. Will he even play a TGL match again, much less any on-course golf? To end the show, Andy demands that PJ apologize for an abysmal performance from Justin Fields on national television as the Jets remain winless in 2025.

Sometimes, things are willed into existence. Following this podcast obtaining footage of PGA of America President Don Rea's performance of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem, Brendan is first joined by a giddy Andy to discuss this monumental moment in golf history. Andy details his reaction to seeing the "cinema" for the first time and pleads for Don to remain in this leadership position forever. Brendan then brings on KVV for a frame-by-frame breakdown of the nine second video, as well as the rest of this regularly scheduled Friday episode. Brendan, KVV, and PJ recap their Wednesday night consisting of acquiring the video and the ensuing checks and balances to make sure this iconic footage was not produced by AI. They commend Don's courage and leadership, as he took the reins and lit a fire under Team USA, who won Sunday singles by five points following this inspiring round of karaoke by their fearless leader. KVV highlights some lines of the song that he wishes were on film, but we're all still hopeful that the full tape will one day make its way to the internet. In non-Don news (yes, that exists!), Brendan shares an unbelievable listener email about The Great Manassero teeing it up at a San Diego muni earlier this week. KVV is enthralled by Beau Hossler's ayahuasca use and ensuing passion for coffee, leading to a group discussion of which professional golfers would make the best hallucinations while on a trip. The Korn Ferry Tour is looking at a bit of history this week, as Tiger's season-scoring record is apparently in danger of being broken. This has Brendan out of his mind, awarding the KFT socials with the first-ever "Ragebait of the Week" award. Joseph LaMagna published a wide-ranging interview with Team Europe Vice Captain Dodo Molinari which revealed just how far ahead the Euros seemingly were compared to their American counterpoints at Bethpage Black. KVV uses this, as well as his article about the analytics used by Team USA, as a way to ask why Ryder Cup USA hasn't pivoted its backroom strategy yet following another defeat. Speaking of the Ryder Cup, Collin Morikawa was popped by a European journalist in Japan about his request for "chaos" from the crowd at Bethpage. Morikawa claimed that his words were taken out of context, and Brendan demands that we stop acting like the American players are at fault for the rowdy fans. Two Golf Advice emails round out this episode, with a debate on how to fix the "crowd issue" at future major golf events and a question about teens hitting into people under the cloak of darkness.

Andy and Brendan return with plenty to discuss as the golf world finally moves out of the Ryder Cup's blast radius. Naturally, this episode kicks off with a Baseball Minute due to a disappointing start to the NLDS for Andy's beloved Cubs and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Things quickly transition to "Don Watch" as Brendan is hearing rumblings that the "Lose Yourself" karaoke video may surface in the coming days. The PGA Tour moves from Jackson, Mississippi to Tokyo, Japan this week for the Baycurrent Classic. This event and its various changes in the last five years leads to a wider discussion about the PGA Tour schedule and the ultimate question of "how many tournaments is too many?" Elsewhere on the schedule this week, the Korn Ferry Tour finals are set to go off in French Lick even though most of next year's Tour cards are locked up. On the DP World Tour, many LIV stars are at the Spanish Open contending for a 2026 Masters invite. Jon Rahm is playing his home event and spoke to the media to somewhat re-ignite the Ryder Cup crowd discourse a bit, as one does. After running through the rest of the Schedule for the Week, Andy and Brendan parse through a bunch of golf news including the return of the Skins Game and the 2026 TGL schedule release (with accompanying content!).

Just when we thought we were out, he pulls us back in! After declaring this podcast done with Don Rea until Year in Review, Brendan starts this episode off with the late-breaking news of Don Rea's karaoke performance after Saturday of the Ryder Cup. According to the Times of London, D-Rabbit reportedly took the mic at his hotel and performed Eminem's "Lose Yourself" in front of player families and more onlookers. Andy is stunned by the song choice, thinking that an Eagles song would be more up Don's alley. Everyone is wondering when and where the video of this historical moment will inevitably come out and PJ is debating on making some calls across Long Island to see if he can procure it. With Don's one-year anniversary as PGA of America president coming up, Andy ponders if he makes it through half of his two-year term. Brendan is aghast at the "Deep State" of European media and PGA of America members who are trying to cancel Don, demanding that this cannot happen, if only for the sake of this podcast. Before running through this week's results, Andy and Brendan also provide an incredible update on the "Lotte at Lottie's" challenge! In actual golf news, Tommy Gainey secured his first win on the Champions Tour and Andy believes that this may mark the end for the senior circuit in more ways than one. Speaking of the Lotte, the LPGA's unique winner streak carries on after non-member sponsor exemption Youmin Hwang took home the win. Big Shot Bob MacIntyre won a rainy, cold Dunhill just a week after battling at Bethpage. The weather was so bad in Scotland that the event was shortened to 54 holes, causing some Pro-Am celebs to walk off the course due to the conditions. On the PGA Tour, Steven Fisk chased down Garrick Higgo at the Sanderson to win his first-ever PGA Tour title. Andy pops PJ about the latest Jets loss and there's some network television discussion to round out this quick Sunday recording.

Andy and Brendan! went LIVE on YouTube for this Friday episode to kick off the post-Ryder Cup weekend. We've received word that the "Lotte at Lottie's" challenge is off to a roaring start, with two listeners finding each other at the bar on Wednesday watching tape delayed coverage of an LPGA event from across the world. As you could probably guess, most of this episode focuses on the continued fallout from the Ryder Cup crowd fiasco and Don Rea's various responses. Andy and Brendan dig into the Don's LinkedIn post responding to criticism, something he's experienced since his days as a Minor League Baseball umpire. "New level, new devil" has now become a staple in the podcast's vocabulary as well. Andy got duped by a photoshop of Rea's potential resignation being discussed on ESPN's "First Take," but Brendan can't imagine a golf world without Don moving forward. Elsewhere in the crowd discourse, PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague spoke to The Athletic about "not hearing" what happened from his luxury box on Saturday. Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton spoke out prior to the Dunhill, unsatisfied with Don's trophy presentation and ensuing apology. In non-crowd Ryder Cup cleanup, Furyk & Friends has become a bevy of content! AssCap Jim Furyk was unhappy about the green speeds being off at Bethpage and wonders if that was to blame for Team USA's poor putting performance. Stewart Cink also revealed that he interviewed for the 2025 captaincy, only to get ghosted by "special agent" John Wood afterward. Moving on from the Ryder Cup, LIV has reported its financial losses and the numbers have Andy and Brendan wondering where the league goes from here. Things wrap with Golf Advice, including Andy's passionate defense of poker chip ball markers.

The dust is beginning to settle from the "biggest Ryder Cup ever" and the PGA of America has found itself in the crosshairs of everyone in golf. The organization has still not formally acknowledged anything regarding fan behavior or experience at Bethpage, but a Don Rea interview from Sunday morning has surfaced and provides Andy and Brendan with plenty of fodder. The President of the 31,000 thought that you could find fans like the ones on Saturday at a "youth soccer game" and claimed that he hadn't heard any of the barbs thrown at Rory McIlroy during the week. He wrapped up his chat with BBC by saying that "golf is the engine of good," which sets Andy and Brendan off to the races. They look back at the week as a whole and wonder what the PGA of America's true focus was on and whether the organization truly cared about putting on a quality golf tournament. The two discuss where the Ryder Cup should go from here and whether it needs to be sold or licensed to another company for future installments in the United States. After a complete dissection of Mr. Rea's quotes, it's back to normal in golf with plenty on the Schedule for the Week. It's chicken time at the Sanderson, you can go watch the Lotte at Lottie's, and Furyk & Friends has a distinct Ryder Cup feel! Plenty of LIV players and Ryder Cuppers will play at the Dunhill Links on the DP World Tour with celebs like Wayne Gretzky, Bill Murray, and the bassist from Linkin Park. A brief Playoff Baseball minute sends us home for this Wednesday episode with both the Guardians and Cubs starting their runs on Tuesday afternoon. Always remember, by listening to this podcast, you're part of the engine of good!

After an unexpected dramatic Sunday at Bethpage, Andy and Brendan are back to debrief from Europe's win on away soil at the 2025 Ryder Cup. What does Europe do and have that the USA continues to botch? They discuss the American side's valiant effort to make it close in Sunday singles, but turn to Europe's brilliance and the autopsy of yet another USA failure. They ponder the envelope rule and how that had the USA side miffed and how the worst-case scenario of a tie was narrowly avoided. They grade each and every player, including the captains, and it's not a kind review of Keegan's week. The fans are also graded, and they go through one more day of shouts and heckles and react to Rory's comments on it from the weekend. Course setup is also discussed, revolving around Keegan's admission that he “made a mistake.” PJ and KVV join with some amusements from the ground as well after another incredible day covering one of the best events in golf.

Andy and Brendan have PLENTY to talk about after a full, buzzing Saturday at the Ryder Cup despite the blowout on the scoreboard. They jump immediately into the testy exchange between Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, caddies, Francesco Molinari, and others during another winning afternoon for Europe. They dissect Keegan's miscues with lineups and management but wonder if it would have mattered given Europe's play. They also go into the extremely hostile crowds, the constant abuse of Rory McIlroy and the opponent, and discuss how bad it got out there and how much it crossed the line. KVV and LaMagna join late to relay some of their notes from their days inside the ropes before a rambling discussion on Russ Henley, Rose, New England sports analogies, and much more in this rollicking Saturday night episode.

Andy and Brendan are together on Long Island after a full day at Bethpage Black taking in the Ryder Cup, where the USA is in a significant hole to Europe at 5.5 to 2.5 points. They discuss the late attempts by the US to close the gap and how they were held off yet again by the Euro stars like Rahm, Fleetwood, and Rory. They offer up some MVPs and LVPs, which brings Keegan Bradley's strategy for the whimpering leadoff four-ball session that put the USA behind from the jump. How much of Scottie Scheffler is to blame? Or did Keegan set them up to fail? Was Bryson done in by his partners? Is the US cooked? They also cover some of the crowd effects, the first tee scene that might have been underwhelming, Trump's visit, and some of the heckles heard throughout the day. Also, has the golf course been set up in a way that's actually neutered some their strongest players.