The Shotgun Start

This Friday episode begins with a discussion on grapes and where they fall in the fruit rankings. There’s also a brief announcement about another run of polos available Friday at Noon CDT. Brendan and Andy are trying their best to stock wisely, but they’re also idiots. As for the golf, they dive into the scorable first day at Harbour Town and the impressive showing from Jordan Spieth in a metric that matters much more than a hot putter. Bryson’s antics are covered in detail, from hitting over the range net to his putting green apparatuses to his quote that he can’t “unleash the Kraken” on this tighter setup. Also, a listener submitted question on how much luggage is needed for Thicc Boi’s travels is pondered. Then they turn to the subject of mics and loose impediments, which cost Adam Hadwin two shots and Daniel Berger his time in order to laser in on Patrick Reed. On the lower tours, the Pauper of Ponte Vedra concept is introduced. Flashback Friday features a quick addendum to Wednesday's Bubba discussion on his “extreme value” clothing line in 2007 before a meatier focus on Boo Weekley, the two-time Heritage winner who once thought golf was invented in Florida.

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The special Wednesday edition of the Shotgun Start is a Spotlight on the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont, and is sponsored by the U.S. Open Victory Club, the USGA’s new fan community (usopen.com/victoryclub). Similar to their exploration of the ‘06 Winged Foot national championship, Brendan and Andy dive into the oddities, amusements, fashion, characters, controversies, and triumphs of a week that ended with Angel Cabrera on top. Tiger’s week of otherworldly ballstriking, including a round that Hank Haney called the best ever, is reviewed. Of the close calls and near misses, is this the forgotten one that Tiger should absolutely count in his major tally? Bubba Watson’s first real national moment is re-lived, as well as the USGA’s cheeky decision to pair him and his fellow Florida panhandle denizen Boo Weekley with a Japanese qualifier who had never played in the States. Aaron Baddeley’s rise and quick tumble from the 54-hole lead is discussed. They giggle about the frustrated and even angry Oakmont membership fearful that their course was being de-fanged by the USGA, even though there were only eight rounds all week that broke par. And of course, there is a lengthy discussion about El Pato, Argentina’s chain-smoking, big-eating major champion, who came from absolutely nothing to win golf’s toughest test at its toughest venue.

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It’s bonus week on the Shotgun Start. There will be four episodes, including a spotlight on a past U.S. Open celebrating the national championship on what was the originally scheduled 2020 U.S. Open week. That will come Wednesday morning, but first, a preview of what’s to come at Harbour Town. Andy and Brendan break down the loaded field, the Rickie Tour Live featured groups (featuring Rickie), and how the power players (and Glen Day!) might take on a different setup. One-and-dones devolve into chaos and Brendan ends up with a 2-for-1 special to take on Andy’s more conventional pick. An Ad read becomes the official Father’s Day Gift Guide, with limited actual details about the product. Then there is some major breaking news as a newly appointed Chief Data Officer of the Shotgun Start sends in some interesting notes from the shot data as it relates to the lack of grandstands to slam your ball off of last week at Colonial. It’s just one week but we have some prime holes to look out for this week after a caddie sends in a tip about a past classic grandstanding spot at Harbour Town. News hits on some more fan-less events coming later in the summer and Monty’s grand rollback plan.

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The PGA Tour made a strong return this weekend and Andy and Brendan are back to recap a real, actual golf tournament. They offer their initial reactions from Colonial, but not without some laments about what’s happened to Perry Maxwell’s design and the CT machine operator being deemed inessential for tourney ops. Jordan Spieth’s eventful week is also dealt with at the top, as the two debate if any positive extrapolating can be done from his work at a favorite venue of his. Has anyone (sans Tiger) had to slump through it under a more intense microscope than Spieth? Daniel Berger’s playoff victory over Collin Morikawa is also given a full account, including Berger’s emotion after what was clearly a triumphant moment following some low years. Morikawa’s putting is put in the crosshairs and his future is debated against another young star and current FEC No. 1. Bryson’s close call is praised, as is his prodigious protein shake intake and his ability all week to bring an outside curiosity to the event from non-golf watchers. The lack of fans is celebrated for what it brought to the event, as opposed to took away, and the same positive remarks are made about the coverage. The episode ends with some of the bigger disappointments and frustrations from an overall successful week, as well as a few thoughts on a model Korn Ferry Tour field at Sawgrass.

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It’s Friday and PGA Tour golf is back. This episode begins with Brendan and Andy soaking in a joyous and eventful first round at Colonial. First, Andy, in the tradition of the show, issues an apology to a certain Dockers khakis enthusiast. Then they transition to the topic of the day: Thicc Boi Bryson, his booming drives, and his incredibly bizarre quarantine chronicles video posted to Instagram. There is a request to get it submitted to a low-level film festival. Jordan Spieth’s 65 provoked hope and enthusiasm on Twitter, but there is a call for equanimity on assessments of the three-time major winner. The trimmed-down broadcast is reviewed, as are Phil’s sunglasses, the Darren Rovell streamcast, and Kevin Na’s new logo. News focuses on the new Ryder Cup selection process for the USA and Tiger’s boat reportedly headed for Harbour Town. A more traditional Flashback Friday segment focuses on the 1993 winner at Colonial, a legendary outspoken redass, South African cusser, and holder of bad opinions about Annika Sorenstam.

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Golf is back and so is the normal, or approximately normal, Wednesday episode of the Shotgun Start. Brendan and Andy express their excitement, concerns, and amusements as the Tour gets underway at Colonial. They have some of their usual fun with the field, which includes a Senior division, Anchormen division, Mr. 300 division, Friends-of-Colonial division, and perhaps a new husky boy division. Andy hands out his event of the week, which leads to a discussion on why the other Sawgrass course is called the Valley. Featured groups are announced, as is a potential descent into autocracy for the Rickie Tour Live operation. The slimmed down broadcast operations and some of the experiments like mic’d players and a confessional are reviewed (so too is the Twitter multi-cast with various celebrities offering their insights). The no-fans impact is pondered and the lack of testing (CT driver) is lamented. They close with some thoughts on how this will work from a health operation perspective, reflection on the last few months, and gratitude for the return.

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This week brings the exultant return of golf, and Brendan and Andy will back to the normal tournament show and routine on Wednesday, digging into Colonial and its anchoring-heavy field. But first, they start the week with one more Spotlight to satiate during this golf-less time. The subject is Jose Maria Olazabal. They discuss Ollie’s incredible ascension from a farmhouse on a golf course at the foothills of the Pyrenees to an amateur stud to an instant success in his first year on the Euro Tour. His early Euro Tour success is given the full treatment as is his immediate Ryder Cup dynamism with Seve, when Ollie was just 21 years old. The outrageous 12-shot victory at the 1990 NEC is also celebrated with some amusing quotes from Lanny Wadkins. The two Masters wins are thoroughly reviewed, with a lengthy exploration of the intervening injury that kept him out of golf back home for more than a year at what should have been the peak of his powers. This reclusive time dealing with a foot injury was full of odd rumors and fears that he’d be confined to a wheelchair and never play again. Ollie’s sui generis approach to life is also celebrated, from his constant rebuffing of endorsement money, Mark McCormack and IMG, American food, and his choice to live with his parents into adulthood and even after he’d won two green jackets.

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This Friday episode begins with Brendan and Andy announcing their caption contest winners from Instagram for B. Draddy polos, which leads to an amusing story about Andy trying to pronounce a certain variety of mushroom in a prior job. Then the two react to news that the OWGR freeze will end next week despite the fact that, well, world golf is not resuming. How was Scott/Keith Pelley the only dissenting vote against this measure and did the PGA Tour put their thumb on scale? Then they revel in this Data Golf ranking of the players from 2004 onward based on their peak stretch of golf. A notable Lefty falls down the ranking. Then there is a Flashlight on the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open in what would have been the week for that major championship. This evolves into a discussion of Se Ri Pak’s career and the contention that she has had the biggest impact on golf out of anyone in this era, including Tiger Woods.

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This Wednesday episode begins with a few comments from Brendan and Andy on the current protests in the country, golf’s poor history with race, and how they and the podcast need to be better. Then a short news segment hits on a report that the PGA Tour is considering a makeshift feeder tour to give players on some of the lower tours like the Canadian Tour and LatinoAmerica tour some reps. Then they hit on the official announcement of the new Workday double dip at Muirfield, which leads to an odd ramble about the lost potential of a July Sawgrass event. This week’s SGS Spotlight features the life and golf of Calvin Peete, celebrating his career and discussing why we now see even fewer African Americans on Tour than the heydey of Peete some 40 years ago. The Spotlight attempts what it always attempts, and that is to re-acquaint or educate and then celebrate a bygone pro that a younger generation may have only general details on to go with a name. It discusses Peete’s incredible path to pro golf, accidentally falling in love with the game when he played it for the first time at age 23 after selling wares out of the trunk of his car to migrant workers. Peete’s legacy as the most accurate driver of all time is hailed as is his signature Players win and his peak run that edged Nicklaus for the Vardon Trophy and almost every contemporary in win rate.

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Following the two-hour Ernie Els Spotlight on Friday, this episode is a quick Monday whiparound on some golf news odds and ends. Brendan and Andy first relay an Ernie superstition omission submitted from friend of the program Shane Bacon. Then they relay another golf conspiracy theory from “Spartan Butters,” author of the infamous Brooks sets his schedule to avoid weddings theory. This one is about DJ’s watch. News begins with the Deere replacement event likely becoming a second week at Muirfield Village. Andy pleads for a dramatic setup change for the second event and the two discuss nicknames for this new Columbus double dip. They also hit on Vijay withdrawing from the KFT event that had everyone firing off takes, the cancelation of the Mackenzie Tour season, and Greg Norman saying the Tour might be setting aside a money pot for 8 popular players as a countermeasure against the PGL. How real is this and what kind of Q rating would determine who gets it? Impressions? Retweets? Likes? Lastly, they pay their respects to the Justin Rose hOnma era, which leads to a rambling discussion about equipment one-offs like the Sonartec 3-wood, Orlimar Trimetal and KickX ball.

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