The Shotgun Start

Brendan and KVV begin this Friday episode with some clean up on the sweeping changes announced from the PGA Tour this week, including the initial “reporting” and subsequent freak out that places like Pine Valley, Cypress Point, and Seminole could host the re-imagined PGA Tour Championship. They discuss some Travelers odds and ends, where Scottie’s missing belt is a big story, and this also leads to a devastating drive by of Arch Manning. Then they discuss video of Rory McIlroy playing Birkdale on the day of a PGA Tour Signature event and reporting from Bob Harig that he has received a special discretionary exemption to maintain his membership even though he will not meet the minimum number of starts after another skip this week. Nelly Korda’s early start at the Women’s PGA is also discussed, as well as her embrace of being the star of that tour. They also discuss the new pronunciation of Turkey or Türkiye before getting to a Flashback Friday on another U.S. Open rules classic, namely the double chip of TC Chen that lost him the 1985 U.S. Open. They close answering a handful of Golf Advice questions on buddies trips, ride along watchers, and awkward pairings.

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Andy and Brendan are finally both back home from a week-plus on Long Island (home of the worst fans in golf? PJ defends here!) and ready to get to the week-to-week grind of the PGA Tour. That Tour dropped some expected bombshell news from the Travelers Championship, where the new track 1 and track 2 structural changes were officially announced by Brian Rolapp, who is now also commissioner in addition to CEO. They debate the merits of the new Tour, with multiple “series” --- Challengers and Championships -- within it. How will the Tour Championship look if match play is brought into the fold? Are places like Cypress Point and Pine Valley ACTUALLY on the table as a host? Which events are making it into this Championship Series and what courses in some of these big markets might host new events. They have a wide ranging discussion and reaction to all the news outlined in the Tour’s big announcement. Schedule for the Week gets into the Travelers Championship and its own issues, before moving to Women’s PGA, the Champions Tour, which might have lost its branding, and the DP World Tour, which also had a rough day with the new details from Connecticut. Lastly, PJ Clark defends Long Island golf fans against the avalanche of takes this week that the island can no longer host major men’s golf because of their behavior.

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Andy and Brendan are live from Southampton after a full day chasing the contenders around Shinnecock Hills on an exhilarating major championship Sunday. They debrief their day, and week, following Wyndham Clark, the villain for this New York crowd and now a two-time major winner. They discuss Clark’s status, his game this week, and the hate that seems to have flowed his way throughout the final round. They review the main challengers in Sam Burns, Tom Kim, and Scottie Scheffler, if you can call it that. Some winners and losers are coldly separated, focusing on the USGA, the golf course setup, Rory McIlroy, Joaquin Niemann, Miles Russell, and more. The rollback of the rollback is also discussed with some great frustration and skepticism about where we go from here. Then they bring in Joseph LaMagna and Kevin Van Valkenburg to offer their insights from the day on the Wyndham treatment, the notion that this was a putting contest, and much more. Thanks for listening throughout the week!

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The Long Island fans skipped out on Saturday of the 2026 U.S. Open, so Andy and Brendan have to recap everything they missed! After an even-par 70, Wyndham Clark now has a six-shot lead heading into the final round over a gaggle of players at -1, including Scottie Scheffler. How likely is it that Scottie can complete the Career Slam on his 30th birthday? Is Sahith Theegala live to run down Wyndham? Will Deputy Sam Burns finally earn a promotion with a strong Sunday shift? Andy and Brendan run down the leaderboard and look at the (few) contenders and (many) pretenders. PJ shares some observations from his day on the grounds and defends the Long Island fans for leaving due to a disastrous train schedule. Joseph LaMagna chimes in at the end to set up the third major Sunday of 2026.

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Wyndham Clark finds himself firmly in the driver's seat after two rounds at Shinnecock Hills. Andy and Brendan discuss Wyndham's bid for a second U.S. Open victory as he currently sits four shots clear of the field. They bring in Kevin Van Valkenburg to break down Xander Schauffele's impressive Friday round and KVV sticks around for the rest of the show. The three discuss missed cuts from Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, making this another disappointing showing for LIV Golf in what could be its major swan song. Andy presents some Storylines Nobody Is Talking About to send us into the weekend, focusing on a "Frenchman," a drone, and a nightmare scenario for Oakmont Country Club.

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The winds and fog came in the morning, but the afternoon wave found themselves with a favorable draw on Thursday of the 2026 U.S. Open. Andy and Brendan record after a "golf nirvana"-type day at Shinnecock Hills, commenting on the setup discourse that is already dominating this installment of the national championship. They empty the notebook and look at both the real leaderboard AND Andy's "Actual Leaderboard" with most of the first round completed. Wyndham Clark is four ahead, perhaps signaling that Lanny Wadkins was on to something with his renovation of TPC Craig Ranch. Andy and Brendan also share their experience with some Thursday evening traffic in Southampton after a post-round coffee run.

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Andy and Brendan are live from Southampton and bursting with enthusiasm for what may be the major championship of the year, the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. They begin with some initial reactions to the golf course setup and conditioning after a couple days on the ground, discussing a potential clarity and change in approach for the USGA at this venue that has produced controversy the last two times around. They review the stars and “guys to monitor” from Scottie to Rory to Bryson and more. They rip through their favorite tee times and nominate a “worst” tee time as is custom for every major preview episode. They bring in KVV and Joseph late for a Flashback on a past rules controversy, some further thoughts about the course setup, and their picks across the board to win.

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On this very special episode (now with enhanced audio!), Andy and Brendan kick off U.S. Open week alongside Maxfli ambassador and three-time PGA Tour winner Ben Griffin. The three sat down at the Maxfli pop-up store in East Hampton, New York, to discuss Ben's preparation for this week's test at Shinnecock Hills, his continued success on the PGA Tour, and much more. 

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It is an all-time Victory Monday at the Shotgun Start, where a member of the podcast can truly celebrate a world championship. PJ Clark sat down for this episode after being awake for 36 straight hours, roaming the celebratory streets of New York like a nomad. PJ details his evening around Manhattan and the emotions of watching his Knicks win the championship. Then Brendan and Joseph turn to the golf in Canada, where Bud Cauley got his first PGA Tour win after turning pro some 16 years and many, many health issues prior. The Cauley round and story are given its due on a Tour that is increasingly difficult to win on in 2026. There’s also some great delight in Tosti getting in the mix with what may be the highlight clip of the year so far. They discuss Brooks Koepka’s injury with some concern and melancholy. On early U.S. Open chatter, the three discuss some juicy early weather reports and how the USGA could get into any trouble again at Shinnecock and if the past will have fans approaching the week with some level of bloodlust. Zach Johnson’s “dreams” being realized with a Champions Tour win are also discussed, as well as a medical exemption dilemma, the Curtis Cup, Juli Inskter bursting through the Cochran zone, and much more.

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We are four wide on this busy Friday with a lot of news to discuss as the week closes before the U.S. Open. Brendan is joined by KVV, Joseph, and PJ. They begin with the Golf Digest report on allegations against Phil Mickelson of nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact with a female employee at his home club that led to his removal from said club. They discuss the late stage spiral of Phil, and the seriousness of this now most recent allegation, the mess he’s made of his career, what could have been, and what will never be now. Then they get into a spate of LIV news from reports on the future of its remaining four events in the Financial Times, to a report on confusion about the contracts for players like Jon Rahm, to one more about the Australian Open perhaps becoming the “death knell” of LIV’s reimagined plans. Joseph brings some provocative comments about the TPC Toronto test for the Canadian Open and the PGA Tour putting bumpers up for the highest level of pro golf. KVV has a Flashback segment on a former rules kerfuffle at a U.S. Open that had players tweeting angrily all through the evening. Then they close with a wide-ranging PJ minute on the Knicks, an all time win, and an all time rant about Carmelo’s place in franchise lore.

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