The Shotgun Start

This Wednesday episode comes on the heels of the USGA and R&A announcing a “Model Local Rule” that would rollback the golf ball some 20 yards for elite male competition. Andy and Brendan talk at length about the announcement, how it will impact the highest levels of the game, what was missing from it, and if it went far enough in combating the distance problem. They discuss the backlash and reaction to it from OEMs like Titliest, players those companies pay like Webb Simpson, and the PGA Tour’s rather toothless show of support in its statement. That triggers a world of hypotheticals wherein the Tour might play with the suped-up stuff while the majors play a different, realer golf. After that rollback chat, they hit on shhhedule for the week, make some picks for the preeminent gambling pod, and hit on the news of LIV’s trademark claim being blocked by the Miami nightclub. Also, is there a worse sports weekend to have a LIV event than opposite the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament?

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It’s a Victory Monday episode for a few sundry reasons, and Andy and Brendan jump right into it discussing Scottie Scheffler’s dominant win at The Players Championship. They debate the label of his “boring” golf or personality that seems to be an issue for some, and praise the actual game, strategy, and execution show that he put on all weekend. They discuss his “generational” and “all-time” potential after yet another signature win. Then they play a back-and-forth game of “impressed vs. underwhelmed,” running through various players and subjects that fall into one or the other camp from the week that was at TPC Sawgrass. There are some harsh words for a few Euros and some kind words for a certain “elite” Horned Frog. They sign off by asking if the LIV guys were actually missed from this event at all.

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This Friday episode is a narrow-ranging review of the first round at The Players Championship, where Brendan has spent the week. They start with some of the driver drama with Collin Morikawa’s switch back to an old TaylorMade model and prompt first round 65, and Rory McIlroy struggling to find a new fit after worries his old one might be getting too hot. They also discuss Morikawa’s contention, and others, about driving accuracy becoming perhaps the most important part of putting together a good round this week. The pace of play mess is also panned, with the first round not even getting close to finishing before dark. News hits on the lawsuit filed against Tiger Woods by his ex-girlfriend, and then SGS Golf Advice closes it out on a hilarious “thrown clubs” bet and the awkwardness of a single asking to join you.

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Andy and Brendan are punchy for the Players preview, which will have you feeling as unprepared as ever for the PGA Tour’s gold standard. They react to the full day of press conferences following a players meeting in the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse. Jay Monahan’s hour at the mic is given a review, as is Rory McIlroy’s presser and others’ comments reacting to James Hahn and some grumbling from the middle tier. They talk a little about TPC Sawgrass and what continues to make it a unique event and test, and then rifle through some of the worst, best, and most amusing tee times for the first two rounds. News hits on Netflix ordering another season of Full Swing and then it’s another handful of rambling segments on various characters signs us off before the start of the 5th major.

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This Monday episode is a ramble with Brendan traveling to LUPLAND and Andy battling spotty wifi, but the two react to a delightful and amusing Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. They discuss Kurt Kitayama’s rise to win one of the game’s elite events, his unattractive game holding up against the likes of Spieth and Rory and Scheffler, and if Bay Hill truly delineates the best golfer from the week. There’s plenty of ammo for the “just a guy” narrative from the sketchy drop to the putting at the finish. They debate more about the new Designated formats for next year and where that would have left someone like Harris English. James Hahn’s comments are given a quick examination, with plenty of laughs but also a few points that may be somewhat valid however inarticulately told.

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This Friday episode begins with an extended chat on the Illinois basketball player who missed time for drinking too much Monster. Then Andy and Brendan jump into the news of the framework for designated events in 2024. They disagree, quite often, about the importance of removing the cut and the field sizes being just 70 or 78 players. They also discuss the scheduling or bunching of designated and non-designated events, and how those fields will be built on the qualification criteria of various courier cup points. They debate how this might be WGCs 2.0 with some fervor. SGS golf advice hits on a nightmare week at golf school and some preferred lies abuse, before they go back for more on the Tour overhauls and allegations that Brendan is being nice before a trip to Ponte Vedra.

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It’s Wednesday so Andy and Brendan begin with a debate about high school basketball. Then they get to Bay Hill and another designated event on the docket. That results in an unplanned follow-up on LIV and some of its issues surrounding context and getting off the ground with delusional revenue goals. They also discuss the paltry ratings numbers that have come out in recent days. On Bay Hill, they discuss what they’ve come to actually appreciate about the API as a test for pro golfers and year-over-year ability to yield primo winners. The opposite of primo is the opposite field Puerto Rico Open, and instead of hollering about that field for another year, Andy quizzes Brendan on a list of names, making him guess between In/Out/Alternate. This results in many incredulous laughs, and some old-fashioned hollering too about “Big Tom Callahan” and many others.

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It’s a lively Monday episode that begins with the discussion of some bland weekend home maintenance projects. Then Andy and Brendan get into the finish at the Honda Classic, where Chris Kirk nearly hit a Honda parked in the middle of the pond at the 18th. There’s some amusing intel on that activation, and a little praise for the potential niche that a non-designated event could carve. Then they review the LIV season two debut, wondering where the momentum or proof of concept may come from next and relaying some grumbling about the general state of things. They discuss the CW debut and the lack of context for anything that happens on that Tour. Then they have a thought experiment about who would go back to Q school and advance out of there should this fall apart at some point.

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It’s Friday! Andy and Brendan jump into it with some early thoughts on the Burly Boy from England by way of Louisiana, the Baton Boy at home in Florida, and a Coody immediately popping on the Honda leaderboard. There’s an audio “Design Disasters” segment after Brendan woke up to a 3-minute rant from a Euro Tour caddie on the 17th at DLF, which demanded further investigation. Then they get to the LIV season opener, and all the social media stunts the players have had to partake in down in Mexico. There’s also a review of Pat Perez’s quip about the PGA Tour being booted from the venerable Mayakoba and Peter Uihlein’s analogy that the 4 Aces are just like the Yankees. There’s some incredulity and scorn for the new SIWGR. The week closes with an SGS Golf Advice segment on Full Swing watching best practices, albatross doubt, and a “vigilante course setup.”

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This Wednesday episode begins with some important decisions and marital kerfuffles on the home improvement scene. Then Brendan and Andy get to the final announcement of the LIV teams, with some incredulous words for the way Phil Mickelson is spending some of the sunset days of his career. Conversely, there’s great admiration and surprise for Captain Bubba’s team-building philosophies. News of tape-delayed coverage on the CW is also discussed, and whether that matters for overall numbers. They also discuss the dog portraits that players are receiving in Mayakoba. The stinky Honda Classic field is previewed within the context of how something like this now fits in the Designated era. They get into some of the also-ran names, but also highlight the potential for a youth movement. Then it’s on to the event of the week, the great DLF’s return to the Euro Tour for the Indian Open. They read some excerpts on the course and marvel at its so-bad-it’s-good abilities. News hits on the R&A changing some Open exemptions and Sam Bennett’s choice to skip Riviera, which leads to an extremely cool story about Stephen Curry.

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