The Shotgun Start

Andy and Brendan close out the week with a Friday ramble on the drama and intrigue in Dubai both on the course and off the course. There is a diversion, however, to highlight the All-Burly team following up on the Kenneth Lofton chat from Wednesday. The Rory-Reed kerfuffle is covered with the new, added context of subpoenas. They ponder whether Rory should have gotten in Reed’s face and also the veil of some notion of a “gentleman’s game” being long gone. They wonder whether the Euro Tour’s best play would be to keep these mixed fields going to further the drama. News hits on LIV’s CCO leaving and Seminole banning LIV players from the Pro-Member. SGS Golf advice concludes the episode with some rollicking conundrums, including one on playing with an amorous couple.

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It’s a whiparound show with a hard stop at the end that probably spends too much time at the beginning discussing the regular CW lineup, like Maury, Judge Mathis, and others, preempting live LIV coverage on Fridays. There’s also probably too much time dedicated to the announced musical act for the Players, Riley Green. And there’s also probably too much time spent on Patrick Reed throwing a tee, allegedly, at Rory McIlroy. Andy and Brendan also ponder what they’re missing at the PGA Show this week. They go through the entire announced LIV schedule one-by-one, with some questions about the Crooked Cat-Augusta National back-to-back stretch. Schedule for the week focuses on Rory’s 2023 debut in Dubai, where there are some thoughts on that and the Ludvig Aberg hype, Septic Tank’s continued patronage, and the “home clubs” listed on the DP World Tour’s website. 

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Andy and Brendan are back after a “relaxing” weekend watching golf and football. They begin with some clarity on where Jim Nantz will be calling Farmers from, and questions about title sponsors and stadium naming rights. Eventually, they get to Jon Rahm and his second straight victory on the PGA Tour at the AmEx in Palm Springs. They lament why everything he did this week was framed through some sort of OWGR debate or discussion, and ponder the nihilism of such an event like the AmEx. The Davis Zone is given its due, as is the big bird from Xander. Victor Perez is lauded for his victory in Abu Dhabi and Brooke Henderson for her win in Orlando. But there are some questions about wisdom teeth removal as an offseason challenge. News hits on the CW-Liv deal going final before an SGS Golf Advice segment to make up for Friday’s whiff. This one takes on a different kind of “whiff” as well as another listener looking for penance from a junior golf cheating incident.

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This Wednesday episode is a rapid-fire unstructured discussion that begins with the schedule for the week, which quickly transitions into Ian Poulter’s latest comments from the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. The field is a mixture of DP World Tour players and the fellas from LIV, which reports indicated was closing in on a TV deal with the CW network. They discuss this and find a random list of the 20 worst channels on cable and boy does that take a sudden turn. The strong field at the AmEx is pondered before some one-and-done picks are made. News hits on a stunner joining the Ryder Cup assistant captains ranks for Rome and Nelly Korda making the jump to a new equipment and apparel provider. 

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This holiday Monday episode begins with a damning follow-up on the “provisional pedant” from Friday’s golf advice segment. Then it’s on to the Sony Open, where Andy demands more respect for the talent and work of his boy Si Woo KIm, who he’s been pushing for more than five years now. They also discuss the first non-designated event of the year, and whether the gulf between the designated and non-designated events will widen when it comes to TV product presentation. On the Sony, Brendan starts to acquiesce to Andy’s Spieth thoughts after a rollercoaster and disastrous T1-MC two-day stretch. They also hit on the Hero Cup and what, if anything, it means for the Ryder Cup. News has some fun with the PAC list of names being announced and Zinger’s quote that his stretch on the PAC was a “colossal waste of time.”

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This early Friday episode begins with some investigative reporting that yields a first-hand account of Seamus Power’s travels from Maui to Abu Dhabi and why this flying west option may have been impacted. Then they’re onto some early Sony movers before getting into an extended chat about the Netflix golf trailer, its authenticity, its prospects, and how this might just be the best year yet to be a golf fan. News of Mito signing with LIV is discussed, as are the waivers for multiple Camerons to play the Saudi International. The episode closes with a Golf Advice segment on dropping a decade-old grudge against a “provisional” pedant and choosing to live in an area simply based on a legacy spot at a sweet country club.

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This Wednesday episode begins with shock and horror at the lopsided Georgia-TCU game, and asks some big questions about fan travel to blowouts, winning with class, and whether one of Brendan’s youth basketball teams can claim to have done so. The schedule for the week begins with the Sony Open, where a stronger-than-usual field is on hand. Andy claims it might be ripe for a certain over-the-hill scrambler to get a W. There’s excitement around the Hero Cup, believe it or not, and more questions about Seamus Power’s trip from Hawaii to Abu Dhabi. News hits on Jay Monahan’s interview with writers behind closed doors at Kapalua, and Harry Higgs suggesting that the Tour is lessened by LIV taking all the villains, who provided a measure of entertainment.

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It was a dramatic finish to the first event of the new year on the PGA Tour, so Andy and Brendan begin with excitement over the Bears getting the No. 1 pick, allegations about fixed NFL games for name-brand franchises, and demands for a date to be set for Browns-Bears in 2023. Then they get to the drama between Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa, and wonder if the Tour had its own fix in to appease the Champions in the field and Paradym Puppeteers. They discuss Collin’s collapse, which featured a bunker shot that had Zinger exclaiming “touch ‘em all!” The narrative shift was rapid and harsh, and they wonder what it means the next time he has a lead late in a “pressure” moment. It was a tough scene for the newly named Chip Monk. They also appreciate Rahm and a great opening weekend and product put forth by the Tour and NBC. They close with questions about Tom Hoge and TCU’s chances on Monday against Georgia.

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We did not have to wait long this year for some sort of recording hurdles, as Andy is forced to record on his phone in the car in a grocery store parking lot due to wifi being knocked out from the storms. Nevertheless, both Brendan and Andy are enthused and rejuvenated by the first full round of the year, which is always a delight to take in. They explain how and why Kapalua succeeds as a Tour stop, discuss Jon Rahm’s quote that it is “nothing but wedges,” appreciate the return of Zinger, and laugh at some new commercials Andy was sure to put in his notes. They also hit on leader Collin Morikawa and his expanding stable of coaches, as well as the preposterously muffled marketing around what the broadcast is now calling “designated events.” News touches on two new Masters exemptions being handed out, including to the reigning NCAA champ. They close with the new year return of SGS Golf Advice, which covers a lawnmowing vs. golf dilemma, a friend who wears Loudmouth, and having to pick up a wine tab.

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It’s a new year at the Shotgun Start, and Andy and Brendan immediately begin with questions about names: who’s coming up with all these dramatic weather names and who’s naming some of these new drivers? They have lots of energy and are excited to be out from under the Year in Review. The fake vs. real Scott Stallings wins both the year’s first catnip and thirstbucket of the week. There’s also a first-of-the-year check-in on the happenings at Panther National, with great amusement in a certain framing of the project. Then it’s on to the schedule for the week, which is just one event, the Tournament of Mostly Champions at Kapalua. Andy is over the moon about a sponsor-less Cantlay and thinks it means big things for him in 2023, which leads to a bigger take on elite players chasing equipment money. There’s also chatter about who will be Mr. Irrelevant from this year’s field and which players in the top 10 right now might tumble this year. It’s a fascinating, if not maddening, exercise to get us rolling into 2023.

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