The Wingo Network

Scottie and Spieth Rise. Rory and Bryson Collapse. PGA Championship Round 1 Recap.

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Round 1 of the PGA Championship at Aronimink delivered everything you could ask for from a major championship opening day. A seven-way tie atop the leaderboard at three under par. A historic first for the world's best player. A grand slam chase that nobody took seriously suddenly very real. Two of the biggest names in the sport falling apart when it mattered. And a story nobody saw coming that reminded everyone why we watch this game.

Trey Wingo breaks it all down from Cabo San Lucas — where he is on his annual college buddies golf trip — giving you the full picture of everything that happened in round one at Aronimink.

Scottie Scheffler is tied for the lead. And here is the thing about that — for the first time in his career on the PGA Tour, Scottie Scheffler has either led or shared the lead after the first round of a major championship. He has been the dominant number one player in the world for three years. He has won four majors. And he has never been in this position after round one until today. His approach play has been slightly off this season by his own extraordinary standards. It was not off today. The full arsenal was on display. Scottie Scheffler is primed for something big over the next three days.

Jordan Spieth is at one under par — two strokes off the lead. Spieth needs a PGA Championship to complete the career grand slam and join Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy in the most exclusive club in men's golf. Nobody was taking that seriously heading into this week. His recent PGA Championship record has been poor. He had no top tens this year. And then Thursday happened. The grand slam chase is suddenly very real.

Martin Kaymer is also in contention and it is one of the best stories of round one. Kaymer is a two-time major winner — the 2010 PGA Championship and the 2014 US Open. He went to LIV and essentially disappeared. No top 20 finishes this season. Someone apparently questioned why he was even at Aronimink. Trey tells the full story of what happened next — and uses the greatest Bubba Watson club championship story you have ever heard to explain exactly why you never say that to a competitor.

Now for the other side of the leaderboard. Rory McIlroy bogeyed five of his last six holes. The back-to-back Masters champion came in with a blister concern, played through it, and then fell apart down the stretch. He is at four over par with serious work to do to make the cut. Bryson DeChambeau made a birdie on his final hole to get in at six over par. A 76 in round one. He also missed the cut at the Masters. And Trey makes the case that two consecutive missed cuts in majors is not just a bad week — it is a direct hit to whatever negotiating leverage Bryson thinks he has with the PGA Tour.

And then there is Garrick Higgo. Higgo was assessed a two-stroke penalty for being late to his tee time. He arrived at the tee box after 7:19 for a 7:18 starting time. Before he hit a single shot he was two over par. He finished the day at one under. One stroke off the lead. Seven strokes better than Bryson DeChambeau. With a two-stroke penalty already in the books.

Round one at Aronimink gave us everything. Here is the full breakdown. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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The Top 25 Public Golf Courses in America — My Honest Opinion After Playing Most of Them

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Every year Golf Digest, Golf.com, and Golfweek rank the best public golf courses in America. This year they combined all three lists into one composite ranking — and the results are worth talking about.

Trey Wingo has played 20 of the 25 courses on this list. Not as a journalist. Not as a tourist. As a golfer who has spent decades on some of the greatest public tracks in the country. So when a list like this comes out, he has opinions. Real ones.

In this video Trey breaks down the full top 25 — what the list gets right, what it gets wrong, and which courses deserve to be ranked much higher than they are.

Pebble Beach is number one and it is hard to argue with that. The stretch of holes from four through ten along Stillwater Cove might be the most beautiful piece of golf real estate anywhere in the world. But is it actually the best golf course on this list? Trey makes the case that Spyglass Hill — ranked 14th — is a better golf course. Not a better experience. A better golf course. The difference matters.

Kapalua Plantation comes in at number 24. For Trey it is a home course. He has played it more times than almost anything else on this list. And 24th does not feel right.

Shadow Creek checks in at number eight with a greens fee of $1,250. Is it worth it? Trey has not played it. But he has thoughts on whether any golf course is worth four figures for a round.

Bandon Dunes has five courses on this list — Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Old Macdonald, and Sheep Ranch. All five made the composite ranking. Trey breaks down which ones he loves, which one he thinks is overrated, and why Bandon Trails gets more credit than it deserves simply because of the company it keeps.

Sand Valley, Streamsong, Whistling Straits, Bethpage Black, Pinehurst Number Two, the Lido, Mammoth Dunes, Erin Hills — Trey has been to almost all of them and has something to say about each one.

At the bottom of the list sits Manele Golf Course on Lanai, Hawaii. Number 25. Jack Nicklaus design. Twelve holes along one of the most dramatic stretches of coastline in the Pacific. A 12th hole par three that drops over a hundred feet into the ocean. The same hole where Bill Gates bought out every charter plane and helicopter in Hawaii just so he could get married in private. Trey would put it considerably higher.

This is not a sponsored rankings video. It is not a tourism piece. It is one golfer who has been to almost every course on this list telling you honestly what he thinks — where the composite rankings got it right, where they got it wrong, and where you should actually spend your money if you are planning a golf trip. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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The Old Sports Media Model Is Dead. Here Is What's Replacing It.

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For thirty years the sports media business ran on the same playbook. You got a cable deal. You sold advertising against live rights. You built an audience on linear television. And it worked — until it didn't.

The companies that dominated sports media for a generation are now fighting to stay relevant in a world that is moving faster than their business models can handle. ESPN is dropping properties to pay more for the NFL. Cable is surviving on borrowed time. Publishers built on Google traffic are laying people off. Award shows that used to compete with the Super Bowl for ad dollars are moving to YouTube.

And while all of that is happening, a completely different sports media world is being built from scratch.

Trey sat down with Adam White — founder and CEO of Front Office Sports, one of the fastest growing sports media companies in the world — to break down exactly what is happening, why it is happening, and who is winning.

Adam built Front Office Sports as a college class project at the University of Miami, conducting over 110 informational interviews with sports industry figures while working a bar job to pay the bills. Today FOS is backed by RedBird IMI — the joint venture led by former CNN president Jeff Zucker — with 200 million monthly social impressions, 35 million newsletter opens, and partnerships with the NFL, PGA Tour, WWE, and NWSL. The scrappy origin and the institutional money behind it now tells you everything about where sports media is actually headed.

In this conversation Trey and Adam break down the full landscape. Why Amazon taking Thursday Night Football was not just a rights deal — it was a signal. Why Netflix and YouTube entering live sports changes the calculus for every traditional broadcaster. Why the NFL had 90 of the top 100 rated shows on television last year but is simultaneously diluting the scarcity model that made it so valuable. Why the Oscars moving to YouTube is not a footnote — it is the headline. And why sports has replaced entertainment as America's primary cultural conversation in a way that is not a trend but a permanent structural shift.

Adam also addresses the question every legacy media executive is quietly asking right now — if you were building ESPN from scratch today, what would it actually look like? The answer is not what you think.

This is a conversation about who controls sports media now, who is getting left behind, and why the gap between the old guard and the new entrants is only going to get wider from here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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GOLF LIVE returns with a full PGA Championship preview episode focused entirely on what matters heading into one of golf’s biggest weeks.

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Hosted by Trey Wingo and golf analytics insider Justin Ray, this episode breaks down the field, the course, and the players best positioned to win at Aronimink Golf Club.

This week’s episode:

1. The Field: Who’s Coming in Hot?

A full look at the PGA Championship field, including the players carrying momentum into Aronimink. From Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm to rising names and major storylines, who is entering this week in the best form?

2. The Course: How Aronimink Will Play

A deep breakdown of Aronimink Golf Club, how the course is expected to play, and which skill sets should translate best under major championship conditions.

3. Predictions: Building the Perfect PGA Championship Contender

Trey and Justin each build their ideal profile for a PGA Championship winner this week, using form, course fit, stats, and recent trends to identify the players they trust most.

4. Justin Ray Grab Bag + Questions

Viewer questions, final thoughts, and the stats that matter most heading into the championship.

Plus: a brief look back at the weekend in golf, including strong performances across Myrtle Beach and the continued momentum of players building toward major season.

Smart. Direct. Forward-looking.

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Bryson DeChambeau Says He Can Play Majors and Build YouTube. How Would That Actually Work?

Bryson DeChambeau has floated an idea that sounds simple on the surface — grow his YouTube channel, play the four majors, and compete in the tournaments that want him. No PGA Tour card. No weekly grind. Just content and majors. But underneath that is a much bigger question: can an elite golfer actually own his audience, control his schedule, and still remain one of the most relevant figures in the sport?

To find out, Trey sat down with Chad Mumm — Executive Producer of Netflix's Full Swing and Producer of Happy Gilmore 2 — one of the few people who has been inside the PGA Tour locker room, inside the LIV saga as it unfolded, and inside the creator golf boom from the beginning. If anyone understands how the business of golf media actually works, it's Chad.

In this conversation, Trey and Chad break down exactly what Bryson's plan would look like in practice. What does the YouTube economics model actually look like at three million subscribers — and what would it need to look like at ten million? What tournaments would even have him if he walked away from the PGA Tour permanently? And what's the difference between Bryson's approach to coming back and the path Brooks Koepka already took?

Chad also addresses one of the biggest misconceptions in golf right now — that the PGA Tour's media policy is what drove players to LIV in the first place. Spoiler: it wasn't the content restrictions. And the new social media policy the Tour just announced isn't really about all players. It's about one.

Beyond Bryson, Chad reflects on five years of covering golf's most turbulent era through Full Swing — the moment the LIV news broke at Riviera, the Delaware meeting where Rory and Tiger rallied the players, the Keegan Bradley Ryder Cup scene that became one of the most watched moments in the show's history, and what it felt like to ride in the car with Matt Fitzpatrick the day he won his first major at Brookline.

This is a conversation about where professional golf is headed — and whether Bryson DeChambeau is a glimpse of that future or a cautionary tale about leverage without a landing spot. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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PGA Tour pro Andrew Novak joins Trey Wingo ahead of the PGA Championship to break down what players are seeing at Aronimink — and why this course could become an absolutely brutal major championship test.

Novak gives a current PGA Tour player’s perspective on the course conditions, the speed of the greens, the mental challenge of major championship golf, and why certain players — especially Rory McIlroy — may have a major advantage heading into the week.

We also get into the current state of professional golf, including the PGA Tour, LIV Golf conversations, scheduling changes, growing TV ratings, and why golf feels bigger than ever right now.

In this conversation:

- Why Aronimink could play as one of the toughest PGA Championship setups in years

- The brutal greens and course conditions players are already discussing

- Why Rory McIlroy may be perfectly built for this course setup

- How PGA Tour players prepare differently for major championships

- The mental side of professional golf and trying to “sync up” your game

- Why golf’s popularity continues growing post-COVID

- Thoughts on the PGA Tour schedule,

- Brian Rolapp, and bigger marketsWhat life on the PGA Tour is really like during long stretches of travel and competition

Andrew Novak also discusses:

- His own game entering the PGA Championship stretchWhy patience matters in professional golf

- The difference between contending in PGA Tour events versus majors

- His surprising passion for NFL football and the Carolina Panthers

This is an inside look at major championship preparation from someone actively competing on the PGA Tour right now.

If you’re looking for real insight into Aronimink, Rory McIlroy’s fit, PGA Championship prep, and where professional golf stands today, this conversation provides exactly that. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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The NFL offseason is always about optimism — but not every team actually gets better.

In this conversation, Trey Wingo is joined by ESPN NFL analyst Field Yates to break down the teams that made the biggest moves this offseason, the organizations quietly building momentum, and the franchises that could look very different heading into the 2026 NFL season.

From the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams and more, this is a deep dive into the teams Field believes are trending in the right direction — and the ones facing real pressure.

We get into:

Why some NFL teams quietly had excellent offseasons

The Kansas City Chiefs and why people may be overlooking them again

The Buffalo Bills and the pressure surrounding Josh Allen and the AFC race

Whether the Steelers are heading toward a necessary “gap year”

The Raiders’ offseason and why the organization finally feels more stable

Aaron Rodgers and how quarterback situations continue shaping the league

Teams that made smart roster-building decisions versus teams chasing headlines

Why coaching, culture, and infrastructure matter more than ever in today’s NFL

Field also shares insight into roster construction, quarterback development, defensive improvements, and which organizations are positioning themselves best for long-term success.

This isn’t just about splashy signings or draft grades — it’s about understanding which NFL teams are actually building sustainable contenders.

If you’re trying to understand the current NFL landscape and which teams are truly trending upward heading into the season, this conversation provides real context. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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Jon Rahm has officially settled with the DP World Tour — but his comments afterward may be the bigger story.

In this video, Trey Wingo breaks down what Rahm actually said about his current situation, including the fact that he does not have an exit in his LIV Golf contract. That alone gives important context to where things stand for players currently on LIV and what their options realistically look like.

But Rahm’s situation may not apply to everyone.

We also dive into recent comments from LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil regarding Bryson DeChambeau — and what they suggest about Bryson’s future. Is his situation different? Could there be more flexibility depending on the player? And what does that mean for LIV’s structure moving forward?

This isn’t about taking sides — it’s about understanding the reality of the current landscape in professional golf.

In this video:

Jon Rahm settles with the DP World Tour and what led to that decision

Rahm’s admission that he does not have an out in his LIV contract

What that tells us about LIV player agreements more broadly

Scott O’Neil’s comments on Bryson DeChambeau and his future

Why not all LIV players may be in the same position

What this means for LIV Golf, the PGA Tour, and the broader golf ecosystem

The situation is evolving, and there’s a lot of noise around it. This conversation focuses on what’s actually being said — and what it means going forward.

If you’re trying to make sense of where professional golf stands right now, this is the context you need.

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GOLF LIVE returns with a full reset on where the game stands right now — from major championship implications to the players driving the moment.

Hosted by Trey Wingo and golf analytics insider Justin Ray, this episode blends news, form, and forward-looking insight across the sport.

This week’s episode:

1. Rahm News + LIV Presence at the PGA Championship

Jon Rahm headlines the news cycle, alongside Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson set to play in the PGA Championship. Scott O’Neil weighs in on Bryson and the broader LIV picture. What it all signals about LIV’s role in majors right now.

2. Cam Young, Cadillac, Fitzpatrick + Nelly’s Run

Cameron Young continues to trend, Alex Fitzpatrick builds momentum, and Nelly Korda stays on a dominant run. The players to watch and what their current form actually means.

3. Truist Preview + PGA Championship Lookahead

A course-fit breakdown and early look at the PGA Championship field. Who sets up best and what the data says heading into the next major.

4. Questions

Viewer questions and key takeaways to close the show.

Smart. Direct. Forward-looking.

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What is LIV Golf’s legacy — and how did it permanently change the PGA Tour?

In this episode of GOLF LIVE, Trey Wingo and Alan Shipnuck break down the real impact LIV Golf has had on professional golf — not through speculation, but through reporting, context, and firsthand insight into how the last few years have reshaped the sport.

While LIV Golf didn’t ultimately replace the PGA Tour, it exposed critical structural flaws — from an overly bloated schedule to the lack of consistent star-driven events. That pressure forced change.

Now, under PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, the Tour is evolving.

From reducing the number of events to prioritizing top players and major markets, the PGA Tour is entering a new phase — one that looks very different than the model LIV disrupted.

This conversation is not about taking sides. It’s about understanding what actually changed — and what comes next.

In this episode, Trey Wingo and Alan Shipnuck discuss:

How LIV Golf exposed key issues within the PGA Tour structure

Why the PGA Tour schedule needed to shrink — and what that means going forward

The importance of getting top players competing more consistently

Brian Rolapp’s approach to reshaping the PGA Tour

The shift toward bigger markets like Chicago, Seattle, and major U.S. cities

What LIV Golf got right — and where it ultimately fell short

How disruption forced the PGA Tour to adapt and modernize

What LIV Golf’s long-term legacy will be in professional golf

What the next era of the PGA Tour could look like

Why this matters:

Professional golf is in the middle of a reset.

LIV Golf didn’t win in the traditional sense — but it changed the conversation, exposed inefficiencies, and forced the PGA Tour to evolve. The result is a leaner, more focused product that prioritizes star power and relevance.

This episode provides the context behind those changes — and explains why the future of golf may look very different from its past.

Watch the full episode to understand:

The real impact of LIV Golf on the PGA Tour

The structural changes happening right now

And what comes next for players, fans, and the sport as a whole

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