Pondering the PNC, Tiger & Charlie, and the R&A’s flex

This Friday episode begins with some business matters on merch re-stocking and news that the Westy Island Blend is now live and available for purchase. Then Brendan and Andy relay a fun stock market analogy for two wayward pros from a friend of the program. At the Farmers, they lament the preemptive ball-in-hand declaration under perfect conditions for inclement weather coming the next day. When did this become a thing? Why is it a thing? Is it a ridiculous slippery slope toward always playing it up? With Patrick Reed on top of the leaderboard, they debate the current top ranked “poofer” and what defines a poofer. They also lament the missed chance for Reed to be a populist hero given his game. On the Euro Tour, they pillory an egregious backboard setup in Dubai. A memory-jogging Flashback Friday focuses on two legends battling without their A games at Torrey at the turn of the century. News turns into a live reading of an article outlining the specifics of the PGA Tour’s new 187,000 square foot Global Home at TPC Sawgrass. How many meeting spaces is too many?

29 Tammi 20211h

This Wednesday episode begins with some light Snow Day reminiscing before turning to our shhhhedule for the week. Brendan and Andy start with the Farmers Insurance Open, where a loaded field will also include featured groups with a couple players deep down the OWGR. Then they assess the Jones Family venue and if it will provide even the slightest indication of what might happen at the U.S. Open later this year. Some intel from the ground also reveals another potential driving range controversy as well as some of the details of what “investing” in a pro-am spot gets you this week, including being deputized for the coveted POPS force. Over on the Euro Tour, they discuss another stout field as well as word of some conditioning issues. A news segment is loaded with chatter on Southern Hills getting the 2022 PGA, Brooksy jettisoning Claude, the Women’s Open announcing sectional qualifying sites, and the wild card decision to put some fire into the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow.

27 Tammi 202155min

It’s the first Monday of the year with a full golf plate to digest from the weekend. Brendan and Andy begin with the LPGA celebrity event in Orlando, where the pace of play was excruciating and the celebs featured way too prominently in the final round broadcast. They praise Jessica Korda’s weekend comeback charge and also delight in some of the hole-in-one prizes at the event. Then they swing out to PGA West for the victory lap with Si Woo Kim while also offering a couple alternative theories for his LUP apparel sponsorship. In Abu Dhabi, they convey their disappointment but not surprise with Rory McIlroy’s final round fade as Tyrell Hatton cruised to a fourth Rolex Series event win. Lastly, the Saturday Night Champions Tour event is celebrated as perhaps being better than the PGA Tour for its mix of personalities and styles on display, including its cigarette-smoking cart-driving champion

25 Tammi 202152min

This Friday episode meanders about for 50 minutes without ever really going anywhere, if that makes sense? Andy begins with an apology and a clarification on “Fake Winter” while offering some expert testimony from a listener from Sweden. The Olympics news has them sympathizing with the Boy From Bratislava while also proposing alternative ways to make sure the games, at least the golf portion, are played this summer. Then they unintentionally start discussing the Bob Hope, and by “discussing” we mean dissecting the tragic timing of Rickie Fowler’s career as well as a new nickname for him. Then there’s a chat on Patrick Reed looking “built” and if he’s approaching not linebacker size but perhaps squat longsnapper territory. Flashback Friday focuses on a Euro Tour classic from Abu Dhabi, recalling the legendary giant killer Gary Stal, who erased a 10-shot deficit to Martin Kaymer in 2015. Neither player has won since and there are a few quotes from Kaymer after the collapse that might explain why.

22 Tammi 202152min

This Wednesday episode begins with the breaking news that D.J. Trahan has had to WD in Palm Springs after a positive Covid test. There’s also the news of yet another Tiger Woods back surgery, which Brendan and Andy discuss in the context of his past injury history and what it might mean for any future. Then they get into a loaded schedule for the week with the return of the European Tour, LPGA, and Champions Tour providing a full slate. Andy rejoices in Westy’s current reign and the strength of field in Abu Dhabi. At the American Express, they delight in some Brooks Koepka quotes about how this week is a warm-up for next week, which is a reconnaissance mission at Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open. Andy gets realllll snooty about which locales have “real winter” and which regions do not. The celebs (and cable guys) at the LPGA opener are also put under the microscope. News closes with the PGA Tour’s new responsible gaming slogan and a chat on all the under 24 year olds now in the top 25 in the OWGR.

20 Tammi 202149min

This Monday episode pushes on even though Brendan is wallowing in a state of despair about the Browns season coming to a close. They quickly transition from that sadness to the triumph of Kevin Na, who does not enter the Rickie Zone but rather the Swedish Pancake Zone with his fifth Tour win. They examine some of the places he’s bagged those Ws and some of the other names in the Pancake Stack. The Sony is broken down into some things they liked -- the Chris Kirk story, outrageous scoring, Webb’s sunscreen application apathy -- and some things they didn’t like -- preemptively playing preferred lies, the Nick Taylor ruling, Peppy Peter’s quote that angles never matter. News hits on a driving range netting rumor, Bryson’s trouble on the backend, and the announcement that Ralph Lauren was dropping Justin Thomas.

18 Tammi 202147min

It’s Friday! And more importantly, it’s sumo citrus season. Andy and Brendan begin this episode with a good old fashioned fruit chat extolling again the virtues of their favorite orange, which Andy unexpectedly ran into on Thursday. Then they get to the delectable controversy over the PGA Tour’s 11th hour installation of internal out-of-bounds at Waialae’s 18th hole. They cover this in depth, including the BfB being the only one to find what one article termed the “death zone, Billy Ho being available for comment on it, and Cam Smith also adding that the lack of grandstands have made these firmer greens tougher to play without backboards. News hits on the Pebble Beach Pro-Am playing as a pro-only event and if that will do anything to change or toughen the setup. This leads to a lengthy and moderately unhinged proposal about one event a year where you get a quota of internal OB you can set up on a course, e.g. a patch in front of the 6th green at Pebble. They close with a Flashback on an Aussie character, past Hawaiian Open champ and yips sufferer.

15 Tammi 202143min

This Wednesday episode is here to celebrate the Sony Open as the event of the week. But first there’s an important uninformed discussion on RV operation and licensing. Andy’s three things to watch for at Waialae focus on a potential backboard-less 18th hole that will hopefully make it play as Tom Doak intended, and then two young up-and-comers also in the field. There’s of course a shout out to Robert Allenby and the night he took that pummeling from a sentient sidewalk. Featured groups are back, but not PGA Tour Live despite the subscription charge for the month of January. There are some tasty groups this week and this prompts a fun head-to-head wager on who will lose more strokes on the green this week. News hits on the Masters announcement for limited patrons and the return of ANWA and then also the late Sunday announcement that the 2022 PGA would be relocated. This leads to an unexpected discussion on the Stand-up Mixer Championship as well as Brendan somehow talking himself into accepting Bethpage as the replacement.

13 Tammi 202152min