Insane pace-of-play policy, PGA Tour changes, and 7th Annual Halloween Costume ideas

After an interminable offseason, Andy and Brendan return in the best shape of their lives for this episode. But first, Andy has to get off one more quibble on the coverage and framing of the final round of the prior season at East Lake. Then they get to the event of the week, the ANA Inspiration, providing some field highlights and course reports at the second women’s major of the year. For the Euro Tour’s event, the subject of going to Portugal, generally, is discussed, as is Alvaro Quiros’ underwhelming short game. Andy has some skyline insights for this week’s KFT event in Chicago and there are a few comments on the return of fans at this week’s Champions Tour stop in South Dakota, which leads to an extended digression on the geography of the area. The Safeway Open field is previewed at length, from the young stars given exemptions to the Major Medicals to the Career Money listers to our Duct Taped King. The second half of the podcast is devoted to the second annual over-unders competition. Major totals for some stars, a PR Curse prop, some OWGR thresholds, the Thicc Boi becoming the Stickboi are just a few debated before a transition to a few Bears and Browns over-unders that reveal a stunning level of optimism for the NFL season ahead.

8 Sep 202059min

Brendan and Andy return from the holiday weekend break to react to the season-ending FedEx Club Championship. But first, they discuss John Catlin’s win at the “oppressively tight” Valderrama and Brett Drewitt’s win on stop one of the “Fitzy Swing” on the KFT Tour. On the season ender at East Lake, Brendan proclaims the final round one of the great golf gaslightings of our time, as stats about 54-hole leads and win totals were thrown at the audience against a backdrop of complete silence on the potential money changing hands on every shot. This is separate and apart from the actual golf, which went out with a snoozer in what they both are adamant to clarify has been a great and successful Return to Golf (capitalized). Is a venue change the easiest solution for the boring Tour Champ golf? Yet another format change? Or was this just a bad year? They also discuss potential POY and ROY awards which will be given out now as opposed to the end of the year after two more majors are played. They close with some early reports from the grounds at the next major, the ANA Inspiration, on the outrageous heat and backboard situation.

8 Sep 202047min

A hectic week at SGS and the odd Friday to Monday schedule resulted in this delayed Wednesday episode, which serves as a preview for the 2020 Tour Championship. That preview begins with a lengthy discussion on the Andalucia Masters, the event of the week. They discuss the life and career of Martin Kaymer -- the fast times early on despite the narrative he was just like Bernhard, and whose career in the current Top 10 they’d take over Kaymer’s resume. The East Lake preview also features lengthy discussions on Valderrama, the Francesco Molinari disappearance, and a recap of the 2019 Masters. Then they get to the KFT event and the oppressive heat in central and southern Illinois. Finally, on the actual Tour Championship, they quip their way through the entire 30-man field, holler about the staggered start, and wonder if this presents a real curveball to the PR Open Curse. Lastly, they close it out with some thoughts on this being the deciding event for the POY, and whether that award in a season with just one major should have an asterisk.

2 Sep 202052min

The FedExCup is on a roll. Andy and Brendan start the week recapping the dramatic Jon Rahm vs. DJ playoff after a fantastic championship on a firm and fast Olympia Fields. After watching it, they propose one potential way that this playoffs system really could take hold with the hardcore golf fans that so often mock it. There’s also a panning of the constant temperament talk regarding Rahm and if he needs to change a single thing about how he’s gone about his career. Andy has an issue with all the praise that trees received over the weekend, but is jubilant over the firm conditions and the interesting golf it produced. They review who took a dump in the cup this weekend by missing out on the Net Championship, as well as the one player who took a dump *on* the cup by *making* the Net Club Championship. There is also a quick rundown of other action from the golf world, including discussion of the young phenom Rasmus, Sei Young Kim’s fascinating new approach to pace of play, and Brandon Wu earning a spot in the U.S. Open with his KFT victory. News hits on Rory expecting and Matt Kuchar getting fired by his caddie.

31 Aug 202054min

It’s Friday! Brendan and Andy begin this episode with some personal tales on life, death, and napping. Then they move to the challenging conditions at Olympia Fields, where just three players are living under par on a firm and fast golf course. They outline why the golf was so compelling under these conditions, how only mother nature should always dictate this, if it will hold up, and put it in context against last week’s scores in Boston. An all-time name wins the Smith Devereux birthday wine bottle giveaway. There is also a debrief on the Wednesday charity match, which included complaints about purple greens, some Thicc Boi bombs, and a deep dish debate. This leads to a long and winding digression on preferred pie. In news, they discuss Cameron Champ providing a rare voice (relative to other sports) on the PGA Tour promoting Black Lives Matter this week. News also hits on Tiger and Johnny Morris promoting their work via a two-man made-for-tv match next month, Sophia Popov’s puny exemption after winning a damn major, and whether Augusta will and should accommodate Daniel Berger for its 2020 field.

28 Aug 202056min

It’s BMW Championship week and the Shotgun Start would typically begin with a preview lamenting the PGA Tour erasing the history of the great Western Open. That comes, eventually, but first Brendan and Andy begin with outrage over both the PGA Tour and Bryson DeChambeau promoting a completely fake fuzzy story about a good luck dog at Olympia Fields. What will be the fallout and is it indicative of a larger, more serious, authenticity problem on the Tour? Then they discuss who they’d like to see make it to Atlanta and earn major invites and a host of other perks for next year. They elaborate on why that game-within-the-game makes the BMW the most compelling “playoffs” event. There’s also a great deal of intel on Olympia Fields, rumors that it might play firm, and why the top pros could carve it up much like Medinah last year. The 7-club challenge is also previewed and hailed as a nice pre-tournament innovation. The schedule for the week focuses on the LPGA making the quick trip from Troon to NW Arkansas, the Web Tour playing for five U.S. Open spots, and a debate over what gives an event the right to call itself a “Classic.” On the Euro Tour, the inclusion of Brendan Lawlor in the field at UK Championship is highlighted. Phil’s bombs in the Ozarks are also reviewed but Andy still seems wholly uninterested in watching mid-week Senior tour golf. News closes it out with Charles Howell III’s commendable actions and Shadow Creek getting the CJ Plaque.

25 Aug 20201h 5min

“Back on the mic, Andyyyyyyy Johnsonnn!” New father Andy re-joins the Shotgun Start for this Monday episode and he comes prepared with an agitated Playoffs rant after a week of sleepless nights. But Brendan and Andy first begin with the Women’s Open and the amazing story of Sophia Popov. They discuss the thrill of watching Troon each morning and the guts of Popov, who had no status, offering no quarter to any chasers all weekend. What has made the women’s game so appealing in the restart and potentially much more successful going forward? There’s also a lengthy debate on another Lexi Thompson rules controversy, this one from Troon. At the Northern Trust, they hail DJ’s legendary performance as he truly separated himself from the rest of the field but lament him ending the run of Brian Gay being the last double-digit winner on Tour. They also discuss Justin Thomas’ quotes on rolling back the ball and Tiger and Rory’s quotes on being uninspired and lacking an advantage with no fans in attendance. Andy gets off a Playoffs tirade and how the name *must* be changed. They wrap with some thoughts on Phil playing the Champions Tour and a pronunciation guide for Euro Tour winner Romain Langasque.

23 Aug 20201h 10min

Great friend of the SGS, Shane Bacon, joins for this Friday episode that winds from unsolicited parenting advice for new dad Andy to the joys of watching a windy Royal Troon test the best women’s players in the world. Brendan and Shane discuss those conditions, the search for Gorse the Horse, and Lydia Ko’s early play. On the PGA Tour, they discuss the “First to Three” now going up against the “Chase for 83” as well as the many low scores at TPC Boston. Also mentioned are DJ’s refusal to pop back at Brooksy, Ryan Moore’s rest week during the PGA completely blowing up on him with the curse of Jaco Van Zyl, and Bryson’s irritation with sound travels. A news segment hits on Tiger continuing to play to the FEC, Brooks opting out of the season, and the Phoenix Open announcing they won’t build out the 16th hole like usual. Then they unearth some spicy, even nuclear, takes from Roger Sloan about the PGA Tour “abandoning” families and his “embarrassment” about it. They wrap with a truncated Flashback Friday on Seve winning in Westchester before a few more thoughts on Andy as a dad.

21 Aug 20201h 7min