More like Stinky Note classic, TPC problems, and PGL is back
Andy and Brendan begin this week praising Michael Thompson and the story of his first win in seven years on the PGA Tour. It’s an amazing testament to persistence and talent and it was clearly a moving triumph for someone who has grinded on the PGA Tour for years. These stories enrich the Tour. And that’s about it for the happy stuff in this episode. What follows is a panning of a weak field doing little to go out and take a win on Sunday, Tony Finau failing to break the PR Open Curse, Rich Werenski’s jewelry, TPC Abomination, Chris Stroud’s WD for “not feeling well,” and some CBS slip-ups. It was a weekend that put the counter product of a potential PGL in an attractive light. After the heated 3M chat, Renato Paratore’s win in the first leg of the Coffee Pot is reviewed, as are Westy’s comments that he won’t play the PGA because of how the U.S. is handling the pandemic. The KFT purgatory is again discussed with Will Zalatoris and Davis Riley showing well again, and a talent like Max McGreevy winning and continuing to climb the rankings with no real place to go for another year. News closes the episode with a focus on Tiger declaring he’s out for WGC Swampass and the PGL sending out offer letters to players.
26 Juli 202053min
Comparing DJ vs. Romo vs. Beef WDs, SponCon rants, BdJ the Birdie King
This Friday episode begins with one final story to cap what became a Miguel Angel Carballo theme week. Then Brendan and Andy get to the initial golf from the Sticky Note Classic, where Martin Trainer got lapped by his looper, DJ bailed after a 78, and the golf course failed to distinguish itself for the right reasons. There’s a brief Michael Thompson career retrospective before a total digression into the PGA Tour Sponsored Content that angered GolfTwitter this week. It’s loud and impassioned for a few minutes before things then go back to normal with what amounts to reading names off the leaderboard of the Colorado Open. On a more poignant note, Andy and Brendan discuss and praise Beef Johnston’s comments and perspective about why he WD’d from the Euro Tour’s first event back. The praise is not there, however, for Tony Romo’s disgraceful WD after four holes on a sponsor’s exemption on the KFT Tour. News hits on some new Covid bubble allowances as the Tour’s sugar daddy sponsors come up on the schedule this next month. The episode ends with a segment on 3M Open competitor Brendon de Jonge, who is T10 after saying he’d not been sharp at all and just been on his tractor. It’s a dictatorial move anointing him FVF Jr. winner but they discuss his legendary Zimbabwean amateur feats, how he put on 70 pounds since coming to the USA for college, his goat farm, his cricket background, his Pres Cup appearance, the reasons for his “Birdie King” moniker, and how he got into the VTech HOF before Michael Vick.
24 Juli 20201h 4min
Lumpy’s moment, All-time Jacks, and a fall West Coast swing
This Wednesday preview begins with an apology Tour to Argentinians, canals, and Ernie Els’ golf course design philosophies. Then Brendan and Andy get into the schedule for the week, which quickly detours into a closer view of the bottom of the 3M field. It’s a field replete with also-rans and nebulous career exemptions while the best young players are relegated to lower tours. They hail the return of #CoffeeGolf and the start of the inaugural Coffee Pot series, with the first Euro Tour tournament hosted by an SGS favorite. They ponder if the thin 3M field is due to a lack of “pro-am” cash wooing some of the bigger names that surprisingly patronized the Twin Cities last year. Could a caddie, who Monday qualified, beat his usual loop this week head-to-head at TPC Sod Farm? Then there’s a proposal for a fall West Coast swing that’s being rumored as a replacement for a potential canceled Asian swing in October. Venues are listed and times and objectives are debated. News hits on the continued Wednesday Charity exhibition series on Tour and an admirable attempt by the Rolex Rankings to even things out as Tours resume play at different paces.
21 Juli 202048min
Gentleman Jon gets a W, Jack rips up his course, and Bryson’s OB-gate
Much like Bryson on Friday, this Monday episode is a re-load after some computer troubles resulted in another lost tape. Andy and Brendan begin with the strange ending to a fun weekend at Muirfield Village, namely the ruling on Jon Rahm’s ball moving. They dismiss the notion that Rahm was trying to gain some sort of illicit fluffy Reed advantage but do wonder if 1) he should have been penalized at all and 2) if the Tour would have done it if the two strokes changed the outcome. Slugger’s quote that Rahm took the ruling as a gentleman is praised as a great troll. They also discuss Dylan Fritelli somehow, for reasons still unclear, becoming a Sunday final round feature in the coverage. Also discussed are Phil deciding to layup on a par 3, what kind of circus a Phil-hosted event might look like some day, Tiger’s health, and Jack refusing to wait to tear up his course so he could get the photo-op on Sunday night. Bryson’s behavior toward the rules officials on Friday is panned in a lengthy segment at the end and then there are a few parting notes on Sunny Abacoa padding his all-time MLGT money list lead and a Mountain Dew-less Monty dropping a bunch of weight.
20 Juli 202059min
Swedish Pancakes, BB Guns, and Jack fights back
It’s Friday! If you need to finish out your week with podcast segments on Carl Pettersson and Bart Bryant, you’ve come to the right place. This week-ending episode first discusses the tough conditions at Muirfield Village, where Jack’s voice in the room can influence the typical Dart Board Tour setup. Brendan and Andy discuss how things could only get tougher over the weekend. The tougher conditions, however, did exacerbate the pace of play problem. There are also thoughts on the initial play from Bryson, Spieth, Tony Finau, Pettersson, and Tiger. After a birthday wine giveaway and some news on Steph Curry, there’s probably a way-too-long segment on Pettersson, aka The Swedish Pancake and the Fan Vote Friday Jr. winner. It recounts his five-win career, his “fun” days in college, his weight loss that tanked his swing and subsequent weight gain, the Ryder Cup dilemma, and the anchor ban wrecking his career. A Flashback Friday segment focuses on Bart Bryant, the 2005 Memorial winner. The BB Gun’s career is put in perspective with some amusing quotes on his sudden rise in 2005.
17 Juli 20201h 1min
A Norwegian once talked to me about Norway
This Wednesday episode meanders about before an event with the strongest field ever on the PGA Tour tees off in Columbus. This quickly devolves into a discussion about branded golf courses and sports team golf courses, a nice compliment to last week’s discussion of zoo golf courses. A featured groupings discussion leads to criticism of the Tour’s decision not to lean into the entertainment of conflict and put Brooks and Bryson in the same group. Fan Vote Friday Jr. returns which leads to a discussion on the whereabouts of the Swedish Pancake and a player with a name that evokes “sailor or pirate.” There’s also discussion on the benefits of Norway, per a discussion once with a Norwegian. Another Wednesday charity match is praised as Tony Finau and Jon Rahm face off against two Euro stalwarts. News focuses on a potential quarantine problem with players going from the Safeway to the U.S. Open, the overanalysis of Tiger’s return, and Marty Sleeps rising from his slumber to talk about reining in distance. This ends with a digression on American baseball stadiums.
14 Juli 202043min
Charity Open madness, Tape Delay sadness, WGC Swampass badness
The PGA Tour is not only Back on the Tee, it is on an incredible hot streak in this Return to Golf. Brendan and Andy offer their initial reactions to another fantastic Sunday, the best Sunday since golf Returned and maybe the best of the season. They discuss Collin Morikawa’s incredible play on a day of leaderboard jostling with Justin Thomas and whether Morikawa has greater staying power compared to some of his young contemporaries. They question if JT has a little scar tissue given some of the Sunday finishes this year or if there is a Curse of Geronimo. Muirfield Village’s first week is also praised and week two, with the addition Beefy Bryson, is pondered. There is, of course, a segment on the fact that this incredible action was streaming only and the fact that any other major sport would not abide that. Marc Warren’s win is praised as is Chicago’s own David Lipsky’s win on the KFT. News focuses on a troubling development at the WGC Swampass, where the Tour is altering its rules to try and fill out the field. Lastly, Andy argues mason jars should and will replace all cups.
12 Juli 202058min
Breaks of the green, Brooksy’s GIF usage, and Flashback to David Gossett
This Friday episode begins with a ramble on whether the PGA Tour is doing enough to capture the wider sports fan’s attention as it appears other sports, like college football, are in peril. A Canadian amateur legend is shouted out before the early play from the Workday Charity Open is reviewed. Andy praises the slower green speeds permitting some pin placements that provide real break at a degree rarely seen on the PGA Tour. Collin Morikawa’s play is praised, a meaningless stat about Phil is panned, and the concept of a Covid positive Scarlet Letter pairing is questioned. In news, the Ryder Cup move is discussed in the context of a quote from Trevor Immelman about golf being a big, happy family working together to re-arrange schedules. But would a Presidents Cup this fall bump a planned Ryder Cup next year if it were the other way around? Brooksy’s steroids GIF is discussed in the context of a Tour that does its players no favors when it comes to clarity and uniformity on testing in various forms, from equipment to drugs. Flashback Friday hits on the 2001 winner at the Deere, David Gossett, a phenom who famously flamed out but sounds like an all-around great human.
10 Juli 202058min
