Sunday at the U.S. Open: Chaos Golf, a Rough Quandary, and Fair Policing

It's an early Friday episode recorded before the Tour Championship teed off, but Andy and Brendan are back to break down the 2024 Creator Classic and Jay Monahan's "State of the Tour" address. The episode starts with Andy remarking that this is a new day in golf, the first day in the Post-Creator Classic era. Producer PJ chimes in to recap the event, including multiple finalists playing through the 10th fairway on East Lake's 18th hole - which is out of bounds for the Tour Championship - and an ask for relief on the competition's final hole. Attention then turns to Jay Monahan's Wednesday press conference, where Brendan has reached the acceptance stage of grief when it comes to the current state of the PGA Tour. The two then dive into some Golf Advice, learning more about the PGA Tour's fantasy golf prizing system, helping a college golfer, and deciding what country club event would be the worst to get in a fight at.

30 Aug 202458min

Andy and Brendan are AMPED for the finale of the FedExCup season at East Lake. They ramble all over the place talking about the 2026 Presidents Cup and TPC Craig Ranch renovations before they get there though. At East Lake, they discuss some early player grumbles about Andrew Green’s restoration work for the home of the Tour Championship. They discuss the FedExCup Starting Strokes format now five years into the experiment. They make some picks for East Lake AND the Creator Classic, which is discussed at length and what it means to the PGA Tour. They also discuss the great Curtis Cup rota, an incredible claim made at the DP World Tour event this week, and a new LPGA event at a TPC Course that maybe delivered the usual discount to the ladies.

28 Aug 20241h 5min

Andy and Brendan are back on a Victory Monday for the Ballfrogs to talk Castle Pines and the golf year's final major. They start at St. Andrews, where Lydia Ko pulled off the win to add to her Olympic gold from earlier this month. The two discuss whether Lydia won the Women's Open or if it was really Nelly Korda who lost it, the pace-of-play issues that plagued the tournament, and other odds and ends from a week at the Home of Golf. After that, the Swag Golf Sports Minute debuts, with Andy wondering why Week Zero exists in college football before he reveals his new secret weapon for fantasy football success. The conversation then seamlessly shifts to the FedEx Cup Playoffs, where Captain Keegan Bradley made his Presidents Cup case stronger with a win at the BMW Championship. They break down Adam Scott's post-round comments about his struggles and the impact his age may be having on his current form, the likelihood that Keegan is going to play for the United States in Montreal, and Brendan comes up with the "club-toss test" to see if an event really matters to those playing in it. After a look at the DP World Tour's stop in Denmark, Producer PJ gives an update on where Bob Papa was this weekend in the latest Senior Tour Minute.

26 Aug 20241h 11min

It is …Friday! Andy and Brendan are buoyant as they head into the weekend, discussing a smattering of topics including Bears strategy and a too-good-to-pass-up offer for Browns fans going to the Jags game to play at TPC Sawgrass. Then they get to Mr. 50, Keegan Bradley, leading the BMW, which is cause for sharing a mind-blowing FedExCup Fact of the Day that has Andy nostalgic for a prior era of the playoffs. Then they get to the Women’s Open and its snail-like pace of play in some delectable conditions. They bring in Brentley Romine from the ground for a few quick thoughts on what he saw up close in some punishing winds. They ponder whether this “event of the year” has been jammed at the back end of a busy summer that has fans and the networks feeling fatigued. They close it out with some Golf Advice on a mother’s bond with her son over Blockie, hitting unused range balls, and how to not take a full swing on a boys trip.

23 Aug 20241h 2min

It's week two of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and Andy and Brendan are ready for Denver! This episode starts with a celebration of fall temperatures in August before some back and forth about where folks in town for the DNC are playing golf in the Chicago area. After the debut of "Lobbyist Minute" concludes, the two discuss the not-so-great TV ratings from last week's playoff event at TPC Southwind and wonder why the PGA Tour's "most consequential" tournament happens in Memphis in the heat of August. The conversation then turns to the latest PGA Tour rules proposal, a reduction in full-field sizes and full-exempt status in an effort to complete cuts on Fridays, while also increasing signature event fields. This then leads Andy and Brendan into a preview of this week's BMW Championship at Castle Pines, where players will have to tackle the elevation in Colorado. Next, they preview the Event of the Year, the AIG Women's Open at St. Andrews, discussing the top storylines and which players to watch during coffee golf. The Schedule of the Week discussion wraps up with a look at this week's Danish DP World Tour event, the Ally Challenge on the Senior Tour, and the APGA Cisco Invitational. To finish things up, Andy and Brendan debate how much beer is considered a "year's supply" and share stories of over-purchasing for crowds at home.

21 Aug 202457min

Andy and Brendan recap an absolutely loaded weekend of golf with tournaments coming down to the wire across all levels of the game. Andy leads off this Monday episode by waxing poetic about Caleb Williams and his performance in Week 2 of the preseason, becoming far too excited about the Bears on August 19th. After an extended Caleb Minute, the golf recap begins with the FedEx St. Jude in Memphis as Hideki Matsuyama stayed afloat on the back nine to hold off a charging "Mr. August" Viktor Hovland and others. The two discuss notable cuts from the FedEx Cup Top 50, such as Jordan Spieth and Tom Kim. This then leads to a chat about Presidents Cup rosters and who may be making the trip to Montreal at the end of September. Andy and Brendan then talk through Brooks Koepka taking down Jon Rahm in a playoff at LIV Greenbrier, a promising result for both players who have struggled on major stages this year. The conversation then hits on Lauren Coughlin's victory at the Women's Scottish Open and her form heading into the Solheim Cup and next week's Women's Open at St. Andrews. After a recap of the weekend at the U.S. Amateur, Producer PJ shares what he learned about Bob Papa's whereabouts in this week's Senior Tour Minute.

19 Aug 20241h

It's a beefy Friday episode in honor of the FedEx Cup Playoffs starting up. Andy and Brendan lead off the episode with some U.S. Am discussion as Andy's Illini have shown up to compete. This then turns in to a conversation about what an amateur even is these days, given that many top players have large NIL deals backing them. Next, it's an extended FedEx Cup Minute as they take a look at the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Pool and (lack of) prizes before discussing the mostly-unchanged 2025 PGA Tour schedule. The two then read some presser comments from this week in Memphis, with quotes from Jay Monahan, Scottie Scheffler, "Playoff P" Patrick Cantlay, and more, leading to ideas on how to make the FedEx Cup a true playoff system and improve upon what is today. After a listener-requested FedEx Cup Fact of the Day about a certain Guy in the field, Andy and Brendan take some Golf Forever Life Advice questions, including an all-time story about 24 years of guilt.

16 Aug 20241h 7min

Andy and Brendan are back on this Wednesday episode to recap the fallout from Matt Kuchar's solo Monday finish at the Wyndham Championship, among other things. They start with Andy's initial take on the whole situation on Sunday before getting into the range session, TIO drop, and three shots of Monday morning. Kevin Prise gets a shoutout for his outstanding Monday coverage from Greensboro before Andy and Brendan break down Kuchar's post-round comments. The conversation then moves to the FedEx Cup Playoffs and this week's FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis, which will mark the start of our free-to-play FedEx Cup pool! Andy is watching out for some big names that are in danger of missing out on the Top 50 and next year's Signature Events, including a certain Guy and last year's FedEx Cup champ. The two take a look at the current FedEx Cup standings, which aren't easy to figure out, and try to make sense of how some players have accumulated so many points. Brendan then lays out the Schedule of the Week, hitting on the U.S. Amateur in Hazeltine, a possible American Ryder Cup scout team at the Czech Masters, and of course, LIV Greenbrier. The episode wraps with some news and notes, such as Sanderson Farms no longer sponsoring the Jackson, MS event on the fall swing.

14 Aug 20241h 7min