The Shotgun Start with Andy Johnson and Brendan Porath of Fried Egg Golf is a podcast waiting for you early in the morning that quickly blasts through a variety...
TGL Miracles and Jup Disasters, Golf Reunification Theory, and a Slovak emerges
Four TGL matches across two days makes for a great Wednesday episode! Andy and Brendan went live on YouTube following NYGC's blowout victory over Jupiter Links on Tuesday night to discuss the bevy of content coming from the SoFi Dome. Brendan is immediately furious with his beloved team's performance, wondering about timeout management, roster construction, and if Jup Links can ever contend while building around Tiger Woods. Andy unveils his first-ever SGS TGL Power Rankings, leading to an entire segment of disagreement regarding where he put his Ballfrogs. The two recap Monday's P-Day marathon, which was "very fun" and a success story for the league in its first season. Unfortunately, that momentum did not carry over into Tuesday night, but PJ is excited that his NYGC team is in the win column thanks to help from the Mets. The ESPN broadcasts are critiqued and the technology is questioned, but Andy and Brendan both agree that TGL found something good on Monday. In non-screen golf, the field for the Mexico Open is deemed "too good" to play In/Out/Alternate, so hammers are thrown on some fire picks ahead of a week at a bomber's paradise. The Magical Kenya Open is awarded Event of the Week thanks to a field full of notables such as "The DVD Player!" Finally, Patty Tavatanakit is defending her title in Thailand on the LPGA Tour this week. In news, Sun Day Red finds its first non-Tiger athlete and Charlie Woods gets a special exemption.
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1:03:26
The Signature Event model, Ludvig’s arrival, and LIV’s balance sheet
This Sunday episode starts with a Sports Minute in which Brendan asks Andy to answer for Illinois hanging a banner upside down during Saturday night's game. There's also some chatter about the USA-Canada hockey game ad the Four Nations Faceoff. In a positive for golf, the Sports Minute closes with an agreement from everyone that the Presidents Cup has more juice than the NBA All Star Game! From there, Andy and Brendan discuss Ludvig Åberg's first win in a Signature Event at the Genesis Invitational. They talk through Ludvig's come-from-behind victory, chasing down Maverick McNealey at Torrey Pines. There's some intel from the ground that Ludvig skipped out on buying the media beers after his ace which leads to Brendan ranting about this ridiculous tradition. Andy has some critiques about the setup on Sunday and the two also discuss Tiger's appearance in the booth coming down the stretch on CBS. With the West Coast swing over and done, Andy, Brendan, and PJ give out some awards to commemorate the first six events of the season. After some internet issues due to cold weather, the conversation moves on to LIV Adelaide, won by Joaquin Niemann. Brendan dives into some reporting about LIV's ratings in Australia and their balance sheets from the past few years showing that the league is spending billions of dollars without much return. Champions Tour Minute checks in on the spread at the Chubb Classic to finish this episode. Justin Leonard won for the first time since 2008, but folks are upset about Papa and Zinger not being on-site for the call!
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1:20:39
Rory and Jay speak on “reunification,” Ryder Cup temp taking, and LIV CEO rambling
Love is in the air for this Friday episode as Brendan and Andy discuss their plans for Valentine's Day to start the show. If you're looking for a last-minute gift, a tipster passed along a run of Zach Johnson "Tour-Issued" memorabilia currently up for sale on eBay. Andy has PJ make some picks for collectors looking to invest, leading to a discussion about whether ZJ is out there wearing a Small polo when playing. Golf's premier gambling podcast then shouts out some LIV odds for Adelaide, where 52-year-old Richard Bland finds himself favored over Dustin Johnson in a head-to-head market this week. Andy and Brendan briefly chat about DJ's career and current standing in the game, noting how much things have changed for him since the 2020 Masters. Speaking of changes, Andy went full data boy to compare the potential teams for the Ryder Cup this fall. With the median OWGR of these teams being almost equal, Andy dispels the notion of a large advantage for the Americans as many thought there would be following the rout at Whistling Straits. Data Boy Andy then shares some numbers showing that it may be beneficial for big names to play events in the fall in order to hit the ground running at early-season Tour stops, but Brendan isn't so sure about his data set. At the Genesis, both Rory McIlroy and Jay Monahan discussed the potential PGA Tour-PIF deal. Rory commented on his recent round with President Trump, who is apparently not a fan of LIV's format despite hosting events at his courses across the globe. There's also some talk about reunification, leaving everyone wondering whether the PGA Tour or the Champions Tour would benefit more from having LIV players back in the fold. Brendan received a Champs Tour scoop and sent PJ on an investigation into a potential Champs Tour Cutthroat Corner for this week's Chubb Classic. Brendan then briefly reads some comments from new LIV CEO Scott O'Neil before saving the rest for Monday. Flashback Friday returns to send you into the weekend with Brendan remembering the anniversary of Wayne Levi's 1982 Hawaiian Open win, the first-ever with a neon golf ball on the PGA Tour.
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1:23:53
Is PGA Tour-PIF deal almost done, Tiger WDs, and TaylorMade breaks up with DJ
Andy and Brendan start this Wednesday episode by wishing for the return of landline phones as society's primary communication method after some emails received earlier this week. In a light week for pro golf, two preview the Genesis Invitational, being played at Torrey Pines South instead of Riviera this year. They discuss their mixed feelings toward this event following the change in venue due to natural disaster and Tiger's WD after his mother died. Nonetheless, hammers are thrown on this week's fire locks as golf's preeminent gambling podcast looks to get back on the board with a win at Torrey. PJ takes a big swing with his pick for the week and apologizes for Kenny Gainwell's total yards prop loss, provoking some discussion about Sunday's game. Andy and Brendan then note the lack of TGL matches this week and wonder whether Tiger chose to have the league take a week off during his hosted event. Without a DP World Tour or LPGA event this week, the Champions Tour gets second billing ahead of the Chubb Classic. Andy shares some on-the-ground insight from Tiburon before looking ahead to the upcoming Cologuard Classic. LIV moves from Riyadh to Adelaide this week for their premier event, complete with the Watering Hole making its return. Brendan shares that the league will make its FOX debut on Saturday night at 11 pm ET due to the time change from Australia. Naturally, some ratings talk comes next with numbers from both LIV Riyadh's final round and Thomas Detry's Sunday at the WM released on Tuesday. Things wrap up with a news segment covering a reported update in PGA Tour-PIF negotiations and Dustin Johnson's split with TaylorMade as his equipment sponsor.
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47:42
Victory Monday and Spieth flashes in Phoenix, LIV’s opener ratings
Andy is on cloud nine for this Victory Monday episode, as Illinois alum Thomas Detry won the WM Phoenix Open going away. Brendan and Andy discuss Detry's first PGA Tour win and his outstanding play on the weekend that earned him a champagne shower and victory hugs on the 18th green from international stars like Matt Wallace, Ryan Fox, and Christiaan Bezuidenhout. The two wrap up more stories from Phoenix, including a big week from Jordan Spieth, a tie for second from Daniel Berger, and a faulty back nine from Scottie Scheffler on Sunday. Rasmus Hojgaard also received some flowers from Andy, leading to a wider conversation about possible European Ryder Cuppers in February. Andy and Brendan then recap the golf weekend across the rest of the world. They share their favorite Haotong Li memories as a way to commemorate his win on the DP World Tour and wonder how the U.S. Virgin Islands became the title sponsor for the LPGA's Founders Cup. PJ jumps in to detail how Bob Papa was growing the game of golf in Morocco while covering Miguel Angel Jimenez's win on the Champions Tour. The golf recaps close with a segment on LIV's debut under the lights, where Andy calls winner Adrian Meronk the "GOAT of Night Golf." This episode ends with a brief discussion about Tiger Woods playing in next week's Genesis at Torrey Pines, a place where he's won eight times.
The Shotgun Start with Andy Johnson and Brendan Porath of Fried Egg Golf is a podcast waiting for you early in the morning that quickly blasts through a variety of topics (usually) related to golf and (ideally) relevant to the day. It covers news from the pro tours around the world, amusing and important topics from the amateur game the rest of us play, and some irreverent stuff in between. There will be short interviews, previews, reviews, and dives into the archives. It provides what you need to know on golf through a rapid and fun catch-up discussion.
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