50 Things That Changed Golf

Golf Digest
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The 50 Things That Changed Golf podcast is hosted by Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy. Each episode dives deep into moments and events in golf history that have shaped the sport we all love. Every two weeks, join for a walk back in time, with some humour and made-up awards mixed throughout.

  1. 2 HRS AGO

    Episode 1: 1996 Masters

    In the first episode of our new Golf Digest podcast, 50 Things That Changed Golf, Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy travel back 30 years to the 1996 Masters. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    2h 1m

  2. 2025-09-16

    The time the Ryder Cup almost died

    In the early 1980s, there came a point where the Ryder Cup governing bodies had seemingly tried everything, but nothing worked. The matches weren't competitive, the U.S. players were losing interest, and the chief sponsor of the European team dropped out, leaving them with no money to continue. This, even more than the pause for the Second World War, saw the Ryder Cup on the thinnest possible ice, seemingly fated to die a sad death. This week on Local Knowledge, we're telling the story of the unlikely resurrection—how a collection of players, captains, and executives managed to keep it alive against the odds. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    31 min

  3. 2025-08-26

    Three mid-century Ryder Cup maniacs

    Buried in Ryder Cup history, in the middle of the last century, are some enormous personalities, and today we're looking at three of them who rise to the level of "maniac"—which we mean as a compliment. These three stories encompass incredible human resilience in the face of tragedy, outrageous, event-changing competitive drive, and an unlikely savior of the Ryder Cup when it was just about dead.

    44 min

  4. 2025-08-12

    The Tour Championship: 40 years of success and failure

    In 1987, PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman announced the first-ever Tour Championship, and 20 years later, new commissioner Tim Finchem kicked off the first-ever playoff series. What problem was it trying to solve, and where has it succeeded or failed in four decades of change? On this week's Local Knowledge, we assess the state of the tour's Super Bowl and explore where it may go in the future.

    32 min

  5. 2025-07-29

    The Tiger Killer: The fascinating life and times of Y.E. Yang

    For a man who did something so astounding—becoming the first and only golfer to beat Tiger Woods on Sunday at a major from behind—we know very little about 2009 PGA Champion Y.E. Yang. As it turns out, the Korean body builder turned golfer has a surprisingly great story, and one of the most unique life paths we've ever heard of in professional golf...all of it building to that shocking Sunday at Hazeltine.

    36 min

  6. 2025-07-15

    The English drought (curse??) at the Open Championship: What gives?

    In 1992, Nick Faldo held off John Cook at Muirfield to win his third Open Championship. As it happened, this is the last time an English golfer ever captured the Claret Jug. The 33-year ongoing drought that ensued can't be explained by lack of talent or depth—England has had three world no. 1 golfers, and today they have the most players inside the world top 100 outside of America. To figure out what's happening, we dive deep into the various theories as to why the English keep coming up short in their home major.

    30 min

  7. 2025-07-01

    America's Ryder Cup Restoration, Part 2: The Rise of Azinger

    Following the blowouts of 2004 and 2006, the lowest point in US Ryder Cup history, the Americans needed a visionary leader. Tiger Woods was out with a knee injury, Europe was stronger on paper, and there was no reason to expect anything but more misery. Which is precisely when Paul Azinger rose to the occasion to rethink how America approached the Ryder Cup, and forever alter their competitive destiny.

    52 min

  8. 2025-06-17

    America's Ryder Cup Restoration, Part 1: The Miserable Years

    In 2008, after a disastrous start to the decade, the American Ryder Cup system faced a big problem: How do we start winning again? This series documents how they recovered from their lowest point to become a force again and start winning. In part one, we dive deep into the nightmare: The awful stretch from 2002 to 2006 that saw the U.S. at its absolute lowest, suffering a series of humiliations at home and abroad.

    38 min
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The 50 Things That Changed Golf podcast is hosted by Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy. Each episode dives deep into moments and events in golf history that have shaped the sport we all love. Every two weeks, join for a walk back in time, with some humour and made-up awards mixed throughout.

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