The Shotgun Start The Fried Egg

What another great, weird weekend in golf. Andy and Brendan convene to cover it all, from Scottie Scheffler’s sixth win of the year, the wild protest scene on the 18th green, Tom Kim’s charge, and the disgrace that is TPC River Highlands and the changes that were done to make it harder. At the Women’s PGA, they hail the very cool story of Amy Yang getting her first major a full 17 years into her career, Nelly Korda’s missed cut and curious majors record, and the claustrophobic Sahallee. LIV Nashville is covered as Magicsticks season might be upon us, Jon Rahm is shouting at drones and the sky, and is playing a week after being unable to at a major. The DPWT coverage leads to Joe Dean minute, as in, who is he? Finally they bring in new producer PJ Clark for Champions Tour coverage to understand more of what was said and what happened at the Dick’s Open.

Summer Friday rambles are back in session for this episode. Andy and Brendan begin with a keyboard malfunction, a conspiracy about vowel-less hats, and the latest Sun Day Red collection. There’s a power ranking of Joe West, Joey Crawford, and Ed Hochuli spurred on by the “Travelers” alternate logo that SGS created. Then they get to a round of unsubstantiated rumors about sponsor’s exemptions into signature events, a yippy superstar, and Boomer-confusion. Scottie Scheffler's comments about the wiregrass last week prompt further discussion on variety of course setups and skills, as well as the longevity needed to be one of the greats. News hits on Jay Monahan speaking to media at TPC River Highlands and if anything matters from it. They close with an SGS Golf Advice with some Tommy Tolles follow up, getting a motorized push cart, and getting your kids into golf.

Andy and Brendan are back home after an exhilarating week at Pinehurst. They begin with news of the Olympics field announcement and the global conspiracy to blackball Rory Sabbatini and Slovakia from a silver medal defense. Then they get to the other Rory, who withdrew from the Travelers Championship following his brutal loss at the U.S. Open. They do some USO cleanup, both on Rory, his future, his caddie choice, and also whether the venue truly mattered to the success of the ratings. They get into some fixes for the PGA Tour’s signature series and the Travelers, which has the unenviable task of following THAT and trying to convince us it matters. The schedule for the week also covers the Women’s PGA Championship, which bounces up to Sahalee, the Dick Open on the Champs Tour, the amateur circuit, and more. News hits on a new Ballfrog, a push for Tosti at the Olympics, and John Daly II making his pro debut.

An all-time U.S. Open finish, one where Andy and Brendan spent the whole afternoon chasing the final two groups, demanded the beefiest of episodes. The two jump right into it, going in-depth on watching Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, and all that Pinehurst provided both as a course and venue for this epic championship. They discuss Bryson’s incredible day, his crazy finish, his amusing quotes about trophy-sharing and chocolate milk, and his future majors ceiling. They discuss Rory’s rough finish, whether or not he choked, how he comes back from it if he even does, and if his exit could be excused. Then they empty out the rest of their notes on Pinehurst maybe affirming its status as an “anchor” site, Pat Cantlay’s actual close call, the NBC broadcast, and more. Thanks to all for your continued support of this podcast that allows us to get out on the road during these major weeks.

Andy and Brendan are in after a full afternoon chasing the contenders at the U.S. Open and they empty the notebook with 18 more holes to play. They run through some contenders, pretenders, and recount their days following Bryson, Rory, Pavon!, and more. They discuss how the course played and if it will be harder, easier, or the same for the final round. Is this a two-horse race now and is it better that Rory is not in the final group with Bryson? There is an amusing aside on port-o-john minute that leaves both unable to speak for a few seconds. They close it with a few more thoughts and predictions for the final 18 holes of what has been, so far, a great U.S. Open.

We’re at the midpoint of the U.S. Open and Andy and Brendan are bouncing into the weekend with delight at how Pinehurst has played, the status of their games within the game, an improved parking situation, and a strong leaderboard. They discuss their days following some balling superstars (Rory, Bryson) and struggling superstars (Scottie), and how the course is making some more uncomfortable than others. They discuss some missed cut casualties and wonder about JT, DJ, Tiger, Phil, and several more. Lastly, they preview the weekend to come and what to expect from the course and he leaderboard.