The Shotgun Start

Fried Egg Golf

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.

  1. 25 min ago

    Scottie slips to runner-up again, future of the John Deere, and Open qualifying stories

    It's not just a First of the Month recording - it's a First of the Month recording during the Summer of Cotton! After Sunday night's passionate discussion about the Travelers Championship and TPC River Highlands, it's only right that this Wednesday episode begins with a recap of Viktor Hovland's playoff win over Scottie Scheffler. Andy and Brendan discuss the one-hole finish on Monday morning and (sarcastically) wonder if Scottie actually hit his approach "too close" to the hole, forcing him to miss a four-footer to extend the event. They give Viktor Hovland his flowers before transitioning to this week's schedule, packed with Open qualifying, a senior major, and perhaps the PGA Tour's most preeminent "Track 2" event. Brendan runs down the early results from the Open Championship Qualifying Series, where podcast favorite Matthew Jordan has found his way into the field at Royal Birkdale! The Bryan brothers were among those who did not qualify, but that didn't stop the YouTube chat from badgering the R&A to show more of their shots on Tuesday afternoon's livestream. At the John Deere Classic, Zach Johnson is set to make his 24th start at his home event. He chose to skip out on this year's U.S. Senior Open in order to play the Deere and provided plenty of color in his pre-tournament press conference. Jordan Spieth also took to the microphone to pop Long Island golf fans and golf gamblers alike, even though he is a FanDuel Sportsbook ambassador in his free time. Andy shares his "5 Guys to Monitor This Week," leading with a former Deere champion and a big-name player making his professional debut. Lastly, PJ pops in for a brief preview of the U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club as we all wait to see what's next for Michael Block on the Champions Tour.   Celebrate "The Summer of Cotton" with B. Draddy with promo code SGS30 at BDraddy.com! Get involved and join Fried Egg Golf Club today at thefriedegg.com/membership. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1hr 9min
  2. 1 day ago

    A heated Travelers debate, LPGA coverage windows, and the continued fall of Phil Mickelson

    A Monday playoff between Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler will serve as an exclamation point to one of the best golf weekends of 2026 thus far. Andy and Brendan! are fired up for this episode, recorded after watching a birdie-fest at TPC River Highlands, another women's major, and Blockie's near-perfect Champions Tour debut. They can't help themselves and begin with a brief section on the Dick's Open, an event that made some consider if the Champions Tour really needs Tiger Woods at all. Upstate New York's finest sporting event provided plenty of fodder, from Bob Papa singing Zac Brown Band, to the emergence of a "Paddy Stopper," and so, so much Michael Block content. The two then move on to the unfinished Travelers Championship, where a score of -21 got into a playoff to be held on Monday morning. Andy and Brendan discuss Viktor Hovland's turnaround from hitting hundreds of balls on the Shinnecock range after a missed cut last week to now potentially a Signature Event win in just seven days. They also debate whether Scottie Scheffler already missed out on multiple chances to win the tournament in regulation on Sunday afternoon on an extra-soft course after a lengthy rain delay. Andy is hung up on a Keegan Bradley quote from earlier this week alluding to the Travelers as a "vacation week" after a tough U.S. Open, and openly wonders if TPC River Highlands can fit into the PGA Tour's new Championship Series model. While the event itself is enjoyable, does the golf course leave too much to be desired as true test of professional golf? Haeran Ryu won her first major championship at the KPMG Women's PGA at Hazeltine, holding off a charge from Brooke Henderson, Ina Yoon, and Nelly Korda. The broadcast coverage was the big story of this Sunday, with a weather delay pushing the finish off of NBC and moving it to Golf Channel. A lengthy discussion about rights deals and coverage windows ensues, with ideas about ways for the LPGA to branch out and not be buried by non-major PGA Tour events on its biggest weeks of the year. Lastly, Andy and Brendan react to Alan Shipnuck's latest article on Phil Mickelson, full of more scandalous details following up on the Golf Digest report about Phil being removed from The Farms in San Diego.   Celebrate "The Summer of Cotton" with B. Draddy with promo code SGS30 at BDraddy.com! We’re hosting our first Fried Egg Golf event at Pasatimepo later this month and we have a few spots remaining. For more information, head to thefriedegg.com/events! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1hr 10min
  3. 4 days ago

    The PGA Tour at Pine Valley fallacy, ‘Bending the rules’ for Rory’s membership, and Rahm’s nomadic summer

    Brendan and KVV begin this Friday episode with some clean up on the sweeping changes announced from the PGA Tour this week, including the initial “reporting” and subsequent freak out that places like Pine Valley, Cypress Point, and Seminole could host the re-imagined PGA Tour Championship. They discuss some Travelers odds and ends, where Scottie’s missing belt is a big story, and this also leads to a devastating drive by of Arch Manning. Then they discuss video of Rory McIlroy playing Birkdale on the day of a PGA Tour Signature event and reporting from Bob Harig that he has received a special discretionary exemption to maintain his membership even though he will not meet the minimum number of starts after another skip this week. Nelly Korda’s early start at the Women’s PGA is also discussed, as well as her embrace of being the star of that tour. They also discuss the new pronunciation of Turkey or Türkiye before getting to a Flashback Friday on another U.S. Open rules classic, namely the double chip of TC Chen that lost him the 1985 U.S. Open. They close answering a handful of Golf Advice questions on buddies trips, ride along watchers, and awkward pairings.   Use the code FRIEDEGG at eightsleep.com/friedegg for up to $500 off. The 4th of July sale ends July 12. To learn more about how T-Mobile supports the USGA inside the ropes and provides exclusive benefits to its members outside, visit https://t-mobile.com/usga. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1hr 10min
  4. 6 days ago

    PGA Tour’s major overhaul and new era under Rolapp, Canceling Long Island golf fans

    Andy and Brendan are finally both back home from a week-plus on Long Island (home of the worst fans in golf? PJ defends here!) and ready to get to the week-to-week grind of the PGA Tour. That Tour dropped some expected bombshell news from the Travelers Championship, where the new track 1 and track 2 structural changes were officially announced by Brian Rolapp, who is now also commissioner in addition to CEO. They debate the merits of the new Tour, with multiple “series” --- Challengers and Championships -- within it. How will the Tour Championship look if match play is brought into the fold? Are places like Cypress Point and Pine Valley ACTUALLY on the table as a host? Which events are making it into this Championship Series and what courses in some of these big markets might host new events. They have a wide ranging discussion and reaction to all the news outlined in the Tour’s big announcement. Schedule for the Week gets into the Travelers Championship and its own issues, before moving to Women’s PGA, the Champions Tour, which might have lost its branding, and the DP World Tour, which also had a rough day with the new details from Connecticut. Lastly, PJ Clark defends Long Island golf fans against the avalanche of takes this week that the island can no longer host major men’s golf because of their behavior.   FRIEDEGG discount code for 15% off at mobjak.com New red, white and blue hats, headcovers, t-shirts and polos have landed in the Fried Egg Pro Shop.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1hr 29min

About

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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