The FedEx Cup to Ryder Cup pathway, Insane PGA Tour fantasy game, & Golf Advice | The Shotgun Start

A true Friday episode about nothing seems fitting for the first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Andy and Brendan immediately jump in on some Ryder Cup discourse after Akshay Bhatia’s Thursday 62 that has him in the lead at the FedEx St. Jude at TPC Initech. The two discuss whether players like Bhatia, Bud Cauley, or even Harry Hall could do anything in the playoffs to cement their case for a captain’s pick ahead of next month’s matches at Bethpage Black. There’s some continued action on the caddie carousel, with Collin Morikawa debuting a new man on the bag in Memphis. Andy seeks out some help from our AI overlords about why Morikawa has issues finding a permanent caddie, and Tony Finau reveals that he, too, is playing the new Titleist ball that Fordie Pitts gave Mr. 1,000 last week. Brendan continues his crusade about PGA Tour history and the calculation that led to Mr. 1,000, finding that the PGA Tour wins record should NOT be 82 after all! Speaking of PGA Tour insanity, their latest “Perfect 30” fantasy game for the FedEx Cup Playoffs asks a question that is nearly impossible to answer – placing all 30 players at East Lake in the correct order three weeks ahead of time. Don’t worry, the prize is one million dollars, but it’s far more likely that the grand prize winner will merely get another $1,000 gift card to their local PGA Tour Superstore. In news, the U.S. Women’s Am has been tremendous cocktail golf in the evenings, the DPWT has an SGS leaderboard early, and Hudson Swafford spoke out about his suspension from the PGA Tour. We round out the week with some Golf Advice about a child’s day at the Senior Open and asking for more strokes on a golf trip.

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Greetings and welcome to a Friday edition of the shotgun start. It is August 8th. Andy, how are we doing? Brendan, I’m doing wonderful. I got to say I’m ready for Asha Batia week. A Betia Rder Cup. I’m ready to go. I’m ready for the buzz. It’s that time of the year in a Ryder Cup year where anybody does anything, it’s oh, what about them for a Ryder Cup? What about them? What we do? It’s what we do. Especially in August. uh unplanned. Who’s like the most insane one this year that was like there was a moment in time when so and so is going to be on the Ryder Cup. I guess we should wait until the team is final. Ryan Campbell. Did he actually do go there? I as much as I love him and he’s a big fan. Is it Novak? There was real Novak discourse there. Oh man, I wish like I would think there should be more to the Novak discourse. He’s in the top 14 in points, right? I totally agree. It’s not my preference. I’m just a I’m just suggesting what I might now think might now be the reality on the ground and it feels like, you know, he’s kind of not in the picture based on the names. Hold on a second. Would you say what’s my personal opinion on? There is no personal opinion. I’m the president of the PJ of America. Don Rey has like started writing his speech for the Ryder Cup opening ceremonies yesterday. Like a like a guy who won the election and knows he has an inauguration in like three months. That’s what he’s doing. That’s what he’s working on. You know, I I I would give my answer about the craziest um writer cup discourse, but I think it’d make people mad at me, so I’m just going to keep it to myself. Who is it? is a guy who could be on the team like very easily. Definitely could be on the team in a couple weeks now. Well, you know, he started the year with no points, no carryover points. And I did uh that’s why he’s 27th in points. So Jordan Speed appeared on I believe a SiriusXM radio program on third Wednesday and like you know tongue and cheek joking like Keegan man it would be really hard to play and also do the job. I think he’s joking. I just like probably half but he’s joking. Um but preceding that sort of you know ribbon having a little fun give him the stick he suggested or he did he didn’t suggest he stated you know it’s really unique that I came into this season with no points you know RDER Cup points can extend over uh more than one calendar year sometimes based on how you perform in certain events and then also he started the the year on the back foot as Paul McInley would today. So, in actuality, you know, with with that that injury, given the the the problems it created for last year and the start of this year, maybe he’s like 15th and not 27. Is that you know, right? Right. I don’t think that I don’t think that’s how it works. I mean, data golf has them whatever. What does data golf have them in the world? 28th or something like that. That’s no better than the points. People are creating metrics to bend over backwards. Well, you know, on Thursdays, which is where he really stinks. And they don’t have a Ryder Cup on Thursday. Like they’re just making up stats like strokes approach into par fours under 150 yards. He’s good, you know, like something like that. Like he’s just they’re just we’re bending over backwards at this point. The guy is not contending anything, but I think he might be on the team. Niki, there’s a very good chance he could be on the team. Who knows? Who knows? But can you can you put him on the team right now? He’s projected 50th for the FedEx as we record this. Yeah. If he falls out of the top 50, can you put him on the team? I mean, I’m not saying anything yet. What if he wins Napa? Napa knowhow. What if he wins? When’s the pick? When’s the pick date? Is it after the the playoffs, right? I uh they’re all going to play Napa, aren’t they? They should just leave it open. Just the Ryan Morris scenario where it’s a free-for-all just just in case be blows the doors off everybody in Napa just in case. It feels like a year where they would have benefited from from 10 AQ’s and two picks. Yeah. But, you know, you can’t you can’t see the future. Some years that’s better, some years that’s worse. So they’re doing Ryder Cup discourse. This is so disrespectful to the WGC swamp ass invitational TPC in atte JT partnership form of Bama. There’s I mean honestly if you’re going to make a case for somebody, if Bud Collie won this week, I think you could make a pretty good case for him. Guy’s been really good this year. Can make a case for everybody if we’re going to Bud Collie discourse. I mean, come on. What does Harry Hall have to do to be considered for the Euro team? I don’t think he he has to win out. I think the Euro team knows what they are. They’re going to go with experience and Justin Rose and they’re not going to bring Harry Hall to the lion’s den that is Beth Paige. It’s just not happening. We got the Bryce and Harry Hall matchup though. Hogan cap versus former Hogan cap wearer. Maybe maybe for the matchup Bryson wears the Hogan cap. It’s kind of a disgrace that Bryson’s turned his back on the Hogan cap. It’s kind of absurd. Um Harry Hall is T3 in Memphis along with Justin Rose. So you’ve got two Americans, Ash Bud Collie, Harry Hall, Justin Rose. I think most notably Colin Morau who was last seen sort of despondent looking at the heavens at Port Rush wondering um you know will he ever contend again. Who knows? Seemed really down in the dumps. But you know what? He’s got a new water bottle water bottle sponsor and now he’s back on the horse with his Stanley. He’s got Does it have the straw? That’s what I want to know. It’s like the straw with the handle like you know all the girls walking into into middle school going up and down the fairways with that. Um well they always say that the fifth times a charm and he’s on his fifth caddy of the year. We should have seen the models should have seen this coming. He’s got Mark uh Urban on the bag. Uh, former former Feno Caddy. I saw Feno putting putting the new double dot in the bag. Oh, right away. Oh, right. I mean, I hit it once right in the bag. I was like, well, why? Less spin, higher launch. That helps me. Well tapped out, though. Nothing Nothing’s getting better. So, he’s like dabbling with this putter. This is the interview. I want to make sure I give credit. Was it WRX or My Golf Spy? I think it’s WRX. somebody who’s on site there. Those are competitors. You got to be careful there. You got to sight the right person because, you know, one of them’s going to get mad if that I’m not a gear head. It’s all the same to me. But I ap I realize they are competitors. Um he’s like having a hall about his putter. Like, oh yeah, I like this putter. You know, it looks a little different new. It’s been a while. Could use a change. Like, oh, and then we saw you go with the the the that new double dot. Like, oh yeah, no he and hon with that one. Right in the bag. No spin. Higher launch. Boom. Bingo in the bag. So yeah, Feno uh doesn’t have his old caddy who’s with Morau, but he does have a new golf ball that you know is available for purchase for all of us at your local Dicks or Golf Galaxy or wherever you are, your your your Mun Munich Golf Course. Um anything from Memphis peique your interest? I just asked Chat GBT, what do you think Colorau’s problem with Gaddy’s is? AI needs to be reigned in. Why are we using What did he say? I just figured it might be able to add some insight here. Are you Are we programming this podcast now via AI? Is that what we’re talking about? I It just popped the idea popped into my head. It seems Colin Morau’s problem with his caddies isn’t about them personally, but about a mismatch in partnership, chemistry, and trust. Key elements. and what’s often one of the most intimate and high pressure relationships in sports. What do you think? Uh do do you like the the breakdown there? Seems light on substance, light on detail. Uh I did like there was a Wall Street Journal article a couple weeks ago that said the guy who can’t keep can’t stop firing his caddy was the headline. I was like, “Holy shit.” Felt like a headline. Like I mean, all right. Were they all fires? I don’t know. That was like two caddies ago. Do you do you want to know the chatbt’s uh big takeaway? Key takeaway. What? No, not really. But you they get they get kind of psychological here. What do they say? Morau’s problem stems from a deeply personal quest to recreate the cohesion that he once had with Jacovic. JJ Jackovic. a connection that yielded major victories. As he searches for that elusive spark again, his frequent changes reflect the difficulty of replicating the right dynamic under the weight of expectations. Deeply personal like I don’t think the I think the AI needs to be coached up a little bit on that one, you know. Um deep we might have to do AI minute every every once in a while. Uh, you know what might be a better a better uh a better use of better use of AI? It’s figuring out the PGA tour history. I’m going back to the well. Going back to the well. Going back for another pound of flesh. Just to follow up on our our history accountability segment the other day. Uh, someone suggested to me a notable person with with half a brain said to give one example of how far off the PJ tour book is, Jim Barnes has 100 plus wins. If you apply the same quote unquote rules that got Sam Sneed to 82 wins. So for Mr. 1000, they applied the rules that got them to Mr. 1000. They would have not a Mr. 82 or a chase for 82. They would a guy with a 100 plus wins. Jim Barnes. Jim Barnes would be the chase for Jim Barnes. 100 plus wins. But that we got to do we should do a flashlight on uh on Jim Barnes. Sounds like a prolific winner. One of the greats in in the game that nobody talks about. And then I got one more supplement from someone who’s been deep deep deep in the books that says the PGA tour is 400 off. He thinks they’re 400. 400. Yes. Anyways, that’s my history corner supplements. What were you going to say, Andy? I was going to say, Peach, we I think we could create some really good gym pro Jim Barnes was a problem content. Yeah. You want to you got to get back in the archives. Just figure out figure out how to make some Jim Barnes content. You think you you think you know Ball? Let me tell you about Jim Barnes. Would you call Jim Barnes the the original Nick Wattney? Does Nick Wattney isn’t he a descendant of Jim Barnes on the on the problem family tree? I mean, I think that Jim Barnes is probably the greatest of all time. So maybe not a problem. Maybe it’s just like the original goat. Jim Barnes. The original goat. Yeah. You know what else is a goat? MercedesBenz GLS. That’s a goat if I’ve ever seen one. That’s right. I was at dinner last night. I was talking with a good friend of mine and he was like, “Hey, which which of the MercedesBenz were you guys doing ad reads during the open for?” I said, “The GLS.” He goes, “That’s a good-look car. That’s a that’s a sharp looking car.” I have a friend uh actually going to going to the lake with them this weekend. He has another he has an he has a a different luxury automobile SUV and ever since the opening says he’s been like the the jealous boyfriend meme every time he sees the GLS drive by. He’s like ever since you’ve been talking about the GLS. I don’t know if people knew about Mercedes being great vehicles until we started doing ad rates for this podcast. That’s what it is. The jealous boyfriend meme. I was like oh well I’m sorry. I’m sorry. We don’t do negative recruiting here. I’m sure you have a nice car, but I could speak to the MercedesBenz GLS. It combines power and finesse. Backed by 12 driver assist systems, nimble handling, cutting edge AI technology, and superb superb craftsmanship, the GLS anticipates your needs, ensuring every journey is as strategic as a championship winning game plan. It reflects their philosophy. Deliver the world’s greatest vehicles. You can learn more about the GLS and their full lineup of SUVs. They’ve got a littleer guy. Little The GLS is the jumbo. GLE. Yeah, I I don’t bother really looking at that one that closely because I got too many kids and I just really have my eyes fixed on the GLS every time I see those. I’d take a GLE, too. It looks pretty nice. It’s it’s it’s effectively scaled for my size of family, you know, for for three. It it looked pretty good. Might be a little bit easier to park. Um, you know, could be could be, you know, uh, but you know, the GLS with all the driver assist systems that that’s that’s like butter parking. 12 same same number of rider cap captains of rider roster players. 12 driver assist systems. Learn more. Well, here’s the thing, though. With the with the uh with rider if Keegan plays, they’d only have 11 driver assist systems. That’s a good point. Well, they’d still have 12. They just wouldn’t have a captain. Well, the captain’s the driver. Okay, maybe you don’t have a It’s an autonomous driver situation. You don’t want that. Uh, go to mbusa.com. They might be putting that in their next advertisement, I think. mbusa.com to learn more about the GLS and their full lineup of SUVs. That’s a goat right there. Like Jimmy Barnes. Um, what a good segue. What? He got us off Jim Barnes, too, which is good. We got to save our bullets for a future spotlight. Um I after we do Trovino part two. Do you think we’re closer or further away uh on Troino part two than ever? Um further away if I have to be honest with you. But maybe it’ll be a fall project. Could be a fall. I’ll tell you what, we’re closer to Trevino part two than we are to winning the latest sham of a PGA Tour fantasy game. We’re closer to getting that done. Odds are shorter for that one than they are for winning the PJ tour fantasy game. What’s up for grab What’s up for grabs this time? Is it like $110 at the PGA Tour Supertot? Support your taxes. A dozen title is double dots that you can’t access. No, I don’t. They do explicitly state in the rules that you got to be ready for the IRS to come knocking on your door if you if you win this. They are uh they are very prepared for for that. What is this this company that gotund 1.5 billion in strategic sports group? What do they have to to offer benevolent to the fans? Well, if if you pick the 30 players who qualify for East Lake, all 30. All 30. Okay. And then you got to put them in the correct order of the 30, which again this year is just a crapshoot. Everybody starts at zero. One through 30. Okay. No starting strokes. You got Wait, wait. So, do I need I just want some Do I have to pick the 30 players right now? 30 player before today? Before FedEx started. Yes. And I have to put them in order for a tournament three weeks from now precisely. And if you do all that and that tournament, no starting strokes. We know Scotty’s going to be zero as is, you know, Ryan Gard. So you got to figure it out. One through 30. God, it’d be great if like Ryan Gerrard won this year. Just just like and then and then they sum they go back to starting strokes next year. the Gard rule. Um, so if you do all that, if you guess the 30 guys correctly, then it’s it’s 30 factorial amount of probabilities that you would get all of them in the correct order because you could put 30 guys in 30 different places. Then if you manage to do all that, which is like the most in incomprehensible odds possible, you have a chance to win a million dollars. Wait, you don’t win a million dollars? You only have a chance. I I I believe you have to get everything right and then they have to doublech checkck it against every other entry and then maybe one person could win a million dollars. It is. You have to get the 30 guys, which is already pretty difficult. I mean, the top 18 are locks in theory, historically speaking, so you’re really only guessing the last 12. Yeah. But then you have to put them. It’s like I can’t I don’t even know what this number is. Did you enter? I did enter. I did do it. I had to I put Cameron Young first for everybody wondering. So I think I’m out. I think I’m out. I saw I saw an AI a Twitter account by the name of Ho Bosler. Oh boy. tweeted an AI probability model for this that said to put this in perspective, the estimated number of atoms in the observable universe is 10. You’re you’d have better odds of randomly selecting a specific grain of sand from all the beaches on Earth than doing this. What you’d have essentially impossible it I mean it’s it is impossible. The number has so many places has so many digits that I don’t even know what it the number is. It’s it’s incalculable. The tour nobody is better at creating the most impossible to win contests for the most, you know, uh puny little prizes than the tour. It’s unbelievable that they keep doing this. whether it’s the 313 or the question fantasy for a $1,000 gift card to the super. So, so now if you don’t get them all correct in the correct order and you don’t win a million dollars, which again is impossible if you don’t do all that. It’s literally I mean I mean I guess it is possible, but it’s it’s the most unlikely thing in the history of things. The other thing about this just like how many entries do you think they’re getting because 25 because like if this was March Madness I think it might be like if you got like a March Madness picking bracket correctly perfectly is so much easier than what they are currently asking you to do. My point is like if you got millions of entries like you would for March Madness, like ESPN doing their March Madness, they get t like tens of millions of entries. This thing probably I mean I’d be surprised if they got 10,000 entries. No. No way. Yeah. And they had a popup for it. There’s just you also have to factor that into how how unlikely it makes someone getting this to be because there’s also a limited amount of entries possible to begin with. They were hitting it over the head with it anytime you went on a paourour.com for like the last four days. Maybe that’s what crashed the app this morning. What happened? I was out of the playoffs. The app’s not working. Too much demand. Really? I you know I was enjoying some coffee golf this morning. I was watching Dick Stern take it to Trump Aberdine. That DP World Tour leaderboard is awesome. So good. Watching our guy Dick Stern, the DVD player Darius Vandreel in the mix. Just take it to the best 36 hole facility in the world. I saw you set a new course record. It’s like, didn’t the course just open? It opened 10 days ago. Counts. Technically, Richard, if if if you don’t manage to do the impossible, the improbable, however you want to phrase it. I’m glad to report that the first prize for this for this, if you just win, they they’re giving you points. based on picking the right guy correctly and putting him in the same spot. Whatever. However, their point system works. I read the the rules. I got really deep in the weeds weeds here. I’m happy to report that the first prize is $1,000 PGA Supertore gift card. How How like how are they letting this happen? Like how do they let someone at the tour like sent me some text like I cannot believe this has happened to get how did this get by? Like the notion of like literally impossible contest and we’re promoting the [ __ ] out of it like it’s a legitimate thing. Second prize, two winners get one $500 gift card and then third prize, I believe it’s seven winners get $100. So you get away 2700 bucks. You could get to 10 people. You could get like a polo for $100 head cover. Yeah. Yeah. God, this is just they got they have so much money. Well, you know, they’re on the hook for a million bucks. So the alternative is you’re giving away $2,700. So you got to you got to hedge against the million being, you know, a relevant opportunity. The $313,000 from the rocket is way more likely than the million of going out. Do you do you think the 313 is more likely than this? Oh, by miles by I don’t even think that’s close. I mean, that could possibly happen. No way. Yes. Get out of here. This is impossible. The 313 is impossible. I I I don’t think it is. I mean, it’s 313 is impossible. That’s never happening. I do agree. I agree. This is by orders of magnitude more more unlikely. That’s what they’ve but they they Do you think we should start to come up with impossible contest? I mean, this is the problem. You know, I’m not suggesting we’re like Mother Teresa here and just bringing it like, you know, incredibly benevolent, but like the prizes for we’re we’re a nice little company. The prizes for some of our pools approximate this thousand gift card by a good chunk. They have one playoffs a year. We have four majors, women’s majors. I’m not tooting our own horn here. It’s more to suggest how like just puny. A,000 bucks is for the main league to even to even add to your your point. Thousand bucks from the company a company they own. Yes. They’re actually not giving you anything because it’s just $1,000 of merchandise that they won’t get get profit from. Yeah. They’re just put taking money and putting it in one from taking from one pocket and putting in the other. And then you know what? If you go to the PGA Tour Superstar and and and your total is $1,020, then they make 20 bucks off of you. that that’s not how it works. So, they would lose money on that transaction, but if you spent $2,000, you know, they they probably would make money on that. Um, God, incredible. I I just I don’t know how they keep doing this. I feel like we’ve been a little too hard on the PGA tour lately. Maybe not too hard, but like it’s been too hard. We’ve been ausive. We’ve been working the speed bag, I think, a little bit between the Mr. 1000 thing, the Rory rule or supposed legitimacy. You have been working this. No one No one else is upset about Mr. 1000. For the record, DJ and I are excited. I’m happy day. I just I don’t I really don’t think you are. I really I really think you’re just you’re ready to tear down this monumental achievement. I’m not tearing anything down. I’m sick of the tour, you know, pissing on us and telling us it’s raining. That’s that’s essentially what they do. And you know, I have actually I’ve come maybe I’m just old and beaten down. I don’t really care about the playoffs anymore. Like I’m fine with it. I I’m actually have more fatigue of people suggesting how the playoffs could be fixed than I have of the actual playoffs. Like it’s fine. They’ve always been fine. They’re never going to be that great. But like I’m sick of like people saying, “Yeah, did they screw up going to Memphis?” Yes, they did. I don’t think that’s great. But like I wouldn’t say I’m jazzed for this weekend or next, but they’re fine. I think like the discourse around how they need to be tweaked is gotten fatiguing. Is that fair? Have you Have you heard uh my big proposal that they should go to match play? I’ve heard that. That was my whole point with the Rory rule. Like I just like I’m sick like Rory’s there or not there or Scotty’s there not there. I don’t need to talk about rules and tweaks anymore. When are we getting our first uh influencer video about the tour going to match play for the playoffs? Here’s my idea. Probably at the Creator Classic now. So, day one. You think they’re going to have the creators ranking the FedEx Cup as the number one trophy in sports while standing next to the Stanley Cup again? Or is that can we play that one out? I gota say completely fine. We just need to get over the angst of it. Like it will being called the playoffs. It will never be the premier event in golf. It won’t even be the premier PJ tour event. It’s the players. That’s what it is. And just maybe I’m just beaten down and I don’t I don’t care to fight this fight anymore. You know, I was I took a walk around where I grew up this morning. It was delightful. Good. Walked down just staring over one of the great bodies of water in the world, Lake Michigan. Great lake. And I uh and I popped BP and afterwards I you know I put it on my Instagram story. Afterwards, I felt a little bad. It’s like maybe I’m being too harsh on like Gary, but after the way you’re treating Cam Young and the Mr. 1000, I don’t feel bad. You’re just trying to tear him down every episode. I’m not tearing anything down. Three straight episodes where you’re tearing Cam Young down. I don’t tear anything. Home of a great lake and live Bowling Brook. That’s what you got going for. You got a great weekend. Live Bowling Brook. Yeah, you should go. I mean like the problem is that they’re just so irrelevant. We don’t even have time to get worked up about them. The IR that like I mean John Rob had some comments of like well I think we should get OWGR points certain level and then we’ll see and adjust based on like well okay how about he he essentially said how about we change it nothing and you give us some points and then tell us how much more we could get if we decide to have a cut or decide to add more players or relegation. It’s like I this is I’m paraphrasing but I’m not st inaccurately stating anything here. Just we’re going to change nothing. Give us some level of points that we can agree upon and then we’ll increase that as if we make adjustments. You know what’s wild to me is we just talked for 15 minutes about how incompetent the PGA Tour is and how there’s a tour that makes the PGA tour look like they have everything together. like like the fact that the other tour that’s got billions of dollars at their disposal is somehow more incompetent. I I enjoy the I I don’t want to say that I I I have a moderate level of interest of watching the playoffs. I don’t forive Bowling Brook. I It’s It’s unserious. It’s unserious. I’m sorry. What was this? They got an Island Green though. They What hole is that? I think it’s like 15. Okay. Okay. I to be I if I’m wrong, I haven’t been to the golf course since 2003. So, just want to be clear, I I’ve not been there since I played the AJ event the like the week after it opened. Um yeah, uh on the subject of live, uh we have Swafford has come up for air. He’s got some thoughts. He’s alive. He’s got some thoughts. He went on the the subpar podcast, our colleagues in the podcast game. Uh subpar, fellow podcasters. I think this is where Aiden got aggregated. Um he said he got a five-year ban based on 2022. He played in five events, uh you know, before resigning his membership. And then so he got a fiveyear ban is how he’s he’s kind of doing the math. said, quote, “I know they’re basing, you know, his five-year ban, basing that on a couple people’s contracts being up after the 26th season, referring to live golfers, fellow live golfers, so they can kind of change the rules in favor of everybody coming back. So, waiting for contracts to run out and everybody can come back.” Um, but on the subject of his return, there’s no more opposite field events. They’re reducing fields. I would go ahead and bet they say the past champions category he’s won three times is pretty much done going forward after this year too. We can agree or disagree but it just seems like that and they’ve kind of told me. So Andy our beloved past champions category if Hudson Swafford’s signaling anything may be going the way of the Dodo bird as well. What will Ryan Palmer ever do? Bran Sneder ever do. Um the past champs Jim Herman might not have got a spot last week. Um, I’m worried about, you know, I think they should welcome Swafford with, you know, open arms. He’s been such a standout player um on the uh on the live circuit. Uh he was a wild guy. Looking it up here. He Let’s see where he’s at. Was he on a defunct a team that no longer exists? Was he a nibck at some point? And then he’s awful. like he it’s like he went there and forgot how to play golf. Well, he got hurt then he got hurt the second year. But yeah, um he then he had this howitzer of a quote. We knew there would be some repercussions, he said of when he left. I knew I’d be suspended for a little while. Didn’t know how long. There were definitely some unknowns there. I didn’t think it would be this fractured this long to be honest with you. I don’t think any of us did. I think the game needs to come together. I don’t know how it is going to come together. As a golf fan, you want to see the best playing together. I don’t think this fracture is good for the game. But on the P flip side, the PJ tour needed to be shanked up a bit. This man sounds like a absolute blistering [ __ ] I I just want to remind people he’s the one who left and he sued the tour and then tried to have an injunction and was sitting outside TPC Southwind. Yes. Waiting to play. Waiting to go drive in after he left. A mopey little boy in the car waiting to go through the gates and play. We need to come back together. Well, you sued the PGA tour. I don’t think this fracture is good for the game. Take $40 million or whatever you got. You then turned around to sue the tour. As this is like as as someone concerned about my health, you’d like to get in shape, but I don’t think eating these four Big Macs a day is good for myself. I mean, you did this. You created the fracture. I’d love to see them playing together. This ain’t good. The fracture. Anyways, that’s something suspended for five. You’ve created the fracture and you effectively have nowhere to play and you think we, you know, it’s time for everybody to come together. But also, the tour needed to be shanked up a bit. knowing you were the one. You were just the the the warrior Hudson Swafford coming through to shank up the world order, create a new better world for everybody else. It was Hudson Swafford. Hudson Swafford when he left, I was like, “Oh, things need to change.” It wasn’t when DJ or Brooks or Cam Smith went away or Phil. It was when Hudson Swaffford left that I was like the tour needed this some insane quotes. But to be fair, he said I’m on a podcast and we’ve said equally insane. Sometimes you get going with the microphone. Podcasts are where the domain of some insane moronic things which I’ve said many many times. Look what Lucas Glover says on his radio show. But but thanks to that shanking segue ratings ratings better than ever. I don’t really have anything to add to this. This got really paraded around too much this week. CBS had his best year since 2018. Crushed it. Killed it. You know who is the was the face on many of those graphics that CBS had their their best year. Well, the most recent winner. It wasn’t because he’s the needle. Get out of here. I I don’t know if you can definitively say that actually. You know, you know who I bet was pretty happy. Who? Man, we sure are spitballing, aren’t we, Rich? Andy Whites rumbling around bull in a china shop. Um yeah, Don Rya. Don Rehea really ruined the summer of uh spitballing. We’ll see. We still got still got tour championship. Who knows what he might be doing. You think spitballing gets on the deis for the press conference in two weeks? Hey, you know, he worked at a on riskreward. Is he the one who cooked up this insane contest where there’s zero risk and it’s just promo legitimately impossible contest? Do you think anybody has a third on on their on their list? Any any of these entries? Do you think it’s I mean it literally it might already be over because if nobody has a that high. Um all right, in other news, Amelia Duran got knocked out of the women’s AM. This has been great. uh prime time viewing sorry Wednesday night uh last night and now that’ll be on Thursday night or Friday night if you’re listening to this and with a late late Sunday finish pretty good pretty good US women’s am viewing from band and dunes uh that is ongoing though it’s round to 16 as we talk so kind of a moot point to to discuss it by the time it it gets released but um been good viewing I think Maxi lost Duran lost so uh getting a few of the headliners. Jasmine Coup is still in. So, uh, some good good prime time cocktail golf going on to close out the week. That’s Kelly lost, huh? She did. She did. Mega Gan is still involved. Meag Gan. God, talk about the changing face, changing, you know, tides of amateur golf. It’s got Ernston Young on the hat, Polo on the shirt, Delta on the sleeve. She’s kitted kitted out with lots of sponsors. uh Meagan, but she’s still involved. Um if you didn’t want to if you wanted to have, you know, something for [ __ ] cocktail golf, but didn’t want to feel the full effects, didn’t want to have to deal with it the next day, might I suggest a little best day brewing? This has been Can I share something? Do you have that? Do you have that direct message from somebody that that I’ve got it if you need it? I uh I I don’t have it anymore. I lost it, but I could I could uh I could summarize it. Andy and Brendan reaching out to see if you can get me on Chicago Golf and Congo. Huh, kidding. Actually reaching out because my wife Katie and I are taking a year break from drinking alcohol. And best day brewing is hands down the best NA beer we’ve had so far. We’ve had the Kulch, Electrolime, and White. They are no [ __ ] Copyright Brendan. Legit tasty, I guess. Do I say that all the time? No. Um, you do say that. I’m sorry. You say that when we do you do that’s a a common refrain for ad reads. Well, I don’t want to be the boy who cried wolf. I want to say what I No [ __ ] No [ __ ] This is great crafts people ship. All right. Honestly, my only complaint is that I want to have a couple each night when for most NA beers I have just one since they don’t taste very good. going to be on pins and needles tomorrow for PJ’s Cameo and Vise to become Mr. Unleas. So, this was from the end of last week. A year break from drinking alcohol. Sounds like best day may be a big uh elixir to help him get across the line there. I I’m on a little bit of a run. August, finished a uh started August, finished that vacation. I’ve been just leaning heavily into Best Day. I had two electrolimes last night. They were fabulous. They were fabulous. Hit it. Hit it couple times this week. went to lunch with somebody today at a brewery and he was interested in having a beer. I was like, “All right, well, I guess I gotta get a beer. I’m at a brewery.” I went with another NA. Didn’t have best day. Let me tell you, difference was best day and night. This was piss in a can. It was a can. Was not best day after my electroly last night. Way worse. And we’ve got firsthand testimony from uh Katie and I didn’t get the fella’s name. Uh I don’t know. Doesn’t Chris. Okay. Um, you can join the join the crew. Go to bestdayb brewing.com. Use the promo code fried egg 20. You get 20% off. Offer excludes subscription orders. Uh, you get better nights sleep, 2/3 less calories from the NA beer. You can do the little zebra striping thing you talked about where maybe you are you’re on and off, off, off and on. Little buzz, little taste, little one with the with the unled whatever you want. It gives you a little break, you know? I uh it was funny. Last night I was out and about and I needed but the the the place I went didn’t have any NA beers. I needed best day because I wanted to keep going but I didn’t I was I was supposed to have an early morning golf tea time but I didn’t want to get didn’t want to get too jazzed up for the early morning golf. So I had to just I had to just train throttle down with water. I need to be sold the on the effects of zebra striping still. I don’t know if I’m I’m I’m buying that yet. It’s like Oh, it’s either in or out. Totally. It’s like you’re half pregnant. Like you’re either good because like you know what it does is it keeps you from getting over the edge. It keeps you from going no matter what. The ones you mix in are so they they just they they they throttle you down. You get in trouble when you get on the runaway train. Yeah, I guess that’s true. I mean, I just Yeah. All right. I I I’ll We’ll talk about it another time. Bestdaybwing.com. Promo codes Friday 20. They’re sponsoring SGSolf Advice. Right now, we got a lot of uh a lot of emails coming in. I’m going to start with Max. His his his subject line is, “Am I a bad father?” Uh from MJ, 37, father to two girls, three and six, no interest in fighting. Live in the outer London area. So, an international submission could be, you know, offend any sensibilities over there. On a recent Sunday, my wife took our eldest into London for a day out at the Tate Modern to encourage her blossoming interest in art. I’ve been to the Tate Modern. Good place. I was left to decide how to occupy the youngest for the day. without protestation from the rest of the family to contend with and influenced by champions tour minute. I decided to take the short drive down to Sunnydale to wi with her to see some of the final day of the senior open. We had sandwiches in the first two grand sanding Ernie stripe his drive before venturing out to the 16th green for ice cream. Getting there just in time to see Monty carve his approach into three feet. We got some great f pictures with Heather, the the the term correct usage, she said in parenthesis, actual Heather. And I admired the beautiful course. My daughter’s attention span waning, we hiked back to the clubhouse, dodging Anhill Cabera’s group to buy a souvenir golf ball before a snooze in the car on the way home. It wasn’t until the next day I realized it had been the England women’s Euro final in Switzerland where the Lioness’s secured an epic win on penalties. the event completely passing me by. My question is, should I have engaged my daughter with this moment of national sporting drama rather than take her to watch a bunch of grandpas collect their pension? Uh PJ, do you have any retort for this or or answer? I think you might have seen some national sporting drama. I mean, how could you not? Patrick Harington called it one of the best wins of his career. He’s deeply emotional. I mean, was there walking around? Yeah, Rory was there. Rory Rory took it seriously. Uh I think I don’t think you’re a bad dad. I think you’re a great dad. I remember going to go go to the 2009 uh US Open at Beth Page to see Padre Harrington with my dad. It’s something I still remember. So you got to share this with your daughter, seeing Padrick Harrington. It’s great. Think also him being there with his daughter. Rory might have seen them and that might inspire Rory to play the Champions Tour because he’ll see, look, they’re still inspiring the youth here, growing the game. Well, you know, I I think we might need a lot more than that to inspire Rory to play the Champions Tour, but it’s on my list. It’s on my to-do list. What do we need? That’s a separate golf advice, I suppose. What could we What could we offer? I don’t think you’re bad dad for doing this. No, I would just add way better to have your kid outside than in front of the TV. That’s exactly what what I was going to say outside walking around instead of sitting on the couch watching TV frolicking in the Heather. Great time. That’s where that’s the distinction I would make. And there’ll be plenty of women’s soccer matches to watch, you know, with your lionesses. Does Euro even matter? I mean, they got so many cups over there, so many summer tournaments. I don’t mean to disparage and just diminish something, you know. What’s the biggest one? UEFA Champions League is the biggest. That’s that’s that’s teams. Euro is country. Yeah. I don’t know if that I don’t know if the women’s soccer team is good for England. I assume they are if they won, but like England the men historically are like terrible. So I think it’s always a big deal when they’re in the final, but they always somehow lose. Men always choke, right? Yes. That’s the rep. Fitz was flying down from Yeah. Last You remember the last one? fits one’s Genesis Scottish and had to get to London or Wembley. Sounds like a diet World Cup. So, I mean European teams. Yeah. Yeah. What’s the big deal? I need a hierarchy on soccer cups. I can’t keep it straight. What’s the one called like co copa? What’s it called? That’s the North America concaf. Yeah. Yeah. Kaf. And then you got your Euro, you got your Premier League, your your Well, now you’re mixing you’re mixing club and country. Well, that’s all the same sport. I mean, this is preposterous. Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. There was one week this year World Cup this spring where Tottenham won something. Your little Crystal Palace boys you like PJ won something. And then Liverpool won something. And I looked at the table and like Tottenham stinks this year. They were bad. But then like they were parading around like they had just, you know, won the NBA championship. There’s too many cups. There’s too many cups. Tottenham son is leaving coming to LA FC. Look at all the soccer knowledge. Wow. Look at us. Impressive actually. Dialed in. Too many cups. Um what’s our next golf? So, I I bumped into a GM that recently traded a player to um an arch rival of the Cubs, and I I I almost said something to him about, “Thanks for giving away that guy, but I with restrained myself.” I like it was on the tip of my tongue. I just was standing there thinking about saying it. I regret it deeply that I didn’t say something. That guy, the guy probably has to deal with chat like that all the time. He doesn’t need it from Andy. Um, next one from Charles. Custom embroidered bag. 361 kid and always willing to defend myself if need be. I should note we may have some merchandise coming in in very short order that that that plays off of this no interest in fighting bit that has just organically taken on uh the SGS culture. Uh, this is Charles. I recently won my club’s member guest with my dad in upstate New York. No sandbagging. I promise. We shot 72 net 726968. One of the rewards is a custom embroidered golf bag with the club’s logo. An engraving along the lines of quote 2025 member guest champion. I’m relocating for work and it begs the question, is this custom embroidered bag ever viable option to use after the move? Would it even be an option to use at my current club if I wasn’t moving? Quite simply, would one have to be a complete douchebag to ever use such a custom embroidered bag? My gut tells me this bag is just going to sit and collect dust in my garage. Thanks and love Charlie. Um I I can’t gep this kind of stuff anymore. Everybody just do whatever you want. Live your life. It’s a big world out there with different strokes for different folks, you know. I’m so sick there. We have like entire podcasts and and what feels like beats dedicated to like how many logos you’re supposed to wear or can you wear a logo and where do you wear a logo? Do you get the head cover? Is it permissible? Like I I think there’s some sense sensibility and certain lines you should you should probably understand, but they’re personal to each p to everyone. Um, if it’s a good bag, it’s wellmade, you find it light and comfortable to use, use it. Does this matter, Andy, that it’s custom embroidered, he’s going to a different club. It’s also you are a member. I mean, that’s even adds further validity. And you won the member guest. I think it’s fine. Maybe it’s a, you know, maybe you trot it out next year at the member guest. I don’t know. I mean, would I probably use it? No. Um, that’s the thing though is this is the hard part about gifts and and trophies and stuff is like, you know, like I don’t know. I’m probably not going to use anything you give me. I got to figure out what to do with the Happy Gilmore putter. I want it in the replica. We should do a raffle. We should see if people can guess the one through 30 of the FedEx cup. And if somebody does, we should give them that putter. Like I want to give it to somebody. you mean something. And then like the kid just like can’t wait to rip the wrapper off and like waste it and bang it against the wall. I’m trying to like prevent it. Um yeah, use the bag. I don’t care. It does not matter. You’re fine. If you think it’s a douchy move, then don’t do it. Um all right. This is from Ryan. Extra extra stroke after a extra strokes after a parents stroke. Hey Andy Brendan and the boys 39, father one from New England. so have a predisposition for fighting but would rather talk my way out of it. On July 1, my dad had a stroke and they discovered a rare blood condition. He spent four days in intensive care and 20 days in the hospital. The positive he is through the hardest days and working towards a full recovery. I first want to thank you guys because SGS open championship and the we don’t want to toot our own horn but helped him get through some dark days. I have an annual golf trip with 15 friends coming up the week before Labor Day. We have 16 guys coming from over 10 states and this year we’re going to Sand Valley. Great little buddies trip. We booked three years ago and everything has been paid in advance and his doctors talking about his dad’s doctors have said it’s safe for me to go to the middle of absolute nowhere Wisconsin for the week so I’ll be there. My question is with everything I’ve been through the last month should I ask for my handicap to be adjusted for the trip? I am currently a 5.7, but have played one round in the last month. And other than my nightly hour of chipping and putting after leaving the hospital decompressed, I haven’t had time to work on my game. The last two trips, I’ve played as my team’s number one or number two player. But if I go in as a five handicap, I will anchor in the wrong way for my squad that’s on a three-year losing streak. I think it’s fair to have me play off a seven or an eight. But what is the best way to approach this with everyone? because we have uh because we both have we have both the team and individual title every year and I don’t want to use life events to steal a win, but also don’t want to spend the last half of our five days at Sand Valley being a pissed-off Boston prick because I’m getting steamrolled by matches with strokes with the group of guys who are higher handicapped than me who don’t have a parent in the hospital. Most if not all of the group are SGS listeners, so you guys chime in. We’ll help us make a fair decision. Thanks for all you do. Um, Ryan from Boston. I I I am so happy to hear your father is seems like he’s through it and I’m sorry to hear that the last month has been tough. Your cap is your cap. I I I think your index is your index. Maybe I’m a cold-hearted bastard here, but like there’s a lot of things happen where you don’t get to play or practice. I I if you did this, if you went around the whole group, everybody come up with an excuse as to why they should be playing something. They somebody be like, “Oh, you know, uh my my putter is broken.” You know, I’ve been playing with a bum ankle. I can’t I can barely walk. And it’s not like I’m saying like, you know what, take I I need strokes to give strokes back. Is this from the curbside hooping incident still? Okay. It’s getting getting to getting closer to 100%. You’ll be ready for still haven’t run on it. So, um but but like this is the thing. You don’t just your handicapped as you said, your handicap’s your handicap. Yeah. Uh like you have a very substantive and legitimate excuse for like why you haven’t been playing much golf and you may not like it may not precisely reflect your first round back. It might. I don’t know. Like the number is a number and it’s a slippery slope once you start. Now I granted you have probably much more legitimate excuses for for not being able to play. But the number is the number and I don’t think you can start just manually saying I think I’m a seven or an eight because I haven’t been able to play. So that’s my official advice for everybody on the trip. I’m sorry if that feels a little too rigid. Um anything else? We want to get out of here. PJ I think we get out of here. We’re under an hour. That’s a rarity these days. It’s Friday. Yeah. Not a lot of Memphis talk. I’m going to be going to be on vacation for a while. How long’s a while? You coming back like Ryder Cup? When are you going to be back? I don’t know. I don’t know. You’re scaring people. No, we’ll have a few. Maybe Caves Valley Sunday. Well, that’s not that far away. I’m supposed to call in from the car. Maybe this Sunday. Who knows? Maybe. Yeah, let us know. You might TBD back do the swamp ass Invitational. We’ll see. You’re going to take a few days. You haven’t taken any days this year. So, you’re going to take next week off. Oh, yeah. We We’ll try. We’ll try. All right. Pray for me. You know, I will I’ll say a prayer for you. Just toughest life in the world. Pray Pray for no vacation. Just worked work to death, you know. PJ, are you worried about the Mets? Yes, I’m worried about the Mets. They’re playing the Brewers. What kind of question is that? I got body bagged by the Guardians. It’s bad. The Brewers. Andy texted me last night. Do you think the Mets can beat the Brewers? No, I don’t think the Mets can beat the Brewers. Like, what are we doing here? On August 5th, I got a text, let the record reflect, from PJ saying, “I think they’re done. Horrible body language, zero vibes. I think they’re just done. They don’t have it and they know it.” So, this is August 5th. I would hate for it to be, you know, October 10th and you’re just rolling and you’re going on the NLCS. What was it? The Grizzler. We’ll be the Rizzler. The Rizzler. Yeah, we need to roll the Rizzler back out. No, I just bad bad bad vibes. Bad vibes all around here. Everybody’s got bad vibes except for the the Brewers who just made a deal with the devil. And you know what do you think the Rizzlers going to be at the tour championship? That feels like something that that is a thousand% on the table, actually. I don’t know who the Rizler is, but seems like something they could do. Um, all right, that does it for this Friday edition of the Shotgun Start. Everyone, enjoy your weekends. Thank you so much. Hey, we had a great week this week with Cam Young, Discourse, History, Discourse, 40. Fun fun week. Uh, thank you for your support allowing us to do that. We’ll be back. What? PJ, you want to say something? Uh, 40 40 made the Cam Young. congratulatory video. I don’t know if you guys see that, but I I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it. Congrats to him. We’ll be back Monday to talk about the first leg of the FedEx Cup.