The Loop

We caught up with eight-time Pro Bowl defensive back Patrick Peterson, one of the NFL’s best golfers, to chat about his best golf stories with Larry Fitzgerald, which includes the two changing in the car to go play Chicago Golf Club. Peterson tells us why Fitzgerald stopped playing him for money, how his handicap (and Aaron Rodgers’) might be a little iffy, plus what it’s like to play matches with...

David Duval returns to the podcast this week and this time he answers more than just one question. The former World No. 1 discussed his thoughts on the rollback announcement, life on the PGA Tour Champions and the time he carried Tiger Woods (and the time Tiger carried him). Plus, we preview the WGC-Match Play with Geoff Fienberg of Mayo Media Network. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See...

This week, David Duval joined us for one total question before his service got spotty and the call cut off (we promise he’ll be back next week). Fortunately, we were able make a call into the bullpen for Golf Digest’s resident swing nerd Luke Kerr-Dineen, who broke down all the chaos that is the USGA and R&A’s golf ball rollback announcement in great detail. We also recapped another “boring” win f...

Rocco Mediate, best known for his epic playoff loss against Tiger Woods at the 2008 U.S. Open, joins us live from his garage in Minnesota ahead of this week’s Players Championship. Mediate, now 60, was excited to announce that he plays from the senior tees now, and that his new SiriusXM radio show “The Rocco Hour” is set to debut this week. If the show is as lively as our chat with him, it should...

Live from Puerto Rico, Matt Every joins us ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which he famously won in back-to-back years in 2014 and 2015. Unfortunately, that didn’t earn him a spot in this year’s field, but Every is still chasing the dream at the Puerto Rico Open. The outspoken pro has also started a new podcast of his own, and is hopeful that he can return to TV when he eventually calls i...

The band is back together this week, with former Golf Digest reporter Dan Rapaport joining us ahead of the Honda Classic. Rapaport, now with Barstool Sports, takes us behind the scenes of Netflix’s new hit show “Full Swing,” which he stars in. He was one of the faces of the new Netflix series, which focuses on some of the PGA Tour’s young stars and gives an inside look at life on tour. We also rec...

NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher joined us to talk about his experience playing in the WM Phoenix Open pro-am for a third year. He tells us why Patrick Cantlay was a sneaky great pro to have on his team and he reveals which current MLB pitcher is the longest golfer he’s ever seen. Urlacher—who has played in the American Century Championship and will tee it up at the upcoming Invited Celebrity Clas...

Shane Ryan, Sam Weinman and Alex Myers will be your guides through the upcoming Netflix show "Full Swing." The trio will discuss what the show gets right, what feels a bit off and everything in between. With each episode, we'll have a podcast to break down everything you just saw, and there may be a special guest to wrap it all up. The show will be on our Local Knowledge feed , so make sure to sub...

Seven-time PGA Tour winner Xander Schauffele joins us this week ahead of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, a tournament he tied for third in just one year ago. This year, Schauffele is one of the tournament favorites despite a nagging back injury, though he tells us it’s been getting better and better each day. We also discussed his “stale” 2022 majors season, his scorching-hot late summer run an...

Ladies and gentlemen, we got him. After a decade-long chase, J.R. Smith finally joined this week’s pod and he brought the heat. From his fledgling college golf career to his time in the NBA to the time he rolled one off the first tee in a qualifier, no topic was off limits. The New Jersey native, once a legend on the court, now has his sights set on becoming a legend on the course. Plus, the boys...

Two-time World Long Drive champion Kyle Berkshire joins us on this week’s episode to discuss his sport’s return to television and why he still has dreams of playing pro golf. We also chat about his bromance with Bryson DeChambeau, who dipped his toe into the long-drive world in 2021 and plans to compete in more events in 2023. Plus, the boys recap Jon Rahm’s latest win and make a case for why Torr...

Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, one of our white whales, is our guest this week, and he had a lot to say, as always. The radio legend breaks down the art of the rant, the “First Take” moment that resonated with the masses and why the New York Yankees “had” to bring back Aaron Judge. The boys also hype up Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, complain about their wives, and, most importantly, give out thei...

For the first time in 2023, we welcome a tour pro to the podcast. Keith Mitchell, who won the 2019 Honda Classic, joins us from Hawaii, where he’ll be making his first start of the new year at the Sony Open. Mitchell was in great spirits, having just watched his Georgia Bulldogs dominate TCU 65-7 for a second straight national championship. After recapping the win, Mitchell told us his goals for t...

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by the “other” Scott Stallings and his wife Jenny, the two good Samaritans who got the real Scott Stallings’ Masters invitation in the mail. They tell us how the whole mix-up unfolded, and how it inadvertently got them their own invite to Augusta National in April. Plus, Andy Lack, our newest member of the Golf Digest betting panel, joins us to preview the Sent...

On this week’s episode, the boys recap another fun PNC Championship, where Tiger and Charlie Woods came up short but were as entertaining as ever. One week after wondering if his career might be over at The Match, Alex, Steve and CP are now fully back on the Tiger bandwagon, something many golf fans can relate to after his performance in Orlando. Plus, we rank our favorite screenshots of the year...

On this week’s episode, CP tells his harrowing tale of getting robbed over the weekend in Augusta, where he was working on an upcoming preview story for the Masters. Fortunately, he was not harmed, and his wallet, phone and laptop (and Knicks hat) are all safe. The boys also recap The Match with Tiger, Rory, JT and Spieth, breaking down what was good and not-so-good about the made-for-TV event. Fi...

On this week’s episode, the great Kelly in Vegas from Barstool Sports joins us to talk all things football, and even a little golf as we gear up for The Match, where Tiger Woods is set to make his return. Kelly shares her favorite plays for the upcoming bowl games, the one thing you should NEVER do when betting on college football, and the lock of all locks in the Army-Navy game. Plus, Alex, Steve...

A short-lived but lively chat with Ben Higgins, of “The Bachelor” fame, highlights this week’s episode. Higgins, now better known as a celebrity golfer, tells us how he got over a recent bout of the S-words (rhymes with thanks), and how his hole-in-one from last March ended up being one of the cheaper holes-in-one we’ve ever heard of. Plus, the boys make their Hero World Challenge and NFL Week 13...

On a slow golf week, Augusta National made major news with the significant changes the club has made to its iconic par-5 13th hole. Alex, Steve and Christopher debate whether or not the extra length makes the hole better or worse, and whether or not it will still be a momentous hole on the back nine on Sunday. Plus, we discuss Jon Rahm’s comments on the Official World Golf Ranking, the rigged form...

Former tour winner turned teaching pro Stan Utley joins this week’s episode of the podcast and reveals how he was able to pull off the impossible - fixing Charles Barkley’s golf swing. Utley, once known as a short game and putting guru, is now best known for repairing the Round Mound of Rebound’s hitch, which has gained him all sorts of cred in the teaching pro streets. He’s also worked with the l...

Former NFL running back Danny Woodhead joins this week’s episode to recap his epic week as a club tester at the Golf Digest Hot List, where he hit thousands of golf shots with all the latest and greatest sticks (00:17:05). Plus, he gives us an A+ Bill Belichick story from his time in New England, and dishes on the biggest “trap game” of his career, which involves a request from his wife. Finally,...

Fresh off caddieing in last week’s Bermuda Championship, ESPN+ and Golf Channel announcer Doug Smith joins The Loop to tell us about the experience. He’s also played Tony Finau for cash recently (only getting one a side!), so Smith tells us what it’s like to play with Finau. Plus, he has some hilarious stories from the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla when he almost took out Jim Furyk in the park...

Germany’s Yannik Paul joins the pod fresh off his maiden DP World Tour win at the Mallorca Open, where he drained a long birdie putt on the 72nd hole to secure a one-shot victory. The 28-year-old broke down his wild final round and told us about his future goals, which include making the 2023 European Ryder Cup team. Plus, the boys have a New York Yankees funeral, Alex recaps a tough Golf Digest M...

Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington joins us and reminds us that there may be nobody better to talk golf with than him. We covered everything from his burgeoning PGA Tour Champions career to his run at the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island and much more. He even eloquently answered one of the dumber injury-related questions ever asked (blame CP). Plus, we make our Week 7 NFL picks, C...

Former NFL lineman turned podcaster Ross Tucker joins us to break down a wild week of football, which featured some bogus roughing the passer penalties. He also tells us a hilarious story of Bill Parcells telling him to pack his bags after he got hurt playing golf. Plus, the boys make their Week 6 NFL picks, bow to now two-time PGA Tour winner Tom Kim and look ahead to the Zozo Championship. As al...