The Shotgun Start

Andy and Brendan load in for an all-time round of Contender or Pretender as we head to the final round of the 2026 Masters. They discuss Rory McIlroy losing his six-shot lead with haste, as a host of talented chasers came and went at him on the leaderboard on Saturday, none more so than Cameron Young, much to PJ Clark’s delight. They run through the entire board, including sheriff of the fair poli...

Andy and Brendan are buzzing after a Friday sprint to the finish from Rory McIlroy, who set history with the largest 36-hole lead by making birdies in six of his last seven holes. They discuss the finish, how he’s elevated his game and brain at Augusta, a place that seems ready to give him it all now, and how far back is too far back with this margin. They run through the list of very game chasers...

Andy and Brendan are live in Augusta to recap a full day on the ground at the first round of the Masters. It’s early, but the course is in exquisite condition and primed for a stupendous final 54 holes. They ponder if the course conditions, which are firm with no real moisture on the horizon, could prompt some player complaints or a become a situation worth #monitoring over the next three days. Th...

After two days taking in the sights, sounds, and scuttlebutt of Augusta National, Andy and Brendan have returned to preview the 2026 Masters. They begin with an overview of the course setup and delightful weather forecast for this week before diving into the top contenders. Things kick off with Rory McIlroy, who enters the week as the defending champion for the first time ever. Rory is described a...

Andy and Brendan! have made it to Augusta and are ready to hit the ground running for the first major of 2026. After a long travel day, there's still plenty of excitement for this year's Masters as each shares what they're looking forward to the most this week. Brendan suggests that a certain Guy may be the only player with enough juice to really energize the crowd late on Sunday, while Andy is ju...

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of perhaps the greatest Masters ever, Andy, Brendan!, and Kevin Van Valkenburg present a special Flashback Friday episode covering Sunday at the 1986 Masters. After some opening chatter about Illinois basketball and Rory Sabbatini's 50th birthday, the three spend over two hours discussing the final round that led to a sixth green jacket for Jack Nicklaus. They sha...

With Andy on the road, Brendan! is joined by various members of the Fried Egg Golf team for a Wednesday medley episode. He opens by himself following the latest news from Tiger Woods, who announced he was stepping away from the game to seek treatment and focus on his health. Brendan provides the latest on the situation before transitioning into a previously recorded segment with Kevin Van Valkenbu...

Welcome back to Golf's Preeminent Victory Monday Podcast! Andy and Brendan went LIVE on YouTube for this recording, with Brendan calling it a Victory Monday for everyone in the golf world after Gary Woodland's win in Houston. Andy is celebrating a Victory Monday for other reasons as the Fighting Illini are Final Four bound for the first time in 21 years. After some technical hiccups and debate abo...

Andy, Brendan, and Kevin Van Valkenburg react to Tiger Woods's arrest for DUI after a rollover car crash in Jupiter, Florida on Friday. They discuss the arrest, the public reaction, the media's responsibility for the current Tiger arc, and Tiger's future - whether it be at next week's Masters, his role on the PGA Tour's Future Competitions Committee or beyond. See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

It’s whiparound Friday once again with Andy anxious about his Illini. Brendan begins with some stories about Jonathan Kaye, who is playing a Korn Ferry Tour event this week on a medical exemption at the age of 55. They dig into the wildly amusing story of an alleged two-month suspension for Kaye and ponder what it would take in the modern era for such a disciplinary action. Then they get into some...

Tiger Woods made an unexpected "return" to "professional golf" on Tuesday night, so Andy and Brendan! once again went LIVE on YouTube in his honor. They initially react to LAGC's blowout win over Jupiter Links in Match 2 of the TGL Finals, ending Tiger's comeback early and sending Tom Sim packing until next season. There are takeaways from the second season of TGL, ideas for the league's future, a...

Welcome to yet another Victory Monday episode of The Shotgun Start! Andy and Brendan went LIVE on YouTube on Monday morning to recap the Valspar, LIV South Africa, and more. Andy and PJ are rolling into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, so a brief Basketball Minute kicks off the show. Brendan shares some tales from his experience at the first round in Philadelphia, where he learned that U...

Whiparound Fridays return as Andy and Brendan! record during the early window of NCAA Tournament Thursday. After a brief check-in on the Illini and Johnnies ahead of their first round games, attention turns to another tradition of spring: the reveal of the Masters Champions Dinner menu. Andy and Brendan share their thoughts about everyone else sharing *their* own thoughts on Rory McIlroy's selecti...

Andy and Brendan went live after a big TGL Tuesday night playoffs, with one delighting in Jupiter getting to the finals and another down in the dumps over Boston’s abdication of the No. 1 seed. They review the night that was down in the SoFi dome and ask some tough questions about the offseason, as well as Tiger’s team perhaps skirting roster rules. Then they get to the schedule of the week, with...

Andy and Brendan went LIVE on YouTube following the conclusion of the 2026 Players Championship, recapping an electric Sunday back nine that ended in Cameron Young's second PGA Tour victory. The two initially give some credit to "The Boys" after a week full of adversity in the AirBNB but came with the trade off of a big win for Mr. 1,000. Young defeated Matt Fitzpatrick following a blow up from 54...

We got a live rollicking one! Andy and Brendan went live after leaving the opening round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. They react to some early mover and shakers, Collin Morikawa’s instant WD, and how the course changed, evolved, and punched back at the players early in the championship. They react to Rory McIlroy giving it a run with his injury and Scottie Scheffler’s somewhat midd...

Andy and Brendan are LIVE outside TPC Sawgrass at The Players Championship and ready to review a full day of scuttlebutt, course scouting, and player assessments. They begin with some notes on a Sawgrass setup looking like an attempt to push the pros around in a major-like fashion, supporting the campaign to make this tournament a “major.” Then they discuss Five Guys to Monitor, and not monitor wi...

Andy and Brendan are just about ready to head down to Ponte Vedra for a "major" March event, but we've already missed out on one Players tradition! Andy can't believe that the yearly TPC Sawgrass arrival videos did not make it into Sunday's Arnold Palmer Invitational broadcast. NBC couldn't cut away from a duel between Daniel Berger and Akshay Bhatia on the back nine that ended with Akshay's third...

After a trip to the eye doctor, Andy is locked in for this Friday episode and is immediately thrilled by an unsubstantiated rumor from Brendan! about an ill-timed tattoo. PJ is out on a trip with his fellow Boy, leaving the two to recap Daniel Berger's stellar Thursday at Bay Hill by themselves. Andy and Brendan discuss signs of life from DB and Ludvig Åberg before debating whether the Arnold Palm...

Brendan! is on edge early in this episode ahead of a win-and-in Jupiter Links match rounding out TGL's regular season. He shares his favorite team's lineup for the match with Andy and highlights management's decision to send out Kevin Kisner for this pivotal moment in team history. Things quickly transition into the Schedule for the Week for another loaded weekend of outdoor golf. The PGA Tour ret...

Andy and Brendan! went LIVE on YouTube for a Victory Monday morning recording following a Ballfrogs win over Jupiter Links late Sunday night. Andy is buzzing now that the Frogs have locked up the number one seed in the TGL playoffs despite the best efforts of "Tom Sim" and Max Homa. This turned out to be a loaded weekend of pro golf with national opens across the globe and a Cognizant Classic that...

This Friday episode begins with an apology from Andy after a missed opportunity to discuss Kevin Roy (and his dad, Patrick) as part of our preview of The Cognizant Classic. Brendan moves things along to an early check-in at the South African Open where George Coetzee withdrew after a poor start, ending his run in this week's Game Within a Game. Another Game Within a Game participant is Ernie Els,...

Brendan! didn't make it down to Florida after all, leaving Andy and PJ to roam around the SoFi Dome by themselves for Monday's Ballfrogs match. Andy shares plenty of takeaways from his in-person experience, leading to a wider conversation regarding the future of TGL. What's next for the screen golf league after the ESPN TV deal expires? How can the in-person experience level up? Is there a risk of...

It is Victory Monday for Golf's Preeminent Gambling Podcast! Andy returns from vacation and immediately gives Brendan his flowers for picking Jacob Bridgeman to win the Genesis Invitational. PJ issues an apology for laughing at Brendan's belief in The Bridgeman, who cashed 100-1 tickets for bettors everywhere. Andy and Brendan recap the weekend at Riviera and shine a light on Bridgemans path to th...

Brendan! is joined by an on-site Kevin Van Valkenburg for this Friday episode honoring the Genesis Invitational. KVV shares some scenes from the practice rounds at Riviera before the rain came in and made much of Thursday's first round a wash. It wasn't a wash for this Gambling Podcast, as Rory McIlroy and Jacob Bridgeman both share the clubhouse lead as of this recording. Brendan spent the mornin...