How the Tour wrecked the Honda, Scottie’s magic shot, and Flashback to “carnival golf” in Palm Beach

Feb 26, 2026

They argue that modern Tour setups and overseeding have turned tough courses into easy, TV-friendly layouts and damaged classic venues. They spotlight a rising KFT name and how Tour marketing can manufacture stars. There is talk of Scottie Scheffler’s high-launch “bridging” shot and a nostalgia-rich flashback to the wind-blown 1991 Honda Classic.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Overseed Made Cognizant Look Good But Play Easy

PGA National overseed and Tour setup choices have turned Cognizant into a visually green but easier scoring event on TV.
Shane Lowry argued overseeding makes the course look great on broadcast while inflating scoring to 20-under winning totals.

INSIGHT

Tour Championship Management Alters Course Character

Brendan Porath argues the PGA Tour's Championship Management often alters courses to favor green-on-TV aesthetics at the expense of architecture and challenge.
He cited Jockey Club commentary errors and a pattern of the Tour 'molesting golf courses' to fit broadcast goals.

INSIGHT

Big Void In Breakout Young Seasons Since 2010

Data Golf shows a noticeable void in breakthrough young seasons since the early wave of McIlroy, Spieth, Thomas and Hovland.
Brendan highlighted that post-2010 peaks from 21-24-year-olds have been rare outside a few outliers like Hovland and Morikawa.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

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, who Andy claimed "looked a little husky" on the range. This Ernie discussion ushers in a brand-new Champions Tour Minute after Andy and PJ heard from a well-placed source that the "next big thing" on the senior circuit is not Tiger Woods or Zach Johnson, but another 50-year-old waiting to make his debut. The bulk of this episode focuses on some comments from pre-tournament press conferences at The Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. Shane Lowry believes that the overseed course setup by the Tour's Championship Management has dramatically altered this event from a tough test to now something that looks green on television. Billy Horschel tried to shift the blame off the Tour and to the resort at PGA National, but Andy and Brendan aren't giving them the benefit of the doubt. This issue with the setups is even further exemplified at this week's KFT event at the Jockey Club, with Andy saying that the Tour has "completely ruined so many places." Ryan Gerard, the betting favorite at this event, also had some things to say before he teed off. Gerard has been a focus of the Tour's marketing efforts this week and Brendan thinks this can be a model for future "PGA-B" events potentially making stars. Gerard shared a story about playing with Scottie Scheffler and how Scottie manages to bridge the gap between clubs by playing a high-launching shot. Gerard has been chasing that shot and believes he has it, hoping that it'll lead to success at the majors this year. Brendan then shares a Flashback Friday segment on the 1991 Honda Classic, won by Steve Pate. This story has it all, including a legendary overclub challenge by Paul Azinger and a scorekeeper finding a lost ball. A Golf Advice email about guarding Michael Jordan in a JV basketball game closes out this show - send your own stories to sgsgolfadvice@gmail.com for an upcoming showcase episode!

Visit ⁠Cobalt⁠ and use code "FRIEDEGGPOD15" for 15% off: https://cobalt-golf.com/discount/FRIEDEGGPOD?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fdiscountable-products