The Shotgun Start

They riff on Tony Finau’s new Jordan Brand look and how fashion shapes golf culture. They cover Patrick Reed’s move from LIV to the DP World Tour and his planned PGA return. They debate whether LIV is collapsing after roster shifts and media miscues. They react to Brooks Koepka’s stumbling round back at Torrey Pines and the frenzy around returning players.

Brooks Koepka’s emotional return to the PGA Tour and a contentious press conference get unpacked. Over/unders for his 2026 calendar and possible signature events are tossed around. A theory that the Tour is spotlighting him to lure other stars sparks debate. Plus TGL power rankings, five players to watch at Torrey Pines, one-and-done tournament picks, LPGA season kickoff, and a suspension story on the DP World Tour.

Scottie Scheffler’s hot start and ruthless Sunday play after winning in Palm Springs. The rise of 18-year-old Blades Brown and course volatility that shaped the leaderboard. Patrick Reed’s surprise DP World Tour win and hints about his 2026 plans. Champions Tour broadcast drama and a rant about remote production values. LIV Awards highlights and where top players might be headed.

Kevin Van Valkenburg, a skilled newsletter writer, shares his insights on unforgettable clutch golf shots and moments that often get overlooked. He delves into dramatic shots from legends like Phil Mickelson and Greg Norman, discussing their high-stakes situations. The conversation also touches on Rory McIlroy’s thoughts on fines and a humorous comparison between Brooks Koepka and Eli Manning. Listeners will enjoy tales from golf history mixed with light-hearted banter about pop culture and upcoming events.

This Wednesday episode was recorded early on Tuesday due to Keegan Bradley Bobblehead Night at Madison Square Garden demanding PJ's attendance. Andy and Brendan wonder what other St. John's legends have bobbleheads available, but PJ is most excited to see a Boston sports icon get honored at the World's Most Famous Arena. With a lack of press conference quotes from Palm Springs to discuss, Brendan immediately begins with the Schedule for the Week, beginning with the American Express. This event has a loaded field with many top players beginning their seasons including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Andy believes that the Signature Event model has actually enhanced the non-Signature Events as more top-tier players are in need of FedEx Cup points. One-and-done picks are made as Brendan looks to stay hot off a runner-up finish at the Sony. Andy debuts a new segment, "5 Guys to Watch (For Reasons)" and highlights some players to keep an eye on this week. Attention then turns to the Dubai Desert Classic where European Ryder Cup stars will compete this weekend. After discussing some notables for this event, the two continue on and chat through this week's KFT stop at The Abaco Club and the return of the Champions Tour at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship. In news, NCAA Individual Champion Michael La Sasso has signed with the HyFlyers for the 2026 season. Andy and Brendan debate whether yet another young player taking a contract from LIV is the proper way to go vs. playing through a college season and trying to qualify through PGA Tour U. WTGL has also announced some of its initial rosters... including a retired Lexi Thompson. Finally, there's rumblings that the proposed rollback will no longer be going into effect in 2028, as the USGA and R&A are discussing a delay until 2030. Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out ⁠⁠⁠https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space⁠⁠⁠ for more details.

Despite a heartbreaking Bears loss to end their season in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, Andy joins Brendan for what is still a Victory Monday episode of The Shotgun Start. Andy can't believe that Vijay Singh made the cut at the Sony Open and immediately takes a victory lap about hitting the Over-Under of 0.5 Vijay made cuts for the season. There is a brief Football Minute at the start of this episode commemorating a historic Bears season, but the conversation soon shifts to the PGA Tour's Opening Drive, which is now closed after just one event. Chris Gotterup won the Sony Open for his third win in as many seasons and perhaps further exemplifying why he was a Ryder Cup snub at Bethpage. Andy and Brendan discuss Gotterup's advantage off-the-tee that set him up for success at Waialae Country Club and his continued ascendence into the upper tier of pro golfers. The two then unpack other storylines from the first PGA Tour event of the year, such as a top 25 from Jordan Spieth, a made cut from Vijay, a Sunday stumble by 54-hole leader Davis Riley, and a Collin Morikawa missed cut. Andy also brings up Big Shot Bob MacIntyre's comments about his attitude costing him a win at the Sony and wonders if Bob gets a bit too much leeway from fans based on his on-course actions. Nacho Elvira took home the win in Dubai on the DP World Tour after a Shane Lowry collapse on the 72nd hole. Andy and Brendan are thrilled about a win for Nacho and give some props to Lowry for speaking to the media after a tough finish. After touching on the Latin America Am, Brendan shares some of Michael Block's latest comments... about Tiger Woods. Andy cannot believe that Blockie has a platform to throw out a gauntlet to Tiger Woods on the Champions Tour, and Brendan also can't believe Greg Norman is still being platformed to discuss his "loyalty to the PGA Tour." Speaking of loyalty to the PGA Tour, Patrick Reed has said that he'd be open to a return if he was offered the same deal as Brooks Koepka. This episode wraps up with another Football Minute as we put a bow on the Bears and look ahead to a loaded week of pro golf with the 2026 season now underway.

Kevin Van Valkenburg, a freelance golf writer and commentator, joins the conversation to dive deep into the drama surrounding Brooks Koepka's return to the PGA Tour. They recount his greatest hits and the infamous feud with Bryson DeChambeau, including the heckling moments that fueled their rivalry. Kevin shares insights on Koepka's media presence and fan interactions, and the group discusses mixed reactions from players regarding Koepka’s comeback. Tune in for a wild ride through golf’s most memorable controversies and moments!

To paraphrase Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour's Opening Drive is *finally* just about underway! Andy and Brendan are beyond happy to have actual golf back on the Schedule for the Week, even if this is still a Victory Wednesday episode for the Bears. It could also be a Victory Wednesday episode for the PGA Tour, as Brian Rolapp's new Returning Member Program has enabled Brooks Koepka's return at the Farmers Open in just two weeks. Andy and Brendan discuss all the details of the new pathway, open to just four LIV golfers for the next three weeks before LIV's season begins in Riyadh. The two wonder if the financial penalty of "equity coupons" and a donation to charity was enough of a punishment for Brooks, but see this move as an overwhelmingly positive for the Tour and Brian Rolapp's tenure. Things seemingly moved quickly over the weekend and Rolapp gets props from Andy and Brendan for decisively striking while the iron is hot. PJ makes a change to his major picks, awarding Brooks with a fourth PGA Championship, but Brendan is skeptical that Koepka will find himself in major shape in 2026. Brooks will not be at the Sony Open this week, but many PGA Tour stars will be to start the season. This gambling pod makes some picks for the first event of the year, riding with two big names and a podcast favorite. Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy and other European Ryder Cup heroes are in Dubai this week for a DP World Tour event as a tune-up before coming back to the states. Brendan comes in with a real winner for the Event of the Week, Tiger's 50th birthday at the Breakers in Palm Beach. Andy and Brendan toss out some musical acts that would fit the vibe before realizing that Jon Bon Jovi is already enlisted to perform. Lastly, some major LIV news came across the desk on Tuesday morning as the Ironheads and Stingers GC have re-branded! This podcast will continue using the Stingers name, but some potentially-AI press releases reveal the new country-based names of these teams. There's also some LIV hot stove news with a former U.S. Amateur winner seemingly making the jump from the PGA Tour.

Apologies to all of our Nico Echavarria fans, but this is the biggest Victory Monday episode to date. Andy is on cloud nine following an improbable comeback win for the Bears over the Packers in the Wild Card Round, leading to an extended Football Minute to kick off the show. He attempts to subdue his emotions to be respectful of the many angry Packers fans in his mentions, but Brendan quickly eggs him on into an outward celebration. PJ is called in to defend Jordan Love's actions (323 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions) after the loss and Andy once again suggests that Malik Willis (injured hamstring) would have been a better option for Green Bay. All three commiserate over their historically-hapless franchises firing a coach as good as Matt LaFleur, but it seems like that's on the table for the Packers following this defeat. After displaying a chart showing the likelihood of PJ losing his job with a Packers win, Andy then transitions to golf and the biggest news of this NFL-centric weekend: Michael Block's new clothing deal. Brendan can't help but laugh at Blockie linking up with Malbon, giving the brand a roster of Champions Tour stars. Blockie was sure to star in a ridiculous announcement video posted on Saturday afternoon, leading to plenty of social media fun ahead of the Bears game. Andy and Brendan then recap the Jones Cup and LIV's Promotions Event after a light week of competitive golf. Richard T. Lee will be LIV's first Canadian golfer and Malbon athlete Anthony Kim held on to earn a spot back on the tour for 2026. To finish off this final week without the PGA Tour, Andy, Brendan, and PJ make their 2026 major picks and highlight some breakout and bounce-back players for the upcoming season. After a long, long wait, the Opening Drive finally begins on Thursday! Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. Check out ⁠⁠https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space⁠⁠ for more details.

The content gods have blessed this Friday episode with a piece of news that Andy has called "maybe my favorite thing that's ever happened on the PGA Tour." Vijay Singh, a 62-year-old who did not finish in the Top 20 of the Schwab Cup standings on last year's Champions Tour, has decided to use his career money list exemption for full status for 2026 on the PGA Tour! Brendan and Andy do a bit of a deep dive into Vijay's recent PGA Tour results and Andy applauds him for using this exemption despite calls for scarcity and cuts from the top of the new Tour food chain. Andy even goes as far as to say that he will still be in high spirits if the Bears lose on Saturday because he knows Vijay will tee it up at the Sony next week! In other PGA Tour field news, Scottie Scheffler has committed to the AmEx and WM Phoenix Open, marking the first starts of his 2026 season. With no Sentry, the AmEx has a much better field than in recent years, but Scottie will still likely be three-to-one or less to win the event. Brendan then segues to the biggest news of this week: Derek Sprague's departure from the PGA of America. Sprague stepped down as CEO, leaving an opening in the PGA of America's leadership that could really only be filled by one man. Is this Don's path to permanent relevancy? We'll have to just wait and see. There is also a VERY important Nico Minute in this episode, as a new sponsor has stepped up for a podcast favorite this year. The back half of this episode contains the yearly Over-Under segment, with Brendan, Andy, and PJ making predictions for the rest of the year. Will the major scoring record be broken? How many wins for Rory and Scottie? Can Cameron Young finish in the OWGR Top 10? Will the Bears beat the Packers twice in this calendar year? Listen to find out! Join us in Chicagoland for an SGS Live Show on Thursday, February 12! We'll be hanging out at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois for a night of Q&A, Champs Tour Minute, and plenty of Bears chatter. General public tickets are on sale at 10 am CT on Friday, January 9. Check out ⁠https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-shotgun-start-space-tickets/14054084?pl=space⁠ for more details.