Curious PGA exemptions, A rare stop at a Golden Age gem in Philly, The ratings war continues
Andy is back in the states and begins this episode by telling Brendan! about his time at Oakmont for U.S. Open media day. The two share their excitement for next month's tournament and dig into some setup talk about green speeds and the membership requesting the winning score be over par. From there, it's a big week on the PGA Tour as the inaugural Truist Championship takes place at Philadelphia Cricket Club, a Golden Age design. Andy and Brendan debate whether this course will be long enough to test the pros and lament that a week of wet weather in the northeast may lead to low scores on the 7,100-yard track. One-and-done picks are made for the big purse at stake with a limited field tuning up for the PGA Championship. Elsewhere, the alternate field event in Myrtle Beach has a stronger-than-usual field, headlined by Tom Kim. There's some Creator Classic chatter ahead of the new team-style event on Wednesday, with Andy wondering where Fat Perez's game is at these days. In news, ratings are out for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and LIV Korea, and the U.S. Ryder Cup contingent (minus one big name) allegedly met for dinner in Philly on Tuesday night.
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56:59
Scottie goes off at Craig Ranch, Bryson wins on LIV, and Tales from Scotland
Andy's time across the pond is winding down but he still calls in to join Brendan for a celebration of life for TPC Craig Ranch. For all its faults, the course was able to find the best player in the field this week as Scottie Scheffler tied the PGA Tour scoring record at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Andy and Brendan discuss Scottie's historic win and dig into some scoring numbers for the par fives at TPC Craig Ranch this week. Will things still be the same following Lanny's renovation? We'll have to wait a year to find out! From there, the two recap Bryson DeChambeau finally closing out a Sunday lead with his win at LIV Korea. PJ shares some late-night broadcast thoughts and comments on the state of Richard Bland's game heading into the senior majors. Jon Rahm finished in the top 10 again, but Andy isn't sure this streak means as much as LIV thinks it does. In news, Rory drops some hints about next year's Champions Dinner at the Masters to an old friend, and Andy provides three stories from his time with Fried Egg Golf Club in Scotland.
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1:04:54
Rumors, takes, and wild hypotheticals with ‘The Boys’ back in town and an interview on ‘Playing Dirty’
Cue up the Thin Lizzy for this Friday episode as "The Boys" return to the SGS feed. With Andy still overseas, Brendan is joined by Joseph LaMagna and PJ Clark for an insane Friday episode full of conspiracies, horse takes, gorilla hypotheticals, and Golf Advice. After a bit of Kentucky Derby chatter, initial takeaways from the CJ Cup Byron Nelson are shared and Joseph proposes a new "Cam Champ Rule" for PGA Tour venues. The three then preview this week's LIV Korea event and discuss the current state of Jon Rahm, David Puig, and Richard Bland, among others. In news, departments within the PGA Tour are shifting a bit and tournament weeks are now "event weeks" for these local communities. Before Golf Advice, "The Boys" get Brendan's thoughts on the latest 100 men vs. one gorilla hypothetical and wonder which pro golfers would be the biggest assets in this kind of fight. Golf Advice has a Champs Tour legend involved and more hole-in-one discourse. To wrap things up, Brendan chats with Joel Beall about his new book, Playing Dirty, which you can buy here.
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1:46:55
The PGA Tour’s venue problem, LIV’s poor ratings in Mexico, and OWGR awakening?
Andy is still being popped by the pub life in Scotland but recovered enough to join Brendan for a Wednesday morning recording to celebrate the PGA Tour's yearly stop at TPC Craig Ranch. This episode begins with a much-needed Blockie Minute ahead of the fourth and final round of the PGA Professional Championship. Mr. Block, the first round leader, has slipped down the leaderboard and needs a strong finish to qualify for Quail Hollow. Andy is still blacked out from Blockie content overseas and is wondering why the legend of Blockie is not growing internationally. The CJ Cup Byron Nelson begins on Thursday with a field full of Dallas residents and former champions of the event. Brendan sees this event as part of the Tour's venue problem, playing at an uninspiring course that should be soft after some rain this week. In Craig Ranch news, Lanny Wadkins is set to lead the renovation ahead of next year's tournament and is out and about doing press to discuss the project. After a week off for the Zurich, one-and-done picks return as this gambling podcast looks to get back on the right foot. Elsewhere on the schedule, the Champs Tour is also in Texas for the Insperity Invitational, and the LPGA will follow up its first major with a trip to Utah for the Black Desert Championship. Next, PJ shows off his new big letter hat from a trip to TPC River Highlands and Andy proposes a business idea for him to look into ahead of the Ryder Cup this fall. In news, Blades Brown is sticking with a KFT event as opposed to a sponsor exemption this week, LIV TV ratings continue to be low, and 2026 Presidents Cup captains were announced.
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53:23
The Backboard’s major, Power outage in NOLA, and Blockie’s charge
Andy is off in Scotland and calls in after a late night at the pub to join Brendan for this Monday morning recording. After some unplanned promo for Fried Egg Golf Club, this episode starts with a recognition of the world's best player, Joaquin Niemann, following his third win of the year on LIV. The two compare the three wins of Niemann and Rory McIlroy and wonder who the best player of 2025 truly is. From there, the conversation shifts to an extended Champs Tour Minute, as a power outage at the Zurich Classic allowed everyone to get some bonus coverage from Zinger and Papa on Golf Channel. PJ is overjoyed that the greater viewing public now sees his point about Zinger being kept in a studio as opposed to on the road watching Jerry Kelly outlast Ernie Els at TPC Sugarloaf. Andy and Brendan then move to the Chevron, won by Mao Saigo in a five-way playoff, the largest in LPGA history. Brendan points out the egregious backboarding opportunity available on the 18th hole and Andy shares some local reporting from The Woodlands about the lack of advertising for the event. On the PGA Tour, social media sensation Ben Griffin and NFL Draft pundit Andrew Novak teamed up for their first PGA Tour win(s) at the Zurich Classic, beating the Hojgaard twins following some interesting drops on the 72nd hole. This episode quickly runs through some news to wrap things up, including the latest from Michael Block as he looks to qualify for Quail Hollow.
The Shotgun Start with Andy Johnson and Brendan Porath of Fried Egg Golf is a podcast waiting for you early in the morning that quickly blasts through a variety of topics (usually) related to golf and (ideally) relevant to the day. It covers news from the pro tours around the world, amusing and important topics from the amateur game the rest of us play, and some irreverent stuff in between. There will be short interviews, previews, reviews, and dives into the archives. It provides what you need to know on golf through a rapid and fun catch-up discussion.
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