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...
Bay Hill carnage, Rory flip flop on PGA Tour needing a deal with PIF?, and a PGA Tour pension trick
This Friday episode starts with some football whimsy - Andy is pumped about the Bears acquiring two high-priced offensive guards to start their offseason! The whimsy continues into golf talk as Aldrich Potgieter topped his drive into the lake on the sixth hole at Bay Hill, providing a must-see moment for Andy and Brendan on Thursday morning. High winds in Orlando led to a brutal first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. TGL stars Max Homa, Cam Young, Min Woo Lee, and Tom Kim were among the many players well over par after round one, leading to questions about whether these players are better suited for the SoFi Dome vs. outdoor golf. Elsewhere in pro golf, Andy shares an unsubstantiated rumor about a PR Open participant who may be playing games with his PGA Tour pension. This episode is mostly news-based as Andy and Brendan discuss recent comments from Rory McIlroy and Jay Monahan surrounding the current state of the PGA Tour. Rory says he isn't sure the PGA Tour "needs" a deal with the PIF at this point, which brings back memories from last year's comments from Jordan Spieth in a similar vein. Jay was interviewed by Eamon Lynch about a potential deal, the Tour's search for a new CEO, and more, with plenty to unpack for Andy and Brendan. Following this lengthy news discussion, Brendan dives into a Flashback about Jerry Heard, a two-time winner of the Florida Citrus Open (now known as the Arnold Palmer Invitational), whose successful pro career was derailed by a lightning strike.
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1:27:33
Is Bay Hill the best event of the year, A rousing In/Out/Alt for Puerto Rico, and TGL sadness
Both Andy and Brendan are licking their wounds after the Ballfrogs and Jup Links became the first two teams to ever miss the TGL playoffs this week. The episode begins with some immediate TGL takeaways after a tough three matches to end the regular season. Brendan is miserable when describing the Jup Links performance from Tuesday night and runs down the final scores of all their losses this year. Andy is already on to 2026, where he believes the Ballfrogs need a roster shakeup and could stand to add more grit to their team for season two. It's a quick transition to actual golf this week as the PGA Tour's best field of 2025 will tee it up at Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Xander is back from injury to play alongside top stars such as Ludvig Åberg, Scottie Scheffler, and Rory McIlroy for this Signature Event. Andy and Brendan discuss Bay Hill as a test for professional golfers and remember some moments from API history. The hammer lock fire picks of the week are made but are unfortunately very much chalk for those looking to tail. After Bay Hill comes the 2025 debut of In/Out/Alternate, where Andy loaded up with 19 entries for the Puerto Rico Open. Brendan fights to the finish wondering whether names like Kevin Chappell, D.A. Points, and Johnson Wagner are headed down for this event. The two touch on this week's LPGA event in China, LIV Hong Kong, and the DP World Tour's Joburg Open before diving into the Dump-in-the-Box Classic. The Champions Tour returns with the Cologuard Classic, which is barely on television but PJ will find how to watch anyway and report back on Sunday. In news, Jay Monahan and Andy "Spitballin'" Weitz are doing the media rounds to tell everyone about the Fan Forward Research (please capitalize) and that a deal with the PIF is not imminent.
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1:15:50
Drills and skills for a mock PGA Tour scouting combine, Bucket hats and birdies at Honda, Biker gang alum going to The Open
This Monday episode quickly gets into the Sunday finish at the Cognizant Classic, where Jake Knapp melted on the back nine and Joe Highsmith shot a 64 to secure his first PGA Tour win. Andy takes no pride in a successful double-down on Knapp not winning after Thursday's 59 and wonders how he keeps getting himself in these situations with his takes. Highsmith and his caddie, Joe LaCava Jr., get props from Brendan and Andy for back-to-back 64s on the weekend, earning the win after making the cut on the number. Brendan shares some on-the-ground reports from a listener about the "worst edition" of the PGA National event yet. The two also touch on performances from Russell Henley, Doug Ghim, and Michael Kim, among others. Most importantly, Andy is thrilled that world No. 92, Luke Clanton, finally secured his PGA Tour card! From there, the two discuss a rain-shortened South African Open, where a runner-up finish secured Laurie Canter's place in the top 50 of the OWGR. Brendan openly wonders if the PGA Tour will let the former Cleek take his rightful place in the field at The Players. Lydia Ko won the HSBC Championship in dominant fashion for her 23rd career win. Andy's interest in biker gangs was rewarded at the New Zealand Open, where former biker gang member Ryan Peake won the event and a spot in The Open Championship this summer. Some news from the weekend is discussed, including the all-important TGL playoff push happening Monday and Tuesday. Nick Dunlap has signed a one-day deal with the Atlanta Drive, but Andy is wondering if their organization is laying down to keep the Ballfrogs out of the playoffs. The two discuss the Seminole Pro-Member field and a possible Tiger Woods appearance at TPC Sawgrass next week. To end the episode, Andy, Brendan, and PJ come up with some ideas for a PGA Tour Scouting Combine to celebrate the NFL Combine in Indianapolis coming to a close. Who's your pick to beat Sepp Straka in an Oklahoma drill?
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58:05
Flashback Reheat: Lumpy wins the Honda, "Spider-Man's" journey, and a sweaty 1987 PGA Championship
Enjoy a special reheat of three Flashback segments remembering events at PGA National! First, Andy shares some details about Bruce Lietzke, the 1984 Honda winner, who changed his entire schedule to spend more time with his family and had an affinity for a timely hot dog. Brendan then recaps Tim "Lumpy" Herron's win at the 1996 Honda Classic. Lumpy won the tournament as a rookie, but this segment also has plenty of nuggets about the eventful week Greg Norman had and his ongoing issues with the TPC Network. The second Flashback in this episode covers Camilo Villegas’ 2010 Honda win, the cycling career of "Spider-Man," and some good karma for Graeme McDowell after calling a penalty on himself at PGA National that year. Finally, take a trip back to the 1987 PGA Championship at PGA National, where the competition almost literally melted away in the Florida heat.
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49:38
PGA Tour turns bear trap into mouse trap, Knapp time for Andy, and Larry Scott for LPGA Commish?!
Andy and Brendan have a lot to talk about for this Friday episode with the first round of the Cognizant proving to be a content bonanza. Billy Horschel was chasing alligators and criticizing the setup, PGA Tour Championship Management destroyed a once-proud event, and golf superstar Jake Knapp opened his week with a 59! The two discuss all of these topics and the storied history of The Honda Classic and remember how tough PGA National used to play. Andy shares the list of previous winners at the course and notes how many of them are top-tier legends of the game. Brendan rants about PGA Tour Championship Management overseeding the course and allowing the course record to be shattered on Thursday of the tournament. They briefly discuss the South African Open and HSBC Women's World Championship before diving into some golf news ahead of the weekend. Annika Sorenstam has thrown her support behind former Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott to take over as the LPGA commish, leading to all of the sports world mocking this idea. There's some debate about whether any worse choices are out there, and if there are, it's decided that there are very few. Andy announces that he's been invited to a watch party for the big LAGC vs. The Bay match on Monday morning Pacific Time and wonders if he should make an appearance. In Golf Advice, a late submission commiserates with Andy about Jake Knapp's 59 and an emailer asks for advice on an upcoming golf trip. To end this episode, PJ has a short Flashback Friday about the 1971 PGA Championship at the original PGA National, the first time the event was held in February.
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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