The Shotgun Start

Andy and Brendan went LIVE on YouTube for this final major preview episode of 2026! Brendan is in high spirits after traveling across the pond to find a baked-out Royal Birkdale that he describes as "fiery, firm, and brown." The two get going on the course setup and the choices that players must make on a variety of holes throughout the round. This is a new-look Royal Birkdale following an extensive renovation ahead of this year's Open Championship, and reviews seem to be mixed on whether the course is better than it once was. Scottie Scheffler made some pointed comments about the course during his pre-tournament press conference, leading to a discussion about whether this venue is truly "forged by nature." Andy's 5 Guys to Monitor This Week highlights the two best players in the world, two hometown heroes looking for their first major, and a LIV defector who can lock up PGA Tour status for next year with a good showing. With a relatively wide-open field, it felt like a good time to re-rank the top five players in pro golf heading into the week, as well. Kevin Van Valkenburg joins in the fun to discuss Tuesday's press conferences getting deeply existential and shares some scuttlebutt from the grounds. To put a bow on this preview, Andy, Brendan, KVV, and PJ make their picks to win the Claret Jug and choose sides in a much-anticipated installment of Games Within a Game. We will return on Thursday afternoon following round one of the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale!

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With Brendan in transit to Royal Birkdale, PJ assumes the host chair for a rambling episode with Andy and The Boys. They talk about the sanctity of the Scottish Open and its threatened identity in the changing golf landscape. Then, the trio discusses Tom Kim's career arc and where he stacks up in professional golf after an impressive Scottish Open victory. They cover Steven Fisk's win at the ISCO, Haeran Ryu going back to back in major championships, and, of course, Zach Johnson's dominant performance at the Kaulig Companies Championship before wrapping with some thoughts on expectations for this week's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

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In this bonus edition of The Shotgun Start, Brendan Porath and Joseph LaMagna take a trip down memory lane after rewatching the final round of the 2017 Open Championship. The two recount Jordan Spieth's roller coaster of a final round, his famous drop on the 13th hole, Matt Kuchar's heartbreak, and forgotten moments and amusements from a memorable finish. They hand out a few awards, including Worst Dressed and Favorite Commentary, before a quick lookahead at what's to come when we return to Royal Birkdale for next week's 154th Open Championship.

Mercedes-Benz is proud to be an Official Patron of The Open Championship. Visit mbusa.com for more details.
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At long last, Coffee Golf season is here! Andy and Brendan are just about ready for the final major of 2026 and kick off this Whiparound Friday episode with some more discussion about the jumbled pro golf schedule this week. Andy was especially excited to watch the Scottish Open on Thursday morning and was befuddled that it wasn't on television, further exemplifying why events like the Evian Championship and Scottish Open shouldn't share the same week. Brendan brings up a Padraig Harrington quote from last week at Scioto to kick off a discussion about the continued evolution of the pro game and how today's top players can differentiate themselves from the pack. One of these ways is to spend your time preparing for the Open with a film crew in Canada, which is where Bryson DeChambeau has apparently found himself this week. Andy wants to get to the bottom of who the best player without a major is, but first pops PJ about the continued breakout of Pete Crow-Armstrong for a mid-episode PCA Minute. After things get back to golf, PJ sticks around and quizzes Andy and Brendan on some of the players filling out the bottom of the field at Royal Birkdale next week. Kevin Van Valkenburg then jumps in for a Mercedes Flashback on the 1961 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale before Brendan chats with Matthew Galloway about his belief that the Evian is actually worthy of being a major championship. We will return on Sunday evening to recap the Scottish Open and more as Brendan heads overseas for the last major of the year!

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Mercedes-Benz is proud to be an Official Patron of The Open Championship. Visit mbusa.com for more details.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite this week having two (2) PGA Tour events and two (2) major championships, this episode must kick off with a Soccer Minute following the USMNT's 4-1 loss to Belgium on Monday night. Andy and Brendan compare the aftermath of the loss to that of a Team USA loss at the Ryder Cup and also try to figure out which golfer is most like Christian Pulisic. After selecting teams to support for the rest of the World Cup, the two move on to this week's Scottish Open. They wonder about the future of the co-sanctioned event and whether it'll appear on the "Championship Series" in 2028 and beyond before absolutely detonating on the final Sponsor Exemption into this week's field. Andy's list of 5 Guys to Monitor This Week has a distinctly DP World Tour feel, as he highlights the Bumblebee, Dick Sterne, and other SGS favorites teeing it up at The Renaissance Club. PJ leads a game of In/Out/Alternate for the ISCO Championship, making Andy and Brendan guess whether the likes of Sangmoon Bae and Dru Love are playing this opposite field event. There's a debate between which of this week's two "majors" - the Amundi Evian Championship and the Kaulig Companies Championship - is more fake, before the American Century Championship and its celebrity field rounds out the Schedule for the Week. In news, Lasagna-Gate continues after Sergio's bad lunch, and Brendan is a big fan of the Open Championship's new "last chance" qualifier for the final spot in the year's last major.

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