The Shotgun Start

Andy and Brendan went live after a big TGL Tuesday night playoffs, with one delighting in Jupiter getting to the finals and another down in the dumps over Boston’s abdication of the No. 1 seed. They review the night that was down in the SoFi dome and ask some tough questions about the offseason, as well as Tiger’s team perhaps skirting roster rules. Then they get to the schedule of the week, with some amusements and guys to monitor down at the Valspar in Tampa, where the course is a bit of a changeup for different reasons. They pick five guys to monitor and some one and done picks. The event of the week goes to a mysterious and un-televised DP World Tour event in China, where there will be "cartners" for the first two rounds. They spend the last chunk of the episode combing through Bryson’s galaxy-brain dissertation about rollback down in South Africa, as well as some other quotes about his "compassion" for the world.

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Andy and Brendan went LIVE on YouTube following the conclusion of the 2026 Players Championship, recapping an electric Sunday back nine that ended in Cameron Young's second PGA Tour victory. The two initially give some credit to "The Boys" after a week full of adversity in the AirBNB but came with the trade off of a big win for Mr. 1,000. Young defeated Matt Fitzpatrick following a blow up from 54-hole leader Ludvig Åberg. Despite a sleepy Saturday and a slow start to Sunday, the last 90 minutes at TPC Sawgrass delivered for viewers once again. Andy and Brendan discuss Cameron Young's history as a "big game player" and how the setup with long rough helped him as a longer hitter off the tee. They also unpack Åberg's collapse on holes 11 and 12 and his gameplan that ended up getting him in trouble. Grades are given to Cam, Ludvig, Scottie Scheffler, the course setup, NBC, and other contenders as is tradition at a "major" event. The Boys, Joseph LaMagna and PJ, join in for the back half of this episode to celebrate a Victory Monday for the only recurring guest in "Lunch with The Boys" history. PJ shares insight from his weekend on the ground and his time following the NYGC tandem of Young and Fitzpatrick on Sunday, while Joseph shines some light on Sudarshan Yellamaraju, one of the breakout players of this week. We wrap with some small unsubstantiated rumors after a successful week in Jacksonville for the 2026 Players Championship.

Thank you to ⁠⁠⁠Optum⁠⁠⁠ for their support of our Players Championship coverage.

We got a live rollicking one! Andy and Brendan went live after leaving the opening round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. They react to some early mover and shakers, Collin Morikawa’s instant WD, and how the course changed, evolved, and punched back at the players early in the championship. They react to Rory McIlroy giving it a run with his injury and Scottie Scheffler’s somewhat middling round with some struggles off the tee. They make some predictions for the next three days and also discuss some storylines that no one is talking about here. They spend the last half of the podcast reacting to Brian Rolapp’s grand rollout of some major plans to change and tweak the PGA Tour as announced on Wednesday in a theatrical setting at the Global Home. Can he actually get this proposal across the line facing increased pushback from players and other stakeholders in the game?

Thank you to ⁠⁠Optum⁠⁠ for their support of our Players Championship coverage.

Andy and Brendan are LIVE outside TPC Sawgrass at The Players Championship and ready to review a full day of scuttlebutt, course scouting, and player assessments. They begin with some notes on a Sawgrass setup looking like an attempt to push the pros around in a major-like fashion, supporting the campaign to make this tournament a “major.” Then they discuss Five Guys to Monitor, and not monitor with their worst tee times of the first two days (along with some of their favorites). The also preview what Brian Rolapp might say in his first big address at his first Players, and how few people on site seem to know precisely what is coming but it is the most-discussed subject so far. Will we get a scarcity schedule? Will we get a mule purge? Are the players re-asserting their control over the new regime and Tour structure? Then they hit on some storylines no one is talking about this week, including the LIV Singapore Champions dinner. Finally, they bring in the boys, PJ Clark and Joseph LaMagna, and offer some further notes from the ground before closing with their official picks to win.

Thank you to ⁠Optum⁠ for their support of our Players Championship coverage.

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Andy and Brendan are just about ready to head down to Ponte Vedra for a "major" March event, but we've already missed out on one Players tradition! Andy can't believe that the yearly TPC Sawgrass arrival videos did not make it into Sunday's Arnold Palmer Invitational broadcast. NBC couldn't cut away from a duel between Daniel Berger and Akshay Bhatia on the back nine that ended with Akshay's third playoff win on the PGA Tour. The two break down Bhatia's comeback win and standing in the game as one of the premier players under the age of 25. The constant comparisons between Rickie Fowler and Arnold Palmer and some complaints from Justin Thomas regarding the setup at Bay Hill also feature prominently in this Arnold Palmer Invitational recap. The Players DID release their featured groups on Sunday afternoon, leaving a spot for an injured(?) Rory McIlroy and a struggling Justin Thomas to be on non-stop coverage for the first two rounds. Andy's "Event of the Week," the Puerto Rico Open, was "must see TV" with a leaderboard full of young talent including John Daly II, Blades Brown, and winner Ricky Castillo. Patrick Reed notched another DP World Tour top 10, but could not stop the blaze of Dan Bradbury at the Joburg Open. Brendan then shifts the conversation to Jon Rahm's win at LIV Hong Kong, his first individual win since 2024. Neither Brendan nor Andy are moved much by this win for Rahm and point out that maybe playing a LIV schedule is not the best preparation for a major championship, unlike the test presented by Bay Hill this week. Lastly on results, Zach Johnson is one-for-one in his Champs Tour career, taking down the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational! Sorry to all Ben Crane bettors, as he finished outside of the top 30 in his Senior Tour debut. This Gambling Podcast regrets the error. Check back on Tuesday as Andy and Brendan go live(?) to preview the 2026 Players Championship!

Thank you to Optum for their support of our Players Championship coverage.