The Shotgun Start

After what some (Brendan) have called a "shameful" weekend for the city of Chicago, Andy no-shows the podcast and leaves BP to clean up a weekend of golf with Joseph LaMagna. They kick things off with a Sports Minute discussing the a Bears blowout loss to the Packers, the ultimate mid-off between the Jets and Browns, and Arch Manning's letdown against Oklahoma. Despite the Texas loss, Joseph celebrates a Victory Monday just because of the Baycurrent Classic, one of his favorite events of the year. Brendan and Joseph discuss Michael Brennan's third win in just over 365 days as he took down a strong field at the no-cut event in Japan. They ponder the future of the PGA Tour in Japan and whether this event could one day be a co-sanctioned Japan Open. The two then move on to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship where we now have the 20 names joining the PGA Tour for 2027. They run through the list of graduates and point out names to watch, primarily focusing on 19-year-old Blades Brown. PJ pops back in for a Champions Tour Minute honoring a former U.S. Ryder Cupper who extended his pro golf career with a win at Furyk & Friends. There's also some thought as to whether Jim Furyk will be distracted by his duties as a host to truly focus on the 2027 Ryder Cup next fall. In news, The LIV has its first two commitments, including a two-time major champion! The back half of this episode features a Friday Scramble with Brendan, Joseph, PJ, Andy, and Kevin Van Valkenburg regarding the latest fallout from the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, this time focusing on Keegan Bradley's interactions with a rules official. We'll return on Wednesday as Silly Season rolls on across the golf world.

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This Friday episode kicks off with a Playoff Baseball Minute following Andy's earlier declaration of support for the Chicago White Sox in their quest to eliminate Brendan's Guardians in the ALDS. Brendan says he's heard from dozens of Chicago fans who can't believe Andy's stance on rooting for both teams in the city, but Andy is too concerned about the continued dominance of the Milwaukee Brewers to care. He throws all of his support behind the Dodgers and convinces PJ to join him in rooting for a three-peat. Brendan is aghast at the notion that anyone would root for the Dodgers in 2026 due to their ludicrous spending with questionable morals. While on that topic, things transition to Jon Rahm's decision that he will not be playing in LIV 2.0, as announced by his lawyer on Wednesday afternoon. Andy and Brendan react to this expected news and wonder where Rahm will end up in 2027. Will there be a parachute back to the PGA Tour immediately for the two-time major winner, or will he play out the year on the DP World Tour alongside others who bailed on The LIV like Adrian Meronk and David Puig? Sergio Garcia will also not return to The LIV and has been released from his contract, now allowing him to contact any other tours. He's already optimistic about his Champions Tour career in 2030 but for now, his focus is on making the European side for Adare Manor. Andy supposes that the only thing that can ruin what Luke Donald has built is allowing the likes of Sergio, Lee Westwood, and Graeme McDowell back into the fold to disrupt the mojo. In other late-week news, Merion was announced as a USGA Anchor Site, cementing its place on the U.S. Open rota through 2050! Andy and Brendan also react to a Michael Bamberger article about Tony Romo's DQ from a recent KFT pre-qualifier. Playoff Baseball Minute returns at the end of the episode before Andy makes PJ and Brendan give their predictions for Sunday's matchup between the Browns and Jets.

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At long last, LIV Golf has received part of its investment from BC Partners. Andy and Brendan return to break down the details of this "initial committed investment in LIV Golf" that became official late Monday night. This investment will help the league "emerge" from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and amended the terms of the original agreement, allowing two more weeks to build a roster for the 2027 season. BC Partners Credit head Ted Goldthorpe spoke at a Sportico event in London on Tuesday morning about the deal, repeatedly calling his new league "The LIV," which Brendan got a big kick out of. Goldthorpe also suggested that The LIV's teams could be valued at $100 million each "in very short order." Andy and Brendan debate whether BC Partners wants the league to succeed or will just use the tax advantages on the losses to make more money in other ways, as they've done with other purchases. Elsewhere in Europe, the Ryder Cup "Year To Go" countdown is on, with Luke Donald and Jim Furyk being peppered with questions about fan behavior, team outings, and the Americans being underdogs at Adare Manor. Furyk was also asked directly about Patrick Reed, bringing a whole new level of anticipation to the next 12 months of discourse. The two eventually get to the Schedule for the Week, beginning with a loaded field at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan. Blockie is once again in the field on the Champions Tour, but Andy deems him not a "Friend of Furyk" just yet based on earning an exemption through his play. On the DP World Tour, Jon Rahm withdrew from the Spanish Open due to the impending birth of his fourth child, leaving the newly-freed Sergio Garcia to fend for himself against defending champ Marco Penge. Lastly, they preview this weekend's Korn Ferry Tour Championship and lament the lack of promotion from the PGA Tour and KFT channels about the biggest week of the year.

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Andy and Brendan went LIVE on YouTube for this Monday recording after a busy weekend of fall golf... and a Bears win over the Jets. Andy is particularly giddy about some postgame comments from the Bears defense calling Sunday's win "one of the easiest games" they've ever played in, and Brendan looks forward to the Browns stomping this same Jets team next week. From there, the two recap a loaded schedule of golf, beginning with Tom Kim's win at the Asian Games. Kim successfully won gold, exempting him from mandatory military service in South Korea and keeping his pro golf career on track. Andy and Brendan discuss the mental pressures of playing under those circumstances and applaud Kim's performance, especially after a standout week at the Presidents Cup. In Utah, Smother Boy finally became Smother Man as Austin Smotherman won at Black Desert in his 100th start. After discussing Smother Man's win, Andy also highlights big weeks from Ben James and Rico Hoey. Adrian Meronk has started his 2027 Ryder Cup candidacy with a bang, winning the Dunhill by taking down Casey Jarvis, Tommy Fleetwood, and a drone-fighting Bob MacIntyre. PJ pops in for a lengthy Champions Tour Minute following another Steven Alker win over Michael Block on Sunday. After referring to himself in the third person on Saturday evening, Blockie's quest for his first win was derailed after he was hit by Alker's golf cart on the second hole of Sunday's round. Despite another loss, has Blockie done enough for a spot on Team USA at the Skechers World Champions Cup in December? Andy and Brendan then touch on a ridiculous setup on the Korn Ferry Tour and another non-major win for Jeeno Thitikul at the Lotte Championship. Things wrap up with an unexpected position from Brian Rolapp regarding Daylight Savings Time and another Andy rant about the Milwaukee Brewers.

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Brendan! is calling for a Victory Friday for the city (or town?) of Cleveland following Andrew Bailey's win at the U.S. Mid-Am! BP is joined by PJ for a brief intro to this Friday show covering the Mid-Am final, early PGA Tour action in Utah, and Pete Crow-Armstrong's struggles in a two-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs. Brendan then brings on Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal for a look at the "Business Season" of professional golf. The two discuss a variety of topics including what's next for the PGA Tour's media rights deals, the continued search for sponsors for Championship and Challenger series events, and whether FedEx is really gone for good following the 2027 season. Josh also hits on the recent wave of executive departures from the LPGA and the league's struggles to build a television audience. We'll return on Monday with a full recap of a loaded week of Silly Season golf (and probably Sunday's Jets at Bears matchup).

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