All the PGA President’s Men: Rea Ryder Cup tapes surface, Morikawa forced to answer for fans, and Golf Advice
Sometimes, things are willed into existence. Following this podcast obtaining footage of PGA of America President Don Rea's performance of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem, Brendan is first joined by a giddy Andy to discuss this monumental moment in golf history. Andy details his reaction to seeing the "cinema" for the first time and pleads for Don to remain in this leadership position forever. Brendan then brings on KVV for a frame-by-frame breakdown of the nine second video, as well as the rest of this regularly scheduled Friday episode. Brendan, KVV, and PJ recap their Wednesday night consisting of acquiring the video and the ensuing checks and balances to make sure this iconic footage was not produced by AI. They commend Don's courage and leadership, as he took the reins and lit a fire under Team USA, who won Sunday singles by five points following this inspiring round of karaoke by their fearless leader. KVV highlights some lines of the song that he wishes were on film, but we're all still hopeful that the full tape will one day make its way to the internet. In non-Don news (yes, that exists!), Brendan shares an unbelievable listener email about The Great Manassero teeing it up at a San Diego muni earlier this week. KVV is enthralled by Beau Hossler's ayahuasca use and ensuing passion for coffee, leading to a group discussion of which professional golfers would make the best hallucinations while on a trip. The Korn Ferry Tour is looking at a bit of history this week, as Tiger's season-scoring record is apparently in danger of being broken. This has Brendan out of his mind, awarding the KFT socials with the first-ever "Ragebait of the Week" award. Joseph LaMagna published a wide-ranging interview with Team Europe Vice Captain Dodo Molinari which revealed just how far ahead the Euros seemingly were compared to their American counterpoints at Bethpage Black. KVV uses this, as well as his article about the analytics used by Team USA, as a way to ask why Ryder Cup USA hasn't pivoted its backroom strategy yet following another defeat. Speaking of the Ryder Cup, Collin Morikawa was popped by a European journalist in Japan about his request for "chaos" from the crowd at Bethpage. Morikawa claimed that his words were taken out of context, and Brendan demands that we stop acting like the American players are at fault for the rowdy fans. Two Golf Advice emails round out this episode, with a debate on how to fix the "crowd issue" at future major golf events and a question about teens hitting into people under the cloak of darkness.
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PGA Tour fall foibles, Rahm’s ‘inhospitable’ Ryder Cup, and silly season announcements
Andy and Brendan return with plenty to discuss as the golf world finally moves out of the Ryder Cup's blast radius. Naturally, this episode kicks off with a Baseball Minute due to a disappointing start to the NLDS for Andy's beloved Cubs and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Things quickly transition to "Don Watch" as Brendan is hearing rumblings that the "Lose Yourself" karaoke video may surface in the coming days. The PGA Tour moves from Jackson, Mississippi to Tokyo, Japan this week for the Baycurrent Classic. This event and its various changes in the last five years leads to a wider discussion about the PGA Tour schedule and the ultimate question of "how many tournaments is too many?" Elsewhere on the schedule this week, the Korn Ferry Tour finals are set to go off in French Lick even though most of next year's Tour cards are locked up. On the DP World Tour, many LIV stars are at the Spanish Open contending for a 2026 Masters invite. Jon Rahm is playing his home event and spoke to the media to somewhat re-ignite the Ryder Cup crowd discourse a bit, as one does. After running through the rest of the Schedule for the Week, Andy and Brendan parse through a bunch of golf news including the return of the Skins Game and the 2026 TGL schedule release (with accompanying content!).
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The PGA’s Deep State, Dunhill misery, and Ryder Cup Karaoke
Just when we thought we were out, he pulls us back in! After declaring this podcast done with Don Rea until Year in Review, Brendan starts this episode off with the late-breaking news of Don Rea's karaoke performance after Saturday of the Ryder Cup. According to the Times of London, D-Rabbit reportedly took the mic at his hotel and performed Eminem's "Lose Yourself" in front of player families and more onlookers. Andy is stunned by the song choice, thinking that an Eagles song would be more up Don's alley. Everyone is wondering when and where the video of this historical moment will inevitably come out and PJ is debating on making some calls across Long Island to see if he can procure it. With Don's one-year anniversary as PGA of America president coming up, Andy ponders if he makes it through half of his two-year term. Brendan is aghast at the "Deep State" of European media and PGA of America members who are trying to cancel Don, demanding that this cannot happen, if only for the sake of this podcast. Before running through this week's results, Andy and Brendan also provide an incredible update on the "Lotte at Lottie's" challenge! In actual golf news, Tommy Gainey secured his first win on the Champions Tour and Andy believes that this may mark the end for the senior circuit in more ways than one. Speaking of the Lotte, the LPGA's unique winner streak carries on after non-member sponsor exemption Youmin Hwang took home the win. Big Shot Bob MacIntyre won a rainy, cold Dunhill just a week after battling at Bethpage. The weather was so bad in Scotland that the event was shortened to 54 holes, causing some Pro-Am celebs to walk off the course due to the conditions. On the PGA Tour, Steven Fisk chased down Garrick Higgo at the Sanderson to win his first-ever PGA Tour title. Andy pops PJ about the latest Jets loss and there's some network television discussion to round out this quick Sunday recording.
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Ryder Cup crowd and Rea discourse continues, & SGS Golf Advice
Andy and Brendan! went LIVE on YouTube for this Friday episode to kick off the post-Ryder Cup weekend. We've received word that the "Lotte at Lottie's" challenge is off to a roaring start, with two listeners finding each other at the bar on Wednesday watching tape delayed coverage of an LPGA event from across the world. As you could probably guess, most of this episode focuses on the continued fallout from the Ryder Cup crowd fiasco and Don Rea's various responses. Andy and Brendan dig into the Don's LinkedIn post responding to criticism, something he's experienced since his days as a Minor League Baseball umpire. "New level, new devil" has now become a staple in the podcast's vocabulary as well. Andy got duped by a photoshop of Rea's potential resignation being discussed on ESPN's "First Take," but Brendan can't imagine a golf world without Don moving forward. Elsewhere in the crowd discourse, PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague spoke to The Athletic about "not hearing" what happened from his luxury box on Saturday. Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton spoke out prior to the Dunhill, unsatisfied with Don's trophy presentation and ensuing apology. In non-crowd Ryder Cup cleanup, Furyk & Friends has become a bevy of content! AssCap Jim Furyk was unhappy about the green speeds being off at Bethpage and wonders if that was to blame for Team USA's poor putting performance. Stewart Cink also revealed that he interviewed for the 2025 captaincy, only to get ghosted by "special agent" John Wood afterward. Moving on from the Ryder Cup, LIV has reported its financial losses and the numbers have Andy and Brendan wondering where the league goes from here. Things wrap with Golf Advice, including Andy's passionate defense of poker chip ball markers.
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PGA stays quiet on Ryder Cup fan behavior, Should another org run the event?
The dust is beginning to settle from the "biggest Ryder Cup ever" and the PGA of America has found itself in the crosshairs of everyone in golf. The organization has still not formally acknowledged anything regarding fan behavior or experience at Bethpage, but a Don Rea interview from Sunday morning has surfaced and provides Andy and Brendan with plenty of fodder. The President of the 31,000 thought that you could find fans like the ones on Saturday at a "youth soccer game" and claimed that he hadn't heard any of the barbs thrown at Rory McIlroy during the week. He wrapped up his chat with BBC by saying that "golf is the engine of good," which sets Andy and Brendan off to the races. They look back at the week as a whole and wonder what the PGA of America's true focus was on and whether the organization truly cared about putting on a quality golf tournament. The two discuss where the Ryder Cup should go from here and whether it needs to be sold or licensed to another company for future installments in the United States. After a complete dissection of Mr. Rea's quotes, it's back to normal in golf with plenty on the Schedule for the Week. It's chicken time at the Sanderson, you can go watch the Lotte at Lottie's, and Furyk & Friends has a distinct Ryder Cup feel! Plenty of LIV players and Ryder Cuppers will play at the Dunhill Links on the DP World Tour with celebs like Wayne Gretzky, Bill Murray, and the bassist from Linkin Park. A brief Playoff Baseball minute sends us home for this Wednesday episode with both the Guardians and Cubs starting their runs on Tuesday afternoon. Always remember, by listening to this podcast, you're part of the engine of good!
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.
New Zealand