Justin Thomas critiques Ryder Cup green speeds, Tiger talks Rolapp’s “scarcity” schedule, and Aus Open delights
Justin Thomas critiques Ryder Cup green speeds, Tiger talks Rolapp’s “scarcity” schedule, and Aus Open delights  
Podcast: The Shotgun Start
Published On: Wed Dec 03 2025
Description: It's time to put the Year in Review on pause for a loaded week of golf in December. Andy and Brendan are relieved to be talking about current events and the content gods have delivered, providing nuggets spanning from Bethpage to the Bahamas. They begin with the Hero World Challenge and its host "Doctor" Munjal. Brendan calls for an early Thirstbucket of the Week following his yearly media availability in Albany and questions what he's a doctor of after all. PJ chimes in with some quick research finding that his doctorates may or may not be honorary, leading Andy to refer to him as "Mr. Munjal" for the rest of the show. Tiger Woods also spoke on Tuesday about his playing future and the future of the PGA Tour. He stayed in line with reports about Brian Rolapp's 20-event schedule coming as soon as 2027 and confirmed that he'll be OUT for Jup Links in the first half of the TGL season. Brian Rolapp found himself in front of a microphone last week and made sure to mention that the "middle class matters," which is sure to put the minds of mules at ease. In more from the Ryder Cup that will never end, Justin Thomas appeared on the No Laying Up podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the American loss at Bethpage. Within the interview, JT took exception to the green speeds at The People's Country Club and said that they were not what Keegan Bradley asked for. He stated that "they" argued with the Americans about the speed, which was aggregated to no end on social media. On the very (too?) busy Schedule for the Week, the Hero has brought in outside help for its Pro-Am, Rory is teeing it up at Royal Melbourne with Dr. Chipinski, and Will Zalatoris makes his return at the Nedbank in South Africa. With almost all of the world's top players in action this week, Andy and Brendan wonder if there are some scheduling issues that lead to three tournaments spreading out the top-end talent as opposed to getting them all in one place to compete against each other. Lastly, the Skechers World Champions Cup will somehow air on ESPN and ABC this weekend, so PJ has a full primer ready to go for those tuning in for their first Champs Tour action of the year. Friday's episode will contain a full, detailed discussion about TGL's Gil Hanse intro video that set Golf Twitter ablaze on Tuesday afternoon.