Bryson & more LIV players speak out, Truist thoughts, & FBF to a Sergio collapse | The Shotgun Start

Brendan is joined by The Boys for another installment of Golf's Preeminent Birthday Podcast, this time celebrating both Cameron Young and, of course, Brendan! himself. Joseph LaMagna comes in fresh off his first round of 2026 and admits he's been having trouble sleeping as of late, leading things perfectly into another Pillow Talk segment to kick off this Friday show. It was a sleepy Thursday round at a rain-soaked Quail Hollow for the Truist Championship where Matt McCarty leads at the conclusion of play. Joseph and Brendan take stock of the Truist as an event and Quail Hollow as a PGA Tour venue, making its return to the regular schedule after hosting last year's PGA Championship. Speaking of the PGA Championship, the "special invitations" into next week's field went out over the past few days and Joseph is taking exception to some invitees getting in ahead of Canada's sweetheart Sudarshan Yellamaraju. The bulk of this episode is spent on more news from LIV Virginia as seemingly everyone is now free to speak their mind about the league and its future. Brendan, Joseph, and PJ run through quotes and posts from Ian Poulter, Anirban Lahiri, Graeme McDowell, and Bryson DeChambeau after the latest rounds of media availability. Bryson seems to have a misunderstanding of the PGA Tour's social media policy and admits that it could factor into his decision about where to play in the future if he doesn't re-sign with the Crushers. The trio wonders if Bryson now sees himself as a YouTuber more than a Professional Golfer and how that mindset will impact his choices moving forward. Brendan then takes The Boys back to the 2005 Wachovia Championship for Flashback Friday, remembering Sergio Garcia blowing a record-tying six-shot lead after 54 holes. Things wrap up with some assorted amusements from the world of sports and Joseph's initial thoughts on next week's PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. We will return on Monday for another week of major championship golf, including live shows on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!

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Brendan Porath - twitter.com/BrendanPorath
Garrett Morrison - twitter.com/garrett_TFE
Joseph LaMagna - twitter.com/JosephLaMagna
Will Knights - twitter.com/WillKnightsTFE
Meg Adkins - twitter.com/megadkins_TFE
PJ Clark - twitter.com/TheRealPJClark
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Cameron Hurdus - instagram.com/cameronhurdus