50 Things That Changed Golf
The 50 Things That Changed Golf podcast is hosted by Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy. Each episode dives deep into moments and events in golf history that have shaped the sport we all love. Every two weeks, join for a walk back in time, with some humour and made-up awards mixed throughout.
Episodes
Episode 6: Tiger Woods’ 2000 U.S. Open Victory
In the sixth episode of the Golf Digest podcast, 50 Things That Changed Golf, Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy travel back to the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, dominated by Tiger Woods.
The 50 Things That Changed Golf podcast is hosted by Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy. Each episode dives deep into moments and events in golf history that have shaped the sport we all love. Every two weeks, join for a
Episode 5: The 2004 U.S. Open
In the fifth episode of the Golf Digest podcast, 50 Things That Changed Golf, Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy travel back to the controversial 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
The 50 Things That Changed Golf podcast is hosted by Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy. Each episode dives deep into moments and events in golf history that have shaped the sport we all love. Every two weeks, join for a
Episode 4: John Daly
In the fourth episode of the Golf Digest podcast, 50 Things That Changed Golf, Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy travel back to the 1991 PGA Championship, won by John Daly.
The 50 Things That Changed Golf podcast is hosted by Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy. Each episode dives deep into moments and events in golf history that have shaped the sport we all love. Every two weeks, join for a walk back in time
Episode 3: OWGR
It's episode 3 of the "50 Things That Changed Golf" podcast and we're diving deep into the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). Join hosts Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy as they break down the amazing origin story of the rankings, the influence of Mark McCormack, how the OWGR has evolved and changed and why it has become so controversial in the modern game.
You can also watch 50 Things That Changed
Episode 2: 2019 Masters
In episode 2 of the all-new "50 Things That Changed Golf" podcast, Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy travel back to 2019 and Tiger Woods' memorable fifth Masters victory. Relive all the drama and details of one of the most famous weeks in the history of major golf.
You can also watch 50 Things That Changed Golf on YouTube. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information ab
Episode 1: 1996 Masters
In the first episode of our new Golf Digest podcast, 50 Things That Changed Golf, Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy travel back 30 years to the 1996 Masters. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The time the Ryder Cup almost died
In the early 1980s, there came a point where the Ryder Cup governing bodies had seemingly tried everything, but nothing worked. The matches weren't competitive, the U.S. players were losing interest, and the chief sponsor of the European team dropped out, leaving them with no money to continue. This, even more than the pause for the Second World War, saw the Ryder Cup on the thinnest possible ice,
Three mid-century Ryder Cup maniacs
Buried in Ryder Cup history, in the middle of the last century, are some enormous personalities, and today we're looking at three of them who rise to the level of "maniac"—which we mean as a compliment. These three stories encompass incredible human resilience in the face of tragedy, outrageous, event-changing competitive drive, and an unlikely savior of the Ryder Cup when it was just about dead.
The Tour Championship: 40 years of success and failure
In 1987, PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman announced the first-ever Tour Championship, and 20 years later, new commissioner Tim Finchem kicked off the first-ever playoff series. What problem was it trying to solve, and where has it succeeded or failed in four decades of change? On this week's Local Knowledge, we assess the state of the tour's Super Bowl and explore where it may go in the future. H
The Tiger Killer: The fascinating life and times of Y.E. Yang
For a man who did something so astounding—becoming the first and only golfer to beat Tiger Woods on Sunday at a major from behind—we know very little about 2009 PGA Champion Y.E. Yang. As it turns out, the Korean body builder turned golfer has a surprisingly great story, and one of the most unique life paths we've ever heard of in professional golf...all of it building to that shocking Sunday at H
The English drought (curse??) at the Open Championship: What gives?
In 1992, Nick Faldo held off John Cook at Muirfield to win his third Open Championship. As it happened, this is the last time an English golfer ever captured the Claret Jug. The 33-year ongoing drought that ensued can't be explained by lack of talent or depth—England has had three world no. 1 golfers, and today they have the most players inside the world top 100 outside of America. To figure out w
America's Ryder Cup Restoration, Part 2: The Rise of Azinger
Following the blowouts of 2004 and 2006, the lowest point in US Ryder Cup history, the Americans needed a visionary leader. Tiger Woods was out with a knee injury, Europe was stronger on paper, and there was no reason to expect anything but more misery. Which is precisely when Paul Azinger rose to the occasion to rethink how America approached the Ryder Cup, and forever alter their competitive des
America's Ryder Cup Restoration, Part 1: The Miserable Years
In 2008, after a disastrous start to the decade, the American Ryder Cup system faced a big problem: How do we start winning again? This series documents how they recovered from their lowest point to become a force again and start winning. In part one, we dive deep into the nightmare: The awful stretch from 2002 to 2006 that saw the U.S. at its absolute lowest, suffering a series of humiliations at
Weird Oakmont: How the ghosts of Pittsburgh still reign at America's toughest course
Oakmont Country Club will hold its tenth U.S. Open next week, and a tour of its past champions shows how the hardscrabble philosophy of its founders still prevails, and maybe even exerts a supernatural influence on this brutal, glorious track. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Rory, Tiger, and Tom: The great equipment controversies
What happens when a winner's equipment is found to be nonconforming after the fact? The answer is, "nothing," at least in terms of the result. But as we'll see from the case of Rory at Quail Hollow, Tiger at Disney, and Tom Watson (twice!), things get more complicated in the court of public opinion. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection
The PGA Championship's Match Play era, and a ridiculous record you never knew existed
For about 40 years in major championship history, winning the PGA required a test of endurance that seems absurd today. In the midst of tracking down the record holder for most holes played in a major, we ran into more than a few wild stories. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Rory and Northern Ireland: The Complicated Relationship
In a place where nobody escapes politics, Rory McIlroy has done his best to stay neutral, despite a tragic family history with the Troubles. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
When Jim Murray fought Augusta National on race
L.A. Times Pulitzer Prize winner Jim Murray was one of the most celebrated sports columnists of his era, at a time when columnists held more influence and power by far than they do today. His humor and insight were legendary, but a lesser known element of his story is the personal boycott he led on Augusta National between 1968 and 1975, when he helped pressure the club to allow a black player int
Facing the Music: Players who speak to the media after tough losses
From Greg Norman to Jordan Spieth, there is a long tradition of players speaking to the media after tough losses, but it's a tradition that is being lost in the modern game. Today we look at some of the most fascinating instances of player-media interaction after heartbreak, and how it made all parties better. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our
How the four majors became the four majors
In 1934, when the first Masters tournament was held, nobody in golf would have been able to tell you what the "majors" were, and if they had an opinion, it would likely include amateur events that were quickly losing prominence. By 1974, and the advent of the Players Championship, the four modern majors were set in stone, and the club was closed for membership. How did things change in those 40 ye
Tiger vs. Sergio: The Great Feud (Part 2)
The final part of our short series, chronicling the latter half of their rivalry and the infamous fried chicken incident. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Tiger vs. Sergio: The Great Feud (Part 1)
It started at the turn of the century and ran hot for 15 years. From the PGA Championship at Medinah the 2013 Players Championship, there wasn't an ounce of love lost between the two superstars. In Part 1, we examine the origins of where it all went wrong. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Revolutions Part 3: Life After Tiger, the Great Schism
The story of the last 20 years of professional golf is the story of growth's consequences, and is highlighted by the emergence of LIV Golf, the PGA Tour's new rival. We ask the tough question of whether this golf schism was an inevitable consequence of Tiger's rise, and the decision at the highest levels to pursue growth at all costs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com f
Revolutions Part 2: The Tiger Slam, aka the best golf ever played
As the game's greatest player finalized a swing change that would take him from merely sensational to transcendent, and began playing a revolutionary new style of golf ball months ahead of most of his competitors (who wouldn't adopt the Titleist Pro-V-1 until October of 2000), golfing audiences bore witness to what can safely be considered the peak of human achievement in the sport. Hosted by Simp
Revolutions Part 1: Arnold Palmer, IMG, and the early disruptors
This three-part podcast series attempts the big task of summarizing how the world of golf, from the professional to the recreational, has evolved over Golf Digest's existence. As it happens, 1950 is a decent starting point when you're telling that particular story. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advert
The Terrible, Wonderful History of Q School
Since its introduction in 1963, the PGA Tour's Q School has routinely been one of the most dramatic, heart-wrenching golf tournaments on the planet. This is where careers are made, and where just as often they're broken before they have a chance to soar. Where did it come from? How has it changed? Why did it disappear, only to return last year? This week, we investigate the institution of the Q Sc
What we knew about Chi Chi Rodriguez, and what we didn't
On Aug. 8, Chi Chi Rodriguez passed away at age 88 and left behind him a legacy of a player whose reputation and personality exceeded his relatively modest success. That's how he would have wanted it: Rodriguez was an entertainer at heart, and he always had a joke or an elaborate celebration up his sleeve. But for this child of poverty from Puerto Rico, there's so much that stayed hidden, and it g
The Bizarre Early Days of Olympic Golf, 1900-1904
Long before Scottie Scheffler took gold in Paris, and more than a century before Justin Rose won in Rio, Olympic golf existed in the very early history of the Olympic games. This is the incredibly strange story of Olympic golf in 1900 and 1904, when chaos and confusion ruled, and only rarely gave way to Olympic glory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information ab
Early Golf History Part 2: The Rise of the Clubs
In the second part of our early history series, we hone in on Scotland, and take you from the 1400s all the way to the rise of the first clubs—including the ascendancy of St. Andrews—that transformed the sport entirely and laid the groundwork for what it is today. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advert
Early Golf History Part 1: Is Golf Really Scottish?
Where did golf come from? The easy answer to that question is "Scotland," but the historical record isn't quite so clear. Going back to the 1300s, surviving documents and drawings suggest the story is more complicated than we thought. This week, we're investigating the earliest origins of the game, and asking where it truly originated. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com
The Charming Choke: Jean Van de Velde's collapse, 25 years later
July marks the 25th anniversary of one of the two most notorious collapses in major championship history when Jean Van de Velde lost a three-shot lead on the final hole at Carnoustie. In the wake of Rory McIlroy's loss at Pinehurst, the Frenchman's late meltdown feels more relevant than ever; not just for the bizarre way it happened, but for his remarkable reaction, both then and in the 25 years s
The US Open champ who died in a jail cell
Cyril Walker put together the four rounds of his life in 1924 at the U.S. Open in Oakland Hills, defeating Bobby Jones in the final round and etching his name in golf history. So why don't more of us know him? The sad reality of Jones' life is that he fell into a spiral not long after his greatest triumph, and met a sad end in a New Jersey jail cell. This is his story. Hosted by Simplecast, an Ads
The Real Payne Stewart, 25 Years Later
This summer marks the 25th anniversary of Payne Stewart's triumph at Pinehurst in the 1999 U.S. Open, and as fate would have it, the National Open is back in at no. 2. In this podcast, we examine the life of Payne Stewart in living color, up to his great victory in North Carolina and his tragic death later that fall. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abo
The last triumph of Vintage Rory: Valhalla, 2014
We've spent a decade wondering when Rory McIlroy will win his next major, but as the PGA Championship heads to Valhalla, we turned our eyes backward, to the last time he pulled it off. On that hot, humid Sunday in Kentucky, Rory asserted his will and claimed his throne atop the sport ... and it was one of those strangest finishes you could ever imagine. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. Se
Sam Snead's 82 PGA Tour Wins: A Hostile Analysis
Before the professional of Tiger Woods ever began, a PGA Tour committee met and determined that Sam Snead had accumulated 82 official wins in his PGA Tour career. As fate would have it, this is the exact number Tiger has landed on as his career seems to be winding down. In this podcast, we go deep on Snead's wins, and why that 82 total is—sorry to say it—highly dubious. Hosted by Simplecast, an Ad
De Vicenzo's Masters gaffe, and who was really to blame
When Roberto De Vicenzo signed an incorrect scorecard to lose the 1968 Masters, it represented not just his failure, but the failure of several individuals and institutions, including Augusta National itself. This is the story of what really happened that day on the course, and why De Vicenzo is only partly to blame for the greatest blunder in the history of major championship golf. Hosted by Simp
Cliff and Frank: A Bizarre Augusta Story
What happens when two men who are each forces of nature, in their own way, clash at the most prestigious championship in American golf? When one is rich and handsome and headstrong, but the other is the lord of Augusta National? When Cliff Roberts, the chairman of Augusta, and Frank Stranahan, the playboy son of a millionaire, collided at the Masters in 1948, it was inevitable that something wild
The OWGR: Past, Present, and Rocky Future
The Official World Golf Ranking has never enjoyed the prominence it has today, but it's not the good kind of prominence. With some of the world's best players no longer receiving points since they're with LIV, the OWGR is under fire, and even LIV-neutral observers think it might be dying. But what is the OWGR? How does it work? How did it come about historically? This week on Local Knowledge, we g
The Iron Will of Pete Dye
If you only knew the late Pete Dye as a funny and somewhat crotchety old man, and if you only know a little about his life's work, from Sawgrass to Whistling Straits, you might not have the sense of his hard edge—how he pursued his creative visions with zealous focus, and how we would say what he needed to say and do what he needed to do to see that vision to fulfillment. With his wife Alice, he f
The Lasting Anger of Charlie Sifford
If there's a Jackie Robinson of golf, the title goes to Charlie Sifford, the first black man to be a full member of the PGA Tour. Every part of his journey was difficult, from the obstacles that kept him from competing with the best players in the world until he was almost 40, to the virulent racial hatred he faced once he got there. But unlike some of his fellow athletic pioneers, Sifford never s
Anthony Kim's enduring mystery
It has been almost 12 full years since Anthony Kim last hit a shot on the PGA Tour, and in that time, he managed to almost disappear completely. But the legend around him has grown in his absence, and now, as he's on the precipice of possibly playing once again, we look at the life and career of one of the most intriguing golfers since Tiger Woods. Who was he, where did he come from, and what happ
How Andy Gardiner got left behind while his big idea became LIV Golf
The idea that is currently splitting professional golf in half was born around 2010, scribbled in a feverish bout of inspiration on yellow legal pads. The author was Andy Gardiner, a corporate finance lawyer, and ideas weren't his only strong suit. Over the next decade and more, Gardiner used his connections high in the worlds of golf and business to forget a relentless and occasionally brilliant
Ghosts of Southern Hills: The Murder of Roger Wheeler
In May of 1981, in the parking lot of Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a man named Johnny Martorano killed his 19th victim. His target was the millionaire businessman Roger Wheeler, owner of a company called Telex that employed 5,000 people in Tulsa alone. Wheeler had been successful his whole life, but when he delved into a mob-connected business, he didn't realize in time that the
The Mystery of Montague: The best golfer who refused to play
The saga of John Montague is one that simultaneously feels like pure fantasy but is also purely American. In 1932, Montague appeared in Beverly Hills seemingly out of nowhere, and through his jaw-dropping golf game, became friends with the biggest stars in the world. Word of his exploits spread far and wide, and when Grantland Rice wrote about him in a national column, the mystery deepened. Why, i
The Accusation: Tom Watson and Gary Player at the '83 Skins Game
The word "cheat" is golf's one-syllable powder keg, and whenever it appears, fireworks follow. That was the case at the first-ever Skins Game, in Arizona in 1983, when Tom Watson pulled Gary Player aside along with a rules official to privately accuse him of breaking the rules at a critical moment in the event. A reporter was close enough to listen in, and when the story ran, two of the sport's fo
Golf Court: Should Luke Donald be Ryder Cup captain again?
It's time for the first-ever session of Golf Court! The honorable Shane P. Ryan is presiding as Barrister Luke Kerr-Dineen and Joel Beall, attorney-at-law, argue about whether Luke Donald should get a second try at Ryder Cup captain, and whether the DP World Tour should lose its right to choose Ryder Cup venues. Plus, golf course bathrooms: Do we need them? Golf Court is now in session. Hosted by
Ryder Cup Radicals: Vik-tory in Rome!
After a long week in Rome, a happy Luke consoles a sleepy Joel and a sad Shane for an instant take episode following Europe’s 16.5 to 11.5 victory to win the 2023 Ryder up the early-week proceedings at Marco Simone. The Ryder Cup Radicals break down the European Team’s heroics, the Home Team Dominance problem, and all the drama around ‘Hat Gate’.Subscribe to Local Knowledge and the Golf Digest cha
Ryder Cup Radicals: The Witching Hour in Rome
The time has come, ladies and gentlemen, to put our hearts on our sleeves and shout our final thoughts into the Roman ether. Today, Luke, Joel, and Shane recap the juiciest news from the week in Rome, give the dish on how to live in the eternal city and make our final predictions for the Ryder Cup. The time has almost come, tensions are at a peak, and as the band Europe once said, this is the fina
Ryder Cup Radicals: Last Licks Before Italia
We've been talking about it so long that we almost can't believe it's happening: The Ryder Cup is imminent. Before we pack our bags and head to Rome, though, there are a couple last orders of business. All 12 Europeans teed it up at their flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, and two Americans—most notably Justin Thomas—played at the Fortinet Championship on the PGA Tour. Together, the Radical
Ryder Cup Radicals: Euro Trip
Jamie Kennedy joins the Sambuca Boys this week to talk all things European Ryder Cup. Jamie talks about his experience working with the DP World Tour and the European Ryder Cup team, what some of the European players are saying following a trip to Rome, and if Europe’s Ryder Cup chemistry is as strong as it's been portrayed. The group also touches on the discussion of course set-up following the r
Ryder Cup Radicals: A Swedish surprise highlights Team Europe’s picks
The Sambuca Boys discuss the European Ryder Cup team’s six captain’s picks, highlighted by Ludvig Aberg and Nicolai Hojgaard. Shane Ryan issues a mea culpa on Aberg after the fledgling superstar (Aberg, not Ryan) wins the Omega European Masters to earn a spot on the European team. The boys talk about snubs, which pick could come back to haunt European captain Luke Donald, and how the team sizes up
Ryder Cup Radicals: Johnson Makes His Picks! Johnson Makes His Picks!
In a sea of speculation and analysis, we are pleased to report today that something actually happened: Zach Johnson made his captain's picks, and Team USA is now fully formed. Here at Radicals Headquarters, we are not necessarily surprised at the six picks who round out the squad, but we have some thoughts. Incendiary, revolutionary thoughts. Plus, Luke and Shane engage in partisan squabbles as we
Ryder Cup Radicals: Our last guess at the US captain's picks
The Tour Championship is over, Zach Johnson makes his picks Tuesday, and Shane and Luke are on the scene to take their last crack at handicapping the U.S. team. Is it all coming down to Burns vs. Young? Did Keegan and Glover lose their mojo at the last moment? And what of JT? Plus, we Czech in on Europe, and a seemingly convoluted captain's pick situation that might have just become simpler than w
Ryder Cup Radicals: The lowdown from Chi-Town
The boys are back, and their important job of handicapping the Ryder Cup bubble is now more critical than ever as we approach D-Day. The U.S. automatic picks are set, but there’s so much drama in the race for captain’s picks that only the brightest minds can sort the data, and over in Europe, the situation is even more tenuous as the last four picks remain very much for grabs. On a good week for b
Rise of the Euros, 1983: When Tony Jacklin and Seve Ballesteros transformed the Ryder Cup
The job facing Tony Jacklin, the unlikely captain who took the reins of the European team as Ryder Cup captain in 1983, was a massive one: He had to bring an end to decades of American dominance. The situation on the ground was dire, and to put it plainly, he was inheriting a mess. Since the Cup began in 1927, Americans had won 20 times, lost three, and tied once. Even the addition of Team Europe
Ryder Cup Radicals: Embracing the Mayhem-phis
If you wanted a worse title pun than last week, in the words of Memphis Music Hall of Famer Roy Orbison, "baby, you got it." The PGA Tour playoffs are officially underway, and Digest's three foremost Ryder Cup obsessives are back to talk about what went down in Bluff City. Is Lucas Glover bludgeoning his way onto the team one win at a time? Has JT's stock gone down as he watches from the sidelines
Ryder Cup Radicals: You Wyndham, You Lose Some
We're on the verge of the playoffs, but even with the DP World Tour in a two-week break, we had some red-hot action at the Wyndham, where the Tour regular-season finale saw at least seven hopefuls from both teams teeing it up. We're here to talk JT's surge, Bryson's 58, and where they (and everyone else) sit as the bubble watch heats up. Plus, let's gild the lily: Each of the lads chimes in on wha
The Gleneagles Massacre: Paul McGinley Schools Tom Watson at the 2014 Ryder Cup
On paper, it might look like nothing special—another European win on home soil in the Ryder Cup. But drill down, and you'll see something revelatory in Gleneagles. This was the Ryder Cup that took decades of American strategic weakness and decades of European guile and blew them out to epic proportions. It's no coincidence that the end of this Ryder Cup saw Phil Mickelson publicly challenge Tom Wa
Ryder Cup Radicals: Which team looks better after the Open? Plus Head-to-Head Player Analysis
The Sambuca Boys are back after conducting some on-site field reporting at Royal Liverpool. Harman's in, the Euros are rising (Shane's risk of becoming Luke-Pilled is currently "very serious"), and we're here to see where each team stands after the last major of the year. As July changes to August, Ryder Cup momentum becomes real, and the lads are here to guide you through the start of the endgame
The Weirdest Major Ever Played: St. Andrews, 1876
Less than a year after the death of his best friend Young Tom Morris, Davie Strath came to St Andrews hoping to win his first-ever Open Championship. He'd come close before, but while Strath was considered one of the three best golfers of his generation, and had been a sort of pioneer in giving up everything for a career in the very new field of professional golf, there was also something dogging
The Tragic Brilliance of Young Tom Morris
The fate that has befallen Young Tom Morris, the greatest golfing talent of the 20th century, is to be known, but only in outline. His singular talent is measured today by lines on a Wikipedia entry, or the ancient scrawling of a name on the claret jug, and if anything, his star has dimmed with the passing years. But when he died on Christmas Day in 1875, just 24 years old, he left the world of go
Ryder Cup Radicals: The LIV Conundrum, Sambuca, and Other Serious Matters
On the first-ever Ryder Cup Radicals, Shane, Joel, and Luke jump into the deep end with a discussion of the LIV Golf imbalance—the US can have LIVers in the Ryder Cup, Europe cannot—and whether Zach Johnson has an obligation to level the playing field by leaving them out. Then it's on to discussions of the new closed circuit US Captaincy Conglomerate, LLC, Europe's key revival of the Hero Cup, and
The Sandbag that Changed Golf: Deepdale, 1955
The concepts of honor and integrity in golf are inseparable from the inevitability of cheating. The former are prominent because the latter is so easy—when self-policing is the best hope for fair play, you better have a code of honor to work as a secondary enforcement. In 1955, at Deepdale Country Club on Long Island, that code seemed to fail when two unknown sandbaggers won a tournament and took
Fear and loathing at Winged Foot '74: The USGA's response to Johnny Miller
When Johnny Miller shot his famous 63 in the final round at Oakmont in 1973, it instantly became one of the most staggering achievements in the history of major championship golf. For the USGA, it was also something else: an insult. Oakmont was supposed to be one of the toughest courses in the world, and the U.S. Open was supposed to be the toughest test in professional golf. What Miller did under
The six women who played on the PGA Tour
This May marks the 20th anniversary of Annika Sorenstam playing the Bank of America Colonial at Colonial Country Club, where she became the first woman in more than 50 years to play with the men on the PGA Tour. That week was highly anticipated, stressful, and loaded with controversy as more than 300 reporters, hundreds of photographers, and thousands of fans flocked to Texas to see her play. The
The Basque Heritage of Jon Rahm: A Story that Goes Back Millennia
A key component of Jon Rahm's identity, and one that's not often discussed in English-speaking media, is his Basque heritage. The Basque people represent the oldest surviving ethnic group in all of Europe; they pre-date the Indo-Europeans who swept through the rest of the continent, and whose descendants live there today. Euskal Herria, the Basque homeland, is a region the size of New Hampshire in
The Reckoning at Shoal Creek: When golf's race problem came out of the shadows
In 1990, the PGA Championship was set to be played at Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club near Birmingham, Alabama. The course had hosted the tournament six years earlier, but this time, thanks to an incendiary comment from the club's founder, the golf world couldn't ignore an inconvenient fact: Shoal Creek wouldn't admit any black members. Nor could the PGA paint it as an isolated problem, or even
Seve Ballesteros: The Legend and the Reality
There was never a moment when Seve Ballesteros wasn't scrambling, when he wasn't recovering, when he wasn't looking for the outrageous miracle. That's how he lived, and that was always going to be how he played golf. We look at the mysteries of the Spanish golf legend, and his entire unbelievable story. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collect
The Collapse: Greg Norman, 1996, and the final round that lives on
It's one of the most infamous moments in golf: Greg Norman taking a six-shot lead into the final round at Augusta National, only to live out every golfer's nightmare as he shot 78 and lost to Nick Faldo. Today, 27 years later, as Norman has emerged as the face of LIV Golf's threat to the game's world order, that memory feels as fresh as ever. On this episode of Local Knowledge, we dive deep to exp
Ronald Reagan, a loaded gun, and the forgotten hostage crisis at Augusta National
On an October day in 1983, Charlie Harris drove his blue Dodge pickup through gate three at Augusta National. His goal? To talk to Ronald Reagan, who at that moment was playing the 16th hole on his first-ever trip to the storied course. What happened over the next two hours is one of the strangest chapters in Augusta history ... and despite the high stakes, it disappeared almost immediately from t
The 1983 Rebellion: The PGA Tour's original crisis
In 1983, under the leadership of Deane Beman, the PGA Tour faced the first great challenge to its existence. The leading players of the time, from Jack Nicklaus to Arnold Palmer to Tom Watson, weren't happy with the direction of the Tour, and felt that the new marketing arm was adding money to its own coffers while depleting theirs. Rebellion was in the air, and when they came after the man they c
Full Swing Wrap: An interview with Executive Producer Chad Mumm
After recapping and analyzing every episode of the new Netflix golf series, Full Swing, it was time to bring our questions to the man who put it all together. In this bonus episode, Chad Mumm, the show’s executive producer, discusses who he envisioned as a target audience, how he locked in on different subjects, and why the show opted against a traditional chronological format. Mumm also reveals h
Full Swing Thoughts Ep. 8: And then there was Rory
The final episode of Netflix’s new golf series, Full Swing, and of our limited-run podcast recapping the show, is all about the star power of Rory McIlroy. As hosts Shane Ryan, Sam Weinman, and Alex Myers discuss, the producers were right to focus the entire last episode on the four-time major champion given the prominent role he played in golf in 2022, as well as his willingness to share parts of
Full Swing Thoughts Ep. 7: Mito Pereira and Sahith Theegala suffer the rookie blues
As the Netflix series on golf, Full Swing, approaches the end, our podcast recapping the show can’t help but judge the seventh episode through the prism of missed opportunities. Were rookies Sahith Theegala and Mito Pereira compelling enough to carry an entire show? Was either one of the biggest storylines of 2022? Although there were elements of the seventh episode—Theegala’s father being one, Pe
Full Swing Thoughts Ep. 6: Tony Finau, Collin Morikawa, and the dreaded contrast
After a triumphant run of episodes in the new Netflix golf series, Full Swing, our podcast recapping the show was more critical of a sixth installment focusing on Tony Finau and Collin Morikawa. As hosts Shane Ryan, Sam Weinman, and Alex Myers say, there is much to like about the Tony Finau portion, which captures Finau’s compelling and unique backstory, and provides new insight into the balance h
Full Swing Thoughts Ep. 5: The ballad of Fitzy and DJ
The fifth installment of our limited-run podcast series recapping Full Swing, the new Netflix show, tackles the Matt Fitzpatrick and Dustin Johnson episode. Hosts Shane Ryan, Sam Weinman, and Alex Myers note that just like with Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler in Episode 2, the show’s producers opted to emphasize a contrast. Here it was between the overachieving Fitzpatrick and the naturally gi
Full Swing Thoughts Ep. 4: Joel Dahmen shines in the best episode yet
Hosts Shane Ryan, Sam Weinman, and Alex Myers haven’t agreed on everything about Netflix’s new golf show, Full Swing, but they agree that the show’s fourth episode on journeyman Joel Dahmen was the best yet. In our limited-run podcast series recapping every episode, we explain why Dahmen’s incredible journey through professional golf and his relatable demeanor made for compelling television. Among
Full Swing Thoughts Ep. 3: The Ian Poulter conundrum
The next installment of our limited-run podcast series recapping Netflix’s Full Swing reflects on the value of personality, and how the show’s third episode featuring Ian Poulter stood apart from the previous two for that reason. Whereas earlier episodes had bigger names in Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, hosts Shane Ryan, Sam Weinman, and Alex Myers argue that devoting an entire epis
Full Swing Thoughts Ep. 2: The spring of Scottie, the fall of Brooks
In the second installment of our limited-run podcast series on Netflix’s Full Swing, hosts Shane Ryan, Sam Weinman, and Alex Myers discuss a much-improved second episode that focuses on Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler. We discuss the portrayal of Koepka as a one-time dominant force now in the throes of a prolonged slump; how it contrasts to Scheffler, an amiable up-and-coming star who catapult
Full Swing Thoughts Ep. 1: Jordan, Justin, and the curse of friendship
Welcome one and all to the world premiere of the new Golf Digest podcast "Full Swing Thoughts." As you might gather from the title, we're here to talk about all things 'Full Swing,' the new Netflix documentary looking at the year 2022 in professional golf. We start today with the JT and Jordan episode, and Golf Digest stalwarts Sam, Alex, and Shane go deep on what they loved, what they didn't love
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