Friends Of Tiger

We're back on the Hype Train with Kyle Porter of CBS Sports, and you know what we're talking about—DL3 has picked his 3, and we got the takes to match. Did Rickie deserve the pick? Is Kuchar the most boring selection ever? What about the Bubba snub? It's all here, so tune on in.

We're in week two of Ryder Cup hype-train mode, and Chris Solomon of No Laying UP is on board to talk European captain's picks, American captain's picks, and that age-old question of youth vs. experience. We also take a record amount of Twitter questions, and set a new record for sheer length at 96 minutes. That's a long podcast! You're certainly getting your money's worth at a cost of exactly nothing, so enjoy your latest journey on the Hype Train. 

It's the first of a series of Ryder Cup podcasts leading up to the big event, which we're officially calling The Ryder Cup Hype Train 2K16 USA Express. Joining me this week to talk about my favorite sporting event in the worlds is Alex Myers of Golf Digest. We cover just about everything, from the systemic changes made by the Americans this year after the Gleneagles debacle, to the imminent European captain's picks, to the less-imminent but still pretty imminent U.S. captain's picks. We're talking Furyk, Reed, Love, Clarke, sample sizes, the legacy of past captains, and more. And that doesn't begin to tell the story, because Alex and I set a FoT record by going for 88 minutes strong. Turns out, we both love this event and have lots of opinions. Don't miss it!

I'm not going to mince words—Luke and I are dead-heading today, and our target is Olympic Golf. What does that mean? It means everyone in the immediate vicinity of Rio needs to duck and cover, baby. Check it out, and wear safety netting, because we are the Zika mosquitoes of golf podcasts.

Man what a show! It's the Masters preview, going up Thursday afternoon—oops. I spend 15 minutes each with Alex Myers, Luke Kerr-Dineen, D.J. Piehowski, Kyle Porter, and Chris Solomon. We're hashing it out—who's going to win, who's going to lose, and who's going to get held indefinitely in an underground chamber at Augusta. Check it out!

Jay Busbee is a golf and NASCAR writer for Yahoo, and today, his book 'Earnhardt Nation' is coming out. We spoke about his writing process, the history of NASCAR, and the fascinating saga of American racing's first family, the Earnhardts. This is a special episode, and I can honestly say that I learned more in this hour than I have in a long time. Always a blast to talk to Jay, and please pick up his book here: http://www.amazon.com/Earnhardt-Nation-Full-Throttle-NASCARs-Family/dp/0062367714/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455634110&sr=8-1&keywords=earnhardt+nation

Alex Myers is making his first appearance of 2016, he's married, he's got a house, and he's ready to dispense some SERIOUS ADULT WISDOM. After an important back-and-forth on Cam Newton, we talk Rickie's decision on 17 at Phoenix, Matsuyama's wins (and slow play), the rise of Danny Willett, and the Jordan Spieth bobblehead that looks nothing like Jordan Spieth. After that, Alex solves some cat problems, and I'm not talking about the Big Cat. It's a rip-roaring affair, and not to be missed by man, woman, or child.

2016 IS HERE! After the longest hiatus in podcast history, Friends of Tiger is back! And who else would kick off our second season but the man with the most appearances in podcast history, For The Win's Luke Kerr-Dineen! Luke and I are on the eve of our fantasy golf draft, and we're struggling over the hard questions: Rory or Jordan with the first pick? Is Day a legit third pick, or is he going to fade? Who are the sleepers that might slip to the later rounds? We scope out the world of professional golf, from the high-flyers to the grinders to the question marks, and preview the year to come. It's always SUCH A PLEASURE to jam with Luke, and he even earned an official Friends of Tiger nickname. But how are you ever going to know what it is unless you listen?!?!! DO IT!!!

This show was recorded LIVE at DSI Comedy Theater in Chapel Hill, NC. Joe May is the head pro at Hillandale Golf Course at Durham, and we talk about his life in golf, and what it's like to teach people this crazy game for a living.

We're back! Luke Kerr-Dineen from the USA Today FTW blog joins me today, and we're talking PGA Championship, the perils of being new media, the anger of old media, and Luke's experiences writing the infamous "Spieth choked" piece. Enjoy!

We're back where we belong in our Durham, NC studio, and today we're welcoming Scott Michaux of the Augusta Chronicle as our featured guest. Scott and I talk about the complicated figure of Bubba Watson, this week's Travelers Championship Winner, and beyond Bubba, we hit on everyone from Paul Casey (we like him!) to Phil (he seems to like gambling!) to Jordan Spieth (how dare he not spend the next month at St. Andrews!). It's a fun return to form with a first-time guest, so check it out!

Jordan wins! Dustin loses...and we've got one more short ep before we fly back home. Check us out!

It's night three of the U.S. Open extravaganza, and we're back with the core crew of Jon McCarthy, Teddy Greenstein, Stephanie Wei, Michael Witmer, and ME. We're one day away from finally getting some golf, and we're talking course setup, USGA devilry, and the players we love. We also do a lightning round fantasy draft, and things get HEATED. And as always, we take unnecessary shots at Stephanie. The week rolls on, and we continue to gain in strength. The Groupageddon is upon us.

We have the whole gang from last night, plus Mr. Michael Witmer of the Boston Globe, and we're chock full of new information gleaned from a Tuesday spent at the U.S. Open. It's a solid half hour of near-madness, and the information will blow you sky-high. Enjoy!

We're setting a new world record with podcast guests at a whopping FIVE. Teddy Greenstein (Chicago Tribune), Ryan Ballengee (GolfNewsNet), Jon McCarthy (Toronto Sun), Stephanie Wei (WeiUnderPar), and I are jamming with the first of a bunch of U.S. Open podcasts. All I can say is that it gets chaotic, and fast. Possibly too chaotic. Like the U.S. Open, it's nice to have once in a while, but you wouldn't want it every week. In the midst of the insanity, we do discuss the U.S. Open, and there are some actual intelligent takes. Enjoy, my friends!

It's the Sam Weinman episode! Sam just wrote an excellent piece on Golf Digest about his struggles as a mediocre golfer, and his long obsession with swing thoughts. It makes for the perfect topic, because I, too, have fallen into the golf rabbit hole, and this hour is more than a little like therapy. We also look ahead to the Memorial and U.S. Open as summer begins and major season heats up. Check it out!

We're back off our short hiatus, and welcoming Luke Kerr-Dineen into the Tiger's Den. There's plenty to discuss, including Steven Bowditch's win at the Byron Nelson and his story of recovering from severe depression. We go from there to talking about the pressures of being a pro golfer, and the outlets they choose, from the good to the bad. Have we done a bad job of turning players into single-issue people, from Bowditch to Compton to Rory to Rickie? Next, we touch on Luke's recent article about adderall use on Tour, and spend a moment or two on college golf. It's a conversation for the ages, and you can only hear it here, folks!

Alex Myers of Golf Digest is making his first appearance on the show, and I know what you're thinking: IS HE READY FOR THE FIRE PIT?! Good news: He is! We talk about Rory's big win at the Wells Fargo, and just why we find the guy so darn appealing. Will anyone be his Rafa—the guy who emerges as a true competitive rival? Could it be Jordan? Our conversation ranges from stat nerdery to history to tennis to NBA basketball. All of it, of course, loops back to our favorite game. Don't miss this one!

Kyle Porter is BACK, and he's ready to bring the red hot heat. Kyle wrote a great piece on Rickie Fowler, and the way we as fans and pundits tend to overreact to the results of a single weekend, so we start there before moving on to Rory McIlroy. Kyle and I rank the top 7 Rory Rivalries, and the results may shock and appall you. Elsewhere, I encourage people to harass a certain Twitter account, and things get surprisingly philosophical as Kyle and I discuss the nature of life, fandom, language, and so much more. Tune in, my friends, or be left behind at the water cooler like a DWEEB.

We've gone official! D.J. Piehowski of the PGA Tour is our guest today, and we're talking all about Rickie Fowler's thrilling win at the Players Championship over Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner. What does this mean for the game? Is Rickie still overrated? Is he the next Tiger? Is he already better than Tiger? It's a red-hot session of scorching takes, and D.J. also tells us a little about what it's like to work for the Tour. If you miss this episode, you're not a real golf fan, and you might not even be a real person.