Category Archives: Golf

Chris Berman on podcast: ‘I’m on the 16th hole of my career’; Trying to keep open mind on his U.S. Open work

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I have made a vow to an ESPN friend that I am going to try to keep an open mind about Chris Berman working yet another U.S. Open. (Sorry, touch of sarcasm there).

Previously, I have complained that Berman’s style, and shtick, is out of place for one of golf’s biggest events. Home Run Derby, yes. U.S. Open, no.

I know I am not alone here among seasoned golf viewers.

Perhaps, though, I have been a bit too harsh. Maybe I need to lighten up when it comes to “Boomer?”

Clearly, Berman has a passion for the event, as evidenced by an interview he did for ESPN’s Front and Center podcast.

This will be Berman’s 28th Open for ESPN; his first was 1986. During the podcast, the 58-year old said, “I’m on the 16th hole of my career.”

I’m not sure about the “16th hole” statement. Given the longevity of TV folks these days, I can see Berman working into his 70s. It’s more likely that he will come to 18 and decide to play another 9.

Berman did say he wants to work the U.S. Open until the day he does hang up the microphone. And clearly ESPN will let him.

From the podcast:

“It is truly an Open. You’ve gotta be great but if you are a one-handicap golfer, you can step up and try to make it. That’s a big part of it. . . The second part of it is it’s played in a different place every year and often an historical place. Merion, for example this year, Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan — there are plaques for both of them. Well, that’s golf.”

Berman told a great story about his interaction with Payne Stewart during the 1999 Open he won at Pinehurst. He also discussed his own personal golf highlight: Making a birdie on 18 at Pebble Beach to make the cut at the AT&T Pro-Am. Bill Murray was among the players in his foursome.

What struck me about the podcast was Berman’s tone. It was much more restrained and understated compared to the high-volume guy we see on TV.

Golf isn’t football, and if he incorporated more of that tone into his U.S. Open telecasts, the critics might lay off a bit.

Most people, though, already have made up their minds about Berman and the Open. I would suggest he stay away from Twitter for a couple of days.

As for me? Well, I made a promise. Let’s see if I can keep it.

As always, let me know what you think.

 

 

 

 

 

This is awesome: Arnold Palmer tells Clint Eastwood to pick up pace in new USGA ad

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During this week’s U.S. Open, expect to see plenty of ads imploring golfers to pick up the pace on the golf course.

The United States Golf Association has embarked on a campaign to eliminate slow play, which is ruining the game. Of course, the worst offenders will be the pros playing at Merion this week. But that’s another story.

The theme of the ads are a take-off on Rodney Dangerfield’s immortal line in Caddyshack: “While we’re young.”

Here is an ad I’m sure everyone will love.

Johnny Miller: Best analyst in TV sports ready to go centerstage at U.S. Open

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I wrote about Johnny Miller this week in my column for the National Sports Journalism Center site.

In my mind, Miller is the best analyst in sports. Not just golf. All of sports.

Agree? I know the players don’t, which is a big reason why I like him so much.

From my post:

Miller’s mix of brutally frank analysis, plus his own unique “Millerisms”, makes him a must-listen whenever he pops up on the tube. Really, how many analysts command your attention the way Miller does? Off the top of my head, I only can think of a handful: Charles Barkley, John McEnroe. John Madden in his prime. Dick Vitale still rates with me on college hoops, and Jeff Van Gundy also is a new entry on my short list.

Apologies to anyone I left off, because there are many talented people out there. But when it comes to Miller, we’re talking about taking it to another level.

It is often said that Miller lacks a filter between his brain and his mouth. Whatever pops into his head comes out. It also isn’t in his nature to hold back. His style is the golf equivalent of reaching for the big club for that really long shot over water on a par 5. No risk, no reward.

“In the booth, you can play it safe and down the center of the fairway,” Miller once said in a Golf Magazine interview.  ”Or you can go for glory. That means you’ll be close to water hazards and O.B. stakes. I could be Joe Namby Pamby and say trite, obvious things, but growing the game is part of what I do. Viewers tell me all the time, ‘If you’re not announcing, I don’t even turn it on.’”

 

Will he be right? Johnny Miller predicted Tiger wouldn’t break Jack’s record in 2004

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While doing some research for my National Sports Journalism Center column on Johnny Miller, I came across a story I did on him for the Chicago Tribune in May, 2004.

Miller was in town to promote his book, I Call The Shots. Looking back, he had some views on Tiger Woods that are looking to be fairly prescient now.

At the time, Woods was only 28 and had eight majors in the bank. Now going into this week’s U.S. Open, he is 37 and stuck on 14 majors since 2008, five away from breaking Nicklaus’ record of 18.

Here’s what I wrote:

The headline-grabber of Miller’s book is his prediction that Woods won’t break Nicklaus’ record of 18 victories in majors. With eight majors in the bank, Woods could win just one in each of the next 11 years and accomplish the feat.

That seemed to be a no-brainer a couple of years ago. But Miller said he sees Woods hitting a wall, just as Nicklaus did and he did. He called Woods “an old 28.”

Woods did hit a wall. Or more specifically a fire hydrant. However, he did win six majors from 2005-2008 prior to his Thanksgiving night ride in 2009.

For starters, Miller said he believes Woods will be fortunate to avoid injuries. Woods had surgery on his left knee at the end of 2002.

“With the speed of his swing, he has to dodge the bad back, the bad wrist, the bad shoulder,” Miller said.

Hmm, it turns out Woods wasn’t through having problems with that left knee.

More important, Miller said staying motivated will be Woods’ toughest challenge.

“Tiger always has won every tournament in every age group,” Miller said. “The bottom line is you have to be focused for so many years to do that. There comes a period in a guy’s life where you say, `Man, I’m really grinding it.’ Then at 30 you wonder, `Is this what I want to do the rest of my career?'”

Or do I want to go out and have numerous affairs? I doubt Miller was thinking of that reason, but he had a feeling Woods would get sidetracked.

Nicklaus, Miller noted, went three years without winning a major at a similar age. But he certainly got going again.

There’s no reason Woods can’t regain his dominance. But first he has to find the fairway.

Woods’ drives “are starting on one course and finishing on another,” Miller said.

Miller went through a litany of Woods’ flaws, ranging from grip to wrist cock to the influence of his good friend, Mark O’Meara. He contended Woods has been “O’Meara-ized,” and that isn’t a good thing.

“I keep having this dream where Tiger comes to me and says, `OK, what’s wrong with my game?'” Miller said. “Well, I’m ready, Tiger.”

Woods still has problems hitting fairways, although O’Meara can’t be blamed. They aren’t close anymore.

As for Miller’s dream about Woods contacting him for advice. Something tells me that still hasn’t happened.

 

Programming alert: Lee Trevino documentary Sunday on NBC

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One of the great things about this year’s U.S. Open at Merion is that people are recalling Lee Trevino’s Open victory there in 1971.

NBC will premiere 1971 U.S. Open: Lee Trevino An American Champion Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.

Here are the details from NBC:

When Lee Trevino captured his second U.S. Open title at Merion Golf Club in 1971, it wasn’t the prestige of winning a major championship in a playoff that mattered so much to the eighth-grade dropout with the homemade swing.  As revealed in 1971 U.S. OPEN:  LEE TREVINO AN AMERICAN CHAMPION, premiering Sunday, June 9, at 5 p.m. ET on NBC, it was the fact that he beat Jack Nicklaus – “the best in world” – to do it, which helped him turn a career corner and made him feel like he truly belonged in the fraternity of professional golfers.

As the U.S. Open returns to Merion June 13-16, NBC and Golf Channel will present 1971 U.S. OPEN:  LEE TREVINO AN AMERICAN CHAMPION, a 60-minute retrospective documenting Trevino’s victory and how he claimed his place among the great champions in U.S. Open history.  Produced by Golf Channel in association with the United States Golf Association, the documentary also will replay on Monday, June 17 at 10 p.m. ET on Golf Channel and throughout June.

The 1971 U.S. Open at Merion was one of six major championships won by Trevino, a Mexican-American who embodies the eclectic spirit of U.S. Open champions who have come from myriad backgrounds to claim the game’s most coveted title.  Narrated by Academy Award-nominated actor Andy Garcia, 1971 U.S. OPEN:  LEE TREVINO AN AMERICAN CHAMPION captures the drama that unfolded that week in June just outside Philadelphia, and tells the story of Trevino’s rise from an impoverished childhood to become arguably the greatest shot maker and one of the most beloved personalities the game has ever seen.  The documentary was produced by 12-time Emmy Award-winning Golf Channel producer Israel DeHerrera, and written by Aaron Cohen, winner of 18 Emmy Awards whose work has been featured in acclaimed documentaries for HBO, as well as for NBC, ESPN, NFL and MLB.

As in 1971, this year’s U.S. Open will be played on a golf course that’s relatively short, tight and penal, and one where par golf is great golf.  Reminiscing about “the hardest damn course I’ve ever seen,” Trevino recently was quoted about what the 1971 victory really meant to him.  “Merion gave me my career.  Up until Merion, the way this played out, I never felt comfortable.  I never thought that I belonged,” he said.  “So when I got into the playoff and I beat Jack … what I took away was, it wasn’t so much that I had won the Open for the second time, it was who I defeated to do it.  It finally made me feel like I belonged in the fraternity.”

Interspersed with newly created interviews with Trevino and Nicklaus, 1971 U.S. OPEN:  LEE TREVINO AN AMERICAN CHAMPION tells the complete story of the championship from the opening round through the Monday playoff.  The program covers events both on and off the golf course and includes perspectives about Trevino’s life and career from friends, current and past players, historians and golf media, as well as historical photographs and archival interviews.  Some of the personalities interviewed for the documentary include:  TV icon and golf essayist Jack Whitaker; golfers Johnny Miller, Andy North, Curtis Strange, Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Lanny Wadkins, and Tom Watson; USGA historians Rand Jerris and Michael Trostel; and Merion Golf Club historian and archivist John Capers III.

“Lee Trevino’s duel with Jack Nicklaus deserves to be remembered as one of the great moments in U.S. Open history,” said USGA President Glen D. Nager. “This year’s return of the championship to Merion Golf Club serves as the perfect opportunity to work with NBC and Golf Channel to tell the story and celebrate one of its most colorful champions.”

“Lee Trevino is truly a man of the game and there’s no question about his rightful place among the game’s all-time elite players and personalities,” said Golf Channel President Mike McCarley.  “We’ll not only capture his life story with this retrospective, but also will remember an epic U.S. Open playoff at a legendary golf course our viewers will get to know all over again this year.”

For the first three days, the 1971 U.S. Open featured a mishmash of contenders.  But as they often do, the championship finally came down to a duel between heavyweights – this time Nicklaus and Trevino.  Missing a six-footer on the 72nd hole to win in regulation, Trevino fell into a tie with Nicklaus, forcing a Monday playoff.  The tension on the first tee was thick but soon lifted as the ever-playful Trevino pulled a rubber snake from his golf bag, held it up for the gathered crowd to see and tossed it at Nicklaus, who broke out laughing.   When play commenced, an early deficit for Trevino turned, ultimately, into a three-stroke victory.  On the final hole, he ran onto the green with his trademark smile, blew an appreciative kiss to the gallery and sank his putt for the win.

Of the six major championships Trevino won in his career, four required him to defeat Nicklaus at his best, and he did it all with his trademark charisma and fun-loving style.  As the first person of Hispanic descent to claim a U.S. major championship, his contribution to the game is undeniable.  He had overcome poverty and a professional game that was slow to accept outsiders.  He pursued the game not for its prestige but as a way to support his family, and he created a legacy that continues to inspire the future of the game.

 

CBS’ Peter Kostis discloses he had surgery for colon cancer; ‘Excellent prognosis’

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Peter Kostis issued the following statement today:

“As many of you know, I have been absent from the last few CBS Sports golf telecasts. I fiercely try to keep my private life separate from my public life, but after hearing John Kruk talk about his testicular cancer last Sunday during the Red Sox-Yankees game, I decided to share my situation in hopes of spreading awareness of colon cancer.

“I am currently home recovering from successful surgery for colon cancer. It was detected early during a regular physical and colonoscopy. My great team of doctors in Phoenix will be putting me through preventative chemotherapy. Because of early detection the prognosis for a full recovery is excellent. I had zero symptoms or family history.  I urge everyone, if you are over 50 get a regular colonoscopy exam whether you think you need one or not.

“I thank all of you who have sent messages, thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery. I also want to thank my CBS Sports family, CBS management, the whole golf crew, and announcers have been fantastic in their support. I’ll be back as soon as humanly possible. In the meantime, please get checked out!   Thank you, Peter.”

 

Greatest rounds: Trevino-Nicklaus playoff in 1971 U.S. Open revisited on Golf Channel

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This is a treat. Even though Jack Nicklaus was the top player of his era, or any era, he had plenty of great Hall of Famers challenging him, including Lee Trevino.

Here’s the rundown from the Golf Channel:

The 1971 U.S. Open at famed Merion Golf Club featured one of the more dramatic battles in U.S. Open history when Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus went toe-to-toe in an intense 18-hole Monday playoff to crown that year’s national champion.  For the first time since the tournament’s original airing in 1971, viewers will have the opportunity watch the drama and excitement unfold on television on GOLF’S GREATEST ROUNDS, Tuesday, May 28 at 8 p.m. ET on Golf Channel.

Golf Channel on NBC’s Dan Hicks will take viewers through the dramatic showdown between Trevino and Nicklaus at Merion Golf Club, featuring action from Sunday’s final round and Monday’s 18-hole playoff.  Missing a six-footer on the 72nd hole to win in regulation, Trevino fell into a tie with Nicklaus and forced a Monday playoff.  The tension on the first tee was thick but soon lifted as the ever-playful Trevino pulled a rubber snake from his golf bag, held it up for the gathered crowd to see and tossed it at Nicklaus, who broke out laughing.

GOLF’S GREATEST ROUNDS will return to Golf Channel after the U.S. Open on Tuesday, June 18 at 8 p.m. ET with Open Championship specials, beginning with Seve Ballesteros’ second Open Championship victory in 1984.

 

Tiger effect: Sunday’s final round ties for highest Players Championship rating since 1991

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The stars couldn’t have aligned better for NBC Sunday. Tiger Woods and his arch nemesis Sergio Garcia going down the stretch at the Players Championship.

Yes, there were other players too, but nothing moves the needle more than the combination of Tiger and a little bad blood. As you would expect, the ratings were huge.

From Austin Karp of Street and Smith’s Sports Business Daily:

NBC earned a 5.7 overnight Nielsen rating for the final round of The Players Championship yesterday, which saw Tiger Woods win by two strokes over David Lingmerth, Jeff Maggert and Kevin Streelman for his first win at TPC Sawgrass since ’01. The rating is tied with Woods’ win in ’01 as the best final round for the event since ’91. The 5.7 overnight also is up 68% from a 3.4 overnight for the final round in ’12 and ’11, which saw Matt Kuchar and K.J. Choi win the PGA Tour event, respectively.

 

Woods’ next event likely will be The Memorial during the first weekend of June. CBS can’t wait.