David Feherty Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Expert Picks: LIV Golf’s broadcast team predict the Singapore winners

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 10:52:48 +0000

As the dust settles on LIV Golf Adelaide, the broadcast team have quickly turned their attentions to Singapore for this week’s event. Here is a look at their predictions for both the individual and team titles at Sentosa. Like her favourite 4 Aces, Troy Mullins is still way out in front, but the mighty David Feherty has catapulted up the standings while poor old Su-Ann Heng has plummeted.

TROY MULLINS

INDIVIDUAL
Dean Burmester – He played really well in Adelaide. He’s really strong par 5s and par 4s. But it’s really hard for me not to pick Patrick Reed.
TEAM
Stinger – Going with the Stingers and not my 4 Aces, who won last week. First time I haven’t picked the 4 Aces.

ARLO WHITE

INDIVIDUAL
Cameron Smith – He was agonisingly close to putting in a genuine challenge to Talor Gooch in Adelaide. A victory will come sooner or later for the Ripper skipper, and I think it will be here in Singapore.
TEAM
4 Aces –After three podium finishes to start the season, they finally won for the first time in Adelaide. They are deep and they are relentless. I see a second victory outside of the US for DJ’s quartet.

DAVID FEHERTY

INDIVIDUAL
Dustin Johnson – He’s long and rounding into some sort of shape. And he’s hacked off that he hasn’t won this year.
TEAM
RangeGoats – I’m hopelessly loyal and they’re showing some form.

JERRY FOLTZ

INDIVIDUAL
Anirban Lahiri – He’s playing with a heavy heart and a new perspective. Plus, he’s playing some great golf.
TEAM
Crushers – Bryson is getting more and more determined by the week. Also, the tight-knit team will rally around Anirban.

DOM BOULET

INDIVIDUAL
Brooks Koepka – Big golf course and need to have a solid iron game.
TEAM
Smash – Smash are going to smash it! Too much momentum with Chase’s hole-in-one last week and Jason and Matthew are bombers too.

SU-ANN HENG

INDIVIDUAL
Brooks Koepka – He’s coming in with lots of momentum.
TEAM
Smash – They’re due.

HOW THEY STAND

EXPERT: OVERALL POINTS, LAST EVENT
Mullins: 126, Reed 24, 4Aces 32
White: 78, Smith 18, Ripper 1
Feherty: 65, Smith 18, RangeGoats 24
Foltz: 63, Leishman 1, Ripper 1
Boulet: 58, Mickelson 3, Majesticks 0
Heng: 57, Leishman 1, Ripper 1

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David Feherty admits he joined LIV Golf because ‘they paid me a lot of money’

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 06:01:29 +0000

By Jay Coffin
Grow the game. A lighter schedule. A different format at LIV Golf. Those are all just a smattering of reasons most of the players who left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf have used to explain their respective decisions to join the series. But broadcaster David Feherty? He went straight for the obvious.

“Money,” Feherty told the Toledo Blade earlier this week. “People don’t talk about it. I hear: ‘Well, it’s to grow the game.’ Bull … they paid me a lot of money.”

Feherty, 63, left NBC Sports and Golf Channel last month to become an analyst for LIV Golf. He was part of NBC’s coverage of the Open Championship at St Andrews, then moved on to his new role with LIV shortly after.

Money was the clear reason why Feherty left. But he also said that there were two more distinct explanations for why the jump was a no-brainer. One of those was a chance to be a lead analyst for the first time in his career. The other was personality driven.

“An opportunity to be myself again,” Feherty said. “It’s become more and more difficult, especially in sports broadcasting, to have any kind of character. Charles Barkely can say pretty much anything he wants, because it’s: ‘Oh, that’s just Charles.’ And it is just Charles. But I have become more and more guarded over the last few years. There are people waiting around every corner hoping to be offended by something. [Expletive] those people.”

Feherty also touched on doing business with Saudi Arabia. “People that criticise are doing business with China, doing business with Russia. You can point to various countries throughout the world. I wouldn’t want to behave like that, but wherever golf is, good happens, and I’m hoping this will do the same thing. [LIV] has said its going to donate $100 million to area charities.”

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Broadcaster Gary McCord in job talks with LIV as Feherty gears up for commentary debut at Bedminster

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 24 Jul 2022 07:55:28 +0000

By Dave Shedloski
Having opted to not sign a non-disclosure agreement with LIV Golf, Gary McCord confirmed on Saturday that he has had talks with the upstart tour about joining its broadcast team for its 14-event schedule in 2023.

No deal is imminent, he said, but the former CBS announcer has had two meetings with LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, and a third meeting, via Zoom, is on his docket this week.

“You always have to listen to what someone has to say when they are interested in offering you a job, especially at my age,” McCord, who turned 74 in May, said by phone from his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. “I’m basically rounding third here, career-wise, and it’s kind of nice to have the phone ring.”

A former PGA Tour player and three-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions, McCord used his wry humor and irreverence to carve out a successful broadcasting career with CBS Sports over four decades starting in 1986. CBS opted to not renew his contract after the 2019 season. He currently co-hosts a weekly programme on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio called “The Dry Heave” with former CBS colleague David Feherty and Drew Stoltz.

LIV Golf made official on Friday what had been rumored for days when it announced that Feherty, who had been working for NBC, has joined its broadcast team. It is not yet known if Feherty can continue on the PGA Tour’s radio programme. The tour has banned all players who have moved to the Saudi-backed series that will stage its third event in the coming week at Trump Bedminster in New Jersey.

McCord did not disclose any potential financial terms being offered because he doesn’t know and doesn’t want to know. “I told my agent not to mention any numbers because I don’t want to make a decision just based on money,” he said. “You know me. There are all sorts of things going on in my head.”

What intrigues him, he said, is the potential for reuniting on air with Feherty, who has remained a close friend after the native of Northern Ireland left for NBC in 2016, and perhaps also working more closely with Charles Barkley, the popular NBA analyst for TNT. McCord and Barkley have previously teamed up as broadcast partners for a couple of editions of ‘The Match’, a series of made-for TV golf showdowns that have aired on TNT.

Barkley recently confirmed that he also has had discussions with LIV Golf.

“Yeah, I think it would be fun to ride in that clown car with those two,” McCord said, laughing. “There’s a lot of potential there for some entertaining ways of doing this. Right now, I’m just listening and taking it all in and seeing where this thing goes. Whatever your feelings right now about LIV — and everyone has their opinions — you can’t deny it’s the biggest thing going as far as what people are talking about, and it will be interesting to see what golf looks like in the next five years.”

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Report: Famed golf commentator David Feherty moves to LIV Golf

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 05:10:21 +0000

David Feherty. David Cannon

By Jay Coffin
David Feherty is leaving NBC and is expected to join LIV Golf as part of its broadcast team, according to a report in the New York Post.

The 63-year-old analyst and on-course reporter for NBC Sports and Golf Channel is expected to become an analyst for LIV Golf, which has six events remaining on its 2022 schedule. Feherty was a host on Golf Channel from 2011-2021 and was part of NBC’s coverage of the 150th Open Championship last week from St Andrews.

“We thank David for his numerous contributions to Golf Channel and NBC Sports’ golf coverage for more than a decade, and we wish him well in the future,” an NBC Sports spokesperson told Golf Digest.

The Saudi-backed series has already played two events — in at Centurion near London and in Portland, Oregon — and next up is its event July 29-31 at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey.

The first two events could be watched live on YouTube and the three-person broadcast team has consisted of two other former NBC announcers: Premier League voice Arlo White (play-by-play) and former Golf Channel reporter Jerry Foltz. Dom Boulet, a former Asian Tour player known as a major voice for golf in Asia, has been the third member of the team.

Just last week, outspoken NBA star-turned-analyst Charles Barkley said that he had been contacted by LIV Golf and that he was going to speak with series officials about an opportunity.

Feherty was an on-course reporter for PGA Tour events on CBS from 1997 through 2015. Even though his ‘Feherty’ show on Golf Channel began in 2011, he didn’t join NBC Sports full-time as an on-course reporter until 2016. He also has contributed to NBC’s Olympic coverage the past few years.

As a player, Feherty won five European Tour events from 1986 through 1992 and was a member of the 1991 European Ryder Cup team in the ‘War on the Shore’ won by the Americans at Kiawah Island.

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David Feherty to host new radio show

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 00:35:54 +0000

David Cannon

By Alex Myers
Golf fans can expect to hear even more from David Feherty in 2022.

SiriusXM announced on Tuesday the popular golf analyst is set to host a new radio show. The weekly program will feature Feherty along with fellow former pro and current SiriusXM host John Maginnes.

“I can’t wait to work with John Maginnes,” Feherty said in a statement. “He is one of my favourite people and SiriusXM will be a really fun platform for us. The over/under on both of us getting cancelled is about six weeks!”

Feherty and Maginnes will combine interviews with commentary on headlines from around golf. It’s regular timeslot will be Mondays at 7 p.m. ET beginning Jan. 3, but the two will do a preview show on Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. ET.

Feherty, a five-time European Tour winner and a member of Europe’s 1991 Ryder Cup team, has been a broadcaster since 1997. After nearly two decades working for CBS, the TV funnyman moved to NBC in 2016. He also hosted an eponymous golf talk program with Golf Channel that wasn’t renewed in January after a 10-year run.

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Brooks Koepka seizes the day, while Xander Schauffele and James Hahn see title hopes slip away

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 22:20:14 +0000

Brooks Koepka hits his tee shot on the 14th hole during the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Christian Petersen

By Dave Shedloski
“Who could lose this the least?” asked NBC’s David Feherty on Sunday as he assessed the proceedings in the final round of what was turning out to be the Wasted Shots Phoenix Open.

Then Brooks Koepka stepped up and said, “Hold my Mic Ultra.”

With two eagles in the final round, including a chip-in from 97 feet at the short par-4 17th hole, Koepka established a measure of order to what had been an inexplicably chaotic final day in the Waste Management Phoenix Open (the proper name) at TPC Scottsdale. The four-time major winner, who had missed his last three cuts (a first in his career), re-established his competitive bona fides with a six-under 65 for his first victory in more than 18 months.

After battling through a nagging knee and hip injuries and just weeks after parting with his swing coach, Claude Harmon III, Koepka captured his eighth PGA Tour title and first since he outdueled Rory McIlroy to win the 2019 WGC-Fed Ex St. Jude Invitational, also shooting 65 in the final round at TPC Southwind.

“This is probably my favourite win to date, just because of everything I’ve had to go through,” he said after his rally from five strokes back, which tied for the largest comeback in the last three seasons.

Koepka, who led the field in greens in regulation, became only the fourth player to win at TPC Scottsdale after beginning the final round outside the top five on the leader board. He completed 72 holes in 19-under 265, one stroke ahead of Xander Schauffele and K.H. Lee. Schauffele, who began the day tied with Jordan Spieth and three ahead of the rest of the field, was relegated to his eighth runner-up finish since his last win at the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions.

The measure of Koepka as a stone-cold hard-ass was evident not with his chip-in for the lead, but for his second shot into the green at the par-5 15th hole. Playing partner James Hahn, who held a three-stroke lead with eight to go, had just hooked his second shot into the water. Hitting next, Koepka blistered a 6-iron from 239 yards just over the flag, setting up an 18-footer for eagle. Ruthless stuff. He two-putted for birdie to climb into a share of the lead.

“I live for those moments where you’ve got to close, you got to hit some quality shots, quality putts,” said Koepka, who admitted that the limited number of fans in attendance still made a big difference to his demeanour. “I don’t know, I just like showing off, I guess.”

Xander Schauffele hits his approach shot on the 14th hole during the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Christian Petersen

The win came at the site of his first tour title in 2015. The first win is monumental for any player And, yet, this one obviously meant more. Koepka admitted that he’d gone through some dark places and wondered if he’d ever be “the same competitor.”

Obviously, he is.

“A lot of hard work has gone into this, and I’m actually really proud of myself,” he said.

Xander seconds that (crummy) emotion
When you have more second-place finishes than any other player since the start of the 2017-18 season, of course the first emotion that comes to mind when you fall just short again is “frustration,” which Schauffele expressed after losing to Koepka by one stroke.

For those keeping track, that’s 10 runner-up finishes in the last three-plus seasons for the California native, including three already this season and his second in a row. Second place in that category is World No. 1 Dustin Johnson with seven, but he has collected quite a few wins in that span, including the 2020 Masters in November.

A four-time tour winner, Schauffele is seeking answers, but he seemed to identify where to look after shooting an even-par 71 on Sunday.

“He’s a great example,” Schauffele, ranked fourth in the world, said of Koepka. “Won four majors, true champion and it shows. Hasn’t been in great form, comes out here, and wins a tournament. There is a lot to be said for him and his recipe for winning. Me and my team are trying to figure it out ourself. Another example is Dustin Johnson, where he said he hit some of the worst shots he’s hit in his career and walks out of there with a two-shot win [in Saudi Arabia].”

“Overall, I’m playing good golf,” he added. “I’m disappointed. I heard Jordan [Spieth] say that me and him could have made it a two-man race. If you told me I would shoot two under par out here to win the golf tournament, you know, it’s very doable after the first three rounds that I played.

“Winning is tough. I’ll lick my wounds and come back.”

James Hahn hits from a greenside bunker on the 12th hole during the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. abbie parr

Speaking of wounds, James Hahn has a few
Hahn had a dream start to the final round followed by the most dispiriting finish for a guy playing on a major medical extension and is scratching for every FedEx Cup point he can get.

Hahn, who missed eight months in 2019 because of an elbow injury, birdied six of his first 10 holes for a three-stroke lead and then twice hit into the water on the final eight holes while playing them in four over par. Making matters worse was falling apart while paired with U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker, who surged over that same stretch to end up T-4.

The silver lining: Hahn, who was seeking his third tour title, gathered 75 points for 10th place, and after his fourth top-10 of the season he has 382 points, more than enough to retain his card for the rest of the year. He closed with a two-under 69 and 15-under 269 total.

Not exactly worth doing another Gangnam Style dance, like he displayed on the 16th hole in 2013, but clearly the 39-year-old South Korea native from Northern California is moving in the right direction, notwithstanding his finish Sunday.

Carlos Ortiz hits his tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Christian Petersen

Carlos recovers nicely
Gotta give some props to Carlos Ortiz, who posted a final-round 64 and sat around for some 90 minutes until someone usurped his clubhouse lead of 17 under par. Which happened to be Koepka.

The native of Mexico, who won his first PGA Tour event in November at the Vivint Houston Open, held a share of the 54-hole lead with eventual winner Patrick Reed at last week’s Farmer’s Insurance Open but dropped all the way to T-29 after skying to a 78. That’s not easy to shake off, but the sixth-year tour player tied for lowest score of the day (with Rory McIlroy) thanks to an eagle-par-birdie-birdie closing stretch.

“I’m trying to, you know, let things go, don’t let bad shots affect me,” said Ortiz, 29, who ended up T-4. “I think I’m way clearer the way I’m thinking around the golf course. I think that’s reflecting on the score, too.”

That 78 at Torrey Pines actually was out of character for Ortiz on Sundays of late. Starting with his closing 65 in Houston, Ortiz’s final-round cards read 65-66-74-64-78-64. Keep that up and more wins are surely coming. “It’s just weird; golf is weird sometimes,” he said. “Probably today I didn’t hit it the best. I don’t know, just somehow I just scored and made some good putts.”

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David Feherty expects ‘a lot of whining’ next week at Winged Foot

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 03:29:42 +0000

David Cannon

By Christopher Powers
Ever since the third round of the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, the USGA has earned the reputation of “going soft,” at least in the twisted minds of those on social media. Conditions on Sunday at Shinnecock were primed for scoring (Tommy Fleetwood nearly shot 62), and last year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach was won with a score of 13 under par. It caused some to wonder if the days of over-par 72-hole totals, knee-deep rough and putting surfaces that resemble the coffee table in your living room were done.

Well, fear not fans of brutal U.S. Open set-ups.

By the sound of it, next week’s championship at Winged Foot could resemble the U.S. Opens of old. Just ask Jon Rahm, who got a practice round in at the New York course following his BMW Championship victory.

“It’s just a difficult course,” Rahm said last week after making the trip to New York. “It’s long, it’s narrow, it’s undulating. You just need to play really good golf.

“If it gets firm like some of the USGA guys told me they want it to be, I don’t see how any of us shoot under par. Or if we shoot under par, it would be somebody winning by a lot.”

If that’s the case, the 2020 U.S. Open is appointment viewing for golf fans, which is music to NBC’s ears. Not since the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 has NBC broadcasted the U.S. Open, but our national open is now back in the network’s hands after it took over the rights from FOX back in June. If there is carnage at Winged Foot, people will come.

That’s great news for Roger Maltbie and David Feherty, who will be on site in their analyst roles next week. Both former tour pros were on a media conference call Wednesday, and they were asked about the potentially difficult conditions for the second major of 2020, and the first of the PGA Tour’s 2020-’21 “Super Season.” Maltbie, who had been a part of NBC’s coverage of the U.S. Open beginning in the early 1990s through 2014, echoed Rahm’s sentiments.

“It’s kind of widely assumed, and this comes from many different sources and guys that have gone to Winged Foot, players that have gone to Winged Foot in advance, that they’re fully expecting over par to win the championship,” Maltbie said. “From a setup standpoint, the golf course will be presented in a fashion that we would call maybe the traditional U.S. Open-type setup, and I think we’re all excited about that. There are some definite, distinct flavor always to U.S. Opens, when you drove it off the fairway you knew what you were going to get, and it wasn’t good.

“So it’s going to be a more traditional test of U.S. Open skills, which I welcome and can’t wait to see.”

How the players respond to such a stern test will be one of the biggest storylines of the week. Feherty, who will be working his first U.S. Open as an analyst, believes there will be plenty of moaning and groaning.

“I expect a lot of whining,” he said, adding, “there always is [whining] when you’ve got a golf course that’s so penal off the tee.”

The best way to adapt to those conditions? “You can hit fairways,” says Feherty.

Is it next week yet?

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A Transatlantic Twitter war, a heartfelt plea to Anthony Kim, and a Gretzky wedding (just not the one you’re thinking)

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 02:00:46 +0000

By Alex Myers
Welcome to another edition of The Grind where we were a (small) part of some big sports news last week. Vanity Fair’s shoot with Maria Sharapova, who was announcing her retirement from tennis, took place in the very spot where I do my silly weekly videos! Well, sort of. They used the room to do her hair and makeup. But that’s still quite the brush with celebrity, huh? Get it? OK, so it’s bad jokes like that which keep me so low on the totem pole in my own building. In any event, we eventually got to use the room, and in the meantime, there was also a lot happening in the world of golf.

WE’RE BUYING

Sungjae Im: Tales of this young man’s ball-striking were not exaggerated. He is the real deal. And he won’t turn 22 until the end of the month. Congrats to Im on picking up his first PGA Tour title at the Honda Classic. And the Presidents Cupper did it in rather impressive fashion by firing at the flagstick on both of the vaunted Bear Trap’s par 3s. Those shots that set up two clutch birdies were so impressive that runner-up Mackenzie Hughes paid his playing partner the ultimate sign of respect:

Mackenzie Hughes perfectly sums up Sungjae’s Sunday at Honda.

(Wait for it.) pic.twitter.com/K92B2FINk2

— Skratch (@Skratch) March 1, 2020

Transatlantic Twitter war: With so many awful things going on in the world, it’s great having Golf Twitter getting up and arms about something an announcer said. Here’s the clip that nearly reignited the Revolutionary War:

Is paul Azinger a complete moron??? 'THAT' tour…. and a wobble of the head at @WestwoodLee s amazing wins on the #europeantour .
Who the hell is Mark Wilson also.??? pic.twitter.com/l2G1niQ5bX

— SHanny (@HansonStuart) March 1, 2020

Was Azinger’s tone condescending? Yes. Did he (and others involved in NBC’s broadcast) focus too much on the fact that Tommy Fleetwood, a five-time European Tour winner and Ryder Cup star, has yet to win on the PGA Tour? Probably. But like it or not, it is a fact that the PGA Tour is the better tour and that Fleetwood has yet to win on it. And it’s a fact that Fleetwood is well aware of and agrees with:

From Fleetwood’s own mouth. His words, not ours. Not trying to devalue winning tournaments around the world. Winning anywhere is extremely hard. But these guys know that winning in the US is a step in their careers. That’s all. Not sure what all the fuss is about. pic.twitter.com/2lNhflNNIT

— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) March 1, 2020

And as rough as it was seeing Fleetwood find the water on the 72nd hole and blow a chance at the maiden PGA Tour title, European Golf Twitter would have been insufferable. Although I do love seeing British slang like “bollocks,” “wanker,” and “shiite.” I need to start incorporating those words more.

Lee Westwood: For one thing, it’s always nice to see a late-career revival. For another, I loved Westwood’s “Ask your parents” response when he gets asked about what it was like in the 90s. And finally, yes, I had a little money on the man, both to win (sigh) and finish top 10 (cha-ching). Our Christopher Powers dubbed Lee’s 2019 Open Championship run “Westy’s Last Stand,” but he’s still got plenty in the tank.

Rickie Fowler’s schedule: The PGA Tour star said he spends 25 to 30 days per year with sponsors, including shooting commercials. I’m totally buying it because his face is everywhere during a golf broadcast and he looks like a NASCAR driver with all those sponsors on his shirt. He’s also over 30, married, and out of the top 25 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Hey, you’ve got to pay the bills somehow.

WE’RE SELLING

Tiger’s new schedule: Tiger Woods skipping the Arnold Palmer Invitational isn’t reason for his fans to panic, but the latest indication that the rest of his career will consist of a very limited schedule is still sad. In an effort to avoid back-to-back starts, Tiger is opting not to play at a place where he’s won eight times and possibly the spot that gives him the best chance for a record-breaking 83rd PGA Tour title. But Woods is far more concerned about increasing his major total, and considering he also skipped this event last year, maybe this isn’t the worst news. . .

Andrew Redington

Brooks Koepka’s responses: I love Blunt Brooks or Candid Koepka as much as the next guy, but in the span of a few days he claimed he once made a hole-in-one at Augusta National and forgot about it later that day, said $200 million wouldn’t change his life, and insisted he played well two days in a row despite not coming close to making the cut at the Honda Classic. As the guy ventures further and further into too-cool-for-school territory, we’re starting to take some of his remarks with a huge grain of salt.

Being quarantined: Edoardo Molinari and Lorenzo Gagli were initially pulled from the Oman Open and placed in solitary confinement by the European Tour out of fear they had the Coronavirus. Fortunately, they didn’t, but it didn’t sound like a fun experience:

For everyone asking, I am absolutely fine. No symptoms at all, no fever, no cold, nothing wrong at all…just very bored and annoyed. Hopefully this nightmare will be over soon!

— Edoardo Molinari (@DodoMolinari) February 27, 2020

Both players were eventually reinstated and Gagli even finished T-10. But yeah, that couldn’t have been a great feeling.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour continues its Florida Swing with the Arnold Palmer Invitational, AKA that place where Tiger Woods used to win every year, but now skips every year. It was more fun when he was winning every year.

Random tournament fact: Last year, Francesco Molinari became the first player in PGA Tour history to sink the winning putt with the flagstick in.

?? @F_Molinari's clutch birdie on the 72nd hole @APinv is even more exciting when called by @GOLFTV's Italian broadcasters. ? pic.twitter.com/uFE5INGzNq

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 10, 2019

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Zinger will say, “That European Tour” on this week’s broadcast: 1-MILLION-to-1 odds
—Francesco Molinari will win this week: 90-to-1 odds
—Francesco would rather miss another cut than be quarantined like his brother: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

This guy just keeps on going:

Stan Badz

That’s a remarkable 41st career PGA Tour Champions title for Bernhard Langer (hence, the pose), bringing him within four of Hale Irwin’s record. That also pushed the 62-year-old past $29 million in earnings on the senior circuit. He made $10 million on the PGA Tour. Remarkable.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (MUSICAL DIVISION)

Our man Sam Harrop is back with another fantastic song parody. This time, it’s a plea for Anthony Kim to come back:

Not quite sure how one is supposed to follow-up something like that Tony Finau video, but, well…here's where I ended up.

And, if all else fails, I'm pretty sure I speak on behalf of the entire golf community when I say, AK – we want you back.

RTs appreciated, as ever ? pic.twitter.com/Q7VS1PmHtk

— Sam Harrop (@sam_golf) February 27, 2020

This is beautiful—and important—work. Well done, Sam. And hope you’re listening, AK.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (FAIL DIVISION)

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9K5NqxJM3v/?utm_source=ig_embed

LOL Luke McDonald?! The guy is a former World No. 1 for crying out loud! Where’s the respect?!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I’m not even sure that he’s polarizing. I’m not sure there’s too many people on the other side, you know what I mean? I mean, ‘there is no God’ was the first thing I said after he’d won last week. There is no God, you know, that’s proof of it right there. Amazing. I mean, he is amazing. He’s Captain Oblivious, just can let everything run off his back. I’ve never seen anything like it.” —David Feherty on Patrick Reed. My word! Tell us what you really think, David!

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS

Turns out, Mike Trout can smoke a golf ball even harder than he hits a baseball:

Mike Trout hitting rockets isn’t exclusive to the baseball field. pic.twitter.com/tuEyIzxqQ5

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) March 2, 2020

Decent athlete, that one.

THIS WEEK IN PGA TOUR PRO-WAGS PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

FOLKS, we have a GRETZKY wedding alert!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Pk4xnHKlQ/?utm_source=ig_embed

Sorry, hope you didn’t get too excited. It was Ty getting hitched, not Paulina. But Paulina and DJ were there looking fancy. And The Great One was there making heartfelt toasts. And one of these days we’ll finally get the golf royal wedding we’ve been waiting for since 2013. Right? Maybe? Fingers crossed, because there’s going to be a lot of CONTENT when it does happen.

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

Phil Mickelson might be even better playing Pebble Beach on a simulator than he is at playing Pebble Beach in real life:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9MwYADjY2g/?utm_source=ig_embed

Speaking of content, please attempt that in the real tournament next year. Please.

THIS AND THAT

Sami Valimaki, 21, won his first European Tour title just 18 months removed from finishing up his required military service for Finland. Guessing the food in player dining is just a bit better than at his previous gig. . . . Dustin Johnson said he will not play in the Tokyo Olympics later this year, even if he qualifies for the U.S. team. Is this a hint of a July wedding? . . . Tiger Woods has been officially announced as a finalist for the World Golf Hall of Fame 2021 class. Fingers crossed he has the votes to get in. . . . And finally, I’m in the midst of a dental emergency stemming from a root canal I underwent two years ago. I will spare you a photo, but suffice it to say, THE GRIND has extra meaning behind it this week.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Who will deliver Tiger’s Hall-of-Fame introduction speech?
How many days a year did Maria Sharapova spend with sponsors?
How many days this year am I going to have to spend at the dentist?

The post A Transatlantic Twitter war, a heartfelt plea to Anthony Kim, and a Gretzky wedding (just not the one you’re thinking) appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

David Feherty says the fact Patrick Reed won is proof that ‘There is no god’

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 20:50:10 +0000

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

By Joel Beall
Patrick Reed’s rules infraction at the Hero World Challenge in December continues to resonate as the calendar turns to March, a controversy flamed by fiery remarks from four-time major winner Brooks Koepka and former CBS Sports analyst Peter Kostis as well as Reed’s high-profile performance at the WGC-Mexico Championship. But if Reed believed his win at Chapultepec would quiet the noise about his character, David Feherty’s comments to Sports Illustrated only turned up the volume.

Making the media rounds to promote his eponymous TV show on the Golf Channel, SI did a roll call of names on Tour, asking Feherty to give his thoughts on each subject. When the discussion rolled to Reed, Feherty didn’t mince words.

“Jesus. You can put that in there actually. Just Jesus,” Feherty said on Reed. “I mean, I don’t even know what to say. It’s just, it’s going to follow him for the rest of his life.”

“I’m not even sure that he’s polarising,” Feherty continued. “I’m not sure there’s too many people on the other side, you know what I mean? I mean, ‘there is no God’ was the first thing I said after he’d won last week. There is no God, you know, that’s proof of it right there. Amazing. I mean, he is amazing. He’s Captain Oblivious, just can let everything run off his back. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Mentioned above, Koepka—along with the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Marc Leishman, and Cam Smith—have already made similar comments on Reed, while Kostis claimed he had seen Reed improve his lie multiple times on the No Laying Up podcast. However, unlike Kostis, Feherty is still working; in fact, he was on the NBC telecast during Reed’s win. Feherty is also unquestionably the most popular on-air personality in the sport, and though he has a history of colourful commentary, he’s rarely been one to aim vitriol or acidic statements toward players.

Feherty finished by saying if he did see a player cheat, he would say something, albeit not on TV. “You point that out to your producer for sure,” Feherty said. “Tell them that you saw something happen and then, it’s kind of the producer’s decision.”

Feherty is working NBC’s broadcast of the Honda Classic this weekend. Reed is not in the field.

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On the eve of 80, Jack Nicklaus’ legacy becomes less defined by his record and more by his character

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 08:31:31 +0000

ByJohn Feinstein
Peter Alliss, the Hall of Fame broadcaster and former player, almost always used the same three words to describe Jack Nicklaus whenever he found himself on-air while Nicklaus was playing: “The great man.”

That sums it up pretty well.

Nicklaus turns 80 on Tuesday and there isn’t any doubt that just about everyone who has crossed his path during his remarkable life would agree with Alliss—and then some.

“What you need to remember when you talk about him is that he wasn’t just the greatest winner in golf history, he was also the greatest loser,” says David Feherty. “Every time he finished second in a major [19 times], he went out of his way to make sure the winner got to enjoy what he had accomplished. He wasn’t just gracious, he was more than that. He was willing to humble himself—to always say, ‘The best man won.’ That may have been true on that occasion, but it was never true over the long haul. There was never any real reason for Jack Nicklaus to be humble. And yet, he was.”

Tom Watson dueled with Nicklaus on three memorable occasions in major championships: the 1977 Masters; the 1977 Open Championship and the 1982 U.S. Open. Watson considers those events his three greatest moments in golf, not just because he won a major title, but because he beat Nicklaus to do so.

“If you beat him under those circumstances, you have to come away believing you can play with the very best,” Watson said last week. “And Jack made sure you felt that way. When we walked off the 18th green at Turnberry [after their famous Duel in the Sun], he said to me, ‘Tom, I gave you my best shot, and it wasn’t good enough.’ Hearing that from him was amazing.”

Five years later, when Watson famously chipped in on the 71st hole at Pebble Beach to deny Nicklaus a fifth U.S. Open title, Nicklaus waited behind the 18th green for Watson to finish. When Watson walked off the green, Nicklaus grabbed him by the shoulders and said, “You little sonofabitch, you did it to me again.” Then he added, “I’m proud of you. I know how much you needed to win this tournament.”

“That was really something special,” Watson says, “because I know that loss was a tough one for him.”

Watson (right) and Nicklaus compete during the 1980 British Open. Phil Sheldon/Popperfoto

It is that generosity of spirit that sets Nicklaus apart. During his Memorial Tournament each spring, he sits in the player dining area on Tuesday and Wednesday and welcomes the players, asks how they like the golf course, and if they need anything to make their week more enjoyable. When you ask players about that, most just shrug and say, “That’s Jack.”

Through all the ups and downs that Tiger Woods has been through on and off the golf course, Nicklaus has always supported him publicly, has continued to insist that Woods can still break his record of 18 professional major titles and never taken any sort of swipe at anything he’s done.

“Think about that,” says Davis Love III. “There’s only one player in history who has even come close to Jack for the title of greatest player ever—Tiger. No one else is close. Most athletes would either feel threatened and stay at arm’s length or, given the chance, try to put him down. Jack’s done just the opposite.”

Love, a Hall of Famer himself, backs up Feherty and Watson. “I think Tiger’s learning now how to be gracious when he loses,” Love says. “But there was a long time when he’d say something about not having his ‘A’ game when he lost and not give the other guy much credit. Jack has always done that.”

Love first met Nicklaus as a 10-year-old when the tour came to Atlanta Country Club, where his father, Davis Love Jr., was the head golf pro. Davis got to know Jack better when he was in college at North Carolina and was a teammate of Nicklaus’ son Jack Jr.

“During spring break we’d go to Florida to play, and we’d stay with the Nicklauses,” Love says. “He was always encouraging his [five] kids to bring friends home with them. He and Barbara were both that way.

“One year, my brother [Mark] and I went out to play tennis one night,” he said. “They had a grass court in the back yard that might have been at Wimbledon. It was perfect. Mark got mad and smashed a racquet. We’re like, ‘We broke one of Mr. Nicklaus’ racquets—what do we do?’ Then I got a smart idea. I said, ‘Let’s go tell Mrs. Nicklaus.’ ”

If Nicklaus has had a not-so-secret-weapon in life, it hasn’t been his ability to make putts under pressure nearly as much as it has been his wife, Barbara. Jokingly, she is often referred to on tour as “the nice Nicklaus” because Jack can be prickly at times and even occasionally impatient. It is Barbara who smoothes things over.

When the Love brothers told her about the broken racquet, she laughed and said, “Don’t worry, he’s got plenty more. We won’t tell him, and he won’t notice.”

Disaster averted.

Nicklaus’ playing record is, as Love points out, miles and miles beyond anything achieved by anyone—with the possible exception of Woods, who is three majors behind him but has won more tournaments, 82-73, overall. But when friends talk about Nicklaus, his golf frequently comes up almost as an afterthought, or something that’s taken for granted.

“He’s always been about what’s best for the game,” says Feherty, who played with him only once—nine holes during a practice round. “He walked up to me on the 10th tee and said, ‘How about we play in together,’ ” Feherty says—mimicking Nicklaus’ famous high-pitched voice. “I was so nervous, I could barely hold a club. He acted as if we were just two guys playing nine holes, did everything he could to make me relax. I’ve never seen him act as if he’s Jack Nicklaus.”

One part of Nicklaus’ legacy that is often overlooked is the Ryder Cup. “People in Europe say that the most important person in Ryder Cup history is Seve [Ballesteros]” Feherty says. “They forget that, without Jack, there’s no Seve. The Ryder Cup was a backburner event in golf until he came up with the idea of bringing all of Europe into it.”

It was Nicklaus who approached officials from Europe and the United States in 1977 and suggested a change in format to include all of Europe, instead of just Great Britain and Ireland as the biennial opponents versus the U.S.

“I always loved the Ryder Cup,” Nicklaus told me a few years back. “But it had gotten to the point where we were winning so easily most of the time that it was just a little more than hit-and-giggle golf a lot of the time. When Seve came on the scene in 1976, it occurred to me that it would be great to have him in the event, and there were going to be more great players coming from the continent. I thought they could help revive the event.”

He paused and smiled. “Of course, I never dreamed that I was creating a monster.”

The monster is the Ryder Cup today, one of the events in sports, not just golf. Someday—soon—there should be a Jack Nicklaus Trophy that goes to the outstanding player from the winning team at each Ryder Cup.

Nicklaus has also spent years trying to convince the powers-that-be that the best and simplest way to dial back the power that has taken over the game would be to dial back the golf ball. So far, even though many players agree with him, his pleas haven’t brought change.

“Of course he’s right,” Watson says. “He’s been right for 30 years.”

Or, as Feherty sardonically puts it: “Why would anyone listen to Jack Nicklaus on the subject of what’s best for golf? What the heck does he know?”

When Love, who has had the chance to be around Nicklaus’ family for years, thinks of Jack, it’s his family he thinks about first.

“People forget, when he talked years ago about going to Augusta the week before the Masters to play three or four rounds and then going home for the weekend to relax, he didn’t really relax at home,” he said. “He’d spend the weekend going to his kids’ games, later grandkids’ games. It was always about family with him. Still is.

“That’s why my favorite memory of watching a round of golf is the last round at Augusta in ’86. For me, it wasn’t just about Jack winning that last major, it was about him doing it with Jackie on the bag. I knew how much that meant to both of them.”

Nicklaus congratulates Love after his singles victory at the 2005 Presidents Cup. Jamie Squire/Getty Images

After their years of competing so intensely with one another, Nicklaus and Watson became close friends. In 2009, after he had bogeyed the final hole at Turnberry to miss a chance to become the oldest major champion in history, Watson and his wife, Hilary, went back to their hotel room. Watson had maintained his composure throughout the post-round events, including watching Stewart Cink accept the claret jug and then doing every interview he was asked to do. Once that was all over, the angst of being so close to a stunning accomplishment hit him.

“The phone rang,” Watson recalls. “Hilary answered, and it was Barbara. They talked for a little while, and then Hilary handed me the phone and said, ‘Jack wants to talk to you.’

“Jack commiserated with me for a minute and then walked me through the last hole—which was probably the last thing I wanted to do. He said, ‘You hit a perfect tee shot, and your second shot was six inches from being on the green with an easy two-putt to win. Then, you hit a smart third shot [putting from a difficult lie] that ensured you’d have a chance to win.’ Then he paused a moment and said, ‘And then you hit the par putt like the rest of us would have—like a dog.’ I started to laugh. I couldn’t believe he was able to make me laugh in that moment.

“You take a lot of different paths in your life. There’s no doubt one of the best ones I took was becoming Jack’s friend.”

Nicklaus’ numbers as a golfer are absolutely astounding. What might be more astounding, is that they are not the heart and soul of his legacy. That can’t possibly be described in numbers—or perhaps even in words.

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