Page 70 - Golf World (February 2020)

A
Asanamateurgolfer,Iwasexceptional.Iwasprobably
better as an amateur than when I played on tour. I was
a first-team All-American in college. I was ranked
fourth in the United States. I got invited to play in a
premier tour event when I was 20 years old and made
the cut. I was probably a better golfer in college than I
was during my 15 years on tour.
But I was a good tour player, no question. Most don’t
last 15 years. People forget that. Qualifying for the
tour is the easiest part – and the qualifying is hard as
hell. I probably listened to too much instruction. My
swing deteriorated. But I worked really hard and felt
like I could make any theory work.
I was a longish hitter and I was
especially good with the long irons.
I could hit a 1-iron straight up in
the air. But when I got on tour I
think the best I ever was in driving
distance was 49th. I lost some of
that zip. Without power, you have
to be so precise. Every era has been
power-prejudiced. If you look at
who has won the Vardon Trophy,
with very few exceptions, they are
the most powerful players. So I
struggled. As a pro I’d give myself a
C+ for accomplishment. But an A
for effort.
I have no regrets about my career
and what I achieved. I had a very
nicecareer.Imademillionsofdollars
playing golf and travelled around the world. I achieved
what I call my “Grand Slam”. I played in The Open at
St Andrews. I played in the US PGA at Winged Foot.
I played in the US Open at Pebble Beach. And I played
in the Masters. I had a heckuva time and no regrets.
My transition from player to pundit wasn’t overly
graceful. I tried to juggle both at the same time in
2003. I only had conditional status that year. I thought
if I played well enough I’d keep my card anyway. But I
soon realised I couldn’t do either job that well when I
was trying to do both. For one thing, I was new to
television so I was on a huge learning curve. But they
kept asking me back. At first, of course, I indignantly
turned down television when I was asked. I was like,
“I’m a golfer, Why would you ask me to do that?” But
I soon realised after doing it a few times – especially
70 Golf World February 2020 | golfworldtop100.com
when I wasn’t playing that well – that there was a fresh
challenge there for me. I got a buzz doing it, or trying
to get it right. And the next thing you know I was a TV
guy. I think it was former Masters champion Jackie
Burke who said, “Once you go up into that booth you
never come down.” And he was right. So here I am. The
occupation on my passport says ‘TV analyst’. It does
not say ‘professional golfer’.
The challenge as an analyst is to be different. By the
time I get on the air at the end of the day, just about
everything that could be said about the golf has been
said. I watch it all day. And I’m at the end with the job
of saying what has not already been said. I have to come
up with stuff that no else has and make it interesting
for the audience. I find that to be incredibly difficult.
Which is why I don’t take my eyes off the TV all day.
I can’t stand it when people talk around me when I’m
watching. It drives me nuts. I sit in silence. What the
commentator says is important to me. If he says
something great I will refer to it that night and give him
credit. But, whatever he says, I need to say something
else. I need all the information so that I can come up
with two or three interesting themes. And then make it
memorable. Turns of phrase are so important. They are
what make things memorable. That’s my job.
I catch a lot of flak, I guess. I have
my opinions on that. One is I
search for the truth. If a guy tells
me he is 20-yards longer, I look
that up. I say the truth is like
poetry and people f*cking hate
poetry. I get that I’m not really a
journalist. We are borderline PR
agents. We are selling.
Like so many, the Old Course has
a special place in my heart. I’ve
not played it a ton, but I spent the
summer of 1982 in the UK and
we started and ended at St
Andrews. It was just me and my
college roommate. He is a pretty
good player and, as luck would
Chamblee
rates his tour have it, we were tied standing on
career as a the 18th tee of our last round, on the Old Course. He
steady C+ hit it way right onto the road and broke a window on a
– his single
victory milk truck. I was up on the green and there were three
coming in the guys with mohawks watching. My friend was on the
Greater road arguing with the milk truck driver about who was
Vancouver
Open in 1998. going to pay for the window. And I was up on the green
victorious. I played there again as a pro in the 1995
Open – terribly, but played nonetheless.
I do worry for the future of St Andrews. It’s a shame to
see what is going on there. The only hole that can still
hold its own is the 17th. But some day soon someone is
going to drive almost onto that green. That may be the
tipping point. There has to be one of those. Almost
every hole on the course is a flick to the top guys. I
remember watching The Open there in 2015 and I
called what we were seeing, “gross”. And the pin