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By Mark Wright
Why Johnny Miller is Leading, but Hated, Golf Commentator
Why Johnny Miller is Leading, but Hated, Golf Commentator
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA -- During his career as a golfer, Johnny Miller
developed a reputation as a hard-hitting, straight-driving golfer
that always played fair. Now, as a golf commentator for NBC-TV,
providing commentary at many major events, Johnny Miller is creating
another kind of reputation; that of a hard-hitting, straight-talking
analyst who, according to some professional golfers, isn't exactly
playing "fair."
Johnny Miller created quite a name for himself in the highly
competitive world of professional golf. Winner of 24 PGA tour events
over his career, Miller was almost unstoppable during 1974 and 1975
when he won 12 tournaments and was the leading money winner for 1974.
In addition, by winning both the U.S. Open and the British Open,
Miller established himself as a pressure golfer who could play with
the best. An active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, Miller's golfing career went into decline about
the time he started having children. Miller candidly admits that he
was less interested in golf than in his family.
Given his golfing pedigree and stellar tournament credentials, it
seems that Miller should be eminently qualified to be a golf
commentator. In fact, NBC considers Miller to be a tremendous asset
and NBC's viewers thoroughly enjoy his insightful remarks. Why then,
are so many professional golfers so very unhappy with Miller's
performance on TV? The answer lies not in Miller's expertise, but
more in his approach. While many former professional athletes have
gone on to careers as TV commentators, few have approached the job
with the directness and candor that Miller has demonstrated. Miller
is usually totally and completely honest, much to the chagrin of
those that endure his sometimes withering scrutiny.
For example, Greg Norman threatened to close the locker room to the
media after Miller made several scathing remarks about Norman's
final-round collapse during the 1996 U.S. Masters tournament.
According to Miller, "Greg can only play one way - aggressively. When
he tries to play conservatively, his brain short-circuits, his wires
get crossed and sparks start flying. He could change but it would
take months of programming, help from a sports psychologist."
Comments like that have put Miller on the "black list" with some
professional golfers. They would prefer that Miller take a softer
tact and present a less-critical view of their performance. However,
listening to Miller, that's not likely to happen because he's only
calling the shots like he sees them. "The players are the ones who
hit the bad shots," Miller said. "I praise them when they're good and
I have to be accurate when they're bad; the viewer wants to know if a
golfer stuffed up. I see things that other people either don't see or
don't have the guts to talk about."
The bottom line in golfing is that the trophy always goes to the
player who posts the best score. When it comes to broadcast golf,
Miller's expertise and popularity as a commentator seems to have him
firmly ensconced at the top of the leader board.
Source:
Players duck when Miller tees off
Melbourne Australia The Age 18Jun01 S2
By Charles Happell
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