I love NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller but I'm also not a member of the PGA Tour. The former two-time major winner has a straight-talkin' approach in the booth, and it sometimes rubs the objects of his pointed comments -- the guys on the course -- the wrong way. During the 1999 Ryder Cup, Miller suggested that Justin Leonard was playing so poorly he should go home and watch Sunday's matches on television. Never mind that Leonard would drain a 45-foot Cup-clinching putt. During that same weekend, Jim Furyk took exception at Miller's suggestion that he was an underdog in his singles match against Sergio Garcia.
Then, during last year's U.S. Open, Miller said that Rocco Mediate "look[ed] like the guy cleaning Tiger's pool." That didn't go over well.
And today, during the second-round coverage at Bethpage Black, Miller had some on-air advice for three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, who has lost his way since capturing the PGA Championship last August: he should go back to the fade that served him for most of his career. Paddy's response was surprisingly measured bordering on apologetic:
"I tried to play with a draw when I won the (British) Open in 2007, and the last 18 months, I've played with a fade," Harrington said. "Anytime you saw those hooks, I was aiming left to play a fade. I can't draw the ball to save my life. If I could draw the ball, I'd be OK. That's the reason I stopped trying to draw it. When I'd make a good swing, and try to draw it, I'd hit it dead-straight right, I'd push it. So, no, the last shot I could ever try and play, and this is why I've been working on my swing, is to try and draw it. So I've been trying to fade it. Obviously, I've done a poor job of it."Happy, Johnny?
I remember Tiger Woods once saying that guys passing judgment from the booth have no idea what they're talking about. It wasn't a slight, just recognition that unless you're on the course and ask the golfer what's going on inside his head, it's not always as obvious as, say, "hey, just hit a fade."
That said, Paddy's free fall has been swift. He was the world's second-best player 10 months ago and now he has no idea where the ball is going.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-20-2009 @ 7:19PM
yandlwalker said...
I do get tired of his comments, i enjoy Faldo much more. Johnny comes across angry to me, other than Duval, has there been a top ranked player to drop so fast and hard as Johnny did? He kind of slamed Duval today also, saying he has to stop crying wolf saying he's back and start posting good scores, did that really need to be said, couldn't he just say he hopes for the best for him. Seek some help Johnny!
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6-20-2009 @ 10:05PM
Zuccaro said...
John Miller was NEVER the men that Duval, Paddy or Rocco are-- They are decent minded golfers- Miller is nothing but a smartoff A--Hole-- He and that little FART Jimmiy Roberts should both be canned- Both are self-serving JERJOFFS
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6-21-2009 @ 12:22PM
cjgdnight said...
All Miller did is choke... that is why he is an expert at recognising when people are choking. He isn't that old.... why isn't he playing?
I do not enjoy Miller at all. Faldo is the man.
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6-23-2009 @ 9:13PM
tacosecondbase said...
I would love to know when he choked. Maybe you never watched the guy play. Probably the best iron player of his day!!!
6-23-2009 @ 12:15PM
CeeJay said...
Johnny Miller tells it like it is!!! Some of these golf divas don't like hearing the truth.
He knows more about the game than Nick Faldo who spends his on air time rooting for European golfers.
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6-23-2009 @ 9:17PM
tacosecondbase said...
test
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6-23-2009 @ 9:19PM
tacosecondbase said...
Totally agree. The guy was a great player and he does not hold back. The current players can be very wimpy.
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7-11-2009 @ 7:07PM
HENRY STRZELECKI said...
Johnny Miller DOES know what he's talking about. Todays players do seem to choke more than they used to. That's why Tiger wins everything. Faldo and Ian baker finch need to quit talking UP their European Players so much, better yet, they need to get out on golf announcing.
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