Tiger Woods is currently peg-legging it around Orlando, recovering from knee surgery that obviously had everything to do with him not winning The Masters. Between grueling afternoons lounging by the pool staring at his wife, and spending some QT with his daughter, Eldrick took time out of his busy rehab schedule to talk to FOX Sports Radio's Steve Czaban last week. After some friendly banter, Czaban asked Woods why he hates Phil Mickelson.* And then the conversation turned to the network's golf coverage:
Czaban: "Do you TiVo tournaments you're in, then go back and look at them afterward, maybe take notes, notice something, listen to what the announcers are saying?"
Said Woods: "I usually have my secretary get a copy of the telecasts from the PGA Tour and I'll take a look at it just from the swing standpoint, yeah."
Czaban: "Just the swing, though. You really won't sit down and . . . "
Woods: "Listen to the commentators? No, never."
Hardly surprising, I guess. Most commentators -- even those who played the sport before "graduating" to the booth -- don't know what they're talking about. A lot it has to do with access; how can Johnny Miller know what's wrong with Vijah Singh's swing if he doesn't know what Singh is working on? Miller can make an educated guess -- he's a pretty smart dude -- but that doesn't necessarily make his opinion any less wrong than ours.
That said, golf commentators are light years ahead of other, more popular sports bobbleheads. Tim McCarver and Joe Morgan in baseball, Tony Kornheiser in football, Dick Vitale and Billy Packer in college basketball; all are exponentially worse than Nick Faldo or Johnny Miller or Dan Hicks at their most inebriated.
But that doesn't mean Tiger -- or anybody else on Tour -- has to listen to them. That's what secretary's are for.
* complete fabrication
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. The last straw for me was talking head using the term "walk off hole in one".
Another issue I have is that Tiger is beating a quality field everytime he wins. But Ochoa's competition is suspect. Miller is probably the better of the bunch, with Nance a close second. That being said, that mute button is still a very handy switch. Patch
Posted at 2:11AM on Apr 30th 2008 by Patch
2. I like Miller, however, he managed to use the phrase "boot scoot bogey" while describing a golf shot. Twice! It's a bad name for a country song and an even worse description of a golf shot!
My favorites are McCord and Feherty.
Posted at 11:03PM on May 2nd 2008 by Dave
3. I watch Tiger and Phil to see how close to perfection they can get...I like Johnny Miller for the insight of a former top competitor...None of the above has an obligation to entertain me but they all do it well..
Posted at 12:08PM on May 4th 2008 by bob dambrosio