When he’s not being a witty bon vivant and best-selling author, David Feherty dabbles in golf coverage for CBS Sports. Shortly before the start of the season’s final major, the PGA Championship, Feherty took some time and shared some thoughts about the game.
Anthony Cotton: You’ve been doing the late-night talk circuit – Charlie Rose, Craig Ferguson. Are you starting a new career?
David Feherty: No, I don’t think so. I’m happy with what I’m doing.
AC: So you don’t want to become a late-night talk-show host?
DF: A late-night lounge lizard? No.
AC: Have you ever thought about what you might have done if you didn’t follow the golf thing?
DF: I haven’t really thought about that; I enjoy what I do so much another career doesn’t seem … I’d have to work (in another occupation), put it that way.
AC: We’re talking at the beginning of play on Thursday, but people will be reading it on Sunday. Let’s have you play prognosticator and tell us who’s winning the PGA Championship entering the final round.
DF: Ahhhh … Tiger Woods. Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve picked him to win every major championship since he’s turned pro and I’ve done OK with that, you know? And I think I’ll continue to do well with it. He just has that look about him again, like he did in 2000-01, and he really wants to prove a point.
AC: What’s that?
DF: He’s got a little grudge going with the media in general, I think. There were the doubters. “Why’s he changing his swing? Why this, why that?” Now, he wants to say, “Hey, I knew what I was doing and you’re all idiots.”
AC: People hear about how ratings go up when he’s in contention. Do you guys really get excited when he’s on the leaderboard?
DF: Of course. He makes the needle move and he brings viewers to the television screen. Of course we get excited about that.
AC: So the idea of objectivity and not really caring who wins doesn’t seem to come into play.
DF: We always care about who wins a tournament, and it’s great for television when Tiger Woods wins, or is at least in the thick of things until the end. It keeps people absorbed in it because he’s so compelling; whether he wins or plays badly, he’s always news.
AC: I’ll go back to him in a second, but speaking of making the needle move, what do you think Michelle Wie should do?
DF: I think she should concentrate on math. Here’s the reason: If she plays well in a men’s event and makes the cut, she’s going to win $20,000 to $25,000. If she plays that well the same week in an LPGA event, she’ll win $200,000. It’s about math, and I figure she’ll pass math comfortably and figure out where she should be playing.
AC: I don’t think she looks at it that way.
DF: I don’t think she does either, but she will.
AC: The other day, Tiger said even if he were to win, it wouldn’t be a big deal because he has won three majors in a season before. The media doesn’t get tired of him, fans love him. What’s he talking about?
DF: It’s amazing; the crowds that he draws and drags with him are amazing. It’s a different experience. I’m inside the ropes with him and looking outside, it’s entirely different than with any other player.
AC: Is it good for the game if he dominates?
DF: I believe he is. He’s the 500-year flood. If you take him out of the equation, these players are the best in the game’s history – Els, Mickelson, Goosen, Singh. Golfers get better just like football or basketball players. They’re better than they were 30 years ago, and golf is the same. But to judge golfers by Tiger Woods’ standard is feeble. People say, “Where are all the good young golfers?” There are great young players out there, but there were no good, young players before Tiger Woods. A young player was like 28 or 29; Tiger comes along and now these guys are being judged by a different standard completely.
AC: With the new television contract coming up, what kind of demands could he make as an individual?
DF: I have no clue. I have no clue as to what might go on behind closed doors, but he should have no demands. He needs players to play against and it’s still “golf.” No one’s bigger than the game, not even Tiger, and I don’t think he looks at it that way either.
AC: What do you foresee happening with the new deal? Will the schedule be shortened?
DF: Honestly, I can’t even think about it. I don’t know; I’m not qualified to comment on that.
AC: But you’re a bright man.
DF: Well, yeah, but my mind doesn’t work like that. I don’t know what they’re going to do. Networks have to make money. I don’t if there would be a rollback or what adjustments would be made (with a shortened schedule). There’s no point in showing a sport if you can’t make money at it.
AC: Well, let’s dump Tim Finchem and make you PGA commissioner …
DF: That would be a bad idea.
AC: What changes would you make?
DF: I can’t answer that in the time we have. Let’s see, I don’t know. I’d make swearing compulsory for starters. There’s way too much good behavior on tour. I need to see somebody go berserk and throw their golf bag into a lake. That’s good television.
AC: Is it a true story that you saw yourself on television and decided you had to lose weight?
DF: I saw myself in a commercial and realized, “I’m a big, fat guy! How did that happen?” It was vanity, and apart from everything else, I also discovered earlier this year that I’m a flippin’ alcoholic. I quit drinking, and I lost 50 pounds. That was without dieting, so clearly I was drinking too much.
AC: How does one “discover” that?
DF: When you go to your doctor and he says, “Hey, these numbers belong in Cooperstown.” That’s when you figure it out. Also, I quit drinking because I was like the Tiger Woods of drinking – the game was no longer a challenge. I was just so … good at it. I could drink a bottle of whiskey and not look any different or feel any different. There was a stoicism to my metabolism that was legendary in the business. In this business, it’s tough not to … I’ve struggled over the last six months but so far, so good. I feel great; there are a lot of people in this industry that haven’t come to terms with it, that have continued to degenerate. Hopefully I’m going to be smart enough to get the reins on it quickly.
AC: Obviously you enjoy what you do, but will there come a time when you’ll want to be in the 18th tower?
DF: No! No, no, no. I’m an outside pet. People have suggested it but it’s not my scene, you know? First of all, to be in the 18th tower, you have to be a Johnny Miller or Lanny Wadkins, someone who’s won a major championship. I know what it’s like to lose major championships, which is one of the things that I think helps me identify with the average golfer. Golf is about losing for most people; even when you play well you probably lose, and you certainly lose to the golf course. My strength is observation and seeing things from a different angle, and you only see things from the same angle from the tower.
AC: I don’t know if people realize you were on tour, that you were on Ryder Cup teams. You were a great golfer.
DF: I downplay my career because I didn’t consider myself to be a great golfer. I played on the highest level and I won tournaments and played Ryder Cup, but I always knew I couldn’t be No. 1 playing golf, and I always wanted to be in the position I’m in now. So whenever I got into contention in a major championship, I made sure I choked far enough out on the back nine that I wouldn’t “Van de Velde” myself on the last hole. You have to keep your reputation intact.
Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
