Feherty promises lots of laughs at fundraiser
David Feherty has made a living off golf commentary and a lot of laughter.
Next month, the legendary Golf Channel commentator will make a stop at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club and he'll be bringing together the best of both of his worlds.
The 63-year-old Feherty has always been known for his sense of humour, but he's the first one to tell you that if you can't laugh at yourself then perhaps you don't have one.
Want proof ? Well, how about the time Tiger Woods slipped a little something in his cereal before a charity exhibition match that included Justin Leonard and Curtis Strange?
“The time I did do this (exhibition match), and I played, (Woods) slipped some ex-lax into my cereal that morning,” Feherty said in an interview from his Dallas home this week. “Let's just say that it didn't turn out well for me right around the 11th hole. I had a full Code Brown.”
The funny and crappy stories aside, that's the great thing about Feherty, he brings out the side of golfers we don't always get to see in public. Some times you turn on the PGA Tour on a Sunday and these guys look robotic in their approach. A player like Brooks Koepka doesn't strike you as having any personality in any way, shape or form or having any fun for that matter.
“(Woods) really is that type of guy (that can have fun),” Feherty said. “Social media is responsible for taking some of the character out of the game. You can't even give yourself a hard time without a fear or being cancelled these days.
“There's a microphone and a camera everywhere, so they've got to be pretty careful. But they won't be so careful at the Royal Ottawa (next month), I can assure you of that.”
On June 6, The Feherty Classic will be held at the Royal Ottawa layout in Gatineau.
Feherty will do colour commentary for a nine-hole skins game that will include former Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, a member at the Royal, along with former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, former NFL running back Emmitt Smith and three-time PGA Tour winner Pat Perez.
The event is expected to raise $50,000 for Ronald McDonald House and The Royal/Mental Health Care. There will also be a comedy show following the round with Feherty and his guests. A similar event will be held the next day at Milton's Glencairn Golf Club with former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Curtis Joseph taking Alfredsson's spot.
“They can expect some savage commentary on their golf games,” Feherty said.
This will be a different atmosphere for Alfredsson, Roethlisberger and Smith. Yes, they've played in front of big crowds in arenas and stadiums, but golf is a completely different challenge because you're the only one who can control the way you're playing.
Raising money for mental health is important for Feherty. He's had his own struggles with bipolar depression and alcoholism. He wants to help people who need help by speaking publicly.
“Sadness is just sadness and depression is sadness minus hope,” Feherty said. “You can live without a lot of things. You can live without money, you can live without love, but you can't live without hope. It's really important for people in the public eye, like Daniel, who has been very vocal in his support of mental health issues.
“We've got to remove the stigma and raise awareness for this because there's so much of it around. When people like myself, Daniel, Ben or Emmitt stand up and say, `This is how I feel,' it makes people a little more open to admitting that's how they feel themselves.”