Why did TV let shameful Sergio off the hook?
A BRILLIANT sports broadcaster hung up his microphone on Saturday after nearly 30 years in the booth, and no wonder the tributes went on long into the night.
When he packed up as a player in 1990, Johnny Miller’s flair-filled style and two major championship victories meant he was already destined to enter the annals as one of the greats.
He was even better as a broadcaster for NBC and, boy, are we going to miss his fearlessness. For evidence, you only had to watch Sky’s golf coverage from the Saudi International at the weekend.
To be fair, their roster of commentators was on form. Nick Dougherty has slotted seamlessly into the presenter’s role, Richard Boxall was solid as ever and Wayne Riley and Andrew Coltart provided colour from the course.
But how the coverage cried out for Miller’s brand of truth when it came to the shameful actions of Sergio Garcia.
I was watching on Saturday afternoon when Tim Barter read out a short European Tour statement regarding Garcia’s disqualification for “serious misconduct”.
My bottom jaw went slack. I’m sure I wasn’t alone in crying out: “What on earth could he have done to the greens to justify that?” No explanation from Sky. The only reference was a clearly uncomfortable Coltart informing us Garcia would be disappointed with his behaviour and that the Spaniard had apologised.
Then there was the 20-minute wrap-up after the tournament had finished the following day when the full scale of Garcia’s vandalism was known.
Fair enough, they talked about the winner, and the players who finished second, third and fourth.
But how on earth do you not also discuss the all-time record Ryder Cup points scorer defacing greens and becoming the first player to be disqualified for such behaviour since the tour was founded in 1972?
Are they seriously suggesting it wasn’t still a talking point?
That was Miller time. He wouldn’t have given two hoots for Garcia’s reputation. This is the man who once said of Phil Mickelson: “If he couldn’t chip, he’d be selling cars in San Diego.”
In America, Sir Nick Faldo has carried on the straight-shooting Miller tradition, as has Brandel Chamblee on the Golf Channel, although he is too in love with the sound of his own voice for my taste. Miller kept his thoughts succinct and never hogged the mic.
Now 71, the former Open and US Open Champion signed off at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix with a rueful grin, telling viewers: “Thanks for accepting my form of commentating. I know it’s not normal.”
Goodness, he can say that again.
“I hope I never have to go through anything like that again. I knew it was not going to be easy to win the way I was playing, but I thought it would be a lot easier than that.”
The game owed a debt of thanks to colourful American Rickie Fowler on Sunday, and the graceful manner in which he dealt with adversity to win the Waste Management Open.
A chip that trundled unluckily into a water hazard was followed by his ball trickling back into the same hazard after he’d taken his drop and declared it in play, resulting in another penalty. Imagine how some players would have dealt with such an unkind fate, as a five-shot lead at the 11th dwindled away after the most unfortunate of triple bogeys?
Fowler never cursed the heavens, broke a club over his knee, or took a divot out of the 11th green.
He accepted his lot and got the job done. One of the classiest people in golf, no mistake. | Daily Mail